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Miners Getting Paid; Showdown in the Desert; Magazine's Push for Pot; Empowering Black Youth; Countdown To Election Day; What's Hot; Politicians Say They're Like You

Aired October 15, 2010 - 11:57   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Chile's miners turned media rock stars had a lot of time to think down there. And, boy, they have got their minds right now on their money and their money on their minds.

The men have agreed now to sell their story and they're going to split the profits. We're talking book deals, movie deals, endorsements, you name it, they want it. But some would say they deserve every penny of it.

CNN's Brian Todd takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Why is this man so happy? Well he's got a new lease on life, of course, but he also maybe to what lies ahead.

It appears that at least some of these miners might have been charting their future course while they were still trapped. Here is a quote from miner, Yonni Barrios in a letter he wrote last week while he was still in the mine. Quote, "If we do this properly, we won't have to work for the rest of our lives."

How much do they stand to gain? According to various media reports, here's what we're looking at. The paper, "The Mail" on Sunday says that TV networks are offering up to $400,000 each for the miners to tell their exclusive stories. And predictably, agents are climbing all over themselves to sign the miners and their families to lucrative book and movie deals.

Also, one Chilean mining tycoon has pledged to give each miner $10,000. The government also is giving them some money until they're fully recovered.

Now, according to various reports, they have gotten offers to endorse various products. Let's take a look at some of those right here, including mining equipment, of course, naturally, chocolate bars, clothing, beer, and a sexual enhancement vitamin. I'm sure we can't wait to see those commercials.

Now, some things you wouldn't necessarily figure, but are interesting nonetheless, according to some published reports, are some gifts that these miners have gotten. The soccer team, Real Madrid, has sent signed jerseys and balls to the miners. Manchester United, one of the most popular soccer teams in the world, has offered expenses paid trips to see that team play for each miner and his family. A local winemaker is offering free wine for a year. And here is my personal favorite.

This is miner Edison Pena. He's a die-hard Elvis Presley fan. He led his fellow miners in Elvis sing-a-longs. He's been offered an all expenses paid trip for two to Graceland, courtesy of the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau.

I'm Brian Todd, CNN, in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Hello, everybody. Top of the hour here now. I'm T.J. Holmes, sitting in for my good friend Tony Harris.

Glad you could be right here with us.

Let me give you a look at some of the stories we are keeping a very close eye on and the people behind those stories.

Up first here, victims of bullying. A mother pleads with President Obama to stop the bullying which pushed her son to commit suicide.

Also, the politics of marijuana. The editors and writers of "High Times" magazine are right in the middle of it all.

Also, we know sometimes you're online as you're watching TV. We appreciate that. We're online ourselves. Josh Levs keeping a close eye on "What's Hot" out there.

Hello to you, Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there to you, T.J. That walkout on "The View" after Bill O'Reilly's comments about an Islamic center near Ground Zero, the comments that actually followed that from both sides, hours later, we will have that for you later this hour -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right, Josh. Thank you so much. We'll talk to you here shortly.

Let's get to a story we want to bring you here first. A powerful new plea in the growing outcry against bullying. This one goes viral on the Internet.

Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns giving an emotional account of his own personal struggle growing up gay. He has an impassioned message of hope for teenagers who are being bullied.

Josh Levs, like I said, was going to be right back. And he is right back now. He is following this, which has blown up on the Web. LEVS: Yes. In fact, I've got his Web page for the City Council behind me. You know, when this Fort Worth, Texas, city councilman began speaking at a City Council meeting the other night, he did not that what he would say would soon move millions of people. He opened up about his struggles growing up as a gay teenager, being bullied, thinking something was wrong with him, that he was horrible, that he had to make sure no one ever learned who he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOEL BURNS, FORT WORTH COUNCILMAN: I have never told this story to anyone before tonight. Not my family, my husband, not anyone.

But the number of suicides in recent days have upset me so much, and it just tore at my heart. And even though there may be some political repercussions for telling my story, the story is not just for the adults who do choose to support me. This story is for the young people who might be holding that kind of thought, or the rope, or the pill bottle.

Give yourself a chance to see just how much life -- how much better life will get. And it will get better.

You will get out of the household that doesn't accept you. You will get out of that high school. And you never have to deal with those jokes again if you don't want to. You will find and you will make new friends who will understand you, and life will get so, so, so much better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: And he talks about how much things changed for him. He said he wished that he could take his 13-year-old self to the experiences that he had later on in life, including his 67-year-old father who he said is still a pretty tough cowboy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: The 13-year-old me would see me today holding my dad's weathered hands and seeing my dad wake up from his operation, and him squeeze my hands and look up and me and say, "Joel, I'm so glad you're here today." When he said that, I had tears.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: Well, you can see why he has become a phenom online. His Web site, JoelBurns.com, opened up behind me now, he talks about the ways that he's been moved by the overwhelming support and touching comments that so many people have sent to him, and he's encouraging young people out there who might be going through those struggles to go here, TheTrevorProject.org. It's a group focused especially on helping gay teens and ending suicides among them.

And we will be hearing from Joel Burns here in the NEWSROOM. Our Ali Velshi will be speaking with him next hour. That's in the 1:00 p.m. Eastern hour here in the NEWSROOM. And T.J., as soon as I get off the air, I'm going to off and tweet a link to his entire video here. It's I think 12, 13, 14 minutes. People can see the whole thing and see what happened in the room, including that powerful standing ovation at the end -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right.

Josh Levs for us.

Thank you so much.

Meanwhile, the mother of an 11-year-old boy who committed suicide today plans to ask the White House to join the effort to stop school bullying. Jaheem Herrera is his name. He hanged himself in his closet in April.

His mother said the fifth grader had been complaining about being bullied in his Georgia school, but she didn't know how bad it had gotten. Her son's case helped get a new anti-bullying law passed in Georgia. It pushes schools to aggressively investigate bullying incidents and provide counseling to victims. But she says still more needs to be done.

She spoke to our Kyra Phillips.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: "A year has passed since Jaheem's suicide, and I haven't gotten any justice. Mr. Obama, I really don't know what to do. I have cried too much and I feel like a failure to my son Jaheem."

Why do you feel like a failure?

MASIKA BERMUDEZ, MOTHER: Because I just keep seeking the justice and, I mean, these people don't want to accept responsibility that my son was getting bullied in school. They always want to say, oh, no, it wasn't going on.

So I feel like I'm trying my best to let these people know that it was bullying going on with him, and they keep sweeping it under the rug. So I feel like I failed him. I can't get no justice. A year has passed and it's still the same thing, they're denying it. They keep denying it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, we are, as you know, 18 days away. Just about all of us should be going to vote. If you don't plan on it, make sure you get out there. But still, millions of voters are going to be casting ballots in the highly-contested midterm elections.

We're going to get you up to speed on exactly what's at stake here.

In November, Americans are going to decide the fate of all 435 seats and 37 Senate seats. So, yes, all of them are up in the House. Thirty-seven in the Senate.

Now, at the same time, 37 states are going to be electing governors. Of course politics is local. Ultimately, though, this all comes down to the balance of power in Washington, D.C.

Republicans hope to take back enough seats to regain control over the House and the Senate from Democrats. The House, certainly a contentious battleground here. Republicans need to win 39 seats to become the majority. That's a tall task, but not impossible. Some out there would even tell you it's likely.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, the GOP needs to take back 10 seats to become the majority. That is a much taller task.

Every midterm election though, it's known to have some pretty big turnovers. The biggest in recent memory was back in 1994, when Republicans flipped 54 seats under the guidance of Newt Gingrich. Then in 2006, Democrats rallied to snap up 31 seats in the House, taking back control from the GOP after a 12-year reign.

Among likely voters, CNN polling shows Republicans with a seven- point lead going into the election. But, even more telling is what both sides of the aisle are calling the enthusiasm gap.

Fifty-four percent of registered Republicans say they are pumped about going to the polls November 2nd, but just a third of Democrats feeling pumped about getting out there and voting.

One of the most important debates, albeit uneventful, of this election season took place last night in Las Vegas. The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, is holding on, trying to hold on against Tea Party-backed challenger Sharron Angle.

Our CNN National Political Correspondent Jessica Yellin reports Angle threw some pretty sharp jabs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: There were no knockout punches in this fight. It was probably the dullest thing that happened in Las Vegas last night.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is known to get awkward and wonky, was often both. He seemed so intent on being likeable, that he missed some key openings to take on his opponent. Republican candidate, Tea Party insurgent Sharron Angle, became aggressor in the fight, but still, she sometimes seemed confused on the facts and even got lost in her own answers.

For all that strangeness, these two candidates did present starkly different views of the proper role of government in our lives. Harry Reid argued that government should help be the engine of job growth here in Nevada, which, as you know, has the highest unemployment rate in the nation. Angle argued that, no, that is the role of the private sector entirely. One of the starkest contrasts between the two, one of the most memorable moments of the debate, was their tussle over Social Security. Angle has said that she would like it to be privatized and phased out, but has shifted her position. Harry Reid took her on, on that point, and then she challenged his manhood.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: Social Security is a promise we have to keep. It takes care of seniors in their golden years.

That's why I worked so hard to protect Social Security. I feel so strongly about this, that I took on the president of the United States when he tried to privatize it, and we won that battle.

Social Security is an important program. The actuarials at Social Security and also the CBO has said within the past month that Social Security will pay out 100 percent of its benefits for the next 35 to 40 years. That's important.

And also understand that even after that, there would be a shortfall of 15 percent to 20 percent. We need to take care of that 35 or 40 years from now. And we can do that with some minor tinkering.

Don't frighten people about Social Security. The deal that was made by President Reagan and Tip O'Neill is holing strong. The money is there and it's taking care of our folks, and will for the next 35 years, as I have just indicated.

SHARRON ANGLE (R), NEVADA SENATE CANDIDATE: Man up, Harry Reid. You need to understand that we have a problem with Social Security.

That problem was created because of government taking that money out of the Social Security trust fund. In 1990, you said it was stealing to use Social Security for anything but Social Security, and then you voted to take that Social Security money into the general fund where it could be generally used for generally anything.

YELLIN: Although there were no knockout punches, there were also no major gaffes on either side as well, which means it's up to their respective campaign teams to see who can get the job done.

She has enormous enthusiasm on her side. On his, a very effective get-out-the-vote operation. Early voting begins tomorrow.

Jessica Yellin, CNN, Las Vegas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well, did you even know that there was a magazine out there that's dedicated solely to marijuana? Now, where do you think they come down on whether or not it should be legalized? We'll take you inside the "High Times" coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, marijuana is on four state ballots this November. In California, that is the doozy that everybody's keeping an eye on.

Voters there are going to decide on Proposition 19. That would allow small amounts of marijuana on a person to be legal and taxable. This is the one that everybody's watching, because this would be the first time a state actually voted to make the recreational use of marijuana legal.

Now let's turn to South Dakota and Arizona. The issue there is legalizing marijuana to treat various medical conditions.

Then there's Oregon, where medical marijuana has been legal for some time, but the question before voters is, should the sale of medical marijuana be available through dispensaries?

Now, for the past week, CNN NEWSROOM has been taking a close look at the marijuana argument as it stands today and ask what "yes" votes could mean for Americans down the road. There's one magazine out there that pushed for a "yes" vote for more than 30 years. It's called "High Times."

CNN photojournalist Ethie Needham (ph) brings us this profile.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA LEWIN, MANAGING EDITOR, "HIGH TIMES" MAGAZINE: The new issue of "High Times" coming out, this is our cover for it.

RICHARD CUSICK, ASSOC. PUBLISHER, "HIGH TIMES" MAGAZINE: "High Times" magazine is the number one marijuana magazine in the world.

LEWIN: This is us. This is what we are. You know, you can never miss the logo.

CUSICK: "High Times" magazine is an advocacy magazine. We promote the culture of marijuana.

DAVID BEINENSTOCK, WEST COAST EDITOR, "HIGH TIMES" MAGAZINE: We're fighting for people's rights, their rights to free expression, their rights to put into their bodies what they choose.

MARY MCEVOY, PUBLISHER, "HIGH TIMES" MAGAZINE: We really believe that we're more of a cause than a magazine.

CUSICK: "High Times" magazine came out in 1974. That magazine was started by a man, Thomas Forcade. He thought that the marijuana laws were wholly unjust, and he was the very first person to take pictures of marijuana and say this is beautiful.

MCEVOY: We are trusted when it comes to information about what's going on in the marijuana community, and particularly now in the medical marijuana community.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Veterans Administration has actually changed their policy on medical marijuana since you did that first story. LEWIN: The message that the magazine is trying to get out to the world is that it's OK to smoke cannabis. It's OK to grow cannabis. It's OK because it shouldn't be illegal in the first place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are very strong advocates of growing marijuana for your own personal use. "High Times" continues to be the largest donator to the National Organization for Reforming Marijuana Laws.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's about freedom!

LEWIN: We have events that spread the word of marijuana, spread the word of legalization, that spread the word of growing. We believe that it's everyone's right to grow or smoke marijuana.

MCEVOY: We have had obstacles that we have had to jump over. There's still places where we have to poly-bag the magazine. You know, people don't want people coming into their stores and flipping through the magazine and seeing it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the number one marijuana event in the whole world!

(APPLAUSE)

CUSICK: What is my responsibility? My responsibility is to tell the truth. It has, like any other substance, its limitations, but its positive effects far outweigh anything negative you could say about marijuana. And the detractors of marijuana say quite the opposite, that there is nothing good to say about it. And they couldn't be more wrong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Get your subscription.

Well, coming up, we have got the first nor'easter of the season. It's whipping into New England right now. We will check in with our weather team here in just a moment.

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(NEWSBREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: Well, coming up, some young kids getting a powerful lesson in language.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After what I had seen and looked at, it's not a good thing to see.

INTERVIEWER: People talked about it and I learned about it, but I never thought about it, how he made me think about it. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The "it" they're talking about? The N-word. We'll tell you about a man on a mission to take away its power.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: You know, first here, I just want to warn you that this next story is going to use some language that some people will find offensive.

Jarrett Mathis got fed up with hearing his peers use the N-word to refer to themselves. He decided to do something about it -- educating and empowering black students.

Our Tony Harris has the story in this "What Matters" segment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT MATHIS, FOUNDER OF EMPOWERING OURSELVES NOW: I just wanted to start us off talking about the N-word, the word nigger.

TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is an uncomfortable subject to talk about, but Jarett Mathis is on a mission to change that.

MATHIS: A lot of this stuff is tough material. Some of this stuff, I didn't learn myself until I got into college. So, definitely, don't feel ashamed, don't feel like, OK, I should know this. No, you shouldn't.

HARRIS: Jared's goal is to teach black youth about the origins of the N-word and rekindle awareness of their history through education and empowerment.

MATHIS: Good job.

I became sort of frustrated with, I think, the lack of consciousness among black youth. I felt like they didn't know our history as much as they should know. And I think as a result, that led to an atmosphere of disrespect.

Before slavery, we were kings and queens.

HARRIS: Jarrett channeled his frustration into what started out as a college project to develop Empowering Ourselves Now, a series of workshops to invite and encourage dialogue among young people by closely examining elements of black history that are often left out of school books.

MATHIS: Little kids were brought to this, and they didn't see anything wrong with this. This man's arm is cut off on the ground. All right? And again, people are standing around smiling.

What bothered me when I heard young kids using the N-word was that it was kids as young as 5 or 6 years old. They had no concept of civil rights, no concept of slavery, anything. They just knew of themselves and other people as just the N-word.

I'm not going to lie to you. I never use the word. I've seen people get hanged and people laughing, calling them "niggers" and stuff like it's cool. Right now, it got me to a point that I would never even want to let the word pass my mouth again.

DELOR SCARBORO, WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT: Pictures of the people getting hung and stuff, and they're having a party about it. It's horrible.

MATHIS: Well, can someone tell me what the word "dehumanize" is?

HARRIS: The discussions can be candid, something that Jarrett fosters by letting participants express themselves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Making somebody feel less than what they actually are.

HARRIS: By soliciting feedback through surveys on what they feel was most effective after completing a session, Jarrett is able to tailor his workshops to the issues that are most important to black youth.

MATHIS: And a lot of kids who experience the workshop often argue that it's just a part of the language, it's just a word. But then I argue that the word is so negative, and it was so wretched, and such an intricate part of dehumanizing our people, that you can't take something that's been so negative and make it to a positive.

HARRIS: Tony Harris, CNN Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now, Mathis actually used grant money to help support his workshops while he was in school, but now he's raising money any way he can, including raffling off some prized sports jerseys.

To read more stories that matter to all of us, pick up the latest issue of "Essence" magazine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. Welcome back. Let's take a look here. CNNmoney.com. You know, that's the spot for all your news about money.

This is going to be a big headline for a lot of folks. This is the headline right now: "Social Security cost of living." They're are not (INAUDIBLE) for the second year in a row, not getting a cost of living increase.

Also, another story we're curious about. The ten least stressful jobs out there, you might want to check that out. I assume one of them was the kid out in Colorado who smoked weed for a living, that's probably not too stressful. But check that out, CNNmoney.com. Always a good resource. Also, NASDAQ up 22 points and also the Dow is down about 36 points right now. We'll keep a close eye on all of that stuff, of course.

Now, dealing with debt collectors out there. Dealing with student loans and senior citizens being harassed about their home mortgage. You have the questions. Our Stephanie Elam has the answers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNNMONEY.COM: Time now for the Help Desk where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Amanda Gengler is with "Money" magazine. And Gary Schatzky is a financial planner and president of Objective Advice.

Thanks for being here, guys. Let's get right into our questions which start with Michael who writes, "My student loan debt was bought by a debt collection agency that gave me really bad advice and then started garnishing my wages. It's been seven months, and they take out more than we decided on. I wasn't even given a buyout on my loan, and it appears they're trying to get me to pay all the interest and penalties. Is this legal and what are my options?"

What do you say, Gary?

GARY SCHATZKY, PRESIDENT, OBJECTIVEADVICE.COM: It's a really difficult situation. I mean, advice from a debt collection agency, not a good idea, let me just start there.

It depends on the documents that you signed. If they were fraudulent in laying out the rules to you and disclosing it to you, you might want to go to the state attorney general's office. You certainly should have a buyout, I'm sure you do have the ability to do so, But it sounds like what debt collection agencies do, they just try to jam you into something and have you not understand it.

ELAM: And that's not rare on that one.

All right, I want to go to the next question here, which is from Nina. "We are retired and upside down on our mortgage, but on time, not delinquent. The banks will not help. Should we default and if so, is the property deed all they can get from us? Can they touch what little is left in our IRA? Should we get a lawyer?"

What do you think, Amanda?

AMANDA GENGLER, "MONEY" MAGAZINE: This is a complex situation because it sounds like she can afford her mortgage. She's questioning whether or not she should continue to pay it.

So to start, look at the rental market in the area because she'll still need to live somewhere. She may not save as much as she thinks by renting, and also, depending on her state's law and the type of mortgage, they could come after her for additional money. In fact, they might if they think she can afford to pay it and is defaulting by choice. She may also owe taxes on the money, so definitely before making a decision, consult a lawyer and a tax professional.

ELAM: And really get the information.

All right. Well, thank you both for being here.

The Help Desk, all about getting you answers, so sent us an e- mail to CNNHelpDesk@CNN.com. Or you can log on to CNN.com/helpDesk to see more of our financial solutions. And you can also pick up the latest issue of "Money" magazine on newsstands right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right, taking a look now at some of the stories making headlines.

The Mexican government now says it has suspended the search for missing American David Hartley. This comes a couple of days after the lead investigator on the case was beheaded. Hartley's wife says he was shot on a sightseeing trip on Falcon Lake; his body, though, has not been found.

Also, sources tell CNN the Israeli government is planning to construct new housing units in east Jerusalem. Palestinian negotiators have now condemn the move, saying Israel has chosen settlements over peace.

Also the world's longest tunnel has now been finished. It stretches some 35 miles beneath the Swiss Alps, but it's going to take another seven years for that tunnel to be ready handle high-speed rail service.

Well, a soldier's homecoming from Afghanistan, a bit of a letdown. Came back and discovered that his home was destroyed in a fire. But we have got some good news. Our Clark Howard from our sister network HLN, he came in to help out. WSB's Diana Davis with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIANA DAVIS, WSB-TV CORRESPONDENT: The home he dreamed of, gutted. Michael Walker was just back from one year's duty in Afghanistan. As he and his wife were about to drive home from Fort Stewart, they learned the house had burned to the ground from a dryer fire. It was an overwhelming blow.

MICHAEL WALKER, SOLDIER RETURNING FROM WAR: It kind of heartbroke me, of course, because everything was brand new in the house. It sounds kind of cliche, but I just started praying a lot.

DAVIS: The Walkers paid off the land with the insurance settlement, but had no money left for a new house for mobile home. Habitat for humanity and Channel 2's Clark Howard stepped in.

Howard wrote a personal check for $30,000, asking for a community match. What most assumed would be a long-term fundraising product wasn't. DANNY SANDERSON, HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: What we thought, maybe two, three months. And with Clark Howard and his team and their help, we did it in a week.

DAVIS: Now the plans for the three bedroom, two bath home are ready. Michael and his wife, thankful and a bit in shock.

WALKER: The economy's so bad, I didn't think anything like that would even come around. You know, because everybody's having hard times now.

DAVIS: In three or four months, the family will move in. The children already dreaming of their new rooms.

WALKER: The 3-year-old is like every day, when are we going home? It's like, well, when the house is built. Well, when is the house going to be built? Asking a thousand questions, basically.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right.

Well, coming up. A dead senator making an endorsement. That story just ahead in our political update. Stay here.

(COMMCERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: So, we have got 18 days, folks, until you head out for these midterm elections. And a lot of people are getting endorsements. They always want to brag about, I've got this politician supporting me, I've got that person supporting.

Well, somebody is getting support from beyond. Mark Preston and our Paul Steinhauser. Two members of The Best Political Team on Television joins us now for the political desk update.

Guys, tell us, what's going on?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, T.J., you're absolutely right, if you want an endorsement from a Republican in Alaska, you want it from Ted Stevens. Problem is, Ted Stevens died in a plane accident, as our viewers remember back on August 9. However, right that crash, he taped a commercial for Lisa Murkowski, the incumbent senator. He served with Lisa Murkowski and also served with her father.

Well, she decided not to run that right before the Republican primary. However, since she lost that primary, she's has decided to run as an independent. She's now running that. In fact, Mr. Steven's daughter comes on in front of this commercial that is now running up in Alaska, saying our father would want this to run. So, up in Alaska a 60-second ad of Ted Stevens endorsing Lisa Murkowski, some would say from the grave.

Paul, what do you have? PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: T.J., let talk about Sarah Palin and let's talk about the Tea Party Express. Monday, Reno Nevada. Tea Parrty Express, that national Tea Party organization, kicking off their fourth cross country caravan. It's starting in Nevada, of course, to target Harry Reid. They're going to end in New Hampshire the day before the election.

Who's going to be there with him in Reno, Nevada? Sarah Palin, the former Alaskan governor. She was there back in Searchlight, Nevada last March to help them kick off their third tour. She's helping them kick off their fourth tour. Of course they'll be targeting, they say, a number of Democratic candidates who are running in this November's election.

Back to you, Mark.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR (ph): You know, T.J., as we're getting very, very close to the election, you can't get enough of it. Well, you can now get it on your mobile phone, right here. If our photographer, Jeremy, will just kind of come in close on that, and ask him to come here, you can actually download this free election center app here at cnn.com. You can get it for your iPhone, for your Android, for your Blackberry. You can stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news, if you don't happen to be in front of the TV with yourself, T.J., you don't happen to be in front of your computer, you've got your phone with you, you can get the news as it breaks.

HOLMES: All right. That thing is up and running. Going to be a good resource for the next 18 days. Gentlemen, we appreciate you, as always. We're going to have the next political update coming your way, folks, in the next hour. And, of course, the latest in political news, go to CNNPolitics.com.

We'll continue with a little politics here. And a lot of people talk about slashing government spending. Say that's what you need to do to balance the budget. You hear Republicans talking about that and it's also a big battle cry for Tea Party leaders. And our Eliot Spitzer, he pressed the pioneer of the modern, conservative movement for specifics about cutting government spending. And he did that last night on CNN's new prime time show, "Parker Spitzer."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD VIGUERIE, PIONEER OF THE MODERN CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT: Reagan, when he ran for president in '76 said we need new leadership. Leadership unfettered by old ties and old relationships. The Tea Party people are unfettered by old ties. They're changing America.

KATHLEEN PARKER, CNN'S "PARKER SPITZER" CO-HOST: All right. Well, let's talk about --

ELIOT SPITZER, CNN'S "PARKER SPITZER" CO-HOST: Richard -- wait, wait, wait, wait. Richard, that was fascinating, but can you answer the question.

VIGUERIE: Well, you know what -- SPITZER: (INAUDIBLE).

VIGUERIE: You know what --

SPITZER: So I have this persistent habit. I was a lawyer once and, you know, so where are you going to cut?

VIGUERIE: Well, we start with the Republican proposal. We go back to the spending limits of --

SPITZER: But, wait, you've got to cut -- you've got to cut over a trillion dollars. There's only $500 billion in nondiscretionary money to start with. What -- where are you going to take huge pieces? Are you going to cut Medicare?

VIGUERIE: Well, what you're going to do is change the entitlements. You have to.

SPITZER: So you're going to cut Medicare.

VIGUERIE: America is not going to function, as you well know, in 20, 30 years. America is not going to function unless somebody, Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals get together and figure out how we're going to get away from this entitlement society. One thing -- a very simple way to do it, Eliot, there are many parts to it, but one is you change the retirement age. Most people when they get to 62 are now drawing Social Security. You can't continue that when people are living into their 80s and 90s.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And tonight "Parker Spitzer" focus on a new documentary that explores the difference between President Obama and President Reagan's views on the role federal government plays in society. You can get both sides on "Parker Spitzer" every weeknight right here at 8:00 Eastern Time.

Have you seen this yet? What everybody's talking about? What happened on "The View" yesterday? Things often do get heated on that show, but so heated that somebody got up and walked out. It's "What's Hot." We'll bring it to you. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right, "What's Hot." Josh Levs here with that.

And everybody's been talking about this.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

HOLMES: But, don't -- isn't this routine now? Don't they walk out like every week on "The View" now?

LEVS: I know. Well, it seems like every time there's a dispute, it makes big news.

HOLMES: Yes.

LEVS: People can't get enough of this. It's number one again on cnn.com today. Everyone's talking about this.

Let's just show you, in case you haven't seen it. This is what was sparked it. It was on "The View" yesterday. Fox News' Bill O'Reilly was the guest. He brought up the planned Islamic center near Ground Zero and here's what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God. What are you trying to --

BILL O'REILLY: Muslims killed us on 9/11.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is --

O'REILLY: Muslims didn't kill us on 9/11?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Extremists.

O'REILLY: Is that what you're saying?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Extremists -- extremists did that.

(CROSS TALK)

O'REILLY: And what religion were they in?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What religion --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It doesn't matter what they are --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Listen, (INAUDIBLE) --

(CROSS TALK)

O'REILLY: I'm telling you, 70 percent of the country --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bill, Bill, I don't even want to sit here. I don't want to sit here now. I don't.

O'REILLY: Go (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm outraged by (INAUDIBLE).

O'REILLY: You're outraged about Muslims killing us on 9/11?

BARBARA WALTERS, "THE VIEW": I want to say something. I want to say something to all of you. You have just seen what should not happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: Barbara Walters went on to say people shouldn't walk out. We should be able to have a respectful conversation. And you can see they came back actually after Barbara Walters calmed things down and after O'Reilly clarified that Muslim extremists were responsible for the attacks. So happened was last night, he has a show, Joy Behar has a show. So Bill O'Reilly talked about it on his show, Fox --

HOLMES: Bill O'Reilly, he has a show?

LEVS: Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor." And he said -- his position is that no one wants to insult Muslims, but that people are tired of political correctness. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL O'REILLY, "THE O'REILLY FACTOR": I'm not in the business of sugarcoating harsh reality. This program and my book state the truth as I see it. I enjoyed jousting with "The View" ladies because, with the exception of Elizabeth Hasselbeck, they don't see it my way and I want their audience to hear both sides. I loved that exposition today, didn't you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: And her program on our sister network, HLN, Joy Behar talked about it. And to understand what she's saying here, you need to know that his book is called "Pinheads and Patriots."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BEHAR, "THE JOY BEHAR SHOW": Today on "The View," Bill O'Reilly had a real pinhead moment. I was really angry. I saw O'Reilly -- I thought he was saying something that I construe as hate speech, frankly. I'm joined now by former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura.

I mean it upsets me, as you can see, because I really think that to say Muslims killed us on 9/11 is like you could say that about any group. To lump an entire group like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: So then she had this conversation with Jesse Ventura.

And like I was thinking about it. I mean one good thing to come out of this is at least we can have a conversation as a country about intelligent, respectful ways to talk about these issues.

HOLMES: We need to have a conversation about how to have a conversation.

LEVS: I know, we do need to have one.

HOLMES: Make your list (ph). All right. You know how many times I want to walk off this show every day?

LEVS: Look who's here. Ali Velshi.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: You who's hot? You know what's hot? You guys are hot. I'm just saying.

LEVS: I'm being told we've got to roll to break. See you. Enjoy. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Just like you, really? We've got 18 days to go before the midterm elections. We thought we'd find out whether voters are buying into this campaign season's catch phrase. CNN's Carol Costello with the story for us.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J., we've always head it, but today it seems like every politician is fighting for the "I'm just like you" crowd. It must work, right? Well, we wondered, do voters really want a politician in office just like them?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO (voice-over): Christine O'Donnell wasn't the first to say she's you?

CHRISTINE O'DONNELL (R), DELAWARE SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not a witch. I'm nothing you've heard. I'm you.

COSTELLO: But you could argue she was the first to say it in a way that arrested America's attention in a way few politicians have. Parodies abound. Queue YouTube.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America's a 300-pound bearded diabetic man. Send me your donations and I will go to grandma's house and order pizza tonight. I'm you.

COSTELLO: All joking aside, the "I am you" political strategy is ubiquitous. It seems to be in every politician's playbook, no matter how ridiculous it might sound. If you're wondering why?

ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, they do it because it's been done.

COSTELLO: So, politicians bowl, they drink, they hunt or they ride a horse. But President Reagan on a horse was a lot more subtle than say Bill Clinton's I like you grab. All those McDonald's hamburgers, those jogging shorts and marriage problems. He was a baby boomer's "I am you" dream. He connected and he won.

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: Thank you very much.

COSTELLO: Actually, analysts say, the "I'm like you" strategy really exploded in 2008.

PALIN: Every day American people, Joe six pack, hockey moms across the nation, I think we need to band together and say, never again. Never will we be exploited and taken advantage of again. COSTELLO: And although some political strategists might say it's a tired tactic, the idea of you running the country resonated with many voters.

PROF. LARRY SABATO, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Because they're angry, they don't trust anybody. Who are they most likely to trust? Themselves.

COSTELLO: But is that what voters really want? Do they want a peanut farmer, a cowboy, a good old boy, or a hockey mom? You know, someone just like them to run the country? In the end, Zimmerman, a Democratic strategist, says no.

ZIMMERMAN: This election is not about whether a politician is like the electorate, it's about what the politician is going to do for the electorate. That's what people are demanding today. And I think that's really what's resonating.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Zimmerman adds voters are more cynical today than they were says back in the '90s when Bill Clinton ruled. He says when voters hear I'm just like you coming from the mouth of a politician, it sounds just like the check's in the mail.

T.J.

HOLMES: All right, thanks to our Carol Costello.

And CNN NEWSROOM continues. And filling in for me today on the 1:00 to 3:00 -- oh, Ali, you know I love you, buddy. Take it away, my man. It's all yours.

VELSHI: Always a pleasure to see you. Have a fantastic afternoon, T.J.

HOLMES: Thank you.