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Mitt Romney Religion's Not An Issue; Jobs Bill Battle Looms In Senate; Occupy Wall Street Protesters On Its 23rd day; Hertz Suspends Muslim Shuttlers; Minimum Wage Going Up In Eight States;

Aired October 09, 2011 - 17:00   ET

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

(VIDEOTAPE IN PROGRESS)

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTAL CANDIDATE: I think we are doing a good job getting our message out on job growth and on turning the economy around. That's what we're working on. We're not focusing on the day to day, because as you have seen with many of the other candidates, candidates go up, candidates go down. And what we're very concerned about is making sure that the message gets out, because it is not about any one of us, it is about turning the economy around and creating jobs. That's my focus.

And I think that's why I won the all important Iowa straw poll. That poll is the only poll of all of the ones that you've mentioned where anyone in the state can participate. It is the most reflective of an actual primary election or a caucus. And that's why we're excited to win that poll.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREDRIDCKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, let's take a look now at the political week ahead. President Obama stumps for odd job plan, his jobs plan rather in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. He will address the international brotherhood of electrical workers at their training center.

And Governor Rick Perry will also be in Pittsburgh next week. He will deliver a policy address on Friday, focusing on energy and job creation. And Mitt Romney will have town halls across New Hampshire on Monday. You can see him in Milton, Hooksett and Hopkinton, New Hampshire.

Then we'll get another financial litmus test for those running for the White House next week. Saturday is the deadline to announce third quarter fund-raising numbers.

And now to other news, a looming showdown over the president's jobs bill. The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on the measure earlier this week. The $447 billion package will be paid for by a tax on millionaires, which would raise revenues by $453 billion over ten years. It includes funding for infrastructure projects and job training. A live report on the brewing battle is just seconds away.

The voices of protesters are filling the streets again today in New York and other cities across the country. The Occupy Wall Street protests are now in their 23rd day. Among other things, demonstrators are angry over social and financial inequalities and what they say is corporate greed. To track Occupy Wall Street and to contribute your own angle, visit CNN.com/openstory. It is a new way to get involved and share your voice. Again that's CNN.com/openstory.

American fugitive George Wright is fighting extradition. He was arrested in Portugal last month, if you recall, after 40 years on the run. His lawyer says Wright has heart and blood pressure problems. Wright escaped from a New Jersey prison back in 1970 and is accused of hijacking a plane two years later with other members of the black liberation army.

And Kansas City police say they're glad the parents of a missing 10-month-old girl are talking to them again, calling their involvement quote, "critical." Jeremy Irwin and Deborah Bradley say they never stopped cooperating. They were simply exhausted from all the questioning. Their baby Lisa was discovered missing early Tuesday morning.

California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill that will make it easier for illegal immigrants to attend college under the California dream act. Immigrants who were on a path to earn legal status will be eligible for state financial aid. Public reaction, mixed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We struggle just to ensure that our daughter can go to school, so for me to have an opinion for somebody who is not legal to have that financial aid or that opportunity, I'm a bit bitter with that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it is a good idea. I've heard as long as they're just, you know, showing documentation and obviously if they're performing well, and not wasting our time here and we should at least give them the money to at least pursue their dream here in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The California dream act is expected to provide help for about 2500 students.

Alright, let's go to Europe now where a major banking crisis is unfolding. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel today said they'll work together to recapitalize European banks. Their meeting came on the same day that France, Belgium and Luxembourg agreed on a plan to rescue Dexia, a troubled Franco Belgian Bank.

Senior International Business Correspondent Richard Quest joining us now from Brussels.

So Richard, how did Dexia get into this kind of trouble to the extent it needed a rescue plan?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: A lot of the borrowing that Dexia has done has been through the international money markets, the wholesale markets, if you like. As the European sovereign debt crisis has got worse, so the ability of Dexia to borrow has just about evaporated.

Now, we have known that Dexia was going to need to be recapitalized for some time. What has happened tonight has proven that once these dominos start falling, once the crises start happening, government s have to move pretty quickly to protect depositors, to protect ordinary people and crucially, Fredricka, to make sure that contagion, it doesn't spread farther.

WHITFIELD: OK. Dominos start falling. So what kind of ripple effect might this cause here in the U.S.?

QUEST: I think the first ripple effect you will see and it already is being seen, so there's nothing revolutionary in what I'm saying, is that American banks, U.S. banks won't want to lend any European market. They won't want to be caught short, if you like, because this is what happened with Lehman brothers. Everybody was worried, what did the other bank happen? How much debt was it that you didn't know about? It is called counterparty risk. Thereafter, you start to see things really very murky. The banking system is one giant spider's web. When you start pulling strings of it and the thing falls apart pretty quickly.

WHITFIELD: All right. Richard Quest from a very windy Brussels. Thanks so much.

And now back to the U.S. president's job's bill. The U.S. Senate is expected to hold a critical test vote this week. But as CNN's Athena Jones' report, it is sure to face fierce opposition from Republicans.

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ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For President Obama, putting people back to work is high priority and something he says his $447 billion jobs bill will do.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: These independent economists say we can grow the economy as much as two percent and as many as 1.9 million workers.

JONES: He's been pushing the plan everywhere. At a press conference last week, on the road, on facebook and twitter, and in his weekly address.

OBAMA: This is not the time for the usual games or political gridlock in Washington.

JONES: The bill would cut payroll taxes, extend unemployment benefits, give tax credits for raising wages or hiring out of work veterans or the long-term unemployed, and provide money to keep public workers on the job and invest in rebuilding schools and roads. It would be paid for with a 5.6 percent tax on income over a million dollars, starting in 2013.

The political stakes for Mister Obama are high. No president since Franklin Roosevelt has been re-elected with an unemployment rate above eight percent. Still, chances are slim that the entire package will pass in this political climate. And even if it survives the Senate, it faces a tough road in the house.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), WISCONSIN: We have a difference of opinion with the White House on how best to create jobs. We don't think doubling down on failed stimulus policies which have already proven to fail is the right way to go.

JONES: House Republicans say the bill will do little to create jobs.

REP. DARRELL ISSA (R), CALIFORNIA: It is doing the same thing that he's done before and expecting to have a different outcome.

RYAN: We want to work with ideas that have proven to work. That means helping small businesses grow. That means getting certainty on our policy, regulations, taxes, debt, so that small businesses can grow.

JONES: Economists say some of the bill's provisions like the payroll tax cut for employers would add jobs, though how many is in question.

DONALD MARRON, DIRECTOR, TAX POLICY CENTER: There isn't enough demand for the goods and services our economy can produce. Things you can do it boost that will temporarily create more jobs next year.

JONES: Temporarily, analysts say, is the key word.

MARRON: There are kinds of things being discussed are not by any stretch permanent solutions. The economy is suffering after the financial crisis. It takes a long time to heal. And frankly there is not anything on the congressional calendar that will substantially change that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Now, both the president and vice president are hitting the road again this week, heading to two battleground states, Pennsylvania and Michigan, to push this jobs bill, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK. And, what is likely to happen on the hill with the U.S. Senate?

JONES: Well, you know, first challenge here is this test vote. And it is not at all clear that Democrats will have the votes to pass it. This is a key first step. As you know, there are only 53 senators who caucus with the Democrats, 51 Democrats and two independents that caucus with the Democrats. And so they need to get 60 to get pass this first hurdle and that's not at all clear that's going to happen. As you know, the house controlled, the Republican controlled house, there is no appetite for this bill.

WHITFIELD: All right, Athena Jones thanks so much from the White House this evening.

JONES: Alright, Republican candidate Mitt Romney, his Mormon religion, will it be an issue on the campaign trail? A live report coming up, next.

Plus, stopping bullies in their tracks, we'll hear from a teenage race car driver who is part of an anti-bullying campaign. He's been a victim of bullies before.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The Republican presidential race and the economy dominated the Sunday morning talk shows. Here are the highlights.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good to meet you.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Is Mitt Romney a non- Christian?

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not running for theologian in chief. I'm a life-long Christian. And what that means is one of my guiding principles for the decisions I make is I start with do the right thing. I'm not getting into that controversy.

CROWLEY: But it still will beg the question -

CAIN: Yes.

CROWLEY: - that you dodged a direct question, which is, is Mitt Romney not a Christian?

CAIN: If that's what it looks like, I'm dodging it because it will not help us boost this economy.

BACHMANN: To make this a big issue is just ridiculous right now because every day I'm on the street talking to people. This is not what people are talking about.

OBAMA: This is the bill that will help our economy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What of this jobs bill the president wants can actually become law?

RYAN: Well, what is concerning about it is he put ideas in this jobs bill that have already proven to fail, and instead of trying to get compromise, he's embracing conflict, he's running around the country campaigning on a bill he knows won't pass, can't even get out of the Senate now, rather than working on us with ideas that we agree on that would actually help get jobs. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like what?

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: I think it is really important that President Obama get out there, very strongly, very clearly, about what this jobs bill does and what needs to kitchen table concerns of the American people. Do they have a job? Can they educate their children? What about retirement and the rest.

CROWD: Occupy Wall Street all day, all week.

JESSE LAGRECA, OCCUPY WALL STREET PROTESTER: The working class people in America, the 99 percent of Americans who aren't wealthy and aren't prospering in this economy have been entirely ignored by the media. Our political leaders pandered to us, but don't take action. They stand in the way of change. They filibuster on behalf of the wealthiest one percent before (inaudible).

BACHMANN: Their anger should be directed at the White House. Because Barack Obama's policies have put us in one of the worst tail spins economically that we have. And maybe that's why the protests that I saw was within shouting distance of the White House.

LAGRECA: I mean the reality is I'm the only working class person you're going to see on Sunday in political news, maybe ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The Republican candidates will have a chance to face off on the economy this week. CNN's senior political director Paul Steinhauser with more on the next big debate. Paul?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: And that's right, Fredricka. It is Tuesday in New Hampshire, the state that holds first primary. And, yes, the economy most likely will be the overwhelming issue.

All the candidates will have something at stake. But I think for three of them in particular, there is a little more at stake. First of all, Mitt Romney, why? Well, the former Massachusetts governor is now the front runner again in the national polls and when you're on top, the others gun for you. Rick Perry was the front-runner, but three weeks ago, in the last presidential debate, he had a pretty uneven performance, dropped in the polls. So, I think Fred, he needs a strong debate to hit a home run and try to change the dynamics of the race. And Herman Cain as well will be in the spotlight a little more than the others. The former godfather pizza CEO is rising in the polls and with that comes a lot more scrutiny. So, Tuesday in New Hampshire. Fred?

WHITFIELD: OK. So the issue of Mitt Romney's Mormon religion, well, you know it has come up this weekend at the Values Voters Summit, a Perry backer calling Mormonism a cult and Romney a non- Christian. So, how is Romney going to deal with this issue this point forward, even though he is leading the national polls, as you say?

STEINHAUSER: A very different response from Romney this time. Remember, he dealt with this issue four years ago and some of the same attacks from the same people. But this time around, it was very telling yesterday at the Values Voters Summit right here in Washington that Mitt Romney did not react specifically and criticize the preacher from Texas who made the comments. In fact, he didn't mention him at all.

I think for Romney this time around, he feels like he's already been through this and done it four years ago and he's going to stick mostly to the economy, which is the overwhelming issue with Americans. You heard some of the candidates in the Sunday talk show sound that you just used say the same thing. So, I think for Romney he's going to try to not dwell on this, rather dwell on the economy, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK. So while Romney is leading the national polls, he's not leading the straw polls. Ron Paul just won the latest straw poll at the Values Voter Summit. So, what does that mean for his candidacy and how the candidates are going to shape their battle?

STEINHAUSER: You know, if it was just straw polls, Ron Paul would be the Republican presidential nominee, he won so many of these. He won the conservative political action conference poll early this year. He won in fact again the year before. And yes, even Values Voters Straw poll this weekend. Ant that was interesting because he doesn't really appeal as much to, social conservatives as he does fiscal conservatives and grassroots conservatives. So, interesting.

But Ron Paul, Fred, he has so many devoted followers and enthusiastic supporters who come to these events. That's one of the reasons why he wins these straw polls. I think it is more of a reflection on his supporters and less on his overall strength in the battle for the nomination, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Alright, very interesting. Paul Steinhauser, thank you very much.

And for course, for the latest political news, you know exactly where to go. CNNpolitics.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Bullying is a problem for a lot of kids across America. But there are ways to fight back. The great American no bull challenge is a national campaign aimed at stopping bullies. Zach Veach is a spokesman for the campaign and he's one of the youngest licensed race car drivers in the country. And he has been a victim of bullying.

He also has written a book that gives some good advice, 99 things teens wish they knew before turning 16. He talked with me earlier in the newsroom.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZACH VEACH, TEEN RACE CAR DRIVER: I mean, for me growing up I was trying to pursue my dream and when I was going through public school, I was bullied a little. And you know it kind of seems bullies try to pick on kids that try to be different and they really want you to follow in line and be the same as everybody else.

So I just wanted to join a great cause and I saw the great noble challenge and they're the biggest campaign out there trying to put an end to cyber bullying. And I thought what not a better way to get my message out than help them out as well.

WHITFIELD: So you write about in your book that one of the things you were picked on about was your, as you put it in your book, your lack of height. And so there were some who gave you a hard time calling you midget, there was name calling and all that, and you eventually kind of used reverse psychology to kind of get back at that person. Tell me how that made the difference and what do you mean by that, reverse psychology.

VEACH: Well I mean, after a while I couldn't take it anymore and I was kind of, like, you know, maybe I'm normal and maybe you're just a giant is what I used.

WHITFIELD: And it worked, huh?

VEACH: Yes you know he didn't have anything to say because I don't think he was expecting that to come back from me after I kind of politely just shook it off for a while. But you know I always thought, my parents taught me that, you know, violence is never an option for that. And I didn't want to do anything that would put me to his level, so I just decided to use that and from that point on, I just tried to help other kids, you know, use the terms I did or use the way I did to kind of settle down their problems.

WHITFIELD: So what are some of the other recommendations that you have for kids who, you know, don't really know what to do? They even feel I guess a little hesitant about telling anybody that they're being bullied, by someone, whether physical or whether it is name calling. What is your advice on the first approach? How does a kid muster up the courage that you had?

VEACH: Well, I mean, it is definitely hard because I was in the same shoes as them and it is a little embarrassing at times, but, I mean, you have to realize that they're just doing, you're being bullied because people might be jealous of what you're doing because they might not have the opportunity to.

And you know you really have to use that, the energy that they give you, the negative energy to kind of fuel yourself, to push yourself that much more. That's what I did. And you know I held - they told me I couldn't be a race car driver and you know I just put everything together to show them that you know I can, if I really try hard, and, you know, it is just, the faster you fix the problem, maybe you can even help the bully at the end of the day you know. Everybody goes through bad parts in their life and if you can help them out as well, maybe you can move yourselves both forward at the end of the day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: There he is in the Indy racing league. So go, Zach. All right, it is time for all of us to take a stand. Our Anderson Cooper hosted a town hall conversation about putting an end to bullying. Watch bullying, it stops here, tonight at 8:00 Eastern time.

All right, taking a look at the week ahead, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will visit South Korea to speak at a global gathering of business leaders. Palin will speak at the world knowledge forum in Seoul, tomorrow night.

And if President Barack Obama will be hosting talks and an official state dinner for South Korea's president on Thursday. The White House says that the visit will highlight the global partnership and the deep economic ties between the U.S. and the Republic of Korea.

And the world scrabble championship takes place in Warsaw, Poland, this week. Opening ceremonies began on Wednesday. And the champion should be crowned by Sunday. The winner will receive a grand prize of $20,000.

Protesters take to the streets again across the country. We'll go live to New York for more on the Occupy Wall Street protests now in their 23rd day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories now, the U.S. Senate will hold a critical test vote this week on President Obama's jobs plan. The $447 billion bill would provide money for road and bridge projects and would cut payroll taxes. It would be paid for with a tax on millionaires starting 2013.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel say they'll work today to recapitalize European banks. Their meeting came on the same day that France, Belgium and Luxembourg agreed on a plan to rescue Dexia, a troubled Franco Belgian bank.

And Libya's new transitional leaders say their troops are close to taking over Moammar Gadhafi's hometown. They say ten people died in overnight fighting for Sirte. More than 100 people were reported injured.

Back in this country, the Occupy Wall Street protests are now in their 23rd day. Among other things, demonstrators were angry over social and financial inequalities and what they say is corporate greed. Our Susan Candiotti has been out on the streets of New York to listen to what the protesters have been saying. She found a woman you may not think, is a typical camper and a college professor checking things out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eating a bowl of cereal after sleeping under the stars, this retiree and her teenage grandson took a bus from Detroit to camp out with Occupy Wall Street. Show me where you're - what this is like? You have this tarp.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is home.

CANDIOTTI: For a week, choosing to sleep on the ground under a blue tarp, mainly with young people and a public park.

Why was it important for you to come here and bring your grandson?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I felt the need to show support to the movement. The politicians apparently don't understand what people need.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are we doing?

CANDIOTTI: This man isn't sleeping over with protesters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You camping out here? Thank you, guys. You're doing a great service. Your generation, my generation, everybody. Keep it up, man.

CANDIOTTI: The community college business professor who also founded an upstate farm co-op is just spending the day. He likes the mix of young and old, and employed, unemployed, trying to build a consensus.

HESHI GOREWITS, BUSINESS PROFESSOR: It is happier, it is bigger. It is more sophisticated. It is more real. It is more powerful than I ever could have imagined it. The 99 percent, let's not focus on what divides us, let's focus on what unites us. That's how we bring about change.

HEATHER GAUTNEY, SOCIOLOGIST, FORDHAM UNIVERSITY: I see this as a movement about movement.

Reporter: Fordham University Sociologist, Heather Gautney says movements like Occupy Wall Street don't really need a leader.

GAUTNEY: I think it is really about grassroots democracy. I think it is about people trying to create ways of expressing themselves politically because they feel that the electoral channels are close to them.

CANDIOTTI: Change for a teacher, change for a retired grandmother worried about her grandson's future, all looking for signs that someone's listening.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: So here we are in another busy weekend day here at Occupy Wall Street, one of the two locations where they are. People are working on signs, this, for example, is the new working group they set up to provide spiritual counseling, for people who are here. And if you pan up over in this direction, you can see the park is fairly full. A little bit more than a normal day during the week because, of course, it is the weekend day off, you have a lot of students here and, of course, a lot of tourists coming by to check things out, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So, Susan, the weather forecast has rain coming the way of New York this week. Are you hearing anything from the protesters out there, whether they're going to soon be calling it quits, whether they're going to endure the weather, what?

CANDIOTTI: Well, that's what a lot of observers are wondering. For example, a sociology professor who studies these movements is curious to see when the weather starts changing; I mean it is 80 degrees today, whether people will have the same staying power or whether the movement might use more of a social media to spread its message. We'll have to see. But it certainly is busy on a beautiful day like today. And they're planning more marches for next week, but nothing is solidified just yet.

WHITFIELD: All right. Susan Candiotti thanks so much, Downtown Manhattan.

Alright, now to the West Coast and Seattle where some people are protesting over something entirely different, the suspension of Muslim workers at a Hertz rental car business. We'll talk to one of them next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The car rental company Hertz is coming under fire for suspending 34 Muslim employees. At issue, praying at work and not clocking in and out according to company policy.

Joining me on the phone from Seattle is one of the shuttlers, Ileys Omar who was suspended and Teamster Representative Tracey Thompson.

Ileys let me begin with you, what is your view on what happened?

ILEYS OMAR, SUSPENDED EMPLOYEE, HERTZ (via telephone): Well, I just feel like that this is wrong (inaudible).

WHITFIELD: OK, Ileys are you there? I had you for a minute. OK, It looks like we lost her there.

So, Tracey, why don't you give me an explanation of what do you see happened here with these 34 employees who were suspended? Tracey, are you there?

TRACEY THOMPSON, TEAMSTERS LOCAL 117 (via telephone): I am here.

WHITFIELD: OK, Tracey, what is your view on - what is your understanding about what happened?

THOMPSON: My understanding about what happened is that the employer implemented a policy that conflicts with our collective bargaining agreement. And insisted that these workers who we had negotiated prayer breaks for plug in and out for prayer breaks and when they refused to do so, because they were exercising their contractible rights, the company suspended them all. WHITFIELD: OK. So, explain to me what the agreement was. Is it the case that the agreement involved ten-minute breaks for prayer?

THOMPSON: What the agreement involved is allowing these workers to take intermittent breaks throughout the course of the day so that they would be able to take a break for prayer when the prayer time during their day. And, you know, take an intermittent break to get a cup of tea or whatever it might be. It was very clearly understood that these individuals would not be required to clock in and out.

WHITFIELD: OK. So here is the statement coming from Hertz, which maintains that it took this disciplinary action against the 34 transporters at its Seattle, Washington, airport location for failing to follow requirements that they clock in and out prior to breaks, saying this, quote, "while the employees, all Muslims, were using the breaks for prayers, the breaks were typically extended long beyond the time necessary to complete religious obligations, which is why the company to be fair to all of its employees in Seattle implemented the clock-in requirement."

So, you're saying that what transpired is against the very policy that Hertz is reiterating here in the statement? Looks like we're having big phone problems here, with both Tracey and Ileys. We'll try to re-establish contact with them so we can continue this conversation and see what is taking place there involving people there in Seattle.

All right, meantime, you've been getting to know a lot about the presidential candidates over the past several months. But did you know this, Herman Cain cuts his own hair. It is something that he shared this morning with Candy Crowley today in one of her getting to know segments.

CROWLEY: Thanks, Fredricka. Some time ago we started an online getting to know interview for our guests on state of the union and we have found that when politicians talk about the little things, the small moments in their background, it can be pretty revealing. Today, I asked Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain if he still cuts his own hair, a practice he began in the late '60s.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN: Candy, that is still true. It goes back to when I first started working for the department of the Navy as a ballistics analyst. I drove to Fredericksburg, Virginia, found the barbershop, went into the barbershop, they had all black barbers.

I'm going, Eureka, I found me a barbershop. I sat there because in the south, the tradition is, wait until the barber said next and it was first come, first serve. I sat there and sat there and they kept calling the other customers who were white. Finally I walked up to one of the barbers and said, excuse me, sir, but wasn't I next. He said, I'm sorry, but we don't cut black hair in here. I said you have all black barbers. If we cut your hair, we will not have a job. I said, OK. I'm in Fredericksburg, Virginia, 70 miles south of Washington, D.C. and that was somewhat of a shock. And then he said, but there is a black barbershop over on the other side of the tracks past sears and roebuck. I went to sears and roebuck, bought me a set of clippers, and I have been cutting my own hair since.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Cain says that sense of self-reliance helped him succeed in business. You can watch my getting to know interviews with Cain and many newsmakers on our Web site CNN.com/sotu. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Alright, thanks so much, Candy.

Alright, it is a new movement that could possibly have an impact on the race for the White House. Find out what it is, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Occupy Wall Street protests are now in their fourth week and the movement is spreading to other cities. Politicians are taking note of the demonstrators' growing frustration over the economy.

So earlier I talked to John Aravosis with American blog of the Democratic Party persuasion and Doug Heye, a blogger and Republican strategist.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So, let's talk about how Occupy Wall Street and politics may be colliding. The tea party, you know, thought that unfair government that it was unfair the government was bailing out the big guys, similar to what is provoking this Occupy Wall Street.

So you have to wonder, John, you know Occupy Wall Street says it is not political, yet do you see it in some way influencing the race for 2012?

JOHN ARAVOSIS, AMERICABLOG: Potentially yes. I mean I think what started off as a small protest that, you know, a lot of us didn't pay attention to. I admit the first month I wasn't watching it closely either has turned into something kind of large that now we have the president weighing in, we had Nancy Pelosi, we had the Republican candidates.

I think it is impossible to avoid the political implications, but especially if this turns into more of a nationwide movement where people's frustration about the economy, about not taking on Wall Street, and finding out how they got us into this mess, I think that per see will have a political element in an election year.

WHITFIELD: Doug is it inevitable.

DOUG HEYE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST, BLOGGER: I don't think it is inevitable. We need to see more of what this is about. The tea party really started as a reaction to Obama care, to the stimulus bill, as well as the bailouts. We don't know what this agenda if there is even an agenda, is. Part of the circus -

WHITFIELD: Well, they have been pretty open, they have been pretty open about a lot of things from, you know, big government, government bailing out, you know, big banks, et cetera, unemployment being what it is, people having a hard time getting a job. It is a hodgepodge, but a lot of stuff that is causing the frustration.

ARAVOSIS: Lack of thinking reform. Lack of investigating Wall Street. No prosecution -

WHITFIELD: Yes, so then, Doug, back to you, you know, is it going to be up to these presidential contenders, you know, to involve what is going on in Wall Street in their campaigning?

HEYE: Well, I think they have been doing that anyway and they'll continue to talk about the economy and jobs. It certainly is what Herman Cain's background speaks to, what Mitt Romney talked about, Governor Perry's record in Texas.

WHITFIELD: It looks like Ron Paul is the only one who really is chiming in with I relate to what is going on with Occupy Wall Street. The other candidates are kind of staying away from it.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Alright, sorry. Doug, on that?

HEYE: I think that's why you see Ron Paul not actually doing very well in the polls when it comes to -

WHITFIELD: He's done well some in some recent straw polls. OK, so, you know, John, give me an idea whether these other candidates, Ron Paul is kind a stuck himself out there. He has been talking about the Occupy Wall Street. Are the other Republican contenders going to feel some pressure they have got to make a very clear stand on where they are with Occupy Wall Street and whether people who are there in lower Manhattan are going to feel the pressure to make it a political event?

ARAVOSIS: I think there is going to be ongoing pressure and increasing pressure for the Republicans to show some sympathy for Main Street. I think traditionally the Republican Party has a little too much sympathy for Wall Street and not enough for the middle class. And I think, you know, it - one might say the Republicans practice class warfare by only representing the upper class.

So, I think there is always that pressure, but it depends where these protests go. They have grown exponentially over the last month, really, if it keeps growing at this rate, I don't know how the candidates are going to sort of avoid talking about it and expressing some sympathy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Just a moment ago we were talking about something else that is causing some real consternation in the Seattle, Washington, area. It involves the car rental company, Hertz. It is coming under fire for suspending 34 Muslim employees and at issue is praying at work and not clocking in and out according to the company policy.

So, we are going to try this one more time. Joining me on the phone is one of those shuttlers who was suspended, Ileys Omar.

Ileys give me an opportunity to ask you one more time now, what happened exactly?

Hertz is saying that employees didn't punch in, and out according to a previously made agreement from about two years ago. Is that the case that you and about 33 others didn't punch in, didn't punch out and that you took too much time for that mini break to pray?

OMAR: No, that is not correct. Actually as of the 2009 agreement, 35 of us Muslim (inaudible) but we actually signed a contract in 2010 which clearly gives us the prayer people a mini break which you do not clock out or clock in to do the pray. And again, prayer takes about five minutes, which is the same time that any employee uses for bathroom usage.

WHITFIELD: So, what do you think is at issue? Why then with 34 people be suspended?

OMAR: That's what we want to know from the company.

WHITFIELD: What do you think it is about?

OMAR: We think it is about hatred toward other religions. They're saying you guys cannot pray without clocking out, which is going against the contract we signed a year ago.

WHITFIELD: Can I reiterate one more time what Hertz is saying in this written statement, saying "while the employees, all Muslims were using their breaks for prayers, the breaks were typically extended long beyond the time necessary to complete religious obligations, which is why the company, to be fair to all its employees in Seattle, implemented the clocking requirement." What is your reaction to that statement?

OMAR: Well, again, if the company feels that there are certain employees going against and taking longer than what is usual, that certain employee should be disciplined according to the Hertz policy, which is given - goes through a progressive discipline. However 34 employees will not be going against the policy and be seated longer than what they're allowed, again its five minutes. And Hertz is going against the contract. On top of that, they say that the standard 34 people, they did not even notify the union.

WHITFIELD: So Ileys, what do you feel like you and the 33 others can do then, since you disagree with how this has been interpreted?

OMAR: Again, can you repeat the question? What can we do -?

WHITFIELD: What can you do in response to Hertz's - Hertz's statement, which is you took longer than you were supposed to, and you and other employees are saying you believe that you were discriminated against and that's at the root of your suspension. OMAR: Well, again, I explained to you what happened that day. The Hertz management came at the entrance of the prayer place, extending their hands to prevent some people to go in to pray and once the people were done and they were timing the employees. Once the employees started getting done, they asked how long were we in there.

WHITFIELD: Before I let you go, when will you be going back to work or will you be going back to work?

OMAR: We are not back in yet. We are still waiting from the union, wait an answer from the company which they haven't answered with yet.

WHITFIELD: OK. Ileys Omar, keep us posted on that. We did have a representative of the teamsters with us, but we are having a difficult time reestablishing that connection with her. So keep us posted, Ileys. Again, we gave that statement from Hertz, their point of view.

Alright, meantime, we've got much more coming up in the newsroom with our Don Lemon.

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Interesting story.

WHITFIELD: It is.

LEMON: My gosh. I think that was reading something about it and someone made the point that many people, mostly Americans, are off on Sunday because of religion. So it's you know there's that and she didn't mention that but I hear people who are supporting her and her colleagues.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Something tells me we are at the tip of the ice berg of this dispute. So, it will be interesting to see how it evolves.

LEMON: We will go back to Wall Street and talk about this, the Occupy Wall Street movement which is spreading across the country. Everyone is going, is it like the tea party? OK. We will talk about that.

But also what's going on in America? What's going on? When people are taking to the streets, are we going back to a time when people take to the streets to fight for their rights when they believe they don't have equality in politics and this job force? Because a lot of people are out of work and you see frustration and anger growing all across the country. You have been watching this.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEMON: Also, also we are going to talk to a woman whose husband died in Afghanistan. She lost her wedding ring. She lost her wedding ring. She said she believed it was the only thing that tied her to her husband. And so, we are going to talk to her, her emotional, her emotional plea to help to find her ring.

Let's listen it to real quick.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FELAME: He left his wedding band with me before the deployment and the day I found out he had been killed in action, I went down stairs and I had been wearing it on my right hand thumb ever since that day. And I took to trip to Texas last week and looked down on one of the flights and realized it was missing and I had lost it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: My goodness.

LEMON: And she gets more emotional after that. Talking in a while, she said she is never going to give up. Then we see her cars and looking for this ring, everybody all over the country is looking for this ring. So, we are going to be talking about that and much, much more coming up.

WHITFIELD: Of course. Alright, We will look forward to that. Thank you so much. Good to see you.

LEMON: You too.

WHITFIELD: Alright Don.

Alright, we will have more right after this.

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WHITFIELD: All right, jobs, paychecks and retail sales. Our money team is keeping an eye on that starting with Alison Kosik.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Fredricka. The U.S. economy added 103,000 new jobs last month. It's stronger than expected. And a rare bit of good news about the labor market. The numbers for July and August were also revised higher by a total of almost 100,000. Construction, retail and professional services were among the sectors adding jobs.

It wasn't always good news though. The unemployment rate remains stubbornly high stuck at 9.1 percent for the third month in a row and the economy has recovered only a fraction of the almost nine million jobs lost since the recession began. Felicia?

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks Alison. Workers in eight states could see their paychecks get a boost come January. Colorado, Montana, Ohio, Oregon and Washington recently announced minimum wage hikes. Arizona, Florida and Vermont are expected to announce similar increases in the next couple of weeks.

The increases range from 28 to 37 cents an hour. That adds up to annual raise up to $770 for full-time workers. These states link their minimum wage to inflation. The federal minimum wage is 7.25 an hour and that works out to $15,000 a year. Poppy? POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks so much Felicia. Well, retail sales figures for September are due out on Friday. Analysts expect sales to have risen last month after coming in virtually flat in August. Figures released by individual store chains last week indicated retailers had a solid back to school shopping season. That's good news for the sluggish economy.

And Wall Street is going to keep an eye on the report as well as we approach the crucial holiday shopping season. We will track it all, on CNN money. Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Alright, thanks so much, ladies. And thank you for hanging out with us today.

You can also get your financial fix at CNNmoney.com. That is going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Much more at the Newsroom at the top of the hour, with Don Lemon. Have a great week.

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