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CNN Sunday Morning
Plan in the Works for the Debt Ceiling; Peyton Manning's New Contract; Officer Threatens Driver; Ridiculous Celebrity Ads
Aired July 31, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good Sunday morning.
We're a day closer to default and still no deal on the debt ceiling. And the tone yesterday took a bit of a nasty tone during the day. But the tone seems to have changed overnight with more talk of compromise.
Also this morning, we are standing by for news about two American hikers held in Iran for the past two years. This morning, they may be closer to freedom.
Also, you may not know the story of the Monford Point Marines and their place in history. You'll know this morning and you'll hear from them, the men who integrated the Marines.
Good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. And welcome to our men and women who are serving in uniform. They're watching us on the American Forces Network around the world. Thank you for being here and thank you for what you do.
But at the top of the hour here, let's talk about three important deadlines that we are keeping an eye on today in this whole debt ceiling debate. The first deadline today is at 1:00 Eastern this afternoon. That's when a vote is scheduled in the Senate on Majority Leader Harry Reid's plan. That's the vote that was supposed to take place overnight, but it was delayed in the evening. More about that in just a second.
Also, the second deadline we're keeping an eye on is at 8:00 Eastern Time today. Why that is important? Because that is when the Asian markets open. The U.S. stock market, as you may know, had its worst week last week in over a year. Now, what happens today in Asia could set the tone for what could be another rough week on Wall Street.
Also, the last deadline is Tuesday, maybe the most important one. That is when the federal government says it does not have enough money to pay all of its country's bills and the country could start for the first time defaulting if no deal is reached. Again, we are just a day and a number of hours away from that important deadline.
So where do we stand on a deal? Well, it seems like we're in a better spot than we were at this time yesterday. Senate leaders on both sides spoke with the president and vice president throughout the day yesterday. The White House has been involved. And that involvement was key for the Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: We are now fully engaged, the Speaker and I, with the one person in America out of 307 million people who can sign a bill into law. I'm confident and optimist that we're going to get an agreement in the very near future and resolve this crisis in the best interest of the American people.
Our country is not going to default for the first time in history. That is not going to happen. We now have, I think, a level of seriousness with the right people at the table that we needed and thought we had as the Speaker indicated last weekend. We're going to get a result.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. Both sides are negotiating elements of the deal, but not the whole package just yet. Take a listen to the Majority Leader Harry Reid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: I'm glad to see this move toward cooperation and compromise. I hope it bears true. I'm confident that a final agreement that we'll adopt to Senate a long-term approach rather than the short term band-aid proposed by the House of Representatives will move forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. Let's turn to our Athena Jones. She's at the White House for us. And also, Joe Johns is keeping an eye on things for us this morning on Capitol Hill.
Joe, let me start with you. The vote was delayed yesterday by Harry Reid. Should we read into that? Is there some significance to that that he wanted to hold off until he got a deal that he thought could pass?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, that's absolutely right. I mean, the bottom line here, when you have two sides trying to negotiate, there's also things going on on the floor of the House and Senate, particularly in the Senate if offline negotiations are going well and it looks like you're moving towards something that could be construed as a deal, then you can loosen things up on the Floor as it were.
So that's what he's doing. He's basically saying, all right, I'm not going to keep moving forward on this bill that doesn't make any sense, because something else is being negotiated and it's a hopeful sign. It's certainly a hopeful sign, T.J.
HOLMES: To Athena now who's at the White House for us. Athena, the Senate Minority Leader, we're seeing right there, Mitch McConnell was insistent that the president be involved in these talks, be back at the table. Was the White House happy to oblige?
ATHENA JONES, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly. The White House has said all along the president is prepared to play any role necessary to reach a deal. And so even though yesterday there weren't any meetings on the schedule, meetings took place.
And we know that Senator McConnell spoke with President Obama yesterday, he spoke with Vice President Biden several times over the course of the day. We also know that Democrats came up to the Hill, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi came up and met with President Obama. And so there was a lot the movement. Therefore, we saw Mitch McConnell looking pretty optimistic.
Now, Senator Reid, that was one of the interesting things that come out yesterday. Senator Reid didn't seem as optimistic at one point. There seems to be concerns among Democrats that possibly the White House will strike a deal with the Republicans that they couldn't agree with. But it's looking like right now, things are moving forward. And so we'll have to see what happens today, T.J.
HOLMES: And Joe, let me bring you back in on these deadlines. We have been keeping an eye on August 2nd, of course. But a couple of other deadlines and important one, the markets opening on Monday here, but also the Asian markets opening in just a matter of hours, if you will, later in the day today. Do lawmakers think that deadline is important as well to make sure they announce something before the Asian markets open here later today?
JOHNS: Well, sure, I mean, this is a guessing game, totally. You know, what the markets will do. But there is a lot of thought out there that if you have the outlines of a deal, if you have something happening and it's looking good, then that will keep the markets from going crazy. You know what I mean?
This deal, what - borrowing authority extended into 2013, not revisiting this issue in the middle of the campaign, which was important to the president, and a trillion dollar debt limit increase plus about a trillion dollar in cuts to government agencies, these are the outlines and if this thing, you know, moves forward, then maybe they'll have a deal, maybe it wouldn't be on August 2nd because there's a lot they have to still go through, but if they have the outlines of a deal, that probably helps a lot. But it's hard to guess what the markets are going to do, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Last thing to you, Athena, the president seems to, at least in what we're hearing in some of these deals that are emerging or this particular one that's being talked about now, the president is going to get - it sounds like, if you believe what we're hearing, what he wants in that we don't have to have this debate again until after the 2012 election.
JONES: Well, certainly. Sources close to the negotiations have begun to lay out some of the aspects of this possible deal. Of course, it's important to say it's just that it's possible deal right now we heard Vice President Biden say repeatedly in the going back several weeks, several months, really, when all these talks began that nothing is finalized until - nothing is agreed upon until everything is agreed upon.
But one thing we've heard is that the deal - the vote will come in two steps, the debt increase will happen in two steps, but that that second step, something that the Democrats wanted to avoid in order to avoid the showdown in the future, that that second increase will be more or less automatic.
Now, we're still listening, trying to find out more details of what this really will break down to be. But that's what we're hearing. And if that's the case, then that's something the White House looks like it could live with, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Joe Johns and Athena Jones, appreciate you guys being here with us here early once again. And I know you'll be here with us throughout the morning and throughout the day, likely a lot more developments. Thanks, guys. I'll see you again here shortly.
And you can hear much more from Mitch McConnell. He's coming up in a few hours. He's the guest on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" sitting down with our Gloria Borger. Also you'll hear from Democratic Senator Charles Schumer. Again, 9:00 Eastern Time this morning's "STATE OF THE UNION."
Also tonight, a CNN special report about finding a solution to this debt crisis. Our Wolf Blitzer and Don Lemon breaking down the obstacles and options. Let's "Get It Done, Countdown to Debt Crisis," 9:00 Eastern tonight here on CNN.
Let me turn to Iran now where a last-minute pardon spares one man, the retaliatory eye-for-an-eye sentence, literally. Iran State Media reporting that it was Ameneh Bahrami's change of heart behind this decision. You saw her picture just there. But it was seven years ago, she was blinded when a man threw acid in her face.
After he was convicted, her attacker was sentenced to suffer the same fate in accordance with Islamic law. But today, minutes before he was to have acid put in his eyes, blinding him, Bahrami asked for the punishment to be stopped. The case got a lot of attention around the world that may have played a part in her decision.
Also, in Iran this morning, two American hikers held in Tehran for the past two years are back in court today. This is the second hearing for Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer. Two others have been scheduled but never happened.
The young men along with Bauer's fiancee Sarah Shourd, you will remember were hiking in Iraq autonomous Kurdish Region along the border of Iran when they were arrested. Again, this was two years ago. Iranian police say the three illegally crossed into Iran. They were charged with spying.
Shourd was released last September for medical reasons. So far this morning in a hearing that's taking place, no decisions have come out of this. But we're keeping an eye on this, because the attorney for these two men believes that possibly they could be released with essentially time served.
They have been held for the past two years. But we are standing by, word for that could come to us at any moment.
Let's turn to Syria now where a human rights group says more clashes today between government forces and protesters have left at least 61 people dead and 100 more wounded. Many of those casualties have been reported in Hama where residents say gunfire and explosions were heard for hours.
But this video is from YouTube that you're seeing here. We have not been able to independently verify what you're seeing here. But the group Human Rights Watch says Hama is being targeted by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He's trying to stifle, they say, a four- month old campaign to remove him from power.
Also coming your way in just a few minutes, caught on tape for a second time, I want you to look at your screen and listen closely. This is an Ohio police officer threatening a motorist with extreme violence. Look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL HARLESS, CANTON POLICE OFFICER: As soon as I saw your gun, I should have taken two steps back, pulled my Glock 40 and just put ten bullets in your [bleep] and let you drop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: We will show you more of this, let you hear more of this video that has gone viral.
Also, coming up next, Indianapolis Colts said they wanted to make Peyton Manning the highest paid player in the NFL and you know what he said? No, thank you. The details of that, coming up next.
If CNN offers to make Reynolds Wolf the highest paid meteorologist in the country, your answer would be?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Show me where to sign. Anytime, any place, anywhere. Absolutely.
HOLMES: Good morning, sir.
WOLF: Hey, good morning. We have an interesting morning in terms of the tropics. We've got another system out in the Atlantic that has 100 percent chance of becoming something bigger, possibly Emily, maybe a named storm later on today. We're going to talk more about that.
Plus, what we're going to expect coast to coast, your forecast in just a few moments.
You're watching CNN SUNDAY MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Twelve minutes past the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
Good morning to Reynolds Wolf -
WOLF: Good morning. Good to see you, man.
HOLMES: -- once again. Hey, man. What are you keeping an eye on?
WOLF: Well, everything is focused right now on the Atlantic. We normally kind of shift our focus into the middle of the Atlantic this time of year, because water temperatures are very warm this time where we see the storms beginning as small clusters right off the Coast of Africa. And then, boom, they develop sometimes, just getting bigger, possibly tropical system. Maybe they're named storm.
And that might be the case with this next one. This could be Emily.
HOLMES: Sounds so sweet and innocent, though.
WOLF: It does. And what could be just a little (INAUDIBLE), a little bit of wind right off the desert in Africa and turns into something monstrous. Sometimes it can happen.
Hey, let's see what we have right now. We don't know really how big this might become. We know at least, though, there's a fairly good chance that this cluster of storms you have right here on the map might become a named storm. Emily would be the next one. Don was yesterday. Don was a bit of a dud. Maybe Emily will, but you never know, this might be something it could be, perhaps maybe the best next to Katrina. You'll never, never know with a situation like this.
What I can tell you is that historically when these systems form, they tend to veer off a little bit more to the north and usually avoid much of the islands in some of the East Coast. Now, there's always the scenario that we could see this possibly take a little bit more a southerly trajectory, maybe affect the Leeward Islands, maybe the Windward Islands, perhaps even Puerto Rico before we get to the next couple of days.
But then, there's also the chance it could sometimes thread the needle, go to the Caribbean and into the Gulf of Mexico. Everything bears watching and that's exactly what we're going to do with this particular system. Again, as we speak, it is about 100 percent chance, the National Hurricane Center believes, 100 percent chance this will become a named storm.
Meanwhile, what else do we have in terms of storms, so we might see plenty of them especially across parts of the Northern Plains today. All the components are there. We get the high humidity, with that we also have a lot of heat. And that could help spark some storms into the afternoon mainly into the Dakotas, back into the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Also some (INAUDIBLE) showers possible - possible through parts of the southeast. And one of the reasons why it's going to possibly drive up due to the heat, very quickly, to wrap things up, 95 in Atlanta; 89 in New York; it could get into the 90s in some of the Burroughs, though; 88 in Salt Lake City; 69 in San Francisco and 72 in Los Angeles.
That's a quick snapshot on the forecast. Now it's time to pass it over to you Peyton Manning style - T.J.
HOLMES: You actually - everybody loves Peyton Manning. He seems like does the right thing, he does it on the field. He's actually funny in the commercials. Got a personality.
WOLF: He seems like a real guy, a likable dude.
HOLMES: Another reason for you to like Peyton Manning. The Colts had been offering to make him - they said clearly we are going to make him the highest paid player in the NFL. You know what he said, Reynolds? He said, no, that's OK.
WOLF: Unbelievable.
HOLMES: They were offering him $23 million a year. And what he's going to get now is $18 million a year. He got a five-year contract extension.
So what this does is ties him with Tom Brady for the highest salary in the league, but he could have been the highest but what he said was you all save that money and use it somewhere else to keep other players on the team, Joseph Addai is one of them. He said use it on other players to keep them here to make us a better team instead of me just having the joy of saying I'm the highest paid player. I'm rich. I'm going to be OK.
WOLF: You know, I'm thinking there are some people in the (INAUDIBLE) that would say, well, once you reach a certain point in money it doesn't matter anymore. What's a few more million to him? It doesn't matter.
This still is going to have a huge effect on his teammates. They can go, this is a guy who's for us. Think of the offensive line. They're going to buckle a bit harder. Guys are going to run for him. Defense are going to step it up - set it up a little more. It's a - it's a big motivating factor.
HOLMES: It makes all the difference. And I'll have you know I did something similar with CNN and, yes, that's why you're still here.
WOLF: That's why I'm part of the offensive line. That's right.
HOLMES: I'm just kidding. All right, Reynolds.
I want to show you now. The New York Yankees, a storied franchise, as we know. And it's hard to believe that they're still setting records, but they set a new club record last night. How? They scored 12 runs in one inning against Baltimore. (INAUDIBLE). A new club record.
The Yankees end up winning the game, 17 to 3. But it's amazing that every record of theirs - any record could still be broken. But, yes, they broke another record.
WOLF: Do anything that surprises (ph) them now? We're talking about a team that had DiMaggio, Ruth, Gehrig, and then - and even Mantle, even Maris. And they didn't score, you know, homeruns in one inning, the first inning ever before? I think that's pretty fascinating.
HOLMES: At this same game I believe now, a Yankees fan, I need you to look closely at the screen for this next one. You know, people go after these foul balls all the time. Now, look closely at this one. You hear the commentator? It gives you an idea of what happened. Oh, yes, he got clocked.
WOLF: Unbelievable.
HOLMES: He did not bring his big boy glove to the park on this day. It gets him right in the face. You can see him banged up pretty good there.
WOLF: Wow.
HOLMES: Apparently he was all right later. But you've got to - sometimes you get hit and you're not paying attention. You know, sometimes people not watching the game.
WOLF: Very true.
HOLMES: He was looking at it.
WOLF: Yes. You should never try to catch a ball with - with your face, a baseball with your face. But don't you think if anyone in the field ever does that, obviously when you make a catch, it's one out. You have to have three outs to retire the side.
What do you think, if you don't have any outs, you're playing on you - it's your team's at-bat and the first baseman just tries to catch one with his face, wouldn't you say, all right, we're done for this inning. We're done. That counts as three. Effort is everything and we're just going to - it's your turn. You go ahead and take -
HOLMES: We don't recommend that, though, but the guy's apparently OK. I think he stayed throughout the game.
And have you seen this video as well to our viewers here? Listen - watch closely and listen closely to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARLESS: I'll just put 10 bullets in your [bleep] and watch you drop.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: Yes. People have gone - it's always scary if you get pulled over by a police officer no matter if you've done something wrong or not, quite frankly.
But to hear a police officer say that, would you believe this officer in question, now that this video has gone viral, it is not the first incident of his caught on camera. That story, coming up.
Also, a little later, a first on the front lines. The Montford Point Marines hold a special place in American history. You will meet one of these originals, one of these history makers this morning.
It's 18 past the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Twenty minutes past the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
Let's turn to Canton, Ohio shall we, where some people there are demanding a suspended police officer be fired. Dash cam video that you are about to see appears to show that the officer has been threatening to shoot people during traffic stops.
Here is Eric Mansfield of our affiliate WKYC.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARLESS: As soon as I saw your gun, I should have taken two steps back, pulled my Glock 40 and just put 10 bullet in your [bleep] and let you drop.
ERIC MANSFIELD, WKYC-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was posted one week ago. Already, it's an online must-see. Canton Police Officer Daniel Harless berating a driver who appears to be trying to show Harless his concealed carry license, so that Harless would know he was armed.
HARLESS: I'm so close to caving in your [bleep] head.
MANSFIELD: But now comes a second video.
HARLESS: I'll kill every one of you [bleep].
MANSFIELD: This one from a year ago.
HARLESS: Yes, I'm telling you what [bleep]. I will shoot you in the face and I'll go to sleep tonight.
MANSFIELD: As Harless' temper again flares while instructing two people on the backseat of a car during a traffic stop for suspected drunk driving.
PHILIP MULIVOR, OHIOANS FOR CONCEALED CARRY: Well, it looks we're seeing repeat behavior. It's a disturbing pattern.
MANSFIELD: Phillip Mulivor is with Ohioans for Concealed Carry, a group that is calling for Harless' job.
MULIVOR: In both cases, this officer's behavior is entirely egregious. He needs to be removed at once.
MANSFIELD: In both cases, Officer Harless is encountering a gun during a traffic stop, which is always a perceived threat for police. Now, it's up to police brass to determine what's acceptable.
HARLESS: You [bleep]. Get the [bleep] before I shoot you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: A little early on a Sunday morning for that.
But that was WKYC's Eric Mansfield reporting for us there. And the Canton Police Department released a statement. Let me read it to you in part. It said, "The officer was relieved of duty and has not worked since the incident. It is being fully investigated."
Well, it's 22 minutes past the hour now.
From Oscar winner Natalie Portman to Ben Stiller, they've all done some pretty silly commercials, but you may not have ever seen them. But we're going to break them out for you this morning.
Stay with us on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Twenty-six minutes past the hour.
Just want to take a little break here and give you a little relief, maybe some comic relief this morning. And we could all use a little break, but -
WOLF: Every day. We all could.
HOLMES: OK. We could.
We're talking about celebrities here for a second. Many of them, you see their commercials and their movies here. But often times they make a lot of money by going overseas to sell particular products and we never see those until now. Because, you know, with YouTube and the Internet, you can see everything.
So we've got some classics here that you've never probably seen before. The first one we're going to show you is Ben Stiller who's doing a commercial for a Japanese alcoholic drink. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN STILLER, ACTOR: Hi. (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Wow. See what you've got to do sometimes, man. WOLF: Whatever it takes. That is - that is so freaky.
You know, we're going to switch gears a little bit and talk about Natalie Portman. And she was in "Black Swan." She's also a "Star Wars" actress. She's been in Japan. She's been selling shampoo, you know, stuff in your hair kind of soaps.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: You know shampoos. Take a look at this.
HOLMES: That was not so bad. That was not so bad.
WOLF: Yes. But it's - I mean, is she a crime fighter? She's just trying to have nice, clean sudsy hair? I don't know.
HOLMES: She's a crime fighter with good hair.
WOLF: It's just kind of confusing. It's just too much for me.
And then actor Nicolas Cage is also selling something called the Sankyo. Sankyo is a product in Japan. Go figure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLAS CAGE, ACTOR: Hi. I'm Nicolas Cage and this is a song for you. My favorite things, my favorite things, blue jeans, red haired girl, sweet peanut butter, slow burning candle, cup of tea and a good book, a dance in the rain and also - Sankyo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: Wow. It's funny. Nick Cage has some great movies and then he has some that aren't so the great.
HOLMES: Aren't so great. Right.
WOLF: And then there are probably some commercials that he might do that are OK and then there's some that aren't so OK.
HOLMES: He was having fun there.
WOLF: He was having something.
HOLMES: I kind of like that one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAGE: ... sweet peanut butter, slow burning candle, a cup of tea and a good book -
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: I've been hearing for a long time.
HOLMES: I like that. But you know, they pick up a lot of money sometimes going overseas, do what you've got to do, not making fun of them for it, not to say their careers aren't doing so well over here and they need to go sell themselves. But, hey, if you can pick up some extra change.
WOLF: I have no idea what Sankyo is. I know less about that product now than I did before.
HOLMES: We will find that out. Trust me, we're going to find it out.
WOLF: If it tells me give that tune out of my head, it's good.
HOLMES: Now, CNN.com put this together for us. They took a look at some of these silly ads and you can see them. They break them down on CNN.com for you, break down the 11 most ridiculous Japanese ads with American celebrities. You could see it on CNN.com.
Thank you, Reynolds. And, of course, we'll see Reynolds here plenty throughout the morning with more - more weather here in just a bit.
But, at the bottom of the hour now, we'll tell you about what's happening in Washington, D.C. there's some optimism, albeit cautious as we get one day closer to the debt deadline. Another big day on Capitol Hill with an important vote on the agenda.
Can we come together?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back. We are just past the got o the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you for spending part of your weekend here with us.
Give you a look at some of the stories we're keeping a close eye on.
First, a new hearing is being held today in Iran for two American hikers arrested with Iraq's border with Iran two years ago. Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer are accused of spying. They say the accidentally stepped over a vague border. A third hiker, Sarah Shourd, was released last September for medical reasons. She's back in the U.S. Under Iran's Islamic law spying is punishable by death. We are standing by for possible word from their hearing today to see if they could possibly-possibly be released.
Also, an Iranian woman blinded in an acid attack by a man refused to date, changes her mind and spares that man's sight. A court in Tehran agreed to an eye for an eye punishment for the woman's attacker. The sentence was halted just minutes before it was to be carried out today. Iranian news agency says the victim had a sudden change of heart.
Law enforcement officers in California are looking for 26 AK-74 assault rifles and a sniper rifle stolen from the Fort Irwin army post. The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone behind the July 15th theft. Federal agents said yesterday some of the weapons may have ended up in Fresno, officials say. Some arrests already have been made but no details are available just yet.
All right, to that debt ceiling debate that continues. The delay of a key procedural vote actually seems to be sparking some confidence in a possible deal getting done. The Senate was supposed to vote late last night to end debate on a plan from Majority Leader Harry Reid. That they decided to table while negotiations on modifying the plan gained some steam. That vote is now scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time today.
The White House also got involved in the discussions yesterday. The president and vice president spoke with leaders from both parties. Let me say hello to Joe Johns once again.
Joe, when we heard that that vote was being delayed at first you might think this can't be good. Actually he wanted to try to give them some time because maybe progress was being made in discussions.
JOHNS: Absolutely. And the other thing is, that the bill they were putting on the floor of the Senate, the Senate Republican leader had already put out a letter saying he had the votes to block it. So why even go there? What this really means is that the president and the Senate or at least Senate Republicans seem to have something going on right now. They have the framework and a bunch of ideas.
It's also clear, you know, the Republican leader did a lot of talking to the president and the vice president, too, yesterday on the telephone, apparently. And have just gotten started on something they think is about right. Senate Democrats clearly are just a little bit worried right now about what the president is talking to those Republicans about. And it sounds like they want to know more because there's a constant fear that the president, in their view, is going to give too much to the Republicans. So it's a work in progress. And don't even start talking about House Republicans and their views on extending --
HOLMES: I was, Joe, that's exactly what I was about to ask you about. With all the action and you're talking about everything happening in the Senate, what's the House hanging out and doing right now?
JOHNS: The House did what it was going to do. They basically took the original Harry Reid Democratic Senate plan and slam dunked it with about 40 minutes of debate. And they did send a clear message that, hey, what you came to us originally with is going nowhere. So that's the message they sent. It will be really interesting to see how they weigh in on anything the Senate comes up with. Because, remember, a lot of House Republicans are very wedded to the idea of pushing through a balanced budget amendment in the House and the Senate and sending it on to the states. And the Senate says, we just can't promise you that, because we can't tell you how members of the Senate are going to vote. So a lot up in the air right now, T.J.
All right, Joe Johns. Joe, we appreciate you as always. Thanks so much. We'll see you again.
You can hear much more from Mitch McConnell in just a few hours. He'll be joining CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION." And sitting down with Gloria Borger. We'll also hear from Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, again that is coming your way, 9:00 Eastern Time. Also, tonight at 9:00, a CNN special report, our Wolf Blitzer and Don Lemon, in a special "Get It Done: Countdown To Debt Crisis". That is coming your way at 9:00 o'clock Eastern, right here on CNN.
Helium, the same gas used to fill birthday balloons, it may also be used to kill a weed that some say is taking over the South and spreading up the East Coast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: So, what is this again?
JACOB SCHINDLER: This is 96 percent to 100 percent pure helium.
WOLF: Yep, it's helium. It definitely is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Reynolds Wolf, having some fun but also talking to a whiz kid who has maybe done something now that people have been working to do for a long time.
Also ahead, if you like big butts and you cannot lie, I have got the story for you. A beauty pageant where you have to be at least 220 pounds to enter. They are celebrating big is beautiful. Stay with me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: It is 40 minutes past the hour. A beautiful look at Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, a beautiful shot this morning.
How are we doing weather-wise?
WOLF: It's going to be a warm day. I know, shocking, going mid- to-low 90s, high humidity. It will feel like it's a million degrees.
HOLMES: A million degrees?
WOLF: Feel like you are on Mercury. That sort of thing.
HOLMES: That's from the meteorologist, a million degrees. Something in the South, Atlanta, and making its way up the East Coast, kudzu.
Now, explain first of all, what is this stuff?
WOLF: Kudzu, is not a crazy rap group from the 1980s. It's an insane type vine. It is a vine that penetrates to the tallest trees, basically chokes the life of the trees, robs other trees of nutrients, of sunlight. It's a huge problem. It is a tremendous problem, especially in terms of farmers, the agricultural industry. It's a mess. We found a kid, not an adult, a kid in South Georgia who may have found the answer to this incredible problem. Amazing story. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF (voice over): Jacob Schindler is not your typical teen. He spends his days battling kudzu.
JACOB SCHINDLER, USES HELIUM TO KILL KUDZU: It has been called the foot a night vine, the mile a minute vine. There are whole wives' tales about if you wouldn't close your windows, it will climb into the rooms and it would take your children.
WOLF: Brought to the United States in 1876, it was first used for erosion control by the U.S. government. It now covers millions of acres in the Southeast, is spreading, and is almost impossible to control.
JACOB SCHINDLER: It kills the local growth. The only thing that winds up growing is more invasive species.
WOLF: Experts have been trying to get rid of it for more than a century. After several years of his own research, Jacob, now 17, thinks he may have found the solution. His work began with a sixth grade science project, to grow kudzu on Mars.
JACOB SCHINDLER: What if I could plant something that is really virulent. Something that really grows fast on a planet where there is nothing. But what it really became was, how can I eliminate kudzu in an environmentally friendly way.
WOLF: His solution, suffocating the kudzu with helium.
(On camera): So, you mean to tell me, though, a vine like this can be killed basically with the same gas that goes into a birthday balloon?
SCHINDLER: Pretty much.
WOLF (voice over): He shopped his discovery to science fairs and university research labs. But at first even his mother was skeptical.
JULIE SCHINDLER, JACOB'S MOTHER: The roots were dead on the helium. They were not dead on the oxygen and Co2. At that point, I thought, he's got something.
WOLF (voice over): Now, she is his biggest supporter.
(On camera): He is an exceptional kid, isn't he?
JULIE SCHINDLER: Yes, in more ways than one. He is a normal teenager. But he has grand ideas.
WOLF (voice over): Here is how it works. Jacob invented this special drill. He hooks it to a helium tank, and that evenly distributes it to the root system.
(On camera): Where we are standing is a place that was once covered with by kudzu, right?
JACOB SCHINDLER: Right. Where I had the kudzu, originally was probably about six or seven, maybe up to 10 feet in some areas.
WOLF (voice over): His success in killing kudzu in this South Georgia town has earned him congressional praise.
(On camera): Do you see yourself as being a pioneer?
JACOB SCHINDLER: I see myself as doing what any other scientist does. You know, you do your research, and you build on what others have done.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF: Not only is he a brilliant kid, he's a very, very kind kid. Very, very friendly, wonderful family. The entire family, you wonder if some of the traits go from mother to son. They absolutely do. They're all brilliant, everyone in the family is. No surprise this kid is a genius. His work is so incredible it has been recognized by a lot of universities. He could basically rise to get to Auburn University. There are a number of ivy league schools.
HOLMES: Why did you pick Auburn first?
WOLF: Favoritism. Let's be honest. I have to honest to our viewers. Auburn is also a tremendous agricultural school. It's close in proximity to South Georgia. We'll see some of the work firsthand. I don't know, its in.
HOLMES: Auburn, Harvard, that's a tossup, man. I'm kidding. I'm with Arkansas. I love the SEC schools.
WOLF: Yes, you do.
HOLMES: Reynolds, thank you, buddy. Thanks so much.
Stick around for this one, and the rest of you here. Mobsters inside a famous Italian jail. They are upset because the new governor there is taking away their Armani suits. Yes, mobsters in jail wearing designer suits. That story coming up in our "Passport". Also in our "Passport", big is beautiful. They are celebrating. As Beyonce says, it ain't pretty ((UNINTELLIGIBLE).
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: She told me to start over. I'm talking and my mic wasn't up. Let's try that again.
It's a quarter till the top of the hour. Nadia Bilchik joining me with "Morning Passport". We're starting in Italy. We showed the video of a beauty pageant where you had to be 220 pounds. We'll get to that second. But first, I didn't know that Armani suits were issued to prisoners in Italy.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITOR: Well, not issued. It is the Uchiadorne (ph) prison in Palermo, Italy. And so many of the inmates are in fact mafia or former mafia, that they wear Caragamo (ph), Gucci, Prada and they come to prison in their suits. That's a huge status symbol. The new governor of this particular prison is saying, basta! Enough. You are not going to be wearing your Armani suits. This has caused a huge outcry, particularly among the wives of the inmates who are going, what are our husbands going to wear then?
HOLMES: That is all they have.
BILCHIK: Exactly. One woman says we don't buy this because of the status, we buy it because of the quality.
HOLMES: This is different from a U.S. prison where we're used to people going in, you give up your personal possessions, and you're issued a jumpsuit, that orange jumpsuit.
BILCHIK: Right.
HOLMES: Doesn't work like that. You wear your own clothes there?
BILCHIK: No. You are allowed about 44 kilograms of clothes, when you arrive in the prison. And they are now going to be going through by prison officials and making sure there are no designer label. In fact, Nike and Adidas are not allowed either.
HOLMES: Do you think, as you said, is it a dangerous situation?
BILCHIK: Not dangerous. She says there's disparity between the inmates. And this is punishment after all. Let's go from the high fashion of Italian prisons to beauty.
HOLMES: Beauty pageant.
BILCHIK: Miss Tuchiona (ph), which is roughly translated means Miss Chubby. This is also in Italy taking place this month. You have to be at least 220 pounds to enter the competition. And as you can see, these ladies have lots of personality, full of vitality. And some of the categories are Miss Sweetness, Miss Sympathy, Miss Smile and Miss Elegant and Miss Fantastic.
HOLMES: Do they have categories like we are used to in our pageants here? Do they have talent competition? Some kind of gown-
BILCHIK: Absolutely, based on personality and talent. Much like in America, you have Miss Plus America, which is celebrating the beauty of the larger woman.
HOLMES: And let's be clear here. We've seen the video of the ladies hopping around and having fun there in Italy. This is not to make fun of anybody. This is to celebrate a bigger woman.
BILCHIK: Exactly. As I said, celebrating large and enjoying your buxom figure.
HOLMES: Your buxom figure. This is what you were referring to.
BILCHIK: This is Miss Plus America.
HOLMES: Miss Plus America, celebrating beauty that comes in all sizes.
Nadia Bilchik, great "Morning Passport" this morning. We are going to see you again at 8:00?.
BILCHIK: Yes, we're going to the other royal wedding.
HOLMES: To the royal wedding.
BILCHIK: The other royal wedding.
HOLMES: You find one every weekend. Nadia, thank you.
We'll see her again here, shortly.
We are about 10 minutes of the top of the hour now.
These men answered the nation's call to arms in World War II. They marched right into history. Fighting, yes, the enemy but also fighting racism. The Montford Marines, finally getting the recognition for their contribution to the nation's freedom. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're about eight minutes to the top of the hour now.
In 1941 President Roosevelt opened the door for African-American recruitment into the Marine Corps. Young men from all walks of life heeded that call. They were not sent to the traditional boot camps of Parris Island, South Carolina or San Diego. Instead they were segregated at newly constructed Montford Point, a facility at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. This weekend they are being recognized for their bravery and accomplishments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EDWIN J. FIZER, MONTFORD MARINE: We fought two kinds of wars, one in combat and the other was right here. We fought Jim Crowe, and we fought the enemy.
HOLMES (voice over): The men of Montford Point were trailblazers. They were the first. Hand picked to integrate the U.S. Marine Corps, the last branch of the armed services that was still segregated.
GENE DOUGHTY, MONTFORD MARINE: These men were men, understand, who were so proud to be the first and they were eager to learn.
HOLMES: Their initial excitement would soon be replaced with the reality of racism, in basic training and the lack of support waiting at home.
FIZER: In the Corps at that time, they were hell bent on making sure that we were not going to succeed in what we were doing.
Now, here we are returning from combat, from war, from fighting in the Pacific 18 long months, 18 hard months. And having all of the relics, we had some of the Japanese flags we captured and other relics. And we literally showed the crowd, you understand, this is what we earned. And what we did, and what we had to do, to get these relics. And despite that, that did not help. The fact that we were black men and so racism continued on.
HOLMES: Across the armed services, African-Americans were delegated to serve in noncombat support roles and the Marines would be no exception.
LT. GEN. WALTER E. GASKIN, U.S. MARINE CORPS: What happens when you place someone in a support role and they have to fight their way to support you, they demonstrate what Marines have always done. They rose to the occasion.
HOLMES: Gaskins understands the importance of the Montford Point Marines and how its legacy has paved the way for him to rise through the ranks as a three star general.
GASKIN: When they see me and I'm wearing three stars, they say, you know, I know it was tough for me but it was worth it, because now I see you.
HOLMES: This weekend's event marks the 46th convention for the Montford Point Marines Association, whose sole purpose is to preserve a legacy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are working aggressively with the legislators on Capitol Hill to confer the Congressional Gold Medal this year on the Montford Point Marines for their service to the United States from World War II to the Vietnam era, forever anchoring their role in the history of our nation's great military.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: I'm so glad we could bring you a part of that history this weekend. The Montford Point Marines, maybe you hadn't heard of them before this weekend. Hopefully you'll remember them from now on. We're getting close to the top of the hour now.
We're also getting close to the countdown clock expiring in Washington. Just a couple days until a possible first-ever default in U.S. history. Now, senators will tell you, and they told us yesterday, that will not happen. But they are cutting it close, aren't they? We'll take you back to Washington, D.C., back to the White House, to se what the president is doing to help reach a deal. Stay with me on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: All right. We're coming up on the top of the hour here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you could spend part of your weekend here with us.
We continue to watch this debt ceiling debate. It ain't over yet. In a day and 17 hours, as you see there, we could be in unchartered territory. That clock is ticking. But in the meantime there are three important deadlines we're keeping an eye on. So yes that one is one. The first one today is at 1:00 Eastern Time; 1:00 o'clock this afternoon is when a vote is scheduled in the Senate on Majority Leader Harry Reid's plan. That's the vote that was supposed to take place overnight, but was delayed late in the evening. The second deadline we're watching is at 8:00 o'clock Eastern today. What is that? That is when the Asian markets open.
You'll remember the U.S. stock market had its worst week last week in over a year. So what happens today in Asia could set the tone for what could be another rough week on Wall Street.
And then, finally, the clock we just showed you, Tuesday, that is the big deadline we're watching. That's when the federal government says it's going to be out of money, not going to be able to pay all of the bills. They're going to have to decide which ones to pay, and that's when the U.S. could start, for the first time in its history, default on some of its obligations.
So, where do we stand on a possible deal? It seems like we're in a better spot than we were at this time yesterday.
Senate leaders on both sides spoke with the president and vice president throughout the day yesterday. The White House's involvement was a key ingredient for Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: We are now fully engaged, the speaker and I, with the one person in America out of 307 million people who can sign a bill into law. I'm confident and optimistic that we're going to get an agreement in the very near future and resolve this crisis in the best interest of the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, Majority Leader Harry Reid says many elements of a possible deal still need to be worked out. And there's still, quote, "a distance to go." Listen to Harry Reid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: I'm glad to see this move toward cooperation and compromise. I hope it bears fruit. I'm confident that a final agreement that will adopt the Senate's long-term approach rather than the short-term band-aid proposed by the House of Representatives will move forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. We have our folks up early this morning in Washington, D.C.
Athena Jones at the White House, Joe Johns keeping an eye on things at Capitol Hill.
And, Athena, I want to start with you. Yes, it's early. Yes, it's a Sunday morning, but they're clearly working at the White House. And you're talking to 'em this morning.
JONES: They are working.
And I want to mention this early on, T.J., the White House is cautioning us about some of the details of this so-called tentative framework that are trickling out. They say there's no deal at this hour. There are so many details still to be ironed out that they can't even really say how close they are to a deal.
And so, some of the numbers we're beginning to hear or read in reports are not necessarily be going to be the final numbers that come out.
But, certainly, both sides are working. As we saw yesterday, there was no meeting on the schedule at the White House. But we had the Democrats come up and meet with President Obama. We know that the president and the vice president were talking constantly throughout the day with people on the Hill, including Senator Mitch McConnell.
And so, we can expect more of that to continue. But ,again, this sort of gives you an idea of McConnell being optimistic but then we heard from Reid saying that there's still a distance to go. We'll see what happens today, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Joe, they're telling us to be a little cautious here.
JOHNS: Right.
HOLMES: And, yesterday, at one point in the day, you had Mitch McConnell get up and say, it looks like we're close. And right behind him on the Senate floor, Harry Reid opens up and says, huh-uh.
So, we don't know exactly what to believe up there on Capitol Hill.
JOHNS: Right. Well, a senior Senate Republican aide telling me this morning that the -- what he's been seeing in the media reports is essentially there what Athena reported, that the numbers seem to be a little bit off, either they're too big in some places and too small in other places. That's the reason people haven't come out yet.
But I don't think anybody's shooting down the idea that there is a framework out there that they're working on now and that the Republicans mostly have really been having a close conversation with the president about how to get something that can be signed. And, by the way, you know, all eyes this morning on CNN as Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, is expected to go out on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" about 9:00 Eastern, and then, we'll be able to get a little bit better idea, perhaps, on what the Republicans are thinking and just where we are at this point.
But, yes, you're right. This is a very fluid situation. And we're only a couple days out now from that August 2nd deadline.
HOLMES: Yes. That's why I love you, Joe, you do the promo for me. I don't have to do it myself.
Athena, let me bring you back in here. What do we know about the president's schedule today? There weren't necessarily planned meetings yesterday but they were happening. So, what today?
JONES: Well, as Joe just mentioned, things are still in flux. It's such a fluid situation. It wouldn't be at all surprised if you saw meetings suddenly appear on this schedule.
Everyone knows the clock is ticking down. They're running out of time. And so, the president is standing by, ready to play whatever role is necessary as senior administration officials told me yesterday.
And so, who knows? We'll have to be standing by to see.
I can tell you that the phone calls are going to be going on. That's behind closed doors. We'll see what happens here.
HOLMES: All right. Athena, thank you. Joe Johns, thank you as well.
You all have anything we need to be getting on the air, by all means, just let us know. We'll get you right back on. But thanks to you both. We'll talk to you again shortly.
Also to our viewers, tonight, 9:00 Eastern Time, a special report, that's this evening. Our Wolf Blitzer and Don Lemon breaking down the obstacles and the options. And maybe we'll have some news by the time this does happen, this special report for you. But they will have everything you need to know, 9:00 Eastern. "Get It Done: The Countdown to Debt Crisis," 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
Also, a developing story today. We're standing by for possible news out of Iran about two American hikers. They've been held there in Tehran for the past two years. They are back in court today. This is the second hearing they've had, again, in two years. This is say hearing for Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer.
Two other hearings had been scheduled. Those never happened.
These young men, along with Bauer's fiancee, Sarah Shourd, were hiking in northern Iraq, along the border of Iran, when they were arrested two years ago. Iranian police say the three illegally crossed into Iran. They have been charged with spying. Shourd was released last September for medical reasons.
So far this morning, no decisions coming out of court. But we are keeping a close eye on it. Their attorney believes that maybe they could be given time served, if you will. They've been over there in prison for two years. So, maybe a release could be forthcoming.
But we are keeping a close eye on it. Certainly, the families and also the attorney are optimistic. But still, we could get news out of that. We'll bring it to you when it does happen.
Well, can you imagine witnessing a human tragedy firsthand? We have been showing you these pictures out of Somalia. And they are just devastating to see them from our vantage point. But can you imagine being there? We will talk to a relief worker who is just back from there.
The place where the U.N. says the worst humanitarian disaster in the world is happening.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Ten minutes past the hour now.
An important story we want to continue to tell you about -- the ongoing crisis in Africa where a deadly combination of drought and famine has forced tens of thousands of people to seek refuge. What you're seeing here is northern Kenya overwhelmed at the Dadaab refugee camp. Many are starving every single day, many of them are children.
Now, these are heartbreaking images for us to see from afar.
But I want to bring in someone now, a guest who has seen this firsthand. Her name is Elizabeth McLaughlin. She joins me. She's executive director for CARE Foundations Unit and she's joining me live this morning from Miami.
Ma'am, thank you so much for being here and taking time out with us.
You spent 10 days over there. How would you put it in perspective, what you saw?
ELIZABETH MCLAUGHLIN, EXEC. DIR., FOUNDATIONS UNIT, CARE: I've worked in the aid sector for 18 years and I've spent a lot of time in Africa. And my last mission was four years in Sudan.
I was quite shocked, what I seen here in Dadaab and Ethiopia. I didn't expect it to be as shocking as what I've seen last week.
HOLMES: And to remind our viewers what you're seeing in Kenya and Ethiopia that she mentioned there, many people are fleeing Somalia, the drought there, the famine, taking place there, to try to make their way into these camps.
Ma'am, how much -- how much aid is getting in? Clearly, not enough. But how is that process working? Is it trickling in? And we knew that there was at least one militant group that said they weren't going to allow some aid agencies in. What is the aid situation?
MCLAUGHLIN: There is a lot of aid getting in. But what is happening is the number of refugees arriving is increasing. A few, about a month ago, it was 10,000 people per month. And now in Dadaab, we're seeing 30,000 people per month.
So, CARE is distributing aid, you know, as fast as they possibly can and as our other NGOs. But the number is rising. And that's the challenge that we're facing now.
HOLMES: Ma'am, what are you -- what is your assessment of the international response to this crisis?
MCLAUGHLIN: Sorry, can you repeat that question?
HOLMES: Well, my question is, how do you think the international community, the rest of the world, has been responding so far to this crisis?
MCLAUGHLIN: I think the response has been -- in fact, I think it's been amazing response, especially over the last few weeks. But we didn't know about this drought about a year ago. We knew that it was going to happen. The response should have happened then. But now, we're seeing a massive response, yes.
HOLMES: I guess what is -- I guess part of the problem in getting the message out about Africa for one thing, it's a distant place and also, this is a slow-moving disaster. This is something you just said, we knew was going to happen, but often times in the world, we see disasters and we can see a tsunami, we can see the damage from an earthquake.
Was that part of the problem, people just couldn't see it?
MCLAUGHLIN: What we're -- what we are very concerned about now isn't an earthquake, when, you know, one day you have an earthquake and everyone helps. This is going to be there for a very long time.
And I'm afraid that the number of death is going to rise unless we really keep our eyes on this. And, you know, continue the response nonstop.
I was shocked what I seen in Ethiopia. And there's many cattle dying throughout the south. And that is an indicator that, you know, soon we're going to see people dying.
So just because we're not seeing, you know, lots of people dying right at this moment, there will be a big number unless we do something about it now.
HOLMES: All right. And, ma'am, last thing here, and just a lot of people who are watching these images and hearing this story, they would like to find a way to help. What would you recommend to people watching right now? What would you recommend to them, how could they get involved and help in some way?
MCLAUGHLIN: I recommend everyone goes on to CARE.org and they will learn a lot just from going on that webpage. And, you know, read the news. Reach out to people who know something about this drought.
And we need as much help as we possibly can get. CARE has a lot of people in the field, but we need more resources.
So, again, people should go on to CARE.org.
HOLMES: All right. Elizabeth McLaughlin, again, we appreciate you taking the time and sharing this story. I know it had to be a tough experience for you. You've got a lot of years in doing this type of work, but again, even shocking for you to see what you saw there. Ma'am, thank you for your time. Hope to talk to you again down the road.
MCLAUGHLIN: Thank you.
HOLMES: All right. We're at 16 minutes past the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
We will turn back to news here in this country.
Now, a lot of people across this country are dealing with what has been intense and even in the past several weeks, deadly heat. We have at least 13 states affected. Are we going to get a break?
Reynolds Wolf will have the details as Deidre, my director, takes me to break right now on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Good morning. New York City. Gorgeous shot at Lady Liberty this morning. In New York City, Reynolds Wolf will give us a forecast. But it looks gorgeous from there.
Well, a lot of people in New York, a lot of names in New York, a lot of unique names shall we call them?
And we did a segment here yesterday that got a lot of people talking because we showed you a number of names. And people thought we were making them up. But we weren't. This is just a few. Yes, ESPN is on the list. Congratulashayla, I think, is maybe how you say that. And then Ish is in there as well.
Well, I talked to a guy by the name of Rodney -- Rodney Kellum. He is the co-author of a book. It's called, "What Yo Nayme Iz?" You can see there on the screen how he spells. But is what not to name your child. He told me that many of these children who end up with these names end up by just initials, or sometimes, they legally change their names.
But it's the children who keep these names who may end up suffering even professionally.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RODNEY KELLUM, CO-AUTHOR, "WHAT YO NAYME IZ?": When the regret comes in is when they join the work force or attempt to join the workforce.
There has been a study back in 2003 of names, where they did dummy resumes and used certain names on one side and certain times on the other side. And it showed a drastic drop with the percent of the response to the resume -- drastic -- to where it shows that there is maybe a bias that people don't even know they have toward certain names.
HOLMES: Let's me put up some more here because we certainly were itching to try share as many as we can here. There is Orangejello, and a Lemonjello.
KELLUM: Oran-gel-lo.
HOLMES: Oranjello! Oh! And that's Lemonjello?
KELLUM: And they are twin brothers.
HOLMES: And that's Lemonjello and Orangejello?
KELLUM: Yes.
HOLMES: And then Reign Beau? I thought that was pretty creative.
KELLUM: Yes.
HOLMES: There is a Cheeto in there, as well.
Give me a couple you have come across. And we are sharing some here, but some that just blew your mind? Some of your favorites?
KELLUM: Well, my favorite isn't because it is so different. It is differently spelled.
HOLMES: OK.
KELLUM: And the name Quincy. You know, nothing too special about Quincy, right?
HOLMES: I'm trying to think, how would you spell that?
KELLUM: Well, they would spell it, C-U-E, for the Q. Y-E-N-C-I- E. So, it is spelled, Cue-U-encie.
HOLMES: Cue-U-encie?
KELLUM: But it's Quincy.
HOLMES: But it's Quincy?
KELLUM: Right. So, imagine being a elementary teacher trying to get that right.
HOLMES: Do the parents in your research for your book, do they end up regretting it as well?
KELLUM: I think they probably see it from when the children start, when they grow up and get older, and they start coming across these hindrances. You know, I actually know a couple, personally, in the book. And they are actually very successful people, lawyers and teachers. But it took a bit of extra work on their part.
HOLMES: We also found, and we were just describing, there are some countries that actually -- they give you a list, essentially, if you will. They say you can only pick from these names. And they will only allow you.
What countries are we talking about, that only allow you to use certain names? And why do they have laws like that?
KELLUM: Iceland, Denmark, New Zealand. New Zealand, just recently -- I don't know if a lot of people read it -- outlawed the name Lucifer. Some parents want to name their child Lucifer.
But I think it is Iceland that has a list of 7,000 names, period. You can't go out of those names. They want to save the child embarrassment. They don't want you having a noble name of a noble family.
So, they say it in the way of -- we are protecting your child from future bullying, future harassment, future embarrassment.
HOLMES: Has it gotten out of hand?
KELLUM: Over here?
HOLMES: Over here.
KELLUM: Oh, I think so.
HOLMES: People focused, oftentimes, we hear of celebrities name their child this or that, so on and so forth. But it's not just celebrities.
KELLUM: It's not just celebrities.
HOLMES: A lot of people are doing this.
KELLUM: They want their child to be unique. But I think they are going about it the wrong way. It's to the detriment of the child.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: So, what are some of the hottest baby names of 2011? Well, the baby name Website Nameberry, it put out a list of the most searched names this year.
Trending high on the hot list for girls is Pippa. Yes, because of that young lady right there. That is the sister of the duchess of Cambridge. She made such a splash during the royal wedding.
And for the guys, the name Asher actually pushed out Henry as the number one most popular name.
Reynolds, what do you think about that?
WOLF: I think it's great. And what was your nickname in college, what did people call you.
HOLMES: Oh, I had so many.
WOLF: No, no, no. No, it's OK. You could share it with America.
HOLMES: Some people called me Lucifer.
WOLF: Shoe fits.
HOLMES: It doesn't.
WOLF: It does.
HOLMES: There was a reason for that. It's a long story.
WOLF: It's a long story. Yes. We'll touch base on that one.
Hey, we've had a couple of names that we've been dealing with in terms of weather. We had Don yesterday, which was fizzled out, unfortunately. We've got another one that may be named -- could be named within an hour or so.
And we're talking about, the next one is Emily, you know, for the hurricane in Atlantic Basin.
So, I'm going to jog on over, and we're going to talk about where Emily may pop up. And this is what we're watching right here. You see this area? This big reddish color, this area right here?
Yes, you see a lot of convection there. A lot of clouds beginning to form right along the intertropical convergence zone. This might be named Emily, as I mentioned, within a few hours.
First place we're threatened would be the Leeward and Windward Islands. After that, it's anybody's ball game. Kind of hard to know exactly where it's going to go. We're going to watch it for you. We'll give you updates as we get them.
The next thing we're going to update you about will be the chance of strong storms developing in the Northern Plains. Also, you could some see splash and showers in the Southeast and into the Four Corners.
Very quickly, as we wrap things up, high temperatures today going to the 90s for much of the Eastern Seaboard. New York and Boston, a little bit cooler. Ninety-six in Denver, 69 in San Francisco, and 71 in Seattle. T.J., back to you.
HOLMES: Reynie, appreciate you as always, buddy. Thank you very much.
We're at 25 minutes past the hour. Quick break. Stay with me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Taking a look now at some of the stories making headlines on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
We've got that deadline still lurking. It's less than two days away now. And congressional leaders and the White House are reportedly mulling parts of a tentative deal that would extend the debt limit through next year. Nothing is official yet. We will be keeping a close eye on this one throughout the morning and all day.
Also in Iran, two American hikers of accused of espionage are in court today. This is happening two years after they were arrested for allegedly straying over the Iraqi border into Iran. The attorney representing Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer says he thinks the court will find them innocent. But if found guilty, he says, their time in jail awaiting trial should suffice as a sentence that has raised hopes for them possibly getting out of prison and coming back home.
Also from Iran this morning, a change of heart from a woman blinded in an acid attack seven years ago. You're seeing her there. Moments before the man convicted of the crime was to have acid dropped in his own eyes, blinding him, Iran's state media reports she stopped the punishment, had a change of heart. So, it was not carried out.
Well, I will be back with you at the top of the hour with more live news. A couple of developing stories we are keeping an eye on in Iran and also Washington, D.C.
But, right now, time for the good doctor.
