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American Morning
Bus Crash in Sacramento Kills Ten; McCain and Obama Campaigns Step Up Attacks; World Markets Plunge; Judging Sarah Palin
Aired October 06, 2008 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hitting low.
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is not a man who sees America as you and I do.
ROBERTS: New counterattack.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's what you do when you're out of touch, out of ideas, and running out of time.
ROBERTS: Just 29 days and getting deeply personal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT, CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many of our fellow citizens apparently believe that your services were bought.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Plus, watch your mouth. It could cost you. That's the warning the FCC is sending television.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody with a clipboard is running around saying, well, maybe this word is OK, maybe this word isn't OK.
ROBERTS: And there's no (bleep) second (bleep) chance on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Good morning, and thanks very much for being with us on this Monday, the 6th of October. Seems like two days ago was Friday. What happened?
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: The weekend happened, but it ended too soon.
ROBERTS: Oh, my goodness, as it always does. But the good thing is, this is a tremendous week in politics that we got coming up and we got a lot of news on that this morning.
CHETRY: Absolutely. We start, though, with breaking news out of California. And new pictures just coming in from the horrific scene of a bus crash. This was 60 miles north of Sacramento. Police say at least 10 people died and dozens of others were hurt after a charter bus that was traveling to a casino last night ran off the road and rolled over into a ditch. Doctors say at least four people are still in critical condition.
A local TV station is reporting the driver survived the crash and was on medication and that investigators are looking into whether that played a role in the accident.
Crude oil prices trading below $90 a barrel for the first time since February. In the past three months, oil prices have tumbled nearly 40 percent off their high. Analysts say investors are concerned that the global financial crisis will decrease worldwide demand for oil.
And the world markets are picking up where Wall Street left off Friday, and that is down significantly across Asia, Australia, Russia and Europe. After a weekend of intense negotiations, Germany struck a $68 billion deal to rescue that country's second largest property lender. Crisis meetings to rescue faltering banks also took place in France, Britain and Italy.
ROBERTS: That oil price crash, the silver lining that Donald Trump was talking about last week in all of this.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: Just 29 days and two debates to go until the presidential election. The first of those debates is tomorrow night and we are counting down to the town hall forum in Nashville. A little less than 39 hours from now, John McCain and Barack Obama are going into it in full attack mode.
McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, spent the weekend slamming Obama's character accusing him of "palling around with terrorists." It's a reference to the senators past work with former '60s radical, William Ayers.
Obama fired back-charging that McCain is "erratic on the economy" and overnight sending a mass e-mail out to supporters about a campaign produced Web video on McCain's involvement as one of the infamous "Keating Five" senators in the savings and loan scandal nearly two decades ago. Here's a clip of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many of our fellow citizens apparently believe that your services were bought by Charles Keating.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Keating Five involved all the things that have brought the modern crisis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: CNN's Jim Acosta is following the campaign crossfire. He's live for us this morning in Asheville, North Carolina. And, Jim, no question, the gloves are off. JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John. Over the weekend, Sarah Palin herself said the heels are on an the gloves are off and now Barack Obama is showing that he, too, is perfectly happy playing for keeps.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): If he succeeds in turning Republican strongholds like North Carolina blue, Barack Obama will have to withstand new character attacks this time from Sarah Palin.
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our opponent is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country.
ACOSTA: Palin recycled an old story about Obama's past sporadic contacts with William heirs, a former member of a radical group that carried out bombings on government buildings in the 1960s. Obama called it a desperate smear.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They'd rather tear our campaign down than lift this country up. That's what you do when you're out of touch, out of ideas, and running out of time.
ACOSTA: Now a college professor in Chicago, Ayers and Obama served together several years on a nonprofit board. And in 1995, Ayers hosted a coffee for Obama when the young community organizer was making his first run for the state Senate.
At this point looking back, should he not have done that, do you think?
DAVID AXELROD, OBAMA CAMPAIGN CHIEF STRATEGIST: Well, I mean, when he went, he certainly, he didn't know the history.
ACOSTA: The Democratic nominee's chief strategist, David Axelrod, maintains Obama at that time had no idea about Ayers' violent past.
AXELROD: There's no evidence that they're close. There's no evidence that Obama in any way subscribed to any of Ayers' views. And Obama has been very clear about condemning the despicable acts that Bill Ayers committed 40 years ago when Obama was 8 years old.
ACOSTA: Obama has unleashed a new ad, seizing on the Ayers attack, noting a McCain campaign spokesman was quoted as saying the Arizona senator wanted to turn the page away from the economy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL)
NARRATOR: No wonder his campaign wants to change the subject, turn the page on the financial crisis by launching dishonest, dishonorable assaults against Barack Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ACOSTA: What else might McCain bring up? When asked if Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, is off the table, a McCain spokesman would only say, no comment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: And back here in North Carolina, Barack Obama is prepping in this state for tomorrow's debate with John McCain. And he's doing that in part to expand the electoral math to force John McCain to defend states he should already lock -- have locked up at this point, and at the same time trying to run out that clock, John.
ROBERTS: So, Jim, just to be clear. Again, David Axelrod said that when William Ayers held that 1995 event to introduce then community organizer Barack Obama to the community in terms of politics, says that Obama was unaware of Ayers' past with the Weather Underground?
ACOSTA: He says yes. At that time, during that 1995 coffee, yes, that is what he told us that Barack Obama was unaware of Ayers' past. He said that basically this was a coffee held at the urging of Obama's predecessor whose seat he was running for. And Barack Obama obviously knew about Ayers after that, during those boards that they served together on.
And it's interesting to know the Obama campaign is noting what was said in the "New York Times" article that Sarah Palin mentioned over the weekend and that is, is that the mayor of Chicago, Richard Daley, has said that William Ayers has in his mind, the mayor's mind, redeemed himself in Chicago and has shown that by being a college professor and serving on these boards, that you have to look at the totality of one's life. That comment coming from Mayor Daley and the Obama campaign saying at this point that, yes, while these two men did serve together briefly on some of these nonprofit boards in Chicago, that they completely condemned what Bill Ayers did back in the '60s, John.
ROBERTS: All right. We'll find out more about this, Jim, because Robert Gibbs, campaign adviser to the Obama campaign, will be joining us at our next hour here on the "Most News in the Morning."
Jim Acosta in Asheville, North Carolina, this morning. Jim, thanks so much.
John McCain holds a campaign rally this afternoon in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before heading to Nashville for his final debate preparation. Polls suggest that McCain faces an uphill battle against Barack Obama in the campaign's final weeks. The latest CNN national poll of polls shows Obama with 49 percent compared to John McCain with 43 percent. Eight percent of the electorate say they are still undecided.
CHETRY: And McCain's running mate, Governor Sarah Palin, will barnstorm her way through Florida today. She was in California and Nebraska yesterday where she was taking some strong shots at Barack Obama on a number of things, including the war in Iraq. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The article said that one of his earlier supporters is a man named Bill Ayers. And according to the "New York Times," he was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that "launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Seven members of Governor Palin's administration, by the way, including her chief of staff, have agreed to testify after a judge upheld their subpoenas last week. Palin is accused of removing Alaska's public safety commissioner from his post after he refused to fire her former brother-in-law, a state trooper. Palin says she fired the senior state official over budget disagreements.
Meantime, Sarah Palin is sending her condolences to Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden. Biden's mother-in-law died yesterday after a long illness. Funeral services will be held tomorrow, and the candidate will be off the trail for a couple of days. A Biden spokesman released a statement saying, "We appreciate everyone's respect for the family's privacy during this difficult time."
ROBERTS: Breaking news this morning. And markets overseas tanking today. Will that weigh down Wall Street and your investments? We're "Minding Your Business" for you on this Monday morning.
And did John McCain make a winning choice when he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate? A group of undecided women voters weigh in on the Palin factor.
You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." I'm Diana Magnay in Berlin.
Now Europe's markets are in freefall right now. That's all because of one German mortgage lender, Hypo Real Estate. The German government had to hold emergency talks last night to bail that bank out. It was the second time that they were trying to push through to the tune of $70 billion. That's the rescue sum that they had to provide.
Now, all of Europe are also looking at Germany to see whether they will do what Germany has now announced. It will do guarantee all savings deposits in the bank. A very big call from Germany should other European countries follow suit.
John and Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: Thanks so much. You know, we're talking about the overseas market in this freefall this morning. Business correspondent Christine Romans joins us now "Minding Your Business."
So, they're dealing with the same problem we are with the banks and the mortgage-backed securities.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
CHETRY: Is that our fault or are they also going through the same thing at the same time?
ROMANS: There was some lending standards there. They're going through some of the same things, but it's a spillover. It's contagious (ph) from the United States markets as well. I mean, a lot of these companies have bad mortgage securities, are bad mortgage securities on their books, or they're trying to figure out just how much of this wreckage they have on their books as well. So we're still trying to pick through the wreckage and figure out exactly what the exposure is for, the European countries.
And there was a crisis meeting, a crisis meeting of heads of state this weekend trying to figure out what exactly to do. Let's take a look at the Asian markets first because this is the first time they've had a chance to react to the United States' news that we passed that bailout bill.
And you can see Tokyo down 4.3 percent. Hong Kong down five percent. Shanghai down 5.2 percent.
European markets, as we just reported, in a freefall. London down 5.8 percent, and Dow futures this morning are down 281 points. So we are looking for some trouble when the stock market opens here as well.
We've been saying it all week, all last week, the bailout bill was not the end. It's the beginning of the end at the best case scenario.
CHETRY: Yes. But it was supposed to stem the bleeding.
ROMANS: Stem the bleeding maybe in the economy, but we still just -- it's a confidence game at this point. We're just trying to figure out when the lending is going to get a little bit better and when we're going to be able to figure out -- when we're going to be able to figure out what the true health is of some of these banks. So this is still -- this is still the beginning.
ROBERTS: Is there any indication that the credit squeeze is starting to loosen up yet?
ROMANS: It's too soon. It's interesting because we passed the bill on Friday. It's going to take a while before they can actually get those toxic instruments off the books, but we're going to see early this week if we can, some of these corporate treasuries will start to report that the banks are indeed lending their money again. CHETRY: All right. And we'll check in with you next.
Meanwhile, people at home are tightening their belt...
ROMANS: That's right.
CHETRY: ... that we haven't seen in a while. So we're going to talk about the impact on the economy on that as well. Thanks, Christine.
Curse words on the airwaves.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Bleep) brilliant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The government wants more power to penalize networks for foul language, but TV executives are fighting it all the way to the highest court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody with a clipboard is running around saying, well, maybe this word is OK, maybe this word isn't OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Wow. Quite a sight there. You're looking at 23,000 glowing gourds. Over the weekend, a camp in Maine was trying to smash the record for the most pumpkins lit at one time. Get it?
CHETRY: Smash.
ROBERTS: Smash pumpkins. But they fell short of the recorded 30,000 jack lanterns that lit up Boston Common back in 2006. Wow. What an amazing sight. How's the pumpkins there?
It's coming up on 17 minutes after the hour. Rob Marciano is checking the extreme weather for us from Atlanta this morning.
And, Rob, some good news and bad news. Good news is that they got some snow already in the Rockies. So I'm planning that ski vacation.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is. It is. Yes, a little bit of snow above the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains in some cases 9,000, 10,000 feet. They got over a foot of snow. So it's definitely a sign that the seasons are changing. Cold air driving down across the Rockies. This was the storm that was out west beginning of the weekend. Came through the Rockies during the weekend with the snow and now it's punching into the plains and that will bring the threat for severe weather. As we get into October and November, we get kind of our secondary severe weather season. This transitional season of spring we get it, as you know, especially April and May. We also get a fair amount into the end of October and through the month of November.
So be aware of that severe weather potentially from Oklahoma back to northeastern Texas, and we're seeing a pretty strong line of thunderstorms even at this early hour making its way through the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. So here it is, this line barreling eastward and we'll be heading down to 20 and the 30 here over the next couple of hours, some of which will have some rough weather.
Behind it is chilly air, so snows in the Rockies will melt quickly, 64. Fifty-seven degrees in New York. That's nice. Eighty- seven in Nashville. Still holding on the heat in Atlanta with a high of 82 degrees. But it's always a nice temperature to carve a pumpkin and get yourself in the mood for Halloween.
John, back up to you.
ROBERTS: All right. Rob, thanks so much.
Eighteen minutes after the hour.
CHETRY: Judging Sarah Palin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIANE WILKES, UNDECIDED VOTER: I'm not at all confident that she has what it takes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Four undecided women sit down for a candid conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARLENE BOWEN, UNDECIDED VOTER: She was refreshing to me. I really liked her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Rick Sanchez looks at the race through the eyes of first-time voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH SCOTT, UNDECIDED VOTER: She can't manage to put a sentence together. I can't respect that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning." (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE", FROM NBC BROADWAY VIDEO)
TINA FEY, PLAYING SARAH PALIN: You see, while Senator Biden has been in Washington all these years, I've been with regular people, hockey moms and Joe six-packs. And I'd also like to give a shout-out to the third graders of Gladys Wood Elementary, who were so helpful to me in my debate prep.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: That's Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin for laughs, but the real Alaska governor has been more pit bull than hockey mom on the campaign trail, spending the weekend attacking Barack Obama.
CNN's Rick Sanchez talked with four women undecided women voters about Sarah Palin's impact on the presidential race as part of our series, "The League of First-Time Voters."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIANE WILKES, UNDECIDED VOTER: It makes me angry because I think either one, he put her there to take advantage of the ignorance that some women have because they will vote for her simply because she's a woman, which is scary. Or, two, he thought that, you know, she might be the best woman for the job, which makes me question his capability to surround himself with people who are going to help him run this country.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Why? Do you not think she's the best woman for the job?
WILKES: Based on what I've seen so far, I'm not at all confident that she has what it takes to do this job.
REBECCA BURNOS, UNDECIDED VOTER: She is a good counterbalance to his, sometimes, fiery nature.
SHARLENE BOWEN, UNDECIDED VOTER: Honestly, I mean, she was refreshing to me. I really liked her, and I liked somebody that's going to stand for what they believe in, they're going to stand behind what they believe in. They're not going to let people sway --
SANCHEZ: But did you watch the interview with Katie Couric?
BOWEN: Yes. Yes.
SANCHEZ: What did you think about it?
BOWEN: And, of course, I feel like that she -- other people have made blunders and have made mistakes, but she is --
SANCHEZ: Was she nervous? BOWEN: Probably. But I think she is just getting hit so hard, and they're just looking for anything they can because they didn't know much about her.
ELIZABETH SCOTT, UNDECIDED VOTER: You look at the Katie Couric interview and you look at every time the media has gotten a hold of her and asked her a question, she can't manage to put a sentence together. I can't respect that. I feel like she's doing a disservice to women in general.
SANCHEZ: How many here think that actually she can hurt or has hurt John McCain?
SCOTT: We're kind of sending her out there and they're saying this is your woman. This is who you should vote for because you're a woman, too, and she can't put a sentence together.
BOWEN: I think that people are going to attack her. I think people are going to try to find things wrong, you know, with her and why she wouldn't be the best person for the job. And I'm not saying she is the best person that's why I'm undecided. I don't know.
SANCHEZ: Raise your hand if you think that she will help John McCain, having her by his side will help John McCain's candidacy. Raise your hand.
BURNOS: I don't really think it will.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think so.
BURNOS: I think there are a lot of women that will choose to vote for him because of her, because maybe they were undecided and then they saw a woman.
BOWEN: She is going to attract voters. She's got a son that is in the military. She's got that, where they can relate to her. She has, of course, the Down Syndrome child. People with special needs children are going to relate to her. She's a mother. She's a working mother.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Swing states. The McCain camp pulls out of Michigan to focus on other battlegrounds. But will the new game plan be enough as McCain fights to hold on to Republican turf? Jason Carroll looks at potentially dramatic shifts in the electoral map.
You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Bruce Springsteen there headlining a get out the vote rally for Barack Obama in the key battleground state of Ohio. And with just 29 days left now until the election, the campaign on both sides is going decidedly negative. Here now is Mark Halperin. He's the senior political analyst for "Time" magazine, the editor of "The Page" on Time.com and a great friend of AMERICAN MORNING. Thanks for being with us today.
MARK HALPERIN, SR. POLITICAL ANALYST, "TIME": I'm a decidedly negative guy, so it's perfect to have me here.
ROBERTS: There you go. Everybody's negative at 6:26 in the morning. I don't know how you can be positive.
Sarah Palin's attack on Barack Obama and his ties to William Ayers over the weekend. Let's quickly listen and I'll ask you about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our opponent is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: With the economy in the tank, Mark, is that the only line of attack that the McCain campaign has at this point?
HALPERIN: Look, there are two ways for us to talk about this. One is the kind of insight tactics and strategy will this work or not, and that's interesting to a lot of people. But I think the more important thing with 30 days left is to look at the charges that both sides are now making and say do they have relevance to the person's fitness promise (ph)?
The McCain camp is arguing that Obama showed bad judgment in this association, and that it shows that he doesn't have the same values of other Americans. That's going to be up for the American people to decide, but it does take away from the economy. The question is, can they really get people to think about something beyond the economy?
ROBERTS: And there's a new ad that the McCain campaign has got launching today called "Dangerous," in which they're suggesting that Barack Obama is too dangerous to be president. That Democrats are too dangerous to lead in Congress?
HALPERIN: It says what he said about Afghanistan and American troops there was despicable. This is very tough rhetoric. Again, there's a tactic here to try to paint Obama as out of the mainstream on national security, on values. We'll see if it works, but I think American voters, viewers of your show shouldn't get so caught up in the tactics and strategy. Think about the facts and what it says about Obama and what the charges say about the McCain campaign.
ROBERTS: And so, now, there's a game of punch me in the nose, I'll punch you in the nose. What's going on there?
HALPERIN: That's right. ROBERTS: And that because the Obama campaign is launching a long, I think it's 12 or 13-minute long video on the Internet about John McCain's connections to Charles Keating in the "Keating Five" scandal from a couple of decades ago. Let's watch a little piece of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many of our fellow citizens apparently believe that your services were bought by Charles Keating.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Keating Five involved all the things that have brought the modern crisis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So, I mean, at the time when the economy is in the tank, linking John McCain to the "Keating Five" scandal could be a very powerful line of attack. Do you think they would they have gone there had they not said you're palling around terrorists. Obviously, they had this in production.
HALPERIN: I think they stayed up all night producing that 13- minute video. No, no, no. They've obviously had this because this is the biggest scandal of John McCain's life and the potency of the Democratic argument is, as you suggested, this relates to today's headlines. The regulation of financial institutions whether it's enough to protect regular consumers, it's a pretty effective thing.
It is an old scandal. It's the biggest scandal of John McCain's career and Democrats are clearly trying to not only use this issue but send a message to Republicans. You go after Barack Obama's past, we're going after John McCain's past. And again, this is on the economy, not on issues like, is this Obama's associations with someone who he knows not that well, John.
ROBERTS: And, of course, something else that's out there that everybody was looking at is Tina Fey's portrayal of Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live." She was there again this past Saturday night. Let's watch that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" FROM NBC/BROADWAY VIDEO)
TINA FEY, PLAYING SARAH PALIN: And I'm not going to talk about that. I would like to talk about taxes because with Barack Obama you're going to be paying higher taxes, but not with me and my fellow maverick. We are not afraid to get mavericky in there and not got to allow that. And also to the great Ronald Reagan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So a lot of people get a laugh out of the portrayal, but that level of ridicule, does it resonate with voters whom it really matters with?
HALPERIN: Well, "Saturday Night Live" has gotten good ratings this season, so some voters will see it directly. What I think it does is it hurts her with the media filter. It hurts her with people like us, that are the news business, to say is she a credible, strong, serious messenger? They clearly intend to use her to drive a very strong message against Barack Obama . I think it's harder for her to do through that filter if she's still the punch line on late-night TV. Despite her relatively strong debate performance, she still is.
ROBERTS: Mark Halperin, with us this morning. Mark, thanks so much.
HALPERIN: Thanks to you.
ROBERTS: Appreciate it.
CHETRY: It's 6:30 here in New York this morning. Some of the top stories we're following.
Police in California say at least 10 people are dead after a charter bus lost control, and flipped over then landed in a drainage ditch. It happened last night about 60 miles north of Sacramento. Several passengers were thrown from the bus. Area hospitals are treating about a dozen people. Some are in surgery right now.
Two strong earthquakes striking parts of Tibet overnight within 15 minutes of each other. The first, a 6.6 magnitude quake, centered about 50 miles from the Tibet capital. Official say the second measured 5.1, it was about eight miles from the first. No reports of damage or injuries yet from either quake.
Jurors who convicted O.J. Simpson of armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas speaking publicly for the first time since Friday's verdict; they say they couldn't rely on the witness' testimony and instead used audio, video and other documented evidence to reach their decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE RENEE LYONS, SIMPSON JUROR: The thing that really clinched it for me, and I think for a lot of other people was he drove the car. He came out of that room with items that did not belong to him. He let people put these items into his car. He transferred these items from his car to another car and continued to lie to conceal the entire crime.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: O.J. Simpson is due to be sentenced December 5th. If convicted he could get life in prison.
To the most politics now: We're counting down to tomorrow night's presidential debate in Nashville. About 38 and a half hours. Wow, we really are counting down.
John McCain and Barack Obama will sharing the stage for a town hall-style debate. The latest CNN Poll of Polls shows Barack Obama with a 6-point lead over John McCain and a dramatic shift in the electoral and McCain tries to hold on to traditional Republican turf. CNN's Jason Carroll is following that for us this morning
Hi, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you.
What we're seeing is a bit of a shake-up in some of the battleground states. The numbers show Senator McCain has work to do and in some of the states that his Republican predecessors had easily won.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I need to win the state of Michigan.
(APPLAUSE)
MCCAIN: We need to win the state of Michigan. We need your support.
CARROLL (voice over): That was last month. But now the McCain campaign is pulling up stakes in Michigan. A state that has voted for the Democrats in the last four presidential elections, but a state that the McCain campaign thought they could grab that. It's a move his running mate isn't crazy about.
SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, as I said the other day I would sure love to get to run Michigan; and make sure that Michigan knows that we haven't given up there.
CARROLL: The McCain campaign will move resources from there to Ohio, and Pennsylvania . States they think they have a better chance of winning, but McCain's down 10 points in the latest CNN Poll of Polls in Pennsylvania. And in Ohio a new Quinnipiac survey suggests McCain's 8 points behind Obama . In Florida, which President Bush won by 5 points last time around, a new CNN Poll of Poll it's indicates McCain's down by 5 points.
But it's not just the battleground states. McCain's fighting to hold on to states that used to be reliably Republican in presidential elections, like Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana, Nevada and Colorado.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will not just win Colorado. We will win this general election.
CARROLL: So what does the big picture look like? The CNN electoral college map estimates that if the election were held today, Barack Obama would win 250 electoral votes; and John McCain would take 189. With 99 electoral votes still up for grabs. And 270 electoral votes are needed to win the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: And in addition to shifting some resources, the McCain camp has stepped up its attacks on Senator Obama . Most analysts agree the issue of hurting McCain the most is the economy.
CHETRY: All right. Jason, thanks for looking into that for us.
CARROLL: All right.
CHETRY: You know we look at these Polls of Polls and we see who has the lead over the other one, broadly. But really it does come down to each and every one of these states, especially the battleground states.
CARROLL: Absolutely. >
CHETRY: All right, Jason, good to see you this morning.
Tomorrow on AMERICAN MORNING we begin a special series with Carol Costello It is called "Voice of the People." You have heard Sarah Palin talking a lot about Joe Six Pack in recent days. So, who exactly does he represent? We'll look at that tomorrow.
Of course, CNN will have tomorrow night's debate covered from every angle with the best political team on television beginning at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
ROBERTS: 'Tis the season for politics on the big screens. We take a look at some of Hollywood's latest offerings from the left and from right.
The price to heat your home warming up. We'll give you a glimpse at the mega-heating bills that are just around the corner and tell you what city could pay the most.
You're watching the most news in the morning.
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ROBERTS: You may be spending some cold, hard cash to heat your home. According to the Department of Energy, people in Boston are expected to pay more than $1,900 a month this winter in heating expenses. Minneapolis and Washington, D.C. not far behind at more than $1,600 a month. The high prices a result of most residents there using heating oil and natural gas, which are up this year.
And travelers hand onto your wallets. American Airlines is announcing a new pricing structure for next year. The airlines says it will charge a lower basic fare, but then hit you with fees for extras like beverages and blankets. American was the first carrier to charge customers for checking even a single suitcase.
Christine Romans is "Minding Your Business" again.
This is Doom, and her evil twin sister Gloom, this morning.
(LAUGHTER)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, that's not true.
You know, one of the things about the credit crisis, I think it has people taking a look at their own finances and deciding that they cannot charge everything to the max anymore. But that is not good for the overall economy.
And we're heading into the holidays, for example, we've already seen some of the toy retailers already slashing prices. It's not even Halloween yet. We have seen car sales plummeted. Some 30 percent for Ford sales were down in the most recent months. And we know people, even if they want to go out and spend, in some cases they are having a hard time getting the credit.
You know, one of the statistics is that 87 percent of holiday shoppers used some form of credit to do that shopping. We have a credit freeze on at the moment. That's going to force some people to really pull in their horns.
Now, here's my conundrum. It's not good for the economy when two-thirds of the economic growth in this country is driven by consumers. It is not good for the economy when you have people spooked by credit crisis, or spooked by the thought of losing their job, and so they're not out there spending. That's not good for the economy. But it is good for people and their individual budgets, if they get a little more reasonable.
So, here is the macro/micro picture: If you are somebody who has too much debt and you have a negative ratings like so many people in the country, and like the country itself, when you are spending more than you take in, now's the time to really kind of get it - you know, get yourself together.
CHETRY: And this is what we talked about with the rebate checks that the government has been sending out, as well.
ROMANS: Right.
CHETRY: If you do what's right for you, which is pay down debt or save it, it is not doing what it's supposed to do in the broad picture, which is stimulate spending.
ROMANS: In the broad picture. And just about the broad picture, again this morning, we have the Dow futures down some 281 points. A lot of people were saying, Friday, that saying wow, we passed this big bill, everything will be great. Well, we're still at the beginning of this whole mess. We're going to -- the best analogy - and I didn't make this up. A lot of people have been saying it. It is the car wreck on the side of the road. Long after it's cleared, you still have slow traffic, even though there's no evidence of it anymore, you still have all kinds of traffic tie-ups. That's where we're at. That's what we're facing now. We're getting the wreckage off the road, but we still, you know it's still going to be bumper to bumper for a while.
ROBERTS: Call out the tow trucks, please!
ROMANS: I know, I was angel of darkness again, wasn't I.
ROBERTS: You certainly were, yes.
ROBERTS: As I said, Gloom, and her evil twin sister, Doom this morning. Thanks, Christine.
It's 41 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY (voice over): Curse words on the airwaves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (DELETED EXPLETIVE) brilliant.
CHETRY: The government wants more power to penalize networks for foul language, but TV executives are fighting it all the way to the highest court.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody with a clipboard is running around saying, well, maybe this word is OK, maybe this word isn't OK.
CHETRY: You're watching the most news in the morning.
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(BEGIN MOVIE CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rattle trap, (MUFFLED CURSING),
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the heat of battle my father wove a tapestry of obscenity that as far as we know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan.
(END MOVIE CLIP)
CHETRY: One of the classic moments from a favorite around Christmas-time. "A Christmas Story". But foul language, right now, is at the center of one of the many cases the Supreme Court will be taking up, when it opens a new session today. CNN's Kelli Arena is live outside the court and joins us now with more.
Hey, Kelli.
KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Good morning, Kiran.
At issue in this case, the FCC wants more power to penalize broadcasts networks for foul language, but network executives say that would be a violation of the First Amendment.
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ARENA: Words matter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really, really (EXPLETIVE DELETED) brilliant.
ARENA: There are lots of celebrities throwing around the F bomb and it's not just on cable. It's also happening on the broadcast networks, in primetime.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you ever tried to get (EXPLETIVE DELETED)? Prada purse? It's not so (EXPLETIVE DELETED) simple.
ARENA: The FCC wants to penalize broadcast networks for fleeting expletives that air before 10:00 p.m., even if it only happens once.
I think the network have to bear some of the responsibility here. They're license holders, they're holding a federal privilege with that license.
ARENA: But network executives say they tried to comply by instituting a five-second delay and bleeping out obscenities.
CHER: So, (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
ARENA: Critics say, that's laughable.
TIM WINTER, PRES., PARENTS TELEVISION COUNCIL: This past summer CBS edited into a show, into a show that had to go through multiple reviews, by multiple people in the organization, an F word.
ARENA: TV execs argue it's difficult to know when they've crossed the line because FCC rules are not consistent. For example, the R-rated movie "Saving Private Ryan" has aired repeatedly on television. The FCC says the foul language in that movie merely conveys the horrors of war.
ANDREW JAY SCHWARTZMAN, PRES. MEDIA ACCESS PROJECT: Trying to produce material that is artistically superior is extremely difficult in the context where somebody with a clipboard is running around saying, well, maybe this word is OK, maybe this word isn't OK. Can't you change this?
ARENA: This isn't the first time the Supreme Court will get involved in the broadcast debate. In 1978 it came down pretty hard after a monologue by comedian George Carlin.
GEORGE CARLIN, COMEDIAN: (EXPLETIVE DELETED), (EXPLETIVE DELETED), (EXPLETIVE DELETED), (EXPLETIVE DELETED), (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
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ARENA: The Court ruled back then that Carlin's rift was indecent and the liberal Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion. He is still sitting on the bench, which is a good indication whatever the Court rules, the decision will be very, very close.
And, Kiran, later on in the show at 8 o'clock, I'll be back with another very important case before the Supreme Court that could affect anyone who uses prescription drugs. So very important, you want to stay tuned for that one.
CHETRY: All right, we will, Kelli. Thanks. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY (voice over): Late-night politics.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I can see Russia from my house.
CHETRY: The art of poking fun at politicians. Alina Cho takes us behind the scenes of "Saturday Night Live."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The moment they're in power, we're the opposition.
CHETRY: You're watching the most news in the morning opinion
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In an Obama/Biden administration same-sex couples would be guaranteed the same property rights, rights to insurance and rights of ownership, as heterosexual couples. There will be no distinction. I repeat no distinction.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, to clarify, do you support gay marriage, Senator Biden?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely not.
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ROBERTS: Hollywood has certainly never been shy about letting its political side show. In this presidential season we are seeing movies that take aim from both sides of the aisle. CNN's Brooke Anderson is watching it all for us.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN HOLLYWOOD CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, the big-screen politic ace bound as the presidential race rears its finale, but will it make a difference to voters?
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whose job is it to find these damn weapons?
ANDERSON (voice over): With the presidential election just weeks away, Hollywood is releasing a slew of politically themed movies, both from the left and the right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love America. That's why it needs to be destroyed.
ANDERSON: And "American Carol" takes aim at liberals.
DAVID ZUCKER, DIR. "AMERICAN CAROL": Instead of Scrooge, it's a Michael Moore-like character saying bah-hum-bug to America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Bush name.
ANDERSON: Bush critic Oliver Stone's "W," an fictionalized unflattering portrayal of the current president.
BILL MAHER, COMEDIAN, POLITICAL SATIRIST: It worries me that people are running my country who believe in a talking sink.
ANDERSON: Bill Maher's "Religulous" questions the validity of religion and attacks Bush in the process.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe that God wants everybody to be free.
MAHER: I think religion is a tremendously important topic, I'm just against it.
ANDERSON: But will these films actually impact voters' decisions at the polls?
LEAH ROZEN, FILM CRITIC, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: I don't think that much of what people see on a screen affects them when they go into the voting booth. I think these movies preach to the converted. I think people who go to these films tend to already be on whatever political side they espouse.
ANDERSON: Other new offerings take a less partisan approach to government and policies.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want to keep the truth gagged? So be it.
ANDERSON: "Battle in Seattle" about the 1999 World Trade Organization protest was shown at both the Republican and Democratic national conventions.
STUART TOWNSEND, DIR. "BATTLE IN SEATTLE": This isn't a left or right film, or a Republican or Democrat film. It's about Americans. It is about patriotic Americans standing up fighting the power.
ANDERSON: "The Lucky Ones" centers on three Iraq veterans who returning home to the U.S. and "Body of Lies" targets terrorists.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a dangerous, dangerous world out there, you know?
ANDERSON: Proof Hollywood's latest plot line mirrors real-life issues as the nation prepares to cast its vote.
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ANDERSON: Not to be outdone, Michael Moore has also released a film, but in an unconventional way, "Slacker Uprising", about Moore's effort to get young people to vote in 2004 is playing on the internet for free -- John, Kiran,
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PALIN: To pal around with terrorists whose targeted their own country.
ROBERTS (voice over): An explosive charge, screams out for the truth squad. So we're checking the facts for you.
Plus, the hair, the glass, the voice.
FEY: I can see Russia from my house.
ROBERTS: The election and the real power of "Saturday Night Live."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's your role? What is SNL's role?
ROBERTS: You're watching the most news in the morning opinion.
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ROBERTS: Welcome back to the most news in the morning.
Checking Monday's "Political Ticker", defense attorneys for Senator Ted Stevens, or Alaska, want the judge in the case to dismiss charges or declare a mistrial. Stevens attorney say government prosecutors concealed information that would have helped their defense. Stevens is accused of not reporting $100s of $1,000s in home renovations and gifts. The Justice Department will likely investigate the prosecutors.
Sad news this morning for the family of Joe Biden. The candidate's mother-in-law died Sunday after a long illness. The Obama campaign has cancelled the senator's campaign events through Tuesday. Joe Biden's mother, Bonny Jean Jacobs, was 78 years old.
In other political news this morning. The latest CNN Poll of Polls, Barack Obama has a 6-point lead over John McCain, now 49 to 43 percent. And 8 percent of voters say they are still unsure.
The fight for the White House goes to a Paris fashion house. A familiar face hit the runway during Paris' fashion week, but not strutting, rather being worn. So, now political fashionistas can show their sleeves, or their torsos, or whatever.
For more up to the minute political news go to CNN.com/ticker.
Sarah Palin raised some eyebrows over the weekend linking Barack Obama to Bill Ayers, a former member of the radical leftist group The Weathermen. The Obama campaign was quick to reject that claim, but we want to give you more than just a sound byte here and let you really hear what they're saying.
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PALIN: One of his earliest supporters is a man named Bill Ayers. And according to "The New York Times", he was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, "launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol."
Wow. There's even more to the story. Barack Obama says that Ayers was just someone in his neighborhood, but that's less than truthful. His own top adviser said they were, quote, "certainly friendly." In fact, Obama held one of his first meetings of his political career in Bill Ayers home, and they've worked together on various projects in Chicago. And thee are the same guys that think that patriotism is paying higher taxes. Remember, that is what Joe Biden said.
This is not a man who sees America as you and I do. We see America as the greatest force for good in this world. I'm afraid this is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to work with a former domestic terrorist who targeted his own country. And this, ladies and gentlemen, has nothing to do with the kind of change that anyone can believe in.
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CHETRY: All right. Well, there you heard some of Sarah Palin on the campaign trail this weekend.
