Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Historic Flight on Space Lifts Off; Japan's Tsunami Debris Reaches U.S.; Prostate Test is Risky?; Task Force: Prostate Test is Risky; NASDAQ to Compensate Facebook Investors; Tough Love for Small Business
Aired May 22, 2012 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Soledad. Thank you. Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. Stories we're watching right now in the NEWSROOM.
The scandal involving the Secret Service and prostitutes in Colombia, it just got bigger. Now it's spreading to the DEA. The Drug Enforcement Agency.
What would you do if you got smacked with a $93,000 bill and what if that bill wasn't even for you? We'll talk to one man who is on the hook for his mother's nursing home bill and the obscure law that's being used to make sure families pay up.
Beam me up, Scotty. The first private space launch is in the history books with some very special cargo.
And she's taking over.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TABATHA KING: You are a man. So you might as well stand up like a man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Yes, she knows how to jump-start a failing business and today Tabatha takes over NEWSROOM.
But we begin this morning on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral. Remember Scotty from "Star Trek"? Well, right now he is on his way to is own final frontier and his rocket ride is ushering in new era in the nation's space program.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one, zero. And launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as NASA turns to the private sector to resupply the International Space Station.
COSTELLO: That's so cool. John Zarrella is in Florida. He's been watching this thing all morning.
Good morning, John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Carol. Yes, you know, it's two-fold interesting today because this is the first real test of NASA's new philosophy turning over to the private sector flying cargo and eventually astronauts in three or four years to the International Space Station allowing NASA to free up its moneys to go ahead and fly to the deep space hopefully develop a rocket that can take humans onto an asteroid or even onto Mars.
And you know we also did hear, as you mentioned, the fact that in the second stage of that rocket that a company called Celestes was carrying in that second stage a canister which remains of hundreds of people including Scottie from "Star Trek." It's something that the company does on a regular basis, contracting out with rocket companies to do this kind of thing for a price.
And -- but, you know, after the launch today, Elon Musk, who is the CEO of SpaceX, talked about just what a thrill this was for everybody in this company and how this is a huge first step.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELON MUSK, SPACEX CEO: Every bit of adrenaline in my body released at that point. It worked perfectly. So I was really glad to see that. And then the second stage worked really well. Dragon separation, solar ray (INAUDIBLE), we've never actually had solar rays deployed in space before so it's the first time we've done solar rays and anything could have gone wrong and everything went right fortunately. So I felt -- I feel very lucky.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZARRELLA: You know, Carol, this was just the first step in a real process. Another major milestone is coming up in a couple of days. Thursday and Friday when they rendezvous with the International Space Station and then if all goes well on that rendezvous when the dragon capsule actually is birth to the space station, it will be -- there are only four nations in the world that have this capability to do that and now SpaceX is about to become hopefully the first commercial company to do that -- Carol.
And you know we've been trying to reach Celestes all morning here to try and get some more confirmation on, you know, who's been flown up on that Falcon rocket. But no luck so far.
COSTELLO: You mean Scottie from "Star Trek." Well, his ashes are --
ZARRELLA: Scottie, that's right, Carol.
COSTELLO: -- on board this rocket, I guess in the second state of the rocket, along with hundreds of other people.
ZARRELLA: Yes.
COSTELLO: And according to the Celestes' Web site, it cost, what, 1,000 bucks to blast your ashes into space?
ZARRELLA: Yes. COSTELLO: If you want to go into deep space it cost, what, $3,000?
ZARRELLA: I think it's -- if it's just a ride up and back, it's $1,000. It's $3,000 to go into orbit and, like, $10,000 to the moon and $13,000 to deep space. So there's all kinds of plans we can buy for the future.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Well, I guess that's a way to finance the trip into space. Right? I was just shocked at how many people wanted their ashes scattered in space and I'm not sure you can actually do that. But it's just fascinating.
ZARRELLA: There's a -- I think there -- yes. I think there's literally a long list of people who want this to be the case with their remains. You know I think Gene Roddenberry, the creator of "Star Trek," and his wife, their ashes were supposedly also on a flight coming up -- you know, in the next month or two. Perhaps on the same flight with Scottie.
COSTELLO: Well, I get -- I get why they would do it. I get why --
ZARRELLA: Sure.
COSTELLO: You know, Scottie from "Star Trek" would do it. But I just don't get why somebody not connected to the space program would want to do that. But there's a lot of space geeks as you know, John Zarrella, because you're one.
ZARRELLA: Yes, indeed. Exactly.
COSTELLO: Thanks so much, John.
ZARRELLA: Bye.
COSTELLO: Also in the news today, more U.S. federal agents are accused of hiring prostitutes in the South American country of Colombia. The newest scandal involves three agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and it too is based in Cartagena. In -- but it's apparently unrelated to the Secret Service agents who were providing security ahead of President Obama's trip to the Summit of the Americas.
Twelve of those Secret Services were fired or disciplined. Republican Senator Susan Collins who was briefed on the matter says this new investigation suggests a seedy underculture that festers in more than one law enforcement agency.
Mitt Romney is bringing up the big campaign guns today. Governor Chris Christie will help drum up support and cash at a fundraiser in New York. Romney's national finance chairman believes today's events along with a few others this week in New York and Connecticut will bring in at least $10 million. President Obama is fresh off a trip to Joplin, Missouri. One year ago an epic tornado there killed 161 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. The president praised the city's resilience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Together you decided this city wasn't about to spend the next year arguing over every detail of the recovery effort. At the very first meeting, first town meeting, every citizen was handed a post-it note and asked to write down their goals and their hopes for Joplin's future. More than 1,000 notes covered an entire wall and became the blueprint that architects are following to this day.
I'm thinking about trying this with Congress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Volunteers from all over the country are heading to Joplin to help with continued rebuilding efforts.
Also this morning, in North Carolina, jurors begin their third day of deliberations in the trial of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards. Yesterday the jury asked to review documents on what wealthy donors gave and when.
Edwards is accused of illegally funneling campaign money to his mistress. He could face up to 30 years in prison.
There is an environmental crisis bearing down on the west coast of North America. The same wall of water that swept over coastal Japan and wiped away entire communities also flushed mountains of debris into the ocean. Now the first waves of the wreckage from the Japanese tsunami are washing ashore creating a crisis for both the environment and for taxpayers in the United States.
CNN's Casey Wian is in Yakutat, Alaska.
Good morning, Casey.
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. I'm standing on the banks of an estuary about 20 miles outside of a small fishing village of Yakutat. And just across the channel there you could see, what, there's a sand bar that's called the black sand sped. We were over there the other day. And I want to show you just what we were able to gather that's washed up on the shore of that Pacific Ocean facing beach.
Look at all of this material. Just an example of some of the things that Alaskans are seeing wash up on their shore. Now debris washes up on these beaches often and has been for years but what they are saying is they are seeing things that they've never seen before in quantities that they've never seen before.
Stuff like this which is spray insulation that goes into the interior walls of a building used in construction. They believe that's from buildings in Japan. This is a giant buoy that's used in the oyster fishing industry in Japan. This -- this is a piece of a Styrofoam buoy. They're saying they've never seen things like this before. We're also bottles with Japanese writing.
Now just the other day we went across there, across that channel by boat with a member of the Salmon Board here in Yakutat and let's take a look at what we found.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This year what we're seeing is lot more foam, A lot more buoys in giant white cylinders of Styrofoam. Some construction grade insulating foam. That sort of thing.
WIAN: What makes you suspect that a lot of this stuff is debris from the tsunami?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it started showing up with 55-gallon drums with Japanese writing on it.
WIAN: But what do we have over here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. This would be an example of one of the large buoys that was our understanding were used to anchor lines or baskets of oysters.
WIAN: So the fact that there's, you know, English lettering on it doesn't mean that it's not from Japan, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No.
WIAN: Here we go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Mushashi. MK Mushashi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIAN: Now the immediate issue is how do they get this stuff, cleaned up off the beach. They've got groups of volunteers that are going out and trying to do that. The problem, Carol, though, is these areas are still remote. Many of them you can only get to by boat or by helicopter. Cleaning it up is a big difficult task and then what do you do with all of this debris once you've got to cleaned up?
They're still trying to figure that out and the big concern, there's more coming and they don't know what's in all of that debris that's still coming this way over the next several months -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So, Casey, who's paying for this? The cleanup, I mean.
WIAN: We all might be because the locals here say that they need federal help to clean this up. There is so much debris. They are willing to do their part in terms of collecting it but we're in an area where the town is only 650 people. There are people coming from all over to help clean this up. But what they're saying is they need federal help in terms of tax money, perhaps state help as well, to try to get this cleaned up and try to figure out what to do with it and to try to mitigate in advance as much as they can the damage from what may be more toxic substances that are on their way.
COSTELLO: Casey Wian in the far reaches of Alaska this morning. Thank you.
Some confusing news for men. They are now being told not to bother with the prostate cancer screening test. That was considered almost routine for years. So what's up with it now? We'll tell you.
Plus, Stephen Colbert's super PAC idea to get college kids involved in the political process. It's really taken off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, THE COLBERT REPORT: I want every college across this great nation to have their own my super PAC.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Yes. May sound like a joke but dozens of young people have jumped up and taken him up on his offer. We're going to talk to one later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Now to news about your health and it's confusing. For years prostate cancer screening, the PSA test, was considered almost routine but not anymore. In fact a task force studying the issue is now advising men to skip the test all together.
Alina Cho is in New York.
So, Alina, this is confusing. It's tough to know what to do to protect yourself.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. It's really confusing. I've looked at the research many, many times, Carol.
One thing is for sure. This is something that affects a whole lot of men. We're talking about at least 44 million men. So, it's important to listen to this.
And it's something that is really counterintuitive. For many people, just incomprehensible. Why wouldn't you get tested for prostate cancer?
Well, the United States Preventive Services Task Force is now recommending against what's commonly referred to as the PSA test. It's a simple blood test really. The task force is saying that at best PSA screening may help just 1 in 1,000 men avoid death from prostate cancer.
The recommendation is that the test may actually do harm because most prostate cancers found by screening are slow growing, not life- threatening and will not cause a man any harm during his lifetime. That's the important part.
Now what can is the treatment. Most men who are in the words of some doctors over-diagnosed will suffer serious side effects from treatment they may not need -- side effects like impotence, incontinence and possibly even early death.
COSTELLO: It's just insane. I know it's not the first time the panel weighed in on something controversial, right?
CHO: That's right. The last time was a story that we paid attention to very closely, Carol. You know, remember this is the same panel that made waves a while back when it recommended that women in their 40s should skip routine mammograms. You remember that story.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes.
CHO: Now as -- yes, that's right. Now as for the PSA test, while the American Cancer Society has not recommended routine PSA screenings since the late 1990s, the American Urological Association still recommends that men get their baseline levels at about age 40 if they wish to be tested.
The bottom line for the tax force is this: the benefits of the PSA test do not outweigh the risks. That's the take away.
COSTELLO: So, if my husband goes to the doctor, what's his doctor likely to say?
CHO: You know, the interesting part about the reaction about all of this is that the American Urological Association actually condemned the findings, saying and look at your screen here. I hope we have it.
It is inappropriate and irresponsible to issue a blanket statement against PSA testing particularly for at-risk populations. They go on to say that what could happen as a result is that many men will no longer get tested because they are listening to this news thinking, they don't need to because they have now been told, and they fear that prostate cancer that a PSA test could have caught may go unnoticed until it is too late -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Confusing.
Alina Cho, thank you so much.
CHO: You bet.
COSTELO: Some critics called him a turncoat for endorsing President Obama in 2008 but will Colin Powell, Republican, endorse Obama in 2012? His answer, next.
(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: are 30 days in prison enough for a hate crime? Neither side is happy with the decision to sentence Dharun Ravi just 30 days in prison, plus probation, fine and community service.
Ravi was the Rutgers student who used a webcam to record his roommate, Tyler Clementi, having sex with a man and tweeted his friends about it. The case renewed debate about anti-gay-bullying on the Internet.
In court, Tyler's mom talked about her son's pain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANE CLEMENTI, TYLER CLEMENTI'S MOTHER: I had no idea about the despair and torment Tyler must have been feeling and I thought I knew him. Tyler and I had been very connected so much so I felt like a piece of me died in September of 2010.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Yet Ravi never apologized to the Clementis or the court for what he did. "The New York Daily News" was furious, saying, quote, "Thirty days is what you get for petty larceny. Thirty days is what you get for spray-painting graffiti. Thirty days is what Dharun Ravi got for spying on a gay college roommate's sexual encounter and posting the news on the Internet. Thirty days was not enough.'
Ravi was convicted of bias intimidation, what most people think of as a hate crime. Yet, the judge said he didn't believe Ravi hated Tyler Clementi.
Emily Bazelon who writes extensively on bullying says the Ravi case is an example of how civil rights laws are being stretched to go after teenagers who acted meanly but not violently. Still, if Ravi's actions don't constitute a hate crime, then what does? If they don't, why convict him of hate crime?
So the talk back question for you today: are 30 days in prison enough for a height crime? Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.
Colin Powell, a Republican, who took a lot of heat for endorsing Barack Obama for president in 2008, is not ready to do it again. Back in the day, the former secretary of state called Mr. Obama a transformational figure and was upset at Republican attacks on Obama's character. This time around, Powell says he's not ready to endorse Obama.
Listen to what he said on the "Today" show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I always keep my powder dry as we say in the military. I feel as a private citizen, I ought to listen to what the president says and what the president has been doing. But, you know, I also have to listen to what the other fellow is saying. I have known Mitt Romney for many years. Good man.
It's not just a matter of whether you support Obama or Romney, it's who they have coming in with them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So the president may not get Colin Powell's endorsement but it's another ally throwing Obama into defensive mode. You know who that is. Newark's Democratic Mayor Cory Booker.
Booker's interview on Sunday's "Meet the Press" has legs. Booker said political attacks on private equity firms made him nauseous. That was a reference to Mitt Romney's Bain Capital experience, a punching bag for the Obama campaign.
Republicans seized on the remarks in an e-mail to supporters, then Booker fired back on MSNBC last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR CORY BOOKER (D), NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: I'm upset. I've been taken out of context. I've been used to support a cynicism. If there's any honor in what they were saying, Mitt Romney would have come out and said, you know what, like Obama did. Citizens United decision is going to hurt our democracy. He would have come out and said the negativity on our side, I'm going to talk about us, has got to stop.
If he wanted to come out and stand with me, he would wanted to come out and stand with me, he would say, you know what? I'd stand with Cory Booker. Let's stop the super PAC money, let's stop the negative campaigning, let's talk about the issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So let's bring in Mark Preston, our political director.
Hi, Mark.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, Carol. Good morning.
COSTELLO: OK. So Booker can backtrack all he wants but he said it. He set the stage for Republicans.
PRESTON: He did. I mean, look, what is really damaging for the Obama campaign is that Cory Booker is very good out there on the stump for President Obama. He was an early supporter. When you hear criticism from Cory Booker about the system that we're currently in, a system that President Obama's campaign is engaging in, that's why it's so damaging and that's why we're seeing Republicans seize upon it, Carol.
COSTELLO: Also President Obama was asked about it yesterday in Chicago. He doubled down on the issue, saying Bain ought to be on the table. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When you're president opposed to the head of a private equity firm, then your job is not simply to maximize profits. Your job is to figure out how everybody in the country has a fair shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The problem though big businesses, private equity firms, are job creators and also they donate lots of money to campaigns. So, is the president's strategy risky?
PRESTON: It's risky in the sense that he's walking a very fine line right now. What President Obama is doing is trying to really make this a fight between the middle class, the people who are hurting, and the 1 percenters which is something that we talk about or have been talking about for the past year right now -- the very, very wealthy.
You know, in this down economic times, the wealthy pretty much remain wealthy. But the middle class are the ones who are hurting.
What is certainly problematic for President Obama and what some Democrats are concerned about, Carol, is that when you have President Obama out there attacking business as a whole as a big blanket statement, Democrats are fearful because there are a lot of districts here all across the country where they are not necessarily very liberal. They're not like Massachusetts or New York City. They also tend to be conservative. So, you have conservative Democrats who are concerned that President Obama would go directly at business that way.
We should note as well that big business is also going to play a big role in this campaign. Not only are they donating to President Obama but they are also donating to Mitt Romney. We just saw yesterday that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said they'll spend more than $50 million alone on this election and I can tell you that money is not going to be spent on trying to help elect President Obama.
COSTELLO: U.S. Chamber of Commerce a big lobbyist for big business, right? That $50 million is going to go to Mitt Romney's side.
PRESTON: No question about that. It will be more than $50 million is what they're saying now, Carol.
COSTELLO: Mark Preston, thanks.
Stephen Colbert's idea to getting college students involved in politics sounded like a joke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: I want every college across this great nation to have their own my super PAC.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Coming up, we'll talk to one recent college graduate who took Colbert up on his super PAC starter kit. He started Cats for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Thirty-one minutes past the hour.
The NASDAQ blew it. That's what some traders are saying about the technical glitch that hit Facebook's IPO on Friday. And now the NASDAQ may have to pay up to the tune of millions and millions of dollars.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.
Spill it.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the NASDAQ isn't only eating crow for its screw-up, Carol.
You know, the NASDAQ could wind up being on the hook for millions of dollars -- meaning they may have to pay investors who say they lost money in their trade for Facebook because what happened was trading was delayed on Friday because of a NASDAQ glitch and when many of these investors tried to sell their shares in the morning, when Facebook opened at $42, guess what? Orders didn't go through. By the time we went through, Facebook shares had already fallen so investors had to sell shares at a lower price taking a big hit on their investment.
So, what they're doing is looking to the NASDAQ to make up that difference. The people affected have submitted a claim by yesterday and regulators will review all of these claims -- Carol.
COSTELLO: It should be interesting. I was just curious, any idea how much of a hit Mark Zuckerberg is taking because of the drop in his Facebook shares?
COSTELLO: He's taking a hit but it's on paper. So, follow me here. Zuckerberg right now has 500 million Facebook shares. At $38 IPO price he made $19 billion by going public. But as you see, Facebook shares barely budged on Friday. They continue to tumble today.
And Facebook is going for about $31.50 right now. That puts Zuckerberg shares worth about $17 billion. He lost $2 billion over the past two days. Once again, it's just on paper.
He doesn't actually lose the money until he sells those shares. He still -- don't shed any tears there -- he's still is one of the richest people on the planet and only 28 years old and newly married. How nice.
COSTELLO: Yes, I didn't feel moved by that.
KOSIK: I know. I hear you.
COSTELLO: Alison Kosik, live at the New York Stock Exchange.
It is the year of the super PAC. You know super PACs, political organizations that can raise unlimited sums of cold, hard cash from billionaires and corporations and labor unions. Those super PACs may campaign for their chosen politician with one stipulation. They cannot coordinate with the candidate. Never mind the people who run super PACs can be former campaign workers or even friends.
Comedian Stephen Colbert famously created his own super PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and he's been helping college students create their own snarky super PACs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLBERT: I want every college across this great nation to have their own my super PAC. They can have it too thanks to the Colbert super PAC super fun pack. A do-it-yourself -- a do-it-yourself super PAC kit that you can order.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Yes, you can and young people across America have actually paid Colbert 99 bucks for a kit to create their own super PAC with names like Cats for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow. In fact the guy who filed paperwork to launch that puppy is with us today.
David Jensen is a pro baseball player and 2010 Northwestern graduate.
Welcome.
DAVID JENSEN, SUPER PAC FOUNDER: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good morning. So that PAC paperwork, did it consist of one page and was it a cinch?
JENSEN: Yes. It came with the FEC form one which their printer was low on ink so I had to go on FEC.gov to go out to print it out. And then I went to the bank, I opened a noninterest bearing bank account and then I filed the paperwork. A few days later, it was official.
COSTELLO: Wow, you came up with your super PAC. I'm just wondering. Did the Colbert kit come with canned ham and did you eat it?
JENSEN: Yes. It came with the canned ham and then with the stickers for ham rove's face. I haven't put it together yet. I definitely have it.
COSTELLO: Cool.
OK. So I was also wondering why you came up with the name Cats for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow.
JENSEN: Well, you know, I think cats are ridiculous and I think super PACs are ridiculous and I wanted to make sure my super PAC wasn't ridiculous so I named it -- it's a cat super PAC. It's Cats for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow.
COSTELLO: So the Colbert instruction manual provided a list of 400 rich people. Have you been soliciting money from any of them?
JENSEN: So far I only have one donation from a student yesterday for $10. It's my first donation. I'm hoping after being on your show today that I'll get the Costello bump and, you know, hopefully they'll start coming in heavily.
COSTELLO: I hope so. If you can raise enough cash to maybe slap an ad on television, I bet it would be entertaining.
Seriously though, we're joking about this but this is a serious issue for our country. What do you hope to prove by doing this?
JENSEN: When I started I was hoping to, you know, bring some light to this issue. Now that I have a super PAC, I mean, I love super PACs. I want all of the money I can get. I want unlimited funds. I won't stop until I have unlimited money. So it's kind of tough.
Before, you know, I wanted to address the issue but they got me. I'm in. I'm a super PAC fan.
COSTELLO: Wow. You got to hit up some of these millionaires and get more money. That ten buck donation isn't going to get you anywhere.
JENSEN: No. So far I think I raised negative $600. I am going to need donations.
COSTELLO: OK. I hope you get the Costello bump. David Jensen, thank you so much for being here.
JENSEN: Thank you.
COSTELLO: There it is. Cats for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow.
D.C. Comics is reportedly about to rock the comic world again. This time with a major character coming out of the closet. Who will it be? Superman? Batman? Wonder woman?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Comic blogs are blowing up, thanks to bleedingcool.com. That blog site is reporting a major iconic D.C. comics character will come out of the closet.
Let's head to New York and check in with "Showbiz Tonight's" host A.J. Hammer who knows everything in the entertainment world.
So, what character --
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": I know everything in the entertainment world, I just don't know the identity of this particular comic book character which in this case is so fascinating -- revealing secret identity means something different. This is happening with D.C. Comics, which like CNN, is a part of Time Warner.
They announced at a London comic convention that they'll be reintroducing an existing character who is previously straight and reportedly reintroduce him or her as they put it one of the most prominent gay characters. That is everyone speculating about who could it be. Probably won't be Batman or Superman or Wonder Woman coming out of the closet. It will most likely be a less famous character.
Although some people are speculating about Aquaman who is mid- famous, if you ask me. Carol, D.C. does have several gay characters as does Marvel comics and even Archie Comics. So, it's no longer truly out of the ordinary. But D.C. Comics getting the Costello bump this morning.
COSTELLO: I hope they don't make it Robin. That would be stereotypical, wouldn't it?
HAMMER: That would be too expected of reintroduction. But we'll see.
COSTELLO: We'll see. Another same-sex comic couple -- they are out. They're getting engaged.
HAMMER: That's right. Marvel letting one of their X-Men get married. North Star, you may know, credited as the first mainstream gay comic book character, is reportedly going to be marrying his boyfriend in a comic book next month. Marvel introduced the North Star gay character in '92, 20 years ago. So, it really highlights that this isn't a new trend.
The official announcement about the marriage is expected to happen on "The View" later this morning. No word on whether or not Barbara Walters will be invited to the wedding, but we'll keep you posted.
COSTELLO: Thanks, A.J.
Could you see Will Smith cast as President Obama? A.J. is back with us next hour to tell us what the Hollywood heavy weight thinks about that.
It's tough love for struggling small businesses. Bravo's "Tabatha Takes Over".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TABATHA COFFEY: Neil Scott told me this morning flat-out that you were cheap.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think I'm cheap.
COFFEY: You have to invest in your salon and give your stylists the tools they need to do their job properly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So you're cheap. She tells it like it is. My conversation with Tabatha Coffey including how she would fix Capitol Hill.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Small business owners are doing better this year but they are still worried about the future according to CNNMoney.com, their number one concern, the inability to borrow money to grow. Yes, banks still are not lending money and it's affecting the creation of new jobs.
According to a Kauffman Foundation study, in 2010, young firms, new small business created 31 percent of all jobs. That sounds good until you compare that percentage with 1982. Back then 44 percent of all jobs were created by small businesses.
In light of that, there is one woman who might help small business owners defy the odds. She lets nothing stand in her way when it comes to running a business right.
Tabatha Coffey is one tough cookie, you know her from Bravo's "Tabatha Takes Over".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TABATHA COFFEY: I truly feel like you honestly don't hear anything that anyone says to you. You may be a stockbroker for 19 years but a good business owner, not so much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Tough but effective. Tabatha is in D.C. right now for the National Small Business Week Conference. Her mission to tell us how big companies can help small businesses thrive. Welcome Tabatha.
COFFEY: Hi, how are you?
COSTELLO: We were all talking about it in the Newsroom. And we actually wish you could go to Capitol Hill to talk to Congress because we wonder what you would say to them to get things moving.
COFFEY: Well, thank you. It's a -- look, it's -- it's my passion to really help business owners and you can hear that it's very noisy here because I am in D.C. at the Small Business Week Conference. It's very noisy. I apologize for that. But it's great really interacting with everyone and feeling optimistic about small businesses again which is great.
COSTELLO: Yes because they are doing a little bit better. But one of the biggest obstacles they face is they can't borrow money even though banks has the money to loan. They are still too afraid of the economy and they're not lending these small businesses money so the small businesses can't grow. They can't hire new workers.
So what can small business people do to get around that?
COFFEY: Look, you're right. It's not easy to get money anymore. And I think that what a lot of small business owners especially have to look at are ways that they can cut costs without cutting the integrity of their product or cutting back on the things that they need.
So it is looking at creative ways of being able to utilize the different marketing tools and getting -- excuse me, get new consumers in the door but also look at ways that they can trim the excess costs off. So many business owners don't realize how much money they're actually wasting until they sit down and they start looking at it and realize that they're just throwing money literally out the window instead of putting it in the right place in their business.
COSTELLO: So -- so before small businesses decide to maybe get rid of an employee, they should sit down and figure out what they are really spending money on.
COFFEY: I really do. Look some people, yes, they do need to cut costs and it's unfortunate because it does cost jobs but you need to look at different ways of being effective in your business. You know I travel a lot for business. So I'm always looking at ways that I can save money on my travel. There are a lot of companies out there that do amazing promotions and that's something that I'm speaking about today. But they're actually giving travelers and business travelers money back when you stay at their hotel.
And that's a really, really great thing. So if you look at the ways that you can kind of trim the side a little bit in your business, maybe you don't need to lay someone off and that's the really important thing.
COSTELLO: The other big problem especially for small manufacturing firms is the lack of skilled workers. They have job openings but they can't find qualified workers. So if I needed skilled, hired help and I can't find it, where should I look?
COFFEY: Look, it's the common you know thing that we all say as small business owners. How do I find people that are training, you know and are right for my business? I'm a big believer in training people myself and making sure that they do have the skills. I'm a big believer in interviewing the right people and networking.
Look there are ways that being here at the Small Business Conference someone may not be right for one small business but they would be perfect for another one. And I think business owners need to connect more, they need to talk more and they need to share their resources so that we can help to build the economy back up. Can help to build small businesses back up and give people jobs which is really important. COSTELLO: And just a final thought for you on the importance of small businesses to our economy and our country.
COFFEY: Small businesses are incredibly important to the economy and are really -- look, to me especially not being from America, they are really the fabric of America. I mean, they are the stories of the small business owner and entrepreneur that started something and it just flourished into these amazing companies.
And I think it's very important because it brings a lot of passion, it can bring a lot of quality to people and it really helps communities as well. So I think small businesses are unbelievably important to America, not just to the economy of America and they're very important for that, but also to the fabric of America and what it really is all about.
COSTELLO: Tabatha thanks for taking over at least for a little bit on NEWSROOM. We appreciate it.
COFFEY: Thank you very much. Thank you.
COSTELLO: Coming up in 20 minutes, a story you can probably relate to, but one with a twist. An adult son places his mom in a nursing home and when her Medicaid application is not processed in time, well, the nursing home stuck him with her bill.
The bill came to $93,000. We're going to talk with the son about this when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Fifty-three minutes past the hour. Stories we're following in the NEWSROOM.
This unmanned SpaceX rocket launched into the history books just hours ago on its way to deliver supplies to the International Space Station. It is the first private spacecraft to do so. Onboard the cremated remains of James Doohan, the original "Scotty" from "Star Trek".
Top U.S. diplomat in Afghanistan is stepping down this summer. The announcement of Ambassador Ryan Crocker's exit comes just after the conclusion of the NATO summit in Chicago. He's been on the job less than a year.
Ramped up activity at North Korea's nuclear test site is raising concerns the country is getting ready for another test. Analysis of satellite images by the defense publication IHS James show earthen debris being removed from the tunnel in the largest quantity seen so far. Over the weekend G-8 leaders agree that North Korea faces further isolation if it continues to pursue a nuclear program.
We ask you to "Talk Back" on one of the biggest questions of the day. The question for you this morning, "Are 30 days in prison enough for a Hate Crime?" This is from Jason, "It should have been at least three to five years. I'm disgusted with the justice system. The LGBT community just continues to get slighted in every possible way. This just goes to show that our lives are not valued in the same way."
This from Corey, "I wonder what people would think had the boy not committed suicide. After all, they are prosecuting him for violating privacy, not for murder."
This from Megan, "Had this happened to a woman he would have gotten a much longer and probably registered as a sexual offender. This probably won't even go on his record."
And this from John, "The 30 days is an insult to the justice system. It proves nothing. And it proves nothing to the perp either. Shows no remorse at all -- what a shame.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: All right. So much for the Lakers. I guess they're done.
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORT: Kaput, finished. Kobe Bryant did everything he could though, Carol, but not enough. 42 points by Kobe last night. Still not enough. The Oklahoma City Thunder appear to be on the cusp of being one of the great teams in the NBA.
Look at -- Russell Westbrook throws up that one after the steal and gets a foul as well. Shot goes in. Oklahoma City wins 106-90. The Thunder wins the series four games to one. Outside the arena 6,000 fans who didn't even have tickets cheering from Thunder Alley. Their team going to the western conference finals to take on the San Antonio Spurs.
One incident though did mar the festivities. Gunfire broke out near the arena. At least eight people were wounded. Police don't know whether the shooting was random or was reaction to the game.
More playoff hoops from last night. The Celtics Brandon Bass goes in and throws down for the dunk against the 76ers. Bass outscored the (inaudible) in a third; finishing with a career high 27 points. Boston wins 101-85 to take a three games to two lead in the series game six tomorrow in Philadelphia.
Let's do some baseball. 49-year-old Colorado Rockies pitcher Jamie Moyer pitching in his 50th Major League ballpark last night but he gave up a game winning grand slam to the Marlins. No longer Mike Stanton. Giancarlo Stanton. The ball -- look it -- it wasn't just a homer. It knocked out some lights on the Marlins' scoreboard out there. They did eventually get it working again.
COSTELLO: That's what happened when you change your name to Giancarlo.
FISCHEL: Yes, don't mess with Giancarlo. By the way Stanton was born three years after Moyer made his Major League debut. COSTELLO: That's just great.
F1: How is this for a night at the ballpark. Caleb Lloyd, he's just out there hanging out. He catches a home run off Mike Leek. Look at that, I grabbed a foul ball -- the home run ball I mean. The next batter up is Zach Cozart (ph). He goes deep to the same place and, yes, Caleb Lloyd grabs that one, too. Back-to-back home run balls by the same fan.
You know what? He didn't go home with either one of them. He gave the one to Leek -- he gave it to Leek because it was Leek's first Major League home run and the other he gave to a friend.
COSTELLO: I don't want to go play the lottery with him.
FISCHEL: Seriously. That guy, karma is working for him right now. You just hate to see it turn around.
COSTELLO: I've never caught a ball at a baseball game and I have been to a million baseball games.
FISCHEL: Exactly -- I was -- remember I was expressing my depression after that.
COSTELLO: Yes. Well, we'll have a drink after the show.
Thanks Jeff.
FISCHEL: Ok.
COSTELLO: The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
