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CNN Saturday Morning News

Obama Back on Campaign Trail; Florida Holds Key to Election; "Fast and Furious" Suspect Arrested; Romney Slams Pres. Obama on Jobs; Dems Betting on Gay Marriage Boost

Aired September 08, 2012 - 07:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Randi Kaye.

VICTOR BLACKSTONE, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. It's Saturday, September 8th. And we're glad you're waking uo with us this morning.

KAYE: We begin with the nation's latest report on dismal jobs, actually. It may negate President Obama's small bounce coming off the Democratic National Convention. Even he says the jobs growth is not good enough. Employers hit the brakes on hiring in August. The economy added only 96,000 jobs, well below expectations, while unemployment fell to 8.1 percent. It's largely because many people have given up looking for work. But the president did try to put a positive spin on things.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: After losing 800,000 jobs a month when I took office, businesses added jobs for the 30th month in a row. We have added more than 4.6 million jobs. But we know that's not good enough. We can do better. We need to create jobs faster. We need to fill the hole left by this recession. We need to come out of this crisis stronger than when we went in.

Now I won't pretend the path I'm offering is quick or easy. I never have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Obama kicks of a two-day bus tour through the battleground state of Florida today. In a few hours, he headlines a rally at St. Petersburg College. We'll bring that to you.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: With nine days to go until the election, the dismal job numbers are giving Mitt Romney a new opening to skewer the president's economic leadership. Campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire yesterday, the Republican presidential nominee said that Obama does not know what it takes to get America strong again. And he said millions of unemployed Americans are paying the price.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: He said that he'd create jobs, and instead we have unemployment now still over 8 percent for 43 straight months. He said by now, it would be down to 5.4 percent. Now, by the way, those numbers, 8.1, 5.4, what difference does it make? Let me tell you what difference they make. The difference in those numbers is 9 million Americans working. That's the difference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Romney is back out on the trail again today. He's heading to the battleground state, Virginia. President Obama turned blue for the first time in 40 years in 2008. And a recent poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, "The New York Times" and CBS News, shows the president with a slight edge over Romney. He's up 49 percent to 45 percent over his Republican rival.

CNN political Paul Steinhauser is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, this morning for us.

Paul, good morning to you. So, a tight race in Virginia means residents can probably expect to see a whole lot of the candidates in the next few months, right?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Oh, yes. They have seen a lot of the candidates. They are going to see a lot more of them. Remember President Obama when he first had his first rallies in May, the second was right here in Virginia. No mistake how important that state is. He was just here the other day, on Tuesday, before he headed to the convention in Charlotte.

Mitt Romney, Randi, remember when he introduced his running mate, where did he do it? Just a few miles from here in Norfolk, Virginia. And he's back here today. But, you know, overall, Romney made seven trips here since the start of the general election. The president has made eight trips. To this important state and then both spent a lot of money.

The Obama campaign and the related groups that are helping him out, those super PACs, they spent almost $2 million on ads in Virginia. It's a lot of money. What about Mitt Romney? Well, him and those related groups are helping him, the super PACs, just under $12 million.

So, they are flooding the airwaves here. I tell you, Randi, this state is so important. It's why we brought the CNN Express bus here. We are at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach. Well, we are just outside of it Randi because the gates are still locked. But maybe next hour we'll be in there.

As for Mitt Romney, he starts his day and he's going to Richmond later for a NASCAR race and he's going to be out there as well. You're going to see both of these guys crisscrossing Virginia.

As you mentioned, Barack Obama won the state four years ago. Guess what? He was the first Democrat to win Virginia in a presidential election since 1964, Randi.

KAYE: You are just full of great trivia.

All right. Let's talk about though the recent conventions. I mean, we were consumed by those. Both men zeroed in on lines of attacks during those conventions. Will we be hearing more of those themes do you think as they head toward the finish line?

STEINHAUSER: Yes. We're going to hear more. We heard from the president, using the same theme yesterday that he used during the convention, during his speech Thursday night. And that was it for the Republicans. Their only idea, the only thing they think can help is tax cuts, tax cuts, tax cuts.

Romney is using the lines he used in his convention in Tampa. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: I expected him to report, to come to the American people and say when I ran four years ago, here are the promises I made. And then describe why it was or why it was not that he wasn't able to carry on his promise. But he didn't talk about that. Instead, it was a whole new series of promises. He didn't deliver on the last ones, why should we expect him to deliver on these?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: So, yes, the themes they first presented in their conventions. You're going to hear a lot more of them in the campaign trail over and over.

You know, it's funny, yesterday, Mitt Romney started in Iowa, and then he went to New Hampshire. President Obama started in New Hampshire and then went to Iowa. You are going to see a lot of these crisscrossing over the battleground states between now and November 6th, Randi.

KAYE: One day they are going to meet on the tarmac, you know it.

All right. Paul Steinhauser, thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: Well, now, a CNN exclusive. A Navy SEAL who captured and killed Osama bin Laden telling the top brass at the Pentagon a bombshell book on the raid is wrong. Former Navy Seal Matt Bissonnette has caused this huge sensation with his firsthand account of the al Qaeda leader's killing in his best seller, "No Easy Day." He says that bin Laden had already been shot by one SEAL and was lying on the floor when the covert team entered bin Laden's room in his compound in Pakistan.

Well, CNN has learned the head of the U.S. Special Operations contacted Bissonnette's fellow SEALs to find out if it really happened that way. They told him no. Bin Laden was standing in the room when they entered and that's when they shot him.

A suspect is in custody in the killing of U.S. border patrol agent Brian Terry. Terry's death blew open the lid on the botched U.S. gun- smuggling sting known as Fast and Furious.

Mexican police arrested Leonel Sanchez Jesus Meza, about 60 miles south of the Arizona border. The U.S. is seeking to extradite him. He's the second person arrested in this case. Three others are still at large. Border agent Terry was killed in a firefight two years ago. The two guns found in the scene were linked to Operation Fast and Furious, and we'll have more on this ahead on the show.

KAYE: That family waited so long for answers. So, hopefully, they'll will get some more.

Well, we have much more ahead this hour.

BLACKWELL: Here's what's coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE (voice-over): His killing exposed Operation Fast and Furious. Now, an arrest in Mexico for the death of the U.S. border agent.

It's got sunny beaches and tan bodies, but it's those 29 electoral votes that have the candidates coming back for more. All morning, we are putting Florida in focus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one wants to say save the planet except for the humans. We all want to thrive here. Singing, song writing, and tour greening? We go on tour and behind the scenes with Jason Mraz.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: The presidential election is going to be decided by just a few battleground states. This morning, we are focusing on Florida. It's too close to call in most polls. So, the candidates will be there often. Actually, President Obama is making two stops there today.

Joining me now from Tampa is Alex Sink. She was the Democratic candidate for governor in Florida in 2010.

It's good to have you with us this morning.

ALEX SINK (D), FORMER CANDIDATE FOR FLORIDA GOVERNOR: Good morning, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Good morning.

Now, before we start, I want to go over something that you said a few years ago when you lost in 2010 for the race for governor. You had harsh words for Democrats in Washington and President Obama. Actually, you said that, quote, "I faced headwinds from Washington that I liken to a tsunami and people preferred to vote for somebody with questionable ethics than for somebody who was associated with the Washington Democratic agenda."

Now, Thursday night, President Obama said this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Now, I won't pretend the path I'm offering is quick or easy. I never have. You didn't elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear, you elected me to tell you the truth.

(APPLAUSE)

And the truth is, it will take more than a few years to solve challenges that built up over decades. It will require a common effort and shared responsibility and the kind of bold, persistent experimentation that Franklin Roosevelt pursued during the only crisis worse than this one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So you were critical of the president two years ago. He is changing nothing. So, why aren't you speaking up now I wonder?

SINK: Well, I wasn't so much critical of the president as I was of the voters who became part of the Tea Party. We saw the Tea Party tsunami occurred all over the country in which Democrats were losing in double digit numbers. We lost four congressional seats here in the state.

So, more commentary about the mode of the country two years ago.

BLACKWELL: You said the president was tone deaf and that he wasn't really listening to people in the states.

SINK: Well, the president is clearly listening now. I think we heard that loud and clear. He's always been listening.

I think that what we heard at the convention this week from the president was an acknowledgement that progress hasn't been as fast as any of us would have liked, but we have to continue to move forward and certainly here in Florida, we have seen tourism economy returned. Our real estate market, which housing is really important in Florida has certainly come back. Exports increased tremendously supporting our small businesses.

And so, we are heading in the right direction.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about the top issue for all voters, most voters, at lease we're seeing from the polls. Unemployment and getting back to work. Unemployment in Florida is closer to 9 percent than 8 percent. Actually, Florida's rate is consistently stayed above the national average.

Can the president really convince Floridians that his job agenda is one to stay with being above the national average for some time?

SINK: He absolutely can, Victor. The message we are hearing from the president's agenda is that we are going to grow our economy by supporting the middle class, broaden the middle class. This trickle- down economy, giving tax breaks to the wealthiest in the country and hoping they might trickle down. They are old policies that didn't work then and aren't going to work now.

And what we are actually seeing that our state, as you know, having living here, the state of small business people. And the programs coming out of the Small Business Administrations, supporting community banks, helping them make loans, have certainly seen a lot of improvement.

And our small business people are feeling much more optimistic and are actually hiring now.

BLACKWELL: Again, what we said at the top is the president is on the same path. He says we are going in the same direction. We have to be resolute.

Florida's unemployment rate has stayed above the national average. So if the argument is the same from the White House and the results for the last two years have been the same for Florida, how does he get them to stay with him for the next four?

SINK: Well, we have to remember that four years ago, Florida's unemployment rate was close to 11 percent. So, we have actually as our own governor, Rick Scott, touts, our own employment rate came down faster than most other states in the country. So we are headed in --

BLACKWELL: But he takes credit for that, though.

SINK: -- we are headed in the right direction.

BLACKWELL: He says his policies are the reason that happened.

SINK: I don't think so. His policies were to turn down -- we would be doing better without Rick Scott's policies. He turned down $2 billion in high speed rail money. He's turned down hundreds of millions of dollars in health care funding to get us ready for the Affordable Health Care Act.

Last week, he turned away $4.5 million in money that would hire people to help prevent child abuse in our state. So, I would maintain that if our governor hadn't turned back tax dollars coming out of Washington, we would be in even better shape.

BLACKWELL: Rally quickly, you lost the 2010 race by just a few thousand voters. Are you looking forward to a rematch in 2014 against Governor Scott?

SINK: Well, I told everyone, I got a lot of encouragement when I was at the Democratic delegation in Charlotte last week. I told everyone that's something I'll consider after this election. Right now, I'm focused on doing everything I possibly can to encourage Floridians to vote for the president and also to vote for many other Democrats who are on the ballot in November. It will help get our state turned around and return us to a state of prosperity and fairness for all people.

BLACKWELL: All right. Alex Sink, 2010 nominee for the Democrats for governor in Florida, maybe in 2014 -- thank you very much. SINK: Thank you, Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right. Next hour, we'll hear from the other side of the argument, the head of the Republican Party we'll be with us. That's at 8:15 Eastern -- Randi.

KAYE: Victor, an airline bars a teenage boy with Down syndrome from boarding a flight. Now his parents are fighting back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT VANDERHORST, TEEN'S FATHER: My son doesn't jump people. He's not a terrorist. He's not going to crash through the security door into the cockpit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: The airline says the boy was a security risk. The parents say it's flat out discrimination.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: A 16-year-old boy with Down syndrome was told he couldn't board a flight. Take a look, this is him, Bede Vanderhorst is his name. American Airlines says it's because the boy was a security risk, because he might interfere with the pilot if he was seated in first class, near the cockpit. The family says it was a clear case of discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANDERHORST: I think the pilot was concerned that my son was going to be on file. I think the pilot felt that my type of son, my disabled, Down syndrome son shouldn't be in first class.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Well, now, the family is threatening legal action. They are joining us to talk about it at 9:15 a.m. Eastern.

But American Airlines, it released this statement. Here's part of it. "The young man was excitable, running around and not acclimated to the environment. The pilot attempted to calm him down and acclimated him to the surroundings. His efforts were not successful. For the safety of the young man and the safety of others. American Airlines offered to book another flight for the family."

KAYE: The family says that Bede wasn't misbehaving and he's flown dozens of times and normally falls asleep.

So, we want to know what you think about this, what's your opinion. You heard that the parents, they're going to file a lawsuit. And, by the way, as we said, they are coming on the show at 9:15 Eastern Time this morning to talk about it.

So, do you think they have a case for discrimination? You can tweet me at @RandiKaye or Victor @VictorCNN. And we'll read your responses later this morning.

BLACKWELL: All right. A botched government operation puts more than 1,000 guns in the hands of criminals. An American border agent is dead. But now, another one of his suspected killer is in custody.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: It is 7:22 in Washington, D.C. A live look now at the Capital Dome. Good morning, Washington.

KAYE: Remember the government's controversial Fast and Furious guns operation? In September of 2009, the ATF agents started an investigation by allowing more than 1,000 firearms to go walking into the hands of suspected criminals. ATF is tracking the guns, hoping to take down cartels south of the border in Mexico.

Then in December 2010, a little over a year later, the worst scenario comes true. Border agent Brian Terry is killed in Arizona. The guns used in the shooting came from the government operation.

Now, fast forward to now. Mexican police say they've arrested another one of agent Terry's alleged killers in Puerto Penasco, about 60 miles south of the Arizona border.

And Nick Valencia is here with us this morning. He's been following this.

So, what do we know about this guy? He's not the only one we are looking for.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's not the only one. But they've been looking for this guy for a long time, at least two years now. He's one of five people charged in this fatal shooting against Brian Terry. One has been detained since that shooting. He was shot in that firefight exchange between border patrol and the suspect.

He's saying that he wasn't the guy that pointed the gun. This may be the killer, though, Randi. This may be the guy that pulled the trigger.

BLACKWELL: So, what's next for this guy? Is he going to be brought back to the U.S.?

VALENCIA: Yes, there's a long standing agreement, Victor, between the United States and Mexico on terms of extradition. They have a mutual treaty agreement.

But the caveat to that, though, is that Mexico doesn't have capital punishment, doesn't have the debt penalty. So they can choose and opt not to extradite somebody in the event that the U.S. Justice Department seeks death penalty charges in this incident.

KAYE: You know, Fast and Furious certainly didn't help the problem of guns south of the border, but there was already a problem there, right? VALENCIA: It's a huge problem. Guns coming from the United States, going into Mexico is just a huge problem, especially when you consider the gun laws in Mexico. Mexico, believe it or not has some of the most strict gun laws in the world.

As a private citizen, you can purchase a small caliber gun but it takes a federal license to purchase the high caliber guns. As you guys know, the cartels love to use those high caliber weapons. They are called the goat's horn, the AK-47. You can find those in gun shops. The bad guys go to the United States, pick up the weapons in the U.S. only to bring them back into Mexico.

And, if you can believe this stat, between 2007 and 2011, in those four years, 70 percent of weapons found in Mexican crime scenes originated from sales in the United States.

BLACKWELL: Wow. We were going to talk about Fast and Furious anyway because we got this new report coming out. But this is really interesting timing that it's happening now.

VALENCIA: It's a black eye. You know, this has been a bad deal for the U.S. Justice Department. Earlier this summer, Eric Holder, Attorney General Eric Holder, becoming the first sitting U.S. attorney general to be found in contempt, Congress saying he's withholding documents from this investigation.

So, we are probably going to expect a little bit more high drama in this report, Victor. We are waiting to see what the latest findings are.

KAYE: We'll be watching it. Nick, thank you.

VALENCIA: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Well, the fight to legalize marijuana receives a surprising supporter, sort of. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Despite a weak jobs report, U.S. stocks ended slightly higher Friday. Mortgage rates are down from last week. Take a look here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. It's great to have you with us.

Here are some of the stories we are working on this morning:

President Obama kicks off a two day bus tour in Florida this morning. He's riding post-convention wave with approval rating hitting a 15- month high. He's got stops in St. Petersburg and Kissimmee today. We'll take you live to the St. Pete event in our 10:00 hour. In Pakistan, the Haqqani Network has been formally designated a terrorist organization. The Obama administration claims the al Qaeda linked group operates in Pakistan's north region with ties to the Taliban. The decision was made despite concerns it will undermine U.S. relations with Pakistan. The U.S. now has the authority to freeze Haqqani assets in U.S. banks.

In Afghanistan, Britain's Prince Harry has reported for helicopter duty in the Helman Province. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson says Harry will be treated like any other soldier during his four-month deployment. It's his second tour in Afghanistan.

Back in the States, Republican vice president nominee Paul Ryan told a Colorado TV station he believes states should decide themselves whether to legalize medical marijuana. Colorado is one of 17 states that allowed it. Ryan also said during the same interview that the issue is not a high priority.

KAYE: Staying with politics now, Mitt Romney is back on the campaign trail today in Virginia. And it's likely he'll continue hitting President Obama hard on the issue of jobs.

CNN national political correspondent Jim Acosta has more on that from Nashua, New Hampshire -- Jim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Randi, Mitt Romney came to this Minor League Baseball park to give his pitch on the economy. But he was served up a Major League softball in the form of the nation's unemployment report.

(voice-over): Mitt Romney tried to offer sobering words on what he called the hangover after President Obama's convention party, yet another disappointing report on the nation's stagnant jobs market.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's been 43 straight months above 8 percent. It's a national tragedy.

ACOSTA: The government's latest unemployment numbers found a mere 96,000 jobs created in August. And while the jobless rate did drop to 8.1 percent, that was due to 368,000 people leaving the work force.

At a brief news conference, Romney had a new line for where the president is taking the country.

M. ROMNEY: The president's plan is four more years of the four last years. And I don't think the American people want four more years of the four last years.

ACOSTA: Romney also hit back at the president's charge that he has yet to offer many specifics, promising that his plan will create 12 million new jobs, with tax cuts, fewer regulations and more domestic energy.

And listen to how he vowed to tackle the deficit. M. ROMNEY: Balancing our budget. President Bush and President Obama, neither one made the kinds of steps on that front that I think needed to be made.

ACOSTA: And as for that jab from the president at Romney's gaffe on whether the British were ready to host the Olympics --

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You might not be ready for diplomacy with Beijing if you can't visit the Olympics without insulting our closest ally.

ACOSTA: -- the GOP nominee punched back.

M. ROMNEY: I'm very pleased that my Olympic experience allows me to talk about the Olympics in a straight-talk manner. And I think it would be appropriate if the president would talk to China in a straight-talk manner.

This president can tell us it was someone else's fault.

ACOSTA: As soon as the president's speech was finished, the Romney campaign announced an aggressive ad blitz aimed at eight battleground states all captured by Mr. Obama four years ago.

ANN ROMNEY, WIFE OF MITT M. ROMNEY: I should tell you that I feel right at home because I'm in a barn.

(LAUGHTER)

ACOSTA: Ann Romney was in one of those targeted states, Virginia, urging voters to turn the reins on the economy over to her husband.

A. ROMNEY: So let's talk some horse sense. Barack Obama said four years ago, if I can't turn this economy around after three-and-a-half years, I'm looking at a one-term presidency.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

A. ROMNEY; Well, it's our turn to turn the economy around. And I know Mitt can do it.

ACOSTA (voice-over): But there could be trouble looming for Mitt Romney if it the unemployment rate ticks below 8 percent, a number he says the president cannot beat. Still, the Romney campaign plans to drill down on the issue, as one top adviser put it, for the next 60 days -- Randi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Jim Acosta, thank you very much.

BLACKWELL: A lot of people are talking about Clint Eastwood's empty chair at the Republican National Convention and he's talking about it, too. Find out how he says he came up with the idea, backstage.

And Romney is not talking at least about gay marriage. Find out what happened when a reporter tried to ask her about that hot button issue.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL MAHER, COMEDIAN: People today, of course, are talking about Obama's speech. It must have been pretty good. Because, today, Clint Eastwood said he's voting for the chair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: That was comedian Bill Maher poking fun with was probably the most memorable moment ever in political convention history. Of course, I'm talking about the night when Clint Eastwood stole the spotlight from Mitt Romney by talking to an empty chair that was supposed to represent President Obama.

Now, Eastwood is telling his hometown paper how it all happened, saying, quote, "There was a stool there and some fella kept asking me if I wanted to sit down," Eastwood said. "When I saw the stool there, it give me the idea, I'll just put the stool out there and I'll talk to Mr. Obama and ask him why he didn't keep all of the promises he made to everybody."

While the economy will likely influence most voters when they head to the polls this November, social issues like same-sex marriage and birth control have their place in the national conversation. But when a reporter at an Iowa station tried to ask Ann Romney those things, the wife of the Republican presidential nominee insisted they will not decide the election and deferred any talk of them to her husband.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

A. ROMNEY: You know, I'm not going to talk about specific issues. I'm going to let my husband speak on issues. I'm here to talk to really just talk about my husband and what kind of a husband and father he is.

REPORTER: Do you believe health insurance should be required to cover birth control?

A. ROMNEY: Again, you are asking me questions not about what this election is going to be about. If you want to try to pull me off the other messages, it's not going to work, because I know, because I have been out there.

REPORTER: Well, I don't want to pull you off any message. You just told a reporter questioning you in Cleveland that you want women to have a secure and stable future. I asked you about marriage and whether lesbian mothers should be allowed to marry. Isn't marriage a part of creating a stable feature?

A. ROMNEY: Again, I'm going to talk to you about the economy and job creation and how my husband is the right person for the right time.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLACKWELL: For his part, Mitt Romney has opposed gay marriage but supports domestic partnership benefits.

And while Ann Romney is letting her husband take the lead on that issue, Democrats have chosen a different approach -- with both the party and President Obama expressing public support for extending marriage rights to gay couples. What impact will that have in November?

Here is CNN White House correspondent Brianna Keilar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At this convention, Democrats are whole-heartedly embracing same-sex marriage in the very state that just passed a referendum banning same-sex marriage. Colorado's Jared Polis, the first openly gay person to be elected to a first term in Congress, spoke Tuesday.

REP. JARED POLIS (D), COLORADO: That's why we must continue bringing America together.

KEILAR: And just take a look at the entertainment lineup: Delta Ray wrote the anthem opposing the same-sex marriage ban that passed here May 8th. It was one day later that President Obama changed his stance on the hot-button issue.

OBAMA: I've just concluded that, for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.

KEILAR: Four years ago when he was running for president, Obama held a different view.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Define marriage.

OBAMA: I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman.

KEILAR: The president's change of heart has energized young voters and his base.

CAMERON COCHRAN, NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT: It absolutely makes me respect and support him ten times more. That's an issue for the bedroom, not for -- not for our courts.

KEILAR: Six out of ten Americans have a family member or close friend who is gay, and most Americans now support same-sex marriage. But it's also a divisive issue that could cost the president some votes.

ALLISON NIETO, WASHINGTON RESIDENT: I voted for Obama. I haven't decided who I'm going to support for president this year. Marriage should definitely be within a man and a woman and should stay that way.

KEILAR: Republicans are hoping ads like this one, made by a conservative super PAC and running this week in North Carolina, will pull voters away from the president.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama is trying to force gay marriage on this country. That's not the change I voted for. Marriage is between a man and a woman.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not the change I voted for either.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What can we do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can vote for someone with values.

KEILAR: But the Obama campaign is betting he gains more votes and campaign donations than he loses over this issue. The day after her big speech, Michelle Obama touted what her husband has done for gay and lesbian voters.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: Whether it's passing hate crimes legislation or speaking out for the rights of all Americans to be able to do what Barack and I did and marry the love of our lives.

KEILAR: Brianna Keilar, CNN, Charlotte.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Want to know how to fight common colds with your spices from your kitchen? How about helping an earache with olive oil and garlic? Yes. Apparently, it's possible.

Dr. Lawrence Rosen joins me next for some must-see alternative treatments for you and your family.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is 42 minutes past the hour.

From coughs to headaches and the occasional stomachache, more and more Americans are turning to alternative treatment. It's a broad term from anything really -- from foods and spices you could pick up at your local grocery store, to yoga, acupuncture and even massage.

Dr. Lawrence Rosen is one of the experts leading the way on this. His new book, "Treatment Alternatives for Children" focuses on nontraditional cures for children.

Dr. Rosen, thanks so much for joining us this morning. Such an interesting topic. A lot of people talking about this. Tell us what kind of things we are talking about here and why try some of these over, say, you know, pills and real medicine?

DR. LAWRENCE ROSEN, AUTHOR, "TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES FOR CHILDREN": It's a great question. I came to the book through one of the parents in my practice, Jeff Conan, who said, you know, on a daily basis, we are talking with families about not just conventional medicines but also, all the things we found over the past hundreds of years in our kitchen cabinets, not necessarily our medicine cabinets that are good for children's health.

And so, we are finding ways now to integrate spices and common ingredients that you might cook with for health of children. And we are understanding now why they work and if they are safe and in many cases, very effective.

KAYE: I love -- there's one part in your book where you have some specific treatments. Ten spice rack resources that we should turn to. We have the list actually to share with our viewers at home.

But one of them is cayenne pepper. That really caught my attention. What is so good about that?

ROSEN: Well, it's counterintuitive because we also think of cayenne pepper as being spicy. But when we cook with it, that's the way we use it. But there's a substance in cayenne pepper called capsaicin. And you'll actually see this in over-the-counter ingredients now for pain relief.

And it turns out that the capsaicin in the cayenne paper can numb different nerve impulses. It's anti-inflammatory. As you can see, it also helps with pain syndromes like headaches. But it's used topically, we used it for insect bites and other peripheral painful conditions.

KAYE: And just to mention a few of the others, clove, dill, mint, cinnamon, all of that is good stuff?

ROSEN: Oh, yes. It's remarkable. You know, when you go out and you garden and you're growing basil, you're mint -- all of these things, even in my own garden, we have oregano. Or mint things we grow and they taste good as teas. But you're finding, you know, mint for example is very good for digestive disorders. Dill was one of the first things used in the first folic remedy in gripe water for kids hundreds of years ago.

So these are useful things for our family's health.

KAYE: You also have a part in the book with a top 10 super- ingredients, as we like to call them.

ROSEN: Right.

KAYE: Apple cider -- apple cider is really big on the list. I actually take this every day. A table spoon of it. Tell us why it's so good.

ROSEN: Well, apple cider vinegar is used both internally and topically. In children, we tend to use it more in topical conditions, things that are skin conditions like acne or warts. But it's also people that drink it find it can help with your metabolism, in some cases lowering cholesterol or blood sugar.

There are many different things digestively that it can help with -- mild heart burn, digestive disorders, like indigestion or irritable bowl syndrome. So, that's a lot of uses. KAYE: Sea salt is on there, too. You know, and in this day and age, a lot of people say, oh, salt, aren't we supposed to cut back on salt? What's good about that?

ROSEN: Right. Well, so it just shows you that you have to be mindful that just because things are natural doesn't mean they are safe. But sea salt is used for any respiratory conditions. There are studies actually going on now looking at nebulizing or putting in a humidifier, sea salt with some water for conditions like asthma and cystic fibrosis at higher concentrations. And the studies are finding they may be helpful. We use them in salient syringes (ph) for nasal congestion, allergies. And so, a little bit used in the right way can be very helpful.

KAYE: So, when you talk alternative methods, is this to round out care from doctors do you think, or can this really be a full replacement in your opinion?

ROSEN: Well, no, I think they round out. We talk about in the book what's called integrative medicine. I think it's a paradigm that doesn't throw away all the good conventional things that we have done.

We have a medical system that's done a good job of taking care of acute care conditions. But when it comes to more chronic conditions or in some first aid cases, we're integrating many of these therapies with conventional therapy.

So, in my practice, when I see a child with an earache, we are saying to parents, look, you know, if you are interested, there are other ways. You talked olive oil or garlic. And we can make a mixture of those to use for earaches or ear infections. But we're not saying that there's never a case for a treatment like antibiotics.

So, it's really an integration and I find it more and more families are interested in this type of integrated care.

KAYE: Thank you so much, Dr. Rosen. Thank you very much for making that point as well. Nice to have you on the program, appreciate it.

ROSEN: Thank you very much.

KAYE: Victor?

BLACKWELL: He's a musician, a humanitarian and a farmer.

(MUSIC)

BLACKWELL: I know people everywhere heard this song, turned around and look at the television. Yes, it is Grammy winner Jason Mraz. And if he comes to your town, you will probably see him doing yard work. We'll tell you why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we need to farm the oceans like we farm the land. In land, we don't farm crops in the cities in dense areas. You know, coastal waters are the cities or dense areas where there's competing uses for the environment. Farming crops on land is the best. It's really the open ocean.

Not only are we getting a cleaner fish, it's free of contaminants. It's free of any of those harmful contaminants that you see in the news from sea foods such as PCBSs, mercury, pesticides, it doesn't exist. And we can prove it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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(MUSIC)

BLACKWELL: I know it's easier for the photographer if I standstill but how can you not sway to this song, right? It's coffeehouse music to go with your cup of Joe this morning, and I say that because the coffeehouse is where singer songwriter Jason Mraz started his career. And although his songs are popular, he wants people to know there's more to him than music.

He sat down with CNN and shared the message behind his music.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON MRAZ, SINGER: What's up? I'm Jason Mraz.

All my songs come from personal experience. I always write about what I'm processing, something I want to remember and acknowledge or something I want to be when I grow up.

(MUSIC)

I think my music has a mission. I don't like to release a song unless it has a purpose. And that mission is healing. That mission is providing comfort, providing a little bit of entertainment.

You know, I want the show to educate but I don't want to be in your face about it. I want to lead by example. If you find out what we're doing and we leave places for fans to participate and recycle. Fans get to drink from our free water hydration stations so they can bring their own bottle.

And they'll notice in their own lives how it directly impacts them just in their wallet because of the way you live reusing. I want to lead by example because it's how I live at home. I feel if I can inspire my next-door neighbor to do the same, it can have a ripple effect around the world.

I feel like such an introverted person. And I want to see the environment thrive for my own selfish reasons because I like surfing. And after it rains, you can't, because the water is so polluted. I love hiking and going out into nature trails. I don't like seeing broken beer bottles and aluminum cans stuck up in the trees and not hearing wildlife because mankind has run it all away. And I think the whole purpose of saving the planet is so that we can preserve human consciousness. I think that's what we're all trying to do. You know, no one wants to say save the planet except for the humans. We all want to thrive here, you know?

I think messages from songs and albums in general really are up to the listener, because whatever they are going to be emoting in their own lives that parallel the songs, I feel what the last album is very much like all the other albums. It's songs of optimism, hope. They acknowledge the dark side, that we all fall into from time to time, the melancholy. But the album is full of tools that might bring you back to the light and know there's a delicate balance to enjoy both when you can.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Great voice and he's doing great things for the planet. You've got to love that.

BLACKWELL: Yes, it's great music. And you know, when you listen to the songs, there's maybe on every other track, you can say, I've been there, I've been there.

KAYE: That's you back for sure. That was great. Great story by our fabulous producer Alicia Eakin.

Coming up in our next hour, a remarkable story you do not want to miss. Hear how this adorable dog was saved from a gas chamber in North Carolina. Now, his owner has written a book about the ordeal. It turns out this dog's story isn't uncommon. They'll both join us in just about an hour.

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