Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Michele Obama Gets Personal; Pentagon Says "No Easy Day" Author Broke Federal Law; Are You Better Off?; Castro Stars on DNC Stage; U.S. Debt Reaches $16 trillion; NFL Season Kicks Off; Season Begins with Replacement Refs

Aired September 05, 2012 - 09:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Soledad, thanks.

Happening now in the NEWSROOM, first lady in primetime. Michelle Obama takes to the podium to defend her husband, appeal to women and connect with the middle class.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, U.S. FIRST LADY: Success isn't about how much money you make. It's about the difference you make in people's lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Are we looking at 2012 or 2016 here?

Show stopper. Julian Castro's daughter, Carina Victoria, caught on the DNC stadium cam and stealing her father's big moment, hair flipping, posing, the fashionista getting a whole lot of buzz this morning.

Stern warning. The head of the Navy SEAL is coming out swinging over the bin Laden raid book. In a new letter obtained by CNN he says he's disappointed, embarrassed and concerned. This morning how the Pentagon will handle this very sticky situation.

Scare on the lake. A bizarre speedboat accident all caught on camera. The boaters caught by surprise after hitting another boat's wake. We couldn't get enough of this one this morning.

And kickoff. The NFL season begins for real today. Tonight's showdown, the Dallas Cowboys face the New York Giants. But will the replacement refs keep up?

NEWSROOM begins right now.

Good morning. Thank you so much for joining me this morning. I'm Carol Costello.

We begin, of course, in Charlotte where the party faithful are still basking in the glow of last night's fiery speeches. We'll share in a moment. But first, a glimpse of the heavy hitters on the schedule tonight. The headliner, Bill Clinton. He'll deliver tonight's nominating speech. And Democrats hope display the political genius that has made him campaigner-in-chief.

Also speaking, a darling of the Democrats, Senate candidate, Elizabeth Warren. The Harvard Law professor is well known for her sharp tongue and pointed barbs. And we'll hear from Democratic activist, Sandra Fluke. She was catapulted to -- to fame, rather, when Rush Limbaugh called her a slut because of her views on contraception.

The challenge for today's speakers, building on the energy and momentum of last night's call to arms. How can you top Michelle Obama?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

M. OBAMA: Believe it or not, when we were first married, our combined monthly student loan bill was actually higher than our mortgage. Yes. We were so young, so in love, and so in debt.

(LAUGHTER)

And that's why Barack has fought so hard to increase student aid and keep interest rates down. Because he wants every young person to fulfill their promise and be able to attend college without a mountain of debt.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

So in the end, for Barack, these issues aren't political. They're personal. Because Barack knows what it means when a family struggles. He knows what it means to want something more for your kids and grandkids. Barack knows the American dream because he's lived it. And he wants everyone in this country, everyone, to have the same opportunity.

(APPLAUSE)

He reminds me that we are playing a long game here. And that change is hard. And change is slow. And it never happens all at once. But eventually, we get there. We always do. We get there because of folks like my dad. Folks like Barack's grandmother. Men and women who said to themselves, I may not have a chance to fulfill my dreams, but maybe my children will. Maybe my grandchildren will. At the end of the day, my most important title is still mom-in-chief.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

My daughters are still the heart of my heart. And the center of my world. But let me tell you, today, I have none of those worries from four years ago. No. Not about whether Barack and I were doing what was best for our girls.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Emotional appeal, complete with the first lady's voice choking up. Even the conservative Web site townhall.com called Mrs. Obama's speech masterful. But of course the big question, will it help her husband win the White House?

So let's talk about that. On the left, Maria Cardona, a Democratic strategist and CNN contributor, and on the right, Crystal Wright, owner of the PR firm, Baker Wright Group and a blogger for the Web site conservativeblackchick,com.

Welcome to you both.

CRYSTAL WRIGHT, BLOGGER, CONSERVATIVEBLACKCHICK.COM: Thank you, Carol.

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thank you, Carol. Good morning.

COSTELLO: I don't hear as much energy as I need to this morning, ladies.

(LAUGHTER)

But I'm sure you'll --

CARDONA: Well, good morning. Good morning.

(CROSSTALK)

WRIGHT: I'm feeling it, Carol.

COSTELLO: That's so much better.

Crystal, let's start with you. You're a conservative, Crystal. Ann Romney's speech was widely praised, too. How would you compare Ann Romney's speech to Mrs. Obama's speech last night?

WRIGHT: I think Mrs. Obama delivered a passionate speech. She certainly stirred the base. But I don't think she moved the needle with independents, women who are on the fence, and disaffected Democrats in making the case why her husband deserves another four years. She did say she made an emotional case, hey, look, change is hard. We're in this for the long haul. Trust my guy. Give him another four years.

And I think what was interesting is she did try to compete with Ann Romney. I mean that's natural. She is the first lady. Ann Romney could be the first lady-in-waiting if you will. But this is the first time we've heard Michelle talk about being a mom-in-chief.

Remember, Michelle Obama was a career woman. And now all of a sudden she wants to talk about the importance of being a mom, which I think is great, but I think this is a new narrative we're seeing her inject in things.

And I do think ultimately the speech was a softer version of what we see from Obama on the campaign trail. She attacked success. She said success is OK if it's earned the fair way. And that, hey, my husband, you know, he went out there and was a community organizer. But he made millions of dollars on a book. You know, on books that she's not going to turn down.

So we still hear this fairness, this coded language of the haves and the havenots.

COSTELLO: OK. Maria --

WRIGHT: I thought it was an OK speech.

COSTELLO: Wow. Maria, let's start with the mom-in-chief thing. Because Mrs. Obama has talked about her daughters often through the years, hasn't she?

CARDONA: Yes. Yes. Absolutely. That is definitely not something new. In fact, one of the things that we heard from the get-go, and she repeated it last night, as she went into the White House was her concern about how she could keep the lives of her daughters, which were the number one priority for both her and her husband, how she could keep the lives of her daughters as normal as possible.

That is something that she has talked about even from the campaign trail more than four years ago. So I think what you saw last night was a glimpse, and a much more personal way, of their life together, of President Obama as Barack Obama the father, as Barack Obama the husband. Even as Barack Obama the suitor.

And as Barack Obama her partner in life, who not only wants to give all of the opportunities that are available in this great country to their daughters, which we all know will most likely have those opportunities, but more importantly to all of those kids of middle class families, struggling families, who really won't have them --

COSTELLO: Let me ask you this, Maria.

(CROSSTALK)

CARDONA: If we don't put in place the policies --

COSTELLO: Barack Obama -- Maria, Barack Obama has been in office for four years. Shouldn't we know all of that about him already? Isn't it kind of disturbing we don't?

WRIGHT: Exactly. Exactly. Right. And I think to your point, Carol --

CARDONA: Well, no. I actually don't think it -- I don't -- I don't think it is. I don't -- I'm sorry, I don't -- I think -- were you asking me, Carol?

COSTELLO: It doesn't matter. Crystal, why don't you take that?

WRIGHT: Well, I just think -- yes. I just think to your point, Carol, we've heard all these stories before. We heard about Barack Obama picking her up on dates in a rusty old car, where she could see the pavement. We've heard all these stories before. And I think what she didn't talk about is how Barack Obama has improved the country over the last four years, how he's made it better for Americans.

She keeps talking about looking ahead. We've had unemployment above 8 percent for the last 3 1/2 years since he's been president. She, like David Axelrod and everybody else, couldn't make the case why we should re-elect him on his quantitative, you know, results, but she talked about this emotional experience. She tried to emotionalize him.

And I would disagree with Maria that she personalized their relationship. I think she tried through the speech that was not really greatly written. It was poorly written. She lifted it to new heights. And I think Ann Romney, what we saw with Ann Romney, Ann Romney revealed a side of Mitt Romney we have never seen before. She talked about how he gives to people. He doesn't brag about it for political talking points.

I do think that she did a good job, Michelle Obama, talking about her father.

COSTELLO: OK.

WRIGHT: You know, her father and, you know, but -- I think there was a weakness there.

COSTELLO: That's cool. I just want Maria to have the last word to make it all fair and to button it up for us.

CARDONA: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Go ahead, Maria.

CARDONA: I think -- I think clearly Crystal saw a very different speech than everybody else saw last night, because Michelle Obama actually did talk about the policies that her husband has put in place that she wants to continue to make sure again like I was saying before that all middle class families and all kids have the same opportunities, have that bridge to success, no matter how much money they have, no matter where they were born, that her kids are going to have.

That Mitt Romney's kids have had, but that a lot of struggling families' kids don't have if we don't continue the policies. She talked about Lilly Ledbetter, she talks about student loans, she talks about health insurance. That is a very clear indication and I think a positive reinforcement of her husband's record.

So that is something that is going to continue. She also let us know, well, you know what? We need four more years so you can be with us once again.

COSTELLO: Two more -- two very different views. Thanks to both of you --

WRIGHT: Right. But you can't have --

COSTELLO: Maria Cardona, we could go -- we could go -- we could talk about this forever. CARDONA: I know.

COSTELLO: But sadly we cannot.

CARDONA: Yes, we could.

WRIGHT: But you can't have success if you don't have a job. You can't have --

(CROSSTALK)

CARDONA: Thank you so much.

COSTELLO: OK. We've got to go, ladies. Continue your argument together in private.

Let's turn to Julian Castro now, shall we? San Antonio's mayor made history last night simply by walking up to the podium. Castro became the first Latino to deliver the DNC's keynote address. But he delivered much more. He shared personal stories of his family's struggles and dreams then he got the crowd to mock Mitt Romney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR JULIAN CASTRO (D), SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: When it comes to expanding access to good health care, Mitt Romney --

CROWD: Romney says no.

CASTRO: Actually --

(LAUGHTER)

CASTRO: Actually --

(APPLAUSE)

Actually, Mitt Romney said yes, and now he says no.

CROWD: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: After his speech and his rave reviews from the Democratic crowd, Castro and his twin brother sat down with CNN's Piers Morgan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASTRO: And America has been the land of opportunity. And so it's -- our family is I think is one example of that. But there's so many other examples. And the importance of tonight and this election is which one of these candidates is going to ensure that America remains unquestionably the land of opportunity in the coming years. And tonight my speech was about why I'm convinced that's President Barack Obama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: At the bottom of the hour, we'll take a closer look at Castro's speech and its impact. We'll talk to syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette.

The Republicans are not sitting on the sidelines. Today the GOP focuses on two battleground states. Next hour, vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan has a campaign event in Iowa. And this afternoon, Ann Romney will stump for her -- for her husband, rather, in Findlay, Ohio. That's in northwest Ohio.

He is off the campaign trail most of the week getting ready for the upcoming presidential debates.

Just minutes ago, Paul Ryan came out swinging against the Democrats and their removal of the word God from the party's platform.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We believe that our rights come from nature and God. Not from government. That's the founding vision of America. We're proud of that vision. That's the vision our founders created, that our veterans, every generation, fought for us.

And so to see this kind of language, this acknowledgment removed, from the party platform is really kind of disappointing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Ryan says the removal of the word "God" is all the more baffling because the Democrats' platform repeatedly mentions the word "government."

The Pentagon making it crystal clear former SEAL Matt Bissonnette should not have published "No Easy Day," his firsthand account of the bin Laden raid without the Pentagon's approval. Regardless, people want to read the book. It went on sale yesterday and is already outselling the "Fifty Shades of Gray" book series. That's big. The Pentagon insists the book spills Navy SEAL secrets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE LITTLE, PENTAGON SPOKESMAN: Sensitive and classified information is contained in the book. Now look --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It is?

LITTLE: Is, is contained. Let me put a definitive mark on it, OK, so that I can --

(LAUGHTER)

Be as clear as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us now.

Barbara, you got a hold of a letter detailing some dismay.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, the SEAL, commanders are increasingly very unhappy, and they are making that very clear. You know, we saw the Pentagon's position laid out there, that there is classified information in the book. We'll see what legal steps they take, if any.

The deeper issue that is now coming to the front, Carol, is the battle for the soul of the SEAL community and for special forces. Do they go out in public and keep talking about what they do that is supposed to be secret?

Well, Rear admiral Sean Pipettes, who is the actually the commander of all of the Navy SEALs. All 2500 of them. He has written a scathing letter to his community saying he is disappointed, embarrassed, and concerned about all of the publicity that the SEALs are bringing upon themselves these days.

I want to read you some of what Admiral Pybus said. He says, quote, we find former SEALs headlining positions in a presidential campaign, hawking details about a mission against enemy number one, and, "generally selling other aspects of NSW, Naval Special Warfare, training and operations. For an elite force that should be humble and disciplined for life, we are certainly not appears to be so."

Admiral Pybus, think of him as Papa SEAL, he is unhappy with his baby SEALs, he is making clear he wants them to stop talking about what they do. He is now the second senior SEAL leader in two weeks, Admiral McCraven last week, to come out and talk about this and say it's time to be quiet.

We will see where all of this goes. But anyone you talk to, in the special warfare community these days, will tell you as a result of all of this they are in crisis -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Barbara Starr, reporting live from the Pentagon this morning.

STARR: Rough waters. On a Missouri lake, a big wake rocks a boat knocking over everyone onboard. We'll tell you what happened next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is 18 minutes past the hour.

Checking the top stories now:

Montreal police say the newly elected premier of Quebec may have been the target of a shooting last night. Pauline Marois was giving a victory speech when gunfire rang out. She wasn't hurt, but one person was killed. Police have a suspect in custody.

Two astronauts are on a spacewalk outside the International Space Station that's going on right now. The astronauts are making a second attempt to install a spare power switching unit at a outpost. They had a problem last week bolting the unit into place.

Check out these pictures of boaters being violently thrown about by a huge wake. They are having fun. This happened on the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. The driver -- oh, there he falls first. And then is followed by the others onboard.

Five of these people taken to the hospital. One was treated for minor to moderate injuries, but all appear to be relatively OK this morning. That is insane.

OK. Here is a question. Are you better off than you were four years ago? It's a question you probably have been hearing a lot lately.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN: But one thing he cannot tell you, he cannot tell you you're better off.

Are you better off now than you were four years ago?

CROWD: No!

RYAN: They just ought to ask themselves, are you better off today than you were four years ago?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Republicans have been hammering this question home, but the only way to answer it is to find out what you have to say.

CNN Money is talking to people in cities across the country asking them that question. Are you better off?

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange to tell us what people are saying. Good morning.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

So do you want to give your two cents? Who doesn't, right?

Well, today CNN Money is asking all Americans: how do you feel your financial situation is compared to four years ago? So if you want to take part in this, go to CNNMoney.com and take the poll yourself.

What this does, it asks the same questions that we presented to people in Los Angeles and Atlanta and in Dallas. We asked them, are you making more money compared to four years ago? Do you have more in savings than you did four years ago? And has your housing situation improved in the last four years?

So when we sent these out, producers across the country to ask the questions, listen to how people answered the first question when making more money.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTIONER: Are you making more money now than you were four years ago?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I make about 1/3 of what I made four years ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. I'm making less money. And the sad part is, I actually have a Masters degree.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even like a corporate job right now doesn't pay like what it was paying four, five years ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm making the same amount of money and able to save a little bit. But same as before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four years ago, struggle. Today, even more struggle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: So the poll by the way has been open, I'd say, about 20 minutes now. About 1,400 votes so far on CNN Money's interactive poll. And about 2/3 say they are making more money.

So, Carol, you're seeing the different schools of thought. What you heard there is most people say, no, we're not making more money. But the folks online are saying, yeah, we're making more money. So it just depends on who you are and where you are.

COSTELLO: You have stats on this, right? What's the answer statistically?

KOSIK: Statistically, we are not making more. Incomes in fact are down about 5 percent since 2009.

And guess what? We're also saving less. The savings rate was above 6 percent when President Obama took office as Americans were socking away whatever money they could at the height of the financial crisis. In July, the savings rate was at 4.2 percent, still about double what it was before the recession when we were barely saving anything. So we are doing better with that.

So this is kind of interesting to see all the nuances and how these questions can really vary from person-to-person. There's a lot more. Just go to CNNMoney.com.

COSTELLO: We'll do. Alison Kosik, thank you.

What does the future hold for First Lady Michelle Obama? After her speech last night, some are wondering if Mrs. Obama would ever consider a run for public office. Talk back is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, should Michelle Obama run for public office? The accolades are still pouring in for the first lady's big speech last night. Not just from Obama lovers, but even from some conservatives who say Mrs. Obama nailed it.

Karl Rove said it was a very well delivered speech. TownHall.com called it masterful. One that delivered a little so subtle message, "I love my husband and he is nothing like Mitt Romney."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

M. OBAMA: Barack knows what it means when a family struggles. He knows what it means to want something more for your kids and grandkids. Barack knows the American dream because he's lived it. And he wants everyone in this country, everyone, to have the same opportunity no matter who we are or where we're from or what we look like or who we love.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: She was so good, there is even talk of her running for office. Michelle Obama 2016?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And you heard some great speeches. And that one by the first lady is going to be hard. Bill Clinton is a good speech giver. Barack Obama is a good speech giver. But that will be hard to top. If there's open ballot somewhere and she wants to run for anything, tonight would be a good night to sign up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: During the speech, the Twitterverse exploded with 28,000 tweets per minute, nearly double that of Mitt Romney's and also the president's State of the Union. With speeches like that, and a nearly 70 percent approval rating, who knows? Maybe Michelle Obama is the next Hillary Clinton? Doubtful.

"Parade" magazine asked Mrs. Obama if she would ever run for office, and hey got an emphatic no. Of course, Mrs. Obama's job last night wasn't to sell herself, but her husband.

Still, you can't escape the question this morning. Should Michelle Obama run for office?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Your responses later this hour.

He was a relative unknown, but the mayor of San Antonio had a huge speaking role at last night's DNC. So do more people know who Julian Castro is now?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is 30 minutes past the hour. Good morning. Thank you for joining us. I'm Carol Costello.

Stories we're watching right now in THE NEWSROOM:

Opening bell rang just seconds ago on Wall Street. Stocks are expected to slide as investors await two key reports, including the latest jobs numbers this week. The opening bell will be actually it was already rung by Ensco PLC, an offshore drilling services company.

A jury will now begin deliberations in the trial of Drew Peterson. The former police officer faces murder charges in the death of his third wife back in 2004. She was found dead in a bathtub. The defense says her death was accidental.

In Louisiana, tar balls are starting to wash ashore. It comes more than a week after hurricane Isaac hit the gulf coast. Some coastal waters are now closed. The tar balls were also found along shorelines that were affected heavily by the Gulf oil spill in 2010.

Tonight marks the midpoint of the Democratic National Convention. One of the party's biggest stars will be front and center. The 42nd president, Bill Clinton, will address delegates during primetime. Also tonight, you could call it the DNC's response to Clint Eastwood. CNN has learned Hollywood actresses Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, and Kerry Washington will speak at the convention tomorrow.

Now a closer look at the DNC's opening night. The convention's keynote speaker, Julian Castro. The San Antonio mayor used his time to talk about his family, starting with his grandmother.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASTRO: She never made it past the fourth grade. She had to drop out and start working to help her family. My grandmother spent her whole life working as a maid, a cook, and a babysitter. Barely scraping by, but still working hard to give my mother, her only child, a chance in life so that my mother could give my brother and me an even better one.

My grandmother never owned a house. She cleaned other people's houses so she could afford to rent her own. But she saw her daughter become the first in her family to graduate from college. And my mother fought hard for civil rights so that instead of a mop, I could hold this microphone.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: For more on Castro's speech, we're joined by CNN.com contributor and syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette.

Hi, Ruben.

RUBEN NAVARRETTE, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR : Hi, my friend. Good to be with you again.

COSTELLO: Nice to have you here.

I'd like to start with Carina Victoria, because it was such a cute moment. That's the mayor's 3-year-old daughter. He mentioned her in the speech. She saw herself on the JumboTron, and immediately said, "Oh, I'm up there. And I'm looking fantastic." She's become like a sensation now.

NAVARRETTE: Yes. She's terrific. You know, one of the things, I've known Julian Castro for 10 years now. He and I both have daughters that are 3 years old. We commiserate over that wonderful experience.

You never know what a 3-year-old is going to do. And Carina proved that last night.

COSTELLO: Definitely so.

Before last night, Republicans were poking fun of Castro's unknown status. They're like Julian who? And they were accusing him of trying out to be the new Barack Obama. How did he do last night?

NAVARRETTE: Well, I think he did really well. The consensus is he knocked it out of the park. For me, and I wrote this in my column this morning for CNN, I think we'd have liked to have had a lot more grandma and a lot of less policy. You can get the policy red meat from any other speaker. But what people really want to know about from the Castros is their personal story, and the degree to which their story is the American story.

And there was some of that in the speech. It was by far the best part of the speech. I'd like to have seen more about that. The line about the microphone and the mop, I mean, that's just golden. You want to have a lot more of that.

COSTELLO: President Obama has pretty good support among Latinos, far more than Mitt Romney has. But that base needs to be energized to get out to vote. Did the mayor do that last night?

NAVARRETTE: Well, see, I think he did a very good job of that because the real story here -- and we've talked about this and written this, is that while, yes, it's true that Barack Obama outdoes Mitt Romney 2- 1 among Latino voters, he has a very strong and commanding lead, he also has this enthusiasm gap. Very few Latinos say they are enthusiastic about voting for Barack Obama again the way they did four years ago.

And one of the reasons is Barack Obama's heavy handed immigration policy, which has led to the deportation of 1.5 million people. So because of that you need people like Julian Castro and incidents like last night to get them energized. Because if they don't vote, it won't do any good that they support you. They need to turn out and vote for you. COSTELLO: The other question I had for you. Hispanics tend to be socially conservative. There was not a lot of social conservatism at last night's DNC.

NAVARRETTE: That's true. They are socially conservative on gay marriage, although that's moving a little bit. They are socially conservative because they are Catholic on abortion, although there are plenty of people like myself who are pro-choice and Latino.

So, I think there's a little bit of nuance there. But this is a community that is valuable and important because it can swing in either direction. It has shown a tendency even though it registers Democrat to support moderate Republicans. Now, the problem is the Republican Party does not have a clue about how to be moderate on issues like immigration. So they shoot themselves in the foot time and time again, in both feet, with Latinos.

But, again, they have an opportunity to speak to Latinos. Republicans just don't know how to do it.

COSTELLO: Ruben Navarrette, thank you so much for joining us this morning.

NAVARRETTE: My pleasure, Carol.

COSTELLO: The Democratic National Convention is screening a new documentary that follows three teenagers with presidential aspirations. Sounds familiar? But this movie is different. We'll tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Attendees at the Democratic and Republican conventions are getting their political fix, and not just on the convention stage, but on the big screen too thanks to a new documentary that follows three conservative teenagers who have their eyes set on the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK, PENNSYLVANIA: This is a critical time in American history. You know, it's our generation that's going to come and save this country, taking it one direction or another.

DJ, MASSACHUSETTS: As each generation goes on, we have less and less God, less and less morals in our society. And what are we becoming?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: What makes this movie different is that it's interactive and has moments where people can vote on issues while they watch the film.

A.J. Hammer joins me from New York with more on this unusual documentary.

Hi, A.J. A.J. HAMMER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" HOST: Hey, Carol. It's really interesting. The documentary is called "Follow the Leader." And the story may be political, but it's not about one ideology. The film is trying to be as much about the millennial generation as it is about politics.

The filmmaker chose three 16-year-old conservative class presidents, followed them around for three years, and as you see these boys mature, not to give too much away here, one becomes an independent, one a Democrat, and one stays Republican, while only one keeps his presidential ambition.

But it's not just the film's story that's getting all the attention. The filmmakers have what they are calling a reality check interactive part of the screenings where audience members who are watching segments of the film get to vote about different issues using keypads that are linked to their demographic group. While a little side screen shows the results.

So essentially you have audience members who are virtually talking to each other while screening the film.

Filmmaker's name is Jonathan Goodman Leavitt. He decided to forego the film festival route to instead do a duel premiere in Tampa and in Charlotte, going to political conventions hoping to create partnerships and obviously some buzz, and grassroots release.

The convention premieres mark the beginning of what the filmmakers are calling the reality check 2012 tour. It runs through November and will consist of 100 interactive events around the country.

Now this has already been sold in seven foreign territories, including the U.K. and Japan. They are still seeking distribution in North America, Carol, but it looks like a really fascinating project.

COSTELLO: Yes, definitely so. A.J., thank you.

A.J. will be back with us next hour to tell us more about an online campaign to have Betty White speak at the Democratic National Convention. We've got her answer.

Sixteen trillion dollars -- the U.S. national debt just topped that number. What does that mean for President Obama? And what does it mean for you?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Forty-five minutes past the hour. Checking our "Top Stories".

Now a judge has ordered Massachusetts to provide sex change surgery for a transsexual prison inmate. Michelle Kosalik, previously known as Robert, is serving a life sentence for murdering his wife. The judge ruled surgery is the only adequate treatment for Kosalik who has twice tried to commit suicide. At least 10 people have been killed and another 14 are missing after a mudslide in Szechuan Province, China. The mudslide damaged roads, communications and power plants. It took rescuers 81 hours to open one road to traffic.

The FBI denying claims by a hackers group that it used in agent's computer to access information about Apple users. The group is posting what it says are the IDs of more than one million iPhone and iPads online. The hackers say they also got users names, cell phone numbers and billing addresses all from that agent's laptop.

The U.S. National debt tops $16 trillion this morning. That's more than $50,000 worth of debt per person and over $140,000 of debt for every taxpayer in America. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.

So what does this mean for the average American? How does it affect us?

KOSIK: You know, Carol, let's go ahead and start with what it doesn't mean because what it doesn't mean is that each of us is on the hook for thousands of dollars of debt, which is hitting $16 trillion. And it is really a reminder that we're getting closer to hitting the debt ceiling again. The debt limit is $16.394 trillion.

Ok so what does that mean? You know what it means? It means fasten your seat belt for yet another fight over spending and taxes after the election, of course. You're not going to see politicians touch this hot potato issue.

So yes, the big question is, why is the debt ceiling rising so fast? And it's an easy answer. We're spending more money than we're taking in. And guess what; there are only two ways to fix that. You can cut spending or you can raise taxes. And neither is a popular solution. Higher taxes will hurt many Americans who are struggling enough as it is. But slowdowns in government spending they could have a major effect on the economy as well.

In fact, we actually learned yesterday that less government spending hurt the construction market in July. Overall construction spending fell 0.9 percent, and that's just one quadrant of the economy. So Carol you know what it's just one of the many issues lawmakers have to keep in mind when they tackle the debt and deficit later this year. Apparently on their own time, when it's good for them -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes. I can't wait until the debate begins because it was so lovely the last time.

KOSIK: Yes, wasn't it fun? Let's do it again.

COSTELLO: Yes. I don't even want to think about it.

Alison Kosik thank you.

What does the future hold for Mrs. Obama? After last night's speech, some are wondering if the President's wife would consider a run for office.

Your responses to our "Talk Back" question, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Talk Back" question this morning, "Should Michelle Obama run for office?"

This from Akeemi, "No, no, no. She's a great and strong woman but not presidential material."

This from Lissa. "I believe her husband has proved that great speakers are not necessarily good leaders."

This from Andre, "Michelle Obama is a leader in her own right. I believe a career in public office may be in her future." Crossing fingers.

This from Daniel, "She should run only if Sarah Palin runs against her. Now that would be a fun election."

And this from Pam, "She may not look like presidential material to the old white guys, but she just may be the one we've been waiting for all these years to be the first woman in the Oval Office."

Keep the conversation going Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Thanks for your comments. More in the next hour of the NEWSROOM.

Are you ready for some football? Oh I am. The New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys are. They're kicking off the NFL season tonight. We'll talk with Tiki Barber, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The NFL season kicks off tonight with the defending champion New York Giants hosting the Dallas Cowboys. After the Giants captured the Super Bowl, that other New York team -- you know that other New York team -- it captured the off-season buzz by picking up Tim Tebow.

But the Jets have been a mess in the pre-season and leave it to the "New York Post" to tweak them about it. The post-NFL 2012 preview cover shows Giants quarterback Eli Manning driving a convertible with a Super Bowl trophy while the Jets -- they're driving a clown car. Jets coach Rex Ryan, flanked by Mark Sanchez and Tebow dressed in clown outfits -- ouch.

Let's bring in former New York Giants running and current CNN contributor, Tiki Barber. Good morning.

TIKI BARBER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Carol, how you doing?

COSTELLO: I'm good.

BARBER: I love the "New York Post".

COSTELLO: Is it fair, though? I mean --

BARBER: You know what; it kind of has to be. In 2007 when the Giants won, the Jets brought in Brett Favre which was its distraction in and of itself. Now they won again last season and they bring in Tim Tebow, really to compete with Mark Sanchez, but I think it's going to get much worse than that as Tim Tebow wants to be on the field.

And I think after time, especially if the Jets perform badly early in the season, the fans and maybe even the media are going to want Tim Tebow to be on the field. So it may turn into disaster pretty quickly down in (INAUDIBLE), but we'll see.

COSTELLO: Come on. Make a prediction because some people say mid- season it's going to be Tim Tebow.

BARBER: You know what; it's not going to be mid-season. I think Mark Sanchez is their starting quarterback. They're committed to him. But I think you're going to see a lot of Tim Tebow, especially if he gets into the games and these wildcat formations, as they're calling them, and have some success, and at least start winning. You have to go with what wins in the National Football League.

It doesn't matter who you're paying or how much you're paying a guy or who is your perceived starter, it's about winning and losing.

COSTELLO: You got that right.

You know, everyone is talking about the replacement refs. They're going to be in the game tonight. Football players, many of them are concerned because these refs have made some bad calls in the pre- season. I mean listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's correction on the reporting of the foul. Both teams won -- both up -- both fouls were on the kicking team -- five-yard penalty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: I mean there are reports, Tiki, that one of the refs worked the Lingerie Bowl.

BARBER: And I don't think that really matters, but it is interesting to fill in the story. The NFL has found a way to bring drama to their league even in the off season, and this referee situation as it trickles in to the regular season is no different.

And it's not about money -- people are talking about it. I think it's more about control in the league trying to exercise its control over everyone in the game including the players and now the referees. But we do have to be concerned.

It is going to be a talking point this season, especially with one tonight with the Giants and the Dallas Cowboys of how these refs perform. Are they going to make a ton of mistakes. Are they going to be able to keep up with the pace of the game, get in position to make the right calls? And most importantly, as they've been talking about for years now with player safety, can they police the game accurately enough so that guys don't get hurt.

COSTELLO: Yes, on that subject -- players' safety -- the NFL put out this statement that said it's very concerned about player safety, yet these replacement refs are in the game, and many football players are saying, "Excuse me, but you're making the game more dangerous for us."

BARBER: Maybe in some ways they are, because I know NFL players, I was one. If you can get away with doing a little bit something illegal, you're going to try to do it. This is going to come down to how fast these replacement referees can get up to speed with the new intensity that's going to come to the NFL post pre-season.

The pre-season is basically slow motion. It's practice, guys don't really want to get hurt. When the first game of the regular season starts, which is tonight, the Dallas Cowboys at the New York Giants, the game is going to pick up measurably. And without the experience of having been there, these refs may be behind. And it may put some players in difficult positions.

COSTELLO: They might be the most interesting part of the game because Dallas really isn't that good.

BARBER: I wouldn't say that.

COSTELLO: I'm going to try to be charitable, but I think the Giants will win, Tiki.

BARBER: Of course.

COSTELLO: I wanted to ask you about Michael Strahan, because he's the new Reg. Who knew?

BARBER: You know, I think a lot of people knew. It fits his personality perfectly to be in that seat with Kelly Ripa. And it's exciting for him and I think honestly for an NFL player -- in totality a lot of guys want to get into broadcasting post-career and most of them go into sports. But Michael is going into an entertainment field that is very difficult to master, but I think he's done a great job with it so far. I was watching it back in the green room and him and Kelly were completely comfortable. It's a dichotomy, you know. You know you have Kelly at five feet tall and blonde and here's this big black former athlete sitting next to her. It's kind of a cool juxtaposition.

COSTELLO: I know, when he hugged her --