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Tornadoes Hit Florida Panhandle, Missouri; House Fails to Override Veto of Children's Health Insurance; Benazir Bhutto Returns to Pakistan

Aired October 18, 2007 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It's October, not April, and this is the Florida Panhandle, not the Kansas Plains. But the red and yellow blobs on the weather radar mean only one thing: violent, potentially dangerous storms.
DAN SIMON, CNN ANCHOR: Already today a tornado has hit a shopping mall in Pensacola. We are watching these storms from the sky and on the ground all afternoon, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Hello, I'm Dan Simon in the CNN world headquarters, filling in for Don Lemon.

WHITFIELD: Welcome, Dan. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Kyra Phillips.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Dangerous and potentially deadly severe storms are taking aim at a number of states this hour, from the Florida Panhandle to the Great Lakes.

In the past hour, a tornado touched down in Pensacola. It hit a section of the major shopping mall there, Cordova Mall. No word yet of the extent of the damage or the injuries.

And this is what happened to the nearby Little Rock Baptist Church. Power is out in much of the downtown area. Streets are flooded. It has been raining there since before dawn.

So, from what we're hearing, this tornado wasn't on the ground all that long, but potentially damaging nonetheless, right, Chad?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we were talking to one of the guys from the sheriff's office, Glenn Austin. I think we have him back on the phone, too. He was saying he followed this storm for nearly 40 minutes. Forty minutes. OK, it wasn't on the ground the entire time, but that's an impressive amount of time for a storm to have enough rotation to have a funnel cloud, even, or a wall cloud, even.

Now we do have that tornado warning that's east of Pensacola right now. It's still here.

What you need to know, if you're anywhere from Pensacola to Fort Walton Beach all the way over to Destin or Sandestin is that these storms will be coming off the Gulf of Mexico and they're going to be spinning. And they have the potential to put down a tornado. And we showed you some of those pictures earlier of that damage.

But I think Glenn is back on the phone with us now.

And Mr. Austin, I kind of want to talk to you a little bit about the minutes -- the time frame that it took for this storm to roll over your city. What did you see?

GLENN AUSTIN, ESCAMBIA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: It was impressive. When the storm came in, it started a little after 9, and about 9:40 or 9:45, it finally dissipated. And we had deputies on the ground following the storm throughout the county and even into the city some, to keep an eye on this thing so we could track it and see what the damage may have been occurring.

And it -- the storm went up and down and up and down. At one point it jumped over Pensacola High School, fortunately. We were kind of worried about that. And then it headed toward the mall. And then it kind of went back up and came back down in an area next to the mall, and next to a hospital over there, and kind of messed up the area around Pensacola Junior College.

But in its route, it -- it really ripped off the roofs of a number of homes; power lines are down in just about everywhere where the storm went. And right now, Gulf Power is out there doing everything they can to turn the power off.

There are some sight-seers out there that are venturing out. And we don't want them to do that, obviously, not only for the danger of the power lines on the ground, but now we're getting reports that another cell may be moving into the same area that this one came in. And we have that report just about five minutes ago.

MYERS: Well, I certainly have the Doppler fired up here, and right around Oriole Beach I have a big-time rotation that's just to your southeast. It's still the storm here in the pink. And I do know that that -- absolutely, that cell has the same potential as the one that just went through your city.

The power lines that are down, you're saying that they're trying to get the power out. Really, there -- as a person walking around, there's no way to know whether a line is alive or dead, is there?

AUSTIN: No, there's really no way. Unless you get up on it, and then you touch it and then by then it's too late.

MYERS: Exactly.

AUSTIN: But we do have a number of power lines that are still flashing, you know, when you see those things arc and things like that. Those things still are going on right now. Even though the storm's been by here, that particular tornado for more than a couple of hours. But those things are out there. It is dangerous on top of dangerous. MYERS: So, you're talking about -- you're from Escambia County. To your east there has also been some damage that we know of, but try to focus on the damage that you know and the injuries where you are and where you live. Do we know of any? Anybody been transported to hospitals, anything like that yet?

AUSTIN: Well, we've had preliminary reports of four or five folks that have been taken over to the local Baptist hospital. I don't know of any other reports yet. And in that regard, if that's it, then we're extremely lucky.

We even had a day care take a direct hit. Now, the day care was connected to a church, and fortunately, when the warnings went out, the kids were taken out of the day care, into a -- the bigger church, into a room where they were safe. So, they are safe, thank goodness. But the day care is an absolute mess.

MYERS: Well, you know, I saw pictures of that church, as well. And anything like a gymnasium or a church that has a very long span roof, you need to get out of that area, absolutely, and get into something, the lowest possible level that you can.

Also, too, we do know that a mall was hit? Tell me a little bit more about this.

AUSTIN: Well, it was the Cordova Mall, and we were wondering just how bad it may have been hit. But it doesn't appear to be anything major at all at this point.

There were some preliminary reports that came in earlier that it was. We've been out there, looked around. We've seen some minor stuff. Trailers in the parking lot have been flipped over and turned around, things like that. There may have been some damage to the roof, but we're still checking on that, as well.

MYERS: Here's one of the things that -- you know, we always talk about all these safety things. And I want to go through this one, too. If you're in a mall, if you're in church, if you're in a shopping center, whatever, and the alarms go off and the people there say -- the security, anyone, anybody of an authority says, "Let's get in the basement," do. Do not go to your car.

The worst place to be in a tornado is in your car, because after a car gets hit, there's no place for you left in it. Literally, that car can be so destroyed. And also, look, you got five sides or six sides of glass around you, too.

And so that's something I want you to do. Pay attention to the people that are talking to you, because they know the safest place. They've been through drills, and they know this.

We're seeing pictures here, and they're not live. They're a little bit earlier from the Little Rock Baptist Church. This is where the day care was?

AUSTIN: That's where the day care was. And like I said, it's part of the church, but it's connected to the side. And when the tornado came through, it just blasted the day care to pieces. But, fortunately, the kids were already moved out and put into a safe location inside the church.

MYERS: We talked about the time that this storm was. Do you have a length, possibly, of how long the damage could be in miles or feet or blocks?

AUSTIN: It's hard to say, you know. We really haven't got a calculation right now. And like I said, we still have feet on the ground right now and looking at all the damage and trying to take all assessments.

But Bayou Chico (ph) Bridge to the mall area is probably anywhere five or six miles, maybe longer. But again, the damage may have started even earlier than that. When we first picked it up, even here at the sheriff's office, we were evacuated down to the basement, because the storm moved directly over us.

MYERS: Glenn, thank you very much.

Mr. Glenn Austin from the Escambia County Sheriff's Office.

And the reporting there, you can get from an official that really can tell you how it goes is -- is so priceless. You know, without scaring you, without telling you anything incorrect. I really appreciate that report. I really do.

It's kind of what I try to do here. I try not to scare you. We're trying not to get you all excited about this, if you're not living here. But, folks, this is still a dangerous storm, and we still have this tornado warning here.

There you see, that's really way southeastern Escambia County. That was right near Oriole Beach, also for Oskaloosa and Santa Rosa. That's that big orange box. There it is. There it is full screen. You can see it, just for a few more minutes.

But the storms still are rotating, and there are many more storms in the Gulf of Mexico that will be rotating, as well, coming onshore all the way from Fort Walton Beach, maybe over to Destin.

But then this is a major resort area, and if you're in a hotel room, you can stay away from that big plate glass window that you paid so much for so you can see the ocean. You need to get away from that for sure. If you hear the warnings, you hear a siren or if they come knocking on your door, get into the bathroom, because usually you can close the door and stay away from those big plate glass windows.

It's going to be a dangerous day not only for Florida, guys. We are going to have big-time tornadoes all the way from possibly Chicago land all the way into Wisconsin, into Detroit, down through Memphis and all of that, marching to then east today. And there will be bigger storms than this one.

This one, obviously, hit an area very populated. Some of the areas across the Midwest not so populated. Let's hope that all these F-2s, 3s and maybe 4s hit the unpopulated areas, because we don't need more of this today. But I'm sure there will be at least a couple more dozen tornadoes on the ground.

WHITFIELD: Right, Chad. And we know that you're watching it all the way through, and we know that you're not trying alarm anybody.

MYERS: Absolutely not.

WHITFIELD: Just keep everybody informed to know exactly what could be coming to their area. And you've already given folks a warning of what may possibly be next.

And, you know, it looks like, as you talk about kind of the midland area, at least for one state, kind of in that direction that you're talking about has already been hit by what we understand to be some high winds, possibly even a tornado.

In Missouri -- and here are the new pictures that we're getting in from Monroe County, Missouri, where apparently, high winds came through. It's still being termed as a possible tornado. And it has resulted in at least two deaths thus far.

The sheriff's department says that they found the bodies of two people about 400 feet from their home in Paris, Missouri, which is in the Monroe County area, just northeast of Columbia.

SIMON: That's right by Mark Twain Lake up there, yes.

WHITFIELD: OK. So you know it well.

Yes, this is certainly a sad situation here. But, you know, like we mentioned at the top, this is the kind of weather that is more typically seen in the spring, and here it is fall.

But you warned us yesterday, Chad. I remember you said that severe weather could be spawning quite a few tornadoes, you know, in this season, this early part of the fall season.

MYERS: We know -- we know about hurricane season. It's one big peak and it's over, and it doesn't happen all winter. Well, the severe weather season happens when the warm and cold air clash. Warm and cold air don't usually clash in the winter, and they don't usually clash in the summer, but spring and fall they certainly do.

So, spring is the big-time severe weather peak, but there's also a peak in the fall, and now we're in it.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

MYERS: And we're in it big-time today. This is going to -- I know there was at least a dozen tornadoes in Missouri last night, because I was here covering them.

WHITFIELD: Right. MYERS: Most of them were left of Springfield. People were taking cover left and right, even over a couple interstates with tractor-trailers being blown off the road, so be careful out there today.

We will be right here. I will be right here and the team of meteorologists that are sitting right next to me making me look good will be here all day.

WHITFIELD: All right. Good warning. Thanks so much, Chad -- Dan.

SIMON: Obviously, weather is going to dominate our coverage today. We're going to continue to follow the events in Florida and Missouri. We're going to take a quick break and be back with more of CNN NEWSROOM right after these messages.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Fourteen minutes now after the hour. And here are three of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A dangerous storm slams into the Florida Panhandle. A Pensacola shopping mall was damaged. Power lines are down, and a church day care center was hit. So far, no reports of major injuries.

A government investigation found some serious failures in the nation's airport security system. Undercover TSA agents got fake bombs past Los Angeles Airport security 75 percent of the time. They got past screeners at Chicago's O'Hare 60 percent of the time.

And former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan today. Tens of thousands of supporters turned out to welcome her as she attempts a political comeback.

SIMON: Well, we want to go back to that situation in Pensacola, Florida, where a twister struck the town there, striking a mall. Some damage there to the Cordova Mall.

We were told that a lot of employees and shoppers actually had to evacuate.

A lot of reporters there on the scene, trying to assess the damage, trying to see if there are any injuries. Let's turn now to one of our affiliate reporters, Molly Barrows of WEAR.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOLLY BARROWS, WEAR CORRESPONDENT: Here again we're looking at video of the Rock Child Development Center. This is where we parked almost immediately when we came along this intersection.

You could see very scary moments for parents. And you're looking at one now. This is minutes after the tornado went through. The employees at the day care center called parents to let them know they'd been hit and to let them know to come pick up their children. They didn't know what they were going to find.

It's one thing to be told that your child is OK; it's another to know that a tornado hit and to see that child for yourself, and that's exactly what some of these parents had to do. They just were inconsolable until they could get their hands on their children. And that's completely understandable.

Because when you see the outside of the building, it's gut wrenching, especially to know that there were small children in there. Take a look at the inside of this place.

We went inside. Ray's shooting from the door there, but we went in through the back door, and there's a room set aside entirely for babies, and when it went through, one woman was in there with the babies. She snatched them up as quick as she could, and they all kind of moved into the kitchen area, which is in the center of the house, and bunkered down on the floor and sang songs.

You can see the parents there grabbing their children and just tears pouring down their face. And it's just hard to watch.

But fortunately, no children were injured. Yet another parent, again, coming up to -- to get their child. And it's just very scary, scary moments. You don't know until you can actually get your hands on your child and see for yourself that they weren't hurt.

And we're told again that there were some bumps and bruises, a few scratches. Again, the windows were blown out, the roof was gone.

But the kids responded relatively calmly, according to the employees that we talked to there. They said that they herded them back, kept them all together and sang songs to them. And the kids just sat pretty much quietly, didn't cry.

And it's understandable, too, because it all happened so quickly. We're talking a matter of just a few minutes. And they heard the wind. They heard the rumbling. Again, it sounded like a lot like a freight train, as some would say, as we've heard so often when describing the sound of a tornado. But they said that it was just incredibly loud. Then they could hear the damage, they could hear the roof. And that's when they just moved quickly to get all the kids into a back area. ]

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: That was Molly Barrows of WEAR television, obviously a situation unfolding there in Pensacola, Florida, where the tornado struck this morning, some damage there to a mall.

We're going to be continuing to follow all the storm damage there in Florida as well as in Missouri, where you have some more information.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dan, and possibly that same system moving its way north, this time into Missouri, where it's believed that high winds, possibly tornado, may have touched down in that area, causing the deaths of at least two people.

You're looking at the structure that was obliterated there in Monroe County, which is northeast of Columbia, Missouri. And officials say that they found the bodies of two people about 400 feet away from the structure which was their home. So, a pretty dangerous system.

And Chad Myers will be checking again with him later on, where he says this system could be making its way throughout the mid-part of this country. So this really just may be the beginning stages of what's looking like a pretty active tornado fall season already.

SIMON: Yes, some serious pictures there. We'll continue to follow all that here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Meanwhile, we're going to turn to Washington and the House of Representatives today taking up the situation with the Children's Health Insurance Program. Jessica Yellin there on Capitol Hill.

And Jessica, what's happening today with that?

JESSICA YELLIN, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Democrats just failed to override the president's veto of this program. They picked up a few more votes on their side. They gained six new Democrats. They lost one Republican.

But the bottom line is, even though a majority of the House has voted for this bill, it's not enough to override the president's veto. And so they have to figure out what they're going to do next to make sure that all the kids who are in this program are enrolled.

Now the basics of what this program is, first, it's a system that allows kids whose parents make enough money to not qualify for Medicaid but not enough to pay for private health insurance, they get some form of state-funded health insurance.

The Democrats wanted to increase that program, expand it to cover another four million kids at a cost of $35 billion. The White House says that's too much money. Enough Republicans are siding with the president on this, as you can see today, to uphold this veto.

But the bigger picture of this is it's a major political clash. Democrats think they have the upper hand on a winning issue with the American public. They say they are not going to back down, and they're going on a firm standoff with the White House.

SIMON: Jessica Yellin live on Capitol Hill. Thanks a lot. Obviously, that's going to be a major issue coming up in the campaign. Jessica, where do we go from now on this issue? Where do we go -- do we think that this will pop up again?

YELLIN: Well, what's happened -- yes. And both sides say that they are determined to make sure that this health insurance program continues and that there's a new bill.

Now, the president yesterday has shown a new willingness to negotiate. He says that he's going to send some of his top lieutenants here to Capitol Hill to try to talk about a way to fix the bill.

But I've just learned from a senior Democratic Senate source that when Harry Reid called the president yesterday and said, "Mr. President, I'd like to talk to you directly about this. Why don't Nancy Pelosi and I come up to the White House and talk to you," the president allegedly told him, "No, you should talk with my cabinet secretaries. You should talk with my staff."

And folks here, the Democrats, say they just aren't willing to give that much on this bill. So -- and the White House doesn't want to give much either, so it really is a standoff. And the Democrats think they have the winning hand, and so they're just not willing to budge -- Dan.

SIMON: Jessica Yellin, live on Capitol Hill. Thanks for your report.

WHITFIELD: Well, the entertainment world is in mourning after hearing the news of the very familiar name you know. Stone-faced comedienne Joey Bishop, one member of the famous Rat Pack group, has died at the age of 89. He died last night at his home of multiple causes, is how his family spokesperson is putting it. He died in Newport Beach.

He and at least four other entertainers all made very famous because of their popular relations in entertainment. He, along with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, all making up the Rat Pack.

So, Joey Bishop, the last living member of the Rat Pack, now passed away at the age of 89 -- Dan.

SIMON: End of an era.

Well, we're going to be talking about a new poll spotlighting the intriguing Democratic divide among African-Americans. Who does better, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton? And how big a factor is gender? That straight ahead here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Dangerous weather conditions throughout much of the U.S., particularly in the southeastern section. Chad Myers in the severe weather center keeping a close watch on all of that and the possible tornado activity. We'll check in with him in a moment.

But first let's talk about where a tornado has already touched down, in the Florida Panhandle, where apparently, this twister touched down near the area of Pensacola, actually destroying and damaging many structures, including a shopping mall. And as you see here, some structures there in what appears to be a residential area.

And we understand that these high winds also damaged a church day care center while the children were there, but fortunately, no reports of any injuries as of yet anywhere there in the Florida Panhandle.

And then let's move on to Paris, Missouri, where there were reports of at least two deaths as a result of high winds and a possible tornado. It hasn't been confirmed as of yet. But apparently, these two bodies were located about 400 feet away from their home, their residence that was directly hit by this possible tornado there just outside of Columbia, Missouri -- Dan.

SIMON: We will continue to keep tabs on all the weather.

Meanwhile, we all know that the cost of energy is going up, and food prices are on the rise. But prices are going down on some toys for children of all ages. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with a money-saving report.

How you doing, Susan?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm doing fine, Dan. Good to meet you over the airwaves.

SIMON: Likewise.

LISOVICZ: When it comes to cutting prices, you'd be hard pressed to find a retailer more cutthroat than Wal-Mart.

Less than three weeks after steeply cutting prices on some popular toys, the world's biggest retailer says it's cutting prices on another 15,000 items. Wal-Mart's strategy is clear: entice holiday shoppers to start buying as early as possible and drop prices on enough marquis items to get people in the store. At that point, Wal- Mart knows shoppers are likely to make other purchases before heading to the parking lot.

These are aggressive cuts, by the way. For example, a Fisher- Price Smart Cycle cut by ten bucks, a "Be Bratz" doll also discounted by $10, a third off its original price. And it's not just toys. The price of a coffee maker, which is something a lot of us live on, is about $5 lower -- Dan.

SIMON: Usually think of the price cuts after Christmas, Susan. It's kind of interesting that they're happening now.

LISOVICZ: There's no question about it. I mean, there -- there is some concern out there because of just some of the things that we report about on a daily basis.

But, Dan, it's not only for traditional toys. It's toys for adults, as well. Video game console companies are snipping away, too. Sony is launching a cheaper version of its PlayStation 3. The new 40- gigabyte model will retain -- will retail, I should say, for $400. Sony also cutting the price of its 80-gig model by $100, from $600 to $500.

Its prices are still higher than Microsoft's Xbox 360 or Nintendo's runaway hit the WII.

(STOCK REPORT)

LISOVICZ: Next hour of NEWSROOM, what Americans think about the economy. A lot of us are saying the "R" word. I'll have details in the next hour of the NEWSROOM.

Dan, back to you.

SIMON: Thank you very much, Susan. Nice to see you.

We're going to take a quick break and be more with the weather and everything that's happening in Florida and Missouri.

WHITFIELD: Right. I know. It's dangerous weather out there. And Chad Myers is in the severe weather center. He's keeping a close watch on everything, really trying to get the word out to everyone. You need to have your weather radios, as well, and listen to them if you have them.

Meantime, tornadoes already touching down in Pensacola, Florida, and a possible tornado in Missouri. More when we come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Hello, everyone, I'm Fredricka Whitfield, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

SIMON: And I'm Dan Simon. It is a dangerous day to be outside. We have storms, tornadoes and deaths. We're going to have the very latest from the CNN severe storm center coming up here in the NEWSROOM.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(NEWSBREAK)

WHITFIELD: And now new poll numbers point to a growing lead for Hillary Clinton among African-Americans, and it looks like Barack Obama has a lot of work to do, especially among African-American women. Our new CNN Opinion Research survey finds that black women support Clinton over Obama by almost a 3 to 1 margin. You see the numbers right there. Among black men, Obama has a four-point edge over Clinton. So why the gender gap?

Let's head to Washington and ask two experts. Donna Brazile is a democratic strategist and a CNN contributor.

Good to see you.

DONNA BRAZILE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: And Amy Holmes is a Republican strategist. Good to see you as well.

AMY HOLMES, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right, ladies, this is rather perplexing, isn't it? We know that Bill Clinton has always had great support among the African-American community, even Obama said it last night when a guest on Leno, that it's no surprise to him that Hillary Clinton would do so well just by virtue of that.

So, why, Donna, though, is there a split when it comes to the gender, males supporting him more so than Hillary Rodham Clinton, and vice versa for the women?

BRAZILE: Well, in the latest CNN poll, senator Clinton is attracting over 68 percent of the black female vote, Senator Obama only 25 percent. Black women will make up about a third of the electorate when they vote next January, so Senator Clinton has emphasized, of course, bread and butter issues that black women care deeply about -- health care, education, jobs, the economy. African- American women know that she has showed up just about every time that they've called upon her. They know that she's a strong advocate and someone who provides bull leadership.

And it doesn't hurt to be the former first lady and, of course, married to Bill Clinton, who many African-Americans considered the first black president of the United States, and I guess by reference, she would become the sister-in-chief.

So Hillary has strong credentials, strong leadership skills. But I think Obama will also do well. His campaign is going door to door. They are trying to reach out. They're in the beauty parlors, the barber shops, but to overcome the lead that Senator Clinton has, Senator Obama will have to convince black voters, black women and black men, that he can win.

WHITFIELD: So, Amy, do you see it that way, that it is simply down --it boils down to the legacy of the Clinton White House?

HOLMES: I think that's a large part of it, but if you look at interviews, another part that's interesting is that black women are giving Hillary the benefit of Bill Clinton's presidential experience. They see her as a very experienced politician. They say, you know, we don't need someone who is going to be getting his training on the job.

I think Donna is right, though, that Barack Obama needs to get out of the clouds and get down to the grassroots, really introduce himself.

You know, Let's remember, Hillary Clinton has 15 years on the national stage, establishing her name, her credentials and her connections with the voters, so Barack has a lot of catching up to do.

WHITFIELD: So how does he go about that? Does this mean that it has to be as simple, as point-blank as Senator Obama needs to try to appeal to black women by speaking directly to them, as opposed to the black public as a whole, and break it down into gender?

HOLMES: Well, I think he needs to get down on the ground. I mean, he needs to get involved in that retail politics that Donna was talking about, about the beauty parlors and the barber shops, and I think that he needs to talk much more specifically about his policy proposals and what that means to the black community.

BRAZILE: But he also has to convince them that he can win. Look, we all know that there's a psychological barrier out there that exists with African-American voters and Senator Obama. It's unfair, but it's true.

And while since 1965, we've seen 42 African-Americans win statewide office, including Senator Obama, who's a senator from Illinois, and that's hardly a major black state, Obama must tell them exactly how he can win and then, prove to the black community that he will champion issues for all Americans, not just African-Americans.

Black people are not looking for a black president. They're looking for a president who will do what's right in Iraq, who will do what's right when it comes to the economy and fairness for all. They're looking for someone who will stand and fight. And they know in Senator Clinton, she will stand and she will fight.

WHITFIELD: So, Donna, I'm hearing from you, you see it less of a black and white issue, it's more an issue of experience here and it's not that there's this disparity between black men and black women over the black candidate, but instead a choice over who has more experience than the other?

BRAZILE: If there's one thing that African-American voters want, they want a winner. They want an end of George Bush, the Republican presidency. They would like to see a Democrat back in the White House. African-Americans are overwhelmingly Democratic, that's their vote, they vote their values. And they want someone with the experience to change the direction in this country, and that's why, at this point, they're -- leading and supporting Senator Clinton.

WHITFIELD: All right, Amy Holmes, Donna Brazile, thanks so much, ladies. Always good to see you.

BRAZILE: Thank you.

HOLMES: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And of course, we want the most up -- we want to make sure that you get the most up-to-the-minute political news available anywhere, so CNNpolitics.com is your one-stop shop. Get behind the scenes details from the best political team on television and see why it's the Internet's premier destination for political news, as well, CNNpolitics.com.

SIMON: Well, as Chad Myers told us, it is going to be a very long day weather wise. We are continuing to watch the situation out of Pensacola, Florida, where a tornado touched down earlier in the day. You can see this video coming to us in the form of an i-Report. And we want to encourage more i-Reports, just logon to CNN.com/ireport.

More of CNN NEWSROOM after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Some pretty nasty weather, particularly in the southeast, and Pensacola in particular, where a tornado touched down, causing quite a bit of structural damage, but fortunately, no reports of injuries.

Mayor John Fogg of Pensacola is on the line with us now. And Mayor, I understand the closest call was that of a day care center that was very much damaged, but all the kids inside, all the instructors, et cetera, managed to escape without injury. Is that right, Mayor?

VOICE OF MAYOR JOHN FOGG, PENSACOLA, FLORIDA: Well, that's my understanding, and all the children that were there were moved to a church that was close by, and it was severely damaged after the kids were there, the roof -- about 40 percent of the roof was taken off. But fortunately, none of the kids were hurt.

And we've got about 5,100 people without power in that general area. That's the west side of the city of Pensacola, downtown urban core. We've also receiving reports now that Pensacola Yacht Club and Bahia Mar Marina have suffered significant losses of boats, 25 that I've heard so far, several hundred thousands dollars worth of damage there.

Also, one of the major malls in the city has had significant roof damage, cars being blown over and around. So, it wasn't localized, apparently, just to the tornado itself. There was other damage out at Pensacola Beach, as well.

WHITFIELD: Well, Floridians know natural disasters, you all have had your fair share of experience with that, but there's something about a tornado that catches everybody by surprise. Did the folks, including yourself, know that there was a pretty high chance of being hit by high winds or tornadic activity like this?

FOGG: Well, we knew that there was going to be a significant rain event that was going to persist for, probably throughout the rest of this day and into tomorrow. We knew that there were some embedded thunderstorms. We had about 15 or 20 minutes notice from the weather service that Doppler radar indicated that there was, in fact, rotation within this one severe thunderstorm.

So, we did about -- we had 15 or 20 minutes to respond, but we're not used to tornadoes in this area. Hurricanes give us a lot more time to prepare and mobilize, and now, so we're having to be kind of proactive in our response to this. And we've got lots of people, organizations that are rallying around the people that are now homeless because of the storm.

WHITFIELD: And so, what do you do to help those people who are now homeless?

FOGG: Well, of course ...

WHITFIELD: What do you have in place to help them out? FOGG: Well, we find immediate shelter, we've got provisions for that. We've got support organizations that will make sure that food and clothing is not an issue. Many of these people have lost everything, as is sometimes the case in tornadoes, as you know.

So, the community -- our community is used to these kinds of things, unfortunately. Not so much tornadoes, but we do know how to respond to emergencies and take care of our people.

WHITFIELD: All right, Mayor John Fogg of Pensacola, we wish you and the residents there all the best.

FOGG: Our loss (ph).

WHITFIELD: Thanks for your time.

FOGG: All right, thanks very much.

WHITFIELD: OK, Dan?

SIMON: October, it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and guess what, there's some good news to report. The death rate for breast cancer is down. In fact, more women are now living with it rather than dying from it.

Here's CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Breast cancer used to be a death sentence, but not anymore. More and more women are living long lives after having survived breast cancer. In fact, there are 2.4 million women living in the United States who've survived breast cancer.

So, in this week's "Empowered Patient," we talk about how to empower yourself if you've been diagnosed with breast cancer. I talked to survivors of breast cancer, including Jaclyn Smith and Olivia Newton-John and here's what they had to say.

Both of these women talked about how important it is to have someone with you at all times, that that's so crucial. When you go to the doctor's office, bring someone with you. Both of them talked about how sometimes you don't always hear everything the doctor's saying, and if you have someone with you, they can remind you of what the doctor says. Also, it's so important, so crucial to have that support at such a difficult time in your life.

Secondly, both of these women said something that was pretty surprising, and that is you don't always want to trust your first instincts. Jaclyn Smith said that her first instinct when she was diagnosed was to get a mastectomy. She just wanted the doctor to take her breast off, but she said cooler heads prevailed and she ended up having a lumpectomy, which was right for her particular illness. Olivia Newton-John said that she had first considered not having chemo, that it scared her. And she said that, again, cooler heads prevailed, and her friends convinced her that she really did need the chemo.

So, those are two tips about how to be an empowered patient. And of course, the best thing is to prevent breast cancer and not get it in the first place. And for that, women need to do breast self- examinations, they need to get their doctor or their nurse practitioner to examine their breasts as well, and women need to get regular mammograms, starting at age 40.

Now, that sounds like a no-brainer, of course, we've all heard the mammogram message, but the sad reality is that more and more women are not getting mammograms, so remember, it's important to get your mammogram.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: For more on living with breast cancer, check out Elizabeth's "Empowered Patient" feature at CNN.com/health.

WHITFIELD: And we're continuing to watch very severe weather throughout many parts of the country. Chad has already predicted that at least 12 or so tornadoes may touch down today alone. Already, at least one has touched down in Pensacola, Florida. More on our severe weather coverage when the NEWSROOM comes right back.

And if you happen to be in any of these areas and you have your cameras handy, of course, we're taking in your i-Reports, so CNN.com/ireport, but don't put your own life in jeopardy while getting any of these images, and we'll get them on the air right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIMON: It is one of the most dramatic events in Pakistan since Benazir Bhutto's departure eight years ago, her return today to Karachi and a welcome by tens of thousands of supporters. Bhutto is throwing aside her personal concerns and throwing herself back into the political arena.

CNN's Dan Rivers is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After eight years in exile, Benazir Bhutto is back in Pakistan to an incredible homecoming with tens of thousands of people cramming onto the streets of Karachi to welcome her back. Her motorcade has made incredibly slow progress through the city, such has been the numbers of crowds that have come out to greet her.

Her return is part of a remarkable comeback that former prime minister has struck a power-sharing deal with President Musharraf. The deal, though, has been challenged in the Supreme Court by her enemies, who think that she has sold out her Pakistan people's party by striking this deal, this national reconciliation ordinance with President Musharraf, which could see her come back to be prime minister for a third time.

Dan Rivers, CNN, Karachi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, no one could get a bomb on a plane post 9/11, right? Well, think again. A Transportation Security Administration investigation shows a shocking lack of security at two of the nation's busiest airports. Undercover agents put fake bombs under their clothes or in carry-ons and actually got past security 75 percent of the time at Los Angeles International Airport. And Chicago's O'Hare, well, it didn't fare much better. Screeners there failed to find fake bombs 60 percent of the time. The TSA says the agency has since adopted a more aggressive approach to keep its screeners attentive.

SIMON: We're continuing to get more pictures in of that dramatic tornado that touched down in Pensacola earlier today. We're getting a lot of i-Reports. Send us some more of those i-Reports, CNN.com/ireport. You can see those ominous clouds there in the distance.

Of course, there is also a tornado that struck in Missouri, as well. Chad Myers saying it's going to be a long day there in the weather center.

More of CNN NEWSROOM after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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