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American Morning
Amanda Knox Freed by the Italian Judge and Jury Today; Ralph Steinman Winner Of Nobel Prize Dies Days Prior Awarding; Bear Chases Dog into Home, Attacks Couple; ESPN Pulls Hank Williams Jr.; President Pushes for Vote on Jobs Plan; Will Christie Run for President; iPhone 5: The Rumors Before the Debut; Search for Highway Gunman; Chemical Mixing Sparks Massive Fire; TSA Testing New Technology; Synagogue Gets Hands-Free Crossing; "The Book of Man"; 57 iPhones Sold Every Minute; Study: Mother's Healthy Eating Reduces Risk of Birth Defects
Aired October 04, 2011 - 06:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It is Tuesday, October 4th. Carol is off today. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. This has been very interesting. We'll be able to actually have conversation with your phone. You're talking about the Apple iPhone 5.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Right.
VELSHI: And I first thought, isn't that what your phone is for? To have a conversation, but you're not talking about being on your phone, you're talking about talking to your phone.
ROMANS: Oh, yes. Who knows what kind of magic they have inside that little --
VELSHI: There's always something.
ROMANS: Yes. We'll know soon.
OK. Amanda Knox reportedly in the air and on her way home to Seattle right now. You're looking at video from Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci Airport. Just a couple of hours ago, Knox family members can be seen in the terminal. Amanda Knox is not visible. It believed she was escorted by police through a private entrance.
The American exchange student was sobbing uncontrollably when the verdict was read yesterday. She had to be helped from the courtroom. Her friends say the first thing she wants to do when she gets to Seattle is lie down on a green field. Let's get the latest from Becky Anderson live in Perugia, Italy this morning. Good morning, Becky.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. What a difference a day makes. This time, yesterday, they had no idea whether they would get off. Today, Amanda Knox, as you've reported, has left Rome, left about two hours ago. She's on her way to London, we believe. There's a flight to Seattle at mid-afternoon London time, and she will hop on that flight with her family and she will be home.
It's been quite the most tumultuous last 24 hours. One of the newspapers today here, "innocent. They didn't do it." The court of appeals absolves Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, her former boyfriend, of course. What it goes on to say thought was that outside the court yesterday were cries of shame.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
And that's alluding to lots and lots and lots of students who here at the university who were furious with the Italian justice system last night when the decision was passed down by the judge.
Perugia, meantime, just wants to get on with life. We talked to a lot of people here yesterday who said we want this to be over and done but this has been four years in the making. Whatever happened, whether it's on a technicality, or (inaudible) just didn't do it, they just want to get on with their lives.
ROMANS: Alright, Becky Anderson. Thanks Becky. You know if Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend had nothing to do with the murder of Meredith Kercher, the victim's family then would like to know who killed her.
Less than three hours ago, the Kerchers held a news conference in Perugia Italy. Meredith's brother Lyle telling supporters, family is trying to comprehend how a jury decision that was so certain two years ago could suddenly be tossed out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYLE KERCHER, BROTHER OF VICTIM: If the two who were released yesterday, if they were not the guilty parties we are left wondering who is the other person or people, and really for us it feels very much like back to square one, and the search goes on, really, to find out what's really happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: There is, of course a man in prison for 16 years for her rape and murder, but investigators have always said they thought others were involved. The Kerchers say despite their disappointment with the jury's decision, they are grateful for the support they've received from around the world including here in the U.S.
ALI VELSHI, HOST: Well, it won't be long before Amanda Knox's back home or arrival on U.S. and not soon enough for Tom Wright. He is the founder of friends of Amanda Knox and joins us now from Seattle this morning.
An early, early morning for you, Tom. Thank you for coming it to be on TV with us. You look like a happy man right now.
TOM WRIGHT, FOUNDER, FRIENDS OF AMANDA KNOX: Yes, sir, we are. We're thrilled, and relieved, and just overjoyed for the family.
VELSHI: Explain to those who have not followed this case as closely as you and the friends of Amanda Knox and the Seattle community have over the last couple of years, what, what sort of compelled you and others to form this organization, and to fight for Amanda Knox after her conviction?
WRIGHT: Yes. Well, at the very beginning of this process, Amanda, who has many friends, and the parents of those friends, decided to come together to support the family in any way we could. We put together a Web site called the friendsofamanda.org to put the facts and the case out there, to show support, to give emotional support to the family. We had fund-raisers, just to try to help them through this crisis any way that we could.
VELSHI: Let me ask you, how - when you heard the verdict yesterday, where were you? Were a group of you together, and how did you feel?
WRIGHT: We were indeed. We were in a hotel suite in downtown Seattle. Where many of us came together to first watch Amanda's statement, which was really beautifully written and she did a great job of delivering it, and she was very eloquent as she addressed the court. And then we had about a 10 hour, 11-hour wait for the verdict and were all together when the verdict came down. And to be together, to feel that four years come to fruition like this, it was just indescribable feeling, just a thrill. We're so happy for her.
VELSHI: The jury, Tom, held up the defamation conviction accusing Amanda Knox of defamation. Is she going to challenge that ruling or just happy to be back, you know, on her way back to the United States and this episode is behind you?
WRIGHT: You know we really can't speak for Amanda. She's in transit right now and when she gets home there will be a period of transition. She'll get some rest, and I think in the days and weeks ahead she'll be making some good proactive decisions on her own behalf.
VELSHI: And we understand that she's on her way to London now. After that she should make her way back to Seattle. Do you have any sense of when she's going to get to Seattle and was going to happen when she arrives?
WRIGHT: No. We really don't, but we've been joking that we're going to have a flash mob celebration. That is, at the very last minute they'll tell us where to go and we'll be there with bells on and balloons and have a great celebration.
VELSHI: Tell me about your connection to Amanda Knox? You have a personal connection?
WRIGHT: Yes. My daughter went to school with Amanda and many of the members of friends of Amanda over the last four years, you know we know Amanda. We know her as a young woman of character and achievement. She was well thought of before she left, and she'll be welcomed back into the community when she gets here. She's a scholar, an athlete and has tremendous character.
VELSHI: She wrote a note in your daughter's yearbook that said I know you'll always have my back. Looks like your family come through for her family. Her family, the Knox family is about a million dollars in debt because of this trial and al that back and forth, to and from Italy and having to stay in hotels. You've been working on raising some money to try and help lighten their load. Where you are at with that?
WRIGHT: Well, what's going to happen is, you know, going forward, we're going to have to lay some groundwork to continue our support and to try to ease this transition, to respect Amanda's privacy, and her ability to make decisions on her own and the family was really very brave. They elected right at the beginning to always have a family member in Perugia for her. So, that any visiting hour, there would be someone there who could go in and be there and help her get through all this. And the family has just been extraordinary coming together; doing everything they could to help her during this really trying time.
VELSHI: Tom, obviously, the main effort on behalf of your organization and the Knox family was to try and get this conviction overturned and get her back to America. Has much thought been give ton what happens next? Do you know, for Amanda?
WRIGHT: I do not. And we're eager to give her the time and the space for her to make those decisions. Obviously, it will be a period of transition, and we're just glad to have her home soon.
VELSHI: Tom, good to speak to you. Thank you very much for getting up real early in Seattle to join us. I imagine it's been sleepless for you guys for a little while. Tom Wright is the founder of Friends of Amanda Knox.
ROMANS: OK, the waiting game in politics may soon be over. CNN learned Chris Christie is on verge of announcing whether or not he will run for president. The New Jersey governor refused to discuss his possible candidacy during a swearing in ceremony for a judge yesterday. But sources tell CNN he discussed a bid for the White House with his wife and family and we should look for a decision with the next 48 hours. Last night on CNN's "OUT FRONT" former Obama spokesman Bill Burton told Erin Burnett, he thinks all the buzz over Christie speaks volumes about the GOP field.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST, "OUT FRONT": From our reporting, it's possible there could have been pacts created to raise money for Chris Christie that we're in a quiet period right now. We may not know for a few days. Do you think he could raise the money purely technically if he got in this week?
BILL BURTON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE DEOUT PRESS SECRETARY: I think if folks are really seriously committed to raising money for a super Pac, he certainly could have millions of dollars in his super Pac from the moment that he decides to go, but it's interesting to me that there still is so much clamouring out there for somebody else to get into this race who isn't Mitt Romney. I think that's what Chris Christie says more than anything else about the boom-let of energy and attention around it.
(END VIDEP CLIP)
ROMANS: And from here, we continue this tonight on "OUT FRONT." Erin Burnett goes one-on-one with the Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, tonight 7:00 Eastern right here on CNN, don't miss it.
VELSHI: President Obama telling ABC News, he does not regret the half a billion dollar government load to the now bankrupt solar energy company, Solyndra. But new e-mails revealed that there were plenty of folks with the administration who were concerned about the firm's shaky finances. Dan Lothian is live at the White House.
Good morning, Dan. There's an e-mail that came out which specifically said exactly what happened. This may be politically good, but this company could go bankrupt?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Right. And you know, I think what's interesting, as you're seeing these e-mails coming out as part of a congressional investigation is that, there were concerns not only with the administration but also outside the administration even as Solyndra was about ready to get more than half a billion in a federal loan guarantee.
In the latest e-mail that was made public, you have Steve Wesley (ph), who is an Obama fund-raiser and also an investor who wrote to Obama's Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett saying in part, "a number of us are concerned that the president is visiting Solyndra. I just want to help protect the president from anything that could result in negative or unfair press. The president should be careful about unrealistic optimistic forecasts that could haunt him in the next months if Solyndra hits the wall, files for bankruptcy, et cetera."
The president went ahead last year and did visit the company touting green jobs and about a year later the company did grow belly up. But as he pointed out, the president in an interview yesterday with ABC News, defended the decision to go ahead and provide the company with more than a half billion dollars in taxpayer money.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: You know hindsight is always 20/20, I bet. It went through the regular review process and people felt it was a good bet. But the fact of the matter is that if we don't get behind clean energy, if we don't get behind advanced battery manufacturing. If we're not the ones creating the cars of the future, then we're not going to be able to make stuff here in the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: The president pointing out in this sector it was always understood not all of these kinds of companies will succeed. And, again, stressing the fact that in order to compete with countries like China, other countries that heavily subsidized these ventures that this was the right decision to make. But nonetheless, there is a lot of concern and a lot of questions still about, what were behind this. Why this loan guarantee went forward, even though there were all of these red flags. Ali?
VELSHI: Alright, what is on the schedule, Dan, for the president today?
LOTHIAN: Well, this is still hanging over the president's head. He hits the road, as you know he's been doing over the past several weeks, pushing his jobs act, pushing Congress to act on it. He heads to a suburb outside of Dallas where he'll be visiting a school and talking about how money from this jobs act will not only put teachers back to work, employ teachers, but also help in terms of infrastructure jobs in rebuilding or modernizing some of the country's schools.
VELSHI: All right. Dan thanks very much. Dan Lothian at the White House.
ROMANS: All right. Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, what happened to, are you ready for some football? The famed song yanked from Monday night's game last night after Hank Williams Jr. got in to trouble for comments about the president.
VELSHI: And he thought he was just letting the dog back in and there was a bear in his house. A couple recovering and talk about a brawl with a black bear that left blood all over the living room rug. We will tell you about that. It's quite a story. Twelve minutes, eleven minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: We're back to AMERICAN MORNING.
Two Americans and an Australian awarded this year's Nobel Prize for Physics, American Saul Perlmutter, and Adam Riess, and Australian Brian Schmidt. One for their work on distant supernovas. Now, it's Nobel time and the Nobel committee had to scramble to amend its rules after awarding this year's prize in medicine to Canadian biologist who died just days earlier.
This happened yesterday. 68-year-old Ralph Steinman was one of three scientists honored for their work on the immune system. The committee was unaware of his death from pancreatic cancer when they awarded the prize yesterday which is intended for living recipients. But Nobel officials decided Steinman's share of the $1.5 million will go to his estate.
ROMANS: And welcome back. We certainly hope his family can enjoy his lifelong successes, of course -
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: -- you know, that's meant for science and (INAUDIBLE).
Here's a crazy story. A black bear chased a couple's dog into their house and then went after them. The couple is recovering this morning. It happened in rural Pennsylvania. First the man tried to peel the bear off the dog. Then the woman tried to peel the bear off her husband. They came home from the hospital in the afternoon. The man's arm and head bandaged up and covered in teeth and claws.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA MOYER, WIFE: I saw him being attacked right here on our living room floor, and I - I tried to distract the bear. I don't know that I jumped on him or did whatever, but I mean whatever I did was enough to make the bear turn and jump on me.
RICHARD MOYER, HUSBAND: The bear hit her going out, dragged her outside. I went outside to see the bear on top of her. And then I dove on to the bear to get the bear off of her, of course, and that's when the bear started tearing the back of my head up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: If you can even process that.
VELSHI: Unbelievable.
ROMANS: The bear chased the dog into the house.
VELSHI: So they grabbed the bear off the dog. Then the dog - the bear attacks the wife -
ROMANS: Oh, unbelievable.
VELSHI: Then he - oh, that's crazy.
ROMANS: The bear took off by the time the police got there but they did set traps in the area in case that bear comes back.
VELSHI: Wow.
All right. The Emergency Room physician who declared Michael Jackson dead will be back on the witness stand today at the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray. Dr. Richelle Cooper telling the court yesterday that Jackson's personal physician failed to tell her that the singer had the drug Propofol in his system, but she said even if she had the information it was too late to save him.
Today two of Dr. Murray's girlfriends are expected to take the stand including a Houston cocktail waitress who was on the phone with him when he realized Jackson had stopped breathing.
ROMANS: If in a crisis, it's always important to call your girlfriend.
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: All right. In just a few hours, jury selection will begin in the Detroit - in Detroit the trial of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called underwear bomber. He's charged with trying to blow up a Northwest flight on Christmas Day 2009 with a device hidden in his underwear. Abdulmutallab is facing a possible life sentence and has insisted on defending himself at trial. VELSHI: A possible 2012 preview today. The West Virginia governor's race too close to call as voters head to the polls this morning. Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin is facing off against a Republican businessman, Bill Maloney.
Now, this is a special election to fill the rest of Joe Manchin's term because he's now in the Senate. Millions have poured into the state with Republican ads trying to tie Tomlin to President Obama's policies.
ROMANS: All right. The New York Yankees facing elimination tonight. Motown -
VELSHI: Why say that? Why do you say they're facing elimination? This is their chance to even it up.
ROMANS: OK. The Detroit Tigers ace pitcher Justin Verlander took out game three last night 5-4. Verlander struck out 11 Yankees over eight innings. A Delmon Young homerun at the seventh inning put the Tigers on top for good.
Texas Rangers also took a 2-1 lead in their series last night beating the Tampa Bay Rays. According to you (ph), you have tickets for Thursday?
VELSHI: I got tickets for Thursday. So the Yankees can't be eliminated tonight.
ROMANS: You're determined that they last.
VELSHI: That would be - that would be bad. That may be why Carol's not here this morning. A little bit too much celebrating the Tiger's win last night.
ROMANS: Maybe and the bet between Rob Marciano and Carol. (INAUDIBLE).
VELSHI: That's right.
ROMANS: Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys, yes. You know, I'm still feeling the guilt for falling asleep during the seventh inning stretch. Right after the Yankees tied it up. But it was just too late at that point. So I'm not sure I'll be here tomorrow morning - win or lose.
Good morning, again, guys. The unsettled weather continues across much of the northeast today but it may very well be the last day of this happening. You see the circulation. It's been a familiar scene for the past really 10 days with two separate systems doing this.
And this one is bringing some heavy rain across parts of Eastern New England, just north of Boston. We've got flash flood warnings that are posted for Essex, Suffolk and Middlesex Counties here as this rain continues to come on off the harbor. It will weaken over the next 20 to 30 minutes and shouldn't be that much longer. But some - certainly some street flooding and some ponding on the roadways.
Some rain trying to get into Los Angeles and through San Diego. We've seen some into Vegas. Rain and thunder and lightning right now on the Strip. Here's what it looked like yesterday across parts of the valley locations in Vegas. Yes, it doesn't take much rainfall to get street flooding there, and they're seeing that again today. So be careful out there if you're wandering around the Henderson and the Las Vegas area. If you're flying to or through Vegas, there could be some issues today as far as the airports are concerned.
How about this little pink on the map. Haven't had that since last spring. Winter storm warnings are posted for the Sierra Nevadas. It can see over 10 inches in some spots, above 7,000 feet, but it's going to be gusty winds as well. A couple of separate systems coming in a winter-like pattern starting early as the rain season gets going.
In the Pacific Northwest, it doesn't get going in San Francisco and San Diego quite this yet, but we'll take it. The Wasatch of Utah seeing a winter storm watch, so probably be upgraded to a warning at one point. Maybe a foot or more above the 8,000 foot mark there.
Meanwhile, across midsection of the country, windy conditions and warm temperatures. We have record-breaking temperatures in places like Minnesota, with temperatures got into the 80s yesterday. But this windy condition and the dry weather and the warmth, of course, will cause a potential for seeing some - some fires out here. So red flag warning has been posted. There you go with that system.
Meanwhile, same system bringing in gorgeous weather across much of the southeast. Low levels of humidity. Cool, crisp fall nights and mornings followed by warm sunny afternoons - 82 degrees with the high temperature in Memphis; 78 degrees in Atlanta; 63, will get that departing low later on today in New York City; and 75 degrees in Chicago. It should be no weather problems for game four tonight in Detroit.
Guys, back to you.
ROMANS: I like football. He's talking about -
VELSHI: At least he - at least he says game four. He doesn't say the elimination, whatever.
MARCIANO: Yes. It's not the elimination game.
VELSHI: Because there needs to be a game five.
MARCIANO: I tell you what, a five - a five-game series are dangerous. I almost wish they would do seven games.
VELSHI: That's right. All right. Rob, we'll talk to you later. Thanks. Thanks for sticking by my side. I appreciate it.
Now, how does this sound, tighter security and faster moving lines at the airport. Love it. Up next, we're going to tell you about new technology being tested by the TSA.
ROMANS: Plus, Apple about to unveil its new iPhone. So will it be an entirely new device or just a, I don't know, a beefed up version of the iPhone 4? We're going to break down the rumors that are heating up this morning.
Twenty-one minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Welcome back. "Minding Your Business" this morning.
U.S. stock futures are down after another sell-off overseas. Again, on worries Europe's debt crisis is deepening and it's those same fears that pushed the S&P 500 to its lowest level in more than a year yesterday, despite that ongoing crisis in Europe. The majority of economists tell CNNMoney that the euro as a currency will survive. They also predict the euro wouldn't lose any members even though nearly all of them believe Greece will default on its debt.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will most likely be defending the Central Bank's latest short term stimulus to boost the economy when he testifies before Congress this morning. Bernanke will also offer up his outlook for the economy.
A government watchdog reporting Fannie Mae reportedly knew about allegations of improper foreclosure practices as far back as 2003. But according to the report, it wasn't until 2010 that Fannie Mae began to investigate those dubious practices of some law firms. Fannie Mae has not returned CNN's calls for comment this morning.
Today, Apple pulls back the curtain on its latest iPhone and among the rumors bells and whistles, a bigger screen, a faster processor, a better camera and a fancy control system. Well the only sure thing in today's event the new CEO Tim Cook will have the honor of introducing this new gadget.
The minimum wage rates in eight states are set to increase in the next year. They are Colorado, Montana, Ohio, Washington and Oregon, all announced increases already. The bumps range from 28 to 37 cents an hour that translates to an annual raise between $582 and $770. Arizona, Florida and Vermont will announce new rates in the next few weeks.
Don't forget for the very latest news about your money, check out the all-new CNNMoney.com.
AMERICAN MORNING will be right back after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Your top stories this morning.
Amanda Knox on her way home to Seattle today one day after a jury in Italy threw out her murder conviction. She reportedly boarded a plane in Rome earlier this morning and will pick up a connecting in London.
One of her supporters says the first thing Knox wants to do when she gets home is lie down in a green field.
VELSHI: ESPN is yanking the famous Monday Night Football Open featuring Hank Williams Jr. after the singer compared President Obama to Hitler yesterday on FOX News. He also drew another analogy but his math on that one was a little off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANK WILLIAMS, JR., SINGER: They're the enemy. They're the enemy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's the enemy?
WILLIAMS: Obama! And Biden. Are you kidding? The three stooges.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Who's the third one?
VELSHI: That was - that was good. I like that.
ESPN skipped over the intro without mentioning the controversy. Williams saying his comments were misunderstood. His apology, whatever it was, he issued, a little convoluted.
As a guessing man, I would say there's going to be another one of those forthcoming that's a little clear that actually says, "I'm sorry."
ROMANS: All right, President Obama is pressing Congress to vote on his jobs plan so he can sign it by Halloween. The House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is rejecting the president's call for a vote calling his all or nothing approach for the legislation unreasonable.
VELSHI: It's beginning to look a lot like Christie. The New Jersey governor said to be on the verge of deciding whether to enter the Republican race for president. That decision may hinge on his constant, his wife, Mary Pat Christie.
Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, "Washington Post" writer, Ann Gerhart said, she looked like an ideal running mate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANN GERHART, "WASHINGTON POST" SENIOR WRITER: She seems to be outspoken and seems to be engaged and if you are going to run for president of the United States, whether you are a man or a woman, you'd better have a partner who is fully committed and will support you every step of the way, because the job is tough enough without having that support.
So I think she becomes an asset and I think she also can appear to -- I think the American people really like to see that there is a spouse backing up that principle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Sources say to expect a decision from Christie within 48 hours. The deadline is actually for some of the early primaries and caucuses are coming up in the middle of October.
ROMANS: The dinner table conversation, deciding whether to put your family through that scrutiny? I mean, it's a big deal.
All right, happy iPhone day. Happy iPhone day! Today, Apple expected to unveil its newest version of the iPhone. No one really knows exactly what the new iPhone is going to look like, but, of course, the tech blogs are blowing up with rumors and anticipation. So we broke down fact from fiction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS (voice-over): The last time we saw a new iPhone was June 2010.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're introducing iPhone 4, the fourth generation iPhone.
ROMANS: An instant hit. Apple sold more than 1.7 million iPhone 4s in the first three days. Analysts now predict sales of its new version to shatter that selling 1.7 million in just one day.
Rumored to be called the iPhone 5, the only official hint we've had from Apple is the invite to today's announcement with the words, "Let's Talk iPhone."
While Apple remains tight-lipped about details, they did have an all too familiar slipup in June.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An Apple employee once again appears to have lost an unreleased iPhone in a bar, which is just pretty much what happened last year.
ROMANS: Since then the buzz around the newest iPhone has exploded. So what do we know or think we know? Expected to go on sale later this month, the new iPhone is rumored to cost around $200 with a two-year service contract.
Only Verizon and AT&T have the iPhone now, but the "Wall Street Journal" reports that Sprint Nextel has reached an agreement with Apple and will buy $20 billion worth of iPhones over the next four years.
The blog gives reports the phone will be skinnier, shorter, and wider. It may also have a teardrop back, meaning it's fatter at the top than the bottom, that's according to the blog "This is my Next." There's also talk of an upgraded camera, new voice recognition softward and apple unveiling not one, but two iPhones, the second being a cheaper phone with less storage.
But we do know whatever Apple announces, diehard Apple fans will line up in droves to open their wallets.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right, the other mystery surrounding today's announcement is around Apple's leadership. Will Apple's former CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs make an appearance? He stepped out as CEO in August after a medical leave of absence handing over the company to the new CEO Tim Cook.
This is Cook's first product announcement. No one expects him to have the same kind of charisma as Jobs, but he has a lot of respect in his performance. We'll be watching pretty closely.
VELSHI: You know, he is the new CEO right after Steve Jobs. That's enough of a weight on his shoulders. I would think that if Steve Jobs was to show up, it detracts from the idea that Tim Cook's got to be able to run this company.
ROMANS: Yes.
VELSHI: You know, there's been a lot of stuff written about him that he's an ideas guy. He's really a strong leader and I think sort of takes away from it if Steve Jobs does show up.
ROMANS: We don't know the health of Steve Jobs either. We don't know if he can, will, or will be able to, but I will say one thing, Tim Cook is now the CEO of the company.
This weekend, I was in Philly with you, actually. I went to an Apple store to get a charger for an iPad, place was packed. There is no recession in an Apple store, and Tim Cook is now the CEO.
VELSHI: And any hour that they are open.
ROMANS: Yes.
VELSHI: All right, drivers in San Diego, California are being told to look out for a gunman considered to be, quote, "very danger dangerous."
According to a police, a man has been shooting at people according along Interstate 805. At least one person has been hit, but his injuries are not life threatening.
Police released this picture of a person of interest overnight. He's identified as a Hispanic adult male, black hair, brown eyes, 5'8", 190 pounds.
ROMANS: For some reason he is not wearing a shirt.
VELSHI: Shirtless. He might be wearing a shirt.
ROMANS: The EPA testing for possible toxic vapors after this inferno erupted at a chemical plant outside Dallas yesterday. Massive plumes of black smokes pouring from this plant forcing the evacuation of schools and neighborhoods all around. You can see this from 50 miles away. It happened as workers inside were mixing chemicals. The plant says all of its employees are safe this morning. The EPA told CNN that said initial ground level air tests don't yet show any contaminated or elevated levels of chemicals.
VELSHI: I like the story. The TSA plans to test out some new technology at U.S. airports next year. They'll be installing machines that match a traveller's boarding pass with their passport or driver's license while making sure both are authentic. TSA officials say the devices could improve security and speed up lines at airport checkpoints.
ROMANS: And a busy North London street is about to become hands- free. The street is looking near a synagogue. Members of the Jewish community requested a button-free pedestrian crossing because work is banned on the Sabbath. And that included the use of electric devices. Starting in December, worshippers will able to cross the street without lifting a finger.
VELSHI: All right, still ahead, it's been called liquid cocaine. Black out in a can, Alco Pop. Now the company, Four Loco, which we've talked about a lot on this show, is adding a new warning label to its drinks. One can of this and you're more than half way through a six pack. We'll tell you about that on the other side. It's 36 after the hour.
ROMANS: And what does it mean to be a man? Can you answer that question in 500 pages? Our friend, Bill Bennett give it is a shot. He'll be here to talk about the new book, "The World of Politics" and what it means to be a man in America today. It's 37 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Good morning, New York City, mostly cloudy now. A chilly early October, 51, showers later and 63. Welcome fall.
And welcome back. To hear Bill Bennett tell it, America has a man problem. What exactly does he mean by that? How much time do you have? But seriously, Bennett has written a book to address what he believes is a cultural crisis.
It's called "The Book of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood." Bill Bennett joins us now. What is the problem with men right now?
WILLIAM BENNETT, AUTHOR, "THE BOOK OF MAN": High achieving women. It's true.
ROMANS: We're moving up the ladder.
BENNETT: And that's good. We said, what, 30 years ago, 40 years ago, you go, girl, and they did. You did, and you went.
ROMANS: She doesn't want to get married right away. She wants to make her own money first. BENNETT: She doesn't feel she needs to and it turns out when she doesn't get married right away, in her 20s or late 20s, it's worse for the guys than for her.
ROMANS: Why?
BENNETT: Because the decline of the marriage rate seems to have hurt the men more. In marriage, men work harder, they are more responsible. They behave better. Women seem to behave pretty well inside a marriage and outside a marriage.
Men need marriage perhaps more than women, despite what traditional conventional wisdom said. What we're seeing now is the first generation history coming into adulthood, where women have more education, more achievement and more ambition than men.
And they're leaving men in the dust, but it's not something that -- some men in the dust -- it's not something that a lot of women, even feminist are celebrating because they would like to see better men, stronger men, more responsible.
ROMANS: It could just be a relative trajectory. For example, men ruled for so long, right? Almost the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Now women have started to move up, but men have been caught behind. They have less to improve.
BENNETT: Well, yes. You're comparing 40,000 years to 40 years.
ROMANS: All right.
BENNETT: Look at -- what was done in 40 years. The question, is this a long-term trend? And without the kind of lessons and without the kind of internalization of the things that men need to learn, will men continue along this path?
It just looks as if men need more work. One of the things that structures men's lives is marriage. Another thing is faith, religion and another one is commitment to work. If you -- there's eight of data in the book, but maybe the most important data is to talk to young women in their 20s about men.
ROMANS: And what do they say?
BENNETT: Xbox, what's wrong with them. I mean, I understand an hour a day, but why four hours a day? They talk about boy men. They talk about baby men. They talk about men failing to make a commitment.
Now there are great men around in American society, but they're not in oversupply and the women I think are the first people to testify to that.
ROMANS: Well, I'm raising three of those little men. I'm trying to - I'm reading with interest. There's something that caught my attention in the introduction. Increasingly the message is to boys about what it means to be a man is confusing, the machismo of the street gang calls out with a swagger, video games, television and music offered dubious lesson to boys who have been abandoned by their fathers.
Gay culture often parades itself in a flamboyant display and challenges traditional masculinity. Men have really been threatened by gangs, video games and gay culture?
BENNETT: What it's been is confused. There used to be a fairly unified notion of what it means to be a man, what it means to be a good man, a civilized man and now there are many different cultures.
ROMANS: And you mean that in a noble way?
BENNETT: No, of course. The kind of man a woman would like to raise. As my wife says, I'm raising the kind of sons I would want to marry, which is probably what you're going to want him to do. So, no, it's not machismo.
ROMANS: Clearly, just trying to get them out of diapers, and I'll raise them further.
BENNETT: But if you don't have the men in there with that civilizing influence, reaching toward a good and humane ideal of manhood, you're going to have retrograde forms. You're going to have the nasty macho stuff.
ROMANS: You've included excerpts of famous speeches, poems, written profiles of people that you think are good examples of men. Is there anyone campaigning for the Republican nomination who would be in this book someday?
BENNETT: Many of them. How about Herman Cain? I mean, that's a great story. It's a great story of his rise to success overcoming cancer, turning around companies.
ROMANS: What about --
BENNETT: Another American success story, Barack Obama is an American success story. You know, I don't agree with a lot of what Obama said, but the night he was elected he said, only in America.
It's a great story. Chris Christie, that's what you're after? Chris Christie? I don't know. I don't think anybody knows. But I think if he does run, it's going to be a tough road.
ROMANS: You know, it might come down to the woman in his life who helps him make this decision, Mary Pat, his wife. I mean, that's a tough thing for a family to decide to jump into all of that scrutiny when he has said, no way.
BENNETT: Christine, anybody who looks at these debates, the first three or four, five debates and wants to get in this, has want to really want to do it. I mean, these things are treasures. People are just getting beat up and beating up each other. It's tough business, but he's a tough guy. We'll see.
ROMANS: We have a long way to go. Really still have a year to go.
BENNETT: We have a long way to go.
ROMANS: Bill Bennett. The book is called "The Book of Man, Reading son the Path to Manhood." Another great read.
Thanks you so much. Good to see you this morning.
BENNETT: Thank you very much. Good to see you.
ROMANS: Thanks for getting up so early with us.
Morning headlines next, including a check of the early morning markets.
Also today's "Roman's Numeral," 57. 57 every minute. Here's a hint. We're not comparing apples to oranges here.
Forty-five minutes after the hour.
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VELSHI: 47 minutes after the hour. Here are your morning headlines.
If the markets overseas are an indication, we could be in for another rough day. Right now, U.S. stock futures are down. Europe and Asia are also lower on worries Europe's debt crisis is deepening.
Two Americans and an Australian have just been awarded this year's Nobel Prize for physics. Americans, Saul Perlmutter and Adam Riess, and Australian Brian Schmidt, won for their work on distant super novas.
Jury selection begins this morning in the trial of a Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a passenger plane with a bomb in his underwear. Umar Farouk Abdelmutallab intends to represent himself. Prosecutors say he tried to detonate the underwear bomb on Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas day 2009.
The E.R. physician who declared Michael Jackson dead taking the stand at the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray. She testified that Michael Jackson's personal physician failed to tell her that the singer had the drug Propofol in his system. But even if she had had that information, she said it was too late to save the king of pop.
Amanda Knox expected back on U.S. soil today. The freed U.S. student had her murder conviction overturned in an Italian court yesterday. She reportedly boarded a plane in Rome earlier this morning and will connect to Seattle through London.
ESPN yanking the famous "Monday Night Football" open during Hank Williams Jr after the singer compared President Obama to Hitler yesterday. Williams saying his comments were misunderstood.
Chris Christie expected to announce whether he'll run for president sometime within the next 48 hour. According to a source, the New Jersey governor has discussed a White House bid with his family and he's on the verge of announcing his intentions.
Hawaii's favorite pastime going varsity. For the first time, surfing is about to become an official sport in the state.
That's the news you need to start your day. AMERICAN MORNING is back after the break.
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VELSHI: It's 48 degrees in Atlanta right now. It was sort of like that yesterday morning, but then, it will get to normal Atlanta weather. Go up to 79 degrees. Yesterday it was just a cold day.
ROMANS: It's colder in Atlanta than here.
VELSHI: Kind of everywhere. I think it is not going to get to 79. Yes, it's colder now. Look at that beautiful sun.
ROMANS: This morning's Roman's Numeral, Ali, a number in the news today. I want to see if you can figure it out. It's 57. I'll give you a hint. It's 57 every minute.
VELSHI: That's nothing to do with gold.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: It's the number of iPhones sold. Every minute, 57 iPhones are sold. Iphone has been on sale a little over four years and that translates to about 82,000 iPhones every day. 82,000 a day.
VELSHI: Wow.
ROMANS: I can't think of anything else that would sell that fast.
VELSHI: Other than consumables. Food may sell.
ROMANS: Right, right, right.
VELSHI: But a device?
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: That just gives you -- just a way to kind of quantify for you --
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: -- the phenomenon that is Apple.
VELSHI: And that's been the average since it's been introduced in 2007.
ROMANS: Yes.
VELSHI: I think whenever the new that they announces goes on sale --
ROMANS: Boom. Yes.
VELSHI: -- all of a sudden, you get this big surge, again.
All right, it's time for your "A.M. House Call." It's been called a blackout in a can. Now the maker of Four Loko says it's changing its labels to show that one can contain as much alcohol as four or five cans of beer.
ROMANS: Wow.
VELSHI: The Federal Trade Commission had accused the drink maker of deceptive advertising. Last year, the company also took caffeine out of its mix after claims that Four Loko was linked to the deaths of several teenagers. Caffeine in four or five cans of beer in one can. Wow.
ROMANS: Blackout in a can.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: Is that equivalent to liquid cocaine or something?
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: All right, music to your ears. How about music for your ears? A news study from Psychology and Aging says playing instruments could help keep your hearing young because it protects the brain's ability to detect and process sound. The study found that a 70-year- old musician's hearing was as good as a 50-year-old who did not play.
VELSHI: That's interesting.
And some would rather run out of oxygen first. A new report predicts that chocolate could become a luxury item if West Africa's temperatures rise because of climate change. The world's $9 billion chocolate industry gets almost half of its cocoa from farmers in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The study says even a temperature shift of 4.5 degrees by the year 2050, 4.5 degrees by the year 2050 could wipe out the crop.
ROMANS: Crisis.
VELSHI: Wow.
ROMANS: Eating healthy makes sense on so many levels. And now it could be a simple way for expectant moms to battle birth defects. A new study says mothers with quality diets have fewer problems.
Senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is here to explain.
I guess, Elizabeth, this makes sense. If you are healthy and have a well-balanced nutrition, that must be a boon for prenatal health.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, because everything you eat, Christine, your baby eats. That's especially important during those first few months when all the vital structures are being developed. So the study looked at 10,000 women in the United States and what they found women with a healthier diet were less likely to have babies with things like spinal bifida or a cleft pallet, those kinds of birth defects.
Now, of course, the big questions is, what exactly do you mean by a healthy diet. So take a look. We sort of broke it down for what it means for a pregnant woman to eat healthy. The women with the lower risks of babies with birth defects, they were eating healthy grains, the whole grains, lots of fruits and vegetables, and lots of foods with folate, iron and calcium, so things like fortified breakfast cereals and foods high in iron, foods high in calcium, like dairy. Now, they were eating fewer sweets and fewer fatty foods.
Now, I want to say this, as a mom, because I know when you're pregnant, you go crazy and try to do everything perfectly. Even if you eat just like I said just now, even if you eat a perfect diet, you can still have a baby with these birth defects. And you should not blame yourself. This is all about risks. Women who eat a healthy diet were less likely to have babies with these birth defects. For example, they were one-fifth less likely to have a baby with spinal bifida. It didn't mean that it took care of the problem entirely. It just lowered the risk.
Christine?
Ali?
VELSHI: Well, I'm the outlier in this conversation, because I've never been pregnant.
(LAUGHTER)
Although, at times, I had cravings for food that would suggest that I am.
ROMANS: Although, every time I've been pregnant, you have eaten just like me.
VELSHI: Right. And that's what I was going to say. My one thing about, boy, it would be fun to be pregnant because I would just eat with impunity.
(LAUGHTER)
Could I have -- let's just take this off of me for a second.
(LAUGHTER) Can one use the supplements that are often recommended for pregnant women, like folate acid and things like that? Do they help or do that in concert with eating a healthy diet?
COHEN: Ali, it's all about the concert. For someone who has never been pregnant, you really did nail it. It is all about --
(LAUGHTER)
It is all about doing all of these things. It's crucial for a woman to have a prenatal supplement that has that folate in the beginning stages of pregnancy, especially. So what you want to do is take that supplement and eat healthy. Either on its own is not as good as both together.
ROMANS: Every time I went to the vending machine for a Snickers, Ali was right behind me.
VELSHI: That's right. I was being supportive.
ROMANS: I know. And I appreciate it. I really do.
VELSHI: I was like shadow pregnancy, for me, all three times.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: Bottom line though, tell us what pregnant woman should be eating. Snickers are not on the list.
COHEN: Right. Snickers are definitely not on the list.
You know, it's funny, Christine, people have written books on how to eat a healthy diet, not just for pregnancy but for everything that -- you know, book shelves are filled with these tombs. I am going to give you the Elizabeth Cohen "Empowered Patient," one-screen diet. It's just one TV screen of basically what you need to know, which is everyone, including pregnant women, should be eating vegetables, fruit, whole grains and lean protein and dairy. So not the steaks with all the fat on it, lean protein. Things like skim milk, other kinds of lean dairy, and eat less fats and sweets. So that's it. You heard it here from the "Empowered Patient." You don't need to spend all that money buying those diet books. Those are the basics.
VELSHI: I feel like Elizabeth sent me an e-mail with that before just for me.
(LAUGHTER)
And there was no risk of me being pregnant.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: Thanks. Good to see you.
COHEN: Good to see you.
ROMANS: In her book, "Empowered Patients," she points out that no matter what, those are the kinds of things you should be eating.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: Pregnant or healthy or otherwise, because that's what will make you healthy. And --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: And one day, I'll get the message.
ROMANS: All right.
VELSHI: Our top stories when we return. Also ahead, former Guns 'N' Roses bassist-turned-investment guru, Duff McKagan joins us, live.
Fifty-six minutes after the hour.
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