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Romney To Speak On Foreign Policy; Obama Campaign's "Pre- buttal"; Biden, Ryan Prep For Thursday's Debate; Chavez Staying in Power; Code Pink Protests Drone Strikes; First Commercial Flight To Space Station; Brees Sets Consecutive Game Touchdown Mark; Get Fit, Get A Raise; Police Kill Unarmed College Student; Funeral Today For Slain Border Agent; Boxer Fights His Way "Out Of The Closet"; NFL Viking Supports Same Sex Marriage; "Kony 2012" Creator Explains Breakdown; Texas Highway Getting 85mph Speed Limit; Vonn Wants to Race against Men

Aired October 08, 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: The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

Happening now, Mitt Romney set to outline his foreign policy while the Obama camp launches an attack before Romney even utters a word.

Get a smaller waistline and increase your bottom line. Why losing weight could help you get a raise.

The 55 miles per hour is fast becoming a thing of the past. Speed limits are up and so are deaths so why this need for speed?

And she is one of the best skiers on the entire planet. Now Lindsay Vaughn wants a new challenge on the slope, the girl versus the guy. NEWSROOM starts now.

Good morning. Thank you so much for being with us. I am Carol Costello. We begin on the campaign trail. President Obama is raising cash and Mitt Romney is raising concerns.

Next hour, Romney will deliver a foreign policy speech ripping the administration's handling of the Middle East and its many recent flash points. Libya, Syria, Iran, Romney has said that Obama has weakened America's standing in the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We face a time when there is turmoil in the Middle East and other parts of the world and people are asking where is America? Where is American leadership? In this is a critical time, if we were to re-elect President Obama, I don't think we would measure up to the test of time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN political director, Mark Preston, is in our Washington Bureau. Good morning, Mark. Does Romney have the standing himself to make foreign policy a critical campaign issue?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, I think it's too late in the campaign right now, Carol, for Mitt Romney to really make big in roads on the issue of foreign policy.

But what he needs to do is really portray himself and present himself to the voters as somebody who is ready to step in as day one, as our viewers will remember back in 2008, Hillary Clinton tried to make a big issue of Barack Obama not being the person able to deal with world crises and in fact ran a television ad called "The 3 a.m." ad. Now we have seen that President Obama has in fact pretty much lived up to that. He was able to kill Osama Bin Laden, but yet he has been criticized in some foreign policy issues.

He is going to speak, Governor Romney, as you said in just about an hour here in Virginia, a very critical state in this election. Let's take a quick look at one of the things that he plans on hitting on, Carol. Let me read a little to you. These are from the excerpts of his speech.

"We cannot support our friends and defeat our enemies in the Middle East when our words are not backed by deeds and when defense spending is arbitrarily and deeply cut. When we have no trade agenda to speak of and the perception of our strategy is not one of partnership but of passivity. It is time to change course in the Middle East."

So, Carol, what we hear in that statement right there that Governor Romney will say in just a short period of time, he is hitting a couple of notes here. The first note, he is talking about and certainly criticizing President Obama's focus on the Middle East or lack thereof of focus according to Governor Romney. He is also talking about the deep defense cuts that will happen and certainly affect Virginia at the state where he is going to be giving this speech.

COSTELLO: Mark Preston joining us live from Washington this morning. Even though Romney is still more than an hour from delivering that speech, the Obama campaign is already launching its counter offensive. That's why it is called a "pre-buttal." Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Reckless, amateurish, what news media and Republicans call Romney's gaffe filled July tour of England, Israel and Poland. When our U.S. diplomats were attacked in Libya, the "New York Times" said Romney's kneejerk response showed an extraordinary lack of presidential character.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: That ad is airing in Virginia and comes two weeks before the men square in their first -- actually in their next presidential debate. The focus as you might guess foreign policy.

The vice presidential debate is just three days away and Paul Ryan and Joe Biden are pouring their efforts into getting ready, rehearsal sessions, briefing books and lots and lots of cramming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I have been doing mostly is quite frankly studying up on Congressman Ryan's positions on the issues and Governor Romney has embraced at least everything I can see. I don't want to say anything in the debate that's not completely accurate.

REP. PAUL RYAN, (R-WI), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: He is fast on the cuff. He is a witty guy. He knows who he is, and he has been doing this for 40 years. So you're not going to rattle Joe Biden. Joe is very good on the attack. Joe is very good at trying to confuse the issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: This is Biden's second vice presidential debate. In 2008, he squared off with Republican nominee, Sarah Palin. Join us for the vice presidential debate Thursday night. CNN's live coverage begins at 7:00 Eastern.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been re-elected to another six- year term. He defeated his challenger in a race that saw one of the highest voter participation rates in decades.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUGO CHAVEZ, PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA (through translator): More than 8 million compatriots voted for the revolution and socialism and they voted for independence. They voted for the greatness of Venezuela.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Venezuela is the fourth largest exporter of oil to the United States, and Chavez has been Venezuela's president since 1999.

Onto Pakistan now where a group of Americans are braving dangerous conditions in the country to protest U.S. policy. More than 30 members of "Code Pink" marched against American drone strikes in Pakistan because according to "Code Pink," those drones are killing too many civilians.

Last hour, I talked with Medea Benjamin, a co-founder of the group who is in Islamabad. She says "Code Pink" is fostering a better relationship between Pakistani civilians and U.S. citizens.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEDEA BENJAMIN, CO-FOUNDER, CODE PINK: We have been to an area where they have not seen Americans for 10 years, and all they know of America are planes that fly over their heads and sometimes 24 hours a day and terrorizing them especially the children who go to sleep at night not knowing if they will wake up alive the next day.

So to have a group of Americans come there with open arms to say that we want to live in peace with you that's a wonderful thing for our national security. Polls show that three out of four Pakistanis think of the U.S. as the enemy. When they see a group of Americans like us, that changes their mind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Our Reza Sayah has more now on "Code Pink" and their march against those drone strikes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): American peace activists, mostly middle aged women dressed in pink tried to enter Pakistan's tribal region, a place many call one of the dangerous regions in the world, a protest they say against deadly American drone strikes in the area.

BENJAMIN: It is making us hated around the world. They say three out of four Pakistanis thinks of the United States as the enemy. I don't want to be the enemy of these people. I want to be loved by the Pakistanis. I want to be loved by people around the world.

SAYAH: Activists say the drone strikes that target militants in the region are illegal assassinations in sovereign countries where the U.S. is not at war. They also say drones kill too many civilians and fuel hatred.

SUSHILA CHERAIN, CODE PINK: We are creating our own enemies obviously, and this is one of the best tools for recruitment for the bad guys. Isn't that obvious?

JOANNE LINGLE, CODE PINK: They are immoral. They are illegal and against a national rule of law and the U.S. rule of law.

SAYAH: On Saturday, the antiwar group "Code Pink" joined a convoy of more than 100 cars led by Pakistani cricket star turned politician, Imran Hahn. The procession headed towards the volatile tribal region along the Afghan border to call for an end to the strikes.

But the peace activists were stopped short by Pakistani authorities who used steel shipping containers and security forces to keep them out. Disappointment among the activists, but they say they won't be deterred.

They point to a recent survey by the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism that says drone strikes have killed more than 400 civilians since 2004.

In recent years, the Obama administration has stepped up drone attacks. U.S. officials say the aerial strikes are an effective strategy and have killed hundreds of militants that fuelled the insurgency across the border in Afghanistan. Washington also insists civilian casualties are rare.

(on camera): Members of "Code Pink" say they held fundraisers in the U.S. to pay their way over here and got close to Pakistan's tribal region, about an hour away.

This is a place many U.S. government and military officials never dare step in. Pakistani authorities said they had to stop them for their own safety.

Even so, "Code Pink" not done making nose against the U.S. drones. They are planning on more protests this week in Pakistan. Reza Sayah, CNN, Islamabad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The Spacex rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral last night launching the first commercial flight to the International Space Station. The unmanned capsule is on its way to the space station after separating from the rocket. Dragon is carrying 1,000 pounds of cargo. This is the first of a dozen NASA contracted flights to resupply the space station.

Talk about launching a big one, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees rewrote history in last night's game against San Diego. Brees scoring past Henderson marked the 40th straight game he's had a touchdown pass and that breaks the previous mark of Baltimore Colts legend Johnny Unitas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW BREES, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS QUARTERBACK: I think the amazing thing about a record like this is it spans over the course of really four seasons. Hopefully, we can keep it going for a while.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Hope so. The NFL allowed suspended Saint Coach Sean Payton to come to a game by request by Brees. Peyton is out for the season in his role in the bounty gate scandal.

If you have been wishing and hoping to get a raise, it may be time to put your exercise shoes on and head to the gym. Maribel Aber joins me now. Good morning.

MARIBEL ABER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. You know, there is this recent study by a researcher at Cleveland State University and it finds out the more you exercise the more it can make.

Exercising three or more times a week, get this, 6 percent higher pay for men and 10 percent higher pay for women, and studies show that even moderate exercise has a positive impact and more frequent workouts really drive your pay even higher.

Why is this? Well, as exercise boosts your energy level, your workplace productivity goes up, too. And other studies looking at the flip side support the findings showing that people who aren't ain good shape tend to make less money.

So if you're interested in more tips here, visit CNNMoney.com for tips on how to get fit without breaking the bank -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Maribel, thanks. More NFL players are coming out to support gay rights. They're not all posing shirtless for out magazine. Chris Coolly is, though. We'll talk next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Just about 15 minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories now, a University of South Alabama police officer is on paid administrative leave after shooting and killing an unarmed nude student.

The school says Gilbert Collar was acting erratically ignoring the campus police officer's commands and then rushed the officer on Saturday morning. That's when the officer said he shot the 18-year- old several times.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent killed last week near the Mexico border will be laid to rest today. Nicholas Ivy died Tuesday during a gun fight, which the FBI now says was likely the result of friendly fire.

Two Philadelphia brides will never forget their wedding for the wrong reasons. This weekend three people were arrested when two different wedding parties got into a fight in a hotel lobby. During the fight, one of the wedding guests had a heart attack and died. It's still unclear why the brawl started in the first place.

Professional boxer Orlando Cruz shocked the world when he announced he is gay. The Puerto Rican featherweight says he is at peace at becoming the first pro-boxer to come out of the closet and says he is a proud gay man and he is ranked fourth in his division.

Chris Kluwe may not be gay, but he supports marriage equality. He is also the kicker for the Minnesota Vikings and the November cover guy for the nationally circulated gay publication "Out" magazine. It's not every day you see an NFL player posing shirtless in a gay magazine for supporting gay rights.

Kluwe's recent smackdown letter to a Maryland state delegate gained national attention after Emmett Burns Jr. reportedly told the Baltimore Raven's owner to shut a player up for supporting marriage equality.

Kluwe responded and defended that player and he used some choice language. Quote, "How does gay marriage, he said, in any way, shape or form affect your life? If gay marriage becomes legal, are you worried that all of a sudden you will start thinking about the p word? Will all of your friends suddenly turn gay and refuse to come to your Sunday ticket grill outs? Unlikely since gay people enjoy watching football, too," end quote.

"Out" magazine's editor-in-chief, Aaron Hicklin spent some time with Chris Kluwe. He is in Los Angeles. Welcome.

AARON HICKLIN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "OUT" MAGAZINE: Hello.

COSTELLO: So why did you put Chris Kluwe on the cover?

HICKLIN: I think it was all there in your clip. To a lot of us he is a hero. He is right. Gay people do love football, too, and I think a lot of us see that the tide is finally turning.

Chris Kluwe is not the first instance of an NFL player appearing on the cover of "Out" shirtless. Actually Mike Irvin, the Dallas Cowboys great appeared on the cover last year talking about gay rights and using his position albeit as a former player to broaden the field as it were, to encourage and embrace players of all stripes including gay players.

And I think for a lot of us Chris Kluwe is really a clarion call for other players to follow in his footsteps and use their positions to say, it's no big deal, you know, gay, straight, white, black, it is all the same.

COSTELLO: I guess I was more impressed with the pictures inside the magazine with Chris Kluwe appearing shirtless and they were sexy pictures.

HICKLIN: You know, I have it on very good authority that was at the insistence of his wife. I think she wanted pretty pictures to look at.

COSTELLO: Well, it is amazing how he has become this voice for gay rights in America. I guess he recently challenged the Minnesota State Representative Mary Franzen to a debate because she opposes same sex marriage. I don't think she accepted, but it is interesting that he is just getting into politics and he is not afraid.

HICKLIN: You know, it is interesting, he is using his first amendment rights to defend other people's first amendment rights, and what's great about Chris Kluwe is, yeah, he is a great athlete. But he is, you know, a veracious reader. He is very smart. He has a great way with words. I mean, I think he is a real inspiration to all of us, not just athletes to really to better use language in such a way that he comes across as just a really great orator. I love talking to him. I think he is funny, smart, and super thoughtful.

COSTELLO: Yes. I read a little bit of the article. Actually I read the whole article, and he describes how he crafted his response to Delegate Burns and how he chooses choice language to get his points across.

HICKLIN: You know what, as a kid, and as an adult, he plays a lot of video games, and apparently on video game chat boards there is a lot of repertoire and back and forth and verbal jousting and I think he really honed his skills. His Twitter handle is @ChrisWarcraft, taken from Warcraft, which is a very popular video game. He is very much sort of honed his ability in the world of video games and literature, and I think that's kind of great.

COSTELLO: Yes. It is a great article. The pictures are even better. Aaron Hicklin, thanks so much from "Out" magazine.

HICKLIN: Hopefully, we'll have more of that.

COSTELLO: I hope so, too. It is a sure sign summer is long gone.

In many parts of the country, very cold temperatures, unusually cold temperatures. We'll give you the forecast next.

(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 is, how enthusiastic are you about voting?

Perhaps Mitt Romney is not so super secret weapon this year is not winning debates but enthusiasm. Republicans can't wait to get to the polls. In a new "Politico"/George Washington University poll 86 percent of those who back Romney say they're extremely likely to vote compared to 73 percent who support Obama.

That poll was taken before the President's lackluster debate performance, a performance that still is being widely trashed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Number two, open up more trade, especially with Latin America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The anniversary gift, I can't believe I forgot the anniversary gift. This is bad. This is very, very bad. OK, I was distracted by the mess by President Bush, but, still, I should have remembered our anniversary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says remember the weird moment with Clint Eastwood's empty chair? Well, it has become symbolic.

In their latest cover, "The New Yorker" magazine seems to agree with Gingrich. Take a look. Empty podium, empty chair, about says it all. Polls aside, enthusiasm does seem to be building for Romney. His campaign says he attracted 9,000 people at a rally in Florida on Sunday. He raised $12 million in online donations after the debate.

Still Romney remains in a statistical tie with the President although most political analysts say voter enthusiasm and subsequent turnout could decide the election.

Talk Back question for you today: How enthusiastic are you about voting? Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Your response is later this hour.

It was billed as "The rumble in the air conditioned auditorium" and when Jon Stewart went head to head with Bill O'Reilly, things got funny.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: From Texas to New York, many people probably woke up and said what happened to fall? Meteorologist Alexander Steele is here to answer that question.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right. It was a brief what happened to fall. Officially we have two and a half months until winter and we're going to really warm up before then.

So it is kind of the worst is over, it was this morning and yesterday, St. Louis 51 degrees, the high yesterday, 170 record low high temperatures. So highs were 15 to 25 degrees below average. Places like Dallas should be at 78. They were at 53. Washington, D.C. included, let's take you live there for a look and show you they, too, yesterday records for you, 52 Dulles. You should be 71 degrees this time of year.

So you can see cloudy skies overhead. Temperatures are warming now. High today in Washington and around the Beltway, 54, 55 in New York, and 60s in Memphis, but what will happen as we head toward the next couple days?

Temperatures are warm. You see Atlanta gets back in the 60s and 69. Minneapolis cools down. What we have is another clipper coming through, so a reinforcing shot of cool air. But as we look towards the next six to ten days, Carol, temperature outlook, believe it or not, even with the snow and the cold, temperatures will be well above normal for the balance of the country.

Places like New York, 65 on Wednesday, Philadelphia gets to 70 on Wednesday, and so you will say what 40 degrees temperatures? They won't even remember.

COSTELLO: I hope not. Thanks, Alexandra.

STEELE: Sure.

COSTELLO: Coming up on 30 minutes past the hour, checking our top stories, in Pakistan protests are taking place focusing on the United States policy of using drones in the country.

This weekend, protesters supporting the anti-drone march broke through police barriers. The U.S. feminist group "Code Pink" also taking part in the demonstrations in Pakistan.

California drivers may soon get relief from those sky high gas prices. The governor is allowing the winter driving blend to be used almost a month earlier than usual. As you know, there is a gas shortage in California right now because some refineries are offline. Gas prices in some areas have already hit more than 5 bucks a gallon.

In less than an hour we'll get some new insight into the foreign policy plans of Mitt Romney. Mr. Romney is speaking at the Virginia Military Institute. He's expected to attack President Obama on his handling of the Middle East and Iran. We'll bring you that speech live in the next hour of NEWSROOM. OK. The countdown is on to the first vice presidential debate this Thursday night at 7:00 Eastern. The candidates will face off in a one-on-one where unlike the first presidential debate all topics will be on the table.

So let's talk about that. CNN contributor and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona is here and Republican strategist Ron Bonjean joins us, too. Good morning to both of you.

RON BONJEAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Hey, good morning.

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good morning Carol.

COSTELLO: I must say I'm more excited for the vice presidential debate than the next presidential debate, Maria.

CARDONA: I am, too, Carol. And obviously there is a lot riding on this one for the Democrats. And I think you're going to see Joe Biden really come out swinging. He is somebody who can be very fiery on the stump. In fact his -- his convention speech was one of the best out there and it was in fact the one that was most viewed. And he is seen as somebody who is a real champion for the middle class Carol. And he is up against Paul Ryan who is the quintessential example of a plan that would actually hurt the middle class if we implement everything that he is talking about.

So it's going to be a very great night I think for Biden to really make that contrast which I think was a little bit of a missed opportunity for President Obama in his debate.

COSTELLO: And Ron it will be a contrast in so many ways, just in age I think that Paul Ryan was three years old when Joe Biden started debating.

BONJEAN: Well, you know, that's right. Paul Ryan is younger. And we are hoping that Biden does come out swinging and makes -- makes one of his infamous gaffes like talking about how the middle class has been struggling over the last four years or that he wants to raise -- you know, the Obama administration wants to raise taxes by over a trillion dollars. I mean, this is the Joe Biden we want.

Joe Biden has to be careful about going too hard at Paul Ryan because of just that, because of the gaffes and because he can look overbearing, and Paul, you know Paul, this is -- a lot is riding on Paul Ryan, and we want to keep that momentum going from that first debate, and he has to be careful not to get into the weeds of some of these policies.

COSTELLO: I know. Because he tends to be quite wonkish at times and people listen to him and say what?

BONJEAN: Well, that's right. And it's important that that Ryan stick with the big picture and go after Biden on -- on -- on the rising debt and our -- and our sky rocketed unemployment and talk about the failed last four years as opposed to being, you know, trying to get trapped in some of the -- some of the Biden spider webs that he will try to -- try to weave.

COSTELLO: And it appears Maria that -- that Joe Biden is really taking this seriously because the Democrats don't want a repeat of the first debate, right? So Joe Biden apparently has taken six days off and he's practicing, practicing, practicing, especially with zingers.

CARDONA: Yes, absolutely, and he should be taking it seriously. But look, I think Ron is right in that Biden has to be a little bit careful not to come out and look like he is such an attack dog against the younger Ryan. But at the same time I think that it's a terrific opportunity to again make that contrast with Paul Ryan.

And look, Ron talked about Biden's gaffes but -- but Paul Ryan is not gaffe-free. And in fact there are various speeches where he has basically been videotaped and seen talking about how the majority of Americans are takers and not makers. And I think that is a sentence that Joe Biden can really use against Paul Ryan and focus again on the contrast between really wanting to grow the middle class which is what Obama wants to do versus Paul Ryan and his plan, he is the architect of the plan that Romney has embraced that will do a lot of damage to the middle class.

COSTELLO: Well let me just ask a last -- a last question of Ron Bonjean about that. Because Ryan's policies are different than Mitt Romney's and I'm sure that Joe Biden will bring that up during the debate, so Paul Ryan really has to make sure that he's talking on behalf of Mitt Romney which sometimes isn't so easy to do.

BONJEAN: Well, in a debate like this you have to talk 30,000 feet because you're talking to voters that don't necessarily know who you are or what policies you're talking about. So you want to focus on Mitt Romney's conservative policies broadly and how they would help the middle class, how they would grow jobs, how they would reduce the debt and the deficit you don't want to be at a budget committee hearing getting -- you know parsing numbers so to speak.

And I think Paul Ryan has done an excellent job representing the middle class coming from a Wisconsin background; he's been able to put that state into play and to keep this momentum going. So I think we're going to see a great debate night this Thursday.

COSTELLO: I know. I can't wait. Ron Bonjean, Maria Cardona -- thanks so much for being with us this morning.

CARDONA: Thank you Carol.

BONJEAN: Thank you.

COSTELLO: It was billed as a "Rumble in a Temperature-Controlled Room" but things sure did heat up this weekend. The "Daily Show's" Jon Stewart facing off with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly at a mock debate. And if last week's presidential debate left you hungry for zingers, well, these guys did not disappoint.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS HOST: You've got to let the free marketplace kind of run a little bit. Now I understand the greed heads. I understand the Wall Street stuff, I got it. I'm not a big Wall Street guy. But you've got to let them go. You've got to unleash the machine.

JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": Yes, because what could go wrong?

O'REILLY: Oh, like we're doing real great now, huh?

STEWART: We're not doing real great now. But if you take your eye from looking at the world through a toilet paper roll and you get a broader perspective on it, you will see that the things that you are suggesting are not part of a fundamental change that Obama has brought.

O'REILLY: Redistribution.

STEWART: Yes.

O'REILLY: Do you believe in it?

STEWART: Do you?

O'REILLY: No. I asked first.

STEWART: I believe --

O'REILLY: Oh too complicated?

STEWART: I believe in Social Security. Do you believe in Social Security?

O'REILLY: Yes absolutely --

STEWART: So we're both socialists.

O'REILLY: No, no. Income redistribution.

STEWART: Social Security is income redistribution.

O'REILLY: No, it is not. You pay into it.

STEWART: But you don't pay into it what you get out of it. Some people pay more.

O'REILLY: In a cumulative effect right.

STEWART: No, no, no, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Even though the mock debate was heavy on laughs, the two men hit on issues of substance, too, even giving President Obama and Mitt Romney tips on their next debate and that advice would be to stick to the issues.

You might remember -- you might remember this man, naked in the street ranting, the producer of what's called the most viral video ever, "Kony 2012" he's opens up to Oprah about his breakdown.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Remember the naked breakdown of "Kony 2012" film maker Jason Russell? I bet you do. Well he's now explaining exactly what happened that dreadful day. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's" A.J. Hammer is live in New York to tell us. Good morning?

A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Good morning, Carol. This was a good get for Oprah Winfrey. He spoke with Oprah for an interview that aired yesterday on Oprah's "Next Chapter" and he said most of the doctors agreed that PTSD post traumatic stress disorder compounded his breakdown which was built up over nine years of stress and the sudden catapult into the media spotlight really exacerbated the pressure that he was feeling.

Mashable has called Russell's film the most viral video of all time. Let's watch what he told Oprah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OPRAH WINFREY, HOST, "NEXT CHAPTER": Did you go crazy?

JASON RUSSELL, CREATOR OF KONY 2012: Oh, yes. Oh, yes.

WINFREY: I am glad you say that.

RUSSELL: Oh, yes. It was like a soda can, you shake it up, and it explodes into the air. And I mean it was --

WINFREY: How do you end up in the street naked?

RUSSELL: Yes. I know. I wish I knew. I had my bathrobe on and my underwear and a friend was coming over and talking in the kitchen and they got to the point in the house where I snapped.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: And there you have it. That's what happened. The breakdown essentially crushed his project and stopped "Kony 2012" which seemed to be inspiring this movement Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony earlier this year. But Russell's organization did release a new video on Sunday in hopes of restarting the efforts to bring Joseph Kony to justice. And Carol they're also planning a rally for Washington, D.C. in November. So the work does continue.

COSTELLO: OK. Let's talk about the box office this weekend. Because what was it -- "Taken 2" was tops.

HAMMER: Yes, yes. And this really blindsided box office watchers, this huge opening weekend that took in $50 million, twice what the original "Taken" did in its opening weekend back in 2009. And this really says something about Liam Neeson's massive appeal. The 60- year-old actor really looks like he's riding high at the peak of his career right now and he opens a new action movie every couple of months.

Over the past year or so he has been in "Battleship", "Wrath of the Titans", "The Dark Knight Rises", he's also been really good at turning small action films like "Unknown" and "The Gray" into hits. So, Carol, he is now without a doubt one of Hollywood's most bankable stars.

COSTELLO: You got that right. A.J. Hammer thanks so much.

HAMMER: You got it.

COSTELLO: Join A.J. on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" 11:00 Eastern on HLN.

Pushing the limit, as in the speed limit to 85 miles per hour. It could soon be the speed limit you see all the time all across the country. We'll talk next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Just about 45 minutes past the hour checking our top Stories. In a little more than a half hour Mitt Romney will tell voters his vision for U.S. foreign policy. He'll speak at the Virginia Military Institute and he's expected to attack President Obama on his handling of the Middle East and Iran. We'll bring you that speech live in our next hour.

In health news, 91 people in nine states have now come down with a rare strain of fungal meningitis. So far seven people have died in cases linked to tainted steroid injections. This weekend the maker of the steroid recalled all of the products.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will stay in that office another six years. Chavez won re-election last night; he got more than 54 percent of the vote. 90 percent of the ballots have been counted. Chavez has been in power since 1999.

You can't drive 55. Well, no one else can either. Instead of providing more money and manpower to enforce the law, many politicians across the country are upping the speed limit big time. According to the Governor's Highway Safety Association, seven states -- Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia have increased speed limits to as high as 85 miles per hour on certain roads. Some drivers think that's grand. Others don't.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it is the highest posted speed limit on the whole western hemisphere, right? I mean it is really pretty neat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doing 85 miles an hour, all they're doing is asking for more accidents and more deaths; that's about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: The president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Adrian Lund, joins us now from Washington. Welcome.

ADRIAN LUND, PRESIDENT, INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY: Thank you Carol.

COSTELLO: And just to be sure that everybody knows what your organization does, you are like the crash test dummy guy, right?

LUND: Yes, we do crash tests but we also look at how other state laws and so forth affect highway safety.

COSTELLO: So first off, tell us, when you get into a car accident going 85 miles per hour, what are your chances of survival?

LUND: Well, if you actually crash at 85 miles per hour, your chances of survival are probably zero. .

COSTELLO: So is it safe to say that speed causes more traffic fatalities?

LUND: Absolutely. We know from history of experimenting with national maximum speed limits and so forth that when we reduce speed limits and people go slower, we reduce the number of crashes and we particularly reduce the number of severe crashes that result in death.

Conversely, as we have increased speed limits since the 1970s, we have repeatedly seen that the risk of crashing and the risk of fatal crashes on our highways has gone up.

COSTELLO: OK. So with that in mind, it is like I just can't figure out why politicians would be OK with raising the speed limit to 85 miles per hour. I mean do we really need to go faster?

LUND: Well, that is a political debate, Carol. Some people do want to go faster. Some people are willing to accept the cost. Others deny the cost. There are people out there who think that you can raise the speed limit and because people are already exceeding the old speed limit they think this will make a nation of law-abiding citizens if we just raise the speed limit.

But what actually happens is you raise the speed limit, people get used to that, and then they exceed that limit as well, to about the same extent as the old limit.

COSTELLO: So in essence what you're saying, oh, people drive 10, 20 miles above the speed limit of 55 anyway, so why not raise the speed limit and then enforce the law. If someone is driving even two miles over 85 miles per hour we'll catch them and fine them big time. You're saying that is not exactly what happens.

LUND: That isn't what happens. What we see is that there is only so much money for enforcement. Law enforcement is already stretched thin. So the notion that we're going to enforce the new speed limits a lot better than the old speed limits is just false. COSTELLO: Well, that's what Texas -- this is -- in Texas they have a highway near Austin, a stretch of highway where they will raise the speed limit to 85 miles per hour. The Texas Department of transportation says, hey, we can do that because the highway was built expressly for people going fast and it is safer. How do you respond to that?

LUND: I am sure that they have designed this highway well. People will be able to travel faster. It is safer than the old highways. It would be even safer if the speed limit were 80 miles an hour or if it were 75 miles an hour.

COSTELLO: So you're trying to maintain the 55 miles per hour speed limit. Are you fighting a losing battle?

LUND: I think politically we are fighting a losing battle. The thing that I think concerns me most is that when we look at our 55 miles per hour highways, people are really exceeding the speed limit there. This is something that people don't understand. If you allow higher speeds on some roads, say 80, 85 miles an hour that tends to generalize over to other highways and even on surface streets, city streets. We have measured that people coming off of high speed expressways go faster on those surface streets.

COSTELLO: Adrian Lund, thank you so much for being with us this morning. We appreciate it.

LUND: Thank you Carol.

COSTELLO: Talking about speed, a nightmare finish at Talladega, 25 cars crash on the final lap. One driver said it is a bloodthirsty course.

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COSTELLO: You know skier Lindsey Vonn -- she's a four-time women's world cup champion. So what challenge is still out there for her? How about racing against the top men in the world? That's what Lindsey Vonn wants to do next month at an event in Canada. Carlos Diaz is here and do you think she will do it? I mean will they allow it?

CARLOS DIAZ, HLN SPORTS: First off, we're not in 1979 anymore. I mean this is something that --

COSTELLO: Skating on thin ice.

DIAZ: I have no problems getting on thin ice. I will fall through in a second. But here's the thing. It is not that cut-and-dried. I honestly believe that the U.S. Ski Federation would say yes to this in a heartbeat. Here is the rub all right.

She wants to compete against the men in Alberta this weekend in November. The very next weekend the women go to that very same course. There is a rule in downhill skiing that says in world cup skiing that you cannot compete five days prior to an event on the same slopes. In other words, it would give you a very distinct advantage.

So they're having to weigh the advantage she would have knowing the course that the men do even though it is a slightly different course than the women are doing a week later. So she has said, guess what, I will forego the two practice runs so that way, I can compete on Sunday and then compete the following Saturday and everybody is fine.

But there is already one female skier who's saying, Lindsay, go get yours, that's great, but that is --

COSTELLO: But I want to win this competition.

DIAZ: It is an unfair advantage. That's the whole thing. I think that skiing would welcome this because guess what; we watch skiing which we really don't do right now.

COSTELLO: And that really is the point, right?

DIAZ: Right. And that's the thing. That is where we're at. It is no longer Billie Jean King, you know, it's no longer -- and she cited Annika Sorenstam, you know, the golfer who was allowed to compete against the men and Michelle Wie has also competed against men in golfing. So, you know, it has been done before.

She wants to find out where she would finish to give you a little precedent as to her time last year out of the 66 guys in the course, she would have finished 64 out of 66. She is not like near the top. Her goal she says is the top 30. She has realistic goals, I guess, in her mind.

But you also have to understand this is not golf. Downhill skiing can be dangerous. If you push yourself further than you usually push yourself, you're talking about risking serious injury here.

COSTELLO: But she is fantastic skier.

DIAZ: She is amazing.

COSTELLO: She's like the Tiger Woods of skiing.

DIAZ: Yes. And that's true. And she is amazing. So I think that they're going to find a way to make this happen. It would just be a lot easier if the women weren't in Canada the very next week. That's the whole thing. That's kind of messing this whole thing up -- so it adds another layer of drama to this.

COSTELLO: It does. We like drama, though. Thank you very much Carlos. We appreciate it.

Speaking of racing, Nascar's chase for the cup ran at Talladega Sunday, and the super speedway lived up to its the dangerous reputation. Tony Stewart tried a blocking maneuver to maintain the last laugh lead and wound up causing a 25-car crash. Matt Kensett won the race under caution but afterwards at least two drivers complained about conditions at the track.

That's a look at sports this morning.

The Talk Back question for you today: How enthusiastic are you about voting? Your responses next.

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COSTELLO: Talk Back question for you today: How enthusiastic are you about voting?

This from Paul: "I support Obama. I know where he stands. Romney smiled real pretty but still said nothing at the debate to clue us in any specifics on his tax plan or foreign policy."

This from David: "Darn right, conservatives are itching to get to the polls, we can't take four more years of an ineffective presidency."

This from Carol: "Not enthusiastic at all. I really don't care for either candidate. What we need is a strong third or maybe fourth political party so we have a real choice. I'll vote for Obama because sin spite of his failings I think Obama cares more about the middle class."

Facebook.com/CarolCNN.

Thanks as always for your comments and thanks for watching my show today. I am Carol Costello. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now Ashleigh Banfield.