[Costello:] Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Stories we're watching right now in the NEWSROOM. Opening bell just moments away. Stocks are headed for a positive open today which is good news since May has been a wretched month for Wall Street. Markets looking pretty despite some disappointing reports on jobless claims and manufacturing this morning, which could have cast a cloud over hopes the domestic economy is improving. The completion of a controversial Tennessee mosque is up in the air. The Islamic center of Murfreesboro says construction will continue despite a judge's ruling. A judge says a planning commission did not give enough public notice for the project. The Islamic center says it will reapply for a permit. Mosque leaders say they are discriminated against because of their faith. OK. You have to watch this. People are chatting and drinking at a bar when a truck comes smashing through a bar and into them. Several people pinned underneath the truck. A Good Samaritan rushes over. He uses his own construction equipment to move the truck and free people trapped underneath. Six of them had to go to the hospital. No one died. It's believed the driver had a medical condition causing her to lose control of her truck. One of the most divisive issues in politics is set to take center stage in the House of Representatives, as lawmakers vote on a measure banning abortion based on the sex of the fetus. The bill is called the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act. If passed, a doctor who suspects a woman wants an abortion based on sex would be required to report her to authorities. The lawmaker who sponsored the bill, Arizona Republican Representative Trent Franks insists this is a growing problem.
[Rep. Trent Franks , Arizona:] A number of academic papers have now published evidence that the practice of sex selection abortion is demonstrably increasing here in the United States, especially but not exclusively in the Asian immigrant community.
[Costello:] Sex elective abortion is widespread in countries like China but there's no hard evidence it is widespread in the United States. According to the Guttmacher Institute and the Census Bureau, the U.S. sex ratio is squarely within biologically normal perimeters. With me now to discuss, CNN contributors Will Cain on the right, and Maria Cardona on the left. Welcome to both of you.
[Maria Cardona, Cnn Contributor:] Thank you, Carol. Good morning.
[Will Cain, Cnn Contributor:] Hi.
[Costello:] And thanks for talking about such a contentious issue. It's tough. I know. So, Maria, I'll start with you. Congressman Wright says sex selection abortion is a concern within Asian communities. Is that true?
[Cardona:] Well, first of all, I don't know it's as widespread as he's saying. To the extent it happens once, anybody in this country I believe and women especially would be against it. Even as pro- choice as one might be, you are against that act. But this bill actually does absolutely nothing to make sure that that goes away. That's why this bill actually represents politics at its most cynical because if Franks really wanted to address discrimination and gender and equality, why is he and why are he and Republicans against the Equal Pay Act? Why do they want to repeal health care reform that actually helps women with prenatal care that helps their unborn babies both boys and girls be healthy? Why vote against the state health insurance for children? So I think it's absolutely cynical. It does absolutely nothing at its core to fix the problem, and it is yet another attack on women's health in this country.
[Costello:] OK, Will. So, this is a question for you. Are abortion rights activists right when they say it's an attempt to chip away at abortion rights for all children?
[Cain:] Well, look, what it does is this issue forces us to confront two issues two aspects of the abortion debate. First of all, the hypocrisy, that you could be against discrimination of females but not opposed to ultimate discrimination which is discrimination that determines life. Will you be able and facilitate killing women. Now, Maria thankfully adopted some logical consistency there and said it's not about how prevalent it is. If it happens once, it's inappropriate. So, I think it forces people to confront that hypocrisy. I don't like that Maria then spun out and talking about Equal Pay and things like that. This is a discrimination issue. And I think you have to acknowledge that. But the other thing, to your question, Carol, is this forces the debate to the fundamental question of when life begins, because if you admit, as Maria did that it's wrong to have gender selective abortion, to abort females, you have to then ask yourself why? Why is that wrong? You'll get to the question of when life begins, that's the core issue of the debate. In this country, unfortunately, we have debates around the periphery on this issue. That's the place to have it.
[Costello:] But it's still hanging out there, Will. There's no hard statistical evidence to prove this is happening often or even frequently or even at all.
[Cain:] Those words often and frequently carry no meaning. If it happens once, then it's a problem. We know that there is video of a Planned Parenthood facility that was allowing this to happen, at least once, at least once. And I think Maria and I are on the same page on that portion of this debate. If it happens once, it's wrong and too much.
[Costello:] Maria, I'm sure you saw that Planned Parenthood video. Is that really what was happening?
[Cardona:] Well, you know, I think you would have to call Planned Parenthood and have them speak for that. The staff member in that video no longer works for them. They believe the video was a hoax and setup. But back to Will's point about hypocrisy and I'm glad he brought it up. This bill is absolutely representative of the hypocrisy on the right for those Republicans like Franks who say this is an effort to eliminate sex discrimination and gender equality. Really? There are many ways to get at the real problem of sex discrimination and gender inequality in this country. And Republicans, including Franks, have all voted against those measures.
[Cain:] I'm sorry, Maria
[Cardona:] That's why Americans will actually see this as a cynical political ploy to continue to chip away at pro-choice rights and women's health rights in this country.
[Costello:] Last word, Will.
[Cain:] I'm sorry, Maria. I think I see that when life begins and who you select to live or die is a pretty basic level and it's not hypocritical level to say not by the sex of the baby. That's a pretty good place to start.
[Cardona:] It's hypocritical when you say that you are that you want to fix sex discrimination and inequality and then vote against, for example, the Violence Against Women Act.
[Cain:] The hypocrisy, though, is on the left.
[Costello:] See, I know. You can debate this issue all day because people have strong views on it. I get it. Will Cain, Maria Cardona, thank you for being with us this morning.
[Cardona:] Thank you, Carol.
[Costello:] OK. Let's talk about something lighter, maybe. Check out these crazy crowds. A sea of Justin Bieber fans almost prompted a state of emergency in Norway. We'll tell you how security dealt with the pandemonium.