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American Morning
BlackBerry Blackout; An Unlikely Terrorist?; Underwear Bomber Pleads Guilty; Rising Cain; Congress Passes Free Trade Deals; Rangers One Win From Series; Hurricane Jova Hits Mexico; Bank of America Responds to Fee Outrage; What Should the United States Do about Iran?; Amtrak Trains Crash In California; Wall Street Protest Park Needs Cleaning; New Hampshire Primary In Early December?; Jury Gets CT Home Invasion Case; Legal to Abuse Your Spouse in Topeka
Aired October 13, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: AMERICAN MORNING continues right now.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A BlackBerry blackout. Millions of users across globe including the U.S. are without service this morning. So when will your BlackBerry start working again?
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Ali Velshi. There is growing skepticism about Iran's role in an alleged plot to kill a Saudi ambassador on American soil.
New details are emerging about the Iranian-American suspect who is in custody. He is a used car salesman from Texas and his friends are having a very hard time believing he is a terrorist.
COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello. Herman Cain is now the Republican frontrunner for the president that's according to the latest national poll. Leaving many analysts wondering if the Georgia businessman's message is resonating. It's got to be on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ROMANS: All right, good morning, everybody. It is Thursday, October 13.
VELSHI: It is certainly not a good morning. I can't get messages from people. I can't send messages to people.
COSTELLO: Mine was down yesterday, but it's back now.
ROMANS: Mine was up yesterday, but I e-mailed this morning our executive producer said I will be late.
VELSHI: That's exactly the e-mail I sent, but Brian didn't get either of our e-mails.
ROMANS: He is panicking going where are my anchors.
VELSHI: So if you don't know what we are talking about, millions of BlackBerry users are without service this morning. Now four-day blackout spreads to North America. The outage primarily affects e- mails and internet access, not the ability to make phone calls or text. COSTELLO: It's weird. The problem started Monday affecting customers in Europe, the Middle East and in Africa. By Tuesday, it has spread to South America and yesterday customers here in the United States and in Canada were hit hard. Our Erin McLaughlin is live in Sloth, England. That's where BlackBerry servers appear to be down. So what's BlackBerry saying about this?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, actually Research in Motion coming out this morning saying there has been a significant improvement in services for its customers in Europe, Middle East and Africa this morning.
They've offered a full range of services including e-mail, BBM text messaging as well as browsing. I know that my BlackBerry is working this morning. The problem, however, all started on Monday when a core switcher, which is part of Research in Motion's infrastructure here in Europe failed.
And we had a chance to talk to Stephen Bates last night to learn more about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN BATES, RIM'S U.K. MANAGING DIRECTOR: The cause behind this messaging and browsing delay is in the core switching systems within the RIM infrastructure. We still don't think we are out of the woods yet. Our team is working. It's going to continue working night and day until we get to that resolution point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, their work seems to have paid off, Carol, although the executives have been working around the clock in the building in back of me to solve this problem saying that their cautiously optimistic that the network improvements will continue.
ROMANS: Well, customers are really angry. The stock plunged, didn't it? Stock down 60 percent already this year before this even happened, customers were fleeing Research in Motion and the BlackBerry device. But this is clearly -- this is clearly a tough development for a big company like this. Isn't it, Erin?
MCLAUGHLIN: It is absolutely a tough development, as you mentioned, Christine. They have been losing some ground in the Smartphone industry to the Apple 4s, which comes out on Friday. As well as Google's android.
So it's certainly -- this isn't helping matters for them. The customers have been absolutely outraged in some instances by the particular outage. But again, Research in Motion coming out this morning and saying they have seen significant improvement in their network.
At least for the Europe, Middle East and Africa and that full range of services should be available to BlackBerry users -- Christine. ROMANS: I smell people behind iPhone. Thanks, Erin.
VELSHI: Part of the problem, of course, is that a lot of companies like the secure servers that Research in Motion uses. So for a lot of users the option to go to another phone isn't there.
COSTELLO: If you're a corporate user, we have hundreds of people using BlackBerry and they know they have this arrangement.
ROMANS: I could switch to an iPhone. I don't have to use this.
VELSHI: Personally, yes, yes. Lot of their base is commercial. People that work for big companies.
ROMANS: All right, new developments this morning involving that alleged Iranian plot to kill a Saudi ambassador on American soil.
VELSHI: We are finding out more about the suspect in U.S. custody. Mansour Arbabsiar described by friends as a happy-go-lucky used car salesman in an unlikely orchestrator of an international terror campaign.
ROMANS: Yes, Reza Sayah joining us live from Islamabad, Pakistan this morning. Reza, there is quite a bit of skepticism out there when it comes to Iran's alleged role in this plot.
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's -- no question about it. But what we're seeing, despite that skepticism, is the diplomatic fallout with this alleged plot. Clearly Washington is moving with lightning speed to take a more aggressive stance against Iran and are pushing other countries to do the same.
What's important to remember what sometimes gets lost in the drama this plot is an allegation at this point, nothing has been proven, number of U.S. officials have come out and said look, we cannot link this plot with the leadership of Iran. Attorney General Eric Holder himself said we can't link it with the leadership of Iran.
In spite of all of that, the Obama administration is moving forward as of this was a real plot. We already slapped sanctions on an Iranian airline. They're talking about a fifth round of economic sanctions. They are talking to other countries, pushing them to apply pressure on Iran.
So despite all the questions, it seems like the U.S. wants to take advantage of this situation to isolate Iran. Iran is condemning the allegations. They've launched a protest with the U.N.
ROMANS: I will tell you that, our Fran Townsend and others have said that the briefings have been that the evidence trail was pretty solid on this. Yes, it is an allegation, but given what they have seen in the investigation, they are taking it quite seriously.
What are we learning about the guy then Mansour Arbabsiar, I mean, a used car salesman, happy-go-lucky guy and at the center of all of this, apparently. SAYAH: Yes. Based on what we have learned about this man, he doesn't exactly fit the mold of someone who picked to run an international terrorist plot. He is 56 years old, a divorcee, had a child, born in Iran, a naturalized U.S. citizen and lived in the U.S. for about 30 years.
His friends describe him as a sometimes disorganized absent-minded happy-go-lucky guy. He was never into religion and politics. His ex-wife said she would be shocked if he was involved in a plot like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTHA GUERRERO, MANSOUR ARBABSIAR'S WIFE: I cannot for the life of me think he would be capable of doing that. At the wrong place at the wrong time, I am sure of that. I know that his innocence is going to come out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAYAH: So that was Mansour Arbabsiar's wife expressing her disbelief that a used car salesman from Texas would be tapped by the most elite branch of the Iranian military to assassinate the Saudi ambassador.
COSTELLO: It's just so strange, but I guess that if they really did tap this particular man, maybe they -- the thought was no one would suspect this used car salesman to carry out this crime.
SAYAH: Yes. Look, there are a lot of questions that surround this case. I mean, first and foremost is what would Iran have to gain by going after the Saudi ambassador? I mean, a lot of people would easily argue that they would have more to lose than to gain.
If they want to go after a Saudi target or even a U.S. target there's plenty in their backyard in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain so -- a lot of questions remain unanswered. Even so you see Washington aggressively moving forward and applying pressure in Iran in an effort to isolate.
ROMANS: All right, thank you, Reza.
COSTELLO: The terrorism trial of accused underwear bomber ending abruptly with a guilty plea. In a chilling courtroom confesion, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab admitted trying to blow up a Detroit passenger plane on Christmas Day two years ago with a bomb hidden in his drawers. He said he's guilty by U.S. law, but not by Islamic law. Abdulmutallab will be sentenced in January.
VELSHI: Herman Cain is surged to the lead in the race for the Republican president nomination. The Georgia businessman and his 999 tax plan got plenty of hits from the other GOP candidates in the New Hampshire debate earlier this week.
But look at the latest NBC/"Wall Street Journal" poll. Cain is finishing on top with 27 percent of the vote along likely Republican primary voters. Mitt Romney, 4 points behind at 23 percent. He has moved since the last poll. Rick Perry is 11 points back so most of Cain's gain has come at Perry's expense.
Be sure to join us tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Erin Burnett out front with Herman Cain. The Washington outsider who's giving the insiders a run for their money, 7:00 p.m. Eastern on "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" right here on CNN.
Next Tuesday night, CNN will host the Western Republican Presidential Debate in Las Vegas. Anderson Cooper will moderate. That's October 18th, Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. Carol Costello is going to be attending the debate and you will have some analysis and some interviews the morning after.
COSTELLO: We'll have some surprises, too. You will like them.
ROMANS: All right, free trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama are now heading to President Obama's desk. These deals were passed by the House and the Senate last night.
The White House, Congress and big business groups say the deals will create jobs in the U.S. and boost U.S. exports by $13 billion a year.
Critics have said a year's of free trade deals going all the way back to NAFTA have actually seen negative job creation in this country and competition, but it made it. The president is set to sign it.
COSTELLO: It did after, what, years and years of trying. We have to talk about sports now, unfortunately. OK, I'm ready. The Texas Rangers one win away from their second straight world series appearance.
They beat my Detroit Tigers last night, 7-3. Nelson Cruz is amazing. He did it with his arm and his bat throwing out (INAUDIBLE) from right field in the eighth inning. Of course, everybody knows Miguel Cabrera is not the fastest runner on the planet so why did you send him?
Anyway, Nelson Cruz put the game away. Three-run homer in the 11th. The man can hit, Miguel Cabrera. He can throw, but he can't run. In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals took a 2-1 series lead over Milwaukee. They barely hang on after a four-run rally in the first inning, 4-3, the final score there.
ROMANS: All right, still to come this morning, scenes of other devastation as Mexico's Pacific Coast struggles to cope with the aftermath of what was Hurricane Jova.
VELSHI: He's accused of breaking into the phones of some of today's hottest celebrities and revealing their most personal pics to the world. The FBI now says they have the so-called Hollywood hacker.
COSTELLO: And America's bullying crisis, how severe is it? Even Big Bird is getting bullied. The big yellow guy actually, I saw him wandering around.
VELSHI: I walk in and Big Bird is here.
COSTELLO: Man, I thought I was hallucinating.
VELSHI: That was a little crazy. It's 11 minutes after the hour. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
A peaceful seaside community in Southern California in total shock this morning after a mass shooting inside a salon. The gunman now identified as 42-year-old Scott Dekraai. Eight people are dead. One is still in critical condition after police say this man opened fire in a busy hair salon in Seal Beach, that's near Los Angeles.
The suspect was arrested as he tried to drive away. Police say that they're looking at the possibility that the gunman knew someone in the salon, possibly his ex-wife, and that this may have been a tragic domestic dispute.
VELSHI: Wow.
Authorities exhuming the bones of some of John Wayne Gacy's victims. The serial killer was convicted of 33 murders of mostly teenaged boys, but eight of them were never identified. The police in Cook County, Illinois, are asking relatives of boys who disappeared in the '70s to come forward to compare DNA.
COSTELLO: The FBI saying they have the Hollywood hacker. He's accused of breaking into dozens of celebrities' cell phones and e-mail accounts and leaking nude or almost naked photos of stars like Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis and Christina Aguilera.
Christopher Cheney is his name. He's from Florida. He's facing 121 years in prison on more than two dozen counts of hacking, identity theft and wiretapping. The U.S. attorney also says Cheney stole personal information and movie scripts.
VELSHI: Wow.
ROMANS: Bank of America responding to the thousands of people who have signed a petition railing against Bank of America for its new $5 a month debit card fee. The person who's leading that petition against the bank is 22-year-old Molly Katchpole. You saw her here first. You remember, we talked to her Friday.
She spoke to a bank official. They told her they understand customers are upset, but it would be, quote, "premature to say whether or not the bank will cancel the fee."
COSTELLO: But we hear you, but it's premature to cancel the fee.
VELSHI: She had -- by Friday night she had over 200,000 people on the petition.
ROMANS: Yes.
VELSHI: I don't know where she is at now.
ROMANS: I know -- I think when we talked to her in the morning it was 150,000. And by Friday night she's got a little more.
COSTELLO: But the coolest thing is she's going to meet with a Republican member of Congress -- I can't remember which one, to talk about a bill that would make it's easier to close your account and switch to another bank.
ROMANS: Interesting. One thing I think is interesting by the banking industry really pushed us to go from checks to debit cards, plastic, right, over the past -- what -- 10 or 15 years?
VELSHI: Right. And it was much -- it was cheaper.
ROMANS: It was much cheaper for them to process debit card transaction than a check.
VELSHI: Absolutely. It's a matter of cents --
ROMANS: Right.
VELSHI: -- per transaction.
ROMANS: That's interesting.
COSTELLO: Yes, whatever.
VELSHI: I think Molly has done a great job. I really do admire what she has done. I think people should take that into their own hands.
But, I mean, you can't switch your mortgage around and things like that, but bank accounts you can.
ROMANS: Yes. But if you have your mortgage with them and you have a checking account with them and direct deposit you don't get the $5 fee.
VELSHI: Right, right.
COSTELLO: Yes. So, go Molly.
VELSHI: Hey, Rob Marciano.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Go find another bank. I mean, you know, this is capitalism, baby. There's plenty out there.
VELSHI: And that's what Molly did. And that -- you know, I have done that in the past when I haven't been satisfied with the bank.
COSTELLO: Me, too.
VELSHI: I've gone out and changed.
ROMANS: I ditched my bank a while ago.
MARCIANO: God bless --
VELSHI: But, you know, other things like the weather.
MARCIANO: God bless America.
We are going to go to Mexico. As a matter of fact, Hurricane Jova made landfall yesterday, Category 2 storm. Here are some of the results, though.
We talked about how much rainfall was going to come with the storm. And with it came these torrential floods across Manzanillo. You know, the mountains just go straight up off the beach there, so you got a foot of rain which is what they got and this is how the water comes down, in a hurry there. So torrential rains, but five people died with this storm. And another tropical depression in Guatemala took the lives of over -- of 13.
All right. This storm itself has dissipated. Still some leftover showers. As far as what we are seeing across the U.S., east of the Mississippi rain, west of the Mississippi we're seeing some heat. As a matter of fact, some high temperatures out there. Temperatures with the Santa Ana winds 105 there; Long Beach seeing 102; and a little bit closer to the northeast, we're looking at some showers through Milwaukee and Chicago. These will be sliding off to the east and kind of catching up to the second batch. So pretty much, again, we see the Mississippi we've got the unsettled weather throughout the day today.
As far as what we are looking at for daytime highs, still got a mild 72 degrees in Kansas City; 67 in Chicago and 69 degrees up there in New York; 73 in Atlanta.
All right. We got some baseball tonight. We got a game -- Carol, come on. Give me an update.
COSTELLO: I don't want to give you an update. I'm surly about that game five.
MARCIANO: Game five. Yes, game five for the ACLS in Detroit. You might see some showers again. They might have some issues again with it.
COSTELLO: Oh, gosh. I hope. Because I think it is really the rain that's messing up the Detroit Tigers. Every time they lose it's because of the rain.
MARCIANO: It has nothing to do with how clutch the Rangers are.
COSTELLO: Whatever. Thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: Thank you, guys.
COSTELLO: Now is your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, what should the United States do about Iran?
An alleged Iranian agent charged in an assassination plot on U.S. soil, just the latest twist in a difficult and contentious relationship or non-relationship, should I say. The U.S. actually hasn't talked to Iran officially since the 1979 revolution. Since then, Iran has been part of the, quote, "axis of evil." A nuclear want to be.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror while an unelected few repress the Iranian people's hope for freedom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: In 2009, newly-elected President Obama was pitching engagement with Iran. But that was before this. Before Tehran's brutal crackdown on election protesters and the imprisonment of three American hikers and the Iranian president's America-bashing speeches engagement, doubtful.
Congressman Peter King says the United States needs to respond boldly to the latest provocation, consider military options and throw out Iranian diplomats in the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PETER KING (R-NY), HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE CHAIR: It violates all international norms, violates international law. And basically you're talking about an act of war. I think we have to -- United States has to really consider taking very significant action. I don't think sanctions alone are enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: It is debatable whether sanctions on Iran, North Korea or Iraq really changes behavior. So could this go beyond sanctions?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it could, but we're not -- we're not going there yet. It's critically important that we unite the world in the isolation of and dealing with the Iranians. That's the most -- the surest way to be able to get results.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So the perfect question of the day -- what should the United States do about Iran? Facebook.com/AmericanMorning, Facebook.com/AmericanMorning. I'll read your responses later this hour. ROMANS: All right. Coming up, putting the skills of our vets home to the military to use. We'll tell you the best jobs out there if you're leaving the military.
It's 22 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Welcome back. "Minding Your Business" this morning.
U.S. stock futures are down. The Dow flirted with the threshold that put it into positive territory for the year yesterday. But the rally faded during the final minutes of trading.
Today, investors will turn their attention to two key earnings reports. Banking giant JPMorgan Chase releases its earnings in about 30 minutes. We'll get you those numbers as soon as they're available. And search giant Google, which has a tendency to crush expectations releases its report after the bell this afternoon.
Citigroup's CEO is optimistic the U.S. will not head back into a recession. During an interview with "Fortune" Magazine, Vikram Pandit, he said the economy may not grow as much as we would like it to grow, but he does not see us headed back into a downturn.
Billionaire Warren Buffett revealing he made $63 million last year as he pushes Congress to raise taxes on the rich. Buffett says he was taxed at a rate of only 17 percent because much of his income is from investments.
And General Motors announcing plans to sell a totally electric car in 2013. At first, the Chevy Spark EV will only be sold in a limited number of cities as gasoline powered version of the Spark hits showroom floors early next year.
AMERICAN MORNING will be back right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It is 30 minutes past the hour. That means it's time for this morning's top stories.
The BlackBerry blackout is now testing the nerves of people who depend on the smartphone for a fourth day. The outage which started overseas has spread to the United States and Canada. Research in Motion, the maker of BlackBerry, says progress is being made but there are still outages reported here in the United States.
ROMANS: New information this morning about the Iranian-American suspect accused of orchestrating a plot to kill a Saudi ambassador in Washington. Mansour Arbab Sayyar is described by friends as a disorganized, happy go lucky used car salesman and an unlikely orchestrator of an international terror campaign.
Some world leaders said -- U.S. officials expressing skepticism about the Iranian government's alleged role in the plot.
VELSHI: And according to an NBC/"Wall Street Journal" poll, Herman Cain is now the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination. The Georgia businessman finished four points ahead of Mitt Romney and 11 points in front of Rick Perry. We'll be discussing that more this morning.
ROMANS: A jury in Connecticut is now deliberating the fate of the second suspect in a deadly 2007 home invasion, a crime that stunned the nation.
Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters died in their Cheshire, Connecticut, home after two men broke in, robbed and assaulted them and set the house on fire. One suspect has already been sentenced to death.
Deb Feyerick with a closer look now at this gruesome case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEB FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like many trials, this one focused on life before and life after. It began with a random encounter one summer evening at a shopping mall. Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her 11-year old daughter Michaela seen here were buying groceries for dinner.
Although they didn't know it, then 26-year-old Joshua Komisarjevsky, part-time contractor and convicted felon on parole, spotted them in the parking lot. Later telling detectives --
JOSHUA KOMISARJEVSKY: For whatever reason I chose to follow the mom and daughter to their house and started thinking it's a very nice house.
FEYERICK: Komisarjevsky 90-minute taped confession, a key piece of evidence, mesmerized the courtroom. He admits breaking into the Petit home with an accomplice and beating husband Dr. William Petit with a baseball bat.
Listen to his voice.
KOMISARJEVSKY: He let us out of this unearthly scream. I couldn't take the scream. I've never hit anybody in the head with anything, never mind a baseball bat. I kept hitting him until he finally backed up into a corner of the couch.
FEYERICK: And he admits molesting the girl he casually calls KK, the family's nickname for her.
KOMISARJEVSKY: I used a pair of scissors and cut her shirt off and skirt off.
FEYERICK: In writings in prison, he would later call the child "angel of my nightmares." She along with her older sister Haley died in a gas-fueled fire while their mom had already been strangled downstairs. Attempts by mom Jennifer to save her family's life withdrawing $15,000 in cash and alerting bank tellers her family was in trouble were not enough.
Her tormentor, Steven Hayes, driving her to the bank and back before raping her and lighting up the house. He is seen here buying gas, prosecutors say which fueled the fire. He now sits on death row convicted last year of the murders.
The question is whether Joshua Komisarjevsky will share the same fate. His lawyers have argued he took part in the home invasion intending only to steal money. Not kill anyone. Blaming the accomplice, Steve Hayes.
KOMISARJEVSKY: He pulled me to the side, we got to kill them and burn the house down. I'm like, I'm not killing anyone. There's no way, we have the money. There's not a problem. You know, they've done everything.
FEYERICK: Only the Dr. William Petit survived. He spent days in the hospital, released so he could attend the funerals of his wife and children.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: The jury has been deliberating for four hours. There are 17 charges before them, including, of course, murder. In the last case, it took the jury over a little over five hours. So, anticipation as that verdict to come down -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Deb Feyerick in Connecticut -- thank you, Deb.
COSTELLO: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING: a city in the Midwest repeal the local law against domestic abuse. So, what's going on? We have the story behind the story right after a break.
ROMANS: And the biggest muppet of them all making the trip to the Sesame Street, right here to our studio. We'll talk to big bird about the ABCs of bullying. Yes, it's true. Other muppets were making fun of Big Bird, picking on Big Bird.
How do they fix it and what does it mean for and you your kids at school?
It's 34 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 37 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
We all know cities across the country are facing budget cuts and have been forced to make some very tough choices. In Topeka, Kansas, though, they cannot afford to prosecute domestic abuse cases.
So their solution -- change the law.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): Abusing your spouse is now legal in Topeka, Kansas. At least according to the city law it is. Spat with the district attorney's office over the cost of prosecuting domestic abuse cases, but Topeka city council voted Tuesday of its protest to repeal its domestic abuse law.
DAN STANLEY, TOPEKA INTERIM CITY MANAGER: It seems maybe hard- hearted if you look at the surface of repealing your ordinance against domestic battery. You know, we don't have an ordinance against murder either but that doesn't make it a pro-murder city.
COSTELLO: It all came after Topeka's district attorney, Chad Taylor, announced that due to budget cuts, his office would no longer handle Topeka's domestic abuse cases. This meant the responsibility of prosecuting the cases would fall on the city of Topeka. But that costs money. Money the city of Topeka says it doesn't have.
So, no one has handled the domestic abuse cases and about 30 suspects have gone unprosecuted since the stand-off began a month ago.
STANLEY: There are no fig leaf that somehow the city should be handling these matters have been a longtime responsibility of the county.
COSTELLO: And the city council's move seems to have worked. District Attorney Chad Taylor announced Wednesday that as a matter of public safety, his office is forced to resume prosecuting Topeka's domestic battery case.
CHAD TAYLOR, SHAWNEE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The situation is unfortunate. The sad part about it is that if we go back to eight weeks ago, we told everyone what the ramifications of these budget cuts were going to be.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Further evidence of just how bad the budget cuts appear to be, district attorney Chad Taylor, who you just heard from, he also added domestic abuse cases will have to be handled by interns, who are second year college students. They have temporary law licenses and are supervised by assistant DAs and will prosecute a case with the intern if, of course, that case goes to trial.
Just a troubling story all the way around.
ROMANS: It really is.
COSTELLO: I mean, I guess they had this thought in mind if your husband or wife beats you, you could charge that person with assault, right? And not domestic battery.
ROMANS: Some of the penalties are different for domestic violence than for assault. And a key here is who normally prosecutes these things? If it's normally the D.A., and the D.A. is now pushing on the city, look, we don't prosecute murder here. We don't do domestic assaults, then it becomes a fight between which local government just going to handle it.
Another interesting story this week, there's a county in New Jersey where they plea all the drug deals down the most minor possible so they can get more of them through, because they don't have the money to prosecute them. And this is what -- this is what not having enough money, this is what running deficits. This is what it looks like when your budgets are awry.
COSTELLO: And you have to think about the long-term effects. Crime is down all over the nation, right? And there's a reason for that. Maybe it's because we are prosecuting people or charging them with crimes. But if cities continue and counties continue to cut their budgets and they can't even charge people with the proper crime, what's going to happen then?
ROMANS: I want to be clear about that, too, because we called Topeka earlier this week, and I wanted to be very clear that if someone is a victim or thinks they are a victim of domestic violence, what do you do? You still call the police, the police still come to your house and they still can actually arrest somebody. And will arrest somebody.
So, that part hasn't -- then what happens to the case is the big push.
COSTELLO: Right, but a lot of women are still afraid to even call the police. If you make like -- you know, domestic battery like sort of not a crime in your city, is that going to make you want to call more? And report the crime?
ROMANS: I think that his point is it is still a crime in the state level. It's still a crime --
COSTELLO: But in the minds of the person who is being beaten, it's like -- this is not important to the city of Topeka, so why should I call. That's what it says. That's what domestic violence advocates say.
ROMANS: Right.
COSTELLO: Not domestic violence advocates, but you know what I'm saying.
ROMANS: I know what you. I know what you mean.
VELSHI: All right. Well, we'll continue the discussion in the break. We're going to pay some bills.
We'll be right back in just a minute.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Deep in the woods of Upstate New York, a strange building is confusing residents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's this structure in the woods?
BALDWIN: It looks like a UFO but really it is a home in the round, a dome home. It is not just for looks. The aerodynamics and off-the-ground build helps protect the structure from hurricane strength winds and earthquakes. It also allows homeowners like the Vencat family to take full advantage of the sun's energy.
VERONIQUE VENCAT, HOMEOWNER: Economically, it is also very profitable because we use so much less, you know, energy.
BALDWIN: In the summer when the sun changes its position with just a push of a button, the house follows along. Allowing it to capture heat in the winter and keep cool in the summer.
VENCAT: OK, stop.
BALDWIN: While the exterior protects it from nature's elements, the interior is inspired by it, mimicking the swirl of a seashell.
DAVID FANCHON, DESIGNER: People are adamant about but going to something that's truly innovative, doing something positive for the environment as well and for themselves.
BALDWIN: Putting a new spin on living green.
Brooke Baldwin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Forty-five minutes after the hour.
Here's what you need to know to start your day.
The four-day BlackBerry service outage is now inconveniencing and frustrating users here in the United States. Research in Motion which makes the smartphone said it's working around the clock to fix the problem.
Eight people are dead, one in critical condition, after a gunman opened fire inside of a salon in Seal Beach near Los Angeles. One suspect, the man believed to be the lone gunman, was arrested about half a mile away.
More than a dozen people reportedly hurt after two Amtrak trains crashed in Oakland, California. Authorities say one of the trains was parked and dropping off passengers when it was hit from behind.
The Wall Street protesters will have to leave the park where they've been staying for nearly four weeks but only temporarily so that the park can be cleaned. The park's owners say they're concerned about the current unsanitary conditions there.
The first in the nation New Hampshire primary may be moved up to early or mid December now because New Hampshire's secretary of state is upset with Nevada's decision to schedule its primary in mid January.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI (on-camera): That's the news you need to start your day. AMERICAN MORNING is back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: All right. Now your turn to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. We asked, what should the U.S. do about Iran?
Brandon on Facebook says, "Let's not do anything. Why should I believe what the government says? Remember WMDs? Weapons of mass destruction? They've lied to go to war before. What makes you think this isn't the same thing?
Heather on Facebook says, "Talking does not work. Trade embargoes do not work without full support from all nations. We do not need another war. We need to get world support for deeper sanctions, then, maybe, they'll come to the table to talk for real."
And Michael says, "Sanctions, embargoes demand support for these from international community and let the Saudis handle the rest. Support the Saudis in whatever way they seek justice. Short of putting personnel in Iran."
Val says, "As long as we don't go start another war, they can do whatever they want. We can't afford another war. That would basically kill us."
Keep your comments coming. Tell us on Facebook. We'll read more of your thoughts a bit later in the show.
COSTELLO: Thanks for doing that, Ali. I was like -- intrigued with Big Bird. Did you see him over there? He's like a star. I wanted an autograph.
VELSHI: I'm just happy to know because I got in so tired this morning that Big Bird really is on the show, because I was starting to think that these hours are getting to me, and I was hallucinating.
ROMANS: You're not hallucinating. You do hallucinate sometimes, but not this morning, Ali. All this week, we're reporting in depth on the epidemic of bullying in America and efforts to stop it. Next week, a special episode of "Sesame Street" will address the bullying issue. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good birds do not have huge feet like that.
BIG BIRD, WAS BULLIED BY MEMBERS OF "GOOD BIRDS CLUB": Oh, but I really want to join the club.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sorry. We can't include you in the Good Birds Club with feet like that. (LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right? Good Birds Club.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
BIG BIRD: Oh, that's too bad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. So long, Big Foot.
BIG BIRD: That's Big Bird.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Poor Big Bird. Joining us now, Rosemarie Truglio, vice president of Education and Research for Sesame Workshop along with, maybe the most famous "Sesame Street" character of all time, Big Bird, certainly the tallest. And his new friend now, Blue Jay who is now a friend despite what you saw in that clip.
BLUE JAY, FORMER MEMBER OF "GOOD BIRDS CLUB": That is true.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: Big Bird, how did it make you feel -- how did it make you feel when pigeon was mean to you and said you couldn't be in the club?
BIG BIRD: Well, it wasn't very nice. It made me feel bad. I just want to be part of the club. I just wanted them to like me.
ROMANS: I know. And what did you do then?
BIG BIRD: Well, Elmo and -- Abby saw that I was in trouble. So, they went and got an adult.
ROMANS: Oh, yes, because an adult needs to be brought in when something like this happens. And Blue Jay, why did you go along with pigeon? Pigeon was not being nice --
BLUE JAY: No.
ROMANS: And you were very quick to side against your friend, Big Bird. Why did you do that?
BLUE JAY: I wanted Big Bird to join the club, but I was afraid that if I said something, I might get kicked out of the club or maybe I'd be bullied. I didn't know what else to do.
ROMANS: I know. All right. So, this is a classic example. This is a classic example of how good kids can side with the bully and hurt someone's feelings. Why is it important for "Sesame Street" to do a special episode on this? ROSEMARIE TRUGLIO, VP, EDUCATION & RESEARCH FOR SESAME WORKSHOP: Because "Sesame Street" has always dealt with a range of societal issues and to lay those foundational skills, because we know that we need to start early if we want to prevent bullying from happening. And children need to know the strategies to cope with bullying.
ROMANS: Big bird had to bring in an adult. That's important, I think.
TRUGLIO: Yes.
ROMANS: But sometimes, adults don't get it, too. I'm going to be honest with you. Sometimes, adults say, oh, there's always been bullying in schools. You got to be tougher.
TRUGLIO: Right.
ROMANS: And sometimes, kids who have been bullied then turn around, and when the table is turned, they become bullies themselves, too.
TRUGLIO: Right. Absolutely. Parents want to do the right thing, but they may not have the strategy. So, what we've done is we have this anti-bullying campaign. Starting with this episode on -- which airs on Monday.
But also, go to our Web site, sesamestreet.org/bullying, because we have activities and tips and panel discussions. So, parents can get more information about how they could address bullying if it is occurring with their children.
ROMANS: So, you started your own club, Big Bird, didn't you?
BIG BIRD: Yes.
ROMANS: And what's your club called?
BIG BIRD: The-Happy-To-Be-Me Club.
BLUE JAY: I'm in that club now. I quit the Good Birds Club.
ROMANS: Right. And now, you're happy to be you.
BLUE JAY: I'm happy to be me. Are you happy to be you?
ROMANS: I'm very happy to be me, actually.
BLUE JAY: You can join the club.
ROMANS: Thank you. And so, you don't exclude anybody, right?
BLUE JAY: No. Everybody -- you're all welcome to join. You want to join?
(LAUGHTER)
TRUGLIO: And it's about building self-confidence and making children be proud of who they are.
ROMANS: Now, Big Bird, you went out because Abby who is a fairy, right? And you wanted to change yourself.
BIG BIRD: Yes.
ROMANS: This bullying made you want to change who you are.
BIG BIRD: Well -- they told me I had big feet. So -- Abby will give me little feet.
BLUE JAY: Yes, yes. A little tiny feet. It was kind of freakish.
ROMANS: Well, I will say, Big Bird with little feet would not be -- actually, the physics of that, I don't quite understand.
BLUE JAY: No. And they made him blue.
ROMANS: But Big Bird is only six-and-a-half, so you're not into physics quite yet, Big Bird.
BIG BIRD: Yes.
ROMANS: But what can "Sesame Street" do to encourage the parents watch these programs with their kids and to be involved with their kids, change this culture of bullying in schools?
TRUGLIO: Well, what's wonderful about "Sesame Street" is that it's written on two levels so that it does engage the adult as well as the child. And we are modeling all of the skills that we want parents to actually pick up the strategy. So, they learn how to talk to children about these difficult topics.
BLUE JAY: Yes. I learned that I should be a reporter like you. If I see something, I should go tell an adult. Not (INAUDIBLE)
ROMANS: That's absolutely right. It's just reporting the facts. You also should be friends with all of your friends.
BLUE JAY: Friends with everybody.
ROMANS: And everybody is different.
BLUE JAY: Can I be your friend?
ROMANS: You can definitely be my friend.
BLUE JAY: Can I come over for dinner?
ROMANS: What do you like to eat?
BLUE JAY: I like suet.
ROMANS: Suet? I was going to say --
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Big Bird, what have you -- if you ever see somebody in trouble, you'll be a peacemaker, won't you, Big Bird?
BIG BIRD: Oh, yes. I like to help. I always like to help. I want everybody to be happy, like we said. Happy, happy, happy to be me.
TRUGLIO: And it's important for children that if they do see bullying to actually go to an adult, a trusted adult to get help.
ROMANS: And sometimes, Rosemarie, I think that -- I don't know if it's school. There are so many things that schools have to do. They have to teach kids how to read, how to write, and have control of the class room and control playground. You know, fighting bullying or -- at least blunting (ph) the affects of bullying takes so many different things. This is just one -- one piece of all of that.
TRUGLIO: Exactly. I know there's a lot of -- but teachers need to be more vigilant about what's going on in the classroom. But to listen to children because it takes a lot of courage for a child to actually come to a teacher and to explain what's been happening. So, for the teachers to actually listen, and they need to intervene.
ROMANS: Big Bird, you know what?
BIG BIRD: Yes.
ROMANS: I got to love you. I tell you, I love you. I've loved you for a long time, even though you're only six-and-a-half. And Blue Jay, it's very nice to meet you.
BLUE JAY: It's nice to meet you.
ROMANS: And Rosemarie, come back again very soon.
TRUGLIO: Thank you very much.
ROMANS: All of this is a very important stuff. Thanks for joining us. You can find out more about this and this important issue for both parents and kids at sesamestreet.org/bullying.
And all this week, at 8:00 p.m. eastern, Anderson Cooper and CNN calling attention to America's bullying crisis. Then, Saturday night on CNN, you can watch "Bullying: It Stops Here" at the town hall led by Anderson, Saturday, 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN. Thanks, Blue Jay.
BLUE JAY: Thank you.
(LAUGHTER)
BIG BIRD: Watch "Sesame Street" on Monday.
ROMANS: On Monday. That's when the episode airs, Ali.
VELSHI: We'll be watching.
BLUE JAY: Thanks, AMERICAN MORNING.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: I'm going to go over there right now --
VELSHI: You got to go -- all right.
COSTELLO: You can take care of this.
VELSHI: Yes. I'm going to tell our viewers that -- story coming up after the break about leaving the military, the tough transition, but it's an amazing opportunity to pursue what you can -- what you built on in the military, to build on those skills in the private sector. CNNMoney has devoted an entire section to the best jobs if you're leaving the military.
It's part of their special report on the best jobs in America. Let me tell you about them. At number five is an airline pilot. While at first, you may not make as much money as a military pilot does, you do get to spend more time at home, which is good for vets with young children.
And number four, a program manager for the aviation or aerospace industry. These companies are always looking for employees who already have security clearance.
And number three, a logistics analyst. This is a great position for vets who have experienced managing supply chains including tracking inventory and transporting supplies efficiently.
At number two, a management consultant. Veterans are always in high demand because they can help clients from leadership perspective and an organizational perspective.
And at number one, an intelligence analyst. That's because your security clearance makes you a hot commodity at government agencies.
Check out the all new CNNMoney.com for more on their week-long special, "The Best Jobs in America." It's excellent stuff. We' re taking a break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
