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President Obama Heads West; 53 Bodies Found In Sirte; U.S. Diplomat Leaves Syria; Tons Of Debris Heading For U.S.; Measles Cases Hit 15-year High; Today's "Rock Star" is Gabrielle Giffords; Steve Jobs Tells Who He Was; Suicide Prevention; Michael Jackson Death Trial; Romney Stuck In Neutral
Aired October 24, 2011 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Suzanne. Thank you very much.
Well, when the going gets tough, American presidents tend to get going. Sometimes it hardly matters where. Just getting out of Washington can be enough. But President Obama is heading west this hour for a reason. A couple of reasons, actually. Congress blocked the job creation package that he has spent weeks campaigning for through polls. Those polls show most Americans like it. Breaking it up into pieces hasn't worked either. So now comes plan c, as in cut Congress out.
Later today in Los Vegas, the president will announce a plan to help struggling homeowners that doesn't require lawmakers to do anything. Well aware that past efforts have flopped, this one aims to change the rules and drop some fees so that even homeowners with less than zero equity, a lot less than zero in fact, can refinance at much lower rates and avoid ending up like these. Here's Vice President Biden speaking yesterday with my colleague Candy Crowley on "State of the Union."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's about 6 million people who are at 6 percent mortgages, above 6 percent. They could refinance at 4 percent if the fees were waived, if we -- and we're able, from a federal level, to have some impact on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Nevada happens to be the foreclosure capital of the nation and a growing force in presidential politics, which brings me to the second reason President Obama is visiting. He'll hold campaign fund- raisers there and later tonight in Los Angeles, and tomorrow in San Francisco, and Wednesday in Denver. There he'll also announce new policies as opposed to new legislation aimed at helping college grads repay their federal student loans.
Alright, now to Libya where a gruesome discovery is raising questions in Sirte. That is the city where Moammar Gadhafi made his last stand. A human rights group says investigators found 53 decomposing bodies clustered together in a hotel. They appear to have been Gadhafi loyalists killed five to 11 days ago while in the custody of anti-Gadhafi brigades. Human rights watch is calling on the Libya's National Transitional Council to investigate this.
Conditions in Syria are getting too dangerous for the U.S. ambassador. The state department has pulled Ambassador Robert Ford out of Syria citing what he calls credible threats against his personal safety. U.S. officials say an armed pro-government mob attacked Ford and some colleagues in an embassy convoy last month. Ford has been an outspoken critic of the Syrian government's violent crackdown on protesters. U.S. officials say they don't know when it will be safe for Ford to return to Syria.
A growing danger in the skies with more people on the ground shining hand-held lasers into airline cockpits. It usually happens while planes are taking off or landing. The most dangerous times for pilots to be distracted or even temporarily blinded. The FAA reports more than 2,700 laser incidents so far this year. Nearly ten times the number reported in 2005. There are new stiff penalties for shining a laser at an aircraft but arrests are still rare. "USA Today" reports one person charged happens to be the grandson of the late actor Clark Gable. Officials meet in Washington this week to consider more steps to deal with the problem.
Television sets, household appliances and furniture heading across the Pacific Ocean to the United States but not on a ship, they're floating through the water, part of up to 20 million tons of debris from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami last March. Russian sailors spotted the garbage near the Midway Islands last month. It could reach Hawaii in two years and the U.S. mainland in three years. There is also a danger the debris could damage some small ships along the way.
Older Americans can remember when getting the Measles was a common childhood ordeal. The development of a vaccine ended that era but now Measles may be making a comeback. U.S. health officials have counted 214 cases so far. That may not sound like much but it's the highest total in 15 years, much higher than the annual average of 60 to 70 cases. The U.S. vaccination rate remains high, around 90 percent, but experts say some parents refuse to get their kids vaccinated of misguided fears about the vaccine's safety.
Steve Jobs is known for his creativity but he wasn't always Mr. nice guy. The rough reality about Steve Jobs next.
But first, it's that time in the show where we give a shout out to someone who is just a little bit awesome. Today, it is representative Gabrielle Giffords. The Congresswoman and her husband, Mark Kelly, wrote a book about their life together. In the audio version of the book, Giffords reads the last chapter aloud. It's called Gabby, a story of courage and hope. It comes out November 15th and you'll recall Giffords was shot in the head in January and has spent months in rehab. So, for returning to the House floor in August, writing a book, working so hard to recover and just being the epitome of the comeback kid, Gabby Giffords, you are today's "Rock Star."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: Steve Jobs was an icon, possibly the best known CEO of our time. But since his death on October 5th, the world has learned just how much about the Apple co-founder it never knew. It's all coming out in a biography Jobs initiated long before anyone else knew he had cancer, a cancer that would change his life and finally end it. Jobs hand-picked biographer was Walter Isaacson, a former head of CNN, who spoke with "60 Minutes" about a man who really did think different.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALTER ISAACSON, PRESIDENT AND CEO, THE ASPEN INSTITUTE: He was very petulant, he was very brittle, he could be very, very mean to people at times. And whether it was to a waitress in a restaurant or to a guy who stayed up all night coding, he could just really -- just at them and say, you're doing this all wrong, it's horrible. And you'd say, why did you do that? Why weren't you nicer? And he's say, I really want to be with people who demand perfection and this is who I am.
You know, he was raised in a place that was just learning how to silicon into gold and it had not yet been named Silicon Valley. But you had the defense industry, you had Hewlett-Packard, but you also the counterculture of the Bay area. That entire brew came together in Steve Jobs. He was sort of a hippyish rebel kid, loved to listen to Dylan music, dropped acid, but also he loved electronics. He was not the world's greatest managers. In fact, he could've been one of the world's worst managers. You know, he was always up ending things and you know throwing things into turmoil. This made great products but it didn't make for a great management style.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And then the last when Jobs died, Apple was neck and neck with Exxon Mobil as the world's most valuable company, not bad for a guy who had long been dubious of wealth. Here's Jobs in his own words from one of more than 40 interviews conducted by Isaacson and aired on "60 minutes."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE JOBS, CEO, APPLE INC.: Other people at Apple especially at we went public how it changed them. And a lot people thought they had to start being rich. So they would -- I mean, a few people went out and bought Rolls-Royces, and they bought homes and they -- and their wives got plastic surgery, and they -- and I saw these people who were nice really simple people turn into these bizarreo people and I made a promise to myself, I said I'm not going to let this money ruin my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: As Jobs' life was slipping away, he thought a lot about what might await him and here's what he shared with Walter Isaacson, again from CBS's "60 Minutes."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ISAACSON: 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 it's 50, 50 maybe. But ever since I've had cancer, I've been thinking about it more, and I find myself believing a bit more. I kind of -- maybe it is because I want to believe in an afterlife 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 paused again and he said, that's why I don't like putting on, off switches on Apple devices.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Isaacson's book called simply "Steve Jobs" comes out today.
How about this number? One for every 15 minutes. One person in the United States dies every 15 minutes. The most surprising part is how. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: And it's time for "Undercovered," and a chance for us to bring you up to speed on a story you may not have heard a whole lot about. We're talking about a new report on suicide, specifically how many people may actually be considering it. This is what I'm talking about. The report shows more than eight million Americans had suicidal thoughts. Just over two million actually made suicide plans and one million people attempted suicide. The majority of those ended up in emergency rooms with their self-inflicted injuries.
Around 35,000 people commit suicide every year which of course is a very disturbing number. In these unstable economic times, it can sadly be seen as a way out for some. Joining me now to help dig a little bit deeper into the problem is Dr. Linda Dagutis, the director of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Doctor, let me ask you first, I mean, how significant are these numbers? What should we take away from them?
DR. LINDA DEGUTIS, DIRECTOR, CDC'S NATIONAL CENTER FOR INJURY PREVENTION AND CONTROL: Well, what we should take away from it is that suicide is a very complex problem and there are many factors that contribute to it. But this is the first time we've really had information on suicide attempts and suicide thoughts in the general population.
KAYE: And do you find that there is a big difference or does this show that there is -- there is any difference at all between men and women when it comes to suicide or attempts?
DEGUTIS: Women do have a higher rate of contemplation of suicide thinking about suicide than men do.
KAYE: A higher rate of contemplation. And in terms of the manner, is there a difference in the manner of how they go about it? DEGUTIS: This study in itself didn't look at that -- didn't look at the manner of suicide.
KAYE: When you look at what's happened with our economy, how much would you say the recession and then the economic situation could play a role in these numbers?
DEGUTIS: Well, we do know that for people who did not have jobs during the time of the interview, they -- there was a higher incidence of suicide in that group. However, it's a very complex kind of thing where there's a lot of factors that really play into it. So, it's not having a job in combination with other factors that may contribute to whether or not someone thinks about suicide, actually attempts it, or has made a plan for suicide.
KAYE: And does geography play a role here at all? I mean, do you see a difference from state to state?
DEGUTIS: We do see some differences from state to state. And what we can do about that is it can help us to target interventions. Some states had far lower rates of both suicide thought -- people with suicidal thoughts, people who had attempted suicide, and so we can basically design interventions on a state by state basis to help address the specific risk factors in the states.
KAYE: So then in the end, do you think this could then help with prevention efforts?
DEGUTIS: This really can help with prevention efforts because it brings it to light, it gives us something that we can educate the public about, and it gives us an opportunity to intervene as we know that there are more people who are thinking about suicide, who are attempting it, obviously then who actually commit suicide.
KAYE: Doctor Linda Degutis, appreciate your time and your insight there. Thank you very much.
DEGUTIS: Thank you.
KAYE: And we do want to tell you about the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. The number is 1-800-273-TALK. Once again, it's 1- 800-273-8255. For you or anyone that you know who may need someone to talk to, this is a very important resource.
The defense fights back hoping science is on their side in the Michael Jackson death trial. Their weapon, scientist known as the father of Propofol. Can his testimony help clear Conrad Murray? The latest from Los Angeles next.
But first, this day in history in 2008 is known as bloody Friday, not because of war or violence. No, instead, because the markets bled. The stock market crashed. Prices fell drastically, plunging around 10 percent. That is a shame in history.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: This could be the final week in the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's former doctor, Conrad Murray, with the defense expected to begin its case today. But not before finishing one very important piece of business. Take a look here. This is a live picture from inside the courtroom. The cross examination of the state's star witness, Dr. Steven Shafer. Lead attorney Ed Chernoff is pushing back hard on the anesthesiologist who's testified that Dr. Murray lied about how much Propofol he gave Michael Jackson. In fact, things got downright testy on Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED CHERNOFF, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You understand that everything you said in the last two days was your opinion. You do understand that, right? Do you understand that?
DR. STEVEN SHAFER, ANESTHESIOLOGIST: I stated my name, which I think is a matter of fact.
CHERNOFF: You understand that Dr. Murray is literally on trial for his life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Once today's cross examination is complete, the defense begins presenting its side. Joining me now for today's "Crime & Consequence," former Jackson defense attorney Thomas Mesereau.
Tom, great to have you here.
THOMAS MESEREAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you for having me.
KAYE: So the defense is going to pick up its case today. Probably putting on their star witness, Dr. Paul White (ph), to sort of I guess contradict what Dr. Shafer, the prosecution witness, has been saying. Do you think that's a good move to start with someone like that?
MESEREAU: They have to because the prosecution has presented a very clear, compelling, convincing case. It hasn't been too long or too short. It's been very convincing. They were very smart in the experts they called. Because Dr. Murray's a cardiologist, they called a cardiologist. Because he treated Michael Jackson for insomnia, they called a sleep expert. They ended with an anesthesiologist who is also a pharmacologist. They've covered all their bases. The defense has to really strike back hard, in my opinion.
KAYE: I'm sure you've seen some of Dr. Shafer's testimony. And it was pretty strong. He actually got out there in the middle of the courtroom and showed what a Propofol IV would look like and really explain to the jury and help them understand really for the first time how Michael Jackson might have died. How important is a display like that in a trial?
MESEREAU: Very, very important. You know a courtroom operates on many different levels -- intellectual, factual and emotional. And people are very affected by the visual. There are studies that show that people are more affected by the visual than by the spoken word. I thought it was very effective the way he walk the jury through, step by step, what happens in the O.R. and what Propofol is all about. Very, very good.
KAYE: And we're showing exactly how it happened in court there. But obviously the prosecution contends that there was an overdose of Propofol through this IV, which Dr. Conrad Murray was not exactly monitoring because had he left Michael Jackson's room. Now the defense says that he may have done this to himself. That he may have ingested too much Propofol. Let's listen to what the defense attorney, Ed Chernoff, had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOFF: One of the things you said on -- in your testimony was that you could not discount the possibility that Michael Jackson reached up, woke up, reached up, and turned on -- or turned off the limiter on the IV site. Is that right?
SHAFER: Correct.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: So all they have to do is just create just a little bit of doubt there, right? Just open the door to some doubt. I mean would that help him?
MESEREAU: Oh, I don't think it's that simple. That certainly is something they're trying to do. They're trying to just raise every possibility. they're trying to explain everything that no one really observed or can totally answer. they're trying to set the stage for their own expert to raise even more possibilities. They're hoping at the end that this will all equal reasonable doubt to the jury.
But it's more than just this notion of, it's got to be one slight little doubt. It's not that simple. I think the prosecution's story has been very strong, very compelling, very clear. They have to meet it head-on. And I think they're just setting the stage for their own expert.
KAYE: So you're pretty impressed, it sounds like, with the state's case so far?
MESEREAU: Very much so. But it's not over until it's over. The defense hasn't had their chance yet.
KAYE: Right.
MESEREAU: The defense lawyer has to sit there patiently and just day by day wait their turn. It's not an easy thing to do. You learn to do it as a professional. But pretty soon they're going to have a chance to tell their story. And let's see what it is.
KAYE: And the defense plans to call about 15 witnesses, including some former patients of Dr. Conrad Murray. Sort of character witnesses, I guess. How important is that? MESEREAU: Very good idea. They're trying to humanize their client. What the prosecutor has done is tried to show that the client is a selfish, narcissistic professional who really just discarded all of his ethical obligations to the patients and did what was right for him, even trying to protect himself when there was a chance they could have revived the patient. What the defense has to do is counter that by showing he's a decent human being, a good professional, he's helped people throughout his career and try and humanize him, whereas the prosecutors have tried to devalue him.
KAYE: And the greatest hurdle, would you say, right now for the defense?
MESEREAU: Oh, I think the science has been explained very clearly. This issue that Propofol is not like a normal sleep medication or a normal anti-anxiety drug, it doesn't belong anywhere near the home. It was administered recklessly. I think they've done a very good job showing just the horrible aspects of what this doctor did.
KAYE: I know that you're still in touch with Michael Jackson's family. How are they dealing with this? I mean I've seen them in court. I know Janet Jackson is now coming back from a tour to be here in the courtroom. How are they doing?
MESEREAU: Well, I think they're doing, you know, reasonably well. It's just a very disquieting process to go through day by day, having everyone talk about how your son died. I'm talking about Katherine now. Or how your brother died. Very, very unpleasant situation.
But they're behind the prosecution. They think there should be a conviction. They want Dr. Murray held accountable. And they're doing what they feel is right for the family and right for Michael.
KAYE: Tom Mesereau, always appreciate your insight on this one. Nice to have you here in studio.
MESEREAU: Thank you very much.
KAYE: Thank you.
A political slam on Mitt Romney. Now being compared to Michael Dukakis. Is it a fair assessment? We'll find out. It is "Fair Game" and it is next.
But first, our political junkie question of the day. Just how many states did Michael Dukakis carry in the 1980 general election against George H.W. Bush? The answer when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Before the break we asked you how many states Michael Dukakis carried in the 1988 presidential election against George H.W. Bush? Well, let's take a look. A total of 10 states and the District of Columbia. He got 111 electoral votes to Bush's 426. But, of course, if you're a political junkie, you probably knew that already. All right, time now to go beyond partisan talking points to the heart of the political debate where all sides are "Fair Game." And we're talking about the field of candidates competing for the Republican presidential nomination. We've seen great swings among the front-runners, from Michele Bachmann, to Rick Perry, to Herman Cain. But one name just never seems to go anywhere, either up or down, and that's Mitt Romney.
This is him from earlier today filing the paperwork to get on the ballot in New Hampshire. He's near or at the top of all the polls, but there seems to be something missing. This weekend noted conservative columnist George Will referred to him as the Republican's Michael Dukakis, calling him a Massachusetts governor running on competence but not ideology.
So why hasn't Romney run away from the field? Joining me now is Democratic political consultant Ed Espinoza and Christopher Metzler, associate dean of Georgetown University Center for Continuing Studies.
Great to have you guys both on to talk about this.
So, Ed, let me start with you. Why is Mitt Romney stuck in neutral?
ED ESPINOZA, DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL CONSULTANT: You know, it's funny that he brings up Michael Dukakis. When I was at UCLA in the '90s, I actually took a class called "The American Presidency" taught by Michael Dukakis. And he admitted on the first day of class, if he knew anything about the subject, he wouldn't be teaching it right now.
But I don't think that Mitt Romney is as much like Michael Dukakis as he might be a little bit more like John Kerry. He tries to do the right things, he tries to be the safe candidate. He wants to be the one who can beat Obama, but people aren't really sure what he stands for.
Then you add in the fact that he is gaffe-prone. He says corporations are people. He made a comment last week about foreclosures needing to to hit rock-bottom in order for us to fix that problem. These aren't good - this is not a good start for him and it is why people aren't in love with him yet.
So, that's why you see a different flavor of the month. People -- Republican base getting excited about somebody else, because Romney hasn't really caught on yet.
KAYE: Christopher, why do you think he hasn't broken away?
CHRISTOPHER METZLER, ASSOCIATE DEAN OF CONTINUING STUDIES, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Well, he hasn't broken away in large part because social conservatives are very, very, very uncomfortable with his evolving positions. And I think George Will's analogy really gets to the point here. We're not sure what the position is going to be. He's evolved on social issues, he's evolved on abortion, he's evolved on health care. So, the concern is we're not sure what he's going to evolve into next. And here's the thing. He knew he was going to be running for president this time around, so I am wondering why he didn't spend the time that's necessary to warm up to the social conservatives.
I do take issue with the fact that George Will says competence as opposed to ideology, as if somehow competence and ideology are juxtaposed. I mean, that's a bit of a problem.
I think the problem here with Romney is that people are not in love with him because he hasn't given us a reason to be in love with him. He's more central casting than real. He tried to of course break away with that absolutely ridiculous performance at the debate. That didn't work.
KAYE: All right. So, you said a whole lot there but let me get back to this idea that it sounds like - it sounds like, Christopher, maybe you think, he wasted some time in not trying to reach out to conservatives?
METZLER: He did. He did. He wasted an entire cycle.
I mean, look, we knew he was going to be running again for the presidency. That was a given. And so why didn't he take the time? We should not be having this conversation at this point. He should have spent the time talking to conservatives about who he actually is. He hasn't done that.
So here we are, again. It's like we've seen this movie before, we're going back to the movie again where people are just -- particularly social conservatives are saying you keep evolving, guy. I mean who are you? And that's the problem.
KAYE: And Ed, of course there's the other problem -
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: Yes, go on.
ESPINOZA: Real quickly. Republicans are a bit predictable in who they nominate in that they almost always nominate someone whose name has appeared on a ballot previously. Ever since Goldwater, only Ford is the only one to get a nomination who hasn't had his name previously appear on a ballot. Obviously, George W. Bush benefiting from his dad's name being on the ballot.
Romney should be the clear frontrunner right now, but he's not. He's got some hurdles to get over.
KAYE: Well, there is a concern apparently that he'll move to the left if he's nominated. Do you think that fear is justified?
ESPINOZA: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: Ed, you take it first. (LAUGHTER)
ESPINOZA: It's justified. I think it's a natural inclination because he was the governor of Massachusetts. Right? and he's tried to take sort of a moderate approach to his candidacy.
The problem is, just like Dr. Metzler said, he doesn't have his conservative credentials down. That's not just a problem in the Republican party, it is a problem in politics these days. Politics is segmented in many different ways. We are not this nation that gets our information from three or four sources like we did 25 or 30 years ago. We get them from 800 different sources.
People are sidled into what they like. And that's why you see candidates like Rick Perry, who people say he's dead -- his candidacy is dead, and if it is, it's a zombie candidacy because he's still around but he can still do some damage. That's why you see him getting some fire and really keep going the way he's been going.
KAYE: Let me ask you about Rick Perry, because he has this major tax speech planned for tomorrow. How critical do you think this is for him?
METZLER: It is absolutely critical. This is his opportunity to come out, but he's got to be clear, he's got to be out articulate, he's got to look more United States and less Texas. I mean, you know, he's been extremely successful in Texas but Texas is not, to the surprise of many, the United States.
And so as a result of that, he has to come out and hit this out of the park. He cannot go back and, like Herman Cain -- what is it now? 9-0-9 or whatever it is? He's got to be absolutely clear about what that particular position is.
I think what the Republican party is looking for is the fusing of Rick Perry and Mitt Romney, but that's not going to happen. So, we can't kind of create a Per-Romney candidate. And so, as a result of that, I think you see this contradiction here in trying to figure out who's the real conservative here, whose position is not going to evolve. And as a result of that, that's the person we want to nominate.
KAYE: Got it. All right, Chris Metzler, Ed Espinoza, thank you both for your time today for "Fair Game." Nice to see you.
METZLER: Thanks!
KAYE: It is an ancient region well established by the eleventh century. It is located along the second biggest body of water in the Middle East. Ottoman troops burned one of its major cities as they retreated from Russian forces back in 1915.
Now it is reeling from a new disaster. Do you know where it is? We'll take you there next in "Globe Trekking."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: Before the break, we gave you some hints about today's "Globe Trekking" report. We were talking about eastern Turkey. The site of deadly 7.2 magnitude earthquake. The quake hit one of Turkey's poorest regions doing heavy damage to cities along Lake Van, the biggest body of water in Turkey.
CNN's Diana Magnay joins us from Vann, Turkey. Diana, we've heard some conflicting reports on the exact death toll. What are you hearing there? What can you tell us?
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Randi. We're hearing from the disaster management agency, which is basically the disaster ministry really for the whole of Turkey, that the death toll that they have now is 279 with 1,300 injured. There were slight discrepancies before between what the deputy prime minister gave news in Ankara and what the interior minister gave us here on site.
But I think what is interesting to point out is that both said that actually the rise in numbers over the last 24 hours was less than they had anticipated. So, that is at least one good thing, Randi.
KAYE: Diana, in terms of the buildings that collapsed, how structurally sound were they? What do we know about them?
MAGNAY: I imagine there will be an investigation into them. Of course after 1999 when there was this huge earthquake in the Marmara region, in the northwest, really, of Turkey in which 18,000 people died, there were huge changes to building regulations in this country. They became much stricter.
Now it is possible that that was why we only saw certain buildings collapsing in both these two main towns that were affected, Van, where I am now and (INAUDIBLE), which is about 100 kilometers away whereas other buildings remained intact. But of course, there will be question marks over why those buildings did indeed collapse. Many people said to me earlier in an earthquake zone which we have, you shouldn't be building multistory buildings. There will be many questions that need to be answered about why some of those buildings could not withstand this kind of earthquake, Randi.
KAYE: For those who manage to survive this, all of those who are homeless, is there somewhere for them to go? Are they getting any help?
MAGNAY: Well, tonight is better than last night. The Red Crescent has fully mobilized and has brought 7,000 tents into this area. So, they built two kind of tent cities for people to stay in tonight. When the sun goes down at this time of year in this region, it becomes extremely cold. Last night, a lot of people were too scared to go back to their homes if their homes were indeed still standing because there were numerous aftershocks. So, many people spent the night out in the cold, out on the streets around fires or in their cars.
Now at least they do have somewhere to go to. These tents are made to keep the warm in. There are 22,000 blankets that have been brought in, and they've all being provided with hot food. So the Red Crescent has really sort of mobilized itself into action and given people somewhere at least warm to stay and somewhere where they don't have to worry about bricks and mortar falling on their head tonight, Randi.
KAYE: Yes. Diana Magnay in Turkey for us where the work certainly continues. Diana, thank you.
And the quake victims need your help. To find out what you can do, go to CNN.com/impact.
Now other stories that we're following. Chinese authorities have arrested two men in connection with a deadly incident that shocked the world. Video captured by security camera earlier this month showed a pair of drivers one after the other hitting a two-year-old. More than a dozen people passed by the toddler as she lay bleeding in a busy market. Eventually, a woman pulled her aside and tried to get her help, but the girl later died at a hospital.
They're counting the votes in Tunisia. More than 80 percent of registered voters participated in the first election since the ouster of president Ben Ali. That event kicked off the Arab Spring, a pro- democracy movement that's ousted other longtime leaders in Libya and Tunisia. Today's winning candidates will write a new constitution for Libya. Final results are expected tomorrow.
New Zealanders are celebrating a big win today after the home team beat France to capture rugby's World Cup. The All Blacks (ph), as they are called, were the last ones standing after the 45-day tournament. They immediately held a victory parade. Though Auckland, with about 100,000 people lined the streets to get a look at the cup. There it is.
CNN NEWSROOM continues straight ahead. But first, the end of the world. Well, maybe not. You can take that up with Harold Camping. First, he predicted rapture in 1994. Then May 21st of this year. Then Camping he told us this last Friday was the day, October 21st, 2011. The real rapture. Well, guess what? I'm still here, Harold. Yes, we know. You're flabbergasted. Your math is off.
So, Harold, because we are still here, your 15 minutes are up.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: I want to take you back now to 2009. A snowy, foggy February night in western New York state. A commuter flight operated by Colgan Air was en route to Buffalo with 49 people onboard when it crashed into a house about five miles short of the runway. All on board were killed, along with one person on the ground.
And months later, investigators named the cause as pilot error. Now come allegations from the lawyer representing victims' families that Colgan Air knew the pilot, Marvin Renslow, was a slow learner. On CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," he discussed internal e-mails that questioned Renslow was even fit to be trained on the plane that he was flying that night in 2009.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUGH RUSS, ATTORNEY FOR COLGAN CRASH FAMILIES: They show us two things. First, they show us that just months before the crash, the highest levels of Colgan management knew that the captain was not qualified to fly this plane, and yet they put him in the plane anyway.
The other thing they somehow us more generally is that Colgan, as part of its regular business practices, sacrificed safety for profit.
Essentially, they showed him a video on how to recover from stalls. You need active hands-on training where you practice stalls. The airlines did not do that.
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KAYE: We get details on the crash, the pilot and those damaging e-mails now from CNN's Deborah Feyerick.
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DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Six months before the crash, supervisors at Colgan Air were going over a list of pilots they considered ready to fly the new fleet of Q-400 turboprop planes. When Captain Marvin Renslow's name came up, the e-mail suggests there was serious misgivings.
"How about Renslow?" "There's something in the back of my mind on Renslow," writes the VP of operations. Colgan's chief pilot answers, "Yes, you are correct. Renslow had a problem upgrading." That means transitioning to the next level. The VP replies, "Anyone that does not meet the mins" - the minimum requirements - "and had a problem is training is not ready to handle the Q-400." The chief pilot, "He's already off the list."
Now, several families are suing the airline, saying Pilot Renslow was unqualified to fly the plane. It is their lawyer who released these e-mails. The investigation by the NTSB at the time did find Captain Renslow never received hands-on experience with the safety system in the Q-400, called a stick pusher, which activates to prevent the plane from stalling. When the plane began slowing too quickly, the safety board found that pilot reacted in a way that suggests he was startled and confused. He pulled back on the column rather than press forward, essentially dooming the plane.
Pinnacle Airlines, Colgan's parent company, defends its pilot saying, "Only after being fully satisfied that Captain Renslow was ready to transition to the Q-400 aircraft was he allowed to begin Q- 400 training." Now, Renslow was FAA certified but had failed five pilot tests, three of them before he got to Colgan., something he did not disclose to his employer. The NTSB ultimately blamed the crash on pilot error.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Atlanta, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Thanks very much, Deb.
Well, every day on this show we call out someone who we think has, well, screwed up. Today is an unidentified passenger traveling from LAX to Portland, Oregon who failed to notify his airline he was traveling with a loaded gun in his checked bag.
He was perfectly within his right to check that gun, but in keeping it loaded and failing to report it, well, he cost people a lot of time, manpower and ultimately money. You see, the gun tumbled out of bag Sunday morning as it was being loaded on an Alaska Airlines flight. And because it wasn't reported, the gun's owner was questioned, released, then allowed to board a later flight.
The TSA told "The L.A. Times" it is, quote, "the airline and passenger's responsibility to ensure that firearms are transported correctly."
Let me say this. The TSA hasn't always turned in a stellar performance. But in this day and age, shouldn't we, the traveling public, be just a little more savvy, too, and do our part? First, who packs a loaded gun so poorly that it would slip out of a bag in bag in transport? Secondly, in the post-9/11 world, if you're going to travel with a gun, don't you think it would be wise to first unload it and second, report it, maybe, ahead of time? Come on! Save us all the angst.
So for not being the most responsible citizen, it's time for you, the unidentified pistol-packing flier providing the Sunday scare to face the music.
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KAYE: For the "Shot of the Day," a house cat encounters a wild cat. You see that. Check out the stare down on Gail Loveman's deck in Boulder, Colorado. Her cat, Deuce, butted heads through a glass door with this mountain lion. Loveman says the staredown lasted several minutes before the cougar finally walked off with another big cat.
Take a look. That is such a great shot.
Taking a closer look now at stories making headlines across the country at street level. First, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home to bike maker Harley-Davidson. The company says it's recalling approximately 300,000 motorcycles to fix a problem with the rear break light switch. They say the switch may be exposed to excessive heat from the exhaust system, which can cause the light to fail. The problem could also cause fluid leaks or the loss of rear brakes. The recall involves the 2009-2012 models of the Touring CDO, Touring, the Trike vehicles. Dealers will fix the problem free of charge, they say. Next to Indianapolis, where police have seized more than five tons of marijuana. It is the largest drug bust in Indiana history. Local and federal authorities were involved in the sting, which began in march and ended last year. Police found the pot in a warehouse along with more than $4 million in cash. Four men have been detained and will appear in court this week. Authorities say a Mexican drug cartel is the likely source of that operation.
In Lakewood, Washington, police shoot and kill a soldier recently back from Afghanistan. It happened Sunday night when a neighbor reported seeing a man lying in the street with a gunshot wound. When police responded, they found 32-year-old Trent Thorpe sitting in a pool of blood.
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RUSTY FOSTER, NEIGHBOR: I heard the police say, drop the weapon, drop the weapon, several times, loudly. Then I heard a couple of shots and then a volley of shots.
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KAYE: Four officers have been placed on administrator leave pending an investigation. Thorpe returned from Afghanistan in June.
Now to Philadelphia, where preliminary hearing has been set today for three suspects accused of imprisoning four mentally disabled adults in a filthy boiler room basement. Gregory Thomas, Linda Ann Weston, and Eddie Wright will appear in court December 19th. The three face charges, including criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and false imprisonment after the landlord of an apartment building discovered the adults locked in this 15-by- 6 foot basement.
A hearing is set for Wednesday for a fourth suspect, Weston's daughter, Jean Mcintosh.
And finally, to St. Paul, Minnesota, where a teacher and her second-grade class wrote letters to Moammar Gadhafi 25 years ago. And to their surprise, guess what? He wrote back. Carla Hultz (ph) from our affiliate KARE reports.
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JILL SWANSON, SECOND-GRADE TEACHER: This is it.
CARLA HULTZ (ph), KARE-TV CORRESPODNENT: Perhaps it it's indicative of a man who led, if not terrorized, his country for 42 years.
SWANSON: I have a letter from colonel gadhafi.
HULTZ: That proof of his influence would reach all the way here to a quiet living room in St. Paul.
SWANSON: For me, the excitement of the project, that it was directed. HULTZ: It was 25 years ago, then and still second-grade teacher Jill Swanson helped her students reach out and understand current events.
SWANSON: After we pulled down the map and found Libya and discussed what had happened the day before, we said, we should write letters to both of these leaders.
HULTZ: So, the seven-year olds wrote letters to President Reagan and Moammar Gadhafi.
SWANSON: "Dear Colonel Gadhafi, I'm so sorry that your little daughter died, and can I ask a favor? Could you to stop bombing us? OK, and then we'll stop bombing you."
HULTZ: They were child's questions, simple yet profound, answered by a known tyrant.
SWANSON: "We received a kind letter in which you condemned the American barbarian aggression against our country and our people."
HULTZ: And with those words, a class learned more about political propaganda and a leader who would go on to rule for decade more. And for those who responded directly with a dictator --
SWANSON: He ends by saying, "Thanks for your stand with us."
HULTZ: -- there's a shared feeling of relief.
SWANSON: I don't wish anyone death, but I certainly think the world didn't need his ugliness.
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KAYE: That was Carla Hultz reporting from our CNN affiliate, KARE.
Time now to check in with our friend Wolf Blitzer for a little politics. Wolf, I understand that there's some new numbers on what people think of the whole Occupy Wall Street movement.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": There are. We have a brand new CNN/ORC poll just coming out. Let's take a look at some of these numbers, Randi. We asked the question, what do you think of the Occupy Wall Street movement? Thirty-two percent of those nationwide have a favorable response, 29 percent unfavorable. But 39 percent, four out of ten almost, are unsure about the Occupy Wall Street movement that's going, on not only on Wall Street, but in a lot of cities all over the United States.
On another question we asked, do you trust Wall Street to do the best for the economy? Take a look, only three percent, Randi, three percent have a great deal of trust of Wall Street, 20 percent somewhat, 22 percent a little, but 54 percent says they don't trust Wall Street at all to do the right thing. Not necessarily very encouraging numbers for all those people on Wall Street right now. And it comes on the heels of these Occupy Wall Street movement protests all over the country.
A couple of other little political nuggets as far as endorsements are concerned. Rick Perry is going to be announcing his new flat tax proposal you've been reporting on that tomorrow. Steve Forbes, who ran for the presidency, the Republican presidential nomination, and ran in part -- in large part on his flat-tax proposal -- he's been advising Rick Perry but now he's formally endorsing Rick Perry for the Republican nomination, important endorsement for Rick Perry.
Mitt Romney got an important endorsement in New Hampshire, the former governor John Sununu, endorsing Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination. Bottom line, the politics continue and a lot of us are going to be closely studying Rick Perry's announcement tomorrow on the details of his flat tax proposal. It could resonate. Then again, maybe not. We'll see.
KAYE: And Wolf, as you know, the president is on a bit of a Western swing. How critical is this in terms of timing for him to raise these funds and also I guess try to help folks out in the Housing department?
BLITZER: He's doing what he can, given the fact there's such a division in Washington. He's unlikely to get congressional support of the House and Senate for the legislation he needs, but he can take certain steps unilaterally through executive orders. That's what he's trying to do right now.
He's also trying to set the stage to differentiate between him and any Republican nominee that emerges. So, in addition to doing some substantive policy discussion, he's doing a lot of campaign fund raising as well.
KAYE: Yes. All right, Wolf Blitzer, so nice to see you. Thank you very much.
BLITZER: Thank you.
KAYE: And that will do it for me, everyone. I will hand it over now to Brooke Baldwin in Atlanta, who will pick it up from here. Hi, Brooke.
