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CNN Sunday Morning

Two Million Without Power; Heavy Snow from Maryland to Massachusetts; Protesters Close Ranks for Snowstorm; Little Girls Named "Unwanted"

Aired October 30, 2011 - 08:00   ET

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

ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's Sunday, October 30th. Halloween eve.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. T.J. Holmes is off.

Three people are dead, 2 million without power --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: -- in the "Occupy Wall Street" protests. We'll get a live report from Zuccotti Park.

But we begin with what some in the region are calling snowtober. Right now, 2 million people are without power. Four states have declared emergencies -- New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Officials predicted the downed trees were going to be a major problem.

And they were right. Take a look. The storm is being blamed for three deaths so far. A man in Pennsylvania was killed when a snow- covered tree fell into his house. Two others died in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

People in Connecticut have lost power there. They're being told it will be a while before it comes back. The governor says they've been waiting for road conditions to improve before sending out repair crews.

We're covering all angles of the major storm. Our Chad Myers is on the ground in Pennsylvania where there are massive power outages and our Alexandra Steele is in the severe weather center with more on the snowstorm and what travelers can expect today.

Let's start in Pennsylvania -- socked by the snow. Our Chad Myers is in York this morning.

Hey, Chad, good morning. Just how bad is it where you are now?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.

It depends on where you are. This is almost an elevation issue but also did your road get salted issue. The road behind me, Mount Zion Road, doing very well, people getting traction. It looks a little shiny over here but that shine is actually melted because of the salt they put on it.

Up on the hill over here, the trees are not as bare as they are here. All the leaves on the trees back there on a ridge, they all have significant amounts of snow. We've been watching these limbs crack this morning, bringing more power lines down.

Now, if you didn't treat your roadway -- or your roadway didn't get treated, it's going to look a little bit like the parking lot we've been standing in for most of the morning. That is one sheet of ice. I'm telling you, you need a Zamboni to fix that, something that fixes the ice in a hockey rink that is so slick out there, it's pretty much unbelievable.

Something else, too, when the sun's coming up, it's going to warm the temperature. Even though it's 28 right now, it will warm to about 35. All of this stuff that's on the road will begin to spray on your windshield in front of you, all these tires will spray this into your windshield. And if you don't have that little blew or green colored liquid in your washer fluid, it's just going to be one mushy mess as you try to push that muck back and forth.

So, make sure that that reservoir is full of that blue or green stuff that's good enough to be under 32. Don't just dump water in it because that is just going to freeze as you spray it on your windshield -- Alina.

CHO: So, Chad, just how are people coping? This is not good news and I know that a lot of people are in hotels and people who, frankly, can't afford to be there.

MYERS: Well, that's what we found at our hotel last night. Even when we were coming back, we came back from our live shot at 10:30 last night. There were people in line trying to check in. And ladies were saying, you know, we have a couple of rooms left but we didn't anticipate anything like this.

This morning we were empty. No one was here. The CNN crew was here and then all of a sudden now every room in the hotel room filled up, you know, somewhere between 99 and 150 bucks. Then you have to pay for some food outside, family of four -- this may have already cost them $200 to $300 just for one night without power.

And now, power companies are saying it may be 10 days. Well, let's do that multiplication, $200 times 10, because now you're talking about a $2,000 bill because your house doesn't have power. And when people can't afford to, you know, to even buy gasoline, $2,000 is not something they expected. It's going to be a little bit of a hardship on some of the people here.

CHO: Yes, it most certainly is. All right. Chad Myers, thank you very much.

We want to get more on just where the storm hit. Meteorologist Alexandra Steele has a look at that.

Hey, Alexandra. So, the Berkshires got socked pretty bad, didn't they?

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, that was certainly ground zero for this, no question about it. Where Chad was, that's where the heaviest snow was up until that point. Then we saw this area of low pressure develop and really bomb out as we say meteorologically, right off the Delmarva Peninsula, and then robust even thunder snow.

Did you hear it? Did you see it? It's really quite rare and we did have this. Thus we have some totals.

Record breaking totals in the Northeast not only for the day but for the month of October. Hartford, 12.3 inches, since records were kept, shattering the old record of 1.7. So, nominal.

And in Newark, New Jersey, 5.2 breaking old records.

Central Park, records being kept back from the 1800s, never have they ever had one inch of snow in Central Park in October in New York. So, it's quite rare.

Philadelphia, three-tenths.

So, let's look at what else we saw and where it is now. Of course that area of low pressure really moved up the coast quite rapidly. I mean, it was quite a 23, 24, 25, 26 hours, it was amazing.

Here is where it is now. We're going to watch right now this morning, we are seeing a few flurries in Maine, from Bangor to Portland, but that will all move out. The area of low pressure will continue to scoot away.

Behind it some pretty brisk northwesterly winds. So, although temperatures will warm up into the 40s with these cold northwesterly winds, it will feel a lot chillier, only in the 20s and low 30s.

So, we'll talk about the forecast for the rest of the country and also talk about thunder snow, what it is? How did it happen? That's all coming up -- Alina.

CHO: Yes, I was surprised to learn what it is. So, we'll wait for that. All right. Alexandra, thanks.

Now, yesterday's snowstorm didn't dampen the spirit of those "Occupy Wall Street" protesters. Remember, Zuccotti Park in Manhattan is where it all started. And that's where we find our Susan Candiotti, live for us hits morning.

Hey, Susan.

You know, the conditions are much better. So, how are protesters holding up out there?

CANDIOTTI: Well, Alina, they made it through the night. Temperatures are still in the 30s, but the snow and the rain and the sleet are gone. Now, after the city yanked those generators and propane tanks saying they were unsafe, protesters had to do the best they could to brave miserable conditions.

Here's a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PROTESTER: No rain, no snow, ain't no way we're going to go.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Despite the conditions, the chant is, "In the snow, in the street, occupy Wall Street." They're still marching in this sleet. It's rough out here.

You've spent the night here?

ALEC COURTNEY, OCCUPY WALL STREET DEMONSTRATOR: Yes, I've been here 20 days.

CANDIOTTI: What was it like all night?

COURTNEY: It was freezing cold all night. Terrible.

CANDIOTTI: How did you manage to stay warm?

COURTNEY: Just kind of huddled together and just try to keep our body heat together and stay warm that way.

CANDIOTTI: The obvious question is, how can you bear this?

COURTNEY: I don't know. It's just for the cause, I suppose.

CANDIOTTI: How long do you think you can stand these conditions?

COURTNEY: Until something gets resolved in Washington.

CANDIOTTI: But who knows when that's going to be?

COURTNEY: That's true.

CANDIOTTI: It could be a long know hard winter.

COURTNEY: It could be a long, hard winter. That's correct.

CANDIOTTI: Walking through the park here, it is filled with tents. Over here, you've got the place that's always had everyone serving food. They've got -- some fresh fruit coming in here. You've got a shipment of bananas that just came in, to hand out to people.

Is this your tent?

MESIAH HAMEED, OCCUPY WALL STREET DEMONSTRATOR: Yes.

CANDIOTTI: Can you show us?

HAMEED: Everything is folded up. You're more than welcome to come in.

You're prepared to stick this out through the winter.

HAMEED: Yes.

CANDIOTTI: Why?

UNIDENNTIFIED FEMALE: It's worth it. I'm so passionate. It's worth it. It's worth. I'm ready to see change.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: Of course, what they really can't change or do anything about is the weather. Volunteer medics tell us that they treated at least ten people for hypothermia but the one thing these protesters tell us time and again is that they won't let bad weather force them out of this protest and this movement -- Alina.

CHO: Susan Candiotti, thank you very much.

Confrontations between "Occupy" protesters and police are becoming more frequent and more violent.

Demonstrators marched yesterday in Oakland, California -- a much larger turnout than in previous days. And some say Scott Olsen is the reason. You'll remember he's the Iraq war veteran who suffered a skull fracture on Tuesday after allegedly being struck by a tear gas canister in a face-off with police.

In Denver, it got pretty ugly in front of the state capital yesterday. That's a look at what it looked like. Police used pepper spray on protesters who wanted to camp there. A total of 20 were arrested.

One unidentified witness describes how it all went down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only thing that happened is they asked us to take a tent down. Some kid was standing too close to him. They just started attacking everybody, spraying people with mace, arresting them. We did nothing. This is supposed to be a peaceful protest and they're attacking us like we're in a third world country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: Denver police defend the officers' actions saying one police officer got pushed off a horse and two more were kicked by protesters.

A college football player sidelined with a devastating spinal injury may never play the game again, but on Saturday, he led his team back on to the field. His inspiring story is next in sports.

But, first, traditionally, California has been on the cutting edge of being green. But did you know it's no longer the country's most energy-efficient state? After four years, there's a new number one in energy efficiency.

Can you guess the state at the top of the list? We'll tell you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Welcome back.

We asked you what state replaced California as the most energy efficient state this year. Well, it's Massachusetts at the number one spot. This according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. California actually dropped to number two, followed by New York, and Oregon.

Miserable weather in New Jersey, but it didn't matter as Rutgers University, it was a big deal yesterday. Applause and cheers, deafening as the team's former defensive tackle Eric LeGrand, who is paralyzed from the neck-down, basically led his team on to the field. It is the first time he's been back on that field and it was really an emotional time, wasn't it?

JOE CARTER, HLN SPORTS: Yes, you said it right -- emotional, inspiring, considering everything that this young man has gone through in the last year. I mean, last October, Eric LeGrand's life changed in a split second. He broke his neck during a game against Army, who was left paralyzed in the neck down.

Yesterday, as you see, there he is riding in a motorized wheelchair wearing his number 52. He led the team out of the tunnel and on to the field. The stadium because of the weather was about half-full, but those that were there held up signs and said "believe," they were chanting "52," "52," and as I said, inspiring considering all this man's been through.

Doctors told him he would have a 5 percent chance of walking again. He's now standing for 40 minutes at a time in therapy and he says he will walk again.

CHO: That is amazing. That is -- and let's hope that that happens. Meanwhile, Joe Paterno -- I got it right when we were talking in the break -- Penn State coach, winningest coach now, right?

CARTER: You know, he's had so many milestones in his career. He's so legendary. He's 84 years young.

CHO: Hey, 84.

CARTER: He's coaching from the press box now for a number of reasons but, yes, yesterday, he earned win 409 which means he passes the great Eddie Robinson, to become the winningest coach in division 1 football. His team didn't actually score a touchdown until the last minute and then they avoided going into overtime because Illinois couldn't kick that 52-yard field goal between the uprights. It was an ugly game but it was a win, and one that will forever be recorded into the record books.

CHO: Wow, that's amazing, and a big parade in St. Louis today, right?

(CROSSTALK)

CHO: What time is the parade today?

CARTER: Four p.m. St. Louis time. It's going to be through the downtown streets of St. Louis, and it will end at the Busch Stadium. You're going to have the iconic Clydesdale horses leading the team through the parade.

CHO: Wow.

CARTER: Of course, have your digital camera, folks. It's going to be at 4:00 p.m.

CHO: The Budweiser horses.

CARTER: Yes, the Budweiser horses, yes.

CHO: Exactly.

CARTER: But yes, it's going to be today. Lots of confetti, lots of pictures. It should be a good time for St. Louis fans.

CHO: All right. Joe Carter, I look forward to that. Great to see you.

What's in a name? For hundreds of girls, literally named unwanted, it's everything. And now, they get a chance to start over again. We'll tell you where it's happening, what it's all about -- ahead in our "Morning Passport."

And you've heard a lot about corporate greed and CEO salaries later from those "Occupy Wall Street" protesters. So how much money do you think Fortune 500 corporate board directors made last year -- $154 an hour, $313, Or $934? We'll have the answer for you in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Before the break, we asked you how much money is Fortune 500 board of directors made per hour last year. Was it $154 per hour, $313, or $934! The answer may not surprise a lot of you. It's C, $934 per hour. That's right, per hour. That's more than $8.1 million a year.

Checking stories cross-country:

From south Florida, here's something you don't see every day. Look closely -- a state trooper in a high-speed pursuit of a police officer. This happened three weeks ago on the Florida turnpike.

After a 12-mile chase, state trooper D.J. Watts arrested Miami police officer Fausto Lopez at gunpoint. What happened? Well, the Miami cop was allegedly driving up to 120 miles per hour so he could get to his off-duty job. Not smart. He's charged with second degree reckless driving.

Daredevil motorcyclist Robbie Knievel, mission accomplished, after making a near 200-foot jump of 10 cars last night in Coachella, California. Knievel is the 49-year-old son of jumping legend Evel Knievel. He said afterward he was a bit surprised by the rough landing but otherwise doing OK.

Back to south Florida now for an adventure in spelling. It looks like whoever painted the road here needs to go back to "scohol," or better known as school. It happened in front of an elementary school or scohol if you prefer.

The county soon fixed the problem when it was brought to their attention. Oh, my goodness gracious.

Nadia Bilchik joins us again for "Morning Passport" -- in something that's happening in India, where in some circles, they are naming their girls "unwanted," literally, the meaning is unwanted.

NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: The name "Nakusha" or "Nakushi" means unwanted.

And last weekend, Alina, was a beautiful weekend for around 285 girls in the Satara region in India because they got to go from being known as "unwanted" to choosing a name of their own.

And there are so many beautiful stories. One 15-year-old girl says how her grandfather called her unwanted because in this society, he wanted a boy -- a boy because then he didn't have to worry about marrying of daughters. Also, having a boy child allows them to light the funeral fire.

So, here you have a ceremony and there you're seeing the little girls who get to choose their names. And this 15-year-old girl says she chooses Ashmita, which means "very tough." Some of the girls want to be called "Aishwarya" of named after Aishwarya Rai, the very famous Bollywood actress. She is so beautiful.

But can you imagine growing up until 13, 14, 15 with the name "unwanted"?

CHO: It's awful.

BILCHIK: Now, it's very interesting because, of course, this is not all of India. India has banned sex selective abortions. So, when you go for an ultrasound in an Indian hospital, they're not supposed to tell you.

But you know what happened with sophisticated ultra sounds. You can often tell anyway. And the gender gap in this particular region is wide. For the average Indian, you have throughout India, around 900 or so girls for every 1,000 boys. But in this particular region, there are around 800 or so. So, big gender gap and trying to bridge that gender gap.

But certainly, this was a particularly beautiful ceremony and you think about the meaning of a name. And I looked up your name, Alina. And Alina is actually noble, kind and bearer of light.

CHO: I love that. And you know what? Thank you for doing that because I never knew that until now. You have to email that so I don't forget.

BILCHIK: Well, what's in a name? I looked up mine as well. Nadia is Russian. It means hope.

But a naming ceremony, we take for granted that we like our names or we have a name and we're known, but these 285 girls in India got to be called the name they would like. But I do want to mention --

CHO: Let's hope by bringing this to light that hopefully it will change in those circles.

BILCHIK: Yes, please, not to think that all Indians -- Hindus often revere their daughters, many of the goddesses are female. So, a hopeful day in India.

CHO: Yes, let's hope so. Nadia Bilchik, thank you very much.

Looks like winter couldn't get here fast enough. And after yesterday's freak snowstorm, lots of people in the Northeast aren't going anywhere fast. We'll have an update on the travel delay picture, next.

But, first, a lot of folks are visiting haunted houses this weekend. Hauntworld.com has released its list of this year's scariest ones around. So, we do want to ask you, what is the scariest haunted house in America?

Is it the Netherworld haunted house in Atlanta, the Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride and Pennhurst Asylum haunted attraction in Philadelphia? Boy, that's a mouthful. Thirteenth Gate haunted house in Baton Rouge, Louisiana? Or is it the House of Torment haunted house in Austin, Texas?

Stick around to find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Before the break, we asked you: what is the scariest haunted house in America?

Well, according to hauntworld.com -- it is B, the Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride and Pennhurst Asylum haunted attraction in Philadelphia. The hayride is located in a 200-year-old forest. Also, the Pennhurst asylum is located in a 100-year-old abandoned mental institute.

CNN iReporters have been documenting the Northeast October snowstorm. Take a look. This iReporter snapped a photo of a snow- covered car near his home in Putnam County, New York. Wow, that's something you don't want to see any time, much less before Halloween.

And this iReporter got this picture of a downed tree near his home in Denville, New Jersey. It's not what the trees supposed to look like. He says there's a lot of downed trees on the street. He grabbed a power saw and tried to cut his way out.

Going nowhere fast, those are the travel plans for lots of people who got caught up in yesterday's freak nor'easter.

Meteorologist Alexandra Steele has more on the flight delays throughout the northeastern U.S. this morning.

This is something, obviously, I'm watching very closely because I'm trying to get back up to New York later today. So, Alexandra, what's it looking like out there?

STEELE: You and so many. Kind of paralyzed a lot of people of course, in the Northeast, especially in western Massachusetts and Connecticut. Why? It was an historic storm on so many fronts. No pun intended -- in terms of snowfall totals for the day, for the month.

Of course, Hartford coming in with 12.3, shattering old records. Newark, New Jersey. Central Park -- in Central Park, there has never been since records have been kept since the 1800s, one inch of snow in October and almost three. Philadelphia as well.

So, again, over 2 million without power, of course, in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Already, three storm-related deaths.

Airline flights -- I've been reading on these blogs and hearing and seeing these airline passengers that have tweeted, these JetBlue flights yesterday from Ft. Lauderdale going to Newark, taking off -- instead of going to Newark were moved to Bradley at Hartford, at Hartford Airport, on the tarmac seven hours. Of course, everyone can treat and take pictures and talk about how ugly it's gotten. Right now, though, I'll talk about the FAA -- no delays as of yet this morning.

Treacherous road conditions -- just reading that the governor of Connecticut saying only emergency vehicles will be allowed on the Wilbur Cross and also the Merritt. You know the Merritt, tree line, of course, a heavy, wet snow. Power lines are coming down. So, again, that's from the governor in Connecticut today. Again, branches -- certainly, those have been the biggest problems.

In terms of flight delays, we have none again right on the docket right now, but the expectations today, of course. Boston, Hartford -- all those big hubs that were impacted. Of course, all the airports around New York City. And also in south Florida. Hey, chain of vein here -- Orlando, Miami and Tampa, pretty stormy. Showers and thunderstorms today certainly could slow you down there.

We'll have more on the forecast and how it looks for the rest of the country -- and is this over? That's all coming up in just a bit.

CHO: All right. Alexandra, thank you very much.

Well, kids always seem to know which houses give out the best candy on Halloween, don't they? But did you know that the candy you give out says something about the kind of person you are?

According to Gawker.com, if you give out sweet tarts or anything that isn't chocolate, you're into Halloween and you want folks to think, well, you're a little bit wacky, maybe a little bit crazy.

How about candy corn? Gawker.com says you're way to into Halloween. Not very smart. Why? Because it gets all sticky and clumps at the bottom of the trick-or-treat bag.

Tootsie rolls 00 simple, classic, probably very cool, maybe even stylish.

If you give out those full-sized candy bags, not just he mini ones you can buy at the store in bags, Gawker.com says you are an annoying showoff who needs everyone's approval.

To many, Halloween is all about those jack-o'-lanterns and trick- or-treating. But some think the holiday is rooted in evil and have come up with their own alternatives. Find out more next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Thirty-one minutes after the hour. Welcome back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm Alina Cho. T.J. Holmes is off.

Checking our "Top Stories" -- at least 21 people in Syria have been killed in clashes between security forces and government protesters. In a recent interview with a British newspaper, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad admits making mistakes but he's also warning the West to stay out of his country's business.

We are learning more about the suicide attack in central Kabul, Afghanistan that we first told you about yesterday. At least 17 people were killed. "The New York Times" is reporting that four U.S. troops are among the dead. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.

And Thailand is struggling with the worst flooding in more than 60 years. Nearly 400 people have died. Right now more than 100,000 people are in about 1,700 shelters.

In our "Faces of Faith", Halloween is coming up tomorrow night, though I'm sure some of you have already seen some trick-or-treaters or gone to a Halloween party or two. But there are some who think the day is rooted in evil, or at least that's what it has become in modern times. And to that end, churches across the country are hosting special festivals and events as an alternative to Halloween.

Joining me now is Brent Strawn. He's the associate professor of the Old Testament at Emory University -- Emory University School of Theology. Brent thank you for joining us; you know it's interesting because you think of Halloween, you think of it as a harmless holiday and that every kid in America wants to celebrate this.

Are there actually people in America who say, no way, let's do something else? BRENT STRAWN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF OLD TESTAMENT, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Really definitely, there are. And there is some strong backlash against Halloween and it's typically for religious reasons.

CHO: And talk about why.

STRAWN: Well, it seems to be related to the roots of Halloween and the roots of Halloween are complicated. There is a Christian relationship of the celebration, Halloween comes from the name All Hallows' Eve and that's related to all Saints Day.

CHO: Right.

STRAWN: "Hallow" being a word for saint, and celebrated by the Christian church on November 1st. So Halloween is All Hallows' Eve the evening before. But the date of that particular Christian celebration was moved in the 8th century from May to November. And it seems when it was moved from November it was particularly as a replacement or an alternative to a pre-Christian holiday celebrated by pre-Christian Celts in Western Europe. And so that holiday does have some obviously pre-Christian or pagan roots.

CHO: And so just to be clear, what is it that they are so mad about that they don't want to celebrate this?

STRAWN: It's mostly I think the spookiness of the holiday; its association with evil, with spirits, with the dead. But again that, even the association with the dead is rooted in the All Saints' Day which is a celebration of all the martyrs and saints who have died before.

CHO: Let's talk about some of the alternatives to Halloween. I hope they include candy, by the way.

STRAWN: Yes.

CHO: Hallelujah-ween. Jesus-ween. Neewollah' celebration and that is Halloween spelled backwards.

(CROSSTALK)

STRAWN: Spelled backwards.

CHO: So what do these festivals and events entail?

STRAWN: Well, they -- they basically entail the same sort of thing, maybe dressing up not in scary costumes.

CHO: Oh ok.

STRAWN: And then the distribution of candy in a safe environment for people for their families, for kids and also as a sort of outreach to people in their communities.

CHO: Well, I appreciate this. This is something I was not very familiar about but thank you for bringing it into focus for us. STRAWN: Yes, my pleasure.

CHO: Great to see you.

STRAWN: My pleasure.

CHO: And if you'd like to read more about the debate over Halloween, go to our belief blog at cnn.com/belief. You can also share your thoughts and post them there.

Battleground Iowa: potential voters are picking their favorites with a few surprises for the Republican presidential candidates. We're going to check out the results of a new poll.

But first, "The State of the Internet" quarterly report was recently released by a technology group, a company that collects global data about Internet use. And one of the things they looked at in the report is the world's fastest and slowest Internet connections.

Now here at the top five fastest: Latvia at number five, the Netherlands is fourth, third on the list is Japan as you see there, Hong Kong takes the number two spot and the country with the fastest Internet is South Korea which is my homeland.

By the way, the United States was number 12 on the list. And after the break we're going to check out the fastest U.S. states.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Welcome back.

"The State of the Internet" quarterly report was released recently by a tech group that collects global data about Internet use. Now one of the things they look at is the world's fastest and slowest Internet connections by country; the U.S. came in 12th globally

So we want to look now at the U.S. state rankings. Vermont at number five, Utah number four, third on the list -- Washington, D.C., Delaware takes the number two spot, and the state with the fastest Internet in the country -- Rhode Island.

"STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley coming up at the top of the hour; Candy is joining me live from Washington.

So Candy, senior White House advisor, David Axelrod is joining you today to talk about the new White House message, "We can't wait" it's no longer "Yes we can" it's "We can't wait" now. Right?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Right. It's a continuation of what they've been telling us now for months that they were going to do which is to run against Congress, so it's "We can't wait for Congress to do stuff. So I'm going to do everything I can through administrative tools going through the rules and regulations to try to help this economy."

Most economists that we've talk to throughout the week have said this is going to -- you know, something is better than nothing but in terms of a 9.1 percent unemployment rate, the number of home mortgages that are going under, the number of people that have underwater mortgages, that kind of thing, it's a pretty miniscule dent that these things will make.

But politically obviously what the White House is hoping is that voters will see a President who's trying to do something and a Congress -- read that "Republicans" -- that's blocking him.

CHO: That's right; a proactive President.

You also have Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul joining you today. He's got money to spend. He certainly spent some of it in Iowa yesterday. Problem is, not a lot of the other candidates showed up but it worked in his favor. Didn't it?

CROWLEY: It did. It did. He's very good at winning straw polls. Let's say I think we added it all up, he's probably won more straw polls than any of the other candidates. So the problem is can you translate that into a victory somewhere. Pretty soon about two months from now we're going to go into the Iowa caucuses and things are going to start to be weeded out. Candidates are going to have to drop because they can't get money to go further.

The thing that really fuels Ron Paul is that he has a very stable, very energetic base of supporters. They are people willing to give him money; and money, of course, helps your effort to kind of wear out the calendar and go forward. He's put out an economic plan that is really interesting that calls for closing down four or five departments. I mean, he has always marched to his own drummer, always an interesting interview.

CHO: That's right. I can't wait to see it.

You know Candy, I can't believe -- I still recall being in Grant Park on the night that President Obama won. I mean it makes your head spin that we're -- we're back here again talking about this. But I guess it never really stops, does it?

CROWLEY: It's true -- it's absolutely true.

CHO: Keep going. All right, Candy.

CROWLEY: Yes.

CHO: We look forward to seeing you at the top of the hour. And keep it right here for CNN "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley starts in about 19 minutes time, 9:00 a.m. Eastern, Time, 6:00 a.m. Pacific, right here on CNN.

More politics now and a dead heat in the first presidential caucus state. A new poll from a Des Moines register shows that Iowa voters are leaning towards Herman Cain and Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination.

Now, Cain does holds a slight one percent lead in that poll but it's well within the margin of error. The Iowa caucuses are set for January 3rd. And more now on what Candy and I were just talking about, Ron Paul. Well, he did ok in that "Register" poll but he really excelled in the straw poll of likely Iowa voters and that's because he showed up. He got 82 percent in the National Federation of Republican Assemblies Presidential Straw Poll. Herman Cain was second at 15 percent. Paul and Rick Santorum though were the only candidates who showed up in Des Moines on Saturday.

The weekend polls are just part of the story in Iowa, of course. CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser takes a look at the week ahead in politics.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey good morning, Alina.

You know most of the Republican presidential candidates will spend much of this week in Iowa, the first state to vote in the primary and caucus calendar. On tap, a forum moderated by Iowa's Republican Governor on Tuesday and a GOP party dinner on Friday night.

The next day, two of the candidates, former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich they face off in a debate in Texas organized by a Tea Party group -- Alina.

CHO: Paul Steinhauser, thank you very much.

Children are headed out this weekend begging for candy. But if you're worried about your child's safety this Halloween, we've got some peace of mind for you and it is as easy as getting on your Smartphone. We'll explain after a break.

But first, for some it's all about getting the candy. For others, dressing up is the best part of Halloween. So which costumes are the most popular this year? Here are the top five for adults according to the National Retail Federation, the kid and all of us, that is. Five, Batman. Four, Zombie. Three, Vampire. Number two, Pirates, and the number one costume for adults -- witch.

After the break we'll have the top costumes for your pets.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Before the break we showed you the five most popular Halloween costumes for adults. Well, now we have the top five costumes for pets according to the National Retail Federation. At number five -- cat; number four, bee; number three, my personal favorite -- hot dog; number two, devil; and the top costume for pets -- pumpkin. The National Retail Federation says Americans are spending -- get this -- more than $300 million on pet costumes this Halloween.

Checking stories cross-country:

Take a look at teeth marks on this surfboard. 27-year-old Brandon McKibbin says he was paddling for shore when friends spotted a great white shark. McKibbin was bitten in the arm and the neck and experts believe the shark was 20 feet in length.

To Texas now, dash-cam video of a Montgomery County police officer chasing a robbery suspect. The officer was able to stop the suspect by hitting the side of his rear bumper. The suspect had been jailed on charges of aggravated robbery and resisting arrest.

And this weekend in Spokane, Washington, it is the 47th annual ski swap. The Mt. Spokane ski patrol manages the event. It's the region's largest winter sports equipment and clothing event. That's my home state.

Keep your little ghouls and goblins safe as they go trick-or- treating this Halloween. Would you believe there's an app for that? Tech guru Daniel Sieberg has some quick and easy tips.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL SIEBERG, TECHNOLOGY ANALYST: Let's talk first about New York State which has a Facebook app that allows you to look up registered sex offenders by typing in your zip code. This is a relatively new product that they've put out but not the first time you can do this sort of thing.

On a national level you can actually go to nsopw.gov -- that's the National Sex Offender Public Web site -- and do a similar thing. Type in your zip code and find out who might be living in your neighborhood. Now the information varies depending on your jurisdiction. Not every state releases the same type of information. It may not be as up to date as you would like but at least it is an option for parents knowing you're going to be in a particular neighborhood.

An interesting app here, this is called "Trick or Tracker". This is for Android phones. The idea is you've got two Android phones, one for your child and one for the adult. You use a PIN code to sort of connect those phones so only those two phones can talk to each other. And you can track where your child goes in a particular neighborhood and see it on a map in real time.

CHO: I love this app.

SIEBERG: You can even set a particular neighborhood -- yes, you can set a particular area where they can't go out of and it will send you a text message to tell you they've wandered off somewhere. You can even get it to send you a text message every 15 minutes just to watch where they are.

A lot of kids these days do have Smartphones, especially teenagers when maybe the parents aren't with them. So this is just a little bit of peace of mind. It is about $5 but it is free through Halloween.

CHO: Well that's nice. That's a nice little promotion. Probably well worth it for "Trick or Tracker".

All right. Let's talk the fun now. There are lots of good apps out there to help you with costumes, with pumpkin design. What have you got there?

SIEBERG: Yes. There's all sorts of things; themes, wallpapers for your Smartphones. This one in particular is all about finding the best costume for your child. This is a dilemma for my wife and I at the moment; we still don't know what our daughter's going to wear. She's not quite a year.

But you can you see a whole list of different costumes here. Once you decide -- maybe you want to check one out -- you can e-mail the choice to a friend or family member, maybe to get their opinion on it. You can even order it right there on the Web site. They do say that it is guaranteed delivery by Monday which would be critical to have your Halloween costume, but lots of choices there. Just a fun way to sort of see what might work for your child.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: Great talking to Daniel Sieberg.

If Halloween isn't scary enough, motor club AAA has uncovered a frightening statistic. Halloween is actually the deadliest night of the year for pedestrians. So how do you make the roads safe for this Halloween? AAA says watch out for kids, avoid neighborhood shortcuts, slow down, sober up and buckle up.

Trick-or-treat with your kids if they're under the age of 12. Check costumes to make sure your kids can see out of them and be seen. And you might want to add a little bit of reflecting tape just in case.

One man, 39 wives and close to 100 children. It is the world's largest family. We'll introduce you to them when we come back

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley coming up at the top of the hour, but first, a quick check of the morning's headlines.

Checking top stories: snow, sleet and rain making it really tough for those protesters with the Occupy Wall Street movement. A CNN iReporter -reporter sent us these pictures of snow-covered tents in Lower Manhattan. Protesters say the bad weather has not dampened their resolve.

In Sydney, Australia, tens of thousands of passengers are stranded after the Australian airline Qantas grounded its entire fleet; the drastic action the result of a bitter dispute with workers over pay and a possible outsourcing of jobs.

At the White House, a Halloween treat for the eyes, take a look at that. The President and Mrs. Obama themselves welcomed children with candy and a special treat. How about this for a souvenir? Signature boxes of White House M&M's.

Well, the growing world population is about to hit a major milestone tomorrow -- 7 billion people. And India's catching up to China as the world's most populous country. It is also home to the world's largest family.

We have this report from CNN's Sumnima Udas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An army of workers chopping, plucking, roasting. But this is not a military canteen. Everyone here is a wife, child or grandchild of one man, Ziona.

"I am the eldest son," he says.

"My mother is the 26th wife," she says.

Ziona has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren making his family very likely the biggest in the world. All 160 family members live here, a four-story mansion with 22 bedrooms in a tiny village in the northeastern Indian state of Mizoram. The state itself has only one million residents one of the lowest population counts in the country but that may change if 69-year-old Ziona has his way.

"I believe God chose us to be like this. Those who are born into this family they don't want to leave and they follow this tradition so we just keep growing and growing," he says.

This is the nerve center of his household, the outdoor slaughtering and barbecue area. The family indulges in meat three times a week and for every non-vegetarian meal, 30 chickens are plucked and one giant pig is roasted. Add in some carbohydrates, 25 kilos of rice and 40 kilos of potatoes are required for every meal.

Dinner time is an efficient exercise without much fuss. Some women of the house cook while others set the table. Still others clean. And Ziona remains the all-powerful patriarch. He first got married when he was 17.

"I loved him so I married him," she says.

"He treats us all with so much love," she says.

His oldest wife is 70 and the youngest is 31. Ziona's father founded this Christian sect in Baktwang village promoting polygamy as God's will.

"I never wanted to get married but that's the path God has chosen for me," he says. "It is not my wish to keep marrying again and again."

With a following of 400 families, Ziona is now the caretaker of this self-reliant sect. They raise their own livestock and grow their own crops while the children go to a nearby school. Everyone seems to get along.

(on camera): Do you fight among your siblings?

HUMINGTHAMZAUVA, SIXTH GRANDSON: Never.

UDAS: No fighting?

HUMINGTHAMZAUVA: No fighting.

UDAS (voice-over): India is set to overtake China as the world's most populous nation by 2030 but crowding and crumbling infrastructure in India's booming cities doesn't seem to faze Ziona and his family.

(on camera): Does it ever feel crowded?

(voice-over): "Since we're used to living in a very big family, when we go outside we feel very lonely," he says. The family isn't listed in the "Guinness Book of World Records because Ziona says he doesn't want the publicity.

But as word gets out, Baktwang village may not remain so isolated for that much longer.

Sumnima Udas, CNN, Mizoram, India.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Incredible story. Before we send you out to Candy and "State Of The Union", let's get a check of -- one last check of the weather with Alexandra Steele. Hey.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: All right. So the snow is over in Connecticut but the trouble's far from it; 600,000 without power in Connecticut. Just reading a tweet from Connecticut Light and Power saying, "Prepare for the worst, could be a week or two without power, call 211 for shelter information." So we'll talk more about that.

The week ahead, ok the storm is a fait accompli tomorrow. Watch what's going to happen as we head toward Monday into Tuesday. We're going to watch the warming conditions really move Tuesday, highs from the 40s in the northeast where they are today into the 50s, highs from the 50s into the 60s; mid-60s in the southeast. So, temperatures warming up in the eastern third of the country, kind of peaking on Wednesday and into Thursday. Front moves through kind of without a lot of fanfare. Few showers potentially but then snow on Friday.

Have a great day.

CHO: All right, Alexandra. Thank you very much.

And that's a look at the latest news from CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We're so glad you joined us this morning.