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Gas Prices Rising; Face-Eating Victim Speaks Out
Aired August 09, 2012 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Now, in the wake of shootings across the country, the attitudes of Americans towards guns, we have found, has not really changed at all. Now, just take a look at this new CNN/ORC poll. Overall, half of Americans don't want restrictions or only minor restrictions. The other half want major restrictions on firearms, or just make them illegal altogether.
Those numbers, by the way, are identical to last year.
Just one minute after the hour. I'm Alina Cho, in for Brooke Baldwin. Thanks for joining us.
And I begin where you are feeling the pain. That's your wallet. Gas, food, the necessities, all taking more of your hard-earned cash. Let's start with gas. From New England to California, AAA says gas prices jumped on average more than 5 percent in July.
And that's the largest increase ever recorded in one month. A refinery fire in Richmond, California, is the latest disruption that's being blamed for those higher gas prices. And California felt the pinch almost immediately. Here's how fast.
Fire starts at the Chevron refinery on Monday. On Tuesday, wholesale gas prices shoot up in California, surging 30 cents a gallon, with analysts warning that prices could jump another 5 cents with within days. But the market calms down a bit by Wednesday and prices do pull back, but they are still 24 cents a gallon higher than before the fire.
And what happens next with gas prices depends on just how badly that Richmond refinery is damaged and how long it will be offline.
I want to bring in CNN's Dan Simon. He is in Richmond right now, outside the refinery.
So, Dan, tell us, how bad is that damage?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi, Alina.
That is the refinery behind me, and the output seems to have been affected significantly. Chevron just saying that the refinery is operating at a diminished capacity. We should point out this is the third largest refinery in the state of California, actually, one of the largest in the country.
It processes about 240,000 barrels of crude oil every single day. So you take some of that out of the equation, and that's why you're having a big impact when it comes to gas prices. So Chevron saying it's operating at a diminished capacity. When it might be online, if you will, you know, repaired, that, we don't know, Alina.
CHO: Dan, as you know, this is a Chevron refinery, and Chevron actually met with residents in the area on Tuesday night. Things got really heated.
Let's listen to this and watch and we will talk on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First and foremost, Chevron will take responsibility for all legitimate claims that come in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're putting this poison out here, killing us. and it's not just happening -- is it happening in your all's neighborhood? No, it's not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do I have to look forward to having cancer? Does my grandchild have to look forward to having cancer?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Wow, pretty incredible stuff to hear it, Dan.
Have you been able to speak to any of those residents?
SIMON: Well, yes, I have actually spoken to -- I spoke to a resident just a little while ago.
And, listen, there have been longstanding concerns for people who live in this area. Environmental activists have been shouting about this refinery for a very long time. Here is the thing, though. The local government entity that monitors pollution, they were out here the night of the fire. They saw no increased pollution, didn't view it as a health problem.
Nonetheless, you did have hundreds of people go to Bay Area emergency rooms to be checked out. They were claiming to have respiratory problems. Many have already spoken to attorneys. You can bet that there'll be a lot of lawsuits.
Chevron, they are saying that they will, you know, basically pay for any legitimate claims. So that's where we are with that. But, you know, this isn't going away anytime soon, a lot of anger in this community over what happened on Monday night, Alina.
CHO: Yes, naturally. Dan Simon, thank you so much for that update.
And the West Coast isn't alone in this gas price surge. This summer, a leaking pipeline in the Upper Midwest created some of the biggest price hikes. Just look at this. Between July 30 and August 6, gas prices shot up 40 cents a gallon in Illinois to a high of $4.09.
That's the highest in the country. The leak is blamed for boosting Michigan prices by 38 cents. And in Wisconsin, gas prices shot up 33 cents a gallon. The pipeline reopened on Tuesday and AAA says Illinois gas prices are beginning to fall just a little bit.
Now to this summer's other budget-buster. We're talking about food. Anyone who's been to the grocery store lately won't be surprised by a United Nations report that was released today. It found that global food prices jumped 6 percent in July, and the main driver of that jump is corn.
According to the U.N. report, corn prices alone surged 23 percent last month. That's nearly a quarter increase. Things that cost more in July, cereal, peanut butter, and margarine, to name a few. The reason, according to the U.N., and this won't be a surprise to many people, the record drought across the American heartland.
We have this just in to CNN, a warning. Be on the lookout for e- mails that claim to be from the FBI. It just could contain a new Internet virus and you don't want to catch it.
(FINANCIAL UPDATE)
CHO: The victim of a horrific face-eating attack is speaking out for the first time. You will hear his terrifying account of how his assaulter -- quote -- "ripped him to ribbons." His words are chilling.
Plus, a nasty swine flu outbreak in the Midwest to tell you about, where doctors are telling people to take some pretty big precautions -- what you need to know next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: It was the gruesome attack that horrified the world, a homeless man viciously beaten, his face chewed off by another man in broad daylight.
And now, for the very first time since that brutal assault that came to be known as the Miami zombie attack, we are hearing the victim tell his story in his own words.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RONALD POPPO, VICTIM: He attacked me. He just ripped me to ribbons. He chewed at my face. He plucked out my eyes. Basically, that is all there is to say about it.
JIM DEFEDE, WFOR REPORTER (voice-over): That is the voice of Ronald Poppo, victim of the so-called Causeway Cannibal, Rudy Eugene. For the first time, we're hearing Poppo describe the vicious attack that occurred on the MacArthur Causeway Memorial Day weekend.
POPPO: For a very short amount of time I thought he was a good guy. But he just went and turned berserk. He apparently didn't have a good day at the beach and he was coming back. And I guess he took it out, took it out on me or something. I don't know.
DEFEDE: CBS4 News obtained a copy of the July interview Miami homicide detectives conducted with Poppo.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Sergeant Williams of the City of Miami Homicide Unit. Here with me is Detective Frankie Sanchez.
DEFEDE: The interview place at the Perdue Medical Center in South Dade, where Poppo is now recovering from his injuries.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Also here with us is Mr. Ronald Poppo.
Mr. Poppo, can you raise your right hand?
POPPO: Certainly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
POPPO: So help me god.
DEFEDE: The jawing interview was led by Detective Sergeant Altarr Williams.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was he saying when he was assaulting you?
POPPO: You and me, buddy. Nobody else here. I'm going to kill you or something like that, I guess.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he say why?
POPPO: No, he just started to scream. He was talking kind of funny talk for a while.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you mean by funny talk?
POPPO: That I was going to die and he was going to die. He must have been souped up on something.
DEFEDE: The details of the attack still vivid in his mind.
POPPO: He starts smashing my face into the sidewalk. My face is all mashed up. My eyes got plucked out. He was strangling me in wrestling holds. At the same time, he was picking my eyes out.
DEFEDE: Detectives asked him if he said or did anything that might have provoked Eugene.
POPPO: What can provoke an attack of that type? I certainly didn't curse at the guy or say anything mean or nasty to him.
DEFEDE: In a subsequent interview, Poppo told detectives that Rudy Eugene blamed Bible for stealing his bible. Pieces of Eugene's Bible were found scattered among the causeway. Poppo said he never saw Eugene's Bible and denied taking it. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did Mr. Eugene having anything in his hands?
POPPO: No, Eugene did not have any type of weapon. He did not use any weapon on me. He basically was using brute force.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But before he attacked you, did he have any clothes, any materials, any books or anything in his hands?
POPPO: No. I honestly don't recall him having anything.
DEFEDE: After the attack, news reports suggested that Poppo and Rudy Eugene may have crossed paths, possibly at a soup kitchen where Eugene reportedly fed the homeless.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you recall ever seeing Mr. Eugene before?
POPPO: I do not think so.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever, to the best of your knowledge, remember Mr. Eugene providing any type of food to the homeless?
POPPO: No. I don't remember nothing like that.
DEFEDE: While the interview provides new insights into the case, it is also obvious that Poppo is confused about some details. For instance, he thought Rudy Eugene had hitchhiked his way across the causeway, when we know he walked. He also described Eugene as being clothed. We now know Eugene stripped off his clothing before the attack.
Other details, he just seemed to make up.
POPPO: He had hair that was brown and wavy, and looked like a Mahican type of haircut, almost, almost looked like a Mahican.
DEFEDE: And although the attack left Poppo blind in both eyes and undergoing occupational therapy to deal with the new realities of his life, Poppo seems relatively resigned to what happened to him. He never raises his voice in the interview or becomes upset, but it's also something that he clearly does not enjoy talking about it.
POPPO: Well, anyway, I'm getting kind of exhausted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, I understand. I understand. Is there anything else you want to say that...
POPPO: No. I thank the Miami Police Department for saving my life. That's about the best I could sum it up as. If they didn't get there in the nick of time, I would definitely have been in worse shape. Possibly, I would be DOA.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: That was Jim DeFede from our affiliate WFOR.
Just a quick side note, there had been some speculation that Rudy Eugene was high on bath salts at the time of the attack, but we now know he was not on bath salts or synthetic marijuana. This is according to toxicology reports that did find traces of marijuana in his body, but nothing else.
Well, if you're going to your state or county fair in the next couple of weeks, be careful. The swine flu is back. And we're going to tell you how to avoid it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Some health news we need to tell you about. There's a dramatic rise in H3N2 swine flu cases. More than 100 cases have been reported in Indiana.
The CDC says many cases are linked to the virus passing from sick pigs to people at agricultural fairs and festivals, something that's really popular this time of year.
CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins me now.
So how serious is this, Elizabeth?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's serious, but I want to emphasize, this is not the same swine flu, the same strain of swine flu that we heard of two years.
This one is H3N2. The other was H1N1. This is far fewer number of cases. Before we were talking much bigger numbers. Let's take a look at this one. This one is in four states. That's where we have seen it, in four states so far, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, with most of the cases, 113 cases, being in Indiana.
We're talking about 145 cases total, two hospitalizations out of those 145 sick people. And most of the people who are sick are under the age of 16.
CHO: And I want to talk about why most of those victims are children. But, first, is this a less serious or a more serious strain, in your estimation?
COHEN: Here's what makes it less serious.
Swine flu, the old one -- well, it's not old, but the one that we talked about in 2009, that spread relatively easily person to person. I could sneeze and if you were sitting right here, you might get it if I didn't cover my sneeze. This version doesn't seem to spread so easily, person to person.
But everyone who's gotten it so far has gotten it from a pig. Maybe they touched a pig. Maybe they were near a pig. Maybe they handled a pig. Maybe they pet the pig at that county fair, but it doesn't seem to be spreading so easily from person to person. It can, but not quite as easily.
CHO: And why children?
COHEN: Because children have been touching these pigs.
CHO: Of course.
COHEN: Right. You go to a county fair, I know my kids, they go and they run up to all of those animals and they want to touch them. That's why you're seeing it.
CHO: So I suspect that maybe not as many pigs will be at state fairs and county fairs this summer. But what's the message then for parents to try to keep their kids safe?
COHEN: The folks at the CDC say, do not let your child pet a pig at one of these fairs. Just don't let them pet the pig. You can also get sick from being near the pig, so I think that's important to know.
CHO: Don't even get near it.
COHEN: Right. So maybe keep your distance from some of these pigs.
CHO: Wow. Important news to know.
(CROSSTALK)
Thanks. All right, Elizabeth Cohen, great to see you, as always. Thanks.
COHEN: Thanks.
CHO: One password, one confirmation, and your digital life can be destroyed. It happened to one man in just an hour. Hackers got into Google, Amazon, and Apple, wiped out this man's e-mail, tablet, and cell phone. And how's this for irony? The man who was hacked is a senior writer for "Wired" magazine.
He will join me next to see tell us how he struck a deal with this hacker to help make sure this doesn't happen to you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: This is a story you have just got to see.
A reporter who covers the tech world says in less than an hour -- quote -- "his entire digital life was destroyed."
Mat Honan's Apple, Gmail, Twitter, MacBook, iPhone accounts wiped out. And he wrote about this epic hack in an article for "Wired." Unlike most victims, Honan actually cut a deal with one of the hackers, learning how they completely unraveled his online life.
The security flaws have prompted two big guns in the industry, Apple and Amazon, to change some of their ways.
Mat Honan, senior writer for "Wired," joins me live from San Francisco.
Mat, great to see you.
I guess if it can happen to you, it can happen to anyone. So tell me when did you first discover that something was wrong?
MAT HONAN, "WIRED": It was Friday evening and I was expecting a phone call. I noticed my phone turned off. I went to plug it in, and when I did that, the startup screen you get when you first buy a new iPhone came up.
I tried entering my password. It said my password was wrong. I went and looked at my computer, and my computer was in this weird reset moment that was asking for a pin and I realized my drive was being wiped. And what happened, I was sitting there watching while my iPad and my iPhone and my compute hard drivers were all wiped remotely at the same time and that's when I basically kind of freaked out.
CHO: Pretty incredible.
Among other things, you lost more than a year's worth of photos covering the entire life span of your daughter. That's just tragic. You say that this happened because your accounts were daisy-chained together. So they were all linked, essentially, right?
HONAN: That's right.
So my -- once they were able to access my Apple account, my Apple e-mail, that was the backup e-mail for my Gmail, so they were able to get into Google, and the Google account was linked to my Twitter. It was my Twitter login, so they were able to get into Twitter. And this all started actually by getting into my Amazon account.
(CROSSTALK)
CHO: Yes, talk about that. Talk about, just, you mentioned that the pizza guy could have done this. This wasn't some elaborate hack job. This took a couple of phone calls to Amazon, and that was it, right?
HONAN: Right.
So from Amazon, they were able to -- basically, they gave a fake credit card number to Amazon, which they then called back and gave them that credit card number as verification of my account. And they were able to see the last four digits of all the credit cards on my Amazon account that way.
At the time, Apple was just requiring an e-mail -- your e-mail address that was your I.D., your billing address, and the last four digits of a credit card to get into your account and get a temporary password reset.
So, armed with just those last four digits, address, and e-mail, they were able to go into Apple, into my Apple I.D. and destroy everything.
CHO: I think what's extraordinary, too, is -- and we're going to get to this in just a second. One of the hackers actually contacted you after you set up another Twitter account.
I found it interesting that they really just said they liked your handle. You spell your name M-A-T and your Twitter handle, at least was, right, @Mat, right?
HONAN: That's right.
CHO: Tell me, the hacker contacted you via Twitter, and then what happens next?
HONAN: We begin messaging each other. And we followed each other on Twitter, so we were able to send each other private messages.
And, you know, I really wanted to try and understand how this had happened. And so I basically -- you know, he was telling me a little bit, but not very much, and eventually I said, you know, if you explain how this is going to happen, I'm not going to take any steps to prosecute you, because I really wanted to understand how and what the extent of this problem was.
And once it kind of became apparent that it was a really widespread problem, that it wasn't a security issue that would just affect me, I thought it was very important to know how it was done and how you could, you know, how you could stop it.
And once we were able to learn that, at "Wired," we were able to basically repeat all these steps end to end again and again.
CHO: Well, that's incredibly big of you, I have to say.
You know, we spoke to Amazon and Apple. Amazon says it has closed the -- quote -- "exploit," but didn't elaborate any further. Apple tells us, you know, that -- quote -- "We have temporarily suspended the ability to reset Apple I.D. passwords over the phone. When we resume over-the-phone password resets, customers will be required to provide even stronger identity verification to reset their password."
They go on to say that: "Apple takes customer privacy seriously. In this particular case, the customer's data was compromised by a person who had acquired personal information about the customer. In addition, we found that our own internal policies with were not completely" - "were not followed completely, rather." Does this satisfy you?
HONAN: No, I don't think so. You know, I believe that they -- I'm glad that they have taken steps to keep this from happening in the short-term, and I assume they've taken those temporary measures to put long-term, you know, better security policies in place. But I really think that the statement doesn't do justice. They really have to actually take steps that are going to keep this from happening. They need to have some sort of method that keeps people from being able to remotely wipe someone else's device, for example. The over-the-phone problem was not the only problem.
CHO: I'm curious to know just how close you are to restoring your digital life. How soon might that happen? And is there any shot at all of getting those photos back?
HONAN: I've been able to restore my Twitter account, my Google account completely. My iPhone and iPad, I was backing up, and so I was able to restore those as well. Things are not looking as good for my Mac Book. I'm actually picking that up from Apple shortly after I leave here, and I'm taking it to a data recovery shop where they think they're going to be able to recover the data. But I don't know the final word on that, yet.
CHO: You don't realize until something like this happens how strongly linked you are to your devices. Matt Homan, thanks so much for sharing your story. I wish you a lot of luck in getting your digital life recovered.
HONAN: Thanks for having me.
CHO: Yes. Good luck. And we'll be waiting for your next story. Thanks so much.
Up next, stunning video just into us. Surviving a plane crash. You're going to see exactly what it's like -- look at that -- from inside the cockpit. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Well, you're about to see a cockpit view of a plane crash. And as you watch, remember that everyone on board the single-engine prop survived. It happened in June in Idaho. Watch.
(VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Oh, my goodness gracious. One man was injured. Amazingly, the others on board walked away from the crash not hurt. But imagine being inside that plane, Chad Myers. I mean, pretty incredible stuff.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: They took off. They said it took a long time for them to get off the ground. Didn't think anything about it, because the airport, although the Bruce Metals (ph) Airport, although it's a dirt field, it's a very long runway. So they got off the ground, but couldn't get higher about 60, 70 feet off the ground. And they think maybe -
CHO: Something went terribly wrong.
MYERS: Well, they think maybe the pressure or the atmosphere changed, compared to when they landed to when they took off, they may have been there a while, and it warmed up. So, therefore the lift capability of the wing wasn't enough to get all these guys, three guys plus the pilot. This is a Spinson 108-3. It should carry full fuel, 170-pound people, four of them, plus 50 --
CHO: Four people on the plane?
MYERS: Yes. And it's rated for 170-pound people. You know. And that's great, 1947, when people were 170 pounds, but now you've got big guys on there. I don't know. Obviously, the NTSB will look at why these people couldn't get off the ground.
CHO: There's no indication that it was overweight, was it? Or we just don't know, I guess, right?
MYERS: We don't know. It didn't fly for some reasons. But unbelievably, these trees kind of softened the blow. Obviously if the trees weren't there, it would have been an easier landing. But the trees softened the blow. The pilot did break his jaw, but all the other three guys got up and walked away.
CHO: Man! Just incredible. Incredible.
MYERS: I never want to see that.
CHO: No, I don't either. Yes.
All right, we want to -- stay with us, Chad. Because we want you to look at this video we just got into our newsroom of Nick Wallenda, you know, of the famed flying Wallendas? Do you see him there? He's right there in the middle of your screen, wearing the red shirt and the black shorts. He is just fresh off a walk, 1,300 feet between the Atlantic Club and the Tropicana. This is in Atlantic City we're talking about. He was about 100 feet above the beach. We wanted to make sure that he actually finished it safely before we brought you the video.
But remember, this was just -- this is just about a month-and-a- half after -- June 15th is when he made that historic walk across Niagara Falls. He was 184 feet above the water there. Pretty incredible stuff. He's 33 years old. I don't know how people can even have the wherewithal to do that. I mean, I would be freaking out.
MYERS: If you notice, he wasn't wearing the little tether they made him wear over Niagara Falls.
CHO: That's right.
MYERS: Because he really didn't want to wear it over Niagara Falls.
CHO: No, he didn't want to wear it over Niagara Falls, but I remember, this was aired on NBC and primetime. And ABC wanted to make sure that, you know, he had that on. And by the way, Nick Wallenda does say his next trip is the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
MYERS: That's a long walk.
CHO: All right. Chad Myers, thanks so much.
MYERS: Yes.
CHO: All right. This man, the man accused -- this hour, rather, the man accused of gunning down 12 people and injuring 58 others at a screening of the latest Batman movie in Aurora, Colorado, is expected in court, at this hour. We won't get to see James Holmes like we did the first time because no cameras are allowed inside the courtroom today. There's also a gag order on the case.
But more than 17 news organizations, including CNN, are asking a judge to lift that gag order today. Holmes is charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. Criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson is on the case for us. So, Joey, what exactly can we expect from this hearing today?
JOEY JACKSON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I think there'll be competing interests that we're going to hear about, Alina. I think those competing interests are as follows. The prosecution has an interesting in keeping those documents sealed. Why? Because they want to ensure the integrity and the propriety of the investigation. The defense similarly has an argument this they should be sealed. Why? Because they want to ensure a fair trial.
And then, of course, we're going to hear from the press, and their argument is public access. The public has a right to know. This is a significant public issue; it involved a horrific tragedy. We need to be transparent, and these documents need to be revealed. So, the judge will balance all that today.
CHO: And do we expect a decision today?
JACKSON: You know, the judge has on option to what we call reserve decision. And in doing that, it gives the judge an opportunity to evaluate everyone's argument, to look at some of the cases that would apply here. There's a Supreme Court case from 1986. Press Enterprises, that addresses this issue. I'm sure the press will be talking about a number of other cases, and the judge wants to do the right thing. So while we may hear from the judge today, I doubt it, Alina. I think he'll take some time, reserve decision, and give a decision at a later time.
CHO: Well, obviously the prosecution is concerned that by releasing this information, the case will be compromised. Do we have any idea what is inside these documents, Joey?
JACKSON: You know, generally speaking, when you have a case file, it's plentiful. And what does it include? It includes police reports, there are witness statements there, there will be a search warrant affidavit, in addition to the results of that search warrant. Just all kinds of information concerning the defendant, who he might have spoken to, what the issues were involved. So it's plentiful and abundant.
And remember, Alina, it's not only the case file they want, but in addition to that, there's a gag order on the university, because they are not -- the university allowed to tell anything either, right? Because they're being contacted. Tell us about him! Tell us about him! And the gag order says, the judge says, we don't want him to release anything, pause the judge, Alina, is concerned about a fair trial here.
CHO: As always, Joey Jackson, breaking it down for us so we all understand it a little bit better. Thank you so much for joining us.
JACKSON: Pleasure.
CHO: Just a short time from now, President Obama expected to speak live in a state that he won in 2008, but is now trailing Mitt Romney in at least one poll. We're talking about Colorado, and that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: President Obama is about to finish up two straight days of campaigning in Colorado. Now, he won Colorado back in 2008, but one late poll shows him trailing Mitt Romney there now. CNN's Brianna Keilar is traveling with the president in Colorado Springs. So Brianna, yesterday it was women. Who is the president targeting today?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's not as obvious today who he's targeting, because his message yesterday, Alina, was very much about women. But no doubt he is targeting the Hispanic vote. It's very important here in Colorado. And you can just look at the visuals of today to really see that.
And actually, to that point, Ken Salazar, one of the most prominent members of his cabinet, former Colorado senator, is about to take the stage to warm up the crowd here in Colorado Springs, as he did earlier today in Pueblo. President Obama woke up in Pueblo. He went to a Tex-Mex restaurant, got a breakfast enchilada. He was introduced by a Latina supporter. You had mariachi music, traditional Mexican dancers.
I mean, he is courting the Hispanic vote, and you can really understand why, Alina, when you look at poll numbers. The most recent poll that we've seen, the Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times poll has him trailing Mitt Romney overall five points in Colorado. But he's got a 40-point lead among Hispanics. He really needs their support, Alina.
CHO: Pretty incredible. I mean, did mention that Quinnipiac poll that came out yesterday, Brianna. As you know, the president, as we mentioned earlier, won Colorado in 2008. So is the campaign saying at all, or do they have any explanation for why the president is trailing in Colorado now?
KEILAR: When you ask them, Alina, about that poll, they say they're not overly worried. They're trying to downplay it. And they say that they think that Hispanics will play a bigger role on election day than they did in that poll, and that seniors will play a lesser role. Hispanics, a key constituency for the president. Seniors, not so much.
So, they're trying to build in winning coalition here of women, because the president is really struggling with men compared to 2008, and also Hispanic voters, who are quite a growing constituency. Not only in Colorado, but other Western states, Nevada and Arizona, as well. CHO: And we should point out that poll, there's a five-point margin there. But that is within the margin of error. Brianna, I congratulate you for being able to speak louder than Ken Salazar in the background there! We appreciate it. The microphone does help it. Thanks for joining us.
All right, shelling in Syria's largest city. Our Ben Wedeman narrowly escaped a attack while he was reporting in Aleppo, and he's going to share his story, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Ten minutes before the top of the hour. Both sides in Syria are reporting heavy fighting in the battle for Aleppo. That's Syria's largest city. And here we can see part of a building on fire. There you see it. That is usually a sign of artillery strikes by the government. Rebel forces say they have retreated from their former stronghold in Aleppo. Troops continue to pour in to drive out the rebels entirely.
CNN's Ben Wedeman has just gotten out of Aleppo after several harrowing days there as a witness to the fighting. Here's an account of some of the things he witnessed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SOUNDS OF GUNFIRE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We have made it into Sanahadin (ph). We drove through a government-controlled area, but made it around the checkpoint. Now we're inside. There are very few people actually here. There are some civilians walking around. But the biggest danger is snipers that are on buildings this direction firing like this. So we've had to sort of make a very roundabout route into this area.
Now we're out of Aleppo. We're heading northwest of a town called (INAUDIBLE). It's been a rather interesting ride. Apparently the outpost of the FSA from which we took this truck got hit by a mig shortly after we left. We're told of serious injuries. But, anyway, good to be out of Aleppo. Maybe we'll be going back soon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's good to be out of Aleppo. Unfortunately, we're leaving kind people behind us. They took care of us. And wish them all the best.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Just incredible reporting from our Ben Wedeman and his crew on their way out of Aleppo, Syria.
Video games. They're a $90 billion business. Americans alone spend more than a billion hours each year playing. But it's not just for fun. There is one school that bases its entire curriculum on games. And it has some parents very worried. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In order to get ready in the morning or get ready at a certain time, we put on a song and say, you have to beat the song. We would play Johnny Cash or Elvis or a song from wicked. So when I listen to the concept of this school, I love it. I think it's really exciting. But it's a big roll of the dice.
AMIR MARAD (ph), TEACHER, QUEST TO LEARN: Being strategic about where you land. There you go. You have an entire board to select.
My name is Amir Marad. I'm a teacher at Quest to Learn. I teach a class called the way things work. It is an integrated science and math class. The application of that math really, you know, takes root in the way things work. And we start to use, you know, the fractions, decimals, percentages in the classroom for activities. So, they kind of get to see it from both perspectives. It's a purely kind of mathematical endeavor in a sense. And in the classroom, the applied science.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: One parent admits this school is a big roll of the dice. She still worries about standardized tests and college, but says it's worth the gamble. For more on this special series, go to CNN.com.
Twenty-seven children living underground never seeing sunlight. And police are discovering an invisible religious sect. That's next.
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CHO: We are just a few minutes away from the top of the hour. And that means Wolf Blitzer and "THE SITUATION ROOM." Wolf is here with a preview. Hey, Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Attention all political news junkies like you and me, Alina. We have brand new CNN/ORC poll numbers on some important issues, including the horse race between President Obama and Mitt Romney. You're going to be intrigued when you see what has happened over the past month in the race between the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates.
We also have brand new numbers on who Mitt Romney should select according to Republicans out there as his vice presidential running mate. We're getting ready to release those numbers as well.
Also, we have brand new numbers on gun control in the United States. This is the first poll done in the aftermath of the Sikh temple killing in Wisconsin, what happened in Aurora, Colorado. You're going to be interested to hear and see how the American public feels about stricter or looser gun control in the country. We've got all of our political reporters, our analysts, everyone standing by. We've got some important news coming up right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
CHO: All right, Wolf. I'll be watching from the airport. Thanks so much. BLITZER: Thank you.
CHO: Members of a religious sect have been found living in a bunker in Russia. Now here's where the story gets bizarre. Russian police say the sect has been living strictly underground for a decade. CNN's Matthew Chance reports that police found adults and several children.
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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Russian police say 27 children along with more than 30 adults lived in catacomb-like cells in what's described as an eight-level underground bunker. Some children had never left the compound or even seen the light of day.
IRINA PETROVA, POLICE PROSECUTOR (via translator): The premises consists of cells without natural light and ventilation located in the basement and foundation and dug into the ground as it was set in the official report. It was an eight-level ant hill. Not only adults were living on these premises but also children.
CHANCE: At least 19 of the children, ages between one and 17 years old were removed by the authorities. Some placed in care. Others in hospitals.
TATIANA MOROZ, HEALTH WORKER: Children were in satisfactory condition. The children were all fed, although they were dirty. Upon receiving them, we washed them. They have undergone a full examination. All the Russian specialists have examined them and taken all the analysis. Tomorrow, the full analysis will be finished and we will give our final conclusion about the condition of their health.
CHANCE: The Islamist sect was unearthed last week in a suburb of the city of Kazan in Russian mainly Muslim Tartasan (ph) region during an investigation into militant groups. Chance of defiance, police retained some of its members, including its reclusive 83-year-old leader, Fayzrahman Satarov. They're facing charges.
Russian media reports say his followers lived in isolation refusing to recognize Russian laws or the authority of mainstream Muslim leaders in Tartasan (ph). Isolation that allowed them to keep their activities literally underground.
Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
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CHO: And I'm Alina Cho. See you back in New York. THE SITUATION ROOM with Wolf Blitzer starts right now.
