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American Morning: Wake Up Call
Tear Gas and Fireworks Occupy Oakland Protests; Obama Arrives in France for G-20 Summit; Syria Peace Plan; Gadhafi's Son Challenges Arrest Warrant
Aired November 03, 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: Breaking news right now: tear gas and explosions on the streets of Oakland, California, just hours after thousands participate in Occupy protests. Demonstrators have shut down the city's port. But in the last few hours, things have -- well, they've gotten just downright dangerous.
Also developing at this hour, the world is watching as President Obama joins European leaders all working to deal with the crisis threatening the Eurozone and, of course, the global economy.
And for the first time we're hearing from the young woman who posted a video online of her father beating her. Why did she do it seven years after the fact?
Good morning to you. It is Thursday, November 3rd. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
I'm Carol Costello, joining you live this morning from New York. It's 5:00 Eastern Time.
Breaking news out of Oakland, California. Major developments in the "Occupy Wall Street" protests there. Parts of the city look like a war zone right now.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
COSTELLO: Police fired teargas in an effort to remove several hundred "Occupy" protesters who said they ignored orders to disperse. Police say some protesters have thrown rocks and fireworks at officers. We have no information on possible injuries.
The protesters were the remnants of thousands who yesterday carried through a threat to shut down the city and the port of Oakland, the nation's fifth busiest port. The port's spokesman said maritime operations had been effectively shut down. He said the port would reopen as soon as it's safe to do so. Most downtown streets remain closed this morning.
The scandal dogging Herman Cain's campaign for the White House is growing bigger and more acrimonious by the day. The lawyer for one of the women accusing the Republican presidential candidate of sexual harassment says he will ask the National Restaurant Association to allow him to issue a statement on his client's behalf.
Cain led the lobbying group in the 1990s and is accused of making unwanted sexual overtures to at least three female employees. Yesterday, Cain accused a consultant with ties to Republican rival Rick Perry's campaign with leaking the allegations in a bid to destroy his presidential bid. A Perry spokesman calls the charge reckless and false.
The Perry campaign in turn suggests the Mitt Romney campaign could be behind the leak. Romney forces call the assertions not true.
"The Associated Press" is reporting that a third former employee of the National Restaurant Association says Cain made sexually suggestive remarks and invited her to his apartment. Herman Cain for his part strongly denied any wrongdoing ever since the story first broke on Sunday. And he's trying to carry out his campaign events as if the allegations had never surfaced. That approach seemed to collapse yesterday when he became visibly irritated when pressed by reporters on the controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me say one thing. I'm here with these doctors, and that's what I'm going to talk about. So don't even bother asking me all these other questions that you all are curious, OK? Don't even bother.
REPORTER: But are you concerned about the fact that these women --
CAIN: What did I say?
REPORTER: Are you concerned about --
CAIN: Excuse me. Excuse me! What part of "no" don't some people understand?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: A new Quinnipiac University poll shows Cain leading the GOP field with 30 percent support among registered Republicans. But that poll was conducted almost entirely before news of the allegations came out.
President Obama in France this morning to attend the G-20 economic summit. Mr. Obama arrived in Nice a short time ago. Looming large over the meeting is the surprise move by the Greek prime minister, George Papandreou, to let Greek voters to decide whether to accept a European bailout plan to prevent the country from defaulting on its massive debt. The summit brings together the leaders of the world's largest industrial and developing nations.
A short time ago, Mr. Obama held talks with the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy. The two are expected to brief reporters near the bottom of this hour, 5:30 Eastern Time. We'll bring you those remarks live when they happen.
The leaders of France and Germany are mincing no words when it comes to the Greek prime minister. In a meeting yesterday, they bluntly warned that Greece might get kicked out of the Eurozone if Greek voters reject the European bailout plan. Prime Minister Papandreou, however, says he's confident voters will support the bailout plan. But before the referendum -- expect it to be early next month -- Papandreou must first survive a vote of no confidence in parliament. That happens tomorrow.
Let's head to Atlanta and check in with Reynolds Wolf. Good morning, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey. Good morning.
Let's talk about the possible delays you'll have today. And, unfortunately, yes, there will be quite a few. Beginning in the Windy City, Chicago, it looks we may have some backups there.
Detroit same story, delays just under an hour due to the possibility of thunderstorms and wind. I'm saying possibility. It's all but a certainty. You're going to have some thunder boomers.
Same story in St. Louis and over Memphis, some morning thunderstorms. Wind is also going to kick in through the afternoon as the frontal boundary comes through. And in Dallas, you got the wind that may keep you grounded at all your major airports, delays just under an hour.
Here is the big weather maker. It's a system that extends over 1,000 miles, clear from the Great Lakes, way back south of the Great Plains. We expect that to move eastward. That storm system and that area of low pressure is going to bring rain to spots like Atlanta, Nashville, back to Charlotte, North Carolina, perhaps even the nation's capital before all is said and done.
Right behind it, some cool and breezy conditions and another storm system moves in the Pacific Northwest. That makes for rain in the valleys, but high up in the Wasatch Range and also the Cascades, might see a touch of snowfall.
High temperatures, here they are -- abracadabra -- 44 degrees the high in Denver, 57 in Albuquerque, 70 in Atlanta, 81 in Tampa. New York, you're going up to 59 degrees. How about that?
All right. Guess what? It's your turn. Let's pitch it back to you, let's toss it back to you, let's just give it back to you in New York. How about that?
COSTELLO: That's good.
WOLF: My mind is still on baseball. Season is long gone. And here I am. Go figure.
COSTELLO: I always want to make a catch in the outfield when you say that.
WOLF: I know, right? I mean, it's time to stop this. It's crazy. Back to you.
COSTELLO: But thanks for that 59 degrees in New York. I'm liking that.
WOLF: We do what we can.
COSTELLO: All right. See you later, Reynolds.
He denies it strongly. But a woman accuses Justin Bieber of fathering her three-month-old baby, just enough fuel for late night comedians, right? Here's your punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON": Just a quick programming note. Justin Bieber will not be here tonight.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
FALLON: Apparently he had to go tape a last-minute appearance on "Maury."
JAY LENO, HOST, "LATE SHOW WITH JAY LENO": A 20-year-old California woman has filed a lawsuit against Justin Bieber alleging he is the father of her three-month-old baby boy. And they say the kid looks exactly like him. Actually, the kid looks a lot older. Actually the kid looks older.
FALLON: Some more celebrity news today, a judge sentenced Lindsay Lohan to 30 days in jail for violating her probation. Or as Kim Kardashian put it, 30 days, that's like four marriages. A long time.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: Wireless companies are usually competing for your business. But there's one serious case that's forcing several of them to get on the same page, rather. We'll explain. But, first, our "Quote of the Day." Quote, "No country can get ahead of it when it leaves half of its people behind," end quote. Find out who said that in 90 seconds.
It's seven minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is nine minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Now, back to our "Quote of the Day." Quote, "No country can get ahead when it leaves half of its people behind," end quote. Who said that? Melanne Verveer, ambassador at large for Global Women's Issues. She was speaking at a Senate panel hearing discussing the role of women in Arab Spring nations.
Verveer praised Tunisia, but said Egypt is complicated and worrisome because there are no women included on the committee that drafted its new constitution, and only one female member serving in the cabinet.
It's a growing concern for anyone who own a smart phone -- mobile security threats. Now, one company is making a major proactive approach to the issue.
Let's head to Hong Kong and Kristie Lu Stout. So, what is this major proactive approach?
A mobile security council has been formed to answer threats to smartphone users. And while no major mobile threats have emerged, security experts have been warning that the risk is growing. So, formed by Sprint Nextel, this council includes IBM, Cisco, Samsung and other major tech players.
But it is interesting to note that Google and Apple are not in the mix. Now, Sprint says it welcomes new partners to the council but still two very high-profile no-shows here.
Back to you, Carol.
COSTELLO: To another topic -- tomorrow, six men complete this pretend mission to mars where they were cut off from the real world for, what, a year and a half. Why?
STOUT: That's right, and I'll tell you why. On Friday, again, 2:00 p.m. on Friday, they'll announce this mission to know where will be over. And this was all a simulation.
Now, six crew members with the European Space Agency, they had to deal with 18 months of cultural barriers and boredom, at a research center, a fake capsule in Moscow. And on board this simulated mission, you had three Russians, two Europeans and a Chinese man. They spent more than 500 days in windowless isolation. Their only contact with the outside world was over the Internet and phone lines with a 20-minute delay.
It's all part of the $10 million Mars 500 Project. They want to show that astronauts are able to handle the physical and psychological toll of a far-flung journey to the Red Planet.
But these crew members, Carol, they were the lucky ones. Because in this fake mission, they had books, DVDs and "Guitar Hero" on board.
Back to you.
COSTELLO: So, at least they had something to do. I just can't imagine being stuck in a windowless room for that amount of time and they weren't driven crazy.
STOUT: That's right, windowless isolation, 520 days. I bet they're pretty good at "Guitar Hero" by now.
COSTELLO: I bet they are. Kristie Lu Stout live in Hong Kong this morning. Thank you.
STOUT: Take care.
COSTELLO: Herman Cain impatient and short with reporters. Is the sexual harassment scandal taking its toll? We're talking about that in our Political Ticker.
And in a few moments, we'll take you live to Cannes where we're told the U.S. and French presidents will make brief statements from the G-20 Summit.
But, first, grab a couple slices of bread and some lunch meat, or maybe some peanut butter and jelly. That's because today is National Sandwich Day.
And here's something to think about while eating that sandwich. The day honors John Montagu's 293rd birthday. He's actually the guy who invented the sandwich. Legend has it he sent servant to put meat in between two slices of bread because he wanted to eat his meal with one hand during a gambling tournament.
It's 13 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Fourteen minutes past the hour. Welcome back.
After Herman Cain made interesting comments about China and nuclear weapon, some people, like Stephen Colbert, are questioning how much he really knows. Here is your punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
CAIN: I do view China as a potential military threat. They've indicated they've tried to develop nuclear capability.
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE COLBERT REPORT": Nation, we cannot allow China to develop nukes, especially since they developed them in 1964. I am telling you, if you don't act fast, they might end up building a wall to keep foreigners out. What? No!
CAIN: You think I'm dumb enough not to study up on these issues? I've been studying up on these issues for months.
COLBERT: Exactly, he has been studying up on these issues for months. He just hasn't worked his way up to the chapter on the 1960s yet. First, I can't wait to hear his plan on how to get us out of Vietnam.
So, stay strong, Herman Cain. If you get stuck in a next interview , remember, the answers are in the back of the book.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: Wow. Not a good time for Herman Cain.
Now, it's time for your Political Ticker with Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS live from Washington.
Good morning, Tim.
TIM FARLEY, SIRIUS POTUS: Bonjour, Carol.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
FARLEY: I was in Cannes. I take, why not, why not?
COSTELLO: I know, in the G-20 Summit.
Let's talk about Herman Cain though because he's having one bad week. I mean, things have gotten so bad, he's openly showing frustration and getting testy with reporters who again asked him about these sexual harassment allegations. This is what happened yesterday in Virginia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAIN: Let me say one thing. I'm here with these doctors, and that's what I'm going to talk about. So don't even bother asking me all of these other questions that you all are curious about. Don't even bother.
REORTER: But are you concerned about the fact that these women do want --
CAIN: What did I say?
REPORTER: Are you concerned about --
CAIN: Excuse me. Excuse me! What part of "no" don't some people understand?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, Tim, my guess, it's likely that conservatives will kind of like Cain's expression of anger at reporters because he told them, I'm not answering any questions about that. Of course, on the other side of the aisle, people are saying, oh, my gosh, Cain is losing it.
FARLEY: Yes. It's still a better way to handle it. It reminds me, Carol, and you've worked in Washington, D.C. and you understand what the culture is like around here. But you've also been on earnings calls with CEOs. And Herman Cain is acting like one of the CEOs. He's sort of saying, I answered your questions, don't ask me anymore about this, or he changes the answer and says he seems to be playing with facts here and there.
I think the big question right here is what's going to happen politically. We have polls that have been out. You mentioned the Quinnipiac poll that was taken prior to this whole series of events taking place. Who is to gain right now? We'll see in some of the polls.
My guess is Rick Perry is the beneficiary. Long term perhaps, it will probably be Mitt Romney because eventually, I think, he's got what it takes to beat Rick Perry, too. But the sniping has not made the Republican Party look good.
We've seen some reaction. Michele Bachmann has already been on the road saying we need no surprises with our candidates. Jon Huntsman has been attacking Mitt Romney and Herman Cain on policy, not so much on what's happening here.
Newt Gingrich says if there's somebody to blame behind all of this, if there's somebody in one of the camps that made this come about, that person should be fired.
So, it looks kind of childish right now for the Republicans. My guess is that Herman Cain should figure out a way to either go quietly for a few days and just let this rest and hope something else takes over or have some big statement that just sort of lays it all out there and then say I've answered the questions, let's move on. It doesn't seem like he's looking at doing either right now. We'll see how it plays out.
COSTELLO: Well, you know what's going to happen on Thursday. One of the women who accused him all those years ago will put out a statement. She won't appear in person. She said she doesn't want to become another Anita Hill.
So, she's going to put out this statement, not detailing exactly what happened, but at least saying, hey, in my mind these things did happen 12 years ago.
FARLEY: Yes. And one of the big problems here is that we keep seeing -- it's like the Imelda Marcos story, the shoes keep dropping. And we've seen that happen. And we have the accusation by yet anonymous -- another anonymous person, another woman "A.P." reporting yesterday that had been part of this.
Again, Herman Cain has to figure out a way to be able to definitively state what happened and so that people are satisfied. Now, there will be people that will try to ask questions. I think Bill Clinton effectively did this with the Gennifer Flowers incident in 1992. These are the kinds of things that will dog people.
And it's not that there's so much substance to it. It's just the way Herman Cain and his campaign are playing it, blaming whoever -- it's taking away from whatever message he has to deliver. And he just has to do a better job of managing the situation. That's a key part of it right now. He's looking less presidential every day, which is one the biggest problems for him.
COSTELLO: Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS Radio. Thanks for joining us live this morning.
FARLEY: Au revoir.
COSTELLO: Au revoir.
Speaking French, friends in France, the G-20 are meeting on the French Riviera among other things, trying to map out the future of the global economy. The U.S. and French presidents set to speak in just a couple moments. Of course, when they begin speaking, we're take that live.
But let's head around the world now with Ali Velshi, because he is live in Cannes, France, the site of the G-20 Summit.
Good morning, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Stormy around here. All cloudy, heavy winds, sort of setting the tone for the G-20 which, by the way, is just getting under way right now even though all the excitement was yesterday in the meetings between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Sarkozy with the Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou. We have just now heard that Papandreou has called an emergency cabinet meeting for 10:00 local time, which is 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time. They look like they're going ahead with this referendum for December 4th.
Basically the rest of the Europeans have said to them, if you go ahead with this referendum, understand that it is a vote about whether or not Greece remains in the Eurozone -- even though that's technically not what the referendum is about. It's about this bailout, this European rescue plan that was passed by the European Union on October 27th.
So, all of that other stuff about mapping out the global economy that the G-20 was supposed to be about has sort of taken a back seat to this whole issue of this European deal and Greece, and whether Greece is going to go along with it and the uncertainty this is providing to investors and everyone else around the world.
So, that's the backdrop we have of what's going on. But from moments from now, we're going to hear the president of the United States and Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy is the host country. France is the host country for the G-20.
They meet about twice a year. The G-20 has been around since 2008, since the financial crisis, basically the world coming together to try to have coordinated responses to bad things going on around the world -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I want to tell you to take cover because the weather looks bad. It's starting to look like the Wizard of Oz out there, Ali.
VELSHI: Yes, it's a bit like hurricane coverage out here, I'll tell you. But, you know, just across over there is the place where the Cannes film festival is held. That's where they're having their meeting. So, everybody is sheltered except for us because that's what we reporters do, we like to stand outside when the weather is bad.
COSTELLO: I expect you any moment to say "anti em (ph)."
Thank you, Ali. We appreciate it. We'll check back in with you when the president begins speaking.
VELSHI: All right.
COSTELLO: Again, President Obama and President Sarkozy are expected to speak any minute. Once they start, of course, we'll bring you their comments live.
Coming up on A.M. WAKE-UP CALL, the jury hears closing arguments today in the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's former doctor. Hey, missed any of it. We got your lightning speed recap, next.
It's 23 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 25 minutes past the hour. Welcome back.
Closing arguments are expected today in the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's former doctor. After six weeks of testimony, Dr. Conrad Murray's trial is nearing an end. If you missed any of it, Casey Wian gets you up to speed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dramatic moments at the Conrad Murray manslaughter trial, including an audiotape of Michael Jackson slurring his words -- and disturbing pictures of the singer's dead body.
In court a procession of Murray's former girlfriends and the constant presence of Jackson family members. Outside, supporters of both sides.
Several prosecution medical experts testified about the dangers of treating Jackson's insomnia with the powerful anesthetic Propofol, especially outside of a hospital. Murray declined to take the stand. His former patients did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm alive today because of that man.
ED CHERNOFF, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Do you have an opinion about whether Dr. Murray treats his patients with care and caution?
LUNETTE SAMPSON, CONRAD MURRAY'S FORMER PATIENT: I have never had a doctor that was more caring.
WIAN: Prosecutors clashed with medical experts for the defense, which sought to portray Jackson as a drug addict who could have injected himself with Propofol.
DAVID WALGREN, PROSECUTOR: Is there a reason why it's so difficult for you to answer my questions and so easy to answer Mr. Chernoff?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sustained.
WIAN: The judge fined defense expert Dr. Paul White, an anesthesiologists, for suggesting that Michael Jackson has his own supply of Propofol, an allegation not in evidence. The prosecution also extracted a seemingly key concession from Dr. White, that he never would have treated Jackson the way Murray allegedly did.
WALGREN: If Michael Jackson had come to you, Dr. White, and indicated that he would like to hire you to administer Propofol to him, to put him to sleep each night in his bedroom, would you do it?
DR. PAUL WHITE, ANESTHESIOLOGIST: Absolutely not. That would be a job that I would never consider accepting.
WIAN: Murray faces four years in jail and the loss of his medical license.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Casey Wian reporting.
Deliberations on Dr. Conrad Murray's fate expected to begin late today or maybe even Friday. We'll keep you posted.
Coming up, there's loud public outcry over a YouTube video showing a Texas judge beating his then 16-year-old daughter.
And Syria now says it will end its brutal crackdown on antigovernment demonstrators.
All that and more, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It is Thursday, November 3rd. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello joining you live this morning from New York. It's 31 minutes past the hour.
It's hard to watch for many people. A video of a Texas judge beating his then 16-year-old daughter as punishment, she says, for downloading music and games on the Internet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY ADAMS, DAUGHTER OF JUDGE ADAMS: No!
JUDGE WILLIAM ADAMS, ARANSAS COUNTY, TEXAS: Bend over the bed!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That video was taken in 2004 but was posted on YouTube a few days ago by the daughter, Hillary Adams. Judge Willy Adams tells the CNN affiliate he doesn't believe he did anything wrong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JUDGE WILLIAM ADAMS: In my mind, I haven't done anything wrong other than disappointing my child after she was caught stealing, and I did lose my temper, but I've since apologized. It looks worse than it is. There is a story. It will come out in due time, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you do acknowledge that's you in the video?
JUDGE WILLIAM ADAMS: Yes, absolutely. It's me.
PAUL CALLAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: This guy is a family court judge. What is she doing on the bench? But, when I started researching it, Erin, it's going to be a much harder situation than you might think.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Why is that?
CALLAN: One, criminal charges very, very difficult because there's a statute of limitations. And, this happened six years ago, and you can't tell from the video if she sustained a physical injury which is usually required to make out a felony charge. So, it's probably a form of child endangerment. Prosecutors are looking at that, and they're going to have a real hard time bringing criminal charges.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The daughter, the girl you saw in that video clip is now speaking out. Hillary Adams says she's relieved the video has gotten all this attention.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY ADAMS: I feel exhilarated. I don't know if I could call it happy, but I'm very relieved that these things have been brought to light, and not because I want to see my father burn or anything like that. That's a hideous way of thinking. I don't want to inflict that upon him. I just -- I cannot stress it enough. I can't repeat myself enough that he just needs help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Since appearing on YouTube, the disturbing video has been seen nearly one million times and has spurred an investigation into the actions of Judge Adams.
The number of deaths linked to a listeria outbreak in cantaloupe has now risen to 29. The Centers for Disease Control says that tops the 1985 mark for the most listeria death among adults and children. This outbreak was first detected in September and traced back to a Colorado farm. In addition to those deaths, it's also sickened a total of 139 people in 28 states.
The Arab league says Syria has agreed to end its crackdown on anti-government demonstrators. Additionally, the al-Assad government pledges to pull its troops from the streets and release prisoners jailed during months of protests. There's also a call for talks with the opposition. The announcement comes as nearly two dozen people reportedly were killed across Syria on Wednesday.
One of Moammar Gadhafi's surviving sons is challenging an Interpol arrest warrant that was issued against him. The lawyer for Saudi Gadhafi says it's politically motivated and sought by a new Libyan leadership that lacks legitimacy. Saudi Gadhafi's father, Libya's former leader, Moammar Gadhafi, was killed after being captured by opposition forces last month.
Senate lawmakers propose a plan to rescue the U.S. Postal Service, but many are already saying, oh, that plan is going to be controversial. We'll tell you about it. It's 34 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Thirty-five minutes past the hour. We're getting the actual details of how a group of lawmakers is proposing to save the U.S. Postal Service. Let's check in with Christine Romans. She's live here in New York with me. Christine, what's the plan?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the plan is a bipartisan group of senators, so the hope here is that if you get Republicans and Democrats in here together, you can try to find a way to fix the problems of the postal service, because remember, the postal service volume is down 20 percent over the past two years, lost $20 billion over the past four years.
What the plan is it would be tapping a $6.9 billion overpayment in a retiree fund to offer worker's cash buyout to $25,000 to take a buyout or you can give workers who are close in retirement maybe two years of credit toward retirement. That would allow them to, maybe cut the payroll there by 100,000 workers.
That would save them ultimately $8 billion. Also, you would cut Saturday service. That would start in about two years. And you could close post offices, probably, a lot of post offices. We know, Carol, that some of these post offices in really small towns or where there's overlap in postal service. There's been a lot of talk about having to get rid of that redundancy.
We know that the postal service is facing some deadlines for payments into its retiree health care fund and the like. That this is a pretty critical moment here, but the controversy comes that anything that looks like a bailout of the postal service will not be tolerated by House Republicans.
And so, that's why this bipartisan group is trying to come up with a plan that they can try to hammer out to fix these problems, Carol.
COSTELLO: Interesting. I know there's a November 18th deadline. You know, that's when retiree health funds are due. So, what's going to happen there? ROMANS: So, that's why this is also critical to have a plan in place. I mean, the post office has said again and again, look, we need Congress to fix our problems. We can't -- the irony is that it's its own stand-alone agency, right? But Congress has to approve what it can do.
And it can't do anything until Congress gets on board and that deadline is right around the corner which just underscores the urgency of all of this.
COSTELLO: Payments are due. Christine Romans, I'll see you in about 20 minutes or so.
ROMANS: Sure.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
Herman Cain, of course, as you know under fire over allegations of sexual misconduct. How he's handling the heat and, of course, the newest developments. That's coming up next in our "Political Ticker."
But first, time for your "Get Smart" question of the day. This week, the House passed a resolution reaffirming "In God We Trust" as the national motto. So, what year did the phrase become the country's national motto? As you ponder these choices, let's head over to Cannes, France, because President Obama and the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, now taking the podium at the G20 summit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: His frank and honest assessment of the situations here. It's also nice to be back visiting in France. The last time I was in the south of France -- the first time, rather, was as a college student. And I've never forgotten the extraordinary hospitality of the French people and the extraordinary views that are available here.
This morning, President Sarkozy and I reaffirmed our strong and enduring ties, and I've said on many occasions that France is not only our oldest allies, but also one of our closest. And I consider Nicolas to be an outstanding and trusted partner on the world stage. I think it's no surprise that we spent most of our conversation focused on strengthening the global economic recovery so that we are creating jobs for our people and stabilizing the financial markets around the world.
The most important aspect of our task over the next two days is to resolve the financial crisis here in Europe. President Sarkozy has shown extraordinary leadership on this issue. I agree with him that the EU has made some important steps towards a comprehensive solution, and that would not have happened without Nicolas's leadership.
Here at the G20, we're going to have to flesh out more of the details about how the plan will be fully and decisively implemented. And we also discussed the situation in Greece and how we can work to help resolve that situation as well. The United States will continue to be a partner with the Europeans to resolve these challenges.
We had the opportunity, also, to talk about a range of security issues. One in particular that I want to mention is the continuing threat posed by Iran's nuclear program. The IEA is scheduled to release a report on Iran's nuclear program next week, and President Sarkozy and I agree on the need to maintain the unprecedented international pressure on Iran to meet its obligations.
And finally, I'm looking forward to joining Nicolas and service members from both of our countries tomorrow to celebrate the alliance between our two countries which spans more than 200 years, from Yorktown to Libya. And, finally, I want to make mention that this is our first meeting since the arrival of the newest Sarkozy. So, I want to congratulate Nicolas and Carla on the birth of Julia.
And I informed Nicolas on the way in that I'm confident that Julia inherited her mother's looks rather than her father's, which I think is an excellent thing. And so, now, we share one of the greatest challenges and blessings of life, and that is being fathers to our daughters. So again, Nicolas, thank you for your friendship, thank you for our partnership, and thank you for your gracious hospitality.
(SPEAKING IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: All right. We're going to jump away from this. We're going to take a short break. We'll be back with more from the G20 summit. We're also going to be talking more about Herman Cain and the allegations surrounding him when WAKE-UP CALL continues.
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COSTELLO: It is 44 minutes after the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Now, back to your "Get Smart" question of the day. This week, the House passed a resolution reaffirming "In God We Trust" as the national motto. So, what year did the phrase become the country's national motto? Was it 1786, 1865 or 1956. The answer is, that would be C, 1956.
A year earlier, Congress passed legislation that made the appearance of "In God We Trust" mandatory on all coins and paper currency.
One of the women accusing Herman Cain of sexual misconduct says she will not do any interviews, but, her lawyer may soon issue a statement in her behalf. In another new development, the Associated Press is reporting that a third woman says Cain made sexually suggestive remarks and invited her to his corporate apartment.
Time now for our "Political Ticker." Joining us on the phone from our Washington bureau is our Washington bureau chief, Sam Feist. Good morning, Sam. SAM FEIST, CNN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF (on the phone): Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So, this woman's statement supposedly is going to be released Thursday. Do you think it will go into any detail about exactly what the allegations are against Herman Cain?
FEIST: Well, it's not clear, and it's very complicated, because her attorney, Joel Bennett, told CNN last night that she wants to release a statement. She does not want her name to be released with it, because she says, quote, "she doesn't want to be the next Anita Hill."
But also, before the statement can be released, they have to get permission, if you will, from the National Restaurant Association because this woman has an agreement with the National Restaurant Association that she wouldn't talk publicly about it. That's how she got that settlement some time ago. But if it gets released, I think the most important impact is it will keep the story in the news for some more time which is not good for Herman Cain.
And of course, it depends what's in the statement. If she goes into the details of the allegations and they are or sound credible, obviously, that draws the Herman Cain campaign into it and him into it even more and makes life far more difficult for Mr. Cain.
COSTELLO: Oh, boy, you're not kidding. The National Restaurant Association is sort of in the middle of this mess. So, it's got some difficult decisions to make.
FEIST: It sure does. I mean, it really is complicated. You know, some people believe that this story is going to come out regardless. Kris Wilson (ph), who's a Republican pollster said yesterday, told CNN and he's also on the radio said that he witnessed this, and apparently, a number of people witnessed whatever this incident was.
So, it may be that the genie is going to get out of the bottle regardless of what this woman says in her statement. So, it may be in the interest of the National Restaurant Association to go ahead and let her make the statement, but it sure is complicated.
And this is one of those things. You've got to believe that all or some of the story is going to get out one way or another. It just isn't going to be able to stay under wraps.
COSTELLO: So, you've covered politics forever. You're certainly in the know. Herman Cain had this meltdown with reporters yesterday. Would it be best for him just to, like, disappear for a while, let things fall where they may, and then, come back with a lengthy statement?
FEIST: Well, after three days of this, you've got to feel for the guy a little bit, and that he's incredibly frustrated, because he came into this week edging towards the top of the polls. In fact, a poll came out yesterday showing him seven points ahead of Mitt Romney. And, his message has been completely derailed by this controversy.
So, yes, I think he would love for this to pass. He's not going to have as many public appearances today. He's going to -- he's got a schedule in Washington, but we're not going to see him as much. And, he's certainly hoping it will blow over, but I'm afraid it's really unlikely to do that.
I'll tell you this, Carol, Herman Cain would give anything to be talking about his 9-9-9 economic plan instead of talking about this controversy with these women.
COSTELLO: I bet you're right. Sam Feist, thanks for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.
Breaking news from the Occupy Wall Street protests in California.
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COSTELLO (voice-over): Parts of Oakland look like a war zone this morning. Police fired teargas in an effort to remove several hundred occupy protesters who they say ignored their orders to disperse. Police say protesters had thrown rocks and shot off fireworks at officers. We have no information on any possible injuries.
The protesters were the remnants of thousands who, yesterday, carried (INAUDIBLE) to shut down the city, and the port of Oakland, that's the nation's fifth busiest port. The port's spokesman said the maritime operation had been effectively shutdown. He said the port would reopen as soon as it's safe to do so. Most downtown stores in Oakland remain closed.
Coming up on A.M. WAKE-UP CALL, the offices of a French magazine burns the same day it was set to publish an issue featuring a cartoon figure of the Prophet Mohammed. We'll have details on that just ahead.
But first, on this day in history, 100 years ago, the Chevrolet Motor Company was founded in Detroit, Michigan. It was started to compete against Henry Ford's model T in the 1920s. General Motors acquired Chevy in 1918. It's 50 minutes past the hour.
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COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It's Thursday, November 3rd. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello joining you live from New York. It is, oh, just about eight minutes until the top of the hour.
The offices of a French satirical magazine burns on the very day it was due to publish an issue that featured a cartoon figure of the Prophet Mohammed. Let's head around the world and check in with Zain Verjee. She's live in London. So, who burned down the building?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, some Muslim group that was pretty angry and upset with all of this. So, it's not clear specifically who it is or who they are, but an investigation is going on. Basically, the French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, was going to publish a cover with the Prophet Mohammed showing him bearded and turbined, and the headline was going to be "100 lashes if you're not dying of laughter."
This issue is supposed to be a commentary, satirically making fun of Islamic law. Now, one of the executives of this magazine who said that the people or the person who did this were just plain dumb. They don't know what the content of the actual magazine is.
But this comes down to the whole debate that's happening between, you know, freedom of expression and journalism versus religious sensitivities, and small extremist groups that interpret the whole idea of showing something like an image of Prophet Mohammed on a magazine cover and being mocked as just not OK.
So, this is something that we've seen before. Let's see what the fallout is of it, but it definitely puts that front and center in this kind of a debate and this kind of an atmosphere, too, where there's a lot of misunderstanding between the different groups in France.
COSTELLO: Zain Verjee live in London, thanks.
Ford is already taking orders for its first plug-in passenger car, but it's the price tag that caught our attention. Details and a live report from the NASDAQ MarketSite next.
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COSTELLO: It's three minutes until the top of the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Here are three things you need to put on your radar today.
At 9:00 a.m. eastern, a House subcommittee is set to vote on whether to subpoena the White House for Solyndra documents. Last year, the administration loaned millions of dollars to the solar energy company, a company that since filed for bankruptcy.
At noon eastern in Los Angeles, closing arguments are set to start in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray. He's charged with involuntary manslaughter.
And we're watching for developments out of Oakland, California. The city is home to the fifth busiest port in the country, and it was shut down yesterday after thousands of Occupy protesters showed up. Just in the last few minutes, we've had reports of teargas being thrown at those protesters. We'll have more for you on AMERICAN MORNING.
Now, let's head to the NASDAQ MarketSite and check in with Carter Evans. Show us the numbers, will you?
CARTER EVANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the numbers, it's going to be decided probably a little bit later after we have some of the reports that are coming in today. The weekly unemployment numbers, we're going to get those because it's Thursday. We're getting a report on the service sector and also a report on factory orders.
As far as earnings go, we're going to hear from a ton of companies today, including CVS Caremark, Sara Lee, Chesapeake Energy and Starbucks after the closing bell. The numbers right now look like this. Dow futures down about 12 points. NASDAQ down about eight. S&P 500 down about four. I think, yesterday, we were looking at futures that were a lot lower as well, but then, we ended up with a nice positive close.
COSTELLO: Hopefully, the same will happen today. Tell us about this electric card that Ford is putting out.
EVANS: Yes.
COSTELLO: The first plug-in car, but boy, a bit pricey.
EVANS: Yes. Pricey. $40,000 Ford Focus. Would you buy one? It's all electric. That's the thing. Ford is now taking orders for this car in New York, New Jersey, and California. It's more expensive than the Nissan Leaf. That's another all-electric car. The Leaf gets 73 miles per charge. It costs $34,000.
Now, Ford isn't saying how many miles this car gets per charge. It's just saying that it's competitive right now, but all electric cars are eligible for a $7,500 rebate from the government. So,that would bring the price down just a little bit. But, you know, this cost about the same as the Chevy Volt, but the Chevy Volt also has a gas engine which extends the range.
COSTELLO: Interesting. Carter Evans, thanks so much.
EVANS: Sure.
COSTELLO: "AMERICAN MORNING" continues right now.
