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Voters May Send Message in November; White House Looking for Economic Solutions; Rookie NFL Players Counseled on Money Management; Anchor's Book Looks Beyond Conventional Politics; Poll Shows GOP Gaining Momentum; Pakistani Farmer Drowns to Save Animals
Aired September 06, 2010 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: It is time to rock and roll. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ali Velshi.
ALI VELSHI, HOST: And thank you for the vest, my friend. (INAUDIBLE) on you. It looks fantastic. Tony, enjoy your Labor Day for the rest of the day.
I'm going to talk about some of those polls that Tony was just talking to Peter Hamby about that are giving the Republicans the edge in the midterm elections.
I'm Ali Velshi. Think of me as your news guide for the next couple of hours. We're mapping out important information today and tomorrow: breaking down ideas, seeking out innovation (ph). We are about access and understanding. Let's get started right now.
Here's what I've got on the rundown.
It's the issue that you care the most about and you worry the most about: the economy. This afternoon, President Obama putting his focus squarely back on it. He's in Milwaukee. Ed Henry is bringing us a special edition of his daily stakeout.
Plus, one thing about Rick Sanchez: he doesn't hold back. His new book is no exception. He's got some powerful messages for the nation and some powerful messages about his own background, what made him the guy he is. He'll share them with us this hour.
And robots, Klingons, superheroes. Atlanta is being overrun by them this holiday weekend. We're going to take you inside Dragon*Con.
But first, it's Labor Day, and that means it's the official kickoff of the midterm election cycle: 57 days until the midterm.
Now, here's how it looks. There are 37 Senate seats up for grabs, and there are 435 House seats up for grabs. There are also -- there are 37 governorships, as well. But here's the situation in the Senate and in the House.
Basically, the Republicans need to pick up 39 seats to win control of the House. And they need to win 10 seats -- sorry, 39 seats to win control of the House, and 10 seats to win control of the Senate. Now, just moments ago you were listening to Tony talking to Peter Hamby about some of this new polling that shows where the Republicans and Democrats are. Let me show you this. This is the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, and it shows that registered voters right now, a generic poll, meaning not district by district, and it does turn out that this is a battle that will work itself out, district by district. But 52 percent of registered voters prefer Republicans right now over 45 percent preferring the Democrats.
Here's the issue. How is the economy feeling right now? Eighteen percent of our respondents said it feels good; 81 percent says it feels poor. And who do you blame for it? Well, it's going to come down to that in the election -- in an election where the issue No. 1 remains the economy, the way it's been for three years right now. Forty-four percent of registered voters still hold the Republicans responsible for this particular rough economy. Thirty- five percent say it's the Democrats, and 16 percent blame both parties equally.
And what are you doing when you vote? Are you electing the person who represents your district the best, or are you sending a message to Washington and to the president? Twenty percent of voters say they are sending a message that they are supporting President Obama. Twenty-four percent say they are not -- they are sending a message that they oppose President Obama. Fifty-four percent say their vote does not involve sending any message at all.
But it is going to come down to what people feel in their own districts, what people feel in their own towns and their counties and their states. And with that, let's go to the CNN Election Express. It's hit the road again, touring around, talking to people about what is affecting them. T.J. Holmes in Pittsburgh right now has been talking to people in the last couple days. He's talked to farmers; he's talked to laborers.
T.J., what's the sense you're getting on the road?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: The sense here in Pittsburgh, and I don't mean to make light of this, Ali, but the first thing I heard a lot of people talk about is the Steelers quarterback situation.
VELSHI: Right.
HOLMES: But once we got past that, they were ready to start talking about, No. 1 thing, which is the economy. People just don't feel good about what's happening. They know all those numbers that you just talked about. They hear the president come out and tell us what the good news in those numbers, they hear Republicans say it's not good enough. But no matter what anyone says, people here just don't feel real good about what's happening.
Now, we're here with the Election Express bus. This is just stop No. 1. You talked about this being the official kickoff to the campaign season as we come to the unofficial end of the summer season, but we're hitting the road. We're stopping here first in western Pennsylvania. We're here in Pittsburgh. Tomorrow we're going to be in Ohio, the next day Kentucky, the next day Indiana. So battleground states, as always.
VELSHI: All right. We seem to have a problem. We've lost transmission to T.J. We'll get him back as soon as we can. He's in Pittsburgh with the Election Express, giving us some rundown of what he's got worked out.
Now, that's how people feel out there. The economy is the big issue that's affecting them. How does President Obama fit into this all of this? That's Ed Henry's beat. Normally he joins us at the end of the 2 p.m. Eastern hour, but he's coming up after this with a special edition of the stakeout. Stay with us. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Not every day -- not everybody has Labor Day off. In fact, our man, Ed Henry, our senior White House correspondent, is working today, but that's also because the president is working. He's going out to Milwaukee, and he's got a -- he's got a kickoff of something important. Ed is covering that for us with a special edition of the stakeout.
It's got to be a big deal to get you up this early in the show, Ed. What's going on?
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, usually I'm only waking up about 1 p.m.
VELSHI: Right.
HENRY: So I mean, the fact you're getting me before the 2 p.m. hour, I mean, that is a pretty big deal.
VELSHI: What's the president doing?
HENRY: Well, you know, the president, you can see, he just got on Air Force One a short time ago. He's going to Milwaukee. Interesting, the image they're trying to project. He had the sleeves literally rolled up, the jacket off, trying to show he's getting down to business; he's working, trying to put together, basically, a new economic plan.
What we're picking up is that today he's going to roll out part one, which is trying to roll out some infrastructure spending, if you will: roads, railways, runways, trying to rebuild all of them. Aimed at trying to create some jobs.
But when you read the fine print, administration officials are acknowledging privately that this is not about short-term jobs. That basically, even if it passes through Congress in the next few weeks, which by the way, is not guaranteed, because they've got a very narrow window before they go out and campaign and shut down, essentially, for the year.
But even if it were to pass, this is really aimed at creating jobs in 2011. And so there's kind of this image of being all over the economy. But we have to point out, there's really -- even if this were to pass, it's not going to have any impact in the short term in terms of dealing with that bleak unemployment picture.
VELSHI: Right. And given that the -- we just show those numbers from the CNN/Opinion Research poll, which indicates the lead that Republicans have over Democrats right now, and Republicans have really been pushing this idea that we don't need more government spending; we need tax cuts. Can we expect Republican participation in this effort by the president and by the Democrats?
HENRY: A couple of parts to that question. I mean, "no," is the short answer, about whether we'll see Republican participation. The fact of the matter is, they'll yell and scream about this, but Republicans haven't really worked much with this president. So he's had to go it alone on a lot of these issues.
And that leads us to part two of the president's economic plan, which is going to be rolled out Wednesday in Cleveland, which is, you know, Republicans say they want tax cuts. Here's a tax cut. The president is saying he wants to make permanent, you know -- permanently extending the tax credit on research and development. As you know better than anyone, that is about trying to get businesses to pour more money into their companies: you know, buy equipment, try to spark the economy that way; hire two or three more employees or more; and try to build this out and dig out company by company.
But you're likely to get a lot of Republican opposition. And they, frankly, have been against his economic plans from day one. They would say that he hasn't sought out their participation. It's the classic finger-pointing back and forth.
But at the end of the day, there is a really tight window of less than two months now for this administration to convince the American people that the economy is getting better. And frankly, they just haven't done...
VELSHI: Yes.
HENRY: They haven't made that sale yet.
VELSHI: And as you and I talked last week, there were definitely indicators last week that -- that have got a lot of people saying, including conservative commentators that maybe we're not headed for a double dip recession.
However, the White House is very clear. There are some economists who say we need more money; we need more of a stimulus. The White House being very, very careful not to discuss any of this in terms of stimulus, not to use that word.
HENRY: Absolutely. Because I mean, it's a definitional thing now. The fact is, it's become almost a political dirty word, the notion that, you know, that basically, you know, that the stimulus didn't quite pan out as much as they promised at the beginning. So, you know, they're not going to call this a stimulus.
But secondly, the first stimulus was almost $800 billion. They've got nowhere near that much money now, because we're so deep in debt. And if you look behind the poll numbers that Paul Steinhauser and others have been talking about this morning, on the economy, bleak numbers for the president in terms of the people feeling like, No. 1, largely that things haven't gotten better in the last two years. That's problematic for this White House, because what big event happened in the last two years: that stimulus package, which was supposed to improve things over 18 months or two years.
But on the flip side, there are numbers in that CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, basically, saying that a majority of Americans will blame the Republicans or at least more -- blame the Republicans than they blame the Democrats. And when you add George W. Bush's name to it, it's a majority of Americans who believe the Republicans are to blame.
And yet, somehow the administration hasn't been able to sell its economic policies to the American people and convince them of this thing trademark -- the thing they tried to trademark, Recovery Summer. They just haven't been able to make that sale.
And you have to wonder if, the day after this election, you're going to have some Democrats inside the White House and on Capitol Hill basically saying, look, you know, there was a great missed opportunity here, where a large number of Americans did blame this on George W. Bush, this economic crisis, and yet somehow, that did not turn into positive results for this president's economic policies.
VELSHI: I want to just ask Michael if he can run that video that we just had of the president getting off Marine One with that visual of him with the -- with his arms, his sleeves rolled up. Good visual on that front.
But one of the things you and I have discussed for some weeks, Ed, is that what is happening is this White House does not appear, especially with those town-hall tours they were doing, Main Street America tours...
HENRY: Right.
VELSHI: They did not seem to be tapping into a bit more of a crisis feel or a bit more of an urgency that average Americans seemed to be feeling and critics of the president have been -- have been stoking. So this will get him somewhere. What -- what does he have to change to engage the anger and the anxiety in the American public?
HENRY: Well, to your point, it was interesting to read in the "New York Times" yesterday, Frank Ridge, who is usually a pretty big fan of this administration, not a fan of Republicans, in the op-ed pages of the "New York Times" saying this president is tone deaf. And saying, for example, why did he give the prime time address on Iraq last week and yet has not given a prime-time address on the economic crisis during his time in office. Only two -- two Oval Office addresses: one on the oil spill, which obviously was critical; one on Iraq.
And so to your point, there's this feeling, even among some of the president's fans, if you will, that he hasn't tapped into the anger out there, hasn't -- hasn't made that sale.
But I think, in fairness, you do have to point out, I've heard this criticism of the president, you know, giving an Oval Office address on Iraq last week, spending time on the Middle East peace process last week. Why isn't he focused more on jobs?
The fact of the matter is, he's not just -- he's not economist in chief. He's commander in chief. Economy is a big part of his job, obviously, given this crisis, but it's not like he could have walked away from a potential historic opportunity on Mideast peace last week. It's not like he could have ignored what was a big, big turning point in the Iraq war, which is the end of combat operations. It's not done, but there's a lot more work to be done. But it's not like he could have ignored these things.
VELSHI: And good to see you, my friend. We'll catch up with you later. Ed Henry, the stakeout. Our senior White House correspondent.
Listen, when it comes to your money, you might be making the same mistakes as your favorite football star. We're going to tell you why and how to avoid it on the other side when I come back with "Your $$$$$."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Time now for "Your $$$$$," as we do every day at this time.
Football season is here. For a lot of pros, the big bucks will only last for a few years, and that makes playing the market just as important as playing the field. Listen to this game plan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED BUTOWSKY, FINANCIAL ADVISER: Keep your spending under control. You won't go broke.
VELSHI (voice-over): What if your entire professional career was five years or less, over by age 30, and every dollar you earned had to last you for the rest of your life?
WINFRED TUBBS, FORMER NFL PLAYER: Don't live like you're making three or four million a year. Live like you're making $150,000 a year.
VELSHI: Million-dollar salaries are a reality for today's professional athletes, but that doesn't guarantee a secure financial future, as financial adviser Ed Butowski knows too well.
BUTOWSKI: So what I did is, I put together here just kind of a little summary of how and why athletes, you know, basically find themselves in financial distress.
VELSHI: Butowski runs financial boot camps, teaching the basics of money management to current and former athletes who may be good at X's and O's, but not so good at dollar signs. TONY BRACKENS, FORMER NFL PLAYERS: Most of the athletes are visual learners. You show it to me; OK, Coach, I can do that. OK, so if you break it down into layman's terms where we can really understand it -- "Hey, this is this; this is this. If you do it like this, then you'll have this at the end" -- OK.
VELSHI: Ed compares a well-balanced portfolio to a well-balanced meal.
BUTOWSKI: We all have an entree with our meal. You should have 50 to 65 percent of your money in public securities.
VELSHI: Ed's ideal meal: 10 to 20 percent of what he calls veggie investments, like hedge funds, precious metals and collectibles. Fruit, which equals real estate, 7 to 12 percent. And who doesn't like dessert?
BUTOWSKI: It's OK to have some of the dessert. It's OK to have some private equity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not an entire cheesecake.
VELSHI: Former baseball all-stars Cliff Floyd and Rondell White played a combined 32 years in the majors. They got paid to keep their eyes on the ball. They left keeping an eye on their money to the professionals.
CLIFF FLOYD, FORMER MLB ALL-STAR: Getting ready for the season, you have kids; you have so many distractions away from your finances.
RONDELL WHITE, FORMER MLB ALL-STAR: You think about, "I need to get two hits tomorrow," or, you know, "I struck out three times yesterday," so you're really concentrating on the game.
VELSHI: Sound fundamentals are important in sports and investing, whatever the size of your paycheck.
BUTOWSKI: Regardless of if you're a professional athlete, or if you're a homemaker, if you're a factory worker or if you're a CEO of a company, everyone makes basically the mistakes with their money.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: And that's the kind of thing you can see on "YOUR $$$$$" every Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern and Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern.
Let me bring you up to speed with some of the top stories that we are following here at CNN. A new tropical storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico today that could hit Texas and Mexico late tonight or early tomorrow. At last check, Tropical Storm Hermine is about 200 miles south-southeast of Brownsville, Texas; top winds of 50 miles an hour. Flash flood watches are in effect for the region.
CNN has learned that more NATO troops may be headed for Afghanistan. Sources say 2,000 troops could go under a plan backed by General David Petraeus. A NATO official says it's highly likely that some of those will be American.
And Hartz Mountain is recalling nearly 75,000 bags of Hartz Naturals Real Beef treats for dogs. The FDA says random test shows the presence of salmonella. There have been no reports of illnesses linked to the recalled treats, but owners are being urged to throw them away.
Well, wake up America. That's one of my colleague's -- that's the message one of my colleagues has. It's Rick Sanchez, and he's got a new book called "Conventional Idiocy." I'm going to talk to him about it and shocking revelations that are in that book. Straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: OK. Those of you will know him as my colleague, Rick Sanchez. He -- he does the show right after this one on a daily basis. He's been doing the 8 p.m. Eastern show on CNN. But most of you who know us a little better know that Rick and I are friends. And I've, over the years, appreciated some great conversations with him, getting to know the real Rick Sanchez.
Well, now you can, as well, because he's put out a book called "Conventional Idiocy." It's a remarkable collection of his interviews, his insights and the responses he's had from you, because Rick is a pioneer in getting information and feedback from his audience through Twitter and through Facebook and other means.
But there's some stuff in here that actually hit me a little differently in this book, and it's about Rick Sanchez and who he is, what made him who he is. Rick joins me from New York right now.
Rick, you're a little bit of a crazy guy, and I love you for it. But when you read the book, there's actually a bit of a road map to where you're coming from, and one of the things that struck me is that you and I both are of immigrant families. And when you were growing up as a -- as an immigrant from Cuba in Miami, you -- you experienced some -- some feelings about immigrants that, in fact, are in some quarters of America coming back today. There's a very harsh political reality...
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Well...
VELSHI: ... that immigrants face, and you faced that as a young boy.
SANCHEZ: That's interesting the way you put that. And it's so true. And there is a story there that has to do with what it's like to be a refugee in the United States of America, what it's like to come here and have absolutely no money, to live, you know, in what some people refer to as, you know, the ghettos...
VELSHI: Yes.
SANCHEZ: ... of South Florida. And it makes you more earnest. It makes you -- look, because I didn't speak English; you know, English is my second language. I had to learn language. I speak -- my native tongue is Spanish.
So, because I didn't speak English, my first-grade teacher, God bless her, she called my mother and said, "There's this little boy in the back of the room who's always scowling and crying, and he doesn't speak, and there's something wrong with him." And she said to my mother, "I think your son has mild mental retardation."
VELSHI: Right.
SANCHEZ: I was -- in the transcripts, and I failed first grade because I didn't speak English.
VELSHI: Right.
SANCHEZ: And I may have looked a little dumb, but in actuality, it had more to do with some other things.
So growing up as a kid, growing up with parents who barely could put two nickels together and maybe made $9,000 a year combined, you know, income -- and that's with my dad working three jobs and washing dishes and working in the hotels in Miami Beach, and my mom sewing shoes at factories -- it gives you a different perspective.
I remember, Ali -- and you and I talked about this last night when you called me when I was on the plane, and you said, you know, "I'm looking forward to this conversation" -- I used to go with my dad to deliver furniture. And there wasn't room for me in the cabin of the truck, so I was in the back...
VELSHI: Yes.
SANCHEZ: ... with the furniture. And I remember we would go to places like Boca Raton, where the rich people lived, and drive into these houses with these lovely porte-cocheres. And I remember going there on a couple of occasions and asking the people who lived in the house, "Could I have a glass of water? We just moved all this furniture into your house."
And I always remember the lady who said to me, she said, "No, but there's a spigot out back, and you can drink out there where the dogs drink their water."
And I was so -- I was so angry about that. And I asked my dad, I said, "Dad, that lady wouldn't even let me drink water in her house. Why would she treat us that way?"
He said, "Son, that lady just did you a huge favor. She made you understand how important it is to work hard in this country and that anything is achievable." So these are the kind of lessons that I don't have to tell so many Americans, because many of them know them, because they've lived them. But they're a part of this book, as well; as well as social media and the politics.
VELSHI: Rick, you and I had a conversation last week where, you know, we were both talking about how much we enjoy our jobs and how great we feel for the opportunities that we've got and the people we get to talk to and the questions we get to answer and the fact that we can interact with people.
Back in 1983 in Miami, you were on top of the world, as well. You were -- it was your first reporting job, and things were going really well, and it got bad really fast. And it's -- it was fascinating to me to read in a book that a guy like you contemplated suicide.
SANCHEZ: Oh, I did. I did. You know?
One of the things about being a refugee and an immigrant is I was unprepared for the things that suddenly happened to me. I became -- I was one of the youngest anchors in the history of South Florida. I was one of the first ones to win an Emmy. I -- it was meteoric, the rate I was going. And suddenly Mr. Cool Guy is walking around town, and everybody knows who he is, and people are asking, like, for autographs. And I was taking myself just way too seriously.
And I ran around with some people that ended up getting themselves in trouble, and as-- as a result, I was brought into it. And it tainted me. And I remember getting called in by my boss. You know -- look, we all need these things in our lives. My mom always says, you know, "The only time in life you take two steps back, it's to take four steps forward." And that's a Cubanism sort of speak. You know?
But what happened was, Ali, as a result of -- and it's all in this book, and it's personal. But as a result of what happened to me then, the news director called me and he said, "You're a very talented young man, and you're real smart. And you're going to do real well. But I've got to fire you..."
VELSHI: Right.
SANCHEZ: "... because you're tainted. I can't even keep you on the air for another day."
I got in an old, beat-up Camaro and started driving. I couldn't face my mom and dad, because honor is so important in our family. So I just drove around the country, and I slept at rest stops.
And it was at that time, when I thought I would never work again or be able to face my mom and dad, and I wasn't even taking their calls because I felt so bad, because I'd screwed up such a good thing.
VELSHI: Yes.
SANCHEZ: My parents had no money, and I had been able to make it because of their sacrifice.
VELSHI: Yes.
SANCHEZ: And now I screwed that up? So it was at that time that I actually, yes -- I contemplate, and I write about in this book that maybe I should just kill myself, because after all, if I do, then my parents' honor will somehow be restored.
And it's crazy talk, and I know.
VELSHI: Right.
SANCHEZ: And it's kind of stuff we all -- but the point I was trying to make, Ali, in writing about that, is this. We're all going to have downs.
VELSHI: Yes.
SANCHEZ: We can get through them.
VELSHI: Yes.
SANCHEZ: And one of the best ways we can get through them is by connecting with friends, like you are to me, and that's what makes social media so wonderful, is I have conversations with...
VELSHI: It gives you a great network of friends.
SANCHEZ: ... a hundred and four thousand (ph) people every night.
VELSHI: Yes.
SANCHEZ: It's a fantastic network of friends. And not only that, but what social networking does is it helps us become better journalists.
VELSHI: Yes.
SANCHEZ: They are copy editors. They are story originators. They are producers.
VELSHI: And they sure are fact-checkers. They're on us real fast when we get something wrong. But that's good. It allows us to get it right again.
Rick, I've got to go. But I -- you're going to join me every day this week?
SANCHEZ: Let's do this.
VELSHI: This is a great book.
SANCHEZ: Because -- yes. When you and I talk, it's a little different.
VELSHI: It tells us great stories and tells me who you are and where you came from. And I knew that, but the audience needs to know that.
Rick Sanchez. The book is called "Conventional Idiocy: Why the New America is Sick of Old Politics." Rick will be with me every day. There's more in this book like what Rick just told you about, some really moving stories. The midterm elections now less than two months away, and the best political team on television is ready. After a break, we're off to Pittsburgh with T.J. Holmes and the CNN Election Express.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Labor Day typically marks the unofficial kickoff of the mid-term campaign season, so we're going to tell you a little about what is up for grabs in this mid-term election. Obviously, every single House in the Senate (SIC) is up for grabs, 435 seats in the -- in the House. I'm sorry, I meant to say the House. There are 37 seats in the Senate that are up for grabs and there are 37 governorships available, as well.
We want to talk about all of this -- and we're going to talk in great detail, obviously, over the next two months about the election. But right now, I want to go to Pittsburgh, where T.J. Holmes is with the "CNN Election Express," and he's been talking to people about how they're feeling.
No major surprise, T.J. The fact is, what is important in this mid-term was the same thing that was important in the last election, the last general election, and that is that the economy is issue number one. What's interesting about where you are is that you're in a troubled part of the country, in the Rust Belt, although Pittsburgh is one of those few cities that has reinvented itself from a steel town into a place with hospitals and universities. So it's almost a bit of a success story, an oasis in the desert.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: It is in a lot of ways there, and that success has helped them over the past year to stay below the national unemployment rate. They have been below the national average in unemployment. The problem, though, here, Ali, is that over the past year, the unemployment rate here in Pennsylvania has gone up a whole percentage point, while at the same time, the national unemployment rate has been ticking down each month, or been about flat. So that is the problem.
If we're talking about the unemployment rate, it's always an issue with the jobs, economy. That's the number one on people's minds, certainly jobs. Well, I ran into a man today -- listen to this, Ali. He hasn't taken a day off in over 1,500 days. Why? Let him explain it to you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: When was the last time you had a day off?
TODD DIFIORE, WORKED 1,500-PLUS DAYS: Approximately 1,535 days ago.
HOLMES: OK. Do you want to take the rest of the day off today? You want to out of here?
DIFIORE: Absolutely not. No.
HOLMES: Why? Why won't you take a day off?
DIFIORE: It's -- it's all about -- I don't even do it for me. I do it for these guys here. They are my grandsons behind me, who I love more than life themselves. And I want something for them to remember their grandpap by. And it's -- I'm keeping a legacy going, I'm keeping a record going, a streak. I think I'm just -- I'm amusing a lot of people, but I try to amuse myself. I try to -- you know, it's all about self versus self and willpower and just how much you can take on and handle. And I guess I'm just a stress absorber.
HOLMES: Does it help a little bit, given the economic times? I mean, people always want to drink their coffee, but you don't have to hire anybody. You're here yourself all day.
DIFIORE: Absolutely. Absolutely. It does. Well, you stay small and you can control your overheads. And in an economy that's, you know, struggling a little bit, you need to try to save every penny you can.
HOLMES: You've got to take a day off sometime, man!
DIFIORE: I just can't do it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Trying to save every penny he can. The man hasn't had a day off in some 1,500 days, he says, even worked through a hernia operation, had certain surgery and was right in to work the same day, Ali. Now, that may be an extreme case, but a lot of people feel that way. They feel like they can't take any time off. You have to keep working. It is Labor Day. We're honoring workers in the country. You have people getting together for cookouts and barbecues. But remember, folks, as you have your day off today, there are so many people out there who would love to be working on this day and have been out of work for months and months, so...
VELSHI: It's not that unusual.
HOLMES: ... we're going to be showing you the flavor (ph) all week.
VELSHI: It's not -- it's not that unusual. We talk to independent contractors, we talked to small business owners, and he said, you got to keep your overhead down. You got to keep your expenses in check. I mean, that's the reality for so many people, and it is tough out there. So I appreciate that you are doing that with the "CNN Election Express," and we will continue to check in with you, and of course, with all the members of the best political team on television. We'll do that all next week. Thanks, T.J.
All right, some Pakistani flood victims are willing to risk death to save their animals. We'll tell you why when we go "Globe Trekking" after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VELSHI: "Globe Trekking" now to Pakistan, where the death toll from more than a month of flooding has risen again to 1,752. CNN's Sara Sidner gives us the tragic tale behind one of those deaths, an elderly farmer who tried -- died trying to save his livestock.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lashker Khan Jatoi stares out at the flooded Indus River. The current is still as swift as when it swallowed his father a few days ago. Seventy-year-old Lalbach (ph) had escaped the floodwaters rushing towards his patch of land in rural Sindh (ph) province, but when the river sucked one of his animals under, he dove in to save its life.
(on camera): Knowing how fast-flowing the flooded river is, why did your father risk his life for one animal, one buffalo?
The livestock is worth more than even our own lives because the it's the only way we make a living, he says. We are making our entire living and feeding our families off of these animals.
Navy diver Zamrad Moen (ph) says he pulled Lalbach's body from the river just 100 yards downstream. Moen says people are so desperate to save their livestock that they even try to bring them on small rescue boats.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When we cannot take their animals in our boats, people sometimes refused to be rescued.
(on camera): This must really add to the difficulties for the rescue effort because people are trying to save their animals.
(voice-over): The United Nations estimates the floods have killed some 200,000 animals, a devastating toll in a country where nearly half the people live off the land and livestock are the key to survival.
(on camera): In the villages, people learn at a very early age how important animals are. Kubadar (ph) here is 9 years old and he helps his family make a living by using his donkey to take feed to the buffalo.
(voice-over): Buffalo are prized possessions. They provide milk and farm labor. Even their dung is useful as fertilizer and dried and burned as fuel for cooking fires. The animals cost about $1,000 each, a fortune for those who earn about $1 per day. People pay handsomely to have them loaded on a truck and carted to safety as the floodwaters approach.
Not everyone can afford such an expense. Farmer Naveed Dahani suffered a long and exhausting trek to get his herd out of harm's way.
(on camera): How did you get your animals out when the floods came?
We herded our livestock and walked three or four days to bring them here, he says. In Sindh province alone, 1.7 million acres of farmland has been flooded. The U.N. is asking for millions of dollars to help livestock survive because even if they escape the deluge, much of their pasture has vanished in the swirling waters. Sara Sidner, CNN, Jaridero (ph), Pakistan.
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VELSHI: OK, we're going "Globe Trekking" now to Chile, where 33 miners have now been trapped for more than a month. Family members are angry because the government has been censoring letters to the miners. The government says it's only delivering positive letters because negative messages could add to the miner's stress.
Meantime, the government has unveiled a new option for rescuing the miners, bringing the total number of options to three. Let me show them to you. Plan A is a traditional mining drill, drilling down directly from the top, above the shelter. It has to go 700 meters. A meter is the same as a yard. It's currently advancing at a rate of about 45 feet a day.
Plan B involves a drill that is normally used to bore water holes. It's never been used in a mine rescue before. It arrived on the site on Friday. Now, it's going to be drilling at an 80-degree angle into the mineshaft, and that's about 620 meters or yards. That's potentially quicker than plan A.
Now, the new plan C, this is the new one, involves a drill that is normally used for oil wells. It would be the quickest process once the drilling starts, but that drill actually has to come in from northern Chile -- maybe it's Argentina -- Northern Chile. And then it's installed and that could take another 10 days. All three options can be used simultaneously. The bottom line is this. None of the plans is likely to reach the miners until November or early December.
All right, a woman sentenced to death by stoning in Iran. Can the pope do anything to help? It's definitely got his attention. We'll have a closer look when we come back.
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VELSHI: Let me bring you up to speed with top stories that we're following on CNN. President Obama is focusing on the economy this Labor Day. He is in Milwaukee to lay out what the White House calls a bold vision for renewing and expanding our transportation infrastructure -- their words. His plan calls for rebuilding 150,000 miles of roads, along with constructing and maintaining 4,000 miles of railways and 150 miles of airport runways.
The on-line classified service Craigslist has blocked people from using its adult services section. Attorneys general from the 17 states -- or from 17 states urged the site to discontinue the service, saying it promoted prostitution. It's unclear if approximate the adult section has been permanently shut down. Craigslist says it will release a statement at a later time.
And some alarming video to show you now. A small plane has crashed in a Las Vegas neighborhood. Clark County emergency officials say the plane went down on a street and hit several cars. There are early reports of at least one death and three injuries. All of those victims were apparently on the plane.
Time now for crime and consequence. Let me tell you a bit about the case of an Iranian woman who was sentenced to death by stoning. Well, it's got the attention of Pope Benedict XVI. The Vatican says the pope has not ruled out getting involved in the case through diplomatic channels. The Catholic church opposes the death penalty outright and considers stoning a particularly brutal form.
Here's a little bit of background on the case. The woman, whose name is Sakina Ashtiani (ph), was sentenced to death by stoning back in 2006. She was convicted of adultery and implicated in a plot to kill her husband. She says she's innocent. Now, the case didn't get a great deal of attention until this year. A campaign by her two children helped halt her imminent execution in July. Supporters have held protests in cities around the world.
Judicial authorities are now saying that a final verdict in her case has not yet been made, according to Iranian media. And there has been talk of carrying out the sentence by hanging instead of stoning. Meanwhile, Ashtiani is also facing a brand-new additional sentence of 99 lashes because of an apparent case of mistaken identity. Iranian authorities imposed the sentence after they saw a photo of a woman, an unidentified woman.
It was identified as her on the front page of "The Times of London," but the woman in the photograph was not wearing a head scarf like this, which is required by Iranian law. So she got the sentence, this new sentence. But "The Times of London" now says the woman in the photo is actually a political activist living in Sweden, not Ashtiani. The newspaper has apologized but it is not clear when or if that lashing will actually be carried out.
OK, straight ahead, a "CNN Equals Politics" update, Dana Bash standing by with the very latest from a congressional race battleground in Pennsylvania.
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VELSHI: Time now for a "CNN Equals Politics" update, senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash in Pittsburgh watching the very latest developments. You're following -- I mean, look, Pennsylvania's a battleground on a number of fronts. What are you following there?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, it is a huge battleground state. There's a governor's race, a Senate race, and several House races. One thing I wanted to point out is part of our brand-new CNN Opinion Research poll out today, Ali, and it is this. Check this out. The choice for Congress among voters who don't like either party, and there are a lot of them out there -- those people are going to vote right now Republican 63 percent and Democrat 25 percent. That is a pretty big change just from April, 43 percent for Republican and 39 percent for Democrat. The reason I wanted to point that out, Ali, is because we have been in the eastern part of this state of Pennsylvania in the 8th congressional district, and we spoke with a voter there who is -- really exemplifies, illustrates those numbers. His name is George Repitsky. He has a flooring company. He has had to lay off workers, including his own son. Listen to what he says about his political mood.
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GEORGE REPITSKY, REPUBLICAN VOTER: I'm a Republican, a registered Republican. I voted for President Obama or Democrat this time. I will not do it again. I need a change. He sounded good. All the Democrats did. They don't sound good anymore because they're not doing the job they promised they would do.
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BASH: And Ali, he is a voter in the district of Patrick Murphy. He is an incumbent Democrat who just won a seat four years ago. He ran because the environment was very much anti-war, and he's an Iraq war veteran. But this time, there's a rematch with the Republican congressman that he beat. And of course, as you just heard, as you know, you know probably more than anybody, the issue certainly is not the war, it is the economy. And we heard that loud and clear from voters there, and both the candidates know that, as well.
VELSHI: So in the conversation that you were having with that gentleman, and he was saying, I voted for them, they sounded good, but they haven't done the job they were supposed to do -- I'm assuming that means, dot, dot, dot, fix the economy?
BASH: Oh, fix the economy big-time. And I actually said to him, Well, you know, isn't there something to be said for the fact that the economy was in pretty bad shape before the Democrats took over? And he just takes a little time and he said, No. No. In his words, the president, quote, "schmoozed" him. Democrats really made them feel that they could do something pretty fast to help him where it really matters, in his pocket and in his business, and he said it just hasn't been done fast enough and that is why -- he said he doesn't care who's on the ballot...
VELSHI: Right.
BASH: ... running against the Democratic congressman, Patrick Murphy. He said he would vote against him and will vote against him as a protest vote. And that is bearing out big-time when you talk to both Patrick Murphy and his Republican opponent, Mike Fitzpatrick. They know that people are hurt and they are certainly trying to one-up each other to try to get to voters and make clear that they're the ones who feel their pain.
VELSHI: All right, Dana, thanks very much for that. Dana Bash in Pittsburgh with the "CNN Election Express." We're going to be covering these battles across the country for the next two months as we head into mid-term elections. Hey, listen, remember this scene? Take a look at this.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Power laces, all right!
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VELSHI: That was a clip from "Back to the Future 2" in which Michael J. Fox puts on a pair of Nike tennis shoes from the year 2015. Now, shoes like that might be leaping off the screen and into your closet. In today's "Big I," Nike has applied for a patent for an automatic shoe lacing system. It uses a set of straps that can be automatically opened or loosened -- opened and closed to loosen or tighten the upper part of the shoe. There's also an automatic ankle- cinching system to adjust the lower part of the shoe, and the motor for the system is hidden away in the sole. It includes a driveshaft and a belt system.
We did reach out to Nike for a statement on these shoes. We have yet to receive it. But this isn't the first time that it's been done. Check out this Web site for Power Laces. This company is trying to raise money to get the project off the ground. Blake Bevan (ph) of Power Laces released this statement in response to Nike's patent. Quote, "I have my doubts that Nike will be releasing any close to Power Laces in the near future. And I believe my project can fill that niche," end quote.
The patent document, by the way, is about 60 pages long, full of drawings and details that every geek will love. For a link to it, just head to my blog, CNN.com/ali. We've also linked to the Power Laces project Web site, as well.
All right, from Hawaii to the Hudson River, sort of a nautical theme in today's "Odds and Ends." See why both of these places are making news, coming up next.
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VELSHI: OK, now it's time for "Odds & Ends," building a tribute. Let's take a look at this. It is a Lego model of what everyone remembers as the miracle on the Hudson. We don't think it's an official Lego product. It looks like one man's creation. But it will be on display this weekend at a Lego show outside Cincinnati. You can also see it on YouTube. It's quite amazing. You'll remember Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger landed U.S. Airways flight 1549 on the Hudson River last year. He lost both engines after a bird strike on takeoff. A hundred and fifty-five passengers, five crew members on board, all of them survived. There was only one injury for a flight attendant, I understand.
All right, Atlanta is being overrun by Klingons, dragons and storm troopers this holiday weekend. The annual Dragon-Con festival is wrapping up today. In case you don't know, by the way, Dragon-Con is billed as the largest pop culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy in the universe. One of the big events, the Dragon-Con parade. I don't know what this guy or girl is, but it's -- nothing was too over the top this weekend. There were some superheroes we all recognized. There were several Batmans, on with a Batmobile, several Supermans. There was even a Klingon makeover awarded to one lucky Klingon in the crowd. Closing ceremonies are set to begin in just a couple of hours. So fellow geeks, get in your transporters and beam over there while you still can.
And finally, Book 'em, Dano! That must be my phone ringing. A few years back, that was a phrase everybody knew, by the way. Have you heard "Hawaii 50", it's coming back? The remake premiers on CBS in a couple of weeks. The original starred Jack Lord as the tough Hawaii detective Steve McGarrick (ph). It was a good gig. The show was filmed on location in Hawaii, ran for 12 years from 1968 to 1980. By the way, what you're hearing is the real song. That's not my phone. Did you know the theme song was recorded by the Ventures? By the way, it is also a fight song for the University of Hawaii Warriors. so you know, maybe there'll be new life for them, too.
