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Jobless Claims Rise; Michelle Obama Hits Campaign Trail; Pushing For a Medical Marijuana Vote; Mine Rescue: The Day After; Wife or Mistress: Who Greeted Freed Miner?; Delaware Senate Candidate Debate

Aired October 14, 2010 - 16:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Listen, I want to welcome the men and women watching us on American Forces Network around the world. We're going to hit you fast this hour, so let's see if you can catch up. So, let's go.

First up, get ready for some rough weather that could disrupt air travel tomorrow. It's early in the season, but a significant nor'easter, yes, a nor'easter, is expected to hit New England. They are bracing for airport and road delays tomorrow, as high winds and rain are expected to pound the Northeast from Philadelphia all the way to Boston.

Later this hour, we will take a look at where the worst of this weather will hit.

A gloomy jobs report out just today from the Labor Department. Here are the bad numbers for you. First-time jobless claims hit 462,000 in the week ending October 9. That is up 13,000 from the previous week. Pennsylvania had the most first-time claims with more than 2,800 layoffs last week. Many of the cuts were service jobs, but a different story coming out of California, where jobless claims actually dropped. Officials there say they had fewer layoffs in the service industry.

Another story now. A judge is allowing the so-called underwear bomber's standby attorney access to case documents. The 15-minute hearing today was the first since Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab fired his defense team last month. The 24-year-old suspect is acting as his own attorney. He's charged with trying to blow up a plane last Christmas with a bomb in his underwear. Abdulmutallab was accompanied by a court-appointed standby lawyer. That person will act as a legal consultant for him, who is due back in court on January 12.

It is an astonishing engineering wonder above the Colorado River, now named after two amazing men. This bypass bridge near the Hoover Dam was dedicated just today to former Nevada Governor Mike O'Callaghan and former NFL player Pat Tillman, who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan back in 2004.

The Tillman family was there for that ceremony. And you are looking at the second tallest bridge in the U.S., but the longest bridge built with concrete arches in the Western Hemisphere. The bridge officially opens next week.

First lady Michelle Obama is taking her high approval ratings on the campaign trail, stumping for Democrats ahead of the midterm elections in just 19 days. With Republicans poised to regain control of Congress, Obama -- Mrs. Obama began a two-week blitz of battleground states on Wednesday, her first stop, a fund-raising rally in Wisconsin, where Senate incumbent Russians Feingold faces an uphill battle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: He cannot do this alone. He needs strong leaders like Russ to help him.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And they all need folks like all of you to make this happen. They can't do this alone. So, we need to you make those phone calls for Russ. We need you to knock on those doors for Russ. And we need you to get everyone you know to vote for Russ.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The first lady cast an early ballot this morning in Chicago. That's her hometown, of course. She was stumping there for Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. Giannoulias is running for President Obama's old seat in the Senate. Mrs. Obama also attending a Democratic fund-raiser in Colorado.

You would think, right, that criminals would keep their weapons close. At least they should. Well, this story will have you saying, really? This is a Red Dot grocery store in North Carolina. We have seen robbers play out -- robberies play out before. The robber points a gun at the clerk. That is the routine. Oh, wait. What is that on the counter? Did he really just put his gun down?

Can we play that again? The robber puts his gun down to grab the cash with both hands. Hah-hah. The clerk snatches the gun and points it at the robber. No shots were fired, we want to tell you. No one was hurt. But talk about getting a taste of your own medicine and have them right away.

If you wonder what a difference a few seconds can make, here is the proof, the evidence for you. Look at that. The mechanic underneath that pickup truck, he gets up and then he walks away as the truck falls off that lift. Look at that. Wow. That lift needs a tune-up. Unbelievable. Way to close, but -- way too close, I should say, but thankfully no one was hurt. Man, that could have been serious.

The queen of England cancels Christmas? Well, times are tough all over, folks, even in England. The royal Christmas party, you know, the one where 600 of the queen's closest friends show up, had already been scaled back because of the gloomy economy, but even a low-key event would have its share of pomp and circumstance and a hefty price tag as well. By canceling that party, the queen is saving about $80,000.

OK, pay attention. Coming up, T.I. in his own words. The rapper tells me how he helped police save a suicidal man and whether that just might convince a judge to keep him out of jail. That's coming up, 4:30, just under 25 minutes here on CNN.

And up next: a member of the American team that came to the rescue of the Chilean miners. They are back home on U.S. soil now and ready to tell their inspirational story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: One witness thought it was a training exercise, until he realized that the bullets were flying at Fort Hood, Texas, last year. He realized they were real. That's just part of the testimony that is taking place as the military tries to determine if the alleged shooter, Major Nidal Hasan, should be court-martialed.

Cameras are not allowed in the courtroom, but our Chris Lawrence is there -- Chris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, the first witness today appeared via satellite link from Afghanistan. He's a soldier who was injured in the attack here at Fort Hood last year, but recovered quickly enough to deploy with his unit overseas.

Now, some of the witnesses have had trouble even identifying Major Hasan or admitting that they could only identify him after seeing a picture or seeing reports on the news.

Other soldiers were more direct. One sergeant in particular who was shot five to six times in his head, stomach and back, when he was asked, do you recognize the man who shot you, he stood up in the courtroom, extended his arm, pointed at Major Hasan, and said, "Him."

There were also tales of a young female soldier -- she was just a private at the time -- who talked about dragging another soldier out of the line of fire. She rode with that soldier all the way to the hospital, but what she didn't know is she had a bullet lodged in her back. The adrenaline rush and the excitement of everything happening had blocked it out. It was only when she got to the hospital that she realized she, too, had been shot.

There was also very, very emotional testimony from a civilian worker who was working there at the time. As she ducked down under the desk, she called 911. And that 911 call played almost through the entire attack all the way outside. We heard it.

The witness, the woman, got so distraught at times hearing her voice, hearing the moans of wounded soldiers, hearing the screaming and the pop, pop, pop of gunfire going off on that call that, at one point, the judge stopped the call, let the witness leave the courtroom, and then played the end of it without her there. It has just been one emotional testimony after another. What we are doing, we are hearing what happened, but we are not going to hear why, Hasan's motivations, any alleged links to terrorist organizations overseas. That would come at an actual trial. This is to determine probable cause, if and when he does go to a full court-martial.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Fort Hood, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Chris Lawrence, thank you.

Is the value of your home at risk? Could concerns of possible foreclosure fraud mean another meltdown all over again? The questions that many people are asking today, that's straight ahead.

Plus, this: A scientist behind a Tennessee bill to legalize medical marijuana pays a heavy price for the cause.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNIE ELLIS, MEDICAL MARIJUANA ADVOCATE: The one thing I'm thankful for in all of this nightmare is that I have been free to speak up both for the plant, but for the people the plant helps.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: How he ended up in the middle of the debate when we come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A little more than a handful, really, no less than eight states wrestling with the legalization or ballot measures that could legalize the use of medical marijuana. Just months ago, New Jersey became the 14th state to approve the use of pot to relieve pain, nausea and other symptoms for ill patients.

In Tennessee, one man is waging a personal battle to get medical marijuana legalized there, but as CNN's Tony Harris tells us, the fight cost him everything.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bernie Ellis grows more than 40 varieties of vegetables on an his farm in Fly, Tennessee.

BERNIE ELLIS, MEDICAL MARIJUANA ADVOCATE: I have been part of this farm since I was 19 years old.

HARRIS: One crop used to be marijuana.

ELLIS: I've used it recreationally, like many people of our generation.

HARRIS: Ellis, who worked for more than three decades as a public health epidemiologist, developed degenerative joint disease in his hips and spine, then fibromyalgia.

ELLIS: I found and it was almost an accidental finding, that, you know, if I was using cannabis or when I used it, that I had much less pain and more flexibility in my joints and I slept much better.

HARRIS: Ellis says for more than 20 years, he grew pot for himself and gave it away for free to people in his community who had terminal illnesses.

ELLIS: If anyone let me know of someone who was sick, I would reach out.

HARRIS: But Ellis is no longer supplying marijuana to anyone after a federal raid eight years ago.

ELLIS: I was out cutting the grass around my berries when I saw a helicopter flying right at treetop level and I knew immediately that he had seen some of my cannabis growing.

HARRIS: Ellis pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in a federal halfway house in Nashville. The government auctioned of 25 acres of his farm.

Now, as a convicted felon, he says he can't get a job carrying out his public health consulting work, work that used to bring him $100,000 a year. He lives on food stamps and loans from relatives.

ELLIS: It would be a lot tougher, it all would have been tougher, if I had felt even for a moment ashamed of what I had done or felt guilty.

HARRIS: Ellis is now trying to get a bill passed in Tennessee legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. Tennessee legislator Beverly Marrero is co-sponsoring the bill in the state senate. Her son-in-law, a cancer survivor, used it to fight nausea while undergoing chemotherapy.

BEVERLY MARRERO (D), TENNESSEE STATE SENATE: If there is a natural substance that is easily available and might not be so horribly expensive, I would think that what we are trying to do is provide the greatest relief for the largest number of people.

HARRIS: But critics say the legislation isn't needed. They say there are other medications to treat nausea and other symptoms, and they fear the drug could end up in the hands of people who aren't sick.

Ellis won't say whether he is still smoking marijuana, but he says he won't stop lobbying to make marijuana legal.

ELLIS: The one thing I'm thankful for in all of this nightmare is that I've been freed to speak out, both for the plant, but for the people the plant helps and again for science, common sense and compassion.

HARRIS: Tony Harris, CNN, Atlanta. (END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: A little bit more information about the bill here. Under the bill backed by Ellis, doctors would prescribe medical cannabis to patients who meet certain requirements. It would be grown by licensed Tennessee farmers and taxed by the government and it would be dispensed through pharmacies to prevent abuse.

Coming up, one man saw a need over in Chile, he was watching it, he heard about it, he said, oh, my gosh, how are they going to get those men out? Some of the hardest rock on Earth. He had the drill bit that could help. He and his wife went down. Part of the reason, probably the reason that those miners were able to get out. My interview with him coming up next, live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: There you see the "Just In" just behind me there, and we want to go now to our White House correspondent Dan Lothian. Dan is standing by at the White House.

Dan, we hear there is some movement, some information on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." What do you know?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That is right. We expected that the Justice Department would be making some movement on this and in fact, they have. The federal government now requesting an immediate stay pending an appeal of this federal court's injunction, which was barring "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," rather openly gay members from serving in the military.

This is something that the White House has been pretty much pushing to the Justice Department when we asked them for a comment, but in a broader sense today, Robert Gibbs at the briefing said that the president believes this policy undermines our national security. He says it discriminates against those who would sacrifice their lives for their country, it's unjust and this is a policy that should be changed.

So again, the latest that we are getting here just in that the federal government requesting an immediate stay, pending an appeal.

Back to you.

LEMON: All right, Dan, we will follow up on that again, movement on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," our White House correspondent with that just in from the White House.

Listen, today is the first full day for 33 Chilean miners above ground. And social media has really been abuzz about their return topside after being trapped in the mine for 69 days. I still can't fathom that I'm sure you can't either.

Look at our Twitter board, it has just really been abuzz about this. Here is what Felipe Calderon is tweeting. There you see he did it in Spanish, but here's the translation for you. He says, "The Chileans have given us all invaluable lessons of courage, character, unity, confidence, mutual respect."

And then we have this one, it is from the president of European parliament, his name is Jerzy Buzek, "An emotional tale," he says, "of hope and success: we rejoice with the Chilean and Bolivian nations."

And we share really all of that good sentiment.

You know, one group we haven't heard much from and that is a Pennsylvania drilling firm that made this rescue possible. His name is Brandon Fisher, he is the president of Center Rock Incorporated. He joins us now from Berlin, Pennsylvania.

Thank you, sir, for joining us. I know that it has been a long -- really months for you. You were over there in Chile, what, 37 days?

BRANDON FISHER, PRESIDENT, CENTER ROCK INC. (via telephone): Yes, we were there 37 days, 33 of which we spent drilling are the rescue shaft.

LEMON: OK, so here is the story. You and your wife, I think, maybe sitting around at your home, I'm not sure how you found out about it, but you saw that they were having trouble getting down to those miners, the drill bits kept breaking, some of the toughest rock on Earth, and you said, hey, we have got a drill bit that might help. And you and your wife, you just go over?

FISHER: Yes. Well, really before the drilling even started, day 17, whenever they first drilled through with one of the 5.5-inch holes to locate the miners and realize that the miners were there, that's went news hit the States. We got involved whenever they made the statement that Plan A that they had developed, they expected to possibly take as long as November and sometime into Christmas.

LEMON: Right.

FISHER: That's whenever we reached out to the Chileans and the mining officials to try to explain what our technology is and how we felt that if we brought our technology over there that it could, indeed, make a difference.

LEMON: So you were there for just about a month. You got there on September 4th. It started on August 5th, when they became trapped during that collapse. And so when you got there, what happened? What was the first thing that had to be done in order to start securing these miners?

FISHER: Well, I mean, whenever we first arrived, we were in full-on information gathering mode, trying to -- determining rock hardness, the angle and the deviation issues that we were going to encounter with the 5.5-inch borehole that we had to follow into the mine.

LEMON: And it wasn't easy, was it?

FISHER: No, no, it was a very challenging project. I mean, from day one of drilling to day 33 of drilling, I mean, there was continually surprises that were popping up.

And I shouldn't say that that's out of the realm or out of the norm of this business. The drilling industry is a very unpredictable business when you're drilling through what Mother Nature put there many millions of years ago.

LEMON: Yes. Hey, when did you get back, Brandon, last night? Today?

FISHER: We made it back the day before yesterday.

LEMON: OK. So you were there to the very end, pretty much, but you left a little bit early? Why?

FISHER: Well, we left as soon as our job was done. Once we drilled into the mine and pulled all of our equipment out of the hole, it was time for the drilling team to get offsite.

We needed to get offsite in order for the hoisting experts and the medical team to go in and do their next job, which is really the most important part of this process, to get those guys out of the ground safely.

LEMON: Brandon, you are being a bit modest here, because I'm also hearing, you can tell me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe I am, that you guys left because you wanted to give the Chileans, let them have their glory and you wanted these men to get back to their families without more people being there to interrupt it.

FISHER: Yes. And that is the bottom line. If we would have stayed, and I'm sure we probably could have stayed on that site somehow, but realistically, we would have been in the way. We did our part and it was time for us to step aside and let the Chileans go in there and get their rescue done. I mean, being able to see it on TV was just as heartwarming as being there in person.

And we do expect to make a trip. Once all this smoke settles and the dust clears, we are going to make a trip down there to meet with a lot of the fellow rescuers that we worked with and much less stressful situation, obviously, and our most important thing is going to be to meet hopefully all 33 of these miners.

LEMON: Boy, that will be nice. That will be nice.

Hey, listen, Brandon Fisher is the president of Center Rock, Incorporated, in western Pennsylvania, the drill bit that went down and was able to bore that hole to save those miners.

Thank you, Brandon Fisher and thank your wife as well.

FISHER: Hey, thanks for having me.

LEMON: You know, people are still talking about miner number 21, you know you are, 'cause you're tweeting me about it. Who was that woman who greeted him? His mistress? His wife? And who is he with now? That is straight ahead. And look who is standing by, Mark Preston, Paul Steinhauser with brand new information just in from the world of politics, the CNN Political Ticker, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Just 19 days till election day and it is time for a look at the latest campaign developments, including an update on that Senate race in Nevada that is in a statistical tie right now. CNN has all of your latest political news with "The Best Political Team on Television."

Mark Preston and Paul Steinhauser are both at the CNN Political Desk. Since Mark likes to talk so much, I think we should start with Paul. How about that?

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I like that, Don. A good way to say that.

LEMON: He's a camera hog.

STEINHAUSER: We will get to that -- he is a good man, though.

Listen, we will get that great race in Nevada, one second. But first, something brand new, not even on the CNN political ticker, so you get it first, you and your viewers. What I'm talking about is big campaign cash. The Republican Governor's Association reporting just in the last hour or two that they raised $31 million the last two months. That brings to nearly $60 million the amount of money they have raised this year. The 31 million that they raised the last three months is three times the amount the Democratic Governor's Association has raised, a lot of big bucks.

The battle for Congress gets all the attention, but the battle for the governorships is important. Why? Because whoever is in the governorships next year will have a big say in how those new census numbers coming in, how they are used to alter congressional districts in redistricting. So, the battle for the governorship is a big deal.

That's what I got. To my main man, Mark Preston.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Don. Harry Truman once said if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog. I definitely have a dog.

Well, Steve Driehaus, who is a freshman Democrat from Ohio is realizing he doesn't have any powerful Democratic friends anymore. Or at least has lost the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. They're the House Democrats that raise all the money. They are pulling all of their money out of the Ohio district he represents because clearly they think he can lose.

Well, Driehaus, if you take a look here, Driehaus actually has cut a video, Don, where he says, look, I'm an outsider. The DCCC doesn't think that I have enough to win this race. Let's prove them wrong. So, Driehaus has his own video up right now, Don, trying to raise money. Of course, his Republican challenger is Steve Shabbat, who he defeated in 2008.

Again, kind of an interesting take, where you have a freshman Democrat losing support from the national party trying to raise money on his own. Paul?

STEINHAUSER: Okay, Don, you talked about it. Let's get to it. The battle in Nevada. This is a great race. Senate majority leader Harry Reid, the Democrat, fighting for his political life against Sharron Angle, the Republican challenger, who is a Tea Party-backed candidate. You've got a big debate there. First debate tonight in Vegas. The big showdown.

And as we get towards that debate, as we close in on that, we have our Jessica Yellin out there covering it. Btu the brand new polls, one last night, one this morning, both those polls suggest the race is deadlocked. Great race, Jessica covering the whole thing for us, Don.

LEMON: All right. So, Mark, you said if you want a friend in Washington -- Truman said, you want a friend in Washington, you have to get a dog? And you have the dog --

PRESTON: I have a dog. If you come to Washington, you better get a dog.

LEMON: I was going to say, all you've got to do is get some friends. Paul, you got that covered. Mark --

STEINHAUSER: Ohhh!

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Thank you, Paul. Thank you, Mark.

PRESTON: Let me take that knife out. Thank you.

LEMON: Another political update next hour, and I want to remind you, you can always get the latest political news at CNNpolitics.com. And also on Twitter @politicalticker.

You know, just days before his scheduled court hearing, a famous rapper is getting praise from police. Why? That's him right there. Because T.I. apparently talked some guy down from a ledge. It's "Trending." It's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: One of my favorite segments. Time to find out what is "Trending" this hour. And Sandra Endo is all over it. Like to call you Sandy. How you doing, Sandy?

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good, Don, good to be here with you in Atlanta. LEMON: Oh, big story happening in Atlanta, one of the "Trending" topics, right?

ENDO: Absolutely. It is all over Twitter, the craze right now on Twitter.

Rapper T.I. coming to the rescue, and it all happened yesterday afternoon. That's when Atlanta police say they responded to a call of a man who says he was going to jump off a high-rise building here. So, that's when rapper T.I. says that he heard this on the radio when he was leaving his house, and he actually wanted to respond to the scene as well. So, he goes there he talks to cops and says, look, I can help out, let me talk to the guy. Cops accept this offer and allow the rapper to talk this man down off the roof.

LEMON: Oh, my gosh.

ENDO: Listen to what the rapper had to say.

LEMON: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

T.I., RAPPER: With the help of the negotiators and, you know, them allowing know help, we sent him a message. I let him know I was here and willing to help him, and he came down peacefully and everything was resolved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENDO: And basically, rapper T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, he told the guy, look, life is not that bad, it will get better after today. Here's what people are saying on Twitter because it is all the craze.

His wife tweeted, look here on the Twitter board, "My honey is so amazing, I love me some him."

(LAUGHTER)

ENDO: That is from his wife. And also another supporter, Kelly Collins said, "I knew I liked you, T.I., such a good samaritan."

But get this, Don, there's some skeptics to out there, because keep in mind the timing. T.I. is going into court tomorrow for a federal probation hearing, so, some people are twittering. Look at this tweet from Swag, "T.I. story coincidence or PR stunt? Two days before he heads to court, T.I. stopped a guy from jumping off a TL sky scrapper."

We have another one? Yes. "Can karma save T.I. from more jail time? Rapper has probation hearing tomorrow, just a couple days after talking man off a ledge"

LEMON: OK. Listen. Let's talk more about this, especially the ones that -- the skeptics or whatever, because T.I. is always very forthcoming, always very forthcoming. And we know no one is perfect.

And I'm being told T.I. is on the phone right now. How are you doing, T.I.?

T.I. (via phone): Hey, how are you doing?

LEMON: I'm doing great.

Here is the thing. You heard what Sandy said about some of the twitterers and some people saying this is a publicity stunt because T.I. has to go to court just tomorrow to find out if he is going to have to go back to prison.

T.I.: Sure. I mean, I heard it, but I mean, I personally believe this it is preposterous. I think to believe -- to think, assume or believe that, you would then have to then in some way assume or hint to the fact that I talked a man onto the roof in order for me to plan to talk him down. And I think that is preposterous.

I mean, you know, the police unit were there. They can account for my -- for how I got involved. The radio station was -- they were there. They can account for how I was involved. And the man himself, he can also account for how I got involved.

I didn't know this guy. I didn't wake up in the morning to say, hey, let me find a way to go and save someone's life so I can, you know, be looked at favorably come Friday. I mean, this is not something that I could have planned. And, you know, even in -- and I mean, even during -- even in the -- in the process of it, you know, I'm sitting, I'm standing in the midst of negotiators and detectives. I'm looking around, I'm inside the yellow tape and all this, and I'm thinking, man, I'm playing above my head here.

LEMON: So, listen what would even motivate you to do this if you're thinking I'm playing above my head? Why even if you are driving in your car, you are at home and you hear this on the radio, why would you even go and get involved? The goodness of your heart? What was going on?

T.I.: I mean, there were a couple of things. The first thing, just out of sheer -- just the first thing when I heard the story, something in my heart just said you got to help. My mind said what are you supposed to do? What do you think you will be able do? But then my heart said you got to help, you got to try, you got see.

LEMON: Do you think this is on your heart and on your mind because of what you are dealing with now in the courts. You felt, hey, listen, I'm dealing with some trouble, but still I'm going to live and going to prosper. Is that maybe why you think you went out to do this, part of the reason?

T.I. : No, I mean, I did not even -- my situation never even came into thought. I did not even -- my situation never even became a thought in my mind in the process of dealing with this. It was just something that touched my heart. Something, a spirit. God put something on my heart that led me. I could not -- could I not turn away from.

LEMON: Hey, T.I. Listen, you are always, as I said, you are always very candid. And we appreciate that.

So let's talk about - you have go to court tomorrow. You got into some trouble, and then you are on probation and then you and your wife got into some trouble again in L.A. very recently and you are going to court tomorrow. And you could face more prison time.

I'm getting, you know, questions from people, I asked people on Twitter what they wanted to know. They said, what was he thinking? He had a second, a third chance, what have you, and he didn't take advantage of that. What was he thinking? How do you answer that?

T.I.: I'm not at the liberty really to speak upon the facts of anything associated with tomorrow or outcome of tomorrow, events leading up to tomorrow. I have been thoroughly advised by my attorneys not to even begin to speak upon any of those facts --

LEMON: But personally - personally, how are you feeling? Are you feeling confident? Are you still going to try to motivate young people, especially as you have in the past with your foundation to try to be better, do better? How are you feeling personally?

T.I.: I mean, personally -- I mean, I believe that I have been put here for a purpose, and I believe that I have -- I have an ability to reach people that most people can't reach. That I can -- that I can turn -- I can turn lives around that other people can't. They can't have the same affect. And I think God placed me here for that purpose.

And personally, how I'm -- so I will always be doing that. I always have before these circumstances, and I always will after these circumstances. Personally how I feel, the only thing that I can say man, is all the people who supported me, who were behind me, who believed in me, who were disappointed and who were let down, I just offer my sincerest apologizes. And I will dedicate my life no matter how long it takes to, earn your trust back and to make you proud yet again.

LEMON: Will you say this time, T.I., never again?

T.I.: Absolutely. Never again. Ever.

LEMON: Why do you say that?

T.I.: I'm just -- man, I'm tired. I'm worN out. I don't have -- I don't have the -- I don't have the age, the energy or the attitude to move forward and continuing in this cycle, in this ongoing process of destruction and disparity knit my life. I got too many people depending on me and counting on me. I can't do it.

LEMON: T.I., best of luck to you, we appreciate it. By the way, have you spoken to the young man you helped?

T.I.: I'm actually en route. He don't have any access. He don't have access to any phones, so I'm trying to work that out now.

LEMON: All right. Hey, give us an update, let us know how he is doing, all right?

T.I.: Will do.

LEMON: Thank you, T.I., and say hello to your wife. We appreciate it.

T.I.: Will do. Thank you.

LEMON: As I said, sandy, he is very candid and forthcoming. He says never again. He said that's what he promises.

ENDO: Really frank.

LEMON: We will see. We're going to hold him to that. And if then that doesn't happen, or he does, we'll bring him in and talk about it -

ENDO: Hold him accountable.

LEMON: But he did help to save a man, so we have to credit him with that.

END: Sure.

LEMON: OK. That is the big "Trending" topic, how do you go on from there?

So, listen, why don't we do this? That was such an engaging interview, and a lot of people listening. We're going to read some of our viewer response.

Let's talk about "Trending" again after the break. We are back in a moment. Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. More now on what's trending. Really, what everybody is talking about.

Sandy Endo is here.

It reminds me of a 1972 song -- you're too young to remember.

ENDO: Sing it. Sing it.

LEMON: "Me and Mrs. Jones" by Billy Paul.

(singing): We got a thing going on.

Yonni Barrios was miner number 21 to come up. So who was waiting on him, his wife or his mistress?

ENDO: Well, that is the juicy story. I know you're all about this. You love this intrigue because --

LEMON: Well, I just think people are talking. That's what everyone has been asking.

ENDO: No, absolutely. Absolutely.

It is a miner's love triangle, and one miner in particular is the talk of all the blogs today. He is a real Romeo, because drama unfolded as 50-year-old Yonni Barrios Rojas was trapped underground. His wife of 28 years understandably started holding vigil at Camp Hope, where all the family members gathered, and that is when she found out her husband had a mistress who was also there holding vigil.

And wow, can you talk about a cat fight? Both women stayed there and refused to leave until he surfaced.

Well, his wife then demanded that she wasn't going to meet him if the mistress was there actually. So let's look at the video and see who showed up.

There you see the embrace. A couple of kisses coming up, I think.

LEMON: That was a little awkward for me. I'm just saying.

ENDO: There is the smooch. Well, the woman who you see there kissing him on the cheek, that is his lover. And she affectionately calls him "My Titanic." And he has a pet name for her, "Chinita" (ph), which is "sweet" for her name.

So, of course, come on, they have pet names for each other. That's true love, right, Don?

LEMON: Some things you just did not need --

ENDO: I'm sorry.

LEMON: Shnookers (ph) and Pooky (ph) and all of that.

ENDO: Everyone's talking about it.

LEMON: I do have to say, it was a little bit awkward. But listen, nobody's perfect. It happens every single day, so we wish them well.

ENDO: Whatever works, yes. Who are we to judge?

LEMON: I'm glad he's healthy. And we're really sorry -- as one of the psychologists said, we're really sorry for the wife because she is -- it's kind of a double tragedy for her, not only losing her husband, but everything else that is going on.

Thank you, Sandy.

ENDO: Sure.

LEMON: Always a pleasure.

Wolf Blitzer coming up, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Just 19 days from today, Americans will cast their votes in midterm election, and the very control of Congress maybe at stake here. One of the most watched contests, of course, the Senate race in Delaware. But this is primarily due to the star power of Republican candidate Christine O'Donnell -- of course, a Tea Party favorite.

It isn't because of the closeness of the race. O'Donnell actually trails her Democratic opponent, Chris Coons, by 19 percentage points.

Well, last night, the Delaware Senate debate aired live here on CNN. It was a crucial chance for O'Donnell to attempt to chip away at her opponent's lead.

Wolf Blitzer was the co-moderator of the debate, and he joins me now from "THE SITUATION ROOM" in Washington.

So, Wolf, I want to play this from last night. And then can we talk about it?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Of course.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Is there any other Supreme Court decisions?

CHRISTINE O'DONNELL (R), DELAWARE SENATE CANDIDATE: But let me say, about Roe versus Wade, Roe versus Wade, if that were overturned, would not make abortion illegal in the United States, it would put the power back to the states.

BLITZER: But besides that decision, anything else you disagree with?

O'DONNELL: Oh, there are several when it comes to pornography, when it comes to court decisions -- not to Supreme Court, but federal court decisions to give terrorists Miranda rights. I mean, there's a lot of things that I believe that -- this California decision to overturn "don't ask, don't tell," I believe that there are a lot of federal judges who are legislating from the bench.

BLITZER: That wasn't the Supreme Court, that's a local court.

O'DONNELL: That wasn't -- that's what I said, in California.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. So, Wolf, you've been doing this a long time, so maybe you can weigh in on this. Do you think O'Donnell did enough to help her poll numbers last night with some of those answers? BLITZER: I think she helped herself because she was substantive. We dealt with the most important substantive issues -- the economic issues, the national security issues. And people, a lot of folks, had low expectations how he she would do against Chris Coons, who is a more polished politician.

and so I think she -- she came across fine. And I don't think it's necessarily going to -- in terms of 19 points, it's hard at this late stage, two and a half weeks before an election, to overcome that. But let's not sell her short.

She did beat Mike Castle for that Republican primary. She was way behind in the polls going into that Republican primary.

She has got an enormous amount of support from the Tea Party movement, from others out there. She does not have an enormous amount of support from the Republican establishment, the national Republican leadership. They're not pumping in a lot of money into Delaware to help her.

The state Republican Party, they are not pumping in a lot of money to help her. But she is getting money from a lot of Tea Party supporters and others. A lot of conservatives love her, so it's not over until November 2nd. We'll see how she does.

But I don't think she necessarily came across as crazed or any kind of -- this notion that a lot of people had about her because of the clips of many years ago about witchcraft.

LEMON: Yes. And all that.

So, hey, Wolf, we have a lot of topics to cover, but I want to ask you this, because I was sitting there watching it, and I watched Mike Castle (sic), and, I don't know, did he seem to be a little bit frustrated with Christine O'Donnell as if he was saying -- maybe -- some people are saying he seemed to be a bit arrogant, or he was sort of putting her off like, I don't understand what your answers or your questions are about, you're not really make any sense.

Was that a wrong read about that?

BLITZER: Well, you meant Chris Coons.

LEMON: Chris Coons, sorry.

BLITZER: Yes. The criticism that was leveled against him was that he was a little arrogant, condescending.

I guess it was sort of similar to the criticism that Al Gore got when he was in one of those debates and you could see him with the facial expressions. That may have been one of the criticisms leveled against Chris Coons, that he didn't really take her seriously.

But I've got to tell you, I had a chance to speak with him outside of the debate, and speak with her. He is taking her very seriously. This 19-point spread, he is not paying attention to it. His staff isn't paying attention to it.

They are running as if this is neck and neck right now, because he doesn't want to make the same mistake that Mike Castle made in the Republican primary, where he sort of ignored her and didn't answer directly to the charges she was leveling against him. And he wound up losing, even though he had been a political institution in Delaware for so long. So, he's running as if it's neck and neck.

LEMON: OK. Wolf, we're going to see you at the top of the hour, in just a little bit.

And again, there's another debate tonight. We're talking about Sharron Angle and Harry Reid, and you're going to be doing a lot of reporting on that.

Thank you, Wolf. See you in just a little bit.

BLITZER: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Chad Myers up next to talk about some trouble for the East Coast when it comes to weather. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: So, chances are if you haven't already dealt with it, at some point you're going to have to take care of a family member with Alzheimer's. What do you need to know about your chances of developing this disease? Would you want to know that kind of statistic?

It's a "TIME" magazine cover story that demands America's attention as baby boomers reach a critical mass. We're going to talk about that tomorrow, right here on CNN during these hours.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: Time now for "THE SITUATION ROOM" and Wolf Blitzer.

Take it away, Wolf.