presidential election. >> the caucuses aren't until it's winter, until snow on the ground. >> at least it's been entertaining. up first texas governor rick perry on the attack in new hampshire. hit the ground running and hitting president obama hard calling his handling of the economy a disaster. he's not backing down from his verbal assault in iowa this week on fed chairman ben bernanke. here's what governor perry said. >> if this guy prints more money, between now and the election, i don't know what you all would do to him in iowa, but we'd -- we would treat him pretty ugly down in texas. i mean, printing more money, to play politics at this particular time in american history, is almost treasonous in my opinion. >> this morning, governor perry is headlining the politics and eggs breakfast in new hampshire. cnn senior political editor mark preston is covering that event and joins us live from bedford. the texas governor, i'm telling you he's backing up his comments about bernanke. not going to back off from them. what do you make of it, mark? >> you know, christine, he certainly is a straight shooter. he's from texas and kind of has that swagger. you know, his campaign has only been less than a week old. this is his second trip to new hampshire. i think it shows us a couple things. one, that he's not going to back down and he'll stick by what he has to say. another thing is that this is going to play well with a certain part of the republican base. however, he has to be a little bit concerned because comments like this could, now i say could, get independents and moderate republicans to take a second look at him and not necessarily a good second look at him, christine. >> mark, i want to be clear here, the fed has just said in a very historic statement that it was going to keep interest rates very low through 2013. that's through the election and beyond. essentially saying, we're out of it from here on out, we're going to keep interest rates low. so, i'm not sure that the fed has made any move that governor perry should be exactly focusing on, but you're right about the moderates and the independents who have been saying, what's the fed going to do? the fed is out of the game. business owners are saying we need more from the fed. governor perry is backtracking on one of the most controversial decisions he made as a texas governor, 2007 executive order that mandated the hpv vaccine, guarantee sill, made by merck, be given to sixth grade girls. listen to what he said in new hampshire over the weekend. >> the hpv, human pamplona virus -- and i signed an executive order that allowed for an opt out, but the fact of the matter is, i didn't do my research well enough to understand we needed to have a substantial conversation with our citizenry. >> so, what do you make of that? >> well, you know, the fact of the matter is, again, only a week old, and he's finally realizing that people are going to start looking at his record with a fine-tooth comb. people are going to start going down to texas, start going through everything that he has done. but i will have to say this, any act of contrition usually is accepted by the american people, so him getting out in front of this right now is actually very smart politically. as far as what we'll hear from him on the campaign trail, i was talking to one of his top advisors last night, we're going to hear him talk about three things, jobs, jobs, jobs. it's all about the economy. that's what we're hearing from mitt romney. quite frankly that's what we're hearing from president obama, christine. >> mark preston, thanks so much. the treacherous treasonous comment. >> ron paul really doesn't like the fed and he's been talking about it for a long time. there's a line between not liking what the fed does and calling treasonous. there's no basis in any law for what rick perry is talking about. >> treason is a crime in the constitution and punishable by death. >> yeah. he got a little far out on that. >> don't you read its fed was stepping back from the political game trying to stay out of it? >> i'm not getting that far. why would you call it treasonous. you may not like what they do but they are entitled within the law to do it. >> he would not cooperate with the fed chairman of the united states of america? >> i think ben bernanke is in for another year if -- >> they always overlap fed terms so it's not political. >> governor rick perry will succeed from the fed. >> good luck with that. on the subject of president obama, wrapping up his three day bus tour, three midwest states he will need to get re-elected in 2012. after stops in minnesota and iowa the president will be talking about jobs again today in his home state of illinois. in an exclusive interview with cnn's wolf blitzer, the president talked about the republicans who want to take his job, specifically the last man into the race. >> rick perry, the governor of texas, republican presidential candidate now, says the men and women of the united states military wants someone whose worn the uniform, he said he served in the air force. do you see a comment like that, that he makes referring to you, as disrespectful to the commander in chief? >> you know, mr. perry just got in the presidential race and i think that everybody who runs for president probably takes them a little bit of time before they start realizing that this isn't like running for governor or running for senator or running for congress, and you've got to be a little more careful about what you say. i'll cut him some slack. he's only been at it a few days now. >> mitt romney says corporations are people. does he have a point? >> well, if you tell me that corporations are vital to american life, that the free enterprise system has been the greatest wealth creator we've ever seen, that there -- corporate ceos and folks working in our large companies that are creating incredible products and services and that is all to the benefit of the united states of america, that i absolutely agree with. if, on the other hand, you tell me that every corporate tax break that's out there is somehow good for ordinary americans, that we have a tax code that's fair, that asking oil and gas companies, for example, not to get special exemptions that other folks don't get and that if we're closing those tax loopholes somehow that is going to hurt america, then that i disagree with. i think that, you know, corporations serve important benefit, but ultimately we've got to look at what's good for ordinary people, how do we create jobs, how do we create economic growth and a lot of the special interest legislation we see in washington isn't benefiting ordinary people. >> what do you think of that republican field lining up to challenge you? >> you know, i haven't been giving it too much thought. i'll let them dwindle it down a little bit. when they decide who they want it to be, i'll be ready for them. >> coming up at 6:30 eastern, president obama talks to wolf blitzer about his new plan for job growth. the big plan and why he's waiting until september to unveil that plan. former new york city mayor rudy giuliani still deciding whether to consider a second bid for the republican nomination. giuliani was the early frontrunner during the 2008 election but his campaign fizzled when he decided to skip the early primaries in order to focus on florida. now appearing on "piers morgan" last night giuliani insisted he will make a decision on whether to run in the next six weeks. >> are you feeling more inclined to run now or less inclined? >> i don't think i've changed my thinking about it very much. i'm interested to see governor perry's entrance into the race and what that does and what he has to say. pretty much my timeline is to decide at the end of september, but i haven't gotten any closer to a decision. >> now when asked who he would support if he doesn't run, giuliani refused to commit saying, there are, quote, a lot of good people. a victory for democrats as they hold on to two state senate seats in another wisconsin recall election. yesterday's vote was the last in the series of special elections after a really bruising battle over new laws that cracked down on unions and their right to collective bargaining. last week republicans won back four of six senate seats in a recall election. democrats picked up the other two. a victory for republicans there, but that was not enough to take back power in the state senate for the democrats. it was a terrifying afternoon for visitors and employees at orlando sea world. lightning hit the ground at the discovery cove attraction. five staff members and three guests were reportedly hurt. they are expected to be okay because no one took a direct hit, but for many, the storm was way too close for comfort. >> they told us to clear the pool, so we came out of the pool and we were sheltering underneath and then there's a huge crack. i've never been scared by lightning until today. because it was right above us. it was really, really scary. >> kind of lucky i didn't get hit. >> i bet he does. the lightning storm passed quickly. people were back on the rides and in the water a short time later. all right. fire crackers aboard a southwest airlines flight, officials want to know how they got there. the plane was getting ready to leave las vegas for kansas city yesterday. a flight attendant found the bag of fire crackers stashed under a seat. passengers were taken off the plane. agents screened all the luggage again. after an hour the plane was declared safe and took off for kansas city. new documents released by britain's parliament casting doubt on the testimony of james murdoch. the son of rupert murdoch claims he was not aware of an e-mail detailing 35 conversations hacked by news corp. reporters. a document from a former lawyer for the company says james murdoch did know about the e-mail. murdoch may now be asked to testify before parliament again. now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question this morning, is heckling good for our political discourse? let's face it, election 2012 is shaping up to be the year of the political flash mob. liberal hecklers scored when they challenged republican mitt romney. >> corporations are people, my friend. we can raise taxes -- of course they are. >> boy, did it work. the democratic national committee turned the heckling into an ad. >> corporations are people, my friend. we can raise taxes -- of course they are. everything corporations earn ultimately goes to people. where do you think it goes? >> in their pocket. >> whose pockets? people's pockets. >> not to be outdone, iowa tea party chairman ryan rhodes confronted president obama. >> when you're talking about civility how is your vice president calling us terrorists? >> look, sir -- >> i would like to understand that. >> okay. i will explain it right now. he did not call you guys terrorists. >> does it make you wonder, university of virginia politico larry sabto told me we're moving into a confrontational society. we don't want to listen to c-span, that's too boring, we make our decisions based on political flash mob s politicias are judged how well they respond to hecklers. we could end up with baseball-style brawls at campaign rallies when everybody jumps on top of one another. wouldn't that be fun. i exaggerate. you never know. the talk back question today, is heckling good for our political discourse? facebook.com/americanmorning. i'll read your comments later this hour. >> like a dugout-clearing brawl how to account for tax loopholes. >> nobody has thrown a punch. >> no. >> we're still just heckling which is an age-old tradition. i think maybe people are taking their cue from the fact that normal discourse doesn't work in washington. so you yell a little louder. >> and we live in a youtube world where people heckling are hoping that is going to live forever on someone's cell phone camera and be able to rile up the base. >> but the problem is, those who are heckling really don't want to hear the answer. they want to a got cha moment so it appears on youtube and just sort of like fuels this thing out there that's not really political discourse or wanting really to find out what the candidate thinks. see that person is wrong and i told you so. >> we would love to hear your comments on it. facebook.com/americanmorning. looking forward to what you all have to say. coming up ahead on "american morning," see how michele bachmann flubbed a campaign stop tribute to elvis presley. >> and it looks good on the outside but why this new hotel in the las vegas strip may be torn down before it ever opens. >> and the "jersey shore" cast catching flack. why aber cromby and fitch want them to stop wearing their stuff. you're watching "american morning." we call it the bundler. let's say you need home and auto insurance. you give us your information once, online... [ whirring and beeping ] [ ding! ] and we give you a discount on both. great! did i mention no hands in the bundler? bundling and saving made easy. now, that's progressive. call or click today. [ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over. at exxon and mobil, we engineer smart gasoline. that works at the molecular level to help your engine run more smoothly by helping remove deposits and cleaning up intake valves. so when you fill up at an exxon or mobil station, you can rest assured we help your engine run more smoothly while leaving behind cleaner emissions. it's how we make gasoline work harder for you. exxon and mobil. the eagle flies at dawn. the monkey eats custard. price-line ne-go-ti-a-tor. so, you've been double crossed by other travel sites and now you want to try the real deal. yes, is it true that name your own price... ...got even easier? affirmative. we'll show you other people's winning hotel bids. so i'll know how much to bid... ...and save up to 60% i'm in i know the lady in leather travels on three wheels. wait, is that code? that's my secret weapon... ...naomi pryce see winning hotel bids now at priceline. shore" call 1-800-sandals. conditions apply. welcome back to "american morning." a tense six-day police standoff in tulsa, oklahoma, is over. william sturdsman surrendered yesterday afternoon. he climbed a radio tower last thursday. police say he was trying to avoid being arrested for trespassing in a nearby building. he was taken to the hospital. cops say he hasn't had food or water in four days and has a history of mental illness. the city of las vegas calls this hotel a public health hazard. the 26-story harman hotel hasn't opened and already has a slew of structural problems. officials worry it won't be able to withstand an earthquake. the owner mgm national is considering hiring a demolition crew to knock the thing down. >> the most valuable thing to us would have been to have harmon built properly, opened as a thriving attractive part of city center right at the gateway to city center. what we have right now is 26 floors of glass, steel and concrete that has been deemed a potential threat to public safety. >> wow. >> oh, my gosh. >> that's a big, big, big mistake. officials say it would take 18 months just to assess what repairs are needed and that means it could take years to finish the project if, of course, work ever resumes. >> imagine the losses. >> that's incredible. >> i bet there are lawsuits suing the lawsuits on that. "jersey shore" star mike "the situation" may be getting paid to take his clothes off not the way you think. carol. it's a little early in the morning to think of that. abercrombie & fitch is offering the sit and the rest of the cast a substantial amount of money to stop wearing their brand on air. they're worried the hard partying cast is ruining their brand's image. exactly how much the company has offered hasn't been revealed. certainly -- >> i find that fascinating given the way abercrombie & fitch advertises. i mean ruining the brand because you're hard partying and got rock solid bodies isn't that kind of the vibe that they give off? >> a snooty kind of comment. >> that's expensive stuff compared to what it is. i guess they feel "the sit". >> rob marciano anybody ever offered you money not to wear your preteen fashion i know you love to wear on the weekends. >> the tank top you always wear. >> listen, the guinea t is a popular item in the marciano household for sure. you may want to wear that if you live in shreveport. record high of 107. they were wearing it. 105 in texarkantexarkana. longview 106, and houston 102. some of these spot nears them, we had lightning strikes as well and that caused some grass fires. kauffman county, texas, south and east of dallas, seeing a little bit of that action yesterday. not too big of a deal but the fire department had to get out and beat back the flames. this has been an ongoing issue across texas because of the heat and drought that's ongoing, exceptional in some spots. more in the way of heat today across the lone star state. this weak front will push to the east and finally the rains are over across the northeast. florida, though, you'll see more in the way of thunderstorms in the afternoon. miami, tampa and orlando the suspect airports this afternoon and morning fog and clouds in san francisco. watching this thing, guys, central caribbean, likely to become something here in the next couple days as it heads towards the yucatan pen nins la. it may get in the gulf of mexico. that may be a problem. we'll keep you posted. >> i hope not. thank you, rob. just ahead on "american morning," a happy ending to a terrifying ordeal. how a neighbor was able to stop a 6-year-old girl from being kidnapped in albuquerque. >> what nba star kobe bryant is accused of doing to another man in church. we'll show it to you. 21 minutes after the hour. 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[ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over. an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement available only with liberty mutual auto insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money for a car one model year newer. to learn more, visit us today. responsibility. what's your policy? minding your business this morning. u.s. stock futures are trading slightly lower ahead of today's open as most of the markets in asia closed with moderate losses. right now european markets are trading lower with germany's stock market down a little more than 1%. google's stock downgraded by standard & poor's to a sell recommendation after the giant announced a $12.5 million purchase of motorola mobility and analysts from s&p says the acquisition poses a greater risk to the company and stock. shares in google fell more than 3% on that news tuesday. verizon reportedly putting its 45,000 striking workers on notice. return to work by the end of the month or risk losing your health insurance and medical benefits. that's according to the "wall street journal." union workers walked off the job ten days ago to protest cuts to their benefits. newly released a.c.t. scores used for college admissions shows student mace not be ready to succeed in their studies. "the washington post" says only one in four graduates who took the a.c.t. in 2011 met four key benchmarks to measure readiness. only one in four. growing cries to ditch the penny because the coin costs more to make than it's worth. last year the u.s. mint lost $4