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U.S. Economy Grows Slowly; President Obama Visits Auto Workers; Heated Words Over Oil Leak; New Food Nutrition Labels; Chelsea Clinton Tying the Knot; BP Will Take Tax Write Off; Popular Vote Movement
Aired July 30, 2010 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7 at CNN world headquarters, the big stories for Friday, July 30th.
President Obama heads to Motor City, USA, touting the comeback -- really? -- of the car industry. But economic figures just out indicate the nation's recovery -- well, it's losing speed.
Plus, claims of less and less oil in the Gulf. Man, that has Louisiana officials suspicious of both the feds and BP.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Why would Thad Allen say we just don't see the oil like we used to anymore?
BILLY NUNGESSER, PRESIDENT, PLAQUEMINES PARISH: He doesn't -- I said this from day one. And I'm sorry, Thad Allen. He doesn't have a clue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: And July becoming the deadliest month for U.S. troops in the Afghan War. We're going to put names and faces to the victims.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Drew Griffin, in for Tony Harris.
Those stories and your comments right here, right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Let's start with the economy.
The government's latest report on the health of the U.S. economy is out, and while there are signs the economy is growing, it's happening very slowly. So what does that mean for one of 10 Americans out of work?
CNN's Carter Evans on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with the breakdown.
Hi, Carter. It looks like the economy is growing at a somewhat anemic rate.
CARTER EVANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Right. The highlight here is that we're still growing. Our economy is growing at a rate of 2.4 percent.
We're looking at our gross domestic product. It's basically the broadest measure of economic activity in our country.
What does this report mean for the people who are looking for a job right now? It means more uncertainty. And the problem with uncertainty is when things are uncertain, employers aren't hiring.
But let's focus on growth for a second, because our GDP -- and you're looking at a chart right now that shows you the growth over the last four quarters. We have been growing. That is good news. Just the pace, Drew, is not as fast as we would like to see.
GRIFFIN: And Carter, I mean, the growth rate is heading in the wrong direction. With all the stimulus, with all the effort being put on the economy, I guess what a lot of people wanted to see was at least a steady growth in the growth rate.
At what point does this affect future hires? I guess that's the biggest thing we can look at with the GDP. You want to have the economy growing to such an extent where employers have to hire more workers just to meet the demands of the consumers.
EVANS: Right. And that's the key there, to meet the demands of the consumers.
In order for employers to be hiring more, they need to have more of a demand for their products. In order to have more of a demand for their products, consumers need to pull out their wallets and start spending. In order to do that, they need toe have jobs, Drew.
So, it kind of all comes back to this vicious cycle that we're looking at right now. Although I will tell you, we are seeing some positive things.
We saw a jump in new homes sales. That's good, although the first time homebuyer tax credit, that still applies. Even though it ended in April, people are still cashing in on it right now as they're closing deals. So that's important to keep in mind.
What is really slowing us down right now is consumer spending or the lack thereof. Consumer spending represents about two-thirds of our economic activity in this country, and it is declining right now. Consumer confidence is down. The latest report, until we got this one this morning, that came out right after the GDP report, we got a report from the University of Michigan on consumer sentiment, and it was higher than expected.
So, Drew, that's good news.
I was talking to some traders on the floor here, and they're hoping that what that report shows about consumer sentiment today, also another report that we saw today about increasing manufacturing activity in Chicago, is that maybe it shows that that wall that we hit in June is now beginning to open up just a little bit. But you know what? The possibility of a double-dip recession is still very real. GRIFFIN: Yes. Carter, thanks.
Quickly, you're on the stock exchange floor. I didn't see any big movement in Wall Street. It was down. Now I believe it's back up.
What are the numbers right now?
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
GRIFFIN: All right. Thanks a lot.
Carter Evans in New York.
Let's go to Detroit, where they're also hoping that some manufacturing is going to be moving forward.
President Obama due to arrive there any minute now, planning to visit auto workers at the GM and Chrysler companies that received the $62 billion in bailout funds last year. Among the president's stops, the home of the Volt. That's the GM new electric car.
White House Correspondent Dan Lothian is in Detroit to cover the president's visit and to take a test drive.
What is the president expected to tell these workers there, Dan?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Drew, the message that the president will have for these workers is the same message that he has for all Americans, and that is that the auto industry has come a long way. I was talking to someone who follows the auto industry, and he told me that it really was on death's door, but that there is a recovery now, it's driving in the right direction, although he points out that it's still not yet robust.
But you will hear the president as he comes here to visit this Chrysler plant where they're rolling out the new Grand Cherokee, talk about some of the positive movements in the auto industry. At this particular plant, they've added more than 1,000 jobs, added a second shift.
And then he will head over across town to this other plant, the GM plant where they are making this new electric vehicle called the Volt. They there, as well, have added additional jobs, so they'll be touting this car.
What's different about the Volt from the EV1 of the '90s is that that was a purely electric car. So the problem was, at least from the point of a lot of Americans, is that you take this thing for a drive, if you run out of a charge, you don't have anywhere to plug it in, well, you're stuck.
Well, in this particular car, it has a range of 40 miles. Once it runs out of battery power, then the gas kicks in and you can make it back home. I, of course, took that car for a drive, and we'll show more of that later today on "THE SITUATION ROOM." But it is a pretty impressive car. And so the auto industry is really hoping that this is just the beginning of a vehicle that will drive the entire industry in the right direction.
President Obama and, of course, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs today, talking about how this $62 billion investment that you were just noting, the bailout money for the auto industry, how it's working.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: My guess is that the first 10 or 15 people that he sees and meets and talks to aren't going to be the first of their generation working in that plant. There will be fathers that worked there before. They did, grandfathers that worked before. They did as well.
As a result of the tough investments that we made and the tough sacrifices made by all, we have an industry that looks fundamentally different in its progress than we did just a year and a half ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: Of course, Drew, there's a lot of politics behind all of this as well as we have the midterm elections approaching. This is a chance for Democrats and certainly for the White House to tell Americans that, listen, the economy is coming back, and here is one example of how the investment, the bailout investment, is really paying off. It's something that they hope will translate into votes at the polls.
GRIFFIN: Dan, thanks. I'm interested to see you driving the car. You must have liked the car, right? But the sticker price has got a lot of people shocked.
Quickly, do you know how much it was, the one you drove?
LOTHIAN: Yes. It's going to be about $40,000 for that car. And you're right, it will turn a lot of people off because you're talking probably about a younger generation that would be interested in a car like this, and that younger generation may not have the cash to drive it.
So that is one thing -- in fact, one worker who's working on that car told us that, yes, it will be something that will turn a lot of people off. But, of course, the die-hards are hoping that people will think about the price, think about what they're doing for energy conservation, will shell out the money for it and drive the electric car.
GRIFFIN: All right.
Dan Lothian in Detroit.
And CNN, of course, is going to bring you the president's speech to autoworkers in Detroit, live when it happens. We're expecting that to happen about 12:15 Eastern, but you know these things slide, come and go.
Heated words as the government's point man on the oil disaster meets face to face with local Louisiana leaders. One of those leaders worries that BP and the government will pull out of the disaster zone way too soon.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Talking now about life after the oil leak. BP's incoming CEO, Bob Dudley, laying out the future of his company's cleanup and relief operations along the coast. He is in Biloxi, Mississippi, today. And among other things, BP says it's going to set up a $100 million fund to support oil workers who don't have jobs because of the Obama administration's moratorium right now on deepwater drilling.
Another key concern for the cost, getting the claims checks in the mail sooner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB DUDLEY, COO, BP: I have been asked by the White House to transfer the claims process to an independent facility, which will happen sometime before the end of August, but we need to get this moving as fast as we can. We have written about 80,000 checks, more than a $250 million. Realize it's not perfect and there's more to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: That's the incoming CEO. The outgoing BP chief executive, Tony Hayward, is talking and defending his leadership in the aftermath of the oil disaster.
His first interview since announcing his exit earlier this week, Hayward is talking to "The Wall Street Journal" and saying, "I became a villain for doing the right thing, but I understand that people find it easier to vilify an individual more than a company."
Well, just how much oil is still in that Gulf? That question sparking angry dispute between some local leaders in Louisiana and the federal government.
CNN's Jim Acosta reports from New Orleans.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): As for those claims from the federal government that the oil is vanishing fast in the Gulf of Mexico, count Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser a skeptic.
NUNGESSER: I still can't tell you who's in charge. ACOSTA: At a closed-door meeting, Nungesser and a group of local leaders locked horns with the national incident commander for the oil spill, Thad Allen. Some aren't buying Allen's repeated statements the oil is dissipating.
ADM. THAD ALLEN (RET.), NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: It's more dispersed and harder to find. We're going to try and be as aggressive as we can with skimmers offshore to try and deal with this oil offshore. But again, we're finding less and less oil as we move forward.
ACOSTA (on camera): Why would Thad Allen say we just don't see the oil like we used to anymore?
NUNGESSER: He doesn't say this from day one. And I'm sorry, Thad Allen. He doesn't' have a clue.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Nungesser showed us these pictures that he says were taken by his staff just yesterday. Photos capturing bands of oil in his parish. When he tried to share the photos with Allen, he says things got heated.
NUNGESSER: You all said there's no oil. I've got a bunch of pictures here. They're like, look. Oh, we know there's some problems. No, there's some real problems when you fly and say there's no oil and everybody stands out and we're out there busting our butts trying to save our marshland.
ACOSTA: To Louisiana boater Brian Scorsone, the talk of the incredibly shrinking oil spill sounds like a fish tale.
(on camera): Are things getting better out here?
BRIAN SCORSONE, LOUISIANA RECREATIONAL FISHERMAN: The Feds are wrong. That's all I can say.
ACOSTA (voice-over): But he had more to say when we pulled up to these oil-covered marshes.
SCORSONE: This is the nursery, right here.
ACOSTA (on camera): All the life out here.
SCORSONE: That's it. This is your nursery. And your filter, you know.
ACOSTA: Doesn't take a scientist to figure that out. And I'm not a rocket scientist to figure that one out.
(voice-over): At this marina, we found more signs of trouble. These oil covered marsh ends (ph) rescued by wildlife officials. As for Allen, he denies his comments while optimistic give the wrong impression.
ALLEN: Well, we've never said all the oil is gone. And this is a catastrophic event. They're all in the marshes. We need to keep working on this.
ACOSTA: But Billy Nungesser fears Allen and BP are simply setting the stage to pull out their resources.
NUNGESSER: It seems like they want this thing put to rest, and it looks like they are the spokesperson for BP. They are the spokesperson for BP.
ACOSTA (on camera): Thad Allen says he made a commitment to local officials that the federal government and BP will maintain a presence on the Gulf until all of the oil is gone, but Louisiana officials are firing right back, saying just because the government is confident it will kill this ruptured well, doesn't mean this crisis is over.
Jim Acosta, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: This is turning out to be the deadliest month for U.S. troops at war in Afghanistan. We're going to take a close look at our fallen heroes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Three American soldiers were killed in two different explosions in southern Afghanistan. That brings this month's death toll to 63, the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war began. That's almost nine years now.
The war deaths are more than just numbers. Here at CNN we honor the nation's fallen heroes through their personal stories. We call it "Home and Away."
Josh Levs joins me with a look -- Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And every time we talk about these numbers, we always want to stop and look at who some of these people are.
And I want to let you all know that you can find out about literally every single person who has given his or her life in this war for the entire coalition at this Web site, CNN.com/homeandaway.
And I'll show you the big picture here.
When you get to this section, you see lots of white dots all over maps of the U.S. or Afghanistan. You can use that to click on any area if you want to learn about soldiers and Marines, et cetera, from your area who may have given their lives. Also, there's various ways to go through this.
Once you get there, you start to get photos of individuals, and you can learn about individuals. We actually have some video of one of the latest soldiers that has given his life. This was 22-year-old Jacob Dennis (ph), who was killed while on active duty in Afghanistan June 30th. He died in a weapons systems accident, and we heard from his family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's still unreal because, you know, I haven't seen him. You always worry about him, but these are things are always something that happen to somebody else. You just never think that it will be this close to home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was like a big teddy bear. I loved him. We all did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: And we all see way too much reporting like that coming right here to us at CNN.
I want to let you know, last weekend, there was this weekend of remembrance. You might have heard about this. We have some video of that, too.
This was a gathering for gold star families. It was in Washington and also at Arlington. These are the families of those who gave her lives in the military. There's a ceremony for them.
While you watch this, and while you hear about these families, and while you visit the Web site, you might find yourself wanting to send messages. And you can do that at CNN.com/homeandaway. As you learn about any of them, you can send messages to the families of those who have given their lives. You can also learn more about them.
And through our iReport hookup at that Web site, you can actually record videos or put together photos as messages to these people, or in remembrance of your loved ones who gave their lives in the wars. All of it right there, Drew, at CNN.com/homeandaway.
Back to you.
GRIFFIN: All right. Thanks, Josh.
LEVS: You bet.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: New York Congressman Charlie Rangel fighting for his political life. The former leader of the House Ways and Means Committee now charged with 13 violations of House ethics rules. Looming now, a long, drawn-out trial, an ethics trial.
CNN congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar on Capitol Hill.
Brianna, this is serious stuff. Can he do anything to avoid this public fight?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are certainly some indications, Drew, that he's trying to. There's some indications that he's trying to work out, still, even though this hearing, this public airing of these violations, even though it's already passed, that he's trying to come to an agreement with the Ethics Committee that would help him avoid this spectacle, which wouldn't be good for him, obviously, but it wouldn't be good for Democrats in this election year.
We know right now that the Ethics Committee is meeting this morning. As you know, Drew, they are incredibly secretive. They met late into the night last night, and they aren't saying what they're talking about. But Charlie Rangel himself has said that the Ethics Committee has been really kind of dealing with this situation without his lawyer's input, which makes one wonder if, perhaps, his lawyers have come to some sort of tentative agreement with Ethics Committee lawyers.
But the next step here, Drew, would be for the entire Ethics Committee to sign off on this. They would obviously have to meet to do this. And the question really is, would they? Because it's evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, Drew, and so you would have to have some Republicans sign off, and it's just unclear if Rangel would be able to get that.
GRIFFIN: Brianna, what's the negotiation here? It seems like the only thing that he has left after losing his chairmanship is, hey, Charlie, take your pension and leave. Are they basically going to try to force him out of his seat?
KEILAR: You know, we have no idea. Certainly, that might be something, but I think the sort of conventional idea might be that he would admit, almost plead guilty, if you would, to some charges. But again, it's very secretive, so we don't know.
The other thing to keep in mind is even though he's not chairman of that House Ways and Means Committee, Drew, which is a very powerful post that he gave up in early March, he's still a member of that tax- writing committee. So that's another thing that he holds.
But the honest truth is we don't know, because these are negotiations that are going on in a room, in a meeting room actually downstairs from me in the basement. And when you ask members of Congress, "What's going on in there? Are you talking about Charlie Rangel?" And they are mum.
GRIFFIN: Yes. I know how secretive that crowd is, and that has been long criticized as part of the problem with Congress. They kind of internally police themselves.
Hey, the political side of this is Republicans really don't want this to go away, do they? They want Charlie just dangling out there through the November election.
KEILAR: To have an ethics spectacle in this situation involving Rangel, keeping in mind that we probably wouldn't see this public trial until maybe September, and it could go on for weeks, uncomfortably close to the primary for Democrats, that would work to the advantage of Republicans.
You know, back in 2006, arguably, it was that Mark Foley page scandal, a big ethics conundrum for Republicans that helped propel Democrats into power. Everyone knows here that these ethics scandals can cast a pall over an election and really play big. It's already a tough election year for Democrats. They want to get this thing done with, they want it over with. They don't want this spectacle, and certainly Republicans want to be able to capitalize on it -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: All right.
Brianna Keilar reporting on that secret society known as Congress.
Thanks, Brianna. We'll see you later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Earlier this week, a man who ran a notorious torture prison in Cambodia where more than 14,000 people died during the Khmer Rouge regime was found guilty of war crimes. An historic first for the U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal there.
Well, this week's CNN Hero has a direct tie to that terrible era. He was a child soldier for the very same regime, but now spends every day trying to atone for his violent past.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AKI RA, CNN HERO (trough translator): My name is Aki Ra. I was born north of (INAUDIBLE) in Cambodia.
When I was 10 years old, the Khmer Rouge chose me to be a soldier. Then I was trained in how to lay landmines. Sometimes in a week we were ordered to plant 4,000 to 5,000 mines.
We did not think about anything, but I got a sense it was wrong, because I saw a lot of people dying. I put people in danger and damaged a country.
After the war was over, I decided to clear mines by myself. My equipment was tools that I made myself.
Dig it out carefully. It was active.
That method of demining was simple but it wasn't legal. Now we are working legally and people have joined me and now it's safe. The villagers are requesting us to demine because the people are afraid of mines. They step on it and die.
What makes me happy is that I have done a lot of good things different from during the war. I have cleared thousands of mines. I want Cambodia to be safe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Since 1993, Aki Ra has cleared about 50,000 landmines and war weapons.
You can see him on action on our Web site at CNNHeroes.com. Hey, while you're there, don't forget -- nominate somebody you think might be changing the world. Nominations will close this Sunday, August 1st.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Boy, California's severe weather seems to be right on cue. We're talking about fires and heat.
(CROSSTALK)
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Mediterranean style climate. I mean this is the type of rough weather they then to have at times. And I mean in full force.
We've got fires out there, Drew. Take a look at what we have. Let's go right to the video. It's a little bit more compelling than what we have here, showing some of the areas of the fires we have in L.A. In fact there are six separate wildfires that are burning out of control at this time.
Let's go right to the video. There you see it. Some of these flames up to 100 feet in height. Over 5,000 acres scorched. In some of the communities including Anna Bury and also south home area under mandatory evacuation orders.
Drew, one -- let's see. Again, 5,000 plus acres burned, zero percent containment. What a tremendous mess. I'm -- it's going to be a tall order and it's going to be a long summer, no question.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WOLF: That's a quick look at your forecast, Drew. Let's kick it right back over to you.
GRIFFIN: All right, Reynolds, any time I see purple on a weather map, it ain't good.
WOLF: There you go.
GRIFFIN: Thanks a lot. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer filing an expedited appeal of a ruling that blocks the most controversial parts of the new state law there on immigration.
Opponents of the law fill the streets in cities across Arizona. The "Arizona Republic" reports 50 people arrested yesterday. Brewer telling CNN's Larry King she's not going to stop fighting until the state's borders are secure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. JAN BREWER (R), ARIZONA: A country without borders is like a house without walls. It collapses. And I know that there are several people out there that want to discuss other issues, but we want our borders secured, and as the governor of the state of Arizona, I took an oath to uphold the laws and to protect the people of Arizona, and I'm going to be relentless in it. I'm going to do what's right.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: There's not an easier way to figure out if the food you're buying in grocery stores healthy. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will show us.
Sorry, Sanjay.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Here's a quick check of our top stories.
President Obama in Detroit dropping in on two auto plants the government bailed out last year. He's expected to be tour prospects of GM and Chrysler actually adding jobs. He's going to also be at the GM plant where they're making that new Volt, the electric car.
As promised, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has appealed the court ruling that blocks the most contentious parts of Arizona's new immigration law. Demonstrators took to the streets to protest the state's hard line against illegal immigration.
And Russia's president calling on the military to help fight fires sparked by a record heat wave there. More than 500 homes were burned. Several villages destroyed. That's about 250 miles east of Moscow.
Well, soon to be seen in your supermarket, new food nutrition labels to help you buy healthier products.
CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains what's coming to grocery store shelves.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The choices can make you dizzy. Healthy heart logos. Zero trans fat stamps. Low cholesterol. Jam-packed nutrition labels. Now manufacturers are introducing now packaging aimed at making the information clearer. And consequently decisions easier.
(On camera): Here's what you see on most of today's labels. The government actually requires that packages show you the bad stuff such as total fat, cholesterol, sodium, trans fat. But also the good stuff such as vitamin A, vitamin C, phosphorous, magnesium and zinc.
But now companies like Kellogg and General Mills are taking that information and putting it right on the front of the box. Big bold letters. They call it an effort to try and educate consumers.
(Voice-over): But in countries like the United Kingdom and Sweden, the government is actually mandating label changes.
SUSAN ROBERTS, DRAKE UNIVERSITY, AGRICULTURAL LAW CENTER: In Europe, they're doing things with, like a red light, green light, yellow light kind of thing. It's very simple for people to see is this a healthy food or not -- not a healthy food.
GUPTA (on camera): These are products here are from England. And they're actually color coded according to a traffic light system. So take a look. They're actually green if they're considered healthy. So yellow or orange if they're considered sort of border line. And they're just plain red if they're considered unhealthy.
(Voice-over): English food makers say that since the label changes, sales of green and yellow light products have jumped. Back in the States, the FDA says it has no immediate plans to require new food labels but with cereal makers out in front of the issue, other companies might follow suit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Special programming note here. How safe is the air you're breathing and where is it coming from? Sanjay has a special investigation, "TOXIC AMERICA." It airs this Saturday night at 8:00 Eastern, 7:00 Central right here on CNN.
A small New York town at the center of media frenzy. Twenty-four hours, an ex-president's daughter plans to walk down the aisle.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: The quiet picturesque town of Rhinebeck, New York getting ready to host the social event of the year. Probably of the decade, really. Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton will marry investment banker Marc Mezvinsky Saturday.
They're going to exchange vows under a sky free of any low flying air traffic, courtesy of the Federal Aviation Administration. A security measure, we're told, to protect the VIPs, including her parents, former President Bill Clinton and current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
It is the most talked about wedding we know virtually nothing about. Where it's being held, who's invited, how much it's going to cost.
For that we turn to long-time gossip columnist Annie Groer with daily -- with PoliticsDaily.com in Washington.
You know I think we've known more about some military invasions than we do about this wedding. Why so much secrecy?
ANNIE GROER, POLITICSDAILY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Well, because Chelsea Clinton has always lived in a bubble of protectiveness. Her parents really never wanted her to be a political kid. They wanted her to have a normal upbringing.
Now once they left the White House, there was no reason to have her be in the public eye and she preferred being under the radar, and I suppose what we're really looking for here is the WikiLeaks equivalent of wedding info. We're not getting it.
GRIFFIN: Yes, and we're certainly not going to get it from the sky. You know celebrity weddings are usually surrounded by those low- flying helicopters.
GROER: Exactly.
GRIFFIN: So that keeps us from knowing --
GROER: We're not getting it from the --
GRIFFIN: Go ahead.
GROER: We're not even -- we're not even getting it from the street because they're blocking off a number of roads so that the gawkers can't come by either. We're just not going to get it. I mean there have -- we do know where it is.
I mean I'm willing to say now that it will be at Astor Courts which is -- I see the picture on the green.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
GROER: This glorious 1904 Bozarth mansion that was built as a sporting pavilion for the American aristocracy by John Jacob Astor IV.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
GROER: Pretty glorious place.
GRIFFIN: Post-wedding -- I know the guests are apparently, I'm told, I don't know, it's a secret -- are signing some kind of confidentiality agreements? What about after the wedding? Are we going to be able to see pictures? Are people allowed to bring their cameras there?
GROER: I'm guessing not. I'm guessing that -- the Clintons attended Donald Trump's wedding and Donald Trump had confiscated cell phones and cameras, didn't want -- because he had a deal to sell the photographs to Getty Images.
But I think that the people who are attending this wedding really care about the bride and groom and whatever it takes, they'll comply with it. Depending on how much they had to drink, maybe they'll blab later if they're at after-parties. But I think for the most part, they're all trying to protect them.
GRIFFIN: Who's going? Who's entertaining? Who's going? Any highlights there? You know, who's not going?
GROER: Well, we know that President Obama is not going. It was reported that Oprah Winfrey was invited but her people say -- said a couple of weeks ago, no, that's not the case. We are told that a very hot band, Jimmy Valley, is -- and his -- he's got a large orchestra with lots of performers.
We're told that's who's providing the music. We actually have to say, as a reporter, I can't say anything conclusively about this wedding except that it's probably going to happen tomorrow.
GRIFFIN: Probably.
GROER: Lots and lots to speculate.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
GROER: The crazy thing is the speculation about the cost because when I first talked to a wedding planner last week who has nothing to do with this wedding but who does high-end affairs. She guessed $2 million. That figure has suddenly skyrocketed to $5 million. So who knows? By tomorrow it could be $10 million.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
GROER: We don't know.
GRIFFIN: And I mean, let's face it. We don't -- we won't really know the real cost of this because a lot this stuff could be gratus. I mean there could be a lot of just donations going on. There are certainly of the accommodations we've been hearing about.
GROER: Well, some people could be opening their homes. Some of the vendors could be giving better prices but you also must remember that Hillary Clinton, as secretary of state, is a federal employee, and therefore, there are probably ethics rules that govern what she can accept in terms of freebies.
Now Chelsea is a private citizen but I think that they want to err on the side of ethical correctness. And let's face it, they do have a lot of money. Once Bill Clinton left the White House and the two of them wrote best-selling books, and he went on the speaker circuit, the estimate of their wealth based on financial disclosure statements is in excess of $100 million.
So this is not quite lunch money but they can afford it.
GRIFFIN: Annie, could it be that they're somewhat embarrassed by their own money? You know they've been on the side of the down and out through their political careers and this, you know, show of wealth might be embarrassing to them if some of this stuff got out?
GROER: It might be if they were spending it on yachts or fancy cars, although they are rumored to be looking at a $10 million home for themselves in New York. But no, this is their only child. This is the kid who it is said held their marriage together during the darkest days of the Lewinsky scandal.
And every parent who's ever planned a wedding for their child has done whatever they can and whatever they can possibly afford. I mean the average price of a wedding in the United States today according to "Brides" magazine is $28,000.
I mean never mind that Hillary Clinton's own wedding dress 35 years ago cost a grand $53, and she both if off the rack at Dillard's Department Store. And they got married in their living room in Fayetteville with 15 people in attendance.
But, you know, they've come a long way and they are thrilled to their socks that she's marrying this guy. So I think they're pulling out all of those stops for her.
GRIFFIN: Boy, there's a lot of dads out there planning for those old $53 dress days. Thanks, Annie Groer.
(LAUGHTER)
GROER: You bet.
GRIFFIN: Thanks for that. Annie Groer with PoliticsDaily.com.
GROER: My pleasure.
GRIFFIN: OK. Take care.
Well, while we're bringing you news from around the world, we're also watching what's hot online. Josh surfing the Web.
Josh, what do you got?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm still recovering from that average $28,000 wedding. Yish.
GRIFFIN: You know what? I'm telling you, that's low to me.
LEVS: Yes -- I guess the average. (INAUDIBLE). All right, I got some for you. You're going to love this. Some of you are anxious to know, will J.Lo be the new "American Idol" judge? Right? Now that Ellen DeGeneres has dropped out which I know, Drew, you're just -- you're heartbroken about.
GRIFFIN: What's she going to wear on that first episode?
(LAUGHTER)
LEVS: My goodness, man.
GRIFFIN: Huh?
LEVS: I'm just going to let that one go.
(LAUGHTER)
LEVS: The big question is who's going to take Ellen's slot? Our partner, this is right here. It's our partner Web site. People.com for "People" magazine. They're reporting now an industry source saying that Jennifer Lopez has actually closed a deal to take that spot.
No confirmation on our end yet here at CNN.
You know, I stopped watching "American Idol" when they kicked out Paula, and now Simon is gone, too!
GRIFFIN: That's not the dress you showed me before, Josh, of J.Lo.
LEVS: Oh, Lord, there you go. It's from CNN.com.
GRIFFIN: Hey! There it is.
LEVS: Best dress of all time.
GRIFFIN: That is illustrating.
LEVS: She should get us watching again. More newsier news coming up in the NEWSROOM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: BP has been running television ads about the Gulf clean-up and how taxpayers they say won't pay a cent. Well, that's not quite true. In fact, the company will take a multibillion-dollar tax write-off that will come out of your pocket.
CNN's Lisa Sylvester explains how it works.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: BP is telling its costs of the Gulf oil spill to be at least $32 billion. That's the amount the company is taking as a pretax charge to cover damages, claims and clean-up costs over the next few years.
A hefty amount. But BP is also planning to offset a third of that as a tax write-off. Florida Senator Bill Nelson, firing off a letter to his colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee, says he is appalled that, quote, "BP intends to shift nearly $10 billion of the cost related to the Gulf oil spill to the backs of the American taxpayers."
Last year, BP paid $10.5 billion in taxes worldwide.
SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: It's unacceptable to have the taxpayers bear the burden of $10 billion as a result of the negligence of BP. And for them to be able to write off as deductible expenses $32 billion, which is going to give them a $10 billion tax break, that's just simply not playing fair with the American people.
SYLVESTER: But what BP is doing is perfectly legal. BP can't write off any fines or penalties assessed by the government. But the $20 billion BP set aside in an escrow fund, plus additional costs of containing the spill, are all fair game. In a statement to CNN, a spokesman said, quote, "BP is following the U.S. tax code with respect to the income tax treatment of costs associated with the MC-252 incident. Taxes are paid on profits, and the Gulf of Mexico spill response costs have reduced BP's U.S. profits. So it follows that our tax obligations will be lower, as well."
But that hasn't blunted the outrage. The watchdog group, the Project on Government Oversight, accuses BP of exploiting the tax code.
MANDY SMITHBERGER, PROJECT ON GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT: What BP has done in the Gulf has been very costly to the nation. And I think that you're looking at them avoiding accountability and really paying everything that they owe to taxpayers for the damage that they've done.
SYLVESTER (on camera): Senator Bill Nelson is calling for a congressional inquiry. He hopes to close any loopholes in tax law. He acknowledges, though, that it may be difficult getting any tax changes to apply retroactively to BP. But in his words, he wants to make a big stink about all of this.
Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Well, who can forget the confusion after the 2000 election? Al Gore won the popular vote, George Bush won the presidency with more electoral votes.
Five states now started a movement to stop that from happening again.
CNN's Tom Foreman explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Take a look at this. Five states so far, Washington and Hawaii and Illinois and New Jersey and Maryland have already taken steps to do an end run around the Electoral College, saying they will give all of their states electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote nationwide.
Now beyond that, we have Massachusetts possibly coming on board, if the governor signs this thing. And a fistful of other states are either consider this or possibly still heading that way. And it would work like this.
If, for example, you had Massachusetts over here, which is pretty solidly blue, and they voted for a Democrat, but more voters nationwide wanted a Republican candidate. Under this rule what would happen is Massachusetts would then give its 12 electoral votes to the GOP candidate to make sure the Republican who won the popular vote also won the election.
These laws are written so that no state will do this unless enough others go along to make it effective. But this is aimed at heading off problems like the one we saw in 2000 when Al Gore won more popular votes but then he lost the election to George Bush because of the electoral vote -- Rick?
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: You know what I'm looking at? I'm looking at this thing and I'm thinking to myself, well, a lot of the Democrats are probably thinking -- and I can see why some Republicans are angry about this.
Some of the Democrats are probably saying, hey, the population shift is working in our favor. So let's go with something that gives the president the popular vote because there's probably going to be more, you know, whatever, Hispanics and African-Americans and traditional Democratic voters, whereas the guys on the right, the conservative side, are looking at this and saying, hey, wait a minute, the forefathers came up with a plan, it's worked well up to now, let's leave it alone, right?
FOREMAN: Yes, yes. You know what, Rick, I wrote my newspaper column today and I said you know what the problem is with this plan? The unintended consequences. And I don't think either party knows what they're going to be.
Look at this. This does sound more like democracy. But it could produce some unintended results. For example, look at this. Right now, both parties pretty much know the playing field.
For better or worse, they know where they're strong, they know where they're weak, they know which states they have to target, and they play accordingly.
Under this scenario, the whole country, as you said last night, kind of becomes a purple country. You don't really know where the game is being played.
Now why does that matter? Would that be good for everybody? Yes, maybe. But here is one possibility. Under this scenario, the person with the most money to wallpaper the nation with ads could have a huge advantage. Or maybe if we have a really close election, once each candidate submits his bases, he could end up scrambling over little pockets of voters all over the place. And they could be the decisive factor.
And if you don't think the people in Boston are going to be upset to find out that the people in Spokane decided the election, they're going to be.
(LAUGHTER)
FOREMAN: Or, Rick, we could line up with lots and lots of candidates and no one able to produce a majority. And I'll tell you, that produces an even bigger problem. The biggest problem that you could possibly have here is this, Rick -- what if you have 48 percent over here, and you have 47 percent over here, and in the middle, you have somebody who comes out of nowhere, a talk show host --
SANCHEZ: Yes.
FOREMAN: -- or some celebrity or somebody who at the last minute gets five percent of the vote? If you have to have a majority to win, that person could hold the whole process --
SANCHEZ: Wow.
FOREMAN: -- hostage with five percent of support, and then they could barter that to either side for huge concessions.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
