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IndyCar Driver Dies in Crash; GOP Candidates to Debate in Las Vegas; Cain Jokes about Border Fence; Wall Street Protests Enter Second Month; GOP Faithful Flocking to Cain; Stocks Set to Fall; Herman Cain's Momentum; Gay/Lesbian Military Summit; Birth Rates Hit a Peak in 2007
Aired October 17, 2011 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much, guys. Good morning.
Well, big field, fast cars, banked tracks. And now a huge loss for the sport of racing. Dan Wheldon, a two-time Indy 500 winner, a family man, and one of the most popular drivers in racing is killed after a fiery 15-car wreck at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
CNN's Carlos Diaz is in Las Vegas.
Carlos, there's crashes -- crashes, rather, all the time in this sport. Let's talk about what made this one so bad.
CARLOS DIAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What made it so bad was the fact that you have a field, which is bigger than the Indianapolis 500, on a racetrack which is almost half as small. The oval here at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a mile and a half oval. In Indianapolis, it's a two-and-a-half mile oval. So you have a lot more spacing of cars.
And as you look at the wreck right now, you have a much fatter track so cars can go four wide, which means they are more bunched up as they're going into turns, and you know Dan Wheldon starting at the back of the pack going for that $5 million grand prize. He'd already passed over a third of the field going into the 11th lap, and when the wreck began to happen, he was behind the group. And basically jumped one of the other cars and went into the retaining fence on turn two.
And we -- you see the massive pileup. It was quoted as -- several drivers called it the worst wreck they have ever seen in their racing careers. One driver said it was like seeing the movie "Terminator" with all of the fiery parts of the cars laying around everywhere.
Dan Wheldon was air-lifted to a local hospital. He was pronounced dead.
Dan Wheldon, and I got to know the guy personally, he is one of the most charismatic people that you'd ever want to meet. And that's the tough thing about racing, because drivers have to be so charismatic before the race, and then they are risking their life during the race.
Dan Wheldon will be missed. A two-time Indy car champion dead at the age of 33 -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Carlos, thanks.
And racing fans as you can imagine have been hit hard by the death of Dan Wheldon. Just take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People come to this place because they love the sport, and they love this race. And they love this series. And Dan Wheldon exemplified everything about this series and about why people continue to come to this place. This is the racing capital of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: We'll have much more on this story throughout the day.
Las Vegas tomorrow night is the place to be. Presidential debate for seven leading Republicans. Airs live right here on CNN. The economy will share the spotlight in a battleground state rocked by unemployment and home foreclosures.
Senior political editor Mark Preston is here to talk more about it.
Mark, which candidates have the most on the line?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, you know, Kyra, there's an argument to be made that all seven candidates that will appear on stage here at the Venetian have it all on the line. It's an important day for all of them.
But you know something, Herman Cain, who has risen in the polls just in the past few weeks, is certainly going to be a target from his rivals. Mitt Romney as well, who's been slow and steady throughout the whole campaign, will also be in the middle, and is sure to take some criticism.
But it is Rick Perry right now who was the flavor of the month, which is the political term we seem to be using, back in August and September, who has dropped in the polls, who might actually have the most to lose. Right now, Rick Perry has not had very strong debate performances, and we expect him to really come out firing on Tuesday night -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, we're going to talk more about Herman Cain throughout the morning. But before you go, tell us why CNN picked Las Vegas for the debate.
PRESTON: Well, as you said, you know, right at the beginning, issue number one is the economy. It has been for the last three years. And really what state has been hit harder than where we stand right now Nevada? Las Vegas really relies on tourist dollars and is being hit very hard. The highest in foreclosure, the highest unemployment rate right now. People don't have money to get on a plane to fly here, to spend money in the casinos, to spend money in the restaurants, to spend money in the shows. People are out of work. And right now, here in the west, Nevada right now, a very important state for Republicans, because they hope to win it in the general election in 2012.
So Las Vegas right now really ground zero for the economy and the problems this country is facing -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Mark Preston. We'll be gearing up for tomorrow. Thank you so much.
Now back to Herman Cain. You know when he strolls on the stage tomorrow, he's going to be bringing a little extra baggage. Today he is trying to brush off some controversial comments that he made about installing a deadly electrified fence along the U.S. border with Mexico.
Deputy political director Paul Steinhauser in Vegas.
Paul, now he said he was kidding. How much is that comment going to hurt him?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: It may hurt him. He had a pretty tough weekend, Kyra, I guess, when it comes to what he has said. Listen, when you rise in the polls, more scrutiny comes with that. So Saturday on the campaign trail in Tennessee, here's what Herman Cain said about a proposed fence if he was president. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I'm in charge of the fence, we're going to have a fence. It's going to be 20 feet high. It's going to have barbed wire on the top. It's going to be electrified. And there's going to be a sign on the other side that says, it will kill you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: As you mentioned, he said he was kidding on the Sunday talk shows. He took those comments back, he walked back a little bit, but he'll be in the spotlight over these comments today because he's going to be in neighboring Arizona today, meeting with Sheriff Joe Arpaio there in Maricopa County, who's known as a very hardliner when it comes to illegal immigration and border security.
Now it wasn't just border security, though, that Herman Cain was in the spotlight this weekend. He was on the Sunday talk shows and he was talking about his 999 plan, and he admitted that for some maybe taxes would go up. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAIN: Some people will pay more. But most people will pay less is my argument. DAVID GREGORY, HOST, "MEET THE PRESS": Who will pay more?
CAIN: Who will pay more? The people who spend more money on new goods.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Well, a lot of people spend more money on new goods, Kyra. Just about all of us. Listen, the 999 plan is one of the reasons he's been rising in the polls but also now it's coming under a lot of scrutiny from the other candidates and from the media -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And real quickly, you've got some new fundraising numbers for the third quarter just in.
STEINHAUSER: Yes. We've got all of the candidates' numbers right now. Look at this. Right at the top there. Rick Perry had the best fundraising quarter, $17 million. And he did that just in about seven or eight weeks since he jumped in late. You can see Mitt Romney right there close to him, and Ron Paul in third place.
Cain, listen, he's been rising in the polls but he hasn't raised nearly as much money. He's in the lower tier when it comes to that -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Paul Steinhauser in Vegas. Paul, thanks.
And tomorrow night, live on CNN, once again the Republican candidates gathering in Las Vegas to debate the issues. And hopefully sway the voters. That's the "Western Republican Presidential Debate, 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
"Occupy Wall Street" is a month old now, and more protesters have been occupying the back seats of police cars.
That was Saturday night in Times Square. New York Police arrested nearly 100 people over the weekend. Professor and civil rights activist Cornel West was among the 19 people arrested in D.C. They wouldn't leave the steps much the Supreme Court. No arrests at the protests in Cincinnati Park, but a wedding did break out. The couple included the protesters in their wedding pictures.
And the moment -- movement, rather, is getting some northern exposure. One woman and her three dogs are occupying the tundra in a remote part of western Alaska.
Well, the movement has spread overseas, too. CNN's Zain Verjee in London.
So, Zain, we saw some pictures from Rome that looked more like a riot than a protest.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It was. You know the majority of protesters were out there in Europe and here in London were pretty much peaceful. But yes, in Rome, they had some major clashes between the police that were armed with water cannon and a small group of anarchists that were throwing Molotov cocktails and they had knives, and that is what happened when they clashed.
Let me show you some of the newspaper headlines here. "The Guardian" has this headline. It says, "From Wall Street to St. Paul's." It says, "Those attending Sunday mass found themselves picking a path through the makeshift camp of around 100 tents erected at the foot of the cathedral steps after Saturday's global day of action inspired by the U.S. Occupy Wall Street movement."
Check out the "South China Morning Post," Kyra. This is about a protest that happened in Hong Kong as well. The headline, "D throw baby out with bath water." It's an opinion piece that says, "Young protesters in Central," that's the area, "have their hearts in the right place, but they need to better understand the unique social problems that confront Hong Kong instead of blindly aping their Occupy Wall Street friends."
And finally, Kyra, "The Australian," "Wall Street occupiers are an insult to the workers." It's an opinion piece that says, "What we are witnessing is not the birth of something new, as the occupiers would have us believe, but rather the death of something old, the death of a principled left that believed in progress and development, and the ability of the little man to change his world for the better."
Kyra, no reports on whether anyone got married in any of the cities. There was no wedding that randomly broke out.
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: But I'm tracking it.
PHILLIPS: What about divorces?
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Zain, it's nice to have you back.
VERJEE: Yes. That has a higher probability.
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: See you tomorrow.
All right. We're going in depth on Herman Cain next. Supporters praise him for being the real deal. Coming up, we're going to talk to a "TIME" magazine reporter who says the Hermanator just might be too real to win.
Plus, you might want to go out and load up on ginger, curry and tea after you hear this story. A 100-year-old man says that that's what keeps him going. And he finished a marathon. One hundred years old, 26.2 miles.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Stories "Cross Country" now.
In Boston, a massive fire in an apartment building covers nearly an entire city block. Thirteen people injured including two firefighters and a police officer. Police have arrested a man on suspicion of arson.
After weeks of waiting, a cargo plane picked up a U.S. researcher who suffered a stroke while working in the South Pole. She became ill back in August. Because of bad weather prevented planes from flying in. She's in New Zealand now getting treatment.
And fairy tale ending. Fifty-two-year-old Dewey Bozella won his pro boxing debut in Los Angeles. We actually talked to him last Friday. He was recently exonerated and released from prison after serving 26 years for a murder he didn't commit.
We're pretty darn excited for Dewey's win.
All right. Now let's go "In Depth" now on Herman Cain. He is now buds with Donald Trump. He won another straw poll this time in South Carolina. And CNN's Poll of Polls shows that he's breathing down Mitt Romney's neck and pulling away from Rick Perry.
Why aren't these establishment Republicans squashing him like they are Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum? Well, here's one thought.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If Herman figures out how to do it all right and if he can explain a 9 percent sales tax so people decide they want it, he has a good chance to be the nominee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: "TIME" magazine asks what, does it mean that the GOP faithful are flocking to Herman Cain?
Michael Crowley wrote the article.
Michael, you actually call him America's unlikeliest new star. Also, you know, you hear that former campaign ads say that -- or campaign aides, rather, say that he's not serious. So could we be seeing another Sarah Palin scenario here, kind of an outsider who's building up their celebrity value just sell books, made big bucks from speeches, et cetera?
MICHAEL CROWLEY, TIME DEPUTY WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: Well, you can never really know what's in someone's heart. I think there's a lot of evidence to suggest that Herman Cain got into this looking to raise his profile. He's had a talk show for a decade. The guy is a great sort of showman. He has a book out. He's written a couple of books. I think there's a lot of evidence that he was kind of out there to raise his profile. There may be a way in which he's suddenly saying, oh, my gosh, this is taking on a life of its own. But he's not -- his aides have complained he's not campaigning seriously in the primary states. He's not spent a lot of time in Iowa, in New Hampshire, and South Carolina this year.
So up until now, I think -- let me put this way. The benefit -- the burden is on him right now to prove that he can be a serious candidate with a real organization.
PHILLIPS: Well, talk about, you know, this momentum of getting attention. Let's listen to his most receipt headline-making comment, shall we say, and the clarification that he made on "Meet the Press." Take a listen.
CROWLEY: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I'm in charge of defense, we're going to have a fence. It's going to be 20 feet high. It's going to have barbed wire on the top. It's going to be electrified. And there's going to be a sign on the other side that says, "It will kill you."
That's a joke, David. It's a joke.
DAVID GREGORY, NBC NEWS: It's a joke?
CAIN: That's a joke.
GREGORY: That's not a serious plan?
CAIN: That's not a serious plan. No, it's not.
GREGORY: You got a big laugh out of it. But that's not what you would do?
CAIN: That's a joke.
I've also said America needs to get a sense of humor.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
PHILLIPS: All right. So, here's my question. He says he was questioning. America needs a sense of humor.
Is he that naive, or does he know exactly what he's doing? I mean, he is no stranger to politics, Michael.
CROWLEY: No, that's right. Look, the crowd cheered. Or at least a bunch of people in the crowd cheered.
There are a lot of people who might not like that statement, and there are a lot of Republicans who are absolutely apoplectic about illegal immigration and might not mind some of that over-the-top rhetoric. But, you know, he is not a political professional, so he says some things that are a little blunt. He said that the "Occupy Wall Street" protesters should blame themselves if they don't have a job and they're not rich.
But, you know, some of those comments, I think, speak to a bluntness and a candor he has that people respond positively to. So, does it make him an electable presidential candidate? I think probably not. Does it mean that he stays in the headlines and that there's a kind of a core base of conservatives sort of love his really unapologetic blunt talk? I think so.
So, I think he may have a little bit of staying power.
PHILLIPS: All right. Staying power. How about long-term effects? If and when he fizzles out, will he have changed the GOP mindset and maybe bridged the gap between the establishment and the voters? I mean, will he have a lasting effect?
CROWLEY: No, you know, to the contrary, I would argue that he -- the support for him is in large measure kind of an expression of anger at the establishment. That these base conservative voters who say, we don't want Mitt Romney shoved down our throats. We don't want Rick Perry spoon fed to us. You know, we kind of want this guy who is saying what we're really thinking, saying politically incorrect things, kind of outrageous.
So, I think if anything, it drives a deeper wedge, a wider wedge between the base, kind of, Tea Party voters and the Republican establishment. And there's going to be a lot of work to do to bring those voters into the fold of what I expect to be a more moderate nominee like a Romney or a Perry, although you never know.
PHILLIPS: Check out "TIME" magazine, Michael Crowley's article.
Michael, it's great to talk to you this morning. Thanks so much.
CROWLEY: Thank you for having me. Thanks.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
Stay with CNN all day as we take an in-depth look at Herman Cain. Coming up in 11:00 Eastern hour, more on what Cain's 9-9-9 plan means for your tax bill.
And coming up, the 100-year-old man who ran 26.2 miles right into the record books.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Let's get straight to your "Showbiz Headlines."
Happy birthday, Mr. President. Bono, Usher, Lady Gaga just a few performers on hand to honor the 10th anniversary of the William J. Clinton Foundation and his belated 65th birthday. You can see there Lady Gaga wasn't shy about performing. She actually told Clinton, I'm having my first Marilyn Monroe moment, after singing "happy birthday" during her opening number.
More questions about weather J-Lo and Bradley Cooper are dating after a star sighting Saturday in Los Angeles. A photo in "People" magazine shows Cooper with a woman who looks a lot like the "American Idol" judge. Representatives for the stars couldn't be reached for comment.
And the big winner at the box office, "Real Steel," a film whose stars look like high-tech Rock 'em, Sock 'em robots, took in $16.3 million in its second weekend. Dance remake "Footloose" wasn't far behind at 16.1 million bucks.
And you might want to stock up on ginger, curry and tea after you hear this story. A 100-year-old man says that's what keeps him going. And guess what? He finished a marathon.
Zain Verjee, drinking her tea, eating her curry. Actually, you and I have always loved curry. I wonder if we'll make it to 100.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes. And martinis, but that has not helped run any kind of marathon, you know? And this guy, Kyra, 100 years old, ran 26.2 miles.
He actually started running a marathon -- this is like his eighth time, when he was 89 years old. So there is still hope for us.
There he is. He's wearing this bright yellow turban. He is originally from India. Lived in England, and then now lives in Toronto. They call him the Turbanned Tornado.
And there he goes. He ran and he ended up last. But it's OK. When he crossed the finish line, he was absolutely thrilled.
You know, he lost his wife and son many years ago, and apparently after that happened, he decided to run marathons. And I guess it was just like a personal thing for him. But you can see people cheering this major accomplishment.
He also had this T-shirt, Kyra, that says "Sikhs in the city."
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: Which I thought -- which I like. You know, he finished six hours behind the person who won the marathon. And do you know who that person was who won, Kyra?
PHILLIPS: No, because I'm totally fixated on --
VERJEE: What country am I from? No, what country am I from?
PHILLIPS: Kenya.
VERJEE: Yes. So, a Kenyan guy took the title for the marathon. His name is Kenneth Mungara and he won a bunch of fans.
But the spotlight is not on him, it's on this ginger curry, tea drinking guy.
PHILLIPS: You just wanted a shout-out to your home country there. That's OK. That's fair. Thanks, Zain.
VERJEE: All right.
PHILLIPS: All right. Karina Huber at the New York Stock Exchange where stocks are coming off a pretty nice rally last week.
Hey, Karina.
KARINA HUBER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. Yes. I don't know if we're going to see a repeat of last week because we had a nice rally as you mentioned, with the major averages jumping between 4 percent and 7 percent.
Today, we are expecting a lower opening, a couple of factors at play today. We've got disappointing manufacturing data coming out of New York. And some concern about the banks after we got earnings results from Wells Fargo and Citigroup.
But, of course, the focus does remain on Europe, Kyra. We had those finance ministers meeting in Paris over the weekend. Now, they pledged to get a plan together by next Sunday to fix Europe's debt problems, and in general, the market is seeing this as something positive. But then we heard from the German finance minister today saying that on October 23rd, that summit will not present a definitive solution to Europe's debt problem. So, a bit of a drop in optimism this morning.
And then as I mentioned, there's concerns about U.S. bank earnings after Citi says the economic environment is challenging and Wells Fargo third quarter earnings missed the estimate -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So what's the news we might see an impact on our cell phone bill, thanks to the FCC?
HUBER: Right. Well, I don't know if you have experienced this, Kyra, where, you know, you open your bill and you've got this look of horror on your face when you see how expensive it is. That's because many of us go over our minutes or we use too much data or we incur roaming charges without actually knowing it.
So, we get these huge, horrifying bills, and the FCC aims to stop that. They have reached a deal with some cell phone companies basically where the deal is you get an alert by text or voicemail that you are close to your limit on voice, data, or texting. You also get an alert before you get hit with those international roaming charges.
Now, some carriers already provide these alerts. But now, does it mean all of them have to do this. It will be free and automatic unless you opt out. And that goes into effect this year. So, hopefully it will wipe that look of horror we see on the monthly basis -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: That would be good news. Karina, thanks.
Well, coming up, he's winning fans and grabbing a lot of headlines. But does Herman Cain have real staying power in the GOP race?
And honoring a civil rights icon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One day, we'll all be able to say -- free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are all free at last.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The memorial for Martin Luther King is a dream come true for a lot of people, including members of his own family.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now:
A horrific crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway has taken the life of a beloved IndyCar driver. Thirty-three-year-old Dan Wheldon was killed in this 15-car wreck.
Testimony in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor has been put on hold. The delay in Dr. Conrad Murray's trial is due to the death of the father of the prosecution's last witness.
And President Obama begins a three-day bus tour to North Carolina and Virginia today. The president is pushing Congress to pass each element of his jobs package.
Tomorrow is Republican debate in Las Vegas. Herman Cain does it again, winning South Carolina's Tea Party straw poll over the weekend. He's got momentum for sure. But as we've seen with Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, that can fizzle.
Is Herman Cain the candidate in for a long haul?
Our CNN.com contributor L.Z. Granderson is joining us live from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and CNN contributor Will Cain from New York.
Guys, you might have heard -- I just interviewed Michael Crowley from "TIME" magazine, and he writes that Cain may be too real to win. So, what do you think? Is he too real or too funny to win -- L.Z.?
L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR: I think he's probably a little bit of both. You know, if you're going to be electable in a general election, you have to be someone who appeals to people who are not just looking for someone to be a straight talker, but also someone who is along the lines of being what are seen as a moderate or someone who's willing to work together and compromise.
And I think too much of his straight talk is drawing too much of a line strictly on one side of that fence. I think in a general election, that doesn't make him appealing.
PHILLIPS: Will?
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I kind of reject the choices, Kyra. I don't think he's too real or too funny. The same quality that makes you say he might be too real, the one that makes him say something like we should put an electrified fence on the border, is also the one that gives you 9-9-9, such a bold, clear plan.
So, I don't think that's what's inhibiting Herman Cain. What's inhibiting Herman Cain from potentially being the nominee is he is too unprepared. He seems lacking in foreign policy knowledge. He gives vague answers.
He doesn't seem to know what the neoconservative movement is, and that might be an inside baseball Washington, D.C. type thing. But George W. Bush kind of helped that into the general public.
I just think Herman Cain might be a little too unprepared to be president.
PHILLIPS: All right. So staying power or fizzling out. L.Z., does he leave his mark on the GOP?
GRANDERSON: Absolutely. I think without question, moving forward, you have to start having an intelligent conversation about diversity within the GOP, and within recognizable leadership within the GOP. If Herman Cain has done nothing during this primary, it's that he has brought forth the conversation that it's not just Democrats who are looking to present diverse candidates to the general population. I think that is a very, very good thing.
PHILLIPS: Will?
CAIN: Yes, and I love L.Z.'s feedback on this, Kyra. But it's not just showing that the GOP is cool with black people, but that black people can be cool with the GOP as well. As is stands right now, 80 percent to 90 percent of the black population votes Democrat. Now, there are many historical reasons why that might be, and many of them are legitimate. But it doesn't reflect a strong diversity of opinion within the black community.
And what's concerning to me is the 10 percent of black people that do come out as conservative are branded often as clowns or, worse, Uncle Toms. It happened to Clarence Thomas. And it's happening to Herman Cain.
Cornel West saying he needs to get off the crack pipe. Harry Belafonte saying he's a bad apple.
I hope that Herman Cain can help change this perspective.
PHILLIPS: Final thought, L.Z.
GRANDERSON: I don't think he will. I don't think that Herman Cain changes that.
PHILLIPS: Will he attract black voters? What do you think, L.Z.?
GRANDERSON: I'm sorry. I didn't hear the question.
PHILLIPS: Time for just one more response. You want to respond to what Will said. I was just curious to think, L.Z., if you thought, you know, that he will -- final thought of will he repel more blacks to support the GOP or bring more in?
GRANDERSON: He's not bringing more blacks in. Not Herman Cain.
What my point was is that he brings the conversation forward. How Herman Cain has brought the conversation forward is not going to draw more blacks in. There is a reason why people have been calling him an Uncle Tom, and it's not just because he say conservative. It's because of the rhetoric he has been using in talking about the black community and the pattern of black voters.
So, I think that Herman Cain's presence introduces the conversation, but Herman Cain himself is not leading any black people to the GOP party.
PHILLIPS: L.Z., Will, thanks, guys.
CAIN: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: Well, the issue of gay rights keeps coming up at these debates. No surprise it's on the agenda tomorrow night as well.
T.J. Holmes actually got a unique perspective at another Vegas event. Hey, T.J.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you there, Kyra.
And it was billed by the organizers here and it's just wrapping up. They say it is the first of its kind gathering in this country. It is a gathering of gay and lesbian active duty members of the military. But they wonder if years to come, if a meeting like this is going to be possible again depending on who's in the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to our second panel of the day. We're going to discuss the freedom to marry.
HOLMES (voice-over): This is a summit that could not have taken place a year ago. It couldn't have taken place just a few months ago. That's because "don't ask, don't tell" was still in place.
LT. ED LUNA, U.S. MARINE CORPS: It's life-changing to me.
HOLMES: September 20th was a big day for most of the folks you see here.
LUNA: I feel like for the first time I get to be me, unconditionally. And that's odd to be 27 years old and it's the first time that it's ever happened.
SR. AIRMAN KRISTY WOLFMAYER, U.S. AIR FORCE: It's an amazing feeling. It's a great time in history to be part of the military.
HOLMES (on camera): You couldn't do this before.
MAJ. JEFFREY MUELLER, U.S. AIR FORCE: No. And not keep my job, you know, to do something like this now and be able to tell the stories I think is what's so important right now.
LT. JOSHUA SEEFRIED, OUTSERVE/U.S. AIR FORCE: Our goal is to build a visible, proud gay community in the military that people feel comfortable being able to come out or just being who they are.
HOLMES: And you think you fight might not be done depending on who's in the White House and who's in those who houses of Congress, that maybe "don't ask, don't tell" could come back?
SEEFRIED: I think one of the things we'll see in the upcoming presidential campaign is, you know -- are people really going to threaten to bring back "don't ask, don't tell"? And I think that's something that, you know, is scary for me personally. Am I going to again be threatened to lose my career in the future, and that's something that, you know, I don't want to think about. I don't want to have to worry about losing my career in the future again, and I hope I don't have to.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And OutServe, which is of course that gathering, that community they are building of gay and lesbian members of the military, which has grown to up to 4,500 now. They do put out a magazine. But one thing you would be surprised by, Kyra, in all of the soldiers I talked to, many of them doing their first-ever interview in which they are talking about being a gay member of the military.
Each of them, Kyra, said, you know what? If the commander-in- chief tells me that "don't ask, don't tell" is back in place, then I'm going to follow and do exactly what my commander-in-chief tells me to do, to a T, to a man and every woman, they said the same thing -- wouldn't be upset. They would do what their commander-in-chief tells them, because as you know, Kyra, they take that oath very seriously, and they do follow orders.
PHILLIPS: T.J. Holmes out of Vegas -- T.J., thanks.
And tomorrow night, live on CNN, the Republican candidates for president will gather in Las Vegas for the big debate. That's the Western Republican Presidential Debate, 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
Well, thousands of people attended the dedication ceremony of the Martin Luther King Memorial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: This man, this one man, not only freed a people but liberated a nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Just ahead, a CNN contributor shares his memory of the civil rights icon.
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PHILLIPS: I'll tell you what? It was a beautiful day to honor one of greatest civil rights leader of our time.
Shannon Travis was just one of the thousands of people that gathered on the National Mall in Washington to dedicate a memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. MARTIN KING, JR., CIVIL RIGHTS ICON: I have a dream that one day --
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER (voice-over): Words that transformed a nation. And now, 43 years after he was assassinated in Memphis, a memorial is dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: An earthquake and a hurricane may have delayed this day, but this is a day that would not be denied.
TRAVIS: President Obama among those heralding Dr. King's legacy.
OBAMA: That is why we honor this man, because he had faith in us. And that is why he belongs on this Mall, because he saw what we might become.
TRAVIS: King's children spoke to their father's message.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, III, SON: I know we're here to celebrate the life of my father and commemorate my father, but we need to try to live like him, to love like him, and to care like him.
BERNICE KING, DAUGHTER: One day, we'll all be able to say -- free at last, free at last. Thank God almighty, we are all free at last!
TRAVIS: Speakers reflected on King's influence.
REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: This man, this one man, not only freed a people but liberated a nation.
REV. AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: Faith that fed us when we were hungry, faith that clothed us when we were naked, faith that brought us from the back of the bus to the White House.
TRAVIS: The 1,600-ton monument more than a decade in the making. A symbol standing as a dedication to a man whose mission was as steadfast as this monument.
(on camera): Forty-eight years after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s march on Washington, the president talked about how this was a fitting return to the mall to honor the man and this moment. It's also fitting that the president, the first African-American president of the United States, would be here for this ceremony.
Also one other thing of note, the statue, the memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King on the National Mall, is the first to honor an African-American.
Shannon Travis, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: So, now, we all have a memorial. But for CNN contributor Bob Greene, he has a memory what so many of us wish we had, a moment. And he writes about it in his op-ed for CNN.com.
Bob joins me live from Chicago.
Bob, how remarkable that you are actually able to say, "Excuse me, sir. Are you Martin Luther King?" Tell me about that moment.
BOB GREENE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Kyra, we were on school vacation, a buddy of mine named Gary Herwall (ph), in 1965. And we were in Miami Beach, and we decided to look at the hotels.
And we went into a place -- I believe it was called the Beau Rivage. And down at a shopping arcade, a little shopping arcade on the bottom level, there was an African-American man in a dark business suit, by himself. And as you know, back then, you didn't see that much in Miami Beach. And Gary and I looked at each other, and Gary is the one who got up the nerve to say it.
We walked up to him, and Gary said, "Excuse me, sir. Are you Martin Luther King?" And Dr. King turned to us, and in that remarkable unmistakable voice, said, "Yes, I am." And Gary said, "I just want to tell you how much we admire you." And we started talking.
And, you know, this was three years before he died. And the content of the conversation I don't really recall. What I recall is us standing there and thinking, we are talking to Dr. Martin Luther King. And it turned out that he was down there for a reason.
PHILLIPS: Well, you -- what has stuck in your mind, though, is how much Dr. King had accomplished by the age of 36. It was so remarkable.
GREENE: Right. I -- for years, I have wondered what he was doing there by himself. And I finally was reading a biography called "Bearing the Cross" by David Garrow. And the answer was in there.
Apparently, Dr. King was despondent, fatigued, from the Selma march, from the discord within the civil rights movement, and his best friends had been worried about how tired and depressed really he was, and suggested he get away. And he had gone down to Miami and then was going to Nassau.
But, Kyra, as you say, for all he had accomplished, as we stood with him there that evening, the Nobel Peace Prize already, "TIME" magazine man of the year already, the "I Have a Dream" speech, one of the greatest speeches in the history of this country, already. On that night, he was only 36 years old.
PHILLIPS: Wow. It's pretty cool that you've got that memory, Bob. Thanks so much.
GREENE: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: And you can go to CNN.com/Opinion to read Bob's piece for yourself.
You can also join the conversation with him and leave a comment.
Well, coming up, in a tough economy, many couples are putting off something much bigger than a big screen TV or a new car. They are cutting back on having kids.
Also ahead, run a marathon, get married, in that order. It's not your usual pre-wedding tradition, but it worked out for one Rhode Island couple.
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PHILLIPS: Checking stories now cross country, the Maryland man jailed in Aruba in connection with Robyn Gardner's disappearance is due back in court today. Gary Giordano's attorneys says attorneys do not have enough evidence to continue to hold him and will ask for his release.
In California, a color-coded system which groups students together based on test scores has been dropped after upset parents and students rather are calling it segregation. Under the system, students received ID cards and notebooks that were colored white, gold, or black depending on how high or low the test on -- or they tested rather on state tests.
And unusual finish for a Rhode Island couple running a marathon this weekend after the 26-mile race, they got married. The bride wore a white tennis skirt and veil. The groom, shorts and tuxedo T-shirt.
Well, it seems that more women are choosing not to have children because of the bad economy. Our senior medical correspond Elizabeth Cohen is here to talk about how significant this decline is.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's really interesting you can track the economy and how economy is doing. If it's doing well, people have kids. If it's not doing well, people have fewer kids. And we have a great graph that show that it really did -- the correlation is very clear.
So if you take look, sort of back in 2002, we started to do better. The economy was doing better, and you can see that graph growing and growing and growing with the number of children. The top of that graph is 2007. That's when the economy was really doing quite well, and then once things -- once things started to go downhill since 2007, the death rate goes right down.
So we're now at a low birth -- birth rate rather, a low birth rate really comparable to about where we were in around 2002.
PHILLIPS: Well, as you and I know, parenting is very expensive. So have you been able to put the numbers to together to actually say how much it would cost to have one child now?
COHEN: Yes. And now that you had two, sort of instantly, you should double these numbers. Right, it costs between $8,000 and $20,000 a year to raise a child. That depends of course, you know, on how much money you're spending on them, I guess. It depends on fancy clothes versus not fancy clothes, private school versus public school.
And if you look from birth to 18, that's between $206,000 and $477,000. And what's so interesting about this, is again, the correlation. For example, we were saying birth rates are going down.
But look at North Dakota, which is a state where things have actually been going relatively well. They're the only state where birth rates are not going down.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
COHEN: So you can really see it.
PHILLIPS: Well, so there comes the question, as a woman, you know, your biological clock is ticking.
COHEN: Right.
PHILLIPS: You know, you only have a certain amount of time to have a child. There are other options now, but at the same time, if you're struggling in a bad economy you want to save money. It is like, how do you deal with that decision?
COHEN: It's a tough decision because if you decide, well, we're only going to have let's say one child and then the economy gets better, it's possible that it's too late or it's possible that you can only have a child by doing fertility treatments, which can get really expensive, especially if you don't have good health insurance.
So you may think well, I'll put this off and we'll do this later, well, later maybe be more expensive. So yes, keep that in mind.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Elizabeth.
COHEN: Ok.
PHILLIPS: Well, the St. Louis Cardinals are heading to the World Series. We've got highlights of their National League championship game clinchers, sports in seven minutes.
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PHILLIPS: Well, here's a look at stories making news later today.
At 11:15 Eastern Michelle Obama and Jill Biden recognize a program that modify homes for returning military vets.
At 1:00 Easter Atlanta's City Council will debate whether local protesters of the Occupy Wall Street Movement should be kicked out of the park.
At 6:00 Eastern Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain will meet with Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Well, we're following lots of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with our senior political editor Mark Preston -- Mark.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Kyra. Issue number one in the 2012 election is the economy, and no state has been hit harder than Nevada where seven Republican presidential candidates will stand on stage tomorrow to offer their cures for the economy. I'll have more at the top of the hour.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Brianna Keilar in Ashville, North Carolina, where President Obama kicks off another bus tour this time for the political battleground states of North Carolina and Virginia to promote his jobs plan. I'll be live near the top of the hour.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hey, Kyra, I'm Zain in London and I'll tell you what newspapers around the world are saying about all the protests that happened here in London as well as across Europe.
PHILLIPS: All right, guys thanks so much.
Also in the next hour, more on the death of Dan Wheldon, the beloved Indy car driver and family man killed in the last race of season. Even before the race there were concerns about track safety. We'll get into that next hour.
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PHILLIPS: All right. Bring on the fall classic Jeff Fischel.
JEFF FISCHEL, ANCHOR, HLN SPORTS: That's right, we now know who's in it. We already knew the Texas Rangers made it from the American League. Who would be in the NL? It didn't -- we didn't have to wait long to find out it would be the St. Louis Cardinals. Game six last night of the NLCS between the Cardinals and the Brewers.
Albert Pujols does it again one of the three homeruns for the Cardinals. They beat Milwaukee 12-6 and they go to the World Series. It will be the 18th World Series for St. Louis. They have won it ten times. Game one of the series Wednesday night in St. Louis.
To the NFL, the 49ers in line, 49ers quarterback Alex Smith hits Delaney Walker for the game-winning touchdown on fourth down with less than two minutes to go. After the game a pumped up 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh (ph) goes to shake hands with Lion's coach Jim Schwartz. Schwartz didn't like it he thought it wasn't quite cordial enough I guess and he goes and chases after Harbaugh.
Here he comes, hey, he gives a little shove. Harbaugh later said he was too pumped up and shook it too hard. The league is looking into it.
The Vikings and Bears dominated by Devon Hester. The Bears' Mr. Do-it-all had a long touchdown catch; he also busted this kickoff return all the way back. Hester holds the all-time NFL record for kick and punt returns for touchdowns. You may say, he's so good they don't understand why anyone kicks it to him anymore. The Bears win 39-10.
Patriots and Cowboys (INAUDIBLE) quarterback Tom Redding, so good in French Time. Brady hits Titan Aaron Hernandez with the eight-yard touchdown pass, just 22 seconds left. The Patriots beat the Cowboys 20-16. It's the 32nd time Brady had led the pastor, you know, retired or behind in the fourth quarter.
The Green Bay Packers weren't the throwback beauties. That's them on the left right there, taking on the rams. Nothing retro about this, Aaron Rodgers deep in Jordy Nelson (ph), 93 yards, it was that kind of easy day for Rodgers and company. Rodgers had three touchdowns. The defending super bowl champs are 6 and 0 the only team undefeated in the league. They win easy over the Rams.
And Kyra coming up, in a few minutes. We're going to talk about Dan Wheldon all morning, I'll talk about some of the safety things that are going on with Indy Car right now after yesterday terrible tragedy.
PHILLIPS: All right. Stay close. We'll talk about it at the top of the hour. Thanks, Jeff.
FISCHEL: Sure.
