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CNN Saturday Morning News

Sandy Downgraded to Tropical Storm; Sandy and the Election; New Hampshire's Place in the Race; Sandy Churns in the Atlantic; Armstrong Doping Sanctions Continue

Aired October 27, 2012 - 07:00   ET

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

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Rise and shine. I'm Christi Paul in today for Randi Kaye.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. It's the top of the hour, thanks for starting your day with us.

PAUL: Yes.

I want to start off with one of our top stories here. The weather, of course. Sandy has been downgraded to a tropical storm, but all along the East Coast, people are bracing for it to regain strength before it actually makes landfall in the U.S.

In the Northeast, in particular, there are fears that Sandy could become a superstorm. What that means is dumping heavy rains and downing power lines across several states. And check out these images that we're getting from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Ocean waves spilling on to city streets there.

The National Hurricane Center has issued tropical storm warnings and watches for parts of Florida and the Carolinas.

Meteorologist Alexandra Steele joining us now with more on this storm's path.

What have you found out, Alexandra, in the last couple of minutes?

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: All right. What we know really -- this is an incredible, powerful, hybrid of a storm and you talked about the track. The track with this, there's a lot of consensus.

So, here's a look. This is Saturday morning, the center of circulation. Right now, we've got tropical storm force winds extending 450 miles out from the center. It's a behemoth of a storm.

So, here's the potential, again, to move Northeast, expecting Sunday night into Monday you can see the center of circulation coming onshore in the Delmarva, somewhere between New York and Washington, D.C., worst coastal damage just north of where that center makes landfall.

But on this map, I have anywhere of ten inches of rain to 10 to 20 inches of snow in the mountains of West Virginia. So, one thing we have going for us in terms of the computer models, really quite a consensus. Typically, this time of year, a tropical storm moves eastward and that's the end of it. It gets picked up in the polar jet and takes it out to the Atlantic.

Not so with this. We've got an area of high pressure that's steering it back and that's the way it is going to go. You can see there is the consensus with this.

But also, in 25 years of computer modeling, there has never been this exact set-up, this hybrid of storm. Area of low pressure, the moisture from the tropical elements, the area of low pressure potentially more like a nor'easter fusing together. What we can see here potentially is an incredible amount of flooding.

So, what we've got with this, flooding rain and also power outages really will be incredible. Look at the power outages from Connecticut, all the way down to the Carolinas. Widespread power outages that could last for days. You know the scenario when you get this much in terms of power outages takes a long time.

Ten inches of rain and this is only potentially by Monday morning. So, lot more ahead. And we'll talk more about this and where it will go Tuesday, Wednesday, coming up.

BLACKWELL: Well, Sandy is not just a dangerous storm. It could have huge political ramifications. Take a look at this picture we put together showing some of the campaign layers impacted by a major storm hitting the East Coast. Now, we have seen the campaign events across the country delayed or canceled. Also, we've told you to expect huge travel delays, in addition to impacting millions of travelers, the campaigns will have to take last-minute maneuvering.

A major storm hitting the most densely populated section of the country could divert local and national media coverage from politics to weather and news and the rescues and recoveries -- meaning less visibility for the candidates.

CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser joins me now for more on the live political fallout from this storm. He's live in Pensacola, Florida.

What are the campaigns doing right now to prepare, Paul? And how big of a deal could this be for the parties?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: It could be a big deal, very big deal. In fact, Mitt Romney is going to be right here behind me at the civic center here in Pensacola a little later today. His three events in California are still on. It's pretty windy right here, Victor, thanks to Sandy, but we're not going to get the storm at all on this side of Florida.

Yes, the campaigns are definitely -- they tell me they're monitoring the situation. They've got contingency plans, as you mentioned, some events have already been canceled this weekend in both Virginia and in New Hampshire, two very important battleground states. And if the storm is very strong and does some damage, it could be a problem, of course, for the campaigns as they schedule and as they do beef up their get out the vote efforts. But both campaigns tell me, listen, safety comes first, safety of the people affected is much more important than politics.

One other thing, victor, if this is a serious storm, expect there to be a lot of scrutiny of how President Obama handles the situation. That could be a factor on Election Day, as well, Victor.

BLACKWELL: There's always storm politics. We saw after it after Katrina and we saw it after any natural or manmade disaster.

Let's talk about these schedules. Mitt Romney, Joe Biden, Michelle Obama, they have made changes. As of now, the president will still campaign in New Hampshire today, Romney headed to Florida.

What do we know about their schedules moving forward?

STEINHAUSER: Well, as you mentioned, Romney still headed to where I am in Pensacola and he's got his other stops on the schedule today, as well. Vice President Biden, one of his events in Virginia has been canceled and some other cancellations, as well. We'll look to see as we go into Sunday and Monday what happens with the schedule.

Again, both campaign are keeping a very close eye on this storm and affects not only the campaign -- the campaigning by the candidates, but also the get out the vote efforts in these key battleground states, Virginia early voting underway. All this could be affected, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Paul Steinhauser in Pensacola -- thank you.

PAUL: Well, conservative columnist Ann Coulter set off a firestorm this week when she sent a tweet referring to the president as the R- word. Coulter was on "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT" last night where Piers ask her about her intentions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIERS MORGAN, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT" HOST: Why did you call President Obama a retard? Here's the tweet that you tweeted. It was during one of the debates.

ANN COULTER, AUTHOR, "MUGGED": At the end of the third debate.

MORGAN: Right.

COULTER: I was sending a tweet --

MORGAN: I didn't announce anyone's motive to --

COULTER: Yes, you did.

MORGAN: When?

COULTER: You did it because you knew it would be incendiary. No, I sent out a tweet that I thought was relevant at the moment and it was, because at the end of the third debate, a lot of -- all the chitchat was, why was Romney so gentle? Why didn't he go after Obama on Benghazi? Why didn't he go after Obama on Benghazi cover-up?

MORGAN: Why call the president of the United States a retard?

COULTER: Because it's a synonym for loser.

MORGAN: But it's not.

COULTER: We are spending 10 seconds on this or it's going to be another two years before I come on.

MORGAN: Wow, now you're threatening me.

COULTER: Because I'm angry at the word police and I need an encyclopedia Britannica to see what words are appropriate.

MORGAN: No, you don't.

COULTER: And which ones aren't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: You can watch, by the way, more from that interview at CNN.com/PiersMorgan.

BLACKWELL: Well, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been released from the hospital after getting into a car crash in Las Vegas. The accidents happen when vehicles in his motorcade crashed with a car that was not in the motorcade. The 72-year-old Democrat suffered hip and rib contusions, but we are told he is in good condition.

PAUL: A threatening new video has surfaced on the web from the leader of al Qaeda. It shows Ayman al-Zawahiri calling on Muslims around the world to kidnap Westerners. And he also attacked President Obama, saying the president lied to the American people about the U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq and the coming withdrawal from Afghanistan.

So, we've obviously got more ahead in this hour --

BLACKWELL: Here's what's coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL (voice-over): Of the 50 states electing the president, these are the states that could swing either way. All morning we're putting the undecided states of America in focus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looks like it's going to be a pretty bad storm.

PAUL: Sandy is barreling north. It could leave millions of people without power and the damage to the campaigns could be catastrophic.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're looking at the Bernie Madoff of sport.

PAUL: A shocking new documentary on Lance Armstrong's career. What he said under oath about the alleged doping ring. (END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Well, time is running out on the 2012 presidential election. This morning, we're focusing on the USA, the "Undecided States of America".

Here's what I'm talking about. The country is pretty evenly divided, red and blue and now you've got a few yellow mixed in there, the undecided. So, let's strip away the decided states, leaves us the swing states, the critical state that could swing the election one way or another.

Collectively, they're like their own little country, right? The winner of this pseudo country will be the winner overall.

Now, one of the undecided states is New Hampshire, just four electoral votes. But the granite state could still be the deciding vote this election.

With us to talk about the battle for New Hampshire is Wayne MacDonald, the state GOP chairman.

Chairman, good to have you.

Mitt Romney has really come on there since the first debate, really growing in the polls. Do you see the momentum carrying all the way through Election Day?

WAYNE MACDONALD, CHAIRMAN, NEW HAMPSHIRE GOP: I absolutely do. The polls I have seen show Governor Romney slightly ahead of President Obama. We're working very, very hard. We have a tremendous ground game and we're going to maintain this lead through Election Day.

BLACKWELL: Let's listen to something that the national campaign said. Stirred up some controversy. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN SUNUNU, ROMNEY CAMPAIGN: When you take a look at Colin Powell, you have to wonder whether that's an endorsement based on issues or whether he's got a slightly different reason for preferring President Obama.

MORGAN: What reason would that be?

SUNUNU: Well, I think when you have somebody of your own race that you're proud of being president of the United States, I applaud Colin for standing with him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Sununu has also said that the president needs to learn to be an American. He said the president was lazy and incompetent. Before we get into the "they say things" and both sides get a little heated, what place do these words have in this campaign? And don't they really hurt you with the people you're going after, the independents who hate that?

MACDONALD: Governor Sununu has admitted comments weren't necessarily appropriate. But Sununu remains a tremendous asset to the campaign. This campaign is going to be -- this election is going to be based on the issues that face this country --

BLACKWELL: Then, why not talk about those? Why call the president lazy? Why call the president incompetent? Saying he needs to learn to be an American and the only reason he has the support of the former secretary of state and the five-star general is because he's black.

If it's about the issues, talk about the issues, right?

MACDONALD: Well, we are talking about the issues. Other than a few side comments, but, predominantly, we have talked about the issues and those are primarily jobs and the economy.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk more about where we're moving forward with the ground game. President Obama has an advantage in most of the swing states when it comes to the ground game, the campaign offices. How does Mitt Romney make up for his deficit there?

MACDONALD: Well, here, the victory program that the Republican National Committee is operating in conjunction with the various state parties has been very effective here in New Hampshire. We're literally organized north, south, east, and west. We have hundreds of volunteers and a great victory staff and we have the enthusiasm and the drive.

We're matching President Obama.

BLACKWELL: So, the other big story we're following, of course, is Sandy, which is another tropical storm, but could really put a wrench in the plan for the campaigns. How is the state party working to compensate for that?

MACDONALD: Well, because this is just a recent development, we are working with the -- you know, we are working on various contingencies and those are in process even as I speak. The good news is Sandy is hitting during this week. Many of these problems resolved by election time and we're going to be monitoring power outages and challenges that develop. But those plans are in process right now.

BLACKWELL: All right. Wayne MacDonald, New Hampshire GOP chairman, good to have you.

MACDONALD: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Coming up next, we will get the reaction from the state's Democratic chairman, Raymond Buckley.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Ten months ago, Mitt Romney won the nation's first primary in new Hampshire, now, that state is in the spotlight, again, as one of the "Undecided States of America". And we're focusing on those states this morning.

New Hampshire has just four electoral votes and that's enough to swing the final vote. A moment ago, I talk would the chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party. With us now is the state's Democratic chair, Raymond Buckley.

Sir, it is good to have you with us.

RAYMOND BUCKLEY, CHAIRMAN, NEW HAMPSHIRE DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Thank you, sir.

BLACKWELL: President Obama is in the state today, Joe Biden is there tomorrow. There is a lot of action there for the Democrats. Is the president worried that he may not carry New Hampshire as he did in '08?

BUCKLEY: The president is very confident that we are. It's going to be a close race. We've always said that it's going to be close. This election here in New Hampshire was decided by less than 1 percent in both 2000, 2004. There's no reason to believe that New Hampshire is not going to be close, again, but when the votes are all counted, it will be under Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

BLACKWELL: Let's take a look at this poll, though, from the American Research Group. In September, the president had a sizable lead in New Hampshire. Five points over, but just two points in the most recent poll.

Is this the result of that lackluster first debate? What do you attribute this to?

BUCKLEY: Well, we always knew that the polls were going to tighten. Clearly, the president said that he wished he had done better in that first debate, but at the end, I think that when the books are all written about this election, the debate probably won't be the largest factor in his victory.

BLACKWELL: All right, the president has 22 field offices in New Hampshire. Romney, the campaign there has nine.

Talk about the advantage that offers.

BUCKLEY: Well, we learned years ago that having a strong, local centered ground operation, grassroots operation where local people are engaged and empowered really makes a big difference. That was really the secret to Obama's primary victories in 2008 and certainly was here in New Hampshire in 2008 when we had a Democratic sweep. I actually believe, although the results will all be close, we're going to hold on to the governor's office and pick up both congressional seats, as well as gain the majorities in the legislature. Republicans had a big Tea Party year in 2010, but 2012 is going to be a good year for New Hampshire Democrats.

BLACKWELL: Let me ask you about a bit of a disconnect that the number in the stats for the state and how they may not really connect to the voters. The president won in New Hampshire in 2008 by nine points. Unemployment is 5.7 percent below the national average. Housing prices are up. He has twice as many field offices than Romney and you say you expected it to get closer, for the race to tighten.

Why is it the good news for New Hampshire connecting with support for the president? I mean, there must be something that is not connecting there.

BUCKLEY: Well, I think that New Hampshire, not only are we the focus every four years because of the New Hampshire first in the nation primary, we have a large number of undecided or independent voters here in New Hampshire, nearly 40 percent. They take the elections very seriously. They are late to decide.

So, although it could be close, it might not be.

BLACKWELL: Late to decide, but what is, what is the difficulty with making the sale? All the numbers show that things are working well for them, maybe there's just something about the president's plan they don't like.

BUCKLEY: No, I think that the people in New Hampshire will be supportive of the president and I think he'll be victorious on November 6th.

BLACKWELL: All right, so, let's talk about early voting. New Hampshire is one of the states without early, in-person voting. Does that hurt the Democrats with all of the emphasis the president is putting on voting early as in other swing states?

BUCKLEY: Well, our program isn't exactly early voting. It's absentee voting and you will not be able to swear that you're not going to be able to vote for either religious reasons or physical reasons, you'll be out of town, or medical reasons. So, it's not early voting, but it is true that we do have a high percentage of people who do vote pre- election by virtue of the absentee ballot program.

BLACKWELL: Let me ask you about some of the president's word. I just spoke with the GOP chair a few moments ago, I want to ask you about something the president said calling Mitt Romney a B.S.-er and what effect that will have on a tight race when the voters say they don't like this type of talk.

How will that affect the vote in New Hampshire?

BUCKLEY: Well, I think people in New Hampshire are more embarrassed on John Sununu who's rhetoric and attacks and behavior over the last several months against the president than whether or not the president used the exact right term on describing Mitt Romney.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about Sandy. This storm is coming up the coast, could be a catastrophic storm as it relates to the political machine and getting out the vote in the next 10 days. How are the Democrats preparing?

BUCKLEY: Listen, we're New Hampshire, we're a hardy bunch. We'll get to the polls. We have among the highest voter turnout in the nation, whether it's in the primary or in the general election, even in the off years.

You know, it's not unheard of to have a blizzard arrive on the New Hampshire primary day and, still, our voters get out to vote. So, we're going to make sure that we're prepared for it, but I have no doubt that we'll still have a record turnout and beat some of the states that are in the warmer climates.

BLACKWELL: And in places like Ohio, Democrats have done well in early voting. If Sandy hits you, are you worried about the vote because you don't have the early voting there?

BUCKLEY: I'm a New Hampshire Democrat. I'm always worried about the vote.

BLACKWELL: All right, Raymond Buckley, thank you very much, chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party.

Coming up in our next hour, another "Undecided State of America": Ohio, 18 electoral votes that have the potential to shake up this race -- Christi.

PAUL: This story has moved so many people. A teenage girl shot in the head by the Taliban now in a British hospital. We're going to have more on her progress and also talk about a very special visitor who is coming to check up on her. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Mortgage rates maintain record lows this week. Take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: It is the bottom of the hour, as you're waking up here with CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Welcome back. Glad to have your company. I hope Saturday has been good for you so far.

I'm Christi Paul, in for Randi Kaye.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Especially on the West Coast where it's only 4:30: Hopefully your Friday night was pretty good, too. Thanks for starting your morning with us.

We have five stories we're watching this morning.

PAUL: Yes, we want to give you the latest on Sandy, first of all. It's been downgraded to a tropical storm at this point, but, forecasters do expect it to regain strength by tomorrow night. Now, Sandy has maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour and heavy rains over an area that extends about 450 miles from its center right now. The storm is on a path toward the central Mid-Atlantic states.

These are live pictures we're looking at now in Miami -- of the view there in Miami. It looks pretty at the moment. We'll see how it continues. Charleston, Norfolk, Virginia, Atlantic City -- you're all seeing some of this stuff. Strong winds and rain could reach the Northeast as early as Monday. BLACKWELL: The company at the center of the deadly meningitis outbreak ignored warnings from its own environmental monitors. That's the finding from an FDA report. It says monitors detected nearly 90 instances of mold and bacteria overgrowth in the New England Compounding Center's clean room since January.

Well, 25 deaths have been blamed on the fungal meningitis outbreak linked to tainted medications produced by the company.

PAUL: In South Carolina, Social Security information for millions of residents has been stolen in an international cyber attack, it seems -- 3.6 million Social Security numbers and 387,000 credit card numbers may have been breached in this attack that happened earlier this month. Governor Nikki Haley said it was, quote, "not a good day for South Carolina."

BLACKWELL: And in England, for the first time since she was transported for medical treatment, Malala Yousufzai is getting a visit from her family. New video shows the 15-year-old activist who was just shot by the Taliban, just talking and praying with her mother, her father, her brother. And true to her fight for education, Malala asked for her father to bring her school books.

PAUL: Let's move you to Syria now where there's evidence that a ceasefire just isn't holding right now. It was called to mark a Muslim holiday that started yesterday.

Yes, that's what they're seeing there. Twelve people have been killed and 150 others died Friday. This is according to an opposition group. Another group added that there were almost 300 other ceasefire violations, including gunfire and shelling.

BLACKWELL: There will be some rough seas off the Carolina Coast this weekend as tropical storm Sandy churns in the Atlantic. Sandy's downgrade from a hurricane was expected, but forecasts call for the storm to regain strength over the next few days.

Our George Howell is on North Carolina's outer banks.

George, we can hear the wind. I heard with your mike test, what are you seeing out there?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, good morning. Yes, we are definitely feeling the winds pick up here along the outer banks and the best evidence of that right behind me. You can see the choppy surf out here. Obviously, no one out on this beach.

This morning, Victor, the possibility of rip currents out there. This is no place to be right now as this storm slowly moves toward us. In fact, we will feel the first band of this storm as it gets closer. The conditions out here will definitely deteriorate through the day.

We know here along the eastern counties of North Carolina, several have declared states of emergency and there is a big concern today, Victor, of flooding -- mainly from storm surge but also from the rain that will come from the system. Flooding, power outages, that's what people are preparing for here this morning.

BLACKWELL: Tell us how does this compare to last year's storm? You know, there were millions of people who were affected by the floodings and power outages by Irene.

HOWELL: You know, Irene was more of a direct hit in a way because this area saw a lot of flooding, saw a lot of rain from it. In fact, I was speaking with someone here just a few minutes ago about what happened in this area, this Highway 12, Coastal Highway 12. There was a major section of that that washed away from the storm.

This morning what we're expecting to see, again, that first band of strong winds, the rain that will be coming through, again, the storm has been downgraded, but officials are saying, you know, do not take the storm for granted. It still will be a strong storm that will bring winds and anywhere from 40 to 50 miles per hour I was told. But, you know, at this point, people are paying very close attention, I should say, to what's happening out here in the skies.

BLACKWELL: As they should.

George Howell in the outer banks of North Carolina -- thank you.

PAUL: Meanwhile, you know, millions of people could lose power from this storm and the Edison Electric Institute is warning people that outages could last for seven to 10 days. Right now the area's most vulnerable to power outages are from Virginia to New Jersey and extending into southern Pennsylvania. The exact path, though, of this storm, as you know, is so unpredictable.

On the phone from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland is Seth Guikema. He's the assistant professor for the department of geography and engineering.

So, Seth, thank you for being with us.

I know you developed a model to predict what areas are going to have the most power outages. What did you find from that?

SETH GUIKEMA, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY (via telephone): When we ran our model with the latest track update from last night, we see that there are probably will be substantial power outage impacts all the way from northern Virginia up through New Jersey like you said and they'll extend quite a ways in inland.

PAUL: Well, I know you have been studying the relationship between hurricanes and power failures for seven years now. As you look at what -- at the model that you're viewing now, what is your biggest concern with this storm?

GUIKEMA: Well, it's going to impact a pretty large area with a high population density. So, there's going to be a lot of people out, which is going to cause difficulty getting power restored because there's going to be a lot of need for repair crews and utilities are going to have to get those in place beforehand. Some of the outages will be pretty prolonged. PAUL: Do you think seven to 10 days is, in fact, accurate?

GUIKEMA: That seems like a pretty reasonable estimate given the impacts and the wide-spread nature of the impacts, yes.

PAUL: Well, what problems could power companies run into besides the fact that, you know, they may be short on people and labor?

GUIKEMA: Well, one of the big impacts on the storm like this is if it does turn out to be a very wet storm, meaning an awful lot of rain, that it is that much harder to restore power because the soil saturated and it is harder to get into some of the areas to restore power and a lot more downed trees that way, as well.

PAUL: So, as I understand it, you think about 10 million people could lose power. Is there any shift you see in this storm that might change that number?

GUIKEMA: Well, if the track moves further north, the track forecast, it may actually look a little bit worse because we hit some, potentially more heavily populated areas and it could get worse. I think the storm would have to decrease in intensity a decent amount before landfall for this to be much better.

PAUL: Well, when you look at this then, is there anything -- I mean, when people hear seven to ten days without power, I would think they're either going to leave, they're going to get out or they want to know how to prepare for that extended period of time.

What do you say to them in terms of preparation?

GUIKEMA: Well, have ice for your food, be ready for an extended power outage. Some people will get their power back on faster, but the longer outages will probably be seven to 10 days and you just have to be ready, particularly if you're in an area where the nighttime temperatures are going to get colder, you have to have a plan for that.

PAUL: All right. Seth Guikema, thank you so much. Assistant professor at Johns Hopkins, we appreciate your input there -- thanks.

BLACKWELL: It is an uphill battle like nothing he faced in the Alps. Lance Armstrong was once at the top of cycling's biggest stage. We'll have the latest from the doping scandal that continues to rock his world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Forty minutes past the hour on this Saturday morning. Thank you for being with us.

His seven Tour de France titles are gone. Cycling's governing body says records are going to show that no one won those races and Lance Armstrong's real battles may be just beginning. Of course, this is all because of a doping scandal that has been called epic.

CNN's Quentin McDermott has this report for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUENTIN MCDERMOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The United States Anti-Doping Agency says that Armstrong was a drug cheat, part of an organized conspiracy by the U.S. Postal Service team to dupe the public or fool the authorities.

BETSY ANDREU: The totality of the evidence is overwhelming. You're looking at the Bernie Madoff of sport. This is the biggest fraud in the history of sport, the biggest. He couldn't have done it alone.

PHIL LIGGETT, CYCLING COMMENTATOR: When money is involved, big money, then, of course, the cheat comes along.

MCDERMOTT: Lance Armstrong entered cycling as a brash, young competitor, full of enthusiasm and limited in his all-around ability. His mentor then was the Australian racer, Phil Anderson.

(on camera): Did he strike you in those days as a cyclist that could eventually win the Tour de France?

PHIL ANDERSON, AUSTRALIAN RACER: For me, no. To be a good tour rider, you have to be a good time and a good mountain climber. He wasn't particularly strong in those two areas. To me, he didn't have what it took in those early years.

MCDERMOTT (on camera): Lance Armstrong was then with the American Motorola team. So, too, was New Zealander Stephen Swart.

Stephen Swart said that in 1995 when Phil Anderson had left the team, the riders complained that their European opponents were doping.

(on camera): Did you talk with Lance Armstrong about the need to using EPO to be competitive?

SWART: We had a discussion about it, yes.

MCDERMOTT: What did Mr. Armstrong say?

SWART: He did say, you know, if we're going on the tour, we've got to perform. We need the results.

MCDERMOTT: What did that mean?

SWART: I think he just said you didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out, you know? If we're going to be competitive, there was only one road to take.

MCDERMOTT: Was there a discussion about doping in any way with Mr. Swart?

LANCE ARMSTRONG, CYCLIST: The only aspect that was true is that he was on the team. Beyond that, not true.

(END VIDEOTAPE) PAUL: Now, be sure to tune in tonight for an in depth look at the fall of the world's best-known cyclist. "The World According to Lance Armstrong," again that is tonight, 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

BLACKWELL: Really? Is this happening? Are you serious? That's what die-hard hockey fans are asking themselves after the NHL announced cancellation of all the games in November. In all, 326 games have been canceled during the current lockout. You know, just eight years ago the entire NHL season was wiped out because of labor strike.

PAUL: Well, back in Motown and in dire need of some momentum, that is the story for the Detroit Tigers heading into tonight's game three of the World Series after pummeling the Tigers. The Giants eked out a two-to-zero win Thursday. So, tonight, a San Francisco right hander Ryan Vogelsong will get the start. He will be opposed by Detroit right Anibal Sanchez.

BLACKWELL: American football hits England Sunday when the St. Louis Rams host the New England Patriots. Now, to get into the spirit, the St. Louis Rams and Coach Jeff Fisher practiced on a pitch this week. Rams' owner Stan Kroenke is also majority owner of the famed soccer franchise arsenal.

Now, Sunday's game will be the sixth international series match for the NFL in London.

PAUL: Well, Sandy is no longer a hurricane, but, she's still a force to be reckoned with. We're going to tell you what to expect as this tropical storm inches towards the East Coast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: All right. What do you think? You have kids. What do you think President Obama is worried about most when it comes to his daughters?

I'm going to give you a choice of three. Boys, dates, driving?

PAUL: He asked me this because I have three daughters of my own --

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: And all those things scare the you know what out of me.

BLACKWELL: Pick one, though.

PAUL: You know what? I have to be honest, I saw this.

BLACKWELL: OK.

PAUL: So, I know what he's going to say. But I will say, I absolutely agree with him on this one.

BLACKWELL: All right. Here's what the president told MTV last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you most worried about? Malia getting a driver's license, Malia going out on a date or Malia being on Facebook?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I worry about Facebook right now only because -- look, I know the folks of Facebook, obviously, you know, they revolutionized, you know, the social networks. But Malia because she's well known, you know, I'm very keen on protecting her privacy.

She can make her own decisions later as she gets older. But right now, even just for security reasons, she doesn't have a Facebook page.

You know, dates, that's fine because she got Secret Service protection.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not worried about that at all.

OBAMA: I'm not too worried. I mean, you know, the one thing I always tell my daughters and hopefully I'm serving as a good example of this, is I want them to be with men who respect them. Boys who respect them and value them and, you know, understand their worth. If the boys are kind to them, then, they'll be OK. They're confident young women.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: All right. Here's the difference: no one knows who my kids are. It's not like they're his kids.

We should note MTV did invite Governor Romney to participate in a similar 30-minute special. Representatives from the network say they haven't yet heard from his campaign.

BLACKWELL: You know what stood out to me that whole interview --

PAUL: What?

BLACKWELL: His hat, his hat the whole interview.

PAUL: I was thinking the same thing. That's brave to go interview the president --

BLACKWELL: And keep it it's part of his look. I know it's part of Sway's look, but he kept on that hat for the entire interview --

PAUL: He looks good in it.

BLACKWELL: -- with the president of the United States. All right.

PAUL: If we look at that hat, he worked it.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: The election could be affected by what's already being called a historic storm. We could see flooding, power outages, wind damage, all across the Northeast. This is expansive. BLACKWELL: Yes, millions of people could be affected and those along the coast are scrambling to prepare.

Nick Valencia is watching this storm by the numbers. And these numbers are huge.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're expecting new numbers from the National Hurricane Center to come out later this morning at about 8:00. But until then, we've been reaching out to aid agencies. The American Red Cross, Americare. Everybody, Victor and Christi, are poised and prepared for this expected landfall. It's already been a fatal storm. It just got worse.

We heard from the Puerto Rico police department this morning, one more death added to the death toll there, raising the death toll to 22 dead now as a result of tropical storm Sandy. And this is an expansive storm already, hasn't even made landfall. But our CNN weather team has estimated about $3.2 billion, that's with the B, billion dollars, and that's not from flooding, that's just from wind damage.

So who knows how much this will cost in the end. But a fatal storm, people are poised, national guard, 61,000 personnel up and down the Eastern Seaboard just ready for this landfall, Victor and Christi.

BLACKWELL: Well, everyone is watching the forecast and preparing, hopefully everybody's preparing.

VALENCIA: Yes, we'll bring the new numbers when we have them from the National Hurricane Center.

BLACKWELL: All right. Thank you.

PAUL: Thank you.

VALENCIA: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Donald Trump makes a big announcement. But it backfires.

PAUL: What was he thinking?

BLACKWELL: What was he thinking?

PAUL: Well, we say it together people? What was he thinking?

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: Jeanne Moos has the fallout.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)(

PAUL: Well, Donald Trump billed it as his own October surprise that really turned out to be a little more of a flop. And that led to a flood of reactions and, of course, jokes.

Jeanne Moos runs through them for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Donald better duck.

JAY LENO, HOST, NBC'S "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": His bombshell announcement.

MOOS: The bombshell seems to have landed on Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump is a circus act.

JON STEWART, HOST, COMEDY CENTRAL'S "THE DAILY SHOW": I believe we have the footage of the announcement of Trump making it.

MOOS: From a gorilla on Jon Stewart, Trump was morphed into a donkey by the "New York Daily News." His offer of a check to charity --

DONALD TRUMP, REAL-ESTATE MOGUL: For $5 million.

MOOS: -- if President Obama would release school and passport records reminded the folks at College Humor of a certain someone.

MIKE MYERS, ACTOR: One million dollars.

MOOS: And presto change-o, the Donald was Dr. Evil.

There were counter proposals, some too raunchy for the news.

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, COMEDY CENTRAL'S "THE COLBERT REPORT": One million actual dollars if you will let me (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, CBS'S "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": And I said, "Hey, Don, I'll give you $5 million, if you release that thing on your head. Let it go!"

MOOS: On Jimmy Kimmel's show, the Donald ended up playing the Great Trumpkin in Charlie Brown's pumpkin patch.

CARTOON CHARACTER: What's that?

CARTOON CHARACTER: A check for $5 million.

CARTOON CHARACTER: Huh? What the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) was that?

MOOS (on camera): But the one that was almost painful to watch, the one that had to hurt the most, came from an old friend of Donald's.

BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, ABC'S "THE VIEW": I want to say it to his face. Donald, you're making a fool of yourself.

MOOS (voice-over): Soon Donald was tweeting @BarbaraWalters, "You just don't get it." He suggested she end up apologizing to him. "Why did you choose me as one of the 10 most fascinating people of the year?"

From one top 10 to another.

LETTERMAN: The No. 1 Lame October Surprise, Donald Trump offering $5 million to unearth anyone who still takes him seriously. There you go.

MOOS: But Trump insisted.

TRUMP: The response has been unbelievable. And I've had tremendous praise, for the most part.

MOOS: At least Ann Coulter came through.

ANN COULTER, CONSERVATIVE WRITER/COMMENTATOR: I totally love it. It's completely showboating, but I support Donald Trump in this. We need somebody like Donald Trump on our side.

MOOS: So far, the only thing released by President Obama was a zinger. When Leno asked him, what's with you and Trump?

OBAMA: This all dates back to when we were growing up together in Kenya. Yes.

MOOS: Between the president's mockery and Barbara's scolding --

WALTERS: Stop it. Get off it, Donald.

MOOS: Get off it, before you get taken off, a la "The Tonight Show."

TRUMP: If he gives his passport application.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been released from the hospital after getting into a car crash in Las Vegas. This accident happened when vehicles in his motorcade crashed with a vehicle not in the motorcade. He's 72 years old, a Democrat, suffered rib and hip contusions. But we're told he's doing fine.

PAUL: Are warnings ignored, that is the finding of a report from the Food and Drug Administration in that meningitis outbreak responsible for 25 deaths now. Mold and bacteria overgrowth were detected and reported nearly 90 times since January to the New England Compounding Center. That's the company linked to the outbreak.

The FDA said it's found no evidence that the company ever responded to those warnings.

BLACKWELL: Thanks for starting your morning with us.

PAUL: Yes, we've got so much more ahead on SATURDAY MORNING, which starts right now.

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