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American Morning
Deadly Chopper Crash in NYC ; Madoff Victims Get First Checks; State of the 2012 Race; Consulting Dr. Google; Civil Rights Versus Tribal Rights
Aired October 05, 2011 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Carol Costello.
Now that Chris Christie is officially out of the picture, many Republican leaders say it's time to rally around one candidate. Can the GOP agree on who that candidate should be?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: And piggy banks.
I'm Christine Romans.
One of the nation's biggest banks is hitting customers with a higher fee, just so you can use your own money. How you can beat the fee on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(MUSIC)
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. It is Wednesday, October the 5th.
COSTELLO: Up first this morning: federal investigators will exam every single inch of the private helicopter that crashed into New York's East River. The chopper was carrying three passengers, three were rescued from the water, one did not make it. She was trapped in the sunken wreckage.
ROMANS: There have been numerous crashes in New York waters in recent years. Earlier, we asked the NTSB's Mark Rosekind if they will be looking at that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK ROSEKIND, NTSB: Focus not only on what happened, but why. Because our mission really is to determine why so we can issue safety recommendations so it doesn't happen, again. We're going to focus on this investigation. But in that context, we'll look for similar incidents that have occurred. And, in fact, if we find something that's an issue now, we will issue urgent recommendations to try and address that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: CNN's Jason Carroll joins us now live from the scene on Manhattan's east side. There's actually been, you know, a couple dozen of these accidents over the past 20 or 30 years, Jason. This one is just the latest here. Hi.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you, Christine.
Well, the NTSB has already begun their investigation. They've already interviewed the pilot, Paul Dudley. They'll be re- interviewing him again today.
Another point that will help them with their investigation -- yesterday, early evening, they were able to retrieve the helicopter. We have some shots of that. That Bell 206 Jet Ranger pulled from the East River mostly intact. So, that's going to help with the investigation, as well.
I want to recap exactly what happened. The trouble starting just before 3:30, at about 3:22 yesterday afternoon. That's when the pilot, Paul Dudley, had just taken off. He almost immediately reported that he was having trouble with the aircraft, trouble with altitude.
And witnesses then saying that the chopper spun around and within moments, it crashed into the East River, turned on to its side and sank. Three passengers and the pilot, Paul Dudley, were able to be rescued. But one woman, Sonia Marra, a 40-year-old from Sydney, Australia, was trapped in the back seat and she did not survive. She was killed in the crash.
This morning, Christine, I spoke to two representatives from the Office of Emergency Management. They just happened to be in the area and they were two of the first responders who got here on the scene and they described what they saw and what they did.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANK MCCARTON, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF OPERATIONS NYC OEM: When we arrived, there was a helicopter with two men holding on to the skids.
WESS DOSKOCIL, FIELD RESPONDER NYC OEM: I was able to run out to the helipad and deploy some of the safety devices that are at the heliport, from the crew that was already here. I was able to deploy it out to the individual who was about 20 yards out and then I had to climb down unto the pylons and lay down on my chest to try to bring the man in so I could get underneath him so he wouldn't sink and try to push his jacket. It kept coming off. He had lost all the fight to try and save himself.
So, myself and the deputy commissioner and a police officer were able to try to hoist him out of the water, bring him up and give him to EMS.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CARROLL: Number of first responders that just happen to be in the area who were helping with the rescue. I want to talk a little bit more about the victim, Sonia Marra, from Sydney, Australia. She was here with her partner, who was also in the helicopter, her mother and her stepfather, as well as the pilot.
They knew the pilot. They were here for a tour of the city, obviously, that ended in tragedy.
This morning, I also had the opportunity to speak with a representative from the National Transportation Safety Board to talk a little bit more, Christine, about what will be happening today with the investigation. In addition to re-interviewing the pilot, Paul Dudley, they were also going to be looking at videotape of what happened. In addition to that, they're going to start the process of examining the helicopter to try to get a cause of exactly what went wrong here yesterday -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right, Jason Carroll.
And, of course, Carolyn Maloney, the congresswoman that represents that district, that part of Manhattan she says, frankly, too many of these accidents and she'd like a big investigation.
Jason, thanks so much.
VELSHI: As soon as that helicopter went down in the East River, a group of New York's finest and bravest sprung into action.
Our next guests were among the first on the scene. From the left of your screen, Lieutenant Lawrence Serras, Detective Keith Connolly, both with NYPD's emergency service unit, Officer Jason Gregory and Detective Kenneth Fehn with the NYPD's scuba unit.
Gentlemen, thank you for being here. Thank you for your fast work.
This is the stuff that we all hope happens. You know, you sprung into action while there was a tragic outcome to this. You sprung into action.
You were there conducting a counterterrorism exercise nearby. Tell me what happened.
LT. LAWRENCE SERRAS, NYPD EMERGENCY SERVICE UNIT: We were actually over on the west side conducting Hercules counterterrorism operation when we heard the call transmitted over the radio.
VELSHI: How far are you from where the accident happened?
SERRAS: We were in an equivalent location north and south, but over on the west side.
VELSHI: Right. So, you speed over, what happened then?
SERRAS: When we arrived on the scene we saw people pointing to the exact location and we had to shed all our heavy tactical gear and secure it safely, and we made it to the water's edge and it was clear that we had to go in.
VELSHI: Detective Connelly, you did the same thing. What was your sense when you got there? You saw the helicopter?
DET. KEITH CONNELLY, NYPD EMERGENCY SERVICE UNIT: We saw the helicopter and we saw the victims in the water. As previously mentioned, there were life rings already deployed in the water, so we just took our boots off, our gun belts off, and we used that equipment that was already provided because we had none of our equipment there with us.
VELSHI: So, something had started. By the time you got there, there were some people who were evolved. You probably, as we saw on TV, you'd started to see some boats gathering in the area.
CONNELLY: Sure.
VELSHI: Officer Gregory, you are with the scuba unit. Tell me how you got to the scene and what first happened?
PO JASON GREGORY, NYPD SCUBA UNIT: I first got to the scene and I was with the aviation unit, deployed out of air-sea rescue. Me and my partner, we swam, we found a pretty good location. When the rest of the scuba team came, we deployed a pattern line and two divers before us found the helicopter. And me and my partner, Detective Fehn, went down and penetrated the helicopter and recovered the victim.
VELSHI: What was the water like at that point? Was it, looked pretty murky when you just look into the East River?
GREGORY: It was anywhere from maybe zero to four feet of visibility.
VELSHI: Wow.
GREGORY: It was pretty dark for about 40 feet down. So, it's not much ambulant light gets down.
VELSHI: Detective Fehn, you went in with Officer Gregory. At that point, the others that have gotten out were out, the other four people. You found the victim who didn't make it out in the helicopter.
DET. KENNETH FEHN, NYPD SCUBA UNIT: That is correct, yes.
VELSHI: What were your thoughts, obviously, at that point? You knew you were looking for one more person?
FEHN: Before we went in, we were told there was one more person, a female. Of course, when you're looking for somebody you know who has passed, it's a little nerve wracking but you want to get the job done as quickly as possible. And when we found out, the helicopter was already found, so it made our job easier, go right to the door, we found the victim floating upside down on the floor.
VELSHI: When you went in at that point, did you know the last person you were looking for wasn't alive?
FEHN: Generally speaking, yes. And I have been doing this for quite a while. Having been down that long, I would say so, yes.
VELSHI: So, Officer Gregory, I mean, on one hand, we're grateful for the first response from the first responders that were there, but it gives you mixed feelings at some point that a few of them got saved and somebody lost their lives.
GREGORY: Yes. I mean, we're always hoping that one chance they had a spare air or something down there.
VELSHI: But you go in looking, you got to do what you got to do.
Lieutenant Serras, what is this sense of -- you know, you've been hearing it on the forces, we have on the news, of these helicopter incidents that have happened sporadically over the years. Does it strike you as unusual or sort of averaging about one a year for the last 30 years?
SERRAS: Unfortunately, in borough of Manhattan, it's becoming not too unusual.
VELSHI: You have a particular thing that goes through your mind when you hear it's a helicopter down in a river? Is there a course of action? Is there something that you specifically do?
CONNELLY: We respond to it just like every other job. Obviously, this is going to be a larger scale. But we operate and we deploy the same as we would if it was just one person in the water.
VELSHI: And even though we have particular specialties like these two guys over here. You guys got there and just sort of took off your belts and, you know, got down and got into the water.
CONNELLY: Exactly. They just experienced a helicopter crash and they're struggling in the water. There's no time to wait. We improvised what we had and we went out and did what we could do.
VELSHI: All right. You're heroes all of you. Thank you for doing what you did and continuing your hard work.
Lieutenant Lawrence Serras, Detective Keith Connelly, Police Officer Jason Gregory and Detective Kenneth Fehn -- thank you to all of you.
ROMANS: All right. Still ahead, they have no fear. A pair of 200-pound mountain lions get to close for comfort.
COSTELLO: That is scary.
And Apple's new iPhone news. Is it a revolution or a bitter disappointment? We've got the tech buzz for you. ROMANS: And singer Hank Williams Jr. has -- he's got more to say about his Hitler/Obama analogy.
It's nine minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Wow, talk about your gorgeous day. Good morning, Washington. It's fair right now and 56. But you're headed to 75 degrees and the sun will shine.
ROMANS: All right. Just when it looked like Americans couldn't be more disgusted, disgruntled and disturbed with their elected officials, they have. Take a look at the latest "Washington Post"/ABC News poll.
When asked how Congress is handling its job, 82 percent of Americans disapprove. That's the highest disapproval rating for Congress in more than two decades of polling by the network and newspaper.
VELSHI: Wow.
ROMANS: And you know what else? They also noticed the mail and the phone calls to Washington are up hundreds of percent because people are weighing in.
COSTELLO: Well, good for them. They should express their anger.
VELSHI: I don't know how you two feel but tech geeks across the country are disappointed with Apple's announcement yesterday. The apple iPhone 4S as opposed to the 5, which a lot of people thought it was going to be.
It looks exactly like the current iPhone, it is faster and it's got this new feature that allows users to ask the phone questions and get answers.
The boys of late night were a little underwhelmed, as well. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
JIMMY KIMMEL, COMEDIAN: The Apple Corporation had a major media event from the headquarters in northern California this morning to introduce their brand-new iPhone 4S. Basically, the iPhone 4S, it has a better camera, a faster processor. And I think the coolest new feature is the app that helps you forget that two months ago, you spent $500 on a phone that is now obsolete.
JIMMY FALLON, COMEDIAN: President Obama revealed that Steve Jobs gave him an iPad last year before it was released. Unfortunately, it broke when Biden thought it was an etch-a-sketch and started shaking it. It was like, Joe, put it down, Joe.
CRAIG FERGUSON, COMEDIAN: I was expecting the iPhone 5, but, no. It's the upgraded version of the iPhone 4. It's called the iPhone 4S and the think the S stands for suckers.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
ROMANS: Couldn't they have just called it the 5?
VELSHI: No, no, no. If they called it the 5, and it had these few improvements, then you'd have the tech geeks of the world saying --
ROMANS: But it got 60 percent more pixels in the picture. It's got this personal assistant named Siri or whatever.
COSTELLO: It talks to you, Ali.
VELSHI: The iPhone 3 cooked you breakfast and got you a date. Actually, I think the iPhone 1 got you a date.
ROMANS: The iPhone 5 will get you a job. That's --
VELSHI: That's right. That would be good.
COSTELLO: Yes. That would be cool.
VELSHI: All right. Well, the iPhone 4s, by the way, goes on sale in nine days. Sprint will have it. Verizon has it. And AT&T stores will have it as well.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about Hank Williams Jr., shall we?
VELSHI: Let's
COSTELLO: Let's talk about Hank Williams, because he's saying, hey, I'm sorry. He's saying I'm sorry again if he offended anyone. He is now apologizing for that Hitler/President Obama analogy he made on Fox News.
VELSHI: The last one wasn't really an apology.
COSTELLO: No.
VELSHI: It was kind of just an explanation.
COSTELLO: And it was done by the PR department, and he wanted to put one out, you know, himself.
VELSHI: Right.
COSTELLO: ESPN, as you might know, yanked his iconic "are you ready for some football" opening from Monday night football after his remark (ph), but, let's play, again, what got him into so much hot water.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANK WILLIAMS, JR., MUSICIAN: Do you remember the golf game they had, ladies and gentlemen? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WILLIAMS: Remember the golf game? That was one of the biggest political mistakes ever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
WILLIAMS: That turned a lot of people off. You know, watching -- you know, it just didn't go over.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You mean when John Boehner played golf with President Obama?
WILLIAMS: Oh, yes. Yes. And Biden and Kasich, yes. Aha.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did you not like about it? It seems to be a really pivotal moment for you.
WILLIAMS: Come on. Come on. It'd be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu. 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 VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: I can't get over he said three instead of two.
VELSHI: Right. So, he apologized for the first part. We're not clear on -- he hasn't apologized for his bad math.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: He has not issued a statement to the stooges apologizing for any reference to them and politician --
COSTELLO: Now, seriously, he has issued a personal apology, and I'm going to read it right now.
VELSHI: OK. Go ahead.
COSTELLO: "The thought of the leaders of both parties jukin on a high fiven on a golf course while so many families are struggling to get by simply maybe boil over and make a dumb statement, and I'm very sorry if I offended anyone. I would like to thank all my supporters, and by the way, this was not written by some publicist."
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: That's the best line in the thing. This was not written by --
ROMANS: With the fact that a celebrity statement, you have to put that on the bottom because the assumption is, of course, that --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: The first statement he put out did seem a little finessed and a little, you know, as one of those, sometimes, these things are just better to say, hey, I didn't mean to say that. It came it mind, live interview. I shouldn't have said it. I'm still a little hung up on the three stooges thing.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Well, it would be interesting to see if ESPN sticks by its guns, and --
VELSHI: Right.
COSTELLO: And you know --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: A lot of things are made better with -- they're improved by an apology.
ROMANS: I know. I mean, look, America loves redemption.
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: You know, apologize and move on. People make mistakes all the time. People get caught up in the moment. I mean, he's a celebrity. He's not a political analyst.
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: You know, that's just the way it is. All right. Rob Marciano --
COSTELLO: He's a nice person.
VELSHI: Rob Marciano doesn't make mistakes in his weather forecast.
(LAUGHTER)
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Never. Come on! Come on!
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: Good morning, again, guys.
Hey, listen, one thing we're not going to make a mistake on is the fact that the weather pattern has changed for the northeast. That's the good thing. Boy, it's been almost two weeks of just showery, cool, unsettled stuff across the northeast, and now, we're starting to get rid of that and get some of this nice hair (ph) that parts of the Ohio River Valley and the southeast has been dealing with.
Fire threat in the midsection of the country and we're looking at, well, a decent amount of rain and snow out west. Temperature in the midsection, 85 in Memphis, 86 degrees in Minneapolis. Pierce, South Dakota yesterday got over 90 degrees. So, that's toasty air there, and some of that will eventually get out towards the east coast.
But the winds will keep travel some delays across the northeast, but San Francisco is really going to be the hot spot for seeing travel delays today. Very strong system rolling into Northern California, the pacific northwest and all the way down to Southern California, as well. And some of this is bringing with it a decent amount of rain and snow above the 6,000-foot mark.
We've got the winter storm warnings that have now been issued for parts of Colorado and Utah. We could see a foot and a half in some of these spots, and as mentioned, the warm, dry winds across the midsection of the country, potential for seeing a fire threat there today. The Bastrop fire in Texas kind of reignited yesterday, but a lot of resources left over from the original fire where they're able to get a decent handle on it there.
By the way, the cool air will be filtering in across the northeast tonight. Temperatures tomorrow in the 20s and 30s. All right. We take you to Southern California. Sierra Madre where these two felines were found in somebody's backyard. How would you like to wake up to that in the middle of the night and see these two 180 pounders staring right at you.
COSTELLO: I would not like that.
MARCIANO: I mean, they're cool looking cats. That's for sure.
ROMANS: Cool cats.
MARCIANO: They can be dangerous. So, police came and shooed them back up the mountain where they belong.
COSTELLO: Shooed them, not shoot them.
MARCIANO: Yes. Shoo. Shoo. Shoo them
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: OK.
ROMANS: Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: We'll see you tomorrow, guys.
ROMANS: Bye, Rob.
MARCIANO: Bye.
COSTELLO: Now is your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, could Occupy Wall Street be the dawn of a liberal Tea Party? Ever since the dawn of the Tea Party, liberal activists have yearned for a revolution of their own. Example, Michael Moore, who is hungry for a mass movement and how better to like create that than by railing against Wall Street.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: This is the end result of these bankers overplaying their hand. They were already filthy rich, but filthy rich wasn't enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Moore is lending his celebrity to the movement and paying to help protesters expand the use of social media. With the help of Twitter and Facebook, the movement has spread to other cities. Hundreds of people have been arrested.
And though, we see them dressed like zombies and often with confusing messages, they're also attracting some powerful allies, including a half dozen unions who will march on New York City Hall today. So, when you combine clout, money, and anger at the powers that be, it kind of sounds like the start of something, although, protesters don't see themselves as political animals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TYLER COMBELIC, OCCUPY WALL STREET: We don't want to be, you know, a left political group. We don't want to be a political group at all. We want to be, you know, a group that just calls for activism. Ideally, you know, if this continues to grow and more people get involved, suddenly, people will have the same power that, you know, lobbyists have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Heads up, Wall Street. Even FoxNews.com says this could be more than just another loony protest movement from the left. So, the "Talk Back" question for you today, could Occupy Wall Street be the dawn of a liberal Tea Party? Facebook.com/americanmorning. Facebook.com/americanmorning. I'll read your comments later this hour. ROMANS: Costumes are very different at this one than the Tea Party costumes. You know, the zombies.
COSTELLO: More of a variety.
VELSHI: Yes. (INAUDIBLE). The tea party ones, they had a lot of colonial-type costumes and then a bunch of guys who looked like they were militia.
ROMANS: That's right.
VELSHI: They used to have those.
ROMANS: The civil war re-enactors.
VELSHI: Yes. ROMANS: Those guys, too.
All right. Up next, more bank fees. Fresh off the news at Bank of America adding, oh yes, you guessed it, a $5 monthly fee on debit card transactions. Citibank is upping their charges.
VELSHI: So, how do you avoid this if you're a smart consumer? Christine has some ideas. Some tips and tricks for beating the new bank fees coming up next. It's 22 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: It's 26 minutes after the hour. "Minding Your Business" this morning.
In Athens, Greece, police are out right now in full riot gear as thousands take to the streets. It's part of a 24-hour strike against a new wave of salary and pension cuts, tax hikes, and layoffs. The government says these cuts are needed to avoid bankruptcy.
A global recession can't be ruled out next year. This is the new warning from the International Monetary Fund. The group is also urging Europe this morning to boost stimulus spending.
U.S. stock futures are pointing to a higher open this morning. Nearly 400 points swing on Wall Street help brings S&P back from the brink of a bear market yesterday. That rally fueled in part by Europe's new efforts to prevent a global banking crisis.
Victims of Bernie Madoff are getting their first very checks today. The man in charge of recovering the funds says an estimated $312 million will be distributed today to investors. That represents less than five cents on the dollar, but Irving Picard, that trustee, he says more money will eventually be returned, and there are a lot of Madoff victims who need that money right now.
The bank fees keep on coming. The latest, from Citibank. It announced it will start charging customers with mid-level accounts $20 a month if they don't have a combined $15,000 in all of their accounts. Now, here's some tips to beat the fees. You can switch to a credit union. Seventy-five percent of them don't have any fees at all.
You can find small local banks. You can consolidate your accounts like Citi says you can to avoid that fee. Also, always use in-network ATMs only. That's where you pay most of your fees. Never bounce a check, pay on time, or pay cash if it really ticks you off.
Here's a deal. Earlier this morning, India unwrapped what's been dubbed the world's cheapest computer, while it's actually a tablet, the price tag just, 35 bucks. 35 bucks. The Indian government hopes to, one day, make this computer available to every student in the country.
Still ahead, the state of the 2012 presidential race now without Chris Christie. AMERICAN MORNING back right after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Top stories now. The NTSB is beginning its investigation of a deadly helicopter crash in New York City. The chopper carrying four tourists and a pilot plunged into the East River just after takeoff. One of the passengers was killed. Early on AMERICAN MORNING, we spoke with the NTSB'S Mark Rosekind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK ROSEKIND, NTSB: We're going to collect the factual information. We're fortunate in this situation that the aircraft is mostly intact. So, we'll be looking at the wreckage. Also, the pilot survived. So, he's another source of information really critical for us. All of these will be very important aspects that we're just getting started today looking at all the facts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: He says the NTSB investigators will inspect the chopper wreckage today at a secure facility in Brooklyn where it's now being stored.
COSTELLO: A deadly dust storm being blamed for a series of car crashes north of Tucson, Arizona. Police say drivers had zero visibility on Interstate 10 when the storm kicked up yesterday afternoon. At least 20 vehicles were involved in accidents. One person was killed, 14 others hurt.
ROMANS: And 30 hours after her murder conviction was overturned in Italy, Amanda Knox arrived home in Seattle last night. Tearfully thanking everyone who believed in her during a four-year ordeal in Italy in prison.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANDA KNOX, MURDER CONVICTION OVERTURNED: For me to say is just thank you to everyone who has believed in me, who has defended me, who has supported my family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Knox went on to say she just wants to spend some time with her family now.
VELSHI: New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, has been telling everyone for months that he's not running for president in 2012, and a lot of people just didn't believe him. So, yesterday, he made it official.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R) NEW JERSEY: I explored the options. I've listened to so many people and considered whether this was something that I needed to take on. But in the end, what I've always felt was the right decision remains the right decision today. Now is not my time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: So, with Christie opting out of the 2012 presidential race, a lot of Republican leaders say it's time for the party to rally around one candidate. Herman Cain has been rising in the polls. Mitt Romney has been a steady frontrunner, but is the GOP ready to commit to either of them, and what about Rick Perry?
Let's ask our guests. Joining us here in New York is Maggie Haberman. She's senior political writer for Politico and live from Washington is Jeff Zeleny. He's the national political correspondent for the "New York Times." Thanks to both of you for being here.
Jeff, let's start with you. With Christie out of the race, what's your sense of the field? Is it firmed up now? Is this who we're going to see and how is it going to play from here?
JEFF ZELENY, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": I think the field is set. It's certainly unsettled, but it's hard to imagine that the field is not set with the candidates who already are on stage here. Look, it's -- we're talking fewer than 100 days before the Iowa caucuses open this process early next year followed quickly by the New Hampshire primary.
So, time, in fact, is running out to put together an organization. In some respects, the decision resets the conversation, and Mitt Romney is really trying to scramble to move to occupy this space here in terms of fundraisers and donors, but activists and voters out there are just now beginning to pay attention and pick their favorite.
So, you know, I think it's far too early to say that Mitt Romney is going to sort of have this lead going forward for the next three months, but he certainly is in a position to consolidate some strength here at this moment.
VELSHI: Let's talk about consolidating this. First of all, he's trying to, Maggie, suggest that he is now the logical choice for fiscal conservatives who, you know, don't want to go down too far this -- down this road of social conservatism. His people have been actively wooing those bundlers, those people who were going to get money for Chris Christie.
Ken Langone, one of Chris Christie's biggest sort of supporters and one of the guys pushing him towards the idea of running and saying I'll raise lots of money for you. Wasted no time yesterday afternoon, he's moved over to Romney, and there've been some other moves.
MAGGIE HABERMAN, SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER, POLITICO: There have. I mean, you know, he's looking to lock up support in early states. He's looking to get Florida endorsements, New Hampshire endorsements, you know, major elected officials on board. Whether that actually translates into votes, of course, is the other issue. And you do have the ceiling that Mitt Romney has had in all of these polls.
VELSHI: Right.
HABERMAN: You also had Rick Perry announced this morning that he has raised $17 million in this quarter. That is going to beat Mitt Romney. It is a lot of money going into the poll race with. So, you can't totally count Rick Perry out, and Mitt Romney actually has to move to show he can break through that ceiling. That he can ring those voter who have been opposed to hangover (ph).
VELSHI: Right. But, in fairness, you know, Jeff, there have been a lot of people sort of waiting around. That if Chris Christie was getting in, he might get their money. They might make a move. Now, take a look at these polls. Maggie was just talking about polls.
Let show you one from ABC News/Washington poll -- recent poll, which shows Romney at 25, Cain at 16, and Perry at 16. Talk for a second about Herman Cain. How real is this and has Herman Cain topped out or he got room to grow?
ZELENY: I think Maggie is absolutely right that Mitt Romney has a ceiling, and we see this ceiling in this poll. Mitt Romney really hasn't changed in the support that went from Rick Perry went to Herman Cain. I would be surprised if that's not a temporary shift. Herman Cain here has the moment or has the opportunity to take advantage of this moment here, but he seems just as interested in selling his book as he does actually campaigning for president.
His campaign largely exists to a media strategy. He does a lot of interviews, but in terms of actually out there talking to voters, he's really not doing that very much. He has no campaign organization to speak of on the grounds.
So, if he is to take off, it's going to be an unusual type of campaign, you know, that's unlike any other that we've seen before that not really involving, actually, seeing voters and doing hand-to- hand kind of things that most campaigns do.
VELSHI: But he does do a good interview. There's no question about that.
Jeff, good to see you. Jeff Zeleny is a political correspondent with the "New York Times." National political correspondent, Maggie Haberman, is the senior political writer with Politico.
And be sure to watch CNN on October 18th when the Republican candidates for president gather in Las Vegas for the western Republican presidential debate. That is Tuesday night, October 18th right here 8:00 p.m. eastern on CNN.
Now, up next, ever go online to self-diagnose a sickness. Well, the web, cell phones are turning our high-tech devices into mobile medical labs, and that's not necessarily a good thing. Our friend, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here in New York up next with an in-depth look at our mobile society including a new phenomenon called "Facebook Depression." It's 37 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VELSHI: Look at that. Like a record album.
ROMANS: You know, Sanjay lives in Atlanta, except Sanjay is not there to enjoy it this morning. Sunny and 54 (ph). It's going to be 83 later on.
VELSHI: That's the great part. It's going to be sunny and 83 and we're going to be like, it will be 70 here in New York.
ROMANS: Well, it's going to be a beautiful day here.
COSTELLO: And no humidity. Low humidity, anyway.
VELSHI: My hair is going to have a great day.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: As it always does. Welcome back.
Odds are you probably done it, consulted Dr. Google when you're under the weather. And while there's a lot of helpful information out there, it's also easy to diagnose yourself with something you actually don't have.
ROMANS: Joining us now with an in-depth look at our mobile society and how it's changed the way we approach medical issues is our very good friend and our chief medical correspondent, known in the social media world as Sanjay Gupta CNN.
Sanjay, you see a big demand in medical questions from people on your Twitter account. You got more than 1.13 million followers. What's the lure?
Dr. SANJAY GUPTA, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, I think a lot of it is the immediacy on it. I mean, you know, people complain all the time. It's a famous complaint. It takes too long to go see your doctor and takes so long to get advice.
VELSHI: Right.
GUPTA: So, this can be immediate, and even more to the point when it comes to public health things like you guys were talking about the cantaloupe thing earlier. People immediately want to know what cantaloupe should they not buy. You know, what do they need to be doing here. So, things like that make it really, really fast, and I think important to people.
I think the thing that it fills in in terms of gaps is that the peer-to-peer stuff. So, if Carol and I both have some sort of ailment, we know more about this because we're actually going through it than a lot of other people do. So, I want to hear from people like Carol who are either suffering or have the same sort of thing that I do.
And that's something that was missing, I think. It was always the doctor to the patient relationship, and now the peer-to-peer thing, I think, is really important.
COSTELLO: Right. So, it's good to like communicate directly with a doctor, somebody you know is a doctor.
GUPTA: Right.
COSTELLO: And it's good to communicate with someone you kind of know because how you can be sure if that person has suffered the same malady as you?
GUPTA: Well, you know, I think, and I've been doing this a little while now, it's not perfect by any means. I think two things happen. One is that the crowd is pretty good at vetting out people who are not really legitimate or offering something substantive. And you see that in terms of the comments, in terms of how often something is being tweeted and things like that.
But I think there are more reputable sites out there, as well, if you're specifically going to search for information. Eighty percent of people do. They go online to look for things. Things that have a gov or an edu in the domain name less likely to have conflict of interest.
It's not to say that MayoClinic.com is not great. It is. But that's one quick real. Then, if you're really looking for the newest thing like your mother is having memory problems. I want to know everything there is to know about Alzheimer's disease. You're not going to find that on news station, but you can find it at pub med, for example, which is, you know, the government sort of data base of all the latest articles.
ROMANS: So, all these helpful resources and there's also, I think, the helpful connections you can make with other people who are suffering you may not be able to, but then, there's also the people who Google and self-diagnose and might be misled by crazy posts from people who have no idea what they're talking about.
GUPTA: Right. And I think if I describe most people who are watching right now, I think everyone has done this at some point.
VELSHI: Sure.
GUPTA: What I think is interesting along those lines is that the big concern, I think, among the medical community was, would it start to replace, you know, going to see your doctor, an actual doctor's appointment and what they find is not doing that. People are more prepared, they say, for those doctors' appointments, which could be prepared with stuff that's not, you know, accurate or legitimate.
But they're also better at recovering from an operation or some sort of malady because they're talking to people who have gone through this. So, you know, I sent a patient home after, you know, some sort of operation, I think I've got everything sort of checked off the list.
VELSHI: Right. GUPTA: But the reality is, I've never gone through this operation. So, something that may seem relatively minor could be a big deal to that patient. They can immediately be communicating with other people --
VELSHI: Right.
GUPTA: And they say, here's what you do about that.
VELSHI: When they could find out that it's normal or --
GUPTA: A little incisional pain on the scalp, for example.
VELSHI: Right.
GUPTA: I would not think that would be a big -- that's as big a deal with compared to what the patient went through, but now, they can find that information online.
COSTELLO: The big problem, though, and I Google all the time before I go to the doctor just so I can show I'm up sometimes.
(LAUGHTER)
GUPTA: That is true. That I know about, Carol.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: But the problem is some of the stuff you find on Google isn't true. And it scares you more.
GUPTA: Yes, that's right. And I think that that's the imperfection of it. But you know, we were talking about this on the break, I think that ship has sailed a bit. I mean I think that's -- that's not going to -- to come back.
I mean, that information is going to be out there, but I think it's going to get better. I think the crowd does a pretty good job of vetting out what is -- what is legitimate and what is not.
But I also think that you're starting to see more and more reputable sites out there that people, you know, talk about and recommend to their friends and everything from, you know, a new mom to you've just had major tumor surgery. So it's pretty good some of the stuff out there, I have to say. Some of it is not.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Right.
GUPTA: -- but some of that is -- what's the term? Buyer beware.
ROMANS: Yes, it's true.
VELSHI: You just described the Internet. Sanjay, thank very much. It's great to see you again. GUPTA: Thank you.
ROMANS: There's a reason why it's free, right?
VELSHI: All right, our "Morning Headlines" are next, including no pre-season. The start of the NBA regular season is actually in real danger. A critical deadline in the lockout now approaching.
It's 45 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's 47 minutes past the hour. Here are your "Morning Headlines".
U.S. stock futures are pointing to a higher opening this morning just despite a new warning from the International Monetary Fund that a global recession cannot be ruled out next year.
Federal investigators on the scene of a deadly helicopter crash in New York City. The chopper plunged into the East River killing a passenger and injuring three others. NTSB officials say it could take months to determine exactly what caused the crash.
Another round of evacuations in Bastrop, Texas this morning. A wildfire there has already burned 1,000 acres and it comes just a month after another fire destroyed 1,500 homes.
The NBA has now canceled its entire preseason. NBA Commissioner David Stern also set a Monday deadline to save the start of the regular season.
Johnny Depp telling "Vanity Fair" that he is making quote, "Stupid money for the Pirates of the Caribbean" movies and is only doing the franchise for his kids. He reportedly earned more than $300 million from the films.
And it was the film that made Aubrey Hepburn a superstar. "Breakfast at Tiffany" celebrates its 50th anniversary today. Fans will mark the occasion in little black dresses and sunglasses at anniversary events at some of the iconic New York locations in the film.
That's the news you need to start your day. AMERICAN MORNING back after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
Civil rights and tribal rights are on a collision course in Oklahoma's Cherokee Nation. A dispute centers around nearly 3,000 descendants of African slaves known as the Cherokee Freedmen.
VELSHI: And 150 years ago their ancestors were enslaved not by the white men, but by the Cherokees themselves. Today the Freedmen are fighting for citizenship in the Cherokee Nation.
COSTELLO: CNN's special correspondent Soledad O'Brien explains what happened when both sides recently headed to federal court.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sam Ford is a Cherokee Freedman.
SAM FORD, CHEROKEE FREEDMAN: I'm an African-American with Cherokee heritage. My great-grandmother Phyllis Thompson Petite (ph) was a slave of the Cherokees.
O'BRIEN: It's a little known chapter in American history, the Cherokees were one of five Indian tribes whose members own slaves.
(on camera): So what were those slaves doing for the Cherokee Nation?
CELIA NAYLOR, BARNARD COLLEGE: They were agricultural laborers they were also individuals who worked as domestic slaves.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): But in 1866 the Cherokees freed their slaves. They signed a treaty guaranteeing that all Freedmen and their descendants would quote, "Have all the rights of native Cherokee".
Today that treaty it is at the center of a controversy involving nearly 3,000 African-Americans. On August 22nd, Cherokee Nation kicked them out of the tribe.
DIANE HAMMONS, ATTORNEY GENERAL, CHEROKEE NATION: And the Treaty of 1866 did not give citizenship to the Freedman nor their descendants.
O'BRIEN: Diane Hammons is the Attorney General for Cherokee Nation.
HAMMONS: The heart of the issue is whether or not an Indian tribe can describe, can determine who is eligible to be a member of that tribe.
O'BRIEN: In 2007, Cherokee Nation passed the law requiring proof of Indian blood to be a member. The proof is based on a record that was created a century ago, called the "Dawes Rolls". The Freedman say, the "Dawes Rolls" are wrong because they were based on how you looked.
FORD: If you looked black, they wrote Cherokee Freedman. If you looked not black, they wrote Cherokee.
O'BRIEN: Many Freedmen were of mixed Cherokee and African blood, but on the rolls they were listed with no Indian blood. Last month it all went to federal court.
FORD: I was restored as a member of the Cherokee Nation. O'BRIEN: A settlement has let the Freedman back into the tribe for now. The descendants can vote in the election for the Cherokee chief, but there is no guarantee that they'll get to stay in the tribe.
Reporting for "In America", Soledad O'Brien, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Wow.
All right, Silicone Valley nurtures ingenuity but racial diversity is almost nonexistent. Now some black entrepreneurs are risking everything to become the next big thing. Soledad explores that. This once in a lifetime opportunity to change the game in "THE NEW PROMISED LAND: SILICON VALLEY" a Black in America special. That's Sunday night, November 13th, 8:00 Eastern right here on CNN. We won't miss it.
COSTELLO: Coming up next, our "Talk Back" question of the day and your responses. The question: "Is Occupy Wall Street the dawn of a liberal Tea Party". We'll read your responses next.
Its 53 minutes past the hour.
VELSHI: Good morning, New York. Wake up. You've got to be at work in three and a half minutes. It's 61 degrees and sunny. It's going to get up to 70 and sunny in New York.
ROMANS: You know, those Wall Street protesters, they're still there. They're still there, after what -- I think almost three weeks and now today they're gearing up for what they claim will be their biggest move yet. They're expected to march this afternoon and this time they'll be joined by community groups and even some unions.
And while they're still a lot of questions about the movement's message, billionaire-investor, Warren Buffett told our Poppy Harlow, he understands the group's pain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN BUFFETT, CHAIRMAN, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: I -- I -- I think a lot of it is very under informed but -- but the feeling is real and there is enough basis in that feeling that we ought to get rid of that basis. I mean they're -- you want enormous diversity and results in this world. You want people to get very, very rich to develop something their fellow man needs.
I mean, Steve jobs, whatever money he makes, he changed the lives of all kinds of people and you can name one after another. There should be all kinds of opportunity.
But, there also should be a taxation system that is fair and I think when people are giving vent to these emotions, they're unemployed, their families are struggling and they may have lost houses, they're going to look out for some visible sign that they can strike out at Wall Street is a natural thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And that brings us to our "Talk Back" question of the morning. We asked the question, "Is Occupy Wall Street the Dawn of a Liberal Tea Party? Could this be a new political party?"
And you responded in droves. This from Joey, "It's the occupation party. And, yes, it's class warfare, finally."
This from James, "Let's take the term Tea Party and liberals out and call it what it is, we the people. Who've gotten tired of Wall Street destroying the middle class and our jobs, homes and retirement. The time has come and the 99 percent is telling the one percent in Washington that we the people have had enough."
This from Sean, "I'm not sure if it's the dawn of a new political party, but if it brings Americans together, then, I'm all for it. I'd prefer to see less fighting and more unity in the United States of America."
And this from Amber, "I don't think so. All I hear from Tea Party is chants of now more taxes and state's rights. Occupy Wall Street is a collective movement of several ideologies from people against corporate welfare to people who want health care reform. I think this weakens the movement, to make sense of rallying points and to unite in a common cause and make a common set of demands. Those are the two basic principles of protest. What are you here for and what do you want?"
VELSHI: So actually it's the basic principles of anything, in marketing, in business. I mean you've just to come out with some focus and business, as we've seen, expanded to other areas but, ultimately, people have to know what you are.
The critique that we don't know what they are isn't necessarily a critique of their movement or their ideals or what they represent, it's just that. That it's easy to critique something when you can't tell what it is.
COSTELLO: It will be interesting to see if someone comes in and becomes their voice. Somebody with money and political clout that comes in and takes over this movement and sort of like whips it into shape.
Now, the protesters don't want that. At least, that's what they say. They say we don't want to become a political movement. We're just expressing our, you know, our anger and frustration at the system and that's all of America's institutions, not just Wall Street.
VELSHI: The Tea Party did a good job of we don't have one leader, but we're still a movement that has power.
COSTELLO: But they did have a message and they did have political backers with money and it might not have been just one of them, but there were several and they created this political force that we now have in politics.
ROMANS: I think Buffett is right when he says, you want people to get wildly rich in America and you want that opportunity so that they can create jobs. You want fairness in that opportunity to get wildly rich. That's what it is all about. So I think that -- sometimes what you hear from these protesters, just hate the rich and there's a difference, a big difference.
All right. That's going to do it for us for today. "CNN NEWSROOM" with Fredricka Whitfield starts right now.
Good morning, Fredricka.
