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Amanda Knox: "I Did Not Kill"; Jury Deciding Amanda Knox's Fate; ER Docs Up Next in Murray Trial; "Occupy Wall Street" Enters Third Week; Rick Perry's "N" Word Controversy; Will Christie Run After All?; Jury Considers Amanda Knox Appeal; Two Planes Rocked by Turbulence; First Snowflakes in Pennsylvania; Prince Harry Training in U.S.; British Pilots' Desert Training; Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee; Our Mobile Society: Always Connected; Panetta To Israel: Improve Relations; Parishioners Protest Church Sale; Lockerbie Bomber: "Truth" Will Emerge

Aired October 03, 2011 - 09:59   ET

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

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: We have been talking about Amanda Knox and her notorious international murder case now for four years. Today everything could change. A jury in Perugia, Italy is deciding her fate. It could mean freedom, or it could mean a stiffer prison sentence.

This morning Knox told a jury what she claimed all along. That she didn't kill her roommate, Meredith Kercher back in 2007. Kercher's family is in Perugia for this milestone in this case, and they're planning it to talk to the media this hour.

We're standing by waiting to watch that news conference. We'll bring it to you when it does begin. Meanwhile, CNN's Paula Newton is outside the prison where Amanda Knox is waiting. Paula, what are you hearing there?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, she was just visited by an Italian parliamentarian. He tells us that she's with the prison chaplain. She's in the chapel. She's singing hymns and playing songs.

But important here, she remains confident and said to him directly I expect to be flying home tonight. You know, earlier, Martin, she gave a very passionate plea in front of a jury. She at first broke down, but then composed herself and said, OK and got on with it.

In speaking to her defense for several months, they made it clear to her that, look, a weak point of prosecution is motive. You must prove to this jury you had no motive in killing Meredith Kercher. I want you to hear from Amanda Knox now in her own words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANDA KNOX, DEFENDANT (through translator): I am the same person I was four years ago, exactly the same person. The only thing that changed now from four years ago is my suffering. In four years, I've lost my friends in the most terrible and unexplainable way. (END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: She made it seem as if she, too, in fact, missed Meredith Kercher and wanted justice for her. But Martin, crucially, she said justice will not be served by me paying for my entire life for something I did not do. Martin --

SAVIDGE: Paula Newton standing outside the prison where Amanda Knox is now awaiting the verdict. Thank you very much.

Let's go to another major court case. We're talking about the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray. Emergency room doctors who tried to revive Jackson are expected to testify today. Let's go to CNN's Ted Rowlands in Los Angeles. Ted, tell us what more is also waiting ahead in this trial.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first, as you mentioned, we're going to hear from Dr. Rachelle Cooper, Martin. She was on the stand on Friday, and jurors really didn't get much out of her except she was working and they had her CVs and other particulars.

Today, she will likely testify as she did in the preliminary hearing that she asked Michael Jackson's doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray what have you given Michael Jackson? What drugs are in his system?

And she will testify that he never mentioned Propofol, a big point that the prosecution hammered home with the EMTs last week. They'll continue to do it today as well with the emergency room personnel at UCLA.

SAVIDGE: Ted, I'm just curious now. This case, after one week, when does the prosecution figure it's going to be done making its point?

ROWLANDS: Well, the judge has told the jury to be prepared to serve through the month of October saying that October 28th was the time that he foresaw this ending. Most courtroom observers will tell you things are moving quickly.

The judge is pushing it, and he's not taking any extra breaks. They didn't take a court holiday last week as thought, so depending on how the pace of it goes, I think it won't be as long. But for sure this entire week will be consumed with prosecution witnesses and likely into most of next week as well.

SAVIDGE: All right, Ted Rowlands following things out there in Los Angeles for us. We'll continue to stay in touch with that trial through you. Thank you.

And testimony as you just heard will continue in this case. You can turn to our sister network, HLN, for expert coverage throughout the day.

"Occupy Wall Street" protestors aren't backing down after a weekend face-off with police. Seven hundred people were arrested during a demonstration on the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday.

Now organizers say the demonstration is spreading across the country. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. Alison, this protest is now in its third week, right?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Martin. They're going strong and almost empowered after what happened over the weekend here in New York. You talked about the protests growing.

They are across the country. You can see them in New York, obviously Vermont, L.A., Seattle so yes, they are definitely getting their message out across the country. But at this point, they're getting their media message out more about their arrests for what happened over the weekend when hundreds of protestors marched on the Brooklyn Bridge essentially shutting it down to traffic for a few hours.

Hundreds were either arrested or ticketed for walking on the roadway. They're denouncing everything from corporate greed to high gas prices. They're calling for a four-day work week. You name it, their grievance list, it's a mile long.

You know, they still have a lot of star power behind them. When I was out there with the protestors close here to where I am right now at the New York Stock Exchange here at the financial district, we saw Suzanne Sarandon out there, media mogul Russell Simmons is lending his advice to help these protestors.

More clearly define their message even Alec Baldwin, he took to Twitter over the weekend sending encouraging messages and pictures about the protests. You know what they have yet to actually do? A sit-in here on Wall Street.

Because what's happening here around the New York Stock Exchange, we have barricades keeping anybody from getting anywhere close to the exchange. But they definitely are getting the media attention that they've been yearning for, especially something really bizarre, which we can go to the video.

Susan Candiotti covered the protest over the weekend. For some reason someone literally threw a dog in the air across the live shot, pretty strange. I don't understand what the point of that was. Martin --

SAVIDGE: No, I'm not clear what that message is. Maybe it's part of that complicated topic of what they're trying to push. We'll see. Alison, can I ask you, how are you markets?

KOSIK: The markets are holding they are own. We are lower. The Dow, Nasdaq and S&P all are lower right now. You know, these worries about Greece defaulting are heating up, but the markets seemed to be taking it on the chin at least for the moment. Martin --

SAVIDGE: Animal rights activists are not going to be happy about the dog thing. All right, Alison --

KOSIK: Exactly, I was thinking the same thing.

SAVIDGE: You are right. Thank you so much for that.

All right, now to politics. Texas Governor Rick Perry at the center of a controversy or controversy as my mother would say over the name of a Texas hunting camp once leased by him and his family. It was a name that contained the n word.

According to the "Washington Post" a rocket at the camp entrance was painted with the name in big letters. The campaign spokesman says Perry's father painted over the rock soon after they began using the property in the 1980s.

CNN's deputy political director, Paul Steinhaeuser joins us. There's a lot of fallout over this one, Paul?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Definitely, I think it's fair to say Rick Perry definitely in the harsh glare of the national campaign spotlight because of this story.

The "Washington Post" story also says even though the Perry campaign says the rock was painted over, "The Washington Post" story says people have seen the name on the rock as recently as a few years ago, Martin.

I think what was telling was how quick the Perry campaign reacted to this. I reached out to them early yesterday morning after seeing the "Washington Post" story, and they had a statement out to me just in a few minutes on a Sunday morning.

Very quick for them, and that statement said this, Martin. A number of claims made in the story are incorrect, inconsistent and anonymous, including the implication that Rick Perry brought groups to the lease when the word on the rock was still visible.

One consistent fact in the story is that the word on the rock was painted over and obscured many years ago. That from the Perry campaign yesterday.

Herman Cain, a fellow Republican also running for the nomination who is African-American was on the Sunday talk shows yesterday. He was asked about the story. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My reaction is that's just very insensitive. There isn't a more vile negative word than the n-word and for him to leave it there as long as he did before they finally painted over it is just plain insensitive to a lot of black people in this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Again, in a sign of how serious the Perry campaign is taking this, they put out reaction to Herman Cain just a few minutes later. The put out a statement saying, they agreed that the word was insensitive, but they pointed out again that it had been painted over on that rock.

All right, the telling signs, will any other Republican campaigns maybe Mitt Romney speak out here and take on Rick Perry over this incident, or will it stay where it is and what will Rick Perry say himself on this? Martin, the story is far from over.

SAVIDGE: Well, you're right. I mean, for Perry, it's one misstep after another. Well, with all of these problems, could it mean that Chris Christie might now change his mind and jump in?

STEINHAUSER: Well, you know, the latest chorus of calls for the New Jersey governor to jump in and run for the nomination started about two weeks ago after Perry stumbled in that most recent presidential debate.

This may accelerate those calls. What do we know? Not a lot other than we believe Christie is thinking about it and was talking with his family. Remember he had said no to such calls to run for months, but has maybe changed his mind.

And that his advisers some of whom worked for the Giuliani campaign in the last presidential campaign are trying to figure out now whether there's any time left to actually do this.

Whether they can start up a campaign and do the fund-raising and get teams in those early states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina who may move up a month on the calendar. Whether there's time to launch a campaign, Martin --

SAVIDGE: Paul Steinhauser, thanks very much for that.

Coming up, Captain Harry Wales swoops into the U.S. for some flight training. We've got details on the prince's military mission.

And the calendar says early October, but some people in one state are already seeing snow on the ground. We'll tell you where, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: A live picture now from Perugia, Italy where the Kercher's family is planning to talk to the media at this hour. We continue to monitor the scene there.

Of course, we'll bring that to you live when it happens. Again, that is the family of Meredith Kercher. She is the young woman who was killed in Italy for which Amanda Knox is now on trial actually her appeal.

OK, moving on. Checking stories now cross country. A rocky night in the skies around Boston. As many as 18 people were injured when two different flights experienced extreme turbulence. Eleven of them were on board a Lufthansa flight from Charlotte to Munich. The other incident happened on the Jet Blue flight that was going from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Boston.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw the plane go down, down, down. I said, my God.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was so scary. I thought, my God, this could be it. It didn't last that long. It was quite a surprise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: In New Orleans now, police are searching for the driver of this pickup truck. It slammed right through the main door of the district attorney's office. The driver ran off. Police are calling it a hit and run, but they're unsure of what his motive was.

And then people in Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania woke up to the first snowflakes of the season. Up to one inch of snow was reported in some parts of the states. Snow in early October is rare, but it's not unheard of.

Now to the royals, Prince Harry is deploying to the desert this week for military duty, but it's not the desert you think, not Afghanistan. It is Arizona. Max Foster is here to explain. Max --

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Martin, it doesn't just look like Afghanistan by accident. Prince Harry has already served on foot in Afghanistan back in 2008, and he could well return after he's qualified to fly Apache helicopters deadly machines with missiles.

He's going to Arizona to train in them in that landscape that does sort of mimic Afghanistan in a way. So he's there for a couple of months. We're not expecting to get media access to him while he's there. Work, work, work, we're told by the palace and military.

He'll also spend some time in California as part of this training. It will done by the end of the year. Then they could make some decisions about redeploying him. People are expecting him, Martin, to be redeployed to Afghanistan, although they're not confirming when that might be. It will probably be next year. He's certainly keen to go.

SAVIDGE: There's no question why they would keep that secret. They know how much he might be targeted. Max, you got something in the mail I believe that perhaps you could share with us.

FOSTER: Well, thanks for asking, Martin. Got it in the mail today, an invitation from no less of the master of the household of Buckingham Palace. He's been commanded by the queen to invite me to Buckingham Palace, it's a reception. This is all about the diamond jubilee, Martin.

This time next year, the queen will be marking her 60th year on the throne. The only other queen to have done that is Queen Victoria. It's going to be a huge event at the U.K. next year.

So lots of build up to that and lots of celebrations next year. I'll have details of that after this event, November 28th. We'll talk about it again.

SAVIDGE: I'm sure we will. I haven't had time to look in my mailbox yet so I'm sure it's there. Thanks.

Coming up, some Hollywood celebs have joined those protests against Wall Street. We'll tell you who is showing their support after this break.

Plus, the evolution of our mobile society, cell phones, Smartphones, they go from convenient to crucial to some say a pain in the behind. It's great to be so connected, but is there a downside? We'll have an in-depth discussion coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: This is the news conference we've been telling you about. It's coming to us from Perugia, Italy. As Amanda Knox, the American awaits her fate after pleading for her life this morning at her appeal, this is the family of Meredith Kercher, and, of course, she's the victim in this case.

Many have complained that her -- that her loss, their loss has been overlooked in all of this. So we are anticipating to hear the family speak. Right now it's in Italian, so there's not much point bringing it to you.

But of course, they are English, so we anticipate that eventually this conversation is going to resume again in English. Among those who are expected to participate would be Arlene Kercher, who is -- and John. Those are the parents, mother and father of Meredith.

And also a sister is said to be there as well. So it is a chance for the family to speak out. It was a very compelling day in court because Amanda Knox got up and made a very emotional plea, essentially pleading for her life now.

It's not that she faces death, but she does face imprisonment and has already been convicted for facing a stiff prison sentence and could face more or she could go free. There seems to a consensus by many in the media at least on the ground in Italy that, in fact, Amanda Knox will go free.

Which, of course, would be greatly distressing to the Kercher family because they know that something awful happened to her daughter family and they believe they know who is responsible so, again, this is the news conference that we're monitoring now, and, of course, it's got a great deal of media attention.

We're just waiting and watching like you to see who will speak first and exactly what they have to say inside of a rather dimly-lit room. Again, because this is happening, of course, in Italy, the opening statements here are being made in Italian.

And until we get to something that is closer to English, you probably wouldn't be most of our viewers' time. But again, the importance of this is the fact that the Kerchers have pretty much felt that their daughter has been overlooked, and, of course, she is the victim.

She's the reason this whole proceeding is taking place. Amanda Knox was found guilty after her trial originally, which was on four years ago. We're talking all the way back to 2009. This appeal, though, has been based on primarily new DNA evidence or a look again at the DNA evidence.

Amanda Knox was in court this morning, and I'm wondering, while we wait, can we replay any of the sound of when she was speaking and making that very emotional appeal to her jury this morning?

Any chance we could hear that? All right, we'll try to find that sound. In the meantime we'll continue to keep an eye here on this news conference. Let's bring it -- here is Amanda Knox as she spoke before the court this morning in Italian through translation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KNOX (through translator): I am the same person that I was four years ago, exactly the same person. The only thing that has prejudiced me now from four years ago is my suffering. In four years, I've lost my friends in the most terrible and unexplainable way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: That was Amanda Knox as she made an impassioned appeal to the court this morning. Now as we await a verdict, we are also waiting on this news conference, which again, is the family of Meredith Kercher. She is the victim in this particular case, so we will be monitoring this.

As soon as we have any further talking in English -- OK. We're going to stick with this at least for the time being. Again, going back to this particular trial, it has captured both the media of two continents, here in the United States and also in Europe. And again, it's still in Italian. So when it changes, we'll come back. In the meantime, let's move on.

All right, these days being connected is just about expected from CEOs to school kids. Everybody is packing the cell phones, Smartphones, tablets, readers, you name it, and living a lot of life on this very small screens.

Technology is great, but the real question here is, are we overdoing it? Well, this week we're going in depth on mobile society, and Paul Gillin is a long time tech journalist who focuses now on social marketing and he joins us from Newton, Massachusetts.

Good morning. Thanks for being with us.

PAUL GILLIN, SOCIAL MARKETING AUTHOR/CONSULTANT: Good Morning, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Have you silenced your cell phone?

GILLIN: I have indeed.

SAVIDGE: Yes. That's the first thing you have to think of.

GILLIN: I've had enough disaster.

SAVIDGE: This is the whole thing about how connected we are. This is an issue that we feel so passionately in today's modern age. Are we just too connected?

GILLIN: Well, we certainly can overdo it. There is an element of privacy that we can control, of course. We can choose to share our location. Most of these devices, new Smartphone devices are location aware.

We can choose to share or not share that information. But I would argue that the connection is largely a good thing because we have the wherewithal to share our experiences and observations immediately with people who care about them.

SAVIDGE: Well, but the other problem is that we bring our work home. I mean, how many times do those of us who go home pick up that phone and look at the latest e-mails or latest information coming from bosses or workplace.

I mean, there's no letup then. It used to be when you were done at 5:00, and I realize this is the Ozzy and Harriet days, that was the end of work you went home and focused on family or your private life.

GILLIN: Well, I think it's been about 15 years.

SAVIDGE: Now I'm going to stop you before you can answer that. I'm sorry, Paul because we're going back to the news conference in Perugia, Italy where the family of Meredith Kercher is now beginning their press conference.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): In case of acquittal -- don't answer any questions about anything. We'll talk about that tomorrow. Tomorrow depending on the verdict, then you will ask them what they think. In the last few months, the idea of Italian justice --

ARLINE KERCHER, MURDER VICTIM'S MOTHER: Well, I think it's quite good because they proceed in the same way as they do everywhere in the world. They look for the evidence. They test scientifically, forensically.

I think what is good is in the previous trial the judge actually issued a 400-page document, which kind of detailed how they got to that result, what their thinking was, why they got there.

In England you don't have that. The sentence is given, and that's it. You don't know why sometimes. I think that's good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was it that bothers you most? What will you remember through all this, and will you be able to forgive?

STEPHANIE KERCHER, MURDER VICTIM'S SISTER: Without a final ending to everything, it would be very difficult to forgive anything at this stage. I think what everyone needs to remember is what my mom talked about earlier, is the brutality of what actually happened that night.

Everything that Meredith must have felt that night, everything she went through, the fear and the terror and not knowing why. She didn't deserve that. No one deserves that. But she'd been here for two months, and, you know, she loved this place.

It's a beautiful city. Even being here now, it's nice to be here, but it's very difficult to understand what happened that night without knowing the truth, and that's what we need to find.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: BBC.

SAVIDGE: And that was Stephanie Kercher. That is the sister of Meredith Kercher there. You're watching a news conference out of Perugia, Italy. It is from the family of Meredith Kercher. She's the victim in the case of the Amanda Knox appeal that is taking place right now.

As we await a verdict, the family chose this time to speak to the media. As you can understand, there are a lot of translations issues that go back and forth between English and Italian from a very mixed crowd of media representative. We'll continue to follow it. We'll get back into that news conference.

In the meantime, we'll move on. President Obama calls Lady Gaga a little intimidating. Is there anyone else who the president should be losing sleep over? Our political buzz panel weighs in just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Taking a look now at our top stories. The second week of testimony in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray starts this morning. Jurors will hear from two emergency room doctors who tried to revive Michael Jackson.

Defense secretary, Leon Panetta, is in the Middle East. He's urging Israeli and Palestinian leaders to restart peace talks. Panetta says that Israel must improve its relationship with other countries in the region.

And American, Bruce Beutler, is one of three men sharing this year's Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. The three were honored for their discoveries on how the immune system works.

"Political Buzz" is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. Playing today, Democratic strategist, Maria Cardona, Sirius XM political talk show host and comedian, Pete Dominick, and CNN contributor, Will Cain.

So, here we go. First question. Rick Perry stumbling, falling down a lot on the campaign trail. His latest controversy over a sign at a Texas hunting camp he and his family used to lease. "The Washington Post" says it contained the "N" word. How does Perry correct? Will.

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: On this particular issue, Martin, I don't know that he can. So, I'm going to be very careful and try my best to be responsible on this topic. That "Washington Post" story was full of anonymous sources. It was full of speculation. So, for a bunch of pundits (ph) to speculate about it and his association with it, I don't know that that's very appropriate.

So, I think at this point, Rick Perry has some questions to answer on this topic. And beyond that, I don't know if they're being responsible by just spouting out.

SAVIDGE: But it's out there, Maria, so what do you do?

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It's very tough. I agree with Will. I don't know that he can course correct it at this point. Taken alone, this is an incredibly serious issue for any candidate at any time. But the fact of the matter is, is that this now becomes a cumulative effect.

It's this on top of his very weak debate performances, on top of the HPV, on top of his immigration issue, on top of his threatening the life of Ben Bernanke. I mean, it's one thing after the other, and I think what voters start to do is they start to build a (BUZZER) gut feeling about him that is not good for him right now.

SAVIDGE: Pete, is it the end of the road for Perry?

PETE DOMINICK, SIRIUS XM POLITICAL TALK SHOW HOST: I don't think so, Martin. I mean, I can't hear Republicans that we're going to support him across the country. I just can't hear them right now going, this is it. This is the final straw. I can't believe that word was in connection with Rick Perry. I just -- all the sexual innuendo that refers to that word head, I'm so offended by it.

SAVIDGE: All right. Well, let's move on. This one, "The New York Times" says that Chris Christie's people are looking to see if they can move fast enough to set up political machines in Iowa and New Hampshire. Is it too late for his team to start printing those Christie 2012 bumper stickers? Maria, what do you say?

CARDONA: Well, you know, in politics, anything can happen. But, I do think that from a timing standpoint, it is too late. He has not built any organization in any of the states that are important. But I think more importantly, he has already said that he does not feel in his heart that he's ready to be president.

So, he should take his own advice. If he actually jumps in now, he's going to be seen as the opportunist that he, himself, said that it's not a reason to run for president. So, he will have already written the ads that his opponents are going to use against him.

SAVIDGE: All right. Will, what do you think?

CAIN: Well, regarding just how much time he has, he has to do four things, Martin. One, he has to fundraise, and apparently, there's no problem with that. Billionaires are begging him to get in. He needs name recognition. In today's media society, I don't think he's going to have a problem with that.

He needs to get on the ballot. Apparently, they think they can still do that. So, he's not too worried. Fourth, he needs to get a political campaign structure in place. That's the question. Can he do that in Iowa and South Carolina and New Hampshire with a little over 90 days to go? We'll see.

SAVIDGE: Pete, what do you think?

DOMINICK: Not a chance. I mean, Martin, you and everybody at CNN should have these videos cued up because you're going to be using them a whole bunch if he says he's going to run. He said so many times his heart isn't in it. He doesn't want to run, and we're going to be able to play those videos all day.

Not to mention, the guy looks like a moderate Democrat on so many issues that are outside of fiscal conservatism like gun control. He believes in science. He thinks Muslims are OK. I mean, there's all kinds of views that he has that are just not going to fly with the fringe right that has become the consistent middle with all of these mainstream candidates that we saw on these debate stages. (BUZZER)

SAVIDGE: You just beat the buzzer. All right. Now, speaking of beating the buzzer, 20 seconds apiece. Listen to what President Obama told the human rights campaign over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: She's wearing 16- inch heels. She was 8 feet tall. It was a little intimidating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Talking about Lady Gaga just in case you had any question. Who, if anyone, should President Obama really be intimidated by in the lead-up to the November of 2012? Will.

CAIN: Anthony Kennedy. He's the swing vote on the Supreme Court, and now, the Obama administration has asked the Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of Obamacare. This is not going to play out well.

Three months, four months before an election, you don't want to remind people that you were thinking about this and not the economy, but a loss, a loss at the Supreme Court level that Anthony Kennedy will be the one to deliver if it's delivered, that'd be bad.

SAVIDGE: Very insightful. All right. Maria. CARDONA: Well, apparently, at this point, Martin, the only person that he needs to be afraid of is generic Republican, because right now, that's the only person who's actually beating him.

But the problem is that once you put a name into that generic Republican of the candidates who are currently running, nobody beats him, which is why you have people begging Chris Christie to come in so they can save the GOP from what, apparently, is now a field (BUZZER) that cannot beat President Bush -- President Obama, I'm sorry.

SAVIDGE: Pete, take it away.

DOMINICK: Well, first of all, will had a great answer. Anthony Kennedy is a good one. But I think President Obama should also be very worried about President Obama from 2008. He's lost so much from his base, and there's going to be no votes and protest votes.

And maybe Mitt Romney will now come out on like ten-inch stilts or heels to pretend he's Lady Gaga since President Obama admitted he was intimidated by that. I can see that debate. That should play out.

(LAUGHTER)

SAVIDGE: All right. Well, thanks to all three of you. We've got some lovely parting prizes. You'll be handed those as soon as you're up here.

(LAUGHTER)

SAVIDGE: So, we appreciate it.

CARDONA: Thanks, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Thank you.

Coming up, the Lockerbie bomber, he speaks out from his sick bed. He says that his role in the attack on Pan Am 103 greatly exaggerated, and he says the truth will come out soon. We'll see it all next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Checking stories across the country.

A nine-year-old boy is in critical but stable condition after a bad car wreck in Philadelphia. The twist here? He was driving. Seems that he took his parents' car out for a joyride. It's not clear how far he traveled before the accident.

A Massachusetts church at the center of a controversy has been sold, but catholic parishioners want the Vatican to block the deal. Officially, St. Jeremiah's was closed by the archdiocese back in 2005. The congregation refused to go. They've been holding a vigil there ever since.

And check this out. A fundraiser with some muscle in Rhode Island. Check out the fifth annual MS Jet Pull at the state's airport. Teams of 25 took turns trying to move a Boeing 727, all 90 tons of it. The event raises money for multiple sclerosis research.

And this just in. South Carolina's Republican presidential primary will be held on January 21st of next year. That is according to two GOP sources, and it's expected to be officially announced later this morning. The updated calendar is likely to push the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary even earlier into January. Stay tuned for all your political news.

Meanwhile, overseas, the Lockerbie bomber says that his role in the attack has been greatly exaggerated. 270 people died in that bombing of Pan Am flight 103. Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was the only one ever convicted. Now, he's telling Reuters that the truth will come out, hopefully, in the future.

Senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson is live in London to help us explain or understand. Nic, what more can you tell us about this interview?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he seems to be slightly better than he was when I saw him about a month ago when I was allowed into his house. His family showed me him lying on his bed. He was barely moving. They told me he was slipping in and out of consciousness and that he wasn't getting his proper medication.

Well, he seems to have made something of a recovery, but he still says that he may only have days, months left to live, and he wants to live out the rest of his life in his house. What is interesting when he says that his role in the Lockerbie bombing was grossly overplayed and that the truth will come out is he's not offering what that truth will be.

He said other people are working on that, and hopefully, it will come out. So, he's not telling us anything new here, but if he is innocent, this is the man who must have those details, who must have those facts, at least, some knowledge of who else in the Libyan regime should have been responsible. He took the fall. If he's not guilty as he says, then who else? And he's not saying that up until now, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Who do you think he is trying to speak out to? In other words, who is he trying to influence here?

ROBERTSON: I think he's trying to influence international opinion. Obviously, there's a move to bring him to the United States to face questioning in the United States. A Scottish justice system has said that it's happy for him to remain in Libya. The National Transitional Council in Libya, itself, the interim government, has said that it's happy for him to remain in Libya.

So, it seems to be this is a very basic and fundamental appeal to get people off of his back in his eyes and to allow him as he and his family keep saying to finish off his days at home in peace. It seems to be nothing more than that at this stage. But as we see him lying in bed, sounding frail, it's appealing to people's emotion rather than their intellect, because there are still questions, and he's not answering them yet, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Nic Robertson in London. Thank you.

The U.S. is defending its decision to kill American-born radical cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki. The defense secretary, Leon Panetta, says that al-Awlaki's actions outweighed any qualms about his American citizenship. Here is Panetta talking exclusively with CNNs newest anchor, host of "Out Front," Erin Burnett.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY: This individual was clearly a terrorist, and yes, he was a citizen, but if you're a terrorist, you're a terrorist. And, that means that we have the ability to go after those who would threaten to attack the United States and kill Americans. There's no question that the authority and the ability to go after a terrorist is there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: And you can see the rest of Erin Burnett's exclusive interview with Leon Panetta tonight when her new show, "Out Front," premieres at 7:00 p.m. eastern time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: All right. Let's get your "Showbiz" headlines going. "Dolphin Tail" just soaked its box office competition in its second weekend. That movie earned another $14 million and bumped "Lion King" from the top spot down to number three.

Five years after his cancellation, possible new life for "Arrested Development," the creator (INAUDIBLE) plans a short spinoff series. He says it will be a prequel to the long rumored "Arrested Development" movie.

And the end of a broadcasting era. After more than 30 years, Andy Rooney hangs it up in "60 minutes." In his final message, Rooney said, he's not totally retiring. He plans to keep writing, and he also saved some time for his fans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY ROONEY, WRITER/COMMENTATOR: A lot of you have sent me wonderful letters and said good things to me when you meet me in the street. I wasn't always gracious about it. It's hard to accept being light. I don't say this often, but thank you. Although, if you do see me in a restaurant, please, just let me eat my dinner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: And with that, Rooney wrapped up his 1,097th "60 Minutes" essay.

Coming up, stocks are slipping as talk of another recession heats up. We'll go to the New York Stock Exchange for the details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Officially, the recession ended two years ago, but a growing number of economists say we could be headed for another one. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with the details of a new report. And Alison, what is the outlook for the economy?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: you know what, Martin? If you ask the Economic Cycle Institute, they'll tell you we're in a recession now or it's inevitable that we're going to go into one because the reality is they say too many negative factors are weighing on the economy.

Look what we're dealing with. We're dealing with home prices that are extremely low. No jobs were created in August. Manufacturing is slowing. Economists also expect Greece to run out of money this month. Lakshman Achuthan from EPRI, he spoke on "American Morning" today. Listen to what he had to say about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAKSHMAN ACHUTHAN, MANAGING DIR., ECONOMIC CYCLE RESEARCH INSTITUTE: In this case, we have a conceptual underpinning of how recessions and recoveries take place in this country. In a market economy, recessions are part and parcel of a market economy.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Right.

ACHUTHAN: So, we're not going to get away from them. And, looking at the facts, we see that the forward-looking indicators, not one, not two, dozens of leading indexes are falling. There's contagion among those indexes. They're falling in a way that we only see when a recession is under way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: OK. But the jury is still out. Not everybody agreeing that we're in a recession. Out today new from Fitch Ratings saying that they don't expect a double-dip recession, but at the very least, what you're seeing happen here is most economists agree that the likelihood is increased because the global economy is slowing down -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: If it does happen, Alison, will it be like a repeat of 2008 or something different?

KOSIK: You know what, Achuthan says the reality is most economists and Achuthan say we're not going to see a repeat of 2008. This is not 2008, because credit markets, they aren't frozen like they were back in 2008, and companies are making more money. They've got all that money sitting on the sidelines as well.

But because the economy is so fragile, if there's a big negative shock that happens, all bets are off. Because you remember back in 2008, the early part of the year everybody pretty much thought that the recession, you know, would just be mild, but then Lehman went under. So, you know, anything can happen.

I guess, being cautious is one way to look at it. As for stocks today, they are in the red on this first trading day of the fourth quarter. We did go higher, but now, we're back lower. We'll see where things end up today -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Alison, thank you very much for the update.

Well, the forensic expert working to help free Amanda Knox, he is, rather, and he says that the DNA evidence used to convict the American student should never have become evidence, in the first place. Coming up in the next hour, the head of the innocence project in Idaho will be here in our studio.

Also here, Teamsters president, James Hoffa. We'll ask him why he refuses to back down from his attack on the Tea Party.

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Let's get our "Political Ticker" and talk about New Jersey governor, Chris Christie. CNNs Jim Acosta joins us for that. And Jim, is it right that Christie is not in the race, but some Republican candidates are already going after him?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, and there are a lot of tea leaves to look at this morning, Martin, as to whether or not Chris Christie is going to get into this race. There are a lot of reports out there that he is meeting with internal political advisers about, really, the feasibility of mounting a campaign this late in the game.

Remember, the primary calendar has just been pushed up with a lot of the early voting that's going to happen now in January. There's also another report out there in the "Daily Caller" that some of Christie's top donors have been told, hey, be on stand by to come to Trenton in case we have an announcement one way or the other later this week.

So, there's certainly a lot of talk about whether or not he's going to jump into this race, but just to be safe, one of Mr. Christie's potential rivals, Herman Cain, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza, he took a swipe at Christie over the weekend on one of the Sunday talk shows, saying Christie may be too liberal in today's Republican Party.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERMAN CAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe that a lot of conservatives, once they know his position on those things that you delineated, they will not be able to support him. So, I think the bet is absolutely a liability for him if he gets in the race.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And speaking of Herman Cain, he's going to be meeting with Donald Trump later today, a sign of Republican political prowess. So, that's going to be interesting to watch, see how that turns out. But really, Martin, all we're really focusing on, at least, in the early part of this week, is whether or not Chris Christie jumps into this race. It would really change everything, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Yes. It definitely would. Jim Acosta, thanks very much.

We'll have your next political update in one hour. And a reminder, for all the latest political news, go to our Web site. That's CNNPolitics.com.

What do you know? That does it for me. I am finished. Suzanne Malveaux takes it over from here.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Nice to see you, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Thank you.