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Countdown to Election Day; Amen to No Debt; 'Q&A'

Aired October 21, 2010 - 14:00   ET

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

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: OK. Brand new hour, brand new "Rundown." Here's what I've got. We are working on a bunch of things.

A push to get parents more involved in their child's education by making it mandatory for them to attend parent/teacher conferences. If they don't, one prosecutor wants to throw them in jail. That's controversial. We'll look into it.

Plus, a money move by China felt around the world. The impact it's going to have on global markets and why Beijing decided to raise interest rates now.

Richard and I are tackling that subject in "Q&A" with my colleague, Richard Quest.

And it's known as telemedicine. Ahead, a look at how this rapidly-growing field is providing medical care to those in remote areas through the use of technology.

OK. We're really in the home stretch now for the midterm elections. As you can see from this giant "12" on the wall here, that's the number of days left until Election Day. Let's get down to what we do best.

T.J. Holmes checking in with young voters in Florida. We'll talk to him in a second.

But first, my favorite political tag team on television, CNN Senior Political Editor Mark Preston, CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser.

Guys, you've got fresh CNN/"TIME"/Opinion Research Corporation polling on some of the tightest races in the country.

Paul, take it away.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Actually, I'm going to let this guy right over here take it away.

VELSHI: All right. Let's do that. OK.

STEINHAUSER: Yes.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SR. POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, it's nice to pass off to me.

Well, Ali, you know, we spend a lot of time talking about how bad the midterm election is going to be for Democrats, but we actually have some potentially good numbers. Let's talk about some very important governors races.

In Florida right now, Alex Sink, the Democrat, is only trailing the Republican by three percentage points. This is a very, very tight race down there. Rick Scott, the Republican, is up three points.

Why is that important? Because she is within the margin of error, and she potentially could pull out this race.

Now, her problems right now are with women. She's only up five points, Ali, with women. For her to win this race, she's going to have to do better than that. She's also going to have to do better in other parts of the state.

Right now, our polling shows that she is crushing Rick Scott down in southern Florida. But she needs to do better elsewhere.

VELSHI: OK, Paul. Let's talk about Ohio for a second -- Ohio, Pennsylvania. These often -- and I think Ohio more than Pennsylvania -- tend to be microcosms of the country's problems. A very tight governor's race there.

STEINHAUSER: You're absolutely right. High unemployment, tough foreclosure rate there. A lot of the problems across the country are magnified in Ohio and Nevada.

Take a look at our poll numbers right there. Governor Strickland, the Democrat, the incumbent there fighting for re- election. John Kasich, a former congressman, the Republican nominee there. Dead even.

Basically, a statistical dead heat in our brand new poll. Other surveys, recent surveys have suggested that Strickland trailed Kasich by a wider margin, but our pollsters are tied up.

Ali, if you don't live in Ohio, why would you care about this governor's battle? And why should you care about the governors' battles overall? Here's why.

Whoever wins these contests, the new governors next year will have a large say in using those Census numbers to do congressional redistricting. If you had Democratic governor, he may want to favor Democrats. Republicans, Republicans as well. It could really shape future congresses -- Ali.

VELSHI: Yes. Very important point.

Mark, you wrote an article this morning that I read where Democrats are getting ready for the reality. They're not going to get surprised by what happens on Election Day.

What are the larger implications of some of these numbers? I know you guys and a lot of political experts watch it very closely, but what are the larger implications of these numbers that we're seeing?

PRESTON: Let's just break it down to a few bullet points very quickly, Ali.

Look, ,Democrats are very much in danger of losing the House of Representatives. They potentially could lose the Senate. At least in these two governors races that we've seen from our polling, they are being affected by the really bad approval ratings that President Obama is popping up around the country. But yet, it hasn't been devastating yet.

And that's actually good, because if Democrats can win Ohio, if Democrats can win Florida, that is very important to President Obama's re-election. Why? Because they will have an infrastructure in place. If there are Democratic governors, you know, in office, they can help provide the infrastructure to try to win that state for the president in 2012.

VELSHI: OK, Guys. Thanks for your continued analysis on this. Great talking to you guys.

Mark Preston and Paul Steinhauser, they're our team here who keeps us up to speed with what's going on in the polling, what's going on in districts around the country, and gubernatorial races and Senate seats.

Young voters, a big deal in the 2008 elections. They came out in force. What is the mood like around this time with young voters?

T.J. Holmes has been touring critical stops around the South this week on the CNN Election Express. He's taking the pulse of voters. He's in Gainesville, Florida.

T.J., campuses were a hotbed of activity and support for the Democrats and for President Obama in 2008. Two problems right now. It's a midterm. The president is not on the ballot. A lot of students liked him and his message specifically.

The second problem is, it's midterms. People don't get as excited about them as they do about presidential races.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's a bit of a problem. And you think you want to find enthused people on a college campus? You tell me, Ali. Does this group of students look enthused to you at all --

VELSHI: They definitely do not.

HOLMES: -- about anything? You know, they're not just upset because their Gators lost three games in a row. They're not just upset because the class load is a little heavy.

These kids got things on their minds right now, Ali, and midterms ain't one of them. Midterm elections, at least. Maybe midterm exams. But again, these young folks, you're right, Obama is not at the top of the ballot. They could see that, they could touch that. They knew exactly what they were voting for that time.

Not really sure this time around. And it's hard, as you know, Ali, to buy in with what the president is trying to sell right now. You know, you voted for that hope and change, but I need you to vote again to allow me to fulfill that hope and change you voted for.

That, right now, is what we're finding, Ali, is not necessarily resonating.

VELSHI: T.J., we keep saying -- "we," meaning media -- keep on talking about how people are disappointed and let down by the president. This was a big constituency for the president, first-time voters, kids who were interested in changing the world in terms of energy use and gay rights.

Is there some sense that people who were Obama supporters back then, students, are not today? Or are they just a little bit not that interested in voting?

HOLMES: OK. They're a little jaded, yes. And there's just -- I mean, we know already naturally, Ali, most Americans don't get as engaged in midterms, and certainly not young people getting engaged as well.

So, quite frankly, a lot of them, we're finding, they hit that lever back in 2008, and they went about their business, quite frankly. They did not stay engaged in the process.

And it wasn't just a matter of getting out the young voters. A lot of young voters hit the pavement for the president last time around. They were out there knocking on doors, talking to their friends, talking to their relatives, and that kind of helped translate into votes for the president last time as well.

You don't have that support this time around. So it's not just about getting the young people to the polls, it's a matter of them being enthused enough to talk to the people on their campus, in their classes, to get them enthused as well.

We're not seeing that. Maybe they'll surprise us here in less than two weeks. But right now, it's not what we're finding -- Ali.

VELSHI: Yes. You know what I'm enthused about?

HOLMES: What's that?

VELSHI: I'm enthused about the fact that you're going to show me the inside of that bus.

HOLMES: I've got a little something to show you on the inside of the bus that I know you can definitely relate to. It's a long journey across the country as we drive, OK? And this is just a look at what it's like inside the bus as we make our way hundreds and hundreds and even thousands of miles sometimes. You've got to get your little sleep in.

VELSHI: Yes.

HOLMES: And so I got caught, you know.

(CROSSTALK)

VELSHI: That's right. You sleep on that bus, those guys will snap a picture of you.

HOLMES: They are snapping pictures. And what I found -- and I didn't believe it when I saw it, and I was hoping it wasn't the case -- but I've been able to confirm that the next picture you're going to see here is authentic. I couldn't believe it when I saw it, when you as well are --

(CROSSTALK)

VELSHI: Oh, yes. Oh, man. That picture is going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

HOLMES: You had a blankie and you had -- what was that, a mask?

VELSHI: Yes, a little eye shade.

HOLMES: I didn't believe it when I saw it.

VELSHI: It was like a Snuggie almost, yes.

HOLMES: See, I thought this was doctored. I was told that is the real deal, Ali V.

VELSHI: Yes, that's really me.

HOLMES: So, we all look a little different when we sleep. Thank goodness, some of us look cooler than others -- Ali.

(LAUGHTER)

VELSHI: I don't always sleep like that. I don't always have that satin mask and Snuggie.

HOLMES: Right, right, right.

VELSHI: It was on the bus. You know what I'm saying? There was a lot of sun. I couldn't --

HOLMES: Right.

VELSHI: All right. Well, you know what? I asked for that.

HOLMES: It was nighttime.

VELSHI: It was naptime.

I asked you for a look inside the bus and I got one. The irony is that when I was sleeping there, we were in Texas near the Mexican border, and we had been stopped for a routine check. The Border Patrol had stopped us.

So I woke up to this noise, and I take off this mask, and there's a big guy with a gun looking at me asking me questions. I was like, whoa, hey, OK, that wasn't what I was expecting to wake up to.

HOLMES: OK. That will scare you. But we wanted to give you a little something there.

But again, I can't reiterate enough the faces of the young folks.

VELSHI: Not enthused.

HOLMES: Not too enthused right about now -- Ali V.

VELSHI: Good to see you, my friend.

T.J. Holmes, he is heading to Tampa with the bus tomorrow.

We will see you again. Thanks for the tour inside the bus. Good to know you even need to get a little sleep from time to time.

We all know that there are problems with public education in this country, and one of the things we try to do on this show is to look at ways to fix our schools. There's a proposal that's being tossed around Detroit right now that is sure to upset many parents. We're going to talk about it after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: African-Americans manage to accumulate on average $75,000 less in wealth in whites. It's called the wealth gap. Wealth is everything you own of value minus your debt.

Now a pastor in New Jersey has made it his mission to help increase African-American wealth by waging a war on debt. He believes debt is a bigger problem than racism and that debt is basically slavery.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien introduces us to Reverend Buster Soaries.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PASTOR DEFOREST "BUSTER" SOARIES, SR. PASTOR, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH: Live within your means. People that don't manage their money wisely are not managing our lives wisely.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Soaries is the senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in central New Jersey, and he's on a crusade. He thinks black America has a new enemy.

(on camera): Is debt a bigger problem than racism?

SOARIES: Yes, debt is a bigger problem than racism. O'BRIEN: You didn't even hesitate.

SOARIES: There's no question to me that debt is a bigger problem than racism.

O'BRIEN (voice-over). It's a provocative theory, but Soaries stands by his claim.

SOARIES: One out of five of us has no bank account. We still do payday loans. We still do rent to own. But you see, we'll drive shiny cars and we'll wear designer clothes, and we have all of the appearances of doing well, but we won't admit that we're broke.

Being in debt is slavery. When I'm paying last month's bills with next month's check, that's slavery. When I'm writing a check, hoping that it doesn't bounce, or when I pull out my credit card, praying that it's not rejected, then I'm living in financial bondage.

O'BRIEN: It's a problem exacerbated in today's economy, the worst since the depression.

Longtime church members Doug and Mary Jeffries feel like they're living in financial bondage. They've refinanced their home twice and are now on the verge of foreclosure. They've turned to their pastor for help.

DOUG JEFFRIES, MEMBER, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH: One day I just broke down. We were at a funeral at the church, and then Soaries, in his inimitable style, pulls up and, you know, "What's up, man? How you doing?" And I said, "Pastor, I ain't doing so well today."

He said, "Well, what's going on?" And that's when I just -- I had to tell him what the deal was.

MARY JEFFRIES, MEMBER, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH: Douglas kind of convinced me that he was going to ask anyway. And I said, well, OK, but I was reluctant.

O'BRIEN: Was it embarrassing?

M. JEFFRIES: Oh, yes, quite.

O'BRIEN: Why help Doug and Mary Jeffries? Super nice people. In a way, they make enough money. They could just move to another place.

SOARIES: You can't assume that a person who is middle income and has problems is less impacted by their problems than a person who is lower income that has problems.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELSHI: And Soledad joins us now from New York.

Soledad, this is -- this wealth gap issue, the accumulation of wealth, this is not the same thing as just scaling back a bit and spending less. This is a bigger problem with some historical precedents and, if not solved, carries on for generations.

O'BRIEN: Yes, absolutely. I mean, this is a problem that has its roots in slavery, certainly, when black people were other people's accumulation and were not accumulating any wealth. And then it continues from there through Jim Crow, through unfair, you know, housing practices, FHA, G.I. bills, some of those things that weren't distributed equally to African-Americans as to whites.

And so, when you get down to the comparison in 2010, when you have a bad economy that is damaging for everybody, it's that wealth that can carry you through a bad economy. African-Americans lack the wealth and have high debt. So Pastor Soaries says lower the debt, increase the wealth.

VELSHI: What effect can Pastor Soaries have? What influence does he have? When you asked him about stepping in to help the Jeffries, what can he do, and where does he get that influence and power from?

O'BRIEN: Well, two things. First, I think the main thing is with his community development corporation, which many black churches have, that sort of business arm of the church, he's able to give foreclosure assistance counselors get in there and literally go through the process with the Jeffries and try to help them out.

But I think the bigger question is the role of the black church in modern times. What can it be moving off of a civil rights agenda to a modern-day agenda?

You know, it's sort of like asking, well, what could black churches do about civil rights? Well, they can do a hot.

And so the question today may be, what can black churches do about the financial disparity between blacks and whites? Maybe they can do a lot. Maybe they can step in and do, as Pastor Soaries is doing, build an entire conversation around debt that eventually moves people into a better place.

VELSHI: Yes, that's a great discussion to have. Soledad, thank you of having that.

Tonight is the night, by the way. Don't miss "Almighty Debt," a "Black in America" special, tonight at 9:00 Eastern, only on CNN.

OK. China messing with stock markets around the world. How exactly are they doing it? Why? And why does it matter to you?

We'll take it up with our pal Richard Quest in today's "Q&A." It's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS," and so do I. We're here together in the CNN NEWSROOM around the world.

Hello, Richard. RICHARD QUEST, HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": Good Thursday to you, Ali.

Each Thursday, Ali and I come to you to talk business, travel, innovation. And the important thing to remember, nothing is off limits.

VELSHI: But we're still business geeks. And this week we're tackling a little world finance, specifically China's decision on Tuesday to lower its interest rates for the first time in three years and the effect that it's having on the global economy.

Richard, I went first last week. So it's all yours. You've got 60 seconds.

QUEST: OK. Here we go. Sixty seconds.

The rise in Chinese interest rates, put it in perspective. China has been growing at 11 percent, and then 10 percent. And now China is growing at just nine percent.

Is that a catastrophe? You would have thought so if you heard the markets. But remember, China is now the world's second largest economy. It is the largest exporter. Twenty percent of its exports go to the United States.

Remember one other thing, though. With China slowing down, it becomes the Goldilocks economy. Not too fast, not too slow.

The problem is we want China to be the instant economy. Rip it open. Pour some stimulus in and enjoy what comes out.

That would be too dangerous for China. It's not a sophisticated economy like Europe or the United States. It would be very dangerous if we assume that China can grow and behave like the rest of us. Let's be grateful that the Chinese oatmeal is Goldilocks.

(BUZZER)

VELSHI: That was excellent, Richard. Let me have a go at this. Sixty seconds right now. Let's start the clock.

To understand why China raising interest rates matters, you need to understand why interest rates anywhere matter. Now, think of the economy as a car or, in this case, a truck. If a country's central bank wants to make the economy or this truck go faster, it lowers interest rates.

That encourages people and businesses to borrow and spend more on instant economies like Richard has in his hand, and that creates demand. Demand creates jobs.

Well, what if you're China and your economy is racing ahead in the fast lane at an annual rate of 9.6 percent? That's a little too fast. So, how do you hit the brakes on an economy? Well, you raise interest rates. That discourages borrowing, it encourages savings, and it reduces demand.

That is why China raised its interest rates this week. And the world is worried that it might actually work. The truck might slow down.

China is not only the world's fastest-growing economy, it's the second largest economy in the world. It's actually helping keep other economies afloat.

So, until the U.S. and Western Europe get back on their feet, they're not all that keen on China taking action to slow things down on its side.

(BUZZER)

QUEST: Sorry. Are you finished?

VELSHI: I'm done.

QUEST: Right. Thank you.

Let us at this point now go head-to-head. I'm not quite sure whether we both actually agreed on the Goldilocks scenario. I think my oatmeal beat your truck. But "The Voice" will now really --

VELSHI: We'll separate the man from the boys now.

Voice?

THE VOICE: All right.

Now, Ali, very close to unfriending you.

So, guys, here's one to get you on the board early.

Which of these countries' central banks like the Federal Reserve has the lowest main lending rate right now? Is it A, the U.S.; B, Japan; C, Canada; or D, Brazil?

(BELL RINGING)

VELSHI: I think Richard got that one first.

Go for it, Richard.

QUEST: I'm going to go for Japan.

(BELL RINGING)

THE VOICE: Exactly correct. The Bank of Japan has their interest rate set at zero. Of these, Brazil is the highest, at more than 10 percent.

All right, my delightful money mavens. Number two.

Now, we all know that China and the United States are the world's largest economies. But when it comes to GDP, which of these countries ranks third? Is it A, Japan; B, Germany; C, the U.K. --

(BELL RINGING)

THE VOICE: Don't ring until I'm done. D, India?

Answer.

VELSHI: Oh, come on! I had that.

Go ahead, Richard.

THE VOICE: Ali.

VELSHI: Oh, I get to answer this?

THE VOICE: Ali, go.

VELSHI: Japan.

(BELL RINGING)

THE VOICE: Exactly correct. Again, it's Japan. I'm simply trying to make it easy for you.

VELSHI: I'm on the board. Finally, I'm on the board.

QUEST: Well, if you cheat you'll get on the board.

(LAUGHTER)

THE VOICE: You're doing well.

VELSHI: I just used your answer, Richard. I just said Japan. I copied what you did and I got it right.

THE VOICE: Japan's GDP is $4.3 trillion. India ranks fourth overall.

Number three. OK, guys. One last chance not to embarrass your respective homelands.

Which of these countries has the lowest unemployment rate right now? Is it A, China; B, the U.S.; C, Canada; or D, Japan?

(BELL RINGING)

THE VOICE: Ali?

VELSHI: Canada.

(BUZZER)

THE VOICE: Not true.

Quest?

QUEST: Well, first of all, I won't argue that I was dinging harder than he was.

THE VOICE: Do you have an answer, Mr. Quest?

QUEST: Yes, of course I've got an answer. It's Japan.

(BUZZER)

VELSHI: Ooh!

THE VOICE: Wrong.

VELSHI: Do we just keep on going?

QUEST: It's China!

(BELL RINGING)

THE VOICE: Yes. China's official unemployment rate is less than half the 9.6 percent in the United States. However, because of their large population, they still have more people unemployed than the other three countries combined.

So we have a tie.

VELSHI: All right. I like when it ends that way.

THE VOICE: Good-bye.

VELSHI: Thank you, Voice.

QUEST: Thank you.

That will do it for this week. Remember, each week we are here Thursdays on "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" at 18:00 GMT.

VELSHI: And in the CNN NEWSROOM, 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

Keep the topics coming. These questions are answers to your questions. These are answers to your questions.

Send your questions to our blog, CNN.com/QMB, or CNN.com/Ali. Tell us each week what you want us to compete to answer.

Richard, see you next week.

QUEST: See you next week.

VELSHI: All right.

Sticking with our international news, we've got some breaking news right now. I want to take you right over to Chad, who is following news of an earthquake in Mexico.

Chad, what have you got?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: A pretty big shake, 6.9, although the depth is still at about 10 kilometers, or 6.2 miles. And that is the default for what -- any time an earthquake happens and we don't know yet how deep it is, that's the default number they put on.

But here's La Paz, Mexico. That would be Cabo San Lucas. And then this would be the Sea of Cortez. So, this is very close, about 85 miles from La Paz.

Let me hit this "I" right there so we can actually go to some of the other towns here. About 180 miles from Curecon. So, as we take a look at this, we take a look at the shake map, Ali, we take a look at what colors are the most important. We look at these colors. I'm going to move this back up a little bit, because then you can't see the colors. There you go. I'm going to take this yellow and the green are moderate to strong shaking. We can see some hints of yellow along the coast. This is Mexico. This is Baja, California. Not much population here. It's kind of swampy.

This is the area that we're worried about, Cabo San Lucas, and also the Cabo San Lucas airport, a little farther up to the north. But La Paz would be right there. 200,000 people live right there, and that's the earthquake location. Only 85 miles.

At a 6.9, that's a fairly significant shake. We don't believe that there is anything significant when it comes to a tsunami yet. There are no tsunami warnings out of the USGS, but 6.9 is a pretty big shake. When you have buildings made out of concrete and concrete block that aren't really prepared for earthquake shaking, they can crumble.

VELSHI: Right. That's what we've learned. The number has to do as much with what the infrastructure and the engineering is in the place where it hits as anything else. We'll stay on top of that. You will, too.

MYERS: Absolutely. I'll be right here.

VELSHI: All right, Chad. Thanks very much.

Listen, we'll continue with our international news. A flap is brewing over President Obama's upcoming trip to India. The issue now, whether or not to wear a hat in a visit to the holiest temple in the Sikh religion. Want to know about the Sikh religion? I'll tell you a little bit about it when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Okay. Time now for some "Globe Trekking." Our stop today is Amritr, India, home of the Golden Temple of the Holiest -- that is the holiest temple in the Sikh religion. It's a case of to wear or not to wear a hat that has members of the Sikh religion fuming today. The issue: President Obama's decision not to pay a visit to the Golden Temple seen here when he travels to India early next month. Why? Because the Sikh tradition dictates that he's got to wear a head covering to enter the temple grounds. Now, the president, who is a Christian, has battled rumors that he is a Muslim, and Sikhs in the U.S. have often been mistaken for Muslims. Some Sikhs say he could forego the turban and wear a baseball cap, but for now the visit is off his schedule.

I want to tell you a little bit about this very old, fascinating religion. Sikhs believe there is only one God. There are 20 million Sikhs worldwide, most of them in India. It was founded in the sixteenth century in what is now India's Punjab province. It combines aspects of both Islam and Hinduism. And something else about this religion: There are five articles of faith that every Sikh man must adhere to. Never get your hair cut, wear a turbine, carry a small wooden comb, and wear a metal bracelet and carry a small sword or dagger. Which can be holstered, by the way.

Now, imagine no more long lines at the doctor's office. No paper gowns and no cold hands checking you out. Telemedicine. Long- distance doctoring. It sounds fantastic. I'll tell you more about it in just a second.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: OK. Call it digital doctoring. Maybe housecall 2.0. Telemedicine has really picked up some steam as a way to get more people access to health care.

Let me try to define it for you before everybody starts on me about it's this and it's that. According to the American Telemedicine Association, we're talking about the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications.

As you can imagine, that is a very broad description. "For the health and education of the patient or healthcare provider and to improve patient care." Under that description, you can include a lot of things.

I'm talking about something a little more specific. Jon Linkous' group came up with that definition. He's the CEO of the ATA. Hopefully, he can give us some real-world examples of how telemedicine is being used these days. Because John, when we're talking about telemedicine, I'm talking about not only about talking to my doctor face-to-face while I'm in front of my computer but about my electronic records being available to me when somebody needs them. About maybe even making a diagnosis.

Mario Armstrong yesterday told us in South Korea you can be in an ambulance and have an HD link to a doctor who can see what is going on with you. Tell me what telemedicine means to us.

JON LINKOUS, CEO, AMERICAN TELEMEDICINE ASSOCIATION: Well, that's right, Ali. There is a wide variety of applications. It's one of these new ideas that's actually been around for 60 years. The applications are anything from taking care of someone with a chronic condition who is in their home to looking at somebody who is in the intensive care unit from a hospital that may be on the other side of the country. There's a lot of varieties, and it is picking up steam --

VELSHI: We always thought -- I remember thinking growing up, boy, it would be great. We could do all this stuff, maybe by phone. And that never really took off. Ultimately I don't know whether it was doctors wanting to not misdiagnose people or some kind of an industry lock -- we never really got away from doctors' appointments, doctor consultations and face-to-face stuff with doctors. Is that really going to change?

LINKOUS: Well, it is going to change. Of course, one of the things -- a lot of people can talk to their doctor by phone, but the issue is, if you can't get paid for it, there's not very much incentive for doctors to talk to you on the phone. So, one of the big hurdles we've had is payment.

VELSHI: I'm just reading here about 200,000 patients nationwide receive some sort of treatment vi via mobile monitoring units in their home. That's not like you and I are talking here. That's something else.

LINKOUS: It could be getting some form of monitoring in the home. The Veterans Administration, for example, uses remote monitoring in about 50,000 veterans' homes. It's being -- it's increasingly used all over the country for that, particularly with people with chronic conditions. As you know, Ali, people with chronic conditions are the ones who not only have the greatest need but also are among the greatest sources of cost --

VELSHI: Yep.

LINKOUS: -- for health care.

VELSHI: Okay. So there are a couple of things I can think about here. First of all, there are a lot of countries are further advanced than the United States is in telemedicine. I had a conversation -- I talk very often about our being less than competitive in terms of broadband capabilities. Is that why? Or is there something else?

LINKOUS: Well, certainly broadband -- the need to extend broadband services to -- to reach everyone is one issue.

But the biggest issue we've had is not the technology. It's the regulations, it's the requirements, it's getting acceptance by physicians, it's getting Medicare to reimburse for telemedicine. We've been behind the rest of the nations, largely because we don't have the payment mechanisms in place or the regulations that allow us to take advantage of this technology.

VELSHI: All right. And then there's the other side of things. That is that countries without a great, strong medical infrastructure can leapfrog building hospitals, regional hospitals and things like that if you can get diagnosis and information to and from patients, particularly on a mobile device. Is that part of our future?

LINKOUS: That's exactly right. Mobile health or M-health is allowing some of the underdeveloped nations to leapfrog ahead in getting access to health care to all of their people, no matter where they are. It's a tremendous innovation. And it's really being taken advantage of around the globe.

VELSHI: Jon, good to talk to you. Thank you for joining us to tell us a bit about this.

Jon Linkous is the CEO of the American Telemedicine Association. If you're looking for more information on telemedicine, we've linked to them, The American Telemedicine Association, at CNN.com/ali.

President Obama on the stump out West. We told you about this yesterday. Ed was at the airport getting ready to get on to Air Force One. Well, he has arrived. The president's visit comes just 12 days before the election. Ed is with him. He joins us right after this to tell us how it's looking.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Okay. Time for "The Stakeout." We do this every day around this time. Ed Henry, our senior White House correspondent, whether he's at the White House or on the road as he is right now with President Obama. I think you're in Seattle? I'm trying to get a hint from what's around you. Certianly looks like the Pacific Northwest.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We're in front of Husky Stadium, in fact, where they play football. Big following here.

And interesting, what's going on here right now is the president is going to be speaking at a basketball arena with Senator Patty Murray just across the way here. It seats about 10,000 people. There were people lined up here for hours before the president arrived. That was filled up pretty easily, so now there's a spillover crowd. Maybe another 1,000 people or something like that --I don't want to overstate it -- inside the football stadium. They are waiting to watch the president on a big-screen TV. The president surprised them and just ran out on the football field. You hear it -

VELSHI: Yes, I hear it.

HENRY: -- faint - yes. The president is just around the way here on the football field. So, what's interesting about that is when you get out here in the country with the president, a lot of talk back in Washington about an enthusiasm gap and how the Republicans have a lot more fired-up people.

Let's not forget, they do have fired-up people on the right, no doubt about it. But the president is drawing some pretty big crowds out here as well.

VELSHI: Give me some sense of comparison. It's not fair to compare a presidential election in campaign to a midterm election in which the president isn't running. But how -- what would have happened if this was two years ago?

HENRY: I got a great example for you. Last night, we were in Portland, Oregon. We were there, a lot of the locals were reminding us that back in 2008, Portland had the biggest outdoor Obama rally of 2008. You remember there was one in St. Louis, tens of thousands of people. Several around the country. Portland had the most. I believe it was somewhere near 100,000, but I'd have to check the math

VELSHI: Wow.

HENRY: But the bottom line is, last night, though, it was inside. It was not outdoors. Nowhere near that. Because it's a midterm election. The president is not on the ballot. So, as a good comparison, there may have been, you know, somewhere under 10,000 people. Still a good crowd in Portland. You know, on a Wednesday night.

Here is the point, though, I think. Good crowd for the president last night in Portland, but they have early voting there. You'll hear a lot about that in the next few days, you know, about how people can vote by mail, et cetera. The president said how many people have those ballots and have not sent them in yet? This was a partisan, Democratic crowd. And I swear to you, about 80 percent of the people raised their hands and said they had ballots but had not sent them in yet.

So, it's one thing to draw a crowd. All those people going to then go out and early vote or turn out 12 days from now? One person shouted back at the president, I just got it today. He said, what are you doing tomorrow? Get it out there tomorrow. So, White House aides are saying, what he's all about now in this final 12 days is to make sure - they've identified the likely voters. Get them to the polls.

VELSHI: Ed, I don't know if you can see me, but I told you I'm working on taking the weight down a little bit. And I'm actually feeling the vests are feeling a little looser right now. It pains me when I heard that the president stopped at a donut shop.

HENRY: He did stop at a donut shop. And you know, the guy is thin as a rail. So we're all -- he can eat donuts, he can whatever he wants. He also works out a lot. So, that's probably a lesson for all of us.

But one other quick note, the president -- someone had just sent me a tweet saying they thought the president's mother had, you know -- went to middle school nearby here in Seattle, near to where the president -- one of those backyard events at someone's home in Seattle this morning. I just emailed with Robert Gibbs, and he confirmed that and said that she also - Ann (INAUDIBLE), the president's late mother, went to Mercer Island High School right here in the Seattle area.

So, the president has got a little bit of a connection to Seattle. A lot of people might not remember that. They think about Hawaii and other places. But he's got a personal connection here. They also decided to get some donuts. Sample the local wares.

He also had this backyard event. He had this woman who started her own cupcake company. I think now she's got four or five locations. He said, I understand you brought cupcakes and she said, yes, I did, and I wanted to share with everyone. But you've got a pretty intense security detail. And the president joked, yes, I think the Secret Service is checking them in the back and eating them all.

I think they eventually got to the other people. The Secret Service has to do their job. Sometimes they got to sample the food.

VELSHI: This sounds like the report I would give if I were in your position. Like, if I were traveling around the president, it would all be around food. Everything I reported around would be around food. And then for lunch, we did this.

You're a bit of a gym rat. Do you get to work out when you're on these trips?

(LAUGHTER)

HENRY: A big of a gym rat. I try to work out on these trips. I took a walk in Seattle this morning. I try to tell them in my live shots to you, Ali, and I know you want to know --

VELSHI: Always.

HENRY: You wrote for the food blog Eatocracy recently. I saw your favorite five. So, you know, I like to eat. I like to keep up with the --

VELSHI: You're very good about being on this show. No matter where you are and how tough it is, you come. "The Stakeout" is on this show. It's something you're not going to see anywhere else.

Ed, we love it.

HENRY: I like how you teased before that "Ed was at the airport yesterday. He's now arrived," as if me arriving here is the story.

VELSHI: There are a few people for whom that's the story.

HENRY: I just tag along.

VELSHI: Good to see you, my friend. Stay safe. Stay warm. Looks like a little chill in the air over there in Seattle. And we'll stay in touch with you for the next few days.

Ed Henry, "The Stakeout,"our senior White House correspondent.

Listen, as we count down to the election, the stories that are hot on our Political Ticker are coming up next. A live report from Washington. CNN's John King, host of "JK USA" coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VELSHI: Twelve days until election day. We want to get you updated on all the developing stories from the campaign trail. CNN's John King, part of The Best Political Team on Television. He joins us from the "CNN Equals Politics" headquarters in Washington. John, what have you got?

JOHN KING, HOST, "JOHN KING USA": Ali, you're probably too young to remember, but back in 1992, Bill Clinton ran for president. Early on in that campaign, he had stumbled and then he can declared himself the comeback kid.

Well, in this campaign, you might say that Bill Clinton has come back again. He is everywhere on the campaign trail. This morning, he was in Florida campaigning for the gubernatorial candidate, the Democrat Alex Sink. That's important. Not only is that a big state, but they'll probably gain two congressional seats in redistricting. The governor has a lot of say in that.

This afternoon, he's going up to North Carolina. Endangered Southern Democrats. That's part of the story line this year. Heath Schuler is a House Democrat who is in some trouble. Bill Clinton trying to help out there. Then he'll be ending the day with the Maryland governor, Martin O'Malley. He's a Democrat who right now is ahead in the polls, but they're still a bit nervous about that one. Bill Clinton will try to pitch in there.

Another big race this year is that Kentucky Senate race. Democrat Jack Conway against Republican Rand Paul. Conway has been running this ad on television. I think it's just run out. It's not on anymore. Essentially questioning Rand Paul's Christianity. Remember, yesterday, Rand Paul's wife came out and protested that. Our Jim Acosta just caught up to Rand Paul on the campaign trail and he told him this. Quote, "He has never written or said something unchristian in his life." That story will be up on the Ticker any minute now.

And lastly, Ali, this one is buzzing all over the right today. The right is taking issue with National Public Radio, essentially declaring war on National Public Radio because NPR let Juan Williams go. Juan Williams was an NPR commentator. He also is, as you know, a Fox News commentator. He was talking on the air about sometimes how he gets nervous when he sees Arab-looking people getting on airplanes when he flies.

And the right is now saying he never should have been fired for just speaking his mind and airing things out. Mike Huckabee, you see this story on Ticker right now by our political producer Peter Hamby, he says not only should Congress cut NPR funding. Mike Huckabee says he will not do any more interviews with NPR. Sarah Palin also joining that. So, Juan Williams becoming, probably to his discomfort a bit, a cause celebra on the right.

My friend. One last point. You just had Ed Henry on, the senior White House correspondent. In our brand-new CNN polling, voters all across America agree. If you're going to have the former senior White House correspondent on and the current White House correspondent on, the former should go first.

VELSHI: Oh, we'll have to work on it.

KING: I just made that up.

VELSHI: You know, this is to tell about how important you are to this whole operation. I wasn't too young to remember Bill Clinton's election in 1992. I was eight years old, and it was one of my first memories ever because I saw you reporting on it. I thought to myself, "I don't know who that guy is, but I want to be like him." I was eight years old, and now I grew up to work at CNN.

KING: You know, that's what happens -

VELSHI: Are you doing the math in your head right now?

KING: I was 12 years old back then.

(LAUGHTER)

KING: Well, a little older than 12. But not all that much older than 12. That was a great campaign. One of six presidential campaigns that I've covered, Ali. They're all wonderful. Maybe next time in 2012, you and I will hit the road together.

VELSHI: I would love that, John. You and I both share an interest in getting out in the country, getting out on that CNN Express. I think that would be a lot of fun. We got to do it a little bit in the summer when we were in the South. We'll do it again.

But thanks for all the good stuff that you're bringing us. John King, the host of "JK USA."

All right. You're used to hearing -- or you used to hear a lot back when John King was a kid reporter about the Richter scale when an earthquake like the one that hit Mexico today would hit the news. What happened to the Richter scale? We're going to talk about that in our "Wordplay," coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Time now for "Wordplay." We're mixing it up a little today. We usually tell you about a term in the headlines. But you're not going to see this term. You're not going to see Richter scale used by many news outlets anymore. Let's look at why.

Basically, the Richter scale uses a single number to quantify how much seismic energy is released in an earthquake. It dates back to the 1930s, developed by Cal Tech scientist Charles Richter. I'm sorry, Charley. Seismologists abandoned it years go. They discovered it wasn't super accurate on measuring (ph) quakes. Plus, the scale was based on a now-obsolete way of measuring seismic energy. Now you know.

And Brooke's going to be talking about this in just a few minutes. In fact, I think we're ready to go over to Brooke right now with more on this earthquake. Brooke?