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American Morning
Perry Takes Punches at Debate; Bystanders Lifted A Burning Car Off A Motorcyclist; Obama Hits The Road To Sell Jobs Bill; Taliban Forces Attack U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan; PolitiFact Rates Claims Made by Candidates in GOP Debate; Menswear Booming
Aired September 13, 2011 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news: militants open fire on the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan.
I'm Carol Costello.
Workers in the building told to take cover and now the Taliban is claiming responsibility.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Christine Romans.
After more than two years in an Iranian jail, two American hikers may soon be free. Iran's president saying he's prepared to release Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer in the next couple days for a very big price.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Ali Velshi.
Fireworks at last night's big Tea Party debate here in Tampa. Did the frontrunner Rick Perry get burned? Which candidate will you be talking about -- on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(MUSIC)
COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It is Tuesday, September 13th. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING.
ROMANS: That's right. Welcome here as we round out a very busy news day.
And Ali had a very busy night in Tampa, Florida.
Hi, Ali.
VELSHI: Good morning to both of you.
Welcome to a split edition of AMERICAN MORNING. Who won and who lost last night's Tea Party? Who remained -- who emerged unscathed. We're going to have more on that just ahead.
But as you said, it's a busy morning. So, Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: It is a busy morning. Breaking news out of Afghanistan to tell you about where the U.S. embassy in Kabul is under attack.
Eyewitnesses are telling CNN the militants started firing on the embassy a few hours ago after taking over another building a few blocks away. People inside the U.S. embassy have been told to take cover. A statement from the embassy says there are no casualties, no injuries at this time, but an Afghan official says a police officer and two attackers were killed outside of the embassy. The Taliban now is taking responsibility for that attack.
ROMANS: And breaking news out of Iran: CNN confirming Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will release two jailed American hikers within two days, if they're able to post a half a million dollars bail each. Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal had been held in Iran for more than two years on espionage charges.
COSTELLO: Now, let's head back to Tampa and Ali Velshi.
VELSHI: All right. We got a great discussion this morning. We're live at the Florida state fairgrounds where last night, the Tea Party had its turn with the GOP presidential candidates. Texas Governor Rick Perry found out what it's like to be the clear frontrunner. He was a bit of a pinata last night.
Here are some of the highlights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It has been called a Ponzi scheme by many people before me, but no one had the courage to stand up and say, here's how we're going to reform it.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, the term "Ponzi scheme" I think is over the top and unnecessary and frightful to many people. But the question is, do you still believe Social Security should be ended as a federal program as you did six months ago when your book came out and return to the states? Or do you want to retreat from that?
PERRY: I think we ought to have a conversation --
ROMNEY: We're having that right now, Governor. We're running for president.
PERRY: You called it criminal -- you said if people did it in the private sector, it would be called criminal. That's in your book.
ROMNEY: Yes, what I said was --
(CHEERS)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not particularly worried about Governor Romney and Governor Perry frightening the American people when President Obama scares them every single day.
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've told by some people, well, you can't get that done. I say, why? Well, because you don't know how Washington works. Yes, I do. It doesn't.
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's easy to turn around this economy, just have the back bone to do it.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR/DEBATE MODERATOR: Congressman Paul, you're from Texas, does your governor deserve all that credit?
REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Not quite.
I don't want to offend the governor because he might raise my taxes or something.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
VELSHI: All right. Many analysts said this was a must-win for Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. She's fading in the polls. But last night, she was in front of her people, the Tea Party. She seemed to regain a bit of the spotlight. She blasted Governor Perry for mandating HPV vaccinations, Gardasil, for young girls and accused him of handing out favors to the drug maker who makes the drug, Merck.
I spoke to her a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BACHMANN: I'm not a scientist or a doctor, but I will tell you that there is enough controversy surrounding this that certainly it was an abuse of power for the governor through executive order, unilaterally force every little girl in the state to be subject to a government injection. I just think as a mother of three girls, that's absolutely wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Governor Perry pushed back on that comment saying he will always err on the side of life, that he did this because it was a method to prevent this HPV developing into cervical cancer, as it does in some women.
So, who came out on top of this discussion?
Joining me now, CNN senior political analyst David Gergen, and editor-in-chief of RedState.com, CNN contributor, Erick Erickson.
Gentlemen, you have had, I hope, a couple hours of sleep and some chance to digest what happened last night.
David, let's start with you. Your impressions -- winners, losers and who came out unscathed?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I thought there was a lot of excitement in that hall last night. It was -- clearly, the crowd loved it. They loved what they heard, they loved some of the feisty cuffs that occurred. I must tell you, Ali, that if you went on the web, I think you saw an awful lot of people who were not in that hall who was horrified by what they saw. They thought that these guys were way out to lunch, they're sort of scare of them.
But in terms of who won and who lost, I thought that Governor Perry went in as a frontrunner, and even though he was under heavy attack, as you say, and he I don't think he got burned. He felt a lot of sizzle. I still thought he emerged as a frontrunner. I don't think they knocked him off his perch.
You know, this -- after last week, after he talked about Social Security as a Ponzi scheme and failure program, there are a lot of eastern elites who said he's toast, he's finished, we'll never hear from him again. His numbers got better.
VELSHI: Right.
GERGEN: He widened his lead. We ought to be very careful about our assessments about these things because -- it's hard to read the country sometimes of these things. But Perry has clearly fired up a lot of the Republican base. He's the new central history in this campaign.
VELSHI: Eric, your thoughts?
ERICK ERICKSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I would agree with that. I think Rick Perry held his own and I think Michele Bachmann got the better of him in the HPV vaccine issue and they got the better of him in immigration. That troubles me because I could have told you six months ago, those were the two issues he would have been attacked on. And he stumbled on those issues.
Frankly, one of the best things for him last night is that you also had the NFL and the U.S. open. And by the time, we got to those -- I suspect a lot of people were watching those events. So, they didn't see those flubs. And in the first hour and 15 minutes, it was his debate. Everyone piled on him. But the attacks on him on Social Security and fiscal issues actually helped him and hurt Mitt Romney.
GERGEN: I also felt a number of critics. In fact, a number who said Mitt Romney won the debate. And there's no question in my mind. Mitt Romney went in as better prepared and he knows the facts, and he's more polished debater and he did very well last night. And you have to give him credit for it.
There is something about Perry. It's almost an animalistic sort of thing -- his command presence as they say about leadership and he commends that stage and he's interesting. I think that continues. But if there's also a real question whether Rick Perry will last -- will he flame out for one reason or another? Sometimes --
VELSHI: But his record indicates that he's not likely, he's not likely to implode.
GERGEN: He's not likely -- well, you can do two things. One, you can say things that get you in trouble or, secondly, your press and your opponents can find things about in your background to cause you trouble.
There's a posse on his trail now. We'll see.
VELSHI: Yes.
GERGEN: Everybody has to take a frisk at the beginning of these things and we'll see where he goes.
My own sense is, I think, if he were to fade, Romney, he would have done Romney a favor. I think he's made Romney seem more mainstream to a lot of independent voters because he's out fighting. And, secondly, I think Romney has become a better debater. He was on cruise control before Perry got in the race.
VELSHI: Right.
GERGEN: He's now working that.
VELSHI: Well, Erick, does this -- you know, Sarah Palin said after this debate, she sort of her own way and she's very good at this, implied that there still might be room for her to get into this race.
ERICKSON: You know, there may well be. But the CNN poll, the Gallup poll, the FOX poll, all the polls coming out showing that if she gets in, she's not going to shake up the race. She will definitely get a bump out of this and a lot of people who are saying say, they won't support Sarah Palin, if she got in, they would support her. They just don't think she's going to get in.
It doesn't look like she'd have a major impact right now, other than to hurt Michele Bachmann.
VELSHI: Because she's not taking out new territory.
ERICKSON: She's not staking out new territory. What void does Sarah Palin fill right now? Yes, she's got a lot of core supporters, but so does Ron Paul. It doesn't seem like her supporters can transcend beyond their support of any new people.
VELSHI: Right. So, when you talk about the things that Michele Bachmann went after Perry on last night, HPV, the immigration issue, these are not going to resonate with independents in a general election.
ERICKSON: No. It's interesting. The attacks on Perry, for example, from Romney on Social Security from the left helped Rick Perry tremendously with the base. The attacks on Rick Perry on HPV and immigration hurt him with the core element of the base he needs, but they help him in the general election.
VELSHI: Right.
ERICKSON: I mean, this is a guy who is rather George Bush-like when it comes to immigration in Texas and that doesn't hurt him with Hispanic voters. I really do think that this debate right now comes down to can Perry hang on?
VELSHI: Yes.
ERICKSON: As David says, can he take a frisk? It helps Mitt Romney if he implodes, but at this point, the polls all show, people just don't want to rally around Mitt Romney. The most interesting poll statistic from yesterday is that 30 percent of people say Rick Perry fights for what he believes in and only 11 percent say that about Mitt Romney.
VELSHI: Interesting about the topics discussed last night. David. There weren't a lot of things that have preoccupied the Tea Party discourse over the last little while. It didn't skew all the way into the most important issues that are out there today, including jobs. We didn't go far enough down that road for some fiscal conservatives.
GERGEN: I thought so. I thought that was right, Ali. I was particularly surprised that late yesterday, we were learning that President Obama's job plan is he intends to pay for it entirely through higher taxes.
That was a surprise, because it's sort of waving a red flag in front of the bull. You know the Republicans are going to reject that. It's sort of a nonstarter and you sort of think, I wonder why they would do that. It must have been a clever strategy I don't understand very well.
But it did imperil the chance of getting a jobs bill. I thought the Republican players would jump on that. I thought they would say, here he goes again. We're back to tax and spend. They want to spend $450 billion and they want to tax $450 billion.
So, I thought there was an opening there. I'm sure we're going to hear more about that. This jobs plan becomes more controversial.
ERICKSON: I was surprised, Perry touched on that but very briefly, no one else did.
VELSHI: Newt Gingrich sort of took a shot at the president. But, largely, President Obama was absent from that debate last night.
ERICKSON: I appreciate it as a Tea Party activist last night myself, the CNN debate last night, because they did focus on the size and scope of government questions that the Tea Party is interested in.
It is kind of hard in the debate to say, what's your plan to create jobs? Mitt Romney had 59 points. He had to get through them in 10 seconds.
VELSHI: This is where you want to be Herman Cain, with these --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: That's the one that always stands out.
Guys, good to talk to you. Thanks so much for your analysis. David Gergen, Erick Erickson, let's send it back to New York -- Carol and Christine.
ROMANS: And that's something so interesting what David Gergen said about relying entirely on jobs increases to pay for this plan. I mean, you got people this morning wondering, are there any new ideas in here about how to create jobs and also how to pay for jobs creation.
COSTELLO: You mean tax increases.
ROMANS: Right, right. Sorry. Yes, exactly. So, you know, there we go.
Up next, amazing video you must see this morning. A group of bystanders left a burning car, we can't get enough of this video, you guys. There's a man trapped underneath here. It's all caught on tape. We're going to show you this whole incredible thing.
COSTELLO: And football violence. The Dallas Cowboy's fan busts out an illegal stun gun and tases several Jets fans during the game.
It's 12 minutes past the hour.
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COSTELLO: It is 16 minutes past the hour. Welcome back.
Police trying to figure out how a man got into the jets game on 9/11 with a stun gun, and he used it. The incident in the stands caught on tape. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO (voice-over): This video first posted on deadspin.com. You can hear the stun gun buzzing when it goes off. Police in New Jersey arrested a 53-year-old South Carolina man. He was charged with three counts of aggravated assault and two weapons charges. No one was seriously hurt in this scuffle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO (on-camera): But, how does that happen? I guess, well, it actually would be easy to sneak something like that in, right? Unless, they searched you.
ROMANS: I know. I think they go through all the bags --
COSTELLO: What if you didn't have it in a bag?
ROMANS: True. That's true.
COSTELLO: Yes.
ROMANS: All right. I mean, you can't look for everything especially if somebody is going to pull something stupid.
All right. Police in Utah looking for the heroes who lifted a burning car off a motorcyclist and saves his life. Police say a BMW was pulling out of a parking lot yesterday near Utah State University when it collided with a motorcyclist. The car and the bike ignited. The biker somehow stuck lodged beneath the vehicle. You can see people getting down to see him. They could see him down there.
Bystanders were able to lift the car off, look at that, and pull 21-year-old Brandon Wright (ph) to safety. Now, he is in stable condition now. Police want to find the men and women who saved him so they could be honored at a city council meeting. Look -- all came together and pulled him out.
COSTELLO: See, we went from the worst of humanity to the best of humanity.
ROMANS: I know. There's a woman in sandals, there's construction workers, there are a couple of guys in suits, just sort of everybody came and pulled him out. Glad he's OK.
COSTELLO: Me, too. OK. Let's head to Atlanta to check in with Rob Marciano. He's in the Extreme Weather Center where, hopefully, there is no extreme weather to talk about.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No. You know, that video is amazing how everybody came together and everybody kind of scattered. I don't know if the --
ROMANS: No. They were late for work, you know? I mean, you do your good Samaritan and you see he's OK.
COSTELLO: Someone did call 911, though.
MARCIANO: Get somebody in there that knows what they're doing. Yes, guys. Temperatures in Texas today kind of -- you know, we were saying this all season long, but 107 in Dallas. Now, that wouldn't be so remarkable if this was the middle of July, but we're in the middle of September. It also wouldn't be so remarkable, -- well, it is remarkable because, one, today is going to be the 70th day this summer that they've reached the 100-degree mark, and that's a record
Yesterday, they tied it at 69. 104 in Austin. There's obviously -- hope the fire situation but most of them are larger ones or at least are mostly contained. The winds are light, but these warm temperatures certainly adding insult to injury. There are some cooler temperature up to the north. Seventy-one degrees in Chicago, 84 degrees in New York City, 90 in Atlanta.
We also have some fire issues across parts of California, some lightning there in through Vegas and the intermountain west and that threat will continue, as well. Heat here, some thunderstorms across parts of the Eastern Great Lakes today and through Upstate New York and through the flood areas of Eastern Pennsylvania as well, but these two cold fronts, really, they're the main weather story, I think, going forward, because we're going to a steep cool down. Temperatures will be 20 to 30 degrees cooler now -- or tomorrow than they were today. And some of this cooler air is going to bleed into Texas and we might even squeeze out a shower or two, but I wouldn't bet the bank on that, but temperatures will get cooler after we get through the next few days and 100-degree plus heat.
Sixties and 70s, isn't that going to feel nice across much the eastern third of the country? You bet you. It's also going to help in pushing Maria out to sea, which has been causing some flash flooding across parts of Puerto Rico might affect Bermuda, as well. Very active hurricane season. We're into the -- we're through the Ms now, aren't we? And we really only have two direct impacts in the U.S. So, consider ourselves lucky. Guys, back up to you.
COSTELLO: We do. Thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: All right.
ROMANS: President Obama will spend the next two days in two key states trying to sell his jobs plan. Today's stop, Columbus, Ohio, John Boehner country. He then heads to North Carolina tomorrow. The president's proposal includes raising taxes on wealthy Americans, individuals earning more than $200,000. Couples making more than $250,000 a year would face caps on itemized deductions and some exemptions. The president urging lawmakers to pass it immediately.
COSTELLO: And now, it's your turn to talk back on that big story of the day. Today's question, should Obama's jobs plan be funded by limiting tax deductions? You know, the jobs plan the president wants Congress to pass like right now, like, that doesn't look good. Yes. Republicans like parts of the plan, but they don't like how the president wants to tax the rich to pay for it.
Mr. Obama wants to end tax loopholes for oil and gas companies, hedge fund managers, and let the Bush tax cuts expire. The biggest chunk, though, $400 billion, will come from limiting tax deductions on Americans making more than $200,000 a year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've got to decide what our priorities are. If we keep tax loopholes for all companies or do we put teachers back to work. Do we keep tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires or should we invest in education and technology and infrastructure? All the things that are going to help us out innovate and out educate and out build (ph) other the countries in the future?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: It's deja vu all over again as is the republican response. This from Senator Jon Kyl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON KYL, (R) ARIZONA: Who is it, Mr. President, that are the first to hire coming out of recession? It's small business. So, the very people that we are asking to hire more Americans to put them back to work are the people who would be impacted by the taxes that the president talked about the other night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, the talk back question today. Should Obama's jobs plan be funded by limiting tax deductions? Facebook.com/americanmorning. Facebook.com/americanmorning. I'll read your comments later this hour.
ROMANS: All right. Up next, Wall Street bracing for more layoffs, and if you're thinking of applying to business school, why now, well, that might be a pretty good time. It's 22 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Welcome back. It's 25 minutes after the hour. "Minding Your Business" this morning. Right now, U.S. stock futures are trading sharply lower. More worries this morning about French banks and their exposure to a deepening debt crisis in Europe.
Meanwhile, Wall Street bracing for more job cuts. Banks for years got bigger and bigger, right? Now they're shredding workers and divisions to be more nimble when try to make more money. Bank of America announced yesterday it plans to cut 30,000 jobs over the next few years. So far, this year, the big banks have announced more than 60,000 job cuts.
College graduates are the fastest growing group filing for bankruptcy. That's according to a new study released this week by a financial nonprofit group. And a high-paying job doesn't seem to help either. People who earn more than $60,000 a year are 66 percent more likely to file for bankruptcy than they were five years ago. Using too much credit, unexpected expenses and divorce are the top causes of bankruptcy for these folks.
The luster of that bunted MBA maybe doubling a bit. Applications for two-year, full-time MBA programs are down almost 10 percent from a year ago. The graduate Management Admission Council says applications for business school are down for the third year in a row.
Up next, breaking news. The U.S. embassy under attack in Afghanistan. We're live in Kabul. AMERICAN MORNING is back right after this break.
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COSTELLO: to confess to a charge of simple homicide in the death of a Peruvian woman. He's been behind bars since June of last year when he was accused of robbing and killing 21-year-old Stephany Flores. The charge carries a 20-year maximum prison term, which is less than the family wants. He would still fight tougher charges.
Of course, Van Der Sloot was a long-time suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba. That case remains unsolved.
ROMANS: Jailed American hikers Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer are reportedly close to freedom. They are serving eight-year sentence for espionage and have been behind bars in Iran for close to two years now. CNN's confirming Iranian president Ahmadinejad will release the two Americans within the next two days once they post $500,000 bail each.
COSTELLO: And we've been talking about this breaking news out of Afghanistan, where the U.S. embassy in Kabul is under attack. Eyewitnesses telling CNN that the militants started firing on the U.S. embassy after taking over another building a few blocks away.
ROMANS: People inside the embassy have been told to take cover. And our Suzanne Malveaux is joining us now on the phone in Kabul. She is just about a mile away from the embassy. Suzanne, what can you tell us about the situation now?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): We're actually heading in that direction. Some of the streets that were blocked off previously were blocked off previously. We're going to try to get a closer look and see what's going on.
We have a number of updates, first, from the U.S. embassy. They have confirmed that they are under attack and there are no casualties at this time. They're on lockdown, kind of a duck-and-cover mode. We've also gotten information from the Afghan government, essentially, you know, not only the U.S. embassy, but the Afghanistan intelligence offices, as well as the headquarters that were all being fired upon. Well the international security force provided helicopters that fired into to the building, the U.S. embassy and these other compounds.
According to an Afghan interior ministry spokesperson two suicide attackers have been killed. So far they believe the three or four other insurgents are still in the building, perhaps a couple others. We know that a police officer killed in the firefight. At least five people have been injured and this is far from over. But they have begun to open some of the streets to get closer to the aerial.
I have to tell you guys, this has been quite an amazing afternoon and morning here in Kabul because there have been two other attacks from the Taliban. The Taliban claimed responsibility, one that involved a suicide attacker wearing a vest who tried to enter a police compound in western Kabul. He was shot by the police. There were two injured in that incident. And then a third attack, another suicide bomber at a local high school. We don't have a lot of information about that. We know that two people were injured there.
We are just getting out of the car to get closer to the embassy and to the scene, so we will have to get back to you in a little bit.
COSTELLO: Suzanne, can I ask you this one question? The U.S. embassy, I know people inside the U.S. embassy were told to take cover. Was there any return fire from the embassy?
MALVEAUX: Well, we know that Afghan police, army, and the International Security Assistance Force that is really very close by and. This is all in the vicinity, the presidential palace, all near the same area. They were all involved in this firefight.
But what we understand is that it was that international force involving those helicopters that literally flew over those building and shooting into the building and killed at least two of these insurgents.
You know, they're hunkered down at the U.S. embassy and plenty of security around that building and the international force, the Afghan police force. We learned a lot over the last couple days about their capabilities and the threat. This is something that we spoke with the Afghan president, Harmid Karzai, just yesterday, that it has gotten worse in some areas because of the insurgents trying to hit back and who are threatened by the possibility that the Afghans are going to start taking over their own security and NATO is going to be pulling out, the U.S. is going to be pulling out.
So, this is a strategy by the Taliban, not high in the death toll per se, but really very symbolic when they show they that can hit at the heart, the very heart of the security apparatus here in the capital.
ROMANS: Suzanne Malveaux, stay safe and I'll talk to you again very soon when you have more reporting for us. Thanks.
COSTELLO: Now let's head to Tampa and Ali.
VELSHI: All right, still ahead, did the candidates at last night's tea party debate tell the full story about Social Security, about health care and other things? We'll have a fact check for you right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Check it out. We are in Tampa for last night's Tea Party CNN Republican debate. No matter the party, candidates for office can sometimes stretch the truth or say something that is just flat out wrong. So this morning we want to fact check some of the statements that were made during last night's debate.
Joining me to help out is Bill Adair. He is the editor of PolitiFact. Good morning, Bill. You were up late, you and your team, checking the facts. So let's get right to it. Let's start with Rick Perry. All the focus was on him last night. He came under attack for an executive order he signed in 2007 requiring all girls in Texas to be vaccinated or inoculated against HPV, human papilloma virus. There were questions if it was mandatory, or as Governor Perry said, parents could actually opt out. Let's listen to what the governor said last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RICK PERRY, (R-TX) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Cervical cancer is a horrible way to die. And I happen to think that what we were trying to do was to clearly send the message that we're going to give moms and dads the opportunity to make that decision with parental opt- out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: OK. So, he says there was a parental opt-out. What did you find?
BILL ADAIR, EDITOR, POLITIFACT: Well, we rated that "barely true" on our truth-o-meter, a rating that we now call mostly false. Specifically we were looking at the question of whether it was not mandatory. Perry had been claiming it wasn't mandatory. But when you look at the order, it really was mandatory. He's right that there was an opt-out, but it was cumbersome and didn't apply to all the private schools. To barely true, or mostly false on that one.
VELSHI: All right, very good. Perry also took a lot of heat for calling Social Security a Ponzi scheme and a lie. Last night Mitt Romney accused him of calling it unconstitutional, as well. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The term Ponzi scheme, I think, is over the top and unnecessary and frightful to many people. But the real issue in writing this book Governor Perry pointed out in his view that Social Security is unconstitutional, that this is not something the federal government ought to be involved in. That instead it should be given back to the states.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: OK, so, a lot of people now reading this book, Bill. They're reading the book called "Fired (ph) Up." Did Romney get that right? Did Rick Perry call Social Security unconstitutional?
ADAIR: We rated that mostly true on the truth-o-meter, mostly true because he didn't precisely say it was unconstitutional, but it came pretty close. He said that the people had been forced to accept it at the expense of respect for the constitution. So, that's pretty close, mostly true on that one for Romney.
VELSHI: Sort of like what he did with Ben Bernanke, suggesting something but not coming out and saying it.
We've got another one from Rick Perry attacking President Obama's first stimulus package. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PERRY: He had $800 billion worth of stimulus in the first round of stimulus. It created zero jobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Bill, I am the chief business correspondent for this network and this one makes me pull my hair out. What did you find?
(LAUGHTER) ADAIR: We rated that "pants on fire," that's our lowest rating. It's just ridiculously false to say the stimulus created zero jobs. Now, you can of course have a legitimate debate about whether the stimulus was a good use of federal money, but zero jobs, no. The estimates have ranged somewhere from one to two, upwards of two million jobs it created. So pants on fire for Governor Perry on that one.
VELSHI: Yes, you could definitely have a debate about its effectiveness and the return on the investment. We had Rick Santorum say on our air that it cost jobs. So I don't know how you get lower than pants on fire.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: We have got another one for you. This one keeps coming up between Romney and Perry and Huntsman. Which governor created the most jobs? Here's what Jon Huntsman said last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON HUNTSMAN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The state of Utah was number one in job creation at 5.9 percent in my years as governor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: What did you find, Bill?
ADAIR: We rated that one half true on our truth-o-meter. This is one where it depends on which set of data you use. One set of data Huntsman's right, but another set of data, and actually, the data set that the bureau of labor statistics prefers, Utah actually comes in fourth. So that one gets a half truth.
VELSHI: Half true because jobs were created on his watch, but as one of the things that are coming up now, particularly as Rick Perry makes those claims about jobs being created on his watch, then we go deeper and try to find out what created the jobs? Was it the governor, was it the political environment, was it oil in Texas? Who knows? Bill, good to see you, as always. I's always very helpful to get your evaluation. Bill Adair is the editor of PolitiFact.
Morning headlines are up next. It is 43 minutes after the hour.
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COSTELLO: It's 45 minutes past the hour. Here are your morning headlines.
Breaking news out of Afghanistan this morning, the U.S. embassy in Kabul now under attack by militants. Witnesses say, gunmen entered a nearby building under construction and started firing on the U.S. embassy. People inside the embassy are being told to take cover.
Two American hikers who have been jailed in Iran for more than two years could be released this week. CNN confirming Iran's president will free Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer in the next two days once they each post $500,000 bail.
The U.S. markets open in just about 45 minutes. Right now stock futures are trading mixed ahead of the opening bell. More concerns this morning about the debt crisis in Europe.
President Obama will be in Columbus, Ohio, this afternoon to sell his $447 billion job creation plan. Today's sales pitch comes one day after the President sent his jobs bill to Congress and urged lawmakers to pass it immediately.
And that's the news you need to start your day. AMERICAN MORNING is back after a break.
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COSTELLO: 47 minutes past the hour.
When it comes to fashion, men's wear is growing at a faster pace than women's wear.
ROMANS: I mean people must be spending money on something, right? Women are keeping the money in their pocket and men are buying clothes to look snappy, I guess. It seems that more men than ever are upping their fashion game. So why the sudden spike in popularity?
Alina Cho looking for answers from men's wear mogul, Tommy Hilfiger.
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ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The catwalk, this may be what comes to mind. But this is what is suddenly hot, not just for the fashion set, but for the every man. Men's wear, it's a $53 billion business in the U.S. alone and growing fast.
GLENN O'BRIEN, GQ MAGAZINE: They want to distinguish themselves. They want to look better than the other guy because it's a competition.
CHO: Few know that better than Tommy Hilfiger who says his menswear business is exploding.
TOMMY HILFIGER, FASHION DESIGNER: Years ago it was maybe 80 percent women's and 20 percent men's for a lot of designers, now we're about 50/50.
CHO: So what's going on?
HILFIGER: I think the modern man is very aware of what's going on in the world around him. With the Internet and with media today, men will look at a photo in a magazine or on television and they'll say, I want that, I want to look like that.
CHO: "Mad Men", "Gossip Girls", Web sites like "The Sartorialist" (ph) images of stylish men are everywhere.
HILFIGER: He sees it all and he wants to be a part of the game.
CHO (on camera): Has it taken the fear out of shopping?
BILLY REID, FASHION DESIGNER: Exactly, I think a little bit it has.
CHO (voice-over): Designer, Billy Reid is among the hottest menswear designers.
REID: You take this little bitty fashion market of men that now has just gone from mostly here -- for themselves, because more men care about it.
CHO (voice-over): Reid has a women's line, but sales of his menswear make up 85 percent of his business. His approach, bring them along slowly. Don't shock them because old habits still apply.
REID: A guy would come in and I want, I need -- six new shirts and they will pick out six new shirts and a coat. I mean, it's almost like wardrobe. Women are more, I got to have that piece.
CHO (voice-over): Why Tommy Hilfiger designs his men's shirts to go with all of his sweaters. Making men's dressing dummy proof.
(on camera): You still have to make it a little easy for the guys?
HILFIGER: Oh, yes, we make it very little easy. Otherwise, well, we call it the no-brainer way of shopping.
CHO (voice-over): Then there is this.
HILFIGER: He has to be able to walk in very quickly, make a decision, get to the register and get out.
CHO (on camera): Women are a little different.
HILFIGER: Women take the time, and women go into the dressing room and men hate fitting rooms. And that's why we also standardize all of our sizes.
CHO (voice-over): Because if they get home and it doesn't fit, they won't come back.
(on camera): Men are still at the end of the day, more practical.
REID: A lot more practical, definitely more practical.
CHO: I don't know if I believe that.
REID: Yes, some men.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Keep in mind that women's wear is still a bigger business; $107 billion in the U.S. alone versus $53 billion for men's wear. But important to note that women's wear sales are actually on the decline and sales of men's wear are picking up.
Analysts say that's because men are not only replenishing their wardrobe, hey, they're dressing for success. Buying those items that will separate them from the competition at work -- Carol and Christine.
ROMANS: All right.
COSTELLO: I just can't imagine my husband looking in a magazine and saying, oh, I have to have that. I've never heard my husband say that ever.
ROMANS: I totally agree with Tommy Hilfiger. They have to put what you need right there so you can get it quickly, quickly as you could get to the register and they're more likely to buy it.
We're giving you an inside look into fashion and design all week, Carl Lagerfeld (ph), Rachel Zoe (ph). Our Alina Cho of course, sitting down with the most influential designers, stylists and editors. It's all culminating with her big special, September 17 2:30 p.m. "FASHION: BACKSTAGE PASS".
COSTELLO: Coming up next, our "Talk Back" question of the morning, "Should Mr. Obama's jobs plan be funded by limiting tax deductions?" Well, we have your responses.
Its 51 minutes past.
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VELSHI: Beautiful Tampa, Florida, cloudless and 72 degrees right now. It feels downright beautiful. It's going to get up to 92 and a little damp later on today. I'll be gone by then but we're here because of the debate last night, the Tea Party/CNN Republican Debate.
It came out with -- with everybody really targeting Rick Perry last night. Relatively unscathed, but he was under attack by most of the candidates, particularly Mitt Romney. As our Jim Acosta said, it looked like a prize fight between those two.
But the other six candidates were able to get some barbs in. Michele Bachmann needed to score some points and by most accounts she did taking Rick Perry on in what she calls corporate cronyism, taking money from Merck (ph) in exchange for mandating the -- the inoculation of girls in Texas with Gardasil (ph) to prevent HPV.
Other candidates tried to get some barbs in, as well, but ultimately, most analysts we spoke to this morning say that we emerged from last night's debate with a relative status quo. Most of the candidates coming out, as well as they went in, with the exception perhaps of Michele Bachmann who really needed a bit of a comeback after slipping in the polls over the last few weeks as Rick Perry has entered the race. At this point, it remains to be seen how voters are going to react to these candidates. Rick Perry still enjoys a lead amongst Tea Party-leaning Republicans and amongst all Republicans but amongst all Republicans the lead is narrower. Last night Sarah Palin saying that there might still be time for her to get into this race.
So unclear as to where it goes from here but it was a spirited debate and you'll be seeing parts of it for the rest of the day here on CNN as we continue to analyze and break down what happened last night.
Thank you for joining us it's been a particularly exciting time to follow this here in Tampa. And with that, I'm going to send it back to Christine and Carol in the newsroom -- Christine.
ROMANS: As you know -- and while the Republicans are debating, the President now has to sell his jobs plan and a jobs plan that we know now will be paid for almost entirely by tax increases.
COSTELLO: That's right.
ROMANS: So I mean, all of the ideas for how to create jobs --
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: That's right.
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: -- and some old ideas as to how -- for how to pay for it. So that begins in earnest.
COSTELLO: Yes, there's a nominal (ph) twist and that was our "Talk Back" question this morning. We asked this question, "Should Obama's jobs plan be funded by limiting tax deductions on the wealthiest Americans?"
This from Andy. "Eliminating tax loopholes for corporations making millions or billions of dollars is a no brainer. We cannot afford to subsidize corporations who are profiting in record numbers while our middle class shrinks and the pool of poor Americans grossly increases."
This from Beth, "No, limiting tax deductions simply means increasing taxes. The rich are already hoarding their money due to uncertainly. It's the rich who provide jobs."
And this from Todd, what creates real economic growth is consumer spending. Giving the rich their tax breaks doesn't stimulate the economy. Putting money in the pockets of the regular people who are going to spend it will. The job creators don't create job with tax breaks. They just get richer. Cutting middle class taxes will get people spending and the rich will get their money but in a way that benefits everyone."
Facebook.com/AmericanMorning, keep the conversation going and thanks for your comments.
ROMANS: You know, and the President really has his work cut out for him in pushing the jobs plan overall. Morning opinion pages full of advice for how the President should do it.
President Clinton's former press secretary Didi Myers writes this morning for "Politico". "Too often this president comes across like the world's most rational man. Of course, keeping his head when everyone around him is losing theirs is one of his great strengths. But if he's going to close the sale, that won't be enough. If he wants people to buy what he's selling, he has to appeal to hearts as well as heads. He has to make them feel it."
But many on the right, you guys, aren't feeling the President's proposals. In Bloomberg today, economist Edward Glaser supports payroll tax cuts that says the jobless benefit extension and infrastructure spending should be cut. Quote, "I reject the idea that most infrastructure and its maintenance should be paid for with federal tax revenue. In almost all cases, infrastructure should be paid for by its users, not with our tax dollars."
And about more money for government retraining programs -- a pretty interesting "Wall Street Journal" this morning entitled, "What job training teaches? Bad work habits."
James Bovard said similar programs have failed in the past. Writing, "In reality, government training has always been driven by bureaucratic convenience, or politicians' re-election considerations. There is no reason to believe that the latest rounds will be any different."
Pretty interesting stuff out there. If you want to read more, for links to these op-eds, you can head to Twitter feed @ChristineRomans.
COSTELLO: Does anything the government does work? Anything?
ROMANS: Well, you know, tax, those tax cuts, the payroll tax cuts, unemployment insurance, some of these things are stimulative in a regular recession, but we're not in a regular recession. So, trying to figure out what works has been really kind of troublesome and now you've got politics in the way, as well, you know, ideology.
COSTELLO: I was just talking about the job's training program. Even that doesn't work?
ROMANS: You know what; I've studied some of these job training programs and a governor of one of the very big states once told me that some of these job training programs are retraining programs are absolutely just a waste of taxpayer money. They just don't, they just don't work. They just don't.
COSTELLO: Ok, I'm depressed. Color me depressed now.
ROMANS: But that's why they need to be reformed and revamped. I mean if you really want to do it right, then make them work and do it the right way.
COSTELLO: Good advice. Let's see if anyone takes it.
Let's head to Atlanta now and Kyra Philips. Good morning.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR, "CNN NEWSROOM": Thank you so much.
