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Congressman Calls Producer "Jackass"; Endeavour Completes Final Mission; Boy's Death Fuels Syrian Opposition; WHO: Cell Phones May Cause Cancer; Supermodel Calls Candy Ad Racist; Why Comedians Want Palin to Run for President; U.S. Consumes Most Wine, More than France
Aired June 01, 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: It's 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.
The White House, the washed red ink. Next hour, the federal debt comes front and center when President Obama hosts congressional Republicans. Yesterday you might have heard the GOP-controlled House crushed the White House's request to raise spending limits.
In Libya, NATO is extending its mission. The military alliance says the additional 90 days will help protect civilians and send a clear message to embattled leader, Moammar Gadhafi.
Endeavour lands this morning and NASA begins a new countdown clock. Next month, NASA's 30-year-old shuttle program will end with a mission of another shuttle, the Atlantis.
Pressure is mounting on Congressman Anthony Weiner to answer two questions about that lewd photo that was posted on his Twitter account.
How hot is it getting? Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: How about you do the questions, I do the answers, and this jackass interrupts me? How about that as the new rule of the game?
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Let's go back and catch you up on this story. On Friday night, a picture of a man in his underwear briefly showed up on Weiner's Twitter account. The lewd tweet was supposedly intended for a 21-year-old woman's site.
That woman, a college student, told the "New York Daily News" that, yes, Weiner followed her on Twitter but the lewd post did not come from the congressman but from somebody who has harassed her before.
On Monday, Weiner blamed the photo on a hacker. On Tuesday, CNN's Dana Bash asked him, if -- well, that was true, why not go to the police? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You're here, which we appreciate, but you're not answering the questions. Can you just say why you haven't asked law enforcement to investigate what you are alleging is a crime?
WEINER: You know, Dana, if I was giving a speech to 45,000 people, and someone in the back of the room threw a pie or yelled out an insult, would I spend the next two hours responding to that? No. I would get back -- I would get back --
TED BARRETT, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL PRODUCER: This is not that situation. This is not that situation.
WEINER: I would get back -- well, why don't you do? Do you want to do the briefing?
BARRETT: You're -- you've sent --
WEINER: Do you want to do the briefing, sir?
BARRETT: -- from your Twitter account -- a lewd photograph was sent to a college student.
WEINER: Sir, sir.
BARRETT: Answer the question. Was it from you or not?
WEINER: Sir, permit me. Do you guys want me to finish my answer?
BARRETT: Yes, this answer. Did you send it or not?
WEINER: If I were giving a speech to 45,000 people and someone in the back threw a pie or yelled out an insult, I would not spend the next two hours of my speech responding to that pie or that insult.
BASH: But you are the one who said that you were hacked.
WEINER: I am -- Dana, let me --
BASH: That you were hacked. And that's a criminal -- potential criminal offense.
WEINER: Dana, let me -- I'm going to have to ask that we follow some rules here. And one of those is you ask questions, I do the answer. That seems reasonable?
BASH: I'd love to get an answer.
WEINER: That would be reasonable.
(CROSSTALK)
WEINER: You do the questions, I do the answers and this jackass interrupts me. How about that as the new rule of the game? (END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: OK. You heard him call a man a jackass. That man was our long-time CNN Capitol Hill producer, Ted Barrett.
So, Ted, welcome. Thank you for joining us this morning. I know you had a long night last night.
First of all, Congressman Weiner said he didn't really want to talk about this. He wanted to -- he just wanted it to go away so he could concentrate on more important things. So tell us the circumstances of this particular appearance yesterday.
BARRETT: Well, we had been staking out his office for a good part of the day. And prior to this news conference, he did a news conference a few hours earlier where he gave really the very exact same answers that he did at this one about the heckler, about throwing the pie.
And those answers obviously were not really material to the question about the lewd photograph and the Twitter account. And because he so clearly was relying on those talking points and we felt strongly we wanted to get the answers to these questions, that's why my colleague, Dana Bash, and I were pressing him so hard to really specifically --
COSTELLO: And --
BARRETT: -- address those allegations.
COSTELLO: And really, Ted, you wanted a yes-no answer. Number one, was that lewd picture of you, yes or no, Congressman Weiner? And number two, if there was someone who hacked into your account as a lawmaker, as a U.S. representative, why aren't you going to the police? Or should you go to the police?
And you wanted a yes or no answer to that question. And you didn't get that. You got those talking points. Why is it important that Representative Weiner answer these questions like flat-out yes or no?
BARRETT: Well, I think from our standpoint, it's not so much about the salacious details of the lewd photo and the like. That happens to be what this is about. But I think that his answers have not been forthcoming. He has not tried to offer any evidence or specific proof as to why this was a prank or a hack, as he had said.
And -- so we needed to get at why he wasn't being forthcoming with us. That speaks to, you know, I think a person's integrity and the like. Again, it wasn't about the salacious details. It was more about that he was not, didn't appear to be forthcoming in his responses.
He wanted to turn it and just talk about something else. And he kept doing that again and again and again.
COSTELLO: Right. It seemed as if he was evasive instead of just telling voters the truth about what happened.
You've worked on Capitol Hill for CNN for years. What kind of reputation does Congressman Weiner have?
BARRETT: Well, I think he's got a very good reputation. He is a -- he's a partisan Democrat. If you're a Democrat you like him a lot. Probably. If you're a Republican, you probably find him a worthy -- you know, opponent. He is known to be very media savvy.
And that is -- that is one of the reasons I think that sort of our flags went up yesterday when he kept repeating this -- the same media strategy to dealing with these answers, because he is a very disciplined carrier of messages.
And he wanted to stay on this message, talking about debt ceiling, talking about how he wasn't going to be distracted by this. So he is a very talented politician. There's no question about that.
COSTELLO: Ted Barrett, CNN congressional producer, thank you for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.
BARRETT: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Sarah Palin's bus tour has taken an unexpected detour for a quick stop at the Trump Tower in Manhattan. There she sat down with Donald Trump who recently announced he would not launch a White House bid.
But the power couple got some tongues wagging over the idea of a Trump-Palin ticket. Or should I say Palin-Trump ticket?
And with all his marketing prowess -- I'm talking about Donald Trump now -- Donald threw another log on to the fire with this cryptic comment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, CEO, TRUMP INTERNATIONAL: Well, we had a great time, we had a great dinner. We discussed a lot of things.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Politics?
TRUMP: Politics and there are other things, Marvin.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And can you share with us what the political discussion was?
TRUMP: Someday I will.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: At the bottom of the hour, we'll take a closer look at the possibility of a Trump-Palin ticket. We know it's never going to happen but we'll talk about much more especially with a very wealthy Iowa donors traveling to New Jersey to try to recruit other Republican candidates to head into the Republican race.
We'll talk about that. Since the economy tanked a few years ago, many of us have tried to spend less than pay off more of our bills. Not the federal government. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Feds reached their spending limit. In other words they maxed out their credit cards.
Right now the government's debt -- debt ceiling, I should say, is $14.3 trillion. That's trillion with a T. The White House wants to bump up its spending limits another $2.4 trillion. It would push the new debt limit to $16.7 trillion.
Lawmakers in the House aren't just saying no. They are saying heck no. By a margin of more than 3-1, the House has rejected the White House's request.
At the top of the hour, President Obama will make his pitch in person to congressional Republicans to get them to change their minds. They will arrive at the White House with demands that they say are non- negotiable.
The White House must make sharp spending cuts and major reforms on how the government spends our money.
It is the end of an era for the space shuttle Endeavour. Earlier this morning, it completed its final mission with a perfect landing in Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And so after a journey of 6.5 million miles, Endeavour landing in darkness, but illuminated by the ingenuity, dedication of every astronaut, scientists, engineer, flight controller, mechanic and dreamer that helped it fly.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The landing means that NASA's 30-year-old space shuttle program has only one flight remaining.
John Zarrella is at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
And, John, you were there in 1992 for Endeavour's first flight. So how did it feel to see her wrap up her career this morning?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, a book ending it from the first flight to the last flight. You know, in fact, Endeavour probably never would have been built if not for the tragic Challenger accident.
It was built as a replacement to the shuttle Challenger. It's flown 25 flights, most of them missions to the International Space Station. Construction missions there. But you know, watching it come in on that picture perfect landing early this morning, you're thinking to yourself, well, that's it. It's not flying again. And there's only one more left that will fly again.
It's pretty interesting feelings that go through your mind. And you know the crew that just wrapped up this mission held a news conference just a few minutes ago and, of course, Mark Kelly, the commander, was asked about his wife, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who made it here for his launch but did not come for the landing. And he kind of explained why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK KELLY, SHUTTLE COMMANDER: One of the reasons we didn't have her come down here is because it was really late in the night. And what she's going through now is very, you know, physically challenging and difficult thing, very busy schedule. It certainly would be disruptive.
We all have kids right now that are just crashed from being up all night. And for anybody, you know, just anybody in this room, for us, it is kind of easy, because we've sleep shifted.
What I am going to say to her? You know, I really miss her and can't wait to get back there tomorrow to see her. So we're all looking forward to spending time with our families.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
ZARRELLA: He said that before the news conference, he had not called her yet because he did not want to wake her up. He didn't even know if she had gotten up to watch the landing or not. But that he was certainly going to make the call once he finished up the news conference and got back to the crew quarters, because, you know, an hour difference in Houston, they're an hour behind so it was a little early to be waking her up -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I wanted to ask you, too, about the last shuttle, Atlantis. It's supposed to launch in July.
ZARRELLA: Yes.
COSTELLO: Is everything still on track for that?
ZARRELLA: Yes. Absolutely. In fact a phenomenal day today, morning here. You know as Endeavour was flying in, Atlantis was rolling out to the launch pad. The last time a shuttle will ever make it -- the 4.5 mile journey from the vehicle assembly building behind me over to launch pad 39-A. It is out there now. And NASA says that they are on track for July 8th launch.
And you know, interesting, Carol, if they actually get off on July 8th, they would return to earth on July 20th, which of course is the anniversary of the first moon landing -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And you'll be there. John Zarrella, reporting live for us this morning. Thank you.
Now the flight aboard United 990 the other day. It had just taken off from Washington Dulles on an 11-hour trip to Ghana. But half an hour in a fight broke out. It all started when one passenger reclined his seat upsetting the guy behind him who started swinging. So the flight crew swung around back to Dulles escorted by fighter jets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: United 990 heavy, supervisor wants to know if you have the passenger secured.
UNIDENTIFIED PILOT: Negative. Passenger is not secured at this time. The passenger has settled down, though. But an assault has taken place. But at this time he is not secured.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: United 990, roger.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Police met the passengers at the gate. But in the end, no charges were filed. We reached out to United Airlines for more information. So far, no reply.
The brutal killing of a 13-year-old boy allegedly by Syrian security forces has fueled opposition protesters there. It has already outraged human rights groups and governments around the world.
Zain Verjee joins us from London.
And Zain, U.S. pressure on Syria is rising right now because of this.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Carol. This has really been ratcheted up given the horrifying and appalling situation with the poor boy, Hamza, who was killed in Syria.
Listen to what the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: I too was very concerned by the reports about the young boy. And I can only hope that, you know, this child did not die in vain, but that the Syrian will end the brutality and begin a transition to real democracy.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
VERJEE: Secretary Clinton, Carol, also added that the Syrian regime is weakening and that there has been a total collapse, she called it, of willingness from the -- on the side of the regime to even listen or work with its own people.
It's been something like 10 weeks now of protests in Syria and there have been some pretty brutal crackdowns. But the boy, Hamza, who was killed, has really become a symbol now for so many people in Syria protesting against the regime of Bashar al-Assad -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Zain Verjee, reporting live from London. Thank you. The World Health Organization is saying your cell phone might cause cancer. Coming up next, a noted brain surgery said you should also look out for memory loss, too, because of your phone.
A TV reporter helps a woman whose SUV got stuck on a flooded road. Next the dramatic rescue as cameras rolled.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The World Health Organization is not saying don't use your cell phone, just be careful, because it might -- and I said might -- cause cancer. The group's new warning compares the dangers from the phone to cancer-causing hazards found in lead, engine exhaust and chloroform.
The wireless industry respond saying the WHO study is inclusive and more research is needed.
Let's get some answers for you from the author of "Brain Surgeon: A Doctor's Inspiring Encounters with Mortality and Miracles," Dr. Keith Black joins us now.
Welcome, Doctor.
DR. KEITH BLACK, AUTHOR, "BRAIN SURGEON": Good morning.
COSTELLO: So, Doctor, it seems like a lot of this report is inconclusive. And you yourself have said, proving something like this should -- could take decades. Why scare people?
BLACK: I think what the who classification does is puts consumers on the alert that we cannot conclusive say it at this time that cell phones are absolutely safe. You know, when they looked at the hundreds of articles that have been published, some negative, some positive, trying to look at the correlation between cell phones and cancer, the conclusion of the panel was that there is a possible link between cell phones and brain cancer. So, people should be aware of that and essentially take precautions if they elect to try to reduce the amount of microwave radiation that brains could be exposed to.
COSTELLO: Yes. We are going to talk about this precaution in just a second. But I want to get into something else, because you mentioned cancer isn't the only danger from using cell phones. There could be memory loss, too.
BLACK: Right.
COSTELLO: What else?
BLACK: Well, you know, essentially, a cell phone is a microwave antenna that generates microwave radiation and energy. If you hold it next to the head, it can go right into the brain. And so, you need to think of it as similar terms as you would a microwave oven. So, those microwaves are essentially emitting microwave energy into the brain that vibrates the water molecules in the cell. And over time, you know, that can produce changes within those cells. We don't know the long-term consequence. We don't know what happens after decades of using the cell phone with memory loss, with aging, cognitive ability.
We also know that in the young brain, the skull is much thinner. The scalp is thinner. So, the radiation that goes in much higher. Could it have some effect on learning? And those types of problems.
COSTELLO: So, simple ways to protect yourself is just to hold your cell phone away from your ear our use, you know --
BLACK: An earpiece.
COSTELLO: Ear -- I am trying to think of the word. You know what I'm saying, Doctor.
BLACK: Right. Yes. So, you know, the amount of microwave energy that's emitted from the cell phone that's related to the square of the distance. So, when you read your insert with your cell phone, they might advise you to hold the cell phone by an inch away from the head.
So, holding the phone two inches away reduces the amount of radiation about four times. So, you want to keep the cell phone away from the brain. The best way of doing that is to use hands-free, Bluetooth in the car. Use a speaker or use an earpiece so that it's not right adjacent to the skull.
COSTELLO: I will do that. Dr. Keith Black, thank you for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.
BLACK: My pleasure.
COSTELLO: If you want to know more ways you can protect yourself from any possible wireless phone radiation, just go to our Web site CNN.com/health. You'll see six tips on how to use your cell phone safely.
Checking stories cross-country now:
Another international businessman accused of sexually assaulting a New York hotel maid is arranged. Bail was set at $50,000 for Egyptian executive, Mahmoud Abdel Salam Omar. Last month, the head of the International Monetary Fund was accused of sexually assaulted a maid at another New York hotel.
Florida has a new law requiring adult welfare recipients to undergo drug tests. Republican Rick Scott signed the measure. It goes into effect July 1st.
In Chicago, a Memorial Day beach holiday is cut short. Authorities closed the North Avenue beach after several people fell ill from the heat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JENNIFER EPLEY, BEACHGOER: They just started throwing us all off the beach. Literally, the cops were walking up and down saying you need to get out of the water.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And, finally, in Arkansas, a TV reporter went from covering the use to making it. It was all caught on tape. KARK reporter, Adam Rodriguez (ph), swam to the rescue of a woman whose SUV got stuck on a flooded road. And as you can see, the story ended well.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell's notorious temper is back in the news. This time, the focus of her wrath is a chocolate company -- the chocolate company that used her name in a candy bar ad. That's coming up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VICTOR GARBER, ACTOR: I'm Victor Garber. And we can make an impact for people with Alzheimer's disease. As I witnessed my father's decline with Alzheimer's, there is nothing really more painful to witness and then my mother developed it and I became her principal caregiver. I became what is known as a champion for the Alzheimer's association and organized a team in my mother's name, which was part of a walk.
Be proactive. Get on board. Let's all work together for a cure.
Join the movement, "Impact Your World," CNN.com/Impact.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Supermodel Naomi Campbell is furious at a chocolate company that used her name in a candy bar ad. Campbell said the ad was insulting, hurtful and racist.
Let's check with Zain Verjee in London.
So, Zain, what's this all about?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's go straight to that picture and let's have people decide and see whether it is hurtful and insulting.
What you see there is Cadbury's Bliss chocolate that sits on top of a pile of diamonds. And the slogan is, "Move over, Naomi, there's a new diva in town."
Now, this picture ran in magazines and it ran in billboards. Naomi Campbell says that this is just so upsetting. She had a statement that said, "It's upsetting to be described as chocolate, not just for me, but all black women and black people as a race."
She says that she does not find any humor in it. She adds too that she is weighing her options. She could sue and she may yet have her sweet revenge -- Carol. COSTELLO: So, what's the chocolate company saying?
VERJEE: You know, they are saying that they did not intend it this to be offensive. They said that this was really meant as something light-hearted. And they insisted, too, that this ad was pulled before Naomi Campbell complained. They're saying as well the chocolate ad campaign is going to end this week. They said that we didn't mean to pull any -- or cause any offense.
There are some people that might see this as racist. And others just think it's a good campaign -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes, we'll see what happens.
Zain Verjee, live in London, thank you.
Coming up: Trump, Palin and pepperoni. The businessman and former vice presidential candidate eat pizza and talk politics in New York. We'll talk about their summit at Times Square.
Actually, these pictures are making at least one comedian salivate and it's not because of the pizza. He is hoping Palin, especially, runs for president for comedy's sake. He's even started a Twitter group called Comedians for Palin. He says he's tired of the comedy recession in Washington right now. We'll talk to him later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Sarah Palin's East Coast bus tour made a stop in New York for pizza with none other than Donald Trump. Yes, Donald Trump and Sarah Palin shared pepperoni slices and political thoughts.
CNN's Jim Acosta joins us from Washington.
Was this planned, do you think?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think it was -- you know, it's hard to tell, Carol, with this Palin bus tour, what is planned, what is impromptu. They've been flying by the seat of their pants a little bit but some of this is obviously being orchestrated behind the scenes between Palin and her team.
You know, she went up to New York City yesterday with a pretty big stop on her itinerary meeting with Donald Trump. You know, the New York press was out in force trying to pin both of them down as to exactly what they were up to. Donald Trump has said, well, he may now run for president again as an independent. So he's already stirring the pot with respect to his future plans.
And then Sarah Palin was obviously asked well why are you meeting with Donald Trump? And she said very candidly to reporters yesterday afternoon, Carol, that she and the Donald were handicapping the current 2012 presidential field, sort of, looking at whether or not the current field is a good fit for her and Donald Trump. And they both had a lot to say about each other. There's a little bit of sound to play. Here's what they had to say about each other yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SARAH PALIN, FORMER GOVERNOR OF ALASKA: What do we have in common? A love for this country and a desire to see our economy put back on the right track making sure we have a balanced trade arrangement with other countries across this world so that Americans can have our jobs, our industries, our manufacturing again.
QUESTION: Mr. Trump, would you support Sarah Palin as president?
DONALD TRUMP, BUSINESSMAN: Well, she didn't ask me for that. She's a terrific woman. She didn't ask me but I will tell you she's a great woman and a terrific woman and a good friend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: You know, Carol, they were also asked about whether or not they would run as running mates in 2012. So some of these questions are starting to get a little absurd. But, you know, they do have a lot in common, the reality TV show they have in common. The fact that they're both mavericks, they don't mind bucking Republican Party leaders.
And Sarah Palin, by the way, heading up to New Hampshire, we understand later this week, which is, of course, stoking all sorts of speculation about her future plans. And the Donald is also very good at that, as well. So they have all lot in common.
COSTELLO: Yes, they do and they're very good at attracting the media, as well.
ACOSTA: I think you're right about that.
COSTELLO: Jim Acosta, thank you.
We'll have your next political update in one hour and a reminder, for all your latest political news, go to our web site CNNpolitics.com.
Some other stories making headlines today.
President Obama meets with congressional Republicans next hour to talk about the budget deficit. Comes a day after the House of Representatives shot down a bill to raise the debt ceiling without deficit or spending cuts.
The FAA plans to get tough on people who shine lasers into the cockpits of planes. Pilots reported over 2,800 cases last year. The FAA says the lasers can temporarily blind a pilot making it impossible to safely land an aircraft. The agency plan to announce stiffer penalties next hour.
Space shuttle Endeavour back home. The shuttle made its final landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, after a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis will make the last planned space shuttle mission. Its liftoff set for July 8th. The NBA finals are underway and one Cleveland sports store owner is showing his true colors. The store is stocking Dallas Mavericks apparel. The Mavs are, of course, playing LeBron James-led Miami Heat and anti-LeBron fever remains high in Cleveland, his former stomping grounds. As for game one of the series, LeBron scored 24 points leading the Heat to a 92-84 win over the Mavs. We'll have more highlights from that game in 20 minutes.
At the end of a long, hard day, there's apparently nothing we Americans want more than a nice glass of wine. A new study shows we drank a record amount of wine last year.
We'll go to the New York stock exchange for details.
And a marijuana growing superstore opens up in Arizona. That story next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: For years, France has been synonymous with wine, and it still is. But a new study shows the biggest wine drinkers are right here in the United States.
Alison Kosik is at the New York stock Exchange with the not so sobering details.
Good morning.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Yes, move over France, the U.S. can now drink you under the table. We are now the biggest wine consuming nation.
Americans drank a record amount of wine last year. How much? We drank 330 million cases last year. The French drank 321 million cases. This is coming from the Wine Institute of San Francisco. And analysts are saying this is all because wine drinking, it's becoming more popular here and less so in France.
Also, new creative, cheaper wines are being made. Cheaper moscados, affordable pinot noirs. Trader Joes came out with a two buck chuck not so long ago, although it's three buck chuck here in New York, of course, where we pay top dollar for everything. And, you know what? The recession has a lot to do with it. The study shows the most popular wines are under $25.
Talking about prices under pressure, stocks right now pulling back after a weak labor report. The Dow down 43 points. This labor report shows that 38,000 private sector jobs were added in May. 175,000 were expected. This was a big miss.
Carol, I'm going to have more on that in the next hour. Back to you.
COSTELLO: Alison Kosik, thank you.
Checking stories Cross Country now. In Kentucky, two Iraqi nationals face possible life prison sentences for allegedly trying to provide weapons to al Qaeda fighters in Iraq. They FBI says 23-year-old Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, on the left, and 30-year-old Waad Ramadan Alwan were arrested last week after months of surveillance. The feds say they recovered Alwan's fingerprints from an undetonated IED in Iraq, back in 2005.
In Illinois, same-sex civil unions are now legal as of today. It offers committed gay couples, many of the same legal protections as heterosexual married couples have, such as hospital visitation and inheritance rights.
And in Phoenix today, it is open dag for the weGrow store, a big box retailer that unimaginably promotes itself as the place to buy your marijuana cultivation equipment. It's the company's third store front and first outside the state of California.
One comedian really wants Sarah Palin to run for president. Why? He says the political comedy well has run dry that Palin will fill it back up. Actually, not just Palin. There's plenty of politicians to choose from. That story's coming your way, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: At least one comedian says there's been a recession in laughs since Barack Obama took office. He's starving for a presidential ticket that doubles as a meal ticket. So you could hear him salivating when Sarah Palin and Donald Trump had their pizza summit last night -- pepperoni, cheese and comedy gold right there.
Another comedian, Craig Ferguson, touched on that very topic.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRAIG FERGUSON, COMEDIAN: Today in New York City, Sarah Palin had a meeting with Donald Trump. Now, experts are saying that if those two join forces on a presidential ticket, it would be the greatest gift ever given to comedy.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: He's not the only one that feels that way, as I said. Dean Obeidallah is the founder of the Arab-American Comedy Festival.
And you've actually started a Twitter group called Comedians for Palin. That sounds so horribly partisan. I mean, there are plenty of politicians to go aren't, isn't there?
DEAN OBEIDALLAH, CO-FOUNDER, ARAB-AMERICAN COMEDY FESTIVAL: There are but this has to do with presidential politics. There has been political comedy but for the last two and a half years, I think we've been in a political comedy recession when it deals with presidential politics.
And, not that Obama doesn't give us some material here and there but there's not a specific take on him. Remember President Bush? He couldn't speak English well. Obviously President Clinton had the sexcapades. And what's funnier? A joke about Obamacare or a joke about how President Bush use to say, instead of al Qaeda, al Qaeeda and it went from a Middle East terrorist group to a Mexican restaurant?
So, you know, we're hoping Sarah Palin can give us that.
COSTELLO: What about Congressman Dennis Kucinich? I mean, he's running around the country trying to find a district to run in and he's funny in himself?
OBEIDALLAH: Well, you know what, it was a hard choice. Among the comedians I know, we talked about it. If Trump would have stayed in the race, I think that he had a lot of potential. He likes to talk a lot, his hair makes you appreciate Justin Bieber's hair. And then you have Herman Cain and Michele Bachman.
But Sarah Palin has a track record. She has a proven track record. That's what makes us happy. I mean, to us, she's like George Bush without the lipstick. I mean, that's the difference. Sarah Palin and George Bush, is lipstick at this point. She's going to mispronounce words, make up things. I mean, who could forget, you know, just recently, she said, in Libya, we have a squirmish going on.
In her defense, "Alvin the Chipmunks, The Squeakquel" maybe she thought it was OKto to add "Sque" to the beginning of any word. But, I think there's a lot of potential there are we are excited about her running. We want her to run for president. I'm not saying I want her to win, but I want her to run for president.
COSTELLO: I'm wondering why most comedians pick on the Republican side of the aisle. Is it because they're all Democrats? Why is that?
OBEIDALLAH: No. I think that -- well, I think a lot of comedians are a little more on the progressive side. But we do tons of jokes about President Clinton. I had so many jokes about President Clinton. It's about the person.
President Obama, if he didn't speak English as well or was unfaithful, it would be better for comedians. Bad for America, but great for comedians.
So at this time, we look at Sarah Palin who says we have to stand with our North Korean allies, who said because of her proximity to Alaska, somehow she has foreign policy experience. That's like being on a plane and hearing a pilot go -- or hearing a voice go, today, I'll be flying. I'm not the pilot but I live about two miles from the airport.
So, I mean, it's going to be an interesting time for us and she'll create jobs. Because all those people that lost the job from the Bush comedy industry, the Bushism books and the Bush dog toy and toilet paper, they're going to be back in business better than ever with a President Palin in the office.
COSTELLO: That is ridiculous. OK. So I'm going to give you a little fodder. So when you saw Donald Trump and Sarah Palin sitting down to eat pizza, what went through your mind?
OBEIDALLAH: That would be the second greatest ticket ever. I think for us the greatest ticket would be Palin and Charlie Sheen. That's the best ticket in the history of comedy. Impossible to happen.
I imagine I don't know what their conversation could be. To me, they are like the A team, instead of Trump being face, he's hair and she's the crazy, Murdock, howling mad Murdock. It's an interesting time for us. If they were to run together, I can assure you the political comedy would dominate, dominate the comedy horizon.
COSTELLO: OK. Well Dean, thank you very much.
And the reason we're talking to Dean is because he has written an interesting article on CNN.com. So be sure to check it out and if you would like to post a comment, well you certainly can. There's a place for you right on CNN.com.
Hey, kids, let the old guy take some shots. He is not a ringer. He is the premier of China. He is not much bigger than the school kids. I hope he doesn't get posterized (ph). More sports in ten minutes.
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COSTELLO: Let's take a look ahead to see what will be making headlines later today.
At 1:30 Eastern, a federal appeals court in Cincinnati will hear a challenge on the constitutionality of the health care reform law. The hearing deals with the part of the law that requires Americans to buy health insurance or face a penalty.
At 2:00 Eastern, Congresswoman-Elect Kathy Hochul will be sworn in today. The Democrat will fill the New York seat left vacant when Republican Congressman Chris Lee resigned in February.
And tonight at 9:00 Eastern, family and friends of tornado victims will gather for a candle light vigil in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Names of those killed in the April 27th storm will be read aloud.
We're following a lot of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with Zain Verjee.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hi, Carol. We are going to tell you what the newspaper headlines around the world are saying today about Syria and about that brutal killing of the 13-year-old boy, Hamza.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elizabeth Cohen in Atlanta. The World Health Organization has a new verdict about cell phones and cancer. Why doing this may not be the best idea. I'll tell you why at the top of the hour. BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brianna Keilar at the White House where President Obama is set to meet with almost all of the Republicans in the House of Representatives, a rare meeting. And this comes one day after the House failed to pass an increase of the debt ceiling. I'll have that at the top of the hour.
COSTELLO: Plus, we'll talk to one of the Iowa businessmen who flew to New Jersey's capital and ask him why he wants Governor Chris Christie to run for president. Christie says he's not going to do it. So was the trip worth it? We'll find out in the next hour.
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COSTELLO: Oh if you're complaining about the weather and how hot it is, you're certainly not alone. Let's head over to the weather center and Rob Marciano. I'm looking at those temperatures, it's crazy.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It seems like just a couple weeks ago we were complaining about how cold it was.
COSTELLO: We like to complain about all kinds of weather.
MARCIANO: (INAUDIBLE) doesn't it? You know, in some cases, this is dangerous heat, if you lost AC, or somebody who is elderly or maybe have some health problems, you've got humidity that's not included in these numbers, these are record highs from yesterday. Richmond, Virginia almost tapping 100 and Baltimore, Maryland seeing 97 degrees and Washington, D.C., seeing 94 degrees and similar numbers in other areas.
And we don't expect really this to let up, at least across the southeastern third of the country. It'll be 96 degrees today in Atlanta. And looking ahead toward tomorrow, notice the heat continues across the southeast. We may see somewhat cooling from Chicago up towards New York over the next couple days. But then the heat builds back into Chicago as we get towards -- as we get towards Friday.
So watching that, also watching this, it is the first day of hurricane season. And look at this we've already got a disturbance that's going to be rolling into -- into Florida here. The National Hurricane Center put the orange box on this. So watch it for development. It's not going to develop much further than this. Because it's heading to Florida -- well, actually they need the rain, so they'll take it.
When it gets to the Gulf, we'll watch that. I mean who knows what happens there.
We'll also want to talk about this in regards to hurricane season. I have some disturbances down in the Caribbean. The northwestern Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico during the month of June, and those are the areas really that we watch for development.
And this year, Carol, we're looking at an above-average season once again and the first name will be Arlene and you'll be happy to know the "C" name is not Carol, it's Cindy.
COSTELLO: Yes. I'm glad it's Cindy. And I think Carol has been retired.
MARCIANO: I think so, she was quite the storm.
COSTELLO: She was. And I'm glad she's gone. Rob, thank you so much.
MARCIANO: Ok, see you later.
COSTELLO: Game one of the NBA finals last night and neither the Miami Heat nor the Dallas Mavericks shot well, both under 40 percent. But when it came to crunch time, the Heat scored and the Mavs did not.
Less than three minutes to go, LeBron James makes the sweet move. And you saw the dunk. Heat up by nine.
Next, LeBron scores on the ally hoop to ice the game, LeBron finishes with just 24 points but it was enough. Teammate Dwayne Wade had 22, the Heat win 92-84. Game two tomorrow night in Miami.
Philadelphia's Cliff Lee is one of the -- is one of baseball's best pitchers. Well, last night his pitches were taking too much of the plate. Washington's Danny Espinosa takes advantage, that's three run shot in the third. Espinosa come back at on the sixth and guess what he goes long again, four RBI night for him and Nats roll 10-2.
The Seattle Mariners is one of the hottest teams in baseball right now. (INAUDIBLE) from crowded Safeco Field; last night's game, the lowest attendance ever.
Get this, Justin Smoak gives 11,000 fans who did show up; he gave them something to cheer about. His three-run blast helps beat the Orioles. Seattle has won 11 of 13.
Texas Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson takes one for the team. Watch closely now as he bare hands this shot up the middle by Tampa Bay's Justin Ruggiano on his pitching hand no less. That's got to sting but not as badly as the final score; Rays 5, Rangers 4.
President Obama is not the only leader who likes hoops. The Chinese premier shows off his game with some kids. He's playing with sixth graders. And as you can see, he's not much taller than the kids. But boy, that premier can still make the lay-ups. Well, they're playing with a lower basket. It was kind of cheating.
An outbreak of horse herpes in the west has owners pulling their animals from competition. Still, as Jeanne Moos reports, the shows must go on.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What do you do if horse herpes turns real horses into no-shows? Forget your saddle, just straddle a stick horse.
KYLIE FELTER, CONTESTANT: A stick horse, it's a lot different because you have to do all the work. I think it's going to be a lot more tiring. MOOS: In Davis County, Utah, the mounted posse junior queen contest had to pony up with sticks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's kind of weird. You can't really help that the disease is going around.
MOOS: 75 or more cases of horse herpes in nine states. Nope, horses don't give people herpes, just other horses and it's often fatal. But a stick horse sticks around forever. Giddy-up, come on. Giddy-up, boy.
Actually, long before horse herpes at ranch rodeos like the Western Heritage Classic Texas, kids were riding bucking stick broncos. Instead of shaking a stick, they pretended a stick was shaking them. At the Western Heritage Classic up to 100 kids do their best to simulate getting thrown.
(on camera): You know what those kids needed with their stick horses? Sound effects. Those Monty Python guys didn't even need the stick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're using coconuts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got two coconuts and you're banging them together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So.
MOOS (voice-over): Stick horses have been used in contests to cut cows from a herd. They've been used to imitate famous (INAUDIBLE) routines. Ok. You may never see a stick horse commemorated by a statue but at least with a stick pony you get to pick out a horse that matches your outfit.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
