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Suspicious Packages Found in Greek Airport; Dry Run for Terror? Election Day Arrives; The Tea Party Factor
Aired November 02, 2010 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Finally game day, and the stakes could not be higher. Up for grabs, the power to influence America's future. But it may not all be decided by tonight. Are you ready?
I'm Brooke Baldwin. "CNN Equals Politics" now.
(voice-over): They came, they saw, but who conquers? The most expensive midterm election in history now in the hands of voters. Analysts say doomsday for Democrats, but are things changing in the final hours? Is the Tea Party movement flexing its muscles?
Coast to coast, CNN is there. We're giving you an exclusive backstage pass to see how the best political team on television gets on air and how we project the winners.
Before terrorists in Yemen put package bombs on planes, did they do a dry run? And did the U.S. know about it?
And your kids certainly know who she is. Now a young Disney star is getting help.
Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We are all over Election Day 2010. We will have coverage for you in just a moment.
But, first, I want to get to two developing stories. Both of them involve suspicious packages.
First, I want to tell you about this story out of Portland, Oregon. The FBI is in Portland investigating what they are calling suspicious items that arrived on a Delta flight from Tokyo, Japan, just a couple of hours ago.
In essence, what we know now, according to a Delta spokesperson, the items here were box cutter blades. Investigators say the incident is not -- is not related to the Yemen packages investigation, remember, from Friday.
But just some information for you on this flight here. There were 155 passengers, 10 members, crew members, on the flight, everyone right now being checked, going through security, going back through security at the moment.
Also, another story, this one out of Germany. CNN has been reporting the suspicious package was sent to the German chancellor, Angela Merkel. We can now relay to you that this package did in fact contain explosives. And authorities now are telling us it came from Greece.
The device has been destroyed. No one was hurt here with regard to this situation in Germany, but we're keeping close eye, making all kinds of calls on both stories, both in Oregon and Germany. We will keep you up to date on both of those stories of course through the two hours here on NEWSROOM.
But now to the election here. Folks, it is reckoning day for the Democrats. You have voters all across the country sounding the verdict today on the first two years of the Obama administration. By the way, have you voted? You still have time here.
The polls tell us Americans want change again. I want to start from the same page, because it may be very, very different come tomorrow. This is the House of Representatives. And, today, the Republican Party needs a net gain of 39 seats -- that is 3-9 -- to take control of the House, so a lot of people saying that number is very much so within reach.
Over to the Senate, it's a little bit more tricky here. You have the Senate Democrats. Obviously, they're clinging to that 51-49 margin, but, for the GOP, this is not as simple as flipping two seats. You know, this one, the story in the Senate very much so more difficult, so we're going to be watching that story as it begins to percolate throughout the night.
So, as we begin our one here, we have the A-team back in full force, plus two. You see them all there.
And I want to begin here with Dana Bash, Capitol Hill.
Dana, I'm giving you 10 seconds again. And here's my question to you. Is John Boehner measuring the drapes for the speaker's office?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If he's not doing it officially, he's probably doing it symbolically.
I am on Capitol Hill. It is a ghost town. Aides in both parties are out in the field helping get out the vote. And Democrats, I can tell you, to add to that, they are saying that they're very happy with turnout so far. Is it enough to keep John Boehner from putting up those drapes? Who knows.
BALDWIN: All right, Dana, thank you. Stand by.
Jessica Yellin out in Vegas for the Reid/Angle race, a race we're all watching closely.
Ten seconds. Is this it, Jessica, for Harry Reid?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Not so fast, Brooke. The Democrats I talk to who are usually brutally honest with me are tentatively excited today. They think that early voting and their analysis of their internal tracking shows it's breaking their way. They're nervous.
Republicans, of course, say, not a chance, that Sharron Angle will win today. Bottom line, this one is a true mystery. And I'm not exaggerating. There is electricity and uncertainty in the air -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Electricity in the air in Vegas.
Dan Lothian, 10 seconds too you. Let's talk White House. Would the president be prepared to play small ball, as Bill Clinton did, remember, back in '94, if Democrats lose on Capitol Hill?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, right now, the White House is waiting to see the vote count before talking strategy for the next two years, but the president today indicated that both sides will have to compromise in order to avoid gridlock.
BALDWIN: Shannon Travis, 10 seconds. You have been all over the Tea Party here the past year. Are Tea Party activists turning out and voting today?
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Well, they are. And let me put it to you this way. They are not just turning out voting, but they're turning out here. I'm at the U.S. Capitol. They're coming here in a short while to plant flags, they are saying, to take back this Hill, and they're telling me that this will be the -- the symbolism for the first step of taking the country back and correcting what they call a mistake that was made two years ago.
BALDWIN: All right, Shannon, stand by. I want to talk more Tea Party with you and a couple of the others.
But, Dana, let's go back to you. Let's say drape-measuring aside here, do me favor and just set the mood for me on Capitol Hill here on Election Day.
BASH: It's been very interesting.
I told you that there's virtually nobody here, but in talking to -- to multiple House Democratic sources, reality is setting in, Brooke. It's very clear from talking to those sources that they -- they have made peace. In fact, that was -- those are the words that one source I talked to used to describe this election. They have made peace with this election.
The question at this point is, they believe privately -- they're not saying it publicly, but privately in the House -- is how big of a loss it's going to be for Democrats. And -- and they do take solace, these sources I talk to, in the fact that, going into today, they say -- and Republicans agree with this -- there are maybe between 30 to 40 highly competitive, too-close-to-call races. So, that is why you're seeing everybody out trying to get the vote out.
And that's why when you see Democratic leaders on TV, they are being very positive, because they don't want to do anything to suppress that vote. BALDWIN: Of course.
BASH: One interesting question, and I will tell you, is, what will Nancy Pelosi do?
BALDWIN: Huh.
BASH: I have talked to so many people --
BALDWIN: Do we know?
BASH: -- who are very close to her. And they say they don't know. They say she just -- Brooke, she just won't go there. It's just her personality. She is charging ahead. She's doing even today what she always does. She's making calls to her members. She's trying to get reports from the field. And she is not going there.
People I have talked to who are her closest confidantes say that they're really split. Will she stay on as minority leader if they lose the House, or will she say, see you later, I'm going to spend time with my five children and all my grandchildren who are across the country?
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Right.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Spend her time in between her -- her Napa home and her San Francisco home.
BASH: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: We will have to wait and see.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Dana, let me -- let me move to Dan, because, Dan, I want to ask a similar question.
In terms of mood at the White House, we know the president has done a lot of radio interviews. What's the sense from the administration today?
LOTHIAN: Listen, you know, publicly, the administration is still staying upbeat.
And you're right. The president has been pushing very hard reaching out to African-Americans, also Latinos, and even young -- younger Americans this morning on these various radio shows.
The message from the president has been, first of all, that you need to get out there and vote, and, if you have voted already, that you need to call up your family members and your friends and your co- workers to make sure that they go out and vote as well, because the president believes that if big numbers, if Democrats go out to the polls, like they did in 2008, then Democrats won't suffer the losses that everyone is predicting today.
BALDWIN: Jessica -- and, Dana, I want you to feel free to weigh in here as well -- Jessica, you and I have talked a whole lot about some of these negative ads, but also money, money, money.
Historically speaking, this has been the most -- you know, most expensive midterm election in history here. Who has benefited the most from that?
YELLIN: Who has benefited? Well, the TV stations and the ad- makers.
(LAUGHTER)
YELLIN: I mean, they're all taking a chunk off the top of all that.
And I -- I say that somewhat facetiously, but it is true what we're going to see now, Brooke, are year-round campaigns. Even in between election cycles, you will see more ads going up because of these third-party groups trying to push messages.
For example, for the lame-duck Congress that is coming back, expect to see ads up as early as later this month, beginning in December also. And all of these political groups trying to adopt the methods that Madison Avenue has been using to push our interests and get us to shop the way they want us to shop, they will try to figure out -- political interests will try to figure out what pushes our buttons, so they can get us to vote and press our Congress members to go their way.
So, in other words, the election isn't really ending today.
BALDWIN: But --
YELLIN: Brooke.
BALDWIN: -- also, Jess, and Dana as well, looking ahead to 2012, that would be the first presidential election where, you know, a lot of the groups don't have to say who they are and they can give, you know, unlimited funds here. How would that change -- change the landscape, not only for President Obama, but his Republican challenger?
YELLIN: It just means more money in the mix. You are going to see money pouring in from -- from outside -- corporate interests from outside wealthy donors. And they will be hit up on every which way, you know, to give with -- with disclosure and without disclosure. And all that means, a proliferation of more ads and more phone calls and more knocks on your door.
BALDWIN: And -- YELLIN: Brooke.
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: And, just to put that in context, Brooke, first of all, we should tell our viewers, if they don't already know this, that the 2012 -- 2012 presidential race starts tomorrow. There is absolutely no respite. It is absolutely going to start in earnest tomorrow, and seeing people gearing up, people who have been kind of waiting in the wings to try to -- maybe try to let everybody know whether they will or will not run.
But, on the money front, just to put this in context, Jessica talked about the huge numbers, $4 billion, about that's being spent this year.
BALDWIN: Whew.
BASH: Just about a little bit more, $5 billion, a little bit more than $5 billion, were spent -- was spent in 2008 for a presidential year.
If you see that kind of difference between presidential and midterms, which usually is much lower when it comes to spending, it's just hard to wrap your mind around how much is going to be spent in the next two years for the next presidential.
BALDWIN: Good perspective.
Speaking of money, we have seen a whole lot of money going to some of these Tea Party candidates.
I want to go to Shannon Travis, who is in Washington there.
And just to follow up with regard to the Tea Party here, what do you see here, Shannon, looking ahead to tomorrow? Will the Tea Party Republicans fall in line here with the rest of the party?
TRAVIS: Well, I think a lot of people are going to be watching to see if it's going to be a love/hate relationship.
On the one hand, the Tea Party movement, obviously, they rail against a lot of the ways of Washington. They rail against a lot of the what they call backroom dealing and all of that. But, on the other hand, these Tea Party candidates will come in and they will have very low seniority if they win and they may have to fall in line with Mitch McConnell's -- the minority leader's plan or agenda.
So, it will be interesting to see how the candidates who, if they become senators and lawmakers, how they will fall in line with the party establishment and the reaction from the Tea Party movement that their candidates might actually be toeing the Republican line.
BALDWIN: That is a huge, huge question and a variable we will all be looking to obviously tomorrow and in the future. Guys, Dana, Jessica, Shannon, Dan -- and -- and David and Josh, we will check in with both of you a little later -- I want to thank all of you.
Also, just a reminder to you that CNN's election night coverage begins 7:00 Eastern, the best political team. You just saw a little preview there. The best political team on TV will be bringing up-to- the-minute results as the polls close. So, stay close here.
Back to some of the breaking stories we brought you at the top of the hour here, I have another development here, a story under way. CNN has just learned here that two suspicious packages are in the cargo section of the Athens, Greece, airport. Police are about to detonate them. So they found them. They're about to set them off.
They say the airport traffic not at all affected by this, but, remember, CNN just reported that the origin of an explosive device that was sent to Germany, specifically to the chancellor, Angela Merkel, was actually sent from Greece. So, as soon as we hear more from what's happening in Athens at the airport, of course we will pass that information along to you, some frightening moments there obviously for the people at the airport in Greece.
Meantime, it's happening again. Someone is shooting at military targets in and around the Washington, D.C., area. And they have hit another location today. This is number five here in just a couple of weeks. We are going to take you there, tell you that story coming up here after the break.
Also, did terrorists rehearse their cargo plane bomb plot just a couple of weeks ago? We're going to tell you why Friday's scare might be a little bit bigger than we all thought.
That's ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Some of the top stories this hour, someone shot at a Coast Guard recruiting station -- this was in Woodbridge, Virginia -- overnight. No one was hurt, but one bullet grazed a window, but it did not go through the glass.
You see a bunch of authorities there. They have been waiting for ballistics test to see if this incident is in fact related to those three other overnight shootings at military buildings.
Those happened at the Pentagon, a Marine Corps recruiting station in Virginia and the National Museum of the Marine Corps -- the FBI taking the lead in that investigation.
Also, explosions all across Baghdad here killing at least 50 people. We are told there were 14 blasts in all, most of them caused by car bombs. Others were the result of roadside bombs. They happened in mainly Shiite neighborhoods. But keep in mind these blasts come a couple of days here after dozens of people were killed over the weekend, when an -- Iraqi police ended that hostage standoff at a Catholic church in Baghdad.
Tropical Storm Tomas expected to become a hurricane again. Tomas killed at least five people when it hit Saint Lucia as a Category 1 hurricane. It has lost some strength as it entered the Caribbean Sea, but forecasters expect Tomas to regain steam as it heads -- heads toward Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Haiti. It could be a Category 2 hurricane, we're told, by Friday. That's when it's forecast to reach Haiti, where a million people are still living in tents after January's earthquake.
And could women be this year's election game-changers? You have Palin, Pelosi, Sharron Angle, Meg Whitman We're going to look at who has the most influence so far and who will have power long after the voting. We will check back in with Jessica Yellin. She's in Vegas. we will talk about the ladies.
Stand by.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: How many times have we all heard this? It all comes down to voter turnout.
Our David Mattingly standing by at a polling station for us. There he is in Plantation, Florida.
And, David, how's it looking? Who are you seeing today? What are you hearing out there?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, after days and weeks of nonstop attack ads here in Florida, it's -- it's so good to report that things are just so civilized right now.
(LAUGHTER)
MATTINGLY: (AUDIO GAP) one of thousands of polling places across Florida. This is a public library that we have been watching all day today, people calmly going in and streaming out in regular -- in a regular interval.
We don't have any hard numbers, though, of what's going on statewide yet. But there are some figures that show us that there is something in the works today that might make this election special.
Already, over one million voters have voted early. On top of that, 1.8 Floridians have cast absentee ballots. That's not as much as what we saw two years ago in the general election, but it is more than what we typically see in midterm elections, like we have today. So, that could be an indication, Brooke, that these voters are motivated, and they're getting out to make their point known.
BALDWIN: Motivated. And, David Mattingly, I'm glad to hear civility is not dead. There we go, in Plantation, Florida. David, thank you.
I want to turn now to Jessica Yellin. She's out -- as we said a couple minutes ago, she's in Vegas for the Reid/Angle race, but let's not forget she also wears another hat, of course. She's our national political correspondent.
And -- and, Jess, I just have a question for you to get this whole thing kicked off. You know, is -- is there a chance -- this pre-election, that the polls and pontificating we have all been doing showing this big Republican surge, is there a chance we have got it all wrong?
YELLIN: I'm so glad you asked that, because the answer is yes, Brooke. We could have it wrong either way.
We could have -- first of all, people should know that polling is based on certain assumptions. The pollsters make a guess based on their analysis of how many -- what percentage of Democrats will turn out in each state, what percentage of Republicans. If those assumptions are wrong, we could see a much different result than what any of these polls show us. So, it could be a huge Republican surge. There could be no Republican surge. We don't know.
That's why we wait for the polls to close, and we can't guess based on what we know in these numbers. They could give us an indication, but no certainty, Brooke.
BALDWIN: We don't know.
YELLIN: Thank you for asking that.
BALDWIN: It could be wrong, of course.
You're very welcome.
Let's talk about an issue that you know. You've been out on the campaign trail.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: You have been out there a lot. And you have become, you know, pretty passionate about the issue of women. And so we just wanted to tap into that. You know, the specter of Sarah Palin is everywhere. You have the Republicans who are very anti-Pelosi.
What is the feminine factor, if you will, in 2012?
YELLIN: You know, it's sort of confounding.
This year, we have seen the rise of the conservative woman. You see Meg Whitman, Carly Fiorina, Susana Martinez. Those are just some of the Republican women -- Linda McMahon -- running. But you also know that there will be, according to the experts, fewer women in Congress after this election, because so many of the women who hold office now are Democrats who are likely to lose.
So it will be the first time we will see a decline in 30 years. So while you're seeing more Republican women emerging on one side, you're seeing those in office on the Democratic side decline. And then we also have this whole phenomenon of all these women saying -- calling the men the sissies -- I mentioned this yesterday -- saying man up or put on your man pants.
BALDWIN: Well --
(CROSSTALK)
YELLIN: Obviously, they're doing this --
BALDWIN: Let me interject.
YELLIN: Yes, go ahead.
BALDWIN: Let me interject because I know that was your fascinating point about pulling up your man pants or manning up. And, so, stand by, Jessica, because I put that out to -- to my Twitter people, the tweeps.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: And I want to just read a couple of these tweets. I said, what do you think about this? You know, is it about time women are talking this way, or is it sexist?
And I tell you, they all sort of sound the same here.
Raider (ph) says: "The women that say those things are disgusting. If it were the opposite, everyone would be up in arms. It is sexist."
Got another one: "Man up implies it takes a man to do the job. Why would a female candidate want to point that out?"
Let me read one more from Brian: "With all the whining, name- calling and general lack of discussion on actual issues, grow up is an apt term for many candidates."
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: So, Jess, back --
YELLIN: I like that.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: -- back to you. I mean, all of this -- all these words, the sexist words --
YELLIN: Right.
BALDWIN: -- is it back -- backfiring?
YELLIN: I don't know if it's backfiring, as much as raising a lot of question marks. It sort of appeals to their base. The people who already like the women think that it's tough and cool. And the people who are the opposition think that it's inappropriate. The bottom line is, why are they doing it?
Well, one of the things the consultants say is, if you're the male candidate, it's almost Kryptonite. You can't come back at that without sounding sexist yourself. So you have sort of got to take it in a way.
And, clearly, the women are suggesting that they're sissies or not up to the job. The question is, is this somehow dangerous terrain for women to go into, when women have been on the receiving end of bad gender stereotypes, as if women aren't strong enough for the job, women aren't ready for the role. You have got to wonder if this is dangerous new territory, Brooke.
BALDWIN: And then what about -- you have all these other women who are, you know, multimillionaires. They have all this money they're pouring into their own campaigns. Is that effective? Because when you look at some of these women, they're -- they're losing in the polls.
YELLIN: Yes. You know, we should revisit this after tomorrow -- after tonight and see what happens.
BALDWIN: Yes.
YELLIN: But I think it's such a great question, because let's look at the women who are so wealthy, Meg Whitman, a self-funder, Linda McMahon in Connecticut, self-funder.
Carly Fiorina put in less, but also successful multimillionaire. All three of them are lagging in the polls compared to, say, Rick Snyder in Michigan and Rick Scott in Florida, both men running for governor who are self-funders and are right in the race and could win today.
And you wonder, are we not ready for self-made women who now want to take on the next challenge of being in public office? Each race is specific and local, but it is an interesting question after tonight.
BALDWIN: Well, I'm going to hold you to that. Let's -- let's pick up where we left off this time tomorrow. Deal?
YELLIN: Good.
BALDWIN: Deal.
YELLIN: I would love it.
BALDWIN: All right, Jessica --
YELLIN: Yes. Love it.
BALDWIN: -- Yellin in Vegas, good deal. Thank you, ma'am. See you tomorrow.
Also today, another Disney star checking into rehab, checking into a treatment center -- rather, just a treatment center here. Excuse me. Demi -- Demi -- Demi Lovato cancels her concert tour to get help for some serious problems she is facing. We're going to have those details coming up.
Also, expect Capitol Hill to look very, very different after tonight. We're following the money here to see how much candidates -- and Jessica was just mentioning this -- but how much candidates, men and women, spent to get there.
Plus, the Tea Party factor. Will the Tea Party movement capitalize on voter anger, or lose momentum at that final push? We're going to ask all those questions. We're all over this, election 2010.
Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM.
Are we looking at a change election? You know, the president's party almost always loses seats in midterm elections. It's just how it goes. But if Republicans pick up at least 20 House seats, which they are very much so likely to do, it will only be the third time since World War I that either of the party gained 20 or more seats in three consecutive cycles.
So, let me bring in an expert to help explain all of this, and perhaps some of the -- the voter electorate dissatisfaction.
Jay Newton-Small is a congressional correspondent for "TIME" magazine.
And, Jay, let's just talk about that, how -- how voters are looking to oust this huge number, potentially, of sitting House lawmakers, kind of potentially clean house. Why is that? What does that say about our -- our electorate on November 2?
JAY NEWTON-SMALL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, "TIME": Well, what makes this election really different from 2006 and 2008 is, in those two elections, Democrats won a bunch of those swing districts where they could go either way. You know, in a Republican year, they tend to go Republican. In a Democratic year, they tend to go Democratic.
And in this case, there are 48 of those seats that were won by George W. Bush in 2004 or by John McCain in 2008. But, in this election, you're seeing a bunch of really old Democratic bulls, people who have been there -- you know, chairmen who have been there on average 27 years all of a sudden fighting for their lives.
And that shows you that this is a different election, that this --
BALDWIN: So -- NEWTON-SMALL: -- is an election with real tsunami power.
BALDWIN: So..
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: -- is it more, then, out with the old and in with the new, or is it people are just irked with the way the economy is and that we have been in these wars, and they want out with who is in charge?
NEWTON-SMALL: Yes, it is -- I think people are just angry. And I think you were looking -- they were looking for change in 2006 and a change that they could believe in, in 2008. And now, this time, you know, they -- they feel that they didn't actually achieve that change. And, this time, they're angry about it. And they're like, I really want that change.
BALDWIN: Let's talk Alaska, because this -- this race is fascinating. And -- and you have this three-way race, right? So, you have Joe Miller, Lisa Murkowski, and Scott McAdams. So according to our latest CNN polling, I think it was 37 and 37 with regard to Miller and Murkowski.
What's your take on that race? And just following up because I know you've spoken to Sarah Palin and there's the Palin factor. And if Murkowski wins, does that leave a black eye on Palin if she has presidential aspirations?
NEWTON-SMALL: I don't think so because Palin isn't running for anything in Alaska at this point. And the people that really matter for Palin coming out of this election are people in the early primary states for 2012 if she runs for president.
So you're looking at Terry Branstad for governor in Iowa, Kelly Ayotte for Senate in New Hampshire, Nikki Haley for governor in South Carolina, and Sharron Angle for Senate in Nevada. And all four of those races are more important than I would say Joe Miller in Alaska and looking pretty likely to win.
BALDWIN: Interesting, interesting. Tea Party, Jay. This is historic because this would be the first election that we're going to have some of these candidates likely winning some of these seats. How would the Tea Party influence affect change in Washington and nationwide?
NEWTON-SMALL: I think they've already affected change. If you look at the Republican Party's plan if they win back the House, the pledge to America, they said they plan to cut almost immediately $100 billion out of the budget. That's certainly Tea Party inspired.
If you look at their attempts -- they're going to try and repeal health care reform. That's another big Tea Party item. So I think they've already started to influence the Republican agenda and will definitely continue moving forward as these candidates are elected. BALDWIN: Following up on that, though how do you think they will sit with the traditional conservative Republicans, the establishment Republicans?
NEWTON-SMALL: Certainly the establishment -- look, there's been so many primaries this year where establishment Republicans have lost to Tea Party candidates. I think establishment Republicans have a pretty healthy respect if not fear for the Tea Party.
And they know there's another primary season right around the corner for the House for the 2012 elections and I think they'll do everything they can to bring the party together into one tent and do unity and really sort of make a cohesive party.
BALDWIN: Final question, ten seconds, what's the headline tomorrow?
NEWTON-SMALL: Wave -- wave election. If you had to have a drinking game, every time "wave" is mentioned on TV you'll be drunk by 9:00.
BALDWIN: Not that we're telling people to do that.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Very funny. Jay Newton-Small, Congressional Correspondent with "TIME" magazine. We'll see you tomorrow, thank you.
I want you to take a look at this man. This is Yemen's most wanted and very high up on the United States most wanted list as well. We're going to drill down on his alleged link to the cargo plane bomb plot from Friday. New development there. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Before we talk about the dry run from Friday on those cargo planes from Al Qaeda Arabian Peninsula in Yemen to Chicago, we're just getting some breaking news here out of the Athens, Greece airport. There are two suspicious packages there. Apparently authorities have them. They're about to blow them up right now.
But it is not affecting traffic, that's what we're hearing right now. But it's frightening nonetheless for people traveling out of that airport.
And keep in mind, we just reported there had been a suspicious package sent to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and we have now verified that package did originate from Athens, Greece.
So all of that said, let's talk Yemen here, a possible dry run for an Al Qaeda terror attack. Now, investigators are looking into last week's failed bomb plot. And they say that U.S. officials intercepted a shipment of packages just a couple of weeks ago mailed from Yemen and destined for Chicago. So it turns out the boxes contain only books, only some papers. But officials say it could have been a test run for the plot that was uncovered just last Friday. One of those explosive packages was intercepted in Dubai. And today we are hearing from the police -- the chief of police there about what his country knew. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. GEN. DAHI KHALFAN TAMIM, DUBAI POLICE CHIEF (via translator): Dubai was the third stop for the shipment that originated from Yemen, then moved to a Gulf country. After that, it landed in Dubai airport. Of course we had information of the possibility of finding a shipment that was taking off for the U.S.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now, as the investigation into the failed package bomb plot is ramping up, it's looking like Yemen is getting increasingly serious about tracking down terror suspects. For more on that here is our own Mohammed Jamjoom.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A very significant and surprising announcement by Yemeni authorities. At a hearing on Tuesday in the country's capital Sana'a, prosecutors charged radical Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in absentia with incitement to kill foreigners, a move that reflects a new found resolve on the part of Yemen's government to hunt down the notorious Al Qaeda figure.
This comes on the heels of Monday's announcement that security and local tribesmen have embarked on the counterterrorism operations in the homeland of Anwar al-Awlaki's tribe in order to capture Anwar al-Awlaki. Both developments are an extreme departure of how Yemen's government has previously dealt with Anwar al-Awlaki.
Over the course of the past year Yemeni officials have continued to downplay the importance of Anwar al-Awlaki, stressing there were more dangerous Al Qaeda members that need to be targeted.
Anwar al-Awlaki has been a real sore spot for the Yemen government. Because he comes from a very powerful tribe and a very popular figure Yemen's government had to deal with the situation with a great deal of sensitivity.
The fear has been if the government were to announce that Anwar al-Awlaki was specifically being targeted, it would engender a great deal of anger from Anwar al-Awlaki's tribe, something that could really hurt Yemen's government.
But as far as the U.S. is concerned, Anwar al-Awlaki is terror suspect number one in Yemen. He's been linked by U.S. authorities to Fort Hood shooting suspect Major Nidal Hasan and the suspect accused in the Christmas Day airline bombing attempt. The U.S. has grown weary of Yemeni officials minimizing Anwar al-Awlaki's importance and many are seeing this development as a way for Yemen to assure the U.S. they are now committed to bringing the fugitive cleric to justice.
Now, while U.S. officials believe that Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is behind the recent plot to sends bombs from Yemen to the U.S., no Yemeni official has suggested that Anwar al-Awlaki is in any way tied to that plot.
Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
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BALDWIN: We're not going too far from that story. We'll have a little bit more on that coming up in the next hour. But we're also all over Election Day 2010. We're two and a half hours away from those first polls closing. We'll check into the election center here in a couple of minutes.
Of course "The Best Political Team in Television" tracking all of these close races all the way from Capitol Hill to the campaign trail really and beyond.
But coming up next, Demi Lovato. Parents, you know the name. She cancels her concert and shuts down her Twitter account and checks into a treatment center. What is wrong with Disney's popular young star? We'll be back.
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BALDWIN: Let's talk politics. And I know we've talked a whole lot about the House races and Senate races. but you have to talk gubernatorial races as well. There's a whole heck of a lot of them this year, 37 in total.
Take a look at this guy. Any chance you recognize him? That was Roy Barnes, voted out in Georgia four years ago. Now he's running again. He is a Democrat, and Georgia is getting deeper and deeper red. Advantage to his opponent, Republican Nathan Deal.
Now here is another former governor who wants the job back. I know you know Jerry Brown, California's one-time governor moonbeam. His Republican opponent Meg Whitman, she has shattered campaign finance records. She has spent upwards of $100 million of her own money, huge money in that race.
Also two other governors' races we are watching very closely here. You have a very close race in Ohio. The incumbent is Democrat Ted Strickland. John Kasich, a former House member, mounted a very, very strong challenge there. That is certainly one more race.
And one more race we're tracking down for you. This is a very close race in Florida. You have Democrat Alex Sink and self-funded Republican Rick Scott.
A lot of races, I mentioned 37 in total. You can follow them all night long here on CNN.
Now to this. Parents, you've probably heard of her. This is one of Disney's biggest stars, very much so in trouble today. I'm not talking Brittney or Lindsay or Miley. This time it is Demi Lovato.
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BALDWIN: That was Lovato. These are the "Camp Rock" movies, and "Sunny with a Chance" on the Disney Channel. She has been out there and touring the world with the teen heartthrobs the Jonas Brothers. And now she has dropped out of the tour. She's checked into a treatment center. In fact, Lovato's publicist says she's there to, quote, "seek medical treatment for emotional and physical issues she has dealt with for some time."
So Brooke Anderson, the host of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" on HLN, been digging a little deeper on this story. Brooke, the publicist alludes to some emotional issues. Can we be more specific?
BROOKE ANDERSON, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": What we know for sure is that she is not being treated for drugs, Brooke. Her publicist said "emotional and physical issues." She did not elaborate.
But what we do know is Demi is a very hard worker. So for her to just drop work obligations, to drop out from this international tour with the Jonas Brothers before it was over, we know the situation had to be bad, had to require immediate attention.
There have been unconfirmed reports that she got into some sort of altercation with a dancer while on tour but for now that's unconfirmed. That's hearsay.
I'll tell you this -- a couple of years ago there were reports that she had trouble with cutting, with self-mutilation. There were pictures that surfaced with marks on her wrist and it really raised some concerns. But her publicist at the time said it's no big deal, those marks are caused by bracelets, but gummy bracelets.
But the key is her publicist said, Brooke, she's had issues for some time. And she's a busy gal. So I'm sure there has not been a convenient time for her to really take a break and get the help that she needs. But when it's important enough, when it's severe enough, you just have to do it.
BALDWIN: Maybe we should recognize, good for her, that given this amazing life she's leading, I guess, for a teenager, the fact she's taking a pause and recognizes there's issues here. But Brooke, from what I understand she's had a little bit of a rough year. Start with the fact that -- was it Joe Jonas she was with?
ANDERSON: Yes. She was dating one of the Jonas Brothers, Joe Jonas for several months. They had been friends for a long time. And he broke up with her in May, I believe it was. Here she was. She had committed to going on tour with the Jonas Brothers. She did keep that commitment. She did the tour for months. They said they would remain great friends.
Then over the weekend, Brooke, she stopped tweeting. Her twitter account was shut down. Her fans sounded the alarm, pleaded, Demi, come back, come back. Now hindsight it's probably a sign things weren't well, things weren't as they should be.
BALDWIN: And perhaps it's one thing to have maybe boy issues and get dumped and no one enjoys that as a teenager, but there's a bigger issue she recently revealed she was bullied in high school and recently revisited that. How bad was she bullied?
ANDERSON: It was bad. She said she was treated viciously in middle school, so badly that she left school to be educated at home, to be homeschooled. She has said to this day she still has not forgotten some of the horrible things that were said and done to her.
She's actually been working with the Pacer Center's Teens against Bullying campaign for some time. So it seems like she's still working through those issues. As we know bullying can lead really deep, painful wounds but she speaks out about it because she wants to help others going through the same thing.
BALDWIN: It's amazing how these young kids look up at these young men and women and think things are great. But really you scratch the surface and there's quite another story. Let us know how she's doing. Brooke Anderson, thank you.
ANDERSON: I will. Thank you.
BALDWIN: California candidates spending astronomical amounts of money in their own campaigns. So just how high are the stakes here in the governors' races? We touched on it a moment ago, but here's a hint. It could put many, many more Congressional seats in play in 2012. That is coming up.
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BALDWIN: As you know, it is Election Day. A lot of you have already voted. I just got a tweet from someone who said "Just voted. Voting place was busy."
We're also getting some tweets from celebrities. We had a tweet from Wyclef Jean, "Have a voice, go out there today and vote election time." And Holly Robinson tweets, "Morning. Just voted because Harriet Tubman could not." And one more, "Our two most precious rights as Americans, the right to vote and the right have our own reality show."
Coming up here is something you've got to see. We have a bear, a bison, a chase, and an unforgettable image. That's a preview. Don't move. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: Any soccer fans out there? It's not unusual to see your crazed fan. Ducks? Not so much. But it's how one player literally handles the surprise guest that has some crying foul. Take a look. In Belgium, there's the little guy, an unexpected visitor showing up on the field during this soccer match.
One player obviously not too pleased. Look at him. Duck handling it, tosses it. He took the matter into his own hands, chucks the mallard out. Am I hearing boos? Needless to say the little guy did not get the warm welcome he had hoped for.
Next, back across the pond to Montana. Imagine -- you're out, you're driving on an isolated road, meandering through Yellowstone National Park, it's beautiful, but when you see this running at you, this is what happened to one man. You saw, there's the grizzly bear, chases the wounded bison right past his car. Talk about scary but unbelievable sight.
Coming up, political news coming in fast and furious here on Election Day. We'll get the latest from the Political Ticker next with of course Wolf Blitzer.
In our next hour, one of the perks of being a rescued Chilean miner other than, you know, freedom. He gets invited to one of New York's hottest events. He should have some pretty serious endurance, though, as well. Stay with us.
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BALDWIN: Here we are the final few hours of an election that could very much change the balance of power in Congress. And CNN has all you latest political news with "The Best Political Team on Television," CNN = Politics. And Wolf Blitzer is in New York.
And Wolf, it's interesting to look at Mr. and Mrs. Clinton taking very different approaches to the election cycle. You and I both talked about how the former president out and about on the campaign trail and Hillary is in Asia.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Very different for obvious reasons. The former president of the United States, he's been so busy campaigning for Democrats across the country, even on this day the last day as people are at the polls, he's been doing radio interviews in Ohio, specifically trying to help the Democratic candidate for governor, Ted Strickland, who has a stiff, stiff challenge from John Kasich, the former congressman. The polls show it's very close in Ohio, Ohio being a key battleground state. President Clinton doing whatever he can to help governor Ted Strickland get reelected. We'll see how that works out over the next few hours.
And as you point out, Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, she's invisible on the campaign trail this year for good reason. She's the secretary of state. And by tradition, the secretary of state, secretary of defense, the CIA director, they stay out of American politics. She's on a trip to Asia right now. I know that the "Daily Telegraph" in London made a big deal out of the fact that the secretary of state was not campaigning, but no secretaries of state ever campaign in election year. They're not supposed to do it, and they don't. They're supposed to be above that.
Finally, the race that most people are watching closest in Nevada tonight, Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader in the fight of his life against Sharron Angle. The Tea Party Republican, the polls showing maybe she's slightly ahead, but the only poll that matters is the real poll that happens tomorrow.
And one interesting thing, Brooke, in Nevada, there's a third candidate Scott Ashton who's running on the Tea Party label even though Sharron Angle is the real favorite of the Tea Party. People can vote for him.
And they could also vote for a fourth person on that ballot, although it's not really a person. It's "none of the above." If people are sick of all of those candidates, they can actually go ahead and vote for "none of the above." And that do have an impact in this very close contest in Nevada.
We'll see how long it takes to determine who is going to be the winner. But I like that "none of the above" option. Some people hate all of the candidates, but they want to vote because they think it's their patriotic responsibility to do it. So they go and vote for "none of the above."
