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Clinton's Visit to Pakistan; Returning to Bin Laden's Compound; Americans Urged to Flee Yemen; Sarah Palin "Campaigning"; Palin: Gingrich Fell into Media Trap

Aired May 27, 2011 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR, "AMERICAN MORNING": All right. Well, we are going to leave it there. Thanks so much for joining us this morning. We'll see you back here on Monday.

But, meanwhile, it's time to send it over to our buddy, Carol Costello, CNN NEWSROOM.

Hey, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much. Have a great day.

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. Good morning to you.

Later this morning, officials in Joplin, Missouri, will release an updated list of people still missing since Sunday's tornado. Yesterday, the tally stands at 232, but that number is being questioned.

Gas prices have dropped another half penny overnight to a national average of $3.81 a gallon. That's far short of the $5 benchmark that many analysts had predicted for this Memorial Day weekend.

The so-called butcher of Bosnia may face a Hague tribunal. Lawyers for one time Bosnian Serb commander said he was suffering psychological problems and should not be extradited. This morning, a Serbian judge seems to have rejected that.

If you paid taxes to Uncle Sam, you have also helped send billions of dollars to Pakistan. But ever since the Navy's secret raid killed Osama bin Laden there, the relations between the two countries have been fiercely strained.

Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Pakistan's capital to deliver a stern message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: America cannot and should not solve Pakistan's problems. That's up to Pakistan. But in solving its problems, Pakistan should understand that anti-Americanism and conspiracy theories will not make problems disappear.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: CNN's Stan Grant is in Islamabad.

So, Stan, Secretary of State Clinton's visit was really short. Should we read anything into that?

STAN GRANT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it didn't take a long visit here, Carol, to deliver the message she wanted to deliver, quite frankly. This was a very frank and candid meeting. For that, you can read it. Her message was very simple as you heard there -- a lot of money is pumped into Pakistan by the United States and they are expecting more in return.

Now, what she effectively says here is that to right this relationship, she wants to say Pakistan commit more in the fight against the insurgency, particularly clamping down on that border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan, stopping the militants crossing that border to assist in the United States effort in Afghanistan. And all of that, of course, would help the U.S. draw down its troop level in Afghanistan.

But, from Pakistan's side, there's a lot of mistrust and a lot of suspicion and, frankly, a lot of hatred towards the United States. You heard Hillary Clinton saying that Pakistan should solve its own problems.

ut for people in Pakistan, they say the cause of their problems is the United States, the U.S. war in Afghanistan has forced militants back across the border here. They say by the U.S. pressuring Pakistan into going harder after the insurgents despite the fact that the Pakistani military is very stretched at the moment, they say that causes a blowback from the militants themselves and that's killing tens of thousands of Pakistanis.

Secretary Clinton acknowledged the sacrifice of Pakistanis, acknowledging the fact that many have been killed in its war against the militants. But she says it's in both countries' interest to work together and cooperate and get the relationship back on track, Carol.

COSTELLO: Stan Grant, live in Islamabad, thank you.

In the meantime, Americans will be returning to Osama bin Laden's compound for the first time since Navy SEALs raced out there with his body and a treasure trove of intelligence. But the CIA believes more documents may be hidden.

Chris Lawrence is at the Pentagon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, this is the CIA's chance to answer the question, what did we miss, if anything?

Remember, the SEAL assault team was only in that compound for about 40 minutes and probably only about half that time was spent actually searching the inside grounds. Still, they were able to haul away what officials are calling probably the biggest haul of intelligence data that's ever been collected.

So, now, the CIA gets a chance to go back in. So, what are they looking for? Well, it could be things that were embedded in some walls of the compound. It could be something that was buried outside, things the SEALs could not have picked up on in such a short amount of time. The CIA has special equipment, probably things like infrared cameras that can look behind the walls but not damage any of the information that may be placed there.

Also, we know for a fact that U.S. officials said Osama bin Laden and the people who live there burned their trash. Well, the CIA has equipment that can pull information, even from burned fragments of paper. That could be another avenue that they could be looking into.

Remember, they pull thumb drives, CDs, thousands of pages of paper out of there. So, now, they get a chance to go back in and see if there is anything more or any intelligence left there that could help them make better sense of what they already have.

In the bigger picture, what this signifies is some level of cooperation again between the CIA and Pakistan's intelligence services. Again, tensions are still high, but this at least shows that there may be a willingness to work together going forward -- Carol.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Chris Lawrence, live -- at the Pentagon today.

Here's another echo of the nation's war on terror. The controversial Patriot Act lives on. President Obama signed the extension just minutes before it was set to expire at midnight. Critics say the provisions, which include wiretaps and electronic eavesdropping are too invasive and trample civil liberties.

Also this hour, President Obama is in the air after wrapping up the G- 8 summit in France. The leaders of eight super powers voiced support for the democratic uprisings in a number of Arab countries but they stopped short of pledging money to support their movement.

The president is due to arrive in Poland later this hour. It is the last stop of his six-day, four-nation trip to Europe.

One of the ugliest uprisings has been smoldering in Yemen. And this morning, the government unleashed its air force bombers on tribal forces opposed to the embattled president. And that comes amid new street battles that have left dozens of people dead. The United States is urging any Americans in Yemen to get out now, and the rest of the world is taking notice, too.

Zain Verjee live in London with a look at the international headlines -- Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

Let's take a look at "The Independent" here in the U.K. This is the headline today, "Hundreds flee as Yemen's tribal "kingmakers" step up offensive." It goes on to say, "There are worries that Yemen, already teetering on the brink of financial ruin, could become a failed state that would undermine regional security."

"The International Herald Tribune" has this headline, "Yemeni vexes ally and foe." It says, "Yemen's economy is collapsing. Mr. Saleh may soon run out of the money he needs to main his f followers' loyalty."

And, finally, in the United Arab Emirates, take a look at "The National." "In Yemen, one man's obstinacy threatens war." It says ,"The best option, the one that could halt Yemen's crisis immediately, is for Mr. Saleh to look himself in the mirror ands walk out the door."

So, this is a guy, Carol, that has said he will do that and at the last minute he doesn't. And then he says, oh, I'll sign a deal and then he doesn't. And then he does that again.

So, the question is: can anyone trust him? That's the problem.

COSTELLO: That is a big problem. What is the United States saying about Yemen?

VERJEE: You know, the U.S. is really worried about the political vacuum right now in Yemen. The main reason is al Qaeda operates in the place and has a full run-around of the country if it continues this kind of level of instability. The U.S. has pumped in millions of dollars, given it to President Saleh's government to fight terrorism in that country.

The problem right now, Carol, is that the U.S. doesn't have that much leverage against a president that thinks he can outsmart the opposition. And that's also part of the problem: who does have leverage? Saudi Arabia. But how will they use it?

COSTELLO: We'll see if they do at all.

Zain Verjee -- reporting live from London -- thank you.

Let's talk American politics. The road to the White House is marked by signs of signs to come. Republicans Mitt Romney has announced it will officially announce he is running for president on June 2nd. Rick Santorum will do the same on June 6th.

And then, there are candidates that appear to be running but are really just kind of running, like Sarah Palin.

This is SarahPAC.com. You see the picture there. That's the One Nation bus, the very bus Palin will use to travel across the country as, quote, "part of our new campaign to educate and energize American's about our nation's founding principles."

So, is it a stealth run or something else?

To Washington and our deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser.

So, what does it mean?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Boy, Carol, a lot has changed in the last couple days. Remember, just -- maybe like a week ago, we weren't even talking about Sarah Palin with the race for the White House. But all these signals, it seems, in the last couple of days -- and let's go through them really quickly. I know we've talked about them over the last few days.

But, recently, she was asked if she would still want to run for the White House and she said she still has "fire in her belly." That was signal number one. The second signal, we learned a movie that she launched, a pro-Palin that has been filmed by a conservative filmmaker. That's going to premier in Iowa next month -- Iowa, of course, the state that kicks off the race for the White House. She has rehired political staffers. She has reportedly bought a home in Arizona.

And, Carol, we all know, it's a lot easier to campaign around the U.S. from Arizona than it is from Alaska. And now, this bus tour that we just learned about yesterday.

But, Carol, what about the flip side? Listen, she still hasn't to this date really made any moves hiring staff or building up staff and advisers in the key crucial early states, and another thing. FOX News says, you know what, they're not changing the status of her contract with them. Remember, she's a paid contributor on FOX. Now, they did do that to Gingrich and Santorum, who obviously are now presidential candidates.

So, Carol, is she running or not? She's just trying to get attention? Who knows? Who knows?

COSTELLO: OK. So, let's say she does run. I mean, wouldn't that affect Michele Bachmann's would-be presidential aspirations?

STEINHAUSER: Yes, you think it could, right? Michele Bachmann, the congresswoman from Minnesota, who is a darling of many in the Tea Party. Guess what? Late last night, she told people in Iowa, supporters and reporters, that she will make an announcement in Waterloo, Iowa, where she was born. She says she will make it next month about her presidential ambitions.

But listen to what she said to John King about Sarah Palin. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: My decision will be independent of whichever candidate gets in. I have great respect for Governor Palin. I consider her a friend. And if she gets in, she gets in. That won't -- that won't impact whether or not I get in or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: And if she does get in and if Palin does run, you'd think they may be going for the same kind of social conservative crowd and Tea Party activists. We'll see. Stay tuned, Carol. This thing is getting more interesting by the day.

COSTELLO: It is, indeed. Paul Steinhauser, many thanks.

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.

Coming up next: we are talking with a Republican candidate you might not have heard of. His name is Herman Cain. He's got a nightly radio show in Atlanta.

And this is what he sounds like through the speakers.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you are still driving out there, please be careful. There are some nuts on the road.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

COSTELLO: You got that right. Herman Cain, the Hermanator who would be president. He'll join us in just a couple of minutes.

Also ahead, bad speed sensors lead to a deadly stall in the 2009 crash of an Air France jet. We have reports of a preliminary investigation. We'll have a live report for you on that, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Herman Cain, the Hermanator. Yes, we Cain. Yes, he's fast becoming a Republican Party favorite. Cain, a radio talk show host and former CEO of Godfather's Pizza, first made waves nationally in 1994 when he skewered then-President Clinton about health care reform.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: This man is raising a very important question in terms of employment. What if all your competitors were just like you, wouldn't you be able to do it then?

CAIN: OK. First of all, Mr. President, with all due respect, your calculation on what the impact would do quite honestly is incorrect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Fast forward 17 years, Cain is practically tied for third among this list of Republican candidates or potential candidates, and he doesn't have near their name recognition. This is a Gallup poll.

Herman Cain joins us live.

Welcome.

CAIN: Hello, Carol. Thank you.

COSTELLO: Did you look much younger to yourself in that flip?

CAIN: I didn't like the hairdo I had back then. Today, a lot has changed.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: It certainly has.

The poll we just showed, that's a pretty impressive poll showing. Plus, Gallup says you've got the most appealing among any of those Republicans. So, how have you managed to do that?

CAIN: Well, for months, I have been working hard to get acquainted with people in our New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Texas. So, I've been on the road a lot. And speaking at small house parties, big rallies, you name it. I have been speaking at Tea Party rallies before Tea Parties became cool way back in April of 2009.

So, the bottom line is, we have worked to build a ground game. And so, when people hear my message of common sense solutions, they gravitate to it. And so, I believe that that's what's driving the positive intensity, but as people get to know me, they then will be able to drive the name ID.

COSTELLO: Gotcha.

CAIN: What we've been doing is, you have to earn positive intensity. You can buy name ID. And we believe eventually to be able to do that. But I'm still going to be out on the ground getting acquainted with people.

COSTELLO: Gotcha. Of course, you do have your detractors. Some Republicans are kind of dismissive of you. Karl Rove says he doesn't think you have the background to be a serious candidate. And then, there was your appearance over the weekend on FOX News.

So, let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS: Where do you stand on Right of Return?

CAIN: The right of return. The Right of Return?

WALLACE: The Palestinian Right of Return.

CAIN: That's something that should be negotiated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Some Republicans say that kind of shows a lack of foreign policy experience. And can you address that?

CAIN: Sure, I'd be happy to. If Chris Wallace had said Palestinian Right of Return when he asked the question, it would have triggered what he was talking about. He asked me about right of return and so, it didn't register. So, he caught me off guard because I didn't know what he was going with that question. Look, how do people define foreign policy experience? Do you define it based upon what President Obama had when he became president? How do you define it? That is something very difficult to define.

Here's what's important -- how I would go about getting my hands around and establishing some real clear policies for every nation, friend and foe. That's what's important. And as it relates to Israel --

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Some people might say that you lack -- you have never held elective office. You don't have experience in the workings of government and certainly not in foreign policy. And that was a big criticism against President Obama even though he served in the Senate.

So, how do you respond to those who say you have absolutely no background to become president of the United States?

CAIN: Well, my question is: President Obama didn't either. So, why is it? It's a double standard. He didn't have --

COSTELLO: But you say he's not a good president.

CAIN: Yes, I have said that he has not been a good president because here's what I have that he did not have, Carol, and that is problem- solving experience. I have led large organizations, taken over companies that were looking bankruptcy right between the eyes and was able to turn them around. I have taken organizations that were troubled financially and made them very successful.

So, those comparisons are apples and oranges. It appears as if some people want to give President Obama a pass for lack of experience but yet they don't want to acknowledge my problem-solving experience. There's a huge difference in what I have done with my business career.

COSTELLO: Something else I would like to ask you about.

CAIN: Sure.

COSTELLO: You have said you would not feel comfortable putting a Muslim in your cabinet or on the federal bench. This is a quote from you. You said, this is, you said, "There is this attempt to gradually ease Sharia law and the Muslim faith into our government. It does not belong in our government. I get upset when the Muslims in this country -- some of them -- try to force their Sharia law on the rest of us."

Do you really believe that?

CAIN: Carol, yes, I do. And here's why: people who are denying that there is an attempt to put Sharia laws in American laws, they are in denial. I believe in American laws --

COSTELLO: Give me an example.

CAIN: Wait a minute, Carol, let me finish.

COSTELLO: Well, just give me an example.

CAIN: American laws. Here's an example, OK, Oklahoma -- in the last election, the people of Oklahoma voted 70 percent to 30 percent to not allow Sharia law in Oklahoma courts.

COSTELLO: But who was the Muslim trying to insert Sharia law in Oklahoma? Who was it? Give me a name.

CAIN: Carol, Carol, you won't let me finish answering your question. Now, my point is, even though the people of Oklahoma, they voted 70 percent for no Sharia law. That particular chapter of CAIR, Council of Islamic Relations, got an injunction from a judge to stop enforcing what the people had said. That's a very concrete example.

Now, let me go back to the first part of the question that you asked me. If you look at my career, I have always hired the best people regardless of race, creed, religion, preference, et cetera. I am going to have the best people in my administration.

COSTELLO: What if that person happens to be a Muslim?

CAIN: The question was, would I be comfortable? And I was honest. No. But that doesn't totally exclude that possibly could be a Muslim in my administration.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: But, Mr. Cain, there are extremists in every religion, not just the Muslim faith. So, will you -- will you employ the same tactics if you come to find some other extremist groups wants to enforce their will on our government?

CAIN: Yes, Carol, I would -- any type of extremist that gets away from the Constitution of the United States of America, I have a problem with that. So, it's not just Muslim religion, it's the -- the question was asked. I answered it. Any other type of extremist, I would also be uncomfortable having them in my administration.

COSTELLO: And just a final question: who do you -- who do you think your -- you know, who do you think provides you the strongest competition in the Republican field?

CAIN: I think that the entire field is a good field -- Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich. I think that, you know, they are all going to be formidable. I believe in that others might jump in. At this point, I believe in the more, the merrier, because this way, we all get an opportunity to drive these conservative solutions to the top in terms of helping to inform -- better inform the American people.

COSTELLO: Mr. Cain, Herman Cain, thank you for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

CAIN: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

Lost speed leads to a three-and-a-half minute free fall in the deadliest crash in Air France history. We'll have details of a preliminary investigation into the mystery 2009 crash of flight 447. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Imagine falling three and a half minutes before crashing into the ocean, falling at 10,000 feet every minute. That's what happened to the people on Air France flight 447 -- all 228 people on board were killed.

Zain Verjee live in London.

And this preliminary investigation is out. What more can you tell us?

VERJEE: I was just looking at it right now, Carol. And, basically, the headline from this report is that it was likely the pilot's decision in the matter in which he responded to the problems with speed on the aircraft that ultimately caused the crash. You see? What happens is, when you are in the plane, for it to move forward, you have air that goes over the wing and then that's what gives it the lift.

Whenever there's a stall situation, typically, the pilots are told to go down first, because that creates air again over the wing and it gives the plane speed. What happened, Carol, in this Air France flight is that the pilot went nose up. Now, what that meant was that there was no air to go over the wing and help push it up. What happened was that it stalled and then it just fell, basically.

It fell at a 35-degree angle. It was like 123 miles an hour and it crashed, as you say, at 10,000 feet a minute. It dropped and everybody died.

When they did the analyses of the bodies, pelvises were crushed, there was a total fractured bones if people's bodies -- that gives you a sense of the impact. These are early findings, but they do give us a sense of what happened on board.

COSTELLO: It's just so awful.

Did the pilot say anything? I know they found the black boxes.

VERJEE: Yes, they did. That was what was eerie to read some of the stuff in the report, that the pilots were saying to each other. You know, these black boxes have been under water for two years.

What they said -- just to give you a flavor -- one pilot said, "I don't have any more valid indications." There was another quote that repeated that. "We have no valid indications." That was just moments before. And then a little bit earlier, one said, "It will move about a bit more than at the moment, you should watch out. I'll call you back as soon as we're out of it." And that was in reference to the cabin crew, was what the co-pilot had been saying. So, that's what we got from the black boxes. We are going to get more information. It seems as though it was pilot error here.

COSTELLO: Oh, just such a sad story. But I guess the mystery almost solved now. At least the families can be at peace knowing. They may not want to know, I don't know.

VERJEE: Yes.

COSTELLO: Awful.

Zain Verjee, live in London, thank you.

VERJEE: Yes.

COSTELLO: Hitting the road may be more dangerous than you think. A new study shows millions of Americans would fail a driving test if asked to take one today. Coming up, we will test your knowledge.

And, it's the Memorial Day weekend. Are you getting time off? If you're not, you can probably blame your employer or maybe you are to blame.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The painstaking process of identifying the 126 dead, much less the 232 still missing as to the grief tornado victims in Joplin are feeling. CNN's Jacqui Jeras is there. And I know, Jacqui, we are expecting a new updated list on the missing. When will that come our way?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEROLOGIST: Yes. That's coming in later this morning, 11:00 Eastern time. And that 232 missing and unaccounted for is expected to shrink down a little bit. Officials are now letting some of the family members into the morgue to help identify these bodies. That has been a very slow process. One of the reasons for that is that some of the bodies are in such poor condition that they are having to use fingerprints, DNA testing, medical records and even tattoos to help identify them.

The federal government has also taken over that task. They have brought in $2 million worth of equipment to help expedite that. Still, that's little relief for those people who just want a little bit of closure and some of these answers. So, the big focus today will continue to be hoping to help identify some of these people and locating the missing. We are hearing a little bit of chatter that maybe the numbers will be going down later today.

I also took a look at the list of all the names too, Carol, by the way. And I noticed there was one name on the list that was on there twice but two different addresses, just a south as opposed to a north listing address. So. we do think those numbers will go down.

COSTELLO: Jacqui Jeras reporting live from Joplin. Thanks so much.

The Missouri Department of Public Safety will have an update on the missing, as Jacqui said, on 11:00 a.m. Eastern. Of course, we will monitor the news conference and bring you the latest developments when we get them.

To find out how you can help those devastated by the tornadoes, go to CNN.com/impact.

Checking our top stories now. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was in Pakistan today pushing for a greater counterterrorism effort. The United States is looking for the Pakistanis to show they are willing to go after senior al Qaeda targets and shut down factories producing IEDs that target U.S. troops.

The Pakistani government has given a CIA team permission to visit the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed. The forensic specialist will search for hidden or buried documents.

And the experts got this one wrong. Some analysts said a gallon of gas would go for five bucks this Memorial Day weekend. But the national average today is $3.81. Still high, but better than five bucks.

Getting your driver's license. It is a rite of passage many Americans experience as a teenager. But would you be able to pass it the driver's test today? A new study shows a lot of uswould not.

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. I hope you don't ask me if he questions.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, come on, Carol! You've got to play along. It's Friday anyway! And you know, you've got to just look at these numbers and say wow. If 37 million Americans were given a written driving test today, the would fail it. Over 37 million Americans would fail the test. That's 20 percent of all licensed drivers on the road.

Now, GMAC insurance, they put out this test. And on this test, Carol, they said a full 85 percent, they don't know what to do at a steady, yellow light. Bueller? Bueller? Do you have the answer?

All right. will answer this one for you -

COSTELLO: No, I know that one! A steady yellow light --

KOSTIK: A steady yellow light

COSTELLO: -- you slow down.

KOSIK: Err! Stop if it is safe to do so.

COSTELLO: Oh!

KOSIK: I'm going to let you make up for it. I will ask you a few more, OK, from the actual driving test.

Here is the question. When you tailgate other drivers, Carol, do you, a, frustrate other drivers and make them angry? B, your actions can't result in a traffic citation or C, you help reduce traffic congestion?

COSTELLO: Oh, clearly B, but that question was not on my driver's test a hundred years ago.

KOSIK: Err! Wrong! Oh my God, I'm not driving with you ever!

(LAUGHTER)

KOSIK: No, you frustrate other drivers.

COSTELLO: Oh. But you could get a citation for aggressive driving, Alison.

KOSIK: No, it says you cannot - cannot result in - OK, you probably didn't hear me. I will let that one slide. The B was actually cannot result in the traffic - here, let me ask you one more.

The best way to keep from hydroplaning is, a, turn to avoid the puddles; b, apply the breaks firmly or; c, slow down on wet roads.

COSTELLO: Hmm. I know you don't apply the brakes. Because that would be bad. The a seems like a duh answer to me. Of course, you would avoid puddles. So I'm going to say c.

KOSIK: OK, good! That means you are right, and that means I will go ahead and take that road trip with you after all.

Here is what's really interesting. Because I threw this out there on twitter and got a lot of the wrong answers. Who are the worst drivers, Carol? Who fails the test the most?

COSTELLO: Men.

KOSIK: Wrong! This actually surprised me. It's actually women. Women are the worst drivers. Can you believe it? That doesn't include me, of course. I'm one of the best.

Yes, right. I've got a lead foot.

COSTELLO: Really? It showed women are the worst drivers? So the stereotype is that women --

KOSIK: Well, they did the worst on the test. And in Washington, D.C., that's actually the place where just the utmost worst drivers are. So, look out if you are in Washington, D.C. Look out on the roads.

COSTELLO: I will, because that's where I work. So - and I'll be going back there soon. So, I will be watching out.

Thank you, Alison. I would say it has been fun but maybe not today. Thanks.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: In sports, extra inning baseball from Camden Yards. The Orioles hosting Kansas City and Vladimir Guerrero at bat for the O's. He hits a bouncing ball right over second base. Roberto Andios (ph) scores for the winning run in the bottom of the 12th. Guerrero has an 11-game hitting streak and the O's win their fifth straight.

The Miami Heat come up big in crunch time to advance to the NBA finals. And a member of the Chicago White Sox has a kind of wardrobe malfunction. We will show you in sports in 20 minutes.

So, is Newt Gingrich taking advice from Sarah Palin these days? She suggests avoiding the so-called "lame-stream media." And guess what? A few days later on the campaign trail, Newt Gingrich avoids the press. How long can that go on? We'll talk about it in a few minutes.

And we are heading into the Memorial Day weekend. But maybe it isn't a vacation weekend for you. Whose fault is that? Maybe it is your employer or maybe it's you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We are heading into the holiday weekend. But is it a holiday for you? If it is not, that may be the fault of your employer or maybe it is your own fault.

France mandates its workers get 30 days off every year. Germans get more than four weeks of vacation. The United States, there is no mandate. Typically, though, Americans get two or three weeks off per year, yet barely half of us take all of that vacation time while nearly 90 percent of French workers take every single day.

Psychologist Jeff Gardere is here. He is going to put us on the couch this morning.

JEFF GARDERE, PSYCHOLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Were you surprised by the results of that poll, that more than half of Americans didn't take their vacation time? All of it, anyway?

GARDERE: No, not at all. Because I see it at the different places, the hospitals that I work. My patients come in and they lament about how they are afraid to take vacation. So, this is nothing new. This is something that we al know.

It is really interesting. You point out all the days that the European takes off, the South Americans take off. I think the point to be made there, that American companies will give you the two, the three weeks off more as a hiring incentive or to retain you whereas these other countries, they give their people the six weeks or the 30 days and so on as a form of mental health because they know that if they take that vacation, they will be better workers in the long-run. In other words, they need the rest.

COSTELLO: I think that probably if you talk to every American, they would say, I totally get this, but I don't do it. Do they not take all of their vacation time because they fear they will lose their job? Is it because some of them love their job?

GARDERE: Well, I think it is a combination of all those things. It is the reality that we are in a recovery. And experts such as myself will tell you, hey, you are lucky to have your job. And if it is no the a great job, it is all about perception and being the cockeyed optimist. But people are afraid of losing their jobs. They are happy to have a job in this recovery.

The other part of it is, we have a workaholic mentality. We seem to believe the harder we work, the more money we will have to take care of our kids, to buy our toys, our electronic toys, to be able to do more things --

COSTELLO: You mean that is not true?

GARDERE: Well, the studies tend to show that the harder you work, sometimes the more you will get financially. But for some people, the harder they work, they are still stuck in that same position, but at least they are able to hold on to their job. So, all of those things are there.

The other thing is the guilt that we feel. We feel we are letting our colleagues down. We are afraid of the work that's waiting for us when we get back from vacation. That guilt will make us not take the days off that we really need.

COSTELLO: Man, I haven't taken all of my vacation time in seven years. And you are right. It is because I feel guilty.

GARDERE: See what I'm talking about?

COSTELLO: I know. Either I feel guilty or I'm really stupid, one of the two. The advice you would have for people.

GARDERE: Well, look, you are very successful, though.

COSTELLO: And I do, I love my job.

GARDERE: The advice that I have is -- yes, of course, and you do it well. But the advice that I have for people out there, the studies show that you need to take those mental health days. You need to take vacations because they rejuvenate you. If for some reason you cannot take a vacation and you have the staycation, utilize it when the summer months come. And I talk to CNN.com about this. At least try to take a Friday off or take off early on a Friday and utilize the whole weekend and turn off your darn cell phones!

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Amen! Jeff Gardere, thank you so much. I'm taking next Friday off.

GARDERE: Great to see you.

COSTELLO: Thanks. Newt Gingrich didn't have a whole lot to say to the media during a recent campaign stop. He might be running a play from the Sarah Palin playbook. You know, the one that says to avoid the mainstream or "lamestream media." We will talk more about that strategy in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Is it possible that voters could elect a presidential candidate without ever hearing that candidate answer a tough question? Sarah Palin's disdain for the so-called lame stream media is well- known. She says the media forced Newt Gingrich to apologize for criticizing Republican Congressman Paul Ryan's budget plan.

She says Gingrich fell into one of those gotcha traps. Now, Gingrich seems to be clamming up around reporters. We want to talk more about that with Howard Kurtz of CNN and also of the "Daily Beast".

Howard, welcome.

HOWARD KURTZ, CNN HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Thank you.

COSTELLO: So -- so are we headed toward a time when Democratic candidates will only appear on MSNBC most times and Republicans candidates will only appear on Fox News most times?

KURTZ: I certainly hope not and I don't think that Newt Gingrich is genetically capable of not talking to journalists for more than, let's say, a day. You know despite what Sarah Palin said, Newt Gingrich apologized for his comments on "Meet The Press" about the Paul Ryan Medicare voucher plan.

Because conservative pundits were hammering him, it wasn't the dreaded liberal mainstream media. But since then he would -- following Sunday he went on CBS's "Face the Nation." And just this past Monday, Carol, I had breakfast with him along with about 20 other reporters and we got to question him for an hour.

So I don't think it's fair to pin that wrap on Gingrich even though the footage of him walking away from the reporters the other day didn't look terribly good.

COSTELLO: Well, I only say that because in "The Washington Post", Gingrich was asked in New Hampshire if he would take questions. And this is what "The Washington Post" reported.

He said, "I'll chat with the news media individually. I'll take questions from citizens." And then he seems to avoid the press. So that's where that's coming from.

KURTZ: Do you know how many days I spent on the campaign trail in 2008 with Barack Obama where he didn't take questions from the press. I mean every presidential candidate tries to have a certain message discipline, which is, we have the theme of the day. Here is what we want the reporters to write. And they know if they open up to questions, they might get questions in Gingrich's case about the Tiffany's purchases and other things he doesn't want to talk about. I mean if Newt continues to clam up on the trail, then I think he will be taking a page out of the Palin play book as she, of course, basically talks to Fox News and nobody else these days.

But I'm not yet convinced that Newt can keep his lips zipped.

COSTELLO: Well, let's talk about Sarah Palin. I mean, she --

KURTZ: Everybody else is -- why not Carol?

COSTELLO: Everybody else is, why not. I know, she's -- she's on a bus tour, will soon be on a bus tour.

(CROSSTALK)

KURTZ: Yes.

COSTELLO: -- across the nation and she'll be meeting with people and she probably won't be talking to the media. And maybe that will be successful for her. Do you think it will?

KURTZ: Listen, this is a woman who can make news with a single tweet, with a single Facebook posting. She has proven that she can -- she can get her message out without dealing with journalists.

But at the moment, she is not running for anything. She is just a private citizen, celebrity, Fox News commentator, who is going on a bus tour that happens to go up the East Coast and is going to end up in New Hampshire.

What she wants is exactly what we're doing now. And I'm sure I will do it on my show Sunday. We're all speculating and talking about whether she is going to run for president. Because after all, Trump bailed on us. We don't have Mike Huckabee to kick around anymore. All of these other candidates aren't running.

That doesn't mean she is going to run. It does mean she is a genius at finding ways to stay in the public eye.

COSTELLO: That's right and she does it by not talking to most media, which I find intriguing. I mean let's say she does declare and she's going to run for president and she still follows that same, you know the rules in her playbook. Does she have a chance?

(CROSSTALK)

KURTZ: Well, she probably has a chance say in sort of a closed environment of the Iowa caucuses. But over the long haul, during the Republican primaries and certainly in a general election. You know, Sarah Palin, if she runs, I'm not convinced she's going to, but since we're talking about it, is going to have to sit down for interviews with some of the -- some of the big television networks and some of the big newspapers and magazines. And you know, the truth is she handles herself quite well. She didn't handle herself very well in the famous Katie Couric interview but she was a novice then. She's much more of a seasoned figure now. I don't think she can sustain a whole campaign and remember, she won't have the Fox News platform anymore, just through Facebook, Twitter and public appearances. But I'm not sure if we're going to find out because I think she's having a good time making a lot of money, being a celebrity and not exposing herself to the annoying questions of the mainstream media.

COSTELLO: Do you think people by and large have grown tired of that argument that, you know, reporters only ask gotcha questions and it really is the lame stream media? I mean is that a tired argument?

KURTZ: I think a lot of Republicans believe that. And I think there is some truth to the notion that the kinds of questions that reporters ask, you can call them gotcha, you can call them comparing what somebody is saying today to what their record was three years ago. I mean that's part of what we do, we hold politicians accountable.

I think the questions you get from reporters tend to be different from the questions you get at a town hall from ordinary citizens, and we do tend to obsess on the Tiffany's type questions in the case of Gingrich to the -- sometimes overshadowing the things that the people want to know, jobs, health care, Medicare, I mean you know, the bread-and- butter issues that really will probably will end up driving this election in the end.

COSTELLO: Howard Kurtz, thanks for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

KURTZ: Thank you. Thank you Carol.

COSTELLO: A high school sophomore is so good at basketball he's getting a $750,000 offer to turn pro. Really. Sports is ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We're following a lot of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with Jacqui Jeras who's in Joplin.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, Carol, we'll tell you the progress that authorities are making in trying to identify the victims and account for the missing persons here in Joplin, Missouri. Plus we'll share a positive story with you about a young woman we met yesterday who was searching for her grandmother. That's coming up at the top of the hour.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Severe Weather Center, another rough night, this time on the East Coast. Over 600 severe weather reports with flooding and wind damage. Now the table is set for more severe weather across the plains. Plus the Memorial Day weekend forecast in the next hour.

KOSIK: And I'm Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. If you're in the market for a new vehicle, better get moving. New cars could be hard to come by this summer and prices of used ones are rising. Carol, I'll have details on that in the next hour.

COSTELLO: And thanks to all of you.

Also ahead, the death of a former marine and Iraq war veteran at the hands of SWAT Team officers. In the next hour we'll have the startling results of a sheriff's department investigation into what turned out to be a botched drug raid.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The NBA finals is now set, the Heat versus the Mavs. Jeff Fischel is here and kind of depressed about the Heat.

JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: I'm sorry.

COSTELLO: I know, I'm from the Cleveland area.

FISCHEL: Yes you know, it was an incredible comeback last night. Remember this -- people said all season long about Miami, they can't be clutch. Lebron is not clutch. They weren't winning it when they really needed to those last seconds shots will tell you. Last night Lebron was clutch and Miami is going to the finals.

Game five of the Eastern Conference finals, the Heat was down 12 with three minutes left but Lebron James hit three big shots. He led Miami in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and then this shot right here gave Miami the lead. They wouldn't give it up.

Chicago's Derrick Rose he beat out Lebron for league MVP. Rose needed a three at the buzzer to tie it. No. The Heat wins the series. Lebron will take a shot at the title over another MVP trophy. Dallas and Miami, game one, Tuesday night.

Some baseball: the Chicago White Sox were wearing their black uniforms for last night's game against Toronto but apparently pitcher Edwin Jackson didn't get the memo. He had the gray top on.

COSTELLO: Oh no.

FISCHEL: He finally figured things out, the teammates were laughing. Fortunately this happened before the game started. And remember, always bet on black. The Sox win 3-1.

Well, let's go back to hoops, Duke's Kyle Singler is headed to the NBA draft, but before leaving campus he took a few quick trick shots, first from the diving board; a score and a splash. Then a bigger challenge, Kyle goes to the top of Duke's famous Duke chapel. We're talking 210 feet high.

COSTELLO: Oh come on.

FISCHEL: That's a long way down.

COSTELLO: Come on. FISCHEL: Ok, keep an eye on the ball. It's going to come all the way down, bounce and it's in the hole. There's the shot of the year, I would say.

COSTELLO: That is fake.

FISCHEL: Kyle Singler, he can shoot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Thanks, Jeff, it was fun.

FISCHEL: We've got to go.