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CNN Saturday Morning News
White House Race Hits Final Stretch; Sandy U.S. Death Toll Rises to 106; Battleground Wisconsin; Sandy Losses As High As $50 Billion; Politics of Climate Change
Aired November 03, 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, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Thank you for being with us this morning. We are following the final stretch to the run for the White House.
KAYE: So, let's talk about that final stretch. There are only three days left until election day, and you know what that means? It means a mad dash by both campaigns. Here's what I'm talking about. President Obama has eight stops on his agenda for this weekend. That includes two separate trips to Ohio. Mitt Romney has six states on his travel itinerary. Of course, that includes two stops each in Iowa and Colorado. Romney is also stopping in the normally Democratic stronghold of Cleveland, Ohio.
The latest NBC News/"Wall Street Journal"/Marist poll shows Romney is trailing in the Buckeye State. Barack Obama has a six-point lead there. The president also has a lead in Florida, take a look. But this time, it's just two points. You see it there. And that is well within the margin of error. And, finally, here is the national picture and it could not be closer. Our poll of polls shows 47 percent apiece.
BLACKWELL: Wow. Well, President Obama is slamming Governor Romney over an ad his campaign is running in the key battleground state of Ohio. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, I understand Governor Romney has had a tough time here in Ohio because he was against saving the auto industry. And it's hard to run away from a position when you're on videotape saying, "Let Detroit go bankrupt." But you've got to own what you say.
This isn't a game. These are people's jobs at stake. These are people's lives.
You don't scare hard-working Americans just to scare up some votes. That's not what being president is all about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: The president was responding to this Romney ad that implied the auto bailout plan failed and Chrysler will move jobs to China. That's a claim that Chrysler has vehemently denied.
KAYE: On the other side of Ohio, Mitt Romney sharpened his attack on Obama focusing on the economy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Now, I know when we're elected the economy and American jobs will still be stagnant. But I won't waste any time complaining about my predecessor. I will spend my effort trying to pass partisan legislation unrelated to economic growth. From day one, I'm going to go to work to help Americans get back to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Romney called yesterday's job's report, quote, "A sad reminder the economy is at a virtual stand it still." With unemployment essentially unchanged at 7.9 percent.
While the Obama campaign touted the 171,000 jobs added with improved numbers in September and August.
BLACKWELL: We've got crews spread out across the country following the campaigns on the last weekend before the election. CNN's White House correspondent Dan Lothian is in Mentor, Ohio, where President Obama will make his first stop today. Paul Steinhauser is following Mitt Romney in Pennsylvania.
Let's start with Dan in Ohio. What's on the president's schedule?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you can expect that the president will continue to hammer away at this Mitt Romney on the auto industry. You pointed out there at the top of the show how this was a big push by the president yesterday in going after that ad that's suggesting that jobs from a Jeep plant would go overseas to China and, in fact yesterday, the president was recounting that he heard that some employees had gone to their managers with concerns that they would lose their jobs through China.
So, the president using this big push to show, in his words, that Mitt Romney is massaging the facts. So, we expect that the president will continue to make that argument here today.
The reason for that is because, as you know, so many jobs here in the state of Ohio depend on the auto industry and this has been something -- the bailout has been something that the president has been touting for a long time, but certainly ramped up in these final days as the president makes a big push to Election Day, Victor.
BLACKWELL: And, of course, the president took a few days off the campaign trail to deal with the superstorm. How is he staying on top of the recovery efforts while he's campaigning?
LOTHIAN: That's right. He does continue to stay on top of it. A White House official telling us that overnight, the president did receive briefings and that this morning, he will be convening another meeting with his emergency management team or his homeland security team to get updates on the response that's taken place by federal authorities. He'll also be talking with governors and also mayors, governors from the states of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.
And then we're told that later in the day, various high-level administration officials, cabinet secretaries will be fanning out across the impacted areas to not only survey the damage up close, but to listen and to find out what the needs are so that the needs can get to where they're need most, Victor.
BLACKWELL: Busy, busy final weekend. Dan Lothian in Ohio -- thank you, sir.
KAYE: Let's move next door from Ohio to Pennsylvania, a state that seemingly wasn't in play just one week, but now it seems to be a focus actually for the campaigns.
CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser is live in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, this morning. That is where Paul Ryan will be later today.
Paul, good morning to you.
I guess the question is, is Pennsylvania really in play?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: That's what everybody is asking, Randi. You know the last time a Republican won Pennsylvania in a presidential election? 1988. George Herbert Walker Bush, then the vice president. It's been a while.
But what's going on here? Well, Paul Ryan, as you mentioned, he's coming right here to Harrisburg a little later today. That's why we're here. And Mitt Romney will be in suburban Philadelphia tomorrow.
On the flip side, it seems that the Obama campaign is now putting some surrogates here. Jill Biden, the wife of the vice president, will be here in Pennsylvania later today, as well. And guess what? Former President Bill Clinton coming to Pennsylvania to campaign on Monday.
You turn on the TVs here, Randi, all you see are campaign commercials now. I saw a ton in the local news, $10 million in the final days and the Romney campaign is outspending the Obama campaign about two to one here in Pennsylvania, 20 electoral votes at stake.
Look at this, Randi. Here is the latest poll in Pennsylvania. Franklin and Marshal, a four-point advantage for the president, very tight. That's within the sampling error. The president used to have a double- digit lead in Pennsylvania.
This state got virtually no campaign traffic until the last few weeks. Now, it's getting crowded.
Randi, the Obama campaign says this is a sign of desperation by the Romney campaign that maybe they can't win in Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, some of the other battleground states, that's why they're coming to Pennsylvania. Romney campaign says just the opposite. They say they are trying to expand the map. They think they can do it here in Pennsylvania, Randi.
KAYE: Well, if you look at the map and it does work, I mean, it can certainly steal a big prize. But -- I mean, this is a popular but pretty unsuccessful strategy for Republicans, right? They have tried this over and over.
STEINHAUSER: Yes, go back four years ago. John McCain and Sarah Palin came here and didn't work out. And you go back, George W. Bush tried it, Bob Dole in '96. No Republican has been successful since 1988 here in Pennsylvania.
We're going to keep our eyes on Pennsylvania today with Paul Ryan and tomorrow when Mitt Romney comes through. I guess we'll find out on Tuesday who was right -- Randi.
KAYE: We certainly will. Hopefully, we'll find out on Tuesday the way this is going.
STEINHAUSER: Yes, good point.
KAYE: Paul Steinhauser, thank you very much.
STEINHAUSER: And we have much more ahead this hour.
BLACKWELL: Here's what's coming up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE (voice-over): Sandy has brought devastation across the Northeast, but it may also have been the October surprise. We have the latest on the recovery efforts and Sandy's impact on the election.
Battleground Wisconsin. Three days left and now it's all about the ground game. We'll take you to one of the contentious swing states.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: I'm tired of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
KAYE: She can't vote, but she's already crying about the election. Find out why this toddler just can't take it any more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Good morning, Atlanta. Look at that gorgeous picture. Nice to se some lights on. Atlantans are pretty lucky there. Some power in the city. A balmy 48 degrees when I was coming in this morning. Quite nice. Good morning.
BLACKWELL: Eleven minutes after the hour. And this morning, more people in the Northeast will find they have power for the first time since Monday. About 2.7 million people could, though, be in the dark for another day.
In some areas, some people are banned from entering their homes and the National Guard is checking for more victims. The death toll from superstorm Sandy rose to 106 last night, that's just in the U.S.
CNN's Jim Clancy is in Long Island Beach, New Jersey, an area where houses were floating down the streets.
And, Jim, we hear some good news of some signs of improvement this morning.
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the improvement is going to come and certainly they're out there working every day. They're digging away. They're trying to literally like snow plows tear through the sand dunes that have built up, some of them as high as six feet on this island, covering up roadways. They're plowing through all of that. They're working on, I've seen people coming out and checking the power lines.
We've got people coming out and the entire underside of some of these homes that were up on stilts or posts or whatever you want to call it, pilings. They may have to come down. But they're out there, and all of the homes, not just single homeowners, they're cross-bracing them, in order to ensure that they have a little bit of stability.
You know, this was quite a storm. I talked to one of the residents, he refuses to leave. We're on that search and rescue yesterday, Carl -- a guy named Carl was telling me that the experience of this storm was the experience of a lifetime. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARL CLARKE, HOLGATE, NEW JERSEY RESIDENT: It was a surreal experience and probably the worst of my life. The water reached near to the first floor, but never came in. At the height of the storm, it was like a white water rafting scene coming down the street. And as I looked out and I said to my wife, come see a house and she said, no, stop drinking. I said, no, we haven't had anything.
As we watched this house float down the street right past our house and, as it did, it hit our car, which had been fine until that point. Our car had been on blocks. Spun our car around and parked it here as though it was intended to be.
At the height of the storm, the water was above the windshield. It's heartbreaking (ph). And there's the house. We're fine. But, you know, it's devastation here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLANCY: Now, Carl Clarke says that because he can't come back to the island yet, he's not going to leave. He refuses to do that. He has some propane, plenty of food, plenty of water. These are boat people and used to doing some of that.
All the residents are asking when they can come back? Wednesday perhaps at the earliest according to Mayor Joe Mancini. It may be longer than that.
Randi and everybody, back to you. BLACKWELL: Well, Jim, we know that Carl is one of the few people left on this island and that other people can't come back. I know you're having difficulty hearing me.
How frustrated is it for these people who can't make it back?
CLANCY: Very frustrating. I mean, Victor, you know, they have homes here. They're attached to this island. Many of them live year round and some have summer homes here.
But they want to come back. They see the possibility that there's water in my basement. That is going to compound the damage unless I get that pumped out. I need to do that right away. Let me on the island, let me do that.
But because they have to do all this heavy work, it would just slow them down in the long run. Everyone bringing in their own contractors, there'd be people all over the island, nobody could move in the streets, and all kind of problems. And, so, I mean, a lot of heartache because of the people.
I get the phone calls. Some of our CNN employees have houses here, please, check on my house. They don't have any word yet. So, the city set up a Web site and the Web site, I don't have the address right off the top of my head, I should. I think if you do a search on this township of Long Beach Island, you'll find it.
And they're taking photographs of the various houses, the various neighborhoods to give people an idea of what situation they may be in.
Victor, back to you.
BLACKWELL: All right. Jim Clancy reporting live for us this morning -- thank you, Jim.
KAYE: We have seen so many horror stories from hurricane Sandy. Communities torn apart by flooding and high winds. We saw the devastating fires destroyed dozens of homes in Queens, as well.
BLACKWELL: Yes, one of the most heart wrenching tales comes from Staten Island.
Our national correspondent Gary Tuchman has more on the story of two little boys caught in that storm.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Ford Explorer on the side of the street in the Staten Island, New York. The car seats remain where two little boys, Brandon and Connor Moore were sitting as their mother Glenda was driving hurricane Sandy desperately looking for shelter.
(on camera): The story of what happened in Glenda and her sons' Brandon and Conner is sad, horrifying, terrifying. She was driving her SUV down this street. It plunged into this hole during the height of hurricane Sandy.
She then got out of the vehicle wither had 2-year-old son and her 4- year-old son. Remember, it is pouring rain, torrential, the winds 90 miles per hour. And she comes over here to this tree. And holds on to the tree, grabbed the branches. Holds on to it and holds on to her sons at the same time.
And she did this, according to police, for hours. That's what she told police.
She then said she went up to this house right behind me, knocked on the door. The man was inside and pleaded with them, let us inside your house. She says, according to the police, the man would not let her in the house with her sons.
She then went into the back, stood on the balcony, took a flower pot try to break a window to get in. Wasn't able to and ultimately floodwaters came through and swept her sons away.
(voice-over): Everyone was wishing for a miracle on the search for the children. But there really wasn't any optimism the boys would be found alive. New York City police used a fan boat to look for them in the nearby marsh. The police divers walk through that swampy marsh.
Sadly, the bodies of both children were found not far from each other about a quarter mile away from where Glenda last held them.
Family members say Glenda is too distraught to talk to us. We wanted to meet the man who lived in the house where police say Glenda sought protection. Nobody answered the door.
But, while we were standing near the house on public property, an angry man appeared.
ALAN, STATEN ISLAND RESIDENT: Get the hell out. Stop building in my house. No cameras here. Stop. Stop. Get out. Get the hell out.
TUCHMAN (on camera): Did a woman knock on your door --
ALAN: No, sir. No, sir.
TUCHMAN: Alan did not want to say his last name but the house in question is his and he said he was inside during the hurricane.
The police say that Glenda came with her two sons. Knock on your door.
ALAN: No, sir. Absolutely not.
TUCHMAN: So, you did not see a woman with two children.
ALAN: Absolutely not. I only saw the man.
TUCHMAN: So, what she told to the police is not accurate?
ALAN: I never saw anybody except with the man.
TUCHMAN: So, you said, you saw a man come to your door.
ALAN: Yes. He didn't come to the door. There, at the back of the house and he was standing at the bottom of the stairs.
TUCHMAN: What did he do?
ALAN: He took a flower pot. I can show you. There's one in the backyard. There were two of them. He threw one of them through the door.
TUCHMAN: OK. What they're saying is after you didn't let her in, that she tried to break a window to get in. So, is it possible you're mistaken?
ALAN: No. Because I had to stay there all night. I sat all night with my back against the door in the kitchen.
TUCHMAN: Well, let me ask you. The man, did you let the man in the house?
ALAN: He didn't ask to come in. He asked me to come out to help him.
TUCHMAN: So, did you help him?
ALAN: I couldn't. What could I do to help him? I'm wearing the same clothes. This is my brother's jack. I had shorts on with flip flops.
TUCHMAN: Are you saying you did not see a woman and two children?
ALAN: No, sir.
TUCHMAN: You saw a man.
ALAN: A man. Yes.
TUCHMAN: You must feel terrible for this woman and her two children?
ALAN: Yes. Did they find the children? I don't even know.
TUCHMAN: They found them. They found them dead today.
ALAN: Of course. It's a tragedy. Of course. Absolutely. It's unfortunate. She shouldn't have been out. You know, it's one of those things. She shouldn't have been on the road.
TUCHMAN: A lot of people are, sir. And they look for help sometimes.
ALAN: There's nothing I can do. I'm that a rescue worker. The mayor said, people said, rescue worker, don't endanger the lives of rescue workers. If I would have been outside, I would have been dead.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Alan said police says police have talked to him and he told them the same story he told us, an upsetting story about a most tragic night.
Gary Tuchman, CNN. (END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Connor and Brandon Moore are believed to be among the youngest victims of superstorm Sandy and that man Alan that you saw there asked why would anyone be out driving during the storm? Well, the Moore's house was filling with water, so Glenda grabbed her boys and tried her best to escape. She was trying actually to make it to her sister's house in Brooklyn, but a strong storm surge and a battering wave ended those hopes and the lives of those two little boys.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. Twenty-three minutes past the hour now.
In the battleground state of Wisconsin, volunteers for the Obama and Romney camps aren't easing up on their ground game in the final stretch. In fact, they are doubling down, knocking on more doors, making more phone calls to encourage as many of their supporters as possible to get to the polls on Tuesday.
Our Ted Rowlands is in Racine, Wisconsin, this morning.
And, Ted, good morning. I understand that you caught up with some of these volunteers.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Randi, we went along with volunteers from both sides. Bottom line is this is a very close race here and both campaigns are urging all their volunteers, not only from Wisconsin, but from neighboring states to come here to Wisconsin and help them get out the vote.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS (voice-over): This is what the political ground game looks like in Racine, Wisconsin. Chelsea Shields and Adam Grass (ph) are part of team Romney. Terri Jackel is with team Obama.
Each side is arm would addresses of people that support their candidate. Their job is to meet them face-to-face, if nobody is home, leave a pamphlet. If somebody answers, get them to vote.
TERRI JACKEL, OBAMA VOLUNTEER: My name is Terry.
CHELSEA SHIELDS, ROMNEY VOLUNTEER: I am Chelsea.
JACKEL: I hope I'm making a difference. I believe that I am.
ROWLANDS: Both campaigns believe going door to door and making phone calls --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, my name is Ben and I'm volunteering today for Mitt Romney.
ROWLANDS: -- makes a big difference, even though a lot of times the people answering the phone --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some people just don't want to talk.
ROWLANDS: -- or the door --
SHIELDS: No? OK, thank you very much for your time.
ROWLANDS: -- aren't in the mood to talk.
SHIELDS: It gets old after a while getting political calls, getting people at your door all the time, and it's one of those things that you can understand their perspective.
NATHAN CONRAD, SPOKESMAN, REPUBLICAN PARTY OF WISCONSIN: While they may say they're upset that they're getting contacted, at the end of the day, it's a higher possibility for them to get out and vote on Election Day.
ROWLANDS (on camera): Historically, it's the Democrats who have had much stronger ground game in part because Republican voters are more reliable. But things are different. This time around here in Wisconsin, both sides are very well positioned to get out the vote.
CORY MASON (D), WISCONSIN STATE ASSEMBLY: Both campaigns, I think, have realized that if you don't have a real field operation in Wisconsin, you'd do so at your peril. And I would love to say that we have a ground game and they don't, but they do.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): According to a Marquette Law School poll released this week, President Obama is up in Wisconsin by eight points over Mitt Romney over likely voters. But when you look at the people who are both likely to vote and follow politics, that lead shrinks to only two. Both sides acknowledge that getting out the vote is crucial and a huge part of doing that is finding the volunteers willing to keep calling and knocking up until the election.
(on camera): Is this your life now until a week from tomorrow?
SHIELDS: Oh, yes, we'll keep going right until the very end and keep making calls, keep doing doors until the polls close.
JACKEL: OK, you're out there, I'm going to be out there more.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Quite a competition going there, Ted.
Now, Wisconsin, though, we should point out, is Paul Ryan's home state. Is it a surprise that the Romney camp is having to work so hard there to try to seal this up?
ROWLANDS: Well, not really when you look at the fact that Barack Obama won Wisconsin by 12 percentage points in 2008. In fact, it's more of a surprise that this is in play, really, to the point where it is. We show that poll where the president had a more significant lead than later polls that have come out, including a CNN poll, which brings it down into the margin of error. This is absolutely a swing state and this is absolutely a razor thin line here. And one thing we should point out, Randi, that both sides are going to be out continually from now until Tuesday, except for four hours on Sunday during the Green Bay Packer game. Both sides know you don't knock on a Wisconsinites door during a Packer game or you're going to lose a vote. So, they're going to take those four hours.
KAYE: Oh, yes. Those cheese heads, they don't want to be disturbed. That's for sure. Thank you, Ted. Appreciate that.
BLACKWELL: Thousands of voters standing in lines for hours just to get their ballots in early. We'll see what's behind these monster lines.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Mortgage rates slipped back to near record lows this week. Here's a look at where they stand now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Thanks for starting your morning with us.
Here are five stories we're watching this morning.
KAYE: Number one, the lights are starting to come back on for some families in the Northeast, but not fast enough for others. Five days after the storm, more than 2.5 million customers are without power across 15 states and D.C. It could be another week before power is fully restored while hundreds of people have been lining up for hours just trying to get gas. Many gas stations in the New York/New Jersey area are still out of commission.
And New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has canceled the New York marathon for the first time in its 42-year history. People were outraged by his earlier decision to go on with the race in the aftermath of the storm. He insisted it wouldn't divert resources from storm recovery but said in a statement that the race had become controversial and divisive.
Number three, we're down to the last three days before the election. President Obama and Mitt Romney campaigning across several key states this weekend. Both candidates will be in Colorado, Ohio, Iowa and Virginia, while Romney also makes some stops in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.
Number four, it's taking some voters up to four hours to cast their ballots in Florida, one of the election's most crucial swing states. Remember, early voting in the Sunshine State started a week later than it did in '08 because of a new state law. The Republican state legislature reduced the number of early voting days from 14 to eight.
And number five, gas prices are falling across the U.S. AAA reporting the national average dropped just over a penny to $3.48 a gallon. That is the 23rd consecutive decline. Prices are lowest in South Carolina, where the average gallon will cost you $3.17.
BLACKWELL: The images of Sandy's destruction have been striking, the economic losses devastating. In addition to the homes lost because of the hurricanes, the more than 20,000 flights were canceled across North America.
FedEx tells "The New York Times" it's been struggling to find gas for its delivery trucks.
The advertising industry lost $500 million because of radio and TV disruptions.
And when the hurricane hit on Monday in New York, movie theaters took in only $3,000 -- $3,000 total in the city. The Monday before that it took in a half million dollars.
Here to talk more about the economic impact of the storm is Trish Regan in New York. Trish is the host of "Street Smart" on Bloomberg Television.
Trish, thanks for being with us.
It seems like economists have been torn on the impact of this storm. Some say this will even out because there will be so much construction for the rebuilding effort. Others say that won't be enough. It won't work for waitresses who are waiting in restaurants.
How do you see this?
TRISH REGAN, BLOOMBERG TV ANCHOR: Yes, I think the latter there, Victor. Good morning.
I think the reality is that there is still going to be a lot that is lost from this economy. Estimates -- initial estimates right now are $30 billion, $40 billion, some as high as $50 billion that could be lost as a result of all of this storm activity.
However -- and this is what you're referring to -- some economists are saying, well, you might see a pick up in building activity and homes need to be rebuilt and construction projects need to resume and, thus, you could see another $30 billion potential in construction that happens after the fact.
Nonetheless, as you point out, you're left with all those economic costs in the immediate term. All those waitresses that aren't waiting tables right now, they are not making tips. The movie theater that was closed in New York taking in, as you point out, $3,000 in revenue.
That stuff has a snowballing effect. And what it does, Victor, it creates an immediately slow down in the economy that hopefully, at some point, starts to turn around. But those losses are very real and they take time to dig out from under.
As far as the construction goes -- yes, we will probably see more construction. But think about all the construction projects that have been put on halt. What about all those buildings maybe in downtown Manhattan that they were building for new apartment buildings that they can't work on right now because they've got to deal with flooding issues. They've got to deal the cleanup.
Granted, people will come in and they will make money on the cleanup. But the overall net net probably leaves the economy in more of a loss than a gain.
BLACKWELL: And you talked about how slow this has been going. Trish, the recovery has been slow and hard fought from the start. And you add Sandy and all that has been interrupted. Some economists say that this could mean a half percent hit to GDP.
REGAN: Absolutely.
BLACKWELL: How long will we see and feel the impact of this storm?
REGAN: It depends on how quickly we can start to turn around. I think they're absolutely right. We will see an impact to GDP. It's the last thing, Victor, that we need right now as this economy is in a very, very fragile state.
But the good news here is typically when you have an event like this, things do turn around. It's not like the massive financial deleveraging process that we've been going through as an economy overall since 2008. That's a very different systematic problem. Right now, we're dealing with a temporarily halt which should then result in more spending after the fact. But that doesn't change the fact, Victor, that this is going to be a very difficult time. And, you know, this is really the last thing this economy needs right now as it's trying to mend itself.
BLACKWELL: We just got that job's report on Friday, 171,000 jobs added. But the Labor Department said the impact of Sandy was not factored into that calculation. What do you think we'll see moving into the November numbers and December numbers because of the closed businesses? Are we looking at, you know, a loss of jobs?
REGAN: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Are we looking at just even?
BLACKWELL: Well, I don't think it was lost of jobs necessarily. We are on the good track and that we are adding jobs to this economy, 171,000, by the way. When I heard that number, it nearly knocked me off my feet because I was looking probably for more in the vicinity of what most economists were anticipating which is around 123,000. That was a big number.
As you pointed out, you are absolutely right, it did not factor in Sandy because that was last month's number. That's what we did last month. What have you done for me lately and, clearly, Sandy will have an impact. You know, it's to be determined because don't forget this is part of the country we're talking about, not the entire country -- part of the country, of course, being affected.
There will be some jobs added, for example, in construction and cleanup. But, the retail sector, the services jobs when you think of waitresses and waiters at restaurants here. Some of those more service-oriented industries, those are going to feel the pain.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
REGAN: So, net net, again, it's not going to be good, but it's not going to be as awful because you will see some jobs being added for construction.
BLACKWELL: All right, Trish Regan, always good to have this conversation with you and put everything in perspective.
REGAN: Good to see you.
BLACKWELL: She's the host of "Street Smart" on Bloomberg TV from 3:00 to 5:00 Eastern. Thanks.
KAYE: Sandy's storm surge was historic. It's aftermath was devastating. But are human really to blame here and are there more Sandys to come? The climate change debate coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: There has been a series of extreme weather incidents. Anyone -- that's not a political statement, that is a factual statement. Anyone who says that there's not a dramatic change in weather patterns, I think, is denying reality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: There may be denial over what caused hurricane Sandy, but there's no denying its effect, absolute devastation. The storm surge that battered the Jersey Shore and Lower Manhattan was historic, but climate scientists say, get ready. There are more Sandys sure to come.
What's also sure to come is more bitter political fighting over climate change. You may recall Mitt Romney drew a laugh at the national convention in August when he said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans, and to heal the planet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Former President Bill Clinton hit back at those comments this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: He ridiculed the president, ridiculed the president for his efforts to fight global warming in economically beneficial ways. He said, oh, you're going to turn back the seas. In my part of America, we would like it if someone could have done that yesterday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: "Bloomberg Businessweek" had its own not so subtle message to naysayers featuring this cover story. And in a surprise move, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed President Obama Thursday, saying the president is a strong leader on global climate change.
Joining me now, Michael Oppenheimer, professor of geosciences at Princeton University. He's been studying climate science for three decades now.
Michael, good morning.
PROF. MICHAEL OPPENHEIMER, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: Glad to be here.
KAYE: Thank you so much for being here.
You actually live in Lower Manhattan. You saw the storm's devastation first hand. Were you surprised by Sandy's magnitude?
OPPENHEIMER: Well, of course, I was surprised -- even though I do this kind of work professionally.
Sandy was not caused by global warming, but it surely was made worse. And believe me, it's no laughing matter.
This situation is going to get worse as long as the world continues to warm and the world is going to continue to warm as long as we keep burning primarily coal oil and natural gas for energy. That's putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. That's pumping up the temperature of the earth and causing the seas to rise.
KAYE: So, let's talk specifically about manmade climate change. How much do you blame that?
OPPENHEIMER: Climate change, as I said, didn't cause Sandy, but it made it worse. Climate changed caused, for instance, the sea level at New York's battery to be a foot higher than it was a century ago. That made the storm surge worse, that led -- that increased the flooding of the subways. They have brought the seas to the point where they knocked out electricity.
I was without electricity for the last four days. In fact, only at 4:30 this morning did my electricity and heat go on for the first time.
So, we're in a situation where we haven't been prepared. What we've got to do is cut emissions to slow the warming well, at the same time being smarter about defending ourselves from the rising sea.
KAYE: Yes.
We hear so much about sea ice and just over the past 30 years, 1.3 million square miles of that Arctic sea ice has melted. If you take a look here, that's about 42 percent of the lower 48 percent of the U.S. states. So, how soon could we see all that Arctic ice gone, do you think, and what are the implications of something like that happening?
OPPENHEIMER: There are always be Arctic ice in the winter, but summer Arctic ice which was projected to more or less disappear by the end of the century actually may disappear some time within the next few decades. We don't -- we aren't sure what the implications of that are for storm patterns, but there's a theory that actually Sandy's trajectory towards the United States was partly determined by the fact that sea ice had disappeared early this summer and that caused what is called a blocking high to steer the storm right in our direction.
As I said, that speculation we're going to have to learn more about it. And what we're sure of, it looks like the arctic is going to open up to shipping, for instance. And that has a lot of geopolitical implications. It means a lot more exploitation of resources up there which can have both positive but negative effects -- for instance, destroying the wild aspect of the Arctic as a natural ecosystem.
KAYE: Yes. Let's talk about Manhattan in particular. I mean, New York City is a city shaped by water, built on water, it's an island. Five hundred twenty miles of coastline, so it's very vulnerable. On top of that, though, the city was designed before the sea levels rose a foot.
You've actually been warning, from what I understand, city officials for years about this and what might happen in terms of something like Sandy. So, what kind of response did you get? I'm just curious.
OPPENHEIMER: In New York City, under Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Cuomo, there's been a lot of talk about protecting the city from storms like this. But, unfortunately, the action has fallen far short of the talk.
So, for instance, while some simple measures had been taken over the last few decades, there were still subway entrances which were to low and which, therefore, the storm surge was able to go down and swamp the subways and stop the system. The electoral power plants, for instance, it one feeding my house, the distribution stations, were down by the river instead of up in safe territory where they should have been moved.
This is an old city and a lot of infrastructure was prepared at a time -- or sited at a time before sea level rose. But, now, hey, we're in a new world. Sea level is rising. It's not going to stop for quite a while, even if we get the emissions under control.
We have to redesign the city to be more habitable in a warming world. And that's not just for New York, that's everywhere along the coast worldwide.
KAYE: Yes, there was some talk about levees. Would levees help a city like New York City?
OPPENHEIMER: There are two ideas. One is a storm barrier, of the sort they have in London on the Thames which is raised into place every time there's a threat of a disastrous storm tide, storm surge like the one we've had in New York. And it's expensive. It would cost about $7 billion, I understand. But it is doable and I think the discussion needs to begin in a serious way about planning and see figure we really needed it. I think it actually is probably a wise idea.
Over the longer term, we have a bigger problem if one or both of the polar ice sheets start to disintegrate faster, it could be we need a permanent sea wall rather than just a temporary storm barrier.
KAYE: Yes.
OPPENHEIMER: But in the meantime, look, there are a lot of things that could be done cheap, easy and started right away, like raising those subway entrances, like moving the electoral system from the river. Some of these measures have been done, but it's not really --
KAYE: Right.
OPPENHEIMER: We need less talk from our political leaders and more action.
KAYE: Yes, you don't want to be left a sitting duck there in Manhattan or anywhere else, quite frankly.
Professor Michael Oppenheimer, nice to have you on the program. Thank you.
OPPENHEIMER: Glad to be here.
BLACKWELL: Voters waiting in line two, three, even four hours to cast their ballots in one of the election's most crucial swing states and things could be even worse today. We'll tell you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: We're going to take you live now. This the Plantation, Florida, where you can see there pretty long lines. People waiting to vote there. This is one of the most crucial swing states. We don't have to tell you that, and early voting actually ends there today.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and the rush to cast their last-minute ballots, thousands of Floridians are waiting in very long slow-moving lines.
KAYE: You actually voted this way in early voting in '08, right, in Florida?
BLACKWELL: Yes. In 2008, I was living in Jacksonville at the time, and I waited in line, and it only took about an hour, and I thought an hour in line. This is forever.
KAYE: Yes, nothing like this.
BLACKWELL: But nothing like this where people are waiting this long.
KAYE: Well, we know there's been a lot of issues, a lot of talk about this whole early voting situation. The Republican-dominated state legislature, you may recall, reduced the number of early voting days from 14 to eight, so that could be one reason why these lines are really, really getting long, and obviously the Republican governor there is taking a lot of heat for doing that, trying to -- and some of his critics have said it's a push by GOP to lower the voter turnout.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
KAYE: So it's interesting.
BLACKWELL: I don't think this conversation will end on Election Day.
KAYE: Yes, we'll actually be talking more about it with John Zarrella --
BLACKWELL: Yes.
KAYE: -- who is there with those voters, and we'll talk with him coming up in the 9:00 hour here, 9:00 Eastern.
All right. So long voting lines, countless campaign ads, some Americans have just had enough of the 2012 election, especially this little girl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABIGAEL EVANS, WEPT OVER CAMPAIGN: I'm tired -- I'm tired of Bronco Bamma and Mitt Romney.
ELIZABETH EVANS, ABIGAEL'S MOM: That's why you're crying? Oh. It will be over soon, Abby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: The presidential election in the battle for the 4-year-old vote. Both candidates lose. Just ask this little girl.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Are you suffering from election burnout?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm Barack Obama, and I approve this message.
ROMNEY: I'm Mitt Romney.
OBAMA: Let me respond.
(CROSSTALK)
MOOS: Has it left you feeling as cranky as a 4-year-old?
A. EVANS: I'm tired -- I'm tired of Bronco Bamma and Mitt Romney.
E. EVANS: That's why you're crying? Oh. It will be over soon, Abby.
MOOS: Abigael Evans hit a nerve. "I feel you, Abby. Sweet baby, I know how you feel."
(on camera): Abigael and her mom were pulling into the grocery store parking lot listening to NPR when Abby started to cry.
E. EVANS: The election will be over soon, OK?
A. EVANS: OK.
E. EVANS: She started telling me, you know, and I was like oh, my God.
MOOS (voice-over): So, Abby's mom hit record.
E. EVANS: The little kid saying what everyone wants to say, actually being able to cry about it.
MOOS: Or as "TIME" magazine puts it, "We are all Abigael Evans. Maybe we couldn't all reel off the planets the way this smart Ft. Collins, Colorado, kid can.
A. EVANS: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
MOOS: Abby wants to be an astronaut. Since the radio was turned to NPR when Abby had her meltdown, NPR apologized. "Dear little girl, sorry we made you cry," but Abby seems to be a fan.
A. EVANS: This is NPR.
MOOS (on camera): The funny thing is that Abigael's family doesn't even have a TV, so Abby hasn't been subjected --
AD NARRATOR: When a president doesn't tell the truth --
MOOS: -- to all those campaign commercials.
AD NARRATOR: Just think what Mitt Romney might do as president.
MOOS (voice-over): Other little girls have gone viral for crying, crying over Justin Bieber.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Because I love Justin Bieber.
MOOS: Crying after the Vikings lost to the Packers.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Because the Packers won.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Packers won?
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Yes.
MOOS: But Abigael didn't just cry for all of us, she gave the president a new name.
A. EVANS: I'm tired of Bronco Bamma.
MOOS: Bronco Bamma inspired a t-shirt and this mashup, so a tip of the hat to Abigael Evans.
E. EVANS: Oh. It will be over soon, Abby.
MOOS: And please, no recount.
E. EVANS: The election will be over soon, OK?
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
