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Hurricane Sandy Likely to Make Landfall by Monday; Lance Armstrong Loses Tour de France Titles; Al Qaeda Calls on Muslims to Kidnap Westerners

Aired October 27, 2012 - 15:00   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, forecasters say they have never seen anything like it. A storm that could go down in the record books. Right now it is poised to strike the east coast. Tens of millions of people are preparing for the wrath of hurricane Sandy. The potential super storm is expected to stretch from North Carolina to Maine and could cost billions of dollars of damage. Sandy is about 350 miles off the coast of South Carolina with winds at 75 miles per hour. Well, this storm is so big it could actually have an impact on the presidential election. It's already forcing the candidates to change their campaign stops.

We've got reporters in place tracking the storm for us. Athena Jones is in Alexandria, Virginia. And George Howell is there in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.

All right, let's start with you, George, where we see the winds have picked up and so has the surf. What's it feeling like there?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, winds definitely, Fredricka, have picked up here, and we're starting to feel the rain. Earlier, it was just rain showers that were coming down. But now, we're feeling that sideways wind, a clear indication the storm is moving closer to us. In fact, this area on the outer banks, we'll really be along the front lines seeing the storm as it pushes inland.

Again, we know that this area remains under a flash flood watch and a tropical storm warning. When you drive up and down the streets, though, you find there aren't a lot of homes boarded up, windows boarded up. I talked to a few people about that. They say that the reason, their concern is more about the water that this storm pushes in, the storm surge. They are concerned about flooding on the roads, for instance, highway 12, the main road that goes north-south here along the outer banks, they are worried that could be washed out, parts of it, as happened back with Irene. So, people are paying close attention to the radar, watching the track of the storm. Just to see how it affects this area.

WHITFIELD: But clearly, George, you know, the streets are pretty deserted around there, are they not? I mean, there are a lot of vacation homes, as you mentioned, some folks who are living there kind of part time. But, of those who have decided to kind of wait out the storm, are you hearing very much from them?

HOWELL: They are seeking higher ground. They are not leaving the island. Some people have left, but a lot of people are staying to ride the storm out, going to hotels, just going to areas around the outer banks here where they know it is higher ground. They also know the spots that flood. And that's what they're keeping an eye on.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, George. We'll check back with you momentarily.

Meantime, let's head north now. Virginia is one of the places that is also concerned about what the storm could bring.

Athena Jones is in a really beautiful part of Virginia, northern Virginia now, old town Alexandria where it looks great. People are out shopping, they are doing the cafes, they enjoying the fall weather. But, it is what could potentially happen next that they're also bracing for, right?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredricka.

It looks pretty nice out here, but people are still taking this seriously. They are stocking up on supplies. And I should mention that here in old town, which is just along the banks of the Potomac River, just across from Maryland and Washington, D.C., this is an area that floods really, really easily, even in a typical rain storm, not to mention a hurricane. And so, for some contact, this is about nine feet above sea level, 10, 11, and we have spoken to local police who told us back in 2003 with hurricane Isabel, the flooding went all the way up to where you see that trolley up there. You can see all of the businesses that could be affected if there is as much flooding and as much rain as we expect to get.

Let me show you what one business here is doing to prepare. They are stocking up on sand bags here. I'll show you. This is a Thai restaurant. Here are the sand bags they have piled up, ready, because we are really just a few yards from the Potomac River. People are also stocking up on batteries and flashlights, candles and tarps, clearing out one of the local hardware stores we spoke with, out of batteries. So, they are getting ready for what could be as much as 12 inches of rain, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. OK, well, folks are bracing. At the same time, they are trying to juggle their you know, responsibilities as a citizen and trying to take advantage of early voting. Are they out in full force there in Virginia and Maryland today despite the pending weather?

JONES: Well, they are here in Virginia. In Virginia call it early in-person absentee voting. We passed by a local joint where they can do that. There are people getting ready to do that. There are also people out the farmer's market still handing out flyers and getting trying to win over support for Romney or Obama. And so, people are using this day not only to get and get their water and their flashlights and candles, but certainly some of them are also voting as well.

In Virginia, there's not any expectation there's going to be huge disruptions in that. The good thing is that we still are more than a week away. So maybe they won't all be able to early vote as early as they wanted to, but at least there's time to catch up with that in Virginia.

WHITFIELD: All right, very good. Thanks so much, Athena Jones in old town Alexandria, Virginia.

All right, let's go to the severe weather center and talk more about this storm, hurricane Sandy. Bonnie Schneider is there with us now. And we talk about lot of forecasters have said they have seen anything like this, or they anticipate this will be a record breaking kind of storm because you are really talking about three systems, aren't we, kind of converging, you are talking about this hurricane, you are talking about the jet stream, and you are talking about this cold front all potentially colliding and that's what makes it so potentially threatening?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right. And I think that's why a lot of people are comparing it to the perfect storm back in 1991.

I want to show you the dynamics that you just mentioned and we have it here on this graphics. So first, you have high pressure well off to the northern Atlantic. There's the storm and there's the jet stream with low pressure coming in working its way across the areas of the Midwest. And as I advance it and we wait for landfall which would be somewhere in the vicinity of the mid-Atlantic and we'll get a better idea as we get the 5:00 advisory.

But, what I want to point out is the way the dynamics are set-up, we're seeing more of a steering mechanism that the models are in agreement, a north easterly turn will occur. The question is exactly when will it occur and where will landfall be? But it is important to know, that behind it, we have much colder air, kind of a deep trough building in. And with that colder air, this storm is not only going to bring a lot of rain and flooding for a long lasting current, but it's actually going to bring snow.

So, when you have rain, snow, and wind, there is one thing that all brings about, and that's power outages. So, this is going to be a long lasting event. And that's why I'm advising everyone to take your preparations now before the storm gets worse. And it will.

You can see that right now hurricane Sandy has maximum winds at 75 miles per hour. But it's a large storm that's expansive. We are already feeling the effects of it.

Let's take a closer look at the track. First it goes out into the Atlantic. If only it would keep going out in that direction, but that's not the forecast. The computer models show that curve somewhere here near the Delmarva. By the time we get to Monday, and then landfall will likely occur sometime Monday, possibly into early Tuesday. Then the storm sticks around. And we saw a lot of flooding in the northeast when we had hurricane Isaac and hurricane Irene, rather. So, we are definitely going to see the potential for flooding away from the coast, and further inland as well.

Here's where the heaviest rain is right now. You can see it across the outer banks, down from Charleston, getting hit hard with rain. If you're traveling right now, you are definitely experiencing that. But, looking at the forecast computer models, really heavy rain across the outer banks, we are talking about over the next 48 hours, 10 inches or more. That's a lot of rain that's not going anywhere.

So, that's why a lot of the emergency management offices are advising to clear out your storm drains, if you have loose leaves, get rid of them because it's going to promote more flooding. And just a quick look, you can see the winds are picking up along the southeast coast -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Bonnie Schneider. Appreciate that.

All right, we have another perspective on hurricane Sandy and how it has meant so many states have declared states of emergency.

Nick Valencia is with us now on that.

Hi, Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi.

Yes, three days away from landfall, Fred, and already we're seeing these anxiety starting to materialize for these people better are going to be in the areas that are potentially going to be effected by what is now hurricane Sandy, back and forth all morning between tropical storm and now hurricane Sandy.

But, let's break it down by the numbers. We have 75-mile-per-hour sustained winds. You see these winds, what they're causing there in places like North Carolina. That's causing a lot of fears and concerns for people like the National Guard. I spoke to the National Guard earlier this morning. They've got 61,000 personnel, Fred, on the ready up and down the eastern seaboard. They are displaced -- positioned people, I should say, in states that have declared states of emergency, places like Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. Right now, we have seven states plus the District of Columbia that have issued states of emergency and no more those fears more apparent than North Carolina. You saw George with those waves in the background.

We have 40 counties in North Carolina declaring a state of emergency. That's mostly up and down the eastern part of the state, down the 95 corridor, and of course, Fred, this is a fatal storm. We have spoken to several first responders in Haiti. It's gotten hit pretty hard. Twenty nine Haitians have died as a result of Sandy. That death toll now around 45, at least 45 people dead because of hurricane Sandy.

And with those that are powering through the storm, they could expect to be without power. There's estimates that as many as 10 million people in the northeast, Fred, could be without power, and it's not going to last a short period of time, either. This is going to be a sustained power outage, about seven to ten days. Maybe as much as two weeks according to the Edison Electrical Institute.

And again, we have been saying it all morning. This is a very expensive storm. CNN weather center has estimated this damage just in wind, not in flooding, Fred, but just in wind to be $3.2 billion. $3.2 billion is a lot of money and I'm sure the estimates will get a lot higher.

WHITFIELD: And in a lot of communities along the Atlantic coast that we mentioned, who could be hit by the storm this go-around, were just a few months ago, they were dealing with major power outages for up to a week. So, some people still kind of, you know, rebounding from that. And here we go again.

But, thanks so much for keeping us posted on that. So folks know what likely, possibly to expect.

Appreciate it, Nick.

VALENCIA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, meantime, we are going to talk about Lance Armstrong coming up. He's been banned from professional cycling. He's lost his tour de France titles, but are Armstrong biggest battles still ahead?

And, coming to terms with the heartbreaking murders of two children in New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: His seven tour de France titles gone. Cycling's governing body says records will now show no one won those races, and Lance Armstrong's real battles may be just beginning. It's all because of a doping scandal that has been called epic.

CNN's Quentin McDermott has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUENTIN MCDERMOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The United States anti-doping agency felt that Armstrong was a drug cheat, part of an organized conspiracy by the U.S. postal service team to dupe the public and fool the authorities.

BETSY ANDREU, TWO-TIME OLYMPIAN: The totality of the evidence is overwhelming. You're looking at the Bernie Madoff of sports. This is the biggest fraud in the history of sports, the biggest. He couldn't have done it alone.

PHIL LIGGETT, CYCLING COMMENTATOR: By managing, it involved big money, then, of course the cheats come around.

MCDERMOTT: Lance Armstrong entered cycling as a fresh young competitor, full of enthusiasm, but limited in his all-around about. His mentor then was an Australian racer Phil Anderson.

Did he strike you on those days as a cyclist who could win the tour de France? PHIL ANDERSON, FORMER LANCE ARMSTRONG MENTOR: For me, no. To be a good tour rider, you have to be a good time trialist, you have a good mountain climber, and he wasn't particularly strong in those two areas. To me, he didn't have what it took in those early years.

MCDERMOTT: Lance Armstrong was then with the American Motorola team, so, too, was New Zealander Stephen Swart. Stephen says that in 1995, when Phil Anderson had left the team, the riders complained that their European opponents were doping.

Did you talk with Lance Armstrong about the need to start using EPO to be competitive?

STEPHEN SWART, NEW ZEALANDER CYCLIST: We had -- we had a discussion about it, yes.

MCDERMOTT: What did Mr. Armstrong say?

SWART: He did say, you know, if we're going to do the tour, we've got to -- we've got to perform. We need the results.

MCDERMOTT: What did that mean?

SWART: I think he -- you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out, you know. If we're going to be competitive, there was only one road to take.

MCDERMOTT: Was there a discussion about doping in any way with Mr. Swart?

LANCE ARMSTRONG, CYCLIST: The only aspect that is true is he was on the team, beyond that, not true.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Be sure to tune in tonight for an in depth look of the fall of the world's best known cyclist, "The world according to Lance Armstrong," tonight 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

And you can't always see the scars that military veterans bear. That's where these four-legged friends step in, how they're helping veterans feel normal again.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Tens of millions of people along the east coast are preparing for what could end up being a pretty bad storm. Hurricane Sandy is moving slowly along the coast right now. Seven states plus the District of Columbia are under states of emergency already and the National Guard has been called in -- in Virginia. The hurricane is expected to impact a 700-mile area and bring with it fierce winds, heavy flooding, and widespread power outages, potentially.

And it may be a small state, but New Hampshire's four electoral votes could make a major difference come Election Day. Which is why President Barack Obama leaving nothing to chance, paid another visit there this afternoon, his tenth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now, he has been running around saying he's got a five-point plan for the economy. Turns out it's a one-point plan. Folks at the very top get to play by a different set of rules than you do. They get to pay lower tax rates, outsource jobs. They want to let Wall Street run wild, make reckless bets with other folks' money. That was his philosophy when he as CEO. That was his philosophy as governor.

And you know, as president Clinton said, he does have a lot of brass because he is not talking about big change, but all he is offering a big rerun of the policies at the same policies that created so much hardship for so many Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Obama won the state of New Hampshire in 2008 by more than nine points, but polls show the race is now up for grabs, and the president not taking anything for granted.

All right, meantime, Mitt Romney is putting his focus on Florida today. He made a stop in Pensacola earlier and is scheduled to hold a rally at 4:40 Eastern time in Kissimmee. We will bring you a good part of his speech live next hour right here on CNN.

All right, U.S. military men and women don't always show the scars of their service. Sometimes those scars are hidden deep inside. And that's where some four-legged friends step in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A rocket attack in Iraq threw Anthony Jones' life into a tail spin.

ANTHONY JONES, IRAQ VETERAN: I have a traumatic brain injury, but there's hundreds of thousands of soldiers coming back with blast injuries. I have headaches all the time. But, today is not a bad day, but I have spikes. I have emotional difficulty, anger management difficulties because of brain pain. It's the hardest thing in the world to admit you're damaged. I have tried acupuncture. I tried medication. I tried all different types of therapy.

WHITFIELD: But nothing helped the retired air force major until he was paired with buddy.

ANTHONY JONES: How you doing?

WHITFIELD: Buddy is part of spirit therapies, a nonprofit where the physically and mentally disables exercise and interact with trained therapy horses. The founder, Laurie Wilmott added a program geared toward military members three years ago. Both her father and brother were veterans.

LAURIE WILLMOTT, FOUNDER, SPIRIT THERAPIES: These guys, they just need somebody to love them. They just need somebody to give them some kind of teeny hope. Horses don't judge them. The horses don't look down on them. These guys with post traumatic stress and brain injuries try to function as well as possible, but sometimes they brains stop and they need things like this just to let their brains relax.

ANTHONY JONES: There you go. That's right, walk with me. When I'm here, I focus and it's a calming effect. This week, I had anger issues and the fact I came this morning just takes me out of that, makes me push it away.

WILLMOTT: I think this has helped him a lot more than he thinks it has. And he definitely has grown.

ANTHONY JONES: Give me a hug.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Lots of hugs to go around. Amazing results. You can find out more about spirit therapies at spirittherapies.org.

The governor of New Jersey issues a mandatory evacuation as hurricane Sandy moves closer to shore. The latest on this storm which states are -- many states are in its path. We'll tell you which ones.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: An update on the story of a nanny accused of murdering two children she was caring for.

New York police say the nanny began stabbing herself when the mother of the children entered the bathroom and saw her two children, their lifeless bodies in the bathtub. Yoselyn Ortega is accused of killing a 2-year-old Leo Krim and his 6-year-old sister, Lulu. Ortega has yet to be charged and is now in the hospital under police monitor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAY KELLY, COMMISSIONER, NEW YORK POLICE: She's a U.S. citizen and she has been in the country for ten years. Naturalized citizen. She is born in the Dominican Republic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A memorial for the Krim children is growing outside their upper west side apartment building. The father was senior vice president at CNBC, was on a flight home when his wife discovered their children murdered.

Hurricane Sandy is getting ready to bear down on the east coast. The latest forecast has been hitting somewhere between New Jersey and southern Virginia. States of emergency have been declared in seven states and the District of Columbia. Sandy has already caused devastation in Central America and the Caribbean where 45 people have been killed from the storm. And the leader of Al Qaeda is calling on Muslims to kidnap westerners. In a two-part, two-hour video posted online, Ayman Al-Zawahiri linked the abduction to the release Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahmanthem. He is the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade center, serving time in a U.S. prison. The terrorist group already claims to be holding an American aid worker captured in Pakistan.

On to Syria now. A temporary cease fire doesn't seem to be holding. A Syrian human rights group said eight people were killed by a military air strike in a Damascus suburb. Opposition groups say five others were killed in a car bombing there.

And the NFL returns to London Sunday. The New England patriots take on the St. Louis rams at Wembley stadium. It's the sixth regular season game to be played in London since 2007. Last year, Tampa bay took on Chicago at Wembley. The league is considering establishing a franchise in the U.K.

All right, the candidate who wins the battleground states is likely to win the White House. But, as Athena Jones shows us, to win the toss up states, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama will have to win women's votes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OBAMA: You can choose to turn the clock back 50 years for women.

JONES (voice-over): Women, their key to winning the White House.

OBAMA: Or in this election, you can stand up for the principle that America includes everybody. We're all created equal.

JONES: While most polls show the president leads among women voters, some suggest that lead may be tightening.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Why is it there are 3.6 million more women in poverty today than when the president took office?

JONES: More women than men voted in 2008. And issues important to women have been front and center in 2012, from abortion and contraception to equal pay.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In what new ways do you intend to rectify the inequalities in the work place?

JONES: The candidates failed to address the question head on in the second debate. Instead, offering generalities.

OBAMA: Women are increasingly the bread winners in the family. This is not just a women's issue, this is a family issue, this is a middle class issue.

JONES: And one phrase that quickly took on a life of its own.

ROMNEY: I have binders full of women. JONES: Still, there's evidence that the pay gap is real. A new study shows female college graduates earn just 82 cents for every dollar than male counter parts make their first year out of college.

CHRISTIANNE CORBETT, RESEARCHER, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN: The pay gap has real implications for women. It can add up to over $500,000 over a lifetime.

JONES: Even when career choice and hours worked were taken into account, men still earned seven percent more than women in the same field a year after graduating, suggesting discrimination is still a problem in the work place. Georgetown senior Bethany Imondi is worried about what the gap can mean for her as she tries to pay of $20,000 in student debt.

BETHANY IMONDI, STUDENT: As a woman, these statistics say I'm going to have a much more difficult time. And I think that's something that will stay in the back of my mind.

JONES: Among the recommendations to women trying to close the gap, learn something about negotiating. Studies show men are more likely than women to push for a higher salary. Still, study co-author Christianne Corbett says that won't solve everything if women are offered less from the start. She said the employers and lawmakers need to increase salary transparency and strengthen laws. And the candidate should pay more attention to the issue.

CORBETT: This election is all about jobs and the economy. But for women, it's actually not only just about getting a job but it is getting a job with fair and honest pay.

JONES: With just days to go in the 2012 campaign, time is running out for equal pay to get equal play.

Athena Jones, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And social media once again has a huge factor -- rather was a huge factor in 2008. And this year, there's another game changer. Find out how technology is helping the presidential candidates this election season.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The internet and technology have become major players in the presidential election. Social media played a huge role in the 2008 election. And this year, there's another breakthrough in technology.

Our CNN Money tech reporter Laurie Segall is here to tell us all about it.

Good to see you, Laurie.

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECHNOLOGY REPORTER: Good to see you. WHITFIELD: So, technology this go around effecting the election cycle how?

SEGALL: Well. So look, you had back in 2008, you had twitter, you had facebook. You know, that's nothing new. You also had you tube. But, what is really new is people really trying to take advantage of those facebook likes, to those at mentions, and it sounds simple to say, but the breakthrough technology, it's not television like it was in 1960s, but really its data. It is utilizing all this data and being able to target voters.

So, we actually went and we spoke with someone who is a technologist on the 2008 campaign with Obama. He built a technology there. And we asked him what was going to be the breakthrough in technology.

Listen to what he had to say, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN SIROKER, ENTREPRENEUR: 2012, there's a huge opportunity to take things like facebook data or offline donation data or donation data or actions on the Web site, putting that all together into one cohesive system and then running experiments and optimizing the process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEGALL: So that was Dan Siroker. He was actually come from Google. He went to the Obama campaign to build this technology. But, he's an entrepreneur in every sense because he built the technology that targeted voters. So, when you went to mybarackobama.com back in 200, it looks completely different than when I went to it just based on what you're clicking on and what colors you were -- you actually like. But yes, he commercialized technology and now Romney is using it as well as Obama. So, really, it's anyone's game. Everybody is looking to use data to get a leg up in the election.

WHITFIELD: And so, what kind of data are we talking about and in what form is it being transformed or used to a candidate's advantage?

SEGALL: Yes, look you know, there's so much information now on something like facebook. You have so many people talking about the issues in different states. You have so many people talking about certain things on twitter. You have so many people, you know, reacting certain ways to certain messages on myBarackObama.com and in the Romney site. So, it's about utilizing that and actually being able to take that and target the voters with a certain message and that kind of thing, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And then, come Election Day, there are tools available for voters?

SEGALL: Yes, sure. There are going to be, you know, tons of tools. And I think really this last-minute push, if you look at Obama, a lot of people last night received a dm, direct message on twitter from Michelle Obama, from @Obama2012. The day before the candidate is closing out e-mail, both telling people to get on facebook and tell people who they were voting for.

So, really, we are seeing the last-minute social media pushes to really get people talking about the issues and interested in them. And now CNN, we actually have one that is really, really great to look at. It's called facebook insight.

So, you can actually going on our site. You can actually see who is talking about different candidates. Right now, what you're looking at, you can view who is talking about Obama in North Carolina. Who's talking about Romney in North Carolina. And you can really see where the issues are going and who is kind of getting a leg up in the swing states.

We also have one called the campaign explorer where you can see how much these candidates are spending on ads. I kind of geek out over this one, because you see how many times Obama is visiting a certain swing state, how many times Romney has gone to a different place and how much each of them are paying for advertising and the ads last- minute.

WHITFIELD: Wow. It's extraordinary and a whole lot of money being spent on that campaign trail overall.

SEGALL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: We know, like a billion and a half at least.

All right, Laurie Segall. Thanks so much. Good to see you. Appreciate that.

SEGALL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: For more high-tech ideas and reviews, just go to CNN.com/tech and look for the gaming and gadgets tab.

And every Saturday, of course, we bring you information on technology, new and all the stuff that I impact your life at around this time.

All right, President Barack Obama helping to bail out the troubled auto industry, but does that mean he'll get the vote of autoworkers?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The race for the White House could come down to one major battleground state, that of Ohio. And a new CNN/ORC poll shows the candidates running neck and neck there. President Obama has a four- point lead over Romney, but that's still within the margin of error. A poll taken in Ohio in early October showed the same four-point gap. So the auto bailout is a big issue in the buckeye state, and it's boosted President Obama's standing there, but on a trip to two Ohio towns this summer.

CNN's Poppy Harlow found two dramatically different views among current and former autoworkers. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How is the economy doing here in Warren, Ohio?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm trying to think of a different way to say horrible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The economy is doing fine here in God's country.

HARLOW: You voted for President Obama in 2008. What about this year?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not a chance.

HARLOW (voice-over): Warren, Ohio, and Lordstown, Ohio, two towns, 15 minutes apart with two very different stories. Does this town really revolve around the gm plant?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HARLOW: No question?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No question.

HARLOW: We meant Sherry Gaunt in Lordstown, long time GM worker and vice president of the local united autoworkers.

SHERRY GAUNT, GM MATERIAL HANDLER: Look where GM is now. If the government didn't step in, might not be working, might not have a job.

HARLOW: Here at GM's Lordstown, Ohio, plant, they're cranking out the Chevy crews. The plant has gone from one shift of 2200 workers in 2009 to three shifts with 4500 workers today. But like most autoworkers these days, Sherry felt the pain of the layoffs.

How much does the auto bailout play into politics for you today in this election?

GAUNT: It means everything.

HARLOW: Everything?

GAUNT: Everything. Because the truth, we are doing real well right now.

HARLOW: Her coworkers told us a similar story. Who are you supporting for president?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama.

HARLOW: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because he's for the working class. And he helped with the bailout.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It speaks about his dark character, speaks about his concern for us.

HARLOW: But in Warren, Ohio, some former autoworkers are angry.

BRUCE GUMP, RETIRED SENIOR ENGINEER, DELPHI PACKER: I was one of the innovators.

Bruce Gump worked at auto part supplier Delphi for 34 years, a senior engineer, nonunion. What did the auto bail out mean to you?

GUMP: The auto bailout, the effect on me and my family is a loss of all my health care insurance, a loss of all my life insurance, a reduction of my pension by 30 percent for the rest of my life.

HARLOW: He and his fellow Delphi retirees think they have been thrown under the bus by the Obama administration.

GUMP: He certainly didn't protect my pension. I was just road kill, and to be kicked to the curb and out of the way.

HARLOW: Bruce Gump says he and thousands of salaried Delphi retirees saw that pensioned slashed and lost their health and insurance benefits as part of the deal so Delphi could emerge from bankruptcy in 2009.

General Motors needed its biggest supplier, Delphi, to be healthy. What are you fighting for right now? What do you want to see?

GUMP: The full restoration of our pension.

HARLOW: He's fighting here and in Washington.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Simply put, our decades of effort for the company were considered to be valueless to this administration.

HARLOW: The retirees have sued to get their pensions back, but the case is moving slowly.

I'm Poppy. I'm from CNN. When they heard we were coming to town, a group of retirees and their families showed up.

Raise your hand if you supported President Obama in the last election. Raise your hand if you're supporting President Obama this year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He didn't bail us out. He left us behind.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I lost 40 percent of my pension, all my health care and life insurance. For the first time in my life, my husband and I this past spring asked for the Republican Party ticket.

HARLOW: President Obama and Mitt Romney will keep campaigning hard in auto towns like Warren and Lordstown, looking for every vote they can get as the tight race in Ohio could very well decide who wins the presidency.

Poppy Harlow, CNN, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, some other stories we're watching today.

Italy's ex-prime minister said he wants to get back in politics, quote, "to reform the justice system," end quote. That will be tough for Berlusconi to do right now since he's supposed to go to prison for four years. A court sentenced him Friday on a conviction of tax evasion. He says he will appeal.

There's been a massive breach of Social Security information in South Carolina. Officials say the Social Security numbers of more than 3.5 million taxpayers may have been stolen after a state computer server was hacked. The breach was discovered October 10th and the system was secured ten days later. Thousands of credit card numbers were also affected. An investigation is under way.

And Senate majority leader Harry Reid has been released from the hospital after getting into a car cash in Las Vegas. The accident happened when vehicles in his motorcade crashed with a civilian vehicle. The 72-year-old Democrat suffered rib and hip contusions, but we're told he's in good condition.

And warnings ignored. That's a finding of a report from the food and drug administration investigating the meningitis outbreak killing 25 people. Mold and bacteria detected in and reported nearly 90 times since January to the New England compounding center. The company linked to the outbreak. The FDA said it has found no evidence the company ever responded to the warnings.

And the Detroit tigers are hoping home field advantage will help them get a win tonight in game three of the World Series. They are 2-0 against the San Francisco giants. It's going to be a rather chilly one. Game time temperatures will be in the 30s.

All right, he was born with only one arm, but that didn't stop him from playing top-level college basketball. The man behind this remarkable story, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Too often, many of us make excuses as to why we can't achieve our goals. Well, Kevin Laue is not one of those people. Born with one arm, Kevin dreamed big to become a top level college basketball player. His father died when he was just ten years old. So his mom fought to find Kevin a coach who would mentor him. A new documentary called "long shot" opened in New York yesterday and a chronicles Kevin's drive to division one basketball.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do hope he sees me as somebody that can help this team out.

KEVIN LAUE, FORMER MANHATTAN COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYER: Most coaches told me I would be a major d-1 player, but since I don't have two hands, they're saying I would be a major d-2 player. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You still want to go on?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Kevin low, joining me now.

Good to see you, Kevin.

LAUE: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: It is such an inspiring story, yours and that told through this documentary "long shot" one of inspiration, perseverance, determination all of that wrapped up into one. So how did your life story end up into this documentary?

LAUE: Well, I did get the division one scholarship. I don't want to ruin too much of the film. I became the first division one player with one hand. It has been an incredible achievement and opened up so many opportunities to inspire and help others, actually worldwide and internationally, as well, which is unbelievable.

WHITFIELD: And what was it about basketball, and you? I mean, from a very early age you were determined to become that d-1 player, you didn't care to hear from people who said you know what? You're a lefty, but you're playing with your right hand, and you know, a lot of coaches were concerned that you couldn't be a competitive player, you couldn't play consistently. But in the end, you were able to prove so many wrong.

LAUE: Yes, that is the truth. Maybe it was my red hair, a little stubborn. But really, to be honest with you I excelled in other sports, baseball, football and soccer before I ever played basketball. And the first time I ever tried out I got cut. That was in seventh grade.

So for me, you know, it ignited something within me to want to play even more, and prove to people who had doubts wrong. And in the meantime, I fell in love with the sport, had a journey. I mean, it was incredible.

WHITFIELD: You talk about it being ignited in you, but somehow you really kind of ignited others, too, your mom being one. So said, you know, I want to make sure this opportunity is extended to you in middle school, high school, and beyond. And so, somewhere along the line the connection was made between your family and the coach, Patrick McKnight, who was able to see in you your talent. He didn't see a deficiency. He didn't see a disability. If anything, he saw this is a 6'9" kid, and I want this 6'9" kid, you know, to play ball, and he made it happen. How did him giving you a shot change your life? Change your game?

LAUE: Well, honestly, it was hard. My father passed away at ten, and me and McKnight, we're still very close. We joke about how he is my daddy, he always said that. He says it in the film, as well. But, he took a chance on me when other coaches wouldn't. And I was going through an awkward age of growing and uncoordinated. But you know, he instilled, both him and my mother actually as you point that out, instilled a sense of perseverance within me, you know, once you start something you don't give up. And you don't listen to people who doubt you. You just figure out what we want to do and strive to be that, despite other's opinions.

WHITFIELD: So Kevin, I understand, it has been a long time, a few years, maybe three since you last saw Coach Patrick McKnight, is that right?

LAUE: I saw him over the summer, yes. We are still close, but yea yes, I went to school for three years out in Manhattan College, and a year at Fork Union, Virginia before that. Once again, I don't want to give too much away in the film, so people can see it for themselves.

WHITFIELD: OK, because people really do need to see the documentary. It really was so wonderful. We want to bring the two of you together, Coach McKnight is with us. He is joining us from North Bend, Oregon. There he is.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: We want to bring you guys together.

LAUE: No way.

WHITFIELD: I know there is so much electricity between you. I will kind of step out of it a little bit if there is something you all want to say to one another because it seems as though you have inspired each other. Do I have that right, coach?

PATRICK MCKNIGHT, BASKETBALL COACH: Yes, you got that right.

WHITFIELD: Can you kind of pretend that we're not here?

LAUE: I love you, man. What a surprise! It has been way too long, brother, I missed you. We did a world premiere last night, it was a phenomenal event. Friends, family came alike. It was incredible. I missed you, man, are you still in Oregon?

MCKNIGHT: Yes, I am still in Oregon. You know, I moved a little bit north. But I missed you, too, I can't wait to see the documentary. I can't wait to see you. You know, it has -- I miss you, bro.

WHITFIELD: Oh.

LAUE: It means the world to me, man. I love you so much, you know that. Honestly, without you I wouldn't have made it this far. And you know, never been able to inspire others. So, I can't thank you enough.

MCKNIGHT: Hey, you know what, Kev? You know, you just keep doing what you are doing, any time you need something, you just give the coach a call. And you know, I'll be there for you. You know, I appreciate all you have done for me and my family. And I wish you the best in everything. And I hope this works out for you, I really do.

And again, you know, I love you. Anything you need, you can always call coach McKnight, you know me. I'm your daddy.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that is so sweet. Well, guys we only have like 15 seconds left, but I do want to ask you, coach if you could, what was there, if there is a way to kind of incumbent, what was it about Kevin where you said, you know what, this is not taking a chance on this young man. You saw something in him, his ability, his heart, something.

MCKNIGHT: He showed up, you know. And for him to show up and to not look at the other kids and feel down on himself, you know, it gave me a little bit. Honestly, I didn't even know the kid had one arm until he showed up to the tryouts. And I didn't even see the one arm until my assistant coach told me he had one arm, what it matters, man, the kid is 6'9". And you got to keep a 6'9" kid, there is just no way you can let him go off, you know. I just feel bad he was kicking my butt for three years. (INAUDIBLE) for three years.

WHITFIELD: Oh, fantastic, well, coach Patrick McKnight, thank you so much for joining us. Kevin Laue, you, as well. We appreciate it.

Your story is so inspiring on all levels. And of course, we didn't give it away. People can check out your documentary. It is making limited appearances across the country and it really is fantastic. "A long shot."

Thank you so much to both of you gentlemen for being an inspiration, your relationship and your commitment to sport, and just great camaraderie. Appreciate it. All the best.

LAUE: Thank you so much, for having us.

MCKNIGHT: All right. (INAUDIBLE).

LAUE: All right, brother.

WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much, guys.

All right, ten days to go, and yes, we're back on the presidential trail. Mitt Romney is crisscrossing Florida. He needs its 29 electoral votes in order to win. He is about to hold a rally there in the next hour. And we're taking you live to Florida, next.

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