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Amanda Knox Appeal; Al Qaeda Propagandist Killed; Chaplains Can Wed Same-Sex Couples; Forecast Says Recession Imminent; Poll: Americans on Economy; Monthly Debit Card Fee: $5; What Jackson's Employees Saw; Packing Heat On Campus; ATF: No Guns for Pot Users; Playing by Buffett's 'Rule'; Top Al Qaeda Recruiter Dead; Interview with L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

Aired September 30, 2011 - 14:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: As we came in from the commercial break, we had some video of you certainly an emotional time as you were hoping that your daughter would be home back in 2009 for the holidays. What would it mean to you to have her home for the holidays this year?

CURT KNOX, FATHER OF AMANDA KNOX: More than you know. I mean, it has been a, you know, very hard journey and we're hopefully near the end of it. And I can't tell you what it would mean again and not just for the family.

But for her family and her friends and supporters and so forth that have, you know, really stuck by her and stuck by us and allowed us to continue to carry on to hopefully bring her home.

KAYE: Let's look beyond Monday, beyond when you get the news that, for your sake, hopefully your daughter will be freed. What do you do at that point? What are some of the first things that you think Amanda will want to do and that you will want to do as a family?

KNOX: You know, she's actually mentioned and it's something that you and I take for granted, but she's been in a steel and concrete prison now for four years and just the simplest thing of lying down in some grass is something that she truly looks forward to.

You know, it's just those small little steps that are going to help her find her way back and get herself reconnected into something besides prison life. So, you know, we're kind of going to work with her and see what she really wants to do and then we're kind of figure it out from there.

KAYE: How quickly do you think you will get her out of Italy?

KNOX: You know, we've been asked that question many, many times and you know, it's premature to actually consider leaving Italy until the court actually renders a decision and we're waiting for that time to take place and then at that stage, we'll go from there.

KAYE: Have you had any contact with the Kercher family, the victim in the case, Meredith Kercher. Do you see them in court? Do you see them there on the street? Have you had any discussions with them? KNOX: You know, we have never ran across them the one time that we saw them in court when the first verdict was delivered and you know, we have tried to extend as parents our deepest condolences for the lost of their daughters and interviews that we have done, you know, for the last number of years. But we haven't reached out to them individually yet.

I want them to understand and hopefully see the truth the Amanda and Rafaelle had nothing to do with it and hopefully they will be able to see that themselves. They'll be able to accept our deepest condolences for the loss of their daughter and what they've had to endure for the last four years.

And you know, hopefully remember her the way they really want to and find some closure.

KAYE: I'm glad you brought up your daughter's co-defendant, Rafaelle, is there any case that you think may be left against him or do you think if she is freed, he will be freed along with her?

KNOX: My opinion is that they will both be freed at the same time or they'll both be convicted at the same time. I mean, they are their own alibis. They spent the night at Rafaelle's house.

It's as simple as that. So hopefully the judge and jury will render their decision based on that assumption and either, you know, hopefully they'll both be able to walk out.

KAYE: And have you thought about, I'm sure once your daughter is freed, if she is freed, you are going to be bombarded with requests for interviews. She's certainly going to be bombarded with requests for interviews. Have you or she given any thought who is going to give that first interview?

KNOX: You know, we really have a main focus right now, and that's really, you know, just to be able to take her home. At that stage of the game, we're going to find out, you know, what kind of trauma she's experienced in prison.

And you know, we'll determine when, and if, she even talks and if she even wants to. I mean, it's a circumstance where this is a very personal experience that's she's had to deal with and our focus is to get her out of there and we'll deal with the other stuff later.

KAYE: Curt Knox, of course, we're very sorry for what your family has been through. We hope that you do get your wish and you have your daughter home soon and certainly home for the holidays this year. Thank you so much for your time.

KNOX: Well, thank you for having me.

KAYE: A very bad man just had a very bad day. That's the quote of the day for an unnamed senior U.S. defense official on the death by drone strike of Anwar Al-Awlaki, considered by many the Osama Bin Laden of the internet. He was killed today some 90 miles east of the Yemeni capitol along with three companions. One of them reportedly a fellow al Qaeda propagandist and U.S. citizen. Al-Awlaki's writings and teachings have been linked to several of the highest profile terrorists or terror suspects of the decade.

Including the so-called underwear bomber, Umar Farook Adbulmutallab, the accused Fort Hood attacker, U.S. Army Major Nadal Hasan, three of the 9/11 hijackers and the attempted Times Square car bomber, Faisal Shahzad.

Al-Awlaki was born in New Mexico to a successful and educated Yemeni family and moved back to Yemen when he was seven. He returned to the U.S. in 1991 and stayed until 2002 earning degrees in Colorado, in California working as an Imam in California and Virginia.

President Obama says the al Qaeda offshoot that Anwar Al-Awlaki represented had suffered a heavy blow, but is not dead yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula remains dangerous, but a weakened terrorist organization. Going forward, we all remain vigilant against any threats to the United States or our allies and partners. But make no mistake, this is further proof that al Qaeda and its affiliates will find no safe haven anywhere in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: My colleague, Drew Griffin, has reported in depth on terrorist recruitment and radicalization as well. He joins me now on the telephone from North Carolina. Drew, Al-Awlaki was an online jihadist long before the U.S. government went after him in a very serious way. What changed?

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT (via telephone): Last year, Al-Awlaki, who had been the religious and inspirational leader for a lot of these would-be terrorists, he became operational, Randi.

He really did declare himself at war with America and I think is we will find out in the coming days and weeks, there is evidence he himself began taking part in the individualized plots.

Most specifically if you remember the case of printers, where explosives may have been used or a test run may have been done to put explosives inside containers of printers and put them in planes, in the cargo hold.

He was directly involved with staging that. So he became less religious, more operational. That's when the Obama administration declared this guy is an enemy and we are going to kill him despite the fact that he has such strong American ties.

KAYE: And there's got to be some concern, Drew. I would imagine that even with him gone, even with him dead that he can still be a danger? GRIFFIN: Yes, there's the martyr whether or not this -- this ever so popular religious leader among a certain sect of Muslims across the world will become a martyr in his death, but also because he had extensive ties in the U.S.

And I must tell you, Randi, I just got off the phone with New York City Police Department and they remain concerned. There's already a heightened security level because of the September 11th anniversary that has remained in effect.

But Al-Awlaki's passing has got them concerned that there might be some kind of retaliatory effect and also what we haven't heard a lot about, Randi, is this other fellow who was killed apparently with Al- Awlaki, Samir Kahn.

Samir Kahn has been considered for a long time a very dangerous enemy of New York because he grew up there. He went to high school in Queens and he may have an extensive outreach of supporters there. So the New York City's police Department ever vigilant remain so on this very day because of this attack.

KAYE: Drew Griffin, great reporting. Thank you for the information. Appreciate that. To London now, CNN's senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, he is standing by. Nic, everything that we here out of Yemen is chaos, upheaval, top of a failed state. What does today's operation say to that?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it says that the government under President Ali Abdullah Saleh is taking a firm wide against al Qaeda, but with only seeming to have serious success targeting Al-Awlaki, but it's got U.S. backing. The drone strike that killed Al-Awlaki today was a U.S. drone strike.

Al Qaeda was taking control of three provinces in the country. That's what the vice president there told me just a few months ago. The government has had to pull back some its best troops to the capital to secure the capital because part of the army has defected.

A lot of politicians have defected. The opposition, there's a street movement. There are tribes in the north of the country that are trying to bring down this current government.

So the very fact that al Qaeda has sort of suffered a loss today really has a lot to do with the United States and only something to do with the Yemeni government right now from what we can see at the moment, Randi.

KAYE: And Nic, you know his background. I mean, give us an idea of how this guy went from being a privileged kid to operational, a master plotter, as Drew put it.

ROBERTSON: Yes, he really seems to have gone through his own radicalization process. This was a guy when he imam in California was picked up soliciting for prostitutes and that's not something a hard line radical Islamists usually associated with. But we've certainly seen radicals who sort of started out with drink problems, drug problems, women issues come into the religion and then get even more religious. And Al-Awlaki seemed to have been on this path that after he left the United States in 2002, he settled in Britain for a while.

He was sort on a preaching spurge in Britain, winning over the hearts and minds of a lot of young radicals here then he went back to Yemen and he was put in jail that seems to have had a radicalizing effect on him as well.

And then he's heard everything that's been said about him in the United States and in Europe over the past few years, and that again seems to have ratcheted up his rhetoric plus his cover has been blown.

The e-mails with Major Nadal Hassan believed to be responsible for killing 13 U.S. servicemen in Fort Hood in 2009 and other connections to sort of al Qaeda, operational activists. So this is sort of circumstantial evidence that has pointed towards him.

The rhetoric against him has gone up and has ratcheted it up his rhetoric against the United States as well. So it does appear to have started off not so radical and just radicalized over the past decade, also, Randi.

FAYE: Yes, it certainly does. Nic Robertson, thank you very much. Appreciate your reporting.

Before we move on, I want you to know about our security clearance blog. In case you want to check it out, it is your online source for the best reporting on terrorism and intelligence and military matters and diplomacy from Washington and all around the world.

You can find it at cnn.com/security and you can follow the tweets at nationalsecuritycnn. That's natlsecurity@cnn.

Other big stories developing right now, the Pentagon has issued new rules allowing military chaplains to perform same-sex marriages. Chaplains can now perform weddings for same-sex couples, but only if allowed by state law and it's permitted by the chaplain's religious beliefs.

The marching orders come just 10 days after the end of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that kept gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military.

According to a forecast from the Economics Cycle Research Institute, the U.S. economy is headed for another recession. The ECRI produces widely followed leading indicators, which predict when the economy is moving between recession and expansion.

And how do Americans feel about the economy? Well, not so good. A new CNN/ORC poll shows that 90 percent of Americans say that conditions remain poor.

And a majority of Americans, well, they actually still blame former President Bush and his party for economic conditions, 52 percent. You see it there blame Bush and the Republicans, well, 32 percent blame President Obama and the Democrats.

Ready for more bank fees? It will cost you $5 a month now to use your Bank of America credit card, debit card starting next year. The fee applies even you only if you use your debit card once that month.

Other big banks are also testing the monthly fee idea. They point to new regulations limiting how much they can charge retailers each time you swipe your debit card.

When we return, day four in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor. We'll talk to an attorney for several of the witnesses who were there when the superstar was dying. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back to Los Angeles. The trial of Michael Jackson's personal physician is now in its fourth day here in Los Angeles. As you know, prosecutors are trying to show that Dr. Conrad Murray was reckless when he gave Jackson a surgical anesthetic called Propofol as a sleep aid.

That's the drug that's listed as the superstar's cause of death. Damning evidence is coming from Jackson's other employees including Jackson's Director of Logistics, Alberto Alvarez.

Yesterday, Alvarez described to jurors what Murray told him to do once he got to Jackson's bedroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERTO ALVAREZ, JACKSON'S DIRECTOR OF LOGISTICS: I was standing at the foot of the bed and he reached over and grabbed a handful of vials and then he reached out to me and said, here, put these in a bag.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Joining me now is Carl Douglas who represents the security guard, Alberto Alvarez and two other Jackson employees. Thank you so much, Carl, for coming on the show today.

So you represent Michael Amir Williams who was Jackson's personal assistant, Fahim Mohammed who was the lead security as well as Alberto Alvarez who is the head of logistics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's correct.

KAYE: How well do you think they knew Dr. Murray? What was their relationship with him?

CARL DOUGLAS, ATTORNEY FOR JACKSON EMPLOYEES: They did not have much contact with Dr. Murray. He was primarily inside the house and they were primarily out of the house. But there would be occasions where they'd have brief conversations about general things of concern. KAYE: I know that yesterday on the stand Alberto Alvarez testified and he said that Dr. Murray was basically doing CPR wrong. He was using one hand.

Also, that he was calling on Alvarez himself to put away and do away with the stash of pills and vials of Propofol and other things that were in the room before calling 911.

Did any of your clients ever tell you why they believed the doctor waited to call 911 for so long?

DOUGLAS: They had no real understanding of why. They didn't know what was going on when they entered the room. So all they wanted to do was file the instruction and directions that the doctor was offering because they assumed that he had Michael's best interests at heart.

KAYE: Did they assume as well that 911 had already been called?

DOUGLAS: They didn't know what was going on at the time and they didn't know what the emergency was so all that they were doing was to follow the directions of the doctor and going from there.

KAYE: Did they believe that Michael Jackson was still able to be saved at that point?

DOUGLAS: I think you could tell from the testimony that they gave that they have thought that Michael had already passed when they first entered the room.

He laid limp. His eyes were opened and his mouth was agape. There was no movement of any kind or any responsiveness. So although they were trying to do all that they could to try to save him. The reality was, he was already dead.

KAYE: It seems as though, when you look at the defense, that they seem to almost be accusing your client of sort of collaborating together, joining forces against Dr. Murray, sharing testimony against, sharing their accounts of what happened. Can you set the record for us straight on that?

DOUGLAS: Well, as a defense lawyer myself, I understand that is the tact that they have to give. But these guys did not ask to be witnesses. They were thrust into this case by circumstance and all that they've done was to revive truthful, honest testimony that has really been contested.

They gave the statement to the police. They testified at the preliminary hearing and then trial and on every occasion, they've all said the exact same thing.

KAYE: Alberto Alvarez testified in court that he actually helped with CPR, that Conrad Murray had actually asked several of them, do you know how to revive someone? Can you help with CPR? And he helped. Obviously nothing worked to revive Michael Jackson. Does Alberto Alvarez wish that he could have done more? DOUGLAS: Certainly, he has great regret that there was not more that he could do. He was a former swimmer so he knew CPR. Fahim did and so he did all that he could to help, but certainly he feels bad that Michael could not be saved.

KAYE: What do you think is the greatest weakness, as a defense attorney, as someone who represented O.J. Simpson, what is the greatest weakness in Conrad Murray's case?

DOUGLAS: I think it's going to be very difficult for the defense to explain why they would have this drug used in the home and why there was not better monitoring, not only monitoring of Michael, but then also leaving the room with a drug of this power.

It's difficult for them to explain away the decision to have a drug of this kind being used in a home setting. I just cannot understand how they can around that.

KAYE: And just very quickly, before we let you go, you compared this trial to O.J. Simpson's trial. Do they even compare?

DOUGLAS: O.J. was the first kind of trial of the century and it's difficult to compare the two. They don't have the sort of sexiness in this case that there was in O.J. and I'm not sure that that is going to capture for the extent of the trial the same way that O.J. did.

KAYE: All right, Carl Douglas, appreciate your time. Thank you very much.

DOUGLAS: My pleasure.

KAYE: Packing heat on college campuses. It is something more and more states actually want to allow, but is it a good idea? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Here's a question for you. Should college students be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus? It is becoming hot topic of debate. So far this year at least 14 states have introduced bills that would allow students and faculty to carry concealed weapons at state colleges and universities.

It's an issue that has split across the nation and current laws reflect that. Take a look at the map here with me of the states with laws on concealed weapons. Twenty two banned them on college campuses though in many of these states like Texas and Colorado, the bans are being tested right now through either court or through proposed bills.

Twenty five other states, on the other hand, leave the decision up to the individual college or university and even with these states that's being challenged, just this week, an Oregon court repealed a gun ban at Western Oregon University saying the college didn't have the authority to prevent students and faculty from carrying weapons.

Right now, Utah is the only state with a law allowing guns at all campuses. Opponents, of course, argue that's a deadly mix. Think drugs, alcohol, hormones. They say it only leads to more violence. One really only need to think back to 2007, the massacre at Virginia Tech where a student opened fire on campus killing 32 people.

A Supreme Court ruling made clear that an individual's right to bear arms does not undermine state and local bans in public spaces like college campuses. So where does all of this lead? Well, like so many other hot topic issues of our time likely right back to the Supreme Court.

Patients prescribed marijuana for their medical conditions can't buy a gun from a federally licensed firearms dealer it turns out. That's according to the ATF, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The agency sent a memo to gun shops last week specifically forbidding them from selling weapons to anyone who reveals that they are a regular marijuana user.

It doesn't matter if their state allows residents to legally use the drug for medicinal purposes. Gun rights groups and pro-marijuana groups both claim that policy goes against the second amendment. Marijuana used under a doctor's supervision is legal in 16 states as well as Washington, D.C.

We've heard politicians and pundits debating Warren Buffett's recent comments on taxing the rich. But we will hear from the billionaire himself right here next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Billionaire Warren Buffett rang the opening bell this morning on Wall Street. He has the president's ear, we know that, and now he's talking to CNN.

Our Alison Kosik went one on one with the Buffett on the trading floor. Alison, that must have been a fun interview. What does Buffett have to say about the Obama administration's new Buffett rule?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It was a fun interview, Randi and you know what he did? He want to clarify what he meant and saying it's going only to affect a small portion of the population.

You know, President Obama came out wanting the uber (ph) rich to pay more in taxes that's after Buffet said that they should be paying more. But it also brought other uber rich of millionaires who are crying foul about this, saying, you know what?

Don't lump them in with Buffet who is clearly a billionaire and in a class above everybody else, but Buffet wind up down playing it saying the proposal will affect only a small portion of millionaires, 50,000 people.

Meaning that it wouldn't offer a lot of help in the way of chipping away at our deficit. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WARREN BUFFETT, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: It probably would come in at about $20 billion a year. But no one thing is going to solve the deficit of over $1 trillion. But I think when you're going to ask the poor and middle class to give up things in terms of Medicare or whatever it may be as part of the shared sacrifice, the idea that you don't get $20 million from this group from whom it's only 10 points on a very low tax rate to start with, I think it's simply unfair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: So even though it's not going to affect a lot of people, I think his idea that he's getting out there is that we are all in this together. He's basically saying that you can't ask one group to give something up without asking something from another. So, it's less about the money that it is maybe about a change in attitude, you know, that we all have to give a little -- Randi.

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Did you get a chance to talk to him about Europe at all, how Europe is affecting us?

KOSIK: Oh, yes. And we see it happen in the market here every day. Europe is a huge question that is hanging over Wall Street. So, yes, I did talk to him about it, especially with the Dow moving more than 100 points every day this week. It shows the market can't figure out where it's headed much of that because of Europe.

But when I asked Warren Buffett about it, he's pretty bullish and he says we're actually still doing OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUFFETT: This has not brought our economy down. I mean, people are worried here about what's going on in Europe. Business is still improving. Not at a very rapid rate in the United States, but we have 70-plus businesses and I see the figures every day on what's going on. And our recovery is still under way but at a very small incline.

And Europe has a lot of problems to work through. But I don't worry about that in terms of where we will be in three years, or five years, or 10 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: All right. So, obviously, he's more optimistic.

But I'll tell you what? Many people feel very differently. There's a new report out saying that we're staring down at another recession. This is coming from the Economic Cycle Research Institute. One analyst is saying that it's either just begun or right in front of us.

And then there's a separate CNN poll that says that 90 percent of Americans, they say the economy stinks. So, it's a different view than what Buffett has, but I think what he's doing, he's looking more at the long term. But there is one bright, shining moment here in all this, for those who are worried about all this recession talk. One thing Buffett did tell me, is that this is not like 2008. I'm talking about the financial crisis -- Randi.

KAYE: All right. Well, we'll take his word for that.

Alison Kosik, thank you very much. Have a nice weekend.

Disabled and stranded for days, after driving off a mountainside and plunging 500 feet. How did he survive? We'll have his amazing story, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It is half past the hour and here are some of the news that you may have missed. President Obama says that the death of Anwar al- Awlaki is a major blow to the al Qaeda. The Muslim cleric born in the United States became the face of al Qaeda in Yemen. A government source says he was killed today by a U.S. drone strike on his motorcade.

Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, al-Awlaki lived in the United States until the age of 7 when his family returned to Yemen. He returned to the U.S. in 1991 for college and remained until 2002. Awlaki had ties to the so-called underwear bomber, accused of trying to bring down a U.S. plane and to the accused Fort Hood gunman.

More questions about Dr. Conrad Murray's response in the critical moments after Michael Jackson's cardiac arrest. Murray, charged with involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death, today, a paramedic took the stand. Richard Senneff described Jackson's condition when he entered the bedroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Describe your observations of the patient, please.

RICHARD SENNEFF, PARAMEDIC: The patient was dressed with pajama bottoms, a pajama top. The top was open. The patient was wearing a surgical cap or something similar covering his hair. And he appeared to be underweight to me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thin?

SENNEFF: Thin, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: A former patient of Dr. Murray's also testified today. Now he says that Murray saved his life after a heart attack just months before Michael Jackson died under his care.

An amazing survival story in California after a man's car plunged 500 feet into a ravine. David Lavau who is partially disabled and managed to survive six days on just leafs and water from a nearby creek. Lavau's son eventually found his father after driving around, stopping at every curve and hearing his dad's faint call for help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN LAVAU, SON OF RESCUED DRIVER: You know, you don't know if it's echoing or where it's coming from. So, I just ran up to where the bushes were and I looked down and I saw my dad's car. And, of course, my heart drop and I was like, oh, my God. And I realized running all the way down here, everywhere I went, I couldn't see how to get down there. I could not figure it out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Lavau's family began the search soon after he failed to return home. The L.A. County Fire Department rescued him from the ravine where they also, believe it or not, found another car with a deceased driver still behind the wheel.

Just into CNN: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's wife Landra has been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer and is receiving treatment, including chemotherapy in Washington, D.C. A spokesperson for the senator said, "Senator and Mrs. Reid appreciate the thoughts and concerns expressed during this time. They ask that they be afforded the respect and privacy that any family would want."

Senator and Mrs. Reid met in high school and have five children together.

Today was the funeral for the stunt pilot who crashed at spectators at a Reno, Nevada, air show. Jimmy Leeward and 11 other people were killed when his World War II era aircraft crashed during a performance last week. The service was held at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church in Ocala, Florida. Family and friends gather to mourn the loss and remember the life of Leeward.

The National Safety Board is investigating the accident. The final report could be more than a year away. Leeward leaves behind his wife of 52 years, four children, and several grandchildren.

Al Qaeda is struck a major blow, those words from President Obama after today's drone air strike in Yemen. The target: the threat to America and what maybe the next front in the war on terror. That is all next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Two men killed by a U.S. drone strike today in Yemen were both American citizens, both born in this country. But they both belong to an organization sworn to fight against the United States.

I'm talking about al Qaeda members operating here in Yemen, a home- based for an active offshoot of the terrorist group created by Osama bin Laden.

Paul Cruickshank, CNN's terrorism analyst, is with me now from New York to talk much more about this.

Paul, how much weaker is al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula after what happened today, do you think?

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, Randi, this is a real big blow against them, against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Awlaki was the key inspirational figure for the group in terms of recruiting Westerners into the organization, Westerners being the most likely able to launch attacks back in the West. Samir Khan, an American radical born in Saudi Arabia, responsible for "Inspire" magazine which was a magazine put out by al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula, sent out to English-speaking radicals all around the world, telling them how to launch operations against the West or how-to guide and things like that.

So, a very, very big blow against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Randi.

KAYE: I mean, would you say that Yemen is the next front for the war on terror? Is there any chance that we'll see coalition troops there possibly? Is that next?

CRUICKSHANK: I think there's real concern about this. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al Qaeda's affiliate out there, expanded their safe haven in Yemen. They have taken advantage of political turmoil there to expand their ability to operate in the southern tribal areas of the country.

And we've seen in the last two years, two attacks from the group against the United States, two attempted attacks against the United States. One, the underwear bomber, and one, an attempt to explode printer bombs on an air cargo jet going towards the United States. So, the real concern that they may be able to expand their safe haven over there right now.

But it was al-Awlaki who was really driving the group's internationalist agenda. He was really driving the group's ambition to attack in the United States. He once sent an operative that even a small attack in the United States would be preferably to bigger attack anywhere else. And now Awlaki is gone, it's possible the group may not concentrate so much on attacking the United States, but it concentrates more on expanding its safe haven over there in Yemen. But that expanding the safe haven in time may become a real threat, Randi.

KAYE: We are just getting word, Paul, that it was actually a CIA drone that was used in this strike. I mean, how unusual do you think this whole thing is, to the target a U.S. citizen, no matter how dangerous they are and how much of a threat?

CRUICKSHANK: Well, what I can't say is, you know, the United States counterterrorism officials really did Awlaki as a threat, both because he was an inspirational figure for these jihadists in the West who may want to launch attacks in the West. But also, he was playing this very important operational role for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He was somebody who was actually dealing with Western recruits when they came into the country, sort of organizing the logistics for them and really conceptualizing how to attack the West. So, the U.S. counterterrorism point of view, he was a very, very dangerous figure and that obviously played into the decision to target him in this strike today, Randi.

KAYE: All right. Paul Cruickshank, appreciate your expertise on this one -- thank you.

So, did you know that every time you swipe your debit card, the merchant pays a fee to your bank? It is true. And starting tomorrow, that fee will go way, way down. Guess how the bank plans to make up all that revenue?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: What would you pay for the ability to spend your own money? You heard me right. Some of the biggest banks in America, including Bank of America, want to charge you to buy stuff with your debit card. That's because, as of tomorrow, they won't be able to charge businesses as much as they like.

CNN's Christine Romans breaks it all down.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Five bucks a month, that's how much it will cost Bank of America customers to make purchases with their debit cards. It's set to take effect in 2012. And customers are already voicing their displeasure.

RIAN KELLY, BANK CUSTOMER: Not too psyche about it and that's why I'm switching.

ROMANS: The fee will not apply if you only use your debit card at ATMs or have a premium account with a high minimum balance. Why the new fees?

A Bank of America spokeswoman says, quote, "The economics of offering a debit card has changed with recent regulations."

The regulation that they are referring to is the Durbin Amendment, it goes into effect on Saturday and it reduces the amount of money that banks charge merchants every time a card is used to make a purchase. It will drop from 44 cents to between 21 and 24 cents. Now, that difference may seem like pennies, but it's expected to cost banks $6.6 billion in revenue per year, according to Javelin Strategy and Research.

And B of A is not the only bank making changes. Chase and Wells Fargo are testing $3 monthly debit card fees in select markets. Sun Trust started charging $5 fee credit card fee on basic accounts this summer. And Regions Financials is expected to roll out a $4 fee on debit cards next month.

With the latest regulation, along with legislation from Congress last year, shutting down the bank's fee machine of overdraft charges, financial institution are finding new ways to generate incomes.

But all these new fees are living customers jaded.

ALLISON JOSEPH, BANK CUSTOMER: It is a matter of very little time before they send you a notice that they are tacking on a fee in another way.

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: A recent survey from bankrate.com finds 64 percent of Americans would consider switching banks if their current banks raise its fees.

Mayors across the nation are fed up with all the bickering in Washington. Their message: quit the fighting and focus on jobs.

I'll talk to the man who's leading the charge, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: As our cities go, so goes the nation -- those words from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. He knows perhaps more than anybody right now how the political gridlock in Washington is hurting our cities.

As president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, he lead a delegation of city leaders to the Capitol last week, urging President Obama and Congress to put aside politics and focus on one thing: jobs. Villaraigosa says hundreds of thousands of them could be created right now if the government agrees to fund local infrastructure projects. L.A. could receive more than $600 million in loans to kick-start some of those projects -- if Washington gets its act together, that is, of course.

I spoke to Mayor Villaraigosa last hour and he says he's not waiting for Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA, LOS ANGELES: We put up our own money, sales tax generating more than $40 billion over the next 30 years to double the size the of the rail system, to repair our roads and our highways. But we can accelerate that from 30 years to 10 years if the government would leverage what we're doing with a transportation loan program. There is support, bipartisan, by the way, miraculous.

KAYE: That is miraculous.

VILLARAIGOSA: John Mica in the House, Barbara Boxer in the Senate, both support increasing the loan program for Transportation projects from $122 million to $1 billion a year. It's a great way to make people to work now without putting a lot of money up on the part of the federal government. And those are the kind of innovative ideas that we put together in our commonsense agenda for jobs that the mayors across the nation, U.S. Conference of Mayors, put together. KAYE: Let's talk about jobs and something that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. I'm sure you're aware of this. He said that there could be riots in the streets if young men remain unemployed.

Do you think that's right? I mean, could you see that happening here in Los Angeles?

VILLARAIGOSA: Well, I think that the poverty rate is higher any time since 1993, one of the highest poverty rates that we've had in decades. The unemployment rate of 14.5 percent here in L.A., some places as high as 20 percent in south Los Angeles.

We have to put people back to work. I don't want to focus on what will happen if we don't because I don't think we should be in that position. The federal government has the wherewithal to focus on jobs.

I've said that the biggest deficit facing the nation is not the deficit of the debt. It's the deficit of jobs. And that's what these people in Washington ought to be focused on and they are not. And I think that's why Michael Bloomberg said what he said.

KAYE: As president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which you are, it's a nonpartisan group that's unveiled, really, its own commonsense jobs agenda. Tell me about -- tell me about this agenda and why it might work differently than what Washington is trying to do.

VILLARAIGOSA: Well, actually, the president has embraced the number of initiatives that we have and put forward. These are initiatives, by the way, that have historically have Republican and Democratic support. As you said, our organization is bipartisan. There are a number of very significant cities that have Republican mayors. Michael Bloomberg is an independent, was a Republican for a while, a Democrat before that.

We are not focused on ideology and orthodoxy. We're focused on jobs and putting people back to work. I'd like to say that there's not a Republican or Democratic way to pick up the trash or to keep neighborhoods safe. And there shouldn't be a Republican or Democratic way to put people back to work.

KAYE: Yes. For anyone who thinks that the gridlock in Washington doesn't affect states or cities like yours -- they are wrong.

VILLARAIGOSA: They are absolutely wrong. And so that you understand, when I said, as cities go, so goes the nation. If you just took the two 10 cities in the metropolitan areas in the country, we would have a $5 trillion economy. We're roughly a third of the U.S. economy.

So, if you put people back to work in our city, you're putting America back to work. Just New York, Chicago and L.A. alone are the French economy, which is the fifth largest economy in the world.

So, putting people back to work, repairing our bridges, our roads, our highways, rebuilding our schools, avoiding teacher layoff, all of these things are good things because they are investing in the infrastructure and foundation of our economy.

KAYE: I want to talk to you about next year's election. And actually, we have a new poll, a brand-new CNN/ORC poll that I want to show with you, and our viewers as well. A staggering 90 percent of Americans say that economic conditions are poor.

You're a Democrat. You're a supporter of the president. Can he -- can he ride this out? Will this hurt him come 2012?

VILLARAIGOSA: Look, everybody in public office right now are in jeopardy of losing their jobs. And they are because people are hurting, they are losing their homes, they're unemployed, they're struggling to make ends meet. And we're duty-bound.

And I think the president understands that. He's focused on that. That's why he put his jobs agenda out. That's why he put a number of initiatives that appeal to both sides of the aisle.

But it's the Congress, frankly, that has failed their job. And particularly a small group of people that are putting ideology and orthodoxy, their party before the country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Now that Florida has moved its primary date, what does this mean for the candidates who haven't announced yet? Paul Steinhauser will join us with the details on that one, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Time now to check in with our deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser. He's at the political desk in Washington.

So, Paul, we've been talking a lot about Florida moving its primary date. How would that affect the candidates that haven't even announced yet?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You know what it does to them, people like Chris Christie, New Jersey governor, people like Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani -- they are all thinking of jumping in, right, but they haven't made any announcements. Well, Randi, they're going to jump in immediately now.

I mean, because this just speeds things up a month. They got to get things ready. And, you know, if they do decide to run, they've got to get staffs and organizations in these early states. It moves things up.

And here's another thing that's going to speed it up for them. Take a look at this. New Hampshire now just announced a few hours ago that if you want to be on the ballot in the New Hampshire primary, you have to register at the latest by October 28th. So, there's another date, another deadline for these people who haven't announced yet if they are going to run and the time they're wasting. You want another date? Here's another date for you, Randi, December 1s. That is the day that CNN and the Arizona Republican Party are going to team up. We're going to have a Republican presidential debate in Arizona. We just announced this late yesterday. And this is important because Arizona has also moved its primary date up. They're becoming a real players in the battle for the GOP nomination.

And, Randi, you know, illegal immigration is a big issue in this battle. What better state than Arizona than to have a primary and a debate in -- Randi.

KAYE: Oh, yes, any debate is exciting. But that's going to make it even more exciting.

Paul, thank you. That's great news. Appreciate it.

STEINHAUSER: Thank you.

KAYE: That will do it for me today.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Brooke Baldwin.

Hi, Brooke.