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U.S. Grills Three Bin Laden Wives; SEALs Worried about Retaliation; Ron Paul Announces White House Run; Senator: Big Oil "Out of Touch"; Mary Tyler Moore Brain Surgery; Smiley on Business Success; Disaster Relief Concert; 64 Years After Jackie Robinson; Pakistani Military Recruits Targeted
Aired May 13, 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: Those mattresses make me want to go to sleep, but I'm totally awake. And you have a great weekend. We appreciate it.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR, "AMERICAN MORNING": Thanks, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good morning, everyone.
New -- major new developments in the Osama bin Laden story.
It is 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out West. I'm Carol Costello sitting in for Kyra Phillips.
The Taliban in Pakistan says it's launched a deadly suicide attack today in retaliation for the killing of the al Qaeda leader. At least 80 people were killed at the military training facility.
In the meantime, fears of retaliation are also haunting the Navy SEALs who carried out the bin Laden raid. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says too much confidential information is leaking out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: When I met with the team last Thursday, they expressed a concern about that and particularly with respect to their families. So as you say, I can't get into the details in this forum, but we are looking at what measures can be taken to pump up the security.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And U.S. intelligence officers finally have their chance to interview the bin Laden wives who were inside that compound.
Both U.S. and Pakistani officials telling us the three women were interviewed together and were openly hostile toward the Americans.
CNN correspondents are covering all the latest news. Nick Paton Walsh is in Pakistan. Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence is in our Washington bureau. And Ed Henry is at the White House.
But let's begin with Nick in Islamabad. Nick, what can you tell us about the interrogation of these wives?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Pakistanis are confirming what U.S. officials said last night, that the interrogation is happening. We're not hearing much more from the Pakistanis, apart from them saying this is an ongoing process. So a series of meetings we imagine happening over a period of time.
U.S. officials, though, do not seem to be getting exactly what it is they hoped. They are having the Pakistani ISI, their intelligence agency, as currently interlocked, who are helping them speak to the three women who are being interviewed in one group together.
Apparently the eldest wife, 29-year-old Yemeni Amal Ahmed Abdul Fatah is speaking on behalf of three of them. Not ideal for an interrogation because of course they will be hoping to separate them and try to work out inconsistencies in their stories, putting pressure on them.
So far they they're not getting a huge amount of new information out of them, but they say this process is ongoing, say U.S. officials -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, Nick, they must have expected them to be hostile. I was just wondering, do we know if there is a female investigator asking these women questions?
WALSH: We don't know. I would probably imagine given the nature of how the ISI works here, there's not going to be a large female presence in that particular room, although of course the Americans may have brought some women with them.
But of course you're going to expect them to be hostile, obviously the widows of bin Laden, and after this very public American operation.
They have been dripping information out to the Pakistanis and the Pakistanis then been leaking that over the past week. Much of it contradictory to the American narrative. They're the ones who initially suggested bin Laden may not have actually been armed but reached for a weapon initially, which is not enormously being helpful to the Obama administration, just trying to explain to people what actually happened in that compound -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Nick Paton Walsh, live in Islamabad, Pakistan. Thanks so much.
Now let's turn to the security concerns for the Navy SEALs who carried out the mission. Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence is in our Washington bureau.
And, Chris, the security concerns stem from all the information U.S. officials have released on this operation, right?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. Really you can call it misinformation because the story was really changing day after day after day as more and more details came out. But I think Secretary Robert Gates is now coming out publicly in a nice way to sort of say to other government officials and people with access to this information, look, shut up and stop talking about the specifics of what this SEAL team did because he is very concerned about -- you know, even inadvertently one or more of their names being released and putting their family in jeopardy.
He seems to suggest that, you know, as this team gathered in the situation room to, you know, game plan and monitor this mission, that there was an understanding that they weren't going to talk about the details afterwards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GATES: Frankly, a week ago Sunday in the situation room, we all agreed that we would not release any operational details from the effort to take out bin Laden. That all fell apart on Monday, the next day.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: The secretary's folks, and they'll tell you look, the reason this stealth helicopter worked is because no one knew it existed. The reason some of these tactics and equipment are so effective is because no one knows about them and that even though this mission -- particular mission was successful, by releasing all this information, now he does not want to jeopardize future missions by similar teams.
COSTELLO: But look, Chris, we live in the age of WikiLeaks, right? So how does the Pentagon keep something like this totally under wraps?
LAWRENCE: Well, one, get officials to stop giving away some of the details to make sure, you know, someone doesn't inadvertently let a name slip. Two, what you're going to see probably is in a lot of these reports they'll redact some of the information, some of the names, particular names of the equipment that was used.
That's when they put the black mark over the report. In the Pentagon, although yes, it's been slow to catch up to corporate America in terms of instituting certain cyber security procedures, they are now taking steps to really put in software that tracks who has access to information, putting limits on how many people it takes to move something from, say, classified to an unclassified computer.
So there are some more security procedures in place to make sure none of this information slips out and puts these men in danger.
COSTELLO: Hope not. We'll see.
Chris Lawrence live in Washington. Thank you.
LAWRENCE: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: In fact many critics say the White House is now facing a crisis of its own making. It spoke too much and too soon of the raid and had to correct its own versions of events a number of times.
Here are the harsh words of the man who once led the CIA's hunt for Osama bin Laden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL SCHEUER, FORMER HEAD OF CIA'S BIN LADEN UNIT: I think this administration at least in the White House is out of control, sir. The information about the stealth helicopters, the information about the CIA safe house, the details about bin Laden's habit, his plannings, his contacts.
All of that compromised further operations. They're going to make further operations harder, more difficult, probably more bloody. And I think it's really adolescent to think that this information came from the White House press office.
It would never have this classified level of information. If it came anywhere, it was from John Brennan's office, the czar for counterterrorism.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: OK. So let's get the view from the White House and Ed Henry.
So, Ed, how is the administration responding to all of this?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're pushing back pretty hard because if you listen closely to those words where he points the finger right at John Brennan, what I found also interesting is that when Defense Secretary Gates was saying that two Sundays ago in the White House situation room everyone agreed not to talk about these operational details.
And then he said it all changed Monday. What happened Monday? Well, John Brennan, the Homeland Security adviser, came out to the White House briefing room and talked a lot about how all this went down in bin Laden's compound.
However, I spoke to a White House official this morning who said, look, White House agrees with the Defense Secretary Gates was talking about because they believe the secretary was referring to unauthorized leaks, not, you know, on the record or background statements from John Brennan or anyone in his office, but unauthorized leaks elsewhere in the government.
We should point out that Geoff Morrell, Defense Secretary Gates' spokesman, gave CNN a statement last night saying basically, quote, "It would be a mistake to interpret Secretary Gates' answer to that question as a criticism of any particular person or office."
Nonetheless, this is a difficult situation for the administration right now to have people inside and outside the administration pointing fingers and suggesting there were too many leaks here that may now compromise these Navy SEALs -- Carol. COSTELLO: Ed Henry, live at the White House. Thank you.
HENRY: Thank you.
COSTELLO: We expected it and it happened. Congressman Ron Paul is making a third run for the White House. This morning he announced he will seek the GOP nomination for 2012.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RON PAUL (R), TEXAS: Today at this moment I'm officially announcing that I am a candidate for president in the Republican primary.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Why?
PAUL: Because time has come around to the point where the people are agreeing with much of what I've been saying for 30 years. So I think the time is right.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: CNN's Jim Acosta is in Washington with more on Ron Paul.
It's interesting, Jim, that he did it the old fashioned way. He didn't tweet he was running. He announced it on "Good Morning America," on national television.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And you know he's got to hope that the third time is the -- is the charm, Carol. That's right, this is his third shot at running for the White House.
He is going to announce that he's running for president later on this morning at Exeter, New Hampshire. So not a bad place to formally announce it -- after formally announcing it this morning on "Good Morning America."
You know, one thing that we can say about Ron Paul, he is one of those rarities in presidential politics because he often says what is on his mind, unfiltered and unplugged. And he knows how to generate attention with his libertarian Republican views such as ending the Federal Reserve and slashing foreign aid programs.
But a lot of this is going to make Republican voters uncomfortable. Consider what he said yesterday on a talk radio show in Iowa where he told the program's host he would not have ordered the killing of Osama bin Laden. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I just want to be clear, a President Ron Paul would therefore not have ordered the kill of bin Laden which would have clearly have taken place by entering another sovereign --
PAUL: I don't think it was necessary, no.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: No? It wasn't necessary to do.
PAUL: It was absolutely not necessary.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Now this comes just a week after Ron Paul said at the GOP debate down in South Carolina last week that he still supports the legalization of drugs including heroin. And in the "GMA" interview this morning, Carol, I thought it was fascinating, a viewer on the program asked Ron Paul whether or not he believed that flood victims should be eligible for FEMA relief or whether or not FEMA should exist at all for people who are the victims of natural disasters.
And he said no. According to his small government principles, people ought to fend for themselves.
COSTELLO: It was fascinating. He said --
ACOSTA: Yes.
COSTELLO: You know, you should buy insurance and if the insurance companies won't sell you insurance to live there, then it's too dangerous to live there and move out. You shouldn't be living there in the first place.
ACOSTA: That's right. Yes.
COSTELLO: The interesting thing -- the interesting thing, Jim, about Ron Paul, I'm sure, like, deep down inside he doesn't expect he'll win, but one thing can he do is raise money. And let's face it his son is now a lawmaker. So he's creating quite a dynasty. So there are other reasons that these kinds of candidates run for office, right?
ACOSTA: Right. And he does have a point in that -- you know, he said in that interview this morning that he feels that the country is sort of moving in his direction. The Republican Party is moving in his director, the Tea Party which is a major force in the Republican Party has moved towards his limited government views, and so he's right on that accord.
And that is why, you know, he still does show kind of a respectable following in the Republican Party if you look at the latest CNN polling. He's somewhere in the middle of the pack with about 10 percent of the support of Republican voters. Not too far behind guys like Huckabee, Trump, Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin.
And he does have a very loyal following, Carol, as you know. He wins a lot of these straw polls. Did it just recently at the CPAC convention earlier this year. So Ron Paul has a very loyal following and they will be out there loud as ever. And you know they can get loud -- they can get noisy for Ron Paul.
COSTELLO: Yes.
ACOSTA: And they'll be out there in these early contests. He's not going anywhere.
COSTELLO: And they like to give him money, too.
ACOSTA: They do.
COSTELLO: Jim Acosta, live in Washington, thank you.
ACOSTA: You bet.
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.
You are still going to pay a lot for gas, big oil probably will keep its tax breaks, and the industry is going to keep racking up profits. Maybe it just made Senate Democrats feel better to put big oil, you know, the CEOs, in the spotlight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you're out of touch. Deeply profoundly out of touch. And deeply and profoundly committed to sharing nothing.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So let's be honest. Are these hearings going to do anything to make gas more affordable? It's $3.98 on gallon on average today. We will dig deeper on that next.
Also a TV icon goes in for some scary sounding surgery. Mary Tyler Moore. We'll get the scoop from Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: So, big oil executives have had their public flogging on Capitol Hill, defending the billions in tax breaks they get every year despite the billions of profits they make every quarter. The hearing -- it got a little tense at times.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Do you think that your subsidy is more important than the financial aid we give to students to go to college? Could you answer that yes or no?
JAMES MULVA, CONOCOPHILLIPS CEO: Well, that's a very difficult question. Two different -- totally different questions.
SCHUMER: But we have to weigh those two things, Mr. Mulva. We have to weigh it because we have to get the deficit down to a certain level.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, let's talk --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D), WEST VIRGINIA: -- the size of your profits does to the American people's willingness to accept what you have to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, let's talk with Jack Gerard from the American Petroleum Institute.
Welcome, Mr. Gerard.
JACK GERARD, CEO, AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE: Hello (ph).
COSTELLO: Yes. You represent all aspect of the oil industry in the United States.
GERARD: We do.
COSTELLO: I'd like to know from you how big CEOs view this. I mean, is there a sense of relief that this is over?
GERARD: Well, I think, Carol, it's unfortunate. There's a lot of political theater going on right now in Washington. And you saw that yesterday in the Senate Finance Committee hearing.
I think the important thing -- it's a little bit disappointing to some of these leaders who employ 9.2 million Americans. They would hope that there'd be a more civil dialogue that really focuses on the issues in a thoughtful, fair, and balanced way.
The oil industry today contributes $87 million a day to the federal government in the form of taxation. So, if you want to talk about tax policy, let's talk about tax policy. Let's get rid of the political theater and let's address the serious issues of our day.
COSTELLO: From the oil industry's perspective -- what does being publicly shamed like that do to your relationship with the public and with lawmakers?
GERARD: Well, I think the unfortunate political theater that occurred yesterday is inconsistent with where the American people are. One of your own polls, CNN's poll, just a week ago pointed out that 69 percent of the American public says we should drill and produce more of American oil and natural gas. We believe that's where the public wants us to go to help bring down the cost of energy and to help provide for our energy security.
COSTELLO: Well, you do have to admit that Americans are pretty angry at the oil industry. They're paying very high prices for a gallon of gas these days. They look at your profits and they say to themselves why are we giving big oil tax breaks, or why isn't the oil industry working harder to bring down gas prices? I mean, is there anything the oil industry can do?
GERARD: That's a great question, Carol, because if you look at those that are proposing the tax increases, it's the very same group of senators that for a long time, for many years, have opposed the development of America's oil and natural gas by Americans for Americans.
COSTELLO: I just want to interrupt -- because we're living in the world we live in right now. And even if you started drilling everywhere in America right now, it wouldn't bring down the cost of a gallon of gas right at this moment.
GERARD: So, let's --
COSTELLO: So, is there anything the oil industry can do right now on help American consumers better afford to buy gas?
GERARD: Let's compare the two approaches. Yesterday's approach by some of those who dragged the chairmen of these companies up to Capitol Hill, their solution to the issue is to raise taxes. How do you bring the cost of energy down raising taxes is beyond anybody's imagination.
The solution to this is an energy policy -- a policy that brings adequate supply to the marketplace. Today, 85 percent of the offshore in the United States is off limits to the development of oil and natural gas. That's inconsistent with where the public is. Long term, that's how you impact the price of energy, not by increasing the costs through increased taxes.
COSTELLO: Mr. Gerard, thank you for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.
GERARD: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: These are the kind of profits we're actually talking about -- nearly $31 billion for those four oil companies just in the last quarter. In fact, ExxonMobil was also the most profitable "Fortune" 500 company last year. The CEOs yesterday repeated that their firms paid their fair share of taxes.
Alison Kosik is here.
I know you spent part of the day fact-checking exactly how much, what percentage these oil companies pay in taxes. So, what does your research show?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Carol, we went ahead and looked at ExxonMobil because it's the biggest oil company. And over the past six years, its income tax rate was 29 percent. Now, that's lower than the corporate tax code, which is 35 percent, but it is in line with what a lot of other players in corporate America pay.
Now, in real dollars, ExxonMobil says it paid $3 billion in taxes in the first three months of this year. But critics are saying that Exxon is counting things they shouldn't be counting, like the federal and state gas taxes that you and I pay to Exxon when we pull up our cars to the gas tank, and they're not counting some of the tax breaks it gets. Critics say a better way would be only to count the company's federal corporate income taxes, Carol.
COSTELLO: OK. So, here's -- like what's the bottom line from these hearings? Are they getting an unfair advantage or not?
KOSIK: You know what? Not necessarily, Carol. Most industries get tax breaks. That's the harsh reality here.
Exxon's 29 percent tax rate is one of the highest in corporate America. If you want a comparison, look at General Electric. Its tax rate is 7 percent.
Now, also keep in mind the goal of these tax breaks is to attract businesses. If you bring in big businesses, local residents get hired. They spend that money in the town or state. And it just so happening Exxon is under fire because gas is a necessity and gas prices are sky high right now.
But there are also opponents who say it's a matter of priorities, Carol. When tough decisions have to be made in other areas to rein in the budget deficit, I don't know. You know, maybe we need to look at the tax code because it hasn't had a major overhaul in 25 years. And I'll tell you what? It's got a lot of loopholes in it, Carol.
COSTELLO: Alison Kosik, live at the New York Stock Exchange -- thanks very much.
Trading Charlie Sheen for Ashton Kutcher? Sounds like a decent deal. It seems "Two and a Half Men" isn't dead after all.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Maybe you've heard -- Mary Tyler Moore is having some elective surgery on her brain. Years ago, she was diagnosed with a benign tumor. Doctors decided to just watch and wait to see what would happen. But it's gotten to the point that she needs surgery.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here with details on those tumors and their treatment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, actually, isn't that unusual not to operate on one of these tumors at the time that it's found or diagnosed. They are thought of as benign tumors. It's a small benign tumor.
The discussion between doctor and patient may be -- let's just keep an eye on this. Let's wait and see if it changes at all, if it's not causing any problems.
It may have been found, what we call, incidentally -- someone may have gone in after a car accident or something like that and found that they were doing fine from the accident but found to have this tumor. That's when the discussion takes place.
The type of tumor this is -- a meningioma, as you mentioned, is a benign tumor typically and it's usually found on the outer part of the brain, growing from the outside in -- so, sort of pushing into the brain as opposed to growing within the substance of the brain itself.
Now, you may ask: why operate then? What's the reason to operate? Mary Tyler Moore is 74.
Usually, it comes down to a combination of reasons or at least one compelling reason. One is that the tumor did start to grow more quickly. Year to year, it's unchanged or growing very slowly. And all of a sudden, there's a big change in the rate of growth.
Two is that the tumor changes somehow. So, it's been looking like a benign tumor on scans. But now, it looks more malignant, some change on the tumor.
And third, as you might guess, is that it's starting to cause some problems or some symptoms -- blurriness of vision, numbness or weakness on one side of the body. It could cause headaches, things that we were talking about before.
So, if these symptoms start to appear and they're related to the tumor -- that could be another reason to operate.
But, again, this is a discussion that takes place between patient and doctor, probably yearly since this was found. Typically, all the tumor is removed. If it's not, Mary Tyler Moore or any patient might need radiation therapy afterwards, as well.
So, that's a little bit of an idea of what's been happening probably over the past several years and, of course, most recently.
Carol, back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And, of course, our best to Mary Tyler Moore. Love her.
In other news this morning, the Pakistani Taliban lashes out, killing dozens in the name of Osama bin Laden and those terrorist comrades promise there's much more to come. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's 9:30 in the East, this Friday, 6:30 out West. Good morning to you. We're following some big developments in the Osama bin Laden story.
The Taliban in Pakistan says it is responsible for a deadly suicide attack and it claims it was to avenge the al Qaeda leader's death. At least 80 were killed at a military training facility.
The Navy SEALs who carried out the raid to kill bin Laden are worried about retaliation. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says too much confidential information has leaked out.
And U.S. intelligence officers have talked to the bin Laden wives who were inside the compound. Both U.S. and Pakistani officials tell us the three were hostile toward the Americans.
Let's talk more about that deadly attack, though, on Pakistan's military recruits. The Pakistani Taliban says the two suicide bombings are payback for the Osama bin Laden killing.
It happened in the northwest part of the country about 130 miles from bin Laden's compound.
More now from CNN's Stan Grant.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STAN GRANT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This here is the military training facility that was the target for this attack. Now two suicide bombers on the backs of motorcycles came in here in the early hours of the morning detonating those explosives.
They have targeted military recruits that have been training here for the past nine months. They'd finished their training and they were about to leave when this attack happened.
If you look around here, you can see so much of the aftermath of this dual suicide bombing. You can see cars strewn along the road here that have been blown out, a lot of damage to buildings up in here.
This is the worst attack of its kind for this year in Pakistan. The number of dead has continued to rise throughout the day. Scores more people have been wounded and injured and they've been ferried to hospital. People have been milling around here just pondering exactly what happened.
And we've had a warning now from the Taliban to expect more. They have accepted responsibility for this attack. They have linked it directly to the killing of Osama bin Laden. They are saying that this is revenge for his death. They're warning, as I say, both Pakistan and the United States to expect more.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Stan grant reporting.
The Taliban threat made it crystal clear they split the blame 50/50. According to a spokesman, quote, "Pakistani forces told the United States about the presence of Osama in Pakistan. Osama was our great leader and the killers of Osama will have to pay its price."
His terrorist allies agree. Listen to this Al-Shahaab leader in Somalia who is actually an American.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OMAR HAMMAMI, AL-SHABAAB LEADER: Today we remind Obama and the rest of his cronies that they have entered the long war, the war of hearts and minds, the war of blood, sweat and tears.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: Yes, well, these guys are good talkers, but actual planning takes time. Here's what a counterterrorism analyst told our Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN VENZKE, INTELCENTER: What in reality is likely to happen is that plots that were already underway long before bin Laden died will be rebranded. So if the attack is executed next week, they will say it is because of bin Laden's death.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: He says terrorists would need at least a few months to plan true retaliation for bin Laden's death.
Let's check our top stories now.
Just over a week after he resigned from the Senate, the Ethics Committee is referring John Ensign's case to the Justice Department. It follow as two-year investigation into Ensign's sex scandal and alleged cover-up. It lays the groundwork for possible prosecution.
He's getting a lot of support from friends and strangers alike, but a Connecticut high school student is still banned from his senior prom for a prank he pulled. State lawmakers are jumping into the controversy now trying to help.
And Ashton Kutcher is replacing Charlie Sheen on the sitcom "Two and a Half Men." Kutcher made his name on the small screen -- you know, in "That '70s Show."
Major League Baseball is still buzzing over Carlos Beltran's electrifying show at Coors Field. Hitting left handed in the first inning, the New York Mets outfielder walloped -- boy, look at that -- a two-run homer to centerfield.
Yes. In the seventh inning, Beltran batted from the right side and he actually cleared the left field wall with another two-run blast. Then in the ninth inning, batting left handed, Beltran hits the ball into the right field seats.
Can you believe it? Two-run shot again. Three homers. Six RBIs. (INAUDIBLE) fields. Both sides of the plate. Powerful and versatile. The Mets beat Colorado 9-5.
The Chicago Bulls advance to play the Miami Heat in the NBA playoffs plus two walk-off winners from the ballpark. More sports in 20 minutes.
And President Obama, is he losing ground in the African-American community? We'll ask a veteran political observer and businessman next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number of death threats on him and his family and anyone close to him, I know it had to be tough. But like I said, that's why I'm a preacher of the Valley Farm.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Sixty-four years after Jackie Robinson broke pro-baseball's color barrier, fewer African-American players are carrying the torch. We'll investigate why in advance of Major League Baseball's Civil Rights game.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The killing of Osama bin Laden, new details. We have CNN correspondents covering all angles. They'll join us at the top of the hour.
But first the heat in (INAUDIBLE) politics. Ron Paul wants President Obama's job. He announced his intentions earlier today and plans a news conference at the top of the hour. The Republican congressman joins former House speaker Newt Gingrich in the GOP race for the White House.
Tavis Smiley is a longtime political observer, broadcaster and businessman. His new book is "Fail Up: Lessons on Building Successes from Failure."
Tavis, welcome.
TAVIS SMILEY, AUTHOR, "FAIL UP": Carol, good to be on. Thank you.
COSTELLO: I want to talk more about your book in a little bit, but first let's talk a little politics. So Ron Paul just announced. Should President Obama be concerned?
SMILEY: I'm sure the White House is concerned about any potential candidate. Ron Paul of course has run before. Has a loyal following and what's -- would have been fascinating for me to watch him over the years is how much he has a loyal following amongst young people, and the money that he can raise.
So he's a threat obviously on a certain level. But at the same time, I've said many times, you can't beat somebody with nobody. And at the moment, I don't see that somebody yet that the president should be all that concerned about at least to the point of losing sleep.
COSTELLO: Not Newt Gingrich? I mean -- and what if Sarah Palin runs? I mean which Republican potential contender is worrisome for the president?
SMILEY: I think it's not Sarah Palin, I think it's not Newt Gingrich, I think it's not Ron Paul. Again, you can't beat somebody with nobody. I don't know who the White House -- as you know, I don't speak for them obviously.
I don't know who they would prefer. But I don't think it's any of those names you've just mentioned. And at the end of the day, I don't that Mr. Paul respectfully, Mr. Gingrich respectfully, or Miss Palin respectfully, has what it takes to win the nomination of their party in the long run.
COSTELLO: I'm sort of wondering about this. President Obama met this week with the Congressional Black Caucus and their message to him was jobs, jobs, and more jobs. Has the president done enough for the African-American community?
SMILEY: In a word, no. The African-American community is the most loyal part of the president's base and obviously the black community wants to see this president reelected and I suspect they'll turn out in big numbers as they did before, not the same because you can't play that history card but one time.
For the White House speaking of should they be concerned, they should in fact be concerned about the fact that the black numbers may drop significantly because you can't play the history card, number one, a second time, and, number two, to your point about black unemployment, when you have double the national average triple and depending on the demo in some cases, Carol, quadruple the national average, this answer that the White House is giving that a rising tide will life our boats, I don't buy it.
All the boats didn't go down at the same time, they're not going to come up at the same time. And if and when the tide does come up, if you're in a yacht and I'm in dingy or an inner tube, we still have a problem. The president has not done enough about black unemployment. In part I think because respectfully he's afraid of being accused of being tribal if he does in fact help the African-American community in specific and unique ways.
He ought not be afraid of that when our Jewish brothers and sisters want help on the state of Israel vis-a-vis public policy, he stands up for them. And gays and lesbians wanted "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" overturned. He was right about that. He took too long but he got it done. He responded to them. Big speech recently on immigration. He's responding to those concerns.
Black unemployment is a significant issue. It ought not to be overlooked just because the White House is afraid of being accused of being tribal.
COSTELLO: But still? I mean still afraid of that? Why?
SMILEY: Well, I don't know. Again, I don't -- again you're asking me questions I can't answer. I don't speak for the White House.
I have the same question, Carol, why. If you were in a car accident and they rushed you to the hospital with head trauma, I would pray that they would not start operating on your feet. The point is, you don't help these folk because they're black, you help them because that's where the pain is most acute. That is where the pain is most severe.
The stimulus package was not big enough the first time when Democrats did control both Houses of Congress. When they sent that money out to the country, they sent it to the states as opposed to sending it to the cities where it could get to the people most in need.
I think the White House has done a righteous work in yeoman's job in trying to lift America up out of the economic malaise in some respects, but they've not done enough where the pain is most acute.
COSTELLO: So if African-American voters still turn out and vote for him next time even if they do in smaller numbers, I mean what can they do to convince President Obama to do more for their community? I mean he has their vote already.
SMILEY: I think -- and I think that's the significant question, Carol. Now we're talking. He has their vote already and sometimes you can be taken for granted. The black community must not look up after one term, four years, or even two terms, eight years, and discover that this was more about symbolism than substance.
The bottom line is, to answer your question, great presidents aren't born. Great presidents are made. They have to be pushed into their greatness. There is no Abraham Lincoln without Frederick Douglas pushing him. There is no FDR without A. Philip Randolph pushing him. There is no LBJ without MLK pushing him.
Great presidents are -- become great because they're ushered into, they're pushed into their greatness.
I don't want Barack Obama to be just another garden variety politician. This can't be just about symbolism and not substance. And at the end of the day he can't start this Clinton triangulation now that he has a divided Congress.
I want him to be -- black America wants him to be a great president. That happens when you lovingly and respectfully help push them into their greatness.
Here's the bottom line. We have to -- quoting my friend Cornell West (ph), we have to respect the president, we have to protect the president against birther vulgar, vicious attacks, you've got to respect him, you've got to protect him, but out of love, you have to also correct him. That's our job with this president and for that matter any other president.
COSTELLO: OK. Let's talk a little bit about your book because I'm intrigued by the sense that failure can sometimes be a good thing.
SMILEY: Stanley O. Becket, the great Nobel Laureate and wonder poet, Carol, put it this way. Ever tried, ever failed, no matter. Try again, fail again, and fail better. I love that. Try again, fail again, fail better.
Failure is not fatal in our lives. Failure is not final in our lives. There is no success without failure. And over my 20 years in this business, I've learned that what I've done and what most of us do is failed our way up. That's true for all of us. Anyone who successful in any field of human endeavor if they're being honest would admit to you they've learned more from their failures than they've ever learned from their successes.
COSTELLO: Yes.
SMILEY: So failure must be seen as a friend. Failure is really a preparation and all I'm trying to do with the narratives in this book is to remind the American people now more than ever at this critical time in our nation's history we individually with regard to our families and collectively as a nation can in fact even in difficult times fail our way up.
COSTELLO: We hear you. Tavis Smiley, it's been great. Thanks so much for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.
SMILEY: My pleasure. Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Music to ease disaster. HLN's Robin Meade was co-host at the Country Music Concert to benefit the victims of the southern tornados. We're going to talk to her next.
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COSTELLO: Country music stars are singing for southern storm victims.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CONCERT OF COUNTRY MUSIC STARS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: We hope everything is going to be all right. Big names like Hank Williams, Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum took part at the Country Music Television benefit concert to aid tornado and flood victims.
Robin Meade, anchor at our sister network, HLN was the co-host at the star-studded affair last night. Robin should I ask what designer you were wearing?
ROBIN WEADE, HLN ANCHOR: What's that the designer I was wearing? What was I wearing last night?
COSTELLO: Just kidding.
MEADE: Macy's, I think. That's not a designer.
COSTELLO: Well, good enough for me, though.
MEADE: Lucky I didn't say T.J. Maxx.
COSTELLO: What was it like?
(CROSSTALK) MEADE: You know, it was incredible because I don't know if you know this, but the special came together, this telethon in a matter of seven days. That's a huge undertaking. Hank Williams apparently, a huge country star, has very strong ties in Alabama, went there, he couldn't believe what he saw after the big tornadoes that blew through six states, those killer tornadoes.
He made a call and within seven days, this came together. Now, we don't know how much money was raised last night but we do know that the need continues to grow because now this is also the American Red Cross and now you have people whose homes are continually being flooded because of the Mississippi.
So the need continues to grow. You saw Lady Antebellum just performing right there. That's not their song obviously; that's a Bob Marley song. But they were trying to give the uplifting message that everything is going to all right, as the song goes.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY SCOTT, "LADY ANTEBELLUM": There's nothing more beautiful, I think, than seeing people rally together and support each other and help each other. And I truly think that something positive can come out of something like this. And that's a unified community, a unified country, you know, as all of us all over the country and all over the world could give if you feel you had to.
MEADE: Yes.
SCOTT: So I mean, I think it can be a very unifying thing that we're there for each other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MEADE: And by the way, if you missed the telethon last night, Carol, CNN's sister network, HLN, is going to replay -- play it on Sunday night at 9:0 p.m. Eastern because the need, as I said, continues to grow. And if you feel so moved right now, you can still go to CNN.com/robin, and we'll hook you up on how to donate right now to the Red Cross.
And they do everything from making sure people have shelter, to making sure they have a blanket for the night. The very basics that people are now missing.
COSTELLO: Ok. Robin, thank you so much.
I know it was a long night. And thank you for joining us this morning and for your great work there. Robin Meade, thank you.
MEADE: You bet. You bet.
COSTELLO: 64 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, African-American players reflect on his legacy and why there are so few African-American ballplayers these days.
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COSTELLO: If you catch the Braves/Phillies game on Sunday, their uniforms will look well, shall we say historic. Both teams will wear throwback uniforms from 1974, the year Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record. That's in celebration of Major League Baseball's civil rights game. And who better to talk up that game than Braves star Jason Heyward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) 1 UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Atlanta Braves' outfielder Jason Heyward is quite frankly awesome. Just 22, he's a star and rare. Only eight percent of all Major League baseball players are African-American, compared to 18 percent two decades ago. Heyward on why.
JASON HEYWARD, BRAVES: You get drafted in baseball you have to go through the Minor Leagues. You have to. There's no immediate going to the -- to the professional ranks, period. Football, you get drafted, you're in the NFL. Basketball, you get drafted, you're in the NBA.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then there's the cool factor.
HEYWARD: You see the football, you see the basketball. And you're, like, that's what's cool and that's what's in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yet there are signs that's changing. Tim Lincecum's got charisma. Brian Wilson is a total beast on the mound. And Derek Jeter, come on. He's cool. Heyward's idol as a kid --
HEYWARD: Derek Jeter growing up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A generation apart, Heyward and Jeter describe similarly close and loving families who nurtured their kids toward a career in baseball.
HEYWARD: I started playing when I was 5 years old. My dad said it's something I need to do in the summer time, get out of the house, stay out of trouble, you know make some friends and just -- just be active and do something extracurricular other than just going outside every day, getting into trouble around the neighborhood or whatever. He just wanted to keep me away from all that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just like Jeter's parents. In his book, "The Life You Imagined", Jeter says his parents inspire you, criticize you, and give you structure. My parents did all of these things. "They told me if I was ever at a party or around a group of people who are drinking or drugging as my father used to say, I could call them and they would come pick me up, and they would ask no questions."
As for old-school cool, it was Jackie Robinson who opened the door for all African-American players.
HEYWARD: This is just a game. This is just entertainment. Outside of this, that's life. And the number of death threats on him and his family and anyone close to him, I know it had to be tough. Like I said, that's why I'm appreciative of the value --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today the challenge is not opening doors but persuading young African-Americans that this game is cool. Once again, the two players speak as one.
Do you know how cool it is to have thousands of people chanting "Derek Jeter, Derek Jeter"?
HEYWARD: If somebody has a chance to come see us play in a stadium, to see how the fans react to you, to see how it's kind of cool to have an ovation, see how it's kind of cool to have people chanting your name.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: You know I talked to Jason Heyward. He was the most humble guy. In fact, I went out to right field, as he plays right field. And I said do you feel like the king of right field when you're out here? And he told me, "No, I don't feel like the king of right field. There are always great players always coming up. I have to work hard to keep my position, and I understand that."
So it was really refreshing to hear from him. A great guy, Jason Heyward of the Atlanta Braves.
Coming up in the next hour of NEWSROOM, political buzz, stop loading tweets, and beef cake photos is it just me, or are politicians over sharing lately? I'll ask our experts.
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