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American Morning
Election Day Expectations; U.S. Steps Up Cargo Security; Proper Manners Could Help Job Seekers; Political Ads That Target Senior Citizens; Supreme Court To Consider Restriction of Violent Video Games Sales to Minors; Virtual Violence & Free Speech; Text Neck; October Surprise
Aired November 01, 2010 - 07:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Starting a brand new month this morning. It's the first of November. Thanks for joining us. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. We have a lot to talk about this morning so let's get right to it.
It's the final countdown to Election Day. The numbers don't look good for Democrats although party leaders are still holding out hope. President Obama pleading with people to get out and vote tomorrow. There's a influence CNN Opinion Research poll revealing a majority of Americans will cast ballots for any candidate who opposes the president.
ROBERTS: New information this morning on the man who allegedly built the bombs found on planes headed for the United States. He could be the same person who made the so-called Underwear Bomb that was found last Christmas on a flight to the United States.
And Yemen is promising to make changes. Jeanne Meserve has the latest information for us this morning.
CHETRY: And the Supreme Court justices are taking up an unusual First Amendment case. At issue: whether states can prevent minors from purchasing violent video games. A videogame expert, as well as senior legal analyst Jeff Toobin will be joining us to talk about it.
ROBERTS: First, though, no matter how you break it down, it's not looking good for the Democrats tomorrow, just one day to go before the midterm elections now. And to get an idea of the mood of voters, the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll reveals a majority of Americans will choose any candidate who opposes the president.
CHETRY: And get this. The number of people who say that things are going badly in this country now stands at 75 percent.
Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, I asked -- well, John asked Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele if he would be OK with Sarah Palin becoming the GOP nominee for president in 2012.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL STEELE, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: If she goes to the process and the Republican primary voters vote for her -- absolutely, I would -- why wouldn't I be? And again, another point here -- you know, these Republican leaders who don't put their names in print but make comments in shadows need to shut up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Yes, you heard it.
ROBERTS: Well, joining us now to get a handle on how things stand one day before the midterm elections, John King, CNN's chief national correspondent and anchor of "JOHN KING USA."
Some tough talk from Michael Steele this morning, "Shut up."
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is remarkable. Republicans are on the verge of recapturing the House of Representatives, of getting close and if they have a wave of capturing the United States Senate, they're going to pick up many governorships across the country, dozens of state legislative seats across the country. And yet, even on the verge of such significant progress for them, they are in the middle of this remarkable family feud. And Michael Steele is dead center in it.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: I've never seen anything like it.
CHETRY: You're talking about the family feud between those who believe that Sarah Palin is taking up the mantle as the new leader of the party and who?
KING: Well, there are a lot of -- there are a lot of Republicans out there who don't see Sarah Palin as a good presidential nominee and they will start working Wednesday morning on, you know, Governor Romney, Governor Pawlenty, Governor Barber, what are we going to do here. Because if she's the nominee, based on polling today, they don't think she can win.
Forget the polling today. Sarah Palin has had a very interesting year. She's established herself as a favorite of the Tea Party people and the conservative base. And she's a threat to some of the more establishment Republicans, number one. But the reason he gets so riled up and says "shut up" is because he also knows many of those same people are organizing to block him from getting a second term.
ROBERTS: Yes.
KING: And I'll tell you, I've been doing this for 25 years, and I don't know a Republican involved in a big race this year who listens to Michael Steele for one second. He is viewed in his own party as the irrelevant chairman and that frustrates him. That makes him mad.
And he knows those people are trying to block him from a second term. That's why he is telling them to shut up.
ROBERTS: OK. So, we've gone through the 2012 election and Michael Steele.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: What about tomorrow?
KING: That's what makes it fascinating. There's a huge election tomorrow and it's consequential. It's not just about who wins in Washington.
And most Democrats will concede to you privately they think the House is gone. They think Nancy Pelosi will lose the speaker's gavel.
So, what does that mean? You will have a House that wants -- that's run by Republicans, that wants to repeal the Obama health care plan; that wants to rein in federal spending. The Tea Party people in that caucus will demand votes on eliminating the Department of Education, on completely repealing Obamacare. And the establishment Republicans are going to have an internal feud there because, John, you know this very well, they don't have the votes in the Senate to repeal Obamacare. And even if they did, the president will have a veto pen.
And so, Washington is going to be fascinating after this election. The energy of the Tea Party movement is what gave the Republicans so much energy, but they are going to have big gains because they have taken the middle of the electorate back from President Obama, independent voters.
Independent voters actually want cooperation in Washington. One of the things they don't like is that it looks like a daycare center.
So, how do the Republicans deal with the energy on the right, the legitimate enthusiasm of the Tea Party people but then also address the moderate independent voters who have said the president reached too far, the Democrats reached too far, so we're going to vote Republican Tuesday, but that doesn't mean we want you to just fight the president every day?
CHETRY: Right. And I mean -- but it is interesting when you take a look at our polling, 75 percent of people are unhappy with the direction of the country right now. I mean, I understand that there's perhaps not going to be a ton getting done because you are likely going to have a split chamber.
KING: And so, the American people will send most likely divided government to Washington, that number is off the charts, and that's the biggest in a midterm election year, how do people feel about right wrong, wrong track in the country.
CHETRY: Right.
KING: When 75 percent of the people think the country is on the wrong track, the other party -- meaning the Republicans -- are going to have big gains in the election. History tells you that overwhelming.
The question is: what next? But they are in the grumpy mood in part because of 10 percent unemployment. This is not all the president's doing, if you will. Now, people think the stimulus wasn't effective. He spent too much money maybe.
But you -- and there's -- have you met an economist who thinks it's going to get any better in the next year?
So, these political debates are going to play out at a time when we will have continued high unemployment, a continued 2 percent or 2.5 percent or 3 percent growth in the economy. The question is: if the Republicans take one chamber of congress, how much are they accountable for what happens in Washington, and who is to blame?
And I think, sadly, what most people in both parties expect two years of finger-pointing and gridlock.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Yes, that one that Michael Steele was telling you all to shut up about.
ROBERTS: So, what do you make of what's happening in Alaska where Joe Miller seems to have run into some trouble. His polls were way up here and Lisa Murkowski's were down here. And they were doing this. But now, he's stabilized a little bit.
But do you think that Republicans will, if not overtly, at least tacitly, try to throw their support behind her?
KING: But what is interesting that any ads funded by Republican committees have dropped any critical reference to Lisa Murkowski. They showed Joe Miller, they might promote Joe Miller, but they dropped any critical reference to her.
And truth be told, in a private conversation in Washington, most Republicans will tell you, "We hope Lisa Murkowski wins that seat," because she's one of them. She's an incumbent senator now.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: They threw her overboard two months ago, right?
KING: The primary voters did throw her out. But if she wins, she gets six more years to figure that one out and to make peace with the people of Alaska. And they would rather have her than what they do as a Tea Party agitator in their caucus. Either way, the expectation is, a Republican will win that seat.
So, while it's great drama if you're Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, you stay quiet for 48 hours and you assume that at least whoever wins will be a Republican.
CHETRY: You think we're going to know tomorrow?
KING: No. In Alaska, I think it's possible we'll be up late. I think Alaska race could keep us up late, and perhaps the next day and the next day and the next day.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: I think the Nevada Senate race could keep us up. That one there -- there are a lot of lawyers out in Nevada getting ready to do things. So, strap in.
ROBERTS: Fascinating races.
CHETRY: We'll be watching. Thanks.
ROBERTS: Thanks, John. Good to see you this morning.
CHETRY: Well, stay with us, because in less than 30 minutes, we're going to speak to Amy Kremer. She is the chairwoman of the Tea Party Express. We're going to ask her what the grass roots organization is doing to get the supporters to the polls and once some of these candidates get elected, how do they work with in the GOP.
ROBERTS: Now to an A.M. Security Watch. A new information on those mail bombs that slid past airline security in Yemen late last week. First, the fingerprints of al Qaeda we're finding out the terror suspect who created the Christmas Day underwear bomb could be connected to this plot as well.
CHETRY: Also, security officials in Yemen announce that every piece of cargo and luggage will go through extensive searching from now. The U.S. is also stepping up screening, saying procedures will, quote, "evolve" based on the latest intelligence.
Our Jeanne Meserve spoke to the TSA administrator just minutes ago and she joins us live from Washington this morning.
Hi there, Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kiran.
Authorities are currently taking a look, as you know, at all packages shipped from Yemen. John Pistole, the administrator of the TSA, says, at this point, they have not found any additional bombs. He says forensics on the devices found in the U.K. and Yemen are continuing. He didn't offer definitive information on how they were supposed to detonate and whether the intended targets were airplanes or the destinations in Chicago. There seems to be some ambiguity about that.
Still, even when tipped to the packages, authorities in Britain and in Dubai had trouble finding them. I asked the administrator if current screening technology was up to finding something like these well-disguised PETN bombs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLI)
JOHN PISTOLE, TSA ADMINISTRATOR: We know that the enemy we face is creative in terms of design, in concealment as we saw both on 12/25 and, of course, in this recent incident. And then also, in the effectiveness of the device, that if they operated effectively, could have catastrophic consequences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: Pistole says the biggest challenge in screening aviation cargo is the international aspect of the system. The U.S. needs buy-in from other nations around the world. He's on his way today to an aviation security conference at Frankfurt, Germany, where the issue is sure to be discussed.
Kiran and John, back to you.
ROBERTS: So, Jeanne, in terms of the number of bombs, they got two of them. And they were quite cleverly hidden, it's copy machines and cartridges for copy machines.
Do they think that there might be more of them out there?
MESERVE: Well, that's why they are taking a look at all of these packages from Yemen. There were specific ones they wanted to track down last Friday. I was told that they had indeed found all of them. We suspect that perhaps they were shipped from the same cities at the same time.
But in addition, they're backtracking. They're looking at other packages sent from Yemen over the last several weeks, we understand, to try and figure out if there's any threat in there -- and as Pistole said, they haven't found anything yet.
ROBERTS: Yes, I should have said printers, is what I meant to say.
Jeanne, thanks so much. Good to see you this morning.
CHETRY: Check in with Rob Marciano right now. Nine minutes past the hour. He's keeping track of everything for us, weather-wise.
Hey, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys.
A bit of a chilly start to this first day of November. Halloween in a lot of spots was definitely on the nippy side. But dry. And it's dry across the Northeast and chilly. Temperatures in the 30s in some spots below the freezing mark to start your day.
Today's temps, what it feels like right now on the way out the door. It's pretty much what it's going to feel like tomorrow from D.C. up to Boston, that will remain dry. But it will be certainly cool at least in the morning.
Temps will bounce to about 50 in New York, 54 D.C., some thunderstorms rumbling later on today in Houston. You'll see them tomorrow for the vote, the big vote. The rains will be across the Northwest and the Deep South for Election Day.
The other item of concern is Tropical Storm Tomas, which has winds of 50 miles an hour. This was a strong hurricane over the weekend, beating up places like St. Lucia and Barbados. It is heading west and maybe drifting a little bit down to the southwest. It will continue that direction and then make a sharp turn to the right or towards the north. Jamaica, eastern Cuba, Hispaniola, including Haiti, of course, will be in the danger zone as we get towards this weekend.
We'll talk more about the different options for Tomas later on in the program.
ROBERTS: Let's hope it's no mas Tomas.
MARCIANO: I like that.
ROBERTS: All right. Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: OK.
CHETRY: Well, Tea Party chairwoman -- Tea Party Express chairwoman, Amy Kremer, is going to be joining us live coming up with last-minute develops about what's going on in Alaska and the Senate race, as well as Delaware. We're also going to ask her about Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity. Did she think it was a success firing up young voters?
ROBERTS: Plus, some scary moments on the football field. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre already playing with a bad ankle gets his bell rung and knocked out of the game.
It's 11 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's coming up on 14 minutes after the hour.
Some dramatic new video this morning of Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano erupting for a second time. Thousands of people living in relief camps were forced to evacuate. They had just returned to check on their homes and their farm animals. At least 31 people have been killed by volcanic ash in the past week.
CHETRY: Yes, the pictures are unbelievable.
Well, Space Shuttle Discovery is considered the busiest shuttle in history and it's now on track for its final launch. This is Wednesday. NASA says that engineers had to fix two minor gas leaks on the bird, which delayed the final mission for two days.
ROBERTS: Highlights for the Texas Rangers game last night came before they took the field for game four of the World Series. Former Presidents George W. Bush and his father, George H.W., appeared for the ceremonial first pitch.
CHETRY: A strike.
ROBERTS: Yes. There's the former president throwing it out. They were feeling the love from the fellow Texans. Bush 43 threw a high hard one to Nolan Ryan. Unfortunately, though, for the Rangers, that was the highlight, it was downhill from there.
They were shut out 4-0 by the Giants. Giants now lead the series three games to one. It could wrap it up very soon and take their first World Series in 56 years. The game is tonight.
CHETRY: Yes, they play tonight. So, the Rangers have to step up or it's going to be it.
Well, a bum leg and all Brett Favre started his 292nd game in a row yesterday in New England. However, he didn't get a chance to finish it. He was hit in the chin in the fourth quarter. He had to be taken off the field.
ROBERTS: Ouch!
CHETRY: It turns out yes, it was -- looked like it hurt. He needed eight stitches. So, they're going to have to see if he can go ago next week so. He's already playing with two fractures, eight stitches in his chin. And we'll see if he can go again to keep his NFL record alive.
The Patriots, by the way, beat Favre's Vikings, 28-18.
ROBERTS: It's all part of the aging process, you know? The ankles give way, the skin splits open more easily. Oh, terrible.
After five years, Tiger Woods fallen from the top of the golf rankings. Lee Westwood is now the world's number one golfer. He's the first European to reach that position competition since Nick Faldo claimed it back in 1994. Woods fell to number two.
But Phil Mickelson who was at the end of the season vying with Woods for the number one ranking is number four in the world after a little bit of a lackluster performance there as he closed out the season.
CHETRY: Hey, there is always next year.
ROBERTS: The Barclays. He didn't make the cut.
CHETRY: Well, the University of Iowa reportedly allowed a couple of basketball recruits to meet two of the school's celebrity fans, Ashton Kutcher and his wife Demi Moore. Such a meeting is a violation of NCAA rules. The couple met the recruits at a home football game back in September. Iowa's athletic director says that he hopes that the NCAA will determine there were unintentional secondary violations.
ROBERTS: The dreaded unintentional secondary violations.
Well, do you want power, polish, outclass the competition in your next job search? It's tough out there. Why taking an etiquette class is good for the business of you -- coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, there's no denying that job market is tough out there. Nearly one in 10 Americans is currently unemployed. A lot of people are wondering, what can I do to set myself apart?
ROBERTS: There's a lot of things you can do, but here is one that you might not have thought of: etiquette. Etiquette classes are all the rage these days, especially for 20-somethings just out of college.
AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho, not that she needs it, she went to one recently.
Did you learn anything?
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I did learn a thing or two about dining and so forth -- mic?
ROBERTS: Oh, you see, the first lesson in etiquette class is --
CHETRY: She's on.
ROBERTS: -- make sure the microphone is on.
CHO: Microphone is on.
I did learn a couple of things about dining etiquette. You know, you eat with the back side of your fork, that type of thing. Always use "Dear" in an e-mail.
You know, this is sort of that modern day mismanners, guys. And we wanted to know what do table manners have to do with scoring a job. Well, a lot.
With the job market so tight these days, it's not enough to have a stellar resume. Companies want workers with manners, too. And if you think about it, business is the largest social environment in the world and etiquette classes are booming.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICIA FITZPATRICK, THE NEW YORK SCHOOL OF ETIQUETTE: It's four steps. One, two, quietly, three.
CHO (voice-over): What does this --
FITZPATRICK: OK?
CHO: -- have to do --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I leaned over a little bit. Is that OK?
FITZPATRICK: You can tilt.
CHO: -- with getting a job?
FITZPATRICK: OK. That's a big bite, Sarah.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I couldn't break it smaller.
CHO: Would you believe etiquette counts -- for a lot?
FITZPATRICK: Eighty-five percent of success in life, in getting a job, is people skills. Fifteen percent is technical skills or what you know.
CHO: So, how do you improve your people skills? By taking a class.
FITZPATRICK: Welcome to outclass the competition business etiquette.
CHO: In just a year, Patricia Fitzpatrick says her business has doubled and she charges $200 per person for a two-hour group session.
JODI R. R. SMITH, MANNERSMITH ETIQUETTE CONSULTING: One, two, three shakes is OK. Four is getting strange and five is creepy.
CHO: Other etiquette classes are going gang-busters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go ahead.
CHO: And the students are younger, 20 something, just out of school, looking for a job and an edge.
LINDSAY YUHASZ, ETIQUETTE SCHOOL STUDENT: I want to be the person that they are like this girl is great. When she came in, she smiled, she was confident, she shook my hand well. I want to be that person.
CHO: Which is why these women are learning how to properly dine, communicate, and network -- all the little things that can show a potential employer you are up for the job.
FITZPATRICK: First of all you don't go to events to eat. OK? You're not there to eat. So, eat something before you go.
CHO: Make eye contact in the area Fitzpatrick calls the triangle. Anything lower is too personal. Once you get the job, know how to eat. There's always a business lunch.
Number one rule: eat with the back side of your fork. Cross your utensils while you rest and leave them parallel at 10:20 like a clock when you're done. So many details.
Does it really matter? Anna Post is the great, great granddaughter of Emily Post, the woman who wrote the book on etiquette.
ANNA POST, THE EMILY POST INSTITUTE: This will put you apart from the crowd. There are so many qualified resumes. This is a way to show that the boss can send you out and have absolute confidence that you won't embarrass them in front of the client, bottom line.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Exactly why these classes are popular. Some other rules you should know: don't saw your food. Begin an e-mail with "dear" like I said earlier. Like a business letter.
And above all, if you are going on an interview, be on time. Write a "thank you" note afterwards, not an e-mail. And dress appropriately -- not your idea of appropriate, but theirs. As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
ROBERTS: There you go -- the handwritten "thank you" note.
CHO: Absolutely. It's something that my mother taught me when I was a little kid and I still do it.
ROBERTS: Really?
CHO: And, you know -- now, you know, I spoke to one of our managers. I said, does it matter to you? Well, he said, well, now I have begun to accept the e-mail "thank you."
But certainly, when you get a handwritten "thank you," you know that that person has gone the extra mile, so to speak. You know, I asked this woman, Patricia Fitzpatrick, who runs this etiquette class, I said, you know, all these details, all these rules, is anyone really going to notice? And she said, well, you'll never know, will you?
CHETRY: That was interesting.
(CROSSTALK)
CHIO: -- know are watching. And you know what, it can make a difference. All things being equal, if there are six applicants for every job, maybe that might make the difference. It certainly can't hurt.
CHETRY: Very true. All right, Alina Cho for us this morning -- thanks so much.
CHO: You bet.
CHETRY: Still ahead: Tea Party activists using the final hours before tomorrow's election to energize conservative voters across the country. They're feeling pretty good. So, what's the latest buzz with just hours until the polls open?
We're going to be joined by Amy Kremer, chair of the Tea Party Express. She joins us live, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's 27 minutes after the hour. Just one more day until America votes and this election, the Tea Party movement has been a defining force, hoping to defeat the political establishment and lead new Republican revolution in Congress.
CHETRY: Amy Kremer is the chairwoman of the Tea Party Express. She's wrapping up a cross-country bus tour that started in Nevada just two weeks ago and she joins us this morning.
Good to see you this morning.
AMY KREMER, TEA PARTY EXPRESS: Good to see you. Thanks for having me.
ROBERTS: You bet.
CHETRY: My pleasure. But you must be tired.
KREMER: Yes.
CHETRY: And a little exhausted, but also excited.
ROBERTS: You brought the bus outside?
KREMER: We're headed to New Hampshire today and Mass. So, we're really excited.
CHETRY: Now, you guys, there's certainly a lot of buzz going around leading into the election, a lot of the poll show that the Republicans are leading, certainly favored now to win the House. In some of the tight races, though, in the Senate, it looks like a few of the Tea Party candidates tend to be dropping in the polls a little bit -- Christine O'Donnell for one, and it's getting tighter in Alaska.
What is your take on why we're seeing the Tea Party candidates start to fumble a little bit, at least those in particular right now?
KREMER: Well, I think that -- I still feel very good and very positive that they have a chance to win. I mean, you know, it's the same thing coming out of Washington, as we heard during the primaries that they can't win it. They even said it going back to Massachusetts in January with Scott Brown, you know?
And Washington I don't believe has their pulse on the heartbeat of America. They are in a bubble there and the people across this country want change. This is about, you know, the economic spending that is out of control, and, John, that's what people are voting for.
And even liberals and -- or Democrats and independents want fiscal responsibility. And that's what they are voting on when they go to the polls is on the economy.
ROBERTS: Well, what do you make of what's going on with Joe Miller in Alaska? You know, John King was with us just a few minutes ago.
KREMER: Right.
ROBERTS: And he said, he talked to a high powered Republicans in Washington and they suggest that Joe Miller is not going to make it. That Lisa Murkowski is the horse to back in this race.
KREMER: Well, you know, I feel good that Joe Miller can win that race. You know, there again, everybody was saying he couldn't. I think it's really sad what's going on, because Joe Miller won that primary fair and square. It was the largest Republican voter turnout in the history of Alaska.
And you know, although the NRSC is going in and doing commercials, I don't feel like they put their support behind Joe Miller as they should have.
ROBERTS: Really?
KREMER: I do. I feel that way. And --
ROBERTS: What more could they have done?
KREMER: Well, I mean, I think they could -- you know, they could have taken Lisa Murkowski out of the leadership rolls on the committees that she has. I mean, she is -- you know, she said that she would support the winner of the primary. And she's gone back on her word.
And, you know, I feel like everybody should be behind Joe Miller. He is the Republican nominee and he absolutely has a chance to win this primary.
CHETRY: You know, you bring up an interesting point, just in general, about what happens when some of these candidates, which they, you know, most likely will be in power. I mean, they'll be the lawmakers. How do they even work within the GOP establishment?
I'm talking about the candidates that look like they are likely to win victories both in the Senate and the House.
KREMER: Well, you know, I think that this is shaking up the good old boys club. And there are people in Washington that don't like it. But it's a way -- you know, it's what's happening. There is a tsunami coming towards Washington and the people of this country want real people in there to represent them, instead of establishment politicians, career politicians that have been in there, you know, for years.
Obviously, it's not working. We need some change. And that's what the people of Alaska and Delaware and across this country want.
And so they're going to have to work with the GOP. And the thing is, this movement, if the people go to Washington and they don't do what they are sent there to do, we're going to fire them, too. They don't go there with a blanket of trust. They are on probation and we are going to hold them accountable.
ROBERTS: Let me just go back to Lisa Murkowski. You said that Republicans should have taken her out of her ranking positions on the Senate committees. Why should they have done that? She fair and square was there, earned those positions. Why should she not be allowed to continue in those positions until such time as she's no longer a senator?
KREMER: I mean, you know, because the Republicans should get behind Joe Miller now. He is the candidate there. I mean, he is the nominee for the Senate in the state of Alaska, and they should all be supporting him.
As I said, this is not the good old boy network. I mean, this seat belongs to the people of Alaska, not to the Republican Party, not to you know, the state of Alaska's Republican Party. It belongs to the people. And why would they not throw their support completely behind Joe Miller?
CHETRY: I don't know if you saw any of the pictures or read the articles about the rally to restore sanity.
KREMER: I did.
CHETRY: Jon Stewart with "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central. I was looking through a lot of the signs. Many of them were poking fun or a lot of them poking fun at the Tea Party. One had Sarah Palin and Christine O'Donnell, a mounds bar and said "Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't." I mean almond joy and then President Obama.
You think part of this was an -- a criticism how nasty some of the rhetoric has gotten on both sides but also among some of the Tea Party candidates?
KREMER: You know, first of all, they were mocking us. And you know what, it's a testament to the power of this movement and how strong this movement is, because if we were not making a difference and having an impact, they wouldn't have been out there. That's absolutely correct.
On the flip side of it, too, you know, I think it's good that both sides are engaged, because we as Americans should be engaged in the political process on both sides of the aisle. So overall I think it's a good thing. It shows how powerful the Tea Party movement is and it shows that Americans are engaged.
ROBERTS: Well, it's pretty amazing to see how far you've come. Eighteen months ago nobody what the Tea Party was.
KREMER: Now we've been traveling across the country on the bus, watching all of the political coverage on the networks. You can't watch any political coverage without hearing the words "Tea Party" mentioned. That's amazing.
ROBERTS: Amy, great to see you this morning.
KREMER: Thank you for having me.
ROBERTS: Drive safely on the way up to New Hampshire.
CHETRY: We're talking more about president Obama. A late push to get young voters out to the polls, but a lot of people say it's actually the seniors who could decide this election.
ROBERTS: There's no need energize them to get out and vote tomorrow morning. Our Carol Costello joins us this morning. I was by a county building in Fulton County in Atlanta the other day and there was a line out the door and almost to a person they were elderly people lining up to early vote.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Senior citizens are energized this year, perhaps more than they have been in any other midterm elections. Perhaps it's surprising to everyone, but seniors, they are putting their money where their vote will be in a big way, too.
According to opensecrets.org, retirees, many of them on a fixed income, have donated a cool $98 million on federal elections this cycle, and that would be a record. What's propelling this senior financial wave? Some charge it's the politics of fear.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Sixth-five-year-old Marion Altman can't wait to vote on November 2nd.
MARIAN ALTMAN, CONSERVATIVE DEMOCRAT: The older you get the more you realize how you want to be involved in the government, and you realize how much your vote is worth. When you're young you don't have fear.
COSTELLO: Many seniors, on the other hand, are fearful. Ellen Roberts, a conservative Republican, fears a government takeover and worse.
ELLEN ROBERTS, CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN: I mean that is something to be afraid of. And it is becoming more socialistic. When you think, when you go through the different czars that are in the White House now, there are communists in there.
COSTELLO: What really scares many seniors is health care reform. And they have been bombarded with political ads that exploit that fear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama-care, $500 billion in Medicare cuts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rand Paul wants you to pay more for Medicare.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should Congress have cut Medicare half a trillion dollars to pay for Obama care?
COSTELLO: If you add up the number of TV political ads that have an anti-health care theme, there are almost 300,000. The price tag -- more than $116 million. Well worth the money analysts say, because retirees open their wallets to the tune of a record $98 million and gave largely to Republican anti-health care candidates.
ROBERTS: I've done that myself and I feel --
COSTELLO: How much have you given?
ROBERTS: I've probably given over $3,000.
COSTELLO: It's something that bothers John Avlon, a CNN analyst and independent.
JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The frustrating part is the politics of fear work. We've seen a long series of people using fear and hate to pump up hyper-partisanship and to take fundraising dollars from folks, especially older people, who are I think especially susceptible to the politics of fear.
COSTELLO: But both Roberts and Altman say they don't feel exploited. They're well-informed, politically active, and genuinely concerned.
ROBERTS: At our age there's fear for our country. We're really scared for our country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: The frustrating part about those political ads for all Americans, you don't know whether to believe them. For example we showed you snippets of many ads that claim that Democrats want to cut $500 billion out of Medicare to pay for health care reform.
According to "Politi-fact," that's barely true. The health care plan is largely paid for through future cuts in Medicare spending, which I understand is hard to wrap your mind around. But the core benefits of Medicare will not be cut.
We want to know what you think about the politics of fear and all of those ads you see on television, because I know you are enjoying them. They are ubiquitous, aren't they?
CHETRY: Yes, the ominous voice. "So and so lied."
COSTELLO: That's right. "And the country's going to hell." That's all you hear. We want to know what you think about the politics of fear on CNN.com.
ROBERTS: Only about 16 hours to go. Carol, thanks so much.
Join "The Best Political Team on Television" for the best election coverage. Just leave in on CNN tomorrow as the final numbers come in. Our coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. eastern. We'll be on the air early, early, early.
CHETRY: Oh, yes. Is it considered early or just a late night? It's 3:00 a.m. eastern time. And we'll be on with you until noon Wednesday.
ROBERTS: We're going to keep going and going until it's done.
"Grand Theft Auto," "Mortal Kombat," "Resident Evil," they're all hugely popular video games with a big youth following. But do children need protection from violent video games, or is virtual violence a form of free speech? The Supreme Court is taking a look at banning the sale of violent video games to kids younger than 18. We're going to check in on that argument coming up.
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CHETRY: Tomorrow all eyes will be on the polls. The Supreme Court justices will be busy, though, with video games. The court is getting set to hear a First Amendment case that involve as California law that banned the sale of violent video games to minors, and appeals courts struck that down.
ROBERTS: So now it's headed to the Supreme Court. Joining us from Washington is Adam Sessler. He's the host of G4 Network's "X Play" and editor in chief of G4 games content. Here with us in the studio is CNN Senior Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
So lay it out for us. What are the issues that the Supreme Court will have to consider?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: There are a bunch of them. This is a really new area for the court. First of all, are video games First Amendment expression? The court has never dealt with that. New technologies creates new issues for the court.
Also the issue is what are the free speech rights of people under 18? That is an unsettled area in the court.
And, finally, the question is, has the state of California proved that violent video games present such a threat to 18-year-old kids and younger that it deserves a new regime of censorship in the United States?
CHETRY: That's interesting. Adam, I want to get your perspective on that. There is an interesting opinion piece in "USA Today" that quotes the American Academy of Pediatrics. What they say is kind of startling. They say that the connection between game violence and aggression is as strong as the medical association between cigarette smoking and lung cancer.
Do you believe that these games actually make children more aggressive and violent in their lives?
ADAM SESSLER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, G4 GAMES CONTENT: Well, if you look at juvenile crime statistics, which have gone down over the past 15 years, it really doesn't seem to bear what the American Pediatric Society is saying, although I would like to give them some sort of credence there.
I think what it comes down to is this anxiety that surround the interactivity of video games, which is so much different than the passive way of enjoying other forms of entertainment like music, movies, television.
I think it gives an older generation a sense of anxiety that maybe there is some correlation, that you're going to act out what's happening on screen. But if you look at what's happening with juvenile crime it doesn't seem to bear itself out.
ROBERTS: Jeff, speak to the argument he just made, the idea that the interactivity of it makes it different. We don't have federal laws or even state laws banning young people from seeing movies. They are voluntary restrictions. But the interactive nature, that if you are actually engaged in the virtual violence it might have more effect on you than simply sitting back and watching it.
TOOBIN: That's certainly what the California legislators thought and Governor Schwarzenegger thought when he signed the law. The question is how much proof do you need in order to persuade the court that it justifies a restriction on speech?
Usually the courts say, look, if the legislator thinks that this is an appropriate thing to do, we defer to the legislature. They are the ones who are elected by the people and we want to stay out of it.
The problem here, though, is they also are very careful about restrictions on speech, which I think it's clear that this is. So, I don't know how much proof they are going to require. They usually defer to legislatures, but when it comes to restricting speech they tend to be a little more searching in their scrutiny of what the legislators do.
CHETRY: And I guess one of the questions will be, and you refer to it as slippery slope, where do they draw the line? Right now apparently they propose to ban game from miners that involve killing, maiming, dismembering or sexually assaulting an image of a human being.
And they specifically name some of the games like "Man Hunt" and "Grand Theft Auto," games that the industry itself rates as "mature" or "adults only." What is wrong with limiting the sale of those to minors?
SESSLER: Well, the thing is that there's actually very good self-policing inside of the games industries. It has its own rating system, E through M, M obviously being for the most adult or inappropriate games for young children.
And the FTC just put out a report at the end of last year saying that the video game industry as opposed to all other forms of entertainment industries are doing a very good job of not marketing inappropriately to young children, of retailers actually restricting the sale of these M-rated games to minors that come into the store without a parent. And then inside those game consoles themselves there are parental controls that would just prohibit any M-rated game from being played on that console if the parent deems that it's inappropriate for their child.
And I think that's what it really comes down to is that once again the state is trying to supplant the role of parenting in determining what is or is not appropriate for their child. And also even with what sounds like very precise descriptions of inappropriate content in those games it is vague enough that will be unclear to a retailer, to a game developer, to a game publisher, what is or is not good.
And I don't believe the state has made a very good claim as to what regulatory body in California will look at these games that are sold nationwide and say that is ok, that is not.
TOOBIN: You know one reason why the movie business has been so rigorous with its -- and you know, its rating system, is they want to avoid this justice situation.
ROBERTS: Yes.
TOOBIN: They self-police so they keep the government out of it and they have been successful so far; the video game business not as much.
ROBERTS: Video games before the Supreme Court, who would have ever think it. Jeff Toobin and Adam Sessler, good to talk to you this morning, thanks.
TOOBIN: Thank you.
CHETRY: Thanks guys.
Well, still ahead a chilly start to November in the northeast and we're also keeping an eye on the tropics. So there is a beautiful shot this morning from Columbus Circle. It's a pretty fall day for the first of November.
But look at this guy. This is Tomas, a tropical storm right now. Rob Marciano is going to have more on its track.
Forty-seven minutes past the hour.
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ROBERTS: Such delicious irony.
CHETRY: It will all be worked out tomorrow.
ROBERTS: We can work it out and a picture of Washington, where it's partly cloudy and 43 degrees. Well, it looks like it's brilliant sunshine out there right now so the partly is very partly. High of 64 degrees today; so it'll be kind of cool in Washington. CHETRY: Nice. Well, it is cool around here for Thanksgiving I mean for -- sorry, for Halloween yesterday. I was thinking ahead to Thanksgiving.
ROBERTS: Perfect song for Washington.
CHETRY: Love it. We can work it out. Hey, don't give up hope.
Rob Marciano is following the latest for us this morning. It was a chilly Halloween last night.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It was. And I see your mind is already on the turkey.
CHETRY: I know. I can't help it.
MARCIANO: Hey, nothing wrong with that.
The holidays now in full force, and a great time of year, albeit kind of chilly in the morning; certainly jackets required, sweaters maybe and break out the fall fashion because you'll need it.
37 in Boston right now, about 38 degrees in New York. You go away from the cities and we're talking about temperatures that are cooler than that, subfreezing in spots. Yes. It's about 10 in some cases 15 degrees below average is what we'll see.
Not only today, tonight again it's going to be another chilly night but tomorrow as well as the northerly flow continues out of Canada.
We are looking at a disturbance rolling out of the Rockies dropping down toward Texas. Going to kind of sit and spin here for a day or two bringing some showers and thunderstorms to the southeast Texas coastline into southwest Louisiana and eventually the rest of the southeast which isn't a bad thing because it's been unusually dry here so we'll take the rain where we can get it.
77 degrees in Dallas, should be dry I think for the game tonight, game five in Arlington. 51 degrees so rebounding nicely in New York and 73 degrees for a high temperature in Atlanta.
And finally we're watching tropical storm Tomas which has winds of 50 miles an hour right now. This is the forecast track over the weekend, Jamaica, eastern Cuba, potentially Hispaniola as a category 1 hurricane. Yes. It's still hurricane season and this one has a lot of people concerned. John, Kiran -- back up to you.
ROBERTS: Hopefully it will stay the heck away from Haiti because they certainly couldn't use a hurricane there. Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: You got it.
ROBERTS: Well, do you hunch over to use your iPhone or type on your Blackberry. Watch out for new high-tech injury known as text neck. And the damage that it can do is nothing to LOL about. CHETRY: This happened to me.
ROBERTS: Really? You have personal experience?
CHETRY: Yes, I had a pinched nerve from being on my Blackberry too much, according to my chiropractor.
ROBERTS: What does that say? What does that say?
Details coming up next. Stay with us.
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ROBERTS: Hello.
CHETRY: Sorry. Hi there. Time now for an "A.M. House Call," stories about your health this morning. Alcohol is the world's worst drug, the most harmful, at least, according to British researchers who ranked 20 drugs based on the harm they can do to the user as well as others. Alcohol was number one by far followed by heroin, then crack.
ROBERTS: I thought that maybe when you were looking like this --
CHETRY: No, you tricked me. You were looking up there so I turned to see what you were looking at.
ROBERTS: I thought maybe you were suffering from this next affliction we're about to tell you about here. Chiropractors say they are seeing more cases of the syndrome they're calling call text neck. Victims experience chronic pain shooting down their neck and through their arms after prolonged texting or computer use. They sort of get stuck like this.
CHETRY: They say that it actually is from doing this so often.
ROBERTS: And you suffered from this right?
CHETRY: Yes. I mean I'm aware of it now. He said you should try to hold your devices up like this.
ROBERTS: They say it's brought on by bad posture while using SmartPhones, NetBooks, iPads, other mobile devices like that. So hold them like this, not down like this.
CHETRY: Yes. Like how my mother reads the text.
ROBERTS: Particularly if you are driving. If you're driving, you ought to hold them like this, not down. I'm only kidding. Don't text and drive.
CHETRY: No, no, no. Big no, no.
This was an October surprise for sure. Ohio Congressman John Boccieri was at a rally with former president Bill Clinton when he got a call to put his campaign on hold and get to the hospital. Here's why. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: His wife's having a baby. The baby's now being born. Tell him good-bye.
You know what? We have both sets of parents here, the grandparents. You would be amazed how many times I take a picture with a very pregnant woman and she immediately gives birth like that. I would like some credit for your fifth grandchild being born into the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And there's the baby. Baby Emma Nancy born just a few hours later. She is the couple's fifth child and everyone is doing fine.
ROBERTS: Now, there's a piece missing here. Did President Clinton take a picture with Boccieri's wife at some point?
CHETRY: I think he was just saying his presence around expecting families can oftentimes lead to the birth imminently.
ROBERTS: Wow. How about that?
CHETRY: He's got that power.
ROBERTS: You know, we're talking about "Modern Family" and how funny it is and Dana Bash was telling us that a friend of hers was watching "Modern Family" and laughed so hard her water broke and had to go to the hospital.
CHETRY: There is a good memory to tell the family.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: There you go. So who's got a greater effect, Bill Clinton, "Modern Family"? Maybe we can do a side by side test.
Fifty-seven minutes after the hour. Stay with us.
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CHETRY: Well, we are certainly gearing up around here for election coverage tomorrow morning. We hope that you're with us bright and early and throughout the day because we've got you covered. Yes, 5:00 a.m.
ROBERTS: "CNN NEWSROOM" with Kyra Phillips starts right now. Good morning, Kyra.
