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Democrat Officials Say Election Momentum Shifting; 253 Dead from Cholera; U.S. Swimmer Dies During Competition; Working Mom, Drinking Mom

Aired October 24, 2010 - 22:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: This hour, everything you need to know for your week ahead, including the next big international crisis unfolding right now in Haiti. A fast-moving and fast-killing infectious disease has already killed hundreds of people. It is expected to get worse.

And uncovering a growing and disturbing trend. Drunken moms, mothers taking to the bottle when their kids, the job and the husband become too much to handle.

And the young American swimming champion cut down in the prime of his life right in the middle of an overseas competition, found dead in the ocean. His coach tonight with an emotional interview about what went wrong.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Thanks for joining us tonight. Just nine days until Election Day, and the entire momentum of this campaign could be turning. Democrats are now claiming the polls are tightening in their favor, including in Nevada for the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Also, the head of the DNC made this pitch on ABC this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM KAINE (D), DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRMAN: We saved the auto industry. We've saved the financial sector. We passed a bill enabling women to get equal pay for equal work and done historic health care reform, among many other bills. So we feel very good about the accomplishments, and that's why I think you see the polls closing. People understand that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, this week the president, the first lady and the vice president all making their final appeals, including in Illinois where Mr. Obama's former Senate seat could go to a Republican. So my question now to CNN's senior political editor Mark Preston is has the president's appeal been underestimated, and is he closing the gap here, Mark?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, clearly the White House, Don, is very careful about where they have sent him in these closing weeks. He's going into states where they think that he can be helpful. As you said, he was in Nevada for the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He was in California for Barbara Boxer and for Jerry Brown, in Washington State for Patty Murray. And as you said he will be in Illinois at the end of the week to try to ensure that the seat that he once held does not fall into Republican hands.

Now when you talk in the generalities in the macro sense, are things turning in a great way for Democrats? Not necessarily, Don. We are seeing the polls tighten in some states, but we would expect that. We're only nine days out before Election Day. But really the question is, Don, you know, not how many seats will Republicans necessarily pick up, but will they take back the majority in the House? Will they potentially take back the Senate majority?

LEMON: And Mark, no doubt, it has been an incredibly, contentious and long campaign season, and it showed today in Florida. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, FLORIDA SENATE CANDIDATE: Any time we get into the issues. the governor wants to turn it into something else because he's wrong on the issue so the bottom line is -- let me say on the ideologue part.

(CROSSTALK)

CHARLIE CRIST, FLORIDA SENATE CANDIDATE: Why won't you release your IPO credit card and clear this up.

RUBIO: On the ideologue issue, as of today --

(CROSSTALK)

CRIST: And why is there a federal investigation into your reporting income.

RUBIO: This is just one litany of falsehoods after another.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST: Why don't you -- maybe he would let you -- can you answer this question?

(CROSSTALK)

CRIST: (INAUDIBLE) across the state of Florida for the past year.

RUBIO: Why won't you release the full IRS records, the full credit card statements (INAUDIBLE)

These questions had been answered now since February. And my tax returns are public. I've gone well beyond the point of disclosure. The bottom line is people want to focus on these issues because they are wrong on the important issues. This country has $13.5 trillion debt.

CRIST: He doesn't want to release them because he doesn't believe in transparency. I created the office of open government in the governor's office for the first time in the history of our state.

RUBIO: I never had a heckler at a debate. I've always had them in the audience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So Mark, CNN hosted that had debate. I said, you know, Candy hosted the debate and then a wrestling match broke out. What gives with those guys?

PRESTON: Yes, a very long campaign season, and a lot of personal animosity. I'll break it down in the bullet points for you.

You have Charlie Crist who is frustrated that Marco Rubio pushed him out of the Republican primary. Charlie Crist, the governor, now running as an independent. You're seeing that Kendrick Meek, the Democrat, frustrated that Charlie Crist is running as an independent because by doing so he's siphoning away very important votes that Kendrick Meek would need for this race.

Now, of course, as we look as the CNN Opinion Research Corporation Poll in the last couple of weeks, it shows that Marco Rubio has a 14- point lead over Charlie Crist and 26-point lead over Kendrick Meek. So what we're seeing there is a very long campaign season, some very frayed nerves -- Don.

LEMON: And just nine days away. It's not over yet. Thank you, Mark Preston.

And, remember, the spotlight stays on Florida and be sure to watch CNN tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. It is a special "JOHN KING USA," the Florida gubernatorial candidates debate. John King moderates the showdown right here only on CNN.

And next week I'll be traveling through the Midwest to cover the election starting Monday in Chicago and then heading east. Make sure you check out my election road trip. That's next week all day on CNN.

You know, still reeling from last January's massive killer quake, a new killer is now stalking the impoverished island nation of Haiti. Cholera has already killed 253 people. It is moving quickly and it has sickened thousands more. Now it's in the crowded capital of Port- Au-Prince, and our Paula Newton is at the hospital in the center of this outbreak.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Don, officials are gratified that they feel that the situation is under control. Now it doesn't feel like that here in the hospital at times or even outside the hospital for patients who are coming here gravely ill.

I can tell you that the kind of help that they have been getting in the last few days has been incredibly basic care and a lot of this has been their relatives trying to help them. What do they need? The rehydration. They need a timed antibiotics. But they need that kind of care that just hasn't been here for the last two days. Aid organizations, the U.S. government, the U.N., all trying to help the Haitian government get that together. In the meantime, what they are trying to do is talk about prevention. We've heard it on the loudspeakers here. People being told to make sure they wash their hands. Make sure the water you are drinking is clean. Watch where you're actually going to the wash room and make sure that you stay away from the rivers here that are now almost certain to be contaminated with cholera.

In the meantime, in Port-Au-Prince, they are also putting in some measures in place just in case the outbreak reaches Port-Au-Prince. So far five confirmed cases there, but they were actually from this region. So Don, you know, cautious optimism today that they will have more people die from cholera. They told me that point blank. They expect the numbers to go up. They will have more confirmed cases of cholera, but they are hoping that they have been able to mitigate some of the worst effects of this outbreak and keep it from spreading to the capital. Don?

LEMON: All right, thank you, Paula Newton. And make sure you stay tuned to CNN. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta is on his way to Haiti with a team, and we'll be following this story next week as well.

Still ahead here tonight, an American swimmer training for the Olympics dies suddenly during an open-water race.

And check out this video that we just got in from a CNN iReporter. It's in from Texas where several tornadoes have touched down and caused significant damage.

And then what city do kids stand the best chance of getting the most Halloween candy? Well, no, it's not Hershey, Pennsylvania. We'll tell you straight ahead.

And don't just sit there. We want you to be part of this show, part of our conversation. Send us a message on Twitter or Facebook. Check out our blog, CNN.com/Don and look for us on FourSquare.com as well. We're back in moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Let me check the top stories on CNN. A 26-year-old American swim star died today during the ten-kilometer marathon swimming world cup in the United Arab Emirates. Fran Crippen died during the last leg of the race, and his body was recovered about two hours later. The University of Virginia graduate, Crippen was a former NCAA champion. I spoke with one of his former coaches about his tragic death.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD SHOULBERG, COACH OF FRAN CRIPPEN: Not only was he a world class athlete, national champion numerous times. He got in the pool with GA and helped the little kids as a volunteer coach. They loved him. I love him. I'm just going to remember that. I love him.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Also tonight, an elderly man is accused of trying to get a fully loaded gun on to a plane flying out of Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Chicago police say a TSA agent found a .380 semi-automatic pistol in the carry-on bag of Francis Cook yesterday. Cook, who is 67 years old, and from Michigan, was headed to Dallas. Our affiliate WLS reports Cook is in custody under $25,000 bail.

An attempted copper theft ends in an explosion. Police in Southgate, California, say a man and his wife were trying to steal copper at a vacant construction site when a transformer blew up. The man was electrocuted and his woman severely burned trying to save him. Two children believed to belong to the couple were found in the truck near the scene. They were unharmed and taken into protective custody.

A terrifying day under the Texas skies with multiple tornadoes touching down. Take a look.

(VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: This is from one of our iReporters. They caught this scary site about 45 minutes south of Dallas in Rice which saw some of the worst of it. There are reports of injuries and significant property damage, but we're still learning just how bad it is. This is part of a strong system heading off to the east right now.

What's left of typhoon Megi is soaking southeastern China tonight with torrential rains. The storm has been downgraded to a tropical depression but the damage is done already. Thirteen inches of rain fell on coastal villages forcing the evacuation of more than 300,000 people. No deaths have been reported in China, but the same storm killed nearly 60 people in the Philippines and Taiwan.

Ups and downs in the housing market. Job opportunities for the holidays, and you ever wonder where kids get the most candy for Halloween? Here's CNN's Stephanie Elam with this week's "Getting Down to Business."

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Another week, another rollercoaster ride for the hard-hit housing sector. New home construction rose four percent in September compared to a year ago, lifting the number of new starts to a five-month high. But recent investigations into possibly mishandled foreclosures across the nation could further impact an already struggling housing market. Look for new and existing home sales numbers later this week.

Employers are gearing up for the holiday season, and that could make job seekers happy. UPS says it will hire 50,000 extra employers starting this month, and retail stores like Toys R Us and Best Buy plan to add tens of thousands of extra workers to help cover the holiday rush. The initial jobless claim report is due out on Thursday.

And speaking of holidays, this time next week you'll probably be knee deep in sugary snacks. Zillow.com ranks the 20 best cities for trick- or-treaters to get the most candy. And the winner is Seattle. No word on what city spends the most when it comes to fixing children's cavities. That's this week's "Getting Down to Business," Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.

It's a growing trend and a disturbing one, too. Mothers turning to alcohol and drugs when life as a wife, mother and worker becomes too much. We're taking a few minutes to talk about this important topic.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Next month "Working Mother" magazine will focus on a dirty big secret that many families face. Mom works, she cooks, she cleans and when the kids go to bed she drinks. The November issue reveals just how common alcohol and drug addiction is among working moms.

Author and mom blogger Stefanie Wilder-Taylor told me how she discovered she was an alcoholic. And "Working Mothers" editor-in- chief Suzanne Riss said the magazine started to look into the issue after the story of Diane Schuler broke last year. She's the mom who had pot and alcohol into her system when she crashed her car killing herself and seven others.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE RISS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "WORKING MOTHER": There was a disconnect between this cable executive who was raising two kids, seemingly had it all together and then according to police reports was drunk and high when she crashed her car. And when we looked into it, looked into addicts in general, what we learned is that many addicts hide a secret. They seem like they have it all together, but actually inside they are dying, and they are also in trouble because they are responsible for kids.

LEMON: How prevalent --

RISS: And this is a big --

LEMON: How prevalent is this? How many families, how many kids come in contact with moms who are facing alcoholism?

RISS: There are one in four kids whose parent is an alcoholic, and the problem is actually on the rise in terms of women -- twice as many women are turning to alcohol over the past decade and we see the abuse rather of prescription medicine quadrupling so these are both on the rise.

LEMON: So according to your reporting, man, that is amazing. One in four. That's very interesting.

Stephanie, you have formed an online group for moms who are alcoholic because it's such a big deal. So what's been the response for that? Are women realizing that they are sick and they have been -- had some suspicion all along? Are they getting helped by your Web site?

STEFANIE WILDER-TAYLOR, RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC AND BLOGGER: Well, I think that one of the biggest problems is that so many women are ashamed because I think we all have to be disabused of this notion that alcoholics are, you know, living under a bridge downing bush mills, you know, or crying in their bathroom drinking mouthwash.

I mean, there are so many people that are just like me and like many other women who just, you know, nightly turn to too much wine, and it becomes a problem, at a certain point you can't stop. So I think that by me coming out and talking about this and then blogging about it, it allowed a lot of women to see themselves in my story which is not so extreme, and those women really needed the support to quit, and they found in my blog a Yahoo! group. Yes, it's way more women than I ever thought possible.

LEMON: Stefanie, I want our audience to be clear about this. I just want to get across. You talked about it a little bit.

WILDER-TAYLOR: Yes.

LEMON: But you used to write books that sort of made light of the fact that you drank and then later you had to admit that you had a serious problem with alcohol.

WILDER-TAYLOR: Yes.

LEMON: So there is a big difference. Most moms, especially these days, if you have kids and you're married and you have a job, you're an overachiever so you know how to hide it. So give us some wisdom here from someone who knows.

WILDER-TAYLOR: Well, it's really difficult because it's something that only you know if you're suffering from. I mean, for me I didn't know I was an alcoholic. I really thought I was, you know, an alcohol enthusiast. I thought I really liked to drink. I couldn't imagine, that you know, people didn't like it the way I did it. And then at a certain point I had a lot of extra stressors in my life, and -- and one thing led to another and I realized, wow, I'm drinking way too much. So I think for the mom at home, if you're really wondering if you have a drinking problem, chances are good that you do.

RISS: There is one mom who had a rule, she would drink after her kids were in bed when she did the housecleaning. So she went to her job all day, fed her kids, put them to sleep and then she would drink until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning while she was folding laundry. And she was able to continue with that except it got progressively worse, and then she started drinking earlier in the day and people found out.

So this is something that women can hide for a long time until it gets so intense, it progresses so much that the secret is out.

LEMON: And make sure you look for the November issue of "Working Mother," and its in-depth report on working moms who are addicts.

National Protect Your Identity week is just wrapping up, but safeguarding your personal information is really something you could be concerned about, or you should be concerned about year round.

Our Christine Romans is in New York "Mastering Your Money" tonight.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don, you know, we only have the best intentions. The truth is we sometimes get lazy on this. Here are five steps you can take right now to protect your identity. First, shred al statements and invoices, receipts, your return address stickers, envelopes, catalogs and especially those pre- approved credit offers and credit card checks. Get rid of them.

Encrypt your e-mail and other files that contain any personal account information. You got to use firewalls, anti-virus, and anti-spy wear programs and keep all of your technology current with the latest security updates. Don't just keep clicking later. Identity thieves can't steal your information if they can't get to it. So keep your paper files like your bank or your credit card statements, your passports, social security cards, birth certificates and all those other documents with personal identifying information. You got to keep them under lock and key.

Review your credit reports from the three reporting agencies that's Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You got to do it twice a year. And you should do this only at AnnualCreditReport.com. I'm going to say it again, AnnualCreditReport.com. That's the government-mandated source for free credit reports.

It takes surprisingly little to set up a fraudulent account and to establish false credit in someone else's name. You should never carry your social security card in your wallet or your purse or give that number to anyone you don't know or trust.

And you can learn much more about "Mastering Your Money" on the show that saves you money, "YOUR BOTTOM LINE," every Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN. Don?

LEMON: Thank you, Christine.

Up next, a look at what's making news this week, including "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" back in the courts.

Plus, a jury is seated and the trial begins tomorrow. We'll take a closer look at murder of Chandra Levy, a case that cost a former congressman his job.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: President Obama is back on the stump for Democrats this week, and that is just one of the stories that we'll be covering in the days ahead. We begin tonight at the White House.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dan Lothian at the White House. After campaigning hard out west for Democrats, the president hits the campaign trail on the East Coast starting out Monday in Rhode Island where he will be attending a fund-raiser for the Democratic congressional campaign committee. There's not a hotly contested Senate race in Rhode Island, but Democrats there very much want to hang on to that House seat being vacated by the retiring Patrick Kennedy. Then on Saturday, the president campaigns in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and back to Chicago.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Chris Lawrence. And coming up this week at the Pentagon, military leaders will still be dealing with the fallout from the WikiLeaks release of nearly 400,000 documents from the Iraq war. They are also going to be keeping a close eye on the Ninth Circuit court out in California as it rules on whether "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" stays or goes for the next few months while that court is considering an appeal.

And for that matter Pentagon leaders will be keeping a close eye on the lead up to the election because there's a spending bill and also Congress' handling of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" that could hinge on how the next election plays out.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. A big week ahead for the economy and Wall Street. We'll be watching all of it. At the beginning of the week, both new and existing home sales will be released. We'll also get the latest home readings on home prices across 20 major U.S. cities. We'll see if there's been any improvement whatsoever in the housing market.

And corporate earnings season rolls on. We'll hear from oil giants Conoco Phillips. And also Exxon Mobil, they will report their numbers along with Visa and Microsoft.

And then at the end of the week, we'll get the weekly jobless claims and we'll also get the first reading on third-quarter GDP. That's critical to see how the U.S. economy is faring. We'll track it all for you on "CNN MONEY."

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: I'm "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's" A.J. Hammer, and here's what we're watching this week. Now Janet Jackson is sitting down with the ladies of "The View" Monday. Everybody is wondering how is she doing more than a year after Michael's death.

Also, will Bristol Palin survive yet another round of "Dancing with the Stars"? Well, we will be right there on the set of the show.

"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" is live at 5:00 p.m. Eastern on HLN and we are still TV's most provocative entertainment news show at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.

LEMON: All right. And make sure you stay tuned for the week ahead, because we'll be covering Haiti a lot. That devastating outbreak of cholera that's going on right now that's killed hundreds of people and sickened thousands. Make sure you stay tuned. "AMERICAN MORNING" at 6:00 a.m.

And also stay tuned for my election road trip. Next week I'll be traveling through the Midwest to cover the election starting Monday in Chicago and then heading east. I'll be in cities all over the Midwest. We're going to be in Chicago, Elkhart, Indiana, Toledo, Ohio, Detroit, Michigan, Flint, and all of those areas I want to know what you think about this election. Not what the politicians think, but what you think. What you're doing. And we'll be out mingling with you and putting you on television, you and your ideas, and your questions as well. So make sure you tune in next week right here on CNN. In the meantime, I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Have a good night and a great week. I'll see you back here next weekend. "CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATION" it's called "Murder in the Capital: The Death of Chandra Levy." it begins right now.