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Becoming a Diabetic Nation; Lindsay Lohan Back in Court; Examining Groups Behind 3rd-Party Ads; Amputee Redefines Disabled
Aired October 22, 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: And good morning, everyone.
Live from Studio 7 at CNN world headquarters, the big stories for Friday, October 22nd.
Sounding the alarm. We are fast becoming a diabetic nation. A whopping one-third of Americans on track to develop this disease. Your health at risk.
Plus, 11 days and counting to the midterm election. President Obama blazing the campaign trail in a push to prop up key Senate incumbents.
And look if you can at this guy. He is tatted up in places you won't quite believe. What the --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never really knew how far I would ever go. And this is about as far as you can go.
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HARRIS: Yes.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Those stories and your comments right here, right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
We begin with news about your health and alarming predictions just released today about the rise of diabetes in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of people with diabetes is expected to double or even triple over the next 40 years. Can you believe it?
Right now, one in 10 adult Americans has diabetes. By 2050, the CDC says as many as one in three could have the disease.
Ann Albright is director of the CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation.
Ann, good to see you.
ANN ALBRIGHT, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF DIABETES TRANSLATION, CDC: It's a pleasure to be here. Thanks.
HARRIS: Let me read this again. One-third of all U.S. adults will have, could have diabetes by 2050 if what continues?
ALBRIGHT: Well, if a few things continue. Positive things are continuing. That means people with diabetes are living longer. That's going to make the numbers go up.
HARRIS: Yes.
ALBRIGHT: More people at high risk, African-Americans, Hispanic Latinos, Asian and Pacific Islanders, American-Indians, as we have more of those ethnic groups will go up. And as people age and, as I said, live longer.
The big negative is if more new cases of diabetes develop. And that's the big story. We need to reduce the number of cases of type 2 diabetes.
HARRIS: Can we do it?
ALBRIGHT: We can do it. That's the good news. We can do it. We can.
We can do it by increasing access to healthy neighborhoods, healthy foods, more physical activity, and getting people into the National Diabetes Prevention Program. It's a new program that CDC is starting with the YMCA. United Health Group is now paying for people to go through this program. We need more people to access that work.
HARRIS: Healthy neighborhoods? Explain.
ALBRIGHT: Healthy neighborhoods, places where people can get healthy foods, where they can have safe places to be physically active. Those are the questions we need to be asking ourselves. Why are our neighborhoods not as healthy as they should be?
HARRIS: The impact of obesity --
ALBRIGHT: It's significant.
HARRIS: -- on these projections, talk us through that.
ALBRIGHT: Well, the impact of obesity is certainly a factor in the protections that we've put forward. What we did was we modeled what things would look like under particular circumstances. One of those is if these new cases, the incidents, does not go down, and that has certainly contributed to biobesity (ph).
That's a significant contributor to these new cases of diabetes. So it is certainly a factor.
HARRIS: What is the potential impact on the health care system in this country if we don't bring these numbers into some kind of check here?
ALBRIGHT: It's unsustainable. We cannot -- we can't manage this increase. It's horrific. It's really a significant issue, so we must work on prevention. HARRIS: So we must?
ALBRIGHT: We cannot fail.
HARRIS: Let's go back to healthy neighborhoods. We're going to run a piece next hour. We have been spotlighting this issue of food testers across the country.
ALBRIGHT: Yes.
HARRIS: And talk about that a bit, how we have got to get healthier choices in grocery stores, supermarkets in these high-risk neighborhoods. We have got to do that.
ALBRIGHT: We absolutely do. As we said, the good news is we can, indeed, prevent this. We know what to do to prevent type 2 diabetes.
And we give people good information. We're getting them into physical activity and nutrition programs. But when they go home to where they spend most of their time, where people live and work and play, they have to be able to get access to the kinds of foods that they are being recommended to get. If they can't access it, it doesn't matter how much good information we give people. They won't be able to implement it.
HARRIS: What do you hope happens as a result of this research?
ALBRIGHT: Our hope is that people will seriously look at diabetes and the impact that it's having on our country, and that we will take action. We must take action, as we were saying, to make healthier options the easy option for people.
HARRIS: Ann, good to see you. Thank you.
ALBRIGHT: Thank you very much.
HARRIS: This is stunning news. Stunning.
Ann Albright, thank you.
Got to tell you, some parts of the country are facing an obesity epidemic much more than others. Josh is here with that side of the story.
Good morning, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, hey there, Tony, because you know I was looking online at what information there is from the CDC about obesity. The first thing they point to you, or one of the first things, is this map.
Watch what happens. I'm going to press "play." It brings you through the years of American history, and the more color you show up, you see the more concerns about obesity. And the darker it gets, the heavier the BMIs, the larger BMIs in this country.
When you start to see red up here, that's upwards of 30. And look at what's been happening. I started this map at1986 when I started talking to you. It's bringing us every year up all the way to where we are now, and you see which parts of the country are having especially big problems with that, with BMI. And this is about the obesity epidemic in America, and as you all were just saying, that's one key factor in what we're hearing about with these concerns about diabetes nationwide.
Now, there is something else I want everyone to know about. This is interesting. It's from the American Diabetes Association.
It has something called the Health Adviser, and they actually have a little tool here that you can use to check if potentially your lifestyle is causing problems for you and might be leading you in a pre-diabetic direction. I posted a link to the map and this on my Facebook and Twitter. Let's show everyone that, because if you have any questions about whether this could be you, I posted it for you right there.
I'm at JoshLevsCNN on Facebook and Twitter. Take a look there.
HARRIS: Yes. Hey, Josh, you mentioned a term that we should probably explain. What does the word "pre-diabetic" mean?
LEVS: Yes, let's piece through that a little bit, because a lot of people aren't sure what it is. I've got some info for you from the Mayo Clinic here.
If your blood sugar level is higher than normal, then that is one thing that can be a part of pre-diabetes. Also, without intervention, Mayo Clinic is saying you are likely to be type 2 diabetic within 10 years or less.
I have two more things to show you here. The long-term damage of diabetes could actually already be the beginning even if you are pre- diabetic, even if you don't officially have diabetes. The damage of diabetes can be beginning.
But as you all were talking about, lifestyle changes can bring blood sugar levels back to normal. So that's the good thing about being pre-diabetic, that you actually have the opportunity now. You have found out before getting diabetes, there are actions that you can take. And again, the links I put for you there should help you avoid that if you can make some lifestyle changes.
HARRIS: OK. Josh, terrific. Thank you, sir.
LEVS: Yes, you got it.
HARRIS: Changing your lifestyle can be difficult, we know that, but it can also be done. Forty-six-year-old Michael Karim explains how he did it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHAEL KARIM, LOST 60 POUNDS: So you want to see a picture of what I used to look at? Oh, my God. This was me then. So I am very proud.
I started to weigh and measure my food. I took some classes from the Diabetic Center down at Grady, nutrition classes, and went to Overeaters Anonymous with a friend of mine, and they taught me how to eat disciplined.
I try to eat all whole grains. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I eat white rice. You know? But more than often, it's whole grain bread or whole grain pasta, beans, fresh vegetables, broccoli, asparagus.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was the most challenging thing to change?
KARIM: Oh, wow. Sweets. I love sweets -- cake, cookies, you know. Yes.
Hard backing away from those. Little Debbie's is calling me right now, but I'm not listening.
Pain can be a strong motivator. I almost lost my leg with diabetes, and that was the deciding factor for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Let's get back to Ann Albright for a second from the CDC.
What did you hear in Michael? And good advice, good tips for everyone in his approach?
ALBRIGHT: Absolutely. Healthy eating and looking at the amount of food that he's eating, those are great places to start.
Awareness about what you're putting in your body is key. And oftentimes, people have no idea that they're eating the things that they're eating. You really have to pay attention to that. And that's a key first step.
HARRIS: Terrific. Ann, thank you. Thank you so much.
And still to come, with just 11 days until the midterm elections, President Obama is on a western campaign swing for Democrats.
And Reynolds Wolf is tracking weather for us.
Reynolds, what are you following? Good morning, sir.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Tony, we are following -- good morning to you, by the way. We're following two big things.
First and foremost, we're watching Tropical Storm Richard, still spinning in the Caribbean. We're going to show you where that's headed.
Plus, here at home we have got some strong storms developing across parts of the central plains. More on that coming up in a few moments.
You're watching CNN. We'll see you in a little bit.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our economy works only when everybody's participating, and that means that things like equal pay for equal work aren't just women's issues. Those are middle class family issues, because how well women do will help determine how well our families are doing as a whole. It means that everybody's got to have access to financing for small businesses.
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HARRIS: President Obama focusing on the economy during a backyard campaign event in Seattle. He says he's been so busy dealing with emergency issues like the economy, he hasn't done enough to highlight what has been accomplished.
The president is on a western campaign swing, as you know. He starts the day in San Francisco. Then it is on to Los Angeles to attend a fund-raiser for Senator Barbara Boxer.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich takes on Democrats at a campaign event in Phoenix. Gingrich says Democrats are killing jobs and their modern symbol should be the food stamp. He says that's not the future most people want for their children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH, FMR. HOUSE SPEAKER: I will bet you there is not a precinct in any part of Arizona where if you walked and said would you rather your children have a food stamp or a paycheck, you don't (ph) get above 80 percent saying they want their children to have a paycheck. I don't care what their ethnic background is, I don't care what their background is linguistically, I don't care what their background is in any other form. My guess is over 80 percent of the people in this state will tell you they want their children to have a chance to earn a decent living, and they want them to actually earn the living.
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HARRIS: A Friday night showdown to tell you about. Candidates in some closely-watched Senate races meet in debates tonight.
In Wisconsin, Senator Russ Feingold meets GOP candidate Ron Johnson. Democratic Joe Sestak faces Republican Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania. And in Indiana, Republican Dan Coats, Democrat Brad Ellsworth and Libertarian Rebecca Sink-Burris square off. Also tonight, a debate in the Colorado governor's race.
Twelve days until the midterm election, and amid all the mud- slinging, nutty ads, strategists, pundits and their talking points, it can be early to lose sight of what elections are really about. And they are about shaping what this country is and setting a course for the future.
Would you agree with that?
Well, on this program, in these two hours, we want to get back to the basics. So we're asking you to help us answer one simple question: What does America mean to you?
It is a segment we are calling "My America Is..." -- your personal experiences, your vantage point. What does this country look like from where you are standing right now?
Here's what some of you are saying.
Phil says, "My America is dying. Workers sit here unemployed. Construction material is at a low. And Congress hesitates in reinvesting in the infrastructure. America does not spend on people, education and health, but continues to invest billions for defense."
Lorraine (ph) writes, "My America, to me, is a country where I have freedom of speech and am able to worship in a religion of my choosing, the right to vote, and to travel to any state without carrying special papers."
And this from John: "My America is a great country that is losing its way. Greed drives everything, and we have stopped doing the right thing, and instead are doing whatever makes us more wealthy or powerful."
If you would, send us your thoughts. And start your answer with "My America is..."
OK. I'm on Facebook and on Twitter, @TonyHarrisCNN, and you can also go to my blog, CNN.com/Tony. Or here's my favorite -- just give us a call. The number, 877-742-5760.
We will share more of your comments right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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(WEATHER REPORT)
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HARRIS: So here's the question -- will Lindsay Lohan the actress go back to jail or stay in drug rehab? We're going to get an answer today. At least we expect one.
Live pictures now from Los Angeles -- let's see here -- where a hearing for Lohan gets under way just moments from now. CNN Entertainment Correspondent Kareen Wynter is there.
And Kareen, I apologize as I ask this question. It's difficult for me to sort of keep track with Lindsay's story here. What did Lindsay do this time, or was it something she didn't do?
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, that's a really, really long question. When it comes to Lohan, you can't make it simple. Right? So let me try to break it down as simply as possible.
First of all, Tony, we had a shocking start to the morning because Lindsay Lohan actually showed up early for her hearing, which is in regards to violating her probation. She tested possible for a controlled substance backs in September, violating the terms of her probation, and so the judge at that time sentenced her to jail.
A judge overturned that decision because it was apparently against California law because it was a misdemeanor, so she was released after just 14 days in jail. And three days later, Lohan checked herself in voluntarily to a substance rehab center, the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage. And so she had to be in court today. The judge ordered it so that he could assess where things stand right now.
So, she has been in rehab for the last 24 days, and the judge today will decide whether or not she should continue with that treatment or send her back to jail for failing that drug test back in September. But I've got to tell you, Tony, it was absolutely wild out here.
The top of the hour, 8:00 Pacific Time, there was a van that pulled up, and we thought perhaps it's Michael Lohan, her dad, who's always a presence here at these hearings, or someone else. But it was Lohan, and her mother Dina and also her attorney by her side.
So there was a lot of confusion. There were photographers falling all over themselves. The press just went nuts.
So, she walked into court. She is actually upstairs right now. The hearing doesn't begin for another 10 minutes or so. Again, 8:30 local time.
So, the judge will be making a big, big ruling today. And many are saying, you know, it really looks good for Lohan, the fact that she has been able behave. She voluntarily checked herself into that rehab facility voluntarily for 24 days.
And so maybe that will weigh on the judge's mind. We don't know. He's been so fed up, up to this point, there's no telling which way he'll rule -- Tony.
HARRIS: Well, that's interesting. So, Kareen, if the judge decides to send her back to jail, how long could she be there? Is this another 20, 24-day sentence? WYNTER: That's very interesting. He said that for every failed drug test, that she would have to spend 30 days in jail. But there's some reports out there -- and, again, no one is confirming at this point, that -- again, you are looking at the big picture here, not just what she did, her latest violation.
She's had a string of court appearances, and that's what makes this so, so complex. There are some reports that he could sentence her for perhaps up to a year in jail. But, you know, we're in Los Angeles, and with overcrowding, she would get out in perhaps four months.
It's really hard to say right now. But we're on standby and we're going to bring you any developments -- Tony.
HARRIS: Love it.
All right, Kareen. Good do see you. Thank you. Appreciate it.
You know, there are a lot of videos out there on the World Wide Web, and we're bringing you the very best of them.
Let me get over here to Sandra Endo, the great Sandra Endo, with us from Washington, D.C., but spending the week with us here, the last two weeks here in Atlanta.
OK. What are you finding online? Are you going to share with us?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I've got a ton for you, yes. Absolutely.
Check out this unlikely video of four guys with dreadlocks. Have you ever had dreadlocks, Tony?
HARRIS: Once upon a time I dreamed of dreadlocks.
ENDO: All right. I just had to get that in there.
HARRIS: Thank you.
ENDO: They're from New Zealand. And check out what they do with this hula hoop. Yes, play that again.
Apparently, these guys are just killing time, hanging out in their friend's back yard. And they decided to just play with the hula hoop, and they got this on their sixth attempt.
And they thought it was going to take them all day. Look at that, one, two, three and four.
HARRIS: That's not bad. That's not bad.
ENDO: Yes. I love the end because they're, like, so genuinely shocked they did it, and the cheer was just great. They were all fired up. HARRIS: Yes. Way too much time on their hands.
ENDO: So that's "What's Hot" online right now.
And also, we have got another video, but I know you're queasy, Tony. So I'm just going to warn you --
HARRIS: What do you mean you know I'm queasy? How did you know that? OK.
ENDO: You know, you're really sensitive. So, just in case you get queasy out there, you may want to avert your eyes. The pictures really speak for themselves.
Ninety-eight percent of this guy's body is covered in tattoos. Even his eye.
HARRIS: Oh, get out of here!
ENDO: Yes. This man, his name is Matt Gone from Oregon.
HARRIS: And he's long gone.
ENDO: Well --
HARRIS: Come on.
ENDO: He even injected his eye -- look at that -- with blue ink. And he did it himself.
Here's his explanation of why he's so obsessed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT GONE, TATTOO ENTHUSIAST: I'm a visual person, as you can see. I picked different colors because I like mutations because I have birth defects. The tattoos make me not hate my body, even though my body seems to be hating me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENDO: Yes. Well, he got his first tattoo 20 years ago. And I'm not going to even ask you if you have a tattoo.
So that's "What's Hot" for right now at least.
HARRIS: The dude is gone.
ENDO: You're bothered by it, I know.
HARRIS: The dude's gone.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: And his tongue and his eyes?
ENDO: I know, yes.
HARRIS: All right. You're back next hour?
ENDO: Yes, I'll be back.
HARRIS: The great Sandra Endo.
All right. Let's do this -- who is trying to buy your vote? Campaign ads flooding the airwaves right now. We continue our look at the groups behind them.
We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: So as you know, the midterms are just 11 days away. By the time it is all over, analysts say spending on TV campaign ads could top a mindboggling $3 billion. Today, we are highlighting third-party ads on government debt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, CITIZENS AGAINST GOVERNMENT WASTE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translated): America tried to spend and tax itself out of a great recession. Enormous so-called "stimulus," spending massive changes to health care, government takeovers of private industries, and crushing debt. Of course, we owned most of their debt so now they work for us.
NARRATOR: You can change the future. You have to. Join Citizens Against Government Waste to stop the spending that is bankrupting America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK, what do we know about the group behind this and other third-party ads flooding the air waves right now? Josh Levs is here again along with CNN's consultant on TV advertising, that's Evan Tracey.
Evan, good to see you.
EVAN TRACEY, PRESIDENT, CAMPAIGN MEDIA ANALYSIS GROUP: Good to see you.
He is the president of Campaign Media Analysis Group.
Josh, let's do this. Let's start with you. Tell us about the group behind the ad we featured a clip of.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And the words were really small on the screen, but the story is this idea that America is creating its own demise, basically, just like some ancient societies did, largely by giving away debt and it's playing on this idea of China owning a lot of U.S. debt right there.
The group is one that our viewers know well because we talk about them pretty often, especially once a year. Citizens Against Government Waste, their the folks behind the annual pig book. You know, we talk about the congressional pig book that looks at what we call pork in the system. They are a nonprofit. They say that they are nonpartisan. They say they don't take political sides, that they do celebrate sometimes at their events lawmakers from both sides who say they will do something about reducing pork.
But what we see from ads like this, these third-party ads -- and, Evan, you can talk about this -- is that even though these are nonpartisan, there is a way they can play a partisan role in this election, right?
TRACEY: Yes, that's absolutely the case. You're see the sort of macro-messaging helping on a micro level. Very unusual to see groups taking to the airwaves on a national basis with these ads. They running on cable news being seen all over the country. And what they do is they're sort of reinforcing the messages that you are seeing Republicans run in these state and local races where the national debt has become a big issue.
HARRIS: OK, guys, let's do this, let's get to this next ad from the left.
LEVS: Well, actually, we're going to look at this other ad. Yes, let's look at this other ad. This one's from Public Notice, and I'll tell you more about them, but it's actually from the same idea, a group that says it's totally nonpartisan but again can play a role in politics.
Let's take a look at the beginning of the ad right here, this is one a lot of people have actually seen play on your TVs throughout this political season. It's this where you see someone carrying a shovel and a narrator comes in and tells you about digging debt, digging debt, digging more debt.
Now skip ahead to the end of it and we'll listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NARRATOR: Together we can hold Congress accountable. Visit BankruptingAmerica.org.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: And that's what it does. It's at the very end of the ad that you find out who is behind these ads. And that one, Bankrupting America is this group called Public Notice, and it's a similar idea.
And what's interesting to me, again, you have a nonpartisan group out there that says it's nonpartisan, that says it wants to stop waste, that it wants to do something about this giant hole the U.S. is building, but nevertheless, it playing this partisan role. You're saying even though if you stopped most Americans on the streets, they wouldn't think either party has been great about saving money in government. TRACEY: Yes, exactly. I mean, the national debt has been a losing issue for candidates going back to the 1990s. In this election, because people have experienced debt on a personal basis through the foreclosure crisis, through the crash on Wall Street and even things like grease in the backdrop, these messages are going to help in these elections. They're going to help the candidates that are really positioning against government spending.
So yes, these groups are going to have an impact. They are helping, again, just reinforcing these macro themes. This group alone has spent close to $2 million on this ad buy so far. So a lot of like leaning, engaged voters are seeing the ads.
LEVS: Where are they getting all this money? Where is this money coming from?
TRACEY: You know that's the whole -- you know, the citizens united effect is that you're not really sure where the money is coming from. Clearly, these are people who are probably the smaller government Republican types who are basically funding these kind efforts.
And again, these are maybe not the most direct and they don't connect the dots for voters, but they're reinforcing what is happening in the political ads by candidates all over the country right now.
HARRIS: Let me jump in with a quick question here.
I'm curious about who is funding the ads. What groups, what individuals are behind these ads? Anything to suggest that America is as interested as, say, we are as to who is behind the ads?
TRACEY: It's really hard at this point to know where this money is coming from. Again, these are agenda-driven donors as much as anything else. I mean, people that are funding these ads, they're not handing over these ads and saying go cut whatever ads you want. These ads, they're being run for people to say, look, this is the ad we want to fund.
LEVS: Yes, and I know, Tony, you've seen surveys that suggest that, in fact, when it comes down to it, people are that (INAUDIBLE) they're more interested in the message. They're more interested in seeing messages that sometimes reinforce what they already believe than in finding out the specifics of who is behind all of this.
Nevertheless, that's what we're doing. We will keep doing it up until the election, looking at the third-party ads that are playing a big role this year, more than usual, telling you whose behind it.
HARRIS: All right, gentleman, appreciate it, thank you.
And for the latest political news, you know where to go, it's CNNPolitics.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: Got to tell you, our top ten CNN heroes are incredible everyday people, changing the world, literally. Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno introduces us to Linda Fondren, a hero on a mission to help slim down the fattest state in America.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
APOLO ANTON OHNO, OLYMPIAN: Hi. I'm Apolo Anton Ohno.
As one of CNN Hero's blue-ribbon panelists, I had the honor of helping choose this year's top ten. As a champion of See Your Impact, I'm committed to making it easy for people to see exactly how their donation dollars can change someone's life. And now, I'm thrilled to introduce one of this year's top ten honorees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDA FONDREN, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: Mississippi has held the title of being the most obese state for six consecutive years. I knew that I wanted to do something to help people who wish they could live a better life.
My name is Linda Fondren, and I challenged my community to the 17,000 pound weight loss challenge in 17 weeks.
I asked the 50,000 Vicksburg to only lose a half a pound. They beat the challenge, but I decided to make the challenge permanent, because we did not reach enough people.
We have a walking club and a nutrition program. On Saturday, the gym is open for free.
You have to give them the tools and opportunities to want to do better and they will jump at that chance to do better.
Obesity affects us all. The only way to combat it is to stand together and help each other. We need to make a commitment to change.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: So who will be the CNN Hero of the Year for 2010? You decide. Just go to CNN.com to vote online for the CNN Hero who inspires you the most. All ten will be honored on Thanksgiving night at "CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE" hosted by our Anderson Cooper.
The markets open for a little more than two hours now. Let's see how things are shaking up for Friday get away day. We're in negative territory after two positive days in a row here. We are down 13 points.
Following these numbers throughout the date for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's get to our top stories now.
What a mess in France? Garbage is piling up and fuel is in short supply as strikers and protestors rally against the government's plan to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62. French senators could approve the plan today.
Lindsey Lohan back in court in Los Angeles this hour for a hearing on whether she'll go back to jail or stay in drug rehab. The actress violated her probation with a failed drug test.
Lady Antebellum reliving what the band says was its worst gig ever. The country music group gave a free concert at a gas station in Richfield, Wisconsin. Quite a crowd there. Three years ago just a handful of people caught the band's performance in Richfield.
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HARRIS: Let's rock this, 11 days to go until one of the most important midterm elections in recent memory, really. A new CNN poll suggests how voters are leaning right now. Paul Steinhauser and Mark Preston, part of "The Best Political Team on Television" joining us live from the political desk in Washington.
Gentlemen, good to see you. What's crossing right now?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Tony, brand new. IN fact, it's not even online yet, your viewers on TV get it first. And you just eluded to is, our brand new CNN Poll of Polls in a battle for Congress. Take a look at this, we just compiled it. Our Rebecca Stewart (ph) just crunching the numbers.
And this is the generic ballot, as you call it, and we asked -- Would you vote for the generic Democrat or Republican in your congressional district? It's the average question we always do. Fifty percent say the vote for the Republican, 42 percent the Democrats. Tony, that eight point advantage for the Republicans is up one from our last Poll of Polls earlier this week. So we're going to keep doing that right up to the election.
Go to the next one as well, we have new numbers on the president, on Barack Obama. Why? Yes, cause he's not up for reelection, but remember, Republicans are trying to make this the election a referendum on Obama and what the president has done in office.
So check this out, CNN Poll of Polls, 47 percent of Americans approving of the president, 48 percent disapproving. We're going to keep a close eye on both of those numbers.
Hey, one more thing I want to show you. Talking about presidents, let's talk about former presidents. Maurice George (ph), our cameraman, can you zoom right in here to the CNN Political Ticker? Bill Clinton, you know, Tony, he has been so busy on the campaign trail. He is going back to Kentucky the day before the election, going to try to be the closer there, going to try to help Jack Conway, the attorney general and the Democratic Senate nominee in Kentucky. Try to win back a Republican-held seat. Rand Paul, of course, the Republican nominee -- Tony.
HARRIS: Well let's do this. Speaking of former presidents -- Mark? Where are you, Mark? Former President George W. Bush, we've been hearing about this book he is writing or has written for awhile now. Are we any closer to seeing it on bookshelves?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, we are. Mark your calendar, November 9th, Tony, George Bush is going to put out his memoir. It's going to be called "Decision Points." He's actually put out a three-minute video, so if you go to CNNPolitics.com, you can see the story that our own Alex Mooney (ph) wrote up and you can get a link to this video.
So in this three-minute video he basically talks about how he's going to bring viewers into the situation room. Not the Wolf Blitzer "SITUATION ROOM," of course, but the intelligence situation room to kind give them an idea of what he was thinking during the crises that he had to deal with -- 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, several other things.
So we haven't heard a lot from the former president. He's kept very quiet since he left office. This book, of course, is going to be released right after the election. And I expect that it's going to be a bestseller. It will be interesting to see what he has to say, Tony.
HARRIS: All right, gentlemen, appreciate it. Thank you very much.
Your next political update in an hour. And for the latest political, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: ABC's breakout hit sitcom "Modern Family" has won critical acclaim and three Emmys largely due to its cast and mockumentary style.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TY BURRELL, "PHIL DUNPHY": Things with your mom got intense down there, huh? All East Coast/West Coast, you feeling me?
Act like a parent, talk like a peer. I call it "Peerenting." I learned it from my own dad who used to walk into my room and say, "What's up, sweat hog?"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: One name, Sophia Vergara. Tonight the cast joins "LARRY KING LIVE," and you will see why the show is such a big, big hit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Some critics say you have saved the family sitcom.
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON, "MITCHELL PRITCHETT": We feel that we have.
(LAUGHTER)
FERGUSON: Those are seeds that we planted.
KING: Where did they find you, Sophia?
SOPHIA VERGARA, "GLORIA DELGADO-PRITCHETT": Well, I kind of found them. I went to ABC some years ago with an idea of a pilot, and that didn't work out but they really liked me a lot. So Steve McPherson kept trying to find a good role for me until he found "Modern Family." And I think, you know, it was like -- I mean, I think I'm not going to have a better role in my whole life.
KING: I doubt it.
Ty, is it hard to play someone who is stupid?
BURRELL: Not for me, no.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. The stars of "Modern Family" tonight on "LARRY KING LIVE," that's at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Aimee Mullins is an actress, an athlete and an amputee and credits her so-called disability for her astonishing success. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more in today's "Human Factor."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Aimee Mullins was to redefine disabled.
AIMEE MULLINS, ACTRESS, ATHLETE, ACTIVIST: The thesaurus entries I found when looking at disabled were shocking. You know, it starts out like wrecked, stalled, maimed, lame, mutilated.
And at first it was almost humorous to me. I was reading this thinking, you can't be serious.
GUPTA: At one year old, Mullins became a double amputee. She was born without fibula bones in her legs and doctors amputated what was left. Having never met another amputee until she turned 18, life with prosthetics was challenging.
MULLINS: When I was a teenager, junior high, I would have traded prosthetics for flesh and bone legs in a heartbeat.
GUPTA: But look at what she's accomplished. As I said, Aimee is redefining the very term disabled.
MULLINS: The shift for me was going through this process of, you know, wishing I was something else to acceptance and then to celebration, having fun with it. To then deciding, actually, I determine what my strengths and weaknesses are.
GUPTA: It's that determination that propelled Mullins to become a successful actress, a model, an athlete. She was named one of "People" magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. She's modeled high fashion in London. She broke world track and field records in 100 meter, 200 meter and long jump events. And when she's not competing, she spend her free time working with the Women's Sports Foundation.
MULLIN: We use this phrase a lot. We say, you know, in spite of having prosthetic legs, she's been able to accomplish X, Y and Z. And I final was able to articulate why I was always frustrated with that this year. And it's because of having prosthetic legs that I've been able to accomplish X, Y, and Z.
GUPTA: To Mullins, her prosthetics are a source of strength, not disability and that's a message she wishes everything could hear.
MULLINS: Ultimately, one day, if I could just be Aimee Mullins. It doesn't have to be prefaced with disabled athlete or whatever.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: That's good stuff.
OK, here are some of the stories we're working on for the next hour.
Protestors in France continue to march in the streets angry about pension reform. Thousands have gone on strike over a government proposal to raise the requirement age. Richard Quest joins us on lessons the U.S. can learn from France's attempt at budget cutting.
And in our "What Matters" segment, sometimes getting your child a good education is truly the luck of the draw, like winning the lottery. CNN education contributor Steve Perry brings us a special report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: CNN's new primetime show "PARKER/SPITZER" takes a unique look at the news of the day. Last night, Kathleen Parker and Eliot Spitzer talked to Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN's "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS." He said dreams of the middle class have been shattered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHLEEN PARKER, CO-HOST, "PARKER/SPITZER": How do we restore the American dream?
FAREED ZAKARIA, HOST, "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": Well a part of it I do think is optimism. One of the things I remember about America when I first came here, it was such an optimistic country, even in the midst of a recession, even in the midst of difficult times. And now, that's the way the world really has turned upside down.
Where you go to India and you feel like there's energy, there's optimism, there's a sense that the country is unlocked. And Americans are just so gloomy and they're so sour and so pessimistic that part of the answer, I think, is we have to believe we can get something done. We have to believe that we can -- we are masters of our destiny.
And I really do believe that while there are tremendous challenges out there, bigger than we've ever had before, there are solutions and there are actually pretty doable solutions. There are things that we can do that will change this, and I try to outline some of them in the article.
But I do think that you've got to believe that, otherwise it becomes despair and pessimism and you start blaming other people, which was the game we're in now. We're blaming Mexicans and Chinese and Muslims for our problems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: You know, sometimes it seems like it's Google's world and we just happen to live in it. How much does CEO Eric Schmidt want to change the way we think and we live right now. He's on "PARKER/SPITZER" tonight at 8:00 Eastern on CNN.
