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Commerce Secretary Faces Felony Charges; Colorado Fire Threatens Hundreds of Homes; Megachurch Pastor Denies Abuse; British Prime Minister Left Daughter in Pub; Apple's Big Announcement; Commerce Secretary Suffers Seizure; Kings Can Claim Cup Tonight; "Madagascar 3" is Box Office Champ; Vulgar Tattoo Now Cop's Badge of Honor

Aired June 11, 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: Good morning, Soledad.

Stories we're watching right now in the NEWSROOM.

Extreme weather alert. Dual disaster striking the Gulf states and out west. The Panhandle of Florida weary and water logged this morning under almost 2 feet of rain. Colorado turning into a tinder box. A local sheriff calling it a worst-case scenario.

He forgot his daughter. The UK prime minister admits he left his daughter in a pub and it wasn't until he and his wife got home they realized their 8-year-old was not with them.

A stunning blow. Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao looses to Timothy Bradley but no one except the three judges seems to know why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB ARUM: I have never been ashamed much to be associated with the sport of boxing as I am tonight. These people don't know how to score.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Sports fans screaming for justice. Is there any truth to accusations of game tampering?

And gaffes aplenty. Romney, Biden, and now Obama, a slip-up that stays or a flub that fades. We're asking this this morning. What's the shelf life of a gaffe?

NEWSROOM begins right now.

And good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. Happy Monday. We begin this morning with a truly bizarre story unfolding in Southern California. A key member of President Obama's economic team is facing felony hit and run-charges this morning, and the details make this story even more odd.

Witnesses say Commerce Secretary John Bryson hit a parked car, struck it again as he pulled away, then hit a second car minutes later a few miles down the road. He was found passed out behind the wheel, but police say alcohol or drugs do not appear to be to blame.

Brianna Keilar is at the White House.

Any comment?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the White House is not commenting. They're directing us towards the Commerce Department which just is saying simply, Carol, that Secretary Bryson was involved in traffic accident over the weekend in Los Angeles, he was taken to the hospital for examination, and has been released. He sustained no injuries and the investigation is ongoing.

But this is John Bryson. He is the commerce secretary, but as far as President Obama's cabinet goes, he's a pretty low-profile member of it. It's very possible you've never even heard his name or you didn't know who the commerce secretary was, but the circumstances involving this series of accidents pretty bizarre.

This happened Saturday at about 5:00 p.m. in the L.A. area. The first accident in San Gabriel, California. This is just about south of Pasadena. And according to the L.A. sheriff's department, Bryson was in a car, a Lexus, and he hit a car that was stopped waiting for a train to pass. He hit a Buick that had three men inside of it and actually got out, spoke to the men, but then he got back in his car, left, hitting the car again, according to the sheriff's department and driving off.

Those men got on the phone with San Gabriel Police, and they followed Bryson, and then the next time that the police, in this case the sheriff's department, encountered Bryson was in Rosmy, California, which is the city just next to San Gabriel, and he was unconscious in his vehicle according to the sheriff's department. And his car apparently had hit another car, a Honda Accord with a couple in it.

No major injuries here. Some of the folks were treated for minor injuries but it appears overall everyone is OK. But the circumstances are certainly very questionable and right now all we're hearing from the sheriff's department is that no drugs or alcohol appear to be related preliminarily, but we're still awaiting the results of a blood alcohol test -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So the secretary is taken to a hospital. Has he been discharged?

KEILAR: Yes. He was taken to the hospital. He has been released according to the Commerce Department.

COSTELLO: Brianna Keilar, I'm sure you'll stay on this story throughout the day. Brianna Keilar, live at the White House for us this morning.

The former president of Egypt Hosni Mubarak is in a full coma in a prison hospital in Cairo. Just last week he was sentenced to life in prison for killing -- for the killing of pro-democracy demonstrators during last year's Arab Spring uprising. He wound up in a prison hospital that day after a spike in his blood pressure caused him medical emergency. Mubarak is 84 years old. His wife and sons were given permission to be at his bedside.

Hundreds of Coloradans are waiting in shelters this morning praying that a runaway wildfire spares their homes. The fire has burned 20,000 acres west of Ft. Collins since Saturday. The biggest challenge for firefighters, the fire is moving in more than one direction. The biggest fear for homeowners, what will be left.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't -- I can't imagine that my house is there right now, to be honest with you. I really can't imagine that it is for how close the fire was and now I'm not going to have a home and I have no place to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: How erratic has this wildfire been? Dozens of families had to evacuate one shelter when heavy smoke moved in.

Alexandra Steele is following the fire in our weather center.

Why is this fire going off in all different directions?

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, Carol, let me just lay the groundwork, first off, and then we'll get to that.

You know we're talking about inches of rain right on the Gulf Coast. It's the antithesis of that weather wise that's dominating the inner mountain west. Now what we're in is a D-3 drought. The levels only go to D-4 so we're in an extreme drought, especially in northern Colorado where we've seen this. The ground is parched, it is dry.

Atmospherically it's all come together. Temperatures have been incredibly warm and, of course, the winds have been so high, gusting 40 miles per hour. Actually yesterday they're trying to kill this fire by aircraft as well and they had to kind of ground those planes because of these strong gusts. So it's been very windy. But the good news weather-wise we're going to see a change in that. We're going to watch this pole. The cold front has dropped south. So temperatures are really going to drop so that's good news. Out of the 90s. Into the 70s.

Also the strong winds that we've seen in this area of Colorado will come down as well and the dew points that have been very high are still will come down and they're going to be in the teens. So what we've seen weather-wise kind of the perfect scenario for these fires. And you know what we've also seen, this fire go from two to 20,000 acres since Saturday alone. The gusts have been high. Those are coming down. Again, temperatures are coming down as well.

So -- and it's also, Carol, a pretty populated area. Just west of Four Columns about 15 miles. So it's not like this is in the middle of nowhere. So atmospherically it's really been rough but weather-wise it certainly will get a little bit better in the next couple of days.

COSTELLO: Alexandra Steele, thanks so much. We'll keep our fingers crossed. Wow.

This morning some sad news to pass along on a colleague of our in the broadcast industry. Just minutes ago Robin Roberts of "Good Morning America" revealed that she has a rare blood disorder. It's the result she says of her battle with breast cancer five years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBIN ROBERTS, GOOD MORNING AMERICA: As many of you know, five years ago I beat breast cancer and I've always been a fighter, and you, your love, your support, your prayers helped me win that fight and that's something I will never, ever forget.

Now sometimes treatment for cancer can lead to other serious medical issues, and that's what I'm facing right now. It is something that is called MDS, myelodysplastic syndrome, and if you're looking and going what? I was doing the same thing.

It is rare blood disorder that affects the bone marrow. And Dr. Richard Besser has been holding my hand through this and he'll have a lot more information about MDS on my Web site.

And the reason I am sharing this with everybody now is because later today I begin what's known as pretreatment. I'm going to have -- it's a pic line and -- in my arm and I didn't want you to be concerned if you saw a bandage tomorrow. And it's going to be there to draw blood that has to be monitored regularly and also to administer drugs later today and for the week and for a period of time, and it's all to prepare me for a bone marrow transplant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Roberts says as she begins pretreatment today she'll continue to host "Good Morning America." Our best to her.

A well-known pastor of a sprawling megachurch says police got it wrong. He did not punch or choke his teenaged daughter. Creflo Dollar is charged with child cruelty, family violence and simple battery. The church claims 30,000 members and have an $18 million sanctuary in suburban Atlanta. Dollar took to the pulpit and told churchgoers that the argument with his 15-year-old, was not physical.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PASTOR CREFLO DOLLAR, WORLD CHANGERS CHURCH INTERNATIONAL: The truth is she was not choked. She was not punched. There were not any scratches on her neck. But the only thing on her neck was a prior skin abrasion from eczema. Anything else is an exaggeration and sensationalism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: George Howell is with us now, and police have a very different version.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, let's talk about that police report. The investigator that day took statements from three different people. First of all the young victim, her older sister and from Pastor Dollar, who in the report states that his daughter became aggressive, that he tried to restrain her. Both teenagers, they also described a very aggressive attack.

But as you hear here, Pastor Dollar says all al is not as it seems to be. His congregation stands by him for the most part. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's the best pastor in the world. He teaches the world with simplicity and understanding. He's great father and husband.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I know this is a great man of God, him and his family.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I have a 15-year-old daughter myself. And if she needs discipline, that's what she will get. Thank you. Case dismissed.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Did you think for a second not coming this week?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, no. And come on in and join us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: So again in that report, it talks about the pastor allegedly choking the young girl, his daughter, also using his shoe to hit her. But, again, you hear from many members who say, was this discipline taken too far? Perhaps. A reason to demonize the pastor, many of these members, they say no.

COSTELLO: I was asking you while we were listening to that. The daughter, the 15-year-old, called the police, right?

HOWELL: And that's the thing. This investigator came to the home, took those statements directly from the two teenaged girls. So at this point, we're comparing what the police report says to what Pastor Dollar says.

COSTELLO: So the investigation continues. And what might happen to him if -- police have already charged him, right? So what happens now?

HOWELL: Obviously this process will continue go through the court system. The pastor obviously standing up for what he says happened that day. And keep in mind, this pastor, he's known for his prosperity theology, basically saying the better the Christian you are, the more wealth you should get, the more wealth you should have. And Pastor Dollar himself, he has been criticized for his wealth, for his assets, millions of dollars in assets. A lot of people watching what happens to him in this case, his membership supporting him.

COSTELLO: George Howell, thanks so much.

Some people forget to pay their bar tab when they leave a restaurant. That's not uncommon. But according to the "Daily Mail," Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, he forgot his 8-year-old daughter.

It's been a bad week for kids, huh? And it's only Monday. Let's bring in Zain Verjee. She's in London.

So what's up with this?

(LAUGHTER)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, just imagine if president and Michelle Obama left Sasha and Malia down at the local restaurant over the weekend? Well, that's pretty what -- much what happened with David and Samantha Cameron. They forgot 8-year-old Nancy down at their local pub. They were having dinner or eating earlier in the day actually with another family, and there was a big mix-up, Carol, on which car that she was going go back in.

So when they -- when they were halfway home, they realized, oops, we don't have Nancy. It turns out that Nancy had gone to the bathroom and everyone had just taken off.

Now Downing Street issued a whole statement over this. Here's what they said, Carol. They said, "The prime minister and Samantha were distraught when they realized Nancy wasn't with them. Thankfully when they phoned the pub she was there safe and well. The prime minister went down to get her straight away."

Now that happened a couple of months ago, but you know what, a lot of critics are jumping on this and saying, the British prime minister just likes to chillax, as he says, way too much and this is happening at the time where he wants to roll out, Carol, this whole program on addressing on family problems.

COSTELLO: So the whole story is politically motivated, although he really did leave his 8-year-old daughter in the bar.

(LAUGHTER)

VERJEE: Yes, well, you know, the timing is really interesting here because the Leveson Commission, you know, the commission looking in part into the phone-hacking scandal, but they're focusing on the relationship between the press and politicians in this country. David Cameron is supposed to testify in front of the Leveson Commission a little bit later this week. And it was actually "The Sun," a paper owned by Rupert Murdoch and News Corp that actually disclosed the story. So one analyst told me it could be a shot across the bow, be careful what you say.

COSTELLO: Zain Verjee, live in London for us this morning. A question for you. Would you pay $90,000 for a pair of sneakers? Nike's Kanye West's shoe is making Air Jordans look like chump change.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Sixteen minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories now.

A manhunt in Alabama intensifies for alleged gunman Desmonte Leonard. He's accused of killing two people including two former Auburn University football players. Two others were wounded in a Saturday night shooting at an off campus apartment. One remains in critical condition this morning.

In money news, sneaker fans are proving money is no object. The new Air Yeezy 2s retail for $245. But someone on eBay actually paid -- get this -- $90,000 for a fair. Nike is only releasing up to 5,000 pairs in select stores.

In weather news, part of Pensacola, Florida, are trying to dry out after more than inches of rain caused some serious flooding. Damage is already estimated at $20 million. Here's a live look at the radar -- more rain and thunder storms. Oh, you can see them there. They're in the forecast for today.

In sports fight fans are still stunned by Timothy Bradley's split decision win over Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas. Two the three judges gave Bradley a 115-113 score. Most fans were outraged.

An Irish betting site even refunded people who bet on Pacquiao. The Filipino legend may get a chance to regain his WBO welterweight title in a rematch as early as November.

Monday, Monday. The Obama campaign is hoping for a better week, but, oh, Monday. His administration is already dealing with a bizarre accident in California involving the U.S. commerce secretary and it's still early. Still, the president is willing to talk to local anchors in Virginia, South Carolina, Iowa and Wisconsin about the economy and no doubt what the Republicans are calling his McCain moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The private sector is doing fine. Where we're seeing weaknesses in our economy had to do with state and local government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Yet the Republicans already have a web out. The RNC put that out almost after the president uttered those words on Friday.

A political gut check with political director Mark Preston.

Good morning, Mark.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, Carol. Wow. We're continuing talk about issue number one and we're just starting the week.

COSTELLO: We are just starting the week. So the Democrats are now responding, right?

PRESTON: They are.

You know, the Obama campaign has come out and they're really trying to shield the president from those comments he made on Friday. The president actually did step back a couple of hours after he made those comments and he said, in fact, the economy is not doing fine and then David Axelrod was on "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley yesterday and let's see what he got to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": I just want to know whether the administration, whether you believe that the private sector is doing fine. Is it doing better?

DAVID AXELROD, OBAMA CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISOR: I believe -- I believe -- it's certainly doing better than the public sector, 4.3 million jobs created in the last 27 months. We need to accelerate that, Candy. We all agree on that. The question is how do we do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PRESTON: And there you have David Axelrod just yesterday speaking to CNN's Candy Crowley trying to explain what the president was saying when he said that the private sector was doing fine.

And just a few hours ago the Obama campaign released its own web video going after Mitt Romney. Let's take a quick look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers. Did he not get the message of Wisconsin? The American people did. It's time for us to cut back on government and help the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PRESTON: And there you go, Carol. You know, we are five months into the election and you have the Obama campaign and the Romney campaign really going head to head over the number one issue that's going to frame this election, that's jobs, economy, and housing -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm just wondering how long gaffes actually last in the public's memory.

PRESTON: It all depends. For something like this, I think that gaffe will last certainly for a couple of months throughout the summer. It's such an easy sound bite for them to run on TV right now. That's what we're going to se from the Romney campaign.

We haven't seen it yet but we'll see the super PACs supporting Mitt Romney attacking President Obama and using that. In the same vein, we're also seeing that the super PACs that are backing President Obama are already out with a couple of their own web videos, a couple of their own TV ads right now where they're criticizing Mitt Romney's term at Bain Capital, which is the private equity firm which has in Mitt Romney's own words helped create jobs while he was there -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Mark Preston, live in Washington. Thanks.

PRESTON: All eyes are on Apple this morning. The technology giant is about to unveil its latest, greatest product and we're there live.

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: Have you heard? Apple is about to make an announcement, but we don't exactly know what it is. But just because Apple says it's making an announcement, that means lots and lots of people show up.

So, what is the leading software giant revealing today? Dan Simon is in San Francisco. Spill it. What do you know?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, here are the lots and lots of people. Carol, you can see the crowd, the line stretching as far as you can see. These are the apple developers. They are from all over the world, 5,000 people. This event sold out in less than two hours. They paid 1,600 bucks a pop.

They're to going inside here, if you will, to Moscone Center, to go hear Tim Cook speak, the Apple CEO in a couple of hours. This is Adam, and he is an apple developer from Canada.

I've been talking all morning about what I think we're going to see from Tim Cook. What do you think?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we're going to see -- they're going to be showing all their cards. They're going to be showing their whole new line of Macintosh, to just change the game and I'm really hoping on to see some Siri integration, just extending Siri and taking it one step further toward what we really wants as like a personal assistant.

SION: OK. Well, we'll see about that. He's talking about Siri, the voice-enabled voice on the new iPhone 4s. A lot of people think we're going to be seeing new features with Siri.

But briefly, Carol, in terms of what we understand is going to happen today, Apple's going to preview its new operating system that powers the iPhone and the iPad, and then probably release a bunch of new products, a bunch of new Macintosh computers. They're all overdue for an update. They'll have a fast processor, maybe a better screen. So, it's something we've got to wait and see. When Tim Cook takes the stage in about two hours.

Back to you.

COSTELLO: And this is the first time Tim Cook is taking the stage since Steve Jobs died, right?

SIMON: It is. It's the first time he's addressed the crowd at the Worldwide Developers Conference. The last time we saw Steve Jobs was here about a year ago for this event. So, of course, there'll be a lot of scrutiny on his performance today, no question about it.

COSTELLO: Dan Simon, live in San Francisco.

Now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning: why is the "you are not special" speech resonate?

David McCullough, a Wellesley High School English teacher may go down as the only authority speaker who may speak honestly to our kids today. His graduation speech was a sobering reality check. Kids, you're not exceptional. You're not even special.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID MCCULLOUGH, JR., WELLESELY H.S. TEACHER: Yes, you've been pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble-wrapped, but do not get the idea you're special because you're not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: McCullough said if everyone is special, no one is. If everyone gets trophies, trophies are meaningless. We love the accolades he says more than the achievement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCULLOUGH: No longer is it how you play the game or whether you win or lose or learn or grow or enjoy yourself doing it. Now, it's so what does this get me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Although McCullough has his critics, many people, even the scuttle students are applauding him. On Wellesley School Web sites, there are comments like, quote, "I love this speech, having just graduated myself, it is coming from a genuine place and what's wrong with that?"

And in this one, "I graduated in 1976. This was a fantastic message and in 20 years, they will understand it."

McCullough's speech hit a nerve, nearly half a million hits on YouTube. The student Web site had to cut off comments to prevent it from crashing. Maybe it's the perfect message to send kids going out into the harsh world. Hey, not only are you not special, they may not even hire you.

But McCullough said his speech wasn't meant to be a downer. The sweetest joy in life is recognizing that you're not special because everyone is.

So, the talkback today, why does the "you're not special" speech resonate?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.

JCPenney's attempt to grab a hipper shopper maybe backfiring. Why some of its loyalists were saying, "We're frumpy and we're proud."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Frumpy and proud. That's what some JCPenney loyalists are saying about the store's attempt to grab a hipper, younger shopper. Don't forget about your core, they say. We like those mom jeans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you looking for the perfect gift for mom this mother's day? Introducing mom jeans exclusively at JCPenney.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: OK. I love that skit. OK. So maybe "Saturday Night Live" is exaggerating a bit. But a conservative look is what JCPenney diehards say they're after. Not a younger, hipper kind of thing that JCPenney is going for now.

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.

Still laughing.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: JCPenney really get as bad rap, doesn't it? I'll tell you what?

COSTELLO: It's trying, though. It sunk a lot of money selling itself as a younger hipper brand but it's not really working for its core customers.

KOSIK: OK. But keep in mind, Carol, that this sort of turnaround strategy is still in works. What JCPenney has done is brought in a new CEO, Ron Johnson. This is the guy who basically made the Apple store what it looked like, and, sure, the turnaround right now, it ain't perfect, but they're working on it. As you know with everything there are a lot of kinks.

Yes, they're bringing in all of these young clothes for a hipper crowd. They kind of de-frump the marketing. And then you see these other folks coming in, the tried and true shopper saying, wait a minute, we're OK with the frumpy, we like the conservative look. And Johnson is saying, OK, we're going to mix of both of those things. We're going to do the hip crowd and we're also going to the conservative clothing. They've also brought in what's known as everyday pricing. That's their strategy. They've taken all those sale signs saying everyday, you can get these low process.

Now, keep in mind once again, it hasn't been a smooth transition. Johnson has only been in place since January. In fact, you look at how sales have done the first three months of this year compared to the first three months of last year. They're down 19 percent.

And, Johnson admits what's happened here is a lot of the tried and true shoppers are confusing about the pricing. So, needless to say, Wall Street and JCPenney and JCPenney shoppers are certainly watching to see this whole transition very carefully to see if this is going to actually work in the end -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. I do notice you're down on the floor. I know the opening bell just rang -- actually it just rang a few minutes ago. How are the markets faring today?

KOSIK: Markets are higher. The NASDAQ is up 76 right now. The NASDAQ is up 14. Look. The markets are coming off its best day, Friday, actually, best day of the year.

Some great news overseas. China came in with better than expected data. Spain got pretty much a bailout for its banking system so the stocks are rallying on all that good news. We'll see if it lasts throughout the day -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Alison Kosik live at the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

It is still all the buzz. Republicans call it Obama's McCain moment. And they've whipped up a web ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, FROM RNC)

(MUSIC)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The private sector is doing fine. The private sector's doing fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: In case you don't remember, the McCain moment came when John McCain ran for president in 2008 and he declared --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, THEN-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know that there's been tremendous turmoil in our financial markets and Wall Street, and it is -- it's -- people are frightened by these events. Our economy, I think, still, the fundamentals of our economy are strong, but these are very, very difficult times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: It was all downhill from there, but gaffes happen to everyone who talks a lot. The question we're asking this morning, does any of it matter? What's the shelf life of gaffe anyway?

To discuss that, CNN contributors Will Cain and L.Z. Granderson.

Welcome, gentlemen.

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.

L.Z. GRANDERSON: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. So, the question is -- this Obama's McCain moment? Will?

CAIN: Well, I think first of all we have to differentiate a couple of things. And I think one of the biggest things was if you played that clip of John McCain, up in the upper right-hand corner of everyone's TV box over here, it said September 15th.

So, that was a month and half before the election. That's key, because I think the shelf life on these gaffes is small, Carol. I don't think they last that long.

That being said, President Obama made gaffe and he made it for the number one issue for most voters in this country and that is on the economy. I do think it will last longer than Mitt Romney's etch a sketch moment, which I said at the time, that has a short, short shelf life.

This one is expected to have a little bit longer shelf life because it's on the number one issue to voters.

COSTELLO: So, L.Z., I want to pose this to you. McCain's policy director back in the day. He told "Politico" this.

Quote, "As director of the economic policy for the McCain 2008 campaign, I took great pains to ensure that the senator was not perceived predicting or worse advocating doom for the U.S. economy. When running for president, one should act like someone who should be president."

So, should President Obama use the same sorts of line?

GRANDERSON: No, I don't think he should. I don't think he needs to. Will is right. This won't last long.

It is a number one topic, but I think there are so many gaffes made by both of these gentlemen that it would be replaced by something else they would have said or done. In the same week he made his gaffe, Mitt Romney said we don't need more teachers, cops, or firefighters. So I'm sure somebody is putting together an ad that says that as well.

We're in a 24-hour news cycle. We look Twitter, we look Facebook, and social media, bloggers, there will be more gaffes to replace what President Obama said last week.

COSTELLO: No doubt. I wish we could continue this conversation. But we have breaking news from the White House.

Will Cain and L.Z. Granderson, thank you. And I'm sorry.

Brianna Keilar -- you know, the U.S. commerce secretary gotten to this bizarre accident.

Brianna Keilar has a little more information about why the accident may have happened.

Brianna, take it away.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE SECRETARY: Well, Carol, we're being told by a spokesman for the Commerce Department that Commerce Secretary Bryson had a seizure on Saturday. That's when he got into really a series of kind of bizarre accidents in the L.A. area where he ran into a car, according to the L.A. sheriffs department and actually spoke to the folks inside of the car that he'd run into and then after talking to them, got back in his car and took off, hitting that car again.

Then, according to the sheriff's department, apparently getting in another accident just a few minutes later. The sheriff's department, the L.A. sheriff's department has found Secretary Bryson in his vehicle alone and unconscious.

Now, according to the Commerce Department, a spokeswoman, Jennifer Friedman, he suffered a seizure. He was held in the hospital overnight. He has been released from the hospital. We reported that earlier. But what's also new is that he's now back in Washington and the Commerce Department is saying the investigation is ongoing.

We're also told by an official at the Commerce Department that the secretary was on personal time and he did not have security detail. That it seems odd to you that he was driving himself. And we also finding from an administration official, Carol, that the White House was alerted to this last night.

But still some details certainly to work out. But it appears that this went according to the Commerce Department that the secretary did suffer a seizure and that's what they're pointing to a is cause of these series of car accidents.

COSTELLO: It's a little confusing because he suffers the seizure. He was in what, three traffic accidents when you add them all up. He was briefly in the hospital. Now he's back in Washington at work? Does anyone know what caused the seizure?

KEILAR: No, we don't know his history. And we don't know if he has a history of this kind of thing. We don't know about his health history. And although he's back in Washington, we're told he doesn't have any public events on his schedule.

So we don't know necessarily whether he's back at work, but he was treated for this and according to a Commerce Department official he received medication for the seizure, but at this point that's really all we know and we just got this in a few minutes ago and we're of course going to see if there's any more details on this.

COSTELLO: Brianna Keilar, reporting live from the White House. We're going to have top stories after a quick break.

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COSTELLO: It's 43 minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories now.

The Obama administration blamed Commerce Secretary John Bryson's traffic accident on a seizure. Police say after his Lexus collided with a couple of cars, the U.S. commerce secretary drove off. That's a felony hit and run.

But they later found Bryson unconscious behind the wheel. They do not suspect drugs or alcohol. It's been determined he had a seizure. He's now pack in Washington.

In Syria, the relentless government shelling of civilians ramp up again today. These are live pictures. The opposition says Homs and other cities are being barraged by artillery fire. At least 21 deaths are reported today. The shelling comes despite a peace plan that some observers call a fantasy.

We're waiting for a decision on the controversy of the health care reform law. And now, there's a decision from the nation's largest insurance provided. United Health Care says it will keep some of the law's mandates no matter what the Supreme Court decides. That includes continuing provide preventive health care services without co-payments and allowing parents to keep children up to age 26 on their health plans.

The L.A. Kings have another shot to hoist their Stanley Cup tonight. The Kings jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the New Jersey Devils battled back to win the last three games. The Devils are not just fighting the Kings, but history, the last time a team came back from a 3-0 deficit to win the cup was 1942.

Check this out. You can see singer Lady Gaga during a concert in New Zealand getting hit in the head with a pole. The superstar was clocked by a backup singer. And you see her actually staggered backwards there and she rubs her head before leaving the stage. Gaga did come back and finished the night despite having a concussion.

Two new movies that hit theaters this weekend are getting a lot of attention. A science fiction flick got all the hype but it was an animation sequel that stole the show. Nischelle Turner is in Los Angeles. Oh you can't beat those funny-looking animals.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN SHOWBIZ CORRESPONDENT: I know right, you have that song in your head, "I like to move it, move it." And you want to see that. You know we were talking about this on Friday Carol. This isn't really a shock that "Madagascar 3" did better at the box office than "Prometheus".

The comedy took home just more than $60 million domestically according to early box office report and almost $200 million worldwide. Now "Prometheus" did pretty well too taking in $50 million over the weekend but it's an R-rated movie that runs more than two hours. "Madagascar" is PG, it runs an hour and a half.

That means more people can see it and more show times over the weekend. Plus, the family film is part of a very successful franchise. The first two films took in more than $1 billion dollars at the box office. So people want to see Chris Rock do that circus afro thing too apparently.

COSTELLO: I like it. Well I don't think -- I don't think producers have anything to claim about -- or complain about on either movie because those are not so big number -- what, $40 million and $50 million did you say?

TURNER: They're actually $60 million and $50 million. And the projections were actually $40 million for both. So they did better than even expected even though $40 million bucks for a weekend box office at this point in the season is really good. So $60 million, that's pretty darn good for a weekend.

COSTELLO: Ok Nischelle Turner, thanks so much.

TURNER: Sure Carol.

COSTELLO: We asked do you "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning why does the "You are not special" commencement speech resonate? Facebook.com/CarolCNN.

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COSTELLO: We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the stories of the day. The question for you this morning: Why does the "You Are Not Special" commencement speech resonate?

This from Mark, "Because he's dead on. If we keep telling kids they are the best, then why should they try to improve?"

This from Douglas. "It counters the sense of entitlement that unfortunately it's fostered in our education system. Young adults need to realize they are being let loose in a sometimes cruel and uncaring world."

This from Christine. "Because they're a generation of entitled brats."

This from Lissa, "It's not the education system it's the Stepford Mommies with their 'My Angel can do no wrong attitudes.' Bring on the Brat Bands."

Whoa people are harsh this morning.

And this is from Brent, "Our job as parents is to show our kids how to survive, excel and be happy in this world on their own, with their own skills and abilities. This is what builds self-esteem. Not a trophy for everyone."

Keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read more of your comments in the next hour of the NEWSROOM.

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COSTELLO: Jeff Fischel is back and oh, tennis fans love Paris in spring.

JEFF FISCHEL, ANCHOR, HLN SPORTS: So much so that it goes on for two days. The men's match, of course, didn't get done yesterday. Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic -- they are rained out, so they have to keep going this morning and they wrapped it up. Fantastic.

These are -- these are the two players everyone wants to see right now. Roger Federer of course, also great, fading in his career. These are the two men that are dominating the tour right now.

And into a fourth set it went. Djokovic is trying to win four straight Majors. He would have just been the second man ever to do that, but he throws a double fault up on match point. Nadal celebrates winning in four sets and goes into the stands hugging family and friends.

There it is. He passes Bjorn Borg for the most French Open titles ever. It's Nadal's 11th grand slam title. Ties him with Borg and Rod Laber (ph). Nadal, truly one of the tennis greats, does it again in Paris.

Well, college baseball, an incredible Cinderella story is heading to the NCAA College World Series. Stony Brook knocks off powerhouse LSU in Baton Rouge last night to advance to the college world series.

This is truly like one of the teams you've never heard of in the basketball tournament making it all the way to the final four. This is Stony Brook right now. Matt Senk (ph) the coach has coached the Seawolves since '91. Back then they were playing division three ball and now they are going to Omaha. And the college World Series is a fantastic, fantastic story for them. Congratulations to the Seawolves.

COSTELLO: Yes.

FISCHEL: All right and you're beaming right now.

COSTELLO: I'm beaming right now, because I stayed up late and watched the Tigers/Reds game.

FISCHEL: Yes I'm sending e-mails at 11:30 last night about how well the Tigers did beat what no one has been able to do this year. Beat Aroldis Chapman the Reds unstoppable closer, he throws 104 miles per hour. He imploded in the eighth inning against the Tigers last night. Hits a batter and then gives up a double to Austin Jackson that ties the game. I mean, this is Aroldis Chapman.

COSTELLO: Yes.

FISCHEL: He's only given up one run all year, until last night. On court (ph) the wild pitch as well, the Tigers come back and win. Detroit takes (inaudible) from the Reds. Fall into first place in the A.L. Central is surging.

COSTELLO: I tuned in right in time in the eighth inning When they -- you know exploded. So that was cool.

FISCHEL: And look they are getting tattoos of Oklahoma City preparing for tomorrow night's NBA finals. The Heat and the Thunder, that's how big it is in OKC.

COSTELLO: That's insane.

Jeff Fischel, thanks so much. Always fun.

FISCHEL: You bet.

COSTELLO: A Texas man's vulgar tattoo, meant to insult a sheriff has now become that sheriff's badge of honor. Speaking of tattoos.

FISCHEL: Yes.

COSTELLO: Here's Jeanne Moos.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was an insult in ink on a thigh. Whenever police arrests someone, they tend to take photos of tattoos as well as mug shots. So imagine the shock when this east Texas lawman named Woody Wallace got at looked at this suspect's tattoo. "Woody Wallace can blank my blank."

WOODY WALLACE, POLICE, TRINITY, TEXAS: He was proud when he told them to make sure they got a picture of this. He pulled up his pant leg and, of course, the jailer kind of let out a squeal.

MOOS: Pardon our grainy Skype connection but Trinity, Texas is pretty remote. Trinity's chief of police was our cameraman when we interviewed Constable Wallace about Jonathan Thompson's vulgar tattoo.

A touch wider so we can see your hat -- you know, give it that Texas feel.

WALLACE: She wants the Texas feel, give him the hat.

MOOS: Thompson was arrested after allegedly choking his stepfather's dog and telling his stepfather, "you're next".

Turns out Constable Wallace had previously arrested Thompson two months on burglary charges. WALLACE: He said he was mad. He was thinking about me the whole time in prison, trying to figure out what he's going to do; what to do when he got out of prison and said he wanted to remind us just how bad he hated me.

MOOS: But Woody Wallace is flaunting the tattoo by posting a censored version on his constable Facebook page and it seems to be a hit. "I love it. You go, Constable Wallace." He's going all right. He's running for Trinity County Sheriff. And he thinks the tattoo sends a message about what criminals think of him.

WALLACE: I'm not their favorite cop because I don't quit until we put them where they belong. Behind bars.

MOOS: Constable Wallace by the way, has no tattoos of his own and no plans to get one. He apparently doesn't believe in a thigh for a thigh. But if you're running for sheriff, Woody Wallace can "blank my blank" fits nicely on a bumper sticker.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

COSTELLO: She has that right.

Next hour of "CNN Newsroom" after a quick break.

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