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New TV Apology For "Rape" Comment; Lavish Government Parties And Your Tax Money; Veteran Affairs' $5M For Conference Training; Diana Nyad's Journey Cut Short; JetBlue Fined For Violating Your Rights; Akin Sorry For "Rape" Comment; Catholics have Mixed View of Ryan; Private Faith in Public Life; Roger Clemens Making a Comeback; Politician by Day, Brawler by Night
Aired August 21, 2012 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Stories we're watching right now in the NEWSROOM.
Stupid, bizarre, deeply offensive -- that's the reaction of Congressman Todd Akin's fellow Republicans about his "legitimate rape" comment. They want Akin to end his U.S. Senate (inaudible). Akin says he's staying. He's put out an ad today asking for forgiveness. But is it too little, too late?
Halfway through a historic journey, jellyfish stings and a summer storm forced Diana Nyad to quite her latest swim attempt from Cuba to Florida.
Politics by day and a fighter at night, it's not a movie. It's the double life of Nevada secretary of state. He'll joins us live in this hour.
He was a powerhouse pitcher caught up in a steroid investigation. Now at the age of 50, Roger Clemens is back, but he's playing at a far different league. We'll tell you why.
NEWSROOM starts right now.
Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for being with us. We begin with the congressman begging again for forgiveness. Missouri Republican Todd Akin admits he blundered in this interview.
When he spouted off on abortion in what he called legitimate rape. Republican leaders just want him to go away. They are demanding he drop out of the race challenging Senator Claire McCaskill.
An incumbent Democrat they consider vulnerable. Akin is refusing to do that and he's taking his case to voters in a brand new TV ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TODD AKIN (R), MISSOURI: I'm Todd Akin and I approve this message. Rape is an evil act. I used the wrong words in the wrong way and for that I apologize.
As the father of two daughters, I want tough justice for predators. I have a compassionate heart for the victims of sexual assault and I pray for them.
The fact is rape can lead to pregnancy. The truth is rape has many victims. The mistake I made was in the words I said, not in the heart I hold. I ask for your forgiveness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Dana Bash is our senior congressional correspondent. She's in Washington. It doesn't appear Akin is going to quit.
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As of now based on that new ad, it certainly doesn't sound that way. But Carol, still -- as we speak Republicans are doing as much as they can publicly and privately to get him out voluntarily by tonight.
The deadline for that is 5:00 p.m. local, 6:00 p.m. Eastern, but I'm told that the problem GOP leaders are having is that Congressman Akin's advisors, they believe the real deadline is September 25th. That's technically true.
He does have until September 25th to petition the state government and get his name off the ballot, but that would create a big headache for Republicans logistically.
And much more importantly, it would keep this nightmare going for them politically which they absolutely don't want. But you know, the Republican nightmare of Akin staying in the race is a Democrat's dream.
And that is why the Democratic senator he is trying to unseat Claire McCaskill. She came out, oddly, in his defense.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D), MISSOURI: Congressman Akin and I disagree on some things, but he is sincere. And while I disagreed with what he said, he is now, just in the last few hours, really apologized for what he said.
And I think what is startling to me is that these party bigwigs are coming down on him and saying that he needs to kick sand in the face of the Republican primary voter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Carol, when the Democratic senator is trying to defend the Republican primary voters, you know that this whole thing is turned on its head and you know that's it's a big, big problem for Republicans.
COSTELLO: Yes. Dana Bash, you'll keep following the story, I know. Thank you so much. Now we turn to your tax dollars and the new outrage over how that money is spent. First, a painful refresher course, remember how the GSA got bashed for squandering money on a lavish conference?
And a goofy video that laughed in the face of the taxpayer? Come on. Who can forget the clown? Well, we're finding out this conference by the Department of Veterans Affairs may be worse by almost any measure.
The GSA shindig in Vegas cost about $800,000 and outraged both parties, but CNN is learning these VA -- Veterans Affairs conferences may have cost $5 million. Of that, $84,000 of your money was spent on swag, pens, highlighters, and hand sanitizers.
And then there's this 52,000 bucks doled out for a slick parity video shot by pros from the private sector. Darrell Issa, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee has been demanding answer for months and has set a new deadline for next Monday.
Barbara Starr is working her sources at the Pentagon. So is the VA commenting about this?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are indeed, Carol. Let's lay out for everybody what we are talking about here. Two conferences sponsored by the Department of the Veterans Affairs in Orlando, Florada about 1,800 people attended.
Each of them VA employees by all accounts who were in the Human Resources Department, people from across the country in charge of hiring for the VA. That's what's on the table here. But a $5 million price tag? That's the question now.
What did they spend the money on and was it appropriate? Congressman Issa is livid about all this as he needs to see some answers. Why it would cost so much money? What was the parody video about? Is this a good use of a taxpayer fund?
The VA is saying the following. That Secretary Shinseki, the secretary of Veterans Affairs, quote, "has informed key members of Congress and will hold accountable any individuals who are found to have misused taxpayer dollars or violated our standards of conduct.
While an I.T. and inspector general investigation is underway. VA has taken the administrative action to remove contracting authority from any of the employees in the work unit under investigation.
So the first thing is, the people who were involved in planning this conference won't be spending any more contracting taxpayer dollars at the moment.
But, you know, they are also looking at broader issues about how this conference happened. Congressman Issa is saying that people flew around the country looking for venues and got helicopter rides and show tickets from hotels, trying to convince the VA to stay with them -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon for us this morning.
Let's talk about Diana Nyad now. Her fourth attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida, it's over. The 62-year-old endurance swimmer suffered setbacks from bad weather to jellyfish stings on her lips to severe sunburn.
These are exclusive pictures just in to CNN. That just looks so painful. I'm going to show you a map now that shows how far Diana Nyad actually made it before she called it quits. She made it about halfway.
Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, knows Diana. You've been following her latest attempt and have you been able to talk to her at all?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have not spoken to her although we've been able to talk to people on the boat. I think -- she is still a little bit out on the ocean. As soon as she gets into cell range, we're going to have a conversation.
We're learning that, you know, it was 63 hours from the time that she left to the time they officially called off the race. But we got some new details in saying the storms were so bad Sunday night, for example, that she actually did have to get into the boat for period of time.
And then she got back in the boat again at 12:55 this morning. They officially called it off at sunrise and said it's not going to go on. But you get an idea of just how laborious this whole process was.
Getting in the boat was something that we are just learning because that's obviously something you don't get to do unless, we're told, the weather is so bad that it becomes a safety issue.
COSTELLO: So was it the weather that thwarted her or was it the jellyfish stings and the sunburn?
GUPTA: You know, I will find out for sure when I talk to her, but I think it was a combination of those things. Also, she got blown off course, which is no insignificant problem because you have a sort of trajectory that you are going to follow if you get blown off course.
And you think you're swimming, you just stay alongside the boat. You get so wrapped into your own world that you can suddenly veer off significantly and add a bunch more miles on to the swim.
But you saw those pictures of the jellyfish stings and besides just looking bad, that can actually be dangerous as well because you are breathing through your mouth, you get swelling as a result of the jellyfish stings on your lips, even your tongue.
She had the same thing happen last time, which sort of derailed her. But they are saying her actual swim time was actually closer to 41 hours. The process took 63 hours, but between the time she was on the boat, because of the storm, it was closer to 41 hours. COSTELLO: The jellyfish stings, I mean, I've had one. They are so painful, but your lips are one of the most sensitive areas of your body.
GUPTA: Yes.
COSTELLO: How can you stand that? And she got more than one, right?
GUPTA: She did. And so between last year and this year, she wore a different kind of suit. We saw it. It looks like a black suit to protect most of her body, but again, you can't protect the face that well. It is very painful.
She had someone on the boat who is sort of specialized in treating jellyfish stings for that very reason. But again besides that, the pain, knowing Diana, that's something she would fight through. But it becomes a bit of a medical problem as well in terms of your breathing.
COSTELLO: OK, so you're going to try to get a hold of her and when you do --
GUPTA: We'll let you know, yes. Apparently she's up and talking. She recovers pretty quickly. But last time she need a four- liter bags of I.V. fluids just to replace the fluids. It's no surprise, a very physically demanding thing.
COSTELLO: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.
GUPTA: Thank you.
COSTELLO: JetBlue is in trouble for violating your rights as a passenger and now it has to pay up to the tune of $90,000. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with more details. Tell us what happened.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's a very expensive oops, isn't it, Carol? And that's how much to fine it. That the Department of Transportation is handing down after JetBlue failed to tell passengers that they could get off a flight in March that sat at the gate for more than two hours.
Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood said that airlines may not leave passengers stranded indefinitely aboard an aircraft whether on the tarmac or at the gate. And passengers have to be told that they are able to leave the plane.
Now the new additional to rule requires that airlines actually have to announce if passengers are allowed to get off the plane. It's supposed to make these announcements every 30 minutes. That didn't happen on this flight. Now this is the only second time that an airline has been fined for violating these rules that were put in place in 2010. American Airlines was fined $900,000 last year -- Carol.
COSTELLO: OK, any response from JetBlue?
KOSIK: Of course, and you know, the airline is fully stepping up and acknowledging and saying, you know what, we screwed up. They told CNN Money that they are going to go ahead and comply with the DOT ruling.
And JetBlue says it went wrong by not giving regular updates to passengers, even though the door was opened, and passengers were allowed to get off the plane. The $90,000 isn't going to kill the company, which made $86 million in profit last year.
But if you look at what the DOT is doing, it's really doing its best to make all of these fines public. It's even issuing a press release each time a fine is handed down.
So you know what the bad publicity is probably a worse punishment than the actual fine, but it's look like, Carol, that the combination looks to be enough of a deterrent for most airlines to not violate those passenger rights -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Alison Kosik live at the New York Stock Exchange.
Congressman Todd Akin and his lamentable comment about forcible rape actually, Republicans want him to get out of the race for the U.S. Senate. He is refusing. We're going to talk about that, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Missouri Congressman Todd Akin says he's no quitter and he's certainly proving that. The man now infamous for that legitimate rape line has now released a brand-new TV ad apologizing again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TODD AKIN (R), MISSOURI: I'm Todd Akin and I approve this message. Rape is an evil act. I used the wrong words in the wrong way and for that I apologize.
As a father of two daughters, I want tough justice for predators and have a compassionate heart for the victims of sexual assault and I pray for them.
The fact is, rape can lead to pregnancy. The truth is rape has many victims. The mistake I made was the words I said not in the heart I hold. I ask for your forgiveness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: As you know right now, Akin is running for the U.S. Senate. Many, many Republicans want him to drop out of that race, but there is one person who wants Akin to stay in and that would be his Democratic opponent, Claire McCaskill. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SENATOR CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D), MISSOURI: Akin and I disagree on some things, but he is sincere. And while I disagreed with what he said, he is now, just in the last few hour, really apologized for what he said.
And I think what's startling to me is that these party bigwigs are coming down on him and saying that he needs to kick sand in the face of the Republican primary voter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: OK, so let's talk about this. Democratic strategist Maria Cardona is here along with Ana Navarro, a Republican strategist. Welcome to you both.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Maria, that was so, so nice of Claire McCaskill, wasn't it?
CARDONA: Wasn't it, though?
COSTELLO: I mean, is it a sure thing that if Akin stays in the race that she's going to win?
CARDONA: It's certainly not a sure thing. We know there's nothing in politics that's a sure thing, but certainly makes it easier and she's right in that he is sincere and that is the danger for him and for the GOP as a whole.
He might have apologized, Carol, but it is absolutely clear that the view that he espoused in that interview is a view that is held by an ultra extreme right-wing pro life part of the Republican Party.
So it's not anything new that he espoused and I don't think that voters believe that he doesn't believe it. I think that's the danger that they believe that he does believe that. And this will give Democrats an opportunity.
They've already started doing this, of linking Paul Ryan to this because of the co-sponsorship of the 2011 legislation that talked about forcible rape and it also gives him a chance to link Mitt Romney when he talked about how he would agree with personhood amendments. So that is the big danger for the GOP here.
COSTELLO: Ana, certainly Republican backers in Missouri nationally knew that Congressman Akin held these views. This can't come as a surprise, can it?
ANA NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Carol, that's the reason that most national Republicans were not supporting Akin in the primary. The one who was supporting Akin in the primary was Claire McCaskill. She actually spent money on his behalf and it has turned out to be the smartest thing she's done since being elected senator is to actually help him win the Republican primary.
She must have known what we didn't, when he opened his mouth, bad things would happen. I just saw Claire McCaskill right now. It seems to me that if Todd Akin gets the biggest idiot award, she certainly is a top nominee for best supporting actress.
Because that feined sincerity about his forgiveness, we all know that all she is going to need to do, if he stays in this race, is play that interview he gave over and over and over again. That's her campaign commercial. That's the entire campaign.
There are certain things you can't erase. There's certain things you can't take back. What Congressman Akin said is one of those things. If he wants to retain a shred of dignity, if he wants to do the right thing, he needs to drop out of this race.
He's got eight more hours to do so until 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Todd, pack your bags. It's a nice time of year in Rio right now. It's time for you to leave the Senate race.
COSTELLO: But what if he doesn't. He appears he doesn't want to quit. He released this brand new TV ad. So Ana, what if he doesn't quit?
NAVARRO: If he doesn't quit, he doesn't quit. We live in a democratic society. We have democratic parties. We can't -- certainly we can't go drag him out from underneath his bed and make him go quit.
He's the only one that can do it. And if he doesn't want to quit, he's just going to lose and he stands the risk of being the party spoiler. He may be the difference between the Republicans winning control of the Senate or not.
But, listen, he's not -- you know, John Cornyn, the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee has basically said to him, we're not spending a dime on you. We're going to pull out our $5 million that we had committed to your race crossroads and other "Super PACs" are also pulling out of this race.
So if he thinks he can win this race, all by himself, him, his wife and his son, he's just wrong. He was the toast of the town a few weeks ago. Right now, he's just toast. He needs to accept that, come to terms, and he needs to do the right thing and get out.
COSTELLO: OK, so Maria, what I want to ask you about -- and I heard what you said, that Akin could hurt the Romney team, but I kind of have a hard time believing that because I think that voters can differentiate between candidates, number one, and voters don't have long memories, really.
CARDONA: Well, and that's where the Democratic Party campaign will come in, Carol because as much as Ryan and Romney want to distance themselves from Akin's comments, they can't really distance themselves from their own rhetoric and their own positions.
And, again, what you will hear from Democrats is continue to reiterate that Paul Ryan co-sponsored with Todd Akin, I should add, this extreme legislation that redefines rape to forcible rape, like as if there was any other kind.
And it would essentially take away a lot of the health care for women on reproductive issues and women issues and, frankly, Mitt Romney is not far behind when he actually supports personhood amendments where he supports a human life amendment to overturn Roe V. Wade.
And by the way, let's not forget that today the RNC Platform Committee has draft language that essentially outlaws abortion in every case, including rape and incest. So this is not going to go away for the GOP.
It's going to be a big burden for them, especially with women voters. We all know that Romney currently has a problem with women voters. This is not going to help.
COSTELLO: Maria Cardona, Ana Navarro, thanks so much for discussing things with me this morning.
CARDONA: Thank you so much, Carol.
COSTELLO: We ask you to talk back on one of the big stories of the day and yes, it does concern Congressman Akin, will his legitimate rape comment hurt Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney? We want to know what you think. Facebook.com/carolcnn.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, will Congressman Todd Akin's legitimate rape comment hurt Romney?
The Missouri congressman is not going away, at least not yet. Akin says he's no quitter and will continue his run for the U.S. Senate. Republicans are not happy. The Republican National chair on CNN's Erin Burnett "OUTFRONT."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REINCE PRIEBUS, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Listen, what he said, Erin, was biologically stupid. It's something that nobody on either side of the aisle agrees with. It's a bizarre statement and it's something that I think he needs to seriously think about. And like I said, if it was me, I would step aside and let someone else run for that office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But Democrats are eager to tie Mitt Romney's running mate to Akin's bizarre statement. They say Congressman Paul Ryan worked closely with Mr. Akin to pass laws that would ban abortion in all cases.
And even narrow the definition of rape to forcible rape, a term Mr. Akin told Mike Huckabee that he actually meant to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you mean by legitimate rape? Were you attempting to say forcible rape or was that -- where did that come from?
AKIN: Well, yes. I was talking about forcible rape and it was absolutely a wrong word. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Paul Ryan believes abortion is wrong, even if a woman is raped. Mitt Romney believes rape and incest victims have a right to an abortion and keep in mind it is Romney who would be president.
So the talk back question today, will Akin's legitimate rape comment hurt Romney? Facebook.com/carolcnn. Your comments later this hour.
Republican vice presidential candidate, Paul Ryan is a devout Catholic. He believes abortion should never be allowed, as I just told you. But it's his budget policies that might scare of more critical Catholic voters who worry his budget plan will hurt the poor.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 30 minutes past the hour. Checking our "Top Stories" now, you can see the effects of the drought on the Mississippi River. It is so low that an 11-mile stretch of the river is now closed near Greenville, Mississippi that's stranding barges and large boats. The Army Corps of Engineers say the low water is too dangerous even as they continue dredging the river shipping channels.
The states of Alabama and Georgia and immigrant advocacy groups are all claiming victory after a Federal Appeals Court ruling on the state immigration laws. Most of the laws were upheld but parts of the laws were struck down, like Georgia's law dealing with the transporting of undocumented immigrants and Alabama's law making it a crime for undocumented immigrants to seek work.
In Afghanistan, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Martin Dempsey's plane was at the Bagram airfield outside of Kabul when it was hit by shrapnel from two rockets. The plane was empty but two base workers were slightly injured. Dempsey eventually left the country on another airplane.
Now to the presidential campaign and the fight for the Catholic vote. Mitt Romney's VP running mate Paul Ryan is a devout Catholic and he is passionately pro life. But -- but that doesn't necessarily translate to Catholic votes. At a recent campaign stop, the candidates talked about Ryan's faith in a light moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will get things done and the way we're going to do this is we are going to elect leadership at the 11th hour. Cue the bells.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Only a Catholic guy would be able to get the bells to toll just at the right time and singing anthems. You know that? Father, you did that for him, I know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Ryan's conservative positions on issues like abortion are favored by the Catholic Church but when it comes to his budget policies, many Catholics worry those policies go against church teachings.
Lisa Sylvester is in Washington. She's taking a closer look at this. And Lisa, tell us more.
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Carol. Well you know Joe Biden, Paul Ryan, they are both Catholic and Catholics are heavily represented in some of the swing states. And the fact that Ryan is a Catholic certainly played a role in why he was selected to be Mitt Romney's running mate.
But Ryan is now getting some major pushback from Catholics who oppose him in one area, his budget policies.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SYLVESTER (voice-over): The "Nuns on the Bus", they traveled 2,700 miles this summer railing against Congressman Paul Ryan's budget proposal that they say would slash social programs and hurt the poor.
SISTER SIMONE CAMPBELL, "NUNS ON THE BUS": Congressman Ryan claiming the Catholicism mantel really set our teeth on edge and probably we wouldn't be on the road if he hadn't done that.
SYLVESTER: The nuns were not alone. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in this letter in April also went on record opposing the Ryan budget plan. But Ryan argued in a speech at Georgetown University this spring that a tight fiscal policy isn't keeping with Catholic teachings. He argues that when government gets out of the way, local communities and individuals fill the gap.
RYAN: I don't believe that the preferential option for the poor means a preferential option for big government.
SYLVESTER: But now that Ryan has been named as Mitt Romney's running mate, there's been a fresh round of outcry from Catholics who oppose deep slashes in nutrition programs and other safety net programs.
Michael Sean Winters is an author and Catholic journalist. MICHAEL SEAN WINTERS, NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER: The church cares about the unborn, the undocumented and the unemployed. If you're an "un" in our society, if you're somebody society doesn't take care of, the Catholic Church cares about you especially.
SYLVESTER: But the story is not so simple because while Ryan may alienate some social justice Catholics, he does appeal to the so- called family values, anti-abortion Catholics. They took issue with President Obama's health care plan requirement to offer birth control benefits to employees of religious institutions.
And a CNN/ORC August poll says in Ryan's home state of Wisconsin, 52 percent of Catholics support Mitt Romney; 43 percent back President Obama. Some say it may all come down to the Catholic vote.
(on camera): How important is the Catholic swing voter?
WINTERS: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, hugely large Catholic populations, Catholics will decide the election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SYLVESTER: Now the Ryan debate is highlighting a divide among American Catholics. You know we like to talk about the Catholic vote but it is not a monolithic group. You have progressives, you can call them your Joe Biden Catholics and you also then have your more conservative Catholics who are now lining up behind Paul Ryan and the question is, which group will have the largest turnout in November -- Carol?
COSTELLO: Catholics kind of have minds of their own, don't they?
SYLVESTER: Yes.
COSTELLO: Lisa Sylvester, thanks so much.
President Obama and Mitt Romney sit down and open up about their religious beliefs. We'll tell you how they make it work while living a public life.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: GOP leaders will be doing a little compromising on what it means to be a Republican today. The Republican National Committee Platform Committee is working to define the Republican Party's position on key issues.
So far the committee agrees the Republican Party will support a human life amendment to the Constitution and oppose abortions without making exceptions for rape or incest.
Key agreements supported by Politico includes supporting the concept of traditional marriage between a man and a woman. Other positions the party plan to define include national security, taxes and state's rights. We'll keep you posted. And while that committee prepares to define a party's position. President Obama and Mitt Romney have been defining their religion. Both men have been candid about their beliefs, they've also been careful not to make their faith a focal point.
Reverend Francis Wade is the Interim Dean at the Washington National Cathedral. Welcome.
REVEREND FRANCIS WADE, INTERIM DEAN, WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Reverend, I understand you sat down, you had exclusives with both men. Are there more similarities than differences or the other way around?
WADE: I really think there are more similarities. We were talking about their faith and where their faith comes from. And while they are -- they have been on different paths, they -- they both are very traditional Christians. They have a traditional Christian point of view and that point of view has impelled them to offer great service.
So I think the -- the commonality is far more impressive than the differences between them.
COSTELLO: It was interesting, this past Sunday the President allowed -- reporters to take pictures of him as his family went to church. Mitt Romney allowed photographers to shoot him and his wife as they went to some Mormon ceremonies.
For Mitt Romney, this was really unusual. Did you find he was more comfortable in talking about his faith?
WADE: He -- well, yes. He is. I mean he is a man of deep faith and he's very articulate about his faith and I don't know -- I don't know about how it plays out in campaigns and things like that.
But -- but both President Obama and Governor Romney are people who know what they believe. They are convinced of it and convicted about it and they are comfortable about it. I think it had to do with the venue. The Washington National Cathedral has a role of being a house of prayer for all people and to be a spiritual home for the nation.
We're trusted in that and I think they felt safe in talking with us and hopefully we have been good stewards of that faithfulness and that trust.
COSTELLO: Is Governor Romney aware that that some in this country don't quite understand his religion?
WADE: Oh, I'm -- yes, I'm sure he is. I think that that -- that he might, he must be aware of that. I do not know that specifically in terms of a direct answer to a direct question but -- but certainly I think he's aware of that. I think that President Obama is also aware that his faith has been widely misunderstood as well. So both of them have a reason to want to be clear about where they're coming from or what they're saying and both of them, frankly, come out as being very orthodox Christians.
COSTELLO: What's the biggest difference between the two?
WADE: Well, I mean clearly they are -- how they would implement what their faith calls them to do is different and that has been the gist of the campaign. But Governor Romney, in describing his faith, speaks very eloquently and powerfully of his involvement in his church as institution and how formative that's been for him and how that's been part of it.
President Obama speaks about the, you know, the mentors that he has had, Joshua DuBois his mentor and guide and the people that he turns to and how those people have been -- and others that he regularly turns to -- are a source of strength and guidance for him.
His faith is articulated as being a little more private, a little more personal whereas Governor Romney's faith has been carried out and shaped in the public arena of the life of his -- of his church. Both of them coming really to the same orthodox conclusions but that slight difference in the manner in which they express and live their faith.
COSTELLO: Interesting. Reverend Wade, thank you so much for joining us this morning.
WADE: Thank you very much.
COSTELLO: For more stories on faith, be sure to check out our popular belief blog that's at CNN.com/belief.
He won 354 Major League games but Roger Clemens has made more headlines lately in the courtroom. The question now, why is he planning to pitch again for the Skeeters? We'll discuss.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Let's talk a little baseball. Roger Clemens turned 50 years old earlier this month but that is not stopping him from making a baseball comeback. Yes, Clemens is scheduled to make a start for an independent team called Skeeters in Houston on Saturday.
Back in June, if you recall, Clemens was acquitted on charges of lying to Congress about the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Carlos Diaz from HLN Sports is here to talk about why Roger Clemens is doing this.
CARLOS DIAZ, HLN SPORTS: I so badly -- at his press conference today -- I so badly wanted to go. I'm 50, 5-0, I can stretch -- no. Here's the thing. It's brilliant on Rogers Clemens' part that he's coming back right now. Because what that does is it kind of resets the clocks as far as the Hall of Fame goes. Now it's five years after if he does get back to the major leagues, five years after that date and now it gives us something to look at, images for us to see of Roger Clemens not coming out of a court. Even though he was acquitted, now we're going to have images of him back on the mound.
And he really can't lose because if he does poorly, people say, well, he's 50, you know. Guys that are 50 shouldn't play that well. And if he does well and he makes it back to the majors next year, now you've got this comeback story, this feel-good story that takes the place of the alleged steroid use.
COSTELLO: Ok. So let me get this straight. If he comes back and he pitches well, all those allegations of steroid use go away?
DIAZ: Well, if he comes back and pitches well, how can you say, oh yes, it's definite that he was on steroids because he's pitching well at 50 -- 51 years old. And keep one thing in mind, the team that he's playing for, the Skeeters, on Saturday, they are located 20 miles outside of Houston. If he comes back and plays for the Astros the next season, they Astros are in the American League next year. They're making that move to the American League which means he doesn't have to bat. They have designated hitters.
So it all kind of works out for him --
COSTELLO: The National League has designated hitters.
DIAZ: No, the American League has designated hitters.
COSTELLO: Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, you're right.
DIAZ: That's ok.
COSTELLO: I'm sorry. You're right.
DIAZ: You follow along.
COSTELLO: Right.
DIAZ: So that's the thing. So basically this all works for him. He lives in the Houston area. This all works for him if he can make a comeback next year with Houston, a team, by the way, that doesn't really have any draw. So he would be a perfect draw as far as putting butts in seats next year in the stadium.
C1L So his ultimate goal is to become eligible for the hall of fame?
DIAZ: We're going to know more about that today at a press conference which happens in about an hour. So he's having a press conference to talk about why he is doing this. But the initial reaction would be he's doing this so that we can -- so he can show us that he still has it on the mound.
And so far the team officials from the Skeeters say that they've seen him pitch. They've talked about this for months and he is pitching as well now as he did five years ago when he played for the Yankees.
COSTELLO: He's pitching like 84 miles per hour or something like that.
DIAZ: He's doing well. And that's a decent -- you know in a high school or a small college, that's some heat. In Major Legal Baseball, you need to be in the 90s but it's still -- it's great for a 50-year-old. So this is going to be a very interesting comeback for Rogers Clemens.
And in my opinion, he cannot lose. Because if he doesn't make it all the way back, well, he's 50, we forgive him. But it gives us something to -- it gives us a story to remember him by rather than the story of alleged drug abuse, alleged steroid abuse and him coming out and into court every day.
COSTELLO: Ok. We'll await his press conference. Carlos Diaz, thanks as always.
DIAZ: He's 50, by the way.
COSTELLO: He's 50.
He stepped from the political arena into the octagon of mixed martial arts. We'll talk to the man in the white trunks. For His day job -- he's a politician. He serves as Nevada's secretary of state but by night, take a look.
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COSTELLO: Some politicians throw their hat into the ring. You're about to meet one who throws punches and kicks, too. See the guy in the white trunk? You'll see him in a minute when that banner is taken down. That's Ross Miller, Nevada's secretary of state. Over the weekend, He stepped into the octagon of mixed martial arts and he stepped out a winner and then with a perfect record of 1-0, he announced his retirement.
Ross Miller joins us now from Sparks, Nevada. Welcome.
ROSS MILLER, NEVADA SECRETARY OF STATE: Thanks for having me.
COSTELLO: We're excited to talk to you this morning. So mixed martial arts can be a pretty brutal sport. The most obvious question is why?
MILLER: You know, I'm just very passionate about the sports. I got into it a few years ago and I just love the training. It's obviously a significant physical challenge but more than anything it's the mental challenge that appeals to me. You train every day on the sport, you get beat up both mentally and physically and you've got to have the strength and resilience mentally to fight through it, you know.
Your brain will give you a million reasons to quit and you get overcome. That's what I love about the support.
COSTELLO: Well, you're secretary of state, you're in charge of Nevada's elections. So you're pretty busy with that job. How do you fit in your training?
MILLER: You know, I try to fit it in whenever I can. I get it in, in the morning and sometimes at lunch. I live up in Reno, work out of the Capitol in Carson City, fly down to Vegas about once a week and try to train up at the UFC gym, if I can during my schedule there, so. You just got to try to squeeze in the work outs whenever your schedule can accommodate it.
COSTELLO: Tell us a little bit about the match because in the first round you were a little nervous?
MILLER: You know, the first round didn't go exactly according to plan. My idea was to try to throw a couple of jabs and take him down and try to work some jujitsu because he didn't appear to be very skilled familiar with that.
I had a tough time loosening u and let my punches go. In the second round it worked a little bit better. We've changed pretty heavily and unfortunately I caught him with a couple punches and a body kick and finished with (inaudible) and finished with my hand up in the air at the end of the night. So it all worked out well.
COSTELLO: So you're done now. You go out a winner. Has this prepared you at all for your upcoming job?
MILLER: You know, I think there is some similarities in politics. You know, it requires mental strength and resilience and overcoming adversity. And so I think those are character traits that apply well towards being a politician or an elected official.
COSTELLO: I think we need you to come and do some of that in Washington. You know, I'm talking about the mixed martial arts. Ross Miller, thank you so much for joining us this morning.
MILLER: Thanks having me.
COSTELLO: Your "talk back" responses next.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Kids go to school to learn but school can also be a place where germs and viruses are swapped around. In today's "Daily Dose", Dr. Travis Stork from TV's "The Doctors" have some simple ways to keep your kid out of the nurse's office.
DR. TRAVIS STORK, "THE DOCTORS": First off, make sure your child's vaccinated. Vaccines are very effective and, of course, when we talk about influenza, there's an annual flu vaccine that will help your children from getting sick. Early on, teach your kids how to properly wash their hands. 20 seconds of soap suds, warm water -- that can prevent so many germs from being transmitted and causing sometimes up to ten colds a year that kids get. The other big thing that parents forget is, if your child is sick, don't send them to school because children are germ factory. Their friends are going to get sick, their friends' parents are going to get sick.
In summary, vaccinate, good hand washing hygiene and if your child is sick, go ahead and keep them home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Now to your responses to our question of the morning. The question, will Akin's legitimate rape comments hurt the Romney campaign?
This is from Victor, "Give us a little credit. We know the different between Akin and Romney. Romney is doing fine and will prevail."
This from Shani, "If it doesn't hurt his campaign, why is the GOP trying to distance themselves from him so quickly?"
And from Andrea, "I don't care how much the Republicans tried to distance themselves. This congressman reflects what the party represents. Thanks for your responses.
The next hour of NEWSROOM starts right now.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hi everybody and thank you Carol Costello.
