Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Shooting Rampage at Sikh Temple; Colorado Company Sets Wind Power Record; RNC's Priebus: Reid A "Dirty Liar"; Asia Main Source of North America's Dust
Aired August 06, 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: Thanks, Zoraida.
Happening now in the NEWSROOM. Picture of the morning, color curiosity red. The Mars rover Curiosity successfully landing overnight to cheers, hugs and tears. NASA erupting with pride this morning. An amazing feat and an amazing view.
Deadly strike at NASCAR. Lightning killing one and injuring nine others. Severe storms forcing 85,000 fans at the Pocono to run for cover.
Imported from Asia. Startling new images from space showing just how much pollution crosses the Pacific into America. Nearly half of all the smoke and dust and ash and pollen above us coming from more than 7,000 miles away.
And bad behavior to bolt. Someone threw a beer bottle -- a beer bottle -- at Jamaican Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt. Who does something like that?
NEWSROOM starts right now.
And good morning to you. Thank you for joining us this Monday morning. I'm Carol Costello. We begin with new details on the bloody rampage at a Sikh temple and the man who opened fire. As mourners lit candles and honored the six people killed, a troubling image emerges of the shooter.
New this morning several law enforcement sources identify him as Wade Michael Page. He was 40 years old and had served in the U.S. Army. He may also have been a white supremacist. Page was shot to death after wounding a police officer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ambulance up. Subject is down. Officer down. Officer down. I need an ambulance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have one officer shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: News conference is less than two hours away. CNN's Brian Todd is outside the police station in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, with more.
Good morning, Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Yes, we are getting new details on this suspect in this case, Wade Michael Page, as you mentioned. Multiple law enforcement officials telling us that is the suspect's name, aged 40. That he once served in the army but had left. Our sources telling us that he owned the gun that he used in the shooting legally.
I did speak to the Oak Creek police chief, John Edwards, told me that the suspect had a criminal record but he said he was not known to law enforcement officials in the general area. We're piecing together as much information about the suspect, Wade Michael Page, as we can at this hour.
Chief Edwards also told me -- gave me some very grisly details of the shooting. He said the suspect shot the officer who was wounded. He shot him several times at close range, eight or nine times at close range. He got hit several times in the extremities and this was as the officer was in a crouched position trying to help one of the wounded people who was from the temple.
The officer came to assist that person. The shooter came to him at close range, shot him eight or nine times. Chief Edwards said that the officers who then responded gave the individual, meaning the suspect, several commands and that he ignored them. At that point another officer shot and killed the suspect.
Carol, as you mentioned, just some riveting and very disturbing new details about the suspect that are emerging this morning. But again, the Sikh community is just in absolute shock over what happened trying to process this information.
CNN spoke to a young lady who attended that temple.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALEEN RAJPUT, TEMPLE MEMBER: I thought it was the safest place maybe on earth or in Oak Creek. Apparently not. I just want people to know that they shouldn't be mistaken by us. And because we have turbans and long beards, too, and that's just our religion. It's very peaceful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: And we'll continue to get more -- we'll continue to get more reaction from the Sikh communities throughout the day as this case unfolds. As Carol mentioned, they'll have a news conference a little less than two hours from now here at the police station behind me where federal and local law enforcement officials will give updated information on the shooting, on the suspect, hopefully on his background. We'll be chasing that all day. We did speak to neighbors in the house that was searched apparently where the suspect might have rented part of a duplex house telling us that they had seen him on the street walking a black Labrador retriever, that he seemed pleasant, quiet. That's kind of a general piece of information that we're getting. One of them did notice that he had a tattoo on his right arm symbolizing 9/11.
We're going to be putting some of the details about any motivation that he might have had together later on -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. We'll let you get to work. Brian Todd, reporting live from Wisconsin this morning.
The massacre has deeply rattled the Sikh community here and around the world. In India's capital city New Delhi protesters gathered outside the U.S. embassy to condemn the killings and called on the U.S. to better protect Sikh worshippers and temples.
Also today India's prime minister called on U.S. authorities to fully investigate the attack and the motive.
Less than 10 minutes from now we will check in with CNN contributor Tom Fuentes. The former assistant director of the FBI will walk us through the investigation and the FBI's role in determining if the attack might be a case of homegrown terrorism.
Seven minutes of terror now turns into a lifetime of new information from the red planet. After a new NASA rover the size of an SUV lands on mars, Curiosity had to complete a series of crazy maneuvers just to make it to the surface.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Touchdown confirmed. Proceed --
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Yes, this is happy news. Early this morning NASA got confirmation of the successful landing, making engineers, as you saw, very, very happy. Hours later Curiosity started working and sending back new pictures from Mars.
John Zarrella has been up all night long at NASA's jet propulsion laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Just to see their reaction, that's the picture of the day.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, I think Curiosity is feeling a lot better than I am right about now, I can tell you that, Carol.
(LAUGHTER)
ZARRELLA: You know, one of the things that I was told in an interview I did with Adam Steltzner, who is the head of the Entry, Descent and Landing team, was that they were going to be landing between a rock and a hard place, and, in fact, that's exactly what they did landing inside the crater, the crater wall on one side, and Mt. Sharp on another. An area where NASA believes that water might have flowed and where they may find evidence, perhaps, of past life on Mars or perhaps if life still does exist.
And it was an incredibly emotional night. At one point the entire landing team after pulling off this remarkable event poured out of mission control, went to the briefing center, cheering EDL, EDL. Entry, Descent and Landing. And then in that briefing the president's science adviser John Holdren was there. And Holdren was talking about just how significant this is for America.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN HOLDREN, WHITE HOUSE SCIENCE ADVISER: Landing the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity on the surface of the red planet was by any measure the most challenging mission ever attempted in the history of robotic planetary exploration. And if anybody has been harboring doubts about the status of U.S. leadership in space, well, there's a one ton, automobile sized piece of American ingenuity on --
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
HOLDREN: It is -- and it's sitting on the surface of Mars right now, and it should certainly put any such doubts to rest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZARRELLA: Now you know across the United States and really across the world people were watching this event unfold in the wee hours of the morning. In Time Square in New York on that big TV screen people stopped and they watched. It was really reminiscent of the Apollo moon landing. The only difference here, no humans on board but, believe me, Carol, this is a tremendous accomplishment for NASA. Perhaps the most significant mission that they have undertaken in at least a decade -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I just can't believe it's already sending pictures back. When will we get to see more pictures and where can we see them?
ZARRELLA: Well, we're going to -- well, you're going to be able to see them right on CNN, that's for sure, throughout the course of the day. But in about three hours we expect to get at least one image back taken from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter that was flying overhead as Curiosity was landing and that image, I'm told, is stunning that shows Curiosity's parachute as it's coming through the atmosphere descending.
And later this afternoon images from the descent camera, again, much like the Apollo images when we saw Apollo landing and the dust coming up and the vehicle moving closer to the ground. They have thousands of those images. They are just tickled with the -- with the sensational images that they are going to start being able to give us over the next -- over the course of the next few days -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Just fascinating. Thanks, John.
ZARRELLA: Yes.
COSTELLO: More new details emerging this morning on a big defection in Syria. The opposition says the prime minister, one of the most powerful men in the government, has deflected. He is now in Jordan. State media spins it differently. They say he was fired. As always, it's tough to get to the truth because Syria bans most international reporting.
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom is working his sources. He joins us from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
What are you hearing? Mohammed, can you hear us?
I think we're having some technical difficulties with Mohammed Jamjoom. When we get those ironed out, of course we'll take you back to Abu Dhabi.
Let's talk about the Olympics. Usain Bolt is still the world's fastest human. The Jamaican sprinter got off to his typical slow start out of the block but Bolt blew by the competition with that big stride of his and he won the 100-meter dash in record Olympic time.
Zain Verjee was at the Olympic stadium for this historic event. And 80,000 people at the stadium watched this, but I heard they could have sold, what, two million tickets for it? Is that true?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, you know, I mean, the numbers are absolutely crazy but it was sensational. It was electric. It was amazing to be there in the stadium. I mean, Usain Bolt had the entire crowd on his side. When he came out he, you know, played around a little bit like this and he did a little bit of a jig and everyone went completely crazy.
I mean, he was under a lot of pressure, Carol. There were so many doubters who thought, you know, because of his hamstring injuries, because he was beaten in the heats in Jamaica by Johan Blake, you know, or questions about how committed was he really, you know, his slow starts off the blocks as well.
So these were all questions and he just shut everyone up. It was amazing. I mean just look at the time that he took, 9.63 breathtaking seconds, says "The Guardian." Take a look at "The Daily Mirror" here. Lots of nicknames, Carol. "Wonder Bolt," I've heard earlier. "Thunderbolt" and Lightning Strikes Twice." But it was so cool to be in the stadium when he took his victory lap, everyone stood up and cheered, Usain, Usain. And he really claimed his title back.
COSTELLO: There was a wee bit of trouble, though. Just before the marquee event, a fan caused some trouble and that fan paid for it. Tell us about that, Zain.
VELSHI: He did. A fan, let's call him a twit, just to be polite. I mean he could have ruined the 100-meter final. Basically he had a few extra drinks is what we hear and he took a green plastic bottle and threw it at the starting blocks which just fortunately landed behind all the runners. Most of them didn't even know anything happened. Maybe one said that they heard some kind of a distraction but was focused on the race.
Now as luck would have it, a judo champion, Carol, was sitting next to this guy and her name is Edith Bosch, and she basically gave him a whack on his back. She said he threw that bottle, and I got so emotional I hit him on the back with the flap of my hand." She called it a push but I mean, you know, this is a judo champion. She won bronze here. She's from the Netherlands.
She was annoyed because she says that that made me miss the final and I'm really sad about that. Then she went on her Twitter account and said, "I've beaten him, unbelievable."
Now the officials here later said, look, the incident had no impact on the competition whatsoever. Fortunately. I mean it was embarrassing. It was a dumb thing for this guy to do. But fortunately nothing happened.
COSTELLO: Well, I'm glad that judo star was there taking care of things. Good for her.
Zain Verjee --
VERJEE: Yes. Or like this.
COSTELLO: Zain Verjee reporting live from London this morning.
A killer -- strikes at a house of worship. Was it a random act or something else? We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Sixteen minutes past the hour.
Less than two hours from now, police in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, are due to hold a news conference on the shooting rampage in a Sikh temple. Several law enforcement sources tell s the gunman has now been identified as a man named Wade Michael Page. He's 40 years old, an Army veteran, and possibly a white supremacist.
This morning, authorities are scrambling to answer so many more questions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF JOHN EDWARDS, OAK CREEK, WISCONSIN POLICE: We're treating this as a domestic terrorist type of incident. And therefore, the FBI has a resources needed to help investigate that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Here to walk us through the investigation, former FBI assistant director Tom Fuentes. He's a CNN contributor and he joins us by phone from Beijing this morning.
Good morning, Tom.
TOM FUENTES, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (via telephone): Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: This crime may be classified as domestic terrorism. The suspect may have been a white supremacist. Is that enough?
FUENTES: Yes, it is. The motivation for the crime -- if it's not just a random person who is mentally disturbed but instead has some type of a political, religious, ethnic, racial reason for wanting to commit the crime as this one appears, it could have -- then, yes, that takes on the tone of being domestic terrorism.
Also, you know, what the FBI and police will be trying to determine here is whether or not he was a member of a group, whether there were colleagues or friends of his that he may have told about this or may have conspired with him to commit similar acts, so they'll be very interested in trying to find out if he was completely alone or whether there were others that may intend to do similar acts.
COSTELLO: CNN sources found out the suspect is former military. Supposedly had a 9/11 tattoo on his arm. What does that suggest to you about a motive?
FUENTES: Not necessarily a motive but more of the capability, someone who has training in operating firearms and possibility explosives, although not used in this case. Obviously, is in a position to be more lethal than someone that's untrained and just happens to get a firearm and tried to use it on their own.
COSTELLO: Brian Todd just told us a disturbing -- something he found out from police. He said a police officer was shot while tending to a victim outside of the temple. So that means the shooter allegedly came up and shot this police officer as he was trying to care for a person who had been wounded.
What does that say to you?
FUENTES: It just says that, you know, he was really out of control, tried to kill a number of people in the temple and around the temple and even law enforcement officers themselves. So, you know, many times members of these various white supremacist groups view the police and the U.S. government as among their enemies. So law enforcement, U.S. military at this point, the U.S. government itself in their eyes can be seen as the enemy, can be seen as opposing their views of the white supremacist views that they hold.
Right there, classifies it as domestic terrorism if they have those kinds of beliefs.
COSTELLO: Tom, we're just getting a bit of new information about this suspect. Supposedly, he was discharged in '98 from the Army because of patterns of misconduct. What does that mean?
FUENTES: That's a good question. He may have been espousing some of these beliefs while in the service and others noted it and decided he didn't belong and shouldn't be part of the U.S. military anymore.
COSTELLO: Well, we're expecting a news conference to happen in just about two hours. Hopefully, we'll know more about the suspect. But Tom Fuentes, thanks so much for joining us this morning to --
FUENTES: You're welcome, Carol.
COSTELLO: -- try to make some sense of this at least. Something that really can never be made sense of, right?
The Obama and Romney camps trade jabs over voting restrictions in Ohio. What's behind the political fight over voter rights? It's our talk back question 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, what's behind the political fight over voter rights?
There is a new battle in the war over voting rights this morning. In Ohio, the Obama campaign has filed a lawsuit saying early voting should be allowed not just for the military but for everyone. Mitt Romney was quick to strike.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And in my view every effort should be taken by the government of the United States of America to ensure that every member of the military has the right to vote and their vote is counted. Any effort to impede the right of our military members overseas or here domestically in voting would be an extraordinary violation of the trust that we should have for those who served so valiantly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Except the lawsuit does not take any voting rights away from the military. It just seeks to extend that same right to everyone.
(BEGIN VIDOEI CLIP)
DAVID AXELROD, SENIOR OBAMA CAMPAIGN ADVISER: And, of course, they should have that right. What that suit is about is whether the rest of Ohio should have the same right, and I think it's shameful that Governor Romney would hide behind our servicemen and women to try and win a lawsuit to deprive other Ohioans of the right to vote.
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS: But wait, David, 15 -- 15 --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: This isn't the first time voting rights have become a political football in campaign 2012. The Justice Department and several Democratic groups are challenging new voter ID laws in several swing states including Pennsylvania and Florida. The Republican backed laws require voters to show photo IDs before casting their ballots. Supporters say they're needed to fight voter fraud.
But the Brennan Center, an organization that studies voter fraud, says none of these laws are necessary because we don't really have a major voter fraud problem in this country.
So the talk back question today, what's behind the political fight over voter rights? Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN, your comments later this hour.
Barack Obama is supposed to be his opponent but Mitt Romney is in a scuffle with another Democrat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: Harry Reid really has to put up or shut up, all right? So, Harry, who are your sources?
(END VIDEO CLI9P)
COSTELLO: Why at least one Republican official is calling Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid a dirty liar.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Just about 30 minutes past the hour. Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello.
Stories we're watching right now in THE NEWSROOM.
A Pentagon source says the shooter at the Sikh temple in Wisconsin was discharged from the Army for, quote, "a pattern of misconduct" in 1998. The authorities have identified the shooter as former soldier Wade Michael Page. Authorities say the 40-year-old killed six people at the temple on Sunday before an officer shot him to death.
The number of West Nile virus cases is soaring in the United States. Health officials say it's the biggest increase in 2004. At least 241 cases, including four deaths have been reported. Most of them have been in Texas, Mississippi and Oklahoma. The virus can be especially harmful to people with compromised immune systems, including small children and the elderly.
Colorado is making great strides in the nation's quest to use more renewable energy. The state's largest electric company set a new record with 57 percent of the electricity coming from wind power.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.
This is unusual.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It is. It takes a long time for wind and electricity to catch on. In fact, CNN.com did an interesting story on this, on how this Colorado utility company Xcel set the record on April 15th. But the thing is, this was a wind/electricity record that was set in the overnight hours and that's when demand for power is lower than during other times.
So what happened once other people, you know, woke up, started turning on their lights and hair dryers and the dishwashers, the coal and natural gas powered energy had to take back over. Now, companies like Xcel, they want to get closer to using more wind power but it's more finicky than those other resources. You need to a right geography, you need to diversify enough grid. So, if you're not getting wind in one area, another source can pick up the slack.
So, a step in the right direction that Colorado was able to pull this off. And guess what? It's not even the windiest state. The states that take that title include Kansas, Montana, the Dakotas and others.
And to help wind become a more viable source the federal government has been handing out a tax credit that amounts to 30 percent of the utilities cost. The credit expires at the end of the year, though. So, the utilities who use wind are seeing if it will be renewed because the turbines are extremely expensive -- Carol.
COSTELLO: OK. A question about the markets before you go -- what's the outlook for the week?
KOSIK: First of all, we're starting off in the green here. Stocks are building on Friday from the Dow's rally of about 220 points on Friday. Of course stocks soared on news employers added more jobs than expected in July.
As for this week, it looks like a choppy week where stocks are going to be bumping back and forth just because trading volumes is slow. Not many people are trading because they're on vacation. And not much to trade on. Not much data out this week.
But we'll keep our eye on Europe. That could the wild card in the trade -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Alison Kosik reporting from the New York Stock Exchange.
Michael Jackson's siblings have released statement, yes, another one, about all of the recent family drama. They say money is not what they want and Michael's estate executors are just trying to divide their family.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: A dirty liar -- even in these viciously partisan times, that's something you don't hear very often. But that's how one Republican is describing Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
You know the story by now. Reid claims he talked to an anonymous Bain Capital investor who told him former Governor Mitt Romney did not pay taxes for a 10-year period. Republicans are not happy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REINCE PRIEBUS, CHAIRMAN, RNC: As far as Harry Reid is concerned, listen, I know you might want to go down that road. I'm not going to respond to a dirty liar.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I think he's lying about his statement of knowing something about Romney. This is what's wrong with the --
CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, CNN'S "STATE OF THE UNION": That's pretty stiff.
(CROSSTALK)
GRAHAM: I really do. I think he's created an issue here. I think he's making things up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just called him a dirty liar. You stand by that. You think Harry Reid is a dirty liar?
PRIEBUS: I just said it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: "The Wall Street Journal" also weighed in, in an editorial. And I'm quoting from the editorial. "Like the Obama campaign, Mr. Reid wants to change the conversation from the lousy economy and unpopular Democratic policies while destroying Mr. Romney personally," end quote.
Ron Bonjean is a Republican strategist. He's joining us now from Washington.
And CNN contributor L.Z. Granderson is in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Welcome to you both.
RON BONJEAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Thank you very much.
L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
So, Ron Bonjean, let's start with you. "The Wall Street Journal" seems to be right. This whole anonymous source thing is kind of sucking up the political air. But is calling Reid a dirty liar going to make it go away?
BONJEAN: Well, I think you see the frustration of Republicans in Harry Reid's attack. You know, it's unsubstantiated. It isn't backed up. Republicans know every day that the Democrats are making these charges against Romney is one day less they're talking about the economy.
However, they felt the need to push back on this issue, because if they don't then seeds start to grow and they believe the issue could be it shall they're worried about people it actually believing that issue. That's why they have to play this political gain.
But I think what you can see now is Republicans will turn the page and change the subject to the White House. You know, there's a White House staffer, a senior staffer, who is in the front page of the "Washington Post" today saying they have done business with a firm with ties to Iran. I'm sure Republicans would love to take that and change the subject.
COSTELLO: I'm sure, too.
L.Z., Harry Reid doesn't really have a leg to stand on here. I mean, he's talking about the anonymous source, he won't move off his claims. Is he a dirty liar?
GRANDERSON: Yes. I don't know if he's a dirty liar because Mitt Romney hasn't released his tax forms to prove he's a dirty liar. This wouldn't be here if Mitt Romney has simply done what his father did, which is release 12 years of his tax returns.
You can say all you want about Democrats trying to change the subject. But the fact of the matter is, members of Romney's own base want to see these tax returns as well.
So, this isn't just about Democrats. This is about a lot of people curious as to how Romney has spent his personal finances and what he's done over the last decade or so. It's very difficult to say you believe in this country if you don't invest your own money in this country and that's what people want to see.
COSTELLO: Ron, I think some Democrats think that what Harry Reid did was OK because, you know, when the whole birther thing was going full force, nobody came out and called them out. Nobody called them dirty liars.
GRANDERSON: And they're still out. It's not like they've gone away. They're still drumming up. And even after the birthers, they wanted to see President Obama's credentials as far as his education. They want to see this. They want to see that.
And the simple fact of the matter is, that this conversation could have been over the moment Harry Reid opened his mouth if Mitt Romney had simply presented his tax reforms -- his tax forms. Then, yes, you could say Harry Reid is a dirty liar.
I think it is right to have this curiosity because Romney has been coy at the very least and dishonest and disingenuous at worst in terms of his own tax record.
COSTELLO: Yes, but isn't it sort of like children. Oh, yes, you're this and you're that. The voters aren't benefiting from this at all, are they, Ron?
BONJEAN: Yes, let me jump in. What they're trying to do is they're trying to do what Republicans did to John Kerry. They're trying to swift boat Mitt Romney. They're trying to create this into a huge issue and the distraction and take him down because they don't want to talk about the economy. They don't want to talk about the millions of jobs lost.
GRANDERSON: This is tied to the economy.
BONJEAN: And that's what's going on.
GRANDERSON: This is tied to the economy.
BONJEAN: You want to go after Mitt.
GRANDERSON: This is directly tied to the economy.
BONJEAN: He has released his tax returns just like John McCain did for the past two years. That's a requirement. You guys want to talk about it. You don't want to talk with about lost jobs. You don't want to talk about President Obama's failed record and that's what we're seeing in the tightening of --
GRANDERSON: Wow.
(CROSSTALK)
BONJEAN: Americans don't care about that. They care about President Obama's record and they care about whether or not job creation will happen. It hasn't.
There's been high-end unemployment and now Mitt Romney is probably going to get a chance this November to prove that.
COSTELLO: OK, L.Z, last word.
GRANDERSON: I would like you to tell the people who just got new work that there was nothing happening. In fact, tell the people the last two-plus years each consecutive month of job creation, tell those people -- tell those people those things -- tell them they don't have jobs. Tell them nothing happened. Tell the people who -- because of the auto bailout.
BONJEAN: I'll tell them all the high taxes that are coming in January.
COSTELLO: OK, we're going to end it there.
GRANDERSON: Those who still have their jobs, tell them nothing happened.
COSTELLO: We're going to have to end it there. Thank you for an intense discussion this morning, Ron Bonjean and L.Z Granderson. See you.
BONJEAN: Happy Monday.
COSTELLO: Happy Monday, you're right.
More Jackson family drama. This time, Janet and Randy Jackson are finally confessing what they've been trying to do. So what is it?
Showbiz correspondent Nischelle Turner is here to tell us. Hi, Michelle.
Nischelle, hey, can you hear me?
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN SHOWBIZ CORRESPONDENT: I'm sorry. Hi, Carol. I'm sorry. I was having a conversation.
COSTELLO: It's OK. We're sorry to interrupt.
TURNER: I'm sorry. I didn't know you were coming to me right now. Good morning.
COSTELLO: Good morning. We're talking about the Jackson family and the latest drama.
TURNER: We are. We are. Yes. You know, it is a drama.
This whole Jackson family drama took another turn late Friday night. We're talking about this statement issued by Janet Jackson's attorney, blasting the executors of Michael Jackson's estate. In this statement, Janet, her brother Randy and sister Rebbie vowed to keep up their fight to have Michael's will thrown out. But they denied their efforts were motivated by money.
Here is what they said, quote, "It is important to stress that Janet, Randy and Rebbie have questioned the will with no financial motive whatsoever. They stand to gain nothing financially by a finding that the will is invalid."
Now, this statement blames the executors for a, quote, "negative media campaign designed to damage fundamental family relationships."
Now the three siblings add that their only motivation in trying to get this will declared invalid is to replace the executors of their brother's multimillion-dollar estate who they accuse of management. Now this dispute has led Janet, Randy and Rebbie from being barred from visiting their mother and Michael's children at their home near Los Angeles.
Their brothers Jermaine and Tito Jackson have actually backed down from this public campaign to throw out the will and they have, instead, appealed for family unity -- Carol.
COSTELLO: OK, let's talk about "American Idol" for a bit. Nick Jonas, is he going to be a judge?
TURNER: You know what, that's a good question. According to him he is indeed in the running to become a judge. Now, he tweeted this out to his 4.6 million Twitter followers on Saturday. Here is what he said and brace yourself. This could be big.
"The rumors are true," he tweeted on Saturday, and I think we all heard a collective sigh of relief, "I am considered to be a judge on "American Idol," and it would be a dream come true if it happens, #nickonidol."
Now, FOX announced in July that Mariah Carey has signed on as a judge for season 12, after two last season's judges, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler both quit. Randy Jackson's return, nobody knows what's happening. That's still yet to be confirmed.
So, there are lots of people in the running for these jobs and the judge's table will look really different next season, that's for sure. Meantime, Nick Jonas seems to be saying let's get that "Nick on Idol" hashtag campaign star started, America, because, Carol, looks like he really, really wants that job.
COSTELLO: I think so.
TURNER: And you can interrupt my conversations any day, Carol.
COSTELLO: We still love you. We love you very much. Nischelle Turner, thanks so much.
And Nischelle will be back with us in the next hour with details on Natalie Portman's wedding.
Guess what? Half of our polluted air is coming from overseas and scientists say the world's largest continent is to blame. Find out why it could also be affecting our weather.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Forty-seven minutes past the hour, checking our "Top Stories" now.
An autopsy is scheduled on the son of Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid. Garrett Reid's body was found in his room at the Eagles' training camp. Authorities say there was no sign of suspicious activity surrounding Garrett Reid's death. The 29-year-old was a guest of his father.
Japan marking 67 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A grandson of President Harry Truman is attending weeklong events in Japan. Truman authorized the attacks that came before Japan's World War II surrender.
In money news, British Airways parent company is consider -- is considering buying a minority stake in American Airlines. Willie Walsh, IAG's chief executive, told "The Financial Times" about the potential move. Several suitors have expressed interest in American as it tries to work its way out of bankruptcy protection.
This story just in from the Olympic Games. The IOC has disqualified an American athlete for doping violations. He is judo competitor Nicholas Del Poppollo. The IOC says after his event last week he gave a urine sample that tested positive for a banned substance. We'll have more on this story later in the NEWSROOM.
In Oklahoma more than a dozen wildfires are burning at least 120 structures have been burned and hundreds of homes still threatened. Strong winds, high temperatures and the drought is fueling the flames.
Get this, nearly half the dust over the United States and Canada comes in from overseas. That finding is based on new satellite images. NASA scientists estimate 64 million tons of foreign dust, pollution, and other particles reaching North American airspace each year. Take a look at that. Most of the particles are dust. At least 60 percent of it comes from Asia.
CNN's Beijing Bureau Chief Jaime Florcruz is in Beijing this morning; that's the city with one of the highest pollution levels in the world. So Jamie, does that NASA study surprise you at all?
JAMIE FLORCRUZ, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF CORRESPONDENT: Not at all. In fact, I still remember the really bad days that we've had here a few years ago. I remember there was one particular dust storm which blanketed Beijing for a whole day, dumped something like 300,000 tons according to one estimate just in one day. And this dust storm swept across the Korean Peninsula and reached as far as the U.S. West Coast which goes to show that indeed air pollution is a global problem which requires a global solution -- Carol.
Jamie, John Vause is one of our CNN correspondents who is based in Beijing, he sent us -- he gave us these pictures so we could show our audience just what everyday life looks like in Beijing. He lived on the 30th floor of a very nice high-rise building with his family.
And this is pretty much a typical day in Beijing. What's it like there Jamie to breathe the air?
FLORCRUZ: It's not pleasant, Carol. Just as what John described, many days we can barely see, you know, far away. Sometimes we are surprised that in fact, there are mountains not too far from us. But most of the time this beautiful skyline of Beijing is usually shrouded with a mist. And a lot of these dusts actually emanate from the Gobi deserts, which is the fifth largest desert in the world.
And every year around winter time and spring time we experience this dust storm. In fact that year, is the worst dust storm that I can remember was the eight of that year -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Of course, it's not only dust in the air, as you said, it's dust from coal powered plants. There is a big debate in this country that we have too many regulations, you know and the EPA might, I don't know, some think the EPA should just go away, the Environmental Protection Agency. What are the regulations like in China controlling pollution coming from coal powered plants?
FLORCRUZ: They have been putting regulations like that, they have been trying to control car emissions, for example, even though car sales continue to increase in big cities like Beijing. They also have shut down some polluting factories.
But all with a modest success, the problem in China is when Chinese face the choice between economic growth and environmental protection, usually economic growth wins -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jamie Florcruz thanks for putting things into perspective for us. Thanks so much.
What's behind the political fight over voter rights? That's what we're asking you today. Your response is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. The question this morning, "What's behind the political fight over voter rights?"
This is from Joseph." Any action by a government which in any way inhibits or discourages the people not to vote is not only appalling but downright tyrannical.
This is from Steve, "No ID, no vote. That will prevent fraud."
This is from Dave, the Republican controlled state legislature in Ohio was trying to affect the outcome of the elections. They are cherry picking what group should have easy and assured access to the polls.
This from Mike, "So a minor amount of fraud is all right? Remember Florida? Every vote counts and must be accurate."
And this from Tome, "Absolutely zero evidence of any real voter fraud. In the meantime, real American voters are being disenfranchised by this. If you really want to make voter id laws, then do it in a non-election year so people have time to acquire proper ids.
Keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/CarolCNN. More of your comments in the next hour of newsroom which begins shortly.
Actually we'll go live to Wisconsin for more on that investigation into the deadly temple shooting and more on the suspect who was dishonorably discharged from the army. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
