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American Morning

East Coast Tornado Threat; Fisher-Price Recall; Dirty, Sexy Politics; What A "Rush"; College Student Commits Suicide After Sex Video Posted on Internet; March to Midterms

Aired September 30, 2010 - 07:59   ET

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


KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Thanks so much for being with us on this Thursday. It's September 30th. I'm Kiran Chetry.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts in Atlanta this morning because yesterday, we caught up with Canadian rock band, Rush. They are playing at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. We talked to them exclusively, and Kiran, I even had a chance to get up on stage and strum a little guitar with the boys. So, we'll play that for you this hour.

CHETRY: Yes. We brought our lighters. So, we're all ready to watch you guys rock out.

(LAUGHTER)

ROBERTS: I thought you did that with the iPhone these days as opposed to a lighter.

CHETRY: That's true.

ROBERTS: At any rate, let's get you caught up on what happened overnight.

Extreme weather, a tornado watch in effect right now along the Virginia-Carolina coast. Rain and wind roaring up the Eastern Seaboard. It's -- yes, making a mess of air travel.

Rob Marciano is tracking the storm for us this morning. He'll have all the details coming right up.

CHETRY: Also, we're talking "Dirty, Sexy Politics." It's actually the title of Meghan McCain's new book, John McCain's daughter. She's here to talk about the midterm elections, whether the Tea Party is pushing out moderates in the Republican Party, and whether she would vote for her dad's old running mate, Sarah Palin.

ROBERTS: Hey, we mentioned this just a second ago, but it bears mentioning again. Still rocking with Rush after all these years. I went one on three with the Canadian music legends and had my own little shot at a rock and roll fantasy.

(VIDEO CLIP)

On stage and backstage with Rush, just ahead -- Kiran.

CHETRY: We look forward to that. John, thanks.

Well, up first, though, extreme weather. Tornado watches, downpours, winds up and down the East Coast this morning, causing a lot of problems in many cities. Carolinas is getting the worst of it so far, a foot and a half of rain already and more on the way today. There are flood watches and warnings from the Carolinas, all the way up to New Hampshire today.

When you look at the radar, it's just lit up all the way up the East Coast, John.

ROBERTS: And sorry about that little frog in my throat this morning.

Rob Marciano in the Extreme Weather Center.

And if a little cough is the worst of our worries, Rob, then we've got it OK, but it looks terrible out there.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, a lot of people would call this a frog strangler. It's raining so heavily in so many spots.

And this is the satellite picture and the brighter colors here, that's the infrared imagery. The brighter the colors, the more intense the amount of moisture in those clouds typically speaking. And we still have a bunch of moisture that's going to head toward the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic.

So, we got our hands full, that's for sure, with this system. And part of it is what's left over of Tropical Storm Nicole, which is only with us for a handful of hours, but regardless whether it's named storm or not, it's combining with front and some other energy that's dumping a ton of rain.

D.C. right now, one of the many places that is under a flash flood warning for the next couple of hours. So, I think incredibly slow commute across some highly populated areas here.

Newport News, Hampton Roads area, that's they've been under the gun for numerous tornado warnings, no confirmation of seeing one on the ground, but nonetheless, the atmosphere is prime for this kind of event with this somewhat tropical system rotating in.

So, a tornado watch in effect for this huge area of real estate, from the Delmarva, across the mid-Atlantic -- this tornado watch in effect until 1:00 this afternoon. So, we got a lot of energy to deal with and the rainfall is going to keep on coming.

Wilmington has seen over 20 inches of rainfall this week so far and they'll probably get another few inches of rainfall before the day is done and the winds are starting to blow here, too. We're seeing winds gusting 20 to 30 and in some cases, over 30 miles per hour. So, that's going to make this messy situation that it is because with all the rain that they've seen across the Carolinas, and there hasn't been a tremendous number of neighborhoods flooded, but certainly, roads are flooded and impassable in some areas.

But with the wind now coming, a lot of trees are going to come down. I think we'll probably see a number of power outages not only across North Carolina but probably right up the I-95 corridor.

ROBERTS: So, it seems a perfect recipe as well for havoc in terms of air travel. Do we know what's happening at the airports --

MARCIANO: On the ground and in the air, yes. Last I checked was two and a half hour delays at LaGuardia and they're probably going to increase throughout the hour.

ROBERTS: All right. Rob, thanks very much. Check with the airline before you go out -- Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. Thanks so much.

Well, we have some breaking news right now. Sad news from the entertainment industry. "Entertainment Tonight" is reporting that actor Tony Curtis has passed away. He's the father of actress Jamie Lee Curtis. He was best known for his role in "Some Like It Hot," opposite Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon. He also earned an Oscar nomination back in 1955 for starring in "The Defiant Ones" with Sidney Poitier.

A.P. reports that Curtis died of cardiac arrest at his Las Vegas home. He was 85 years old.

ROBERTS: Also new this morning, three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador has tested positive for a banned substance. The drug test was performed during this year's race in July. He has been suspended by the sports governing body pending an investigation.

The drug in question is Clenbuterol, which is broncho dilator. It's an old asthma drug, but also adds to lean muscle mass and reduces fat. Contador claims it was food contamination that was the source of the drug. We should hear more of his explanation at a press conference coming up in just a little while here, Kiran.

CHETRY: All right.

Well, we're also following some breaking news. Massive recall to tell you about this morning -- Fisher-Price, brand found in anyone who's a parent's home, any one of our kid's toy boxes. They're now recalling millions of toys, as well as other products.

And Christine Romans is here, "Minding Your Business," breaking it down for us.

This is an enormous recall that affects a lot of products.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's huge. Ten million different things here that could be in your toy box, and among them, about 7 million tricycles, children's trikes. Again, the brand is Fisher-Price.

I want to show you what it looks like. The problem with this trike is a little key that's in a fake ignition. This key can actually cut a child and it has happened when there has been bleeding and children had to go to the hospital for this. It is trikes and these tough trikes toddler tricycles. There are 7 million in the U.S., a couple of million, 150,000 rather in Canada.

What you're supposed to do if you have this in your home right now, you're supposed to contact Mattel, www.service.mattel.com. And do not use this tricycle right now. Do not use it and they will send you a replacement key.

Also, a bunch of infant toys with inflatable balls, a choking hazard here. This is a Crawl & Cruise Playground, the Baby Playzone. Several different products, 2.8 million of these are being recalled. There's inflatable ball that has a valve on it, Kiran. The valve can come loose and has actually -- children had begun to choke on this valve that comes loose.

CHETRY: This one is a concern because this is for an infant play yard where kids --

ROMANS: Right.

CHETRY: It's supposed to be OK for the kids to put this in their mouth.

ROMANS: That's right. This is the kind of thing that exactly what a child is putting in his mouth and there's this piece that could come loose.

Another thing here, some highchairs also from Fisher-Price: Healthy Care, Easy Clean and Close to Me High Chairs. Look, there's a laceration hazard. On the back of the legs of these chairs is a clip to hold the tray when you're not using it. This tray has actually cut or this clip has actually cut 14 children. Some of them requiring stitches to close the gash from the back of this high chair.

Again, immediately stop using it according to the government and Fisher-Price. And, also, Fisher-Price is recalling Little People Wheelies Stand 'n Play Rampway, this is because of choking hazard. In particular, there are some tires on the little car that can come loose.

And again, children put these in their mouth and can begin to choke on them. The tires can come loose. If you have these products, remember, be very, very careful about the small products that's coming off there. They've been recalled due to a choking hazard.

Also, the FDA, Kiran, is saying stop immediately using those infant stabilizers, those little infant things you put in the bed.

CHETRY: It's a sleep positioners.

ROMANS: Sleep positioners. FDA says stop using those immediately. People are using those, they think they prevent SIDS. FDA says they don't prevent SIDS. In fact, a child can roll over and get caught behind them. So, immediately stop using those.

And other children's news, Johnson & Johnson this week, next week, will begin stocking the shelves with Motrin and children's Tylenol after those being off the shelves for five months because of concerns about contamination there.

CHETRY: Yes. A lot of people having used the generic brand, the tablet form.

It seems overwhelming. A lot of this information is out there this morning and, you know, you are trying to give it to all of us. We're also putting it on our Web site --

ROMANS: That's right.

CHETRY: so you can, you know, digest it a little easier. See if you have any of these products in your home. CNN.com/amFIX.

Christine, thanks so much.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

CHETRY: All right. Well, also new this morning, the U.S. Postal Service is pretty much close to broke. We talked about this before, haven't we, John?

ROBERTS: Oh, yes. Absolutely. They don't -- they don't have a lot of money bank left after today. Now, by law, the agency is required to fork over $5.5 billion to prefund retiree health benefits. That money is due today. The cash-strapped agency was requesting $4 billion in emergency relief. But this past Tuesday, Congress opted not to bail them out.

And with fewer and fewer people buying stamps and more and more people communicating via e-mail, Kiran, things are not looking any brighter for the U.S. Postal Service.

CHETRY: Yes. I mean, they're trying to, you know -- they're trying to turn things around. Allow you to buy, you know, postage electronically. But, you know, nowadays, everyone is just sending e- mails.

ROBERTS: Yes. It's tough. You know, they may have to just sort of rely on the package business which is an increasing percentage of their business but probably not enough to pay the bills.

CHETRY: Yes.

All right. Well, coming up, this is an interview we're really looking for. We have Meghan McCain with us. She has her new book out, "Dirty, Sexy Politics." She wrote it for a new audience, young women interested in politics, interested in finding their own voice amid all the campaign chatter. She's live in our studio. We're going to talk to her coming up.

Nine minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CHETRY: Twelve minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

We got Christine O'Donnell this year, Nikki Haley, Carly Fiorina -- a lot of the rising stars in the Republican Party are women this year. And Sarah Palin paved the way back in 2008. But there's still a big debate about who best represents the face of women in GOP politics.

Joining us now to talk more about it is Meghan McCain. She's the author of a candid new memoir about the election, "Dirty, Sexy Politics" and she joins me live this morning.

Thanks so much for being with us.

MEGHAN MCCAIN, AUTHOR, "DIRTY, SEXY POLITICS": Yes. Thank you for having me.

CHETRY: You've been making the rounds and it's been pretty exciting for you, I know, to be out there with this book --

MCCAIN: Yes.

CHETRY: -- because you just really were quite honest about your own shortcomings and what it's like to be on the campaign. How is this book been received?

MCCAIN: Some people like me, some people love it and some people hate it. It's really honest, but my favorite campaign books were really honest. It's like I was inspired by Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail," and "Primary Colors" and a few other books I read. So, I just thought I should be as honest as possible.

CHETRY: What do your parents think of it?

MCCAIN: They love it -- thank God. Yes. But they really love it. My mom saw a draft of it and read chapters. And my father thought like a few weeks before it came out, and they both love it.

CHETRY: Good for you.

The interesting thing about it is we have been focusing a lot on Republican women this year. I mean, besides Sarah Palin, who sort of became a king maker, if you will, in some of these primary elections. You got Nikki Haley. You have Carly Fiorina, and now, Christine O'Donnell in Delaware.

What do you think about these candidates? Are you excited that they're representing women in the GOP, or do you think there are maybe better choices out there?

MCCAIN: I'm excited that there are more women in politics right now. Each of these women is different for lots of different reasons. I know Carly Fiorina because she campaigned with my father.

I never met Christine O'Donnell or Nikki Haley. But Christine O'Donnell, I think, is perplexing. She personally doesn't appeal to me. But I know she obviously has some appeal some place.

CHETRY: One of the things that you talk about in your book is that, you know, the ultimate freedom. You said, once you taste freedom, that's what you seek, and that was a lot of the ideals behind the Republican Party. And you said that some of the people who we hold up, Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, would be called RINOs, Republican In Name Only, these days because candidates.

Are you afraid that the party is changing or going in a direction that's going to leave it in the dust when it comes to attracting young people?

MCCAIN: Oh, yes. I'm scared of a bloodletting in the next election. If you're throwing out people like me who really want to be here and really want to fight for the Republican Party and I'm considered controversial, there's a lot of people out there, especially young people that aren't going to beg to be allowed to be in the Republican Party. And I think that's what really dangerous right now.

And if you only want a certain group of people, you're just going to have less voters. So, that's where I get confused about what people are actually thinking when they call me RINO or -- you know, Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan would both be called that today.

CHETRY: And why is that? Is it social issues? I mean, what is galvanizing people to vote for some of the more conservative and more to the right candidates? Christine O'Donnell, you were just displeased that she was talking about, you know, personal sexuality and sort of trying to enforce -- not enforce but sort of insert herself into that whole debate about what you do in the privacy of your own home.

MCCAIN: For me, it's just not what I look to politicians for. That's a decision I make on my own. A lot of people would go to their pastor, their family, whenever they make these types of decisions. I am not going to a woman like Christine O'Donnell to figure out what I want to do in my personal life. I want to know what she is going to do for my government and the spending and everything else that is going on and I think when we emphasize too much like this, what happens it, you're the opening parody on "Saturday Night Live." That is what happens.

CHETRY: Which is what we saw. And so, you're saying, by extension, Republicans are the opening parody on "Saturday Night Live"?

MCCAIN: Yes. I mean, I used to work at "Saturday Night Live," and I think it's probably a little bit biased. But, yes, you know I mean it is easy fodder. It is easy, I mean the witchcraft thing, the anti-masturbation thing. It's like -- I don't know. They're comedians. They are going to get it where they can.

CHETRY: The other thing that I thought was interesting is there's been a lot of questioning about the intelligence. I mean, Karl Rove got in a little bit of trouble and took some heat for saying I don't know. She says whacky things. Does she really understand the principles speaking of Christine O'Donnell, but people also launch this against Sarah Palin. It said, she just maybe doesn't have the smarts to represent our country. Is that a woman thing or are these faults on the part of the individual candidates?

MCCAIN: I think there's definitely sexism when it comes to women in general. The media's over fascination with Hillary Clinton wearing a banana clip to an event is not something I'm interested in. I think they are going to take their heat anyway. Sarah Palin's very unique, obviously, because she does have a reality star coming out and she's sort of a pop star in the same way Obama is, in this very American Idol-esque era we live in in politics. I don't think it's a fault of either Sarah or Obama. I think it is a fault of the media.

CHETRY: What do you think of the fact that she has -- I mean, that your dad and the choice to make her the vice president -- presidential nominee on the campaign trail is really what launched her and some would argue, what launched the Tea Party.

MCCAIN: Yes. I mean, that's definitely an argument. I think the Tea Party groundlings were sort of there and the last election just threw it into overdrive. Yes, obviously, she probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for my father.

CHETRY: Is that a good thing for political discourse?

MCCAIN: Other things, I really like about her, the things I dislike about her rhetoric but I don't hate her and I'm all for more women speaking out in politics no matter area of the platform they speak on. Just because there's so few women. And I don't think anybody's doing anything to inspire young women to get involved in politics whatsoever.

CHETRY: The other thing that's interesting is there's been sort of a shift in -- I know that people have blamed the media saying that gotcha journalism is a problem and that sometimes it may turn candidates away from actually wanting to be more candid --

MCCAIN: You just had a thing recently about the guy that did the thing with Andrew Brightbart (ph) trying to set up on a journalist, correct?

CHETRY: Right.

MCCAIN: I mean, this is the kind of era we live in. Scary.

CHETRY: And so, it's interesting because -- because of this, we have seen candidates like Sarah Palin almost - well she is not a candidate. I got to turn -- she is not a candidate yet but some have said she may declare on 2012. But either way, she uses social networking to sort of get her point of view out without having to answer to either members of the media or voters. Is that a good thing?

MCCAIN: I think it's fascinating that she and a lot of other people are sort of above the media with one Twitter and one Facebook posting, she can get out her message very easily. I think it is the new era. I think that is interesting and I think journalists should start doing a better job if they want politicians to have more respect for them, if you will. I don't know. It's just fascinating on many levels that one Twitter can be headline news on any network.

CHETRY: That's right. But when you say a better job, if candidates aren't granting access -- I mean, I remember during the campaign, I interviewed your dad one on one, interviewed at campaign events in New Hampshire, he came on our show dozens of times to answer questions that, you know, we were asking but really the broader public wanted to know. These candidates are sort of not doing that in this time around. Christine O'Donnell and others. Sharron Angle has been difficult to get to interview, as well. Is that doing a disservice though to finding out what they do if they truly are elected?

MCCAIN: Yes. I mean I believe in the media in the sense that, you know, I'm not scared to go on television shows and answer questions because I'm -- but I'm also not running for office and I think that we live in this time where it's weird that she does not sort of -- a not necessity, that she could just use Twitter or any politician to get their message out.

Is it a good thing? I don't know. Is it a good thing that I can Twitter everything I do and put pictures on Facebook? I mean, you know, this is a great question for 50 years from now, how it sort of changed culturally. Things will be really interesting in the next election. I was trying to imagine if on the campaign if I had been using Twitter, journalists have been using Twitter more actively, just how much things would have changed. I probably would have gotten in a lot more trouble.

CHETRY: Really?

MCCAIN: Twitter is easy to get in trouble with. Quick and instantaneous.

CHETRY: Although, you can also get your own site out there unfiltered which is also an interesting phenomenon.

MCCAIN: Yes, yes.

CHETRY: Well, it was great to talk to you this morning, Meghan McCain.

MCCAIN: Thank you.

CHETRY: Thank you so much for coming on. The book is great. I really enjoyed reading it, "Dirty, Sexy Politics." Meghan McCain, thanks for being here. MCCAIN: Thank you.

CHETRY: John.

ROBERTS: Meghan mentioned "American Idol" nation. What about Canadian Idols? Rush, the rock band. We go backstage with them, how their music is still drawing crowds. What is their staying power 42 years later. We'll find out. It's 20 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. That, of course, is the legendary Canadian Rock Trio, Rush from their time machine concert that stopped in Atlanta last night. For more than four decades, they've been making music and touring and unlike many bands who tend to fade away over time, the trio, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, is more popular now than they ever have been. 30 years after I first met them, this expatriot had a chance to sit down with Rush again to talk about how they keep going.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ALEX LIFESON, ROCK ARTIST, RUSH: Yes. We will shake our heads. We fooled them again.

GEDDY LEE, ROCK ARTIST, RUSH: Once we get over the fact that we're still hanging around with each other after 40 years, it's -- yes. It's pretty amazing.

NEIL PEART, ROCK ARTIST, RUSH: Still having an audience, too. I mean we can go out on tour this summer. That's why we'll look out at the audience sometime, and we look at each other and say, why are these people here? You know? That's when we're fooling them.

ROBERTS (on camera): So, why do you think they are here so many years later?

LEE: I don't know. It's something --

PEART: There's no humble way to answer that question.

LEE: It's amazing. I think it's a combination of things that have happened over the last few years that have kind of reignited Rush fans and I think they obviously -- the documentary that came out this year which seems to be very popular brought renewed interest in us and our hard-core fans are always here and then I think a combination of things.

PEART: One thing remarked on when we look out and see people who care so much about what we do, you can't help but care about it more. You know, just the fact -- it's a kind of responsibility that dedication. On the other hand, it's an automatic response to want to live up to it. So that forces us to make each show as if it's the last one we are ever going to do. And the audience senses that dedication, and so it's a feedback. It's a loop, really, that we feel inspired by what they give us and they're inspired by what they we give.

ROBERTS: The reason for the handful of bands who have made it as long as you guys have. What do you think is the magic that has allowed you to do that? Is it the fact that you and Alex were high school buddies and grew up with the same musical influences, wanted to do the same thing? I know that Neil is still the new guy.

PEART: I am here 36 years. But, my theory is that we all make the same number of mistakes so nobody can get mad at each other, or there cannot be factions forming. If somebody has a bad night, somebody else has a bad night the next night and we all feel kind of an equal basis that way where there's never any competition about it.

LEE: Yes. The strange truth is that we like each other. And for some ridiculous reason we still enjoy what we do tremendously. And we like the music that we're making together. And it kind of begins and ends with that. So when we get into rehearsals or planning a tour or planning something, we have a good time. And we kind of still believe in what we're doing and we keep wanting to push the boundaries of what our abilities allow us to do.

LIFESON: Also, we are equally handsome.

PEART: Yes. The same number of girls are equally impressed by our vision every night.

ROBERTS: When everybody is as handsome, as everybody else there's --

PEART: There's a lot of brand break-ups.

ROBERTS: So, you guys are pushing 60 now. 57 years old --

LEE: Late 40s. The late 50s is the new late 40s, right?

ROBERTS: I hate to break it to you from a guy who is in his early 50s you guys are, you are getting close to the magic number. I'm just wondering what it is, what it is that gives you satisfaction. Is it coming out here and playing the music, is it recording the music, is it family, is it friends?

LIFESON: Yes. It's all those things. Playing a great show gives me immense satisfaction. Every night I look forward to playing the best that I can, that we all play the best that we can, and I hope it stays that way. I look forward to spending every second I can with my grandkids. Being with the rest of my family. With, you know, playing golf. With all those things.

PEART: A measure of life is all those things. How successful you are at home as family people as we have all been as well, I mean cooking a good meal for your family is as satisfying as playing a good show for an audience. They are on different levels, but they all contribute to your sense of accomplishment and meaningfulness.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ROBERTS: And they told me that if they're still able, they can see doing it ten years from now. In the tours called, Time Machine, I thought we would take a little trip in the Time Machine back to 1981 and an interview I did with Geddy Lee back then will show you that the band of that interview and see how -- my goodness, and see how their thought processes have changed since then. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: We're back with the Most News in the Morning. A very special night for thousands of Rush fans here in Atlanta, the latest stop on the group's "Time Machine Tour." My interview with the Candian trio included a blast from the past. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: This was 1981. "Moving Pictures" had just come out, and we sat down in Toronto and talked about it. Here's the video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On "Vital Signs" we see use Rush again using a little bit of reggae, something that started with the "Spirit of Radio." How big an influence has that become in your music?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It's a real positive type of music, especially the way it's been sort of melded into rock music the way it is like the Police and various groups.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He got bangs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: Whoops. Little problem there. Sorry about that. Not quite sure what happened. I think cued up the wrong piece of tape there, Kiran. Whoops.

CHETRY: Somebody started to rip on your hair and -- boom. I think they got it back. Let's listen again.

ROBERTS: All right, here we go.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: This was 1981. Moving pictures had just come out and we sat down in Toronto and talked about it. Here's the video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On "Vital Signs" we see use Rush again using a little bit of reggae, something that started with the "Spirit of Radio." How big an influence has that become in your music?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It's a real positive type of music, especially the way it's been sort of melded into rock music the way it is like the Police and various groups. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He got bangs.

(LAUGHTER)

Who is that kid?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Smoking a smoke back then.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Underneath the desk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw that, on camera.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You and I look exactly the same. How's that possible?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time-trickers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at the glasses eating my entire face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: When you look back at that old interview, do you feel the same about the things that you were saying back then, the direction that you were going in?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I see an old interview with myself, I'm struck by my naivete sometimes, but also how in some ways I still agree with myself back then. You do change. Obviously, life changes you. Your opinion and your outlook on your values and things that are important to you do change.

But there's talking about the music and what made us write that music has not really changed that much.

ROBERTS: So musically at least you had your head screwed on pretty well back then?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think so. Not everyone would agree with that. But it doesn't feel that dissimilar to the way we look at writing music now.

ROBERTS: That's interesting to maintain that consistency over that period of time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, yes. Life should be growth. Change is a bit of a misnomer in that way because you don't want to alter the person you were. I think of myself as 16 or 17 what would I think was the right thing to do when I was a 17-year-old drummer? And that integrity should survive and be able the look back at all interviews and say I still feel that -- old songs we wrote 30 and 40 years ago. I think they're still true for me now. I have grown in many ways, but it's still embraces the consider knell of what I began.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ROBERTS: Boy. You got to think, you know, they started when they were 16, 17 years old and now 57, 58 years old. But I've got to say, Kiran, that Getty Lee looks a lot more like he did in 1981 more than I do.

CHETRY: You look the same but you need a haircut. But back then that was the look. That's great.

Now, I understand you also had a chance to, of course, live out your rock star dreams and let you up there. You play guitar very well. And they let you rock --

ROBERTS: I don't know about this.

CHETRY: I have heard you. You're good.

ROBERTS: We talked about this yesterday. They have never done this before. But I guess, you know, for the sake of knowing each other for 30 years, they invited me up on stage to live out a little bit of a rock 'n' roll fantasy. Here's the result.

For some reason we don't have it. My goodness. All right.

CHETRY: Gremlins in the mix.

ROBERTS: Not sure what we're going to do.

CHETRY: It's great. We'll bring it back right after the break. We're just going to take a quick break. When we come back, we'll talk a little bit about this must-see video. Carl Paladino, the Republican nominee for governor in New York getting into it with a "New York Post" reporter. Eliot Spitzer has a new show coming up next week and he's going to be joining us to talk about it.

Plus, a very sad and developing story this morning -- a college student takes his own life, police say, after a private sexual encounter was secretly taped and streamed online. Now, invasion of privacy charges are out there, but people are asking, is this much more than that, cyber bullying to the extreme? We're getting a live report still ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: It's 38 minutes past the hour right now. We have new development this morning in a disturbing story out of Rutgers University, the death of a student that police say may be linked to a secret webcast. Police say that 18-year-old Tyler Clementi's private intimate moments in the dorm room taped without his knowledge by his roommate and streamed online.

Clementi said to be so distraught over it that he leaped to his death from the George Washington Bridge. Our Stephanie Elam is here and following the story, and it's a tragic story not only for his family but for the family of the two other students that are now facing charges in connection with this. STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Very young lives that are being impacted in such a tragic story, Kiran. From all accounts what we're gathering is that Clementi was a sweet young man, a gifted musician, a violin player. And posting on his Facebook account just before he took his life, he posted this, quote, "Jumping off the G.W. Bridge. Sorry." End quote.

Now, a body believed to be Clementi was floating in the Hudson River and found yesterday. Police are working to identify it at this point.

Clementi's roommate Dhuran Ravi along with another student are charged with invasion of privacy in the case. Ravi here had tweeted about Clementi, quote, "Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went in molly's room and turning on the webcam. I saw him making without a dude, yay." End question there.

And on another day, he wrote, quote, "Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat with me between the hours of 9:30 and 12:00. Yes, it's happening again." End quote.

Now, earlier we spoke to law professor Paul Callan about Clementi's death and he says the problem is the Internet could be a dangerous tool that allows kids to strike out whenever they feel like it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL CALLAN, PROFESSOR OF MEDIA LAW, SETON HALL UNIVERSITY: When we were growing up, you know, there would be a gossip circle and maybe somebody would be talking about somebody else. But it stopped there. They broadcast it on the internet, destroying this young man's life and his reputation. And now the lives of three young people are going to be destroyed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: And that's the disturbing thing here is that in this case three very young live that is are impacted. One is no longer here with us and the other two now drastically seeing an impact to the lives and trying to find out what will happen and serious allegations and bringing up a conversation again, does there need to be more regulation of what people put on the internet.

CHETRY: And have laws kept up with technology? An invasion of privacy is the charge. Does that sum up what happened here? And what are the other implications? We'll be following this for sure. Very sad.

ELAM: Tragic.

CHETRY: Stephanie, thanks so much.

ELAM: Sure.

CHETRY: It's a must-see video of Carl Paladino, the Republican nominee of governor known for not pulling any punches. Well, he almost threw one in this physical altercation with a reporter. Things got pretty heated. We are going to be talking about this as well as a lot of other political hot topics out there. Eliot Spitzer joins us in a moment.

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CHETRY: It's 44 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Most Politics in the Morning. Just 33 days until the midterm elections. Some races have actually tightened up a bit. The Tea Party, of course, the huge, sweeping movement, now being put to the test a little bit looking at the new polls. And the president telling the Democrats don't take this one out.

Well, joining us now to talk about all of it is New York governor -- former New York governor and brand-new CNN host, Eliot Spitzer. Good to see you.

ELIOT SPITZER, HOST, CNN'S "PARKER SPITZER": Good to be here.

CHETRY: The Tea Party had so much momentum for awhile. And there's new polling out, including in Alaska where Lisa Murkowski, who is the GOP nominee, she's a senator and everybody thought she would sweep to winning again, and she got ousted by the Tea Party newcomer. Now the polls as a write-in candidate have it tied up a bit. What's going on?

SPITZER: Look, I think what's happening is there's no question that all politics as Tipp O'Neil said is local. But the backdrop is the enormous anger and frustration the middle class is demonstrating but how that plays out in individual races, whether it is Murkowski coming back as a write-in senator, Christine O'Donnell and nobody thinks will be able to take her primary victory to a general election victory in Delaware. In California, the Democrats are ahead in both the gubernatorial and the senatorial race.

So the tidal wave may be slowing down a little bit and what was very much a Republican Party fringe movement with -- with some roots into the middle class and to the mainstream voters may not be enough to carry the Republican Party all the way.

CHETRY: We'll see, though. Because if you look at who in -- in one of the latest poll I think it was the (INAUDIBLE) poll showing who is the most enthusiastic.

SPITZER: Right.

CHETRY: It's male Republicans, 48 percent of them say they're extremely excited to vote.

SPITZER: There's question the enthusiasm, the energy, the anger is there and the Tea Party. The question is how far does that go and is this sort of larger mass of middle class voters saying, yes, we understand that frustration but frankly, folks, the candidates they're giving us are not people we want to vote for. You know, Christine O'Donnell sort of got to that tipping point where a few things in the backdrop -- with her background which you can kind of forgive maybe went too far in a few of the tapes. You say, ok, fine as a protest candidate. Not for the United -- the United States Senate.

So I think that the texture of what emerges in November is going to be much more subtle than the tidal wave that we saw two or three weeks ago.

CHETRY: And I don't know if you're seeing this but when I talk to some of my friends, they're not necessarily caught up in the Tea Party wave but they are worried about these pocketbook issues and that is what -- so they're not necessarily energized by a particular candidate who's very right socially but they're worried about the economy.

SPITZER: Here's what's going on. In my view the Tea Party has captured the anger of the public but it has not given people answers that are meaningful. So the opportunity is still there for the president and the Democratic Party if it steps into this bridge to say here is what we believe in.

I think the problem the president has had is that he has not explained with any clarity what he has done and why. He's now beginning to pivot back to that and that's why this re-emergence of Bill Clinton.

Of course, you know, we all have this -- this enormous recollection of Bill Clinton as the great communicator and he was and is. He is the one who's out there saying this is what it's about. He empathizes, he connects. So I think there is that void there that perhaps the president will step into.

CHETRY: The other interesting thing, though, is when you at look at this latest poll which really caught my attention, the CNN/Opinion Research Poll done last week showing the country would be better off if Congress was -- was controlled by Republicans, 38 percent; Democrats 27 percent.

And there are a lot of people who believe no difference but when you talk about not doing a good enough job showing what they've done, is it a good idea to get out of dodge and leave early so you can go to -- to --

SPITZER: Well, Congress -- Congress can now --

CHETRY: -- go to your local district.

SPITZER: -- yes, the Congress can't reclaim its reputation between now and the election. There is just sort of venom and anger directed towards Congress. Nobody thinks they've been able to pass a meaningful bill in many, many years; or confront education issues, health care issues, energy issues. None of the major issues have been addressed meaningfully by Congress. The question is does that attach to the individual legislator at home? We all hate Congress as an institution. But yet our guy we kind of like because we know him or her. And so there's this a bifurcation, the question is how many members of Congress will really be ousted and thrown out. That question will have to wait and see.

CHETRY: Yes that's a big one.

Also the governor's races, some of them are getting pretty ugly.

SPITZER: Yes.

CHETRY: In New York, Carl Paladino, who is again the Tea Party candidate.

SPITZER: Right.

CHETRY: We interviewed him. He's really a fiery guy, he got into it with a long time "The New York Post" --

SPITZER: Yes.

CHETRY: And you know him, Fred Dicker.

SPITZER: Sure, absolutely.

CHETRY: And -- and it was all of his periphery back and forth over allegations of -- of -- of infidelity, love children. And all of this stuff that ended up getting really nasty yesterday. I mean take a look at the video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARL PALADINO (R), GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE, NEW YORK: You send another goon to my daughter's house and I'll take you out.

FRED DICKER, "NEW YORK POST": You will take me out?

PALADINO: Yes.

DICKER: How are you going to do that?

PALADINO: Watch.

DICKER: What are you threatening me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: I mean, it really -- it just really seemed to -- it looked more like a reality show.

SPITZER: Or something out of Hollywood. I mean, this is like politics the way it was enacted 40 years ago, the imagery of the back room and screaming. Look, this is not what we need right now. And I've been in politics. It can be dirty and ugly, like many parts of life, obviously. What we need right now is a serious conversation. In New York State we spend more per student on education than just about anybody in the nation but we're not getting the results. What do we do about it? I would rather hear him answer the question.

Have you seen the movie "Waiting for Super Man" which is a remarkable insight and window into our education issues? How do you react to it? Agree with it, disagree with it.

Let's have a conversation about education. How are we going to become competitive? How are we going to create innovation economy? How are we going to get our kids to the place where they can be suited for the jobs we need to build in the future? Let's get politics back to that.

CHETRY: Yes but it's sort of sliming the other guy, you know, in this -- in this campaign ads these nasty ones that we're seeing everywhere as opposed to focusing on issues but unfortunately that's been shown to work.

SPITZER: Unfortunately it works, because when you have somebody like Carl Paladino who was not known to the public until three weeks ago when he out of nowhere won this primary, suddenly his image is at the vortex. Everybody is going to be screaming and shouting about who is he and digging into his past.

He is not going to become the governor of New York. Andrew Cuomo I can say with some confidence will win the race and Carl will then disappear, which is why I think it's too bad that we're not using this moment to have a real conversation about what the policy should be to bring New York state back to what it used to be; the Empire State, the center of innovation and finance, et cetera.

CHETRY: Well, we'll see. And let's talk about your show coming up --

SPITZER: Yes.

CHETRY: -- by the way. It's starting on Monday.

SPITZER: It's starting Monday night.

CHETRY: Yes, it's exciting. "PARKER-SPITZER".

SPITZER: 8:00 p.m. It's going to be great. It's going to be fun. Kathleen Parker, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist from "The Washington Post." We're going to be talking about everything from economics to politics to culture, things that matter to people.

This story today about -- this awful story about the Rutgers student who was driven to suicide; what does that mean about privacy and the invasion of privacy? The inability for people to lead a life without everybody staring at it, what has happened to our society? Is this Orwellian 1984? What do we do about it?

So the entire gamut of issues with amazing guests. We're going to have fun. Sparks will fly. And it's just going to be -- it's going to be fun; a lot of laughter and a lot of serious conversation.

CHETRY: Well, we wish you the best of luck. We'll all be watching for sure.

SPITZER: Thank you.

CHETRY: Thanks for coming on Eliot. Great to talk to you.

SPITZER: My pleasure.

CHETRY: John.

ROBERTS: Thanks, Kiran.

Tropical Storm Nicole has fizzled out but serious flooding is in store along the East Coast today and tomorrow. Rob Marciano is tracking the forecast and you can see from all the red it is going to be a messy one.

Stay tuned. We'll be right back. Nine minutes now to the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETYR: Well, it's 54 minutes past the hour. We have been waiting on bated breath to see this. John on stage jamming with Rush. Tell us the tape has been found.

ROBERTS: Yes. Yes. I think that we actually did locate it. It's not every day that somebody gets to live out their rock n roll fantasy but I had the opportunity to yesterday. I guess 30 years of a relationship with these guys for the very first time they let somebody else come on stage with them and here's the tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Sounds good. Congrats. Were you nervous?

ROBERTS: Ah, no. I wasn't nervous but, you know, when you're playing besides the likes of Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee and Neil Peart, three of the best musicians who have ever lived the genre of rock and roll, it does tend to be a little bit intimidating but it was a lot -- awful lot of fun, too.

CHETRY: I hear the Peanut Gallery in Atlanta. Are they cheering you on there, too?

ROBERTS: Well -- there you go. Nobody's throwing a bra yet, thankfully.

CHETRY: Hey, you know what? There's always the 9:00 show.

ROBERTS: Yes. There you go.

Hey, we have some bad weather up and down the East Coast. Lots of torrential rains; could bring some serious flooding. Rob Marciano is here this morning. He's tracking it all. And Rob, it's just plain ugly out there.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. I was just getting -- about to throw you my bra.

(CROSSTALK)

Marciano: Nice work, J.R. And we are, yes, dealing with some rain across much of the East Coast. Look at all the moisture coming in from the south. This is leftovers from Nicole. And then also a frontal boundary -- just a mess right now so what we have are some serious flood issues across North Carolina. This is just 24-hour totals in Wilmington, 7 inches. But if you take into account the last four days, over 20 inches of rain.

This is a record-setting rain event for Wilmington, North Carolina. And it is still raining across this area and on top of that the rain goes all the way to the north.

We have tornado watches in effect until 1:00 this afternoon from the Delmarva through the mid-Atlantic. We have had a couple of scares across Maryland and through D.C. and back down through the Hampton Roads area. D.C. pretty much under water right now, they've had Flash flood warnings for this morning's commute. It is certainly a hairy one.

We may see some drying in Wilmington later on today but we continue to see this stream of moisture. And that's not good news.

On top of that, winds are starting to gust now over 25, 30 miles per hour. So with that saturated ground, we'll probably see some issues there, as far as trees coming down. The flood watches are up there all the way up toward the Canadian border.

We are looking at ground stops now for D.C. and LaGuardia. And that probably isn't going to be easy for you to get home. Maybe you can just jump on the tour bus with Rush and, you know, go to their next stop.

ROBERTS: Well, they're headed for Tampa unfortunately as opposed to going back to New York. So up and down the Eastern Seaboard, that corridor, tough travel?

MARCIANO: Yes, it's tough, it's going to be a tough go today. So pack your patience. They'll get some flights out. They won't shut down airports but there will be some flights canceled.

I hope that our executive producer is listening. Rob thanks so much.

MARCIANO: All right.

ROBERTS: We'll be back in just a minute. It's three minutes now to the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Hey guys. I'm glad you joined us today. We had a great show. We will be back here tomorrow.

Meanwhile, that's going to do it for us. Let's head back down to Atlanta and John.