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Obama Holds Rallies in Ohio; Waiting Hours For Gasoline; Obama in Ohio; Hiring Picks Up In October; President Speaks In Ohio; New York Mayor Holds Storm Briefing; "Time" Magazine Explores Protection from Superstorms; Election Could Swing Balance of Power in Congress; NYU's Heroic Nurses

Aired November 02, 2012 - 13:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to bring that to you live as soon as it happens. The President really making his case, his final argument for why he believes you should vote for him. We are also waiting for the New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, to address his city's recovery efforts, what is taking place there as well.

I want to first go to the job numbers, however. The final unemployment report before the presidential election, well, it's out today. Here's what the numbers show. The economy added 171,000 jobs last month. But the unemployment rate ticked up to 7.9 percent. Joining me to talk about the numbers, Georgia Tech economist, Danny Boston. Good to see you.

DANNY BOSTON, ECONOMIST, GEORGIA TECH: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: You and I have been doing this every month.

BOSTON: That's right, that's right.

MALVEAUX: This is the final number here.

BOSTON: This is it.

MALVEAUX: When you look at these numbers, what does it say to you, in terms of the stress of the recovery? Is it good news or is it bad news for how the administration has been handling the recession and the recovery?

BOSTON: All right. Well, short answer. If I was grading this in my economics 101 class, --

MALVEAUX: OK, give us a grade.

BOSTON: I would give it a grade B.

MALVEAUX: A B. OK, that's not bad.

BOSTON: Despite the fact that the unemployment rate went up, right, this is a strong -- this is a strong signal about what's happening in the economy. We've had 171,000 jobs created. Now, more than that was -- were created, 184,000, but the government took away 13,000. And so, if you look, not just this one, but last month in September, that number was revised upwards by 30 percent. The month before that it was revised upward by 50 percent. So, we've been averaging about 170,000 jobs over the last five months.

MALVEAUX: So, the unemployment rate ticked up a little bit, so people are going to look at that number and think, well, that's not good.

BOSTON: Yes, they're going to say that, but the unemployment rate went up because the economy is better. OK, now, that sounds strange, but what happened was that you had 578,000 people come into the labor market, right? Last month 400,000. So, over the last two months, you've had about a million people come into the labor market. Those people are now on the unemployment rolls, and all of them don't find jobs immediately, about half of them do. But as they come in, that means they are more optimistic about finding jobs. And as a result, in the short run, it drives the unemployment rate up.

MALVEAUX: Sure. So, was that any one particular group that did better than another?

BOSTON: Well, I knew you were going to ask this question, right? African Americans, right? If you look at unemployment among whites, remain the same, unemployment among Latinos went up slightly from 9.9 percent to 10 percent. Unemployment among African-Americans went up from 13.4 percent to 14.3 percent. A significant increase but that was because 70 percent of those people who came back into the labor market were African-Americans, and half of those jobs found jobs over the last month, but the other 50 percent are still searching. So, it -- you know, the unemployment rate went up significantly because so many of the new entrants into the labor market were African-Americans.

MALVEAUX: Do we know why -- do these numbers indicate why people are actually coming back into the market?

BOSTON: Yes. They're coming back -- if you look -- you know, I looked at -- I kind of tracked about 20 indicators, and of those 20 indicators, 19 are positive. The only one that is struggling a bit is business fixed investment, but this is the first time since the recession that we've had so many positive indicators across the economy.

MALVEAUX: Alright, we've got to leave it there. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, he is now taking the podium to talk about the recovery effort there. Let's listen in.

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, MAYOR, NEW YORK (live): -- and we lost some of the houses. We want to make sure that does not happen. In the case of big buildings that have engineers, they understand that and, in fact, Con-Ed has been going around the areas where we have big buildings and having the -- each of those buildings disconnect from the grid if there has been significant damage done to the electrical system in those buildings so that when Con Ed is ready to turn the power on, and we have some good news there I'll share with you in a few minutes, that it won't start a fire.

But when it comes to individual homes, that is much more problematic and so in these neighborhoods, we're going to have to go door to door and if we can't get in, then it's a real risk, because if you turn on power in the neighborhood, a fire may start inside.

I did see the fantastic work that our city and federal workers and volunteers are doing to help each other in the areas devastated. I shook the hands, I thanked them and urged all of them to stay safe and to try to get some rest. And many of them having been working close to 24 hours every day, and I don't think anybody can fault the devotion that the workers have had, whether they're volunteers or work for the city or one of the state or federal agency. We are in this together. They understand that and you can see that in their faces.

I was talking to our sanitation commission and John Dougherty a few minutes ago, and he has a number of people that he visited in one of the garages who lost their homes, and, yet, they're still working. And he said, why? And they said, because I want to help my neighbor. And I think that is the spirit that I have always thought New Yorkers, in particular New York City workers. We're here to help each other, but we're also city workers here to help the citizens of this great city, and we're going to continue to do so -- to do that.

The death toll from Sandy continues to rise. We now know that at least 41 New Yorkers have perished. As I cautioned yesterday, as rescue and recovery efforts continue, there could be more fatalities that are discovered. We are getting to the point where we think we've been through every place, but you can never be 100 percent sure.

Yesterday, as I'm sure you heard, first responders recovered the bodies of little Brandon and Connor Moore of Staten Island. Brandon was two years old, and Connor was four. They were swept away from their mother's arms by the force of Sandy's storm surge, and it just breaks your heart to even think about it. As a father, I cannot imagine the pain and anguish the boys' parents are suffering. Their father, Damien, is a city sanitation worker.

At the time of the tragedy, he was on the job helping our city respond to the storm. I did talk to him this morning and expressed, as a parent, my deepest sympathies. There's nothing you can ever say to a parent who has lost a child other than you're praying for them, you're praying for their kids, and we will do anything we can to help them, but I think in the end, the loss of a child is something no parent should ever go through. And when they do, it's -- particularly if you are a parent, you just really feel it.

The truth of the matter is while much -- while life in much of our city is getting back to normal, for New Yorkers that have lost loved ones, the storm left a wound that I think will never heal.

For those that lost homes or businesses, recovery will be long and difficult, and there are still many around our city facing extremely difficult current situations in the storm's aftermath. For many without power and those who are far from stores and restaurants that are open, fresh food and water is an immediate concern. And as I announced yesterday, we are distributing free prepared meals and bottled water to people in the hardest hit areas of the city, including Coney Island, the south shore of Staten Island, Chinatown, and Lower Manhattan, and the Rockaways. We have 13 distribution sites opened as staffed by National Guard members, by New York City service volunteers, and by the staff of the Salvation Army.

MALVEAUX: Mayor Michael Bloomberg, they are giving an update on the city saying 41 New Yorkers have died from Superstorm Sandy. Also, relaying a sad story about two young children, Brandon and Connor, a two and four year old, swept from their parent's arms, taken away. Their bodies found at a later point. The mayor offered his condolences, his prayers, but also saying that much of New York City, they are trying to get back to normal. Here's what we're working on for this hour.

(voice-over): While Superstorm Sandy's victims try to find power and stay warm, a nor'easter threatens to take another shot at the east coast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to die if it -- if we get killed with the weather, we're going to die. We're going to freeze.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And while people look for shelter, there's a gas shortage. They're waiting for hours just to fill up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of patience and a lot of sanity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: "Time" magazine points a finger at climate change.

And while the Northeast struggles to recover, the country continues to push ahead toward election day. But is the storm taking attention away from the race? Both President Obama and Mitt Romney lay out their visions for America, exclusively on CNN.com, their thoughts for the country and plans for the future.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We are waiting to hear from the president. He is going to be live in Springfield, Ohio. We're watching live there, you see the podium, that is where he is going to step up and make his case, his final argument really, for why he believes voters should be voting for him for a second term. And, of course, in Ohio -- the critical state of Ohio, make or break state for both the candidates in terms of who becomes the president, at least that is the conventional wisdom, I want to bring in Jessica Yellin, she's in Springfield traveling there with the president.

Jess, this is a second rally today, and you got the jobs numbers that came out. The last ones before the election. It was stronger than expected. How does he play these numbers? 171,000 jobs and unemployment ticked up just slightly to 7.9 percent. How -- 7.8 percent rather to 7.9 percent. How does he play this in the final days before the -- before voting day? JESSICA YELLIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's something each side can latch on to in these numbers. As you mention, Suzanne, the number -- the unemployment rate did tick up, which makes governor Romney's case that things are not improving. For the president's part this morning, he argued that the number ticked up only because more people entered the work force. Well, that is, in part, true. More people did enter -- were looking for jobs, and that's part of the reason the numbers ticked up. Government also slashed a number of jobs, government jobs available.

So, that's about the contraction of government jobs. So, it's not entirely a positive picture clearly, but the president said today our businesses have created nearly 5 1/2 million new jobs, and we learned that companies hired more workers in October than at any time in the last eight months. So, Suzanne, he focused on the private sector's growth. Companies hired more workers, and that's what the president has been doing throughout the campaign, focusing on private sector job growth.

MALVEAUX: And, Jessica, you have been traveling with him a good part of a year here. Ohio, of course, very important, 18 electoral votes. What are folks telling you about what they want to hear? Is there a sense of enthusiasm, is there excitement? Give us a sense of what it's like.

YELLIN: Well, I'm on the campaign bus with the president. We wake up sometimes at 4:00 a.m. and we go to rallies, sometimes in somewhat rural areas, only with people who are there to see the president. So, I am not getting the most diverse sampling, Suzanne, of what all Ohioans are thinking.

People who are at the president's rallies get incredibly fired up about the auto bailout and when the president talks about -- he add aid new line to his speech today with a very stinging attack on Governor Romney who has an ad up in this state accusing the company, Chrysler, planning to sell Jeeps in China. And as we covered, while Chrysler said they will be selling Jeeps in China, those are Jeeps for the Chinese market. They are not taking jobs from the U.S. to do that, and so the president is accusing Romney of being misleading.

The Romney campaign, you know, argues the facts are not misrepresented. Anyway, the crowd goes nuts when he said that today, and really went wild over it. And he's getting a warm reception wherever he goes. But these are clearly Democratic crowds -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Yes, honest assessment there. It's not -- it's not a real representation of everybody there. Jess, thanks. We'll be getting back to you. And, of course, we're going to bring that to you live as soon as the event starts.

Earlier today, Mitt Romney held a campaign rally in another swing state, Wisconsin. Romney told the crowd he's going to work from day one to get Americans back to work. He blamed the president's policies for the state of the economy. He said the president has failed to deliver on the promises he made four years ago, like his promise to reach across the aisle and work with Republicans. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Instead of bridging the divide, he's made it wider. Now, how is it that he's fallen so short of what he promised? In part it's because he'd never led before, he'd never worked across the aisle before, he'd never truly understood how jobs are created in the economy. And, of course, today, he's now making new promises. Promises he will be unable to keep because he admits that he'll stay on the same path he's been on. And the same course we have been on will not lead to a better destination.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Today, both candidates offered their vision for America in exclusive opinion articles for cnn.com on our worldwide website.

President Obama, who just spoke in Ohio just a short while ago, wrote on cnn.com today saying, "I believe America's prosperity was built on the strength of our middle class. We don't succeed when a few at the top do well while everyone else struggles to get by. We're better off when everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules."

The man who wants his job, of course, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, spoke in Wisconsin just a short time ago. And in his cnn.com opinion piece, Romney wrote about bipartisanship saying, "I am offering a contrast to what we're seeing in Washington today. We've watched as one party has pushed through its agenda without compromising with the other party. We've watched gridlock and petty conflict dominate while the most important issues confronting the nation, like chronic high unemployment, go unaddressed. The bickering has to end. I will end it. I will reach across the aisle to solve America's problems."

You can read their complete opinions by logging on to our website. Just if to cnn.com/opinion. And then go to my FaceBook page. Tell me who you think has the most compelling vision for America's future. We want to hear from you. We're going read some of your responses. That is facebook.com/suzannemalveaux.

And Sandy did not just tear up the Jersey shore and flood Manhattan. The storm also is causing a gas shortage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It took us probably three hours to get into the city. There's no gas there. And just to say I think it's a shame what's happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a shame what's happening here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one was prepared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEAUX: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, he is trying to get more gas into his state as fast as possible because of the storm. It has shut down many gas stations in New York and New Jersey, leaving folks in line waiting for hours. But the governor says he is going to make it easier for fuel tankers to refill empty stations. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW CUOMO, GOVERNOR, NEW YORK: I have just signed an executive order that waives the state's requirements that fuel tankers register and pay a tax before unloading.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Susan Candiotti, she's joining us from Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.

Susan, just take us through what you have seen here. I understand you were talking about lines that have stretched for miles and one New York driver pulled out a gun when he can't get some gas?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean you hear of all kinds of things happening. But, yes, in fact that did happen in Queens, New York, last night when someone cut line, got in front of somebody. And when a customer called him on it, according to police, this guy pulled a gun out. They arrested him, of course. But, I mean, for the most part, yes, we see some dust-ups, some flare-ups here. People get mad because other people are cutting in line. But people overall are remarkably well behaved.

At this gas station, you've got two lines here. People who are in their cars waiting in a line that goes back at least a couple of miles. And then you have people who line up separately bringing gas cans. You can't bring the gas cans in your car and do both at one spot. You have to form two separate lines. And, again, they've been here for hours.

We've got a piece of tape here, Suzanne, I'd love to show you, of a man who got to the front of the line and then ran out of -- wait a minute. Oh, they're cheering people on here. So there is camaraderie here. So this tape, a guy gets to the front of the line, runs out of gas and, in fact, hey, what happened? Wait a second here. Why were people cheering you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I -- I went to get two more cans out of the car.

CANDIOTTI: All right. So, I mean, how many did you get altogether?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three and two little ones.

CANDIOTTI: Are people being nice here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, they're very nice. They only think one person should (INAUDIBLE). And I told them, (INAUDIBLE) this is my husband. That's all. CANDIOTTI: Why is the gas so important? Why do you need it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Generator.

CANDIOTTI: Still no power?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No power. And they say it's probably going to be the 9th of next week.

CANDIOTTI: That's a long time and it's cold.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. And I got the heat hooked up with the generator and everything, but, still, it's uncomfortable. I got wires all over the house.

CANDIOTTI: Good luck to you, sir. Thank you very much.

And over here you have people who are standing here waiting to fill up their gas cans too. A father and son.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CANDIOTTI: You've been here how many hours?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Almost three. Just about three hours. And we're almost next.

CANDIOTTI: I know it's hard for adults. How are you spending the time?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Facebook, games, stuff like that.

CANDIOTTI: What are you telling your friends on Facebook?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That I'm waiting here. I remembered to bring a coat this time, because that's happened a few times, standing outside in the cold.

CANDIOTTI: What is it like being -- did you have power at your house?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't have power. We're waiting for gas for our generator to keep heat and lights going in the house.

CANDIOTTI: All right. Very good. We wish you all the luck in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you so much.

CANDIOTTI: Thank you very much, indeed.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Susan. We're going to have to leave it there. The president is speaking in Springfield, Ohio. We want to just listen in.

OBAMA: Today, our businesses have created nearly 5.5 million new jobs. And this morning we learned that companies hired more workers in October than at any time in the last eight months.

The American auto industry is back on top. Home values, housing starts are on the rise. We're less dependent on foreign oil than any time in the last 20 years. Because of the service and sacrifice from our brave men and women in uniform, the war in Iraq is over, the war in Afghanistan is ending, al Qaeda has been decimated, Osama bin Laden is dead.

So we're on the move, Ohio. We've made real progress these past four years. But the reason all of you are here today, the reason I'm here today is because we know we've got more work to do. As long as there's a single American who wants a job but can't find one, our work is not done. As long as there are families working harder but falling behind, as long as there's a child anywhere in this country who is languishing in poverty, barred from opportunity, our fight goes on. We are not finished yet. We've got more work to do.

We're here because we understand this nation cannot succeed without a growing, thriving middle class. Without sturdy ladders for folks who are willing to work hard to get into the middle class. Our fight goes on because America has always done best when everybody is getting a fair shot and everybody is doing their fair share, and everybody plays by the same rules. That's what we believe. That's what you believe. That's why you elected me in 2008. And that's why I'm running for a second term as president of the United States.

CROWD: Four more years. Four more years. Four more years. Four more years. Four more years.

OBAMA: Now, in four days, Springfield, four days, just four, four days for four years. In four days you've got a choice to make. It's not just a choice between two parties or two candidates. It's a choice between two different visions for America. It's a choice between going back to the top-down policies that got us into this mess, or the middle-out, bottom-up strategies that have gotten us out of this mess that are going to keep us going.

You know, as Americans, we believe in free enterprise and we believe in the scribers and the dreamers and the risk takers who are the driving force behind our economy. That's how we create growth and prosperity. The greatest the world has ever known.

But we also believe that our economy does better, our businesses do better, our entrepreneurs do better when everybody's got a chance to succeed. When all our children are getting a decent education. When all our workers are learning new skills. When we support research and medical breakthroughs and new technologies. We believe America's stronger when everybody can count on affordable health insurance and Medicare and Social Security. When our kids are protected from toxic dumping and pollution. When our consumers aren't being taken advantage of by credit card companies or mortgage lenders. We believe in a democracy where everybody's voice is heard. Where you just can't buy an election. And we believe in politicians who understand that there are some things the American people can do better for themselves. For example, that politicians in Washington, mostly men, shouldn't be controlling health care choices that women can make perfectly well for themselves.

For eight years we had a president who shared these beliefs. A guy named Bill Clinton.

MALVEAUX: President Obama out of Springfield, Ohio, making a closing case, closing argument in the next four days before the election, trying to convince voters that he deserves a second term.

Just a reminder, our CNN reporters are across the country covering these battleground states. They are key. We're also teaming up with FaceBook to ask you, which candidate is making a better pitch for their vision for America. Check out the page to vote, facebook.com/suzannemalveaux. We're going to show you the results later this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: When we think about killer hurricanes, we think about Katrina, Audrey, now Sandy. There is the Long Island Express as well that hit in northeast back in 1938. It claimed hundreds and hundreds of lives. The death toll was so high because there was hardly any warning or preparation for that matter.

Well, in the wake of this week's superstorm, "Time" magazine is exploring ways to protect people and property from these monster hurricanes.

Bryan Walsh is the senior writer at "Times," and the offers these priorities. First, be able to actively predict the weather, strengthen the electrical grid, have a robust emergency response system, stop ignoring climate change, and build strong storm protection.

Bryan joins us live from New York.

Bryan, it's great to see you.

First of all, very compelling articles here. I want to start off by talking about the power grid. You've got millions of folks along the east coast still without power. Now they are freezing. We're going to talk about the real cold temperatures coming up over the weekend. How do we focus on the power system to make it more resilient, stronger?

BRYAN WALSH, SENIOR WRITER, TIME MAGAZINE: Well, one thing you can do is to look actually at burying power lines. 18 percent of distribution lines in the U.S. are actually underground. Of course, if they're above ground, then they're vulnerable to being knocked down by trees, which is what's happened in all kinds of storms, including a big one like Sandy. That's one option.

You can also look to go to smarter grid technology that will enable utilities to respond better. It's interesting to see that the Internet and Twitter handled this outage better than the power grid. You can imagine that if you can build one of that kind of the system, the Internet are self-healing systems, and apply that to a grid you have a situation where fewer people would lose power in a big disaster like this one.

MALVEAUX: That's interesting. It is expensive to put those wires in the ground because 18 percent of the water underground because it is so costly. Let's talk about the strong winds piling up of water that sometimes are feet above the normal high level.

WALSH: There was flooding over. Flooding that we've never seen before on this kind of scale. You can try to protect certain coastal cities. New York City, for instance, the sea wall, the sort that you see in cities, like Amsterdam or even London as well, as a way to protect vital infrastructure. The problem, of course, is that's extremely expensive. You are looking at billions of dollars. It won't protect everyone. You can't build a sea wall that will protect all 583 miles of coastline of New York City alone. Certainly, have you to think about that. And you have to think about, where do you put people and valuable property and infrastructure. Maybe move it so it's further away from the coast so it's not washed out the way it was in this storm.

MALVEAUX: An important point, Bryan. We think about Katrina and the Army Corps of Engineer buildings, and the floodgates and pumps and levees that tried to keep you safe from flooding. And you can't really keep everybody protected. I mean, it is estimated $10 million for New York. Tell us how you think FEMA is preparing this go-round here? People also talk about a very -- the importance of a very strong emergency response system.

WALSH: Well, that was clearly really needed in the case of Sandy because this storm was so huge. You had winds going 450 miles away from the center, so this storm essentially hit multiple states simultaneously. Tens of millions of people al affected at the same time. The problem with that is one state can't handle that by themselves. You need to get a strong federal response. So far, I think FEMA has done well. The real issue with that -- within the future, though -- this is not just a one-day, two-day, one-week response. FEMA will have to be on the job for a long time. The question is whether it has the resources and the ability necessary to make sure it's doing its job.

MALVEAUX: Bryan, if there's one take-away from this article, from this feature, what would it be? What's important to learn from this superstorm?

WALSH: I think we need to deal with climate change. That's incredibly important. It did play a role in this disaster. Certainly a major storm. You need to do that.

MALVEAUX: All right.

WALSH: Also how can we build a city that's more resilient so we don't have to worry about this in the future?

MALVEAUX: All right. Bryan Welsh, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

If you want to continue to watch CNN from your Smartphone or computer, log to CNN.com.TV.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Much of the focus has been on the White House but there is a big battle for control of the U.S. Senate. Right now, Democrats hold a working majority of 63 seats. They have 51, and the two Independents that caucus with them. Republicans hold 47 seats. So the balance of power could swing to the GOP if Republicans win some pretty close races.

Our CNN reporters across the country covering the battleground states. And Dana Bash is joining us from D.C.

Dana, this is about math and it's about turn-out. If you get those 51 seats you're in control. How is this all going to play out?

DANA BASH, SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is. It's all about math. Republicans need a net pick-up of four seats to get a 51 majority. That is a clear majority. They need three if Mitt Romney wins the presidency, and then his vice president, Paul Ryan, could provide a tie-breaking vote.

There's so much drama on how it's going to turn out because there are so many competitive races going into Election Day, more than a dozen. In fact, we can put up a map to show our viewers. There are so many races up for grabs. You can see them. It's very clear when you look at that map. Some are more competent tiff than others, but it's a pretty broad universe when you are looking at the question of tipping the balance of power in the Senate and Washington in general.

Some of these races I will tell you, though, both parties agree, maybe are less competitive. Republican sources say that they do see, at this point, losing Scott Brown's seat in Massachusetts and the open seat in Maine, which is currently held by Olympia Snow. She's retiring. Democrats think they're likely to lose member Nebraska's seat to a Republican there.

MALVEAUX: It seems that it was a given that Republicans could take the Senate especially since the Democrats have a 23-seat in this terrible economy honestly. Not so certain anymore.

BASH: No, it's not. Not even close. In fact, let's split up that first map by party so our viewers can see the Republican challenge in getting the majority in the Senate more clearly. First, the Democratic seats. You see them there in blue. There are about eight of them in play, and Republicans do lose that, then they're going to have to really run the board there almost with seven to get an outright 51 seat majority, which would be tough enough, but if you look at the next map, the Republican seats up for grabs on Tuesday, Republicans have a problem there because they're defending other GOP seats. There you see Nevada, Arizona, Indiana, and they're all pretty competitive.

Indiana in particular. You remember Richard Mourdock, the Republican candidate there who talked a couple of weeks ago about life being a gift as he discussed rape and abortion, which was a big problem for him. New polls today, Suzanne, have him down 11 points. So big picture, it is doable for Republicans, but far from easy.

And one interesting footnote. A top Republican source involved in strategy for the Republicans in the Senate told us today that he does not think Republicans can retake the majority unless Mitt Romney wins the White House at this point.

MALVEAUX: Wow. So much is unexpected. So many surprises along the way. It will be fascinating to see what happens in the balance of power.

Dana, thank you. Good to see you.

BASH: Thanks.

MALVEAUX: As mentioned, both Mitt Romney, President Obama laid out their visions for America exclusively on CNN.com.

Earlier we asked you, whose vision do you think is best? We'll hear some of your responses, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We asked to you read the opinion articles by President Obama and Mitt Romney exclusively on CNN.com. Tell us whose vision, do you think, has the best vision for America? You could post your response on my Facebook page.

Also, CNN now powering with Facebook to create this new app called "I'm Voting." First it asks you to commit to vote this election. We want you to vote. Second, it shows you how your friends, neighbors feel about a host of issues.

So which candidate has a more compelling vision? That is the question today. Here's how some of you responded.

Stephanie Gorick says, "Romney because Obama failed."

Tariz Williams wrote, "Without question, President Obama's vision for America is better for the nation and all the people in it."

The Manhattan streets became rivers this week. A hospital staff got every one of their patients to safety. They evacuated the hospital, including newborn babies. They were in the dark, no power, in the middle of the superstorm. You can see these pictures. They are amazing. The amazing nurses of NYU's Langone Medical Center, we're going talk with them, up next.

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MALVEAUX: Now Superstorm Sandy, recovery and cleanup. We have a live shot of New York, looking at east from Columbus Circle, from this height and daylight, the city looks normal, right? But since the storm, four days now, this is Manhattan when the sun goes down. It is dark. Electricity is out for much of the city. And it is going to be like this for at least another night. Con Edison says millions of people in Midtown and lower Manhattan should have power restored this weekend. Outside the city in much of New Jersey and Connecticut, lights could be off until late November.

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MALVEAUX: People in New York getting desperate now for drinking water, filling containers from fire hydrants. And then there is the gas problem. Filling stations there running out of it. People are waiting for hours in their cars and on foot. Some stations that still have gas and electricity to pump it, they're rationing whatever fuel they have left. Police now are posted to keep impatient customers from now jumping the line.

One New York hospital went into emergency overdrive Monday night when the storm suddenly shut of power, filled the elevators with water. They had 260 patients, including newborns. They had to get them out right away to safety.

Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, with this extraordinary story.

And I have to tell you, I mean, it just -- it warms your heart, when you think of what they did, especially for those little preemies, I mean, that is a tough, tough job.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I got the phone call in the middle of the night on Monday from a source at NYU and he said we're bringing out these little tiny babies, carrying them down nine flights of stairs and their respirators, the battery power is gone, so we have to manually pump air into these babies' lungs. So I said to him, I want to talk to the nurses who did this.

We're very fortunate that today we have four of these NICU nurses who were there. They really are heroes. They evacuated 20 babies in the dark with flashlights and glow sticks, basically.

And so I want to introduce you to the four nurses. We have Margot, Sandra, Claudia and Nicola.

Ladies, thank you so much for being with us.

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COHEN: I want to say thank you, really, from the entire nation. And personally, I have three children who were in the NICU, spent many, many weeks there, it is a frightening time. I can only imagine what it was like for the parents in this situation and what comfort you gave them. Margo, let's start with you.

There is what has now become iconic video of you cradling a baby, taking that baby out into the ambulance to bring them to safety. And so I wanted to ask you, would -- we see you there now. It looks like you're a mom, but you're not a mom, you're the nurse carrying the baby. We have seen this video. Margot, now you tell us what was going through your head as you were taking care of that baby.

MARGOT CONDON, R.N., LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER: Well, I was very focused on the job that I had to do, which was keeping the baby warm, making sure that the breathing tube stayed in good placement, making sure we were giving breaths, and just staying as calm as possible because babies are very sensitive to feelings of anxiety, so I just had to be calm and strong and nice and warm for the baby.

COHEN: How can you be calm in that situation, though? Everything is basically kind of gone wrong. You've lost power. It is cold. You got a flashlight. How did you stay calm?

CONDON: Well, I'm comfortable caring for critically ill babies so I use that knowledge and experience to push away the worries and the fears. And I just focused on what I knew I could do.

COHEN: You have sitting next to you Sandra.

Sandra, tell me about the night, in the stair well, only flashlights. We just saw some of the pictures. Tell me what that night was like Monday.

SANDRA KYONG, R.N., LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER: As crazy as the environment can be, I think that all of the nurses, the doctors, the firemen and policemen we kept our calm, tried to be as organized as possible in that chaos.

As far as the dark stair well, we had medical students, we had other personnel holding flashlights, guiding our way. And step by step, every team had their patient, and we did it in as safe as possible manner.

COHEN: Ladies, thanks so much. Thank you for coming in and telling us about this.

I understand you got a phone call from President Obama, thanking you as well. I can see why he called. You did incredible work on Monday night.

And, Suzanne, they mentioned the teams. There were about four people with each baby and everyone had a different job. One person was holding the lines, all the tubing that went to the baby.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

COHEN: One person holding the baby. There was a physician with every baby with every patient, really. MALVEAUX: We have seen, I think, some response from the parents. We saw some -- a gentleman who was just thanking them, just couldn't stop thanking them for the job that they had done.

COHEN: Because the parents sat there and watched as they organized this, as they prioritized who they were going to take. The whole scene unfolded in front of them. And, yes, they are incredibly grateful.

MALVEAUX: That is amazing.

Elizabeth, thank you. A beautiful story.

We'll have to get back to the ladies and talk to them more about how the whole evening unfolded, really heroes.

COHEN: They are. They are.

MALVEAUX: Thanks Elizabeth.

CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Don Lemon.

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