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Prominent Evangelical Pastor Admits Mistakes Past And Denies Having Gay Sex; President Bush Continues Campaign Swing Before Tuesday's Elections; Some Political Campaigns Get Nastier Before Election; Doug Levitt Interview; Sacha Baron Cohen Interview
Aired November 04, 2006 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: "Now in the News," President Bush campaigns again today just three days before the critical midterm elections. Today he is in Colorado. The president is stumping for GOP candidates in states that supported his reelection bid two years ago.
Now, minutes from now he is scheduled to deliver his weekly radio address. It will be televised and of course carried live right here on CNN.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Another call for Donald Rumsfeld to get out of there. An editorial to be published Monday in "Army Times" says it's time for President Bush to "face the hard, bruising truth that Rumsfeld must go." Newspaper officials say the editorial was prompted by the president's statement this week that he intends to keep Rumsfeld as defense secretary until the end of his term.
NGUYEN: Senate Democrats want to know how documents containing detailed information about Saddam Hussein's nuclear program made it on to a government Web site. Lawmakers are expected to send a letter today to National Intelligence Director John Negroponte, asking for a thorough review. Now, any sensitive information was supposed to be removed before documents were posted online for scholars to study.
HOLMES: And remember we run down the top stories for you every 15 minutes here on CNN NEWSROOM, with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines coming up at 10:15 Eastern.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG LEVITT, SINGER (SINGING): Five-dollar Frank can't pay the bills. His ailing mom's got the chills. Can't afford the doctor or the rent, Dear Mr. President.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The politics of poverty. We've got a view of this year's unlikely voter from the back of a Greyhound bus. Ahead, singer-songwriter Doug Levitt shares his journey across America.
From the CNN Center, this is the CNN NEWSROOM. It's Saturday, November 4th, 10:00 a.m. here in Atlanta and 8:00 a.m. in Colorado.
Good morning, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes. NGUYEN: Yes. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
We want to thank you for starting your day with us.
Topping it off, a prominent pastor admits mistakes past but denies having gay sex. Reverend Ted Haggard is influential among Christian conservatives, but he may not be a household name.
So here's some background for you this morning.
Haggard is 50 years old, married, with five children. Until he stepped down this week, Haggard was pastor of the 14,000-member New Life church in Colorado. He took part in conference calls with the White House as leader of 30 million evangelical Christians.
CNN's Sean Callebs has more now on the allegations against Haggard and his response.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A man of god, the Reverend Ted Haggard admits to succumbing to temptation. He admits buying crystal meth through Mike Jones, a one-time Denver prostitute.
Jones recorded calls between he and Haggard.
REV. TED HAGGARD, NEW LIFE CHURCH: Hi, Mike. This is Art. Hey, I was just calling to see...
CALLEBS: Haggard says he never used the drugs, insisting he threw them away. Jones also alleges he and Haggard had a three-year sexual relationship, but he failed a lie detector test on the subject.
MIKE JONES, HAGGARD'S ACCUSER: I don't understand why I did fail the part about when they asked me if I've had sex with Ted Haggard, because that's the reason he contacted me.
CALLEBS: Haggard denies a sexual relationship. The evangelical minister says he did contact Jones for a massage after a Denver concierge recommended Jones as a masseuse.
This much is true: the allegations forced Haggard to step down as head of a 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs. And he resigned as president of the politically powerful National Association of Evangelicals, which boasts 30 million members.
HAGGARD: Both of those rules are based on trust. And right now my trust is questionable.
CALLEBS: Haggard's accuser says this is a case of hypocrisy from an influential leader of the religious right.
JONES: You know, look at the position he's in. What I think is unfortunate is, the more denial he gives, the messier it looks. I think what would be best is he just admit it and move on. CALLEBS: Haggard was at the top of his profession, one of a handful of ministers taking part in a weekly conference call with President Bush or top White House officials. Jones chose the timing, just before Tuesday's midterm election, to show what he calls the hypocrisy of Haggard and others in the religious right.
The issue of gay marriage is on the ballot in Colorado and several other states. Haggard and evangelicals are fighting gay marriage tooth and nail.
It's been a series of stunning developments for many in the New Life Church. Associate pastor Rob Brendle says Haggard has been a mentor to him for the past 10 years.
REV. ROB BRENDLE, ASSOCIATE PASTOR, NEW LIFE CHURCH: We know that all of us, except for the grace of god, are just one step away from that darkness temporarily defining our lives as well. So it doesn't surprise me to see this.
CALLEBS: Brendle says he expects to play a videotaped message from Haggard at church services Sunday. Meanwhile, an oversight committee has launched an investigation which could very well determine Haggard's future.
(on camera): Do you think that he'll ever preach from this pulpit again?
BRENDLE: I don't have any way of knowing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And CNN's Sean Callebs joins us now live from Colorado Springs.
Sean, the question is, how is the congregation, how is the community reacting to all of this? Because there's been a lot of twists and turns in this story.
CALLEBS: Indeed, there has been. A decent amount of shock, as you can imagine, from this area.
Initially, of course, Haggard denied even knowing Jones. Then the information came out that, yes, he admitted to some indiscretion. So it's been difficult for some parishioners to absorb, but they're trying to move forward with all this.
A bit about the oversight committee. It was actually started because of bylaws written by Haggard. Now, the four ministers who make up this oversight committee are in the Colorado Springs and Denver area, and they could come back with an array of punishments if they find wrongdoing, what we expect will be an in-depth investigation. That's what we're told, everything, including forcing Haggard to step down from the pulpit.
And finally, we should also say this has also now got the attention of the Denver police, which says it is "looking into the matter" and plans on talking with all the parties involved -- Betty.
NGUYEN: All right.
CNN's Sean Callebs joining us live from Colorado Springs this morning.
Sean, thank you.
HOLMES: To politics now and one last big campaign push. America votes Tuesday, of course, and that's got President Bush on the campaign trail this last weekend. He is also delivering his radio address actually on camera for us there.
Let's listen.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... over the past year, which means an extra $1,327 for the typical family of four with two wage earners. Americans are finding jobs and they're taking home more pay.
The main reason for our growing economy is that we cut taxes and left more money in the hands of families and workers and small business owners. Entrepreneurs like the ones I'm having breakfast with this morning have put that money to good use. They expanded their businesses and they're creating jobs in their communities.
One of the entrepreneurs with me today is Duke Hanson, a co- founder of a company called Crocs. Crocs produces a hugely popular line of lightweight shoes and over the past three years they have expanded dramatically.
Three years ago, Crocs had just 11 employees. Today Crocs provides jobs for hundreds of Americans and its shoes are sold all over the world.
Duke calls this rockets hip growth. Here's what he says.
"We're bringing a lot of money in. We're employing people and providing a product that millions of people love."
Another entrepreneur with me today is Rich Lewis. Rich is the founder, president and CEO of a technology company called RTL Networks. Rich's company sells and maintains computer network hardware and infrastructure. His business is growing as well.
Over the past four years, RTL Networks has expanded from one to 19 employees. Rich says, "We've been growing. I feel more security now as an entrepreneur and business owner, and I see continued growth."
A third entrepreneur with me today is Luke Schmieder. He's the chairman and CEO and cofounder of Mesa Labs. His company sells kidney dialysis products, electronic measuring instruments and biological indicators, which means they use technology to meet people's healthcare needs.
His company got off to a rough start until Luke mortgaged his house to turn things around. In the past six years the company has grown 34 percent. Luke says revenues are up, earnings are up.
I say it's a good economy right now.
Our tax cuts have helped businesses like these create jobs and deliver prosperity across Colorado and across the nation. Yet Democrats in Washington have consistently opposed cutting taxes.
They predicted that the tax cuts would not create jobs, would increase wages, and would cause the federal deficit to explode. American workers and entrepreneurs have proved all those predictions wrong. But the Democrats are still determined to raise taxes. And if they gain control of the Congress, they can do so without lifting a finger.
Under current law, many of the tax cuts we passed have to be renewed by Congress or they will expire. In other words, if Congress fails to act, your taxes will automatically go up.
If Democrats take control of the House, the committee in charge of all the tax legislation would be chaired by a Democrat who recently said he can't think of one of our tax cuts he would extend. And if there's no legislation to renew and extend the tax cuts, every tax rate will go back up to its old, higher level.
Think of what that would mean for the small business owners like the ones with me today. If the Democrats have their way, small business owners like Rich Lewis, who pay business taxes at individual rates will see their taxes go up. Small business owners who want to expand and invest in new equipment will face a tax hike as well. And small business owners who hope to pass on their life's work to their children and grandchildren will have to worry about their families being hit by the return of the death tax.
The choice you make on Tuesday will have a direct impact on our -- on our economy, on the small businesses that are creating jobs, and on the workers who depend on them. The last thing American families and small businesses need now is a higher tax bill. And that is what you'll get if the Democrats take control of the Congress.
America needs leaders in Washington who understand that you know how to save, spend and invest your money better than the federal government. And we need leaders who will work to make the tax relief we delivered permanent.
And now the decision is in your hands. And however you decide, I urge you to get out and vote on Tuesday.
I appreciate you listening.
HOLMES: There we are. You have it.
The president there actually at a coffee shop, the Mile High Coffee Company in Englewood, Colorado, out on the campaign trail, touting an economic message today. He got some good political -- or rather some good economic news.
Our Elaine Quijano is in Colorado as well, where the president is going to be a little later.
And I guess that's his message and that's what it's been the past couple of days, is not too much Iraq, even though it's thrown in there. But he certainly wants to talk about the economy these days.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're absolutely right, T.J. That's the strategy here.
The president and the White House hoping that this economic message will punch through some of those criticisms and the attention that has been focused on Iraq. Of course the president is under tremendous political pressure, not just from Democrats, but even some Republicans over his Iraq strategy. So the president now trying to appeal to conservatives, primarily, about the fact that if Democrats were to gain control of Congress, that, in fact, people's taxes would go up.
It's a tried and true GOP theme. The president has been sort of hitting the one-two punch on the campaign trail. We've heard him talk about tax cuts and keeping tax cuts in place. Also, we heard him talk about national security.
But today, clearly the president trying to emphasize and underscore his message by surrounding himself with small business owners who have benefited, he says, from his policies. And so the president urging voters to choose Republicans that he says will keep the strong economy going -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. And tell us just quickly about the stops he's making, the strategic little -- kind of the places he's going and why they're picking these particular spots for him to be campaigning.
QUIJANO: Absolutely.
Well, the White House understanding full well the problem with the Iraq effect, if you will, that Republicans are very nervous about how, in fact, their reelection prospects will be affected if voters are constantly reminded about the Iraq war. And so, in some very tight races, some swing states, the president obviously avoiding them and sticking to areas where he is still quite popular and places -- like here in Colorado, he's actually campaigning for GOP candidates, including Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave. He was in Iowa yesterday.
The president is really trying to reach out to those key conservatives who are so important for the GOP base. The president understands full well that moderates and Independents might be turned off by his presence in some of these key swing states. So what we're seeing is the president visiting states that he won back in 2004, hoping that he can rally those key elements of the Republican base -- T.J. HOLMES: All right. Elaine, thank you so much from Greeley, Colorado, it is. And of course we'll be checking in with you plenty between now and election time.
And then next hour, actually, we're going to hear from the Democrats in their weekly address on the radio. A Pennsylvania congressional candidate is going to present their case.
NGUYEN: Well, there's red and blue America, but are you aware of a third America?
Coming up, one artist says these are the people most affected by this election. It is a view of middle America from the back of a Greyhound bus.
Very interesting. Stay with us for that.
Plus, later...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The cultural differences are vast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I think he's a delightful man, and it wouldn't very much time for him to really become Americanized.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Borat is here in America.
NGUYEN: And not Americanized, I'll tell you.
HOLMES: Not so much.
NGUYEN: Not so much.
HOLMES: Betty and Borat are tight. Betty and Borat are very close. An interview between the two, you need to see it. Stick around. It's ahead in the NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: Be afraid.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: "Now in the News," a prominent pastor says he did buy drugs and got a massage from a gay male escort. But Reverend Ted Haggard denies having sex with the man and says, well, he threw the drugs away. Haggard has resigned as leader of 30 million evangelical Christians because of those allegations.
Another call for Donald Rumsfeld ouster. An editorial to be published Monday in a military newspaper says it is time for President Bush to "face the hard, bruising truth that Rumsfeld must go." Newspaper officials say the editorial is prompted by the president's statement this week that he intends to keep Rumsfeld as defense secretary until the end of his term.
HOLMES: Calling it quits. Ohio Republican Bob Ney turns in his resignation weeks after some in his own party threatened to expel him. Ney pleaded guilty last month, admitting he took trips and gifts from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff in exchange for official favors.
Ney will be sentenced in January. He could face more than two years in prison.
Iraq is bracing for violence with a verdict in the Saddam Hussein trial expected tomorrow. Officials are shutting down the Baghdad airport at 6:00 a.m. local time. It's part of a 24-hour curfew that will be put in place, banning all vehicle and pedestrian traffic near the capital city.
And of course we run down the top stories for you every 15 minutes here on CNN NEWSROOM, with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines coming up at 10:30.
NGUYEN: Well, some terrorism detainees have spent years inside secret CIA prisons. And the Bush administrations want to make sure they're never allowed to talk about what happened to them there.
In court filings first reported by "The Washington Post," the federal government said the CIA's methods for questioning suspects were among the nation's most sensitive secrets and that prisoners should never be allowed to reveal them, not even to a lawyer.
Officials say terrorists could use that information to train in counterterrorism techniques and potentially impair the CIA's future ability to attain vital intelligence. But a lawyer for one prisoner says the administration is trying to use secrecy concerns to "conceal illegal or embarrassing executive conduct."
HOLMES: The heat is on as we head into next week's elections. But from a showdown in the Show-Me State to literally a wrestling match in another state, we've got live reports from two races that could tip the balance of power in Washington.
NGUYEN: And later, Borat on the big screen. He is bigoted, he's backwards. You know this -- and he's boorish. And joining us to talk about his new movie is the man himself.
HOLMES: That's your boy.
NGUYEN: Oh, yes. In more ways than one.
That's ahead right here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: In Boston, a radio talk show host is fired for talking just a bit too much. WRKO's John DePetro made a derogatory remark about the sexuality and weight of a candidate running for governor. In a statement, WRKO said DePetro's on-air comments were inappropriate and would not be tolerated. Texas has begun using the Internet to watch the border for illegal immigrants. TexasBorder.com monitors surveillance cameras placed along the Texas-Mexico border. Authorities want the public to e-mail them when they see something suspicious over the Web cams. But users say the images are grainy and hard to make out.
A Winter Park, Florida, teen is in trouble for allegedly selling some $800,000 worth of computers on e-Bay. But the problem is the computers were never sent because there weren't any computers. Police raided his parents' home Friday and they're now looking through computers and other items confiscated during the raid.
NGUYEN: Well, if you're headed out the door today to enjoy your Saturday, let's check on the weather outside for you. Reynolds Wolf joins us now from the weather center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Well, struggling just to get by. A snapshot of an American voter through songs, words and images.
So how does this election affect them? Well, singer-songwriter Doug Levitt -- you hear him there -- he traveled the nation to find out.
HOLMES: But first, Veronica de la Cruz here hanging out with us.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN PIPELINE ANCHOR: Hey, guys.
HOLMES: What you got?
DE LA CRUZ: How are you doing?
NGUYEN: Good morning.
DE LA CRUZ: Good morning to you.
Well, our I-Reporters have been hard at work hitting the campaign trail. And coming up next, I've got the best political I-Reports straight ahead.
Also, this week's winner.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: "Now in the News," a prominent evangelical pastor admits buying crystal meth from a gay male escort, but Reverend Ted Haggard denies having sex with the man and says he threw the drugs away. But his accuser maintains the two had sex, but he failed part of a polygraph test.
Well, rallying the party faithful on the ground and over the airwaves. Minutes ago, President Bush delivered his weekly radio address in front of TV cameras. He cited the nation's health economy and yesterday's job report as reasons to keep Republicans in control of Congress. The president is stumping today in Colorado as part of his six-day campaign swing.
And another call for Donald Rumsfeld to resign or to be put out of a job maybe by the president. In an editorial to be published today, the Military Times Media Group say it's time for President Bush to "face the hard, bruising truth that Rumsfeld must go." Newspaper officials say the editorial is prompted by the president's statement this week that he intends to keep Rumsfeld as defense secretary until the end of his term.
NGUYEN: Well, Iran now says that it has missiles that can travel nearly 900 miles. That is what an Iranian general told the country's state-run news agency today. The announcement comes as Iran enters day three of its 10-day war games exercises. The general also said Iran has weapons that can penetrate advanced bulletproof vests.
An update on what caused Yankee's pitcher Corey Lidle's small plane to crash into a Manhattan high rise last month. The National Transportation Safety Board is now saying it appears wind pushed the plane off course. Investigators also say Lidle apparently didn't have enough room to make a sharp turn that he had attempted.
We run down the top stories every 15 minutes right here on CNN NEWSROOM with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines coming up at 10:45 Eastern.
HOLMES: Just three days now and the heat is on from wrestling matches to statistical ties in some of the polls. We're covering some of the nation's hottest races. In Philadelphia, U.S. Senator Rick Santorum is fighting to keep his job. He's literally fighting. Yes, check him out. His opponent though, Democratic challenger Bob Casey, Jr., see, watch this. Watch this. There it is.
NGUYEN: Whoa.
HOLMES: Moving on there to Missouri, that race couldn't get much tighter either. Jim Talent, the Republican incumbent and Claire McCaskill, the Democratic challenger are in a dead heat as well. These are the two races that could decide whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate. We're going to start in Missouri and joining us is Joe Mannies, political correspondent for the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch."
Thank you for giving us some insight into exactly what's happening now on the ground. Can you tell me, is there any sense there on the ground. We see the polls are so tight, but any sense that either one of these camps is really picking up any stream, gaining any momentum and any advantage going into these last couple of days?
VOICE OF JO MANNIES, "ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH": As of right now, this race is still really tied. It depends on where you are. I've been following Senator Talent around for the last few days, been to a lot of events he's been at including the rally yesterday with the president in Springfield, Missouri, which is a solid Republican territory, extremely enthusiastic welcome, large crowd.
By the same token, I was with McCaskill a few days earlier. We have another reporter traveling with her now and they're reporting also fairly enthusiastic receptions. I think basically what you've got here are people who have energized their base, at least at this point. So it's going to depend who has the better ground game, who can get their people to the polls on Tuesday. The last two elections, '02 and '04, the Republicans definitely did a better job in Missouri. So next Tuesday we'll see if that's still the case.
HOLMES: Also, we've seen a couple of races around the country get a little nasty with some ugly ads and looks like some desperation on the part of some even you might say. But anything there happening in Missouri? Any last-minute jabs or anything expected to be, I guess, even nastier or uglier in the last couple days of this campaign?
MANNIES: Well, it's been pretty nasty the last couple weeks. The Republicans have been running a number of spots. Some of them are by Talent. A lot of them are by the Republican National Committee or the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee that have really gone after McCaskill on personal issues as far as a condominium that her brother rented from her and she didn't pay the property tax for a couple years. And her husband is a very wealthy businessman. He has a number of businesses. So they've been taking aim at some of those.
On the Democratic side, the Democrats, including the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, have been hammering Talent for several weeks, citing his close voting record with the president. Ninety four percent is the figure that they've come up with from some various analysts.
So in every ad it says in really big letters, 94 percent. So they're really going after that, saying that he won't support a minimum wage but he continues to take his pay raises. So that tone is definitely nastier than I've seen on television in a while.
HOLMES: Well, hopefully you can hold on for the last couple of days there, the voters can as well for the last couple days of nastiness. Thank you so much. Again, that's Jo Mannies, political correspondent for the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch."
We're going to head over now to Pennsylvania and the Senate race there. Carrie Budoff is joining us now, a reporter for the "Philadelphia Inquirer," joining us live now with more on the race there with Rick Santorum, who's been behind for some time, according to a lot of polls. Why has he not been able to break through and what's kind of doing him in there right now?
CARRIE BUDOFF, REPORTER, "PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER": I think he has three problems. One is the environment for Republicans and incumbents is just not good, obviously. In Pennsylvania it is a moderate state. More registered Democrats than Republicans. Santorum has always been an anomaly in terms of being conservative, Republican elected in a politically moderate state. So that's one problem.
Second is himself, where he has made a lot of controversial statements over the last six years. He's the number three leader in the Senate. He speaks for Republicans. That's a problem for him right now. And then third I think is his opponent, Bob Casey, Jr. who is the son of a very popular former governor.
And if people don't necessarily know much about Bob Casey Jr., they remember his father and they think well of him and it's been hard for Rick Santorum to change that perception of who Bob Casey Jr. is. So I think those three things have been extraordinarily difficult for him to get over. If he had maybe just two of the three, he might not be in such bad shape as he is now.
HOLMES: What are the goals and what are their objectives the last couple of days here? Where are they targeting around the state? What's the message leading up to Tuesday?
BUDOFF: I think with the polls basically being static as they have been for weeks, for the last week or two, it's all been about trying to get out the vote. Both candidates are spending -- are actually going three places, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and both are spending some time in the middle of the state and the northeast. It's just all about trying to get out the vote.
Rick Santorum does have a very sophisticated get out the vote operation. He's putting his faith in that right now. And he's proven that it's been good in the past. So he's putting his faith in that. Bob Casey Jr. is traveling around the state today with the governor. Yesterday he was here with John Edwards. Last night, Rudy Giuliani was in for Rick Santorum. Nancy Pelosi will be here with Bob Casey Jr. today. So it's all about rallying Democrats at this point and Republicans.
HOLMES: And getting some star power out there as well.
BUDOFF: Yes.
HOLMES: Again, Carrie Budoff with the "Philadelphia Inquirer," thank you so much for giving us some insight to what's happening on the ground there.
BUDOFF: Sure.
NGUYEN: It is all about the election with just three days left. We have been asking you to weigh in with your thoughts, share your pictures and video from the campaign trail through our I-exchange as it's called and Veronica de la Cruz joins us with a look at that. Actually, you even have a winner to tell us about.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM: Yes. We're going to hold off on that just a second. As you know Betty, you were just saying, really getting down to the wire here. Politicians have been hot on the campaign trail. Apparently so have you out there. So we're going to share some of our best pictures our I-reporters snapped and sent in. Sue Keith was at a rally for Representative Mike Sodrel in Sellersburg, Indiana and guess who she got a picture of?
NGUYEN: The president. DE LA CRUZ: There you go, not too bad, a great shot.
NGUYEN: That's a good shot, yes.
DE LA CRUZ: Check out this photo of Al Gore at a rally in Berkeley, California. I-reporter Tarkan Rosenberg wanted to get close. So he says he attached himself to the press corps to get the picture.
NGUYEN: He's one of us.
DE LA CRUZ: Very nice. And this picture of Senator Barak Obama at a rally in Aurora, Colorado. Isn't it just -- it's just introspective. It's really, really nice.
HOLMES: ... a magazine right there.
DE LA CRUZ: It is. Photographer Norma McGraw reports that many people at the rally wore tee shirts that read, coming soon, Barak Obama for president.
NGUYEN: A lot of talk about that.
DE LA CRUZ: You can check out more pictures from the campaign trail or send us your own at CNN.com/election and it is that time, folks. It is that time.
NGUYEN: Ready, OK.
DE LA CRUZ: Time for our pic of the best I-reporter of the week. Can I get a drum roll, please? And that winner is Tom Kenney, Tom Kenney. Stormy weather in the northeast provided this great I-report video. Tom braved high winds and heavy rain near south Dartmouth, Massachusetts last week. He lives nearby and says that more than a dozen boats broke their moorings. Six washed ashore. What amazing, amazing pictures. He went that extra mile. He took these pictures of the storm's aftermath the very next day. So not only did he send us video but also pictures.
NGUYEN: I think he gets two prizes for that.
DE LA CRUZ: Nicely done, yes. I say he gets the tee shirt and a date with Betty. We need a better prize.
NGUYEN: We do need a better prize. We'll work on that, Tom. But you get the tee shirt, nonetheless.
DE LA CRUZ: Congratulations. Next we bring out another winner, so keep on sending us your submissions and thanks to everybody for sending us your I-reports.
NGUYEN: Those are good ones this time around. Thank you Veronica.
HOLMES: Thank you Veronica. And I know you're trying to get her hooked up with a date. NGUYEN: I have a man.
HOLMES: She's got a boyfriend.
HOLMES: Check him out.
NGUYEN: Not really.
"BORAT" UNVEILED: You are very nice. How much?
NGUYEN: I know you're not talking to me, because I'm not for sale.
BORAT: Yes. Why not?
NGUYEN: Yes, right. He wishes. Not for sale, buddy. Coming up, my conversation with a crazy Borat. That's in 15 minutes. Be very afraid.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Now in the news a prominent pastor says he did buy drugs and get a massage from a gay male escort, but Reverend Ted Haggard denies having sex with the man and says he threw the drugs away. Haggard has resigned as leader of 30 million evangelical Christians because of the allegations.
Iraq is bracing for violence with the verdict Saddam Hussein trial expected tomorrow. At 6:00 a.m. local time, officials will shut down the Baghdad airport until further notice. It's part of a 24-hour curfew being put into place, banning all vehicle and pedestrian traffic near the capital city.
HOLMES: An Israeli air strike killed a senior member of a Palestinian militant group today and wounded two of his body guards. In a separate incident, Palestinian security sources say four Palestinians were killed in an Israeli sniper attack in the Israeli border city of Betanun (ph). Israel says it's part of its offensive against Palestinian rocket squads.
The chance death to America. The occasion, the 27th anniversary of the day Iran took America hostage. In Tehran today, thousands gathered in front of the former U.S. embassy to celebrate that event. Twenty seven years ago today, militant students took over the American embassy in Tehran and held 52 American diplomats hostage for 444 days.
We run down the top stories for you every 15 minutes here on CNN NEWSROOM with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines is coming up at the top of the hour.
NGUYEN: Well, as people across America get ready to vote, we bring you a view of the country you can only see if you board a Greyhound bus. Singer/songwriter Doug Levitt recently did just that. The result, the Greyhound diary and Doug joins us now from New York. Good morning to you.
DOUG LEVITT, SINGER/SONGWRITER: Good morning, Betty. Thanks.
NGUYEN: Sure. The first time you toured the country by bus just to get a grasp on what people were thinking all across the country was during the 2004 presidential election. Why do it again and why this time?
LEVITT: I set out initially because I sort of saw that there was a real gap between the reality that we see on TV, which as you know is sort of anything but and that which people experience, those who are struggling. And I felt like as an artist, that what I could do is maybe help, you know, one person's version of sort of trying to bridge that America's gap. Of course Greyhound is a great cross-section of Americans. It's sort of like a traveling crossroads. So you can really learn a great deal about people and a lot of whom are struggling right now.
NGUYEN: Let's talk about some of the struggles out there because you spent 240 hours on buses talking to Americans, many of them in the middle of the night, Americans who struggle just to get by. As we talk so much about this election Doug, a lot of people say it's all about Iraq. It's all about the economy. It's all about illegal immigration. What are the people that you've spoken with saying this election is really about? What's on their minds as they go to the polls?
LEVITT: I think it's worth noting Betty that a lot of the people that I spoke to aren't necessarily in the political system. You know, this election, even if we have great turnout, over 100 million eligible voters will be nowhere near the final tally.
NGUYEN: So are they turned off, most people that you spoke with, are they just simply turned off by the whole political process?
LEVITT: I don't think it's turned off. I think a lot of people for whom daily life is triage, politics is a world away. It's sort of a spectator sport of, by and for other folks. And the political parties don't necessarily go after peoples' votes or try to enfranchise them or bring them into the process. So on the one hand, you get the sense that the unlikely voter is worth noting this election because they're not polled.
And they are the most oftentimes the most vulnerable citizens, the ones who are most affected by elections, people whose families are serving in Iraq. So you mentioned Iraq. Iraq is definitely a common theme that you hear on the bus. And you run into a lot of reservists. So you get an interesting cross-section of people, some of whom are for -- a lot of people directly affected by the war.
NGUYEN: You said something that really stuck with me. You said people for whom daily life is triage. Talk to me about the stories, about the people that you met. What are some of the stories that really stuck with you?
LEVITT: I sat next to a home care worker in Minnesota, a woman in her late 50s. And she works last year -- she works 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. Last year she took three days off. She's a single mom. And she's still $2,000 below the poverty line. I think the people who are bad off are really bad off and the issue of our working class, people who are working hard for minimum wage, they are eking by, if barely. And so, you run into a lot of that.
I had another interesting experience with a reservist on my last trip traveling across Kansas who had gone to Iraq. He signed up actually -- he was a reservist, signed up on for the two weeks a year plan, said he was a self described knuckle head. And he sort of described, somebody had to do the job and that people looked at him different when he came back. And so there are obviously are mixed feelings. But a lot of people are angry about Iraq and are seeing their friends and loved ones struggling over there, too.
NGUYEN: You're talking about the struggles just of Americans in general, the different slices, especially in the socioeconomic levels out there. The book is called Greyhound diaries. You also have a record with that. I know that you like to put art in its song writing form, especially politicizing it in a way. So sing for us, would you, just to give us a little taste of what's on that record.
LEVITT: OK, thank you so much. Thanks, Betty.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: It's the great "U.S. and A" according to Borat. The movie is a big hit at the theaters this weekend. Borat is a journalist from Kazakhstan who traveled to the U.S. to report on life here in America. He comes up with some hilarious scenarios. Borat is really though a comedian named Sacha Baron Cohen. And here is how we were introduced.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BORAT: When will the generalist come to interview me?
NGUYEN: The who?
BORAT: I am waiting for the journalist to interview me.
NGUYEN: You are speaking to a journalist. I am actually paid.
BORAT: But you are a woman.
NGUYEN: The last time I checked, yes.
BORAT: We say in Kazakhstan to let a woman be a journalist is like to let a monkey fly a plane, very dangerous.
NGUYEN: Let me tell you, I can't fly any planes. But my interviewing skills can be dangerous. So the question is, besides learning that females are journalists in this country, what else have you learned about America on your travels?
BORAT: I learned that it is now illegal to shoot at red Indians. And can I please use this opportunity to apologize once more to the staff at the Potawatomi Casino in Nevada. NGUYEN: What did you do there?
BORAT: I shot at some red Indians.
NGUYEN: Oh my goodness, OK. Well, let's talk about this other thing that you learned while in America. You actually were taking an etiquette class. Obviously didn't learn a whole lot there, I can tell right now. But what was interesting is you came down to Atlanta for this class.
BORAT: Gypsy!
NGUYEN: Who are you yelling at?
BORAT: Sorry. There is a small gypsy boy who is here on the side who is trying to steal monies.
NGUYEN: Ok. You're starting to scare me. Back to the etiquette class, shall we? It's something that you learned very quickly is, you really shouldn't insult another man's wife, especially in front of him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORAT: She is your wife?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. That's my wife.
BORAT: In my country they would go crazy for these two, not so much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: So how did you rectify that problem?
BORAT: I invited this man in this etiquette thing to come back to my hotel room and to drink vodka with me and wrestle with no clothes and shoot dogs from window.
NGUYEN: And I take it he didn't accept.
BORAT: You are very nice. How much?
NGUYEN: I know you're not talking to me, because I'm not for sale.
BORAT: Yes, why not?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Yes. That's Borat, a self-proclaimed ladies man. His movie is playing in theaters right now. And if you want to check him out, feel free. I will tell you, though, he is a bit of a crazy man. He will say anything, anything.
HOLMES: You handled it all pretty well, I thought. NGUYEN: Could you see the chemistry there? I was all over that. Not. Not so much, as he says.
HOLMES: See, he made an impression on you. She's been saying that all day.
NGUYEN: All morning.
HOLMES: We're going to talk more, get to more news and maybe some more Borat a little later. But we are going to talk about Iraq, gay marriage, stem cell research, what exactly is motivating voters this year.
NGUYEN: It's coming up at 11:00 a.m., hot button issues. Sometimes it takes more than just a candidate to get people to the polls. CNN NEWSROOM continues right after this.
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