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One-on-One with Pres. Obama; Singer Seeks Rights for "Y.M.C.A."; Perry Responds to Obama "Advice"; Neighbor Saves Kidnap Victim; Doggy Welcome Home

Aired August 17, 2011 - 09:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. This hour, we begin with jobs. Yours and the president's. Barack Obama needs to put more Americans to work if he wants to stay in the White House a second term. And this morning, we have learned he is planning a big speech on that very topic.

Brianna Keilar is with Obama on the bus tour there in Illinois. Paul Steinhauser has CNN's one-on-one interview with the president. And Mark Preston is in New Hampshire, the latest stop for some of the top Republican challengers.

OK, Brianna let's start with you. What can you tell us about the president's speech?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the president is under tremendous pressure, of course, to do something on jobs. And we're learning this morning from a senior administration official that he will be unveiling his job plan when Congress returns in September. They return early September after Labor Day. A senior administration official billing this as a major speech and telling us that this is likely to be a mix of tax cuts, of infrastructure spending, and something to address those that are the long-term unemployed.

The thing to consider, Kyra, is that all of those things laid out right there are items Republicans are either flatly opposed to or they are opposed to the way in which the White House and Democrats so far have said they want to execute those issues.

Meantime, we are three hours away from the president coming here to this hybrid corn seed warehouse in Atkinson, Illinois, where he is going to be addressing a crowd that is already lining up, actually -- I can see from here, to get inside to ask him questions in this town hall meeting. This will be his first of two today, and what we are expecting to be at least - or probably a largely friendly crowd here today. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Well, our Wolf Blitzer also had a chance to get in there and ask the president a number of questions, Brianna. Here is what he told -- here is what the president told wolf when it comes to the situation in our economy right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am going make my best case for where we need to go. We have made progress since the start of this recession back in 2008. It hasn't been fast enough. We have got to accelerate it.

And there are two things that need to happen. Number one, we have got to make sure that people have confidence we have our fiscal house in order and that we are living within our means and eliminating programs that wouldn't work. Number two, there's some immediate things to do around infrastructure, tax policy, that would make a difference in terms of people hiring right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, the presidential trail heads east today, and a political gunslinger from Texas is again shooting from the hip. Governor Rick Perry's comments raise plenty of eyebrows, and even some fellow Republicans say he is already out of bounds just a few days into his campaign.

Today, he is firing back. Paul Steinhauser is in Washington. Paul, is it possible to make too big of a splash as this newbie presidential candidate comes forward like this?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, he just jumped in the campaign on Saturday and you're right. He's firmly in the spotlight because of these controversial commments. And yes, now they involved President Barack Obama as well.

Live pictures for Perry right now at a political forum in New Hampshire speaking this morning. But his controversy, I guess you could say, started in Iowa two nights ago when Perry said while campaigning there that if Fed chairman Ben Bernanke prints more money between now and the election, it would be almost treasonist and that we would treat him ugly down in Texas.

Perry stood by his comments yesterday, telling our political reporter Peter Hamby that "I'm just as passionate about the issue, and we stand by what we said."

Yesterday in that interview with Wolf Blitzer, the president responded to those comments and other things Perry has said about Barack Obama. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Mr. Perry just got in the presidential race, and I think that everybody who runs for president, it probably takes them a little bit of time before they start realizing that this isn't like running for governor or running for senator or running for Congress, and you have to be a little more careful about what you say.

But I'll cut him some slack. He has only been at it for a few days now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Well, just minutes ago, Perry at that forum, that political forum in New Hampshire, responded. Take a listen, Kyra.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president said I needed to do watch what I say.

(LAUGHTER)

PERRY: I just want to respond back, if I may. Mr. President, actions speak louder than words. My actions as governor are helping create jobs in this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Well, Kyra, our Mark Preston is up at that event. You will hear a lot more from him in a couple of minutes.

I got to say, listen, his comments, his tough language, they probably help him in the primaries and caucuses. You have a very angry Republican conservative electorate out there. They like to hear this kind of language. If Rick Perry makes it all the way, to the nomination, this kind of language could hurt him.

He has moved to New Hampshire today, as I said. So is Mitt Romney, he is there as well and Ron Paul. It's a crowded day in the Granite State.

Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: OK, Paul, thanks so much.

Lightning bolt struck Sea World Amusement Park in Orlando, sending eight hospital. It happened a little after 5:00 p.m. yesterday at this Discovery Cove section of the water park. Now, Sea World officials say three guests and five employees were affected. None is believed to have suffered a direct hit from that bolt. But it jolted a pretty big scare into the guests.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never been scared by lightning until today because it was right above us. It was really scary. They told us to clear the pool so we came out of the pool, and we were sheltering underneath. And then there is a huge crack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All right. Rob Marciano is going to talk with us more about this. I mean, central Florida is actually the -- is this true? The lightning capital of the world?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I believe it. Yes. Especially this time of the year. Because the air mass is so saturated. And they just get thunderstorms that pop up pretty much three months in August -- or July, August, and September during hurricane season. They get a fair amount of thunderstorms that pop up. Obviously, that causes lightning.

That was today's radar and will become more active this afternoon. Here is yesterday's radar as we zoom into the Orlando area and Sea World. And we run the clock to about 5:00 in the afternoon and there is that thunderstorm that popped up, bubbled up out of nowhere. Away from the coast, not associated with the sea breeze. It's just pure convection, and it kind of continued to bubble up next hour.

Obviously, there was thunder and lightning with this and that is what has caused the damage. Luckily, the injuries there were very, very minor and no fatalities about this particular storm.

But year after year we average about 44 fatalities in regards to lightning and this year alone we have had 17 - or 19. The first one, oddly enough, coming in Joplin, Missouri, from an officer that was out after the tornado helping in the recovery efforts there, sadly. By the way, of course, today, the kids are going back to school there.

All right. Let's go over this again. If you're going outside, this time of year especially, you're going to want to check the weather before you go. When you're in an area or at an event, check for safe shelter when bad weather gets your way. If you're outside, stay away from the tallest objects and also, obviously, stay away from water. Those people that were at Sea World, a lot of them were in the area where they can actually swim and interact with dolphins. So, that's the reason they had to get out of the water in a hurry and it's likely the reason some of them get a little bit of a zip.

Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Quite a zip. Thanks, Rob.

Four minutes. That's how much notice concert goers at the Indiana state fair got Saturday night before straight-line winds took down the stage scaffolding. You may remember, it killed five people and injured 40 more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As you can see to the west, there are some clouds. We are all hoping for the best that the weather is going to bypass us, but there's a very good chance it won't. Once the storm passes and everything is safe, we are going to try our best to come back and resume the show, which we have every belief that is going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, the fair has now hired an engineering company to determine why this stage fell during those 60-mile-an-hour winds. The country music band Sugarland was about to perform says it's now going to hold a private memorial for those individuals that were killed and injured.

We're getting new details in the so-called collar bomb case in Australia. Zain Verjee is has been following this story from the very beginning for us out of London.

So, now we've got video of the suspect, Zain?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, we have video of the suspect now, Kyra. He was arraigned in a court in Kentucky. His name is Paul Douglas Peters. These are the first pictures of him.

What he did was, Kyra, was put a fake bomb around the neck of a teenage girl in Sydney, Australia. That is him now. He was found in his ex-wife's house, actually, after taking a flight from Australia to the United States.

He was basically looking to extort money. There was a note around her neck also making financial demands and also an e-mail with which police managed to trace him. Let's listen to what the Australian teenager had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you feeling?

MADELINE PULVER, BOMB HOAX VICTIM: Very relieved.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you sleeping better at night?

PULVER: I suppose. Yes. It's good. It's all very surreal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your mom said you're wondering why you? Are you asking that question?

PULVER: Yes, I think we are all wondering.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guys, we have got to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: Kyra, she was at her house at a wealthy suburb in Sydney studying for exams when this guy broke in. Here is what the "Sydney Morning Herald" had to say. It had this headline: "Maddie Bomb Hoax: Brent Peters says his brother didn't do it."

He says, "I couldn't believe it. It's flabbergasting. He wouldn't have the nerve. I would not know who would have any technical capability whatsoever like that. We're old school."

Kyra, there are so many weird things about this case. Why he picked this family. Was there a relationship? A business kind of relationship even that police suspect? And why he would even write notes basically linking himself to a particular book that was written by James Clavell and weaving its plot in the notes as well. So, it's a little bit strange but police managed through circumstantial evidence to trace this back to him. PHILLIPS: All right. Zain Verjee out of London. Zain, thanks.

And still ahead, Wolf Blitzer joins me to talk about his one-on- one with President Obama.

Plus, a new mayor's first order of business? Renaming Main Street as Justin Bieber Way? Why? Well, I think you can figure it out. She is only 11 years old!

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking stories "Cross-Country" now. This is the first day of school since the devastating tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, killing 130 people. Joplin High School was among the many buildings damaged or destroyed. So, students are turning school at a middle school and a retrofitted shopping mall.

In Wisconsin, the ballots are in from the last of a series of recall elections. The two Democratic state senators will retain their seats, beating Republican challengers. The recall was triggered over a fight regarding collective bargaining rights for state employees earlier this year.

And in Forney, Texas, this 11-year-old girl is named mayor for the day. That's right. That's Caroline Gonzalez. She actually won a Facebook contest. And her first order of business a renaming Main Street to Justin Bieber Way in honor of her favorite pop star.

President Obama is feeling your pain, and he may feel it even worse come election time. He knows he has to turn around the economy if he wants to keep his job a second term. Here is part of his one- on-one with our Wolf Blitzer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: When you took office, you said this and I'm sure you remember. You said, "If I don't have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition," meaning you're going to be a one-term president. You remember that?

OBAMA: Well, here's what I remember, is that, when I came into office, I knew I was going to have a big mess to clean up. And, frankly, the mess has been bigger than I think a lot of people anticipated at the time.

We have made steady progress on these fronts, but we're not making progress fast enough. And what I continue to believe is that ultimately the buck stops with me. I'm going to be accountable. I think people understand that a lot of these problems were decades in the making. People understand that this financial crisis was the worst since the Great Depression. But, ultimately, they say, look, he's the president, we think he has good intentions, but we're impatient and we want to see things move faster.

And I understand that, I'm sympathetic to it, and we're going to just keep on putting forward ideas that are going to be good for the country. We're going to need a partner from Congress, and we're going to need folks to move off some of these rigid positions they have been taking in order to solve these problems.

BLITZER: I'm going to go through some specifics on that, but let's talk about some things that you need to do.

You, yourself, have said you support modest modifications in Medicare. Give me specifics.

OBAMA: Yes. Yes.

Well, what I'm going do -- I'm not going to make news here, Wolf, in terms of what a comprehensive plan would look like -- but what I have consistently said is that Medicare, health -- and health care costs generally are out of control, that the health reforms that we initiated are starting to reduce those costs, but we're going to have to do more, particularly around Medicare and Medicaid.

BLITZER: Changing the cost of living index?

OBAMA: What we -- what we --

BLITZER: -- which would reduce the amount of money for Medicare, Social Security recipients?

OBAMA: As much as possible, what we'd like to do is actually reduce the cost of health care, as opposed to just shifting the cost from the government to seniors. That - that --

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: But a change in the cost of living -- is that something you're open to?

OBAMA: The problem with some of the proposals we've seen -- including some of the proposals coming out of the House of Representatives and the Republicans there -- is they don't really address what they -- what it takes to reduce costs.

What they say is, senior citizens, we're going to voucherize it, and whatever inflation there is you're going to have to cover out of pocket. So seniors might have to spend $6,000 more.

What we say is: are there modifications that can change the delivery system and how health care is delivered so that you don't have to take five tests, you take one, so that providers are not ordering unnecessary procedures, but focusing on what actually works?

The more we can do those kinds of changes -- and, in some cases, you know, that involves empowering consumers to make better choices -- then we can hopefully control these costs without seeing any radical change to the basic structure of Medicare.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Our Wolf Blitzer is headed back to his perch in Washington. However, we were able to grab him by phone. He's at the airport.

Wolf, thanks so much for calling in.

I want to ask you. You know, you have covered the president for a long time. What was your take on his confidence level here as you were doing this interview as he is, you know, approaching the election?

BLITZER (via telephone): He seems pretty confident. He flatly said he predicted he would be reelected at the end of the interview. I had a little fun and asked him what he would give his daughters if he were reelected -- and he said, "When I'm reelected."

So he was pretty confident that he would be reelected. He sort of took the high road and swiped a little bit at Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, but he didn't really blast them as they have blasted him. He is trying to take the high road a little bit and be presidential -- although I suspect, Kyra, as this campaign really gets off the ground, and it's only just beginning now, it's going to get livelier and livelier with every passing day.

And certainly at the end, it will be very intense once the Republicans have selected their nominee.

But he seemed pretty confident. He seemed the only time he got a little emotional was when I asked him about the worst moments of being president and he reflected on when he meets with family members of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. And he got a little emotional.

I think he was thinking about when he was at Dover Air Force Base last week and meeting with some of the families when the bodies of those Navy SEALs and other soldiers were brought back to the United States from Afghanistan.

PHILLIPS: And, Wolf, you mentioned just Mitt Romney and Rick Perry just a moment ago. We want to take you live -- actually Mitt Romney going at the president on jobs.

He's at a Isaacson Structural Steel, taking questions now from reporters. Let's listen in. Wolf, thanks so much.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was not fulfilled. That it's been a failure.

The president, yesterday, spoke about what a mess he inherited from George Bush. My goodness, the American people are tired hearing about what he inherited. They want to understand what did he with what he got. And, unfortunately, what he did is make things worse and make it harder for the American people.

So, I'm glad he is going to come up with new ideas. Hopefully, he'll listen to people who have actually worked in the private sector and understand how the economy works because he and his academic and political friends don't understand what it takes to get this economy going again.

And this little -- too little, too late, but we appreciate the fact that he's trying to devote some time to it and not just be on the bus tour and not just vacationing at Martha's Vineyard, but giving some thought of the American people. I would have thought he would have done that from day one.

And if I'm the president, then I would say, it's day one of my term, I will be working to get Americans jobs again.

Please.

REPORTER: Governor Perry in Iowa has accused the Federal Reserve chairman (INAUDIBLE). I just want to get your comments on that. Would you view move by the Fed as being (INAUDIBLE)?

ROMNEY: You know what? I don't have any new comments on the Fed with regard to Rick Perry's comments as well. I've made some comments about the Fed in the past. I can refer you to those.

But I'm not looking to be in a give and take with Governor Perry. He is expressing his views. I express my views and my record. He's a fine guy, a fine governor.

We'll get a chance to debate and we could probably have a good chance for contrasting views at that point. But I don't have anything new for you on the Fed today.

I stand by the comments I have made in the past.

REPORTER: Some reporting yesterday there is sort of rumors that maybe Paul Ryan was thinking about running again. Perry getting in on Saturday. There's still talk about the unsettled nature of the field here.

I'm just curious -- do you feel like -- why do you think some of those establishment voices have been slow to get behind you as the establishment candidate in this race so far?

ROMNEY: I'm really pleased with the support I have in this race. The people who is gotten behind my effort and encouraged me in this race, and the people across the country, as well as the financial support I have received have given me the wherewithal to run a campaign right to the very end, and make sure I get the delegates necessary to win the nomination.

But you know? It's still a bit of an open field. That's a good thing. Welcome folks in. The more, the merrier.

I welcome Governor Perry.

If others want to get in, you know, terrific. The water is fine. Good opportunity for debate and discussion.

This is an important time for the country. I think people recognize that the president is not the right one to lead the country for the next five years. And they want to give some careful thought to who is.

We may have acted in a way that was -- well, not based upon a record of accomplishment in the case of the president's election -- we didn't know much about him. He never had led anything before. He hadn't had experience in the private sector. People want to give a good hard look to those who are running.

And you're going to see ups and downs in polls and in support, in endorsements and in money fund-raising and so forth. But, you know, in the final analysis, it's going to boil down to a careful consideration who ought to be the next president and I think in that race, I'll do pretty darn well. I expect to win.

REPORTER: Thanks, Governor.

ROMNEY: Thanks you guys. Good to be with you this morning. See you in -- I guess I'm not going to see you in the next stop. We're going across the state. We are going to Habrow (ph) --

PHILLIP: Al right. You just heard from Mitt Romney there. He's speaking at Isaacson Structural Steel on the economy -- blasting the president there actually for the situation that we are in now.

You'll hear more from the president in our interview one-on-one with Wolf Blitzer coming up later in the hour, what he thinks of Mitt Romney and Rick Perry.

Also, speaking of Rick Perry, he takes his new campaign from president from the first caucus state to the first primary state. And coming up, we are going to take you live to New Hampshire as well.

Also ahead, there's a battle for rights over an iconic song from the '70s. Who should own "YMCA"? One of these guys wants it in a big way. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Let's hit some showbiz headlines for you.

Real life hits "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." The estranged husband of cast member Taylor Armstrong has been found dead in apparent suicide. Friends of his say that the show aggravated the couple's money and marital problems.

Casey Anthony's parents are giving their first post-trial interview to Dr. Phil scheduled to air next month. CBS, which produces the show, says that the Anthonys will not be paid for their time, but it will make a donation to their nonprofit group.

And after a huge outcry, KISS has been dropped from a Michael Jackson tribute concert. It seems MJ fans have never forgiven Gene Simmons for saying many times that he was convinced Jackson molested children. Concert organizers say booking the band was a, quote, "oversight."

All right. You know the song. Roll clip, Scotty.

(MUSIC)

PHILLIPS: All right. Admit it. You've all done the movement at one time or another at a wedding, at a function, at a party. Well, now, there's a huge fight over who should own the rights to this song.

Zain Verjee, who knows the moves and all of the details of this very well -- I saw you dancing during the break. There -- I knew it! I knew it!

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Let's see you do it, Kyra!

PHILLIPS: No, I'm getting -- I'm playing this one straight.

OK. So, Zain, here is the question. This song is decades old, right? So, why is the music rights battle happening right now?

VERJEE: Well, it's a big deal now. I mean, this is so popular, so campy, you've done it, I've done it -- millions of people around the world have done it.

But what it's doing right now is putting a significant copyright law to test. On the one side Victor Willis who is the original lead singer of the group. He composed the lyrics.

And what he's doing is he's just filed papers so that he can get the rights to this song in 2013. You can do that with something that's called termination rights after 35 years.

Now, on the other side, you've got two companies that have the publishing rights. They are Scorpio Music. That's actually a French business and Can't Stop Productions, that's an American affiliate.

What they're saying is, yes, he wrote the lyrics. That's fine. We're not disputing that. But what they are saying is that they are denying that he has any kind of termination rights? Why?

Well, listen to what the lawyer has to say that's representing these two companies. The lawyer says that "the Village People were a group created by my client and picked up the people and the costumes."

They are basically saying, Kyra, that we hired this guy. He was an employee. We gave them the material. We gave them the studio to record in. They controlled what was recorded when and where and how they did it.

And so, that is part of their argument as to why that they should retain the rights to this song.

Kyra, come on. Just do it.

PHILLIPS: I have to admit. You have to admit this song is timeless, OK? No matter what function you go to, the song plays, you got to love the band. We've all dressed up at one of the costumes during Halloween one time or another.

The song just makes your day. We love the band

VERJEE: It does.

PHILLIPS: I'll talk to you later.

Well, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani -- he is not in the presidential race, but he says don't count him out just yet. Just ahead, his plans and his thoughts on the Republican field so far.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now.

Investigators plan to launch a new search for a Maryland woman missing in Aruba. FBI agents have been searching the home of her companion now in custody.

A lightning strike threw a scare of the people at Orlando's Sea World amusement park. No one took a different hit. But several people went to the hospital to be checked out.

And President Obama wraps up his three-day Midwestern bus tour today. He'll hold two town hall forums in his home state of Illinois.

Texas Governor Rick Perry grabbed a lot of headlines with his fiery comments the last few days. He's also drawn the attention of the White House.

And our Wolf Blitzer asked the president about Perry during a one-on-one interview yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Mr. Perry just got in the presidential race and I think that everybody who runs for president, it probably takes them a little bit of time before they start realizing that this isn't like running for governor or running for senator or running for Congress, and you have to be a little more careful about what you say. But I'll cut him some slack. He has only been at it for a few days now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Rick Perry wasted no time in responding to the president's, quote, "advice."

Our senior political editor Mark Preston is in Bedford, New Hampshire, where the candidate has just finished his remarks.

Hey, Mark.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Kyra.

Yes, Rick Perry just left the room after giving about 10 minutes worth of speech and fielding several questions up here.

One of the questions he did field was regarding the Federal Reserve and he addressed it head-on. In fact, he said that he was lectured by the president. Let's hear what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIATE: Yesterday, the president said I needed to watch what I say. I just want to respond back, if I may.

Mr. President, actions speak louder than words. My actions as governor are helping create jobs in this country. The president's actions are killing jobs in this country. It's time to get America working again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PRESTON: And there you have Rick Perry. Of course, his main theme since he's launched his campaign on Saturday was all about the economy, all about creating jobs. He did that today. That's all he spoke about.

He talked about his record down in Texas. It's a great record in creating jobs. He has come under criticism for Democrats who say that those are low-paying jobs.

He also addressed the issue of global warming. He said he has doesn't necessarily buy into that issue -- another hot button Republican issue.

So, Rick Perry here today speaking before business leaders in Bedford, New Hampshire.

He is now headed down to Nassau where he'll do a business tour. Rick Perry in New Hampshire, one of the most important early voting states of the 2012 presidential election, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Mark Preston, thanks so much.

And former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani says he'll remain on the sidelines at least for now, four years after seeking the Republican nomination. He says his party has no clear front-runner at the moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIERS MORGAN, HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": Are you feeling more inclined to run now or less inclined?

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NYC MAYOR: I don't think I've changed my thinking about it very much. I mean, I'm interested to see Governor Perry's entrance into the race and what that does and what he has to say. And pretty much, my timeline is to decide at the end of September.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: But Giuliani says that he's more likely to run if Sarah Palin enters the race. He says his chances improve if he can offer voters a clear contrast to other candidates.

Well, coming up, Rick Perry throws his cowboy hat into the ring and the George W. Bush comparisons are flying. But the author of "Bush's Brain" says not all of them are apt. He joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Texas governor? Check. Plain talking? Check. College cheerleader? Check.

It seems like there's lots of similarities between the newest presidential candidate Rick Perry and former President George W. Bush.

And check this out. "New York Daily News" even dubbed Perry, quote, "2nd Bush in the GOP's Attack of the Clones" -- with the fancy little photo illustration to match.

Well, James Moore begs to differ a bit. He is the author of "Bush's Brain" and "Bush's War for Re-election," and he just wrote an opinion piece for CNN.com called "A Tale of Two Texans." You've got to give it a read.

Good to see you, James.

JAMES MOORE, AUTHOR, "BUSH'S BRAIN": Good to be you with.

PHILLIPS: All right. So, you pointed out that there's been a lot of comparisons made between the two. And it's interesting to hear everybody talking about the speeches. Hey, is that George Bush or is that Rick Perry -- when you listen to the accent and the way they use their words.

But you say, hold on a second. The similarities are quite different here.

MOORE: Well, George W. used his sort of very conservative credentials to motivate people.

But the interesting thing about the difference between W. and Rick, Kyra, is that Rick believes all this stuff, and Washington was using it for expedient political purposes.

Now, the best example of all this, of course, is the anti-gay marriage thing. Bush didn't care about those kinds of things. And he truly believes, I think, homosexuality was a consequence of biology.

Rick Perry and the people who support him believe it's a lifestyle choice. They want to stop it. They ban gay marriage.

Rick is a radical conservative. This stuff goes to the very, very core of who he is. And that really separates him from W.

W. did all those things and said things to increase the turnout in the primary process which is going to happen for Rick. But W. didn't really believe them. They were political necessities to get him to the White House.

PHILLIPS: Now, you say he believes this stuff. Does that worry you?

MOORE: Yes, it worries me. I don't want somebody to be the president of my country who thinks that global warming is nonsense and somebody who thinks that women get abortions are baby killers, and somebody who thinks that if a woman is contemplating a abortion, she first must look at the sonogram of a baby and be asked if she wants to hear the heartbeat -- or somebody who thought at one time, although he has changed his mind since, that six grade girls should be vaccinated against HPV whether they want to be or not.

It's one thing to say government shouldn't be messing in your life, but you can go out and campaign on that. But when your record basically shows a record of intrusion into personal lives -- that's not a guy I want to for my president. He believes this up stuff and I find it frightening.

PHILLIPS: When you talk about changing his tune -- I mean, this is a guy that was also a Democrat and then decided to be a Republican.

MOORE: Yes. Yes, he was a regular old Joe coming in from the plains of west Texas and he came in to the legislature and he started hanging out, he started seeing where the money was, and the money was with the big guys of conservative corporations. And then met up with Karl Rove and Karl Rove whispered in his ear and said, look, I can elect to statewide office, I can help you cultivate your career. And he changed stripes and he became a Republican and he has been acting like a Republican ever since.

But, the interesting thing is this very radical stuff, Kyra, is stuff that has come along probably in the last five to 10 years since he's been governor. He's become this way.

PHILLIPS: Well, radical or not, in your opinion -- I mean, this is a pretty popular guy. I mean, he's been governor for more than 10 years. He's been in politics longer than that.

MOORE: Yes.

PHILLIPS: The people -- they have kept him in office. He, obviously, has done something right here.

MOORE: Well, bear in mind, though, in the last election, he only got 39 percent of the vote because there were three well-known people running against him, a former mayor of Austin who had held statewide office, the entertainer Kinky Friedman and a congressman from Houston, Chris Bell -- and they sort of divided up the vote and Rick only got 39 percent of the votes. So, technically, he is the governor of this state with 39 percent support.

But you're right. The guy is telegenic. He's good on the stump. He fires people up.

And he has a core set of beliefs that he won't compromise on and they are really firing up the fundamentalists and the conservatives in the GOP primary, and I think that he is going to be a formidable force against President Obama.

PHILLIPS: You talked about being fired up -- I remember an interview with Kinky Friedman, you mentioned him. Now, there's a guy that gets things fired up.

Well, James, obviously, we know a lot of people will disagree with you, which is why we want them to write in and get into the discussion with you.

James Moore, thank you so much.

If you haven't read his piece, you can read it on CNN.com/opinion. And if you like, join the conversation. James will like that very much. Leave a comment for him.

Wells Fargo wants to start charging their customers to use credit cards. In 60 days, they'll test it in a handful of states. We'll have the details coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking stories cross country.

Police in Tulsa, Oklahoma say the longest standoff in their city's history is over with. The 25-year-old man coming down from his perch atop a radio tower. The guy was up there since last Thursday. After a mental evaluation police say they plan on charging him with trespassing.

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Antonio Chacon was at the right place at the right time. He says he chased a van after seeing a neighbor's 6-year-old daughter being forced into it. The suspect allegedly crashed his vehicle after a 15-minute chase through the streets of Albuquerque.

Police say it was a real close call for a little girl and they hailed her neighbor's quick action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. TRISH HOFFMAN, ALBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPARTMENT: She had injuries on her. She was bruised and banged up. Her shirt was ripped.

I think that should give people a lot of hope that there are people that are willing to do the right thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The suspect now faces charges of attempted kidnapping.

And we got another rescue to tell you about. This one out of Chatsworth, California, last night. Two teens found themselves in a tight spot stuck on a cliff ledge some 300 feet up in the air. Well, firefighters used a helicopter to get them down.

All right, let's get to Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. Another big bank trying to sneak a fee through the black door there -- Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes, they are lining up. Can you see them? Wells Fargo is up to bat now. So you want to use your debit card? Guess what, the bank is going to charge you $3 a month so you can use your money.

Well, right now, it's just a pilot program in four states: in New Mexico, Oregon, Nevada and Georgia. And it's not just Wells Fargo. Lots of banks have been looking for new ways to make money ever since the fed capped the fees that they can charge retailers for those customer swipe. So get ready it's not just Wells Fargo because the other banks kind of join them in this line -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Alison, thanks so much.

Dow Industrials is up 73 points; that's good news.

Well, troops coming back from deployment are finding warm four- legged welcomes. And video of the tail-wagging reunions are getting plenty of play on YouTube. We've got some of the highlights next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Now stories making news later today.

GOP presidential candidate, Rick Perry stumping this morning in New Hampshire.

Meanwhile President Obama holding two Town Hall meetings in Illinois as he wraps up his Midwest bus tour.

And at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Libya's transitional government formally opens its embassy in Washington.

We're following lots of developments in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Let's go ahead and check in first with Martin Savidge -- Martin.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Here in Aruba, investigators are checking out whether an insurance policy could provide the motive behind the disappearance of American tourist Robyn Gardner. We'll have the details coming up.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano on the CNN Severe Weather Center. Yesterday at SeaWorld in Florida, some visitors here got a bit of a shock, lightning danger. We'll talk about that in the next hour.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brianna Keilar in Atkinson, Illinois, population about 1,100. And the residents here are lining up to ask President Obama some questions in a town hall meeting later today. What do they want to ask him about? Jobs, of course. I'll have that coming up -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, guys.

Also next hour, an Iowa Tea Partier confronts President Obama and the video goes viral. We'll talk with Ryan Rhodes about his chat with the commander-in-chief.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right, you've got the team with the best record in baseball using the best pitchers in the game. So Jeff Fischel, what possibly could go wrong?

JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: Right exactly. And then you remember its -- its baseball and crazy things happen.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Anything can happen.

FISCHEL: Right, the Phillies, they had Roy Halladay, you can't beat him. They were going against the D-Backs, cruising until the 9th inning. Two outs from a complete game win.

Lyle Overbay, the Pirates didn't even want him, they got rid of him last week. He said he was sitting at home, washing his car when he got a call from the D-Backs. Come through with a huge double and gets the third on the throw home in the 9th inning and then in the bottom of the ninth. Puts the final nail in the coffin. Strikes out Jimmy Roland. Game over. The D-Backs now lead the NL West by 3.5 games. Thanks to a guy who was washing his car the other day.

The Braves looking for their second straight walk-off win over the Giants Martin Prado, the fly ball. Will he get it done? No, great catch by Aubrey Huff. He runs it down the wall so we go to extra innings, tied at 1.

At the bottom of 11th, Prado gets another shot. And he comes through. Into right field, that scores Brooks Conrad, it is the 22nd time the Braves have won in their final at-bat this season that's the best in the majors.

A triple play for the second night in a row. You don't see that very often, Red Sox they turn this one, Jed Lowrie perfectly positioned at third, flips over to second, Dustin Pedroia on to first. Triple plays, the Sox first since '94, they did lost the game to the Rays and they're (INAUDIBLE) lead to the New York Yankees.

Finally, check out these two fans at the Orioles/A's game. They had light up jackets. There is -- "Go Orioles" right there, and then his buddy sitting next to him with the A's across his chest. I don't know. Well, you know, I fought the law, the law won. The umpires didn't like it. They saw them sitting up there, they thought it was distracting to the players. They told their guys to, and I don't think I've ever said this before, turn off your jackets. The umpires of course will always win when it's a battle between fans and umpires.

PHILLIPS: It's pretty creative.

FISCHEL: You know, I guess they are near the Silicon Valley --

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: We're going to see some sales out yes -- exactly someone has invented something that's going to make them millions of dollars.

Thanks Jeff.

FISCHEL: Ok.

PHILLIPS: All right.

Well, we've seen how excited families can get when U.S. troops return home from the war zone. As a matter fact, Jeff Fischel was just saying how much he loved watching this video. Don't forget about man's best friend and, you know, the bonding that can happen.

CNN's Jeanne Moos has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You know all those heart-warming two-legged reunions, the military ones that end in --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "I love you".

MOOS: Well, this is the four-legged version.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, do you not recognize me?

MOOS: Emmitt Thunderpaws is the Great Dane's name and for Senior Airman Trevor Crowder, arriving back from Afghanistan.

TREVOR CROWDER, AIR FORCE: It was the second best reunion I've had since getting back.

MOOS: The best being the one with his wife Whitney.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he remembers you.

He didn't get out of Trevor's face for probably a solid week.

MOOS: From humongous dogs like Emmitt Thunderpaws to tiny ones like these two Dachshunds, canine reunions are running rampant on YouTube. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. Hi. Hi.

MOOS: From baying beagles to whimpering Molly, crying over the return of her Air Force captain owner.

(on camera): The one thing most of these doggie reunions have in common is that they can turn a macho soldier into a baby-talking softee.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My boy.

MOOS (voice-over): Fathers talk to their dogs like adults.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I missed you so bad, honey. I'm so sorry I went away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at you and how small you are. You lost so much weight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, you're going to make me cry.

MOOS: Soldiers locked in a canine embrace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He wanted to have direct eye contact to make sure that I was here.

MOOS: The doggie reunion can even eclipse the human one when the lady of the house handed her man the camera to show off her welcome home ensemble --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your lovely outfit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

MOOS: Kodiak kept stealing the show.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You look wonderful. And so do you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sorry, but I need to be the center of attention still.

MOOS: Of course dogs have a pretty short attention span so after only about 45 seconds of intense petting and a little chasing around --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we're done.

MOOS: For those of you who think the joy pets bring is just hot air --

The next best thing to a reunion -- couldn't you once just be happy to see me?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy?

MOOS: Happy even when outnumbered. At least a soldier can say things to his dog that he probably shouldn't say to his wife.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's your butt.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)