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Nevada Too Close To Call; Obama and Romney Blitz the West; No Clear Lead In Florida; Scam Threatens Voter Roll Removal; Mourdock Stands By Rape Comment; State Department E-Mail Named Terror Group; Ryan Campaigns In Ohio; Romney Stumps In Ohio; "Middle Of Nowhere"

Aired October 24, 2012 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, have a great day, Suzanne.

Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Brooke Baldwin.

With just 13 days until the election, the campaign for the White House is headed west today to some of the swing states west of the Mississippi. We'll hear from Mitt Romney. He will speak to supporters in Reno, Nevada, before jetting off to Iowa for a speech tonight in Cedar Rapids. President Obama was first on the trail this morning in Davenport, Iowa.

And take a look at this. Before the day is over, he'll have appeared in four states, in addition to Iowa. He's got stops in Colorado and Nevada, plus "The Tonight Show" taping in southern California. Here's the president ticking off some of his achievements at stop number one today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I said I'd bet on American workers and American ingenuity. And while the other guy was saying let Detroit go bankrupt, I went in there and worked with the workers and the management and we saved a dying auto industry that's back on top of the world.

On issue after issue, we are moving forward. After losing 9 million jobs in the Great Recession, our businesses have now added more than 5 million new jobs over the past two and a half years. Manufacturing is at its highest level since the '90s. Unemployment has fallen to its lowest level since I took office. Home values and home sales are rising. Our assembly lines are humming again. We've got a long way to go, Iowa, but we've come too far to turn back now. We can't afford to go back to what got us into this mess. We've got to stick with policies that are getting out of this mess. That's why I'm running for a second term as president of the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, so, again, that was the president in Iowa addressing supporters there. Meantime, our Jim Acosta is also traveling with those who are on the campaign. He's in the battleground state of Nevada. Take a look at how close the race is there. A new poll giving President Obama a slight edge with 49 percent of Nevada's likely voters. Romney close behind with 47 percent and well within the poll's margin of error. Jim Acosta following the Romney campaign.

So, Jim, what's the strategy there?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, you could say that Mitt Romney has a swing state campaign blitz of his own going on right now. Not quite as intense as the president, who's going to be basically pulling an all nighter this week. But Mitt Romney will be traveling from where we are in Nevada today to Iowa and then to Ohio later on tonight. Then he goes back to Iowa. Then he goes back to Ohio and then on to Florida and Virginia. So basically what's going on, Fredricka, is that this race is so tight, and because none of these states can be taken for granted, that you have both of these campaigns furiously just trying to line up the states that they need in order to get to that magic number of 270 electoral votes.

And I can tell you that just talking to a Republican campaign operative here in Nevada, that, you know, it is unlikely that either one of these candidates will win both Colorado and Nevada. That that's not really what a lot of campaign experts think at this point. But, obviously, they're going to -- they're going to try their best. So it's really all, at this point, about lining up these states. If you can't win Ohio, try to get Iowa, Wisconsin, Nevada. You know, it's all sort of going into the math and being sorted out in that fashion at this point, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jim Acosta, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

All right, let's bring in our John King. He's in Washington right now.

So, John, you know, quite the strategy for the president who is crisscrossing so many states in what's considered kind of crunch time with under 15 days to go before Election Day. What does this mean for the president that he would be in four states, and possibly more, just within a two-day span?

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That mean he's got to fight for every last one. Now the president, Fred, has an easier path to 270. I won't say an easy path. He has an easier path. Because we put him right now at about 237. That's 237 electoral votes either strong for the president or leaning the president's way. And he only needs 270. So if the president can win Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio and nothing else changes, it would be game over.

But, the Romney campaign says Iowa's about a tie right now. Ohio is probably plus two or three for the president right now. Wisconsin seems a little safer for the president. But the Republicans say maybe they're still in play there. So, what is the president doing? As Jim just noted, he's going to focus a lot of time on those three in the Midwest because they're close and compact. Both he and the vice president, you know, you can hit all three of those states in just a matter of a few hours.

However, you have to have a backup plan in case Governor Romney can take Iowa away, maybe take Ohio away. So the president's going to go west. The Latino vote is critical to his plans in Nevada. And, guess what, when you've got a dead heat race that either candidate could win, you're going to spend a lot of time and a lot of hours on the road. And because you have to go from Nevada to New Hampshire to Florida, you got a lot of ground to cover.

WHITFIELD: And, in fact, the president acknowledging how important the Latino vote is. In fact, this is something the president told "The Des Moines Register," apparently kind of off the record. The quote now coming from an interview, a transcript of which the White House released just this morning, saying "this is off the record. I will just be very blunt. Should I win a second term, a big reason I will win a second term is because the Republican nominee and the Republican Party have so alienated the fastest-growing demographic group in the country, the Latino community." All right, so that acknowledgement there. While he says it's kind of off the record, it was his intent, it seems as though, to be on the record as making it very notable that the Latino vote is pivotal.

KING: This was an odd one, Fred. The president called the editor and the top officials of "Des Moines Register," had a conversation with them that he wanted to be off the record. He did not want it published. He's trying to get their endorsement. And so he had an off the record conversation. Then the newspaper wrote an article saying we had this great conversation with the president, we just can't tell you anything about it because it had to be off the record. Then the White House decided, OK, fine, then they put that transcript out in the public. So it's a bit of an odd media strategy for the president there.

But to that remark about the Latino vote. Look, it was a critical part of the president's constituency four years ago. There's no question that if the Latino turnout, not just the percentage, the president got two-thirds of the Latino vote four years ago. We expect he'll get roughly two-thirds again if you look at all the polling this year. The question is, will turnout be as high? And in a state like Nevada, it critical, organized mainly by the unions there. In a state like Colorado, it's also important for the president, but it's less organized. It's less of a union presence there. So it's critical to the president.

The question I have is, in that interview, he also said he would push for comprehensive immigration reform in the first year of his second term if elected. Remember, he promised that in the first year of his first term. So the question is, is that a credible promise to make to the Latino community again. Over the next 13 days, every piece of each candidate's base will assess the promises and decide the intensity of the vote.

WHITFIELD: All right, John, don't go anywhere. I want to bring back Jim Acosta, who's in Nevada. Reno, Nevada.

So, Jim, I want to follow up with you on some controversy involving a U.S. Senate candidate who Romney has endorsed. Richard Mourdock, is who we're talking about, of Indiana.

ACOSTA: That's right.

WHITFIELD: Making a statement that pregnancy from rape is, quote, "God's intent." To what extent is the Romney campaign trying to distance itself from Mourdock?

ACOSTA: Well, Fredricka, as you mentioned, Mitt Romney did tape an endorsement spot for Richard Mourdock. That Republican candidate in Indiana for the U.S. Senate there. He made those comments about abortion and rape and made some comments about why he believes abortion should be outlawed, and in the case of rape. And he had to go back and explain those comments in that news conference earlier on this morning.

But the Romney campaign is trying to distance itself somewhat from Richard Mourdock had to say. There's a statement I can read you from Andrea Saul, who is a campaign spokeswoman. She says, "Governor Romney disagrees with Richard Mourdock and Mr. Mourdock's comments do not reflect Governor Romney's views. We disagree on the policy regarding exceptions for rape and incest, but still support him." So you do hear from the Romney campaign that the GOP nominee is still standing behind Richard Mourdock, still supporting him in that race for the U.S. Senate. And at this point, Fredricka, they are not calling on Mourdock to pull that spot. It is still up on his website. It is still up on his YouTube page. And that is why you see Democrats out there trying to call on Romney to say, hey, wait a minute, you need to take down that spot. There's even a pro-Obama super PAC that has put out its own web video using Mitt Romney's endorsement ad in its own web video to try to draw attention to that. And, obviously, this all comes as a distraction for the Romney campaign with precious little time left, just as Democrats and the president have been hammering Mitt Romney on women's issues. So not good timing for Mitt Romney.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jim Acosta in Reno. Thanks so much. John King in Washington. Appreciate hearing from both of you.

All right, I want to bring Florida into this conversation now. Specifically how each campaign is setting up its ground game there. Ali Velshi, John Avlon standing by from our CNN election bus in the sunshine state. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, 13 days until the election and in the key state of Florida, the lead is razor thin. Take a look at this CNN/ORC poll taken last week before the final debate. Mitt Romney leading Barack Obama by one percentage point. That's well within the poll's margin of error. Chief business correspondent Ali Velshi and CNN contributor John Avlon are on the CNN battleground bus tour, talking with voters in four key swing states, including Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Ohio. Today's stop, Lakeland, Florida.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: All right, Fred, we're in Lakeland, Florida. It's kind of in the middle of the state. Tampa is to our west. Orlando is to our east. We're actually moving toward Orlando and then Jacksonville. Florida has some highly specific issues in this campaign. Number one, ground zero for the housing issue. A lot of houses underwater. Higher unemployment rate than the national average. A higher population of senior citizens than the national average. And this key Hispanic vote that is not -- it doesn't go one way.

JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It doesn't. And that's very important. You know, the Hispanic population, particularly in Florida, is not a monolith. You've got Cuban population centered out of Miami.

VELSHI: Yes.

AVLON: Traditionally very Republican.

VELSHI: Right.

AVLON: Going back to resentment over the Bay of Pigs and Castro. Very dependently Republican. But now actually two-thirds of the Hispanic population in Florida is no-Cuban. They're from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Central and Latin America, and those folks are much more amenable to a democratic message, as they are nationally the Hispanic vote. So you've got a real split. And it all comes down here to the I-4 corridor, not traditionally Cuban. Yes, in Tampa.

VELSHI: Yes.

AVLON: Not in the area up to Orlando. That's what they're fighting over not just the undecided swing voters, but Hispanic votes splitting both ways in the state of Florida.

VELSHI: Right. Talking about splitting. Polk County, where we're in, has about the same percentage of registered Democrats as registered Republicans. It has about a perfect split in undecided voters. So it's not just about convincing those voters with the specifics that they're looking for to get them onto one side or the other, it's about getting them out.

AVLON: That's exactly right. And ground game matter enormously. And here's where in an election this tight, ground game is key. Every campaign will acknowledge it. And the Obama campaign actually has an advantage in the number of local headquarters they have. Around two to one. About 102 Obama headquarters to around 48 Romney headquarters.

VELSHI: Wow.

AVLON: But that's because they've been doing that for the last two years. While Romney was fighting to win the nomination --

VELSHI: Right. Yes.

AVLON: The Obama camp was investing in ground game. Now it's get out the vote time. And it's not just about Election Day, because Election Day has already started. It's about early voting.

VELSHI: Is it close enough in places like Florida, where even if you don't swing enough people from undecided into your column, but your ground game works, that you can win it?

AVLON: That's part of the bet. It's an important part of the strategy. Remember, 2000, George W. Bush wins the presidency because he wins Florida by 537 votes.

VELSHI: Yes. Right.

AVLON: So we've seen this. Every vote counts.

VELSHI: That could be one county's ground game.

AVLON: That could be one county's ground game.

VELSHI: Yes.

AVLON: That could be one town's ground game. Every vote counts. The people here in Florida know that, they feel it, they've experienced it, as has the nation.

VELSHI: And that's why it's important to talk to all of these people because really every vote in this county, in this state actually does count.

AVLON: That's right.

VELSHI: Twenty-nine electoral college votes at stake here. Stay with us for the rest of the tour. We're heading all the way up to Ohio.

Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ali Velshi, John Avlon, thanks so much.

I want to bring back John King in Washington.

All right, so, John, you know, the president won the red state of Florida back in 2008. Does he have to change the narrative? He's going to be in Tampa tomorrow morning. What was the real game changer for him and how does he regain some of that momentum he once had?

KING: It's a tougher state this time, Fred. I remember, going back to early in the Republican primaries when we hosted a debate down in the Jacksonville area, and even back then Democrats said, you know what, we don't think the president's going to carry Florida this November. As you just saw from our poll numbers, it's very, very close right now. But privately in both campaigns they will tell you, they actually believe Florida is beginning to trend Governor Romney's way. The question is whether the president can stop it.

You mentioned he'll be in Tampa. As you just heard John and Ali note, that's a critical error for the president. If you think of a map of Florida, you know, Tampa over on the West Coast. You go across, you come down to Orlando, then you go over to Daytona. That's where you find independent swing voters, the Latino population that is open to the president. Florida being such a big, diverse state, it's almost like California. A lot of the campaigning is actually done on television. Several media markets. But in these final weeks, that is when personal contact matters.

And this is where the president, maybe it won't be enough in Florida, but we'll see, but this is where the president's campaign does have advantage. As John Avlon noted, without a primary challenger, they've been at this for a long time. And here's what they're trying to do in the final weeks. They know everything about you, Fred. They've bought every possible piece of data about you, from your credit card company, to anybody else. So, if you log on to a website and I log on at the same time, we'll get a different pop-up ad from the Obama campaign, we'll get different phone calls, we'll get different things in the mailbox in the next 10 days as well addressing the issues they know we care about.

That's all part of the micro targeting and the effort to try to convince you at the end to come their way. The candidates will be running around, but actually this is where they can become very dependent, not just on the president, the vice president, Governor Romney and Paul Ryan, but on those volunteers and those people who are working in the trenches with the clipboards knocking on doors and working the phones.

WHITFIELD: All right, very good. John King, thanks so much for joining us from Washington. Appreciate that.

All right, we're still on the topic of Florida. Bogus letters, this time, is the center point of discussion. They're going out to voters across that state, telling them they're not eligible to vote. Up next, I'll speak live with one of the people who actually received one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, this race for the White House is coming down to the electoral votes in the battleground states. And Florida takes the cake. It has 29 electoral votes. A poll taken before the last debate shows Romney leading Obama by just one percentage point in Florida. So every Florida vote is crucial. But an investigation is underway after some Florida voters received letters questioning whether they are legally eligible to vote.

The letters claim to be from the county election supervisor saying this. Quote, "failure to submit this form within 15 days will result in the removal of your name from the voter registration rolls and you will 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/or other criminal sanctions," end quote.

I'm joined right now by one of the voters who actually received that letter. Bill Bishop is the president of the Jacksonville City Council.

So, Mr. Bishop, you received one of these letters in the mail. How did this strike you when you received it? Did it look authentic?

BILL BISHOP, RECEIVED BOGUS VOTER INTIMIDATION LETTER: Well, when I received the letter, at first blush it looked like just another piece of political junk mail. But then after closer inspection of the outside of it, it had just enough officiality to it that made me open it up. But even then it didn't quite look exactly right.

WHITFIELD: So given you work for the city, you probably are a little bit more astute as to what kind of mail looks official or not. Do you know anybody else who received this kind of letter and, if so, what was their reaction? How have they responded?

BISHOP: Well, I don't know anybody personally who else received it. I do know there were several in Jacksonville that did. And after further conversations with our supervisor of elections, there were many throughout the state and in multiple counties that received them.

WHITFIELD: All right, Joe Johns, our correspondent out of Washington, is also with us now to join in on the conversation.

Joe, you recently did a documentary about voter fraud, intimidation and, you know, voter ID changes in laws. Is this -- this kind of campaign, where these letters are going out, is this kind of in sync with a wave of confusion that is sweeping many jurisdictions across the country leading up to this election day?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, I think that's exactly the word you need to use. It's -- we're talking about confusion here. And there's a lot of confusion around the country, certainly there in the state of Florida. And I think Mr. Bishop is one good sort of representative of it.

And the question is, why? Why would somebody create confusion? In this case, the authorities say they're looking at it as, you know, plain and simple, mail fraud. The FBI, we're told, has just announced that they have launched an investigation, joining up with United States Postal Inspectors and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, all to try to take a good, hard look at why letters like these coming from Seattle, Washington, going to the state of Florida, would actually have been put in the mail. For what purpose? Confusion, yes.

But the thing that's interesting is that if you look at Mr. Bishop, there are a lot of others, we're told, who are people who are very politically active, who received these letters. So it doesn't appear that the objective was just to quietly make people not vote. Whoever did this appears to have wanted it to become public and to become known and for people to talk about it, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, Mr. Bishop, you know, Joe underscoring there, you know, many of these letters actually targeted, you know, city officials. Many also targeted registered Republicans. And when you look at a postmark from Seattle to some of these Florida addresses, what does this tell you about this campaign or who might be responsible? Who is behind this kind of letter campaign? BISHOP: Well, as far as who's behind it, I have no idea. I mean this is something that just doesn't make any sense. All it could potentially do is just tie up various time of the employees of all the supervisor of elections office because it doesn't ask anybody to do anything other than contact your supervisor of elections. So all it -- the end result is, it just becomes a major distraction of everybody's time and I think, as it was described as voter confusion, is probably about the only thing you can fathom out of all of this, because otherwise it just doesn't make any sense.

WHITFIELD: Just 13 days before election day. Joe, you mentioned there's an investigation underway. But there are a lot of investigations on so many different levels and so many different jurisdictions. Is it possible that these investigators who really get to the bottom of anything by November 6th?

JOHNS: Now, you know, that's the million dollar question. And the question for voters out there is, what do I do? And I think that underscores the importance of staying attuned to your media, reading your newspapers, keeping up with what's going on in the elections so that you know if there's a scam out there or somebody suggests you're not supposed to vote or somebody says vote on a different day or whatever it is, be aware. It's more important for the American electorate to be aware and sort of prepared for anything because a lot of people think this is a very unusual election, but, Fredricka, I have to tell you, to some degree this is about social media and the ability to move a message around, so more people are actually finding out about the underbelly of elections and the strange little things that go on in the last few days leading up to a hotly contested election.

WHITFIELD: All right, Joe Johns, Bill Bishop, thank you to both of you gentlemen. I appreciate it.

BISHOP: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, up next, the comments that are giving Mitt Romney's campaign a big headache today. A U.S. Senate candidate, who Romney endorsed, said pregnancies from rape are intended by God. And you're about to hear Richard Mourdock's response to his critics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: U.S. Senate Candidate Richard Mourdock of Indiana is not backing away from his controversial comment that pregnancies resulting from rape are intended by God. Just hours ago, Mourdock apologized for his, quote, "lack of clarity," end quote, and said other people were twisting his words. Before we get to his remarks today, let's play the clip that sparked the controversy in the first place from last night's debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD MOURDOCK (R), INDIANA SENATE CANDIDATE: I believe that life begins at conception. The only exception I have for -- to have an abortion is in that 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)

WHITFIELD: Today, Mourdock says he is humbled by the uproar.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOURDOCK: I said life is precious. I believe life is precious. I believe rape is a brutal act. It is something that I abhor. And that anyone could come away with any meaning other than what I just said is regrettable. And for that, I apologize.

I don't think God wants rape. I don't think he wants that at all. Because rape is evil. To twist and suggest that somehow I was saying that God approves of rape is the wrong thing because it is not what I was saying. It is certainly not what I intended and, again, if anyone came away with that, I apologize they were able to make that interpretation from my less than fully articulate use of words.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Dana Bash joining us from New York. So, Dana, a little too early to tell whether these words are potentially damaging for him, the candidate, or for anyone else?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I think it is a little bit too early to tell. Certainly, he at the -- clearly at the encouragement of people in the state and out of the state came out pretty quickly to try to clarify or try to explain what he was talking about.

It wasn't an accident not just because the race in Indiana that he is in is razor thin, but because of what we're seeing on the national level, Mitt Romney really trying to appeal to women, undecided women in these last 13 days of the race.

So unclear if it is really going to hurt Romney or it is going to hurt -- to hurt Mourdock at all. But what we do know is that Democrats have tried very hard, within 10 minutes, Fred, 10 minutes of those comments last night they put out a press release and tried to tie him to Romney.

Bad news for Romney is that Romney actually just put an ad up endorsing Mourdock and tried to get people out to vote for him. Watch a little part of that ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: 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)

BASH: Now through a spokeswoman, Romney said the views that Mourdock espoused are not his own and that's true. When it comes to abortion, Romney is opposed to it, but does make exceptions for rape and other things, but rape in this case is what we're talking about.

Mourdock obviously doesn't. But Romney's campaign is also saying they do still -- Romney still supports Mourdock and he's not asking Mourdock to pull down that ad, even though Democrats are pushing very hard trying to make an issue of that, saying he should --

WHITFIELD: Is that a discussion still taking place in the Romney camp, they are discussing whether they should try to pull that ad or are you saying that they have made that decision, that ad will remain, period?

BASH: I'm told they made that decision, that ad will remain. But I'm not willing to say anything to put a period on anything of this kind of controversy, this late in the game. Because I think it really depends on how things play out. You remember what happened, different experience, remember what happened with Todd Akin and things changed very quickly.

WHITFIELD: Right. Except that he's still in the race, he's lost, you know, a lot of support, according to polls and he's lost a lot in fund-raising but is still in the race. Meantime, how about for Mourdock's opponent, Joe Donnelly, anything from him? How has he perhaps interpreting this as an advantage for he and his camp?

BASH: He also put out a press release. He is definitely trying to take advantage of this. He is a conservative Democrat. You have to be if you're running in Indiana, especially if you're neck and neck with a Republican as he is.

He opposes abortion, but does also think that there should be an exception for rape, excuse me, and he is absolutely saying that this is -- that Mourdock is out of the mainstream, trying to take advantage of this.

It was already a neck and neck race. You remember that Richard Lugar, who is a veteran Republican, thought of as more moderate, he was ousted in a primary earlier this year by Mourdock.

So it was already going to be tough for Mourdock who is very conservative, to hold on to the seat especially against Joe Donnelly who is a Democrat, who has been in the state for a long time, whether or not this is going to make a difference, you know, that remains to be seen.

You saw in warp speed Mourdock got out there to try to tamp down this controversy, not just for him, but for the guy who endorsed him, who everybody really is fighting for in the Republican Party and that is Mitt Romney. WHITFIELD: All right, still, anything can happen. Just 13 days away. All right, appreciate that. Dana Bash, joining us from New York.

All right, new into CNN, e-mails sent to the White House as the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate was unfolding. Up next, what the e-mails said about a terror group that claimed responsibility and how the Obama administration's reacting to these revelations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It has been at the heart of a bitter back and forth from the presidential campaign and on Capitol Hill. What the Obama administration knew after four Americans were killed in Benghazi, Libya.

Now, just released e-mails show just two hours after the initial message, the consulate was under attack, government officials knew a terror group took responsibility.

A government e-mail sent to the White House, the State Department and the FBI had a subject titled, quote, "Update II, Ansar Al Sharia claims responsibility for Benghazi attack."

It then goes on to say, quote, "Embassy Tripoli reports the group claimed responsibility on Facebook and Twitter and has called for an attack on Embassy Tripoli," end quote.

In response, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said people just wait for what the independent accountability review board concludes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Looking at everything, not cherry picking one story here, one document there, but looking at everything, which I highly recommend as the appropriate approach to something as complex as an attack like this, you know, posting something on Facebook is not in and of itself evidence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, CNN's Elise Labott is live at the State Department for us now. So Elise, this was one of several e-mails sent the evening of the attack. You heard the secretary of state talking about this is really like puzzle pieces. And this is just one of the many pieces. What are some of the other pieces?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER: That's right, Fred. Really the first communications that we have seen what happened in real time coming from the embassy and the State Department Operations Room.

But a little bit of dig there by Secretary Clinton saying this was one of a lot of traffic of that night, that was painting a more fuller picture. One of the first e-mails that came, about 4:00 p.m. U.S. time, so it would be 10:00 p.m. in Libya when the attacks started, and subject was U.S. mission in Benghazi under attack.

Embassy Tripoli reports approximately 20 armed people fired shots, explosions had been heard as well, and Ambassador Stevens who is currently in Benghazi and four mission personnel are in the compound safe haven.

Now, Fred, a half hour later, an update that said that the embassy reports the firing at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi has stopped.

And the compound has been cleared. A response team is on site, attempting to locate those personnel. And you can see, I mean, Fred, that wasn't actually the case. You see how frantic and chaotic it is in these moments after the attack.

Because what really had happened was that some of these armed gunmen had breached the walls and actually set fire to that one building where Ambassador Stevens and the other gentleman, Shawn Smith, were holed up in the safe room and met their fate.

So I think Secretary Clinton was trying to show that this is pretty chaotic and in the fog of war, these are the kind of spot assessments of what happened at the time. And just one kind of data point in what was going on that night.

WHITFIELD: And so Elise, while one of those e-mails talks about the claim of responsibility, administration officials are also quick to point out that that same terror group denied any responsibility for the attack. So what kind of lapse of time are we talking about or is this kind of simultaneous communication?

LABOTT: Well, they denied responsibility a little bit later and there is some reason to believe perhaps this group Ansar Al Sharia which has ties to al Qaeda in Maghreb, they could still be involved.

But I think what is going on here is there is a lost, like, little dribs and drabs of these e-mails coming out. A lot of agencies were talking to each other that night. It doesn't really advance the story in any meaningful way.

But it is a kind of data point as I said that goes to a larger narrative of what was going on and it does -- it raised some questions as to why that wasn't weighed into a fuller consideration of the assessment of what was going on that night -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Elise Labott, thanks so much from Washington. Appreciate that.

All right, up next, back to the campaign trail. Both candidates are crisscrossing the U.S. namely out west. In fact, momentarily right now you're looking at live pictures of where momentarily Mitt Romney will be emerging there in Reno, Nevada, campaigning.

And we're also hearing that hundreds of blank ballots are missing in one state. We'll have details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, to Cleveland, Ohio, now. You're looking at GOP vice presidential nominee, Paul Ryan. He'll be giving a speech on economic policy, which just got under way.

And he'll also be touching on what he believes to be the community involvement over the years of presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Let's listen in now.

It looks like we have some audio problems. We'll try that again as soon as we're able to re-establish that. Meantime, up next, keeping an eye on Hurricane Sandy as it heads north in the Atlantic.

Plus, one of America's biggest banks sued for a billion dollars over alleged mortgage fraud. What this bombshell means for Bank of America next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We'll try this one more time. We think the audio has been cleared up there. Paul Ryan stumping for the Romney/Ryan ticket there in Cleveland, Ohio. Let's listen.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

REPRESENTATIVE PAUL RYAN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's just a false argument. It is a straw man set up to avoid a genuine debate. The truth is Mitt Romney and I believe in true compassion and upward mobility.

And we're offering a vision based on real reforms for lifting people out of poverty. Look, I'm a proud Republican. Our party does a good job of speaking to the part of the American dream that involves taking what you're passionate about and making a successful living of it.

But part of what makes America great is that when Americans don't succeed we look out for one another through our communities. My party has a vision for making our community stronger. But we don't always do a good job of laying out that vision.

Mitt Romney and I want to change that. Each of us understands the importance of community from experience. Look, I come from a town that has been hit as hard as any. A lot of guys I grew up with worked at the GM plant in my hometown.

And they lost their jobs when that plant was closed. But what happened next is the same thing that happens in communities around the country every day. Our town pulled together. Our churches and charities and friends and neighbors were there for one another.

In textbooks, they call this civil society. In my own experience, I know it as Janesville, Wisconsin. As for Mitt Romney, he not only understands the importance of community, he's lived it. He's a guy who at the height of successful business took the time to serve as a lay pastor for his church for 14 years.

Counseling people in Boston's inner city neighborhoods, especially when they lost a job, he's a man who could have easily have contented himself with giving donations to needy causes.

But everyone who knows him well will tell you that Mitt has always given his time and attention to those around him who are hurting. He's the type that we have all run into our own communities. Here in Cleveland too and all around America. Americans are a compassionate people.

(END LIVE FEED)

WHITFIELD: GOP vice presidential nominee, Paul Ryan there in Cleveland, Ohio, trying to underscore the economic policies, of trying to lift the poor out of their situation.

And also is underscoring the commitment of Romney to helping the community at large. Meantime, you're also looking at live picks of Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee. He's in Reno, Nevada. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

ROMNEY: -- a caregiver for a senior. You're a daughter, a son of a senior, you're caring for them. If they develop an illness of some kind, and they need to see a medical specialist, and you or they call on the phone to the specialist in Reno or one of the several that are here and you ask for deployment and then you might hear this.

You might hear the receptionist say, I'm sorry, we're not taking any more Medicare patients. And so then you call the other medical specialist in town, and they say the same thing, I'm sorry, we're not taking any more -- anymore Medicare patients.

And the reason they'll explain is because with the Obamacare cuts of $716 billion, reducing the reimbursement for the doctors and for providers of all kinds, why, some 50 percent of doctors in America that have been polled have said they're not going to take more Medicare patients.

The idea that the president would cut Medicare for current -- for current seniors in order to pay for his, you know, his legacy, Obamacare, is something which I don't think the American people understand the impact on them and their families.

And that's one reason why I'm convinced that the people of America will elect me to repeal Obamacare and replace it with real health care reform.

Now, let's say you're not a senior or you don't have a senior that you're helping care for and you're perhaps in your 40s or your 50s. And you've always recognized that these would be the most productive years in your life.

These would be the times that you would have the best job and be able to put some money away for retirement and perhaps also be able to help pay for some of your kids' college education or perhaps you just got a home and you're expecting that the value of the home will grow and it will be worth more when you retire than, yes, that used to be the case, right?

And so you're thinking about these as being the most productive years and yet you're finding that's not the case. The value of your home is not going up. You're not able to put anything away. You barely are able to make ends meet.

I was just a few days ago speaking with a man, as I recall he was in his 50s, he said that the job he used to have was at $25 an hour, plus benefits. But the job he has --

(END LIVE FEED)

WHITFIELD: The Romney/Ryan ticket laying out its plan in complementary live appearances now. Mitt Romney is in Reno, Nevada. Paul Ryan is in Cleveland, Ohio, right now.

Meantime, we're going to take you back to the campaign trail. Where is the president of the United States? Well, he's on a big battleground state blitz. We'll take you there next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, back to the presidential campaign trail in a moment. But first, she's the first African-American woman to win the coveted Director Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

The film "The Middle of Nowhere" hits theatres this week. It is a story of a wife whose world is shattered when her husband is sent to prison. But it is Duvernay's journey from former publicist to acclaimed independent filmmaker that is also a powerful story all its own.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVA DUVERNAY, FILMMAKER: My name is Eva Duvernay. I'm a black woman filmmaker.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't believe it. Ten months early.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good news.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is great news. You got everything going for you. You're coming home.

DUVERNAY: At this point I made films that I've written. It takes a lot to make a film. It is a lot of brain power, a lot of heart, a lot of your spirit goes into these films.

The framing of the shots in my films, the choices of music, the cadence and rhythm of the editing, all of that, I'm very aware is coming through who I am, and I'm a sister.

So I wear that very proudly. I made a career change from publicist to filmmaker. For me as a publicist, I had a really great job. I would be on the film sets in pain wanting to make my own.

I would be asked to work on movies I thought were caricatures of us as women, as black people. For me it was about pushing through all of that fear.

The only thing that drove me is just this idea of forward movement, never to stay still. I think there is something very powerful and something amazing to be said for momentum.

My next film, "Middle of Nowhere," we're pushing that out and excited about the life that it is having since we debuted at Sundance, the fact that it is touching people and changing things, so I'm really excited about that.

I think it is really been a beautiful journey. It has all gotten me to where I am right now, a place that feels really beautiful and supportive and comfortable and fulfilled.

(END VIDEOTAPE)