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House Sets Vote on Health Care Law; Health Care Fight Continues; DirecTV Pulls Plug on Viacom Net; Romney to Address NAACP; Big Money Can Influence How You Vote; Man Finds Baseball Cards Worth Millions; Oxycontin Prescribed to Children
Aired July 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: Happening right now in the NEWSROOM, Houston pitch. Mitt Romney, Texas bound to address the NAACP this morning after Attorney General Eric Holder called the Texas voter I.D. law a poll tax. What will Governor Romney say to the nation's oldest civil rights organization?
Station break. If you're one of the 20 million DirectTV customers, you are waking up with more than two dozen fewer channels this morning. Comedy Central, mTV, BET, and the list goes on. Overnight, a deal between the satellite company and Viacom falling through, big time.
Painkiller prescription. The makers of OxyContin planning to test their drug on children, kids as young as 6 years old. Our Jason Carroll with a NEWSROOM investigation as to what's behind the highly addictive drug.
The cash behind the candidate as big corporations give millions to Obama and Romney. CNN digs into who's raking in the most green. Will the election be decided by Wall Street and not Main Street?
And home of the beret? The U.S. Olympic team in French hats and blue blazers. Do these guys look ready for the Olympics or a croquet match in the Hamptons?
NEWSROOM begins right now.
And good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining us. We begin this morning with a terrifying airline flight into Miami. This morning, we are learning just how bad it was.
Flight 1780 was en route from Aruba when it slammed into turbulence on its initial descent about 30 minutes before landing. Pilots were able to land the plane without major incident but about a dozen aboard that flight were injured, five of them taken to the hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never felt it, something like that in the past. Basically, we didn't know anything. And the bumps, you just think that it's going down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought we were going to die. It was scary. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: John Zarrella is in Miami, he's following the story.
I guess American Airlines is saying there was nothing on the radar to indicate such violent turbulence in the air. So the passengers had no warning?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know that flight -- well, they had their seatbelts on because, as you mentioned, the flight was on its final descent, on its final descent into the Miami area, 30 minutes from landing. And you know anybody who flies in south Florida, in Florida, in the summertime, knows that turbulence is not unusual. In fact, it was just an article in one of the local papers about a week ago discussing the fact that in the summertime in Florida, afternoon, early evening thunderstorms, certainly can cause a lot of turbulence in the sky.
We don't know if that's what caused it yesterday. It was a pretty nice day. There were some storms around. Pockets of storms around in the south Florida area yesterday. But at this point, we don't know what exactly caused it. And may never know. You get these updrafts during the summer here in south Florida that literally cause this kind of turbulence -- Carol.
COSTELLO: John Zarrella, reporting live from Miami.
Remember this video of a -- of a JetBlue pilot who had an in-flight meltdown and caused the plane to be diverted? Yes, that was the pilot. It was a terrible incident. We are now learning that a lack of sleep may have led to Clayton Osbon's outburst. A psychologist testified at Osbon's trial that the pilot suffered from brief psychotic disorder and delusions secondary to sleep deprivation.
Last week, a federal judge found Osbon not guilty by reason of insanity for interfering with the flight crew.
To Columbus, Ohio, now where a fiery train crash overnight forces people to evacuate from the one square mile that surrounds the site. That's because, you can see it, 11 cars that left the tracks were carrying chemicals like denatured alcohol and a chemical used to make plastic. Our affiliate WBNS reports at least two people were hurt.
A pit maneuver could not stop an L.A. area police pursuit involving a teacher accused of lewd acts on a former student. Instead, the teacher himself ended the chase dramatically. There you see it, he went airborne, crashing through a guardrail, slamming into a tree. The teacher is expected to survive. He is probably in custody this morning.
Nearly two weeks to the day after the U.S. Supreme Court left its stamp on President Obama's health care law, House Republicans are poised to do the same thing. But they are seeking a very different outcome.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: The American people do not want to go down the path of Obamacare. That's why we have voted over 30 times to repeal it, defund it, replace it, and we're -- we are resolved to have this law go away. And we're going to do everything we can to stop it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash is on Capitol Hill. Some call this vote symbolic, noting that any measure would likely die in the Senate. But it will still be a pretty dramatic day, huh?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's no question about it. And, you know, Democrats are having a little bit of fun with this debate, trying to stay on message. But also say things like one said yesterday the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and trying to -- and expect a different result, which obviously will not happen ultimately.
It will, as you said, not get past the Senate. And it certainly wouldn't get past the Democratic president who has made this his signature issue. Still, there has been debate from Democrats and Republicans and it will continue through the day.
COSTELLO: As far as what voters think of this, let's call it political theater for lack of a better term, what do voters think of it? Do they think it's a great thing that the Republicans are doing?
BASH: You know, they are really, really evenly split. The Democrats by and large support the president's health care law. Republicans by and large think it should be repealed. Independents, who both parties are really going for, are also pretty evenly split. If you'd take a look at what they want Congress to do, again, you know, either you see actually favor 52 percent, oppose most or all of it 47 percent.
If you look at Congress, 51 percent say yes, repeal, 47 percent say no. So what this is, especially now where we are in the political calendar, Carol, is an attempt to really rile up the bases, to show the bases on both sides who may or may not be excited to get out and vote for the congressional candidates, the presidential candidates, that they are at least doing what they want them to do, and that's really a big part of what we're seeing today on Capitol Hill.
COSTELLO: All right, Dana Bash reporting live from Washington this morning.
Mitt Romney will have a chance to score some points with African- American voters next hour as he addresses the NAACP convention in Houston. Every four years, the group invites the presidential candidates to speak. Mr. Obama spoke to the convention in 2008, but he will not be there this year. Vice President Joe Biden will fill in on Thursday.
In his address to the NAACP yesterday, Attorney General Eric Holder took on the proposed Texas voter I.D. law. Federal judges are reviewing that proposal this week after the Justice Department blocked it. Holder says the proposal would be discriminatory.
ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Under the proposed law, concealed handgun licenses would be acceptable forms of photo I.D. but student I.D.s would not. Many of those without I.D.s would have to travel great distances to get them. And some would struggle to pay for the documents they might need to obtain them. We call those poll taxes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Holder said studies show one quarter of voting aged African-Americans do not have government-issued photo I.D.s. That compares to 8 percent of voting aged whites.
No "Daily Show"? Cold turkey on "Colbert?" "Jersey Shore" jitters? Here's why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a bad situation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like the end of civilization.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tonight, DirectTV is getting rid of mTV.
SNOOKI: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nickelodeon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doomed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Comedy Central.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's so sad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can we see just the disturbing part again?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: BET.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got to stop the show. Hold on, hold on, hold on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That is the reality for DirectTV viewers this morning. The satellite provider has dropped 26 Viacom Channels, including Comedy Central and mTV and viewers or customers I should say are not happy.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. This was in "USA Today." Angry customers lashing out at DirectTV. What's going on?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, but you know what, it's not only DirectTV in this equation. You know, if you go and ask Viacom what's going on, and Viacom says, you know what? DirecTV dropped its programming at 11:50 Eastern Time last night, and Viacom the last it heard from the carrier before that was more than 12 hours earlier at 11:00 a.m. so, sure, DirecTV dropped the station 10 minutes early, but what DirecTV is claiming is that Viacom sent a letter, threatening legal action at 11:24.
So, yes, this was almost inevitable if they couldn't work it out, and they didn't. And you know this has been pretty publicized that the channels would go dark if the deal wasn't reached.
DirecTV had previously said it was wiling to continue carrying the channels while the two sides do picked out. But they say that Viacom just wasn't up for them -- Carol.
COSTELLO: OK. So DirectTV has 20 million subscribers. This is going to affect a lot of people, do you think, that people would dump DirecTV because of this?
KOSIK: I could be. You know, it's quite a possibility here. We'll have to wait and see we'd fund out. But remember this. Unlike horizon or Time-Warner DirecTV, Carol, is only a television provider it doesn't -- you know, it doesn't have things like phone or Internet to boost its bottom line so it really has to watch its pennies.
Now DirecTV is using the rating slide on some of Viacom's channels as a bargaining chip in this catfight. It's saying it's annoyed because so much of the content you can get from Nickelodeon, mTV and other channels. You can get in online and on NetFlix, and if you ask DirecTV, they think that Viacom is taking away the number of people that are willing to pay for DirecTV when they can just get the channels for free -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Good point. Alison Kosik, live at the New York stock exchange.
The temperatures are rising, you know that, but your grocery bill is rising, too. How this heat wave is hurting your budget.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is just about 14 minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories now, today House Republicans will have their say on repealing the so-called Obamacare. It will be the first vote since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the sweeping health care reforms two weeks ago. But even if passed by the GOP majority in the House, the repeal is doomed in the Senate, which of course is controlled by Democrats.
In California, another city is in financial peril. City leaders in San Bernardino voting to declare bankruptcy. This is the third time in just the past two weeks that a California city needs bankruptcy protection. San Bernardino has a budget short fall of nearly $46 million. Bills cannot be paid. And city workers could soon have trouble getting their checks.
This heat wave has us paying higher cooling bills, and it could have us paying higher grocery prices, too. Corn prices are skyrocketing, up more than 40 percent in recent weeks. The heat ruing crops across the Midwest, and that could have us paying more to feed our families.
The heat wave continues across the southwestern United States. Las Vegas set a new record yesterday. 115 degrees. I can't even imagine that. And guess what? No relief in sight today.
It was 125 degrees in Death Valley. That's what's expected today. 112 degrees in Las Vegas today. 109 in Phoenix. And in the northwest, temperatures are up 15 degrees higher than is normal.
Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is refiling his lawsuit against the U.S. anti-doping agency. He wants the judge to throw out the case accusing him of using performance enhancing drugs. Armstrong says he was cleaned and never failed a drug test.
Four young boys in California are being hailed as heroes today after they saved a drowning toddler from a fast-moving canal. The little girl's family lost sight of her. She fell in the canal, she was swept away and nearly a mile downstream, four boys saw her floating in the water, and they pulled her to safety.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it was a dog but until he got closer. And he was like, it's a little girl and he jumped in to get her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All you guys.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was scary. And it gets your heart running. And we wanted to cry, all of us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Words just can't express the way I feel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: This morning the little girl is just doing fine after spending the night in a local hospital.
Mission impossible. That's how "Politico" describes Mitt Romney's speech this morning before the NAACP, the nation's oldest civil rights organization. So Romney may be taking a risk simply by showing up, but could he also pave the way for Republicans in future elections?
Joining me now is Hilary Sheldon. He's the senior vice president for advocacy for the NAACP.
Welcome.
HILARY SHELTON, SENIOR VICE PRES. FOR ADVOCACY, NAACP: Good morning.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
A Gallup poll shows that 87 percent of African-Americans approve of President Obama, and that far outpaces any other group. What can Mitt Romney possibly say before the NAACP this morning?
SHELTON: Like any other candidate that comes before the NAACP, he should simply lay out his plan to address the real challenges of the African-American community. Certainly, we begin with the predicate issue. That is issue of voting rights. It's always been a premiere issue for the NAACP and we'd love to hear from Mr. Romney what he'd do to address those concerns help mitigate many of the challenges across the country. It is conceived by many that over 20 percent of voting age African-Americans may very well be locked out of the polls because of things like photo ID, shortening early voting, eliminating Sunday voting and other issues across the country.
COSTELLO: OK, let's talk more about voting rights. Because I know that Eric Holder appeared before the NAACP yesterday and he received a hero's welcome. And the NAACP issued a special resolution. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be it further resolved that the NAACP calls upon all of its members to contact their members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to express their outrage at the treatment of the first African-American and one of the best attorney generals in American history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Now many African-Americans feel U.S. Attorney General Holder is being targeted by Republicans because of his race. In light of that, are African-Americans really in a listening mood for a Republican candidate?
SHELTON: No, absolutely. We want to hear from everyone. The NAACP is a nonpartisan organization. We do not support political candidates or political parties.
But we do have an agenda, an agenda that actually pushes for voting rights for all Americans. The reason that Eric Holder received that hero's welcome as you said is because he has been on the frontline fighting for America's voting rights, among other civil rights concerns.
We know there are a number of obstacles, and we appreciate those who fight to make sure that every American, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or national origin can carry out that right to vote. That is we support making voting easy but fraud difficult.
COSTELLO: What if Mr. Romney doesn't mention that at all, what if he skips over that issue and goes on what many Americans feel the real issue in this country is and that's jobs?
SHELTON: Well, we want him to talk about jobs as well. Don't assume that our agenda is limited to one issue like voting rights. We see voting rights as that predicate. You have to have the right to vote to be able to address the other challenges and concerns of our communities.
But we do have to talk about jobs. And we do want to hear what Mr. Romney has to say about the disparities between African-American unemployment rates and white American unemployment rates. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to work. But whether the economy is good or bad as it is now, we know that African-Americans are disproportionately unemployed.
We want to hear about a plan that also includes us. How do we make sure to address that disparity? We know one size doesn't fit all. Tell us how you would tailor America's laws to make sure that voting rights are available -- excuse me -- that employment is available to all of us.
COSTELLO: Why isn't President Obama appearing before the NAACP outlining the plan to address that very issue?
SHELTON: Well, we are disappointed Mr. Obama is not able to join us. He's been with us many times in the past. We know that he was planning on coming, and unfortunately some things happened as we were setting up the date for him to appear.
As you know, Mr. -- the vice president of the United States will be with us in his place. So we're looking forward to seeing him and hearing what he has to say. As you know, he is the vice president to Mr. Obama.
COSTELLO: True. I know. And it's great Joe Biden is going to be there. But I'm just saying that some people say that President Obama is taking the black vote for granted. He knows he doesn't have to be there because Mitt Romney can't possibly get anything more than, what, 10 percent of the black vote if he's lucky?
SHELTON: Well, let me say that in the past, we have seen African-American voter support for the Republican Party vary from 9 percent to 11 percent. So we know there is a margin that could very well make a difference for either one of them.
I know as we look at quite frankly how both of them are polling right now, it is so close, they can't take any vote for granted. So it's my assumption that Mr. Obama recognizes that just a few points can make a huge difference in the outcome of the election.
And Mr. Romney clearly understands that as well.
COSTELLO: Do you think, though, that Mr. Obama is taking the black vote for granted?
SHELTON: Oh, I don't think so. Very well if we look at how not only the African-American community has voted but we look at the issues that Mr. Obama has made primary issues for his administration, we know those are issues that are very important to the African- American community. If we go back and look at everything from health care reform to improving our hate crimes laws, if you look at the kind of appointments he's made to make sure there are those that recognize those issues and concerns, if you look at the bills he has signed over the years, they are truly and clearly in support of the agenda of the NAACP and the African-American community.
COSTELLO: Hilary Shelton from the NAACP -- thank you so much for joining us today.
SHELTON: Always delighted to be with you.
COSTELLO: Thanks.
Our talk back question this morning. Should Governor Romney open the book on his finances? Is there a there there? Mitt Romney is under pressure to spill what Democrats call his financial secrets.
(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: should Romney open the books on his finances? Is there a there there?
Mitt Romney is under pressure to spill what Democrats call his financial secrets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think what's important if you are running for president is that the American people know who you are, what you've done, and that you're an open book. And that's been true of every presidential candidate, dating back to Mr. Romney's father.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Governor Romney has only released his 2010 tax return. Oh, and an estimate for 2011. Democrats hint all of those other returns could contain information about Swiss bank accounts and nifty clever ways to avoid playing taxes.
Republicans are crying foul. At least they are now. During the Republican primary, they sounded a lot like Mr. Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Why not release it?
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't know why he isn't releasing his tax returns.
GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: Every candidate up there, they should put their taxes out, including Mitt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Governor Romney says his assets are in a blind trust, and even he doesn't know where they are.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: You know, I don't know how many years I'll release. I'm going to take a look at what our documents are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Are you satisfied? So the talk back question today, should Romney's finances be an open book? Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your responses later this hour.
The money behind the campaigns. Which companies that you deal with, that you use, are shoveling cash to the presidential candidates? We'll tell you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is just about 30 minutes past the hour. Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello.
Stories we're watching right now in THE NEWSROOM:
Opening bell on Wall Street. Stocks set for a higher start today following an announcement from Spain that it's getting its fiscal house in order. Ringing the bell this morning, you see them there, MRC Global, which is celebrating its recent IPO.
CNN has learned that a mix of pathogens caused a mystery illness that killed 64 children in Cambodia. Doctors say an inappropriate use of steroids made the illness worse in most patients. Our doctor, Sanjay Gupta, will have the latest from Cambodia. We'll bring that to you in the next 30 minutes, I'd say.
Today, House Republicans will have their say on repealing the so-called Obamacare. It is the first vote since the Supreme Court upheld the sweeping health care reforms two weeks ago. But even if passed by the GOP majority in the House, the repeal is doomed in the Senate, which the Democrats control.
In a perfect Democratic kind of world, you would decide who to vote for based on cold hard facts. The truth is, that's hard to do because of all the cold hard cash out there. 2012 could be the year of the $1 billion campaign. That's more than enough money to sway your opinion based on the ads alone.
So the question this morning: who will buy your vote? Corporate America, unions, who?
Viveca Novack is in D.C. She's the communications director if the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group.
Welcome.
VIVECA NOVACK, COMMUNICATIONS DIR, CENTER FOR RESPONSIVE POLITICS: Good to be with you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Great to have you here.
So, I took these numbers from your fabulous Web site, opensecrets.org. To date, Mr. Obama has raised more than $255 million and Mr. Romney more than $121 million. Those numbers don't tell the whole story, though, right?
NOVACK: No. I mean, if money were everything, then we'd have a President Ross Perot to be looking back on or a President Steve Forbes. Clearly money is hugely important, though, or these candidates wouldn't be spending so much time raising it.
COSTELLO: So we here like last month Mitt Romney outraised President Obama, but those figures show Obama is up in total take by $100 million. Why is that?
NOVACK: Well, yes. That doesn't mean, though, that he has an extra $100 million. You have to remember these candidates raise the money, and they spend the money. And every month, it's almost like starting from zero again.
COSTELLO: If you look at who's donating to whom, I thought this was really interesting, Obama's top five donors, Microsoft, the University of California, Google, et cetera. It's interesting that employees of these entities are donating to Obama.
What do they have in common?
NOVACK: Well, you're correct that Obama seems to be getting a lot of his money from law firms, lawyers at law firms, from universities, academics and other employees of universities seem to like Obama. And tech companies very much like Obama.
On the other hand, as I'm sure you'll show in just a second, Romney seems to be very popular with banks and investment firms.
COSTELLO: Let's go down the top five. You can see them. Goldman Sachs. JPMorgan Chase. Morgan Stanley. Bank of America. All of them are big banks.
NOVACK: Right. And this is not surprising in a way, in part because Mitt Romney is from that world. He knows these people. He is of their mindset.
And the other thing is that they don't like Obama so much anymore because they have been blamed in part for the financial crisis, in some cases perhaps with good reason. And in are the cases, there have been various misdeeds that people have looked askance at, and it has led to more regulation, AKA, the Dodd-Frank bill that has been very, very unpopular in the financial community.
COSTELLO: So, you know, we hear this a lot. Mitt Romney is getting these huge do nations from people with a lot of money, and we can see that he is.
So does that necessarily mean that these big banks and big corporations will decide our election?
NOVACK: Well, you know, it's very hard to draw a straight line there because there's a lot more going on. I mean, they may be helping our election, but of course money is not everything. You have to have, you know, the basics in place. You have to be a -- you know, intelligent individual who is able to make a good case for you taking over the presidency of the arguably most important country in the world.
So it's not everything. But, again, the number of fundraisers that these candidates are having is hugely important. It's indicative of what they think they need to win. And the people who are giving the money definitely have better access than the average American.
COSTELLO: You've got that right. Thank you so much for joining us this morning.
Opensecrets.org if you want more on the numbers. They are fascinating. Let me tell you.
Thank you so much, Viveca.
NOVACK: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Is mixing Justin Bieber and the paparazzi a disaster in the making? His people seem to think so. And now they have issued a warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE GOMEZ-MARQUEZ: I want to create the equivalent of what Lego is today for toys, I want to have not just the predicate if but the movement of democratized health care.
My name is Jose Gomez-Marquez, and I use toys to make affordable medical devices.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: I'm already laughing at this next story. But I shouldn't, because it's serious. Especially to Missy Elliott.
Grammy-winning rapper and producer Missy Elliott says she's been taken for a ride by a dealership that is allegedly holding her ride as hostage.
"Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer is following this Lamborghini legal drama.
Hi, A.J.
A.J. HAMMER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Hey, Carol. It's not one of life's major issues, but you don't want to get between Missy Elliott and her ride. Here's the deal. She is suing an Illinois car dealership claiming she hasn't gotten her 2012 matte white Lamborghini Aventador that she ordered last July.
Now, she did put a downpayment on the car at the time she ordered it, and according to the document provided in her lawsuit, she traded in her Bentley, valued at about $85,000 and put down an additional $30,000 in cash towards this $400,000 car.
Now, Missy says the dealership hasn't delivered her new ride because in the last year, the value of the car has substantially increased, so now the dealer wants her to pay significantly more money.
So, Carol, a hassle for Missy for sure. But I think what we can all call a happy problem.
COSTELLO: Yes. I know. I could lend her my 2004 RAV4 if she wants it. It has a little damage on the back fender, but hey.
Let's talk about Justin Bieber and the paparazzi. A tragedy waiting to happen?
HAMMER: Yes. This is a serious story. A tragedy waiting to happen is what an L.A. City councilman is telling "Showbiz Tonight" because he says he saw Bieber involved in a high speed chase with paparazzi last Friday.
Councilman Dennis Zine, who was a police officer for more than 30 years, said he saw the Biebs leading a pack of paparazzi at speeds of more than 100 miles an hour.
So, Zine called the highway patrol. They wound up pulling Bieber over. They gave him a ticket, but that didn't stop the chase. The photographers were taking pictures of him as he was pulled over and they ontinued to follow him afterwards.
So the Biebs called 911 when the chase continued. And although he started the call by giving a false name, which Justin -- it's always a no-no to do that to the police, eventually police caught up with the attack. Bieber filed a complaint against the paparazzi.
And there is an investigation going on. They're going to see if this violated California's paparazzi law, which is a law sponsored by Zine, Carol. So if the photogs are found guilty, they could face up a year in jail and some fines.
And in case you're wondering, Bieber was driving a Fisker Karma, a $100,000 electric sports car, probably doesn't go as fast Missy's Lamborghini which goes over 200 miles an hour if she ever gets it. Maybe he can borrow that.
COSTELLO: I just can't imagine paying that much more a car. But then again, I'm cheap.
HAMMER: People do it every day.
COSTELLO: I know. Lucky them.
A.J. Hammer, thanks so much.
OxyContin and kids? Yes, doctors have been prescribing the powerful painkiller for kids for years. Now, the FDA wants to know what effect this powerful drug has on children.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Forty-three minutes past the hour.
Checking our top stories now:
Obama back on the agenda. Today, House Republicans will vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare. It will be the first vote since the Supreme Court upheld the sweeping health care reforms two weeks ago. Even if passed by the GOP majority in the House, though, the repeal is doomed in the Senate, which the Democrats control.
JCPenney laying off another 350 workers at its headquarters in Plano, Texas. The retailer has been trying to revamp its image under a new CEO, but that has been a tough transition. JCPenney eliminated 600 jobs at their headquarters just six months ago. Since (INAUDIBLE) share hit their peak back in February, they have lost half their value.
The heat wave continues across the southwestern United States. Las Vegas set a new record yesterday, 115 degrees. And no relief today, 125 degrees in Death Valley, 112 degrees expected in Las Vegas, 109 in Phoenix. And in the Northwest, temperatures are up to 15 degrees higher than is normal.
In sports, an Ohio man has uncovered a baseball gold mine in the attic of his dead aunt. Karl Kissner opened up a cardboard box to find a collection of baseball cards probably worth millions of dollars. Cy Young, Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb among the stash. Some cards in mint condition going back as far as 100 years. Kissner, who called her aunt a pack rate, says her curse was his family's blessing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARL KISSNER, FOUND BASEBALL CARDS IN AUNT'S ATTIC: When I opened the will, my aunt had put little handwritten notes in it. And one of the little notes was that Karl, as you go through the house, you will find things you never knew existed. Could not have been a truer statement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Now he's going to be a millionaire, if he chooses to sell the cards, of course. The cards which apparently belonged to Kissner's grandfather will be auctioned off in August. Kissner says the money will be split among 20 family members if, of course, they want to auction off those cards. That is incredible.
Oxycontin and kids -- the powerful drug has been used to treat pain symptoms in children for years. Now there's a study going on to determine the effects. And as our Jason Carroll reports, that too is raising red flags. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oxycontin, the powerful painkiller has brought relief to millions, but it has also made headlines for its abuse. Rush Limbaugh, Courtney Love, notable names of a few whose addiction became public. The latest controversy, a study underway to test the effects of Oxycontin on children.
DR. ANDREW KOLODNY, PHYSICIANS FOR RESPONSIBLE OPIOD PRESCRIBING: My concern is the reason they are interested in this research is they want to get approval to market the drug for use in children.
CARROLL: Doctors have been prescribing opioids like Oxycontin to children for years, doing it off label. In other words, prescribing it even though it's only approved for adults. Often improvising dosage because there's no research on how much to give children. The FDA asked Oxycontin's maker, Purdue Pharma, to conduct a study offering the company an incentive to extend its patent for six months on Oxycontin, which would translate into huge profits. The study's criteria on its 154 patients include the child must be between 6 and 16 years old, must be suffering from moderate to severe pain, must already be receiving treatment with opioids.
Dr. Gabrielle Gold-Von Simson is one of the lead trial investigators.
DR. GABRIELLE GOLD-VON SIMSON, NYU LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER: It's not fair to the child to withhold a treatment that can help them recover and feel better and be productive.
JEANNIE KARLITZ, FRIENDSOFCARRA.ORG: Well, I have complete compassion.
CARROLL: Jeannie Karlitz's son has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. His chronic condition is managed without Oxycontin, but Karlitz says the study would help parents and doctors make more informed decisions.
KARLITZ: Worrying about the teens getting addicted to Oxycontin because of the clinical trials with children. One thing is not the -- it's so silly because one thing has nothing to do with each other.
CARROLL: This recovering Oxycontin addict disagrees, worrying the study could lead to more addiction. He got hooked at 18 after a doctor prescribed the painkiller following a baseball injury.
GERARD, PHOENIX HOUSE RESIDENT: It's a fine line between like is this going to help or is it going to create more chaos in the future.
CARROLL: First introduced in the late '90s, Oxycontin was promoted as nearly addiction-proof. Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty to label misbranding, paying $635 million in penalties, and reformulated Oxycontin. As for the study, Purdue says it's not trying to market the drug to children, but that the results will give information about Oxycontin's safety and efficacy in pediatric patients to clinicians who may consider using the product in children with moderate to severe chronic pain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Jason Carroll is live in New York now. So Jason, let me get this straight the drug maker is doing the research. So how can this study possibly be impartial?
CARROLL: Well, you have to remember those who are actually conducting the study are doctors, like the one we spoke to at NYU Medical Center, who is one of the lead investigators on this particular study.
So doctors are actually taking part in the study. So the findings from the study, I think most people would agree, can be trusted. The question now becomes what then do you do with the findings of the study. What happens next? What's the next step?
COSTELLO: Ok so the other scary part of your story is doctors are guessing dosages for kids?
CARROLL: Yes.
COSTELLO: I mean does this happen every day?
CARROLL: Well, this was new to me too, Carol, and it's one of the -- one of the more fascinating things I discovered through researching this story. If you look at the way most drugs are prescribed, I mean one -- one point that we have here, this coming from the FDA, 50 percent of drugs that are in some cases commonly used for children actually have not been tested on children. They have only been tested on adults.
So it's just not -- just Oxycontin that we're talking about here, but a host of all -- of other medications that are routinely given to children that have not been tested on children. They have only been tested on adults. So doctors are improvising in some ways on a whole host of medications not just Oxycontin.
COSTELLO: Wow. Jason Carroll reporting live from New York. Thank you.
CARROLL: You bet.
COSTELLO: We asked to you "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, "Should Mitt Romney open the book on his finances?" Your responses on the other side of the 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, "Should Mitt Romney make public -- should Mitt Romney's finances be an open book?"
This from Rufus. "Of course he should. It's only fair." Doug said, "Absolutely. If Romney claims he doesn't even know what's in his accounts, how can he claim to be able to control the economy?"
This from Adrian, "Both candidates should release their financial records. We need to know everything about Obama and Romney."
Another Doug, I have a lot of Doug this morning he says, "Who cares? He's rich. They are all rich. If we want to vote for the average broke guy, I'll run for president."
Keep the comments coming Facebook.com/CarolCNN. More of your responses in the next hour of NEWSROOM.
Melky Cabrera the all-star game MVP but his San Francisco Giants teammates also contributed to the National League, let's call it a dominating win.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Oh Jeff Fischel.
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS: We're supposed to talk baseball, you can't even.
COSTELLO: I'm so (inaudible) baseball. Justin Verlander got shelled, right.
FISCHEL: Right.
COSTELLO: He needs comfort.
FISCHEL: Yes. He's supposedly dating Kate Upton, you know, the "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit model. So he can find comfort in her arms.
FISCHEL: I think a lot of red-blooded Americans would say, you know what -- men would say, you know what, I can take that comfort. I would be glad to give up five runs in the first innings if Kate Upton would be there to comfort me.
It wasn't quite the all-star game you expect, was it. I mean you have the reigning Cy Young, an AL MVP, he was struggling. I couldn't believe Justin Verlander had a nightmarish first inning.
Before we get to (inaudible), Carol. Let's look at the pregame that --
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: I thought you were going to say, let's look at Kate Upton's picture.
FISCHEL: We could probably take a whole hour for that. This is Luke Bryan singing the national anthem and it looks like he's peeking down at his hand, doesn't it?
COSTELLO: Oh my gosh.
FISCHEL: I think he might be cheating and making sure he has the words right on the national anthem. On Twitter people were going nuts talking about, did he do it? Did he really do it? Of course, we have no way to know yet but people think he was looking at his hands for the words to that.
COSTELLO: Just a comment.
FISCHEL: Yes.
COSTELLO: Why can't they find a singer who knows the words and can actually sing the song? I mean why is that so difficult?
FISCHEL: I've never sung in front of millions of people on TV, 60,000 people. Maybe he just wanted that for reassurance.
COSTELLO: He's an entertainer.
FISCHEL: Yes, he is.
COSTELLO: Ok. Go on.
FISCHEL: A professional. He pulled it off. Reading and singing at the same time.
As for the game itself, Justin Verlander, not good. The first inning. There is Melky Cabrera getting things going for the National League with the base hit. Then he comes around and Brian Brawn doubled a right. The National League pounded Verlander.
Here's Pablo Sandoval, the three-run triple.
It just coming against the best pitcher in baseball. He gave up five runs in the first inning --
COSTELLO: Prince Fielder --
FISCHEL: The National League goes on to win 8-0. Verlander takes the loss, Melky Cabrera is your game MVP. He also had a two-run homerun in this game. Here's the big knock coming right here. He pulls it out and wins 8-0. So now the NL team that goes to the World Series has home field advantage and actually over the sports' last 25 years, that's been huge for the NL. Where the home team is generally wins the World Series. So now, it's the NL.
There's Tripper Jones who played in his likely last all-star game. Retiring at the end of the year.
Where is Kate Upton?
FISCHEL: I didn't pull her up on YouTube. It's good to know it's just not the men that do it.
Finally, if you want to dress like an Olympian, you're going to need a beret. Polo has designed the U.S. opening ceremonies uniform. The guys will wear double breasted blazers both the men and women will wear berets. Now if this were the hipster Olympics, they'd wear skinny jeans, aviator sunglasses and (inaudible) for hats.
More than one person, though, has asked, shouldn't the berets be for the French team? But, hey, it's a look.
COSTELLO: It's a weird look. They either look military to me, like they should be playing croquet or on or a yacht somewhere.
FISCHEL: But again if Kate Upton was wearing the outfit, it would just look great.
COSTELLO: You got that right. That's not her. She's wearing much less online.
Jeff thank you so much.
FISCHEL: Sure.
COSTELLO: It's been fun.
The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts rights now.
