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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Panetta in Afghanistan; Millions of LinkedIn Passwords Stolen; Japanese Dock Washes Ashore In Oregon
Aired June 07, 2012 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news. A surprise visit to Afghanistan by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Coming up: find out why he's there. We are live in Kabul.
ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, a bus carrying 55 people flips over in Kentucky. Thirty-five of those people were children. The details, straight ahead.
BANFIELD: And millions of LinkedIn users had their passwords stolen. How can you protect yourself and your profile? This our on CNN.
SAMBOLIN: Are you on LinkedIn?
BANFIELD: I am. I don't use it very often.
SAMBOLIN: Did you change your password?
BANFIELD: Heck, yes.
SAMBOLIN: Yes, a lot of people did overnight.
BANFIELD: It drives me bananas, because I'll tell you what? With all the things that are password protected, I really hate having a lot of passwords.
SAMBOLIN: They say you have to make it super complicated as well, in order for these things not to have --
BANFIELD: But, you know, you're a mom of two kids, working full-time. It's hard to remember those details.
It is 5:00 in the morning. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START.
Nice to have you with us. I'm Ashleigh Banfield.
SAMBOLIN: I'm Zoraida Sambolin. We are bringing you the news from A to Z. It's 5:00 a.m. here in the east. So, let's get started for you.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
SAMBOLIN: We do begin with breaking news this morning.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta making a surprise visit to Afghanistan. Panetta arriving after a deadly Wednesday in Afghanistan. A twin suicide bombing on a market in Kandahar killed 22 people and injured 50 others.
NATO also under scrutiny after an air strike killed 18 people, including women and children believed to be civilians.
The U.S. also saying one of its armed helicopters was shot down by enemy fire, killing two crew members aboard.
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom is live in Kabul.
Mohammed, Defense Secretary Panetta says he wants to find out from NATO's top commander, if the allied forces are prepared to confront the threat from the Taliban and al Qaeda that's linked to the Haqqani network. Is it troops that they're questioning here? Do we have enough?
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that has been one of the key questions, you know, Zoraida. There's grave concern, especially in light of these attacks yesterday about the escalation in violence in the last few weeks, in the last few months.
Yesterday was the deadliest day for civilians in Afghanistan this year. I mean, take that suicide attack that you spoke about a minute ago. This was coordinated in a way to maximize casualties, a very sophisticated type of attack in Kandahar, which was a former stronghold of the Taliban, where there have been fierce clashes between ISAF and coalition forces, and the Taliban, the last few years.
You had somebody -- suicide bomber on a motorcycle go outside a crowded restaurant blow himself up. Then when residents in the area flooded that area, another suicide bomber detonated his explosive. More casualties after that. Over 20 people killed, at least 50 injured just there alone.
Now, today you had Defense Secretary Panetta meeting with U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, meeting with General John Allen, the NATO commander for forces here -- trying to find out what more can be done because there is so much concern about the deterioration in the security level here at the last few days -- Zoraida.
SAMBOLIN: And the Taliban getting more organized as well.
Twenty-three thousand American troops are set to leave Afghanistan by the end of September. Are Afghanistan officials concerned about maintaining security in light of that?
JAMJOOM: They're extremely concerned. And, right now, you have sort of an internal struggle going on because depending on which province or city you're talking about in Afghanistan, you could be talking about different types of Afghan security forces. You have the ANA in some areas, then you have a group called the ALP, the Afghan local police.
Now, this has been a militia that's been armed. They've been supported by the U.S. forces. They come under the auspices of the minister of interior here. And while they've helped in the short term to reduce violence in some of these areas, there is concern that they're not really going to work out to maintain security in the long- term. There's worry about what will happen there.
So, there's worry not just from the Taliban, not just from the Haqqani network, but also these armed militias that are working with the government here. What's going to happen to them if they're disbanded, will they be folded into another unit? Just a lot of questions in Afghanistan. A lot of concerns from Afghan officials -- Zoraida.
SAMBOLIN: As we await the answers. Mohammed Jamjoom in Kabul for us. Thank you very much.
BANFIELD: Four minutes now past 5:00.
An F-16 fighter jet intercepting a small private plane after it entered airspace that was restricted for President Obama's fundraising trip to Los Angeles last night. NORAD says that the jet followed the single engine Cessna until it landed without incident at an airfield in Camarillo, California. The pilot being interviewed.
President Obama was at the Beverly Hilton at the time, was later taken to the Beverly Wilshire for 600-person fundraiser in Los Angeles, held by gay and lesbian supporters there.
The FBI launching an investigation into possible White House leaks of classified intelligence. White House officials say allegations that intel was leaked intentionally to score political points is, quote, "grossly irresponsible." Still, there's bipartisan concern and a demand for answers in Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: People just talk too much. This didn't used to be the case. But suddenly, it's like it's a spreadable disease. It's just happening.
REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: You're talking about conversations amongst very small numbers of people in the Oval Office or in the National Security Council in the Situation Room. We're talking about the people closest to the president. This isn't a big political gathering. We're talking about people with top secret clearances and it should be easy enough to find out who was at these meetings.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
SAMBOLIN: Lawmakers say the leaks threaten national security and put American lives in danger.
BANFIELD: Popular networking site LinkedIn is confirming that some of the stolen passwords released this week by Russian hackers match up with LinkedIn accounts. The company is not saying how those passwords were stolen or the extent of the damage, but it is saying that it's investigating the security breach. Six and a half million passwords were posted online on Monday in a Russian forum. So far, no user names have been spotted on this list, which is good news.
But the experts are saying it is a good idea to change your LinkedIn password just in case.
SAMBOLIN: State police report no life-threatening injuries after a bus carrying 55 people, including 34 children, flipped over last night. This in south central Kentucky. Take a look at that.
The group was heading to Washington, D.C. on a trip organized by parents and World Strides. That's a student travel company. Police say the private bus had just left an elementary school in Hart County when it veered off the right shoulder while negotiating a curve, flipping on to its passenger side.
BANFIELD: A romantic marriage proposal inside a hot air balloon ended up with a trip to the emergency room instead. The bride-to-be and the pilot of that balloon. The newly engaged couple was about to land in Sellersburg, Indiana, last night when the balloon hit a power line and knocked out the pilot. He was unconscious. Also gave the bride-to-be a jolt as well.
The future groom was able to perform CPR on the pilot who ended up being conscious just in time when helped arrived. Both the bride-to- be and the pilot were treated for burns at the scene and taken to the hospital.
SAMBOLIN: What a story they have to tell, huh?
BANFIELD: Oh, boy.
SAMBOLIN: All right. New York City police searching for clues at the home of the man who confessed to killing Etan Patz in 1979. Fifty- one-year-old Pedro Hernandez told police he strangled the 6-year-old and dumped his body in the trash. Meantime, Hernandez's wife says she believes her husband's confession is unreliable because he suffers from mental illness.
BANFIELD: The jury is now seated in the Jerry Sandusky trial. Now, it's their job to decide whether the former Penn State assistant football coach is guilty or not guilty of sexually abusing 10 boys for at least 15 years. The trial is expected to begin in earnest on Monday, took just two days to select seven women and five men along with four alternates.
And the makeup of the jury, kind of shows that the school motto rings true. That motto, :"We are Penn State". Half the 16 jurors and alternates have ties to Penn State, including one retired professor, one current professor, three graduates, two employees and one current student.
SAMBOLIN: We have pretty cool time lapse video of space shuttle Enterprise on its final voyage up the Hudson River by barge, before it was lifted in the air one final time by a crane on to its final resting place, on the deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. That is very cool. The spacecraft exhibit expected to open to the public in mid-July. People lining the shores of New York and New Jersey to catch a glimpse of it yesterday as it sailed past landmarks like the new World Trade Center and the Statue of Liberty.
BANFIELD: I don't know if it's going to stay on that deck, though. It would be great if it did. They might build something permanent on shore. But it's a great place to see it if you're visiting New York.
SAMBOLIN: It was so cool to see. I did -- I have some friends, actually family from Chicago and they were watching it taking picture after picture after picture.
BANFIELD: Well, you could take a live picture right now because there it is, as the sun rises over Manhattan. You're getting a look at all of the machinations surrounding that effort.
And by the way, notice the position of the shuttle. It's facing out into the Hudson. That's kind of nice. If you happen to have those boat tours, you go right bit nose of the shuttle, which is terrific. That's history, baby.
SAMBOLIN: It will not be taking off.
BANFIELD: Heck no. Never did.
SAMBOLIN: Right.
BANFIELD: It did a couple of prototype flight but it never flew in space. But, look, that's how the shuttle program was started by that prototype.
SAMBOLIN: Very cool.
BANFIELD: Staying alive. Get it? New Jersey Devils beating the Los Angeles Kings last night 3-1.
How sweet it is for them, right? They forced a fifth game in the Stanley Cup finals. That could have been it. That could have been the end of the series.
Kings trying for their first Stanley Cup ever. They're going to have to wait at least another day. They lead the series 3-1. Game 5 is coming Saturday in Jersey.
The Oklahoma City Thunder heading to the NBA finals for the first time ever, folks. They finished off the spurs last night with a 107-99 victory. Kevin Durant leading the way with 34 points, 14 rebounds.
The Spurs lost four straight games in the series after they won 20 in a row. That's incredible.
BANFIELD: Between us, who do you think is the basketball fan? Do you think is the hockey fan?
SAMBOLIN: I'm voting for your L.A. Kings. I really am. I love the underdog. I'm sorry they didn't sweep it actually.
BANFIELD: I just want to see Wayne Gretzky out there crying, because this is, you know, a lifelong dream of his, to see that happen. Not really lifelong, but since the late '80s anyway. It would be nice. It's a good story nonetheless.
So, it's 10 minutes past 5:00 on the East Coast. New York City wants to crackdown on the ginormous sodas. But it does not mean that you can't get yourself a big gulp in the Big Apple.
There's a loophole in the proposed law. We'll tell you about it
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAMBOLIN: Welcome back. Fourteen minutes past the hour.
Let's get you up to date. Here is Christine Romans with our morning's top stories.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Ashleigh and Zoraida.
Breaking news overnight as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrived in Afghanistan. Panetta stopped in Afghanistan to get a real time update from NATO's top commander on how prepared allied troops are to confront the Taliban after recent more organized bouts of violence, leaving dozens of civilians killed yesterday.
A series of flashlight bombings has folks in Glendale and Phoenix on edge. The bombs made out of large yellow flashlights. They seem to be randomly placed. They don't target any specific group.
Five people have been hurt, all minor injuries. Right now, police have very few leads. They're asking anyone with information to call the ATF hotline, 1-888-ATF-BOMB.
In a landmark court decision, a Massachusetts team convicted of homicide for texting while driving. Eighteen-year-old Aaron Deveau will spend one year in prison and his license will be suspended for 15 years. Prosecutors say he was texting when he crashed head-on into another car, killing the driver and seriously injuring a passenger. Deveau denied he was texting before the crash. He says he was tired and got distracted.
The Boy Scouts of America will review a resolution that will allow individual units to accept gay adults as scout leaders. But a BSA spokesman says we shouldn't expect scouting ban on gay leaders to end any time soon. Officials say it will take 11 months to complete the review process.
Last week, the Boy Scouts of America was presented with a petition signed by 275,000 people supporting a woman in Ohio who was kicked out as a den mother because she was a lesbian.
And just in time for bikini season, dinosaurs have shed tens of thousands of pounds. A new study says they may have been a lot skinnier than we've pictured them in museums and in the movies. A team at the University of Manchester found this out by using laser technology on several large animals that are still around. So T-Rex just dropped a cool 20 to 200 pounds.
BANFIELD: Twenty to 200.
ROMANS: I don't know how much it dropped.
It might be even smaller. Interesting, right?
BANFIELD: Do you think we would notice if T-Rex dropped 20?
ROMANS: No.
BANFIELD: That's like you and me dropping an ounce.
(LAUGHTER)
BANFIELD: All right. Thanks, Christine.
Rob Marciano is joining us now.
You know, Rob, I would have thought that I would be talking to you this morning about something to do with hurricane season and instead, we're going out to the mountains.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Listen, we had an early start there. So, let's take a little bit of -- we've got six months to play with hurricane season. So, don't worry about that.
Yes. But we'll start you off in Denver. These are storm reports. We had seven reports of tornadoes yesterday. Not a whole lot of damage thankfully. Most of the action was east of Denver. One actually was spotted just north of the airport.
Dallas also had some rough weather. Still seeing some showers and thunderstorms right now. So, if you're traveling through there, there may be some delays over the next couple of hours. Most of the heavy stuff is driving down to the South and East.
Florida can't catch a break, still seems to be on and off unsettled weather there. Some thunderstorms popping up just north of Tampa this morning. And New York, yesterday was pretty nice day. Today, it should be OK as well. But still the threat of seeing a shower pop up kind of in this unsettled and rather cool weather pattern. It just doesn't want to move owl that rapidly.
Otherwise, the map today shows the sweet spot in the country is the western Great Lakes. Big blue H over Chicago, if you're traveling at that way. Desert Southwest continues to be hot and So Cal, not shabby, another storm heading towards the Pacific Northwest. And the storms from Denver yesterday will push just to the East again today.
So, pretty much the same spots that we saw severe weather will be in the center of the country and no threat for hurricanes at the moment.
BANFIELD: That's good news. MARCIANO: Back over to you.
BANFIELD: Much better than last week's news.
All right. Thanks, Rob.
SAMBOLIN: It is 18 minutes past the hour. We're getting an "Early Read" on local news that is making national headlines.
I want to ask you about this one. Pay attention. An officer uses a stun gun on an eight months pregnant woman. "The Chicago Tribune" reporting Tiffany Rent was ticketed for parking in the handicapped spot. The police report says Rent tore up the ticket and tried to take off. That's when the officer used the stun gun to stop her.
She is charged with resisting arrest and simple assault. Rent's boyfriend and father of the baby was also arrested after he tried to intervene.
So, a little bit more back story here. Apparently, the officer was trying to write another ticket because when she tore it up, she threw it and she was littering.
BANFIELD: Oh my!
SAMBOLIN: Because it's not a crime to tear up a ticket, right?
BANFIELD: I think the more concerning issue is did the officer know that she was pregnant at the time of doing the stunning?
SAMBOLIN: Well, actually, the chief of police, Gary McCarthy, says he does not know. He says you can't always tell when they're eight months pregnant. So, they're doing a full investigation.
But, first, I wonder, well, why would you arrest her -- attempt to arrest her for tearing up a ticket?
BANFIELD: Yes, that seemed unusual to me. Probably the resisting of the --
SAMBOLIN: No, no. It was when she tore up the ticket and threw it, he was trying to give her another one for littering, and she was trying to leave. So, I didn't understand that concept --
BANFIELD: I certainly hope that the officer didn't know that she was pregnant when tasing her or stun gunning her. That's a grave concern or did she even let that be known as well. Did she say, hey, I'm pregnant, back off?
SAMBOLIN: They're doing a whole investigation.
BANFIELD: By the way, I hate littering, by the way. I think it's awful. Come on.
All right. Rest easy, New Yorkers. Big Gulp drinks, safe from Mayor Bloomberg's proposed ban on large sugary drinks. "The New York Times" says that the ban is only going to affect delis, restaurants and movie theaters. It won't affect grocery stores and convenience stores like 7-Eleven.
That original 30-ounce Big Gulp is one of 7-Eleven's most popular items, bringing in 10 percent of the store chain's income. 7-Eleven's biggest drink, folks, is the Double Gulp. You would think that's 60 ounces, right?
SAMOLIN: Yes.
BANFIELD: It used to be 64 ounces. It's like double --
SAMBOLIN: And a little more.
BANFIELD: But are you ready for this? The Double Gulp at 64 ounces was too big to hold on to. So they were moving to 50 ounces. The Double Gulp is not quite double but at least you can hold on to it.
SAMBOLIN: All right. A little back story on that this morning. When you yelled up, hey, how many ounces in a big gulp -- everybody knew.
BANFIELD: Everybody knew. You know, I bought Big Gulp before. It's so that I can keep them in my fridge to have them for a week.
SAMBOLIN: Oh.
BANFIELD: Hey, for an expanded look at all of our stories, our top stories, you can head to our blog, CNN.com/EarlyStart.
SAMBOLIN: And if you have a profile on LinkedIn, a warning for you this morning. You might want to change your password. More on the security breach and how you can protect yourself coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAMBOLIN: All right. We're minding your business this morning.
This is a huge rally for U.S. markets yesterday, the biggest of 2012 so far. The Dow, NASDAQ, S&P 500 all gained more than 2 percent yesterday.
BANFIELD: Christine Romans is here to explain to me how all the gains from 2012 have been wiped up, and today's headline, we're back.
ROMANS: I'll tell you why, because it's been a rotten start to the year. I mean, the start of the year was great, and took such a sort of sour turn that now you've got people talking about the fact that there could be stimulus around the corner. That things have weakened enough around the world that they're wondering if central banks are going to renew --
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Well, like central banks stimulus, you know, like making sure that the economies are still going around the world and there's going to be some sort of stimulus underneath things to prop it up. That's what got market excited. So, you have commodities up, you have stocks are up.
Also you had -- look, this is what the year looks like when you look for stocks. So that little rally at the end of a horrible year, you can see that the stock market is just barely higher.
BANFIELD: Spain settled down somewhat, too.
ROMANS: Yes. And there's talk about, you know, Europe getting it act together. It's got, I think, former President Bill Clinton said it was 30, 50 days to really get things sorted out and send the right political message. But the U.S. economy is healing.
You know, there's light at the end of the tunnel. That's the mood yesterday. We'll see what happens next.
The other story I'm following is the LinkedIn passwords hacked, a huge cache of passwords. Millions of passwords and then maybe another million and a half according to one security software firm's report, another million and a half eHarmony passwords. So, lots of passwords hacked.
A Russian hacker is posting this giant list of passwords on a hacker Web site. Security researchers were watching that Web site, it's a Web site I guess where they try to help each other, hackers tried to help each other, you know, decode and track it.
They said, hey, this looks like LinkedIn. Sure enough it was. And LinkedIn says 6.5 million passwords have to have been affected. You should have been notified already. But change your password right now if you can.
BANFIELD: It's the password and --
ROMANS: The accounts have been hacked. All of this stuff posted and then now the hackers go and it doesn't -- it's not hard for them to figure out what the password. This is what's important.
OK. You just saw that on the screen. LinkedIn says it's worth noting that effective members who update their passwords and members whose passwords have not been compromised benefit from the enhanced security we just recently put in place, which includes hashing and salting of your current password databases.
Two words I learned. Hashing is when they automatically encrypt it, sort of encrypt it -- put an extra layer of coating on it before they store it. Salting is when they add other key words or key strokes to it so it's randomly enhanced a little bit.
Here's what's so interesting. You need to make sure, I did not know this. There are hundreds of thousands of passwords that are 123456. Those are the first ones the Russians have just sold to someone else and your identity will get stolen if yours is 123456. Don't use your name.
Mitt Romney's account this week, we learned from Hotmail account, they're investigating to see whether someone figured out the name of his pet, got that password.
You got to have a pass phrase. It's got to be complicated. Make up a fake word. This is a really good day. Remind yourself to do that.
BANFIELD: Change all of them. Not just one of them.
ROMANS: Yes, this is a lucrative database. These are people with credit card accounts, mortgages. Think about all the things they can get into.
BANFIELD: All right. Christine, thank you. Good advice.
Twenty-eight minutes past 5:00 on the East Coast. A war hero wows the crowd with his singing on "America's Got Talent." Feel good story for sure -- but whoa, hang on. Is it entirely true? We're going to explain this in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): New this morning, an F-16 intercepts a small plane during a fundraiser for President Obama. We'll show you what happened next, coming up.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Plus, former Florida governor, Jeb Bush, talking about running for president? Hold your horses. You're going to hear from him straight ahead.
SAMBOLIN: And as if a giant squid isn't enough, right? Let me top it this morning. How about a rare giant squid being eaten by a large shark? Ikk-ikk (ph). We have the story behind this incredible video that has gone viral.
BANFIELD: No wonder. That is unreal.
SAMBOLIN: Yes. It's awesome. But at this time of the morning, as you're eating breakfast, perhaps, sorry.
BANFIELD: Let's just, you know, preface that the squid is dead. There's no suffering going on here. But man, you don't get to see a giant squid for starters, and then, to see this happen. That is unbelievable video.
SAMBOLIN: I always say it's the cycle of life. It's tough to watch, sometimes, but that's what happens. We're going to get the back story to this. We're going to talk to an expert from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN (on-camera): Welcome to EARLY START, everyone. Thanks for being with us. I'm Zoraida Sambolin.
BANFIELD (on-camera): I'm still like --
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
BANFIELD: It could cough any around the world, maybe. Hi, everybody. I'm Ashleigh Banfield. Thirty-two minutes now past -- 33 minutes now. I have to be up to date. Let's get you updated on some of the top stories on the heels of the Democratic debacle in Wisconsin. That recall that didn't recall.
You know, the failed recall vote of Governor Scott Walker. President Obama heading west, young man, looking to raise money. As we just mentioned, NORAD intercepted a plane that entered the president's airspace. And officials say that small aircraft, actually, landed without incident.
But back to the bigger issue. It's the president's second fundraising swing through California in as many months, the events in San Francisco and L.A., including one held by gay and lesbian supporters. And the president spoke of the progress being made and the challenges that lie ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's still about hope and change.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: You tell them, I still believe in the American people and the innate goodness of this country. I still believe in that vision where we all come together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: That's how you raise money, folks. CNN's political editor, Paul Steinhauser is live in Washington. It's not me (ph) thing. That is the numbers talking. Paul, I looked at these numbers about what Obama has raised in total until now. $217 million to Mitt Romney's $97 million. That's pretty remarkable.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: It is, but you'll see Mitt Romney and the Republicans catch up pretty quickly now that the primaries are over. Ashleigh, California California, California. I guess, you can say the golden state, really, is golden or green for President Obama and for Mitt Romney.
You know, this was his third swing through California to fundraise over the last month. So, why all the attention in California? It's not a battleground state, obviously. It's a pretty safe Democratic state, but there's a lot of money. There are a lot of Democratic money, the Hollywood community.
The gay and lesbian community is very large and very important there. The tech community, the tech industry. So, there's a lot of money. $44 million the president has raised through May 1st in California alone. That's number one. Sixteen million ahead of any other state. The second state being New York (ph).
Mitt Romney, what was he doing yesterday? He was finishing up two days of fundraising in Texas, raising about $15 million there. That's a lot of money as well. And guess what, California, though, still according to political -- the number one state for Mitt Romney as well, raising over $10 million in California.
So, you know, a lot of people going out to California to raise money, Ashleigh. No doubt about that.
BANFIELD: The money story, without question, is big, but you know what else is making big headlines is Jeb Bush. I don't know how many times I've heard him say I'm not interested, but it's happening again, and yet, everyone is talking about Jeb for president? What's the story?
STEINHAUSER: Yes. And this was his interview on CBS, and he said, listen, about the VP, whether he can be the running mate, he said, I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to be asked, and it's not going to happen. I think that's pretty clear. That's pretty clear to me, at least.
BANFIELD: Got it.
STEINHAUSER: From the former Florida governor. But, he also talked about whether maybe he missed his chance to run for the White House in 2012. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEB BUSH, FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: I've not made that decision, although, I think there's a window of opportunity in life for all sorts of reasons, and this was probably my time. Although, I don't know, given kind of what I believe and how I believe it, I'm not sure I would have been successful as a candidate either. These are different times than just six years ago when I last ran.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Very candid comments from Jeb Bush. A lot of people wanted the former Florida governor to run, but he said right there, yes, things have changed. The Republican Party has changed over the last six years. No doubt about that, Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: Boy, I'll say. All right. I want to move to something in Los Angeles. We were touching of a top of the show about this fundraiser that President Obama was at with the gay and lesbian community. There was a moment in the speech that has electrified the blogosphere. I think it has a lot to do with context as opposed to reading transcripts.
But I want to play the sound bite in full unedited so that our listeners and viewers, Paul, can see what the so-called joke was in the middle of this comment that has a lot of people freaking out. Let's have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I want to thank my wonderful friend who accepts a little bit of teasing about Michelle beating her in push-ups. But I think she claims Michelle didn't go all the way down.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: That's what I heard.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: The -- so the -- I just want to set the record straight. Michelle outdoes me in push-ups as well.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: All right. Paul, I want to be very, very clear. This was a scripted speech that the president gave. This was talking about the "Ellen DeGeneres Show" when Michelle Obama appeared and did the push- ups contest.
That moment, I got to be honest with you, if you watch that tape over again, again, transcripts aside, watch the tape, some people could easily say that the president was a bit blind-sided by that line, did not expect it to be a double entendre, and he looks somewhat crest fallen afterwards, also tried to stop the crowd with his hands.
He kept doing this, tried to stop them from laughing. I'm just curious about the fallout from this and whether there's a speechwriter somewhere who's about to get the ax.
STEINHAUSER: I'm waking up to this, so this is the first time I've seen it, but you're right, there is an argument or debate going on right now online whether he was just making a joke about Michelle Obama cheating in push-ups or if there was something more to it.
Right now, it's very early in California, really in Chicago where the president's re-election campaign is. It's early here in Washington, so no reaction yet from the White House or the re-election campaign, but of course, we're going to look into it -- Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: But you know, again, it speaks volumes. Context is everything. A lot of people just reading the comments online but not seeing the sound bite and seeing the context of the clip and his reaction to it as well, but you know what, you and I might be having another conversation tomorrow about this. Paul, nice to see you. Thanks for getting up early.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you.
SAMBOLIN: We have breaking news from overnight as defense secretary, Leon Panetta, arrived in Afghanistan. Panetta met with the NATO commander and the Afghan defense minister for a progress report on how prepared Afghanistan security forces are to begin taking over more security detail when 23,000 U.S. troops leave the region by September.
Panetta's visit coming on the heels of a deadly day of violence in Afghanistan where dozens were killed by suicide bombers. And also, several women and children died after a NATO air strike.
BANFIELD: We also have something new this morning for you. United States is taking on the crisis in Syria. Secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, meeting with U.S. envoy, Kofi Annan, tomorrow. She is calling for tougher sanctions now and increased pressure on that Syrian government. That regime is now being blamed for a brand new massacre.
Protesters say 78 people have been slaughtered in a single village just yesterday. Today, Kofi Annan is briefing the United Nations on how drastic the situation is there. In the meantime, a brand new CNN poll, a 61 percent -- say that 51 percent of Americans think the United States has no responsibility to act on the violence in Syria. Thirty-three percent say they think the U.S. should do something.
SAMBOLIN: A contestant on the NBC show, "America's Got Talent," also under fire for claiming he was under fire. Singer, Timothy Michael Poe (ph), appeared on the show Monday. He claimed he started to stutter after a grenade attack in Afghanistan that resulted in a broken back and brain injury, but the military has no record of those injuries.
Poe's military records show he did serve in Afghanistan for about a month in 2009 after serving in Kosovo and as a supply specialist in the Minnesota national guard.
BANFIELD: Two giants of nature facing off. Well, not really. One was dead, but man, is this video that is remarkable. Far out at sea, all caught on camera. The story behind this extraordinarily rare video coming up.
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SAMBOLIN: It is 44 minutes past the hour. Good morning sweet home Chicago. It is 55 degrees right now. But later, guess what you get? Sunny weather, 80 degrees. Kind of nice there. And this is why we are in Chicago. If you are away from your TV, I suggest that you come over here.
You know the old saying, give a man a fish, he eats for a day, but what happens when you give a guy a squid? Take a moment. Come and check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN (voice-over): This is an eight-foot shark feasting on a rare, giant squid off the Australian Coast all caught on tape by a TV crew that just happened to be filming in that area.
The squid was estimated to be over 12 feet long but had already been partially eaten when the crew arrived. The squid was so heavy the crew was not able to haul it into the boat to study it further. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN (on-camera): So, joining me now is Tim Binder, the vice president of Animal Collections at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
Thank you so much for being with us this morning. We really appreciate it. So, this video has gone super viral now. How rare is it to get a glimpse of a giant squid like this?
TIM BINDER, VICE PRESIDENT OF ANIMAL COLLECTION, SHEDD AQUARIUM: Well, this is pretty rare. I mean, it's amazing that somebody was there to actually see this. These animals are very elusive animals and to have a carcass like this floating at the surface and then have a shark feeding on it was pretty remarkable.
SAMBOLIN: How surprised were you when you saw this tape?
BINDER: Well, it was just really cool to see. I mean, you know, again, to happen upon the carcass of a very, very rare animal to see and then have a shark coming and feed on it, I was very excited to see that video.
SAMBOLIN: So, Tim, this giant squid was dead. We're assuming when the shark started feeding on it. We're told that this was one was about 12 feet long, but I hear that's actually small for a giant squid.
BINDER: Yes. The males can get up to 40, 45 feet long. So, I suspect that this animal may have been fed on for quite a while before the TV crew happened upon it.
SAMBOLIN: Now, we know very little about these giant squids. Why is that?
BINDER: Well, no one has ever seen a live squid face-to-face, live giant squid. We believe there are eight different species. They live at very, very deep depths. We know that sperm whales have dived to a mile, mile and a half deep, will feed on these animals, but to see one face-to-face, no one has yet to see them.
So, we know very little about them, how many there are, where they live. We know that they're in oceans around the world, but other than that, we don't know a lot about them other than what we find with carcasses that wash ashore.
SAMBOLIN: So, you're an expert. As you are sitting there and you are watching this video, is there anything that you can learn from just seeing this if you can't study it? Because clearly, they couldn't pull it on to the boat because of the size.
BINDER: Well, as far as the squids morphology or biology, there's not a lot to learn from this particular event, but what we see as evidence again that sharks are opportunistic feeders. And this blue shark found a meal and was taking the advantage of being able to feed on it. And that's something that we know about these animals, and this shark was just smart to take advantage of the situation. SAMBOLIN: Now, I was reading a little bit about this particular -- or I'm sorry the giant squid online, and it says that there are occasions when you do see these actually come to shore. But every time we do, they're dead?
BINDER: Yes. Yes. When they've washed ashore, they've come ashore as dead carcasses. Most of what we know about giant squid is from the stomachs of sperm whales. Sperm whales feed on these animals. When sperm whales have been hunted or have washed ashore, and they're dissected, you find the contents of their stomachs and in their stomachs are giant squid.
That's where we've learned most about the species -- or the different types of giant squids are from the stomachs of sperm whales.
SAMBOLIN: And I guess, as a (INAUDIBLE), me watching this right now, they seem to really enjoy the giant squid as well.
BINDER: Well, you can't help. I mean, that shark was a very smart shark.
SAMBOLIN: All right. Tim Binder, thank you so much for joining us this morning, vice president of Animal Collections at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Ashleigh, back to you.
BINDER: Thank you for having me.
BANFIELD: I just cannot take my eyes off that video. That is so incredibly remarkable. And isn't it fascinating that no one has ever seen a live giant squid. Just so elusive those monsters. Remarkable.
Forty-eight minutes now past 5:00 on the east coast. Get out of bed. Let's get you up to date with the top stories of the day. Our Christine Romans working feverishly to get that together. Hi!
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS (voice-over): Breaking news, Ashleigh, overnight as defense secretary, Leon Panetta, arrived in Afghanistan. This video just in to CNN showing Panetta's arrival. The defense secretary meeting with the top NATO commander and the Afghan defense minister as violence has increased recently coinciding with the start of the Taliban's summer fighting season.
High on the list of discussion topics is likely, you know, how prepared Afghan's security forces will be to take an increased role once U.S. troops begin leaving.
The largest single piece of debris, so far, from the 2011 Japanese tsunami washing up on an Oregon beach, a floating dock seven feet tall, 65 feet long. The concrete and metal float is wrapped up in algae and marine life native to Japan. Japanese officials say it's one of four docks that washed away from a fishing port. Authorities say it is not radioactive. Right now, they're deciding whether to save it or tow it back out to sea and dismantle it or sink it.
Science fiction legend, Ray Bradbury has died after a long illness. He was 91 years old. He first made his mark on the literary world with "The Martian Chronicles" back in 1950. Two years later, he wrote, perhaps, his most famous work, the dark futuristic novel, "Fahrenheit 451." Ray Bradbury wrote more than 50 books in a career spanning more than 70 years.
J.C. Penney said sales are back. The company is bringing back the word "sale" in its advertising hoping to boost sagging numbers. The company partly blaming weak first quarter sales on its new strategy to not use the word "sale," instead, calling everything month-long values.
J.C. Penney CEO, Ron Johnson, says customers didn't understand it. They didn't understand the advertising of the company's new pricing model, and that was reflected in those earnings. So, sale is back at J.C. Penney.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS (on-camera): And I'll tell you something, as a lifelong J.C. Penney shoppers, J.C. Penney shoppers want sales. They don't want month-long low prices.
BANFIELD: There's a reason why it worked.
SAMBOLIN: -- called marketing, right?
ROMANS: Sales work. People want to think it's something cheaper today than it was yesterday.
SAMBOLIN: Yes.
BANFIELD: Amen to that.
ROMANS: Human nature.
BANFIELD: Thank you, Christine.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
BANFIELD: So, if I were to tell you that tickets were on sale for Elvis, would you get one?
SAMBOLIN: No.
BANFIELD: A concern, an Elvis concert? Really?
SAMBOLIN: Is he alive?
BANFIELD: There you go.
SAMBOLIN: Is there (ph) where you're going with this?
BANFIELD: You know, a lot of people say that they have Elvis sightings, but guess what? You could get a real Elvis sighting. He's going on tour. We'll explain how this is going to work. A real concert coming up.
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SAMBOLIN: Trending on the web this morning. Google giving us more of the world in the palm of our hands. That is said to roll out a brand new version of Google Earth in 3D. Here's a demo on YouTube. You can now see buildings, monuments, and even trees in 3D at an exact location.
BANFIELD: That looks like video.
SAMBOLIN: Yes.
BANFIELD: Incredible.
SAMBOLIN: Google is also upgrading offline mapping, giving users the ability to download maps of entire cities before they get there allowing them to save on debit costs.
BANFIELD: That is just -- oh, my gosh.
SAMBOLIN: Ultra cool.
BANFIELD: You know, soon, you just don't have to go on vacation.
(LAUGHTER)
BANFIELD: The vacation will come to you.
SAMBOLIN: Exactly.
BANFIELD: As soon as your computer start fitting out grass smells and dust smells, you're all good to go.
SAMBOLIN: Give you a little tan.
BANFIELD: That's true.
Speaking of 3D, are you ready for this? Elvis lives.
SAMBOLIN: Yes. Come on. Share the rest of it.
BANFIELD: There's more. There's more. It's in hologram, sorry. Company that brought us that hologram of Tupac Shakur in concert at this year's hotel (ph). Oh, look at that. Precious something to behold, wouldn't it (ph)? Coachella Music Festival showed all this.
Everybody went bananas. And now, that company is announcing a partnership to resurrect the king as well. Can you imagine --
SAMBOLIN: Yes. BANFIELD: -- how fantastic the king performing virtually during a live show? Also, the applications for film and television productions, too, could really skyrocket. The company digital domain, Digital Domain Media, claimed that it's going to release the hologram Elvis first tour dates. Get your dialing finger ready.
SAMBOLIN: You know, they have that hologram greeter now at airports. So, I don't know. Is this the wave of the future?
BANFIELD: I love it. As long as there's no hologram anchors, I'm all good. All good.
SAMBOLIN: All right. Fighter jet called to protect the president. Coming up, details on the incident in the sky above President Obama's fundraiser. This was last night in California. Much more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN (voice-over): A near disaster on a multibillion dollar navy vessel trace to a common household appliance. The cause of last month's fire on a nuclear submarine is revealed.
BANFIELD (voice-over): Defense secretary, Leon Panetta, with a surprise visit to Afghanistan just hours ago. We are live in Kabul with the reason behind this brief mission.
SAMBOLIN: Space shuttle "Enterprise" in motion. A unique look at the craft's final journey to its new home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
