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Clues to Explosive Packages; Countdown to Election Day; Tomas Storms Across Caribbean; Tracing Bombs Route; Vampire Power Sucks Energy and Dollars

Aired October 31, 2010 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. More developments today in the terror plot involving explosive packages on planes. A Yemeni student and her mother arrested yesterday have been released. The younger woman's father says no charges were filed. Officials are now looking for this man, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri. He's a Saudi national who is said to be a top bomb maker with al Qaeda. Investigators also say the explosive packages may have traveled on passenger planes before ending up on cargo planes.

CNN's Nic Robertson is following all of this from London. So Nic, first let's talk about this bomb maker, known to be the top one for al Qaeda. Why are fingers being pointed to him?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's believed to have made an underpants type bomb for his brother in the past that his brother used that as a suicide bomb to try to kill a Saudi minister, a deputy Saudi minister. He's also believed possibly to have made the underpants bomb used by AbdulMutallab who tried to bring down a plane on Christmas Day last year over in Detroit. And it's the same type of explosives all the way through and that's why the finger seems to be pointing at him. His expertise, same type of explosives, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: But more about the notion that at least one of these devices may have made its way on a passenger plane originating from Yemen.

ROBERTSON: Well that came about today. Qatar Airlines in the Gulf said that they believe that they have carried this suspect, one of the suspect packages on a flight from Yemen to Qatar. They believed that and then they came back and said, no that's actually not correct. The information we've had from Fedex doesn't actually line up with all of that. But what it has opened the door to is the possibility that you had one UPS package and the one FedEx package flying out of Yemen on a passenger plane before being picked up in Dubai and the East Midlands in Britain.

WHITFIELD: OK now still in Yemen, two women arrested, a mother and daughter. One is an engineering student. But now today, 24 hours later, both have been released. What's going on there?

ROBERTSON: Yes, Hanan Al-Samawi was the woman who was picked up, the young student. Her phone number it appears was written down when these packages were sent as part of the information, the details, the personal details when the packages were sent. It appears now because she's been released, that I remember her house was surrounded last night, the Yemeni president came on television and announced that she was about to be arrested. It was a big deal. He made it a big deal. Now they're letting her go and we've heard from her father. It seems that either her phone number was put down there erroneously or somehow she was completely just not connected with the bombs themselves, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: But what's interesting here, too, is the father of this young girl is the one that's saying publicly they have been released, while the president came out as you mentioned to mention that they were being questioned and then arrested. The president or officials are not confirming that they have, indeed, been released.

ROBERTSON: This is perhaps typical of the situation in Yemen at the moment. The president yesterday clearly speaking to two audiences, the international audience showing that Yemen was doing something and also his domestic home audience as well saying we're not going to have foreign countries interfering here. This is a message for the tribe, so he can keep his support from the tribal leaders inside Yemen. That's critical for him because he doesn't control the whole country at the moment. It's a very tribal country.

So it appears at least at the moment the government is not willing to go ahead and say quite clearly that they have let this lady go. And they're also indicating that maybe they are going to announce soon more information about this suspect bomber.

So clearly they are trying to sort of stay ahead of the information chain here, if you will, lead the way, make it look as if they are doing something. So possibly that's what we're waiting for right now, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nic Robertson, thanks so much from London, appreciate that.

Meantime, investigators of course are compiling a portrait of this dangerous operation. Let's take a closer look at the investigation, particularly the investigation of these devices from here. Want to bring in CNN contributor Tom Fuentes, he is the former assistant director of the FBI in Washington. Good to see you, Tom.

So give me an idea of the sophistication of this bomb. We now are hearing U.S. intelligence officials say that this bomb would have been capable of going off on its own, didn't need to be triggered by anyone but that it was set to go. What does that tell you about the sophistication of this device?

TOM FUENTES, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, we're receiving actually conflicting information about these devices from the beginning. So as far as how sophisticated, we haven't received a detailed analysis of exactly how it was wired up or exactly how it would be triggered especially since it didn't actually go off, neither of the devices.

So it will remain to be seen the level of sophistication as to whether or not they actually would have gone off upon arrival if that was the intention. They were on several aircraft already to get as far as London and even to get as far as the United Arab Emirates. So we know that both devices had been transferred through several different aircraft before arriving at those destinations.

Of course we've had other packages that did arrive in the U.S. and had no explosives in them. So this is still an investigation in progress as to the details of the devices.

WHITFIELD: So we don't know any details such as whether there was a timer on it, et cetera because this really is kind of third- party information that it would be one that could go off on its own. So what would be necessary for a device to be able to travel this many miles over so many days, make all of these stops in these various locations for instance like Dubai or even London and then able to still be alive, active type device to make it all the way to the U.S.?

FUENTES: Well, I'm a little reluctant to provide advice to the terrorist of how to do it differently next time as to how it would work.

WHITFIELD: Well I guess I'm really asking is it feasible -- is it even realistic that such a device could exist?

FUENTES: Yes, I'm sure they could figure a way to do that, depending on how they wanted to trigger it. The original reports that were coming out late Friday, depending on how they wanted to trigger it, the original reports that were coming out late Friday, that the devices would be triggered by a cell phone, that could be accomplished, it is capable, and it could have been done as late as the next day or two days later when they arrived at the destination.

The substance PETN is actually a very stable substance for transport. It's not dangerous to accidentally explode. So it could be placed in these devices, contained in a manner that's relatively safe. And if they had a plan to detonate by cell phone or by a triggering device or some other method, that could happen. It could be according to how they wanted it.

WHITFIELD: All right, CNN contributor, Tom Fuentes, thanks so much, a former assistant director of the FBI in Washington, appreciate your time and expertise. Appreciate it.

All right, let's talk politics coming up. Furious final push to get out the vote two days now before midterm elections and the political heavy hitters are out on the trail. We'll take you there, including of course former President Bill Clinton right there after giving his stump speech. Plus new poll number hot off the press. It's all coming up right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Right now it is down to the wire, critical midterm elections just two days away. Today President Obama appeared at his last campaign event before Election Day, a DNC rally in the battleground state of Ohio there. Another big name surrogate, former President Bill Clinton, he's also on the trail today. He was stumping in Rhode Island for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Frank Caprio. Caprio raised eyebrows just last week after saying President Obama could shove it. He was referring to the president's decision not make an endorsement in the race.

And then happening right now, live pictures, Tea Party backed candidate, Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell stumping right now in Wilmington, Delaware. Let's take a listen.

CHRISTINE O'DONNELL, SENATE CANDIDATE: The Democrats who may not be voting for me, you probably can't afford the tax increases either. So no one knows what button you push when you go inside that voting booth.

Now I want to point out two things about my opponent's position on these taxes that are just not right and unjust and show what kind of politician he's going to be, which is a career politician catering to the special interest groups.

He's already said he's going to be a rubber stamp for Obama and Reid. And that's probably why he can't tell you what he'll do about the tax hikes because Harry Reid hasn't told him what to do yet. Now one of the reasons that our economy is in such a stagnation is because of the uncertainty. Business owners who do have the capital to reinvest in their business don't know what to do because they don't know what's going to happen in January. So when your Senate candidate won't give you an important decision on one of the most important decisions that our next senator will have to make in just a few weeks, that's not the kind of person we need serving.

Now, his most consistent position is that he'll allow the tax increases to hit on the top 2 percent of earners. When I said I'm opposed to that, he's accused me of catering to the millionaires. And it just shows you just how ignorant he is about this tax policy. Because first of all he told "Politico" that he never hears anybody complaining about the tax burden. That's his direct quote that he has not recanted.

My answer to that is, then you're not listening, then you're not getting beyond your little elite club of career politicians. You're not listening to the people in Delaware who are saying our taxes are too high, who are frustrated that he broke his campaign pledge not to raise taxes and raise them 54 percent. Now the thing about the 2 percent earner -- raising taxes on the 2 percent -- according to --

WHITFIELD: All right Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell there in Delaware, she's trailing Democratic rival Chris Coons by about double digit. So let's look at the political landscape where the Republicans and Democrats are as a whole. A new poll just out this morning shows the GOP is in the driver's seat as they battle to regain control of Congress. Joining us right now from the political desk in Washington, CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser. Good to see you, Paul. So what does this new poll reveal about how the voters just might be leaning as a whole?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well take a look at this, Fred. This question right off the bat I'm going to show you here, it's called the generic ballot. It's a standard question we ask and others do as well -- when you vote for the generic Democrat or Republican in your district? You can see right there, the Republicans have a 10-point advantage on that question, 52 percent to 42 percent.

That is a large advantage and it's very close to what the Democrats had in 2006 when they took back Congress and it's close to what the Republicans had in 1994 when they took back Congress.

Go to the next number as well. This is interesting because we also break it down by Democrat, Republican or Independent. And among Independent voters, remember in 2006 and '08 they went for the Democrats. But look at this here, our poll indicates that 55 percent of Independent voters say they will likely vote for the Republican, 32 percent of likely Independent voters say they will vote for the Democrat in their congressional district.

But one thing is interesting. And this is on the next number right here. It's not like even though the Republicans are in the driver's seat, that's what it appears according to these numbers. It's not like Americans have a very favorable opinion of the Republican Party. In fact, only 43 percent do -- or 44 percent, I'm sorry, have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party. Democratic Party, 46 percent. So it's not like they are in love with Republicans but it's just maybe that they are not in love with Democrats right now, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK so what likely will be the races called first?

STEINHAUSER: A lot of people are asking if there's a Republican wave on election night, where is it going to start? Well take a look at this, we've made up a little map here of the polls that close at 7:00 or 7:30 Eastern. And these are the first states with polls that close, and in a couple of these places, including down your way in Georgia, the one place to look right off the bat, Jim Marshall, Democratic congressman in Georgia. If he loses, that could be the start of a Republican wave.

In Indiana, which also closes at 7:00, if Congressman Baron Hill, another Democrat loses, it could be a sign of a big wave to come. Ben Chandler, a Democratic congressman in Kentucky, same thing. And Gerry Connolly in Virginia, if these gentlemen all lose in those early poll closings, it could forecast a big wave. And take a look at West Virginia as well -- they close at 7:30, if that Senate seat goes to the Republicans, it could be a sign the Republicans may be able to win back the Senate. It's a tall order. They need 10 seats. But if West Virginia goes, it could start a wave, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Paul Steinhauser in Washington at the political desk -- thanks so much. Of course you want to join the best political team on television as the final numbers do come in. Election night coverage starts Tuesday 7:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

All right, Hurricane Tomas. It is Tomas, right? Karen Maginnis in our Weather Center, where Tomas is already leaving its mark on the Caribbean right now. She's going to tell us more about it. It hit St. Vincent with heavy rain and wind. This video from iReporter Kim Taylor and by the way two people were hurt and there has been some damage reported. So Karen, where is it heading next?

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is moving in the Caribbean, Fred. And it looks like at least for right now it's losing some of its intensity. Let's go ahead and show you the enhanced satellite imagery. Barely a Category 1 hurricane, barely hanging in there -- 75-mile-an-hour winds associated with it. It's trekking towards the West. Here it is.

Not looking very impressive on the satellite imagery, moving towards the West. But after this point in time, in about 72 to 96 hours then we're going to see something very different, a system that is at barely hurricane intensity looks like by Wednesday going into Thursday we could see this as a Category 2 hurricane.

But look at this, this is the important part. Now the computer models vary just a little bit. But they all do turn this system more towards the North and towards the Northeast. If it does that, it should move over Haiti. It may move over Haiti towards the end of the workweek, which would be especially bad considering the earthquake that took place there. We have over a million people in tent areas.

We've had the outbreak of the disease that has taken place there. So this is going to be crucial to watch this. As I mentioned, right now we're looking at Category 1, could make it to down to tropical storm intensity but then back up to Category 2. So we've got a lot of problems associated with Tomas and we will keep an eye out for you. Looks like St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Barbados, the worse hit area, catamaran sunk there in Barbados and we had an iReporter Kim Taylor, sightseeing catamaran that sank there in the very heavy surf. There you can see it. Very impressive imagery, no one apparently injured as a result of this but they had lots of damage reported there, power outages. So it is really turned up nasty.

WHITFIELD: All right Tomas is a heavy hitter there. All right, thanks so much, Karen, we'll check back with you later and we'll see you in the chat room. We have some interesting Halloween like things to talk about. All right, speaking of which zombies in the streets story. Next a special Halloween version of "Viral Videos." I can't wait.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, this just in right now. We understand that a U.S. official is saying that authorities do not have any U.S. suspects in this plot of these explosive devices that were in plane cargo discovered on Friday.

The official could not rule out future developments but said that right now the actual remains overseas, primarily the investigation and the investigation of any suspects. The official also had not seen the cable referencing concern about two schools in Yemen but said the schools were being looked at in connection with this plot.

We'll have to get a little more information on that because that's not offering you a whole lot of clarity there. So bottom line, no U.S. suspects are believed to be involved in this investigation involving these explosive devices that were found overseas.

All right, meantime, let's tell you about a special Halloween "Viral Video" segment for you today including a Thriller-esque video that might have you laughing instead of screaming.

Here are some of the other stories first. A tense standoff in Baghdad is over just hours ago. Iraqi security forces stormed a Catholic church where gunmen held a group of worshippers hostage. Seven hostages were killed and 20 people wounded during the police raid. Eight suspects are now in custody.

And images just in from a rally at the Georgia state capital calling for resignation of Bishop Eddie Long. Four young men have sued the controversial leader of New Birth Missionary Church accusing him of using his power as pastor to coerce them into having sex with them. Long has denied the allegations and plans to fight the charges. The South Carolina pastor planned the rally calling Long a bad influence on the Christian church.

And Tiger Woods is no longer the world's number one golfer. Woods has surrendered that title to Lee Westwood after 281 weeks at the top. Woods, rather. The scandal-scarred athlete has the chance to retain the top spot possibly next weekend while in Shanghai.

OK, now, something that many have been waiting for. "Viral Videos" taking a very terrifying turn this Halloween. Here now is CNN's Josh Levs.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. Sorry I couldn't be there live today. Probably actually watching this right now while getting ready for family trick or treating. But I couldn't leave you without "Viral Video" rewind. In fact I seem to recall you had a special request for this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Does this mean you're going to have something scary this week? Halloween, remember?

LEVS: You know, actually, I think I am going to have something scary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: There you go. OK as promised Fred, check this out. Spooky. This is called "Luis." It's one of these videos that was named among the 25 most creative and innovative videos in a world in a competition by YouTube and Guggenheim. This is stop motion animation. It's a story about a character named Luis who appears as these images walking across a wall. Go ahead and skip the next section here. Take a look at this. It's getting eerie, a little bit scary. Plus the voice, come on, does it get more Halloween than that?

All right. Well now you said you wanted Thriller-esque, not so much of the actual have nightmares kind of scary. So I'm going to give you a little bit of that right now. Take a look. Zombies. This is out of London, Ontario, Canada at an annual event there. I- Reporter Mike Roy sent us this, check out those zombies.

And here's another one. Here's one from Florence, Kentucky. This one is a little more gory than it is scary. Whoa, all righty, then. Thanks to our iReporter Greg Reese (ph) for capturing these images there. You know what? It's actually a great week for iReporters in "Viral Video Rewind." Look at this. We have a time lapse video for you. Ken Carlson (ph) in Los Angeles sets up a big Halloween display at his home every year. He sent us this time lapse video of all these people coming through. Look what he does and look at how many people show up. Wow, very impressive.

All right. Now Fred, the "Viral Video Rewind" gift to us. The fine folks at JibJab.com sent me this celebrating Halloween and our team here. And guess who kicks it off? Here you go.

There's me as Dracula, you can see you in the background. Also our Jacqui Jeras, our T.J. Holmes, Reynolds Wolf -- there's Reynolds as Frankenstein. Got to skip ahead, let's see a little bit more of Fred's fancy moves. That's the Halloween wrap. Got to love it. All right, as always, all the latest "Viral Video Rewind" links are posted for you at my Facebook page, right up there, Facebook.com/JoshLevsCNN. Take a look there and you will see everything I just showed you and a lot more. And as always, post your favorite viral videos and we will have them for you next week. Happy Halloween to all of you. And Fred, of course, happy Halloween to you and back to you.

WHITFIELD: Josh, you always aim to please. I didn't know I had all those kinds of moves. All right, Josh brings us the best viral videos every weekend. And of course you can see it here every Saturday 3:00 p.m. and Sundays 5:00 p.m. as well.

All right, former president Jimmy Carter, well he's sizing up the Tea Party movement. And his assessment just might surprise you. That story coming up on our "Political Ticker."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Investigators are said to be looking at one man in particular in connection with a terror plot involving explosive packages on planes overseas.

His name, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri. He's said to be a top bomb maker for al Qaeda and it's believed to have been living in Yemen the last three years.

Investigators also say the explosive packages may have traveled on passenger planes before ending on cargo planes.

A Yemeni student and her mother arrested yesterday have been released. That word coming from the younger woman's father.

The top White House counterterrorism official John Brennan was a guest on CNN's STATE OF THE UNION" today and he explained how the investigation is proceeding and he talked to CNN's Candy Crowley. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BRENNAN, WHITE HOUSE COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISER: Well, those packages were addressed to two locations in Chicago. So what we have to do is to make sure that we run to ground every possible lead that we might have there.

And we know that al Qaeda has been determined to carry out attacks in the homeland. So whether it's al Qaeda in the Peninsula or other franchises of al Qaeda throughout the world, we need to stay on top of this because they look at the United States as the target that they really want to be able to attack successfully.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Have you found yet any connection with Anwar al-Awlaki in terms of this particular attempt.

BRENNAN: Well, he is a self-proclaimed member of al Qaeda in the Peninsula. And so all those individuals and members we are looking very carefully at. The involvement of individuals in this spot we're still tracking down, but AQAP, as an organization, as a whole, it's something that we need to maintain pressure on working very closely with the Yemeni officials and we will destroy that organization as we're going to destroy the rest of al Qaeda.

CROWLEY: Is this particular threat now over, this incident? And does it make you want to take a look at that UPS plane crash in Dubai in early September?

BRENNAN: Some very good work was done both overseas as well as here in the United States to find those two packages and to make sure that those devices were made inert. Very close and strong partnership there.

So we don't know whether or not that's the extent of it. So we're going to continue to pursue all possible leads in the event that there's some other devices out there.

The crash of the one plane off Dubai, we are looking very carefully at that, working with NTSB and others to make sure that we understand the cause of that crash. And so right now we're making sure that we look at possible other events or other developments that might have some relationship with the most recent packages that we've discovered.

CROWLEY: So again, just to clarify, you believe there is a possibility that there are other packages out there somewhere en route some place. That's what you're looking at now.

BRENNAN: It would be very imprudent for me and for others within the counterterrorism community here and abroad to presume that there are no others out there. That said, we are working with the intelligence that we have. We feel as though we've stopped all the packages that are coming to the United States that were originating in Yemen.

The Yemeni authorities have cooperated to date. I really hope that cooperation continues. So we're trying to make sure that if there are other packages out there, other IEDs that we're able to find them before they're able to be detonated.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So this worldwide investigation is indeed widening. And remember yesterday we told you that two women in Yemen were arrested. Well, today those two women were released.

Want to check in with CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom who is actually in Baghdad but he's done extensive reporting in Yemen.

So give us an idea what we've learned about these two women, mother and daughter.

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, there were a lot of developments today. Just a little over an hour ago, the woman who was arrested yesterday, Hanan al-Samawi, she's a 22-year-old engineering student in the University of Sana'a, that's in Yemen's capital. She had been released.

Now there were other reports that her mother was also taken. We spoke to official today. They said her mother actually went along with the daughter when the daughter was arrested. That the mother had been questioned but that the mother had never actually been arrested.

Both women have now been released. They are back at home, that's according to the family. But earlier today there were protests at the University of Sana'a. There were demonstrations by friends and colleagues of Hanan al-Samawi. They were demanding that the government release this woman.

They were saying she had no ties to terrorism. This was an unjust kind of detention and that she needed to be released right away because she had never been linked to any terrorist group whatsoever -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And you know what's interesting, too, I mean this is a very high-profile investigation, but the Yemeni president came out and had things to say about the surrounding of these women's home.

Has the president or any other high authority in the Yemeni government come out today?

JAMJOOM: There have been conflicting reports today. Earlier there were statements made that this woman was still a suspect, that she may be formally charged. At the end of the day today, they were saying that she's still being treated as a suspect but that she has been released. They will continue to investigate her.

We're now getting indications that she will not be charged and that there -- and that she will not detained any longer. She's obviously free now but they're saying that they will no longer investigate her.

But the Yemeni president has not come out today. There've been no real further official statements from the government. We expect there will be more. There have been reports that there are other suspects that are being investigated, being trailed now, but no more real solid developments on that -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. And Mohammed, there you are in Baghdad where just hours ago a number of Catholic worshippers were being held hostage. And Iraqi security stormed that location.

And in the end now we hear the death toll has risen to now 25. And there are about 35 wounded. What more can you tell us about what happened here and why?

JAMJOOM: Well, this was shocking to Iraqi officials, Fredricka. This happened out of the blue today about 5:30 p.m. local time here in central Baghdad. Four gunmen attacked the Baghdad Stock Exchange. A clash then ensued with security forces here. And then those gunmen entered a church nearby.

They held hostages. They made demands. According to Iraqi officials they demanded that several Iraqi prisoners be released. Now after that the Iraqi officials said that they needed to release the hostages or they would storm the church in order to get those hostages released.

The officials did storm the church. Now the death toll stands at 25. Officials are now saying they believe that al Qaeda here in Iraq is behind this. But no group has claimed responsibility.

It's really shocked people here in Iraq. You've seen these kind of sectarian attacks were going on in Iraq at a time when there was great sectarian violence several years ago. You haven't seen this kind of attacks on Christian churches, Christian places of worship any time lately -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Mohammed Jamjoom, thanks so much from Baghdad. Appreciate that update on both fronts there.

Back in this country now, a man best known as the wordsmith for President John F. Kennedy is being remembered today.

Theodore C. Sorensen was a close adviser and speechwriter for the Kennedy administration. Many credit him for getting JFK's ideas on paper.

Sorensen's speeches are the stuff of legend. His words are some of the most recognized political speeches in American history.

President Barack Obama said Sorensen endorsed his campaign early on and that he was just as quick witted as he had hoped he'd be when they met.

Sorensen died. He was 82 years old.

And now just two days away from midterm elections, and here's a look at the stories crossing our political ticker right now. Former President Jimmy Carter speaking out about the Tea Party. And his views just might surprise you. Carter insists that he has no harsh words for Tea Party -- the Tea Party movement participants saying that they are the same people who put him in the White House.

The chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is not putting stock in polls showing Republicans poised to retake the House.

Congressman Chris Van Hollen says early voting indicates independents are not voting 2-1 for Republicans as many pundits and pollsters have predicted.

The Maryland Democrat made a prediction of his own. He says Democrats will hold on to the House.

Meanwhile Republicans are downplaying expectations of their party. RNC chair Michael Steele said if Republicans win the 39 additional seats needed to regain majority control that will be a victory and if they win a few seats less that, too, he says will be considered a success.

All right. It is Halloween so let's talk a little vampire power. It sucks energy and your hard-earned cash. You thought I was talking about something else, didn't you? Well, we'll tell you how to fight it. No stakes required. That's right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, sucking the life out of your electricity. We've got some money-saving tips coming up in a -- for a minute rather. But first let's check today's top stories.

Chaos erupted this morning in central Istanbul at a popular tourist spot in Turkey's economic capital. Police say a male bomber detonated plastic explosives while trying to climb into a policeman's car. He died and 32 others were injured. Most of them police officers. No group has claimed responsibility.

And back in this country firefighters have contained 70 percent of a wildfire in boulder, Colorado. The blaze scorched 152 acres forcing an estimated 172 people in Boulder Canyon to flee their homes. Most residents were loud to return yesterday. Investigators say the fire was likely caused by human activity.

And Cablevision is grumbling about some of the details of its new deal with FOX. The cable operator has agreed to pay FOX network's higher fees in order to carry its programming.

The dispute over fees caused millions of New Yorkers and Philadelphians to miss the first two games of this year's World Series. Remember that? Well, folks were very upset about that. Well, Cablevision calls the rate increase unfair.

And now a word of warning. You probably have vampires lurking in your home. And maybe you don't even know about that. It has nothing to do with Halloween. Even though your consumer electronics are turned off, many are still sucking electricity while plugged in the wall. It's a big old no-no.

Syndicated technology columnist Marc Saltzman, aha, with teeth and all, offering four ways to help fight vampire power.

I was going to say, how are you going to talk?

(LAUGHTER)

MARC SALTZMAN, SYNDICATED TECHNOLOGY WRITER: I'm going to take it out first.

WHITFIELD: OK.

SALTZMAN: But let me tell you look boo-tiful today, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Very good.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: So what's -- that looks really good. Very ghoulish. So what's the first tip?

SALTZMAN: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: How do you keep this from happening? I mean, you know, it's kind of hard to want to turn everything off when you leave a room.

SALTZMAN: You're right. Well, the first tip, to bite back against vampire power or standby power as it's often referred to is simply unplug the gadgets that you don't use for a while.

Some, of course, you want to keep in when they are not in use, like a refrigerator, of course, or things like a DVR, digital video recorder, because it works on a timer to record your favorite shows.

But if you've got a laptop plugging in all day at work when you're at work, there's no need for it to consume electricity. Similarly when you plug in your Smartphone overnight, your BlackBerry is probably charged up within about 45 minutes, yet you're sleeping for seven hours.

So, you know, some electronics can consume then 25 percent of its power when turned off. So just unplug it when you're not using it.

WHITFIELD: OK. So what about those special power strips? How helpful are they?

SALTZMAN: Yes. So these are great. So these are power strips from the likes of Belkin and Kingston that will have a zero watt kill switch on some of the outlets. So once again, say, you're going away on vacation.

You'll keep some of them plugged in that you want always on, such as your DVR, while others like your television or maybe a stereo system could have a zero watt kill switch on that particular outlet on the strip. And it will show you.

In other cases some of them come with a little wireless remote. So when you leave the home, especially if you're going away for a week or two, you just click the button and it turns off the power 100 percent.

WHITFIELD: OK. And so Energy Star products helpful or does it depend on which ones?

SALTZMAN: Yes. So there's varying degrees of Energy Star. But certainly look for that familiar logo because that means those products have been tested and verified to be more energy efficient both when they are in use as well as when they are turned off yet still plugged in.

So most definitely look for the Energy Star logo. We all know what it looks like. And when in doubt you can always ask the salesperson if it's Energy Star certified or look at the manufacturer's Web site before you buy it.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then some products are certainly more energy efficient than others, I mean besides the Energy Star. How do you know?

SALTZMAN: Yes. You know, that's a good point. So some products go above and beyond the Energy Star certification. Sony, for example, on their new line of Bravia HD TVs they have a zero watt kill switch on the side of the TV when you're, say, going away for a week or two.

Or they have a really neat thing called the presence sensor. So if you walk away from the TV for a few minutes, the TV screen goes black and you still hear the audio. Maybe you're fixing dinner and you still want to hear the baseball game. But if you don't return after a few minutes, then the audio goes off as well and the TVs go off.

And when you return back to the room, the TV turns back on again. So that's an example of a smart electronic, consumer electronics that I wish more companies would adopt.

WHITFIELD: Wow, OK. Very good. So are you going as a vampire tonight when you go trick or treating? You have lots of teeth.

SALTZMAN: Well, my kids are already -- they are younger so they've already left for an early trick or treat with my wife. But I'm going to go join them and I'm just going to stand by the sidelines and take some pictures. But we did have -- we did have a rocking house party last night with about 70 guests so --

WHITFIELD: Wow.

SALTZMAN: So we're a little burned out today.

WHITFIELD: Oh, OK, good. Well, then you need a little respite. OK, well, the get-up is very cool. I like the teeth and I like the cake -- cape.

(LAUGHTER) SALTZMAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, very good, Marc Saltzman, thanks so much. Instead of vampires sucking the blood, it's sucking the electricity. We're going to prevent that now thanks to your tips. Appreciate it.

All right, teenagers in one Midwestern town won't be trick-or-treating tonight. Find out why after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK, where are we? New Orleans Halloween? No. The nation's capital, the White House, in fact. This is Halloween White House style.

President and Mrs. Obama in partnership with the National Park Foundation, well, they welcomed local school kids from that about seven D.C. public schools and, of course, children of armed servicemen and women.

And now take a look at these live pictures. Is that a beautiful setup there? This is on the north portal area of the White House. You see there's Frankenstein and there's Dracula. And kids, a little ski bunny there. They're having a lot of fun.

Isn't this great, Karen?

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a gourd pumpkin tree.

WHITFIELD: I mean -- yes, it is. And, you know, usually, you're very used to the picture of the White House around Easter for the big great Easter roll but instead, you know, the Obama's have made this a tradition to open up the White House for Halloween and trick-or- treaters and oh my gosh, look how much fun. And those costumes are wonderful.

MAGINNIS: Yes, you got to dress up when you go to the White House.

WHITFIELD: I know. Good stuff. Happy Halloween. Look, there's Dorothy. I think I see a big old banana back there.

MAGINNIS: And "Scream."

WHITFIELD: That's from "Scream," right. We could go on. We could just have fun, you know, just naming all the costumes, right? Because --

MAGINNIS: And there's Tin Man.

WHITFIELD: Tin Man.

(LAUGHTER)

MAGINNIS: And his crow.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. MAGINNIS: And the lovely witch.

WHITFIELD: Very fun. How fun, everybody, as you head out trick-or- treating at the White House or elsewhere.

Right now we're in the "Chat Room." Karen Maginnis and I have some fun little things to talk about. Well, fun for some, many this first one not so much fun for McDonald's.

MAGINNIS: Not so much. Right.

WHITFIELD: Right. We're talking about a man who was a manager in a Brazilian McDonald's and he decided to sue McDonald's because he was let go. He had gained some weight but he said, you know what, the reason why I've gained 65 pounds because I'm eating all the McDonald food.

MAGINNIS: Who knew?

WHITFIELD: And that -- that suit was successful. He got $17,000.

MAGINNIS: $17,000.

WHITFIELD: That's fascinating.

MAGINNIS: He had two heart attacks, if I'm not mistaken, also high cholesterol.

WHITFIELD: Whoa.

MAGINNIS: Self-control might have been in order there.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, he said he had to taste the food as the manager -- you know?

MAGINNIS: As quality control.

WHITFIELD: And it was over many, many years, so there you go.

OK, we've got to move really quickly. Maybe we should just move on to some Halloween treats. Or tricks.

MAGINNIS: OK.

WHITFIELD: Or something like that. We're talking about places that you don't necessarily or -- that are not trick-or-treat friendly?

MAGINNIS: Yes, that's right.

WHITFIELD: We only have a few seconds left so we kind of, you know, peed it up here.

MAGINNIS: There -- no one over 12.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

MAGINNIS: Can trick-or-treat in Bellevue -- Belleville, Illinois.

WHITFIELD: What do you suppose the limit should be? Can you be a teenager when you're a preteen?

MAGINNIS: Embarrassed to wear --

WHITFIELD: Yes, I don't know --

MAGINNIS: Makeup.

WHITFIELD: I don't even remember -- I tried -- just wrack my brain earlier, I don't even remember when did I stop trick-or-treating.

MAGINNIS: Right. When you didn't need the candy.

WHITFIELD: But I wasn't in high school and I don't think I was in middle school, either, but I don't know. I don't make the rules. I'm just glad to see them as long as they're, you know, they're friendly trick-or-treaters.

MAGINNIS: Yes. That was the issue. Right.

WHITFIELD: To get some treats. All right, thanks so much, Karen. That was a very abbreviated version of our "Chat Room." But join us again next Sunday. We'll have more stuff that's off radar that we think should be on radar.

All right. Meantime, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Don Lemon coming up next with more of the day's headlines including the latest from the campaign trail of course, just two days until midterm elections. This is the final push this weekend.

Much more of the NEWSROOM after this.