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FAA Workers Furloughed; Contaminated Ground Turkey Causes Salmonella Outbreak; Heat Wave Hits Southern Plains; New Counterterrorism Plan Unveiled; Cities in Crisis; David Cassidy Says Sony Cheated Him; President Obama Celebrates 50th Birthday Today; Meet London's Super Cop

Aired August 04, 2011 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Better check the freezer this morning. Thirty-six million pounds of ground turkey has to be chucked. A massive meat recall over a salmonella outbreak that appears to have killed one person and made dozens of others sick.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Our max out water running out. People desperate for ways to beat the heat with another 100-degree day on the way.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Baseball's lightning rod, Alex Rodriguez, getting some unwanted attention. Again, this time, for his possible role in an underground high stakes Hollywood poker game where stars allegedly did coke and fought over 500 grand.

ROMANS: And they're calling him Super-cop. The suspect ran him down with a stolen car and still couldn't get away. The man of steel is here to tell his story on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning, everyone. It is Thursday, August 4th, and welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. A lot going on today. So, let's get you right to it at the top of the hour.

VELSHI: health alert to tell you about this morning. Cargill, a major meat processor here in the United States is recalling ground turkey because it may be contaminated with salmonella bacteria. This is one of the largest meat recalls ever. Thirty-six million pounds of ground turkey are being pulled from stores and warehouses. The government says the outbreak appears to have killed one person, sickened 76, and hospitalized 22.

COSTELLO: I know you are wondering where this is happening. Well, these are the 26 states where it's been reported that people have become ill from eating that ground turkey. Officials are especially worried since the bacteria is proving resistant to drugs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE SICILIA, CALIFORNIA PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT: They share the exact same strain of salmonella, which is called salmonella Heidelberg. There are many strains of salmonella. This one is very dangerous because it is resistant to antibiotics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: If you want to see if the ground turkey in your refrigerator or freezer could be recalled, here is what the packaging looks like. Cargill sells ground turkey under a variety of names. It's sold at most major supermarkets. If you have ground turkey at home, go to our fridge or freezer and you'll want to look for this code that you see on the screen there. It's ESP, "P" as in "Paul," 963.

Also this morning, researchers out of France say they have identified a superbug strain of salmonella. They say the bacteria is highly resistant to antibiotics. There are about 500 cases of this strain that scientists are aware of. So far it has been contained to just France, Denmark, England, and Wales but scientists say they fear it could spread worldwide.

VELSHI: All right, how does America keep its food safe? You may remember last year Congress passed a landmark law giving the FDA new powers. But there's one problem -- money to fund the agency's new authority just isn't there. Sound familiar? Back in June the House slashed more than $200 million from the FDA's food safety budget.

One reason America has struggled to control problems with contaminated food is according to the Center for Science and the Public Interest, less than one percent of the food that comes into the U.S. is inspected. For complete information about the recall food inspection or how to keep your food safe, go to CNN.com/health.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: This is just another example of why we've seen so much anger directed at America's elected officials in Washington because lawmakers didn't do their job, thousands of Americans are out of a job. It all revolves around a pretty routine matter, extending the FAA budget. But because it turned political, 24,000 to 70,000 workers are not without a paycheck

VELSHI: That includes 4,000 FAA employees. Add some $30 million in taxes that are being lost every day because of a stalemate. Athena Jones is live for us in Washington for us. Athena, the tempers are starting to flare about this issue. What's going on?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, absolutely. We've heard what's at stake. It's not just these thousands of workers who are being furloughed, not collecting paychecks and, therefore, not spending their paychecks in this weak economy. It's also this nearly more than $1 billion in uncollected tax revenues that this will amount to if this stalemate passes or continues all through the congressional recess. That is to say past Labor Day.

Of course, it really depends here on Capitol Hill who you talk to in terms of who is to blame. Let's listen to what Republican Connie Mack had to say from Florida, and then we'll listen to Steny Hoyer, Democratic congressman from Maryland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CONNIE MACK, (R) FLORIDA: So we passed a bill in the house reauthorization Bill. It went to the Senate. The one person that has the power to bring it up for a vote chose not to. And that is Senator Reid. So I would say that and maybe the secretary didn't want to say it, but Senator Reid should call the Senate back in, take up the bill and pass it.

REP. STENY HOYER, (D) MINORITY WHIP: We need to get this done and we should get it done today. Unfortunately Republicans continue to practice the politics of confrontation and hostage-taking. And it is severely damaging our economy and the livelihoods of people across our nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Now at issue is -- there are two big issues they're talking about right now. One is funding for rural subsidies to airport service in rural areas, small towns and places like Nevada, Montana, New Mexico. Republicans say that they want to see -- to save some money. They don't want to spend these subsidies to these rural airports.

Democrats say it's not about that. Democrats say Republicans are using the smaller issue to try to force Democrats to change on a larger issue about making it easier for airport workers to unionize. And so we don't know how it's going to end here. We've heard the president and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood urge Congress to get together and solve this very, very soon, guys.

VELSHI: Ray LaHood will be joining us a little later on for an update on this. Athena, thanks very much.

We want to talk to one of the furloughed FAA workers. Mark DePlasco joins me from Washington. Mark, thank you for being with us. You used to be an air traffic controller. Now you manage a team that works on technical systems in the towers and radar facilities. First of all, were you surprised to get furloughed, because this budget authorization has come up time and again and it's just routinely been extended?

MARK DEPLASCO, FURLOUGHED FAA WORKER: I'm absolutely shocked. Again, you are right. We've had this happen before. We've gotten to the deadline and then it just -- we're back to work. So this was quite a shock. I found out Friday night that we were all furloughed and really didn't think it was going to last this long. I had no idea that it could last into September.

VELSHI: You were an air traffic controller for 30 years. If anybody knows about safety, you do. There are 10 people on your team right now. Seven are still working. Three have been furloughed. Give me your honest opinion because we've had different opinions as to whether safety is in jeopardy now or could be if this extends for a little while. What's your view of that?

DEPLASCO: Honestly, I don't believe safety is impacted, because we have such a professional group of air traffic controllers, managers, technicians, engineers that are picking up the slack for those of us that aren't there. And they are covering. We have testing going on a system that -- a software update for one of our air traffic systems. We're doing it with less people, but we're getting it done.

VELSHI: How long can that go on without it becoming an issue?

DEPLASCO: Well, at some point, we're -- some of our programs are definitely going to be impacted. Some of our next gen programs could be delayed as a result of not all of us being on the job and certain engineers being gone.

VELSHI: All right, let's talk about you. You got a mortgage payment. You got a family. What's your situation financially in terms of how long can you withstand being off a job?

DEPLASCO: This is something that I've been working on for the last week and a half as I'm off. I'm president of our local chapter for the FAA managers association, and we've been working very, very hard to help my colleagues, employees, and this issue.

Personally, this is devastating. I spend most of my day trying to figure out what can I not pay? What can I pay? Where can I get extra cash? We're pretty much going to burn through all of our savings within a month, and then now we're working on programs out there to give us no-interest loans. And so we're looking into that.

VELSHI: What's your sense? You are the president of the local FAA chapter, so you are seeing a lot of the people in your situation. What's the buzz about how long this likely goes on for? Do you think it's going to be a quick resolution or are you preparing for this to be five weeks?

DEPLASCO: I am an optimist. And I have thought every single day that this was going to end that day. And we kind of have to keep that optimism going because I don't think any of us can even fathom going without a paycheck for another month and a half or even longer. We're not sure that it's going to be resolved in September.

So I am hearing from my colleagues. I'm hearing from my employees just how hard it is. I have one individual wrote me and said she wakes up crying and she just doesn't know how she's going to pay her bills. She's a single person with a very expensive mortgage. As a lot of us have. She doesn't know how she's going to pay it.

VELSHI: Mark, we wish you the best of luck, and to your colleagues who are also not working during this time. Mark DePlasco is a furloughed FAA worker. Coming up in about an hour at 8:15 eastern, we'll be joined by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. He's been urging Congress to come back to Washington and fix this problem.

COSTELLO: The United Nations is condemning serious bloody crackdown on protestors this morning. New reports from activists inside Syria say at least 45 civilians were killed in a tank assault by security forces said to be part of a new campaign targeting anti-government demonstrators in the city of Hama.

More than 30 people are recovering after their tour bus flipped over and landed upside down. It happened on Interstate 81 in Whitney Point in upstate New York. The bus carrying mostly tourists from Poland was traveling from Niagara Falls to New Jersey. Police say most of the injuries were minor except for one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEANT TODD BURDICK, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: There was one subject that was pinned underneath the bus. And they were able to dig underneath the bus and actually extricate the lady that was trapped underneath. It was attributed to the weather, the rainfall and speed too fast for conditions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The tour bus industry has come under scrutiny after the March 12th crash of a bus returning to New York City's Chinatown. And 15 people were killed when that bus flipped over on its side. The driver of that bus had a suspended license.

VELSHI: The searing heat wave is expanding. It's getting even deadlier this morning. It hit 115 degrees in Ft. Smith, Arkansas yesterday. That shattered a record of 107 set back in 1896. Temperatures are expected to approach record highs from Dallas all the way to Raleigh again today.

COSTELLO: Texas is bracing for another sweltering day, too, after breaking its power usage record for the third day in a row. It could be over 100 degrees there, too for the 34th day in a row. Unbelievable. That city suffering more in the intense heat than anywhere else.

Ed Lavandera is live there this morning. Good morning, Ed. How are they trying to protect people's health in this extreme heat?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Obviously, a great deal of concern for the elderly, making sure people have proper air conditioning. As you mentioned, there's so much power use, so much stress on the electrical grid and the electrical system that during those peak hours in the late afternoon when people are getting home from work and the temperature is at its most intense there are emergency measures being taken to urge to conserve energy. We're seeing rolling blackouts and people being left without air conditioning. That is an extremely dangerous situation.

We've had more than two dozen people die because of heat-related illnesses in Texas, Oklahoma and in Arkansas. So that is a very real concern. And it will be another day of record-breaking heat across the southern plains. As you mentioned, those record-breaking temperatures in Little Rock, for example, reaching 114 degrees. That's an all-time high. They had never seen anything like that.

In Wichita Falls, that is a town we haven't really talked a whole lot about, but they have been taking it on the chin all summer long. Yesterday they broke their own record for the longest stretch of 100- degree weather -- 43 straight days. And it would have been 63 days had it not been for one day where they dropped down to 98 degrees.

So it has been incredibly intense all across -- mostly here in the southern plains, but really all of this stretching into the southeastern United States. Great concern over, especially now that we start heading back into school, students heading back into school. In Oklahoma, classrooms that air conditionings broke down. They had to move those students out of those classes. School buses that don't have air conditioning, they had to load them up with ice chests and bottled water to get those students home safely.

And then of course there are students practicing football, starting to do that, two-a-day practices out in this heat. A great deal of concern. We've seen a number of students killed because of heat related illnesses and a coach here in Dallas who fell and died because of -- partially because of the heat related situation as well. So this is a dire situation, and it will continue for the foreseeable future here, perhaps into next week.

COSTELLO: Ed Lavandera, many thanks. Reporting live from Texas this morning.

VELSHI: I mean high school football is obviously bigger in Texas than it is in many places but it does seem a little --

ROMANS: I think they should cancel all of this. If every school has to cancel them, then nobody --

VELSHI: Everybody is at the same disadvantage. But that's incredible. Running around is one thing. Running around with a whole bunch of gear on --

COSTELLO: Or schedule them really early the morning when it's not so hot.

ROMANS: It's still 97 degrees nearly the morning.

(CROSSTALK) That's true.

VELSHI: Still to come this morning, Major League Baseball wants to talk to Alex Rodriguez. He was -- they say he was sitting at a high stakes poker table where drugs were passed around and tempers flared. He says he wasn't there.

ROMANS: And Congress leaves town and leaves FAA players on standby. What happened to putting America back to work? We want to hear from you today. You are watching AMERICAN MORNING. It's 12 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.

Presidential candidate - former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is getting some heat this morning for selling a children's cartoon about 9/11. The video is on sale for $9.95. And part of a series of videos about time-traveling kids who go back to learn about the most important events in American history, one of them, the attacks of 9/11. Here's a clip.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who would do something like this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Al Qaeda is led by Osama Bin Laden.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The time for jihad is upon us. Death to the Americans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow. Look at the police and firefighters. They are right in the middle of it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some of the passengers learned about the other hijacked planes and decided to fight back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's our plan? Bring down the Taliban and al Qaeda.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The U.S. and its allies broke apart al Qaeda and cut off Bin Laden from his followers and his money.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can hear you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELSHI: Interesting. Critics are blasting Huckabee. They're saying he's trying to cash in on the attacks. The company that produced it pledges that the videos are, quote, "free from distorted messages that dilute the significance of our nation's most important events."

COSTELLO: Now, remember, the purpose of this was to set the history record right -

VELSHI: Right.

COSTELLO: -- because children in school don't learn history in a fair and unbiased way. So Mike Huckabee is putting this series of cartoons out to right the wrongs of what children are being taught in school.

ROMANS: Without political correctness, he says.

COSTELLO: Without political correctness. So -

VELSHI: Well -

COSTELLO: Yes. Interesting. We'll let you decide on your own -

ROMANS: Yes.

COSTELLO: -- what you think about that.

Let's talk about another question of the day, because now it's a chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Our question this morning, when is it OK for political leaders to take a break from Washington? I ask you that because some Republicans are hopping mad that President Obama is in Chicago raising money for his re-election campaign. Reince Priebus, who chairs the Republican National Committee, told reporters, "I suppose the White House thinks that - thinks he should stick to the job he really likes, raising money from fat cat donors while the rest of Americans struggle with trying to make ends meet."

Mitt Romney, who hopes to beat Mr. Obama in 2012, even put out a campaign ad complete with apocalyptic music.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (voice-over): Yes, we can. Thank you. If I don't have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And this from a candidate who Politico accuses of being in the Mitt-ness (ph) protection program because Mr. Romney didn't take a stand on the debt deal until the debt deal was done.

Not to be undone, Democrats are hopping mad at lawmakers. Senators left Capitol Hill for a five-week paid break without approving funding for the Federal Aviation Administration. It doesn't sound like a big deal until you learned that 4,000 federal employees, along with thousands of construction and support workers are out of work with no paycheck. One furloughed FAA engineer has had it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEIL BOLEN, FURLOUGHED FAA ENGINEER: The debt ceiling argument ended on Monday and Tuesday. Well, where are you at on Wednesday? You don't have to go on vacation. Take another day. Get it finished.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So the "Talkback" question today, when is it OK for political leaders to take a break from Washington? Send us a message on Facebook. Facebook.com/AmericanMorning. Write out AMERICAN MORNING. We'll read some of your responses later this hour.

ROMANS: You are so cynical. They aren't on vacation. They are just getting ready for their next election. Just kidding.

VELSHI: I think some of them are doing important work while they are away -

ROMANS: I know.

VELSHI: -- from Washington.

ROMANS: It's a recess. And, in fact, you know, many of them are holding town halls. They are going on fact-finding missions.

VELSHI: But none of that, I still think most of us can agree that this is pressing work. This doesn't -

ROMANS: Yes. This is a very big deal.

VELSHI: So that's - we'd like to hear from you.

COSTELLO: We'd love to hear from you.

VELSHI: Yes.

ROMANS: Please weigh in.

All right. Still to come this morning, the rising costs of sending your kids to school. You may be in for a shock the next time you shop for supplies.

VELSHI: If you are drinking a cup of Maxwell House Coffee right now while you're watching us, we've got some big news from the brand's parent company to tell you about right after the break.

You are watching AMERICAN MORNING. It is 21 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Stocks took a pretty wild ride yesterday. The Dow dropped more than 160 points during the session, but then closed higher with modest gains by the end of the trading day. Debt ceiling fears may have passed, but, you know, Wall Street investors still very nervous about a weak recovery. Right now, futures are trading much lower ahead of the opening bell.

New this morning, this is a stock probably in your 401(k). It's widely held. Kraft Foods announcing it is splitting into two publicly traded companies. One focused on global snacks business and the other on the North American grocery business. Kraft Foods, one of America's largest corporations is the parent to some of the world's most iconic brands, including Cadbury, Nabisco, Oreo and Maxwell House.

Investors are waiting for a new report this morning on initial jobless claims filed last week. The economists surveyed by Briefing.com, they forecast 405,000 people filed for unemployment benefits for the very first time last week. That report comes out in about an hour from now. Anything above 400,000 is new evidence of weakness in the labor market.

Concerns about Italy's debt problems also on investors' minds this morning. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi finally admitted publicly for the first time that his country faces a financial crisis, but he also insists that confidence is the issue and the country's economy is on solid ground.

Lots of talks on Wall Street also about Japan government's decision today to lower the value of its currency to help the country's exporters. That's the third intervention on the Japanese yen this year as the country continues to struggle through economic losses from the tsunami and earthquake back in March.

Another big day of earnings to tell you about today. General Motors, Fortune Brands, Cigna, Southwest Airlines, all of these companies will report profits before the opening bell. And AIG and LinkedIn will report their earnings after the markets close this afternoon.

AMERICAN MORNING will be right back after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: A growing crisis this morning in cities across America. Unemployment is rising. Jobs are vanishing. And bills can't be paid. Mayors from coast to coast making painful choices on this AMERICAN MORNING.

And good morning, everyone. It's Thursday, August 4th. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING.

VELSHI: A lot going on this morning. Here are your top stories.

The Obama administration is pleading with members of Congress to return to Washington and settle a political dispute that has forced a partial shutdown of the FAA and kept thousands of people out of work. The government could also lose a billion dollars in tax revenue.

A massive recall of ground turkey. Cargill is recalling 36 million pounds of the turkey meat which has been linked to a salmonella outbreak in 26 states. It's believed that the tainted turkey was processed at Cargill's Springdale, Arkansas plant between mid-February and the beginning of this month. One person has died and 76 others have been sickened for salmonella poisoning.

And the White House unveiling a new plan to combat home-grown terrorism. It enlists the help of local communities to identify the early warning signs of violent extremism. Officials say the new strategy is designed to counter efforts by al Qaeda to recruit and radicalize Americans.

COSTELLO: Cities across America are facing a crisis. Simply put, there's not enough money to pay the bills. That means painful cuts to essential services like police and fire and it also means in some cases tax hikes.

In Flint, Michigan, one of the highest crime areas in the country, they've been forced to cut 30 percent of the police force and they are privatizing city services.

In Trenton, New Jersey, 150 government employees are being laid off next month, including 79 police officers. We're joined by the mayors of those two struggling cities.

Trenton New Jersey Mayor Tony Mack is here with me in New York and Flint, Michigan Mayor Dane Walling is live from the Detroit suburb of Madison Heights. Welcome to both of you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. COSTELLO: Thank you for coming in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much. You're welcome.

COSTELLO: The first thing I'm curious about. I mean, we just went through this debt ceiling debate in Washington. I'm sure you were riveted by that, right, as we all were.

Republicans say we need a balanced budget amendment, that the federal government should be required, as you are, as city mayors, to balance their budgets.

Mayor Walling, do you think that's possible for the federal government to be required to balance its budget just like you are?

MAYOR DAYNE WALLING (D), FLINT, MICHIGAN: There has to be fiscal responsibility in Washington, but I don't believe now is the time to have a debate about a specific balanced budget amendment.

We need our federal government to have the flexibility it needs to help states and help cities. The constraints that we work under at the city level of very extreme. I wouldn't want to see those imposed on the federal government. The federal government needs to take a long-term view.

COSTELLO: Mayor Mack, what do you think? Do you think that comparing the federal government to city budgets is the same thing?

MAYOR TONY MACK (D), TRENTON, NEW JERSEY: Well, there's a difference in that -- in city governments, our debt ceiling is just that. I mean, we don't have the ability to raise our debt by any length.

What we have to do in our cities is -- our debt ceiling is our roof and ceilings in our homes, families worrying about paying for those bills. So it's very, very difficult for us to have the same kind of restraints placed on us as federal governments would have.

But one of the things I think can happen from our perspective, we can have a real dialogue at the ground level, whereby the federal government and the president and his representatives come to cities and talk to us about what's going on in our cities so that the fiscal policy can reflect the things that are actually happening on the ground.

COSTELLO: Mayor Walling you laid off 30 percent of the police force and that's a tough decision because Flint does have a crime problem. You tried to raise taxes to achieve that balanced approach that we always hear about. What happened?

WALLING: Well, the voters were split on the issue of reopening the city jail with a new property tax. It did lose narrowly in the May election. So we've had to go back and continue to look for cuts in other nonessential areas.

It's been an ongoing process of making changes. I've been in this position for two years coming out of that difficult recession. And we just had to continue to look for ways to stretch every dollar as far as possible.

COSTELLO: So if you don't have any revenue coming in, new revenue, what have you done? I mean, besides lay off people?

WALLING: There have been a number of cuts to our nonessential, non- public safety departments. We've also started the process of getting businesses and non-profit partners in to run our city golf courses.

We're having to review our sanitation service and just be creative with how we deliver youth services. What we do in our parks. Throughout the entire system, we've had to make some substantial reforms.

COSTELLO: And Mayor Mack, you raised property taxes and your constituents were not happy. Why didn't you just lay off more city employees instead of raising taxes?

MACK: What we've done -- when we came into office a year ago, we were facing a $55 million budget deficit. So we had to put in place -- we had to do our due diligence as to who would be laid off and what the impact would be on our city.

So the last place we wanted to lay off was police officers and firefighters because they are our front line employees. So what we did, we waited a year. We did our due diligence and we made certain that all cuts reflected the need.

So the last area we had to cut where we could get the best impact or best bang for our cut was our police service. They make up over 70 percent of our salary line item so that was where we could receive the largest economic benefit at the time.

COSTELLO: So you felt you had to raise taxes and deal with the consequences later, as far as your constituents were concerned, right?

MACK: Absolutely. No question.

COSTELLO: So both of you, both mayors. You are doing the difficult things that politicians have to do. You are making decisions that don't necessarily make your base happy.

As you look to Washington and watch this debate go down, were you looking at federal lawmakers and were you shaking your head and saying, this is unbelievable? Mayor Walling?

WALLING: Yes. I was very impressed by the president's leadership, though, because there were a lot of members of the legislature who I think we're taking ideological positions, and I don't think we have time for that approach right now.

I've had to make some gut-wrenching decisions. Other mayors, including Mayor Mack, have had to do the same thing. I was proud to see that our president was willing to compromise. That's what I feel like I have to do every day.

And I just came out of a primary myself, a seven-way race with 48 percent of the vote. I think the public does understand. There has to be some give and take. There has to be some change. And our federal and state governments need to take that lesson from the voters.

COSTELLO: And Mayor Mack, the last word. As you were watching these debt ceiling debates were you scratching your head and saying why can't anyone negotiate in good faith and get things done quickly?

MACK: You know, I think there were so many elements that came into play. People were trying to make their points. They were trying to make -- I believe the Congress was trying to make America aware of the concerns -- the fiscal concerns of our country.

But I think it was the wrong time to do it. And I am in agreement with Mayor Walling in that I think the president did a job of keeping the debate about the issues that we face about health care, about the Medicare costs, about social security and things of that nature.

That's the dialogue the American people want to hear and that's what we're hearing on the front lines in our cities.

COSTELLO: We should point out, you are a Democrat. Mayor walling, you don't identify yourself of any party, but do you lean more Democrat than Republican?

WALLING: I do. This is a nonpartisan office so I have the responsibility to serve the entire community.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you both for being here, Mayor Tony Mack, Mayor Dane Walling, we appreciate it.

MACK: Thank you very much.

WALLING: Thank you for having us.

COSTELLO: Christine?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Really good conversation.

VELSHI: Going on across the country.

ROMANS: Yes. That's absolutely right. I mean, you are talking about big math and little towns around the country.

All right, big city budgets aren't the only ones stressed. Parents of elementary school students are getting shocked and socked this fall with more and more schools adding curricular fees for things like sports and music.

And the costs of school supplies are skyrocketing too. A recent survey found parents can expect to spend about $530 per child this year up 12 percent from last year. Imagine playing to pay on the football team. Paying to pay on the football team, a lot of schools are having to do it now.

VELSHI: Still to come this morning, changes may be coming to the top- selling cholesterol drug Lipitor. We'll explain when we come back.

ROMANS: And the man they are now calling "Super-cop" is here. He was hit by a car, flown through the air. He still got his man. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. It's 37 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Just in. We're getting some big news out of Detroit. General Motors just announced its second quarter earnings nearly doubled to $2.5 billion.

Getting a big, big boost from overseas sales, which is where GM does very well and did do very well even when it was in the worst of troubles here in the United States.

Those earnings, by the way, are well above Wall Street's expectations. That should help our futures have been looking lower all morning. They've been getting less lower as the morning is going on. This should give it a little --

COSTELLO: I like that. Not higher, but less lower.

ROMANS: It also shows the reaction from these companies is coming from not here. It's coming from overseas.

VELSHI: Most of the multinationals are reporting their earnings right now. That's what we're seeing. All of these companies doing very well.

ROMANS: Yes, their eyes on the profit growth overseas. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. He may have been your teen idol. I'm not talking about Ali Velshi.

I'm talking about Partridge family star David Cassidy who was famous around the world playing Keith Partridge in the 1970s TV show.

VELSHI: Now, I can't believe I'm saying this, nearly 40 --

COSTELLO: I was hot for him.

VELSHI: And Christine likely --

ROMANS: I liked his little brother.

VELSHI: Who carol says was the --

COSTELLO: Chubby, nerdy --

VELSHI: Chubby, nerdy one to which I said, what's wrong with being chubby and nerdy?

COSTELLO: But he had a nice personality.

ROMANS: He wasn't chubby. He had feathered hair. He wasn't chubby.

VELSHI: This was 40 years ago and nearly 40 years later, the Partridge family -- nearly 40 years after it stopped airing as a regular series, Cassidy is mounting a battle to get paid for all his merchandise with his image on it. Poppy Harlow who has no recollection of watching this on television joins us now with the CNN Exclusive.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: You have no idea what I did in my early days. I sat around and watched the "Partridge Family" and "Happy Days" the reruns. Just as good as the original.

But folks, on a more serious note, this is a very interesting twist in "Partridge Family" history. David Cassidy says he is owed a fortune for those "Partridge Family" lunch boxes, board games, all that merchandise produced from the hit show. Now he is waging a battle against Sony trying to get paid.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW (voice-over): It's 1970 and a 20-year-old named David Cassidy is starring in "The Partridge Family." Not only did the show and sold-out concerts go on to make him a star, but the teen idol's success spawns an avalanche of merchandise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a dress-up set. Remember these? Gosh. Nice outfit, David.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please put your hands together for the one and only David Cassidy!

HARLOW: Thirty seven years after the "Partridge Family" went off the air, Cassidy still performing and producing. And now he's on a personal mission to get paid for that merchandise from Sony, which owns the show.

(on camera): You say you've been robbed for the last few decades.

DAVID CASSIDY, ACTOR: How would you call it? If somebody does not pay you and you are entitled to a percentage of the profits and you know they are making profits, is that stealing?

HARLOW (voice-over): Cassidy says according to his contract, while the program was on the air, he was entitled to 15 percent of net merchandising profits when his image was used. Half that if he appeared with other cast members.

(on camera): Were you paid for that?

CASSIDY: I was told by my manager I received a check for $5,000 and I never heard another word.

HARLOW (voice-over): Cassidy's lawyer sent this letter to Sony requesting a prompt and full accounting and payment of proceeds for any merchandise sold using his name, likeness, voice or other exercise of such merchandising rights.

Sony responded that it could not locate any merchandising statements, but found letters showing that Mr. Cassidy's representatives audited such statements. Therefore, they must have been rendered to him.

The company went on to say it was not aware of any new merchandising licenses with his name, voice and likeness after "The Partridge Family" went off the air, and said the statutes of limitations had run out on any claims.

Sony had no other comment to CNN.

CASSIDY: I don't want to sue you. Just be fair. Be real. Be genuine. Don't be greedy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Very interesting to follow this David Cassidy story, see what happens, see if he, indeed, does file the lawsuit against Sony.

And you're probably wondering about the other cast members of "The Partridge Family." Well, Brian Forester who plays Chris Partridge says he actually did get paid about $1,100 from merchandising all the way back in the '70s, when his mom demanded that he get paid, because remember, these actors were kids in the show.

The other actors we spoke with, they didn't have a merchandising deal or they don't recall getting paid for any of those items. And, of course, this follows the ongoing fight between the cast members of "Happy Days" who are suing CBS for $10 million over merchandising money.

COSTELLO: And just, you know, we were talking about Danny Bonaduce because Danny Bonaduce is a name that the younger generation remembers.

And he said what to you?

HARLOW: It was interesting. You know, I called all these other cast members to say did you get paid? And a lot of them said, oh my gosh, I was 12-years-old, I don't have my contract. Danny Bonaduce said, no, I didn't get paid for merchandising, I didn't have it in my contract. And he said, and you know what, Poppy? He said, I'm not angry about it. I don't hold a grudge. That's just the way it was.

So he clearly isn't going after any merchandising money. So it's interesting to see how David Cassidy clearly feels like he was really ripped off and he did have a merchandising clause. We read the contract. But Danny Bonaduce said I don't know if I had a clause or not but I'm not angry about it.

ROMANS: Well his relationship with that program made his career. This is what launched his career and many of them have been living on that career since then so --

HARLOW: Yes. It's going to be interesting to see. Sony says, look, statute of limitations ran out a long time ago. So we'll see if this --

VELSHI: Do you all get paid for your images on lunchboxes? COSTELLO: Like anyone would want them.

HARLOW: I have a Carol lunchbox I brought in today. Little PB and J.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Poppy.

VELSHI: A little thermos.

COSTELLO: I bought it for her for her birthday.

VELSHI: Nice. All right. Poppy, that's great.

And you can see the full story on David Cassidy's battle with Sony this weekend. It's an all-new CNN Presents Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN. And you can read more of the story on CNNmoney.com.

AMERICAN MORNING coming right back.

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VELSHI: Forty-nine minutes after the hour. A lot going on this morning. Here's what you need to know to start your day.

Meat processor Cargill is recalling 36 million pounds of ground turkey. It's been linked to dozens of salmonella illnesses in 26 states. Authorities believe it may be related to one death in California.

President Obama and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood are urging Congress to resolve the FAA funding dispute. It's left tens of thousands of federal and construction workers without a paycheck. It's also costing the government $30 million a day in tax revenues.

You may soon be able to buy Lipitor without a prescription. Pfizer, which makes the cholesterol drug, is reportedly trying to convince the FDA that it's safe to use without a doctor's supervision. Now Pfizer loses its patent protection in November, and with it billions of dollars of revenue against generic interpretations of Lipitor.

The CW channel ranks number one when it comes to their portrayal of gays and lesbians on TV. That's according to a study by GLAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. On cable, ABC Family ranked number one.

The hair salon made famous by the reality series "Sarah Palin's Alaska" is now getting its own show. It'll be called, "Big Hair Alaska" and will air on TLC. No word if Palin will make an appearance.

And President Obama turns 50 today. He's now the seventh president to hit that milestone while in office.

You're caught up on today's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING is back in 60 seconds.

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COSTELLO: And welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. Now is your chance to talk become and one of the big stories of the day, with President Obama in campaign mode and Congress leaving town, when it could have saved thousands of FAA jobs, we asked when is it OK for political leaders to take a break from Washington?

And here are some of your responses.

This from Damon. "When the job is done all of our troops can't just get up and take vacation during a war. It's like an entire firefighting force going on vacation while a fire they're fighting is still burning and spreading."

This from Nate. "It's absolutely deplorable that political leaders who spend all this time posturing about the debt crisis and saving tax dollars now leave this critical piece of FAA legislation untouched to go on vacation. That's the equivalent of feeding the cattle and then leaving the gate open."

And this from Gregory. "I couldn't consciously have a good time on vacation knowing there were problems at work that were solely my responsibility. Do you have a conscience, Congress? Guess not. You're getting paid at our expense."

VELSHI: That firefighter one is interesting. The whole firefighting department can't take vacation. Somebody can. If Congress -- if things depend on Congress passing it, how can they all leaving? That's s interested. I mean, it should have staggered breaks like we would.

COSTELLO: Maybe so. Maybe they should look at the bigger picture and maybe try to tweak it.

VELSHI: Yes, that's very interesting.

COSTELLO: Yes. Keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/americanmorning, and thank you for your comments.

ROMANS: All right. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. They're calling him the super-cop. You remember him, this video from yesterday. An officer who was run down by a stolen car, flung like a rag doll, gets right back up and chases down the suspect. Everyone's still talking about this video, including us.

VELSHI: Wow. Look at that.

ROMANS: I know. It was amazing.

Dan Pascoe from the Surrey Police Department joins us now from London.

Hey, first of all, thank you for joining us. I know you have a day job but you certainly -- you're this picture of you really captivated a lot of us yesterday.

We wanted to know what in the world were you thinking when you popped back up or were you not even thinking?

CONSTABLE DAN PASCOE, SURREY POLICE DEPARTMENT: I wasn't thinking really. It was straight back to work mode. Dust myself of to make sure I'm all right and then Mr. Andenson (ph) was running away from the stolen car so someone needed to be arrested.

ROMANS: So -- that just sounds so -- I don't know -- proper and dignified, like what you're supposed to be doing. I know it's just your job but it's sort of interesting because it was on tape. We're looking at it right here. There you just got -- whoa -- whammed.

Do you remember what it felt like when you got hit or was it just so quick?

PASCOE: Initially, it didn't hurt. The first thing I know of the accident was that when I was flying in the air and then after I tasered the suspect and we had him in handcuffs, then my right hip started to hurt quite a lot then.

ROMANS: Are you feeling well now? I'm assuming you're all healed up?

PASCOE: Yes. All fine now. I was back on duty just seven days after it happened so no, all good.

ROMANS: So you mentioned that you tasered the suspect. So you ran down the embankment, you tasered him. What did he say to you, if anything?

PASCOE: We actually never spoke. I (INAUDIBLE) a few times to stop running. Obviously that didn't work. But no, after he was handcuffed, I stepped aside and my crewmates and another colleague joined us very quickly and they led him away.

ROMANS: It turns outs in the end, this was a stolen blue BMW. You were looking for this car? I mean, you were trying to set up a roadblock, is that right?

PASCOE: Well, yes. We had been told there was a stolen car on the M- 25 and we were looking out for it. Another police unit had seen it just a short time ago and it had gone onto the shoulder of the motorway and driven at speeds around 90 miles an hour.

ROMANS: Wow.

PASCOE: And we were up at the next junction.

ROMANS: Now, and it turns out in the end that the guy who you nabbed had multiple offenses, multiple driving offenses, is that right?

PASCOE: Yes, that's right. He's been through the system before, shall we say.

ROMANS: Been through the system.

Now, do you think the car was going 90 miles an hour when it hit you? That's my question. You could get tapped five or six or ten miles an hour and get hurt.

PASCOE: No, I think it's safe to say he definitely wasn't doing 90. I think a conservative estimate would be about 40, 40 to 50 miles an hour.

ROMANS: Now, are you surprised, Dan, how, you know, people a2around the world are looking at this video and this is their morning whoa piece of video that they're watching? PASCOE: It is pretty amazing. I've -- yes. It's not something I signed up for, which is standing in front of a television camera in the morning or now in the afternoon in London. But yes, it's been a different experience over the last three days.

ROMANS: Well, Dan Pascoe, we just -- we're calling you the super-cop. We love how you -- we don't love how you got hit, but we love how you popped back up, nabbed your man and went on and said this is just my job. We just -- we like it.

Thanks so much for joining us. Have a great day.

PASCOE: Thank you. Bye-bye.

VELSHI: That man should be the recruiting picture for cops everywhere in the world.

COSTELLO: He really should.

VELSHI: Is that the most impressive thing.

COSTELLO: He was so charming and well-spoken, too. He has it all, man.

ROMANS: I know, he really does. In fact, at work right now, as we speak.

All right. AMERICAN MORNING will be right back.

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