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Romney Focuses on New Hampshire; Turkey Quake: 7.2 Magnitude, 1,300 Injured; At Least 55 Buildings Collapsed in Ercis; Ambassador to Syria Brought Back to U.S.; Cain Reels From Abortion Flub; Fallout from Exiting Iraq; Overnight Storm Slams North Texas; Man Freed from Prison After 30 Years; Memorial Service for Dan Wheldon; Shark Kills American in Australia; Loretta Lynn Hospitalized; John Mayer Goes Under the Knife; Kim Kardashian in Tyler Perry Movie; J. Lo Breaks Down on Stage; Some in Hollywood Disappointed in Obama; Funeral Today for Civil Rights Icon; Giffords Intensive Therapy in North Carolina; Steve Jobs' Secrets; Hidden Costs of Arab Spring; Romney's Big Endorsement in N.H.
Aired October 24, 2011 - 09:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We have been monitoring Mitt Romney this morning. These are -- actually it's still happening but we lost our live signal. This was just a few minutes ago. Turn around the tape for you real quickly here. You can see Mitt Romney. He's actually the secretary of state's office there in Concorde, New Hampshire, making it official. Filing his presidential papers. Got his name on the ballot for the new Hampshire primary.
It is just at the top of the hour. Thanks so much for staying with us. We're going to start this hour with the search for survivors from a deadly 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Turkey. One of the most devastated cities.
Ercis in the eastern part of that country, more than 230 people have been killed. More than 1,300 injured and those numbers are expected to grow. Turkey's prime minister says 55 buildings collapsed there in Ercis.
Of course, now comes the funerals. Meanwhile, rescue teams are trying to reach some of the smaller villages in that area. Let's get straight to Diana Magnay. So, Diana, what are you hearing from search teams right now?
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the interior minister came to Ercis and said all the villagers in the vicinity had been reached and you know, assessments had been made there, but that conflicts with reports we've heard from other journalists.
So the situation in the villages is still unclear. As far as Ercis is concerned, there are search and rescue team teams piling through every bit of rubble from those 55 buildings collapsed there continuing to hope that they will find survivors.
Checking for signs of life with dogs, with diggers holding moments of silence to try to see if there's anything knocking or screaming or calling, but people that we have spoken to have been standing there, watching and hoping and praying all day that their relatives might be called out alive.
Last night, we heard noises, but today it's been much more of a losing battle, really. So hope fades. Here I'm at one of the tent cities, which had been put up for all of those people who were looking for shelter for the night.
It is, of course, set to be an extremely cold night. It's really November here in this quite remote region in south eastern Turkey and nights get very cold. The Red Cross has brought in blankets, tents, heaters, all of that kind of thing and a lot of warm food to feed people also, -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You talk about the food. We see the tents behind you. What about medical aid?
MAGNAY: Well, we went to the hospital in the town where I am earlier, and the building itself couldn't actually be used because it was made so unstable as a result of the earthquake. So they were having to treat people on Sunday in the courtyard.
The courtyard was just a mass of surgical gloves, needles, and behind it had just been turned into a morgue. So basically medical facilities have been -- medical aid has been flown in from the capital.
They've been having to fly people out on helicopters to hospitals in neighboring provinces. So the medical situation is extremely tense really -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Diana Magnay there for us in Turkey. Diana, thank you.
And Moammar Gadhafi is the first leader to be killed in the Arab spring. His end has actually made Syria a much more volatile place. Protesters there chanting that Syrian leader, Bashar Al-Assad will be the next to go.
Now the U.S. has brought Ambassador Robert Ford back home from Syria because of the threats to his safety. Let's talk more about that with CNN's Elise Labott. Elise, what exactly are you hearing now?
ELISE LABOTT, CNN SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Well, Kyra, there's been a longstanding concern about Ambassador Ford's safety. On one hand, the opposition finds him very popular, but the regime finds him a threat.
And we're hearing that what the regime has been doing is on their state-run TV sending out messages that Ambassador Ford was hiring death squads to go against the regime.
And this is going to cause the U.S. hope -- fears, some militia is going after Ambassador Ford. So there had been longstanding concerns and now they finally pulled him -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Do we have any idea, Elise, when he will be going back, if at all?
LABOTT: Well, the State Department is kind of reviewing this in a statement they just put out recently they said it will depend on our assessment of Syrian regime-led incitement and the security situation on the ground.
We hope that the Syrian regime will end its incitement campaign against Ambassador Ford. Kyra, senior officials are telling me that they do want him to go back. He's their eyes and ears on the ground. He's a link to the opposition.
So they're pulling him temporarily. They want a cooling off period. They're saying that they're sending notes to the Syrian government. They hope they will adhere to their international obligations under the Vienna Convention to take care of diplomats and they'll be able to send them back.
PHILLIPS: All right, Elise. Thanks so much.
Let's talk about presidential politics now and a state that will be critical in choosing the Republican nominee. Shannon Travis is in Davenport, Iowa, for us.
So Shannon, Herman Cain's recent surge is under attack now. His rivals pouncing on recent comments that he's made about abortion, what do you think? How much has Cain hurt himself among conservatives?
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Yes, I mean, he's certainly trying to repair his standing with conservatives now on one particular issue, abortion, Kyra. Let's set this up really quickly.
Last week, he went on with Piers Morgan on CNN. He was talking about abortion and explaining that he is pro life. But some comments that he made to Piers left some people to say maybe he's pro-life, but maybe he's not for overturning Rowe V. Wade.
Well, he came here to Des Moines on Saturday to try and clear that up and said, I am for keeping -- make abortion illegal. But then after this event, it was a gathering of 1,000 conservatives, people went to their cars and there was a flyer on the car saying, Herman Cain is pro-choice.
There was a dead fetus on it. It seems like a really bad political attack that we've seen so many times in the past. Herman Cain certainly hopes that this doesn't hurt him.
His comments and that he's cleared that up, but at least from this attack and even some words from Michele Bachmann and Perry who are also saying, you know, his position on abortion is muddled. It may not be the end of it -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Before you go, Santorum and Gingrich scrambling to win support from conservative voters now. The polls show that they are still struggling in Iowa, right?
TRAVIS: Yes, they are still struggling. I mean, that Evangelical vote here in Iowa is a key voting block. So Santorum and Gingrich would certainly like their vote, but they've been blanketing Iowa.
Santorum, according to the Des Moines register, they've been keeping track of candidate appearances across Iowa. Santorum has been here the most, 62 days in Iowa, 159 events.
Gingrich not too far behind, 40 days and 72 events. So they certainly hope that they can find favor with a lot of those Christian voters and maybe see some more traction in the polls, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Shannon, thanks.
Let's talk about our troops. They're going to be home for the holidays but what does that mean for Iraq? What's next? Is this really the best move for President Obama that's heading into an election year?
Let's talk about that with Retired Army General Mark Kimmitt, former top commander in Iraq. So just generally, General, good move or bad move at this point?
GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY (RETIRED): Tactically, it's a good move because we're going to get our troops home and we're going to complete the mission on the ground.
Strategically, I think it's a bad move. There are maligned influences in the region. They were watching this very carefully. My suspicion is there's great celebration going in Tehran right now.
And I think we've really got to wonder which way Iraq will be leaning three years from now. Will they be leaning towards Iran or will they leaning towards the west?
PHILLIPS: All right, I want to get to Iran in a second. You bring up a good point. Politically this benefits Obama is what you're saying, but strategically, you know, Iraqis are not ready to handle all the security threats. They still aren't.
KIMMITT: You know,, you're exactly right. By their own admission, their plan was to be ready by 2020. They're very well prepared to handle the internal insurgency threat, but they need a few more years before they could handle the external threat.
They don't have an air force. They have very limited number of armored vehicles. Their borders are fairly porous. We have a long term - and still have a long term plan to work with them on this.
But that plan will be delayed if we don't have the troops on the ground to do the training for the Iraqi security forces. PHILLIPS: And you mentioned Iran, I mean, there are huge concerns about Iran and its influence. We already know how involved Iran has been with supplying weapons to insurgent there in Iraq. Is this what they've been waiting for? That's probably music to their ears that troops are coming home.
KIMMITT: I think that's right. I think in Tehran, they are probably considering this an abandonment of Iraq the way that the U.S. left Afghanistan after '89. This is an opportunity for Iranians to extend their influence inside of Iraq and extend their revolutionary further from Iran through Iraq through Syria to Southern Lebanon.
PHILLIPS: You know, it's pretty obvious this is going to save billions of dollars as this happens. As a military commander, does this happen to you in a time when Americans were out of work and our economy is totally in the tank?
KIMMITT: Well, we've got to understand that the defense costs are part of the overall costs of the government, which are spiraling out of control. But the question I would ask is, is it better to spend some money now rather than far greater amounts of money in the future if, in fact, we have to return to the area once again?
PHILLIPS: So you're actually saying that if this becomes disastrous in a number of different ways, that troops could be headed back?
KIMMITT: That's a decision for the president to make, but I wouldn't think that we would abandon totally Iraq if the situation merited us. We've been back twice now. I could see a scenario no matter how low the probability where U.S. troops may have to go back to Iraq.
PHILLIPS: Wow. Mark, thanks for your time. Appreciate it.
KIMMITT: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: For 30 years, Louisiana inmate said that he didn't commit the crime. Now finally, science proves what he's known all this time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Quick look at stories cross country now. 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, but 16,000 customers lost power. Crews have been cleaning up debris of the roads you see here all through the night.
Well, former Louisiana prison inmate eating his first shrimp po' boy as free man. DNA testing exonerated Henry James of rape about 30 years after he went to prison. He would get up to a quarter million dollars as payback for his years behind bars. But listen to how he feels about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY JAMES, EXONERATED AFTER 30 YEARS: I can't undo what's been done. Nine years, 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 that fiery car crash during Indy race. IndyCar is investigating it and hopes to have some results in just a few weeks.
In Texas, a family tries to make sense of that horrific shark attack that killed their loved one halfway around the world. It was the second fatal attack in two weeks near the western city of Pirth.
CNN's Max Foster in London with latest details. So Max, tell us how exactly -- or tell us more about this man that was killed first.
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, George Thomas Wainwright in Texas. He was 32 years old. He was living in Australia at the time. He was scuba diving off in an area of Western Australia, which is very popular. It's a tourist spot.
People do scuba dive there. His friends were there. He just got very, very unlucky. There are investigations taking place, but we understand it was a great white shark. That's what the investigators think carried out the attack.
It shocked everyone in Australia, but no one more so than his family. Here are his two sisters speaking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRENDA WAINWRIGHT, GEORGE THOMAS WAINWRIGHT'S SISTER: I think it was just the wrong place, wrong time because he was very wise. I would trust him with anything to do with being on the water. I always had complete confidence in his skills.
WANDA BRANNON, GEORGE THOMAS WAINWRIGHT'S SISTER: He was an extraordinary person. He was one of a kind. Like my sister said, he's more than just a quick news spot, he was our brother. We loved him. He will be missed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The body is, Kyra, on the way back to the United States, as we understand it. A big debate right now in Australia starting this course for a call of great whites off the coast of Australia, something very difficult to do, but people are calling for that in a very serious way.
Others saying actually, you know, if you're going to dive in these waters you're taking a risk and you need to live with that risk if you're going out there. It's a big debate. It happens every time someone is killed by a shark, but it's a tragedy, never the less.
PHILLIPS: So there's basically a shark hunt that's going on now?
FOSTER: Well, they're calling for a shark hunt. Some key newspapers and some politicians calling for a cull because great white shouldn't be that close to these tourist areas or the tourist areas should be closed down.
They don't want to do that because it will affect tourism so, yes, they're talking about going out and killing these great whites. It's incredibly hard to do. They say it's going against nature. You shouldn't be diving there in the first place. You don't want to run the risk.
PHILLIPS: Max, thanks. Gabby Giffords moves ahead in her rehab. We're going to tell you where's the congresswoman is now as she continues her recovery from a shooting.
Plus, Kim Kardashian lands a role in a big-named director's film. We'll have the details in showbiz.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Word that country legend Loretta Lynn is admitted to a hospital. Just another big name singer is released "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" host, A.J. Hammer has all details for us. We're learning a little bit more. Tell us, A.J.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, HLN's "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Well, Loretta Lynn does have pneumonia, Kyra. She canceled a Saturday night concert, which was in a Kentucky theatre because according to the theatre, she was hospitalized and getting treatment.
Now Lynn's official web site has confirmed that she does, in fact, have pneumonia. In fact the statement there says, she's in the beginning stages of disease. That she's doing well and hoping to be back on stage in November although she will be canceling several other upcoming shows.
Now, John Mayer is on the mend recovering from throat surgery. He's been struggling with a granduloma, that's basically an inflammation near his vocal cords and that forced him to cancel several concerts.
He was unable to record some tracks for his next album as well. Now he announced on his web site that while he was hoping to avoid an operation, he was ultimately forced to have it removed surgically.
As he recovers from the operation, he's on complete vocal rest for a month. Now, we all know that might be a little bit tricky for the normally talkative Mayer. But in the meantime, Kyra, he says, he's not frustrated by the forced silence and he's going to travel the country, look and listen. It's the right attitude about it.
PHILLIPS: There you go. It's not bad to look and listen sometimes, right? All right, reality queen, Kim Kardashian heading to the big screen. Tell us about this part that she's landed.
HAMMER: I'm actually looking forward to this. This is the biggest film role Kim Kardashian has ever had. She's going to co-star in Tyler Perry's upcoming film "The Marriage Counselor."
So you know this film's a big deal. It's about a marriage counselor who has an affair. Kardashian plays the best friend who helps the film star get her confidence back.
Now timing of this is interesting considering all the stories swirling around right now about Kardashian's own marriage to NBA player Chris Humphries.
According to a lot of those reports, Kyra, this newlyweds may in fact, need their own marriage counselor right about now. Just reports.
PHILLIPS: The scoop continues. All right. Now, a lot of people talking about J. Lo. What's the deal with this breakdown apparently she had on stage?
HAMMER: Yes, I love J. Lo. In fact, I like her more and more every time she goes on stage and does something a little different. She's just keeping it very real. She got a little teary on stage as she was looking back over her past relationships.
Here's the deal. She was performing on Saturday night. She told the crowd she was singing the last song she wrote about love, which led to an acoustic version of "If You Had My Love." She added, a whole lot has changed since then and then she started her song "Until It Beats No More."
And when she was doing this, it was fantastic. Dancers came out on stage acting out her romantic past right behind her. I'm talking about dancers who looked like Lopez dancing with dancers who looked like her ex-husband, Diddy, and Marc Anthony, which sort of surprised me that she would do that.
But pretty cool in the end, she wrapped up the song telling the crowd, I took a little trip down memory lane. She started to cry and got a big ovation from her fans. In fact, she got so emotional, Kyra, she actually had to walk off stage momentarily to compose herself. But she's putting it all out there. I give her a lot of credit for that.
PHILLIPS: Yes, people love that when you're true to yourself and to your heart and you share it. Thanks, A.J.
If you want any information breaking in the entertainment world, A.J. has always got it every night. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" 11 p.m. on HLN.
President Obama will make a stop in L.A. this week, but is his star in Hollywood falling faster than Lindsay Lohan's? Well, CNN entertainment correspondent, Kareen Wynter gives us a look at some of the president latest reviews. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In 2008, Hollywood stars firmly embraced Barack Obama. Lately, they've been loosening their grip, disillusioned by his actions in the office.
MATT DAMON, ACTOR: I no longer hope for audacity.
WYNTER: Matt Damon once a big backer of the president has become one of his most vocal critics. He told CNN's Piers Morgan.
DAMON: He's a brilliant guy, but I definitely wanted more and I believed that there was more there.
WYNTER: Damon accuses him of bowing to corporate America. So does singer, Melissa Etheridge.
MELISSA ETHERIDGE, SINGER: Mr. Obama, you know, good luck to you. I still know who he answers to, who his boss is and those are some pretty powerful corporations.
WYNTER: Harry Belafonte finds much default in the president's leadership.
HARRY BELAFONTE, ENTERTAINER/CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: He's only listened to the voices that shout the loudest and all those reckless right wing forces. It's almost criminal.
WYNTER: Now some stars are telling the Obama bashers to back off. On HLN's "Joy Behar Show," Martin Sheen had a couple of words for the president's Hollywood critics.
MARTIN SHEEN, ACTOR: Steady. Steady.
WYNTER: Sheen argued the president deserves Hollywood's full support.
SHEEN: You're talking about very special man. You know, I adore him and I think he's done a great job.
WYNTER: Ditto Kris Kristofferson.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's the best thing he's been there since Kennedy.
WYNTER (on camera): Some celebs are putting their support in written form, as in a check. In recent months, the Obama re-election campaign got 10 grand from Steven Spielberg and wife, Kate Capshaw.
(voice-over): Tom Hanks and wife, Rita Wilson equalled that, Michael Douglas chipped in 2 grand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are you forcing me to take a picture?
WYNTER: Will Ferrell, who dropped by the White House Friday has anteed up 5k. "Variety's" Ted Johnson notes one thing that may help the president carry Hollywood. He'll be the only Democrat in the race.
TED JOHNSON, MANAGING EDITOR, VARIETY: He's going to probably run against a very conservative Republican, who's just not going to be that palatable to the vast majority of people in the entertainment business.
WYNTER: So while some stars may voice complaints about Obama --
ADRIAN GRENIER, ACTOR: I for one would like to see him be a little bolder, be a little more outspoken about the issues that we voted him in for.
WYNTER: Come election time, they may return to the fold. Kareen Wynter, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And Republicans have their Mike Dukakis and his name is Mitt Romney. George Will made the analogy and its got our political panel -- political panel buzzing. So does the prospective Joe Biden running for president? That's something else we're going to talk to coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now. This could be the final week in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor. Lawyers for Dr. Conrad Murray could begin presenting their case later today.
Civil Rights icon, the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth being buried in Birmingham, Alabama this hour. He died earlier this month at the age of 89. Shuttlesworth served alongside the Reverent Martin Luther King Jr. in the fight for racial equality.
And Congresswoman Gabby Giffords now in Asheville, North Carolina, undergoing intensive rehab. Giffords is in the ninth month of recovery after being shot in the head.
"Political Buzz," your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock and playing today, CNN contributors, Maria Cardona and Will Cain and also Tea Party organizer and radio show host, Dana Loesch.
All right, guys, first question. George Will says that Mitt Romney is the GOP's Michael Dukakis. Wait Dukakis only won ten states in 1988 and rode around in that tank. Remember, is George Will psychic or just out of touch, Maria?
MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think more than anything what he's doing is expressing the extreme frustration from conservative voters that Mitt Romney can't get more than 25 percent of their support.
I also think it indicates the fact that this is somebody who is trying to -- who is trying to form himself as a staunch conservative when, in fact, he's not. And they should be frustrated.
This is somebody who has governed as a liberal to moderate Republican who has basically earned the flip-flop of the year award trying to contort himself in political jujitsu positions to conform to that conservative paradigm.
PHILLIPS: Will?
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: George Will is never out of touch. He's always right, to answer your question directly. You know, I've been thinking a lot about something my fellow panellist, Dana has said. She expressed her extreme disappointment with Mitt Romney and that she has no interest in voting for Mitt Romney.
In fact, it would be a sell-out of conservative principles or a big failure for conservative principles should Mitt Romney win it. Here's what I think, they were having a discussion on this week in context of Herman Cain's popularity.
What I would say is we've already failed. There was a huge enthusiasm for conservative principles. The Tea Pparty represented that and you have a very vulnerable President Barack Obama. Mitt Romney is the alternative because there's no competent viable option.
PHILLIPS: Dana?
CAIN: They've already failed to find that conservative alternatives.
DANA LOESCH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Oh, I don't know if I completely agree with Will on that. Which I agree with and I'm shocking myself here -- I'm agreeing so much with Maria on the things that she said. I'm scaring myself.
But, no, I would have to say this, Dukakis was -- he was a -- he was a loser. I'm not saying that as personal attack. I'm saying this politically speaking.
Mitt Romney has run for president half his life. He's never won, obviously. So, I think in that respect, they're a little bit comparable.
But I don't even know why we would be talking if Romney if the discussion around Herman Cain surging in the polls. I will say this, I would rather be the Republicans' Dukakis than the Democrat's Obama, with Fast and Furious and Solyndra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's talk Michele Bachmann losing her paid campaign staff in New Hampshire. Bachmann first insisted this wasn't true.
So, why is she the last to know, Will?
CAIN: Well, I'm not going to indict her for not know that happen. But I will indict her for running through six chiefs of staffs, five legislative directors, five something or another -- she's run staff like crazy. One of them is walking through this building. I could probably find Ed Rollins for you. He's somewhere around here.
Michele Bachmann is one of these not a viable alternatives to Mitt Romney. That's just the bottom line.
PHILLIPS: All right. Maria?
MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: She didn't know because she is Michele Bachmann and I think that that has been one of the problems with her being -- or the lag of her become a viable candidate.
Look, clearly she may not believe in evolution but her staff believes in survival of the fittest, which is why they are abandoning her campaign and going to try to fix their own political futures by joining a team that is a little bit more viable than her.
PHILLIPS: Dana?
LOESCH: Michele Bachmann just doesn't translate to New Hampshire. Iowa is where she would have more success. It's where she had more success with a straw poll. I mean, that's near Bachmann country.
New Hampshire, though, they would reject someone who is as conservative as Michele Bachmann. And I think that -- I think she's kind of had the deck stacked against her from the beginning coming from the House of Representatives with minimal executive experience. But I think she gave it a good -- the good old college try and she was one of the more conservative alternatives out there.
PHILLIPS: All right. Guys, your buzzer beater now. Twenty seconds each on this one.
Let's listen to exclusive conversation between our Candy Crowley and Joe Biden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, CNN'S STATE OF THE UNION: I wonder when you look around if you ever thought, hmm, four year years, 2016. Have you totally ruled that out in your head? You tried two times to run for president.
JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've not -- my one focus now is getting the president re-elected. That is the focus. I don't make up my mind on that later.
I'm probably the best shape I've been in my life. I'm doing pretty well. I'm enjoying what I'm doing. As long as I do, I'm going to continue to do it. We'll find out -- you know, let's get the president reelected.
CROWLEY: OK. Possibility. You're not close that door?
BIDEN: I'm not closing anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Got to love how Candy gets in there. Joe Biden for president at age 74? Too young, Dana?
LOESCH: I don't even think age is the thing that's the concern. I think it's competency in this that concerns with Joe Biden. I pray that he runs. I pray of the strongest prayer that Joe Biden runs for office because that would be a dream come true.
PHILLIPS: Maria?
CARDONA: Hey, you know, 74 is the new 54. So, look, I think that anything is possible.
And, you know, at least he's not ruling anything out and when you're a politician that's probably the smartest thing to do. You shouldn't rule anything out because we've all seen people who rule things out. It always comes back to haunt them. I'd like to see a Joe Biden/Bob Dole ticket, myself.
PHILLIPS: Will?
(LAUGHTER)
CAIN: I think both of these -- both of these ladies summed it up best. When you're a politician, Maria said, Joe is a politician.
And I would beg you, Joe, listen to Maria, listen to her, run. We would love that. Run in 2016. It would be wonderful.
CARDONA: There we all agree.
(LAUGHTER)
CAIN: Here's a better question. Will he be your vice presidential candidate in 2012?
PHILLIPS: I've seen Dana in prayer mode here. This is a new image that I have of -- yes, there you go. Next thing we know, she'll be joining the convent.
All right. Guys, thanks.
Coming up, all the secrets Steve Jobs wanted you to know, his authorized tell-all biography out just weeks after his death. We're going to talk to an author about another book about the Apple honcho and see what surprised him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Cross country now:
A loaded handgun tumbled from a bag being loaded on to an Alaska Airlines flight in Portland, Oregon. It happened at Los Angeles airport yesterday. Police questioned the gun's owner and allowed him to board a later flight. 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 of there. He is expected to recover.
And seven months after Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami, a 20-foot boat is found floating towards Hawaii by a Russian research ship. Crew members say that they also saw furniture, even appliances in the water.
Listen to the tidbits from the biography trickled out ahead of the release, but we got some huge insight on "60 Minutes" last night. Author Walter Isaacson talked about his collaboration with Steve Jobs and he released some of that taped interview.
Listen to Jobs' take on money and its effects. And keep in mind -- this is a man worth about $7 billion.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
STEVE JOBS, APPLE CO-FOUNDER: I saw a lot of other people at Apple and especially after we went public, how it changed them. And a lot of people thought they had to start being rich. So they -- they would -- I mean, if you went out and bought Rolls Royces and they bought homes and their wives got plastic surgery, and they -- I saw these people who were really nice, simple people turn into this bizarro people.
And I made a promise to myself that I'm not going to let this money ruin my life.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Leander Kahney knows a lot about Steve Jobs' life as well. He wrote the best-seller "Inside Steve's Brain."
But, Leander, even you learned things about this interview. I was pretty riveted. Both parts of that interview, from not want wanting money to change his life, to remaining very confident about himself and his mission.
What do you think? Can we attribute that to how he found out he was adopted? I mean, his parents handled that discussion beautifully.
LEANDER KAHNEY, EDITOR/PUBLISHER, CULTOFMAC.COM: Yes, yes. There's a lot of revelations in this book. Jobs is so private that, you know, nobody knows almost anything about his personal life or his work life. And so, there are -- you know, there's a lot of stuff to come out.
PHILLIPS: And what stood out to you about that? You know, when he went to his parents, when some kid was hassling him at school saying -- ah, you were abandoned?
KAHNEY: Yes, because he was adopted. And so he was in tears. He ran to his parents.
And they told him very carefully that, no, he was chosen. He was special. They picked him out especially.
And from there on, he felt chosen. And this may go a long way to explaining his extraordinary confidence.
PHILLIPS: Another part of the interview was interesting. He found out who his biological mom was, went and talked to her, and through the mom found out about his sister, who ended up being Mona Simpson, a novelist.
And then together, Mona and Steve wanted to find out who their biological father was. They discovered he was a restaurant manager where Jobs actually frequented in Silicon Valley. They didn't know each other.
But when Mona went to meet the dad he said, yes, you know, even Steve Jobs would come in here and, boy, he was a great tipper. The story goes on like this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JOBS: When I was looking for my biological mother, obviously, you know, was looking for my biological father at the same time. And I learned a little bit about him. And I didn't like what I learned. And I asked her to not tell him if we ever met and not tell him anything about me.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Leander, do we have ever find what it was he didn't like about his father? And we didn't, OK. So we really don't know why then he didn't want his father to know who he was. That sort of remains a mystery.
KAHNEY: Yes, yes. It is. It's a shame. I'd love to know what it was he found out.
His father was a hardworking workaholic just like he was. But, of course, he had given him up for adoption. Maybe he just couldn't forgive that.
He didn't say, though. It would be great to know.
PHILLIPS: OK. Well, when you find out that you're dying. I'm always fascinated on how people face faith, God, and how they see their own -- where they're going to go with anywhere once death comes.
Let's take a listen to what Jobs said in this "60 Minutes" interview about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER ISAACSON, STEVE JOBS' BIOGRAPHER: I remember sitting in his backyard in his garden one day and he started talking about God. He said sometimes I believe in God, sometimes I don't. I think 50/50 maybe.
But ever since I've had cancer, I've been thinking about it more. I find myself believing a bit more. I kind of -- maybe it's because I want to believe in an after life. That when you die, it doesn't just all disappear, the wisdom you've accumulated, somehow it lives on.
Then he paused for a second and he said, yes, but sometimes I think it's just like an on/off switch. Click. And you're gone. He said, he paused again and said, that's why I don't like putting on/off switches on Apple devices.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: I just thought that was fascinating. Did that strike you, the fact that he didn't want on/off switches because it reminded him of death.
KAHNEY: Yes, yes, yes. No, it was very powerful moment. Terrible.
You know, it's hard to -- to understand that, you know, that, you know, he felt that he had accumulated a lot of wisdom, a lot of experience and it was just gone. And he couldn't bear that.
PHILLIPS: What other profound revelations did you discover from listening to this interview?
KAHNEY: Well, last night they talked a little bit about his cancer treatment and why he didn't get an operation for nine months. And Walter Isaacson suggested that he has some magical thinking about that, that he thought he ignored it might go away. And that wasn't really explained very well in the interview. A bit of a mystery why did Jobs wait nine months to get his cancer operated on in the meantime it spread.
But he suggested that Jobs had spent a lot of his career thinking magically that he had a lot of faith in products that he was inventing, in inventing new technologies. And this is what made him such a great leader because he would have faith before anyone else would, and he would be able to view that faith in other people, and that this magical thinking had been the hallmark of his career. And perhaps that has something a little bit to do with delaying his cancer treatment, that his own reality distortion field which he was famous for, he applied a little bit of that thinking to when it came to his own cancer.
PHILLIPS: I tell you what, those recordings and interview with Walter Isaacson was outstanding, and I know a lot of people will be buying that book. That's for sure. He was a fascinating man. Leander, thanks for your time.
KAHNEY: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Still ahead, shocking real reality of the Arab uprising as governments fall, the hidden costs soar. CNN goes in- depth to explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Here's a look at stories make news later today.
Two-thirty Eastern, presidential candidate Newt Gingrich holds a town hall meeting in Davenport, Iowa.
At 4:00 Eastern, Vice President Joe Biden will takes part in a program honoring Bill Gates for his help in reducing world hunger.
And then at 4:05 Eastern, President Obama delivers remarks at a campaign event in Las Vegas.
All right. Last week, Moammar Gadhafi became the latest casualty of the so-called "Arab spring," the uprisings have ousted leaders and toppled governments, but they also come at a breathtaking price to the countries that see such dramatic change.
CNN's Leone Lakhani explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEONE LAKHANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Arab Spring has changed the political landscape in the Middle East, but it's also come at a heavy economic cost. The worst affected countries, including Libya, Egypt and Tunisia, have stacked losses of nearly $56 billion in terms of income and extra spending.
They've also seen a drastic reduction in revenues because for many of these countries, their economies are at a virtual stand still.
Yemen, for instance, has seen its revenues fall sharply, down 77 percent. Libya has seen revenues drop by 84 percent.
Funding for the recovery process for these countries is needed urgently. In September, the international community, including the G- 8, some of the wealthier Arab countries, and institutions like the World Bank, promised $38 billion in financing for Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Jordan. Countless other pledges were made at a G-8 meeting back in My.
But despite the promises, much of the money has yet to be delivered and the IMF says the cost of recovery for those North African economies is more than $160 billion over the next three years.
Leone Lakhani, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: All right. Wal-Mart muscles up to the competition. Karina Huber at the New York Stock Exchange -- she is going to tell us how the big store chain is now going after your holiday dollars.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. Wal-Mart upping the ante, shall we say, for the holiday season.
Karina Huber, tell us more about these details.
KARINA HUBER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, Kyra. How it works is if you buy a present at Wal-Mart and then a few weeks later, you see that same item on sale somewhere else for a lesser price, Wal-Mart will match that price.
Essentially, what you got to do is take your receipt and the competitor's ad to the store for your refund, which is not in the form of cash, mind you, it's in the form of a gift card. And the promotion will run from November 1st to Christmas Day. And essentially, an expansion of their current price match program.
Why this is likely attractive to Wal-Mart?
A couple of reasons. First of all, when you have people who are not going to be spending all their time looking for the best deal, they are more likely to buy it when they see it at Wal-Mart. Secondly, gift cards -- traditionally, people spend more than the value of the gift card, so that means they'll likely come back to the store and that will boost their sales as well -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So, what do you think, other retailers are going to follow suit here?
HUBER: Well, currently there aren't many other retails that offer price matching program that are even better than the one that Wal-Mart is going to be taking off. We've got Best Buy, for example, that will price match for 60 days from the purchase. Bed, bath and beyond doesn't have a limit off the price match time frame.
So, there are some already doing that. But what's becoming very evident is that retailers are rolling out all the stops over this holiday season to get consumers to shop. We're seeing longer return policies, layaways, deeper discounts, and lengthier price matches.
Now, this is all because we're expecting a fairly weak holiday season. We got a new report that just came out that shows that majority of consumers have indicated that pricing will be the deciding factor on when to open their wallets. So, clearly, the retailers are gearing up for what could be a tough holiday season.
PHILLIPS: All right. How are the numbers looking right now?
HUBER: Well, we see that the Dow is up by 52 points. That's a jump of about four-tenths of a percent. The reason for a bit of the rally today, we've got some decent economic reports that we're looking forward to, coming out on Thursday. Also, we've had some nice earnings coming out. Namely of Caterpillar, their stock is popping up more than 4 percent. A little bit of M&A action, which is boosting sentiments in Wall Street today.
PHILLIPS: Karina, thanks.
Well, what a difference a game makes in the World Series. The Cardinals put up 16 runs on Texas Saturday night. Last night, well, forget about it. The Rangers at home for game four. Former President George Bush throwing out the first rich to Rangers' owner and Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan.
And guess what, yes, look at this. Nolan Ryan admits it. And, of course, Ron Washington loves that.
And here's something else that Washington loves. His catcher Mike Napoli three-run blast in the sixth inning. Rangers starter Derek Holland was dominant, gave up just two hits over 8 1/3 innings.
Rangers win 4-0. Series tied at 2. Game 4 tonight.
And Sunday night football, Saints pound Colts, a blow of historic proportions. Saints quarterback Drew Brees had five touchdown passes, three of them if the first quarter, completed 31-35 passes before coming out of the game. Saints rolled up yards, rolled up points. They won, 62-7.
No NFL team has put up more points in a game since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger.
Think the colts miss Peyton Manning?
Well, some states are cutting back their Medicaid benefits, including a number of dental exams, to even adult diapers. Next hour with Suzanne Malveaux, we're going to tell you what to expect when it comes to your health care coverage.
Plus, Martha Stewart is in the house. Of course, we're doing to talk about holiday decorating. But we'll also have Martha about her daughter's new book, especially the part where her daughter says she grew up with a glue gun pointed to her head.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Vice President Joe Biden says the White House race is going to be a tough one.
Our Mark Preston joining us now.
I guess there's no surprise about Biden's prediction, Mark.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes. You know, Kyra, at least Joe Biden speaks the truth. You know, sometimes, that's very frustrating to the administration. But he did say in an interview with Candy Crowley that aired yesterday on "STATE OF THE UNION" that when he took office with President Obama, they inherited difficult political and economic times. He did go on to say, though, acknowledge it's going to be difficult election.
In fact, let's listen to what he had to say, Kyra.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: No one is guaranteed anything in an election. This is going to be a tough election. This country is inherited very difficult political and economic times. Why wouldn't it be tough? Elections should be tough. They're tough choices.
CROWLEY: But you think --
BIDEN: I think we're going to win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PRESTON: And there you have Vice President Joe Biden saying that it is going to be a difficult run for re-election, although he did say that they are going to win. He predicted they are going to win. And he said they are going to win because it's all based upon policies and they have the right prescription right now, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, Mitt Romney is getting a big endorsement today.
PRESTON: He is. You know, just a few minutes ago he was up in Concord, New Hampshire, where he filed the papers for elections with the secretary of state up there. Joining him was the former Governor John Sununu.
Now, John Sununu, as our viewers will probably remember is the former governor, but he also served as chief of staff for George H.W. Bush, an elder at New Hampshire, a very big get for Mitt Romney -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Mark, thanks so much.
You're next political update is just about an hour. A reminder: for all the latest political news, you can go to our Web site: CNNPolitics.com.
So, our White House correspondent going to be interviewing Martha --
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Martha Stewart.
PHILLIPS: Martha Stewart.
MALVEAUX: You got to love it.
PHILLIPS: I do. You just recovering it all, from politics to pot roast.
MALVEAUX: I need tips on pot roast and decorating and all that stuff. I am not good at that stuff. So, I'm going to be paying very close attention. I'm going to ask her other questions as well.
PHILLIPS: I'll be watching. Find out who she's going to vote for for president.
MALVEAUX: Yes, absolutely.
PHILLIPS: Thanks so much, Suzanne.
