Transcripts For CNN American Morning 20111013

leaving many analysts wondering if the georgia businessman's plan resonating. all that and more on "american morning." good morning, everybody. it is thursday, october 13. >> it is certainly not a good morning. i can't get messages from people, i can't send messages. >> mine was down yesterday but back now. >> mine was up yesterday but i e-mailed this morning. our executive producer said i will be late. >> that's the e-mail i sent. >> he is panicking going where are my anchor. >> if you don't know what we are talking about, millions of blackberry users are without service this morning. now four-day blackout spreads to north america. the outage primarily affects e-mails and internet access, not the ability to make phone calls or text. >> weird. problem started monday affecting customers in europe, middle east and africa. by tuesday, it has spread to south america and yesterday customers here in the united states and in canada were hit hard. erin mclaughlin is live in london. what's blackberry say being this? >> reporter: actually research in motion coming out this morning saying there has been a significant improvement in services for its customers in europe, middle east and africa this morning. they offered a full range of services including e-mail p.bbm text messaging as well as browsing. my blackberry is working this morning. the problem, however, started monday when a core switcher which is part of research in motion's infrastructure here in europe failed. and we had a chance to talk to steven bates last night to learn more about that. >> cause behind the delay is in the core structure systems within the infrastructure. we still don't think we are out of the woods yet. our team is working and will continue working night and day until we get to that resolution point. >> reporter: well, the work seems to have paid off, carol. although the executives have been working around the clock in the building in back of me to solve this problem saying their cautiously optimistic that the network improvements will continue. >> well, customers are really angry. the stock plunged. stock down 60% already this year before this even happened customers were fleeing research and motion and blackberry device. but this is clearly -- this is clearly a tough development for a big company like this. isn't it, erin? >> reporter: it is absolutely a tough development, as you mentioned. they have been losing some ground in the smartphone industry to the apple 4s which comes out friday. as well as google's android. it certainly -- this isn't helping matters for them. the customers have been absol e absolutely outraged in some instances by the particular outage. again, research in motion coming out this morning and saying they have seen significant improvement in their network. europe, middle east and africa and full range of services should be available to blackberry users. >> thanks, erin. >> part of the problem is a lot of companies like the secure servers that research in motion uses. for a lot of users the option to go to another phone isn't there. >> corporate user, we have hundreds of people using blackberry and know they have this arrangement. >> i can switch to an iphone. i don't have to use this. >> personal. >> yes, yes. lot of their base is commercial. people that work for big companies. >> new developments involving that alleged iranian plot to kill a saudi ambassador on american soil. >> we are finding out more about the suspect in u.s. custody. described as friends as a happy-go-lucky used car salesman in an unorchestrated terror campaign. >> reza, there is quite a bit of skepticism when it comes to iran's alleged role in this plot. >> reporter: there's -- no question about it. but what wore seeing, despite that skepticism, is the diplomatic fallout with this alleged plot. clearly washington is moving with lightning speed to take a more aggressive stance against iran and are pushing other countries to do the same. what's important to remember what sometimes gets lost in the drama this plot is an allegation at this point, nothing has been proven, number of u.s. officials have come out and said look, we cannot link this plot with the leadership of iran attorney general eric holder himself said we can't link it with the leadership of iran. and in spite of all of that, the obama administration is moving forward as of this was a real plot. we already slapped sanctions on an iranian airline and talking about a fifth round of economic sanctions and they are talking to other countries, pushing them to apply pressure on iran so despite all the questions, it seems like the u.s. wants to take advantage of this situation to isolate iran. iran is condemning the allegations. they launch ad protest with the u.n. >> i will tell you what, the evidence trail was pretty solid on this. yes, it is an allegation but given what they have seen in the investigation, they are taking it quite seriously. what are we learn being the guy, i mean, used car salesman, happy-go-lucky guy and at the center of all of this, apparently. >> reporter: yes. based on what we have learned about this man, he doesn't exactly fit the mold of someone who picked to run an international terrorist plot. he is 56 years old. divorcee. had a child. born in iran. naturalized u.s. citizen. lived in the u.s. for about 30 years. his friends describe him as a sometimes disorganized absent-minded happy-go-lucky guy. he was nevering into religion and politics. his ex-wife said she would be shocked if she was involved in a plot like this. >> i cannot for the life of me think he would be capable of doing that. at the wrong place at the wrong time, i am sure of that. i know that his innocence is going to come out. >> that was his wife. expressing her disbelief a used car salesman from texas would be tapped by the most elite branch of the iranian military to assassinate the saudi ambassador. >> so strange. i guess that if they really did tap this particular man, maybe they -- the thought was no one would suspect this used car salesman to carry out this crime. >> reporter: yeah. look, there's a lot of questions that surround this case. first and foremost is what iran have to gain by going after the saudi ambassador? i mean a lot of people easily argue that they would have more to lose than to gain. if they want to go after a saudi target or even a u.s. target there's plenty in their backyard in places like iraq, afghanistan, bahrain. so -- a lot of questions remain unanswered. even so you see washington aggressively moving forward and applying pressure in iran in an effort to isolate. >> thank you, reza. terrorism trial of the underwear bomber ending abruptly with a guilty plea. mutallab admitted trying to blow up a plane christmas day two years ago with a bomb hidden in his drawers. he said he's guilty by u.s. law but not by islamic law. herman cain surged to the lead in the race for the president nomination. the georgia businessman and 999 tax plan got plenty of hits from the other candidates earlier this week. look at the latest nbc "wall street journal" poll. cain is finishing on top with 27% of the vote along likely republican voters. mitt romney at 23%. rick perry is 11 points back. most of cain's gain as come at perry's expense. join us at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. erin burnett, herman cain. 7:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. next tuesday night cnn host it is western republican presidential debate in las vegas. and anderson cooper will moderate. that's tuesday, october 18. 8:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. carol costello will be attending the debate and you will have analysis and interviews the morning after. >> surprises, too. you will like them. free trade deals with south korea, colombia and panama are now heading to president obama's desk. these deals were passed by the house and the senate last night. the white house congress say the deals will create jobs in the u.s. and boost u.s. exports by $13 billion a year. critics said that going back to nafta have seen negative job creation in this country and competition. but it made it. the president is set to sign it. >> after years years of trying. we have to talk about sports now, unfortunately. okay. i'm ready. the texas rangers one win away from the second world series appearance. they beat my detroit tigers last night, 7-3. nelson cruz is amazing. he did it with his arm and his bat. everybody knows miguel cabrera is not the fastest runner on the planet so why did you send him? nelson cruz put the game away. three-run homer in the 11th. the man can hit. cabrera. he can throw but he can't run. in the national league, st. louis cardinals took a 2-1 series lead. four-run rally in the first inning. 4-3, the final score there. still to come, other devastation as mexico's pacific coat dealing with the aftermath of hurricane jova. accused of breaking into the phone of the hottest celebrities and revealing their most personal pics to the world. the fbi says they have the so-called hollywood hacker. america's bullying crimes says how severe is it? even big bird is getting bullied. the big yellow guy -- i saw him -- wandering around. >> i walk in and big bird is here. >> man, i thought i was hallucinating. >> that was a little crazy. 11 minutes after the hour. so, how was school today ? i have to be a tree in the school play. good. you like trees. well, i like climbing them, but i've never been one. good point. 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[ laughs ] [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. welcome back to "american morning." a peaceful community in southern california in total shock this morning after a mass shooting inside of a salon. the gunman now identified as 42-year-old scott decry. eight people are dead. one is in critical condition after this man opened fire in a busy hair salon in seal beach, near los angeles. he was arrested as he tried to drive away. police say they were looking into the possibility the gunman knew someone in the salon, possibly his ex-wife, and this may have been the tragic domestic dispute. authorities exhuming the bones of some of john wayne gacy's victims. the serial killer was convicted of 33 murders of mostly teenage boys but eight were never identified. the police in cook county, i will, are asking relatives of boys that disappeared in the '70s to come forward to compare dna. fbi say they have the hollywood hacker breaking into dozens of celebrities' cell phones. leaking nude or almost nude photos, christina aguilera, christopher cheney is his name. he is facing 121 years in prison on more than two dozen counts of hacking, identity theft and wiretapping. the u.s. attorney also says cheney stole personal information and movie scripts. >> wow. bank of america responding to the thousands of people who have signed a petition railing against their $5 a month debit card fee. the person leading the petition is a 22-year-old. we talked to her friday. speed spoke to a bank official and told her they understand customers are upset but it would be, quote, premature to say whether or not the bank will cancel the fee. >> we hear you. >> she had by friday night over 200,000 people on the petition. i don't know where she is at now. >> when we talked to her in the morning 150,000. by friday night -- >> coolest thing is she's going to meet with the republican member of congress, i-can't remember which one to talk about a bill that would make it's easier to close your account and switch to another bank. >> interesting. one thing i think is interesting by the banking industry pushed us to go from checks to debit cards, plastic, over the past 10, 15 years. >> much cheaper for them to process debit card transaction. >> a matter of cents per transaction. >> interesting. >> yeah, whatever. >> i think molly has done a great job. i admire what she has done. people should take that into their own hands. you can't switch your mortgage around and things like that. bank accounts you can. >> if you have your mortgage with them and checking account with them and direct deposit you don't get the $5 fee. >> go molly. >> rob marciano. >> go find another bank. i mean, you know, capitalism, baby. plenty out there. >> i have done that in the past when i haven't been satisfied with the bank. >> i ditched my bank a while ago. >> other things like the weather. >> god bless america. we are going to go to mexico. hurricane jova made landfall yesterday, category 2 storm. here are some of the results. we talked about how much rainfall would that would come with the storm. with it came this torrential floods across manzanillo. straight up off the beach there for the mountains. a foot of rain which is what they got. this is how the water comes down, in a hurry. torrential rains. five people died with this storm. another tropical depression in guatemala over 13. this storm itself dissipated. still leftover showers. as far as what we are seeing across the u.s., east of the mississippi rain. west of the mississippi we are seeing heat. as a matter of fact, some high temperatures out there. temperatures with santa ana winds 10sh5. long beach, 102. closer to the northeast, looking at showers through milwaukee and chicago. these will be sliding off to the east and catching up to the second batch. pretty much we see the mississippi and unsettled weather throughout the day today. as far as what we are looking at for daytime highs mild and 72 degrees in kansas city. 69 degrees up there in new york. we have baseball tonight. we have game -- carol, come on. give me an update. >> i don't want to give you an update. i'm surly about that game. >> many game five. may see showers again. they may have issues. >> i think it is really the rain that's messing up the detroit tigers. every time they move it is because of the -- lose it is because of the rain. >> has nothing to do with how clutch the rangers are reply. >> whatever. thank you, rob. now is your chance to talk about on the big stories of the day. the question for you this morning, what should the united states do about iran? alleged iranian agent charged in an assassination plot on u.s. soil. the latest twist in a difficult and con ten us is should relationship for nonrelationship should i say, the u.s. has not talked to iran officially since the 1979 revolution. since then iran has been part of the, quote, axis of evil. >> iran aggressively pursues weapons and exports terror while an unelected few repress the irey iowa rainian's people vote for freedom. >> obama was pitching engagement with iran. that was before this. before tehran's brutal crackdown and iranian presidents bashing speeches engagement, doubtful. congressman peter king says the united states needs to respond boldly to the latest provocation and consider military options and throw out iranian diplomats in the united states. >> international norms, violates international law. you are talking about an act of war. we have to -- united states has to real consider taking very significant action. i don't think sanctions alone are enough. >> it is debatable whether sanctions on iran, north korea, or iraq changes behavior. so could this go beyond sanctions? >> it could but we are not -- we are not going there yet. it is critically important that we unite the word in the isolation of and dealing with the iranians. that's the most -- surest way to be able to get results. >> the question of the day -- what should the united states do about iran? facebook.com/americanmorning. i will read your responses later this hour. >> coming up, putting the skills of our military vets to use. we will tell thank you best job if you are leaving the military. 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[ male announcer ] we're not employers or employees. not white collar or blue collar or no collars. we are business in america. and every day we awake to the same challenges. but at prudential we're helping companies everywhere find new solutions to manage risk, capital and employee benefits, so american business can get on with business. ♪ welcome back. u.s. stock futures are down. dow flirted with the threshold that put it into positive territory for the year yesterday. the rally faded during the final minutes of trading. today investors will turn their attention to two key earnings reports. banking giant jpmorganchase releases their earning numbers. google has a tendency to crush expectations releases its report after the bell this afternoon. citigroup's optimistic the u.s. will not head back into a recession. during an interview with "fortune" magazine, he said the economy may not grow as much as we would like it to grow but does not see us headed back into a downturn. warren buffett revealing he made $63 million last year as he pushes congress to raise taxes on the rich. he says he was taxed at a rate of 17% because much of his income is from investments. general motors announcing plans to sell a totally electric car in 2013. at first the chevy spark will only be sold in a limited amount of sites. gasoline powered version hits show room floors early next year. ♪ ♪ ♪ when your chain of supply ♪ goes from here to shanghai, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ chips from here, boards from there ♪ ♪ track it all through the air, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ clearing customs like that ♪ hurry up no time flat that's logistics. ♪ ♪ all new technology ups brings to me, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ i'm not a line item on a budget. and i'm definitely not a pushover. but i am a voter. so washington... before you even think about cutting my medicare and social security benefits... here's a number you should remember. 50 million. we are 50 million seniors who earned our benefits... and you will be hearing from us... today and on election day. ♪ today and on election day. at aviva, we wonder why other life insurance companies treat you like a policy, not a person. instead of getting to know you they simply assign you a number. aviva is here to change all that. we're bringing humanity back to insurance and putting people before policies. aviva life insurance and annuities. we are building insurance around you. i tell you what i can spend. i do my best to make it work. i'm back on the road safely. and i saved you money on brakes. that's personal pricing. good morning to you. it is 30 minutes past the hour. that means it is time for this morning's top stories. blackberry blackout is now testing the nerves of people that depend on the smartphone for a fourth day. the outage which started overseas spread to the united states and canada. research month motion, motion of blackberry, says progress is being made but there are still outages reported here in the united states. new information this morning about the iranian american suspect accused of orchestrating a plot to kill a saudi ambassador in washington. mansour arbab si ar is described as a disorganized happy-go-lucky used car salesman and unlikely orchestrator of a terror campaign. some world leaders said u.s. officials expressing skepticism about his alleged role in the plot. according to an nbc/"wall street journal" poll herman cain is the front-runner for the gop presidential nomination. he finished four points ahead of mitt romney and 11 points in front of rick perry. we will be discussing that more this morning. a jury in connecticut is deliberating the fate of the second suspect in a deadly 2007 home invasion. a crime that stunned the nation. jennifer hawk pet and it hit an daughters died after two men broke in and set the house on fire. one suspect has already been set to death. a look at this gruesome case. >> reporter: like many trials, this one focused on life before and life after. it began with a random encounter one summer evening at a shopping mall. jennifer hawk pet and ittitte a daughter were seen buying groceries. then 26-year-old joshua, part-time contractor spotted them in the parking lot. later telling detectives -- for whatever reason i chose to follow the mom and daughter to their house and started thinking it is a very nice house. >> reporter: his 90-minute taped confession, key piece of evidence, mesmerized the courtroom. he admits breaking into the home with an accomplice and beating husband dr. william petit with a baseball bat. listen to his voice. >> he let us out of this unearthly scream. i couldn't take the scream. i ha i had never hit anybody in the head with anything, never mind a baseball bat. i kept hitting him until he finally backed up into a corner of the couch. >> reporter: he admits molesting the girl he casually calls k.k., the family's nickname for her. >> i used a pair of scissors and cut her skirt off and shirt off. >> reporter: he would later call the child angel of my nightmares. she along with her older sister haley died in a gas-fueled fire while their mom had already been strangled downstairs. attempts by mom jennifer to save her family's life withdrawing $15,000 in cash and alerting bank tellers her family was in trouble were not enough. her tormentor, steven hayes, drive her to the bank and back before raping herring and lighting up the house. he is seen here buying gas, prosecutors say which fueled the fire. he now sits on death row convicted last year of the murders. the question is whether joshua will share the same fate. his lawyers argued he took part in the home invasion intending only to steal money. not kill anyone. blaming the accomplice, steve hayes. >> he pulled me to the side, we got to kill them and burn the house down. i'm like, i'm not killing anyone. there's no way. we have the money. there's not a problem. >> reporter: only the doctor survived. he spent days in the hospital and released so he could attend the funerals of his wife and children. the jury has been deliberating for four hours. there are 17 charges before them. including, of course, murder. in the last case it took the jury over a -- a little over five hours. anticipation as that verdict to come down. >> thank you, deb. coming up on "american morning," a city in the midwest repeal as local law against domestic abuse. what's going on. we have the story behind the story right after a break. the biggest muppet of them all. coming to our studio. we will talk to big bird about the a, b, cs of bullying. what does it mean for and you your kids at school? 34 minutes after the hour. 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[ male announcer ] get low prices every day on everything to prepare for cold and flu season. we're so confident in our low prices, we back 'em with our ad match guarantee. save money. live better. walmart. rnchlgts it is 37 minutes past the hour. welcome back to "american morning." we all know cities across the country are facing budget cuts and have been forced to make some very tough choices in to pea can a, kansas, they cannot afford to prosecuted domestic abuse cases. so their solution -- change the law. abusing your spouse is now legal in to pea can a, kansas. at least according to the city law it is. spat with the district attorney's office over the cost of from prosecuting the cases, a protest to repeal the domestic abuse law. >> it seems maybe hard-hearted if you look at the surface of repealing your ordinance against domestic battery. we don't have an ordinance against murder either but that doesn't make it a pro-murder city. >> reporter: it came after the district attorney, chad taylor, announced due to budget cuts, his office would no longer handle topeka's domestic abuse cases. it costs money. money they don't have. no one handles the abuse cases and 30 suspects are gone unprosecuted since the stand-off began a month ago. >> the matters have been a longtime responsibility of the county. >> reporter: the city council's move seems to have worked. district attorney chad taylor announced wednesday that as a matter of public safety his office is forced to resume prosecuting topeka's domestic battery case. >> the situation is unfortunate. the sad part about it is that if we go back to eight weeks ago, we told everyone what the ramifications of these budget cuts were going to be. >> further evidence of just how bad the budget cuts appear to be, district attorney chad taylor, who you just heard from, he also added domestic abuse cases will have to be handled b by interns. they have temporary law licenses and supervised by assistant d.a.s and will prosecute a case with the intern if that case goes to trial. a troubling story all the way around. i guess they had this thought in mind if your husband or wife beats you, you could charge that person with assault. right? and not domestic battery. >> some of the penalties are different for domestic violence than for assault. a key here is who normally prosecutes these things? if it is normally the d. sxafshgs d.a. is pushing on the city, look, we don't prosecute murder here. we don't do domestic assaults, it becomes a fight between which local governments handles it. another interesting story this week, a county in new jersey where they plea all the drug deals down the most minor possible so they can get more through. because they don't have the money to prosecute them. this is what -- this is what not having enough money, this is what running deficits and it looks like when your budgets are awry. >> you have to think about the long-term effects. crime is down all over the nation, right? there is a reason for that. maybe it is because we are prosecuting people or charging them with crimes but if cities continue and counties continue to cut their budgets and can't even charge people with the proper crime, what's going to happen? >> i want to be clear. we called topeka earlier, if someone is a victim or thinks they are a victim of domestic violence you still call the police and police come to your house and still can actually arrest somebody. and will arrest somebody. that part hasn't -- then what happens to the case is the big push. >> but a lot of women are still afraid to even call the police. if you make like -- you know, domestic battery sort of not a crime in your city, is that going to make you want to call more? and report the crime? >> i think that his point is it is still a crime in the state level and still a crime -- >> but in the minds of the person who is being beaten, it is like -- this is not important to the city of topeka so why should i call. that's what domestic violence advocates say. you know what i'm say. >> i know what you mean. >> we will continue the discussion. >> deep in the woods of upstate new york, a strange building is confusing residents. >> what's this structure in the woods? >> reporter: it looks like a ufo but really it is a home in the round. a dome home. it is not just for looks. the aerodynamics and off-the-ground build helps protect the structure from hurricanes and earthquakes. it helps the family to take full advantage of the sun's energy. >> economically it is also very profitable because we use so much less, you know, energy. >> reporter: in the summer when the sun changes its position with just a push of a button, the house follows along. allowing it to capture heat in the winter and keep cool in the summer. >> okay, stop. >> reporter: while the exterior protects it from nature's elms the interior is inspired by it. minute i canning the swirl after seashell. >> people are adamant about something truly innovative and doing something positive for the environment themselves. >> reporter: putting a new spin on living green. brooke baldwin, cnn, atlanta. i'm not a number. i'm not a line item on a budget. and i'm definitely not a pushover. but i am a voter. so washington... before you even think about cutting my medicare and social security benefits... here's a number you should remember. 50 million. we are 50 million seniors who earned our benefits... and you will be hearing from us... today and on election day. ♪ 45 minutes after the hour. here is what you need to know to start your day. four-day blackberry service outage is inconveniencing and frustrating users in the united states. research in motion which makes the martphone said it is working around the clock to fix the problem. eight people are dead. one in critical condition after a gunman opened fire inside of a salon in seal beach near los angeles. one suspect, man believed to be the lone gunman, was arrested a half mile away. more than a dozen people reportedly hurt after two amtrak trains crashed in oakland, california, and authorities say one of the trains was parked and dropping off passengers when it was hit from behind. the wall street protesters will have to leave the park where they have been staying for nearly four yeeks but only temporarily so the park can be cleaned. the park's owners say they are concerned about the current unsanitary conditions. the first primary may be moved up to early december now because new hampshire's secretary of state is upset with nevada's decision to schedule its primary in mid january. that's the news you need to start your day. "american morning" is back right after this. now your turn to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. we asked what should the u.s. do about iran? brandon on facebook says let's not do anything. why should i believe what the government says n remember wmds? weapons of mass destruction. they lied to go to war before. what makes you think this isn't the same thing? health other facebook says talking does not work. trade embargoes do not work without full support from all nations. we do not need another war. we need to get world support for deeper sanctions and then maybe they will come to the table to talk for real. michael says sanctions, embargoes demand support for these from international community and let the saudis handle the rest. support the saudis in whatever way they seek justice. short of putting personnel in iran. val says as long as we don't go start another war, they can do whatever they want. we can't afford another war. that would basically kill us. keep your comments coming. tell us on facebook. we will read more of your thoughts later in the show. >> thanks for doing that. i was like -- intrigued with big bird. did you see him over there? he is like a star. >> i'm happy to know because i got in so tired this morning that big bird really is on the show. i was starting to think these hours are getting to me and i was hallucinating. >> do you had a luis nature sometimes but not this morning. this week we are reporting in depth on the epidemic of bullying in america. efforts to stop it. next week a special episode of "cess me street" will address the bullying issue. take a look. >> good birds do not have huge feet like that. >> but i really want to join the club. >> sorry. we can't include you in the big birds club with feet like that. good birds club. >> that's too bad. >> yeah. so long, big foot. >> that's big bird. >> right. >> poor big bird. joining us now, the vice president of education and research for sesame workshop and the most famous "sesame street" big bird, the tallest. blue jay who is now a friend despite what you saw in that clip. >> that is true. >> how did it make you feel when pigeon was mean to you and said you couldn't be in the club? >> well, it wasn't very nice. it made me feel bad. i just want to be part of the club. i just wanted them to like me. >> what did you do then? >> well, elmo and -- abby thought i was in trouble. they went and got an adult. >> oh, yes. because an adult needs to be brought in when something like this happens. blue jay, why did you go along with pigeon? pigeon was not very nice and you were very quick to side against your friends big bird. why did you do that? >> i wanted big bird to join the club but i was afraid if i said something i might get kicked out of the club. or maybe i would be bullied. i didn't know what else to do. >> i know. all right. this is a classic example. classic example of how good kids can side with the bully and hurt someone's feelings. why is it important for "sesame street" to do a special episode on this? >> "sesame street" always dealt with a range of societal issues and lay those foundational skills. we know we need to start early if we want to prevent bullying from happening. know the strategies for coping with this. >> big bird said bring in an adult. that's important i think. sometimes adults don't get it. adults say there has always been bullying in schools. you have to be tougher. sometimes kids who have been bullied turn around and when the table is turned become bullies themselves, too. >> absolutely. parents want to do the right thing but may not have the strategy. what we have done is have an anti-bullying campaign. starting with the episode on -- airs on monday. also go to our website. sesamestreet.org. we have activities and tips and panel discussions. parents can get more information about how they could address bullyinging if it is -- occurring with their children. >> you started your own club, didn't you? >> yes. >> what's your club called? >> the happy to be me club. >> i'm in that club now. i quit the good birds club. >> i'm happy to be me. >> you can join the club. >> thank you. you don't exclude anybody. >> you are all welcome to join. you want to join? >> it is about building self-confidence and making children be prud of who they are. big. >> big bird, you wanted to change yourself. the bullying made you want to change who you are. >> well -- they told me hi big feet. so -- abby will give me little feet. >> tiny feet, freakish. >> big bird with little feet would not be -- physics of that, i don't quite understand. >> and made them blue. >> what can "sesame street" to encourage the parents watch these programs with their kids and to be involved with their kids, change this culture of bullying in schools? >> what's wonderful is it is written on two levels so it does engage the adult as well as the child. and we are modeling all of the skills that we want parents to actually pick up, strategy. so they learn how to talk to children about these difficult topics. >> i learned i should be a reporter like you. if i see something i should go tell an adult. not at that time. >> absolutely right. it is reporting the facts. you should be friends with all of your friends. >> friends with everybody. >> everybody is different. >> can i be your friend? >> you can definitely be my friend. >> can i come over to be dinner what do you like to eat? >> suet. >> big bird, what have you -- if you ever see somebody in trouble you will be a peacemaker. >> oh, yes. i always like to help. i want everybody to be happy, like we said. happy, happy, happy to be me. >> it is important for children that they see bullying to actually go to an adult, trusted adult to get help. >> sometimes i think that -- i don't know if it is school, there are so many things schools have to do. teach kids how to read and write and have control of the class room and playground. you know, fighting bullying or -- at least blending the affects of bullying takes so many different things. this is just one -- one piece of all of that. >> exactly. i know there's a lot. teachers need to be more vigilant about what is going on in the classroom. but to listen to children because it takes a lot of courage for a child to actually come to a teacher and to explain what's been happening. for the teachers to actually listen and need to intervene. >> big bird, you know what, i got to love you. i tell you, i love you and i loved you for a long time. even though you are only 6 1/2. blue jay, it is very nice to meet. >> did you it is nice to meet. >> did you come back again very soon. >> thank you. >> this is very important stuff. thanks for joining us. you can find out more about this and this important issue for parents and kids at sesamestreet.org/bullying. calling attention to america's bullying crisis. saturday night on cnn you can watch "bullying it stops here." town hall led by anderson cooper. >> watch "sesame street" on monday. >> that's when the episode airs. >> we will be watching. >> thanks, "american morning." >> i'm going to go over there now. you can take care of this. >> i will tell our viewers that -- story coming up about leaving the military, tough transition. it is an amazing opportunity to pursue what you can -- what you built on in the military. build on those skills and in the private sector. cnn money devoted an entire section to the best jobs if you are leaving the military. it is part of their special report on the best jobs in america. let me tell you about them. number five is an airline pilot. while at first you may not make as much money as military pilot does you get to spend more time at home. which is good for vets with young children. and number four, program manager for the aviation or aerospace industry. these companies are always looking for employees that already have security clearance. and number three, logistics analyst. great position for vets who have experience managing supply chains including tracking inventory and transporting supplies efficiently. number two, a management consultant. veterans are always in high demand because they can help clients from leadership perspective and organizational perspective. at number one, intelligence analyst. that's because your security clearance makes you a hot commodity at government agencies. check out the all new cnnmoney.com for the best jobs in america. excellent stuff. we are taking a break and will be right back. accept it. you can't change the way banking works. just accept it, man. free ? doesn't close at five ? try nature. it's a bank. what do you want, a hug ? just accept it. hidden fees, fine print, or they'll stick it to you some other way. stay with the herd, son. accept it. just accept it. accept it. just accept it. accept it. if we miss this movie, you're dead. if you're stuck accepting banking nonsense, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. thumbs down. blackberry service still very sketchy this morning. some e-mail, more like snail mail, when will your blackberry service be fully restored? >> cash strapped capital. americans being crippled bidet files for bankruptcy. vote on a state takeover is looming. buried by a river of mud. hurricane jova strikes mexico's pacific coast forcing more than 1,000 people to shelters and rooftops. pizherman cain surges to th top. does his 999 tax plan add up for you on this "american morning"? good morning to you. it is thursday, october 13. welcome to "american morning." we are talking blackberries this morning. my battery just died so i don't know if -- >> that you can't blame research in motion. >> that's your own fault. >> it is true that they say that the company says they are back up and running in u.s. i'm getting my e-mails. you are getting a lot of tweets. we will get to the bottom of that. >> the delay, even if the system is up from blackberry's perspective, it could take a long time for people to start. we will check with the company in just a minute. >> a spokesperson there. we are going to have more than a spokesperson. >> managing director of the uk, man in charge. we start with this morning. southern california, eight people are dead. one still in critical condition after a mass shooting inside of a salon. the gunman identified as 42-year-old scott. he opened fire in the busy hair salon at seal beach near los angeles and the suspect was arrested as he tried to drive away. the peaceful seaside community is in total shock this morning. >> seal beach is a small safe community. we don't experience these things ever. it has been a long time since we had something -- we don't very often have homicides. and especially anything of this magnitude. >> in fact, seal beach has the -- seen just one other murder in the past four years. many blackberry users in the u.s. telling us they are still without service this morning. it is four days now. blackout spreading to north america. the outage primarily affects e-mails and flaet ainternet acc >> the problem started monday affecting customers in europe, middle southeast and africa. by tuesday, it spread to south america and yesterday customers in the u.s. and canada were hit. joining u now from england where it is believed the whole problem started is stephen bates. research in motion's uk managing director. steph stephen, thank you for being with us. let's start right now with what the current state of the servers and then mail traffic for blackberry users around the world is as far as you understand it. >> first of all, thank you forgiving me an opportunity to give you an update. as of 6:00 a.m. british standard time, we have seen a significant improvement to all services across europe, africa, middle east, and india. however, we are remaining vigilant on taking all necessary action to make sure the service levels are at the level we would expect and our customers expect. >> what happened? >> fundamentally back to the delays we have incurred are due to a problem within the infrastructure. as you know within the inf infrastructu infrastructure, there is backup in resiliency. this instance, the core stretching systems did not back up as expected or as tested. that's caused this messaging and delay we have seen. >> massive computer problem. you mentioned europe, africa, middle east, india. you did not mention north america. what's the status for people heading to work this morning in north america? many, many big companies, all their employees, are carrying blackberry devices. what's the status for the outages in the united states and north america? >> certainly other companies -- other regions have been impacted by this. and we expect some customers to still see a little bit of delay on browsing. this is due to the backlog of messages we have the clear through the system. due to this, we have a backlog cleared up. we believe we got on top of the main issue and europe and middle east and africa and india. we expect some customers to still see a delay due to the backlog of processing of messages. >> just to be clear, the problem that's caused this, you have remedied. but like in previous outages, people may -- may take them a few hours to get the e-mails that have been backlogged. >> yes. this has been a rather complex issue. it created quite a backlog of messaging. we believe we are on top of it now and understand the nature of the problem. we are now trying to clear all that backlog and maintain network stability is maintained. in addition the teams are investigating and understanding that the cause by this backup failure to ensure we need to take all necessary action to ensure the resiliency of the infrastructure on a global basis. >> do you feel that you owe blackberry users an apology for the inconvenience that they have suffered over the past few day around the world? >> yes. absolutely. we full lynn understand the frustration of our customers and expect a much better service from us. now ex-tend an apology to our customers affected. you know, our primary focus at this point in time is to maintain service, get the service back to the levels we expect but more importantly, our customers come to expect from the blackberry service. >> thanks so much for joining us this morning. we appreciate it. we are glad that you are working out that problem. thank you. >> most folks have been tweeting sxusz ta us. in the past it happened it takes hours to get everything back up to speed. >> when you hear everything is fixed, it doesn't necessarily men everything is fixed for you this very moment. >> right. >> switching gears, new information this morning about iranian american suspect accused of orchestrating a plot to kill a saudi ambassador in washington. mansour arbabsiar is described by a happy-go-lucky eshg ccar salesman. some expressing skepticism about the iranian plot in this role. harrisburg, pennsylvania, filed for bankruptcy protection. hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. there is now a showdown with the state over the control of the city. >> quite a story. alison kosik is live in harrisburg, pennsylvania. this started because of garbage. >> reporter: yes. it did. i'm going to get to that in just a minute. you know, you cover finance and know that when it comes to financial problems as deep as this, these things don't happen overnight. that's exactly the case from harrisburg, pennsylvania. you know what? it found itself sitting on $310 million of debt. the city council earlier this week decided to go ahead and file for bankruptcy because it just couldn't pay the bills. what you said is true. all of this pretty much was tipped over the edge financially, i'm talking about, because of the trash incinera incinerator. it seems the insin ratedor burned more cash than trash. especially in the past ten years. incinerator faced really stuff financial problems and it was redone and revamped with the hopes that receive new that would be brought in from this upgraded insin ratedor would wind up financing all of the renovation. that really didn't pan out. now the city finds itself in deep financial turmoil and exacerbating a problem is the slowing economy, high unemployment which means that fewer tax receipts coming in. there is a showdown as to whether the bankruptcy filing is legal, the city's mayor, linda thompson is challenging it saying the bankruptcy filing is illegal. >> in the meantime, though, alison, what's happening to city services in harrisburg? you can hear a siren behind you. >> reporter: services will remain the same. i talked with an attorney for the city council saying city services, sanitation services will remain the same. but something that the mayor is doing, she is moving forward with a proposal to try to balance -- put the balance sheet in order for harrisburg. some of the things she is looking to do is sell the incinerator, lease the city's parking lots, and even raise property taxes. obviously something that's not very popular but something that many cities across the country may have to deal with. taking very unpopular measures really to get a had an doll the balance sheets. >> wow. alison kosik reporting live for from us pennsylvania. thanks so much. >> the sirens stopped right as they got to the point and alison is now being arrest. >> no. i hope not. >> speaking to one of the city counselors this voted in favor of the bankruptcy late nert show. >> a lot of people are saying my property value is going down but property taxes are going up. that doesn't make any sense but that's happening in a lot of different place ace round the country. your tax bill could go up even though the value of what you are sitting in is going down. >> the only place they can get revenue sin creased taxes. >> give you a sense of how it affects new different places, municipal bankruptcies are very rare. new orleans airport joining the ranks of u.s. airports cleared for flights to and from cuba earlier this year. obama ad maybe loosened travel to cuba. they have been flying out of airports from new york and miami. >> the honored guest at a white house state dinner tonight. fifth state dinner hosted by the obamas. he will accompany president obama to the motor plant. >> herman cain is hot, hot, hot. front-runner for president. what is it about herman cain? what's resonating? >> a number of people ar stranded on their roofs after a hurricane turns tiny streams into raging rivers. we will show you where this is. fore! no matter what small business you are in, managing expenses seems to... get in the way. not anymore. ink, the small business card from chase introduces jot an on-the-go expense app made exclusively for ink customers. custom categorize your expenses anywhere. save time and get back to what you love. the latest innovation. only for ink customers. learn more at chase.com/ink i'm consolidating my assets. i'm not paying hidden fees or high commissions. i'm making the most of my money. and seven-dollar trades are just the start. i'm with scottrade. i'm with scottrade. i'm with scottrade. and i'm loving every minute of it. at scottrade, we give you commission-free etfs, no-fee iras and more. come see why more investors are saying... i'm with scottrade. welcome back to "american morning." you can tell how well herman cain is doing by increasing number of attacks coming his way from his republican rivals. the georgia businessman must have felt like a pinatta at the debate. the shots he is taking don't seem to be sticking. look at the turnaround. surging while mitt romney treads water and rick perry plunges. latest nbc/"wall street journal" poll cain is the republican front-runner with 27% of the vote. four points better than romney. let's bring in the politics writer for "roll call. kwgts she is in washington. welcome and good to see you again. >> good morning. good to see you, too. >> somebody said to me the other day, they love herman cain as their grandfather, not necessarily as president. sounds like a lot more people are liking the idea of herman cain as president. >> there's no question herman cain has done a really good job in the last several weeks of connecting with voters especially on the national level. had a very good couple of weeks. i don't think it is a coincidence that he has gone up in the polls directly as governor rick perry has gone down in the polls. that's something to do more with another candidate, mitt romney, who some people call the front runner in this race. i think a lot of voters that don't like mitt romney and don't like some of his positions are looking for an alternative and herman cain now is that alternative. luc it be lasting? we will see. >> let's talk about where he is losing support from. we are not talking a lot about michele bachmann these days. we are not talking about john huntsman or rick santorum all that much. we are still talking about rick perry. boy, rick perry in the last poll seems to have lost a lot of steam. >> yeah. rick perry is definitely -- definitely had a bad couple of weeks. he started off the race really well and is very strong. started getting up to 38% in some polls. doing terrific. the last couple of weeks following his debate performance in florida a few weeks ago has not been that good for him. really one of the last chances to turn it around is the debatier this week. a lot of people think he didn't do it. he is quiet and put it into the background and herman cain got up there and fighting one-on-one with romney. >> cain's campaign is doing well in spite of itself. there have been some people saying she not properly staffed up and he is campaigning in states that don't matter, brirms. he seems to be more campaigning for a tv, you know, show or to sell more of his books. he now said that his book tour is over. he happens than been to new hampshire since the summer. what's this say? can herman cain decide he actually wants to step this up and goose up his campaign and maybe actually be a contender here? >> i think if herman cain is serious about winning the republican nomination, we will see him change his travel schedule a lot. i have seen him in states like arizona and texas, and doing things like promoting his book. if he really serious about this, he has to go to iowa, new hampshire, south carolina, and florida. maybe nevada, too. these are the key early primary states. if he is not in the states, it can be really hard for him to meet with voters. it is not about a national presence or national how you do in national polls. it is meeting these voters and key early states that decide the nomination process tell me this. the conservative faction of the party, the folks who are going to vote in the primary, have really been spreading their love between michele bachmann and rick santorum and rick perry and herman cain. nobody has sustained the very conservative love for too long in this campaign and we are still more than a year out for the election. what about herman cain suggests he lasts longer as the darling of the conservative part of the republican party? >> you know, i'm not sure there is something that suggests he will last longer except that we are running out of candidates to become flavor of the month right now. you know. seems like every month conservative alternatives to mitt romney pops up with chris christie and rick perry, michele bachmann late in the summer. i wonder when we will run out of candidates. i'm not quite sure. herman cain is relatively new to politics as he says that a benefit to his candidacy. sometimes some of the new candidates, there are some things we don't know about them and i think you will see new store niece the next couple of weeks digging into his past and probably going to see a whole new side of herman cain in the next couple of weeks. >> he always says fun things on tv. i will -- i will have our viewers listen to this because somebody accused him not of even being flavor of the month but flavor of the week. here is what herman cain said. >> you know, the flavor of the week, well the answer is an emphatic no. becau . >> he is appealing. people like the way he talks. he sounds not very political when he talks. i think you are rye. we will find a lot more about him. good to see you. thanks so much. >> thanks for having me. >> next tuesday night, cnn will host the western republican presidential debate in los angeles. anderson coopler moderate the debate, tuesday, october 18 at 8:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. our own carol costello will attend the debate and will have all that morning after analysis. see if can you talk to herman cain. >> i'm definitely going to do that. >> erin is talking to him tonight. >> right. erin burnett. >> it is interesting, though. he's not really trying very hard. he is on a book tour. >> it is a very strange campaign. >> yes. 18 minutes after the hour. that means it is time to check in with rob in the extreme weather center. good morning, sunshine. >> hey, guys. it has been a month since we saw tropical action stateside. mexico, this is what they dealt with yesterday. hurricane jova came on as category 2. it was the rainfall that did the damage. these are shots out of manzanillo. five fatalities in mexico alone from the tremendous amount of rain that fell. if you have ever been there, the mountains, get off the beach, they go straight up. that causes not p only flash floods but very, very muddy water. debris in there and dangerous conditions. colima, 13 inches of rainfall. rain stateside. mostly east of the mississippi. you go to chicago, up through milwaukee, cincinnati. very light stuff. second pulse through across the northeast. that causes travel delays. chicago as well. to a lesser extent, boston and philadelphia. scattered showers later today. there is your front, one and two. then across parts of the southwest getting into santa ana season. that cranks up the temperatures. you better believe it. long beach two degrees. los angeles, 99. not too chilly across much of the northeast. 67 degrees in chicago. chance of rain and 69 degrees with scattered showers across parts of new york. >> thank you, rob. now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question for you this morning, what should the united states do about iran? alleged iranian agent charged in the assassination brought on u.s. soil. just the latest twist in a difficult and contentious relationship or should i say nonrelationship. the united states hasn't talked to iran officially since the 1979 revolution. since then iran has been part of the, quote, axis of evil, nuclear wannabe. >> iran aggressively pursues weapons and exports terror. while an unelected few repressed the iranian people's hope for freedom. >> in 2009, newly elected president obama was pitching engagement with iran. that was before this. before tehran's brutal crackdown on lexapro testers. the imprisonment of three american hikers and the iranian president's america bashing speechers, engagement? that's doubtful. congressman peter king says the united states needs to respond boldly to the latest provocation. consider military options and throw out iranian diplomats in the united states. >> all international norms, violates international law, and basically talk about an act of war. i think we have to -- united states has to really consider taking very significant action. i don't think sanctions alone are enough. >> it is debatable whether sanctions on eye rain, north korea, or iraq really changes behavior. could this go beyond sanctions? >> well, it could. but we are not -- we are not going there yet. it is critically important we unite the world in the isolation of and dealing with the iranians. that's the -- that's the most -- the surest way to be able to get results. >> the talk back question today -- what should the united states do about iran? facebook.com/americanmorning. i will read your responses later this hour. >> still to come this morning, more riveting testimony at the michael jackson death trial concerning dr. conrad murray's treatment of jackson and his actions in the critical moments after the singer stopped breathing. bank of america responds to the tens of thousands of people, hundreds at this point, who signed the petition to get the bank to cancel proposed $5 debit card fee. what's the bank say? we will tell you about it when we come back. so if i didn't know better i'd say you're having some sort of big tire sale. yes we are. yeah. how many tires does ford buy every year? over 3 million. you say you can beat any advertised price on tires? correct. anywhere? yes. like this price? yes. riously? yes what about this one? i'll beat it. this one? s we will. right, i only have one more question for you...this one? (laughing) yeah. get $100 rebate when you buy four tires. 100 bucks! only at your ford dealer. 3 million tires. 11 major brands, fiona's kind-of-nice. i don't know why you're not here. fore! no matter what small business you are in, managing expenses seems to... get in the way. not anymore. ink, the small business card from chase introduces jot an on-the-go expense app made exclusively for ink customers. custom categorize your expenses anywhere. save time and get back to what you love. the latest innovation. only for ink customers. learn more at chase.com/ink we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. welcome back. minding your business this morning. right now u.s. stock futures are down. dow turned positive for the year at one point during trading yesterday. that rally lost steam right before the close. in about an hour from now we will find out how many jobless claims were filed for the first time last week. economists expect that number to be slightly lower than the week before. it will give us a read on the labor market and how many layoffs are still happening. banking giant jpmorganchase released third-quarter earnings report. we are going through that now and looks like it topped estimates. search giant google releases its earnings report right after the bell this afternoon. billionaire convicted in the biggest insider trading case voching hedge funds in the u.s. is expected to be sentenced today in man hhattan today. he could spend as many as 25 years in prison. if you own a sony tv we may have important news for you. the company is recalling 1.6 million bravia tvs. faulty component may cause them to melt or catch fire. as the temperature heads south, your heating bill is about to go up. according to the energy department homes that heat with oil can expect prices to rise nearly $200 over last year. biggest reason for the increase, rising price of crude oil a year ago. don't forget for the latest news about your money, check out the all new cnnmoney.com. i'm not a number. i'm not a line item on a budget. and i'm definitely not a pushover. but i am a voter. so washington... before you even think about cutting my medicare and social security benefits... here's a number you should remember. 50 million. we are 50 million seniors who earned our benefits... and you will be hearing from us... today and on election day. ♪ good morning to you. top stories now. powerful earthquake has struck off the indonesian island of bali. take a look at the pictures. they are just in to cnn. quake hit earlier this morning. you are looking at video taken from inside of a home obviously. the quake damaged several ancient hindu temples and also damaged a number of homes and businesses. you are about to see new video from tokyo. where radiation is believed to be coming from the damaged fukushima reactor was found. radioactive sediment was found on top of an apartment building about 150 miles from the nuclear plant. scenes of other devastation as mexico's pacific coast dealing with the aftermath of hurricane jova. the storm slam flood the region turning small streams into raging rivers and trapped a number of people on their roofs. it triggered mud slooifs leaving more than a thousand people homeless. more than a dozen people hurt after two amtrak trains crashed into oakland, california. happened late last night. authorities say one of the trains was parked and was dropping off passengers when it was hit by another train from behind. the blackberry blackout is testing the nerves of those who rely on it. it spread to the u.s. and canada yesterday. research in motion says the problem has been fixed. there is backlog of messages resulting in service disruptions. the prosecution may rest its case later today in the manslaughter trial of mike's doctor, conrad murray. one of their final witnesses delivered bombshell testimony yesterday concerning dr. murray's medical conduct which he said is the reason michael jackson isn't alive today. cnn's ted rowlands has the details. >> reporter: in the damaging day of testimony against dr. conrad murray, an expert for the california medical board concluded that murray's actions directly caused the death of michael jackson. dr. steinberg, cardiologist hired by the prosecution, called murray's behavior, quote, bizarre and listed multiple examples of his extreme deviations from standard medal care. >> in your opinion, is the use of propofol as part of a doctor's medical practice to treat insomnia gross negligence? >> yes. it is indicated for procedures in patient comfort, not for sleep. >> reporter: according to steinberg not only did murray administer a dangerous drug to jackson, he did it without the proper equipment. >> you need a pulse with an alarm. dr. murray's machine did not have an alarm. the next thing you need is an ekg monitor. he did not have an ekg monitor. the other things you need is a bag and need to know how to use it. dr. murray had the bag but did not use it. >> reporter: another deviation according to steinberg murray's failure to call for help immediately. >> it is basic knowledge in america, you don't have to be a health care professional, when someone is down, you need to call 911 for help. dr. murray should have known that. so instead of that huge 20-minute delay, i mean, 20, 20-something minimum delay he could have gotten help he needed within four minutes. >> reporter: murray told police he was busy trying to resuscitate jackson which is why he did not call 911 right away. steinberg said murray did not follow proper procedures in trying to revive the singer. >> his cpr -- he should have put mr. jackson on the floor and done cpr on the floor with two hands. >> reporter: previously the jury heard a two-hour recording of a police interview with murray on the tape murray described monitoring jackson after giving him propofol until he felt comfortable enough to leave the room. when he said -- murray said he was only gone for two minutes. >> when you monitor a patient you never leave their side. especially after giving propofol. it is like leaving a baby that is sleeping on your kitchen countertop. >> reporter: defense now says they will drop their theory jackson had swallowed extra propofol without murray's knowledge. instead they will argue that jackson administered the fatal dose himself through a syringe. a sleep expert testified that murray's use of propofol to treat insomnia was unusual and dangerous. the prosecution is wrapping up their case. they are expected to get to their final witness at some point tomorrow. ted rowlands, cnn, los angeles. >> for complete coverage and analysis of the developments in the michael jackson death trial check out our sister network hln. authorities exhuming the bones of some of john wayne gacy's victims. serial killer convicted of 33 murders, mostly of teenage boys. eight of those remains were never identified. police in cooke county, i will, asking relatives of boys who disappeared in the 1907s to come forward so they can compare dna. eight people dead after a gunman opened fire inside after salon in seal beach. one suspect said the man believed to be the lone gunman was arrested as he tried to drive away. the fbi saying that they have the hollywood hacker. accused of breaking into dozens of celebrities' cell phones and e-mails and leaking nude or almost nude photos like scarlet yo -- scarlett johan sent and christina aguilera. the u.s. attorney also saying xhi cheney stole scripts. new york city mayor bloomberg bloomberg stopped by the park yesterday to let the protesters know the park will be cleaned tomorrow. the protesters will be allowed to return after tomorrow once the park has been cleaned. >> bank of america responding to those tens of thousands, almost 200,000 people, that signed a petition railing against bank of america for that new $5 a month debit card fee. the person who is leading the petition is 22-year-old molly. >> i finished. i will probably move on to a credit union. i knew other people would be fed up with it, too. >> she spoke to a b of a official and they said they understand customers would be upset but it is premature whether the bank will cancel that fee. >> it appears they are not going to cancel their fee. that would be my guess. >> kudos t molly and people that signed the petition. she did what one should do. she canceled her card and moving to another bank because you can. >> she did an online petition and got a meeting with the vice president of the bank. that says something. at least she could vent. >> remember credit unions are not for profit. there are a lot of online banks. yesterday there was a viral story on cnnmoney.com seven good banks. i will tweet it again right now pnch w . there are a lot of people looking for all aerntive. >> there are a lot of regular brick and mortar banks. you have options. good for molly and those folks. still to come on "american morning," cash-strapped capital forced to file for bankruptcy protection. harrisburg. we will tell you what it means for the city and state and someplace you may live in with cash problems as well. 38 minutes after the hour. 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[ male announcer ] osteo bi-flex with 5-loxin advanced™. shows improvement in joint comfort within 7 days. osteo bi-flex. the #1 doctor and pharmacist recommended brand. delivering mail, medicine and packages. yet they're closing thousands of offices, slashing service, and want to lay off over 100,000 workers. the postal service is recording financial losses, but not for reasons you might think. the problem ? a burden no other agency or company bears. a 2006 law that drains 5 billion a year from post-office revenue while the postal service is forced to overpay billions more into federal accounts. congress created this problem, and congress can fix it. welcome back to "american morning." 41 minutes after the hour. pennsylvania's capital is not weathering this economy well. city of harrisburg filed for chapter 9 bankruptcy protection. as you can see, it is one of the biggest municipality bankruptcies to ever be filed. harrisburg face as total debt burden of about $458 million according to the city counsel sit sill which voted the petition. joining me now is brad kokliski. councilman, thank you for being with us. ex-president clinton to me lots of cities around country have gotten themselves into serious financial situations. what is it about harrisburg that caused you and your colleagues on the city council to vote to put it into bankruptcy. >> sure. thanks, ali. thanks for having me. we had a situation here, obviously, as you know, we have an f-47 financial recovery plan process in this state which allows cities to get out from under their debt. we were put into the plan a year ago. the plans that were put forth did not solve our problem. first the state plan and problem by the mayor. they overestimated their revenues and liabilities were underestimated. and allowed for $26 million at least in stranded debt. and just did not work. did it not go to solve the problem. and secondly, we have a problem in our state legislators who want to mettle in the affairs of the city. they have taken steps to limit the ways in which we can negotiate with our creditors and ways we can generate revenue and also taking steps to limit the way to get bankruptcy really. then, you know, when that happens, we signed up for act 47 under a certain set of rules. we were going to play under those rules and that will legislate and growing and changing that. >> let mean this -- our viewers are across the country and may not know some of the nuances specific to harrisburg and pennsylvania. this was not unanimous on the city council and mayor says she didn't even know it was happening. the mayor says it is not right. the governor says it is not right and some argument this may not even be legal because there is a process by which harrisburg would have had to file for bankruptcy having a third party involved. was this a political point you were making? do you believe this actually is going to solve the problem? >> sure. one of the problems we have always had in the city is we haven't been able to get everybody to sit around one table. we have had conversation was the mayor and conversations with -- some conversation was the county, all the parties. the main problem is -- we tried to get them -- demand payment in full, principal and interest. you know. that's one of the maun problems. browns will be able to get this city in a better place five years from now than where it is today. it will allow everyone to sit around the table and fair and impartial bankruptcy judge will determine what the equitable process is to be able to do. all we ever wanted is a global solution. all the stakeholders come together with a fair and equitable solution to get to this point. that's where the bankruptcy process is. legal process. >> from one of your fellow councilmen, patty kim, did not want to file for bankruptcy and this is what she said. >> our creditors are going to sue us out the wazoo even before we get into bankruptcy court. that's not a good plan for residents. >> what do you make of that point? that because some say you didn't follow the right procedure, this may not be a legal bankruptcy filing, that your creditors will sue you for trying to get out of your responsibilities and that may cause a bigger problem than you already have. >> sure. sure. absolutely. right now what we have is a situation where the bankruptcy filing has frozen all of the lawsuits in which the city is being sued right now for money being owed. number one, that's a good thing. secondly, this is the right thing for the people of harrisburg. no one is standing up for the taxpayers of harrisburg. if this was the political or the -- some would say practical thing to do, we wouldn't have done this. listen, i'm up for election in four weeks. all right. this isn't a popular or practical thing to do. sticking my neck out here. fit was practical i would keep my mouth shut. nobody is sticking up for the people of harrisburg, not the bond loaders, legislators. i would venture to say this administration because we have to make our city better than it was and better than it is right now in five years and down the road. >> obviously there are different views on how so many cities across the united states have to deal with this and want to sell the troublesome incinerator that seems to be part of the problem, lease out parking lots and raise property taxes. so many cities across the country are having to do that sort of thing, privatize things city services, cut certain things. why is that not a solution for harrisburg? >> i'm not saying that's not necessarily a solution for harrisburg. if we go into bankruptcy court and say we are not going to sell or get rid of assets to generate cash to be part of the process we are getting -- we realize we have to sell the incinerator. it may have to go to something to generate money. the problem with the man plan is when it says you may sell the incinerator, it never left us a new source of revenue. that's why woe need ad new source of revenue, legislator and plan never allowed us to do that. the problem is we will be bankrupt in five years anyway because we won't be able to sustain our budgets. >> thanks so much for joining us and shedding light on the situation. city councilman in harrisburg. introducing the resolution for seeking bankruptcy for harrisburg. >> world's first scientist solved a puzzle of the black plague. what did they find out? 16,129. here is a hint. >> ten ounces of gold. >> how many customers one company is losing every single day. losing that many customers a day. who is it? >> who has that many customers n. >> so many choices. >> 45 minutes after the hour. ♪ [ multiple snds ng melodic tune ] ♪ [ malennounc ] at northrop grumman, makthworld a feplace. th's value performance. northr gruan. [ cellphone rings ] cut! [ monica ] i have a small part in a big movie. i thought we'd be on location for 3 days, it's been 3 weeks. so, i used my citi simplicity card to pick up a few things. and i don't have to worry about a late fee. which is good... no! bigger! bigger! [ monica ] ...because i don't think we're going anywhere for a while. [ male announcer ] write your story with the new citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries. get started at citisimplicity.com. 48 minutes past the hour. here are your morning headlines. u.s. stock futures trading slightly lower ahead of the opening bell. now stocks have been climbing since the start of the month as investors breaux more optimisticing europe will solve the debt crisis. blackberry's maker research in motion says the problems are that caused a four-day blackout have been fixed. because of a backlog of messages there may still be disruptions in service. more than a dozen people reported hurt after two amtrak trains crashed in oakland, california. authorities say that one of the trains was part of dropping off passengers when it was hit behind with another -- by another train. one of moammar gadhafi's sons has been captured. the head of the national transition council said he was arrested while trying to escape after a fire fight in gadhafi's hometown. two u.s. hikers that spent over two years in an iranian jail will meet this afternoon with the secretary of state hillary clinton. shane bauer and josh fattal will be accompanied by sarah shourd. south korea's president and first lady will be the honored guests at a white house state dinner tonight and then on friday, the president will accompany president obama on a visit to general motors in detroit. and members of congress finally have come together and agreed on something. yesterday they passed several free trade agreements that are supposed to boost exports to south korea, panama, and colombia. herman cain leading the field of republican candidates for president. latest nbc/"wall street journal" poll has the businessman on top with 27% of the journal" poll has him four points higher than mitt romney. that's the news you need to start your day. "american morning" back after a break. an ominous looking sky over atlanta this morning. cloudy. thunderstorms later and 72 degrees. good morning, atlanta, wake a. >> it looks like san francisco, doesn't it? this morning's romans' numeral is equally depressing. the number is 16,129. that's the number of customers blackberries research in motion is losing every day. that's a new study. people just turn in their blackberries and getting something else. in the past year the company lost 1.3 million customers. >> so, there are several problems at play here. one is this particular service issue. two s some software issues they had with new releases and, of course, the growing competition and androids and iphones. >> if you even look at the product, it looks antiquated now, doesn't it? compared to an iphone? >> i have a touchscreen and they look the same. >> they're trying. >> one of the crit. is , the bosses are no where to be seen on this one. you know, even for the first two days, sort of these weird denials of things not being broken and it becomes difficult. just get out in front of it. i think they're trying to do that now. we spoke to the managing director of the uk office where the trouble seems to be originating and i thought he was pretty straight forward. >> he apologized. he said he was sorry. >> you can be as sorry as you want, but you're losing 16,000 customers a day. i know why they're sorry, the stock is down. >> ten years i had a blackberry of some sort and generally they do what you need. this is a business where generally doesn't cut it. >> even when you use these things for your business, it's just nice to have. >> the reliability is one of the biggest issues. people want to know that it will do what you need when they say you need it. >> that's the first thing it needs to do right. secrets of the black death revealed after 700 years. scientists have now cracked the genetic code of the plague. they were used to decode the dna of the disease. the plague killed between 30 million and 50 million people. about one out of every three europeans and they found it's not that much different than some bacteria found around today. but researchers say our bodies are stronger at fighting off disease and simple antibiotics today could beat the black plague. >> that's interesting. >> that makes me feel a lot better. >> we'll talk more about viruses and things like that later on in the program. a new report from the cdc says fewer teenagers are having sex. the number down slightly from its last report in 2002. the reason, not the fear of diseases, the fear of god. the report asked teens why they chose not to have sex and the number one reason for both males and females was that it was against their religion or morales. no word on whether they lied on the actual survey. >> didn't we just report yesterday -- >> you're such a cynic. >> i'm just saying. >> why are you all laughing at me? we always ask kids about drinking and then scientists wonder are they lying about the drinking or are they serious about the drinking? >> social media, i don't think kids lie about having sex. but, didn't we just report that too much sex makes you lose your memory? >> maybe they have forgotten. >> that's right. all right, listen to this one. you are going to love this one. you're particularly going to love this one. she's so hot that she melts butter instantly. maxim magazine has named paula dean, our good friend, 64-year-old paula dean as the sexiest female chef on tv. because butter is sexy, y'all. the magazine explains that dangerously high calorie dishes are a bit of a turn on and thinking about her apparently makes them hungry for a beer battered bacon wrapped. >> paula even puts a stick of butter in a pound of hamburger before she puts it on the grill. butter makes everything better, y'all. time for our talk back question of the day. the question we ask you this morning. getting serious now. what should the united states do about iran? this from david, let the saudis handle it. maybe with a little help from israel. the saudis can afford to spend billions on military equipment, cruise missiles, f-16s and bombs and we're set up to build them. nothing, stay out of it. no americans were killed or hurt in this plot. we have enough problems already. we don't need another war. this from scott. iran is out of control. i believe military action is the only option. we need to deal with this now while it's a relatively small problem instead of waiting for it to grow to the point where we are forced to deal with it. we should ridicule them for their plot. they don't like to be laughed at. facebook.com/americanmorning. top stories when we return including herman cain's 999 plan. is it a slogan or a solution? we'll check out the pros and cons. 57 minutes after the hour. ♪ ♪ a couple years of up all night ♪ ♪ and a few thousand diapers later ♪ ♪ oh, yeah ♪ he loves that little girl [ male announcer ] all her life, she's been coming toward you. now that she's driving, she's going the other way. ♪ there goes my life [ male announcer ] thanks to state farm's steer clear program, teens learn safer driving and parents gain peace of mind. ♪ kingdoms and queens ♪ they all bow down to you ♪ ♪ branches and ranch hands ♪ are bowin', too ♪ and i've taken off... [ man ] we could have gone a more traditional route... but it wouldn't have been nearly as memorable. ♪ here comes the sun again sadly, no. oh. but i did pick up your dry cleaning and had your shoes shined. well, i made you a reservation at the sushi place around the corner. well, in that case, i better get back to these invoices... which i'll do right after making your favorite pancakes. you know what? i'm going to tidy up your side of the office. i can't hear you because i'm also making you a smoothie. [ male announcer ] marriott hotels & resorts knows it's better for xerox to automate their global invoice process so they can focus on serving their customers. with xerox, you're ready for real business. blackberries buzzing back to life. i'm christine romans. service is improving after an outage spanning five cont nents. here in the u.s., still a lot of people without service because of the backlog. when will your device work again? i'm carol costello. a city decriminalizing domestic violence to save money. victims left afraid. the d.a. forced to make a change this morning. i'm alli velshi, virus hunting is his game. his new book and his efforts to stop the next global pandemic before it gets started on this "american morning." good morning, everybody. it is thursday, october 13th and it's 8:00 in the east. >> do you feel like the morning is getting a little better because i'm getting e-mails? >> ignorance is bliss. >> you're right, it was a nice break. i'm sure if you have a blackberry you know what i'm talking about. if you feel let down by that beloved blackberry, you're not alone. for a fourth day the service is testing the patience. making progress and restoring service after it went down monday, affecting customers in europe, the middle east and in africa. by tuesday, the outages had spread to south america and yesterday customers in the united states ask cnd canada we hit. dan simon live in san francisco. dan, is your blackberry working right now? >> well, cnn has graciously provided me with an iphone, so, i don't have this problem. i should tell you that blackberry, as you said, they feel like they got a grip on this problem. i just looked at their website a few minutes ago and they say that service has pretty much been restored for most of the world. some internet problems for some folks in europe and maybe in africa, but e-mail service has been restored. look, it's a simple proposition. you have a smartphone, you want two things, right. you want to be able to make phone calls and be able to send e-mails. the fraact that you could not sd e-mails for three days is an enormous public relations problem for r.i.m. and the founder posted a video on youtube just a little while ago. take a look. >> since launching blackberry in 1999, it's been my goal to provide reliable, realtime communications around the world. we did not deliver on that goal this week, not even close. i apologize for the service outages this week. we've let many of you down. but let me assure you that we're working around the clock to fix this. >> well, you got two problems here. you have the outage problem and you have the damage to the blackberry brand. and i would argue that the second one might be worse. this is a company that we have seen, you know, lose market share rapidly over the last few years. really ever since 2007 when apple released the iphone and google has overtaken apple and r.i.m. r.i.m. now entrenched in third place and, obviously, this is not going to help. back to you guys. >> all right, thanks, dan. >> dan makes a good point that we talk a lot about the iphone but the android is really moving the market. a lot of people really enjoying that device. >> my mother has adroid and she loves it. she's something. she's hip and happening my mom. witnesses say people went flying. more than a dozen passengers reportedly hurt after two amtrak trains crashed in oakland, california. happened late last night. one of the trains was parked and dropping off passengers when it was hit behind by another train. >> i don't know, i guess every car bumped together closer. it was an awful joke. >> authorities say it could have been far worse, but the moving train was slowing down as it hit. well, powerful earthquake struck off the indonesian island of bali. look at this new video just in to cnn. the quake hit earlier this morning, the video was taken from inside the house. the quake damaged several ancient hindu temples and damaged a number of homes and businesses. serious concerns this morning, the radiation from the damaged fukushima nuclear disaster in japan is more widespread than thought. some radio active material was detected. according to local reports, radio active sentiments was found in an apartment building. look at the map, 155 miles away from the nuclear plant. reports out of libya this morning say that one of moammar gadhafi's sons has been captured by rebel soldiers. the head of the national transitional council says he was arrested while trying to escape after a firefight in sirte, but other reports deny he's in custody. libyan rebels are battling for control of sirte, one of the last progadhafi strongholds. new hampshire primary may be moved up to earlier mid-december and republican leaders don't like it. here are the possible dates. either december 6th or december 13th. new hampshire is threatening the early start because he's upset with its schedule to cancel in mid-january. not happy with the prospect of an early december primary. >> finished first with 27% of the vote, that's four points ahead of mitt romney and 11 points in front of rick perry. >> it's amazing, isn't it? herman cain is hot. whether it's his no nonsense style or success of the business world. something about herman cain is resonating with republican voters. maybe it's the catchy way he's branding his tax plan. >> 999 plan. 999. >> my 999 plan. >> 999. it just makes you want to say it, doesn't it? joining us to talk about herman cain and his plan is steven moore, senior economics writer for "wall street journal" editorial page. welcome. >> good morning. >> let's talk about 999. calls for a 9% flat income tax and a 9% corporate intax rate and 9% sales tax and all the other taxes like payroll taxes, capital gains, estate tax, death tax, they all go away. the plan was actually inspired by your book. so, does cain have it exactly right? >> well, maybe not exactly right, but there's no question about it that of all the tax plans the republican field of candidates have come up with, his is by far the boldest and most ambitious. i mean, he brings all of the tax rates to below 10%, which was something that we talked a lot about when i wrote my book. how can you get rates down to below 10%? i think the idea of getting our income tax rates would be like rocket fuel for the u.s. if you want jobs, do that. the big concern that liberals and conservatives have about this plan is whether a 9% national sales tax is advisable, whether it's good economics and whether it's good for the poor. that's been the primary criticism of the plan. >> let's talk about that specific criticism. you're right, the plan is getting a lot of criticism that it will raise taxes on the middle class. example. a family with an income of $50,000 would be taxed at about $1,000 more under this plan. that's before you add the sales tax. and then it's actually doubled and that really doesn't sound like a winning formula in these days that the middle class is being unfairly taxed. >> right. well, here is the problem with that analysis. i haven't looked through all the details of that analysis you just did. people should remember, this isn't something people focused on. in addition to scrapping the income tax code, the cain plan actually gets rid of the entire payroll tax. you're talking about a 15% payroll tax half of come is paid by the employer and half comes out of the employee paycheck that would no longer be imposed. it would essentially be like every american worker would get a 7.5% pay raise when that plan went into existence because you'd get a bigger paycheck. i think that's the point that herman cain would make. wait a minute, that's not fair. you'll have to pay a sales fax, but a bigger paycheck, as well. >> another criticism of this plan is that the flat tax won't bring in as much revenue, politifact predict that cain's plan can bring in less than the government gets today. this is a rough estimate and this is hard to determine, but is that a fair criticism? >> well, it's fair in the sense that i don't think herman cain has done a good enough job explaining how the numbers add up. when he came up with this plan, he was at sixth or seventh place and people weren't taking the plan as seriously. now, that plan is going to come under incredible scrutiny and one thing that a lot of the economic advisors, you've got to prove to people that this doesn't add to the deficit. i think he can do that. i think he can show that the numbers add up. one of the points that i can make, look, if you have this plan in effect, the economy would grow so rapidly that you would have huge increases in revenues just from the increase in putting people back to work and the increase in business activity and profits. that's the point that herman cain has to make. but, he's kind of gotten away with not showing the numbers when he was in third or fourth place. i think now that he's in first place, he is really going to have not just back of the envelope calculations but real statements that show this thing adds up. >> here's the biggest problem of all. at least he has a plan, right? if he becomes president, he has to get this plan through congress. they're not cooperating with one another. who is to say they stay at 9%. what if some congressman says i think it should be 10%. convinces some faction of government to say, i think it should be 12%. how can he prevent that? >> first of all, you keep talking about the problems with the plans and some misgivings about the plan, no question about it. let's not forget the big picture here. this is incredibly innovative and bold. it would completely tear up the tax system and be able to fill out your tax form on a postcard and incredibly simple and get away with about $400 billion of cost in compliance with the tax system. those advantages are enormous. now, the question that you raise is a very good one. would congress, in fact, we wrote about this on our editorial page. if you put in place a 9% sales tax, a national sales tax has such a broad base that you just raised that rate by 1% or 2 percentage points and you're bringing in huge amounts of revenues. that is a legitimate concern and herman cain has to address that, as well. he would say, well, you need two-thirds vote in both houses to raise the sales tax, but we know from europe that does have a national sales tax that those rates have gone up up andb up and now the average tax in these european countries is closer to 18% to 20%. >> the other political problem that herman cain has with this plan. it is a middle tax increase on the middle class. but by the conservative arm of the republican party, that's what it seems like. they don't really quite like this plan. herman cain, i believe, signed a no tax pledge. how does he get around that? >> because it's not on tax increase. for the vast majority of people, it is going to be a tax cut because of that payroll tax. you're right. this is something that the republican sfbment is very much afraid of. they don't want these kind of bold changes. you know, when i talked to herman cain about this, what he says, i think this makes a lot of sense. look, we have huge economic problems in our country around the neck of our businesses and employers and if you get this system in place, this would be the most important thing you can do to put americans back to work. that i think is very appealing to people, but this is a jobs plan, not just a tax plan. >> you know, just a kauvuate to that. it's not going to create jobs right now. >> i think it will. >> you really think it will? you can't even implement it that fast? >> look, you have to get it in place, but, look, look what happened when we did the reagan tax cuts in the early 1980s. this statistic is amazing. at this junction of the reagan presidency after the reagan tax cuts we had 1.1 million jobs in the month of september 1983. so, the economy can turn around really quickly. there's $2 trillion of capital that is sitting on the sidelines waiting to be invested. you put this, by the way, don't forget. this plan has no capital gains or dividend tax either. the incentive to invest under this plan is enormous. >> all right, steven moore. >> i can tell you're a little skeptical. >> i'm just saying companies have all this money and they're not creating jobs right now. i'm just throwing things out there. >> an incentive to invest that money because they don't have to pay a tax on the returns. >> stephen moore, thank you so much. appreciate it. >> see you soon. >> if you want to read more of the inspiration you can pick up steven moore's book called "return to prospirty." we love steven moore because sometimes he goes against the far right and stays in the middle. >> i'm not sure that i agree with his views on this, but he certainly lays them out very well. big kudos to stephen moore and to herman cain for putting some meat on this conversation. everybody on both sides of this debate say, i would like tax reform. somebody said something about it. >> at least herman cain has a plan. you can't say that about the other candidates. >> mitt romney and -- >> oh, yes. 59 point. >> there's something every election there's some simple plan, right. last time huckabee came out with the flat tax idea and paul ryan -- ron paul has ideas about eliminating taxes but this one caught fire this time. >> he's talked about it a lot. host the western republican presidential debate in las vegas live next tuesday, october 18th at 8:00 p.m. eastern. anderson cooper will moderate and carol costello will be there live for us and the morning after she'll have great interviews and developments for us. president obama's re-election plans. the president's re-election team and the democratic national committee raising a combined $70 million in the third quarter of fund-raising this year. the obama campaign says that over 600,000 people donated to the campaign in july through september. coming up next, heavy rain and strong storms moving in now. rob marciano is tracking it all. he'll be with us, next. also ahead, baseball's postseason just got more dramatic. the rangers are just one win away, if that's how you want to look at it, from the world series. we have a look at the action coming up. move over ted turner. new king of the hill. who is now the number one largest land owner in the united states? who could it be? 15 minutes after the hour. why did we build a 556 horsepower luxury car with a manual transmission? because there are those who still believe in the power of a firm handshake. the cadillac cts-v. manual or automatic, that's entirely up to you. we don't just make luxury cars, we make cadillacs. until i tried this. nothing helped me beat arthritis pain. it's salonpas. pain relief that works at the site of pain... up to 12 hours. salonpas. i'm not a line item on a budget. and i'm definitely not a pushover. but i am a voter. so washington... before you even think about cutting my medicare and social security benefits... here's a number you should remember. 50 million. we are 50 million seniors who earned our benefits... and you will be hearing from us... today and on election day. ♪ [ guy ] ring, ring. progresso... i love your new loaded potato with bacon. that's what we like to hear. ring, ring. progresso... ...switch our phone service? ...no, i think we're pretty happy with our phones. 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[ male announcer ] write your story with the new citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries. get started at citisimplicity.com. and having a partner like northern trust -- one of the nation's largest wealth managers -- makes all the difference. our goals-based investment strategies are tailored to your needs and overseen by experts who seek to maximize opportunities while minimizing risk. after all, you don't climb a mountain just to sit at the top. you lookround for other mountains to climb. ♪ expertise matters. find it at northern trust. good morning, dallas and ft. worth. sunny, 59. right now it's going to be nice, sunny and 81. we're glad it's not 100 day break any more. >> i don't feel like being nice to texas this morning. i'm sorry, my texas friends. i'm talking about the rangers. now one win away from their second straight world series appearance. they're greedy, aren't they? nelson cruz, he did it with his arm. miguel cabrera cannot run very fast and nelson cruz had that wicked arm out there. he saw him throw miguel cabrera out from right field. put the game away with a three-run homer. game five tonight in detroit. go, tigers. >> what time did you go to bed last night? >> i didn't go to bed. so upset. in the national league, the st. louis cardinals took a 2-1 series lead over milwaukee. they barely hung on after a four-run rally in the first inning. 4-3, the final score in that game. game four tonight in beautiful st. louis. >> rob marciano, this has been a sleepless few weeks for carol costello. too bad your team was out so early. >> i feel more rested this week. >> you don't have is to juggle things around, just let other people suffer through it. >> a lot of them are going into late innings and you had to wait all night for cabrera to actually get to home plate on that -- >> he's so slow. he's a big man. he's a big man. >> he is. and he's got a big bat at the plate at least. speaking of texas, we go a little bit further south. liberty county just north of houston. here's what it looked like yesterday. damage from thunderstorms that rolled through the eastern part of the state. big-time winds at times taking down a slew of trees. you see it in there just north of houston. we won't see that in texas today. we're all clear. st. louis all clear, as well. but detroit, you want to wrap that game up as early as you can. i think it starts at 4:00, but by the time sixth, seventh, eighth inning rolls around, the rains will be there. go west of the mississippi and we're pretty much rain free. rain in chicago and making slow end roads towards michigan and be there late in the afternoon if not early evening. northeast seeing a little rainfall heading towards boston. delays out of laguardia and 1:45 delays and chicago and o'hare seeing about 30-minute delays. look at these temperatures for our west coast friends. good morning, socal long beach at 102. ramona seeing 101 and los angeles seeing 99 degrees. high pressure over the four corners region, off shore winds, not incredibly breezy, but enough to cook the atmosphere, 10 to 15 degrees above normal. temperatures easily into the 90s. all right, guys, the latest from here and good luck to your tigers tonight. they are up against the wall. they are facing elimination, ali, as we like to say. >> we have just verlander pitcher now. i'm keeping my fingers crossed. >> that is the ace card. now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the big question for you this morning, what should the united states do about iran? an alleged iranian charged on an assassination plot on u.s. soil. or nonrelationship. the united states actually hasn't talked to iran officially since the 1979 revolution. since then, iran's been part of the "axis of evil." a nuclear wannaby. >> iran pursues these weapons and exports terror while an unelected few repress the iranian's peoples hope for freedom. >> in 2009, newly elected president obama was pitching engagement with iran. oh, but that was before tehran's brutal crackdown on election protesters. the imprisonment of three american hikers and the iranian president's america bashing speeches. engagement? doubtful. congressman peter king says the united states needs to respond boldly to the latest provocation. consider military options and throw iranian diplomats in the united states. >> this violates all international norms and violates international law and basically you're talking about an act of war. i think the united states has to really consider taking very significant action. i don't think sanctions alone are enough. >> it is debatable whether sanctions on iran or north korea or iraq really changes behavior. so, could this go beyond sanctions? >> well, it could, but we're not, we're not going there yet. it's critically important that we unite the world and the isolation of and dealing with the iranians. that's the most, the surest way to be able to get results. >> so, talk back today. what should the united states do about iran? facebook.com/americanmorning. facebook.com/americanmorning. i'll read your responses later this hour. >> all right. coming up next, minding your business. which airline is asking "customers of size" to now buy two seats? >> really. >> we'll tell you about it on the other side. 24 minutes past the hour. 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[ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. get back to the things that matter most. good job girls. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. what's vanishing deductible all about ? guys, it's demonstration time. let's blow carl's mind. okay, let's say i'm your insurance deductible. every year you don't have an accident, $100 vanishes. the next year, another $100. where am i going, carl ? the next year... that was weird. but awesome ! ♪ nationwide is on your side 27 minutes after the hour. minding your business this morning. in just a few minutes we'll find out how many unemployment claims were filed for the first time last week. economists expect the number to be slightly lower than the week before. third quarter earning reports and topped estimates that ceo jamie diamond warns the company remains cautious because of the challenging economic development. u.s. futures are trading slightly lower this morning, though the dow did turn positive for the year at one point during trading yesterday, but the rally lost steam right before markets closed. for the first time in a long time, cnn founder ted turner is not the nation's biggest private land owner. that title now belongs to fellow cable pioneer john malone of liberty media who now owns 2.2 million acres of land. it comes out with rankings every year. southwest airlines is expanding its two-seat policy for extra large passengers beginning in march airtran will adopt the same policy it becomes part of southwest. the airline will require passengers who can't fit into one seat with the arm rests lowered to purchase a second seat. "american morning" is back right after this break. exclusive to the military. and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. from free checking to credit cards to loans, our commitment to the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. ♪ visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. usaa. we know what it means to serve. 32 minutes past the hour. good morning. top stories for you now. more than a dozen people reportedly hurt after two amtrak trains crashed in oakland, california, late last night. one train was parked and dropping off passengers when it was hit from behind by another train. the blackberry blackout testing the nerves of people who depend on that smartphone. for the fourth day in a row the outage started overseas and spread to the u.s. and canada yesterday. research in motion, the maker of bla blackberry says the problem has been fixed but a back log of messages which means disruption of services until that backlog is overcome. the president's team and the democratic national committee raising a combined $70 million in the third quarter of the fund-raising this year. the obama campaign says that over 600,000 people donated to the campaign in the july through september period. >> wow. we all know cities across the country are facing budget cuts and have been forced to make some tough choices. in topeka, kansas, they can't afford to prosecute domestic abuse cases. their solution? change the law. abusing your spouse is now legal in topeka, kansas, at least according to the city law it is. in a spat with their district attorney's office over the cost of prosecuting domestic abuse cases voted tuesday to repeal domestic abuse law. >> seems maybe harder if you look at the surface of repealing your ordinance against domestic battery, well, you know, we don't have an ordinance against murder either, but that doesn't make us a pro-murder city. >> reporter: the move came after topeka district attorney, chad taylor, announced due to budget cuts his office would no longer handle topeka's abusive domestic cases. prosecuting the cases would fall on the city of topeka, but that cost money. money the city of topeka says it doesn't have. no one handled the abuse cases and 30 suspects have gone unprosecuted since the standoff began a month ago. >> somehow the city should be handling these matters that have the long-time responsibility of the county. >> reporter: and the city council's move seems to have worked. as a matter of public safety, his office is forced to resume prosecuting topeka's domestic battery cases sg scases. >> the whole situation is unfortunate. if we go back to eight weeks ago, we told everyone what the ramifications of these budget cuts were going to be. >> further evidence of just how bad the budget cuts emappear to be, chad taylor added that domestic abuse cases will have to be handled by interns who are second-year law students. advised by assistant d.a.s who will prosecute a case with the intern, if it goes to trial. >> it's just horrible when there's not enough money to go around and they're making these choices that really affect people's lives. >> but at least they're prosecuting the cases, again. cnn is taking an in depth look at bullying and focusing on ways to stop it. next week sesame street addresses the crisis in a special episode where big bird gets bullying. >> big birds don't have huge feet like that. >> i wanted to join the club. >> we can't include you in the good birds club with feet like that. >> well, that's too bad. >> so long, big foot. >> that's big bird. >> just breaks my heart. earlier on "american morning" big bird and blue jay paid us a visit and asked what they can do to help educate and change the culture of bullying. >> what is wonderful about sesame street, it does engage the adult, as well as the child. we're modeling all of the skills that we want parents to actually pick up. the strategy. so they learn how to talk to children about these difficult topics. >> i learned that i should be a reporter. like you. if i see something, i should go tell an adult, it's not tattling. >> big bird, if you see somebody in trouble, you will be a peacemaker? >> i always like to help. and i want everybody to be happy like we said. happy, happy, ♪ happy to be me >> well, look at those feet. >> the sesame street bullying episode airs monday on pbs. we were talking about before and after that segment about how there are parents, actually, and adults who think this is a right of passage. having kids picked on and stick up for themselves and that's not a good philosophy. >> the other thing we never bring up. children learn behavior from somewhere and oftentimes that's in the home. parents also have to set a good exampleal for their children. >> watch it monday on pbs. >> all this week at 8:00 p.m. eastern, anderson cooper and cnn are calling attention to america's bullying crisis. on saturday night on cnn watch "bullying, it stops here." a town hall led by anderson cooper. all right, where will the next global epidemic come from? that's the exact question on the mind of our next guest. a virus huntder trying to predict the next global crisis and how to prevent it. it's 37 minutes after the hour. ♪ bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum ♪ - ♪ ai, ai, ai - ♪ bum-bum - ♪ bum-bum, bum-bum - ♪ [ ice rattles rhythmically ] ♪ bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum ♪ ♪ [ imitates guitar noise ] ♪ [ vocalizing up-tempo heavy metal song ] ♪ [ vocalizing continues ] ♪ [ all singing ] from honda. if you've seen the movie "contagion" you know it's fiction but just barely. that's where our next guest comes in. he is what you might call the indiana jones of virus hunters. his next book called "the viral storm." i read your book, i would shake your hand, but i'm not going to. it says that hand shakes, humans are your worst enemy in terms of spreading viruses. >> well, it's the way that we're connected around the world that really sort of permits these things to jump from any rural village or marketplace to the rest of the world in just a matter of days. >> all starts with animals and humans and animals and their interaction and then you add in a globalized world with air travel and the movement of people and things around the world and you have sort of this cauldron of possible virus activity. >> yeah, almost like a mixing vessel where these things have the potential to shuffle up their genes to interact with each other and create completely new viruses. and each one of these viruses a little bit different. sort of like working a combination, if it happens to hit the right combination, then the potential to spread could be really devastating. >> that's why virus hunters like you are so into this. you're looking for clues and signals around the world. you're looking for the signs that something evil is amidst and you have to try to get ahead of it. >> if you think back to say heart disease in the '70s, this was something you go to your cardiologist and they'd say, oh, if you have a heart attack, we're going to treat it and that would be the best way. now we know prediction and prevention is the way to do it. that's where we're trying to get with these pandemics. we need to be ahead of the curve and stop them before they spread everywhere. >> we even know that the cdc and googal and search engines can monitor what people are googling about, for example. the kind of symptoms they're having and what is popping up. we globalization has let us get information but also have things spread faster. >> in addition to sort of putting on the boots and getting out to where these viruses are jumping from animals to humans, we've got these software engineers in our office with their hoodies following hundreds of thousands of sites to see exactly where these outbreaks are so we can investigate them quickly. >> you know, it's interesting my grandparents talked about hearing stories when they were growing up bout 1819 which was more deadly than the black plague, which was a bacteria, but it was very deadly and that was spread by the movement of troops around the world. you think about how people are moving even more rapidly and quickly around the world. is it a more dangerous situation? >> yeah, what it just means is that historically these viruses would sort of poke around in a village and run out of people and basically go extinct. but there's no such thing any more. we really exist at this one single world where everything, you know, has the potential for spread. >> the planet should be passing $7 billion in population this month. by 2100, $10.1 billion. when you go through history you see these huge wipeouts, one after the other. should we be concerned about how fast these things can spread and are we doing the right things to prevent some sort of big pandemic. >> if you look at this, for me it's a question, globalization on the good side and the bad side. the bad side is that it connects us all in ways that allow these things to spread, but the good side is we have all of these new technologies which allow us to communicate much more rapidly about what the nature of these things is going on. the issue, though, we have to be focused on being ahead of the curve. we just can't sort of let technology trickle along. we have to really focus on these sorts of problems. >> nathan wolf, the book is called "the viral storm." very nice to doesn't have to be scary stuff. morning headlines are next. it's 44 minutes after the hour. . kasey. come on in. kasey, kasey! kasey, what about the new edge drew you to it? the look of it. i love the sleek design. i like the rounded edges. what does the technology in your edge make you think of ford? it just makes me think that ford is in it to win it. ford is trying to get to the next level. you really have to make yourself stand out, and i think ford has done that. looking over there, how does your car look? is this my car? (laugh) (laugh) 46 minutes after the hour. here are your morning headlines. the labor department nowunseeing 404,000 unemployment claims were filed last week. still, any time this number comes in above 400,000, it's not a good sign for the labor market. markets open in about 45 minutes. right now u.s. stock futures are trading lower, but for the most part, stocks have been climbing since the start of the month as investors grow more optimistic that europe will solve its debt problems. research in motion says the problem that caused a four-day blackout has been fixed but because of a backlog of messages there may still be disruption in service. herman cain leading the field for president. the latest nbc/wall street journal poll has his four points higher than mitt romney. big news from the obama re-election camp. raising a combined $70 million in the third quarter of this fund-raising year. the obama campaign says that over 600,000 people donated to the campaign in the july through september period. south korea's president and first lady will be honored guests at a white house state dinner tonight and then on friday balk will accompany the president to general motors, an o auto plant in detroit. ♪ that is a perfect song. hello, new york city. it's cloudy outside. it's 61 degrees, but there will be thunderstorms, once again, later 69. >> welcome back to "american morning." all right, his head soled shoes became red hot after they were spotted on carrie bradshaw herself. they'i christian louboutin are not just for hollywood leading ladies. >> it was the interview of a lifetime. all of you know me and know my love for shoes. >> for tall, tall shoes. >> one person calls them stilts. there's a saying in fashion, it doesn't matter how great the clothes are if the shoes are bad. christian louboutin knows a thing or two about that. he has been creating the most iconic shoes in the world, you know, the ones with the red soles. last week he gave me a rare glimpse inside his studio. made famous by jennifer lopez and "sex and the city." christian louboutin is the shoemaker to the stars. a man who doesn't just talk the talk. he walks the walk. the designer behind those iconic red soled shoes. >> and then it transforms the person from head to toe. >> reporter: they're on oprah, beyonce and the first lady of france. this year alone, he sold 700,000 pairs of shoes. but don't call them comfortable. >> it's the only out of the design. i would be unhappy. >> so what are you fighting for? >> beauty. that's different. >> reporter: beauty doesn't come cheap. they start at $395 and can skyrocket to $6,000. more if they're custom made. these are 4,200 euros, that's nearly $6,000 u.s. why? >> why not? >> this is his laboratory. each season he sketches 400 to 500 styles. about 150 are produced. each pair is carefully handmade, taking care from a day to a year to make and on the walls -- renee zellweger. >> this is a bit of a secret. >> reporter: shoe molds for his a-list clients. he is celebrating 20 years in business with a commemorative book. and a lawsuit. >> you cannot say you own the color. i do not own the color, i own a red lacquered sole on the back of my shoe. >> jouust how did he come up wi the idea for the red soles? an assistant who happened to be painting her nails. >> i grab her nail pall sxsh polished the sole, which became red and then it popped off. >> throw them on, but run at your own risk. >> it's not a good thing to run through life. appreciate life. >> appreciate shoes. beautiful shoes. that's right. louboutin has paid to cnn. a knee lie boot complete with pockets, pen holders and another one of his signatures, that means a big heel. it's for people like us who do report. when i asked him about the heel, i said, why a big heel? you don't need a big heel for that running through a war zone. he said, it's always useful. >> you can use it as a weapon. >> i think a lot of wisdom out of him. it's not a good thing to run through life. >> you know, he said, it's a philosop philosophy. one woman said, i can't run in my shoes. >> so tall. about elongating the leg. he does have a point. >> he does. he's fighting for beauty, as he said. one thing he is known for, besides the red bottoms, as you'll see on the bottom of my shoe today. i thought i would pay omog. >> are those the $6,000 pair? >> unfortunately not, no. they're the base price. you know, he was saying that he's very famous for his nude shoes and he says it creates this optical illusion and it lengthens the leg so much so that he's working on different shades of nude now. if you think about it, one nude isn't going to work for everyone. one nude pair of shoes, carol costello, is not going to work for everyone. >> hey, i'm just getting over the woman who paid $6,000 for a pair of shoes because, why not? >> you know what is crazy. the first pair of louboutin shoes she ever bought. she went for it. this is what you, your first pair? she said, why not? good for her. >> i got a mortgage payment. that's all i have to say. >> if you take nothing away from this, just remember that one nude is not for everyone. don't miss alina's special backstage pass from paris airs this saturday october 15th at 2:30. our talk back question of the day. what should the united states do about iran? we had some great responses this morning. we'll read some of them. six minutes until the top of the hour. [ male announcer ] for fastidious librarian emily skinner, each day was fueled by thorough preparation for events to come. well somewhere along the way, emily went right on living. but you see, with the help of her raymond james financial advisor, she had planned for every eventuality. which meant she continued to have the means to live on... even at the ripe old age of 187. life well planned. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. good morning, washington, d.c. you can see that it's a little drizzly, 64. they're waiting for the arrival of south korea's president and first lady to the united states because it will be a big state to do this evening. a fifth, i think, state dinner since the obamas have been in the white house. also celebrating president obama getting through several trade deals. one of them with south korea. tomorrow the two presidents will be going to a gm plant in detroit. >> in detroit. now, it's time for our talk back question of the morning. we asked you this. what should the united states do about iran? here are some of your responses. this from aaron, it's not our problem. first of all, they're targeting a saudi official. secondly, everyone who wants military action should join the military. if you're too old, enlist your kids or grandkids. i'm so tired of tough americans who have no skin in the game advocating to put other's families in harm's way. this from deb ebra, it's none of our business. let the saudis do their job. this from linda, i believe iran will ultimately take care of it themselves. however, the timing of the administration's propaganda department was perfect. this from jory, we should see some indisputable proof of t

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