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American Tourists Freed in Egypt; New Ad Attack Romney the Governor; Police Probe Deadly Seattle Shooting; Waiting for Spacecraft Splashdown; Hiring Spree for 10 U.S. Firms; Banning Abortions Based on Gender; Churches Urged to Clarify Voting Laws; Learn How to Run the Right Way
Aired May 31, 2012 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
O'BRIEN: Were hired to shoot Marilyn Monroe, a meeting that changed his life. Best-selling author, Lawrence Schiller, shares his story about the private Marilyn that he knew.
Let's get right to "CNN NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello. We'll see you back here tomorrow at 7:00 a.m.
Hey, Carol. Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Soledad.
Stories we're watching right now in the NEWSROOM.
Breaking news, two American tourist kidnapped in Egypt has now been released. We'll tell you what the kidnappers had demanded and how the tourists were snatched.
New details this morning about the man behind that horrible shooting spree in Seattle. He opened fire on a coffee shop. Five people dead. Why his family is saying they should have seen it coming.
His dreams of an NFL career were shattered when he was falsely convicted of rape and sent to prison for five years. This morning, a shot at that NFL career for Brian Banks who was exonerated of all charges just last week and set free.
And take a look at this unbelievable video from a happy hour that took a horrifying turn. A truck, you'll see it shortly, plows right into the middle of this bar, pinning the customers in a heap of rubble. Amazingly no one was killed.
NEWSROOM starts right now.
Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello.
Two American tourists on their way to a luxury resort in Egypt kidnapped. Gunmen had pulled them from a car in the Sinai Peninsula demanding Egyptian authorities release a man from jail. The U.S. State Department and Egyptian authorities have been working feverishly to free those Americans, and we have good news this morning. Just about a half hour ago we learned those tourists were released. Our Ben Wedeman is in Cairo to tell us how this went down.
Hi, Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hello, Carol. Well, according to the Egyptian, the Southern Sinai governor and a senior official there, the two Americans have been released. They're now in police custody and they are on their way to a hotel.
We were told earlier by a Bedouin sheikh who was in contact with the gunmen who are holding the Americans that they were being treated well, that they were unharmed. This clearly is part of some local conflict. One of the men -- rather a man from a tribe in Southern Sinai apparently had been arrested by the Egyptian police yesterday with a large amount of marijuana.
And apparently the other members of his tribe wanted him released. They saw this opportunity with the two Americans who were driving north toward an area near the Israeli border. They were forced out of the car and then negotiations began and fortunately they are over and the two Americans, we are told, are alive and well and now in police custody -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Does this kind of thing happen often in Egypt?
WEDEMAN: Well, there was an incident just a few months ago where another case of two Americans being kidnapped by Bedouin tribesmen. It was the really -- a very much the same sort of situation. Local people have a lot of grievances against the central government of Egypt and they say kidnapping of foreign tourists especially Americans, as a very good opportunity to -- use them as bargaining chips.
It's happened before. It's not common but it certainly is far more common than it used to be in the days of Hosni Mubarak and this seems to -- this gives you an indication that the security situation in the Sinai has deteriorated as the state in a sense has really taken a hit since the revolution -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman reporting live for us from Cairo.
In Indiana, a high school senior is stuck in Mexico in danger of missing her graduation on Saturday. Elizabeth Olivas was born in Mexico but has lived in the United States since she was 4 years old. The honor student returned to Mexico recently to get a visa. Olivas had to apply within 180 days of her 18th birthday but her previous attorney miscalculated and forgot a leap year day and Olivas missed her deadline.
Now she is barred from returning to the United States for three years unless she can get an emergency waiver.
Olivas spoke to Soledad O'Brien on CNN's "STARTING POINT."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ELIZABETH OLIVAS, STUDENT: We have been fighting this case for a long time now. And because of different errors and different attorneys, we are where we are today. But yes, I knew for a long time. But it's just something you try to keep your hopes up and hope that one day you'll get your things fixed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Olivas plans to file the application for the waiver this morning at a U.S. consulate. We don't know right now if she'll be able to get it approved in time to make it to graduation on Saturday.
To politics now. President Obama called and congratulated Mitt Romney for sealing the delegate deal but the pleasantries did not last long. The Obama campaign is going into Massachusetts to unleash a brand new attack ad and a new strategy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: People want to know what I stand for, they can look up my record as governor.
JOHN BARRETT, FORMER MAYOR OF NORTH ADAMS, MA.: Mitt Romney was not an effective leader in Massachusetts and the proof is in the pudding.
JAY KAUFMAN, STATE REP. FOR THE 15TH MIDDLESEX DISTRICT: I have worked only under Republican governors and I worked really well with all of the others. There was really not much working with Mitt Romney.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Paul Steinhauser is our political editor. He is with us now.
So, Paul, the Obama campaign is now going after Romney's past as governor instead of his CEO experience.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, that's for about two or three weeks, Carol, the Obama campaign was really firing away at Mitt Romney over his record at Bain Capital. That's the private equity firm he co-created -- co-founded. Now as you just showed from that Web video, which my guess is that Web video is soon going to be a TV ad, they're -- they're taking on Romney over his record as Massachusetts governor. And what they say are his broken promises that he made when he was running for governor in 2002 and promises he didn't live up to.
And they point out job creation and they point out taxes and fees and other things and -- the debt in Massachusetts. So it's kind of a full frontal attack. You've got that video and you've also got David Axelrod who is arguably President Obama's top political adviser. He is going to be a little later this morning in front of the state house in Boston to hold a news conference to say a lot of the things we're talking about right here.
And of course the state house is where Governor Romney, then Governor Romney, had his office from 2002 to 2006.
Carol, one is the -- one of the things that's interesting about this, Carol, that attack on Romney, you heard a lot of that from Jon Huntsman and other Republicans back during the primaries, the same thing with the Bain -- the Bain attack. So a lot of the fireworks from the primaries, the Obama now using in the general election.
Hey, the Romney campaign, Carol, as you can imagine, firing back saying listen. the president has no good record to stand on on jobs and that's why he's attacking Mitt Romney, and while the Obama campaign is taking the offensive today, the Republicans continue their attacks on the president over Solyndra. You remember that green energy company that got a lot of money, a lot of federal infusions, went bankrupt, the Romney campaign and the Republican National Committee saying another example of the president wasting taxpayer money.
Carol, a little over five months to go so stay tuned. I think we're going to hear a lot more of this kind of stuff between now and November 6th.
COSTELLO: I think you're exactly right. Paul Steinhauser live in Washington for us.
One of the most divisive issues in politics is set to take center stage in the House of Representatives as lawmakers vote on a measure banning abortions based on the sex of a fetus. The bill is called the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act. If passed, a doctor who suspects a woman wants an abortion based on sex, would be required to report her to authorities. The sponsor of the bill, Arizona Republican representative Trent Franks, insists this is a growing problem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TRENT FRANKS (R), ARIZONA: A number of academic papers have now published evidence that the practice of sex selection abortion is demonstrably increasing here in the United States especially but not exclusively in the Asian immigrant community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Democrats say the bill tramples on women's rights and is a distraction when there are more important issues out there. We're going to talk more about this controversial bill in depth. That'll come your way 20 minutes from now.
Seattle Police are trying to figure out what caused a man to start shooting people in what's described as a mellow coffee house. Police say the suspect, Ian Stan Wicki -- Stawicki, rather, shot himself after a five-hour manhunt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JIM PUGEL, SEATTLE POLICE: When the officers and SWAT started vectoring in on the suspect, the suspect saw this -- uniformed officers, he apparently knelt down in the middle of the street and put the gun to his head and shot himself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: He then died at the hospital. He's accused of killing four people at that coffee house. Two of the victims were best friends and members of the same band, God's Favorite Beef Cake.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AARON OTHEIM, KNEW MUSICIAN WHO WAS SHOT AT CAFE: He had made that place what it is. So it's going to be a huge loss for the -- this establishment and all of us.
JEFF SNOW, VICTIM'S FRIEND: He was the life of the party. He just made everybody laugh and he will be sorely missed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: After leaving the coffee house, Stawicki carjacked and killed a mother of two in front of several witnesses in another part of town.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOANN STREMLER, WITNESSED CARJACKING: My window was down. And I see this guy leaning over this woman kicking her and then he shot her in the face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Surveillance video from that Seattle coffee house shows Stawicki walking in and then after the shooting, he appears to be just looking at the aftermath. Family members said Stawicki was angry and had mental problems and he'd been kicked out of the coffee house before for having run-ins with people.
Michelle Millman, from our affiliate KIRO, is in front of the cafe. Thanks for being with us.
MICHELLE MILLMAN, KIRO REPORTER: Absolutely, Carol. Good morning.
COSTELLO: Stawicki's brother told the "Seattle Times" he could see this coming. What do we know about this person?
MILLMAN: What we're hearing Ian Stawicki, he is 40 years old and he has been coming to the Racer Cafe for a while now. In fact regulars who are coming here, as we push in on this shot here of the candles burning here in rainy Seattle this morning, had said that he was angry and he had come here and gotten kicked out of the cafe over the last couple of weeks. And they didn't want him around. Other regulars who come here to the Racer Cafe say he was quite odd and just strange. So they believe possibly they were targeted when he came back in yesterday morning and opened fire on these customers. Some people who no doubt knew who he was when he walked in -- Carol?
COSTELLO: This man's family said he had mental problems. Do we know how he got the gun?
MILLMAN: We do not at this point. We don't know how he got the gun. That will be some of the investigation that police will be up to today as -- as long -- as well as along with us today in this investigation to try to figure out his background. How he got ahold of that gun. He did, we believe, have possibly two different guns. A gun that we saw on the SUV that you talked about, the woman who was shot in that carjacking. There was a gun found on the car there.
And then when police confronted him later in the afternoon, he shot himself as well. So there are two different guns involved in this. And we do not know at this point how he got ahold of them, how long he had those guns.
COSTELLO: Thanks for being with us this morning. We appreciate it.
The former Rutgers University student convicted of bullying his gay roommate goes to jail today. Dharun Ravi will serve 30 days. Prosecutors are appealing that sentence saying it's too lenient. Tyler Clementi committed suicide after learning Ravi had spied on his intimate encounter with another man.
All right. You have to watch this. People are chatting and drinking at a bar when that happens. A truck just smashes into them. Several people are pinned underneath the truck. A good Samaritan used his own construction equipment to move the truck and free the people trapped underneath. Six of them had to go to the hospital. But no one died. It's believed the driver had a medical problem causing her to lose control of the truck.
In just a few hours the first private spacecraft to dock at the International Space Station will return to earth. And while it ends a historic mission, it also signals the start of a new era for the commercial space industry.
Aviation and regulation correspondent Lizzie O'Leary joins me now.
So, when is the splashdown?
LIZZIE O'LEARY, CNN AVIATION AND REGULATION CORRESPONDENT: The splashdown is going to be a little bit longer. We're waiting. That will happen several hours from now. But, Carol, the first few steps have happened. So very early, while you and I were both sleeping, the arm of the International Space Station sort of let go of the dragon capsule like a very slow careful softball toss. And what has happened now is the first burning stage has happened. That means that the capsule, well, you see it there moving away from the space station and it has burned one of its rounds. It's burned away a little bit. And then the next thing that's going to happen is this de-orbit burn. They'll bring it down out of orbit before some of the crucial steps that bring it much closer to earth. But it's a cool shot there when you see it pull away from the -- space station.
COSTELLO: It is a cool shot. It's unmanned so that kind of suspense will be taken away. But it still will be a great image. Will we actually get to see it coming down?
O'LEARY: Hopefully we'll get -- hopefully we will get to see it splashdown. They've got a series of both. So basically it's going to splashdown off the California coast. And what happens is it fires a series of different burns and then it's got parachutes, sort of some auxiliary parachutes, and then main parachute that will deploy once it gets about 10,000 feet over ground level. It will splash down in the ocean.
Now this is the only one that's supposed to splashdown. Remember this is the first one that has gone to the space station. They hooked it up. So in the future they wanted to try actually land on the ground. But one really important thing to note, this is the first time that one of these capsules has been able to come back from the space station. The Russian and European and Japanese ones actually are destroyed after they get up there. So this is -- this is very important to try to get it back down.
COSTELLO: Cool. Lizzie O'Leary, thanks so much.
The nation's unemployment lines could get a little shorter if one group of companies has anything to say about it. Still ahead, their push to put Americans back to work.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Seventeen minutes past the hour.
Checking our top stories:
We now have photos from inside the Seattle coffee house of the man believed to be the gunman in a shooting spree. His name is Ian Stawicki. Five people were killed in two separate shootings. A sixth person remains in critical condition.
Stawicki shot himself as police closed in. He later died.
Cleanup under way in North Carolina after remnants of tropical storm Beryl spawned a tornado that damaged 60 homes. The National Weather Service says a twister touched down on the outer banks but no one was hurt. Despite losing strength after making landfall in Florida, Beryl still created powerful winds and high surf.
People who say they were hurt by formaldehyde in FEMA trailers are likely to get a paycheck. The company agreed to pay nearly $43 billion. That's the settlement figure. About 60,000 people could get some of that money. Final approval may not happen until September.
A new survey shows several companies are doing their part to put Americans back to work. Their goal? To fill an estimated 26,000 positions.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.
Oh, this sounds promising.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It could be promising. You know what? There are good job openings out there. And a whole range of fields. Career builder released the top ten companies that are making big hires in a big way.
Topping the list, First Transit. The company says it plans to hire 10,000 workers in bus driver and technician positions.
The second on the list, believe it or not, is a bank. Wells Fargo has 4,500 openings in customer service, tellers, personal bankers and other areas.
And coming in third on the list, Community Health Systems. That's the health care services provider. It has 4,000 nursing, physical therapy, I.T. and administrative position open.
Other companies on the list including AT&T, Coin Star, Bob Evans and Liberty Mutual. It's great news. You know, kind of gives a sense that some companies are actually getting more confident and people have a few more options when looking for a job.
And I'll tell you what? We want to focus on positive today. We got some lackluster data on jobs today as well as economic growth. So, think about positive and at least some companies are hiring at this point, Carol.
COSTELLO: We could do a little glass full on this Thursday.
KOSIK: Yes.
COSTELLO: Thanks so much, Alison.
KOSIK: You got it.
COSTELLO: You spend five years in prison wrongly accused of rape. Brian Banks is a now free man and he's following a dream deferred. Coming up: his second chance at the NFL.
And don't forget if you're heading out the door, you can take us with you. Watch us anytime on your mobile or computer. Just head to CNN.com/TV.
(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: how far should we go to fight obesity? New York City is sending out the soda police. That's right. In a move to curve obesity, Mayor Bloomberg plans to ban sugary drinks over 16 ounces, in restaurants, in movie theaters and street carts.
It's part of a long campaign it fight the fat.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
COSTELLO: But apparently, this did not shock people into diet soda drinking.
According to the city's health department, more than half of New York's adults are obese or overweight so good-bye supersized sugary sodas. Mayor Bloomberg has already banned smoking in restaurants and parks. And the government prohibits food stamp purchases of sugary soda, like it does with tobacco and alcohol.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK CITY: So the government to make the decision that should not include something else that experts all tell you is very detrimental to your health, that is contributing to number one public health issue remaining in this city and in this country that's getting worse. It's not unreasonable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The New York City Beverage Association says the city's attack on soft drinks is over the top, mainly because Americans are drinking less of it any way. What about banning those huge candy bars or big huge hot fudge sundaes? No word yet from the mayor's office.
So, the talk back question for you today: how far should we go to fight obesity?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.
The House votes today on a bill that would ban abortions based on the sex of the fetus. The bill's sponsor says it's a growing problem in the United States. Is that really true? We'll discuss next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello.
Stories we're watching right now in the NEWSROOM.
Opening bell just moments away. Stocks are headed for a positive open today which is good news since May has been a wretched month for Wall Street. Markets looking pretty despite some disappointing reports on jobless claims and manufacturing this morning, which could have cast a cloud over hopes the domestic economy is improving.
The completion of a controversial Tennessee mosque is up in the air. The Islamic center of Murfreesboro says construction will continue despite a judge's ruling.
A judge says a planning commission did not give enough public notice for the project. The Islamic center says it will reapply for a permit. Mosque leaders say they are discriminated against because of their faith.
OK. You have to watch this. People are chatting and drinking at a bar when a truck comes smashing through a bar and into them. Several people pinned underneath the truck.
A Good Samaritan rushes over. He uses his own construction equipment to move the truck and free people trapped underneath. Six of them had to go to the hospital. No one died.
It's believed the driver had a medical condition causing her to lose control of her truck.
One of the most divisive issues in politics is set to take center stage in the House of Representatives, as lawmakers vote on a measure banning abortion based on the sex of the fetus. The bill is called the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act. If passed, a doctor who suspects a woman wants an abortion based on sex would be required to report her to authorities.
The lawmaker who sponsored the bill, Arizona Republican Representative Trent Franks insists this is a growing problem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TRENT FRANKS (R), ARIZONA: A number of academic papers have now published evidence that the practice of sex selection abortion is demonstrably increasing here in the United States, especially but not exclusively in the Asian immigrant community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Sex elective abortion is widespread in countries like China but there's no hard evidence it is widespread in the United States. According to the Guttmacher Institute and the Census Bureau, the U.S. sex ratio is squarely within biologically normal perimeters.
With me now to discuss, CNN contributors Will Cain on the right, and Maria Cardona on the left.
Welcome to both of you.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you, Carol. Good morning.
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hi.
COSTELLO: And thanks for talking about such a contentious issue. It's tough. I know.
So, Maria, I'll start with you. Congressman Wright (ph) says sex selection abortion is a concern within Asian communities. Is that true?
CARDONA: Well, first of all, I don't know it's as widespread as he's saying. To the extent it happens once, anybody in this country I believe -- and women especially would be against it. Even as pro- choice as one might be, you are against that act.
But this bill actually does absolutely nothing to make sure that that goes away. That's why this bill actually represents politics at its most cynical because if Franks really wanted to address discrimination and gender and equality, why is he -- and why are he and Republicans against the Equal Pay Act? Why do they want to repeal health care reform that actually helps women with prenatal care that helps their unborn babies both boys and girls be healthy? Why vote against the state health insurance for children?
So I think it's absolutely cynical. It does absolutely nothing at its core to fix the problem, and it is yet another attack on women's health in this country.
COSTELLO: OK, Will. So, this is a question for you. Are abortion rights activists right when they say it's an attempt to chip away at abortion rights for all children?
CAIN: Well, look, what it does is this issue forces us to confront two issues -- two aspects of the abortion debate. First of all, the hypocrisy, that you could be against discrimination of females but not opposed to ultimate discrimination which is discrimination that determines life. Will you be able and facilitate killing women.
Now, Maria thankfully adopted some logical consistency there and said it's not about how prevalent it is. If it happens once, it's inappropriate.
So, I think it forces people to confront that hypocrisy. I don't like that Maria then spun out and talking about Equal Pay and things like that.
This is a discrimination issue. And I think you have to acknowledge that.
But the other thing, to your question, Carol, is this forces the debate to the fundamental question of when life begins, because if you admit, as Maria did that it's wrong to have gender selective abortion, to abort females, you have to then ask yourself why? Why is that wrong? You'll get to the question of when life begins, that's the core issue of the debate.
In this country, unfortunately, we have debates around the periphery on this issue. That's the place to have it.
COSTELLO: But it's still hanging out there, Will. There's no hard statistical evidence to prove this is happening often or even frequently or even at all.
CAIN: Those words often and frequently carry no meaning. If it happens once, then it's a problem. We know that there is video of a Planned Parenthood facility that was allowing this to happen, at least once, at least once.
And I think Maria and I are on the same page on that portion of this debate. If it happens once, it's wrong and too much.
COSTELLO: Maria, I'm sure you saw that Planned Parenthood video. Is that really what was happening?
CARDONA: Well, you know, I think you would have to call Planned Parenthood and have them speak for that. The staff member in that video no longer works for them. They believe the video was a hoax and setup.
But back to Will's point about hypocrisy and I'm glad he brought it up. This bill is absolutely representative of the hypocrisy on the right for those Republicans like Franks who say this is an effort to eliminate sex discrimination and gender equality.
Really? There are many ways to get at the real problem of sex discrimination and gender inequality in this country. And Republicans, including Franks, have all voted against those measures.
CAIN: I'm sorry, Maria --
CARDONA: That's why Americans will actually see this as a cynical political ploy to continue to chip away at pro-choice rights and women's health rights in this country.
COSTELLO: Last word, Will.
CAIN: I'm sorry, Maria. I think I see that when life begins and who you select to live or die is a pretty basic level and it's not hypocritical level to say not by the sex of the baby. That's a pretty good place to start.
CARDONA: It's hypocritical when you say that you are -- that you want to fix sex discrimination and inequality and then vote against, for example, the Violence Against Women Act.
CAIN: The hypocrisy, though, is on the left.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: See, I know. You can debate this issue all day because people have strong views on it. I get it.
Will Cain, Maria Cardona, thank you for being with us this morning.
CARDONA: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: OK. Let's talk about something lighter, maybe. Check out these crazy crowds. A sea of Justin Bieber fans almost prompted a state of emergency in Norway. We'll tell you how security dealt with the pandemonium.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: How high is Bieber fever in Norway? Well, he almost caused a state of emergency there.
"Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer has the scoop.
This is crazy.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Crazy, Carol. The crowds were so crazy at this concert that it almost had to be canceled all together. And, yes, according to Bieber's manager, the police in Oslo were threatening to declare a state of emergency. Imagine that.
Yesterday's free concert in Oslo apparently drew thousands and thousands of fans from all across Europe, to the Norwegian capital. Local authorities just weren't prepared for that. So, the situation really could have gotten very out of hand.
Bieber and his manager both tweeted to their fans begging them to listen to the police for their own safety.
Actually, "Showbiz Tonight" spoke with Bieber's manager as they were on the way to the show in a police rescue boat. They told us they were surrounded by a flotilla of fans and boats of all shapes and sizes. And it was truly a crazy moment.
Somehow, though, peace was maintained, the concert outside of the Norwegian opera house did happen, to the delight, of course, of everyone.
Bieber is currently in Paris, Carol. The show is filmed for NBC. It's going to be broadcast as part of a special "Justin Bieber, Believe: All Around the World" on June 21st. But we now know that emergency threat level Bieber is a reality.
COSTELLO: Oh, gosh! Yes, we do.
OK. Let's talk about season five of "True Blood," because it's right around the corner. At the premiere, there was some baby vampire talk?
HAMMER: Yes, I don't know if she would want you calling her a baby vampire. But I think people are going to speculate, you know? It is true blood. This is one of my favorite shows. The premiere happened last night in Los Angeles. Fans were obviously eager for the upcoming season and to see the premiere episode.
But the buzz last night was about co-stars and husband and wife, Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, the two leads in the show. Stephen is the vampire in the show, Bill. They are expecting their first child together as you can see from Anna's growing baby bump.
Now, she declined to talk about her pregnancy to "Showbiz Tonight" on the red carpet, except to say she's doing great. Obviously she looks great too. Show makes the premiere on HBO on June 10th. I, for one, Carol, cannot wait to see what happens next with her character Sookie -- that's Sookie, not Snooki -- returns.
COSTELLO: I love that character. Sookie that is. You're right.
A.J. Hammer, thank you.
A.J. will be back with us in the next hour with more showbiz headline, including the Boss, Bruce Springsteen taking on big banks. It was ugly.
And are voting rights of Americans under attack? Some in Washington say yes. Now, one group of congressional members is taking action and they want the nation's churches to help.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Just about 43 minutes past the hour.
Checking our top stories now. We now have pictures from inside a Seattle coffee house of the man believed to be a gunman in a shooting spree. Ian Stawicki and all five people were killed in two separate shootings. A sixth person remains in critical condition. Stawicki shot himself as police closed in. He later died at a hospital.
We are still awaiting a verdict in the Edwards corruption trial. Jurors are in the ninth day of deliberations. Four alternate jurors will not be there today, though. The judge told them they don't have to come to court every day. Edwards is accused of using campaign contributions to hide his affair with Rielle Hunter.
And New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to fight obesity by banning the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks that restaurants, delis, movie theaters and street carts -- basically any food spot that gets a letter grade from the Health Department. This plan would limit drink sizes to 16 ounces and could go into effect by next March.
The New York City Beverage Association says soda does not drive obesity rates.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder pulled no punches telling a council of African-American pastors the sacred right to vote is under assault and they as church leaders should educate their parishioners about new laws meant to keep them from the polls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: My travels across this country, I heard consistent drum beat of concerns from citizens who often for the first time in their lives now have reason to believe that we are failing to live up to one of our nation's most noble ideals and that some of the achievements that define the civil rights movement now hang again in the balance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Also counseling hundreds of black ministers and representatives from ACLU and the IRS. Both offered advice about exactly what pastors could and could not say from the pulpit to protect their tax exempt status. In essence, pastors cannot tell their parishioners who to vote for, only instruct them on how to decipher new strict voter ID laws in their respective states. The voting summit was hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington.
The chairman of the CBC, Representative Emanuel Cleaver, he joins us now.
Congressman, welcome.
REP. EMANUEL CLEAVER (D), MISSOURI: Good to be with you.
COSTELLO: So what are you advising black pastors to do? I know love offerings are in the mix.
CLEAVER: Absolutely. In some states where the new requirement for government issued I.D. is part of the law, we want to make sure that seniors are able to make that purchase. We also believe that it really amounts to a poll tax but that's the law and so what churches are going to do is to collect money from the congregation so that seniors who can't afford to pay $20, $28 for government issued I.D. would be able to get it.
In addition to that, the pastors are going to have voter registration nonpartisan voter registration. They are going to also make vans available to carry people to the polls.
It's a bit embarrassing that the world's largest democracy is maybe unintentionally, I'm not sure, I'm not ready to make any accusations, but the truth of the matter is we are restricting access to the polls when we should be encouraging it.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Congressman, I think that some people don't understand why showing a picture I.D. at a polling booth makes people not vote. I mean everybody -- pretty much everybody has a picture I.D., don't they?
CLEAVER: No, they don't. For example, there's a well- publicized story this past week about a gentleman who is in his 90s who no longer has government issued I.D. Usually that's your driver's license. It's not your Social Security card. It's your driver's license. If you are 90, the chances are unless you are an exceptional person like my dad, you're no longer driving. So you don't have any current government I.D. with a photograph.
And so it does create a problem. 18 percent according to a New York University poll of seniors don't have government issued I.D. and so that is an impediment to voting. And --
(CROSSTALK) COSTELLO: Some -- some conservatives out there are saying if the Attorney General under George W. Bush, John Ashcroft met with hundreds of white pastors and priests, he would have been excoriated for it. Why not invite pastors and priests of all colors to yesterday's event?
CLEAVER: There were pastors of all colors at our -- at the conference. Even though it is the conference of National Black Churches, the truth is that there were non-African-Americans in the place. We -- we have a long history in the African-American community of non-blacks pastoring predominantly black congregations.
And so we would never exclude people on the basis of color because it's been done to us. So we -- we would never do that. But we -- we also know that the churches historically have played a major role in getting people to vote. And in Florida, the state discontinued after the last election the Souls to the Polls program which would allow people to leave church on Sundays and go vote. And you know it --
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: I think that some people think that the appearance was suspect because here you have a group of black ministers. They are preaching to mostly black congregations. We know that President Obama needs the black vote in mass to win. And it seems like it is just -- it just seems like that this is aimed at black voters only and that this is really meant to bring black voters to the polls in droves.
CLEAVER: Well first of all, I think I want to repeat what I said earlier. That this was not an exclusionary conference. We have people, you know, from different races there and different genders.
And number two, there was not one time, not one time -- and the entire program was televised -- that we promoted Barack Obama. That -- that was not the issue. We promoted voting in the world's greatest democracy and we believe that historically the black churches played a major role in getting people out to vote. And -- and we think that that's going to continue.
We've got to try to have maximum participation in the political process by all Americans including African-Americans and -- and Latinos and other minorities and that's what we're working at. It would seem to me that the nation ought to celebrate the fact that we're trying to get people out to vote.
And we have not said to them, to the pastors, have the people vote for President Barack Obama. That was never the intention of this meeting and the Attorney General never mentioned Barack Obama.
That's not what we're going to do. That's not what we are about. We want people to vote.
COSTELLO: Congressman Cleaver, thank you for joining us today. We appreciate it. CLEAVER: Good to be with you.
COSTELLO: Don't forget to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day, the question for you this morning. How far should we go to fight obesity? Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Your responses after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, "How far should we go to fight obesity?"
This from Jeff. "Will they also ban ice cream and cheese burgers too? How about a slice of New York cheesecake?"
Excuse me. This from Lisa, "I guess for some people that's what it takes. What happened to self-control? I allow my kids one soda per week. Time to be a parent and say no once in a while, say no to yourself too every now and again."
This from Don, "I was a medical provider and I've seen the physical and financial cost of obesity firsthand. It's obscene and out of control. Our nation doesn't have a clue what this is doing to our economy."
This from Ryan. "Let's be real. I'm fat and it's my fault. I know it. I love food. Fat people need to stop trying to pass the blame on to someone or something else. We need to admit responsibility because we're the reason why we're fat, not because of soda."
This from Carolyn, "This is ridiculous. Let's put a little chip in everyone and when they don't get their 20 minutes of daily exercise the fitness police show up at their home."
And this from Cody, "This should show you how big of an issue the obesity epidemic has become. When people no longer want to take care of themselves someone has to step in and regulate because it's costing the rest of us."
Please continue the conversation, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. And thanks as always for your comments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: As you may know, I've been training for a triathlon in conjunction with Dr. Sanjay Gupta's FitNation. One thing I'm learning is how to run. Yes, it turns out there's a right way and a wrong way.
Watch as FitNation's athletic director April Gellatly analyzes the way I move.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) APRIL GELLATLY, FITNATION ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: I want you to run the same way that you would normally run. And then just run back toward me. I just want to take a look at what you're doing.
COSTELLO: Ok.
April: Give me that sprint.
COSTELLO: Ok. I'm ready.
April: Ok. Not bad. Not bad.
You look like you have a nice mid-foot strike which is good. You want to land mid-foot underneath your center of gravity, so directly underneath your body. What you just did there, don't want to strike with that heel.
This is a breaking motion. You're also not over-striding which is really good. Your stride is not too wide. You're not trying to step out in front of yourself.
COSTELLO: I run like this. But I've heard you're supposed to run like this. And kick your feet up to your rear end.
GELLATLY: You want to talk small efficient steps. Think about what you're doing and bring that leg up and down, up and down. You don't necessarily have to have that exaggeration of complete butt kick.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Does April have the most fantastic arms you've ever seen? She does.
Next Thursday April will tell us how to avoid those annoying stitches you get in your side when you're running. This is all part of the 2012 FitNation Triathlon Challenge with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. You'll get a tip every Thursday right here.
Jeff Fischel is here today.
A man wrongly accused finally gets to chase -- I love this story.
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORT: It's amazing. And you know, he's been wanting to play in the NFL his entire life and now he is finally getting his chance. The Seattle Seahawks are giving Brian Banks a tryout.
Ten years ago Banks was a high school football star in southern California. He was recruited by football power USC. At 16 his life changed when he was accused of rape. His attorney told him to plead no contest and he went to prison for five years.
Last week a judge threw out his conviction. The California Innocence Project presented knew evidence showing Banks was falsely accused. It's been ten years since he's played football competitively but he wants another shot.
Pete Carroll who recruited banks to USC is now the Seahawks coach. He's giving Banks a tryout next week. Can he make it in the NFL? Good luck to him.
To the NBA: playoffs, a monster game for the Celtics Rajon Rondo. The Celtics taking on the Heat. Rondo, 44 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds; he did everything for Boston. He played every minute of the game including overtime but it was not enough. Lebron James 34 points for the Heat. D Wade adds 23. Miami holds on to win 115-111. They're 2-0 in this series heading back to Boston.
