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Balance of Power in Congress at Stake; Unknown Shooter Fires at Pentagon; Videos People are Talking About; Interview with Chancellor of D.C. Public School Michelle Rhee; Increasing Opportunities for Latina Actresses in Hollywood; Foreclosure Freeze Ends
Aired October 19, 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: Good morning, everyone. Live from Studio 7 at CNN world headquarters, the big stories for Tuesday, October 19th, just two weeks to midterm elections.
Why are efforts to recapture the coveted youth vote falling short? Young voters keep it real.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a whole problem with voting in America, where not enough people go out to vote. But at the same time there's a lot of people going out to vote that just vote, and they don't even know what they are voting for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Making their mark in Hollywood, gorgeous Latina actresses gaining huge crossover appeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELISA OSEGUEDA, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, FANDANGO.COM: The fact that they're Hispanic is so secondary to their character and that's a big kind of risky in Hollywood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And with less than two seconds left in a game, a Kentucky high school football team tries something nutty. It is "What's Hot."
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Those stories and your comments right here, right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
So here we are, two weeks to go, 14 days and counting, until the midterm elections, where the balance of power in Congress hangs in the balance. Republicans are rallying, hoping to wrest control back from the Democrats.
Let's break it all down with "The Best Political Team on Television." CNN Senior Political Editor Mark Preston, live from Washington, and Congressional Correspondent Brianna Keilar is in Pittsburgh. Mark, let's start with you. Control of Congress is on the line here, more so in the House than the Senate. So let's start there.
How many seats do Republicans need, and where do they hope to get them?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SR. POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Tony, 39 seats. Republicans need a net pickup of 39 to take back control of the House majority. What is particularly troubling for Democrats in this election is that they're only on the offensive, Tony, in a few states.
Meanwhile, Republicans have a playing field that some political handicappers say could be as big as 90 or 100 seats in total. But Republicans are looking at two traditional venues where they tend to do well, especially when things are not going well for Democrats. Down in the Southeast, down along Arkansas and Tennessee, that whole area, and then up into the Rust Belt, Tony, when you look at Ohio and in Pennsylvania, these are places where the economy is so bad, and it's really hurting Democrats -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK, Mark. So, let's do this -- let's go to one of those states where Democrats are in some trouble. Pennsylvania, you mentioned it.
Brianna, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was there trying to shore up support for Democrats. What is the challenge they're facing there in the Rust Belt?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the challenge is the economy, as Mark said. And yesterday, when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was here, she was addressing this group called the Women of Steel.
They're female union members of the United Steelworkers. And so she was able to tout before this pretty friendly group some of the accomplishments of Democrats this Congress -- health care reform, Wall Street reform. And she got this incredible reception.
But generally speaking, in western Pennsylvania and the Rust Belt, that's not the case. The economy is the issue, and so Democrats cannot campaign on those things that they spent just countless days, weeks, months spending their time on in Congress.
For instance, Kathy Dahlkemper, she represents a western Pennsylvania district north of here that includes Erie. This is a district that went for John McCain in the last presidential election, went for George Bush the two before that. And it's representative of so many races like this where she is trying to urge voters, hey, have patience, we're turning things around, there's more to do, you have to give us this time.
The issue, of course, Tony, is it's a very hard sell.
HARRIS: Yes, Brianna. It's not just the House seats in play there in Pennsylvania. Also a Senate seat as well. Right? KEILAR: That's right. There is an open Senate seat. The Democrat in this race, Joe Sestak, a member of the House of Representatives, bumped out Arlen Specter, former Republican, now a Democrat. And so there is this open Senate seat where he's facing Republican Pat Toomey, who has been solidly up in the polls at this point.
The liability for Sestak is that he has voted with President Obama, with congressional Democrats on these major Democratic objectives in the last Congress. In fact, one of the ads running here right now is a sound bite. This is an ad being run by Republicans, and it's a Sestak sound bite where he's saying, "I would have spent a trillion dollars on the stimulus."
And as you can imagine, in an area like this, where the economy is really faltering, and people are concerned about spending, that's not something that flies very well. And there's a lot of enthusiasm on the western part of this state, where normally Sestak would pick up more towards the Philly area.
HARRIS: OK. Well, let's do this -- let's swing back to Mark in Washington.
Mark, if you would, broaden the discussion now a bit more to the balance of power in the Senate.
PRESTON: Sure, Tony.
For Republicans to take back control of the Senate majority, they need to pick up 10 Senate seats. You know, it was less than two years ago, Tony, when Republicans were really despondent and Democrats were on the move forward. In fact, Democrats were looking at seats in New Hampshire and in Missouri and in Kentucky, seats that they thought that they could take back. These were retiring senators.
However, that has now flipped. Kentucky might be the only seat right now that Democrats think they have a shot of taking back that was held by a Republican.
What they're doing now, Tony, is they're playing defense. They're trying to get Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid re-elected in Nevada. They're trying to make sure that Senator Barbara Boxer is re- elected in California. Patty Murray, up in Washington State, another person that they're trying to throw the lifeline to.
So, instead of being on the offense right now, Tony, they are on the defense.
HARRIS: Nice job, guys.
Brianna Keilar is in Pennsylvania, and Mark Preston in Washington, D.C., for us.
Appreciate it. Thank you both very much.
Exactly two weeks until Election Day, and we want to know what's on your mind. The CNN Election Express is traveling across the Southeast, listening to your concerns about politics, the economy and other issues.
T.J. Holmes joining us now from his latest stop, Aiken, South Carolina.
And T.J., what are you hearing from specifically young people there in Aiken, South Carolina? Are they fired up, ready to go for the midterm election?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Most of them don't even know an election is two weeks ago, Tony, if that tells you anything.
HARRIS: OK. Wow.
HOLMES: I'm kidding there. It's not that bad, but the president knows he's got an uphill battle when it comes to young folks.
Two years ago, they could see it at the top of the ticket. They could see exactly what they were voting for, the hope, the change, the message, the messenger, the history. They could see it clearly, what they were voting for.
This time around -- and most midterms, of course, as we know, they don't draw the same type of excitement, but these young people who supported the president so much then quite frankly have gone back to being disengaged. Over history, we just know that young people don't come out and vote. And trying to pull them back into a midterm election that many of them are not interested in, don't' understand, not engaged in, is the trick.
So you ask, are they fired up, are they engaged? Listen to this guy. You tell me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN WHEELON, STUDENT, USC AIKEN: I think a lot of them are jaded. They're getting to a point where they think it's all games in Washington and none of them care about us. I know a lot of my friends feel that way.
HOLMES: People getting turned off. I know the president is saying need more time, need more time, you've got to vote in these midterms. Are young folks buying into that?
WHEELON: Not from what I can see. I mean, my small core group of friends, we talk about it. But for the most part around campus, I don't see any involvement at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: So, Tony, it's tough sometimes to figure out, because the president does -- he make these stops at college campuses, and 20,000 will come out, and they're screaming and excited to see the president. Yes, they're excited about him. Will that translate into them being excited about going into the booth two weeks from today? Every single college student we have been able to talk to along our path so far, Tony, the answer is no.
HARRIS: Oh, and that's disappointing. I mean, we've got to vote. Midterms, general elections, we've got to vote.
All right. T.J. Holmes in Aiken, South Carolina.
Good to see you, T.
HOLMES: All right.
HARRIS: Fourteen days until the midterm election, and amid all the mudslinging and political promises, it's easy to sort of lose sight of what elections are really about. They are, after all, about shaping what this country is and setting a course for the future.
So, on this show, we want to get back to basics. So we are asking you to help us answer one simple question: What does America mean to you.
It is a segment we're calling "My America Is..." Your personal experiences, your vantage point -- what does this country look like from where you are standing right now?
Send us your thoughts and start your comments with "My America is..."
OK. I'm on Facebook and on Twitter at TonyHarrisCNN. You can also go to my blog page. That's CNN.com/Tony. Or my favorite -- it really is -- give us a call. The phone number is 877-742-5760.
We will share some of your comments on the air right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
She fired 241 people in one day. Wow. She has been called the nation's best known and controversial education reformer. Michelle Rhee joining us for our ongoing segment, "Fix Our Schools."
And Jacqui Jeras is in the Severe Weather Center for us.
And Jacqui, what are you following?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, we're continuing to follow what's been going on with Typhoon Megi. It's finally pulling away from the Philippines, but now making a beeline for China.
The latest on that storm and maybe a little tropical trouble in the Atlantic. Yes, hurricane season is not over yet.
We'll have your forecast and extreme weather coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Let's get you an update on one of the big stories we're following here.
Shots fired at the Pentagon. It happened around 4:50 a.m. Eastern time this morning.
Let's go to our Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence.
Chris, if you would, give us the latest. What are you learning?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony. From what we hear, at least five shots were heard just about 10 minutes before 5:00 this morning. We've now learned that two of those rounds did hit the building.
This happened on the south side of the building. It's an area of the Pentagon that's under renovation right now, so no one is really working in that part.
One of the bullets lodged in the window. That window didn't shatter. It's bulletproof. And the other round actually did hit the actual concrete part of the building.
They did two sweeps of the area, the second of which they actually shut down part of the highway that leads into the Pentagon. And there's a press conference starting here in just about 10 minutes from now. So we're going to run up to that and hopefully get some more information.
HARRIS: Oh, terrific. OK, Chris. Keep us posted on that.
Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon for us.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Still to come, a United Airlines 747 -- have you seen this? Have you heard this? -- buzzes San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, but it was no accident. We'll explain the close -- well, it was a close call, a fly-over. It's in "What's Hot."
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Well, how about this? Take a look. The great Sandra Endo is in town. She's based in Washington for us here at CNN, and she's -- I'm working to change that, to get you here in Atlanta. All right?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Any time, Tony.
HARRIS: So, here's what we thought we would do -- we would get Sandra to help us work through some of the videos that you are talking about this morning. How did we do? Did we come up with some video?
ENDO: There's a lot.
HARRIS: Some hot videos?
ENDO: Yes. I'm so glad we're talking about "What's Hot."
HARRIS: OK. Good. Good. Good.
ENDO: There's so many out there, Tony. And let's first start with this, a major fumble.
Check out this video. Here's a video of high school football game in Kentucky. Butler High School is in the White, and they're down by 7 points with less than two seconds to go in the game.
But they have the ball. And there you see it, a couple of guys go down.
HARRIS: Wow.
ENDO: Pleasure Ridge Park High School is in the darker uniform. And you see that, guys going down all over the place.
Well, the players on the bench think that the game is over. You see them clearing the bench, getting onto the field. They run it though --
HARRIS: But the play is not over.
ENDO: Yes, because Butler picked up the ball, they run it all of the way to the end zone --
HARRIS: Oh, get out of here.
ENDO: -- and score a touchdown. They end up winning it 42-41.
HARRIS: They won the ballgame?
ENDO: Yes.
HARRIS: 42-41? That's like the famous Cal play with the band on the field and everything. That's reminiscent of that.
ENDO: Yes. Game over, not so over. Right?
HARRIS: OK. Very nice.
ENDO: All right, Tony. I know you're a tough guy.
HARRIS: I am?
ENDO: Yes.
HARRIS: OK. Yes, I am. ENDO: All right? So, I know you're a tough guy, Tony. Let's see if you could do this, because a Muay Thai instructor is gearing up, trying to demonstrate -- look at that. He wants to break a stick with his shin. OK?
HARRIS: Right. Well, anybody can miss once. Come on now.
ENDO: Once. OK. Let's see. Here he goes.
HARRIS: You know, you don't hit the exact point on the stick.
ENDO: Ouch! Again.
HARRIS: Well, it shouldn't happen a second time. That's embarrassing.
ENDO: Well, he never broke it.
HARRIS: He's going to try again?
ENDO: Yes. Three times --
HARRIS: OK. Now, he's going to try again? Yes, you've got to adjust the position of it.
ENDO: He is adjusting it, talking it up, saying hey --
HARRIS: Your team has to hold that it in a very taut way. And let's line it up again. Let's get ready.
Really hot tee here. And let's give it -- he'll break it this time.
ENDO: Even in slow motion. So, ouch. Yes, he gave it up.
HARRIS: That's humiliating.
ENDO: All right. Well, check out this other crazy site in San Francisco. You were talking about this.
Imagine you are on a beautiful sunny day watching an air show, and you see this, a US Airlines 747, United Airlines, actually making a turn. And look as it slows down.
HARRIS: Right.
ENDO: Creeping up. There's the Golden Gate Bridge. OK? So here is the airliner making a pass and look how close it comes to the bridge.
HARRIS: Wow. That's insane.
ENDO: Pretty uncomfortable. Yes, kind of disturbing, because all of the blogs are talking about it, how people watching the show said it reminded them of 9/11, and they were pretty disturbed watching that video and watching the scene unfold right before their eyes. HARRIS: That's a United Airlines flight?
ENDO: Yes, 747. Imagine this massive plane taking a low fly- over right over the Golden Gate Bridge there.
HARRIS: All right. If you can, let's find out what's going on here.
ENDO: It was an air show. Apparently, they were trying to promote United.
HARRIS: Yes, but that's crazy.
ENDO: Yes. In this day and age, right.
HARRIS: Good stuff, Sandy.
ENDO: That's "What's Hot."
HARRIS: That's "What's Hot."
The great Sandra Endo.
ENDO: All right.
HARRIS: Terrific stuff. Thank you. Next hour?
ENDO: Yes, see you then.
HARRIS: All right.
Still to come, a school reformer learns some really tough lessons. Now she is resigning as head of the D.C. school system.
We will talk with Michelle Rhee -- there she is -- about what it will take to fix our schools. She's next, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: We are focusing on education today, and so is President Obama. This afternoon, the president signs an executive order aimed at improving education for Latinos. The order renews the White House initiative on Hispanic education. The goal is to help communities meet the needs of Latinos from early childhood to higher education.
Got to tell you, when it comes to fixing our schools, Michelle Rhee is something of a lightning rod. I think she'd admit that. Applauded by some, vilified by others, Rhee was appointed chancellor of the troubled D.C. Public School system in 2007. She is featured in the documentary "Waiting for Superman."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michelle Rhee is the seventh superintendent of D.C. Schools in just 10 years. MICHELLE RHEE, CHANCELLOR, D.C. PUBLIC SCHOOLS: You wake up every morning and know that 46,000 kids are counting on you and that most of them are getting a crappy education right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you think most of the kids in D.C. are getting a crappy education right now?
RHEE: Oh, I don't think they are. I know they are.
There's a complete and utter lack of accountability for the job that we're supposed, which is producing results for kids.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a few months she cut over 100 jobs in the D.C. central office, closed 23 schools, and fired a quarter of all principals, including the principal of her own children's' school.
RHEE: Now I see why things are the way they are. It all becomes about the adults.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Got to tell you, after some tough lessons, Michelle Rhee is stepping down from her position at the end of the month. She joins us from Washington.
Michelle, good to talk to you. Thanks for your time this morning.
RHEE: Thanks for having me.
HARRIS: You just said and we just highlighted a moment ago, you say in the documentary, it all comes down to the adults.
For those who didn't see the documentary or haven't seen it yet, what did you mean by that?
RHEE: Well, I mean, if you look at our system right now, it's absolutely broken. There's no denying that. Spending in the last 30 years in public education in this country has more than doubled. And the results have deteriorated. And if you look at the reasons why that's occurring, a lot of these things have to do with adult issues, right? Rules and regulations that don't allow us to have the best teachers in classrooms. Bureaucracies that are bloated and stop us from putting money into the classrooms where they belongs. Too many children and families trapped in family schools. And a lot of the reasons why those problems exist is because too often we're focused on the adults and what adult issues and priorities are instead of what's in the best interests of children.
HARRIS: Michelle, am I correct? You hadn't led a school system before taking this job in Washington, D.C.? And, if I am, were you surprised about what you learned about the issues? The items that you just listed, did they come as a revelation to you?
RHEE: So that's correct. I had never run a school system before I came to Washington, D.C. They didn't come as a surprise to me because I had been working in public education for my entire career so I knew what a lot of the problems looked like. I think the biggest surprise to me was not that the problems existed, but more just the level of entrenchment that existed that were stopping us, and people, you know, who had a lot of vested interest in not wanting the reforms to progress aggressively.
HARRIS: How do you view yourself? This question where I'm asking to you reflect a bit. Are you the great reformer of public education for D.C., and perhaps for the country? Or the person who quit on the students of Washington, D.C., because I got to tell you, I've heard both.
RHEE: You know, it's interesting. I just got an e-mail from somebody, from a woman somewhere in California, I think, and she said to me, you know, what we should do is we should put moms in charge of public education, moms with common sense.
In many ways, that's the way I see myself, as a mother who has two children in this school system. And so every time I make a decision, I know that it's going to impact my own kids and I make the decisions based on what I believe all parents would want for their kids.
So, for example, a lot of people, say, oh, gosh, she was so mean. She fired all of those teachers. She could have spent more time and more energy making those people better. And while I understand that from a systemic point of view, I also look at it from the point of view of a parent. And I can tell you that as a parent, I'm not going to be so excited to put my child in a classroom of an ineffective or minimally effective teacher. So if I'm not willing to do that with my own kids, then how can I expect another parent to make that decision for their children?
HARRIS: Yes, yes. I've heard you say, though, you made mistakes in your time there in Washington, D.C.
If you had D.C. to do over again what would you do differently?
RHEE: Definitely. I mean, obviously, like anybody, we've made a tremendous number of mistakes. But I feel like we've learned from every single one of those.
For example, we did not do as good a job communicating out to the public as we should and could have done. We didn't do as good a job of reaching out to teachers, to talk to them about what the advantages were of why we were making the moves that we were to remove ineffective teachers.
And, again, I think it comes down to making sure that people understood that we were not making these decisions lightly. And that we were making them because we knew that at the end of the day, even though it was going to cause a lot of opposition amongst adults, that we believed it was the only way to push past the barriers and the bureaucracy that existed and stood in the way of kids achieving.
HARRIS: So, last question, Michelle. What do we do in this country, if we want to see the most dramatic change, the most dramatic change for the better in public education?
RHEE: I think what it's going to take is courage. And political courage, specifically. Because I think part of why the bureaucracy is as strong as it is, is because there are lots of adults who benefit from the status quo. And in order to change age-old practices and things that people are used to, you really have to, you know, shake things up, which means that people are going to have to think about things differently from what they used to.
And I think one example of this is, for example, how we think about laying off teachers. So in the past, it's always been last-in, first-out. So it's the newest teachers who go in times of financial troubles like we're having right now in this country. That doesn't make any sense for kids because sometimes of newest teachers are actually the most effective, the best teachers, the most enthusiastic.
So you've got to be able to make the decisions based on quality and performance, instead of the practices that have driven the school districts in the past which clearly have not worked for kids.
HARRIS: Yes, yes. Issues you addressed in the new contract for teachers there in Washington, D.C.
Michelle, are you go to New Jersey next?
RHEE: I'm still thinking about all of my options and trying to figure out where I might be able to have an impact for kids.
HARRIS: All right. This your moment. Break a little news for us.
Where are you going?
RHEE: Not ready to break news yet. But I'm in conversations with lots of different folks.
I think the heartening thing for me is that there seems to be a tremendous number of people across the country who really are feeling a sense of urgency around the need to reform our school districts and lots of people who are really willing to make the tough decisions necessary to do that. So, again, I'm just sort of thinking through all of my options and trying to figure out where I might have the most impact for children.
HARRIS: Yes, you know where you're going. You're being coy. You just won't tell me.
Michelle, good luck to you. Thank you. Thanks for your time today.
(LAUGHTER)
RHEE: Thank you.
Imagine not being able to send your kids to school because you need them to work to survive. That's a reality for many in Liberia. And the president has a plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Identify one child and I will take responsibility to either put on a mission, or (INAUDIBLE), or work with the parents to get them to go to school.
Pushing sponsorships to help get kids off the streets and into classrooms. That's next hour, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Jessica Alba, Salma Hayek, and Eva Longoria. Latina actresses and their increasing crossover appeal. More doors are opening in Tinsel Town for women of Hispanic heritage.
CNN entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter joining us from Los Angeles.
Kareen, good to see you. So, Hollywood producers are starting to read census numbers and opening the doors, finally, to Latina actresses?
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Tony. These stars are really breaking down so much ground in Hollywood.
And, Tony, you probably recall that it really wasn't too long ago when many Hispanic actresses, like many other minorities, were stuck with let's say, stereotypical roles, roles that many say were limiting. But now, actresses like Jessica Alba, you called a few out at the top, Salma Hayek, Eva Mendes, just to name a few, they're being cast in more and more leading roles.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica Alba in "Valentine's Day."
JESSICA ALBA, ACTRESS: Checking in for two?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ok.
ALBA: I mean one in a dog.
WYNTER: Eva Mendez in "The Other Guys" and Salma Hayek in "Grown Ups".
SALMA HAYEK, ACTRESS: He's so cute.
WYNTER: All Latinas, all movie actresses, all a part of a rising trend of Hispanic actresses taking on roles where their race is not central to the characters they play. Alba played Ashton Kutcher's girlfriend in "Valentine's Day", Mendez was Will Ferrell's wife in the "Other Guys", and Hayek was Adam Sandler's significant other in "Grown Ups". Movie Web site, Fandango.com recently highlighted this trend.
ELISA OSEGUEDA, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, FANDANGO.COM: The big news year in Hollywood is that Hispanic actresses are finally getting the significant roles they've been looking for. And we started the year really strong with Puerto Rican star, Jennifer Lopez in "The Backup Plan." Zoe Saldana, who many are so surprised when they found out that she is half Puerto Rican and half Dominican -- she's came out in two movies this year, "The Losers" and "The Takers." We had America Ferrera in "Our Family Wedding". Cuban actress Eva Mendez in "The Other Guys" and the list goes on.
WYNTER: And it has nothing do with their ethnicity adds Fandango.com columnist, Elisa Osegueda.
OSEGUEDA: The fact that they're Hispanic is so secondary to their character and that's a big kind of risky in Hollywood.
WYNTER: Osegueda said that changes are welcome since it wasn't too long ago that Latinas mainly played maids in countless films.
OSEGUEDA: You had Elizabeth Pena in "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" who played, you know the sassy maid and servant. You had Lupe Hontiveros, who's been in Hollywood for years, over 20 years, and she's always played that maid that delivers those crazy punch lines. And we're seeing less of that now, we're seeing more Hispanic actresses with more meatier roles.
WYNTER: And perhaps the surge in Latino moviegoers fueled this trend. According to the Motion Picture Association of America, although whites make up the majority of the American population moviegoers and ticket sales, it's actually Hispanics who are more likely to go to the movies.
In fact, 37 million Hispanic moviegoers purchased 300 million movie tickets in 2009, that's the highest rate of any ethnic group. And the trend can be seen beyond the big screen with regards to television. Just look at the roles played by America Ferrera in "Ugly Betty" and Eva Longoria in "Desperate Housewives".
AMERICA FERERRA, ACTRESS: Yes, that's what I'm talking about.
EVA LONGORIA, ACTRESS: You're right. This is so big.
OSEGUEDA: There is an audience there, and I think studios are finally tapping into that, and they're realizing that Hispanic actresses can pull in an audience.
WYNTER: And at the same time bridge the gap that so-long plagued Latina stars who are starting to earn their place in the spotlight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER: And, Tony, this is really, according to industry insiders, all about taking baby steps in that there is still really a lot of work to be done here, but this is a trend that they believe will continue. As we see Jessica Alba, for example, she's set to star in "Little Fockers" that's in December, and also next month, Eva Medes, she's can be seen in "Last Might."
So again, a little bit of progress here, if you can say it, and a lot more doors being opened for these stars.
HARRIS: The demographics suggest that this should absolutely continue. Hispanics, the fastest growing demographic group in the United States these days, so it should absolutely continue.
Kareen, good to so you. Thank you.
WYNTER: Thanks, Tony.
Let's get you caught up on top stories right now.
Three suicide bombers attack the Chechen parliament today; two police officers and a civilian killed, 17 other people wounded.
The Crystal Cathedral, a megachurch in Orange County, California is filing for bankruptcy. Officials blame declining donations and a tough economy. Crystal Cathedral is best known for "The Hour of Power" telecast and it will stay on the air.
And make it a venti vino. OK, Starbucks is considering adding beer and wine to the coffee chain's menu. One store in downtown Seattle has already begun serving alcoholic beverages.
We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Fourteen days until election day. Tea Party candidate Sharron Angle's campaign is downplaying a remark about ethnicity. What's going on here? Dana Bash, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," joining us live from New York.
Dana, you want to start there? What's crossing right now?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure, I'll start there. That is a good place to start.
Democrats in Nevada, Tony, were already awash in what you could call Angle-isms, clips from the GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle saying some things that make many of her fellow Republicans I talk to wince.
Well, yesterday, she was with a group of students and asked why her television ads portray all illegal immigrants as Latino. She responded by saying, I don't know if all of you are Latino. Some of you look a little but more Asian to me. Now, an Angle spokesman said she was only trying to make the point that this country is a melting pot and that you can't judge people on the way they look.
Now, you know, Hispanic voters are a huge, huge voting bloc in Nevada, they make up about a quarter of the population there, and a source close to her opponent, Harry Reid, told me, Tony, that we can expect him to weigh in later today. Now, next on the Ticker, you remember a video involved on CNN of Senate Candidate Joe Miller's security team in Alaska handcuffing a reporter who tried to ask a question. Remember that? Well, on "JOHN KING USA" last night, Miller defended that controversial move. He said the reporter's behavior was assaultive.
But Miller did actually answer the question the reporter was trying to ask. Miller admitted to John King that he was disciplined for using government computers for political purposes while he was a government employee in Fairbank, Alaska. But Miller insisted that's not why he left that government job.
Last on the Ticker, Tony, all eyes here in New York were on the debate between the two leading contenders for governor in this state, Carl Paladino and Andrew Cuomo. But guess what, it turns out the headline was more about what didn't happen than what did. It wasn't the crackling event that we probably expected between people like Paladino and Cuomo.
In fact, Paladino, who actually takes pride in shooting from the hip, he didn't go there. He appeared a little bit nervous and at one point, Tony, he actually left the stage. Apparently he had to go to the bathroom.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes, I heard that. There was another candidate that made some news there as well. I think we've got a little clip of it. We'll run it next hour. Yes, I heard that. I read that Paladino actually had to make a little bathroom run.
Dana, good to see it. Appreciate it, thank you.
Your next political update in an hour. And for the latest political news, you know where to go, that's CNNPolitics.com.
We're back in a moment.
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HARRIS: Other people's sticky fingers deep inside your pockets. You may not know any shoplifters out there, but the old five-fingered discount is costing you big time. Next hour we have the price tag.
Plus, two weeks until the midterm elections and no one is pulling any punches. You've seen the ads. Now the candidates have more to worry about. The guy with the cell phone. One five-second video can ruin months of campaigning.
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HARRIS: Let's get you a quick market check. Right behind me, the Big Board, New York Stock Exchange, we've been in negative territory all morning. I think we were off of session lows. We were in triple digit-negative territory not that long ago. We're down 86 points.
Give me the Nasdaq number again, Jenny Cook (ph). What is it? Down 20. We'll follow those numbers throughout the day in the NEWSROOM.
Now to a story we've been following, potentially faulty foreclosures. Several lenders had frozen foreclosures earlier this month after outrage erupted over documents that were robo-signed. Now the nation's biggest bank is restarting the foreclosure process. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with details.
And, Alison, look, the freeze didn't last long. Did it last long enough to sort out the problems in the process?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, if you ask Bank of America, Tony, they'll say, sure, it lasted long enough, that they've spent the past three weeks reviewing documents and said they found no errors. In fact, the bank is saying its assessments are accurate.
So what they're doing is they're restarting these foreclosures. They're pushing through these foreclosures in 23 states. I'll pull up a map and show you which 23 we're talking about.
Now, in these states a foreclosure has to be approved by a judge. And for BofA this new paperwork that's going to be submitted, they expect it to move so quickly that it could be submitted to the courts next week with for sale signs already in front of foreclosed homes by November.
Now keep in mind, though, these foreclosures, Bank of America says, are still going to be delayed in the remaining 27 states. Also, Ally Financial is restarting foreclosures as well. Other lenders are likely to follow suit, Tony, as these banks try to put this mess behind them and try to get on with business.
HARRIS: Well, as I recall, there were some lawsuits and investigations into this. Will they go forward?
KOSIK: Yes. These investigations will go forward. In fact, state attorneys general across the country are investigating this process of signing these foreclosure documents called robo-signing where these bank lenders are accused of signing off on these foreclosures, sometimes hundreds a day without checking the accuracy.
Also, this investigation is getting some power behind it. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs came out today saying the White House is going to hold banks accountable if they violated the law. This investigation also getting support from the Federal Housing Administration. So a lot of looking into what's going on, even though banks like Ally and Bank of America are coming forward and saying they didn't find any errors.
One thing we did see from yesterday, though, Tony, is that bank stocks, they jumped yesterday because there's some relief here. We're seeing a light at the end of the tunnel with this. They were worried, these banks, I mean, that there would be this lengthy foreclosure delay and it would have been costly. So there's kind of a sigh of relief for investors.
HARRIS: OK, Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange for us.
Alison, see you later this hour.
