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Army Warrior of the Year; President Obama Won't Endorse Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate in Rhode Island; Olympic Dreams, Tragic Death; Pres. Obama Remarks in Rhode Island; Gitmo Detainee Pleads Guilty; "Don't Worry, I'll Be Fine"

Aired October 25, 2010 - 16:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: We will get another political update for you on in 30 minutes, and you can always get the latest political news, hop on the internet, go to CNNPolitics.com or they're on Twitter go to @PoliticalTicker.

And now, I want to welcome the men and the women watching us on American forces network all around the world right now. We're going to hit you fast this hour. So, let's get started.

First year, a bomb squad in Rhode Island destroying a suspicious package found near where the president is scheduled to speak this hour. We're told the card board box was sitting somewhere under a mailbox. Police say there is no evidence that anything hazardous was inside, but keep in mind, this is the state where gubernatorial candidate is saying the president can quote "shove it."

Reporting (ph) to shoving it his endorsement. We're going to see if President Obama responds to that particular statement when he addresses a couple of minutes from now. We will bring that to you live.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN (voice-over): Next, misery spreads in Haiti. Cholera killing more than 250 people north of Port-au-Prince. More than 3,000 people now reported sick, but fewer new cases are being reported. It's hoped the bacteria can be kept away from the Haitian capital in these tent cities set up after January's massive earthquake. Keep it out there. By the way, after Sean Penn will be on "AC 360" tonight to talk about his humanitarian efforts to help treat the cholera outbreak in Haiti. "|AC-360" tonight, 10:00 eastern.

Next, a Gitmo detainee switches his plea to guilty. Omar Khadr admits he threw a grenade that killed a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan in 2002. He was born in Canada and is the only westerner still being held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. He is the first military commissioned trial there during the Obama administration sentencing expected to start tomorrow.

Next, the Chandra Levy murder trial started now officially today nine years after that Washington intern disappeared. And an opening statement, the prosecutor said she will use the testimony of two women -- both of whom were attacked by defendant, Ingmar Guandique in the D.C. Park where Levy's remains were found. Guandique's lawyer is accusing the prosecutor of using her fine as quote an easy "scapegoat."

The prosecutor says former congressman, Gary Condit, will also testify. His alleged relationship with Levy was revealed after she disappeared. The revelation contributed to Condit's political downfall.

Next, a body border's mother said she tried to talk her son out of going into the water the same day he was killed in the shark attack up in California. Remember, we brought you that story Friday. Well, she tells a newspaper that Lucas Ransom said, quote, "don't worry, I'll be fine. I will catch you when I finish up." That call never came. A shark attacked Ransom about 100 yards from that California shoreline, Santa Barbara County. Three beaches there were closed after that attack, but all of them reopened today. Next?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there anything you want to tell folks?

Can you imagine all those hiccups? This is what we called the hiccup girl. She is the Florida teenager famous for having the hiccups for months and months. This was back in 2007. Well, today, she has been charged with first degree murder. She is 19-year-old Jennifer Mee. Two men and Mee are accused of shooting and killing a 22-year-old man.

(INAUDIBLE) went down Saturday night in St. Petersburg, Florida. Police say Mee lured the victim to a home or he was robbed the gunpoint and shot multiple times. The victim, get this, met Mee on a social networking site.

CHIEF CHUCK HARMON, ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA POLICE: A social introvert. He was on the computer quite a bit, and he befriended Ms. Mee at this point. This is how the conversation began.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know if she befriended him for the purposes of the robbery or --

HARMON: From what we can tell, initially, he actually friended her on a website.

BALDWIN: The net take for the robbery, $50 or $60. But according to police, Mee appeared in court today. A judge denied her bailed for her and her alleged accomplices.

Next, two Georgetown University students and a friend are now under arrest after a suspected drug lab was found inside of a dorm room. The police discovered the lab over this past weekend, and about 400 students had to be evacuated from the dormitory. The lab allegedly was used to make the hallucinogenic drug, DMT. The three suspects were charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN (on-camera): Next, just in here to the CNN NEWSROOM, a major announcement from Ford. A car company said it will add 1,200 jobs in Detroit, all of this whole multimillion dollar initiative here. Poppy Harlow from CNNMoney.com all over this developing story. Poppy, I love the day when I get to say jobs and adding in the same sentence. What do you know?

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: And Detroit to that one. I mean talk about a city that needs these jobs. This is a big announcement. Ford coming out just within the hour, making a major announcement at one of its plants in Michigan saying they will invest $850 million in just the next couple of years between now and 2013. They're going to invest this in creating fuel-efficient cars, but the big focus of this report why we care so much is all about adding jobs.

1200 jobs, Brooke, added in Michigan alone. That's what we're going to see in just the next three years. The reason Ford's able to do this, big tax breaks, of course, from the government of Michigan. The governor, Governor Granholm there at the plant for the announcement saying, look, we want to keep Michigan the auto manufacturing center of this country.

That's why we're working with Ford to do this. I should say that we are still talking about industry reeling from job losses as compared to ten years ago, Brooke. We only have about 40 percent of the auto manufacturing jobs in this country that we used to have, Brooke.

BALDWIN: 1200 jobs, Poppy. I know you've been to Detroit a lot. So, you know how tough that economy has been struggling. Put this in a bigger picture for me. What do this new job means for the economy?

HARLOW: When you talk about Detroit as of the latest unemployment numbers, they had over 25 percent unemployment. That's unbelievable. The state of Michigan, they have over 13 percent unemployment. And when you look at the manufacturing jobs that have lost, the experts say about 20,000 manufacturing jobs in just the auto industry that have been lost in Michigan since 2007, so from really the beginning of the crisis until now.

So, this is going to add a significant amount of those jobs back in Michigan. And one thing I want to point out here, this will also likely mean a pickup in terms of jobs for the supplier base. Remember, we were talking about the auto industry, if they were not bailed out or not, what that would do to all of the other jobs, supplier based

So, Ford adding these 1200 jobs is very, very good news for the supplier base to all of the major automakers and Ford CEO, Alan Mulally, will be on CNN NEWSROOM tomorrow, Brooke, with Ali Velshi to talk all about that and why they're making this major, major investment and still a questionable time when it comes to our recovery, but very, very good news for the people of Michigan, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Definitely great news. Poppy, thanks for hustling and turning that around for us. Thank you.

HARLOW: You got it.

BALDWIN: Now, I want you to listen to this. Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he gets bags of cash from who? From Iran. Oh, and by the way, he says that's normal. So, how does he spend that money? That is ahead.

And the gubernatorial race in Florida being called one of the most hotly contested races in the whole country. Tonight, those candidates will be squaring off. And our John King will be moderated, asking, of course, the tough questions that John King will in Tampa. There he is. He will join me live. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Eight days until Election Day, and tonight, the race for Florida governor comes to CNN. You have Democrat, Alex Sink, will be debating Republican, Rick Scott you can tonight, 7:00 eastern. You can watch it right here live on CNN in the special edition of "John King USA." And of course, how fitting, John joining me. Tonight's moderator, CNN chief national correspondent, John King.

And John, I'm sure you've seen these numbers. You know them by heart by now. First, let's just show our viewers the latest CNN/Time Opinion Research Poll among likely voters. The race is within the sampling error. So, you see Scott polling 49 percent, Sink at 46 percent. So, John, I know, the race is neck and neck.

I know that, you know, the gloves are very much so off here in this race. It's huge when it comes to presidential politics, but all of that aside, when you look at the Republicans, Scott, why isn't he leading more in a state like Florida?

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: An interesting question, Brooke, given that this is a Republican year. And if you look coast- to-coast, Republicans tend to have the edges in a lot of these more competitive races just because it's a pro-Republican dynamic. But remember, Rick Scott was a former healthcare executive. He's never held public office before. He's never even run for public office before.

So, he's unknown, and that's one of the reasons why you might say why is he not polling better in the polls. If you look deeper in the polling, people certainly have some questions about him. This is also a very competitive state even as Barack Obama ran up that big victory nationally in 2008. He did win the state of Florida but only with 51 percent of the vote.

So, this has become, of course, the population, the demographics of Florida have changed. It's become a pretty good swing state, a 50-50 state back and forth. That's what we have in the governor's race. And Mr. Scott, obviously, is still introducing himself, and sadly, I would say, this campaign for governor has been more about attack ads and not about conversations of what they'll do on the issues. So, we'll see if we can move that ball a little bit tonight.

BALDWIN: Let's talk, John, about, you mentioned demographics, specifically, gender. We have Alex Sink who's the female Democrat. She's running against the Republican who's a man, and shouldn't her numbers, one would perhaps -- assumer, her numbers will be higher among women? KING: It's a great point. In our most recent poll among likely voters, it was Alex Sink 49 percent, Rick Scott 44 percent among women who are likely to vote in the election. Now, most Democrats to win have a bigger gender gap, if you will. Republicans tend its almost universal. Republicans do better among men. Democrats, especially if they are to win, need to do better among women.

Five points is probably not enough for her to win come election day. Again, this is a complicated state. You have a lot of Republican women voters here who are inclined to vote for the Republican, but that is an interesting question right there. Alex Sink is the chief financial officer of the state, so she has been on the statewide stage. But in many ways, that's not a very high profile position either.

So, she has, in many ways, some of the same issues as Mr. Scott, reintroducing herself to a statewide electorate in a different context for somebody who would be the chief executive in the governor. And frankly, she probably needs to pick those numbers up a bit if in eight days this one will be hers.

BALDWIN: Eight days, indeed. And one other trend we've noticed is, you know, a lot of these Republican candidates, you know, they take their Democrat opponent and they try to tie them with either Pelosi or Obama. In case of point in Florida, you have Scott trying to tie Sink with Obama in terms of Floridian voters. Has that worked?

KING: It has worked to a degree right now. The president did carry this state in 2008, but like in so many places across the country, the president's agenda and his approval ratings are upside down, if you will. More Floridians disapprove of the president than approve of the president's performance right now. And sometimes, Rick Scott doesn't even mention Alex Sink by name.

He just calls her an Obama liberal. He said it's time for the country to stand up to Obama, Reid, and Pelosi. Remember, he's running for governor, not for any job in Washington, D.C., but he's trying to tap in to the national political dynamic. It's smart on the one hand.

And Alex Sink will say from time to time, this is an election about Florida. Let's talk about Florida issues. And so, we'll look for that in the debate tonight. He has been a fierce opponent, Brooke. Before he ran for governor, he spent millions of dollars on his own money on ads opposing the Obama health care plan. So, he has been a fierce critic of this president for some time, and he's carried that over from the health care fight into his race for governor.

BALDWIN: Well, our colleague, Candy Crowley did an excellent job yesterday morning with the Florida Senate debate. We wish you luck tonight with the gubernatorial candidates. John King for us in Tampa. John, thank you.

KING: Candy set the bar way up here.

BALDWIN: She does.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. We love you, Canada.

BALDWIN (voice-over): Actor, Randy Quaid and his wife say they are seeking asylum in Canada because of their fear of, and I'm quoting here, "Hollywood star whackers." Have you heard about the story today? Apparently, they were afraid Hollywood is murdering movie stars for ad sales. The story is bizarre, taking all kinds of turns and a lot of you are talking about it. So, it is trending today. That is ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN (on-camera): Also, why is Iran giving bags of cash to Afghanistan? You're going to hear afghan president, Hamid Karzai, admit to it publicly in a room full of reporters. But what is the money being used for? That is the question we have. We're going to get a report from Afghanistan next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: This almost sounds like international spy stuff. Listen to this. Bags stuff with cash handed over in secret money from the government of Iran directly into the hands of the people close to the president of Afghanistan. Cash money that winds up in the pockets of lawmakers and even the commanders of Taliban troops fighting against coalition forces right now.

But here's the bizarre part. No one is denying it. The president of Afghanistan coming out saying, yes, absolutely. This is how I do business with cash money and lots of it. In fact, he says Iran is not the only country feeding his need for money. Let's get to Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, who is breaking it all down for us.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, how often do you hear a head of government publicly say, especially in front of a roomful of reporters, that he's taking bags of money from foreign government? Well, that's exactly what happened in Kabul at a press conference when Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, told reporters, yes, he was confirming a story that first appeared in "The New York Times" that his chief of staff had taken bags of money from Iran.

The president then went on to say that the United States has done the same thing, giving bags of money to help pay expenses, to pay people, to pay outsiders. He wasn't all that clear about what the money is really going for. Have a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. HAMID KARZAI, AFGAHANISTAN: The cash payments are done by various friendly countries to help the presidential office and to help dispense assistance to -- in various ways to the employees around here, to people outside. And this is transparent. And this is something that I have also discussed 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)

STARR: So, Karzai confirming publicly that in his view, the U.S. is continuing the practice of giving him bags of money. And as far as the Iranian money -- well, Iran and Afghanistan are very close partners and neighbors in this part of the world, but the question certainly is going to arise. What does Iran want in return for handing those bags of money over to the Afghan government? -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Barbara Starr for us from Kabul, Afghanistan. By the way, the U.S. state department's official position is this -- that Afghanistan absolutely has the right to receive money from Iran. Here's where they're skeptical. They're questioning Iran's motives here.

All right. Take a look at these little icky, creepy, crawly things. These are bed bugs. And you probably heard there's an infestation of them in New York City, but I bet you haven't heard they're affecting the sex lives of New Yorkers. Yes. I'm not making this stuff up. You definitely want to see this report. That is ahead.

Also ahead, actor, Randy Quaid and his wife are on the run from a Hollywood star whackers, their words, not mine. If you haven't heard the story, we're going to break it down for you. Your dose of "Trending" is next with Brooke Anderson.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: There's the news, and then there's what's trending around the news. You know, popping up on blog, social media sites like Twitter, and today, we're talking pro athletes and Hollywood troublemakers, and that's what's "Trending" today. Brooke Anderson is all over it. She's the host of HLN, "Showbiz Tonight," and is joining me in Los Angeles.

Brooke and Brooke, I love it. Brooke, let's get to the Quaid here and then help me wrap my head around this one because I know he and his wife are seeking asylum. They're not showing up in court. They're in Canada because they're running away from the Hollywood star whackers.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I'm going to try to explain, Brooke, but it is hard to wrap your head around this story. It's the continuing and ever curious case of the Quaids. I am talking about Randy Quaid, the actor and his wife, Evi. Remember, they found themselves in trouble the most recent time for allegedly living in a house, squatting in a house they no longer own. The charge was felony vandalism. Can we their shots (ph), please.

BALDWIN: There we go.

ANDERSON: I want to show you Randy and Evi Quaid when they were arrested in Santa Barbara, California last month. There they are. Well, they were supposed to see a judge on those charges last week. They didn't show up. They skipped it. So, where did they go? They left the country. Randy and Evi Quaid are in Canada today, modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. But if you can believe it, it gets even more bizarre.

They were arrested in Vancouver after police learned of their outstanding warrants. And now, the Quaids are hoping that Canada will grant them asylum, like you said, Brooke, saying that they believe their lives are in danger in the United States. You've got to see this. It's randy and Evi Quaid arriving at a courthouse in Vancouver a couple of days ago. Listen to what they shout at reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. We love you, Canada.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You really want to be a refugee?

ANDERSON (voice-over): Did we hear it or did my ear piece fall off?

BALDWIN (voice-over): I was wondering the same thing. We just heard we love you, Canada. We love you, Canada, and it dropped out. So, what did they say?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (on-camera): OK. Well, basically, they said that Hollywood is murdering its movie stars for ad sales. And that they feel threatened by people that they called star whackers. So, it's pretty perplexing, right? Why don't we listen now to their lawyer, because he'll make everything clear, right?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN TSUJI, RANDY & EVI QUAID'S ATTORNEY: It's for the world press. Thank you for coming. And it's yes, we are requesting asylum from Hollywood star whackers, Evi and Randy Quaid. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hollywood star whackers? What does that mean?

TSUJI: I'm just reading what's written here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: A little shell shocked here. Yes. He didn't even know how to respond, Brooke. He just wanted to read what the Quaids had just scrawled on a piece of composition paper. So, what happens next, you may ask? Good question. The pair is due again in a courtroom in Santa Barbara tomorrow. Brooke, I'm thinking there are going to be a no-show again.

BALDWIN (on-camera): They're hanging out in Canada away from the Hollywood whackers? ANDERSON: Yes. Just hanging out in Canada. And you would think that maybe drugs would be the reason for their behavior, but there's really no indication that that's the case. They're just talking about this mysterious group called star whackers and only Randy and Evi Quaid have any knowledge of them.

BALDWIN: OK. Fascinating stuff there, Brooke. Thank you. We'll just leave that one there.

ANDERSON: Mm-hmm.

BALDWIN: Let's talk about Brett Favre and not his loss to the Packers last night. I'm talking about this whole thing about this young woman who, you know, the allegations that he had sent, voice mails and some pictures. So, now, he is coming forward and admitting to --

ANDERSON: Not the pictures.

BALDWIN: Not the pictures.

ANDERSON: And you're right. We're not talking about the Vikings' loss. We're not talking about the interceptions of Brett Favre through.

BALDWIN: Right.

ANDERSON: We're talking about the big scandal because it's not fading for Minnesota Vikings quarterback, Brett Favre. The new thing is this. Favre now reportedly acknowledges that he did indeed send some voice mail messages to a female sideline reporter for the Jets two years ago. But if you're paying attention to this whole scandal, Favre allegedly sent some intimate cell phone photos to Jenn Sterger as well.

No, I'm not even going to call them intimate. They were lewd. They were just gross. Favre denies sending any photographs, though. But here's a reminder of one of the voicemails. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Jenn, it's not setup. Just got done with practice. Got meetings here for a couple more hours, then I'm going back to the hotel and just chill. So, send me a text because I'll be in the building, well, for about a couple of hours. Love to have you come over tonight."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: OK. Again, Brett Favre who is a father, who is a grandfather, reportedly does say he sent that and other voice mails, but nothing else. And this word today, Jenn Sterger now with legal representation. There've been reports that she's trying to negotiate a financial settlement with Favre, but a rep tells CNN there has been no communication between them and Favre's team.

By the way, Favre's group of representatives, rather, by the way, the NFL tells CNN they are not commenting on details of the review. Very ugly situation, Brooke.

BALDWIN: It is ugly. So, Sterger's (INAUDIBLE). I just feel for the Mrs., Mrs. Favre.

ANDERSON: She's relying on faith.

BALDWIN: Right. We saw her last week. Brooke Anderson, great to see you come back.

ANDERSON: Thank you.

BALDWIN: A woman just made history by becoming the nation's best warrior? She will be joining me live. That is ahead.

Also ahead, Jessica Yellin is standing by with brand new information just in from the world of politics. The CNN Political Ticker is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Eight days to go here until election day. And CNN has all the latest political news with the Best Political Team on Television. CNN Equals Politics. And Jessica Yellin, she is out and about in New Mexico, where she's covering a very tight governor's race there. Two women.

But first, Jessica, talk about the criticism here from a top Democrat directed at the White House.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brooke. President Obama just touched down in Rhode Island. One person that did not greet him when he got to the airport? The man running to be that state's next Democratic governor, Frank Caprio.

That's because President Obama and the White House made it clear, they would not be endorsing Caprio even though he's a Democrat. Now, the White House doesn't say why. But we do know that Caprio's opponent, the Republican-turned-independent Lincoln Chafee, he endorsed President Obama in 2008 when he was running for office.

Well, here's the news. I spoke to a senior Democrat who said this move by the White House was sloppy and unprofessional. He said in a year -- this person says in a year in which there's such a tough environment for Democrats, the president should be putting party loyalty above personal loyalty. That's a tough one.

OK. Another sign this really is a tough environment for Democrats. National Republicans are vowing to pour $3 million more in to the race against California's Democratic Senate candidate Barbara Boxer. That's $3 million in the last week. If true, that would bring the total spending there for her up to $8 million in the race against Barbara Boxer.

Here's why that matters, Brooke, because that should be a safe seat for Democrats. A highly Democratic state. Barbara Boxer has been in that office for 18 years. And national Republicans told me if they can take out Barbara Boxer, that would be a wave election, and Republicans would take over control of the Senate. That's what they want. So, you can see why they're investing so heavily in that one.

And then finally, you know, you mentioned that I'm here in New Mexico because there's a tight governor's race between two women, two very aggressive women. A tough, nasty race. There's another exciting race in Florida. The governor's race there pits the state's comptrolling officer, Alex Sink against Rick Scott, who is a self- financing health care executive. They have had a really nasty back and forth. And they will be debating tonight live on CNN. Our own John King is moderating that debate.

I think it's fair to make a little plug for our own folks on the ticker here. So, that event is at 7:00 p.m. I'll be watching; hope you will too, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Absolutely. John said earlier, Candy set the bar very high yesterday morning with that Florida Senate race. But we'll all be watching John, 7:00 Eastern.

Jessica, excellent job to you as well. Thank you. By the way, we'll get another political ticker update for you next hour. You can always hop online. Get the latest political ticker news. That's CNNpolitics.com or twitter@politicalticker.

You knew it was coming. I know these guys are just hard to look at. They make you creepy crawly. Bed bugs are disrupting offices, buildings, movies, hotels. But now the critters are apparently disrupting some sex lives.

Really? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Bed bugs, they're everywhere. Even behind me. We'll keep them in the video. Police, homes, offices, hotels, movie theaters. But now, apparently, if you are single, you may be seeing bed bugs on dating Web sites.

Here's Richard Roth.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Stacie Handwerker is always on the lookout for a good man.

STACIE HANDWERKER, REAL ESTATE ATTORNEY; Cheers.

ROTH: But for Stacie and millions of other singles in New York looking for love, there's a new fear to add to romance anxieties.

HANDWERKER: I was dating a guy, and he asked me -- he said, "Do you have bud bugs in your apartment? Because if you do, you won't be seeing me. I love you, but I'd miss you."

ROTH: Love now means never having to itch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know somebody that broke up. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because they were scared to death of bugs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And they broke up because --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She wouldn't date him because he had bed bugs, and she freaked out and was like, "I'm out."

DONNA BARNES, LIFE & DATING COACH: Bed bugs are definitely a very creepy aspect to dating at this point.

ROTH: Relationship coach Donna Barnes saw one client who admitted having bed bugs.

BARNES: And she was horrified. I think if that's the case, then you're better off to not date for a little while and to clean out the problem before you then go out.

TIMOTHY WONG, M&M ENVIRONMENTAL: I have here some samples of bud bugs, dead bed bugs.

ROTH: Tim Wong is the exterminator. His company is getting more calls.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know it's a shock when you first hear you have bed bugs, but you know that half the city does. So you're not alone.

ROTH: Call with a boy versus girl blame game.

(on camera): You exterminated the relationship?

WONG: I did not exterminate that relationship. I got rid of the bed bugs, but I wasn't able to salvage that relationship.

ROTH: So I guess bed bugs are now giving a new meaning when a woman might say to a man, "You're really starting to bug me."

(voice-over): For some, the prospect of bed bugs is even scarier than a sexually transmitted disease.

HANDWERKER: Well, a condom can't protect you from bed bugs. That, I think, is for sure.

ROTH: With couples of all kinds in bed at night, it's the female bed bug who seems to have the most fun.

ISABELLA ROSSELLINI, ACTRESS: Chase me. Mate with me. Seduce me.

ROTH: Actress Isabella Rossellini captured "Bed Bug Sex" in her Sundance Channel film series.

WONG: And they go on with this whole cycle up to about 100 to 150 eggs before they need to mate again. So it's actually not fun being male bedbugs because they don't get to mate for at least another six months. ROTH (on camera): Does the female at least get to have a cigarette afterward?

(voice-over): It's love and fear at first bite, warns another bug company. Who is worried more, though, when you get under the sheets?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Men and women are different because a woman would care if a guy had bed bugs. But, a man, if he met a hot girl, probably wouldn't care if she had bed bugs.

ROTH: Confirmed further down the bar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come back to my bed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. Let's toast to bed bugs. Bed bugs.

ROTH: Richard Roth, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: I mean, as if dating in New York isn't tough enough, you got to deal with bed bugs now. Sheesh, all right.

All right. Take a look at this tweet. Let's switch gears.

We have this great tweet. A great gag we're going to have for you. The U.S. Army on the go is tweeting, today is the day, tweeting from "where we will find out the NCO -- soldier of the year. The warrior of the year. Hooah!"

You know what's significant about that? For the first time ever in the nine years they've had this, they call it the super bowl of Army competition. The Warrior of the Year. Here she is. She is a female. We're going to get to talk to her. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: This particular hour of our CNN NEWSROOM is actually broadcast live all around the world to our Armed Forces Network. We're so, so proud to share with them and with our own viewers here in the States.

For the first time in the history of the U.S. Army Warrior Competition, the winner is a woman. Sergeant Sherri Gallagher just received her award in Washington. She's good enough to join me now.

And Sherri, huge congratulations to you. Let me just first ask you, were you surprised or was this in the bag?

SGT. SHERRI GALLAGHER, 2010 U.S. ARMY WARRIOR WINNER: It -- there was a lot of preparation that was put in to this, and it's just a huge honor to be able to be named as the best Warrior for the soldiers, 2010 --

BALDWIN: Now, Sherri, of course -- what an honor indeed. I want you to just walk me through all the different things you had to do as part of this competition. Because this is not just physical fortitude, this is strength of mind as well. As we look at these pictures, tell me what you had to do.

GALLAGHER: The competition was absolutely amazing. The amount of preparation that they put into it was outstanding. It started off with the military board with Sergeant Major Preston as the president of the board. From there, we did a P.T. test along with essay and exam. And then after that, we went to straight into soldier skills and all of the warrior tasks that all soldiers should be competent in. And that included first aid, land navigation, convoying, clearing rooms, pretty much any soldier skill. Any basic-level soldier skill coming into the Army.

BALDWIN: Let me just stop you there because I don't speak military necessarily. I know you do. So when you say P.T., I know that's physical training. But essay - I mean, if you could just speak a little more specifically about what you had to do. I'm looking at soldiers climbing on top of one another, perhaps as some sort of an obstacle course, I don't know.

Talk to me specifically about some of these courses that you had to endure.

GALLAGHER: Some of the events -- one of my favorites was room clearing. They gave you a team of people to go clear rooms, but in the process they gave you a whole village.

They gave you a target that you had to search for. And you go through, you clear all the rooms, you detain the people that you need to detain, you find your target, and you have to march them back into the home area. And you were graded on step of the way.

And also, in the process, the team that you were given, they were not experienced in room clearing. So you had 10 minutes to prepare them for the event that was about to take place.

BALDWIN: What was the toughest part for you? What point did you say, I don't know if I can do this?

GALLAGHER: You know, the toughest part for me was the training. The amount of support that my team gave me and that my sponsor gave me prepared me for this competition.

And so we trained really hard and prepared for the last two months for this. So the competition itself was awesome. I was able to enjoy the whole thing because I felt fully prepared for it.

BALDWIN: Sherri, why did you join the military?

GALLAGHER: I feel that everybody should serve their country, whether it be for three years or until they retire. It teaches you so much great things about your country, about yourself. It gives you motivation to be an American. And I feel that everybody should do it.

BALDWIN: Absolutely. Such pride. And for your family members who are out there watching you, possibly even your colleagues worldwide, what message do you have for them?

GALLAGHER: It's just an amazing honor to be out here. And I'm very proud to be here. And just keep supporting your country, support all the soldiers that are overseas. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers, and just keep on doing what we do.

BALDWIN: Absolutely. Yes, ma'am. Sergeant Gallagher, we thank you for your service and your big win.

GALLAGHER: Thank you very much.

BALDWIN: Still to come here, Wolf Blitzer next with a look at what's ahead in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

But first, take a look at what's on CNN prime time tonight.

First, 7:00 Eastern, John King hosts the next Florida gubernatorial debate between candidates Democrat Alex Sink and Republican Rick Scott.

Then a little later, 9:00 Eastern, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange talks to Larry King about his controversial Web site and why he's releasing all those sensitive military documents to the world.

And at 10:00 Eastern, actor and activist Sean Penn talks about this whole cholera outbreak in quake-ravaged Haiti and the many, many other problems facing the Haitian people.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Eight days to go until Election Day, and the president is in Rhode Island now campaigning. However, he will not be getting the red carpet treatment from the Democratic nominee for governor, Frank Caprio, and it all seems to center around an endorsement that the Independent candidate, Lincoln Chafee, extended to Obama back in 2008.

Wolf Blitzer joins me from "THE SITUATION ROOM."

And Wolf, we know this has to do with the whole comment about "You can take that endorsement and shove it." Wow. And now we have the Chafee spokesman calling a lack of an endorsement here "a big victory."

What do you make of this?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, there's no doubt that there's a certain loyalty, there's a certain gratitude among a lot of Democrats, including many close to President Obama and Lincoln Chafee for endorsing him back in 2008. He was then the senator from Rhode Island.

Now he's running as an Independent. He's running against Fran, Caprio, who is the Democrat. Caprio, he was blunt in that radio interview.

BALDWIN: Yes. BLITZER: I think you probably played that sound bite earlier when he said the president could take his endorsement and shove it. You know, you don't often hear that from a fellow Democrat, but in this current environment you've been hearing strange things from Democrats against the president.

One Democratic congressman, Gene Taylor, from Mississippi, he said, "I didn't vote for Obama. I voted for McCain in 2008."

How often do you hear a Democratic congressman saying that in a tough re-election battle, trying to distance himself or herself from the president who happens to be in the same party? So it's a strange situation right now.

We've got eight days to go. And we'll see what happens on November 2nd.

BALDWIN: And you know, endorsements are tricky things. We see President Clinton out and about on the trail for some Democrats really with no chance to win because he feels like he owes them from supporting him as president.

BLITZER: Yes. I think that we've seen more of that from Bill Clinton, who's been going out and campaigning for some Democrats who really don't have much of a chance right now because of his loyalty. Those Democrats supported Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential contest, and there's a certain loyalty.

Right now the president is too powerful, too important just to go out and support someone and try to rally someone who really doesn't have much of a chance. The president is spending most of his time in those states where he still is popular, where his favorable numbers are pretty good, and the states that he will desperately need in 2012 if he's going to be re-elected, states like Florida, Pennsylvania, --

BALDWIN: Ohio.

BLITZER: -- California, to be sure. So these are the states the president is going to need, and Ohio, for example, where he's spending a great deal of time.

BALDWIN: Finally, Wolf, what do you have coming up on "THE SITUATION ROOM"?

BLITZER: We've got a lot of politics. With eight days to go, we're going to digest all of this in "THE SITUATION ROOM" coming up over the next two hours.

And in the 6:00 p.m. Eastern hour, I think I mentioned it earlier, Brooke. John Heilemann of "New York Magazine," he has a fascinating piece. He lays out a scenario, how he believes it's possible Sarah Palin becomes the next president of the United States. Not just the Republican nominee, but the next president.

We'll talk to him. We'll talk to Gloria. We'll talk to David Gergen.

We've got a lot of people coming up.

BALDWIN: Not just if she would win, how she would win, but when she wins. Interesting, Wolf. We'll look for that in the 6:00 Eastern hour.

Thank you. See you in a couple of minutes.

Coming up here, this is a tough story to tell. A talented young athlete died over the weekend doing what he loved most, swimming. But there were all kinds of questions today about how it happened. Could it have been prevented?

His sister is speaking out with me. You're going to hear about her family's sudden loss -- next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: If you're a parent out there you have a child, your child has dreams, right?

Well, I want to tell you the story of a young man, a young athlete with Olympic dreams. Instead, he died what he loved most -- swimming.

We're talking about Fran Crippen. Here are pictures of him.

He died Saturday while competing in that final leg of the Marathon Swimming World Cup. This was in the UAE, United Arab Emirates.

Folks, he was just 26 years of age. Right now it's not entirely clear how he died.

An official with the UAE Swimming Federation says his death was caused by severe fatigue. His sister says she is hearing another explanation.

Earlier in the show, I got a chance to speak with Maddy Crippen, who is handling her brother's loss with strength and grace. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Maddy, I have a little brother. I cannot imagine. I'm sorry for your loss. But I thank you for coming on and joining me to talk about your brother.

And I'm sure your goal right now, Maddy, and the goal of your family is to get your brother home. But I have to ask, have you heard anything from investigators as far as a possible cause of death here?

MADDY CRIPPEN, FRAN CRIPPEN'S SISTER: The official word coming out of the UAE as Fran makes his way home is that he died from drowning. So now we have to go and figure out exactly how that happened, because obviously Fran was a swimmer who was in peak physical shape, a national level, he was on a national team, swimming really with the world's best in his event. And he -- no one, whether you're a 4-year- old or an 84-year-old swimming in a swimming event, should drown. And so we need to -- once Fran gets home and is back with our family and laid to rest, and we're able to all gather and celebrate his life, then we'll start putting those puzzle pieces together and figuring out how Fran -- how exactly Fran passed, what the circumstances were.

BALDWIN: Let's talk, Maddy, if we can, about some of those puzzle pieces. And I know we don't know how. Let's just put that out there. But let's talk about what we do know, the facts.

We know this was a two-hour race. We know that the UAE, in terms of the water temperature there, they were saying at the start of the race it was 84 degrees.

Other swimmers CNN has heard from said, no, it was more in the 90- degree range. And the air temperature, pretty hot, around 100.

From what you know of Fran as this uber elite athlete, was he used to this, these conditions?

CRIPPEN: Yes. Fran actually swam in the UAE last year. So he had been to this site before. He had swam this race before. So he had done all of these things.

And Fran has swam in very cold water, very hot water. That's just the nature of that sport and that event, which is why I didn't like it, because I'm not a big fan of cold water. But he really did like those -- liked the different elements.

And there was a lot of psychology behind that, and that's what he liked about the sport. And so --

BALDWIN: Physically tough and mentally tough as well, obviously, to endure this kind of race.

CRIPPEN: Yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: And, of course, my thanks to Maddy Crippen for talking to me. She was a pretty strong tough cookie talking about her brother like that.

And of course we'll stay on this story. She says that her family's priority really right now is getting her brother home, a proper burial, and then they say they'll get to the bottom of what happened and why.

That's one story a lot of you have been talking about, tweeting about.

Another one, let's talk tornado. And I want to show you some of this unbelievable video.

This is video that was taken from one of our iReporters as he was en route from Dallas to Houston. And he was heading on to Houston, to med school, when he basically was stuck staring at a funnel cloud.

I stand corrected -- this is a separate iReport. But the stories are similar.

There were tornadoes in Texas yesterday. Four people were hurt. This thing was about 125 miles per hour. We had amazing video.

Look at just pieces of homes, homes leveled, roofs ripped off. Blasts -- people were reporting hail to be about golf-ball-sized hail. In fact, the med student I talked to earlier said he had to treat some of these people who were bruised by the hail. Just imagine.

This storm ripped about 11 train cars off the tracks. It basically tossed an 11 -- an 18-wheel truck on top of another car.

Unbelievable stuff coming out of Texas.

As always, we thank our iReporters for contributing to us here at CNN.

And I thank you for watching.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. We'll send it up to my colleague Wolf Blitzer in Washington, "THE SITUATION ROOM."