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Arrest in Etan Patz Mystery; SpaceX Ready for Rendezvous; Teen Creates Pancreatic Cancer Test; D.C. Beating Remains a Mystery; Memorial Day Getaway Game Show Tests Biblical Knowledge; Big Losses on Facebook IPO
Aired May 25, 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, Christine. Happening right now in the NEWSROOM.
Credibility of the confession. This man, Pedro -- Pedro Hernandez in court this morning. His reported three-hour confession being scrutinized and investigated. Is he trustworthy? Is Etan his only victim? And what about Etan's parents? We're on the case.
Docking a dragon. The first private unmanned spacecraft called the Dragon making history right now hooking up with the International Space Station. You will see it live.
Wisconsin showdown. Governor Scott Walker and Democratic Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett head to head tonight. It's just a week before a historic recall election. Will Scott Walker be able to tame the unions?
Bud light. The hurricane downgraded overnight to a category 2 but boy, still packing a punch. The popular resorts of western Mexico in the crosshairs this morning.
And casting call from folks who brought you "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" comes a new game show based on the bible. The host, redneck crooner, Jeff Foxworthy live this hour. We'll talk to the people behind the game show.
NEWSROOM begins right now.
And good Friday morning to you. I'm Carol Costello.
Thirty-three years ago today this little boy, Etan Patz, vanished on his way to school. This morning his alleged killer is expected to be in a New York City courtroom. His name is Pedro Hernandez. This is his picture on "Inside Edition."
Police say Hernandez confessed to the killing and may have solved a mystery that started a national discussion on missing children.
Susan Candiotti is following all of the latest developments. As I said, Hernandez is expected in court.
What may happen today, Susan? SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. Well, we expect that when and if he appears in court today that we will hear for the very first time how the Manhattan district attorney's office intends to charge him. Now the police have said they expect that he will face second-degree murder charges but it is prosecutors who will make that final decision so we'll learn that.
We'll also find out whether he is represented by his own attorney or whether one will be appointed for him. But we'll also get to see him for the first time and see what his demeanor is as these charges are read in court.
COSTELLO: What do we know about this man, Susan?
CANDIOTTI: Well, we know this much. We know that he was a stock boy and only 19 years old at the time that this happened. We know that after Etan disappeared, he no longer worked at this little corner convenience store and moved to New Jersey, eventually worked on a -- as a construction worker but then got hurt and was living on disability.
We know that he's married. Has a teenage daughter and that his neighbors thought very highly of him. Said he always had family gatherings and they were really surprised to hear that this has happened.
We also know from authorities, however, that they have no physical evidence and are relying at this point, they said, on what they call very detailed confessions that he allegedly made to police and that he also allegedly told other people as far back as 1981, according to authorities, that he had, quote, "done something very bad," and that he had killed a boy in New York but never specifically mentioned a name. However, police say they do have enough to charge him.
Here's what Ray Kelly said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What was it about his confession that makes you believe this is a credible story?
COMMISSIONER RAYMOND KELLY, NEW YORK CITY POLICE: Well, the fact that he had told his story to others in the past and the specificity of what he said in the confession.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Now, authorities acknowledge that he was never questioned at the time although I was told by other sources that he was on the radar of investigators and they did speak to him briefly at the time but the fact of the matter is at this point there is no physical evidence according to police to link him to this case and they only have statements at this time and no motive -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Susan Candiotti reporting live from New York City. Turning now to politics. A statewide contest that looms in the shadow of the presidential race. Tonight in Wisconsin the first debate will pit embattled Governor Scott Walker against Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the Democratic challenging Walker in the recall election.
Wisconsin is a crucial swing state and many Democrats are upset that President Obama hasn't more vocally publicly supported Barrett. And unions are also calling for Mr. Obama to help oust Walker. You may remember he limited the collective bargaining rights of state workers and their unions.
Polls shows Walker leads by single digits. Both parties are funneling big money into this race. Republican groups more than $8.5 million. Democrats just over $5 million. Election day just 11 days away now.
Jurors in the John Edwards trial get back to work at the bottom of the hour. It's deliberation day number six in the corruption trial. Jurors asked to examine all the exhibits yesterday. The former presidential candidate is accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions to hide an affair.
Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, betting on his state against the feds. The governor says New Jersey will go ahead with plans to let people make sports bets starting this fall. A federal law only allows sports betting in four other states but Christie is up for a fight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Am I expecting that there may be some legal action taken against us to try to prevent it? Yes. But that's going to be their burden to try to prevent it. That's why we're doing it the way we're doing it. And so I have every confidence that we're gong to be successful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: New Jersey voters approved a referendum last November that allows sports betting.
The man at the center of the General Services Administration scandal is no longer with the agency. Jeff Neely became the poster boy for wasteful government spending in organizing that lavish Las Vegas conference.
Neely was placed on administrative leave back in March. Yesterday a spokesman said, he has left the agency. The Justice Department could still go after Neely in a criminal investigation.
Happening right now. High above the earth, these are just amazing pictures. The SpaceX capsule. I have a tiny little monitor so I'm looking with you. This is the SpaceX capsule on its way to history and just a few minutes it is set to become the first commercial spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station. And with the United States putting the shuttle program into moth balls, it has been the new generation of the once mighty U.S. space program.
John Zarrella, he's in Miami.
And John, I want to continue to show our viewers these cool pictures.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure.
COSTELLO: And I want you to take us through what's about to happen.
ZARRELLA: Well, the dragon is dragging right now, Carol. I hate to make, you know, light of it but it is. They got behind the time line again. What happened was they had -- they've run through a series of maneuvers and procedures to check out all of Dragon's systems from its braking system to its propulsion system. And then as they gave the go ahead to go ahead and move to within 30 meters, about 100 feet of the space station, they said wait, let's -- at about 70 meters out they said stop.
They were having a problem with the onboard radar system. The system on Dragon. And what that does it's called LIDAR. It's measures the distance by sending a beam that reflects off a spot on the station and then sends that -- reflection back to the Dragon. Well, the beam was hitting the wrong place on the station and not the reflector it needed to hit. So they're trying to figure out right now what they're going to do if in fact they can go ahead and proceed.
And we just saw from NASA that it looks like about 10:10 Eastern Time now is the new target time for the actual grapple where astronaut Don Petite will reach out with the space station's Canadian built arm, grab on to Dragon and hold it there.
And then the other issue, Carol, is because the astronauts are running into a time line here, a window where their work schedule for the day is starting to wrap up, there is the possibility that NASA and SpaceX will decide to just leave it on that arm and hold it overnight and actually birth it tomorrow. That's a possibility.
COSTELLO: So this is a big test. I mean, if this thing isn't successful --
ZARRELLA: Yes.
COSTELLO: -- this doesn't spell great news for the SpaceX program.
ZARRELLA: You know, it's huge. But here very quickly. The point was that NASA and SpaceX decided that the last SpaceX mission went so well that they were going to try two in one. There was supposed to be one mission that went up and rendezvoused and then another mission that would -- a succeeding mission that would birth. So they've folded two missions into one. So they're still even if for some reason they can't pull this off on this mission, they are still ahead of the game and that at least is good news. But, you know, I don't think this is a show stopper. They should be able to work through this LIDAR issue. There's lots of smart people at both NASA and at SpaceX out in Hawthorne, California, working this problem.
Remember, Carol, both of these vehicles are traveling at 17,500 miles an hour. So it is, as you said, extremely delicate and they want to take their time and get it right.
COSTELLO: And just so people can make sense of this picture, these pictures are being taken from the International Space Station so you're actually looking down at the thing and that's why you see those clouds in the background because that would earth, right?
ZARRELLA: That's earth.
COSTELLO: OK.
ZARRELLA: And just a few minutes ago they were over Canada.
COSTELLO: Got you. John Zarrella, we'll get back to you. Thanks so much.
ZARRELLA: Sure.
COSTELLO: If you're heading to a Mexican resort for Memorial Day weekend, we've got not so great news. You may have a hurricane to deal with.
Yay, it's kind of early in the season for hurricanes, Rob. And wow. It's coming just in time.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And this one is a strong one. Last night it was a category 3 storm. Earliest we've seen such a strong storm in the Eastern Pacific and we're already, as you know, up to the -- up to the B storm and the season just started last week.
Here we go.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: So remarkable start to the season for sure -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: You bet.
COSTELLO: We have to show you this video because it's just so amazing and it will make you smile. This is a young Maryland man who created a test for pancreatic cancer. He's 15 and he'll find a cure by the time he's 20. That's what he says but he won this big prize for his discovery. And here's how he reacted after his big moment.
Doesn't that just make you smile? Every time I look at this it makes me smile and laugh. This guy's name is Jack Andraka. His idea earned him first prize and $100,000 at the global science fair. And as you can see, he's pretty darned excited when he won.
Listen to him, though. He's already talking like a seasoned scientist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK THOMAS ANDRAKA, CREATED CANCER TEST: What's so cool about the sensor is that it can detect pancreatic cancer before it becomes invasive where survival rate is close to 100 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's incredible.
ANDRAKA: So it's just amazing how this will be applicable. This also can look at other forms of cancer. Cancer drug resistant. How effective a cancer treatment and basically any disease.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: You go. Jack's test is not invasive and works like a diabetes test paper strip. It checks blood and urine for early stage pancreatic cancer. He's now working to get a patient. So congrats to you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Fifteen minutes past the hour.
Checking our top stories today.
The man arrested in the killing of Etan Patz is expected to appear in court 33 years to the day the 6-year-old disappeared from his New York City neighborhood. New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says Pedro Hernandez is expected to be charged with second- degree murder.
Bud has weakened a bit but still expected to hit Mexico as a category 2 hurricanes, dumping as much as 15 inches of rain in some areas. But it's the second named storm as the east Pacific hurricane season.
Turning now to Arlington National Cemetery where soldiers placed American flags at the graves of more than 260,000 service members. The tradition known as "flags in" is in honor of Memorial Day, of course, and is taken place every year since 1948.
Now to a mystery in the nation's capital. A woman is beaten in her D.C. apartment. Her husband, a prominent scientist, is away on business and cuts his trip short when he can't get in touch with his wife. When he gets home, he finds his wife on the floor soaked in her own blood and now, he's a suspect.
Lisa Sylvester with more on this unfolding mystery.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The victim: Svetlana Guggenheim, a beautiful Russian translator who lies in a Washington hospital recovering from a brutal beating. The suspect: her husband of 18 years. David Guggenheim is a prominent marine biologist who has been featured on "60 Minutes."
Detectives executed a search warrant and confiscated his phone, computer hard drives, Internet router, and other items at his home late Tuesday.
But in this interview with CNN, he insists he had nothing to do with her assault.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Did you have anything to do with it? Could you have harmed your wife in any way?
DAVID GUGGENHEIM, HUSBAND: No, never. And there is no history of that. I would never hit her or anyone else. And we have a very peaceful marriage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SYLVESTER: David says he and his wife were on separate business trips. Svetlana returned home on April 4th. She sent him this text message, thanking him for keeping the house clean.
Her adult daughter spoke to her on the phone the next day, April 5th. David said he called his wife on April 5th, but there was no answer. He showed us the frantic text messages he sent her over the next two days.
SYLVESTER (on camera): Worried, he cut his trip short and came back here to their Washington, D.C., apartment, and what he found shocked him. It was his wife, lying on the floor wearing only a blouse, her head and face badly beaten.
GUGGENHEIM: There was a lot of dried blood on the floor, dried blood in her hair. She had an awful black eye, her left eye. She was shaking and semiconscious.
SYLVESTER (voice-over): Svetlana was rushed to the hospital. David remained by her side while she was in intensive care with no memory of what happened. He stayed with her until April 19th. That's when police officers told him he was barred from the hospital. For a month, he had no access to her and was prevented from getting updates from doctors. David was under a cloud of suspicion.
CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin explains why.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: If this was an assault, the lack of evidence of false entry certainly suggests that it was someone she knew and a husband, frankly, is always going to be a lead suspect.
SYLVESTER: And the metro police department said there was a note in Svetlana's hospital file, in which she allegedly told a nurse her husband was involved with her beating. According to court records, quote, "It is Ms. Guggenheim's explicit wishes that plaintiff not be permitted to have contact with her."
But David Guggenheim says that note has inconsistencies, including two different dates.
GUGGENHEIM: I was with her on the 19th. She was in no condition to give any sort of statement on the 19th or before the 19th. I'm very suspicious of this memo.
SYLVESTER: He thinks someone fabricated that memo.
The Metro Police Department and the district attorney's office declined to talk to CNN, citing the ongoing investigation.
Svetlana Guggenheim has since sworn in an affidavit her husband was not responsible and has no memory ever telling anyone that her husband was involved.
David has provided CNN with receipts from his trip to Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey during the timeframe when his wife was attacked. Train receipts, one from a Wal-Mart and a Starbucks. He remains a suspect, but is now allowed to see her in the hospital.
GUGGENHEIM: Being able to see her now is -- I mean, it's -- I can't even express to you how emotional it is to be able to see her and care for her.
SYLVESTER (on camera): David Guggenheim has not been charged, but he hasn't been cleared, either. Their apartment has surveillance videos which the police now have, but they are not releasing these tapes.
Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: AAA says high gas prices are not forcing Americans to stay home this holiday weekend. Still ahead, inside the big Memorial Day getaway.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Twenty-three minutes past the hour.
May your Memorial Day trip not turn out like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw detour signs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't see any.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw them when you and mom were trying to fold the map.
UNIDENTIIFED MALE: Audrey, when they close the road they put up big signs like this one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: I love that movie. Of course, that's from "National Lampoon's Vacation". That was Griswold family. And although, you're not going to drive off any cliffs, you will be following the Griswold example and getting out of town for Memorial Day weekend. At least I hope so.
We have a reporter live at -- Rene Marsh is live at Reagan National Airport. That's where you are.
So gas prices are falling a little bit. Does that mean more traffic?
RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You hit the nail on the head there, Carol. You know, we're here at Reagan National Airport hanging out with passengers who will be flying to their destinations. But the truth of the matter is when AAA asked the majority of these people how will they get to their destination. Because of a tight budget, the majority of them say they'll be driving.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARSH (voice-over): Expect busy roads this Memorial Day weekend. AAA says more people will opt to drive rather than fly. Bill Kelly is mentally prepared for gridlock from D.C. to Virginia.
BILL KELLY: It's going to take me hours to get down there.
MARSH: Travel experts say a drop in gas prices is likely the reason for a busier travel weekend over last year. Of those 35 million travelers, the AAA says roughly 31 million of them are expected to drive to their holiday destination but they won't be going far, only 50 miles on average.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not one of the millions of people who are going to be taking my car and driving more than 50 miles away somewhere.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Folks are economizing, while still choosing to travel. And of the ways that they're doing that is taking shorter trips.
MARSH: Travel experts say the shorter trips dubbed staycations or near-cations will likely remain popular this year and AAA says it has seen a surge in family bookings for shorter vacations. Exploring hometown tourists destinations or areas close by.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARSH: All right. We spent a lot of time here. We spoke to a lot of passengers, Carol, and asked them how has the experience been and many say it was a breeze. Not many lines here at Reagan National Airport.
AAA says that although airfare is 7 percent lower than last year, the truth of the matter is nationally fewer people will fly this weekend -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Renee Marsh live at Reagan National in Washington, D.C. -- thanks so much.
Time for "Middle Class Talk Back" -- a segment we kicked of two weeks ago. We wanted to give middle class Americans a chance to ask direct questions of the presidential candidates.
Today, it is Skip Becker's turn. He's from Hershey, Pennsylvania. He's a semiretired small businessman who's worried about what the future will bring for his grandchildren. This week, he had a question for Governor Romney and President Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SKIP BECKER: Governor Romney, I would like to ask a question about trust. I don't trust the government. I don't trust our legal system. I don't trust Wall Street. I don't trust the media, or the internet. I don't trust banks and I'm afraid the middle class is beginning to lose trust in each other.
Except for government, which of the remaining items do you think we should trust first and how would you and your administration help restore that trust?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Well, Skip, we went to both campaigns with your question and guess what? They had the same answer. Both camps said we'd love to help but the question did not relate directly to the campaign. It was just too broad.
Skip, I didn't think it was too broad. So, I decided to try to find the answer for you.
Here's what Governor Romney said in New Hampshire back in January.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've got to have that respect for one another in this country. If we see it among our leaders in Washington and if they are men and women of integrity who we elect, then I think we'll have greater trust and confidence in our government to do the right thing. I hope I'll be one of those leaders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: As for President Obama, he's pushing for financial reform on Wall Street and the Dodd-Frank law regulating banks will be fully enforced.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The fact is this crisis has left a huge deficit of trust between Main Street and Wall Street. And major banks that were rescued by the taxpayers have an obligation to go the extra mile in helping to close that deficit of trust.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, skip, I know none of that directly answers your question but both men are in a tight race and they tend to answer questions very carefully. But we will keep trying.
We'll have another "Middle Class Talk Back" question next Friday.
A battle brewing in Wisconsin could have implications across the country. The Republican governor trying to fend off a Democratic challenger in an historic recall election. The whole thing is coming to a head now.
Why are people across the country watching this race so closely? We'll have the discussion, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We hear it now, opening bell ringing on Wall Street. It's shaping up, though, to be a lackluster day, despite a solution to the ongoing debt crisis in Europe and investors are showing little signs of optimism. Also, with a three-day weekend, trading volume is expected to be low today.
Also, today, the man arrested in the killing of Etan Patz expected to appear in court 33 years to the day the 6-year-old disappeared from his New York City neighborhood.
New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says Pedro Hernandez is expected to be charged with second-degree murder.
Hurricane Bud has weakened a bit, but the storm is still expected to hit Mexico as a category 2 hurricane, dumping up to 15 inches of rain in some areas. Bud is the second named storm of the Pacific hurricane season.
And another nail in the coffin for newspapers. "The New Orleans Times Picayune" has announced it is cutting back on daily editions. The paper will publish just three days a week while continuing online coverage. Three other southern newspapers owned by "The Times Picayune's" parent company are also going to three-day a week printing.
The nation is watching Wisconsin. The recall election there isn't just important for voters in Wisconsin. It could fuel voters across the country in November.
Democrats and union leaders are trying to unseat Republican Governor Scott Walker who led the fight to strip Republican employee unions of collective bargaining rights. Tonight, Walker will debate Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, his Democratic challenger in the recall race.
With me now, Amy Kremer with Tea Party Express, and Mahlon Mitchell, he's the Democratic for lieutenant governor in Wisconsin.
Welcome to both of you.
AMY KREMER, TEA PARTY EXPRESS: Thanks for having us.
MAHLON MITCHELL (D), WISCONSIN LT. GOV. CANDIDATE: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Thank you for being here. Milan, I want to start with you. Polls show that Democrat Mayor Barrett is behind and some suggests that's surprising considering the passion surrounding the recall process. I mean, you guys got more than a million signatures. So, why is Walker ahead?
MITCHELL: Well, there's no doubt that our state is divided right down the middle. It's something that Governor Scott Walker wanted to do. He said he wanted to divide and conquer our state. That was his strategy last year.
He wanted to drop the bomb on his word. He said that last year. There's no doubt when we go down the street in any city in our state, you have a Scott Walker on one side and you have a Barrett and Mitchell sign on the street.
So, that's why I don't put a lot of credence on polls. Polls don't vote. And at end of the day, on June 5th the people will decide.
COSTELLO: Some suggest it might be the money factor. And, Amy, I'm going to address this question to you because -- Amy, I'm going to address this question to you because it's crazy how much money has poured in from outside sources for this Wisconsin recall race. While the Democrats have attracted like $5 million to Wisconsin, Republican groups have poured in $8.6 million to help Scott Walker.
Your group, the Tea Party Express, has worked to raise money. Why is Wisconsin's race important to Republicans nationwide?
KREMER: Well, Carol, it's simply because usually politicians are recalled when they don't do their job. The governor and lieutenant governor and senators have done exactly what they said they were going to do when they campaigned and won the election. And that is close a $3.6 billion deficit, balance a budget for the first time in years Wisconsin is going to have a surplus. They are putting people back to work.
And so that's what this is about. And, you know, it's -- the public employee unions have been upset because they have to contribute more to health insurance and their pensions, but it's completely within the normal range that most Americans pay. And so, look, if these people, if these politicians are making the right decisions and doing what's best for the state and they don't have the support that they need to defeat this recall, then no one else is going to have the courage to do that.
You know, it's one thing to recall someone for not doing their job, but simply to recall someone because you don't like their policies, that's just not acceptable. That's what we have elections for.
COSTELLO: And, Mahlon, the creation of jobs, I'm sure, will be part of the debate tonight because some people say that Scott Walker didn't deliver the number of jobs that he promised.
MITCHELL: Well, I don't think some people will say that. That's truth. We lost 24,000 jobs last year. Last month, we had a decrease of 6,200 private sector jobs and a month prior to that we lost 4,300 jobs.
So, Scott Walker campaigned on bringing 250,000 jobs it our state in four years. There's no way that's going to happen. And the goal with Amy's point, he didn't campaign on stripping collective bargaining rights. He did not campaign on taking workers rights away.
What he did campaign on is fiscal responsibility and shared sacrifice. Well, right now, shared sacrifice -- seems like middle class citizens are sacrificing and they're sharing the wealth. So, he did not campaign on these issues.
COSTELLO: Amy, along that point, I mean, it's a race important to people who live in Wisconsin but outside groups including yours raising money and campaigning there. So, isn't this really all about the unions not so much about the good of Wisconsin?
KREMER: No, Carol. It's not. This is about standing up for these politicians that are doing exactly what they said they were going to do. He's exactly right. Fiscal responsibility and, you know, the sacrifice -- everybody is having to sacrifice a little bit all across America. Why is it that these unions shouldn't have to contribute more? I mean, it's simply not right.
The people that elect these politicians deserve to be represented by their elected officials and not elected officials that are beholden to union bosses. What this is about simply is, you know, growing the state of Wisconsin or allowing, you know, this to continue forward and going backwards. I mean, that's what it's about.
I mean, I'm sorry, but Mr. Mahlon, Mr. Mitchell, he -- the unemployment rate has dropped to 6.7 percent. The lowest it's been since 2008. There's been a net increase of jobs since Governor Walker took office of 20,000 plus.
What's happening right now is uncertainty because of these recalls. The citizens of Wisconsin have recall fatigue and they're not sure what's going to happen. So, of course, employers aren't hiring right now.
COSTELLO: We'll let Mr. Mahlon address that, because I have seen hard figures that there have been job losses in Wisconsin.
MITCHELL: Those are -- those are the real figures. We've lost almost 24,000 jobs last year. That's from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's every measure of every state in our country is measured by. We've lost 24,000 jobs by that measure.
Now, when Governor Scott Walker comes out with his own fuzzy math two weeks ago, those are his own numbers.
We lost 6,200 jobs last month. We lost 4,300 jobs the month prior to that. Almost 43,000 jobs lost since last year. Those are real figures. Those are real facts.
This is more than just about jobs. This is more than just about collective bargaining. This is about workers rights and this is about middle class citizen.
He cuts over $1.6 billion from public education. So, when you say we have a billion dollars in savings and he cuts from public education system in our state, that's hurting.
When you say he saved $1 billion and he takes over $70 million from state aid shared revenue, back to local municipalities, which have to in turn layoff firefighters, we have to close schools and layoff employees, that's not savings. That's balancing the budget on the backs of middle class citizens.
COSTELLO: Let me ask you this -- that sounds an awful lot like what the president has said in his campaign speech. Why hasn't President Obama gone to Wisconsin and more vocally supported Scott Walker's opponent?
MITCHELL: I'm sorry, I can't speak for President Obama but I know any president, President Obama has a very busy schedule. They have a lot of things on their agenda. Right now we're concentrating on --
COSTELLO: What about Joe Biden?
MITCHELL: Well, Joe Biden has been here actually.
COSTELLO: Will he -
MITCHELL: Right now, what we are --
COSTELLO: Will he -- I don't think he has plans to go to Wisconsin in the two weeks before this recall election. Wouldn't that help?
MITCHELL: And I don't know their schedule. Right now what we're concentrating on in our last 11 days is getting out to the people of the state of Wisconsin and making voices heard and making sure middle class citizens know they have a choice for Tom Barrett and Mahlon Mitchell on this ticket.
COSTELLO: Amy Kremer, Mahlon Mitchell -- thank you both --
KREMER: Carol, I think facts are going to stand for themselves and we'll see that Governor Walker and Lieutenant Governor Kleefisch will defeat this recall on June 5th.
COSTELLO: We'll be listening to the debate later today. Thanks to both of you. I appreciate it.
KREMER: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Judd Apatow stands by his girls. Our Nischelle Turner talked with the director about criticism of his HBO show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Have you been watching life in the big city saga of Hannah, and Marnie and Jessa on the "Girls" on HBO?
Our Nischelle Turner caught up with the director, Judd Apatow, who has been defending the show against critics. So what did he say?
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, Carol, Judd Apatow's take is, come on, people. This is a comedy.
Now, HBO's "Girls" has drawn praise and criticism in its first season. The show follows four 20-something women and their experiences while living in New York. Where have we heard that before?
But now, some have said that the show lacks diversity because the four main characters are all white women. Others argue the characters are just too whiney and narcissistic. But executive producer Judd Apatow, who has directed comedy like "40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" and was the producer on "Bridesmaid", says it's situations like these that make girls fertile ground for laughs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDD APATOW, PRODUCER, "GIRLS": The show is about people making a lot of really bad choices and so that's the comedy of it and fun of it. But also, you know, some of the choices do drive people crazy. They are the mistakes we make.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: You know what, Carol? Get ready for more bad choices and mistakes because HBO has renewed "Girls" for -- yes, a second season.
COSTELLO: A lot of buzz about it. I don't blame them.
TURNER: It is. It is.
COSTELLO: Nischelle Turner, thanks so much.
TURNER: Sure. COSTELLO: You think you know the bible? Maybe you should try out for this show.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tonight, a game show unlike any other you've ever seen. A show that covers everything from the Lord to -- well, locust.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Casting calls are out. A preview of the "American Bible Challenge."
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COSTELLO: A new game show is putting knowledge of the bestselling book of all time to the test.
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JEFF FOXWORTHY, HOST: Which one is found in the bible, OK? And just so you know, we may have changed a word or two here or there like we might say, "Thou shall not run a red light," but that aside these laws are actually found in the bible or somewhere in one of our 50 states. "Thou shall not allow thy pants to sag. Thou shall not impersonate a priest.
Mustard Seeds Audra.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thou shall not impersonate a priest.
FOXWORTHY: That is incorrect. Last one. Thou shall not wear cotton, polyester socks. Oasis Brian.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's "Thou shall not wear cotton/polyester socks."
FOXWORTHY: That is absolutely right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Seriously? This game is called the "American Bible Challenge." Comedian Jeff Foxworthy is the host. It debuts this summer on the Game Show Network. And joining me now is Amy Introcaso- Davis, who's executive vice president of programming for GSN.
Welcome.
AMY INTROCASO-DAVIS, EXECUTIVE VP OF PROGRAMMING, GSN: Hello. Happy Memorial Day weekend.
COSTELLO: Same to you. I was watching clips of the show and it just looks like so much fun. I mean who knew the bible could be this much fun. INTROCASO-DAVIS: Well, you know, we at GSN knew the bible was going to be this much fun. It's been super fun to work on. We've been piloting it the last month or so. We've been casting in California in the last few weeks and we'll be casting in Atlanta and all over the country. Chicago, Dallas. We'll be in Dallas on June 2nd to find contestants.
It's been amazingly fun. And I think what's astonishing to us is how young people are really responding to this idea and coming at it in droves and they know their bible.
COSTELLO: Yes, I was just going to ask you. There's a casting call today in Atlanta. How many people is it attracting?
INTROCASO-DAVIS: Each city is different. You know today is Memorial Day weekend. I don't know how many people will come or not. If that's a good thing or a bad thing. If you have nothing to do on Saturday and Sunday, please go to gsnTV.com and find out where to go. But, you know, it's been astonishing to us.
It's an idea that we've been kicking around for a long time. Michael Davies, who is one of the greatest game show producers of all time, brought it to us. And we also brought in Tom Forman, who produced "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" to get the back stories of the people who are playing the game.
It's important to us that people know what they're playing for. Everybody will be playing for charity. So it's something that's very emotional for them. You will also hear their back stories of how they came to their faith. And so it's a very different kind of game show. We have a choir onstage. Yes.
COSTELLO: Something interested me, you know, and you're looking for contestants. You said the contestants, GSN has said that the contestants will represent worthy faith-based organizations. What does that mean? The only contestants that will qualify come from faith-based groups?
INTROCASO-DAVIS: No. It means that they will actually be playing for them. So they will -- they'll be playing for groups that are of faith or for organizations that -- charity organizations that need money. Those are one of the places that we're looking at.
COSTELLO: So that -- so the charities --
(CROSSTALK)
INTROCASO-DAVIS: But everybody can try out for this.
COSTELLO: So the charities can only be faith-based charities? It can't be any charity the contestants choose?
INTROCASO-DAVIS: No. No. No. It can be any charity. It's just that we're looking at faith-based charities because they will tend to know the bible better. But anyone who knows the bible can come out and audition for the show. It has the same game show requirements that every game show has, which is you have to pass a test to get on a game show.
COSTELLO: Gotcha.
INTROCASO-DAVIS: I will say that -- I probably wouldn't pass any of the tests. Again, I am not smarter than a fifth grader, so I probably wouldn't pass any of the tests to get on our shows. But that's what it is. So anybody can come out.
COSTELLO: Gotcha.
INTROCASO-DAVIS: And we're playing for charities.
COSTELLO: Gotcha. I'm just wondering about that polyester sock thing in the bible. But I'm sure if I watch the show later this summer, I will know.
Thank you very much for joining us this morning, Amy.
INTROCASO-DAVIS: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Sure.
Snoop Dogg takes the mound. The rapper throws out the first pitch at a White Sox game, and guess what he does? Well, it was a tribute to an NFL quarterback. We'll show you coming up.
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COSTELLO: Stockbrokers left holding the bag on last week's Facebook IPO want someone to pay up.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. What's the latest?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And Facebook's IPO mess, Carol, is getting messier. So there's another layer to this IPO fiasco. The company or the brokers or the stockbrokers that executed the trades for the customers, they want the Nasdaq to pay up. So I'm talking about Knight Capital, Citadel Securities, and units of the Swiss bank UBS and Citigroup. They're reportedly saying they're on the hook for up to $100 million in losses related to the Facebook IPO.
Now here's how they say they lost the money. So let's say a customer placed an order to sell the stock at $42 a share last Friday. There was of course a delay at the Nasdaq as we've all been talking about. The trade took longer than expected to go through. So by the time it did, shares were down to $39. But guess that? It's the brokers who have to cover that $3 loss. So the customer can still get their $42 a share. Right?
So what you do is you multiply it that by millions of shares, and voila, you get the losses piling up on these brokers. Now what Nasdaq is saying is that they may be only liable for up to $3 million in losses for these brokers -- Carol?
COSTELLO: Alison Kosik, live at the New York Stock Exchange. The Miami Heat are moving on in the NBA Playoffs thanks to Dwyane Wade. The Heat guard shot out the lights against the Pacers last night. D-Wade made 17 of 25 baskets. He finished with 41 points. LeBron James added 28. Miami beats Indiana 105-93 and takes the second-round series in six games.
The Heat will play the winner of the Celtics-76ers series. Those teams have a game seven tomorrow night.
Slugger Albert Pujols had a horrible start with the California Angels this season but guess what, he seems to be getting his stroke back. Yes. That would be his fourth homerun. It happened against the Mariners last night. It's also his 450th career homerun.
The Angels had a weapon on the mound, too. Dan Herrin struck out 14 Mariners. Herrin also marked a milestone. Career strikeout number 1500. Angels won the game 3-0.
And Snoop Dogg takes the mound for the Chicago White Sox. Well, actually he was up there to throw out the first pitch before the Twins-White Sox game last night. There he goes. Yes, it was a little high. We're talking about the pitch being high, not Snoop. But then the rapper Tebows. Yes. There it is. Snoop had some fun and so did the White Sox as they beat the Twins.
Ahead at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, are we seeing death, the final death throes of print journalism? Why four well-known newspapers are stopping the presses.
And take a look at these live pictures. The docking getting underway now. SpaceX linking up with the International Space Station. We will take you live to space in two minutes.
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