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U.S. State Department Won't Return Girl; Boehner Warns Of Debt Ceiling Showdown; Obama Meets Congressional Leaders; Romney Narrows Focus On Economy; MTV Moves Awards Show For Obama; Edwards Jury Could Get Case Soon; New Doctor Reports In Trayvon Martin Case; Wife Of Former Syracuse Coach To Sue ESPN; Police Seek Junior Seau Home Robber; Arizona Wildfire Expands, Community Warned; Elderly Couple's 80 MPH Crash; SUV Craze Is Back; Eli Manning Tackles Child Obesity; Tom Cruise Rocks a New Look; Sorkin Writing Steve Jobs Biopic; Wife of Former Syracuse Coach to Sue ESPN; Are Healthy Foods More Expensive?; Princes Dish on Queen Grandmother
Aired May 16, 2012 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. Just ahead in the NEWSROOM, a major ruling in an international custody battle over a 7-year-old. The U.S. state Department decides not to return the girl to her biological mother.
A car takes off barrelling through city streets at 80 miles per hour. The driver says he didn't hit the gas. The car maker is now scrambling to investigate what happened.
It's a Kodak moment no one expected. The camera and film company now admitting it had weapons grade uranium in an underground New York lab for more than 30 years.
Eating healthy versus paying more. A new study takes a closer look at the cost of organic food. We're asking a nutritionist if it pays off to pay more for your food.
But we begin this hour with a legal tug of war and a 7- year-old girl who is caught in the middle. Her birth mother, in Guatemala, says the girl was stolen from her and she's vowing to fight a State Department decision to not return her.
Instead, the little girl will stay with the Missouri couple who adopted her. Rafael Romo has been following this story. It's complicated and sad.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: It is very, very complicated. You have two families who both claim in two different countries that this girl belonged to them. She was born in 2004.
She was allegedly stolen from her biological mother in Guatemala in 2006 and unbeknownst to the family in the United States, she was sold to an adoption agency and then she was eventually adopted here in the United States.
Again, the parents didn't know anything about this. And so the bottom line is that the State Department has decided that the girl is not to be returned to Guatemala because the United States and Guatemala were not signatories to an international convention that regulates these kinds of cases.
Let's listen to how a State Department spokeswoman explained that yesterday afternoon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTORIA NULAND, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESWOMAN: That said, we can't accept cases under The Hague Convention on abduction if the treaty was not in force at the time of the alleged wrongful removal or retention.
So we consider the appropriate venue in the United States for pursuing this case is in the state courts. They're the competent organ for holding a full hearing on the merits and the best interests of the child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: Now, Carol, the mother in Guatemala says she's hoping to come to the United States to make her case here. The parents have not commented on the case.
Last year, we obtained a statement through an attorney, and they said that their main priority is the safety of the child and that their best interests are their paramount priority.
But they have not really said anything about this tug of war or the custody dispute.
COSTELLO: Well, you can see both sides, right? This Guatemalan mother, her child is stolen from her, sold to an adoption agency and she thinks her child is gone forever.
Then she finds out, this couple in the United States adopted her and for that couple, what a nightmare. You think you go to an adoption agency that's reputable, you adopt a child. Raise the child for four years, right?
ROMO: The girl is now seven years and so she hasn't really seen her biological mother since she was two, so that makes it five years, a crucial five years in which she learned to speak and is probably going to school and doesn't even know anything about Guatemala. No matter how you look at this case, it's very sad from both angles.
COSTELLO: So if the mother comes from Guatemala to fight her case, does she have a chance?
ROMO: It is a very long shot. She has to go to a state court in the United States and make her case. In that kind of situation, I'm no legal expert, but in that kind of situation all of the issues involved. Not only the fact that she's the biological mother, but also the welfare of the child and the outlook, the future of the child, all of that comes into play. So it is very, very difficult for the mother to actually get her girl back.
COSTELLO: Rafael Romo, thanks so much.
Your money front and center this morning. In the next hour, the president will meet with congressional leaders from both parties at the White House. It's only the second time he's done that this election year.
They'll be discussing the president's five-point to do list which includes tax cuts, mortgage assistance and job creation. But guess what? It's pretty unlikely because our no-nothing Congress is really doing nothing today.
Dana Bash is on Capitol Hill. So that five-point plan probably won't go anywhere?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not any time soon and you know, look, we all know how much people are suffering out there, unemployment over 8 percent, you know, problems with the economy galore.
And so you would think that Congress would at least be trying to focus on that kind of money and job creation today, and they are going to be debating, Carol, for six hours budgets.
And they're going to be having five votes on everything from President Obama's budget to the House Republican budget to other conservative Republican budgets.
Guess how many are going to pass? Zero. That's right. They're all going into this debate knowing that they're going to have all of this rhetoric, have these votes and nothing is going to get done.
President Obama's budget was expected to almost get zero votes because Democrats say they're just not going to be put on the hook for something they don't necessarily believe in.
COSTELLO: OK, so you say this is political gamesmanship, but there are people running for high office. Will it work?
BASH: You know, with the approval rating of Congress already at pretty much an all-time low in the teens, about 13 percent, and people out there again really suffering.
And frankly not paying that much attention to this kind of intricate political debate, it's hard to see how it will work, when it's hard for those of us who have a front row seat here, we're scratching our heads.
Big picture, what are they hoping politically? Republicans and Democrats alike, what we're going to likely see is they're going to take these votes and turn them into political ads coming to YouTube accounts and television sets near you. But will it feed into the already frustrated feeling out there? You bet.
COSTELLO: Dana Bash reporting live for us this morning.
Republican Mitt Romney is fresh off two more primary wins and that much closer to clinching his party's presidential nomination. So now Mr. Romney is more focused than ever on the issue he thinks will put him into the White House, in a word, the economy. Here's what he said about President Obama in St. Petersburg, Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He has been a disappointment at best, and -- he spoke at that Democratic Convention about four years ago, and of course, big Greek columns behind him. I don't think he'll be speaking in front of Greek columns this time, all right? He won't want to remind people of Greece.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Greece, of course, is mired in a debt crisis sliding toward bankruptcy after too many years of unchecked spending. Romney says Greece is a cautionary tale and that the Obama White House has chosen to ignore it.
September 6 is a big night for President Obama and music makers. It's the night President Obama will accept the Democratic nomination in Charlotte, North Carolina while MTV hands out its annual awards in Los Angeles.
Well, MTV now plans to air its show an hour earlier to prevent a conflict with the president's acceptance speech. The NFL has moved its opening game of the season to accommodate the president.
The defense in John Edwards' corruption trial could wrap up its case as early as today, but there are big lingering questions. Will his oldest daughter, Cate, take the stand?
Will his mistress, Rielle Hunter, be called to testify? And will the former presidential candidate take the stand in his own defense? Edwards is accused of using campaign contributions to cover up his affair with Hunter.
Also this morning, new developments and new details in the Trayvon Martin case. Two sources close to the investigation tell us a doctor's examination of the shooter, George Zimmerman, may back up his claims of a brutal scuffle with the teen.
It has details of what we can't see on this police surveillance tape on the night Trayvon Martin was killed. Martin Savidge is here to tell us more.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, there are actually two key pieces of evidence now that we're starting to get a glimpse of. In both cases, both sides say that is supporting their version of events.
First and foremost, those medical records that talk about George Zimmerman and the injuries that he says he sustained in his battle with Trayvon Martin.
What the doctor's note essentially says is that George Zimmerman had a broken nose. He had two black eyes. He had lacerations on the back of his head and he had minor injuries to his back.
And that, his defense team says, supports the fact that he got into a fight with Trayvon Martin. And, they say, that Trayvon Martin was the aggresor. Well, then comes the other key piece of evidence, which was the autopsy report of Trayvon Martin, 17-year-old.
It shows that his hands were injured. That, the defense says, shows he threw the first punch. George Zimmerman was right, he was knocked to the ground and he was in a desperate battle for his life.
However, Trayvon Martin's family says, no, that's not the case. Ben Crump, the attorney for the young man, was on Anderson Cooper's show last night. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN CRUMP, MARTIN FAMILY ATTORNEY (via telephone): We have a doctor's note that says why he came to the doctor. He sought an appointment with the doctor to get legal clearance to return to work.
So it is very suspicious that he doesn't have to go to the doctor February 26 when he shoots and kills Trayvon Martin. He doesn't have to go to the E.R., but then the next morning he has to go.
We do know one thing, Anderson, and that is Trayvon Martin was taken away in an ambulance. He lost the battle for his life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Carol, the point is here that Ben Crump, the attorney for Trayvon Martin's family is saying, look, George Zimmerman may have been injured. But he wasn't so seriously injured that he went to the hospital that night. He didn't have a concussion, thereby, not the fight of his life. This is not the end of this conversation.
COSTELLO: You talked a little bit about injuries to Trayvon Martin. Is the autopsy on Trayvon Martin complete now and released?
SAVIDGEL: Yes, well, it is. It's released, but it's been released into the hands of the defense team. All of this is information that the investigation has been gathered by the prosecution.
Legally now they must provide it to the defense and that's what's happening this week. This flow of information. Will we get to see all of it? That's probably going to have to be worked out in a court hearing.
COSTELLO: All right, Martin Savidge, thank you.
People in an entire town flee their homes because of a raging wildfire closing in. Now firefighters are battling strong winds and rough terrain to try to control it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Just about 15 minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories. In about 45 minutes we expect to hear from the wife of Syracuse assistant basketball coach, Bernie Fine. She plans to sue ESPN.
Her husband is accused of molesting boys decades ago. Laurie Fine became part of the story when an audio tape surfaced that seemed to suggest she knew about her husband's alleged sexual abuse, but a family member said the tape was tampered with.
Police this morning are looking for the person who robbed the Oceanside, California, home of NFL star Junior Seau. It happened just days after his suicide.
Police say someone sneaked past mourning fans in broad daylight, entered the house, rummaged through the drawers and then entered the garage. That's where the culprit made off with a bike and some mementos.
People in Crown King, Arizona, are being warned the gladiator wildfire may circle back and threaten their community again. Local media report the fire has swelled to more than 2,000 acres.
At least 500 firefighters are on hand, but they have only been able to contain 5 percent of the fire. Right now, we want to take you live to the Crown King area of Arizona.
Tess Rafols from our affiliate, KTVK, is on the ground there. Tell us what's happening.
TESS RAFOLS, KTVK REPORTER: Good morning, Carol. You know what, this morning some 350 folks from Crown King are still evacuated, but there is some slight good news.
That 5 percent containment that you mentioned is on the line leading into the down of Crown King, which is about an hour and a half north of Phoenix.
So that is some good news. But of course with a wildfire like this, the pattern of those flames can change at any time and that's what firefighters fear.
Now let's get you up to date what the latest is right now, some 2,000 acres burned since this fire broke out mid-Sunday and some 500 firefighters battling this, a lot of them stationed in the Crown King area, protecting the line so the flames do not go into town.
Many also protecting an area filled with communication towers that could affect everything from cell phone service to internet to satellite, even apparently communication lines between Homeland Security, DPS and other law enforcement agencies so that is a crucial area that folks are trying to protect right now.
As for the conditions here, we are, of course, in Arizona and it is hot, warm conditions, windy conditions over the next several days not providing any relief for these firefighters. Even overnight they're not making any headway because of those horrible conditions.
We're also talking about steep terrain, Carol, so at this point firefighters have no idea when, one, they'll get better control of this, only 5 percent containment.
And two, as hundreds of folks await to find out when they can go back in. Several structures lost so far since this all began Sunday. It's believed to have started actually from a house fire in that Crown King area just outside of town, which spread into a wildfire so a lot of folks holding on to hope that their homes will be saved. Back to you.
COSTELLO: Tess Raffles, thanks so much.
Happening right now on Capitol Hill, lawmakers looking to hold the TSA accountable, a hearing focusing on a highly critical internal report about the agency.
The investigation said the TSA did not accurately report, track and fix security breaches. We're going to keep listening to this hearing. Any news comes out of it. We'll pass it along to you.
A viral video from South Korea may raise concerns among some car owners here in the United States. Buckle up for this white- knuckled ride. Seventeen people were injured in the crash that you are about to see, including the elderly couple inside this Hyundai Sonota.
Their son actually posted the dashboard video online because he thinks the malfunction caused the car to accelerate to 80 miles per hour. The South Korean car maker and the government say they're investigating.
Remember when every one of your neighbors seemed to have an SUV parked in their driveway? Well, those sales seem to be on the road to recovery. We'll tell you why the SUV craze is bouncing back from a decades-long decline.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, is there a middle ground in dealing with the deficit?
We're headed for another showdown over the debt ceiling. Why, because it was so very much fun the last time. You remember. The high stakes brinksmanship, the last-minute deal nobody was happy with and the lowering of America's credit rating, embarrassing.
Now House Speaker John Boehner wants to deja vu it all over again. Raise the debt ceiling again, he says, then cut, cut, cut.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: It is a line in the sand. It is a line in the sand because Washington has kicked the can down the road, kicked the can down the road, kicked the can down the road and the American people think we're crazy. They're ready for Washington to take action. I'm here. I'm ready to do it. Let's go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Predictably Boehner said no to increasing taxes. Predictably Democrats balked.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SENATOR HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: Republicans can grandstand all they want. The fact is any agreement to avoid a fiscal cliff facing us at the end of this year must not cut program that say support the middle class. Must be balanced with policies that ask millionaires to help a little bit, do their fair share.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So while the deficit hovers around a trillion a year, both parties are still arguing over how to reduce it. It is, in a word, wearying.
We were going to ask you your thoughts about Congress, but we already know, so we'll ask you this question instead. The talk back today, is there a middle ground in dealing with the deficit? Facebook.com/carolcnn. I'll read your comments later this hour.
Remember when people were concerned about the price of gas and hybrid commercials tried to capitalize on all that money-saving emotion?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Brian.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's up with the beard?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not shaving until I have to put gas in my new Civic hybrid.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Well, forget about hybrids and miles per gallon. The SUV is back! Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. Gas prices are still high, though. This doesn't make any sense?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, high gas prices, forget about it. No big deal. You know, people are still buying SUVs.
You know, you look at the 1990s and early 2000s, Carol, one in five vehicles sold was an SUV. Now one in three vehicles sold is an SUV. This is surprising because as you said gas prices of still high and look what happened during the recession.
We ran out to buy those small fuel-efficient cars so everyone wants to know why this comeback? Well, the reason is because SUVs of today are really different than the models that were sold more than a decade ago.
You look at the 1990s, they were huge, these big like mini buses kind of rolling around the streets. They were offroading. They were gas guzzlers. Now they're less truck-like.
Smaller SUVs are actually now built on car frames and they get pretty good gas mileage and those are the SUVs, Carol, that are selling well, like the Chevy Equinox and the Ford Escape and the Honda CRV -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So we're just smarter about buying our SUVs now.
KOSIK: Yes, exactly.
COSTELLO: Before you go, how are the markets doing?
KOSIK: Markets are looking pretty good. Dow is up 86 points. Nasdaq up 17. It looks like investors are kind of putting those problems about Greece to the side today despite the fact that there's growing talk that Greece will have to drop out of the EU.
What's happening the markets a pretty decent housing report showing home construction jumped in April. Also you got to look at the big picture here. Stocks have been beaten down over the past week or two. The bargain hunters are out scooping up stocks today -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Alison Kosik live at the New York Stock Exchange.
A New Jersey governor and a mayor from opposite parties come together to make one hilarious video. We'll show you a clip and ask our buzz panel if it proves bipartisanship can exist.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Just about 30 minutes past the hour. Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. Stories we're watching right now in the NEWSROOM.
Hyundai this morning looking into this viral video showing a car plowing through city streets at 80 miles per hour and then crashing. This took place in South Korea.
The son of the elderly couple driving, he posted this video. He thinks a malfunction caused the car to accelerate. The car maker and South Korean government are investigating.
George Zimmerman had a broken nose, two black eyes and two lacerations on the back of his head after the confrontation that ended with Trayvon Martin's death.
That's based on a medical report from Zimmerman's family doctor. Zimmerman faces a second-degree murder charge. He acknowledged shooting martin in the back in February, but claims it was in self defense.
And the defense in John Edwards' corruption trial could wrap up its case as early as today, but there are still some big questions.
Will his older daughter, Cate, testify and will the former presidential candidate take the stand? He's accused of using campaign contributions to cover up his affair with Rielle Hunter.
"Political Buzz," it's your rapid fire look at the best political questions of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. Playing with us today, on the left, CNN contributor, Maria Cardona and on the right, Helen Ferrer who has a political show on Univision Radio and is the op-ed editor of "Diario Las Americas." Welcome to both of you.
First question, Republican House Speaker John Boehhner says why wait until the end of the year, why not debate raising the debt limit right now smack in the middle of a nasty election. And yes, there will be no, and I repeat no tax raises.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's the partisanship --
BOEHNER: It is a line in the sand. It is a line in the sand because Washington has kicked the can down the road, kicked the can down the road, kicked the can down the road and the American people think we're crazy. They're ready for Washington to take action. I'm here. I'm ready to do it. Let's go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Ok. So the question, do the American people think lawmakers are crazy? Maria?
MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I don't think so much crazy as they -- as the American people believe that they are self-serving and incompetent. But it's so curious to me that John Boehner is the one who's saying that they have kicked the can down the road, kicked the can down the road and he's now ready to do something.
Well, where was that attitude when he actually was on the brink of getting the grand bargain with President Obama that included dealing with the deficits, entitlement reform, taxes, revenue, everything, fairness for the American people. He went back to the Tea Party, they said no way, we don't want you to do a deal with this President and then he came back and said no. Americans believe that Republicans have been the most intransigent and obstructionists.
COSTELLO: Helen.
HELEN FERRE, OP-ED EDITOR, DIARIOS LAS AMERICAS: There's no question that Americans think that Congress is ineffective. If you look at polls and it says that approval ratings are anywhere between 9 to 11 percent. At least John Boehner at this point in time is saying let's stand up and talk about something that's really significant and let's do it in an election year and why not.
President Obama tells us let's look forward, so let's look forward. At the end of the year we're going to reach $16.3 trillion in national debt. We're going to have the Bush era tax cuts that are going to be expiring. We're going to be seeing increased costs for health care. So you know, it's about time we deal with important issues.
COSTELLO: Ok on to the second question. The former president in an elevator as the doors close, George W. Bush said I'm for Mitt Romney. But he didn't add "Yay". Does this mean we will not see W on the trail, Helen?
FERRE: Probably not. I mean, if I had to guess, I would say no. Republicans tend to -- ex-Republican presidents tend to get involved in charities. Now you have younger presidents that are, you know, retiring and so maybe you see them more active. Certainly on the Democratic side you see President Carter, who's not young, but you see President Clinton, who is very involved in politics.
Republicans tend to like standing back. They had their limelight, they had their moment in time. Bush's parents did come out in support of Mitt Romney. The support is going to be there, but you know what, I think it's better for ex-presidents to stay out of politics.
COSTELLO: Maria.
CARDONA: I agree with Helen in that I don't think that you're going to see -- you're going to be seeing W. on the trail for three reasons. The first one, he's clearly not enamored of Mitt Romney and we would need an hour for me to say the reasons why.
But secondly, he has been out of the limelight. I don't think he has really ever liked the limelight.
And thirdly, I think it's because, frankly, the Romney campaign wouldn't want him there. Why? Because Mitt Romney is about to embrace the same exact policies that George W. Bush embraced and implemented that were the ones who took us over this fiscal cliff to begin with.
COSTELLO: Ok. Time for our "Buzzer Beater", 20 seconds on the clock. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Newark Mayor Cory Booker starred in a video spoof to the delight of local reporters. As you know, Booker recently rescued his neighbor from a burning building and Christie did not.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: How are you doing? You guys got any problems, like a fire anywhere, people trapped?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
CHRISTIE: No, like a bad automobile accident where you need me to help some folks?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, nothing like that.
CHRISTIE: Maybe a cat in a tree?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I think we're all set here.
CORY BOOKER, MAYOR, NEWARK: Trooper, what have we got?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayor, thank you for coming. There's a two- alarm fire down on State Street. We do have a car broken down on Route One. And, yes, a little girl has lost her cat in a tree.
BOOKER: All right. Trooper, as you were. Governor, I've got this.
CHRISTIE: Booker.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was that?
CHRISTIE: Oh, hey, Steve, hey, listen, I've got to get going. I think we might have a flat tire here. All right. I'll hang up first. Goodbye.
BOOKER: Hey, Gov, Gov, sit tight. I got this.
CHRISTIE: Booker.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor, stand back. I got, this I got this.
CHRISTIE: Booker.
BOOKER: Governor Romney --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: I just love how he Tebowed the baby. So here is the question Christie is a Republican, Booker is a Democrat and they had fun. Is this a sign that bipartisanship isn't dead? Maria?
CARDONA: Well hopefully. And I think that Washington needs to take a look at that and take some lessons. But I will point to the ladies of the Senate, Carol, and Dana Bash did a great piece on this. They have dinner every week and they talk about the issues they can agree on and they move forward on these issues.
So boys in the Senate and in Congress, take a page from the girls. Girls, you rock.
COSTELLO: Oh Helen.
FERRE: I couldn't agree more with Maria. But it's also easier to be bipartisan when you're not running for re-election. It would be kind of fun to see what would happen when they are running for re- election. It would be more like a scene from "Mad Men" where every man has to watch his own back and take care of your own account.
I don't know that we're going to be seeing Seinfeld when it comes to re-election time in New Jersey.
COSTELLO: Booker. They're great actors.
CARDONA: That was great. That was hilarious.
COSTELLO: Maria -- Maria and Helen, thanks for playing with us today.
FERRE: Thank you.
CARDONA: Thanks, Carol.
COSTELLO: Tom Cruise rocks a new look for his musical movie "Rock of Ages." Yes, that's Tom Cruise. What's he saying about his role, religion and plastic surgery?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: NFL quarterback Eli Manning, he's led his New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories, taken home two MVP honors and even hosted "Saturday Night Live." Clearly someone ate their Wheaties.
But Manning knows a lot of kids aren't so lucky. At a time when childhood obesity rates are rising, he's helping to launch an initiative that gets kids moving before school.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELI MANNING, NY GIANTS QUARTERBACK: When I was in school, we had P.E., we had physical education.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
MANNING: A lot of schools --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right run a mile -- MANNING: -- yes a lot of schools have eliminated that so these kids are in school all day with no sort of physical activity and they've seen also this country has an obesity problem, especially with kids, and our academic performances have gone down in kids.
So you know, the emphasis why it's so great is that it's not only to -- to you know attack the health and the obesity problem but also increase the academic performance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The name of the program is "What Moves You" and it stresses the need for physical activity among middle school students.
Tom Cruise gets candid about scientology while rocking an edgy new look. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" host A.J. Hammer has the details of a revealing interview. So what did Tom say, A.J.?
A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Well, pretty much that life is good, Carol and why not. And first off, we really have to take a look at these pictures from "W" magazine. If we can put those up. It's Tom Cruise in character for his new film "Rock of Ages."
Look at that, not the Tom Cruise you know. This is an adaptation of the Broadway show. Cruise plays Stacy Jacks a fading rock god from the 1980s. The film is scheduled to be released next month.
And Cruise is also getting a lot of attention right now for this in-depth interview that he gave to "Playboy" magazine. Some of the notable items from that interview, he says he's never had plastic surgery and never will. He talks about his involvement with Scientology which he says helps him search for ways to become a better man.
And he looks back at all the trouble he got into in 2006. You may remember he criticized Brook Shields for using antidepressants. He said he didn't mean things the way they were interpreted and that he never wants to tell people how to live their lives. His words on that, "I get how it came across but I don't feel that way and I never have."
Now, he says that what he has with his wife, Katie Holmes, is still special. He's been happy ever since he met her. He also talks about how he knows how to fight rumors that people spread about him, and that is not to bother to refute every one since it doesn't do any good. But he does say, Carol, he lets people know there is a line they shouldn't cross if they don't want to wind up dealing with his attorneys. Tom Cruise known to be litigious in Hollywood from time to time.
COSTELLO: Wow. Yes, that will work.
Another story you're following, Steve Jobs' life story is coming to the big screen. I've seen pictures of Ashton Kutcher; he kind of looks like Steve Jobs. HAMMER: Yes. And this is actually pretty promising. Aaron Sorkin has been tapped to write this movie about the life of Steve Jobs. Sorkin has signed up to adapt the bestselling biography of Jobs to the big screen. And to me it seems like a perfect combination of writer and material.
Jobs, of course, was one of the most influential men in the world for the last 30 years. If you doubt that, you can send an e- mail to my iPhone or my iPad and Sorkin, of course, won an academy award for adapting the screenplay for "The Social Network" so he has shown a real ability to portray complicated feature men like Jobs in a really fascinating way. I just think it is a great mix -- great mix and it should be a great film.
COSTELLO: Yes. I can't wait to see the movie.
A.J. Hammer, thank you.
Want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world? A.J. has it tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" at 11:00 Eastern on HLN.
Do healthy foods have to be more expensive than junk food? No way, according to a dietician who will join us next.
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COSTELLO: (inaudible) -- the hour, checking our top stories now.
In about 15 minutes we expect to hear from the wife of Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine. She is suing ESPN for libel. Her husband is accused of molesting boys decades ago. Laurie Fine became part of the story when an audio tape surfaced on ESPN that seemed to suggest she knew about her husband's alleged sexual abuse. But a family member says the tape was tampered with and she's now suing ESPN for airing that tape.
Last hour I talked to her legal team.
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LAWRENCE H. FISHER, ATTORNEY FOR LAURIE FINE: ESPN published worldwide defamatory statements about Laurie Fine and they have essentially ruined her life and destroyed her reputation in the Syracuse community that she loved and served for so many years. And so for that reason, we are seeking to hold ESPN accountable for their reprehensible actions.
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COSTELLO: ESPN responded with this statement. Quote, "We haven't had an opportunity to review the lawsuit, the complaint. We stand by our reporting," end quote.
Greeks are still pulling their money out of banks out of fear Greece will leave the Euro Zone after upcoming elections. The country's central bank says Greeks withdrew the equivalent of about $900 million Monday. Greek's state-run news agency says the new elections will be held June 17th. A national vote left parliament deeply divided and no party able to form a government.
Kodak now confirming it had weapons grade uranium stored in an underground lab for 30 years, but a Kodak spokesman says it was used for experiments and could not have been easily made into a weapon. Still, U.S. officials say that's the kind of stuff terrorists would like to get their hands on. Kodak turned it over to the government in 2007 but the company is just now talking about it.
Are foods that are good for you have to be more expensive than other foods that are not? The USDA is tackling that question later head on later today with a briefing comparing food prices. We're going to do our own comparison right now with a registered dietician, Trulie Ankerberg.
Thank you for being with us.
TRULY ANKERBERG, REGISTERED DIETICIAN: Sure.
COSTELLO: So the government is going to compare whether organic fruits and vegetables are more expensive than non-organic fruits and vegetables and we decided we wanted to get a jump start on that and that's why we invited you. And you have a few examples to show us.
ANKERBERG: Yes. And for example, the zucchini, that was -- taking the prices in a local grocery store, the organic is 50 cents higher per pound than non-organic. And peppers, even that, 50 cents higher per pound.
I mean if you really take into account what you're getting with organic, it has been shown to be higher in nutrient quality. Pesticides obviously are lower. And you're also contributing to the health of the environment. You know, the pesticide that's been put --
COSTELLO: But going back to this -- because it's interesting. So cucumbers there, $1.99. Is that per pound or per cucumber?
ANKERBERG: That's per cucumber.
COSTELLO: So $1.99 per cumber. So that's expensive for one cucumber, sorry. If you get the non-organic kind it's 99 cents?
ANKERBERG: Yes, it is more expensive. And actually cucumbers are amongst the dirty dozen. The USDA puts out a list of the highest pesticide contaminated crops and they found that there's certain crops that are really high. So if you're going to budget your money in terms of getting organic of certain foods, there are things like celery is particularly high and bell peppers are one of the highest.
So those would be ones that you could focus on getting the organic option and maybe not getting everything organic and that can be a way to budget better. COSTELLO: Ok. So bananas, you can get organic bananas which are much more expensive than regular bananas but you take the peelings off right and eat the inside of the fruit so does it matter if it's organic or not?
ANKERBERG: In that case, you're right, it wouldn't matter as much as, say, celery or bell peppers where you're actually eating the peel and all. With bananas, yes, you can go with the non-organic and feel like you're not getting that much in terms of pesticides.
COSTELLO: Ok. So I know you said that some organic vegetables are higher in nutrients but if you're worried about the pesticides, why not just wash your bell pepper with a brush and wouldn't that solve the problem? I mean why pay twice as much for a bell pepper just because it's organic?
ANKERBERG: Well, that's a good question because interestingly the USDA actually measures the pesticide level after it's been washed so they aren't actually taking it right of the field and measuring it. They're washing it just like a consumer would wash it. And then measuring the pesticide level and still finding it to be much higher.
COSTELLO: So it is a good idea in your opinion to buy that organic red pepper.
ANKERBERG: It is, I think so. If you can swing it. Especially when peppers come into season, they're going to get cheaper. The organic can sometimes even rival the non-organic.
COSTELLO: Ok. So boil it down for us. So is it better overall to buy organic fruits and vegetables as opposed to nonorganic?
ANKERBERG: I think so. If your budget can allow it, definitely. Especially for those top most pesticide-laden crops.
COSTELLO: See, when you say things like that, people who can't afford it, but I'm sorry $1.99 per cucumber is ridiculous. That's ridiculous. So if you can't afford it and you're saying this, that kind of like doesn't encourage people to buy fruits and vegetables.
ANKERBERG: Well, I do not want to sway anybody against buying fresh produce or any kind of produce. Frozen is another option too. But studies find that people who eat the most fresh fruits and vegetables or even frozen fruits and vegetables, those studies are finding that those people have lower disease rates and they're not buying organic.
So the studies aren't looking at organic-buying consumers but they're still finding the disease-reducing benefits, the weight control benefits and the health important benefits that go with eating that way. So I don't want to sway anybody from eating fruits and vegetables. Definitely not.
COSTELLO: Ok. I'm going to buy non-organic and I'm just going to wash them. Thanks so much Trulie for coming in.
Prince Harry and Prince William are opening up. They're and talking about what it's like to have a Queen for a grandma.
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COSTELLO: Royals dishing about royals. Oh, it's true. Princes William and Harry are now talking about their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, as they celebrate her diamond jubilee. Max Foster has the scoop for us in London. Hi, Max.
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, these are big stars now around the world, aren't they? Particularly with William's wife now in the fold, Catherine.
But this year they're very keen. The story is all about the queen celebrating 60 years on the throne. Now speaking to the king of Greece who's William's godfather, yesterday. He was saying how they're very, very close, William and the Queen. He wants to pay tribute in whatever way he can.
So he has granted an interview to a U.S. network, as has Harry, talking specifically about the Queen, we haven't got much of it yet but this is what we do have.
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PRINCE HARRY, U.K: First of all she's our grandmother, it's as simple as that.
PRINCE WILLIAM, U.K: As I learned from growing up, you don't mess with your grandmother.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She hasn't friended you on Facebook?
PRINCE HARRY: No, she hasn't. Has she friended you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully after this interview she will.
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FOSTER: A reference there about the British monarchy's Facebook page. I can confirm the Queen doesn't actually handle it all herself. I don't expect that Carol.
COSTELLO: You're kidding. She doesn't?
FOSTER: There's an army of people on Facebook in the palace.
COSTELLO: It is interesting that they're so much more open about talking about their family because you never really heard much of that before. So what's changed?
FOSTER: Well, William very rarely does any interviews but -- and he doesn't want to speak about himself particularly. He doesn't want to tell any personal stories. He doesn't want anyone around him telling him any personal stories and they're all briefed about that.
But if it's specifically about something he does want to talk about, like the Queen and her jubilee year, then you can often get some access there. But you're not going to get anything particularly revealing about his character because he's very, very careful about media. And that all goes back to the way Diana was hounded by the media and he's trying to protect himself, Harry and his wife from that ever happening again. So this is purely about the Queen.
COSTELLO: Yes. Thanks so much. Max Foster reporting live from London.
Again, next month Queen Elizabeth celebrates 60 years on the throne.
Join CNN for all of the pomp and the pageantry of her diamond jubilee. That begins Sunday morning, June 3rd, at 11:00 eastern and the celebration continues on CNN Tuesday, June 5th.
In your daily dose of health news, President Obama's administration unveils a new plan to fight Alzheimer's. The strategy calls for spending $7.9 million to study an insulin nasal spray treatment and another $16 million to fund a study to help prevent Alzheimer's.
More than five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's- related illnesses. The White House's goal is to be able to treat and prevent Alzheimer's by the year 2025.
We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. The day's question: is there a middle ground in dealing with the deficit? Your responses next.
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COSTELLO: We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, "is there a middle ground in dealing with the deficit?"
This from Jennifer. "Lines in the sand are supposed to shift as the wind blows. The Republican line seems more like a World War I trench warfare."
This from Lee. "Both sides need to cut spending big time. Only if the government will do this, then consider tax hikes, but not until then. We don't need to give Uncle Sam money to pay for a Ferrari when we can get by with a Ford."
This from Harvey, "Debt ceiling and deficit spending are two separate issues. If my personal budge is not in order, I look at where I can save and how I can increase my income to balance the budget. Time to find reasonable cuts and increase revenue."
Keep the comments going. Facebook.com/carolCNN. And thanks as always for your comments. I am Carol Costello. Thank you for joining me today. "CNN NEWSROOM" continues right now with Kyra Phillips.
