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American Morning
Tour Boat Sinks, Americans Aboard; Casey Anthony Murder Trial; Mladic Tossed from Court; Walking Across America; What the World Will Look Like in 2050; Egypt Pipeline Explodes
Aired July 04, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Christine Romans. A lot going on this morning, let's get you caught up.
The case may be going to the jury on the Fourth of July, closing arguments in the Casey Anthony murder trial. The prosecution is painting a picture of a serial liar and of a young woman who they say sacrificed her child for the free life she wanted.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Ali Velshi.
He is accused of the worst massacre in Europe since the Nazis. War crimes suspect Ratko Mladic in court, disruptive and combative. The judge throws him out of the courtroom. We'll explain -- on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(MUSIC)
ROMANS: Good morning, Ali.
VELSHI: Good morning.
ROMANS: Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING, everybody. It is M, the Fourth of July. I'm hoping you're having a wonderful day off. Kiran is off today.
VELSHI: She's enjoying the Fourth of July.
But there is a lot of work this morning. We're following some breaking news. Six people are missing after a small boat carrying mostly Americans sank off Mexico's Baja, California, peninsula. Officials say 44 people were on the boat when it left the port of San Felipe.
We're told that the boat hit some rough weather and sank almost immediately. Thirty-seven people have been rescued and there are reports that at least one person has dead.
Joining us is Petty Officer Pamela Boehland from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Petty Officer Boehland, we spoke last hour. You told us 37 people had been rescued and I know the sun is not up yet, so I don't know if you have any more information since last we talked -- but give us the situation.
PETTY OFFICER PAMELA BOEHLAND, U.S. COAST GUARD (via telephone): Good morning, Ali.
Yes, the coast guard is preparing at first light to conduct a search for the six missing people from the 100-foot fishing charter vessel that sank almost immediately after it capsized on Sunday morning. The -- there was 44 people on board, 37 have been confirmed alive, six people are missing. And we did receive a report of one fatality.
ROMANS: Pamela, it's Christine here. How big is the area the researchers are searching and what are they dealing with in terms of weather and conditions there?
BOEHLAND: Right now, the coast guard hasn't left yet. We're waiting for the sun to come up before we conduct a search. When we do, we will always conduct a thorough and exhaustive search of the area, and we cover hundreds of square miles of water, and we'll be doing that as soon as -- as soon as the sun comes up.
VELSHI: Do we know any -- any sense of this vessel, you told us 100- foot fishing vessel. Any idea -- is its weather that caused it to capsize?
BOEHLAND: Yes, Ali. We received a report that they had hit some rough weather on Sunday morning and the boat had capsized and sank almost immediately. The vessel was close enough to shore where some people were actually able it to swim to shore and they had to notify authorities when they got on land.
VELSHI: Petty Officer Pamela Boehland, thank you for joining us and keeping us up to speed. We'll check in with you later this morning.
ROMANS: Former Bosnian Serb Commander Ratko Mladic kicked out of court this morning -- the judge removing Mladic from the chambers after multiple disruptions. Mladic refused to enter a plea and complained the judge wasn't, quote, "allowing him to breathe."
The court entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. He is suspected, of course, of war crimes including genocide.
Mladic is accused of ordering the shelling in Sarajevo and the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica back in the 1990s.
VELSHI: Well, the case could go to the jury today after heated, emotional and powerful closing arguments in the Casey Anthony murder trial. The prosecution describing the clash between the life they say Casey wanted and the life she had. The defense urging the jury to base their verdict on evidence not on emotion.
CNN's David Mattingly joins us live from outside the courthouse in Orlando, Florida.
David, we're waiting for court to open. We believe there will be some business done today. Is it likely that the jury gets the case today?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is very likely they could start deliberating this afternoon. But yesterday was a landmark day because after 33 days of testimony, the prosecution never really told us why Casey Anthony might want to kill her little daughter. Well, yesterday, they brought it all together for the jury during emotional closing arguments. The prosecution says that Casey Anthony was a young woman who yearned for a more carefree and fun life, and her daughter was standing in the way.
There were some very powerful moments as the prosecutor pushed that point home and here's one of them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF ASHTON, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: The evidence in this case proves beyond any reasonable doubt that Casey Anthony decided on June 16th that something had to be sacrificed. That the conflict between the life that she wanted and the life that was thrust upon her was simply irreconcilable and something had to give. She chose to sacrifice her child. To live the life that she wanted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: Now the defense yesterday spent hours deconstructing the prosecution's entire case, picking apart witness after witness after expert testimony, after expert testimony, pushing the point home to the jury that the defense really doesn't have to prove anything here. They just have to show the jury that there is plenty of room here for reasonable doubt and a lot of this circumstantial case that prosecution has -- Ali.
ROMANS: David, it's Christine here. Just wondering, it seems as though the pace of this case has been quite rapid and now, you've got the jury working like we are, on the Fourth of July, on a holiday.
Why such a brisk pace? The judge has said all along that this was going to keep moving.
MATTINGLY: Well, if you've been sitting in that courtroom, it might have been feeling like it's been moving pretty slowly. Remember, they've been at this for six weeks now. The judge is trying to keep this train on the tracks. They had a little bit of a dust up yesterday when the defense attorney took exception to the prosecutor smiling during his closing arguments. So, that sort of threw us off for a couple hours.
But, at this point, the judge very determined to keep things moving, to keep it in the hands of the jury and get it to them so they can start deliberating. They've known for a long time that this trial was going to last six or eight weeks. They've been at it for six. Let's see how long the jury is going to take now to reach a verdict.
VELSHI: All right. David, we will be checking in with you, obviously, throughout the day. David Mattingly, outside the courthouse in Orlando.
ROMANS: Pretty much six days a week, including holidays. I mean, these jurors are dedicated to this thing. It's been a long ordeal.
All right. That brings us to our question of the day. Do you think the prosecution has proved its case against Casey Anthony? Send us an e-mail, a tweet, tell us on Facebook. We're going to read your thoughts throughout the program.
VELSHI: We know you may not be trial watchers all the time, but we also know people have been watching this trial in unprecedented numbers.
ROMANS: It's unprecedented.
VELSHI: Yes. Prosecutors in the attempted rape case against former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn are expected to press on despite a stunning turn of events. You remember, on Friday, prosecutors announced their main witness, the alleged victim, has a serious credibility problem. As a result, Strauss-Kahn has been released from house arrest.
Here's more from Susan Candiotti.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Ali, will Dominique Strauss-Kahn learn his fate this week? He's been smiling every time he's left his rented New York town home this weekend while waiting to hear whether prosecutors will drop felony charges against him.
A source with knowledge of the case says the D.A.'s team remains undecided despite strong forensic evidence of a sexual encounter inside that hotel room, but was it assault?
Massive credibility issues, including admitted lies by the maid about her past, could derail the case. Among them, bank accounts discovered in her name in several states. And a jailhouse call from a maid's friend with her saying to the friend, something to the effect of, that she could possibly make money from all of this.
Now, I am told there is no evidence of a setup in this case. On Sunday, the D.A. released a new statement to CNN saying a search for truth has guided his office. In his words, "What is important is not a win or a loss, but rather to ensure the criminal justice system balances the rights of all those who come before it" -- Christine and Ali.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Fascinating.
All right. New this morning a police officer and father of two shot to death at a hotel in Memphis last night. Police say Officer Timothy Warren was responding to a report of shots fired at the hotel. Responders had already found the body of one victim when shots fired again. Warren was fatally hit, pronounced dead in the hospital. The shooting suspect is now in custody, Ali.
VELSHI: ExxonMobil is mopping up in Montana after a burst pipeline spewed a thousand barrels of oil into the Yellowstone River. That's about 42,000 gallons. Recent flooding has made cleanup difficult but officials say swift currents and high water could help break up the oil. Officials say some of the oil has washed ashore but they see no sign of harm to wildlife.
ROMANS: Flames lighting up the sky in Egypt after an attack on a pipeline that supplies gas to Israel. The Egyptian army says the explosion appears to be an act of sabotage. And right now, the flow of gas to Israel and Jordan has been cut off. This is the third time Egyptian gas pipelines have been attacked since the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak's government.
VELSHI: New video of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in Cuba. He's under more cancer treatments. Venezuela's vice president says Chavez could stay in Cuba for as long as a total of 180 days, much longer than originally expected. Chavez admitted last week to having a cancerous tumor removed.
I have to say, though, Christine, with these pictures that are coming out of Cuba with him in his athletic wear, he looks the picture of health.
ROMANS: That's right. Track suit with Castro recently.
All right. The royal newlyweds continuing their tour of Canada today. Prince William and his wife Catherine took part in a ceremony at Quebec City Hall. They stopped by a center for troubled youth.
Now, a small bump in their cross Canada tour. A group of protesters gathered chanting and carrying signs to oppose the newlyweds' tour and the British monarchy. Their nine-day tour ends this Friday.
But, you know, the prince actually spoke French in Quebec and he seemed to, despite the small number of protesters, sort of charm.
VELSHI: Yes. They're sort of a hearty group of anti-monarchists there. There are some in the U.S. But in Canada, they feel that they're the yolk of monarchy around the country.
ROMANS: There are some in the U.K., too.
VELSHI: Novak Djokovic.
ROMANS: Nice.
VELSHI: You're going to have to remember that name.
ROMANS: Yes.
VELSHI: He's the world's top tennis player when the rankings are announced today. He's a Serbian. He beat Rafael Nadal yesterday in four sets to win his first Wimbledon title, first time since February 2004 that a man other than Roger Federer or Nadal has been number one.
ROMANS: Really? Wow. That's quite a run.
You may not know him yet, but 7.4 million baseball fans do. Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista received the most votes in an all- star game history, beating Ken Griffey Jr.'s record 6 million back in 1994. Bautista had 54 home runs last year and leads the majors this season. The New York Yankees led the way with six all-star selections.
VELSHI: I thought I was going to have no excuse to talk about Canada again, but now, I got a Blue Jay in the news.
ROMANS: O Canada.
VELSHI: All right. Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING: street justice. The mayor of a city in the Philippines unloads one on one of her employees, a sheriff in the police department. Look at that. We'll tell you why she started throwing fists.
ROMANS: And a first for Thailand. Years after a violent coup, why the country's latest election is one for the history books.
VELSHI: And a look from Saturday's fireworks show in Madison, Wisconsin. The largest display in the Midwest. This is incredible.
ROMANS: Who says budget cuts? Look at that.
VELSHI: Seriously.
AMERICAN MORNING is coming right back on this Fourth of July. Wow!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Former Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic tossed out of court only hours ago.
VELSHI: Yes, this after multiple disruptions. Mladic had refused to enter a plea, so the court entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. He's accused of several war crimes including genocide and extermination.
CNN's Dan Rivers joins us live from London where he's watching over the trial. What's the latest, Dan?
DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's just an incredibly dramatic start to these proceedings. Touchy, argumentative and confrontational right from the get-go with Ratko Mladic, refusing to allow the judge Alphons Orie to talk to him. He came in in a cap to start with. He was asked to remove it and then the confrontation started.
Let's take a listen to the back and forth between the two of them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALPHONS ORIE, PRESIDING JUDGE: Mr. Mladic, Mr. Mladic, Mr. Mladic, Mr. Mladic, the court orders that you be removed from the courtroom. Could security please escort Mr. Mladic out of the courtroom?
RATKO MLADIC, FORMER BOSNIAN SERB GENERAL: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
ORIE: Could Mr. Mladic -
MLADIC: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Out of court? Who are you? You're not allowing me to breathe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIVERS: The female translator there giving his words, he's argued that he's in poor health. What they did in - in the end after he was forced to leave the court, because he just wasn't cooperating, they entered not guilty pleas for all of the 11 charges that include genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
ROMANS: All right. Dan Rivers. Thanks, Dan.
VELSHI: Well, FOX is falling victim to hackers. Overnight its Politics Twitter account repeatedly announced that President Obama had been shot dead while campaigning in Iowa.
These are the last two tweets, quote, "Breaking news, President Obama assassinated. Two gunshot wounds have proved too much. It's a sad Fourth for America." Another one said, "And we wish Joe Biden best of luck as our new President of the United States in such time of madness. There's light at the end of the tunnel." Of, President Obama is very much alive and well.
A group called the Script Kiddie (ph) has claimed responsibility for the hacking. So far, no response from FOX except to say when we called them that they don't know anything about this. Not in good taste at all for somebody to have done that.
ROMANS: No. Certainly not.
All right. Meanwhile, switching gears here, history made in Thailand. The country set to welcome its first female prime minister who won, by the way, in a landslide with more than 90 percent of votes counted. Yingluck Shinawatra, now her party has already won more than half of the seats of Thailand's 500-member Parliament. Interestingly, it was Shinawata's brother thrown out of office during a coup in 2006.
VELSHI: Which is part of the issue here because he's seen as part of the problem in the old days. She - and he referred to her as my clone, yet she won a democratic election. So, you know, see, Thailand has been going through a lot of problems. So hopefully this helps them to start to put it behind them.
All right. Taking you down to street level. The mayor of a city in the Philippines started throwing fists at the city's sheriff. Watch closely. That's her. It's all caught on camera. The female mayor was angry because the sheriff wouldn't delay the demolition of a slum area. She's asking for a couple of hour delay. The mayor is taking a five-day leave of absence while the government investigates the beat down. ROMANS: All right. Reynolds Wolf is in the Extreme Weather Center for us. It's 18 and a half minutes after the hour.
Good morning. Happy Fourth to you, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, back at you, guys.
So a lot of people celebrating the Fourth by going right to the airport and trying to travel, and I don't think you will have too many problems until possibly later this afternoon. In Orlando, Miami, Atlanta, D.C. metros, even in Nashville and Memphis, afternoon thunderstorms could be the problem. But in San Francisco, what do you have? Fog. And you may also have delays just under an hour. So that's going to be a big possibility.
Also, there's going to be the possibility of thunderstorms across much of the southeast, mainly the afternoon activity. We need the sea breeze, the daytime heating. Severe storms possible for the Upper Midwest, plenty of sunshine, surprisingly, for the Pacific Northwest. Some scattered showers possibly for parts of Southern California and, again, to the Ohio Valley, look for the chance of rain, same deal in spots like St. Louis and back over to Kansas City.
In terms of your heat there's a lot of it. Guess what, we got a high of 95 in Albuquerque and it seems too much of a surprise being at the 90s for El Paso, but that's going to be the case; 101 in Dallas; 89 in Kansas City; 88 New York; 92 in Washington, D.C.; 94 in Atlanta and 94 in Salt Lake City.
Some of your highs yesterday, very quickly, Austin, Texas, 102, mercy me; and Hattiesburg 100 with high humidity; Joplin, Missouri up in the triple digits, same deal in Port Arthur and Beaumont, Casper, Wyoming with 98.
That is a quick snapshot of your forecast. Enjoy your Fourth of July. Let's kick it back to you.
VELSHI: Hey. Quick question, Reynolds.
WOLF: Sure.
VELSHI: We know that when the sun comes up on the West Coast there, the U.S. Navy is helping the -
ROMANS: Right.
VELSHI: -- Mexican Coast Guard with this rescue. What kind of weather are they looking for?
WOLF: You know, it's going to be another warm day for them obviously when they get things started in the morning not bad, but the issue that you have is still this strong southeasterly fetch. So you're going to have very choppy conditions in the water. I'm sure the Navy could handle it. But you've better have the nice -
VELSHI: Sure. WOLF: -- still waters that will not be the case for them, unfortunately.
VELSHI: All right. The update is 37 rescued, six are being sought and one has been confirmed dead.
Reynolds, thanks very much. We'll check in with you.
WOLF: Thank you.
VELSHI: All right. Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, what is being an American mean to you?
ROMANS: What does it mean to you? What does being an American mean to you?
VELSHI: It means freedom. It means a great country, with complicated politics.
ROMANS: You're right.
VELSHI: One man begins a journey across the country on foot to get the answer. Didn't tell what's his name who do that?
ROMANS: What's his name?
VELSHI: Forrest Gump.
ROMANS: Oh, I think he -
VELSHI: He ran across the country.
ROMANS: That's right. That's right.
VELSHI: This is a real guy. We're going to speak to him next.
ROMANS: Also, flying high, a roller skater broke the world record in the long jump over the weekend. How far he had to go to take that title, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Twenty-four minutes after the hour. "Minding Your Business" this morning.
U.S. stock markets are closed for the holiday today. Stocks posted the best weekly gain in two years last week, boosted by manufacturing data and easing concerns in Greece. Big on Wall Street this week, the jobs report for June releasing on Friday and international markets are open today.
The Senate heading back to work tomorrow on debt ceiling talks that's after calls from President Obama to get cracking on the budget deficit. Lawmakers need to reach an agreement by August 2nd on raising the debt limit or the Treasury will not be able to pay all of its bills. E.U. leaders approved emergency funding for Greece over the weekend. Greece will receive $17 billion in emergency funding by July the 15th. Protests turned violent last week after parliament added new austerity measures including new pay cuts for public workers in order to secure the funds from the E.U.
A new study says people are adding more to their retirement nest eggs. Those savings rose about $18 trillion in the last quarter according to the Investment Company Institute. That's up 10 percent from the same time last year and just below the record high in 2007.
President Obama's housing chief says buy now. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" said housing prices have hit rock bottom and he believes we'll get back to a time when homes are a good investment.
The hacker group Anonymous claiming it stole two dozen usernames and passwords of Apple employees after hacking the company's website. Anonymous tweeted about the attack Sunday night and posted the hack info on its website. No customer information was stolen. CNN's calls to Apple have not been returned.
AMERICAN MORNING right back after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Good morning. Twenty-nine minutes after the hour. Our top stories this morning.
The search resuming after a tour boat with 27 Americans aboard sank off the Baja Peninsula in the Sea of Cortez. There were 44 people onboard the boat when it capsized. Six are still missing and the reports, at least one person has died this morning. The U.S. Coast Guard is sending a helicopter to help with the search once the sun rises. We're told the boat still hits some rough weather, sank almost immediately.
VELSHI: Yes. Deliberations expected to begin today after powerful closing arguments in the Casey Anthony murder trial. The prosecution alleging that Casey sacrificed her child for a life of freedom. The defense saying the prosecution's case is based on fantasy forensics. The state still gets a chance to rebut the defense's argument.
Former Bosnian Serb Commander Ratko Mladic kicked out of court this morning after multiple disruptions. Mladic refused to enter a plea and complained the judge wasn't, quote, "allowing him to breathe." The court entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. He's accused of the worst massacre in Europe since the Nazis.
VELSHI: All right. Being American, what does it mean to you? That's what our next guest wants to find out.
Constantino Diaz-Duran begins an incredible 8-month journey today.
ROMANS: That's right. It's a walk across the country from New York to Los Angeles, meeting people along the way to discover and define being American.
Constantino joins us this morning from his starting off point, the First Avenue coffee shop on New York City's Upper East Side.
Welcome, you look like you are ready to go. It's so nice to meet you.
What are you hoping to find, prove and accomplish on this journey?
CONSTANTINO DIAZ-DURAN, WALKING ACROSS AMERICA: Well, I'm hoping to find people. I'm hoping to find Americans who will be willing to talk to me. And, you know, I came to this country 10 years ago, wanting to be an American, and now, I'm eligible for U.S. citizenship. So I want to go on and find people and I know what being an American means to me and I know why I came to this country. So I want to find people who will share with me what being an American means to them.
VELSHI: Constantino, I want to put up a map that shows your route across the country. You're going to be spending your -- most of your time in the lower 48 states. It's not -- doesn't look like the world's most direct route to me. Why did you pick the route that you picked?
DIAZ-DURAN: Yes. So, actually, you know, if I had done a straight shot, it would have been about 3,000 miles?
VELSHI: Yes.
DIAZ-DURAN: What I'm doing, the zigzag that you see, it's going to be about 4,300 miles. So, I'm not making things any easier for myself. The whole point of this is to meet people from, you know, as many places as I can.
VELSHI: Right.
DIAZ-DURAN: I wanted to go, you know, as many places as I could.
ROMANS: Constantino, you said that you know what being an American means to you. And at the end of this trip, you're going to apply for your American citizenship. You said you know what it means to you, but you want to hear what it means for other people. What does it mean to you?
DIAZ-DURAN: Well, to me, it means I know it might sound like a cliche, but to me it really means the freedom to be who I am, to do the kind of work I want to do. I worked at a newspaper in Guatemala and I actually had to flee that country to escape persecution. And I came here, I got political asylum here. And here, you know, being able to work as a journalist without fear of persecution, that's -- that kind of freedom and just the freedom to live my own life. That's in a nutshell, that's what it means to me.
ROMANS: Some things we take for granted sometimes.
VELSHI: One of the -- totally, it's going to be a great experience for people you run into. By the way, you're starting at this diner because it's where you get your breakfast most of the time. DIAZ-DURAN: I eat here almost every day and, you know, the staff and regular here are awesome. They've been super supportive. They actually did a little fund-raiser for me and even helped me buy some of my gear. So, you know, I thought it was only fitting to like come have breakfast here one last time before I hit the road.
ROMANS: So, how many pairs of shoes are you budgeting for first of all? Second, I mean, where are you going to sleep? Are you sleeping -- people who are going to put you up at their houses and hotels. I mean, what are the logistics of this trip?
DIAZ-DURAN: All right. So I'm going to need about four to five pairs of shoes, we'll see. Apparently, you can expect to get about 800 to 1,000 miles per pair. So, you know. I'll see that when I go.
As far as sleeping, I see you have -- I have a tent right here. And a sleeping bag. So, I'll probably be camping out most of the time. I'm going to try to stay at motels, you know, one or two nights a week just because I want to shave and, you know, look clean. I want people to talk to me.
VELSHI: Right.
DIAZ-DURAN: I don't want to scare anyone.
(LAUGHTER)
DIAZ-DURAN: And then, you know -- and obviously places where I have friends I will stay with them and if anyone out there actually, if I'm, you know, going near your home and you're kind enough to offer me a place to shower and maybe let me pitch my tent on your, you know, front yard or even let me use your couch, I will take you up on the offer.
VELSHI: Very nice. Constantino, you should check in with us maybe by phone while you're on the road. We'd love to see how you're doing on your trip. We wish you the best of luck and certainly on the other end want to know about what you learned about what people tell you what it means to be an American.
ROMANS: We're going to have you back.
VELSHI: I think, what a simple question but I'm sure you'll get remarkable answers.
Constantino, best of luck to you.
DIAZ-DURAN: Thank you.
ROMANS: I would get the two eggs over easy with lots of bacon, wheat toast, butter, two cups of coffee, everything at that famous New York diner before you go.
VELSHI: We're going to follow his route and you can, too, by the way.
ROMANS: Yes. VELSHI: Just go to WalkLikeanAmerican.org. I think he's going to post pictures there and things like that. But you can follow his trip. Also, his handle on Twitter is @CDDNY. His name is Constantino Diaz-Duran.
ROMANS: And we'll tweet out a link.
VELSHI: We will. You should go to our best Web site.
ROMANS: Very nice to meet him -- Constantino Diaz-Duran.
All right. After more than 25 years together, Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger are officially calling it quits. Shriver filed divorce papers on Friday citing irreconcilable differences. She is asking for joint custody of the youngest of the couple's four children. Schwarzenegger admitted to fathering a child with his former housekeeper.
VELSHI: New this morning, a high-speed boat crash in Indiana. It happened during a Madison regatta race yesterday in front of thousands of fans. The driver of one of the hydroplanes missed a turn and began backtracking, smashing into a rescue boat. The boat was destroyed. All three volunteers on board were injured, one critically. The accident is under investigation.
ROMANS: Twelve thousand people allowed to return home now, just in time for the Fourth of July as firefighters begin to get ahold on this huge forest fire in New Mexico. The fire near the Los Alamos nuclear research lab has burned more than 120,000 acres now. Firefighters got a boost from some summer rain over the weekend, but they still say the fire is only about 19 percent contained.
VELSHI: And just in time for the busy holiday, the Minnesota zoo back open this morning, despite the state's government shutdown. The judge ruled the zoo could use money from other sources like memberships and parking to keep running. Minnesota's government has been shut down since Friday because Democrats and Republicans can't reach an agreement on the new budget.
ROMANS: And a big day for the Americans on the Fourth of July at the Tour de France. The U.S. squad Garmin-Cervelo won stage two of the tour yesterday. A team time trial.
VELSHI: All right. Check this out, watch this video, a French roller skater setting a new record. Take a look at this.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
VELSHI: Yes, 95 feet above Sacre Coeur monument on Sunday, shattering the old record of 79 feet. Didn't stick the landing but he made it. There was a nice comfy thing for him to bump into when he landed.
Last May, the same guy broke a world record by performing the highest leap from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower.
ROMANS: Wow. It looks like a lot of fun and something I would never do.
VELSHI: Yes. I'd go Sacre Coeur.
ROMANS: Yes, of that, and the cafe for coffee.
All right. NASA is prepping for launch of the last ever space shuttle mission on Friday. But before the big blastoff, we're going to take you on an exclusive tour of a real NASA space shuttle, one that is already history.
VELSHI: And these fireworks from Provo, Utah, Saturday night. Check this out, nearly 50,000 people turned out to watch the stadium of fire show.
AMERICAN MORNING coming back on this Fourth of July.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: OK. If you're in the market for a new home, now is the time to buy. That is the message for this morning from the Obama administration. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan telling our Candy Crowley that he can't predict when home prices will rise again. But because foreclosure rates are down, he says it's unlikely we'll see a further decline in home prices.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHAUN DONOVAN, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY: My sense, though, is in the long run, it is a good time to buy, whether it's five months away or a year away, to see sustainable increases. I think it is a good time, long time, to become a homeowner because it's so affordable today compared to where it's been for generations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Now, Donovan went on to say that he believes we'll get back to a time when homes are a good investment and you'll be able to make money over time.
Ali, something that you and I have both been saying in the long run --
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: -- in the long run, all the signs pointed it's a good time to buy. But it's the short run, that's only hurting people right now because they can't get the loan or they don't have 20 percent sitting in the bank.
VELSHI: But it's one thing that people always think about prices, right? We talk constantly about prices, when, in fact, if you take a mortgage, a 15 or 30-year mortgage, ultimately, that interest rate is going to have more impact than the prices. So, always good to use the calculators out there to come up with the best deal. That was a good discussion.
All right. Let's talk about population, a revealing look into the future of the world as imagined by the U.S. Census Bureau. Now, using its international database, it projects India to be the most populous nation by the year 2050.
Take a look at this. They are expecting that India will have 1.6 billion people by 2050, that would make China number two, by the way.
I'll just show you what China is expected to look like. China would be number two, would be holding steady with about 1.3 billion people.
Where would the U.S. be? Well, the United States -- let me show you that -- the United States would grow to about 423 million people by 2050.
Now, one of the biggest gains will be number four. This one I'm sure is going to surprise you. Nigeria is likely to be the fourth most populous country with a population of 402 million people by the year 2050.
Look at Ethiopia. This one also caught my attention. Ethiopia, will be, give that to you, will grow to about 278 million people, putting it into the top 10 for the first time.
Now, those are gainers. Let's look at losers. The biggest loser, Russia would drop from number nine right now to number 16, declining birth rates in that country, relatively low life expectancies to blame. It's just 62 years, by the way, life expectancy for men in Russia. It's almost 20 years lower than it is in the United States. So, 109 million people.
And, finally, take a look at Japan, another country expected to see its population decline. It's tenth in population right now. It's projected to be 17th in the year 2050 with 107 million.
Food for thought. I think that India one struck me as interesting, that India is going to move into number one and it will be jostling with China -- Christine.
ROMANS: Really interesting. All right. Thanks, Ali.
The last shuttle, space shuttle Atlantis will blast off this Friday and bring an amazing era in human history to a close. One of its sisters is already enjoying her retirement, space shuttle Discovery.
And in anticipation of this week's big launch, CNN's John Zarrella got an exclusive look inside.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB CABANA, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER: Welcome aboard the space shuttle.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, commander.
CABANA: We're on the mid-deck right now.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): These days, Bob Cabana runs the Kennedy Space Center. Before that, he just happened to be an astronaut, flew in space four times, twice as pilot, twice as commander. His first two trips, he was pilot of Discovery. He knows every inch.
(on camera): How many seated on the mid-deck?
CABANA: Well, if you're flying a crew of seven, you've got three folk downs there. So, one there and two more over here.
ZARRELLA: Right.
(voice-over): Sitting here, Cabana is reminded of a liftoff on Endeavour.
CABANA: The whole ascent, I mean, what a ride -- just a sense of speed and acceleration.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, there's main engine start. Pretty soon you'll see the SRBs. A lot of shaking and vibrating.
CABANA: You're pushed back in your seat and the last minute, you know, you hit that 3G acceleration again and you're at 3Gs and it's hard to breathe and (INAUDIBLE), then it's like boom you come forward in your seat like that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You really know you're going to space.
ZARRELLA: Discovery is the first vehicle being retired. When all the cleanup is done -- stuff like Freon, ammonia, cryogenics and pyrotechnics -- she'll be turned over to the Smithsonian. Not easy, says Stephanie Stilson. For 11 years, her job as flow director was to make sure "Discovery" was ready to fly. Her job now, make sure "Discovery" is museum ready.
STEPHANIE STILSON, DISCOVERY'S FLOW DIRECTOR: And we do think of "Discovery" as the only member. We've taken care of her for all these years, and it's going to be hard for many people to realize that we're no longer responsible for that, that someone else has to do that for us. So, it's going to be a big change for some folks.
ZARRELLA: Stilson always dreamed of being a launch director. No woman has ever held that job. But for now, NASA has nothing for her to launch. Back on board.
Let's take you back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure. We'll take a look in the air loft (ph).
ZARRELLA: Crawl about 12 feet.
I'm going to drag these cables in two.
On the other end is shuttle's cargo bay. Spacious enough to hold a school bus. Over the 39 flights of "Discovery," dozens of astronauts in space suits have been at this exact vantage point, waiting to step out to repair a satellite or build the space station.
ROBERT CABANA, FMR. SPACE SHUTTLE COMMANDER: I'll just remember when we landed, I did not want to get out of the commander seat. I mean they asked was kind of get me out, it's like this is my spaceship, you can't have it. I didn't want it to end. You know, I just wanted it to go on. It was great.
ZARRELLA: And now, it really has.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: That was CNN's John Zarrella reporting. Stay with CNN for live coverage this Friday, July 8th, at 11:26 a.m. as space shuttle "Atlantis" takes off for the very last time. See that animation? That's cool. The very last shuttle mission ever.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: The launch in the corner.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: I'm going to be there. I'm going to be there for lunch.
ROMANS: I know. I know. That's right.
VELSHI: I'm very, very excited about this.
ROMANS: That's great.
VELSHI: All right. It is 47 minutes after the hour.
Coming up, it's that time of year again that time to stuff your face. CNN's Allan Chernoff takes us to Coney Island for Nathan's Annual hot dog eating contest. The super bowl of competitive eating. We're going to show you how it's almost matched the big game in marketing hype as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Forty-nine minutes past the hour now. Here's a look at your headlines this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS (voice-over): Breaking news. Six people are missing after a small boat carrying mostly Americans sank off Mexico's Baja, California Peninsula, yesterday. We're told 37 passengers are safe at this hour, and there are reports at least one person has died. The U.S. navy is sending a helicopter to help with the rescue effort.
Deliberations in the Casey Anthony murder trial are expected to begin today. During closing arguments, the prosecution alleged Casey sacrificed her child to live a life of freedom. The defense is saying the case is based on forensic fantasy.
Former Bosnian Serb commander, Ratko Mladic, kicked out of court this morning. The court entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. He's accused several war crimes including genocide and extermination.
A pipeline that supplies gas to Israel exploded earlier this morning in Egypt. Authorities say it appears to be an act of sabotage. It's the third such attack since Hosni Mubarak's government was toppled.
The Minnesota Zoo is back open this morning. It had been shut down because of a stalemate over the state budget. A judge ruled the zoo can continue to use money from other sources like memberships to keep running.
Prince William and his wife, Catherine, arrived in Prince Edward Island last night, finishing up day four of their Canadian tour. Earlier, the royal pair attended a ceremony at Quebec City Hall. A small group of protesters gathered outside opposing the British monarchy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS (on-camera): You're caught up on the day's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING is back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Later today, we're going to get to watch one of the great Fourth of July traditions. Nathan's annual hot dog eating contest at Coney Island.
ROMANS: I know. I never get tired of seeing those guys. Sometimes, they get them wet first.
VELSHI: Apparently, if you're a pro, you have to wet the bun first.
ROMANS: Right. So, you can eat the bun that fast (ph). All right. CNN's Allan Chernoff is by the boardwalk at beautiful Coney Island this morning. Allan, this crazy contest is about a lot more than fun in the sun, isn't it?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: This is all about very, very serious business for the professional eaters. And there's a lot of tension this morning as well. Questions about the competition, can Joey Chestnut break his world record of 68 hot dogs and buns in only ten minutes? Will he be able to fight of the new challenge from the Chinese eaters?
And will Sonya Thomas, the black widow, will she finally win her own championship belt in the first ever women's only competition. A lot of questions. But for the sponsor, Nathan's famous, it's all about the marketing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF (voice-over): You're watching all-American marketing magic. Nathan's hot dog eating contest is a bonanza for the fast food company. As the eaters have expanded their gastric capabilities, the event's popularity has soared and so have sales of Nathan's hot dogs, piling up seven years in a row to 453 million last year.
WAYNE NORBITZ, PRESIDENT, NATHAN'S FAMOUS: This is one of the greatest marketing stunts ever put forth in the United States. CHERNOFF: It's a natural for Nathan's which first opened at the fun- filled amusement park 96 years ago. In the late 1970s, the contest was just another Coney Island side show, fought off by PR stunt man, Max Rosy (ph). Max's protege is George Shea and his brother, Rich, are the marketing men who have brought competitive eating into the modern era.
They've created a phenomenon like introducing coveted mustard yellow championship belt, having ESPN cover the event, and promoting the eaters as professional athletes.
RICH SHEA, MAJOR LEAGUE EATING: It's absolutely a sport, and it has all the tenants of sports, and these guys are athletes for sure.
CHERNOFF: This year's stunt, building a new rivalry between the U.S. and China, by flying Chinese eaters to Coney Island just when Nathan's happens to be embarking on a major expansion in China.
GEORGE SHEA, MAJOR LEAGUE EATING: If they take the belt, they're going to be eating our lunch literally.
CHERNOFF: The media eats it up, and not just in Coney Island. The Sheas have qualifying competitions across the country and sponsors for other eating events, chicken wings, oysters, hamburgers, all part of what they call Major League Eating.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF (on-camera): And just to show it's not all about conspicuous consumption, Nathan's Famous is also donating 100,000 hot dogs and buns to the New York food bank. Another smart marketing move. Back to you in the studio.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: We talk about the Chinese challenges. We even got one in a hot dog eating. Normally, you think about that as an economic issue. We don't often see what happens after the contest. I mean, 68 is the record?
CHERNOFF: Yes. Joey Chestnut actually set that record two years ago. Last year, actually was a very, very disappointing session. It was brutally hot here. Chestnut ate only 54 hot dogs and buns. So, we really want to see can he come back? There's been some talk about was it the heat, was it the cooking?
The thought is that maybe the hot dogs were cooked a little too early, they got tight and that affected his consumption. Just don't know. Chestnut, himself, was devastated. He won, but nonetheless, he was still devastated.
VELSHI: Right.
CHERNOFF: Can he come back this year? Big, big question.
VELSHI: All right. We'll be watching. Allan, good to see you. Thank you.
ROMANS: All right. That's certainly a new angle for the Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest.
VELSHI: That's right.
ROMANS: All right. This morning, deliberations in the Casey Anthony murder trial expected to begin today. During closing arguments, the prosecution alleged Casey sacrificed her child to live a free life.
VELSHI: That brings us to the question of the day. Do you think the prosecution has proved its case against Casey Anthony?
ROMANS: Sandra V. on a blog says, "Yes, I think the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt over and over again. Anyone would have to be deaf, blind, and stupid to think Casey Anthony should get anything less than charged with first-degree murder. She, obviously, acted alone. She is guilty of murdering her child and then some." I'll tell you what, there's a jury that's going to have decide that.
VELSHI: That's right. Jeannie on Facebook says, "Of course. Any time a child dies, someone close to the child is responsible. George testified the last time he saw caylee Was with Casey. It's not rocket science."
And on our blog, Sharon says, "The burden to create enough reasonable doubt was not handled well by the defense. So, the prosecution gets the pass mark for doing a better job proving their case."
ROMANS: And on Facebook, Lopez-Rogue Jo says, "Prosecutors did a sloppy job. This will be another O.J. Simpson case."
OK. Keep your comments coming. America is fascinated by this case, and the mention of O.J. is interesting because I haven't seen this much public interest in a case since the O.J. Simpson trial more than a decade ago. Send us an e-mail, a tweet, tell us on Facebook. We're going to read some of your thoughts a bit later in the program. AMERICAN MORNING back right after this break.
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