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Sniper Aims at Georgia School Bus; Autopsy Today for Wife of Robert Kennedy; Closing Arguments in Edwards Trial; Verizon Ends Unlimited Data for Upgrades; Romney Rope Line Dustup; "The Defeat of Barack Hussein Obama"; Highway Killer on the Loose; Iron Men & Women in the Making
Aired May 17, 2012 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Women they sang, they danced. The episode introduced us to HIV/AIDS, condoms, chronic fatigues syndrome, and --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They changed the world. Shout out to Betty White. They changed the world.
BALDWIN: And now we know he feels about Betty White and "Golden Girls." I was a big fan as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for being a friend.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Carol Costello, just take it. Just take it. Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I love the "Golden Girls," too.
(LAUGHTER)
Thank you, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Yes, me, too.
COSTELLO: Happening right now in the NEWSROOM, the curse of Camelot. Fifty-year-old Mary Kennedy found dead in her New York home. The estranged wife of Robert Kennedy, Jr., battling drug and alcohol problems for years.
Blazing Arizona wildfires nearly tripling in size overnight. Firefighters battling the exploding blaze this morning. Winds spreading the flames. At least two states now under the gun.
Could be the $100 million tax dodged. Did Facebook's co-founder give up his U.S. citizenship to escape paying his taxes? He's now in Singapore driving a Bentley, partying it up, appearing high society magazines. Eduardo Saverin now in Washington's crosshairs. Why did he unfriend America?
Block the press. Rope line reporters at a Mitt Romney physically blocked from asking the candidate questions. CNN the only network getting the moment on tape.
NEWSROOM begins right now.
And good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. This morning police are escorting some school buses in metro Atlanta after a terrifying scene unfolded for several students on their way to school. A gunman took aim at the children while they boarded a school bus. It happened in Clayton County, that's south of Atlanta's airport where police have now found the rifle, ammunition and a note with school bus numbers and pickup and arrival times.
Here's what one witness told Tom Jones of our affiliate WSB.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My uncle signals, I mean get that (INAUDIBLE), he is shooting at that school bus, shooting at them kids.
TOM JONES, REPORTER, WSB: Twenty-year-old Paderias Brewer told me that's what his uncle yelled when he saw a man aiming a rifle with a scope on it at children getting on a school bus. The sniper was in his neighbor's backyard. That's when Brewer says the sniper dropped the rifle and jumped the fence and took off. He ran after him.
BREWER: I was running to try to catch him. Stop. Stop. And he just kept going.
JONES: Brewer says all of a sudden --
BREWER: Boom. All I heard was the gunshot.
JONES: He says the gunman fired a shot at him.
BREWER: It was loud.
JONES: Luckily it missed. He showed me where police marked where the bullet hit. The gunman got away and now the search is on to find him. Brewer wants to be a police officer but he says police gave him a valuable piece of advice.
BREWER: The police officer told me that I need to wait and not chase him down like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That was WSB's Tom Jones reporting. Local police are still searching for that gunman. So far more than 60 officers have gone door to door asking residents for help in the neighborhood where that incident took place.
Now let's turn to the latest tragic chapter of Camelot and the Kennedy family that has fascinated generations of Americans. Today an autopsy is scheduled for the 52-year-old estranged wife of Robert Kennedy, Jr. Mary Kennedy was found dead in her suburban New York home. Her life, like that of her in-laws, had been filled with both achievement and darkness. Alina Cho is in New York to tell us more.
Good morning, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Carol. Good morning.
You mentioned that autopsy. The Westchester County medical examiner we were told will begin the autopsy on Mary Kennedy's body within the next half hour or so. We're told it will begin at about 9:30 Eastern Time. The autopsy will take about an hour to complete. And we could actually hear about a cause of death as early as later today.
For now, however, police are understandably keeping a tight lid on what might have happened. They will not say how Mary Kennedy died and they're not providing many details about what they found at her home in Bedford, New York, other than her body, which was discovered in what they described as an out building on the property.
Now one thing we do know, though, Carol, is that the last few years were not kind at all to Mary Kennedy.
COSTELLO: Yes, she did battle a lot of demons, didn't she?
CHO: She did. She did. You know, the real problems began in May of 2010. That's when we publicly heard about them at least. And that's when her husband, Robert Kennedy, Jr. -- remember, he's the nephew of President John F. Kennedy, filed for divorce. The couple has four children. All under the age of 18. That is what is so heartbreaking about this.
The divorce, we should mentioned, Carol, was never finalized. So at the time of death, they were still officially married.
Now not long after Robert Kennedy, Jr., announced plans to leave her, Mary Kennedy was arrested for driving under the influence twice in 2010. Once for alcohol and once for prescription drugs. One charge was reduced. The other was thrown out. But nonetheless, it did happen.
There was also a domestic incident the night after Robert Kennedy filed for divorce during which he told authorities that his wife was intoxicated. Kennedy biographer Larry Leamer spoke to Erin Burnett last night about Mary and Robert Kennedy and the very public battles of demons that they battled. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY LEAMER, AUTHOR, JOURNALIST: Her husband or soon to be ex- husband was a heroin addict. I mean -- and he quit (INAUDIBLE) came out of that and became one of America's great environmental leaders. But I remember Kathleen Kennedy Thompson saying to me that she enjoys going to Hines Court for Thanksgiving better now. It used to be a bunch of drunks, now it's an AA meeting.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHO: You know, you hear so much, Carol, about the Kennedy curse and I have to say when I heard about this last night, I thought to myself here we go again. How heartbreaking, how terrible for the Kennedy family.
COSTELLO: How is the Kennedy family reacting?
CHO: Well, you know, there are two statements that were put out last night, Carol. Mary Kennedy's family put out a statement through their attorney saying, in part, "Our heart goes out to her children who she loved without reservation." Remember there were four children that they had together. Robert Kennedy, Jr., for his part, also released a statement saying, "Mary inspired our family with her kindness, her love, her gentle soul and generous spirit." -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Alina Cho, reporting from New York for us this morning.
Remember that deadly string of anthrax filled envelopes that terrified the nation after the 9/11 attacks? Well, it appears someone is trying to rekindle that fear. The FBI now says it believes one person sent 20 powder filled envelopes to schools and businesses in the Dallas area last week and that person may be to blame for some 380 such letters sent since 2008. The powder is harmless but authorities say this hoax needs to be taken seriously.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN F. KOLBYE, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: Although the sender has focused on government agencies, he or she has began to target our nation's schools and this necessitates a serious response by authorities out of caution and concern for our children, our teachers as well as the first responders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Officials say the hoax is also extremely expensive to taxpayers and the intended targets. A reward of $150,000 is being offered for information that leads to an arrest.
In Alabama, protesters are challenging lawmakers' latest measure against illegal immigration. Police arrested at least seven demonstrators at the state house. The governor is launching a full review of the bill. Supporters say it improves current law, which is considered the toughest in the country. Opponents and protesters say it makes the law even more abusive and illegal.
Closing arguments getting under way today in the corruption trial of former presidential candidate John Edwards. His defense team rested their case after just two days and after deciding not to have Edwards or his former mistress testify. Edwards faces up to 30 years in prison on charges that he funneled campaign money to Rielle Hunter, the mother of his child.
CNN's Joe Johns is at the courthouse in Greensboro, North Carolina. JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Closing arguments today in the John Edwards' campaign finance trial here in Greensboro, North Carolina. Each side gets two hours to make their final points before the jury. The prosecution will go first. Then the defense, then the prosecution will get the last word because it has the burden of proving each and every element of the six-count indictment against John Edwards.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS (voice-over): The wrap-up of this trial was a bit of a surprise for how fast it came. The defense had suggested it might throw in the kitchen sink at the end. John Edwards, Rielle Hunter, his former mistress. But in the end they didn't even call Edwards' daughter, Cate, to the stand.
Legal observers here have said the defense might have decided they're better off leaving well enough alone after giving the jury a simple and clear position on the legal issues at play in the case. For example, that the hush money in the Edwards case wasn't intended to be a campaign contribution and that somebody else got the money, not John Edwards.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: The jury is expected to start its deliberations in the Edwards case on Friday morning.
In Greensboro, I'm Joe Johns.
COSTELLO: In central Texas, the military is looking into why a training missile accidentally fell from a military chopper and landed smack in the middle of a neighborhood. About 100 homes were evacuated. The object six-feet long doesn't contain any explosives. A disposal team arrived and took the missile away. No one was hurt.
Police are seeking the carjackers who robbed gospel music legend Marvin Winans. He says his carjacking ordeal began innocently enough at a Detroit gas station. A man approached him chatting about the music on his radio, and then a few more men walked up and things got ugly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. MARVIN WINANS, CARJACKING VICTIM: I was on the ground and then they went to kicking me and trying to get the money out of my pocket and tore my pants up and then when I stood up, I called on Jesus. Jesus, and they started running. And I got up and my car was gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Detroit police don't think the attackers knew Winans was a recording artist and prominent local pastor. He suffered a few scrapes, bumps and torn pants. The largest of at least four wildfires burning in Arizona has nearly tripled in size. Local media say four homes near Crown King have been destroyed queen. Firefighters are not getting a break from the wind either. They're also dealing with poisonous snakes and unmarked abandoned mines.
Winds are also fuelling a wildfire in northern Colorado. Nearly 1,000 acres have already burned. Investigators say someone likely started that fire.
Attention Verizon wireless customers. Your unlimited data plan is about to get the boot.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. And customers are not going to be happy.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Adios unlimited plan. Exactly. But you know what, Carol, you know, Verizon slowly has been chipping away at this unlimited plan. You see what they did back in July. Verizon dropped unlimited for the new customers coming in. Well, guess what, now it's planning to ditch the unlimited for all customers that come in.
Verizon CFO announced this at a wireless conference yesterday. Now Verizon is in the process of updating from its 3G network to its 4G network. Now what this 4G network is is it's faster and it winds up doing -- for the company it costs the company more so it means we're going to be consuming more data so carriers are upgrading to these faster wireless networks, and they're trying to cover the cost of these upgraded wireless networks by generating more revenue from us -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So I guess the idea is to provide a limited bucket of data that can be shared in a -- like a group plan of some sort?
KOSIK: Right. Exactly. So it's not just a family share but it's also for individuals and it can be shared meaning the data plan can be shared among different devices. So let's say -- let's say you have a smartphone and you also have a tablet. You can put both of these things on the same data plan or if everyone in your family has a smartphone, everyone can share in this kind of bucket of data but keep in mind this is going to be a limited bucket of data -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange.
Coming up, rope line standoff. Aides for Mitt Romney physically blocked reporters from asking questions at a campaign event. We have the exclusive video for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Fifteen minutes past the hour.
Checking our top stories: Police in an Atlanta suburb are escorting school buses after a gunman aimed a rifle at children getting onboard a bus. WSB-TV reports police are using a note dropped at the scene (VIDEO GAP). More than 60 officers have gone door to door asking residents in the neighborhood for help.
Closing arguments begin this morning in the John Edwards corruption trial. The defense rested without calling Edwards, his former mistress or his daughter. If found guilty of all charges, the former presidential candidate faces up to 30 years in prison.
And a fan makes an extra effort at last night's Red Sox/Rays game in St. Pete. You see it there. He falls over the short wall. Does a face plant. He did get that foul ball.
Even though he went on the field, security let him slide and he got to keep the ball. Ouch.
Could we be on the way to a repeat of last year's debt ceiling cliff-hanger? We're still months away from a vote to increase that ceiling. But Washington is in gridlock already.
The president hosted congressional leaders in a meeting described as cordial but no breakthroughs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Are we headed again to one of the debacles?
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think you have to ask the speaker of the House on whether or not he intends or he believes that it is right to do for the American people, the American economy to play chicken with the full faith and credit of the United States government?
REP. REID RIBBLE (R), WISCONSIN: We believe that the only way to enforce it now is to take away one thing that every member of Congress really wants and that's their paycheck at the beginning of the month.
Let's take it away until they get their job done and then you will see all of a sudden bipartisan work and we'll all get something done.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), CALIFORNIA: The atmospherics were good. No kumbaya, but hoagie-like could we say?
But it was a good meeting. It was a good meeting. It was productive. We don't waste each other's time.
We had candor. We had friendship. We had an understanding of where we need to go for our country. And as always with meetings like that, on all sides, great love for our country.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: The president favors a deficit reduction deal that has a mix of spending cuts and tax increases. In the meantime, on the campaign trail, the dustups aren't over the budget but who gets access to the candidates.
At Mitt Romney's stump in St. Petersburg's, members of his staff physically prevented reporters from asking questions. One of those reporters was our own Jim Acosta, who has exclusive video of what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you. Thank you.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Standing in front of a mini national debt clock, Mitt Romney left no doubt about his message of the day.
ROMNEY: So if I'm president, I'm actually going to take responsibility and lead and get us on track to have a balanced budget.
ACOSTA: And after the event was over as Romney was shaking hands with supporters along the rope line, aides to the GOP contender made sure the candidate stayed on topic. This press aide physically stood in the path of reporters trying to make their way to Romney to ask questions.
The campaign even brought in a lone Secret Service agent to keep the press away from Romney, contrary to the agency's policy.
A Secret Service spokesman told CNN, "Secret Service does not restrict the movement of the press into general public areas or their movement within these areas."
Hours later, the Romney campaign admitted its mistake, saying in its own statement: "This was an error on the part of the campaign staff and volunteers. We have reminded them that press is allowed on the rope line to record the governor's interactions with voters."
The altercation with the media came just hours before Vice President Joe Biden blasted the GOP contender for his time at the private investment firm Bain Capital.
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He thinks that experience is going to help our economy? Let's take a look. Look, with these guys, past is prologue.
ACOSTA: All week, the Obama reelection team has tried to shift the focus of the race to Bain with an ad that portrayed Romney's former firm as a monster, bleeding a Kansas City steel plant out of millions of dollars.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like a vampire. They came in and sucked the life out of us.
ACOSTA: The Romney campaign has released its own web video showing a steel plant prospering after Bain's help.
But Romney has said little in defense of his ex-company.
REPORTER: Governor, what do you have say to the vice president's thoughts on Bain?
ACOSTA: He did not answer a shouted question from CNN on the subject. Last week at a speech in Michigan, Romney did not mention Bain by name, but he did say he wanted to translate his private sector experience there to the Oval Office.
ROMNEY: Finding solutions and opportunities in an environment of change and turbulence is what I learned during my career. And it's something I want desperately to bring to the presidency.
ACOSTA: The Romney campaign says the president is just playing the politics of envy, a line that Biden said in Ohio he took personally.
BIDEN: My mother and father dreamed as much as any rich guy dreams.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: They don't get us. They don't get who we are.
ACOSTA: The Romney campaign later admitted its mistake and even Romney came back on a press charter to tell reporters the rope line incident was not his idea.
REPORTER: We were getting kicked off the rope line today. That wasn't your doing, right?
ROMNEY: Just watching, just watching.
ACOSTA (on camera): Romney will spend another day in Florida. He does have one public event on his schedule, but mostly he'll be at private fundraisers where press access to the GOP contender will be limited.
Jim Acosta, CNN, St. Petersburg, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Watch and listen as a huge landslide roars down the side of this mountain. All of that is heading right for a village.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: OK. You're about to see part of a mountain crumble to bits. Take a look. This huge rock slide was headed for a village in Switzerland. This went on for hours.
Some of those rocks eventually did make their way to the valley floor but the roar. Listen to it.
I wouldn't want to hear that coming at me. Luckily, none of the buildings were damaged on the valley floor but the roads around the village were closed. Officials say the area as you might expect is very dangerous right now.
Today, David Beckham will help take the Olympic torch from Greece to the U.K. People are getting ready for the London Olympics. The opening ceremony is a little more than two months away.
Zain Verjee is in London.
You're so lucky.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I am. It's really exciting here. The big flame hand over ceremony is going to happen at a stadium in Athens.
Now, Carol, all the high priestess and all the (INAUDIBLE). There's going to be a big choreography as they hand over the flame to Princess Ann, who's going to be there for the ceremony of the United Kingdom and then David Beckham, of course, and then they will bring it by plane to the U.K.
Now, how are they going to bring a torch, you wonder, a lit torch by plane. They transfer it to a lamp. It's going to come to this country. It's going to travel, one flame, 8,000 miles to different cities across this country.
Now, the interesting thing here is that there are a few backup flames. It looks like there's just one. Actually, there are two or three in different locations just in case they need that actual flame.
I don't know. We may want to call it a bailout flame from Greece. I don't know. Just in case.
But it's also going to be in a secret location every night that it is in a different city and there's a torch security team that has been created. They also have a bunch of runners.
So, when you see everyone running with the torch, you have kind of these outliers as well, who just make sure that no one will show up with a fire extinguisher -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Oh!
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: It happened in Beijing.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes. You're right, it did. They're necessary then, you proved.
Zain Verjee live in London for us this morning.
Now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning: can racial politics be effective in 2012? You heard some of this during the Republican primary. Herman Cain saying African-Americans were brainwashed into voting for Democrats. Newt Gingrich calling President Obama a food stamp president.
Well, get ready for racial politics on steroids. According to "The New York Times," a Republican super PAC in development, they have plan developed, a $10 million campaign against the president. The goal is to portray Mr. Obama as having misled the nation by presenting himself as a metro sexual black Abe Lincoln. The plan which "The Times" says is not yet approved include attacks ads linking the president to his former pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Jr., known for blasting America.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. JEREMIAH A. WRIGHT, TRINITY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST: Should not sing "God bless America". No, no, no. Not God bless America, God damn America. It's in the Bible -- for killing innocent people. God damn America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: In 2008, Mr. Obama denounced Wright's statements and John McCain said the subject was off-limits during the campaign. Why is this coming back now?
One reason perhaps, Republicans can't seem to beat the Obama likability factor. Despite concerns over his handling of the economy, most Americans say they like the president. A recent CNN/ORC poll shows 56 percent find Mr. Obama more likable than Mitt Romney.
So, the talk back question for you this morning, can racial politics be effective in 2012? Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.
And don't forget if you are heading out the door, you can take us with you. Watch us any time on your mobile or computer. Just head to CNN.com/TV.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Thirty-two minutes past the hour. Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello.
Stories we're watching right now in the NEWSROOM.
Opening bell on Wall Street. Stocks poised for a mixed open as they are skittish about the latest European earnings and economic reports, as well as final pricing for Facebook's initial public offering.
In Alabama, protesters are challenging latest measures against illegal immigration. Police arrested at least seven demonstrators at the statehouse. The governor launching a full review of the bill.
Supporters say it does improve the current law, which is considered the toughest in the country. Critics say it makes the law more abusive and illegal.
Excuse me. A $150,000 reward is being offered for the person mailing powered filled envelopes to schools and businesses, mostly in Texas. The powder turns out to be harmless but only after emergency crews are dispatched to the scene as a precaution. This has happened 20 times in the last week and more than 380 times in the last few years.
It is called "The Defeat of Barack Hussein Obama". According to "The New York Times," it's a $10 million plan in development by a group of Republican strategists and backed in part by the billionaire founder of the TD Ameritrade brokerage firm. It calls for new commercials linking President Obama to an old problem -- controversial pastor, Reverend Wright.
Also in this preliminary plan, a desire to hire a well-spoken African-American to taut Obama as a black Abe Lincoln. Effective? You hear Roland Martin back there who's laughing already. He's a CNN contributor. And also Will Cain.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: They got me sitting way over here. I'm in the same studio with Carol. I'd rather be sitting by her.
COSTELLO: We want to make it fair, because if you were sitting by me and Will can't because he's in New York. That wasn't --
MARTIN: We don't care about (INAUDIBLE) Will Cain.
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Roland is like a black metro sexual, what, like Archie --
MARTIN: No, I'm a black man in the vain of Miles Davis.
COSTELLO: OK. So, let's get serious here. Does bringing up Jeremiah Wright again? I mean, is that effective strategy? Will, let's start with you.
CAIN: Is it effective strategy? That's a question for political strategists if I ever heard one. I don't know that's me, Carol.
I will say this, no. I think no. I think that obviously most effective message in this election cycle is economy and how well or poorly that is doing.
I want to say this. Questions about Jeremiah Wright I also don't think should be painted with such a politically correct brush that you say they're off limits. The question in that ad, that ad sorts out really, really poorly from those story boards, Carol, with Barack Hussein Obama. What are you trying to reinforce? You're reinforcing something that John McCain said shouldn't be part of the conversation.
However, if you are asking are the things that Jeremiah Wright preached, are those acceptable? Are those things we embrace, and how much did Barack Obama embrace those? And therefore, what is Barack Obama's vision of America, at a fundamental level and how does it compare to mine? Those are legitimate issues to debate and question.
COSTELLO: Didn't we do that in 2008, Roland?
MARTIN: Of course. It is why it's so stupid. Listen up to Ricketts, you billionaire money and you've been the Chicago Cubs owner, you're an idiot if you think you're going to pursue this line. It didn't work in 2008. It's not going to work in 2012. Give it up.
You can try all day to drudge up sermons of Reverend Jeremiah Wright. It's not going to happen. And here's another thing, Carol, if Ricketts wants to do that, if the GOP, they want to do that, then guess what? You're now putting Mormonism on the table. You're now putting on the table how African-Americans were treated by the Mormon religion.
I don't think Mitt Romney really wants to have that conversation considering he was an elder and his dad was an elder and they really did not embrace African-Americans. It's a ridiculous conversation.
Look, it didn't work last year. Focus on the economy. That's what you really ought to pay attention to, not some old sermons. That's ridiculous.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Let's make clear about who this Ricketts man is. He's the billionaire is behind this super PAC in development.
MARTIN: He owns that Chicago Cubs.
COSTELLO: Right. I guess his family owns the Chicago Cubs. He doesn't directly own it. I could be wrong about that. Yes, he's connected to the Chicago Cubs.
By bringing up Jeremiah Wright again, won't that reenergize African-Americans to the polls when Republicans think African- Americans are not so energized because of the same-sex issue.
CAIN: I don't think this is racial politics, Carol. I heard you talking about that earlier. I think that's too vague. I don't think how this is racial politics.
Let me say this, I think Roland is right about this, that if you put this on the table, Mitt Romney's Mormonism deserves to be on the table as well. Look, that's a logical consistency.
But when we talk about Reverend Wright and what we talked about four years ago putting it back on the table, let me say this -- I said I don't think it's smart to use Reverend Wright as a salacious bullet point again.
But I don't think we debated four years ago what is Barack Obama's vision of America. I don't think we asked when he said I am for hope and change, I don't think we asked, change from what to what?
MARTIN: Oh, come on, Will, seriously?
CAIN: Seriously.
MARTIN: He won. He got 69 million votes, 365 Electoral College votes. He won. OK?
So if you want to have the same debate, fine. Guess what? The GOP lost.
My suggestion would be for you to look at housing plan, economic plan, things along those lines but trying to have the same --
CAIN: Those are hand in hand, Roland.
MARTIN: Will, to have a losing debate a second time means you are going to lose again. It's a ridiculous debate.
CAIN: When you ask what Barack Obama's fundamental vision of America is, you are also having an economic debate. You are talking about Keynesian stimulus, you are talking about national health care. You're talking about things executed that could have been projected four years ago.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: And you are talking about 45 percent of the stimulus bill being extending tax cuts, you're talking about extending the Bush tax cuts.
Here's the bottom line is here: if you want to use Reverend Wright, the GOP will look like idiots. Hey, Ricketts, if you want to waste some money, send it my way. I'll spend it in a great way for you, if you want to waste money.
CAIN: Can I make a suggestion of how you should spend that money?
MARTIN: But give it away to education in Chicago. Not some ridiculous ads bringing up Reverend Wright. It's not going to fly.
CAIN: I got a suggestion for you I can spend that money. Kill that thing in your pocket and you get a hold --
MARTIN: You are upset that I can grow a real beard versus that thing that's on your face.
COSTELLO: I think we should end our conversation right here.
MARTIN: Trust me. Carol, think about it. Viewers at home are going look at Roland. Look at clean. Look at will with a boring white shirt. You can't win this conversation, baby.
(CROSTALK)
CAIN: They do know who the metro sexual is.
MARTIN: They know who the grown man is. They know who the grown man is.
COSTELLO: OK, we got to fly. Thank you for the spirited conversation this morning.
All right. Mourning the "Godfather of Go-Go". A look at the life and legacy of the late great Chuck Brown.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The music world is mourning the death of go-go funk pioneer Chuck Brown.
I like to listen. Brown was known as godfather of go-go. Played gigs around the world but the most loyal fan base was in Washington, D.C. His fans kicked off concerts with "wind me up Chuck" and engaged them in a response during shows. Brown died of multiple organ failure. He was 75 years old.
Golden girl Betty White is still going strong at 90 years young. She has not one but two hit shows and she was the woman of honor last night at the Friars Club roast.
A.J. Hammer is in New York with more. She was roasted but not really, right?
A.J. HAMMER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Well, you know, it is after all Betty White, Carol. But on the red carpet, she was saying there was panic going on not prepared for what necessarily would be said about her.
But "Showbiz Tonight" was right there, and even though it was a roast at the Friars Club, this woman is so beloved everyone that went in was paying her compliments more than making her a punch line last night. But it was actually a midday roast.
And it wasn't free of some pretty good shots, most of which I can't repeat here. Let's just say Betty's age and her sex life were the target of a lot of those punch lines. That's standard operating procedure at these roasts.
Here are a few repeatable lines. Our former colleague Larry King warned her at her age, it's a fine line between a roast and cremation and said she's so old she thinks I'm jail bait.
Comedian Jeff Ross said that the event was organized as a lunch because we didn't think she would make it to dinner.
Ands the even the coverage of the roasts made jokes at Betty's expense. "The New York Times" on the roasts said this, "A target old are than the jokes at her roast. "
At the end of the roast, every roastie of course gets to respond. Betty's response was full of backhanded compliments. She told the roasters, Carol, I really deeply had a good time and I didn't expect to. Always, always humble Betty White.
We asked her on the red carpet if there was even one thing left for her to accomplish in her very long life. Here's what she told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY WHITE, ACTRESS: I usually answer that question with Robert Redford.
(INAUDIBLE)
WHITE: No, I think I've been lucky enough to do so much that if I start complaining about anything under the sun, throw me out of the business.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I don't think she'll ever be thrown out of the business. She'll probably still outlast us all, Carol.
COSTELLO: I was enjoying your delivery of those punch lines, A.J.
HAMMER: They couldn't have me there, so I had a chance to work on my lines.
COSTELLO: That was fantastic. A.J. Hammer, thank you.
Just watch as this scientist tries to capture a 300-pound gator. Why, you ask? Why. We'll tell you next.
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COSTELLO: Forty-seven minutes past the hour. Checking our "Top Stories".
A $150,000 reward is being offered to whoever -- whoever finds the person mailing powder-filled envelopes to schools and businesses mostly in Texas. The powder is harmless but it ties up emergency crews and it costs a lot of money to examine. It happened 20 times in the last week and more than 380 times in the last three years.
A biologist is bitten while trying to wrangle a 300-pound alligator in North Carolina. Neighbors called for help after seeing this big gator working in the ditch and this guy is a biologist and he works at a nearby aquarium so he decided to come help firefighters. The firefighters actually had to rescue him. The alligator is under lock and key now. The scientist is ok.
An autopsy scheduled today for Mary Kennedy, the estranged wife of RFK Jr. Her body was found yesterday in her suburban New York home, divorce filed two years ago but not yet completed. During that time she was arrested twice for driving under the influence.
Police are asking the public to help find a killer who shoots drivers on Mississippi highways. So far two people have been killed. The murders happened 55 miles from each other and police fear the killer might be posing as a police officer. Here's Mary Snow with more. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Seventy-four year-old Tom Schlender was the first victim found dead in his car shot multiple times on a remote stretch of highway in Mississippi. He was driving from Nebraska to Pensacola, Florida to pick up his grandson at college. His family says his wallet was missing when he was found and that there was no indication of any problem when he spoke to his daughter by phone just hours before his death.
TRACY ANDERSON, VICTIM'S DAUGHTER: It's hard to imagine your father in that situation.
MATTHEW ANDERSON, VICTIM'S SON-IN-LAW: I mean, this is a violent end to a very kind man's life.
Tom Schlender was found May 8th at 1:30 in the morning. Three days later authorities found a second victim found dead outside her car at 2:15 in the morning, 55 miles from the first murder scene. She is identified as 48-year-old Lori Ann Casswell. And authorities say she was on her way home from her job at a casino.
JOHN CHAMPION, DESOTO COUNTRY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The common denominator we have between both incidences is that we believe both vehicles were on the side of the road.
SNOW: That is why authorities believe the killer may be posing as a police officer. They say nothing was wrong with the victim's cars. Forensic teams are comparing shell casings from both locations.
Mississippi drivers have been told to be on alert. If they are suspicious of a police car pulling them over, they are advised to put on their hazard lights and dial 911 to verify it's legitimate or wait to pull over in a well-lit crowded place.
But as one law enforcement analyst points out, the possibility of someone posing as a fake officer is just one theory.
MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: There is no vehicle description. There is no description of anyone involved in this. So could it be someone who maybe was pulled over to the side of the road and these victims were good Samaritans and pulled over to help this person? That's also another scenario that has to be looked at by law enforcement.
SNOW (on camera): U.S. Marshals and the ATF are working with law enforcement in Mississippi. In addition to providing forensic experts, the ATF says it's working with FBI profilers to find the killer.
Mary Snow CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, "Can Racial Politics be Effective in 2012?" Your responses coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, "Can Racial Politics be Effective in 2012?"
This from Doug, "I hate to say this, but in some ways I think racial division has become worse since Obama's election. Believe me, I'm not happy about this".
This from Uche, "Is this a trick question? I know a few lifelong Democrats that voted Republican when Obama was on the ballot. Those were the group of Democrats who could not get themselves to vote for a guy with dark skin."
This from Paula. "Democrats have been using racism ever since Obama began campaigning the first time. According to them, anyone who doesn't agree with Obama is a racist."
This from Raja -- this from Roger rather, "We've never really gotten beyond race, have we?"
And this from Linda, "I want them to do it so that we can roll out the commercials on the troubling Mormon religion and the fact that Romney was a Bishop of the church, not just a member."
Keep the conversation going, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read more of your comments in the next hour.
Also Franciscan university -- a Franciscan university in Steubenville, Ohio takes the stand against Obama care by droppings its student health insurance. The school says the government-mandated contraception coverage violates its Catholic values. But what will students without insurance do when they get sick? I'll ask the vice president in 20 minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Swimming in Hawaii sounds like a pretty cushy gig. But chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and seven lucky viewers are there for a reason. They are there to train for a triathlon. And they enlisted the help of a woman who is no stranger to swimming in open water.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, we're here in Kona training for this triathlon we've been talking about with our lucky seven. One of the most intimidating parts of the triathlon is the open water swim. You hear this over and over again. We've asked our coach April Burkey to join us, give us some tips. For men and women alike, you've probably heard this, this is what they are scared of.
APRIL BURKEY, FIT NATION ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Yes. And the biggest thing is just to stay calm in the water, don't panic. You know what I mean? GUPTA: Sometimes easier said than done.
BURKEY: Yes, absolutely.
GUPTA: But staying straight, I have a problem this. What do you recommend?
BURKEY: If you extend your arms straight from your shoulders, if you if you enter the water this way with your hands, you'll swim in a straight line.
GUPTA: What about just breathing? People have a hard time with that sometimes certainly breathing for both sides. Any tips there.
BURKEY: Breathing both sides or bilateral breathing encourages a balance stroke, which is also going to help with the straight line. You'll have swim less in the race, the triathlon. So it makes a big difference.
GUPTA: Try not to get kicked by another triathlete.
BURKEY: Do your best.
GUPTA: Carol, the lucky seven are doing amazingly well. Again these are first time triathletes; they've never done this before. Checking on their progress this week on "SG MD". Carol back to you.
COSTELLO: I loved her flower. Thank you, Sanjay. If you want to get in shape with me, every Thursday I'll have a tip for you on how you can get there for the 22th Fit Nation triathlon challenge with Dr. Sanjay Gupta right here every Thursday.
