Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Child Pornography, Abuse Allegations Involving Controversial Evangelical Church; Examining Obama's, McCain's Claims

Aired September 20, 2008 - 22:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And we begin this hour with breaking news and disturbing allegations of child pornography and potential child abuse involving a controversial Christian Evangelical church. We want to give you now some file footage of Tony Alamo. He is an evangelist. At this hour, state and federal investigators are combing his church compound and neighboring homes for evidence and they're also interviewing children.
All of this is taking place just outside of Texarkana, Arkansas, at the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries. Tony Alamo himself has not been charged. He is in California while his compound is being raided, but he is denying all of these allegations tonight. Pastor Tony Alamo is on the line, and he joins us right now.

Sir, I take it you are in California, not in Texarkana?

VOICE OF TONY ALAMO, TONY ALAMO CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES: That's right.

LEMON: OK, what do you make of these allegations? We're hearing allegations of child pornography coming from your ministries and that federal investigators have been raiding this place all day.

ALAMO: It is crazy as the allegations against Jesus. I'm 74 years old. I've never been into pornography, never will be, and it's just another one of the false charges they've hurled, hundreds of false charges against me that said I had a tunnel and that I was holding slaves down there, and that we had guns, and we've never had guns before. It just goes on and on, the things that they've said about me. The -- what the government is trying to do is tarnish every real church, real Christians, Born Again Christian churches.

LEMON: OK. Well, I have to ask you this. I mean, when there are -- you don't get federal investigators and dozens of them speaking to children and raiding places without some sort of evidence that they believe is there. So why would they just make up these allegations against you, Mr. Alamo?

ALAMO: Why did they make up allegations against Jesus and nailed him to the cross? They will not find any pornography there. There is none. There never was any. And there's the child abuse or child pornography or anything like that. They are barking up the wrong tree, this time.

LEMON: OK. Let me ask you, do you have been in trouble before. We are looking at video now of you in handcuffs. You have been a controversial figure with this church in California and also in Arkansas.

ALAMO: Yes.

LEMON: When people look at this, they're going to say, this person has been in trouble before, but you yourself have not been charged in any of this now.

ALAMO: Right. But what they did is they railroaded me on that one charge, IRS. They've charged me with 100 different things, including trying to kidnap a federal judge, Morris Arnold, and I won that case. The whole jury knew I was not guilty. But they let a lot of people out of prison to testify falsely against me so that they could railroad me into prison on the IRS charge. And I just figured, well, you know, the Lord said these things would happen to us, and they are. They've been going on ever since I've been born again of the spirit 44 years ago.

LEMON: OK. I got to ask you, Mr. Alamo, have you spoken to investigators at all?

ALAMO: No. I've talked to people. They didn't even ask to talk to me.

LEMON: You have not been interviewed by investigators?

ALAMO: No. They've been interviewing a lot of the little girls over there and their mothers and everything, and they're coming up with nothing -- N-O-T-H-I-N-G. And they never will come up with anything.

LEMON: Tony Alamo. We appreciate you joining us tonight here on CNN. We know that you're in California and not in Arkansas as this raid is taking place on your compound. Thank you very much, sir.

We want to go now to Lynn Larowe. She is following the story. She's a reporter for the "Texarkana Gazette."

Lynn, how did these allegations come about?

LYNN LAROWE, "TEXARKANA GAZETTE": Well, basically, we received some information -- ourselves and several other news agencies received some information yesterday that this might be happening. There have been allegations going on for years that children are being mistreated there. Allegations of physical abuse and of sexual abuse. Allegations that Mr. Alamo has married children as young as the age of 12, maybe even younger, and that some of his followers have as well.

The search that was conducted today or that was still ongoing was a simultaneous federal and state effort. There were members of the Arkansas State Police there, the FBI, the U.S. Attorneys office is involved, as is the Arkansas Department of Human Services.

LEMON: Has anyone come forward -- any children, any family, anyone come forward to your knowledge claiming these allegations? Have you personally spoken to someone claiming these allegations?

LAROWE: I have not personally spoken to them, but we have received numerous e-mails from people over the years here at the newspaper, and it doesn't take very much to find things, certainly on the Internet and what not. And obviously for the state police, the FBI and DHF to be involved in an investigation on this scale, which they say they've been conducting for at least two years. There's got to be something to it.

LEMON: Give us an idea real quickly for people who may not be familiar with Tony Alamo. He is popular in Arkansas and the Texarkana, Texas, Louisiana area. And, also, got his start in California. He is a very big deal there. Has hundreds of followers, if not thousands.

LAROWE: Well, true. It's not very rare to come out of any baseball game or whatever and find Alamo literature on your car. Now, as to his popularity, there are quite a few people around here with whom he isn't so popular. You know, the people who live on his compound and the people who attend his church, he is, but around here he is an extremely controversial figure.

LEMON: All right, Lynn Larowe from the "Texarkana Gazette," thank you very much. We continue to follow this breaking news story throughout the hour here on CNN tonight. You heard from the man at the center of this accusation, and also a reporter who has been following this very closely. We will update you throughout the evening with any new developments.

We want to turn now to issue number one, and that is the economy. Money, can you spare $700 billion tax dollars? That's how much Wall Street needs, and they need it right now. And right now, poring over the plan, Congress is, and they're expected to hammer out the details starting next week.

The plan would authorize the Treasury Department to use your money to buy up bad debts, specifically mortgages that went sour. It is expected that Wall Street will unload these debts for pennies on the dollar. The Treasury would then resell them later when the housing market recovers. Hopefully they will do that at a profit.

Wall Street's downward spiral was so big and so fast, the White House was literally caught off guard. President Bush says he soon realized doing nothing was not an option.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My first instinct was to let the market work until I realized upon being briefed by the experts of how significant this problem became. And so I decided to act and act boldly. It turns out that there's a lot of interlinks throughout the financial system. The system had grown to a point where a lot of people were dependent upon each other. And that the collapse of one part of the system wouldn't just affect a part of the financial markets, it would affect the average citizen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, the massive size of the bailout is matched only by the lightning speed by which it will be approved. The head spins. Lawmakers note there is no time to waist. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell had this to say. He said this proposal is and should be kept simple and clear. We must closely scrutinize the proposal to make sure it works and we must do so quickly. Simply put, now is not the time for partisan plans or pet projects. Democrats are quick to weigh in as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D) NEW YORK: The consequences are very, very dire. If we can't unfreeze the credit markets, something that hasn't happened in 100 years, this economy will head south and we could even risk a depression. So it is very serious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, the economy and the next president in six weeks, voters decide whether John McCain or Barack Obama gets to tackle the financial crisis. What are their plans and how do they differ? Our "Truth Squad" checks the facts for you.

Also, we're continuing to chase a story developing at this hour out of Arkansas, the FBI raiding the compound of a prominent evangelical pastor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We are following breaking news tonight out of Texarkana, Arkansas. A child pornography and child abuse allegation at a ministry there involving Tony Alamo, which he is an Evangelical minister. We spoke to him just moments ago by telephone. He is denying all allegations in this. He is not been charge. Meantime, investigators have been raiding his property and homes in the neighborhood around that compound. We'll continue to follow this developing story throughout the evening here on CNN.

Meantime, we want to get back to the economy. Of course, it is issue number one to us. And unless you have a very strong stomach, you might not want to look at your 401(k) statement.

Joe Light is with "Money" magazine, and he joins us with some advice on what, if anything you should do about your retirement account right now.

Thank you so much for joining us tonight.

Good to be here, Don.

LEMON: OK, here's the question about your retirement account. We're assuming everyone does. I've got a letter from a viewer, an e- mail from a viewer in California and said, you know what, there, things are so bad in California living paycheck to paycheck. Who really has money to even invest in a 401(k) when we keep talking about these investments, especially what's going on with the economy, Joe?

JOE LIGHT, MONEY MAGAZINE: Right. Well, the important message here is not to panic and stick to your plan. I mean, hopefully, you had a good asset allegation before this. Save your money in stocks and save your money in bonds. And you have to ride it out. You have to ride through the down periods in order to catch it back on the upside.

LEMON: OK. Johnny Simmons (ph) wants to know, how do you think the job market will fare in '09 because of all of this. All of these the bailouts, what's happening with the economy?

LIGHT: Well, in the short term, the job market will probably be poor. We're losing a lot of construction jobs because of the residential real estate market. We're losing a lot of financial jobs, but in the long-term, the economy is probably going to come back. And as far as how it should affect your portfolio, you should still keep your money in stocks. We're getting a lot of e-mails from readers saying that they're taking their money out of stocks, they think it's too risky and that's exactly the wrong thing to do.

LEMON: The president is asking Congress to act quickly on this plan that they have put into place, or at least that they're trying to put into place here. Does it matter really how fast they do, it tonight, tomorrow, next week or two weeks from now? Do they have to act quickly in order to get things on the right track?

LIGHT: Well, it's important that they supported the organizations they have supported. They supported money market funds. That was a big concern to individual investors who knows what would have happened if some of those crashed. As far as individual investors are concerned, though, it's really just important to trust the government and ride this out.

LEMON: OK, last question I want to ask you. What can we expect on Monday? We see the bell there. I'm not sure if it's a closing bell or opening bell. What can we expect when the markets open on Monday?

LIGHT: Well, you know, it's something that you shouldn't even guess at. You should, you know, nobody really knows. I mean, imagine if you had panicked earlier this week and taken all your money out of stocks, your portfolio would have dropped by about, you know, 4 percent or 5 percent, and then you would have missed on Thursday and Friday the biggest upswing the market's had in over six years. So really, just continue investing as you always have been and don't try to time the market.

LEMON: Joe Light with "Money" magazine, we appreciate it. Thank you very much.

LIGHT: Thanks a lot, Don.

LEMON: We're following breaking news here tonight in the CNN NEWSROOM. Disturbing allegations of child pornography and child abuse at an Evangelical ministry in Texarkana, Arkansas. We're following the breaking developments.

Also, six weeks ago until Election Day, and if you think the tone of the campaigns has changed, you are right. The CNN "Truth Squad" is working overtime checking out the claims and counterclaims coming from the McCain and the Obama camps.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, the meltdown on Wall Street compelled both presidential candidates to revise their public statements day by day. Their moods and messages last Monday were much different by Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We know that there's been tremendous turmoil in our financial markets and Wall Street. And it is -- people are frightened by these events. Our economy I think still, the fundamentals of our economy are strong.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He said this just this morning that the fundamentals of the economy are still strong. Now, Senator McCain, what economy are you talking about?

MCCAIN: And my opponents may disagree, but those fundamentals, the American worker, their innovation, their entrepreneurship, their small business, those are the fundamentals of America, and I think they're strong.

OBAMA: So, I think it's good that Senator McCain is celebrating the American worker today. But it would have been nice if over the last 26 years that he's been in Washington that he actually stood up for them once in a while.

MCCAIN: We have to assure every American that their deposit in a bank is safe. We have to have a 9/11 commission and we have to fix this alphabet soup of regulatory agencies that's left over from the 1930s.

OBAMA: The oldest Washington stunt in the book. You pass the buck to a commission to study the problem. Here's the thing. This isn't 9/11. We know how we got into this mess.

MCCAIN: We're not going to leave the workers of Michigan hung out to dry while the government gives billions in tax payers' dollars to Wall Street. We're not going to stand for that. We're not going to stand for it any longer.

OBAMA: John McCain can't talk enough about how greedy Wall Street is, but he's not offering a plan to solve it. How is he going to take on that old boy's network in Washington? At this rate, by the end of the week, him and Phil Gramm are going to be on a picket line somewhere.

MCCAIN: Chairman of the FCC serves at the appointment of the president, and in my view, has betrayed the public trust. If I were president today, I would fire him. OBAMA: I think that's all fine and good, but here's what I say. In the next 47 days, you can fire the whole trickledown, on your own, look the other way crowd in Washington who has led us down this disastrous path.

MCCAIN: While Fannie and Freddie were working to keep Congress away from their house of cards, Senator Obama was taking their money. While Fannie Mae was betraying the public trust, somehow its former CEO had managed to gain my opponent's trust to the point where Senator Obama actually put him in charge of his vice presidential search. The crisis on Wall Street started in the Washington culture of lobbying and influence peddling and he was right square in the middle of it.

OBAMA: This is a guy who spent nearly three decades in Washington, and after spending the entire campaign saying, I haven't been in Washington long enough, he apparently now is willing to assign me responsibility for all of Washington's failures.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And when the candidates speak, the CNN "Truth Squad" listens. Here's Tom Foreman with a closer look at John McCain's public response to the financial crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: First, he wants to fire the head of the SEC, the Securities and Exchange Commission. This is the chief federal watchdog for the investment industry. The president can do that, but obviously, you would have to find a better person for the job and, by the way, the current commissioner says he's quitting when George Bush leaves office anyway, so we're not sure what the effect would be there.

Second, McCain wants to set up a mortgage and financial trust, institutions trust. He suggests this would be a pool of money to help prevent financial companies from reaching this point of meltdown where they need a big ticket bailout. The money would also, importantly, help consumers restructure loans so that they don't lose their homes. What's missing on all of this? Well, the price tag.

And thirdly, he wants to empanel a top level commission to figure out how to streamline and strengthen the federal agencies that are supposed to protect the economy. There's been a lot of talk about the need for this and it could work, but it would take time. Just because a committee figures out what ought to be done doesn't mean it will happen. You can think about the 9/11 commission, Campbell. As you know the old saying, a committee is a cul-de-sac into which ideas are lured and quietly strangled. So those are some of McCain's proposals right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. Tom Foreman on "Campbell Brown: Election Center," a little bit earlier on in the week. So what about Barack Obama? Tom Foreman fact checks his economic plan, that straight ahead.

Also again, we are following disturbing breaking news coming out of Texarkana, Arkansas, allegations of child pornography and possible child abuse by an Evangelical Christian organization. At this hour, the FBI, federal investigators, I should say, are combing over the property and interviewing children about these allegations. Late breaking details to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: So what are you giving up in this struggling economy? Tell us in an iReport and we may share it on the air. Here's one we received from Rebecca Stokes. She says as a single mom, she had to sell the car she bought for her son to take to college. She adds that she's barely able to pay the bills and they've cut out any extras like eating out and going to the movies. A lot of people are cutting back these days.

Well, before the break, Tom Foreman gave us a rundown of John McCain's response to the nation's financial crisis. Well, Barack Obama is also offering up ideas to assist Wall Street and Main Street as well. And once again, Tom Foreman and the "Truth Squad" are on the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: First, he wants to enact a homeowner and financial support act. This appears to be very similar to the trust fund that McCain is talking about. Money to prevent catastrophic failures in the financial industry, stabilize things a bit and to keep people in their homes. Same question. What is this really going to cost? Who's going to pay for it, and can we afford it?

Second, he wants a $50 billion emergency economic stimulus plan. He's talking about money for one million jobs for rebuilding infrastructure, schools, and helping local governments avoid budget cuts. This would obviously be targeted spending as opposed to the scattershot of this summer's economic stimulus plan, but that plan was also three times as big as what Obama is proposing here. So you can draw your own conclusions about the bang he might get for these bucks.

And third, he wants to change the bankruptcy laws to make it easier for people who go bankrupt to at least keep their homes. Interesting to see how this would fare politically. In 2005, a few years ago, bankruptcy laws were rewritten to make it tougher, not easier for people to hold on to their assets after they go broke.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Tom Foreman on CNN's "Truth Squad." OK, we are following a developing story out of Arkansas right now, where the FBI is raiding the compound of an Evangelical leader on accusations of child porn. We just spoke with Tony Alamo and you'll hear what he had to say about the investigation. He is the preacher in charge of that compound.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Negative.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not ready to lead. That's the real Obama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Misleading.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: McCain explains the weight to wage gap saying women just need more education and training.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The CNN "Truth Squad" separates fact from fiction.

Home alone. The only thing left standing. An iReport truly like no other. The pictures and the stories you haven't seen until right now.

We will get to all of that in a moment. But we want to update a breaking story we told you about at the top of the hour right here on CNN. FBI and Arkansas state police tonight raided the headquarters of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries just outside of Texarkana.

Now, the raid is part of an ongoing child porn investigation into possible physical and sexual abuse of children at the evangelical compound. Tony Alamo has not been charged in this investigation. When I spoke to him by phone at the top of this newscast, he strongly denied any wrong doing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF TONY ALAMO, TONY ALAMO CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES: It is crazy as the allegations against Jesus. I'm 74 years old. I've never been into pornography, never will be, and it's just another one of the false charges they've hurled, hundreds of false charges against me that said I had a tunnel and that I was holding slaves down there, and that we had guns, and we've never had guns before. It just goes on and on, the things that they've said about me. The -- what the government is trying to do is tarnish every real church, real Christians, Born Again Christian churches.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Now, even as I speak I'm being told children at the ministry's compound are being interviewed by investigators. Tony Alamo is a long-time evangelist whose ministry has been labeled a cult by critics. He has been arrested on tax evasion and other charges throughout the years.

Turning now to issue number one, it is the economy. The Wall Street bailout now has a price tag. $700 billion. Congress will hammer out the details next week and the plan would authorize the Treasury Department to use tax dollars to buy up bad debt. Now, specifically, mortgages that went sour.

It is expected that Wall Street will unload these debts for pennies on the dollar. The Treasury would then resell them later when the housing market recovers. Hopefully, they'll do that at a profit.

Well, believe it or not. Now is a good time to buy real estate. That advice coming straight from Donald Trump himself. He talked to our Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR, THE SITUATION ROOM: A lot of our folks have money and they're nervous as can be right now, Donald, about what to do with their money, their 401(k)s, their IRAs, whatever investments they have. Give them some advice.

VOICE OF DONALD TRUMP, CHAIRMAN/CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Well, I think right now is an amazing time. You know, over the years I make speeches and people ask me to speak about success and if I'm in the right mood, I do it. And for years, I've been saying don't buy real estate, don't buy real estate, for the last couple of years because it was just too high, it was too inflated. You had all of these exploding mortgages that nobody knew what they meant and people were going and buying.

And now is the time to buy. You go to the bank. The bank has thousands of houses. The banks have millions of houses. And you go to the bank and you make a deal. Don't take back financing. You'll get the nicest house you ever dreamed of. And this is the time right now to make a deal.

BLITZER: If they have some cash lying around, where would you keep it?

TRUMP: Well, I think right now, you're going to have to think in terms of T-bills. I think you can make some wonderful deals in real estate and all of that, but assuming you already have your house and you're stuck with it, I think right now you probably have to go T- bills. It's going to be a real roller coaster. There will be a time in the not-too-distant future, however, where the stock market will start looking good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, we know CNN has the best political team on television. They are working overtime to uncover the truth on the campaign trail. We call them the "Truth Squad." So let's get started with Joe Johns. He takes a close look at the attack ads you've probably been seeing every single day now, especially from the Obama campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Trading fire in the air wars. Maybe you thought John McCain has been blistering Barack Obama with negative TV advertising. Of course, he has, especially over the summer.

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not ready to lead. That's the real Obama. He's the biggest celebrity in the world.

JOHNS: But in the week after the big GOP convention, surprise, Obama put down more money on negative ads than his Republican opponent.

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: McCain explains away the wage gap saying women just need more education and training.

JOHNS: The nonpartisan University of Wisconsin Advertising Project discovered that sudden blip in negative ads. How do they define negative?

KEN GOLDSTEIN, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN ADVERTISING PROJECT: Very simple definition. If you're talking about the other candidate, it's a negative ad.

JOHNS: Both candidates spent about $8 million on ads but with one big difference. 56 percent of the McCain ads mentioned Obama during that week. Just over 3/4 of Obama's ads mentioned McCain.

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Things have changed in the last 26 years, but McCain hasn't.

JOHNS: It's only a snapshot of one week in the campaign, but it tells you what these guys were thinking.

GOLDSTEIN: Over the summer, Obama was more likely to be positive, McCain more likely to be negative.

JOHNS: And after the conventions.

GOLDSTEIN: At least in that first week, Obama more negative than McCain.

JOHNS: The study didn't count ads on the Internet or all the free media both campaigns got when they rolled out big attack ads that got a bunch of runs on TV news shows. So, why are these candidates going after each other with negative ads? Because they work.

GOLDSTEIN: We know from lots of studies, frankly, that voters are more likely to retain, more likely to learn negative information than positive information.

JOHNS: The Obama campaign argues it had to step up its negative advertising because their guy was getting slimed before the convention.

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's happened to John McCain? He's running the sleaziest ads ever. Truly vile.

JOHNS: Just because one side does it, does that make it OK for the other side to respond in kind? Maybe not. Republican Congressman Chris Shays is one of the architects of the last big and bipartisan law to clean up campaign financing. But even he says one man's response is another man's negative ad.

REP. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS (R), CONNECTICUT: When a candidate attacks the other candidate for being sleazy and ugly, they are as negative as the candidate they're criticizing.

JOHNS: Oh, and by the way, if you're looking at both candidates and thinking this is rough stuff, just wait a few weeks. Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. That's the stuff you see on television. The stuff you see on the TV screen and in front of the cameras. What about behind the cameras, behind the scenes on the campaign trail?

Joining us now, CNN's senior producer Sasha Johnson. She is there for the day to day. She is behind the scenes really almost every step of the way with these campaigns. She's with the Obama campaign.

And I am wondering, as you're sitting there flying on the same plane, especially this last week, have you -- does it feel to you that the Obama campaign may have been afraid in some way that they were losing their momentum by not fighting back with these ads, at least from the McCain side, so they are coming out stronger, Sasha?

SASHA JOHNSON, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Well, absolutely. And as you and I talked about before this head, you know, Barack Obama was also hearing it from voters on the trail, especially around the time that John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. And the Obama campaign was rather surprised at how she was received and the uptick in popularity for the Republican ticket.

Last week, when Obama was out on the road, he had several voters stand up and say, we believe in hope and we believe in your message but we also want to win and we need you to start fighting back. So, we've sort of seen that over the last couple of days, Barack Obama stepping up his game, if you will, and he even said, I've got game. He told voters the other day in a town hall.

And just as an aside, I mean the Obama campaign has had negative ads up and has had tough ads up. They've done it in local markets and haven't really notified the national media. So, you know, while it has a sort of austere being, kind of high-minded and hopeful, I mean they are politicians and, you know, they have been getting into it. But it's getting tougher.

LEMON: And Sasha, I want to ask you this. I mean, is it obvious, is it evident, when you're out on the campaign trail, the mood of it, especially by the surprise, they were surprised at the uptick, they say, with Sarah Palin, also probably surprised by how much she has come out and just head on attacked Barack Obama? JOHNSON: Yes. I mean they were surprised, and last week especially, you could kind of tell, especially when you have that whole lipstick pig situation happen. I was sitting there at that event and I can tell you that when Barack Obama made that comment, his staff seemed rather surprised at the buzz that sort of went through the press corps that said, wow, did you hear what he just said? So, they did seem a little off.

As the week went on last week and they promised that the gloves were going to come off. You kind of saw Obama getting a little bit more energy, his attacks becoming a little more focused. But we've also seen him doing - he's using a teleprompter at almost every single event to keep his message sharply focused.

LEMON: And now, Sasha, that they're focusing on the economy, it feels they're not quite as bogged down anymore. OK. Our senior producer, Sasha Johnson, behind the scenes on the Obama campaign. Thank you very much, Sasha.

JOHNSON: Thanks.

JOHNS: Defining John McCain. Is he a maverick Republican or an influential insider? Our "Truth Squad" tackles the question for you.

Also, we're following breaking news tonight here on CNN. An evangelical ministry accused of child pornography and possible child abuse. Children are being interviewed right now. We spoke with the minister at the top of the hour. We will bring you a live report coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: You know John McCain has made a career out of playing the role of political maverick. But is it really possible to be the consummate political outsider when you've been on the inside for decades? We asked our Joe Johns to take a look and report back for the "CNN Truth Squad."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS (voice-over): This is John McCain, Washington outsider, the sheriff who is out to clean up "politics as usual" in Washington.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The old boy, big spender, earmarking, business as usual, me first, the nation second, old boys' circuit in Washington is coming to an end.

JOHNS: He seems to be saying the country's a mess right now because of those big wigs and fat cats in Washington keep mucking everything up. It's those guys, he says, on Capitol Hill.

MCCAIN: And the fact is, I've fought them and fought them and fought them.

JOHNS: But on the other hand, McCain is, in fact, one of those guys, has been for nearly three decades. So this is also John McCain. When he wants to prove his qualifications, he's quick to brag that he's one of the biggest power brokers under the Capitol dome. Here's what he said Tuesday.

MCCAIN: Since I was chairman of the Commerce Committee, every part of America's economy, I over sighted, I have a long record, certainly far more extensive of being involved in our economy than Senator Obama does. I understand the economy, I know the issues.

JOHNS: "Mr. Washington Insider" meet "Mr. Outsider." Stick with us here.

(on camera): It seems like McCain is wrangling against Washington insiders and power brokers but not the good ones like him. In other words, Washington is bad, but Washington experience is good, at least for McCain anyway, which leaves him open to attack.

(voice-over): Democratic adviser Hilary Rosen isn't buying it.

HILARY ROSEN, DEMOCRATIC ADVISER: No. I think it's really hard to, you know, say for your entire primary that you're the guy who can get things done, you've been there a long time, you know all about it, your experience is what happens, and then to go in the general election and say, I'm the guy who's always been, you know, the thorn in people's sides here. I was always, you know, the -- you know, somebody who didn't go along to get along. I think people are kind of confused now who John McCain is.

JOHNS: But Republican strategist John Feehery says McCain's insider/outsider profile makes sense to voters.

JOHN FEEHERY, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: He's always been an outsider. He's always battled the special interests. He's always been a maverick against his own party. He might have been chairman but he didn't necessarily tow the line of the Republican leadership.

JOHNS: OK, then, contradictory assertions are one thing, but after all, this is politics, a world where "Mr. Outside the Beltway" and "Mr. Inside the Beltway" can co-exist. Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. So, let's go behind the scenes now of the McCain campaign. Chris Welch, producer.

OK, Chris, you're behind the scenes, John McCain struggling for a while to even draw crowds, and you noticed, just in one week, once Sarah Palin got on the ticket, the difference between the crowds and the feel on the campaign trail.

CHRIS WELCH, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Well, that's right, Don. One of the first events he actually did this week was in Florida, in a large arena, can seat about 15,000 people. There were only about between 3,000 and 4,000 people who actually showed up. This was McCain only, there was no Sarah Palin. Yesterday, just yesterday in Minnesota, here a rally with Sarah Palin drew about 9,000 people. So the crowds, there is a difference. There really is a difference between when McCain is campaigning alone and when McCain is campaigning with his running mate.

LEMON: Absolutely. OK. Chris Welsh, thank you very much. Our reporters and producers, who are behind the scenes, giving us flavor on the campaign trail. We appreciate it. You have a good evening served.

We're following breaking news in the CNN NEWSROOM tonight. We're talking about Tony Alamo, an evangelical minister. His ministry accused of child pornography and also possible sex abuse. Right now, federal investigators are raiding the compound in Texarkana, Arkansas. We'll have an update for you before the broadcast ends.

Meantime, John McCain says Barack Obama is the most liberal senator, fact or fiction? The "Truth Squad" checks it out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Barack Obama, too liberal? Alina Cho from CNN's "Truth Squad" checks the facts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Out on the campaign trail, John McCain's been calling Obama's record the most liberal in the Senate. Many people have heard that. The charge was also leveled early this month in an ad comparing Sarah Palin to Obama. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Journal says Governor Palin's credentials as an agent of reform exceed Barack Obama's. You're right.

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She has a record of bipartisan reform.

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is the Senate's most liberal.

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She took on oil producers.

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He gave big oil billions in subsidies and giveaways.

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's earned a reputation as a reformer.

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His reputation? Empty words.

MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHO: Well, there's the ad, here's the reality check. The "National Journal Magazine," which bills itself as a nonpartisan publication, did report recently that Obama moved so far to the left last year, that he did rank the most liberal senator after ranking 16th and 10th most liberal in his first two years in the Senate.

But the Americans for Democratic Action, a liberal activist group, disagrees. No surprise there. The group says when you look at Obama's entire Senate voting record -- Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and Ted Kennedy actually have higher liberal ratings. So, is Obama the most liberal senator? The verdict? True, according to the National Journal, but this is the only source we could find. Other groups say liberal but not the most liberal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. Alina Cho. You know what? Alina's also been checking out Obama's claims about John McCain and his links to lobbyists.

Also, we'll give you an update on our breaking news story coming out of Texarkana, Arkansas concerning sex allegations and a ministry, an evangelical ministry there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. True or false? John McCain's campaign is swarming with lobbyists? Well, that's what Barack Obama claims. Our Alina Cho fact-checks, and she's part of the "CNN Truth Squad."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHO (on camera): Obama has been taking on John McCain's contention that McCain will shake up the "old boys' network" if he wins the White House. Take a listen.

OBAMA: This is somebody who's been in Congress for 26 years, who put seven of the most powerful Washington lobbyists in charge of his campaign, and now he tells us that he's the one who's going to take on the "old boys' network."

CHO: The reality check, McCain does have staff members and unpaid advisers who have registered to lobby Congress. The seven Obama is referring to include campaign manager Rick Davis, who happens to be a high-profile lobbyist whose clients have included telecommunications companies, and Randy Scheunemann, a McCain senior foreign policy adviser, who recently faced some scrutiny over his foreign lobbying on behalf of Republic of Georgia.

Now, as for the Obama claim that those staffers are actually in charge of the campaign? Well, impossible to prove from the outside but members of the seven have appeared quite frequently publicly on behalf of the campaign and that often signals they are part of McCain's inner circle.

Now, to be fair, the public watchdog group Public Citizens has praised McCain's record for trying to curb lobbyist influence in the Senate, and we should point out that Obama's campaign is not without its own members of the lobbyist family -- Daniel Shapiro, an Obama foreign policy adviser has registered to lobby for the American Petroleum Institute, and another unpaid adviser, Broderick Johnson has represented clients, including Verizon and Shell Oil.

So, bottom line, is Obama's contention true that McCain has some of the most powerful Washington lobbyists working for his campaign? The verdict? True.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: CNN's Alina Cho. Thank you for that, Alina. Make sure you stay with the best political team on television as we hold both of the campaigns' feet to the fire as the election approaches, only 45 days. CNN's "Truth Squad." We'll be fact-checking the claims and counterclaims and bring them to you, no bias and no bull, of course.

OK, her house survived the storm, but it's the only house left in her neighborhood. We'll talk to the owner of the last house standing in Gilchrist, Texas.

And also check this out. The need for speed spins out of control.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Now for the stories behind the pictures that caught our eye here at CNN. Fresh video. Look at that. This is Galveston. And we've shown you a lot of property damage over the past week or so, but look at these pleasure boats. Many of them were tied to marinas and they were really hit hard by the hurricane. Incredible to think but some people chose to ride out the storm in their boats. That was not a wise idea.

OK, let's push this one back and let's pull this one forward. Check this out. South Florida. Unfortunately, this disturbing sight is a common scene down there, a 10-foot boa constrictor slithering along the side of the road in Vero Beach. Imagining coming in contact with that.

Animal control officers say they grabbed it because the snake was just slithering and it probably got too big. They also say that they were very, very expensive to feed so the owner probably couldn't take care of it anymore. They're concerned about small animals. They've been known to eat small animals and they say also something like this can get a hold to a small child.

All right. Push this one back. Let's go to this video. This is from San Diego. Incredible. A wreck there. The racing boat was making a practice run and caught too much air. He was going 180 miles an hour and when you're going that fast, the water is really like concrete. The boat simply disintegrated and fortunately, the driver of this boat only had minor injuries. These racing boats are built with special cockpits to protect the drivers in case of a crash and it look like this one did.

Let's push this one back. I want to bring this picture. It's kind of an eerie picture. We didn't believe this one here at CNN. Check it out, a lone house left standing in Gilchrist, Texas.

And joining me now by telephone is the owner of that solitary home, Pam Adams. Thank you so much for speaking with us tonight. We're glad you're OK. You did not ride that storm out in that house?

VOICE OF PAM ADAMS, ONLY GILCHRIST HOME STANDING AFTER IKE: No, we did not.

LEMON: You got out. You said it was a Category 2. You told your husband -- did your husband want to stay, Pam?

ADAMS: Yes, my husband wanted to stay. He said it was only a 2, that he wasn't going to leave the house, and I told him I wasn't going to put our dogs through that.

LEMON: Are you glad you left?

ADAMS: So, I left with the dogs, thought I might go to Winnie (ph) or High Island (INAUDIBLE) and ride it out and then come back, but the dogs got scared during the tropical storm that came through there a few weeks ago.

LEMON: Yes. So, you're glad you left?

ADAMS: Oh, I'm very glad I left.

LEMON: Have you spoken to your neighbors and what do they say about your house being the only one left standing and theirs completely gone?

ADAMS: They're happy for me but I'm sad for them and we talk on a daily basis. Everybody's on the street. We usually talk every day.

LEMON: Yes. You talk every day. You said you've been thanking God and Pam is not exactly sure if her house is even inhabitable. It is still standing but not sure they're waiting. Pam, thank you. Best of luck to you, OK?

ADAMS: Thank you very much.

LEMON: All right. Thank you so much.

We want to give you now a quick update on a breaking news story we told you about at the top of the hour. It is concerning an Arkansas minister, an evangelical compound there. Investigators are on the scene right now. They are interviewing children as well, and also speaking to neighbors in the neighborhood close to that compound.

The accusations here? Child pornography and possible child sex abuse from the people or from someone, at least on that compound. The minister, Tony Alamo, spoke to us at the top of the hour and said he denies all those charges. Also we're hearing from our affiliates at the FBI, say that vans of people are being taken off the compound, and CNN, of course, is chasing this story. Vans of people taken off that compound. That is the latest in that story tonight. The breaking news in the CNN NEWSROOM

Meantime, we want to tell you that we thank you for joining us tonight. We want to get you now to "IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BIN LADEN." It begins right now. Have a great night everyone.