Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Swimmer Denies Cheating Claims; NBC Spoils Gold Medal Race; Romney Aide Curses at Reporters; Lower Airfares Headed Our Way; Massacre Suspect Due Back in Court Aug. 9; Phelps Could Make History; Iowa Corn: 46 Percent Poor or Very Poor; Innovations Give Athlete's Competitive Edge
Aired July 31, 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 now in the NEWSROOM. Too good to be true? China's 16-year-old swimming phenom Ye Shiwen beating Ryan Lochte's time. And now a prominent American swimming coach has his doubts. This morning, new questions, and new concerns, about what really happened in the pool.
Losing his cool. An aide for Mitt Romney has a meltdown, starts cursing at reporters, asking questions about his gaffes. Jim Acosta on the trail this morning pressing the candidate.
Shark attack. Cape Cod on alert this morning. A man bitten on both legs just 75 feet from shore. Beach onlookers saying they saw a very large dorsal fin breaking the surface.
Plus this.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: The drought is spreading across the Midwest. There is no rain in the forecast, and it is hot. Just how bad will this corn crop be? Farmers won't know until they climb into their combines and they harvest their corn. But what is certain, food prices are rising for you.
CNN newsroom starts right now.
COSTELLO: And good morning. Thank you for joining us. I'm Carol Costello. We begin with a teenaged Chinese super girl who at age 16 swam at such an incredible speed some suspect she cheated. Ye Shiwen won gold in the 400-meter. She swam the last 50 meters or 164 feet faster than American Ryan Lochte's time in the men's competition. An amazing feat, considering according to the BBC that she is 5'6" and 141 pounds, and Lochte is 6'1" and 194 pounds.
John Leonard, the executive director of the World's Swimming Coaches, calls Ye Shiwen's victory disturbing and unbelievable.
Jaime Florcruz is live in China for us this morning.
And I would suspect, Jaime, that the Chinese have a far different view of this man the Americans do.
JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They do. They don't see the point. They think it's unjustified accusations or insinuations. They say that Ye Shiwen has actually been swimming since she was 6, and she has since been improving her time over the years. In fact, I talked with the editor of the "Sports Illustrated" China, and he told me that they have been tracking her career since at least two years ago.
In fact, they put her on their cover two years ago when she won the Asian Games championship. Last year she also landed in -- at the top in the World Aquatics championship. So they say that we should not be shocked or surprised that she's done so well in the Olympics.
They also ask, why is it that when stars like Michael Phelps or some other swimming sensation do so well, then it's fabulous news. But if a Chinese do it, it's cheating. So they don't think it's fair, and they say that this is just sour grapes.
COSTELLO: Well, the thing is --
FLORCRUZ: Hello?
COSTELLO: -- that swimming experts here say this swimmer has never swam this fast before. And she broke a world record by, what, five seconds, which is a lot. So they're wondering how could this happen in the Olympics at the last minute. Is it really because she just has longer legs and bigger hands and just more talent and she just happened to do this in the Olympics?
FLORCRUZ: She herself attributes her success to hard work and improved skills. Especially, she said, in her starts and also her turns. Also when she won, she was trailing by several meters in the last lap. And that in fact she won in her favorite, her forte, which was freestyle swimming.
Also the Chinese officials here are saying the Chinese athletes, including her, have undergone over 100 drug tests in London, and this is aside from the tests conducted by the separate sports federations. So they say no one up to now has tested positive -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jaime Florcruz, reporting live from China this morning.
We did ask John Leonard, the executive director of the World Swimming Coaches Association, to come on and clarify his comments. He refused adding that's all he's going to say on the matter.
A Swiss soccer player is kicked off his Olympic team after what he posted on Twitter. Michel Morganella wrote, quote, "I am going to batter the Koreans, burn them all, bunch of 'trisos.'" That is French slang for describing people with Down syndrome.
Morganella sent the tweet after South Korea defeated Switzerland on Sunday. That's him, number 17 in the photo. He has since apologized. Morganella is now the second Olympic athlete to be kicked out of the games for offensive tweets.
NBC is mired again in controversy for its taped delay broadcast of the Olympics. Just before American swimmer Missy Franklin swam for the gold a "Today Show" promo aired in primetime.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you're 17 years old and win your first gold medal, there's nobody you'd rather share it with. We're there when Missy Franklin and her parents reunite. A "Today" exclusive live from London, tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Well, that promo aired about six minutes before NBC aired Missy Franklin's gold medal-winning performance. It is the latest in a tape delay controversy that just keeps growing. What else can you do other than joke about it?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE COLBERT REPORT": The London Olympics are finally underway. I tell you, there is nothing like the thrill of seeing Team USA triumphs in an Internet headline, and then waiting to see it confirmed on NBC seven hours later. I mean, the suspense. Did the cameras capture what happened? Did my cable go out?
CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "CONAN": Got the latest Olympic update. You probably want this, right?
AUDIENCE: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Yes. And like the Olympics, this show was taped 15 hours ago at a pool. So --
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: Don't tweet the results, OK? I was kind of OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Zain Verjee is live in London with more.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Oh no.
COSTELLO: They're really funny, weren't they?
VERJEE: Yes, they really are. The headline here is if you're watching the Olympics in the U.S., just bury your head in the sand for the whole day or stick it in a jar of mayonnaise or something and then only emerge when NBC shows us what happened for that day.
Look, the hash tag "NBC fail" was trending high a while ago. It's dropped a little bit right now. But a lot of people are really mad and outraged at the situation, that they want to be able to watch it live and they can't and they're getting all the information on social media as well on Twitter. And they can't just follow, you know, the races of Missy Franklin or Michael Phelps live, which is the whole excitement, right, Carol? Now, just one thing I want to point out, though, is the idea of tape delays is actually nothing new. But what is different is the world of social media that we live in. Because everyone, the majority of people in the U.S., can access Twitter and Facebook and other sites. So you're just getting information a lot faster than ever before.
Anyway, so while NBC is being slammed, the ratings are still surprisingly high. So if they lose some sponsorships, people are mad, and the athletes get frustrated, really, you know, overall it is a ratings win for them.
NBC's Olympics executive producer, though, Carol, has been going on social media, on Twitter, and just responding to a lot of really angry questions.
COSTELLO: Well, even some of the athletes' families are speaking out about this. I understand Ryan Lochte's mom talked about the controversy, too.
VELSHI: Yes, she did. She said basically, when Ryan Lochte swims, they immediately get on the phone and call all their family back in the U.S. to let them know instantly what happened. Take a listen to what else she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIERS MORGAN, HOST, PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT: About this controversy over NBC's coverage delaying screening these big races until primetime. Has that affected you or your family back home? Are they anxious to see it in real time on television?
ILEANA "IKE" LOCHTE, RYAN LOCHTE'S MOM: Yes. But we call all our family and we tell them how he did immediately.
MORGAN: Right.
LOCHTE: So it's not a matter that they have to wait for it.
MORGAN: I think sports has to live, isn't it, on TV.
LOCHTE: Yes.
MORGAN: I think they should do it twice. Show it live and then show it in primetime.
LOCHTE: OK.
MORGAN: I'd watch it twice.
LOCHTE: I agree. I agree.
MORGAN: Would you? You'd watch your son winning gold twice, wouldn't you?
LOCHTE: I would be there first. But you're right, you're right. And it should be for everybody because they want to see it. And if they want to stay up until 3:00 in the morning and do it, then let them see it.
MORGAN: Yes, the --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Exactly. If you really want to watch, you'll get up at 3:00 a.m., right, Carol? You would do that.
COSTELLO: I'm up anyway. Are you kidding? I would do it.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Thanks, Zain Verjee. Zain Verjee reporting live for us from London.
It is exhausting on the campaign trail, especially if you're jet- lagged. Whatever it was, Mitt Romney's press secretary snapped and cursed at journalists in Poland as reporters shouted questions to a candidate who did not want to answer them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Romney.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Romney.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you discuss some of the mishaps on your trips?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Governor Romney, do you have a statement for the Palestinians?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about your gaffes?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Governor Romney, do you feel that your gaffes have overshadowed your foreign trip?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a holy cite for the Polish people. Show some respect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Romney, just a few questions, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Show some respect, Jim.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We haven't had another chance to ask some questions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED). This is a holy cite for the Polish people. Show some respect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: In case you missed it, he said kiss my, and he used the A word.
Jim Acosta was one of the reporters shouting questions out to Romney. He is in Poland this morning. So, Jim, this happened at Poland's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Why the vitriol?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, and I should caution our viewers, Carol, this did not exactly happen at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier here in Warsaw. We waited until Mitt Romney moved a good 100 yards away from that monument to shout those questions to the GOP contender.
And, you know, this is sort of standard operating procedure for how campaigns go, Carol. As you know, shouted questions happen back in the states and shouted questions can happen overseas. Basically, what happened today was Mitt Romney was going through a number of photo opportunities that his campaign has laid out here in Poland before giving a speech here in Warsaw.
And, at one point, we tried to ask him some questions about the gaffes that he's had on this trip. You'll recall in London, he questioned whether that city was ready for the Olympics. There are some who say that he had a gaffe in Israel when he was heard at a fundraiser comparing Israel and the Palestinians and those economies, and whether or not culture has something to do with the differences between those economies.
And so I think the reporters just tried to ask him some questions. He didn't answer those questions, but in sort of unprovoked fashion his pressed aide come over and started dressing us down pretty loudly as you heard in that audio.
COSTELLO: Well, we do know, Jim, that Mitt Romney, he has sat down with Wolf Blitzer, for example, and he's given an extensive interview. So tell our viewers --
ACOSTA: Right. Sure.
COSTELLO: -- why Mitt Romney is required to answer questions of reporters like you who are following his campaign.
ACOSTA: Well, it wasn't just me. There were other reporters from "The Washington Times," The -- excuse me, "The Washington Post," "The New York Times," Politico. These were journalists who follow his campaign on a daily basis. His traveling press. And those reporters were not given very many opportunities to ask questions during this trip.
He had a seven-day trip, Carol, and -- every step along that way, he had his traveling press with him. And he only took three questions over the course of seven days in three countries. So that's really one question per country, if you, you know, sort of play it out, you know, in terms of an average there.
And the last time he took questions from that traveling press was outside 10 Downing Street, and those questions were primarily about what he said about the Olympics. So he hasn't given reporters much of a chance to ask him questions about how things are going. And, you know, let's face it. "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post" and some of the -- "The Wall Street Journal," Bloomberg, these are important news sites and publications, and those reporters deserve to have their questions asked as well.
You make a very good point. And others have made this point as well. The Romney campaign made this point that Mitt Romney sat down with CNN. He sat down with FOX and he sat down with the other networks. But there are other reporters who would like to ask a question as well. They didn't get that chance on this trip -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, and I will say that when candidates sit down with reporters, and I'm not just talking about Mitt Romney, I'm talking about Barack Obama, too, they are prepared for those interviews.
ACOSTA: Sure.
COSTELLO: They know what they want to say. They have their talking points down. When you shout out questions, they have to give spontaneous answers.
ACOSTA: Right.
COSTELLO: And both campaigns have been loathed to do that this time around.
ACOSTA: That's right. That's right. And we should mention this is a bipartisan affair. You know, the president has not had many news conferences since he's been in the White House. But, you know, presidents have different styles. And candidates have different styles of dealing with this, Carol. I remember covering John McCain back in 2008. You know, bringing the reporters on the back of the Straight Talk Express with Senator McCain wolfing down chili dogs and taking questions from reporters.
And you'll remember, Carol, Sam Donaldson shouting questions at Ronald Reagan right in front of the White House and Ronald Reagan would hold his hear up -- hand up to his ear and act as if he couldn't hear what Sam Donaldson was asking.
So there are different ways to handle questions like this from the press. They're going to happen. To have an event and expect the media not to ask you questions is sort of unrealistic. And to take a traveling press corps overseas for seven days and visit three countries and only -- and they only put the candidate out for three questions, I think it's really just, you know, it's really no surprise really that the press tried their best to get a question to him today.
They tried. It didn't work out. And at the same time, I think it should also be noted that this press aide in what he said to us was really inexcusable. And he knows that. And that's why he called a couple of the reporters who were there today and apologized. So we're hoping to move on.
These things happen. They happened out on the campaign trail. People get tired. People get testy. But you also have to keep your cool at the same time.
COSTELLO: Jim Acosta reporting live to us from Poland this morning.
Cheaper flights are coming. Yes, it could happen by the end of August. Find out how much you could save.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Finally, some great news about flying. Buying a ticket will soon be a whole lot cheaper.
Alison Kosik is live.
So how cheap are we talking about?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, first of all, I had to sort of take a step back. Cheaper airfares, when was the last time we heard about this?
But these are pretty sizeable price drops, Carol, depending on when you fly and where you're traveling to. This is all according to Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com. He says he is expecting prices to fall anywhere from 10 percent to 20 percent on flights beginning August 21st. So, what we did is we ran some test searches this morning and we found out, you know what? You can save a lot of money.
Let's say you take a round trip from Newark to Los Angeles. It will cost you $533 if you travel between Thursday through Sunday in mid-August. But look at this, it drops almost 100 bucks if you go in mid-September instead.
Detroit to Austin trip, that will save you 50 bucks if you wait a few weeks.
Now, some of these fares don't change at all from month to month. But in most cases what we found is there was at least a modest price decrease. I'll tell you what? Very welcome news to a lot of people who need to fly this fall, especially since airfare prices had already gone up 8 percent over the past couple of years.
COSTELLO: Very expensive. Alison Kosik reporting live for us.
Ten survivors of the Colorado theater massacre still in the hospital this morning. Three of them in critical condition. The accused gunman, he'll be back in court in two weeks.
James Holmes has now been formally charged with 24 counts of first degree murder for the 12 victims killed in the July 20 rampage, and 116 counts of attempted murder for the 58 wounded. Survivors and family members of victims watched as the charges came down in a show of solidarity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DON LADER, SHOOTING SURVIVOR: I think the guy is a coward. And seeing him just confirmed that, 100 percent. He looked defeated. And he knows that he's not the one with power anymore. That it's us.
MARYELLEN HANSEN, ASHLEY MOSER'S AUNT: I got a sense that he was very aware of what was going on. I do not believe that he's insane. But, of course, I'm not a psychiatrist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The striking thing about these court proceedings is how many victims feel compelled to be in court so they can look Holmes in the eye.
CNN legal contributor Paul Callan is here. Welcome, Paul.
PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So the victims in this case. Have you ever seen anything like it?
CALLAN: What's unusual in this case, Carol, are the number of victims, a huge number of victims. And obviously it's going to be a packed courtroom with them.
But frankly, every murder case I have ever been involved with, either as a defense attorney or prosecutor, the victims are, they watch these cases very, very closely. We notice it here because there are so many victims. But most American courtrooms, the only one watching is the family of the victim and the family of the defendant.
COSTELLO: So, is it more a show of strength than anything else, a way to show that these victims are powerful and not the accused Holmes? How important is that feeling of power for these victims?
CALLAN: Well, I think it's very important to the victims. And I think it gives them an opportunity to share their own grief and it gives them an opportunity to deal with the emotions that are just horrible and will haunt them for years to come.
But I also think that it puts a certain amount of pressure on the court system to be open and fair and transparent in the way the case is handled. And I think one of the things that I'm disturbed about is the court refusing to allow cameras to cover the court. You've got a lot of victims in this case, a lot of victim family members, and the public at large.
Why aren't cameras being allowed in this courtroom?
COSTELLO: Well, that's still being decided. There was a hearing yesterday. How likely is it that at least the media will have access to some records that the judge has put these prohibitions on? He's also issued gag orders for the police and the University of Colorado.
CALLAN: The courts are not -- the appellate courts are not very friendly to gag orders. And I think you'll see a very spirited appeal argued in this case about the public's right to know and the press' right to know. But if it's balanced of course against the right to a fair trial, which can be poisoned by adverse publicity. So the judge is in a tough spot here.
But overall, we've got a long experience of press coverage of trials and cameras in the courtroom. And fair trials can be conducted even under heavy public scrutiny.
COSTELLO: And before you go, I just want to touch on this notebook that was found at the University of Colorado that was mailed supposedly by James Holmes. How likely is it that we're going to get to see what's in that notebook?
CALLAN: Well, this is a fascinating question. You know, he was being treated by a psychiatrist at the university. And there was a package supposedly sent to the psychiatrist. Can that be introduced into evidence?
Or is it protected by the medical privilege? You know, you speak to a psychiatrist, what you tell the psychiatrist is privileged. So that's a question that the judge will be looking at.
There's an exception, Carol, to the privilege rule, and that is if you tell a psychiatrist you're going to commit a future crime, you're going to hurt somebody in the future, the psychiatrist has an obligation to turn you in. So the privilege is waived.
So there are going to be arguments about whether there's a waiver of the privilege. But in the end, I suspect we probably -- we may not see what's in this package if it's medical information.
COSTELLO: Paul Callan, thanks for being with us today.
CALLAN: Nice being with you, Carol.
COSTELLO: A record-smashing performance at the Olympics. But is there more to it?
Coming up, are those suspicions about this amazing super girl Chinese swimmer, are they fair? It's our talk back question today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back on one of your stories of the day. Are suspicions surrounding the Chinese swimmer fair? She was that good. And winning the gold medal in the 400 individual medley, Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen not only set a world record, she swam her last lap faster than the American man Ryan Lochte.
Some say the spectacular performance was too good to be true. The head of the World Swimming Association John Leonard described it as unbelievable and hinted there may be more to it, like, you know, in performance-enhancing drug?
Olympic officials are concerned about the controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNE LJUNGQIVST, CHAIRMAN, IOC MEDICAL COMMISSION: It partially ruins the charm of a competitive sport is a surprise win is surrounded by suspicions and question marks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Those suspicions, they caused a backlash on social media in world record time with furious Chinese fans saying that Ye's critics are just jealous and have a double standard. After all in 2008, nobody questioned Michael Phelps' super human performance.
China, though, is no stranger to doping issues in the Olympics. A bunch of their swimmers tested positive in the 1990s.
These days, drug-testing is carried out randomly and regularly. In June, a Chinese swimmer tested positive for a growth hormone. Ye says she's no cheat, that her success comes from diligence and hard work.
She also has some high profile defenders. Legendary swimmer Mark Spitz says unless Ye fails a drug test, her record stands. Even Ryan Lochte admits, "She might have beat me."
So, the talk back question this morning, are the suspicions surrounding the Chinese swimmer fair? Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.
At the age of 27, swimmer Michael Phelps says he will retire after the Olympics. Phelps says he will walk away from competitive swimming with his head held high.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL PHELPS, OLYMPIC SWIMMER: If I can look back at my career and say I've done everything that I have ever wanted, no matter how many medals, no matter how many records, no matter how many this, that, whatever, if I can look back on my career and say that, it doesn't matter anything else. I can consider my career a success.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Wait until you hear what he plans to do when he hangs up his swimming trunks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Thirty-one minutes past the hour. Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello.
Stories we're watching right now in THE NEWSROOM:
Opening bell just opening on Wall Street, stocks trading a little higher than yesterday. Investors are waiting on stimulus announcements by United States and European banks so the day is expected to be somewhat flat.
Opening statements get underway today in the trial of a former Chicago area police officer accused of killing his third wife. Investigators say Drew Peterson staged Kathleen Savio's murder to look like an accident. He is also suspected in the disappearance of his fourth wife.
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will soon be attending a military sendoff for her husband, Michael. He's received orders to deploy to Afghanistan with the state National Guard in January. Governor Haley says it's an honor to watch Michael serve his country.
Michael Phelps will get a chance to redeem himself today. He will compete in the 200 meter butterfly. As you know, he failed in the 400 meter, but the 200 meter butterfly is Phelps' signature event. So who knows? Phelps could make history again.
As for fame, as he told Piers Morgan, that's a lot tougher.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHELPS: I'll be the first one to admit I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. And, you know, but I thinking about able to have the opportunity of being a celebrity, you know, it helps me achieve some of the things that I want to do with the goal to raise the bar in the sport of swimming. You know, I think, one, people should learn how to swim more just for safety. But, two, also try to get them involved in our sport. And we have seen a significant change over the last, you know, 10 years. But in my eyes, it can change so much more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: In just two weeks, Phelps will take on a new role, one of a retired 27-year-old, with possibly more Olympic medals than anyone in history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHELPS: I'm retiring, and I won't be coming back.
PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST: That will be it?
PHELPS: Yes.
MORGAN: And will you literally give up all competitive swimming do you think?
PHELPS: Competitive swimming, yes.
MORGAN: That will be it?
PHELPS: Yes.
MORGAN: Would you still swim a lot for fun?
PHELPS: I'm probably going to need to do something for exercise.
MORGAN: Is swimming still fun for you?
PHELPS: It is. You know --
MORGAN: Can you imagine just doing laps for no reason?
PHELPS: I think one of the biggest things after I do retire is now when I go to the ocean or go to the beach, I don't want to get in the water. I spend so much time in the water, I'm like, no. I'll just sit here on the beach and you guys go have fun. Or I'll sit by the pool, you guy go do what you want to do.
If I can look back at my career and say I've done everything I've ever wanted, no matter how many medals, no matter how many records, no matter how many this, that, whatever, if I can look back at my career and say that, it doesn't matter anything else. I can consider my career a success.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: How safe are this year's games? Piers gets a rare look at security tonight at 9:00 Eastern, on CNN.
Bret Michaels, apparently every rose does have its thorn, and it's in his own love life. A.J. has the scoop on why he and his longtime love are calling it quits.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: If you love, love, love scary movies, Warner Brothers might make your day. Who could forget this scene?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's Johnny!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Oh, man, that scared me.
The studio Warner Brothers is exploring a possible prequel to "The Shining."
"Showbiz Tonight" Host A.J. Hammer is joining us.
I'm excited about this.
A.J. HAMMER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" HOST: Yes, I'm pretty excited about it too, Carol. Of course, it was the movie that gave us one of Jack Nicholson's most memorable all-time onscreen moments, and we could be on for a return to the Overlook Hotel. Warner is telling us that the studio is kicking the tires on a possible sequel to the 1980 Stanley Kubrick's thriller that many regard as the scariest movie of all time.
Now I should caution you before we get too excited, the studio which, like CNN, is owned by Time Warner, strongly cautions that they are just exploring the idea, and a film is nowhere near being in development right now. However, there have been discussions. They have enlisted a producing team to work on the idea. So that certainly is enough to get film fans riled up.
And according to "The L.A. Times," we get to find out what happened before Nicholson's character Jack and his wife and their psychic son arrived at the haunted Overlook Hotel.
I have one word for you, Carol. Redrum.
COSTELLO: Redrum, redrum.
Let's talk about Bret Michaels. I can't believe it. He ends his engagement. They have been together forever.
HAMMER: Yes, this was sad to hear. The Poison front man and his long time lady love have called off their engagement. His rep tells "Showbiz Tonight" this: "Bret Michaels and long time girlfriend Kristi Gibson have called off their engagement at the time. Although the couple have separated, they remain great friends and are committed to jointly raising their two daughters, Raine Elizabeth and Jorja Bleu.
Now, the daughters are 12 and 7 years old. And this was pretty shocking because, yes, these guys have been together for more than 16 years. And then Michaels finally proposed to Gibson in December with cameras rolling for the finale of his VH1 show "Bret Michaels, Life As I Know It." They were together for a long time.
Michaels had many health issues over the years, including that emergency appendectomy, a New York fatal brain hemorrhage and a stroke. But apparently, Carol, marriage is not something they are ready to endure at this time.
COSTELLO: That's kind of sad. A.J. Hammer. Left us on a downer, man. Thank you.
HAMMER: Sorry.
COSTELLO: You're going to bring us up next hour, though. A.J. will be back with us next hour.
HAMMER: Redrum.
COSTELLO: Also, why TMZ is reporting that Sheryl Crow is in fear for her life.
Also coming up, a Chicago Cubs fan decides to propose to his girlfriend in a way that everyone at the ballpark can see. But things do not go exactly as planned. What happened that caused him to go to plan B?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Forty-three minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories now:
On last day of Mitt Romney's overseas trips, one of his aides loses his cool. As reporters fire off questions to the presidential candidate in Warsaw, Poland, Romney's traveling press secretary cursed at them. He has since apologized.
Back here at home, a beachgoer in Massachusetts is recovering from an apparent shark attack. Witnesses say they saw a fin and then the victim go underwater as he screamed for help. He was only about 25 yards from shore. He suffered bites to both legs but is expected to be OK.
In money news, you might get a break on airfares. Airfares are expected to start dropping in late August by as much as 20 percent. The CEO of Fare Compare, who is making the prediction, says the price drop coincides with the slow fall travel season.
In sports, a Chicago Cubs fan thought he had the perfect plan to propose to his girlfriend. He had a scoreboard, see it, play his proposal during the middle of the fifth inning. Only problem, his girlfriend ran to get something to drink. And she missed it.
So he did the next best thing. He asked her in person, you know, face-to-face, mano-a-mano. And guess what? She said yes. Poor guy, though.
In weather news, Phoenix, Arizona still cleaning up after recent heavy rains and flash flooding. While some areas have seen a lot of rain, forecasters say the monsoon rainfall is below average for the year.
New worries today about the drought's crippling effects on the nation's top corn producer. The USDA reports 46 percent of Iowa's corn crop is in poor or very poor condition. And while the final damages won't be known until harvest, consumers across the country should be prepared for higher food prices.
Christine Romans has returned to her native Iowa; she's been talking with farmers. What did they tell you, Christine?
ROMANS: Oh they are all talking about this is as bad as '88. This is as bad as '56. All they know it's bad right now. Consumers will definitely feel it. All 99 counties in Iowa have been declared a disaster area.
And yesterday I spent some time real close to my home town Carol, talking to a farmer, Joe Dierickx, talking about -- talking about what he sees in his field and how you're going to feel it. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE DIERICKX, FARM OWNER: This is just total devastation up here. It's just nothing. There isn't anything in this. This is just junk.
How does this affect the consumer? Well, I would expect that we will have higher meat prices. Higher grain prices will make that happen. And bread prices probably will be higher.
So when it's 100 degrees, I mean that just pretty much fries all this stuff.
ROMANS: It tried.
DIERICKX: It's pretty looking, isn't it?
ROMANS: It tried.
DIERICKX: We love growing crops. I mean, we love to do what we do. But this year, we're just going to fail at it because Mother Nature wasn't doing her part.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Carol, it won't be 100 degrees today. It will be maybe 95 degrees and that means that the corn, the leaves of the corn just fold up to try to protect themselves. And that ear of the corn almost all across the state is just not growing like it should. In some cases as you saw in Joe's field, it's a -- it's a compete bust.
That means what they thought was going to be a great crop this year of corn is not going to be so great. We won't know for sure until they get in their combines this fall, maybe in six weeks and start to harvest and see what they've really got in there.
But it means pressure on food prices. It means higher food prices. The government already saying, Carol, that next year your $100 grocery bill be more likely be $104 or $105 because of what you're seeing happening around here -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well Christine Romans, thanks. And I hope you got to visit your mom and dad too.
ROMANS: You're welcome. That's later.
COSTELLO: I knew it. Thanks, Christine.
We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the stories of the day. The question for you this morning, "Are the suspicions surrounding that amazing Chinese swimmer fair?" Your responses, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: As the world's attention turns to athletes competing for gold in London, we know about the mental and physical preparation they undergo but technology also plays a large part in separating the winners from the losers.
Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look at a few of the new innovations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tyler McGill has an excellent chance of beating Michael Phelps in the 100-meter butterfly. But his underwater kick has to improve for this to happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is me here. And as you can see, I'm in the air. And Michael, along with everybody else, is still on the block. And so my reaction is ahead of everybody else's at this point. And I have a lead. You'll notice that everyone has caught up by the time we reach the 15 meter mark.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This -- the breakout portion of his race, as compared to -- to Michael, who is coming out at a little bit faster time, move over here to the 15 meter mark, the 35 meter mark. He is at 11.3, 11.2. Michael is at 10.9. So three-tenths of a difference doesn't sound like a lot, but in swimming it's a lot of time.
GUPTA: BMW has taken video analysis to the next level, adopting its expertise in designing high performance cars and applying it to swimming.
RICKY BERENS, OLYMPIC SWIMMER: Being in the water it's become one of the most important parts of swimming. It's faster than on top of the water. But you really don't know why they go so fast or why you go faster than them. So this technology, adding numbers, adding equations to this, will -- will help us evolve as swimmers.
GUPTA: Ricky Berens is experimenting with this new technology. By marking six points where the body bends on the swimmer -- the wrist, the shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, and toe. The software connects the dots.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have the kick frequency. We have the kick depth. We have the kick rate. This is really going to help a USA swimmer to help determine what makes a great dolphin kick.
GUPTA: What swimmers wear affect their aerodynamics. And this year it's evolved even more.
TYLER CLARY, OLYMPIC SWIMMER: The more fabric you can put on the human body, the faster it will be. The whole idea from a aerodynamics perspective is to keep the body as uniform as possible. Kind of like a torpedo.
GUPTA: Incidentally the same goes for track and field athletes.
MARTIN LOTTI, NIKE OLYMPICS CREATIVE DIRECTOR: We added texture to the suite to make it faster. So if you look really close there's dimensions to it, texture to it. So it turns out smooth does not equal fast. It shaves off 0.023 seconds. This is not just a difference between first and second place. This is the difference of being on a podium or not.
This is the sprint shoes for the 100 meter. Extremely lightweight; extremely supportive; independent, loose cables that gives you a perfect fit.
GUPTA: For marathoners, shoes have to be even lighter. LOTTI: It's only 160 grams, light can save yourself 90 percent which is how much lighter the shoe is compared to our favorite marathon shoe. So at the end of the race you would have saved yourself the weight of a car.
GUPTA: For basketball players the weight of their shorts can impact their game. And their shoes can track their performance. Just some of the ways technology is shaping the London Olympics.
LOTTI: 33, that's awesome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: And I'll tell you -- I mean the technology just keeps getting better. You just saw the swimsuit there, Carol, this is it. They said, the longer, the more material against the skin the better.
COSTELLO: Oh wow.
GUPTA: You have to wear gloves to put this on because you could literally rip through this. It's great when it's on there but it's pretty delicate fabric.
COSTELLO: You can rip it with your fingernail.
GUPTA: With your fingernails, so they give you these gloves to put it on.
COSTELLO: It doesn't feel -- it feels kind of rubbery maybe but really thin.
GUPTA: Right, very thin. And this is part of the new technology. Also the caps, we just talked about those briefly. Women will wear two caps, one actually compresses the hair, another comes across the back so you don't even have at all profile there and you get sort of a tear drop shape.
And then these goggles I thought were really neat. You're not a swimmer, it will turn you into one. But you actually have two seals on the goggles. You have an inner seal and an outer seal. The water fills in this outer seal and that gives you sort of more of a push and more of an aerodynamic feel with these goggles as well.
COSTELLO: And it's flat on the front, too, right?
GUPTA: It's flat, yes. So I mean this is just an example of how much of a difference it makes. You heard 0.023 seconds in some of these cases but that's a big difference.
COSTELLO: See, now you wonder if it's really technology or part of it is psychological. If you think you're wearing something like this that will make you go faster, does it?
GUPTA: Right. You might be right. I think obviously everyone is doing it as well so that sort of levels the playing field.
COSTELLO: Fascinating. Thank you, Sanjay.
GUPTA: You got it.
COSTELLO: Your responses to our talk back question of the day. And this is it: are the suspicions surrounding the Chinese swimmer fair?
This from Estelle, "That's so had how someone's performance is questioned because it was amazing. She's just an amazing swimmer."
This from Lori, "If they have concerns, then test her. If it was a fair win and she put in the performance of her life, I hope they give her the kudos she deserves."
This from Louie, the allegations are fair taking China's history with doping. No one questioned Phelps because the man is well, six- foot something and a physical specimen."
From Kyle, "I don't think it's fair to keep calling foul on this until the drug results come back. If Phelps or Lochte had done this it would have been an amazing feat of athleticism. But if anyone else does it, they're cheating.
This from Laurie, "Comparing her performance to a man as evidence she cheated is simply silly. I'm a professional athlete and can outperform men in my sport. Just because I can doesn't make me a cheater. It means I train smarter, faster, and possibly better."
Keep the conversation going, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. More of your responses in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM, which starts after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
