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CNN Saturday Morning News

Tracking Hurricane Sandy; Presidential Election Close Race; Interview with Ohio State Senator Nina Turner; Recycling Plant Transforms Waste to Fuel; Interview with Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted; Campaigns Cancel Rallies Due to Sandy; Ridgeway Murder Suspect Tried as Adult; Tracking Sandy by the Numbers

Aired October 27, 2012 - 08:00   ET

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

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Victor Blackwell.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Christi Paul, in for Randi Kaye.

It's 8:00 in the East, 5:00 out west for all those early birds out there. Thank you for starting your day with us. I hope Saturday has been good to you so far.

BLACKWELL: Let's get to the big story. Tropical storm Sandy, it is churning in the Atlantic this morning as the East Coast braces for what some are calling a potential super storm. Preparations are under way as residents board up in advance of Sandy's arrival. Also, several airlines are announcing that they're revising the fees for making flight changes for passengers in Sandy's path.

PAUL: We want to take you to Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, where we find George Howell.

Sandy is still miles offshore, but, George, what are you feeling there right now?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christi, and, Victor, good morning. You know, we are starting to feel those winds pick up. A lot of the heavier rain has been offshore, but we're in a position along the outer banks where we will feel that first band of the strong winds. The band of heavy rains as it moves into this area.

And the best evidence of that is what's happening here behind me. You can see the surf out there churned up from this storm as it moves closer to us. The situation out here will definitely deteriorate through the day.

What we know at this point, this area remains under a tropical storm warning and a flash flood watch. And there's a big concern about the storm surge and the rain causing flooding in this area. Also power outages. People are just keeping an eye on what happens as the storm moves closer.

BLACKWELL: They're going to do more than just keep an eye on it. We want people to prepare.

How are people preparing there, George?

HOWELL: Victor, that's an interesting thing. We've looked around here -- in fact, just pan over there, you can see a lot of the homes, you don't see homes boarded up, rather, the windows boarded up. But people are taking preparations and perhaps because of this, Victor.

When Irene came through, Irene was more of a direct hit in this area. In fact, there's a coastal road that runs along here, Highway 12, a good part of that was washed out.

Again, they're not expecting quite a direct hit with this particular storm, but again, they are talking about all the wind, the rain and power outages. And Victor, that's really what people are bracing for as the storm gets to us.

PAUL: I'm wondering, George, I saw an analyst yesterday saying that this is going to be a lot worse than Irene. Are people sticking around for it or are they boarding up and getting out of town?

HOWELL: You know, when you walk around, when you take a look at how people are preparing for this storm, everyone's keeping a very close eye on us, as we report what's happening. They're watching the track of the storm system.

Right now, again, it looks like it will move in a little further north than where we are. But we will feel the first brunt of the storm. We will see a lot of the winds that come through, the winds that could get up 40, 50 miles per hour in some places, a lot of rain that will come through later today. So the storm will definitely impact this area. But the concern right now is definitely a little further north than us.

PAUL: All right. Hey, George Howell.

BLACKWELL: Thank you very much, from Kill Devil Hills.

We have seen the preparations or even lack thereof of the people not boarding up, not getting out of town. Now let's turn to meteorologist Alexandra Steele for more on the storm.

We just got an update, Alexandra.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's a hurricane.

BLACKWELL: Yes, a hurricane.

STEELE: Once again, where he was in the Outer Banks, 10 inches of rain is not out of the question. We're talking about a behemoth storm. Just moments ago updated and upgraded now once again, to a hurricane, 75 maximum winds, 85-mile-per-hour gusts. What we're looking at,, such a behemoth storm, this, you can see the Gulf of Mexico all the way to the central Atlantic, 450 miles wide from the center. We have tropical storm force winds. Now, again, it is a hurricane.

Now, typically this time of year, whether it's a hurricane or tropical storm, this polar jet fishes eastward out to sea. But that's not the case. It's an anomalous storm for a lot of reasons. It's a hybrid of a storm. This area of high pressure, what we have is essentially called an Rex block, so the storm is not able to move eastward because it's wall (INAUDIBLE). It's been forced to go to the west.

So with that, what will happen again and it is with all these computer models certainly in a consensus that it will move in through the mid- Atlantic and move back westward. We'll watch it come ashore, possibly on Monday. The most damage just north of the center of circulation when it comes onshore in terms of coastal damage.

But take a look at this. Here's the forecast model guidance of where it will move, Saturday, off the coast, Sunday into Monday, again, expected to re-strengthen and be a hurricane offshore Monday. But look at this, 10 inches of rain potentially along the coast, 10 to 20 inches of snow.

So it's such a dynamic storm and such an anomalous storm because again it's a hybrid. It's the moisture from this tropical system, plus this area of low pressure, more like a nor'easter, fusing together, really becoming almost the perfect storm in a lot of scenarios.

So, here's the potential impacts. Flooding could be number one for many, in inland areas, not just on the coast, waves larger than 30 feet, coastal erosion, power outages guys will be huge. The potential for seven to 10 million to be without power. Again assuming this comes onshore in the mid-Atlantic. Really, the impact, huge with this thing, and that's an understatement.

PAUL: Alexandra Steele, so glad you're here (INAUDIBLE) . Thank you very much. Sandy is not just a dangerous storm, mind you. It could have huge political ramifications, too. Take a look at this picture that we've put together for you showing some of the campaign layers impacted by a major storm hitting the east coast. We've already started seeing this. Campaign events across the country will be delayed or canceled.

Also, we told you to expect huge travel delays in addition to impacting millions of travelers. The campaigns may have to make some last-minute maneuvering themselves. A major storm hitting the most densely populated section of the country could divert local and national media coverage from politics to weather, news and updates, which of course, means less visibility for the candidates. The race right now is as tight as it comes. The latest CNN national poll of polls has Romney at 48 percent, President Obama at 47 percent. So essentially we're talking about a dead heat.

CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser joins me now with more. He's live in Pensacola, Florida. That's, of course, one of the critical swing states in this election.

Mitt Romney, I know, is headed your way today in hopes of winning over some undecided voters there, Paul. But how close is it specifically in the sunshine state right now?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: It is very close in the sunshine state. In fact, take a look at this, Christi. This is our most recent poll that we did here in Florida about a week ago, CNN/ORC. You can't get much closer among likely voters. Mitt Romney with a one-point edge, but that's basically all tied up within the sampling error.

I'm here at the civic center in Pensacola. This is the first of three stops today for Mitt Romney across the state. He'll be campaigning with Senator Marco Rubio, the popular Republican freshman senator here in Florida.

Take a look at this, Christi. We had this up on our website cnn.com. You can see just how much of a player Florida is, how much attention it is getting. You can see both the candidates have made well over 20 trips each here to the sunshine state since the start of the general election back in early April. You can see both campaigns pouring in tens of millions of dollars to run ads in this state. Remember, 29 electoral votes up for grabs here in Florida. That's why both campaigns are spending a lot of attention here in Florida, Christi.

PAUL: Give me some news won't you please about my home state of Ohio, another critical swing state. What's it look like?

STEINHAUSER: Oh, yes. You think Florida's getting a lot of attention? Ohio's getting just as much, if not more. Only 18 electoral votes in your home state, but you know what, both campaigns spending so much time here. Here are the latest numbers.

This is our brand-new CNN/ORC poll that came out yesterday, less than 24 hours ago. We indicate that the president has a four-point advantage among likely voters, 50 percent to 46 percent. That is within the sampling error though Christi, so it is very close in Ohio. Other polls out this weekend indicate the same thing, very close. Our poll was conducted after the last presidential debate.

Go to the next screen, this is interesting. You can see the breakdown between people who said they either voted early or plan to vote early before election day. The president with a big advantage there, 59 percent to 38 percent over Mitt Romney. But among people who say they plan to vote on Election Day, you can see Romney has the edge.

Guess who was in Ohio last night. Mitt Romney. He was there with Paul Ryan at a big event. And I know you guys played sound from President Obama on MTV. Well Mitt Romney was also reaching out to young voters.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you're a college student looking to graduate sometime, maybe next spring, you know you've got, what, $10,000 or $20,000 worth of loans that you've got to pay back. And you know how heavy a burden that might be if you have done your calculation. But by the way, because of all the spending of this administration and prior administrations, you also have about $50,000 of government debt. Yes. And what's the president doing about that? Why, he keeps on adding more and more and more debt. I don't understand how a college kid can vote for Barack Obama. (END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: I think it's safe to say President Obama will disagree with those comments. Christi, it's a little windy right here right now and that's courtesy of tropical storm Sandy, but no hit to impact us here in Florida. Mitt Romney with three events in the state today.

PAUL: All right.

BLACKWELL: Paul Steinhauser, thank you very much. New this morning, the leader of al Qaeda is calling on Muslims worldwide to kidnap westerners. The new video of Ayman al-Zawahiri was posted on Islamic websites more than two hours long.

PAUL: The threat is apparently retaliation for the imprisonment of a man convicted of plotting the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. So we're going to have more on this development for you a little bit later this morning.

We've got a lot more ahead, though, for you. Stick around.

BLACKWELL: Here's what's coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

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.

An alleged murderer now behind bars. The teen will be charged as an adult. But that doesn't mean he'll get the full punishment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Ten days, 10 days left in the 2012 presidential election. And this morning, we're focusing on the undecided states of America. Here's what I'm talking about.

The country is pretty evenly decided right now between the blue states and the red states. But since they're decided, let's take those out. That leaves us with the yellow ones, the critical states that could swing the election one way or another. Taken collectively, they're like their own little country right there in the center. And the winner of this pseudo-country will be the winner overall.

One of the undecided states is Ohio. The winner of that battleground gets 18 electoral votes, which explains why each of the candidates has made at least a dozen stops there this election season. Nina Turner is a Democratic state senator from the Cleveland area. The president won Ohio in 2008.

It's good to have you with us.

NINA TURNER (D) OHIO STATE SENATE: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Let's look at the facts. He won Ohio in 2008. He's led in the polls most of the season. Unemployment in the state is below the national average. Governor Romney has 40 campaign field offices there. The president has 131 and still it's very close. Why isn't the president running away with this if he has all of those advantages laid out?

TURNER: We've always known from the beginning that this would be a close election. But I believe when the ultimate ballots are cast, Ohio will continue to swing as we swung in 2008 for the president by 51 percent. We're going to swing his way in 2012. Ohioans especially know, as you pointed out, to the unemployment rate, they absolutely know who is standing by their side when it comes to making sure that we build from the middle out and not from the top down. So the president is going to win the state of Ohio.

BLACKWELL: Now the question was, why isn't the president pulling away with all those advantages? Let me read something from the "Cleveland Plain Dealer." This is part of their endorsement. The unifier of 2008 now engages in relentless attacks on his Republican challenger former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. It goes on to say, the big dreamer of 2008 offers little in the way of a second-term agenda.

There is a world weariness unseen four years ago. We wish President Obama had used this campaign to showcase a more substantial vision for the many challenges that still confront America. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. The president came out with what even the campaign called a glossy pamphlet. Is it that the plan just isn't there? People love hope and change, but what is he laying out?

TURNER: Well, Victor, you know, the uncertainty was created by Republicans. And let us not forget, let us not have amnesia, that when the president took office, this economy was bleeding 800,000 jobs a month. The president has done an extraordinary job in making sure he studied this economy and now we are seeing an uptick. The fact that the Republicans now want to turn around and point a finger at the president is sad, to say the least.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about the independents. Let's pull the Republicans out of the conversation for now. The independents we know and we have known for some time, will decide this. And there's no guarantee that they're following behind the president and buying his plan. What are Ohio Democrats going to do to get those independents to come along?

TURNER: Well, we're out there. We're knocking on doors. We're making the phone calls. Democrats as well as independents, again, they understand who has been standing by their side. While Republicans wanted to let the auto industry go down in flames, this president stood up and he threw out a lifeline to the auto industry. As you know, Victor, one of every eight jobs in this state is tied to the auto industry. Those are high-paying middle class jobs.

Democrats, independents and right-minded Republicans also understand that you cannot have someone who wants to lead this country who has a disdain for the 47 percent. That is Governor Romney. Women understand that you cannot have somebody leading the country that do not believe that women should not make dollar for dollar as a man does when they have to take care of their families.

So the polls are one thing, but the ultimate decision will be made on November of 6th. And I believe you're going to see as this country is going to see that Ohio is going to stand by the president that has been standing by us.

BLACKWELL: I want to talk about the storm. Typically in Ohio, early in-person voting has been favorable to Democrats. The 60/40 split in 2008. Hurricane Sandy is forecast to hit northeast Ohio. Are you worried about the effects as we go into the last weeks before Election Day?

TURNER: A little, Victor. Mother Nature will have the final say. But I believe that people will still press towards the polling places. Luckily, a lot of folks are voting early. They're voting absentee. A lot of people are voting by mail and Democrats are winning that and we're also winning the early in-person votes. So a little weary and worried, but I believe voters will continue to show up and cast their ballot.

BLACKWELL: Nina Turner, thank you very much.

Up next, I'll be talking with Ohio's Republican secretary of state. We'll discuss voting issues, potential problems with getting a final count on election night -- Christi.

PAUL: Victor, first, let's though let's go to Gary Tuchman who shows us a plant that's using a unique technique to solve a dirty problem in this week's start small, think big.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This heap of garbage might not look important, but when Jeff Surma and his company Inentek are doing with it could be a big part of our future.

JEFF SURMA, INENTEK: What Inentek does is it takes what the world doesn't want and it transforms that material into what the world does want.

TUCHMAN: And that is energy. This one of a kind plant is turning trash into energy using something called plasma converting.

SURMA: What a plasma is in this case is basically a controlled bolt of lightning allowing us to break down this waste material and reform those elements into this hydrogen rich synthesis gas.

TUCHMAN: The plasma heats up the temperatures exceeding 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The process allows materials that would stay in landfalls for decades to be turned into a usable resource.

SURMA: You can take 90 percent of all that material and convert it into clean energy products.

TUCHMAN: By mid 2013 the plant will be providing hydrogen fuel to manufacturers in the Pacific northwest, with the hopes of adding more plants and eventually providing energy to homes across the country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: We are talking this morning about the swing states, the undecided states of America and how any one of them could decide the presidential election. To that point, the Obama campaign put out this ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA FOR AMERICA AD: 537, the number of votes that changed the course of American history.

Florida is too close to call.

The difference between what was and what could have been. So this year, if you're thinking that your vote doesn't count, that it won't matter, well, back then there were probably at least 537 people who felt the same way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Every vote counts. That's a message that's especially critical in battleground states like Ohio. Early voting controversies have dominated much of the discussion.

Jon Husted has been at the center of those controversies. He's Ohio's secretary of state. Sir, it is good to have you with us. First question --

JON HUSTED (R) OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE: Great to be with you.

BLACKWELL: -- the courts have reinstated voting on the Sunday before election day, something you fought against. Is this over now? Is it settled or is there still an appeal to be heard?

HUSTED: Actually, that's not what the court said. The court said we could have it or we could shut it down. What I chose to do is implement uniform hours across the state for the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before the election. But that issue is settled. And we're moving on to the next issues that will affect the election in Ohio.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about some of those issues, early voting changes, voter ID. In many states, changes, political move by Republicans some say across the country who have seen the biggest controversies in Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio, all Republican governors passed by Republican legislatures. How do you respond to the critics who say this is a partisan effort to reduce the Democratic turnout?

HUSTED: Well, we didn't pass a photo ID law in Ohio. You actually have -- you can use a photo ID, a government-issued paycheck, a utility bill, the last four digits of your Social Security number. There are a number of ways that you can cast a ballot in Ohio. Ohio is a place led by Republicans who created early voting in our state. So that really doesn't apply in our case.

Republicans have been the ones that really have opened up the opportunity to cast ballots either by mail or in person. And we have led those efforts in many cases.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about another effort you led. I want to talk about the voting days. Many say our previous guest, state Senator Nina Turner will say that was an effort to reduce the turnout especially of African-American voters on the Sunday before the election to reduce the turnout and deliver the state for Governor Romney. Your response to that.

HUSTED: Well, actually, your previous guest, Senator Nina Turner, voted for a bill that ended voting on those three days. And then the Obama campaign said that they didn't like it, so the Democrats were essentially reversed in Ohio by a lawsuit that was filed by their candidate. And it really has nothing to do with what I did. It's what the state law says.

But we're beyond that now. What's happening in Ohio is that the elections are running very smoothly. We've had voting starting 35 days out. And really, over a million people have cast ballots already and over 1.7 million have requested ballots.

And so things are going well. We expect a third of the voters will have cast their ballots before Election Day which reduces the potential that we could have long lines at the polls, which means that all is on track here in Ohio.

BLACKWELL: I've got one more thing I want to ask you about, an event at an election law symposium at the University of Toledo. You were quoted as claiming the two recent court decisions restoring early voting on the last three days before the election was un-American. What's un-American about that?

HUSTED: No, that's not.

BLACKWELL: (INAUDIBLE)

HUSTED: What I was quoted - this is what I said. I said that a court that prohibits us from providing military voter special services, but would demand in another case, if they do this, that we provide prisoner special services, would be an un-American act. And that's what I said.

BLACKWELL: What the court said, sir, not that they wanted you not to provide special services for the military, but to open it equally to everyone, military or civilian. Is that not what the point was? HUSTED: But you -- this is what I said, though. Let's get straight what I said. I said, a court that would provide, that I couldn't provide -- a court that would say I couldn't provide military voters those services but we demand that I did it for prisoners would be doing something inconsistent with Ohio law, not consistent with the wishes of the people of this state and I don't believe a Federal court should intervene in Ohio in a way that would be contrary to what our democratic process dictates.

BLACKWELL: Jon Husted, Ohio secretary of state, thank you for your time.

HUSTED: You're welcome.

BLACKWELL: Reaching a different audience in the critical swing states. President Obama, as in all the big shows from the "Tonight Show," to "The View," is that a winning strategy? We'll take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Up and at them. Bottom of the hour right now, welcome back, everyone. So glad that you're sharing your company with us. I'm Christi Paul in today for Randi Kaye.

BLACKWELL: Good to be with you. I'm Victor Blackwell. Thank you for starting your morning with us.

Hurricane Sandy is already having an impact on the presidential campaigns especially in some key swing states.

PAUL: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Both Vice President Biden and Mitt Romney canceled campaign rallies in Virginia Beach scheduled for this weekend. The Obama campaign says the change was taken out of an abundance of caution and so that police and emergency crews could stay focused on helping people with the storm.

PAUL: And you know, First Lady Michelle Obama canceled a campaign rally in another critical swing state, New Hampshire, of course. That was scheduled for next week at the University of New Hampshire campus in Durham but the campus is closing because of this storm.

So let's talk more about and get to the weather center -- Sandy currently sitting in the Atlantic as it makes a slow crawl toward the East Coast. Meteorologist Alexandra Steele is back. If we're seeing it slow right now, Alexandra, that can't be good once it hits land.

STEELE: That's right. It is moving though north about 10 miles per hour, so it could be a lot slower. But the breadth and depth and scope of this thing, from tens of millions being impacted, from the airports, all the way to the power outages will be intense.

So this is it. Hurricane Sandy, again, at the 8:00 a.m. advisory, Air Force reconnaissance craft did find hurricane force winds, so thus it was upgraded. And you could see this entire frame has the swath of this and the expansiveness. We're talking 450 miles out from the center we see tropical storm force winds. So hurricane force winds, the center of those most likely will stay on shore.

All right. Forecast models -- look at the consensus on this. In 25 years, since we've seen hurricane modeling, there's never been this exact setup. What we're going to see is this incredibly powerful hybrid storm. What we've got is the moisture from the tropical storm which we've got already, of course, the hurricane fusing together with an area of low pressure, more like a nor'easter.

So we've got the forecast for 10 to 20 inches of snow on the back side to the spine of the Appalachians to ten inches of rain here along the coast through the Outer Banks.

So watch what happens. It comes ashore maybe on Monday and now what will happen -- and look at this mess. What this mess is, is the model is kind of watching this thing kind of just wiggle around, more or less stay stationary over the same area. What does that mean? That means if this stays stationary over this area, Upstate New York, western Pennsylvania, we're looking at some incredible flooding. An inch an hour and it doesn't move for a day, that's the potential for the seriousness of this thing.

All right. So that's the inland flooding aspect. Here's the model guidance of what it looks like. It's massive in size. It's massive in scope because of the energy and the fusing of the nature of this hybrid system that it will become. It's not yet -- it is tropical.

So there we go, we watch it move on shore on Monday. The back side, there's snowfall totals that look hotter than that. We're talking 10 to 20 inches for some. Snowshoe, West Virginia, is going, oh, my goodness.

All right. So there's the rainfall totals. You can see about ten inches plus in the Outer Banks. Power outages guys, that's what really will be the calling card of this thing, some incredible numbers. Boston all the way, you can see through the mid-Atlantic and northeast.

So we heard people earlier today talking 10 million people could take seven to ten days to recover. So we really haven't -- we've certainly not seen the worst of this. It won't be until it gets to the upstate New York Area and New England.

PAUL: Yes. Maybe the only people happy about it are the folks at Snowshoe and --

STEELE: Right.

PAUL: -- ski resorts.

(CROSSTALK)

PAUL: Yes. Yes. Alexandra Steele, thank you so much.

STEELE: You're welcome. BLACKWELL: All right. Now to South Carolina -- Social Security information for millions of people has been stolen in an international cyber attack. 3.6 million Social Security numbers and 387,000 credit card numbers may have been breached in an attack this month. Governor Nikki Haley said it was, quote, "not a good day for South Carolina".

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been released from the hospital after getting into a car crash in Las Vegas. The accident happened when his vehicles in his motorcade crashed with a civilian vehicle. The 72-year-old Democrat suffered some rib and hip contusions, but we're told he's in good condition.

There is a slight twist in the story of a nanny suspected of killing two children in her care. New York Police say they believe now that the nanny, Yoselyn Ortega began knifing herself when the mother entered the bathroom and found the bodies of their two-year-old son and his six-year-old sister in the bathtub. Both had been repeatedly stabbed.

His mother, Marina Krim, had been at a swimming lesson with a third child who was unharmed. The nanny is in critical but stable condition.

PAUL: And a 17-year-old accused of killing 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway is going to be tried as an adult. But here's the thing, could a sentence -- he's not going to be sentenced as a juvenile, we believe, if convicted. But a legal expert is going to explain why he may never face the death penalty or life in prison.

BLACKWELL: But first, Alina Cho shows us the sights and sounds of Paris in this week's "Travel Insider".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I lived in Paris during college, so going back always brings back memories. One of my favorite things to do, then and now -- sit outside and sip espresso, or a glass of wine at a cafe; the French invented the concept.

Cafe de Flore on the left bank is my pick, and for dinner, Brasserie Lipp across the street from Flore is also great.

If you've never been to Paris, take an afternoon on a sunny day and ride the Bateau Mouche. These large sight-seeing boats are open air and allow you to see the entire city by sea. For the arts, the L'Orangerie museum which houses spectacular murals by Monet. For shopping, head to Avenue Montaigne, the Madison Avenue of Paris.

Then grab your walking shoes and head to the Champs-Elysees walking all the way up to the Arc de Triomphe and back down is a great way to work off a meal. And speaking of food, don't forget to buy a real baguette sandwich at Boulangerie, or a crepe on the street. Soon, you'll feel like a native.

Alina Cho, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Just such a disturbing story out of Colorado I want to talk to you about right now. And it just gets more bizarre by the day. Seventeen-year-old Austin Sigg has been arrested and charged with the abduction, murder and dismemberment of 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway. The district attorney says they will try Sigg as an adult and have evidence connecting him to an alleged attempted abduction of another woman back in May.

Let's bring in CNN legal contributor Paul Callan -- Paul, sp good to have you with us. This is the thing, I think that gets to me. Austin Sigg being tried as an adult, but because he's a juvenile, he's not eligible for the death sentence or a mandatory life sentence without parole. What I can't imagine is how can a crime of this brutality not have either of those options as a consequence? Particularly life in prison?

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know, it's interesting, Christi, because if you go back 25, 30 years, he would have been facing five or six years in prison as a juvenile. Back in those days, you had to try kids as juveniles if they were under the age of 18 and the sentences were very, very low. We've gotten much more severe with available sentences now.

And as an adult in Colorado, if he's tried as an adult, and that has to be determined by a judge, he will face life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. That would be the minimum sentence that he would face. Now, had he been an adult and not a juvenile, he could face the death penalty. So the sentences are far more lenient.

Now, if he's tried as a juvenile, by the way, which is still possible, seven years would be the maximum for the murder charge. So I think that would cause quite an uproar in Colorado if he's tried as a juvenile.

(CROSSTALK)

PAUL: Yes, I was going to say -- how possible is that? That he would be tried as a juvenile when you're looking at the gravity of what he did?

CALLAN: Well, I think it's highly unlikely. But I will say this, Colorado has sort of back-stepped a little bit on this trying juveniles as adults movement that we've seen over the last 10 or 15 years. Colorado enacted a law called the reverse transfer law which says if the prosecutor says try him as an adult, a judge can order a hearing, and it's a mini trial, and if the judge feels he should be tried as a juvenile, it's sent back to juvenile court. We'll see a mini trial in this case.

We're going to get a real good look at the case. But you know something, there's no judge who's going to order him tried as a juvenile. He'll be tried as an adult. That's my prediction after the hearing is concluded. PAUL: Well, and as I understand it, he confessed. So will there even be a full-fledged trial if he's confessed to this?

CALLAN: Oh absolutely because you have to understand that even though he's allegedly confessed, when defense attorneys get in the picture they're going to say he wasn't given his Miranda warnings. They're probably going say his parents should have been present when he was questioned and they wouldn't.

I don't know what kinds of claims they'll raise but there are lots of defenses to confessions. So, just because a case looks strong doesn't mean that there's no preliminary hearing or no trial. There will certainly be this hearing, regardless of whether there's a confession.

PAUL: Not only that, but I would assume if it goes to trial, how likely do you think it is they may claim insanity?

CALLAN: I think that's a probable defense here. I mean you're looking at a 17-year-old kid, alleged to have killed a 10-year-old girl. We're not clear at all what the motive could possibly be. We don't know how the killing even occurred at this the point. There hasn't been any detail that's come out that's reliable. So it's a little early to tell.

But just the age disparity, and the lack of apparent motive, would suggest a severe mental problem. So yes, I think an insanity defense is certainly a possibility.

PAUL: And when you look at his background, as I understand it, his parents are divorced, his father has a long history of arrests with DUI, assault, domestic violence, drug dealing. There are civil actions against him. One of his classmates said about him he was so infatuated with the idea of death -- that's just the feeling I got. When you look at his background, could those be mitigating factors for him?

CALLAN: Well, in terms of severity of sentence, absolutely. I mean I know some of the other reports were he dressed in black. He was very much an odd duck and a loner in school, sort of that classic profile that you see with serial killers. So certainly that would mitigate, you know, in some respects.

But that's the kind of stuff, Christi, when the death penalty is being considered, a jury looks at it and says well, maybe we won't give him a death penalty, he had a tough upbringing. But to give him a lower sentence, I don't think so. I think even if he's had a tough life and a tough background, I suspect he's still looking at life in prison and no parole for 40 years, at a minimum.

PAUL: I only. I have one quick question and we only have a couple of seconds, but what do you make of the fact that his mother called him in?

CALLAN: You know, I was -- I have to give her great credit for that. I mean she seems to be going against nature -- a mother turning in her own child. I'll mention, you know, there was a case in New Jersey last week, two juveniles stabbed somebody to death, and the mother turned them in as well.

I think these women are to be commended. They feared other people would be killed and that their kids needed help. And they did the right thing. But it's always odd to hear a mother turning on her own child.

PAUL: Yes. And the fact that it happened twice within a couple of days, with kids who killed other kids. It is just amazing. And that had to be the most excruciating call of their lives, no doubt about it.

CALLAN: Absolutely.

PAUL: So kudos to them.

CALLAN: Absolutely.

PAUL: Paul Callan, thank you so much. We appreciate you walking us through this.

CALLAN: Always nice being with you, Christi.

PAUL: Sure. Thanks.

And we're going to be back in just a moment. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well, forecasts are showing Hurricane Sandy could be a downright historic storm. We're talking about flooding, power outages, wind damage across the northeast. It's really expansive.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Millions of people could be affected and those along the coast are scrambling to prepare. Nick Valencia is tracking the storm by the numbers. And some small numbers that are just devastating. But big numbers could be really expensive.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I think no one wants this storm to reach the potential that it has. That's safe to say.

But let's break this thing down by the numbers. Right now, as of 8:00 a.m., the National Hurricane Center issuing a new advisory saying 75- mile-per-hour winds -- those are sustained. So this is back to Hurricane Sandy, from tropical storm to hurricane as of 8:00 a.m.

61,000 National Guard troops at the ready along the Eastern Seaboard, ready for the worst for this havoc. We're three days away from landfall, Victor and Christi. And everybody is already poised and prepared for the worst.

Right now, we're seeing those fears and that anxiety really come to fruition in North Carolina where 40 counties along the Interstate 95 corridor and east of Interstate 95, they've issued states of emergency. And for those keeping track at home, four states so far issuing and declaring states of emergency but nowhere more anxious than North Carolina right now. We spoke to the Department of Public Safety there earlier today.

And of course, this is already a fatal storm -- 22 deaths in the Caribbean in four countries there: Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and including Puerto Rico, as well as a U.S. territory. We spoke to the Puerto Rico Police Department today, they added one more death, now 22 is where the death toll stands as of today this morning for Hurricane Sandy.

And for those that are powering through the storm, they can expect to be without power. An estimated 10 million people are going to be without power in the northeast. So the storm hasn't even made landfall and already this coming to us from Edison Electrical Institute, already expecting about 10 million people to be without power. And that's not going to last a short period of time either. It's expected to last as much as two weeks, seven to ten days that people could be without power.

So it's a good time to start stocking up and, you know, getting prepared and getting emergency kits prepared but right now, CNN Weather estimating this to be a very expensive storm as well. Alexandra Steele was talking about just how expensive it could be -- about $3.2 billion -- with a B, billion dollars if you can believe that. And that's just from wind Victor and Christi. That's not even including flooding.

PAUL: Oh, it's not?

VALENCIA: Not even including flooding. So this damage could come from wind damage.

PAUL: Ok. But what about people who are trying to travel? How are they being advised?

VALENCIA: Well there -- that's a great question. Some agencies, airlines have issued free of charge, you can change your flights in these coastal cities. Places like Delta, they issued an advisory today, just had an e-mail from them.

But Amtrak also is keeping an eye on this. So far, no trains have gotten off schedule. But we've got a statement from them. I believe we have that if you want to bring that up. They're saying that "Amtrak is continuously monitoring Hurricane Sandy as the storm approaches the East Coast with the potential for heavy rain and high winds in addition to monitoring the storm's path." As I mentioned, they said all trains are operating at schedule. Everyone's keeping an eye on this.

American Red Cross, we reached out to them, they're navigating people to their new hurricane app for Smartphone. Americare, they're base in Stanford, Connecticut -- they say that they have their warehouse ready as well to distribute supplies for those that need it.

PAUL: Wow.

BLACKWELL: All right. Nick Valencia, thank you.

VALENCIA: Thank you. BLACKWELL: We have this razor-close election, right -- just a few days away. Ten days away.

PAUL: We're almost at single digit away -- almost.

BLACKWELL: Single digit away soon and now throw in a hurricane, Hurricane Sandy, headed straight toward the key battleground states.

PAUL: Yes, another thing people are watching is, Mitt Romney and the President, how are they changing their game plans. We'll find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: We caught you.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: You were singing. You caught him just for a second --

BLACKWELL: I was singing. They used to play music in our IFBs during the break.

PAUL: Yes. But now we rely on Victor to give us that music.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Or our producer, Troy, talks to us. So I sing instead of having him just go on.

So, Christi? We've talked about this, about President Obama's interview with MTV.

PAUL: Yes.

BLACKWELL: And the three possibilities of his biggest worries for his daughters.

PAUL: Right. Right.

BLACKWELL: Facebook, boys, driving. You have young girls, three daughters. What would be your biggest concern?

PAUL: Boys.

BLACKWELL: Ok. All right.

PAUL: And mine are only three, six, and eight. So --

BLACKWELL: Yes, you've got some time.

PAUL: I've got some time.

BLACKWELL: Here's what he told MTV last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SWAY CALLOWAY, MTV HOST: 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'd worry about Facebook right now. Only because, look, I know the folks at Facebook, obviously they've revolutionized the social networks. But, Malia, because she's well known, you know, I'm very keen on her protecting her privacy.

She can make her own decisions obviously later as she gets older. But right now, even just for security reasons, you know, she doesn't have a Facebook page. You know, dates, that's fine, because she's got Secret Service protection.

CALLOWAY: You're not worried about that.

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: And we should note, MTV invited Governor Romney to participate in a similar 30-minute. Special representatives from the network say they haven't yet heard back from his campaign.

BLACKWELL: Are you tired of politics? Not everyone is. Late night comedians are having a field day with the campaigns. And last night was no exception. We've collected a few of the best zingers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY FALLON, TALK SHOW HOST: A source close to Romney just revealed that he gets a spray tan before major campaign events. Now, I guess that explains Romney's new secret service code name, "The Mittuation".

Yesterday, Obama visited the swing state of Ohio for the 17th time this year -- 17 times. People there are so used to seeing him now when he shows up, they're like, "Oh, hi, oh".

DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: Donald Trump called President Obama and he said "I'll give you $5 million if you can release your college records and your passport. Here's $5 million, release your college records and your passport." And I said, "Hey, Don, I'll give you $5 million if you release that thing on your head."

JAY LENO, TALK SHOW HOST: Experts say the entire 2012 election could come down to just eight states. The states are confusion, dismay, depression, apathy, shock, disbelief, despair and anxiety. Those are the eight states.

(END VIDEO CLIP)