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Unrest at U.S. Embassy in Cairo; Nation Pauses for September 11 Anniversary; Cancers Caused by Exposure at Ground Zero Recognized; Examining the Syrian Refugee Situation; Differing Tax Plans

Aired September 11, 2012 - 15:00   ET

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

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Martin Savidge in for Brooke Baldwin.

Unfolding right now, protesters causing a stir outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt. We're told more than 1,000 people were there at one point, some storming the walls along the embassy's perimeter. They have torn down American flags and replaced them with black flags, flags with Islamic emblems. Egyptian riot police on hand to protect the embassy.

The protest apparently upset over the course of a movie. The demonstrators consider it an insult to the Prophet Mohammed. CNN is on the ground. We will take you there coming up.

But first, the nation takes pause. Eleven years ago today, September 11 stopped being just a date on the calendar and became the most tragic and transforming moment in recent American history. Terrorists killed 2,977 people in an attempt to bring down the United States. But the massacre only gave rise to a stronger national spirit, one that will always remember those lost and one that cannot forget why or how they were killed.

Throughout the country, people are reflecting at tributes and memorials and here now are just some of the moments from today at the sites where the four airliners struck in 2001. That's New York, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is never an easy day, but it is especially difficult for all of you, the families of nearly 3,000 innocents who lost their lives, your mothers and fathers, your husbands and wives, your sons and your daughters. They were taken from us suddenly and far too soon.

LEON PANETTA, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Know that the entire nation, entire nation, joins you in mourning the loss of your loved ones.

We are honored by your presence. And just as your loved ones are heroes forever, so are all of you. In trying to attack our strengths, the terrorists unleashed our greatest strength, the spirit and the will of Americans to fight for their country.

JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I also hope it continues to give you some solace knowing that this nation, all these people who gathered here today, who are not family members, all your neighbors, that they have not forgotten.

They have not forgotten the heroism of your husbands, wives, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, and that what they did for this country is still etched in the minds of not only you, but millions of Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: It's a difficult day. And on this day of reflection also comes welcome resolution involving the National September 11 Memorial Museum.

The budget dispute that stalled its opening has finally been settled, according to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. His predecessor, Rudy Giuliani, who was running the city 11 years ago, we all know that, is more than eager to see that site open.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDOLPH GIULIANI (R), FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: I hope it gets done. Somebody has to feel a sense of urgency about this. I do. I was here.

I saw what happened. I have a sense of urgency about it. I wish everybody else that is involved in this would have the same sense. This is not a memorial, really. Pearl Harbor is a memorial. Appomattox is a memorial. This is an ongoing war against us by Islamic extremist terrorists who want to come here this very and do exactly the same thing they did 11 years ago and what they did in 1993.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Of course, beyond Rudy Giuliani, the survivors of those lost on September 11 have been longing to see the memorial and the museum fully complete.

Joining me now on the phone is Rosaleen Tallon the sister of a New York firefighter who died trying to rescue others on 9/11.

Rosaleen, thank you very much for joining us.

And I know it's 11 years removed, but I still want to say how I am sorry for your loss. I know you're at the memorial now. Is that right?

ROSALEEN TALLON, SISTER OF 9/11 VICTIM: Well, we just arrived home. We were down there all day today. We arrived down there at about 8:30 this morning. And we have just come home now to get a little something to eat.

SAVIDGE: What was going through your mind while you were there? .

TALLON: Well, imagine. I look up to a spot up in the sky where -- I kind of picture where my brother had climbed to that day in the North Tower.

He was a probationary firefighter at the 10 House, which was the firehouse of the World Trade Center, and I just picture the spot where he may have reached, and I just contemplate, you know, the moment that he left my life, really. I think about him, and I miss him still so much.

SAVIDGE: Yes. Well, it's a wonderful way to remember.

Let me ask you this. What do you make of all the problems that have kept this memorial museum from opening?

TALLON: Well, it's amazing reflecting back on the 11 years that have gone by and the process and having been kind of involved in it in a peripheral kind of way. As a family member, that's how I would kind of try to say.

We were never really -- we never felt really part of the process. We felt the politicians and the community boards and the people down in Manhattan had more power than just the regular family member who was at home thinking about the person who died, and we always had ideas about what we would love to see at Ground Zero.

Particularly, my mom always felt there should be something down there when we went to the plaza. You would feel that something had happened there, that it wasn't just a park with waterfalls and trees. We had always wished there would be something tangible there, like some of the steel or the damage spire.

We really wish that the human remains would be there at the site to command the respect that that site deserves.

(CROSSTALK)

SAVIDGE: Let me interrupt you, because that's a very sensitive issue and that's a point I did want to bring up in our conversation. And that's it.

Local media reports have recently suggested that people had been treating this memorial with its waterfall, its engrave plaques like a playground, almost, like a park. And the reports were people were splashing water on their faces to cool off, sitting on the names that were carved in the memorial. You don't see this at Vietnam Memorial. You don't see this at certainly the Oklahoma City Memorial.

Does this anger you?

SAVIDGE: Martin, it makes me want to cry, because Ground Zero is so important to the whole world. And it should be so important for the generations to come.

And it is so true that right now it's a beautiful park for people to visit. And it's not their fault. Sometimes, when you're in amongst the trees and you hear the sound of the water, it's not reminding people of what really happened, the true horror of the day. And that's why, family members, we wish there was something very meaningful there, that when people came there it would just command their respect. We truly feel that the human remains being at street level would command that respect.

When you go to Pearl Harbor, you really feel what happened there. Right now, there's nothing there. Unfortunately, from the start, the site seems to have been sanitized of what happened on 9/11. And that is what is causing the disrespect and people putting their children up on the plaques where the names are. People have no connection to the names.

But if there were little photos of the family members, if there were little photos of the children, if children saw like the faces of the little children that died that day, it would speak to people. But right now, it's just names and waterfalls and trees, which for many people that's not enough to conjure up in their hearts what happened there that day.

And there's people coming from all over the world that didn't directly experience it.

SAVIDGE: Right.

TALLON: So they need to have something tangible at street level, not buried below in a museum.

They need something at street level that really brings those memories and those feelings to mind when they're standing there. And the memorial is at street level.

And that's what is painful for a lot of families, that right now it looks like a beautiful park. And we wish something was there at street level that would command that respect.

SAVIDGE: Rosaleen, I hope you and your family are able to find peace in time. And I also hope that all of us will come to this love and respect the memorial that takes the place of the building that was once there. Thank you very much for joining us today.

TALLON: Thank you, Martin.

SAVIDGE: The museum is not the only September 11 structure facing controversy.

Let me tell you about Howard Lutnick. He's the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald. He lost 658 employees on 9/11.

And Lutnick tells Wolf Blitzer the name of the new building should be changed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Howard, describe your feelings about the new One World Trade Center. It's now the tallest building in New York. HOWARD LUTNICK, CHAIRMAN & CEO, CANTOR FITZGERALD: Look, I think it's important to rebuild.

I just find it -- personally, I find it odd that they would name it One World Trade Center. Frankly, I think if they named it any other name I would think it was a -- you know, the memorial is beautiful, but I don't know why they don't change the name. That just seems so odd to me since the building I worked in was never called the North Tower. It was called One World Trade Center.

BLITZER: So you think they should change that? Are you going to try to change that?

LUTNICK: I'm telling you, I will tell anybody who wants to know. Change the name. It's just weird.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Wolf's full interview with Howard Lutnick and Rudy Giuliani tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

And as both the president and Mitt Romney take time to remember the victims of 9/11, new polls suggest a pretty interesting and maybe even surprising turn in the presidential race. We will have that, plus this:

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (voice-over): How does one principal see the teachers strike in Chicago?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's reprehensible.

SAVIDGE: You're about to hear how the picket line is responding.

Plus, his stock is tanking. Some are calling for his exit as CEO. But just a short time from now, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg answers critics in public.

And as Syrians run for their lives, one of Hollywood's most recognizable stars visits with those who have been forced to flee.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Tell me by now you are surely aware of the post-convention poll that shows President Barack Obama having opened up a lead against Mitt Romney. If you haven't, here it is again.

It shows the president leading Mitt Romney by 6 percentage points. They were dead even just one week ago, I will point out.

Wolf Blitzer is with us now Washington. By the way, nice to see you.

BLITZER: Thank you. SAVIDGE: If you look deeper into the poll, there's some other remarkable trends that are emerging. Let's just take a look at two in particular.

They are, first, who is more in touch with the problems facing the middle class? On that question, Obama leads Romney by 20 percentage points, 57 percent for Obama, 37 percent for Mitt Romney. And then now this, the choice for president among men. In the span of a week, Obama has turned a 12-point deficit into a one-point advantage over Mitt Romney among American men.

So, Wolf Blitzer, what is going on here? Should team Romney be running around with their hair on fire?

BLITZER: Well, not necessarily their hair on fire, but they should obviously be concerned.

What happened is it shows that conventions do matter, that it's not just all the fun and games going on. They do have an impact, because before the Democratic Convention, these two candidates were neck and neck in our CNN/ORC poll. They were both at 48 percent.

And now you see a six-point lead for President Obama coming out of the convention. People liked obviously what they saw at the Democratic Convention, despite the disappointing jobs number that came out Friday morning. That's being reflected in the top line, as well as all these other numbers. It's a good sign for the president.

But remember, there's almost two months to go before the election, including three presidential debates, one vice presidential debate. So if I were the Democrats, if I were the Obama campaign, I would by no means be corking champagne bottles or anything like that.

This is still going to be a tough, tough slog. And as important, Marty, as you know, the national numbers are, likely voters or registered voters, what is so much more important right now, the numbers in specific half-a-dozen, eight or nine battleground states like Florida or Ohio or Virginia. That's where the election will be determined. And what happens nationally is not always reflective of what's happening in those states.

SAVIDGE: Yes. Right. What we're waiting to see if this is a bump or if it's a trend.

So let me follow up with this. The Democrats have signaled they are about to target Romney for not paying tribute to U.S. troops in Afghanistan during the speech at the Republican Convention. Here is Romney just a short time ago speaking to a National Guard association in Reno, Nevada.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Less than two months to go before Election Day, I would normally speak to a gathering like this about the differences between my and my opponent's plans for military and for our national security. There is a time and place for that. But this day is not that. It is instead a day to express gratitude to the men and women who fought and who are still fighting to protect us and our country, including those who trace the trail of terror to that walled compound in Abbottabad and the SEALs who delivered justice to Osama bin Laden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: So that's Mitt Romney saluting the troops.

Let's get back to our poll. It shows Romney is trailing Barack Obama by 12 points on the topic of which candidate would better handle foreign policy, Obama 54 percent, Obama 42 percent.

Again, Wolf, is this a big problem for Romney? I think we tend to think of Republicans as being strong in defense and strong in foreign affairs. So what are the Democrats doing that the Republicans are not?

BLITZER: I think one of the things they did successfully at their convention, the Democrats, was highlight the fact that President Obama gave the order to the Navy SEALs to go ahead and kill bin Laden. I think that's resonated with a lot of potential voters out there.

Mitt Romney was very smart today to thank the military, to thank the troops, to go out of the way to hail all of them. Remember there are about 80,000 troops in harm's way fighting a war in Afghanistan even as we speak right now. It was clearly a mistake on the part of the Romney campaign and Mitt Romney personally to not mention that, and to thank them specifically for their service in that acceptance speech at the Republican Convention in Tampa.

But they're moving to try to fix that. On national security, it's sort of -- you're absolutely right, Marty. This is a reversal, because normally the Republicans almost always do better on national security., military-related matters than the Democrats do. And in this particular case, at least as of right now, the Democrats and the president are going better.

SAVIDGE: That's what makes politics so doggone interesting, and we're glad to have you to help us there. Wolf Blitzer, thank you very much.

(FINANCIAL UPDATE)

SAVIDGE: As Facebook stock tumbles, it is no secret that some experts have called on Mark Zuckerberg to step down as CEO of Facebook. Well, get this. Just a short time from now, Zuckerberg is expected to speak publicly, and he could address those concerns. We will take you live to San Francisco next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: It's a big day for Facebook watchers.

The company's hoodie-wearing CEO is set to speak shortly at a tech conference in California. This is kind of a big deal because Mark Zuckerberg has been pretty much invisible since Facebook's -- I think disappointing is actually an understatement -- but disappointing public stock offering earlier this year.

In May, you will remember, Facebook shares went public at $38 a pop. But now, as you probably know if you bought them, look at this. As of yesterday's Nasdaq closing, Facebook is down 51 percent, selling at a mere $18.80, this after all the hoopla on Wall Street that Zuckerberg's Facebook is the next big thing to invest in.

So, CNN's Dan Simon is at this tech conference in San Francisco and that's where Zuckerberg is set to speak in just about an hour.

Dan, let me ask you this. There's a lot of attention being paid to this one appearance here. I'm wondering, what are people looking for? Are they looking for blood? Are they looking for an explanation? What do they want?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I really think all of the above, Martin.

I'm not sure one talk can give investors the confidence they want. But this is a very important talk. Let me sort of set the stage for you first. As you said, we are at a technology conference. This is called TechCrunch Disrupt. And in about an hour-and-a-half from now, Mark Zuckerberg will be taking the stage.

This is a question-and-answer session with a moderator. And you have to believe that the first question will have to be about the stock price. You put up the numbers. It's not been pretty. The stock has lost 50 percent of its value since its debut.

What is he going to say about it? Is he going to say, for instance, that mistakes were made? What can he do to change the confidence among investors? The other thing that we're going to look for him to talk about is the long-term strategy of Facebook. There's still some lingering questions about Facebook is going to do in terms of its mobile strategy and its advertising strategy.

Those two things are basically combined. When Facebook first got going several years ago, all the ads were on the desk top. Now 50 percent of Facebook users are going to their mobile phones and accessing the site. And keep in mind, Martin, as we all know, there's limited real estate on that cell phone screen to serve up ads.

Because more and more people are going to Facebook on threat iPhones and their Android devices, how is Facebook going to effectively get advertisers on to that platform? I think people will be listening to his thoughts about that very closely today, Martin.

SAVIDGE: They are. And I think it will be going well beyond the audience that is at that tech seminar there.

So who is he really trying to reach out to?

SIMON: Well, I think he's trying to reach out to investors. He's trying to reach out to Facebook users. In some ways, those things are totally different. He wants to tell users that the product is still the most important thing. At the same time, he wants to let investors to know that, yes, the stock price is important. But I think for some people, I think Zuckerberg in some ways has rubbed them the wrong way in the sense that maybe they feel like the stock is not a huge priority on his list, and I think they want to get that from him.

Second, I'm sure employees of Facebook will be watching this very closely. I'm told this has really affected morale to some extent. A lot of people have been waiting for their big payday, if you will, and the fact that the stock price is so low, they're not getting it. So they're going to be watching this as well.

SAVIDGE: Yes, I'm sure they are.

And I don't wish ill on any company, but there's certainly going to be a lot of people looking for answers. Maybe they will hear some this afternoon.

Thanks very much, Dan Simon.

Turning to another subject, helping the volunteers and the responders of 9/11 -- up next, details on the legal victory for those whose heroic actions left them sick.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: You know, I found the next story very interesting. There is a new survey that suggests that memories -- they're just indications that memories of September 11th and the attacks are perhaps fading.

"USA Today" reports that nearly 70 percent of Americans say that they are somewhat or strongly agreeing with this statement. Quote, "I have moved on from September 11th," according to a new American poll survey.

For some people, though, moving on from September 11th is much more of a challenge. Why? Well, because they're still suffering its effects, still sick after helping in the cleanup, even now, 11 years later.

But a new decision by federal health authorities will make a difference in helping them heal. Fifty-eight types of cancer are now on the list that is covered -- or illnesses covered for people exposed to toxins at the site of the World Trade Center.

And joining me now is CNN senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen. And let me ask you this, why is this decision so important for so many?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, because these workers who worked down at Ground Zero and then later got cancer, they have been fighting for this for years.

And what they've been told, up until this point, is, you know, you don't know that your cancer came from your work at Ground Zero and, so, we're not covering it.

So, this is a stunning reversal. It was just last year they were told that they weren't going to get covered.

SAVIDGE: Ten years after.

COHEN: Ten years -- right, 10 years after. So, what happened was is that, last year, late last year, there was a study that came out that looked at firefighters and some of them worked at Ground Zero and some of them didn't.

And they found that the ones at Ground Zero were 19 percent more likely, 19 percent higher incident of cancer than the people who didn't work at Ground Zero.

You can't prove that they got their cancer at Ground Zero, but it certainly sort of puts more evidence in that direction.

SAVIDGE: I remember it very well. I mean, like many reporters, I was there at Ground Zero, covering it.

And I also remember them saying, from the city to the EPA, the air is clean. It's OK. It's safe.

But we now know that wasn't the case, so what was so toxic at that site?

COHEN: It wasn't just that it was toxic. It was that it was toxic and unprecedented.

So, you have a mix of jet fuel, asbestos. other kinds of building materials at a very high temperature because that jet fuel was so hot.

And, if you asked a doctor or researcher, gee, what does that do to someone? They wouldn't know what to say because we hadn't seen that mixture before.

So, it's not really completely clear what breathing that in can do.

And, also, if you look at the video of the workers that did, they weren't -- these workers didn't say, oh, yeah, sure, I'll come down and help, but first, give me a mask. First, give me ...

SAVIDGE: No, they didn't. They just went.

COHEN: They just went, so many of them were not wearing masks and, even the ones wearing masks, we don't know they would really protect against this toxic mixture that they were breathing in.

SAVIDGE: So, you mentioned this decision that comes down a decade later. For some, though, it was too late.

COHEN: Yes, it is too late for some. And, so, for example, two years ago, I interviewed a woman named -- a man, rather, named Jevon Thomas and he had a very rare cancer. He had worked down at Ground Zero and he was getting nothing at that time. He -- you know, a man who really needed the money. He ended up getting a lot of charity care. He ended up having to leave work because he was so sick and, sadly, he died. And, so, he will never see that money.

Now, we called a lawyer who works on these cases and said, will his family get money? And he said, you know, those are some details that will just have to be worked out.

SAVIDGE: Well, as a nation, we owe so much to so many people whose names, in most cases, we'll never know.

COHEN: That's right.

SAVIDGE: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much.

COHEN: Thanks.

SAVIDGE: And, up next, we'll take you live to Egypt where protesters are causing a stir outside the U.S. embassy in Cairo. Some of them have scaled walls and torn down American flags. We'll have an update.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: The Chicago teachers' union, deep in contract talks today as the public school strike grinds on, now in a second day.

In a statement just released, the union says, quote, "It is not accurate to say both sides are extremely close. This is misinformation on behalf of the board and Mayor Emanuel. We have a considerable way to go." All right, end quote.

But even though this is a debate centered in Chicago, it might as well be in New York or Los Angeles or, really, any number of major cities in America.

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, talked about why school reform is now a national issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDI WEINGARTEN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERSL I think it's why communities should pay attention to what's happening in Chicago.

Between the need to actually help kids really learn how to apply knowledge, not rote memorization skills, combined with the poverty that is increasing in this country, combined with all of the budget cuts, it has made situations all across the country really difficult for both parents and teachers and a lot of that is playing itself out in Chicago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Yeah, but some people aren't quite so sympathetic to the teachers demands. You'll remember, yesterday, I talked to Steve Perry, founder and principal of Capital Preparatory Magnet School.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE PERRY: Because the teachers are the ones who decided that today they were going to stay home.

They decided that $76,000 a year for five-and-a-half hours worth of work and 187 days wasn't enough money in a community where the average family makes only $47,000 in a city that has a $700 million deficit, where the murder rate in some years was higher than that in Afghanistan for our troops, that these folks are going to take it upon themselves to take it to the streets and take a day of education away from children. It's reprehensible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Their key sticking point, job security, in the wake of a new program that evaluates teachers based on students' standardized test forms.

But Democratic mayor, Rahm Emanuel, is standing firm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAHM EMANUEL, MAYOR, CHICAGO: This was a strike of choice and it's a wrong choice for the children. Really, it was a choice.

We're down to two issues, having done five months of negotiations. We could have -- it could have -- not we. It could have easily been postponed and continue to have the conversation. The conversation's picked up Monday at 10:00 or 11:30, OK?

So, they are continuing to talk. They're working through the issues, but I do believe it was totally avoidable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: In the meantime, parents and students can only watch and wait. Three-hundred-fifty-thousand students are right now not sitting in classes.

Well, for more on this debate and the impact across the nation, you can go to our -- well, CNN's education blog. That's Schools of Thought, CNN.com/education.

New legal trouble for Gary Giordano. He's the man suspected in the disappearance of this woman who disappeared in Aruba. An insurance company's now suing Giordano.

We're "On the Case," next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: The primary suspect in the case of a missing woman is being sued over the life insurance policy he took out in her name. An American Express insurance company has filed suit over Gary Giordano over the $1.5 million claim. Giordano took the policy out on Robyn Gardner, just days before the two went on a trip to Aruba in August of last year.

Gardner disappeared during that trip and has not been seen since. Giordano claims that she disappeared while the two were snorkeling.

Sunny Hostin's "On the Case" and, Sunny, the Aruban police, of course, let Gary Giordano go because they did not have any evidence to suggest that this is a crime, so why is the insurance company fighting the claim.

Now, before you answer that, they probably have 1.5 million reasons why, but I want to hear your explanation.

SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL ANALYST: I was going to say that.

But, certainly, you know, it's almost a preemptive strike at this point because they say it typically takes about a year when a person has disappeared before someone can try to enforce the contract.

We now know this happened about a year ago, so the waiting period has basically expired.

And their point, I guess, is, listen, this is an unenforceable contract. You weren't partners. You weren't married. You weren't otherwise related. You weren't business partners. You didn't own property together.

American Express says, in order for you to become the beneficiary of some sort of travel insurance policy, you have to have some sort of economic interest in the other person and that just didn't exist at this point.

SAVIDGE: So, wait a minute. I've seen this document. I mean, I've seen the document American Express is talking about and it's basically where Robyn Gardner signed and said that I name, as the person if, should I die, Gary Giordano gets the money.

It wasn't like Gary, you know, forced the signature here. It's her signature, by all accounts. So, how is it the insurance company can't pay up? I mean, why sue? They could just deny the claim, couldn't they?

HOSTIN: It certainly is interesting that you point that out, that he became her soul beneficiary, but his mother was the beneficiary, should anything happen to him.

But it will really come down to, I think, the definition of partner. Because if American Express -- let's face it -- doesn't fight this battle at this point, how many other people are going to be -- are going to try to take out this kind of insurance policy on a travel partner that they perhaps just met?

So, I think it's preemptive, certainly, by the company, but it will come down to that kind of partnership language. And, in this day and age, Martin, I mean, how do you really define partner?

I read the document, as well, and I just don't know if it's really clear in the document as to what the definition of partner is.

And, so, this is a case I'm going to be following very closely because I think, ultimately, it could have ramifications later on, not only in potential criminal charges against Gary Giordano, but just in the travel industry, in general.

SAVIDGE: Yeah, no, at first I saw this as just, you know, a sorry sort of case, but I can see now it goes well beyond Gary Giordano ...

HOSTIN: Absolutely.

SAVIDGE: ... and we'll see how it turns out. Sunny Hostin, thank you very much.

HOSTIN: Thanks, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Well, less than two months before the presidential election and we're going to give you a closer look at the big issues.

Up next, a breakdown on how the president and Mitt Romney would change the tax code.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: All right, let's take some time to cut through the spin of the presidential race to let you know where the candidates really stand on some of the most important issues facing this country.

Today, taxes. Both President Obama and Mitt Romney say they want a simpler, fairer tax code, but they have two very different ideas of what that means.

Here's CNN's Christine Romans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Two men with very different plans for your wallet. Mitt Romney says cutting taxes will spur job creation.

MITT ROMNEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Small businesses and entrepreneurs will be able to keep more of their money to build their business.

ROMANS: President Obama says it's time for the rich to pay more.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I'm not proposing anything radical here. I just believe that anybody making over $250,000 a year should go back to the income tax rates we were paying under bill Clinton.

ROMANS: But just who is rich? That's where it gets sticky.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We live out in California. What's wealthy in the middle of North Carolina isn't wealthy here in California.

ROBERTON WILLIAMS, SENIOR FELLOW, TAX POLICY CENTER: The question is, how much less tax should the poor pay? How much more tax should the wealthy pay?

How progressive a tax system should we have? And there's no agreement on that. And there's no right answer to it.

ROMANS: Obama wants to raise tax rates on families making more than $250,000. He also would raise the capital gains rate to 20 percent and tax dividends as ordinary income for those making above $250,000

Romney has called for cutting all tax rates by 20 percent and eliminating taxes on capital gains and dividends for families making less than $200,000. To pay for it, he'll limit deductions, but hasn't said which ones.

Mortgage interest? We don't know. Charitable giving? Maybe. That's why some budget crunchers insist Romney will effectively raise taxes on the middle class, something he denies.

ROMNEY: I will not raise taxes on the American people. I will not raise taxes on middle income Americans. We're going to make sure that meshes have the money to pay their bills.

ROMANS: One strategy the two candidates agree on, cutting corporate taxes. The top rate is currently 35 percent, the highest in the industrialized world.

Obama wants to bring it down to 28 percent. Romney to 25 percent. But how they pay for the lost revenue isn't so clear.

WILLIAMS: They haven't said what they'll do to close the loopholes and they haven't been explicit on how they would make sure that companies continue to pay taxes in the United States and don't just move their profits overseas.

ROMANS: And none of this even addresses the fiscal cliff, nearly $500 billion in tax increase and spending cuts that take effect in January.

Unless Congress and the president act, taxes will go up for more than 100 million Americans, no matter who wins in November.

Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Developing now, we are getting word of a protest against the U.S. embassy in Cairo, Egypt. We're told the protesters have stormed the walls. They've torn down American flags and are replacing them with black flags bearing Islamic emblems. Egyptian riot police were on-hand to protect the embassy.

The protests are over a movie the demonstrators consider as an insult to the Prophet Mohammed. Wolf Blitzer will have much more on this coming up in "The Situation Room." As many as 72 people were killed in fighting and attacks across Syria today. New video out of Hama shows the aftermath of what opposition activists say was a bombing by Syrian regime forces.

Meantime, a humanitarian crisis is brewing for refugees who have escaped the fighting and taken shelter in neighboring countries.

Actress and U.N. ambassador Angelina Jolie was in Jordan today, a country trying to shelter more than 80,000 Syrian refugees.

CNN's Sara Sidner has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Hollywood A-lister, Angelina Jolie, came to the (INAUDIBLE) camp here in Jordan. This is Jordan's largest camp, 30,000-plus people inside the camp, now living in tents who have come over from Syria, Syrian refugees and we're talking about full families and lots of children.

Angelina Jolie particularly talking about one of the experiences she had when she went with the Jordanian military to the border with Syria. She said it was quite an extraordinary experience, seeing people come over the boarder and becoming refugees for the very first time.

But what touched her the most were the children and the devastating stories she heard from the children.

ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTOR/ U.N. REFUGEE SPECIAL ENVOY: As a mother, certainly, the amount of innocent children that are reported dead, the amount of innocent children I've met here who are wounded and unaccompanied with their parents being killed and now they're on their own, it's impossible to imagine any mother standing by and not stepping up and doing something to prevent this.

SIDNER: Now, of course, one of the reasons she is here and here representing UNHDR is because UNHDR wants to refocus the world attention on the Syrian refugees. This crisis has been going on for more than a year now in the country and you have tens of thousands of people now fleeing Syria in other countries.

And those countries are having to deal with the strain that puts on their infrastructure. Jordan already saying, we are overcapacity. They have some 80,000-plus Syrian refugees in the country and many more coming each day.

They're saying things like water supply, their energy and their health care system are all being hit hard because this is a nation of just 6 million people and they have such a huge influx of Syrian refugees. They're saying, basically, they need help. They need the donations to come in. They need the organizations and the countries to bring forth goods and donations to make sure that people have what they need.

Speaking of which, we were able to talk to several of the families living in the camp. They say that they simply don't have enough cold water to drink. They just left, literally, with the clothes on their backs.

There are children there born just days ago, brought over the border. They all have lived in such a terrible fear. There are certainly psychological issues going on inside the camp, as well.

People very happy, though, that they're not having to worry about their lives being lost, but certainly dealing with very difficult conditions. It's a very dusty, dry, flat area.

The tents that were once white are now covered in dust. They look more red than they do white.

There are serious problems. People saying they're having issues with diarrhea. And, so, these refugees really do need help. They really do need more.

Jordan is saying, look, we're at capacity. We need the international community to come forth and help out in this crisis.

Sara Sidner, CNN, Jordan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Sara, thank you very much.

Before we leave you, though, let's show you what's going on in Chicago right now where that teachers strike is in its second day and a large protest taking place on the streets of the Windy City right now.

All right, we'll continue to follow developments there. Hopefully, there will not be a day three. The two sides are still talking.

In the meantime, let's hand it off now to Wolf Blitzer and "THE SITUATION ROOM." Wolf?