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American Morning
Mubarak Trial Begins; Middle East Peace Talks to Resume?; Deadly 100-Degree Heat Streak; Chinese Ratings Agency Downgrades U.S. Debt; Money Expert Gives Financial Advice; New American Citizen Walks Across Country; Walk Like an American; Study: Hospitals Not Supporting Breastfeeding
Aired August 03, 2011 - 07:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: World markets tumble.
I'm Christine Romans.
From Europe to Asia, the markets being knocked down by a consistent and pressing problem -- the struggling economy. Portfolios are heading south but they could we be flirting with a second recession?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello.
Egyptians never thought they'd see this day. Their former president Hosni Mubarak on a stretcher in a steel cage inside a Cairo courtroom. He and his sons are facing the death penalty. We'll take you live in just a moment.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Ali Velshi. It could be the hottest day of the year across Texas and the south. Could be the hottest day of any year. The unrelenting heat wave claiming more lives and drying up entire lakes on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ROMANS: All right, everyone. Good morning. It is Wednesday, August 3rd.
You heard me say that markets are down around the world and they are. But, futures are up here in the U.S. and we've had kind of a long losing streak so there's -- you can hear my cold all of a sudden. The third hour of the show. Sorry about that. But, it looks like things could be looking up in the U.S.
VELSHI: But like the Dow, like you, it's fighting it off. It's had eight days of losing streaks and it's trying to fight back and break that losing streak.
COSTELLO: And it still needs that big dose of medicine --
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: It does.
COSTELLO: OK. Let's talk about the stocks because they're taking a hit right now, despite the 11th hour deal to raise the nation's debt limit.
The Dow closed down by more than 260 points yesterday. The overseas market picking up where Wall Street left off yesterday and it's all because the debt deal really does nothing for the underlying economic problems like -- oh, let's say unemployment.
Japan's Nikkei and Hong Kong Hang Seng both closed down about 2 percent. And in London, where trading is currently under way, the FTSE is also down.
ROMANS: But futures in the U.S. are up, suggesting that when the U.S. opens at 9:30 Eastern Time, you could see --
VELSHI: You know, in the last two days, we've seen quick turnarounds. We've seen the market up strong and just turning right around.
ROMANS: Because Fridays jobs report is the most important thing.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: A lot of people keep asking also, if we got the debt deal, then why aren't the stocks going up? Well, because the risk was always, if you didn't do a debt deal, it would help hurt. Nobody ever said if you do this, things are going to be great.
VELSHI: Exactly right.
COSTELLO: And it's not over, right?
ROMANS: No.
COSTELLO: So, we don't know what cuts are coming because they have to put together the super committee. So --
VELSHI: So, if you're waiting for something, you don't really have an outcome.
COSTELLO: So, people are jittery, right?
VELSHI: Yes. Well, Congress may have finally acted that debt deal as we've been telling you. But the gridlock that continues to grip the nation's capital means that a number of things, important things did not get resolved.
One of them we've been talking about is the funding for the Federal Aviation Administration which means that thousands of workers, about 4,000 workers, are not being paid.
Construction projects having to do with the FAA are on hold. The government is losing millions of dollars in tax revenue every day, about $25 million a day.
Earlier, I spoke to Michael Goldfarb. He's the former FAA chief of staff about how moving forward. This could, could become a safety issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL GOLDFARB, FORMER FAA CHIEF OF STAFF: These safety inspectors at the airfield, they're looking at radars, they're looking at runway incursion problems in the past. The technicians are adjusting and fine-tuning the navigational aids throughout the system. So, that's how you begin to erode the safety margins.
And that's where the concern is. Not getting on a plane today, is it safe? Absolutely. But going forward, where's the resolution to this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Michael Goldfarb went on to say that there are about 40,000 inspectors who are right working without pay to ensure that flying remains safe.
ROMANS: Wow.
OK. Now that the debt deal is done, a 12-person super committee has to be appointed -- a fine consensus.
VELSHI: That's easy.
ROMANS: Six Democrats and six Republicans are going to be asked to agree on -- oh, just a mere $1.5 trillion in additional spending cuts.
Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, we asked Democrat strategist Kiki McLean and conservative author Margaret Hoover -- we asked about the challenges that this committee will face.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
MARGARET HOOVER, CONSERVATIVE AUTHOR: They've built in incentives to not do their job. If Democrats don't do their job on this, they're going to have serious cuts in entitlements. If Republicans don't do their job, they're going to have (INAUDIBLE) coming to them saying we are not going to afford these kinds. And so, they have built in a mechanism for their own failure, which I think neither party can stomach.
KIKI MCLEAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: What has to happen on the super committee is they have to put their own personal gain to the side and focus on the public solutions. And in fact, in the makeup of this committee, it would be wise for leadership to think about people who maybe don't have a re-election to worry about.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: There's the thought, isn't?
ROMANS: Yes.
COSTELLO: What about the "gang of six"?
VELSHI: That's a very interesting idea. A lot of people think about it. Why not have the "gang of six," they already started working together?
ROMANS: The congressional super committee must come up with those recommendations, you guys, for more budget cuts by late November. It's up to Congress to pass their plan without changes or run the risk of deep cuts to programs that are important to both parties. You know, Medicare funding for the Democrats and then defense spending for the Republicans.
VELSHI: They should make this whole thing fun. Like, they should have t-shirts and they should be all around and telling people how they're going to get it done, as opposed to all of us, you know, -- and, by the way, those airport -- the 40 people working, the airport inspectors, I'd love to get their picture, and put them up on this wall to show everybody who complains about government workers and all that kind of stuff -- here are 40 people working without pay.
ROMANS: Because they know what they have do.
VELSHI: A lot of people around the country do that and I think that's very impressive.
COSTELLO: I like that T-shirt idea.
VELSHI: Super committee.
ROMANS: Let's make cutting $1.5 trillion fun.
COSTELLO: Yes! Now, it's chance to talk back in one of the big stories of the day. That would be our question of the morning. Who do you trust to create jobs? As the Senate passed the debt deal, President Obama assured Americans we can.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the coming months, I'll continue also to fight for what the American people care most about, new jobs, higher wages, and faster economic growth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The president wants to grant loans to private companies so they'll hire people to work on the country's roads and bridges.
Republicans want to cut spending and they don't want to raise taxes or eliminate any tax brakes. Hence, the debt deal -- a deal most economists say will not spur job growth. Republicans argue it's too soon to tell.
But we do know this: most big companies are not hiring. They're actually laying off workers even though they continue to sit on piles of money.
CNNMoney.com did some digging and here's what they found. Since January 2010, businesses with 500 or more employees have lost 29,000 jobs. But get this? Small businesses are hiring. They've added nearly 2 million jobs, and they're not sitting on piles of money, not like the big guys.
The big guys are sitting on $1.5 trillion cash despite the fact that President Obama created a commission to convince CEOs to spend some of that money on hiring.
So the talk of the question today: who do you trust to create jobs?
Send your question to Facebook.com/AmericanMorning, spell AMERICAN MORNING out. Facebook.com/AmericanMorning. We'll read your comments later this hour.
VELSHI: All right. History is being written in the Middle East right now.
Just a few hours ago in Cairo, ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak arrived in court, along with his two sons, to face murder and corruption charges. And they're pleading not guilty.
ROMANS: And what a surreal scene it was until moments when the trial was adjourned. Mubarak driven from office six months ago after three decades in power. There he was lying on a gurney inside a cage in the courtroom with an oxygen tank to breathe. I mean, this is a man who always was strong and in charge and almost princely.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: I talked to a journalist earlier this morning and she said it's weird. He's still dying his hair. He's lying on a gurney with oxygen but he still has the energy --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: He's got this thick, dark, black hair.
ROMANS: And she said people were arrested for suggesting he wasn't healthy before, the picture of health. Now, there he is allowing himself to be shown like this to perhaps to win support.
COSTELLO: Let's talk with someone who knows who's been inside the court.
Mohammed Jamjoom joins us live on the phone from Cairo.
So, what is the latest with this trial?
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the trial, just a few moments ago, we've heard now from the judge that the trial, as far as Hosni Mubarak, he returned until August 15th. But tomorrow, the trial will continue for the former interior minister and his right-hand men who are also being tried today.
Being outside of the courtroom all day, it's really been quite surreal. People who are out here, whether they support Mubarak or whether they're against Mubarak are really shocked that this day has actually finally come and that the former Egyptian president who ruled this country with an iron fist for 30 years is actually in that courtroom, in that cage, the defendant, wearing the uniform of a prisoner. That is so shocking to the people of Egypt -- the people that we've spoken to today whether they're supporters or whether they're against Mubarak.
We've also spoken to a lot of family members of victims of the revolution, peaceful protesters who were killed. And they're quite angry. Many of them who were out here outside of the court said they were denied entry and that they said they want blood. Mothers who lost their children said they couldn't believe that this day had come, that in the past that they had even dreamed that Hosni Mubarak would be in a court of law someday, that he would have actually been tried and persecuted.
So, it's really a dramatic day for Egyptians. It's been tense. There's a security presence in the streets of Cairo. There's a clash outside the court today between different factions.
But people really -- even though they're watching and riveted to the big screen that's showing what's going on inside that courtroom, they're just shocked that it's actually happening right now.
COSTELLO: Mohammed Jamjoom reporting live from Cairo -- we'll let you get back to work. I'm sure there will be more live developments throughout the day.
You see them outside the courtroom there were protesters, even though there were like hundreds of police officers, they could not keep control.
ROMANS: Yes, supporters and opponents of him clashing outside. Interesting.
All right. Ali?
VELSHI: Yes. It really has been a breathtaking year in the Middle East -- leaders overthrown, citizen uprisings, a whole lot of bloodshed. Now comes word of a possible breakthrough that could kick- start Middle East peace talks, leading to statehood for Palestinians.
We're joined this morning by James Rubin. He' the former assistant secretary of state, now executive editor of "The Bloomberg View."
James, good to see you.
JAMES RUBIN, THE BLOOMBERG VIEW: Good morning.
VELSHI: Let me ask you this. Two states next to Israel, Syria and Egypt, both going through historic moments right now.
One we just saw from Mohammed Jamjoom, this trial of Hosni Mubarak, an uncertainty about the future of Egypt, and remarkable uncertainty about what's going on in Syria. We'll talk about Syria in a second.
But, now, we hear talk that perhaps Benjamin Netanyahu is prepared to do something that just months ago he said in the White House would not be done, negotiating about borders that go back to 1967 and earlier in a deal with the Palestinians.
RUBIN: Well, yes. It does show you that theatrical elements of the Middle East peace process. Benjamin Netanyahu came before Congress as loudly as he could, got congressional applause saying, "I'll never, ever, ever go back to '67."
But he's got a bigger problem. The U.S. has said it will support Israel and United Nations but the Palestinians are threatening to take their case to the U.N. where the United States would be alone in supporting Israel. And so, Netanyahu is looking for a way out and the way he seems to have come up with is to try to convince the Palestinians that now he's serious about negotiating on the basis of the '67 borders.
VELSHI: If they don't go in September to the U.N. and unilaterally ask for recognition as a state, give just a little nuance behind that. What's the issue?
RUBIN: The issue is the Israelis do not want to see the whole world recognize the Palestinian entity that's now in existence as a formal state and force the United States to veto it and the Security Council. But it would be a major -- as the current defense minister said, it would be a diplomatic tsunami.
VELSHI: Right.
RUBIN: This would be a disaster for Israel.
So, he's looking for a way out.
VELSHI: Yes.
RUBIN: And the way he seems to be pushing right now is what if I can convince the Palestinians to negotiation, and if they're at the negotiating table they wouldn't take this issue to the U.N.
But I think it's a tough sell because the Palestinians are criticizing this suggestion because they don't believe that it will yield an actually peace agreement.
VELSHI: Right. They believe it will mean they won't ask for recognition in September and then status quo prevails.
RUBIN: Right.
VELSHI: But are those two unreasonable requests that Netanyahu is making? Don't go to the U.N. and ask for recognition unilaterally and you have to acknowledge and accept and do everything about Israel's right to exist as a safe and secure nation.
RUBIN: Absolutely not. They're very reasonable. The problem here is the issue that isn't being discussed is the United States and the whole world has asked Israel while these negotiations are going on, stop building settlements that are creating new facts on the ground. That's the underlying issue. As long as Israel keeps building those settlements, the Palestinians are saying the negotiations are really just a way to waste time while the Israeli's build on the ground. That's the Palestinian position.
The Israelis are obviously making a step forward, if he's prepared to negotiate it on the basis of '67. But we're so far from the kind of good will that would be necessary for Netanyahu and Abu Mazen and an American president to sit down and imagine a peace agreement that I think that's why people are so skeptical.
VELSHI: And it's going be a hard sell on the ground for Netanyahu to some degree as well?
RUBIN: Absolutely. There are plenty of Israelis who don't want to, as they say, give an inch to the Palestinians. They don't want to stop building settlements. They don't want to negotiate an agreement that would perhaps share Jerusalem as the capital of two states.
So, Netanyahu is looking, as he often does, for a device, a diplomatic method to get the issue away from United Nations onto the negotiating table (ph).
VELSHI: Your evaluation, generally speaking, a positive movement or --
RUBIN: It's a plus, but I don't think it's going solve the problem.
VELSHI: OK. James Rubin, good to see you as always. Thank you.
RUBIN: Nice to see you.
VELSHI: Carol?
COSTELLO: Coming up next, the hottest month ever in Oklahoma. And we mean hot. I mean brutally hot. There's now a drought in Oklahoma and no signs of rain in the forecast. We're going to take you down South live.
ROMANS: Ed Lavandera was in Dallas today, welcome to the worst place in the world.
COSTELLO: It's hot. Just because of the weather, nothing else.
ROMANS: That's right. And we want to improve your personal finances in one week -- we'll give you one week to fix your finances. Get this -- Starbucks lovers can even keep their pricey daily coffee.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: I know. Financial expert Clark Howard with tips from his new book "Living Large in Lean Times." This thing is flying off the shelves.
It's 14 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Katy Perry is sensible for this, because the song is "E.T.," and it seems so hot in some part of this country that might be getting here (ph) on another planet.
ROMANS: That's true.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: No. No.
COSTELLO: That's why we're doing it. Unrelenting heat.
VELSHI: But she's had like nine number one hits in a row or something. So, whatever Katy Perry does --
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Still hanging over the nation's midsection, of course, all of this heat, and it's really -- it's just ugly. Dallas could break its all-time high, temperature of 113 degrees. It's been over 100 degrees there for 32 straight days, and record highs could also be shattered across the rest of the country. Ed Lavandera is boiling for us right now in Dallas where it is --
COSTELLO: Yes. Where is your tank top, Ed?
VELSHI: He looks (INAUDIBLE). He doesn't even look like he's breaking a sweat.
ROMANS: He's wearing mesh.
(LAUGHTER)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Earlier I said, this was the worst place in the world. I'm just going go with this theme of trying to be as overly dramatic as possible. It probably wasn't true what I said earlier. This hour, maybe something like welcome to the sun. you know, something along these lines, I mean, it is really scorching hot. We're on a popular urban walking and biking trail here in Dallas. People were giving in their morning runs, because in a few hours, I don't think you want to be anywhere close to this place.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA (voice-over): In Texas, swarms of grasshoppers are invading dried out grass fields. In Oklahoma, there's barely enough hay to feed herds of cattle. Across these crusty plains lakes are evaporating, children hibernate, playgrounds are silent. Triple-digit temperatures have baked Texas and Oklahoma for more than a month. The summer over 2011 is a beat down of epic proportions. If that sounds dramatic, CNN iReporter, Suzanne Newkirk (ph) knows these are desperate times.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are just sweltering, and we're just asking for some relief here.
LAVANDERA: This week, Dallas Fort Worth could break its all-time high temperature of 113 degrees. In Dallas, the heat has killed 12 people so far. In Oklahoma, there've been 11 heat-related deaths. All but six of Texas' 256 counties are under a burn ban. The heat and dryness continue spanning wildfires like this large blaze Tulsa Oklahoma. In San Angelo, Texas, bacteria that thrives in dry, hot conditions have turned this lake red. Even strong decades-old trees are withering under the scorching heat. Leaves are turning brown.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it loses all its leaves, if it goes totally brown, it's gone.
LAVANDERA: Texas Electricity Regulators are issuing emergency warnings urging people to conserve power, but who needs to powering oven when you've got a sizzling car. This Tyler, Texas TV reporter's baked chocolate chip cookies in just over three hours.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God! They're pretty hard.
LAVANDERA: Apparently, good enough to eat. But in miserable times like this, you need to be able to call a timeless superhero. The ice cream man. Moustapha Kiop says the calls for his trucks were urgent.
MOUSTAPHA KIOP, TM ICE CREAM: They used to say I may want it, I don't know, in a week or maybe two weeks, but today and the day before yesterday, they said, I want it today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Much cooler with it. I'm not ashamed. Not at all. When it's this hot, it's not a problem. The more colorful, the better.
LAVANDERA: The manager of this Dallas trucking company says the ice cream man saved the day.
BRYAN SHAFFER, SOUTHWEST INTERNATIONAL TRUCKS: With the heat the way it's been, our president called and said maybe we ought to try and do something for some employees, why don't you all get ahold of an ice cream truck, have him take an hour off, and feed them as much ice cream as they want.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA (on-camera): Now, one of the real concerns today, guys, is actually just keeping the air conditioning on. State regulators here in Texas say that is a concern. They're concerned there that it could be rolling blackouts and power outages across the state because of the demand on air conditioning today. Guys, back to you. COSTELLO: You know what, Ed? That already happened in Maryland, because last week, Maryland was going through this intense heat. There were blackouts. And some people didn't have air conditioning for six or seven hours. It was awful.
VELSHI: Yes. Well, that's acclimatizing to it by standing out there while it gets all that hot, and we'll keep checking in with you. Thanks very much. Bonnie Schneider. Sorry. We got cut Ed off, but he was probably telling --
ROMANS: Ed, go back to the satellite truck and get cool.
VELSHI: Yes. Cool off a little bit. Bonnie Schneider is in an air conditioned place, our extreme weather center, where she's watching all of that and the storm that is developing in the Caribbean. What are you looking at there, Bonnie?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, Ali, we're starting off this morning with the heat. Once again, you saw as the report from Texas, certainly very hot there, but the heat advisory stretched well into the Deep South, even Atlanta facing advisories and then as far north as St. Louis. So, we'll be seeing temperatures climbing to the triple digits and likely shattering records. And not just by one degree or two degrees, some of these records are soaring above.
Look at Ft. Smith climbing possibly up to 113. The record, 107. Well, the water temperature is certainly warm enough for the tropical season to really start to heat up, and that's why we have tropical storm, Emily. The latest advisory has maximum winds at 50 miles per hour. The storm is still southeast of San Domingo, but on the move, and because of that, tropical storm watches and warnings have been posted. New watch for parts of Bahamas, and that mean that we could see tropical storm conditions within for 48 hours.
So, the time now is to prepare and make sure you are prepared for a tropical storm. Heavy rainfall possibly in some areas, 10 inches, and that makes it very dangerous in terms of mud slides. And the track takes the storm likely across much of the southeast coast or at least nearby. So, we're watching this closely. Unfortunately, it looks like it's going to be lasting for days as we go into the weekend. Something to monitor if you live anywhere on the eastern seaboard as far as south and South Florida.
VELSHI: To be clear, Bonnie, it's not been called anything yet, right? There's no tropical storm warning, watch, anything like that to the U.S. at the moment.
SCHNEIDER: Not to the U.S. but as we go forward for the next few days, you should be prepare for that.
VELSHI: Very good. OK. I'm just asking that for travelers, because if you call up the airline now and say you want to change your flight, they'll say we don't have any warning yet. So, it will slow you down a little bit.
OK. Coming up next, there's a new number one, the highest paid actor in Hollywood. Who is it? I'll tell you on the other side. We're "Minding Your Business." Twenty-three minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Twenty-seven minutes after the hour. "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Right now, U.S. stock futures are trading higher. It's been the case a lot this week. It hasn't ended the day that way. We'll see what happens today. Investors are getting a boost out of the passage of the debt ceiling bill and strong corporate earnings that have been out this morning, but the markets took a big, big hit yesterday. If the Dow closes lower again today, that will be the longest losing streak in over 30 years.
There's been a lot of talk about the big three credit ratings agencies, S&P, Moody's, and Fitch, but they're not the only ones at investors watch. One ratings agency in China announced today it's downgraded America's credit rating to a single A, much lower than the AAA from the big three western agencies. The company says the downgrade was inevitable because of market concerns related to the debt ceiling debate.
A new report from payroll process or ADP says 114,000 jobs were added to the private sector in July, beating economists expectations, but investors are much more focused on the big jobs report from the government that comes out on Friday. That takes into account losses from the public sector, which usually bring the number much lower.
Later today, new data on factory orders from June and information on the services sector comes out as well.
And Hollywood leading men, Leo DiCaprio topping the "Forbes" list of highest paid actor. DiCaprio earned an estimated $77 million in one year last year knocking Johnny Depp from the number one sport. Depp made $50 million, followed by Adam Sandler at $40 million, Will Smith at $36 million, and Tom Hanks at $35 million.
Coming up next, how to improve your personal finances in just one week. AMERICAN MORNING back after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Good morning, New York City. It is fair, 74 degrees right now. Thunder showers though. Forecast later today, about 82 degrees.
Hey, let's not talk about thunder showers. Let's talk about bright skies and your own personal finances. The ink barely dry in that deal to raise the debt ceiling, investors turn their attention to another pressing problem, the economy. Right now futures are up, but, boy, did the markets take a big hit yesterday. The Dow is down more than 260 points, the NASDAQ, the S&P 500 were also down for the year. The S&P now down for the year and because the hits just keep on coming, like a drop in consumer confidence.
So what can you do to boost the confidence in your own finances? What do you possibly have control of, because you don't have control over all that? Joining me now, Clark Howard is the host of "The Clark Howard Show" on our sister network HLN. He's the HLN money expert. He's also the author of "Clark Howard's Living Large in Lean Times." He's got tips to help us improve our finances in one week. Believe me you're going to be talk about them. I've already done a couple of them.
CLARK HOWARD, HLN MONEY EXPERT: Did you really?
ROMANS: I did this morning, I swear.
HOWARD: Really?
ROMANS: So let's take a look at the first one. Switch to Internet phone service, Clark says. You can save a lot of money. Tell me about saving money on this.
HOWARD: I've been using this for years, probably four years. And OOMA is fantastic. Consumer report rated it as the best phone service in America. You buy a OOMA box and for the life of OOMA you have free unlimited local, long distance, voicemail, the whole shebang. You have to have an Internet connection, but as long as you do, OOMA is replacement phone service for the monopoly local phone company.
ROMANS: There you go.
HOWARD: You pay about 30 buck as year in FCC pass-throughs, but that's it.
ROMANS: We'll look at that, switching internet phone service.
Another way to fix your finances in just a week, buy your eyeglasses online. I did this. You did that?
HOWARD: These are --
ROMANS: The pair I liked were actually $19.95.
HOWARD: That much?
ROMANS: Yes.
HOWARD: Come on.
ROMANS: This is a website you can go to. You can buy the glasses for $7 a pair.
HOWARD: Prescription eyeglasses. Actually Zenni has multiple competitors. It's not hard to --
ROMANS: I saw hundreds of styles.
HOWARD: There are so many companies selling prescription glasses for $10, $15, now, frames, lenses, complete.
ROMANS: What do you need to have? You need to have a prescription from your eye doctor.
HOWARD: You get your prescription from your eye doctor. Make sure you ask for your PD, pupillary distance. You need that number that's not normally written on a prescription to order glasses on the Internet.
ROMANS: Can I have my husband take a tape measure and do it himself?
HOWARD: You can.
(LAUGHTER)
HOWARD: But I'd rather you have the doctor do it.
ROMANS: Here's another one. Stock up on the Sunday paper. If you get three copies of the Sunday paper, that's three times the number of coupons.
HOWARD: Exactly. So many times there'll be a coupon on the front and back. You want both sides but you can only redeem one. So you want two copies of the paper. But the great thing with three is so many items that are such a steal with Sunday coupons you want to get multiples. So this will pay back over and over again. Now, you're hurting the tree a little, but you're going to save a lot of money.
ROMANS: But you can also watch the things at your neighbor's house.
HOWARD: This cute picture you have here, the thing is never go by the picture on a coupon. Always read the details, because a lot of times they're pushing a particular item but the coupon's good on other items as well.
ROMANS: That's really good advice.
All right, make razors last a year.
HOWARD: How cleanly do I look shaved?
ROMANS: You look cleanly shaved. A year, the same razor?
HOWARD: The last razor lasted a year. I paid 17 cents for the razor. I hope that wasn't too much. But you dry it after you use it each time because razors don't degrade from shaving. They degrade from moisture. So even if you use the most expensive blade out there, if you dry it after every use, it will last and last and last. So if it doesn't last a year, maybe it lasts three months when you're used to it lasting three days. Huge difference.
ROMANS: Wipe off the water.
And never buy extended warranties. I don't do this, and I get mad when they try to sell it to me, because I say, wait, aren't you selling me a product that's supposed to last? HOWARD: Here's the secret. A lot of credit cards extend the manufacture manufacturer's warranty automatically up to one year for free. So never buy this garbage.
ROMANS: This is a revenue stream for the company?
HOWARD: Exactly. Huge profit margins. All it does is hurt you, helps them.
ROMANS: Clark Howard, thank you so much. There are 250 tips in here. So if you feel like you can't control the Dow, the debt ceiling, anything else, there are things in here. It was really nice to meet you. Thanks for coming onboard I was taking notes.
HOWARD: Thank you.
VELSHI: I'm seriously sitting here taking notes while he was talking.
COSTELLO: I was just thinking that I never buy the extended warranty because I'm irresponsible and now I find out I'm fiscally responsible. Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
Coming up next, have you seen this video? It's a must-see. A police officer is flung into the air like a rag doll when a car plows into him at full speed. But he gets up, chases the guy down, a real life Robocop when we come back.
VELSHI: It's unbelievable.
Plus he's walking the walk to celebrate his citizen, his American citizenship. A Guatemalan immigrant is walking from New York to Los Angeles as we speak. I spoke to him when he took off on the Fourth of July? What's it been like so far? Constantino Diaz, you're on live with us up next. It's 37 minutes after the hour.
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VELSHI: Another brilliant song for a hot day.
COSTELLO: I kind of like the original lyrics better.
VELSHI: We can't do those on a family show. We're not going to say the real stuff.
COSTELLO: OK, so let's meet Dan Pascoe instead, shall we? He may be the most dedicated police officers in all of Great Britain.
VELSHI: And if you happen to be listening and walking around, stop and look at your TV set for this.
COSTELLO: Yes, exactly. Quit eating your eggs and watch this.
Watch what happens to Dan last month. He was getting out of his cruiser. You see that car on the right side. You see that car, a man in a BMW? He slams through the back of the vehicle. The officer goes flying. It actually threw him like 10 feet in the air.
VELSHI: And you can see the whole thing. He gets up after being flung. Look at him on the right side. The car will hit him. You'll see him get out. He gets out. He goes flying.
COSTELLO: I think his adrenaline kicked in and he got up and started running after the suspect, which would be his job.
ROMANS: He said it was police officer instincts.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
ROMANS: This is what he said about why he was chasing down the suspect after being hit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I got back up onto my feet, I'm thinking, I'm slightly better off than I thought I was. So I went back into police mode rather than sort of normal people mode and decided it was time to go and arrest someone who put the public danger. He ran down and tried to climb a fence. At that was at that point is when I drew my taser and I tasered him in the back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: He tased, baby. The suspect was apprehended. He's probably now in custody. As for the police officer, no serious injuries, but he collapsed shortly after arresting the guy.
VELSHI: After he did it all.
COSTELLO: It was amazing.
VELSHI: Wow.
COSTELLO: So he's doing OK this morning, and good for him. A real life Robocop.
ROMANS: The suspect actually spent 23 months behind bars for that one.
COSTELLO: He should have gotten more.
ROMANS: All right, file this one under "Message Sent."
What? Yes. This is an eastern European mayor. He's had it with cars blocking. He's fixed the problem by jumping in a tank and crushing an illegally parked Mercedes.
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ROMANS: It's always the rich people who do these sort of things. The mayor's spokeswoman says he's ready to do it for real if anyone dares to park in a bike lane.
VELSHI: That will make you think twice.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: I love that mayor.
VELSHI: All right. This -- this story is really fun. It's fun, it's inspiring. This guy I'm going to talk to is a month in his walk across America, literally. Constanino Diaz-Duran said his goal is to meet people and learn what America really means to him. We first spoke with him back on the Fourth of July as he began his journey of discovery in New York. He's been hoofing it ever since. He's here to talk about his experience so far. You said you would talk with us and you have done so. Where are you?
CONSTANTINO DIAZ-DURAN, WALKING ACROSS AMERICA: I'm in D.C. finally.
VELSHI: All right, you told me you were going to meet people, maybe stay on their couches or stay in hotels and see how it goes. How is it going so far?
DIAZ-DURAN: It's been going great. Remember last time I told you I have a tent with me.
VELSHI: Yep.
DIAZ-DURAN: I haven't had to use this tent once.
VELSHI: Wow.
DIAZ-DURAN: It's been -- it's a month in, and every single night I have found a place to stay, which has just blown my mind.
VELSHI: You're doing -- you're doing 10 or 12 mile as day. You want to get to 20, but I can't imagine in this heat that that's going to be easy to do.
DIAZ-DURAN: Yes. It's been awful. You know. A couple of weeks ago with the bad heat wash I ended up taking a few days of in Philly because I couldn't walk. It was way too hot. So that's really slowed me down. But I made it to D.C., and I'm hoping to make up time now. And hopefully when I get out to where it's flat I'll be able to just, you know, speed walk.
VELSHI: Let's talk a little about your goal, the idea of talking to Americans and finding out what it's like to be an American. In all of your walking are you get chance to talk to people? Where do you find them, and what are they telling you?
DIAZ-DURAN: That's then other reason I've slowed down. People have been so great and so open to taking me in, having dinner with me and talking. So I -- you know, there's been towns where I planned on being like overnight, and I ended up staying like a whole weekend because I'm just hanging out with people, you know. So that has been -- you know, it's been great, you know.
VELSHI: All right, so the impression I have is given everything that's been going on in Washington, particularly where you've been walking between New York and Washington so far, that all anybody would be talking about is Washington and how they're dragging their feet and how they didn't get the debt ceiling done and the debt and all this. Is that true or are they talking to you about other things?
DIAZ-DURAN: You know, exactly. Like that's what you would think, right? Like I've been walking in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. And the topic of the debt ceiling, they didn't really come up until I was like within a few miles over the Beltway.
Like I was -- I was surprised. I don't know if people are just tired of talking about politics so they don't want to talk about politics with me. But even when I sort of brought politics up, people just -- they -- they didn't seem that interested in engaging me in that kind of conversation, so, you know. It's surprising.
VELSHI: Interesting.
So logistically are you, you've been moving a little slower than you expected, but are you still -- you still feeling good, feeling strong?
DIAZ-DURAN: I'm feeling good. You know the first week was tough, my hips were killing me because I guess I didn't really expect, you know -- I wasn't really thinking, the back pack rests on your hips. So they sort of rebelled.
And I lived on ibuprofen for the first week, but after that you know, the -- your body adapts. And I've been doing well. My feet are doing well.
VELSHI: Good.
Well, you've got a great attitude. Go out there. Not only ask people what it's like to be an American but just spread some of your great cheer. You promise to keep on checking in with us and telling us what you find.
(CROSSTALK)
DIAZ-DURAN: I will.
VELSHI: And how you're doing?
DIAZ-DURAN: I will, definitely.
VELSHI: Good. Constantino Diaz-Duran, you can follow his journey on Facebook at "Walk Like an American." Good luck the rest of the way on your journey. We'll talk to you again soon.
DIAZ-DURAN: Thanks Ali.
COSTELLO: He was lovely, wasn't he? VELSHI: He's great. He's got this great energy and he's happy.
COSTELLO: He's awesome.
ROMANS: He researched how -- he researched how many pairs of shoes he thinks he's going go through. I think it's 67.
VELSHI: Yes, I think he's going find that he -- everything's a little tougher but he doesn't seem dimmed at all by --
COSTELLO: No, he's inspired me to make it through the rest of the day at least.
VELSHI: Yes.
COSTELLO: Yes. Thank you.
VELSHI: If I walked to the west side of the highway, I'd be telling you about it.
COSTELLO: Exactly. Our morning headline is coming your way next including if you're traveling to Boston today, why the -- why the TSA has some questions for you. It's 46 past the hour.
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COSTELLO: Well, happy Wednesday. It is 48 minutes past the hour. Here are your morning headlines.
The U.S. markets open in just about 45 minutes. Right now, U.S. stock futures are trading higher ahead of the opening bell giving investors a boost, passage of the debt ceiling bill and strong corporate earnings out this morning.
Congress leaving town without ending the stalemate over how to fund the FAA. That leaves some 4,000 aviation workers furloughed through this August recess. It's expected to cost the government about $25 million bucks a day in lost tax revenue.
Simple questions to spot potential terrorists; a new layer of security being tried out today at Boston's Logan Airport. Screeners will strike up casual conversations with passengers asking simple questions like "where are you heading" to detect suspicious behavior.
And the trial of former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak and his sons has been adjourned. They will return to court in two weeks. They're facing corruption and murder chargers, could get the death penalty. The 83-year-old Mubarak is in failing health. He was lying on a stretcher inside a steel cage in the courtroom. He has pleaded not guilty.
You are now caught up on the day's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING is back after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROMANS: Government health investigators still don't know the source of a deadly salmonella outbreak. They know the culprit is ground turkey. But they don't have enough information to blame one brand or one company or to even issue a recall; 26 states are affected.
The outbreak blamed for at least one death and 77 illnesses. This has been going on for about five months, this salmonella outbreak.
VELSHI: It's unbelievable.
ROMANS: Yes.
VELSHI: And usually we're -- we're sort of better and faster at tracing these things.
ROMANS: We are?
VELSHI: Well, five months ago has been a lot of time.
COSTELLO: That's a lot of time.
ROMANS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Just cook your turkey thoroughly. I guess that --
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ROMANS: That's right.
VELSHI: Yes.
A just-released study says more than half of the children's car seats sold in the U.S. contain hazardous chemicals. The ecology center and environmental group tested more than 150 car seats. Chemicals like arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury were found in 60 percent of the seats tested. There's a silver lining, though, the group says that is actually a 64 percent improvement between 2008 and the new 2011 models.
ROMANS: No word if the silver lining is bad for your children's health too.
VELSHI: Right, that's right.
ROMANS: But the cadmium probably is.
COSTELLO: Ok, here's something I bet you didn't know. It is world breast-feeding week. Yes it is. Yes.
And so let's talk about breast-feeding, shall we? Breast-feeding has been linked to a lower risk of things like type 2 diabetes in babies and breast cancer in their mothers.
ROMANS: Now a new CDC report says hospitals aren't doing enough to get women to nurse their newborns.
Chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in Atlanta. Sanjay, both -- both you and I have plenty -- voluminous experience over the past, say, six years of the --
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You more than me.
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VELSHI: Thanks for clearing that up, Sanjay. I didn't know where that was going either.
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ROMANS: No, Sanjay has three little --
COSTELLO: Sanjay, you're amazing.
VELSHI: Sanjay, he is quite remarkable but he hasn't breast fed anybody as far as I know.
GUPTA: The documentary is out next week.
ROMANS: He has three beautiful babies.
VELSHI: He still hasn't breast fed once.
ROMANS: So he has been in the thick of it, like trying to get to a hospital.
COSTELLO: He's watched his wife do it.
ROMANS: I'm just -- Sanjay, you know what I mean, come on.
GUPTA: It's going be a tough segment to go through, I can already tell.
ROMANS: All right, Sanjay, we know, but remind us what is it about breast milk that's so important to new babies?
GUPTA: Well, I think the best way to think about this you know is that the baby that is just born doesn't really have a fully developed immune system so this is the first time they're getting antibodies to help their immune systems develop. And you alluded to this. But you know, because of that you reduce the chance of all sorts of infections which are really important around the time of birth. Ear infections, lung infections, GI infections. Also for the moms it can reduce the chance of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
But here's another thing that I think it's important, it's not just the milk itself but it's the process of breastfeeding. Children are actually very good at determining how much they should eat. That -- that ability to turn things off gets a little bit more trouble as we get older which is part of the obesity epidemic.
But they need what they eat as opposed to feeding from a bottle where they may overeat or someone's being pushed to eat. I think those two things sort of make breast milk a really important part of the first few months.
ROMANS: Sanjay, a lot of hospitals, they give babies formula. The baby doesn't sleep in the room with the mom, they give the baby's formula.
GUPTA: That's right.
ROMANS: What can hospitals do to help encourage moms in this and not actually spoil the whole process?
GUPTA: All kidding aside I was actually surprised by that. Only 4 percent of the hospitals in this country follow the recommendations to make it easiest for mothers to actually breast-feed their children.
Some of the ones you mentioned there but you know, with regard to feeding breast milk -- actually breast feeding, you have to do it within the first hour they say. A lot of stat showed that if you do it within the first you're going to have a much greater likelihood of success. Only about half of hospitals do that.
Don't supplement -- as you say -- with formula or water because that makes it more difficult for a child to breast-feed exclusively the first few months. 80 percent of hospitals Christine, actually do give formula or water initially.
And keeping the baby in the same room with mom, a third of hospitals only do that. But if the baby's crying and they need milk you can obviously do that right away. You're balancing that obviously with the child trying to get to sleep -- I mean the mom trying to get sleep as well but that seems to be very important. And then a lot of support afterward in case the mom's having difficulty breast-feeding her child.
COSTELLO: Sanjay, whenever we hear these stories and I realize breast feeding has many benefits as you've just outlines. But some women can't breast-feed --
GUPTA: Right.
COSTELLO: -- and whenever they hear these types of stories they just feel guilty because if you feed your baby formula somehow that baby is bound to develop things like type 2 diabetes and other things.
GUPTA: Yes, you know -- and it's funny that you say that because I was thinking about that exact issue last night. I think a lot of moms out there have had trouble. You can take some solace in knowing that less than half the women actually exclusively breast-feed the first six months, which is the recommendation. So you know, you're not alone, I would say.
The best advice is hospitals can do a better job of actually making it easier for women to breast-feed if they want do that by following some of those recommendations. And also six months of exclusive breast-feeding. But beyond that, you can start to introduce solid foods in addition to that to make it a little bit easier for both mom and baby.
ROMANS: But there's also this concern that some women think that they quote/unquote "can't breast-feed" because they haven't been given support early on, because they haven't been pushed at the hospital because the child has moved on to formula and their milk supply goes down when you've been given all of these supplements, right, Sanjay?
GUPTA: Absolutely. You know breast feeding more and your supply continues. It's a demand and supply issue in many ways.
But you're absolutely right. You know, a lot of women, they have a lot going on once they get home. If they're having trouble breast- feeding they don't know who to call out for support. They simply say, look, this just isn't going to work and they switch to the formula.
These are some recommendations. Incidentally these recommendations are followed in many countries around the world much better than they are in the United States. But this is a message to hospitals and doctors, probably even more so than moms out there.
ROMANS: Right. I've had three little babies in five years and all three of them have had a bottle in their mouth with formula within two days of being born.
COSTELLO: Really?
(INAUDIBLE)
ROMANS: Yes, but it makes it harder. I really does make it hard. And I know Sanjay has not personally nursed a child but --
VELSHI: You didn't see the note out at the beginning of this --
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GUPTA: I told you not to tell anybody about that.
COSTELLO: I think as a doctor, it's a good thing he's done that.
ROMANS: The point was he's got three kids too so he gets it. You've been on --
VELSHI: Yes. Sanjay, we're going to let you go on this one.
Fifty-seven minutes after the hour. I'm going to take a commercial break to explain something to Christina about men and breast-feeding. Let me just tell you how this doesn't work. Ok.
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COSTELLO: We apologize for not having enough time to read your Facebook comments. But keep the conversation going; facebook.com/AmericanMorning.
Now it's time for Kyra Phillips. Hey, Kyra.
