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American Morning
Casey Anthony Murder Trial; The Final Countdown; Hackers Claim Apple Attack; What Makes America Great; Man versus Tornado
Aired July 04, 2011 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. A group of hackers claim to have hit Apple, the group Anonymous claiming responsibility for this attack, which reportedly exposed a small amount of internal passwords. That information did not belong to the public or Apple customers. So far, Apple is not commenting on whether information was stolen from the company.
And someone has clearly hacked the Twitter account belonging to FOX News politics. The site announced early this morning that President Obama had been shot dead while campaigning in Iowa. Of course, President Obama is very much alive and well. A group called the Scriptkiddies has claimed responsibility for this hacking.
FOX News has now released a statement on its Web site, saying the reports are not true. FoxNews.com regrets any distress that the false tweets may have created.
ROMANS: All right. He's accused of the biggest massacre in Europe since World War II. Former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic kicked out of court this morning, this after several outbursts.
Listen to what went on between Mladic and the judge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE: Mr. Mladic -- Mr. Mladic, the court orders that you be removed from the courtroom. Could security please escort Mr. Mladic out of the courtroom? Could Mr. Mladic -
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
RATKO MLADIC (through translator): You are not a court. Who are you? You're not allowing me to breathe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The court entered a not guilty plea on Mladic's behalf. He's suspected of war crimes including genocide and extermination.
Well, flames lighting up the night sky in Egypt after an attack on a pipeline that supplies gas to Israel. Take a look at this. The Egyptian army says the explosion appears to be an act of sabotage. Right now, the flow of natural gas to Israel and Jordan has been shut off. This is the third time Egyptian gas pipeline have been attacked since the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak's government. ROMANS: Lawyers for Dominique Strauss-Kahn expect charges that he's actually assaulted a hotel made to be tossed out. You remember Friday, the prosecutors announce their main witness, the alleged victim -- apparently, she has a credibility problem. As a result, Strauss-Kahn was released from house arrest and may travel throughout the country now if he wants.
But, of course, that alleged victim claims that her asylum, that may have been false, some conversations record with a boyfriend about the fact that worry --
VELSHI: Who is in jail.
ROMANS: -- who is in jail -- don't worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I'm doing. A whole host of concern that prosecutors now have.
VELSHI: And the case could go to the jury today after heated, emotional and powerful closing arguments in the Casey Anthony murder trial. Prosecution describing the clash between the life they say Casey Anthony wanted, without a child, and the life that she had, the one of freedom.
ROMANS: The defense urging the jury to base their verdict on evidence not on emotions.
CNN's David Mattingly joins live outside the courthouse in Orlando, Florida.
Good morning, David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
In about an hour, we're going to see those final closing arguments from the prosecution. They get the last say in front of this jury because it is their burden to prove that Casey Anthony murdered her young daughter.
But while we were watching, yesterday, we were seeing in this circumstantial case just how easy it was for each side to expose some weaknesses in what the other was saying. And at times, they sounded very much alike. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE BAEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: That's what they're doing here. Let's throw it all against the wall and see what sticks, right down to their cause of death. One week, it was chloroform. Today, it's duct tape. Let's make up our minds.
JEFF ASHTON, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: Either George Anthony is the person that put the tape on, which we know is not true, or Roy Kronk is the one who put the tape on. You can't do both!
(END VIDEO CLIP) MATTINGLY: Now, what we are seeing now is that the prosecution will have the final word. They are going to counter a lot of the things we heard from the defense yesterday. This jury is going to have a lot to consider. Remember, there were 33 days of testimony. We heard from scores of witnesses. And soon, it will be in their hand hands to determine the fate of Casey Anthony.
VELSHI: David, how is the jury reacting to these arguments? Is there any way to tell?
MATTINGLY: We have watched them. They have been paying very, very close attention. These closing arguments have been heated at times. They haven't missed a single word, haven't missed a single beat.
And, yesterday, they were starting to fidget a little bit in their seats toward the end of the day. That's when the judge said, you know, we need to stop now. I want you bright eyed and bushy tailed for tomorrow when we wrap this up and so you can get this in your hands and really start to work tomorrow.
ROMANS: All right. David Mattingly, thanks so much, David. And I know you'll be following it all day in Orlando.
You know, we want to know what you think. Do you think the prosecution has proved its case against Casey Anthony? It's our question of the day. You can e-mail us, you can give us your tweet. You can tell us on Facebook. There's so much on this.
Sunny Hostin, for example, she has been talking about this with people on Facebook for weeks now. We're going to read those comments later on in the program.
VELSHI: And John Edwards is expected to show up for a federal court hearing tomorrow. The former senator and vice presidential candidate fighting charges of conspiracy and campaign law violation. Edwards is accused of using campaign funds to cover up an extramarital affair. He has pleaded not guilty.
After more than 25 years together, Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger are now officially calling it quits. Shriver filed divorce papers Friday, citing irreconcilable differences. She is asking for joint custody of the youngest of the couple's four children.
Schwarzenegger admitted last month that he did father a child with his former housekeeper.
VELSHI: And for the first time in Thailand, a woman is in charge. Yingluck Shinawatra was elected the country's first female prime minister.
ROMANS: She plans to boost the country's infrastructure from subway extensions to big salary increases for workers. Interestingly, her brother who's part of the same political party, well, he was thrown out of office during a bloody coup back in 2006.
VELSHI: Wedding bells for Prince Albert of Monaco. The wedding did take place. There were some questions about it.
ROMANS: Look at that train.
VELSHI: Look at that. They might be all be that long. You just never see that shot of it.
He tied the knot over the weekend, marrying former South Africa Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock. It was a star-studded affair, 3,500 guests showed up with the ceremony, including President Nicholas Sarkozy, top designer for Chanel.
Afterward, as you see there, Albert and his new bride toured the country, the two-square mile country in a custom Lexus.
ROMANS: OK. There's another pair of royals. Day five now of the Prince William and wife, Catherine, their tour of Canada. The royal newlyweds are in Prince Edward Island today. On Sunday, the newlyweds were greeted by a small group of anti-monarchy protesters in Montreal.
The royal couple will finish up their Canada visit on Friday. Still to come is a three-day stop-over in California.
VELSHI: Now, let's now talk about Thaddeus McCotter.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: I'll tell you about it after the break. But you want to think about this.
ROMAN: Rock 'n' roll guitarist?
VELSHI: While we all enjoy our -- he's a rock 'n' roll guitarist. That's exactly right. He's also a congressman from Michigan. While we were all enjoying our holiday weekend, the GOP presidential field officially grew by one. That's him. Guitar-playing congressman who wants to be president -- we'll tell you who he is.
ROMANS: Plus, savor this moment. Time again for the best eaters from all over the world --
VELSHI: This is the opposite of savor.
ROMANS: That's true. Well, we get to savor the taste of competition.
VELSHI: Happy to have one hotdog.
ROMANS: The last time I had a Nathan hot dog, I had a baby 12 hours later. And that is -- I'm not kidding.
VELSHI: See? See what it does to you?
ROMANS: They're all converging on Coney Island, New York, for the most prestigious competitive event, Nathan's hot dog eating contest. But there are some stuff about this you might not know about the big business behind all of it and the expert positing in marketing of it. VELSHI: And a little later, a man versus tornado. The storm chaser team is rolling into New York City this morning in an armored tank. We'll take you inside the storm-tracking vehicle.
Eight minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Washington, D.C. -- got the White House there. Right now, mostly cloudy, 75 degrees. It will be thunderstorms and 92 later today.
But I have been there on the Mall in Washington July 4th and people are not deterred by the weather. They got to celebrate.
ROMANS: You know, if your birthday falls on a holiday like this, sometimes, you know, people forget. I mean, now imagine if your dad is the president. It's something Malia Obama has had to deal with for a few years now. Today, she's celebrating her 13th birthday.
VELSHI: A teenager.
ROMANS: I know. Happy birthday, Malia. Her sister just turned 10 recently. They went to Camp David for that weekend. And Fourth of July, that's a good weekend to have your birthday.
VELSHI: Yes. Nobody is ever going to be around. You can't have a party on your birthday.
ROMANS: The whole country has a party on your birthday.
VELSHI: That's true.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Happy birthday, Malia.
VELSHI: All right. We're looking at it half full.
All right. You can add a new name to the list of Republican candidates, Michigan Congressman Thad McCotter announces candidacy Saturday in a music festival in Michigan. McCotter is the tenth Republican and the third member of the House to join the presidential race and plays the lead guitar.
ROMANS: I like it.
Texas Governor Rick Perry could be the next presidential candidate. His aides reportedly expected to lay out the results of their research as to how much support and financial backing Perry could get if he runs. Still tentatively.
VELSHI: Right. Right. This has been -- him and Chris Christie have been the two that everybody keeps talking about. Chris Christie has been 100 percent certain that he is not running, or he keeps telling everyone. ROMANS: Right. So, the more we talk about it, the more people around them keep trying to figure
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: -- and what they'd have to do if they run.
VELSHI: You know, 37 percent of the new jobs created since the end of the recession have been in Texas.
ROMANS: That's right.
VELSHI: Now, some of that is Rick Perry, some of that is the price of oil, some of the fact that they got a diversified economy in Texas. They've got energy. They've got health care. They've got lot of education.
ROMANS: Even the census figures show people leaving the Rust belt, Midwest, and Northeast to go to Texas.
VELSHI: Going to the South, yes, going to Texas.
All right. Congress is off today but will be back at work tomorrow so lawmakers can focus on raising the debt ceiling.
The White House has said that on August 2nd, less than four weeks away, the government will run out of money to pay the nation's bills in full and on time.
Over the weekend, President Clinton urged President Obama to stand firm against Republican opposition to increasing tax revenue.
ROMANS: All right. Just in time for the busy holiday, the Minnesota zoo is back open this morning despite the state government shutdown. A judge ruled the zoo could use money from other sources like memberships and parking fees to keep running.
Minnesota's government has been shut down since Friday now because Democrats and Republicans can't reach an agreement on a new budget. So, the Minnesota shutdown is not affecting the zoo at least this weekend.
VELSHI: That little monkey is going to get fed.
The Fourth of July can be a time to peg out, just ask the contestants in Nathan's annual hot dog eating contest. Now, you know what that's about, generally. But there's a lot you don't know about going on behind the scenes. We'll find out about it.
ROMANS: That's right.
CNN's Allan Chernoff, he's going to take a look at the marketing behind this July 4th tradition. He's live in Coney Island. A tradition, no matter what, but on summer weekends especially.
Hi, Allan. ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.
You know, a lot of people wonder, how is it possible for man to consume so many hot dogs in only 20 minutes? Joey Chestnut holds the world record of 68. Well, we were talking about this a bit last hour. The secret is in the dunk.
What you got to do is take that dry bun, dunk it in water, and then it goes right down. It's very simple.
Now, this may not be your idea of breakfast in the morning. But you know what? For the sponsor here, Nathan's Famous, it is a miracle of 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 what does a competitor eater eat after that? You better believe it. Pepto-Bismol. They've got lots of this stuff right here. And wouldn't you know it, Pepto, yes, it's another sponsor to this event -- Guys
ROMANS: Tie it in to all the sponsorship. You know, I don't know. Some people find this just plain gross, but you can't not watch.
(LAUGHTER)
CHERNOFF: Yes. Exactly. Exactly. It's a fascination. The ratings on ESPN -- this is covered live on ESPN. The ratings are huge. The crowd here will be enormous already. People are set up, waiting to go. Still four hours away, believe it or not.
VELSHI: Wow! Jamming up there on Coney Island.
ROMANS: I've worked with or followed Allan Chernoff's work for many, many years.
VELSHI: This is the first.
ROMANS: The first time I've seen you eat a wet hot dog bun on national television, Allan.
VELSHI: And don't say that Allan won't do what he has to do to get this story. Allan Chernoff, have fun.
ROMANS: There's nothing like Independence Day than a wet hot dog buns.
VELSHI: That's right. Right, Reynolds Wolf, in the Extreme Weather Center?
ROMANS: Good morning, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Guys, I'm horrified. I'm horrified.
VELSHI: Yes.
WOLF: I wondering how are we, as humans, as a species, going to evolve in this? We've seen each year, they up again. I mean, 20 years from now, are we going to have a contestant who's going to just unhinge his or her lower jaw?
VELSHI: Right. Get a shovel.
WOLF: I know. Like, truckload at a time. It's a freak show, but it's a fun freak show. Hey, minus freak show in terms of weather into the late afternoon, maybe some strong thunderstorms in the upper Midwest. For portions of the southeast, maybe just some of that sea breeze and some thunderstorms that's going to pop up, just enough to give you a little bit of cool air and cool you down because you're going to need it.
Highs today going up in the 90s across going to the landscape the southeast and to the desert southwest, it's going to be warmer. Very quickly, what you can expect along the coast, water temperatures in the 80s, but Galveston 93 degrees, 93 in Mobil, 91 in Destin. (INAUDIBLE) towards Florida, Tampa, and Miami. Chances are bring those spots to the highs in the 80s and 90s.
Up the coast, we're going to Savannah and Hilton Head, 80s and 90s. And check it out, Virginia Beach, the Atlantic City, and back to Cape Cod, 70s and some 90s out there. The water temperature is a little bit cooler into the 70s. It should be a good time for you. In parts of the desert southwest, the heat is really going to be popping up to that 96 degrees. Very dry there for you. Ninety-nine in El Paso, 101 in Dallas, 97 in Houston, and in Chicago, about 82.
A little bit to the northwest of Chicago. Madison, we had a great fireworks display last night. Let's take a look at the video. We've got it for you. Just spectacular thing to see. My goodness gracious. You know, although, a lot of people are going to be able to enjoy some tight (ph) very similar to this, it's going to be hard to top this view. I'll be quiet for a second. I want you to listen?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(INSTRUMENT PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: John Philip Sousa, how about them apples? That is a beautiful stuff there. And we go from John Philip Sousa and apples and back to hot dogs. All right. Guys, let's send it back to you.
VELSHI: That really is an impressive show. I like fireworks, but that one is pretty impressive.
ROMANS: Well done. All right. Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: Amazing times, guys. Enjoy the fourth.
ROMANS: Have a great day.
VELSHI: All right. The amazing end of an era in human history. NASA is going to launch its very last space shuttle this Friday. Space shuttle "Atlantis" blasting off for a 12-day mission for the international space station at the final flight for NASA shuttle program. The space agency says it now has new goals, including to touch an asteroid and to send humans to Mars. Now, watch the bottom of your screen.
ROMANS: There it goes.
VELSHI: There we go.
ROMANS: All right. Don't miss the history-making liftoff. Stay tuned with us for a live coverage on Friday, July 8th, 11:26. Ali is going to be there. Space shuttle "Atlantis" takes off for the very last time.
VELSHI: Right, like we said, the space shuttle "Atlantis" taking off for the -- (LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: There you go. There you go. There you go.
VELSHI: For the very last time. Love that. That's never going to grow old for me.
ROMANS: That's good.
VELSHI: All right. Still ahead, don't let roller coasters take you for a ride. We're going to show you the roller coaster that has claimed more cell phones than a Manhattan taxi. Twenty-one minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Twenty-four minutes after the hour. "Minding Your Business" this morning. The infamous hacker group anonymous claiming it hits Apple now and stolen a small member of passwords and user names. The information didn't belong to the public or to Apple's customers. So far, Apple is not commenting on whether the information was stolen.
U.S. stock markets are closed for the holiday today. The Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500, they all closed higher Friday boosted by strong manufacturing members and easing concerns in Greece. Investors looking to a big jobs report for June. That jobs report comes out this Friday.
A new study says people are adding more to their retirement nest eggs. Those savings rose to about $18 trillion last quarter. That's according to the Investment Company Institute. That's up 10 percent from the same time last year and just below the record high back in 2007.
The Obama administration suggests now is the time to buy, if you're in the market, for a new home. Housing and Urban Development secretary, Shaun Donovan, telling our Candy Crowley that housing prices have hit rock bottom.
Nike resigning Michael Vick in a new endorsement deal. The NFL quarterback lost his first deal with the brand after pleading guilty to dog fighting charges.
The latest "Transformers" movie winning big at the box-office. The third installment of the sci-fi series rakes in $99 million in U.S. sales. That's a new all-time record for this holiday weekend. "Cars 2" placed second.
Bugatti, the people who brought you the world's fastest car taking luxury to the next level. The special edition of sports car called the (INAUDIBLE) is tricked out with, get this, a caviar tray. And it's the first car with extras made of porcelain. The price tag, a cool $2.4 million.
Claiming more cell phones than a Manhattan taxi. The diamondback roller coaster in Mason, Ohio, is the biggest cell phone thief out there. It claimed more than $20,000 in broken phones in just its first year. Amusement park staff even has a fish tank full of broken phones next to the line to remind people to secure all these articles before boarding the ride.
Up next, July 4th, with our troops in Afghanistan. AMERICAN MORNING back right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Just in to CNN this morning, Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, is back in his country's capital, Caracas, after spending the past few weeks in Cuba. Chavez was in Cuba undergoing cancer treatments. He admitted last week to having it cancer's tumor removed. We've seen pictures --
VELSHI: We've seen about several new pictures. We saw some last week with Fidel Castro. We see these new ones. But now, he's back -- these are from Cuba. He's back in Venezuela. There was discussion over the weekend about how long he can legally stay out of the country, which may have prompted his return. We don't know yet.
The search resumes this morning after a tour boat with 27 Americans aboard sank off the Baja Peninsula in the sea of Cortez where 44 people on board in total when the cap (ph) size. Six of them are still missing. There are reports at least one person has died. The U.S. Coast Guard is sending a helicopter to help with the search once the sun is out.
That should be about now, because we've been speaking to the coast guard all morning, and they said that they were getting ready to launch. It should be about now. We're told the boat hit some rough weather and sank almost immediately.
ROMANS: ExxonMobil mopping up in Montana after a burst pipeline spilled 1,000 barrels of oil into the Yellowstone River. Officials say swift currents could help to break up the oil. Official say some of the oil of wash ashore, but they see no signs of harm to the wildlife.
VELSHI: Well, we could learn this week whether prosecutors will drop charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn. The former International Monetary Fund chief was released on his own recognizance on Friday after prosecution said there are credibility problems with the accuser.
ROMANS: You're looking at live pictures right now from the Casey Anthony murder trial. Jury deliberations are expected to begin today. The prosecution is alleging Casey sacrificed her child for a life of freedom. The defense saying the prosecution's case is based on, quote, "fantasy forensics." The state still gets the chance to rebut the defense's arguments. There you can see Casey Anthony behind her attorney as they get under way this morning in court in Orlando.
VELSHI: It's possible that the jury could get the case as early as today.
Our question today, do you think the prosecution has proved its case against Casey Anthony? Here are some of your responses. Jamie says on Facebook, "The prosecution case came off as smug. The evidence did not go beyond reasonable doubt. It was proven that Cindy and George are liars, so how can anyone think Casey acted alone or isn't trying to cover up something for them?"
ROMANS: Carolyn on Facebook said "If Ms. Anthony is convicted of this crime with the very minimal and circumstantial evidence that was presented in court then we need to seriously look at the process of our criminal justice system in this country."
VELSHI: And M.J. says on our blog, "I believe that the prosecution did not prove its case. However, I do believe that Casey Anthony was solely responsible for the death of her child. I also strongly believe that one or both of the parents are involved in the cover up of this horrifying death of this beautiful young child. My gut tells me that there's a tremendous amount of evidence that never reached trial."
ROMANS: Sharon says "Yes, the prosecution has proved its case. Casey's reaction alone during the statements was enough to prove her guilty."
Can I just say that it's so shocking to me that so many people know all the names of the players?
VELSHI: People have followed this closely.
ROMANS: I haven't seen this much interest in a case since the O.J. Simpson trial in the '90s, but he was famous. There's so many differences. I'm not comparing the two trials. I'm just saying the public fascination of the trial, I haven't seen something like that.
VELSHI: I agree.
ROMANS: On this July 4th, as we celebrate those who fought for our independence, we also want to remember the troops who are fighting overseas right now. You may remember the series "A Soldier's Story" reported last year by our Jason Carroll. He's not back in Afghanistan with one of those soldiers, Sergeant Randy Shorter."
VELSHI: Sergeant Shorter has been promoted. Sergeant Shorter was part of the surge which arrived last August. His one-year mission is now nearly complete. Jason is now live in the southeastern part of Afghanistan with sergeant shorter and a few of his comrades. Jason?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Sergeant Shorter, I don't know if you can see behind, but there's a poker game behind these two gentlemen right now, because, after all, it is a holiday and these guys do need some down time. Stand up there. Wave. He is cleaning up in poker back there.
Let's talk about the holiday itself. You guys finally get some down time. How important is that for to you have that kind of down time, especially given how long you've been out here and everything you have to do?
SPC. ADAM BOYETTE, U.S. ARMY: That's very important. It's one thing that keeps us going know that even if it's an hour or a day, we'll have time to just relax and chill out.
CARROLL: Charon Richardson, how about you?
SGT. CHARON RICHARDSON, U.S. ARMY: It's important that we get time to relax and have fun with each other.
CARROLL: Play a little poker. In this unit there are actually different factions. You have the pretty boys, self-identified, versus the swaggers?
BOYETTE: Swag team.
CARROLL: The swag team, all right. Explain for us, if you will, how does one become a pretty boy versus how one makes it on the swag team.
BOYETTE: OK. Well, pretty boy is pretty self-explanatory. You have to be pretty.
CARROLL: OK.
BOYETTE: Swag team, they don't have very many standards.
CARROLL: Is that true?
RICHARDSON: Negative. We have very high standards. For swag team, we're more about how we carry ourselves, how we -- how our personality is, not if we're pretty little girls.
(LAUGHTER)
CARROLL: Oh, I see. It's not all about looks. Ali thinks it's all about looks. He was busting on me for wearing a t-shirt here. Underneath all this, they're all wearing t-shirts. It's hot out here and they are all wearing t-shirts. I now have backup when I come home in case you want to keep up with the t-shirt thing. Isn't that right?
VELSHI: I was busting on you for apparently not being able to get your size of t-shirt. That's why you had to go for a smaller one.
(LAUGHTER)
CARROLL: Yes. He says my t-shirt is too small, it's too tight. It's all about representing. You know what I'm saying? If you have it, you have to flaunt it, no matter where you are.
ROMANS: And Ali's three-piece suit, I have to point out.
CARROLL: Just the way it goes. These guys understand.
(LAUGHTER)
CARROLL: It's a good thing they can't hear you. I can hear you. They can't hear you.
Also we want to give you guys a chance to give shout outs to your family. I know they're home. BOYETTE: I want to say hi to my family, Steve, Lindsay, Tyler, Curtis, Grace, my beautiful girlfriend, Alexis.
CARROLL: Big family.
BOYETTE: I'll be home soon. Love all you guys. Thanks for the support.
RICHARDSON: I just want to give a shout out to my wife, Janelle, my four kids. Love you and daddy will be home soon.
CARROLL: They will be home soon. Serious stuff to do before that happens. It's been an absolute honor of following them through the process of their life here in Afghanistan, doing what they have to do. I think they represent thousands upon thousands of women who are here on a daily basis, fighting the good fight and doing what they can. Ali, Christine?
ROMANS: Do us a favor and tell them thank you. Just thank you. When you hear about Jerome with four kids at home, a wife. Everyone is waiting for them to get home.
VELSHI: We look forward to having them back.
ROMANS: Bye, Jason.
VELSHI: What makes America great? Coming up next, documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi dashes across the nation in a 50-state road trip looking for answers to that question -- what makes America great?
ROMANS: Storm chasers, Discovery Channel storm chaser is rolling in to CNN. Sean Casey in a tank.
VELSHI: Look at that.
ROMANS: I think they'll let us drive this thing.
VELSHI: I think they'll let us on it, not drive it.
ROMANS: Only in clear weather.
VELSHI: It's 37 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Little Aerosmith to pick up your day.
ROMANS: It is Independence Day. This is, you know, the patriotic day, one of several really big patriotic days of the year. We have a new documentary that airs tonight by Alexandra Pelosi.
VELSHI: In the film Pelosi travels to all 50 states to ask our newest citizens why they love this country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My favorite thing about America is 911. You just dial the number and they come right away for their rescue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like customer service.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love Disneyworld.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Wow, 911, customer service, and Disneyworld, very interesting, having traveled from overseas.
ROMANS: Those are very American things.
VELSHI: Lest you complain about customer service, it's not bad here in America. You can watch the film here at 9:00 pm. Alexandra Pelosi joins us now. Why did you do this?
ALEXANDRA PELOSI, DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER: Because my husband became a naturalized American citizen. He's from Holland. I went to his naturalization ceremony and met all these people who chose to become Americans. From talking to them, I realized how much they appreciated this country in ways that people who were born here sometimes take for granted. That's what inspired me to go to all 50 states.
VELSHI: I have to ask you this, Alexandra. Your observation that maybe people here take it for granted, don't you think that's the case in a lot of countries, especially wealthy countries?
PELOSI: Of course. People just forget things because they're so used to it. Like medicine. You can go to the score store and get medicine any time you want or you have pizza delivery or 911. All these little things that we forget that we just have to --
ROMANS: Or can you trust your government. In some countries you can't even trust your own government. We take a census here in this country. When we have to be very respectful of people who may have to fear the government. I have been to some naturalization ceremonies before. If you don't cry watching a naturalization ceremony --
VELSHI: Then you have no heart.
ROMANS: -- you have no idea what it's all about. It's such an emotional experience, in general. These are people who have chosen to become Americans. Many of us, it was just by accident of birth.
PELOSI: Right. And that's what's so inspirational is that the new immigrants, they hold up the mirror and show us how we look as a country. And we look pretty good.
VELSHI: A lot of the debate today, when you say immigration, a lot of people will assume you're talking about illegal immigration or when you refer to immigrants a lot of people associate that with illegal immigration. You're focused solely on the people who got here legally and, in many cases we want very badly to stay here.
PELOSI: Absolutely. They go through the process and wait in line and bring a lot to this country. They make jobs, too. I met a lot of PhDs, people in the tech industry, doctor, lawyer, and all these wonderful country contributions that they make in this country that they came here legally and went through the process legally. And we forget about the people when we talk about immigrants, we have to remember that immigrants do bring good things to this country.
ROMANS: People are either saying you need to fix this immigration system, it's not fair, or they're saying we're too hard on illegal immigrants. Everything that you see among mainstream Americans you see among the illegal immigrants as well.
Do the people that you talk to across the country, do they sort of believe that or for them do they think things are going well in America?
PELOSI: Actually, what I found is that everybody who came here and chose to become Americans really felt like the American dream was still alive and well. And I think that even though, no matter how bad it gets in this country, it's still a heck of a lot better than most other places on earth.
ROMANS: All right, excellent. Thank you so much, Alexandra Pelosi. And you can catch her tonight on HBO. It's called "Citizen USA: A 50- State Road Trip" is the companion book that's pretty excellent that goes right along with it. Thank you so much. Happy Fourth of July to you.
PELOSI: Thank you, happy Fourth.
VELSHI: All right, this guy drives in tanks straight into tornadoes. Up next, storm chaser Sean Casey who spent a dozen years catching storm video for an iMax film. We'll he's here with his take. We're going to take a tour of it.
Its 45 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Welcome back to CNN AMERICAN MORNING. The skies are kind of hazy over Atlanta for the time being, a few low clouds in the area. But into the afternoon, we expect things to warm up in a big way, back into the 90s.
Also in Atlanta you can expect a few delays and Atlanta is not the only spot. In fact, if you take a look at this board; Miami, Orlando, afternoon thunderstorms is a possibility. For Atlanta, we mentioned that, D.C. Metros. Even in Nashville, Memphis, some thunder boomers might keep you grounded for a bit. And in San Francisco, the issue may be a bit a fog.
And the reason why you might have some delays in spots like the southeast is mainly due to those sea breeze and thunderstorms. You might have some severe thunderstorms also popping up across the area in the Dakotas and even into portions of, say, Minnesota.
Speaking of things popping up across the area, take a look at this video from this skateboarder across the pond in France. This is just ridiculous. This is a French roller skater flew 95 feet Paris's Sacred Heart Monument. And this happened yesterday taking the title for the world's longest long jump on a skateboard. To the next skater -- this guy beat the record by 16 feet. Just insane.
Something else that might be insane is the heat you're going to be dealing with in parts of the desert southwest. Into Texas where high will get into the 90's and 100's. Out to the West Coast a mix of sunshine and clouds in San Francisco; southwards through 29 in Palms, you might actually get some rainfall in the desert.
And in parts of the Pacific Northwest, plenty of sunshine and it looks there's going to be some sun and clouds for parts of the northeast.
For anyone heading out to the coast, what you can expect for parts of the Gulf Coast, highs in the 90's, from Galveston, Mobil and back to Destin with water temperatures in the 80's.
In Tampa, chance of rain in the afternoon; same deal with Miami Beach. As we work our way to the Eastern Seaboard, more of the same storm in Savannah back to Virginia Beach and Atlantic City, even in Cape Cod; 90's going to about 79 degrees in Cape Cod with a 20 percent chance of storms into the afternoon.
A chance of rain is minimal in places like Dallas but the heat is definitely going to be just severe for you, 101 is the expected high. Kansas City up by (INAUDIBLE) Stadium, 89; 89 also for Minneapolis; 99 in Denver; 94 in Salt Lake City; 73 in San Francisco; 75 in Seattle. From Chicago southward of Memphis, you're going to see a blend of anywhere from 80's to 90-degree heat; 94 in Atlanta; as we mentioned, 90 in Miami; Washington, D.C., the nation's capital, about 92; 84 in Boston; and in New York, 88 degrees can be expected; and 88 again in New York, where you'll find the rest of our show for AMERICAN MORNING.
That's coming up right here on CNN; AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: We talked -- we talked to you guys a lot about tornadoes. We covered it. And we talk about these weird breed of people, these --
ROMANS: Storm chasers.
VELSHI: Storm chasers. We got one right here, with his trucked.
ROMANS: He's just a normal guy. But his truck is not so normal.
VELSHI: Sean Casey good to see you.
ROMANS: Hi Sean Casey.
SEAN CASEY, STORM CHASER: Good morning to you guys.
ROMANS: What is this thing?
CASEY: Well, this is -- it's called the TIV. And it's designed for one purpose, to take an iMax camera that lives up into the turret (ph) into the heart of a tornado.
ROMANS: TIV, Tornado Intercept Vehicle.
(CROSSTALK)
CHASEY: Intercept Vehicle.
ROMANS: And you say, you told me not to get too close because I'm wearing a white skirt.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Thirteen states were full of tornado just on here.
VELSHI: This is your second tip right?
CHASEY: Correct, yes, yes.
VELSHI: What is this? It started as a sort of a high-end pickup truck?
(CROSSTALK)
CASEY: This was a -- well, yes this is a onetime diesel pickup truck, a Dodge 3500.
VELSHI: Yes.
CASEY: We tore everything off of it and we added about 8,000 pounds of armor.
VELSHI: Ok.
CASEY: So when we're going down the road, these panels are actually up.
VELSHI: Still looks weird but that comes up.
ROMANS: So this was up.
CASEY: Yes. All these panels are up so that when we get in front of the tornado, we lower the vehicle. These flaps go down to the ground. We don't want those winds to get underneath, creating lift. And then we have these spikes that we -- if we're on dirt, we can use them anchor and put them into the ground.
ROMANS: Wow. So what kind of -- how powerful a tornado can you get basically in, in this thing?
CASEY: It usually depends on what we've had for breakfast but around 200 miles-per-hour if the tornado isn't lofting.
VELSHI: So the idea is that it has nothing it can pick up? The wind can't get under this.
CASEY: Yes. VELSHI: And this has worked for you several times?
CASEY: So far, yes. We're both still alive.
ROMANS: Can you lift it? Can we see if they come up --
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Yes. Marcus shall pull it up.
CASEY: It's all automatic.
VELSHI: Wow. This can operate as a regular vehicle?
CASEY: Yes.
VELSHI: How do you think this through? You hang around areas where tornadoes happen and then what happens? What's the process that -- what do you hear that gets you to go somewhere? And then what do you do with this?
CASEY: Well, usually, the day before you know what state you want to be the next day. Then that morning you're looking at weather models and you're seeing what part of that state you kind of want to stake out. What area has the best parameters so if the storm does form in that area, it has the best chance to spur or produce a tornado.
ROMANS: So up here you have an iMax film in that turret.
CASEY: Right.
ROMANS: This is all about an iMax film about tornadoes. Tell us about that.
CASEY: Well, I fell in love with weather, you know, severe weather in 1999.
ROMANS: I fell in love with severe weather.
VELSHI: It's always a love story.
CASEY: You're a weird bunch.
ROMANS: What is it, like climbing a mountain? What is it about severe weather that's so sexy and exciting? Please tell us.
CASEY: When the skies just become alive with energy and then you have these super cell storm that could drop a tornado like that building right there, right there in front of you, it's such a --
VELSHI: The power, the awesomeness?
CASEY: Like something you would find on a different planet.
VELSHI: Tell us about the movie. CASEY: Well, it's iMax film that took eight years to do because we wanted to get the best footage possible. This tape was built from one (INAUDIBLE). It's a removable tripod that takes an iMax camera into the heart of the tornado. But it took a while to get that shot because if you are doing an iMax film on tornadoes you want --
ROMANS: It has to be big and great?
CASEY: You want that shot of tornado coming right at you and getting you.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: And you got it. You got your shot.
He has a smaller camera in the front and then I have the iMax camera in the back, in the turret.
VELSHI: That's pretty incredible. Any close calls?
CASEY: Oh, dear, every year.
VELSHI: Every year? Everything's a close call.
CASEY: Every year you get that feeling on the back of your neck that you've done something --
VELSHI: Why didn't I become an accountant?
CASEY: Exactly.
ROMANS: But I love the storm chasers, how you have so much technology and how you have computer modeling and software and all this kind of meteorological stuff that can tell you where something is going to be. I mean how many places have you taken the thing all over the country?
CASEY: Oh, yes. I'm from Texas --
ROMANS: And it is dirty.
CASEY: It is dirty. I wasn't lying.
ROMANS: No, you weren't.
CASEY: Watch your skirt. From Texas up to North Dakota; from eastern Colorado to Tennessee.
ROMANS: What kind of gas mileage does something like this get?
CASEY: We get 10 miles to the gallon.
ROMANS: Ten miles to the gallon.
CASEY: And we have a 90-gallon tank. So we have a range of about 850 miles. VELSHI: And when you get to a tornado, is there anything you have to do to position this or it's just you put the sides down and you're ready to go?
CASEY: We try to get the nose into the strongest winds. That's tricky.
(CROSSTALK)
CASEY: We haven't done that yet. We always seem to take broad side winds, whenever we plan.
VELSHI: Because you're still in danger of something falling on you.
CASEY: Yes, telephone poles, debris from say trees, houses.
ROMANS: What does it look like inside of a tornado?
CASEY: It's really windy.
ROMANS: Well, I know. But I mean is it dark, is it black? Is it different, every one --
CASEY: They are. They're all different. Every tornado is different. It depends on what time of the day it is, what that tornado is picking up. Has it gone over like a lot of say dry ground and has picked up all black dirt? They can be black or they can be white. It's always a different thing.
ROMANS: So can you get a life insurance policy? A guy like you -- does somebody write an insurance policy for guys like you?
CASEY: My life has a very robust policy.
VELSHI: How do you guys know each other?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good friends for about 18 years.
VELSHI: Do you ever reconsider your friendship?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes.
CASEY: You get four guys in this vehicle for two months straight.
VELSHI: That's got to bug you.
CASEY: There's no AC. It's loud. It's awful in there. And people, you know within two weeks, we're eyeing each other's necks, right?
VELSHI: Yes, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: You don't hear that very much. Thank you so much. Nice to meet you, Sean Casey. The TIV, the Tornado Intercept Vehicle, storm chasers. We like to see that. VELSHI: All right. Very good.
We have to pause -- do we have the time?
ROMANS: That's it. That's it. Happy Fourth of July, everybody. Kyra, happy Fourth of July to you, my dear.
