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Romney Focuses on New Hampshire; Cain Reels from Abortion Flub; Turkey Quake Leaves 1300 Injured; U.S. Ambassador Pulled Out of Syria; Autopsy: Gunshot to Head Killed Gadhafi; U.S. Ratings Downgrade Likely; Obama to Unveil Housing Relief; Possible New Clue for Missing Girl; BPA In Pregnant Moms May Affect Kids

Aired October 24, 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: Sorry?

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: I'm so sorry. Is there an issue?

CHO: Oh my god.

PHILLIPS: Hold on here. Here we go. All right.

VELSHI: Oh, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK.

VELSHI: We've got to have a laugh to start the day.

PHILLIPS: Happy Monday, peeps. Happy Monday.

(LAUGHTER)

VELSHI: And to you, Kyra.

CHO: Bye, Kyra. Have a good show.

PHILLIPS: And we begin this hour with presidential politics and the two states that will be critical in choosing the Republican nominee. In New Hampshire frontrunner Mitt Romney about to file his paperwork for the primary there. He's considered the heavy favorite.

And his challengers, too, are focusing on Iowa. It's still up for grabs just 10 weeks before it hosts the nation's first caucuses. Newt Gingrich kicking off his day with a town hall meeting this afternoon in Davenport. Rick Santorum holding several meet-and-greet events across the state. Both are touting their conservative credentials and seizing on the latest stumbles by Herman Cain.

OK. We're covering all the angles for you. Paul Steinhauser has the big picture from Washington. Shannon Travis is on the campaign trail in Iowa.

Paul, let's go ahead and start with you. As Romney files to get on to the New Hampshire ballot, what do you think? How strong is his lead?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Very strong in the Granite State. About 15 minutes from now, he'll be in Concord, New Hampshire, the state capital, and he'll make it official there by putting his petition in.

This is the last week for candidates to get on the ballot in New Hampshire. Remember Romney the overwhelming favorite there. One of the reasons, he used to be governor of neighboring Massachusetts. He also owns a home in New Hampshire.

Check this out, Kyra. This is the most recent poll in New Hampshire. You can see Romney at the top at 38 percent. Herman Cain at 20 percent. Ron Paul at 13 percent. Everybody else in single digits.

Also today, Mitt Romney getting a big endorsement in New Hampshire. The former governor up there, John Sununu, the most recently was the Republican Party chairman.

And, Kyra, one more thing about New Hampshire. We don't have to worry about going to December to hold its primary in December. Here's why. Over the weekend, Nevada moving its caucus to the 4th of February. So here's how it looks in January. Iowa on the 3rd. The caucus is right there. And we think that the New Hampshire will go on the 10th, and of course the 4th of February now for Nevada -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, Rick Perry this week, right, he's going to unveil his plan for a flat tax? This could ignite a bit of -- I guess we should say stalled momentum?

STEINHAUSER: I think Perry is hoping for a little 9-9-9 magic that Herman Cain got when he got his tax plan out there.

Yes, tomorrow in South Carolina, of course, the state that holds the first southern primary, Perry is going to introduce his flat tax and its supposed to be a flat tax on both corporate rates and on personal income.

Cain of course with that 9-9-9 plan that he's been touting for so long, and now the new 9-0-9 plan. That 9-9-9 plan, which is a 9 percent sales tax, 9 percent national sales tax, corporate rate and personal income rate really helped him rise in the polls.

And what about Romney? He's really calling for basically maintain the current tax system. He wants to extend those Bush era tax cuts and eliminate the death tax and lower corporate tax rates.

And, Kyra, one more thing. By the way, I'm not sitting on a seat. I'm sitting on a desk right here so I don't have that problem that Ali had this morning.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: You don't have to worry an up-and-down.

STEINHAUSER: Not at all.

PHILLIPS: The magic chair, right, is what we call it. All right. Paul, great to see you.

All right, let's get to Iowa. And the latest threat to Herman Cain's recent surge in popularity. Shannon Travis is in Davenport for us.

So how much did Cain hurt himself among conservatives when he appeared vague on the issue of abortion, Shannon?

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Well, it's Monday. Herman Cain certainly hopes that this controversy is behind him. But it wasn't quite put to bed. He came here to Iowa on Saturday to try and put this abortion controversy to bed, but not quite.

Now let me just bring our viewers up to date. Last week he was on Piers Morgan. He made some comments that seemed to suggest that while -- that he's personally against abortion, that he might not be against the legal -- making abortion illegal in the country.

He came to this Iowa faith in freedom event on Saturday, and he basically said, you know what? I am against illegal -- I'm against abortion. He's pro-life. And he's against -- he's for overturning Roe v. Wade. But outside, some people put some mysterious flyers on cars basically saying that Herman Cain was pro-choice.

It's a mysterious flyer. We tried to contact who distributed these flyers. But we couldn't get through to anybody. It seems like one of those political dirty tricks that we've seen so many times before -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, Gingrich and Santorum scrambling to win support from conservative voters, Shannon. The polls show they're still struggling in Iowa too, right?

TRAVIS: Yes. They're pretty low in the polls, although you talk to their campaigns and they say they are rising in the polls. But they are basically barn-storming the state. I think we have a graphic -- a few graphics to show their travels across the states.

Santorum has vowed to visit all 99 of Iowa's counties, Kyra. I don't know what number he's up to so far. But it looks like he's spent 62 days in Iowa, according to the "Des Moines Register" which is keeping track, and about 159 events. It's the most of all any of the candidates here so far.

In terms of Gingrich, 40 days in Iowa, 72 events. He's got -- Gingrich has three events today. Santorum has seven events today. Again, they are hoping to appeal to the evangelical Christians who come out in numbers here in Iowa, and maybe even Newt Gingrich, some of the economic conservatives with his new "Contract with America," which proposes an optional flat tax.

Seems to be the big popular thing in the Republican Party, that flat tax -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Shannon, thanks.

And we're going to have your next political update in just about an hour. You can always get the latest news, though, on our Web site, CNNPolitics.com.

All right, let's head overseas to a struggle for a life amid the ruins. Eastern Turkey digging out from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake. The country's strongest in more than 10 years.

Diana Magnay is right there at the area, at least 55 buildings have collapsed not far from where she is.

Diana, what about the search for survivors right now?

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The search for survivors continues as search and rescue workers pick through the rubble of all of those buildings but did collapse in the town where I am.

Basically there were two challenge in this very remote region of southeastern Turkey which were badly hit. Van and Ercis where I am. And rescue workers have had to build up a tent city here for all of those people who were made homeless when their buildings collapsed and all of those people who were too scared to go back to those -- to their buildings tonight because there are constant aftershocks and because they are worried that the foundations of their buildings aren't stable enough to withstand it.

So here you can see behind me they are queuing for food. There's been stew that's being made for them. There is bread, there's water, there's hot tea. And temperatures at night here are really very, very cold. So the Red Crescent has had to bring in blankets, tents with heaters, all of those things because people say we cannot go back to our homes. We don't know when we'll be able to go back to our homes, whether it's a week, whether it's a month.

Winter is coming. The state has to look after us. And this is a very small town. It's a little more than 100,000 people. So literally everybody here knows somebody who is missing or someone who is lost -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, Diana, what about aid? Is it going to be able to get in there? Is it going to get tougher? And of course people are going to want to help. What can they do?

MAGNAY: Well, the Red Crescent has a donation page on its Web site. So it is possible to contribute that way.

Turkey as a government has said that it doesn't actually need help from elsewhere, that it can handle the situation on its own. And remember this is a country that has -- that is situated on fault lines which crisscross it. In 1999, there was a huge earthquake in Marmara which 17,000 people were killed. So Turkey is no stranger to this kind of seismic activity. And although the numbers are horrific, there are at this stage a little over 200 people dead, Turkey says it can cope with it on its own. But it does thank other governments for their offers of help, and actually there are teams -- we are very near the Iranian border here.

There were teams helping with the search and rescue efforts from Iran, from (INAUDIBLE), who come off their own backs just to see what they could do. Aid is coming through. It's slow to come through. The tents on the first night weren't really available. People were sleeping in their cars. They were very, very cold on the streets. They sat around fired. But tonight should be a better situation for the people who don't have homes to go to -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Diana Magnay, we'll follow the story along there with you. Thanks so much.

And the State Department is reporting this morning that there have been credible threats now against the U.S. ambassador in Syria. Ambassador Robert Ford has been pulled out of the country now and is back in Washington.

Our Max Foster is joining us from London.

So explain the situation and what do we know -- Max.

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, he arrived back in the U.S. over the weekend. And we're getting some information now from the State Department about exactly what's going on here. And we heard from Mark Toller from the State Department -- he's the spokesperson there -- talking about Robert Ford saying that he had received credible threats against his personal safety in Syria.

And it's gotten to the point where this has become too difficult. He has got -- I think it's fair to say, Ambassador Ford -- a very good reputation, not just in U.S. political circles but also with anti- government protesters in Syria. He has been outspoken about his support for their right to demonstrate in Syria.

But also he's been very -- he has spoken out against the government crackdown on those protests, which hasn't made him popular with pro-government protesters. So we have the situation, for example, last month where he was meeting a prominent opposition figure in Syria. And -- and pro-government protesters burst into that meeting and completely disrupted it.

We don't know how much government support there is behind this, but people are assuming there is some. So he's been withdrawn from the country. He's back in the U.S. but the embassy, Kyra, has stayed open. It only reopened earlier this year after years of no diplomatic relations. But it is still open. But obviously, the tension between the U.S. and Syria right now is at a high.

PHILLIPS: Well, yes. And Max, after we saw in Libya and what happened to Gadhafi and the anti-demonstrations that picked up after that, and the talk about, OK, is this leader next, now we're getting these threats toward the ambassador in that -- to that country.

So are other Americans being threatened as well? And is this becoming a bigger concern?

FOSTER: Well, there are Republicans who didn't want an ambassador going back into Syria because they didn't want to be seen to be supporting it in any way. And it is under the State Department rules still seen as a state sponsor of terrorism. But at the same time, it's a crucial player in that region.

So a lot of Democrats and other people around the world want to see a U.S. presence there, because they say let's deal with them anyway. Let's try and find out what is their thinking. So it's seen as a crucial role. But when it comes to personal threats against the ambassador, they have to pull him out. But obviously diplomatic relations haven't been completely ceased because the embassy is still open. But it is a concern.

I mean a lot of these regimes are difficult to deal with. The question is, do you try and deal with them and make things better or not?

PHILLIPS: All right, Max. Thanks.

Coming up, we're talking to a man who has been advising the rebels in Libya. Now that Gadhafi is gone, he feels more comfortable talking about it. So we're going to ask him how they build a new country after 42 years under a dictator.

And remember how hot and dry Texas has been? It's almost seemed Mother Nature was trying to make up for it in one night.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Quick look now at stories from across the country.

This week is getting off to a pretty soggy start in north Texas. A storm with strong wind, rain, and hail slammed the Dallas area overnight. Some gusts hit 70 miles per hour. About 16,000 customers lost their power and crews have been cleaning debris out of that road.

Former Louisiana prison inmate eating his first shrimp po-boy as a free man. DNA testing exonerated Henry James of rape about 30 years after he went to prison. He could get up to a quarter million dollars as payback for his years behind bars now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY JAMES, EXONERATED AFTER 30 YEARS: I can't undo what's been done. All I can do now is just put it behind me and take the rest of my life I have and try to move forward and think positive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And mourners pay their respects to Dan Wheldon, a week after he was killed in a wreck in an IndyCar race. IndyCar is investigating that crash and hopes to have some results in the next few weeks.

Libya started its first full week as a liberated nation, but there are a lot of questions this morning. It's still not clear if Moammar Gadhafi's fatal head wound came in the crossfire or from close range.

We're going to talk more with CNN's Dan Rivers. He's actually headed to Misrata, Gadhafi's body still on public display there.

Dan, what are you hearing?

DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Exactly that. We are hearing that his body has been placed back on public display after the autopsy yesterday.

We spoke to the chief pathologist yesterday who carried out the autopsy. He wouldn't give details, but he did tell us that the main conclusion that Gadhafi died from a gunshot wound to the head. We have no details on whether that was at close range or hit in the cross fire as the transitional government are maintaining here.

But it's quite a lot of surprise that they have then chosen to put the body back on public show at this cold storage facility on the edge of town, rather than burying it or handing it over to Gadhafi's tribe as they said they were going to do. You know, clearly, they have an issue with quite the mechanics of how they are going to do this burial in secret, if that's what they're going to do, that's what they've maintained they're going to do. But there are still long lines of people queuing up to see him.

PHILLIPS: All right. Dan Rivers, as you head to Misrata, we'll talk to you along that journey. And you'll be joining us once you get there.

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt law professor Mike Newton has been serving as a legal adviser to the rebels in Libya. He also helped Iraq with its post-Saddam justice system, and he helped build the war crimes case against Slobodan Milosevic in Kosovo.

Now, you are an adviser in secret, Mike. Why didn't you feel comfortable talking about it until Gadhafi was dead?

MIKE NEWTON, LAW PROFESSOR, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: Well, I give the Libyan leaders a great deal of credit because they reached out in a very quiet way to a number of experts and organizations and, in fact, took a number of very concrete, constructive steps to comply with the rule of law. And so, that's not stuff you advertise. You just do it.

PHILLIPS: Tell me what kind of advice you actually have been giving them? And how did you communicate and how often?

NEWTON: They had a number of specific questions regarding the precise regulations -- what we would call the laws and customs of war, for conducting hostilities lawfully. And my hope is that exact same spirit now translates into the post-conflict reconstruction.

What is -- what is the law, how do we build a Libya that protects human rights for all tribes, all people, all regions of the country, and how do we demonstrate that? What do we do to demonstrate good faith to the international community?

And I hope that spirit very strongly carries through, and is very strongly demonstrated in practice.

PHILLIPS: And like we said, they have been reaching out to you for advice. Did they tell you the truth about Gadhafi's death? Do they believe that they know for sure?

NEWTON: At this point, nobody really knows. That's why there have been calls are investigations or they have been calls for documentation.

But at this point, I think they are really focused on really two time frames. One, there's a short-term time frame to demonstrate very concrete, tangible progress to the Libyan people that says this is not the old secret state of secret police and no freedom of speech and no freedom of press. And then the longer term process of constitution- building and consensus-building and institution-building to build a Libya that protects the rights of every Libyan is just now beginning. And so, I think they're focused forward.

PHILLIPS: Well, on that note about protecting rights and focusing forward, Libya's transitional leader says that Islamic Sharia law will be, quote-unquote, "the basic source of all law," but insists that Libyans are moderate Muslims. So, what does this mean? I mean, your first reaction, we know Sharia law, is that women will not be treated equally.

NEWTON: That's a really good question, Kyra. And what it hints at is that an ultimate solution to a long-term, lasting, stable societal peace built on justice and the widespread respect for human rights really comes down to strong institutions. And ultimately, that's a Libyan solution. It has to be built from the ground up.

My hope is that in President Obama's statements the other day that he publicly committed to the United States taking the lead. And I hope that we provide very lean, very tailored, very focused assistance so that those promises -- you know, the Libyans made a lot of sacrifices to build a better Libya. And in fact, now it's time to deliver on those promises.

I hope they have very short-term, concrete projects all across Libya for all tribes -- things like water relief, things like rebuilding assistance, things that very quickly demonstrate this is not Gadhafi's Libya anymore. Now cooperate with us while we build a better Libya for the long-term future.

PHILLIPS: Well, I hope we can talk more as you continue to advise the rebels. It's a fascinating connection. Mike Newton, thanks so much.

NEWTON: Thank you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Coming up, Janet Jackson chooses court over concerts. More on her tour shakeup, and the rest of your showbiz headlines.

And Prince Harry enjoying the night life while in the States, of course. The details on what happened when he crossed paths with a California waitress and a little bit of booze?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's get to your showbiz headlines.

Janet Jackson ditched her concert tour for the Conrad Murray trial. She postponed several trials in Australia to fly home and be with her family in L.A. Murray's manslaughter trial could wrap up this week.

John Mayer has undergone surgery for a vocal chord issue. In the blog post, the singer says that he's held off, hoping for an easier fix, but didn't find one. Now, he can't talk at all for at least a month. He said he needs to recover from the operation.

And Will Ferrell has been awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American humor. Such a big honor, as you can see, he couldn't handle it. The actor comedian promptly dropped the award, actually busting Twain's head into two pieces. It was a rare serious moment, though, when he said he was humbled by the prize and picked up all the pieces.

Most Brits like to give the queen a bit of a wave when she passes by in her chauffeured limo, but one Aussie decided to greet her -- well, in a little bit of a different manner.

Max Foster is here with all the revealing details.

(LAUGHTER)

FOSTER: Very good, Kyra. Very good.

I have seen lots of strange reactions when people meet the queen, but I think this is the strangest one. Apparently, it was very spontaneous. So, a young guy, 22 Liam Warriner, who was in Australia. And apparently the queen waved at him, and his natural reaction was to drop his pants, allegedly.

I'm saying that because this is a legal process now. He dropped his pants, he mooned at her. I'm not sure what she thinks of it. But no word from the palace on that.

But he has been charged with creating a public nuisance and willful exposure. He's appearing in court on Friday. So, he can't say much more than that. And I think we shouldn't even be laughing. Someone is taking it very seriously.

PHILLIPS: How exactly did the queen react? Do we know?

FOSTER: She would have just looked the other way gracefully and ignored it completely. Apparently he was running down the road next to her car. I don't think she could have missed it.

And also, I was going to miss this part of the story out, but I'll mention it just because it's in all the papers. It's not my exclusive. But he had the Australian flag in the cheeks of his bare backside. That's sort of what the local papers are talking about.

And they are trying to give it a political edge, because he's linked with the "Occupy" movement. So, I think he just did it.

PHILLIPS: Or he's just a very patriotic Aussie.

FOSTER: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: Now, Prince Harry, now, Max, you know, here's there for a little bit of combat training in the States. But it looks like the party prince couldn't stay away from a cute little cocktail waitress and a couple of bottles of booze. Surprise, surprise.

FOSTER: Well, this is the party prince. Although tabloid newspapers are desperate to get anything on him partying. So they sent a lot of people over. San Diego seems to be where he is going out when he is out there. And this is the headline from "The Sun": "Harry, cocktail waitress spend night together in 80 pound hotel room." Now, you see this headline and then you read into the headlines and they sort of undo themselves on the way.

He did meet a cocktail waitress. We know that. And she's called Jessica Donaldson, but her quote is: "Harry is a real prince charming. I'm flattered he showed me attention, but there's nothing more than that."

So, he went to a bar, had a few drinks, spoke to a waitress, and that's headline you get out of it.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Max.

Two months ago, Standard & Poor's cut its rating on the U.S. debt and the stock market immediately tumbled. Well, now, there's talk of another downgrade.

Karina Huber is in New York Stock Exchange.

So, Karina, how soon could it happen?

KARINA HUBER, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it could happen by late November or early December. This is according to a top economist at Bank of America, Merrill Lynch. He believes there's a high probability that the U.S. will get hit with another downgrade either by Moody's or Fitch.

Now, currently, those two ratings agencies still give the U.S. the highest possible rating of AAA. But, of course, that could change. And the potential catalyst for another downgrade would likely be the same for the first downgrade -- too much debt and stalemate in Washington.

You know, we got that deadline coming up soon by Thanksgiving, the debt reduction supercommittee. It's bipartisan one that was created following the summer stalemate. They were supposed to come up with a plan to cut the deficit by $1.2 trillion essentially. Merrill Lynch doesn't believe it's going to ask.

But, you know, investors are not focused on that today. They are really focusing on the economic data and some strong corporate earnings. We are expecting a slightly higher today.

PHILLIPS: All right. Karina, thanks.

And coming up, Rick Perry gets some food for thought during dinner with Donald Trump. What he's saying and why, right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now:

More than 230 people are dead and 1,300 injured after a massive earthquake struck eastern Turkey. Rescuers are using heavy machinery and their bare hands just to dig through that rubble and try and search for survivors.

And more than 80 percent of registered voters cast ballots in an historic election in Tunisia. It's the first election there since the overthrow of a dictator that trigger the Arab spring.

And tropical storm Rina has formed in the western Caribbean. Rina is expected to move across the Gulf of Mexico and it could threaten the U.S.

Maybe you thought that the whole birther thing was dead and buried. Well, Rick Perry is not so sure. In an interview with "Parade" magazine published yesterday, the governor says that dinner with Donald Trump kind of got him thinking.

Joining us for our weekly political chat, contributors L.Z. Granderson and Will Cain.

All right. Guys, I want to read part of this interview if you don't mind. Governor Perry asked if he believes that President Obama was born in the United States. And he says, quote, "I have no reason to think otherwise, but I don't have a definitive answer." The interviewer says, rather, "But you have seen the birth certificate." The governor's reply, "I don't know. Have I?"

All right, guys. What's the deal? L.Z.?

L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR: I can't -- I just can't -- I don't understand why these people -- these birther people continue to try and drive this topic as an issue, as an issue to get President Obama out of the White House. Every single time they open their mouths, I just find myself laughing hysterically, because he's done enough for you to run on. You don't need to dig up something that says he's not American. It's just ludicrous to me.

PHILLIPS: And, Will, we have seen the birth certificate. I mean, we've seen it. It's out there. It's done. It's over, right?

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, yes, right. You know, Kyra, you said I wonder what Donald Trump might have said or how that dinner might have gone. I have a guess, OK?

Rick Perry is now a desperate candidate. You know, imagine sitting there with Donald Trump and he's like, I'm getting hammered. I even pulled out the Mitt Romney illegal employed aliens. I'm getting nowhere.

And Donald Trump says, you know, Rick, I was pulling 26 percent back in May, and you know what I was pushing. And Rick Perry is kind of like, hmm.

This is what we're seeing. This is a desperate candidate. He is finding issues that he hopes can get him back on the map, back on the radar.

PHILLIPS: All right. Now, he goes on to say that it doesn't matter and it's a distractive issue. So why would Rick Perry even, you know, back into this?

GRANDERSON: Because Will's absolutely correct. He is a bit of a desperate person. The last debate, he threw everything he could to try to get the stick. And I heard a lot of boos in that crowd, and I don't think they were booing Romney. I think they were booing him and his approach and his line of reasoning.

You know, they should have vetted the guy before they propped him up as the leading GOP candidate. This is another mistake from Boehner. This another mistake within the upper echelon of the GOP party to not properly vet this guy to see if he was really ready for this.

And now, he is making them look like idiots again.

PHILLIPS: Well, we'll see what's next. L.Z. and Will, thanks.

CAIN: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Well, President Obama is headed to Nevada, a state hard-hit by the housing crisis. That makes it a fitting backdrop for the latest plan to help the economy and the Americans struggling in it.

Athena Jones is at the White House.

Athena, tell us about the plan.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you know, as you mentioned, Nevada is really ground zero for the housing crisis. One in 118 housing units there were in foreclosure as of September, according to RealtyTrac. That's the highest rate in the nation.

And as you know, until the housing market really recovers, it's going to continue to weigh down the economy. So what the president will talk about today is new rules for federally guaranteed mortgages, those are the ones backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This would make it easier for homeowners to refinance, even if they are way underwater, owing a lot more than what they are worth, owing more than 125 percent. So, that's really far underwater.

The idea is it will help people in these really hard-hit states like Nevada, like Arizona, like California to refinance and save some money. You know, Vice President Biden spoke about this a little bit with Candy Crowley on "STATE OF THE UNION" this week.

And let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are about 6 million people who are at 6 percent mortgages, above 6 percent. They could refinance at 4 percent, if the fees were waived, and we're able from a federal level to have some impact on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And so, the idea here for the White House is to say, we can't wait. We can't wait for the Republicans in Congress. They are going to take whatever steps they can, executively or administratively, to make changes to these programs to try and help people. That's the idea here, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Quickly, also, there is a part about helping with student loans, right?

JONES: That's right. In Denver, on Wednesday, the president is expected to announce a plan that would help and make it easier for college graduates to repay federal loans. The idea here is that while college tuition rates are going up, the White House still wants to encourage people to go to school, because as you often hear a lot, we've got to out-educate the rest of the world in order to compete in the world economy. You often hear the president say that.

So, we'll hear more about that on Wednesday, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Athena, thanks.

JONES: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Baseball is a game of tradition, but here's one tradition that just didn't last. Managers wearing coats and ties. So why do modern day managers dress down and suit up? We'll talk about it with Bob Greene.

And a vigil for a missing toddler. Will new video lead to clues about her disappearance? A live report from Kansas City, Missouri, in about 10 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: In football, it's sweats and a logo jacket. Maybe a polo shirt. In basketball, it's a nice pressed suit -- well, most of the time. And then in baseball, it's the uniform. The jersey, the stir ups, the whole shebang.

So, why is it that baseball is the one sport where managers suit up?

Author and CNN contributor Bob Greene wrote about this topic for CNN.com.

So, what happened to the days of Connie Mack?

BOB GREENE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Kyra, it's one of those parts of American life, one of those quirks, that you seldom think about, it just seems always to be there.

But you're right. National Football League coaches don't wear jerseys and helmets and shoulder pads. And National Basketball Association coaches don't wear shorts and gym shoes. But forever, it seems, baseball managers have worn baseball uniforms just like their players.

So I thought I would find out. And I spoke with a fella named John Thorn, the official historian of Major League Baseball.

And he said that back in the very early days of baseball, the manager was a guy who took care of paying the bills and making the train schedules, but he made no decisions on the field. The person who made the decisions on the field was called the captain. And he was a player in uniform. So, when the 20th century rolled around, baseball has been here a long time, and the managers became the guys in the dugouts who in the most part were no longer players, they just kept wearing the uniforms.

PHILLIPS: Are sure it's not because they're going through a mid life crisis and they just want to look studly?

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: That's one of the things that Mr. Thorn told me. He said, no matter how old you get, inside, you still think you're a baseball player. But there's nothing -- there is nothing in the rule book of Major League Baseball that I can find or Mr. Thorn could find that says a manager has to wear a baseball uniform. It only applies to the players.

And some people think that it's because managers have to go onto the field for pitching changes or to argue with the umpire.

But, again, the manager is never on the field while the ball is in play. So, it really comes down to the idea that -- well, I talked to Bob Costas, the broadcaster, about it, who loves baseball. And he said the answer is: that's baseball. And he said, as far as he's concerned, that's baseball is always a good enough answer for him.

PHILLIPS: We'll be checking them out in Texas as we watch the World Series tonight. Bob, thanks.

You can read Bob Greene's piece, why baseball managers wear uniforms, at CNN.com.

Well, the search for a little girl with a big smile as family and friends hold a candlelight vigil, police poring over what they hope will be a new lead into the disappearance of Lisa Irwin.

And scattered across the Pacific, debris from Japan's deadly March quake and tsunami. And we'll tell you where it's showing up.

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PHILLIPS: All right. Checking stories across the country:

A loaded handgun tumbled from a bag being loaded into an Alaska Airlines flight in Portland, Oregon. It happened at Los Angeles airport yesterday. And police questioned the gun's owner and allowed him to board a later flight. A TSA spokesperson says the agency is not responsible for determining if weapons are in checked luggage.

In eastern Kentucky, a man climbing with friends in the Red River Gorge fell 60 feet. It took rescue crews four hours to get him out. He is expected to recover.

And seven months after Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami, a 20-foot boat is found near Midway Island by a Russian research ship. Crew members say they also saw furniture, even appliances floating in the water there.

Well, it's been 20 days since a Kansas City, Missouri girl vanished in the dark, and police are hoping that new surveillance video will help in the search for the missing 11-month-old.

Sandra Endo is joining us now from Kansas City, where another vigil was held for Lisa Irwin last night. Sandra, what exactly are you hearing this morning?

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Kyra, we asked officials about that new surveillance video which CNN has obtained, and it was taken from a gas station less than a mile and a half from Baby Lisa Irwin's home. It shows a man or an unidentified person walking down the street at about 2:15 in the morning of October 4th, the day Lisa Irwin disappeared from her home.

Now authorities aren't specifically commenting about this new surveillance video, but they say they have all the surveillance video from the surrounding area and of course the investigation is ongoing. But the speculation around this video, it means it could match up with witness testimony. People have said they saw a man walking in the dark, carrying a baby in a diaper the morning of her disappearance. So clearly it could be a clue into this investigation.

Now yesterday, we saw an emotional Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin, the parents of Baby Lisa, arrive to their home, and they took part in a prayer vigil for Baby Lisa. Right now, we haven't really seen them in the media in recent days because they have been living with relatives just a short distance from here.

But they did return back here for that vigil, and they are just staying optimistic and they are hoping Lisa will return -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, are parents going to talk more with investigators at this point?

ENDO: That's an interesting question to ask, because depending on who you talk to, it's unclear whether the parents are talking and how much they are cooperating with investigators. We hear from some officials who say they have a lot of questions for the parents still, and the parents haven't been answering those.

However, relatives of the family we have spoken to say they have been in constant contact with authorities, and investigators. So clearly, still a lot of questions surrounding this whole entire case. But the main point for everybody involved is to find Baby Lisa.

PHILLIPS: All right. Sandra Endo. We'll follow the case.

Well, it's a chemical that can be found in everything from water bottles to cans of peas, and according to a new study it might cause behavioral problems in our kids. Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is joining us to tell us exactly what the study found.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This study looked at a chemical called BPA Kyra which has been in and out of the news for a couple of years now. And what they found is that pregnant moms who ingested the highest amounts of BPA, they were the most likely to have daughters who would later have behavior problems sometime before the age of 3.

And it was really an incredible finding, because the more they got of this, the higher the likelihood that a kid would have a problem like autism or attention deficit disorder.

PHILLIPS: So where do you find that? What products? And what -- I mean.

COHEN: How do you avoid it, right?

PHILLIPS: Yes exactly.

COHEN: Right, right.

Well, let's take a look at the collection of products we have here. It's in all sorts of plastic products. Food products and water -- bottled water -- water bottles, rather. And you know a lot of people don't know this Kyra, but tin cans have a lining on them. They have a plastic lining because of course you don't want your food to taste like tin.

So there's a plastic lining, and a lot of those linings have BPA in them. So what you want to do is you want to take a plastic and flip it over and see if there's a number 7 on the bottom. And 7 is the one that is the most likely to have BPA; 3 also sometimes has BPA. And here are a couple of other hints for avoiding BPA if that's something you want to do.

What you also want to do is you can just avoid tin cans altogether or just avoid canned food altogether if you're pregnant and worried about this. You should also dispose of BPA plastic that has scratches in, because those scratches help the BPA leach out. The same reason you don't want to microwave BPA, it helps the BPA leach out.

And of course look for BPA plastic -- BPA free products. Now the folks who make plastics, Kyra, say that we are worried about nothing and all these plastics are fine.

PHILLIPS: All right, so we're basically talking about when we're pregnant. I mean obviously we want to avoid things like this that have baby food in them or -- or something that were actually given directly to our child once they're born.

COHEN: Right, it's the biggest concern for the pregnant woman, because a fetus is small, right?

PHILLIPS: Right.

COHEN: So it's more of a concern for the smallest among us. So fetus is the biggest concern. Then babies, then children, and then adults and a lot of baby products say BPA-free on them; it's very easy to find.

PHILLIPS: Got it. Thanks Elizabeth.

COHEN: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Denver quarterback Tim Tebow finally got a chance to start a game, and he was horrible at the beginning. But the way he finished, that's what counted. You'll see if in sports.

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PHILLIPS: All right, I'll take you to some live pictures here out of Concorde, New Hampshire. You can see Mitt Romney among the crowd there. Everybody is trying to get a picture, some video. He's actually at the Secretary of State's office filing his presidential papers this morning.

We are monitoring it. And if indeed we see more than just a conversation, we will -- we'll give you the play by play.

Ok we look at stories making news later today as well.

Next hour, funeral services get under way for civil rights icon Fred Shuttlesworth.

At 10:45 Eastern, arraignment is schedule for the Iranian- American man accused of plotting to kill a Saudi envoy in Washington.

And 2:30 Eastern, presidential candidate Newt Gingrich holds a town hall meeting in Davenport, Iowa.

Well, we're following lots of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's go and check in first with our Shannon Travis. Hey, Shannon.

TRAVIS: Hey, Kyra. Herman Cain certainly hopes to put a controversy over abortion behind him. But a mysterious political tact against him may just keep the controversy alive. I'll have more on that.

MAGNAY: And as temperatures drop and the tent cities housing those who survived Sunday's massive earthquake here in southeastern Turkey, search and rescue workers continue to search desperately for life in amongst the rubble. We'll have more on that.

FOSTER: And I'm Max Foster in London. And I'll have the reaction from the family of an American man who was killed in a shark attack off Western Australia over the weekend -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, thanks so much, guys.

Also next hour, Steve Jobs' secrets: Two weeks after his death the Apple, co-founder's authorized biography is out. What he wanted people to know and why.

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PHILLIPS: Oh Jeff Fischel, what a day -- what a day -- what's the saying?

JEFF FISCHEL, ANCHOR, HLN SPORTS: I know what you're trying to say.

PHILLIPS: What a difference a game makes? There you go.

FISHEL: What a difference a game makes. I knew where you were going with that.

PHILLIPS: You knew what I was thinking.

FISCHEL: Yes, yes right Saturday night, right, the St. Louis Cardinals they scored 16 runs to beat up on the Texas Rangers including Albert Pujols hitting three bombs to tie the World Series record. Sunday night they couldn't do anything.

The pre-game -- the pre-game pitch, the honorary pitch. There is former President Bush throwing to Rangers Hall of Famer and team president Nolan Ryan. Ryan can't catch it or watch. Texas Rangers Ron Washington loves it.

Here's something else Washington loves, His catcher Mike Napoli, three-run blast in the sixth inning. The Rangers starter Derek Holland was dominant probably the little mustache helped as well. Giving up just two bits in the 8th and the third. There it is. Rangers win, 4-0. The series tied at 2-2. Game 5 tonight.

Sunday night football. The Saints and Colts a blowout of historic proportion. Saints' quarterback Drew Brees, five touchdown passes. Three of them in the first quarter. He completed 31 of 35 passes before coming out of the game just to give them a break to the colt. The Saints rolled up the yards, rolled up the points, 62-7. No NFL team has scored more in a game since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. I would say the colts miss Peyton Manning. Of course, he can't play defense.

That's 63 points to go home (INAUDIBLE).

Oakland's new quarterback Carson Palmer hasn't played all season. Enters the third quarter after Raiders starting to (INAUDIBLE); Bowler was picked off three times. Palmer does the same thing. Branding flowers goes the other way for a touchdown. Palmer also threw three interceptions. The Chiefs rolled, 28-0.

Quarterback Tim Tebow, his first start of the year and boy the debate is just going to get more heated. He was terrible until the final minutes of the fourth quarterback. Two touchdown passes in the final minutes. Then he runs a two-point conversion himself to tie the game with the Dolphins. The Broncos win it in overtime. Miami is still winless. Boy, everyone is talking about Tim Tebow and the job he did as quarterback for the Broncos.

Nascar drivers remembering racer Dan Wheldon. Decals on cars honoring the Indy driver who died last week; after a moment of silence the engines roared at Talladega. Clint bowyer got his first win of the season, just beating Jeff Gordon.

Carl Edwards finished 11th, padding his lead in the chase for the sprint cup. Of course, before the race we saw a lot of drivers giving what it seemed like extra big long hugs to their significant others and wives. I mean I think it really was a moment where everyone kind of took a step back from racing and thought about the impact on their lives and really the dangers that are out there when they're racing.

PHILLIPS: Yes. I think one of the most powerful things for me when I see them all get together in the prayer groups before the race, I've seen it actually at Nascar, I've had a chance to go to Indy, do too. They know what's ahead.

FISCHEL: They were living on the edge, absolutely.

PHILLIPS: they sure are. It's a shame. But a beautiful vigil they had for him, though, all the buddies showing out to honor him over the weekend.

FISCHEL: Absolutely, yes. He was really loved absolutely across the racing world.

PHILLIPS: Jeff, thanks.

FISCHEL: Ok.