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New E-Mails, Insights On Libya Attack; Campaigns Heat Up; GOP Candidate Ignites Abortion Flap; New Home Sales Jump Almost 6 Percent; Parole Hearing For RFK Nephew; Three New Drugs Probed In Meningitis Outbreak; The Battle for White Voters; T.S. Sandy Heads for Jamaica; New Project for James Cameron; At Least One Person Shot at Georgia Church; Fighting Voter Fraud

Aired October 24, 2012 - 10:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, new e- mails and new questions about the murder of four Americans in Libya. CNN uncovers e-mails suggesting the White House knew way more than it was saying at the time.

Controversy on the campaign trail, another Republican candidate has to dial back comments on abortion. It's a big race that even Mitt Romney is forced to weigh in on this one.

And the health of the housing market, a new snapshot this hour. Will it be good news for buyers and sellers? NEWSROOM starts now.

And good morning to you. Thank you so much for being with us. I'm Carol Costello. We begin with new revelations that can cast a large shadow on the presidential race, just 13 days before the election.

They involve the deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya, and new questions about what the White House knew and when it knew it. As you might remember, the Obama administration has been under fire for being slow to label the military-like siege an act of terrorism.

Four Americans died in that attack, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens. So here is the latest. CNN obtained government e-mail showing two hours after the attack, both the FBI and the State Department were told that an Islamist group was taking credit.

Here's one of those e-mails, quote, Embassy Tripoli reports Ansar Al Sharia claimed responsibility on Facebook and Twitter and has called for an attack on Embassy Tripoli.

And the White House is down playing the e-mail, saying they were not an intelligence assessment, but merely public information that reflected some of the conflicting reports. The Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee isn't buying it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE MIKE ROGERS (R), HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: This was clearly a targeted place. This is somewhere they wanted to have some terrorist success on the compound. What you saw in the e-mails was a real description. And if you notice, there was no talk of demonstrations or other things. And it was clearly very early identified with a terrorist affiliate --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Our next guest is a "New York Times" reporter who spoke to a suspected ring leader of the attack in Benghazi who longed to the group mentioned in the e-mails, Ansar Al Sharia. Thank you so much, David, for being with us this morning.

DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK, CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": It's a pleasure. I should say, when I spoke with him, Mr. Ahmad Kutella, he said he wasn't officially apart of that group but head of another brigade closely allied with it, same idea.

COSTELLO: Same idea. I wanted to ask about this claim of responsibility because just because a group makes a claim of responsibility doesn't necessarily mean that group is to blame, right?

KIRKPATRICK: Yes. But I also question whether they actually made this claim of responsibility. The very next day, they held a press conference they posted on their Facebook page saying they were not responsible.

Although it wasn't a very convincing denial because they also praised the attack, and they parsed it very carefully and said we as an institution did not order the attack, blah, blah, blah.

At the same time, you know, OK, take claim and credit for it. Doesn't mean they did it. But more important, a lot of people outside the attack saw the attack, and saw members of Ansar Al Sharia pull up in trucks with the Ansar Al Sharia logo on the sides.

So it's not that much of a mystery to say that Ansar Al Sharia played at least a leading role in the attack. In many ways, these e-mails sound to me like they're apocryphal. If this stuff had been out there, if they've been taking credit that night, our colleagues would have known about it, we would have repeated it.

But at the same time, I don't mean to say there is not something funny here because the attack was pretty much in broad daylight. A lot of people saw it happening. A lot of people saw Ansar Al Sharia playing a role.

And there were guards, American guards, inside the compound apparently on the phone with Washington during the attack according to the State Department.

COSTELLO: So what should we make of these e-mails?

KIRKPATRICK: My guess is, there probably were some people in Tripoli trying to figure out what the heck was going on in Benghazi. They were probably sorting through a lot of conflicting information and making the best of it. Everybody knew Ansar Al Sharia was a likely suspect, so it wouldn't be very hard to imagine them hearing second hand that Ansar Al Sharia was involved or taking credit.

The former security chief in Libya testified to Congress, he suspected Ansar Al Sharia from the moment the attack began because he had been watching for a while. So it's not hard to imagine they might have gotten mixed up in it Tripoli and sent it on to Washington.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Thank you so much for being with us. We so appreciate it. David Kirkpatrick from the "New York Times".

In light of this brand new information, will Mitt Romney pounce and what will all the President's men and women say about what they do when?

Our chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin joins us by phone from Davenport, Iowa as President Obama's first campaign stop of today. So two questions for you, will the President talk Libya and will he now have to fire someone?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Hi, Carol. I expect that the President is going to focus here on his message on jobs and the economy. And that is his closing message.

He will probably -- we are getting some response from the White House about this Libya story, and it's a lot of what you just heard from Kirkpatrick there, which is that they were getting conflicting reports that this was one of many things they were hearing in chaotic hours after the attack.

And the President based his public comments on what he was getting from the intelligence community. We are all going to continue to question and probe why their story remained what it did for so long.

But as for these specific e-mails, as he points out, we have also confirmed they initially took credit in the group and then denied credit and there were many other stories going on. There were even public reports of protests that were conveyed to the White House.

So I think as the President has maintained, their position is they were getting many conflicting stories. And they based his story on what he was getting from the intelligence community. Do I think someone will get fired?

No. I think we are in the final closing days of the election, and we should look at these leaked e-mails for what they are, which is part of an ongoing election campaign effort to make this part of the story in the closing days of this season when foreign policy -- now this is -- it's being marred by this tragic -- tragedy of these Americans.

COSTELLO: Jessica Yellin reporting live for us this morning.

Now more on the race for the White House, the time has run out, and the campaign heats up and the key battleground state of Florida, the race is razor-thin. Taken last week before the final debate, Mitt Romney leads Barack Obama by one percentage point. And as you know, that's well within the polls' margin of error.

Chief business correspondent Ali Velshi is in Lakeland, Florida, of course, that's where the Tigers have spring training. Tiger town is there. Have you visited yet?

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I haven't, actually. I've seen it, but haven't gone. I'm busy talking to voters, Carol.

COSTELLO: Right.

VELSHI: This place, Polk County, is split, same number of Democrats and Republicans registered, same number of undecided. This is sort of the story in Florida, right, 29 electoral votes.

I'm asking people who I can find who have not decided why they haven't decided yet. They're not apathetic. They're not unattached. They are just trying to get some answers. Listen to two people I spoke to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT MCKELLER, UNDECIDED VOTER: I'm basically looking for something that is motivated towards me and the majority of the people that I see because I'm not up at the White House. I don't see rich people all of the time.

But I see a lot of poor people. As far as Romney, I'm not sure. I'm looking for more. I mean, we're talking about another four years.

So four years, can I go through another four years of this, can I go through another four years of that? It's really critical right now for -- to make the best decision.

DEBRA SHAW, VOTER: You know, it's not an American value to act like we are, no matter what, we are so perfect and we are so righteous that we want the rest of the world to be just like us. You know, I think that that is a mistake.

I think we lead by example. And not by this tough guy, you know, we're going to force our values down the rest of the world. I think there's a real danger in that, frankly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: So the point, Carol, is -- you would appreciate it down here. You're someone who doesn't like platitudes, correct answers, that's what the voters are asking for. They want direct answers.

When you say you're going to achieve this, tell me how it's going to happen. Don't put out goals and more goals without telling me how it's going to come to pass.

Overwhelmingly, even though that last woman was speaking about foreign affairs, most people here are concerned about the economy. This place has unemployment rate higher than national average.

Housing and foreclosures continue to be the big concern in Florida. That will change as I move north, 1,800 miles all the way to Ohio, which you know a lot about. But for now, Florida, it's housing and the economy -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm wondering about something. Early voting is going on in so many states across the country. Do these last-minute campaign blitzes even matter?

VELSHI: Well, they do. They do, because these undecided voters really are undecided. Some of them are going to take until the last minute, and they want specific things.

I don't know that these blitzes where they come out with more generalities -- you and I talked about that glossy pamphlet that President Obama came out with yesterday. I don't think that's giving people the answers they need.

So I don't know exactly where they're going to get them. Here in Florida, everywhere you go, there are these "Super PAC" billboards, every TV commercial, radio commercial, is an ad.

I don't know that they're getting the answers, but something will matter. There are real votes to be won. The other thing here in Florida, get out the vote operation, the ground operation is going to matter a lot.

COSTELLO: Yes, Ali Velshi, thanks so much, reporting live from Lakeland, Florida.

Another day, another explosive controversy over rape and abortion, this time an Indiana candidate for U.S. Senate endorsed by Mitt Romney said life is a gift from God, even if that life is created through rape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD MOURDOCK (R), U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: I believe that life begins at conception. The only exception I have for -- to have an abortion is in that case, the life of the mother. I struggled with it myself for a long time. But I came to realize, life is that gift from God, and I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: After the debate, Mourdock backed off his comments and said rape is horrible saying and that people twisting his words are sick. Even so, his comments erupted online and reenergized the so-called war on women.

Democrats quick to pounce because, as you know, as I told you, Mitt Romney endorsed Richard Mourdock for Senate just a few days ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: This fall, I'm supporting Richard Mourdock for Senate. As state treasurer, Richard worked with Governor Daniels to balance the budget and made government more accountable. As senator, Richard will be the 51st vote to repeal and replace government-run health care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Our senior congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, is in New York. So what are you hearing from the Romney camp?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they put out a statement from Romney's spokeswoman last night, distancing the Governor from those statements. And I'll read you the quote.

She said, Governor Romney disagrees with Richard Mourdock's comments, and they do not reflect his views. Now he's able to say that because it's true. They don't reflect his views.

As you just heard from Mourdock, he was answering a question in this debate about why he does not believe that there should be an exception for rape. That is something that Governor Romney believes in.

So there he's on safe political territory, safe ground. But then, of course, there is the issue that you brought up, rightly so, Carol, which is that war on women.

The Romney campaign is trying to get as many women as they can, so much of every word that they utter, the way they utter them, is directed at getting women out to vote for him.

So this definitely cannot help, particularly since Democrats are pounding away saying that they want Romney to take that ad down, and to take back his endorsement.

COSTELLO: We'll see what happens. What about other Republicans, though? Are they willing to stick with Mourdock?

BASH: So far, yes. You remember what happened when Todd Akin, the Republican candidate in Missouri, made his comments effectively saying that a woman's body is able to repel pregnancy after a rape, which, of course, is just actually, biologically not true.

Republicans threw him under the bus. And what they're saying, this is very much a different case right now. I talked to a senior Republican strategist who said people just don't agree with Todd Akin, it's just not accurate.

But in this case, he was explaining something that many Republicans do believe, which is that there should not be an exception for abortion in the case of rape.

And I want to read you what John Cornen, the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee said describing this. He said to try and construe his words is anything other than a restatement of that belief is irresponsible and ridiculous. In fact, rather than condemning him for his position, as some in his party have when it's come to Republicans, I commend Congressman Donnelly for his support of life.

Congressman Donnelly, Carol, is the Democrat running against Mourdock. He is in the very conservative state of Indiana, an anti-abortion Democrat. So you have two people who virtually believe the same thing.

So it's not a clear-cut discussion or debate when it comes to the issue of abortion. But you bet Democrats are trying to jump big-time on this because it worked pretty well for them when it comes to women and women voters over the summer when Todd Akin made his comments. Although I think it is fair to say, these are very different kinds of comments.

COSTELLO: They are. Dana Bash reporting live for us from New York.

Race for the White House coming down to the wire, every vote in the swing state is critical. And President Obama still faces an uphill battle, trying to attract white voters. We're going to talk about that.

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COSTELLO: OK, hold on. This is good breaking news. It's good. New home sales for the month of September have just been released, and they show 389,000 homes sold last month. That's the most homes sold since April of 2010. Hooray. Alison Kosik is live at the New York Stock Exchange to tell us more.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's more evidence that the momentum for the recovery in the housing market is still sticking in there. It's holding on. New home sales we found out went up by 5.7 percent in September, Carol, that number coming in much stronger than expected.

When you look in the report, it shows that the biggest increase in sales was really in the southern part of the U.S. Also, it's not just sales. Prices are also going up. The median price of a new home is now just over $242,000.

Once again, it's really just another piece, showing the housing recovery is holding on. And to be honest, it's a small piece because new home sales make up about -- 10 percent of the housing market, compared to 90 percent for previously owned.

But this is an important gauge that we watch, because the reality is, what it does is creates a ripple effect throughout the economy. For one thing, new homes provide construction jobs.

You need a whole lot of people to build a house from the ground up. Plus, new homes are often more expensive than existing ones. So when you see these sales go up, that gives an idea that, you know, Americans are feeling more confident these days. They're more willing to spend more money on their homes. Also, typically gives lots of business to appliance and furniture stores, as well. You know, lately, you certainly see these sales going up, driven by these record-low mortgage rates.

Carol, Freddie Mac says a 30-year fixed rate is at 3.37 percent. A lot of banks came out a couple weeks ago saying that they're doing a lot more lending. So this is all good news, as we move forward in the house recovery -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Alison Kosik reporting live from the new York Stock Exchange. "Talkback" question for you today, "Do candidates' comments on rape and abortion influence your vote? Facebook.com/carolcnn. Back in a minute.

(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, do candidates' comments on rape and abortion influence your vote?

It's de javu all over again, not in a good way. Just when Republicans thought they slammed the door on the so-called war on women, Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock may have kicked it back open.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOURDOCK: I believe that life begins at conception. The only exception I have for -- to have an abortion is in the case of the life of the mother. I just -- I struggled with it myself for a long time. But I came to realize, life is that gift from God, and I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Democrats called Mourdock's comment a window into his extreme view of the world. And one man told "Indianapolis Star" because of Mourdock's (inaudible) he's no longer voting Republican.

After the debate, Mourdock clarified his remarks. Quote, "God does not want rape and by no means was I suggesting that he does. Rape is a horrible thing. And for anyone to twist my words otherwise is absurd and sick."

But here's the thing. Mitt Romney has endorsed Mourdock. Here it is for all the world to see.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: This fall, I'm supporting Richard Mourdock for Senate. As state treasurer, Richard worked with Governor Daniels to balance the budget and make government more accountable.

As senator, Richard will be the 51st vote to repeal and replace government-run health care. Richard will help stop the liberal Reid/Pelosi agenda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Now Romney is distancing himself from Mourdock's latest comments, but don't expect him to run very far. A GOP strategist tells our Dana Bash, Mourdock's comments are way different than Congressman Todd Akin's.

Akin talked about a magical uterus that could prevent pregnancy after rape. Mourdock they say simply expressed his strong belief that God creates all life.

What's unclear, whether any of this will affect the race between Romney and Obama. Talkback question for you, do candidates' comments on rape and abortion influence your vote? Facebook.com/carolcnn. Facebook.com/carolcnn. Your comments, later this hour. >

Hurricane season, of course, not over yet. Residents in Jamaica are getting ready for Tropical Storm Sandy. It's getting stronger and Sandy could also cause Halloween problems for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Coming up on 30 minutes past the hour. Good morning to you, I'm Carol Costello. Thank you for joining us. It's time to check our "Top Stories".

A Kennedy nephew faces his very first parole hearing this morning. Michael Skakel, the nephew of Robert Kennedy has spent ten years in prison for the 1975 murder of a teenage neighbor, Martha Moxley. Her family wants Skakel to serve at least another ten years and add that to a 20 to life prison sentence.

Three new drugs relating to the meningitis outbreak are reportedly being tested for contamination. Health officials say the contamination may have occurred in the testing process, rather than at the compounding center; 23 deaths are blamed on the meningitis outbreak.

And say goodbye to "freshmen" at the University of North Carolina, the school will no longer refer to new students as freshmen and instead use more, quote, "gender-inclusive" language like "fresh persons". I'm just kidding. They are going to use the term "first-year students".

We are in the home stretch of the election season and both campaigns are out in full force today, hitting those swing states hard. But some new polls show President Obama's support among white voters is falling. In a new column for "The National Journal", Ron Brownstein noted that President Obama needs to have at least 40 percent support for white voters, and at least 80 percent of all minorities to win.

And right now, the least among those white voters, at least among white voters, I should say, that is certainly not happening. It's also worth mentioning that Mitt Romney's poll numbers among African- Americans and Hispanics are by no means strong. So what does this mean?

Joining me now, CNN contributors L.Z. Granderson who leans left and John Avlon, he's a CNN contributor and he is Independent. Good morning to both of you guys.

JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Carol.

L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning, so I'll just be blunt, L.Z., does that -- do those numbers mean its white men versus everyone else?

GRANDERSON: Boy, that is pretty blunt. The Democrats have a problem. They have a messaging problem. The fact is, is that those numbers in terms of that that recent story that you talked about reflects a trend that's been happening much longer than just what's been going on in 2012.

In 2010, Democrats only received 37 percent of the white vote. And so what we're beginning to see is the Republicans are becoming increasingly white and Democrats are increasingly losing white people. They're maintaining the minorities, but they are losing whites and it's the messaging. It's something they're doing as a party that is not appealing to the white voter.

And so it isn't just about President Obama. It's about the platform.

COSTELLO: Ok. So John, you worked on the Giuliani campaign. What's the messaging problem that Democrats have?

AVLON: Well, I mean, I think it's a -- it's a demographic problem for both parties. I mean, I think the Democratic Party has been losing white voters since the late 1960s but this is rooted in something very real. You know when Lyndon Johnson, when he signed the Voting Rights Act in 1964, said to his press secretary Bill Moyers I just lost the south for your generation and mine. It is a historic irony. It's worth reflecting on it. The party of Lincoln the Republican Party now sees the strongest core of support in the former states of the confederacy.

Race has always been a fundamental dividing line in American politics, Carol. And one of the promises of President Obama's election was that we would start to transcend these old divides. Demographics are destiny, we are becoming a more diverse country. So this isn't just a Democrat messaging problem, it's also a long term demographic problem for the Republican Party.

We don't want to see our politics divided by race going into the future. That is -- that is not healthy or sustainable for a nation as large and diverse as we are. And this election is shaping up along these fault lines. That's unhealthy and I hope that trend is reversed for the sake of a country, not particularly any one candidate.

COSTELLO: So -- so L.Z., this time around you don't think that --

GRANDERSON: You know Carol John is -- COSTELLO: Go ahead. Go ahead.

GRANDERSON: Oh, I was going to say, John is absolutely right. You know in the south, three states have all white Republicans in the House and all black Democrats in the House. And it would a fourth in Georgia because of only one white Democrat that's -- that's maintaining. A lot of that has to do with the redistricting that has happened. But I still tend to think it's also a messaging issue, as well.

COSTELLO: And you know it's not so good that Mitt Romney is polling so poorly among minorities, either. I mean that's not a good thing either, right, John?

GRANDERSON: No.

COSTELLO: L.Z., go ahead.

GRANDERSON: No, no. No. You know the country is getting Browner as you know John said. And so Republicans cannot rely on white people to help them maintain their status of power. They also have to figure out a way in which they can, you know, attract or re-attract Latino voters, but also open up a conversation with the African-American voters and not just conceding to the Democrats.

I don't know why they do that. I know Mitt Romney has really avoided heavy urban areas in terms of his campaign. He talks about being a son of Detroit. I think the dude had showed up in Detroit like once. He has been in the suburbs, but he hasn't been in Detroit where the black people are. So they too need to address, how can they reach minorities, because they can't sustain the power relying only on white voters in a browning country.

COSTELLO: And John, the Republican Party doesn't seem to be doing that, it's becoming more conservative, conservative ways that turn off minority voters.

AVLON: That's right. It's become more conservative and -- and more white. This is a party that was the party of Lincoln. And actually it has a lot of pioneering advances. The first African-American popular elected to the U.S. Senate was Ed Brook, a Republican from Massachusetts in the early 1960s.

But once that sort of Faustian bargain was made after the Civil Rights Act was passed by Lyndon Johnson, a southern Democrat, traditionally the most folks who are most hostile, the civil rights legislation, the fault lines start shifting.

So the Republican Party has got to actively reach out again. It's worth saying, they've made a lot of progress in statewide governors. You know, in reaching out, whether it's a Bobby Jindal, Nicki Haley, Brian Sandoval in Nevada but -- but both party --

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Let me -- let me just switch it around. Does that mean the Democratic Party has to reach out to white voters?

AVLON: Yes. Both parties need to reach out beyond their base. We do not have an interest in this country. It is dangerous as a country to have a political system, political parties divided along racial or religious lines. That does not reflect who we are. It is a long-term loser for both parties. And a long-term loser, more importantly for the country. So both parties have to reach out more aggressively.

It's part of -- what we're seeing is partly the product of polarization Carol. Both parties is playing more of the base and ignoring folks who lay outside that. So both parties need to be more aggressive in reaching out to achieve real diversity, and ultimately that will mean more competitive elections, not these playing to the base elections that are too often determined as L.Z. said, with the rigged system of redistricting, compounding the problem.

COSTELLO: John Avlon, L.Z. Granderson, thanks for discussing this because I know it's a touchy subject. But I enjoyed the conversation. Thanks to both of you.

GRANDERSON: Thank you.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

Some trick or treaters in the northeast might need rain boots or maybe even a winter coat for Halloween, depending on the track of tropical storm Sandy, it's bearing down right now in Jamaica. Winds near 70 miles per hour, its forecast to become a hurricane later today before it heads to Cuba. After that things could get interesting.

Meteorologist Rob Marciano is here to tell us how interesting.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh that word. It's kind of a euphemism in the weather world for you know not so good weather, right?

COSTELLO: Yes.

MARCIANO: Exactly. So there's a number of options that we're dealing with, with tropical storm Sandy. Let's first off deal with the immediate impacts. And that is, a likely hurricane to make landfall across the southern shores of Jamaica later this afternoon. Big-time rain and wind, devastating floods, potentially there and across eastern parts of Cuba.

Right now 70 miles an hour sustained winds and we get to 75 and 74 and that makes it a hurricane status. So the track of this thing will bring it across eastern Cuba. Hurricane winds up tropical storm watches now posted for southeast Florida, meaning tropical storm conditions are possible in the next 48 hours. Because it will be close enough for that wind field and the wind and the rain and the waves to impact south Florida.

Here is the forecast tract of the National Hurricane Center. Likely a tropical storm by Friday morning, early in the Bahamas east of Florida by about 100 or so miles. Then we get up into the northern latitudes. And this time of the year, we get a stronger jet stream typically these things want to get pushed out to sea.

But if this jet dips just a little bit farther to the south, and maybe holds off a little bit, might pull this thing a little bit farther to the north. Two scenarios -- one is out to sea, which would be what we would expect this time of year. But another scenario is that a piece of energy potentially gets pulled in, and makes this a very, very strong nor'easter type of hybrid hurricane into the northeast.

Computer models saying that round about Halloween, it's pretty far off, and it's kind of a crapshoot at this point, but a distinct possibility. Carol?

COSTELLO: Just send your kids out as the Morton Salt Girl, and you'll be fine.

MARCIANO: See you, Carol.

COSTELLO: That was weak, I know. Rob, thank you.

He directed "Titanic" and "Avatar" and now James Cameron adds another movie to his director's hit list.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: As if two "Avatar" sequels shot back-to-back were not enough, James Cameron is picking up another project, directing the big-screen version of the novel "The Informationist."

A.J. Hammer has -- has you covered on all things Hollywood and all things Cameron. So what is this book?

A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Well, first of all, I'm not sure where James Cameron gets the time quite frankly, Carol. This was just announced by his production company, this plan to develop the movie after he wraps up the "Avatar" trilogy. And yes it's not just any movie, it's a potential franchise for the director. If you're not familiar with "The Informationist," it's about a female information specialist, translate it basically it mean, a private eye in the modern era.

Now there have been two books in the series so far, more are coming. The next one in fact is releasing next summer. The books and its protagonist have been compared to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." So as you would imagine the expectations are pretty high for this franchise.

And if they do wind up having that kind of popularity, this really could be a fantastic situation for James Cameron, but, again, how he works out in the schedule, I sat down with him about a month ago and the fact that he could even squeeze in that interview shocked me. This guy is on the move.

COSTELLO: He is amazing. Let's talk about something not so happy. Another celebrity couple Splitsville.

HAMMER: Yes, it's sad to report this morning, Eva Longoria and New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez have apparently gone their separate ways. The "New York Post" broke the news. In fact when they put the story on their front page it had a big picture of Eva saying she broke Mark's heart.

Now seeing as how this relationship really only lasted a few months, I have a feeling they'll both be ok. But it does seem that the 37-year- old actress and 25-year-old quarterback apparently just couldn't make their schedules jive. Eva is pretty busy in Hollywood and she's campaigning for President Obama.

Sanchez is just trying to win some games here in New York. And there is no truth to the rumor, by the way, that Eva is now dating the Jets' back-up quarterback Tim Tebow.

COSTELLO: Oh, that would have been great.

HAMMER: That would have been quite a story. But as for the reaction to the news here in New York City, Carol, I went to the biggest Jets' fan I know, her name is Jess, she works on the "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" staff and her reaction was "Good. Now he can get back to work and focus on getting a ring."

But relationship canceled due to scheduling conflicts, that could be a first, even for me.

COSTELLO: Exactly. Oh, I enjoyed that hit. Thank you so much, A.J. We appreciate it, as always. For the latest entertainment news, watch "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," 11:00 p.m. Eastern on HLN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Ok. We're getting this breaking news from our affiliate WXIA. Atlanta police now confirmed a shooting happened at the World Changers Church. That's headed by the Pastor Creflo Dollar. This church is huge -- 30,000 parishioners, satellite churches all across the nation.

Apparently a black man in his 30s wearing a suit and tie, walked into the church and opened fire. We understand that one person -- let me just make sure I'm telling you this right. Details are still emerging. Investigators know that a person entered the church and started shooting. At least one person was hit. CPR was performed on the victim. I would assume that a victim is on his way to the hospital now.

As I said, the suspect, black man in his 30s wearing a suit and tie. We don't know if Pastor Creflo Dollar was inside the church. As we get more information on this breaking story, of course, we'll pass it along to you.

With just 13 days to go and a presidential race that will seemingly go down to the wire, some states are focusing their efforts on making sure every ballot cast is a legal one. Some of those efforts are coming under scrutiny.

In Ohio and Wisconsin, this billboard is now coming down after a voters' rights groups claimed it was an attempt to intimidate minority voters. It was placed primarily in low-income minority neighborhoods.

And in Florida, some residents are scratching their heads after receiving letters questioning their citizenship and eligibility to vote. For more on the controversy in Florida, we want to bring in our crime and justice correspondent, Joe Johns. So Joe, what do we know about these letters?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, we've confirmed that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the United States Postal inspectors have opened a preliminary investigation into the letters, supposedly sent from county election supervisors to people in about two dozen Florida counties over the last several days.

These letters were sent in the U.S. mail to addresses in Florida, questioning the citizenship status and the eligibility of registered voters. Want to read you the warning that the letter gave them.

It says "Failure to submit this form within 15 days will result in the removal of your name from the voter registration rolls -- not true -- and you'll no longer be eligible to vote. A nonregistered voter who casts a vote in the state of Florida may be subject to arrest, imprisonment and sanctions.

We spoke to the Republican Secretary of State in Florida, Ken Detzner. He told us he's trying to get the word out about these letters and he also is pledging to find out whoever did this. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN DETZNER, FLORIDA SECRETARY OF STATE: I expect the number to go up, and we are very serious about this matter. This type of effort to intimidate voters in Florida is unacceptable, will not be tolerated. And we anticipate taking every measure possible with law enforcement to make sure that the individuals doing this are prosecuted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: But there isn't too much evidence to go on right now. At least so far, Carol. The letters had no return address, only a postmark on the envelope from Seattle, Washington.

COSTELLO: So who got the letters?

JOHNS: This is just people that -- Republicans, a lot of Republicans, we're told. The state -- the Secretary of State Detzner said these letter have gone out to voters of both parties. But several election supervisors we spoke with said most of the people who received them were registered Republican voters.

Ion Sancho happens to be a Democrat, supervisor of elections in Leon County which is basically Tallahassee. He says he has learned that three of these letters went out under his name. He thinks politically active Republicans are being targeted. Listen to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ION SANCHO, SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS, LEON COUNTY: I suspect that whoever sending out these letters has purchased some kind of a donor or campaign list that's given him a group of high-profile Republicans. And I suspect they're sending this letter to them probably to do some kind of dark-humored spoof. Which, of course, is not very funny, and the individuals who are receiving these letters are sometimes very, very, very disturbed, which I think is probably the whole purpose for this letter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Now, Ion Sancho says he turned the letters he received over to federal prosecutors. The FBI tells CNN they haven't made a decision on whether to open an investigation.

Interesting thing here Carol, the letters actually call for the recipient to report directly to the county election office so whoever did this apparently wanted somebody to know about it.

COSTELLO: Wow. Joe Johns, thanks so much.

Bobby Valentine may be gone as the Red Sox manager, but he's still talking. He's talking about his time there and now he's pointing the finger at Big Papi.

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COSTELLO: I love this time of year. The World Series gets going tonight with the San Francisco Giants hosting the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers will send their ace to the mound, Justin Verlander for Game One. Verlander has been dominant this postseason with a 3-0 record and 25 strikeouts in 24 innings.

The Giants will counter with Barry Zito who shut down the St. Louis Cardinals at a critical game 5 of the NLCS last week. San Francisco has won Zito's last 13 starts so something has to give tonight.

Two ball clubs making moves after disappointing seasons. The Miami Marlins have fired manager Ozzie Guillen. Guillen angered Cuban- Americans back in April when he told "Time Magazine" he admired Fidel Castro. On the field, the team played poorly, and fans stayed home.

And another 93 loss team has made a change. The Boston Red Sox have hired their former pitching coach, John Farrell, as manager. The ex Toronto skipper replaces Bobby Valentine, who like Guillen, was fired after just one season.

And speaking of Bobby Valentine, he went on NBC Sports Networks costas tonight taking blame for the Red Sox's abysmal season he but also pointed a finger at Sox slugger David Ortiz. This is the quote. "David Ortiz came back after spending about six weeks on the disabled list and we thought it was only going to be a week. He got two hits the first times up, drove in a couple runs and we're off to the races.

Then he realized that this trade meant that we're not going to run this race, and we're not even going to finish the race properly, and he decided not to play anymore. I think at that time it was all downhill from there. And don't you know it, the Red Sox are now working to sign Ortiz to a two-year contract. Red Sox GM Ben Cherington rejected Valentine's remarks, saying he has no concerns about Big Papi's commitment. It's a soap opera in Boston.

That's a look at sports this morning.

On to our "Talk Back question." Do candidates' comments on rape and abortion influence your vote? Facebook.com/Carolcnn.

I'll be back.

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COSTELLO: All right. "Talk Back" question of the day, "Do candidates' comments on rape and abortion influence your vote?" We got a lot of responses to this questions. Thanks for weighing in.

This is from A Louise. "Please, are there not more important things in this country to worry about? There is no war on women. Do you really believe that women in America are so stupid?

This from Kathleen. "Yes, as a survivor, it disgusts me these men have any position at all about rape or pregnancy as a result. I do not understand why men decide women's rights when they have no idea what it means to be raped or to be a woman."

And this from Carla, "I have a precious 20-year-old daughter that was the product of rape I endured in college. The rape was horrific, but she made my recovery so much more meaningful. Richard Mourdock supports life."

Please, continue the conversation. We've had such interesting and thoughtful answers to that question. Facebook.com/Carolcnn. Thank you for your responses.

And thank you for watching me this morning. I'm Carol Costello.

"CNN NEWSROOM" continues right now with Ashleigh Banfield.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Carol. And high everybody. I'm Ashleigh Banfield in New York. It's 11:00 on the East Coast and it's 8:00 a.m. on the West Coast.

13 days until the election. 13 days to get your base energized. Get your supporters to the polls. And talk to as many undecideds as possible. And really we're only talking about a handful of states here.

You want to stay on point, no distractions, no blunders --