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Push for Peace in Afghanistan; Countdown to Midterm Elections; America's Longest-Running War Taking Toll on Troops; Hungary Begins Cleanup of Toxic Sludge; Tornadoes Slammed Arizona ; First-Time Claims for Unemployment Benefits Down; Former Senator John Edwards Subpoenaed; Stop Deploying Wounded Troops

Aired October 07, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. Thanks so much. Good morning, everybody.

For the next couple of hours we're going to explore the Afghan war from several angles. The war's toll on terrorists and the threat that's still alive, still out there, still lethal.

Also, the war's toll on our military and their families. Heroes coming home like this. For nine years now.

And this morning, the fighting doesn't stop. Neither do the attempts at peace talks. President Hamid Karzai meeting with a group of prominent Afghans to discuss ways to talk to the Taliban.

However, a Taliban spokesperson says that peace talks won't happen until U.S. and NATO troops withdraw. Meanwhile militants keep targeting Afghan-bound NATO convoys. There have been at least six attacks in Pakistan in just one week. At least six people killed. Dozens of trucks destroyed.

Let's get one more attempt to talk about this peace initiative that's on the table. CNN's Ivan Watson live in Kabul.

What do you think, Ivan? Can it happen?

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi there, Kyra.

What we have seen from the Karzai government for years is an attempt to try to convince Taliban commanders to put down the weapons and stop fighting against the government. And those efforts have largely failed.

And what we saw here today was his creation, the first meeting of basically a council of tribal elders and religious leaders, some former warlords with very bad human rights records from past wars. And they're going to be tasked with trying to reach out to the Taliban, try to negotiate some kind of a settlement.

I talked to one of those members of this high peace council. He says there are going to have to be conditions if some deal will ever be made.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDUL HAMID MOBAREZ, HIGH PEACE COUNCIL MEMBER: What kind of peace, a justifiable peace, the honorable peace we want. Not accept all wishes of Taliban. They should accept our constitution, our values like freedom of press, like gender, like these things.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Now, Kyra, there have been a lot of swirling reports in the media that the Karzai government is having high-level contacts with the Taliban. His aides continue to deny those reports -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, now, the Pentagon, what is it saying about this peace council initiative meeting and does it have any hope?

WATSON: Well, this is very interesting. Our own Chris Lawrence, a senior defense official has told him that there are, in fact, some kind of talks taking place between Hamid Karzai and some high-level Taliban leaders, but they went on to say, quote, "We don't assess that these talks have resulted in practical reconciliation or the resolution of many issues."

And in fact, going on to say that the military side of this, putting more pressure on the Taliban militants whose insurgency is raging across this country, that still needs to -- need more time to put more pressure on the Taliban before they're in any position of strength to negotiate some kind of a settlement.

PHILLIPS: All right. Ivan Watson there live in Kabul. Ivan, thanks.

And yesterday I had a chance to talk with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about the Afghanistan war. I asked Admiral Mike Mullen about Pakistan's place in this conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. MIKE MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: It's not just Afghanistan. It's Afghanistan and Pakistan. You know, I've been to Pakistan a lot. Engaged with them. That's a country that's critical to the region and actually to the strategy that we re-establish a relationship that we abandoned for almost a dozen years, and re-established trust that we had and no longer do.

And we're trying to rebuild that, as well. And that's -- that border area is the epicenter of terrorism in the world. Not just in the region but in the world right now. And more and more of those organizations are reaching out globally, threatening us globally, talking about doing or executing the kinds of terrorist activities that we saw in Detroit, we saw recently in Times Square.

So that's why that region is so important and this mission is so important.

PHILLIPS: I have to ask you this. Every couple of years it seems like we bring this question up in the media. Do we need to find and kill Osama bin Laden to finally feel like we're gaining an edge? MULLEN: Well, actually, we've gained an edge on al Qaeda. And it would certainly be significant if we were to find and kill bin Laden or Zawahiri. We are seeking to do that. I actually believe that some point in time it will happen. And I think it's -- it would be a very important step in the overall campaign plan, if you will.

So I do think it's an important outcome. But al Qaeda has been significantly diminished over the course of the last two or three years but by no means are they no longer lethal. They still plan to kill as many Americans as they possibly can. And we know that for a fact.

So the pressure we want to continue to raise the pressure and certainly seek to kill or capture the top two in al Qaeda.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Mental and physical anguish of war ahead. Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta gives us his insight on those impacts on our soldiers from the front lines.

And there are just 267 days remaining until the all-important midterm elections and the clock is ticking loudly in several battleground states, from Nevada to Connecticut, New York to Missouri.

The contests heating up and CNN is breaking them down.

Let's turn to the best political team in television for the latest polls on key congressional races. For that, deputy political director Paul Steinhauser, our senior political editor Mark Preston, they're both in Washington at the desk.

Bring us up to date, guys.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Kyra. You're absolutely right. We're heading into the final days of the election season. Let's start out in Nevada where Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is in the fight for his life. In fact he says he's going to spend $25 million to try to keep his seat.

Well, CNN/"TIME"/Opinion Research Corporation did a poll. Just released it late yesterday, Kyra. So this is right off the presses. It shows that Harry Reid is losing right now to Sharron Angle. She is that Tea Party favorite. Where the Tea Party movement, that national movement came in and helped fund that campaign. That poll shows Harry Reid at 40 percent, Sharron Angle at 42 percent.

There is a third party candidate. His name is Scott Ashjian. He says he's a Tea Party candidate. He draws 7 percent in that poll. When we pull Scott Ashjian out of the equation, though, it still shows that Sharron Angle has a two-point lead.

I have to tell you, President Obama is heading out to Las Vegas later this month for a big rally for Harry Reid. Harry Reid is one of the few Democrats who is not trying to distance himself from President Obama. To Paul.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I tell you, Kyra, another state where the Republicans, if they win back the Senate, and it's a big if. If they do it, though, one of the states would be Connecticut.

This is a seat that Democratic Senator Chris Dodd has had for 30 years but he's not running for reelection. Check out these brand new numbers there in the contest. And the attorney general, the long-time attorney general of state, Richard Blumenthal, the Democratic nominee, according to our CNN/"TIME" poll as it came out just yesterday he's up by 13 points over Linda McMahon. Remember, she's the former pro- wrestling executive at World Wrestling Entertainment.

When you break down our numbers, you look at independents and they're so crucial. He is winning independents by double digits, as well. Our poll has a bigger lead than other previous polls conducted in the last month.

We're going to keep a big eye on Connecticut. Back to you, Mark.

PRESTON: You know, and let's turn to Missouri, Kyra, just very quickly. A race that hasn't gotten a whole lot of national attention but it's a race that Democrats thought they could pick up the seat. This is the seat for retiring Senator Kit Bond.

Robin Carnahan is the Democratic nominee. She's been doing pretty well in polls. Roy Blunt is the Republican nominee. Our poll shows right now that Roy Blunt has a commanding 13-point lead. He is at 53 percent. Carnahan comes in at 40 percent.

And I have to say, in just a few hours or just even later on this evening, senator -- rather, Vice President Joe Biden is heading to Missouri to do an event for Carnahan -- Paul.

STEINHAUSER: You are right. And Joe Biden was a senator, like, for a long time.

PRESTON: I see that -- OK.

STEINHAUSER: Hey, one other thing. Let's talk governors for one second, Kyra. There's that crazy race in New York state, right, between Andrew Cuomo, the attorney general up there who's the Democratic nominee, and Carl Paladino?

We've all been talking a lot about him lately. Buffalo developer, backed by a lot of people in the Tea Party movement. And he's the Republican nominee. But our new -- brand new poll from CNN and "TIME" indicates that Cuomo has the big advantage here, 14 points over Paladino. But that race, far from over.

Listen, an interesting story up there in New York. Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Guys, appreciate it. And an amazing sight in northern Arizona. Four tornadoes sweep through, overturning trucks, cars, even a freight train. We're going to take you there, right, Rob?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we are. And that is very, very rare. Not only that to happen in the morning and tremendous amount of damage with only a handful of not-so serious injuries, so that's the good news there.

That storm is beginning to weaken. The storm in the northeast refuses to go away, and we have this Otto character in the Atlantic. We'll run it down after the break. Stay there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: I'll tell you this big mess in northern Arizona. A whole lot to clean up this morning. The rubble, debris, everywhere after four tornadoes actually ripped through the town of Bellemont yesterday.

Seven people were hurt. More than a hundred homes damaged. And our iReporter actually sent this video. You can see the mess that was left behind in the community. The winds were so strong it even caused a train to derail.

County sheriff says the twisters left behind, quote, "a mile of destruction."

Rob Marciano, and you were saying, that is rare.

MARCIANO: Yes. Well, Arizona the state gets about four tornadoes a year. Let alone getting four in one day in basically the same area. So -- and they all came in the morning. Well, actually, one getting into the early afternoon but nonetheless it was a phenomenal day as far as the atmosphere goes and how the things were shaping up in it.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Cleanup crews in Hungary face a real challenge right now, stopping this river of toxic mud before other European countries suffer, too.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: America's longest-running war has taken a severe toll on the mental and physical health of our troops. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta spent a lot of time on the front lines, both in Afghanistan and Iraq, and he's seen firsthand the war's devastating effect. The one thing we've talked a lot about are the suicides when these guys come back, even overseas, men and women. But there's so much more that they're dealing with. You know, the brain injuries, as well.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We talked so much about the brain injuries and how that's become the signature injury of this war, whereas amputations, for example, were signature injuries of previous wars.

But the mental health impact -- I think for a long time, people didn't really know quite how to approach this or how significant the toll was going to be. Certainly not nine years ago. And as things have gone along, it's become one of these things that you simply cannot ignore at any level.

If you take a look at the numbers, I think these are most striking. 2009, for example, the hospitalizations, if you classify them by physical injuries and mental injuries, you can take a look at the numbers there. There are more people, more US troops hospitalized last year for mental health issues than for physical injuries. That should say a lot to anybody who looks at those numbers right there.

And let me add to that. As you know, Kyra, a lot of people never even go to the hospital. They never even seek help. So numbers are probably even underestimated. It's probably much higher than that.

PHILLIPS: Sure. A lot of them don't realize what they're going through. A lot of them don't want to admit to it. A lot of it's pride.

GUPTA: That's right. And some of it's stigma, and some of it's the inability to move forward if they think they come forward with this sort of thing.

PHILLIPS: Yes, and they lose their job, their reputation.

GUPTA: That's right.

PHILLIPS: So many of these men and women have multiple deployments. Today, we're covering the funeral of a young man that was killed a just week ago. Twelve deployments. I mean, it's outrageous.

GUPTA: I have spent so much time at these VA hospitals as well, when I haven't been in Iraq or Afghanistan, looking at how these troops are cared for her. I was struck by a couple of things. One is that it is incredibly hard to even see a mental health counselor when you're here. At Fort Hood, for example, which we talked a lot about, 4,000 --

PHILLIPS: Why is it so hard?

GUPTA: Because there's simply not enough resources, in part because I think everyone underestimated how significant a toll this was going to be. At Fort Hood, for example, 4,000 patients a month. Imagine that. No -- Even the biggest hospitals in the country can't take that kind of load of patients, certainly not Fort Hood. So that's part of the problem.

Also, the criteria for whether or not someone can go back and be redeployed. If they come with some sort of mental health issue, they have to document that they have seen some sort of activity that would have given them PTSD and have an official diagnosis, otherwise they can be redeployed. And we know that if you're redeployed, you're two and a half times more likely to develop some of these symptoms.

So the numbers are becoming increasingly clear, it's related to deployment. The suicide rate is higher among US troops now than it is among the civilian population. That's been documented. The hospitalizations, obviously, higher, as well.

PHILLIPS: If you have an issue, and you haven't dealt with it, and you go back overseas, that is one of the leading causes of the suicide rate that's on the rise. It's definitely an emergency situation, and top commanders have said that.

GUPTA: They've said it and, to be fair, some things are starting to be done about this. They're starting to, for example, put more mental health counselors in field in Afghanistan and Iraq to try and deal with some of these issues directly.

In sort of relationship to this lack of manpower, they talk about things like tele-medicine, where they can actually have a counselor who may not be physically present, but can try and counsel either an individual or groups of individuals on these issues from overseas.

So, you have some strategies coming into play. But I think -- I try and forecast what it's going to be like 10, 15 years down the line for so many troops who have been so adversely affected, and I think unless more is done now, these problems aren't going to go away. In fact, they're going to get magnified as people realize that they never got the help, the mental health help that they needed.

PHILLIPS: We're going to talk more about this next hour. I had a chance to sit down with Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And he said, "We've got hundreds of programs out there. We've just got to figure out what's working and how to implement them and -- to get people checked into the programs.

GUPTA: And to get rid of the stigma.

PHILLIPS: Exactly. Right.

GUPTA: So people actually want to do it.

PHILLIPS: They've got to do it. Thanks, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: All right. More from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Pretty amazing pictures out of Hungary. That's what's topping our Morning Passport. And it's not just muddy water. It's actually toxic sludge. One million cubic meters released when a containment reservoir burst at an aluminum plant in Hungary. Four people died when that river of toxic mud water actually washed away homes and cars.

It's now reached Danube River, the second-largest in Europe, which could spread the pollution to other countries. Our Chief International Correspondent Nic Robertson has a closer look at what's being done to actually try and clean up the mess.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): In its wake, death and destruction. A vivid, red, toxic trail engulfing at least three villages, leading back to a slurry pit at an aluminum works, where it burst its banks late Monday.

During its surge, the scarlet torrent killed four people, two of them children. More than 100 others have been hurt. The most serious sent to the capital for treatment.

The government was quick to react. Chemical hazard teams sent to the site. A state of emergency declared. But it has taken two days to get answers to some of the most basic and troubling questions. How dangerous is the red sludge?

SANDOR PINTER, INTERIOR MINISTER OF HUNGARY (through translator): In order to avoid further disaster, we have established a guard on the walls of the 10th segment of the reservoir. That will be operating 24 hours a day, with firemen and police in the villages. And if another break might occur, sirens will sound and people will be sure they can run to safety.

I want to emphasize, there was not a natural disaster in the area. And if it was not a natural disaster, we have to find the person responsible for the catastrophe. For that reason, the chief of police has ordered the national investigation office to investigate the reason for the break.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): But as the red river dries out at its source, fresh fears are surfacing. Could the harmful toxins go airborne? And how far might they spread?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: That spill forced many people to evacuate, and they don't know yet when they're actually get a chance to get back home.

His love of country sent him to war. The love of his family brings him home. This hour, in Georgia, the homecoming of a fallen soldier. His story, right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right. Just minutes from now the heart-wrenching reality of our war. Fallen soldiers and when they return home. And today on this ninth anniversary of the Afghanistan war, it's Sergeant First Class Lance Vogeler. He served an astonishing 12 combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was courageous and dedicated but today, his family wants you to know he was more than just a warrior. He was a beloved son and brother. Martin Savidge joins us live from Hunter Army Air Field in Savannah, Georgia -- Marty.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Kyra.

We're just getting notice that it looks about 9:45, roughly 15 minutes from now that the body of Lance Vogeler will arrive here at Hunter Army Air Field. Already, you can probably see there is an honor guard that's in place to meet the plane when it gets here. There is also a contingent of Army rangers that are standing by from the battalion that did not deploy. And then, the casket will be loaded in the hearse and drive to the funeral home.

What's interesting is the route that that vehicle is going to take has been published in the newspaper. And as is tradition, it's expected that people in this Military community will come out and pay their respects as it goes by.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to talk with the Vogeler family, and as you can imagine it's an extremely emotional time. In fact, as his father put it, his heart is bursting with pride and breaking at the very same time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM VOGELER, FATHER (through interpreter): His heart breaks.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Ask Tim Vogeler what kind of person his son was and his hands begin to move. While his younger son Chris translates.

T. VOGELER: Wish the world could meet him. Just amazing. Thinks his son's really awesome.

SAVIDGE: He and his wife Donna are deaf. They may not be able to speak about how proud they are, but they certainly can still tell you.

DONNA VOGELER, MOTHER (through interpreter): Loved to help people. He was a very joyful man. A great son.

SAVIDGE: 29-year-old Sergeant First Class Lance Vogeler was an Army ranger, a special breed of soldier. Nothing proved that more than the number of times he put himself in harm's way. Vogeler did four rotations in Iraq and eight in Afghanistan. A dozen combat tours overall. Hugh Williams served alongside him for four years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He led by example. The man led by example. He was not going to ask you to do something he himself was not willing to do.

SAVIDGE: Growing up, Vogeler was a Boy Scout. He loved roller skating, soccer, golf, and God. And it's the latter that's helped his family through since his death in combat last Friday.

D. VOGELER: It's very hard, very hard. T. VOGELER: We cope because of our faith. God's blessed us a lot.

SAVIDGE: But along with the grief is moments of laughter as Chris Vogeler remember.

CHRIS VOGELER, YOUNGER BROTHER: Both being children of deaf parents, we got away with a lot.

(LAUGHTER)

SAVIDGE: But there was no escaping the danger of so many rotations. Even after being wounded in the leg, Vogeler came home, healed, and went back. I asked his mom if she ever thought he went back too many times.

D. VOGELER: Yes. She felt it was a lot and yet expected more, too. That was his wish.

SAVIDGE (on camera): Did you ever think this day would come?

D. VOGELER: No.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): And that's when our conversation ended and you didn't need words or hands to understand why.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Sergeant Vogeler is also married and has two children with a third baby on the way -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Wow. Martin Savidge, appreciate that report. And we will be following the funeral procession as soon as his body arrives. I understand there's going to be a pretty amazing hometown welcome for this hero and we'll be there.

Marty, thanks so much.

Well, a father fighting for the right to bury his son his way, in private with dignity. It's a case that's now testing the limits of free speech before the U.S. Supreme Court. The question is, is this protected free speech or a personal attack? This is what the grieving family of Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder had to endure at his funeral in 2006. These protesters are from the tiny but loud Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. Their claim to infamy is denouncing homosexuality at Military funerals. Members are the essentially the extended family of the pastor Fred Phelps.

His daughter spoke after arguing before the Supreme Court.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARGIE PHELPS, ATTORNEY FOR WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH: When you have a public funeral, and you broadcast to the nation that that dead soldier is a hero and that God is blessing America, we will be there and tell you God is cursing America. It is a curse for your young men and women to be coming home in body bags. And if you want that to stop, stop sinning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, many families have endured Westboro's attacks over the years but Corporal Snyder's dad's is the one whose lawsuit is now before the highest court of the land.

Our John Roberts actually had a chance to talk to him this morning. And it's still tough for him to have to deal with this, John.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR, "AMERICAN MORNING": It still really is tough. I mean, you can imagine. You lose your son, 20-year-old Lance Corporal in the Marines, Matthew Snyder. Buried in 2006. And then you have protesters show up like that with signs like that outside his funeral.

Al Snyder told me this morning, he said, that was like being kicked in the gut. And so they sued to seek relief. A lower court awarded the family $5 million but that was overturned by an appeals court, which is now it's before the Supreme Court of the United States. It's a very important case putting family privacy against freedom of speech. And would appear that the Supreme Court seems to be wanting to come down on the side of the family but may have their hands tied.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg said that nothing that the church members did appeared to be illegal under current Maryland law. But at the same time, she said this of the Westboro church. Why should the First Amendment tolerate exploiting this bereaved family when you have so many other forums for getting across your message?

And I said to Al Snyder this morning, OK, it might have been very, very offensive. But was it legal? Here's what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERT SNYDER, FATHER OF LANCE CORPORAL MATTHEW SNYDER, : It might not have been illegal, but it did cause emotional stress and emotional damage. And, you know, you have to look at this as tort law, too. There's a lot involved in this, just other than free speech. You know, it gets me so much, John, when I hear these people say, well, this is what your son died for. You know, you didn't know my sons, so don't tell me what he died for, first of all. But no soldier or veteran goes into the military and takes an oath that it's OK to target an innocent family and harass them.

And it wasn't just about them showing up at the funeral. It was about what they did before and after the funeral. Two days before that funeral, they sent out notices to press and emerge - you know, the authorities. This notice had Matt's picture on it. It had a military coffin. Underneath it, it's burial of an ass. Then it went on to say we will be protesting at St. John's Catholic dog kennel.

ROBERTS: Wow.

SNYDER: I knew they were go to be there. They stood 30 feet from the main vehicle entrance of the church, and when the funeral procession had to be rerouted, we still came within 200 to 300 feet of the church.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: So you can imagine what a family goes through, Kyra, dealing with the tragedy that they had to deal with and then that on top of it all.

PHILLIPS: No. I can't imagine it. And it's just straight out wrong. It's frustrating. It's hard for me to see families like that go through this.

So we'll definitely follow the case, John. Thanks so much.

Well, The questions keep coming in for former Senator John Edwards. Now the subpoenas. Investigators want to know if Edwards used campaign funds to support his mistress.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories.

Let's take a look at what happened in Arizona. Tornadoes slammed an area right near Flagstaff. You're seeing some of the damage here. Seven people hurt. Those twisters were so powerful they even blew a train off the tracks.

Number of people filing for first-time unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level in almost three months. 445,000 people filed for jobless insurance last week. That's down 11,000 from the week before.

And there are more questions and subpoenas for former Senator John Edwards. The North Carolina Federal Grand Jury has been looking into payments that were made to Edwards' mistress from his campaign fund. Edwards' attorney says he does not know who issued the subpoenas and is not sure what investigators want but maintain that Edwards is innocent.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Twenty six days to go until an election that could change our political landscape. Our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser in Washington at the CNNPolitics.com desk; Paul, what have you got for us?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Let's talk about the campaigner and fund-raiser in chief, Kyra. I'm talking about the President Obama, of course. He's doing two things today among his regular presidential duties. He's going over to Maryland in a couple of hours. He will be at an event at a rally with the Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley.

The whole idea here is for the president to try to get out the base in Maryland, which is a heavily Democratic state.

Then Kyra he's going back to Chicago. Back to his old home state there and he's going to be helping the Democratic senatorial candidate there, Alexi Giannoulias (ph). Remember, this is Barack Obama's old Senate seat and the Democrats would love to keep it in party hands.

Hey, another thing right here. And Jim McMichael (ph) our cameraman, if you can just zoom right in here to the CNN Political Ticker. Brand new this morning. And guess what? The election in now under way in ten states; you don't have to wait until November 2nd. Arizona today, becoming the tenth state to -- to kick off early voting. And Kyra, 18 more states will do that over the next 10 weeks.

A lot more states doing early voting now than they were in the last couple of cycles and that really changes the equation in so many ways.

And finally one other thing on the CNN Political Ticker, Meg Whitman and her millions and millions of dollars; she is the gubernatorial nominee out in California running against Jerry Brown. She's also a billionaire and the former eBay CEO. Well new campaign cash numbers indicate that she spent $140 million, Kyra, so far in her campaign. And guess what? $119 million of that she's donated to her campaign. That is a record. It breaks the previous record in a single campaign by Michael Bloomberg.

Some big bucks there, Kyra -- back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Paul thanks so much. We've got the next political update in about an hour. And a reminder: for all the latest political news you can always go to our Web site, CNNPolitics.com.

The CNN's new prime time show, "Parker-Spitzer" taking up the big issues of the day. Last night, panelists really got in to the topic of why the president hasn't communicated more effectively. Two criticisms, the president lacks empathy and is just not tough enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON SCHAMA, HISTORY PROFESSOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: He should have started firing people. He's loyal to a fault. He doesn't understand that Americans actually respect people with the guts to fire people.

PARKER: Right, right, right.

SCHAMA: And he should have done that then. And Michael's quite right about the --

PARKER: But who would you have fired? Who do you fire?

SCHAMA: I'd fire Axelrod. He's a sweet guy, wonderful straight away. I said to Rahm Emanuel --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The axe is coming down.

SPITZER: Actually they fired Geithner and now Axelrod.

SCHAMA: Well, they had a mistake about waiting to be tough. When are you going to be -- when the machine is really going to work? And it worked in Congress it eventually did the job it was supposed to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, for more opinions, ideas and analysis, you can always catch the newest show here on CNN "Parker Spitzer" that's at 8:00 p.m. Eastern every night.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Our warriors fight and die serving our country and defending our freedom. Some of them are fortunate enough to come back home to their families, but they're damaged mentally, physical and many times both. From lost limbs and severe brain injuries, to depression and PTSD, some survive the battlefield only to take their own lives later. Military suicides are at a disturbing and alarming high rate.

In fact, Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen told me yesterday that addressing the problem of suicide in the ranks is his top priority. One way to stop it: stop sending wounded troops back into war zones before their minds and bodies heal.

It's hard to believe the military is doing that in the first place. But a veterans group say it is happening its happening to some of them and that is an invitation to hopelessness and suicide and it has to stop.

They're actually going to hold a rally today in D.C., to get that message out, meeting at Walter Reed now and marching to Capitol Hill later.

It's bad enough to have troops serve rotation after rotation. But sending someone back into battle who hasn't had the chance to heal is just inexcusable. You know, they put their lives on the line to protect us. Protecting them should be a much, much higher priority.

I want to take you live to Savannah, Georgia, right now. What you are about to see is the body of one of those young soldiers that died in the line of duty. He fought and died defending all of our freedom in Afghanistan.

I'm talking about Army Ranger Sergeant First Class Lance Vogeler. He was a soldier, a husband and father of two kids, actually expecting a third child. He was killed in action last week.

His brother, his parents both there on the tarmac waiting to greet their son and their brother as he finally comes home. His brother has said to us and told our Martin Savidge when they had a chance to talk yesterday that his number one priority will to make sure that his unborn son will know how amazing his father was.

This is the way the family describes Sergeant Vogeler who you are about to see that is finally arriving home, that he was a man who loved his children, his wife, a man who respected and loved his parents, a man that led soldiers into battle.

A number of his fellow Rangers are also there at -- at this site there on the tarmac lined up.

You'll see actually as the -- there we go as the camera moves across. Those are fellow Army Rangers that will see that that casket makes it into the hearse without any problems as it moves its way to the funeral home.

You also can see members of his family right there off to the right and a number of friends that have shown up to greet this young hero.

That's actually his parents. You can see the dad in the ranger sweatshirt there and his mom was right next to his father. A fellow Ranger who's also there, Hugh Williams, had a really powerful quote about his comrade. His said, that "This man led by example. He was not willing -- or he was not going to ask you to do something that he, himself, was not willing to do, and he would always take the time to do it, to show you that it was possible any time."

Now, Vogeler actually joins -- this is another part that makes this story so unique. And as we were talking to our Dr. Sanjay Gupta about so many of our men and women in uniform who are -- are suffering from the mental battles; not just the physical battles, but the mental battles, the PTSD, brain injuries, depression, dying by suicide, that -- it's because of multiple deployments.

And the young man that you're seeing here coming home right now actually served 12 deployments, both in Iraq and Afghanistan. He went to Afghanistan seven times. He went to Iraq four times, and he actually joined the military back in 2001, it was just prior to 9/11. And family and friends say that when 9/11 happened, he knew he had absolutely done the right thing joining the military.

Right now the body of Army Ranger Sergeant First Class Lance Vogeler, soldier, husband and father actually expecting his third child any day now. He was killed last week in action.

We are going to follow the life and legacy of this young hero as his casket makes its way to the hearse. And we are told he is going to have a pretty amazing homecoming there in his hometown. And we will follow it for you live on this 9th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan.

We're going to take a quick break; more from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.

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