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American Morning
Tragedy On The Track; "Occupy" Protests Go Global; Missing Baby Search; Obama Hits The Road Again; Candidates Prep for GOP Debate; National MLK Memorial Dedicated; Cardinals, Rangers in World Series; Tragedy on the Track; Cain Surging as Debate Approaches
Aired October 17, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: And there's been a tragedy on the track. Good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. Racing fans are in shock after a violent car crash claims the life of an IndyCar champion. Fellow racers saying it's the worse crash they've ever seen.
ROMANS: And Occupy Wall Street goes global. I'm Christine Romans again. Demonstrators take to the streets in cities across Europe, Asia, and Africa, but after 30 days of protests, what is this movement's end game on this AMERICAN MORNING.
CHO: Good morning, everybody. Good morning, Christine. It's Monday, October 17th. Ali is off. Carol is on assignment. She's headed to Las Vegas. I'm Alina Cho.
This car crash, really our hearts go out to the family of Dan Wheldon. We'll be speaking to a lot of people about this including a woman who trains Indy car drivers about just how the Indy community is --
ROMANS: I mean, there are heartbroken Indy fans and heartbroken Indy drivers this morning. Let's begin with that tragedy on the track.
Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon died in one of the worst crashes the sport has ever seen yesterday in Las Vegas. IndyCar is going into the off-season with a horrible reminder of how fragile life can be and how dangerous their sport is.
We want to warn you that some of the images of the crash you'll see may be disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS (voice-over): The last race of the year, Dan Wheldon's car sailing through the air, slamming into the catch fence and disintegrated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Multiple cars involved.
ROMANS: A horrific 15-car wreck. The video of the accident showing cars spinning out of control, bursting into flames and shooting smoke and debris into the air.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cars in flames, wreckage, carnage. It's terrible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They just crumpled and caught on fire and I mean, everybody gasped.
ROMANS: Racers got the news about two hours after the crash.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from un-survivable injury. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today.
ROMANS: The race was ended. But drivers, many in tears, returned to the track for a five-lap salute in his honor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, I know this is a dangerous sport. I know we're supposed to die every day in a normal life as well, but, you know, you don't think about it, and today you have to think about it.
We lost one of my best friends, one of my greatest teammates. You have anybody in this field if we could choose a way to go, that's the way. So -- I wouldn't have chosen different either.
ROMANS: Dan Wheldon made his IndyCar debut in 2002. He was a two-time and defending champion at the Indianapolis 500. Fans laid flowers and lit candles outside the iconic brickyard last night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dan Wheldon has exemplified everything about this series and about why people continue to come to this place. This is the racing capital of the world. This is why people come here.
ROMANS: This was Wheldon drinking the milk in victory lane back in May, winning in one of the most thrilling finishes ever at the Indy 500, taking the checkered flag when the leader crashed in the final lap. He joined AMERICAN MORNING just hours after that big win and talked about the pressure to stay sharp and stay fast.
DAN WHELDON: It's incredibly intense around this racetrack. We're doing speeds in excess of 225 miles an hour, and with this race you just never know what can happen.
So it's about staying focused, and you really don't ever let off the power unless you have to, and you know, that's what I wanted to do yesterday, and that's what I did.
ROMANS: Wheldon entered yesterday's race for a shot at a $5 million purse, the biggest of his career. He was starting at the back of a crowded 34-car pack. Wheldon is survived by his wife Suzy, his 2-year-old son, Sebastian and his 7-month-old son, Oliver. He was just 33 years old.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He wasn't just a great driver, but he was a great human being. I just can't believe that he is no longer with us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Wheldon and other drivers had also expressed concern about the conditions for the race at Las Vegas motor speedway. The tires were close, the stakes were high. The cars were fast, very fast.
Some reaching 225 miles an hour. Drivers experiencing 4Gs on the turns. The space shuttle leaves the launch pad with about that same force, and there were 34 cars, a record 34 cars on the track that day.
CHO: Which is a lot and there have been concerns about whether there were too many cars on the track. Were the planners of this race not discriminating enough in terms of bringing the best drivers on to the track? We'll be talking about all of that throughout the morning.
Meanwhile, our other big story this morning, images of protests against Wall Street big banks and corporations are now coming in from all over the world.
The movement is now a month old and while some protests have been peaceful, in Washington, D.C., 19 people were arrested yesterday including professor and Civil Rights activist Cornell West.
After the protesters refused to leave the steps of the Supreme Court. Now a message posted to West's Twitter account says he's been ordered to appear in court this afternoon.
ROMANS: And here in New York City, thousands surged into Times Square Saturday night. Seventy eight people were arrested and last night 14 more people were handcuffed for violating a midnight curfew at the city's Washington Square Park.
In Rome, the city's mayor says it will cost $1.4 million to clean up after rioters shattered store windows, set businesses and cars on fire. You can see the billowing smoke there. Police officers were among the injured.
And the movement against corporate greed, even spreading as far as the Alaskan tundra. Diane Mckerchurn took this picture and posted on the "Occupy Wall Street" Facebook page. The image has now been shared more than 5,000 times. This says occupy the tundra.
CHO: It probably go viral.
It's been two weeks now since 11-month-old Lisa Irwin disappeared from her home in Kansas City. Some two dozen members of the Missouri National Guard have joined the search alongside local and federal investigators. A big reward offered for the baby's safe return.
CNN's Jim Spellman following developments. He is live in Kansas City for us. Jim, good morning.
JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Alina. No real progress in this case. Two weeks in this home right behind me, the mother says she put her to bed around 10:30. At 4:30 in the morning, the father, Jeremy comes home from the night shift and the baby's gone.
They called police. They interview the family, anybody in the area, but none of that has really generated any real solid leads that we know of. So they decided over the weekend to bring in new people, specially trained military police.
Twenty five of them, to research the areas they've already searched to be sure that they haven't missed anything. With no real other leads to go on, they have to do anything they can to try to generate new content, new leads, and new clues to work on.
Take a listen to what the FBI told us about their search yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIDGET PATTON, FBI SPOKESWOMAN: What we're looking at here is we have searched this area. We have new people out here, fresh eyes looking at the area that we've already searched.
You know, definitely being thorough, doing our due diligence and making sure that we have fresh eyes maybe there's something we didn't see the first time we searched it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SPELLMAN: That area is just a few blocks from here, and it's really dense woods covered with vines. They went over this area inch by inch, but as far as we know, yielded no new clues in this troubling case -- Alina.
CHO: All right, Jim Spellman following the case for us from Kansas City. Jim, thank you very much.
ROMANS: All right. Later this morning, Gary Giordano will be in a courtroom in Aruba trying to win his release from prison there. The Maryland man is a suspect in the disappearance of his travel companion Robyn Gardner.
His lawyer plans to argue there simply not enough evidence to hold him. Giordano claims he was snorkelling with Gardner on the Caribbean Island back in August when she disappeared.
He was arrested at Aruba's airport three days later as he waited for a flight back to the U.S. and her friends and family have said she would never go snorkelling.
CHO: There's a delay in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor. Testimony is on hold because the father of the prosecution's final witness died.
There's no word from the court on when the trial will resume. But even with this delay in the case against Dr. Conrad Murray, it is expected to go to the jury early next week.
ROMANS: President Obama hits the road against today in his three-day bus trip. Part of an effort to get Congress to pass elements of his jobs bill after it was defeated in the Senate last week. The president will make several stops in North Carolina and Virginia, and he wants Congress to pass it all by pieces, if they're not going to pass the whole thing.
CHO: He just wants it done.
Las Vegas is the setting. The stakes couldn't be higher for tomorrow night's CNN Western Republican debate. Seven GOP candidates will be on hand in the economy, of course, expected to dominate the conversation.
Nevada is critical in terms of presidential elections. The unemployment rate there is 13.4 percent. That's the highest in the country. And the home for foreclosure rate in Nevada is also the worst in the nation.
Tomorrow night CNN will host the Western Republican Presidential debate. Anderson Cooper will moderate, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time right here on CNN.
Our own Carol Costello is attending and will have all the analysis. Maybe a little bleary eyed because it will be very early out there, but she will be on.
ROMANS: She's also unhappy about her Detroit Tigers out of the playoffs.
All right, he stood tall as America's preeminent civil rights leaders. Now he stands among presidents. A memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was dedicated yesterday on Washington's National Mall. President Obama was among the speakers urging Americans to follow Dr. King's ideals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: That is why we honor this man because he had faith in us, and that is why he belongs on this mall, because he saw what we might become.
BERNICE KING, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.'S DAUGHTER: This is a day that all Americans can be proud of, and may I remind you that this is not just a celebration by African-Americans, but for Americans and citizens around this world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The ceremony honoring Dr. King was originally scheduled for August but, of course, postponed, you remember because of Hurricane Irene.
CHO: I've got to get there to see that. It looks spectacular. Four acre memorial right on the mall.
Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, new details about the crash that killed IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon and concerns about how the track and how crowded it would be. We're live in Las Vegas. ROMANS: Plus, we're talking trash and lots of it while it's piling up on the streets of a major city.
CHO: And the World Series is set. This is why Carol is so upset. A team that pulled off a miracle to make the playoffs will be there. We'll tell you about it. I t's 11 minutes after the hour. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back. Our top story this morning, IndyCar losing one of its best and most popular drivers, Dan Wheldon died yesterday after a terrible 15-car pileup on the track in Las Vegas.
Cars flying into the air, and into each other and several burst into flames. The crowded field, 34 cars in all, was a big concern going into the race. Carlos Diaz is live in Las Vegas this morning with the latest. Carlos, good morning.
CARLOS DIAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. You know, when we talk about the IndyCar racing series losing a champion, they've also lost one of the most charismatic people on the tour. I got a chance to get to know Dan Wheldon very well. Being in the Indianapolis for the last several Indianapolis 500s and I can tell you right now, there is not a more charismatic person in racing, perhaps in sports, than Dan Wheldon.
And with his loss yesterday, it was one of those things where the entire Indy racing community is truly in tears. Probably not a more popular driver next to Danica Patrick and, ironically, Dan Wheldon was going to take over for Danica Patrick in the GoDaddy.com Team when Danica Patrick went to NASCAR next season. That deal was supposed to be signed yesterday after the race.
But, of course, Dan Wheldon never made it to after the race, and I can tell you right now, when you see the tears coming from the drivers, they're - they're truly, truly heartfelt tears, because Dan Wheldon, one of the most charismatic charming guys you'll ever want to meet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN WHELDON, INDYCAR DRIVER: Time off that I've had has truly made me understand and really graft how much I love driving the cars themselves. I mean, the IndyCars are fantastic to drive. I want to be part of that, there's no doubt about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: Yes. And what basically what he's talking about there, what he's talking about this time off, even though he won the Indianapolis 500 this season, he's had a tough time keeping a sponsor. And so, basically, being out here in Las Vegas, he was going for a $5 million prize, which if we would have won the race he would have gotten and he had started in the back of the pack. So Dan Wheldon starting in the back of a 34 - a 34-car pack having to get to the front very quickly and that's why basically he was in the back of the pack having to get past these cars when it happened in Turn Two on the 11th lap yesterday.
But, once again, the most horrific crash Danica Patrick said she's ever seen in IndyCar racing took the life of Dan Wheldon yesterday as he was airlifted basically to the hospital yesterday after the race. An amazing loss for IndyCar Racing. And if you saw, they did a five - a five-lap tribute to Dan Wheldon, a true champion and a truly great person.
CHO: Carlos, and, in fact, Christine and I remember very well talking to Dan Wheldon five months ago when he won the Indy 500 and he was racing to raise awareness for Alzheimer's Disease. His mother had been recently diagnosed.
But having said that, I mentioned at the top here that there were a lot of concerns about there being too many cars on the track, 34 cars. That's a lot.
DIAZ: Right.
CHO: Some people have said that - that the people who planned this race weren't discriminating enough in terms of picking the very best drivers for this. What are people saying about that?
DIAZ: Well, you have to keep in mind that the oval here in Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a mile and a half oval. The Indianapolis 500 is 2.5 miles, a much bigger oval. So you have a very small oval out here with very high bank turns.
So, you're right. The 34 cars on the track, that's one more than the Indianapolis 500. So you have a lot of cars on the track and then you have a driver like Dan Wheldon starting in the back of the pack with all the incentive in the world to get to the front and get that $5 million prize. So the speeds out here were up to 220 miles an hour. Some drivers were complaining about it being very unsafe out here. So you make a very, very valid point.
CHO: Carlos Diaz, thank you.
And that was a $5 million purse, which, by the way, he was going to share with a fan, had he won, which speaks so much to his character, you know?
ROMANS: Two very young children. And when we spoke to him in May after he won Indy 500, he was so bubbly, so young, so excited about being fast and staying on.
CHO: And who could forget that great accent?
ROMANS: I know. Just heartbroken today. Fans - fans and drivers are just heartbroken today.
All right. Also new this morning, an employee of a New York City McDonald's facing felony assault charges after a violent confrontation of two female customers last week. We had video, of course. The incident captured on cell phone video. The cashier can be seen beating the two customers with a metal object - right - following an argument apparently over a $50 they paid with. The two women remain hospitalized in serious condition.
CHO: Gunfire and explosions rocking the capital of Yemen overnight. Witnesses say government security forces continue to battle opposition troops. Earlier on Sunday, Yemeni soldiers opened fire on demonstrators who were gathering for a march in the capital. Five people were killed, 54 others injured, according to one medic on the scene.
ROMANS: And piles and piles of trash littering the streets of Athens, Greece. The city garbage collectors have now joined the nationwide strikes to protest a new round of tax hikes and spending cuts. The city says is prepared to bring in private sanitation workers to clean up that mess.
CHO: You and I were up very late watching this.
ROMANS: Yes.
CHO: We all know that the World Series is now set.
ROMANS: It is set.
CHO: It would be the Texas Rangers versus the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards winning the National League pennant last night by stopping the Brewers in game six. Final score was 12-6. Now, a little more than a month ago, the Cards were trailing by more than 10 games in the race for the playoffs.
Now, the Rangers put away the Tigers on Saturday night in game six. It's the Rangers second straight World Series appearance. They are going for their first World Series title. The Cards will be going for their 11th.
ROMANS: All right. It's Monday morning. But we have a special treat for everybody to start the week.
Rob Marciano, he's here with us in the studio with a look at the -
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey.
CHO: Good morning.
ROMANS: -- morning weather. Good morning, Rob.
MARCIANO: Good morning, guys. I flew all the way up here to congratulate Carol on her Detroit Tigers win, and, lo and behold, this - this weekend it didn't quite happen.
ROMANS: I thought it was for cousin Rudy's wedding.
MARCIANO: Oh, yes. Cousin Rudy's wedding, too. Congratulations to them.
Good morning, guys. Good to see you.
Hey, listen now, we've got something brewing in the tropics, believe it or not. You know, the end of tropical season. Well, it's not until after Thanksgiving. So we've got to deal with this bugger, which is just to the northeast of the Yucatan Peninsula and it's developing regardless of what happens with this, we're getting a decent amount of moisture with it. And I think they're going to fly a hurricane hunter aircraft into it later on today. It got a decent chance of becoming the next tropical depression or tropical storm, so its name would be Rena.
Already, flood watches are posted for parts of the southern tip of Florida, because of tremendous amounts of rain with this already falling. Two to six inches of additional rainfall potentially and then gusty winds with this certainly out of the east and southeast and we'll see some rip currents.
Here's the radar. And you can see already we've seen some heavy rain and a very dense shield of moisture. So this will be rotating up in through Tampa, eventually up to Jacksonville and, again, regardless of how much the storm develops as far as wind goes the moisture will be streaming all the way into the mid-Atlantic and up through the northeast as well.
Speaking of the northeast, we've got a rotation around a cold core vortex across Northeastern Canada and that has been ushering in the very fall-like weather across the northeast the past couple of days. And that will continue today. Just a couple of light sprinkles. The wind is going to be the larger issue I think with that.
Hot across parts of the south and the desert southwest and the winds will hold down some travel delays from Chicago, up through the northeast today. And the rains will cause some potential delays across parts of the southern tip of Florida. Here's a list of some of your travel delays throughout the day today. Nothing too major expected. So we're just kind of watching this thing develop across parts of the Southern Gulf of Mexico.
And how long is Carol off for? Is he off?
ROMANS: Well, she's on her way to Las Vegas for the debate.
MARCIANO: Oh, right, right, right. It could be a convenient timing for that.
CHO: This isn't a depression day.
MARCIANO: No, no. Not a day off. I took one of those when the Yankees lost.
ROMANS: She's out crying on a red eye.
CHO: Exactly. ROMANS: So hiding her tears underneath her $5 blanket.
MARCIANO: Well, great to see you both, anyways.
CHO: All right, Rob.
ROMANS: Good to see you, Rob.
CHO: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, one of America's most beloved G-rated programs -
ROMANS: Oh, gees.
CHO: That's right. "Sesame Street" just got hacked with some X- rated content. We'll explain.
ROMANS: Plus, Steve Jobs' final product. A new report shedding light on what the Apple co-founder was working on just before his death.
It's 23 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: And welcome back. "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Markets are right now on track to pick up where they left off last week and that's a good thing. Stock futures are trading higher this morning. You remember just a few weeks ago, we were talking about the markets teetering close to a bear market. But this morning the Dow is 350 points from the 12,000 mark.
And today also investors turn their attention to key earnings reports. IBM releases its report after the closing bell.
Uncle Sam is reportedly looking into Google's finances. According to Bloomberg News, the IRS is investigating Google for avoiding taxes by shifting its profits overseas. A spokesman for Google says the investigation is just a, quite, "routine inquiry."
It's one of the biggest energy deals in history. Kinder Morgan has agreed to buy El Paso Corporation for about $21 billion. The two companies own about 80,000 miles of natural gas pipeline. Experts say the deal could mean higher transportation - transportation costs, which could result in higher gas prices.
When was the last time you checked your credit report? You know it's something you can do for free, right, at AnnualCreditReport.com for free. You don't have to pay. But, according to a new study by Visa, 22 percent of people have never bothered to check their score and that could be causing them thousands of dollars in higher interest payments.
And IMAX movies are about to get a whole lot brighter. Kodak has reportedly inked a deal to bring its new laser projection technology to a number of IMAX theaters. The agreement is a boost for Kodak, which has struggled in recent years as consumers shift from traditional film to digital camera.
AMERICAN MORNING will be right back after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. It's 30 minutes after the hour.
Your top stories now:
The racing world stunned this morning after a fiery 15-car crash that claimed the life of IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon. Wheldon was this year's Indianapolis 500 winner. He was a father of two and just 33 years old.
ROMANS: The Missouri National Guard lending a hand Sunday in the search for a missing baby girl in Kansas City. Eleven-month-old Lisa Irwin disappeared from her home two weeks ago. Investigators say no suspects, no real leads. A $100,000 reward is being offered for baby Lisa's safe return.
CHO: Hard to believe, but the "Occupy Wall Street" movement is now entering its second month, and the rally against corporate greed has gone global. There were protests over the weekend in a number of European cities, including Rome, where the demonstrations took a violent turn after protesters torched cars, buildings, and smashed windows.
ROMANS: All right. Back to our top story this morning now, the tragedy on the racetrack in Las Vegas.
IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon died after a terrible, a terrible 15-car crash.
CHO: He joined us after his thrilling Indianapolis 500 victory back in May and talked about the intensity on the track.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN WHELDON, WINNER, 2011 INDIANAPOLIS 500: It's incredibly intense around this racetrack. We're doing speeds in excess of 225 miles an hour. And with this race, you just never know what can happen. So, it's about staying focused, and you really don't ever let off the power unless you have to, and you know, that's what I wanted to do yesterday, and that's what I did, and, fortunately, I was able to drink milk in victory lane.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: You see how young he is. Just 33 years old.
Joining us now: Jon Wertheim, senior writer for "Sports Illustrated." He knows a thing or two about this.
Thirty-four cars in this field. This crash happened very early on in the race. A lot of times you see it happen towards the end of the race, but this was just five minutes. What does that say to you about what happened here?
JON WERTHEIM, SENIOR WRITER, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: The timing is interesting. This is not a large track. Not a track often used for IndyCar racing, 34 cars in the field.
And, you know, you watch that video, it's very early. It's not as though it's driver fatigue. It's not as though the tracks have been warmed. But you see how close those cars are to each other, and this is 221 miles an hour and literally inches separating these the cars. This video is just horrible.
ROMANS: That car -- his car is flying. There were other cars ahead of him, airborne as well. I mean, it's kind of a mess to try to figure what happened there, the chain reaction. But what happened? I mean, as we pick it apart, what happened there?
WERTHEIM: Well, he's in the back. He's going for this prize. He's starting in the back of the field and actually made some progress early. And it looks to me as though he couldn't stop.
I mean, look how close the cars are bunched together. You know, again, 220 miles an hour, inches separating them.
ROMANS: You can see the accident at the front.
WERTHEIM: He's not even in the picture.
ROMANS: So, there's an accident happening in the front. There he is isolated.
WERTHEIM: You can't stop this.
ROMANS: He's coming through there. The bunch is right before him, and he goes airborne over that group.
We also have some video of another car, I think car 21. I'm not sure. That car, the video on top of that car shows it flying through this field of debris and this yellow flame -- I mean, it's just frightening for all of these drivers.
WERTHEIM: It is. You know, I mean, this is a sport predicated on speed and there are a lot of safety channels that are built in.
But the fact of the matter is you're dealing with very, very fast automobiles. They're not heavy cars. We've got atmospheric conditions. We've got a tight field. And, you know, unfortunately, there's a formula one death in the mid-'90s.
(CROSSTALK)
CHO: Let's talk more about that. There have been seven deaths in this type of racing since 1996. Put it into perspective. I mean, just how dangerous is this sport?
WERTHEIM: Yes. I mean, these are coming at various tiers. So, let's be clear. This isn't out of the 34-person field. But at the same time, this is unfortunately, assumption of the risk when you get into one of those race cars and these speeds -- I think most can't even conceptualize. This is three times faster than we're going when we're speeding on the highway.
They're very skilled drivers and the cars do have some of the safety mechanisms built in, flame retardant material. But the truth is, we saw yesterday, I mean, the most skilled drivers at those speeds, unfortunately, like this, accidents can happen.
ROMANS: He had a very promising career. He was supposed to sign a deal to replace Danica Patrick next season in the Go Daddy sponsored car.
I mean, he had a brilliant future. It's just -- it's so sad to see such a young career end like this.
WERTHEIM: This is the Indy 500. You're right. This is really going to be the face of IndyCar racing. Danica Patrick is going to NASCAR, and the context of this is sort of interesting, too, where IndyCar racing is fighting for some relevance. They're going against the stock car racing which has gotten more popular lately, and he is really going to be the centerpiece of this sport. And the question obviously, secondary to mourning this awful loss, the question where --
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: We're showing him with his 2-year-old son Sebastian.
WERTHEIM: Two young boys. I mean, just tragic.
CHO: Let's talk about that a little bit, Jon, because we were speaking about this during the break. I mean, I think back to my childhood and watching these races from time to time. There were so many household names in IndyCar racing. And that's just not the case anymore, right?
WERTHEIM: Yes. Auto racing overall is quite popular. It's global. But, no, NASCAR I think in terms of relevancy in the United States has really overtaken IndyCar racing.
And, again, this is the kind of charismatic figure. He's from Great Britain. And so, there was some global appeal built in. I mean, this is really the sort of magnetic figure that could take this sport to new places.
CHO: In fact, he had been involved in a promotion whereby he would start last in the race and divide the $5 million purse, had he won. Which I had said earlier speaks a lot to his character and just what kind of man he was. He really was beloved by the Indy community, wasn't he?
WERTHEIM: He was. I remember when he came to your show and talked to you. More interested in promoting Alzheimer's awareness than celebrating his Indy 500 victory.
ROMANS: That's right. Remember?
WERTHEIM: You know, I mean, you could tell by the reaction of the other drivers, and the fans -- I mean, this was really a special driver in the sport and, again, I mean, just -- what can you say? It's just tragic.
ROMANS: Hmm. All right. Jon Wertheim, senior writer, "Sports Illustrated" -- thanks for joining us this morning.
CHO: Thank you, Jon.
ROMANS: All right. Three people have been arrested in Philadelphia for allegedly holding four mentally disabled adults captive in the basement of an apartment building. The suspects are facing multiple charges, of course, including kidnapping. Police say they were stealing the victim' Social Security checks.
The building's landlord found them locked in a 10x15 foot room, malnourished and with a day or two of dying. It's believed that the four adults were taken from Texas to West Palm Beach, Florida, before arriving in Philadelphia earlier this month.
CHO: Just an awful story.
The swap of one Israeli soldier for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners is being challenged in Israel's top court, the supreme court. Families of the terror victims petitioned the court to stop the prisoner exchange. They claim the price for the soldier's freedom is just too high.
ROMANS: The Vatican is saying there is no concern for Pope Benedict's overall health after he was wheeled up the main aisle of St. Peter's Basilica on a mobile platform. A spokesperson saying they just didn't want the 84-year-old pontiff to get tired.
CHO: Kids as young as 4 can now be diagnosed and given medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics are designed to identify the condition in children sooner and increase their chances of succeeding in school.
Critics say ADHD is already over-diagnosed.
ROMANS: All right. Minding your business this morning. "Sesame Street's" YouTube channel has been taken off-line after being hit by hackers. Yesterday, visitors to the site saw pornographic videos instead of clips from the kids' show.
So far, there's been no response from PBS, the show's producers, or Google, which owns YouTube.
And Steve Jobs, he was famous for ending Apple's events with a line, one more thing. And as it turns out, his final thing may be the iPhone 5. The Web site CNET is reporting that Jobs dedicated all of his time to the new iPhone which is expected to be released sometime next year. CNET reports the new phone will be a complete redesign both on the inside and the outside.
CHO: That is so nice. That's one of the best stories I've heard all morning. And you know what? So many people were lined up for the 4S, which some affectionately called "For Steve," because they thought that was the last phone. But it's nice to know one more coming.
ROMANS: And his autobiography is coming out I think in just a couple of weeks.
CHO: That's right.
ROMANS: So, a lot of people talking about getting a glimpse into him as well in that book and what he's saying about his last creations as well.
CHO: Well, we look forward to that, too.
Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, Herman Cain firing up his base but also having to walk back comments he says were a joke about illegal immigrants and a deadly fence.
ROMANS: And the four retired space shuttles are headed to new homes. But there's controversy over how those homes were chosen. Find out why one Texas lawmakers believes his state is the victim of a bait and switch bid by New York.
Thirty-five minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: And welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
His tough-talking, no nonsense style has made Herman Cain a rising star in the Republican Party. But with success comes -- oh, yes, scrutiny. And on the eve of Tuesday's night critical CNN/Western Republican Debate, the Georgia businessman is finding out in politics, it pays to be careful.
Listen to what he said in Tennessee on Saturday about keeping out illegal immigrants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I'm in charge of the fence, we're going to have a fence. It's going to be 20 feet high. It's going to have barbed wire on the top. It's going to be electrocuted -- electrified and there's going to be a sign on the other side that will say, "It will kill you."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Oh, my goodness. Well, Cain did seem serious there, but he quickly retreated from those remarks on Sunday when he made an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAIN: That's a joke, David.
DAVID GREGORY, NBC NEWS: It's a joke.
CAIN: That's a joke.
GREGORY: That's not a serious plan?
CAIN: That's not a serious plan. No, it's not.
GREGORY: You got a big laugh, but that's not what you'll do.
CAIN: That's a joke.
I've also said America needs to get a sense of humor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: All right. The trouble is, Cain's done this before. First dropping the bombshell, then walking it back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You upped the ante with, quote, "A 20-foot barbed wire electrified fence." Were you serious?
CAIN: America -- America has got to learn how to take a joke.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Herman Cain's 999 tax plan has taken a few hits, too.
CHO: Especially after the candidate made a surprising admission about the proposal yesterday morning on CNN. Here's deputy political director Paul Steinhauser.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey. Good morning, Christine and Alina. You know, it wasn't just border security and illegal immigration that was putting Herman Cain early in the spotlight this weekend. Take a listen to what he said on the Sunday talk shows about his 999 tax plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAIN: Some people will pay more. But most people will pay less is my argument.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Cain's tax plan has gotten him a lot of attention. But some of his rivals are starting to criticize him over the plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Herman has a -- as people look at 9-9-9 and desegregate it, it gets to be a lot harder sale, I think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You know, Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan is really one of the reasons why he's been jumping in the polls nationally and in those state polls over the last couple of weeks. But when you jump in the polls, it also brings more scrutiny, and we're seeing that now with Herman Cain.
So, expect to see more of that Tuesday night right behind me here at the Venetian in Los Angeles when Cain and six other Republican presidential candidates team up at our CNN western Republican presidential debate -- Christine, Alina.
ROMANS: And all the big guns are there. That's where Carol is going this morning. She's on her way. Be sure to watch CNN tomorrow night for the western Republican presidential debate live from Las Vegas at eight o'clock eastern. Carol is attending, and she's going to have all the morning after analysis.
CHO: You know what, "Saturday Night Live" had a little bit of fun with Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan. Have you heard about 5-5-5 or 3-3- 3? We're going to show you coming up.
ROMANS: And when the four retired space shuttles were awarded to museum, the state of Texas got shut out. Now, one lawmaker from the lone star state says the bidding should be reopened because you know what? New York didn't play fair. We got that for you. Forty-six after the hour.
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CHO: Forty-seven minutes past the hour. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice-over): The racing world mourning the death of IndyCar champion, Dan Wheldon. He was killed in a fiery 15-car crash on the track on Las Vegas. A father of two and just 33 years old.
The Occupy Wall Street protest is now entering its 31st day here in New York City. There were a number of rallies held over the weekend in cities across the country and the world. Most of the protests were peaceful, but not all.
In Kansas City, the search continues for 11-month-old Lisa Irwin. The baby's been missing for two weeks now. Members of the Missouri National Guard helped local and federal law enforcement in the search on Sunday. Larry Hagman is battling cancer. The 80-year-old actor isn't saying what type of cancer, just that it's very common and treatable. Hagman is best known for playing Oil Baran J.R. Ewing in "Dallas" and astronaut, Tony Nelson in "I Dream of Genie."
President Obama kicks off the three-day bus trip this morning. It's part of an effort to push lawmakers to pass this jobs bill. The president will makes stops in North Carolina and Virginia.
And the St. Louis Cardinals are heading to the World Series. They won game six, beating the Milwaukee Brewers 12-6 last night to advance. It's their 18th trip to the fall classic. They'll be playing the Rangers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (on-camera): That's the news you need to know to start your day. AMERICAN MORNING is back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. You hear it a lot in the lone star state. Don't mess with Texas.
CHO: That's right.
ROMANS: But these days, Texans are feeling like they've been messed with big time.
CHO: That's right. And now, lawmakers are calling for NASA -- NASA -- to re-evaluate its plans to give a retired space shuttle to New York. I want to know why New York got it anyway, but anyway, John Zarrella is watching this all for us. He's live in Miami. They're hopping mad in Texas, aren't they, John?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Alina. And you know, if you can figure out why they got it, you might want to pass it on to the Texans as well. You know, they have been angry ever since the day that NASA awarded a space shuttle to New York, and now, they're less happy than before.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (voice-over): There were only four retired space shuttles available, coveted, the holy grails of space flight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The space shuttle pulls into port for the last time.
ZARRELLA: Even at a cost of nearly $30 million apiece, dozens of museums bid. New York's Intrepid, Sea, Air and Space Museum on the Hudson River was one of the winners. It gets "Enterprise" a test shuttle that never flew into space. It's currently at the Smithsonian.
But, folks in Texas, home to the Johnson Space Center, never happy that New York got a shuttle when they didn't, are crying foul again. "You bet we are," says this Texas representative, Ted Poe.
REP. TED POE, (R) HOUSTON: It is a bait and switch.
ZARRELLA: Bait and switch? Well, let's rewind. May of 2010, before the shuttles were awarded, here's what the Intrepid Museum's executive director told us then.
SUSAN MARENOFF-ZAUSNER, EXEC. DIR., INTREPID MUSEUM: On the west end of our pier, we currently have the concord, and we would look to shift the placement of the concord and place the shuttle in that spot.
ZARRELLA: But the plan now, construct a building, not on the end of the pier, but over here, on the other side of the busy highway, on land that's now a parking lot. Land they don't yet own. Next to a car wash, bagel shop and warehouses. Museum officials so willing to talk before they were selected wouldn't talk with us now.
They issued a statement saying in part, "While we continue to be in the planning stages, we remain on track with both our logistics and our fundraising." Poe, he's got plenty to say.
POE: New York, God bless them. They're wonderful city, but they have no connection to the space program, and certainly, no connection to NASA. So, why would the shuttle go to New York? It's like putting the Statue of Liberty in Omaha.
ZARRELLA: Poe wants bidding for "Enterprise" reopened. NASA on the other hand is satisfied with Intrepid's new plan.
CHARLIE BOLDEN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: I don't tell them how to suck eggs. You know, they gave us a plan. They told us they would have the money. They gave us a schedule and everything, and as far as I know, they're on schedule, and so, I trust them that they're going to deliver what they said.
ZARRELLA: But Texans say they have the history. The first words uttered when man landed on the moon, not New York but --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) the eagle has landed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (on-camera): Now, none of the shuttles will be on display for at least another year. The Smithsonian gets "Discovery." "Endeavour" goes out to California, and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida will get the shuttle "Atlantis" -- Alina, Christine.
ROMANS: Houston, we have a controversy.
(LAUGHTER)
ZARRELLA: Yes.
ROMANS: So, that's really interesting to me, because there is no NASA tie to, you know, the Intrepid Air and Space Museum here or anything. So, Houston doesn't have a shuttle. It has -- its shuttle is so integral to Houston, but it doesn't -- it's not going to happen?
ZARRELLA: Right. Exactly. And that's what the argument was right along is that Florida and Texas have the largest ties, the biggest ties without question, to the space program. But New York, the feeling was, was going to bring far more tourists to see the shuttle than if they had put a shuttle in Texas.
ROMANS: And New Yorkers on the way to get a bagel before work. You know?
ZARRELLA: There you go.
CHO: Or get their car washed.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: I mean -- geez. All right.
CHO: I love this story.
(LAUGHTER)
CHO: Let us know how it all shakes out there, John. Thank you very much.
ZARRELLA: I will.
CHO: OK.
ZARRELLA: Sure.
ROMANS: All right. Get a bump in the polls. Get "SNL's" attention. Herman Cain got the frontrunner's treatment this weekend. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If America is looking for cashy (ph) unworkable solutions to cut problems (ph), Herman Cain will keep them coming.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How to fight terrorism? My 5-5-5 plan.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For every terrorism, America will send five airplanes, five soldiers, and five of those dogs that caught Osama Bin Laden.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do we fix healthcare? The 3-3-3 plan. Every time you get sick, you get three pills, three days off, and three chicken noodle soups. (LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: You always count on "SNL."
ROMANS: It's sign of success when "SNL" spoofs you.
CHO: That is true.
ROMANS: That's a sign of success.
CHO: That is true. Just ask our Wolf Blitzer.
ROMANS: That's right.
(LAUGHTER)
CHO: Occupy Wall Street Protests spreading around the world this weekend. A month end, still growing. Will it be able to transform into something bigger like a major political force? We'll talk more about that. It's 56 minutes after the hour.
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