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American Morning
Palin's Travel Expenses Questioned; Interview with Sarah Palin; Obama Hammers Economic Message; Investigating ACORN; Swaying the Undecideds
Aired October 22, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN HOST: We are crossing the top of the hour and here are today's top stories. Breaking right now, brand new questions for Governor Sarah Palin.
"The Associated Press" says she charged Alaska $21,000 to bring her children along on trips that she made as governor. This morning, the McCain campaign is trying to clear all of this up. We'll have a live report coming up in just a few moments.
Democrats are reportedly getting a big boost in early voting reversing a trend that's been seen in past elections. "USA Today" says they outnumber Republicans at early polling places and some extremely close states like Ohio, Nevada, New Mexico and Florida.
And new fears of a long and severe recession sending Asian markets on a nosedive this morning. Japan's Nikkei down close to seven percent. Dow futures also pointing down more than 100 points.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN HOST: And back to our breaking news. New questions about Governor Sarah Palin's travel expenses. The McCain campaign is trying to clear things us this morning. And CNN's Ed Henry is live in Manchester, New Hampshire, this morning with the developing story. He joins us on the phone.
Good morning, Ed. Are you with us?
ON THE PHONE: ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Good morning, Kiran.
The significance is that Sarah Palin, as you know, out here on the campaign trail talks a lot about saving taxpayers' money as governor. But there are new questions this morning about that.
As you said, "The Associated Press" reviewed various travel records showing the governor charged state taxpayers over $21,000 for commercial flights and hotels for her children so they could attend official events with her. In one case in July, Palin charged the state over $2,700 in airfare and lodging to take her children to Philadelphia for a governor's meeting.
Last October, she charged the state about $1,300 in airfare so her daughter Bristol could come to New York for a women's leadership conference. Very important to note, though, that Alaska law does not specifically address travel for children of the governor. So there's no evidence that this violated any law or any ethical rule. Instead, it really comes down to the spending of taxpayer money.
I spoke to a McCain/Palin spokesman, Taylor Griffin, who said, "Like spouses and children of governors across the nation, Alaska's First Family make public appearances, attend events, and perform ceremonial duties in their role as the family of Alaska's governor. When members of the First Family participate in events, the state provides for travel to and from those events. Governor Palin refuses her per diem payments for her children, which the state allows for it, initially provided until she ordered the per diem payments to stop."
So what they're saying there's no daily, you know, cash per diem for the kids but the taxpayers have at the state level paid for hotel and airfare -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. So what's her take on how this will play out on the campaign trail? Is this going to be something that the opponents are going to seize on about whether or not she really is, as she has said before, somebody who isn't business as usual, politics as usual?
HENRY: You're right. I think that's exactly what Democrats will jump on, the idea that this might run counter to what Governor Palin has been sort of pitching herself as in terms of a reformer, saving taxpayer money. But her office notes that, in fact, when you look at the big picture beyond just her kids, she spent about $100,000 in 2007 for travel expenses, whereas her predecessor the previous year spent about $500,000 of travel. So when you look at the big picture, it was still $400,000 less than her predecessor year to year.
And so, I think, you know, having been out here on the trail at a lot of Palin rallies, her supporters think the media has already given her way too much scrutiny compared to the Democratic side of the ticket. And so I imagine most Republicans are not really going to pay a lot of attention to this. The question will be, as you just said, with Governor Crist (ph), you know, what do independent, swing voters think about these kind of stories? Will it sway them in any way, Kiran?
CHETRY: And how will they feel about her wanting to, you know, bring her kids with her. She's a mother of five versus leaving her kids behind. A lot of these things that require her to be away from them for long periods of time.
HENRY: Absolutely. I mean, that is a tough question that she has to deal with in covering the president. Obviously, the president will bring his family, whether it's his wife or sometimes his children overseas for a trip. So it's not unprecedented for Democrats or Republicans to bring their families on various trips. The question will be sort of how often you do it, exactly how much the costs are, whether you should be reimbursing some of those costs, Kiran.
CHETRY: I got you.
All right. Ed Henry putting it in perspective for us this morning. Thanks so much.
ROBERTS: Also new today, Sarah Palin opening up about something that she is now calling "Tasergate." The governor sat down for an exclusive interview with CNN's Drew Griffin, passionately defended her husband's actions in the case of Trooper Wooten.
Drew Griffin joins us now live from Reno, Nevada. She's certainly putting her spin on this whole case. Some people call it "Troopergate." She's calling it "Tasergate."
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Just in the very title alone, John, and just to set this up a little bit, you know, the Branchflower Board up in Alaska came back and reported on this. This is the ex-brother-in-law of the governor that they tried to get fired from the Alaska State Trooper. His name is Trooper Mike Wooten. And after she became governor, it was her husband, Todd Palin, who really used the office of governor to continue to press the troopers to try to fire this ex-brother-in-law.
It really seemed like a family grudge. The report came back saying nothing illegal in the governor's actions, but certainly she did violate the ethics law and abused her power. Here's what she had to say when I asked her about that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Was it a mistake to allow your husband to use your office to try to pressure the troopers to fire Mr. Wooten?
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Not at all because a, that the trooper who had tasered his kid and had, you know, made death threats against my family and said he was going to bring the governor down and all that, my husband did exactly I think what any sensible, reasonable father, husband would do who was concerned about their family's safety.
GRIFFIN: But was it a mistake to allow him to use the governor's office to that extent?
PALIN: Not when you look at other governor's track records when they had their spouse, as for instance, Governor Murkowski had his spouse as his top adviser and she was in meetings, she was in the office. So you know, kind of double standard here, but what Todd did was what any reasonable husband and father would do.
GRIFFIN: Governor, if in two weeks you're not elected...
PALIN: Yes.
GRIFFIN: ... do you come back at the top of the ticket in 2012?
PALIN: I'm concerned about and focused on just the next two weeks, Drew, and again, getting that message out there to the American public. Thankfully, too, the American public is seeing clearer and clearer what the choices are on these tickets.
I think some revelation just occurred not just with Joe the plumber, but revelation occurred with Joe Biden's comment the other night that he, telling his Democrat financial donors, saying that -- he said, mark my word, there's going to be economic and/or international crisis, he said, if Barack Obama is elected because he will be tested. And he said there are four or five scenarios that will result in an international crisis with this untested presidential candidate in Barack Obama.
And first, I think we need to thank Joe for the warning there. But Joe's words there, I think can shed some light too, in terms of the contrasts you have on the tickets.
John McCain is a tested leader. He has gone through great adversity. He has the scars to prove it. He has shown his true leadership. It hasn't just been all talk. And Joe Biden's comments there about an untested, as he had said in the primary, unprepared candidate to be president, I think was very telling.
GRIFFIN: I mean, does Joe Biden get a pass?
PALIN: Now ask -- Drew, you need to ask your colleagues and I guess your bosses or whoever is -- whoever is in charge of all this. Why does Joe Biden get a pass on such a thing? Can you imagine if I would have said such a thing?
No, I think that, you know, we would be hounded and held accountable for it. What in the world did you mean by that VP presidential candidate? Why would you say that, that mark my words, this nation will undergo international crisis if you elect Barack Obama. If I would have said that, you guys would have clobbered me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: John, she also talked about her experience compared with Biden or really Barack Obama, saying that really she has more experience in governing than the top of the Democratic ticket -- John.
ROBERTS: Would that also include Senator McCain, though, because he's never been in a position of management either?
GRIFFIN: That's true. But he's been in the Senate certainly a lot longer than Barack Obama. She didn't really go after Joe Biden's experience, just his gaffes, but she said she really has more experience in governing than Barack Obama.
ROBERTS: All right. Drew Griffin for us in Reno this morning. Drew, thanks so much for that.
CHETRY: Well, just 13 days now until America picks a president. A new CNN poll of polls showing Barack Obama with his biggest lead yet, now nine points over John McCain, 51 to 42 percent.
And in Florida, a state that could be a must-win territory for McCain, Barack Obama continued to challenge his opponent's reaction to the financial crisis.
Suzanne Malveaux is covering this for us this morning. The Obama campaign live from West Palm Beach.
Hey, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kiran. How are you?
CHETRY: Good. What's been going on there besides the fact that, you know, it's going to be a tight race? Twenty-seven electoral votes up for grabs and, you know, we're seeing it tighten a little bit. Barack Obama, of course, still has the lead there.
MALVEAUX: Well, sure. And as you know, Florida is a key state for Barack Obama. Perhaps even more important for John McCain. But we're going to see Barack Obama really mix it up today.
He is going to start his morning meeting with advisers from his national security team. He's going to come out and he's going to talk about the differences between his foreign policy and that of John McCain. And what's notable about this is really just with less than two weeks away, it shows a certain sense of confidence inside his team.
This is an area that was once seen really as a weakness for Barack Obama, but since we saw the endorsement of Bush's former secretary of state, Colin Powell, there's more of a sense that this is something they can put out there, that it's important to do so.
But then, Kiran, they're going to turn the corner once again, talk about issue number one. That is the economy. And talk about, once again, hitting John McCain over the criticism, whether or not government intervention and spending, whether or not that amounts to elements of socialism or whether or not it really is just making things fair for the American people, Kiran.
CHETRY: And how about this economic summit that he held yesterday in Florida? It wasn't really an ordinary meeting. He had a very friendly crowd. So what was the deal with that?
MALVEAUX: There was a certain sense, as you know, of showmanship with this. But really what it was, they called it a jobs summit. But it was an opportunity for Barack Obama essentially to show voters how much he knows about the economy, to hit back on criticism from McCain and then also to do it in a setting, this forum, to show off the kind of supporters that he has.
So we saw the former Fed chair, Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volcker. We saw four governors, three from Republican-leaning states all supporting his plan. It was very much in unison. And it kind of reminds you really of a lot of the things you covered before in the Bush administration, these photo ops that they call these summits. And perhaps it's not a bad thing for the Obama team because they want him to look like he's already doing things that the president would do. They want him to look presidential -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Absolutely. All right. Well, Suzanne Malveaux for us in West Palm Beach this morning. Thanks.
And the best political team is staying across the key battleground states bringing you every story that breaks from the campaign trail from now until Election Day right here on the "Most Politics in the Morning." ROBERTS: Layaway making a come back. Why stores are offering old options to fight the new credit crunch.
Our Christine Romans has the layaway low down coming up next.
And investigating ACORN. Ten states are looking into claims that the group is guilty of voter fraud. But why do some say ACORN is the victim? We'll tell you coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back. It's 13 minutes past 7:00 here in New York. Christine Romans "Minding Your Business" this morning. Some new polls about how people are feeling about the economy and the bailout.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: The bailout -- they don't like the bailout. Most Americans do not like the bailout. I don't know if we needed a big new poll to tell us that because so many people have been telling us that the bailout just didn't seem like it fit to them. They didn't like the $700 billion thing, and they didn't like the fact that it was pushed through so quickly.
Government assistance to banks in exchange for an ownership share, the United States government actually buying shares along with other investors in the banks. Fifty-three percent of Americans polled say it's a bad idea. Forty-four say it's a good idea.
Government assistance to big companies in exchange for an ownership share. Fifty-eight percent say it's a bad idea. Only 38 percent say it's a good idea.
But what they do like, they do like some sort of government assistance to homeowners. Most recent poll showing 58 percent favor government assistance to homeowners who cannot pay their mortgages, 40 percent oppose it.
CHETRY: That's part of John McCain's proposal or Barack Obama as well?
ROMANS: It's part of -- well, Barack Obama wants a moratorium on foreclosures so that would be a form of government assistance. And John McCain, you're right, wants direct government assistance for those mortgages.
But another interesting sort of angle on what's been happening with how people feel about the economy, people are changing their habits. I can't believe I'm saying it. The consumers are saving more.
In the second quarter for the first time in four years, you had a three percent savings. People saving three percent of their paychecks. That's either because they are starting to realize that thrift is back or it's because their credit cards wouldn't let them charge any more, and they begun to have to actually save their paycheck.
And layaway is back. All these anecdotal reports -- remember layaway? Did you put anything on layaway?
ROBERTS: Not since I was about 17.
ROMANS: Exactly. Layaway may be back. K-Mart, even on the cover of its Christmas, its holiday catalog, says layaway the easy way. We'll show you how.
You go in, you actually start to pay for something. You pay for it over a couple of weeks and then you can take it home with you.
CHETRY: After it's paid off.
ROMANS: After it's paid off. Now that instant gratification of the credit card, remember, layaway went away because, well, there was (INAUDIBLE) right away but most went away because people just go in and charge it, charge it, charge it. Now, at least on the margins, people are returning to layaway.
ROBERTS: Thrift. It's the new rational exuberance.
ROMANS: I guess so.
ROBERTS: Good news.
ROMANS: It is.
CHETRY: Christine, thanks.
ROBERTS: Voter fraud.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLIFTON MITCHELL, CONVICTED OF VOTER REGISTRATION FRAUD: I needed money. I need to support my family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: A man who did time for registering thousands of bogus voters tells us how he did it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLIFTON MITCHELL, CONVICTED OF VOTER REGISTRATION FRAUD: We came up with the idea -- that's to make fraudulent calls.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's coming up now at 19 minutes after the hour. Jacqui Jeras is tracking the extreme weather for us from the weather center in Atlanta.
And, Jacqui, you got some bad weather across the center of the country that's moving east.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it really is. And it's pulling in some extremely cold air, too, John. Temperatures really chilly this morning. In fact, about the northern two-thirds of the country waking up with their heaters cranked.
Temperatures this afternoon are going to be between 10 and 20 degrees below average behind this storm, from the Dakotas extending all the way down into the Rio Valley across parts of Texas. That's all thanks to the strong low in the nation's midsection. That cold air means snow for you in eastern Colorado, into western parts of Nebraska and Kansas. In fact, blizzard type conditions here.
Ahead of this system, severe thunderstorms and warm unstable conditions. In fact, a severe thunderstorm watch still in effect for eastern Kansas down towards the Oklahoma City area. Damaging winds and large hail will be the primary concern.
Our other weather system today off the coast here into New England. And this is the very culprit here of the reason why Sir Richard Branson is not on our show this morning.
He has taken off to try and make a transatlantic record in a single- hull boat. He left early this morning out of New York City trying to avoid this storm as we head through the northern Atlantic. He should stay behind this system, so we think he's going to be OK and ultimately he's going to travel over here to Lizard Point, England. He's got six days to do this trip.
I don't know why he couldn't just wait a couple of hours. I think he would have been OK -- John.
ROBERTS: Yes. Well, they say he was supposed to be on our show. We were supposed to tape him at 5:30 in the morning. He had to leave at 2:00 in the morning. Six days, 17 hours and 52 minutes is the record. So it's been 10 years since he has tried to set a world record so we'll see if he does it.
JERAS: Good luck to him.
ROBERTS: Jacqui, thanks so much for that.
CHETRY: Well, we're looking at the ACORN effect. The McCain camp says the group may be trying to steal the election, but are the claims of serious voter fraud actually true? Our Chris Lawrence is separating fact from fiction this morning.
And they can't wait until November 4th for their first time. We're going to check in with virgin voters who are lining up early in Florida.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: With early voting already underway across much of the country, CNN is looking out for your vote. All this week we're investigating possible ballot issues from coast-to-coast. Today in our count the vote series, our Chris Lawrence is in Washington State digging into allegations of voter fraud against the group ACORN. And he joins us now -- Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, we spoke with one of the only ACORN workers ever sent to jail over this. And we heard (ph) some say that ACORN itself is the victim here.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): This man helped register nearly 2,000 voters for ACORN, but you couldn't find one of them who actually existed.
CLIFTON MITCHELL, CONVICTED FOR VOTER REGISTRATION FRAUD: You know, I regret it. I paid the price for it.
LAWRENCE: Clifton Mitchell spent nearly three months in jail, one of the few people ever convicted of voter registration fraud.
MITCHELL: I needed money. I need to support my family. And I was new to the area. That's the only job I had.
LAWRENCE: Mitchell says ACORN threatened to close the office if his team didn't meet its quota. So behind the back of their supervisor --
MITCHELL: We came up with the idea let's make fraudulent cards.
LAWRENCE: They took addresses from homeless shelters, faked the birthdays and used baby name books to create new voters.
MITCHELL: We used newspaper every day. Everyday I would go to the Seattle Public Library and get a newspaper. I had one guy who would go through the phone book. Everyone had different methods.
LAWRENCE: ACORN was fined and ordered to improve its oversight. Senator John McCain's campaign has accused the group of trying to rig the election for Democrats.
(on camera): Are we talking about these fake people actually showing up to vote?
PROF. ERIC SCHNAPPER, UNIV. OF WASHINGTON SCHOOL OF LAW: If you look at some of the names -- Mickey Mouse, Dr. Seuss. Mickey Mouse only votes in Disneyland. He's not going to show up at a critical precinct in West Virginia or North Carolina.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Law Professor Eric Schnapper says if anyone should be upset it's ACORN.
SCHNAPPER: The victims of this are the people who paid these workers $8 an hour to go out and find legitimate voters, and they didn't get their $8 worth. They put down phony names.
LAWRENCE: Schnapper says threats of criminal prosecution may scare some groups into closing voter registration drives and keep some voters away from the polls.
SCHNAPPER: That really does affect the outcome of the election.
LAWRENCE: ACORN has just released a new video to fight what it calls efforts to suppress voter turnout. And for his part, Mitchell says his team never intended to steal an election.
MITCHELL: They're just trying to keep my job.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: A non-partisan group in NYU Law School reviewed the voter fraud cases across the country. It found that most were caused by technical glitches and clerical errors, and a person was more likely to be struck by lightning than impersonate another voter at the polls -- John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: Chris Lawrence for us in Seattle this morning. Chris, thanks so much for that.
And join us tomorrow when our Jim Acosta looks at how to rig an election. It's not instructions on how to, but he'll be talking with operatives on the left and the right. He found out the tactics to sway the vote are alive and well.
And you can find more of our special count the vote series online and learn about more problems that could plague this year's election. AMERICAN MORNING is online at CNN.com/am.
Plus, if you have concerns about possible voting irregularities in your state, we want to know about it. You can call us toll free any time, 1-877-GOCNN-08. 1-877-462-6608.
CHETRY: And there's some questions about Sarah Palin's family travel expenses and whether Alaska taxpayers picked up the tab. How the campaign is responding and whether the story has legs with 11 days until Election Day.
And they can't wait for their first time. These are virgin voters lining up early in Florida. We're going to talk about how it went for them.
Noah Gray, he's our 16-year-old voting correspondent. He found out. You're watching the "Most Politics in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: CNN's latest poll of polls now showing Senator Barack Obama with a nine-point edge over Senator John McCain, 51-42 percent. That is the biggest lead of the election. It also shows that seven percent of voters are still undecided.
So we wanted to know who's still on the fence out there and why. Joining me now from Washington is Patricia Murphy. She is the editor of Citizenjanepolitics.com. And John Avlon, a registered independent, also author of the book "Independent Nation."
Good to see you, folks. Good morning to you. PATRICIA MURPHY, EDITOR, CITIZENJANEPOLITICS.COM: Good morning.
JOHN AVLON, AUTHOR, "INDEPENDENT NATION": Good to see you.
ROBERTS: So, Patricia, why are seven percent of people still undecided at this point? What are they waiting for?
MURPHY: Well, I think you got a couple of different groups here. First of all, there's a group of people who are just naturally late to decide. There's also a group of people who have traditionally been Republican voters and they're looking at making a change. They're weighing whether or not they're ready to do that. They may even be lifetime Republican voters and voting for a Democrat for the first time. They're reluctant to go, seeing (ph) that final change.
And then also there are people who, even though we know a lot about Barack Obama, he still is relatively new on the scene and so they are still making up their mind about Barack Obama. So, you take those three groups together and you still have people who are undecided and there's a group that those voters are going to want to go after.
ROBERTS: You know, John, during the primaries, and obviously this is a single party we're talking about, where we saw late deciders predominantly breaking one way. Do you expect that that will be reflected in this general election campaign?
AVLON: Well, Barack Obama has got momentum right now. There's no question. You know, the number of undecided voters is right in line with the annual average, seven percent in historic elections. And what's interesting though is you know, mid-summer 25 percent of voters in America were "swing voters. So there's been, you know, this is an election with a clear choice on the candidates. Folks are breaking. And right now, Barack Obama has got the momentum. And you're seeing that in the swing state polls.
ROBERTS: Right. What do you think, John? What do independent voters think of this idea that McCain campaign jumping on Joe Biden's suggestion that if elected Senator or then President Obama would be tested by an international crisis within the first six months. Do they see that as a negative?
AVLON: Not necessarily. I mean, obviously, any new president is going to have an unforeseen crisis. That's the job. That goes with the nature of the job. I think this is an attempt just to grab something new in the cycle. And I don't think it's the right game plan. They're going to have two days this week while Barack Obama is in Hawaii. And I think it's really - the McCain campaign's last chance to kind of double down and turn the tide. And they should be focusing on going big, maybe naming a shadow cabinet, not trying to jump on a statement by Joe Biden.
ROBERTS: You know, Patricia, we learned a little while ago when we were talking to you that you know, talking about this in the realm of Joe six-pack that you're a Jane six-pack and there are a lot of Jane six-packs, I'm sure out there in the independent scene. What do Jane six-packs think this morning of this idea that the Republican National Committee spent $150,000 to put Sarah Palin in designer clothes?
PATRICIA MURPHY, EDITOR, CITIZENJANEPOLITICS.COM: Well, I think we would love to be dressed by the RNC. And that's really my takeaway from it. You know, I actually think that is irrelevant to most voters and certainly to most women. Women are looking at their every day lives. They wake up in the morning, they put food on the table. They have to put gas in the tank to drive their kids to a car pool. They have to go to work and balance all these stuff and just hope to keep their job at the end of the day. I think how Sarah Palin gets dressed is irrelevant. The McCain campaign needs to look to women voters and tell them they are losing "swing voters here among women badly because they have gone negative on William Ayers. That's irrelevant. And they haven't put forward enough of an economic message. They need to do that. They can still bring back some of it but they need to get serious here.
ROBERTS: John, we guys know nothing about fashion. You put us in a blue or a black suit with a tie and all you got to do is change the tie everyday and nobody would notice that you're wearing the same suit.
AVLON: Exactly.
ROBERTS: But you did take the McCain campaign to task over this idea of Sarah Palin using the term real America. You wrote on cnn.com or actually here's what she said. "We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit and these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America." Palin apologized for those comments in her interview with Drew Griffin yesterday. Why did you find that so distasteful?
AVLON: Well, it's exactly like the two Americas that John Edwards used to use. It's a divisive tactic. It's says that there's mutual incomprehensibility and some Americans are real pro Americans and there are other folks who are somehow anti-Americans. They are not real Americans. That's exactly the wrong tactic to take. Both candidates will try to unite this country, not to divide, to conquer. And it's just something that you got to call out because otherwise they will try to get away with it. And it's absolutely the wrong way to approach America.
ROBERTS: Now, you certainly called them out on it. John Avlon, Patricia Murphy, as always, good to see you folks. See you again soon.
MURPHY: Thank you.
AVLON: Thank you.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN, ANCHOR: Well it's 33 minutes after 7:00 here in New York. Breaking this morning some brand new questions for Governor Sarah Palin. The "Associated Press" saying that she charged Alaska $21,000 related to her kids travel expenses. That includes trips to watch their father raced a $700 a night stay at a New York hotel. The McCain campaign is saying that she followed state policy. Major changes in airline security. They could save you from being mistaken for a terrorist. The government is announcing that it will take over all passenger screenings starting neck year. Right now, each airline handles it's own flyers. The change is aimed in clearing up confusion with the controversial terror watch list.
And there are new concerns about downing energy drinks. More than 100 doctors and scientists are asking for more regulation by the FDA and warning labels. They say young drinkers can suffer from caffeine intoxication. And they say mixing them with alcohol is an even worse idea. It's estimated that people in the U.S. down 290 million gallons of energy drinks last year alone. Some of the companies of these drinks say hold on, don't paint us all with the same brush. Some of us have only enough caffeine in one cup of coffee. Others though have a lot of caffeine and are designed for that purpose, of course. John.
ROBERTS: 34 minutes after the hour. We first introduced to you the 16-year-old Noah Gray last week with his project Virgin Voting. He's asking young voters to film their experiences the first time that they are in the voting booth. But what about early voting in Florida? Are young voters taking advantage of it? Noah broke out his video camera and went to find out. He joins me now from his classroom at Palmetto Senior High School in Miami via skype.
Good morning to you now. It's good to see you again, buddy.
NOAH GRAY, "VIRGIN VOTING": Good morning, John. Good to see you as well.
ROBERTS: So, you took your camera out to a Hillary Clinton rally on Monday in Fort Lauderdale. You also headed at the Barack Obama rally there in Miami. You talked to young voters. Let's take a listen to what they told you about coming out to vote here.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRAY (voice-over): Early voting began on Monday in Florida and the Obama campaign has been crisscrossing this key swing state to encourage supporters to vote early with their early vote for change rallies.
Appearing in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Senator Hillary Clinton urged Obama supporters to vote early.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have waited eight long years for change. All of you can vote right now. You don't have to wait another day.
GRAY: Barack and Michelle Obama pumped up an estimated crowd of 30,000 people at the rally on Tuesday in Miami. But is early voting popular among young people? Are these first time voters really taking the opportunity to vote before November 4th or are they waiting until the last minute like they usually do with getting their assignments in?
Why is it that you're taking advantage of early voting? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because it's more likely that my vote will be counted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's my first time and I know about what's been going on in Florida. And I want to make sure my vote counts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For me, it's the first time I can vote. And I think this is about my future.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think I'm going to take advantage of early voting.
GRAY: Why is that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just to avoid the crowds on election day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's easier. Also, I have class during voting day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's important to get the vote out early. Because there's going to be a lot of people turning out.
GRAY: What about the long lines are they a deterrent to you at all?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what, if you get up early enough and if you're determined enough you'll do your part.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really a no brainer for young people to get out there and vote.
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ROBERTS: So Noah, we got some opinions there of why people came out to vote early. You said that unlike most students who wait until the very end to put in their assignments they decide to get out there and vote early. But what about young people who are deciding to wait until election day? Why do they want to wait until November 4th?
GRAY: Well, with the young people that I spoke with, the majority of them definitely were going to take advantage of the early voting even though they tend to procrastinate with their school work. But the couple of the people I spoke with who are going to wait until election day just wanted to - one person just wanted to be part of the overall experience and remember that it was their first time voting on election day. And the other person wanted to sit back on the couch and just watch the results.
ROBERTS: Yes. There is something to be said for, you know, joining the crowd, come out there on the 4th of November on election day and go to the polling place and cast your ballot. You know, we talked about problems there in the state of Florida and the economy is issue number one across this country for so many people. The unemployment rate in Florida there at 6.6 percent for the month of September. It's a 14-year high. Young voters and many of them are still probably a couple, maybe as much as four years away from getting out there in the job market. Does the economy really concern them? GRAY: Of course, the economy concerns everyone especially young people because when I spoke to some of them, they are coming out of college, they want to know how they are going to pay their student loans back. And then more importantly if older people are losing their jobs, how are these young people without experience just coming out of college going to get jobs? And that's concerning them more than anything.
ROBERTS: And is there one candidate that they trust on the economy more than another?
GRAY: I spoke with the majority of young people. Again the majority of them, I think the recent poll is what 73 percent of first time voters prefer Barack Obama. I mean, that's just - I think he speaks more to the young people as far as their issues now.
ROBERTS: Hey, update us on your Virgin Voting project. You're asking people to make mini movies of their first time out voting. You got a prize from the Apple computer store. You're going to post this on youtube. Have you received any yet from people who have early voted?
GRAY: I have not received any yet but we should be getting some soon. It's a two-minute video or less documenting your first time voting. Whether it's absentee ballot, early voting or on election day. Be creative as you can. Deadline is November 14th. And virginvoting.com. You can see the details and post the response on youtube.com/virginvoting.
ROBERTS: All right. Noah Gray for us this morning with the Virgin Voting Project. It's good to see you. See you back again here real soon.
GRAY: See you soon, John. Thanks.
ROBERTS: All right. Take care. Thanks, Noah.
By the way he described the economy as falling off a cliff. So what does legendary financier George Soros think the next president has to do to stop it, to turn things around. And what does he think about his own money and power in American politics? Part II of my exclusive interview with George Soros coming up in the next hour here of AMERICAN MORNING.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll repeat the question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You should let me go.
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CHETRY: That was a look at Keannu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly in the remake "The Day the Earth Stood Still," due out in December. Welcome back to "the most news in the morning." As Americans continue to scrimp and save in these economic times that are pretty sour right now, there's one thing that we are still able to splurge on. That's going to the movies. Brooke Anderson is "Minding your Business" this morning.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, despite economic woes and job uncertainty, folks are still loosening the purse strings for a little entertainment, particularly movie going.
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GIBRAN GAITHER, MOVIEGOER: Yes. I'm a supervisor at Starbucks.
ANDERSON (voice-over): 22-year-old Gibran Gaither has been like millions of Americans hit hard by the financial crisis. That means, among other things, less eating out and more staying in.
GAITHER: Pretty much every night I'm making ramen noodles.
ANDERSON: But Gaither maintains there's one activity he will splurge on.
GAITHER: That's movies. That's my getaway. That's my escape.
ANDERSON: Gaither is not the only one, cutting back on everything but movies. While countless industries from tourism to automotive are hurt by the souring U.S. economy the movie business is a different story.
DAN GLICKMAN, CEO, MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION: In five of the last seven recessions, movie box office revenues were up. People tend to go the movies as a place to get away from it, to relax, to not hear the news, to not be buffeted by the Dow Jones industrials average, to kind of just enjoy themselves.
ANDERSON: Year-to-date figures show the box office is holding steady compared to last year. That's a reassuring sign to movie studios as they prepare to roll out their big budget fall films including the latest 007 adventure, "Quantum of Solace."
JAMES BOND: I think someone wants to kill you.
ANDERSON: Some film studios are feeling an economic pinch. Paramount Pictures owned by media conglomerate Viacom is reducing its slate of 2009 films to save money. Many movie goers, though, will continue paying for what is offered in theaters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The economy has really affected the way I go see movies but it has affected other things.
ANDERSON: While others sacrifice in the name of their budget.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We spend our money on other things like rent and gas, food. No time for movies. ANDERSON: But for Gaither, he's carefully managing his movie going money.
GAITHER: After every check, I put at least $20 set aside for movies.
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ANDERSON: Now, according to box office tracker Media by Numbers, the average price for a movie ticket is $7.16. That includes seniors, kids, matinees and dollar theaters all across the country. Proof movie going remains one of the least expensive forms of out of home entertainment. John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: Brooke Anderson reporting for us this morning. Brooke, thanks so much. $5 million, that's the estimated cost of caring for an autistic child over a lifetime. Now parents are uniting and demanding coverage from insurance companies. You're watching "the most news in the morning."
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CHETRY: Up to $5 million, that's what the Autism Society of America estimates a family will spend to care for an autistic child in his or her lifetime. Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now. And these costs are unthinkable for most families to afford when it comes to caring for an autistic child.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is an amazing toll that it takes on families. 80 percent of families or couples that have children with autism end up going through a divorce. The costs are unthinkable as you imagine. People selling their homes. Taking out second and third mortgages. It is really, really expensive. And this is something we've heard over and over again as we've been investigating autism. But there are some states out there passing legislation to try and counter that.
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GUPTA (voice-over): Carol and Rick (Nunez) want what every parent wants, what's best for their children. But that hasn't always been easy, especially since their youngest son, Ethan, has autism.
CAROL NUNEZ, ETHAN'S MOTHER: It's been extremely expensive. Between ABA therapy and all the accommodations we've had to make to the house, special sensory materials that we have to give him to keep him organized, his thoughts organized and calm and it just adds up.
GUPTA: Since Ethan was diagnosed two years ago, the Nunez family has been faced with mounds of bills, medications, schooling, special therapy. The cost on an average month can run over $6,000 and their insurance covers almost none of it. But that could soon change in Virginia. A bill being considered by the state's general assembly would require insurance companies to cover medical cost to treat autism.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think people realize first of all that this is a medical ailment that needs to be treated and that the consequences of its going untreated hurt these children a great deal.
GUPTA: Traveling to Richmond, Ethan, his parents, and other families with children with autism shared their personal stories with the assembly.
CAROL NUNEZ: You guys have been seeing how he has been behaving throughout this hearing and I wanted you to see him in person because this is about him, not about us.
GUPTA: States from Pennsylvania to South Carolina have pushed for mandates like the one in Virginia. Virginia's bill would put a cap of $36,000 per child. But the insurance industry warns these mandates could lead to higher rates.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We oppose the idea of mandates in general, because we think in the end what happens is that health care is less affordable and less accessible when mandates are imposed.
GUPTA: For now it's a wait-and-see in Virginia. The General Assembly doesn't convene until January. Until then, the bills for the Nunez family, and others, will continue to pile up.
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GUPTA: Now, one of the key things they're hoping to get covered here is something known as Applied Behavioral Analysis, ABA, and one of the problems here, Kiran, is that some have considered it experimental. Some have considered it controversial. Some have said there's not enough data to show that it works. A lot of the experts we've talked to when as we have been investigating this said it is effective especially in younger children who are at the higher spectrum when it comes to autism, Kiran.
CHETRY: And so, $6,000 a month and she keeps mentioning that type or form of therapy that is so expensive. Why does it cost so much and what exactly is it?
GUPTA: Well, you know, one of the things is that it involves one-on- one intensive therapy. One of the things they are trying to counter are these anti-social behaviors, which relies on a lot of therapy, intensive hour upon hour and usually one-on-one. And that's a lot of why it's so expensive. As far as why the insurance doesn't cover it, it goes back to this thing again, well they say, is there evidence that it works in the long term. It's obviously hard to get that evidence. This is a relatively newer form of therapy. You're going to need longer-term studies to find out how these children do when they grow 20, 30 years from now. That data simply isn't available right now. But it is very intensive and as a result very expensive.
CHETRY: Well, very, very tough for sure. Not only the emotional toll as you saw from her when you she was talking but also just the cost for the family, the shear expense every month. Sanjay Gupta for us in Los Angeles, thanks.
GUPTA: Thanks, Kiran.
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ROBERTS (voice-over): Travel trouble. New questions about a report that her children traveled on official state business, one-on-one with Sarah Palin.
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will clean up Wall Street, and from the abuse of the power in Washington, D.C..
ROBERTS: Plus, vote hacking. Could you vote one way and have it count for the other guy? Vote and switch. You're watching "the most news in the morning."
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PALIN: Our opponents think that they have the women's vote all locked up, which is a little presumptuous. A little presumptuous and only our side has a woman on the ticket.
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CHETRY: Well after months of campaigning we are now just days away as we know from election day. 12 days and counting. There's a look at our countdown clock right now. Counting it all down to the second. The annual California Women's Conference begins today. More than 14,000 women are expected to attend the event. It's aimed at empowering educating women everything from finance to politics to faith and family. And first lady of California, Maria Shriver, has been hosting this conference for five years now. she joins me live from the convention site in Long Beach. Thanks for being with us this morning. Good to see you.
MARIA SHRIVER, FIRST LADY OF CALIFORNIA: Thank you for having me.
CHETRY: Well, we had the tickets sell out in just three hours and, of course, your conference this year is coming on the eve of not only a historic election but also this financial crisis that people are dealing with. How much of your -- of the days here are going to be focused on that?
SHRIVER: Well, I think we're going to start the day focused on that, Warren Buffett will be here and I think everybody's very interested to hear what he has to say. He'll be in a conversation with my husband and Chris Matthews will be moderating that. And certainly the economy affects not just individual people and their own household budgets, but affects the way people, governors govern, the president governs and the whole international community. So, I think people - I've had a lot of men come up to me at the last minute saying, can I get in to hear Warren Buffett? I said, no, you have to buy your ticket earlier so you can watch him on-line though.
CHETRY: Warren Buffett as you said, the California governor, your husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger as well. Well, Warren Buffett is somebody that Barack Obama has mentioned that he would take advice from when it comes to dealing with the economy. How much of your conference is going to be focused on politics because of the 12 days away from this election?
SHRIVER: Well, I think people are certainly talking about politics. But if any indication, the women that were here last night, we opened last night, there were about 8,000 women. They're talking about family. They're talking about jobs. They're talking about caring for elderly parents. 70 percent of the unpaid work in the homes, dealing with elderly parents is done by women. They're talking about education. They're talking about children. They're talking about personal finance. But there's a lot of different issues that are on women's minds, and we're trying to address all of them. We're trying to address how to be financially empowered, how to be educated, how to be inspired. How to overcome things in your own life. We'll have conversations with people like Gloria Steinem and Marian Wright Edelman, how to be an architect of change. So politics, we have a conversation about politics where it's really talking about how women feel about other women running, why this has been a breakthrough year for them. What do we think -
CHETRY: And I do want to ask you about that as well because it has really been a breakthrough year first with Hillary Clinton and now we have John McCain choosing Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska as his running mate. Would a McCain-Palin win to you and others who may not have the same political leanings as Sarah Palin be an advancement for women, despite that?
SHRIVER: Well, I think certainly Sarah Palin appeals to a lot of women. Certainly Hillary Clinton appeals to a lot of women and a lot of men. And I think you have to look at both of them and understand that obviously we're a very diverse country. And both of these women speak to very different kinds of women. Different choices. We have a lot of women governors who speak to other kinds of women. And I think the more we see women in positions of power and influence, not just in politics, but in business, in the home, running universities, the less we start talking about is that's the kind of woman that women are supposed to be like and the more we take it as a given.
CHETRY: You know, you would have a unique perspective on this, so I'm interested on hearing what your thoughts are on this story that's out there today about Sarah Palin as governor paying with state money for her family to travel with her. You, of course, have children and your husband is the governor of California. Is that something - is that much ado about nothing? Is that just, you know, you just want your family to come with you when you have to travel on state business?
SHRIVER: Well, as far as I know, I think that there is a rule in Alaska that you can get per diem money or your family can ask for per diem money and they've asked for that. That hasn't happened here in California. So, I think, you know, I wouldn't judge Governor Palin and how she tries to run her family, if that works for them. It's expensive to be governor. I think she has to try to work to keep her family together and support them. I think she's the main breadwinner in her family. So, obviously, she's doing what she feels she needs to do.
CHETRY: Well, it was great talking to you this morning, First Lady of California, Maria Shriver, for the fifth year now of this Annual California Women's conference beginning today. Thanks so much for joining us.
SHRIVER: Thank you for having me. Thank you.
