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Rallying the Bases; Oil Still Stains Gulf Shores; President Obama to Appear on Discovery Channel's "Myth Busters"; Tea Party Express Hits Reno, Nevada; Two Women Killed in Tennessee Post Office; Investigation into Shooting Death of Football Player at NY's Pace University; Obama Hosts Science Fair at White House; Women Protesting Rape in the Congo
Aired October 18, 2010 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, Kyra, you have a great day. Great Monday. See you tomorrow.
Live from Studio 7 at CNN world headquarters, the big stories for Monday, October 18th.
Look at what we have here. Power players making the big push. President Obama and Sarah Palin energizing voters on the campaign trail, both with live appearances today as the nation heads into the home stretch of the midterm elections.
Plus, six months after the Gulf oil disaster, a new challenge is hiding in the sand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reality is that the oil is still there. There was such a large quantity of this material that came out, that is just isn't going to go away overnight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And could you gait cash settlement on your foreclosed home? CNN Money on how the growing investigation into foreclosure fraud could actually benefit you.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
Those stories and your comments right here, right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And countdown to the midterm showdown. With the election now just 15 days away, the fight for control of Congress is heading into the final round.
Some voters are already heading to the polls. Early voting begins today in six more states, plus the District of Columbia. Republicans are poised to pick up seats. It's just a question of how many and whether it will be enough to take control from the Democrats.
With just 15 days to go, both parties are bringing out the heavy- hitters. The president and first lady are on the campaign trail today, and Sarah Palin helps kick off a Tea Party bus tour. She campaigned over the weekend with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.
Let's bring in our senior political editor now, Mark Preston.
Mark, good to see you, first of all. You know, this election is all about -- we mentioned it just a moment ago -- balance of power in the Congress. How big a shift are the latest polls indicating might be available here for the GOP?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SR. POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, look, by and large, it's going to be a terrible election night for Democrats, Tony. However, in some states such as Pennsylvania, Illinois, gosh, you know, even out in California, Democrats, we're seeing the polls move a little bit back their way, even in Nevada.
Again, it's still going to be a bad election night for Democrats. But at least they're seeing some ground in some of these key races, some of these key Senate races where they think they might have a hope of winning these contests.
HARRIS: OK, Mark. President Obama and the first lady, Michelle, hitting the campaign trail. Now, yesterday they addressed a pretty big crowd, a sizeable crowd in Columbus, Ohio, and the president hit some of the themes familiar from his own campaign. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because this was never just about putting a president in the White House. It was about building a movement for change that lasted for a long time.
We will build a movement for change that will last 10 years from now, and 20 years from now, and we will grow this economy and restore the middle class to its rightful place. And once again, the American dream will be alive and well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So, Mark, here's the question. Can the president reconnect with these themes, and where will his message most likely be effective?
PRESTON: Well, you know, Tony, the clock is absolutely clicking. Again, 15 days until Election Day. What he is trying to do is make an appeal to young voters.
Look, he was on the campus of Ohio State there just yesterday, 35,000 people showed up for that rally. It's the third rally he has done so far this election season. We'll see one more in Las Vegas, just before Election Day. What he's trying to do, again, young voters and those first-time voters, those ones who came out to vote for him, he's trying to get them to come out now for Democrats even though he's not on the ballot on November 2nd -- Tony. HARRIS: OK. And Mark, let's keep ramping this up here. In just a couple of hours, Sarah Palin is kicking off a Tea Party bus tour in Reno, as you know now. Over the weekend, she was in California at an event with the head of the GOP. That's Michael Steele, and he embraced the Tea Party movement.
Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL STEELE, CHAIRMAN, RNC: There is no struggle, rift, fight between those who claim the banner of the Tea Party and those who are in the Republican Party. We work together.
(APPLAUSE)
We're working together. We're working together to defeat Obama, Reid and Pelosi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And Mark, so the question is, how well is this union working? How well is it paying off?
PRESTON: Well, you know, a half-truth there by the chairman of the Republican National Committee. Yes, they are united in defeating Harry Reid, in defeating Nancy Pelosi, and trying to take back control of Congress, defeating Democrats. But look, the Tea Party and the GOP establishment is not necessarily on the same page.
We saw that during the primaries. We saw Tea Party candidates go out and defeat Republican establishment candidates such as Lisa Murkowski up in Alaska, such as Bob Bennett in Utah, such as Mike Castle in Delaware. So, while they're united until November 2nd, wait until November 3rd. And if the Tea Party scores some big wins, then the Republican Party as a whole is going to have a whole lot of sussing out to do, so to speak -- Tony.
HARRIS: Yes. OK, Mark. Appreciate it. Thank you, sir.
It is the number one issue for you, and the politicians are hoping to win your vote based on their plans for the economy.
The CNN Election Express is on the road across the Southeast from now until Election Day, listening to your concerns. T.J. Holmes joining us from the first stop. That's Charlotte, North Carolina.
T.J., great to see you, of course.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, buddy.
HARRIS: We tend to look nationally, T., and sometimes we lose sight of the fact that, you know, a lot of these elections are really based on local issues. So what are you hearing from the people in Charlotte? HOLMES: Well, what I'm hearing so far is that the issues are very local. They're concerned about, like everybody, schools, parks closing, libraries, things like that. But, of course, that seems like such a local area, but that is all impacted by what happens on a national level.
If the federal government is spending more than it takes in, it's going to mean less for the federal government, which means less for the state governments. It means less for the local governments.
It all trickles down to them, and they are embracing that. But what they have here, Tony -- I mean, you're there in Atlanta, but your money is right here in Charlotte. I mean, it's about $2 trillion in assets floating around back there behind me in Charlotte, which is the number two hub of the financial industry in this country.
Bank of America is based here. The top five banks out of 25 in this country are based right here. So people here in Charlotte dealing with issues that everybody in this country is dealing with, but they also have this backdrop, a constant reminder looking downtown at this financial disaster.
I want you to listen now to a couple of local business owners and their take on what they're going through and what Charlotte is going through.
HARRIS: Terrific.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have been a chef in different restaurants in different calibers all across the country, and right now, during this economy, the price point is driving everything. You know, people are still going out to eat. The same people that didn't cook before aren't cooking suddenly now. They're just going to places that they can afford.
HOLMES: How is Charlotte doing today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think there's a lot of people concerned about what's happening with Bank of America. You know, I do hear people talk about that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The banking crisis hurt this city tremendously. And not only the bankers that worked for the bank, but, as a matter of fact, you know, there's lawyers that are affected by that. There's -- it trickles down the line.
HOLMES: It sounds like you guys have got really local concerns.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. And like Ed says, I mean, you talk about Bank of America, but you go back to schools and libraries and parks closing, and you see that happening and hear about that in other states. And all of a sudden it happens in your state, and you're like, wow. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel lucky to be a Charlottean, because if you look at it demographically throughout the nation, Charlotte is one of the best of the worst. You know, our mortgage foreclosures have been -- they're high. Everybody's, they're high, but we're not as bad as a lot of other cities in the nation, and we're fortunate that that's been that way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: So they feel blessed, some do here, in some ways, but, Tony, there's no denying that I'm in a city right now that depends on finance, banking, lending and mortgage just to supply the local economy. So many jobs depend on that.
And what do we have? An economic downturn that came about because of what? Financing, banking, lending and mortgages. So they feel almost like they got a double whammy here.
But just stop one. A whole lot more to share with you throughout the day and the week -- Tony.
HARRIS: Yes. And next hour, can we talk about mortgages and foreclosures in the Charlotte area? Is that something that we can touch with you on next hour?
HOLMES: Absolutely. Absolutely. And, you know, people are in limbo now. Some thought they were about to lose their homes. Now they're being told foreclosures are on hold. They don't know what to do.
So, absolutely, Tony. I'll see you in an hour.
HARRIS: OK. Let's do that. All right, T.J. Good to see you. Thank you, sir.
And CNN is, of course, your political headquarters for up-to-the- minute election news. You know where to go. That's CNNPolitics.com.
More on the economy next hour. The foreclosure crisis isn't just hitting homeowners. In our "Black in America" special "Almighty Debt," a look at the growing number of churches facing foreclosure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PASTOR DEXTER JOHNSON, HIGHER GROUND EMPOWERMENT CENTER: The tides and offerings, that's how we are able to do the ministry that we do. And when the people don't have, they can't give like they normally give or want to give.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Students at Pace University are mourning the death of a popular athlete who was killed by police over the weekend. Twenty- year-old Danroy Henry was parked in a fire lane as police tried to break up a parking lot brawl in New York's Westchester County.
Investigators say the college junior pulled off, hitting a police officer. That officer ended up on the hood and opened fire through the windshield. The car struck a second officer, who also opened fire. Henry's father is too heartbroken to appear on camera, but he is speaking out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANROY HENRY, SR., SON KILLED IN POLICE SHOOTING: He's a student, he's an athlete. He just played a great game. His coach called him today a man of high moral character.
His teammates all loved him. He was very popular on the campus and in this community, I think, as you can see, so we are absolutely beside ourselves right now. Not only are we experiencing this great loss, but we are also absolutely beside ourselves because we just absolutely can't understand how this could happen to our son.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Got to tell you, it has been six months since we first heard about an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig. It soon turned into the worst oil disaster in our nation's history. About 200 million gallons gushed into the Gulf of Mexico.
Our Rob Marciano finds the slime isn't going away anytime soon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, it's been three months since they capped the well, almost six months now since the explosion that killed 11 men and countless critters.
It's time for a Gulf of Mexico oil update. And we begin this week with a look at the beaches that were hardest hit along the northern Gulf Coast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can pick stuff up with these gloves.
MARCIANO (voice-over): It was last spring when the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill made landfall in Florida. That's when we met Dr. Richard Snyder, collecting surf and sand samples on Pensacola Beach.
Now, nearly a half year later, we walk these same beaches again.
DR. RICHARD SNYDER, BIOLOGIST, UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA: Is that tar?
MARCIANO (on camera): Yes. Look at that.
SNYDER: And we got a big lump of --
MARCIANO (voice-over): And the oil refuses to leave.
SNYDER: But the reality is that the oil's still there. There was such a large quantity of this material that came out that - tat it just isn't going to go away overnight. Six months, and we still got it.
MARCIANO: So his team of researchers continue taking samples, looking for lingering signs of oil and sea life, like these tiny shellfish, and digging deep into the sand for hidden layers of oil.
AUSTIN DIXON, RESEARCHER: We'll go there.
MARCIANO (on camera): That's it?
DIXON: Yes. Hammer it down.
MARCIANO (voice-over): Austin Dixon shows me how to collect a core sample, which requires more manual labor than I prefer.
(on camera): In June I learned cleaning tar off the top of the sand is hard enough.
This requires the touch of a surgeon.
MARCIANO (voice-over): Removing oily tar deep in the sand manually is nearly impossible. So Perdido Key is pulling out the heavy machinery. This modified snow blower/farming sifter is called a Sand Shark, and it could clean up to a mile of eight-foot wide beach per day.
(on camera): On this beach, they're going to about six inches to clean the sand. But you can see here in the layers, well below the 6- inch mark, is a layer of thick, heavy tar.
The question is, do you bring in that heavy equipment to go even deeper? Well, environmentalists are saying you may be doing more damage than good.
JUDY HANER, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY OF ALABAMA: We now have oil being cleaned up on our shores, and what we have is machinery actually out there, really disrupting the shoreline, disrupting the sand surface. Is the cure really worse than the symptom?
MARCIANO (voice-over): Conservationist Judy Haner is concerned about big trucks plowing through sensitive sandy habitat.
(on camera): Well, how do we go about getting the stuff that's one, two feet down?
HANER: Do we want to get the stuff that's one, two 2 feet down? I think that's what we really need to have a strong conversation about.
MARCIANO (voice-over): The problem is oil that's away from oxygen and sunlight will remain in the sand for years, even decades.
Early results from the sand core samples show very few chemicals harmful to humans. But oil compounds that get into the sea life and into the food chain is the bigger issue.
MARCIANO (on camera): So no longer is it a matter of what you can see scares you, it's a matter of what you can't see that scares you?
SNYDER: That's exactly right. It's mostly the material that we can't see.
MARCIANO (voice-over): What's certain is realizing the full impact of this oil spill will take far longer than the three months it took to cap the leaking well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: When measuring the marine life, it will be at least six months before we get a handle on some numbers when the oil generation of fish tries to spawn again. It will probably be years though.
As far as the beaches are concerned, that layer of tar was actually thrown up by Hurricane Alex early in the summer. The best way to naturally clean that quickly is for another hurricane to come by and scrape that tar back off the beach. That probably won't happen. So they've got the big guns out there.
And at least in Alabama, they are going to try to go as deep as two feet to try to get that tar off the beach before the next tourist season -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK, Rob. Appreciate it.
We have got a lot to get to in the program today. We've got to get going here.
When we come back, we're going to talk about the holidays. Start saving now so you can spend later. Our Senior Money Correspondent Christine Romans has your "Top Pips."
We're back in a moment.
Let's look at the markets right now. Let's see where we are for a Monday.
We're in positive territory as you can see for yourself there. You're eyes don't lie. We're up 36 points. The Nasdaq I believe is in positive territory as well.
Following these numbers for you throughout the morning, throughout the day, in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Believe it or not, come November, some 13 million Americans will still have debt left over from the previous Christmas. Really?
Christine Romans is here to make sure that doesn't happen to you.
Christine, help.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I know. Plan early, because, gosh, millions of people, they carry it over to the next year.
You've only got about five paychecks left, Tony, until Christmas. Think of that. That's only about 10 weeks.
HARRIS: Wow.
ROMANS: That means if you expect presents under the tree and not a debt hangover in January, you've got to find the money starting now.
So, Tony, do you think you could save 500 bucks by Christmas? Could you do it?
HARRIS: Yes. Yes, I think so.
ROMANS: You can. You can. Here's how. You've got to stop paying for things you don't use, Tony.
If you have not set foot in the gym since your New Year's resolution, ditch it and run around the block. Really, there are other ways to exercise. If you do use it and it's important to you, then keep it.
But you've got to look at the things you are not using and get rid of them. Cancel the subscriptions to magazines and newspapers you don't read.
HARRIS: Yes.
ROMANS: You can raise your deductibles for home and auto insurance. Conservatively, any number of these is about $50 a month. That's starting you down the road to $500.
The same goes for your cell phone plan. Many people, they're surprised, Tony, that they don't use as much of the data as they were paying for. AT&T estimates that 98 percent of customers use less than 2 gigs of data. You can also ditch the landline if you can.
So take a good look at your technology purchases.
HARRIS: OK. All right. So, for some folks it won't be easy. I can save a little bit, but it won't be easy for a lot of folks.
But you say, first, use it or lose it and you save the big bucks. But you picked up some advice recently from a celebrity chef, right, that might be helpful for all of us?
ROMANS: That's right. You know, southern cuisine queen Paula Deen, no surprise, gave me this one.
Paula says, Tony, that every time you stay home and grill a steak with your family instead of going to a restaurant, you are putting 35 bucks right back into your pockets. She says do this once a week and you save about 350 bucks by Christmas. She says buy one of her cookbooks and stay home instead.
HOLMES: Yes. I knew there was an angle there for Paula.
But Christine, OK, how about the fact that so many of us go into these stores and we simply just swipe that ATM card and not even think about it until we get the bill in January? Help us with the discipline, the willpower necessary to curb that kind of spending.
ROMANS: Yes, there's real money on that card that you're spending, and also, it's costing you money to use that card.
Certified financial planner Doug Flynn (ph) recommends you pay cash for an entire month. He says don't do it in December, but do it in November or do it in January. You get a better sense of what's coming out of your pocket, and it inspires some restraint.
And if you're going to use your debit card, if you're going to use your ATM card, use only in-network ATMs. The average cost for a trip to an ATM for a bank that's not your own is $3.54. So, eliminate just one trip a week for the next 10 weeks and you've saved another 35 bucks.
You know, walk an extra block or drive an extra mile. Please don't pay extra to use your own money.
Find a credit union or community bank that offers free checking, if you are getting charged for your checking. So, if you cut -- just do that, and you're adding an awful lot of money to the bottom line.
Also, just cut $10 routinely from the list of maybe 10 things you spend money on. You can save 100 bucks that way, too -- Tony.
HARRIS: Oh, that's good stuff. That is good stuff.
All right, Christine. Appreciate it. See you next hour. Thank you.
ROMANS: You can do it. You can do it.
HARRIS: It's going to happen.
ROMANS: Save for the holidays. Don't carry it into next year, please.
HARRIS: The babies have a wish list.
All right, Christine. Appreciate it. Thank you.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Some really terrible news to get your Monday going here. We are just getting word out of Memphis -- this is actually Henning, Tennessee, about 50 miles north and east of Memphis -- that two people were shot and killed this morning about 9:00 a.m. local time there in Henning at the local post office, and this is happening in Lauderdale County.
And the sheriff's department there telling us that two female employees were killed, again, about 9:00 local time, 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. And the circumstances that led to the shooting unclear at this point.
We're going to get some additional information on this shooting, but two people, two female employees of the post office, killed in Henning, Tennessee. More information as we get it here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: The Tea Party hoping to shape up Washington in just 15 days and less than two hours. Tea Partiers kick off their latest tour. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Less than two hours from now, the Tea Party express kicks off its final bus tour before the midterm elections. Sarah Palin headlines the event billed as the Liberty at the Ballot Box Tour. CNN's Shannon Travis live now from Reno, Nevada with more information.
Shannon, if you would, set the scene for us today.
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony what do you do if you are -- if you believe you're fighting a political battle? You try and fire up your army.
That's essentially what's going to happen here. Like you just said, in a few hours from now, as the Tea Party express kicks off their fourth national tour right here in Reno. Why Reno? Well, because Reno is important because Sharron Angle, the Republican candidate, has a base here. She was an assembly woman here. And why Nevada? Why four stops in Nevada, actually? Because these Tea Partiers, their message is fire Harry Reid.
So they're going to be scouring the state in four stops on this tour to send out the message to will be sending out the message to fire up the army, to get voters to the polls, to oust Harry Reid in favor of Sharron Angle. It kicks off here. Sarah Palin, perfect person for these Tea Party people to get their message out. She's going to be on stage to help fire up the crowd. And it all kicks off in a few hours from now.
HARRIS: So Shannon, what about Sharron Angle? You've mentioned her name a couple of times here. She's a big Tea Party candidate. Of course, she will be showing up for this event, correct?
TRAVIS: Actually, she will not be showing up for this event.
HARRIS: She will not?
TRAVIS: She will not be here at this event because she kind of can't. The Tea Party express, the independent expenditure arm of the Tea Party express has backed, has endorsed Sharron Angle so there's not supposed to be any fraternizing between the candidate and the independent expenditure group.
So, she won't be here but definitely the specter of her will be here. Speakers will come on stage and urge voters to get out and vote for her. So, she won't be here in person, but her name will be mentioned many, many times.
HARRIS: I bet. I can imagine. All right, Shannon, appreciate it. Thank you.
Shannon Travis for us, in Reno, Nevada. For the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.
An update on the Falcon Lake murder mystery. Tiffany Hartley tells CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" what happened the day her husband was shot and why it was impossible to bring back his body.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And this just in to CNN. We have been able to confirm that two people were killed at a Henning, Tennessee post office this morning. Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department is reporting that two female post office workers were shot and killed in the post office this morning. Local reports say the shooting happened about 9:00 a.m. local time, that's 10:00 Eastern. Now, the circumstances that led to the shooting are still unclear. And Henning is located approximately 50 miles northeast of Memphis. We will share more information as soon as we get it.
The wife of an American allegedly killed on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake has been talking again to Mexico authorities. Tiffany Hartley wants them to keep searching for her husband's body. She says drug pirates shot him while they were on a jet skiing trip. His body fell into the water.
This morning she talked to "AMERICAN MORNING'S" John Roberts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIFFANY HARTLEY, HUSBAND ALLEGEDLY KILLED ON FALCON LAKE: Well, after they had shot David, I turned my jet ski around so I could go and help him. And when I was -- a boat came up and they had a gun towards me, and then they left, that's when I tried getting David up. And then I saw that boats were trying to come back to me -- not trying, but were, and so, I had to flee toward the U.S. and I had to pass the three boats in order to get back to the United States.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: You say that the Mexican authorities -- they interviewed you on Friday. They say you provided some valuable information to them, but the sheriff of Zapata County, Sigi Gonzalez, claims that Mexican authorities were trying to intimidate you in that interview, tried to scare you into not pushing them to pursue the investigation.
What do you say about his claim?
HARTLEY: Well, I guess -- I mean, since he wasn't really -- he wasn't in the interview, so he -- I mean, really didn't know what kind of questions they were asking. But they were asking just, you know, detailed information about the day and, you know, where we had stopped, and who we talked to kind of thing, but I didn't feel like it was an interrogation, and I really hope that they do continue the search and continue their investigation.
Ultimately, we just want David back, and as soon as we get him back, then everyone can go back to their lives that they had before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: All right. Let's get you caught up on top stories now.
In just 15 days, voters head to the polls for midterm elections that may change the balance of power in Congress. Early voting began today in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, North Dakota, Texas, and the District of Columbia.
An investigation is on into the shooting death of a football player at New York's Pace University. Westchester police shot 20- year-old Danroy Henry Sunday morning. They said he tried to run down officers during a commotion outside a bar. His father says he wants to hear from witnesses with other accounts of the incident.
And at the White House, President Obama is hosting a science fair. Live pictures? Oh, terrific. Live pics here. He is welcoming the winners of science, technology, engineering, and math competitions. We will hear from the president, live, in about 20 minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Fifteen days until Election Day. Unions are gearing up across the country. Senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash, part of the Best Political Team on Television joining us live from New York.
Dana, good to see you. What's crossing right now?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You, too, Tony.
We've heard a lot from the White House, Tony, and Democrats about the power and prowess of Republican outside groups. But remember, Democrats have a big one, too, and that is union support. Unions spent tens of millions of dollars to run ads. But most importantly, in key states, they work hard to get out the vote for Democrats with an intense ground came.
And the political director of the AFOCIO just sent a memo this morning, boasting about their effort; 17.5 million leaflets they've given out; 24 million phone calls, and more. The memo flatly states, Tony, that union voters are the firewall for candidates that support working families. We'll see there.
Now, the second item on the ticker is that just with 15 days left, it is time for parties to start spending the cash that they've been raising. And the Democratic National Committee announced this morning, they now have made what the DNC spokesman says is the largest midterm investment ever. They are transferring $5.5 million to Democrats Senate and House election committees and campaign cash to states where there are very competitive races like Ohio and Wisconsin.
And Last item on the ticker, this is a fun one, Tony. You ever watch the show "Myth Busters" on the Discovery Channel?
HARRIS: I like that show a lot. I really do.
BASH: Well, guess what? The President of the United States is going to have a walk-on role in December to challenge an ancient Greek myth that the mathematician Archimedes set fire to a Roman fleet using sunlight with reflected mirrors. Remember, the president has been -- in fact, he'll have a science fair just later this morning. But he has had an effort at the White House to promote education and competition in science and technology. This is going to be part of it. I'm sure there are other myths, in fact, I know. I've been having a fun e-mail exchange with somebody at the White House this morning. There are other myths that the president would probably likely try to bust that he thinks is out there about it. But it's not going to happen in this walk-on role.
HARRIS: Those two guys have been guests at the White House. I remember seeing an event not long ago they were in the audience, right?
BASH: I believe that's true. I believe that's true. It could be a fun show.
HARRIS: Sounds like it. All right, Dana, good to see you. Thank you.
BASH: You, too, Tony.
HARRIS: Your next political update in an hour. And for the latest political news, you know where to go. That's CNNPolitics.com
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Thousands of women taking to the streets in the Congo. They are demanding an end to the use of rape as a weapon of war.
Nima Elbagir has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): My heart is in pain, they sing. Why are you raping me?
These women are rape survivors. Many of them left their hospital beds to come out today and join this march. They've even chosen to identify themselves in a country where rape still carries a huge stigma and where, according to human rights groups, the United Nations it's often used as a weapon of war. This is an act of bravery.
But that's the point of today. To do away stigma and intimidation. But more importantly, to demand the world's attention, just weeks after reports of mass rapes by Rwandan led rebels, local militias, and the Congolese military in the war-ravaged East Congo.
(on camera): This as much a celebration as it is a bid for international awareness. Women from all around the world have joined women from all around the Congo to send the statement that violence against women has to stop. But not only that, that we are survivors and we're still here.
ELBAGIR: The demonstration was organized by the World March of Women in cooperation with local women's organizations. But here in the Congo, even they have been amazed by the turnout.
CELIA ALLDRIDGE, WORLD MARCH OF WOMEN: This is great to have so many women out in the streets. Like, that's what we do at the World Match of Women, is we march. We believe that women should not be made prisoners in their own homes, that their space is their public space.
ELBAGIR: And the Congress women who have endured violence for so many years now believe that it's time that they take their demands into the public arena. Women from all walks of life coming together to voice their pain.
(on camera): What does it mean to you to see all these women marching for the women of the Congo?
NITA VIELLE, CONGOLESE ACTIVIST: That tells me they have had enough. Enough, enough, enough of the war, of the rape, of nobody paying attention to what's happening to them.
MARY GEORGES, CONGOLESE ACTIVIST: I tell you, it's a wonderful thing to see the women around the world, all of them together, just for one reason, for the peace of the women of Congo. This is the freedom of Congo women.
ELBAGIR: The epidemic of rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo has reached such proportions that the U.N. calls it the rape capital of the world. In the last year alone, they said 15,000 women were raped in the east of the Congo.
MARGOT WALLSTROM, U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL ON SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT: A dead rat is worth more than the body of a woman, where were the words of one distraught woman in (INAUDIBLE). It was an expression of how resume rights violations against women are still the lowest on the fool's (ph) hierarchy of wartime horrors.
ELBAGIR: But today, at least, the women of the Congo feel a little less helpless and a little less alone.
Nema Elbagir, Bekavu, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: OK, let's update the breaking news of this hour. CNN has confirmed two people were killed at a Henning, Tennessee post office this morning. Local reports say the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department is reporting to them that the two killed were female postal employees. We here at CNN have not been able to confirm that particular fact. The shooting happened around 9:00 a.m. local time, that's 10:00 Eastern Time. The circumstances that led to the shooting are still unclear. And just to get you oriented in Tennessee here, Henning is located approximately 50 miles northeast of Memphis. We will continue to update this story for you.
Black churches fighting foreclosure. It seemed unheard of just a few years ago. In the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM, we will show you how unemployment in the black community is taking a real toll on religion.
And redefining marriage and divorce. More rich couples living together even though the marriage is over. We will take a look at why breaking up is so hard to do.
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CNN's new show, "PARKER/SPITZER" is looking at hot topics every week night. And co-host Eliot Spitzer tackled the foreclosure crisis with our Ali Velshi and Christine Romans on CNN's "YOUR MONEY."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR, "YOUR MONEY": The bottom line is, while we think the book should be thrown at them, doesn't a prolonged legal process initiated by all these attorneys general, isn't that going to just going to delay the recovery while these houses that otherwise would have been sold are not getting sold?
ELIOT SPITZER, CNN CO-HOST, "PARKER/SPITZER": Well, look, Ali. You obviously think about many different factors when you proceed with an investigation of this sort. And I think the question that should be asked is, what else is lurking beneath the surface? Because I hate to say it, every time you pull back a layer of the onion, you find something else, and so you can't conclude this is the end of it.
And Christine, I would generally agree with you, that there are not going to be a lot of houses that were in foreclosure or in the foreclosure process that end up not being in it, but you never know.
And I will tell you, I worked with Tom Miller, all these AGs, we would do these multistate investigations. I think the banks need to clean up their act. It is so clear that the servicers, the banks, haven't been meticulous, and you've got to be meticulous.
Now, the question of what happens to the housing market is a real one. That is something Treasury has got to deal with. The White House has not been doing the right thing in this regard. But I will tell you, the banks have utterly failed to be meticulous as they should have been.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And this week, Eliot and Kathleen conduct an in-depth interview with Eric Schmidt. He is the visionary and chairman CEO of Google. Will we be ready to live in the world that Schmidt and Google are changing every day, really? That's "PARKER/SPITZER" tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.
