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Ike Targets Texas; University Haz-Mat; Joe Biden Revealed; Misery in Haiti; Suicide on the Rise

Aired September 10, 2008 - 12:01   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And hello again, everyone. You're informed with CNN.
I'm Tony Harris.

Developments keep coming into the CNN NEWSROOM on this Wednesday, September 10th. Here's what's on the rundown.

Hurricane Ike back over water and picking up speed this hour. Live to the extreme weather center for the latest track.

Four named storms in less than a month. They are really hurting in Haiti. I will talk live to the United Nations man on the ground in Port-au-Prince.

VP candidate Joe Biden opening up to CNN about dark days of tragedy in his life. A Special Investigations Unit report in the CNN NEWSROOM.

All right. Let us begin with Ike.

The storm stewing up and just off of Cuba's western tip today, looking to be a weekend troublemaker for Texas. Scenes from the Texas shore. Waves beginning to build on the central Texas coast. Homeowners scrambling to wrap up their homes in a bit of a protective blanket, and getting ready to move out.

Evacuations already ordered for a few communities in one particular county. Right now, Ike is creeping away from Cuba, slowed by days over land. Top winds are 90 miles an hour but are expected to surge in the coming days.

With more evacuations likely in the coming hours, crews in Houston are getting evaculanes ready to ferry people inland. Here's reporter Carolyn Campbell with our affiliate KHOU.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROLYN CAMPBELL, REPORTER, KHOU (voice-over): Cleaning the roadways is routine, but the routine becomes much more important when a hurricane threatens. After the massive backups during the Hurricane Rita evacuation, the state decided to add what are called evaculanes.

GERGORY RANFT, TXDOT: Which are basically shoulders most of the time. But when we do have to implement the evaculane, then we'll put traffic into that shoulder lane.

CAMPBELL: But shoulders tend to collect debris. So they have to be cleared.

RANFT: So that people don't end up having flat tires or run over objects that, you know, aren't good for their cars.

CAMPBELL: And unlike during Hurricane Gustav, when construction stuck evacuees from Louisiana on I-10, the state says getting out of harm's way will be smoother because any roadwork will be cancelled.

RANFT: This is our in-ground storage tank.

CAMPBELL: TXDOT says stockpiling fuel is another important preparation to keep traffic moving. Right now the state is filling up its fleet of courtesy trucks.

RANFT: And they'll give a gallon or so of gas to stranded vehicles or motorists that are out of gas so they can get down to the next pump (ph) station. They also have the capability of jumping batteries, fixing flats.

JOHN CURRY, COURTESY TRUCK DRIVER: We're going to run into a lot of situations -- injuries, people overheating.

CAMPBELL: John Curry is a courtesy truck driver who helped dozens of stranded motorists during Hurricane Rita.

CURRY: I think they learned their lesson. We're going to be a lot more prepared this time.

CAMPBELL: Although they don't know yet if Hurricane Ike will test their evacuation plans, they believe they'll score a whole lot better than they did during Hurricane Rita.

Carolyn Campbell, 11 News.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: We want to get you the latest information on a story that we brought to you as breaking news last hour, the evacuation of at least one building on the campus of Gallaudet University.

Our Kelli Arena is following that story for us.

And Kelli, maybe you can sort through all of this for us. What's the latest?

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Tony, this is very much a very fluid situation. Law enforcement officials tell CNN that they found six canisters that they say were filled with what they're calling suspicious chemicals in an empty dorm room over at Gallaudet University, which is a school for the deaf right here in Washington, D.C.

Now, officials say that they're not sure what they're dealing with at this time. The FBI, D.C. fire officials, D.C. explosives teams are all on the site. School officials say that the building has been evacuated. One report that I got from an agent on the field says -- in the field, says that one of the canisters was labeled potassium chromate, Tony. And I looked that up for you. Basically, it says, if this is inhaled, it could be irritating to, you know, nasal passages, inflammation. It could cause vomiting and so on if it's actually ingested.

But I've got to tell you, it's not the only thing going on here. At the other end of town, at a metro station, over at Judicial Square, we have a station manager who says that a person handed her an envelope, and she's now saying that she's experiencing strange symptoms.

You know, Tony, we get a lot of these so-called white powder incidents here in Washington.

HARRIS: Yes.

ARENA: You know, people see things that they think are suspicious and they start feeling things. Many times, unfortunately, it's their imagination getting the best of them.

HARRIS: Right.

ARENA: Actually, fortunately for them, but unfortunately for law enforcement, because they do have to deploy resources. Both the FBI and D.C. fire officials are on site investigating that as well.

You know, Tony, this has been, so far, a very busy week for law enforcement.

HARRIS: Does that make a bit of sense? Yes.

ARENA: You know, surprise. It's the anniversary of September 11th. So people do get especially squirrelly around that anniversary.

HARRIS: And we've all been reminded just to be vigilant. That is, you know, of all the things we've heard in the aftermath of 9/11...

ARENA: That's right.

HARRIS: ... the one thing that absolutely sticks with everyone is to be vigilant and aware of your surroundings. Correct?

HARRIS: Exactly. And law enforcement always says, better you call and it turns out to be nothing, than you don't report it thinking, oh, I must be crazy. So...

HARRIS: Yes. All right. Well, Kelli, if you get anything else...

ARENA: I'm sure there will be, Tony. Don't say that because that's a lot today.

HARRIS: OK, Kelli. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Let's say in Washington, D.C. Strong testimony on Capitol Hill about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Michael Mullen speaking before the House Armed Services Committee. Gates says the conflict in Iraq entered the end game, but he emphasized decisions in the months ahead will be critical to stability in the years to come. Meanwhile, Mullen had serious warnings about the situation on the Afghan warfront.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. MICHAEL MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: I'm not convinced we're winning yet in Afghanistan. I am convinced we can. It is my professional opinion that no amount of troops in no amount of time can ever achieve all the objectives we seek in Afghanistan. And, frankly, we're running out of time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: President Bush is also focusing on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is meeting with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani again today. The two leaders sat down to talk less than three months ago. Talabani returning to the White House this afternoon. The talks come a day, as you know, after President Bush announced 8,000 American troops will leave Iraq in the next five months.

Just want to show this to you. The latest polls show the presidential race, well, can't get much tighter.

Look at this. In the CNN Poll of Polls consisting of seven surveys, John McCain leads Barack Obama 47 percent to 46 percent.

Again, stay with CNN for the latest numbers on this neck-and-neck race, in the final days now. We will have new poll results today at 4:00 Eastern.

Our CNN Special Investigations Unit has been talking, and in depth, a really close look at the vice presidential candidates. It's part of a documentary series coming up this weekend.

Our correspondent Abbie Boudreau sat down with Senator Joe Biden, and she is here to tell us what she learned.

And he is, generally speaking, pretty open and forthcoming in these settings, isn't he?

ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. We talked to him yesterday and we have been getting so much new information from him, seeing a side of him we haven't really -- seeing a side of him we haven't really seen too much.

HARRIS: OK.

BODREAU: It was a tragedy that nearly ended his political career before it really had begun. The 1972 car accident in which Senator Biden's first wife Nelia and young daughter Naomi were killed. It was so devastating that he thought about giving up the Senate seat he had just won. Now, I asked him to read a passage from his book "Promises to Keep" in which he writes about what his current wife Jill means to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I asked her once not long before our wedding how she could marry me knowing how much -- knowing how much I adored Nelia, and she didn't hesitate. She said, and quote, "That's the reason I can marry you," she told me. "Anybody that can love that deeply once can do it again."

That's when I realized exactly what Jill's love had done for me. It had given me permission to be me again.

God, I'm sorry. But she did. I mean, she restored my life. I know that sounds corny, but she really did. I mean, she gave me permission to -- that one statement sort of gave me permission to -- anyway -- it's accurate.

BOUDREAU: She brought you back.

BIDEN: She did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: You know, we're always on guard here. And maybe that's just sort of the cynic in us, those of us who do this kind of work. We're always wondering about genuine moments, authentic moments. And it's important to note here, that's not something that he offered up. You actually teed this up, and that's the reaction that you got from him.

BOUDREAU: Absolutely.

HARRIS: OK.

BOUDREAU: I mean, he had written a book.

HARRIS: Yes.

BOUDREAU: I'm doing this report, we have a documentary coming up. And so we're working on this report.

So I read the book. And there was this one part -- there were several parts that actually stood out to me as being very emotional. He has a lot of ups and downs in his life, and we're excited to really tell you more about his life through our documentary that will air on Saturday and Sunday. But it was that one part.

HARRIS: Yes.

BOUDREAU: There was this one part that I thought, well -- I thought maybe I'll read this to him and get his reaction. Instead...

HARRIS: Better to have him -- yes.

BOUDREAU: Better to have him read it himself. HARRIS: Sure.

BOUDREAU: We certainly were not expecting him to be so emotional about that, but it did feel like a very raw, genuine moment.

HARRIS: OK. And that's what we're always concerned about. And that sound and felt like a really genuine moment.

Abbie, great to see you. Can't wait for the special this weekend.

BOUDREAU: OK. Thank you.

HARRIS: Thanks.

You know, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was a mystery to much of the country less than two weeks ago. She's been in the spotlight ever since. But some of what you think you know about Palin may not be true.

CNN's Joe Johns separates rumor from reality.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Straight from the Internet, which brought you the relentless rumor, completely false, that Barack Obama is a Muslim, now it's Sarah Palin who's getting misrepresented with bogus quotes and facts.

Here's one quote attributed to Palin that we found posted by readers in the comments sections of at least three mainstream political news Web sites.

"God made dinosaurs 4,000 years ago as ultimately flawed creatures, lizards of Satan, really. So when they died and became petroleum products, we, made in his perfect image, could use them in our pickup trucks."

Lizards of Satan? It's a pure fabrication. Palin never said it. It was totally made up by a guy named Bob who put it on his blog as a joke. How do we know that?

BOB SALISBURY, OLYMPIA WASHINGTON BLOGGER: My name is Bob Salisbury, and I'm a blogger.

JOHNS: We talked to Bob via the Internet and he admits it.

SALISBURY: I did, I made all of them up one morning, wrote it in about 10, 15 minutes, just threw it up there and figured my usual 20 or so regular readers would see it. I had no idea what was going to happen.

JOHNS: But there's plenty more where that came from circulating on the Internet. One of the first false rumors out about Palin was that she cut Alaska's funding for special needs education by more than 60 percent. The truth is exactly the opposite, says Viveca Novak of factcheck.org. VIVECA NOVAK, FACTCHECK.ORG: She's actually tripled funding for special needs children. It has gone from $24,000 per student approximately, which would be this year's amount, in three years it's going to increase to $74,000 per student, which is nearly tripling.

JOHNS: And then there's the rumor that as mayor of little Wasilla, Alaska, Palin demanded that certain books be banned from the library; didn't happen. The truth is that she did ask some questions about banning books, even informed the librarian she's being fired, but later relented under pressure.

But for the record, no books were banned. So what was she up to?

NOVAK: You could draw an inference, many people have drawn an inference; all we know is that we have no evidence one way or the other.

JOHNS: And then there's an Internet claim that Palin pushed for teaching Creationism in Alaska schools, also not true. Palin said students should debate both sides, but she did not make teaching Creationism part of the official curriculum.

So if you're seeing a trend here in the kinds of Internet rumors, it sort of looks like they're trying to portray her as a little extreme which made us ask our polling expert whether this kind of thing helps or hurts the candidate.

KEATING HOLLAND, CNN POLLSTER: The people that are most susceptible to that message are Democrats and Liberals who already have a bad impression of her simply because she's on the Republican ticket.

JOHNS: Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And you can see more on both VP candidates in the Special Investigations Unit report. Tune in to "Revealed" this Saturday and Sunday night what Sarah Palin at 9:00 Eastern and Joe Biden at 10:00.

And lipstick on a pig. Have you been following this back and forth? How did that become the big political story of the last 24, 36 hours? Well, candidates are talking about it again.

And what can you do to help the people of Haiti recover from the devastation of Hurricane Ike?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: New, stunning figures, really, for the nation's budget deficit. It is up about $250 billion from last year. What does this say about the massive and mounting national debt?

All right. Let's bring in Josh Levs. He's joining us now with another one of his "Reality Checks."

What do you have, Josh? JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, you've seen these numbers, right?

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

LEVS: I mean, they're astounding.

HARRIS: And a lot of folks at CNN.com has been checking in to get the latest on this as well.

LEVS: Yes, this was one of our top business stories yesterday.

HARRIS: Yes.

LEVS: And CNNMoney was leading the way throughout the day, lots of clicks.

And look at this. I mean, let's close in on it. We have a camera here that's going to show you.

Uncle Sam, $407 billion in the hole. Here's what that's all about.

In the latest budget, it jumped, a yearly deficit in one year, it jumped by about $246 billion. So obviously, it changed a few times.

Now, this is where the government tracks the debt each day, the national debt. You can see it on this Web site. And it's over here -- $9.6 trillion.

HARRIS: Whoa.

LEVS: It jumped $9.6 trillion. And just so people understand, the debt held by the public is just -- it's like $5.5 trillion. And this amount is other government. And that $9.6 trillion, but it gets even worse, Tony, because the Government Accountability Office estimates that the real, in a sense, unfunded -- the real debt in the end is at $53 trillion, when you include the amount of money the government is going to owe through Social Security and Medicare, $53 trillion. And it just keeps growing.

So every time we see news about a budget deficit, it goes right into that. And that's what we always have to keep in mind, it keeps expanding the overall debt.

HARRIS: Yes. Well, I'm trying to figure out here, with all of this mountain of debt, what impact would Barack Obama and John McCain's tax plans have on the debt?

LEVS: Well, do you remember I was talking to you earlier this week about tax plans?

HARRIS: Yes. Sure. Yes.

LEVS: There's this place called the Tax Policy Center that crunched all the numbers. We have a graphic for you. Let's go to that graphic, because this summarizes what the Tax Policy Center says both Barack Obama and John McCain would actually do. They say that their tax plans would still increase the national debt. Look at that.

Obama's plan, they say, would boost the debt by $3.5 trillion by 2018. McCain's plan would boost it by $5 trillion by 2018. Still huge.

I will tell you as we look at this that both candidates disagree with this, say they're going to take other steps to cut spending. But the place that has crunched all these figures says otherwise. And these guys sometimes source the Tax Policy Center when they like what the Tax Policy Center is saying.

So, right now, this is the most trustworthy thing we have, that according to both, the studies of both of their plans, we would still see overall, Tony, this national debt increase by trillions of dollars either way. That's what we're hearing. It's incredible.

HARRIS: Boy, oh, boy.

OK. Josh, as always -- and you're back a little bit later.

LEVS: Yes.

HARRIS: And we talk about this whole pig flap lipstick stuff. We're going to take that apart.

LEVS: OK. Yes. Let's do that, actually.

You know what? Now that you said that, that's what we're going to do. We're going to talk about that.

HARRIS: Want to do that?

LEVS: We've got to talk about that.

HARRIS: All right. Let's do that. All right, Josh.

LEVS: Yes, it's a real issue. There you go. That's good. Let's do that.

HARRIS: Real issues. OK.

Just want to give you a quick update on the story that we've been reporting, oh, for the last 45 minutes or so. And Kelli Arena was just up moments ago on the Gallaudet situation.

We were reporting that at least one building on campus had been evacuated, and in one room there may have been as many as five, maybe six, canisters that were under investigation right now. We've just received word that the incident has been cleared up. Some good news to report to you here, that the incident has been cleared up.

And there was another situation that Kelli was talking about involving the transit system there in Washington, D.C. That incident as well has been cleared up. So at least at this moment -- and Kelli mentioned this is going to be a busy week of incidents, episodes leading up to the 9/11 anniversary tomorrow -- but at least in these two instances, at Gallaudet and at one of the transportation sites there in Washington, D.C., both of those incidents have been cleared up.

Still to come, oil is up, oil is down. With gas prices not far behind, can the government do anything to control it? Should it?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So we all know that oil prices have been swinging wildly this year, but we don't really know why. We think we know, but we're not really sure. Well, a new report blames speculators and says more regulation could be a real energy fix.

CNN's Poppy Harlow is at CNN.com right now with the latest from New York.

Good to see you, Poppy.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hi there, Tony.

You know, you and I have talked about this a lot.

HARRIS: Oh yes.

HARLOW: A lot about speculation. We know it goes on, but the first thing that you need to know, there are two types of people who invest in commodities like oil, right? First, there's businesses like airlines that need to buy oil now and in the future, and therefore they need to hedge their bets. The commodity market was really created for investors like this.

The second type of person includes pension funds, traders. They hope to make money on these commodities, but they don't want or need the oil.

A new report being touted by Senate Democrats says the second type of investor has taken over, saying, "When speculators become the dominant forces, prices become un-tethered from supply and demand. The result has been a titanic wave of speculative money that has flowed into the commodities futures markets and driven up prices dramatically."

Well, we saw oil above $147 in July, so maybe that is the case. Many, though, say supply and demand has been what's driving prices higher. Others say it's movement in the value of the U.S. dollar. But this report really refutes both of those.

It points to the amount of cash that has flowed into indices that track commodities. Check out these staggering numbers.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

HARLOW: 2003, $13 billion in these indices. By July of this year, more than $300 billion, Tony. And during that time prices have climbed 200 percent.

Pretty amazing, huh?

HARRIS: Yes. And we're talking about pension funds and, you know, all kinds of instruments being used to funnel money into -- here's the thing. We've been talking about this, you're right, for months and months now. The numbers are really dramatic.

So what is the solution here, Poppy?

HARLOW: Well, you know what? It's anyone's guess. But this report says it is more regulation, the government stepping in to chase out speculative investors. Senate Democrats, they're likely to propose to use just that.

Now, we spoke to a NYMEX trader today that trades on that commodities exchange, and he says we may need some more regulation. But he pointed out something interesting: He said, oil has been falling lately. We've seen the dollar strengthening. He worries that more regulation won't really stop speculators, it will just force them to take their business overseas to over commodities markets. That will mean more job losses in this country, which we certainly don't need.

Now keep in mind, tomorrow we have another report coming out from an agency that regulates commodity trading. That's called the CFTC. That will give us some more insight into all of this.

Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Appreciate it. Thank you, Poppy.

HARLOW: You're welcome.

HARRIS: Let's get back to Hurricane Ike now. It is ripping lives apart. I will speak to one of those people trying to put the pieces together again.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Just past the half hour. Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM.

Hurricane Ike, gaining power in the Gulf today and eying Texas. Top winds right now at 90 mile as hour. Texas communities are moving the elderly and others with special medical needs inland today. Several coastal towns already under mandatory evacuation. In Houston emergency crew are cleaning up, gearing up evaculanes. Now those lanes are actually the shoulders of major freeways. They're used for traffic during hurricane evacuations.

Heartbreaking scenes from Haiti. The poor nation battered by four tropical systems in less than a month. The storms are gone, but the misery remains. Hardest hit, Gonaives, a city of 300,000. Our Karl Penhaul is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Amid Haiti's flood waters, the fear of dying is giving way to the frustration of just how to go on living. Most Haitians are so poor, they had almost nothing to begin with. Now they're clinging to the few jewels (ph) they have left. These girls to their father. These boys to their drinking water. And this woman to the donkey.

"Can you see the misery we're in? I have to wade through all that water with my baby. Can you foreigners please do something for us," she asks.

Wherever you look right now in Gonaives, whether it's here on the outskirts or whether it's in the city center, you just see is procession of bedraggled people. They're just walking through the flood water still, carrying whatever they have left on their heads.

Dry mud forms a tiny island on Christof (ph) Street. Joslene Agostine (ph), who works as a house maid even though she's just seven, doesn't seem to care how futile it is cleaning up with filthy flood water.

"There were many people running from the rain, as well as pigs and cows. When I saw all those people and the water, I thought I was going to die," she says.

One of her neighbors just sits, shrouded from the sun, and blankly stares.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: The White House, just last hour, pledging $10 million in aid to Haiti. Joel Boutroue is the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Haiti. He is on the line with us from Port-au-Prince.

And, Joel, if you would, we've got the pictures. We've just shown some to the viewers. We're going to show some more. If you would, please describe what you're seeing in Haiti. Provide the narrative to our pictures.

JOEL BOUTROUE, U.N. HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR HAITI: Well, I think the picture -- where this (ph) (INAUDIBLE), we're are in a race against time. What we need to do is, of course, increase our capacity on the ground to reach as many people as we can, that we can give them food, water, mattresses, blankets and things like that.

HARRIS: Joel, how do we do that? Let me just interrupt, because we don't have much time. How do we do that? All right. We've got $10 million in aid from the United States that was pledged this morning. What more can we do to improve our ability to get the aid there quickly?

BOUTROUE: Well, we need for it, good weather conditions, that's one. We need to increase our airlift capacity, and that's what we are doing as well. And we need to prioritize (ph) with the government the areas to be assisted in the next few days. And we're doing that now as we speak with the government as well. And we need, of course, more cash.

HARRIS: And more cash. OK.

Talk about the people there. We've talked about a number of deaths on the island itself. Can you give us any updated number on the sick and potentially of those in worse conditions?

BOUTROUE: Well, those in worse condition are those that are (INAUDIBLE) in the shelters, in community (ph) shelters. We have all over -- close to 90,000 people -- sorry, close -- over 100,000 people in shelters that need assistance right away, because they depend entirely on the outside world. That's those who are most in need for the moment. Plus we need to reach those communities that have been cut off from the rest of the world in things (ph) like Hurricane Gustav. We have had no access to good water or food now for over a week. And that's our priority, as well, as we speak. Together we're putting our capacity (ph) in Gonaives.

HARRIS: And, Joel, appreciate it. Let's see if we can get some help going your way.

Joel Boutroue is the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Haiti.

If you would like to get involved in relief efforts for those already affected by Hurricane Ike in Cuba, Haiti, the Turks and Caicos and elsewhere, just visit cnn.com's Impact Your World page. There you will find links to groups providing food and shelter to people in need. Desperate need. That's cnn.com/impact.

Another very serious topic for you in the NEWSROOM. Teen suicide on the rise. A young woman shares her story. You won't forget it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: We want to take a moment here to talk about what many are calling an emerging public health crisis. Millions of Americans have felt so low, so depressed, they attempted to take their own life. Today is World Suicide Prevention Day and a new study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" shows it is getting worse, especially among teens. After falling steadily for a decade, the rate of teen suicide in the United States jumped 18 percent from 2003 to 2004. After that spike, they expected numbers to drop drastically the following year. But they didn't. And in a survey of 26,000 college kids across America, more than half reported having at least one episode of suicidal thoughts and 15 percent seriously considered it. The big question is why. Joining me now, a woman who knows very personally the answer to that question, Bella Aminov.

Bella, good to see you. Thanks for your time.

BELLA AMINOV, ATTEMPTED SUICIDE: Good to see you too. Thank you for having me.

HARRIS: You attempted suicide in your teens.

AMINOV: I did.

HARRIS: Not once, not twice, but three different times. AMINOV: Yes, that's correct.

HARRIS: All right. You know all of the statistics. Bring it home for us. Tell us why you attempted suicide on three different occasions?

AMINOV: On three different occasions. I felt really, really alone as a kid. I felt a very big sense of hopelessness, worthlessness. I didn't get support at home. Peer pressure.

HARRIS: Why hopelessness?

AMINOV: Why hopelessness?

HARRIS: Why? Why hopelessness?

AMINOV: Because I wasn't like everyone else. And . . .

HARRIS: What does that mean?

AMINOV: Well, there's so much pressure when you're younger to be like everyone else and to be a certain size and to act a certain way.

HARRIS: Not everyone who feels peer pressure responds to it in the way, even though the numbers are the numbers, not everyone who feels peer pressure responds the way you did. I really want to drill down because I think yours is a tale that can help others. Why you?

AMINOV: Well, a lot of abuse when I was younger, when I was a kid. And actually a really close friend of mine committed suicide when I was only 15.

HARRIS: Did you report the abuse?

AMINOV: Yes, when I went to Kids Peace (ph) I did report the abuse.

HARRIS: Was it responded to? Was the complaint responded to in an effective way, in your mind?

AMINOV: Yes, for the most part it was. And everything was dealt to the way it should have been. And it hurt me a lot and it made me feel very alone. And I didn't get the support I needed from my family.

HARRIS: What would have been better from your parents? This is kind of a teaching moment here. From your story, what would have been more helpful from your parents in terms of response?

AMINOV: Understanding and loving, compassion. Empathy is a very big emotion that a lot of teens don't feel at home, I feel. And compassion is very big. Just knowing that somebody else loves you and wants to help you and wants to be able to reach out to you and tell you that it's OK and they'll help you through it. And that's something I didn't get as a kid.

HARRIS: Hey, Bella, you're a motivational speaker. What's your message to teens? AMINOV: My message is that you can do it. That everybody contains so much potential and just the fact that you're alive today proves that you have that potential to succeed and to do so much. And life is about finding -- is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself and about being different. Being different is OK.

HARRIS: OK. So you're a psychology student and Queens College in New York.

AMINOV: I am.

HARRIS: What have you learned? There's a bit of irony there. What have you learned about your own behavior from your studies?

AMINOV: That given the circumstances I was given as a kid, my emotions and everything was very normal, actually. And, I mean, suicide isn't normal. It's like wanting to attempt it is not normal. But I learned a lot about why I was the way I was. And now I want to help out and reach out to those that are like me when I was younger or even worse. There are tons of kids in a worse cast situation that . . .

HARRIS: I think you're right about that. I think you're right.

AMINOV: Yes, definitely.

HARRIS: You're 21 now and finally are you OK?

AMINOV: For once I can say I am OK. And I'm on my way to be better.

HARRIS: Bella, that's great. Thanks for your time.

AMINOV: Thank you.

HARRIS: Thanks for the story. We appreciate it.

AMINOV: No problem.

HARRIS: Just so you know, the government has a number you can call if you're feeling suicidal. It's called the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Here's the number. It's 1-800-273-TALK. By the way, it's folks who run the hot line reported last month that they've received more than 47,000 calls for that month alone. A number that increased every year since its launch. Wow.

It is just 55 days now until the election. Stay with CNN for complete coverage of what the candidates are saying.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So, is the presidential race turning into a cosmetic campaign. The candidates trading barbs over comments about lipstick. The flap started with a remark by Barack Obama yesterday criticizing John McCain's campaign's pledge to change Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You can put lipstick on a pig -- it's still a pig. You were wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change, it's still going to stink. After eight years, we've had enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: So the McCain campaign said the lipstick remark was an offensive reference back to Sarah Palin's acceptance speech. Obama's camp pointed out that McCain once used the same term to describe Hillary Clinton's health care plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In 1993, we rejected the then Clinton universal health care proposal. It was rejected by the American people. I don't like to use this term, but the latest proposal I see is putting lipstick on a pig.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, at a campaign stop in Norfolk, Virginia, just a short time ago, Obama addressed the controversy again and tried to put an end to it. He said it is time to focus on the real issues instead of creating phony ones. Here's Barack Obama in his own words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Before we begin today, I want to say a few words about the latest made-up controversy by the John McCain campaign.

Now, what their campaign has done this morning is the same game that has made people sick and tired of politics in this country. They seize on an innocent remark, try to take it out of context, throw up an outrageous ad, because they know that it's catnip for the news media. Some of you may have -- I'm assume you guys heard this watching the news, right?

I'm talking about John McCain's economic policies. I say this is more of the same. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. And suddenly they say, oh, you must be talking about the governor of Alaska. See it would be funny -- it would be funny, except, of course, the news media all decided that that was the lead story yesterday. They'd much rather have the story -- this is the McCain campaign, would much rather have the story about phony and foolish diversion than about the future.

This happens every election cycle. Every four years, this is what we do. We've got an energy crisis. We have education that -- we have an education system that is not working for too many of our children and making us less competitive. We have an economy that is creating a hardship for families all across America. We've got two wars going on, veterans coming home not being cared for, and this is what they want to talk about. This is what they want to spend two out of the last 55 days talking about. You know who ends up losing at the end of the day? It's not the Democratic candidates. It's not the Republican candidates. It's you. The American people. Because then we go another year or another four years or another eight years without addressing the issues that matter to you.

Enough. I don't care what they say about me, but I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and Swift Boat politics. Enough is enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, John McCain touting his plans for the future of the country at a campaign stop in Fairfax, Virginia. He talked security, energy and the economy. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCAIN: These are tough times. You're worried about keeping your job or finding a new one. You're struggling to put food on the table. To stay in your home. This week we're looking at a costly government-led restructuring of our home loan agencies and we need to keep people in their homes, but we can't allow this to turn into a bailout of Wall Street speculators and irresponsible executives. The CEOs that led us into this mess are walking away with over $20 million and we're not going to let that happen. As president, I will not let that happen. They deserve nothing. They should be paying it back.

All you've ever asked of government is for it to stand on your side and not in your way. And that's just what I intend to do stand on your side and fight for your future. We must reform the way the government does business, whether it be the air traffic control system.

How many of you are tired of standing and waiting in an airport for six or seven hours? We've got to fix it.

How many of you are tired of the fact that government cannot respond to the disasters in a way that it should? How many of you are tired of the same old business, the same old, old boy cronyism that exists in Washington, D.C.? You're sick of it. I'm sick of it. We'll bring about change.

Senator Obama has never taken on his party on a single issue. We've taken on the old bulls. She ran against an incumbent Republican governor and, by the way, beat him like a drum. But the point is, we'll take them on. We'll take them on.

And our obligation to you, of course, is to keep our nation safe. We have new and strong challenges to our nation's security.

Recently the Russians committed aggression in a little country called Georgia. That was part of their attempt to resemble the Russian empire and also to control the energy supplies to Europe and the world. This governor negotiated a $40 billion natural gas pipeline that will bring clean energy to the lower 48, which will help alleviate America's energy requirements. I'm proud of that job and that's the kind of work we can continue to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And there you have it, the candidates on the trail in their own words.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, the CNN NEWSROOM continues right -- why am I so far away from you?

We get these production things and we want monitors . . .

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Come a little closer.

HARRIS: Can I come a little closer?

PHILLIPS: Come a little closer. Don't be afraid.

HARRIS: Hey, lady. Here she is, our -- be very afraid. Without action, there she is, Kyra Phillips.