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American Morning

Rick Perry Proposes Flat Tax Plan; President Fundraises in California; Moammar Gadhafi's Body Buried; Baby Rescued from Quake Rubble; Obama's Mortgage Relief Plan; RPT NBA To Cancel More Games; Gadhafi Buried in Secret Desert Grave; Conrad Murray Defense Case Begins; HPV Vaccine for Boys Sparks Controversy; Search Continues for Earthquake Survivors in Turkey; Baby Found Alive in Earthquake Rubble

Aired October 25, 2011 - 06:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Breaking news out of Eastern Turkey as a two-week-old baby has just been pulled from the rubble alive two days after that deadly earthquake killed hundreds. And happening right now, the rescues are continuing.

ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Looking to rebound from his plunge in the polls, Texas governor, Rick Perry, is set to propose a national flat tax as the centerpiece of his economic plan.

COSTELLO: But neither side blinking, the NBA season is shrinking, really, reportedly set to cancel more regular season games today.

CHO: And a battle in the ballroom. The head judge and a top dancer going toe-to-toe. Will there be sidestepping on this AMERICAN MORNING?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: Oh.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It is Tuesday, October 25th. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Carol Costello.

CHO: And good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. Christine and Ali are off today.

COSTELLO: We begin with breaking news, and boy, is it good news. There has been a remarkable discovery today in the rubble of Eastern Turkey. A two-week-old baby girl found alive two days after a devastating 7.2 magnitude quake. This quake killed, what, more than 300 people. They found a little tiny baby buried in the rubble with her grandmother and her mother. They're still in the rubble.

CHO: What is remarkable is that the mother and grandmother are said to be fine. Our Diana Magnay is there on the scene, and she tells us that this rescue of the mother and grandmother could happen within a day. But remarkable when you consider the devastation, 366 dead, more than 1,300 injured. There you just saw a close-up look at the baby, and these are live picture now of the rescue efforts in Turkey, which had been hampered, by the way, by near freezing temperatures. Obviously, the situation has gotten better there, and hopefully more people will be found alive.

COSTELLO: I just can't imagine how fearful the mother was with this two-week-old baby, buried in the rubble of their home, cannot get out. As you said, it's freezing. The baby came out with nearly no clothes on. I don't know why. But it's just a miracle that the baby -- it's a miracle first of all that they happened to find them in the middle of all of that devastation.

CHO: It is remarkable. And the quake happened on Sunday. And when you consider, as I said, the devastation, more than 2,200 buildings destroyed, there will be a lot of structures, or what's left of them, to search. So, Diana Magnay, again on the scene there tells us that people can be rescued alive in the aftermath of an earthquake up to 20 days afterwards. So, again, hopefully this is a scene that we will see again in the coming days. But just a remarkable story, again, a two-week-old baby girl found alive, rescued from the rubble in eastern Turkey.

And to find out how you can help quake victims visit our "Impact your World" page at CNN.com/impact.

COSTELLO: And now we have to move on to American politics, yes, we do. Texas Governor Rick Perry hoping to breathe new life into his presidential campaign with a bold economic plan. Perry set to announce his proposal for a national flat tax during a campaign event in South Carolina later this morning. CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser joins us from Washington with details. A flat tax idea seems to be a popular one.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, we've heard it in past campaigns from Republican candidates. And Carol, maybe the Texas governor is hoping for a little nine-nine-nine magic. I'm talking about Herman Cain's much touted tax plan that helped Cain go from basically an afterthought in the battle for the GOP nomination to one of the frontrunners according to polls.

So Perry today you mentioned in South Carolina laying it out on the line. What's it called? "Cut, Balance, and Grow." What does it have in there? Yes, a flat tax, as you mentioned. It's a choice for most Americans between a new flat tax rate he's proposing, around 20 percent, or the current income tax rate. Perry thinks most will go for the flat tax.

That flat tax does preserve mortgage interest, charitable state and local exemptions. For families earning less than $500,000 per years it increases standard deductions to $12,500 for individuals and independents. He's calling for abolishing the death tax. We hear that from a lot of the candidates. And for the corporate tax rate he wants to lower it from 35 percent to 20 percent. Carol, as you said, more details today in South Carolina when Perry lays it all out.

COSTELLO: Two questions. Who helped Mr. Perry craft that plan, and why is he making this announcement in South Carolina?

STEINHAUSER: South Carolina, I think you know the answer to that one. Yes, it's one the early voting states, the first southern state to hold a primary, so good place to go. Location, location, location, of course.

As for who? Yes. Steve Forbes, the head of "Forbes" magazine. He also ran for the White House back in 1996 and 2000 as a Republican, and guess what. The flat tax was weren't of his big parts of his platform when running. And Perry said in the "Wall Street Journal" this morning that his simple 20 percent flat tax would allow Americans to file their taxes on a postcard, something Forbes also said when he was running for the White House, Carol.

COSTELLO: We'll see if it catches fire.

Governor Perry also, I guess is reviving this -- there is no controversy over this birther issue, but he tried to create controversy again. So tell us exactly what Rick Perry said and why he might have said that.

STEINHAUSER: Yes. These were comments over the weekend in "Parade" magazine, which most Americans or a lot of them get in their Sunday papers, but it was not there in the hard copy version. It was online. He basically said in his interview he believes the president was, yes, born in the U.S. But he's less confident of the birth certificate he earlier this year, or Hawaii released, was real.

And he went on to say he had dinner with Donald Trump the other night, and Trump doesn't think it's real. Well, that sparked a firestorm of controversy over the last few days, a lot of people calling Perry out, including Karl Rove and our own John King on "JK USA."

Here's the new part. This morning Harwood, the NBC's chief political reporter for CNBC, says that he interviewed Perry and Perry told him the birther issue was good to keep alive. It's fun to poke at him. That from John Harwood, and here's -- Carol, wait, there more.

COSTELLO: He's just doing it for fun? He's saying, oh, the president's not born in the United States, because, wow, it's a big, huge -- come on.

STEINHAUSER: That's what Harwood is reporting, and we will see the interview a little later this morning and have more on that.

Wait, there's more. Perry is having a news conference this afternoon at 3:00 eastern in South Carolina. Our own Jim Acosta will be there as will other reporters. And my guess is, Carol, that Perry will be peppered with questions about this controversy.

COSTELLO: Hopefully he'll convince people it really is just fun to poke holes at the president. Just teasing. Paul Steinhauser, thanks so much.

CHO: President Obama on the road and rolling out new relief for homeowners whose mortgage value is greater than the value of their home. The president launched his revamped housing program during a three-day swing out west, and while unveiling his plan to help homeowners refinance, the president called out Congress for failing to move forward on his jobs plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The only way that we can truly attack our economic challenges, the only way we can put hundreds of thousands of people back to work right now is with bold action from Congress. That's why I'm going to keep forcing these senators to vote on common sense, paid-for jobs proposals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: CNN White House correspondent Dan Lothian is traveling with the president. He is live in Los Angeles for us this morning. Dan, good morning.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

CHO: So, you know, this is a big fundraising trip for the president. So he has two more planned in Colorado today. But before we get to that, let's talk about what he's doing today. He is dropping in on Jay Leno, isn't he?

LOTHIAN: That's right. This is something that the president has done before as president, also as candidate. So he will be sitting down with Jay Leno. We expect that it will be a mixture of some fun moments, but also a chance for the president to continue to push Congress to act on his jobs bill.

But this trip from the president is really focused, at least the first part of it, on helping Americans who are struggling to stay in their homes, to be able to do so, revamping the mortgage program, the government mortgage program. It's expected to impact about one million Americans.

And the sense is that the depressed housing market is pulling down the economic recovery. So that is why you're seeing the president pushing in this direction, allowing those homeowners who are underwater, in other words, they owe more on their homes than they're actually valued. It will also lower some of the fees or do away with some of the fees that are holding back these homeowners from getting a chance to refinance.

And the idea is that if you make it easier for these homeowners to refinance, they get lower rates, they'll end up with more money in their pockets, and then they can spend that money which can help inject life into the ailing economy.

Now, there are skeptics out there. The president himself admitted this is not the answer to all of the ailments of the housing market, but it is a start and this is an opportunity for Congress to act in his overall jobs bill. The president himself pointing out he has other ideas to jump-start the economy, Alina.

CHO: Obviously, this mortgage relief proposal is applauded by many Americans. It could help up to 30 million Americans or more, and yet you're right. The question is, is it a short-term fix or a long- term solution?

Now, having said that, the president is very, very busy, in addition to rolling out these plans. He's also the fundraiser in chief. He's got those two fundraising events planned later today. How's he done so far?

LOTHIAN: This is a big trip for the president when it comes to hauling in campaign gold. He did have fundraisers here in Los Angeles last night, also one in Nevada. As you pointed out, he will have more fundraisers not only in Colorado but up in San Francisco later today.

According to a Democratic official, the president expected to haul in more than $4.2 million. So this is huge, obviously, as the president balances not only trying to get some of his initiatives past but also raising campaign money. Republicans have been dinging the president's robust campaign fundraising effort, but this is something that all presidents have to do to make that balance again. And so the president continues to push forward.

And, you know, here in the west, this is key for the president. There are key states out here that the president needs to pick up in order to win in 2012. So you see him out there campaigning, fundraising as well, hoping it will translate into votes come 2012.

CHO: Dan Lothian live for us in Los Angeles this morning. Dan, thank you.

COSTELLO: Also new this morning, Moammar Gadhafi has been buried. An official with Libya's National Transitional Council telling CNN the Libyan dictator was laid to rest this morning at dawn at an undisclosed location. Gadhafi's body had been on public display in cold storage since his death.

CHO: An explosion at a crowded bus station in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, killed at least one person. It happened yesterday just blocks away from the nightclub where a blast went off earlier that morning. Twelve people were hurt in that attack. So far no one has claimed responsibility either attack. The explosions came two days after the U.S. embassy in Kenya warned of an imminent terror attack.

COSTELLO: The NBA may be one step closer to having the entire season cancelled. "The New York Daily News" reports the league plans to announce the cancellation of at least two more weeks of games today. The NBA player talks collapsed last week after 30 hours with a federal mediator. No new talks are scheduled.

CHO: And the Texas Rangers now just one win away from their first-ever World Series title. They came from behind to beat the St. Louis Cardinals in game five four to two. The big a two run bases loaded double by Mike Napoli in the eighth inning to break a two-two tie. The Rangers can clinch on Wednesday night in game six in St. Louis. If a game seven is needed that will be in St. Louis, too.

COSTELLO: And their rumba almost turned into a rumble. On last night's "Dancing with the Stars," Maksim Chmerkovskiy -- I hope I pronounced the last name right -- he got into a heated exchange with the head judge during the critique of his dance with his partner Hope Solo. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is your worst dance of the whole season, in my opinion. Max -- Max -- half the fault is yours. So don't --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As long as -- as long as the audience liked our journey, we're good.

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The audience -- let me tell you, max, the audience like the effect. They judge on efficacy. I've been in this business nearly 50 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe it's time to get out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, no. Don't be like that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's not be disrespectful to everybody, because everybody is putting a lot of effort. Everybody on that balcony has been dying and only toll hear you guys little judgmental comments. You know what I mean?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Whew, sort of like the Republican debate. The host finally getting in the middle trying to diffuse the situation. Hope and Max ended up with 20 out of 30 possible points.

CHO: Can't we all get along?

COSTELLO: No, we cannot. It's a rule now in this country. We must bicker.

(LAUGHTER)

CHO: That's right.

COSTELLO: Just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, the defense is up at the Michael Jackson death trial. What does it have to do to convince jurors Conrad Murray is not responsible for Jackson's death?

CHO: And take a look at incredible pictures. The northern lights head south. We'll bring you more of this when we come back. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. It's 13 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

COSTELLO: Sixteen minutes past.

An update now on that Breaking News out of Eastern Turkey. There's been a remarkable discovery today in the rubble, a 2-week-old baby girl found alive two days after a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

CHO: Diana Magnay is live in Eastern Turkey with this incredible story.

Diana, good morning to you. Tell us what happened?

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Alina.

Well, it really is an amazing story. Almost two hours ago now a 14-day-old baby rescued from the rubble. And, you know, the really incredible thing about it, we heard from the grandmother that the child was three weeks premature. So should really still have been in the womb and has already survived an earthquake and 36 hours in the rubble.

I'm just going to move out of the way so you can see the rescue operation that is still going on for that little baby girl's mother and grandmother, who are both inside the rubble, and apparently on the point of being brought out.

And we just spoke to the man who rescued the little baby girl. A guy called Kadhir Dirik (ph). He said he's been working on these kinds of situations for 12 years now, and he has never managed to pull somebody out alive. He says he has a son of his own, and the moment when he took that little girl from the mother, from the mother's hands, and carried her out to safety was like having another child, he said. So unbelievably emotional comment from this rescue worker, this hero, who took the baby out.

And now, I'll just tell you a bit more about the process, Alina. Apparently the mother, about two hours ago, made contact, the rescue workers heard her voice and they managed to carve out a tunnel to her, but it was extremely narrow. So they needed somebody who was very thin to go down through the tunnel and collect the child and that's why Kadhir (ph) was chosen. The mother and the grandmother are now being supplied with oxygen and they're trying to expand the space where they are kept so that they can free them, too -- Alina.

CHO: That is incredible. And tell us, Diana, how soon could that happen? And, again, remind our viewers, the mother and grandmother are said to be in pretty good shape, right?

MAGNAY: They're apparently pretty healthy. I spoke to one of the rescue workers about half an hour ago, who said it could happen any moment now. And that is why everybody is poised from the media and a lot of people from the villages, the relatives and hoping that it might happen soon. Again, it is -- it is anyone's guess, I suppose it depends on how safely they can expand that space. And I'll -- we'll just pan over to -- to the building there. The multistory apartment building that this family was in, and you can see the extent of the devastation. We know, also, that the husband, the father of the child, is inside there, too, somewhere. The mother has communicated that to the search and rescue team, but she says that she's not -- she doesn't know where he is. She hasn't been able to contact him. She only has contact with her mother.

And here you can see all the people gathered. We're being actually kept back by military personnel just to make sure that the search and rescue workers can do their job as efficiently as possible, Alina.

CHO: And Diana, just very quickly, I just wanted to ask you, is it safe to assume that earlier we were talking about this near- freezing temperature hampering the rescue efforts. Does it -- is it safe to assume that the conditions have gotten much, much better since then?

MAGNAY: Well, it's freezing at night. During the day, it's actually quite warmer. We did just hear a crack of thunder.

Somebody came up to me just now and said, listen, all the TV crews are around the search and rescue operation, but what about the people who aren't getting the attention they need, who are cold at night? The aid response has been fairly efficient. We've seen trucks. We've seen huge amounts of aids and medical supplies flown in and tent cities have been built.

We have also seen scenes where people are fighting over tents. So it is obviously not the case that everybody is getting the aids and the attention that they need at this point. Obviously, a race against time, Alina.

COSTELLO: Diana Magnay, thanks so much. I'm so glad that the baby girl, but her father still missing. So we'll keep our fingers crossed and send up a few prayers.

Let's head to Atlanta now to check in with Jacqui Jeras. Good morning, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning, guys.

A pretty decent start out there. You know, really not too shabby for much of the Eastern U.S., but a couple of hot spots that we're watching.

First of all, the rain pulling out of the northeastern quarter, still hanging in there in parts of down East Maine, but it's really the Midwest and the Western Great Lakes where we're seeing the bulk of the rain showers. Most of it light, but it's enough to be kind of a nuisance for you, make the roadways wet. So watch for that, along I- 39, Green Bay, down towards Milwaukee.

Chicago getting a couple of sprinkles maybe, but for the most part that's going to hold off until the afternoon hours. So that's where we're expecting major delays to begin for you at O'Hare because of the rain and thunderstorms and wind.

Boston, a windy day for you as well. Delays under an hour. Minneapolis looking for some showers. Dallas and Kansas City, windy day for you. And Denver looking for some showers later in the day for today, but, Denver, man, what an interesting swing you guys have here this week. A record high of 80 degrees yesterday. Today you'll be just shy of 60, and tomorrow you'll be lucky to make it to 40.

Yes, we've got winter storm warnings now. They've been upgraded from watches, because that rain is going to change into some snow late tonight and into tomorrow. Plenty of it into the higher elevations. One to two feet could be expected, but just a couple of inches to get down towards the valley floor.

So it's really this main system across the nation's midsection that's bringing the rain to the north. We're seeing the snow on the cold side of this system. Into the south, extreme warmth. Temperatures about 10 to 20 degrees above average today for you from Kansas City down to Dallas.

Spectacular video, guys. It you're not next to your television screen, come over and take a look at this right now. The aurora borealis all across the Northern Tier of the U.S. last night. Look at this time lapse from Michigan. You can see this as far south as Alabama, even into Georgia. So we had a nice solar storm that took place on Saturday.

It takes about 40 hours for that electromagnetic energy to make its way into the earth's atmosphere, and see these beautiful curtains of light. What an amazing show, guys.

CHO: Jacqui, how often does this happen? I've never seen anything like this.

JERAS: Oh, it happens every now and then. You know, it's more prominent, really, near the equinoxes and this time of the year you can see it a little bit easier, because often you'll have clear skies and a very nice, dark sky to be able to see it.

This is kind of on the weak side in terms of solar storms. On a scale of one to five, it was only a two, so people don't need to worry about things like, you know, losing their GPS or their cell phone reception. But what a great display.

COSTELLO: Yes. Thank you, Mother Nature. Thank you, Jacqui.

JERAS: Sure.

COSTELLO: We appreciate it.

We're going to take you back live to Eastern Turkey after a break where they're trying to rescue a family still trapped in the rubble. The baby girl came out, 14-weeks old, healthy and happy, apparently. They're still looking for the mother and grandmother and father. We'll update you after the break.

It's 23 past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Welcome back. "Minding Your Business" this morning.

U.S. stock futures are pointing to a higher open today. Markets got a boost yesterday from strong quarterly earnings reports and a key merger announcement.

We're one day away from finding out the details of the grand plan to save the European Union. And the announcement could not come soon enough. Recession fears for the region are on the rise this week after a new survey shows business activity has stalled. But France, in particular, showing major weakness in that area.

BP saw its profits soar in the third quarter. The oil giant reporting a net profit of $4.9 billion, that's more than double what it was last year when BP was hit hard by the Gulf oil spill.

More bad news for Netflix. The company announced it's lost 800,000 subscribers in the third quarter. Customers have been jumping ship ever since the company announced price hikes this summer. Stock is down about 30 percent right now in pre-market trading.

FedEx is gearing up for the holiday shipping frenzy in a major way. The global shipping giant says December 12th is set to be the busiest day it's ever had and it's expecting more than 17 million packages to be shipped this year. The company also says it's adding 20,000 temporary workers to help handle the holiday rush.

And the list of retailers offering free shipping for the holidays is growing. Sears and Kmart announcing they will now pick up the shipping tab. All part of an effort to boost sales during these critical next few months.

Don't forget, for the very latest news about your money, check out the all-new CNNMoney.com.

AMERICAN MORNING will be back after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

COSTELLO: Let's head back to Eastern Turkey, shall we? Because there was a miracle amid the rubble.

Rescuers have pulled a 14-day-old baby girl from a collapsed building in Turkey. She is alive. You see rescue workers there looking into the rubble. They're looking for the child's grandmother and her mother. They're trying to free them right now. It could happen at any moment.

The death toll from Sunday's 7.2 magnitude earthquake now stands at 366. They're also looking for the baby's father. No sign of him yet. CHO: President Obama says he's tired of waiting for Congress to act. So he's rolling out changes to the government's mortgage relief program himself.

Under the new rules, homeowners who are up-to-date with mortgage payments will qualify for new loans at today's low rates, no matter how far the value of their homes has fallen.

COSTELLO: And a season on the shrink. The "New York Daily News" says the NBA is set to announce the cancellation of two more weeks of regular season games today. This would be the third time Commissioner David Stern has postponed games as the league's player lockout continues.

CHO: Moammar gadhafi has been buried according to an official with Libya's National Transitional Council. The dictator was laid to rest at an undisclosed location this morning at dawn.

Gadhafi's body had been on display in cold storage for the public to see ever since he was killed five days ago in his hometown of Sirte.

CNN's Dan Rivers now with the latest. He joins us live from Tripoli, Libya this morning. Dan, good morning. Has there been any independent confirmation of this burial? Were there any reporters present or just family and close relatives?

DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No report is present as far as we're aware. No family present at the actual burial. What we're told by a spokesman for the Tripoli Military Council is that members of his tribe, of the Gadhafi tribe, were allowed to pray over the body before it was buried in the desert.

And that he was buried along with Mutassim, his son and Abu Bakr Unis, the defense minister at a secret location out in the desert. That's pretty much as much we know, really. They wanted to keep this secret.

They're keen to avoid his grave becoming any kind of a shrine to pro-Gadhafi supporters. And after almost five days now of lying in that cold storage facility at a market in Misrata, he has finally been buried in the desert, the desert that he ultimately came from as a Bedouin when he was a young boy. That's where he's gone back to. We don't know the precise location where he's been buried.

CHO: Dan, just a day ago we were showing incredible pictures of jubilation, celebration on the streets really at the news that the country will move towards a democracy in the next two years. It looks fairly calm where you are right now. How is it on the streets of Tripoli right now?

RIVERS: Yes, life beginning to get back to some semblance of normality. I don't know how much you can see behind me. You know, traffic is busy out there in the city center today. Shops are reopening.

I mean, it's just a world away from the last time I was here back in August, when the city had just fallen. Now, you know, you've got cafes open. You've got restaurants open.

I've even seen school kids out. There are kids playing in the playgrounds down here. The port is open again. The airport is functioning. So it is beginning to feel like a normal functioning city and not one that's under siege or part of a war zone anymore.

CHO: That is remarkable. CNN's Dan Rivers live from Tripoli with that report. Dan, thank you as always.

COSTELLO: Now is your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. This morning's question, should the president bypass Congress to help the economy?

President Obama has gone from yes, we can to we can't wait. Since Congress isn't exactly eager to discuss any part of the president's jobs bill, the president has gone rogue.

Instead waiting for Congress to act, he's implementing a series of executive actions, like new rules aimed at making it easier for homeowners to refinance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We can't wait for an increasingly dysfunctional Congress to do its job. Where they won't act, I will.

The barrier will be lifted that prohibits responsible homeowners from refinancing if their home values have fallen so low what they owe on their mortgage is 25 percent higher than the current value of their home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Some economists say it won't be enough to solve the housing crisis. Republicans say it won't solve anything. The president is simply using the excuse of political gangsmanship to get around Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: They're ashamed to mention any of the things that they do as Republicans because it steps on their story line. Their story line is that there must be some villain out there who's keeping this administration from succeeding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: What's clear is the economy won't be greatly helped unless Congress does act in some way, and Congress is not likely to act on the president's plans.

So President Obama is moving forward on his own, Monday, the home mortgage plan, tomorrow, a plan to help with student loans. He's intent to show Americans he's doing something and to shame Congress into acting.

"Talk Back" question for you today, should the president bypass Congress to help the economy? Facebook.com/americanmorning. Facebook.com/americanmorning. I'll read your responses later this hour.

CHO: Still to come this morning, the defense at the Michael Jackson death trial plans to call more than a dozen witnesses over the next three or four days. Will Dr. Conrad Murray be one of them?

COSTELLO: It's already recommended for girls. Now medical experts are about to vote on a plan to give the HPV vaccine to boys. Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen is here to answer your questions. It's 35 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: It's 39 minutes after the hour. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.

The manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's former doctor, Conrad Murray, is winding down. After the prosecution rested yesterday, Murray's defense team wasted no time trying to place the blame for Jackson's death on the singer himself.

Joining us now for a closer look at the challenges for Dr. Conrad Murray's defense, CNN legal contributor, Paul Callan. He's a criminal defense attorney and a former prosecutor.

Paul, good to see you as always. Nice to see you.

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Nice to see you too.

CHO: Listen, we heard from two key witnesses yesterday for the defense. One of them a doctor who had treated Jackson on and off for more than two decades for profound sleep disorder.

Another one, a nurse, who had helped Jackson over the years, both of them essentially supported the defense's claim that Jackson shopped for Propofol himself. So what do you think? Is this going to stick? Did it work?

CALLAN: Well, the defense is trying to put on the board the defense that he self-administered the fatal dose of Propofol and that in essence he was a drug addict who killed himself. This is the only route that the defense can follow.

They're hopefully creating sympathy for Dr. Murray by saying he didn't even realize that Jackson was taking these other drugs. Whether they're going to succeed or not, I don't know. You know, the prosecutor kind of turned one of those witnesses, the doctor --

CHO: Right. Let's talk about that because that's -- what you're talking about, Dr. Allen Metzger. You're right. They took him, the defense witness and tried to turn it around to their advantage. Let's listen to this exchange and we'll talk on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever give Michael Jackson Propofol?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there any amount of money that you would have, that could are convinced you to give him intravenous Propofol in his house?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: So is that a convincing argument for the prosecution?

CALLAN: It does help the prosecution. They're trying to say that they called Metzger to say he was shopping for drugs. Now Metzger takes the stand and says, well, I didn't give him Propofol.

And by the way, I would never have Propofol administered in a home setting. What you have to remember in the end in the Michael Jackson case is that this is not a deliberate murder case. This is an involuntary manslaughter case.

CHO: Right.

CALLAN: And the standard is that you didn't use due caution or circumspection in administering the drug. It's not that you intended to kill him.

CHO: Right, they have to show that Dr. Conrad Murray was reckless?

CALLAN: That's right. He was reckless or he was overly negligent or grossly negligent, very different standard than intentional murder cases, which we're used to seeing in court.

CHO: And just remind our viewers, really. Is the central question still, did Michael Jackson self-administer the Propofol or did Dr. Conrad Murray give it to him in his final moments? I mean, that's the question that really needs to be answered, right?

CALLAN: And what's really been interesting about that is that the defense, yes, put that on the board and said, that's our defense. He self-administered, but yesterday and the day before, a prosecution expert anesthesiologist said.

You know something, even if he self-administered, who set up the IV next to the bed? Who put the Propofol in the IV and who left the room? Should you leave a room with a drug addict with an IV dripping his favorite drug Propofol?

So this doctor, Dr. Shafer said, that is enough to make that an involuntary manslaughter charge, even if Michael Jackson self- administered.

CHO: The problem is, it's all speculation. I mean, the only person who is still alive in the -- who was in that room is Dr. Conrad Murray, right? You know and so the defense could rest, call a dozen witnesses or so, do you think Dr. Conrad Murray himself will be called?

CALLAN: No. I don't think he'd be called. I'd be shocked if he were because he's really already testified to the jury through videotape. Remember, there were extensive interviews that were played to the jury. They know his entire story, and I think he would be destroyed on cross-examination. So I'd really be shocked if he testifies.

CHO: So the defense could wrap up their case by the end of the week, Monday at the latest. This could go to the jury by then. Amazing, you know, we've been following it so closely. If you're a betting man, where are you placing your bets?

CALLAN: Always dangerous to do this. You know, as those who bet on the Casey Anthony verdict learned. I think the prosecution has made out a case here, because, and I think they're going to win the case.

Because I think this -- they put a good argument on the boards that this is reckless, grossly negligent conduct by a doctor to administer this dangerous drug in a home setting without proper equipment and without proper monitoring.

It's not an intentional murder case. It's a case based on a very severe medical mistake, and I think the prosecution has made their case. I'd be very surprised if Murray is acquitted.

CHO: You're saying they'll meet that lower standard?

CALLAN: I think they will.

CHO: Well, he would lose his medical license and get four years behind bars potentially. Paul Callan, always great to see you. Thank you for your perspective on this.

CALLAN: All right, I'm not coming back if I'm wrong. So bring another legal analyst.

CHO: That's not true. We're bringing you back regardless. Thank you so much -- Carol.

COSTELLO: We'll just play the tape of your prediction over and over and over.

Still ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, medical experts are about to vote on a recommendation to give the HPV vaccine to boys. It's a vote that could impact millions of American families.

Up next, our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen will clear up all the confusion for you. It's 45 minutes past the hour.

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COSTELLO: Forty-seven minutes past the hour. Here's what you need to know to start your day.

Live pictures right now of eastern Turkey where rescuers are searching for survivors from Sunday's earthquake. Overnight, a miracle as rescuers pull a 14-day-old baby girl from a collapsed building. She is alive and so are her mother and grandmother. Rescue teams trying to get to them now. The death toll from Sunday's 7.2 quake stands at 366.

Cut balance and grow, that is what Texas Governor Rick Perry is calling his new economic plan, which lets people opt out of their current tax rate for a 20 percent flat tax. Perry will unveil the plan at a campaign event this morning in South Carolina.

More bad news for NBA fans. The "New York Daily News" reporting the league planned to announce the cancellation of at least two more weeks of the regular season. Negotiations between the league owners and locked-out players broke down last week and no new talks are scheduled.

Moammar Gadhafi has finally been buried. An official with the National Transitional Council telling CNN the Libyan dictator was laid to rest at dawn this morning at an undisclosed desert location.

Floodwaters have shut down a second major airport in Bangkok, effectively halting all domestic flights. The main international airport remains open. Catastrophic flooding in Thailand in the last three months has killed 366 people.

An amazing sight across parts of the Midwest and southeast, red and pink streaks filling the sky overnight. Some say these northern lights were the strongest and most beautiful they've ever seen.

You're now caught up on the day's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING, back in 60 seconds.

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CHO: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.

Medical experts are set to vote today on a proposal that recommends giving boys the HPV vaccine. It's already on the vaccine schedule for girls at the Centers for Disease control. That has sparked plenty of controversy.

Senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is here to explain why doctors are now considering recommending the HPV vaccine for boys.

What is this all about, Elizabeth? ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Usually, when we think of HPV, Alina, we think of girls. But a vaccine against HPV, if given to boys, would help in three ways. First of all, it would help the boys -- it would help prevent genital warts for boys. It would help prevent certain types of cancer for boys. And it would also help keep boys from giving HPV to girls because that's how girls get it. They get it through sexual contact with boys. So, this committee at the CDC, they're going to be looking at this today. And they're going to be reviewing whether or not boys should be getting the HPV shot. That's Gardasil, the ones that girls now are currently supposed to get.

CHO: So if the CDC does put this on the vaccine schedule, I don't hear the word mandatory. Does this mean parents have to get it for their children?

COHEN: The reason why I haven't said the word "mandatory" is there's a good chance it won't be mandatory. Here's why. The CDC tells states, hey, we think kids should get X, Y and Z shots. It's then up to the states to decide whether they want to require those for children to go to school. Alina, most states have not required Gardasil for girls. Only Virginia and the District of Columbia have said to girls, you have to get this shot or you're not allowed at school. There's a chance they'll do the same for boys.

CHO: Right. Obviously, the controversy being -- and this has been on the campaign trail with Governor Rick Perry. He said it was a mistake that he made at a mandate --

COHEN: Right.

CHO: -- to administer the HPV vaccine to girls. Obviously, social conservatives are saying that this promotes promiscuity. And we've heard that for a while. The question is, is it safe?

COHEN: Right. Doctors will tell you that there is no question this shot is safe. There have been millions of doses given around the world and there are no serious side effects. I mean, among doctors, there is no debate about safety. They say that it is safe.

CHO: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, senior medical correspondent with that update.

Great to see you, Elizabeth.

COHEN: Great to see you.

COSTELLO: We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning: Should the president bypass Congress to help the economy.

This from Colleen, "Yes, Mr. Obama is the elected president. And at this point, Congress has proved that they are incapable of doing anything positive for the country. It's time that somebody makes a move. And I refuse to trust Congress to do that any more." This from Ucebio (ph), "No, the president needs to have the approval of Congress. That's why the founding fathers set up the government and the Constitution the way that they did, to avoid any one branch of government having too much power over the other. In order to govern, everyone must agree that the ideas they're trying to pass are good ones."

This from Kate, "Absolutely. Mr. Obama needs to get things done any way he can. Our legislatures have boldly said they want him to fail. We have seen them time and time again sit back and smugly agree to agree to any plan to help the American people just so they can make him fail. I hope we don't reward that behavior by electing any of them in 2012."

(LAUGHTER)

Keep the comments coming. Facebook.com/Americanmorning. Facebook.com/Americanmorning. I'll read more of your responses later on AMERICAN MORNING.

CHO: Still to come this morning, an incredible story of survival. A two-week-old baby rescued from the rubble after Sunday's deadly earthquake. Now, the frantic race to save the baby's family.

COSTELLO: And fixing America's housing crisis. The president unveils a plan to help borrowers refinance their existing mortgages. But will the plan really help?

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. It's 55 minutes past the hour.

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