American Morning
AM Minding Your Business for Nov. 3, 2011
Today on American Morning, Christine Romans reports on the morning business news headlines.
Today we're watching:
* As of this writing, U.S. stock futures are trading sharply lower ahead of the opening bell. And world markets are down too this morning - all because of Greece, which is topping the agenda at the G20 summit that kicks off today in Cannes, France.
* In the U.S., we'll get a fresh read on the employment situation in this country later this morning. The initial jobless claims report is expected to show that 401,000 unemployment claims were filed for the first time last week. Any time this number comes in above that 400,000, it's not a good sign for the labor market.
* More bank fees. TD Bank showing no signs of fear about a customer rebellion. It's rolling out a brand new $9 fee on savings account transactions. But it only kicks in after six transactions are made during a billing cycle. The bank also plans to hike four other fees that are already in place.
* A big time place for bargains – going broke. All Syms and Filene's Basement department stores will be closed by the end of January.
* A group of lawmakers has a plan on the table to save the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service. It would cut Saturday service within two years and close a number of post offices, while offering buyouts to 100-thousand employees.
Tune in to American Morning at 6am Eastern every day for the latest in business news.
Talk Back: Do we understand what constitutes sexual harrasment?
From CNN's Carol Costello:
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You'd think that after the nation watched the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill scandal unfold in 1991, we'd all understand by now what exactly constitutes sexual harassment. But the accusations leveled against Herman Cain have brought these questions back to the forefront.
Some, like conservative radio host Laura Graham, claim that Herman Cain's accusers have an ulterior motive.
"We have seen this movie before and we know how it ends," Graham said Monday. "It always ends up being an employee who can't perform or who under-performs and is looking for a little green."
We don't even know the accuser's name – or her version of the story. Yet she's under attack. And yes, so is Herman Cain.
But let's put politics aside and talk about an issue that still seems to confuse us.
Critics say an undue focus on sexual harassment have made workplaces too politically correct.
"There are people now who hesitate to tell a joke to a woman in the workplace, any kind of joke, because it could be interpreted incorrectly," Senator Rand Paul told the National Review.
But women's advocates say sexual harassment is the most important issue in the workplace for women. They argue that it denies them equal employment opportunity. And if they choose to file a claim, it puts them in a no-win situation.
According to its legal definition, sexual harassment can include "unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal and physical harassment of a sexual nature." But it can also mean making offensive comments about women in general to the point where it creates a hostile work environment.
Talk Back: Do we understand what constitutes sexual harrasment?
Let us know what you think. Your answer may be read on this morning's broadcast!
Molly Katchpole on her role in influencing Bank of America to abandon debit card fees
After widespread customer complaints, Bank of America announced yesterday that they are dropping its planned $5 debit card usage fee. Other banks, including Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase, have also scrapped their plans to charge fees on debit card transactions.
Activist Molly Katchpole, who started grassroots campaign against the fee, was one of the forces that influenced Bank of America's policy reversal. Three weeks ago, Katchpole canceled her savings and checking accounts with Bank of America and started an online petition against the fee that has garnered over 300,000 signatures.
Today on American Morning, Katchpole sits down with Carol Costello to discuss the role she played in influencing Bank of America to abandon the proposed fees.
What legal issues are preventing one of Cain's accusers from speaking out?
One of the women who accused GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment wants to tell her side of the story but is barred by a confidentiality agreement.
Her lawyer, Joel P. Bennett, has called on the National Restaurant Association, where her and Cain worked in the late 1990s, to release the woman from her agreement not to discuss the allegations.
Paul Callan, CNN legal contributor, weighs in on the controversy and explains how likely it is that the agreement will be waived on American Morning today.
Study: Alcohol consumption may increase breast cancer risk
According to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, as few as three to six glasses of wine a week increased the chance for women to develop breast cancer.
The research found that the risk of cancer rose with the amount of alcohol consumed, with the best measure of risk being a woman's cumulative lifetime alcohol consumption.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, chief medical correspondent, joins American Morning today to explain the study and what it means for women's health.
Captain 'Sully' Sullenberger weighs in on dramatic airplane landing in Poland
A LOT Polish Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey, made a dramatic emergency landing at Warsaw's International airport yesterday after problems with its landing gear forced the Boeing 767 to land on its belly.
Video footage from the scene showed the plane coming in to land without its wheels down and skidding along the tarmac to a halt. Emergency vehicles raced toward the aircraft and appeared to hose it down as passengers disembarked. Remarkably, all 231 passengers on the flight were safe and uninjured.
On American Morning today, Carol Costello talks with Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, CBS News aviation and safety expert, about the dramatic landing and how pilots prepare for these types of situations.
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