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Cult Remarks Stirs Controversy; Occupy Wall Street Spreads; Al Davis Dies at 82; Remembering Ten Years in Afghanistan; Job Hiring for Holiday Season; Meteor Showers Today
Aired October 08, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN HOST: Racking up another straw poll victory for Ron Paul. The Texas Congressman came in first today in a Republican Presidential Straw Poll held at the Values Voter Summit, a gathering of social conservatives in Washington.
Results were announced less than an hour ago. Paul got 37 percent of the vote. Herman Cain came in second. Rick Santorum third. Well the live report in just three minutes.
Well, a prominent Baptist pastor says he doesn't support Mitt Romney for president because Romney is a Mormon and Mormonism is a cult. I interviewed him just a couple of hours ago. You'll hear what he had to say in just a few minutes.
And a towering figure in the NFL has died -- legendary coach, commissioner and owner Al Davis. Over the years, his Oakland Raiders won countless championships, including three Super Bowls. Commissioner Roger Goodell says that Davis' impact and legacy will be forever a part of the NFL. Al Davis was 82 years old.
And anti-corporate anger keeps spreading. Occupy Wall Street sister demonstrations have now been held in more than a dozen cities across the country, including Chicago, Philly, Austin and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Protesters are taking on a number of issues including income disparities and corporate greed.
Halfway around the world, thousands of Michael Jackson fans are attending a tribute concert in Wales today. The pop icon's three children are attending it also. Several of Jackson's siblings are performing. This comes as Jackson's physician stands trial for involuntary manslaughter in the singer's death. For the first time this week, we heard Dr. Conrad Murray's interview with detectives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. CONRAD MURRAY, MICHAEL JACKSON'S FORMER PHYSICIAN: Everything happened very quickly. Just about the time I was gone and I came back. So I started immediately to perform CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Testimony in the trial resumes on Monday. A dramatic rescue at sea. A small plane ran out of gas while flying from Monterey, California, to Hawaii. The pilot notified the Coast Guard that he was in trouble about five miles from shore. A rescue team coached him how to safely land the plane right there on its belly. The pilot climbed out of the cockpit, waited on the wing and waited until a rescue chopper pulled him to safety.
(INAUDIBLE) is 80. Archbishop Desmond Tutu is celebrating his 80th birthday yesterday in Cape Town South Africa as you can see with a lot of laughter, music and prayer. Among those celebrating with him, U2 hit maker, Bono, who called Tutu a rocker on a higher level.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BONO, SINGER ACTIVIST: Yes, he's not just rock star, he's a punk rock star. And I'm afraid of him. I'm genuinely scared of what he's going to say to me. And I think that's the way the South African government feels. I think that's the way his family feel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, apparently the Dalai Lama wanted to be there, too. But he scrapped his plans after South Africa failed to issue a visa in time. He wished Reverend Tutu a happy birthday by webcast.
All right. Now back to the Values Voters Summit in Washington where Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has just won the straw poll. CNN political reporter Peter Hamby joining us once live again. Peter, let's talk about how big Paul's win was.
PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, Ron Paul wins straw polls all the time. He does it so often that, you know, a lot of Republicans and a lot of the media start to not pay attention. Actually, when they announced Ron Paul as the winner, a bunch of his supporters in the crowd who came in here, some said they were bussed in to kind of vote, they erupted in Ron Paul, Ron Paul chants and everyone else in the room started booing them.
So you know, looking further down the list, as you mentioned earlier, Herman Cain continues to do well among party activists. He finished second in the straw poll. And Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, a fierce opponent of abortion rights, gave a strong speech here yesterday and he finished in third place. So again, a lot of people are kind of looking down the list, looking past Ron Paul a little bit. Fair or not, he wins these straw polls all the time, kind of diluting their importance at this point. Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Let me ask you about Baptist Pastor Robert Jeffress who introduced Rick Perry and made those comments afterward about Mitt Romney, the fact that Romney is a Mormon. Mormons are not Christians and that people shouldn't vote for him. What do people say about that today?
HAMBY: Yes, you know, that was the talk of the town here. The controversy was still simmering this morning when Mitt Romney spoke here and actually there's another speaker on the agenda who's speaking later today who's also criticized Mormonism and said it's not a Christian - he said they don't deserve first amendment rights. Now Romney kind of criticized him and took a moment to address the sort of tone of the conversation about religion.
Take a listen to what he said earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Poisonous language doesn't advance our cause. It's never softened a single heart nor changed a single mind. The blessings of faith carry the responsibility of civil and respectful debate. The task before us is to focus on the conservative beliefs and the values that unite us. Let no agenda narrow our vision or drive us apart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMBY: So there you go, Romney not directly addressing the controversy, just kind of doing it in broad strokes. Because the last thing that Romney really wants to do is talk about Mormonism. If you look at polls, you know, in a general election, a 22 percent in the Gallup of the country has some skepticism about voting for a Mormon. He wants to keep the focus away from social issues and on jobs and the economy, which is really his strength. That's why he didn't really seem directly address it. He kind of had to. He won applause for that land that you just heard today. But, again, the controversy is really the talk of this conference here, Kyra, and it's not going away any time soon.
PHILLIPS: Peter Hamby, thanks so much.
And just ahead, more on the controversy over that Baptist pastor's remarks about Mormons. I actually had a chance to talk to him just a couple of hours ago. We'll have part of that interview for you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Now back to that controversy that's overshadowing the Values Voter Summit in Washington. Prominent Baptist Pastor Robert Jeffress who backs Republican Rick Perry's candidacy told reporters at the event that Mitt Romney shouldn't be the GOP nominee because he's Mormon, which the pastor says is a cult. Jeffress stood by those comments later during an interview with CNN political correspondent Jim Acosta.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. ROBERT JEFFRESS, SR. PASTOR, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF DALLAS: The Southern Baptist Convention, which is the largest protestant denomination in the world, has officially labeled Mormonism as a cult. I think Mitt Romney is a good moral man. But I think those of us who are born-again followers of Christ should always prefer a confident Christian to a competent non-Christian like Mitt Romney.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Now I spoke with Pastor Robert Jeffress just about two hours ago. He still says that Mitt Romney is a moral man but Mormons are not Christians and he has a right to support a Christian presidential candidate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Pastor, first of all, did Rick Perry know what you were going to say when you introduced him?
JEFFRESS: No, not at all, neither he nor his advance team had any indication of what I was going to say in the introduction. And by the way, in my introduction, as you accurately noted, I did not say anything about cults or Mormonism or didn't mention Mitt Romney by name. All of this came about as a result of some reporters' questions after the introduction in which one reporter asked me why I personally would not vote for a Mormon. That's really what set all after this off.
PHILLIPS: So let me ask you, why did you even decide to bring this up now and bring up the issue of Mormonism and the fact that you believe it's a cult? It was debated and discussed in 2008.
JEFFRESS: Right. Well again, Kyra, I'm not the one who brought it up. A reporter asked me. And you know, my primary role is not of a politician nor a pundit. I'm a pastor. When somebody asks me a theological question about Mormonism, I have a responsibility to tell the truth. This is no surprise, as you said, I'm not a Jeremiah Wright on the fringe of making fanatical statement. Mormonism has never been considered a part of evangelical historic Christianity. If it's a choice between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama in the general election, I will vote for Mitt Romney.
PHILLIPS: I understand but pastor, I understand that you were saying that you responded to reporters. But you introduce Rick Perry. He's running for president of the United States. You're a supporter of his and we asked Perry what he thought about what you said. This is what he told our reporters right after.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Did you associate yourself with the comments -
RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I answered your question. No, I don't think it is. Thank you all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right. Here's a man that you support, he's saying right there to reporters he doesn't agree with what you said, with regard to Mormonism being a cult. So does this change your mind about him and how you feel about him is this --
JEFFRESS: Oh, not at all. Listen, there are plenty of reasons. I believe conservative evangelicals ought to vote for Rick Perry over Mitt Romney and Mormonism is just one issue for evangelical Christians. But I think an equal question is going to be Governor Romney's lack of consistency on some core issues to those of us who are evangelicals, like the abortion issue. I think many conservatives are suspect on his flip-flopping on that issue and because of that they had great doubts about his suitability to be the conservative candidate for president.
PHILLIPS: All right. Romney, as you know, is a very successful businessman since we're talking about issues now. He's been a CEO of a very successful company in addition to running a state. Many people believe he would be a very competent chief executive to run this nation in brutal economic times. So are you suggesting that religious beliefs should trump competence to be president?
JEFFRESS: Yes, to religious people, Kyra, religion matters. And I'm a pastor. I was speaking to a group of conservative evangelicals and I said in my introduction of Governor Perry, I certainly tout his economic platform, his success in Texas. But what I care about most as a Christian is his stance on biblical issues like the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage. And Governor Perry has a strong, long track record of being consistent. For example, he signed the Texas sonogram bill, he defunded planned parenthood. Those things are important to those of us who are evangelical Christians.
PHILLIPS: Understand. We know you support Rick Perry but what does religion have to do with being a competent president? And I'm talking about specifically what you said about Mitt Romney.
JEFFRESS: Well, John Jay was the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, the author of the federal (INAUDIBLE) papers . And he said, "we have a duty and a privilege as Christians to select and prefer Christians as our leaders." I hardly think John Jay was a bigoted person. The fact is those of us who are evangelicals had every right to prefer and select a competent Christian over a competent non-Christian. Again, Kyra, it's not the only issue but it's certainly one issue that who we are evangelicals are going to consider.
PHILLIPS: Well, let me throw something back at you, then. Let's talk about article six, paragraph three of the Constitution that says there's no religious test to being president. Are you going against the Constitution?
JEFFRESS: Kyra, that is an outrageous statement. That refers to government cannot impose a litmus test. But as individual citizens, we have every right to impose litmus tests of the kind of person we prefer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well Mitt Romney spoke at the Values Voter Summit today although he didn't mention Pastor Jeffress by name. Romney warned against poisonous language saying that the blessings of faith carry the responsibility of civil and respectful debate.
Almost 3,000 descendants of African slaves fighting for citizenship in Oklahoma's Cherokee nation. 150 years ago, their ancestors were enslaved not by white men, but by Cherokees. CNN special correspondent Soledad O'Brien explains what happened when both sides went to federal court.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sam Ford is a Cherokee freed man.
SAM FORD, CHEROKEE DESCENDANT: I'm an African-American with Cherokee heritage. My great grandmother, Phyllis Thompson Pettit was a slave of the Cherokees.
O'BRIEN: It's a little known chapter in American history. The Cherokees were on of five Indian tribes whose members own slaves.
(on camera): So what were those slaves doing for the Cherokee nation?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were agricultural laborers. They were also individuals who work as domestic slaves.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): But in 1866, the Cherokees freed their slaves. They signed a treaty guaranteeing that all freed men and their descendants would have all the rights of native Cherokees. Today that treaty is at the center of a controversy involving nearly 3,000 African-Americans. On August 22nd, Cherokee nation kicked them out of the tribe.
DIANE HAMMONS, ATTORNEY GENERAL, CHEROKEE NATION: The treaty of 1866 did not give citizenship to the freedmen or their descendants.
O'BRIEN: Diane Hammons is the attorney general for Cherokee Nation.
HAMMONS: The heart of the issue is whether or not an Indian tribe can describe, can determine who is eligible to be a member of that tribe.
O'BRIEN: In 2007, Cherokee Nation passed a law requiring proof of Indian blood to be a member. The proof is based on a record that was created a century ago, called the Dawes Rolls. The freedmen say the Dawes Rolls are wrong because they were based on how you looked.
FORD: If you look black, they wrote Cherokee freedmen. If you looked not black, they wrote Cherokee.
O'BRIEN: Many freedmen were of mixed Cherokee and African blood. But on the rolls, they were listed with no Indian blood. Last month, it all went to federal court.
FORD: I was restored as a member of the Cherokee nation.
O'BRIEN: A settlement has let the freedmen back into the tribe for now. The descendants can vote in the election for the Cherokee chief but there's no guarantee that they get to stay in the tribe.
Reporting for "In America", Soledad O'Brien, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: And watch "The New Promised Land, Silicon Valley," a "Black in America" specials hosted by CNN's Soledad O'Brien, Sunday night, November 13th, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
All work and no play, up next, our Dr. Bill prescribes us all a little R&R.
And living longer is a goal for many people. And to help you achieve that goal, "Fitness Magazine" has provided 10 diet tips to help you live longer. First, snack on watermelon. Second, stalk up on asparagus. Third, drink red wine. Fourth, become a part-time vegetarian and fifth stay slim.
The final five tips coming up right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Top stories just ahead, including a reality check 10 years later. A look back at the war in Afghanistan, specifically the top secret mission that led to the bombings at Tora Bora in an effort to weed out Osama Bin Laden.
Coming up, my interview with the now-retired navy captain who led that mission.
Now, back to those tips on what to eat to live longer. Well, here's the other five from "Fitness Magazine." Number six, eat like an Okinawan, among other things that means eating complex carbs and low fat plant based food. Rethink your rice and eat brown. Pick your mushrooms. Cook at home and finally put the brakes on yo-yo dieting.
Too much work, not enough play. Americans especially baby boomers could be working themselves to death, literally. And it's the subject of our weekly look at how to get, stay healthy. Dr. Bill Lloyd, our healthy living expert, joins us now from Sacramento. OK.
First of all, just reading all the things we need to eat to stay healthy. I think red wine is the only one that we can identify with, Dr. Bill. Other than that, I don't know. Could be a bit of a struggle.
DR. BILL LLOYD, HEALTHY LIVING EXPERT: I know you can get watermelon wine in some places as well.
PHILLIPS: There you go, combine the two. Why are we burning the candle on both ends?
LLOYD: This is us. We are literally burning the candle at both ends. And this is killing us, especially baby boomers. We're working more hours than ever before. It's affecting our health, it's affecting our work performance, it's affecting our relationships with people. We need to back away and slow down.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's easier said than done. And we all know that there's physical benefits of relaxation. Let's talk about those. But maybe you can focus more on how we make ourselves do it. LLOYD: Well, you're right. You're talking about a lifestyle change. We're not talking about stopping smoking, which is also a good thing to do. This is something that ought to bring fun and pleasure into your lives. So what do we know about getting more leisure time in your life? Well, we know right away it's going to reduce the stress. And everybody knows what the effects of chronic stress can do to you.
You know, for a short period of time, you can handle a little bit of stress. But when it goes for months and years, you're doomed. We know that more leisure time will lower your blood pressure, it will improve your cholesterol, of course, it will elevate your mood and your overall emotional outlook and it would lead to enhanced job satisfaction. You'll actually enjoy going to the work if you can carve out that time every day for just a little bit of leisure.
PHILLIPS: All right. Busy moms, dads, grandparents. What can we do to make the most of our free time?
LLOYD: Well, it's not as hard as it seems. You have to think back when was the last time I did something that was really enjoyable and what was I doing? Then find activities for that little window of time that are interesting and stimulating. Make sure, Kyra, that it's your time. Sitting at the softball game watching your children play is good parenting but that's not leisure time. You're probably clipping coupons and doing something else. Make sure the work is enjoyable and make it a part of your life every day. I make it a part of my day to run 30 to 45 minutes every single day. Clear the screen and get ready for the next day.
PHILLIPS: All right. How about all of us moms? I'm asking this for everybody in the house this morning when we thought, OK, al, Dr. Bill, it all sounds great. But you know what when you're chasing after babies, how the heck can you do that? You got to work, you got to cook, you got to clean, you got to watch the babies? How am I going to take a run for 30 minutes?
LLOYD: Oh, it's such an important issue. And there's always great pushback. I can't find the time. I've got so many other responsibilities. Well, guess what, Kyra? If you neglect your personal life and your leisure time, it's going to adversely affect all these other activities you have to do. It's going to adversely affect your health and your relationships with others so you build a team. You find others to pitch in and help you get the things that need to be done. And you finally at long last prioritize what doesn't need to be done and instead make that your leisure time.
PHILLIPS: All right. Dr. Bill, well then, we're asking you to come here and take us all out on a day of leisure. How's that sound?
LLOYD: I'm on my way. It's good talking to you.
PHILLIPS: Great talking to you, too.
Well, straight ahead, a decade since the start of the war in Afghanistan and the bombing of the mountains at Tora Bora, believed to be at the time Osama Bin Laden's hideout. My conversation with the navy captain about that mission 10 years later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are the jobs? Where are the jobs?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now, protesters in D.C. chant "where are the jobs." What started as the Occupy Wall Street movement has now spread beyond the financial district to more than a dozen cities across the country. Protesters are speaking out on a number of issues including pay differences and corporate greed. To track Occupy Wall Street and contribute your own angle, visit cnn.com/openstory, the new way to get involved and share your story. Again, that's CNN.com/openstory.
Football fans mourning the loss of a legendary coach, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis. The Raiders won countless championships under his direction and three Super Bowls. Davis also briefly served as NFL commissioner. He suffered numerous health problems in recent years. Al Davis passes away at the age of 82.
And in Syria today, more violent anti-government protests. More than 50,000 people turned out for a rally in northeastern Syria after the assassination of opposition leader. They were calling for the overthrow of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Human rights group says at least two people were killed when security forces cracked down on that protest.
Defense secretary Leon Panetta says if Iraq wants any U.S. troops to stay past December, give them immunity from prosecution. Negotiations are still going on with Iraqi leaders who say they want U.S. forces to help with training and security but don't think legal immunity is necessary.
Well, this weekend marks the tenth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. And today a somber reminder of the war's human cost. A dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force base in Delaware. The fallen marine, Lance Corporal Benjamin W. Schmidt. More than 2,700 coalition forces have been killed over the last decade. 1,780 of them were Americans.
Well, we will all never forget 9/11 and what the terrorists did to our families, our morale and our country. Ad we knew that our president was going to fight back. At that time, I had been covering the military, had gone through training with the Navy's elite top gun school and just happened to know the warriors that were about to bomb and destroy the mountains of Tora Bora. But I couldn't say anything. It was top secret. But the U.S. Navy had been given their orders, and the mission was to find Osama Bin Laden, doing whatever it took to kill or capture him.
So here's the piece that I wrote 10 years ago showing all of you that our Navy was ready to fight. I just couldn't tell you when until that first bomb dropped.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Fallon, Nevada, you've probably never heard of it. It's a bit of a sleepy town, but its U.S. naval air station roars.
(on camera): These are the sounds of CAG 9 (ph), call sign Shogun. Because the first strike will define survival in the inevitable danger zones. These fighters are among one of the most elite air wings in the U.S. military. Nine Squadrons fully integrated and ready for combat, military readiness that's preparing these aviators for air superiority and airborne battle management.
CAPT. R.C. THOMPSON, U.S. NAVY AIR WING COMMANDER: The ability to focus firepower where they want and the most important thing is the ability to minimize damages done to friendly forces, minimize our exposure to risk while maximizing the potential destruction on the enemy.
PHILLIPS: Captain R.C. Thompson commands this air wing, an air wing prepared for whatever the president of the United States says it has to do. President Bush says we're at war. Has that sunk in with your air wing?
THOMPSON: Kyra, I think that probably sunk in the day that footage came on television as to what happened in New York City.
PHILLIPS: It's 7:30 a.m. Lieutenant Morgan Hammond briefs his strike element on the day's simulate simulated air to air combat mission.
LIEUTENANT MORGAN HAMMOND, U.S. NAVY: Everyone will go one way, except Tag (ph), I'd like you to go two way as a low looker (ph) to help out Ghost (ph).
PHILLIPS: In other words, practicing to go in and defend against any enemy attack. These aviators are integrating all warfare areas to disrupt and destroy the enemy. Making sure they're in control of their air space and that all bad guys are out of the sky. But all bad guys are out of the sky.
HAMMOND: It's very important to get all the elements working together, the ET controllers, the FA team, F14, all the strike fighters, doing missions together so that we can operate.
PHILLIPS: Mission for the day, accomplished.
HAMMOND: We're not just strapping on the jets and going flying. We have specific missions and there's a lot of coordination that we have to practice in order to work. It's a dangerous business whether you're doing training or contingency operations.
PHILLIPS: Americans say they want justice. What does this air wing want?
THOMPSON: We're all human. We have emotions and feelings just like every other American. But we're also very professional. Quite frankly what we want is to do our job right. We want to represent the American people when the time comes. We don't want to let them down.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And ten years later, now retired U.S. Navy captain, R.C. Doug Thompson joining us from San Diego. Can you believe it's been ten years?
THOMPSON (via telephone): I know, Kyra. It worn the times out, it seems like yesterday.
PHILLIPS: You know, 9/11 happened and you were appointed to lead those air strikes over Tora Bora. Take me back to that moment when you knew what the country wanted. Everyone wanted Osama bin Laden dead. And here you were training with all the men and women to go over there and try and find him. What do you remember from getting those orders?
THOMPSON: Well, I remember, Kyra, that it was very personal for us. Keep in mind we were charged with defending this country and when the events went down the way they did in New York, it was like somebody coming into your living room and attacking your family. So we had a very strong sense of revenge and payback and also making things right over there. And when we knew that we had the opportunity to actually corner and put al Qaeda away or at least we thought we did, there was a sense that we could end it and end it early.
PHILLIPS: Now, you weren't able to find Osama bin Laden. As we know, it took almost ten years. When you found out that it finally happened, what went through your mind? What did you think about that? This was only a number of months ago.
THOMPSON: It was you're right. And I think, like all the rest of the country, it was a strange cross between exhilaration and relief that we finally found the guy who really perpetrated this act on our country. So it was a - and a great deal of pride in our men and women in uniform. Through all these years and all the very close misses that we've had, that we're finally able to put it to an end.
PHILLIPS: Now looking at Afghanistan and where it stands ten years later, what do you think about? What do you hope for that country? What do you hope for our men and women in the military?
THOMPSON: You know I'm hoping we can leave with a success. I'm very proud of our men and women in uniform. It was easy for us, Kyra. If you remember back, we showed up on station. I remember the ship rendezvousing with a Japanese tanker who was sending us a code. I was up on the bridge and asked what the code was. And it was, welcome U.S. (inaudible), we're all New Yorkers. And you know back then, we weren't Republicans, Democrats the most conservatives, we were all New Yorkers as a country going forward and fighting. And if we can end this correctly so that we can move on, we will walk ahead with our heads high as New Yorkers as well. That's what I hope for.
PHILLIPS: Final thought, that was a pretty amazing moment for you in your career. I remember talking to you years before that moment and you had told me about certain individuals that you trained for to get ready to possibly be in battle with Osama bin Laden, the name was out there. Saddam Hussein's name was out there. You trained for so long and then your moment came. Would you say this was one of the most defining moments of your career when you were out there on the Stenace (ph) leading the attacks over Afghanistan after 9/11?
THOMPSON: Certainly it was. And you know, on every September 11th, I get e-mails from those I was out there with. You know it comes across at the same thing, it was a deep sense of honor and privilege and pride for representing our country for being called upon to go do that. And our main focus was really you know let us do it right. Let us fall back on the training that our country's given us and let's just go out and do it, right. And you know God bless them all. They've done it. And for the last ten years, they've been doing it. Everybody in military, keep one thing in mind. There is no off-season for our military. They just keep going over there and doing their job.
PHILLIPS: Well, I never forget more than a decade ago spending time with you at top gun when you led all those men and women through the school. You gave me the opportunity to understand the Navy and what it meant to fight. And then 9/11 happened, and I'll never forget that because you taught me a lot. And it's such an honor to talk to you ten years later Doug. Thank you for calling in.
THOMPSON: Thank you Kyra. Keep up the great work. We are proud of you.
PHILLIPS: Thanks so much.
Well, if you're looking to make some cash, we are going to tell you where the holiday jobs are. One idea? Check out U.P.S. or FedEx.
But first, Americans will be spending about $2.5 billion on Halloween costumes, more than a billion dollars on the adult costumes alone. That's according to a national retail federation survey. So, we want to ask you, what is the top adult costume? Here's your choices; Zombie, vampire, witch. The answer right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Before the break, we asked you to identify the most popular adult Halloween costume, if you answered witch, you're correct. Vampire and zombie are also in the list but Witch claimed the top spot. Next week, we'll quiz you on the top children's Halloween costumes.
People looking for work may find a temporary job as a seasonal worker. Retailers could add up to a half a million jobs during the holidays. Athena Jones talks to business owner about her hiring plans.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At Christine Finnie's gift shop in Virginia, business has been picking up. CHRISTINE FINNIE, OWNER, WHIMSICAL GALERIE: Things are looking up. I expect things are going to continue to improve. I do expect this Christmas will be better than last year's.
JONES: Finnie plans to add four temporary workers to our small staff during the holiday rush when she sees her clientele triple.
JONES: Add more people in the store, people who need help out before I want to make sure the customer service is what they expect and they get the attention that they deserve.
JONES: The retail industry has outperformed others, adding jobs at a time when many sectors are struggling. Retailers nationwide expect holiday sales to rise about three percent this year and plan to hire up to 500,000 seasonal employees in November and December. That's roughly the same amount as last year, even though the economy still faces tough headwinds.
ELLEN DAVIS, NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION: Unemployment, consumer confidence, the stock market, the housing market, the debt crisis, all of those factors are continuing to swirl as the holiday season unfolds. And that's going to dampen spending.
JONES: The National Retail Federation says stores will use strong sales promotions and keep inventory levels low in the face of this consumer uncertainty. Hiring plans among the big retailers vary. Macy's said it plans to hire 78,000 temporary workers, a four percent increase over last year. And Kohl's Department Stores says its holiday hire should top 40,000, up 5 percent.
Meanwhile, Toys "R" Us plans to hire at least 40,000 extra employees this holiday season in line with previous years. While Best Buy plans to hire just 18,000 holiday workers, compared to 29,000 last year, a drop of 38 percent. Holiday sales are important, not just for hiring, but for the overall economy.
DAVIS: Our industry supports 42 million American jobs. We send trillions of dollars into the economy throughout the year and $466 billion of that just in November and December.
JONES: Back at the Whimsical Galerie, Finnie is hopeful.
FINNIE: I think personally my store, we've turned the corner. I feel optimistic that it's going to continue to improve.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Athena Jones joining us now from D.C. So Athena, what are the best opportunities for seasonal job seekers?
JONES: According to Challenger Gray and Christmas, which is one of consultancy that puts out these forecast people who are looking for seasonal work might want to look at big discounters like Target and Wal-Mart. These are the places that people who are pinching their pennies are going to be going to shop. And it's important to remember these stores aren't just going to be looking for sales clerks as the holiday season get underway. They're also going to need more people on the floor to help customers find the items they're looking for, also people to work in their shipping facilities and people to stock the shelves at a lot of overnight shelf-stocking positions. A lot of these jobs will be part-time challenger and other say that these jobs could be jumping-off points for a full-time position for some retail workers.
PHILLIPS: What about holiday sales? You know we're in such a bad economy right now. What do you think? Are they supposed to increase this year?
JONES: Well, this 2.8 percent over last year, it doesn't sound very big when you compare it to last year's increase. In 2010, season holiday sales their rose 5.2 percent over the previous year but that was over a pretty bad year, 2009. And so, if you talk to people, they say this 2.8 percent is in line with the ten-year average. It's just over the ten-year average of yearly sales. That average is about 2.6 percent. So it's not stellar. But it's not bad, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, I know you'll be out there shopping, Athena.
(LAUGHTER)
JONES: You can bet.
PHILLIPS: Have a good weekend.
JONES: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: Well, the occupy Wall Street movement rather is getting bigger. But some people aren't so supportive. One mayor says, "They're trying to destroy the jobs of working people." We'll tell you who said that next.
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PHILLIPS: Alright, time for a CNN equals politics update. We're keeping an eye on the latest headlines at the CNNpolitics.com desk. Here's what's crossing right now.
Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul has won another straw poll. He got 37 percent of the votes today at the Values Voters Summit, a gathering of social conservatives. Herman Cain came in second with 23 percent. Rick Santorum was third with 16 percent. Michele Bachmann was the straw poll's top choice for vice president. She spoke to the summit yesterday warning conservatives against settling for a moderate presidential candidate.
New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg is blasting the occupy Wall Street protesters. He accuses the demonstrators in New York's financial district of trying to destroy jobs.
For the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNpolitics.com. As the dramatic meteor shower going on right now, one of the most active ever. But there's a hitch for sky watchers here in the U.S., we'll explain in just a moment.
But first, CNN reporters, anchors and producers cover stories around the world. That means we also get great tips on some of the best restaurant, hotels and travel spots. In this week's "Travel Insider," we're off to the west coast.
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DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dan Simon in San Francisco. One of my favorite places in the city is here, downtown at the historic ferry building. I love coming out here on a nice day and checking out the views. For more than 100 years, this place has been used to ferry people to different communities across the San Francisco bay. But now the ferry building is used for all kinds of different things.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 33?
SIMON: Inside the major theme is food, high-end gourmet food, from fruits and vegetables to caviar to olive oil to cheeses, it's really a foodie's paradise in here. But I think I like it outside even better. A few days a week, they have a farmers market and this is the freshest stuff you can possibly imagine. I usually like to grab a sandwich, sit down at one of the tables and have lunch.
So that is the ferry building, restaurants, shops, good people watching. I think it's one of the best places San Francisco has to offer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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PHILLIPS: Jacqui Jeras, it's peaking. Hundreds of shooting stars per hour, but there's a catch.
JAQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The problem is its daylight.
(LAUGHTER)
JERAS: So nobody can see it.
JONES: But it's beautiful, just imagine it.
JERAS: I know, right? Use your imagination. Yes, this is the meteor shower that happens every year you know in this month. And it's usually kind of a dud. But this year, it's supposed to be spectacular, like 750 shooting stars every hour. So that would be fantastic to be able to see it. But the peak is between 3:00 and 5:00 Eastern time. So daylight is kind of a problem, isn't it?
Then over into the Eastern hemisphere, we have a full moon. So you get the moonshine and that drown things out a bit. However, some very creative high school students have figured out a way to be able to see this. They've taken a weather balloon. They've launched it into the stratosphere about 100,000 feet up into the air. They've from bishop, California with the group first to sky.
And joining me now is Ann and Amelia. Ladies, thanks for joining me. Oh, look, we have the whole group. Look at that, everybody's there.
Well first of all, tell us how the balloon went off. I assumed you launched today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we did.
JERAS: And how did that go?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It went of about 20 minutes after we'd hoped. But since the meteor shower was peaking and the peak was long, hopefully we'll get some pretty great shots. But otherwise, it went off without a hitch.
JERAS: Wonderful. So, there's going to be a camera way up there and of course it will be dark there so hopefully we'll be able to get some pictures. Where did you guys get the idea to do this project?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got the idea when we in the beginning of our freshman year when we had originally wanted to launch a satellite. But we originally - but then we came to believe that we weren't quite ready and we moved into weather balloons and we just thought this was a perfect opportunity to get spectacular footage that no one else was really getting else in the world. So that's what inspired this launch.
JERAS: OK. So this sounds kind of complicated for high school students. Was this a difficult thing for you guys to do?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, you know all of this class I mean we've all been in it for quite a while now. And we're all just kind of dedicated nerds, honestly. We know what we're doing. So, I guess with the right amount of focus and perseverance, it's not as complex as it seems. It's actually fairly simple. Just takes a bit of brainpower. We've got tons of it here.
JERAS: OK. Which one of now is Ann and which one is Amelia? I didn't quite catch that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not to say it doesn't take a lot of work. It took us six hours to assemble our payload for this launch and also just two hours just blowing up the weather balloon. Not to say it doesn't take a lot of work to do this.
JERAS: OK. As I was reading up on this, I saw a quote from a NASA scientist who said, these might be the only pictures that scientists are going to be able to catch of this meteor shower and they're not real sure where the exact concentrations are of these dust trails. What does that mean to you guys to know that your work here in high school could help scientists?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're very happy we can make a contribution to this because we see as teenagers sometimes it can be hard to make a contribution to you know the big scientists. But it's really nice that we can you know just spend time and energy to see and make a contribution to you know the greater science world.
JERAS: Alright. Absolutely. And what's next? Will there be more projects?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes. Well, see, the weather balloons are honestly we're hoping to send up experiments because up in the stratosphere, it's a near-space environment which will be close to the environment of the satellite that we originally hope to send up. And so we're hoping to send up some bacterial experiments in the future. This is sort of just a bonus project really.
JERAS: Alright. We'll have to get back in touch with you after you have the pictures and maybe we will take a look at them. Thanks so much, Earth and Sky, the group from bishop, California. Good luck. I hope it turns out. I can't wait to see the pictures. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Jaqui, that's so going to be your kids when they enter high school. I can't wait. Thanks Jaqui.
(LAUGHTER)
JERAS: I hope so.
PHILLIPS: We'll follow up. Hopefully we'll see the pictures.
Alright, some other stories are making headlines today, a dramatic rescue at sea. A small plane runs out of gas while flying from Monterey, California, to Hawaii. The pilot notified the coast guard he was in trouble to stop 500 miles off shore, check it out. The rescue team coached him how to safely land the plane right there on its belly. Then the pilot climbed out of the cockpit, waited on the wing and the rescue chopper pulled him out to safety.
One of the world most famous helicopter pilots, England's Prince Harry, arrived in the U.S. for some specialized live fire military training in California and Arizona. He's going to learn how to fly a helicopter like this one, a British version of the apache gunship. If he passes the two-month training, he'll be one step closer to becoming combat ready and possibly returning to Afghanistan.
And talk about determination. Quadruple amputee from Georgia is planning to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. He will be the first person to do it in such a physical disadvantage. Kyle Maine (ph) was born with arms that end at the elbows and leg that ends near the knee. We are going to follow his progress.
That's going to do it for me. Thanks so much for joining us today. CNN NEWSROOM continues at the top of the hour with Don Lemon.
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