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NBC Spoils Gold Medal Race; Chinese "Super Girl" Denies Doping; Phelps Could Make History Today; Fencer Cries On The Mat; Man Bitten In Apparent Shark Attack; Chick-Fil-A Approval Tanks; Damaging Storms Across Southeast; Report: New iPhone To Debut In September; Romney Aide Curses At Reporters; SC Gov's Husband to Afghanistan; U.S. Men's Gymnastics Drops to 5th; Nuke Plants' Water Supplies at Risk; Sheryl Crow's Life Threatened; Kate Hudson on Set of Glee; First Lady Gets Hoisted in London
Aired July 31, 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: Good morning to you. Thank you for joining us. I'm Carol Costello.
Happening now in the NEWSROOM, losing his cool, an aide for Mitt Romney has a meltdown, starts cursing at reporters shouting out questions to Mitt Romney.
Our Jim Acosta is on the trail this morning. He was right in the middle of that. He'll tell us why this happened.
NBC fails to take delay outrage growing this morning after the peacock spoils it's own coverage and promotes an interview with gold medallist, Missy Franklin before she even jumped into the pool.
Shark attack, Cape Cod on alert this morning. A man bitten on both legs just 75 feet offshore. Beach onlookers say they saw a very large black dorsal fin breaking the surface.
Plus this --
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. How customers feel about Chik-Fil-A has fallen to an all-time low in some parts of the country. I'll tell you where coming up. CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.
COSTELLO: And we start in London. NBC is mired again in controversy for its tape 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: Yes, that promo aired about 6 minutes before NBC aired Missy Franklin's gold medal winning performance. It is the latest in a tape delay controversy that just keeps growing.
We do want to point out NBC is streaming all of the events live on the web so you can catch it there if you want to see it, you know, as it happens. But a lot of us apparently do not. Zain Verjee is live in London to tell us more. Good morning, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning there to you, Carol. A lot of people if they want to watch it and not know what the results are for hours, maybe just don't look at Twitter, don't go to Facebook. Just stay away from social media so that you don't get the results.
Carol, that's the big difference between this Olympics and the last one. You know, really there's so much more access to social media so you're able to get information a lot faster. But still people are outraged. People are mad.
They want to be able to watch it live because there is something exciting in being able to watch it live on television. Still, if you want to, you can go online and NBC has a pretty good and extensive web site that you can stream it and watch it live online.
But hash tag nbcfail has been trending. It's gone down in the past few hours, but people in the country are just frustrated that they're not able to watch Missy Franklin and Michael Phelps on their nice big TVs and just watch it live and they just have to wait during prime time.
NBC though still having pretty good ratings, Carol, in spite of all this controversy and also the EP for the Olympics for NBC has been going on Twitter to answer everyone's kind of annoyed questions, why aren't we able to watch this. It's another reason to complain and we love it.
COSTELLO: Even the athletes' families are speaking out about this.
VERJEE: Yes. Ryan Lochte's mom was actually talking to Piers Morgan actually on Monday night and listen to what she had to say because she had a clear opinion on this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIERS MORGAN, HOST, CNN'S "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": About this controversy over NBC's coverage delaying, screening these big races until prime time. Has that affected you or your family back home? Are they anxious to see it in realtime on television?
ILEANA "IKE" LOCHTE, RYAN LOCHTE'S MOTHER: Yes, but we call all our family and we tell them how they did immediately. So it's not a matter that they have to wait for it.
MORGAN: I think a sport has to be live, otherwise do you it twice. Show it live and then show it in prime time. LOCHTE: I agree. I agree.
MORGAN: You would watch your son winning gold twice wouldn't you?
LOCHTE: You're right, you're right. 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERJEE: So, Carol, you can go online on NBC and watch it streamed live or I have a better solution. Just come to London.
COSTELLO: That's the best part of all, except sadly a lot of us cannot do that. Zain Verjee reporting live for us this morning.
The Chinese swimmer, they call her super girl, she's denying accusations she cheated in her record-breaking 400-meter swim. Ye Shiwen took home the gold in London beating the world record time by more than a second.
During the final 50 meters, she actually swam faster than American swimmer Ryan Lochte. John Leonard, who is the executive director of the World Swimming Coaches, calls Ye Shiwen's victory disturbing and unbelievable.
He says she, quote -- Ye says, quote, "There is absolutely no problem with doping." The Chinese team has always had a firm policy about doping. She did not cheat, she says, she won.
Michael Phelps could make Olympic history today in London. He could medal twice. If he does, he'll become the most decorated athlete ever, but yesterday belonged to Missy Franklin. The Colorado teenager won her first gold medal in the women's 100 meter backstroke.
The possibility of an Olympic medal comes to a crashing halt though for the U.S. men's gymnastics team. They dropped from first after the preliminary round to fifth out in the finals out of medal contention. China takes gold.
And a South Korean fencer cries on the mat following her controversial loss in the semifinals. She was defeated in the final second and it took the judges a while to figure out the exact result.
Day four begins with the United States tied with China in the total medal count. Both countries have 17 medals. China has 9 gold. The United States has 5. Japan has 11 total medals followed by Italy, France, and South Korea.
A beachgoer in Massachusetts is recovering from an apparent shark attack. He was swimming close to shore when suddenly he started going under the water.
Reporter Susan Tran with our affiliate, WHDH, talked to witnesses who saw him go under.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We could hear the younger son apparently shouting help, help, help us, help me, help me.
SUSAN TRAN, WHDH REPORTER (voice-over): A man's legs bandaged off. A squad of first responders carries him off the beach on a stretcher and fears he was attacked by a shark.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of a sudden between the two swimmers we saw a fin come up and something came through the water. It was very large fin, easily 15 inches high, and came across and torque a little toward the second swimmer and within seconds we realized it was a shark and the swimmer had been attacked.
TRAN: A beach full of visitors that witnesses say included a doctor, a nurse jumped into action.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was very apparent he was bleeding profusely from his feet and ankles.
TRAN: It happened just after 3:30 Monday afternoon. Witnesses on the beach say the man and his son were swimming and body surfing when they saw a distinction dorsal fin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like two people and then this large, dark blue black thing came up and kind of torque around and you saw this big dorsal fin and it like went back down.
TRAN: There have been concerns about sharks all summer. Earlier this month, a kayaker had a close call with a shark and since June, there were several shark sightings around seals near Chatham.
Officials have now called in experts to figure out if Monday's attack was a shark, but witnesses at the beach say after what they saw, they're already convinced.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was shocking. It was scary.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: I bet. I'm joined now by Mary Ann Bragg, a reporter with the "Cape Cod Times." Thanks for joining us.
MARY ANN BRAGG, REPORTER, "CAPE COD TIMES" (via telephone): You're welcome.
COSTELLO: You've been following this story. First of all, how is the victim doing this morning?
BRAGG: Well, we've had a couple developments. We've actually identified the victim. His name is Christopher Myers. He is at Mass General Hospital in Boston. He was transferred last night.
We don't know what his status is this morning, but he was in stable condition last night at Cape Cod Hospital prior to being transferred. COSTELLO: And have doctors discerned that these were, indeed, shark bites on his legs?
BRAGG: Well, you know, we don't have that kind of information yet, although a shark expert with the state Division of Marine Fisheries, he's very interested in seeing exactly what the wounds look like so that he might be able to identify what kind of animal actually bit Mr. Myers.
COSTELLO: What other kind of animal or fish could injure him in that way in the water?
BRAGG: Well, you know, that's a great question. But people there on the beach were saying they thought it was a whale or some other kind of marine mammal.
And the fire chief here said that he had actually -- they have never responded to any kind of fish or marine mammal bite along the ocean. So it's really -- it's going to be hard to tell. I'll be anxious to hear what the expert has to say.
COSTELLO: How did he get away?
BRAGG: Well, you know, they said -- the people who were at the beach said they kind of saw the dorsal fin come up, they saw the two people. It didn't appear like it was something that they were distressed about.
Then they began to swim immediately to the beach. So it seemed like they swam away, but at the same time this fire chief said that the man, I guess, in the ambulance had said he had to kick the animal away. So kind of leaves a bit to the imagination about how scary it actually was.
COSTELLO: I can't even imagine. So why have there been so many shark sightings off of Cape Cod?
BRAGG: Well, good question. But, I mean, there's definitely been an abundance of seals, which I am not an expert about that at all. But that seems to draw the great white sharks and sharks in general so they follow their food.
COSTELLO: Interesting. Well, thank you so much for filling us in and updating us. We appreciate it. Mary Ann Bragg reporting for us this morning. Thank you so much, from "The Cape Cod Times."
A social firestorm erupts after Chik-Fil-A's President Dan Cathy comes out and opposing same-sex marriage. Now the company is fielding backlash with tanking approval ratings.
Alison Kosik is live at the New York Stock Exchange. So tell us about this.
KOSIK: OK, Carol, so this is actually a survey done by a group called "Ugov." And according to this survey, the perception of Chik-Fil-A is hurting the most in states in the northeast and in the south. So "Ugov" is essentially a marketing research firm that takes the pulse of consumers on how they feel about certain brands. So look at this. According to them Chik-Fil-A had a pretty good positive perception compared to other fast food chains, but look at the rating.
It tanked after Dan Cathy's comments. "Ugov" talked to adults who had eaten fast food at the restaurant recently. The biggest decline actually as I said came in the north east. The rating also tumbled in the south.
And "Ugov" says that Midwest was the only place where customer perception temporarily climbed after the interview. Now we do have a call in to "Ugov" to find out why that may be. We haven't yet heard back.
We've also called Chik-Fil-A, haven't gotten a response from them. No doubt about this, Carol. This is a very, very polarizing issue.
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee actually started a Facebook event for Chik-Fil-A appreciation day tomorrow. He says it's not a demonstration, but instead to show support for the company.
And get this, more than half a million people have already signed up for that -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Alison Kosik reporting live from the New York Stock Exchange.
Still ahead, losing his cool.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Show some respect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: A meltdown by Mitt Romney's spokesperson. He curses at reporters for shouting out questions. We'll put this in context for you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 15 minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories now.
On the last day of Mitt Romney's overseas trip, one of his aides just loses his cool as reporters fired off questions to the Republican presidential candidate in Warsaw, Poland. His traveling press secretary, Romney's traveling press secretary cursed at reporters. He has since apologized.
Penn State they're chanting. Hundreds of fans gather this morning to cheer on Penn State's football team before its first preseason practice with NCAA sanctions keeping the team from a Bowl appearance.
Some players are considering transferring. The biggest name, running back, Silas Red, he's being courted by Southern Cal. Red did not show up at today's workout.
In Money News, Apple fans are excited about the new iPhone rumors. Multiple sites are reporting about a new iPhone debuting in September. Apple's latest version reportedly will have a complete design overhaul.
In weather news, nasty storms possible across much of the southeast, damaging winds and hail possible. We may see some flash flooding. Areas that could be hit hardest, Alabama, Georgia, and Northern Florida.
More now on Mitt Romney's press secretary who snapped in Poland telling reporters to kiss his, you know, the expletives flew after reporters refused to stop shouting questions to Governor Romney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Romney!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of the mishaps on your trip.
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 overshadows your foreign trip?
RICK GORKA, ROMNEY'S PRESS SECRETARY: This is a Holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor --
GORKA: Show some respect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We haven't had another chance to ask him questions.
GORKA: Kiss my -- this is a Holy site for the polish people. Show some respect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Jim Acosta, our reporter was in the middle of that. He is now with us on the phone. So, Jim, put this into context for us.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Sure. Well, Mitt Romney has been carrying out a series of photo opportunities here in Poland that started in Gdansk. He visited a World War II monument in that city.
And then came to Poland, Warsaw, today and visited this country's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Carol, I have to tell you, throughout this trip, he has not offered his traveling press corps many opportunities to ask him questions about what his campaign has billed as a very important journey for the GOP contender.
So this was really the final opportunity for those reporters to get a question to him, and so all of us waited until he moved a very safe distance away from that Tomb of the Unknown Soldier site, about 100 yards, and tried to shout some questions to him.
He didn't answer those questions, and then sort of out of nowhere his Traveling Press Secretary Rick Gorka came over to us and expressed his frustrations. Obviously, he expressed those frustrations in ways he would probably like to take back. He later called reporters as you said, Carol and apologized.
COSTELLO: It's sort of traditional for reporters to shout out questions. I mean, why do you snap? Do you have an embattled relationship, you know, on board the plane or however you travel along with Mitt Romney?
ACOSTA: I don't think so. You know, I think that the Romney campaign has for the most part kept the press at a pretty safe distance for a while now. I mean, this is not a candidate who does a lot of news conferences.
In fairness to him, the president also doesn't do a lot of news conferences. This is just sort of the way politics is done these days. The president will do sit-down interviews from time to time and so will Mitt Romney and do his credit, Carol, Romney did sit down for a number of interviews on this trip, for days he was sitting down with reporters from various networks including Wolf Blitzer from CNN and Piers Morgan in London.
He talked to Piers about the Olympics there. And so it's not like Mitt Romney hasn't been taking questions, but, Carol, at the same time there are reporters covering his trip from "The Washington Post," "The New York Times," Bloomberg, "The Wall Street Journal," and the list goes on and on.
Those reporters have not had opportunities to ask him any questions. The wire services, for example, the Associated Press, Reuters, and so on. He only took three questions in this week-long trip, Carol, and those questions came outside of 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's residence in London.
And those questions were basically about when Mitt Romney questioned whether London was ready to put on the Olympics. And so I think there were probably some frustrations among reporters, but there were also frustrations among members of the Romney staff with the way this trip was being covered.
They felt like the coverage was basically about the perceived gaffes he had on this trip and not enough about the substance they had laid out over these last seven days.
COSTELLO: Jim Acosta -- this is a picture of the traveling press secretary aboard the plane. Tell us a little bit about him, Jim. He's a traveling press secretary. Is he Romney's permanent guy?
ACOSTA: Basically, the Romney campaign has a communications director in Boston. They have a national press secretary in Boston. That national press secretary, Andrea Sol, you have seen her name before. She was also on the trip. She did not have many interactions with the reporters on this trip.
I think she only spoke to the group of us who covered Mitt Romney maybe once and I believe that was this morning. Rick Gorka is the traveling press secretary. He's almost on all of Romney's trip.
So from time to time he probably has a little jet lag. He probably gets a bit fatigued, but he is a jocular guy. He likes to give and take with reporters, and he is generally a nice guy to be around.
I think this was just one of those cases where perhaps some frustrations on the part of the campaign had boiled over and he lost his cool briefly, and to his credit he did apologize to reporters.
COSTELLO: Jim Acosta live from Poland this morning.
A record smashing performance at the Olympics, but is there more to it? Coming up, suspicions surrounding this Chinese swimmer who turned in an amazing performance.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back on one of the stories of the day. The question for you today, are the suspicions surrounding the Chinese swimmer fair?
She was that good. In 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 an American male swimmer, Ryan Lochte.
Some say the spectacular performance was just too good to be true. The head of the World Swimming Association, John Leonard, described her swim as, quote, "unbelievable," and hinted there may be more to it like, you know, performance-enhancing drugs.
Olympic officials are concerned about the controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If a surprise win is surrounded by suspicions and question marks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Those suspicions provoked a backlash on social media in world record time with furious Chinese fans saying Ye's critics are just jealous and have a double standard.
After all, in 2008 nobody questioned Michael Phelps' superhuman performance. China was no stranger to doping issues in the Olympics. A bunch of their swimmers tested positive in the '90s.
These days drug testing is carried out randomly and regularly. In June, a Chinese swimmer tested positive for 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 she 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. Your responses later this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's 30 minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories now.
Opening statements get under way today in the trial of a former Chicago area police officer accused of killing his third wife. Investigators say Drew Peterson stage Kathleen Savio's murder to look like an accident. He's also suspected in the disappearance of his fourth wife.
India suffers its second crippling power outages in as many days and it's impacting more than half the country or 600 million people. Many are trapped in trains. The outage is caused by a power grid collapse and is India's worst blackout in a decade.
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley's husband is deploying to Afghanistan in January. The governor made the announcement in Greenville saying "As a military family it comes with the territory."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. NIKKI HALEY (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: We are like every other military family across this country and when your family gets the call, you have to respond. And so Michael has gotten the call and he will be deployed. He has started his orders today. He will be going through training and everything else through the end of the year and will be deployed for a year in January, and the kids and I couldn't be more proud of him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: First Lieutenant Michael Haley says this deployment is the reason he joined the National Guard.
Call it a big fail for NBC. This "Today" show promo ran during their primetime coverage of the Olympics last night. The problem, it gives away Missy Franklin's gold medal performance six minutes before NBC actually aired the swimming event. The Colorado teenager won her first gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke Monday. We should point out NBC does stream all events live online, but of course, many of us would rather see it on our big screen TVs and kind of be surprised. Funny how that is. CARLOS DIAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think she wins this race. Honey, I believe she wins.
COSTELLO: I believe she did that promo just said so. As you can see Carlos Diaz is here and you're going to talk about the men's gymnastics team. Because a lot of people were so disappointed they were supposed to be the best in years and they failed.
DIAZ: It's like in the movie "Rocky 3". Remember "Rocky 3" when -- when Rocky came out at the beginning of the movie, he was all confident and he was full of life and yes he was doing great and then he meets up with clobber (inaudible) Mr. T and he just gets beat down?
That's exactly what happened to this gymnastics team. Because they came out on Saturday in the prelims and they finished in first place. They were full of confidence. They are beating their chest, wanting to celebrate.
And then last night I mean, one of them fell off the pommel horse. And then you have another guy landing on his butt right there. That's John Orozco. He was almost in tears after that. And basically what happened is you had a guy -- a bunch of young guys who were brimming with confidence but they didn't know what to expect heading into the big competition last night.
And their youth and inexperience hurt them because they'd never been under that kind of pressure or scrutiny before and it showed. They finished in fifth place last night. I mean, well out of medal contention. They were out of it early in the evening. And just like in "Rocky 3", though, this story is not yet done because, you know, at the end Rocky comes back and he beats Mr. T.
COSTELLO: That's right.
DIAZ: Ok well, that's 2016 for these guys and their youth hurt them last night, but their youth now becomes their biggest ally because these guys are all 19 and 20 years old. The oldest guy on the team is 26. They all plan to come back and be in Rio De Janeiro in 2016 so that could be the final chapter to this story where they had a disappointing 2012 London Olympics and they come back and redeem themselves in 2016.
COSTELLO: Well the interesting you mentioned John Orozco, the guy who fell on his butt after jumping over the pommel horse right?
Jason Carroll one of our reporters interviewed him and asked him if he was nervous about the Olympic Games. He said I have absolutely no nerves at all -- none, zero, zilch.
DIAZ: This is before after the Olympics --
COSTELLO: It was before. Before he went to London but still --
DIAZ: Well, you could say -- Mike Tyson used to quote, "You know everyone has got a plan until you get punched in the face". You can say all you want before you step into the ring or step onto the mat. But when you get there -- I mean, you know this is one Olympics or actually it was Orozco who said that he didn't know what the air would smell like, and it smells like chalk dust. I mean there's little tiny things you don't know about going in but the main thing is the pressure, you don't know about it and you've got to have that fire.
So Saturday they were loose, they were feeling good. It was the prelims. They did great. Last night the pressure got to them.
COSTELLO: Yes. And you said you know overconfidence. Maybe that was a problem. Maybe their coaches should have prepared them better, you know, mentally.
DIAZ: Yes.
COSTELLO: Physically they were prepared but not up here.
DIAZ: But I got to tell you, it used to be Olympic fever you know it was a good thing, but these days with the swimmers failing and the gymnasts failing, Olympic fever just leaves you all hot and sweaty and you don't want to go out of the house.
COSTELLO: Well, I hope we get better because we want to beat China. Thanks so much, Carlos.
The drought is drying up water supplies for the nation's nuclear plants. Some may need to cut back or even shut down, and that could affect your power source.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: You know, the drought is ruining many crops and will likely mean higher food prices for all of us but the nation's nuclear plants are also impacted. In fact, the lack of water could lead to plants cutting back or even shutting down, cutting off power to your house.
CNN's Sandra Endo is looking at all of the scenarios. So, Sandra, these plants need a lot of water, right?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol and it's not the most immediate thing you think about when you consider the affects of extreme heat and a widespread drought, but nuclear power plants depend on a significant supply of reliable water to cool reactors. We're talking about up to a billion gallons a day in some cases for a large plant.
And because of the severe weather this summer there have been several instances where power plants in the Midwest and northeast needed to reduce power because of the strain on its systems and some plants have asked for waivers to discharge water from their plants at higher temperatures.
Now, that poses an environmental threat to freshwater wildlife. Here is how it works. If nuclear power plants do not have enough water for cooling systems, they may need to cut back on production. If the incoming water into the plant is too warm from freshwater sources, power plants may have to reduce electricity production if the water is more difficult to cool. And if the outgoing water emitted back into rivers and lakes is too warm it could harm wildlife like fish and turtles.
Now the Union of Concerned Scientists says that's not the only problem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ROGERS, UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTIST: But the question is if power plants are getting the water they need and there is not enough water in general, so who else is losing out? What does that mean for how much water farmers are getting? What does that mean for what kind of cuts we're going to be asking for from our cities and towns?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENDO: Now the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says despite the drought, plants continue to operate safely and what they're seeing now is consistent to what they've seen in the past during heat waves -- Carol.
COSTELLO: We'll keep your fingers crossed. Sandra Endo reporting live for us out of Washington.
Are you looking to book a flight? Airfares are expected to take a dive next month. We'll tell you how much.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: 42 minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories now.
A spring of bomb threats at 11 Wal-Mart stores in the Midwest may be related. Police reportedly investigating whether the telephone calls came from the same phone. Eight stores in Missouri and three in Kansas received threats last week. No devices were found.
Mitt Romney's press secretary snaps telling reporters to kiss his you-know-what. The expletives flew after reporters refused to stop shouting questions to Governor Romney who was in Poland to burnish his foreign policy credentials.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Romney.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of the mishaps on your trip.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Governor Romney, do you have a statement for the Palestinians?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about your gaffe?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Governor Romney, do you feel that your gaffes have overshadowed your foreign trip?
RICK GORKA, MITT ROMNEY AIDE: This is a holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Romney just a few questions --
GORKA: Show some respect, Jim.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We haven't had a another chance to ask him some questions.
GORKA: (EXPLETIVE DELETED). This is a holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The press secretary, Rick Gorka, later apologized to reporters, though Romney has had sit-down interviews with CNN and other news organizations on this trip, he has taken no questions -- spontaneous questions from his traveling press corps since London.
A rallying cry for unity today in the fallout over a racial wedding incident in Mississippi. Charles and Te'andra Wilson's wedding at the First Baptist Church in Crystal Springs had to be rescheduled at the last minute because some parishioners did not want the black couple to be wed there. Tonight the mayor of Crystal Springs will hold a unity rally.
In money news, you might get a break on airline ticket prices. The CEO of Fare Compare predicts air fares will drop in late august by as much as 20 percent. Says it coincides with the slow fall travel season.
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 rainfall is actually below average for the year.
A Chicago Cubs fan had the perfect wedding proposal planned at Wrigley Field. He had "Erica" -- see up there -- "will you marry me" flashed on the jumbotron but there was a problem. Erica left to go get some beverages and she missed the entire thing. At least he had beer. Finally, the would-be groom went to Plan B. He got down on one knee and did it the old fashioned way, and guess what? She said yes.
TMZ says Sheryl Crow may have a delusional fan on her hands. The fan claims Sheryl Crow stole money from him. Sheryl Crow says he's crazy. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" host A.J. Hammer joins us now with more. Good morning.
A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST: Good morning, Carol. Pretty scary situation for Sheryl Crow. The Huffington Post is reporting a judge in Los Angeles has granted a temporary restraining order against a man that she accuses of threatening to shoot her. Now, according to the report, the guy's name Phillip Gordon Sparks and he will be required to stay 100 yards away from the singer and not attempt to contact her, her family, or anyone who's working with her. TMZ.com did first report that Crow feared for her life and was seeking a court protection -- a court order there. And in documents obtained by the Web site, Crow said that she's scared of sparks because of angry online tirades she calls delusional where he claims that she had stolen money from him and had broken into her house -- or broken into his house trying to steal his gun as well. He also allegedly told an employee at the Screen Actors Guild offices in Los Angeles that he was just going to shoot her and film executive Harvey Weinstein.
So a hearing on a (inaudible) protective order is scheduled for August 14th.
Carol I have to tell you, I have known Sheryl Crow for a very long time. She's very adept at navigating all that comes with fame but this is a whole different thing. And I'm just happy to see she's getting things in order in order to stay protected here.
COSTELLO: That's really scary. Let's talk about something happy. Kate Hudson on "Glee".
HAMMER: She first revealed her singing and dancing skills, of course, three years ago in the musical film, "Nine". Well, now Kate Hudson's warming up her pipes for a guest starring role on "Glee". Series creator, Ryan Murphy, ignited a bit of "Glee" hype. On his brand new Twitter account he posted a picture from the set on Monday of Kate hugging "Glee's" Lea Michelle.
It was originally announced last May that Hudson would appear on as many as six episodes of the popular musical series. "Glee's" fourth season premieres on September 13th. I have to tell you Carol, I am not looking forward to September but I'm looking forward to the new season of "Glee" and it's going to be great to see Kate Hudson on the show.
COSTELLO: It will. A.J. Hammer thank you.
Want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world? A.J. has it tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" 11:00 Eastern on HLN.
Here is something you don't usually see. First lady getting touchy-feely, something only our Jeanne Moos can explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: If you live out of a suitcase for work or if it's summer vacation time for you, squeezing in a workout can be the last thing on your mind, but it shouldn't. Dolvett Quince, trainer for TV's "Biggest Loser" says all you need is 30 minutes. That's today's "Daily Dose".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: I thought I was kind of fit until I'm looking at you and I'm not really that fit. That's amazing.
DOLVETT QUINCE, TRAINER, "THE BIGGEST LOSER": Thank you.
COSTELLO: Ok, let's talk about balance because I know that you travel a lot, as do I. And it's stressful. How do you fit a workout in there that relieves stress, too?
QUINCE: I know a lot of people who are (inaudible) travel and you have to squeeze it in.
COSTELLO: How long are we talking about?
QUINCE: I can get something in for 30 minutes but I move consistently as if I'm working for 60.
COSTELLO: So when I finally make it to the gym, within that half-hour period, what should I do?
QUINCE: I'm a huge fan of the Stairmaster, you know, because you're working your core, as well as your legs and you're building your heart rate and you're sweating a lot.
So if you just have 30 minutes, maximize that time. Give me five minutes of cardio, ten minutes on the floor, five minutes of cardio and ten minutes on the floor. You know what I mean? Mix it up, it's the best thing to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That man was fit. There is no fat on his body. He is amazing.
Now to the first lady. Michelle Obama, she gets up close and personal with several U.S. athletes in London who also probably also don't have any fat on their bodies.
Here's CNN's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If there were an Olympic medal for hugging, First Lady Michelle Obama would take it. She hugged every member of the U.S. men's basketball team, they lined up. But even more impressive, the gold medal for lifting a first lady goes to this American wrestler.
What is the weirdest thing you have ever lifted outside of the first lady?
ELENA PIROZHKOVA, OLYMPIC WRESTLER: Hay Bales.
MOOS: Five-foot, five Elena Pirozhkova lifting the five-foot, eleven first lady was a first.
PIROZHKOVA: After she gave me a hug, my hand was still kind of at her waistband like, can I pick you up? And she was like ok, kind of nervous. MOOS: Elena said she just wanted to make the moment a little more special. A teammate tweeted out the photo, the White House showcased its own version as photo of the day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just think that's weird.
MOOS: What's so weird?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Picking up the first lady.
MOOS: In 2010, Elena came in second wrestling at the world championships. There's a name for this move.
PIROZHKOVA: Just like a front body carry, that's what we call them.
MOOS: So you front body carried the first lady. Some conservative Web sites called it undignified.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she's just having fun, it's the Olympics.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's awesome that Michelle Obama is the weight that she can be lifted.
MOOS: At 5'9.5" I had trouble getting a lift. You couldn't pick me up could you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could I? I couldn't. I've got a bad back, I'm going to the chiropractor right now.
MOOS: Could you? Would you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would. I have a bad back but I couldn't.
Finally, someone could and would. Like a feather, huh?
Not since Nancy Reagan sat on Mr. T's lap as he played Santa have we seen a first lady in such an unusual position. Not since President Bush resisted an Olympian's invitation to slap her back side and settled for her back have we seen such informality.
As for those who imagine that Elena would be saying, "Oh, my back" after lifting the first lady. Did she present any problem for you to pick up?
PIROZHKOVA: No, you know, after I picked her up and I sat her back down. She's like I am heavier than I seem. I was like no, I'm a lot stronger than I look.
MOOS: Elena is scheduled to wrestle on August 8th, until then, she expects to be kidded.
PIROZHKOVA: Ok. Who are you going to pick up next? The Queen of England?
MOOS: Try wrestling with that image.
Jeanne Moos, CNN --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I could carry your shoe if I wanted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're picking up the first lady.
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Yes, she was.
Don't forget. It's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the stories of the day. The question on the suspicions surrounding that Chinese swimmer, that amazing young woman -- are the suspicions surrounding her fair? Your responses, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: The Olympic tape delay debate is proving to be fuel for some late-night TV comedians.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: The London Olympics are finally under way. I tell you, there is nothing like the thrill of seeing Team USA triumph 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, TALK SHOW HOST: Everybody got the latest Olympic update. You probably want this, right? And like the Olympics, this show was taped 15 hours ago at a pool. Don't tweet the results, ok. I was kind of ok.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, the debate rages on, but nothing's going to change.
We ask you to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The talk back question today, here it comes. Are the suspicions surrounding the Chinese swimmer fair?
This from Will. "Gender and race bias still dominate the world. If a young, white man has set that record, even a blonde-haired, blue- eyed white woman, nothing would be said."
This from James, "I'm embarrassed by the sexism and bad sportsmanship of my fellow Americans."
This from Sandy, "It's a shame that our collective first thoughts are that someone cheated because they beat an American man. As a female athlete, I'm offended. I play with and beat men all the time."
And this from Diana, "Something's stinks in London and it isn't the fish and chips."
Please, keep the -- that was a clever one, wasn't it, Kyra?
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: I like the woman who beats the man all the time. That's the one I'm sticking with.
COSTELLO: That one's the best one, yes.
Thank you for joining us this hour, Kyra Phillips is up next.
