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American Morning
Congressman Weiner Snaps; Cell Phones Cause Cancer?; Casey Anthony Murder Trial; Endeavour Lands Safely in L.A.; Deadly Bus Crash due to Driver Fatigue; Hotel Maids: A Dangerous Job; Target: America's Pharmacies
Aired June 01, 2011 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ANTHONY WEINER, (D) NEW YORK: You do the questions, I do the answers, and this jackass interrupts me. How about that as the new rule of the game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Congressman Anthony Weiner snaps over a question about a lewd tweet, a tweet he claims he didn't send. Now, he's under even more pressure to explain how the picture ended up on the web on this AMERICAN MORNING.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Thanks so much for being with us. It's the first day of June, Wednesday. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING.
ROMANS: And Anthony Weiner story gets stranger and stranger by the day. He's either taking the high road or he's dodging a question about did he -- who is this picture of and what is his role in sending this picture?
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: And of course, we went right to the source to get this information and you saw the result. We'll play you that exchange, the entire tense exchange in just a few minutes, but first, welcome home, space shuttle "Endeavour."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And so after a journey of 6.5 million miles "Endeavour" landed in darkness by illuminated (ph), by the ingenuity, dedication of every astronaut, scientist engineer, flight controller, mechanic and dreamer that helped it fly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The shuttle's final mission now complete. "Endeavour" landed safely overnight at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and as it was touching down, "Atlantis" was rolling out for the final flight in the history of the space shuttle program. John Zarrella live for us at Kennedy Space Center. All this exciting lasts, isn't it?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it really is, Christine. You know, it's something when you start to see the program winding down. "Endeavour" coming home in the wee hours of the morning. No issues at all. The weather was absolutely perfect. It's the kind of landing that NASA certainly wants and always appreciates when the weather in Florida cooperates. The thermal imaging cameras capturing Endeavor still glowing hot from reentering the earth's atmosphere as it touched down at the Kennedy space center.
Not too much longer after that, the crew got out and inspected the vehicle after it touched down. And they came to wheel stop. It's tradition the crew comes out and does all that. And at that point, Commander Mark Kelly talked about just what a terrific, terrific end of mission this has been.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COMMANDER MARK KELLY, SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOR: It's great to be back here at the Kennedy space center. It's great to be bringing Endeavor back in great shape. It looks like it's ready to go do another mission. This is going to be the last flight. The mission went great. We installed the illfa magnetic spectrometer, so we have the station positioned to where over the next 10, 15, 20 years, it's got the space parts it needs to continue doing the science that is so relevant today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZARRELLA: You know, behind me it's interesting as the vehicle assembly building where the Apollo moon rockets were put together and the space shuttles were assembled, the giant external tank and the solid rocket boosters attach to the orbiter before it rolled out to the launch pad, and tonight, as Endeavor was coming home, Atlantis was rolling out to the launch pad for its July 8th mission, the last space shuttle that will ever fly in our lifetimes. There's no question about that.
And it kind of makes you -- you turn around and look at that building, one of the largest buildings in the world, and you wonder, what will it be used for in the future? That's, of course, the big question that surrounds NASA is where do they go from here once the shuttle is retired?
CHETRY\: All right, John Zarrella this morning.
It's hard to say goodbye. It's amazing Atlantis is being rolled out there and this is going to be it.
All right, he's trying to put it behind him but this morning more questions about New York Congressman Anthony Weiner's twitter scandal. Weiner is claiming that lewd photo that was sent to a young woman as a prank after his account was hacked, that's what he's claiming, but in a combative session with reporters last night Weiner dodged questions and went off on Ted Barrett. Here's the exchange.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're here, which we appreciate, but you're not answering the questions. Can you say why you haven't asked law enforcement to investigate what you are alleging is a crime?
REP. ANTHONY WEINER, (D) NEW YORK: Dana, if I was giving a speech to 45,000 people and someone in the back of the room threw a pie or yelled out an insult, would I spend the next two hours responding to that? No. I would get -- I would get back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not that situation. You --
WEINER: Why don't you do -- you want to do the briefing? Do you want to do the briefing, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You sent from your twitter account a lewd photograph was sent to a college student. Answer the question, was it from you or not?
WEINER: Sir, permit me -- do you guys want me to finish my answer?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, This answer. Did you send it or not?
WEINER: If I were giving a speech to 45,000 people and someone in the back threw a pie or yelled out an insult, I would not spend the next two hours of my speech responding to that pie or that insult.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But you are the one who said it was hacked, that you were hacked and that's a potential crime.
WEINER: Dana, I have to ask we follow some rules. And one is you ask questions, you do the answers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would love to get an answer.
WEINER: That would be reasonable. You do the questions, I do the answers, and this jackass interrupts me, how about that as the new rule of the game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The woman who received the tweet, 21-year-old Jeanette, followed the congressman on twitter jokingly referring to Weiner as her boyfriend but said she never met the congressman.
VELSHI: We'll play you more of that exchange at the half hour. It's a little longer and you get context.
ROMANS: It is riveting.
VELSHI: Sarah Palin's campaign style bus tour stops at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. She's fresh off a meeting with another Republican celebrity, Donald trump, fueled speculation about her next political move and whether she'll have trump's support. The two went to a pizza place in Times Square and CNN spoke with Palin about what they accomplished.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN, (R) FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: We talked about specific candidates and potential candidates and kind of just what our perception was of each of these folks. It was interesting. Kind of on the same page there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How was dinner?
PALIN: Dinner was great. It was real New York pizza. That was fun to get to be there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Kind of on the same page about the other candidates in the field.
VELSHI: Trump as you know, recently decided against making a run for the Republican nomination.
ROMANS: And Governor Chris Christie says thanks but no thanks to a group of Iowa campaign donors trying to get him to seek the GOP nomination. The Christies had them over for dinner but the first-term governor said he's not running for president in 2012. CNN will host a New Hampshire Republican presidential debate, Monday, June 13th, 8:00 eastern, right here on CNN.
CHETRY: Today President Obama is going to be meeting with Republicans to discuss boosting the nation's borrowing limit, known as the debt ceiling. The sit-down comes a day after the house voted against raising the debt ceiling, although the -- was it a defeat? It wasn't a surprise. Republican leaders introduced the measure to vote against it. They wanted to show there's no support for a higher debt limit without significant spending cuts attached to any measure.
Democrats say if a deal is not reached by August 2nd, they want Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to first stop paying lawmakers as the first order of business.
VELSHI: A U.S. army sergeant who lost his right hand saving two other wounded soldiers will be awarded the Medal of Honor in July. A bullet already pierced both of sergeant first class Leroy Petry's legs when a live grenade landed next to him in combat in the eastern afghan province of Bactia. Two soldiers were alongside the New Mexico native. He grabbed the grenade and attempted to throw it out of harm's way but it exploded in his hand. He will become only the second living recipient of the Medal of Honor from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
ROMANS: It is now six minutes after the hour.
(WEATHER BREAK)
CHETRY: The big three are now -- the big three are now three wins away from an NBA championship. The Miami Heat took one game away from the mavericks so far. They beat them last night, 92-84. LeBron James with 24 points, Dwyane Wade with 22. Now Dirk Nowitzki was the Mavs best player who tore a tendon on his non-shooting hand during the game but is still expected to play game two.
ROMANS: Non-shooting hand.
VELSHI: Still hurts.
The most amazing driving at the Indy 500 didn't happen actually during the race. Stunt driver -- look at that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Wow. That broke the record for the longest jump in a four wheel vehicle. He flew 332 feet into the air, reaching 105 miles an hour before going airborne. A team built the life-sized 875 horsepower hot wheels truck and a ramp to pull it off. That's pretty amazing.
ROMANS: That was cool.
All right, a lot of you talking this morning about the World Health Organization and its finding about cell phones. They could cause cancer. A new report raising concerns about the risk to you of holding that ubiquitous device against your brain.
CHETRY: A judge rules Texas high school graduations cannot include opening and closing prayers. We're going to let you know what school officials plan to do about it.
VELSHI: And that Casey Anthony murder trial just gets more dramatic. The suspect's mother takes the stand and breaks down when she heard the 911 call she made when she finally realized her granddaughter was missing. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: There's a new warning -- we were just having this discussion, a new warning about the use of cell phones and the possible risk of cancer from them. It comes from the World Health Organization which puts cell phones in the same cars carcinogenic risk category as lead, car exhausts fumes, and DDT.
ROMANS: The cell phone industry denies the claims and says there's not enough danger to using these phones. Joining us is Michael Hansen, senior scientist with consumers union. What does the science tell us? We've been using cell phones long enough now the studies are starting to come in.
MICHAEL HANSEN, SENIOR SCIENTIST, CONSUMERS UNION: What the World Health Organization has said there's limited evidence of a link to two forms of brain cancer, glioma and acoustic neuroma. So heavy uses of cell phones, defined more than 30 minutes a day, for over ten years of use, they see this increased risk of this cancer. And they say there's limited evidence for this, and there is inadequate evidence for other forms of cancer, and so more research is need.
CHETRY: New studies are coming in about this.
HANSEN: Oh, yes, they are.
CHETRY: Should people change their habits if they use the cell phone a lot?
HANSEN: If they use the cell phone a lot, the pragmatic things people can do is, text more, talk less, use hands free. So that means keep the cell phone away from the -- away from the head. And this is also a wake-up call that the government has to more seriously look at this issue and we should say the FDA recently has actually asked the National Toxicology Program to look further into the carcinogen (INAUDIBLE).
VELSHI: We're dancing around the edges on what the cell phone companies know. They employ scientists and they've been pretty consistent about not doing anything. Now when you say the government should be more involved, should Congress be calling these companies up and saying what do you know? Tell us so we can put the adequate warnings out there?
HANSEN: Well, yes. There actually has been. There was Congressman Kucinich has basically tried to put a bill forward saying that there should be more work in this area and yes, I mean, there is this global study. It's called the inner phone study that's going on right now, and in fact, they're going to be four, five more publications coming out of that study they're in the press right now.
ROMANS: Manufacturers of cell phones, though, they do warn some of the popular cell phones, warn consumers to keep their device away from their body.
HANSEN: Right.
ROMANS: Holding it either 15 or 25 millimeters close to an inch away from the body. Is that good enough?
HANSEN: Well, yes. The -- since these radio frequency waves drop off drastically with distance, just keeping it a few centimeters away is fine.
CHETRY: So what about people who have their cell phone in a holster all day? I mean, we're talking just concerns about cancers as it relates to the head? I mean, if you have it on your hip all day.
VELSHI: Or your pocket.
CHETRY: In your pocket or in your breast pocket when you're, you know, transmitting data all day.
HANSEN: They don't know. They know that there's enough data now for some of the -- for the brain data and so they say action should be taken. It should be pointed out that the FDA has said, for example, that the only way radio frequency waves, they can't have any adverse effect on cells except from physically heating them up. So they said that the only kind of risk you could get from a cell phone was from the heat that comes off the phone from holding it next to your ear. But just a couple of months ago, someone from the top level of National Institute of Drug Abuse did a study and they were able to show that just cell phones being turned on, they do affect brain cells. And so that was the first study that showed there's an effect on the cells.
VELSHI: So there's two issues here. One is -- one of the reasons they were able to determine these brain things is because there was proximity. There were tumors and cancers developing where a phone was --
HANSEN: Exactly.
VELSHI: -- where 25 years it wasn't common to have that. But the other issue is, this has been a seismic shift. It's not just the heat coming off a phone.
HANSEN: Right.
VELSHI: It's -- there's --
HANSEN: The radio frequency waves.
VELSHI: Do you believe that the radio frequency part is potentially dangerous?
HANSEN: That's correct. That's what they're saying is that those radio frequency waves could have a health effect. Previously they had been saying we didn't know any mechanism whereby there could be any effect and then just a couple of months ago, there was this study that showed that those radio frequency waves, they affected glucose uptake by brain cells. All that means is it showed that the cells were --
CHETRY: Reacting.
HANSEN: Reacting. It doesn't mean --
VELSHI: It doesn't mean bad but it does something --
HANSEN: Doesn't mean good, doesn't mean bad, but it means there's some reaction.
VELSHI: Got it.
HANSEN: And so that -- those researchers said OK, they'll keep the phone away from their ear and do hands free but then the question that raises is, OK, if you're putting it on your hip, does anyone looked to see are there any effects on bone cells?
CHETRY: Right.
HANSEN: If it's in your pocket and you're a man and it's close, are there going to be any reproductive effects?
CHETRY: Yes.
Obviously I think this is, as you said, a wake-up call about further research.
VELSHI: Right.
CHETRY: Dr. Michael Hansen, thanks so much for joining us this morning. Appreciate your expertise.
HANSEN: Thank you.
VELSHI: All right. We want to know what you think. Will the risk of cancer change the way you use your cell phone? That is our question of the day.
We're getting some great responses from you. E-mail us at CNN.com/AM. Give us a tweet @CNNam. Or tell us on Facebook.com/American Morning. We will read more of your responses later this hour.
We'll be back just after a quick break. It's 19 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: It's 21 minutes past the hour. Here are this morning's business headlines.
Stocks closing out May on a higher note, but it was not enough to offset recent losses. The Dow was up 128 points. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 were also up. But you know, May was still a pretty rough month for you.
Home prices hitting a new low in the first quarter. The S&P Case- Shiller index found values in 20 major cities declined to their lowest level in nine years. Experts say this confirms a double-dip in the housing market.
Believe it or not, most Americans like their job. According to a Gallup poll, 87.5 percent of Americans are satisfied with their job. The survey also found the more money you make, the happier you are at work.
The number of people paying their car loans late falling to its lowest level since 1999. That's according to credit agency TransUnion. They say the improvement reflects borrowers are getting a better handle on their debt. Also, you're probably not going to get a car loan these days like you were five or six years ago.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs takes a break from medical leave. Next week, he'll unveil Apple's new on-line service for storing music and other files called the iCloud. Apple is also expected to introduce a new operating system for its Macs and iPhones and iPads.
Don't forget for the very latest news about your money, check out the all-new CNNmoney.com.
Coming up, a dramatic day on the stand in the Casey Anthony trial. Our Tom Foreman has the breaking details. AMERICAN MORNING will be back right after this break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-six minutes past the hour. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
Riveting testimony mixed with raw emotion in the high-profile murder trial of Casey Anthony. Anthony is charged with killing her 2-year- old daughter Caylee. In a Florida courtroom yesterday, she watched in silence as her mother Cindy took the stand and listened to her own frantic 911 call. It was made when she first realized her granddaughter was missing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: 4937 what --
CINDY ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S MOTHER (via telephone): Hope Spring, h-o-p-e-s-p-r-i-n-g drive. My daughter finally admitted that the babysitter stole her. I need to find her.
911 OPERATOR: Your daughter admitted that the baby is where?
ANTHONY: That the babysitter took her a month ago, my daughter has been looking for her. I told you my daughter was missing for a month, I just found her today, but I can't find my granddaughter. She just admitted to me that she's been trying to find her herself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Prosecutors say Casey Anthony is a calculating, cold-blooded killer, but as Tom Foreman tells us her defense team insists that little Caylee's death was an accident.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the Florida courtroom where Casey Anthony's life is at stake, an electric moment. Her lawyer describes her father, George Anthony, finding his 2-year-old granddaughter Caylee drowned in a swimming pool.
JOSE BAEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: She immediately grabbed Caylee and began to cry. And cry and cry. And shortly thereafter George began to yell at her, "look what you've done! Your mother will never forgive you and you will go to jail for child neglect for the rest of your freaking life."
FOREMAN: The defense says it was the culmination of a lifetime of sexual abuse and secrets.
BAEZ: And it all began when Casey was 8 years old and her father came into her room and began to touch her inappropriately.
FOREMAN: That's the reason, they say, Casey Anthony joined in a cover up.
BAEZ: This is not a murder case. This is not a manslaughter case. This is a tragic accident that happened to some very disturbed people.
FOREMAN: But the prosecution and even Casey Anthony's own parents say, it's just not true. No accidental drowning, no cover-up, no sexual abuse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you ever sexually molested your daughter Casey Anthony?
GEORGE ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S FATHER: No, sir.
FOREMAN: Prosecutors paint the accused woman as a cunning, self- centered killer who suffocated her child with chloroform and duct tape, stuffed her into a laundry bag and dumped her in a swamp, then went on a month-long spree of partying, drinking, even entering a hot body contest at a nightclub while her family wondered where the little girl had gone. Taped conversations with family members are also in evidence. This one with her brother.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASEY ANTHONY, MOTHER OF CAYLEE ANTHONY (via telephone): There's nothing to find out. There's absolutely nothing to find out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
CASEY ANTHONY: If I knew where Caylee was, do you think any of this would be happening? No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: This one with her mother.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CINDY ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S MOTHER (via telephone): If anything happened to Caylee, Casey, I'll die. You understand. I'll die. If anything happens to that baby.
CASEY ANTHONY, MOTHER OF CAYLEE ANTHONY: Oh, well, -- oh, my God. Calling you guys, a waste. Huge waste.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: And then there is this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got within three feet of my daughter's car and the worst odor that you could possibly smell in this world and I've smelled that odor before. It smelled like a decomposed body.
FOREMAN: Some witnesses describe a different person, a caring mother close to her child.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was amazing that Casey and Caylee had a very special bond.
FOREMAN: But which version of Casey Anthony the jurors buy will determine her fate. Tom Foreman, CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And you can watch live gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Casey Anthony trial on our sister network HLN throughout the day today.
VELSHI: All right, our top stories.
Endeavour has landed. The shuttle touched down safely overnight at Kennedy Space Center. It's the final mission for the shuttle after traveling 122 million miles.
There is only one more voyage left in the entire history of the shuttle fleet, "Atlantis," which is already being moved into place on the launch pad, expected to take off on July 8th. That will be the final mission.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating yesterday's deadly tour bus crash on I-95 near Richmond, Virginia. Four people were killed. Look at that bus that toppled on its top when the bus ran off the road and rolled over.
Investigators blame the accident on driver fatigue and say unspecified charges are pending. The bus was on the way from Greensboro, North Carolina, to New York.
Congressman Anthony Weiner getting into a heated exchange with reporters over a lewd photo sent from his Twitter account to a college student. He says his account was hacked, but wouldn't answer any direct questions about it. We want to play you the entire exchange involving our own Dana Bash and our congressional producer Ted Barrett.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You say that you were hacked, which is potentially a crime. So why haven't you asked the Capitol police or any law enforcement to investigate?
REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: Look, this was a prank that I've now been talking ability for a couple days. I'm not going to allow it to decide what I talk about for the next week or the next two weeks. And so I'm not going to be giving any more about that today. I think I've been pretty responsive to you in the past.
BASH: You're here, which we appreciate, but you're not answering the questions. Can you say why you haven't asked law enforcement to investigate what you are alleging is a crime?
WEINER: Dana, if I was giving a speech to 45,000 people and someone in the back of the room threw a pie or yelled out an insult, would I spend the next two hours responding to that? No. I would get back -- I would get back --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not that situation, though. You --
WEINER: Why don't you do -- you want to do the briefing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You sent --
WEINER: Do you want to do the briefing, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You sent -- a lewd photograph was sent to a college student. Answer the question, was it from you or not?
WEINER: Sir, permit me -- do you want me to finish my answer?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, this answer. Did you send it or not?
WEINER: If I were giving a speech to 45,000 people and someone in the back threw a pie or yelled out an insult I would not spend the next two hours of my speech responding to that pie or that insult. I would return to the things that I want to talk about to the audience that I want to talk about.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All you have to do is say no to the question. Say no to the question.
BASH: Let me try this question. The woman who allegedly got this tweet or was directed to, 21-year-old college student in Seattle, she released a statement to the "New York Daily News" yesterday saying you follow her on Twitter. Is that true? Did you follow her on twitter and if so, how did you find her? What was the reason?
WEINER: You know, I have, I think said this a couple ways and will say it again. I am not going to permit myself to be distracted by this issue any longer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All you have to do is say no to that question. You're not following her on Twitter say no to the question.
WEINER: Why don't you let me do the answers and you do the questions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As soon as you --
BASH: Congressman, you understand the -- what's going on here, the frustration. We a appreciate you talking to us, you're smiling, you're cooperating and that gives good optics, but you're not answering the questions.
WEINER: This is how --
BASH: Answer the basic question.
WEINER: This is now day -- this is now day three. You have statements that my office has put out.
BASH: But they don't answer the questions we have.
WEINER: Statements that my office put out and there are going to be people who -- look, this is the tactic. The guy in the back of the room who's throwing the pie or yelling out the insult wants that to be the conversation.
BASH: But you are the one who said it was hacked, that you were hacked, and that's a criminal, potential crime?
WEINER: Dana, I have to ask that we follow some rules here. One is you ask questions, I answer the questions.
BASH: I would love to get an answer.
WEINER: You do the questions, I do the answers and this jackass interrupts me, how about that as the new rule of the game?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congressman --
WEINER: Let me just -- let me just --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead.
WEINER: Let me give the answer. The objective of the person who is doing the mischief is to try to distract me from what I'm doing. So for the last couple days that has happened. I've made a decision I'm not going to let it happen today, tomorrow.
BASH: If this is the non-story that you say this is and distraction --
WEINER: I've characterized it as a distraction.
BASH: If this is a distraction, you're a sophisticated guy, why not answer the questions.
WEINER: I've been doing that for several days. Now I choose --
BASH: So many questions you didn't answer.
WEINER: People who haven't read the statements. I assume you have.
BASH: They're such basic questions.
WEINER: This is akin to someone deciding on day three or day four they want to continue talking about something that I consider a distraction and me making a decision on how I'm going to deal with this.
The decision that I've made is I'm not going to permit it to distract me, to continue on for three, four, five or six more days. If that isn't satisfactory to you, I apologize.
But I think that what people really want to talk about are things like the debt limit vote tonight or things like the oppressive disparity between well-to-do in this country and people that don't have as much or more difficult being in the middle class in this country. That's what I'm here to work on.
Thank you, guys.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Now, for her part the college student who received the photo backs Weiner's story. Gennette Cordova says Congressman Weiner was almost certainly not responsible.
ROMANS: OK, switching gears now, an Egyptian businessman accused of sexually abusing a luxury hotel maid in New York was arraigned late last night. A judge set bail for Mahmoud Abdel Salam Omar at $25,000, ordered him to turn over all of his travel documents.
Omar's lawyer says he adamantly denies this charges. The alleged assault happened at the Pierre Hotel on Sunday night. The manager of the hotel has been suspended for not reporting the maid's claim immediately.
Of course, this latest case comes as the ex-chief of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, awaits trial on charges of attempted rape and sexual assault on a hotel maid. Hotel maids really never know what they're walking into. The Pierre Hotel is giving maids panic button in case trouble is waiting.
Mary Snow joins us now. The part of the story -- interesting how it's developed over the past couple weeks that hotels are looking at their policies to make sure that attacks or approaches to maids are reported quickly and that there's an opportunity for these women to try to protect themselves.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, less than two weeks, we have these two alleged sexual attacks and really putting into focus how vulnerable these hotel housekeepers are. And one of the requests that the union representing maid was that they have these now devices where they will be able to alert security right away.
That's something the Pierre says it's doing. There is a lawmaker looking to do that for all hotels in New York City, but you know, a number of the hotel housekeepers are saying they are not surprised by these allegations.
And one woman who's been particularly outspoken is a woman by the name of Andrea Barrington. She had worked in a luxury hotel in Toronto for 17 years. She is now a union leader looking and she works to protect worker rights.
She has said she has been sexually harassed a number of times she's lost count. She's been very outspoken in recent weeks and she says a number of workers have come to her saying they're very grateful she is speaking out. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDRIA BABBINGTON: They're really happy that I am actually talking about it because it's happening so often. They're just not sure what to do about it or if anybody will even do anything.
So they're quite happy that at least somebody is stepping up to talk about this. But at the same time, they are reminding me, even though I worked for many years and experienced that, it's still happening to them today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Andrea Barrington says many hotel housekeepers are immigrants like her and she said that it's one reason why they are fearful of coming out. They're afraid of the job.
These are women working very long hours, hard, and very difficult job and they don't want to lose their jobs and they're afraid to speak out.
ROMANS: One of the reports Dominique Strauss-Kahn case was that the maid kept saying, you know.
CHETRY: I don't want to lose my job.
ROMANS: Leave me alone. I've got to keep this job. How often does this happen? These sorts of things happen?
SNOW: You know, the union leader here in New York said there are a number of cases like this a year. It's a normal. They said there are 10,000 hotel housekeepers, millions of people coming through New York, really hard, though, to get a direct number because he said it's under reported.
VELSHI: Sure. Wow, very interesting. All right, Mary. Thanks very much. Mary Snow.
Up until this morning civil unions for same-sex couples were legal in 10 states, in 90 minutes an 11th state joins the list. We'll tell you about that after the break.
CHETRY: Also an epidemic of pharmacies robbed, people trying to get their hands on prescription painkillers. We're going to talk more about what's going on and why there seems to be this huge increase in drug addiction.
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CHETRY: It's 43 minutes past the hour. Taking a closer look this morning at the black market for prescription drugs. It's a billion dollar business. Dealers and addicts will do anything to get their hands on the drugs. Some 1,800 pharmacies have reported being robbed over the past three years.
We're taking an in-depth look at that now. Joining us now from Richmond, Virginia, pharmacist Keith Hodges, he's beefed up security at his own pharmacy. He's also an executive committee member of the National Community Pharmacist Association. Thanks for joining us this morning.
KEITH HODGES, OWNER, GLOUCESTER PHARMACY IN GLOUCESTER, VIRGINIA: Thank you for having me.
CHETRY: Why does this seem to be a problem that is ballooning out of control in this day and age? HODGES: Well, prescription drug abuse is on the rise, especially over the last 10 to 15 years, and pharmacies are an easy target. You know, out there in the community, we're accessible and we are an easy target for these robbers. But many of us have stepped up our efforts, even over the last two to three years, to prevent these crimes from happening.
CHETRY: Well, the stories are terrifying. You said that you haven't been actually held up, but there's been some attempted break-ins. In some cases, young men, armed with a machete, one of them used a cordless drill to try to break in.
There have been shoot-outs. I mean, it seems that there's clearly something people are desperate to get their hands on. What has changed about prescription drugs that seem to be fueling this?
HODGES: Well, the prescription medications that helped millions of America each year, the increase in abuse has steadily increased over the last 10 to 15 years.
Of course, prescription drugs are now used by teenagers more than any other illicit street dug except for marijuana. They're accessible in the homes, people don't protect them in the homes as well, and also the pharmacies are an easy target. We have ramped up our efforts to prevent these crimes from happening.
CHETRY: We're hearing anecdotally, I mean, I know that you have a state-of-the-art system there. You say you have a panic button, that you have wireless camcorders, things like that. There are other pharmacies that are putting up signs literally saying, we don't have Oxycontin here.
It seems this is a scary commentary on what's been going on.
HODGES: It is very scary but we need to make sure that these medications that help millions every year, that they have access to these. But we want to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.
When this happens and these pharmacies don't carry these medications there are problems. We need to education our physicians on the problems, we need to educate the pharmacist with the problems, and we need to educate consumers about the problems with prescription abuse.
CHETRY: Why aren't there more safeguards in terms of tracking them, making sure that -- I mean, because as I understand it, the forged prescriptions are obviously a bigger deal, a bigger problem than the attempted break-ins.
I mean, are there enough safe guards in place in how these prescription narcotics are being prescribed and how pharmacies and doctors are keeping track of whether or not there's legitimate reason for it?
HODGES: Well, over the last couple of years there have been safeguards put into place to prevent forged prescriptions and safeguards as far as the type of paper, numerical markings on the prescriptions to prevent forged prescriptions. There are also databases and we can use technology that pharmacies report into, that show the controlled prescriptions filled in those states and providers, physicians, pharmacists, have access to those databases and we can then verify the legitimacy of those prescriptions.
CHETRY: But technically, I mean, if I'm somebody who's trying to get my hands on this, I can go and pay out of pocket to go to however many doctors, say that I'm in this type of pain, get them and get them filled at a bunch of different pharmacies.
It doesn't seem like there's a way to track whether or not these are being legitimately prescribed.
HODGES: Well, through technology and the databases that we report into, pharmacists and physicians now have access in numerous states that show where these prescriptions are being filled. So we need to educate the pharmacies and we need to educate the physicians on using those databases so we can track those prescriptions.
CHETRY: All right. Well, I know it's a growing problem. I know you guys are trying to get a handle on it.
Thanks for joining us this morning. Keith Hodges, executive member of the National Community of Pharmacists.
Appreciate it.
HODGES: Thank you.
CHETRY: Coming up in the next hour, what is the street value of drugs in your medicine cabinet right now? We're going to have an in depth look at that with CNN's Poppy Harlow. She's going to be joining us in about 45 minutes on AMERICAN MORNING.
VELSHI: And still to come, it's being called the Wal-Mart of weed. Pot growing super stores expanding to another state. We'll tell you about weGrow when we come back.
ROMANS: And the resignation of Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel, renewing the debate, should college athletes be paid?
It's 47 minutes after the hour.
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VELSHI: A lot going on this morning. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
With 122 million miles on the odometer, Endeavour's final mission is complete. The shuttle landed safely early this morning at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
New York Congressman Anthony Weiner in a hard-hitting exchange with CNN's Dana Bash, refusing to say whether a lewd photo sent to a young woman in Seattle from his Twitter account was of him. He claimed it was sent by a hacker. Japan underestimated the threat of a tsunami hitting the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant according to a preliminary report released by the United Nations nuclear safety team. The tsunami hazard was underestimated at several other nuclear facilities in Japan.
A new law allowing civil unions between same-sex couples takes effect in Illinois this morning. Eleven states and Washington, D.C. have now legalized domestic partnerships.
New concerns about cell phone safety after the World Health Organization did an about face on the potential health risk, saying cell phones could increase your risk of brain cancer.
And Sarah Palin's bus tour stops in the Big Apple. The former Alaska governor meeting with Donald Trump over a slice of pizza fueling speculation that the two GOP heavyweights might think about teaming up.
You're caught up on the day's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING is back in 60 seconds.
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ROMANS: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
Paris Hilton is talking about the infamous sex tape that catapulted her to fame back in 2003.
CHETRY: Sitting next to her mother, no less. Appearing last night on "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT," Paris called it the most humiliating thing that's ever happened to her.
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PARIS HILTON: Now when people look at me, they think that I'm something I was not just because of one incident, one night with someone who I was in love with. It's hard because I'll never -- I'll have to live with that for the rest of my life and explain it to my children. And it's something that's changed my life forever and I'll never be able to erase it.
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CHETRY: Her mother is sitting next to her tearing up as she was saying that.
ROMANS: Yes. Tonight on "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT," don't miss Bill Maher. He's the comedian and host of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher." That's at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
That's a good two-for. Those two and then Bill Maher tonight. Very good show.
VELSHI: Well, the World Health Organization is now adding cell phones of a list of things that could possibly cause cancer. It's a new report and that leads to our question of the day. ROMANS: Will the risk of cancer change the way you use your cell phone?
CHETRY: Well, here's what you're saying about it.
Anita Samuel writes on Facebook, "Unlikely as it has revolutionized communication. Besides I usually use it mostly for texting.
ROMANS: Justin in Connecticut on a blog says, "It's like the reports that too much coffee or too little sleep can cause cancer but I will begin to use the speaker feature whenever possible."
VELSHI: Shelly on Facebook says, "Yes, I will get a land line to cut my usage from home. I'm a cancer survivor and don't want to go through that experience again."
CHETRY: Also, "I love my iPhone, I would never give it up," write Dan Riley. "Even if it were proven to be carcinogenic, my iPhone has become a part of me. I love it for better or worse. Has anyone given up their car and avoided all places with cars because automobile exhaust might cause cancer?
ROMANS: And Frank on Facebook says, "Yes, definitely. The tremendous progress of technology has made our lives better and easier but not without some consequences which are seriously impacting our lives."
This is really scary, he says.
VELSHI: Well, listen to this one from Katie. "I'm 20-years-old and my cell phone is my life. Needless to say that the fact that cell phones may cause cancer will not change the way I feel about my cell phone. My phone is everything. My phone, my texting machine, my iPod and many other things."
Let me just remind Katie that that's how people used to feel about cigarettes.
ROMANS: It's your life.
VELSHI: Right. There are people who say take everything I own but don't take my cigarettes away from me even if it might be dangerous. I -- it is our lives. The phone is our lives, no question. I mean, mine's sitting right here --
CHETRY: It was interesting when we talked to the doctor about it. He said the one -- if there's one bright spot it's that kids actually do text more than they do hold it up to their ear to talk. So that might be a good thing.
ROMANS: He said heavy use is 10 years of use of 30 minutes on the phone pressed to your face a day. I think we can all think about, is that us? I mean, is that what I do? Am I a heavy user?
CHETRY: That's three 10 minute phone calls.
VELSHI: That's me. I can beat that. CHETRY: Well keep your comments coming. Send us an e-mail, a tweet, tell us about it on Facebook and we'll read more of them coming up a little later in the hour.
ROMANS: On this hour, on this date in 1980, cable news was born.
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ROMANS: Yes, it's CNN's 31st birthday today.
VELSHI: It was the nation's first 24 hour news network, the first time people didn't have to wait until supper or after to find out what happened in their world today.
Happy 31st birthday to us.
CHETRY: Well, ahead this hour: Best Buy has the Geek Squad, this place has the grow squad inside of a one-stop shop for growing marijuana.
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