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CNN Sunday Morning
Endeavour's Final Journey; Record Skydive Attempt Today; 2nd Presidential Debate on Tuesday; Syria and Turkey On Edge
Aired October 14, 2012 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, this is EARLY START WEEKEND.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it's a once in a lifetime thing to see a space shuttle going down the streets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: An epic journey through the streets of Los Angeles. The shuttle Endeavour heading home, leaving even jaded tinsel town star struck.
The NHL lockout has fans crying in their beer, but soon they may not have any beer to cry in. Why the hockey standoff could start shutting down local businesses.
Breaking the sound barrier without a net. That's what sky diver Felix Baumgartner is expecting to do today. Only CNN will bring it to you live.
It is Sunday, October 14th. Good morning, everyone. So glad you're with us. I'm Randi Kaye.
We start this morning with the shuttle Endeavour's final journey. A slow, very slow ride through the streets of Los Angeles that still is not over. Now, remember, we're used to seeing the shuttle going about 17,000 miles per hour. But the expected two mile per hour ride this weekend may have been too ambitious even for Endeavour. Our John Zarrella has been hanging out along the route watching the shuttle's crawl.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Randi, in place many people waited eight, nine hours for the shuttle to arrive. But when it did, they found it was worth every second.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Endeavour had the road all to itself. A parade of one. In tinsel town, where seeing stars is ho-hum, Endeavour made folks starry-eyed. It and it alone had everyone's attention. Cameras snapped. People looked on in awe as Endeavour came into view. This was the first designated viewing area outside the old Forum Arena where the Los Angeles Lakers once played.
ZARRELLA (on camera): Endeavour was way ahead of schedule at that point, but it wouldn't last. Outside an area mall, the second designated viewing area, some people stood and waited more than eight hours for the shuttle to arrive. And when it did, it was well after dark.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): The most difficult part of the 12 mile journey to the California Science Center was more difficult than expected. Endeavour came within inches of trees. So many people lined the streets, pressing as close as they could get. So many delicate turns had to be made that going was slower than the predicted slow two miles an hour. But, oh, was it worth the wait. This was history. The actor who came with his daughter.
KEITH DAVID, ACTOR: I think it's a pretty amazing event. That's why I'm here with my daughter. Wanted to make sure that she sees it and is a part of it.
ZARRELLA: The young rocket science, she is literally, who came down from San Francisco.
VANESSA KURODA (ph): It's a once in a lifetime thing to see a space shuttle going down the streets. Especially the streets of L.A. So, I had to see it.
ZARRELLA: The woman who runs a preschool and already has her kids booked for a shuttle museum visit.
GWEN CREWS, PRESCHOOL OWNER: I'm so excited that the shuttle is here in Los Angeles. I own a preschool juniversity (ph) in Compton, California. And I wanted to be able to take some of this event back to the children. We have an appointment at Exposition Park on November the 16th to take the entire school.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: All along the route, Endeavour brought out cheers and even some tears because, after all, Endeavour was an amazing flying machine.
Randi.
KAYE: Thank you very much, John.
And while the Endeavour inches along the streets of L.A. If you want to see something moving fast, and I mean really fast, well today is your day. That's because skydiver Felix Baumgartner is expected to make his second attempt at an extreme jump from the edge of space. He'll go so fast, he could actually become the first man to break the sound barrier without the help of a vehicle. Max Foster has more on this record-breaking freefall.
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MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Set to do what no manner has ever done before, jump from a capsule attached to a giant balloon from 120,000 feet where the view looks like this.
FELIX BAUMGARTNER, BASE JUMPER: I'm going to slide the door open, bail out, and I'm going to be the first human person in free fall breaking the speed of sound.
FOSTER: He makes it sound simple enough, but Felix Baumgartner's attempt to jump from the edge of space comes after five years of exhausted testing, development and even a legal hitch.
FOSTER (on camera): What's the biggest challenge here? Why has no one tried it before? And what's the challenge that you've managed to overcome to make it possible?
BAUMGARTNER: It needs a lot of research. It's not just, you lock yourself in a pressure capsule and then you go up. You need a lot of research. You need to find the right people to work with.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Now we're going to get serious. We're going to go into the depressurizer (ph) cabin at 120,000 feet. So hit the dump valve and let's have a ride.
FOSTER (voice-over): Among those on his Red Bull Stratus team, Colonel Joe Kittinger, who holds the 52-year-old record Baumgartner is attempting to break. The former U.S. Air Force test pilot helped develop the NASA astronaut program.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beautiful. Beautiful.
FOSTER: Baumgartner is no stranger to death-defying stunts. He has base jumped from the world's tallest buildings, set the record for the known (ph) such jumping off Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue and completed the first crossing of the English Channel with a specially made fiber wing. But free falling from the edge of space is a whole new ballgame.
FOSTER (on camera): I guess if you can imagine someone diving off a diving board, you have to keep that position, don't you, because it would be very easy to spin out of control.
BAUMGARTNER: So for the first 30 seconds, you cannot use the air. And that requires some really stable exit. That's the reason why we practiced a lot of bungee jumps.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Perfect.
BAUMGARTNER: Just to get the right motion into my mind.
FOSTER: Are you not scared in any way?
BAUMGARTNER: Well, I am scared because you're going up to 120,000 feet, which is a really hostile environment. And no matter how much you have prepared yourself, you never know how it turns out until you do it for real.
(END VIDEOTAPE) KAYE: Well, we wish him luck today. Make sure to stay with CNN for more on today's record-breaking jump. The launch could begin as soon as 8:30 Eastern Time.
To politics now. Both presidential candidates are off the trail today as they get ready for Tuesday's second presidential debate. But while campaigning in Ohio yesterday, Mitt Romney gave a preview of what he'd like to talk about on Tuesday.
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MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'd like to ask why we've gone from 32 million people on food stamps and over the last four years now up to 47 million on food stamps. That's an increase of 15 million people. More than the population of Ohio. How does that happen? And, of course, what he wants to talk about, instead of these people on food stamps, instead of the fact that half the kids coming out of college can't find work or college-level work, now that one out of six Americans is living in poverty, what he wants to talk about is how we can save Big Bird.
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KAYE: Federal spending on food stamps is around 150 times more than spending on PBS. Paul Ryan's budget would cut around $33 billion from the assistance program. But what you may not know is this. Food stamps use is at an all-time high with more than 46 million people in the program. But over the past year, that number has actually been growing at the smallest rate in a decade.
We have some new numbers this morning on that race. This Rocky Mountain poll shows President Obama with a two-point lead over Mitt Romney. What's interesting in these numbers is that only one Democrat has won Arizona in the past 60 years and that was Bill Clinton in 1996.
Both of the vice presidential candidates are back in their home states today. Paul Ryan is in Wisconsin and Vice President Biden is in Delaware. At a fund-raiser in Connecticut yesterday, Biden talked about difference between the candidates. He also offered this assessment saying, quote, "every presidential race always comes down to who the American people think possesses the character and conviction. It will not surprise you on that score. I don't even think it's close between President Obama and Governor Romney."
Let Joe be Joe. That's what President Obama said about Vice President Biden before Thursday's debate and that's exactly what the folks at "Saturday Night Live" had fun with last night.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE, ACTOR, "PAUL RYAN" ON "SNL": Mr. Vice President, I know you're under a lot of duress to make up for lost ground, but I think that people would be better served if we didn't keep interrupting each other.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, ACTOR, "JOE BIDEN" ON "SNL": Oh, you don't scare me, shark eyes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "PAUL RYAN": Mr. Vice President.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "JOE BIDEN": Hey, look, you think you're talking to me because you do the P90X workout, huh, because you're younger than me. Let me tell you something, buddy. There's gym strong and there's old man strong, OK? You want to know my workout? When the Amtrak breaks down on my morning commute, I strip down to my tighty- whities, I push that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) all the way to Washington.
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KAYE: So we'll have a whole lot more fun with the "SNL" gang a little bit later on in the show this morning.
The vice presidential debate is history, setting the stage for the second debate between Obama and Romney. And we've got a preview.
Plus we'll hear from our own Candy Crowley. She's moderating Tuesday's debate. So, how did she find out she got that job? A little behind the scenes, next.
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KAYE: Welcome back.
Debate night is coming up Tuesday and here's CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, good morning, Randi.
It's the event that will dominate this week. Yes, I'm talking about the second presidential debate. And both candidates are getting ready for Tuesday's big showdown. President Obama is in Williamsburg, Virginia, but not to campaign in the crucial battleground state. Instead, Mr. Obama's undergoing debate preparations. And while Mitt Romney spent much of Saturday stumping in the key swing state of Ohio, he also fit in some debate preps. He's back home now in Massachusetts and is probably fitting in more preps.
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MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, I enjoyed my debate about a week ago. That was a good experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Most Americans thought Romney won the first debate, which puts more pressure on the president, who told Diane Sawyer of ABC News the other day that --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I had a bad night.
(END VIDEO CLIP) STEINHAUSER: Tuesday's debate will be very different than the candidate's first showdown in Denver a week and a half ago. This time, questions will not only come from the moderator, who's our own Candy Crowley, but also from people in the town hall audience. Both men will share the same stage again two nights later at the Al Smith Theater in New York City. It's a tradition the presidential candidates attend this high-profile event.
On Monday, the day before the debate, Romney powwows with top donors and aides at a summit in New York City. And Thursday, President Obama goes on "The Daily Show." That same day, former President Clinton teams up with rock star Bruce Springsteen to campaign for the president in Ohio. Springsteen campaigned for Obama four years ago but has said he wouldn't be hitting the trail this time around.
Also this week, a slew of new polls to analyze. Not much sleep for me.
Randi.
KAYE: That is very true, Paul. Thank you.
And as he said, our own Candy Crowley will be keeping the candidates on track during Tuesday's debate. So we wondered, you know, she's interviewed both of them before. Does that change the way she goes into this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CANDY CROWLEY, MODERATING TUESDAY'S PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: It's interesting. I'm not sure if having interviewed both of them changes how I would approach either of them. I think it's more that I've interviewed both of them. I've interviewed presidents. I've interviewed candidates. So there's an ease there. Actually, neither one of them scare me in that sense.
It is that we are, of course, having this other element of the town hall. And so the mixture of all of that and trying to keep that kind of under control and on target and letting the people's voice from a town hall meeting come through, that's the sort of thing that keeps me awake at night, frankly. It's not these two guys.
ON SCREEN TEXT: How do you prepare to moderate a debate?
CROWLEY: I am hoping that the 25 years that I've covered politics has prepared me and given me the base for this. However, from the minute I knew that I was going to do this, things have become more embedded in my memory than -- the day to day, when you're doing a story, you sort of read something and go, oh, that's interesting and you kind of move on to the next authentic. But with this, you want to make sure that you're in on the campaign dialogue, that you're in on the policy debate, that you know when they move. Because campaigns don't move sort of minute by minute. They move sort of incrementally over the months and you have to kind of watch it. And so I'm much more, I think, tuned in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And a reminder, you can see the second presidential debate right here on CNN. Our special coverage starts Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Ahead, a brazen royal robbery. Someone made off with the king's priceless jewels. It was all caught on tape and you won't believe where it happened.
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KAYE: There is new hope this morning for a Pakistani girl who was shot by Taliban militants just for going to school. An army spokesman says the 14-year-old blogger, seen here, and activist, moved her limbs today when doctors reduced sedative drugs. CNN's Reza Sayah spoke to him about the shooting that has shocked the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GEN. ASIM SALEEM BAJWA, PAKISTANI ARMY SPOKESMAN: She got hit on the left side behind the forehead. And then --
REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So she got hit directly in the head.
BAJWA: Yes. She got hit in the -- hit in the head. And then it traveled through here, through the neck, and went behind the shoulder and rested just next to the backbone.
SAYAH: Was this a point-blank shot.
BAJWA: It was a point blank shot, yes.
SAYAH: Are you surprised that she's even alive today?
BAJWA: Yes, everyone is surprised she's alive today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Vigils have been taking place across Pakistan for the teen. Another big rally is set to get underway in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, next hour.
Palestinian security sources say an Israeli air strike has killed two members of a Palestinian resistance group in northern Gaza. They say three other people were wounded, including a 10-year-old. The Israel defense forces confirmed the strike and says it targeted terror operatives.
An African king from Ghana didn't exactly get a royal welcome to Norway. Instead, he got robbed in the lobby of a Radisson hotel in Oslo. Police are searching for two suspects, a man and a woman, who were caught on the surveillance camera. They think they may have swiped one of his bags that had priceless crown jewels inside it.
Tragedy at a fireworks show in China and it was all caught on video. Chinese television reports that at least 100 people were injured when the fireworks fell into the crowd. Many people suffered burns. The incident now under investigation.
Now to the Middle East, where tensions are threatening to boil over between Syria and Turkey. Will a full-scale regional war erupt? Syrian shells have fallen on Turkey's side of the border and now both countries are yanking their civilian aircraft from each other's airspace. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom joins us now from Beirut, Lebanon.
Mohammed, good morning.
So, the joint U.N. Arab League special envoy was in Turkey yesterday to try to calm the tensions with Syria. What can you tell us about that?
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Randi.
Well, that's right, Lakhdar Brahimi, who is the joint envoy to Syria for the U.N. and the Arab League, met yesterday in Turkey with Ahmed Abadolu (ph), as well as the German foreign minister. Now, he was there to try to calm these boiling tensions that are going on between Turkey and Syria. In the past week, you've seen cross-border shelling between both countries. You've also seen quite a bit of tension because of this forced landing of this Syrian plane that was going from Russia to Damascus. That happened by Turkey just a few days ago as well.
Now, tensions have been on the increase between Turkey and Syria these past several months, but they've really gotten to a fever pitch these last few days. And the concern is, will this turn into a wider regional conflict. The concern is that nobody wants to see any kind of an escalation in the violence between Turkey and Syria and yet it seems to be heading that way.
Interesting that this meeting happened yesterday. The same day that at an international conference in Istanbul, the Turkish prime minister, Prime Minister Erdogan, gave comments in which he really slammed the U.N. Security Council for failing to come up with a cohesive plan of action when it comes to Syria, saying that the U.N. Security Council, as well as so many other international bodies, had watched for months as thousands upon thousands of people in Syria had been killed and nobody had been able to do anything. So a lot of anger being heard from Prime Minister Erdogan. A lot of tensions being ratcheted up. The rhetoric certainly not calming down, on the same day that the U.N. and Arab League envoy was in Turkey to try to calm tensions between these two countries.
Randi.
KAYE: Well, you mentioned things are certainly escalating. I guess a lot of folks are certainly concerned, certainly in the U.S., that an even bigger conflict could draw the U.S. into this.
JAMJOOM: Well, that's right, nobody wants to see this happen. But the concern is, would the U.S. be drawn in? The U.S., of course, a part of NATO. Turkey is a part of NATO. So Turkey says that they are facing a threat from Syria, and they're urging their NATO allies to help them in some sort of a war against Syria, does that drag in the U.S., even if the U.S. doesn't want to be dragged in. We've seen the U.S. these past several months provide nonlethal assistance to the Syrian opposition when it comes to equipment, when it comes to training. But the U.S. does not want to further militarize this conflict.
KAYE: Right.
JAMJOOM: they say so many times these past few months, they don't want to see -- they don't want to see the bloodshed continue, but they don't want to be involved militarily in the conflict in Syria.
KAYE: And just very quickly, what about this new Human Rights Watch report that claims that Syria has actually been using cluster bombs. Any truth to that?
JAMJOOM: Well, it's a very disturbing report. Human Rights Watch saying that they have very credible evidence that Syria, which is one of the few countries in the world that has not banned the use of cluster bombs, that they've been doing so with more frequency, especially in the past week. There's a lot of videos posted online purporting to show the remnants, these unexploded ordinance, from cluster bombs in different parts of Syria, being held up, at times even by children in these videos. Very scary stuff. The report says that a lot of these unexploded ordinance, you have people in these towns either taking them as souvenirs or handling them in front of the camera to try to show what's going on in Syria.
Now, cluster bombs are munitions that are dropped sometimes from airplanes and helicopters. Other times fired by rockets.
KAYE: Right.
JAMJOOM: Before they explode, they separate. You have these bomblets (ph) come out. They spread out over an area the size of about a football field. And a lot of times they essentially act just like land minus if they don't explode on impact. So people walking through these fields or taking them, it can explode later on.
KAYE: Yes.
JAMJOOM: And a Human Rights Watch report says that they want the stations that are seen widely in Syria to warn the population there that this is going on.
Randi.
KAYE: Certainly a big concern.
Mohammed Jamjoom, thank you very much.
A military family goes to a football game and gets a big surprise. Their dad shows up on the jumbo screen thanking them for their support. Great, right? Well, that's not all.
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KAYE: Welcome back. Thirty minutes past the hour. Thank you so much for starting your morning with us in a very special welcome to our troops watching us on the American Forces Network. I'm Randi Kaye.
In California, hundreds of friends and neighbors came together to celebrate the life of former Navy SEAL Glen Doherty. Doherty was killed in that September 11th attack on the American consulate in Libya. One of them spoke about the man fondly remembered as G-Bub.
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SEAN LAKE, FRIEND OF GLEN DOHERTY: If you were to ask people who was his best friends, everybody would raise their hand. And that's a gift, and that's why everybody is here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Doherty's friends said, he didn't want a funeral but rather a party.
And another member of our Armed Forces gave his family a giant surprise recently. After being stationed overseas for about a year, he appeared on the jumbo screen, at the University of South Carolina's football stadium to deliver a message before the team's match-up with Georgia. But it's what happened next that has the video going viral. Watch this.
How awesome is that? Right there in real life. That is quite the home coming.
Now to New York where Mayor Michael Bloomberg has capped his personal fortune. He supports the same sex marriage and -- three steps away. Bloomberg donated $250,000 to support a Maryland referendum known as question six. It asks voters on November 6 to uphold their strike down a bill legalizing same sex marriage. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley signed the bill back in March.
Former actor and TV host Gary Collins has died. He was 74. Collins was a fixture on the small screen in the 1960s and 70s. He's known for his role in "The Sixth Sense" and "The Wackiest Ship in the Army." In the 1980s, Collin hosted the Miss America pageant which his wife Mary Ann Mobley had won decades before. Collins died of natural causes near his home in Mississippi.
Three members of Cuba's men soccer team defected during a trip to Toronto. The players were there for a World Cup qualifying game. They missed the match which Cuba lost three to zero. Cuba's coach later told reporters that, quote, "They're all chasing the American dream." Last January, two players with Cuba's women's soccer team also defected in Canada.
Sticking with sports, Yankees' shortstop Derek Jeter has played his last game of the year. The baseball superstar fractured his ankle in game one of the ACS against the Detroit lines. He was fielding a ground ball when he went down and he stayed down there for a moment. Yankees' Manager Joe Girardi says, the injury will not quote, "Jeopardize Jitter's career and that recovery should take about three months." Man, that was like it hurt.
And from a player who season ended to a league without a season. Talks resumed Tuesday over the NHL Lockout and for businesses in one hockey hometown, a resolution can't come soon enough.
Susan Candiotti takes us to Newark, home of the New Jersey devils where a missing team is burning local business.
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SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Newark's Prudential Center is home to the New Jersey devils hockey team, a team that made it to the Stanley cup finals last year, but the arena is awfully quiet these days. The NHL has locked out players, preventing the puck from dropping in the preseason and two weeks of the regular season so far.
TOM BLUME, GENERAL MANAGER, EDISON ALE HOUSE: It's definitely gut-wrenching.
CANDIOTTI: Tom Blume runs Edison Ale House, a bar and restaurant right across the street from the Prudential Center.
BLUME: Everyday, I look out these picture windows and see a dark, you know, it can get discouraging.
CANDIOTTI: Blume says, business could drop 35 percent this month and up to 45 percent if the lockout continues. He helps to hold on to workers as their tips are slashed and the bar's profits are on ice.
BLUME: If the devils were playing on a Tuesday night as opposed to a nonevent night, you're talking about probably a 75 percent swing in revenue.
CANDIOTTI: In Newark, the hockey lockout is a double whammy. They already lost their NBA team, the former New Jersey now Brooklyn Nets. The city's hoping this hotel that opened last month will help revitalize the area, but an empty arena could make turning a profit devilishly difficult.
KEVIN WATERS, NETWORK RESIDENT: To say, it doesn't feel good, you know, is an understatement. I'm sure it's depressing. But I think it's better the city is trying to press on.
CANDIOTTI: New Yorkers won a 30 NHL markets in the U.S. and Canada. The lockout was imposed after a collective bargaining agreement expired. The issue as always is money, how to divide the profits. Businesses hope a solution comes quickly.
BLUME: Hopefully it's going to have a resolution, hopefully sooner than later.
(END VIDEOTAPE) CANDIOTTI: New Jersey senators are urging both sides to come to an agreement and fast. They note the stoppage could mean millions in lost revenue at a time when the state's unemployment rate is at a 30- year high. Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
KAYE: Tired of being tagged in pictures that you don't like of yourself on Facebook, pressure by regulators is causing the social media site to make some pretty serious changes. We'll tell you what they are and who may not like it.
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KAYE: Facebook versus your privacy. Some big changes coming for our Facebook friends in Europe. The social media giant will drop its controversial facial recognition tool for all of its 233 million Europeans users by tomorrow.
Here to discuss the changes and tell us what they could mean for those Facebook addicts here in the U.S. is Nadia Bilchik. Good morning.
All right. So we're talking about this facial recognition tool. I've actually opted out of this but just tell us briefly for our viewers at home who might not be aware about how it works.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: In essence, the minute you've been tagged in a photograph once, what Facebook technology then allows you to do is next time you have a group of photos, if you want to tag this photo, the facial recognition feature will give you some options and give you suggestions as to who that person is.
So, in essence what it does, is it groups together multiple images of a face and they're you're looking -- looks composition of a face, it terms of four head, eyebrows, temple and ideally allows a face to be recognized but it isn't 100 percent accurate. Because there, you're looking at a photograph, the minute it's tilted or the lighting is different, researcher shows that it doesn't read.
KAYE: But the key point is that anyone who's a registered Facebook user can be added to one of your pictures and they might not want to be, right?
BILCHIK: Especially if they haven't put their privacy setting to not allow that.
KAYE: Right. So, you mention that they're dropping this feature in Europe as of tomorrow. Why?
BILCHIK: So, basically you have the Data Protection Commission in Europe has says, it's an invasion of privacy. And what Facebook has done is suspended it. From tomorrow suspended and I think it will suspended until such time as they have compliance in place. So all 233 million, as you said, EU users will no longer have facial recognition as a feature or now.
KAYE: Right. I will say though to Facebook's credit, I mean, they really do try and protect, I mean, so they are cooperating right.
BILCHIK: They are absolutely cooperating -- involuntarily. And in fact, Facebook's policy director in Europe says, they haven't just been compliant but they've actually said they have a reasonable model for good practice and Facebook has been very good about urging people's knowledge about privacy.
KAYE: Right.
BILCHIK: However, one of the things that this commission is saying is, they don't educate users enough.
KAYE: So, but now as I mentioned, I opted out, which we were all taught how to do.
BILCHIK: Now, how long ago did you opt out?
KAYE: Oh, probably last year sometimes.
BILCHIK: Because things change all the time.
KAYE: Right. And they are loopholes.
BILCHIK: Exactly. They are loopholes. And for example, there's this horrific story out of the University of Texas, in Houston where two students were part of a choir. It was an LGBT choir, they didn't want parents to know and they were basically included in a group of the administrator. So the father of one of the --
KAYE: A group photo that was posted?
BILCHIK: A group photo that was posted. And one of the participant's father heard about his daughter being lesbian through Facebook.
KAYE: That's the risk. Because you can be posted if your friends was somebody. Your picture can be posted on there without your permission.
BILCHIK: Right.
KAYE: Isn't it that's what happened in that case?
BILCHIK: And in that case, again, Google terribly -- Facebook terribly apologetic by saying, please be vigilant about your privacy. And in this case, it was the group administrator who puts the group on. So, you know, I think it goes back to just how vigilant we have to be all of us.
KAYE: Right. So speaking of privacy, though, it's an issue all over Europe but it's not just Facebook, right? Google is having an issue, what in Germany?
BILCHIK: In Germany, there was a wild back Google, particularly the street map. And people complained. They said this is an invasion of privacy in terms of staying our homes -- KAYE: -- Right down the streets --
BILCHIK: Exactly. So what they've done in Germany is again Google voluntarily as you said earlier they have suspended expansion, so right now, it is what it is, but they won't go any -- take any more photographs. So, it seems that generally in Europe, there's a greater sensibility around privacy than there is here.
KAYE: Yes. Certainly, but I will say, it always creeps me out a little bit how you do the satellite view and the street map. I mean, you just, I don't know I just don't like it.
BILCHIK: It can be but I think we're both going home to double- check our settings because Facebook keeps changing.
KAYE: Yes. I will update. Thank you, Nadia, I appreciate that.
Isn't gang violence or domestic terrorism? The fate of one New York man hangs in the balance.
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LEO MCCARTHY, CNN HERO: October 27th, 2007, was a beautiful autumn day. Mariah, she was with her two friends. I didn't know the last time I kissed her would have been my last time. Later that night, they were walking down this path when an under-aged drunk driver swerved off the road and hit them. Mariah landed here. She died that night. They were only a block away from my house. Mariah was only 14. And I'm thinking, how did this happen? It is so preventable.
My name is Leo McCarthy. I give kids tools to stay away from drinking.
Our state has been notoriously top five in drinking and driving fatalities in the country. The drinking culture, it's a cyclical disease that we allow to continue.
Mariah's challenge is be the first generation of you kids to not drink.
In the eulogy, I said if you stick with me for four years, don't use alcohol, don't use illicit drugs, I'll be there with a bunch of other people to give you money to go to a post-secondary school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I promise not to drink until I am 21.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I promise not to get into a car with someone who has been drinking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I promise to give back to my community.
MCCARTHY: I think Mariah's challenge is something that makes people think a little bit more to say we can do better. Mariah's forever 14. I can't get her back. But I can help other parents keep their kids safe. If we save one child, we save a generation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: On the same day as their 32nd wedding anniversary, one couple had something else to celebrate. Linda and Bob Von Qesen won the $8.2 million jackpot in the Maine State lottery. They collected their lump sum payment on Thursday but told reporters they didn't have any big plans for their new cash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDA VON QESEN, LOTTERY WINNER: We're doing, you know, what we want. Help our kids. It's always been about helping our kids, you know.
BOB VON QESEN, LOTTERY WINNER: She doesn't want to fly, so we're not going to fly anywhere. So, still kind of in shock trying to figure it all out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The one thing the Von Qesens do want though is a snow blower, so their Cocker Spaniel Abby look at her, can get around easier this winter.
It was late August in 2002 when a shoot-out occurred between rival gangs in a New York City suburb killing a ten-year-old girl and paralyzing a man who were both caught in the crossfire. Gang member Edgar Morales was convicted of manslaughter and attempted murder for pulling the trigger and sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.
But in addition to those charges, he was also prosecuted under the state's new anti-terrorism law created just after the 9/11 attacks. So, is Morales a home grown terrorist as the prosecutor claims or is the terrorism charge unwarranted for his defense? That's what an appeals court will consider next month.
I asked CNN legal contributor Paul Callan if he thinks charges will buy that argument?
PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: The statute was an active six weeks after 9/11. In New York, like a lot of other states looked at their laws and they said, hey, we don't know anything that deals with terrorism. We needed terrorism statute apparently in fear that the feds maybe wouldn't have the manpower to prosecute. So, the wording of the statute says basically, if you use violence to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, that's terrorism.
The Bronx district attorney said, well, this is a Mexican gang and what they do is, they kill and they use violence to intimidate local businesspeople to get money out of them and to put them in fear, so technically the statute applies and that's the argument they made in front of judges but you know something? The judges so far have said it's a stretch, it wasn't intended for that purpose.
KAYE: Yes. And in addition to terrorism, Morales was sentenced from 40 years to life for murder, attempted murder weapons positions as well as conspiracy. If the terrorism charges are dropped, I mean, how much of a reduction do you think we could be talking about here?
CALLAN: Well, you could be talking about a huge reduction here. Now, this is a shooting that took place, you know, at a church celebration in the aftermath of a Christening. It was terrible case. A young girl got killed. Another gang member got paralyzed. So, he gets 40 to life under this sentence. If the terrorism part that was thrown out, he might have less than half of that amount of time in jail. So, the terrorism thing can have the effect of almost doubling the sentence where you're charged with manslaughter or attempted murder. It's a very, very serious bump in sentence if you're found to be a terrorist.
KAYE: When you look at this though, under this law, I mean, isn't -- wouldn't that make every gang member a terrorist?
CALLAN: Not only would it make every gang member a terrorist but I think you could argue that maybe every criminal is a terrorist of sorts.
KAYE: Yes.
CALLAN: I mean, when you think about somebody that goes into the subway or on a bus and pulls out a gun, and robs people, they're trying to put civilians in fear and to intimidate and coerce them. You know, it's kind of an example of unintended consequences when legislators do what they think is the right thing. Let's do a terrorism law. But unless you're really careful about the way you drop the law, you're handing the prosecutor a new weapon and the prosecutor is going to use it against the bad guys.
And then the judges are here to try to sort it out and say, you know, is that really what they intended? And I think in New York basically, the answer is going to be no, this was not intended for this kind of crime. And I suspect, yes, this is going to -- the New York Court of Appeals, I think Randi, will probably throw it out and reduce the charges against Morales.
KAYE: So, he'll be resentenced it sounds like in your opinion.
CALLAN: Well, he might get resentenced but he might also get a new trial, you know, because his lawyers come up with a very good argument. The lawyer said, you know something? The prosecutor was calling him a terrorist throughout the trial. The judge opened in picking the jury by referring to 9/11. So the lawyer's saying, you know, that jury was so poisoned thinking about terrorism that he didn't get a fair trial. All of the charges should be thrown out and he should get a brand-new trial. So, we'll see what the Court of Appeal does. They could throw out everything on the basis of a misused of the statute.
KAYE: And the court of appeals is expected to issue a decision in the Morales case next month.
All right. It's time now to get you ready for the week ahead. We are expecting a very busy week. On Monday, all eyes will be on -- nope. That's Tuesday. There we go. Monday. There we go. There's a special military tribunal at Guantanamo. Five suspects of the September 11th attacks including the mastermind. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be there. KSM's second appearance now.
The hearing, you may recall, was postponed about two months after it was put on hold because of Ramadan. On Tuesday, the big night, debate night, all eyes on Hempstead, New York, President Obama and Mitt Romney facing off in their second debate and our very own Candy Crowley will be moderating that. It will be a ton hall-style debate. She by the way is the first woman to moderate a presidential debate in 20 years, so congratulations to her. Our coverage begins here, 7:00 p.m. live on CNN.
And on Thursday, all eyes in North Carolina, that is because early voting begins in North Carolina just two days after the debate, by the way. North Carolina holds 15 electoral votes and it's one of nine states that CNN is considering a toss-up still. Other toss-up states are already open to in-person voting including Iowa and Ohio. And on Friday, Lance Armstrong heading to Austin, Texas.
The biggest appearance since Wednesday's report that came out on more doping allegations. Fans, though, apparently still supporting him. His foundations say, contributions increased in August after Armstrong announcement that he would not fight the latest doping investigation.
And on Saturday, more early voting in person begins in Nevada, which went to Obama in 2008 and President George W. Bush in 2004. Before Election Day, up to 40 percent of voters nationwide will have already cast their ballots. So, there's a look at our very busy week.
As we mentioned, round two for Mitt Romney and President Obama as the two men gear up for their next presidential debate on Tuesday. And the stakes could be higher. In our next hour, we'll have a look at what to expect.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: The vice presidential debate was nothing if not entertaining. People are still talking about Joe Biden's last laughter and Paul Ryan's boyish good look. So, take a look at "Saturday Night Live's" take on some of the debate's highlights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICE PRES. JOE BIDEN (D), UNITED STATES: This is a bunch of stuff, look, here's the deal.
MARTHA RADDATZ, MODERATOR: What does that mean, "a bunch of stuff"?
BIDEN: Well, it means it's simply inaccurate. REP. RYAN PAUL (R-WI), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's Irish.
BIDEN: It is. We Irish call it malarkey.
RADDATZ: Thank you for the translation. OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Oh, I'm sorry, Martha, but with all due respect, this is a bunch of malarkey. All right. A bunch of malarkey.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: A bunch of malarkey?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: What does that mean?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: It's Irish.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: No, no, no. Irish is I come over there and smack that dumb look off your face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Very funny stuff there. Thanks for starting your morning with us. We've got much more ahead on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING" which starts right now.
From CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing that a space shuttle going down the street.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: An epic journey, "Endeavour" through the streets of Los Angeles, the shuttle Endeavour heading home leaving even jaded Tinseltown Starstruck.
Murder, sex, and intrigue. They're the themes of best-selling novel "A World Without End." Now, the story is hitting the airwaves as a miniseries. We sit down with author Ken Follett.
Breaking the sound barrier without a net. That's what skydiver Felix Baumgartner is expecting to do today. Only CNN will bring it to you live.
(MUSIC)
KAYE: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It's 7:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 4:00 on the West. Thanks for starting your morning with us.
We start with new numbers on the presidential race this morning. They come from a state that was considered squarely in the red. I'm talking about Arizona. This Rocky Mountain poll shows President Obama with a two-point lead over Mitt Romney. The key here may be the Latino vote which is heavily in Obama's favor.
What's interesting though in this number only one Democrat has won Arizona in the past 60 years and that, you may recall, was bill Clinton, 1996.
Both candidates are off the campaign trail today working on debate prep. President Obama came under a lot of criticism for his performance in the first debate. Well, he'll get a second chance on Tuesday.
CNN's Athena Jones has a preview for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Randi.
The debate season is well under way. And up next is perhaps the most interesting of the three presidential debates will get to see. Why? Because it will be undecided voters asking the questions.
(voice-over): Round two, President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney face off in their second debate Tuesday. A town hall moderated by CNN's Candy Crowley who says the format presents unique challenges for the candidates.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: The challenge is that they've got to connect not just with the people that are looking into the television and watching them but to the people that are on the stage with them, some 80 or so undecided voters is chosen by Gallup. So they have to keep those folks in mind. It's a much more intimate and up close adventure with voters.
President Obama is under pressure after his last turn on the debate stage got bad reviews.
ANA NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: One bad debate is losing a battle. Two bad debates could very well mean he loses the war.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think you're going to see a very different President Obama this time around. He's got to be seen as being aggressive, but yet he can't be seen as being overly aggressive.
JONES: Romney has enjoyed a post-debate bounce in national polls and a boost on the campaign trail.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: There's going to be more energy and passion. People are getting behind this campaign.
JONES: At a town hall without a podium and with audience interaction, the candidates' style and body language can take on added weight. At the first town hall-style presidential debate in 1992, George W. Bush repeatedly checked his watch, a sign some thought he didn't want to be there. Commentators said Bill Clinton walking toward the audience to answer a question about the question highlighted his ability to connect with the voters. One thing that can make it hard for a candidate to be aggressive a question like this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can we focus on the issues and not the personalities and the mud?
JONES: Analysts say the format could be good for the president.
CARDONA: He will absolutely be able to draw from that energy, from the energy of the public and the crowd.
JONES: As for Romney --
NAVARRO: One of his big changes during that entire campaign has been not being able to connect with the common man and woman and child. He's got to be able to come across as connecting. He's got to come across as genuine, as caring, as likable.
CROWLEY: A candidate that makes a connection with the person asking a question is also I think making a better connection with the folks back home.
JONES (on camera): And as we all know, the stakes for the president couldn't be higher -- Randi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Athena, thank you very much. And a reminder here, you can see the second presidential debate right here on CNN. It will be hosted by Candy Crowley. Our special coverage starts Tuesday night, 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Now, let's get you caught up with the space shuttle Endeavour. The shuttle is close. Not there yet, but it's close to reaching it's final destination. It's on course but way off schedule.
The 85-ton shuttle has been moving through the streets of Los Angeles since Friday night and was supposed to be in place last night. It's only going 12 miles from the airport to the California Science Center. But they've hit a few roadblocks along the way. Thousands have lined up along the route and the viewing centers to get a glimpse of this once in a lifetime event.
And I guess with all the slowdowns, they've had a pretty good glimpse. But it is a space shuttle going down the streets. Of course, there are some problems. They should make it, though, later this morning to the final destination.
And while the space shuttle inches its way on the streets of L.A., one man is headed to the edge of space on a balloon. Seriously, in a matter of hours, skydiver Felix Baumgartner will make his second attempt and make extreme jump from 120,000 feet or 23 miles into the air. He'll go so fast he could become the first man to break the sound barrier without the help of a vehicle.
Now, as you can imagine, the extreme stunt is dangerous and he knows it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FELIX BAUMGARTNER, SKYDIVER: Well, diving has always been a part of my life. You know, as a base jumper, you'll always face death on every base jump. And therefore, it is important that you do your home work because you need confidence. You have to have confidence with your team and your skills and yourself, and you always hope that you're not going to die. It might happen, but I'm going put everything out there to make sure that it's not going to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The crazy thing about this is if he passes out, his parachute could open automatically, but if he doesn't he's in some serious trouble. Be sure to stay with us for more on today's record- breaking jump. The launch could begin as soon as 8:30 Eastern Time.
And it is game over for Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter, at least for the rest of the post-season. Jeter fractured his left ankle after fielding a ground ball in the ALCS opener against the Detroit Lions. Yes, that clearly hurt. The Yankees' captain has been having trouble with that ankle for the last several weeks. Recovery is expected to be about three months.
And from a player out of the game to a whole league out of a game. Talks between the National Hockey League and its lockout players will not resume but not until Tuesday. The league canceled the preseason and postponed the start of the regular soon due to a lack of a collective bargaining agreement. The last time the NHL cancel the season was back in 2004.
A worldwide show of support for a Pakistani girl who braved Taliban gunmen. From India to Pakistan to Afghanistan, thousands calling the wounded young activist a hero as she fights for her life in a hospital bed. The latest on her condition, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Now to that fungal meningitis outbreak. The death toll has risen to 15 as the CDC now says there are 196 cases in 13 states.
And CNN's Brian Todd has learned that the drug facility at the center of the outbreak was implicated in another death eight years ago. That case also had to do with contaminated medication and it's raising some questions about whether the current outbreak could have been prevented.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): CNN has learned the fatalities linked to the current meningitis outbreak are not the first deaths alleged to be caused by drugs made by the New England Compounding Center. Ten years ago, a man from Upstate New York, named William Koch, got an injection of the steroid Depo Medrol. That's according to documents from a lawsuit filed by Koch's family, documents CNN has obtained.
The complaint says the drug was made by NECC, which is identified in the papers as New England Compounding Pharmacy. The suit, seeking $2.5 million from the company, says the Depo Medrol Koch received was contaminated, that he got bacterial meningitis from it and that he died from that. Koch passed away in February of 2004.
The suit was later settled out of court. Because of confidentiality agreement we do not know if the company admitted wrongdoing. Still, some experts have questions about NECC's practices.
STEPHEN HOAG, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF PHARMACY: It raises issues with their quality systems.
TODD: Stephen Hoag is an expert on compounding drugs and the manufacture of them at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. He says compounding pharmacies are traditionally supposed to work with doctors to make specific drugs for individual patients, but some compounding facilities like NECC crossed over.
HOAG: You can obviously see when they're doing tens of thousands of units that they've crossed over from an individual prescription and individual pharmacist and patient to manufacturing where they're distributing that widely to all these different states.
TODD: At that point, Hoag says those facilities are supposed to be regulated by the FDA. But NECC never got federal approval to manufacture those drugs.
(on-camera): That provokes some important questions. After William Koch's death, couldn't regulators have stepped in, investigated NECC, and shut it down at least temporarily? If regulators had done that, could the deaths in the current meningitis outbreak, including at least one here in Maryland, have been prevented?
(voice-over): The FDA doesn't have jurisdiction over compounding pharmacies until there's a problem. FDA officials say they've been fighting to change that. An official with the Health Department of Massachusetts where NECC is based tells us that after complaints about injections received on the same day Koch got his shot, the state Health Department and the FDA did a joint investigation of NECC.
It's not clear if those agencies were made aware of Koch's specific case. They didn't shut down the company, but the official says after an investigation of more than three years, they gave NECC a list of several things it needed to fix, put the company on probation for a year, but suspended that probation, he says, because the company did fix the problems.
In Hoag's view, it never should have gotten that far.
(on camera): Could it all have been prevented?
HOAG: I feel that they should have stuck to their original business of compounding, and they should have not crossed the line.
TODD (voice-over): We couldn't get an NECC representative to comment on that. Asked about the Koch case, the company declined to comment citing confidentiality provisions.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Turning now to the Middle East.
Turkey is threatening to retaliate against neighboring Syria if more shells fall across its border. There is escalating concern of a full scale conflict in the region.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently addressed those concerns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Whether or not that conflict begins to extend into the neighboring countries, such as Turkey, remains to be seen. But obviously the fact that there are exchanges of fire between these two countries raises additional concerns that this conflict could broaden.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Syria's civil war continues to rage even as Panetta said the U.S. is also using diplomatic channels to try to keep the unrest from spreading.
Infighting this weekend, a historic mosque in the Syrian city of Aleppo went up in flames.
Now, the latest on the young activist who has captivated the world with her courage. Pakistani military officials say the hospitalized 14-year-old is making slow and steady progress. On Tuesday, she was shot in the head by militant gunmen who were furious that she defied them to get an education just to go to school.
CNN's Reza Sayah has more now from Islamabad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pakistani authorities say they have made another set of arrests in connection with the shooting of 14-year-old Malala Yousufzai, a police chief in a district one hour south of where Malala was shot saying three people are in custody, calling them suspects, but it's not clear how they were linked to this incident.
In the meantime, Malala still in critical condition in a leading military hospital. Doctors say they're still monitoring the swelling in her brain. The good news, they say, is her vitals, her pulse, her blood pressure remain stable.
In the meantime, the top military spokesperson is telling CNN in graphic detail where exactly Malala was shot.
MAJ. GEN. ASIM SALEEM BAJWA, PAKISTANI ARMY SPOKESMAN: She got hit on the left side behind the forehead and then --
SAYAH: So she got hit directly in the head?
BAJWA: Yes. She got hit in the head and then it traveled through here through the neck and went behind the shoulder and rested just next to the backbone.
SAYAH: Was this a point-blank shot?
BAJWA: It was a point-blank shot, yes.
SAYAH: Are you surprised she's even alive today?
BAJWA: Yes, everyone is surprised. That she's alive today.
SAYAH: So, was it a small caliber gun?
BAJWA: Yes. I think it was .9 millimeter probably.
SAYAH: Have you ever seen someone get shot in the head with a .9 millimeter and survive?
BAJWA: Such cases are very rare that you get hit directly in the head and you still survive.
SAYAH: It's incredible. I mean, are you shocked that she's alive today?
BAJWA: Yes. I was surprised, too.
SAYAH: Doctors continue to say the coming days are going to be crucial in Malala's recovery.
In the meantime, the outpouring of support continues, more prayer vigils, more rallies scheduled on Sunday in Pakistan -- the biggest one in Karachi where tens of thousands of people are expected to turn out.
Reza Sayah, CNN, Islamabad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: If you are a fan of Ken Follett's thrillers, you want to stick around. Victor Blackwell met up with the author and asked about the latest TV turn for one of his novels.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: With nearly 100 million books sold, chances are you've picked up a Ken Follett novel. And this week, you'll get a chance to see one of his best-selling novels take a turn on small screen. "World Without End" on ReelzChannel this Wednesday.
Victor Blackwell caught up with Follett to ask about his novel's TV turn.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Ken, first thanks for taking time to meet with us.
KEN FOLLETT, AUTHOR: Pleasure.
BLACKWELL: Initially, your big hits were thrillers.
FOLLETT: That's right.
BLACKWELL: And then you made the transition into, and we'll talk about, you're your mini-series. Why did you make the transition from these thrillers to the middle ages?
FOLLETT: Well, I wrote thrillers because I love to read thrillers, but I was always interested in cathedral architecture and the great European cathedrals, and I would go look at them and I would read about how they were built and I got interested in a society that built the cathedrals and finally it occurred to me that there because great popular novel be written about the building of a cathedral.
And so I wrote "The Pillars of the Earth." You know, some people said to me, you want to write a novel about building a church? You know, you've had a lot of success with KGB and CIA and the Nazis. And now, you're going the middle ages and it was hard to see. It turned out pretty well in the end. My instinct was right.
BLACKWELL: So, you created this fictional town of Kingsbridge. And the second part of this trilogy after "Pillars of the Earth," now, "World Without End" is 200 years after the first one. And I watched part one of this eight-hour series and it is big.
How does it feel when you go from the process of writing these novels and creating these characters and you see them only on paper through words and you see them physically three dimensional characters on screen?
FOLLETT: It's two things. First, it's terrifying because I've gone through such trouble to make sure in the novel there are no boring bits, the plot is logical, and then I have to hand it over to somebody else. This thing, "Pillars of the Earth," it took three years and three months to write. "World Without End" took me three years.
All that work I have to hand over to somebody else for them to mess it about. In the case of "Pillars of the Earth," they did a terrific job. It was a great mini-series. I was pleased and relieved.
BLACKWELL: Now, you're not just handing its over to everyone. You're handing it over to Ridley Scott. FOLLETT: Yes. Well, that was a great reassurance.
BLACKWELL: Finally, you had a cameo in "Pillars of the Earth."
FOLLETT: That's true.
A storyteller and singer and my closer friend, he taught me French when I first came here and I taught him English.
BLACKWELL: Are we going to see you in "World Without End"?
FOLLETT: No. My acting performance in "Pillars of the Earth" can't be very good because I was not asked to do a return performance. So I'm going to stick to writing.
BLACKWELL: You can't put that in the contract?
FOLLETT: I should, shouldn't I?
BLACKWELL: You should.
Ken Follett, it's been a pleasure.
FOLLETT: I enjoyed it. Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And when we come back, we want you to know that we are expecting that big sky dive we've been telling you about all morning. Felix Baumgartner expecting possibly to break the sound barrier.
Keep it right here. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Checking our top stories now.
We are expecting skydiver Felix Baumgartner to make his ascent to attempt an extreme jump 23 miles in the air. He'll go so fast he could become the first man to break the sound barrier without help of a vehicle.
So make sure to stay with CNN for more on that record-breaking jump. That launch could begin as early as 8:30 Eastern Time and we'll be here watching it.
The presidential candidates will be looking to make their own big jump this week. Both President Obama and Mitt Romney off the campaign trail today. Instead they're in Virginia and Massachusetts respectively, preparing for today's second presidential debate.
So while they look ahead to Tuesday, how about we look back to last week and Thursday's entertaining vice-presidential debate? We all had our own favorite highlights but here's how the fine folks at "Saturday Night Live" saw it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SETH MEYERS, SNL: Well, if you enjoyed Thursday night's vice- presidential debate, you're certainly not alone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four years ago, President Obama made a promise that he would bring down unemployment below 6 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah, this guy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said by the end of his first term he would cut the deficit in half.
MEYERS: Congressman Ryan prepared for Thursday's debate by studying policy and holding practice debates and I think Biden prepared by shot gunning Red Bull and Yosemite Sam cartoons.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You think you're tougher than me because you do the P90X workouts, because you're younger than me? Let me tell you something, buddy. There's gym strong and there's old man strong.
You want to know my workout? When the Amtrak breaks down at my morning commute, strip down to my tighty whiteys and I push that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) all the way to Washington.
MEYERS: During Thursday's debate, Vice President Biden repeatedly criticized Paul Ryan's statements, calling them a bunch of stuff. In fairness, a bunch of stuff is the entire text of the Romney-Ryan economic plan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Romney-Ryan team has been criticized for not giving specifics on their economic plan. How do you respond to these charges?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our economic plan is simple. We're going to close loopholes, bring down tax rates and erase the deficit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you please be more specific?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Martha Raddatz said answer this question and answered it this way. Women have to do that. You don't say to your husband, maybe we should go out next weekend. No, you say, hey, we're going to dinner Friday night with my sister and her husband, be ready by 7:00 and shave the back of your neck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, do I sound like Jim Lehrer?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And do I look like Jim Lehrer?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, you don't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: That's almost as good as the real thing. More tops at the top of the story when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.
But, first, "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." begins right now.
