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U.S. Chopper Crashes In Oman; Syria Vote Fails At The U.N.; Obama Kicking Off Florida Tour; Scalia Says Court Rulings Not Political; Zimmerman Opens Up About Case; NASA Finds Ancient Galaxy, New Moon for Pluto; Romney to Keep Up Attack on Obama in Boston; Family on Vacation Faces Driver's Worst Nightmare
Aired July 19, 2012 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Suzanne Malveaux. This hour of CNN NEWSROOM, President Obama speaking to voters in Jacksonville, Florida. It's an important swing state. Mitt Romney is swinging back in Boston. We've got both candidates live in our hour. Want to get right to it.
The outlook is bleak now for Americans looking for work. And 386,000 people filed for first time unemployment benefits last week. That is 34,000 more than the week before.
A U.S. military helicopter has crashed in Oman. It happened today about 15 miles from the country's capital. Now, five crew members were on board. The condition is not clear. Military officials don't know what caused the crash, but they say it was definitely not attacked.
The U.N. Security Council tried to slap a new set of sanctions on Syria today but failed. Syria's allies and permanent Security Council members, China and Russia, said no. The American ambassador to the U.N. is frustrated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN RICE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: The Security Council has failed utterly in its most important task on its agenda this year. This is another dark day in Turtle Bay. One can only hope that one day before too many thousands more die that Russia and China will stop protecting Assad and allow this council to play its proper role.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Because of battleground states in the presidential race, Florida, of course, is the big prize. It is no surprise that President Obama's campaigning there this hour. He kicks off a two-day campaign swing with a rally in Jacksonville. It is being scheduled to begin about 15 minutes from now. We're going to take you live from that event.
As the president campaigns in Florida, another national poll shows him in a dead heat with Mitt Romney. In a CBS News "New York Times" poll, Romney has a slight edge over the president, 47 percent to 46 percent. That is well within the margin of error, so it makes it a tie. Dan Lothian, he is traveling with the Obama campaign in Jacksonville. So, Dan, the campaign is saying that the president is going to focus on the economy, the middle-class, but if you look at Florida's unemployment rate, 8.6 percent, fifth highest foreclosure rate in the country, how does he cater his message -- tailor his message to folks who are really looking for some solutions?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, that's such a good question, because, you are right, Florida is dealing with some very difficult problems here. Just to give you a sense of how important this state is, this is the third time now that the president has been here in the month, the fourth time this year.
And so, the message will be much broader than just the general economic message that we've been hearing now out there on the stump speech. The president will be going right after that big group, 18 million -- more than 18 million senior citizens here in the state of Florida. So, you'll hear the president specifically talking about Medicare and what his policies will do to make their lives better, to eliminate some of the gaps, to make it easier for them and more affordable to buy prescription medicine.
But in addition to that, you will hear the president also continue that theme of helping to lift the middle class, going after his opponent who the president says is looking out only for this top half, their wealthiest Americans and not for the middle class. The president will say that his policies are there to not only lift the middle class, but lift those who are below the middle class into the middle class -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Dan, we know that Florida is a big surprise among the battleground states, we spent a lot of time there last go round in 2008, and won by just three points. It's a toss-up. It's pretty much tied this go around. Are there specific groups that he wants to identify with, relate to and hit today?
LOTHIAN: Well, I think, you know, the senior citizens obviously the big group but also Hispanics. I mean, Hispanics are a big part of the population here, and, in fact, the president was on a radio station before coming here in Washington, D.C. talking about how his policies, immigration and other issues will help the Hispanic community. But also going after here in the state of Florida military veterans and those younger voters, that's the core group of people that the president is trying to target. But, you know, it requires a lot of money. And what we've seen is that the president has been lagging behind Mitt Romney in that race for campaign cash.
And so, today, a little bit of good news, if you will, for the Obama campaign, at least those who support him, getting $1 million donation from Morgan Freeman, the big movie star, saying that the president has done a lot in spite of the difficult situation that the nation has been in, spelling out that the president and the war in Iraq, talking about the president putting some reforms on Wall Street, also going into the issue of what the president has done to help the auto industry through the auto bailout. So, the Obama campaign coming here today putting forth that message of economic recovery, what the president has done to turn things around, at the same time, getting this high profile donation from a Hollywood star -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. Dan, good to see you as always. Thanks.
Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia says he is offended by criticism of the recent ruling on health care reform. He denies reports of a rift between him and chief justice John Roberts. Now, Roberts sided, you may recall, with the more liberal justices to uphold the health care law. Well, in an exclusive interview with CNN's Piers Morgan, Scalia said justices don't decide cases based on politics.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PIERS MORGAN, HOST, CNN "THE SITUATION ROOM": You believe any of them (INAUDIBLE) a politically motivated session?
JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA, U.S. SUPREME COURT: Not a single one of them.
MORGAN: And I know you cannot discuss anything in the last session.
SCALIA: (INAUDIBLE.)
MORGAN: A classic example some would say would be the health care thing?
SCALIA: I don't think any of the colleagues on any cases vote the way they do for political reasons. They vote the way they do because they have their own -- their own judicial philosophy. And they may have been selected by the Democrats, because they have that particular philosophy or they may have been selected by the Republicans, because they have that particular judicial philosophy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Scalia says the case he gets asked about the most is Bush versus Gore, and his response to that, get over it.
Four years ago, he battled president Obama for the White House. Well now, Senator John McCain, he's going one on one with Piers Morgan tonight. What is his advice for Mitt Romney? That is tonight, 8:00 Eastern, you got to check it out. And right now, Wolf Blitzer, he is interviewing House speaker John Boehner. You can see that interview today on the "THE SITUATION ROOM." That's beginning at 4:00 Eastern.
Well, the man who shot Trayvon Martin, he is telling the world his side of the story before his second-degree murder trial. In his first T.V. interview, George Zimmerman tells Fox News Sean Hannity that he felt he had to kill him, claiming the unarmed teen threatened his life and went for his gun holster. I want to bring in CNN Legal Analyst, former federal prosecutor, Sunny Hostin. Sunny, first of all, we want to play some of these clips of this interview. Any possible clues about this in terms of a defense strategy, because, at one point, you have Zimmerman saying that what happened was god's plan. And then, you're going to hear an emotional reaction from Trayvon Martin's mother. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN HANNITY, ANCHOR, FOX NEWS: Do you regret getting out of the car to follow Trayvon that night?
TRAYVON MARTIN: No, sir.
HANNITY: Do you regret that you had a gun that night?
MARTIN: No, sir.
HANNITY: Do you feel you wouldn't be here for this interview if you didn't have that gun?
MARTIN: No, sir.
HANNITY: You feel that you would not be here?
MARTIN: I feel that it is all god's plan, and for me to second guess it or judge it --
HANNITY: Is there anything that you might do differently in retrospect now that time has passed a little bit?
MARTIN: No, sir.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SYBRINA FULTON: I think that it is absolutely ridiculous. God did not have a plan for Trayvon to die, and for George Zimmerman to shoot Trayvon for no reason.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Sunny, what do you make of that? This language that we're hearing now, god's plan, how would that potentially play out in court?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this certainly was a strategy by the defense, right? Because it is very unusual, Suzanne, for a criminal defendant, especially a defendant who is facing second- degree murder charges to be interviewed, because that defendant then becomes wedded to his statements -- his statements to Sean Hannity in this case. So, you know, what is the motivation for sitting for the interview? What is the motivation behind the wording? Some are saying, maybe it was shaking the can.
We know that his funds have been depleted because his bail has been increased. Some are saying, you know, this was not so much an interview with Sean Hannity, but perhaps an interview with prospective jurors in Florida. I don't know that he moved the needle that much. I think if you look at the reaction on Twitter and on Facebook, those that were George Zimmerman supporters remain George Zimmerman supporters. Those that find him and his story not credible or incredible were offended by the language of using god's plan and offended by the fact that he said he didn't regret -- initially said he didn't regret his actions in what he did that evening.
MALVEAUX: Sunny, you mentioned that he clarified his comments about whether or not he had any regrets. I want you to listen to what he said and the reaction from one of the attorneys of the Martin family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN: I'd like to readdress your question when you asked if I would have done anything differently. When you asked that, I thought you were referring to if I would not have talked to the police, if I would have maybe got an attorney. If I wouldn't have taken the CBSA. And that I stand by, I would not have done anything differently. But I do wish that there was something, anything I could have done that wouldn't have put me in the position where I had to take his life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJHAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY: He made a rush to judgment to judge Trayvon as criminal, as suspicious, and he got out of the car. He put Trayvon in the position. Trayvon went to his grave not knowing who the strange man was who confronted him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So, Sunny, you've got Zimmerman saying very clear in his wording that he says, I do wish that there was something that I could have done that wouldn't have put me in the position to where I wouldn't have taken his life. That really sounds like they are setting up some sort of strategy here, some sort of argument in the defense.
HOSTIN: Sure. I mean, and that's going to be the spin -- the defense spin that he was put in this position by Trayvon Martin's actions. But I've got to tell you, Suzanne, having tried so many cases and interview so many witnesses as a prosecutor, jurors don't leave their common sense in the courtroom. They take their common sense with them into the jury room when they deliberate. And, you know, what is the objective evidence in this case? Well, on the 911 tape, George Zimmerman says he was following Trayvon Martin, even though the dispatcher asked him not to do that. There is a lot of objective evidence that, quite frankly, contradicts a lot of the things that he said to the police and that he said during this police interview. I just -- I never think it's a good idea for a defendant to use a strategy giving media interviews. It's always a bad idea.
MALVEAUX: And, Sunny, finally, a quick question here, Zimmerman apologized to the Martin family in the interview. Could that possibly be used by the prosecutors as an admission of guilt?
HOSTIN: I don't think so. He didn't go that far in terms of giving that apology. I don't -- I didn't hear an admission of guilt. And so, I don't think that will be used, that portion of the interview. But to be sure the prosecution this very day is going over that interview with a fine tooth comb and will be looking for inconsistencies, and this is not the last that we've heard of that interview. I suspect we will see it at trial.
MALVEAUX: All right, Sunny Hostin. Thank you, Sunny. Appreciate it.
This is what we are working on this hour. The suicide attacker who killed five Israeli tourists in a bus bombing was carrying a fake Michigan driver's license. We're live from Bulgaria with the details.
Drought not only killing crops, but also affecting cattle, too. Farmers don't have food for them.
And he is a famous physicist who believes extraterrestrials will one day come to earth and demand our resource resources. Hear him explain why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: The suicide bomber had a Michigan driver's license. That's what officials in Bulgaria are saying today. We're talking about this explosion that killed five Israeli tourists and a bus driver that happened yesterday outside of a airport on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. Now, investigators say that Michigan driver's license was probably a phony.
We now have some surveillance footage of the man who may have set off the bomb. This is the airport -- in the airport at Burgas, Bulgaria. And police think that this man here, in the shorts, is the bomber. And they think that the backpack is the bomb.
I want to go live to Atika Shubert. She's at the airport where that bomb exploded yesterday.
And, first of all, in the last hour you mentioned a name -- a potential name of the suspect. Do we have any more information about who this person might be?
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and, in fact, I have to correct that, because the Bulgarian interior minister, we personally spoke to him, and he said that name that's being circulated is pure speculation. He says he doesn't know where that name is coming from. There doesn't seem to be any indication that that is the suspect they're looking for. In fact, as far as he's concerned, they're still trying to identify the suspect. They've taken DNA samples, fingerprints, passed it on to the FBI, Israeli authorities and Interpol. They are still trying to identify this man.
MALVEAUX: OK. Do we have any idea about where he's from at all? And tell us a little bit more about the fake driver's license, whether that gives us any indication if he's American or anything else.
SHUBERT: We do not know where he's from. What the interior minister of Bulgaria told us is that they believe he is not Bulgarian, that he arrived here possibly four days ago or maybe a little bit more than a week ago to sort of scope out the area. And they are trying to follow up a number of leads. But they say they have not been able to identify him yet.
They said that he had a very striking appearance. You can see in that video, the very long hair that he had. So they're trying to follow up with people who may have seen him. But we simply don't know that much about him. And the fact that there is a U.S. driver's license doesn't really mean that much because we know that it is a fake. The Bulgarian interior minister said very clearly, the address is completely wrong. The person there does not exist. So it seems to be a completely fake I.D.
MALVEAUX: Atika, we know that the Israelis are blaming the Iranians for this. Do the Bulgarians, do they have any information about who potentially is behind this bombing?
SHUBERT: No. And they're being very cautious about that. They say they want to get to the real -- you know, the brass tacks of the investigation, really find something out first before they make any allegations. They don't want to speculate any further. And I can tell you, because the interior minister actually brought us here. This is the exact spot where the attack happened. You can see the buses lined up exactly as they would have been the day of the attack. He brought us here personally, went through the area with us, explain to us how the evidence was collected. And even while we were here, there were still bits of evidence here.
In fact, we just found this sort of charred remains of a $10 bill out here that may possibly have come from one of the buses that was obviously affected by that explosion. So, so we do know they're combing through everything, trying to figure out exactly who did this and what motive he had.
MALVEAUX: And, Atika, in light of the fact that you could actually pick up something from this crime scene, evidence here, what are people at the airport -- I mean, how are they feeling? What are they thinking about this? Is it open? Is it -- are people actually milling around? Are they traveling there?
SHUBERT: Well, the airport is now officially open. And, in fact, we've seen a number of passengers coming in looking very tired. The flights were canceled all day yesterday. But also very worried. They're a little bit jittery about the security. And there is now heightened security here. Before you can even get on to the road here, people are randomly checked. Their bags are searched. A lot of people are saying they're happy for the extra security, but others are saying it makes them nervous and they just want to go home.
MALVEAUX: All right, Atika Shubert, thank you very much.
The worst drought the U.S. has seen in decades is not only hurting the crops, be also cattle. We're going to show you what's happening.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: The Obama administration is warning about the impact of the historic drought on food supplies. More than three-fourths of the nation's corn and soybean crops are in areas affected now by the drought. Now the administration is calling on Congress to renew disaster aid programs that have now lapsed. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, he says that farmers need all of the help they can get.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM VILSACK, AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: Now it's all hands on deck. The president's very concerned about making sure that we do everything we possibly can to help as many producers as we can through this difficult circumstance.
The USDA, the Department of Agriculture, does not have the tools it once had to help people through this difficult time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: The drought is also taking a toll on some rivers. Now in Iowa, there are concerns that low water levels could affect barge traffic. With more than half the country in some state of drought, and crops, dairy, livestock, all being impacted. Ed Lavandera, he's taking us to a cattle ranch for a look at the struggle.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Stacey Avey is in the midst of the toughest fight he's ever experienced on his ranch in the northern hills of Arkansas, trying to save his cattle herd.
LAVANDERA (on camera): Stacey has brought out the couple of bales of hay. And they know it's feeding time.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): The endless drought is slowly thinning out his herd.
LAVANDERA (on camera): These are the last cows that Stacey Avey has. In the last few months, because of the drought conditions, he's had to sell off about half of his herd.
STACEY AVEY, RANCHER: Just trying to survive the summer.
LAVANDERA: Are you going to be able to save them?
AVEY: I'm going to feed them through the summer hoping there's going to be some late fall rain to get some grass for grazing. And if there's no fall rain, I figure we'll have to sell out.
LAVANDERA: Normally this time of year, the cattle should be grazing on natural pasture land here. So it is totally out of the ordinary and extremely costly for Stacey to have to bring in hay to feed the herd.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Arkansas agriculture officials say rainfall is as much as 10 inches below normal. Ranchers and farmers say it's the most dire conditions they've seen in decades.
BUTCH CALHOUN, ARKANSAS AGRICULTURE DIRECTOR: I think this may be one of the -- may be the worst natural disasters statewide that we've ever had in Arkansas.
LAVANDERA (on camera): Really? That bad?
CALHOUN: That bad, statewide.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Almost every county in the state has already been declared federal disaster areas because of the drought. And if cattle ranchers cannot afford to keep feeding their herds, this is where they end up, at auction, and ranchers tell us they've never seen so many cattle up for sale.
LAVANDERA (on camera): You weren't joking around. When you came around the corner, man, they started following you pretty good.
AVEY: Yes, sir. They like it. They know when that tractor starts up, there's a little bit of hay coming their way.
LAVANDERA: Yes, yes, here comes the food.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): And Stacey Avey wonders if he can hold on long enough to see it rain again.
AVEY: It's kind of depressing to, you know, to farm and (INAUDIBLE) your livestock and keep them the way you'd like them to be and then have to just sell them.
LAVANDERA: Ed Lavandera, CNN, Stone County, Arkansas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: One way you can help farmers is by putting your money where your mouth is. And that is making sure that your food is grown in the USA. So do we even check? I want to bring in our Eatocracy editor, Kat Kinsman.
Kat, I have to tell you, I have no idea, actually, how to tell between something that is grown here and somewhere else. Is it on a label somewhere? How do you do that?
KAT KINSMAN, EATOCARCY EDITOR: Well, you're not the only one who has that -- some sort of -- who has that difficulty. And luckily you're not the only one looking for it. It -- meat has to have a country of origin label on it. It's a little bit harder to tell with vegetables. When produce is grown in the USA, quite often the farmer is going to take a lot of pride in that and put it directly on the label, that it is made in the USA. I mean, otherwise, you can, as much as possible, go directly to the farm, to the farmer, because that cuts out the middleman and makes sure that as much money as possible is getting directly to these farmers, because, as we can all see, they need it right now.
MALVEAUX: Is it basically going to the farmer's market or is there more that you can do?
KINSMAN: There are -- we ran an editorial by a good friend of mine who's a shepherd earlier this week and he gave me a few just easy ways that you can help out. First of all, he was saying eat like a farmer, which means to go with what's in season. If you are eating a watermelon in the middle of January, there is really no way that that came from somewhere local. And you can be sure that you're eating in season there.
Check the label. Also, like we said, often if it's an American farm, it's going to have a whole lot of pride in it and say grown in the USA. And, if possible, it's somewhere even closer to you. And really the closer, the fresher, the better.
You can also really buy directly at a farmer's market. If there isn't one near you, you actually might be surprised how many are near you. You can go to localharvest.org and that will help you find the farmer's markets and farms that are nearest to you so you can really just deal directly with the farmer.
You can also ask your supermarket to stock regional products. That way you definitely know that they're grown near you. You're keeping a way of life and a heritage alive for all the, you know, for the artisans who are around you. And another thing that you can do is go to madeinamerica/usa.org and there some farmers and producers have been designated as American culinary treasures. They have been certified made in the USA and really as champions and artisans of what they're doing. And you can be sure that your money is going directly to the people who really need it right now.
MALVEAUX: I love my farmer's market in the neighborhood, Kat.
Tell us -- you're doing a poll, right, to see how many people actually pay attention to where the food is grown. What are you finding?
KINSMAN: We did. So at the bottom of that article, we asked people, do you pay attention to where your food is grown and also sort of how much do you care? Fifty-one percent of people were saying that, yes, they do care very much and they look, but they might not -- they might have to make their decision based on price and quality. Another 20.87 percent were saying they buy American food no matter what. So, you know, only a few people were saying that it really doesn't making a difference or that they don't look. So it seems like people really are paying attention and it's a matter of cost. And really, from what I'm hearing from all the farmers, if you can possibly just dig a little bit deeper right now and spend the extra dollar or two, you're not just paying for your food now, you're paying for your food in the future.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Kat, as always.
KINSMAN: Thank you.
MALVEAUX: Scientists discover am ancient galaxy. It existed billions of years ago. Well it's more proof, according to my next guest, that aliens really do exist.
Don't forget, you can watch CNN live on your computer while you're at work. Head to cnn.com/tv.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Some big news from space. Scientists have discovered an ancient galaxy, so old, they almost didn't believe it at first. 11 billion years. Almost as old as the universe itself. And Pluto has a new moon, even though it is not a planet. This is the fifth moon of Pluto that scientists have found. NASA released this telescope image of the new discovery. The new moon on the discovery is called P-5.
Joining me is physics professor, Michio Kaku.
Thank you for being with us.
There is a lot going on that we didn't know.
(CROSSTALK)
MALVEAUX: Tell us, first of all, about the moon discovery. What does that mean?
MICHIO KAKU, PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS: Well, Pluto has pups. Who thought that the ice ball in outer space has five little moonlets going around it? Now, if you are a second-grader, you probably protested and marched against the idea of kicking Pluto out of the solar system. Well, sorry about that.
(LAUGHTER)
But Pluto is an ice ball. It is not a rocky planet like the earth or a gas giant like Jupiter. It is an oddball. We called it a dwarf planet, and otherwise known as overgrown comet made of ice.
MALVEAUX: That shocked me when Pluto was not discovered as a planet, but something completely different, and now has another moon. You work with the "Discovery Channel" on a series called "curiosity." And one of the episodes explores the possibility of extraterrestrial life. You say it is thousands or maybe millions more advanced than us. Tell us what you suspect?
KAKU: Well, the Kepler satellite has identified 2,000 planets orbiting other solar systems. Tonight, when you look at the night sky, realize that somebody could be looking back at you. If there is a life form out there, they could be literally millions of years ahead of us. The universe is 13.7 billion years old, so a million years is nothing compared to the age of the universe. And for the most part, I think that they are going to be friendly. But if, if they are hostile, it would be like Bambi meeting Godzilla if we ever had to fight them.
MALVEAUX: Why? Why do you say that?
(LAUGHTER) KAKU: Realize, if they are that advanced, they can reach the earth from a distant star. They are already thousands of years ahead of us in technology. And we would present no military challenge to such an advanced civilization.
Now, realize, for the most part, there are lots of uninhabited planets with resources on them. So if they can reach the earth, that I can reach other planets that are inhabited. So for the most part, I think they will leave us alone. But if one of them is hostile, watch out, because we are a pushover for them. Forget all of the Hollywood movies.
MALVEAUX: You also make the point, too, that if aliens ever did invade, it could be an opportunity, a chance for countries, for nations to get together when they see a common enemy.
KAKU: That is right. When President Ronald Reagan met Mikhail Gorbachev, Gorbachev was shocked, shocked out of his mind that Ronald Reagan said to him, you know, if the Martians ever invade the earth, you and me would be allies in the fight against the Martians. Well, grace later wrote that he was floored by that comment. But you know something, Ronald Reagan was probably right. If we are ever invaded by the Martians or some advanced civilization, we would hunker down and get together to fight off the Martians.
MALVEAUX: And finally, you say you think that if we are approached by extraterrestrials, it would be likely friendly, because they would have resources other places in the universe? It is likely that we would have common similarities with these other beings, based on your research and these other bodies?
KAKU: Well, for the most part, I think they would leave us alone. If you are walking down a country road and you see ant hill, do you go down to the ant and say, I bring you trinkets and beads, I give you nuclear energy, or do would you leave the ants along? If they are that advance, they would be peaceful, I believe, because they have thousands of years to work out their internal problems of racism, fundamentalism, sectarianism. And so for the most, part they have thousands of years to work their internal differences so they will be friendly. But we have to prepare for the possibility that they aren't.
MALVEAUX: Professor Kaku, thank you as always. Fascinating, fascinating journey in outer space, and all of the discoveries that you are making there. Appreciate it.
KAKU: Thank you.
MALVEAUX: Sure.
Mitt Romney is making the case that he should be president, and he is doing it in a mostly African-American Boston community.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, Governor. Wow. What a welcome. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Mitt Romney keeping up the attack on President Obama over jobs and small businesses. Now Romney is going to be speaking shortly in suburban Boston.
Jim Acosta is covering the Romney campaign and we are getting ready to see him speak there.
We know, Jim, he has seized on the theme that President Obama does not understand how business works. And obviously, a chance to change the conversation and shift the focus away from the tax returns and his own business record. Does that ring true?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Suzanne. I think that they have changed the conversation. And in part, it is because of something that the president said last Friday at a rally down in Roanoke, Virginia. When the president used the words to business owners, you didn't build that, the Romney campaign sensed a new line of attack and have been running with it really in the last 24 to 48 hours. They feel like they've been penetrating the news cycle that has been going on for the last several days, that has really put them under the gun with the attacks on Mitt Romney's business experience, and his tax return. And they feel like they have broken through all of that with the comment that the president made about saying you didn't build that.
As a matter of fact, just this morning, the Romney campaign put out a new web video that seizes on this, and features a business owner from New Hampshire.
And let's play a little bit of that and give you more context on to the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you have been successful, you didn't get there on your own. You didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who think that, well, it must be because I was so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something. If you have a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen.
UNIDENTIFIED OWNER, GILCHRIST METAL FABRICATING COMPANY: My father's hands didn't build this company? My hands didn't build this company?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And so you see at the tail end of the clip that business owner saying, I didn't build this company, and my father didn't build this company? Well, now the Romney campaign has set up this -- recently put together this event that is going to happen in a few moments from now at a local business near his headquarters here in Boston. obviously, not a battleground state, Suzanne, and obviously, they are not trying to win the state of Massachusetts, but this is an indication that the Romney campaign feels like they have a pretty potent issue here, so why not? Why not keep this going. And that is what they are doing in a few moments from now.
I should mention that the Obama campaign has put out its own web video. And the campaign has said that Mitt Romney has taken the president's words out of context, what the president meant to say, and what he did say was that there was a value in having firefighters and teachers and public infrastructure and all of those things taken together do help the private sector. They say that was the purpose of the president's comments, and that Mitt Romney is taking the comments out of context and exploiting that. And that is where the debate is right now, Suzanne.
But you're right, at the moment, we are not talking about Bain Capital. We're talking about what the president said last Friday.
MALVEAUX: Obviously, they see some momentum behind that. Jim, thank you. Appreciate it.
House Speaker John Boehner says that President Obama, quote, and these are his words, "Doesn't give a damn about the middle-class." Is he standing by his harsh criticism? Well, Wolf Blitzer is interviewing Speaker Boehner. You can see the interview on "The Situation Room." That is beginning at 4:00 eastern. We also are waiting for Mitt Romney to step up to the mike in Boston. And we will bring it to you live as soon as it starts.
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MALVEAUX: We are waiting for two live events to take place. One in Jacksonville, Florida, where President Obama is going to be speaking shortly. We will bring that to you live as soon as he starts. Also to the left of the screen, Boston, Massachusetts, is challenger, Mitt Romney, who will be taking to the stand shortly.
So in another matter, would you like to interact with the stars or a piece of art? There is a developer with an ap for both and it makes "The Next List."
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that the biggest risks for us come in sensing more and more about a person's body or their intention. Gestural technologies are the technologies that suggest the next movements of human beings and respond to them. It sounds novel and exciting, but it is the way human beings react with each other. Typically, when you think about technology, you wonder how to use this technology. But the gestural technology should require no instructions. It just senses the way you move into it.
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MALVEAUX: Hundreds of thousands of children suffer from egg allergies, not just eggs, but any foods that contain eggs, so noodles and cakes and pies. It's pretty tough for parents and grandparents to actually plan their meals, but there is hope.
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MALVEAUX: Eggs, peanuts, shellfish, strawberry's, delicious, right? But they can be deadly for children with allergies. There's a promising new technique, however, to prevent these life-threatening reactions.
I want to bring in Elizabeth Cohen to talk about really, what is this method about and how does it work?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a really exciting new study, because there hasn't been a lot new out there to help kids with alleges. So what these researchers at Northwestern University did, is they give kids who are allergic to eggs teeny, weeny, weeny bits of eggs, like one-10,000th of an egg, in a powder form, and then raised it really, really gradually, and monitored them the whole time. And here's what happened. What they found is that the 40 kids on this therapy, which is called immunotherapy, these 40 kids, 30 of them were cured temporarily. And I use that in quotes, because I don't like the word "cured," but it worked temporarily for 30 of them. And out of those 30, 11 were cured long-term. In other words, those 11 kids who couldn't touch an egg before, now can sit down and chow down on, you know, fried eggs or scrambled eggs or whatever. So that's pretty amazing.
MALVEAUX: This was a group of 40. Some did better than others.
COHEN: And I should say, this was done at the University of North Carolina, and not Northwestern.
MALVEAUX: All right.
COHEN: I'm sorry. Tell me what you were going to say again. I just realized that.
MALVEAUX: The rest of the kids, how did they do? This is divided from 40. 30 did much better than 10.
Right. Right. Some of these kids, it just didn't work. They did the full therapy and it didn't work. Some of the kids couldn't tolerate the full therapy. They started to have allergic reactions and some needed to have epifens (ph) given to them. So some of the kids, it could have been considered dangerous. That's why this is still being considered experimental. It worked beautifully for some kids, but could have really hurt other kids.
MALVEAUX: So if you're a parent or grandparent and have kids who are allergic to the eggs, what should you do as an empowered patient?
COHEN: Whether it's eggs or strawberries or peanuts or whatever, the first is, do not try this at home. Here's the second time I'm going to say that -- do not try this at home.
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COHEN: I can see parents cutting it up -- don't do that, because you could actually kill your child. Don't do that.
What you want to do is go to CNN.com/empoweredpatient, and you'll see a blog there by my colleague, Elizabeth Landau, and in there is a link to clinicaltrials.gov, and you can find clinical trials. CSU is doing them, Duke is doing them, some other places are doing them. And you can become involved in these clinical trials if you want to.
MALVEAUX: Is it worth it to actually make that step, that first step, or is it really difficult for parents and grandparents to keep the things away from the things they're allergic to?
COHEN: I think sometimes it's really tough, especially when you're talking about peanuts or eggs, because peanuts or eggs, in some form or another, are in so many different things and it's really hard. You've got to read labels or when you go to restaurants, you're trusting the chef when you say, are there peanuts in this, and they say no. it is hard. It's really tough to have a kid with an allergy like this.
MALVEAUX: So maybe worth it. Maybe worth it to at least look into those clinical trials.
COHEN: At least look into it. And go in with your eyes open. It might not work, but it might be something worth investigating.
MALVEAUX: Elizabeth, thanks.
COHEN: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: Appreciate it.
Imagine driving on an expressway, another car comes at you in the opposite direction. A driver's worst nightmare, right? Well, it's all on tape.
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MALVEAUX: You're about to see a video -- it's probably going to make your heart race. An Alabama family was on vacation in Florida when they saw a driver swerve into oncoming traffic. Now, they tried to get his attention, make him stop. How did it end?
Jeanne Moos, she's got the story.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's something very wrong with this picture, a wrong-way driver. You can hear a passenger in the car from which this video was shot calling 911.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's going every bit of 70.
MOOS: They had watched the car swerve onto the wrong side of divided Highway 49 in Collins, Mississippi.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't watch!
AL FANNING, DRIVER: God, I can't either. This is going to be bad. God, dang, he's going to hurt somebody, severely bad.
MOOS (on camera): That's the voice of a Louisiana restaurant owner, Al Fanning. Fanning, his wife, and two kids were driving home from the beach when they first saw the car driving in front of them, weaving all over the place.
You pulled up alongside him and looked over at him?
FANNING (voice-over): He had both hands on the steering wheel, and his head was just dropped, like he was unconscious. I was blowing the horn at him, trying to get him to wake up.
MOOS (voice-over): At a traffic light, the car crossed over to the wrong side of the highway, and that's when the Fannings started recording.
FANNING: There it is. Oh, good god!
MOOS: We've seen plenty of wrong-way car video.
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UNIDENTIFIED: Police! (INAUDIBLE). I've just been hit by an individual.
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MOOS: From this dash-cam video of a Utah trooper who saw the vehicle going the wrong way, turned around, and got in front of it, to this scary cell phone video.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no!
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MOOS: A car in Oregon weaving into the opposite lane.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no!
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MOOS: And eventually, going off the road.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop, stop, stop, stop!
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MOOS: What they have in common is, you wait for the worst to happen.
FANNING: Close your eyes. Molly, do not look. This is going to hurt somebody severely bad.
MOOS: The good news is "severely bad" was not the outcome.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh.
FANNING: Oh, my gosh! There it went! There it went!
MOOS: The wrong-way car hit a Ford Expedition.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stay in the car.
FANNING: Stay in the car.
MOOS: Al Fanning opened the door of the Expedition and two female occupants walked out, basically unhurt.
FANNING (voice-over): We sat there in the ditch together.
MOOS: The driver of the wrong-way car, 58-year-old Edward Fairly (ph), suffered a broken shoulder and other nonlife-threatening injuries. Fanning say police believe a medical condition may have caused his wild driving.
Fanning himself has been cheered for helping and not just recording, though recording while driving got Fanning a scolding.
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Because he's not focused on the road himself.
FANNING: I knew that was coming.
MOOS: But no one knew that this was coming.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh.
FANNING: Oh, my gosh!
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Brooke Baldwin.
Hi, Brooke.
