Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Campaign Crunch Time for the Dems; Political Theater at NY State Gubernatorial Debate; Secure Flight; The Time-Out on Foreclosures; Congress Investigates Facebook; Gulf Oil Spill: Six Months Later; The Search for Bin Laden; Disorder in the Court
Aired October 19, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good Tuesday morning. Thanks so much for joining us on AMERICAN MORNING. It's October 19th. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us. Here are the top stories this morning.
It could have been a scene from "Saturday Night Live." A former Black Panther, an ex-madame all participating in a debate to become the next governor of New York. Some called last night's debate a circus, political theater of the absurd. We're going to get the highlights and the lowlights ahead.
ROBERTS: Flying the safer skies. The government's new secure flight program requires passengers to provide additional information before they could board a plane. Just how safe will it make us? CNN got an exclusive look at how the program works.
And saving the wildlife six months after the Gulf Coast catastrophe. We revisit one of the facilities where rescued birds were cleaned, cared for, and then returned to the wild. But as you'll see, the hard work is not over yet.
ROBERTS: Well, first up this hour, crunch time in the campaign trail. And the White House is sending out the big guns. Just 14 days to go now until Election Day, exactly two weeks.
The Democrats are hoping their party's heavyweights can do some heavy lifting between now and the 2nd of November. First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, President Obama and former President Bill Clinton all fanning out this week to prop up their party's candidates.
Ed Henry up early this morning live at the White House where it looks like they're pulling out all the stops, but it's looking like in the House, at least, there may be an unstoppable Republican tide, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Good morning, John. They know inside the White House the House is going to be particularly tough to defend. You know, 39 seats, essentially, going to decide control 30, 40 seats. And the bottom line is that the Senate is what they're focusing a lot of their energies because they realize the House is going to be an uphill battle. Big day for Vice President Joe Biden. He's going to be hitting three big Senate races. He is going to be going to Washington State, California, and then sleeping in Nevada for an event tomorrow for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. President Obama going out, hitting those same three states later this week. It shows you that the White House strategy is to sort of try to build a firewall out west. That they believe control of the U.S. Senate will very likely come down to the fate of those big three Senate incumbents -- Patty Murray in Washington, Barbara Boxer in California, and then Harry Reid in Nevada.
And, in fact, First Lady Michelle Obama is going to be hitting two of those three states, Washington and California next week. She was out on the trail yesterday in Connecticut. And you could see why they're trying to use her more and more in these final two weeks. She has sort of a softer touch than the president and the vice president, but still is very direct in laying out the stakes in two weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: We have that same chance. But more importantly, we have that same responsibility today. The chance to continue the progress we've made, the chance to finish what we've started. Because this election isn't just about all that we've accomplished. These past couple of years, it is about all we have left to do in the months and years ahead. That's what this election is about. It's about the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now, what they have in common when you take a step back and look at the map and where the president, vice president and the first lady are spending their valuable time here in the final days and hours, that Connecticut Senate race where she was yesterday. Of course, the seat held three decades by Chris Dodd, a Democratic seat now that's up for grabs. And then those western states I mentioned, all Democratic incumbents trying to hang on. So what they're doing is playing defense in these final days. They're not going to Republican states. They're not going as much to some of the swing states to try to get some pick-ups and flip them from Republicans to Democrats. Instead, it's all about this White House playing defense in the final days, John.
ROBERTS: Yes. At least they're trying to retain control of one House of Congress. Ed Henry for us this morning up early at the White House. Ed, thanks.
CHETRY: Well, three minutes past the hour right now. At New York State's governor debate last night, it's had Democratic front runner Andrew Cuomo and Tea Party-backed GOP candidate Carl Paladino sharing the spotlight with five other candidates. One a retired madame, one a former Black Panther, one a candidate running on the Rent is too Damn High ticket, and one Democratic observer. And actually, many people remarked about this last night at least to me that it seemed more like a "Saturday Night Live" skit than a debate. Mary Snow is with us this morning. Of course, they say politics make the best theater. Last night certainly living proof of this. I mean, Rangel and seven candidates to begin with but a lot of colorful characters.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Many colorful characters. And let's just say this was a very different debate. This was less a debate, more political theater. And it didn't bring the fireworks that many expected.
The two front runners, Republican Carl Paladino and Democrat Andrew Cuomo did not engage with each other. They didn't even mention each other. Both kept their cool as five other candidates though on the stage took jabs at them. Paladino looked nervous at times, but both he and Cuomo pretty much stuck to their message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARL PALADINO (R), NEW YORK GOV. CANDIDATE: I'm not your career Albany politician. I'm a builder from western New York. My critics, they want to say I'm angry. No, I'm passionate about saving New York. Our government doesn't need a tweaking. It needs a major overhaul now.
ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK GOV. CANDIDATE: And I know the state like nobody else on the stage. And I understand the fear and I understand the anxiety, what's going on with the economy. I understand the disgust at Albany. And I share it. But we also have to remember at the same time that, yes, this state government over the past few years has been an embarrassment. But that is not the story of New York State government, my friends.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Now, the feistier moments in this theater park came from the third-party candidates that included a former madame, who wants to legitimize prostitution, a former Black Panther and city councilman, and a candidate whose party is named "Rent is too Damn High." He made a point of making that comment a number of times. Here's some of the best one-liners from last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY MCMILLAN (RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH PARTY), NY GOV. CANDIDATE: Rent, it's too damn high.
KRISTIN DAVIS (ANTI-PROHIBITION PARTY), NY GOV. CANDIDATE: In fact, businesses will leave this state quicker than Carl Paladino at a gay bar.
CHARLES BARRON (FREEDOM PARTY), NY GOV. CANDIDATE: Asking Andrew Cuomo and Carl Paladino to end corruption is like asking an arsonist to help us put out the fires. It doesn't make sense.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SNOW: And the candidate who brought the most levity was Jimmy McMillan of the Rent is too Damn High Party. And at one point last night, Andrew Cuomo sitting next to him said the "rent is too damn high." Now, this was the first debate between the candidates, probably the only debate.
CHETRY: What was behind the decision making to include all seven of the candidates, even the ones who pretty much don't have a shot in the actual election? Not to take anything away from them but you really didn't get to hear a lot of how the two major party candidates would solve some of the biggest issues in New York.
SNOW: Yes, and that was the biggest complaint. But, you know, looking at it, it was probably safer for the two front-runners to be on that stage because they kept their cool, they weren't engaged. This is one of the nastiest races right now in the country in the past couple of weeks. It's gone so heated. So for them, it was very calculated, right? And the attention was not so much on them, on the other candidates.
ROBERTS: And anybody who lives in New York City will agree the rent is too damn high. There's no question.
CHETRY: One platform everyone can agree on.
SNOW: Absolutely.
CHETRY: Mary Snow, thanks so much.
SNOW: Sure.
CHETRY: Well, you know, maybe the candidates, the two front runners like it, but did the voters really get anything out of that debate last night? We're going to be speaking about it with the man who made wingnuts famous. At 6:40 Eastern, John Avlon, CNN contributor and columnist for TheDailyBeast.com, will be joining us with his unique take on the governor's debate.
ROBERTS: Also new this morning, former NFL star Junior Seau is recovering at a southern California hospital after his SUV went off a cliff near San Diego yesterday. Police say Seau apparently fell asleep at the wheel and that drugs and alcohol were not involved. He was hospitalized, but suffered only minor injuries. The accident came just hours after Seau was arrested for allegedly assaulting his live- in girlfriend.
CHETRY: Well, swimmers at a south Florida beach got some unwanted company in the water. I don't know if you can make it out, but a group of about 30 sharks were spotted spread out in the waters off Hillsboro Beach. The beach itself wasn't closed. It's just that swimmers were told to move closer to shore until the sharks moved further into the water.
ROBERTS: Got to be an adventurous swimmer to go out in those waters.
CHETRY: Oh, yes. ROBERTS: Let's get a check of this morning's swimming headlines. See if the weather is good for it. Rob Marciano in New Orleans for us. No sharks where you are, I take it, Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No, no, but plenty of alligators probably just as I throw a stone to my left. Good morning, everybody, from New Orleans, Louisiana, the Gulf Coast, as we approach the six- month date from when that explosion happened at the Macondo well. And we've been reporting here all week long. We'll have another report for you a little bit later.
But first, a quick check on the weather where across parts of the northeast, we do have some rain that's moving in. This was across the Midwest yesterday, places like Chicago and Detroit. Now it's moving through Philadelphia and New York. Obviously nothing too severe on the radar scope. The heaviest rain across central Jersey and in through parts of Philadelphia, and a little bit of a dry slot from D.C. South. But basically, the D.C. to the New York corridor, especially this morning, you'll see some light rain showers, maybe moderate rain from time to time to slow down your commute. Sixty-five in D.C. It will be 87 degrees in Houston, 67 in Denver. And a little bit stormy out west actually in Los Angeles.
Speaking of stormy, a quick look at Megi. This is a typhoon. Megi now entering the South China Sea with 115-mile-an-hour winds. Eleven fatalities in the Philippines, and this is going to head towards China and actually head right towards Hong Kong, or at least just west of Hong Kong. That's a dangerous situation.
That's the latest weather wise. We're going to highlight and give you a check-up on what's going on with the wildlife here across the Gulf of Mexico since the explosion six months ago. That's in about 20 minutes -- John and Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. We look forward to it, Rob. Thanks so much.
Well, you've got to check out this next piece of video. It wasn't a Hail Mary pass, but one team's prayers were answered in an amazing ending to a high school football game. This was in Louisville, Kentucky, over the weekend. Butler High down 41-34, 18 seconds left to play when they got the kickoff. Here's a look at what happens next.
There you go. Well, after scoring the touchdown, Butler went for two points, made it, and ended up beating their rival, Pleasure Ridge Park 42-41. Aren't you glad you stayed until the very end of that game?
ROBERTS: No question, there would have been a penalty for too many players on the field at least at some point during that play.
CHETRY: Yes. But, hey --
ROBERTS: Pretty incredible.
CHETRY: That was amazing.
ROBERTS: Pretty special. High school football. It always gives you some moments that are unexpected. That's certainly enjoyable.
Congress has some questions for Facebook after concerns that your name and your friends' names could have ended up in the hands of advertising and Internet tracking companies. Our Christine Romans is "Minding Your Business."
CHETRY: Also, attention holiday travelers, there are new airline security rules. They're requiring some more personal information if you expect to fly. Our Jeanne Meserve has an exclusive look at the TSA's secure flight program just ahead.
Eleven minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Fourteen minutes after the hour this Tuesday morning. Former JetBlue flight attendant Stephen Slater, famous for sliding down an emergency chute with a beer in his hand, is expected to plead guilty today in court, part of a plea deal stemming from his outburst back in August. Sources say Slater would agree to anger management and alcohol counseling in exchange for a misdemeanor charge.
CHETRY: And if you look at the bright side, there's Halloween costumes out for him. So --
ROBERTS: When you're a Halloween costume, you know you've made it on the national stage.
CHETRY: Exactly.
Well, forget charging for checked bags, carry-on bags, "USA Today" is reporting that airlines across the country collected $1.2 billion in change and cancellation fees. They're known as change fees in the first six months of the year alone. Any time you want to change your flight early or later, different airline, different destination. There you go, racking up the charges. And according to the Department of Transportation, Delta has generated more than any other airline followed by American and United.
ROBERTS: Yes, 150 bucks every time you go to change your ticket.
CHETRY: Used to be $25 or $50.
ROBERTS: Yes. Well, but then they decided that they can charge $150, and so why wouldn't they?
As we head into the peak travel season, airlines will be asking a little bit more from their passengers.
CHETRY: Yes. As part of a new government security program, it's one that fulfills a key recommendation of the 9/11 commission.
Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has an exclusive look at how this program will work. She's live at Reagan National Airport this morning.
Hi, Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran. Good morning, John.
If you bought an airline ticket lately, you might have noticed that they're asking for a few more pieces of information, like your birth date. It's part of this new program called "Secure Flight". But just how safe will it make us?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE (voice-over): At a secure location shown exclusively to CNN, computers and analysts search out known terrorists trying to board airplanes.
PAUL LEYH, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION: Ultimately, we're going to be looking at, you know, 2.1 to 2.2 million records a day to go through the system.
MESERVE: The program, called Secure Flight, matches passenger information against government watch lists. Known terrorists on the no-fly list wouldn't get a boarding pass. Those on the so-called selectee list will get extra screening.
MESERVE (on camera): When you buy a plane ticket now, you have to put in your name just the way it appears on your government ID, your gender, and your date of birth. That additional information will help the government determine who is a known terrorist and who is not.
MESERVE (voice-over): And prevent screw-ups like misidentifying the late Senator Ted Kennedy as a possible terrorist. It should also close gaps, like the one exposed when Faisal Shahzad, the Times Square Bomber, nearly escaped because an airline hadn't updated its no-fly list.
But Secure Flight would not have stopped Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Christmas Day Bomber, who was not on the no-fly or selectee list.
John Pistole, a former top FBI official, will implement Secure Flight in his new job as head of the Transportation Security Administration.
JOHN PISTOLE, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION: It's always good as the terror watch list. The question is, it - is it the best available information we have? Yes, I believe it is. Is it a perfect system? No.
MESERVE: Since the attempted Christmas Day bombing, the no-fly list has nearly doubled, officials say. But aviation security expert Rafi Ron says checking against the improved list isn't enough.
RAFI RON, NEW AGE SECURITY SOLUTIONS: Well, the big shortcoming of Secure Flight is that we are looking only at names that we're familiar with, and the problem is that most terrorist attacks are not being carried out by people who we are familiar with.
MESERVE: Richard Reid, for instance, wasn't on authorities' radar before he tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, nor was Mohamed Atta before 9/11. Secure Flight wouldn't have stopped either of them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: But everyone we talk to believes that the new system is better than the old one. They also point out that there are many other layers of security, like reinforced cockpit doors and air marshals.
Kiran, John, back to you.
ROBERTS: So there's - there's a report today, Jeanne, in "USA Today" - we've heard about this previous to this as well - that some airlines are asking the Federal Air Marshal Service to get the air marshals out of first class. Why is that?
MESERVE: Well, the airlines are saying there are threats in other parts of the airplane. For instance, people with explosives might want to be in a strategic location, like over the wing and near the fuel tanks. They also point out that now the cockpit doors are reinforced, so the threat to the cockpit has diminished.
But the air marshals are not happy about this. They're saying that the airlines are making this proposal because of revenue concerns. Those first class seats, of course, cost more. They say it's about money, not about security.
John, Kiran, back to you.
ROBERTS: Jeanne Meserve for us this morning, from Reagan National. Jeanne, thanks.
CHETRY: Well, six months after the oil spill in the gulf, our Rob Marciano returns to one facility where volunteers cleaned and cared for birds that were covered in crude oil. Rob actually got a chance to experience firsthand the painstaking process to get these birds clean.
So what is the scene like now? He's live in New Orleans.
ROBERTS: And authorities say it could be the largest drug bust ever in Mexico. How police were able to seize 105 tons of pot in Tijuana. Ahead, the marijuana in Tijuana.
It's 19 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Twenty-three minutes after the hour. Christine Romans here this Tuesday morning, "Minding Your Business," and it didn't take long for Bank of America -
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: No.
ROBERTS: -- to get back in the foreclosure business.
ROMANS: That's right. The 23 states where they suspended foreclosures, where - or a judge or a court is in charge of the foreclosure process, they are resuming foreclosures. The foreclosure process in those 23 states - you can see them here on this - on this map that we made you. That means that if you were in the process or you were having a foreclosure sale that had been halted, it is coming again.
They said there were about 30,000 actual foreclosure sales that - that were delayed. Those will go through now. They have reviewed 102,000 foreclosure documents, or documents for that many foreclosures, and they said they found nothing wrong and that everything would proceed now.
A couple of things here. Earlier this week, people in the market started to get concerned and hurt the stocks of the banks about what kind of uncertainty this was, a cloud maybe into next year. Well, that cloud has been lifting, or starting to lift now for Bank of America, and the company's going to report earnings later today. So, clearly, it wants to get this behind it.
Another quick thing I wanted to more - tell you about this morning is Facebook. We've talked about that potential breach, privacy of all your information on Facebook in these very popular applications, including Farmville. Imagine 25 different advertisers and online trackers could - could see your information, or at least your information was available to them on some of these popular apps.
Well, now Congress getting into it. House Privacy Caucus Senators (sic) Markey and Joe Barton have sent a letter, according to the "Wall Street Journal", to Zuckerberg and the executives of this company, saying the - the series of breaches of consumer privacy is a cause for concern and they'd like to hear more about it and they would like answers.
We know that Facebook has said, basically, that it doesn't - that it doesn't do this on purpose. It's warned application designers that are sharing - that your data with advertisers. This is what Facebook has said, "Our policy is very clear about protecting user data, ensuring that no one can access private user information without explicit user consent."
CHETRY: The problem with that is that you sometimes don't know that you're providing -
ROMANS: Right.
CHETRY: -- explicit user consent because there are so many privacy settings, and they change -
ROMANS: You're right.
CHETRY: -- especially as new apps are added to Facebook. And so people have to just be vigilant about this.
ROMANS: And critics have said that Facebook has been slow to respond to the concerns about how difficult it has been to navigate the privacy issue there.
But others say, look, it's a social network where people go on and they're sharing all kinds of information. If you think you're going on any of these social networks and that your information isn't available out there to advertisers and people who are peeking in on you, maybe you're being naive.
I mean, the privacy should be easier to - to manage, and you shouldn't have - it shouldn't be you go on a - on a game and suddenly your information's been (INAUDIBLE).
CHETRY: Right. And actually there's - they offer some free tips and we'll post them on our - on our Twitter and - and on our website.
ROMANS: How to manage your privacy settings.
CHETRY: Yes, but just some of the ones that you may want to turn on -
ROMANS: OK. Good.
CHETRY: -- to figure out.
John's like (ph), that's why I don't share any information online.
ROBERTS: Exactly.
ROMANS: But the young kids.
ROBERTS: You wouldn't find anything about me on these.
CHETRY: (INAUDIBLE).
ROBERTS: All right. Thanks, Christine.
CHETRY: Coming up, we're going to tell you what the NFL is doing to try to prevent dangerous helmet-to-helmet hits.
It was a pretty violent weekend in the NFL. Many players knocked out of the game because of this. They want to put a stop to it or, at least get tougher. We're going to talk to Max Kellerman, our resident sports guy about it, coming up.
It's 26 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-eight minutes past the hour right now.
This week mark six months since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that led to the nation's worst oil spill in history. An estimated 200 million gallons of oil flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, and as we saw from the pictures coating the water and the wildlife.
ROBERTS: But thanks to a lot of people working very hard around the clock, hundreds of oil-soaked birds were given another chance at life. Our Rob Marciano returned to one facility where volunteers cleared and cared for birds that were covered in crude, and he joins us now, live from New Orleans. Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, guys.
You know, six months ago when that rig exploded and the - the enormity of the situation, the amount of oil we finally figured out was flowing from the Gulf of Mexico, or into it, we - we got a grasp of what the ramifications would be on the wildlife. And the tireless efforts and heroic work from the workers around the Gulf of Mexico to - to rescue and rehabilitate these - these animals is truly remarkable. In the last six months, I could tell you this, we've come a long, long way.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO (voice-over): I first visited bird rehab centers back in mid-June. There was frantic shuffling of rescued pelicans. Cleaning oiled feathers, medically treating the sick -
MARCIANO (on camera): Here you go.
MARCIANO (voice-over): -- and feeding the weak. It's a different scene now.
MARCIANO (on camera): It already smells better in here.
MARCIANO (voice-over): Over 800 rescued birds moved through this facility and more than 2,000 were treated from Louisiana to Florida during the last six months.
DANENE BIRTELL, FACILITY MANAGER, TRI-STATE BIRD RESCUE: The fact that it's empty is - is a huge sign of success and makes us very happy.
MARCIANO (on camera): So this is where there were birds originally?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This morning? This morning.
MARCIANO: This morning, there were birds in there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The birds were released out of here.
MARCIANO (voice-over): That's huge. The last of the BP-affected birds finally return to the wild.
BIRTELL: When they go out and I see them fly out of those kennels, that's when you see me smile. That's when I'm happiest.
MARCIANO (on camera): Come on, guys.
(voice-over): I know the feeling. Four months ago, I got to release some pelicans in Texas.
(on camera): Absolutely spectacular. (voice-over): But the sober fact remains, over 6,000 birds were found dead since the spill, and other animals are still fighting for their lives.
(on camera): Look at the size of that turtle. Come on, big mama.
(voice-over): Big mama tips the scale at 220.
This wounded loggerhead is one of 21 turtles still recovering at the Institute for Marine Mammals Studies in Mississippi.
(on camera): This is one of the Kemp's Ridley affected by the oil spill and it's very important that every couple of days, couple of weeks, couple of months, depending on how sick the animal is, to get a check on their blood and see how the oils affected them.
(voice-over): Marine vets check his heart and lungs, too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wanted to see, look inside the mouth and make sure --
MARCIANO: This guy is recovering from swallowing a fishing hook, likely forced from his normal habitat by the oil slick.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Back in the tank he goes.
MARCIANO: But not back in the oil. Not yet.
DR. MOBY SOLANGI, DIR., INSTITUTE FOR MARINE MAMMALS STUDIES: We have to (INAUDIBLE) them, keep them in optimal temperatures and make sure that they're exercised, they're treated properly, so when they're released, they can go and fend for themselves.
MARCIANO: For now, it's time in the pool.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right there, it's perfect. Let him go.
MARCIANO: A safe training spot so that one day, they'll get back into the Gulf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: That little guy, along with a couple of the others, were actually featured on our air during the telethon two months ago. So still recovering and until the water's warm later this spring, that's when they'll release them back.
Some numbers for you: over 1,200 birds rescued and rehabilitated and released; over 360 turtles. The nest, 228 turtle nests were moved to safer spots in Alabama and Florida, and 14,000 hatchlings were then released into the water.
So, they want to celebrate the success here six months later, but the long-term effects, of course, we still won't know that on reproduction rates long-term. And as far as what's going on in those marshes, we'll explore that later on this afternoon. We'll show you that tomorrow. There is still oil being cleaned up in the marsh and that battle continues -- John and Kiran.
CHETRY: And so for the animals that were able to be cleaned and released, the couple thousand you talked about and that you've actually witnessed firsthand, are they going back into an environment that's sustainable for them? I mean, is that still an unanswered question?
MARCIANO: Yes, it's an unanswered question. One of the things they're going to do with these turtles that they're holding until spring is, at least on some of them, attach them -- attach some GPS monitors on them. There's a lot of mystery as to what turtles do out in the wild. So, that'll answer some of that.
And also, it will answer: will these turtles go back to areas that were oiled? And that may give us a little glimpse as to whether or not the pelicans and other animals that were released went back into their once-oiled habitat -- John and Kiran.
ROBERTS: Great update for us this morning. Rob, thanks so much.
Crossing the half hour now and it's time for this morning's top stories. Typhoon Megi now has China and Vietnam in its sights after pounding the Philippines. Megi packed wind gusts of over 160 miles an hour when it made landfall yesterday. Ten people were killed.
The storm is now regaining strength over the South China Sea and heading for Vietnam, where they've already been hit by 31 inches of rain in just the last few days.
CHETRY: Well, it's one of the biggest drug busts in Mexico's history. Police seized 105 tons of marijuana yesterday in the border city of Tijuana after stopping several suspicious vehicles. There was actually a brief shootout. A government agent and a suspected drug runner were injured. Eleven people were taken into custody.
ROBERTS: And French workers hitting the picket line for a sixth straight day, refusing to go to work, shutting down many services across the country. They are protesting President Sarkozy's plan to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62. The proposed overhaul of France's pension system is headed for a final parliamentary vote later on this week. It's expected to pass.
CHETRY: Well, CNN "Security Watch" for you now.
The White House is ready to hand Pakistan a $2 billion security assistance aid package designed to help fight extremists along the border with Afghanistan. Sources are telling CNN that the announcement will be made later this week when Pakistani officials are in Washington for high level talks. Meantime, though, Pakistan has been complaining that it needs more support from the U.S. to combat terrorists.
ROBERTS: Well, now to the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Yes, it's still ongoing. New reports this week are painting a very different picture of life on the run for America's most wanted terrorist. He's now believed to be hunkered down, possibly planning his next attack and not running from cave to cave in some Afghan or Pakistani mountain range.
Michael Scheuer is a former CIA counterterrorism analyst. He headed up the agency's bin Laden unit. He's now an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.
Michael, you said for a long time, all the way back to 2004, that you don't believe bin Laden is running from rock to rock, hiding from cave to cave.
MICHAEL SCHEUER, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: No, that's kind of the Hollywood version that Mr. Bush and now Mr. Obama have given the American people, sir.
We have had extraordinary good luck at capturing these people when they're moving. They're most dangerous. They make -- they're most vulnerable rather. They make mistakes when they move. They make mistakes in communications.
If bin Laden had been following the script that our presidents have written for him, we would've had him a long time ago.
ROBERTS: So, if he's hiding in plain sight as the suggestion has been from NATO officials that our Barbara Starr talked to in Afghanistan over the last couple of days, he would need to have some help. Who's helping him?
SCHEUER: Well, I think we forget sometimes that for a huge number of Muslims around the world, he is an Islamic hero. He's not only stood up to the United States, but he's hurt us badly.
In addition, he lives among tribes who regard protecting a guest with their lives as essential. And so, he lives in a very supportive population. The direct translation to him being safe because he's being protected by the Pakistani government, I think, is a mistake, because he's living in an area that the Pakistani government doesn't control.
ROBERTS: But there was a suggestion from NATO officials to our Barbara Starr yesterday that some elements of the Pakistani intelligent services, the ISI, may, in fact, know where he is and may be aiding in his comfort. Would you expect that would be the case?
SCHEUER: I think that there's probably a chance that that goes on. But really what we're seeing here is, first, an admission that we have not told the American people the truth over the past decade about where he is.
But second, this is a lot of propaganda also, because the West, especially Washington, wants the Pakistani army to invade a province called North Waziristan and fight the insurgents. And so, this is a combination of probably both truth and propaganda.
ROBERTS: Right. His lifestyle is certainly contradictory to as what you pointed out what President Bush said about him, that we've got him on the run, he's hiding in the cave. President Obama, as you pointed out, has said much of the same thing.
The life he leads would appear to give him the freedom to plot and plan. Do you think that he is still actively involved? You know, we had this terror plot in Europe that was uncovered a couple of weeks ago. Intelligence officials were suggesting that bin Laden had signed off on it.
SCHEUER: Yes, that's the kind of the second part of the Hollywood version of Osama bin Laden, is that somehow he can't communicate with his organization or can't control it.
Well, anybody who has been in a RadioShack in the last 15 years knows that if a satellite goes overhead, you can communicate. Not every message is intercepted by NSA or any other government agency. And so, to tell the American people that he can't communicate is a mistake, I believe.
ROBERTS: Why do you think, Michael, there has been -- I mean, there's been a few attempts of small-scale attacks, but why do you think there has been no large-scale attack against the United States since 2001 if, indeed, Osama bin Laden is free to plot and plan as he wishes?
SCHEUER: I don't think that bin Laden and al Qaeda can believe how much progress they've made since 9/11. I think that's the reason.
We're losing two wars, the surge in Iraq is unraveling, Afghanistan is lost. And you have to look at their own war aims. Their war aims have been to help lead America to bankruptcy, first. Second: to spread out American troops and our intelligent services until we have no reserves and flexibility. And third: to create as much political dissent in America as possible, and strip away our allies.
If you're Osama bin Laden, you have to be very delighted when you look at those metrics and see how far you've come since 9/11.
ROBERTS: Do you believe, Michael, that al Qaeda is stronger or not as strong as it was prior to 9/11?
SCHEUER: Oh, it's much stronger, sir. And 9/11 and just after, the Europeans and ourselves had to watch out for people coming at us out of Pakistan and Afghanistan. We, of course, still have that problem today. But in addition, we have to worry about Yemen, we have to worry about Iraq, we have to worry about Somalia, and we have to worry about North Africa.
ROBERTS: Lots to worry about this morning. Michael Scheuer, thanks so much. Good to see you this morning.
SCHEUER: Thank you, sir.
CHETRY: Well, everyone's talking about last night's governor debate in New York state. It was quite -- ROBERTS: Is that what it was?
CHETRY: At times it looked like literally a "Saturday Night Live" skit. We'll explain why.
But there were seven candidates in all, big cast of characters. Among them, a former madame, an ex-Black Panther, and a member of the Rent is Too Damn High Party.
And we're going to get John Avlon here with some much-needed perspective because when it comes to the two major party candidates, the one that are polling high enough to actually win, did voters get any answers from them?
Forty minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most Politics in the Morning. Forty-three minutes past the hour right now.
You know, last night, it was political theater at its best. It was the New York state governor's debate. And it featured a former madame, an ex-Black Panther, a member of the Rent is Too Damn High Party, which actually if you live in Manhattan, as strange as it may sound, but all on the same stage with the two main contenders, Democratic front-runner Andrew Cuomo and Tea Party-backed GOP candidate, Carl Paladino.
If you missed it last night, here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MODERATOR: Do you support gay marriage, yes or no?
CARL PALADINO (R), NY GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I do not support gay marriage.
MODERATOR: Thank you. We're trying to squeeze time in here. Mr. Redlich?
WARREN REDLICH, NY GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I don't have to think about my answer, I support gay marriage.
MODERATOR: Ms. Davis?
KRISTIN DAVIS, NY GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I strongly support gay marriage.
MODERATOR: Mr. Hawkins?
HOWIE HAWKINS, NY GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: The Green Party strongly supports gay marriage.
MODERATOR: Mr. Barron?
CHARLES BARRON, NY GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Speaking for the Freedom Party, they have not taken a position on gay marriage.
MODERATOR: And Mr. Cuomo?
ANDREW CUOMO (D), NY GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Strongly support gay marriage.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
MODERATOR: Mr. McMillan?
JIMMY MCMILLAN, NY GUBERNATORIAL: The Rent is Too Damn High Party says if you want to marry a shoe, I'll marry you.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, John Avlon joins us right now, CNN contributor and columnist with TheDailyBeast.com.
And let's just get the whole crazy factor out of the way.
JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes.
CHETRY: Many say this is a personification of only in New York. Why were all seven candidates on stage? Even though many of them don't have a shot of even coming close in the polls?
AVLON: Well, it was part of the deal that was made. I mean, I think both candidates who've had a very contentious relationship with each other, have been fighting a lot, wanted to seem bigger by surrounding themselves with five fringe candidates. But it does show, I think, the palpable weirdness of this campaign year. There's been a lot of emphasis on distraction and very little bit on whether it's concrete debate or actual solutions. So, whether it's New York or other states, all of this sort of psychosis that's floating around our politics is getting in the way of solutions and that's where citizens get lost.
CHETRY: Right. And the people sat down to watch this debate last night, while they may have gotten a few laughs, unintentional or not, they really didn't get a lot of substance on what either one of the major party candidates would do if elected governor of the state.
AVLON: That's actually going to be right because it was not a head-to-head debate. This was something that was set up for a lot of laugh lines. I mean, the guy from the "Rent is Too Damn High" party probably won because he had the biggest laugh lines of the night. But again, there was no -- I mean, the two candidates, Paladino and Cuomo, barely even mentioned each other in the debate.
There was no contrast of a vision. And so as a result, I mean, right now, in the polls, Cuomo is beating Paladino almost two to one, but this debate symbolize the sense that even with the state in huge financial trouble, with enormous challenges ahead, it's not a serious debate about the issues. CHETRY: Yes, and you brought up the polls. It's anywhere from 18 to 35 points that Andrew Cuomo is pulling ahead of Carl Paladino. So, what does it say that, you know, one of the biggest states in the union, you basically have no contest. No real contest between the two parties for the governor. I mean, is there buyer's remorse on the part of the GOP?
AVLON: There should be. And the GOP should look very carefully the process and close parties in primaries because it's what enabled Carl Paladino to be their standard. And a lot of Republicans are embarrassed, because there's a great Republican tradition in New York State going back to Teddy Roosevelt where this party has put forward very credible candidates.
This is not one of them. And, so you got a situation of the state in fiscal crisis facing an $8 billion budget deficit next year. It's effectively functioning as a one-party state on the top of the ticket and with political debates dominated by fringe candidates with no serious alternatives. That puts citizens at a real disadvantage.
CHETRY: You brought up the issue of the closed partisan primary. From what you've observed, do states that allow for open primaries allowing independents and others to cross party lines end up with candidates that run better in the general election?
AVLON: Yes, if you open the process, because you level the playing field, you're less likely to have the party's primary nomination hijacked by its most extreme activist elements. Look, we've seen this process all over the country this year. This is, for example, how Christine O'Donnell was able to beat Mike Castle. That close partisan primary didn't represent all the voters of Delaware, but it did enable her to win the party's nomination.
And again, in Delaware, rather than having a robust contest, it seems to be a runaway election. So, it's one of the many, I think, national lessons you can take from the province in New York today. And again, this is a state that is facing huge problems. And what happens in New York doesn't stay in New York.
CHETRY: Right.
AVLON: Our budget issues affect other state's budget issues and near (ph) other state's budget issues. So, when you have a lack of really credible candidates, for all of the laughs and distractions on stage, it gets in the way of real choice and real solutions and that's sad for the state of New York.
CHETRY: On the larger issue of the tea party dominance that we've seen. We talk about it a lot and people say what exactly is it? When we talked to Amy Kramer yesterday, who's the chair of the tea party express, she said it's about fiscal responsibility. So, why is it that most of the tea party, at least many of the tea party candidates, have become mired in these culturally conservative issues from gay marriage to, you know, talk of evolution versus creationism?
AVLON: That is a great question, because the core credibility of the two-party movement is in this libertarian rhetoric that has caused a lot of people to rally around it, on saying, focusing on fiscal issued, the deficit, out of control spending, issues that really help the tea party bridge to independent voters outside their base.
But there's a cultural conservatism, the conservative populous movement that keeps rearing up and being divisive, whether it's intentionally cultural wedge issue divisions like Carl Paladino throwing, you know, gay rights into the debate last week or whether it's stuff that's just bubbling up because these candidates don't represent a mainstream view when it comes to social issues.
They haven't been vetted in many cases by the populous at large. So, you have the media doing the vetting late in the game providing more and more distractions and less and less substance for voters.
CHETRY: We'll have to see two weeks out. Have us all ends up. John Avlon, great to talk to you as always. Thank you for coming in.
AVLON: Thank you.
CHETRY: John.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Kiran.
Still to come this morning, disorder in the court. Have a look at this. We'll tell you what was behind this courtroom brawl.
And as far as the weather goes, wow, not so great. Parts of the northeast, the mid Atlantic getting soaked this morning. Rob's got this morning's travel forecast right after the break. It's ten minutes until the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Welcome back. I'm Rob Marciano reporting to you live from the shores of Lake Pontchartrainin in New Orleans. Here's your weather update. I want to start off with what's going on overseas. Megi once a super typhoon now with winds of 115 miles an hour and reemerging into the South China Sea. This slammed into the Northern Philippines, 11 fatalities, and they'll be recovering for weeks after this one.
And the track of this is going to bring it toward Hong Kong. So, threat not over for sure to that highly populated area. Other than closer to home is at the Western Caribbean, watching an area of disturbed weather, and this time of year, this is the spot to develop it, and it's drifting northward towards the Yucatan Channel. So that, we're certainly watching very carefully. And across the northeast, some rainfall from New York to Philly back through D.C. most of it light.
And some showers and thunderstorms also, by the way, across parts of the Corn Belt and the heartland from Oklahoma back towards Ft. Smith. Some of those might become severe later on today. North of that front. It's cool south on the one side. You're up to date weather wise. More live reports from Louisiana throughout the morning. AMERICAN MORNING is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's coming up now in three minutes to the top of the hour. New this morning. Wait until you see this. Chaos in an Oregon courtroom unfolds as a rape suspect comes face to face with his accuser. Surveillance camera captured the scene as the suspect became upset during testimony, started yelling at his accuser, and flips over a table. It eventually took three officers to subdue the man. So, maybe he'll have some extra charges put on to what he's already facing.
CHETRY: Man, that's awful.
A family in Georgia getting a jolt after opening their $1 billion electric bill.
ROBERTS: You can't say that unless you've got your pinky in the corner of your mouth there.
CHETRY: (INAUDIBLE). I mean, it hadn't even fit. The halls say that they're used to high utility bills, but nothing like this. It was a mistake, of course. And after calling Cobb Energy, their bill was brought down to a more reasonable $287 million -- no, just kidding, $287.
ROBERTS: $287 million will be a substantial reduction, too. High energy prices in Cobb, there's a lot of people in Atlanta complaining about high water prices, as well. Something strange going on there.
"Glee's" upcoming rocky, horror picture show episode could lead the show's creator a picture film. According to deadline.com, Ryan Murphy has met with Fox movies bosses about directing the remake of the 1975 Cult classic. It originally starred Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Meatloaf. "Glee's" rocky horror show episode airs next week just in time for Halloween. And then at midnight on Halloween, you can go catch the showing to the rocky horror pictures.
CHETRY: That's always a fun night from what I've heard. I've never actually gone.
ROBERTS: You should because you're in a Halloween. I'm amazed that you haven't sort of followed through on that tradition.
CHETRY: Of going to the rocky horror picture show at midnight?
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: On this shift? We don't stay up until midnight.
ROBERTS: Get up early. Whatever. Don't forget, though, Halloween's on a Sunday. So, that means Saturday midnight. You're open. You're free.
Top stories coming your way right after the break. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
