Key Component of Obamacare Delayed; Hostile Holiday Weather
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": It's estimated that 150 million hot dogs will be consumed on the Fourth of July. A 100 million at parties and outdoor barbecues and another 50 million eaten right out of the package by a depressed Paula Deen.</s>KIMMEL: It's true.</s>CUOMO: It's funny enough we only showed you one today.</s>BOLDUAN: It's funny enough that you really -- but the number really is astounding if that's accurate, if we can believe it. A 150 million hot dogs going to be consumed.</s>PEREIRA: That's a lot of hot dogs. Are you going to eat one?</s>BOLDUAN: Oh, yes. I'll eat at least three.</s>CUOMO: I go with the brats when we cook.</s>CUOMO: My wife, Christine, is very tough with the kids on hot dogs.</s>BOLDUAN: Yes?</s>CUOMO: The hot dog has to have like a fifth grade education and has a good life, you know?</s>CUOMO: Very tough to get hot dogs. I'm impressed that Jimmy's eye healed so fast, by the way.</s>BOLDUAN: Actually, we've been tracking that. A little --</s>PEREIRA: Have you been tracking it?</s>BOLDUAN: Yes. You can see it every night. It was really black at first.</s>CUOMO: -- for the holiday.</s>BOLDUAN: Little TV makeup can do for you.</s>PEREIRA: I don't know what to say with that. Healed up for the holiday.</s>BOLDUAN: All right. All right. We've got a new development this morning concerning the president's health care law. A key component of it will be delayed for a year. That provision requires many companies to provide health insurance for their workers or they could face a fine. CNN's Dan Lothian is live at the White House with details. So, laid out for us. What is the administration saying, they're doing and why?</s>DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: What they're saying is that, first of all, these businesses out there who have 50 or more employees had to by next year start offering health insurance to their employees or they would face a very stiff penalties per employee. And so, what the administration is saying, we'll push that back until 2015, give you a little time, because they were listening to a lot of these concerns from business owners who said that the system for compliance was just too complicated, that they needed more time, and so, the administration is saying we will give you that time, but you should try to start making those changes, nonetheless, in 2014. We're hearing from the Chamber of Commerce. They are applauding this decision, also from House Republicans who by the way have been trying to get the health care law repealed more than 30 times they've tried to do that. They're saying that this is just another acknowledgment that this whole system is not workable, and that the law needs to be repealed.</s>BOLDUAN: And just briefly switching gears, Dan. We know that the first family just back for the trip overseas for the trip to Africa, just got back last night, and we've heard anything more from the president, from the White House regarding the violence and the protests and the pressure on President Mohamed Morsi in Egypt.</s>LOTHIAN: We have not heard anything yet from the White House on that. No doubt this is something that the president is monitoring very closely. It's a sticky situation for the president. Remember, they were very cautious the last time around in 2011 when this White House was trying to figure out what side they would take in the unrest at that time. And you see a very cautious approach as well with the president acknowledging that what Egypt needed to do, President Morsi needed to do, was sort of abide by the law, to respect these protesters. So, a cautious approach, so far, from the White House, but this is something they're monitoring. We'll be watching as well to see if there any updates from here.</s>BOLDUAN: Yes, absolutely. And we'll get back with you. Dan Lothian at the White House. Great to see you again. Thanks so much.</s>LOTHIAN: OK.</s>CUOMO: Another situation we're watching is this hostile weather. It's like a tale of two coasts from July 4th holiday, scorching heat out west and soaking rain in the east. In fact, a threat of storms and flashfloods up and down the East Coast, literally, could put it down from barbecues, fireworks, but also, just the unsafe and maybe take out some properties. So, let's bring in our Indra Petersons taking a closer look at that. We're all wet here.</s>INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's hard to imagine. For the month of June, all up and down the eastern seaboard, we have set records. And in addition to that, we're really talking about more rain headed this way, hard to believe, but take a look.</s>PETERSONS (voice-over): Fourth of July is around the corner and flood concerns could damper the holiday fireworks shows. Tuesday's downpour turned this New Hampshire road into a rushing waterway, the same storm dumped two inches of rain in one hour in Lebanon.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never seen the roads wash out like this.</s>PETERSONS: The rain continued into the night.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just this compounding rain after rain after rain. The ground is saturated. It can't take it.</s>PETERSONS: Storm after storm buckled roads. Trapped residents had to be evacuated. At the local high school, the Red Cross set up an emergency shelter with dry clothes and food. All the rain along the east coast could let up towards the end of the week. In Lockport, New York, they're still recovering from last week's storm which dropped more than a foot of rain. The state is seeking FEMA funds to repair the damage.</s>SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, (D) NEW YORK: Getting this done will mean FEMA has to declare the federal government has to declare this a disaster area.</s>PETERSONS: And in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, they're struggling to clean up after a tornado knocked up power and uprooted a string of trees.</s>PETERSONS (on-camera): We talked about more rain on the way. Take a look at these numbers in addition of what they've already been heavy flooding into the southeast, another two to four inches, even three to five inches closer to the gulf, closer up towards the northeast. We're talking about scattered showers today but no surprise flooding concerns will remain all the way through the weekend. The only piece of good news we have is high pressure moves closer to the coastline. It actually means a clearing for the immediate coast and the heavier rain will actually push farther in. But I mean, so hard to believe. So much rain already, more on the way, definitely. Not a good story.</s>BOLDUAN: Keep an eye to the sky as we get ready for the big holiday. Thank you, Indra. You know what that music means. It means it's time for the "Rock Block," a quick round of the stories you're going to be talking about today. First up, Michaela.</s>PEREIRA: All right. Let's take a look. First, in the "L.A. Times," too many pain pills. The head of the CDC says doctors are overprescribing narcotics. He says it's putting people at risk for addiction and overdose. And in the "New York Times," researchers are learning why working out helps reduce anxiety. They say exercise releases a neurotransmitter in lab mice (ph) which inhibits stress inducing activity in the brain. And the "Wilkes-Barre Times Tribune," Steve Martin (inaudible) demanding Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania where Martin was performing found the comedian's wallet on the street and returned it to him.</s>CUOMO: He is funny.</s>CUOMO: Very nice. Very nice.</s>CUOMO: Poppy Harlow now has got all the business news for us.</s>POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Good morning, guys. Happy almost Fourth of July. We're right ahead of the holiday, markets close early today, and you've got investors this morning on edge. Stock futures are pointing lower. Markets getting hit from all sides, folks, concerns about Egypt, oil prices spiking on that Egypt unrest and then major European banks all downgraded this morning. And, this news from Tiffany, the jeweler, an ex-Tiffany executive accused of having sticky fingers. She's been charged here in New York with stealing $1.3 million worth of jewelry. That includes diamond bracelets, earrings, and pendants. And electric car maker, TESLA, in the news. The company trying to avoid selling through a traditional dealership system says its petition on WhiteHouse.com to do just that has reached 100,000 signatures. That matters because, guys, the Obama administration has to officially respond to the petition when it reaches that level.</s>BOLDUAN: Go back to Tiffany's, what?</s>HARLOW: I know. I know. An ex stealing from --</s>HARLOW: They were in court yesterday, allegedly, stealing from the company.</s>BOLDUAN: Be careful. All right. Poppy, thank you so much.</s>HARLOW: You got it.</s>BOLDUAN: We're now at the top of the hour, which of course means it is time for the top news.