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CNN Sunday Morning
Interview with Honolulu Mayor; Tracking Hurricane Sandy; Shelling in Syria
Aired October 28, 2012 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Mayor Peter Carlisle, the mayor of Honolulu, joins me now from the Office of Emergency Management. Mr. Mayor, good morning or good evening to you. Tell me where things stand right now.
MAYOR PETER CARLISLE, HONOLULU: You know, we have been monitoring it. We've had -- and a part of the event had already come through, so they are analyzing all of the data, and ultimately what we're going to be doing is meeting in another 35 minutes to try and determine, do we have enough information to give us a good idea of where we are now? We already know we do not want people returning to their homes in the tsunami evacuation zones yet. I believe the military at least in some instances the Marines have started to return people, but it's premature for us to do that. We believe that frankly, we won't have a definitive answer to that for another 2 to 3 hours. And then once we get that 2- to 3-hour window, then what we have to do, it's going to be the mayor of each of the counties who declares the basically the all-clear message. We don't believe that we're going to be able to get that any earlier than two to three hours from now, so we're telling people don't return to their homes and wait for that.
Now, that's a different situation than what you have in the water. The water can be perilous for many, many hours beyond the land. And so that's something that's also -- when we had the tsunami from Japan, we actually lost somebody who was off the shores of Waikiki, which was relatively stable. But because of the wash, the person suffered a heart attack and didn't survive it. At least that's what could have happened.
BALDWIN: That is a great point you made both on land and of course in the water. Let me ask you this, though, Mayor Carlisle, do you have any idea if the worst of the waves have already come or is that still perhaps lurking out there?
CARLISLE: We do not know the answer to that. And remember, all of these events are capricious such as Sandy that you're going through. So you can't really tell which wave is going to be packing the most punch. And sometimes it's the second, third, or even the very last one. So it's sort of a train wreck coming through slowly but surely, and you have to make sure that you have a very good idea that the worst is by you before you start sending people back into the areas that could be affected.
BALDWIN: So of course as you prepare for the worst, you mentioned the phrase train wreck. I've talked to a number of people here live on air, and the good news it seems is though, you know, people in Hawaii, they have been through this. While the concern is certainly very high, there seems to be no real panic. Is that what you're sensing?
CARLISLE: That's absolutely correct. This has been handled professionally, you're correct, we have a lot of experience with it. The one problem with this was that it was a very short fuse. When it happened in Japan, we had about six hours. When it happens off the coast of South America, we have that much time, maybe a little more. But this was only about two and a half hours because it's a direct shot right at the Hawaiian island. So as a result, we had to make sure that everything was done faster than usual, and it was done with great professionalism, and happily our experiences in the past have paid dividends now, and we were satisfied that we had gotten people to a position of safety when they needed to be.
BALDWIN: OK, and then again, Mayor, when you mentioned the two to three hours, is that when you anticipate potentially getting the all-clear?
CARLISLE: No. That's when I anticipate having enough information to know when we are going to be able to give the all- clear. I suspect that we will not be getting to a point where we'll be doing the all-clear for at least an hour or two after that, because we're going to have to confirm that there were no damages, we're going to have to do a visual coastal check. Then we're going to have a two- part message that will indeed talk about returning to your homes on the land and then in the ocean.
BALDWIN: Mayor Peter Carlisle, Honolulu, we appreciate you hopping on the phone. We know this is a busy, busy nights for you. We wish you the best, we'll stay in close touch, and we appreciate it, sir, very, very much.
CARLISLE: I'd like to thank you as well, and to give my best wishes to the first lady, who happens to be in Pennsylvania and is going to be facing the problem with the hurricane. So I'm keeping in touch with her as well, so God bless all of you over there and best wishes.
BALDWIN: Thank you so much, Mr. Mayor, Mayor Carlisle.
And speaking of Sandy, let's take you from the west to the east, because as he mentioned, a lot of weather news here this morning affecting so many of you I know across the country here. Speaking of Sandy, let's take a look at Sandy's forecast with Bonnie Schneider in the weather center. Bonnie, a busy Sunday here from, you know, tsunamis to this hurricane. Tell me where Sandy is right now.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right now, the storm is about 265 miles to the southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The storm is on the move, but this is not a typical hurricane, Brooke, it's a large one. We have a very large tropical storm-force windfield. So many places have started to feel the effects of Sandy, even though it's a category 1 storm. And it's so unusual atmospherically because we're seeing so many different dynamics take place, where this storm when it makes that turn is going to get a bolt of energy that typically would break it down. But not in this case. It's only going to fire it up. So right now, we're looking at this storm moving fairly quickly to the northeast at about 13 miles per hour.
Here is the track right now, and here is the fascination of all of us meteorologists. This turn to the northwest and a landfall somewhere possibly in the vicinity of New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware. You know, landfall, of course, is very important, but the storm surge is also important. And we will see that, and I'm going to talk about that in a moment. But notice the track of the storm working its way to well interior of New England.
And when I see this, it just brings back a memory of Irene last year, because that's where we saw flooding all the way up into Vermont from a storm that made landfall as a tropical storm, a strong tropical storm near New York City. So it just shows you the size and the scope of these storms and how they can affect states far from the coast.
Here is the look at the wind gusts right now, they are strong. Kill Devil Hills, well over tropical storm-force winds. We're seeing them over 40 miles per hour in Virginia Beach. This is just the beginning. The winds tonight and tomorrow are going to pick up enormously. Gusts will be hurricane force all the way across Boston, through New York City down through Philadelphia. 80 mile-per-hour gusts. These -- these are the type of gusts that will certainly knock down trees and cause major power outages.
And notice, the wind advisories extend into Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well.
Want to mention this time of year, October, this is when we have all these beautiful changing of the leaf colors, the trees are heavy with the leaves right now, so when they fall, they will fall hard. And we're not only looking, as I mentioned, the wind damage, but this is a two-puncher, because we have heavy rain in the forecast all the way to Tuesday, and you know, we start even looking out beyond that, we're still expecting rain Wednesday into Thursday with this storm. It's some of the heaviest rain in the mid-Atlantic coming in steadily and staying there. So that's why the storm drains -- we're advising people and government officials are advising people to clear out those leaves in your storm drains, because this is going to create a lot of flooding problems.
And speaking of which, storm surge at the time of high tide, that's not just your typical flood, it really can build in, especially in the areas in here. We have the inlets. This is where it gets the most dangerous, because that water funnels in and piles high. So storm surge is something we're very concerned with, and depending on where the storm makes landfall, up to eight feet even as you saw just south of New York City. And if that is not enough, we've been talking about the tsunamis and Sandy, we have to talk about snow, because Brooke, this storm has that interesting dimension I mentioned earlier where it gets that extra burst of energy. It's coming from this. Low pressure coming in from the west is going to trigger some cold air, and look at these snowfall totals. It's not winter yet, but it will feel that way in the mountains of West Virginia.
We could see -- our computer models are predicting a foot or more of snow. So people will be shoveling out and cleaning up from Sandy. Sandy is going to impact millions of people in so many ways over some of the most populated cities in the United States. You can see the snowfall that we're expecting here at the different levels of elevation. So a massive storm we're watching. This is just the beginning. Keep tuned to CNN. We'll keep you updated.
BALDWIN: Bonnie, thank you. Bonnie, you mentioned Kill Devil Hills, that's of course a beautiful part of the North Carolina Outer Banks. That's actually where we have George Howell, one of our correspondents, right now here at this early hour. And George Howell, I know you're there in anticipation here of this hurricane, but tell me what you're seeing this morning.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, good morning, we're trying to get a live signal out so we can bring you that live report, but we are having trouble just because of the thick cloud cover. Where we are now right now, we're really in that northwestern quadrant of the storm as this storm churns northward and prepares to make that left hook into the metro areas of New York, Philadelphia, and D.C. We are getting the brunt of that northwestern side of it, so we're feeling that all the way from Wilmington, North Carolina, up to Norfolk, Virginia.
So right now, we know that there's a possible storm surge, Brooke, in this area, of four to six feet. We also know that Highway 12, which is the only way in and out here from the Outer Banks, part of it has washed over south of where we are now. So there were a lot of people, Brooke, who decided to ride this storm out. They are in for the ride now, especially in those areas where they've been cut off. We're just watching and monitoring as the storm comes through.
BALDWIN: George, just give me some idea as far as how many people are in Kill Devil Hills or in the Outer Banks area. I know it's a great summer destination. I'm just curious how many people are there this weekend.
HOWELL: Right, you know, it's interesting, because yesterday, Brooke, it really seemed like business as usual. There were a lot of people here, a lot of people decided to stay, monitor the situation, ride the storm out. So fair to say there are a lot of people who will be here on the island.
One story comes to mind. I was talking to some people who are staying at this hotel where we're riding our the storm. They were here for a wedding that happened yesterday, and I saw people who were dressed to the nines going to an event. You have got this tropical system coming in, this hurricane coming in. Just an odd situation there. But again, Brooke, a lot of people here just watching and waiting to see what happens.
BALDWIN: George Howell, we hope you're able to get up and live. We hope to see you and see some of your pictures there for us in North Carolina here on this Sunday. But for now I'll let you go. George Howell, thank you for calling in. And, folks, we have you covered. It is shaping up to be a busy, busy Sunday morning. Nine minutes here past the hour, we're covering of course Hurricane Sandy, the Hawaiian tsunami. Make sure you can stay here with us for CNN, all the latest here, and if you would like more information about Sandy's projected path and how you could help out, just go to CNN.com/impact.
The New York Times has made their pick. We'll tell you who they're supporting for president and why. Plus, the latest on Florida Senator Marco Rubio's 12-year-old daughter hospitalized after a car crash.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Twelve minutes past the hour here, good morning and welcome back. Let's talk politics here, and the endorsements. The endorsements here are rolling in, nine days to go until election day. President Obama has now added the New York Times to his yes column. The editorial page listed Obama's achievements like saving the auto industry and health care reform as reasons for their endorsement. Keep in mind the Times did endorse then-Senator Obama in 2008 and have not backed a Republican since Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The president spent Saturday focusing on New Hampshire. Those four electoral votes there. This is his second stop here in the swing state in just about a week, at an event in Nashua. The president said Mitt Romney was trying to take the country back to the George W. Bush years. Here he was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Governor Romney's been out here making a lot of last- minute promises lately. Said he's all about fighting for the middle class. Says he'd cut taxes for everybody. And ask something from nobody. But the problem is we've heard those promises before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Mitt Romney meantime has added an important endorsement here in the battleground state of Iowa. The Des Moines Register as of last night has now chosen Romney because they say this is all about the economy. Keep in mind, they endorsed the president four years ago, then-senator four years ago. And this marks the first time in 40 years that the newspaper has backed a Republican in the presidential election here.
So just on Friday, I spoke with Carol Hunter. She is the senior news director of the paper. She very much so agreed with me. Iowa up for grabs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAROL HUNTER, DES MOINES REGISTER: It's pretty much like Ohio in that it's very much a toss-up state. All the polls are showing it pretty much dead even. There's a Rasmussen report out that has them both at 48 percent. The rolling averages are all within the margin of error. It's just going to be close, close, close, right down to the wire. And how precious those six electoral votes are just shows how close the entire national campaign is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Mitt Romney spent Saturday focusing on Florida. He had three, count 'em, three separate events there just yesterday. Today Romney is in Ohio with vice presidential candidate, Paul Ryan. And in Florida, Romney kept hammering home his message of a failed past four years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: He's asked what he's going do to get this economy going. We've now had four debates, three presidential, one vice presidential. Have you heard him lay out a plan yet as to what he's going to do to get this economy going?
CROWD: No!
ROMNEY: He wants four more years, but he's got no agenda.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: And tonight want to let you know we're going to bring you a special inside look at both these candidates. Mitt Romney Revealed: Family, Faith, and the Road to Power. That's coming your way at 8:00 tonight Eastern. And it will be followed by Obama Revealed: The man, the President. So you will get to see both these candidates behind the scenes like you have never seen them before tonight on CNN.
Quite a scare for the family of Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio. While the senator was out campaigning with Mitt Romney, his daughter was involved in an accident involving a golf cart. She is 12 years old. She's Amanda Rubio. Apparently, she was visiting classmates when this accident happened. We're told she suffered a head injury and was airlifted to Miami Children's Hospital's Pediatric Unit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REBECA SOSA, MIAMI -DADE COUNTY COMMISSIONER: There was an accident with a tennis cart. She was transported to the hospital. Many tests were done. She's doing better, she's talking. The whole family is next to her. And we hope that everything is going to be much better tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Hurricane Sandy and the campaigns. Brian Monroe, CNNpolitics.com editor, joins me now for more of the potential political fallout here from the storm, joins me live this morning in Washington. Good to see you.
BRIAN MONROE, CNNPOLITICS.COM EDITOR: Good morning.
BALDWIN: We have mentioned some of these cancellations for Mitt Romney. He won't be headed to Virginia. It's also affecting the president and some of his campaigning this week with Bill Clinton. Brian, do we know if anything else could be changing because of the storm?
MONROE: One of the big things you saw, the White House has decided -- President Obama has decided to stay here in D.C., at the White House, to monitor Sandy. Mitt Romney has changed his schedule so he will be back up in Ohio with Paul Ryan.
But one of the things that's going to be interesting is early voting actually started this weekend in many of these key states. In Florida, in Maryland, there is lines in D.C. And so there's been encouragement actually for voters to get out this weekend and do their early voting before Hurricane Sandy comes through and messes up everything.
BALDWIN: I saw some pictures over the weekend from Joe Johns, some polling places in Virginia. Looked to be very long lines. People trying to get in before the storm hits.
Let me ask you this -- oftentimes in politics, in October before the big election, people talk about an October surprise. Might this be the October surprise, this go round?
MONROE: You know, this is certainly surprising. Look, I've actually been through three hurricanes, helped the team -- we led the team that won the Pulitzer for -- for Hurricane Biloxi -- Hurricane Katrina in Biloxi. Hurricanes are very unpredictable. When you first have the path of the storm coming up hugging the coast, it may be turning eastward out to sea, now move that pressure system that is keeping it and is actually going to turn it in probably right above our heads in D.C., you know, you don't know what's going to happen. And particularly with nine days out to the election, these days are crucial for the campaigns to get out on the road, hit the swing states, those states that are going to be critical in deciding the next president. So this tosses a lot up in the air.
BALDWIN: Brian, stand by for me, because we created this picture here, we put together -- we're showing some of the campaign layers, if you will, impacted by the storm hitting the East Coast. So you know, we're already seeing, as you mentioned, some of the campaign events across the country for either Romney or Obama delayed or canceled. We are also expecting huge travel delays in addition to impacting millions of travelers. The campaigns may have to do some last-minute maneuvering. Also a major storm hitting the most densely populated section of the country could divert local and national media coverage from politics, of course, to weather. And that could mean less visibility for the candidates.
But Brian, on that note, I want to talk about the optics of this. You mentioned the president will stay at the White House as he is here commander in chief, you know, wanting to, of course, monitor the situation over the next couple of days with regard to the hurricane. And how may that look, that may not be a bad thing for the president. Looking very presidential in the White House. MONROE: You know, we're at a time right now where there are so few undecided or uncommitted voters that every little edge and getting your base out is going to make a difference. And as tragic and difficult as hurricanes are, you know, this is a chance for both candidates to appear to be leaders, to appear presidential. And to look like they're in control of what's going on.
BALDWIN: And finally here, not only are the campaigns affected by the storm, I understand some of the polling, of course we parse through the polling each and every day, some of the pollsters, or the folks who conduct the polls, they are affected, as well.
MONROE: Yes. A lot of folks who are here in D.C. You know, the other thing is power may be -- remember a few months ago when we had that big storm here in D.C., the power was out for weeks in some parts of Virginia, Maryland, and the District. And so without electricity, it's hard to fire up those computers and charge the Blackberries to get the information through. So they're shifting resources elsewhere that may not be as affected. But you know, even power, even though the storm won't -- should have passed by the time election day comes, you got power outages that could affect voting machines that are electronic.
BALDWIN: Oh. Let's not -- let's have our fingers crossed that that does not happen at all. Brian Monroe, editor of CNNpolitics.com. Good to see you. Thank you.
MONROE: Thanks.
BALDWIN: In other news here, proposed cease-fire to celebrate a feast instead turned into this -- [ explosions ].
Severe We're shelling in Syria during what is supposed to be a holiday.
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BALDWIN: We're talking so much here about Hurricane Sandy. Take a look at these pictures. Obviously these pictures are from space. This just gives you some perspective as far as how huge this storm is. So this is a picture, this is from the ISS, the International Space Station. This week, Sandy's cloud field measured about 1,600 miles across. I know. What exactly does that mean? That means it's actually large enough to fill the distance here, to span all the way from Memphis, Tennessee, to L.A. That's how big Sandy is.
To Syria here where that temporary cease-fire continues to unravel. We're getting new video showing explosions in the city of Douma. 12 people have been killed so far today, including eight in the capital city of Damascus and two in Aleppo, in the northwestern part of the country. This is according to opposition groups. This cease-fire was called in response to the start of a Muslim holiday on Friday.
And in Indonesia, where police arrested 11 people just yesterday in a series of raids on a suspected terrorist cell, those captured were said to be part of a group planning attacks on the U.S. consulate in East Java, as well as other targets. An Indonesian official said the raids uncovered bombmaking materials and manuals and ammunition.
The al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has killed -- excuse me, has called on Muslims to kidnap Westerners. This video here of him, this is posted on Islamic web sites. He said future abductions should be used to help free Shekh Omar Abdel-Rahman, the convicted mastermind behind the World Trade Center bombing back in '93. Abdel-Rahman is serving a life sentence in a U.S. federal prison.
And Hurricane Sandy, we told you how big she is. She could be disastrous.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Folks, this could be bad.
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BALDWIN: Mandatory evacuations, states of emergency. The East Coast braces for what could come next.
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BALDWIN: Good Saturday morning to you. I'm Brooke Baldwin sitting in for Randi Kaye. You are watching "Early Start" weekend. It is a half past the hour here. And a special welcome, of course, to our troops watching on the American Forces Network. Good morning, good morning to you. Half past the hour here.
And we have to talk hurricane. Right now, Hurricane Sandy churning off the coast of North Carolina. The storm is creating powerful winds, dangerous surf. Bonnie Schneider, she is in the weather center, she's been tracking Sandy. And tell me, where is Sandy this morning?
SCHNEIDER: Good morning, Brooke. We are tracking Sandy, and right now the storm's center is still a couple hundred miles away from North Carolina. But remember, the wind field is so large that we're already feeling effects of the storm. I want to show you the latest satellite perspective, and it doesn't look very organized, but that's because Sandy's so large. So we're seeing some of the heaviest convection or thunderstorm activity in North Carolina right now. The movement is pretty quick to the Northeast. It's 13 miles per hour. Gusts are up to 90, but right now the maximum winds are at 75 miles per hour. Let's take a look at this unusual, unprecedented track. Where we're moving north and then turning northwest. Sometime on Monday into Tuesday, we are looking at the potential for a landfall possibly somewhere in New Jersey, New York, maybe into the Delmarva area. The models have more of a consensus that the turn is going to take place. So that's important to know. And this storm is going to be widespread in the effects and in the areas, in which it will affect because we're not just talking about landfall in a coastal area and we're done. This is going to impact many areas well inland. Right now, the winds are strong, Kill Devil Hills, 40 miles per hour winds, those are sustained winds, the gusts are getting higher than that. So as we move from tonight into tomorrow we'll really be talking about the wind. And we're talking about the wind in heavily populated cities like New York City where we have over 8 million people, we're looking at the potential for some serious power outages. Heavy rain due to storm surge, as well. This is going to be a long lasting rain- making event, Brooke. And I do think we'll see some substantial flooding especially through the mid-Atlantic.
BALDWIN: And you make such a great point earlier. The fact, that, you know, here we are, what, the very end of October, a lot of leaves still on the trees. So when those leaves begin to fall, I mean power crews they will have their work certainly cut out for them, Bonnie. Thank you, we'll come back to you in just a minute.
Let me tell you what's happening in Connecticut. Governor Daniel Malloy issued a state of emergency there. He says 400 National Guard troops, they are ready to go, ready to help here during Hurricane Sandy, and he says one of the biggest concerns about Sandy here is that the storm could last for a day and a half.
GOV. DANIEL P. MALLOY, CONNECTICUT: Folks, this could be bad, really bad. It could impact us in several ways and for a long period of time. Please take this as seriously as we are taking it. We are talking about the potential for a high number of power outages and for an extended period of time. We're talking about severe flooding, perhaps the worst we've seen in more than 70 years, back to 1938. We're talking about extensive travel problems. Perhaps most important, unlike other similar events we've experienced in the recent past, we're talking about a weather event that could last for up to 36 hours. Not the 12 hours that Connecticut residents are generally used to.
And as Hurricane Sandy creeps toward a predicted collision here with the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast states, millions of people are trying to prepare for an impact that could include up to a foot of rain, heavy, heavy snow here, and gale force sustained winds. April Williams has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
APRIL WILLIAMS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Conditions continue to deteriorate as Sandy slowly swirls up the East Coast. By Saturday, several states declared states of emergency. And New Jersey's governor issued mandatory evacuation orders for Atlantic City's casinos and the barrier islands by 4:00 p.m. Sunday, warning of Sandy's expected magnitude.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R ), NEW JERSEY: We have to be prepared for the worst here. Understand that this snow storm, unlike some of the other ones we've had, is going to be -- is forecast at least to be a slow-moving one.
WILLIAMS: Sandy could merge with a cold front morphing into a super storm. Forecasters say the monster storm will likely unleash heavy flooding from storm surge and heavy rains and produce fierce winds. Power outages will likely be extensive. Damage from Sandy is expected to be in the billions. BILL SAWYERS, HOMEOWNER: The most stressful thing is to stand in your house, watch the water come up, and there's nothing you can do. It's going to keep coming. And then you're stuck because now you can't get out of the house.
WILLIAMS: Sandbagging in anticipation of Sandy's landfall late Monday into Tuesday is happening up and down the northeast.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do want to make sure that we're prepared with plenty of sandbags. Trying to be proactive here.
WILLIAMS: Other residents are stocking up on generators and batteries for flashlights. Along with forecasters and local governments following Sandy's path are the presidential candidates. Both President Obama and Mitt Romney have had to change campaign stops on the East Coast. I'm April Williams reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Just heard the homeowner say the best, really, the most stressful thing is to stand in your house and watch the water just come up and up. Sandbagging, boarding up windows, securing some of the loose lawn furniture or really anything else that can become airborne are just a couple of things you can do right now to prepare for this hurricane. But you also need to check on the people who need it most. The elderly. General Russel Honore commanded the military post Katrina in New Orleans, and he is joining me on the phone right now. General Honore, good morning. Nice to speak to you here ...
GEN. RUSSEL HONORE, U.S. ARMY (RETIRED): Good morning, Brooke.
BALDWIN: ... on this early hour here on the Sunday. You know, as we hear all these different governors and then the states of emergency and we are talking winds and rain and possibly snow, for these people up and down the East Coast, General, what is priority number one?
HONORE: Well, to take care of the people who are most vulnerable, and that's the elderly, the disabled, and the poor. Many people who have means -- and remember, this is the end of the month, Brooke. About a third of our population depends on assistance from the government. It is the last couple of days in month. Not a lot of money. So if somebody tells you to evacuate, which is often the problem after the storms come at the end of the month, people who are strapped financially are going to have a hard time moving. So, they need to move to local shelters while they can and need to let the local government know if they need a ride to get to those shelters. That's the number-one priority. Because they're the most vulnerable. When we went in to do the search and rescue after Katrina, most of the people we found who did not survive the storm were elderly, disabled, poor, and they were by themselves in their home. That is the message.
BALDWIN: It's so -- absolutely, it's great advice for anyone who can help sort of look out for them, General Honore, and we've seen some of the lines already, people, you know, stocking up on water and food. What other basic needs should people head out if they can today to go grab?
HONORE: Well, number one, listen to what the media is telling folks in the government. I think everybody's doing a good job and probably getting information out. That this storm is going to be different than any other that you've seen. When you (inaudible) hurricane, you think warm weather. This storm is going to create a surge of coastal problems between heavy rain and mountainous areas. It's going to call isolated flooding. And then on the back side at the storm, when normally warm where everybody can run around and you can live with a hole in your roof if you have it at your house, this is going to be tough. Because you got snow and potential ice without power. So this is a mega storm that's one that people need to be prepared for. And again, the most vulnerable population, the elderly, the disabled, and people who live in poor conditions in the trailer homes, they will not stand up to over 60 mile-an-hour wind. They need to go to shelters and get to those shelters early. Local governments need to make decisions on what they're going to do tomorrow. Schools are going to be open or they are going to close, so people can prepare in the communities. Because if they open the schools, in many cases, that's going to prevents people from doing that last-day preparedness.
BALDWIN: Think ahead, act, be prepared. Great advice from someone who knows very well about all of this. General Russel Honore, General, we appreciate it. Have a wonderful Sunday. Thank you.
Here talking about the storm, have to talk about the election. Nine days out, the race tightening in several key swing states. We'll tell you how the balance is tipping and what to expect.
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THULANI MADONDO, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: Since the Apartheid times Cliptown has not changed. There is no electricity, people are living shacks. Growing up in Cliptown makes you feel like you don't have control over your life. Many children drop out of school because they don't have the school uniforms and textbooks. I realized that the only way that Kliptown could change was through education. I'm Thulani Madondo, I'm helping educating the children so that you can change Kliptown together. We help the children by paying for their school books, school uniforms. Our main focus is our tutoring program that we run four days a week. As young people are born and raised here, we know the challenges of this community.
We also do a number of the activities. We've got to come together for fun while we also come together for academics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This program gave me a chancing to go the university. They actually paid for my fees. That's why I also come back and help out here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Number three -- number three ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little can go a long way.
MADONDO (on camera): What subjects do you need to study? Math and science and English!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
MADONDO (voice over): I didn't go to university, but I've been able to help them. I feel excited.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to be an accountant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to be a lawyer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I'm going to be a nurse.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
MADONDO: The work (ph) that you're doing, yeah, it's bringing change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Back to politics. Nine days out here before the presidential election. I want to share some important numbers here when it comes to the race. So, let's begin in Virginia. You know the deal. This is one of the key swing states we've been watching. So this new "Washington Post" poll shows President Obama with a four- point advantage over Mitt Romney. It's a -- a change certainly over the one-point lead Romney enjoyed there in a similar poll just last week. Heading northward to Pennsylvania, the president has a six- point lead in this new poll, this is from the Philadelphia "Enquirer." Romney's actually gained ground there since early October. And finally Ohio, Ohio, Ohio, the mother of all battleground states here. President Obama holding a four-point advantage there, this is out latest CNN/ORC poll. So, you have the polls, you have some of these hard numbers, but we want to hear directly from you, from the voters. So we sent the CNN election express on the road to take the polls of voters into these key swing states. We're calling it the battleground bus tour. And we have CNN political contributor John Avlon joins me bright and early on this Sunday. Fancy meeting you here, friend. What, Ali Velshi couldn't ...
JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Brooke.
BALDWIN: You couldn't wake Ali Velshi up to have joined you?
AVLON: You know, this earlier, I drew the short straw, but it's all good.
(CROSSTALK)
AVLON: Early a.m., Lexington, Virginia.
BALDWIN: Hey, team player, we appreciate it. Tell me about what you guys did at this town hall you hosted with college students in Lexington.
AVLON: It was fascinating, Brooke. You know, we sat down with students here at Washington Lee University. And this is -- this is, I think, a center right campus, there is no question. But their views were incredibly nuanced about the economy. There were Romney supporters, there were Obama supporters. The number-one issue across the board was the economy with a special focus on deficit and debt. And here are some of the folks we spoke to. Just take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANNAH RODRIGUEZ, MITT ROMNEY SUPPORTER: Right now there are a lot of issues that I care a lot about. For example, I am very environmentally conscious. I've been a vegan since I was nine. I care a lot about getting clean energy, I care a lot about things like that. But just looking around at the unemployment rate, it's so scary to me that there are people who -- they can't get jobs. And even though there are other issues that I care a lot about, I think that should be the number-one concern. Yes, it's a little better, but I don't think it's where it should be at all.
AVLON: Now, did you say you're a Romney supporter or Obama?
RODRIGUEZ: Yes, Romney.
AVLON: So, you're a Romney vegan?
RORDRIGUEZ: Yes.
AVLON: That's awesome.
RODRIGUEZ: I am.
AVLON: You know, like, seriously, start a Facebook page. I want to see how many -- I want to see how many Romney vegans there are out there. And the Romney camp should totally get this person up right now.
(LAUGHTER)
KEATON FLETCHER, MITT ROMNEY SUPPORTER: The older generation, I think they all want Reagan back, right? Is it everyone like (inaudible) votes for Reagan as the ideal Republican candidate. And I don't think necessarily -- I mean one way or the other, I mean, we never -- I never lived under Reagan's presidency so I can't speak to that. But I think that you see that our generation sees these other social issues that we want -- really want addressed like gay marriage or like gay rights and like ...
AVLON: You're in favor of ...
FLETCHER: I am.
AVLON: And you're a Republican in favor of gay marriage.
FLETCHER: Yes. Which is very interesting to try and reconcile and explain to my gay friends. It's triage. And social issues, if it was based totally on social issues, I think I'd probably vote for President Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AVLON: So Brooke, right there you see it's fascinating. I mean these students ...
BALDWIN: That was great.
AVLON: Those two folks were leaning Romney, no question about it, but they really have complex views and it shows how much the millennial generation, this rising generation, doesn't fit into the stereotypes of either party. And then while Romney's won their vote, they're not single-issue voters. And the Republican Party really needs to reach out toward where they are, going forward in the future. So, it's a fascinating conversation.
BALDWIN: We'll have to follow up to see if she starts the Romney vegan Facebook page. You were great with college students. I want to see more of that, John Avlon. That was fascinating. Hey, let me ask you since you are in -- I love Lexington. Since you're in Virginia, we're talking so much here about Hurricane Sandy. And I know both campaigns have had to cancel or sort of tweak some of their campaign stops because of this hurricane. How much do you think that will impact some of the early voting here?
AVLON: Well, it's fascinating. Virginia has absentee voting. Not early voting in the long -- stand-in-line sense. In North Carolina where we just were on the battleground bus tour, they had shut a few counties of early voting out of an abundance of caution on the coastal areas. Here campaigns are closing events, there's a real concern about the impact. President Obama's already been here 19 times on the campaign. Mitt Romney, 20. But the real question will be if does -- if there is an impact, if there are blackouts, how will that affect get-out-the-vote efforts? That's a giant X factor hanging over this election in all of these coastal especially states, especially this must-win swing state of Virginia.
BALDWIN: John Avlon. Thank you so much. Tell Ali Velshi good morning for me.
AVLON: Thanks, Brooke.
BALDWIN: And make sure you stick around. Because in about 90 minutes, Ali and John will bring us a brand new video interviews here from that battleground bus tour now in Lexington, Virginia.
Former prime minister's past finally catches up to him. He might have been sentenced to prison but says he's not done with politics just yet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Bunga bunga, women, government corruption, bribery, tax fraud, embezzlement, these are all the right ingredients for a Hollywood thriller. But they're also putting former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi behind bars maybe for the next four years. Berlusconi was sentenced Friday for tax fraud involving his media company and this Swiss bank account. Berlusconi has already survived, as you know, a series of scandals, and now he's vowing to survive yet another already saying he wants to return to politics. So, here to give us a little insight, our own editorial producer, Nadia Bilchik. Nadia, good morning.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN PRODUCER: Good morning. And yes, as you said, he is definitely not going to go to jail.
BALDWIN: Right. I mean, that's the thing.
BILCHIK: Yes.
BALDWIN: He's sentenced to four years. But the likelihood of him serving is nil?
BILCHIK: There's so many loopholes. And the appeals process, also, in Italy, for someone who's over 70 years old, the judge can have house arrest. And in 2006, there was an Italian law that reduces prison sentences. So, if anything it will be a couple of months under house arrest.
BALDWIN: So, what else is going on with him?
BILCHIK: Well ...
BALDWIN: Let's go there.
BILCHIK: Yes. Let's go there. Berlusconi is still involved in a case where he was supposed to have elicited sex with an underage Moroccan exotic dancer known as Ruby -- or Rubycore (ph), as well known as Ruby the heart stealer ...
BALDWIN: Right.
BILCHIK: So there was that going on. Remember, he used to have his banga banga -- or bunga bunga parties ...
BALDWIN: Right.
BILCHIK: With Ruby. So, that is still going on. But we apparently must not call his political epitaph just yet. Because some people are saying right now, with the law as it is, he can't run for president for the next three years or prime minister as it is. So he announced that he's not going to run for prime minister in the next elections. But that doesn't mean that he won't in years to come.
BALDWIN: Because he says his reaction to all of this is, well, that's all well and great, but I want to return to politics?
BILCHIK: Exactly. He says this is all politically motivated -- and he is a victim. So, it's going to be interesting. But it's not like Al Capone in the end it's the taxes that have got him, not the bunga, bunga dancers and not anything else, the taxes. But he is pretty resilient.
BALDWIN: We'll be talking about him, I have a feeling.
BILCHIK: Yes, for years to come.
BALDWIN: For years to come.
BILCHIK: Berlusconi, Bunga, Bunga and a billionaire.
BALDWIN: Bunga bungled.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Nadia, thank you. We appreciate it. With a state of emergency declared here in nine states and Washington, D.C., people are scrambling just to protect their homes, sandbags, stock up on supplies. You can see a lot of store shelves empty. Hurricane Sandy could cause widespread damage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, time to get you ready here for the week ahead beginning with Monday. Monday here, final week two campaign. Events obviously we've been talking so much about Hurricane Sandy, events here on the trail are changing. But it's the last full week to campaign. So, both the president and Mitt Romney still finding their way to this crucial battleground states. Mitt Romney will be in Ohio, Iowa, and Wisconsin on Monday. And the president will be visiting Florida and Ohio. Fast forward to trick-or-treat, you have Wednesday here, Halloween, of course. And then to Friday. This is so, so key perhaps for some of those uncommitted, undecided voters. The last jobs report comes out this coming Friday. So all sides, of course, get the numbers. We'll try to spin them to their advantage ahead of November Sixth. Then, finally, the next day here, that controversial bin Laden raid movie, it airs on the National Geographic Channel. And this is two days here, two days before the election. Critics say the timing of the film is absolutely political. And that is -- there you go. The week ahead here. Thank you so much for starting your morning with us. We have so much more for you on CNN "Sunday Morning" which begins right now.
From the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, this is "CNN Sunday morning."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. DANNEL P. MALLOY, CONNECTICUT: Folks, this could be bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Ten million without power, more than $3 billion in damage, seven to 10 days in the dark, just some of the threats here from hurricane Sandy. Another number for you -- nine. Nine days until Election Day. Campaign plans in disarray because of the storm here. Obviously already affecting the election and happenings on the trail.
And the hunt for bin Laden from inside the White House. Author Mark Bowden's account of what really happened that day in May in 2011.
(MUSIC)
BALDWIN: Good Sunday morning to you. I'm Brooke Baldwin, in for Randi Kaye here this Sunday. It is 7:00 on the East Coast, 4:00 on the West. Thank you so much for starting your morning with us here on CNN.
I do want to begin far westward. The tsunami fears in Hawaii this morning. We're talking about this because it's been triggered by a massive earthquake just off the western coast of Canada.
Take a look at pictures with me. These are live pictures you'll see in a second. Beautiful pictures here, Hawaii, the coast, we're watching the waves rolling in, evacuation orders have been issued. Tsunami warnings are out. Officials are urging people to evacuate. Local Hawaiian officials are warning the tsunami waves are not at all over yet.
So, from tsunami to hurricane, we go here on this Sunday. We're watching hurricane Sandy for you. We're seeing tropical storm warnings extending from South Carolina to Virginia as hurricane Sandy heads Northeast at about 13 miles per hour. Here she is churning. People right now rushing to get sandbags and flashlights, water, supplies here.
The center of the storm is more than 200 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. But it's already causing dangerous surf, powerful winds.
Bonnie Schneider is here with me in the severe weather center.
Bonnie, good morning.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.
BALDWIN: Hurricane heading northeastward now. But tell me -- tell me where she is now.
SCHNEIDER: Right now, as you mentioned, the storm is a couple hundred miles away. But we're feeling the effects right now. We're not feeling the worst of it yet. You mentioned the sandbags and storm preps, but I really want to emphasize the loss of power that's likely to occur with a massive system like this.
So, make sure everybody in your home has enough food and water for three days per person. And don't forget your pets, because we're looking at the substantial power outages. I'll show you that in a moment. Right now, the storm, a category 1 hurricane, a little disorganized. But this storm is so unusual for many, many factors.
You see the track curve its back to the northwest. And we're looking at landfall possibly sometime Tuesday. But in advance of the storm, especially Monday, we'll be feeling wind and rain. It's really going to be a mess. On the back side, we're actually going to get snow.
Now, look at the power outages. This isn't a typical situation. These are some of the most populated cities in the U.S.: New York, Philadelphia. So, over 10 million people might be impacted in terms of power outages. And that holds true at Cleveland, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. So, we'll be talking about the hundreds of thousands to likely the millions of people that are impacted by one storm, strong winds coming in. Flooding rains for days. That's going to impact us in terms of the risk for flooding and storm surge depending where the storm makes landfall.
Here's an example of storm surge we may anticipate. On the Jersey Shore, for example, at the time of high tide. That's substantial when you're talking about four to eight feet. We'll see how close it comes to New York City, whether or not there will have to be evacuations like we saw with Irene.
We do have evacuations for Fire Island, though. A low-lying barrier island on the south shore of Long Island. And you know, you can't take this seriously enough, because storm surge is very, very dangerous. Flooding is actually the leading killer in any kind of hurricanes.
But this is no ordinary hurricane. This one is a big event. We'll be talking about it throughout the morning -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Bonnie, we appreciate it. Bonnie mentioned North Carolina.
Let's go straight to the coastal area. Outer banks, Kill Devil Hills, to be precise here.
George Howell is standing by for us in an area already very much so apparently getting hit by this hurricane.
And, George, as I wait to see your picture, I -- here you are -- is the rain coming down?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brooke. The rain definitely coming in. It's that sideways rain, combined with sand, helping to -- a good indication that the storm is getting much closer to us.
We're in an area, the northwestern quadrant of the storm. That is where you see the storm bringing in bands of heavy rain, these bands of winds that are coming in. In fact, that band right now stretches from Wilmington, North Carolina, all the way up to Norfolk. Virginia.
Right here on the outer banks, this is a good indication of what is yet to come as this storm continues to track north and make the hook into the metro areas of New York, of Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
Brooke, I can tell you here we do know of some damage already. This Coastal Highway 12, it's really the only way in and out along the outer banks. Water is already over the highway in places south of us. And there were a lot of people who decided to ride this storm out so people who decided to stay, especially in that area, they are staying there and waiting to see as the storm passes.
BALDWIN: George, we could really hear that the wind -- the wind whipping. Tell me because it's difficult to see, what do the waves look like behind you there?
HOWELL: Right. And within the next hour I'm sure we'll be able to see it a little better. You can tell out there the water is rough. And there's a problem with coastal erosion -- with beach erosion I should say. That's going to be a big issue as this storm passes through this area.
But you can tell the storm surge, from estimates I've seen, to be anyway from four to six feet. People concerned about storm surge, about flooding and, of course, just the rain that the storm brings through this North Carolina area.
BALDWIN: George Howell, stay safe for us in Kill Devil Hills this morning. George, we'll check back in. Thank you.
Heading northward to New York, the Office of Emergency Management there, they're preparing for the worst here. Buses, subways, commuter trains may all have to suspend service if the area is hit hard by Sandy.
Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, already warning the Metro Transportation Authority to prepare and prepare immediately. A final decision to suspend service will be made, we're told, later today. They are warning people now that there is no guarantee of service after 7:00 tonight -- after 7:00 p.m. Eastern. No guarantee.
New Jersey could absolutely take a direct hit from hurricane Sandy. Homes and businesses along the east coast, they're boarding up. Just yesterday, Governor Chris Christie declared a state of emergency. He also issued a mandatory evacuation for the state's barrier islands and for Atlantic City casinos.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: This morning, I formally declared a state of emergency in anticipation of hurricane Sandy, which is expected to be a severe and a potentially devastating storm that will hit New Jersey beginning Sunday night. And be in full force by Monday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: That's New Jersey. Let's take you to our nation's capital. Store shelves in D.C. quickly clearing as people who are heading to the stores -- they are stocking up. They are preparing for the worst because of this hurricane.
The mayor of Washington, D.C., Mayor Vincent Gray, declared a state of emergency just yesterday. And city workers have already prepared, prepping for cleanup post storm. City leaders say they will maintain contact with people live there through social media, Twitter, Facebook, et cetera. There's also been a state of emergency declared in Maryland, in Annapolis. They are moving sand and sandbags into places to protect people, protect buildings, and businesses. City officials there hope that these initial precautions will help block any of the floodwaters, any of that suspected storm surge.
Watch them here. These trucks, utility trucks, they are rolling out. This is Chicago. Two hundred forty of these trucks headed out to help with the arrival of the hurricane. ComEd says the trucks and crews will stay as long as they're necessary help to see help with expected power outages because of hurricane Sandy.
And this hurricane we keep talking about, this is not just a dangerous storm. This could have an impact on the election that is nine days away from today. President Obama in fact had to cancel some of his campaign events tomorrow and Tuesday, including final trips to both Virginia and Colorado, crucial swing states. Instead, we're told the president will be spending more time in the White House monitoring the storm as it approaches.
As for Mitt Romney, he is having to make changes as well here. He has canceled all of his campaign events in Virginia. Instead, he will now join running mate Paul Ryan on a bus tour of another swing state, Ohio. The Republican nominee will also campaign in Iowa, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire through Tuesday.
And we have some breaking news here not just coming in to us on hurricane Sandy, but on the Hawaiian tsunami advisory this morning. So please stay with us here at CNN for the latest and there's even more information about Sandy's projected path, how you can help, go to our "Impact Your World" Web site. That is CNN.com/impact.
And as we've seen, people are getting ready to evacuate from the path of the hurricane, as we saw in North Carolina. A lot of people are sticking around to ride this thing out. The issue is they're not all sure their homes will still be there when they return.
Here's a look at how people really up and down the East Coast are preparing for what could be an historic storm.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the biggest concerns about this storm is that it is both a huge storm and a slow-moving storm.
MALLOY: Folks, this could be bad, really bad. It could impact us in several ways and for a long period of time. Please take this as seriously as we are taking it.
CHRISTIE: Understand that this slow storm unlike some others that we've had is going to be -- is forecast to be a slow moving one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Getting some water for my household because of the storm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just wanted make sure that we're prepared with plenty of sandbags around our back patio so the water doesn't get into our house or -- trying to be proactive here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's going to rain pretty well. And why have trouble if you can get some sand and block that up and not have water come in your house versus some come in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was assured we wouldn't have to worry about a hurricane until November. That's why I'm here. But we've gotten a surprise, so we'll just ride it out. Not much else we can do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put a line on the back piling. We're working the storm. We're not sure exactly where it's going to hit or how strong it's going to be. So, we're taking precautions, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Alexandria's had a couple of bad storms over the years, particularly two this year where people lost power for an extended period of time. So, I think they're smarter this time. They're getting out, getting their batteries.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Heeding the warning, and we're going. And I'm -- I'm hoping I'll have a house when I come back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to be nervous for your properties, your businesses.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm concerned but I don't have nowhere to go. So I'm hunkering down and going to do the best I can.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We have seen a new message from al Qaeda's leader, calling for the kidnapping of Americans. And this is just a chilling reminder of the threat that al Qaeda still very much poses even with the death of Osama bin Laden. And speaking of, now this new fascinating book, it chronicles a decision to kill the most wanted terrorist in the world. Author Mark Bowden was given unprecedented access to the White House, to the president, to write this book. It's called "The Finish: The Killing of Osama bin Laden."
And Mark Bowden joins me this morning from Washington.
Mark, good morning to you. And just so our viewers understand, you and Steve Kroft of CBS, you were the only two of all the journalists globally who asked for this kind of access to the president, you got it.
MARK BOWDEN, AUTHOR, "THE FINISH": Yes.
BALDWIN: Given this access, when you spoke with President Obama, what was the one thing he told you about this raid that most surprised you?
BOWDEN: Well, really, I think it was that when Admiral McRaven first outlined the mission to him, what it would take to send the squadron of SEALs into Abbottabad, the admiral recommended if they woke up Pakistan's military and were confronted, that they thought they just hunkered down and wait for Washington to negotiate their extraction with Islamabad. And the president, this is really striking, thought that Admiral McRaven would have been more aggressive on this point, but President Obama said, no, if you're going in, I want you to be prepared to fight your way out because we're not going to leave those men at the mercy of our negotiations with Pakistan.
BALDWIN: And finish. And finish. And I think it's interesting, too, the title of your book. It comes from actually an acronym for "find, fix, finish." What does that mean -- what does that mean in conjunction with this raid?
BOWDEN: Right. Well, the -- you know, ever since 9/11 there's been a remarkable evolution of capability of tracing these invisible terrorist networks, finding the key individuals within those networks, fixing their locations, exactly where they are. And by fixing it, I mean not just where they generally are, but specifically at a given moment. And then finish, which is to either kill or capture them. So that's what that means. And, of course, bin Laden was the big finish in that sense.
BALDWIN: What about -- take me back, Mark, to that evening or the early morning hours in May of 2011. The raid and will we ever know who that SEAL that sort of pulled that final, fatal trigger?
BOWDEN: Well, I would have said maybe six months ago, no, we would never know. But now I think we probably will. As you know, Brooke, one SEAL has come forward and told his story. He doesn't say so in so many words, but if you read his account, he essentially says he was the person delivered the coup de grace.
But I think it's likely that we will hear from more people involved and there will be small discrepancies in their accounts. But there's not that much new to learn about what exactly happened.
BALDWIN: What about that photo, Mark? You know the photo I'm talking about where we see from the evening, you have the president, vice president, and you have -- secretary of defense, secretary of state, here they are, sitting all around, watching this raid happen. Did you ever ask the president about that? What was actually happening in that moment when this picture was snapped?
BOWDEN: I did. You know, what they were watching was an overhead video feed from a sentinel drone. And they saw one of the Black Hawk helicopters set down suddenly inside the compound. They couldn't tell whether it had crashed or whether landed. But they knew that the mission didn't call for that to happen. The helicopters were supposed to rope in the SEAL teams, then move outside of the compound and land outside its walls.
So suddenly this helicopter went down right in the middle of the compound. They didn't know yet exactly what it happened. They just knew this was not supposed to happen.
BALDWIN: I have so many more questions for you. But I have to leave it there. Mark Bowden, let's let everyone know, again, the book is called "The Finish", on the hunt and the killing of the most wanted terrorist in the world. Mark, we really appreciate it this morning. Thank you.
BOWDEN: Thank you, Brooke.
BALDWIN: It's a story we first brought you last week of the string of mysterious shootings in Michigan. Now police have new details. That's ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Here's what's happening right now. Twenty-three minutes past the hour.
In Hawaii, the tsunami warning has been downgraded to an advisory. These are live pictures here. The coastal flooding could be very much still a problem. The tsunami was all triggered by this magnitude 7.7 earthquake that hit the western Canadian coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands late Saturday night. Twenty-three aftershocks measuring 4.1 or greater have been measured since that original quake.
And two more random shootings in Michigan here over the weekend. That grand total now at 24 in less than two weeks. And for the first time, someone's been hit. A driver suffering non-life-threatening injuries was hit by a bullet yesterday. Both shootings happened on Interstate 96 eastbound. This is southeastern Michigan. Police still have no idea what's behind the shootings which began 12 days ago.
Hurricane Sandy barreling toward the East Coast. And it's not just rain, it's not just the wind. A lot of people should be worried about here. Let me add this to the mix, snow. Snow could be a huge problem, too.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Just want to give you an idea as far as massive this hurricane is. You see this? This is a view from space. This is captured from the International Space Station.
So we learned this week that Sandy's cloud field measured about 1,600 miles across. Translation: that is the distance from Memphis, Tennessee, all the way to St. Los Angeles. So, this hurricane is huge.
I want to get straight to Bonnie Schneider.
You know, in addition to the size here, you read so much about this storm, and everyone seems to use the word "historic" -- historic storm.
SCHNEIDER: It is.
BALDWIN: Why?
SCHNEIDER: Here we are late in October, and we're talking about a hurricane hitting some major metropolitan areas of the East Coast. But so many things have to happen for that to occur. And now, they're all happening.
So, let's take a look at the reason why. Here's look at this superstorm, Sandy. So here's Sandy, you see off the coast of North Carolina, and even though we're getting the impacts now with heavy rain, the actual center still offshore. High pressure to the east over the ocean, but then a really deep trough of low pressure coming from the west.
Normally, you'd think -- well, this will just push it off shore. It's doing the opposite, injecting. Like a fuel injection. It's giving it more energy to pull it back on to shore. And that's part of what's happening, and not only that because it will come on shore, we know that. Behind it, you have some super strong cold air wrapping in behind the hurricane.
So it's a hurricane that will eventually bring cold air and snow, Brooke. It's an amazing meteorological dynamic situation that is unusual, unprecedented and really dangerous. We're talking about millions of people that would likely lose power from this one storm.
BALDWIN: Think about it, all the kids ready to trick-or-treat this upcoming week. You think about the timing, also with the election and campaign events on the trail affected, as well.
Bonnie, thank you. We'll keep talking about this later. For now I have to let you go.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. I'll be back at the top of the hour.
But, for now, "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." starts now.
