Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
President and First Lady Campaign; The Case for Legalizing Pot; Divorce Insurance Gains Traction in Bad Economy; Wal-Mart, Kroger Recall Frozen Vegetables; Philippines Brace for Typhoon
Aired October 17, 2010 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Right now on CNN: the left and the right pulling tout the big guns as Election Day approaches. It's coming quickly.
The Democrats' secret weapon: the first lady of the United States. Someone who knows her well takes us behind the scenes with Mrs. Obama -- a Democrat more popular than her president husband.
A former surgeon general of the United States makes a provocative declaration about recreational marijuana. She says legalize it, already. I'll ask Joycelyn Elders about that live.
And money changes everything, especially marriage, divorce, and sex in this economy. And a little thing called divorce insurance among other unusual agreements, quickly gaining in popularity. A lawyer who knows all about it is here to explain.
But we're going to start with some politics right now, because on the surface, you know, it really looks like 2008 all over again, but in reality, that dynamic couldn't be more different.
President Obama and the first lady are out on the campaign trail today, part of a multi-day, multi-state swing, designed to energize Democratic Party voters. But unlike two years ago, Mr. Obama is playing the defense, and it's the Republicans who are on a roll right now. GOP candidates are banking big donations winning, over independents, and enjoying energetic crowds who are eager to head to the polls.
Our senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry, is in Ohio where the president and the first lady will speak shortly.
And Mr. Mark Preston is in Washington right now. He's our senior political editor. He is standing by.
So, Mark, just 16 days out. Republicans are expressing a whole lot of confidence, yet it's not a done deal for any party, is it?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: No, it's not a done deal. That's why we've seen the likes of Sarah Palin and Michael Steele hold a rally in California yesterday. We'll see Sarah Palin later this week. We're also seeing President Obama and his wife at a rally on a Sunday, trying to get these Democratic voters energized. But, Don, let me just boil this down to a few numbers for you. Thirty-nine seats in the House of Representatives. That's all Republicans need to pick up to take control of the building behind me. If they're able to pick up 10 seats in the Senate, they'll take over that chamber.
And really, what does this mean? It really puts the Obama presidency really against the wall, especially as he goes into his own re-election in 2012. Look, things are going to change in any way for Mr. Obama. He'll be in an election year after this election as he tries to shore up his own base and try to win a second term.
But the fact of the matter is, no matter what happens on November 2nd, by November 3rd, it's going to be a much different Washington, Don, than we know it today.
LEMON: All right. Mark Preston, stand by. Thank you very much. We'll get back to you.
The first lady and the president about to speak shortly in Ohio. You know, they're at the University of Columbus there and they'll both take to the podium tonight.
Our senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry, is there as well.
Ed, you know, this is unusual to see the president and the first lady on the campaign trail together.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You're right, Don. We haven't seen it in two years. I mean, this past week, we saw the first lady go out there solo to some key states, some important Senate battles. She'll be going out over the final two weeks or so of the campaign as well. The president has been hitting the hustings a lot.
But they decided this is the pivotal state. Obviously, Ohio helped carry the president to the White House in 2008. You've got a big Senate battle here. You've got a gubernatorial battle. Governor Strickland, the incumbent, is facing a hard fight from Republican John Kasich. And then there's several House battles as well that will control that -- decide control of that chamber, as Mark was just laying out.
And so, you know, this campus, last night, Ohio State, Buckeyes lost to Wisconsin, the football team. It was knocked out of the top spot of the nation. So, this has been sort of a downtrodden campus, folks are crying in their beer, if you will. But a short while ago, there was hardly anybody behind me. As you can see, thousands have streamed in.
So, the president has been hitting these college campuses. He was in Madison, Wisconsin, a couple weeks back. He wants to get the young voters out, though, to help propel them to victory. He wants to make sure his people don't stay home because of that enthusiasm gap with the Republicans right now. LEMON: You know, Ed, you're out there with the populous, among the people, as they say. So, as you're talking to Democrats and even the leaders in the party, how are they feeling going into the last few weeks before midterms?
HENRY: When you talk to Democratic Party activists, even in private, they realize that they're going to take some kind of a beating in these elections. That's the way it's cyclical, the first midterm election of any new president, they usually lose seats in the House and Senate. But they are feeling good about how the last few weeks with both the president and first lady out there, they think they're going to cut into that enthusiasm gap and get some of their people out there.
But on the flip side of that equation, it's not good for this president in the final two weeks or so to be really on the defensive. I mean, here he is trying to defend a Democratic incumbent for governor. Yesterday, he was in Massachusetts, a state Democrats should have locked down a long time ago, but Democratic Governor Deval Patrick in some trouble.
And then later this week, I'm going out west with the president. He's defending against Senate Democratic incumbents, Patty Murray in Washington, Barbara Boxer in California, Harry Reid, the majority leader, in Nevada.
And so, rather than going to sort of Republican states, expanding the playing field and trying to get Democratic pickups, knock out some of those Republican incumbents, he's just playing defense in these last couple of weeks. That tells you everything you need to know about how much Democrats are on the defensive in this election, Don.
LEMON: All right. Stand by, thank you very much. Ed Henry, we'll be checking back with you again.
The first lady and the president going to speak shortly in Ohio there -- in Columbus, Ohio.
In the meantime, we have some developing news to tell you about. This is out of Baltimore, Maryland. Murder charges have been filed following a fistfight or a fight last night, late last night, in which an off-duty police officer was killed.
Police say Detective Brian Stevenson and a friend had gone to a restaurant in south Baltimore to celebrate his birthday. An altercation erupted over a parking space and Stevenson was struck in the temple with a piece of concrete. Baltimore police arrested a 25- year-old man a short time later and charged him with first-degree murder.
We'll be following that story for you.
You know, while the debate grows over whether to legalize marijuana, listen to this -- a former United States surgeon general says, why not? We'll hear her reasons live, coming up.
And on the stump, the first lady is making the rounds as we close in on the midterm elections.
And we're asking whether it's better to have President Obama or the first lady, Michelle Obama, pushing your platform from someone who knows her very well.
And don't just sit there. We want you to be part of this show. So, check in with us on Twitter or Facebook, or check us out on our blog at CNN.com/Don. We're on Foursquare.com as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: America may be inching closer to legalizing pot on Election Day. Marijuana is on the ballot in four states next month. And no matter what happens on November 2nd, Attorney General Eric Holder warns that the federal government will continue to enforce all drug laws and that's including the marijuana laws.
Now, I recently spoke about this with Kathleen Parker. She's the co-host of CNN's "PARKER SPITZER." She said the debate over legalization shouldn't be an issue of conservatives versus liberals. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHLEEN PARKER, CO-HOST, CNN'S PARKER SPITZER: I've been convinced by people in law enforcement and the judicial system that we can really allocate our resources in much more -- in much better ways than arresting people for a simple possession of marijuana. In 2008, for example, in California, there were 60,000 arrests, just for simple possession of marijuana. And it seems to me a very -- you know, huge waste of manpower, resources, et cetera, et cetera. There are so many arguments you can make in favor of legalizing it that I really -- I can't -- I can't come down on the other side.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. So, listen, Dr. Joycelyn Elders served as U.S. surgeon general under President Clinton and she joins us now from Little Rock, Arkansas.
Dr. Elders, you know, you were quoted in "The New York Times" I read yesterday. It's very interesting. You said, "We consume far more dangerous drugs that are legal, cigarette-smoking, nicotine, and alcohol. We need to lift the prohibition on marijuana."
That's a pretty bold statement. Many people think that you're wrong. That it would be a bad -- make a bad situation worse.
What do you say to that?
DR. JOYCELYN ELDERS, FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: Well, I don't think it would make a bad situation worse. I don't think much could be worse than the present situation that we have. When we have the highest number of people in the world being criminalized, many for nonviolent crimes related to marijuana. And when marijuana has not really -- has never caused anybody directly to die. It's not a toxic substance that would cause people to die.
And we -- and I just think that we could, as was said earlier, we can use our resources so much better and I think we need to legalize marijuana for adults and make -- and tax it so we can use the money for much better things, make it such that you can't smoke around children and in front of children. You can't sell -- it's illegal to sell it to children.
And I just think that this is the thing that we should do, rather than grabbing up young people, throwing them in prison, they lose their opportunity to ever get a federal scholarship. And that's just -- to me, that's just wrong.
LEMON: Well, what about -- what about the health concerns? What about possible secondhand smoke and all of those concerns?
ELDERS: Well, I think -- you know, we still smoke around children. We have secondhand smoke. We have alcohol, you know, the most addictive -- marijuana is not addictive, physically addictive, anyway. And the most addictive substance we've got out there is nicotine.
LEMON: Yes. So, listen, and I'm going to ask you this -- if it were legalized, would you do it?
ELDERS: Would I do?
LEMON: Would you smoke marijuana if it were legalized?
ELDERS: I've never smoked marijuana when it wasn't legal. I don't think -- when you get my age, you aren't going to start something new. So, I don't think I would smoke marijuana now. I don't smoke cigarettes, I never smoked cigarettes.
And so -- but I don't think -- what I think is horrible about all of this is that we criminalize young people and we use so many of our excellent resources, police resources, for things that are really not causing us any problems.
LEMON: It seems that there are a lot of people out there who are making judgments about marijuana and it's kind of the similar arguments that we made during prohibition about alcohol. But a lot of people who don't -- who are not sure of the effects of marijuana, maybe they haven't tried it themselves and they're coming to these the preconceived notions about it. You know, we talked about the health effects about it, but what about causing violence or causing people to become complacent and all of those issues?
ELDERS: Well, now, I think the complacency issue may have merit. There is no problem -- nobody says that marijuana causes violence, whereas we know alcohol can certainly cause much more aggressiveness. You know, if you go out in the streets, you aren't as likely to hurt somebody from using marijuana as you are using alcohol.
As far as your own personal health concerns, we don't -- it's never caused any death. It's never caused anybody to die, that we know about, directly, from the physical parts of marijuana. But we may become more complacent, not think as well, and, you know, many people say, well, it creates a lot of zombies. Well, heaven knows, alcohol creates zombies too when they get so much.
LEMON: Well, Doctor, I want to ask you this the real quick before we go. Mexico, obviously, on our border. The situation there is turning into a war zone.
ELDERS: Yes.
LEMON: What's the impact on Mexico if recreational marijuana is, in fact, legalized here?
ELDERS: I think it would reduce the money that goes to the drug cartels and Mexico, because it would be legal, we could tax it, and we wouldn't have to depend on Mexico's drug cartel, who's now getting all of the money. And I understand we consume $14 billion a year in California. They could tax it and make $1.4 billion in tax money, which they could use for recreational parts and other things that are much more useful than out there having shoot-outs in the street.
LEMON: Former surgeon general of the United States, Dr. Joycelyn Elders -- thank you so much. We appreciate your time.
ELDERS: A pleasure. Thank you for having me.
LEMON: OK.
You know, if you're stuck underground for 69 days, what would be on your to-do list? How the Chilean miners are spending their first weekend aboveground in two months.
And the economy is keeping some people together and tearing others apart. But if you don't have a pre-nup, there's another way to protect yourself and it's growing in popularity. We'll tell you about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Taking a look at some of our top stories right now. Government forces in Yemen are hitting al Qaeda targets with air strikes and a ground campaign. The government says the strikes are in retaliation for an attempt by al Qaeda to murder a provincial governor and security officials. At least six al Qaeda militants have been killed. The American embassy has been put on security alert in case of al Qaeda retaliation.
In Chile, some of the 33 rescued miners returned to the mine site today to give thanks for their safe return. Family and friends also attended today's Catholic mass of thanksgiving. Not all the rescued miners attended, though. Some were just not ready after their 69-day ordeal. Very understandable there.
In Kingman, Arizona, a tour bus on its way to the Grand Canyon ran off the road and flipped over this morning. Two passengers were killed and several others seriously injured. The driver was treated for minor injuries. The 11 passengers on the bus were believed to be tourists from another country.
(MUSIC)
LEMON: Time now to take a look at some of the news stories that we'll be watching in the week ahead. And we start with Ed Henry at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
HENRY: I'm Ed Henry at the White House, where on Wednesday the president has a big meeting with his national security team on his AfPak policy. Then he immediately heads out on the campaign trail for his last big West Coast swing before the election. He hits Oregon, Washington state, California, Nevada, and then Minnesota on the way home.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jeanne Meserve in Washington. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will be making a trip to the southwest border and visiting with national guard troops deployed there. We'll be following that.
Also, if you bought a plane ticket lately, you might have noticed you've had to give some additional information, like your gender and date of birth. It's for a program called Secure Flight. We'll explain what that's all about and whether, in fact, it does deliver more security.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Coming up this week on Wall Street: earnings season kicks into high gear. We'll get results from Citigroup, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, as well as Apple and Yahoo! among many others. And a big focus again on housing with the latest home building numbers being released on Tuesday morning. And then on Wednesday, we'll get the Fed's latest report on economic conditions across the country. And on Friday, jobs will take center stage with a state-by-state unemployment reports.
That's all coming up. We'll track it for you on CNN Money.
A.J. HAMMER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: I'm "Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer. Here's what we're watching this week. The situation already got the boot from "Dancing with the Stars," so will Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, make it another week? And you can expect fireworks on "The View" this week when Bristol's ex, Levi Johnston, joins the ladies for a big sit-down.
"Showbiz Tonight" is live at 5 p.m. Eastern on HLN and, of course, we're still TV's most provocative entertainment news show at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
LEMON: All right. Thank you, guys.
Let's bring in CNN's international editor now, Azadeh Ansari.
Azadeh, good to see you. Tell us what's happening internationally.
So, where do we go first? Tehran, Hugo Chavez.
AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK EDITOR: Hugo Chavez, exactly, is expected -- you know, Hugo Chavez is expected to be there with his Venezuelan delegation. And they're going to be there for two days. And they're going to be in Tehran, Iran, on Monday and meeting with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about expanding the relations between the two countries.
And as you know, Don, President Ahmadinejad has tried to expand his reach in Latin America for some time, especially in countries like Venezuela, Bolivia and Cuba.
LEMON: And I have to look down on my notes and I was like, Hugo Chavez and Tehran. That's something you use to say in the same sentence. But can you -- the way you say Ahmadinejad is the right way. Can you say it again?
(CROSSTALK)
ANSARI: Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad.
LEMON: Yes. Yes. Thank you, very nice. OK. Not that you're not American, but the way you say it is proper.
Let's talk about France now and Nicolas Sarkozy.
ANSARI: Right. So, French unions are not backing down over his plan to raise France's retirement age to 62. And, of course, President Sarkozy is --
LEMON: Sixty-two?
ANSARI: Sixty-two, yes. And, you know, he's sticking by his word. And despite the strikes that have happened, hundreds of thousands of people heading the street, service industry is being affected, a fuel shortage, you know, being like the potential scare of a fuel shortage, I should say. But this is a make it or a break it week depending on what plays out between the government and the unions. So, again, a big story we're going to be following --
LEMON: Yes. I think I saw his either economic or finance minister on this week with Christiane Amanpour talking about. It's just a few week and it will help the economy so much that people really need to get behind it. But they are -- boy, they're in an uproar about this over there.
ANSARI: Big time, big time. So, again, all eyes are really on this story as we move forward. So --
LEMON: OK. Thank you, Azadeh Ansari. We appreciate that. Make sure you have a great week, OK?
ANSARI: Thank you. Thanks, Don. You, too. You know, it is something the Obamas haven't done since 2008 -- hit the campaign trail as a couple. But we'll tell you why the first lady may be getting a bigger cheer and bigger cheers than her husband.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It hasn't happened in a while, but the first lady, Michelle Obama, is joining her husband on the campaign trail this evening. They're both speaking at a rally in Columbus, Ohio, as we told you at the top of this newscast. It's a little over an hour from now.
This is the first time that they're campaigning together since 2008, since her husband was running, and the first lady has something the president has been losing. And you know what that is? That is popularity among the American people and the American voters.
Here's a recent poll that we did, a CNN/Opinion Research poll. Sixty-five percent approve of the job that she is doing, 20 points higher than her husband.
We're joined now by Nia-Malika Henderson, a staff writer for "The Washington Post," who has covered the Obamas extensively and has gone behind the scenes with Mrs. Obama and done lots of stories on her.
So, oftentimes, we would say, when President Bush was in trouble, he would pull out the first lady, Laura Bush, who always had higher approval ratings than him, at least in the last part of office. So, why is the first lady much more popular than her husband these days, though?
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, STAFF WRITER, WASHINGTON POST: Well, it's a common thing for first ladies. I mean, actually, Laura Bush had approval ratings somewhere in the 80s even when George Bush had approval ratings in the 30s and 40s. So, it's pretty common for first ladies to do that.
So, here you have a Democratic party really faced with dire odds for keeping on -- keeping control of both of these houses. So, they very much want to use everything they can to stave of losing those majorities. So, they're bringing the first lady out to raise the level of enthusiasm, but also raise money.
LEMON: OK.
HENDERSON: Over these last days, she's -- go ahead.
LEMON: I want to ask you that, because, you know, she is -- it's a tough position, we always say, being the first lady, because you sort of have to -- you can't really talk about controversial issues. If you had a career, you kind of have to leave that aside until you're out of the White House. She is popular, but nobody is voting for her.
So, how effective is she on the campaign trail? Can she get people to vote, or is it people just come out and say, oh, the first lady, I want to see her, I like her a lot? HENDERSON: Well, the hope is that both will happen. That she can remind people of how much they liked the Obamas, how much they liked the Obama agenda, how important 2008 was. So, her goal was really to link 2008 to 2010.
In her speech in Wisconsin, she told these voters, she said, listen, I gave you my husband in 2008 and now you've got to have his back. And having his back means voting for folks at the congressional level, for Senate, for U.S. House of Representatives, for mayor. It means voting for Democrats consistently.
So, that's very much the message that she's going to be having out there. And, of course, it's also -- she's going to be able to raise money. I think she's raised something like $1 million so far. She's going to make a swing next week and in the following week as well. So, she's going to very much be out there.
I really think in some ways, she's more of the keeper of the 2008 flame than even the president is, because he's been dogged by having to govern quite frankly and he's seen a real kind of drop-off in his popularity as a result.
LEMON: If you answer this question for me, I want to talk about the first lady personally, but, you know, there's this sort of -- perceived as a widening divide among the Democratic base, that the president is saying, hey, listen, you guys have to come back to us, so you can't be complacent. Can she help bridge that?
HENDERSON: Yes, I think she can help bridge that. But even more importantly, one of the things about the 2008 election was there were 15 million new voters. Those folks weren't a normal part of the Democratic base. They were young voters, they were new voters. They were minority voters.
And those are the folks that she's really going to be talking in these campaign appearances.
LEMON: OK.
HENDERSON: And in that way, I think she'll be able to bridge some of the divide.
LEMON: My last question for you, much like First Lady Laura Bush, who was a very warm first lady. And when you saw her smile, you couldn't help but like her. It's almost the same with this first lady. She is very warm, when she sees you, how are you, darling, that sort of thing.
How much so -- does that make her effective in winning over some people? I mean, I'm just being honest. And that's why they're probably bringing her out, pulling her out on the campaign trail.
HENDERSON: Yes, very much though.
LEMON: Her personal one-on-one with the voters in the crowd.
HENDERSON: Yes. I mean, she is very much a hugger. She gets out there.
LEMON: Yes.
HENDERSON: She loves working the rope line out there. And, you know, whereas you -- some people look at the president and they say he's very much kind of aloof and remove. She's very much, as you feel your pain kind of first lady. So, I think in that way, she'll be able to make connection with folks. And so, they can have some sense that this is the same, old, you know, Obama. It's the old 2008 movement. And in that way, they'll be more motivated to go to the polls.
We'll see. I mean, it doesn't always work.
LEMON: Yes.
HENDERSON: I mean, you think about Laura Bush in 2008. Folks liked her. She had 80 percent approval ratings. But Republicans still faced a real bludgeoning in the polls that year.
LEMON: Very well put, as always. Nia-Malika Henderson, we appreciate it. Have a good rest of your weekend, OK?
HENDERSON: Thank you.
LEMON: And make sure you stay with CNN. We're covering the first lady speech in Ohio next hour. The first lady and the president speaking there.
You know, times are tough, really tough. And while many are waiting to get married, a lot of people are these days, and others waiting to divorce. There's a new way to get together without risking all in the process. Call it divorce insurance. We're going to tell you about that.
Also, we'll tell you about a restaurant that grows its own vegetables on its roof. And you never have to get your hands dirty.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You better believe this, nothing ills a romantic mood quicker than talking about money. You know I'm right. It's often cited as the number-one reason that people get divorced. But in this economy, this down economy, financial issues are affecting American love lives in ways you may never have imagined.
I'm joined now by family law attorney, Mr. Randy Kessler. He's here in Atlanta.
Good to see you, sir.
And life psychiatrist, Paul Dobransky, a relationship expert, he's in my former hometown of Chicago. I'm sure it's a little bit chilly there.
Randy, we'll start with you. Divorce rates are down. People are putting off getting married. And one I just recently heard, Randy, is called "divorce insurance." What is going on here? Divorce insurance?
RANDY KESSLER, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: I guess the best divorce insurance would be to never get married.
(LAUGHTER)
You won't have to worry about it.
LEMON: Right.
KESSLER: The second best is you can have insurance, but how about a pre-nup that says, if we get divorced, you get this, I get that. I think the insurance issue is a tough one.
LEMON: I was going to say, it's different from a pre-nut because you can get this, right, while you're married already?
KESSLER: Right. You can get that but you can also have a post- nup. Get a post-nup while you're married but you can get insurance. The problems, think about all the variables. My head is spinning when I think about custody, visitation, I want supervised visitation. Now I have insurance company that will pay the lawyers whatever I want. I'm not going to work to settle because my insurance company is now paying my legal bills. I see some real problems with it.
LEMON: OK. OK. One of which is how soon you use it before or after. I mean, can you get divorce insurance and then say, OK, your policy is good and then you sign off, and then the next week can you go out and get divorced and claim the money?
KESSLER: The recent policies say you have to be married at least three years. If you've been married three years, I guess, that's a good-faith marriage. To be a legal immigrant, you have to be married for two years for it not to be considered a sham marriage. I guess three years -- so much for the seven-year itch. It will be the three- year itch.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: It is growing in popularity. When I talk to people in the newsroom, hmm, not a bad idea, I wish I had known about that before.
Paul, doesn't this can kill the romance, though?
PAUL DOBRANSKY, LIFE PSYCHIATRIST: Well, if you think about it in a certain way, men and women get together voluntarily. All relationships are voluntarily. And when you take things beyond the level of what we would just say is a psychological commitment, now it's legal, now it's a contract. So I think it's very sensible thing.
LEMON: So, listen, Paul, is this -- I want to ask you, it is a prohibitive cost of divorce actually a good thing for these couples? Because to get divorced is really expensive. And if you don't have that weighing on your mind, maybe that does make your relationship better?
DOBRANSKY: Sure. Yes, in a way. It's an external constraint that would put some pressure on a couple to work at better communication and a better alliance with each other. Sure.
LEMON: OK.
Randy, are couples doing this together, or can you go behind someone's back and say, I want to take out some divorce insurance and then the spouse doesn't know about it?
KESSLER: I think it's like anything else, you can do it either way. But it's probably better to do it behind your spouse's back to avoid collusion.
(LAUGHTER)
In other words, what you don't want is for a couple to do it together and then agree they're going to go ahead and get a divorce. Then what? Then the insurance company is paying for somebody's fraud.
LEMON: Interesting.
I'm going to read this little quote right here, which I found very interesting. This is from "The Washington Post." I saw this story. It says, "These legal" -- It's called cohabitation agreements, right?
KESSLER: Right.
LEMON: That you can get, and not get married, because people aren't getting married anymore. They're living together now, two households and there's agreements there. It's almost like a marriage agreement, but they're not.
KESSLER: We do those.
LEMON: OK, so you do those.
It says, "These legally binding documents can cover everything from real estate agreements to who takes out the garbage, to the frequency of sex or not gaining weight.
KESSLER: That's ridiculous.
LEMON: I'd like to -- No, it's not.
(LAUGHTER)
Why not?
KESSLER: Well, we have those provisions in pre-nups too. But I don't think they're enforceable. But the question is, if you know you're going to lose $10,000 because you raised to 150 pounds, you're going to try to stay in shape.
LEMON: How is it not enforceable, if it's in writing, if you have the --
KESSLER: How much you can weight? What you have a medical condition that says --
LEMON: That's an extenuating circumstance.
KESSLER: Oh, but -- I'm a lawyer
(CROSSTALK)
KESSLER: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: There are a lot of extenuating circumstances.
(LAUGHTER)
OK.
Paul, listen, final word on this. Do you have people coming into your office to talk about these things? Would you advise a couple to consider any of these options when they're coming in with you, beforehand, if they have issues in a marriage?
DOBRANSKY: Yes, I would. And the reason is, you know, love is not enforceable. What men and women are really after is a feeling of commitment to the each other. And that's something that you can't put a contract to and you can't enforce a contract on. It's the process of human courtship. And men and women can learn to communicate better with each other and learn about each other's needs.
LEMON: Yes.
Is this a good thing, though? Are these things that we should be negotiating before marriage? Because then you don't get that craziness, like, I want the house, I want the kids, I want the car, you did this. Isn't this a good thing? We should be smart about marriage.
Go ahead, Paul.
DOBRANSKY: Yes. I think it's a good thing, in the sense that it gets all the legal aspects and the financial aspects out of the way so that the couple can focus all their time and energy on the love process itself, the courtship process itself.
LEMON: The love --
DOBRANSKY: It's like doing your homework, getting your homework done.
LEMON: Thank you, Paul.
Randy, last word? KESSLER: I think always go into anything like this with forethought. There's an old joke which is, if the marriage license should cost $25,000 and the divorce should be low cost. That way people would be slow to into it and would be sure before they get into it.
LEMON: Good to see you, Randy.
KESSLER: Nice to see you again.
LEMON: Thanks to Paul in Chicago.
DOBRANSKY: Thank you.
LEMON: Let's move on and talk about vegetables. They're supposed to be good for you, but there's a new recall tonight for some that may contain glass fragments.
And readying for a massive wall of water. A category 5 typhoon closing in on the Philippines.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Checking your top stories on CNN.
People in the Philippines are bracing for what's being described as a monster storm, a typhoon that is expected to trigger massive flooding and landslides. The storm could pack winds of up to 125 miles per hour. The government is alarmed at the speed and strength of this typhoon. It's expected to make landfall tomorrow afternoon, so stay tuned to CNN.
A major recall to tell you about right now. Some frozen vegetables sold at Wal-Mart and Kroger may contain glass fragments. The recalled products include 12-ounce bags of Kroger green peas, Kroger peas and carrots, Great Value steamable sweet peas and Great Value steamable mixed vegetables. You can find the product codes at CNN.com. The veggies may be returned to the store where you bought them for a complete refund.
If you're a subscriber to cablevision or the Dish network, you probably noticed that some of your channels are blacked out. That's due to an ongoing dispute between News Corp, which provides some of the programming, and the cable and satellite providers. Cablevision says News Corp is asking for too much money in a weak economy. And News Corp says it provides quality programming and should be paid accordingly.
I spoke with "New York Times" media editor, Brian Stelter, and he says this fight may soon move beyond your TV to your computer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN STELTER, MEDIA EDITOR, NEW YORK TIMES: Now you had to notice this afternoon, if you're a cablevision customer, you couldn't go on FOX.com and watch FOX shows. They were blocked people who were trying to access it via the Internet, if you get your Internet via cablevision. I think that's a stake in the ground for the next fight to come, which is, how do we watch shows on the Internet and are we allowed too if we don't pay that has monthly fee?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We'll continue to check on those negotiations because they are set to resume tomorrow. A big story affecting a lot of people.
A restaurant that grows its own herbs and veggies on a rooftop, six stories above the tables where food is served. It's happening in New York City. Richard Roth shows us in today's "Edge of Discovery."
(EDGE OF DISCOVERY)
LEMON: All right, Richard, thank you.
A 74-year-old grandmother crosses the Mexican border into the murder capital of the world almost daily, all in the name of saving lives. She is one of the top-ten "CNN Heroes" of the year and you're about to meet her.
And many of you may believe criminals should be locked up behind bars to serve their punishment. But at least one judge believes public humiliation may be a better way to pay for the crime.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: There you go. We told you at the top of this newscast, it was our top story here, that the president is going to be speaking in Columbus, Ohio, with the first lady, who will be introducing him. There he is. He just landed in Columbus, Ohio. Those pictures courtesy of our affiliate there, WBNS. And there you see Air Force One, just landing. So the president's going to speak shortly. Stick around. We will have continuing coverage of all of the political stories, including the Democrats, Republicans. We have all of it for you so make sure you stick around.
A couple of weeks ago we announced the top-ten "CNN Heroes" of 2010. They will be selected by our blue ribbon panel. Actress Eva Mendes introduces us now to one of those top-ten people, extraordinary people. Her name is Guadeloupe. A 74-year-old grandmother, she ignores the escalating violence and crosses the U.S. Border into Juarez to check on patients at a hospital she started.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVA MENDES, ACTRESS: Hello, I'm Eva Mendes. Last year I had the honor of helping recognize the great works of every-day people changing the world at "CNN Heroes, An All-Star Tribute." As a champion of the Art of Lyceum (ph), I'm committed to creating joy in the lives of hospitalized children. And now I'm thrilled to help CNN introduce one of this year's top-ten honorees. Now more than ever, the world needs heroes. GUADELOUPE ARIZPE DE LA VEGA, CNN HERO: Juarez was a very nice place, and now nobody can go out. In this moment of crisis people have to have a secure place where healing goes on.
My name is Guadeloupe Arizpe de la Vega. I started the hospital in downtown Juarez.
We have been working there for 37 years with the community. Every day, we had from 800 to 1,000 people. Some of them can pay, some of them cannot pay, but we don't turn anybody away.
I believe that help is the most important of the human rights.
Life, it's all about empowering people. And it's very important to have an institution giving them hope for the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Joining us right now from El Paso, Texas, is Guadeloupe De La Vega.
Thank you for joining us. How are you doing?
DE LA VEGA: Hello, fine. Thank you, thank you for having me.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: I love your voice. You have such warmth and happiness in your response.
What's been the response to you being named one of the top ten finalists for "CNN Hero" of the year?
DE LA VEGA: Well, I have been very, very, very happy, very honored for naming me one of the heroes of CNN. And everybody in Juarez is happy because we are voting to see if we can win.
LEMON: Yes. We tell all of our heroes, I wish you all could win.
DE LA VEGA: Yes, of course.
LEMON: Real quickly, you probably feel like you've already won. This is quite an accomplishment already.
DE LA VEGA: No, no, no I have seen the stories of all the people who are there, the other nine people. Oh, my golly, they are fantastic people. I cannot wait to meet them and see them and share my experiences with them and learn from -- about them from what they are doing. They are fantastic people.
LEMON: That's what I said. You all are winners. You all are winners because you all do great work.
My serious question now though, I mean, what you do is very dangerous. Why did you choose to do that? DE LA VEGA: Well, violence now in Juarez is incredible, believe me. In the last three years and a half, we have had 7,200 murders.
LEMON: Yes --
DE LA VEGA: There are so many tragedies, so many sufferings going on.
LEMON: So you feel compelled, like you have to do it. There's something in your spirit said, you know what? You've got to go out and try to do something.
DE LA VEGA: Oh, yes, definitely, definitely. I am happier when I am there in the hospital. Even if we see many tragedies, I am happy to be able to mitigate a little bit of suffering, because things in Juarez are very tough now, believe me. I want everybody to know that people in Juarez are suffering a great deal.
LEMON: Guadeloupe De La Vega, through the TV screen, you can feel your spirit. And, again, I love your voice. There's such warmth in your voice.
Best of luck to you. Very proud of what you're doing, OK?
DE LA VEGA: Thank you very much. Thank you.
LEMON: Thank you.
DE LA VEGA: And good luck.
LEMON: OK. Thank you.
And you can vote online. Just go to CNN.com for the "CNN Hero" who inspires you the most. The winner will be honored on Thanksgiving night during "CNN Heroes." It's an all-star tribute hosted by our very own Anderson Cooper.
Still ahead on CNN, the pilot of a small plane sets off a security scare when he flies over a high school and drops rolls of toilet paper. What was he thinking?
And the mom of three kids, all born with birthdays that just might make you want to play the lottery.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Every weekend we like to bring you some interesting news items that you might have missed during the week.
The first one up, it is a paper trail that got one New Jersey pilot into trouble with the law. Check this out. This is from our affiliate News 12 New Jersey. It reports, Warren Saunders tossed several rolls of toilet paper from a Cessna this weekend. Westwood police say he was practicing to drop streamers for a high school football game. Instead, he caused a scare. Officers responded to the school fearing a terrorist act. Saunders was charged with violating state aviation codes. Oops.
Here is what happens when you steal a quarter million dollars from a crime victims fund in Houston. The judge orders you -- look at that sign -- to walk along a busy street every weekend for the next six years with a sign that says "I am a thief. I stole $250,000." The man's wife had to work in the district attorney's office and was the mastermind behind that theft. She's currently serving a six-month sentence. Once she gets out, she will also have to do penance with a sign. In addition to the public humiliation, the judge has ordered them to pay back all the money within ten years.
So listen to this incredible story of three siblings born with very memorable, some would say even lucky birthdays.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBIE SOPER, MOTHER OF THREE: Lucky numbers, we must live in a house of lucky numbers. The old owners actually won the lotto.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Here is a story behind it. The first child's birthday was pretty cool. He was born August 8, 2008. The second child's birthday was an amazing coincidence, September 9, 2009. The third child, you can take a guess, October 10, 2010. What are the odds? Hospital records confirm the siblings were born one year, one month, and one day apart, which begs the question, should the hospital expect mom will be back on November 11, 2011? She says no way. We say we'll see.
