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American Morning
Obama Pushes Compromise Debt Plan; NFL Owners Approve Deal; U.S. Loses $1.3 Billion In Chrysler Bailout; Home Invader Hits Iowa Congressman's Home; Phil Mickelson Discusses Golf, Education
Aired July 22, 2011 - 07:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: And golf legend Phil Mickelson joins us live right here in our studios on this AMERICAN MORNING. He's coming up in just a little while.
Good morning. It's Friday, July the 22nd. Christine Romans is off today.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And we are glad you're with us this morning.
It will be intensely hot again across huge portions of the country today. The deadly heat wave that started in the Midwest spread east.
This is a live look at soupy New York City. A high of 101 today. It will feel like 115 degrees.
VELSHI: And the National Weather Service says 55 places set all-time highs on Wednesday. It's been unrelenting since then. Triple-digit temperatures are expected again across the mid-Atlantic, up and down the East Coast and into the Ohio Valley.
CHETRY: And utility companies are begging people to conserve. They are warning of the potential of rolling blackouts as people crank the AC. In New York, the power company said that store owners who leave their doors open could be fined.
VELSHI: Susan Candiotti is sweating it out. She's live for us across the road in Central Park.
Remarkable amount of activity, physical activity going on there that you've seen this morning despite this heat that's going to make it feel like 115 degrees here in New York City - Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes, exactly. And we're in the throes of rush hour so the traffic is going at full tilt and there are a lot of people cutting through Central Park either on their way to work or unbelievable going out for their usual walks or runs.
Right over here you see a group that was out today for an event for model Heidi Klum who is promoting a new Web site that she has called lifestyle.com. And I talked to her about her concerns about a run through Central Park and how she's going to stay cool and make sure the others get -- stay cool and don't get sick.
Here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEIDI KLUM, HOST, "PROJECT RUNWAY": You have to drink a lot of water. It definitely is hot. You have to listen to your body.
You know, everyone, when you run or when you exercise, you should never overdo it. You have to really listen to yourself and see how much I can handle, how much you can do. You know? Don't overdo it.
But it's definitely good to move around and just in general.
CANDIOTTI: A lot of people very jealous about how good you can look even in this incredible heat and humidity. What is the secret? Your hair is long enough to pull back. What do you tell other people to do?
KLUM: You just got to go with the flow. What are you going to do? It's hot!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: That's right. Go with the flow. She is and, of course, just finished a run and I'm sure she barely broke a sweat.
Anyway, it is a serious issue. The possibility of heat exhaustion and heat stroke and that's why the city has opened up about 200 centers around where people can cool off if they want to during the day, including libraries as an example.
But I also talked to a couple of other people about -- who are through the park this morning, about how they plan to stay cool and why they are still out here running.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: I see you're walking. Why aren't you jogging?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's too hot to jog. It's way too hot. Why would you run around in this heat? It doesn't make a damn bit of sense. I can't say damn, can I?
CANDIOTTI: Most people wouldn't be able to hold up to jogging and heat like this? How do you it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just do it. I love it. I love the hot weather.
CANDIOTTI: But how do you keep yourself cool?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a bottle of water.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: And luckily, she's joining us now. KLUM: Hi!
CANDIOTTI: Heidi Klum, she's stooping down, as short as I am. And you're tall. How tall are you?
KLUM: I'm 5'9".
CANDIOTTI: Oh, yes. Well, jut a bit taller than me.
In any case, how did the run go?
KLUM: You know, he was so fast. I thought he was going to do like a slow little jog, but he was fast. So, I didn't want to be lame, so I was like kept up with him. But, boy, it is hot.
So, for everyone who's running today, you have to keep it easy and drink a lot of water.
CANDIOTTI: Well, you don't look you're hot at all.
KLUM: No. I'm wet.
CANDIOTTI: Time to cool. And thank you. That's what everybody has to do today. Appreciate it.
KLUM: Yes, absolutely. Thank you. Hi, everybody.
CANDIOTTI: Good luck to the new Web site.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Heidi!
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: She was a trooper.
VELSHI: Earlier, you were talking to people and said, oh, I'm going to do this run with Heidi and AOL and Heidi and AOL, Tim Armstrong from AOL, and Heidi -- it was like I didn't know it was those two. But you could pass on to them, I'm sure they can't hear, but I still think it's ridiculous to be doing a run in this weather.
CHETRY: I think they couldn't -- they couldn't back down. It was a pride thing now.
VELSHI: There's very little that pride would stand in me not doing in a hundred and some odd degrees.
But, you know, more power to them.
CHETRY: Susan, thank you.
CANDIOTTI: You got it. You're welcome.
VELSHI: OK. Here's another thing that isn't the wisest thing to do in 100 degree heat. People gather for the reenactment for the First Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia, depending on how you refer to it. It's the 150th anniversary yesterday, and, of course, these re-enactors used authentic uniforms. They felt like 113 degrees there yesterday. Historians may have been around 80 degrees during the actual battle 150 years ago.
CHETRY: Always interesting how they figure that stuff out.
Well, go see a movie -- any movie. Check this out. A theater in Minneapolis posted this sign. We have A.C., who cares what's playing? And it might just be a good day for a triple feature.
VELSHI: I think one of our producers is doing that, or maybe this weekend. He's seen three movies or something
CHETRY: I'm taking the kids to see Winnie the Pooh this afternoon.
VELSHI: Yes. Sure. Why not?
CHETRY: What are you going to do? They're going to go crazy.
VELSHI: Rob Marciano is in the extreme weather center for us.
Rob, we're not making this stuff up. It is everywhere.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is.
VELSHI: Anywhere that's not hot, by the way?
MARCIANO: I'll tell you what? You go to San Francisco, you got to San Diego, L.A. -- temperatures there in 60s and lower 70s.
VELSHI: Wow.
MARCIANO: They love it this time of year out there. This time of year in the central part of the country, you can get heat wave. We saw that. It's beginning to shift to the South and East. But still in places, like Kansas City and St. Louis and Chicago today, heat indices up in over 100 degrees easily, and then you'll see things cool down a little bit tomorrow.
But two days left in this thing for the folks around the East Coast, I-95 corridor from Boston down to, say, Charleston and Hilton Head, that's where we're going to see the bulk of the heat today. And it is dangerous. Yes. As a matter of fact, it is the number one cause for fatalities when related to weather.
More than hurricanes, more than tornadoes, and more than flooding. So, take it seriously and certainly keep an eye out for your neighbors if they are elderly or ill.
This is what it is right now. As far as the heat indices -- what it feels like in New York City: 96 degrees right now at 8:00 in the morning. It feels like 100 in Atlantic City. It currently feels like it's 100 degrees in Baltimore.
So you can just imagine how hot it's going to get later on today. We expect it to be at least 102 in New York, at least 104 throughout the day in Washington, D.C. But look how things shift a little bit to the east as we go through tomorrow. A little bit cooler in Chicago but still steamy from D.C. up through New York. So, we won't see the heat break until we get into Sunday and eventually into Monday with some rainfall with this.
Record high temperatures yesterday, 106 in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Elmira, New York, seeing 104. Syracuse saw a record of 101. Newark, 103, Detroit 100 degrees. And, by the way, those temperatures are measured in a device like this, a closed box. It's in the shade, it doesn't include humidity.
So, if you're out in the direct sunlight, I mean, it's going to feel hotter than even that 110 to 120-degree heat index temperature.
So, just keep that in mind when you're out there. The heat and humidity for the most part across the South will continue.
There you go. Pacific Northwest, Ali.
VELSHI: Yes.
MARCIANO: Seattle, Portland, back through San Diego, that's where it's cool.
VELSHI: I'm wondering Toronto. Maybe sometime later on this hour, you can just tell me what the weather is going to be like in Toronto.
MARCIANO: They broke a record yesterday. I can't remember what it was.
CHETRY: Not yet from it. Atlanta, Philly, New York, Toronto. You need to go to the west coast.
By the way, can you tell my friends right now just in case they're watching how crazy they are? They want us to play a tennis match today.
MARCIANO: Really?
VELSHI: That would be a no.
MARCIANO: Inside? Right inside?
CHETRY: No, outside!
MARCIANO: Come on. It's not like you guys are going to play six sets!
CHETRY: All right. Bye, Rob! Nice talking to you. Check in with you later.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Very good.
All right. The agony of this heat. We want to know how you stay cool when you're not in air-conditioning. I mean, a whole bunch of people go -- I'm in an air-conditioned car, in my air-conditioned office, in my air-conditioned house. "A," that's not what we are asking. And, "B," be careful. There's a lot of the electricity companies across the country are saying, could have brownouts or blackouts, who knows?
Email us, give us a twee, tells us on Facebook. Get a creative. We're going to read through some of them later in the show.
CHETRY: Apparently, man's beast friend, no friend of the shark. Check out this video. It's gone viral. It's from Australia.
This man says -- he films this -- videotapes his dogs all the time and they swim where the sharks are. Well, one of the dogs dives under the water and bites the shark.
VELSHI: Oh, my!
CHETRY: You'll see it again here.
Apparently, it was enough to scare the sharks away. But this, I saw a similar video. I don't know if this is just from a different angle. The dog literally dove in the water and bit the shark.
VELSHI: Wow!
CHETRY: There he is. They're not bothered in the least. What are those? Labradors?
VELSHI: Yes. I guess. Wow!
CHETRY: Sharks swam away, by the way.
VELSHI: That's crazy.
All right. Actress Betty White showing some love for a Beluga whale named Beethoven at the Georgia Aquarium. White is a longtime animal activist. She swam with Beethoven last year. So, yesterday was like a reunion.
The aquarium in Atlanta loves Betty. So, they decided to name their Mascot Betty in her honor.
CHETRY: All right. We want to show you something pretty cool that we have new here at CNN, which is that you can watch streaming video on your portable device anytime. So, here's my iPad.
VELSHI: Yes.
CHETRY: I'm going to click on the CNN iPad app. Go to live TV right up here. Yes. And then click on the show that's' live right now, AMERICAN MORNING. You can do it with HLN if you want to. They are both available.
VELSHI: There's the doggie.
CHETRY: And here's --
VELSHI: Here are the dog-biting sharks. Shark-biting dogs.
CHETRY: A couple of seconds delay, but there it is. You can watch HLN live as well. And they are both available at CNN.com/video or as I just said, you can do it through the CNN app through either the iPad and iPhone.
The new streaming service is available, I think, 50 million different cable subscribers can get it. You just have to check on your Web site to see if your cable company is one of them.
But I still find -- it's pretty cool.
VELSHI: It's very cool. It's great resolution and very little delay from what's actually live. That's great.
All right. Still ahead, weekend is about to start for most of us, but not so for our congressional leaders. Stick around, they got work to do. We are going to get word that -- we're getting word that a deal is starting to take shape.
So, what does it look like? We'll talk about that on the other side.
CHETRY: Also, did you hear about this one -- the 77-year-old congressman from Iowa who wrestled a man who broke into his Iowa farmhouse. He's trying to save his daughter. This was an armed gunman who was pointing a gun to his daughter's head. We're going to be speaking with Congressman Leonard Boswell, live.
VELSHI: And a little later, Phil Mickelson joins us live. He's one of the most endearing golfers in the sport. But did you know that he is a self-described math and science geek as well? He said it made him the champion golfer that he is today. We're going to get more on that and we're going to talk a little bit about Tiger's ex-caddie going off -- getting fired.
Nine minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Excellent choice by our deejay. "Some Like It Hot."
Washington is hot, 88 degrees. It feels like 98, though, because of -- with the heat index. Later, it's going to get up to 104 and the heat index is going to take it up to 120 degrees. Good day to stay inside and get some work done.
CHETRY: And another Republican is jumping into the presidential race. Former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer announced his candidacy in New Hampshire yesterday. Roemer is pledging that he will not take any money from political action committees and that he will not accept donations of more than $100.
There are now 11 contenders in the 2012 presidential race on the GOP side.
VELSHI: All right. Check this out. He's not a candidate yet, but according to a new CNN/ORC poll, 14 percent of Republicans pick Texas Governor Rick Perry as their first choice for the GOP nomination, putting him just two points behind the leader, Mitt Romney. Thirteen percent of Republicans would like to see Rudy Giuliani or Sarah Palin as the Republican nominee. Twelve percent pick Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.
But that's, you know, it's 4 1/2-point margin of error there. So, it shows you how tight that race is looking right now.
CHETRY: Absolutely. Well, former presidential candidate John Edward will have to pay back more than $2 million in federal matching funds that were given to his campaign back in 2008. That's according to a ruling by the Federal Election Commission. Edwards campaign committee has the money on hand to pay back the government but Edwards could appeal that decision. Now, this is in addition to the charges that he misused campaign funds to hide an extramarital affair.
VELSHI: And today, the Pentagon is expected to certify that it's ready to accept openly gay and lesbian service members. That certification is required for a full repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Once President Obama endorses the certification, the controversial ban will be history in 60 days.
CHETRY: A possible deal to raise the debt ceiling and to cut $3 trillion from the federal deficit is beginning to take shape it seems. President Obama tried selling the plan to Democrats yesterday. And House Speaker John Boehner is going to be meeting with Republicans to talk about it today.
VELSHI: Joining us now to talk about the negotiations is Ron Brownstein, CNN senior political analyst and editorial director of "The National Journal."
Ron, good to see you. Thank you for being with us this morning.
Really, I think the first thing we need to start with is your handicapping. We are asking everybody who follows this very closely -- your handicapping of where we are. We're 11 days away from this debt ceiling.
Earlier, we talked to Jay Powell, who was former undersecretary of the Treasury, and he has been talking to congressional leaders. He says most congressional leaders get it, that missing this debt ceiling is not a good idea.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think the pressure on them to do something to avoid default is enormously ratcheting up. Yesterday, you have the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which probably spent more money than any other single institution trying to elect this Republican majority in the House --
VELSHI: Yes.
BROWNSTEIN: -- saying that a default would be, quote, "catastrophic."
Once you have that kind of pressure, I think something has to come out of this, even though there has been, you know, a significant number of House Republicans who said it would not be that big a deal. Now, whether you can also, at the same time that you are doing that, craft a long-term solution to the very devilish problem of the federal deficit and debt is something else.
But, the impulse of the president has been, I think, for quite a while now that a big deal is actually easier to get than a small deal. So, he's still in there pushing and, obviously, John Boehner is still in there as well.
CHETRY: This is interesting, though, because both bases are extremely upset about this. According to reports, Democrats are very outraged over a word that trickled out that, perhaps, the president would be cutting programs for the poor without getting the same in tax concessions from the rich. Is the president willing to override those concerns? I mean, it's obvious he's in a very tough spot because there are a lot of national Democrats that are out there hammering him over making this deal.
BROWNSTEIN: Well, the short answer, I think, is yes, actually. I think the president is probably willing to go quite a bit further than say Boehner and Cantor can go in challenging the base of his own party. I think the White House understands and has understood for a while that any deal that can pass the House probably has to be tilted far enough to the right, but a lot of Democrats aren't going to like it.
I mean, kind of the existential question is if you get to the debt issue is whether there really is any combination that can work and think of the hurdles it has to pass. It has to pass the House. It has to win a majority of House Republicans or else Boehner won't bring it to the floor. It has to win 60 votes in the Senate. I mean, that is a very complicated set of circumstances of needles to pass through.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: And, in the absence of everybody who needs to be involved sitting down and having, you know, detailed discusses about it, what is emerge, and this often happens in Washington, is three sort of nebulous plans. One of them is the "Gang of Six" plan which sort of reflects the president's debt commission. One of them is the McConnell-Reid, which is we were calling the fallback position, and then, this plan that President Obama may be working out with Speaker Boehner. You want to handicap them for us?
BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Well, look, I think, you know, the basic template on -- we have two separate questions here. Do we raise the debt ceiling and do we try to create a long-term solution to the deficit? On the latter problem, which the Republicans have succeed in forcing on to the agenda and they deserve credit from their point of view. They have made this part of the discussion in raising the debt ceiling which to an extent it has never been before.
On dealing with the long-term deficit, the Simpson-Bowles, that bipartisan commission, set a basic thrust of a 3-1 roughly of spending to tax reduction.
CHETRY: Right.
BROWNSTEIN: That's what the "Gang of Six" has come up with. It's not clear exactly what the Boehner-Obama process is, but what Democrats don't like is that at the front end, the spending cuts are more clear and locked in.
VELSHI: Right.
BROWNSTEIN: Than the tax increases, and for that matter, many of the entitlement changes. But the White House says is, look, any process is going to unfold over time. No one wants to raise taxes right now in the midst of this continued slow down. The question is, can you create an enforcement mechanism that you set some goals and creating a force of mechanism that requires Congress to go back and raise that revenue and go further on entitlements even if you don't specify all of the details between now and August 2nd which seems pretty unlikely.
CHETRY: I want to show you this poll right now, because I think it's interesting to see how this very powerful voting block the independents who, actually, in 2010 were keyed getting the GOP majority in the house, but look how they're shifting away, it appears. This is the new CNN/ORC pole.
Sixty-five percent of independents saying they support a mix of spending cuts and tax increases. And when you take a look at -- dig deeper into this polling, there is not a lot of support for just cutting spending. How concerned should Republicans be by that?
BROWNSTEIN: They should be concerned. I mean, I think, look, I mean, what we've seen in the last several cycles that each party once they come into power have been pulled in almost trip of the way toward the demands of their base and then driven away voters in the middle. I mean, you can argue that Obama and the Democrats overreached in 2009 and 2010 in expanding the role of government and combined with a tremendous economic recession that drove away independents and gave Republicans the House.
Now, I think there's clear evidence not only in that polling but earlier in the reaction to the Republican budget in the House, in the Paul Ryan plan that will convert Medicare into previous support of voucher. The republicans are going too far in the opposite direction and that they are envisioning a entrenchment of government that is very attractive to their base but maybe more than most centrist or independent voters have signed on for.
And this is another example that the public has been very clear they want the two sides to show some flexibility and reach an agreement here, but that is not the view of the Republican base, and the Republican base has been a really loud force in threatening some primary challenges even now against Republicans if they give too much to Democrats.
VELSHI: And 230 members of Congress and 40 senators have signed that Americans for tax reform pledge -- this organization saying they will not raise taxes at all. So, that's hamstringing a lot of them from getting into negotiations.
BROWNSTEIN: Even though taxes this year as a share of the economy, federal revenue is in lowest level it has been since 1950 which is not only before Medicare and Medicaid but before the Interstate Highway System. VELSHI: Yes. All right. Ron, great conversation.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.
CHETRY: Great to talk to you. Ron Brownstein, our senior political analyst and editorial director of the "National Journal."
VELSHI: Sheds a lot of light on a very complex issue. It's almost that this issue is becoming more understandable to people given how much we've had to talk about and how much it's been out there. Folks are understanding this is just not an easily solvable problem.
CHETRY: That's right. Well, NFL owners taking a first step toward ending the lockout. They approved a new 10-year labor deal last night. The players, though, refuse to vote on it yet. The commissioner is saying that everyone is ready for some football.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: Hopefully, we can all work quickly, expeditiously, and get this agreement done. It is time to get back to football. That is what everybody here wants to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The league also announced the lockout has forced it to cancel its first preseason game. It was the Hall of fame Game that was set for August 7th.
VELSHI: Up next, how much money did American taxpayers lose in the Chrysler bailout? We're watching your money.
CHETRY: And a little later bit -- a little later on, we're going to be talking to Congressman Leonard Boswell. He helped fight off an invader at his farmhouse last weekend. Now, two arrests in the case. Twenty-one minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Twenty-four minutes after the hour. Watching your money this morning.
U.S. taxpayers likely lost $1.3 billion in the bailout of Chrysler. The treasury department said it sold its remaining stake in Chrysler to Italian automaker, Fiat, for more than half a billion dollars. This marks the end of the 2009 bailout that was part of the troubled asset relief program or T.A.R.P.
Investors feeling cautious going in today's trading session. Uncertainty running high over those debt ceiling talks in Washington. A lot of movement in U.S. stock futures this morning. Right now, their trading is pretty flat. They lost a lot of ground since earlier this morning. Now, part of that downward movement due to Caterpillar reporting that its earning missed expectations.
Investors also sorting through earnings for McDonald's, Honeywell, Verizon, and General Electric. They all reported stronger than expected earnings for the last quarter in the last couple of hours.
Up next, shocking claims overnight. Rupert Murdoch's son accused of giving, quote, "mistaken evidence to parliament." We're live in London next. AMERICAN MORNING back after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. It's 28 minutes past the hour.
Rupert Murdoch's son, James, may have to appear before parliament yet again. Now, two former "News of the World" executives have come forward to contradict what the younger Murdoch told British lawmakers Tuesday. They're calling his version of events, quote, "mistaken."
VELSHI: Atika Shubert joins us now live from London. Atika, an e- mail involving an ex "News of the World" reporters at the heart of this dispute. Tell us about it.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, exactly. This e-mail is key, because remember, at the time that this first broke, James Murdoch and "News of the World" basically said it's an isolated case. It's just one private investigator and one reporter. But this e-mail actually had the name of another reporter on it and showed that this went far beyond that one isolated case.
Now, James Murdoch testified to members of parliament that he did not know about this e-mail when he agreed to a massive payout to a phone- hacking victim, more than a million dollar payout. Now, what his ex- lawyer and the former editor of "News of the World" are saying is, no. In fact, he did know about that e-mail which indicates that James Murdoch knew that this was not an isolated case when he authorized that massive payment.
And so, some people are suggesting that, perhaps, this is evidence of a wired cover-up. Now, James Murdoch has said he stands by his testimony that he made to parliament, but as you can imagine, committee members are not happy. They want an explanation for the conflicting stories here. And one actual parliament member has said that he's asking for the suspension of not only James Murdoch, but Rupert Murdoch, by nonexecutive directors at News Corp.
CHETRY: In addition to that, there is this other question about whether some of this is going to spill over to the United States. We are hearing the FBI wants to get in touch with actor Jude Law regarding alleged hacking, at least those with the claims that Jude Law is making.
SHUBERT: That's right. What Jude Law is saying that when he got off the plane at JFK airport in New York, basically one of News International tabloids was able to hack into his phone and find out information. Now because he is claiming that happened in the U.S., this comes under the jurisdiction of the FBI, and this is one of the things they are investigating. And, obviously, it would expand it dramatically is not just to the U.K. but to the United States. ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Atika, you got an update on the pie-thrower, the guy who got cut off at the pass but got a little bit of shaving foam on Rupert Murdoch. What is the latest with him?
SHUBERT: That's right, known as Johnnie Marbles. He is a stand-up comic and thought it would be funny. As it turns out he is charged with public order, and he is appearing in court today. We don't know of course what is going to happen with that, but it is a public order offense so it's not something too dramatic but you can pretty much expect more on this later on.
VELSHI: Thanks very much and keep on checking in with you. Atika Shubert along with our team covering the ongoing story in London.
OK, top stories now. Record-breaking heat wave claiming as many as two dozen lives across the country. There are excessive heat watches and warnings from the plains across the Midwest and to the east coast. Power companies across the country are warning that they are overloaded and you could see brownouts or blackouts.
New cell phone video of a fiery bus crash in upstate New York. Police say a truck collided with a bus carrying more than 50 people on the New York state freeway around 1:30 this morning. The driver of the truck killed and 15 passengers on board the bus were taken to nearby hospitals. And a U.S. soldier was in a car behind the accident. Troopers say he helped pull passengers out of the burning bus.
And today the Senate is expected to vote against the Republican cut, cap, and balance plan. At the same time President Obama is trying to persuade Democrats to back a plan that would ways the debt ceiling while cutting $3 trillion in federal deficits over the next 10 years. The plan would also start to boost revenue through taxes in 2013.
CHETRY: Well, Leonard Boswell has been through plenty of battles in his lifetime from Congress to Vietnam where he served two tours of duty as an assault helicopter pilot. But the 77-year-old Iowa lawmaker may have been in the battle of his life on Saturday night trying to help his family when an armed intruder broke into his farmhouse and pointed a gun at his daughter demanding cash.
Now two suspects arrested in the case one in connection with the robbery attempt and the other for driving the get-away car allegedly. Representative Boswell is in good enough condition to joining us from Capitol Hill this morning. Boy, when we first heard this story, I imagine it must have been terrifying. And you actually broke some ribs in all of this?
REP. LEONARD BOSWELL, (D) IOWA: The doctor tells me they are fractured. But it was a terrifying moment to have somebody invade your home and attack your loved one, my daughter who had a hand on her throat and gun in her face. I'm very proud of her. She fought back, and we fought together. My grandson, he was our hero in the family. And my wife came on the scene. She was very brave. And I'm just proud of my family and glad it turned out as good as it did.
CHETRY: Right, because it could have taken another turn. You guys were just there at the house. Apparently this intruder came through an unlocked door and, as you said, grabbed your daughter. This could have taken a turn if, god forbid, he would have discharged that weapon.
BOSWELL: Well, he grabbed my daughter by the throat and put a gun to her face and took her to the floor. That is the scene I came upon. If he is going to shoot, like any other parent, I wanted him to shoot at me, not her. So we decided to go after it and I went after him. And it ended up OK and we are thankful.
CHETRY: You actually fell down a flight of stairs as well when you were tussling?
BOSWELL: Yes, "tussle" is a good word for it. Yes, we managed to go down a flight of stairs and went down and came back up actually as it ended. Again, my grandson was Cool Hand Luke. He went and found a shotgun and loaded it and was prepared, and, at the right time, that stopped it.
CHETRY: So if you didn't have that gun, do you think this could have turned out differently? The quick thinking the fact that your grandson was armed brought the situation to a safe conclusion?
BOSWELL: It stopped the situation. Otherwise, without that, we were about to go back at it again because I was trying to figure out how to get ahold of him and continue to protect my family.
CHETRY: What's even more disturbing it seems is at least the person who has been arrested and now charged in this is David Dewberry. It turns out your family knows his family. What is the connection there and what was it like to find out that this may have been somebody you guys knew?
BOSWELL: It's very sad. In a situation, there is no winners, as my wife said, there's no winners. It's a very sad situation. She befriended the family as a teacher. This David had been out to the farm as a youngster and so on. And it's a sad situation that has developed this way. We have referred a course that never happened.
CHETRY: This isn't his first run-in with the law. He also did serve time or was convicted in other robberies. Do we know what the motive is, what is going on here?
BOSWELL: I do not. I'd have to refer you to the law enforcement people for that.
CHETRY: What do you want to happen, if anything, to these two men, the one that drove the getaway car and this other individual, if convicted?
BOSWELL: I want justice to serve. You know, I want the process that we have in this country to take its process and let the justice system work. And, hopefully, a lesson will be learned by anybody else that this is a bad thing to do. Don't do those kinds of things.
CHETRY: Absolutely. And then after you go through a trauma like this, I mean, how do you guys recover and get back to life as normal? Are you doing anything differently? Are you feeling differently a week out from this scare?
BOSWELL: Well, our family, even going back to 9/11, we refuse to let somebody else tell us what we can and can't do as we have exercised our liberties, and we will do that in this case. We are will continue to be cautious. We do lock our doors at night. We hadn't gotten to it that particular night. But take cautions and go about our lives and get back to work and move on.
CHETRY: All right, well, Congressman Leonard Boswell, it's so great to see you this morning. Glad you guys are doing OK and thanks for joining us to talk about it.
BOSWELL: You're very welcome. Again, I'm very proud of my family, my grandson and my daughter and my wife.
CHETRY: Absolutely.
BOSWELL: They're very brave, and I'm proud of them.
CHETRY: We are all glad it ended safely. Thanks so much.
BOSWELL: Thank you.
VELSHI: What a terrorizing thing.
CHETRY: I know.
VELSHI: There are limits. When people come into your own home, he seems to -- he and his family pulled it together quite nicely.
CHETRY: Yes. And he served in Vietnam and at some point his military training also kicked in.
VELSHI: That kind of stuff just scares you a great deal.
All right, I know a lot of you like golf, love golf even, but if golf isn't your bag, you still need to stick around because Phil Mickelson is in the house. Everybody likes him anyway, but he's got an interesting point for us. If for no other reason, the segment that he is doing is going to involve a raw egg, a broom, a pizza pan, an empty toilet paper roll, and a glass of water. That is all I'm going to tell you.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: He was paying attention in science class!
VELSHI: It's 38 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: All right, pop quiz. Using a 90-degree driver how far will a golf ball travel if you club head speed is 110 miles an hour and you're hitting into a 20 mile an hour headwind, Kiran? CHETRY: No clue.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: But our next guest is hoping all of our kids will be able to do that kind of math when they grow up. That's why three-time masters champion Phil Mickelson is in New York and here with us today promoting his work with Mickelson ExxonMobil teachers' academy. Thanks for being with us.
PHIL MICKELSON, WINNER OF 39 PGA TOUR EVENTS: Thanks for having me, Kiran.
CHETRY: It's great to see you. How much science is involved in golf, by the way?
MICKELSON: I use it all the time. I use it with launch angles, with drivers. I use it with putters for roll, and I use it with golf balls especially. So I'm dealing with some of the best engineers and technicians in the game of golf on a daily basis to help my golf game.
CHETRY: Right.
MICKELSON: But we use it in everyday life and you just don't realize it. But what's amazing how jobs today require a much higher level of math and science knowledge. I like to use the example of a mechanic because a mechanic 20 years ago just maybe changed the transmission or changed the oil or things like that, whereas now they have to have a computer background to deal with some of the modern day automobiles. So just the basic knowledge of math and science in our school systems needs to improve.
VELSHI: And it's really inverted the number of people who need college degrees with math and science backgrounds in order to do things. Your wife refers to you as an astronaut trapped in a golfer's body. I think what you guys do is fantastic. You take these groups of 200 teachers in different places a year and you certify them. A math and science teacher they are not really certified. They are teachers.
MICKELSON: So in third, fourth, and fifth grade, teachers have to teach a number of subjects.
VELSHI: Sure.
MICKELSON: And over 90 percent of them do not have an accreditation in the math and science field. And so it's a field they don't feel comfortable teaching. They don't teach with the same type of inspiration. So we want to give the teachers the skills knowledge base especially in the Newton's laws of motion where this is a time where kids are drawn to math or science or they kind of pull away.
VELSHI: You are fascinated by your physical environment and how things move and why things -- why the ball went a certain way and you can grapple with that. MICKELSON: That's exactly it. And we find that inquiry-based learning where you ask questions and form hypothesis. And this egg drop demonstration we are going to use here does just that. We give you items and we say how can we make this possible? And by using kinetic energy and potential energy and all of these things combined with motion and force and action and reaction we are able to solve the problem.
But using this inquiry-based learning we are interacting with the kids and we find that is the best way to get them motivated.
CHETRY: All right, so we are going to show a pretty cool experiment in a second. But people would kill us if we didn't ask you about golf. British Open, you came so close. Is there any physics to bogeying a hole? What happened there?
MICKELSON: So on the 11th hole, I was playing some of my best golf and I ended having kind of a brain freeze. I started looking ahead at some holes I needed to birdie, and I just froze there for a minute and didn't think properly on a short putt and I ended up missing it, and it kind of derailed some of my momentum.
I had a great time over there, though. And I feel like I haven't played the way I wanted to the last year, year and a half. But I fell like I'm on my way back. I feel like a great stepping stone even though didn't get the "w." There are some big tournaments. We're going to be here for Barclays here in August. And I'm looking forward to playing in the New York/New Jersey area. But my game --
CHETRY: You won the masters in 2010. You said I haven't played the way I wanted to play the last year. But you won the masters!
(LAUGHTER)
MICKELSON: But week in and week out, I haven't played to the level I expect to.
VELSHI: Tell us one thing that we don't know as much about. I'm not asking you to weigh into the Tiger Woods stuff, but this split-up with his caddie. What's the relationship at your level of golf with your caddie?
MICKELSON: I got very lucky. I've been on tour now for 19 years and every one of those years has been with the same guy, Bones, Jim Mackay. And he is such a great caddy, but he is one of the most impressive individuals that I've ever been around.
And so our relationship, you know, transcends just the player-caddie relationship on the golf course. We are close friends and we spend a lot of time together and understand each other. And it's really an important relationship.
CHETRY: Is that the case for many golfers? He's not somebody who carries your bags for you and hands you your clubs. It's a symbiotic relationship. Why is that? MICKELSON: I think it's important because if you're enjoying your time on the golf course and if you're enjoying the time you have with that person that you're spending and sharing this adventure, if you will, this challenge, this competition, and if you're enjoying it, you're going to play better. And I think that is an important element. And certainly Tiger and Stevie have had an incredible relationship for 12 years --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Yes.
MICKELSON: -- because he's had some incredible success.
VELSHI: Let's go -- let's do this experiment. Let's -- let's take a look at this. We got Nicole Martin and she's an elementary science specialist for the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative.
Nicole, I have no idea what's going on over here. But you've got a broom, you got an egg, you got a roll of toilet paper, you got a tray, you got a glass of water.
NICOLE MARTIN, ELEMENTARY SCIENCE SPECIALIST: Absolutely.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I think we need to get these on.
MARTIN: Yes.
VELSHI: We need to get these things on?
MARTIN: Absolutely.
CHETRY: What are we doing here? Are we doing a little experiment here on velocity?
MARTIN: We are getting ready for the experience that we call egg drop.
VELSHI: Ok.
MARTIN: This is one that we use on the very first morning of our -- of our academy. It's designed to do exactly what Phil said to have teachers come in.
VELSHI: Right.
MARTIN: To develop some interest in what is going on.
VELSHI: Ok.
MARTIN: To develop some hypothesis and to begin to start -- to begin to start the thinking about --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Ok. MARTIN: -- how we can get that egg into that glass.
CHETRY: Without breaking it?
MARTIN: Without breaking the egg using only the force of the broom.
VELSHI: Well, you can't just lift it and you put it in the glass.
MARTIN: No, well, you know what, one of the things that we allow teachers to do is to spend some time thinking.
VELSHI: Ok.
MARTIN: And problem solving.
VELSHI: Ok.
MARTIN: And we got a lot of different ideas about --
VELSHI: Ok.
MARTIN: -- about ways that you can do this.
CHETRY: Ok. Let me think. Let me see, is there a hole?
MARTIN: But -- I was going to say -- ok, she is wondering is there a hole?
CHETRY: But there is none.
MARTIN: Look, we can take a peek.
CHETRY: There is no hole.
MARTIN: No, no hole. There is no hole.
CHETRY: What is your guess? Somehow remove that pipe later?
VELSHI: So that -- I -- I see, that's the trick. I've got to get this, do I have to get this out?
MARTIN: Well, I don't know.
VELSHI: Is that the point?
CHETRY: With the broom?
MARTIN: Do you -- do you think that that might be a good way for us to get it out?
VELSHI: No, I think if I try and get that plate out the egg is going drop and then we're going to have a splattered egg on the set and then, my boss is going to be mad at me.
MARTIN: Well, you know what, you have jumped right into Newton's first law. VELSHI: Ok.
MARTIN: It tells us that objects tend to do what they have been doing unless acted upon by a force. The force that we are going to use is this broom.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Look at that and she was doing down here.
MARTIN: And we're -- come over here. Hey, we're going to pull it back. We're going to get some --
CHETRY: Can you guys get this?
VELSHI: I don't think they will be able to get that. It's too far over. But the point is she is about to spring that broom on that thing.
CHETRY: Ok.
MARTIN: I am about to release some potential energy.
VELSHI: Does our cameraman have to worry about anything?
MARTIN: And we're going to apply force. No, he is going to be fine.
CHETRY: Ok.
VELSHI: Ok, let's get in tight on that and take a look at what's going to happen there.
MARTIN: All right, I want you guys to count it for me. 1, 2, 3.
VELSHI: Wow.
MARTIN: Ok.
CHETRY: Ok, we thought this was never going to work. She did it in on the first try.
VELSHI: I -- I had -- I wow.
MARTIN: All right.
VELSHI: You just made --
MARTIN: It is fun.
VELSHI: That is excellent, that's incredible, it's unbroken in the glass.
MARTIN: It's not broken.
CHETRY: And I can feel it. It's raw. MARTIN: You can feel, it is raw. And you know what, from this, we get so many questions. And this is what we want to teach teachers to do so that they go back with their students and they provide opportunities for questioning and problem solving which are going to span all of the continent areas, not just science and math. So there's going to be a benefit that is -- that's exponential.
VELSHI: Now, did you go through this program?
MICKELSON: So I have -- I have listened to the teachers. And what this has done is it makes me think differently and it makes me think outside the box.
And I have gone back to my technicians at Callaway and redirected some of the questions I've had and seen if we have been able to come up with solutions elsewhere and it's led to some -- some evolutions in golf clubs and some golf balls.
CHETRY: That's pretty fascinating.
VELSHI: That is fantastic but that was great I'm -- I'm re-interested in science. I was anyway. But Nicole, thank you so much. Nicole Martin is an elementary science specialist for the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiatives and Phil Mickelson, good to see you again.
CHETRY: Nice to meet you. Thanks Phil, good luck.
MARTIN: Thank you.
MICKELSON: Kiran thank you.
CHETRY: Take care. Nice seeing you as well.
VELSHI: All right, morning -- once we get over this, we'll come back and give you our morning headlines next. It is 48 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Fifty minutes past the hour. A look at your morning headlines today.
A record-breaking heat wave now claiming as many as two dozen lives across the country. Power companies now warning that they may be pushed to the limit as people run their air-conditionings trying to stay cool.
NFL owners approving a new labor deal but the lockout continues as players have not yet signed this deal. The first pre-season game has now been canceled.
The Pentagon is expected to announce later today that it is getting set to certify the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell". A full repeal would then take place in 60 days. Speaking of days just 11, to raise the debt ceiling. Today the Senate is expected to vote on the Cut, Cap, and Balance plan. It's not expected to pass, but President Obama is pushing a different plan calling for immediate spending cuts, followed by revenue increases in 2013.
Investors feeling cautious going into today's trading session. A lot of movement in the U.S. stock futures this morning. Right now, U.S. stock futures pushing lower ahead of the opening bell because of uncertainty over the debt ceiling talks in Washington.
Two former "News of the World" editors disputing what James Murdoch told Parliament on Tuesday. Murdoch says that in 2008 he thought the phone-hacking at the tabloid was the work of a single rogue reporter. But the ex-editors insist that they, themselves, told Murdoch about an e-mail that proved the hacking was more widespread. The younger Murdoch may be called back to Parliament for more questioning.
And the FBI reportedly planning to get in touch with Jude Law. The actor is suing Rupert Murdoch's media empire claiming that the "News of the World" tabloid hacked his voice mail in 2003 while he was at New York's JFK Airport. Now, if that is true, the federal prosecutors in America could potentially step into that case.
And the Duchess of Cambridge stunning wedding gown is going on display. Fans have reportedly got more than 125,000 advanced tickets for the Buckingham Palace exhibit which opens tomorrow and it includes that famous Alexander McQueen gown.
Now, you're caught up on the day's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING is back after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBIN LIM, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: The moment that a woman falls pregnant in Indonesia, she is 300 times more likely to die in the next 12 months than if she was not pregnant. If you have money, you can get excellent medical services but the poorest people don't always get the services they need.
In the hospital here, you cannot take the baby home until you pay your bill. Sometimes the mothers wait outside the hospital all day waiting to get in to feed their baby and to change their baby's diaper.
My name is Robin Lim. I'm a midwife. Most people call me Ebu Robin (ph) because Ebu means mother. I've learned about the dangers of motherhood when my own sister, she died as a complication of her third pregnancy. I was just really crushed. I came to Bali to reinvent my life.
Hi baby, hi.
We started a clinic run Indonesian midwives. We offer prenatal care, birth services. No matter how poor they are, no matter their race or religion, we teach new graduating classes of midwives how to do a more natural, gentle birth. The women can stay as long as they want.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Robin helps poor people. She cares about me very much like my own mother. I'm extremely grateful.
LIM: Each baby, each adult deserves a clean, healthy, loving environment. Those are our human rights.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: I'm about to escape this heat in New York. It's sunny and 91 degrees -- feels like 99 right now. It's not even 9:00 in the morning. Later on, it's going to actually be 99; it's going to feel like 110.
CHETRY: You have all that. If you can stay in the AC today, this is the day to do it. Boy. Try to stay cool.
VELSHI: Question of the day. With the heat soaring well past a hundred degrees in the northeast we want to know how you stay cool when you're not in the air-conditioning. Here are some of your responses.
Jacob says, "Soak your clothing in water. Put them in the freezer for about 30 minutes and you'll receive 10 minutes of heaven."
CHETRY: But the first minute must be horrific.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: When you put frozen clothes on yourself. I like Kim --
VELSHI: I say keep your boxers out of the freezer.
CHETRY: Probably.
I like Kim on Facebook because she has her day planned out. She says, "Make a light lunch". She also said, "Cook dinner early then make a light lunch, fill cooler with ice and cold drink, lunch, beer. Take Laptop and camp out at the pool. If you don't have a pool, go to an apartment complex that has one and make a new friend."
VELSHI: Never mind cool. We're going to show you cool. You want to see the egg drop that we just did when Phil Mickelson was here with that teacher? We didn't think it was going to work. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three.
VELSHI: Oh, wow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ok.
Ok.
CHETRY: We thought this was never going to work. She did it on the first try.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: That is amazing.
You know why we didn't think it was going to work? When you were here in the meeting, what we're going to do is we're going to take (INAUDIBLE)
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: And this is all going to work on live television. What are the chances?
VELSHI: I got to tell you, I like Don Lemon a lot but he's going to have to work hard to top that.
"CNN NEWSROOM" begins right now with Don Lemon.
Good morning, Don.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I don't think I'm going to have to work that hard. What the heck was that?
CHETRY: You know how live TV works. Anything that could go wrong, would. And we're dealing with a raw egg, some water and pie plate.
VELSHI: It worked.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Thanks, guys. Have a great weekend, will you?
