[Costello:] Fourteen minutes past the hour. Welcome back. After Herman Cain made interesting comments about China and nuclear weapon, some people, like Stephen Colbert, are questioning how much he really knows. Here is your punch line.
[Cain:] I do view China as a potential military threat. They've indicated they've tried to develop nuclear capability.
[Stephen Colbert, Host, "the Colbert Report":] Nation, we cannot allow China to develop nukes, especially since they developed them in 1964. I am telling you, if you don't act fast, they might end up building a wall to keep foreigners out. What? No!
[Cain:] You think I'm dumb enough not to study up on these issues? I've been studying up on these issues for months.
[Colbert:] Exactly, he has been studying up on these issues for months. He just hasn't worked his way up to the chapter on the 1960s yet. First, I can't wait to hear his plan on how to get us out of Vietnam. So, stay strong, Herman Cain. If you get stuck in a next interview, remember, the answers are in the back of the book.
[Costello:] Wow. Not a good time for Herman Cain. Now, it's time for your Political Ticker with Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS live from Washington. Good morning, Tim.
[Tim Farley, Sirius Potus:] Bonjour, Carol.
[Costello:] Thank you.
[Farley:] I was in Cannes. I take, why not, why not?
[Costello:] I know, in the G-20 Summit. Let's talk about Herman Cain though because he's having one bad week. I mean, things have gotten so bad, he's openly showing frustration and getting testy with reporters who again asked him about these sexual harassment allegations. This is what happened yesterday in Virginia.
[Cain:] Let me say one thing. I'm here with these doctors, and that's what I'm going to talk about. So don't even bother asking me all of these other questions that you all are curious about. Don't even bother.
[Reorter:] But are you concerned about the fact that these women do want
[Cain:] What did I say?
[Reporter:] Are you concerned about
[Cain:] Excuse me. Excuse me! What part of "no" don't some people understand?
[Costello:] So, Tim, my guess, it's likely that conservatives will kind of like Cain's expression of anger at reporters because he told them, I'm not answering any questions about that. Of course, on the other side of the aisle, people are saying, oh, my gosh, Cain is losing it.
[Farley:] Yes. It's still a better way to handle it. It reminds me, Carol, and you've worked in Washington, D.C. and you understand what the culture is like around here. But you've also been on earnings calls with CEOs. And Herman Cain is acting like one of the CEOs. He's sort of saying, I answered your questions, don't ask me anymore about this, or he changes the answer and says he seems to be playing with facts here and there. I think the big question right here is what's going to happen politically. We have polls that have been out. You mentioned the Quinnipiac poll that was taken prior to this whole series of events taking place. Who is to gain right now? We'll see in some of the polls. My guess is Rick Perry is the beneficiary. Long term perhaps, it will probably be Mitt Romney because eventually, I think, he's got what it takes to beat Rick Perry, too. But the sniping has not made the Republican Party look good. We've seen some reaction. Michele Bachmann has already been on the road saying we need no surprises with our candidates. Jon Huntsman has been attacking Mitt Romney and Herman Cain on policy, not so much on what's happening here. Newt Gingrich says if there's somebody to blame behind all of this, if there's somebody in one of the camps that made this come about, that person should be fired. So, it looks kind of childish right now for the Republicans. My guess is that Herman Cain should figure out a way to either go quietly for a few days and just let this rest and hope something else takes over or have some big statement that just sort of lays it all out there and then say I've answered the questions, let's move on. It doesn't seem like he's looking at doing either right now. We'll see how it plays out.
[Costello:] Well, you know what's going to happen on Thursday. One of the women who accused him all those years ago will put out a statement. She won't appear in person. She said she doesn't want to become another Anita Hill. So, she's going to put out this statement, not detailing exactly what happened, but at least saying, hey, in my mind these things did happen 12 years ago.
[Farley:] Yes. And one of the big problems here is that we keep seeing it's like the Imelda Marcos story, the shoes keep dropping. And we've seen that happen. And we have the accusation by yet anonymous another anonymous person, another woman "A.P." reporting yesterday that had been part of this. Again, Herman Cain has to figure out a way to be able to definitively state what happened and so that people are satisfied. Now, there will be people that will try to ask questions. I think Bill Clinton effectively did this with the Gennifer Flowers incident in 1992. These are the kinds of things that will dog people. And it's not that there's so much substance to it. It's just the way Herman Cain and his campaign are playing it, blaming whoever it's taking away from whatever message he has to deliver. And he just has to do a better job of managing the situation. That's a key part of it right now. He's looking less presidential every day, which is one the biggest problems for him.
[Costello:] Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS Radio. Thanks for joining us live this morning.
[Farley:] Au revoir.
[Costello:] Au revoir. Speaking French, friends in France, the G-20 are meeting on the French Riviera among other things, trying to map out the future of the global economy. The U.S. and French presidents set to speak in just a couple moments. Of course, when they begin speaking, we're take that live. But let's head around the world now with Ali Velshi, because he is live in Cannes, France, the site of the G-20 Summit. Good morning, Ali.
[Ali Velshi, Cnn Chief Business Correspondent:] Good morning, Carol. Stormy around here. All cloudy, heavy winds, sort of setting the tone for the G-20 which, by the way, is just getting under way right now even though all the excitement was yesterday in the meetings between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Sarkozy with the Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou. We have just now heard that Papandreou has called an emergency cabinet meeting for 10:00 local time, which is 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time. They look like they're going ahead with this referendum for December 4th. Basically the rest of the Europeans have said to them, if you go ahead with this referendum, understand that it is a vote about whether or not Greece remains in the Eurozone even though that's technically not what the referendum is about. It's about this bailout, this European rescue plan that was passed by the European Union on October 27th. So, all of that other stuff about mapping out the global economy that the G-20 was supposed to be about has sort of taken a back seat to this whole issue of this European deal and Greece, and whether Greece is going to go along with it and the uncertainty this is providing to investors and everyone else around the world. So, that's the backdrop we have of what's going on. But from moments from now, we're going to hear the president of the United States and Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy is the host country. France is the host country for the G-20. They meet about twice a year. The G-20 has been around since 2008, since the financial crisis, basically the world coming together to try to have coordinated responses to bad things going on around the world Carol.
[Costello:] I want to tell you to take cover because the weather looks bad. It's starting to look like the Wizard of Oz out there, Ali.
[Velshi:] Yes, it's a bit like hurricane coverage out here, I'll tell you. But, you know, just across over there is the place where the Cannes film festival is held. That's where they're having their meeting. So, everybody is sheltered except for us because that's what we reporters do, we like to stand outside when the weather is bad.
[Costello:] I expect you any moment to say "anti em." Thank you, Ali. We appreciate it. We'll check back in with you when the president begins speaking.
[Velshi:] All right.
[Costello:] Again, President Obama and President Sarkozy are expected to speak any minute. Once they start, of course, we'll bring you their comments live. Coming up on A.M. WAKE-UP CALL, the jury hears closing arguments today in the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's former doctor. Hey, missed any of it. We got your lightning speed recap, next. It's 23 minutes past the hour.