Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Hudson Family Tragedy; McCain Team Tensions Go Public; Obama on the Campaign Trail Tonight
Aired October 25, 2008 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And good evening, everyone. There is late word tonight on a story where we thought the victim of a brutal beating was on her way to recovery. But just moments ago, we learned 26-year-old Arkansas anchor, TV anchor woman, Anne Pressly has died. More details on that story in just a moment. They are still developing this hour.
Meantime, with just ten days out, all four candidates work from sunup to sundown out on the campaign trail. As a matter of fact, one of them is still out there right now. Barack Obama, moments from now, will take the stage at the University of New Mexico. One of those battleground states that will decide this election. You are looking at live pictures of their event now. That event now, "Change We Need." You see it there in the background. We'll keep one eye on that and bring his comments to you live.
We have another developing story for you tonight as well. This one is out of Chicago, where police are in full search mode for the 7- year-old nephew of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson.
The boy went missing yesterday when Hudson's mother and brother were found shot to death in their home. And you can imagine, it has been a very emotional day in Chicago. Police are questioning one of the boys' relatives. Yet, they are not calling the man a suspect. Our Susan Roesgen is at the Chicago Police Department.
And Susan, as you join us tonight, are there any leads to where this boy might be?
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT: Boy, not yet, Don. At least not that the Chicago police are willing to tell us about. But we do know tonight that the boy's mother, the sister of Jennifer Hudson, is begging whoever took him to bring the boy back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIA HUDSON, JENNIFER HUDSON'S SISTER: All I ask, I don't care who you are, just let the baby go. Please.
ROESGEN (voice-over): Julia Hudson is not used to being in front of the camera. That's her sister's role. Jennifer Hudson, the Oscar- winning actress and singer raced home to Chicago Friday night. Detectives were at her family home. The bodies of her mother and brother found shot to death inside.
HUDSON: When she found out, and she just -- she flew in. She flew in right away. And we've been together since.
ROESGEN: This is the man police are questioning. Identified by family members as William Balfour, Julia Hudson's estranged husband. He's a convicted felon on parole for attempted murder and carjacking. But the police will not call him a suspect in this case, only a person of interest. And this is the missing 7-year-old, Julian. He may have witnessed the murders, and no one knows where he is.
Has the person of interest been able to tell you anything about where the child might be?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't comment on that. That's part of our investigation.
HUDSON: I know he's out there. He's out there. Just let him go. Put him on a street. Just let him go. He'll sit there (INAUDIBLE). And I think he'll just sit there and he's probably cry until somebody comes along.
ROESGEN: Family, friends and fans have left a makeshift memorial at the Hudson home. Jennifer Hudson had remained very close to her family here in Chicago, where the now famous dream girl never dreamed of a tragedy like this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROESGEN: And here at this police station, William Balfour, that person of interest, Don, may be behind, is this maybe where the police are questioning him. They haven't told us where he is. But because he is just a person of interest and not a suspect, they are not allowed legally to keep him in custody for more than 48 hours. And that 48 hours is running out. It started last night, and that means that by tomorrow night, about 9:00, if the police here have not either charged him or called him an actual suspect, they have to let him go.
Don?
LEMON: OK, Susan, so police are calling this, I believe, a domestic dispute. We have two people dead and a 7-year-old boy missing. Are they talking motive at this point?
ROESGEN: No, they're not, Don. And it may or may not be domestic abuse. Actually, in the end, we're just not sure. We do know that William Balfour lived at the house. His last known address was that house where Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother were killed. And so, it may have had something to do with some sort of argument. But nobody's talking.
LEMON: At any rate, it's very sad. Susan Roesgen joining us live from Chicago where she will be tonight throughout this broadcast bringing us any developments in this story. Thank you very much, Susan.
Meantime, the tragedy that overwhelmed the family of Jennifer Hudson has galvanized the surrounding community. Neighbors spent time today searching neighborhoods for any sign of Julian King. They say they're holding out hope he will be found OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It touched the heart of many people about this little boy. Wonder where could he be. And we're praying that God has -- you know, will keep him safe through all of this. In spite of what has already happened.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Julian, very smart child. Very smart. Exceptionally smart. I think he has asthma, though. I'm worried about him if he had his coat on or something, you know. Like somebody, anybody, whatever, just let him go. Call someone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We know, time is of the essence here. So we have one more reminder for you. Police want your help in this. An amber alert has been issued for 7-year-old Julian King. Be on the lookout for a white, Chevy suburban with the Illinois license plate number x584859, x584859. Julian is 4'11" tall and he weighs about 130 pounds. He was last seen wearing khaki pants and a brown polo shirt with stripes. We hope they find him.
Now back to that tragic story out of Arkansas we mentioned at the top of this newscast. Anne Pressly, a TV news anchor and reporter in Little Rock died today from a brutal attack in her home several days ago. Pressly was found severely beaten Monday morning after she didn't show up for work. Now, police believe she was attacked during an apparent burglary. No suspect has been named. And Pressly was 26 years old. She recently had a small role as a conservative commentator in the movie "W."
We move now to presidential politics. The increasing excitement and in some cases a growing tension on the campaign trail. From Virginia to Iowa, from Nevada to Indiana and down to New Mexico where Barack Obama will be speaking live at any moment, the presidential hopefuls and running mates blanketed the battleground states and beyond today. The economy, as always, was issue number one. Here's how Barack Obama and Joe Biden made their case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He said it again just yesterday. The 21st time he has called for less regulation, just this year. Now, none of us want to see unnecessary burdens on business. But after what we've seen on Wall Street, isn't it obvious about now that we need some common sense rules of the road to protect consumers and to protect our economy?
(APPLAUSE)
I don't know about you, but I think we've had enough of Bush-McCain economics.
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look, I know Halloween's coming. But John McCain dressed as an agent of change is one costume the American people ain't going to look at.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: While Republicans John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin, well, they aren't letting up. They countered Obama and Biden on the economy, and they also tried to link them to an unpopular Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me give you the state of the race today. There's ten days to go and we're a few points down. The pundits have written us off, just like they've done several times before. My opponent is working out the details with Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid. Their plans to raise your taxes, increase spending and concede defeat in Iraq. I'm not going to let any of that happen.
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: With the pro- tax bigger government mentality, and that's what you would get if we have unchecked powers there in Congress and the White House, if liberal leaning bigger government persons were in charge of the House, the Senate, and heaven forbid the White House, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Speaking of that ticket, behind the scenes, we are hearing that John McCain and Sarah Palin are dealing with rising tensions within their own campaign, with ten days to go. Private frustrations among Republican staffers are spilling out into the public. Our Dana Bash is in Santa Fe, New Mexico tonight, and she joins me now by phone.
OK, Dana, we're hearing that she is going -- what's the word? Out alone?
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rogue.
LEMON: Rogue, that's it, on her own and not listening to advisers. What's up with that?
BASH: Well, I'll tell you what's up. What's up is that, you know, we're ten days away, and we're looking at a campaign that is increasingly feeling like waiting is not going to happen. And when that happens, you have (INAUDIBLE) starting. And that is what is going on.
And basically, what you saw is Sarah Palin and people close to her in the story, in the politico, saying that she is increasingly not listening to the people who are around her, who were basically put there by the McCain campaign because she feels like she was mishandled into, quote, unquote "rollout."
And remember, she wasn't talking to press. She was really limiting herself, or she was limited, I should say, to a couple of high-profile interviews. And it didn't go very well. And everybody admits that. Well, you know, I talked to several McCain advisers, and they say, wait a minute, that's really not exactly the truth. The truth is, that she's not being cooperative and some people inside McCain's camp say that they believe at this point she's looking out more for herself and her future as a politician, to her future in 2012 and beyond.
LEMON: Dana --
ROESGEN: So, basically, this is -- this is simply a little bit of a bloodbath, frankly, inside the campaign with regards to plain and whether or not she has been handled right, and whether or not she's working for McCain right now.
LEMON: Dana Bash joining us with the latest on that and those developments. And Dana, we're going to speak with you a little bit later on if you get more information on this, so stand by, because we want to bring in Mark Preston in just a little bit and get some analysis on this situation as well. Dana, thank you very much.
The McCain -- their polls numbers, their poll positions here in this campaign could be one reason for the rising tensions. Our latest poll of polls came out just tonight. And it gives Barack Obama an eight-point lead here. So again now, let's bring in our political editor, Mark Preston. He is joining us tonight throughout the show to go over some of this just ten days out.
OK, so what do you -- you heard Dana Bash's report. She is going rogue, not listening to campaign advisers. Is this something from a novice national political figure? Or is this out of frustration? Do we even know if it's true, Mark Preston?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, I know. I think Dana's reporting is really spot on. And I have heard similar things just over the past couple weeks. Look, Dana's absolutely right. You have a campaign right now that is fighting to try to get on top. There are only ten days left. And you have this figure, Sarah Palin, come on the scene and they're not really able to control her as much as they would like to, to keep her on message. Let's remember, just two things, Don.
When the robocalls went out, when the McCain campaign put out this automated call, Sarah Palin came out and she described them as irritating. As well as when the McCain campaign pulled out of Michigan, Sarah Palin really went against the message and she said that she would like to continue to campaign in Michigan. So, of course, there is a lot of frustration right now in the McCain-Palin campaign about who is to fault about the position that they're in.
LEMON: That's very interesting. And we've seen several disagreements. I'm not sure if it's disagreements or contradictions between Sarah Palin and John McCain, where they sort of smooth it over at the end. But they have disagreed on foreign policy and other issues as well publicly.
PRESTON: Yes. And of course, a lot of this is going on behind the scenes between the advisers. It might not necessarily be in the face between McCain and Palin themselves. But it's the people that is running their campaign that seemed to be at each other's throats, so to speak.
LEMON: All right. Mark Preston, thank you very much. You haven't seen the end of Mark. We'll see you in just a little bit.
Barack Obama on the campaign trail tonight. He just took the stage at the University of New Mexico. He is going through his thank yous right now. And when he begins his comments, we will take them for you live. You're not going to miss any of it. But there's going to be quite a bit of thank yous and introductions. And we'll get his comments live for you.
Obama is not the only candidate to campaign in New Mexico today. John McCain was there, too. And we'll take a closer look at how both presidential candidates hope to win the west.
And we want to know what you're talking about tonight. Logon to Twitter, onto Facebook, MySpace, or ireport.com and tell me what you think.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: As we promised you, Barack Obama taking the stage at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, urging people to get out to the polls and vote early, as has been the message of his campaign for the last few weeks. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Impossible to get loans, which means they can't buy new equipment or hire new workers, or even make payroll for the workers they have. We've lost more than 750,000 jobs this year. Wages are lower than they've been in a decade, at a time when the cost of health care and college have never been higher. It's getting harder and harder to make a mortgage, or fill up your gas tank, or even just keep electricity on at the end of the month.
At this rate, the question isn't just, are you better off than you were four years ago, the question is, are you better off than you were four weeks ago. So what we need right now is a real debate about how to fix our economy and help middle-class families. But that's not what we're getting from the other side.
You know, a couple of weeks ago my opponent said that if we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose. That's what they said. So, they said they would be focusing instead on attacking me. That's one promise -- that's one campaign promise that they kept. Senator McCain has been throwing everything he's got at us. Everything. Hoping something will stick. He's even called me a socialist, for suggesting that instead of giving tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy, we should give tax cuts to the middle class.
(APPLAUSE) Now, the other day he took it to a whole new level. He said that I was like -- get this -- George W. Bush. You can't make this stuff up. In what may be the strangest twist of a strange election season, Senator McCain said that I would somehow continue the Bush economic policies, even though I've opposed them ever since I've been in the United States Senate and ever since I was running for the United States Senate.
John McCain suggested that he would be the one to change George Bush's policies. He actually denounced President Bush for letting things get completely out of hand. John McCain has been really angry about George Bush's economic policies, except he adopted all of them. Except during the primaries when he said we'd made great progress economically under George Bush. Or just last month when he said that the fundamentals of our economy are strong under George Bush.
In fact, John McCain is so mad at George Bush, so opposed to George Bush's policies, that he voted with him 90 percent of the time for the last eight years. That's right. John McCain really decided to stick it to George Bush 10 percent of the time. Well, let's be clear. John McCain attacking George Bush for his out of hand economic policies is like Dick Cheney attacking George Bush for his going alone foreign policy. It's like Robin getting mad at Batman.
John McCain hasn't been a maverick, he's been a sidekick when it comes to George Bush's economic policies. Fortunately, George Bush doesn't seem to be at all offended, because yesterday he cast his vote early for Senator John McCain. And that's no surprise, because when it comes to the policies that matter to middle-class families, there's not an inch of daylight between George Bush and John McCain.
Just like George Bush, John McCain wants to keep giving tax breaks to all companies and CEOs and companies that ship our jobs overseas. It's the same failed Wall Street first Main Street last economic policies, and we're going to change it. Like George Bush, John McCain wants to tax your health care benefits that you get from your employer for the very first time in history. And let insurance companies keep discriminating against people who need health care the most. That's the same failed insurance company first, your family last health care policy that we're going to change.
Like George Bush, John McCain wants to privatize part of your social security. Leave it to the wimps of the market place. Like George Bush, John McCain ignored this housing crisis until it was too late. Then he proposed a $300 billion bailout for Wall Street banks that hardly does anything to keep people like you staying in their homes.
Just like George Bush, John McCain wants less government regulation of business. He said this again yesterday. The 21st time that he's called for less regulation just this year. And none of us want to see unnecessary burdens on business but after what we've seen on Wall Street, isn't it obvious by now that we need some common sense rules of the road to protect consumers and our economy?
I think we've had enough of Bush-McCain economics. I can take ten more days of John McCain's attacks, but you can't take four more years of Bush-McCain economics. That's why I'm running for president of the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. Barack Obama in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the University of New Mexico, talking about the economy. Also talking about health care. And obviously, criticizing his opponents there, John McCain and Sarah Palin.
So he is speaking there. We also want to tell you, let's bring him up now. Mark Preston, Poppy Harlow, they are joining us tonight. They're up late because we are up late listening live to Barack Obama. It is getting down to the finish line. Ten days to go. So they're out there late campaigning. So the economy, race, religion, and how the presidential candidates are trying to win the west. We're going to talk to them about that after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Ten issues, ten days, and a battle for votes in the wild, wild west. CNN political editor Mark Preston is back with us now. He joins us again to talk about that.
OK, so the west is really becoming the place to be. Actually, Barack Obama is going to have to go back to some of the battleground states as well. Tell us about that fight in the west, Mark.
PRESTON: Yes, no question about that. Look, they're fighting for several states out there -- Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico. We've seen the candidates in two of those states today. Look, this weekend, Don, the candidates, whether it be Obama, McCain, Palin or Biden, are in eight different states. In those states, not just in the west now, in those states, George Bush won every one of them in 2004.
And by CNN's estimation right now, five of those states are tossups, and three of those states are leaning in Obama's category. So, what's happening is we're seeing John McCain go on the defense, and that's what we're seeing him out there today doing and what he will be doing tomorrow.
LEMON: OK. Interesting. You know, I'm going to talk to you about Florida in a little bit. Because Florida was one of those states where John McCain thought that, you know, he might be in the lead and was going to stay that way. Was safe is a better way of putting it. And as it turns out, it may not be so safe in this place. It's not just the west, Mark.
PRESTON: No, it's right across the nation. And again, eight states this weekend, all won by Bush in '04. And John McCain is on the defense. We're seeing Barack Obama, who raised $150 million in the month of September, Don, really put that money to use. We know that he's putting up ads left and right, spending millions of dollars today. And he will be buying network television advertising on three different networks later this week, buying a 30-minute ad which is, only can cost in the range of $1.5 million to $2 million per airing.
LEMON: Boy. This is really getting to be interesting. It was interesting before and the closer it gets to Election Day, we don't know what's going to happen.
OK, Mark, thank you for now. We'll see Mark in just a bit.
No matter where you live, the economy is issue number one, for you, and also for me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're getting laid off, oh my God. I don't want to get laid off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: She didn't want to get laid off from her job. That was just at brunch this morning at breakfast. I took my own camera to talk to people out on the streets about what they thought was important. Most people said the economy. The politics of the economy, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, you know what, money talks, especially in politics. And the shaky stock market is just one factor that's affecting how people vote in this election. Job losses and the ongoing foreclosure crunch are also part of this equation. We're going to focus on ten key issues in the next ten days, starting with the issue that is on everyone's mind. We're talking about the economy here.
The markets are down. Jobs are scarce. People are losing their homes. America's watching, and the next president had better have a strong plan to push the economy in a new direction. Joining us again, CNN political editor, Mark Preston. He is back with us. Along with cnnmoney.com's Poppy Harlow.
Thank you, both.
LEMON: I told you about going out today and just talking to people. When people know you work for CNN, all they want to talk about is the election and the economy. This morning at breakfast, I took my care. Take a listen, guys.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to hear that they care about the people here in the United States, and that their best interest is here with our kids, our families, our senior citizens. I'm a little worried about the economy like everyone else is. And so, I'm not real thrilled about spending a lot more money over in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Poppy, we talked about job losses. The lady before the break said she was -- people at her company are losing their jobs. She hasn't yet. But she's concerned about it. You heard that lady saying we're spending money in other places. She wants money to be spent here at home where people are hurting. Talk to me about this economy, this close to Election Day.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: You know, Don, I think the mentality, the conversation across America has really changed just in the past few weeks from a bank bailout or a Wall Street bailout to a Main Street crisis, and Main Street really calling for help. If you look at the job losses, this week alone, it is staggering. I think we have something we can pull up here to for you to show you just what it is.
Merck, that pharmaceutical giant, cutting more than 7,000 jobs. Goldman Sachs, the bank we've seen as sort of missing all of this crisis, cutting more than 3,000 jobs. Yahoo! cutting jobs. Another regional bank in Ohio cutting 4,000 jobs. What it tells you is that really no one is immune to this crisis, that we're losing jobs across all the sectors. Check out those numbers folks.
Those are just from this week alone. And that's why you can see that this crisis is so far beyond Wall Street. It is so much about Main Street. And Don, the people you talked to at brunch this morning, I bet every American would agree with them right now.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, absolutely. And when I talked to them, I said, what if I were John McCain, Mark, or if I were Barack Obama, what would you ask them? What would you say to them? They said, I don't want to hear about dirt being pulled up on any candidate from the past. I want to hear about the economy. I want to hear about health care. I want to hear about jobs. Mark, it seems that this time people are -- they're focused on the issues now, and they don't want the distractions anymore.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, that's absolutely right, Don. And I'll tell you, just the most recent CNN poll, three big questions popped out at me before we decided to talk about the segment tonight.
Who would better handle the economy? Double digits, Barack Obama. Who would better handle this financial crisis? Double digits, Barack Obama. Who would better help the middle class? Double digits, Barack Obama.
Right now, Barack Obama really seems to have the wind at his back. And a lot of people will say that John McCain's campaign started to stutter a little bit, and perhaps fall behind Obama when the economic crisis hit.
LEMON: Here's what's interesting. And I can hear Barack Obama still speaking, someone is listening to it behind me here in the NEWSROOM, and I can hear him still speaking out on the campaign trail. There he is live right now. I mean, it is late for these presidential candidates to be speaking live, you know, at this hour. Usually they're asleep now.
So we know just how intense this is getting. But so far, for Barack Obama and John McCain, these are just plans. They have not been put into practice. And they're talking about what they can do. But Alan Greenspan, the person who is really in charge at the head of the economy here, said he didn't really know how to fix this economy. Take a listen and I'll talk to you about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN GREENSPAN, FMR. CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE: The problem here is something, which looked to be a very solid edifice and indeed a critical pillar to market competition and free markets, did break down. And I think that, as I said, shocked me. I still do not fully understand why it happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. So, if he doesn't understand why it happened, Poppy, then how can these presidential contenders understand how it happened?
HARLOW: You know, it is so scary to hear something like that. It's like your bus driver driving the kids to school and he doesn't know exactly where he's going, but he's driving them there for a number of years.
And I just think, you know, what happened then under Greenspan is he cut interest rates so low, money was easy, money was cheap, and now we are where we are now. And he sees it at hindsight 20-20, these presidential candidates have plans. The question is, will they have the money and the resources to put those plans into action? They talk about job creation every single day. Will that happen? I think people hope so. I don't think they know.
LEMON: OK. Thank you so much to Poppy and thanks to Mark. And we want you to stick around. Thank you so much, guys. I really appreciate it. You're staying up late. This is our new time, 11:00 p.m. Eastern.
Also, before I get to -- I want to tell you, see what's scrolling at the bottom of your screen there. Those are your responses that you can send to us to Twitter or Ireport or MySpace, Facebook. Send them, and yours may end up on this scroll. And we're going to read -- we're going to have a whole mega block of them for you in just a little bit. We're also going to talk about race, age and religion here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By a show of hands, how many here have had someone say to them, I cannot vote for Obama because he's black.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Almost everybody?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. It's 11:30 at night Eastern. We can be honest. We can talk like adults about this election. Really honest. Minutes away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH SILVERMAN, COMEDIAN, "THE GREAT SCHLEP": If Barack Obama doesn't become the next president of the United States, I'm going to blame the Jews. I am. And I know you're saying like, oh, my God, Sarah, I can't believe you're saying this. Jews are the most liberal, scrappy, civil rightsy people there are.
Yes, that's true. But you're forgetting a whole large group of Jews that are not that way. And they go by several aliases -- Nana, Papa, Zadie, Bubby, plain old grandma and grandpas. These are the people who vote in Florida. And the Florida vote can make or break an election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I love Bubby, one of my favorite words.
Well, comedian Sarah Silverman was having a little fun with a very serious issue. Will senior citizens vote according to race? That's a question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How often does race come up as a reason not to vote for Obama?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Basically it doesn't, but the clues are an excuse -- I'm not sure who he is. After two years of watching a campaign, and I tell them, what you're telling me is you're a bigot.
MATTINGLY: People don't just come out and say, I can't vote for a black candidate. Do they say this?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I stand on street corners with Obama signs, and we've had people pull up and say to our face, we will never vote for a black man for president.
MATTINGLY: By a show of hands, how many here have had someone say to them, I cannot vote for Obama because he's black?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
MATTINGLY: Almost everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. That was from David Mattingly, a part of a piece that he did earlier.
You see Mark Preston there. OK, Mark, we have 10 days and 10 issues, age, race and religion are at the top of this list. You and I have been talking a lot about race here in this, but also there's a generation gap here as well. PRESTON: Yes, absolutely. And look, let's talk about two different subjects here. Let's start with generation gap first. Older voters would seem to look at John McCain and say he has the experience. He could really do the job on day one. This is something we're hearing a lot from John McCain. And they might look at Barack Obama and say, look, he's too young, and we don't think that he can do the job.
So, that is certainly an issue. The whole race issue is really a complicated subject to talk about. But one thing, Don, that I found extremely interesting, and this is from our pollster -- Keating Holland had given a little guidance, said roughly the number of people, who might vote against Obama because he is black, will probably be washed away from the amount of people who will vote for Obama because he is black.
LEMON: Very interesting. And it was surprising to me, you know, that Sarah Silverman did that because usually, I think, what history will show is that Jewish voters will most likely vote Democratic in elections. And I think there is something -- I was reading something, Mark, about 75 percent of Jewish voters will likely vote for Barack Obama.
So, even among Jewish voters, is that a generation al gap? Are they hearing the same things that other people are hearing about concerns about religion and those sorts of things? Is that coming into play for them?
PRESTON: Well, I mean, of course, the whole idea that Barack Obama is a Muslim and was schooled at a madrasah and, you know, is secretly Muslim and is not a Christian, you know, I'm sure that's playing in the minds of some of these older voters.
But I'll tell you what, Colin Powell, I think, last week, said it best when he's on "Meet The Press" when he endorsed Barack Obama, and this is not an endorsement for Obama on my part, but he said, look, you know, a lot of people say is he Christian? And, of course, he's a Christian. But that's not the right answer. The right answer is, does it really matter if he's Christian?
LEMON: Yes.
PRESTON: And I think us, as a nation, probably really need to get over that.
LEMON: I think what he said, issues that were not important to the Republican Party and to the American people is how he put it. But interestingly enough, you know, that is still part of the campaign and part of the rhetoric that is out there.
All right. Mark Preston, we appreciate it. Hey, Mark, real quickly, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama campaigning together?
PRESTON: Campaigning together in Florida. Just what we were talking about. 27 electoral votes on the table. He'll be there Wednesday. LEMON: All right. Good. Thank you very much for that, Mark Preston.
Speaking of Barack Obama, we told you about Ann Nixon Cooper. Remember her, the 106-year-old Atlanta woman? She voted early for a presidential candidate -- a presidential candidate she never thought she would live to see. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANN NIXON COOPER, 106-YEAR-OLD VOTER: I don't got time to die because I've got to see a black person.
LEMON (on camera): You want to see a black president?
COOPER: Yes. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So that's very interesting. Senator Obama heard about Ann's story. As a matter of fact, he saw it. And he called her to thank her for her vote. But guess what, as fate would have it, unfortunately, she missed the call. But the Senator left a message on her answering machine and she is going to let us come over tomorrow to hear it and we'll share it with you as well. I want to hear what he had to say to her.
All right. Well, people aren't only going to be voting for president on November 4th. In some states, there are some hot-button propositions like decriminalizing prostitution.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know, a lot more than a new U.S. president is at stake on November 4th. California's Proposition 8 to ban same-sex marriage is turning into one of the most expensive ballot issues ever. Both sides have raised about $60 million total. Its passage would overturn the state's Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.
Here's another hot-button issue that's on the ballot -- Proposition K, Proposition K, remember that one. It's to decriminalize prostitution in San Francisco. Some people are wondering if it passes there, will it spread across the country to your neighborhood. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez explains the pros and the cons.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In San Francisco, the "City by the Bay" where the sex trade is underground and sex workers live in the shadows, the oldest profession may soon become effectively decriminalized with new protections for prostitutes. It's called Proposition K.
RACHEL WEST, COMMUNITY ACTIVIST: Prop K calls on the police to enforce the laws against violence, coercion, rape and other areas against sex workers.
GUTIERREZ: "Layla" is a sex worker. She describes herself as an escort who works in a peep show club.
"LAYLA," SEX WORKER: If Proposition K passes, sex workers won't be such easy targets anymore because we'll be able to go to the police if we are harmed by a customer.
GUTIERREZ: "Layla" says once she was assaulted by a client but found it difficult to pursue a complaint. She said sex workers are afraid to go to police because they might get arrested themselves or won't be taken seriously. She says Proposition K would decriminalize sex work and allow police to go after real criminals, which would save the city more than $11 million. That's how much it costs to investigate and prosecute prostitution cases.
KAMALA HARRIS, SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT ATTY.: It is a mistake to think that prostitution is a victim-less crime. Quite the contrary.
GUTIERREZ: San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris is against Prop K because it will open the floodgates to sex tourism, more prostitution, drugs and crime, especially in poorer neighborhoods.
HARRIS: It is not just simply what's happening between consenting adults in the privacy of their home. It's what's happening on the street corner that is plaguing the neighborhood and attracting more crime that is threatening the safety of that neighborhood.
GUTIERREZ: If passed, Prop K would put an end to the investigation, arrest and prosecution of prostitutes. Harris says that would have a terrible impact on human trafficking cases.
HARRIS: Proposition K would cut off our ability to begin those investigations into what is really the modern-day slave trade in this country -- human trafficking.
"LAYLA": We absolutely want to see human traffickers prosecuted. This law actually calls for increased prosecution of violent crimes against sex workers. Whatever they're doing right now by arresting a lot of sex workers to find the big fish, it isn't working. San Francisco has not made one trafficking prosecution in the last two years.
GUTIERREZ: "Layla" says if prostitution is decriminalized, sex workers could become allies to the police. But opponents say Prop K gives free rein to pimps and Johns and sends the wrong message to the world.
Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Very interesting. What happens in California, sometimes in New York, will spread across the country. We're going to stay on top of that, as well as the presidential election here. And I've been looking at some your responses that we're going to read coming up in this next section.
I've got my eye on Blindscribe, Linebacker 33, Encore 8984 and much, much more. Mobile Chris, your responses are coming up. We want to know what's on your mind tonight. Make sure you log on to Twitter, to Facebook, MySpace, Ireport.com. Tell me what you're thinking. We're also live blogging and live chatting on cam with some of our iReporters as well. Back in a second.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. We want to talk with what's on your mind tonight. We are actually on right now with one of our iReporters. She's joining us by web cam. We have other iReporters who are joining by web cam, as well.
This is Katie. Katie is in suburban Chicago and she's been listening and talking to me throughout the show about what she's seeing also about -- she listened into the Barack Obama -- what he said, his talk there tonight, and she gave me her comments. Very interesting. She wants to hear about green energy.
All right. This one is from Miss Firecracker. These, I believe, are from Twitter. We have some from Facebook, as well, tonight. This is Twitter. "I'm an Ivy League grad and I can't find the job. The economy is the number one issue. I'm lucky my mom feeds me. How are people getting by?"
Here's what James Knox is saying. "I'm a college student who couldn't afford to stay in school this semester. I want to hear Obama and McCain talk about that."
Mobile Chris. He says, "Do today's undecided voters follow the campaigns at all? If you can't decide at this point, should you be allowed to vote?
All right. We have another one now from Blindscribe. He says, "I'm predicting a 70/30 split for Obama. Modern polling is suddenly anachronistic." OK. Maybe I should learn to read better.
Linebacker 33. The guys are laughing at me here in the studio. And I can hear my iReporter laughing. Are you laughing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sorry.
LEMON: OK, good. Stop laughing at me live.
Linebacker says, "I know Joe Biden is prone to "rhetorical flourishes", but imagine the fun the media and SNL could have for the next four years."
Encore 8984. "We really should not be surprised about Palin. She's a maverick. She won't be held up by something small like a presidential campaign."
Make sure you log on to Twitter and to Facebook, to MySpace, Ireport.com, and tell me what you're thinking. Thank you, iReporter. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You bet.
LEMON: All right. A sign of the times. McMansions are out here, and micro houses are in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Have you heard about the "Grandma Scam"? The "Grandma Scam." The Better Business Bureau warns, it is a growing problem you should know about. Crooks call elderly people and trick them into believing it is a grandchild in trouble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HELEN BROSKEA, SCAM VICTIM: Just send $5,000 grandma because another grandma sent $2,000. I said, oh, really?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, the stranger doesn't identify himself. He just says something like, Grandma, it's me, I've been in an accident. And that's often enough to fool the victim. Then he asks her to wire thousands of dollars. Fortunately, though, this Michigan grandmother did the smart thing. She located her real grandson and verified that he was not in trouble.
All right. Here's another sign of the times. People moving into tiny homes to live debt-free. And we mean tiny. 100 square feet. That's smaller than a typical garden shed. Obviously, it's not for everybody, but for one or two people, comfortable with ultra cozy. A tiny home can be a big step up in financial security. No mortgage, just a few thousand bucks here. 100 square feet. That probably goes for about $10,000 a month in New York City.
Home evictions are happening all over. But a funeral home? Well, the House of Burns Memorial Chapel served the African-American community in Pontiac, Michigan. Those caskets are empty, by the way. The chapel was doing business right up to the end. A local preacher showed up Thursday morning for a scheduled funeral only to find out the eviction was underway. More than two dozen bodies and cremated remains were removed from the property prior to that eviction.
Last weekend, I rode alongside a repo man. And as you can imagine, business is booming for them with the downturn in this economy. Now, while we were out, I met a young woman who's called -- she called herself Simone. Well, here's a little more of my conversation with her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have never been this down on my luck. I have a college degree. And I can't find a job. And I have -- I'm a single mom. And I'm just -- I'm so frustrated.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: All right. Well, I have to tell you that the response to this woman's story was overwhelming. Many of you wanted to help. Not just from here in the United States, but from all over. Hong Kong, Germany. I called her back and spent the afternoon with her today. She was finally OK with telling me her real name and showing her face.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FALISHA HOPKINS, ATLANTA RESIDENT: I didn't do anything but go to work every day. That's all I did. And it just kind of sunk in like, wow. My life is just like everybody else right now. No job. No car. No house. How did I get to this point?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: It is our sign of the times. We also talked to her 12- year-old daughter who talks about her experience. We talked to her about how do you talk to children about this? She's a single mother, 12-year-old daughter, no car. She's been living with friends, evicted from her apartment, as well. My conversation with Falisha Hopkins right here in the CNN NEWSROOM tomorrow, 6:00 p.m. Eastern.
You've seen the best political team on television covering the race for the White House all year. But there's another team that's been working overtime to cover this election. Our CNN IReporters.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Wow. That's one of the finalists in our IReport Film Festival. We just hosted our first-ever IReport Film Festival featuring your submissions. And tomorrow night, we'll introduce you to the winning film right here on this program. That announcement, 11:00 p.m. Eastern, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Don Lemon. Make sure you have a good night. Thanks for joining us.
