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Nine Athletes Banned For Doping Offenses; Romney Meets British Prime Minister Cameron; Romney Stirs British Anger; Christie: 2016 Run Is Possible; Suspect Mailed Package To Campus; Penn State Fights Insurance Company; Eight States Probe Hepatitis C Outbreak; Fort Hood Shooting Suspect Ordered To Shave; Drought To Push Up Prices; Nasty Storms Expected Across Northeast; MLS All-Stars Beat Chelsea; Ice Melt Wipes Out Bridge; Tax Cut Politics
Aired July 26, 2012 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, busted and banned. Nine athletes caught doping by a brand new system being used for the first time.
And new this morning reports of one Olympian already heading home after failing a drug test.
Health scare -- new details this morning on the hepatitis outbreak spreading across the country. We're learning more about the man suspected of being behind the scare.
Ice melt, amazing video this morning. Massive rivers of melting ice from Greenland wiping out key bridges and roadways. Huge parts of the ice covered arctic vanishing into the ocean.
And a kid from the Bronx taunted and teased as a kid. Now he is London bound representing the USA in gymnastics. We'll introduce you to Olympian, John Orosco. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining us. We start this morning talking about those new doping accusations. Nine athletes are already banned. One is a Ukrainian woman who took third place in the 1500-meter run in Beijing.
The others are from Morocco, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, three from Russia and another from Ukraine all in track and field. Zain Verjee is in London with the latest.
A Greek high jumper. Just to clarify things these athletes aren't necessarily or weren't necessarily taking part in the Olympic games, right?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. That's right. A number of those bans are actually just the confirmed ones from previous indications they tested positive for drug testing. The big story right now is a situation developing on the Greek team.
More trouble for them. The Greek world indoor champion in high jump has failed a drug test. It was a surprise test that is believed to have been done about 10 days or so ago.
His father, who is also his coach according to two media outlets, had issued a letter to the Greek media, and he said this. My son will not be participating in the Olympics leaving an unfulfilled dream.
He said the news has shocked my family. He also indicated that he will not contest this and he is just going to withdraw. Also, a Moroccan middle distance runner had tested positive for drugs and she just got kicked out of the Olympics and was sent back to Morocco -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Back to these new doping measures, I mean, tell us more about them. Are they -- I hear they're new and experimental. Not experimental anymore because they're using them, but they're new and highly effective.
VERJEE: Yes. They are. Basically, this is something that the country has really taken very seriously. They've got something like 150 scientists to test half of the 10,000 athletes here for the Olympics.
Now what they're doing is they're going to be running up samples to a laboratory that exists in a place called Essex here and they're going to do around-the-clock testing. Now the focus is on a program called the biological passport program.
What that is, is that blood from athletes has been tracked very carefully over time so it's not necessarily that they just, boom, test positive for drugs.
But what it does is it shows physiological changes over time that indicated there could be some doping there. So when they see those indicators they go you, you, you, and then test it, which is why they're beginning to catch a little more straight away -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Zain Verjee reporting live for us from London.
On to American politics now, but let's stay in London shall we because Mitt Romney has been meeting with the British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Things were going well until the prime minister became aware of a comment Mitt Romney said to NBC News about security and the London games. It caused the British press to become a bit miffed.
Let's head to London and check in with Jim Acosta with more. Good morning, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Good morning, Carol. That's right. You know, all of this controversy is really swirling around some comments that Mitt Romney made last night in an interview with NBC.
Where he was asked about how the games are going and the preparations that are being made in London and Romney took note of some of the problems they had here in London preparing for the games.
Now, those comments that he made have been seized upon not just by the British press, but the British Prime Minister David Cameron as you just mentioned a few moments ago.
But first, let's play what Mitt Romney said to NBC and then we'll talk about how David Cameron, the prime minister here reacted to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, it's hard to know just how well it will turn out. There are a few things that were disconcerting that --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: So there you have Mitt Romney telling NBC that there have been some problems here and that is disconcerting. Prime Minister David Cameron was at an Olympic event, a pre-Olympic event earlier this morning talking to the press and he was asked about Mitt Romney's comments.
And I'll just read to you some of what he said. He said basically that he is going to talk to Mitt Romney about how London, he says, is going to show the whole world, not just that we can come together as a United Kingdom.
But also we're extremely good at welcoming people from across the world and then he went on to say, quote, "We are holding Olympic games in one of the busiest, most active bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course it's easier, the prime minister said, if you hold an Olympic games in the middle of nowhere."
Now, we're not exactly clear if he was referring to the Olympic Games Mitt Romney was running back in Salt Lake City in 2002, but the prime minister did not sound pleased when he was asked about those comments earlier this morning -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jim, I just want to read to our audience more of what Mitt Romney told NBC News about the London games. We just played a bit of that bite as we call it in the business.
But I'm going to read you more of Mitt Romney's quote. Romney said to NBC, you know it's hard to know just how well it will turn out. There were a few things that were disconcerting. The stories about the private security firm not having enough people.
The supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials that obviously is not something which is encouraging. So that's more in full of what Mitt Romney told NBC News and maybe that makes David Cameron's remarks more, I don't know, understandable, I guess.
ACOSTA: Right. I mean, what's interesting about all of this, Carol, is that the Romney campaign and even Mitt Romney, himself, have made it clear they don't plan to criticize the president on foreign soil.
They've been very open and up front about that. But it's interesting to note that in some comments the GOP contender has made just about the Olympic games that's gotten people somewhat up in arms here in Great Britain on the front, on the main page for the "London Daily Telegraph," one of the main newspapers here.
It basically -- the headline says, Mitt Romney questions whether Britain is ready for the games. And so this is not going over well here. This is one of those things that can happen to a leader on a foreign trip.
And campaigns try very hard to avoid these kinds of stumbles, but occasionally they do happen. And so in just a few moments, we're expecting to see Mitt Romney come out of number 10 Downing Street where he is meeting with the prime minister and we hope to be able to ask him about these comments and about this controversy -- Carol.
COSTELLO: OK, we'll let you go. And when Mitt Romney comes out and starts speaking we'll go back to London. Jim Acosta reporting live for us this morning.
Another top Republican stirring buzz over his presidential pursuits. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was on the "Jersey Shore" and he did not back away from questions that follow him everywhere. Will he seek the White House in 2016?
Christie said he will consider it if Mitt Romney is not in the oval office, but the man known for bluster and big talk quickly batted down another idea. One man in the crowd asked if Christie challenged Romney for the nomination this year and Christie said flat out no.
Now to new, chilling details from the Colorado shooting rampage. Just before the killings, police say James Holmes apparently sent a package to the University of Colorado in Aurora where he recently dropped out of classes. The contents of that package reportedly showed a fury was building.
Last hour, we spoke to a forensic psychologist, an expert on the criminal mind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHERYL ARUTT, FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST: It does seem like this was a cry for help. It seemed like this was something that when Mr. Holmes was preparing this it seems like he was really trying to communicate about what he had been planning to do.
And if someone had seen it, it might have triggered a duty to warn, which would have trumped his confidentiality and allowed them to warn and take action before this happened.
My personal view of what may have been going on with this man is that he has had a psychotic break and that he's been going in and out of paranoid state.
And very often when people do that they have states of mind where they lose touch with reality and can get very grandiose and feel like things mean things and have connections that they don't necessarily have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: OK, a bit of reassuring news now. For the first time neighbors of the accused shooter are allowed to go back home over the weekend as you know police defused a catastrophic booby trap in Holmes' apartment.
The Sandusky child sex abuse scandal at Penn State University could turn into a nasty insurance fight. Penn State's primary general liability insurer wants to deny coverage because it says the school did not disclose what it knew about Jerry Sandusky's behavior.
We now know why Penn State will not fight the NCAA punishment which includes a four-year Bowl ban and a $60 million fine. The school's president telling ESPN, Penn State would have received a four-year total ban on football if it had not accepted those sanctions.
Today hospitals in eight states want to know how many patients might have come into contact with David Kwiatkowski, the former lab technician accused of infecting patients with the liver disease Hepatitis C.
He worked in New Hampshire, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen has the latest on the man police are calling a serial infector.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, the scope of this has become huge. In New Hampshire alone more than 6,000 people need to get tested because they might have been infected with Hepatitis C by David Kwiatkowski while he was a technician at Exeter Hospital in New Hampshire.
They're having a public meeting tonight in New Hampshire to talk to these thousands of people to explain to them how the testing process will work. Of course, more people need to be tested in at least seven other states.
Meanwhile, an FBI investigation has confirmed that in 2008 Kwiatkowski was seen by an employee taking a syringe. Let me quote to you exactly from the affidavit, an employee in an operating room observed Kwiatkowski enter an operating room, lift his shirt, put a syringe in his pants and exit the room.
Three empty syringes bearing Fentanyl labels were found on his person. An empty morphine sulfate syringe and a needle were later found in his locker. A drug test found Fentanyl and opiates in Kwiatkowski's urine.
Fentanyl is a very powerful narcotic. It's highly addictive. It's in the opiate family. Now by the time New Hampshire authorities found Kwiatkowski, he was no longer living at Exeter Hospital. He was living in a hotel. He was intoxicated when they found him and they said he was suicidal -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.
On the New Hampshire charges alone, Kwiatkowski faces up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted.
It's big. It's beautiful, but most of the Greenland's ice has now melted. That is now causing major problems in other places.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's 14 minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories now, investigators say a package apparently sent by James Holmes was found in the University of Colorado mail room on Monday. CBS News says it was addressed to a psychiatrist. Sources say it contained notes and drawings about killing people.
A judge threatens to have accused Fort Hood shooter, Major Nidal Hasan forcibly shaved before his trial starts in August. Hasan is accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. His beard violates army policy. Hasan's defense says he is refusing to shave in observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
In money news, your grocery bill is about to go up. Farmers suffering through the worst drought in decades is translating to higher prices at the checkout line.
Some examples, ground chuck that now costs an average of $3.45 a pound will inch up to about $3.59 a pound. A dozen eggs will climb about 2 percent to an average of $1.71. And milk will jump about 3 percent from today's average of $3.40 a gallon to about $3.50.
In weather news, the Ohio Valley and the northeast could see some nasty storms today. The biggest concern is damaging winds and hail. Cities that could be hardest hit -- New York, Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Cincinnati.
Looks like the best in Major League soccer are better than the best team in Europe. The Major League all stars defeating Chelsea in last night's all-star game. Eddie Johnson of the Seattle Sounders scored. I wish I could say it like they do. He scored the winning goal.
And incredible pictures, we know that the ice melt in Greenland this summer has been bigger and faster than normal. Here you can see some of the results in real time. A flooding run off wiped out a bridge near Greenland's largest airport. Many experts believe climate change is the cause of the huge ice melts.
As "The Washington Post" put it, something amazing happened. The Senate passed a piece of legislation. It would extend the Bush tax cuts only for those making up to $250,000. They would expire for the richest Americans.
The less amazing aspect of this, it doesn't mean much. Tax laws must originate in the House of Representatives not the Senate. But, still, as Republican Mitch McConnell put it, what today's votes are all about is showing the people who sent us here where we stand.
Senator Rand Paul, a Republican, voted on the legislation. He is in Washington. Welcome.
SENATOR RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: Hello. Good to be with you.
COSTELLO: Good to have you with us. We heard what Mitch McConnell said. Why was this vote necessary in your mind?
PAUL: Well, I think it's a mistake, you know, to raise taxes on anybody when we're in the middle of a recession. We're all interconnected.
So if you raise taxes on people who are richer than you are, you work for them often, and a good example is a few years ago, the Democrats got all hot and heavy and they wanted to tax yachts, rich people who had yachts.
The problem is the people who lost their jobs were the guys making $50,000, $60,000 a year building the yachts. So it doesn't work. You can't tax one segment and say we're going to punish rich people.
We're all interconnected with them and it punishes the economy is what it does. It's a mistake.
COSTELLO: You told "News Max," this is all moot because in the end you think President Obama will extend all the Bush tax cuts even for the wealthiest Americans. Why do you feel that way?
PAUL: Well, you know, it's a prediction so I could be wrong. But I think he will because last year he did the same thing. We ended up extending them for everyone.
And the president said last year it's a mistake to raise taxes on people in a recession and really our economic growth right now is slower than last year.
Anybody who thinks we're not still in a recession, that we're not still struggling, that Americans aren't struggling really isn't looking at the economy.
So I think in the end the president will look at his electoral prospects slipping away this fall and he may well come back to us in September or October and go ahead and say you know what? We shouldn't raise taxes now.
COSTELLO: I think that most Americans know where both sides, Republicans and Democrats stand on taxes. I think what most voters are frustrated about is that Congress isn't doing much, for example this vote. It doesn't really mean anything because it won't go anywhere. They actually want Congress to do something. PAUL: Well, I think you're right. I called the president two weeks ago and offered my services again. I'm willing to come to the White House. I'm willing to work with the president. I have no personal animosity for the president.
I will work with him on reforming Social Security. Social Security is $6 trillion short. I will work with him on Medicare. Medicare is $35 trillion to $40 trillion short. I have offered my services, but I get no phone calls back from the president.
COSTELLO: Well, I think that most people think nothing actually will be accomplished until after the election is over in November.
PAUL: You might be right, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't try. I'm willing to work with the president on this. I'm willing to work with the president on closing loop holes in the tax code.
But the thing is he has to come in from the campaign trail and talk to us. I'm willing to go to the White House. I have made repeated phone calls and letters to the White House and I'm not getting any response.
COSTELLO: I'd like to ask you about Mitt Romney. He is overseas now. He just met with the British prime minister. Did you hear about this latest flap?
PAUL: Something about the Olympics. It seemed to be sort of a mountain out of a mole hill. I didn't really quite grasp the significance.
COSTELLO: Well, in a nutshell Mitt Romney talked about the security issues in London, something that we've all heard about, and he wondered if -- I'm going to read you Mitt Romney's exact quote. This is what he told NBC News.
He says, you know, it's hard to know just how well it will turn out. He's talking about the Olympics. There were a few things that were disconcerting. The stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs official.
That obviously is not something, which is encouraging because in the games there are three parts that make it successful and security of course is one of the big parts. David Cameron took issue with that. Should he have?
PAUL: I don't know. You know, I think you take your life in your own hands when you go before London tabloids. So it's a dangerous occupation going over there and saying anything probably. No, I think a mountain out of a mole hill I don't really understand the tempest really.
COSTELLO: Well, this was David Cameron, the prime minister, not exactly the tabloids.
PAUL: I still don't understand it. It seems to me to be a nonissue and we're really grasping for straws if that's what we're going to look at. I think really in our country the big thing going on, and this is a pretty amazing thing.
We're now enrolling more people to be disabled every month than we are enrolling to work. The 70,000 people last month became disabled and 60,000 people got a job. We've got real problems in our country with joblessness, with foreclosures.
Look at Nevada. Look at the terrible things that are still going on in Nevada with unemployment over 10 percent. I mean, these are real problems. Whether or not some kind of accusations are about whether the Olympics are being run smoothly in London I think is a real nonissue.
COSTELLO: Senator Paul, thank you so much for joining us this morning.
PAUL: Thanks for having me.
COSTELLO: The back lash over the Chick-Fil-A president's comments on same sex marriages? Getting hotter. The focus of our talk back today.
(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 businesses be banned because of political beliefs?
Eat more Chick-Fil-A and those delicious waffle fries. No. That would be like serving up deep fried hate in Chicago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL (D), CHICAGO: Chick-Fil-A's values are not Chicago values. They're not respectful of our residents, our neighbors, and our family members.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Boston is also on the list of cities where Chick-Fil-A is not welcome to build anymore new restaurants. Why? Because of Chick-Fil-A's president, Dan Cathy's comments denouncing same sex marriage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN CATHY, CHICK-FIL-A PRESIDEN AND CEO: I think we're inviting god's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Gay rights groups immediately sprang to action and are planning a national same sex kiss in day at Chick-Fil-A next week. Conservatives are rallying too thanks to former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: I think it would be great in the light of the fact they've been under attack is everybody appreciates a business who stands up for good things maybe Wednesday, August 1st, could be let's go to Chick-Fil-A day in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Chick-Fil-A insists they treat everyone with honor, dignity, and respect regardless of their sexual orientation or gender. What both sides of this fight are suggesting is what you'd expect.
Demonstrations and boycotts, but the Chicago and Boston mayors are going a step further trying to ban the company from building new restaurants.
So the talk back question, should businesses be banned because of political beliefs? Facebook.com/carol cnn. I'll read your comments later this hour.
The final points of presidential politics. We'll take a look at how the campaigns work behind the scenes to manage the message that we the media deliver to you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Breaking news on CNN. Mitt Romney walking outside after meeting with the British Prime Minister David Cameron. Let's listen.
ROMNEY: -- policy, economic outlook, and developments here in the U.K. and across Europe and across the world. I found the discussions to be enlightening and instructive and have enjoyed the personal opportunity to come to know a number of the members of the leadership here in Great Britain.
I can tell you that I also feel as Americans do across our nation a special relationship with the nation of Great Britain and with the people here.
Obviously, our appreciation for the contribution of British soldiers and fighting side by side with those of the coalition and those from our nation in Afghanistan and elsewhere over the last many years is something, which is important to us and that we recognize as a contribution that has bettered the world.
I'm also excited about the opening of the Olympics. Last night I had the occasion to -- to watch a report on the Olympic torch being carried across Great Britain, I saw the response of tens of thousands -- actually millions of people across Great Britain. The enthusiasm for the spirit of the Olympics and the symbolism of a torch which represents hope and opportunity what was -- was heartening to me and I'm sure heartening to all of those who had the chance to touch the torch. I also applaud the work of the organizing committee in bringing the Olympic experience right into the -- the heart of London to look out of the back side of 10 Downing Street and see a venue, having been constructed. Knowing that athletes will be carrying out their competition almost in the back yard of the Prime Minister is really quite an accomplishment on the part of those who wanted to make sure that the Olympics was not something held far off where the people could not enjoy it but instead the Olympics would be held right in London itself.
This is an indication of a community that will share in the Olympic experience, be unified and uplifted by it, and I'm delighted that we'll be able to be here, my wife and I will be able to be here at least for the very beginning of this Olympic experience.
With that I'm happy to take a couple of questions. Please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible)
ROMNEY: We talked about the great progress that has been made in organizing the games. My experience as an Olympic organizer is that there are always a few very small things that end up going not quite right in the first day or so. Those get ironed out. And then when the games themselves begin and the athletes take over, all of the mistakes that the organizing committee -- and I made a few -- all of those are overwhelmed by the -- the many things that the athletes carry out that capture the spirit of the games.
So -- I don't know of any Olympics that's ever been able to be run without any mistakes whatsoever but they're small and -- and I was encouraged for instance to see that something that could have represented a -- a real challenge which was immigration and customs officers on duty, that is something which was resolved and people are all pulling together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible)
ROMNEY: I'm very delighted with the prospects of a highly successful Olympic games. What I've seen shows imagination and forethought and a lot of organization and expect the games to be highly successful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Governor.
ROMNEY: Thanks again. One more please. Pardon?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible)
ROMNEY: We did speak at some length about -- about Syria, about Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya as well as Pakistan, Afghanistan, among other places in the world. And -- and spoke about the developments in Syria.
I don't want to refer to any comments made by leaders representing other nations. Nor do I want to describe foreign policy positions I might have while I'm on foreign soil. I think discussions of foreign policy should -- should be made by the President and the current administration not by those that are seeking office. So I really am not going to add anything about my own views on -- on Syria.
I've commented on that when I was in the United States. I can only say that I appreciated the insight and perspectives of -- of the leaders of the government here and opposition here as well as the head of MI-6. And as we discussed the Syria and the -- the hope for a -- a -- a more peaceful future for that country.
Thank you.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And Mitt Romney walking away. He caused a little bit of a stir during his meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron, at least that's what David Cameron might say.
Mitt Romney sat down with NBC News, the interview aired last night and he talked about the security surrounding the London games. As you know they've had a number of security problems. They had to call in extra military personnel because a private company backed out of their promises to provide enough security personnel to man the games.
So this is what Mitt Romney said on NBC News. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: You know, it's hard to know just how well it will turn out -- will turn out. There are a few things that were disconcerting, the stories about the private security firm not having enough people. The supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials. That obviously is not something which is encouraging.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Ok. And this is how David Cameron responded to this. The British Prime Minister this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, PRIME MINISTER, GREAT BRITAIN: We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world. And of course, it's easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: We're not sure if the middle of nowhere was Salt Lake City, Utah. We don't know that answer for sure. We're trying to get our Jim Acosta on the phone. He was outside of that press conference.
And as you heard Mitt Romney had only glowing things to say about the London games in that impromptu press conference.
We're going to take a short break we'll be back with much more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: Oh a very public battle moves forward this morning. Katherine Jackson is back at her California home and the son of Michael Jackson's brother Tito is now looking after Michael Jackson's three children.
T.J. Jackson went to court and he was appointed temporary guardian of Prince, Paris and Prince Michael II. His three children have been in the custody -- or those three kids I should say have been in the custody of their grandmother Katherine since Michael Jackson's death.
Katherine spent several days at an Arizona resort and yesterday Katherine finally came out after allegations she had been kidnapped by her own children to read a prepared statement to ABC News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHERINE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S MOTHER: I'm devastated that while I've been away that my children, my grandchildren have been taken away from me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Ok. So A.J. Hammer joins us now with all of this continuing, unfolding drama. So first off, why the change in guardians?
A.J. HAMMER, HLN CO-HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Well Carol, the judge essentially suspended Katherine Jackson as guardian because she wasn't there and available to fulfill her duties. She was still mysteriously away in Arizona when the judge made the ruling. But the judge did leave open the possibility that custody could be returned to Katherine Jackson when she returned home, which she has now done.
And when she delivered that prepared statement to ABC last night, she talked about T.J. becoming the kids' guardian.
Let's watch what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACKSON: And I told him it wasn't necessary for him to go down and sign up for guardianship but I don't know who instructed him to do that but -- because he wanted me to come home before that happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So, Carol, she doesn't even know as she said who instructed him to obtain guardianship and there is now every indication that Katherine will be back in court probably soon to try to regain control over her children.
COSTELLO: Yes. I was going to ask you that. So will T.J. maintain guardianship or would -- will it automatically revert to Katherine Jackson? HAMMER: I think he will maintain guardianship until a judge makes another ruling. I don't see anything to stand in the way of that happening. But as we've seen, and this is full of mysteries.
And of course, Carol there was also the notion that Katherine Jackson was being held against her will. She addressed that in her statement last night. She shot the idea right down. I want to watch that with you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACKSON: There are rumors going around about me that I've been kidnapped and held against my will. I'm here today to let everybody know that I'm fine and I'm here with my children and my children would never do a thing like that, hold me against my will. It's very stupid for people to think that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It really is amazing. Of course the whole story wouldn't be out there if her children and her grandchildren weren't publicly putting it out there.
Michael Jackson's oldest son Prince telling a different story. This is a fascinating new development. Telling a much different story than her grandmother who defended her children. He sent out a message on Twitter saying that he realized how misguided and how badly she was lied to.
It just gets more complicated. Janet Jackson not looking all that good with an image that Michael Jackson Jr. had put out there of a text where she essentially looks like she is saying, "Keep the kids from speaking with their grandmother".
COSTELLO: I'm sure there will be many more developments to come.
A.J. Hammer, thank you so much.
HAMMER: You've got it.
COSTELLO: If you want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world A.J.'s got it tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" at 11:00 Eastern on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: From the northeast to the Ohio Valley, many parts of the United States could see severe weather today.
Meteorologist Rob Marciano is here and we're talking about strong hail and -- what am I saying, strong hail -- hail and strong winds and maybe even tornadoes.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Well, if the hail gets big it's going to certainly feel strong when it comes down on either your head or a windshield. That could be dangerous later on today, Carol.
It is all in this region that has already seen a pulse of some showers and thunderstorms some of which were severe earlier and now is taking a break. Now the atmosphere is getting more moist and certainly more hot. And that is going to only contribute to what we expect to happen later on today.
From Cincinnati up through Columbus, State College, Pittsburgh, New York; up north into Hartford, Albany, and also Springfield, even into Boston. A moderate risk of seeing weather that likely will contain damaging winds and yes some large hail, isolated tornadoes possible as well.
But the tornadoes really aren't the big thing. Remember this past couple weeks really we've had several series of severe weather outbreaks that didn't have tornadoes. Just the straight line winds that can do just as much if not more widespread damage. The heat obviously a factor with this and pretty a strong system for this late in July.
90s in Memphis, 90 or better from New York to D.C. adding fuel to the fire. We'll keep an eye on it -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Rob.
Heading into the summer games one U.S. gymnast is an all-around inspiration. John Orozco's journey from the Bronx to London 2012.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: American Olympian John Orozco is a contender to watch for the all-around gold in men's gymnastics. Jason Carroll talked to him about his journey from the Bronx to London.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
COSTELLO: Jason joins me -- this is a great story.
CARROLL: You know, he is already a champion in so many ways. I mean this guy fought back so much. His parents didn't have the money, you know, training was difficult over the years. He was bullied in school. But he had great parents and, Carol, he had the drive to win.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): John Orozco's goal of going for gold started long before he made the U.S. Olympic team. His dream began when he was just seven years old.
JOHN OROZCO, TEAM USA GYMNAST: I never said quit. Because a lot of stuff was happening in my life and that's made me want to just, you know, quit and give up my dream but I didn't let it happen and my parents definitely didn't let it happen.
CARROLL (on camera): Orozco grew up here in the Bronx. Things were tough. Not just the challenges of the streets but his family struggled financially. And just being a gymnast here in the Bronx presented problems for Orozco as well.
OROZCO: A lot of the guys in school were like giving me slack and saying, ok. Gymnast? Like so you going to be a woman in tights? Like running around leaping around and stuff and dancing? I said, I'm not going to respond with any violence or any witty comebacks or anything because it's not worth it. They can throw all the negativity they want at me. I'm not going to let it break me.
CARROLL (voice-over): It became a family commitment. His mother would take him to gym practices, a two to four-hour commute each day.
DAMARIS OROZCO, MOTHER OF JOHN OROZCO: He couldn't stay after school and he couldn't join clubs and he had to run to practice. And then when he got upstate where he was practicing he wasn't part of that neighborhood or that arena either.
CARROLL (on camera): So it made him tougher.
D. OROZCO: It did. It made him much tougher.
CARROLL (voice-over): Orozco trained harder -- four hours a day five days a week. His coach knew it was something special about him.
CARL SCHRADE, FORMER COACH: People asked me if he's a once in a lifetime gymnast and I joked around and say he's once in a hundred life times gymnast.
This was when he was doing this up here.
CARROLL: A bedroom Orozco shared with his two brothers is lined with his medals.
WILLIAM OROZCO, JOHN'S FATHER: He came to us and he said, "How do I get the big ones?" I said, "Well John, you get first place." He says "Ok." Here we are.
D. OROZCO: So then he competed with the big guys and he took them.
CARROLL: Now at 19 years old Orozco is poised to compete on the biggest athletic stage of his life.
D. OROZCO: The heart that he has, the dreams that he has. He's a gold winner already. Anything on top of that is great.
CARROLL: His coaches say he has a shot at gold. Already there is an endorsement, photo shoots, even so he says no pressure.
(on camera): You don't feel any pressure at all going into the Olympics, none, zero?
J. OROZCO: Nope. I kind of feel like there's more pressure like dealing with the trials to make the team.
CARROLL: ok.
J. OROZCO: Now it's kind of like -- it's like a sigh of relief and I can just go and do my gymnastics. Boom, boom.
CARROLL (voice-over): Although Orozco might make for a good coach --
J. OROZCO: And straight. That's it.
CARROLL: he doesn't see a future in coaching. Instead, his next goal? Acting or singing.
J. OROZCO: I had to live. I had to live.
CARROLL: He says he'll keep working on his voice with the hope that practice will indeed make perfect.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: All right. Good for him. And you know what, Carol? He says the first thing he wants to do as soon as the Olympics are over, he says he wants to take a vacation in a very warm place and given all the work that he's done he certainly deserves it.
COSTELLO: That's just incredible. What a charming young man. I can't wait to watch him. So what did his parents say to help him overcome adversity in school?
CARROLL: You know, Carol, they told him to stick with it. You know, it was one of those things every single day. They said you've got talent. Stick with it. Stick with it.
And he just -- it was one of those things he just sort of kept in his mind. It was hard work for the parents too. You know, Those drives up to the gym two to four hours every day four days a week. It was commitment really on the whole family's part.
COSTELLO: Yes. You know, sometimes it just takes one or two people to believe in you and, of course, those were important people in his life. And --
CARROLL: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: -- good for him. Thanks for a great story, Jason.
CARROLL: You bet.
COSTELLO: We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. The question this morning, "Should businesses be banned because of political beliefs?" Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Your comments next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: In today's "Daily Dose", Dr. Travis Stork from TV's "The Doctors" says exposure to germs isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the doctor says they can make us healthier in the long run.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. TRAVIS STORK, HOST, "THE DOCTORS": We can't be afraid of germs. Germs are all around us. They're on my hand right now. Believe it or not kids that grow up around pets and pets are notorious for carrying germs around, they are actually less likely to get things like asthma and allergies because we need exposure to germs for our immune systems to function correctly.
So I always say for the most part if you're washing your hands at home just use good old-fashioned soap and water for 20 seconds. The antibacterial stuff, if it's over used, it actually breeds resistance.
So hey, if you're around a bunch of sick people and you want to use antibacterial soap, go for it. But you don't need to, you know, make everything in your house completely antiseptic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Now to the "Talk Back" question of the day. The question was "Should businesses be banned because of political beliefs?"
This from Skip. "As much as I may disagree with the business owner's beliefs as long as he is not breaking the law on how he operates his business he can operate anywhere. But I have the right not to buy its product because I loathe his views."
This from Jeanine. "What happened to free speech in this country? Mr. Cathy is entitled to his opinion and the people of Chicago and Boston can make their own choice about whether or not to eat at Chick-Fil-A."
This from John. "I applaud the mayors of Boston and Chicago for standing up for equal rights. If you can say you don't want a Wal- Mart or strip joint on your block you can say you don't want a company that advertises discrimination."
And this from Camilla. "This should be classified under freedom of speech. I will support Chick-Fil-A."
Please keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Thanks as always for your comments, I sure appreciate them.
And thanks for joining me this morning. "CNN NEWSROOM" continues right now with Kyra Phillips.
