Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
Tropical Storm Ernesto Gaining Strength; Jobs Report is Mixed Bag; Michigan Sued Over Reading Skills; U.S. Credit Rating Downgraded One Year Ago; Looking Your Best for Back to School
Aired August 04, 2012 - 07:00 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 SATURDAY MORNING.
Job numbers are up, but so is unemployment. As each puts his spin on the new report, we will give you the facts and what it means for the economy.
Plus, we might be number one here, but nowhere close here. All morning, we're putting education in focus. Why in the world is our system ranked lower than Ireland, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan.
And later, did you see this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gates are open, 2012 it all begins, too excited. Thank you.
KAYE: The happiest Olympic worker has an interesting approach to rousing the crowd. So, we decided to see if the same trick in London would work in New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Happy Saturday, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It is 7:00 on the East Coast, 4:00 out west. Thanks for walking up with us.
We start with extreme weather and wildfires. There are at least four major fires burning in Oklahoma this morning.
Last hour, we talked to the official with the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management who said the devastating drought played a big part in all of this. She also told me that hundreds of homes are being threatened by these fires.
They are preparing to send more resources to fight the fires today. Other extreme weather, tropical storm Ernesto is moving west right now. The storm hit the Windward Islands with heavy rain and 60 mile per hour winds. Right now, it's around 300 miles south of Puerto Rico, headed for Jamaica. Ernesto is expected to strengthen into a hurricane sometime tomorrow, but the latest tracks don't have it reaching the U.S.
In Syria the fierce fighting rages on a day after a U.N. General Assembly resolution condemning the Syrian government for its actions against its people. Rebel forces and Syrian military waged a battle for control of the government-run TV and radio studios in Aleppo. Opposition forces reportedly took partial control of the media building, but had to withdraw because of sniper fire and shelling as well.
Meanwhile, rebel forces are reporting that six unidentified bodies, including two children, were found executed near the Damascus neighborhood of Jubar.
To politics in the U.S. now, and the July jobs report provided a lot of fodder for both sides.
CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Good morning, Randi.
Called a mixed bag, while the unemployment level edged up, the number of new jobs more than double created in June. And as you can imagine, we've got two very different takes from President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're just got a new number from the unemployment report. It's another hammer blow to the struggling middle class families in America because the president has not had policies that put American families back to work.
I do. I'll put them in place and get America working again.
(APPLAUSE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now created 4.5 million new jobs over the last 29 months and 1.1 million new jobs so far this year. Those are our neighbors and family members finding work and the security that comes with work. But let's acknowledge, we still got too many folks who are looking for work.
STEINHAUSER: With this election all about the economy, you know what remains the top issue on the minds of voters, and jobs are the top economic concern. The unemployment numbers get picked apart for their political significance, and there are just three more reports to come before the November election.
So, who do Americans think would do a better job creating jobs? Romney had a six-point advantage in a recent "USA Today"/Gallup survey.
While the candidates argued over jobs and who was a better friend to the middle class, Romney and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid continue their war of words over Romney's tax returns.
ROMNEY: Harry Reid has to put up or shut up. So, Harry, who are your sources?
STEINHAUSER: The fist fight broke uh earlier when the top Senate Democrat accused Romney of not paying taxes.
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: The word is out he hasn't paid any taxes for 10 years. Let him prove that he has paid taxes, because he hasn't.
STEINHAUSER: Reid said he got the info from a credible source but he won't say more.
Romney said he paid his taxes.
ROMNEY: I have paid taxes every year and a lot of taxes. A lot of taxes.
So, Harry is simply wrong.
STEINHAUSER: But he stands by his decision not to release any tax returns prior to 2010 -- Randi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Thank you, Paul.
Mitt Romney can add a Hollywood heavyweight to his list of supporters. Clint Eastwood came out for $2 million fundraiser in Sun Valley, Idaho. The 82-year-old actor says he's counting on Romney to fix the tax system. Eastwood had kept quiet about his presidential preference and even played a little bit with it when he talked with reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Just kind of curious why you decided to endorse the governor?
CLINT EASTWOOD, ACTOR/DIRECTOR: I haven't endorsed the governor. Oh, yes, no, I just -- I just because I think the country needs a boost somewhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: President Obama has his own star power in First Lady Michelle Obama. She was in New Hampshire where she delivered this message to voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: When people ask you what this president has done for our country, here's what you tell them. Tell them how many jobs he created. Tell them how much money he has put back in the pockets of American people. Remind folks how Barack ended the war in Iraq, passed historic health reform and stood up for the most fundamental rights again and again and again. That's what I want you to tell them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: President Obama is not campaigning this weekend. It is his 51st birthday today. So, he is spending the weekend at Camp David. A more official celebration is planned next week in his hometown of Chicago.
Summer is quickly coming to an end and that means the new school year is about to begin. We have a couple of Style Network's newest stars to share their tips on going back to school in style.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Summer break is coming to an end. And for millions of students, that means time to head back to school. Many are looking forward to a new look for the new school year and I'm about to introduce you to a couple of experts you may recognize from the Style Network's new reality show "Chicagolicious."
But, first, take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACRAY HUFF, STYLIST, "CHICAGOLICIOUS": This is how you do it the MacRay way. You get the rhinestones and this is like a piece of a necklace that I put and just put it all together and boom, there you go.
AUSTIN MAXFIELD, STYLIST, "CHICAGOLICIOUS": I don't know what I'm wearing. I've never been to a gala. I don't know what to expect.
HUFF: Me either. But I'm just going to be, you know, I'm going to do me.
MAXFIELD: No, this has to be more than me. This has to be a lot more than me. I got to see this shoulder piece.
HUFF: It's nasty. I'm telling, you are going to love it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: (AUDIO GAP) back to school make every tips so we can all achieve that Chicagolicious look.
HUFF: Right.
KAYE: Welcome to both of you. Good morning.
All right. So, one of the trends we are seeing a lot of people starting to bear bangs. Is that really a hot trend for the fall, for back to school even?
HUFF: I feel it is. She usually has bangs and they are precise, but she has it down to a science. For back to school, I wouldn't suggest you get a straight even bang, but a little longer and a little texturized the bangs, so when you pull it back, it looks better and frames your face.
KAYE: A softer bang
HUFF: Yes, softer. Yes. KAYE: OK. So, Austin, what about this? For the moms who are watching, their girls are going back to school and some teenage girls just don't know how much to do it first, if they should keep it simple or not. What is age appropriate?
MAXFIELD: For makeup I think for teens, the best thing is most girls are really into foundation. The best thing for someone starting off is like a tinted moisturizer or beauty creams which is like a moisturizer, but with more color, so it has a better coverage. That's good to start off with because it's not too full and it looks very natural.
KAYE: Instead of using too much.
MAXFIELD: It gives a very even skin tone. It's good to start off for teens and younger girls. And also like eye liner. When I say eye liner, I suggest starting with a blue or brown. Don't go straight into black, because it gets very intense.
KAYE: Yes, and don't take it all the way up. They will wear it all the way up there.
MAXFIELD: No, no.
KAYE: All right. Let me ask you about a few dos and don'ts. This is a big deal for kids going back to school. First of all, I'll start with you. Hair ribbons or bows? Is that a do or a don't?
HUFF: That's a don't. That's like if you are a 5.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: OK. Well, maybe for preschool or kindergarten. What about using color to make a statement? We were talking about that with make up?
MAXFIELD: For teens going back to school, definitely a don't. Not at all.
KAYE: Stay away from color?
MAXFIELD: Yes. That's more for when it's an evening and you want to make your look more sexy you go with a colored lip.
KAYE: OK.
MAXFIELD: For teens going to school, leave it alone.
KAYE: So, bright lipstick or multicolored eye shadow, a do or a don't?
MAXFIELD: I would say don't.
KAYE: OK. All right.
Now, I have to ask about shoulder pieces. You are wearing one there.
HUFF: I have a nasty one. KAYE: The thing looks heavy.
HUFF: It's not.
KAYE: It makes a lot of noise. Is that in? Is that a do or a don't for back to school?
HUFF: No, I would suggest this for everyone. You have to be fabulous for something like this.
KAYE: You are fabulous, MaCray. So, you wouldn't recommend this for back to school?
HUFF: No, not for everyone, no.
KAYE: All right. Well, listen, we're going to put your skills to the test. All right?
We know you have skills. We have someone who is going back to school and we are going to let you spend time with her and show her how to recreate the same look later. A lot of us leave the salon like you guys made us as fabulous, as fabulous as MaCray and we can't recreate it.
HUFF: OK.
KAYE: We want you to use all her stuff and show us a bit of a makeover. There she is. She's looking so cute. All right. So, that's Katherine. We're going to let you work on her and we're going to check back with you in just a little bit. All right?
HUFF: All right.
KAYE: All right. We'll see you both a little bit later.
HUFF: Thank you.
KAYE: Thank you.
All right. So, the ACLU is suing the state of Michigan comparing a school system to a third world nation. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It is being called the first of its kind lawsuit. The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the state of Michigan, its Department of Education, and one Detroit school district for failing to teach students how to read. Yes, you heard me, how to read.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of nearly 1,000 students attending public schools in Highland Park, Michigan. They say the students there are struggling with basic literacy with eighth graders who are reading at a third grade level.
CNN education contributor Steve Perry is joining me now from Hartford, Connecticut. Steve, good morning to you. I want to show you the writing samples in the lawsuit. Here's one. Take a look at this with me. Quote, "You can make the school gooder by getting people that would do the job that is pay for, get a football team for the kinds maybe a basketball tamo (ph) and get other jam tacher for the school. Get a lot of tacher."
There are so many spelling and grammatical errors here, Steve, I mean, they are certainly hard to miss. And this was written by an eighth grader.
What do you make of this?
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: Nothing about that surprises me at all. In fact, 40 percent of our sixth graders are coming in anywhere from two to four grade levels below. That's not the parent's fault, that's the school's fault. It's unconscionable that individuals such as me, educators such as I am get paid to educate, yet don't educate.
I believe this is easily among the most important in our generation.
KAYE: You have to wonder how the student even got to that grade given that this is the level they are at.
PERRY: Because of complete educational neglect. In my book "Pushes Comes to Shove," I have a chapter called "Sue 'Em," and I said about two years ago someone is going to sue the school district for real this time. Not just for redistricting or something like that, but at some point, someone is going to sue the school district for damages because there accountable damages to children who cannot read, write, and compute. And we have been able to factor that overtime.
So, we know that a child can lose as much as a million to $2 million over the course of your life because they cannot read, write, or compute.
KAYE: Now, we mentioned this lawsuit. The lawsuit claims that by 11th grade, when a student should be college-ready, of course, 90 percent failed reading, 97 percent failed math, 94 percent failed writing and 100 percent failed the social studies portions of assessment exams.
Now, how would you say this compares to the rest of the country?
PERRY: I think that in many communities this is standard. What happens every single day is that parents entrust me and my colleagues with their children. With the full expectation that we would teach them the skills that we believe as the professionals that children need to know.
However during this time where children have gone all the way to the 11th grade, not just in Detroit, but all over the country, 11th to 12th grade, teachers are getting paid, they are getting raises, they are becoming tenured, and their children are going to schools in which they know how to read, but the children being paid to educate are not.
It is criminal. It is absolutely criminal. KAYE: Michigan Governor Rick Snyder spoke to them and they wouldn't comment on the case. But they did tell CNN this, quote, "Everything we have done and are doing is to ensure that the kids of Highland Park schools get the education they need and deserve."
Based on the statistics, Steve, that you heard here, do you think they are getting the education they deserve?
PERRY: Nope. How on earth can anyone, anyone, I don't care what their job, see a 90 percent fail rate? That's absolute failure -- and say anything other than this is a catastrophic failure and these children need to be put in a situation where they can go to good schools now. Not education reform not some goof change of name of a school or take the principal out. I'm talking about categorically moving these children out of the failed schools tomorrow.
KAYE: Listen, I want you to listen to what one mother had to say about this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE JENKS, HIGHLAND PARK RESIDENT: I have an 11th grade daughter in Highland Park High School who's reading on a third and 5th great math level assessment test. The district is not where it needs to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: I mean, it really is shocking that this is going on there. But there is a line between parents' responsibilities and school. We touched on that a little bit. But, really, what should the parent be doing? I mean, they must see their child is at this level.
PERRY: What are if you were a parent who went to the same school system? How much further ahead could you be?
Listen, I am the principal of my son's school and they come home, one of them is in 5th grade and the other one is in 2nd. Sometimes there's homework that I don't understand that I'm the person who pays the people who assigns the homework. I have to ask for help.
I am a person who has understanding of education and still, there are some subjects I struggle with. So, we expect often parents to know things they are not educated to know. We can tell the parents to sit down and have your child do the homework. But if the homework that comes home is insufficient and doesn't train the children, then the parents wouldn't know.
Put it this way -- if you don't speak Spanish and your child takes Spanish, how are you going to know if your child is doing well in Spanish?
KAYE: Right. The bottom line here is we can sit here, we can point fingers to the parents, to the teachers and to school administrators, but it's the kids who are going to suffer no matter what. That's the bottom line. PERRY: That's absolutely it, Randi. And here's the problem: at the end of the day, these buildings and facilities and these organizations are here to serve the children, the children of the community. They are not serving the children. They are only serving the adults. That to me is a crime.
KAYE: Steve Perry, as always, nice to see you. Thank you very much.
Sixty-one miles per hour. You drive around that speed, right? Forget four wheels, this cheetah's four legs can do that at record breaking speed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. Twenty-four minutes past the hour. It is super Saturday in London. And for one man nicknamed the "Blade Runner", the Olympic Games are as much about defying the odds as they are about winning gold.
His name is Oscar Pistorius. And today, the double amputee from South Africa became the first athlete in history to compete in both the Paralympics and Olympics. Pistorius who placed second in his 400-meter qualifying heat will now head into the semifinals tomorrow.
Another must watch today involves this guy. U.S. swimming legend Michael Phelps will compete in his final Olympic race, the men's medley relay. Despite winning gold for, yes, the 17th time, he promised to retire after this competition.
So, this got us thinking with all these amazing stories, do you have a favorite star in this year's Olympics? It can be anyone. We'd love to know who you think is the star. Tweet me @RandiKayeCNN and I'll read some of your responses later on this morning.
Checking stories now cross country:
This convenience store clerk in Texas has no idea what's coming. There you see it, this SUV crashed through the store's front door and the driver plows directly into the clerk. But look, the clerk stands up, brushes it off, and walks away. Amazing.
Police say the driver was drunk and hit the accelerator instead of the brake. The Luckily, the clerk is now back at work after suffering injuries to his head and his arm.
All right. Now, check out this surveillance video from Garden Grove, California. You can see the robbery suspects running in. They point their guns and then watch what happens here. Suddenly, a big about- face. They turned around running away. So, what you can't see, though, is the 65-year-old woman behind the counter who stood her ground and shot at the robbers.
And take another look here. Look closely, see that guy on the right on the counter there, that little dog? He is growling and standing his ground too.
Police are still looking for the suspects.
If you think these guys were running fast, take a look., though, at this cheetah at the Cincinnati Zoo, oh, yes. you are watching a world record in the making. The cheetah named Sarah ran 100 meters in 5.95 seconds. That makes Sarah the fastest land mammal on record.
If you are wondering, that amounts to a sprint of 61 miles per hour. That's as fast as I drive. All right. Maybe a little bit faster. I'm always going the speed limit.
It's been one year since the U.S. lost its stellar AAA credit rating. So, what is the U.S. doing to get it back? We'll take a closer look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: The markets ended on a high note and mortgage rates inched higher. Take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Randi. Here are some of the stories that we're watching this morning, along with you.
More firefighters may be on the way to the front lines this morning in Oklahoma. Officials say they are ready to send more resources to fight the four major fires burning there right now. Dozens of structures have burned already and hundreds more hopes are being threaten. But as of right now, no new evacuations have been ordered. The ongoing drought is being blamed for playing a major part in these fires.
And in Africa today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues her visit to the continent with a stop in Kenya. She is in the region to discuss security with Kenyan authorities and the leaders of Somalia's outgoing transitional government.
Sixty-seven years after his grandfather, President Harry Truman, ordered the atomic bombing of Japan, Truman's grandson is visiting Hiroshima for the first time to mark the anniversary. Clifton Truman Daniel is calling for peace and nuclear disarmament. He decided to visit after meeting with a relative of an atomic bomb victim. Daniels plans to attend a memorial service in Nagasaki as well.
This weekend marks a dubious anniversary. It was exactly one year ago that the U.S. lost its AAA credit rating.
Let's take a look at what happened when we learned for the first time in history, the S&P had stripped the United States of its perfect rating.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's historic. It's unprecedented. America may still be the world's biggest economy, but it lost its status as the world's safest borrower.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Standard and Poor's has downgraded the United States' AAA credit rating.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tonight on world news, downgrade disaster.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It will be a line in the history books, but what it will mean for your pocket book.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's looking ugly. Get ready for the averages to tumble.
NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS: The world is essentially telling us we are spent and the jig is up. And the pain could be severe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And joining me now to talk about what the United States is doing to get that AAA rating back is Richard Quest, anchor of "Quest Means Business" on CNN International.
Richard, good morning to you.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good morning, Randi.
Now, here's an interesting question. There are two issues really.
Jumping in with both feet, the first question is what effect losing AAA had, which we can know pretty soon -- quickly not very much indeed. The second one, which is the one you really ask, which is what the U.S. is doing to get its AAA back? And the answer to that seems to be not very much indeed.
When the gold standard or the AAA was lost, everybody thought this would be financial Armageddon, and in fact, rates rose initially on that. But what we have seen over the last year is that if the U.S. was bad, everyone else was worse. It's the old syndrome of the cleanest dirty shirt. You know, when you are going through the laundry and you really got no clean shirts and you've got to pick up that one that might just get more day out of it.
Well, the U.S. is the cleanest dirty shirt because the European Union and the Eurozone is a mucky beast indeed. And as that has degenerated, so the U.S. is losing its AAA, no big deal.
KAYE: Well, you mentioned financial Armageddon. I mean, we all remember when this downgrade happened. There were so many of these doomsday predictions. Congressman Paul Ryan said we would see the cost of mortgages and car loans rise and economists warned that the value of the U.S. dollar would erode. But a year later, that doesn't seem to be the case, right?
QUEST: Far from it.
KAYE: It didn't really hurt America.
QUEST: Far from it. If you look at U.S. long bond rates, the 10-year bond is at historic lows. The U.S. government can borrow money cheaper than ever before. Now, this is not a great testament to the safe haven nature necessarily of the U.S. or the fiscal probity of the government. It's just that everybody else is a great deal worse, particularly the Eurozone.
And the U.S. is a vast economy, which can easily pay its debt. It has won dramatic advantage over most countries. You know what that is?
KAYE: What is it?
QUEST: It's the sound of the printing press.
And as we are looking at -- and as we're looking at QE3 down the horizon, when the Fed finally realizes there might be a crisis and it might be time to go and get printing again. So, in that environment, the U.S. is still very much the best game in town when it comes to government debt, when it comes to lending money or when it comes to interest rates.
Don't get complacent, Randi. What happened last year has been a beneficiary of a bad bit of news in Europe. The fiscal cliff is still there. The U.S. still needs to sort out its dramatic and deafening deficit and if it doesn't, then the market will reap its revenge.
KAYE: So, what do you think of the comments of the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett? I mean, he said America is AAA in theory, certainly AAA in Omaha as he says. Is he right?
QUEST: Yes, of course he is. Look at the manufacturing numbers. Look at the way in which the economy is creating jobs.
All right, the latest unemployment numbers are not as good as they would like, but they were better and they showed a trend. So, the U.S. most definitely has picked up speed, economic speed, not as fast as people would like, but better than on my side of the Atlantic.
KAYE: What is the real indicator, do you think, for how our economy is doing?
QUEST: The economy is doing, as well as can be expected, bearing in mind the awfulness elsewhere. That's really the classic definition of faint praise, if you like. It could you know, the old school report, could do better with a bit of hard work. Well, that seems to be the sort of thing we are talking about.
The real risk comes after the election with the fiscal cliff. If the U.S. does not at some point deal with its large U.S. budget deficit in the way that Europe is doing and it's painful. I tell you. It is painful.
Austerity costs. It costs jobs, it costs pain, it costs health care. But that's the thing that's next on the U.S. agenda.
KAYE: Great conversation. Thank you, Richard.
QUEST: Thank you as always. Remember --
KAYE: I hear it. It's printing. QUEST: If it's not printing by the end of the year, I owe you dinner.
KAYE: All right. Deal.
A star is born at the London Olympics. Guess what, she is not an athlete. Bill Santiago does his take on this dry yet hilarious sense of humor.
Plus, we are getting ready to head back to school. We have the folks here from the Style Network's hot show, "Chicagolicious" and they are hard at work.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: We know the stars of Olympics: Phelps, Gabby, Lochte. But one person behind the scene is making headlines of her own. And joining me now is comedian, "Huffington Post" blogger, Bill Santiago, good morning.
BILL SANTIAGO, COMEDIAN: Good morning. Good morning, good morning.
KAYE: So there is this London Olympic worker who's been giving tourists quite a chuckle. She is really something. She sits on her little podium and has the driest sense of humor. You have seen her, right?
SANTIAGO: Yes, I have seen her. It's amazing. She is the break out star of the 2012 Olympics.
Thanks to her, London will be as memorable as Beijing. She is out there as a volunteer, a British volunteer trying to get people excited about the games. She is doing it without a hint of excitement in her voice. That's what makes it so funny.
KAYE: Yes. And you actually decided to see if you could get the same excitement in your voice. You hit the streets.
SANTIAGO: Oh, yes. I was very inspired.
KAYE: Let's watch and see if that humor works on New York City streets.
SANTIAGO: All right.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 2012, it will begin -- who's excited?
Yes, thank you. Single lady.
SANTIAGO: Are we excited about the Olympics? Very good. Very good. Keep up the excitement. It doesn't get any more exciting than the Olympics. Excited on the inside and the outside and excited all over.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today is a special day. We are going to be putting our children's children's children's children's children about this day. I am going to say out of the possibility I work for the Olympics.
SANTIAGO: I may be able to tell my children's children's children's children about the day I sat on top of the ladder outside of an authentic London British pub where they are broadcasting the 2012 Olympic games on the inside.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mouth is dry, I need some water. Because I'm that happy. I'm going to overcome it.
SANTIAGO: Hey, at some point, can you bring me a beer?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have not obtained my excitement, everybody.
SANTIAGO: How excited are we about the 2012 Olympics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are excited.
SANTIAGO: Come watch Michael Phelps win silver in the Olympic Games. What's up with that? Why is Michael Phelps winning silver? Silver is for slackers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm here until 2:00 a.m., everybody. This is dedication and excitement and happiness. This is the moment. Please be smiling from ear to ear.
SANTIAGO: It doesn't get any more exciting than the 2012 Olympics. Is that right, ma'am?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Bill, I don't know. I think you scared some of those people walking by.
SANTIAGO: Yes, I didn't quite have her knack for it, but it was a jolly good try.
KAYE: I thought it was great. She does it with such a monotone voice. You actually had some excitement. You got it going and a beer to boot.
SANTIAGO: Not only that. I want to point out how under budget I came in on the megaphone.
KAYE: What was that exactly?
SANTIAGO: I got it here. It's little megaphone, 2 bucks.
KAYE: Like a tin can. Yes, very nice. Very, very nice.
SANTIAGO: Yes, it's a lot of fun. You know, it's so funny because I definitely never wanted a gold medal. My dream is to go viral. So, I had a shut out at there. I don't know far I got, but it was a nice try.
KAYE: I don't know how many hits online as she did, but you'll never know. We'll see, we'll tweet it out, we put it on my Facebook page and we'll see what happens.
SANTIAGO: Give it a shot.
KAYE: All right, Bill. Thanks for that. That was a lot of fun. We'll see you next week.
SANTIAGO: A lot of fun. We'll see you next. Bye-bye.
A gymnast's golden moment launches her into the history books and inspires not just the next generation, but those who came before her. Still ahead, Dominique Dawes' emotional reaction to the victory of Gabby Douglas.
And we want to hear from you this morning. What do you think -- who do you think is the star of this year's Olympics? You can tweet me @RandiKayeCNN, and let me know who you think is the real star and I'll read some of your responses, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: She arrived in London as Gabrielle Douglas, but she will leave as "Golden Gabby". The 16-year-old gymnast from Virginia Beach captured the hearts of Olympic fans worldwide as she brought home the gold for Team USA in the women's all-around competition.
Douglas victory was especially meaningful for one of her predecessors, former Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOMINIQUE DAWES, FORMER OLYMPIAN: I am so thrilled for Gabby, her mother, her family, her sisters and her dad. And just all the little young girls that are looking at her being impacted by what she did. I am so thrilled now to change my Web site and take down the fact that I was the only African-American with a gold medal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Dawes was a member of the 1996 team known as the Magnificent Seven, you may recall. They were the first American women's team to ever win gold in the team final.
All morning, we have been asking who you thought was the star of this year's Olympics and you have been answering. I'm sending you lots of tweets.
Saleh wrote, I hope, that I pronounce her correctly first, but she wrote, "Definitely Michael Phelps with 17 medals and still counting. I hope we'll see him in Brazil come 2016."
And Uba tweeted, "Star of the Olympics is Gabby Douglas. What an inspiration."
Micah pretty much agrees. "If not Missy Franklin, then Gabby Douglas."
And Rosemary had an interesting pick, "The people keeping the place clean."
So, who do you think is the star of this year's Olympics? Keep those tweets coming. You can tweet @RandiKayeCNN. I'll read some more of your responses later on.
We've been waiting on our back to school makeover all hour. Don't miss the big reveal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back.
Earlier this hour, we challenged the Style Network "Chicagolicious" stylists MaCray Huff and Austin Maxfield to show us some back-to- school trends.
And one of our interns who is headed back to college next week was kind enough to volunteer for a makeover. I want to show you the before picture.
This was Catherine Mejia about 45 minutes ago. She hasn't seen herself yet. But she is about to.
So, let's take a look. Look at her. Look at all glam.
Catherine Mejia, wow. Wow. Well, Catherine, let me ask you first. Now, you see the difference, what do you think?
CATHERINE MEJIA, CNN INTERN: A big difference. I get up and do the least amount possible to get ready and this is definitely a big change. And I love it. I think it's great.
KAYE: Let's talk about the makeup, MaCray, because she looks -- well, actually, I'll start with you, Austin, on the makeup.
First of all, she looks really natural. She looks great and glamorous but really natural. And you used all of her products.
AUSTIN MAXFIELD, STYLIST: Yes.
KAYE: So, tell me what you did to give her that nice, sort of back to school natural look.
MAXFIELD: Well, I used her foundation, which is more of a full coverage foundation. But I just used the brush and I lightly applied it. So it's very even and not very full. And then I just used a regular black eye liner and kept it on her lash line and brought it underneath under the water line and just kind of blended it out with one of her brushes and a very, very light brown shadow and a bronzer. And that's it.
And it's a very, very pretty natural look for every day.
KAYE: Right, not too much, not too heavy especially for going to classes.
All right, MaCray, so what did you do? Because her hair looks really great.
MACRAY HUFF, STYLIST: Well, thank you. She has an awesome hair, to start with.
So, my idea was I used her spray, I think she has some (INAUDIBLE) a spray and just gel a little flat comb, not the one I usually use, but I just went through layer by layer gave her curls and I threw her head over and raked through it and flat it back and sprayed it and lifted it up and rubbed it down and there it is.
KAYE: And you used a curling iron a little bit.
HUFF: Yes.
KAYE: That's really popular, just kind of curling the hair back. And is this something, because look, I remember college. I would roll out of bed put on a baseball hat and go to class. So, is this -- I mean, does this take a long time?
MAXFIELD: No, not all.
HUFF: No.
KAYE: No? Yes, you can do it at home?
HUFF: Yes.
MAXFIELD: She can do it at home, it will take about like 10 minutes.
KAYE: So, Catherine, how do you think this is going to be received on campus?
MEJIA: Oh, my gosh. They're not going to recognize me.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: Well, you look great and it's not even 8:00 in the morning. So, think you should take yourself out to breakfast and do something really special.
So, thank you both. That was really --
HUFF: Thank you.
KAYE: Catherine, you look fantastic.
MEJIA: Thank you, Randi.
KAYE: Once again, MaCray Huff and Austin Maxfield, here from Style Network's "Chicagolicious."
HUFF: Yes.
KAYE: Check that show out again. It's really, it's fun.
HUFF: Yes, you'll love it. KAYE: All right. We've all had bad service at a store at some point in our lives, but wait until you see one clerk who totally loses it. Her over-the-top rant caught on video. So, what set her off?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Customer service -- when it's good, it can make your day. But when it's bad, well, it can become fodder for a great YouTube video.
CNN's Jeanne Moos has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We've all experienced bad service. But what do you call it when you're served a middle finger?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) you.
MOOS: Holding the camera was a guy named Chris who came into this 7- Eleven in Orlando, Florida, with his 3-year-old son. The worker asked the boy if he wanted a ride on the broom she was using. The dad said no. He said she started yelling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I asked her to stop. I said, "If you don't stop, I'm going to record you and put it on YouTube." And she kept going and gave the finger.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get out of my face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She just gave me the finger and cursed me.
MOOS: Chris complained to the manager.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She just gave me the finger. I have it on video. I have the whole thing right here on video.
MOOS: But this was only part one. After Chris left the store, guess who showed up, once again with an upraised finger? You can hear Chris' son asking a very good question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This lady's chasing us in the car. There she is again. She's chasing me down in her car.
MOOS: Maybe this is her idea of curb service.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got the whole thing on video.
MOOS: But both drivers stayed in their cars.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm being followed by this lady. I'm an armed citizen.
MOOS (on camera): He may say he was armed, but at least no shots were fired. Actually, the only thing fired was the employee, which explains the "Now Hiring" sign.
(voice-over): We weren't able to track down the worker to get her version of events. Neither the 7-Eleven's manager nor corporate headquarters would comment. But Chris had this reaction to the employee's firing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very happy with it. By her actions, she should have been arrested.
MOOS: Instead of pressing charges, Chris pressed his case in the court of public opinion, aka, YouTube, where he musically chewed her out, chewing him up.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: At least you can't say this worker never lifted a finger.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) you.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: There is a lot more ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, which starts right now.
