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United Kingdom Blocks Military Role; Superman, Batman Head to Michigan; Fergie Gives Birth to Son, Axl Jack; U.S. Could be Alone in Strikes on Syria; Nascar Driver's Inspirational Comeback; Fresh Fruit and a Dream

Aired August 30, 2013 - 10:30   ET

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

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Just to give you a sense of what the headlines are looking like here. "Cam Down" from "The Sun" this is the most read paper in the U.K. "PM Humiliated as MP say no to Syria strike." And this one also "Humiliating Defeat for Cameron." And that's pretty much the main word throughout the headlines here is "humiliated".

Basically, it was a resounding defeat: 272 for military action, 285 against. And there was a lot of emotion and anger in the House of Commons last night particularly directed towards opposition labor leader, Ed Miliband.

In fact in one of the papers you just saw there "The Independent", actually said there was an expletive-laden background briefing to at least one reporter about the vote and what happened. And for that reason, there was a lot of anger in parliament last night. There were shouts of resign and shame.

But in the end, Prime Minister Cameron said that he accepted the vote and that there would be no military action from Britain.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Atika Shubert live in London this morning, thank you.

Other top stories at 31 minutes past: the commercial airline industry may face a pilot shortage in the coming years. "USA Today" says Boeing predicts about 25,000 new pilots will be needed each year. The airplane maker cites growing fleets and new FAA restrictions and more retiring pilots. But finding new pilots might be difficult. Flight school is expensive and many new pilots earn low wages less than $20,000 a year.

The IRS will treat married same-sex couples the same as other married couples for tax purposes. Federal tax law will apply even if they live in a state that bans same-sex marriage. The move comes after the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act. Same-sex couple will now qualify for federal tax benefits and penalties and they can file an amended return to claim a refund for previous years.

You'll soon see a new warning on the caps of Extra Strength Tylenol bottle that will read "Contains Acetaminophen". Always read the label, the maker of Tylenol says it's trying to reduce the number of accidental overdoses of the drug. Health officials say the overdoses are one of the most common poisonings worldwide.

Superman and Batman out to save Detroit, or at least pump some much- needed money into the bankrupt city's economy. Officials just announced that the hotly anticipated Superman and Batman movie will film in the Motor City early next year.

Alison Kosik is following the story. Good morning.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Carol. Leave it to Superman and Batman to rescue Detroit or at least bring in, you know, millions of dollars to the city. "Men of Steel," the sequel, will be filmed there beginning next year. This is a film is going to be made by Warner Brothers which is a subsidiary of Time Warner just like CNN.

This is the biggest movie to be filmed in Michigan ever. It's expected to bring in $131 million to the state. It'll bring in hundreds of jobs and you know the employment situation has been tough but it has improved after the recession. Detroit unemployment rate at this hour is 10 percent compared to almost 17 percent during the recession.

Detroit's had a tough time, though. In July it became the biggest city to file for bankruptcy. So as you know, movies, they bring in a lot of business. Not just hiring but you look at hotels. Hotels are filled up. Local restaurants, everybody goes out to eat and people go shopping.

So Michigan really is seizing the moment on that. It's been trying to bring in more money, it's been offering incentives to attract more movie producers as it did with this film as well -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I don't know Michigan -- I mean Michigan has been doing that for a long time especially the city of Detroit right. They used to have these massive tax breaks if Hollywood would come and shoot their movies and it worked.

KOSIK: Right.

COSTELLO: A lot of movies have been shot in the state of Michigan or Detroit.

KOSIK: Yes. They do. There's a list of movies. You know this hopefully will -- every little bit helps. You know it certainly can't hurt. And hey you know it's fun to watch how these movies are made as well.

COSTELLO: Absolutely. Thanks, Alison.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM Fergie is back -- Fergie from the "Black Eyed Peas" is now a proud new mom. And she's naming her son after a rock and roll star. We'll tell you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Thirty-seven minutes past the hour. It's time to check our "Top Stories".

A judge says a 14-year-old rape victim who later killed herself had control of her situation and gives her admitted rapist just 30 days in jail. Now hundreds are protesting in Billings, Montana. They want Judge Todd Baugh to step down. Judge Baugh is now apologizing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE G. TODD BAUGH, U.S. DISTRICT COURT: I'm not sure just what I was attempting to say at that point but it didn't come out correct. What I said was demeaning to all women.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Prosecutors are consulting with the state's top lawyer on an appeal. They say the rapist should have gotten at least two years in prison, not 30 days.

A six year old girl is dead after her eight year old brother took her joy riding in her mom's car and crashed. It happened in Phoenix. The children's mother thought they've been kidnapped and her car have been stolen so she called 911. Other callers alerted authorities about two kids in a car veering through the streets. Police try to pull them over and that's when the car struck a pole.

People in three communities who fled the massive wildfire in and around Yosemite National Park can now go back home. But 4,500 homes are still threatened. The rim fire is now the fifth largest fire in California history. Outside the park, nearly 5,000 firefighters are battling to put it out but inside the "LA Times" reports officials are letting it burn naturally unless it threatens lives or building.

Fergie and Josh Duhamel are now the proud parents of a baby boy. The celebrity couple named the baby boy, Axl Jack. Possibly an homage to Axl Rose from "Guns and Roses?" Who knows? Maybe Nischelle Turner does.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well first of all don't you have to say it like that, Axl Jack. You've got to have a little something behind that. Axl Jack. And you know Carol I do know a thing or two about having a unique name so I can talk to this subject.

And you know what Fergie -- we're talking about a woman who actually legally changed her name to that. So you may have seen something like this coming. Now maybe we can expect some sort of cover of "Sweet Child of Mine" of her in her next album. Or maybe she's going to have a baby version of that.

But here is the deal on Axl Jack. He weighed in at seven pounds, 10 ounces. He was delivered by C-Section. We are told that everyone is doing fine this morning. And you know Axl Jack joins this growing list of -- let's just say they are unique celebrity baby names.

This isn't a new thing. Because if you remember, Moon Unit Zapa (ph), remember. COSTELLO: Oh yes.

TURNER: Remember that name Carol?

Ok well so here is what we did for you. We put together a list of ten names that remind you that there is some kindergarten teacher in Hollywood that's dealing with some issues today -- today when she looks at her attendant sheet. So look at this Busy Phillips is Cricket.

COSTELLO: Cricket.

TURNER: Alicia Keys son, Egypt. We all know about Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's daughter, North West. This is one of my favorite, Jason Lee's child's name is Pilot Inspektor.

COSTELLO: What?

TURNER: Yes. Jessica Simpson's new baby Ace Knute, Ashlee Simpson her sister named her son Bronx Mowgli. Penn Jillette child is Moxie Crimefighter. Gwen Stefani's child Zuma Nesta Rock and I think my all-time favorite Jermaine Jackson's son is Jermajesty. And then we got Nick Cage's son Kal-el.

Now that's just a sample. I can go on. You know there's Apple, there's Blue Ivy, there's lots of those. But you know it's not just celebrities that are doing this these days. Everybody seems to be trying to create this personal brand for their kids.

Here's what the Social Security administration says, Carol. The two names that have the biggest jump in popularity in 2012 were "Major" for boys and "Aria" which is the character in the series "Game of Thrones".

And Carol, let me just say, if you don't think your name is unique enough, give it a little time. If it dropped out of --

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: My name is boring.

TURNER: Well but it was in the top 1,000 baby names for girls. It dropped out back in 2006. So you've got one up on me because Nischelle has never been in the top anything for baby names.

COSTELLO: That's because your name -- you're not named after a joyful Christmas song as I am.

TURNER: I'm named after Lieutenant Uhura from "Star Trek" Nichelle Nichols.

COSTELLO: Are you really? That's really cool. I remember.

TURNER: Yes.

COSTELLO: She's a very nice lady who did a lot for the civil rights movement.

TURNER: I actually was so geek when I met her. I was so nervous I took a picture with her and sent it to my mom and we had a real good laugh out of that. And my mom was like I can't believe you actually met Lieutenant Uhura.

COSTELLO: That's awesome.

TURNER: Yes.

COSTELLO: Nischelle Turner that was fun. Thanks so much.

TURNER: Sure ok.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the U.S. is planning to release intel today about Syria's chemical weapons use.

We'll talk about the case for possible military action next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Could the U.S. go it alone in military action against Syria? And what about support here at home for a strike both on Capitol Hill and across the nation?

Ashleigh Banfield will be talking a lot about that -- all angles of that story in today's "LEGAL VIEW". Good morning -- Ashleigh.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN HOST: Hey, you know what Carol; the legal case for war is something that people have been talking about all week. You can really get into the weeds on that what with all the international laws, Geneva Convention et cetera. But there's something else that play here and that is how do Americans really feel about this? What are we doing? Are we really wanting to get ourselves involved?

The Brits just said no and what about our ability to stomach another effort even though it's a humanitarian crisis? I'm going to show you some numbers, Carol, coming up that might really surprise you in what being the world police has been like for us and how we may be dropping in the amount that we're prepared to spend in blood and treasure to help other people.

COSTELLO: Can't wait to see it. Ashleigh Banfield, thanks so much.

BANFIELD: Sure:

COSTELLO: Checking our top stories at 45 minutes past the hour.

Two twins are in stable condition this morning after surgeons in Dallas separated them. Before the surgery Emmett and Owen Ezell were connected from the breast bone to the belly button and shared a liver. Mom and Day say they're overjoyed that the surgery was a success. Surgeons say they are cautiously optimistic.

It's going to be a soggy Labor Day across much of the United States. Flash flood watches will be in place for parts of southern California and around Las Vegas. A storm front moving through the Midwest and northeast could bring showers and storms. In the meantime, the country's midsection will be hot and dry with heat warnings and advisories in effect from Des Moines to Dallas.

Six Flags is building the world's tallest drop ride at a theme park in Jackson, New Jersey. We're talking 41 stories tall. It's the kind of ride where they shoot you up into the air and then they just let you fall. It's called the Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom. It will zip riders 415 feet up into the air and then let them plummet at 90 miles per hour. The Zumanjaro will take riders so high they will be able to see the Philadelphia skyline, more than 50 miles away. Wow.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Brian Vickers is back on track. We'll talk to him about surviving a life-threatening illness and joining a top Nascar team. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Nascar drivers pulling to the Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend hoping to rack up points, heading in to the chase for the Sprint Cup. One of those drivers, Brian Vickers is a survivor in a couple of ways. He's racing again after his previous team dropped out of Nascar but he's also overcome a more serious hurdle. Blood clots in his legs, lungs, and a finger. If not treated, they could have taken his life.

Brian Vickers joins us now. We were just talking about it in the break how the most unexpected things strike you and, well, first of all, tell me how it happened. Are you walking down the street and you feel something wrong?

BRIAN VICKERS, NASCAR DRIVER: Pretty much, actually. I was in Washington, D.C. I had some signs and symptoms kind of leading up to it. But you know, you're young, you think you're invincible. I'll let it go away. This chest pain whatever it is -- I can't breathe. And then it just got to a point where I couldn't stand it and I was in D.C. And I walked to the hospital.

COSTELLO: You walked yourself to the hospital?

VICKERS: With a friend, Porter Stowell, he walked me to the hospital. Thank God he was there, he knew where it was. And we couldn't get a cab so I walked. By the time I got there, I could hardly breathe.

COSTELLO: What did you think was happening?

VICKERS: I had no idea. But I can tell you this, you don't have to wait long in the line at the hospital. You walk in and say, "I can't breathe and my chest hurts." They take you right back.

COSTELLO: So they thought you were probably having a heart attack, right?

VICKERS: Yes. They assumed at first and then they gave me antibiotics. They thought maybe I had a pneumonia and it wasn't until we finally got to the CT Scan that they figured out it was blood clots.

COSTELLO: That's unbelievable. So you were an up and coming Nascar driver before this. You found great success, and now you're in the hospital. You almost died, right? So as you're laying in the hospital, what are you thinking?

VICKERS: Well, it was somewhere between am I going to be ok? All right. I'm going to be ok. And then the next question is, "I have practice Friday in Dover". and they are like, "Son, not only are you not making practice in Dover, you may not be in a car for a long time, if ever."

So, that was a hard thing to overcome and kind of deal with emotionally and then try to fight back to get back into a race car. And now I've had this opportunity with MWR and a chance that Aarons has given me to get full time back in the Nascar.

COSTELLO: So were some Nascar teams kind of like reluctant to hire you because of what happened to you health-wise?

VICKERS: I don't think. You know, I think once you provide them that the doctors say you're cleared. It was a fluke accident, you should be fine moving forward then they have been fine.

COSTELLO: So do you feel that way? Do you feel like -- you must still think about it and what happened to you and could it happen again?

VICKERS: Yes, I mean you know, it's kind of like what we discussed a minute ago. It's -- you know, I try not to think about it but it certainly comes up times. I think my -- you know, for me the realization was that we are all vulnerable and, you know, it can happen to any one of us at any time. It can happen to me again. But it could just as easily happen to someone else.

And you know when it comes to clotting specifically, it's a very undiagnosed issue. Clotconnect.org is a company that I've worked with to help educate people on clots and even the medical staff to treat like when I first walked in, they thought I had a pneumonia.

COSTELLO: Oh wow. That's just really scary.

So as you're -- you know, you're back in the game, so to speak. Do you think differently about things as you're participating in your sport?

VICKERS: I think I have a new appreciation for it. I mean I always loved what I did. But when it's ripped out from underneath you so quickly and so unexpectedly, it definitely -- it makes you appreciate how much you love the sport, you know. And then to have the chance -- the second chance, you know, almost the third chance again with MWR Michael Waltrip Racing and Aaron's and Toyota to get back in a car and a winning car; To be able to win just a few weeks ago and essentially a deal to race for two more years for the Sprint championship.

COSTELLO: So ultimate goal for you, ultimate, ultimate? VICKERS: To win the championship. I want to win the Sprint Cup Championship so bad I can't stand it. That's kind of the one goal of my racing I haven't quite been able to accomplish yet. So, you know, I've been fortunate through the help of great teams and great sponsors like Aaron's to win the races but the championship is where it's at.

COSTELLO: Well, good luck to you. And thank you so much for sharing your story. I really appreciate it.

VICKERS: Thank you.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In the shadow of Martin Luther King Jr's birthplace, one woman had her own dream: to give her neighbors access to fresh, health fruit in a place known as Atlanta's Food Desert. Tom Foreman has this in this week's "American Journey".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The guanamano (ph) is going to be our naturally sweetest fruit. Passion fruit mango.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As sure as peaches pop out in summer, every day customers pour into a LottaFrutta, seeking something fresh.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fresh cut coconuts. That is lemonada.

FOREMAN: And Myrna Perez knows how much that matters. When she moved to the struggling neighborhood it was an urban food desert with plenty of fast food but almost no fruit and vegetables like she grew up with on the Texas-Mexico border.

MYRNA PEREZ, OWNER, LOTTAFRUTTA: I figured if I could not find this anywhere, why not open up my own establishment and be able to offer it every single day for me, for selfish reasons, and for everyone else.

FOREMAN: Some predicted locals would not support her but that was seven years ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much.

PEREZ: Enjoy your lunch.

FOREMAN: And LottaFrutta has been growing ever since with elaborate fruit cups, ice cream, smoothies, sandwiches and much more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's nothing like this anywhere around here.

FOREMAN: LottaFrutta has become so important to the communities identity it's just been given a $50,000 expansion loan from the city.

BRIAN MCGOWAN, CEO, INVEST ATLANTA: This is an up and coming neighborhood being revitalized and so we're always looking to incentivize and assist investments that help attract and keep residents in neighborhoods like this.

PEREZ: I am a self-accredited, self-appointed fruitologist only because I have a love and passion for fruit all my life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mangoes, mangoes.

FOREMAN: Perez's secret is simple. The first part --

PEREZ: Everything that we do here, we would want to eat. And we put a lot of care and consideration into what we do and how we prepare it.

FOREMAN: And the second part?

PEREZ: A lot of work.

FOREMAN: That's made this combination of fresh fruit and a fresh idea into a home-grown success.

Tom Foreman, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: I know where I'm going after work.

Thank you for joining me today. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. I'm Carol Costello.

"LEGAL VIEW" with Ashleigh Banfield starts now.

BANFIELD: Making their case: the White House is set to reveal new evidence any moment on Syria's chemical weapons use. This, as the debate over military action reaches a boiling point.

A Montana judge may have made his state a laughing stock and the protesters you see want him to pay for it. They also want to overturn the surprisingly light sentence that he handed out to a convicted child rapist.

And the NFL settles a massive lawsuit with former players over concussions. We're going to talk with one of those players in what seems to be a pretty modest payout and the greater effect on football's future.

Hi everybody and welcome to the "LEGAL VIEW". I'm Ashleigh Banfield. It's Friday, August 30th.