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CNN Sunday Morning

Romney and Ryan on the Road; Terror Threat in Syria Worries U.S.; AAA: Gas Prices $3.69 per Gallon; Police: Handcuffed Man Killed Himself; Obama Campaign Releases New Video; How Olympians Inspire Us; Ryan Finalizes the 2012 Field

Aired August 12, 2012 - 08:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

Mitt Romney makes his pick, a bold move that some recharges his campaign.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's going to divide and distract this country to win an election by default? And you know what? We're not going to fall for that.

KAYE: But is the conservative big gun a gamble for the Republican ticket?

And the NFL star formerly known as Ochocinco in jail this morning, all over what police say happened last night inside of his car.

And new images of the red planet -- they are enough to blow your mind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are going to be taking a little taste to see what's there for the first time that this scale in human history.

KAYE: But as the rover Curiosity searches for life on Mars, here is something to ponder: are we earthlings the real aliens?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It is 8:00 in New York, 5:00 in Los Angeles. Thanks for starting your morning with us.

It is day two for the Romney-Ryan team. They are taking the message on the road in a bid to inspire voters across several states. We are getting exclusive details about how he made it on the ticket from the Romney aide who led the search.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETH MYERS, LED ROMNEY'S V.P. SEARCH: The first swath was broad and we got a good cut of information by a lot of people and then we narrowed it down and we got even more information. We got personal information from each of the potential candidates, and then Mitt took these candidate dossiers and he thought about them. He read all of them word-for-word and we narrowed it down once again and we did an even more deep dive on them, and then gave them the final product.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Today, the team's in North Carolina, which is where we find our national political correspondent Jim Acosta on board the Romney campaign bus.

Jim, you got yourself a seat there. I love the technology that you can talk to us as you ride along. Many call the choice of Ryan pretty bold. I mean, you been following Mitt Romney now for a while. What difference do you see in the candidate and his campaign now with Paul Ryan on board?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I have to tell you, Randi, last night on the campaign charter flight from where we were yesterday in Virginia heading down to Charlotte, North Carolina, where we are now. We're on our way to the first event of the day, Mitt Romney seemed much more relaxed with Paul Ryan at his side. He and the Wisconsin congressman came to the back of the press plane yesterday and briefed reporters just a little bit, talked to reporters a little bit about their reflections on the day and the vice presidential pick.

And I have to say, this is as loose as I have seen Mitt Romney be with the press in some time. So I think that there is a positive benefit that Ryan is having with this campaign almost already, instantaneously, as a result of being selected as his running mate.

We heard a little bit from Paul Ryan last night. He has an easy going rapport with the press, but he did say at one point -- he got serious and said last night, he's been fighting for these issues all of his life, and that he feels honored to be on this ticket, and that's what he sees as his role in this campaign, to be fighting for these issues that he feels and Mitt Romney feels are crucial to the future of the country, Randi.

KAYE: Well, certainly, Ryan is known for a budget proposal that calls for sharp cuts to many programs, the plan that is now a focus of the new Obama campaign ad.

Jim, watch this along with me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN: I want to put out a comprehensive plan rewriting the health care system, Medicare, Social Security and the entire tax system.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it'd be marvelous if the Senate were to pick up Paul Ryan's budget and to adopt it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: So, Romney like it or not, Jim, he is tied to the Ryan budget. I mean, what do you the campaign's plan to combat what will be a key strategy for the Democrats will be? ACOSTA: Funny you should ask, Randi, because earlier in the morning in the hotel as we were ready to get on this bus, Kevin Madden, a chief spokesman for the Romney campaign, briefed reporters and he was asked that very question, how do you reconcile the fact that you put Paul Ryan on the ticket. He is architect of what has been a controversial blueprint for fiscal reform in Washington. And what Kevin Madden told reporters, Mitt Romney is at the top of the ticket. And at the same time, and keep in mind when, you know, Paul Ryan was on the plane saying I have been fighting for these issues all of my life, and Mitt Romney did not turn to him and say, we are talking about my issues and not your issues.

And so, I think there is going to be a balancing act on this campaign in terms of how they handle that issue. I will tell you that the Obama campaign has obviously already seized on this, and they're going to make this a big part of this campaign over the coming weeks, and so I think that's going to be something to watch, how they reconcile dealing with this Ryan budget that has caused some controversy, Randi.

KAYE: And tomorrow, Jim, all eyes on Iowa. There's a little bit of a showdown there, both President Obama and Paul Ryan will be in the state. Ryan already showing signs that he is ready to play the attack dog role, typical of vice presidents. What do you will see from him tomorrow?

ACOSTA: That's right. Well, just before tomorrow, Randi, I should note that after we wrap up these events in North Carolina, we're going to be heading to Wisconsin for a homecoming, what they are calling a homecoming for Paul Ryan. It's going to be their last big event for some time.

And yes, you are right, Paul Ryan is going to Iowa tomorrow, and the Iowa state fair and President Obama will be in the e same state of Iowa tomorrow. So I don't think there's any chance the two will cross paths, but it's interesting that the two will be in the same state at the same time.

And just to go to something that Mitt Romney said yesterday on the campaign plane last night, he said that he's glad that we are now looking at a situation of two on two, meaning he and Paul Ryan versus Joe Biden and President Obama, because when it was one on two, Mitt Romney said he was taking some licks there. So he is glad to have Paul Ryan on board and as you said, he is filling the role of attack dog quite nicely in the eyes of the Romney campaign so far, and we're going to see that heading in the days forward.

KAYE: That will keep it interesting for sure.

Jim Acosta, many thanks. Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right.

KAYE: And here is a look at some other stories we are watching this morning.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS) KAYE: New violence in Syria today as the rebel fighters clash with the government groups. The opposition is accusing the regime of executing young men in cold blood in the city of Homs and firing on a mini-bus filled with children while the fighting rages with no end in sight.

The U.S. and Turkey are making contingency plans in the event the Syrian regime falls.

In Istanbul this weekend, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that Washington is concerned that terrorists will infiltrate Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: We worry about terrorists, PKK, al Qaeda and others taking advantage of the legitimate fight of the Syrian people for their freedom, to use Syria to promote their own agendas and even to perhaps find footholds to launch attacks against others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Clinton also announced another $5 million in humanitarian aid for the thousands of Syrian refugees.

In Colorado this weekend, First Lady Michelle Obama had a message for the doctors, nurses and staffers who treated victims of last month's deadly movie theater shooting. She made a surprise visit to an Aurora hospital, to tell them all, thank you. She also greeted survivors of the rampage and their families. Twelve people were killed, dozens hurt after police say James Holmes opened up fire at a midnight screening of the new Batman film.

It will be an emotional day today for survivors of another shooting rampage, exactly one week after a gunman terrorized a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The temple will hold services. Big crowds are expected. Five men, one woman died in that shooting. Police say the gunman then killed himself.

Temple members cleaned and repaired the building last week, but they left a lone bullet hole in the door frame as a permanent memorial to the victims.

Football star Chad Johnson is in a Florida jail this morning on a domestic violence charge. You may know him as Chad Ochocinco. He is accused of head-butting his wife last night. He married reality TV star Evelyn Lozada last month.

Davie, Florida, police say the two started arguing in the car when his wife found a receipt for condoms and Johnson claims they accidentally butted heads.

If you have been feeling the pinch when you go the buy gasoline, well, guess what? You are not alone. AAA reports the national average has climbed $3.69 a gallon. That is up about 8 cents from last week's average. So, what is the fueling rise in prices and is there any relief in sight?

Our Alison Kosik explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Randi.

The increase in gas prices is the culmination of a perfect storm of circumstances. First, there have been refinery problems all across the country. In the Midwest, a pipeline was shut down a few weeks ago because of a leak and there were problems at BP and Marathon refineries in the region. In California, there was a fire at a refinery this past Monday.

Now, all of these problems have been temporary, but it means our supply of gas has taken a hit. That pushes up prices.

But supply isn't the only issue here. The drought in the Midwest has a lot to do with the gas prices. Current law mandates that 10 percent of the gas in your tank is made of ethanol. Ethanol is made of corn and that's a product we don't have a lot of these days.

The USDA said on Friday that the nation's corn harvest this year will be the smallest in 17 years, and you roll it together and that means higher gas prices.

Tom Kloza at Oil Price Information Service thinks that the prices will continue the rise for the next few weeks, but we should get some relief after Labor Day.

Randi, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: The London Olympics end today and so far the U.S., has won more gold medals than any other country, 44 golds and 102 medals in all. China is in second with 38 goals and 87 medals total. And there are more events happening this morning.

So, how do people feel about this year's games? Well, we have a poll. CNN/ORC poll shows 66 percent of Americans say that London has been successful as an Olympic host, and 24 percent say they've really enjoyed this year's Olympics more than in the past.

Amanda Davies is at Olympic Park this morning.

And, Amanda, good morning to you. Let's talk about tonight. What do we have to look forward to?

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I have something very exciting to look forward to, Randi. I have a ticket. I have just got this in the last hour or so, so I am very, very excited, because I am one of the lucky 80,000 in the stadium behind me for the closing ceremony. And I can just tell you that we have just heard them taping the practice and sound check this morning and not quite so much secrecy around the closing ceremony as the opening ceremony. We do know it is basically a celebration of 50 years of British music.

So I've heard Take That and we understand the Spice Girls are also going to be an act and we have seen pictures of them practicing on standing sparkly black London taxi cabs. George Michael has confirmed that he will be performing, and it is going to be basically a three- hour extravaganza, celebrating the games, 4,000 performers expected to be taking part.

And the organizers have said they just want to make it the best after- show ever. And it's certainly expected to be that, after a sensational 17 days of action.

But as you said, 17 days of action, and it is still going, and 15 gold medals to be awarded today, and one of them has just gone to Steven Kiprotich of Uganda. He's just won the men's marathon. So, a great day for him. But we've also got the final events of the modern pentathlon and some boxing finals going on as well.

And, of course, there's the big basketball match later on -- Team USA against Spain as well.

Well, Amanda, I know that you have been working hard these past few weeks, and you deserve that ticket more than a lot of folks. Appreciate it and enjoy yourself there. Thank you.

Well, now, there are now four, Romney and Ryan against Obama and Biden. So, what can we expect Democrats and Republicans going forward? We'll talk about it all in just moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Fifteen minutes past the hour. A debate over the direction of the United States, that's how many see the 2012 campaign shaping up after the addition of Paul Ryan to the Republican presidential ticket.

Amy Holmes is an anchor for GBTV and conservative commentator. Bernard Whitman is a Democratic strategist and former pollster to Bill Clinton.

Welcome to both of you. Good morning.

Amy, I want to start with you on this one. Speaking aboard the campaign plane, Mitt Romney had this to say about his new running mate. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: For us, this is a campaign of ideas and production for America, and what is America going to be, and what kind of nation is it going to be, how are we going to help people across this country have a better future. And having two people talk about that is a far more compelling dynamic than just be out there on my own. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Romney essentially saying there that two heads are better than one. So, is that Paul Ryan's biggest asset, Amy, the ability to sell Mitt Romney and help him connect in way that really Romney has been pretty much unable to do up to this point?

AMY HOLMES, GBTV: Well, it's certainly a viable asset, that Paul Ryan is such a clear articulator of the conservative fiscal values. And this choice, I'm sure you've seen the conservative blogosphere, the online community, as well as the activist community, they are thrilled with this pick, because Paul Ryan really bridges the policy wonk side with the political side.

He is an inside the Beltway creature. To a large degree, he grew up politically in Washington, D.C. So, he's a very well known quantity. But he also has that appeal to the Tea Party activists, those people who see our deficit, our fiscal future as being the top issues in the election.

KAYE: And, Bernard, the Obama/Biden team is already mocking this team duo, calling them the "go back team", and saying that the policies will hurt everyone, from seniors the students. Do you think is this the race that the Obama White House wanted?

BERNARD WHITMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Absolutely and I will tell you why, it shows a very clear division for America. We have a difference of opinion for shared prosperity for all Americans and where everybody moves forward together where a division where the winner takes all and those at the top continues to reap the benefits where those in the middle and the bottom fall further behind.

Why do I say that? Ryan would be an absolute disaster for seniors, for the middle-class, for women, for gay Americans. He authored the system to turn into a voucher program, which would cost see seniors $6,000 a year or more, he voted against at the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. He voted against the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", hate crimes legislation, he's against civil unions.

And perhaps most importantly, he would favor giving multimillionaires a $725,000 tax cut which would force a tax increase on middle-class families with kids of $2,000.

So, I think that the choice of Ryan underscores the vast difference, and also suggests that Mitt Romney is pretty scared given the fact that he is running seven points behind in national polls in the latest CNN poll, and 11 points behind with independents.

KAYE: Amy, President Obama, if you look at the senior vote, lost the senior vote by 8 percentage points to Senator McCain. So, is it wise, do you think, to focus on the Ryan plan and the impact of Medicare? Will that benefit him, do you think?

HOLMES: Certainly, that's what the Obama campaign wants to do. And you just heard those talking points in the litany of charges against Paul Ryan. I'm not going to get into rebutting each and every one of them.

But it's clearly the Obama tactic, which is to try to Palinize Paul Ryan, to try to make this ticket so anathema that no reasonable person, when meanwhile Paul Ryan is a very reasonable politician -- and I don't think the Obama campaign is going to get away with that tactic as they did four years ago, because so many members of the political and media class have grown up with Paul Ryan. They know him to be a reasonable guy.

For example, h voted against -- rather he voted for banning workplace discrimination against people with same sex preferences. So if you were the look at his record, I don't think it is going to be able to have the Obama campaign is going to be able to caricature it quite as much as they might want to.

KAYE: What about the battle for independents? I mean, both campaigns trying to pick up independents. Ryan is a fresh face -- pretty much unknown outside Washington.

Do you think, Bernard, his presence might help Romney gain some ground there?

WHITMAN: Honestly, I don't think so, because independents don't share his view of an America where the top get better and better and the bottom continue the struggle. And I think what it really underscores is a difference between Paul Ryan and Joe Biden.

I mentioned in the book 52 reasons to vote for President Obama, Joe Biden is reason 36. Why? He helped end the war in Iraq. He traveled there eight times as vice president. He helped to negotiate the budget and tax compromises with Congress in 2010 and 2011, and he chaired and -- implemented -- I should say -- the stimulus plan which help to create or save 3.5 million jobs.

So, when you compare Joe Biden and his experience over 30 years in foreign policy to Paul Ryan, he was really for the most part looked to limit those in the middle-class, I think Americans have a clear vision of the difference between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, and between Paul Ryan and Joe Biden.

KAYE: Bernard Whitman, Amy Holmes, thank you both very much. We'll see you next weekend.

WHITMAN: Thank you so much.

HOLMES: Thank you.

KAYE: So, are we alone? Is there or was there ever life on Mars, one of Jupiter's moons or a far distant galaxy? It's one of the most profound questions that we're dealing with as humans and one we'll tackle with our guest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It is an exciting time for NASA scientists and really anyone who's ever looked into the sky and wondered if there is life on other planet. That is because for nearly a week now, the NASA rover Curiosity has been searching for signs of life on Mars. It's also been sending us back some really amazing pictures from the red planet.

Joining me now is a theoretical physicist from Arizona State University, Lawrence Krauss. He's also the author of best seller "A Universe From Nothing."

Thanks so much for joining us from Australia this morning as far as I understand it.

So, let's talk about this, Lawrence. Eight months in space, millions of miles traveled, $2.5 billion spent, one of the most complicated interstellar landings in history. How excited are you about all this?

LAWRENCE KRAUSS, ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY: I'm incredibly excited. I had a party up here. I'm right near the location where the deep space signals come in before they built the jet propulsion lab. I'm as excited as I've ever I think since the moon landing. It was amazing thing. And to see the pictures after the rover landed was incredible.

The pictures that have come in since then from the Mars orbit as well, where you can see the balloon and see the impact crater, it's just like being there.

KAYE: You know, a lot of people say, that's so cool that we are searching for life on Mars, you know, the rover is doing that for us, and what, give us a sense of what you think that life might look like on another planet?

KRAUSS: Well, of course, it is hard to say not having discovered it, but the biggest surprise would be indeed if we discover life on Mars and I think that it is a good chance, at least we will discover past life on evidence of past life in Mars, the big surprise would be if it weren't our cousins, because what we've learned is that material goes back and forth between the planets all the time. We can discover Martian meteorites in Antarctica, for example, and it goes another way around.

And microbes can certainly survived the eight-month voyage inside of a rock. So if we do discover life on Mars and, again, I'm betting that we will discover evidence of that, and the big surprise would be if it wasn't our cousins, because then it would mean that there was at least two separate genesis of life in our solar system which would probably mean that the universe is teeming with life. We've discovered already 2,000 planets around the stars. There are 100 billion stars in our galaxy, 100 billion galaxies.

And if we discover one example of life elsewhere, it means there's lots of life in the universe that maybe, maybe intelligent life.

KAYE: And you have actually said and I'm going to ask you to explain this one, because it's going to have a lot of us shaking our heads. You think that we could all be Martians.

KRAUSS: Oh, yes, exactly. The point is that since life has gone back and forth between -- could have gone back and forth between the planets, during the early period of Mars' evolution, it was a hot weather, and the first form of life could have involved on Mars and polluted the earth. The two planets polluted each other. So, indeed, we could be Martian.

So, if you want to see what the Martians look like, just look in the mirror.

KAYE: That is a very interesting thought.

So, what do you think it would mean? I mean, how big would this be? What would it mean for science if we do find a sign of life?

KRAUSS: Well, it's profoundly important. It means that potentially, there are other places in the solar system like the oceans under the moon Europa where there could be existing life. I suspect if we discover life on Mars, again, it will be fossilized evidence life and not existing life, but it really means that we could learn also about how robust life is, under what conditions it can evolve, and any other example of extreme life gives us much more understanding of our own origin and how typical we are in the universe.

And I think that's the thing we want to no know, you want to know it, I want to know it, are we alone?

KAYE: Yes, that's the big question. Lawrence Krauss, nice to have you on the program this morning, thank you.

KRAUSS: Thanks. It's great.

KAYE: It is a case that has the FBI baffled. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: They find a small bag $10 of marijuana, but they missed a gun?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Apparently.

KAYE: Is that disappointing to you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

KAYE: Police say that a man killed himself in Arkansas, in the back of a police car while he was handcuffed. This man right here, his hands behind his back. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: This next story has a lot of people talking. It is about the controversial death of a man who was in police custody in Arkansas, Jonesboro police say 21-year-old Chavis Carter was handcuffed behind his back late last month, but police say still managed to shoot himself in the head. He'd been arrested after police say they found a small amount of marijuana on him. He also had an outstanding warrant in another state.

But his family and others in the community don't believe that Carter killed himself. I traveled to Jonesboro a few days ago and pressed the police chief to get some answers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Is it even possible physically to be handcuffed behind your back and somehow pull a trigger on a gun that you weren't holding when you were handcuffed?

CHIEF MICHAEL YATES, JONESBORO, ARKANSAS POLICE: The average person who has never been in handcuffs, has never been around inmates and people in custody would react exactly the same way that you just did about how -- how can that be possible?

Well, fact of it is that it is very possible, and it's quite easy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: I also should add police searched Carter twice prior to his arrest and never found a gun on him in either search yet they were able to find a small amount of marijuana in a plastic bag.

We want to hear from you about this, do you think a man handcuffed behind his back and in the back of a squad car would be able to shoot himself in the head? Tweet me @RandiKayeCNN. I'd love to know what you think and I'll be sure to read some of your responses later on in the show this morning.

When you think of Michael Phelps, you probably don't think of him inspiring you to study religion. Our next guest talks to us about how Olympians can bring us all closer to God.

And it's not just Republicans who are delighted with Romney's running pick. Find out how Democrats plan to make Paul Ryan to key part of their campaign strategy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING, I'm Randi Kaye.

They call themselves America's comeback team and the Republican ticket of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan is on the campaign trail in the battleground states of North Carolina and Wisconsin today.

Meanwhile the Obama campaign isn't wasting any time attacking Paul Ryan and his proposed budget overhaul which it says favors the wealthy and hurts everyone else. Take a look at part of this new campaign ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The cuts in here are so dramatic, they are so painful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It gives a $4.3 trillion tax cut to the wealthiest in this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: President Obama is holding five fund-raising events in Chicago today. CNN chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin takes a closer look at how the Democrats plan to make Paul Ryan a key part of their strategy in the weeks ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you can expect to hear the word Ryan used as part of a phrase an awful lot between now and November from the Obama team. You'll hear it as part of the phrase Romney/Ryan budget or extreme House Republican budget. That's because their goal is to try to bind Mitt Romney to Paul Ryan's budget which they believe is an example or they'll try to tie him to the narrative that they've already built, which is that Mitt Romney wants to give tax breaks to the upper income Americans at the expense of middle class Americans, and they think that the pick of Paul Ryan helps them make the case that he is committed to doing that.

But they do know -- as you can see, he's an enormously charismatic campaigner, but on the other hand they can make these arguments on entitlements and tax reform and on deficit cutting that Mitt Romney would go about it in a way that would hurt the middle class whereas the President would not.

And they also plan to target women, veterans, college students, and as I mentioned middle class voters arguing that Paul Ryan's budget also includes cuts to programs that impact all those constituent groups. And that they will target all of those constituent groups by pointing out there are ways Paul Ryan's budget would hurt them.

So expect a targeted message that, again, this Romney/Ryan budget could be damaging to each of those groups.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Jessica Yellin, thank you very much.

After more than two weeks of intense competition and new world records, the London Olympics will come to a close later today. London will hand the games over to the next host city, Rio de Janeiro, in the closing ceremony.

And big British pop stars like the Spice Girls, George Michael and Muse are expected to perform.

Right now the U.S. is leading the medal race 44 gold -- 102 in all; China is in second with 38 gold, 87 medals in all. And there's more to be won, dozens of events still happening this morning. And today's big event of course -- the men's basketball, USA versus Spain for the gold medal at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Remember that the U.S. beat Spain in the 2008 Olympics and Spain's team also has NBA players.

For this morning's "Faces of Faith", we look at the inspiration for the Olympics and how Olympians inspire us to be more god-like. Just think, Michael Phelps does look a bit like the Greek God Apollo and the ancient Greeks thought when athletes won glory they stood in the presence of gods. And this mentality is part of Christianity, as well, the desire for hard work and virtue to bring us closer to God.

Our next guest wrote about this for our Web site CNN.com. Joseph Loconte is a religious expert and author of the new book "The Searchers: A Quest for Faith in the Valley of Doubt" and he joins us now from Washington. Good morning, Joe.

JOSEPH LOCONTE, AUTHOR, "THE SEARCHERS": Good morning. Thanks so much for having me.

KAYE: So are the Olympians the closest thing really that we're ever going to see Greek gods do you think?

LOCONTE: I'm not sure of the closest things, but I think the Greeks really were on to something. You know they -- their games were awash in religion and religious belief. They dedicated the Greek -- the games to Zeus, they got priests on hand.

And I think they're on to something, it's not just pure superstition in the sense that they understood instinctively that something really remarkable is going on when men and women are pushing the limits of human achievement. They really are in a sense standing in the presence of the gods.

And so I think it suggests to us that there is something in us. We're kind of hard-wired if you will, for -- for glory. We're hard-wired to try to achieve it and were captivated when we see men and women achieving Olympic glory.

KAYE: And do the physical abilities of Olympians, I mean, do you find that god-like almost?

LOCONTE: Well certainly from the Greek perspective, you know, they thought about the god is having all these kinds of incredible supernatural power. But that's one feature of it really, I think the Greeks they talked about not only the physical strength, but moral strength or moral courage, what the Greeks called "arete". Think about that as kind of heroism or moral beauty when -- when athletes because of great sacrifice, great commitment, loyalty, humility, those are the -- the Greek, the -- the Olympians who really capture our imaginations aren't they?

KAYE: Yes absolutely.

So how does this all relate to Christianity or how does that play here?

LOCONTE: Well, I think, if you think about it, what -- what's -- what do the Olympic stir up in our hearts and minds? We want to be different men and women. When we're seeing those people perform, we want a piece of that glory. The Christian author C.S. Lewis talked about our inconsolable secret, meaning this -- this yearning, this desire to bridge a gulf that exists between us are ordinary earthly existence. And this other world, this remarkable world that's kind of unfolding before us as we're watching this people achieve these incredible things and our inconsolable secret is we can't bridge that gulf. That's part of the -- the tragedy of the human condition. KAYE: And was there an Olympian or an Olympic moment for you this year that inspired you and probably inspired others?

LOCONTE: Well, there were a lot. But one that comes to mind is this guy Manteo Mitchell the runner here he's somewhere into his 400 meter relay run, and he realizes that he's broken his leg but he just soldiers on for the sake of his teammates. He just soldiers on and he finishes the race, and he says I was just doing my job.

I mean, it's that kind of guts and perseverance for a greater good, and not just for personal glory. That really gets our attention, I think.

Joseph Loconte, thank you so much for inspiring all of us this morning. Appreciate that.

LOCONTE: Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

KAYE: And for more stories on faith, be sure to check out our widely popular belief blog. You can find it at CNN.com/belief.

All right, this one is going to get you. Completely naked and surrounded by sharks -- a fisherman prays for help after he falls in the shark infested waters. We'll have the dramatic video and the race to save his life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back. 45 minutes past the hour.

And we have been talking about this story all morning. It is the story of a man in police custody in Arkansas. Jonesboro Police say that 21-year-old Chavis Carter was in the back of a squad car with his handcuffed behind his back, but they say he still managed to shoot himself in the head.

He'd been arrested after police say they found a small amount of marijuana on him. He also had an outstanding warrant. But his family and others in the community don't believe that Chavis Carter took his own life. I also should add, police searched Carter twice prior to that arrest and never found a gun on him, yet they were able to find that small bag of marijuana.

I've been asking all of you if you thought a man handcuffed behind his back could be able to shoot himself in the head, and we've been getting so many responses. Thank you so much for playing along with us this morning.

Hibi wrote, "unless he had a third invisible hand that the cops didn't cuff, I'll put my money on no."

Jennifer says, "No, I don't think he could shoot himself with his hands handcuffed behind his back is a cover-up."

And Liz tweeted this, "The reason I would believe it is because it seems too unbelievable to make up. They could create a more credible story."

So do me a favor and keep those tweets coming. I've enjoyed reading them all you have a lot great questions about this one. You can find me on Twitter@randikayecnn.

And check out this dramatic rescue caught on tape. A naked fisherman fighting for his life in shark infested Australian waters, treading water for 20 hours after his boat sank. Things turned out well for the unnamed fisherman, but two other men on the boat were not as lucky. One was found dead and rescue teams have called off their search for the other due to rough weather conditions.

The Obama-Biden team now has an opponent; so how will that shape their strategy to win re-election? One of the President's most trusted advisors will tell us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Veepstakes -- that's so last week. For Republican voters now it is all about Romney-Ryan, two men the party hopes will help it reclaim the White House. Joining me now from Washington is CNN's chief political correspondent and host of "STATE OF THE UNION" Candy Crowley.

Candy good morning. So in the last 24 hours, Paul Ryan has been called everything from bold and risky by the Republicans to radical by the Democrats. So what do you think? I mean is it appropriate to call him a game-changer here?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST: We'll see. The problem is that no -- very rarely does a single day change anything but there are mile markers along the way for any candidate. And the first one when it comes to changing up the mix is certainly that vice presidential pick. So this is the beginning of change for the Romney campaign, if there is to be victory at the end of it.

So the first is he picks a vice presidential candidate, and how that plays. The second is that convention speech, and how he -- how Romney presents himself to the biggest audience he will have ever seen. And then of course those debates with the President, and both of them standing pretty much side by side talking about hopefully their visions for the country. So, those are the three debates.

This kicks it off. This will be the day -- if Romney wins, this will be the day they look back and say, it started here.

KAYE: And I know you spoke with David Axelrod, one of president Obama's top strategists. What is his reaction to this pick? I'm just curious, because he -- I think he said previously that Tim Pawlenty should have been the choice?

CROWLEY: Yes. But he doesn't pick, as you know. And he had said previously, he thought Pawlenty was a safe pick and he thought that since Mitt Romney was a cautious candidate, that that would be who he would pick. He is right in line and in fact is -- I'm sure the crafter of what has been the Obama campaign's response which is like, "Oh, my goodness, this is just, you know, radical." It's sort of Romney square as far as they are concerned.

They are going to wrap Ryan inside their attack on Mitt Romney, which has always been that he's for the rich person, and he wants to help those who make the most money. He is going to ruin the middle-class. And the now they add it into their quiver they have and also they want to take Medicare away from the senior citizens. So they add sort of all of those things into it, but it is the same gist.

KAYE: Yes.

CROWLEY: That these people are out of touch with America. They just, as one candidate or one Democrat told me yesterday, he said it is the same arguments just on steroids now with Ryan.

KAYE: How strong of a weapon do you think Paul Ryan will be against President Obama? Because he certainly hasn't minced words about him.

CROWLEY: He hasn't, and the other thing is that there is, there is a power and a certainty of the words that Ryan tends to say. There are some really famous times when he stood up to the President in public and said, look, this is what this is, and the President tried to back him down and Ryan wouldn't do it.

So he is not afraid to take on things. We also saw yesterday by the way after the announcement, and Romney and Ryan went on the trail together; Ryan who, you know, described by the Republicans side as cerebral and a policy wonk, and let me tell you he can also play that number two attack dog role pretty well.

So, you know, we will see how he is on the campaign trail.

KAYE: Yes.

CROWLEY: He's never campaigned even across the state much less across the nation, but he certainly has the knowledge to make his argument. There is this will not be a bumper sticker campaign I think with Ryan.

KAYE: Candy, great to talk to you about this. Thanks so much.

And be sure to keep it here for "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley. It starts in five minutes at the top of the hour.

Do you ever feel like you are completely bogged down in paperwork? Yes. Who doesn't, right? Well, get a load of this photo, piles upon piles of paperwork, so much that the building inspector said that the weight of the paper could actually damage the building.

This is the veteran's affairs office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The inspector also, by the way, pointed out the papers could be damaged or lost and could be a real fire hazard.

We will see Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes back in court soon. I'll tell you why and break down what you should keep an eye out for in the coming week. That is all next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: That was a big day in history, and here's a look at some of the big stories that we will be following in the week ahead.

The Olympics, of course, may be ending today, but the race for the White House heats up tomorrow. Romney will be campaigning in Florida. President Obama will be in Iowa and his wife Michelle will make her third appearance on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno".

On Tuesday, 17-year-old TJ Lane will stand trial for the high school cafeteria shooting that killed three students in Ohio last February.

And looking ahead to Wednesday, young illegal immigrants can start applying for two-year deferrals of deportation. That's the policy that was put in place by the Obama administration back in June, you may recall.

Thursday, look for Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes court hearing. Doctor-patient confidentiality and the contents of that package that he sent to his university psychiatrist no doubt will be in question.

And looking ahead to next Sunday: that's World Humanitarian Day -- a day to honor those who risk their lives to help people in need.

Thanks so much for watching today. I'm Randi Kaye and you can always continue the conversation with me on Twitter@RandiKayeCNN.

"STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley begins right now.