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CNN Sunday Morning

Record Skydive Attempt Today; Endeavour's Final Journey; Second Presidential Debate on Tuesday

Aired October 14, 2012 - 08:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

Breaking the bound barrier without a net. That's what skydiver Felix Baumgartner is expecting to do today. Only CNN will bring it to you live.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a once in a lifetime thing to see a space shuttle going down a street.

KAYE: An epic journey through the streets of Los Angeles. The shuttle Endeavour heading home, leaving even jaded Tinseltown star struck.

If you believe in God but reject religion -- well, you're not alone. Today's "Faces of Faith" explores those spiritual but not religious.

And "New York Times" columnist Nick Kristof on the column he never wanted to write.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It is 8:00 on the East Coast, 5:00 a.m. out West. Thanks for starting your morning with us.

We start with what might be the craziest or coolest thing that we've heard of in a while. At any hour, skydiver Felix Baumgartner will make his second attempt at an extreme record breaking jump from the edge of space. He'll fall from 23 miles, or about 120,000 feet in the air.

Brian Todd joins me now from Washington with much more on this.

Brian, good morning. This really is something to see. So, when can we expect this jump to actually happen?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they should be inflating the balloon right about now, Randi. It's two hours, of course, behind Eastern Time out in New Mexico. It's about 6:00 a.m. out there.

I think from the latest we've heard from Red Bull is that the launch could take place maybe in the next hour or so, maybe hour and a half. They're monitoring wind conditions, of course. That was what did in the last attempt on Tuesday morning. So, that's kind of just a key thing that they're monitoring on the ground there is the wind speed. That's what's caused two different delays here.

So, we think maybe the launch of the balloon should take place maybe in the next hour, hour and a half or so. At that point, it will take about two and a half to three hours for him to get up to the point from which he will jump 120,000 feet above the surface of the Earth.

So, you know, that's the progression of this thing. It takes about two and a half to three hours to reach that point. Then he will jump, and then the first 30 to 40 seconds, he is expected to break the sound barrier, to free-fall at a speed of more than 690 miles an hour. The entire jump son-in-law supposed to take about 15 minutes.

KAYE: So, I guess a lot of people are wondering -- I mean, how dangerous is this? I mean, he has a parachute, right? But if he passes out, can that parachute still open because there is a risk of him passing out?

TODD: Yes, there is a rescue of him passing out. He could go into a flat spin and kind of an uncontrollable flat spin in those first moments when he jumps off, and he could become unconscious.

But his parachute could be opened remotely from their mission control in Roswell, New Mexico. So that could happen if he becomes unconscious.

Some other risks here, I mean, his -- the integrity of his high pressure suit is key. If that suit becomes compromised in any way, if it's breached, especially at those high altitudes, then his blood could boil. He could be exposed to extreme cold because it gets to about 70 degrees below zero Fahrenheit at those heights.

So, all sorts of potential dangers, especially, Randi, in the first minute or so of his freefall.

KAYE: Incredible bravery. You actually had a chance to speak with Felix, right? Does he acknowledge that he could get hurt or possibly even die?

TODD: He certainly does. That's part of the -- all the calculations that both he and his team are making. I spoke to him back in May at the Air and Space Museum here in Washington and asked him about his fear or possible fear of dying. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FELIX BAUMGARTNER, SKYDIVER: Well, dying has always been part of my life. As a base jumper, you always face death on every base jump. And therefore, it is important that you do your homework because you need confidence. You have to have confidence in your team, in your skills and yourself. And you always hope that you're not going to die. It might happen, but I'm going to put everything out there to make sure it's not going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: So the moment is at hand when Felix Baumgartner is now sitting in his capsule waiting for that balloon to inflate, and it's an excruciating wait, as he waits for all that to happen. And then the two and a half to three hours it takes to get to the top, I think it would drive me crazy.

KAYE: I think you're right. I think we're all waiting along with him. I hope he gets to do it today.

Brian Todd, thank you very much for the update there.

TODD: Thank you.

KAYE: And now to something moving, well, a whole lot slower. You wouldn't expect to hear that about the space shuttle, of course, but this is a very unique circumstance. The space shuttle Endeavour is slowly making its way through the streets of Los Angeles to the California Science Center. It was supposed to be there already, but there were a few bumps on the road.

Our John Zarrella has been hanging out along the route watching the shuttle's crawl.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Randi, in places, many people waited eight, nine hours for the shuttle to arrive. But when it did, they found it was worth every second.

(voice-over): Endeavour had the road all to itself, a parade of one. In Tinseltown 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 fist designated viewing area outside the old Forum Arena where the Los Angeles Lakers once played.

(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.

(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 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 was a pretty amazing event. That's why I came here with my daughter to make sure that she sees it and is a part of it.

ZARRELLA: The young rocket scientist -- She is literally -- who came down from San Francisco.

VANESSA KURODA, NASA AMES RESEARCH CENTER: It's a once in a lifetime thing to see a 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 university in Compton, California, and I wanted to be able to take some of the event back to the children. We have an appointment at Exposition Park on November 16th to take the entire school.

ZARRELLA (on camera): All along the route, Endeavour brought out cheers and even some tears because, after all, Endeavour was an amazing flying machine -- Randi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: John Zarrella, thank you so much.

And we'll be keeping an eye on the shuttle's slow going of course throughout the morning.

Now the latest on a 14-year-old Pakistani girl who has stunned the world with her courage: Malala remains unconscious on a ventilator after being shot in the head by militant gunmen on Tuesday just for going to school, but Pakistani officials say she is making slow and steady progress, and even moved her limbs when doctors reduced her medication.

Right now, a massive rally in support of Malala is underway in Pakistan's largest city. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Karachi to protest her shooting.

To politics here at home now and the presidential race. Twenty- three days to go, and President Obama is off the campaign trail again today. He arrived in Williamsburg, Virginia, yesterday, but not for a campaign event in the critical swing state. Instead, he is there for debate prep.

The president and his team are at the Kingsmill Resort. He is spending time studying and practicing with the same team that got him ready for the first debate. A campaign official says the president is laying low, but could make a stop outside the resort before he leaves.

The campaign also gave us this nugget. They've now accepted donations from 4 million people. That's a record. Remember, the Obama campaign took in $181 million in donations in September. That's also a record.

Mitt Romney hasn't released his September fundraising numbers just yet.

Romney is also off the trail today after making several stops in Ohio yesterday. Ohio is one of those critical swing states as well. The stops there make it nearly 20 trips to the state for Romney since April. Yesterday, he kept up the pressure on President Obama and offered his vision for the future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I believe in America. I believe in you. I believe we're coming back, but I immediate your help as well. I need you to vote. I need you to get other people who voted for Barack Obama to come join our team.

We need Ohio. If we get Ohio, we're going to be able to take back America, keep it strong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Romney's vice presidential pick, Paul Ryan, was also in Ohio. He was meeting people in Youngstown. Ryan is back home in Wisconsin today.

And here's what the race looks like, in case you're wondering. In Ohio Obama , by three points in our poll of polls. These are post- debate numbers. Before the first presidential debate, President Obama's lead in Ohio was about twice that much in some polls.

Round one may have been a game changer, but this week's presidential debate could be an even bigger deal. Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, round two. We have a preview.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congressman Ryan, we begin with your opening statement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. First of all, I want to thank Centre College for hosting us this evening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, boy, here we go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four years ago, President Obama made a promise --

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- that he would bring down unemployment below 6 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, this guy. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said but by the end of his first term he would cuff the deficit in half.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, yet, he still has not put a single credible plan on the table on how to deal with the debt crisis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, God, I'm sorry. Martha, with all due respect, this is a bunch of malarkey, all right? This is malarkey.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A bunch of malarkey? What does that mean?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah, it's Irish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no, Irish is I come over and smack that dumb look off your face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Pretty funny stuff. The vice presidential debate gave us plenty to talk about and certainly plenty to make fun of, but that was last week's story. This week, we'll be talking about whether President Obama steps it up. And whether President Obama steps it up or dozes off, CNN's Athena Jones has the preview.

(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 as chosen by Gallup. So they have to keep those folks in mind. It's a much more intimate and up close adventure with voters.

JONES: 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 of confidence 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, President George H.W. Bush repeatedly checked his watch, a sign some thought that he didn't want to be there.

Commentators said Bill Clinton walking toward the audience to answer a question about the recession highlighted his ability to connect with the voters.

One thing that can make it hard for a candidate to be aggressive is 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 challenges during this 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: The 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. We'll be speaking to CNN's Candy Crowley about Tuesday's debate coming up in just about 30 minutes from now.

And don't forget to mark your calendars. You can catch that second presidential debate live right here on CNN this Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. After the break, I'll talk with Nicholas Kristof of the "New York Times". His latest column about the column that he never actually wanted to write.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. Twenty minutes past the hour now.

Let's talk about health care in America. Less than a month away from the presidential election, so much political debate over Obamacare. I spoke with Nick Kristof, award-winning columnist for "The New York Times", about his close friend battling prostate cancer, a friend who didn't have health insurance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICHOLAS KRISTOF, NEW YORK TIMES: This is the last column I ever wanted to write. Scott Andrews (ph) was my freshman roommate at college, a brilliant guy. Somebody who understood risks and he screwed up. He acknowledged that he made a mistake. He did not buy health insurance after kind of a midlife crisis, and then he was not getting annual physicals. He was then -- he diagnosed too late. He had problems, and he ended up with stage four prostate cancer.

KAYE: And you say in your op-ed that in other modern countries, your friend Scott would have been insured and his cancer probably would have been detected in time for effective treatment, so what do you say to those then who suggest Obamacare and mandated insurance is like living in a nanny state?

KRISTOF: Well, you know, this is something that Obamacare will resolve in 2014 with a mandate, and there is an element of, you know, government helping us when we make mistakes, but we do the same thing when we have requirements for seat belts, and helmets with motorcycles, guardrail on a highway, and it doesn't feel so much as a nanny state as like civilization.

KAYE: You say also that if Mitt Romney were to win and dismantle much of Obamacare, in Romney's health care system, your friend Scott would still be uninsured. Is that because of a preexisting condition which Obamacare covers?

KRISTOF: Yes, correct. Romney says that his plan would cover preexisting conditions, but it's only if you ever already have health insurance and want to switch to a different plan. In cases, somebody like Scott who is not insured, he would not be able to get health insurance.

And this -- the toll of this is something that happens over and over. Scott is not an isolated case. There have been studies that suggest 27,000 people each year die because they don't have health insurance.

KAYE: You also speak directly to critics of Obamacare who grumble about the mandate, but you do say that it will save lives.

KRISTOF: Absolutely. You know, look, it's not an elegant solution. I think there will be a lot of people who will be very upset if they ended up having to buy the insurance. It's expensive.

But I think Scott's case is a reminder that people can grumble, but it may also save their lives. KAYE: And, Romney, of course, we know has called Obamacare economically inefficient. So, what do you say to that? You clearly don't agree.

KRISTOF: No, I don't, and, yes, there are -- you know, the real problem is how we resolve costs, but I don't really see anything economically efficient about the current system. Scott's bills are being covered by the hospital as a charity case, $550,000 so far. And that's you and me who are paying that bill. That's everybody who is paying that bill.

How is that more efficient that we all end up paying $550,000 to treat an advanced case of prostate cancer rather than a very modest sum for cancer detection or for physicals early on?

KAYE: Yes, having read your column, you can't help but feel for your friend, Scott. How important do you think it is to put a face on the numbers, a face like your friend so people understand, so voters understand?

KRISTOF: You know, I think we've all watched the presidential debates and people are arguing back and forth, and all these numbers are floating around. And I just think it's so important that people understand that what is at stake here is not some number, it's not data statistics. It's individuals.

You know, look at Scott's picture. Multiply that 27,000 times annually, and that is the toll of our current cost of our failed health care system.

KAYE: I hope your friend Scott wins his battle. I'm curious, though, is there a message that you think he'd want to get across to our viewers this morning?

KRISTOF: Well, I mean, I owe Scott my thanks. He is telling an embarrassing story about his own failings, his own failure, to get insurance, and he is telling that story in hopes that other people will, indeed, get check-ups, will get insurance. And I think people have to do that at an individual level. I think we also need to do that at a national level.

KAYE: Nick, thank you very much. Appreciate that.

KRISTOF: Thank you, Randi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: An update now to a story that we told you about last month. We brought you the story of a high kill animal shelter in rural North Carolina, one that still uses the gas chamber to euthanize many of its animals, a practice still used across parts of the country.

I spoke with the author of a new book that exposed this shelter and others like it. Kim Kavin rescued her dog, Blue, who was just days away from that gas chamber in Person County, North Carolina. At the time, the director of that animal shelter told us its gas chamber would be phased out by July of next year. But on Friday, the courier times reported the county has decided to eliminate the gas chamber immediately.

According to that local paper, the shelter is also making other changes, including a name change and new personnel. We contacted the county manager this weekend, but we haven't heard back.

We also reached out to Kim Kavin who told us, quote, "I congratulate Person County for taking these first steps towards saving as many dogs like Blue as possible and for using humane lethal injections when there are truly no other options. Blue and I are now turning our attention to other high kill gas chamber shelters nationwide. I'm already in touch with a leading lawmaker on Capitol Hill, and you'll be hearing from is on this issue across the country in 2013."

We will continue to follow this story.

It's Sunday morning. Plenty of faithful heading to church, but do you really need to sit with the congregation to have faith, or can you be spiritual on your own? We take a look in today's "Faces of Faith."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm Randi Kaye. Bottom of the hour now.

And here are some stories that we're watching.

The clock ticking towards skydiver Felix Baumgartner's second attempt to jump from about 120,000 feet or 23 miles in the air. He is trying to become the first man to break the sound barrier without the help of a vehicle.

Baumgartner's first attempt on Tuesday was scrapped because of strong winds. Today's launch could come as early as 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time. So be sure to keep it here on CNN.

And on to another galactic story, the space shuttle "Endeavour" continues to creep through L.A. towards its retirement home at the California Science Center. "Endeavour" is several hours behind schedule as the shuttle and its transporter have had to creep around buildings and through crowds, actually, that have lined the street. "Endeavour" is expected to arrive later this morning.

The Los Angeles Clipper has knocked off the Miami Heat in Shanghai; the 99-89 victory evened the score on the team's two-game exhibition road trip to China. Former Houston rockets all-star Yao Ming sat courtside. His popularity has helped make China the NBA's biggest market outside the U.S. The NBA has been hosting games in China since 2004.

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 roles in "The Sixth Sense" and "The Wackiest Ship in the Army". In the 1980s Collins hosted "The Miss America Pageant" which his wife Mary Ann Mobley (ph) had won decades before. Collins died of natural causes near his home in Mississippi.

If you're heading off to church this morning, I want you to consider this. A new report by the Pew Research Center found that one in five Americans say they have no religious affiliation; but the report also found almost 70 percent of people believe in God and over a third call themselves spiritual, but not religious. It's this group that we want to examine today in "Faces of Faith."

Do we really need the structure of a religion to be faithful? Or is finding faith on personal terms enough? To discuss this I want to bring in two people who are experiencing religion in two very different ways. First, I want to talk with June-Ann Greeley, she's an associate professor of religious studies at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Professor Greeley, good morning.

JUNE-ANN GREELEY, ASSOCIATION PROFESSOR, SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY: Good morning to you.

KAYE: You say -- you say we do need structure when we practice our faith. Why is that?

GREELEY: I think one of the things I would like to first begin saying is that I'm not sure we want to work necessarily with dualities and say it's either religious or spiritual, but I do find that in speaking with students and just in other conversations there is a way in which religion structures us, but also primarily gives us community. And while we tend to think in terms of our own spirituality -- which is, by the way, very important, and we don't want really religion without spirituality -- I think the idea that somehow religion does not offer anything is a mistaken idea.

There's a certain amount of structure, there's a certain amount of community. There's a certain amount of consciousness of self as part of something larger both in the human realm and with the transcendent. And I think that's a very important dimension. Especially in a time when we live a little bit kind of a cult of the individual. And so everything is subjective.

KAYE: So -- let me ask you about this then. Because the pew study found --

(CROSSTALK)

GREELEY: Sure.

KAYE: -- dwindling numbers for those who attend church. Almost a third actually say that they seldom or never attend religious services, so why do you think that those numbers are going down?

GREELEY: Because we're Americans and Westerners, and we really want it all on our own terms, and I'm -- and I'm a Westerner, I'm an American, myself. So the idea that we would see dwindling numbers going into, you know, a place of worship where we are sort of meld into a larger group and sort of have to listen perhaps to a consciousness or a will other than our own and we have to sort of give ourselves over to that might not appeal to a lot of Americans, might not appeal to a lot of Westerners.

KAYE: Let me ask you quickly -- let me ask you quickly --

(CROSSTALK)

GREELEY: Sure.

KAYE: -- about this because churches aren't known for their inclusive policies, particularly with gays and lesbians, and that has many people generally those younger than 30, abandoning churches in greater numbers and on top of that you have the conservative Christians making gay marriage a conservative issue.

So how much you do think all of this has contributed to the decline in religion?

GREELEY: Yes. I mean, I think there's a certain political and socio geopolitical element that comes into the -- into the equation and I certainly think that there are -- there are things that need to be addressed in sort of these religious communities. Not that I or anyone should necessarily address them outside, but the consciousness of maybe if you're talking about, let's say, Christians knowing that Jesus was the prophet of and the voice of love and inclusion and tolerance and kind of bringing that into the conversation and then allowing some kind of the socio dogmatic aspects to find their way.

I think it's perfectly understandable why people might feel excluded, and yet one of the things we find is that oftentimes those individuals are excluded end up forming their own church groups. I mean they do still want community. They still do want that kind of gathering and sort of a kind of communal consciousness and a gathering together for the worship of transcendent.

KAYE: Professor as we said, there are different views on this issue.

GREELEY: Of course.

KAYE: And others who say that faith doesn't necessarily need the structures of a religion and its tenets.

GREELEY: Sure.

KAYE: Let me bring in B.J. Gallagher, author of "If God is your Co-Pilot, Switch Seats." B.J., good morning. So tell me how you decided that being spiritual but not religious was the way for you?

B.J. GALLAGHER, AUTHOR, "IF GOD IS YOUR CO-PILOT SWITCH SEATS": Well, I spent a lot of years on a spiritual quest trying different churches, checking out different religions and really, you know, I'm just an average American seeker of spiritual sustenance and I didn't find it in most mainstream churches. I couldn't find it in sanctuaries. In fact historically there's two groups of people that churches often neglect and it's divorced people and older people. And I was divorced at a very young age and found that I felt worse after leaving church than I did when I went in.

KAYE: You say that we don't necessarily need the structure of religion, that we can all find our own path. Why do you think we don't need that religious structure because the professor believes strongly that it gives us a sense of community.

GALLAGHER: I think people vote with their feet, and the fact that mainstream religions are losing parishioners by the droves tells you that the churches are not meeting the needs of the people who seek spiritual sustenance, who seek guidance. And this anything new it's been going on -- it really started back in the '60s but it's accelerated and these days there are so many sources of spiritual guidance -- the Internet, books, spiritual teachers that we have a veritable smorgasbord of spiritual options in front of us. And Americans being the land of rugged individuals, we like to put together our own spirituality.

KAYE: Right.

GALLAGHER: I -- I like to call it Burger King spirituality -- have it your way.

KAYE: Well, in your book you also talk about surrendering to life, that we find faith when we stop searching actually, so how does someone get there? I mean, do we just say, ok, I'm done universe what's next? Or -- or what?

GALLAGHER: It's really about surrendering to God. It's not surrendering to life. It's surrendering to a higher power as you understand that higher power. In other words, I think that self- reliance is -- is a character defect and I think it's -- it's something that we definitely overdo in American society because of that emphasis on the individual that we try to go it alone and without, you know, this whole thing about captaining your own -- your own ship and -- and being in charge of your own life. I think it's easy for people to forget that we do live in a spiritual universe and that there's spiritual power available to us.

KAYE: Yes a fascinating look certainly, of both sides of the issue. BJ Gallagher and June-Ann Greeley thank you both very much for coming on the program this morning.

GALLAGHER: Thank you very much.

GREELEY: You're welcome.

KAYE: And for more stories on faith, be sure to check out our popular belief blog at CNN.com/belief.

Celebrities from Lindsey Lohan to George Clooney have publicly backed a candidate in this year's election, but does all of the A-List support help or possibly hurt a candidate? More on that ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. Let's get you ready for the week ahead. We have our "Week Ahead" calendar for you. On Monday we'll be talking a lot about Gitmo, the special military tribunal takes place at Guantanamo. Five suspects of the September 11th attacks, including mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed will be there. The hearing was postponed about two months after it was put on hold for Ramadan you may recall.

Tuesday another big debate night we've been telling you about that. In Hempstead, New York President Obama and Mitt Romney will face off in their second debate. And our very own Candy Crowley will be moderating that one. Coverage begins 7:00 p.m. live right here on CNN. And on Thursday North Carolina will have some early in person voting underway. It's one of nine states CNN considers a toss-up. And on Saturday, we'll have some more early voting in Nevada -- another very close state. Before Election Day, up to 40 percent of voters nationwide will actually have already cast their ballots.

And Candy Crowley, by the way, will join us ahead of Tuesday's debate showdown. Will Barack Obama be the one getting his rave reviews this time around, or will Mitt Romney outshine his White House rival? We'll get into that next with Candy.

But first, a question for all you political junkies watching this morning -- which presidential candidate was shot at close range at a campaign event, but still gave his speech? If you know the answer, you can tweet me @randikayeCNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Before the break I asked you if you knew the answer to this question. Which presidential candidate delivered his campaign speech right after being shot? The answer -- Teddy Roosevelt; it happened 100 years ago today. The bullet was slowed by the manuscript of his speech that was in his pocket -- amazing to have that bullet removed.

President Obama and Mitt Romney are gearing up for round two. The White House rivals taking time this weekend to prepare for their second debate on Tuesday. The verbal duel will be moderated by our very own Candy Crowley. She's joining me now from Washington. Candy, I bet you have been busy prepping as well. I'm sure you're ready to go.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST: I will be. You know what this is like. You never feel ready to go -- never. I mean I don't care if you can stay up 24 hours and sort of absorb all the information. But not until you get out there do you kind of think, well, ready or not.

KAYE: Right.

CROWLEY: So you know -- well, there will be lots of studying up until, you know, the time of the debate. KAYE: I'm sure. But the Obama-Romney showdown number two comes just days after their number two's went at it in their own fiery face off. How do you think that's going to impact Tuesday?

CROWLEY: Well, listen, I think when you look at how the polling went afterwards that the vice presidential debates were a draw as far as viewers were concerned. But I do think that there is some sort of presaging when you look at Joe Biden and the issues that he brought up. He brought up all of those things that Democrats wanted the President to bring up.

I am assuming that you will hear the President talk about the 47 percent gaffe of Mitt Romney before some fund raisers. I think you will hear a lot of talk, much as you are hearing on the campaign trail now about, well, is this, you know, the Mitt Romney from ten years ago or the Mitt Romney from now. So there will be a lot of effort by the President to kind of frame Mitt Romney as someone who changes his mind on the issues.

I think what the -- certainly what the Romney people are hoping for is another good solid debate. They think if they can keep it on the issues and show as they believe they did in the first debate, that Mitt Romney knows what he is talking about and that he has a plan and that he can move things forward, that's what they're looking for.

KAYE: This debate will be a town hall format. Will that benefit Obama, do you think? Does he thrive in that condition?

CROWLEY: We'll see. Certainly it should. I mean, you know, to me the President, whoever it happens to be, tends to do well in these big events. You know, obviously Mitt Romney had a lot of time during the primaries to kind of practice up on town hall, but you never know with town halls because just to the smallest thing, the look at a watch is the most famous one, George W. Bush looking at his watch like when can we get this town hall meeting over with.

So, so many things can happen. Either a question that gets to people or a question that gets to the candidate or a candidate that doesn't seem to connect with the -- you know, it's just very hard to tell when that moment will be or what that moment will be about. Is it going to be about policy or is it going to be about style and how you feel about these two guys at the end and how they related with these folks in the town hall?

KAYE: Yes. It's certainly going to be an interesting one. Who do you have coming up on your show today, "STATE OF THE UNION"?

CROWLEY: We are going to talk to top strategists in both campaigns -- Ed Gillespie for Romney, as well as Robert Gibbs for President Obama. We're going to take a sort of in depth look at Florida, which, you know those polls, wow, all of a sudden Florida is looking pretty much like a dead heat and try to figure out what's going on there. Of course, we'll have our political panel to tell us what it all means.

KAYE: All right. Well, we will be tuning in. We'll certainly be tuning in on Tuesday night as well for the big debate.

CROWLEY: Thank you.

KAYE: Candy, thank you. And keep it here for "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley. It starts in just about nine minutes at 9:00 Eastern time.

Take a look at this, CNN.com. We'll sit down with Candy the day after Tuesday's debate for a special edition of our CNN iReport interview. We love your help in bringing us some great questions. Just go to cnnireport.com/CandyCrowley to submit your questions right now.

So we've all seen celebrities out there on the campaign trail, but can a Hollywood endorsement change the mind of a voter? Comedian Dean Obeidallah certainly has a strong opinion on this one.

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KAYE: Welcome back. Just about four minutes before the top of the hour here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

JJ Abrams, Chuck Norris, George Clooney, Kid Rock -- no it is not the cast of a new movie -- those are just some of the many celebrity names endorsing a candidate in this year's big election. Lindsay Lohan even got political this week endorsing Mitt Romney. Quote, "I just think unemployment is really important right now, so as of now, Mitt Romney."

Comedian Dean Obeidallah joins me now from New York to talk about this. Good morning, Dean. So did Lindsay do it for you?

DEAN OBEIDALLAH, POLITICAL COMEDIAN: Good morning Randi.

KAYE: Did she make up your mind, or what?

OBEIDALLAH: You know what; I didn't know which way to go. But she did it. Lilo put me over the top. Actually I look at the issues, and then I consult with a cast of "Jersey Shore". I see where they're going, but this year I'm waiting for Honey Boo Boo. She's a new star. She's the hot one on the block. Wherever she goes, I'm going. Honey Boo Boo give me an answer. Who should I support in the upcoming election.

KAYE: She's too young to vote. I don't think she's going to endorse anybody.

OBEIDALLAH: Well, she can have an opinion. I think she's a smart young lady. But I'm hoping she does. I need her lead. So tell me where to go.

KAYE: So she's the one who -- she's the one celebrity that would sway your vote?

OBEIDALLAH: I don't think there's any one celebrity that would sway my vote. And I think that's true for most people frankly, and I put the question out on Twitter and in Facebook and overwhelmingly people said no. But they gave some interesting responses about how a celebrity impacts them, the way the celebrity endorses someone how they feel about the celebrity or the issues.

So it was a little bit more complicated than I actually thought. I thought people were going, "Of course not. It means nothing." It goes a little deeper than that.

KAYE: So what -- do they matter then, do you think, these celebrity endorsements?

I mean Morgan Freeman just cut an ad for Obama.

OBEIDALLAH: Right. He did, and you know what, this isn't new. I was reading back. The 1920s they the first started celebrity endorsement of Warren G. Harding, with silent movie stars, of all things.

I think if someone is unknown as a challenger it can make you feel more comfortable with a person if somebody you know already, like a Morgan Freeman, comes out and endorsed that person. In the case of President Obama, he has a track record. I don't think it's as powerful. But I think for certain people, I mean, we follow the issues. But there are some people who just tune in near the end, and maybe it's not Morgan Freeman, but that ad that moves them or the fact that Mitt Romney is supported by, say, a Kid Rock and they happen to like Kid Rock, and he is out there at a campaign event.

I think we can't completely discount it, frankly, but I think it only affects a little teeny bit.

KAYE: But a celebrity -- I mean a presidential candidate or any candidate can't control who endorses them, so maybe are you saying -- that suggesting that possibly somebody like maybe a celebrity that isn't very popular among some would actually turn people off from that candidate?

OBEIDALLAH: I think if I was a candidate, I would try to pay people who are not popular to endorse my opponent. I would be throwing money at Mike Situation. Charlie Sheen, what's your phone number. I'd be calling you. Look, endorse my candidate and say he stands for the same family values that I do. That's what you want.

But to me there is -- what I found out on twitter and Facebook, there really is a down side. People told me if a celebrity they had liked endorses a candidate they don't like, it could impact the way that person views that celebrity. That came up over and over on Twitter and Facebook. People saying that to me that, you know what, I'm not going to hate the celebrity for it, but I might think less of them.

You have that fine line. If you get involved in politics, you know, you're going to get some enemies as a result when you take a position on a political issue.

KAYE: Yes, Bruce Springsteen, campaigning with President Clinton today for President Obama. What do you make of that endorsement?

OBEIDALLAH: Well, that's -- to me that's different. When you have endorsements that people tweet out I like this person, I'm supporting this candidate, maybe they go to a fundraiser. Someone like Bruce Springsteen is actually a tangible benefit. If he goes to a campaign event, he's going to draw people who probably are not just coming to see President Obama. They want to hear Bruce Springsteen songs.

So there, President Obama he a tangible benefit of having a bigger crowd to speak to -- it adds some energy and excitement at your campaign event. So that's -- to me that's really -- that's actually a good thing. I think that's a real thing for a candidate to have, someone like a Bruce Springsteen or Kid Rock for Mitt Romney.

KAYE: Yes. Better than a Charlie Sheen, I guess. Dean, that was fun. Thank you so much.

OBEIDALLAH: Thanks. Great seeing you.

KAYE: I'll be sure to give Charlie Sheen your phone number when he calls to complain.

OBEIDALLAH: I'm going to call him if I can do that. Let's hang out.

KAYE: Well, thank you, again. And thank you everybody for watching today. You can always continue the conversation with me on Twitter @RandiKayeCNN.

"STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley starts right now. Enjoy your Sunday.