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No Deal Reached on Budget; Facebook Event Asking to Trash Boehner's D.C. Residence; No NATO Apology for Rebel Deaths; No Deal Reached; Shutdown at Midnight; Protesters Call Budget Cuts "Immoral"; Artist Fills Street With 10,000 Shoes; Kindergarten Students to Get iPads; Ex-Congressman to Meet With Gadhafi; Price of Government Shutdown
Aired April 08, 2011 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. And have a great weekend. Thank you.
It is 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. on the west. I am Carol Costello in for Kyra Phillips.
The 11th hour is here. President Obama is waiting on that phone call from the Hill and word there's a budget deal. If that doesn't happen by midnight, as you know, the government shuts down.
NATO says it might have killed Libyan rebels by mistake but it's offering no apologies.
And oil prices have jumped about $110 a barrel. They haven't been that high in 2 1/2 years.
OK, so here we are. A dramatic deadline in Washington, with consequences that will reach every corner of the country. Lawmakers have 15 hours to reach a budget deal or the federal government closes down.
Just moments ago, the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, told our Brianna Keilar where things stand now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: At that meeting last night, I thought I have nine granddaughters, a daughter, a wife. And if they were faced with a situation that these people are directing -- I'm talking about the Republicans in the House -- they may need a cancer screening. They may have a problem they need to get some help.
And that's what they're trying to stop. This all deals with women's health. Everything has been resolved, everything. And to think the country is going to shut down. Every headline in the country, I went briefing on the women here, every newspaper in the country said -- even the "Wall Street Journal" says, what are they thinking?
What is their endgame? I don't know. It is an ideological battle. It has nothing to do with the fiscal integrity of this country. It has everything to do with the ideology on that other side of the Capitol.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Of course, Harry Reid is talking about defunding Planned Parenthood and the abortion issue that surrounds that.
Brianne Keilar, you caught up with Harry Reid.
Really? It all boils down to defunding Planned Parenthood or not?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If you listen to Democrats, Carol, it comes down to the abortion issue in these negotiations. You heard Harry Reid saying that there. If you talk to Republicans -- for instance, I just spoke after talking to Harry Reid there with a Republican source who's familiar with the negotiations, they insist that it doesn't boil down to abortion.
They say that spending cuts are not settled, that there are other issues and they say Democrats are trying to paint them as really trying to shut the government down just on this one issue.
If you talk to Democrats, you talk to Harry Reid, what he is saying is, number one, that abortion is the only issue hanging this up. And also I asked him if he would consider a short-term stop gap measure, maybe the Senate would take some action on that today. And he said, that was something that they are going to try to do.
So you're literally listening to the two sides on this issue, Carol. And they're saying diametrically opposed things.
COSTELLO: Of course, sadly, there is nothing new there. And it's difficult for voters to get a grasp of what's really going on here. And frankly it's frustrating.
KEILAR: No, it is frustrating, especially when you talk about the real effects of what a shutdown would mean. We are just hours away from one now. It comes down to everyone's bottom line, paychecks for almost a million federal workers, military families that would go without pay while a government shuts down.
But I think what you're kind of watching here it's almost a game of chicken. And I expect that this is going to be going on for hours, hours to come. And certainly, the specter of a government shutdown is looming.
We're still hearing from both sides that they don't want for there to be a government shutdown.
COSTELLO: Right.
KEILAR: They're certainly fighting for whatever they can get in these negotiations.
COSTELLO: Right. Well, we'll see how serious they are. They don't have much more time. Brianna Keilar, thank you.
President Obama has canceled his trip to Indianapolis to focus on this mess. He's waiting on that phone call where someone says, we have a deal.
CNN's Ed Henry is at the White House.
So, Ed, House Speaker John Boehner will talk to Republicans around noon today, right? And I've got to tell you, though, many voters don't believe much will come of this, you know, 11th hour negotiation.
So I ask you, our political guru, what could happen in the halls of Congress at noon and who is President Obama expecting to hear a phone call from?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's expecting to get a call according to officials close to the talk, telling me he should get a call maybe 10:00, 10:30, mid morning. They don't have a hard time yet because they don't want it to be arbitrary.
They want a call from Harry Reid and John Boehner, maybe a joint call, when there is actual progress. You remember last night, the president told reporters he had given these leaders a deadline of early this morning, because he basically wants to fish or cut bait.
He wants some kind of answer so that if there's no deal, the government can really get this preparations into high gear. So that at midnight, it's not a surprise to anyone that it is actually shutting down.
Obviously, they're still hopeful, still optimistic here at the White House. They can get a deal. I think what will happen at noon, this Republican conference meeting with House Republicans behind closed doors, this is a chance for John Boehner to do one of two things. Either he has a deal by noon and he tries to sell it to his conference on the Hill or he does not have a deal and says, look, guys, we've got 12 hours to go, where are we going to go. And it will be a strategy session -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And you -- we were talking earlier and you were telling me about what some Democrats are saying about strategy. So John Boehner is in this difficult position. You know he has the Tea Party members who want him to do one thing, he has the rest of Republicans wanting him to do something else.
And maybe he'll just allow the government to shutdown for the weekend just to show the more conservative end of his party that that's not really a great idea.
HENRY: Well, you're right. That's the way Democrats -- I've talked to some senior Democrats around town who like to craft as this look, John Boehner is under such intense pressure from the Tea Party wing of his own party, that he may just allow the government to be shut down over the weekend and go back to them, say -- on Monday and say, look, if we're taking a beating on this, we made our point. But let's move on.
When you talk to the Boehner people, they basically say that kind of scenario is nonsense. That he wants a deal. And in fact that's why, as Brianna was talking about, the Republicans, through Boehner, have put a short-term deal on the table to say, let's keep this open for one more week so we can talk this through.
We don't want to shut the government down. So it's basically a tale of two sides here. Everybody trying to spin their own way on it. I think it's interesting and instructive that the president in his public comments has not been bashing John Boehner. Because he does not want both sides to dig in. He wants there to be cooperation on these final hours so that maybe they can get a deal.
But I can tell you in talking to some senior people around here, if there is no deal by midnight, you're going to see this White House take a strong turn in the other direction and really start pointing the finger at the Republicans, Carol.
COSTELLO: I bet you.
Ed Henry, many things as always.
So if this 11th hour talks fall short, what happens? It would take all day to run down the list so here are just a few examples.
The FDA will have to cut back on inspections to make sure your food and medicines are safe. And official says the FDA will be severely limited. National parks, places like Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and the National Mall, could lose about $32 million a day.
People who live in Washington, D.C. will really feel the effects of a government shutdown because they would lose many services like garbage pick up. That's right. The D.C. congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is furious. She says it is time D.C. told Congress to go straight to hell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON (D), D.C. DELEGATE: They've hit us where it really hurts in our economy by shutting down the federal government where people come to Washington and fuel our national economy because they come to see the sights, which won't be there to see.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But the federal government sort of rules the roost when it comes to like ordinary people who just live in D.C., so city services would cut off. Norton says she doubts there will be a budget deal by tonight's deadline. But I think you got that.
So those who live in the District of Colombia and pay taxes are hopping mad. You heard Miss Norton and what I just said. But that's not the half of it. There is now a push on Facebook to trash House Speaker John Boehner's house in D.C., as in dump their trash on his lawn. Let's go to Washington and CNN's senior political editor, Mark Preston.
I guess they're calling it a trash-athon.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: They're calling it a trash-ashton, in fact, Carol, it could get a little messy outside of John Boehner's Capitol Hill residence, as you said.
You know, this was a viral effort put forth by a couple of Democrats. They said, if John Boehner doesn't cut a deal, then they are going to publish his address and they're going to show people how to get to his house so they can start dumping trash outside his house.
Now they said that they'll do it in an orderly and sanitary fashion but they're going to do it. And for our viewers out there, a lot of people don't know and you just emphasized it. The fact of the matter is the federal government runs the D.C. government. They're the ones who really control the purse strings here in the District of Columbia.
And Eleanor Holmes Norton who was just on our ear a short time ago, she doesn't even have a vote in Congress. So you have a lot of people who, as you say, are hopping mad here in Washington, D.C., because they will be directly affected, Carol, if this government shutdown actually happens.
COSTELLO: I can only imagine.
OK. I know you have an update on Donald Trump, so just spill it. I'm ready. Hit me.
PRESTON: I thought -- I thought we were going to have this Donald Trump free zone. But you know what? It's very hard to because he's doing so well in the national polls and he continues to make news. In just a couple of hours, he's going to meet with an Arizona state lawmaker who, you guessed it, is pushing a birther bill, so to speak.
And Donald Trump in the past couple of weeks and certainly in the last couple of hours or last 24 hours has really propagated the idea that President Obama might not be a U.S. citizen. Well, in a couple of hours, he's going to meet with State Representative Carl Seal in New York in his office and they're going to talk about the issue.
So Donald Trump, this very successful businessman, a lot of people think that perhaps he could be president, is really talking and reaching out to the birthers, if he does run for president -- Carol.
COSTELLO: You know what's happening with his show, "The Apprentice"? The ratings have gone through the roof since Donald Trump has been going around the country talking about these things.
PRESTON: Well, because god knows what he would say during. And you know, in fact, he's going to be on our ear. On Sunday he'll be with Candy Crowley, she's going to be interviewing so he'll be on at 9:00 a.m. in "STATE OF THE UNION."
So Donald Trump getting a lot of airtime. It'll be interesting to see what Candy has to say to him, what he has to say to Candy.
COSTELLO: Well, I hope we get in those other Republican candidates that are hoping for a presidential run, too. And not just Donald Trump. But I'm sure you guys will.
PRESTON: We will.
COSTELLO: Mark Preston, many thanks.
PRESTON: Thanks.
COSTELLO: We'll have your next political update in one hour. And a reminder for all the latest political news, go to our Web site, CNNpolitics.com.
Turning now to Libya and admission but no apology from NATO today. NATO concedes its airstrike may have mistakenly hit opposition forces and their tanks in eastern Libya yesterday killing four people.
But NATO says it will not apologize for those deaths saying it had no information opposition forces were using tanks.
In the meantime, a former CIA operative says the no-fly zone is not working. And NATO must put troops on the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT BAER, FORMER CIA OPERATIVE: We have to do something decisive now. We can not let this fester or it will turn into a complete catastrophe.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So let's go to CNN's Ben Wedeman now. He's on the phone from eastern Libya.
I don't know. I don't think that boots on the ground likely to happen, Ben. So from your perspective, are the NATO airstrikes useless?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're certainly not stopping Moammar Gadhafi's forces from advancing. In fact just about 25 minutes ago, we were at the western gate of Ajdabiya when it came under an intense artillery barrage by Libyan armed forces which sent the opposition fighters running away again.
Ajdabiya is a ghost town. There is really nothing at this point to stop Libyan forces from coming in here. It's a long open road from Ajdabiya, about 100 kilometers -- rather 100 miles to Benghazi itself, the capital of opposition Libya.
And how boots on the ground are going to help at this point as the front seems to be moving closer and closer to Benghazi, it's hard to say. It's a very desperate situation. And it's just getting worse seemingly by the hour.
COSTELLO: So you're making it sound rather hopeless, Ben.
WEDEMAN: I don't want to say hopeless but it is desperate. The military forces, if you can even call them that, of the opposition seem completely incapable of halting the Libyan army from moving further east. And this despite the fact that in theory there's a no- fly zone. In theory NATO is striking Libyan armed forces. But we've really seen no evidence that this has made the slightest dent in the Libyan army's ability to operate under these circumstances. They are moving ahead.
COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman reporting live from eastern Libya, thank you.
Has the military become a political football in the fight over a possible government shutdown? That and more when we talk more politics about the shutdown with CNN.com contributor Rubin Navarrette.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: If a government shut down takes place, one group of government workers deemed essential is the military. Soldiers will continue to fight and earn their salaries, they just won't see any paychecks as long as the shutdown is in effect. Family members of those who are deployed must continue to make ends meet at home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMY TERSIGNI, HUSBAND DEPLOYED IN IRAQ: Telling your kids when they go to bed at night, sorry, Daddy's still at work, but then the financial stress of not having a paycheck and not knowing when you're going to get it doesn't help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: No, it doesn't. And politicians are using that anger and frustration in one way or another. Republican Newt Gingrich came right out and tweeted it. He said, "President -- the president and his party have decided to use our men and women in uniform as bargaining chips in the budget negotiations."
Of course, the Democrats are accusing the Republicans of using the very same tactics. In the middle are troops who won't get their paychecks if the government shuts down. In an opinion piece for cnn.com, Ruben Navarrette writes about the politics of the shutdown and looks at what he says is a bigger problem, and that would be the deficit. Ruben, welcome.
RUBIN NAVARRETTE, JR., SYNDICATED COLUMNIST, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Thanks, Carol.
COSTELLO: You live in San Diego, a big military town. How do you feel about some of the rhetoric flying around about our military? NAVARRETTE: Right. It's really -- it really is outrageous. As an American, not just someone from San Diego, but as the son of a veteran and an American, I am offended that this is even on the table, that the idea of not paying our military and not giving them paychecks for all the other sacrifices that their families make without them at home, is outrageous. It shouldn't even be discussed or a possibility. I think a lot of San Diegans feel that way, I think a lot of Americans feel that way.
COSTELLO: It's interesting, because supposedly there are a couple of bills in the halls of Congress that say the military would get paid. But it's small comfort, because it's at the last minute and probably nothing will be passed.
NAVARRETTE: Right. And again, it's just offensive that it's even on the table or even discussed. I'm troubled that there are people out there, like the people in your segments, the people I'm hearing from, military families who are even worried about it. They shouldn't have to worry about it. It should be a non-issue, a non- question in their mind.
And -- put it this way. There are people out there defending the country and out there fighting for our country. The last initiative they should have to worry about is whether their wife and kids can buy groceries back home. So, for everything else that's wrong with debate, that's been one of the troubling parts.
My piece on CNN.com was really about the fact that, since I don't live in Washington, I have the luxury of not worrying too much about a government shutdown. I'm worried about the long-term financial insolvency of the country. And I think a lot of people are, too. A $14 trillion debt is not something that we can sustain.
Meanwhile, our parties are talking about cutting nickels and dimes, $60 billion or $30 billion, and we're talking about a $14 trillion debt. At least Paul Ryan --
COSTELLO: Right, because when you look at it --
NAVARRETTE: -- has a plan out there.
COSTELLO: When you look at it --
NAVARRETTE: Yes.
COSTELLO: When you look at it, Ruben, they're only apart --
NAVARRETTE: Right.
COSTELLO: -- like $5 billion, the Democrats and Republicans. So, they're quibbling over a very small amount of money.
NAVARETTE: Right.
COSTELLO: And this is just for the 2011 budget.
NAVARRETTE: Right.
COSTELLO: Now, they're going to --
NAVARRETTE: Yes.
COSTELLO: -- have to negotiate for the 2012 budget, and they're going to have to decide --
NAVARRETTE: Yes.
COSTELLO: -- on the debt ceiling. and you are right, they're missing the big picture here, and it's kind of a scary thing.
NAVARETTE: They really are. And the reason they are missing that big picture is because to go after the entitlements, that's really where the politics, the rubber hits the road -- meets the road. Social Security has long been a third rail of American politics. They don't want to go after that. Defense spending, we're not talking about the military. They're not extravagantly paid, but all those defense systems and weapons systems.
There's so much money going through Washington, as we well know, and so much pressure brought to bear on members of Congress. And those people who give that money and put that pressure, they're the ones who get their needs take care of.
And so, unless you go after Social Security reform, unless you deal with defense, unless you deal with entitlements, you're not touching 70 percent of the budgets. So yes, we are arguing over nickels and dimes.
COSTELLO: Right.
NAVARETTE: And there's a real disconnect, here. Why should we be worried about a shutdown? We should be worried about the fact that the current path, it's just not sustainable for you and your kids and me and my kids.
COSTELLO: And as far as we know, the only Republican did came forward, Paul Ryan, and talk about at least --
NAVARETTE: Right.
COSTELLO: -- re-finagling the Medicare and Medicaid.
NAVARETTE: Right.
COSTELLO: So, at least one politician has really faced the biggest issues. Ruben, many thanks.
NAVARETTE: Right.
COSTELLO: You can read Ruben's entire piece on cnn.com/opinion.
NAVARETTE: Thank you. COSTELLO: Checking stories Cross Country, now. In Olympia, Washington, police arrested about a dozen people who staged a protest in the state capitol building over budget cuts. They disrupted the House session for a third day, calling the plan to close a $5 billion budget deficit "immoral."
A Detroit artist has unveiled his newest work, called "Street Folks." It's composed of 10,000 shoes blanketing a downtown street. He calls it a social commentary on homelessness.
And starting in the fall, kindergarten students in Auburn, Maine, will get free iPads. The school committee chairman says the devices will allow kids to keep pace with evolving technology.
A former US congressman in Libya armed with a message for the Libyan dictator, but how his trip was financed is really raising some eyebrows. We'll talk about that after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Former US congressman Curt Weldon is still waiting for that face-to-face meeting with Libya's president, Moammar Gadhafi. It's been three days, now, and while that part of Weldon's visit has not been so interesting, how curt Weldon got to Libya is. It turns out a pair of powerful oil lobbyists paid for his flight. Wolf Blitzer uncovered that fact.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Who paid for the airfare?
CURT WELDON, FORMER US CONGRESSMAN: The airfare was paid for by the team of Steve Payne and Brian Ettinger of Houston.
BLITZER: So, it's not -- it had nothing to do with the government of Libya. Are they lobbyists or do they have business dealings with Libya?
WELDON: No. No, I don't know, I don't believe they do, but you can talk -- I know one of them has had friendships, I believe Steve, with one of the sons. But as far as I know, no business dealings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: CNN's Zain Verjee is in London. And Zain, some might think this is disturbing. What more do we know about these two guys?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDET: Carol, it definitely does raise some questions here. We did a little bit of digging around and, according to Politico, they are part of Worldwide Strategic Partners, Inc. This is a Houston-based organization. The two men are Stephen Payne and Brian Ettinger.
Payne's actually a former aid to former president George W. Bush. He's described as having pretty strong ties to top US officials as well as to top officials around the world, including Libya.
When I read into their bios a little bit more, they have very strong backgrounds in energy, oil, gas, drilling, and exploration. And Carol, Libya is the country in Africa that has the biggest oil reserves. Weldon denied that there were any business dealings here, but it definitely does raise a red flag.
COSTELLO: It's just interesting. I'm sure we'll be delving more into that later. I know you worked at the State Department, Zain. How does the State Department feel about these kinds of missions that Weldon is trying to carry out?
VERJEE: It's always really interesting. The State Department thinks it's a pretty good thing when the US can have direct contact with countries that they have no direct contact with.
You had instances where Jimmy Carter, Bill Richardson had gone to North Korea. Former president Bill Clinton also going to North Korea to get out those two journalists being held. Senator Jim Webb went to Burma.
But State only views it as helpful if these guys go there and they are in accordance or in line with the US point of view. If they're out there freelancing and making their own deals with governments, it becomes very unhelpful to the US government, and it makes -- it puts them in a pretty tough spot.
The other thing is, when they go to these countries, they do get a briefing from the State Department before they go.
COSTELLO: Interesting. Zain Verjee, many thanks. Zain, live in London.
Now, take a good look at the Statue of Liberty. You're going to see it shortly. There it is. If lawmakers in Washington cannot agree on a budget by midnight, this is about as good a view as you're ever going to get. Lady Liberty, furloughed. We'll talk more about that in a few minutes.
And 40 days and 40 nights of consuming only high-quality beer. It sounds like a plan hatched at a frat house, but an Iowa man says his Lenten diet was inspired in a monastery. We'll talk with him live, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The possible government shutdown just hours away, now. So, if federal agencies close their doors and workers are sent home, that means taxpayers will save money, right? Not exactly. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. So, Alison, can we put an actual dollar amount on all of this?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, Carol, at this point, it's really tough to put an exact dollar amount on it. But you can bet it's going to cost some money. Excuse me. And here's why. It costs money to line down government construction and research projects. No one really knows how long they're going to last, the shutdown would last. So, you would have to wind up closing up all parts of the worksite.
And then, of course, ramping everything back up. That costs money, too.
And then, there's the workers pay part of it. And, you know, when the government restarts, the workers are going to need to be paid overtime just to deal with all the paperwork that piled up in their absence. Also, those furloughed workers could get back pay. That's what we saw happen after the last government shutdown in 1996.
And, finally, the government, when it shutdown, is taking in less money. Think of this, some agencies collect fees for their services. Think of visitors to national parks. They spend $30 million a day.
So, you know what? Carol, in the end, we could have a budget that will mean billions of dollars less in government spending. But, then, of course, a lengthy shutdown could wind up slowing the economic recovery -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Got you. So, how about the money on Wall Street. We just heard the opening bill. Is the possibility of the shutdown having any effect on trading?
KOSIK: You know, Wall Street is definitely watching developments in Washington. So far, we're looking at some modest gains here. Traders right now are pretty cautious because they are also keeping their eye on oil. Oil is right now at $111 a barrel.
Analysts say gas could be flirting with $4 a gallon real soon, especially with the national average right now sitting at $3.74 a gallon. Ouch!
COSTELLO: Wow. You're right, ouch!
Alison Kosik, live at the New York Stock Exchange, thank you.
It's just past 9:30 in Washington right now. In an hour or so, President Obama could learn if lawmakers have reached a budget deal. They've got until midnight or the government shuts down.
Brianna Keilar talked to the Senate majority leader just a short time ago.
And, Brianna, at least Harry Reid is saying it boils down to one issue.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He says that it boils down to the issue of abortion. House Republicans, one of the things policy-wise that they have been pushing for, Carol, was to defund Planned Parenthood, they say, to make sure federal dollars don't go to abortions. Democrats say already that's the case.
But if you listen to what he said today -- actually, let's take a listen to what he said, insisting that this is the only hang-up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: The issue does not deal with the number. It's good for you to try to switch the debate. The debate has nothing to do with the number. It has everything to do with women's health. That's the only issue that was left undone when we left the White House last night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: OK. But here's what you need to know, Carol. He's s saying that it boils down to one issue -- abortion, money for Planned Parenthood. He is saying -- actually I asked him, well, about what giving more on spending cuts to resolve this issue? He says negotiators tried that, Republicans wouldn't go for it.
But what he's saying is diametrically opposed to what Republicans are saying. A spokesman said for House Speaker John Boehner said that spending cuts, the actual dollar amount of spending cuts, remains the biggest issue, that there are still policy issues here that it is not just abortion. And Republican sources are telling us that what Democrats are trying to do is make it seem as if they are hanging things up on a social issue which Democrats are insistent that Republicans are doing, Carol.
COSTELLO: So, really, this is more about positioning each party as far as taking blame or not if the government shuts down?
KEILAR: Well, you got a couple things going on, I think. There's obviously the positioning for blame. And then you also have -- I mean, we are 14 1/2 hours out from a government shutdown. And I do think that Democrats and Republicans are both concerned about the political consequences for themselves over this.
So, I think you have a little bit of the positioning for blame. But you also have trying to force the other side's hand as they continue in their negotiations because at this point, Carol, even though there is no deal, those negotiations are expected at least to continue here immediately.
COSTELLO: So, time to play a little hardball, then, huh? On both sides.
KEILAR: Definitely. Yes.
COSTELLO: Brianna Keilar, many thanks.
We'll talk about the Tea Party's role in these budget negotiations with Congresswoman, Michele Bachmann. That will come your way in just about 30 minutes.
If there is no deal by the deadline tonight, national parks would, of course, closed and lose about $32 million a day.
Allan Chernoff is in New York.
And, Allan, say it isn't so -- even Lady Liberty could get furloughed?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes, even Lady Liberty. The first ferry has departed for Liberty Island right behind us. We've got more than 500 people waiting in line over here because, in Washington, they may be talking about -- well, who is essential, who is non-essential?
Let me tell you, Lady Liberty, absolutely essential for the tourists. Everybody here wants to get that site in. And as you know, if the government were to shut down, no ferries, no Liberty Island, and the more than 100 employees of the National Park Service who work over there, they would be temporarily out of a job as well.
Well, it's affecting the tourists. And some of the tourists are also going to be affected in their regular life, in their work life.
Taylor over here is actually a construction manager, a supervisor. You'd be impacted here, right?
TAYLOR VOGEL, TOURIST FROM LEESBURG, VIRGINIA: Yes. My company has Department of Defense contracts, National Park Service contracts and FAA contracts.
CHERNOFF: So, how are you feeling about this idea of a government shutdown as a tourist and somebody who gets his wages from the government?
VOGEL: It makes me nervous because my livelihood could be taken away for an indeterminate amount of time. So, we're not sure what we are going to do if it gets shut down.
CHERNOFF: Well, that's at least on the positive side, you are here. You're going to see the statue. Glad you're getting it in today, right?
VOGEL: Yes. Glad. It didn't even -- it didn't even cross our minds that it could be closed down tomorrow. So --
CHERNOFF: It would be. Taylor, thank you very much.
So, Carol, as you can see, lots of tourists want to get the Lady Liberty visit in today. They've got to do it just in case they can't work out a deal down in Washington -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, as you know, it's worth the visit. It's awesome.
Allen Chernoff, many thanks, live in New York.
Checking our top stories now:
NATO says it will not apologize for a mistaken missile strike that may have hit rebel forces in Libya earlier this week. Four people died, 14 were wounded when a jet attacked a tank column.
The big aftershock that hit Japan killed three people. It also forced workers of the Fukushima nuclear power plant to evacuate. They returned and after an inspection found no new damage.
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom says more than 100,000 anti-government protesters took to the streets of Yemen's capital today. Eyewitnesses call it the biggest one yet.
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COSTELLO: It is day two of the Master's.
Jeff Fischel from HLN Sports is here to give us the latest on the fight for the green jacket.
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORT: Yes, day one, exciting, you know? As two day gets underway in Augusta, they will be chasing the pair Europeans. One fairly well-know, Rory McIlroy, and one who is a no name to most U.S. golf fans, Alvaro Quiros.
Rory McIlroy is just 21 years old. He's from Northern Ireland; shot a great round of 65. He's already being labeled one of the true rising stars on the pro-tour. He's just fantastic.
Meanwhile, Alvaro Quiros, a 28-year-old Spaniard. He hits the ball a country mile. And he was also great in the short game yesterday, making some noise.
When I come back, I'll tell you what his goal is for today's second round.
And what about Tiger? At this point, more people seem to be talking about, Carol, a sandwich named in his dishonor than his golf game. I'll tell you about that coming up.
COSTELLO: OK. That's kind of sad. OK, Jeff, we look forward to it.
FISCHEL: OK.
COSTELLO: A man comes forward to say he saw the vicious beating of a Giants' fan, you know, the one that suffered that awful beating at Dodgers Stadium.
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JOE LAGANO, WITNESSED ATTACK: The attack was sick, sickening to me. To have a guy out cold and to continue to kick him in his head and to try to keep punching him, that made sick to my stomach. He showed total disregard for human life.
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COSTELLO: We'll have the latest on the beating victim, Brian Stow, and what both the team and community are doing in the wake of the attack. That's next.
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COSTELLO: The reward is now up to $150,000 for information leading to the arrest of two suspects wanted in the brutal beating at the Dodgers Stadium. The team has hired former Los Angeles police chief, William Bratton, to oversee a new security blueprint for the ballpark. In the meantime, one man that saw the March 31st beating is now talking.
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LAGANO: We noticed a little bit of a distraction going over to our right. Then the next thing I know, I hear a punch, a solid punch. That drew my eyes directly to the guy that got hit, Bryan. And he just went down cold. He was out from the punch, hit the back of his head on the pavement.
And at that point, the guy that attacked him came up and started kicking him. That's when I decided, you know what, that's enough. I'm not going to watch that happen. So I ran, walked over there and confronted him. Two guys for sure. They were drunk.
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COSTELLO: Joe Lagano says he now wishes he'd done more. In the meantime, the beating victim, Bryan Stow, remains in a medically- induced coma. A donation fund has been set up for him.
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COSTELLO: Look for these stories later on CNN NEWSROOM:
Donald Trump, who continues to express his personal doubts about President Barack Obama's birth certificate, is stepping up his own investigation. At 11:30 this morning, he'll meet with the Arizona representative who is sponsoring a presidential eligibility bill in the state legislature, even though there is no evidence any president, including Barack Obama, was born outside of this country. Trump will be Candy's guest on the "STATE OF THE UNION" on Sunday morning.
Also, at 11:30 Eastern Time, the jury will begin deliberations in the Barry Bonds perjury trial. He's accused of lying to a federal grand jury about steroid use.
And then tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, Charlie Sheen brings his Violent Torpedo of Truth road show to Radio City Music Hall. Sheen will have a second show on Sunday night.
How's this for a diet? Drink four or five beers a day for six consecutive weeks and drop almost 20 pounds. It's not for a diet, though. It's all for lent. The man actually doing this tells his story, next.
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COSTELLO: An Iowa man's Lenten quests go 46 days on a beer- only diet -- or as he calls it, liquid bread. But before you jump to conclusion, he's not doing it get hammered but rather, he's doing it for historical research. Local newspaper editor and beer blogger, J. Wilson, says he's emulating a Lenten tradition that dates back to the German monasteries of the 1600s.
J. Wilson now joins us on the phone.
Welcome, J.
J. WILSON, BEER BLOGGER (via telephone): Hey, how are you?
COSTELLO: Well, first off, before we get into this -- I want to explain that lent is a time many Catholics fast, leading up to Easter, to honor Jesus' resurrection. So, you're doing that in a unique way. So, I guess you've already had your beer this morning?
WILSON: I am having my breakfast as we speak.
COSTELLO: So, you are drinking beer.
WILSON: You bet.
COSTELLO: You know, when you hear this -- you think, oh, that's just so disrespectful.
WILSON: Right.
COSTELLO: So, explain to us why it might not be.
WILSON: Well, I mean, there have been a few negative comments out there and that kind of thing. But, overwhelmingly positive response from people I have gotten, you know, tons and tons of e-mails and messages and that sort of thing.
COSTELLO: Well, tell us the story, the Germany monastery, 1600s and beer?
WILSON: Yes. Yes. So, you know -- so, there's a group of monks that came across from Italy to Germany. They settled outside of Germany. They are known as the Paulaner monks, more broadly, I guess, these days.
But they set up shop in the 1600s outside of Munich. They, you know, shortly thereafter, started brewing for a couple of reasons -- one, economic, and, two, sustenance. And that was a form of income. It wasn't safe to drink water at the time and they didn't understand why, but beer was safe and monks often encouraged people to drink beer not water.
And that was because during the production process, it's boiled. So, it was safe to drink. So, it was a normal part of daily life and, certainly, a Christian life as well. So, they kind of amped up their recipe during Lent to sustain them during their liquid fast for those 40 days of Lent.
COSTELLO: OK. So, now, we understand why you're doing it and the historical aspect of it.
WILSON: Right.
COSTELLO: So, you've been drinking beer for home days because Easter is about -- oh, it's still a couple of days away.
WILSON: Right. Today is day 31.
COSTELLO: Day 31. And how has it affected you?
WILSON: It's gone really, really well. I was prepared for the worst. I've done a lot of research on extended fasting. And the first three days are supposed to be the worse. Day one and two, I had a pretty good headache. I was hungry on day one. But when I awoken o the morning of day two, I really wasn't hungry.
And that has been the case all along. Once you get past a certain point, your body kind of says, you know, I can take care of things in a different way. And so, it's actually been a little bit easier than I thought. I sort of feel bad about that. It should have been really painful. But --
COSTELLO: Right, because this season is supposed to be all about sacrifice.
WILSON: Yes. I mean, it is a sacrifice. I mean, it's not a cake walk. But it's been easier than I thought it might be.
COSTELLO: And you've lost 20 pounds.
WILSON: Eighteen as of yesterday.
COSTELLO: Wow. OK. So, we admire you. And I'm sure you're going to make it to Good Friday and beyond, just a couple more weeks.
WILSON: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: Thank you, J. We appreciate it.
WILSON: You bet. Take care.
COSTELLO: Don't forget to click CNN.com's Belief blog. They covered the faith angle's of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news, to politics, to entertainment. Click your mouse on religion.blog.CNN.com.
Caught on tape, a couple breaking their dog out of a local humane shelter. Your cross-country news is next.
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COSTELLO: Checking stories cross-country now.
One Arkansas county jail is now charging inmates $35 a day to be locked up. The sheriff says it's a way to cut costs of jail operations from the taxpayer. Prisoners who refuse to pay for their stay can expect their jail tab to be deducted from their state income tax return.
In Melbourne, Florida, a naked man threatening suicide got into a shoot-out with a SWAT robot. You're looking at robot cam video from that standoff. Police eventually arrested the man and charged him with criminal mischief.
And in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, the local Humane Society believes a couple broke into their kennel to take their own dog back. They've released this surveillance video and the facility's director says if the pair doesn't reimburse the city for damages, they'll go after them in court.
We're following a lot of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with Ed Henry at the White House.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, deal or no deal. The president is about to get that phone call from congressional leaders, just minutes from now, probably, that will answer the question. I'll have that story at the top of the hour.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Stephanie Elam in New York. So, essential or nonessential? What exactly does that mean? Who are these people who may be looking at being without a bit of work coming after the shutdown, if it does happen? We'll keep our eyes on it. That's coming up in the next hour.
COSTELLO: Yes. And who wants to be called a nonessential worker anyway? That would be hard.
ELAM: That them motivated after that. Yes.
COSTELLO: Thanks to all of you. Finding a healthy kidney on Facebook, how the potentially life-saving transplant is benefiting the families of both recipient and donor, that's coming up in the next hour.
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COSTELLO: HLN Sports anchor Jeff Fischel is back.
And no Tiger and no Phil? Who are these guys?
FISCHEL: You know, Tiger and Phil are playing OK. But it's younger guys -- guys you may not know who are really dominating. After day one, we've seen one guy, Rory McIlroy, a great rising star. The other is known for being a big hitter but not known for being at the top of a leader board at a major.
McIlroy, 21 years old from Northern Ireland; he shot a 7 under par 65 yesterday. He was so masterful all over the course. He's in the top 10 of the world rankings already at just age 21.
Now, 28-year-old Alvaro Quiros; he's is a veteran of the European Tour. He won earlier this year on the European Tour. He's never led at a major before. He also shot a 7 under yesterday.
And he said, quote, "My target is to make the cut. It would be stupid to think about shooting 65 again." But, you know, you have to believe the way he's been playing.
Meanwhile, you're asking, OK, what happened to Tiger? He actually is six shots back entering today's second round. He shot a one under 71. He says he's pleased so far, still in the game.
While everything is going fairly well on the golf course, though, Tiger feeling the heat from those who like to mock. This is -- check this out -- the "Tiger Homewrecker," that's what it's called, Carol. It's being served at a sports ball called -- somewhere in Augusta. It's actually, just down the street from the Augusta National where they're playing the Masters. It's a foot-long deep fried hot dog topped with chili, cheese and bacon, and, of course, you can insert your own joke.
The bar's owner said, "No, no, I couldn't have named it after Tiger Woods. I named it after my son." Yes.
Baseball -- Troy Tulowitzki is at it again. Remember yesterday I told you, he broke out of his hitting slump after changing his walkup song to Justin Bieber's "Baby." Well, that some home games. He was on the road yesterday but he's still clubbing it. That's three home runs in three days.
It's Bieber power, I'm telling you. Now he did say -- he did say, you know, I might go through another slump again, and it looks like if he does go in another slump, the next song might be Kesha, "We Are Who We Are."
COSTELLO: Oh! Oh, that would do it, too.
FISCHEL: Carol knows the lyrics. We're tearing it apart, part, part.
COSTELLO: We're a star, star, star, star. Yes.
FISCHEL: There you go.
COSTELLO: Yes.
FISCHEL: Last year, by the way, Tulo's song was "Party in the USA." So, "Party in the USA," Justin Bieber, he's all over it.
Check out this incredible video now. It's soccer from Switzerland. The penalty kick, and the flip. You've got to see it again because it all happened so fast you might miss it. He runs up, he kicks, and does the flip at the same time.
COSTELLO: That's amazing.
FISCHEL: The flip and the goal. We found this on YouTube. I have never, I can honestly say, I've never seen that before. I don't know if it distracted the goaltender or not. But --
COSTELLO: I think maybe it did and that's why it went in.
FISCHEL: I'm distracted right now just watching it. Because -- that's something you have to practice over and over again to get that right, I think.
COSTELLO: That's a good athlete.
FISCHEL: That's pretty impressive.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes. Thank you, Jeff.
FISCHEL: Thanks, Carol.
