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CNN Saturday Morning News

Nevada Moves Up Caucus Date; GOP Presidential Candidates Prepare for Upcoming Debate; Nevada Plagued With High Unemployment; Planned March on Washington Will Emphasize Jobs; Political Analysts Examine 2012 Election; Occupy Wall Street Protests Continue Around the World

Aired October 15, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. Welcome to our special live version of CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes coming to you from the Vegas Strip, in particular, the Venetian hotel on the Vegas Strip. This is the site of the CNN hosted Republican debate coming up next Tuesday. And I'm joined this morning by my good friend and colleague, keeping things in check for us the CNN Center, Alina Cho.

ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, T.J.

. Good morning everybody I'm Alina Cho live from the CNN Center. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's 10:00 a.m. in Atlanta and still a very early 7:00 a.m. in Las Vegas, where you are T.J. And there's a lot to talk about.

HOLMES: It's very early, but of course we know this city never, ever sleeps. We will be here of course until next Tuesday. That is the night and this Venetian hotel will be the sight of the Republican debate that we will be hosting next week.

But already one of the candidates is boycotting the CNN debate and several other of the candidates are actually going to be boycotting the Nevada caucuses. We'll get into that more in just a moment.

But if I just ask you to take a moment right now, folks, and what's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Las Vegas? There's a couple of landmarks, and that famous Vegas sign that says "Welcome to the Fabulous Las Vegas."

That's not the first thing they're thinking about here in this area. What they're thinking about is the reality in this area, and that is that Las Vegas of a metro area with at least a million people and unemployment rates of 14.2 percent. That tops in the country. The state of Nevada 13.4 percent unemployment. That is also highest in the country.

And the foreclosure rates right here in the Las Vegas area, highest in the country. It's been that way for the past four years. Now, I can spit out numbers and statistics to you, but there is another reality that you can hear from the people on the ground. They don't need to hear statistics. They can look out on the Strip and tell you something is wrong. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LANCE OLIVIA, TAXI DRIVER: Living here, locals, we don't go up to the Strip. We don't bother with it.

HOLMES: What was your hay day as far as driving a cab here? You've been doing it nine years here. When was it just at the height where you were raking in cash?

OLIVIA: 2004, 2005, 2006.

HOLMES: When it's good in Vegas, it's good.

OLIVIA: Oh, yes. It was so good that I gave my daughter. I gave her a gift of free education on her bachelor's and master's. I bought her a new car. She took a four year loan out on it and paid it off in 19 months, plus paid my regular bills and still paid money.

HOLMES: You did all that driving a cab here?

OLIVIA: That's how good it was.

HOLMES: Do you think a lot of people outside of Las Vegas and maybe even people in Vegas, we have this impression that, oh, that's America's playground. People go out and just blow money.

OLIVIA: Well, 60 percent to 65 percent of the job market is the Strip and local recession. The recession kicked in, the Strip got slow, they laid of thousands. These thousands couldn't find work, they started losing their homes. Construction started slowing down, these people start losing their jobs. They start losing their homes. Foreclosures have gotten so bad it's now one in every seven homes in the state of Nevada.

HOLMES: Do you think people don't get it sometimes, how bad you hurt?

OLIVIA: Oh, they don't. The Strip will be busy to them. We know it's not. I'll use an example.

I use an example. We had one New Year's Eve, I tell them, if you came here and you saw a quarter of a million people, would you think it was busy? They say yes, it was jam-packed. I said the year before, it was 320,000. You're talking 70,000 cuts. I said, that's a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: That's the reality here in Las Vegas from a cab driver. Many can give you those similar stories.

I'm joined now by Tim Williams. He is actually the political director nor the GOP here in Clark County where we are.

Thank you for spending time with us. Let me get your reaction at a time when your city, your state is hurting.

What's your reaction to hearing some of the candidates, at least five of them, saying they'll boycott the Nevada caucuses because of the state that you've picked?

TIM WILLIAMS, POLITICAL DIRECTOR, CLARK COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY: You know, Nevada has face some very tough times, not only Nevada as a state, but Las Vegas especially, Clark County. And you know, we hate to see that candidates are saying they're going to boycott us, because we want everybody to come to Vegas. That's what we live on. And when they send a message like that, you know, we hope -- we would rather see them come here and work with us and let us work with them because they've got people here that support them, too.

HOLMES: Their argument is that Nevada is sending the message, at least New Hampshire sends that argument. For people not familiar, the Nevada caucuses are now going to be on the 14th. It doesn't leave a lot of room for New Hampshire to have their primary. They're talking about doing theirs in December. So why is it so important for Nevada to hold on to the date of the 14th? Everybody says you can do us all a favor, do it on the 17th. Push it back three days, all is taken care of. Why do you have to do it on the 14th?

WILLIAMS: A lot of the people think we need to be first in the west. We need one of the first ones to go. That was how it was set up when we had talks a couple years ago when they decided Nevada was going to be one of the first caucuses. And you know, it comes back when Florida moved their date. When Florida moved their date then it makes everybody -- it has a domino effect all the way down the ticket.

HOLMES: We're talking about three days and no other western state is trying to battle you for western supremacy, so you will be the first. Why three days? Why can't you go three days later?

WILLIAMS: That is probably going to be the state. You know, I'm involved at the county level. That's going to be decided at the state level. I know some people wanted to stay at the normal day we've had and some people want to move it up, and they're going to have to hash it out and decide, you know, for sure, so that we can do what we need to do down here in Clark County.

HOLMES: Why is it important for the state of Nevada, Clark County, to get that attention from the candidates and get that attention of your caucus? Why is that so crucial?

WILLIAMS: Well, I know personally for me living here in Vegas and born and raised here, we like to get the attention back here on Nevada as a whole and get people coming back to Vegas, because we are a hard hit economy. We run the highest rates obviously in foreclosures and obviously the rate in unemployment. We need people to be focused back on Nevada, back on Vegas and help us help our economy.

HOLMES: Are you worried about some negative attention, that this is getting a lot of attention and people thinking, wait a minute, they can't just move it three days? Everybody just play nice. Are you worried there can be some backlash? Again candidates Bachmann, Gingrich, Cain, Santorum, Huntsman have all come out and said we're not coming to your state. Is that disturbing to your citizens?

WILLIAMS: I don't know if it's that many. The last time I heard, it was Santorum for sure was doing that. You know, it's unfortunate. It's unfortunate. I don't know the inner workings of why the different dates and stuff like that. The candidates know that better than we do. But it is unfortunate when we're struggling and we're trying to rebound here in this economy that they would choose this time to boycott us.

HOLMES: Hopefully they can all get it worked out again. Just Huntsman boycotting out debate, but the other five said they would boycott the caucuses unless you all moved the date. I know it's not up to you, but still you're playing a role like so many here. Tim Williams, thank you so much for taking time here this morning.

And be sure, again, join us, CNN, the western Republican presidential debate from Las Vegas is coming up your way on Tuesday night 8:00 Eastern right here, there it is, the beautiful Venetian hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

It's seven minutes past the hour now. Let's turn back to Washington, D.C. There's so much talk about the unemployment rate this morning here in Nevada. But, of course, we know unemployment is up across the country, 9.1 percent across the country.

Well, today they're trying to do something about it in Washington, D.C., the march for jobs and justice. Reverend Al Sharpton and his National Action Network are collecting people. Thousands, he says, will go march on Washington and try to be heard. I talked to him earlier this morning and he explained to me what the purpose of this march really is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: It's about jobs. The president's bill is the only bill that has been presented that would give 1.9 million jobs. But we are coming by the thousands from around the country on this weekend that we're dedicating Martin Luther King's monument to say you can't make a memorial to Dr. King and not deal with what Dr. King stood for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: CNN's Athena Jones joins me now from Washington. Good morning to you. And Reverend Sharpton was saying the point of a march is not necessarily to find a solution to a problem. It's to highlight the problem itself.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, exactly. And this whole event, of course, was meant to coincide with this dedication. They postponed this march from August when they had to postpone the dedication from August during hurricane Irene. And so Al Sharpton is coming out today with other civil rights leaders to join with them, Ben Jealous of the NAACP, a number of the unions, AFL-CIO, AFSCME, SEIR, they're all coming out to try to put pressure on Congress to do something about jobs.

The event is meant, as the Reverend Al Sharpton has said, is to honor King's legacy and what he stood for in terms of fighting for economy justice and for fairness.

So they know that this jobs bill, of course, the larger, complete package didn't get anywhere in the Senate. It failed to pass a key test vote last week. So it's going to be broken down into parts. So they want to put pressure on Congress to be heard. They don't think -- they believe that by coming out and marching here, they're planning similar events in 25 other cities to try to highlight this issue and to get members of Congress to pay attention.

I spoke with Reverend Al Sharpton after he spoke with you, and he told me now that this bill has been broken down into several pieces, I asked him what's the most important piece of the legislation that should be passed first? He's focused on infrastructure, funding, and funding to rebuild schools. He said those two areas would help create jobs fast. So that is what they're going to be speaking about today. It should be interesting. He said they're expected in thousands. We don't have the exact numbers, but it will be interesting to see here, T.J.

HOLMES: Athena Jones in Washington, thank you, as always.

And to our viewers coming up, the GOP presidential candidates are courting the Hispanic vote out here. Well, who exactly is going to get their support? A big fight for their support going on right now. We will speak a state Democratic leader about that when I come back with you, Alina, from the Vegas Strip and the Venetian hotel. But right now, Alina, back over to you.

CHO: All right, T.J., thanks so much. Looking forward to all of that coming up.

Meanwhile, it's a key day in the Occupy Wall Street protests, and they're playing out all across the country and around the world today. Including Europe, Asia, even Australia. Back in this country in San Diego police clashed with protesters who refused to leave a downtown plaza. At one point, officers used pepper spray to break up the crowd.

More protesters were arrested in Seattle, Washington, where police in riot gear took away 41 people.

Protests are also heating up overseas in Italy. The black smoke you see there is from cars set on fire by demonstrators in Rome, furious about how politicians have handled the economic crisis. Reuters is reporting about 100,000 protesters are expected to rally in Rome.

A part of the president's new health care plan is getting scratched off the overall program. The Obama administration dropped the long- term care insurance program that originally had been included. The administration says it can't move forward with the Community Living Assistance Services and Support, or CLASS act, because of worries about the overall cost. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says they tried for 19 months to find a way to make it work financially but simply couldn't. An attack this morning on a U.S. base in Afghanistan, police say those attacks were carried out by four insurgents just before dawn. All four attackers were killed. There were at least two civilian casualties. The Taliban is claiming responsibility.

President Obama is sending about 100 U.S. troops to central Africa. Their mission is to help soldiers in Uganda chase down the leader of the feared guerilla group, the lord's resistance army. The LRA is blamed for horrific atrocities in and around Uganda, including thousands of rapes, murders, and kidnappings. The group's leader has said he is a prophet sent from god to overthrow Uganda's government.

A federal appeals court temporarily blocks key parts of Alabama's tough immigration law, at least until they decide whether that law is constitutional. Most notably the move stops public schools from checking the immigration status of students. But police will still be required to check someone's immigration status when they are stopped or arrested if the officer assesses that the person is in the country illegally. T.J., back to you.

HOLMES: All right, and I am here at the Venetian hotel at the Las Vegas Strip. We are here for good reason. A lot happening here in negative, and a lot happening in Las Vegas in particular.

Everyone here in the state is going to be courting the Hispanic vote. What can they do to get those voters? I'm standing by with one guest who is going to help me with that. Stay with us. CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We are 16 minutes past the hour on this special CNN SATURDAY MORNING coming to you from the gorgeous Venetian hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip. We are here because we will be having the CNN Republican presidential debate right here next Tuesday. Be sure to catch that, 8:00 Eastern time.

But a lot to talk about this weekend. And this state, Nevada, 25 percent of the population is Hispanic. Hispanic voters are going to be a key voting bloc, of course, in the presidential election. Standing by with me now, State Senator Mo Denis, a Democrat from this area. Good to have you here with us. Can the Hispanic voters, can they turn this election and deliver it for one of these candidates?

MO DENIS, (D) NEVADA STATE SENATOR: Yes. We've seen it in the last two elections for Obama as well as Senator Harry Reid here in Nevada. Definitely, they can do it.

HOLMES: What do you think? We're talking on the Republican side because this is a big story right now. Is a disservice being done to this state? I know you're a Democrat, but still, are voters being denied access to these candidates if they start boycotting the state and the caucuses because of when the GOP has decided to have their caucuses? Is a disservice being done? DENIS: Well, I think that Nevada, we always are striving to be relevant and to be part of the discussion. I think we represent the country better than anybody because of the diversity of the people that come here.

HOLMES: It sounds like you're saying this is a missed opportunity, possibly.

DENIS: I would think so, for them.

HOLMES: Now, in some part, to some degree, do you not mind, as a Democrat, seeing the Republicans fighting among themselves right now in this whole primary process?

DENIS: I think it's an interesting process they go through. I guess they're trying to figure out what they're doing. And we just move forward. And for us, it's a good thing. The issues are out there. We want to talk about the important issues important to us here in Nevada.

HOLMES: Hispanic voters, the issues important to them are the same ones important to everybody else, we're talking about jobs and the economy?

DENIS: Exactly, education, the jobs, economy, I think those are all things that are very important here. As you know, the employment rate is the highest in the country here. And Hispanics have the highest percentage of that, of unemployment, if you break it up specifically because of the construction and the hotel jobs.

HOLMES: Who is speaking to Hispanic voters? Whether it's the Republican voters or President Obama, who do you see and who do they see is speaking to their issues at this point and how much consideration are they giving to these Republican candidates?

DENIS: Well, I think Obama definitely has put a lot of emphasis with the Hispanic community. He's doing a better job now than he's done in the past of communicating directly the kind of things that he's done to help the community, and he appears to be listening, and I think that's important. On the other side, I don't know that they're really listening and hearing what the important things are for this community.

HOLMES: Now, of course, as a Democrat, you're supposed to say that and they would argue with that. But thank so much for hosting us in your city, State Senator Mo Denis. We appreciate your time.

DENIS: Thank you so much.

HOLMES: And I'm going to be coming up here in just a moment with our Paul Steinhauser. There is actually someone who is going to be boycotting the CNN debate. He is skipping out on the CNN debate. We'll let you know which of those Republicans won't be on stage and exactly why. My conversation with our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is coming up in just a moment. Alina? CHO: All right, T.J., thank you very much. We look forward to that.

And are you over 50 and looking to change careers? CNN Money is listing the top jobs for flexibility, social meaning, and relatively low stress. And one thing that caught our attention about this is none of these jobs require an advanced degree.

At number five is tutor. Private tutors are in demand right now by parents looking to give their children an edge. Here is the good part. You can schedule sessions when you want, don't need as much training as a teacher.

Number four, online marketing writer, companies looking for writers for social media and the Internet. It's very popular right now. Number three, energy field auditor. What's that? Homeowners hire these energy auditors to check their homes for leaks and other things like that and also recommend improvements. This is another job where you can set your own hours.

On the other side of the break, I'm going to tell you the top two best jobs for people over the age of 50. We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: It's 24 minutes after the hour. Before the break, I showed you some of the best jobs for people over the age of 50 who are hoping to start a new career. According to CNN Money, they include tutor, online marketing writer, and energy field auditor. Now for the top two.

The second best career for someone over the age of 50 apparently is personal trainer. Companies and communities are looking for wellness trainers. So if you know a thing or two about fitness, this could be a good fit. And the number one job for flexibility, relatively low stress, and a sense of social apparently is grant coordinator, a great way to match your job skills to a cause you believe in.

HOLMES: And welcome back to the Vegas Strip. That's the Venetian Hotel. This is where CNN will be hosting a presidential debate next Tuesday. But someone will be missing. Would you believe one of the candidates called us and said he is skipping out on the CNN debate. Paul Steinhauser, how dare someone skip out? But he claims he has good reason. Tell us.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes. And that person is Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor, former U.S. ambassador to China. And T.J., this is all politics at play. Hard to believe, but Huntsman is placing all his chips, a Vegas term, on New Hampshire. He moved his campaign headquarters up there. He's spending all his time up there. So for Huntsman, he says he's going to be in solidarity with New Hampshire by skipping our Nevada debate because, of course, as you've been talking about this hour, Nevada moving up its caucus, maybe threatening New Hampshire to move to December.

HOLMES: So what difference does it make if you go two days, three days before Nevada? New Hampshire has a state law that says they have to be at least seven days before a similar event. So they Nevada, their caucus is on Saturday. Then Iowa -- excuse me, New Hampshire doesn't have any window in there to go between Iowa and Nevada.

STEINHAUSER: Yes, yes. New Hampshire feels like it's getting boxed in because Iowa said they're going to be on the 3rd, most likely Nevada on the 14th. They feel like they're boxed in. They feel like they may have to move up to December. So it's up to Nevada now. Will they move back? I know you have a guest coming up in a few minutes and we may get an answer.

HOLMES: We're talking about the head of the state GOP here in Nevada who was in charge of this decision to put Nevada on the 14th. Amy Tarkania is standing by off to the side here and will be joining me in a moment soon. We'll see if we can get some answers and the possibility for moving just a three days so we can all play nice and get this done and nobody has to boycott. Paul Steinhauser is here with us the rest of the morning. Good to always be with you. Thanks so much.

So exactly what do the voters out here want? We'll be talking about presidential politics, talking about the presidential candidates. And that key question, my guest, she is the one, the head of the Nevada GOP. Question number one, is it possible to move the Nevada caucuses just a few days? Is that possible? The answer, coming up. She's shaking her head to the side already. Stick around for that. Special edition of CNN SATURDAY MORNING from the Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We are at the bottom of the hour on this special edition of CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes live from the Las Vegas Strip. In particular, the Venetian hotel, the site of next week's Republican debate that CNN will be hosting. I'll be talking more about that in just a moment.

And a key person who is playing a role in now what's become a national controversy, if you will, Alina, is talking about when Nevada will hold its caucuses. We've got the head of the state GOP to see if everybody can just all get along. That's coming up in a moment.

(LAUGHTER)

CHO: Including one Jon Huntsman who says, hey, I'm not coming. And I know you'll have much more on that in just a moment. Thank you, T.J.

We start with the Occupy Wall Street movement. It's a pivotal day in that movement spreading around the globe, demonstrations going on in a number of cities this week. Here in the U.S., protesters clash with police at several campsites. Dozens arrested in New York, Denver, and San Diego.

The son of this man, U.S. born militant cleric Anwar al Awlaki is dead. A security official says he was killed in a series of drone attacks in Yemen. Just two weeks ago, al Awlaki himself, a key member of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was killed in a drone strike.

And TV star Larry Hagman who played the infamous J.R. Ewing on Dallas, is battling cancer. He isn't saying the type of cancer he has, only that it's a very common and treatable form of the disease. Hagman says it will not affect his return to television in the upcoming remake of "Dallas."

Now back to Las Vegas, the site of the upcoming GOP presidential debate and our T.J. Holmes. T.J.?

HOLMES: Alina, thank you so much. Yes, CNN will be hosting that Republican debate right here in Las Vegas next Tuesday. But right now, really, a lot of attention is on the caucus and primary schedule. Nevada is now going to be holding its Republican caucuses on Saturday, January 14th. So because of that New Hampshire is now threatening to have its primary in December before the holidays.

Well, joining me now is Amy Tarkanian, a lady who has been in the spotlight and has stirred the pot, is one way to say it. Thank you for being here. First thing first, is it even an option, is it even on the table for Nevada to switch its caucuses from the 14th back just three days to the 17th? Is it even on the table?

AMY TARKANIAN, CHAIRWOMAN, NEVADA REPUBLICAN PARTY: No, it's absolutely not. We're going to stick tour date. Our state is working are really hard in finding their locations. And we worked together with the states to make sure that we coordinated and communicated. The New Hampshire GOP has been fantastic, very supportive. It's the secretary of state who has the end say in this situation. But we reached out to him, and he did not return our calls. We did have the Governor Sandoval reach out to him, as well. And during that time, he still did not have his date picked and he said he was going to wait on us. We did exactly that, picked the date.

HOLMES: You had to have known what your date wag goes to set off. You're familiar with the New Hampshire law. Why can you all not go three days later, just three days on the 17th, which will allow them to take the 10th and still be within their law?

TARKANIAN: We want to have ours on a Saturday because it's a caucus, it's not a primary. It's a state meeting, if you will, not an actual full blown election. We picked that date. They knew in advance, and it's set.

HOLMES: Didn't you also know in advance that that was going to be problematic for New Hampshire?

TARKANIAN: No, absolutely we didn't. We had several conversations with them and they didn't inform us until it was too late.

HOLMES: Are you telling me this is all because of a miscommunication and people not answering the phone and people not calling back?

TARKANIAN: Communication is key.

HOLMES: OK, but is this a situation now, don't you understand the predicament they're in, that it's really New Hampshire, first in the nation's primary, it's not fair for them to have to be squeezed between Iowa and Nevada?

TARKANIAN: Sure. But they also asked us to pick a date, so that's what we did. I feel for them and I know that their GOP is struggling. But he asked us to pick a date, and that's what we did, and I don't think it would be fair for Nevada to shuffle once again.

HOLMES: And we're talking about just three days. People at home say why can't you move three days? The reason is it's a caucus. It's an all-day thing. It's easier to do on a Saturday.

TARKANIAN: Absolutely.

HOLMES: And you use the schools, the high schools. School is out on a Saturday and you need those locations.

TARKANIAN: Right. Schools in session on Tuesday, so that would not work out in our favor.

HOLMES: If you had to move to a Tuesday, isn't it possible, though, you could find churches, you could find other areas to hold these things? But is that the lesser issue? The bigger issue is just getting the people to take a day off work or whatever they might have to do on a Tuesday?

TARKANIAN: Well, sure. But this whole chain of events started with Florida jumping. And the New Hampshire secretary of state once again said he was going to hold out. So we picked our date. South Carolina picked theirs. We didn't want to infringe on their date, so we were thoughtful, I thought, in not sharing their day. And Iowa jumped in for New Hampshire, so New Hampshire sat on their hands.

HOLMES: So we didn't coordinate well enough, it sounds like. Why don't you think you didn't get a call back from the secretary of state of New Hampshire?

TARKANIAN: I'm not sure. I know our governor spoke with him. He did not give our governor a specific date.

HOLMES: Why is it so important for these states, Nevada, Iowa as well, New Hampshire to have that attention of the candidates during this timeframe? That's why New Hampshire doesn't just want a few days. They want at least a full week. Why is that so important to a state?

TARKANIAN: Well, you want them to come and participate, campaign. Fundraising only lasts for so long. You want to make sure that your state is a focus. We were promised to be one of the four card out states this go around, and I'm going to stick to it.

HOLMES: Any disservice you think you are doing to the voters and your state because of some looking across the country, why can't they play nice together? Also, you have at least five candidates saying they're going to boycott the caucus. Doesn't that do a disservice to your state? TARKANIAN: It's a detriment to those candidates who aren't going to come and participate. And I'm just so grateful for CNN to come and host this event. I think it would be very important for them to come. We are more than happy to have them still and I hope they change their mind.

HOLMES: Amy Tarkanian, and you're telling me it's not even on the table.

TARKANIAN: No, it's not on the table. The executive board and myself, we're sticking to it.

HOLMES: Thank you so much for taking this. I know it's a busy time for you, but thank you for taking the time.

TARKANIAN: Thank you.

HOLMES: Coming up at the bottom of the hour, we're going to talk to our friends on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, our two political favorites, Lenny McAllister and Maria Cardona, ask them about what's happening in this back and forth. There they are with those smiles on their faces. We'll get into what I just talked with Ms. Tarkanian and much more. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, it's 40 minutes past the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING, a special edition of CNN SATURDAY MORNING coming to you from the Las Vegas Strip, and specifically the Venetian hotel and Casino site of next week's GOP president debate. CNN is co-sponsoring that debate. But let's get into politics right now with a couple of our good friends here on Saturday and Sunday morning. Our Lenny McAllister, Republican strategist joining me this morning from Chicago as always, and our Maria Cardona, CNN contributor, joining us, as well, Democratic strategist. Good to see you both.

I will not stray from how we do things here on Saturday morning and I'll ask you first, what was your political highlight of the week? You tell me first, Maria.

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: We you a saw the rise of Cain, but the question is, is he able? T.J., you're in Vegas. I wouldn't put my money on it.

HOLMES: All right, Lenny, you've got work to do to top hers this morning. What was your political highlight?

(LAUGHTER)

LENNY MCALLISTER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I may have to concede this one, but the bottom line is who is the joke on? The jobs bill, James Carville, or the Nevada GOP? Come find out soon, or Jon Huntsman.

HOLMES: All right, guys, let's get into this. And I wonder if you were all able to hear my interview I just did with the het head of the GOP out here in Nevada. There is no way they are going to move the caucus this year in Nevada from the 14th. That is going to be problematic for New Hampshire. Maria, some of these candidates now are saying they're going to boycott the caucuses. What effect could this have now on the state and for the GOP as a whole to have candidates officially boycotting?

Well, I actually agree with your guest that it's not going to be a good thing for any of the candidates to boycott. You know, T.J., this is always part of the drama that happens as a run up to this process. We saw it in 2008 with the Democrats, too, in moving Florida and Michigan. This is nothing new to the political parties.

I do think it is critical for Nevada to stand their ground. I have always been a fan of having states like Nevada and South Carolina move up in the calendar so that states like Iowa and New Hampshire aren't the only ones who have a say in who is picked as the frontrunners.

The reason for that is, as you know, Iowa and New Hampshire aren't necessarily representative from a diversity standpoint of what this nation looks like. So I think it is good for places like Nevada and South Carolina to have their say up front. But, you know, unfortunately, this creates the drama that we're seeing now.

HOLMES: Lenny, do you think they need to hold their ground or play nice?

MCALLISTER: I think they need to hold their grounds. Las Vegas has a 14.2 percent unemployment rate. When you're talking about areas that have more diverse, that have huge unemployment rates and huge housing issues, you need candidates that will go in there and speak specifically to these voters and come with real solutions.

One of the reasons we're seeing Herman Cain move up, everybody is talking about nine-nine-nine, the pros and the cons. If people can't come into these areas and talk about solutions, it doesn't matter if you have a caucus or a primary, it's nothing more than a popularity contest. Nevada wants to hear solutions because they know their residents are hurting. I think it's a good move from their aspect.

Lenny -- Maria, do you remember a time when Lenny would come on every weekend and he would tell us that Michele Bachmann cannot win, they cannot get the GOP nomination? Well, let me ask you now, Lenny, about Herman Cain. In our latest poll or polls, he's up there at 20 percent. He's right behind Romney. Can Herman Cain win?

MCALLISTER: He probably has more of a chance than Michele Bachmann, but I think if anybody overtakes Romney, if it's not Perry, it's going to be Newt Gingrich. He's hiding in the weeds, but he's starting to gain momentum.

I think people are going to start attacking Herman Cain's lack of elected office experience. That executive experience in the business world is all great. How is it going to play out when you have to deal with Iran? When you have to deal with Israel? I think when it comes to that, when it goes back to who is going to be that main frontrunner going into the first part of 2012, if it's not still Romney, don't be surprised if Newt Gingrich passes both of these guys up. HOLMES: Maria, do you believe Newt is on the move as he just said, Newt Gingrich is on the move? Also, you said in your political highlight, Cain, is he able? Being frontrunner means you're about to get a lot of scrutiny, a lot of attention. Is he going to be able to with stand that?

CARDONA: I don't think Gingrich is on the rise. I think we have all seen sort of him come and go as a political candidate. People know him and clearly don't like him, I think, in terms of being presidential material. And in terms of Herman Cain, I think that the devil is in the details. I agree with Bachmann on that. Nine-nine- nine is a good buzz word, but at the end of the day that plan is a regressive tax and middle class and working class voters will be the ones penalized about it.

But I want to make an important point. I am looking forward to seeing what these candidates are going to do in terms of talking to Latino voters. The problem with the GOP is that there is no candidate who can win the White House without at least 40 percent of the Latino vote. No candidate comes even close to that. They are pulling at 18 percent or 19 percent with Latino voters. This is critical and it's not something that today they are able to do.

HOLMES: All right, Lenny and Maria, thank you for that. Good to see you both. Lenny, something I would not have put my money on, and that is Maria Cardona saying she agreed with Michele Bachmann on anything.

(LAUGHTER)

CARDONA: Anything can happen in politics.

HOLMES: Good to see you both. Good to see you both. Looking forward to talking to you again next weekend. Thanks so much.

CARDONA: Thanks, T.J.

HOLMES: All right, I'll hand this back over to Alina, but we'll have much more, of course, from the Vegas Strip and our special edition on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

CHO: If anybody can get that out of Maria, you can, T.J.

As the Occupy Wall Street campaign goes global, another famous face shows up, this time in London. You won't believe who it is. We'll show you after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: The Occupy Wall Street protests are getting bigger and going worldwide. And some big names are showing up. Get a load of this. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was in the middle of the crowd today in London. Assange is living in Eastern England and has to be home by 10:00 tonight to meet terms of his curfew. He's wanted to know for questioning in Sweden over claims of sexual molestation.

Meanwhile, Occupy protests are happening all across the United States and around the world today, including in Europe, Asia, even Australia. In San Diego, meanwhile, police clashed with protesters who refused to leave a downtown plaza. At one point, officers used pepper spray to break up the crowds.

More protesters were arrested in Seattle where police in riot gear took away 41 people.

Protests are also heating up in Italy. The black smoke you're about to see from cars that were set on fire by demonstrators in Rome, furious about how politicians have handled the economic problems there. Reuters is reporting about 100,000 demonstrators are expected to rally in Rome.

An American icon, a civil rights leader, and also a father. As the nation prepares to pay tribute to the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. with a national memorial and a dedication ceremony tomorrow, two of his children tell CNN what it means to them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: It's just about eight minutes before the top of the hour. Routine mammograms for women in their 40s -- you may remember the confusion about two years ago when a government panel recommended against it. In today's health for her, our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen takes a look at where things stand right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's been nearly two years since the U.S. preventive services task force told women in their 40s you don't necessarily need to get a mammogram. That recommendation drew a lot of fire. We were wondering, two years later, are women in their 40s getting mammograms? Well, it turns out that many women in their 40s aren't.

There was one study at the university of Colorado hospital that found in the nine-month period following that recommendation they saw 200 fewer women in their 40s coming in for mammograms, and they think it's because fewer doctors were recommending them.

So here is the bottom line for empowered patients. Remember that most groups still say that women in their 40s should get mammograms, and that includes the American Cancer Society. You definitely should discuss this with your doctor. There's very little down side to getting a mammogram. There is a very small amount of radiation, and the possibility that they might turn up a false positive with that mammogram and then you'd end up having an unnecessary biopsy. Buy other than that, not much negative in getting a mammogram. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Elizabeth, thank you. We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: We're getting close to the top of the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING special edition coming to you from the Vegas Strip. This weekend, thousands of people across the country on the other side of the country in Washington D.C. will be marching. They are there for the dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial. The actual dedication of that memorial will take place tomorrow.

You may remember, this was originally scheduled to be dedicated back in August. Now, it had to be postponed. Why? Hurricane Irene. So earlier this week, Martin Luther King III and his sister, Bernice King, MLK's kids, talked to our Fredericka Whitfield about their father's legacy and what this memorial means for them some 14 years this thing has been in the making.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. BERNICE KING, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.'S DAUGHTER: This particular monument took less time than most of them if not all of them. So I think that speaks volumes that we were able to move it along in that time period. But, you know, the irony is that his lifespan in terms of impact in this world was just about 14 years. So there's some kind of parallel to the work that he did, as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And you'll be able to see more of Fredricka's interview with the King children at noon Eastern time today.

Also tonight, 7:30 Eastern, something very special that I'm looking forward to sharing with you all, an exclusive, emotional, and rare interview. Six members of Martin Luther King Jr.'s inner circle, got them altogether in one place, and that one place was the basement of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. Please join me for "FREEDOM'S FOOT SOLDIERS" tonight CNN at 7:30 Eastern time.

But CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues in just a moment live from the Las Vegas Strip.