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Arthur Threatens 4th of July Holiday Plans; Protesters Stop Busloads of Immigrants; Jerusalem Police Use Stun Grenade on Crowd; Benghazi Suspect Due Back in Court Today; National Anthem's History
Aired July 02, 2014 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The spiraling bands here now in the Atlantic Ocean right through the gulfstream itself which is the warmest water. The storm itself on satellite doesn't look as impressive right now -- that's good -- as it did yesterday. But that doesn't mean it's falling apart. That just means it's gulping in a little bit of that dry air.
Here are the watches. And that red one right through there -- that's the warning. That's the most likely path of the storm, as it moves up today into the farthest away from land tomorrow -- a little bit less effects tomorrow. But then as we get into tomorrow afternoon and finally into Friday right through that Nag's head, that would be Moorhead City, Nag's Head right there into the Outer Banks. We have crews all along the Outer Banks to watch it for you so you don't have to go there.
And look at this, if you are going to the beaches, let's just leave on Friday. No, how about this? Let's leave on Saturday because by Saturday afternoon, Carol, it's already East of Boston and by Sunday it's in Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada.
(CROSSTALK)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You'll miss the Fourth of July.
MYERS: But the Fourth of July is everywhere. If I can't watch my fireworks in New York, I can always watch them in D.C. because there's going to be fireworks everywhere. I know. I know. It would be nice to see them on the beach. I get it, Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes, I know. But it's best -- safety first. I get you. Chad Myers thanks so much.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Checking other top stories for you this morning at 30 minutes past the hour, Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl is now taking trips off that Texas army base. He's been escorted by members of his reintegration team. He's made stops at restaurants, stores and the library in an effort to interact with people and ease his transition into every day life. "The New York Times" reports Bergdahl has written a letter to his parents but he hasn't spoken to them yet. He has spoken to a friend that he made the beneficiary of his army life insurance policy though.
Iraq's prime minister is offering a shocking deal in an effort to stem violence by militants. In a televised address, Nouri al Maliki declared amnesty for tribes that fought against the government except for those who killed Iraqi forces. Al Maliki also hopes parliament can choose a new president and prime minister, the next time it meets.
A water leak on board a Qantas flight from L.A. to Australia has forced the plane to turn back after about an hour in the sky. CNN affiliate Seven Network in Australia reports that the leak was due to a burst pipe. A passenger says water leaked through the floor in first class and on to the passengers in economy on the floor below.
It was the final leg of the journey -- three busloads of undocumented immigrants bound for a border patrol facility in southern California. They were being transferred from overcrowded border facilities in Texas but that bus and all the people on board never made it because as you can see so many people blocked the highways.
Stephanie Elam has more for you.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, it was quite the scene out here as it became a shouting match between people out here protesting illegal immigration and the few people who showed up to show their support for the people on the buses.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
USA.
ELAM: Chants of USA gave way to a heated shouting match outside of a U.S. border patrol facility in southern California.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are not born here. They're not born here. They have to go back to Mexico.
ELAM: Holding signs that read "Return to Sender" and "Stop illegal immigration", about 100 protesters blocked the road as three busloads of undocumented migrants approached the center where the immigrants detained in Texas and then flown to California would be processed by customs and border patrol.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are obstructing the runway.
ELAM: The move is an attempt to ease the badly strained border patrol efforts in Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELLEN MEEKS, PROTESTER: I just wish America would be America again because it's not and it's just not pointed to the Hispanics. It's everybody needs to go through the legal rights. ELAM: The union for the border patrol agents is concerned about the
influx of migrants to a facility used to temporarily hold smugglers along the nearby interstate corridor. Not processed, 140 people every 72 hours.
RON ZERMENO, BORDER PATROL AGENT: My concern is they are going to be eating in the same holding cells that someone is going to be sitting five feet away using the bathroom.
ELAM: Ron Zermeno is a border patrol agent here as well as a union official. He says processing migrants instead of enforcing the borders is only making the situations worse.
ZERMENO: The cartels have taken advantage of these people that are coming across. The smugglers are directing them to say go to that border patrol agent on that hill and turn yourself in. As soon as they see that agent is occupied with that group of 20, 30 people, the smugglers who are then running their illicit drugs and they're running around it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Send them back. They're hurting this family.
ZERMENO: If these children were from Canada, we would not be having this interview.
ELAM: But Enrique Morones argues this is a humanitarian issue as these families, some with young children flee violence in their native countries.
ZERMENO: The parents have had enough. They're saying if I don't send my child north, they are going to die. They should have taken their children north. Let's welcome them here in California. Let's show the world that we really know how to treat our children.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ELAM: Unable to pass, the buses eventually backed down the street and headed to another facility about an hour and a half away from here; gone from this location for now but still in the United States. And the next group of 140 migrants is expected to arise here on the Fourth of July -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Stephanie Elam, reporting.
As the immigration debate heats up, both sides are getting right at each other's faces.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Impeach Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you Obama. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Now that the President says that he will act on his own to push immigration reforms, are there limits to the power of his pen? Athena Jones joins us now from the White House with the answer to that question. Good morning -- Athena.
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. That is the key question and yes there are legal limits to what the President can do without Congress's help.
Let's take a look at some of the things he can do. I believe we have a graphic we can put up on the screen. He can prioritize who gets deported, like focusing on violent criminals. That's something the administration has already been doing for some time. He can also dispatch more border patrol agents and members of the National Guard to the border.
A sustained border security surge is part of that $2 billion request White House is making to Congress to deal with the issue -- this immigration issue right. He can also continue to deferred action program. That's for some kids who are brought to the U.S. as children. It allows them to stay here temporarily to work or to go to school.
And remember that back in March, the administration also announced they were going to do a thorough review of the entire deportation process to try to figure out ways to make it more humane. That's going to be part of what the President's team is looking at this summer.
Now let's take a look at what -- some of the thing the President can't do without the help of Congress. We can put up that graphic now. He cannot bar people from applying for political asylum. He also can't increase the number of people eligible for green cards -- that's something that's controlled by law. And he cannot just deport undocumented immigrants without some sort of legal hearing. That would also violate the law.
So bottom line, to do anything sweeping, a comprehensive overhaul of the immigration system he's going to need Congress's help and I should mention all this talk of executive action is not making Republicans happy. We've already heard from House Speaker John Boehner who was saying he's going to sue the President over his use of executive actions, saying it violates the constitution. And the President for his part, essentially has told Speaker Boehner -- bring it on. He said during a speech yesterday. "So sue me. If congress is not going to do anything, I'm not going to apologize for trying to do something on this and other issues." That's the look at the current fight -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Is Congress doing anything?
JONES: Well, the President would argue that Congress isn't, certainly when it comes to the immigration issue. He's pointed out numerous times that the House Republicans would just hold an up or down vote on this comprehensive immigration bill that that passed the senate a year ago, that it could bas but speaker John Boehner has told the President that that vote is going to happen. And so that's why we have this big announcement from earlier this week about the White House looking in to steps the President can take on his own -- without Congress to deal with it -- Carol
COSTELLO: So what's John Boehner's idea of a solution then?
JONES: Well, it's interesting. You know, on Monday, in responding to the President's announcement about these executive actions he's hoping to take on immigration. Speaker Boehner said look as long -- we don't believe the President is going to carry out the law as written, until we believe that he's going to carry out the law as written, we're going to have this stalemate in Congress. As far as Speaker Boehner is concerned, this step through executive action is not the way that the president should go. And of course, the White House is saying, Well, then Congress. Pass a law. Pass a law and I won't have to resort to executive actions. That's from the President -- Carol.
COSTELLO: This all sounds so sadly familiar. Athena Jones, thanks so much.
On Saturday, we look at immigration through the eyes of an undocumented worker. Jose Antonio Vargas is a Pulitzer-price journalist living in America illegally. He's now risking everything by coming forward and going public telling you his story -- "Documented". The CNN film airs Saturday night at 9:00 eastern on CNN.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, tensions in the Middle Speaker -- a boil over as police scramble to figure out if a Palestinian teenager's death was an act of revenge.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Tensions in the Middle East show no signs of easing. Now a test, the Palestinian teenager is killed in possible retaliation for the earlier abduction and murder of three Israeli teens.
Earlier today CNN's Atika Shubert was caught in the middle of it all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As a revenge attack, things are very tense here at the moment. In fact, I'm going to spin the camera around very briefly here. Oh, excuse me. There's a lot of police trying to disperse us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: All right. Atika is just fine. She was in the middle of a live report a few hours when police started using stun grenades on an angry crowd. This new violence coming as the police are being asked to use quote, "the greatest speed to solve the case of the teenage Palestinian boy who was kidnapped and then killed on Tuesday.
Senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is in Jerusalem with more for you. Hi Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi Carol. Yes, the situation here is somewhat calmer than it was earlier in the day when Atika was here but this stand-off has been going on for at least 11 hours now. We have seen as the Palestinians have been throwing stones at the Israeli police, the police responding with mostly stun grenades, occasionally some rubber bullets.
Now, this has all been sparked by the discovery of a body in a western Jerusalem forest. The body has been identified as that of 16 or 17- year-old Mohammad Abu (ph) a (inaudible) who according to his family was abducted about 4:00 in the morning, in front of the mosque behind me which is right the street from the family's house. Now, we've heard words of condemnation from the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas from near Barkat, the mayor of Jerusalem, as well as Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
But the mood in this city is turning extremely ugly. Carol last night I was in downtown Jerusalem where I saw more than 100 Israeli youth chanting "death to the Arabs". One of the men in the crowd I spoke to said that once the sun goes down, we're going to attack them -- Carol.
COSTELLO: What is the Israeli government saying, Ben?
WEDEMAN: Well, as I said, they have roundly condemned this killing and they said they are furiously investigating whether this was related to events or had some other motive behind it. But certainly they are -- they say they are trying to solve this mystery as soon as possible. Obviously, the worry is that given the mood that things could really get out of control at this point -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Ben Wedeman reporting live from Jerusalem this morning.
The suspected leader of the Benghazi attack that killed four Americans is due back in court for a detention hearing just minutes from now. Ahmed Abu Khatallah has been charged with material support of terrorism in the attack. He's already pleaded not guilty to a conspiracy charge.
Joining me live outside the courthouse is justice reporter Evan Perez. Evan, what's going to happen in today's hearing.
EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: Well Carol, at this courthouse right behind me, Abu Khatallah is going to have a pretrial hearing. Now the government filed some documents last night that says he is a flight risk and that if released until he stands trial in the next few months, obviously, he would probably flee. He was found with an armed -- with a loaded handgun when he was detained a couple of weeks ago. And so this hearing today will decide obviously whether or not he will be held by the federal government until he stands trial in the next few months -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Prosecutors have said they expect to add more charges. Will they do that today?
PEREZ: We don't expect that they will add those charges today, but they have said that they will add these charges which would possibly bring the death sentence if he's found guilty of them. And these charges include murder and firing a handgun during the Benghazi attacks -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Evan Perez reporting live from Washington this morning.
Still to come to the "NEWSROOM", it's one of most beloved songs in U.S. history. I'm talking about the Star Spangled Banner. But as our national anthem turns 200 years old -- one man says we've been singing it all wrong for years. He will sing it the right way for us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It has been said the Star Spangled Banner is a difficult song to sing. Maybe that's because our national anthem isn't being sung to the right tune. Hear me out. This is what we're used to hearing.
(MUSIC)
COSTELLO: A gorgeous rendition yes, but this is not the way the Star Spangled Banner sounded back in the days of Francis Scott Key. Listen to this.
(MUSIC)
COSTELLO: Interesting right. Thomas Hampson is the very talented man who will be singing the Star Spangled Banner as it was meant to be sung at the Library of Congress in Washington on the Fourth of July. Welcome.
THOMAS HAMPSON, ARTIST: Good morning. Thank you very much.
COSTELLO: I'm so excited that you are here. So the Star Spangled Banner in 1814 seems so much more lively -- what happened?
HAMPSON: Well, you know, first of all, we're not trying to correct 200 years of history. In fact, one of the great things about this Star Spangled Banner is this complete conviction when one sings the song and the various modern mutations are actually very exciting renditions of our society at a particular time and that's the story I think we're wanting to tell in the Star Spangled Music Foundation in this whole recital.
We're going to look at -- I don't know -- 75 or 80 different word variations of various social context on this particular tune. The three main things about the tune that are different is that it would have been sung probably by a more professional voice in the verses that were in the chorus or whoever was there -- the public or the club that was there have joined in.
Certainly, the tempo, we've gotten very regal about how "Oh, say can you see by the dawn's" -- but in fact probably at the beginning is "Oh say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed" -- a little more spirited.
What Whitney did -- what was really quite revolutionary, she change the 3/4 rhythm to a 4/4 rhythm which nobody had done. And that's fantastic. It's a wonderful story of hands-on civics if you will over many years.
Before the civil war there were 80 version of it.
COSTELLO: Oh my -- well I
HAMPSON: Well, textual versions.
COSTELLO: I've always heard that the original music for Francis Scott Key's lyrics was a bar song. Is that true?
HAMPSON: You know, I really want to -- I'm going to jump right here and say please go to Star Spangled Banner, StarSpangledMusic.org and read this wonderful essay by Mark Clay -- one of the great parts from (inaudible) Michigan in this whole collaboration. And he debunks all these myths.
It is not a bar song and it is not a drinking song. Clubs that got together on both sides of the Atlantic to sing and have a lively discussion of the arts in singing and reading and speaking and narrating and so forth. Of course there were libations involved but this was not a smacking your mug next to each other kind of thing. It was much more of a celebration --
COSTELLO: It's a bar song.
HAMPSON: It is not a bar song. It is actually -- and the point of all these mutations of text, I mean there's songs about abolitionists -- there's text about abolitionists, there's text about temperance, there's women's suffrage. The history of the Star Spangled Banner is quite a history or quite a narration of our own history, the very real issues that any generation have preoccupied this.
The other thing that people don't realize is that very often in the early days especially you would have changes of text, but you would have a constant tune. This tune comes from 1790s or 1780s and the anachronotic tune or ode as it was called it started with something -- I don't know. Celebrating --
COSTELLO: I have a great idea since it's going to be the Fourth of July soon. I want you to sing your favorite version of Star Spangled Banner and bring us to break. Can you do that?
HAMPSON: I don't know. I don't think I can sing the whole song.
COSTELLO: Not the whole song. Just a couple of bars.
HAMPSON: But I don't have the text here in front of me. And I don't remember them. I'm very bad at that.
COSTELLO: You're very shy.
HAMPSON: I'll tell you what -- the show, the recital we're doing on the third, the collaboration with the Library of Congress, (inaudible) down to the humanities, the Hampson Foundation go to SongsofAmerica.net, go to StarSpangledMusic.org. This program is going to be up on the net sooner than later and everybody can hear all these mutations that are really very, very exciting.
COSTELLO: All right. I can't wait to see it.
Thomas Hampson thank you so much for joining me today. I appreciate it.
HAMPSON: Great pleasure. Thank you.
COSTELLO: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Fans packing stadiums where the Cowboys and Bears played not for NFL football but for the sport the rest of world calls football. CNN's George Howell checked out the fever for the U.S. soccer team.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soccer watch parties around the country, in Chicago, the headquarters of U.S. Soccer.
They say some 25,000 people packed into Soldier Field to watch the U.S. team take on Belgium. At AT&T stadium, home of the Dallas cowboys, organizers estimate more than 10,000 soccer fans filled the stands. There were big crowds from Seattle to Washington D.C. on Pennsylvania Avenue and in San Francisco as well, where you could hardly find a bar or pub where people weren't glued to the screen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was one of the most exciting games I've seen so far. It was exciting until the end.
HOWELL: There was so much excitement not just about this game against Belgium but also about the sport of soccer in the U.S.
Even President Obama weighed in with hopes for a win. But no offense to the President, online people were tweeting Tim Howard for president raving about the 16 saves he made on the field.
Then there was that goal scored by Julian Green which brought back the hope the U.S. might win this thing. It made for a moment of celebration in the home of U.S. soccer star Clint Dempsey but then minutes later when the game ended a collective sigh of disappointment. Even after this loss on the field, some say the country actually gained something here.
MIKE GRESSLE: I think every four years, we kind of see a huge peak in interest in the sport. A lot of general sports fans come in, a lot of kind of just general people that aren't naturally sports fans come in and they go out and stick around once they realize how much fun the sport can be.
HOWELL: In fact, television ratings for the games have been the best for a non-football even. According to ESPN, the game may very well have hooked America on what the rest of the world calls football.
George Howell, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: It was an amazing run. Of course, everybody really is really talking about Tim Howard because what an amazing athlete. Howard set a World Cup record with 16 saves in yesterday's match against Belgium. And though the U.S. got knocked out of the tournament, Howard has become an instant legend and not just on the pitch.
Here's Andy Scholes.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: Hey Carol, yes. On Twitter yesterday during the game all everyone was talking about Tim Howard and at some point during the game someone came up with a #things Tim Howard could save. And it just took off from there.
Here are some of my favorite pictures. These are pretty awesome. Here's this one. Apparently if he would have been in the Uruguay/Italy game, he could have saved the Italian defender from getting bitten by Luis Suarez. That's pretty good. If he was a character on "Game of Thrones", he could have saved Ned Stark from being beheaded by King Geoffrey.
COSTELLO: No doubt.
SCHOLES: That would have been pretty awesome.
Here's a great one. He could have saved the meteor from landing on planet earth -- the dinosaurs would still be around. Who knows what would happen if that was still going on.
My all time favorite thought is Tim Howard could have saved Mufasa on "The Lion King" from falling to his death. How different that movie would have been if Mufasa would have been around the entire time -- right Carol?
COSTELLO: Exactly. Where was Tim Howard when we really needed him?
Andy Scholes, that was a lot of fun. I can't wait for Tim Howard to come home because he will be a big star.
Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello.
"@THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND MICHAELA" starts now.
