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CNN Trends: Miracle 3-pointer shot by high school girls hoops player
John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin tell you what’s trending on the web this morning, and it’s all in the realm of sports. On today’s list is the basketball shot of the year—happening on the girl's high school court in Lafayette, Indiana.
MYB: AIG may join lawsuit vs. U.S. govt.
Christine Romans is minding your business this morning with the latest on world markets and U.S. stock futures, which are flat ahead of the opening bell after markets closed lower yesterday. And outrage this morning over a lawsuit brought by the former CEO of a company American taxpayers had to save from the “verge of taking down the global economy with it because of stupid, stupid derivatives bets they made.” Romans says, “Today, AIG, the board will consider whether to join a lawsuit to sue the government for being bailed out.”
“The Search for the Giant Squid” Author Richard Ellis on giant squid captured on film for the first time: 'breakthrough for science and mythology'
This morning, “Early Start” brings you a story of mythical proportions. Captured on film in its natural habitat for the first time ever is the giant squid, found in the Pacific Ocean some 3,000 feet below the surface. This squid, shown in images from The Discovery Channel and Japanese Public Broadcaster NHK, is believed to be up to 26 feet long. An expert on the giant squid comes to the studio today with details. Richard Ellis is the author of “The Search for the Giant Squid” and Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History.
This giant squid is described by Ellis as “a very, very exaggerated version of the smaller squid.” The discovery is being considered something of a breakthrough for science and mythology because no one has ever seen a giant squid alive before. “People have been searching for them for hundreds of years, literally,” Ellis says. “For a long time, people didn't even think they existed.”
Special Correspondent for Newsweek & The Daily Beast, Peter Beinart, on criticism of Hagel nomination: 'character assassination to be honest'
President Obama is looking at a tough second term ahead as he re-stocks his cabinet, getting criticized for his choices by politicians from both parties. He officially nominated former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, a Republican, to replace Leon Panetta as Secretary of Defense. The president said Monday, "Chuck Hagel's leadership of our military would be historic. He'd be the first person of enlisted rank to serve as Secretary of Defense. One of the few secretaries who have been wounded in war and the first Vietnam veteran to lead the department.”
The president also gave a nod to his Anti-Terrorism Chief John Brennan to be the next Director of The CIA. But it's Hagel who's getting the most scrutiny as critics pick apart comments he made in the past. Peter Beinart is a Special Correspondent for Newsweek & The Daily Beast and the author of "The Crisis of Zionism". He wrote a very in-depth piece about the implications of Hagel's nomination and comes to “Early Start” this morning with his take.
Hagel, who has publicly expressed his opposition to war, is being criticized for it by politicians for his views on sanctions and military action in Iran. Beinart believes Hagel is just considering the enormous financial costs of imposing wars. “He’s a lot like Dwight Eisenhower, who people forget drove the defense budget down quite dramatically,” Beinart says. “He believed America’s real power was its fiscal health.” Hagel is also being scrutinized for his position on Israel and relationship with the Jewish community, who many believe he does not support and some equate to anti-Semitic. Beinart refutes this assessment. "I think this is really a smoke screen," Beinart says. "I think it's character assasination to be honest."
MYB: Debt ceiling alarm bell
Christine Romans is minding your business with the latest on world markets and U.S. stock futures. Unemployment has hit a record high in the Eurozone, she reports. And a debt ceiling alarm bell rings on the home front. “The Bipartisan Policy Center saying the Treasury Department's going to run out of room on the debt ceiling earlier than we thought,” Romans says. “February 15th, they say.”
MYB: Stocks in first five days of 2013; all of them higher
Christine Romans is minding your business with the latest on U.S. futures and world markets this morning. Romans reports good news for the banking sector with international banking regulations pushed off four more years. Bank stocks around the world are rallying.
She also looks at an outlook for stocks that is essentially an automatic warning system for the rest of the year. “According to Stock Trader's Almanac, if you look back in history, when stocks are up the first five days of the year, almost always it portends an increase for the rest year,” Romans reports. And the first five days of the year were really good for U.S. stocks.
CNN Trends: Joe Biden, reality TV star?
Trending on the web this morning is the story of a new quarterback with a familiar name coming to New Orleans. Nick Montana, son of Hall-of-Famer Joe Montana, commits to Tulane University. And a Joe Biden fan has created a petition on the White House website calling for CSPAN to launch a reality show following the Vice President around. "He said it would show the light-hearted side of politics even in the midst of contentious and divisive debate,” Zoraida Sambolin reports. "Reality TV gold," John Berman says.
Prosecutors set to unveil evidence against Aurora massacre suspect; CNN's Casey Wian reports
James Holmes, the suspect in the tragic movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colorado, will be in court for a key preliminary hearing today. The 25-year-old is charged with killing 12 people and wounding dozens more. Prosecutors will begin presenting evidence and are expected to call scores of witnesses before Arapahoe County District Judge William Sylvester. He’ll determine whether the evidence is sufficient for Holmes to stand trial on more than 150 counts, including murder, attempted murder and weapons charges. The weapons included explosives allegedly used to booby-trap Holmes's apartment.
Holmes’s attorneys are expected to present a diminished mental capacity defense in the preliminary hearing that is expected to last several days. Up until now, the judge had ordered a sweeping gag order, so this will be first time the public will hear details of what went on inside the theater during the shooting rampage back in July. CNN's Casey Wian is live in Centennial, Colorado this morning with more.
Freshman member of 113th Congress Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) on goals for his House term
It was like the first day of school on Capitol Hill yesterday as new members of the 113th Congress were sworn into the Senate and the House. Among the freshmen joining the House was Republican Representative Ron DeSantis of Florida's 6th Congressional District. DeSantis was one of less than a dozen newly elected members of the house who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. He's also a Jag Officer in the U.S. Navy. Hopefully, he's prepared for upcoming battles in the House. Representative DeSantis joins us now to talk about his first day on the job, and what he plans to work on. First off, he says he would not have voted for the fiscal cliff deal passed earlier this week.
Marathon swimmer Chloe McCardel on world record swim attempt from Cuba to U.S. without a shark cage
Marathon Swimmer Chloe McCardel is attempting to set a world record doing something that's only been done once before—swimming from Havana, Cuba to Key West Florida through more than 100 miles of shark-infested waters. But, unlike the one time it was successfully done before, McCardel’s planning on making the swim without a shark cage. The swill will take place in June of 2013 and McCardel says 100% of the money raised will be forwarded on to cancer charities across the globe. The daring 27-year-old from Australia joins us from Melbourne this morning.
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