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8 Days and Counting; Sampling Voters' Appetites; 'Chalk Talk'; Haiti Cholera Outbreak; Democrats Tout Encouraging Signs; Cool Reception in Rhode Island Over Endorsement; Republicans Pouring Cash into California Battle; Soaring Holiday Air Fares

Aired October 25, 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: I'm Ali Velshi, with you for the next hour. Here's what's "On the Rundown."

CNN's Don Lemon just touched down in Chicago and he's already getting an earful from voters in these final campaign days. We actually got a bit of a look at him. He's also getting a mouthful of food.

Also, the holidays are coming fast. Are the airfare hikes coming as fast? How much will it cost you to get home?

And a whole new way to make kids smarter mixing social groups and social media. Who'd have thought?

But first, just eight days until midterm elections. Today we're going outside the beltway to tackle a question that has an impact on all of us. Namely, does the election matter? And if it does, why?

One thing for sure, voters are angry. But you always find angry voters at election time. Is it different from the "throw the bums out" attitude or does it go deeper, so deep as to keep voters away from the polls?

We know midterm elections do not attract as many people as presidential, general elections. Of course this election matters to Democrats up for re-election. Look at this map that I'm going to show you.

President Obama hard on the campaign trail again today, making a stop in Rhode Island. The first lady on the stump, appearing in Seattle and San Francisco. Vice President Joe Biden is trying to fire up voters in Florida. And it matters to Republicans, who are fighting like crazy to gain control of the House and capture as many seats as possible in the Senate.

Also thick in the fight, the real phenomenon of the campaign season, the Tea Party movement.

But let's get back to our original question. When all the stump speeches are done, all the name-calling and mudslinging is over, does this election matter?

What do I mean by that? Well, sometimes it matters just because it's politics. It's democracy. Of course it matters.

It matters that you have regular elections. But is it going to change anything about your life? If the GOP does indeed capture the House of Representatives, what difference will it make? Or is it just going to be more gridlock?

And is gridlock a bad thing or good thing? There are some people who think gridlock makes things better.

What about key issues like the economy, your job, the value of your home, your retirement money? What about tax cuts? What about health care? Are we going to see any significant changes if there is a change in control in one of the houses of Congress or both of the houses of Congress?

Joining us now with their take on the election and its importance, CNN Senior Political Analyst Gloria Borger, in our Washington studios. Coming to us from Memphis, Mark Skoda, the founder and chairman of the Memphis Tea Party.

Welcome to both of you. Good to see you.

Mark, let me start with you. You were really very early on involved in the Tea Party movement. This movement has really found its feet. It's really doing well in this particular election. Ultimately, though, what we hear is that we want less government involvement, we want lower taxes, we want a lower deficit.

Do you have a method by which, if a number of Tea Party-backed candidates are elected, they are actually going to implement some of the changes they have campaigned on and have attracted voters on?

MARK SKODA, FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, MEMPHIS TEA PARTY: You know, Ali, I think it's very interesting.

If you look at the fact that Michele Bachmann established the Tea Party Caucus in Congress, we've probably got seven or eight Tea Party candidates who will now join, plus the numerous freshmen who have campaigned on Tea Party values, I think the answer is an unequivocal yes. It's going to be hard.

I think the really interesting thing for me as I've talked to leaders around the country is there's a very pragmatic view settling in that, while this election is part of a multi-election year cycle, whereby this year we begin to plow the field, begin to hold the line on spending, very interestingly, look at what's happening in Europe. The U.K., 500,000 federal workers furloughed, 20 percent cut in budgets. France ups the retirement age with riots throughout France. Greece is rioting because of austerity.

I think there's a good indicator here that governments everywhere recognize this model is no longer working.

VELSHI: OK. Interesting analogy you made to Great Britain though. Because, Gloria, in Great Britain they had an election on this and changed the -- they changed their prime minister. They changed their parliament.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure.

VELSHI: This is sort of a halfway measure. Midterm elections are you can change some of the people but not all of the people.

So what happens in a case like this, if a message goes out there where the House changes but the Senate doesn't because of mechanical reasons really, and the presidency doesn't? What's the mandate?

BORGER: Well, you know, it's interesting because the Tea Party and the Republican Party, if they are one and the same -- and that's a question -- understand that the worst thing you can do in politics is to over-promise and under-deliver, right? And if you're promising and Mark is promising, you know, we want to cut the budget deficit, we want to be fiscally responsible, we want to roll back regulation, if you're promising these things, it's going to be very, very difficult to get all of those things done at once because you do have divided government.

And the public is going to hold the Republicans as accountable as they are now holding the Democrats. And so you have to be really, really careful here, because in the end there could be gridlock or they might also decide that it is in their own best interest -- that is, their political survival -- to cut some deals and move incrementally rather than in large ways, because otherwise they won't have anything to show to the American public.

VELSHI: Right. Well, let's talk about this.

Are the Republicans and those Republicans backed by the Tea Party one and the same with the Tea Party, Mark? Because you talked about Michele Bachmann and the Tea Party Caucus in Congress, but there may be Republicans who don't want to be associated with the Tea Party. And now there's going to be this kind of messed up thing going on.

How's it going to work out?

(LAUGHTER)

SKODA: Well, you know, I think it is an interesting concept. The fact is, I don't believe we are out of alignment with the core values of the Republican Party. I think when you look at what the Tea Party desires -- fiscal responsibility, smaller government and free markets -- those are core platforms to the Republicans.

I think the good news about what's taking place in this cycle, besides the fact that we're now electing Tea Party candidates, is that we're going to be able to hold not only hold them accountable since we now have a voice both through those new candidates and the caucus, but also, there is no question about the animation within the Tea Party movement. This movement, as I said to my friend the other day, who'd a thunk it? VELSHI: Yes.

SKODA: I mean, last February we kicked this off. And in 20 months -- in 20 month it's an extraordinary set of circumstances. And the sophistication, I believe, that has evolved so quickly out of this movement is beginning to take evidence in the polls, in the elections that are occurring.

VELSHI: Well, you're right.

But Gloria, let me ask you real quick. Pretend Mark is not listening.

Mark, just do this with your ears for a second.

Has this movement got legs? I mean, is this a phenomenon that we see that, OK, the message will be heard, or do you think this goes on?

BORGER: I think it does. I think the movement does have legs, because you when talk to the so-called establishment Republicans in Washington, the first thing they will tell you is that during the Bush years, they forgot to be fiscally conservative and they were penalized for it. And so they're not going to forget that lesson.

But let's ask Mark this -- so they come back. Say the Republicans control the House. You have a deficit commission reporting. You want to cut the budget.

I remember 1994, when Newt Gingrich came in -- new Speaker of the House, right? -- and threatened to shut the government down. And what did that do? That boomeranged for Gingrich because he seemed to be overreaching. So that's a real issue for the Tea Party Republicans.

Mark, I don't know what you think about that.

SKODA: You know, Gloria, I think we've matured beyond that.

The really good thing about the Tea Party, we have a whole mechanism in place of educating our people. And so that's the good news. There's no longer this boomerang effect. I think people will be responsible.

The other thing is, I think we'll be able to prioritize where those cuts come in. For instance, today I think even on "The Drudge Report" it was reported that the top two cuts they're already entertaining within the Deficit Commission are interest deduction for houses and family tax credit. I mean, good gracious, the two worst things you could cut.

Why don't you cut the Department of Energy, which has done nothing since its inception? Why wouldn't you cut the Commerce Department?

VELSHI: All right. Now we're going down the spin road, Mark. You were very good, though, for eight minutes. I like that.

SKODA: I try. I'm trying to do so.

BORGER: But this is the debate, Ali. This is the debate. This is the debate that they're going to be having in Congress not only between Republicans and Democrats, but among Republicans.

VELSHI: Among Republicans. And look, in fairness, we haven't addressed it today, but there will be debates between Democrats too about the direction they're going in.

BORGER: Right. Absolutely.

VELSHI: There will be lots of debates. If you like politics, this was made for you.

Mark Skoda, great to see you, as always, founder of the Memphis Tea Party.

Gloria Borger, always fantastic to see you, our senior political analyst.

We'll continue this election -- by the way, thank you for the discussion that's going on, on Facebook and on Twitter about whether this election matters and why.

Call it a Midwest slugfest. With just a week to go, the Illinois Senate race is super tight and super testy. And for CNN's Don Lemon, it's super tasty. He's chewing things over with voters live from a restaurant in Chicago.

We'll check in with him when we get back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: OK. All week we are rolling through the Midwest ahead of the midterm elections. Candidates have been cramming their views down everyone's throat for months, so we decided we would take a sample of voters' appetites.

And who better to do that with than CNN's Don Lemon, who does not give out the impression of being a fantastic eater when you look at him, but he actually likes his food and he loves Chicago. So, when you combine a love of food with Chicago, you end up at Manny's Deli in downtown Chicago.

It's a city that we share a love for, and you're there talking to voters who have a lot to think about.

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let me tell you this, Ali -- I'll never have a six pack because I like food too much. But I also like being thin, so I run a lot. But the six pack thing is not going to work because I like to eat too much.

An old friend here, Chief Nelson, is from the Chicago Fire Department, Chicago's bravest. And he said, "What are you doing here, Don?" And I said, "We're talking about politics." He goes, "In Manny's?" What did you say about the election?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like I said, I'll be glad when it's over. It's been long. The commercials, just bum-wrapping each other with candidates, not really talking about the issues. Just about what the other guy is not doing. And I'm tired of it.

LEMON: Who are you here with, Chief? Someone else from the fire department. Oh, there he is right there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually, he's not from the fire department.

LEMON: He's not?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

LEMON: Well, go get in line. Enjoy your lunch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

LEMON: It's good to see you. It's good to see you. Take it easy.

Hey, look, now this is an art.

Can I jump in right here, ma'am?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

LEMON: This is an art. Look at this guy.

Show us how you cut that.

Doesn't that look good, Ali Velshi?

VELSHI: Wow, look at that. No machine, nothing.

LEMON: That is amazing. And they do that all day. And then the same thing when they cut the corned beef. The corned beef machine here goes all day.

Don't worry, Ali Velshi. I'm going to get to the voters.

Talk to me about politics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

LEMON: I am. I'm going to bring you some, but I've got to get this because I promised this lady I'm going to go over and talk to her. She's having some lunch.

I'm going to have a piece of apple pie. She wants a cherry pie. And I think someone over there wants a pecan pie. I actually don't have to hold this because I have one on.

And we're going to take it -- we're going to go eat and we're going to talk a little politics.

What do you want to know from these guys, Ali, about this election? Because I'm going to go over and talk to two families.

VELSHI: I want to know whether they think -- the question we've asked today, Don, the big question we're trying to get to the bottom of, is do people think that these elections really matter? And what effect do they think they're going to have on their lives?

LEMON: Yes.

Look at that. This is pictures of candidate Obama who comes in here. He came in before the election.

Also, David Axelrod was here last week with Rahm Emanuel. They said they were just sitting here, no cameras, no nothing. They come in all the time.

Alexy Giannoulias, who's running here, comes in all the time. He actually has a table, I'm told.

Here's your pie. Thank you, Joanne (ph). You wanted the cherry, right?

JOANNE (ph), VOTER: That's correct.

LEMON: Tom, which one did you want?

TOM, VOTER: Nothing.

LEMON: You don't want anything? No pie? All right. I'll eat both of them then.

Why don't you take the apple, Betty? You want that one?

BETTY, VOTER: Oh, I can't. I'm full.

LEMON: So, listen, I want to tell them -- when you guys see all this, you see "Kirk Takes a Slide Lead," "Are the Candidates Worried?" This is from the Tribune and from the Sun-Times.

What do you think about that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do I think?

LEMON: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The problem is, is they're not giving us any information of what they're standing for.

LEMON: Their platform.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, their platform. All they're doing is bickering back and forth. I don't even like to listen to this stuff on the TV, and I don't get a newspaper.

LEMON: Yes.

Ali, repeat your question. You said you wanted to know why it was so important. I was busy talking -- what was your question to them again?

VELSHI: Right. I want to know whether they think the outcome of the election is going to make a different in their lives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just wanted to know what their discrepancies are.

LEMON: Do you think the outcome of these elections are going to make a difference in your life?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably so.

LEMON: How so?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it all depends on who gets into office.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: It depends on who gets into office, who has control of your money, who is in control of what you find important.

So that's what people are talking about. Every table I go to, Ali, I do have to tell you that people are talking about the election here, especially the president's old Senate seat which would go to a Republican. And if it does, boy, that will be kind of a slap in the face to the Democrats, won't it?

I'll toss it back to you, Ali Velshi.

VELSHI: Yes. I think the folks there though -- earlier, we had a conversation with them, and then this conversation. I think we are honing in on something that they are feeling, that the candidates are not telling them what they will do about the issues.

They're telling them why they don't like the other guy. They're telling them about that kind of stuff, but they're not discussing the issues. And I think this lady you're next to has made that point very clearly.

Don, thanks very much for doing that. Continue to enjoy your food.

That's the second meal I've seen him eating today.

All right. There's a Web site out there that's all about making education social. It's a new way for kids and parents to connect and learn. We'll meet one of the founders of the so-called Facebook for education right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: In "Chalk Talk" today we're looking at a fun way to help students learn more, study harder and make better grades. This is the goal of a Web site called 9thperiod.com. You're looking at it now. I've been on it.

It's hard to see, sort of get a feel for it from this one shot, but the site takes the cool features from social networking sites and makes them work for academics and learning. It's a free service to students, teachers and parents, and it takes a three-pronged approach -- you can see there the three prongs -- to helping students.

You can search for classmates, professors, helpful articles about a subject. Then you can connect with other students, professors, students in the same classes and you can get tutoring and you can discover -- the third part is discover. You can find other material and students and professors that other students and professors recommend for your class or your topic.

Joining me now is the co-founder of 9thperiod.com, Roderick Chambers.

Roderick, thanks very much.

You are trying to make studying, the academic side of school, cool like the social media sites. And we know that people live on social media. Kids live on social media. Now you want them to use social media to get smarter.

RODERICK CHAMBERS, COO-FOUNDER, 9THPERIOD.COM: Yes, indeed. Students are very engaged in social media and social networking as well. And we know that that is a venue that we can use in order to rope them in and get them more engaged in the learning process.

VELSHI: All right. So tell me what this -- this model, I mean, so I sign up. Give me an example of how someone would use it, how some student would use it.

CHAMBERS: Students, parents and teachers as well can sign up. They can add the classes that they're currently taking. And then after they add those classes, they're shown students from around the world that are also taking those same classes. They're able to communicate with them, e-mail them, as well as documents and videos that can help them with their academic problems.

VELSHI: So give me an example.

CHAMBERS: An example would be a student in Georgia, for example, who is taking biology. They would be able to sign on biology as a course, and they could find an individual in California that they may be able to ask for some study notes or a video even that can help them with their homework or an exam that they have.

VELSHI: And one of the things that's interesting is for schools that don't want to sort of encourage kids to get involved in meeting up with people or connecting with people that they may not feel secure with, you've got an intranet system so schools can use it within their own intranet, so students can only be connecting with people in the school if they feel that's necessary. CHAMBERS: Exactly. We have a school solutions product that schools can purchase from us that can use it on the individual, district or state level. And they're able to monitor and control students and give them a safe experience, but also allow them to do some of the things that we know students love to do with social networking and social media.

VELSHI: Now, this 9thperiod.com, you're also -- you see there, you've got an app for -- you've got an iPod app. You've got other ways. They're on Facebook. So kids can connect to it that way as well?

CHAMBERS: Exactly. We want to bring students the educational experience where they are. They're on Twitter, they're on Facebook, they use the iPhone every day, mobile devices. And we want to bring our educational experience to those platforms so they can stay engaged.

VELSHI: Is this sort of community-based thing? Are people going to just find out what other people are putting on? Is it monitored or is it moderated, or is it just sort of everybody who says I'm taking this course, here's what I'm reading, this is what really helped me in understanding this course better?

CHAMBERS: We found that the students really monitor it and filter out things that do not belong, and they're really looking for a resource that can provide a good academic experience for them. So the community does a good job of policing those things.

VELSHI: And is this accessible to anybody?

CHAMBERS: Yes, anyone can sign up for free in any country. We have students from over 250 academic institutions in eight different countries.

VELSHI: Great. Roderick Chambers, thanks very much for joining us about this.

CHAMBERS: Thank you.

VELSHI: Roderick Chambers is the co-founder of 9thperiod.com.

Hey, while we're talking about learning about things, the Dead Sea Scrolls are the oldest biblical records ever found, and they've stayed in small scholarly circles until now. Google is bringing them online and we're going "Off the Radar."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

VELSHI: Let's go "Off the Radar" with this.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: CNN.com has video, and you can get some more information on it, but I want to bring it to you and tell you exactly what this is all about. The Dead Sea Scrolls will soon be available online. Now, what do we care? Well, 30,000 pieces make up --

VELSHI: I care. As you may or may not know, my degree is in religion, so I care particularly.

MYERS: Nine hundred fragments broken down into 30,000 pieces, literally, are being scanned as we speak and will be online either later this fall, into the winter, or into the next season. Here are the guys that are scanning it.

They're not only scanning it with regular light, but the next picture, they use blue light. They use violet light. They use all kind of different colors to find pieces and traces of writing that you couldn't see with the naked eye.

And they are picking it up. And it will be online with Google, with the Dead Sea Scrolls available not just with the squiggles, but there will be translations. You'll be able to kind of look at all -- even the number -- and you can do better than this than I can. But the number of books that are on there are amazing.

Except for the "Book of Esther," it seems that every book from the ancient Hebrew bible is available. Is that right?

VELSHI: Yes.

MYERS: Tell me more. You know more than I do. Go ahead.

VELSHI: It's truly incredible. I think this is exactly one of these things that you would not have had access to if you weren't an academic and you couldn't travel. I mean, this is exactly the thing about the Internet and these projects that makes this kind of further education accessible to regular people.

I love it. I love every part of it.

MYERS: And why it's important is because now they're never going to have to take those scrolls out of their compression chamber.

VELSHI: That's right. They don't have to meddle with them. That's right.

MYERS: Never have to touch them again. They're going to be digitized. They're going to be done. They will be there for all antiquity.

VELSHI: Yes.

MYERS: Cool stuff.

VELSHI: Excellent, Chad. Thanks very much for that.

MYERS: You're welcome.

VELSHI: Chad Myers in our Severe Weather Center talking about the scrolls.

Ever since the January earthquake in Haiti, there has been fears about a cholera outbreak. Sadly, it's happening now.

Paula Newton is there, and we'll talk with her next in "Globe Trekking."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Time now for "Globe Trekking." We begin in Afghanistan where president Hamid Karzai is confirming reports his office has received cash from Iran. "The New York Times" reports that Iran has been provided millions of dollars and President Karzai's chief of staff received a bag stuffed with cash. Karzai today confirmed that Iran and other countries have provided cash to in his words "help the president's office and to disperse assistance." He says Iran has asked for good relations and lots other things in returns, but he insists there is nothing wrong with that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMID KARZAI, AFGHAN PRESIDENT: This is transparent, and this is something that I have also discussed with -- even when we were at Camp David with President Bush. This is nothing hidden. We are grateful for the Iranian help in this regard. The United States is doing the same thing. They're providing cash to some of our offices.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: Karzai says he's grateful to Iran for the help.

Next to Haiti, where the death toll from cholera is rising. Cholera is a bacterial infection of the intestine, spread through water and food contaminated with the bacteria, causes severe diarrhea and vomiting, and can lead to dehydration and death within hours.

Actor Sean Penn joins "AC 360" tonight to talk about his humanitarian efforts in Haiti. That's "Anderson 360" tonight, right here at 10:00 p.m. tonight here on CNN.

Let me bring you up to speed with some of the top stories we're following at CNN.

Two days after a member of the U.S. National Swimming Team died during an open water race, the winner of the event is slamming race organizers. Thomas Lures of Germany says conditions were too hot for racing and organizers should have done more to ensure swimmers 'safety in the event that was held in the United Arab Emirates. American Fran Crippen failed to finish the race and was found in the water two hours later.

Crippen's sister will be on CNN 3:00 p.m. Eastern to talk about the tragedy.

The CEO of NPR says she's sorry for the way analyst Juan Williams' dismissal was handled. She says she isn't sorry for firing him. Vivian Schiller says he deserved a to have a face-to-face meeting to hear what he was being terminated for, (INAUDIBLE) those remarks that he made about Muslims on the Fox News Channel.

A Florida girl who gained notoriety for a bad case of the hiccups in 2007 has now been arrested and charged with first-degree murder. 19-year-old Jennifer Mee received national attention for hiccups that went on for weeks and she earned the nickname "hiccup girl." Mee is accused with two others of fatally shooting a man during an armed robbery in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Men and women died fighting for the right to vote. And there are people who are on this planet without the right to vote. Your great- great grandmother didn't have the right to vote if she was here in America and probably wherever she was. Why you should vote coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: A little different today. Every day on this show, we do a segment called "Mission Possible" about people who are affecting change for others, maybe people that will inspire you to do something simple. This week we're doing something a little different. You are our "Mission Possible."

Here in the United States, we employ something called universal suffrage. Here's the definition. Universal suffrage is the extension of the right to vote to all adult citizens.

It's been a long, hard road to get universal suffrage here in the United States. Black men were allowed to vote for the first time in 1870 with three amendments to the Constitution. But there were some loopholes in those amendments. Some Southern states found ways around the law until the civil rights era and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Women weren't allowed to vote until 1920 with the 19th amendment to the Constitution, also known as women's suffrage. Men and women died trying to get the right to vote in this country. They have laid down their lives so American citizens can always be free to vote.

Let's talk about universal suffrage around the world. Let's start in New Zealand. They were the first major nation to grant the right to vote to men and women in 1893. Let's get - let's spin around the globe to South Africa. Women were granted the right to vote in 1930, but blacks in South Africa weren't allowed to vote until 1994 and the end of apartheid. Also, in Kuwait universal suffrage to men and women for the first time in 2005, but there's a catch. Men and women must vote in separate polling locations. You aren't allowed to go with your husband or wife to vote. In Hong Kong, they still don't have universal suffrage but it's supposed to come sometime next year.

So, we have universal suffrage here in the United States, but how do we rank among the world in voter turnout? Let's look at this bar graph. This is a voter turnout stat from a group called the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. We picked 16 countries to compare voter turnout for either Congress or parliament. These are basically midterm-like numbers. Look at Australia, the second one in. 95 percent turnout. Denmark also ranks very high, 86 percent. Thailand over on the right. We have to pull out to see that a second, at 78 percent.

Let's look at the three lowest countries in this group. Haiti, let's see where Haiti is, 28 percent. Afghanistan, 49 percent. And guess what, number three, the United States -- actually, it's lower than Afghanistan. The U.S., 47 percent.

Remember, these are just 16 countries pulled out, but we're not looking at that -- we're not looking that good. We're not even looking at 47 percent for midterm voter turnout.

And that's why this is important. What is at stake in these elections? We're talking about your money, the economy, jobs, housing and stock markets. That's part of this election. Taxes. We know there's this whole discussion about repealing or extending the Bush tax cuts and of course, health care. Some people want to keep it, some want to fix it, and some people want to scrap it.

People died for your right to cast your ballot. Your great-great grandmother living in the United States didn't have the right to vote. There are people in other countries who still can't vote. From the president to the school board, the power that people have to impact every part of your personal and professional life. Everyday, people in Congress are making decisions on your behalf.

So, whether you're a Republican or Democrat or independent or a Tea Party supporter or undecided, go vote. It's not by law an obligation in this country, but there are a lot of people who think it should be. To educate yourself on the races and be an informed voter, head to CNNpolitics.com.

All right. Why the Democrats say they are encouraged by trends in early voting. We'll give you headlines from the political ticker, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: OK. Time for "Globe Trekking."

One of the things we are tracking is the increase in cholera deaths in Haiti. The death toll is rising. This was a concern because of the access -- or the lack of access to clean water. So many people are still living in tent city.

Let me tell you a little bit about bacteria -- the causes and symptoms of cholera. It's a bacterial infection of the intestine, which is spread through infected water. Generally speaking fed through water that is consumed -- that has had contact with human waste. It gets contaminated with the bacteria and causes severe diarrhea. It causes vomiting and can lead to dehydration and death within hours.

Paula Newton is in Haiti for us right now. She's in or near St. Marc, Haiti. Paula, what have you got? PAULA NEWTON, CNNI INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via phone): We moved up river from where we were in St. Marc. It's a rural area where they believe the outbreak and the contamination has been.

And Ali, it's not a good scene here. You know, we're at a village that's still using the river water. I've seen a child up to basically his ears in the water. They use it not for drinking water. They know better than that, but the point is that but they are still immersed in it. They use it for so many activities.

And Ali, if they're really going to be able to get a handle on the cholera here, this are the kinds of things that need to stop. It doesn't matter how much public education out there, these people from the village just told me, this is our only water source. This is all we have. We're not able to stop using it.

And it's going to be a problem going forward. Even in this community, Ali, they had a woman who passed away yesterday. And yet they are still in the water, water that is likely contaminated with cholera.

VELSHI: Paula, what's likely to happen beyond this? Because this has not been seen in big numbers in the capital city, but they're saying there's no doubt that it will happen. The issue is how bad it will be.

NEWTON: The challenge here is for them to be able to contain it. They're doing the best they can, but clearly in the village I'm in, they're ignoring the health warnings. I think that here they're going to do what they can. The aid organizations are working in these rural areas, doing what they can to get clean water to these people and just trying to remind them that it's not a good idea to be in this water or to at least take precautions when in it.

Now having said that, when you get to Port-Au-Prince and you're talking about more than a million people in those tent cities, the situation is completely different.

If there's an outbreak there, it is essential that those get treated right away and are then isolated. That's what the international community continues to prepare for.

They have these isolation units already set up there. Telling people to continually wash their hands and look for the symptoms of cholera and that if they get it, to get treatment right away.

VELSHI: Right, if you can control it that helps in terms of being able to control by washing your hands. The problem is as you said people who get it from infected water. That is sometimes often beyond their control.

If everybody could drink clean water, they would probably -- if they could choose to, they would. Paula, thanks very much. We'll keep up to date with that. Paula Newton in Haiti.

Now just eight days left until election day. We want to get you updated on all the developing stories from the campaign trail.

Our friend Gloria Borger back now and part of the best political team on television. She's in Washington.

Gloria, the Democrats are playing up some of these early voting numbers, which until now have not looked great for them.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, Ali, though it's really all about spin at this time because early voting can be a sign. So you look at the number of registered Democrats and registered Republicans in each state and each district that have asked for early voting ballots.

But what does that mean? Does that mean the voters are more enthusiastic? Does it mean they understand now that early voting is available to them and they think it's more convenient? So we really don't know.

So the Democrats put out a memo saying this shows we're not seeing anything that resembles a Republican surge out there. So I went and called the Republicans and I spoke with the senior congressional campaign strategist who rattled off about half a dozen states and said our numbers show that, in fact, our voters are asking for ballots in larger numbers than the Democrats.

So, you know, Ali, you really don't know at this point. I think we're just going to have to wait to count those votes? What do you think?

VELSHI: No kidding.

BORGER: How about -- go ahead.

VELSHI: What's going on in Rhode Island?

BORGER: This is really interesting. You know, how about this for respect. So you have the president of the United States coming into the state of Rhode Island, decides he's going to do a fund-raiser for democrats, a general fund-raiser, but skips endorsing the Democratic candidate for governor named Frank Caprio.

Now, what's that about? Well, seems as if the president remains very, very loyal to Lincoln Chafee. You may recall he was a Republican senator and he endorsed Barack Obama for president in 2008. So Obama has said, you know what, I think I'm going to stay out of this one.

Now, my friend and your friend Jessica Yellin has made some phone calls on this. And a senior Democrat said to her -- and I quote - "what they, meaning the White House, forget is that President Obama is the leader of the party and sometimes that means supporting your party over your friends."

So this is pretty controversial there to go into a state and Frank Caprio went on the radio and said "the president can take his endorsement and really shove it." Ouch. VELSHI: Ouch! Let's talk about California for a second. More money has gone into that state.

BORGER: Late money.

VELSHI: Toward various campaigns, but there's money now going into the senate campaign specifically.

BORGER: Yes, there is. You know, it has tightened up a little bit, but still Barbara Boxer is beating the Republican challenger, Carly Fiorina, by 50-42.

The Republicans have decided to put $3 million more in that race for Carly Fiorina. Obviously, they think that they can tap into something out there to get their voters out and beat Barbara Boxer.

If they were to do that, Ali, that would be a huge, huge upset for the Republicans.

VELSHI: Gloria, good to see you again. Thanks so much. Gloria Borger, senior political analyst. We will continue to bring you updates on any political developments as you watch CNN.

Ready or not, the holiday travel season just about here. If you're flying, you probably won't catch a break on buying a cheap fare.

I just made a Thanksgiving booking and boy, it was a lot more expensive that I was expecting it to be there. Just aren't that many extra seats to be had. We'll break it down for you on taking the lead when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Today, I'm taking the lead. If you watch this show with any regularity, you know I fly all the time whether I like it or not and this is the time of year when many of you are more likely to fly as well.

The news for you and me is not fantastic. Airfares are higher than they were last year. In fairness, airfares have been pretty low the last few years.

Cnnmoney.com's Poppy Harlow is here with me in New York today. Poppy, fantastic to see you.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Good to be here.

VELSHI: You like me travel to other places often on weekends or holidays. How much more are we likely to pay this year?

HARLOW: A lot more, 18 percent that's what our friend at compare fare.com says. I mean, bottom line if you're trying to buy holiday tickets, the prices are not going down. A few reasons here, the airlines have cut capacity. You'll probably notice they're using smaller commuter jets on longer flights. I've certainly noticed that back home to Minnesota.

Also more people are flying this year. That's because they may have put off their vacation, their travel last year. They're all kicking back in and flying this year.

Bottom line, take a listen to Rick. Here's what he says you have to do if you want to travel for the holidays.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SEANEY, CEO, FARECOMPARE.COM: You just can't procrastinate. Every day you wait right now for Thanksgiving, for example, just add $5 to your virtual ticket price. You need to be buying no later than early November for Christmas. The bottom line there's no incentive to discount and procrastination is going to be your worst enemy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: All right, procrastination were said -- my friend here, Ali Velshi, procrastinated a little bit on buying his ticket. The airlines are doing well. They had great profits last week. They're charging for banks, but the tickets are expensive.

VELSHI: This is what they have to do. A lot of people have said they'd rather see airfares up than being nickel-and-dimed with a million of fees.

HARLOW: It's true, but so in terms of what he said for tips on how to get the best fares. He talked about flying on less popular days.

So I did a little trick this morning or tried to and so what is it going to cost me to fly home to Minneapolis for Thanksgiving.

When I looked, on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, returning Sunday, take a look at what it cost, almost $600, $589 and then if I were just to leave Thanksgiving morning and come back Monday, $200 difference.

That's really actually my search this morning, a $200 difference. That's what you want to do. What's interesting -- I know Rick told you this too.

If you want to search for airfares, the day you do it matters. Airlines basically post their sales on Monday, today. If you look between Tuesday and Thursday, that's when you're going to find the best fares. I'll try, but as of now I'm staying put. That's crazy $600.

VELSHI: I know what you're saying. All right, Poppy, it is necessary though because you can make a lot of differences. There are tools out there on the internet which allow you to make certain decisions. I can go on Thursday morning if you're not traveling so far and you could still make it for Thanksgiving dinner.

HARLOW: I don't know what to cook.

VELSHI: I didn't know what to cook, that's great part about showing up anywhere. I just got here. Poppy, great to see you. You catch all of Poppy's stuff on cnnmoney.com. It's a treasure trove of information. So make sure you go there. You'll actually end up making a little bit of money.

All right, if you think the political ads have been overly negative so far, wait until you see what is coming in the final week. My "XYZ" coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: It is time now for the "XYZ." The midterm elections are just over a week away, which means we are headed into the dirtiest most negative advertising cycle of the campaign.

According to the group Campaign Media Analysis, almost half of all TV and other media campaign ads out there this election season are negative. One group out there is front and center.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a tax exempt advocate for American businesses that's come out strongly against President Obama's economic reform push and by the way, many other things this administration is trying to do.

The chamber touts itself as the world's largest business federation fighting for free enterprise in Congress. While the chamber can boast that more than 96 percent of its members are small businesses from across the country, it stands accused of channeling huge sums of corporate money from the other 4 percent of its members into negative ads campaigns somewhat anonymously.

That's because it's very hard to know who's funding these ad blitzes. The donors are never publicly disclosed and the chamber goes out of its way to keep them secret. But some donations can be pieced together through tax filings and other public records.

For example, "The New York Times" says Prudential Financial donated $2 million to the chamber's ad campaigns to try to weaken financial reform, $8 million came from a group consisting of Goldman Sachs, Chevron Oil and Dutch multinational insurer, Aegon to wage a national campaign to put limits on suing big businesses.

No doubt similar money is going into individual races by way of expensive issue ads this election season. President Obama has accused the chamber of using foreign money to funds ad campaigns and individual races.

The chamber denies that, but some say that's beside the point because of the earlier Citizens United Supreme Court decision big corporations have almost no real limits on how much they can spend to influence political issues.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce knows this and is soliciting big business in a big way to fund its views. What it's doing is legal. Just another reminder that what's legal and what's ethical aren't always one and the same. That's my "XYZ."

Brooke Baldwin now as NEWSROOM continues.