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American Morning
Obama's Plan to Tax the Rich; Air Show Disaster; Strauss-Kahn Breaks His Silence; And the Emmy Goes To; Second Trial in Home Invasion Murders; Palestinians Seeking U.N. Membership; Federal Reserve Meeting Tuesday; Netflix Splits Into Two Services; Vick Hurt In Atlanta Return
Aired September 19, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Tax for rich. I'm Christine Romans. That's part of the president's new plan to tackle the debt crisis and guess what? That proposal is already under attack by Republicans.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You're kidding? I'm Carol Costello. Sifting through critical evidence trying to find the cause of an air show disaster, the plane smashing into crowds. Survivors now speaking out on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ROMANS: All right, good morning. It is Monday, September 19th. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. Ali has the morning off.
COSTELLO: Did I tell you the Lions won on Sunday and the tigers, they clinched and that supposed to make up for the fact today is Monday, right?
ROMANS: Exactly.
COSTELLO: And I'm telling you, it does go. We've got to talk about the economy today, don't we? Because today President Obama proposes a new way to tackle the debt crisis, tax the rich. Maybe it's not so new.
It's something billionaire investor, Warren Buffett, has been talking about this for years and under the president's plan, anyone making more than $1 million a year would pay the same percentage of taxes as the middle class.
As the plan is popular with most Americans and Democrats, but boy, it does not sit well with Republicans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: When you pick one area of the economy and say we're going to tax those people, because most people are not those people, that's class warfare.
SENATOR DICK DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: Warren Buffett has been honest and other people I know who have haven't fortunate in life and wealthy say, for goodness sake, you can raise my taxes if that's going to help this economy move forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Brianna Keilar is on the phone in Washington with more details of the president's plan. So, Brianna, I guess, depending on your perspective it's class warfare or sharing the burden.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): That's right. You're going to hear a whole lot more of that playing out today, Kyra, after the president unveils his plan in the Rose Garden at 10:30 a.m.
But let's just look overall as what it is. It would save, according to the White House, $3 trillion over 10 years. That is twice what this congressional "Super Committee" must do according to that debt ceiling deal that was brokered.
But half of that savings, I mean, a lot of it is $580 billion in spending cuts, half of the savings, $1.5 trillion comes from increasing taxes, which as you mentioned, Carol, Republicans are loathe to do. You also have $1.1 trillion in war savings.
That's the estimated savings from winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and expect Republicans to really hit on that, it's gimmickry. We'll definitely hear that and then savings from the interest that you wouldn't be paying because you'd be saving money.
The White House says that would be $430 billion. You mentioned that the president is proposing this millionaires' tax, calling this today and referring a lot to this as the Buffett rule after Warren Buffett. The people who make $1 million or more a year should be paying their fair share, as the president puts it, not a smaller percentage of their salary towards taxes.
The people who are lower income brackets and what's really interesting we're hearing from senior administration officials is that the president will say he will veto any entitlement reforms.
This is what Republicans want. They want some changes to Medicare and Medicaid, and he will say that they will be on board with none of that unless there are some tax increases. Carol --
COSTELLO: We're headed for a showdown, then, because a lot of Republicans have signed these pledges, no new taxes under any circumstances. So how will Republicans going to get around that, Brianna?
KEILAR: You know, that's the really unclear thing right now that we're keeping an eye on, because Republicans, as you will recall and you were referring to this, Carol, they said no tax increases during the debt ceiling. Expect them, of course, to say no again here, and honestly, even Democrats that I've spoken to on Capitol Hill don't expect that any sort of tax increases will ultimately be in the package.
That Congress, brokers, certainly this is going to be playing out as the president certainly is answering his base, who has said that they feel the rich are not paying their fair share. COSTELLO: Brianna Keilar, many thanks to you. You can see the president speak more about this plan this morning at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. CNN will carry it live.
ROMANS: New clues this morning that may help investigators find out what led to an air show disaster in Reno, Nevada. At least nine people were killed, including the 74-year-old pilot.
Dozens were injured, thousands watch in horror on Friday as the P-51 Mustang suddenly nosedived towards toward the crowded grandstand slamming like a missile. The tarmac blew to pieces.
The NTSB says they have now recovered parts of the plane's tail that may have brought it down. Investigators say there was a camera and data recorder onboard that may help determine what caused this disaster.
They are also combing through wreckage and dozens of amateur video clips to try to figure out why the plane suddenly spiralled out of control. One of the survivors who was just 20 feet from the crash site is now talking about what he remembers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED LARSON, AIR RACE SPECTATOR: The thing crashes right behind me, and I get -- all I remember was, I was trying to run as I see stuff coming, and then that's the last thing I remember. It just makes you appreciate to be alive, and -- the first thing I can tell say is that, I got extremely lucky.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: More of the nine people killed in Friday's crash were identified yesterday. Reno's mayor says it's the first time in 40 years that a visitor has been killed at the air show. But several pilots have lost their lives.
And watch Virginia one day later, a veteran pilot died after his vintage plane went down and burst into a fireball. Investigators there also sifting through the debris and talking to witnesses. No spectators in that incident were hurt.
COSTELLO: For the first time since his arrest in May, Dominique Strauss-Kahn is telling his side of the story publicly. The former IMF chief is breaking his silence in an interview with French television calling his encounter with a New York City hotel maid a moral failing on his part, but insisting there was no violence and no sexual assault.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOMINIQUE STRAUSS-KAHN, FORMER INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND CHIEF (through translator): You need to read carefully the report of the prosecutor. What does it say? It says that she lied about everything not only about her past, but about the facts. The report says that she gave so many different versions of the facts that the prosecutor could not believe it any longer. I was afraid, very afraid. When you get stuck in the judiciary machine it's like being in a meat grinder. I had this feeling of being stomped on, humiliated before being able to even being able to say a word.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Strauss-Kahn says he has no plans to seek public office. He just wants to relax and spend time with his family and friends.
ROMANS: All right, a developing story out of England this morning. Police arresting seven people in the city of Birmingham in an anti- terror operation.
Six men were arrested overnight and a woman was taken into custody this morning for failing to disclose information about acts of terror. Police aren't providing any other details other than saying these arrests were necessary to ensure public safety.
The Pakistani Taliban claiming responsibility for a suicide car bombing at the home of a senior police official in Karachi. Eight people were killed including six officers stationed at that house and also a mother and a child walking nearby.
The group's intended target though is safe. A spokesman says the attack is meant to send a message to officials who work against the Taliban and alongside the U.S.
And the agonizing wait for Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer will drag on a little longer now. The lawyer who's trying to get these American hikers freed from an Iranian prison says he hasn't been able to get a signature on their bail papers because a judge is on vacation until Tuesday.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said last week that these hikers would be released within a couple of days. He's heading to New York today for the U.N. General Assembly meeting.
COSTELLO: Also new this morning, a five-person panel will impossibly decide whether Troy Davis will be executed or granted clemency. Crowds marched over the weekend in support of Davis. He's scheduled to be put to death on Wednesday for the 1989 fatal shooting of Savannah Police Officer Mark MacPhail. The execution has already been postponed three times to reconsider evidence.
ROMANS: All right, the Transportation Security Administration is firing 28 employees at Hawaii's Honolulu International Airport. The move after an investigation revealed several screeners weren't checking bags for explosives before putting them on planes. In addition to the firings, the TSA also suspended 15 people.
COSTELLO: Just didn't feel like it.
ROMANS: I guess not. COSTELLO: Geez! Texas Congressman Ron Paul is celebrating a new victory. Over the weekend, he was the winner of the California Republican straw poll. He captured, get this, 45 percent of the vote beating out Rick Perry and Mitt Romney, who finished second and third.
ROMANS: All right, up next. A showdown looms at the kickoff of the U.N. General Assembly. The Palestinians are seeking statehood. The U.S. vowing to stand in the way. Richard Roth with the global implications ahead.
COSTELLO: Plus a new kids' book about evolution gets turned down by every single publisher here in the United States. So why is evolution such a touchy subject? That's our "Talk Back" question this morning.
ROMANS: And "Mad Men's" fourth straight Emmy win as Best Dramatic series was historic. Only two other shows have accomplished that. Can you guess which one? You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. We'll tell you. Don't go away. It's 10 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Welcome back. You know what they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Such is the case with the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards last night in Los Angeles.
COSTELLO: But still, even though we say that, the ceremony still had its share of surprises and a little bit of drama. CNN'S Kareen Wynter was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the Emmy goes to -- "Modern Family."
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Emmy's celebrate the best in original television, but in the end, it was all about repeats. "Modern Family" repeated at best comedy. The show about a non-traditional extended family has won TV's top prize in each of its first two seasons.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "Mad Men."
WYNTER: "Mad Men's" repeat was even more impressive. The series won Best Drama for the fourth consecutive time beating back a challenge from newcomer "Boardwalk Empire."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For us and our families, this is an incredible dream. Thank you.
WYNTER: While the show was honored, "Mad Men's" leading man lost out as best actor in a drama. That went instead to Kyle Shandler of "Friday Night Lights." Best Actress in a Drama went to "The Good Wife" Julianna Margulies.
(on camera): "Glee's" Jane Lynch pulls double duty Emmy night. Not only was she nominated in the best actress comedy category, but she also hosted the show. (voice-over): She pre-taped a bid with the cast of "Jersey Shore" and tossed gentle zingers at the stars including an 89-year-old nominee.
JANE LYNCH, EMMY AWARDS HOST: There's Betty White. She's the reason we start the show at 5:00 p.m.
WYNTER: Lynch may have scored as host, but she lost the Emmy to "Modern Family's" Julie Bowen. Not that she was bitter about it.
LYNCH: There are losers, and I am, and it hurts.
WYNTER: Julie Bowen's TV husband, won for supporting in comedy. Onstage, he paid tribute to his late father acknowledging he might find it strange that his son wears makeup at work.
TY BURRELL, EMMY WINNER: Dad, just think of me as a very masculine lady. And he would say, I do, son.
WYNTER: One of the night's surprises came not in an award but from a presenter. A subdued Charlie Sheen, fired from "Two and a Half Men" last season, made a surprise appearance to announce best actor in a comedy. He offered best wishes to his old show.
CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: I know you will continue to make great television.
WYNTER: Best actor in a comedy went to Jim Parsons of "The Big Bang Theory," in another repeat. He won it last year, too.
But best actress from a comedy did go to a newcomer, Melissa McCarthy of "Mike & Molly," who was jokingly topped with a tiara.
MELISSA MCCARTHY, EMMY WINNER: It's my best pageant ever.
In a billion years, I didn't think that was going to happen. Not at all.
WYNTER: It was a night for all of TV's best to claim their crowns.
Kareen Wynter, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I think that was the best moment. Melissa McCarthy. Did you see her?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
COSTELLO: That was funny. Loving her.
ROMANS: Very funny.
COSTELLO: By the way, the other two shows to win the best drama four years in a row, Christine told me, "West Wing" and "Hill Street Blues." Now, you know, too. ROMANS: Yes, Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center. Remember those, "Hill Street Blues"? Like I had to get permission from my parents to watch it.
(LAUGHTER)
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
COSTELLO: Very good!
MARCIANO: You know, TV's coming back, isn't it? I mean, we got some good shows on it in primetime.
COSTELLO: And a lot of junk.
ROMANS: And a lot of junk, it's true.
COSTELLO: I know. I only watch sports. I don't know.
ROMANS: Yes, you know, Falcons/Eagles. So, I missed out on the Emmy's.
Texas and Houston, hey, you got some rain, how about that? Check it out. San Antonio over the weekend saw almost three inches of rainfall, and leftovers of which are heading towards Houston right now. So, they'll take this. They'll need it. Obviously, helping the fire situation, you know, putting a small dent in the drought situation. But they really need a couple of feet of rain, hopefully not all at one time.
Chicago and Detroit, some thunderstorms this afternoon, NASCAR race delayed today. Chicago and Cincinnati and Cleveland, maybe some afternoon thunderstorms there and that may slow you down.
So, a couple of more fronts to come through. So, you know, listen, if you want to get back to that summer heat, you think that was just a quick cool down, now you now, you might just a couple degrees here and there. It will be 75 in Minneapolis. But the next batch of cold air is coming out of, cooler air.
Still hurricane season, though, and this little ditty in the Atlantic Ocean has a 60 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression or tropical storm. But it's way out there, so no concern right now.
Maybe of greater concern on Friday is, this is the satellite -- not satellite. It's a Google Earth map with a bunch of satellites where they are around the earth. So, there's one and it's an upper atmosphere satellite that's going to crash down the earth on Friday. We don't know really where it's going to do that and could be pieces fall to earth on Friday. We'll continue to update you on that throughout the week.
Meanwhile, really cool pictures out of the International Space Station. A time lapse photography giving you a sense what it will feel to fly above the earth, 3,000 miles in altitude, traveling at 17,000 miles an hour, cruising over city lights. If that's not a good scene, I don't know what is.
I haven't seen something like that from NASA in a while. Thank you very much. I think at some point we can pay our way up to the International Space Station.
Are they doing tourist flights to that little spot yet? Not quite.
COSTELLO: Not quite, but they're close. That's like being Superman and flying above the earth, doesn't it?
ROMANS: I need to ride that rocket. I just need time lapse photography. That's all -- that's good enough for me, Rob.
MARCIANO: I try to find it online and maybe tweet it out. I'm going to share that one.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: See you in a bit.
COSTELLO: Now, it's your turn to talkback on one of the stories of the day. The question for you this morning, why is evolution such a touchy subject? What new book is too hot to print in the United States? No. Not the one about Sarah Palin. That's coming out tomorrow.
It's actually a children's book called "Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be." According to the author, Daniel Luxton, to American publisher would touch this thing, fearing the controversial topic would make the book a tough sell.
But in Canada, it was published and the book is a hit. It's been nominated for several literary prizes. It just goes to show Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution was published way back in 1859 and it's as controversial now as it was then. Even the presidential candidates are weighing in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
GOV, RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDTE: It is a theory that's out there. And it's got some gaps.
JON HUNTSMAN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When you call into question the science of evolution -- all I am saying is that in order for the Republican Party to win, we can't run from science.
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel prizes, who believe in intelligent design.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: Despite what Michele Bachmann says, today, the vast majority of scientists accept evolution as fact.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RICHARD LEAKEY, TURKANA BASIN INSTITUTE: People talk about the Theory of Evolution and, therefore, they assume that that skull is a theoretical object. That's skull is a fact. Every skull in this room is a fact. Those facts are not accounted for in a Biblical account.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The courts have squashed efforts to have alternative theories such as intelligent design taught in schools, ruling it has more to do with religion than science. But maybe Americans are still skeptical of evolution. In the latest CNN/ORC poll, 41 percent think evolution is false or likely to be false.
So the "talkback" question today: why is evolution such a touchy subject? Facebook.com/AmericanMorning. Facebook.com/AmericanMorning. I'll read your comments later this hour.
And speaking of religion, the Catholic Church embraces Evolution. It's not mutually exclusive they say to what's in the Bible.
ROMANS: But still incredibly polarizing. And sometimes I think when you start to dig within politicians' stances on it, you see that there's a stance that's the easy stance on the top and then a much more nuance embracing it.
COSTELLO: That's a good way to put it.
ROMANS: All right. Up next, this spectacular crash in a drag boat race in California, the driver lunged 15 feet into the air. We're going to tell you how this all turned out.
COSTELLO: Plus, Michael Vick's not so triumphant return to Atlanta. Ooh, he got hurt.
It's 21 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Were back.
"Minding Your Business" this morning:
U.S. stocks futures for the Dow, NASDAQ and S&P 500 are all trading sharply lower ahead of the opening bell. The focus again this week will be on Europe's handling of the growing debt crisis there and the exposure European banks to problems in Greece.
President Obama will unveil his plan to cut the national debt today. And it includes $3 trillion in cuts over 10 years. Much of that will come from higher taxes on people earning more than $1 million a year and on large corporations.
Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke will lead the Fed's open market committee meeting Tuesday in Washington. What will economists there do with the Fed about how to stimulate the economy? Next, what will the Fed statement say on Wednesday? Wall Street is hoping for some short-term stimulus to boost the economy.
More protests expected on Wall Street today. Hundreds of people gathered over the weekend in protest of the big banks, the corporations and their role in the weak economy. So far, all these demonstrations have been peaceful.
Two-point-three billion dollars, that's the new number, Swiss bank UBS says it lost to a rogue trader. The bank now says the loss was from unauthorized trading on various stock futures, traded on the S&P 500, the DAX and Euro stocks over the past three months. London authorities arrested a 31-year-old man for fraud and false accounting.
Still to come, the CEO who has apologized for raising prices.
AMERICAN MORNING will be back right after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning, and welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
It's just about half past the hour. That means it's time for this morning's top stories:
This morning, President Obama will reveal this proposal to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans. It's part of the new long-term deficit reduction and tax reform plan. But already Republicans are ling up against the idea, calling it divisive.
ROMANS: Investigators have now recovered part of this tail of the vintage plane that plunged into spectators during an air show in Nevada. Nine people were killed, including the piloted. The NTSB says there was a camera and data recorder onboard that may help determine just what caused that crash.
COSTELLO: Today, Georgia's five-member Board of Pardons and Paroles will hear a clemency board request for Troy Davis. Davis is scheduled to be put to death on Wednesday for the 1989 fatal shooting of Savannah Police Officer Mark MacPhail. Since Davis' 1991 conviction, most of the witnesses have recanted their testimony about the murder. Davis also maintains his innocence.
ROMANS: This is a gruesome crime that shocked the nation. Three members of a wealthy Connecticut family brutally murdered during a home invasion. The first defendant case, Stevens Hayes, was convicted and sentenced for his role. Now, the alleged mastermind, Joshua Komisarjevsky, is about to go to trial.
CNN's Deb Feyerick is live in New Haven, Connecticut.
Good morning, Deb.
DEB FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.
You know, this is one of those crimes that simply defies imagination, in part because it was so random. You have two convicted felons who are out on parole. They decide to burglarize a home in a quiet, peaceful Connecticut neighborhood. What ensued was the torture and murder of a wife and two children while the husband defenseless in the backyard, beating bloody, almost beyond recognition.
Now, today the trial of Joshua Komisarjevsky begins. He is the alleged mastermind. He was 26 years old at the time this crime took place about four years ago, and it's his own writings that could help convict him. He first of all, did a 90-minute taped statement. That was followed by a 40-page written letter and journals that were apparently found in his cell. In it, he details the crime, how it took place. How they burglarized the home and went upstairs tying up the children, then forcing the wife to a bank to withdraw cash so that they could get some $15,000 as part of this crime.
In it, he describes the 11-year-old girl Michaela as, quote, "the angel of my nightmares." he also describes how he took blackmail photos of the one of the children, hoping perhaps to use it against this family -- a doctor and endocrinologist and his wife, who was a fund-raiser for local causes in the Connecticut area.
The defense in this particular case has been very, very aggressive. Clearly with the condition of Steven Hayes and now the death penalty, they know that they've got to try something different. They have come out. They have been very aggressive. One woman called it a scorched earth policy, and it's gruesome, his testimony was in the first trial. The rumor is that the testimony in this trial is expected to be even worse.
Again, listening to all of these writings, listening to the taped confessions that is likely to play a very large role in this particular trial, Christine.
ROMANS: Yes, it's really a modern day in cold blood. That horrible case (INAUDIBLE) that famous of, something -- you know, that's exactly what happened here.
Deb Feyerick -- thanks so much, Deb.
COSTELLO: Two prominent American political families are now in mourning. Kara Kennedy, daughter of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, died of a heart attack after working out at a Washington, D.C. health club. Back in 2009, she accepted the presidential Medal of Freedom on behalf of her late father. Kara Kennedy was 51.
And Eleanor Mondale, daughter of the former Vice President Walter Mondale, died this weekend following a long battle with brain cancer. She'd been a radio talk show host and an entertainment reporter. Eleanor Mondale, also 51.
ROMANS: A bloody weekend in Yemen. Government security forces opening fire on demonstrators yesterday in the capital city Sana'a. At least 26 people were killed. More than 550 injured. Protesters demanded the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh who's been in Saudi Arabia, recovering from an attack on his palace back in June.
Security forces in Syria are also clashing with protesters over the weekend. Four people reportedly killed, including an 11-year-old child. Demonstrators have been calling for President Al Assad to step down for six months now. Nearly 3,000 people have been killed in that time, in clashes with government troops.
The future of the Middle East could be on the line in New York this week. The United Nations General Assembly begins today.
ROMANS: You know, there's a big showdown looming with the Palestinians seeking U.N. membership and statehood. And the U.S. is standing in the way.
Here's CNN's U.N. correspondent Richard Roth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN U.N. CORRESPONDENT: This is the potential first stop for the Palestinians to apply for U.N. membership. This is the U.N. Security Council, though this chamber may pose the toughest obstacle to potential Palestinian membership.
Under the rules of the organization and the U.N. Charter, the Palestinians must first get approval from the Security Council in order to obtain membership and get their flag outside the building.
However, in this room, are permanent members of the Security Council who have veto power. And one of them, the United States, has vowed to deny any request for potential membership.
If they want to avoid a U.S. veto, the Palestinians are very likely to come here, next door, at the U.N. General Assembly, already full of 193 countries.
RIYADH MANSOUR, PALESTINIAN U.N. OBSERVER: If one road is blocked, we will follow another one. But the objective is still the same. And, as they say, they are many roads to lead to Rome, and we know that very well. And we will act accordingly.
ROTH: The Palestinians already have a seat here at the General Assembly, but their status is just simply known as "observer." The assembly may grant them upgraded observer state status, not full membership though.
But they may get more rights, which will allow them to join other U.N.-style international organizations. But their status would be on par with the Vatican. So, in effect, their prayers to get a full U.N. member state would not be granted.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: So confusing and disturbing on many levels. Richard Roth joins us now.
So, can you sort of like -- what do you predict will happen?
ROTH: No one seems to know at the U.N. I don't even want to go out on too much of a limb. There are so many different avenues this could go down. I mean, those reports have say the Palestinians will challenge the U.S. and the Security Council within days. I think those are pretty farfetched. If they do intend, as their leader said on Friday, to go to the Security Council, this could take a considerable amount of time for studying, legal challenges and then the U.S., if it had to, still says it will veto.
First, the Palestinians have to show they can get nine countries on the Security Council to be in favor. So, before a veto comes into play, you need at least nine countries and one diplomat said it best. The Palestinians have 10 or 11. There could be a lot of heavy U.S. pressure in that area.
ROMANS: What else now on deck this week? It's not all about Palestinian statehood?
ROTH: No. The Iranian leader, Mr. Ahmadinejad, will be here for yet again a show the people have seen before. There are continued concerns about Iran's nuclear threat, but more priority for America, perhaps, is the two hikers who are being held. Perhaps their release is being held up with timed with his speech planned to the General Assembly Thursday. Though there are opponents of Ahmadinejad who would rather not release them to give any P.R. buzz.
COSTELLO: I think it's safe to say that Gadhafi will be pitching a tent anywhere for this?
ROTH: No. There will be no tents from Gadhafi who might be in a tent right now underground somewhere in his hometown in Sirte. But yes, he spoke for an hour and a half. No one is going to try to top that I think this year, though.
There will be a representative of the new Libyan government to speak, even though if they don't control the entire country by speech day next week.
COSTELLO: Well, they're still recognized, though. And I guess that's good enough?
ROTH: Recognition as we see with the Palestinians, big issue with the U.N.
COSTELLO: Well, it will be interesting to see what Israel does, if anything, because the United States is putting pressure on Israel to do something about this Palestinian crisis. That's now kind of been laid at the United States door.
ROTH: Both sides say -- they blame the other for not starting the peace talks, under what grounds. The pressure is to get them talking again even if there's a pledge maybe to grant them some form of statehood a year from now. There will be a lot of heavy politicking and diplomatic conferring on the sidelines. But you have so many world leaders together.
COSTELLO: It's like your Super Bowl basically.
ROTH: Yes, my Super Bowl, but no betting on this. If anyone that wants to take Zambia, you're given a point, give me a call. (LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: Richard Roth -- thanks, Richard.
COSTELLO: A terrifying accident at a drag boat competition in San Diego. It has a good end, though. So, take a look. A 50-year-old Mark Porter was reportedly traveling more than 150 miles per hour -- he was in a qualifying hit when his engine exploded and broke apart. That happened with Porter still in the driver's capsule.
He was actually thrown 15 feet into the air, but somehow, miraculously, he survives. Porter is in the hospital this morning, and he's in fair condition. So, it looks like he's going to be OK.
COSTELLO: Things got out of hand at a high school football game in Pennsylvania Friday night. It happened during the fourth quarter of the game between Sharon and Hickory High School. Two opposing players got into it on the sidelines, and it seems just about everybody else joined in. There they are on the sidelines.
The Forcing the refs to call the game. Hickory clearly got the worst of it. They were ahead 43-7.
COSTELLO: Wow.
ROMANS: So disappointing.
COSTELLO: Yes.
Still ahead on AMERICAN MORNING: a big shake-up at Netflix. Why the CEO is saying, "I'm sorry."
ROMANS: Plus, the great pumpkin shortage of 2011. Why is there a real scare for farmers this Halloween and you could blame Irene.
It's 39 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
A new book out tomorrow claims President Obama's response to the nation's economic crisis has been hampered by his own staff. It's called, "Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington and the Education of a President." And it's written by former "Wall Street Journal" reporter Ron Suskind.
It claims the president's decisions are routinely re-litigated by Lawrence Summer, Mr. Obama's chief economic adviser, and some are being carried out sluggishly or not at all by his resistant Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner -- Carol.
COSTELLO: At a time anyone with a computer and opinion can start their own blog, a new book is looking back at the time when a newspaper column was still considered and art form, and the writers who showed their wisdom through times of war and depression. Joining us are: John Avlon and Errol Louis, both CNN contributors, and co-authors of "Deadline Artists." Here's the book. "Deadline Artists: America's Greatest Newspaper Columns."
Welcome to you both.
JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.
ERROL LOUIS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
Before we talk about the book, we have to talk about class warfare in America because --
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Exactly. As you know, President Obama's going to give a speech at 10:30 Eastern Time. He's going to talk about the Buffett Rule -- raising taxes on millionaires.
Already, Republicans are fighting back. This from Senator Lindsey Graham yesterday. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: When you take one area of the economy and you say, "We're going to tax those people, because most people are not those people," that's class warfare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: OK. So, is it class warfare or is it sharing the burden?
AVLON: I think, you know, the bumper sticker of class warfare now gets trotted out for almost anything. We're trying to deal with the deficit and the debt. He takes that seriously, it means everybody has got to give up a little bit. We have a problem in this country, the rising gap between the rich and poor. Not even just rich, for the superrich.
So, I think that there's some political argument that to be made for saying, look, let's take those with a net income of a million a year and make sure that they pay their fair share. We're talking about not, you know, an additional, but just getting back maybe those Clinton era levels.
That said, this is the start of a negotiation. Everyone has to got to take a deep breath and realize that both sides of polarized. They're taking their position to satisfy their base. The question is: will they be able to meet in the middle?
COSTELLO: Yes. But, Errol, the president can't really negotiate on tax. All these Republicans signed these anti-tax hike pledges.
LOUIS: Yes. And this is intended, among other things, to show how ridiculous it is to make that kind of type of pledge before you've seen any of the realities of what we're going to have to do -- fighting two wars, trying to get prosperity back, trying to start -- or stop a depression from happening.
So, when the Republicans say, we're never going to raise any taxes on anyone, no matter how wealthy, no matter how unjustified the tax burden, no matter how great the needs are, we got $1 trillion infrastructure problem. We've got a bunch of bridges falling down.
COSTELLO: Well, in fairness, though, John Boehner came out and said, hey, I'm for tax reform and maybe closing some of those tax loopholes. So, he's not totally opposed to, you know, kind of fooling around with taxes. But tax hikes, no, no, no, no.
AVLON: But then it's the definition of what's tax hikes? That's where this whole fight is going to be, because, remember the last round we had when Boehner and Obama were working on a greand bargain -- $4 trillion grand bargain -- it got derailed because some filks on the far right said, Closing loopholes -- even if you lower rates but close loopholes to increase revenue, which what Bowles-Simpson had proposed, that would be called a tax hike by some of these folks who have taken the pledge. Now, it becomes a fundamental problem just in terms of governing. If you want to deal with the deficit and debt, if you can't lower rates and close loopholes to raise revenue, then you got very little room maneuver on a tax reform.
I still think that's where it's going to come. Thirty-five senators signed a statement saying that they hope the Super Committee goes bigger than 1.5. It's going to happen with entitlement reform and tax reform. And even the president's plan has a $500 billion entitlement.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It's interesting to say that, because the president supposedly is going to say this morning, hey, I'm not going to agree to anything with Medicare and Medicaid, unless, you consider raising taxes. And I think he has to do that, because I don't know if you read this. This was in the Miami paper, I think Sunday. Let me find it.
So, Congressional Black Caucus chairman, Emanuel Cleaver, told the "Miami Herald," quote, "If former President Bill Clinton had been in the White House and had failed to address this problem with unemployment among African Americans, we would probably marching on the White House. There is a less volatile reaction in the CBC, the Congressional Black Caucus, because nobody wants to do anything that would empower the people who hate the president."
So, he's sort of intimating if the president were white, maybe the Congressional Black Caucus, would be saying, hey, African-American community, march on the White House, because this guy ain't doing anything for you.
ERROL LOUIS, CO-EDITOR, "DEADLINE ARTISTS": In this case, congressional Black Caucus is a stand-in for the liberal base, the Obama base.
COSTELLO: Right. LOUIS: And, is this going to keep them happy? Yes. It might keep them a little less unhappy, frankly. They wanted to see him get out there and fight the good fight, to be Harry Truman in 1948 and to sort of get out there and say, this is what the other side is doing, and it's wrong.
And if you want to see things change, stay with me. I will go give them hell. Is Obama going to do that? He's not very good. He's not very credible in his Harry Truman interpretation, but, you know, you never know. He'll get out there, and he's going to make the case for what is in the end sound economic policy.
COSTELLO: So, I guess, you know, to sum it up, and then, we'll talk about the book, I promise, class warfare might be a good thing for the president?
AVLON: Class warfare is never good thing. The question is, if anything --
COSTELLO: Oh, take off your independent hat.
AVLON: But right now, we're in the debate --
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: And said, look, millionaires have to pay they're fair share. I'm fighting for you, middle class.
AVLON: But that's not class warfare. Right now, we're in an environment where anything gets labeled class warfare, and that itself is an abuse the term. That, itself, is just positive polarization. That's just playing to the Republican base.
COSTELLO: All right. Whatever.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Let's talk about the book, "Deadline Artists." So, why did you guys decide to go through, you know, years and years and years of newspapers and pull out, you know, great opinion pieces over the years? I mean --
AVLON: We started working together at the "New York Sun" as both as columnists. And this book started the way, I think, all books should start. It was the book we wanted to read. You know, when you start out as a columnist, there's no book that collects the best of the past. I mean, living at a time where people are writing obituaries for newspapers every day.
And yet, opinion writing is a proliferating online like never before. And what we don't have a sense of our generation and younger -- is maybe the best of the past. Just how good guys were like Breslin and Kempton, H.L. Mencken, Ernie Powell (ph). So, here's a book, the first time all collected in one book, and I think if you maybe help us to inspire us and help raise our game.
LOUIS: And keep in mind, this was a matter of, as working columnists, needing stuff to steal.
(LAUGHTER)
LOUIS: We're borrowed. Depending on how you're going to look at it. You know, there are only so many sort of stale references to you know, "Seinfeld" or the "Godfather" movies. know, why put aside some of that cultural junk food and look for what's really sort of the literary journalism. Really creative stuff.
COSTELLO: OK. So, in reading these great opinion pieces, now that everything's moved to the internet, I mean --
(CROSSTALK)
LOUIS: You can't find also what's in there on the internet.
AVLON: You can't
LOUIS: You can't find it.
AVLON: That's one of the things. I mean, the world -- and 1996 but on the internet, it often did. And all the stuff, it was published the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, and the subjects we cover, war, politics, sports, humor. The vast majority isn't available on the internet. And that's what made this process so exciting. It's sort of moldering on microfilm in these libraries, but for the first time, it's really going to be accessible, and that's why this was such a labor of love and a lot of fun to do.
COSTELLO: That's awesome. Thank you both for coming in this morning. We appreciate it. The book is "Deadline Artists: America's Greatest Newspaper Columns." There it is. Christine, take it away.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, guys.
All right. "Minding Your Business." Netflix had the blockbuster of its own in a message overnight. The company's CEO, Reed Hastings, announcing the DVD by mail business will now be called Qwikster while the streaming service will still be called Netflix. Hastings also apologized for the company's handling of a recent price hike that led to a number of subscriber cancellations and a huge drop in the stock price.
There could be a shortage of pumpkins in the northeast this Halloween. Flooding from Hurricane Irene wiped out hundreds of pumpkin patches across the region. In some areas, wholesale prices have doubled.
A quick check of the morning's top stories coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Fifty-two minutes past the hour. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ROMANS (voice-over): Today, President Obama rolls out a new deficit reduction plan. It includes cuts in Medicare and a new high tax rate for millionaires, something Republicans oppose.
Investigators have now recovered part of the tale of vintage plane that plunged into spectator during an air show in Nevada. Nine people were killed including the pilot.
Presidential candidate, Ron Paul, was the winner of the California Republican straw poll. He captured nearly 45 percent of the vote. Rick Perry and Mitt Romney rounded up the top three.
Michael Vick hurt in his return to Atlanta. Vick left the game with a concussion in the third quarter. Philly was up 10 points when Vick went down, but Atlanta's star quarterback, Matt Ryan, threw a career high four touchdown passes, and the Falcons rallied to win 35-31.
And the Emmy Awards for a family affair. "Modern Family" winning five Emmys including Best Comedy Series for the second year in a row. "Mad Men" was named Best Drama for the four year in a row.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS (on-camera): That's the news you need to know to start your day. AMERICAN MORNING is back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's just about six minutes until the top of the hour. We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the stories of the day. The question for you this morning, why is evolution such a touchy subject?
ROMANS: It is?
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: Just kidding.
COSTELLO: We got a lot of responses, so far. Very interesting.
This from Peter, "Evolution is a touchy subject because it contradicts belief systems held by many people, and people tend to get defensive about their beliefs. And they also just have to do with human arrogance since we are the top organisms on the planet. We try to separate ourselves from animals and evolution because it reminds us very explicitly that we are animals which tends to offend some people."
This from Mike, "It remains this way because of high religiosity and decreasing scientific literacy in this country. When you have public officials and people in power contradicting scientific consensus, people are bound to be confused. It is natural, however unfortunate, for people to fall back on the traditions in which they were raised."
And this from Phillip. "If you accept evolution, most people think you cannot accept God. Religious people believe that God has a plan. Accepting evolution as part of that plan is thought to be blasphemy, although, it makes the most sense to me."
Please, keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/americanmorning. We'll read more throughout the morning.
ROMANS: All right. This morning's top stories right after the break. It's 56 past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO (voice-over): New clues about a horrendous tragedy at an air show in Nevada. A classic plane (INAUDIBLE) plunges into a crowd of spectators and the death toll climb.
ROMANS (voice-over): President Obama set to unveil a plan to raise taxes on the super rich, but Republicans are calling it class warfare.
COSTELLO: Rerun. It's rerun night not at the Emmys. Big win for some old favorites, and what Charlie Sheen had to say about the cast of "Two and a Half Men" on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
