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Unemployment Rate Drops Sharply; Courting the Latino Vote

Aired October 05, 2012 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And as we continue on, welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Top of the hour, we're one month and one day from the 2012 election and the jobless rate, today we're talking jobs, jobs, jobs. It has taken a big dip. Take a look.

The new unemployment rate here, three ticks downward, 7.8 percent, that is down from the previous monthly reading of 8.1 percent. We're talking September here.

So the September jobs creation hits six figures again. You see the number, 114,000. And this is interesting too, as it often does, the Labor Department revised its findings from the last two months, revised them substantially upward.

This is the latest tally here, 142,000 new jobs. That's August. That's up from the earlier reading of 96,000,.

And let me take you back one more month, July, the new tally there, you see, 181,000 new jobs.

Let me mention the new jobless rate, 7.8 percent. It is the lowest of the Obama presidency. And this could brighten the prospects, of course, for his reelection. However, Mitt Romney is out and about today, also in Virginia. We just saw the president, though, he's already on Ohio. Romney saying today that the reason unemployment is dropping is that more and more Americans have given up, they have given up finding work, even though more Americans are actually entering the pool of prospective workers.

Let's listen to Romney and then the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will tell you this. When I'm president of the United States, when I'm president of the United States, that unemployment rate is going to come down, not because people are giving up and dropping out of the work force, but because we're creating more jobs. I will create jobs and get America working again.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is a reminder that this country has come too far to turn back now.

Because of your strength and resilience, the strength and resilience of the American people, we have made too much progress to return to the policies that led to the crisis in the first place. I can't allow that to happen. I won't allow that to happen. And that is why I'm running for a second term as president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: I want to talk a little bit more about this 7.8 percent number.

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

BALDWIN: I want to keep the conversation going because a lot of this discussion about the economy and these numbers has to do with the manufacturing sector. It had been a bright spot in the economy until now.

Today's unemployment report shows a drop in manufacturing jobs, specifically down 16,000.

Ted Rowlands at a plant in Goshen, Indiana.

BALDWIN: Ted, I hear the plant, it makes seat covers, commercial furniture. And at least for this plant, they have been expanding, right, Ted?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Absolutely.

It's all good news here in Elkhart County, Indiana. And this is an area that really got hammered during the recession. Brooke, we're talking about 18.5 percent unemployment. But here, as you mentioned, they're making seat covers for airlines and for automobiles, and they have a different type of problem right now. They have open jobs that they're trying to fill, which -- we're at Wieland Designs.

And here they have added 70 positions over the past year. They are trying to add more, but they're having trouble getting people in here.

Now, the unemployment rate in this county is at 8 percent, so you would be thinking, why aren't people beating down the door?

We're talking about a decent wage starting at $11 an hour, but going up and full benefits.

However, Kip Wieland, CEO, you're having trouble filling these open positions. Why? It doesn't make sense to a lot of people. There is work. Why aren't there workers?

KIP WIELAND, CEO, WIELAND DESIGNS: Well, we have fairly specific skill needs.

And so it is just part of being an employer in this area is that you have to be ready to train. The number of people who are -- can kind of be proven reliable also that have the aptitude to merit some good training, that population of people to draw from is getting slimmer. (CROSSTALK)

ROWLANDS: And part of the reason, Brooke, they're in competition with the R.V. industry, the boating industry, which is heavy in this area. They're also on the upswing hiring people.

One other thing I will leave you with, which kind of makes you shake your head, they have had issues with people who are on long-term unemployment who don't want to get off it. They know there is jobs here, but they would rather take a little bit less money and not work at all.

And that's been a frustrating thing in this county. And again this is this county. There are jobs available. Different around the country, but here, if you want to work in Elkhart County, Indiana, there is a job for you.

BALDWIN: So then that's great news. But here's then the follow- up to that. If he mentioned these are highly specialized jobs, is there training available for folks who need work?

ROWLANDS: Absolutely.

We just met a couple of ladies that had no experience at all. And they're actually getting a state grant here to help them with training, so if people are willing to work, and this can be tedious, we're talking about sewing and standing on your feet for long periods of time, but if you want to work, there is a job here with full benefits and a decent wage in an area of the country with -- that is pretty cheap to live in.

So this obviously isn't what is happening across the country, but here in Elkhart County, there are jobs.

BALDWIN: There are jobs, we like it. Ted Rowlands, thank you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: She's not a monster, but she plays one online. And now Republicans in Maine are attacking the state Senate candidate for her bizarre language online. She is about to join me live.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

(voice-over): More Latinos are eligible to vote than ever before. Soledad O'Brien joins me live on whether that will make a difference this year.

Plus, a new movie about bin Laden's death coming to a TV screen near you, but the timing of this is raising eyebrows.

And he robbed banks. Then he gets a full ride to law school. Why? Because of what he did behind bars.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Online alter egos fair game for real-life politics?

A political race is now taking a surreal twist. In real life, Colleen Lachowicz is a Democratic social worker. She is running for state Senate in Maine and she likes the popular game called "World of Warcraft."

Online, she is Santiaga, a high level Orc assassination rogue with green skin and a mohawk. Maine's state Republican Party has noticed this and they're now attacking her, saying Colleen is unfit for office because of comments she made on this "World of Warcraft" game.

Now her opponent, state Senator Tom Martin, told Politico he met Colleen once, said she seems like a nice lady. Martin says he deplores mudslinging, so he's not the one attacking her specifically. It is the state party here. So the state GOP, they launched this attack. They actually launched this Web site. They're calling it Colleen's World, featuring her sometimes violent comments about the game and others, sent out a press release questioning her "bizarre double life."

So Colleen Lachowicz joins me now on the phone from Waterville, Maine.

Colleen, welcome, first and foremost.

And just "World of Warcraft," I know it is a hugely popular game, millions of fans. Just first tell me, why do you play? Why do you enjoy it?

COLLEEN LACHOWICZ (D), MAINE STATE SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Thanks for having me, Brooke.

I guess it is just a hobby, just like anything else.

BALDWIN: Just a hobby, you just enjoy it.

LACHOWICZ: Yes.

BALDWIN: So I know it is one thing to you enjoy being online and playing a character, but it is another to post -- let me quote you here -- "Now, if you will excuse me, I may have to go and hunt down Grover Norquist and drown him in my bathtub."

Colleen, that is some pretty strong language.

LACHOWICZ: Well, I think it is unfortunate that comments on the mailer and the Web site were taken out of context. I haven't seen the Web site. I haven't gone to it. I really haven't had time.

BALDWIN: Let me just jump in. If they took it out of context, how did they do that? How is it out of context?

LACHOWICZ: I haven't even seen it. My understanding is that some of the comments are taken from blog posts about gaming. Some of them are taken from other things there -- about blog posts. And I think it is just unfair and inaccurate to mishmash those together and take them out of context.

BALDWIN: Do you remember...

(CROSSTALK)

LACHOWICZ: ... back to 2005. I was a private citizen. I wasn't running for office or anything.

BALDWIN: I understand. I have something in my hand. This is dated from April of 2009, where you talk about -- that you're blogging about stabbing. "That means I stab things a lot."

So do you agree though that -- do you remember writing that from April of '09?

LACHOWICZ: I think I'm talking about gaming in that.

BALDWIN: Gaming in that. Gaming in that.

Let me just though respond with what the state GOP is saying specifically here -- quote -- "We think anyone making comments about drowning Grover Norquist and stabbing things shows a shocking level of immaturity and poor judgment that voters should know about."

And, you know, you're running for public office. Common sense tells me that you shouldn't be threatening the life of a prominent Republican, even if as you point out it is a game, even if it is in jest. Am I wrong?

LACHOWICZ: Whether it is online gaming or the Web site, I think really they're all distractions.

Yesterday, it was the gaming. Today, it is the comments. Who knows what they will be saying about me tomorrow. We should be spending our time talking about what is important to Maine people, like how to get Mainers working again, how to make health care more affordable and how to lower heating and energy costs.

I'm a social worker. I'm working with kids and Maine families every day. In the work I do, I see firsthand the struggles of Maine families. And we need to be focused on this. I think this is all just a distraction.

(CROSSTALK)

LACHOWICZ: ... either in my work or knocking on doors running for office, no one is really concerned about my hobbies, whether it's online gaming or whether it's knitting.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Well, apparently your opponent's party is very concerned about your gaming and the specific words that you're using. I do just want to quote your own party, the Democratic Party in Maine. The chair says, "It is time the Republicans grew up and talked about the real issues."

Real issues, are you talking about real issues?

LACHOWICZ: That's what I'm doing every day. I must be doing something right if the Maine Republican Party decided to attack me over online gaming and old blog posts.

BALDWIN: But in your online life...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: In your online life, there are more quotes. Forgive me, but: "I love poisoning and stabbing. It's fun. I never thought I would love it so much either. I spent my day leveling my alt, an undead warlock and doing house cleaning and laundry."

This is online. But, still, a lot of folks consider what is online is fair game.

LACHOWICZ: Yes.

You know, my time and priorities have been focused on two things, getting out and meeting the people in my district and working. I'm a social worker who works with kids and families in this area. I have spent 30 minutes on "World of Warcraft," maybe an hour in the past 10 months. I also knit. So I have had to reprioritize my time and there is less time for knitting socks and playing games.

BALDWIN: But as a social worker, should you be posting things about drownings and stabbings online? What if one of the children heard about this?

LACHOWICZ: I work primarily with teenagers and young people.

And one of the things that has really come out from this, that this really isn't about political affiliation. I have heard from dozens of people from all over the country, all over the world, lots of them conservatives, who are supportive of me because of they think these attacks just go over the line and they're out of touch, particularly with young people.

I mean, I really hope that a lot of the young people that I work with or anywhere across the world don't get discouraged from running from office because of things they may have said online.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: So, Colleen, no regrets?

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: No regrets? It is the 21st century and, you know, we have entered this new age, whether it is games, blogs, social media. Do you regret anything? And what if you win? Will this change how you blog?

LACHOWICZ: Actually, I don't have my own personal blog. So, I mean, I think...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Wherever it is you're blogging, will this change that?

LACHOWICZ: Will this change it?

I haven't had much time for it in quite some time, and that probably won't change. I will probably be really busy and won't have a lot of time for that, because I will be -- if I win, I will be working for the people of Senate District 25 in Maine.

BALDWIN: Colleen Lachowicz, thank you for calling in, Waterville, Maine.

We appreciate it.

Coming up, Mitt Romney, is he hard-right conservative, is he more moderate? My next guest has followed Romney's career and he said Romney morphed into a "severely conservative primary candidate leaning so far to the right, he might have suffered from mild attacks of vertigo." Ouch.

Fred Bayles explains next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Critics of Mitt Romney have frequently asked, who is the real Mitt? There is this Mitt Romney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You have a problem with allowing someone to finish speaking and I would suggest that if you want to become president of the United States, you got to let both people speak. So, first, let me speak.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Is he the hard-right conservative who beat out the Republican field to win the GOP nomination? Or is he more moderate Mitt Romney?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: When I'm governor, and I'm convinced I will be, I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: More like the Romney who ran for governor of Massachusetts back in 2002, the supporter of abortion rights? Fred Bayles is the director of Boston University's State House Program. He was also a Boston-based reporter during Romney's years as governor.

Fred Bayles, welcome. Nice to have you on here.

FRED BAYLES, BOSTON UNIVERSITY: Nice to be here.

BALDWIN: As you were watching the debate Wednesday night, who was that Romney? Was it hard-right Romney or was it Massachusetts Romney?

BAYLES: Well, it was a little bit of both. It was a Romney back in transition, I think.

As one could expect that once he had won his primary, he would move back to the center. He was on a national stage as the presidential candidate. And he was trying to be a much more centrist politician than he could be when he was running for the Republican primary.

BALDWIN: And, you know, there is something that he touts not just Wednesday night. We have heard it from him multiple times that of course as a Republican governor, in the state of Massachusetts, which, as you know, at the time for him, it was 87 percent Democrat. He said he had to cross the aisle a lot to get anything done.

Let me play a little bit of when he was talking about that Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: I like the way we did it in Massachusetts. I like the fact that in my state, we had Republicans and Democrats come together and work together. What you did instead was to push through a plan without a single Republican vote. As a matter of fact, when Massachusetts did something quite extraordinary -- elected a Republican senator to stop Obamacare, you pushed it through anyway.

So entirely on a partisan basis, instead of bringing America together and having a discussion on this important topic...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You covered him. How much did he really work with Dems vs. having, you know, them -- I should say, having his vetoes overridden?

BAYLES: Well, you have to understand something about Massachusetts politics and the Massachusetts government.

It is a strong legislature system to begin with. And when you have an overwhelming majority of Democrats in both the House and the Senate, the governor really almost takes on a figurehead role, especially when it comes to legislative action. The legislature does what it wants to do and it has done that with Republican governors. There were three Republican governors before Romney and it has done it with Democratic governors before and after Romney.

BALDWIN: What about education? You write about education because it was Romney that said Wednesday night we drove our schools to be number one in the nation. How much of that, Fred, was that Romney vs. the system he inherited when he took office?

BAYLES: It is just that he inherited had been trending up for the last decade. In 1983, you know, in August, the SAT reports came out, this is about eight months into his administration, and Massachusetts was at the top in terms of scores.

And this is among the top states in terms of student participation. So, again, I liken it to somebody standing out in the weather and either being blamed for the weather or taking credit for it. They had nothing to do with it.

BALDWIN: OK. Let's continue with the weather analogy, but talk taxes.

He talks about how he didn't raise taxes in Massachusetts, even though the state was up against a $3 billion budget gap. I know we have done, you know, the fact-checking, we know that's true. He didn't. But there is a but.

BAYLES: There is a whole bunch of buts.

And there is when you look at anybody's record, especially a governor's record. One of the buts is the fact that the Democratic legislature prior to his election had passed a fairly large tax increase of over a billion dollars.

Secondly, he and the legislature raised fees and licenses, license fees. And there is still a debate about whether that was anywhere from $250 million to $500 million in increases as well. So -- and in terms of writing the state budgets, there is always a little bit of smoke and mirrors that goes on with hiding a deficit as well.

Again, something that is very common in Massachusetts and other states, and common to both Democratic and Republican governors.

BALDWIN: Absolutely. Let's make the point, too. It is not just Republicans.

Democrats as well can take credit for or blame the weather in their own state.

Fred Bayles, your piece is "Romney Is Back to Loving Massachusetts."

We can read it. Go to CNN.com/opinion.

Thank you, sir. BAYLES: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Vegas, Vegas, the home of glitz and glamour, gambling as well, and a group Republicans desperately want.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Would you build an entire fence along the entire border and would you have it be electrified?

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: I will build a double- walled fence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Coming up next, Soledad O'Brien live with me to talk about her new documentary and why many Latinos aren't too happy with Republicans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: With the election just 32 days away, the pressure is on. The pressure is on for both parties to woo Hispanic voters.

That is especially true in battleground states like Nevada, where Republicans are polling way behind Democrats with Latinos. Is it too little too late for Republicans in Nevada?

That is something that Soledad O'Brien is taking a look at, a close look at in her upcoming documentary. She's calling it "Latino in America: Courting Their Vote."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Las Vegas, Nevada, beyond the glitz and the glamour, in the shadow of high rollers and high-stakes gambling, is high-stakes politics.

This is the Las Vegas you rarely see. Nevada is home to the fastest-growing Latino population in the country. More than a quarter of the state's population is now Hispanic. In 2008, those Latino voters helped turn this historically Republican state Democratic and, again, all eyes are on this crucial swing state and its six electoral votes.

HECTOR BARRETO, LATINO OUTREACH FOR MITT ROMNEY: The goal is to get as much support as we can from the Hispanic community.

O'BRIEN: Hector Barreto is one of the people in charge of Latino outreach, nationally, for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Do you think Latinos will determine who is the next president?

BARRETO: They could. Obviously, it's a growing electorate and it's going to continue to grow in the elections to come, so I don't think either party can take that vote for granted. O'BRIEN: Democrats are fighting to hold on to Nevada with political heavy-hitters like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, courting the Latino community.

It's a huge opportunity. Nearly 300,000 voters are Latino.

SENATOR HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER, U.S. SENATE: All over the country, but no more magnified any place than Nevada, is the Hispanic vote.

O'BRIEN: But Republicans want to take the state back. In seven out of the last 10 elections, Nevada voted Republican.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We understand to win, you don't -- you have to win the Hispanic vote. We have to be engaged.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: "Courting Their Vote" and here she is, Soledad O'Brien. Good to see you, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: You know, in talking to a number of the Latinos in Nevada, do they feel like there is this equal effort from both Democrats and Republicans to win their vote?

O'BRIEN: We actually saw that on both sides, whether they're Latinos who are Democrats or Latinos who are Republicans or even folks who are trying to figure out where they belong.

You know, they're frustrated. They feel like the Democrats have broken promises. They feel like the Republicans have a very harsh rhetoric on immigration and, even though polling shows that Latinos are more likely to align themselves with Democrats, there's a lot of frustrations certainly on both sides.

BALDWIN: Soledad O'Brien, we will be watching. Thank you for joining me.

I just tweeted it out. Watch Soledad's documentary. It comes up this Sunday, 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Eastern.

Soledad, thank you very much.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Second chances? You believe in them? We all do, right? At least in theory.

But what about a 20-something guy convicted of robbing banks, as in five banks. You going to plop down your money and pay for this convicted bank robber to go to law school?

Shon Hopwood, he is the bank robber getting a second chance here from none other than Bill and Melinda Gates of Microsoft fame. A book Hopwood wrote certainly got their attention. It's appropriately called "Lawman -- My Story of Robbing Banks, Winning Supreme Court Cases and Finding Redemption."

And Shon is joining me from Seattle, where he's attending the University of Washington law school. So, Shon, welcome. Welcome.

We're going to talk about the Supreme Court and the redemption here in just a moment, but first, you have to take me back. You have to take me back to 1997. You are a college dropout. You're broke. Maybe you're bored. Why did you rob these banks?

SHON HOPWOOD, CONVICTED BANK ROBBER TURNED LAW STUDENT: Brooke, it wasn't just one reason. It was a number of things.

I woke up every morning with no real hope, no real guidance on what I wanted to do and it was, you know, some depression issues, some addiction, drug and alcohol, and just a feeling of hopelessness.

And when you don't think about your actions, you know, how your actions will affect people, it means you're very desperate.

BALDWIN: So you weren't thinking? You weren't thinking when you did this?

HOPWOOD: Exactly. Exactly. I was 21 when this happened, and, obviously, it -- the guy you're talking to now is not the same kid that was 21-years old that did these horrible things.

BALDWIN: Let's talk about that guy, but, you know, you did get caught and this is where your story takes such a different turn because you filed this petition to the U.S. Supreme Court from prison on behalf of a fellow prisoner and, out of 7,000 petitions, the Supreme Court picks yours.

You got this -- you know, you could say it was a pretty lucky break, a break that is clearly changing your life. Tell me about that.

HOPWOOD: Yeah. So, it was one of those moments, much like when people have children where you just know things aren't going to be the same anymore.

A prisoner came running out one morning screaming and yelling at me and this kind of gives you an example of what prison's like. My first thought was he was coming to fight me.

But you don't usually go to a fight carrying a newspaper and it was a copy of the "USA Today" saying that this petition had been granted and how unlikely that was, given it was filed by a non-lawyer indigent prisoner.

BALDWIN: OK, so, that happens. You filed this petition. Then fast-forward to, you know, Bill and Melinda Gates and the scholarship. Only five are awarded, five, each year. It's incredibly competitive. You've have received one of these. You are a convicted felon, Shon, so what do you tell all those other people who applied who have not broken the law and here you are, getting the scholarship. What do you say to them?

HOPWOOD: Well, I say that it wasn't just -- they didn't give me the scholarship because I robbed banks. And they really didn't give me the scholarship just because I was able to make something of myself after that.

One of the biggest criteria they used is they want people that can make a difference in public-interest law and they know what a huge issue mass incarceration is.

We incarcerate more people than any other country in the world and they really knew that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and that I'm dedicated to that. And that's one of the primary reasons why they gave me the scholarship.

BALDWIN: Shon, congratulations, but 20 seconds, what do you do next, once you finish law school?

HOPWOOD: Well, exactly what I told you. I want to become a lawyer that ...

BALDWIN: But specifically?

HOPWOOD: ... provides legal services to people that can't afford it, which is almost a majority of the population and I want to work on sentencing reform and helping people that are disadvantaged.

BALDWIN: Shon Hopwood, good luck. Good luck. It sounds look a once hopeless man has turned into a man full of hope. We appreciate it.

HOPWOOD: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Young kids taking care of disabled or sick family members, it is a growing population.

Who is it that takes care then of these young caregivers? A CNN Hero like Connie Siskowski. You will meet Connie right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Speaking of CNN Heroes, each and every week, we like to, you know, just shine the spotlight on one of the top ten CNN Heroes of 2012 as you can vote.

Reminder, reminder, you can vote for your hero. Just go to CNNheroes.com.

So, this next honoree is bringing a hidden population really out of the shadows, children who are caregivers for sick or aging loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you OK? Here, let me help you.

My mom has been sick for as long as I can remember.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need more methadone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Helping her out is a bigger priority than going to school because I don't know what I would do if something happened to her. I wouldn't be able to really live.

CONNIE SISKOWSKI, 2012 TOP TEN CNN HERO: In the United States, there are at least 1.3 million children caring for someone who is ill or injured or elderly or disabled.

They can become isolated. There are physical effects, the stresses of it and the worry ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, baby. Thank you so much.

SISKOWSKI: ... but these children suffer silently.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Quiet suffering is what our CNN hero nominee, Connie Siskowski, is trying to end.

She started a nonprofit group that gives the young folks support, gives them understanding, helps them stay in school and hold onto their childhood and Connie joins me live from Boynton Beach, Florida.

Connie, nice to have you on. Nice to meet you.

You know, just hearing what you said, you said some of these children are suffering silently. What do you mean by that?

SISKOWSKI: I mean that without support they don't have a voice. They fear. Sometimes things split up from their family and they don't feel that they have someone to talk to. They don't want to be different. And so we are giving them a voice.

BALDWIN: And you started this group. Let me give the name out. It's the Caregiving Youth Project at Boca Raton Middle School.

This was the -- it's really the first project -- from what I understand, it's the first project of its kind in the whole country.

And I'm sure you met so many students, but can you just, you know, in a minute tell me about one student whose life you've really helped turn around.

SISKOWSKI: Well, one student was from Boca Middle School and he and his family moved in with their grandparents. His grandmother had Alzheimer's disease and he was one of those kids that were suffering silently. He participated in one of our skills-building groups and we provided respite so that his mom, who was also helping with his grandmother, had a break and he did, too.

As his grandmother deteriorated, he was really the only one that could help her calm down and, so, the demands on him were very great.

BALDWIN: And that is one story I'm sure of many, many. And I really -- you know, I tip my hat to you and all of your work.

Just finally, what do you hope, being now one of our CNN Heroes or at least a nominee, what do you hope that does for you for your project?

SISKOWSKI: Well, Brooke, we're so grateful to CNN for helping to raise awareness because, as we said before, this is a hidden population and our ultimate goal is that no child in the United States should have to drop out of school because of family care-giving responsibilities.

While we started at Boca Raton Community Middle School, we've serve over 550 students in Palm Beach County and are replicating our work in other parts of the country.

BALDWIN: Connie Siskowski, thank you. We thank you so much for your work and, as you are one of our top ten CNN heroes for 2012.

Of course, all top ten have been revealed and you -- you can now vote for your choice for hero of the year. All you do is go to CNNheroes.com and then we will reveal your 2012 hero of the year, December 2nd. Set the DVR now. December 2nd during our CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute, hosted by Anderson Cooper.

Peaceful protest or straight up breaking the law. Hours after being released from jail, actress-turned-activist Daryl Hannah joins me to talk about what went wrong as she and another woman protested the construction of the pipeline in Texas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Actress Daryl Hannah takes on a bulldozer. Here, you go. Here, she is, running, with someone else here. This is a Texas field, putting their hands out.

She and this fellow protester were arrested yesterday trying to stop the construction of the southern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Now, supporters say the full pipeline, which, let's be clear, has yet to be approved, will transport crude oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, creating jobs, but it is obvious Daryl Hannah does not agree.

She and fellow protester here, Eleanor Fairchild, join me live from Texas. Ladies, welcome, first and foremost. You know, I know the southern portion of the pipeline has gotten the proper approval, so, Daryl, why don't we just begin with the beginning here.

As we look at this video, tell us what you and Eleanor were doing. Why were you trying to stop it?

DARYL HANNAH, ACTRESS: First of all, we were on Eleanor's property. Eleanor's been accused of trespassing on her own property.

And what we're doing is objecting to a foreign company coming in and trampling American land-owners property rights for their own private financial gain.

This is an export line and it's not transporting crude. It's transporting tar sands, which is a very different substance. It's very corrosive and very toxic.

BALDWIN: TransCanada would say the pipeline would be the safest that's ever built. Crude is no dirtier than the oil we're getting from places like Venezuela or parts of California, but let me just, at least, quote TransCanada, as far as this trespass issue.

Quote, "It is unfortunate Miss Hannah and other out-of-state activists have chosen to break the law, tie up scarce law enforcement resources to deal with these matters and put themselves in our workers at risk.

"TransCanada, like American energy companies operating in Canada, has the legal authority to build this pipeline under Texas state law on the Fairchild property. The commissioner's court granted us the easement and establish compensation which Mrs. Fairchild is disputing."

So, Miss Fairchild, are you disputing that? And what is your next step?

ELEANOR FAIRCHILD, FARMER/PROTESTER: I'm not disputing that they have the right because Texas laws gave them the right to come across my property.

I'm protesting to stop tar sands anywhere in the United States because it's the dirtiest fuel in the world and we have to be careful what we do and not contaminate our water, our air.

We can live without oil. We can't live without water ...

BALDWIN: But this has ...

FAIRCHILD ... and I'm thinking more ...

BALDWIN: But this has been approved, at least in this section of the country, and we see these pictures of you all, you know.

What were you saying? What were they saying back to you as we see your arms sort of out, clearly protesting this tractor? HANNAH: I think it's pretty ironic that TransCanada said we were foreign activists. I mean, we ...

BALDWIN: Out of state.

HANNAH: ... Texans -- out-of-state. She is a Texan on her own property, which she still has to pay the taxes for, even their easement, which she never gave them approval for. She never agreed to it.

So, we're talking about a foreign company, not even out-of-state, a company that is a foreign company, coming in and taking Americans' land through eminent domain for what is supposed to be the greater good, but it's really for an export line so that they can make profits by selling it to China and India.

So, let's be clear. This is not oil that's for this country. This is not oil that is regular normal crude.

Eleanor's been in the oil business for many, many years. Fifty years, she was in the oil business. She doesn't have a problem with pipelines or crude oil.

She has a problem with tar sands. Tar sands are very, very toxic. They endanger our soil, our precious water in the midst of an enormous drought that is ravaging ...

BALDWIN: I understand. I understand. And I know you all have certainly done your homework and you know about this stuff and I just have to get the other side.

Again, TransCanada says that this stuff is no dirtier than what we're getting from Venezuela and California. Let's just -- you know, those are the two perspectives.

But, Daryl Hannah, here's my question to you, because I remember the last time you were on this show and you had just been arrested. I want to say it was outside the White House, you know, protesting this very same project, the Keystone XL pipeline.

HANNAH: That's right.

BALDWIN: Obviously, the project is continuing and here's the video. Here's the video. What was that, August of 2011?

Aren't there other ways for you to help get your point to these key decision-makers versus, you know, having cameras there, getting arrested, walking away.

HANNAH: There's been actions all across this pipeline, actually throughout Canada.

One of the reasons TransCanada is trying to get down to the Gulf of Mexico is because Canadians won't even let it get to their own coastline.

So, you know, there's been actions, all types of actions. The White House was surrounded by tens of thousands of people ...

BALDWIN: But then why take it to the next ...

HANNAH: ... completely surrounded with people opposing it.

BALDWIN: But then why take it to the next ...

HANNAH: There are all sorts -- because I felt that it was imperative to come and support the Texas landowners who are in opposition to this.

Their rights have been trampled. They have been bullied. They have been threatened. They have been slapped with lawsuits that threaten to make them go bankrupt.

It's -- you know, it's sort of a last line of resistance.

Why don't you talk about your frustration and how you got to that point?

BALDWIN: Yes. Eleanor Fairchild, final question to you, if TransCanada were listening to you right now, what would you say?

FAIRCHILD: Well, I would tell them that it's a dangerous project. They don't have the technology.

Their first phase of this line had 12 leaks in 12 months. They say it's not in the pipeline. It's in the pump stations.

My heart is a pump station. They wouldn't say my heart isn't part of my body. And I say the pump stations is the heart of their pipeline. They wouldn't have a pipeline if they didn't have pump stations.

It is a very dangerous fuel and I think, until we have technology to handle it, we need to leave it alone.

BALDWIN: OK, Daryl Hannah and Eleanor Fairchild, we thank you both.

And, once again, still waiting for that final approval from the administration on the pipeline in its entirety.

Ladies, thank you.

And we all remember, of course, the raid by SEAL Team Six, brought down Osama bin Laden last May.

Well, first, there was a book. Now, a TV movie is set to air about how that drama unfolded days before the presidential election.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A movie about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden will air just two days before the presidential election and the timing here has some people really sort of fuming over this. Could it give President Obama an unfair advantage on election day?

First, here is a sneak at what they're calling "SEAL Team Six."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Analysts have on several occasions recognized a man who appears taller than the rest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one, execute!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is Osama bin Laden.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do we know this isn't a trap?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: National Geographic Channel will air "SEAL Team Six -- The Raid on Osama bin Laden" on November 4th.

Guess who owns National Geographic Channel? News Corp, same company that owns Fox News.

The film, "SEAL Team Six," is being distributed by Weinstein Company, owned by Harvey Weinstein, a major fundraiser for President Obama's re-election campaign.

National Geographic's president told "The New York Times," the network chose the November 4th debut date here to help promote its fall schedule.

He says, other than being commercially opportunistic, we weren't considering the election, and there you have it.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. Hope you have a wonderful weekend, but don't go anywhere.

Wolf Blitzer is up next. "The Situation Room" starts now.