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The 47 Percent Fallout; Fact-Checking Mitt Romney; Court Victory for the Royal Family; Chicago Public Schools Out for 7th Day; Romney versus Obama on Afghanistan; Ryan Outplays Manning

Aired September 18, 2012 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Soledad. Thank you.

Happening now in the NEWSROOM, the 47 percent and the fallout. Mitt Romney on full damage control after he says Obama supporters are victims and dependent on the government. This morning the math and the reality.

Plus this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Say yes to change and yes to hope and yes to all of these things, what we don't ask specific waiting to see what can be delivered.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When Obama proposed the universal health care and government-run health care, we were mired in debt, unemployment was an issue. And the bailout that just happened. So here --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: "The Hope and the Change", a new hour-long documentary, coming to TV in seven battleground states. But will it change the minds of disenchanted voters? We'll talk to the filmmaker.

Unscripted and heartfelt. Derrick Rose and candid moment in Chicago where a shoe unveiling turned into something so much more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DERRICK ROSE, CHICAGO BULLS PLAYER: All this stuff is going on in this city, a kid from Maplewood got some positive --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The basketball star who's standing up for Chicago's children, getting them -- getting them on the violent streets and back into the classroom.

And royal victory. Breaking overnight, a court orders a French magazine to hand over the topless photos of Kate Middleton, saying it was an intimate, personal scene, and should not be in a magazine.

NEWSROOM begins right now.

And good morning. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Carol Costello. We begin with Mitt Romney and his late-night defense of some remarks he never wanted you to hear. They come from a hidden camera at a closed-door meeting with some big donors.

Romney rips nearly half of all Americans, saying they're in the bag for Obama because they rely on government handouts. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They are victims who believe that government has the responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you- name-it. So that's -- that's an entitlement and that government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. And the President starts off with 48, 49 -- he starts off with a huge number. These are people who pay no income taxes. Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax.

So our message of low taxes doesn't connect. He'll be out there talking about tax cuts for the rich. I mean that's what they sell every four years. And so my job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them. They should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. What I have to do is convince the 5 to 10 percent in the center.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Last night Mr. Romney rushed to defend his remarks in a hastily called news conference. He says that number, 47 percent, he says, is accurate. We'll check his math but in just a moment. But Romney may have a harder time defending this comment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: You probably know, was the governor of Michigan and was the head of a car company. But he was born in Mexico. And had he been born of Mexican parents, I'd have a better shot at winning this. I mean I say that jokingly, but it would be helpful to be Latino.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: To reiterate, Mr. Romney said that comment was a joke.

CNN national political correspondent Jim Acosta is traveling with the Romney campaign. He joins us on the phone from Costa Mesa, California.

Good morning, Jim. Will Romney have more to say about this today?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I guess we're going to have to wait and see about that, Carol. We just don't know at this point if he's going to hold any additional news conferences. As I can tell you, last night that the brief news conference that they had here in Costa Mesa was hastily arranged. It was announced to reporters at almost the last minute.

Reporters were given about 15 to 20 minutes to get to this news conference. And then we saw Mitt Romney come into a room and basically explain what he had to say during that fundraiser. And he basically acknowledged that what he had to say could have been put a little bit better. And here is how he explained that at the news conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: You know, it's not elegantly stated. Let me put it that way. I'm speaking off the cuff in response to a question. And I'm sure I could state it more clearly and in a more effective way than I -- than I did in a setting like that. And so I'll -- I'm sure I'll point that out as time goes on.

But we don't even have to question, given the snippet there, nor the full response. And I hope the person who has the video would put out the full -- the full material.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now Romney basically said that during the news conference that what he said in that hidden camera video is essentially what he has said before. So he did not really offer any apologies for what he said at that fundraiser in that hidden camera video. But he did say at that point, as you heard, Carol, that he could have stated things a bit more elegantly, as he put it.

Now he did not get any questions because of the nature of the news conference. They only took three questions. He did not take any questions or answer any questions about what was said at that other fundraiser when he talked about -- or could have been the same fundraiser. We're still trying to sort that out.

When he talked about what, you know, what might have been, had he been a Latino. He said in that original hidden camera video that his political prospects might have been better were he Latino. He wasn't really asked about that. I know you played that video. So wanted to do that after as well.

One other thing, Carol, there is a new "Mother Jones" hidden camera video that came out overnight. It shows Mitt Romney throwing cold water on the idea of a two-state solution in Israel and in the Middle East between the Israelis and the Palestinians. I did have a chance to e-mail very quickly a Romney adviser, who e-mailed me back and said that those comments were also consistent, his adviser put it, with what Mitt Romney has said before.

Although I was with Mitt Romney in Israel over the summer in July and he did say at that point that he did believe in a two-state solution. But if you look at that "Mother Jones" video, he does -- he does voice some major concerns about the possibility for a two-state solution, again, saying one thing at these fundraisers that he's not saying, or slightly different from what he's saying at public events -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Jim Acosta, reporting live for us. He's following the Romney campaign.

Mitt Romney's disparaging remarks on the so-called 47 percent of Americans relying on the government, blunt, crass and possibly true -- or not? It's time for us to crunch some numbers and check the facts for you.

Alison Kosik is live at the New York Stock Exchange to do that for us. Hi, Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. So first of all, Romney, believe it or not, is right when it comes to the numbers, 46.4 percent of Americans, they don't pay federal income taxes at all. And that's according to the Tax Policy Center.

OK, so who are these people? They're mostly low and lower middle income earners and about half don't pay income taxes because they don't make enough money. Now the other half, they don't pay taxes because they can take advantage of enough tax credits for work and for kids, for example, to bring their tax liability down to nothing.

That group mostly consists of senior citizens and low-income working families. But I want to be clear here. There's nothing sneaky going on here. It's just the way the tax code is designed. Now as for the government assistance part of this, Romney is also accurate for using a wide umbrella to include any checks that comes from the government. I'm talking about Medicaid, food stamps, Social Security, Medicare and unemployment benefits.

And by that measure, almost half the country lives in a household that received government benefits in 2010. Carol, that amounts to more than 148 million Americans -- Carol.

COSTELLO: But when you say that 47 percent of Americans don't pay income taxes, it makes it sound like those -- none of those people pay any taxes, and that's not true.

KOSIK: Right. And that's not true. There are -- they're working, they pay payroll taxes. You know, so they do pay that. But they don't pay any income taxes. You know, when April rolls around and you pay your income taxes, they don't pay any income taxes.

You know this really is becoming great fodder for the campaign, you know, Carol. It really highlights different philosophies going on right here. You know, the right believes that these programs increase the number of people who depend on the government. And that creates a population that feels entitled.

Then you've got the left saying that these programs, they're the cornerstone of the social safety net. But there's no question that these numbers have been rising. Almost 47 million Americans they're are on food stamp. That number hit a record high in June. Government spending on food stamps has more than doubled in the past four years. And clearly that's because of the great recession.

But fiscal conservatives, Carol, say that that spending -- this kind of spending is just not sustainable. And when you add in the fact that 47 percent of Americans are not paying any income taxes, the math is obvious. So what they say --

COSTELLO: Well, let's go back --

KOSIK: -- is that we either need to bring in more money --

COSTELLO: Alison, let's go back to that for just a second. That 47 percent of Americans who pay payroll taxes, that means they have jobs, right? You pay payroll taxes if you have a job.

KOSIK: Exactly.

COSTELLO: Mitt Romney also said that they were dependent on government. Is that true?

KOSIK: Yes, because they don't make enough money. Because you qualify -- if they don't make enough money, they qualify for that low --

COSTELLO: They qualify for exemptions, right?

KOSIK: Right. For exemptions and for those entitlement programs.

COSTELLO: To the tax code. Right.

KOSIK: And for those entitlement programs like -- including food stamps.

COSTELLO: Right. Exactly. But that doesn't mean all of those people are collecting or getting food stamps, right?

KOSIK: Right. Not just food stamps. I'm talking about all the other entitlement programs that I listed.

COSTELLO: OK. Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange.

Now to an overnight court victory for the British royal family. A French court is ordering the gossip magazine that first published topless photos of Kate Middleton to hand them over. The publication also been slapped with a fine.

Our royal correspondent Max Foster is traveling with the royal couple. He joins us live from the Solomon Island. Max, any reaction from them this morning?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Listen, in the last half hour, I have had some reaction from them. A palace source has told, I wrote it down, they welcome the injunction that's been granted. They always believed the law was broken and that they were entitled to their privacy.

Certainly it is the first round to them, really. There's a criminal investigation they're interested in against the editor of the magazine and the photographer. And that's being investigated now by prosecutors. Not a full investigation, but a preliminary investigation. And in terms of the civil action, they wanted an injunction against the magazine from republishing those pictures but also reselling them elsewhere. So they've effectively closed it down. But they won that injunction. Now you can't then have these pictures going around the world.

The Italian magazine, for example, that has published them got them from the French magazine. So the French magazine is the source. And you won't see any more of these pictures appearing in public legally. And that's a great triumph for the palace. And you can -- clearly see that the couple, at least -- if I show you some images that came into us in the last hour from Tugaloo. The couple arrived there on the shoulders of warriors, local warriors and they were full of smiles. And nature only involved in a traditional dance.

And the couple both danced. And I have to say, Catherine, I've never seen dance before in public. And William certainly not. You can probably see why when you see William dance. But Catherine is a bit of a better dancer. But they're in great form.

They would have heard this news. It would have given them a great sort of sense of cheer. Because the last few days, Carol, have been miserable for them.

COSTELLO: I can't even imagine. So, Max, what happens if the photos are republished?

FOSTER: Well, if they're republished then they get a fine, a massive fine, every time they are published, this French magazine. And if they're resold as well, then they have to take all the existing pictures offline as well.

There was an Irish newspaper that published them. And the editor of that has been suspended, the minister of the Island responsible and said he cannot back privacy laws and actually the board of the newspaper are considering whether or not to close the newspaper down.

So the palace action on this has been profound. And it has worked really effectively. And there is, in many countries -- not all countries, but many countries, a public reaction to this as well. And a sense that perhaps if this was my sister, my mother, my daughter, I wouldn't wanted that to happen to them as well.

So the palace feels that justice quite correctly they've taken legal action in one country but hoping that editors in other countries will use their better judgment and not actually publish these.

COSTELLO: Max Foster, reporting live for us this morning.

Chicago Bull Star Derrick Rose gets emotional. Rose is worried about Chicago's children as the city's public school strike goes on. We'll talk about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Sixteen minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories now:

More lawsuits are expected to be filed against the archdiocese of Philadelphia. It's over alleged sexual abuse by priests. Just yesterday, archdiocese placed a priest on administrative leave for the second time, as it investigating new allegations against him. He'd been cleared in an earlier investigation.

In Mexico, authorities are searching for 132 prisoners this morning. The inmates escaped from a medium-security facility through a tunnel about five miles from Eagle Pass, Texas, and 150 miles from San Antonio. Roads leading to the United States have been blocked off.

Space shuttle Endeavour's final flight has been delayed again because of the weather. It's now expected to hitch a ride on top of a 747 tomorrow. The shuttle will make its way from Florida's Kennedy Space Center to the California Science Center. It will make several stops along the way.

Chicago Bulls superstar Derrick Rose knows pain. Rose's rehabbing this off-season after tearing an ACL in the playoffs. But it wasn't strenuous workouts that made him teary eyed last week, but thoughts about children in his native Chicago. Check out Rose at the rollout of his new Adidas shoe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSE: It is -- it is truly a blessing where all this stuff is going on in this city, a kid from Englewood got some positive. That makes me feel so good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Rose tells ESPN he has been praying for the Chicago school strike to end. So, with a tentative deal in place, why are students still not in the classroom today?

Our Kyung Lah is covering the strike in Chicago. Good morning.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

We should point out that, yes, it is certainly something very emotional, this strike, not just for the sport star, but for the families impacted, as well as the teachers on the picket line and for the school and city itself.

But we should point out that right now, there are no reports of any children being injured or killed as a result of the strike because they aren't in school. But certainly it's the intent of the city to try to get these teachers back into the classroom. That's what we certainly saw with them pushing for these lawsuit lawsuits.

So, how soon could kids be back in school? How quickly could they be back in school? Well, potentially tomorrow. Because today, this afternoon, the teachers union delegation is going to meet in this building behind me. They're going to vote on whether or not they are going to lift this strike. Something we saw on Sunday. They chose to extend the strike.

So, it could go either way. We're starting to see in the mood of the city is parents beginning to get fed up. We were at a meeting of some -- a small group of parents. But these are parents who are trying to organize other parents to sort of capture the anger that's brewing out there. Parents who say their children must go back into school, that they want them back in school as soon as Wednesday, Carol.

COSTELLO: Kyung Lah, thanks so much, reporting live from Chicago this morning.

They are the tapes everybody is talking about this morning. A camera captures Mitt Romney speaking to his wealthy donors, calling nearly half the U.S. population, victims. So, was this just another political gaffe, or the beginning of the end for the Romney campaign? We'll talk about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question this morning, is the Romney tape a game changer? A new political catch phrase has been born. Makers versus takers, the Democrats love it, calling the secretly recorded Romney tapes the "Mother Jones" scoop the mother of all political gaffes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: There are 47 percent who are with him who are dependent upon government who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has the responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But Mr. Romney is not backing down. He says although his comments were not elegantly stated, they are in line with what he's been saying all along.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: Do you believe in a government-centered society that provides more and more benefits, or do you believe instead in a free enterprise society where people are able to pursue their dreams? I believe the latter will help more people get good jobs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Many Republicans are applauding Romney for telling like it is. And let's face it, many voters feel Americans have grown too dependent on government. And there are record 46.4 million people are now on foot stamps. Who could forget the bitter partisan brawl overextending long-term unemployment benefits?

Still, when you take a closer look at Romney's assertion that 47 percent of people, quote, "pay no income taxes" and are, quote, "dependent on government," that's not quite true. More than a quarter of those people have jobs and they do pay payroll taxes. Ten percent are elderly, who collect Social Security after paying into that entitlement for years. Boil it down and just about 7 percent pay neither payroll nor income tax.

When all is said and done, we've been down this road before -- we just didn't call it makers versus takers. We called it Main Street versus Wall Street or the rich against the poor.

So, the talk back question for you this morning -- is the Romney tape a game changer? Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Your comments later this hour.

Mitt Romney has been trying to reach out to Latino voters. But will his secretly recorded comments to a group of wealthy donors backfire on this account, too? We'll talk about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Carol Costello. It's just about 30 minute past the hour.

Stories we're watching right now in THE NEWSROOM:

The opening bell just about to ring on Wall Street. It's the housing market investors are watching this week as numbers for new construction and existing home sales come out for August. Ringing the bell today? The CIA director, David Petraeus. He's marking the 55th anniversary of the intelligence agency at the New York Stock Exchange.

It's day seven of no school in Chicago. Teacher union reps are scheduled to meet again this afternoon to discuss a proposed deal that could put an end to the walk out. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has gone to court to try to force the teachers back to work. A judge won't look at that until tomorrow.

Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi is scheduled to sit down with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today. Her two week visit comes just as Myanmar, also known as Burma, released more than 500 prisoners yesterday on humanitarian grounds. Suu Kyi who spent three years under house arrest is also set to receive Congress' highest honor while she's here.

It was just yesterday, Mitt Romney was at an event reaching to Latino voters at the Hispanic Chamber of Congress in Los Angeles. But that's not what everyone is talking about after that video of Romney making off-the-cuff remarks at a fundraiser went viral overnight.

Listen to what he joked about when he joked about -- what he talked of Latino voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: Had he been born of Mexican parents, I'd have a better shot at winning this. But he was unfortunately born to Americans living in Mexico. I mean I say that jokingly, but it would be helpful to be Latino. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Question is, if is he courting Latino voters, yet making jokes like that, does he have a chance of winning more of them over to his side?

Joining me now, CNN contributor and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona and CNN contributor and Republican strategist Ana Navarro. Welcome to you both.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Carol.

ANA NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you.

COSTELLO: So, Ana, do Latino voters have a sense of humor?

NAVARRO: Latinos have a sense of humor. I'm not sure Mitt Romney's sense of humor is all that good. I've said before, I think when he tries to be funny, a lot of times he misses the mark. You know, he's not going to be running for comedian in chief. He's running for commander in chief. He's got to show us he's qualified.

Frankly, Carol, I don't find anything wrong with what he said. Yes, was it funny? No, not really. Was it offensive? No. Was it derogatory? No.

He was acknowledging something that was true, that his father was born in Mexico under very particular circumstances. You know what? I would like for him to be a Latino, too. I think it would be great to have a Latino running. It would be great to have somebody that's got sensitivities and understands.

But, you know, I think I need to have a conversation with Mitt Romney, who is coming to Miami tomorrow, because if he is going to be a Latino, we need to work on rolling his R's and swinging his hip and a couple of other things he needs to learn before we take him on as one.

COSTELLO: So, Maria -- so, Maria, I don't know. What do you think? I know what she's going to say.

CARDONA: I mean, it's so pathetic. Here is the problem, Carol. I think taken as -- taken just the words -- I think Ana is right, it was a very bad attempt at a really bad joke. But here is the problem, the context of it. He was with his rich friends who, after he said what he said, had a good laugh.

And so I think that that is the context that a lot of people are taking offense at it. I got a lot of tweets, lot of e-mails from my Mexican-American friends who were like, oh, my God. This is so offensive. I can't believe that somebody who is, quote-unquote, "looking to woo" the Latino voter is doing this.

So, yet again, he is digging a hole for himself, which is quite deep. There was a Latino Decisions poll that came out yesterday, Carol, on Latina support for Mitt Romney. There almost was none -- 74 percent go for Obama, 21 percent go for Mitt Romney. It's a little better among the Latino men, but not much.

So, again, jokes like this and the context that it was said are certainly not helpful.

COSTELLO: So, let's move on to --

NAVARRO: Carol?

COSTELLO: Go ahead, Ana.

NAVARRO: Let me just tell you a couple of weeks ago I was on a panel and the anchor, national anchor of Univision asked me, actually, that question. Why didn't Mitt Romney embrace the fact that his father was born in Mexico and claimed to be a Latino?

I then told Jorge Ramos, the Univision anchor who asked Mitt Romney the same question in January, during the Republican primary in Florida, that I thought it was a ridiculous question. The man isn't Latino, he doesn't claim to be Latino. He doesn't feel it. You got to be what you feel in your heart.

So, it is a question that was brought up because of where his father was born. I don't think he was being offensive. Was he funny? No. Was he offensive? No.

COSTELLO: You know, I was just thinking, you know, if he was Latino, really, would it be easier for him to be elected president?

NAVARRO: No. I don't think it would be, because, again, it's not just where you're from. And it's not just your name. It's the actual policies that you represent. And, unfortunately for Mitt Romney, the policies that he has put forward are not policies that Latino voters think are helpful to them in trying to build a better future in this country.

COSTELLO: OK. Let's move on.

CARDONA: We don't all agree on policy. If he spoke Spanish -- yes, it would be helpful in places like Nevada, in places like Florida. If he had a full understanding of Latino culture -- yes, it would be helpful in some of those swing states, Colorado, Nevada, Florida. And we don't all agree on policy. We're not a homogenous group.

NAVARRO: Not with the policies he's pushing.

COSTELLO: I knew if I had two like Latinos on, they would argue about this one.

I just want to move on and get short comments from you both on the other thing that Romney said is kind of like spurring a lot of political talk this morning. He said there are 47 percent of people who will vote for the President, no matter what, 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent on the government, who believe they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them. Ana, you're a strategist. Mitt Romney came out later. He didn't back off from these remarks. He said he has been saying similar things in the past. He just didn't elegantly state them before the donors that night.

So, as a strategist, should Romney continue talking about this?

NAVARRO: Well, you know, I think Romney wishes he didn't have to continue talking about this. But while the present we are continuing to talk about it, it's going to be difficult for him not to particularly, because he does have some public events coming up. And it seems that "Mother Jones" is doing a trickle out of these videos.

Should he apologize? No. You know, he said it. It's his belief. I think it offers a very dramatic and stark choice. Are these -- is 47 percent of the American population, do they feel themselves victims? No.

Now, are they victims of an administration and of a government that has been given them opportunity? Are they victims of having a 10.2 percent unemployment rate? Yes. When it comes to Latinos.

COSTELLO: That's the strategist. You are a Republican strategist.

Maria, do you think this is a gaffe that will really hurt Romney? I mean, people already -- they heard Romney say similar things. They're not really that surprised.

CARDONA: Well, no. Here is where I think it can hurt him, Carol, because he's been struggling against this notion that he is somebody that doesn't get the majority of Americans and the problems that we all face day in and day out due to this chronic recession and the recovery that we're -- the slow recovery that we're in. He hasn't been able to convince voters.

This actually underscores what people already believe about him. It's interesting that he's doubling down on it instead of apologizing for something that was absolutely inartfully said. And, frankly, he's talking about 47 percent, he's talking about seniors who get Social Security. He's talking about Iraq war veterans who go to the V.A. He's talking about college students who use Pell Grant loans.

So, again, he did offend a lot of people that he's going to need to vote for him in order to win in November. And it underscores that people already believe he has a disdain for Americans who are not as well off as him. And going into the election, that is not helpful.

COSTELLO: All right. Maria Cardona, Ana Navarro, thank you for the interesting conversation this morning.

CARDONA: Thank you, Carol.

NAVARRO: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: It is a battle of the ideologies. These two guys, Jon Stewart and Bill O'Reilly plan to butt heads in a heated debate. We'll tell you about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Oh, boy. Christina is out and Shakira is in. NBC broke some big "Voice" news on Monday, naming Usher and Latin pop sensation Shakira as the new coaches for the hit reality show's fourth season. Usher will place Cee Lo.

"Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer is here to tell us more. Good morning.

A.J. HAMMER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" HOST: Good morning, Carol.

You know, if you want the big stars on your reality show, you have to work with their schedules. And the producers of "The Voice" seem to be pretty happy to let the judges take a little time off, but they will be back.

Let me read to you what the show's executive producer Mark Burnett is saying. He says, "Having award-winning artists as coaches means they need to be able to tour. Whether in the red chair or on tour, our coaches have their chairs for life."

You know, that really make sense. Both Christina and Cee Lo say they will be back. So, yes, you have Usher and Shakira filling in for just one season at this point. Aguilera has taken the time off to release a new album. She also wants to go on tour. Cee Lo says he has a solo album, a group album, a Las Vegas residency, a new NBC comedy and a memoir to work on. So, the guy certainly some time off.

It's interesting, Carol, Christina is getting pretty neat credit in the article in today's "New York Times." The article says she is the one who is responsible for kicking off this whole run of high-profile active stars signing up to be judges on the singing competitions. They point, you know, she was the first one, which made it acceptable for other stars to follow suit, Mariah and Britney among starts doing these shows. So, it's really the rule rather than the exception now, Carol.

COSTELLO: Interesting. OK. Let's talk about a battle of ideologies. Comedy Central's Jon Stewart against FOX News Channel's Bill O'Reilly.

HAMMER: Yes. And despite what you might think, these two actually get along pretty well. They both appeared on each other's shows in the past.

Jon Stewart even joked last night that he's scared of this debate. I doubt that. I think it's going to be a great battle. And perhaps unlike the other debates that we're used to seeing this time of year, I think we're going to get some pretty good laughs. While they talk about the issues that we're facing, I think we'll be laughing along all the way.

They're calling this the Rumble in the Air-conditioned Jungle, in n this case that's at George Washington University. You'll be able to stream it online for $4.95. Half of that money is going to charity. The other half, according to Stewart, is going to supply side job creation.

So, Carol, if you want to mark your calendar for October 6, which is when this rumble is going.

COSTELLO: All right, I will. A.J., thanks so much. A.J. will be back with us next hour with more showbiz headlines, including the new video game sensation that could get those angry birds even angrier.

Oh, in the battle for White House, scenes from the warfront in Afghanistan. We'll take an in-depth look at the candidates' policies in Afghanistan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is 46 minutes past the hour. Checking our top Stories.

Buckle up for a wild ride on the oil market, prices are down for a second straight day. And that's after yesterday's breath-taking plunge of more than $3 a barrel in just one minute. Even traders can't explain why that happened. Prices at the end of the day down nearly two and a half percent.

In the meantime, AAA says the price of gas slipped for a fourth consecutive day to a nationwide average of $3.85 per gallon for regular gas.

Former boyfriend of American Amanda Knox is releasing a book today about the murder case that catapulted them to international fame. Raffaele Sollecito reaffirmed their innocence in the murder of Knox's 21-year-old roommate in Italy. Both have been convicted spent four years in prison before both won acquittals.

The calendar says September but it sure looks a lot like winter in Colorado's Arapahoe basin. No wonder it's home to the longest ski season in North America. The area has the season's first dusting of snow. It can see as much as 100 inches between September and April.

We are looking at how the candidates stand on the issues as part of our in-depth focus this week. Today, we turn to Afghanistan, where the biggest difference between President Obama and Governor Romney may be on post-war plans.

Here is our Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 70,000 American troops are still fighting in Afghanistan. But will Election Day affect them one way or the other? We see two candidates moving closer and closer to the point where there's not much space between them.

ROMNEY: Our goal should be to complete a successful transition to Afghan security forces by the end of 2014.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Next year Afghans will take the lead for their own security. In 2014, the transition will be complete.

LAWRENCE (on camera): There were real differences at the beginning of Governor Romney's campaign last summer when he seemed to criticize President Obama's decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

ROMNEY: It's time for us to bring our troops home as soon as we possibly can. I also think we've learned that our troops shouldn't go off and try to fight a war of independence for another nation.

LAWRENCE: But the Governor's position evolved and by November he opposed any plan to bring most of the troops home before 2014.

ROMNEY: I stand with the commanders in this regard and have no information that suggests that pulling our troops out faster than that would do anything but put at great peril the extraordinary sacrifices that have been made. This is not the time for America to cut and run.

LAWRENCE: Whomever sits in the Oval Office will have to decide how the U.S. hands over to the Afghans. And that's where we see the biggest difference when it comes to talking with the Taliban.

OBAMA: We're pursuing a negotiated peace. In coordination with the Afghan government, my administration has been in direct discussions with the Taliban.

LAWRENCE: While President Obama makes a distinction between Taliban and al Qaeda, Governor Romney says he won't haggle with a group that has killed American troops.

ROMNEY: We don't negotiate with terrorists. I will not negotiate with the Taliban. That's something for the Afghans to decide how they're going to pursue their course in the future.

LAWRENCE: So there's negotiation versus no negotiation with the Taliban. President Obama announced an end date years in advance. Governor Romney opposed publicizing that date. The President ended the surge this month during the fighting season. The Governor would have kept additional troops there through December.

Analysts say neither man has spent much time talking about the war but Mark Jacobson says that's partly because the big strategic issues like the surge and handover have been pretty much decided.

MARK JACOBSON, GERMAN MARSHALL FUND: What we're looking at now is execution of this strategy and that doesn't require the same sort of political capital and time from Washington, D.C., that was required two years ago.

LAWRENCE: The two men don't exactly agree on how the fighting affects the nation's finances.

OBAMA: Because after two wars that have cost us thousands of lives and over a trillion dollars, it's time to do some nation-building right here at home.

ROMNEY: Of course the return of our troops cannot and must not be used as an excuse to hollow out our military through devastating defense budget cuts.

LAWRENCE: So the biggest difference on Afghanistan -- maybe how to spend the money when the war is over.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Logon to CNN.com/election for a full series of reporting on major issues as we count down to the election.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Talk Back" question this morning, "Is the Romney tape a game changer?

This from Jonathan: "Sadly, no, because that's the opinion of the vast majority of his supporters anyway. Most of them would probably just tell you, well, the truth hurts whether it's the truth or not."

This from Dan: "Mitt is a politician who showed honesty in telling it the way it is rather than telling whatever lie (think hope and change) he has to get elected. That's called integrity."

This from Timothy: "It's a game changer, end of game. It's not as much about the statistics as it is about the man and his behavior and beliefs. This man is not worthy of the office of president."

This from Lisa: "It isn't a game changer at all. That 47 percent was never going to vote Republican. They don't want to lose their handouts. At least Romney insulted moochers and not business owners."

This from Kellie: "I wonder if Mitt is in the 47 percent who don't pay taxes. We don't know because he still hasn't released most of his tax returns."

This from Rod: "I respect Romney more now and love the honesty which can't be used to describe anything coming out of the Obama camp."

Facebook.com/carolCNN if you want to continue the conversation. More of your comments in the next hour of NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Monday night football was the tale of two quarterbacks. Peyton Manning still learning the system with his new team, the Denver Broncos. And boy, did it show in the first quarter against Atlanta. The Falcons picked off Manning, count them, three times. Manning's counterpart, Matt Ryan, helped the Falcons convert those turnovers into points. Ryan threw for two scores including his 100th career TD pass. Falcons took a 20-0 lead and held on to beat the Broncos 27-21.

To baseball now. Baltimore's Nate McLouth gets the game against Seattle off to a bang with a lead-off home run. Wow. The rest of the Orioles joined the slugfest with Adam Jones scoring four times, and Matt (inaudible) hitting his third homer in two games. The O's win 10-4; four within a game of the idol New York Yankees atop the AL East.

And Toronto Blue Jays' shortstop Yunel Escobar with meet with reporters this afternoon to talk about a homophobic slur. The message written in Spanish was depicted in eye black he wore in Saturday's game against Boston. At this point, we don't know the reason behind the offensive remark, but the Blue Jays' organization is distancing itself from it and, of course, we'll bring you Escobar's remarks when he makes them later this afternoon. That's a look at sports this morning.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.