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American Morning: Wake Up Call
Hearing the Other Side; Jury Gets Conrad Murray Case Today; USA Today: Nearly 90k Soldiers Unfit
Aired November 04, 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: Another day, another development in the Herman Cain saga. Today, one of the women who accused the presidential candidate of sexual harassment years ago could reveal her side of the story.
In just a few hours, the jurors hearing in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor will start deliberating the case. We'll take a look at the evidence against Dr. Conrad Murray and hear why his defense team says he's innocent.
And don't adjust your TV. This is video of a man doing front flips over a car. You'll want to hear more about this.
Good morning to you and happy Friday. It is November 4th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
I'm Carol Costello, joining you live from New York this morning.
We could see a major development today in the Herman Cain controversy. One of the women accusing the Republican presidential candidate of sexual harassment may issue a statement later today. Her lawyer says she would rebut Cain's denials of any sexual advances when the woman worked for Cain at the National Restaurant Association in the late '90s. She's one of three women who have accused Cain of inappropriate behavior.
Cain has repeatedly denied the allegations but has acknowledged at least one severance payment was made to an accuser.
In a radio interview with Sean Hannity, Cain vowed to press ahead with his campaign.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can assure you this, Sean, this will not deter me. This businessman is not going to be deterred in his drive to basically do what I feel like what I'm supposed to be doing, which is to win this nomination and win the presidency.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Politico.com first broke the story on Sunday and since then, Cain has given conflicting accounts on the allegations which have raised questions about just exactly happened and the ability of his campaign to handle a crisis.
In another major development today, a Los Angeles jury will begin debilitating the fate of Michael Jackson's doctor after a six- week manslaughter trial. In closing arguments yesterday, the prosecution said the evidence is overwhelming that Dr. Conrad Murray caused Jackson's death by giving him an overdose of Propofol. The defense contends that Jackson gave himself that fatal dose.
Murray has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could be sent to prison for four years and lose his medical license.
The city of Oakland, California, is getting back to normal today, a far cry from Wednesday when some 7,000 occupy protesters peacefully shut down the city and its port, which has now reopened. Overnight, things turned violent when officials say a small group of provocateurs threw rocks, bottles and shot fireworks at police officers. Police retaliated with tear gas. More than 100 people were arrested.
Across the country, in New York, an occupy protest with a twist. Dozens of protesters arrested on disorderly conduct charges rejected an offer from the district attorney to drop their cases in six months if they were not arrested again. Instead, they opted to go to trial.
The October unemployment report is due out at 8:30 Eastern this morning. And it's not expected to be very encouraging. Economists surveyed by CNN Money believe the October rate will hold steady at 9.1 percent. They also expect that about 98,000 jobs will be added. That's fewer than 103,000 jobs created in September.
Political turmoil grips Greece this morning and the ramifications from what happens over the next few hours cold jolt financial markets around the world. The Greek prime minister, George Papandreou, faces a confidence vote in parliament today. This comes as he called off a referendum on the country's new Euro zone bailout plan designed to prevent Greece from defaulting on its massive debt. Many Greeks oppose the plan because of its tough belt tightening measures.
Adding to the upheaval, an opposition leader's call for the prime minister to resign and hold a snap election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIS SAMARAS, GREEK OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): We're asking you to resign in order to give the power to the Greek people to give the power to a new prime minister and negotiate new measures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Papandreou says stepping down would be irresponsible.
Remember AIG, the giant insurer that was saved by going belly up by a massive government bailout three years ago? Well, the American International Group, AIG, is back in the red. It posted a $4.1 billion quarterly loss. The company's CEO attributed it to declines in the value of mortgage investments, changes at its aircraft landing unit and a write-down in its stake in a former Asian subsidiary.
Back in 2008, the government helped the company get back on its feet with a loan to the tune of $180 billion. The company has been slowly paying that back.
Now let's head to Atlanta and check in with Rob Marciano.
Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey. Good morning, Carol.
A couple of spots that we want to point out where we might have some travel delays today. The winds are kicking up especially out West and across parts of the Southwest. And that's where we may see some stuff -- Phoenix, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco. If you're traveling to those areas, just be aware.
If you are in the mid-Atlantic, we've got some rain heading your way. Some of this is going heavy at times. This is the storm that brought the snow to Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and Kansas. The heavy rains across the south and now moving in through the Delmarva. The good news is for the folks in the Northeast, this will likely stay down to the South.
Behind it, though, definitely some cold air, morning lows in the 30s and 20s and we've got freeze watches and warnings out. San Antonio, chilly this morning, 39, 33 degrees, a degree above the freezing mark in the Lone Star state capital there. Sixty degrees is the expected high temperature in Memphis, and up to 65 in Dallas. So, a nice rebound. So, definitely chilly, very fall air.
All right. Wanted to talk briefly about what's going on this weekend. Big doings. You have fall back, turning back, gain an air of sleep Saturday night. Don't forget guys. Change your clocks, also a good idea to change the batteries in your fire and smoke alarms.
Hey, ever want to jump over a car just because? Well, this young man out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has made a life out of it. 23- year-old Aaron Evans has set the "Guinness Book of World Records" by doing this apparently over three cars. I think this video just showed one. Maybe it's three consecutively.
Nonetheless, they've done a study on this guy, Carol, the University of Wisconsin out of Milwaukee. A kinesiology professor says he has, quote, "an innate ability to jump," obviously. He has keen spatial awareness, where he is in space and just the insanity to even try this.
So, that's what the scientists say why this guy has a gift to jump over cars. Obviously some style points as well, doing a somersault in midair?
COSTELLO: Absolutely. That's insane.
MARCIANO: There's your Friday morning video.
COSTELLO: We enjoyed that. Thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: OK, Carol.
COSTELLO: Politicians are used to being the butt of jokes. But, now, thanks to an old buddy, Conan O'Brien, it's the "Occupy Wall Street" protester's turn. Here's your punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at these kids. You guys are married? Where did you register, at burning man?
Tell me, sir, what is your cause besides protesting the high price of Scooby snacks?
What happens if the police come in here, it's going to be a serious blood bath, or even worse for you, a regular bath. You see, because you're filthy.
This is perfect. He is in deep contemplative state. He won't have any idea that I'm pooping on him.
Geraldo Rivera, FOX News. Nothing to fear, FOX News.
I don't want to keep you. You're a good man. You better hurry back from lunch so that you can collect your hurry back from lunch bonus.
What is the 99 percent besides the percentage of your diet dedicated to caramel?
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: I love that dog.
Coming up: today, you will Google differently and you probably won't even noticed. Why Google has changed its search formula. That's coming your way next.
But, first, a lot of people think spending in Washington is out of control, including the person featured in our "Quote of the Day." So, here's our "Quote of the Day," quote, "Washington is full of sacred cows that supposedly can't be slaughtered and electrified -- and electrified third rails that allegedly can't be touched," end quote. Find out who said that in 90 seconds.
It's 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." Here it is, quote, "Washington is full of sacred cows that supposedly can't be slaughtered and electrified third rails that allegedly can't be touched," end quote.
Who said that? It was Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. He actually wrote that in a column for "USA Today." The article previews remarks he'll make later today during a speech in Washington. It goes on to say, we must act now or the debt will lead to, quote, "unimaginable peril."
A little fun for your Friday now. Go to your computer later and type in Google, do a barrel roll. When you do, the screen tumbles in a circle like an airplane barrel roll. The trick only works on the latest web browsers. Just a warning there.
According to the Web site Mashable, Google created it to showcase the capability of modern browsers.
Now, that's not all Google's been up to lately.
Let's head to Hong Kong and Kristie Lu Stout.
There are some big changes in Google, changes that many people will probably not even notice.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes. I noticed but I'm kind of a geek that way. Google has changed its algorithm to make its results more timely. Americans still use Google for web searchers. But for the latest online shatter, many of us have been turning to Twitter and Facebook, and even Microsoft's Bing, which includes, or was including more social media results.
And the bottom line here, more and more people have been using the Web as a real time news feed and the demand is there for Google to serve fresher results. So, that is what Google is trying to do here. It's been in once before, back in 2009 when it introduced Google real time research. That's service use Twitter updates. But the two companies later decided not to renew the service. And with this new algorithm, Google will include posts from its own social network Google Plus.
So, Carol, the new Google is faster, it's fresher and it keeps it all in the Google family.
Back to you.
COSTELLO: OK. I'm going to try it later.
Let's talk about the iPhone 4S, because some people are quite frustrated with the battery problems. So, what's Apple going to do?
STOUT: Yes, Apple has confirmed that there have been a few issues with the iPhone 4S. A small number of customers have complained about poor battery life. Apparently, an iOS5 GPS feature is to blame. And Apple says it will release a software update to address that in a few weeks.
Now, on top of that, Siri, the voice assistant, has lost her voice. A service outage was reported on Thursday and cue snarky Apple users. One Apple 4S owner tweeted this, quote, "With the Siri outage, everyone's iPhone 4S is now downgraded to an iPhone 4 with a better camera." But the snark can end for now, Siri is indeed back up and running.
Back to you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Maybe she was just tired.
STOUT: That's right. You know, just laryngitis, poor thing. She needs a rest.
COSTELLO: But she's going to get a new battery and that's a good thing.
Kristie Lu Stout, reporting live from Hong Kong. Many thanks.
Five days and counting, the Herman Cain sexual harassment scandal shows no signs of letting up. How long could this cloud hang over Cain before there's a political fallout? We'll talk about that in our Political Ticker.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Fifteen minutes past the hour. Welcome back.
In the midst of all the hoopla surrounding sexual harassment claims against Herman Cain, comedian Jimmy Kimmel can actually see the good in it.
Here's your punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!": Yesterday, Cain blamed Perry's campaign for leaking the story to the press. Perry's campaign denies it.
See, I don't blame Rick Perry for this. I blame Little Caesars. I believe either them, or Papa John. Never trusted that guy. He's too physically fit.
I don't know why Herman Cain is so offensive about these sexual charges. I mean, I think we might need a horny president.
Remember what it was like when Clinton was in charge? We had jobs, the economy was booming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Wow.
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.
COSTELLO: We're not even going to talk about what Jimmy Kimmel just said. We're just going to pretend.
FARLEY: Absolutely not.
COSTELLO: OK. Today, one of Herman Cain's accusers is expected to release a statement defending her claim that he sexually harassed her in the 1990s. Of course, there's been no letup in the scandal since "Politico" broke the story on Sunday. This story has legs, Tim, and it will likely continue through the weekend.
So, is it a safe bet to say the longer it goes, the more it will hurt Cain's campaign?
FARLEY: Of course, because it's a distraction. Although you look at fund-raising numbers, you look at polling numbers, the latest Rasmussen poll, it's a national poll now, but it is likely voters, shows that Herman Cain still holds a lead over Mitt Romney. And according to the campaign, they've raised over $1 million since this whole thing hit, which is now in day five, day six, depending on when you want to start it.
Look, this is one of those things that I'm sure he'd like to put it behind him. But he keeps bringing it up and he keeps talking about it. And I had a conversation with Ed Rollins yesterday.
And it reminds me and he reminded me of something that happened in Geraldine Ferraro when she was running in 1984. There were accusations of some sort of financial mismanagement by her husband. She held a two-hour news conference and answered every question, and that pretty much put it to rest. In some ways, the damage had been done. But you may see Herman Cain have to get to that.
There's another front-page story this morning in "The Washington Post," Carol, that says Herman Cain also exhibited signs of this sort of prickly personality when he was head of the NRA. So, there's a lot more examination of Herman Cain that's going to go on. As soon as he can leave this behind, the better though.
COSTELLO: Yes, you're right about that, although, Geraldine Ferraro was on the losing team. But we digress.
FARLEY: Yes, exactly. The damage had been done.
COSTELLO: I know.
FARLEY: But she had to hand it at some point.
COSTELLO: Let's turn to Rick Perry now. The Republican presidential candidate is denying speculation he was drunk or on pain medications during the now infamous speech in New Hampshire last Friday. As you know, a clip of that speech went viral, over a million hits.
Here are a couple of the more quirky moments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My plan is pretty simple. It does deductions for the mortgage deductions, for charitable. Yes, keep that in there, and your state and local taxes are in there.
Put those on $12,500 forever dependent that you have. Easy math, subtract it, send it in. It's awesome. Why not?
That little plan that I just shared with you doesn't force the Granite State to expand your tax footprint. You know what I mean? Like 9 percent expansion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, CNN's John King talked to Perry last night. And he asked him about that speech. Here's what Perry said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PERRY: I have no idea how -- I haven't seen it. I know the speech that I gave and it was well-received, had an appropriate number of applause lines and standing ovation at the end of it. You know, such people as Dan Balz with "The Washington Post" was there. He was tweeting about it, to my understanding, he said, you know, spot on, he's hitting on the right -- so I have no idea how these things get started, what have you.
So, it was a good speech, well received. And if I had the opportunity to do it again, I'd probably give it exactly like I gave it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Gloria Borger, one of our political analysts said yesterday, Tim, during that interview with John King, Rick Perry was relaxed, he was like the old Rick Perry. So, maybe he can get over that unfortunate speech.
FARLEY: Yes. Well, here's the -- two things that strike me about this, Carol. One is, you remember the primal scream of Howard Dean in 2004. People in the room didn't realize that was a problem. When you talked to Joe Trippi, the campaign manager, said nobody realized until they saw how it played on television. So, being in the room and watching it from afar are two different things.
The other is that frankly, a lost viral stuff, people interpret it in a certain way. There was speech that Max Baucus was giving, chair of one of the budget committees, finance committee in the Senate, during the horrible days of trying to get through the health care law. He was speaking after 18-hour days and they went viral with a video saying he was drunk, which he obviously was not.
So, you got to be carefully what goes viral and how much it reflects the truth. And being in the room will give you a different perspective from somebody who's on the outside. So, I think Rick Perry is being Rick Perry this case and authenticity is certainly not one of his problems. The question is whether or not that's the authentic guy you want in the White House and that, we'll let voters decide on, I guess.
COSTELLO: Unfortunately, those 1 million people watching that YouTube clip were not in the room. So, we'll see.
FARLEY: That's for sure.
COSTELLO: Yes. Tim Farley, thanks so much. Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS Radio.
FARLEY: Thanks. Have a great weekend.
COSTELLO: You, too.
Coming up, big changes are coming to Cuba. The government OKs reforms that could fundamentally change its economy. We'll have details for you next.
But, first, make sure you soundproof judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts otherwise known as common sense. It is National Use Your Common Sense Day. The day is on Will Rogers' birthday because he said common sense ain't all that common.
It's 21 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Twenty-three minutes past the hour. It's been called the biggest annual gathering of humanity there is as Muslims from around the world participate in the Hajj pilgrimage.
So, let's head around the world. We'll check in with Zain Verjee. She is live in London.
Good morning, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Carol.
You know, I've been to Mecca and Saudi Arabia a few times and it is really an amazingly huge gathering. The biggest of Muslims around the world, more than 2.5 million will travel to mecca. Every Muslim is expected once in their lifetime to go and do this pilgrimage. It's kind of like a spiritual cleansing, spiritual enlightenment. Some people call it a spiritual boot camp. And it's filled with all these very specific and, for many people, emotional rituals.
But here's the new thing that's going on this year, Saudi Arabia is going to stream this ancient ritual live on the Internet. So you are actually going to be able to se it being streamed on November the 5th, actually, is when it's going to happen. And people can tune in from around the world and comment.
This is in the Haram Sharif. You can see the Kaaba, which many Muslims around the world face. And this is the direction that they face toward in the grand mosque.
So, Saudi Arabia, getting it on the Internet.
COSTELLO: Gotcha.
Let's talk about Cuba because this is really amazing for Cuba, that is, that people can boy and sell real estate?
VERJEE: Yes. You can buy real estate now. This new law could reshape the country's economy.
But don't get too excited and see whether or not you can afford a nice patch of beach property there in Cuba, Carol. Just hold your horses a little bit because on taking a closer look here, actually only Cuban citizens or foreigners with permanent residency in Cuba can buy any property. And even then, the real estate market what they're putting out is quite limited.
And the other thing, too, Carol, is that anyone who buys property or real estate has to swear under oath that they do not own any other property.
COSTELLO: What?
VERJEE: So, those are the caveats. We'll see how -- yes, we have to see how it goes. I mean, it's uncertain what this whole creating a housing market in Cuba is actually going to play out. But don't get too excited just yet.
COSTELLO: OK, I'll hold my excitement in. Thank you very much, Zain Verjee, live in London.
Coming up, the Texas judge caught on tape beating his daughter will not face charges. The daughter is speaking out to CNN.
And the man known as the black box of the Gadhafi regime details the final days of the former Libyan leader. That's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning. Happy Friday to you. It's November 4th.
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.
No charges will be filed against a Texas judge featured in this troubling YouTube video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY ADAMS, DAUGHTER OF JUDGE ADAMS: No! JUDGE WILLIAM ADAMS, ARKANSAS COUNTY, TEXAS: Bend over the bed!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: It's awful, isn't it? The 2004 clip shows Judge William Adams beating his then 16-year-old daughter Hillary. A Texas district attorney says the statute of limitation prohibits any charges from being filed. Judge Adams contends his daughter posted the video after he said he'd no longer support her financially.
A statement released by his lawyers says, quote, "Hillary warned her father if he reduced her financial support, he would live to regret it. The post was then uploaded," end quote. Before the news broke that the judge would not be charged, Hillary Adams and her mother sat down with Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: You actually -- the night that happened you actually set up the camera in advance because you could sense things were escalating?
HILLARY ADAMS, DAUGHTER OF JUDGE: Yes, sir. I didn't exactly know why yet. I just needed this -- I just knew that this is something I needed to hold on to. I need to show people one day. I didn't know why. So, I set the camera up, and it sat there for about half an hour recording a blank room, because the discussion was taking place elsewhere in the house.
But then, when it came into the room, and my father switched off the lights so nobody could see in through the window, and then, it erupted into what you see on the tape.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: While no charges have been filed, a Texas judicial panel says it is still investigating the incident. It can recommend the judge be suspended or removed.
He's been called the black box of the Moammar Gadhafi regime. Mansour Daou was one of the former Libyan dictator's top security officials and as Jomana Karadsheh (ph) reports, he remained by Gadhafi's side until his final hours.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANSOUR DAOU, FORMER GADHAFI SECURITY OFFICIAL (through translator): He wanted to go to his village. Maybe he wanted to die there or spend his last moments there.
JOMANA KARADSHEH (ph), CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Daou remembers a frantic scene after their convoy of more than 40 vehicles was struck by NATO jets twice, followed by an escape on foot that ended with heavy fire from fighters who had surrounded them. Daou says he lost consciousness after he was hit by shrapnel in his back and does not know how GADHAFI died. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Daou is currently he's being held in Misrata, Libya, awaiting trial by the country's new rulers.
According to data obtained by "USA Today," nearly 90,000 soldiers are either unfit or medically unavailable for combat. Army data records show numbers of soldiers are either on a sick list or unfit, just waiting to receive a medical retirement. The worry is that with fewer and fewer healthy soldiers, the army may struggle to maintain enough personnel to meet all mission requirements.
Young men training for Special Forces at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina are noticing something they've never seen before, young women training for Special Forces, too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPTAIN ANNIE KLEIMAN, U.S. AIR FORCE: We got a bunch of strong, capable, awesome women who can, you know, take any challenge that's thrown at us.
STAFF SGT. DANIELLE BAYAR, U.S. ARMY: It's being sort of acknowledged that women can operate at this level.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: CNN was given the first look ever at this elite squad. Dozens of female troops training to do what the men cannot. In conservative Afghan cultures where the sexes don't mix, these women will be on the front lines, dealing directly with Afghan women and children.
One of the most important employment reports will be released in just a few hours, the October jobs report. Christine Romans will explain what it means in your "Morning Money." We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Thirty-four minutes past the hour. One of the most important employment reports will be released in just a few hours, the October jobs report. So, what can we expect and how will it impact your bottom line?
For morning money news, let's head to Christine Romans. She's live here with me in New York. So, Christine, what will this tell us about the health of the economy? I hope something good.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I hope so, too, because we've had little signs of strength in the economy or at least stabilization in the economy of late. And, carol, when you look at piece by piece the economic news I'd say of the past six weeks, it's been telling us that we averted a second recession. It's telling us we averted that so-called double dip.
So, will this number confirm that trend? We're looking for the unemployment rate probably steady at 9.1 percent, but that's not getting worse and maybe 102,000 jobs added. So, we'll be closely watching to see if the private sector is confident enough to start to add jobs. You know, it takes well more than that, 150,000 every month just to keep up with new people, you know, entering the work force.
So, 102,000 is not enough, but, it does show that stabilization. A couple of other things, too, the fed just this week, Ben Bernanke gave his assessment of where we're going. You know, the economy probably strengthen a little bit in the third quarter, run at more than two percent economic growth, best in a year, but the fed cut its economic forecast for next year and said the jobless rate is going to will remain above eight percent at least until 2013.
So, you know, it's improvement, Carol, and that's what we want. We're going in the right direction, but it's not a recovery that's as strong as it should be.
COSTELLO: So, when we talk about double-dip recession, I know you mentioned it, is that threat completely over?
ROMANS: You know, I hope we can say it's completely over. The numbers that we've seen for the past six weeks, Carol, tell us that we did not get into a double dip, that we're not in a double dip, but the question is, what does Greece do to Europe? What is the banking system and the financial system, the totally interconnected nature of that?
What kind of domino effects could be happening in Europe that could hurt us? You can't have Europe fall into a recession and not face some very serious headwinds in this country. So, I would say, more than anything right now, Europe is the big wild card for whether we really put the double-dip recession fears behind us and to start to try to build on a recovery.
That's going to be the most important factor at this point. What's going on in Greece, the 32nd largest economy in the world, isn't that funny?
COSTELLO: Well, It's not funny, ha-ha, but it certainly is strange. Christine --
ROMANS: Funny, funny. Right.
COSTELLO: Yes. I'll see you in about 20 minutes. Thank you.
Dr. Conrad Murray, innocent or guilty in the death of Michael Jackson? That question will now be determined by the jury. We'll have the latest for you after this.
But first, it's time for your "Get Smart" question of the day. A new report shows recent college grads took home much more than a diploma, they graduated with record loans, debt (ph). So, what is the average debt for someone who took out a student loan and graduated in 2010? Is it A. $12,000, B. $25,000 or C. 54,000? We'll have your answer in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 40 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Now, back to your "get smart" question of the day. What is the average debt for someone who took out a student loan and graduated in 2010? Is it $12,000, $25,000, or $54,000? The answer is B. $25,250. The report from the Institute for College Access and Success Project says rising tuition and a weak economy lead to the record loan rates.
For the past six weeks, a Los Angeles jury has been listening to witnesses say whether Dr. Conrad Murray had a hand in the death of Michael Jackson. Now, those jurors must decide Murray's fate. They'll begin deliberating this morning. CNN's Ted Rowlands is in Los Angeles with the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The jury will begin deliberating in the morning. Yesterday, they heard very passionate arguments from both sides.
David Walgren, the lead prosecutor, told this jury that this wasn't a case of a doctor/patient, this was a case of a guy that was willing to put somebody at risk when he knew what he was doing was dangerous by giving him propofol for payment, saying this was all about the $150,000 a month that Dr. Conrad Murray thought he was going to get.
He also reminded the jurors of Jackson's three children who will now grow up fatherless, he said, because of the actions of Conrad Murray. He then talked about those critical moments when Michael Jackson actually died.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID WALGREN, PROSECUTOR: Did Michael Jackson yell out for help? Did he gasp? Did he choke? Were there sounds? We don't know. And we'll never know, because of the neglect and negligence of Conrad Murray.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: Ed Chernoff on the other hand tried to focus the jury on the science of exactly what happened when Michael Jackson died saying that if they look at the evidence, they'll see that Michael Jackson accidentally killed himself. He also told the jury that if it wasn't Michael Jackson that was the victim in this case, none of them would be there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED CHERNOFF, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: What they're really asking you to do, just say it, what they're really asking you to do is to convict Dr. Murray for the actions of Michael Jackson. And I'm going to -- you know, we've been dancing around this for six weeks, maybe two years, somebody's got to say it.
Somebody's got to tell the truth. Somebody's got to just say it. If it were anybody else but Michael Jackson, anybody else, would this doctor be here today?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: After the closing arguments, the judge read the jury an admonition, and then, handed the case over to them. It's now up to them to decide Dr. Conrad Murray's fate.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: You can catch all the action in the Conrad Murray trial, just tune in to our sister network, HLN, for continued coverage throughout the day.
Coming up, we'll take you live to Cannes, France, where world leaders are dealing with the Euro zone's latest economic crisis. What it means to you and your money.
But first, on this day in history, 89 years ago, archaeologists discovered the entrance to King Tut's tomb in Egypt. The four-room tomb was explored for four years and the biggest discovery was King Tut's coffin. It was made out of solid gold and inside, a mummy that was preserved for nearly 3,000 years. It's 43 minutes past the hour.
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COSTELLO: Good morning to you. Happy Friday. It is November 4th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello joining you live this morning from New York. It's 46 minutes past the hour.
Leaders of the G-20 are gathered in Cannes at a summit dominated by talk about Greece's gross's future and the escalating crisis in the Euro zone. Let's head round the world with Ali Velshi. He is live in Cannes this morning. Good morning, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. I woke up this morning and Greece is still here. So, that's the good news. But it still continues to be the big issue. We're probably 13 hours away from the confidence vote in Greece. And, you know, if yesterday's any gauge, 13 hours means a lost decisions, a lot of changes, a lot of discussions about whether there is or isn't going to be a referendum.
At this point, most people in the markets and most leaders are thinking there won't be a referendum and that Greece will probably get on board with this deal that was signed by the rest of the European countries on October 27th. Here is the rub.
It seems like these problems have highlighted the problems in Italy, which is a significantly bigger country and bigger economy than Greece and having some problems right now. The cost of borrowing money for the Italian government is soaring. The Italian bond yields as they are are soaring.
So, this has -- this Greece problem this week at the G-20 has indicated that there are problems throughout Europe that have to be looked at. Here's the other thing, I know you know this, Carol, but I'll remind you, Greece isn't even part of the G-20. This wasn't even on the agenda.
There are whole of bunch of other things that were supposed to be discussed. You can see the pictures of all of these world leaders with other agenda items, but basically, this is like one of those mornings again where you got something on your mind and nothing else takes precedence. It's still all about Greece here at the G-20, Carol.
COSTELLO: OK. So, let's assume that there will be no referendum on the ballot, right?
VELSHI: Right.
COSTELLO: And that Greece accepts the bailout plan as it had originally agreed to. So, that problem is out of the way.
VELSHI: Right.
COSTELLO: You talked about Italy with its giant debt.
VELSHI: Yes.
COSTELLO: Might there be a bailout in the works for that country, too?
VELSHI: Well, our good friend, Becky Anderson, our colleague, spoke down with the head of the EU -- sat down with the head of the EU this morning and talked to him about that. And he did acknowledge that the EU is in discussions with Italy to try and take the steps it needs to solve this problem.
Like Greece, a lot of Italy's problems are internal. They're political. I mean, honestly, Carol, that's the case with any country, within that country. There are recipes for solving the problem, but there's a lot of political conflict in Italy. There's probably going to be another no confidence vote in Italy for Silvio Berlusconi, but he has survived more than 50 of them in the past.
So, we'll have to se what happens. It doesn't seem as unstable as Greece, but if something goes wrong in Italy, it's a much bigger problem than it would be in Greece. Italy is a really big economy.
COSTELLO: Fifty confidence votes? That has to be some kind of record.
VELSHI: Yes.
COSTELLO: Unbelievable.
(LAUGHTER) VELSHI: You'd walk around with your chest puffed out if nobody could take you down.
COSTELLO: I know you'd be Mr. Teflon. Ali Velshi, thanks so much.
VELSHI: Yes.
COSTELLO: Ali Velshi reporting live from Cannes, France. We'll see you in a bit.
We could see a major development today in the Herman Cain controversy. One of the women accusing the Republican presidential candidate of sexual harassment may issue a statement today. Her lawyer says she would rebut Cain's denials of any sexual advances when the woman worked for Cain at the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990s.
She is one of three women who have accused Cain of inappropriate behavior. Cain has repeatedly denied the allegations but has acknowledged that, at least, one severance payment was made to an accuser. In a radio interview with Sean Hannity, Cain vowed to press ahead with his campaign.
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HERMAN CAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (on the radio): But I can assure you this, Sean, this will not deter me. This businessman is not going to be deterred in his drive to basically do what I feel like I'm supposed to be doing, which is to win this nomination and win the presidency.
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COSTELLO: Politico.com first broke the story on Sunday, and since then, Cain has given conflicting accounts on the allegations which have raised questions about just exactly what happened and the ability of his campaign to handle a crisis.
The October unemployment report is due out at 8:30 eastern this morning, and it's not expected to be very encouraging. Economists surveyed by CNNMoney believe the October rate will hold steady at 9.1 percent. They also expect that about 98,000 jobs will be added. That's fewer than the 103,000 jobs created in September.
City of Oakland, California, getting back to normal today, a far cry from Wednesday when some 7,000 Occupy protesters peacefully shut down the city and its port which has now re-opened. Overnight, though, things turned violent when officials say a small group of provocateurs threw rocks, bottles, and shot fireworks at police officers. Police retaliated with tear gas. More than 100 people were arrested.
Across the country in New York, an Occupy protest with a twist. Dozens of protesters arrested on disorderly conduct charges rejected an offer from the district attorney to drop their cases in six months if they were not arrested again. Instead, the demonstrators opted to take their cases to trial.
Let's head to Atlanta to check in with Rob Marciano. How's it looking this morning, Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Not too shabby. I'll tell you what, the weekend east of the Mississippi is looking just spectacular, but, we've got a little bit of rain to deal with, some of it heavy across the mid Atlantic.
Here it is in the radar scope, and this is the same storm that brought decent amount of rain across the Tennessee Valley, the mid south, the deep (ph) south, as well as the snow across parts of high plains and Colorado and Wyoming. Some heavier rains now heading towards Richmond, getting into the Hampton Roads area, and eventually, off the coastline.
Most of this will stay south of the northeast and move quickly out to sea. Behind it, cool, for sure. And another couple of systems lining out there for the west and the intermountain west and some winds possible will slow you down if you're traveling to Phoenix, to Vegas, Los Angeles, or San Francisco where they'll see some stormy weather pattern.
As mentioned behind this weather system moving to the mid Atlantic, morning lows in the 20s and 30s as far south as the Mexican border. How about that? Freeze warnings and watches have been posted for the Lone Star State. Temperatures this morning, below freezing in spots. We'll rebound fairly nicely at 65 degrees for the high temperature in Dallas. It's going to be 52 degrees in New York City.
By the way, turn your clocks back this weekend. Don't forget, happens tomorrow night. Get an extra hour of sleep. When you wake up Sunday morning, embrace that my friends. Also embrace this video. I'll show it a second time, Carol, because I just can't get enough of this nut job who has tremendous amount of athletic ability.
Certainly (INAUDIBLE) can jump like nobody else. This young man, his name is Aaron Evans, 23-year-old out of Milwaukee has a knack for jumping over moving cars. And he holds the Guinness Book of World Records for doing it for the fastest over three cars. I suppose that's one, two, three as opposed to three all at once.
Anyway, the study on him, Carol, and some of the scientists at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee say he has an innate ability to jump. Thank you. He has keen spatial awareness, meaning when he's in midair, he knows exactly where he is and he's kind of crazy. So, hopefully, he'll make it to 24. He certainly looks like he's totally in control there. Don't try that this weekend. That goes without saying, Carol.
COSTELLO: People driving the car? That would make me nervous, because you're driving towards someone hoping that person will jump in the nick of time or you hit him, right?
MARCIANO: I'm sure there's some sort of legal waiver that signed if you jump in the front seat of that car. (LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Thank you very much, Rob Marciano.
MARCIANO: See you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Coming up, holiday travel, predictions of how many people will be traveling and how much it's going to cost them.
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COSTELLO: Here are three things to put on your radar today.
The labor department will release the October jobs report in less than three hours. Economists expect it to show slow growth with the economy adding about 100,000 jobs.
Vice President Biden will speak at the University of Pittsburgh around the noon hour. That's Eastern Time. He's going to talk about jobs and the economy and making college more affordable.
And the jury will begin deliberations this morning in the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor. If convicted, Dr. Conrad Murray faces up to four years in prison.
Now, let's head to the NASDAQ MarketSite and check in with Carter Evans. How are the numbers looking this morning, Carter?
CARTER EVANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the numbers are pretty much flat as far as futures go. I'm sorry I don't have anything here to show you on the wall. We weren't quite ready this morning, but nevertheless, our futures are pretty much flat, because we've got that jobs report coming out this morning, and we're waiting for that.
It looks like the economy is going to add possibly as much as 100,000 jobs. That will leave our unemployment rate at 9.1 percent, and that is what investors are going to be focused on this morning.
COSTELLO: OK. Thanksgiving is coming. Can you believe it? And travel, it's not going to be pleasant. Well, it's never really pleasant, but perhaps, it will be a bit more unpleasant this year.
EVANS: Yes. And you know, here's the thing. Fewer people are going to be traveling this year. The Air Transport Association says that there will be two percent fewer travelers this Thanksgiving, but it is likely the planes will be more packed than ever, and that's because airlines are cutting back on flights.
They're cutting back on their destinations. They want to make sure every single seat on every single plane is filled with a paying passenger.
COSTELLO: And it will likely cost you more for a ticket, too, right? EVANS: Yes. Ticket prices are going up. It's all supply and demand. There's a limited supply, even though demand is lower than last year because of that limited supply relative to what's available, it's pretty high right now.
COSTELLO: So, that means probably a lot of people will be driving. Gas prices aren't exactly cheap right now, although, they are little lower than, you know, months past.
EVANS: Man, you don't really have any positive ideas at all now, do you?
COSTELLO: You could walk, ride a bike, stay home. I don't know.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: I'll be going home, though. It's worth it to me. Carter Evans, thanks so much.
EVANS: Sure.
"AMERICAN MORNING" continues right now.
