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Pope Benedict in Britain; Shourd Heading Home; Natural Gas Well Drilling; Value Voters Summit Straw Poll; Africa Child Labor

Aired September 18, 2010 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A look at our headlines right now. A freed American hiker Sarah Shourd is talking about her release. She says she hopes the two Americans still being held in Iran do get out soon. Shourd is flying to New York where she is expected to hold a news conference tomorrow.

Vowing to fight on the last defender Lisa Murkowski says she will run as a write in candidate. Murkowski lost the Republican primary to a political newcomer backed by the Tea Party Movement.

And hurricane Igor is buried down in Bermuda right now, it is expected to hit there tomorrow night. CNN is your hurricane headquarters. So be sure to stay with us for all the latest on Igor and other storms in the Atlantic as well.

So we begin now in London where thousands are gathering to protest Pope Benedict on the third day of his historic visit to Great Britain. He has been dogged rather by the churches handling of the priest sex abuse scandal and today, the pope met with victims of the abuse. John Allen is our senior Vatican analyst; he is joining us now live from London. Good to see you.

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Hey, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So not only is the pope actually addressing the sex abuse scandal by meeting with victims and everywhere he goes, people are asking him to comment on it. But lately, people are also asking him to comment about women being ordained as priests. We heard in Carol Costello's piece earlier the one woman who says she doesn't think this pope is very open, but others have said quite the opposite, that he is the pope who is very open. Which is it in your view?

ALLEN: All of the above Fredricka. I mean I think he's an open guy in the sense that he's a world class intellectual and he loves the clash of ideas. And in a personal level he's an extremely gracious and humble man who is a great listener. But he's also a pope who has some pretty firm convictions that he believes are the truth and they come from church tradition. One of those fixed points of truth in his mind is that Christ called only men to priesthood and there fore the church doesn't have the authority to ordain women priest. And the practical payoff of that at the level of that is that it is simply not going to happen at least on his watch. And there fore the women we saw in Carol's piece would be regarded by the Vatican not only as not priests and not bishops, but as sinners in the eyes of God.

WHITFIELD: And potentially excommunicated if --

ALLEN: Not potentially, it's for sure.

WHITFIELD: They would for sure. Well then those women that were in Carol's piece, particularly the one woman who was an ordained priest, she is likely now that people know who she is on a grander scale would be excommunicated?

ALLEN: Sure. The Vatican as Carol's piece noted recently reaffirmed a statement they had made back in 2003. A legal ruling that said anyone who participates in the ordination of a woman in violation of church teaching is automatically excommunicated. In other words it doesn't require the pope or a bishop to issue a document or push a button. It's automatic as soon as that takes place. And there fore obviously from the eyes of church official, the women we saw would be considered excommunicated.

WHITFIELD: So you say the reality check here is, it doesn't matter what the growing support might be of women in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church that is not likely to change. If it's not going to happen under Pope Benedict, then it's very difficult to dis earn whether it would ever happen?

ALLEN: Well you know officially, the Vatican will say no, it never will happen. John Paul II put out a document in the 1990s called ordination of sacred palace on the ordination of priests. In which he made it clear that it's definitive that is binding, unchangeable church teaching that only men can be priests. The footnote that Fredricka is that the Vatican and the Catholic Church in centuries past have said that something will never happen and two or three centuries later it does happen. So what the future holds we don't know. But at least in any short term future scenario that you and I can anticipate just ain't going to happen.

WHITFIELD: So has the Vatican even acknowledged that there is this sentiment and is it even agreeing with what some of the women in the last hour we talked to said it was a growing sentiment that more Catholics want to see a change in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, they want to see more women. Does the Vatican even respond or acknowledge that?

ALLEN: Oh sure. They are not so out of touch that they don't know that is going on. And what they say is, at least the more enlightened ones among them, what they will say is that we have this fixed teaching that women cannot become priests. There's nothing we can do about that. But there's a whole range of ways in which we can empower women and make sure they have the opportunity to participate in the leadership of the church that doesn't require them wearing a Roman collar.

I mean for example in the United States, 25 percent of the chancellors of the American Diocese, that is in effect the CEO under the bishop is a woman, 40 percent almost 50 percent actually of all senior administrative positions in American diocese are held by women, 85 percent of lay ministers, that is people who run the churches payroll in parishes, doing things like organizing the liturgies, and running the education programs in the school they are women.

So the Vatican's argument would be that without changing what it considers to be a fixed truth that comes from God, it actually has a pretty good track record at trying to empower women in every other way.

VELSHI: All right. Vatican analyst, Thanks so much. John Allen, good to see you, appreciate that breakdown.

ALLEN: You bet.

WHITFIELD: All right. Freed hiker, Sarah Shourd well she is set to get back home to the United States as early as tomorrow. Earlier today she thanked those who helped secure her release. Before boarding a U.S. bound flight from Oman, she talked about her two companions, her fiance and a friend who remained behind bars in Iran. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Oman where Shourd took that flight home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Sarah Shourd looked a little more relaxed then when she arrived here four days ago. She appeared to have caught a little sun. She said she had been to visit the grand Mosque, something she had enjoyed and found it a peaceful place. She was introduced by her uncle. But again her words were very carefully chosen, thanking the country's leader, thanking the U.S. Ambassador, but also saying that her visit was unfortunately brief.

SARAH SHOURD, FREED HIKER: I also want to extend my gratitude to the American Ambassador Richard Sneer and his wife Sandy for hosting my family and I during our unfortunately brief stay. I have a deep appreciation for Dr. Malie (ph) for bringing me from Tehran. For his friendship and most importantly for his continued engagement in my life, and the life of my fiance Shane Bauer and my dear friend Josh Fattal during the past thirteen and a half months.

It would be a pleasure to return to Oman and it is my deepest, deepest hope that I would be able to show Shane and Josh the grand Mosque, soon. One of the most peaceful and powerful places of worship I have ever seen. I will always associate your country with the first breath of my freedom.

ROBERTSON: Very clearly, her thoughts with her fiance and her friend who are still in jail in Tehran. She's flying back to New York. But it's very clear from what she says; she's almost torn because she has to leave Oman. The Omanian playing a key roll in winning her release, likely playing a roll in negotiating the release of her fiance and her friend from jail. So, for her, her words and her emotions during this brief statement an indication that although she is now going home, that it is hard bench for her to leave Oman where she's found and tasted freedom for the first time knowing that she leaves her fiance and friend still locked up in a Tehran jail.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks to Nic Robertson there coming to us from Oman. And of course CNN will have live coverage tomorrow when Sarah Shourd arrives back home in the U.S.

On to politics now. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski isn't going down without a fight. She lost in the Republican primary last month to Joe Miller. Well he was backed by the Tea Party Movement and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. But now Murkowski says she will run as a write in candidate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI, (R) ALASKA: You all know that I went back to Washington a couple days ago. The land of negative nabobism. These outside interest groups like the Tea Party Express, the pun dents. There's a lot of nay sayers, all the political guys. Some of my fellow Republicans, they tell me that this can't be done. That this is a futile effort. Well, perhaps it's one time that they met one Republican woman who won't quit on Alaska.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Palin calls on Murkowski's bid quote a futile effort. You heard Murkowski referring to that word, futile. Well she made that comment in Iowa, Palin did where she was attending a major public and fund-raiser during her speech, Palin attacked the Obama administration and the news media. She also called on the Republican establishment to join forces with the Tea Party activists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN, (R) FMR. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's time for unity now. That's the time upon us. Because the time for choosing is near. In just 46 days, Republicans will put their ideas and their experience on the line and they will let the voters decide. It is time to unite. If the goal really is to take away the gavel from Pelosi and Reid and to stop the Obama agenda and make government respect the will of the people and the wisdom of the people, then it is time to unite.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Iowa is the usual starting spot for presidential candidates. But Palin didn't really address her future plans.

All right. Hurricane Igor is moving closer to the east coast. Coming up, we are tracking the storm. We are seeing where people are getting ready for Igor's arrival right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Want to know what it looks like to look down on a hurricane. Take a look, right there see its picture, Hurricane Igor, what it looks like from space. It's heading right for Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour. CNN Major Hurricane Headquarters and meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is keeping a close eye on it. We know our Reynolds Wolf is in Bermuda awaiting the hit as well. JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: They are getting some high over cast conditions. So it is not bad, yet. But by the evening, we expect conditions to start going downhill. The winds will start to pick up and they will start to get some outer bands and it will progressively go down hill from here. It's not imminent that Igor will make land fall in Bermuda, but whether or not the eye hits the coast is not relevant. But either way if it hits it or it doesn't hit it, it will have a huge impact on Bermuda. Because this is big storm and the winds extend out hundreds of miles from the center of the storm.

There you can see, it's a tiny island and it is a giant hurricane. So that kind of helps put it into perspective is that they are going to be feeling the impact of the storm, no matter what. Things are very busy in the Atlantic. In addition to Igor I want to point out a couple different things. We have Julia which is a tropical storm, 50 miles per hour maximum sustained wind, Julia is going to fade out and move on up to the north. So not too big of a concern with Julia.

Now, take a look at what's going on over there. We have an area of disturbed weather into the western Gulf of Mexico that has some potential for development in the next couple of days. Then, back here by the Capeford Islands, we have about a 30 percent chance of this tropical wave becoming our next tropical system. If we do get a name out of either of those, it will be Lisa, by the way.

All right. Let's take a look at the track of Igor and talk a little bit more about the timing of this system. It's moving west-northwest right now and it's expected to take this turn on up toward the north. We could be looking at the land fall in Bermuda. When is this going to happen? It's going to happen late tomorrow night or early on Monday morning. And that is when the worst of the conditions will move in.

Now we have gone down in intensity to a category 2 storm. But it's not that much weaker than a weak category 3. So either way you need to take this seriously and should be treated as a major land fall and hurricane here. It will eventually curve up to the north. You might say to yourself, oh well do we really care here in the United States or do we need to be concerned about anything with Igor? You do. And here is way, because all the way up and down the east coast, we have that high risk of rip currents. The same thing basically that we had with Earl as well as Danielle. So we are going to have some rough waves particularly along the Carolina beaches. Be aware of that.

Let's talk about this wave. You know Karl made land fall as a category 3 storm and really fizzled out over the mountains here. But now you can see it looks like maybe some of that moisture from Karl might have gotten caught up in this little trough as we call it. Just a cluster of thunderstorms right now, it is very close to land so there is not a lot of time for this to develop into a tropical system. But it's going to bringing in a tremendous amount of rainfall across southern parts of Texas and the coastal areas in particular. We do have a risk of rip currents in the Gulf of Mexico as well and flooding rains to be expected in many of these rivers that have already flooded many times in the last couple of months. They will likely do that again in the next couple of days. We could see upwards of eight inches easy with this storm. WHITFIELD: Oh boy, that's pretty big. All right. Thanks Jacqui.

Turning to politics now. President Obama used his weekly address this morning to criticize special interest group's roles in campaigns. Here is a bit of what the president had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: No matter how many ads they run. No matter how many elections they try to buy, the power to determine the fate of this country doesn't lie in their hands, it lies in yours. It's up to all of us to defend that most basic American principal of a government, of, by and for the people. What's at stake is not just an election. It's our democracy, itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Friday the president announced that he's appointing consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren to head a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Supporters are calling the appointment a bold, creative move. The leading Republican says Warren will pursue a quote social justice agenda. Warren was a guest last night on CNN's "John King USA."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KING, CNN HOST, JOHN KING USA:" Why don't bankers like you?

ELIZABETH WARREN, CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU:" I don't know. I thought they did. No?

KING: No.

WARREN: So, all right. Come on. I shouldn't be cute. There are bankers, sure, who don't like me. Some of them haven't met me. Some of them have seen enough. But, the reality is, it depends on where the problems are. There are some bankers who like me. People who want to put out good, simple products that folks can understand and understand the price, understand what the risks are, exercise their own personal responsibility about whether or not they want to do it.

Those are bankers, I think, who are going to welcome this consumer agency. Because they are actually going to have a better shot in a competitive marketplace when they are not competing against bankers who figured out how to make their profits on tricking people and trapping them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Clemency denied for a Virginia woman on death row. Coming up, we will take a closer look at the case against Teresa Lewis and the efforts to save her from lethal injection.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski is taking an unconventional approach in her reelection bid. She's launching a write in campaign. Murkowski was forced to change strategy after she lost Alaska's GOP primary to a Tea Party backed political newcomer, Joe Miller. South Carolina Senator Strom Thurman is the only U.S. Senator to ever win a write in campaign.

And today is Election Day in Afghanistan. The fourth since the Taliban was officially booted from power, although their presence was felt today, voter turn out was light as Taliban militants threaten to disrupt the vote. They were scattered attacks across the country and more than 2,500 candidates are actually vying for 249 parliamentary seats.

And today Bp is putting the final fix on the now plugged well in the Gulf of Mexico. The company pumped cement in the bottom of the well. That well, which is responsible for the largest oil spill in U.S. history, stopped gushing oil on July 15th. Once the cement dries, the well will be dead and incapable of releasing anymore oil. Pressure tests will be conducted to see if that is indeed affective.

All right. No reprieve, the U.S. Supreme Court is the last hope for a Virginia woman on death row. CNN's Brian Todd has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): From Virginia's death row, Teresa Lewis sings for divine intervention.

No miracles, yet. Virginia Governor Bob McDonald refuses to issue a stay of execution for the first woman slated to be put to death in Virginia in nearly a century. If the Supreme Court doesn't intervene, Lewis will die by lethal injection next Thursday. I spoke with Lewis just before the Governor's ruling. Because of the sensitivity of the case at this point, the questions are limited to just a couple of predetermined questions for Teresa Lewis. We are also not allowed to bring cameras into the facility where she is being held. So we are speaking to her on the phone from her unit on death row in Virginia. If you could say anything to the governor at this point, what would you tell him?

TERESA LEWIS, DEATH ROW INMATE (via telephone): I would tell the governor, if I could speak to him one-on-one how sorry I really am. What happened to two people that I loved very much and I just wish I could take it back? I am sorry for all the people that I hurt in the process.

TODD: Lewis pleaded guilty in the 2002 murders of her husband Julian Lewis and her stepson CJ in their mobile home in Southern Virginia. But this was a crime of conspiracy. And Lewis herself didn't fire the shots. The two men who did including Lee Prigerman (ph), Mathew Shalenburger (ph) only got life sentences. The judge called Teresa Lewis the head of this serpent. But her attorney says her IQ is in the low 70s, near the level of retardation. And they say Lewis has dependent personality disorder making her vulnerable to corrosion by others.

Is it your basic contention that she was manipulated into this crime? JAMES ROCAP, TERESA LEWIS' ATTORNEY: Yes, Shalenburger (ph) has stated and the experts that have examined her agree that she was being used by Shalenburger (ph) not the other way around.

TODD: Shalenburger had had an affair with Teresa Lewis before the killings. Her attorneys cite a prison letter from Shalenburger (ph) to another woman saying the only reason he slept with Lewis was so she would give me the insurance money she inherited after the murders. Matthew Shalenburger (ph) later committed suicide in prison. On the idea that Lewis was manipulated prosecutor David Grimes says this.

DAVID GRIMES, PROSECUTOR: I can frankly say that Teresa Lewis is as evil a person as I have ever met.

TODD: Grimes says his investigation showed Lewis herself took an active role in the plot. That she connived, manipulated everyone from her late husband to her lover, to her children. And he says test his side conducted contradicted those which indicated that say she's near retardation.

GRIMES: Her functioning ability is way beyond that.

TODD: You think she was faking?

GRIMES: Well, she certainly wasn't, as one of the experts said in the habitues proceedings, she certainly wasn't motivated to score accurately and high on those tests.

TODD: Lewis' attorney says the contention that she's faking a low IQ is silly. He says one expert specifically tested to see if she was faking that and found she wasn't.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: There are 61 women on death row in the U.S. right now. California has the most with 16, Texas with 10; at least 40 women have been executed in the past 100 years. Twelve of those have -- I don't know what that statement says. We have to flip that one. The last woman executed was Frances Newton in 2005. She was convicted of killing her husband and two sons. The Supreme Court declined two appeals about an hour before her scheduled execution.

A Pennsylvania homeowner says the hunt for natural gas is hurting his health. A special investigation next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Exploration for natural gas has become a very big business in many parts of the country, nowhere more than in rural areas of Pennsylvania and in some sections of upstate New York. In Pennsylvania alone, there are already an estimated 1,800 natural gas wells being drilled or in production. Drew Griffin of CNN's "Special Investigations Unit" now with a report on what that drilling has meant for some Pennsylvania families. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bill Ely's pure artisan well water that he and his family have been drinking for nearly 50 years is now full of methane gas. He's sick of telling people about it, so now he just shows them.

BILL ELY, LIVE NEAR NATURAL GAS DRILLING: I'm not going to be able to light this because the wind's blowing. It's going to blow it right out, but I'm going to try it.

GRIFFIN (on camera): Whoa. It looks like you scared me.

(LAUGHTER) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what? You're really lucky you didn't...

GRIFFIN: What just happened? I mean...

ELY: That's just -- the gas went down. And that's why I said, it comes back and blows it out these holes, but if I turn it up a little bit and then water blocks that, and then it'll just burn a flame right off the top.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): The gas bubbles through his well.

ELY: And as you can see right now, you can't see it in the hose into the bottom of that because that's all gas.

GRIFFIN (on camera): And it was at one time clear?

ELY: Clear. Crystal clear.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): It steams off like Alka-Seltzer. In his chicken coop, where it's dark, he can show you the flame.

What's causing this? He says like a lot of people in rural eastern Pennsylvania, he has been fracked.

This area is seeing a boom in the natural gas business because of a geological formation known as the Marcellus Shale and a drilling process called hydraulic fracturing. Fracking, as it's known, drills down and then sideways into the massive shale rock that lies thousands of feet below, injecting mostly water and some chemicals which cause mini earthquakes. That fractures the rock, releasing clear, odorless, floating gold, natural gas trapped inside the Marcellus Shale, hundreds of trillions of cubic feet worth, enough to supply the northeast for decades to come.

Craig and Julie Sautner say they too are being fracked.

GRIFFIN (on camera): I'm going to play a little devil's advocate with you. That's a little bit why they say they're doing this, because this is clean fuel.

CRAIG SAUTNER, LIVE NEAR NATURAL GAS DRILLING: Clean fuel. JULIE SAUNTER, LIVE NEAR NATURAL GAS DRILLING: It's - it's not clean to get. It's a fossil fuel. Any fossil fuel -- coal, oil, gas, is -- they don't see the dirty side. This is the dirty side of natural gas. It's clean to burn, but it's not clean to get.

GRIFFIN: Like Bill Ely, the Sautner's well is poisoned. Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection confirmed it, and it's now forcing the gas exploration company, Cabot Oil & Gas, to truck in clean drinking water, though Cabot denies its process of fracturing has contaminated anything.

In fact, the company's spokesman cites a 2004 EPA study which found only a minimal threat to underground drinking water, and told CNN, "We don't believe the process is contaminating the groundwater. As a technology, it's proven and safe."

C. SAUTNER: We don't know...

GRIFFIN: The Sautners and other homeowners just don't buy that. They are suing. Craig wants a clean water pipeline to his home, and he wants to be paid for a house that now has a methane release stack in his front yard.

C. SAUTNER: To keep it -- to keep it from blowing up, yes.

GRIFFIN: And a neighborhood, he says, that is sometimes fogged in with methane mist.

C. SAUTNER: Will this become a ghost town some day? Maybe, right? I sure don't want to live here anymore.

GRIFFIN: Drew Griffin, CNN, Dimock, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead, impoverished children are compelled to go to work instead of school, exploring child labor in Africa.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, conservative heavyweights are in Washington, D.C. for the Values Voter Summit, this weekend. The summit gathers conservative political activists and social conservatives. And just moments ago, they did their straw poll for the next GOP presidential front-runner. Just take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY PERKINS, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: No. 2, runner-up is Governor Mike Huckabee.

(APPLAUSE)

No. 5 in the list of those candidates for president, Sarah Palin.

(APPLAUSE) No. 4, Newt Gingrich.

(APPLAUSE)

No. 3, Mitt Romney.

(APPLAUSE)

And coming in as the top pick in the 2010 presidential candidate straw poll at the Values Voter Summit, is Congressman Mike Pence.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK, the result of the straw poll there, taken during the Value Voters Summit. Joining me on the phone, right now, CNN senior political analyst, Ed Rollins.

All right, Ed, so you heard the list, there, Mike Pence, kind of the front-runner, the winner of that straw poll. Governor Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin. Is this straw poll vote, Ed, kind of representative of what the Republican Party might endorse as a whole?

ED ROLLINS, CNN SR POLITICAL ANALYST (via telephone): No. Mike Pence is a great guy. I think a lot of people respect him very, very much. He's not a national figure at this point and time. Mike Huckabee, obviously, I shared his campaign last time, Mike came in second in the presidential race the last time. Obviously, if he wants to run again, he'll be a viable candidate. He's not given indication that he wants to do that.

You know, I think the other -- it's about name I.D., I think these are very important people who came to this convention. The difference between this convention and the Tea Party is these people, social issues are very important to them, things like gay marriage and the abortion issues are still very significant, where, I think the Tea Party is about fiscal conservatism and smaller government and not raising taxes.

They may share common goals, but I think at this point and time, as I said, Mike Pence is a good guy, he's going to be a very important player if we have a majority in the Congress, but I think the House will do, but at this point in time, he's -- no one has ever talked about him as a presidential candidate.

WHITFIELD: Well interesting, and as you know, you mentioned the differences between those who might be in support of the Value Voters Summit and that philosophy and that of the Tea Party. Among those that were in attendance, Christine O'Donnell, the Delaware Republican pick who was supported by the Tea Party movement, Newt Gingrich, of course, in attendance there, Bill Bennett, Mike Huckabee and others who were on the list, here. So, is this sort of, kind of a -- a bringing together of various philosophies? ROLLINS: If we want to beat President Obama in two years, we need both of these segments to come together. The reality is that the Tea Party movement is a new movement, it's a very, very active movement. It's played a role in primaries across this country. And Sarah Palin has played a very significant role as has Huckabee and Gingrich.

You know, at the end of the day, it's about addition, it's not about subtraction and even though there may be different ideologies the people want to puch, we need all of these voters and I think they're very, very important. So, I think there's some crossover, but at the end of the day, I would be very shocked that Mike Pence is anything other than a very significant leader in the new Congress.

WHITFIELD: Ed Rollins, thanks so much for your time, appreciate it.

ROLLINS: My pleasure. Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories, right now. Freed American hiker, Sarah Shourd is on her way to the U.S. after making a stop in Oman, and there, she also had some public comments, there, praising the country of Oman for its support, helping to put up $500,000 bail for her release in Tehran. And then she also had a few words for the other two American hikers that are being held on espionage charges in Tehran. She's hoping for their quick release. She's expected to be back in the United States, actually, tomorrow.

Also, no clemency for Virginia death row inmate ,Teresa Lewis. Virginia's governor, Bob McDonald, decided not to stop the planned execution. Lewis was convicted in the deaths of her husband and step- son. She would be the first woman executed in Virginia in over a century century. Her attorney may still appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

And Pope Benedict talked about the Catholic churches sex abuse scandal during a mass at Westminster Cathedral in London, today. It's the first time that he has addressed the scandal publicly during his four- day trip in Britain. The pope offered an apology to the victims and said the church has suffered shame and humiliation over the sins. Later, the pope reportedly met with five abuse victims.

All year, we've introduced you to remarkable people, everyday people who are changing the world. Well, next week, we'll reveal our top 10 "CNN Heroes" of 2010. Last year's winner says it recognition transformed his life and helped him expand his extraordinary work. Efren Penaflorida is now challenging his countrymen to unleash the hero within.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: The CNN Hero of the Year is Efren Penaflorida.

(voice-over): From the slums of the Philippines to the stage at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Efren Penaflorida has come a long way.

EFREN PENAFLORIDA, CNN HERO 2009: We are the change that this world needs to be.

COOPER: For 12 years, Efren and his team of volunteers have pushed their mobile classrooms through the streets of their neighborhoods, teaching kids who never make it to school. But after being named 2009 CNN Hero of the Year, Efren became a national hero.

PENAFLORIDA: It is really overwhelming.

COOPER: Upon his return, Philippine President Gloria Arroyo presented him with one of the country's highest honors. One year later, the pushcart classroom model has been replicated more than 50 times across the Philippians and inspired the construction of an education center funded in part by the CNN Heroes grant.

PENAFLORIDA: They say that that's a symbol of poverty, but now they see a pushcart as the symbol of hope and education.

COOPER: Recently, Efren has had his story told in six countries and languages and can be seen weekly in his own search for heroes on Philippine television. The young man from the slums has turned the attention of a nation toward a common dream.

PENAFLORIDA: My fellow Filipinos, they are unleashing the hero inside of them. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, so who will be the CNN Hero of 2010? You decide. Beginning Thursday, we will begin announcing the top 10 heroes on CNN.com. It all starts at 1:00 Eastern Time and that's when you can vote online for the CNN Hero who inspires you. All 10 are honors on Thanksgiving night as CNN Heroes, an all-star tribute hosted by our own Anderson Cooper.

Impoverished children are compelled to go to work instead of school. We'll exploring child labor in Africa.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Leaving childhood behind, going to work to help your family survive is a way of life for thousands of children in Africa. CNN's David McKenzie brings us the touching story of two young brothers in Kenya.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Already a two-year veteran on the job, eight-year-old Boku knows he must pull a goat's ears to move it. Five-year-old Mohammad is still learning his trade.

These brothers work at the Kiamako Market in Nairobi. They make a living delivering goats. And if they're lucky, they'll earn just a dollar a day.

"Every day, I wake up and go to the market to work," says Boku. "When I'm done, I have to come back home." They're paid for each goat they take to the slaughterhouses, where they're dwarfed by their employers.

(on camera): Boku and Mohammad aren't the only children working here. The local leaders say there are literally hundreds of children working with these slaughterhouses. Now, the owners don't want us to come inside and film, but they do admit that they use child labor.

(voice-over): Which is illegal in Kenya. Primary education is free and compulsory, but UNICEF says one in four children in Kenya work.

"We need help. The government must come and forcefully take these children away and educate them," this man says.

But it's not that simple. Community activists say that even free schooling is too expensive.

ADAN ROBA, KIAMAKO TALENT INITIATIVE: They say it is free, but in other ways, it's not free, because you have to provide a uniform, you have to buy books, you have to every day, when he wakes up, you have to give him food, shelter.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): So Boku and Mohammad must earn just to survive.

"I have to work," says Boku, "because my mom is sick, so we don't get food."

When their father died, the boys became the only source of income. Their mother can't find work.

We met other women in Kiamako with working kids. These mothers say between them, they have half a dozen children working.

ROBA: They do know about child labor. They think that everybody can work, but in a real sense, child labor is not good for the community.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): And dangerous. Older boys steal their money, and police regularly arrest the working children. One senior police officer told us it's too complicated to arrest their employers.

Boku says he does his best to protect his brother. But for this boy, who has become a man, the burden is sometimes too much.

"He is so small and young," says Boku.

While children their age should be playing, the brothers have to work. Boku tells us his dream is to play soccer and watch TV. But right now, all they can really count on is a lifetime of labor.

David McKenzie, CNN, Kiamako, Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: A Virginia farmer is taking an unusual approach to get the attention of Congress. He drove his tractor from Virginia to Capitol Hill. The reason? A $1.2 billion approved legal settlement has yet to be paid. Here's John Boyd in his own words.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN BOYD, FARMER: We're going to be driving my trusty tractor, justice here, all over Washington. So people can see what a real farmer looks like, a real black farmer looks like, and the lives they are affecting, that they are affecting when they deny justice.

Hello Washington, here I come. We have the Democrats leading both the House and the Senate. African-American leading to sway the Justice Department and a black president and we can't get this money.

This is a case that's been proven in federal court, we have a settlement agreement. We have the administration that says that they support this. Congressional leaders in both the House and Senate that both said that they support this. Then why isn't it done?

BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: It is a fair settlement, it is a just settlement. We think it's important for Congress to fund that settlement. We're going to continue to make it a priority.

BOYD: We're so frustrated at the fact that this bill has failed in the Senate seven times.

Welcome to the White House. But I any that Senator Obama was a far better advocate for black farmers than President Obama has been, today. I know he's going to sign the bill into law. That's not why I'm here. I'm here to say that we need more of an urgent plea from the administration to get this done for black farmers, right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you're going to see this every morning.

BOYD: Do this every morning until they tell me something with this damn bill. I mean, this is ridiculous.

It's been one hurdle after another, one obstacle after another and we're going to be in Washington until this bill is passed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have some bipartisan support.

BOYD: We have support.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But, we just need enough to get (INAUDIBLE).

BOYD: I'm told that Senator Grassley is on his way down and I'm very eager to hear from him and see how we can get other Republicans on board and to move this bill. It's just like Senator Hagen said, you know, we need one or two more Republicans to kind of break this gridlock.

SEN CHARLES GRASSLEY (R), IOWA: Mr. Boyd.

BOYD: Hey young man, how you doing? The only man in the Senate that knows what a tractor looks like.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you rally more Republicans behind the funding part of this bill to get it done?

GRASSLEY: You know, it's very difficult if the funding part from the other side is only tax increases, because we feel that during a recession, you should not increase taxes.

BOYD: And I'm hopeful that we can get some justice. It's just been, like I said, one thing after another, one stumbling block after another.

(END VIDEOTAPE)