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Conservatives Slam Jobless Numbers; Jobless Rate Drops To 7.8 Percent; Most Expensive Gas In The U.S.; Summitt Felt Forced Out; Romney: 47 Percent Remarks "Completely Wrong".; Higher Education, Higher Prices; Terror Suspects To Be Extradited To U.S.; Movie on Bin Laden Raid to Air November 4; How Candidates Try to Woo Latino Votes; Jobs Report and the Swing States
Aired October 05, 2012 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Baseball's playoffs begin today with first ever wild card games. Win or go home. In the National League, the Braves host the Cardinals, first pitch 5:07 p.m. Eastern. The AL game begins at 8:37 p.m. Eastern, the Orioles at Rangers, both on games are on our sister network, TBS.
Orlando Cruz has come out as first openly gay professional boxer. Cruz is the fourth ranked featherweight in the world. He tells "TIME" magazine he has two reasons for his announcement being true to himself and being a better role model for young fans. And that's a look at sports this morning.
The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM begins right now. Happening now, California running out of gas, the highest prices in the country, nearly 6 bucks a gallon in some places. Now some gas stations are completely shutting down.
Big numbers, big surprise in this morning's unemployment report with just a month before the presidential election, is this a potential game-changer.
New revelations about Pat Summitt, the coaching legend may not have made the decision to retire herself. She may have been pushed.
And good morning. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Carol Costello in Washington this morning. We begin with a new measure of the economy. We learned the jobless rate is at its lowest level since President Obama fist took office.
The new rate, 7.8 percent that's a bigger than expected drop from 8.1 percent in August. Only 114,000 new jobs, though, were added last month. Those new jobs numbers seem pretty good for President Obama, but his opponents are getting to the microphone first -- to first cry foul.
In a statement, the Mitt Romney camp said that, quote, "This is not what a real recovery looks like. We created fewer jobs in September than in August and fewer jobs in August than in July. And we lost over 600,000 manufacturing since President Obama took office," end quote. Christine Romans joins us now. So Christine, tell us what to believe actually because we're hearing so many different things from different camps.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You can believe that the unemployment rate is 7.8 percent and you can believe that on balance 114,000 jobs were created last month. And here's why.
The Labor Department does two different surveys, one of businesses and one of households. Let's start at the household survey. When they surveyed American households, they found in the month far more people said they were working than had said so the previous month. A lot of that was part time work, some of that was starting their own businesses, the combination of those things and more people entering the workforce and finding jobs from companies helped to bring down the unemployment rate.
Now, there is another number, 114,000 jobs created, that's what Wall Street really watches, that's the metric that people trade on that is a survey of businesses who say whether they're hiring or firing in the month. On balance, 114,000 jobs created there. Those are the two numbers. What I can tell you is that 7.8 percent unemployment rate is the lowest since the beginning of the president's tenure in the White House. And a 114,000 jobs created, not enough even to absorb new entrants into the workforce, not as strong as the last couple of months but better than expected -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, thanks so much, Christine Romans.
We now want to go to our chief business correspondent, Ali Velshi, for the bigger, bigger picture. So Ali, what is your takeaway?
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are a couple of things. One is that I've been saying for years, Carol, you've heard me say it, ignore the unemployment rate. Again, ignore the unemployment rate. I don't care -- I was saying it when it was above 8 percent, I'm saying it when it's 7.8 percent. It is two different surveys that are taken. The number of jobs created is 114,000 that is on the left side.
The right side is the unemployment rate. You find out about the unemployment rate by calling people at their home and finding out if they have got a job. It is statistically less reliable than the other one, which is actually job lost or gained.
Politically everybody has been running on the "no president has been elected without an 8 percent unemployment rate or lower than 8 percent". It doesn't measure the right stuff. Bottom line is, what are we creating enough jobs and are we creating them consistently?
The 114,000 as Christine points out is not great. It is not a strong number. But when you combine that with the last two months where we saw an additional 86,000 jobs created, we're not in a terrible place with respect to jobs.
The problem is if you're Barack Obama, you can't crow too much about 114,000 jobs. If you're Mitt Romney, you got to be careful about saying that it is not working.
COSTELLO: OK, Ali Velshi, thank you for your perspective.
Now let's head to the White House and Brianna Keilar because the Obama campaign has responded to the latest jobs report. Brianna, what is the president saying?
I'm sorry. Do we have a technical problem? OK. We do have a technical problem. So we're going to head on to other news and then go back to the White House and Brianna to get word from the White House.
We have Brianna Keilar now. Brianna Keilar, hi. Good morning.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Sorry about that. We do have reaction from the White House. This just came out from the Chairman of the Council on Economic Advisers, Allan Krugar, saying, "Well, there is more work that remains to be done. Today's unemployment report provides further evidence that the U.S. economy is continuing to heal from the wounds inflicted by the worst downturn since the Great Depression."
And he goes on to say it is critical that we continue the policies that are building an economy that works for the middle class and he points out that the severe recession began in December of 2007.
No coincidence there as he's pointing out it began before President Obama took office. But this is an important jobs report, carol, because this is the lowest unemployment rate since President Obama took office. So he can now say, look, we got back to where we were, and also it clears that all important hurdle, maybe even a mental one, certainly as people look at statistics, of 8 percent because you don't have a president who has been re-elected with unemployment being greater than 8% since decades ago.
So this is a key number. Is it great? It is not great. Is it good, yes, and it could have been a lot worse. So politically speaking this works in President Obama's favor.
COSTELLO: All right, Brianna Keilar, live from the White House this morning.
Let's head to California now where gas prices are nearing $6 a gallon in some areas and the state is now facing a shortage of gasoline.
A Costco Station in Los Angeles area was completely out of gas. The state average jumped yesterday and again this morning. It's now about $4.49 a gallon for regular. This is the most expensive state in America to buy gas. The reason -- a closed refinery, pipeline problems and strict state pollution laws.
CNN's senior producer Paul Vercammen is in Burbank, California, at a gas station where people are hurting.
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: They are. In fact, they're absolutely stunned this morning when they see the price because if you look behind me, it is at $4.61 a gallon for regular. Well, that is just a shock to the people here.
They can't believe it jumped 19 cents overnight. Now, this Shell Station, by the way, you can see, does have gas and it is getting more gas right now. But you highlighted, Carol, that there were Costco Stations throughout the area that ran out of gas.
And believe it or not, the $4.61, that's a bargain for this neighborhood. We saw a lot of signs that said about $4.77, $4.79. So it is costing people a lot of money to fuel up. Many of them are coming into the gas station, maybe putting in $20, $40, for some big SUVs. They're spending more than $100 just to fill up.
And we saw one man earlier today, chatted with him. He drives into the station, looks at the price, just shakes his head and then he drives off. Let's hear what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN O'CONNELL, COMMUTER: The regular guy on the street has got to be able to -- to go to work. If he can get a job, and what are you going to do about that? I'm not happy, but what am I going to do? You got to pay for the price, I guess.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERCAMMEN: Well, he decided not to pay the price here. Now, something on the horizon that could help, it is usually in late October that they switch from that summer grade of gasoline, which is more expensive, more environmentally friendly, to the winter grade.
They're trying to seek a waiver here in California to convert earlier to the less expensive to produce winter grade. And that could help with this -- what many people are calling a debacle right now, Carol, in California.
COSTELLO: I sure hope it helps. It's just awful. Paul Vercammen live from Burbank, California.
No one questioned why Pat Summitt retired from a legendary college basketball coaching career. People praised Summitt's courage for coaching one final season after being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. In April, she announced her retirement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAT SUMMITT, FORMER UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH: I just felt like it was time for me to step down. It is never a good time, but you have to find the time that you think is the right time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But now we're learning it might not have been her choice to step down. Carlos Diaz is here to tell us more. Good morning.
CARLOS DIAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Yes, what is going on basically here is that Pat Summitt has -- now filed an affidavit, according to a lawsuit that she did not file. Let me be clear about that. This is a lawsuit filed by the Lady Vols media director Debbie Jennings, who was let go earlier this year after 35 years of service.
Debbie Jennings is basically suing the university for age discrimination and sex discrimination. But basically in this lawsuit, Pat Summitt, the winningest head coach in the history of college basketball, is now saying that she had a meeting with athletic director David Hart in March where David Hart basically said she needed to leave the program.
Now, in this affidavit, Pat Summitt says, "This was a very surprising thing, a very hurtful thing for me. It is a decision I wanted to make at the end of the season, after I consulted my doctors, my colleagues, my friends, my family." And she says she feels she was forced out of Tennessee.
Now, Hart later told Pat Summitt that she had misinterpreted his comments, but these comments now stand in this affidavit that Pat Summitt has filed. And once again, it is not Pat Summitt suing the university.
It is the former media director, Debbie Jennings who is doing this. But this is a huge story because of the fact that Pat Summitt is the most influential coach in the history of women's college basketball. So for her to be forced out in any way is very shocking.
COSTELLO: Yes, and it had been such a great warm wonderful story, everyone supporting her and she became even more heroic across the country than she was originally. So it's just shocking to hear. Carlos Diaz, thanks so much.
New this morning, remember Mitt Romney's infamous 47 percent remark in a private meeting with fat cat donors on secretly recorded tapes? Romney pretty much wrote off half of Americans saying they're for Obama because they rely on government handouts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. There are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon the government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it and that's an entitlement and the government should give it to them and they will vote for the president no matter what.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Romney took a lot of flak for those blunt words, but he also refused to back away from them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: It is a message which I'm going to carry and continue to carry which is, look, the president's approach is attractive to people who are not paying taxes because, frankly, my discussion about lowering taxes isn't as attractive to them and therefore, I'm not likely to draw them into my campaign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But last night, a complete about face. Now Mr. Romney is denouncing those remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: Clearly in a campaign with hundreds if not thousands of speeches and question and answer sessions, now and then you're going to say something that doesn't come out right. And in this case I said something that is just completely wrong.
And I absolutely believe, however, that my life has shown that I care about 100 percent. And that's been demonstrated throughout my life. And this whole campaign is about the 100 percent. When I become president, it will be about helping the 100 percent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser is here now. So, Paul, we've also seen Romney sort of embrace the same Massachusetts health care reforms that he's previously shunned and he's doing that before some conservative audiences. Is he simply just trying to move to the middle with just 32 days before the election?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, and maybe people are saying the same thing about the debate performance from Mitt Romney the other night in Denver that his position seemed to be shifting a little bit.
On this, on the specific comment you just played on the 47 percent controversy, I think, Carol, what you heard last night in that interview with Fox News is what Mitt Romney would have said in Denver if the 47 percent controversy had come up in that first presidential debate.
It didn't. It was not raised by President Obama. It was not raised by the moderator Jim Lehrer and I think the Romney campaign was maybe a little surprised on that. Mitt Romney had an answer to go and that's the one you heard last night.
As for what you're talking about on whether Mitt Romney is shifting his policies, the Obama campaign sure thinks he is. Take a listen to the president yesterday on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When I got on the stage, I met this very spirited fellow who claimed to be Mitt Romney. But I know it couldn't have been Mitt Romney because the real Mitt Romney has been running around the country for the last year promising $5 trillion in tax cuts that favor the wealthy. And yet the fellow on the stage last night who looked like Mitt Romney said he did not know anything about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: You can hear a lot more from the Obama campaign and the candidate himself on that. The Romney campaign, Carol, pushing back saying, no, when it comes to health care, taxes, this is the same Mitt Romney and he's being consistent. This fight will continue.
COSTELLO: Yes, it will. Paul Steinhauser, many thanks.
Price tag for your child's college diploma isn't getting any cheaper. You know that. How much more you will be paying.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 17 minutes past the hour. Time to check our top stories. An American has been shot dead by an Israeli police anti- terror unit after he opened fire, killing an employee at a hotel in Israel near the Red Sea. Police say the suspect lost his job as chef at that hotel.
Just out this morning, a better than expected jobs report, in fact, the lowest unemployment rate since President Obama took office, 114,000 jobs created in September. The jobless rate is at 7.8 percent, 0.3 percent drop since August.
A snowy scene in Denver, where winter seems to have come early this morning, just two days after temperatures reached into the 80s. And in North Dakota, residents are bracing for bitterly cold temperatures with highs expected in the 30s across the state.
And police are searching for this man, who pretended to be a customer at an Atlanta area Pizza Hut and then jumped over the counter to rob employees. Those workers fought back. One woman hitting the man with a broom, once they realized the suspect didn't have the gun.
It is the fall fight fest for latte lovers. Starbucks stores across the country are running short on the syrup that gives its pumpkin spice latte, that special fall flavor.
Decaffeinated masses are not happy taking to Twitter to lament their latte losses. But rest assured a Starbucks spokesperson told "The Wall Street Journal" that in a pumpkin emergency, store can place an extra order.
And you're going to need that morning coffee for the next story. Want your kids to go to college? You better start saving now. The cost of tuition at private universities rising again, up almost 4 percent over last year.
Alison Kosik has the numbers from the New York Stock Exchange.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Carol, so, yes, tuition is higher, but look on the bright side. It is not rising as fast as it was. Tuition and fees at private colleges are up 3.9 percent this year. And here is the silver lining for you. That 3.9 percent increase is actually the smallest on record. So says the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Also, private colleges are setting aside more money for student aid.
That's good news. Now some schools are even cutting tuition prices like Cabrini College in Pennsylvania, University of Charleston in West Virginia as well. Now, the sad reality is it is still tough to pay for school. Almost 20 percent of households now have student loans.
That is a record high. The average loan is at $26,000. It could take years to pay off, especially if the graduate doesn't find work right away. We can all relate to that -- Carol.
COSTELLO: We can, sadly. Alison Kosik is live at the New York Stock Exchange.
Just before the election, a new movie on the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden and it's being distributed by a prominent backer of Obama's re-election campaign.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, what do you think Romney meant about the 47 percent?
No question about it, the presidential debate gave Mitt Romney a shot in the likability factor. More people now think he can relate to their needs and problems.
In a post debate CNN/ORC poll, 46 percent thought Romney more likable than before. To capitalize on that good news, Romney went on Republican friendly Fox News to clarify his 47 percent remark.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: Clearly in a campaign with hundreds if not thousands of speeches and question and answer sessions, now and then you're going to say something that doesn't come out right. In this case, I said something that is just completely wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That's what Romney said on Fox last night. Now, let's tiptoe down memory lane.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. There are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they're entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. It is not elegantly stated. Let me put it that way. I'm speaking off the cuff in response to a question. I'm sure I could state it more clearly in a more effective way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Now, Romney is saying never mind, and there say likely reason for that. In a recent Pew Research poll, 55 percent of those surveyed had a negative reaction to Romney's 47 percent comment.
So will Romney's latest remark erase that 47 percent thing from voters' minds? Talk Back question today: What do you think Romney meant about the 47 percent?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Your comments later this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Just in to the CNN NEWSROOM, a high court judge in London has ordered that radical cleric be extradited to the United States. He will face terrorism charges along with four other suspects. The process begins immediately and the judge ordered that the man cannot appeal. He's accused of helping to establish a terror camp in Oregon. He is also a compatriot of Osama bin Laden.
It's 30 minutes past the hour. Let's check our other top stories now. The U.S. economy added 114,000 jobs for the month of September and the unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent. Those figures are roughly in line with what was expected. The jobs number for August was revised up to 142,000.
An oil sheen about four miles long has appeared in the Gulf of Mexico near the site of the worst oil spill in U.S. history. The Coast Guard says the source of the oil was not immediately clear in September of 2010. Officials declared a cement plug had permanently sealed the deep water horizon oil spill. And it posed no further threat.
President Obama in Virginia right now making campaign stops there and in Ohio, right now, getting ready for a rally in Fairfax, Virginia. Later, he'll head to Cleveland, Ohio, where he'll speak to the students at Cleveland State University and in doubt talking about those new jobs numbers and trying to rebound from his flat debate performance on Wednesday night.
This morning, we learn the jobless rate is at its lowest level since President Obama first took office. The new rate 7.8 percent, that's a bigger than expected drop from 8.1 percent in August. 114,000 new jobs were added last month, those new jobs numbers out today seem to be pretty good news for President Obama. But it is his opponents who are getting to the microphone first to cry foul.
Joining me now, CNN contributor Maria Cardona she leans left, she's a Democratic strategist; and senior political consultant on the Rick Santorum presidential campaign and Republican political consultant John Brabender. Welcome to both of you.
JOHN BRABENDER, SENIOR STRATEGIST, SANTORUM PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Good morning.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Carol. Good to see you.
COSTELLO: Nice to see you too. So the jobs report, Maria, was not great. Only 114,000 jobs were added to the economy. But you had that psychological boost of the unemployment rate going down to 7.8 percent. So is the Obama camp doing the happy dance?
CARDONA: Well, they're not doing a happy dance, Carol, because the President is always the first one to say that even though we are headed in the right direction, and these numbers continue to prove that, we're now at the 30 -- 31 straight months of private sector job creation. He says there is a lot more to do. He knows there is a lot more people out there that want jobs, that need jobs, and it is always a reason that he talked about for the policies that he's putting in place.
We're going in the right direction. It's working but we need more to do. It's important psychologically because it is now below eight percent and he's also now at a net job creation number for his term. It has taken away two important talking points from the Republicans in terms of the jobs numbers.
COSTELLO: And John I'll ask you this, some conservatives are coming out and saying that these jobs numbers are skewed. And something has been done to them and they're not accurate.
BRABENDER: Well, one thing they are doing is they're taking out a sizable number of people who they say have given up looking for work. So we're not even going to count them. And so unfortunately what it is saying is that we're getting mediocre results and in some sense we're gaming the system to show that we're getting mediocre results.
This is the slowest recovery after a recession in our nation's history and I think people expect more than that.
COSTELLO: Do you think that people really pay close attention to the unemployment rate and the jobs numbers anyway, Maria?
CARDONA: Well, probably not as much as we do here, Carol, because we are the political and jobs numbers wonks that we are. But I do think that psychologically when you clear those hurdles, it is important. Especially because Republicans have used time and time again that they said two things, that it's been over eight percent for the four years that President Obama has been President, and that no president has ever been re-elected with a -- with an eight percent or above jobless rate.
So I think that in that sense it's -- it's psychological because people hear it, it's now below eight percent, that they -- so they say we're going in the right direction. And now it's maybe time to jump into the job market and that was an important thing that we saw in this job numbers as well. More people are coming into the job market that means more people are being -- becoming optimistic about where we're going; another very important point for the Obama administration.
COSTELLO: So -- so John, Maria is right in part because it's taken away an important talking point from the Romney campaign. He can no longer say that you know the President promised to get the unemployment rate under eight percent, now it's at 7.8 percent. Of course we have one more jobs report to go so who knows.
So what can Mitt Romney do to -- for lack of a better term, spin these numbers?
BRABENDER: Well, I only think it is spin these numbers, I think people see this and say is that really the best that we can do. I think everybody is happy when we see any movement. But let's face it, unemployment is right under eight percent. We aren't seeing -- I mean -- I believe 500,000 jobs in this report were part time workers.
People want jobs and they want even more than jobs they want careers and they want hope. Right now they don't see that. They see a President who's is doing nothing about jobs going overseas. They see a president who adds a small business tax at the time that they can least afford it. They see college graduates, almost half of them coming out and can't find the jobs that they want based upon the degrees that they have.
And so I think there is concerns when this president or this administration or their campaign thinks that we should be hopeful because of these type of numbers.
COSTELLO: And Maria, I think John has a good point. Because if I -- I'm an unemployed person or an underemployed person or I see my neighbor who is unemployed, that 7.8 percent figure is going to mean nothing to me.
CARDONA: Well, of course and again, the President and the White House will be first one to say we are not where we need to be. So let's make that very clear. They are not doing the happy dance, as you said, they are not having a victory lap here.
But we are going in the right direction. And again, psychologically we've already seen in polls that people are feeling a bit more optimistic about where we are, and the Republicans really need to be careful here. They are seeming as if they are talking down the economy. They are looking as if they are rooting for bad news because they think that will help Romney.
And frankly, all of these conservative groups that are saying that these job numbers coming out of the Labor Department have been hampered with, that, Carol, is very dangerous ground for the Republicans to go on. And I think it smacks of desperation.
COSTELLO: OK so John, I'd like you respond to that. To those conservatives who are saying these numbers are skewed, should they just tone it down?
BRABENDER: I don't think it is that. I agree with what Maria said. She said after four years of Obama, the White House is saying things aren't where they need to be. And what happens after four years of a president, if things aren't where they need to be, you fire that president.
COSTELLO: John Brabender --
(CROSSTALK)
CARDONA: Except where we're not needing to be is because of the Republican policies that were there before he was there. So --
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: OK we're going to have to wrap it up. Maria Cardona, John Brabender, thank you so much for joining us this morning.
CARDONA: Thank you Carol.
BRABENDER: Thank you for having us.
COSTELLO: She's done late night and now she's doing early mornings. Ann Romney's latest TV turn when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Made for TV movies might make you think of those after school specials but not when the network is National Geographic and not when the film is being released by a prominent Obama backer just days before the election.
A.J. Hammer joins me from New York. So A.J. this is a movie about the death of Osama bin Laden.
A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes. And there are some people because of the timing, Carol, that are thinking it's kind of like a long campaign ad or at least they're questioning what's really going on here. The movie is called "SEAL Team 6: The Raid on Osama bin Laden." It's what the NatGeo Network calls the first fact-based film it has ever aired.
And what has everybody really paying attention is that it is a movie distributed by the Weinstein Company, Harvey Weinstein of course is a well known Obama fundraiser and supporter in Hollywood and it's only airing on TV on Sunday November 4th which, of course, is 48 hours before Election Day.
Now, a similar movie dramatizing the bin Laden raid called "Zero Dark 30" has been in production for several months and that's been criticized in some circles as being propaganda for the Obama administration.
So the filmmakers of that movie moved its release in theaters until after the election. But then, Carol, this one seemingly just came out of nowhere and landed a TV slot and with the Weinstein backing they had to figure that this was going to raise a lot of questions, which it has.
COSTELLO: Absolutely. OK let's talk about Ann Romney. Because she's going to be hosting "Good Morning America." Good for her.
HAMMER: Yes she's got a little TV gig this coming week. She'll be co-hosting ABC's "GMA" on October 10th, that's on Wednesday. She'll be appearing in the 8:00 a.m. hour according to a "GMA" spokesperson. Now you know the show has had a series of guest hosts, everybody from Oprah Winfrey to Stephen Colbert, all while the great Robin Roberts has been on medical leave since late August.
Roberts is undergoing treatment for MDS, she also battled breast cancer five years ago. Mrs. Romney is also a breast cancer survivor and she has multiple sclerosis. Romney did express her support for Robin's recovery in a tweet back in August, she tweeted "Keep on fighting, we all stand with you", which is certainly true.
COSTELLO: Wow.
HAMMER: The show of support came after the two had first met back in July, Carol. Romney sat in for an interview with Roberts. So there is a bit of history between the morning show and the Romney family. It will be interesting to see how she does as a "GMA" co-host, for sure.
COSTELLO: I'm sure she'll do a terrific job. A.J. Hammer thanks so much.
HAMMER: You got it.
COSTELLO: Join A.J. on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" 11:00 Eastern on HLN.
And as I told you before we're expecting President Obama to speak at any moment. We'll bring you his remarks live when they start to happen there in Vienna, Virginia.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is just about 45 minutes past the hour. Welcome back.
The candidates back out in full force on the campaign trail. These are live pictures from Vienna, Virginia, where President Obama is about to speak shortly. The former governor -- Virginia governor I should say -- Tim Kaine had been speaking behind the podium there. When he is finished and maybe a couple of others, President Obama will take to the podium.
Later the President heads to Cleveland, Ohio, where he'll speak to students at Cleveland State University and no doubt he'll be talking about those new jobs numbers and trying to rebound from his flat debate performance on Wednesday night.
As I said, we'll bring you the President's remarks live.
The presidential candidates are also trying to appeal to as many Latino voters as possible, especially in Florida, a crucial swing state. How do they reach them? As Ed Lavandera reports it not as easy as speaking Spanish.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Roll out the mariachi band, a few dancers and sprinkle in some politicians and you got yourself a little old political rally courting Latino voters, right? Well, that kind of image doesn't work like it used to. In fact, political strategists have a name for it, mariachi politics.
LEONARD RODRIGUEZ, FORMER PRESIDENT BUSH ADVISOR: You do a big event and you have the Hispanics behind you and you have the mariachis and the canastas and it just seems like they're reaching for something and trying to portray an image that is really not there.
Photo with the President on my last day.
LAVANDERA: Leonard Rodriguez coordinated Latino voter outreach strategy for George W. Bush's presidential campaign. We met in his San Antonio home.
(on camera): How do candidates fall into this pitfall of appearing like they're pandering to this voting bloc.
RODRIGUEZ: Talking one way to one group of individuals, a predominantly white group of individuals and then going into the next event and talking predominantly to a group of Hispanic individuals. It forces the candidate to look out there, know that he's not talking and delivering a message that has to bring these two groups of people together.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Television ads offer a snapshot to President Obama and Mitt Romney's strategy in courting Latino voters. The Obama campaign is using Latino celebrities, targeting specific issues like education, immigration and even the appointment of Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court.
The Romney campaign is using family. Mitt Romney's son, Craig, who speaks fluent Spanish, talks about American values and bipartisanship.
Juan Tornoe, is the chief marketing officer of Cultural Strategies. He's analyzed the candidates' Latino marketing strategies and sees Obama and Romney targeting specific groups in the Latino community. Romney chasing the more conservative Cuban-American vote, Obama focusing on Puerto Rican and Mexican-American votes. But (INAUDIBLE) says to get these votes, the message doesn't have to be delivered in Spanish.
JUAN TORNOE, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, CULTURAL STRATEGIES: We have to keep in mind that the Latino community is not monolithic and that there are Latinos who are bilingual and prefer to ask information in English so you have to reach Latinos not only in language, but also in culture.
LAVANDERA: Recent poll shows President Obama has commanding among Latino voters nationwide. But it's the Latinos in the battleground states like Nevada, Colorado and Florida that Mitt Romney needs to win over. The fight is on.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, San Antonio, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And you can see more when "LATINO IN AMERICA: COURTING THEIR VOTE" airs on CNN this Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern.
Going now from key voters to key states in the presidential election. Let's head to Iowa where we find CNN's Shannon Travis.
I just wondered, are people reacting at all yet to the jobs numbers this morning?
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: You can be sure, Carol that people in Iowa -- I mean this is a battleground state -- they are definitely reacting to these jobs numbers.
I just spoke with a few people about eight or nine people just walking around downtown here in Iowa. A number of people, a smattering of men and women, Democrats and Romney supporters as well, are reacting. Some of the Democrats I spoke with said that it is encouraging and they're giving credit to President Obama. But one guy I spoke with, Carol, said he hopes the Romney campaign won't spin the numbers -- his words, not mine.
A Romney supporter on the other hand who described herself as a moderate republican said that you know what; the President does deserve some credit, but that she felt that the country needs to move in a different direction towards Romney, electing Romney in order for the jobs numbers to pick up the pace in terms of employers adding more jobs.
It is something that you hear, obviously these voters here in Iowa are very savvy. You know, Carol, they see these candidates time and time and time again, starting last year. I lived here for a little while. So they're definitely paying attention and reacting to the numbers.
You probably know, again Carol, that the jobless rate in Iowa is 5.5 percent. It is much lower than the national average -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Shannon Travis, you'll have more reporting from Iowa later on today on CNN. Thanks so much.
As we have been telling you, President Obama expected to take the podium very soon in Vienna, Virginia. When he begins speaking, we'll take you back there live.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Going into week five in the NFL, there were three undefeated teams. Now, only two are left. St. Louis knocked Arizona from the unbeatens last night. The rams quarterback Sam Bradford, he completed only seven passes. That was one of the good ones. Two of them were for scores. In the meantime, the Rams defense is putting pressure on the cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb. He was sacked nine times. Rams win 17-3.
College football last night, USC quarterback Matt Barkley connects with tight end Randall Telfer on the 23-yard touchdown. Telfer makes a nifty one-handed grab in the end zone and holds on. The Trojans fought Utah, 14-0; but come back to win 38-28.
The troubled tenure of Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine is over. The Sox fired valentine. He was brought in to restore order to the clubhouse after last season's fried chicken and beer debacle but the move did not work out. Beyond Valentine, the Red Sox were plagued by injuries this year and they wound up with their worst record since 1965. Valentine went biking after learning his fate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOBBY VALENTINE, FORMER RED SOX MANAGER: The ownership of this team is terrific. Let me tell you, John Henry flew up from Florida to make sure that he was here in person, you know, to be with me and us today. And, you know, Tom and Larry, no one cares more than them. And I think they're doing what they think is the right thing to do for the fans. Because this wasn't acceptable. And I get that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Baseball's playoffs begin today with the first ever wild card games -- win or go home. In the National League, the Braves host the Cardinals, first pitch, 5:07 p.m. Eastern. The AL game begins at 8:37 p.m. Eastern. The Orioles at the Rangers. Both games on our sister network TBS.
Orlando Cruz has come out as the first openly gay professional boxer. Cruz is the fourth ranked featherweight in the world. He tells "TIME" magazine he has two reasons for his announcement. One being true to himself; and two, being a better role model for young fans.
And we end sports with a player who really made his mark this week. You know who that is. It's Miguel Cabrera, of course. He became baseball's first Triple Crown winner in 45 years. The Detroit Tigers third baseman finished the regular season with a .330 batting average, 44 homers and 139 runs batted in.
He also helped lead the Tigers to the playoffs and is a top contender for the American league MVP. If he doesn't beat out Mike Trout, I don't know what I'm going to do. As you know, I'm a Tigers fan.
"Talk Back" question for you today: What do you think Mitt Romney mend about the 47 percent? Your responses next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: A quick check back to Fairfax County, Virginia. We're awaiting President Obama to begin speaking there at any moment. He'll surely mention the jobs report number that came out this morning. Again, when the President begins speaking, we'll take his remarks live for you.
Now to our "Talk Back" question. The question for you today, what do you think Mitt Romney meant about the 47 percent?
This from Amy: "Good for him, standing up and admitting you were wrong takes a ton of character. Kudos to him."
This from Lenny: "He meant exactly what he said when he set it. This wasn't a gaffe. Anyone whose mind is changed by his new explanation deserves to get what he'll bring."
This from Billy: "Really, he changed overnight? This guy changes his stand every day. Surely the American people can see through this wolf in sheep clothing trick."
This from Deb: "He meant what he said, which was -- which was when he thought no one would ever know what he said. That is true Mitt Romney, even if there is such a thing."
And this from David: "I think he meant exactly what he said and I could not agree more."
Please continue the conversation. Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Your responses always appreciated.
Some experts say you should always let your car warm up before putting the pedal to the metal. In this "Daily Dose", Chris Powell from "Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition" says the same thing is true for your body.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS POWELL, "EXTREME MAKEOVER WEIGHT LOSS EDITION": It is so important to warm up before you exercise simply for injury prevention alone. Our bodies -- you know before we move into higher intensity exercise, they tend to be somewhat cold so we need to increase blood flow to the muscles and to joints and ligaments.
And so once we're there, now we can actually begin to explore full range of motion and begin to explore higher intensity on the muscles. But one of the best places to actually start the warm up is just by simple, light movement, this moving some of the bigger muscles in the body. That's why I love to jog in place because now it's utilizing all the lower body muscles, the glutes, (INAUDIBLE), and calves. Those are big muscles in the body that require a lot of blood flow.
Once my body is all warmed up after a minute or two, now I can move into some light joint mobility, simply moving my body back and forth, exploring my full range of motion, swinging my arms and my shoulders perhaps rolling the hips. And once I'm there, now I'm ready to move.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: He made me ready to move.
I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining us today.
CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ashleigh Banfield.
