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Romney, Ryan Campaign Separately; Hometown Voters React To Ryan; Obama Targets Ryan; Obama Visiting Seven Iowa Cities; Iran Quakes Kill 300 People; Syrian Cities Under Siege; U.S. Destroyer, Oil Tanker Collide; Bus Accident Caught On Video; New Obama-Biden Web Ad Released; Dems Respond to Romney's Pick; New Rules Proposed To Help Homeowners; Debating Romney's Choice of Ryan; NFL's Chad Johnson Arrested; $100 Million Manhattan Penthouse; Olympic Traffic Floods Heathrow

Aired August 13, 2012 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead this hour in the NEWSROOM, he may be the new man in town, but Paul Ryan won't be the only one today. President Obama and the Republican, take its new number two face-off in Iowa.

Chaos and carnage in the streets of Syria. Desperate rebels running for their lives begging the world to step in and stop the siege before time runs out.

Plus, he's out of jail and now out of a job, too. The NFL star formerly known as Ocho Cinco arrested and accuse of head butting his new wife. Now the Miami Dolphins says don't come back.

And everyone knows the big apple is not cheap, but this is just plain ridiculous. Go inside the most expensive apartment ever listed in New York City. CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.

Mitt Romney hitting the campaign trail today, but not with his new running mate, they're splitting up, at least just for the morning each visiting a battleground state.

The newest member of the ticket, Paul Ryan, heads to Iowa. He will speak at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines while Romney is in Florida. His event in St. Augustine wrapped up just a few minutes ago.

That's where we find our national political correspondent Jim Acosta. And Jim, did Romney make any news out there?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I have to tell you, Deb, one thing that we noticed from this crowd this morning is that there was a little less energy in the crowd without Paul Ryan at Mitt Romney's side.

He's sort of called attention to the fact that there was sort of a smallish looking crowd around him. There were hundreds of people waiting to get in. They couldn't get in because of the security line here was just enormous.

There was a line going around the block outside of this event, but this event was very much about his running mate Paul Ryan. You can see Mitt Romney trying to layout his defense of his running mate Paul Ryan.

Obviously, Paul Ryan is coming under some attack from the Democratic side for his budget plan that would partially privatize Medicare. Well, during his comments, Mitt Romney said that we want to make sure we preserve and protect Medicare.

And then he went after the Obama campaign, describing it as smear, dirt, distortion, and dishonesty. He also took a few moments to sort of pay homage to the space coast here where we're fairly close to here in St. Augustine and talking about his running mate. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, when President Obama was candidate Obama, he promised everyone in this country the moon, but he never got off the launch pad. And so we have a very different approach.

I'm delighted to have picked as my running mate, Paul Ryan, a great leader, a man who has proven that he knows how to solve problems. He did not just go to Washington and become involved in public service to try to make a name for himself. He instead went to make things better for the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now later today, Mitt Romney will also be joined by Marco Rubio once again down in Miami. That's obviously a very important area for the Romney campaign in terms of winning this state.

And then tomorrow he heads to Ohio where he will link up with Rob Portman who was also on that short list for his running mates on this Republican ticket.

So you can say, Deb, over the weekend it was all about the running mates. This week for Mitt Romney it's about the runner-ups -- Deb.

FEYERICK: Yes, it's interesting. We're listening to the music behind you "When A Man Loves A Woman," very mellow for the kind of energized event that I think that they're trying to portray. I know I read that you have a favorite song on the campaign trail, too, right, right there, Jim?

FEYERICK: That's right. I mean, I sort of like "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley. I did tweet that out earlier this morning. It's interesting that you noted that they are playing "When A Man Loves A Woman," right now, Deb.

They might as well be playing "Stand By Your Man" because that is sort of the message from Mitt Romney earlier this morning. He was putting up a defense of Paul Ryan. I think we'll be hearing more of that here in the state of Florida.

By the way, the Romney campaign is sort of pushing back on this notion that they're hiding Paul Ryan from the state of Florida, the Wisconsin congressman will be down here on Saturday according to the campaign, to talk to voters and obviously defend that Medicare plan that has caused some controversy for this campaign.

FEYERICK: Absolutely. Seniors, one group that he's definitely going to have to persuade come election time. Jim Acosta live for us in St. Augustine, Florida. Thanks so much.

Well, now, more on Romney's new running mate. Congressman Paul Ryan's roots run deep in America's dairy land. The fact, he reminded voters of during a campaign stop in Wisconsin last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE PAUL RYAN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: My veins run with cheese, bratwurst, and a little spot of miller.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Spotted cow is a beer brewed in Wisconsin, not too far from Ryan's hometown of Jamesville. They have mixed feelings about their congressman. Athena Jones explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Folks here in Paul Ryan's hometown of Jamesville, Wisconsin, are reacting to the big news.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he's an excellent candidate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At first, I don't like what he stand for.

JONES: The seven-term congressman who comes from a prominent local family is well-known in this town of 63,000 people southwest of Milwaukee.

He attended school here, is a parishioner at the Catholic Church, and his brick home on a quiet street sits near the home of an extended. Neighbors describe him as down to earth.

CHRISTINE GARCHOW, JAMESVILLE, WISCONSIN RESIDENT: We've spoken to him in the neighborhood. So we're friendly that way. Just a down home kind of guy, you know. He's in the Labor Day parade with his kids and his daughter was selling lemonade.

JONES: At a water ski tournament on the river, voters celebrated what they called Ryan's vision, and expressed hope that he will help the GOP win this traditionally blue state.

MATT FARRA, JAMESVILLE, WISCONSIN RESIDENT: I think that he's got the country -- wants to get the country going where it needs to be going, budget wise and the economy. But it also makes you feel good as a Wisconsinite. So I hope that helps some of other people who are on the fence, which is over to lean on over.

JONES: While at the farmers market just down the street from Ryan's district office, voters applauded Romney's choice for different reasons.

TOM SCHLEISNER, JAMESVILLE, WISCONSIN RESIDENT: I was very excited about inspired.

JONES: Why?

SCHLEISNER: Just because that Paul has a great vision for America and I think he's the right choice.

JONES: Some Democrats say that pick many conservatives are hailing as bold and outstanding because of his Ryan's commitment to deep budget cuts will end up boosting the Democratic ticket.

STEVE OLSON, JAMESVILLE, WISCONSIN RESIDENT: I'm totally elated.

JONES: Why is that?

OLSON: Because it's going to be easier for the Democrats now. I think they can attack two guys, two birds with one stone and their fiscal restraint, read the records. They're going to gut all the programs for the poor.

JONES: Both detractors and supporters have good things to say about Ryan.

RICH BOSTWICK, JAMESVILLE, WISCONSIN RESIDENT: He sticks to his beliefs and he's a big advocate for the district. I think he's a hardworking person.

GARCHOW: I think he's a man of integrity.

JONES: But one thing voters we spoke with from both parties seemed a bit unsure of is whether the 42-year-old is ready to be president.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he's not old enough yet to know what he's doing.

JONES: Do you think that Paul Ryan, 42, ready to be president?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know yet. I think that's kind of young.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: While Paul Ryan has won this district seven times, the state of Wisconsin hasn't gone red in a presidential election in nearly 30 years. And it's hard to say whether a Romney/Ryan ticket will change that. Athena Jones, CNN, Jamesville, Wisconsin. FEYERICK: President Obama also hitting the road today. He begins his three-day bus tour through Iowa with a speech in Council Bluffs. By the end of the week, he will hit seven cities throughout the battleground state.

Let's bring in our White House correspondent Brianna Keilar. Brianna, we'll talk about the president's campaign is doing in a moment, but first what are you hearing? What is he saying about the Paul Ryan pick?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: He talked about it last night, Deb. Yesterday when he was in Chicago, he had five fund-raisers and he addressed the pick.

Personally he had some very warm words for Paul Ryan. He congratulated him, welcomed him to the race, and called him a decent man and a family man.

But then on policy, President Obama pounced. And we saw what we will no doubt see a lot more of, framing Paul Ryan along with Mitt Romney as fighting for the wealthy while he, President Obama, tries to frame himself as fighting for the middle class.

Here's part of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: He's an articulate spokesman for Governor Romney's vision, but it's a vision that I fundamentally disagree with.

My opponent and Congressman Ryan and their allies in Congress, they all believe that if we just get rid of more regulations on big corporations and we give more tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, it will lead to jobs and prosperity for everybody else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: And some more biting words coming from David Axelrod, a key campaign adviser to President Obama, he called Ryan a certifiable right winger.

But Deb, we're kind of getting a sense of where the campaign is going to be going already here in the last couple of days. They will be micro-targeting certain constituencies.

Key constituencies for the Romney ticket and for President Obama trying to either chip away its support or rile up President Obama's base. For instance, they will be hitting Medicare a lot because of Ryan's support for changing Medicare into a voucher system.

That will be targeting seniors who are very important to Mitt Romney so trying to chip away at some of that support and then President Obama looking at some key constituencies like women. His campaign will be saying to women, he voted to defund Planned Parenthood.

Mitt Romney supports this. And, also, looking at perhaps some cuts to programs that President Obama will argue will affect things like education as he targets women and also Hispanic voters -- Deb.

FEYERICK: The debate absolutely shaping up to be a very interesting one. Brianna Keilar at the White House for us, thanks so much.

Well, the death toll in Iran continues to climb after a pair of deadly earthquakes hit the country Saturday. At least 300 people are dead. More than 3,000 are injured. Government officials say some historical sites are damaged along with more than 100 villages.

Officials say relief supplies are being delivered and tent camps are in place for the thousands of people now homeless. Iran sits on major fault lines and has a long history of catastrophic earthquakes.

And it's another deadly day in Syria. Rebels say government forces have killed at least 33 people across the country today more than 100 yesterday.

CNN's Ivan Watson joins us now from Istanbul, Turkey. And Ivan, we have some new video here of what appears to be a plane being shot down. What can you tell us?

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Deb. This is what appears to be a Syrian made fighter jet in the east of Syria over the province of Darizur.

We know that the Syrian fighter jets have been used over the past month to bomb Syrian cities in town where's rebels are active. Our teams have seen them on the ground bombing the city of Aleppo, for example, in this video shot by rebel amateurs, it's clear that the jet is flying low and then as anti-aircraft fire crackles in the background, it suddenly bursts into flames.

And then appears to go down. Now, Syrian state media has officially said, Deb, that this was a technical failure to a military aircraft on an ordinary training flight. And the pilot ejected and has still not been found.

The rebels are claiming they shot this plane down with a 14.5 millimeter anti-aircraft gun, which is highly unlikely. What is clear is that a fixed wing air force jet has gone down. The Syrian military has enjoyed complete dominance over the skies in this increasingly brutal civil war -- Deb.

FEYERICK: And you know, Ivan, you talk about this brutality and I think it was yesterday you showed us that incredible video of the people being thrown from roofs. The violence is escalating. Apparent executions are taking place. What can you tell us?

WATSON: Yes, I have to warn viewers. The next video, even though we've cut it down, is highly graphic, because it shows what appear to be rebels hurling the bodies of government fighters off the rooftop of a communication/post office building in a rebel-held town in northern Syria called Albob.

And it's clearly an extra execution taking place of at least three people. This is not the first time in the last weeks that we have seen rebels executing government fighters and government supporters.

A number of activists that we have talked to, Syrian opposition activists say they are disgusted. They feel sick seeing this kind of video. They feel that the revolution in Syria that has been under way for 17 months is taking a terrible turn.

Many of them condemning the rebels themselves for these types of actions. Rebel groups are accusing the Syrian government of public executions of at least ten men in the city of Homs on Sunday, all this points to an increasingly brutal cycle of revenge killings under way in this bleeding tragic country -- Deb.

FEYERICK: All right, Ivan Watson, thank you so much in Istanbul reporting for us. Thanks.

Well, the "USS Porter" and an oil tanker collide near the Strait of Hormuz. The destroyer dented. We'll tell you what the crew is up to now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well, checking our top stories. The presidential campaign moves into a higher gear with the GOP ticket now set. Mitt Romney just finished addressing supporters in St. Augustine, Florida. Later today, he'll speak in Miami.

His new running mate Paul Ryan has his first solo event in Des Moines. President Obama has two speeches in Iowa today as part of a bus tour through the state. And Joe Biden stunts in Durham, North Carolina.

Well, talk about a traffic accident. The crew of the "USS Porter" is checking damage after the guided missile destroyer collided with the Japanese oil tanker. The accident happened early Sunday near the Strait of Hormuz. No one on either Navy ship or the oil tanker was injured.

And look at this incredible view of a bus accident as it happens caught on video. It shows the moment of impact. Look at that. When the Kansas City Transit Authority bus swerved to avoid a car careen down an embankment and then rolled over. Thirteen people were injured. Police say they will use the tape in their investigation.

And Democrats wasted no time in trying to frame Congressman Paul Ryan as a part of the far right fringe even using his own controversial budget plan in a new ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Paul Ryan budget, which cuts aid to the disabled, which cuts aid to immigrants' children, which cuts aid to the elderly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: And that is a web ad video clips of Ryan and Mitt Romney are throughout the ad endorsing the proposal, which changes Medicare and promotes privatizing Social Security. Romney and Ryan went on "60 Minutes" hoping to keep the focus on the economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: Got real problems, domestically, you have 23 million Americans out of work or stopped looking for work. The president has not been able to get this economy going. I believe that you have to have folks that have the kind of capacity and experience that we have to get America back on track.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: So let's talk about the choice and the Democrats' response. R.T. Rybak is the mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is also the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Mr. Mayor, we heard Mitt Romney there talking about the economy. Paul Ryan, he is a numbers guy. He knows the budget. He's going to force the issue. Does this trouble you, the chances of winning with him on the ticket?

MAYOR R.T. RYBAK (D), MINNEAPOLIS: Well, I think basically what we've seen is what Mitt Romney was trying to get the American public to buy they didn't buy.

And so he basically outsourced his policy to one of the architects of the policies that led to gridlock in Congress. Congressman Paul Ryan supported a budget plan that does some pretty extreme things.

All the shift to the -- against the middle class just to give huge tax breaks to the rich while doing a few things, cutting the things that matter, assisting for kids to get through college, helping young kids get early childhood, and most important, really ending Medicare as we know it.

It's going to need to possibly up to $6,000 more for a senior for risky voucher scheme. We know what happened when George Bush proposed doing it with Social Security. With the strong support of Paul Ryan and now there's this whole other extreme.

So is America going move forward with the president trying to pull this country together or take an extremely conservative right wing ideologue out of a Congress that has shown an inability to govern?

FEYERICK: Well, Mitt Romney says, with all due respect, that Paul Ryan's plan is not his plan. That he's going to come up with his own plan. Is the Democratic strategy, in part, to focus on groups who really have the most to lose and perhaps instil a little bit of additional fear?

RYBAK: Well, if you talk about the middle class as a group, the answer is yes. This is an election about the middle class. And if you go to barackobama.com/taxcalculator, you'll see pretty simply what the Romney budget has already proposed.

Now Romney left a huge number of holes including saying he would eliminate tax breaks, but, what, the ones he's benefitted from? We don't know. Now Ryan has put some meat on the bones, but it's really under the guise of deficit reduction.

Something that balloons our deficit, but cuts all the things that we know work, getting people to school, getting investments in emerging industries, all of these things just so that we can get more tax cuts to the very, very wealthy?

Yes, the middle class, you call it an interest group, I call it what really makes America work and that is what the president is focused on. Romney/Ryan is all about take from the middle class and give to the very rich.

It doesn't work. It didn't work under Bush. If it would have worked, the economy would have soared under Bush but it collapsed. It's not going to work under Romney/Ryan.

FEYERICK: But at the same time, Ryan is a fiscal, social conservative. He is from a district that voted for Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, a swing district. He's young, smart.

Really almost the kind of person that people were saying Barack Obama was four years ago. Are you worried that perhaps Paul Ryan is now the new face of hope and change?

RYBAK: Well, Paul Ryan is -- seems to be a nice enough guy with an incredibly mean spirited budget. I mean, I don't really think hope and change is taking a senior who's really been about building their neighborhood and this country.

And saying to them, we're going to turn something you depended on for your financial and health security and turn it into a risky voucher scheme or what if we had listened to Paul Ryan and George Bush when they wanted to put the Social Security into the stock market and the stock market collapsed?

Could you imagine what mess we would be in now? Think about what they are proposing doing. And then think about what's happened in Congress and personalities are one thing. They matter but Congress matters a lot.

Congress has demonstrated its incapable of governing under this Republican leadership. Paul Ryan has been one of the key leaders. When you really think about what the strategy must be with the Romney campaign.

They're afraid of it enough that all of a sudden this great partnership between Romney and Ryan kind of breaks off when it's time to go to Florida and talk to seniors.

So they've got him on a bus to Iowa while Romney goes down to pretend that seniors in Florida are not at risk when they are.

FEYERICK: The campaign has said that Paul Ryan will be going down to Florida, just not right now, but at the end of the week. OK, Mayor R.T. Rybak, thank you for your insights. Thanks for joining us live there for us in Minneapolis this morning.

RYBAK: Thank you.

FEYERICK: Well, help may be on the way for homeowners. We'll have details on some proposed rules for lenders that are designed to keep homeowners in their homes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: No surprises, no run around, that's what some federal watchdogs are saying about proposed rules to help protect homeowners. Joining me from the New York Stock Exchange is Alison Kosik -- Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Deb, don't you hate getting the run around when it comes to your mortgage and trying to get information about your mortgage, well, that's what the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is trying to avoid, giving you that run around.

What there are doing is proposing these new rules to make the mortgage process easier for homeowners to understand, beginning with the mortgage statement itself, which can get kind of confusing when you look at it. That's not it. Servicers would have to give six to seven months advance warning before changes were made to your adjustable rate mortgage.

There would also be early outreach if you're delinquent borrower. So those at risk borrowers wouldn't fall too behind. There would also have to be a faster fix for errors. Meaning mortgage servicers would have to respond to complaints of mistakes within five days.

And finally, servicers would also have to post your mortgage payment to your account the day they get it instead of dillydallying and not posting it the day they get it.

Now these are just proposed rules. They still have to go through a public comment period. When the rules are finalized, they could go into effect as early as the beginning of next year -- Deb.

FEYERICK: A little hope there for the homeowner. Thank you so much. Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange.

Well, if the view doesn't take your breath away, price tag certainly will. A $100 million for some prime New York real estate. We're going to be taking you on an exclusive tour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Stories we are watching right now in the NEWSROOM.

Today the Vatican says the Pope's butler Paolo Gabriele will be charged for leaking secret documents from Pope Benedict's apartment and passing them to an Italian journalist. The documents appeared in a best-selling book. According to a Vatican spokesman, a second man, a Vatican computer expert, will also be charged as an accomplice.

And in Iran, the death toll now stands at more than 300 after two earthquakes struck the northwest part of the country over the weekend. More than 3,000 people have been injured by the quakes which destroyed or damaged dozens of villages.

Sarah Palin will not be addressing the Republican National Convention later this month. The former vice presidential candidate says it's a good opportunity for other voices to be heard. Palin has not said whether she will attend the convention in Tampa.

Thanks to Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan is quickly becoming the most talked about Congressman right now but a lot of voters don't know his background. So who is he? Well, Paul Ryan is a Congressman from Wisconsin's first district. That includes much of southeastern Wisconsin, including Milwaukee. He grew up in and still lives in Janesville where a General Motors assembly plant closed about four years ago.

His wife is a former congressional aide now raising their three children. Ryan has been elected seven times, serving Congress 14 years. He is up for re-election this November. He is the Chairman of the House Budget Committee. And for a college job, it's interesting he drove the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile.

Democratic strategist, Maria Cardona is a CNN contributor, Erick Erickson is the managing editor of RedState.com, also a CNN contributor. Thanks for joining us.

Maria, you first, is Paul Ryan the right pick for the GOP?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, he's certainly the right pick where -- where Democrats are concerned. And -- and here's why and here's why I think it's a risky pick for the GOP. It's bold for -- for sure. That's -- that definitely true. And I believe that Paul Ryan does bring a lot to the ticket in terms of enthusiasm. And that's exactly what the GOP needed especially with conservatives.

Here's the problem. It's risky with so many of the other demographics that the GOP really needs in order to win. It does absolutely nothing for Latinos except underscore that the GOP has essentially written off the Latino vote. It does nothing to close the gender gap, which we know Romney has a lot of trouble with.

And it has handed Democrats exactly what they have sought all along, which is not a referendum -- the election not being about a referendum on President Obama but a choice election between a ticket that wants to fight for the middle class and a ticket that essentially wants to fight for millionaires and those who are the best off in this country. That's what it will be about.

FEYERICK: Erik, respond to that. Do you see that as -- as -- as the way he's being defined in terms of Republicans?

ERICK ERICKSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Oh I think whoever Mitt Romney picked Maria would have just gone through the litany exactly the same and Democrats will do that. I think Paul Ryan is a very interesting pick.

People in the media have for years said we want a substantive campaign. Well, here's a substantive campaign. Paul Ryan has a budget proposal that actually managed to make it through the House of Representatives. He's managed to get Democratic support. He's manage to get Erskine Bowles of the Bowles/Simpson commission saying it's an honest, serious attempt to fix problems.

And Barack Obama can't even get his budget out of the Senate. He's gone over 1,000 days without a budget. He has yet to address entitlement reform which is weighing on the economy. It's a very interesting pick.

Maria is right, though, it is a choice now. It has been a referendum on Barack Obama's failure as president. Now it's going to be a choice between two visions and which will help the middle class and which won't help the middle class. Maria thinks that President Obama will help the middle class. I think he can't help the middle class when he's busy raiding their pockets.

FEYERICK: But Erick let me just ask you one follow up on that. You say it's going to be a substantive campaign, I think everybody agrees with that but do you think that Romney and Ryan is going to be -- they're going to polarize the middle class, the middle class that -- that Maria is saying is being defended by -- by -- by the Obama campaign?

ERICKSON: No, they're not going to polarize the middle class. Barack Obama is trying to polarize the middle class. The Democrats are running a campaign ad accusing Mitt Romney of killing a woman, for God's sake. There's no way the Republicans will stoop as low as the Democrats have in that one ad. And they're going to fear monger and scare because really there's nothing to show for Barack Obama's agenda other than an unpopular health care plan and 8.3 percent unemployment.

FEYERICK: Well ok. Well, Erick but it's unpopular for those who don't like it but it's popular with those who do. So there are always two sides to the point.

ERICKSON: Yes except the majority of Americans dislike it.

FEYERICK: Maria, when you look -- when you look at what's at stake, how do you see this Ryan pick right now? What is at stake?

CARDONA: Well, here's -- here's exactly what's at stake, Deb and here's why I think this -- this pick is actually very risky for Republicans. They love to call it a courageous pick, they love to talk about how Paul Ryan has put on the table very courageous, bold views in terms of his -- of his Ryan budget.

But here is the problem. What is courageous about a plan that disseminates -- disseminates all of the programs that middle class families and workers depend on and ask absolutely zero from the -- those who are most well off in this country. It is not balanced whatsoever. It does cut the budget but it doesn't do it for like another 20 years, but it does cut the budget on the backs of seniors and on the backs of those who are most vulnerable who have been the hardest hit in this recession.

And that is the discussion that Democrats are going to put front and center and they're going to talk about how the Ryan plan turns Medicare into a voucher program, basically a glorified coupon book, which is great if you're going to go shopping but not great if you're looking for health care to save your life.

And it's going to be a choice election. That is what this pick has handed the Democrats, a very clear vision. The majority of the American people have already said they don't like the Ryan plan because it isn't balanced.

FEYERICK: Well, it's handed and Maria handed something to the Democrats, it's also handed something to the Republicans. Maria Cardona in Washington, Erick Erickson in Megan, Georgia. Thanks both of you so much for joining us.

CARDONA: Thanks so much.

FEYERICK: Well, NFL player Chad Johnson is out of jail. He is now also out of a job. Showbiz correspondent Nischelle Turner is gathering the latest details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well, Chad Johnson was heading into the upcoming NFL season with his old name and a new team, the Miami Dolphins. But after his arrest this weekend, for alleged head butting his wife, Johnson finds himself without that team.

Joining me from Los Angeles is CNN's showbiz correspondent Nischelle Turner. And Nischelle this all started with a receipt that was left laying around.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN SHOWBIZ CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It looks that way, Deb. You know, Chad Johnson and Evelyn Lozada just got married on July 4th. They're in the midst of shooting a reality show about their relationship called the "Eve & Ocho" show. She was part of the series "Basketball Wives" and he starred VH-1's "The Ultimate Catch", he also was on "Dancing with the Stars" and he is the six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver in the NFL. He was signed as a free agent in the off season by the Dolphins.

Now the team also was in the middle of shooting this reality show "Hard Knocks." The "Eve & Ocho" show is supposed to debut on September 3rd. But yes you were talking about how this started about some receipt that she found in the car. And according to the police report from Evelyn Lozada, she said that she discovered a receipt with a charge for a box of condoms in the car. That discovery led to the argument which culminated in a three-inch cut on her forehead. She says Chad head butted her. He says she slammed her head into his.

FEYERICK: And do you know the Dolphins reacted pretty quickly actually and -- and clearly did they use this as a reason why?

TURNER: Yes, quick and swift. You know they didn't really say that this was the reason they released him. They released a short statement on Saturday saying that they are aware of this situation, they were gathering the facts. But by Sunday afternoon, he had been cut by the team.

Now one thing to note, though, Deb, the Dolphins do have a new coach, a new head coach, they have a new attitude. And Coach Philbin is said to have implemented a zero tolerance policy with the team. And -- and you can see in this case, he wasn't joking.

FEYERICK: All right, well, I guess maybe he still has his reality series. Nischelle Turner thank you so much. We appreciate the update.

TURNER: Sure.

FEYERICK: Well, Manhattan has a $100 million view and, yes, it's on sale. We'll go on a tour of the city's most expensive listing ever.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: So you have an extra $100 million to spend? I'm out. This three-floor penthouse with breathtaking views can be all yours if you do. Felicia Taylor gives us a tour of New York City's most expensive listing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): This is the view that you get from what is the most expensive apartment to ever be listed in the New York real estate market, but this isn't the only view. It wraps around the entire apartment, all three floors, for a 360-degree panoramic view.

But for a $100 million price tag, it's not just the view you're going to get. We're going to look at the other amenities.

(voice-over): We get an exclusive tour of the penthouse from Howard Lorber chairman of the listing agent Prudential Douglas Element.

(on camera): Has there been any interest already?

HOWARD LORBER, CHAIRMAN, PRUDENTIAL DOUGLAS ELEMENT: Well, there has been. We have had a couple of very important showings and we have a few more lined up.

TAYLOR (voice-over): Six bedrooms and nine bathrooms located on the top of the city's spire building on Manhattan's West Side.

(on camera): What makes this apartment so spectacular?

LORBER: Well, I think the most important part of this apartment is the views. This is a view apartment. You have terraces. You have 3,000 feet of terraces facing the city, the East Side, the West Side, north to the park, south to downtown.

TAYLOR: $100 million asking price. I mean it's steep for anybody out there. Is the view really what's going to capture it?

LORBER: Pricing apartments today, it's not a science, you know? If this is what the owner wants for the apartment, it will either sell or it won't sell.

This is the dining room which can seat 20-30 people at least.

TAYLOR: So come on. I like to cook.

LORBER: You like to cook? Ok.

TAYLOR: Show me the kitchen.

LORBER: I'm not going to test your cooking though. How would you like to be cooking looking at this view.

TAYLOR: Oh my goodness.

LORBER: The river.

TAYLOR: Wow.

LORBER: Then downtown.

TAYLOR (voice-over): And while sales of less swank Manhattan homes have been flat, business is booming in the so-called super prime sector.

LORBER: The high end of the market has reached a new height. The low and middle has not. It has come back and it's close to where it was before but it hasn't, you know, gone past it. There are plenty of buyers, a lot of foreign buyers. And local buyers, also.

VANESSA FRIEDMAN, "FINANCIAL TIMES": I think it's a reflection of a general interest in high-end everything, you know. If you're a luxury consumer and there are a lot of them out there still, you're looking at a place to put your money that's reliable, that's a hard asset class. That could include a boat, it could include a plane, it could include a great piece of art, watches and jewelry, or an incredibly fabulous piece of real estate.

TAYLOR: And fabulous real estate is going fast. At least four deals within eight months. $52 million bought one American a lux pad on Park Avenue. Another American bought the penthouse at the Ritz Carlton on Central Park for $70 million. $88 million earned a Russian family a penthouse on Central Park West. And the yet to be completed 157 has a deal on the table for about $90 million, possibly with a Middle Eastern royal.

Back in the triplex here's more of what a lot of money can buy.

(on camera): For $100 million asking price, naturally to get to the second and third floors, you have your private elevator.

(voice-over): The master bedroom sits at the top and right above it the massive dome that caps the building. The penthouse owner controls when it's lit, adding to the New York City skyline.

(on camera): Whoever the buyer may be for this apartment, the sky certainly seems to be the limit when it comes to New York City real estate.

From high atop Gotham, I'm Felicia Taylor, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: And that's $100 million without furniture.

Well, the games are over and now the athletes are headed home. We'll go live to London to show you all the activity at Heathrow airport.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well, the Olympic flame was slowly extinguished and the games are officially over. Now the rush is on for the athletes and the fans to get home. Heathrow is one of the busiest airports and that's where we find Erin McLaughlin. And Erin show us what it is like there now.

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, so far things seem to be going pretty smoothly here at the Olympic terminal. The exclusive exit point for Olympic athletes as they leave the country. So far we've seen plenty of athletes come through here. Some appear to be a bit blurry-eyed after last night's closing ceremony celebrations. We spoke to others about their lasting impressions of London 2012, including U.S. sprinter Justin Gatlin. Let's take a listen to what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN GATLIN, U.S. OLYMPIC ATHLETE: Just a dream come true. You know, a mission. To be able to come back out here and to -- to make my supporters and my friends and my family happy, to show them that I am a God-given talent, to come out here and compete to my heart's content. It makes them very happy.

LOUIS LAURSEN, OLYMPIC ATHLETE: Fantastic. We had a bit traveling through there but it was fantastic out there and all the people was cool. So it was -- really good.

HALEY ANDERSON, U.S. OLYMPIC ATHLETE: We will see how everything goes. I mean it's all new for me. I can't wait to get home, see my family, get back to school soon, and it's just going to be really fun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, let me just show you around here. Some 6,000 athletes expected to pass through here today alone. They will receive a warm reception and farewell from the volunteers here at Heathrow Airport. This temporary terminal was set up just for the games, just for the athletes. It was designed to resemble a London park complete with a lamp post, telephone booth. There's even a memory tree.

This isn't just about however leave that one last impression, it's also about making sure that Heathrow runs smoothly on this day so that regular passengers can get home on time as well, Deb.

FEYERICK: All right. Erin McLaughlin for us there. Very festive background. So nice way to say good-bye to all those talented young people. Thanks so much, Erin.

And we are back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: This morning Reverend Billy Graham is hospitalized in Asheville, North Carolina. The 93-year-old evangelist is suffering from a pulmonary infection thought to be bronchitis.

Graham's spokesman says he is being treated with antibiotics and that he's improving. Doctors expect him to remain in the hospital for another day or two.

Well, you hate exercise, maybe you haven't done it in years. But you know that you've got to get off that couch. So how do you get started? Fitness expert Dolvett Quince has a few simple ideas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOLVETT QUINCE, FITNESS EXPERT: You guys all know me from NBC's "Biggest Loser". I've helped out plenty of people who are new to gyms, new to working out. It's just not their life.

Maybe that's you. Maybe you haven't worked out in a very long time. But you've never worked out before. Guess what, you have to get started. And the best way to get started, here are a few examples. Go for a walk, challenge yourself, walk on a hill. You're not limited to just walking on a flat terrain.

Go up the hill and come right back down. Do that 10, 15, 20 times, as many as your body can stand. Give yourself a goal. Always add a little bit more time in. Guess what, you're in motion and you're moving. Try these movements and you'll be successful. You're on your way to a better you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: All right. I think I'm going to go outside now. Well, I am Deborah Feyerick. Thank you so much for joining us today. "CNN NEWSROOM" continues right now in New York with Ashleigh Banfield -- Ashleigh.