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Two Kids Missing After House Fire; Candidates' Goals for Debate; Living on Food Stamp Budget; Pressure on Romney to Nail the First Debate; Gun Control and the Presidential Candidates; Illegal Immigrants Living in this Country; Illegal Drugs and Drug Abuse Destroying Communities and Families; Social Media and the Election

Aired September 30, 2012 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

You hear plenty of noise and lots of spin on the presidential campaign trail around the big issues. So for the next hour, CNN will help you figure out where the candidates stand on them. We'll size up the issue, issue by issue, and how Barack Obama and Mitt Romney plan to tackle these key American challenges.

Before we get to that, here's a look at some of the top stories making news today.

A desperate search for two Tennessee children today. Their home burned down a week ago but police say still no trace of 7-year-old Gage Daniel and 9-year-old Chloe Leverette. Their grandparents' remains were found in the debris.

Susan Candiotti is following the stories. She joins us live now from New York -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. You know, this thing is so mysterious and confusing and tragic. At this hour, state investigators are using teams of people using dogs to search a wider area of the woods on both sides of the road around the house that was incinerated.

With absolutely no physical evidence that the children were home when their grandparents died in that fire last Sunday, authorities are doing all they can to find those two children.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): More than a week after sifting through ashes and debris, investigator have found no sign of 9-year-old Chloe Leverette and 7-year-old Gage Daniel. No sign the youngsters were there and so far no evidence they weren't when an inferno swept through the home where they lived with their grandparents.

Friends and family don't understand and neither does anyone else.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think something is very fishy. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The more you find out the more questions you have.

CANDIOTTI: Helicopters equipped with infrared cameras found no sign of the children in surrounding woods either. The children were last seen playing in the neighborhood about three hours before the fire started last Sunday night.

Did someone take them? The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issues an Amber alert Friday night, calling them missing children in danger. Authorities don't know what caused the fire, adding to the mystery.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They said that it was not an intentional fire. But obviously there's more to it than that.

CANDIOTTI: Chloe's parents are not considered suspects according to police.

MARY LAM, SISTER: We are tired, but we want this to continue on until we find out what's really happened to these children.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: And of course, that's what everyone wants to know, Fred. What could have happened to these children?

WHITFIELD: And what was the relationship between the parents and the grandparents? Were they all living in the same house?

CANDIOTTI: Well, we don't know everything about it, but authorities did tell us that apparently this was an arrangement that had been going on for some time. The children have been living there for years, as a matter of fact. We're also told that the mother and father of these children, although they weren't living together, they have had some legal troubles in the past, but they are not considered suspects, and all members of the family are cooperating, police tell us.

WHITFIELD: And any other steps in this investigation, in the search?

CANDIOTTI: They're just -- they're simply trying to talk to as many people as they can to try to find out where these children were, what they were doing, when is the last time they were seen and, as you know, it was about three hours before this fire started and the children were playing outside in the neighborhood. So what happened to them next? That's what they need to find out.

WHITFIELD: All right, very mysterious, thanks so much. Susan Candiotti in New York.

All right, now to the presidential candidates and their first face-to- face debate. It happens Wednesday night in Denver. President Obama is preparing for the showdown in Nevada. He landed in Las Vegas just a few minutes ago for a rally tonight. And Mitt Romney holds a rally in Denver tomorrow and prepares for the debate there as well.

So the focus for this first debate will be domestic policy. And Jim Lehrer of TBS -- of PBS, rather, will be the moderator. The vice presidential debate is the following week, October 11th, in Kentucky. ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz is the moderator. Both domestic and international issues will be discussed.

On October 16th, Obama and Romney face off again at Hoekstra University in New York. Our own chief political correspondent Candy Crowley will be moderating that. The focus foreign and domestic policy.

And the final debate will be strictly on foreign policy. That's October 22nd in Florida. Bob Schieffer of CBS is the moderator.

So be sure to catch this first debate live right here on CNN Wednesday night. Our coverage begins at 7:00 Eastern Time.

So 37 days from Election Day and new allegations of voter registration fraud. The complaints center around registration drives in Florida, Nevada, North Carolina and Colorado. They were performed by a consulting -- political consulting company hired by the Republican National Committee called Strategic Allied Consulting.

In Colorado, a woman who may have worked for the company was videotaped trying to register only Mitt Romney supporters. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, hi.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. I am (INAUDIBLE). But would you vote for Romney or Obama?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, wait, I thought you were registering voters a minute ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am. I am but --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. And who are you registering? All voters?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I'm actually trying to register people for a particular party because we're out here in support of Romney actually.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And who's paying you for this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The -- let me see, we're working for the County Clerk's Office.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. You cannot come out here and register one party, lady. Are you working for the County Clerk's Office, I got it all on tape. You're working for the County Clerk's Office?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe so, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you're only registering Republicans?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You said, we're only registering Romney people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we're trying to, to be honest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you're working for the county's office? What's your name?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A top official of the El Paso County Republican Party in Colorado says the woman trying to register voters actually worked for Strategic Allied Consulting, not the County Clerk's Office. CNN has not confirmed that, however.

The El Paso County clerk issued a sharp response saying this, quote, "The young lady in this video is not an employee. The statement made in this video is both unfortunate and inaccurate. My office does not and will not engage in partisan voter registration," end quote.

And then based on what has happened in Florida in particular, the RNC has fired that private firm. Shaun Spicer, communications director for the Republican National Committee, said this, quote, "Ensuring integrity of elections is a high priority and that we have zero tolerance for allegations of impropriety," end quote.

Republicans in the swing states of Colorado, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia have paid Strategic Allied Consulting at least $3 million in recent months for voter registrations and get-out-the vote efforts.

The U.S. Supreme Court heads back to work tomorrow morning. One of the first big issues it could tackle, voter I.D. laws, ahead of the November election. We could also se rulings on gay marriage and an affirmative action case involving the University of Texas. The justices took some time this morning to attend Red Mass at St. Matthews Cathedral in Washington this morning.

It is the mass that has been celebrated before the beginning of a new session since 1953.

Police in Winter Springs, Florida, are investigating a deadly shooting this morning outside a Veteran of Foreign Wars lodge. Our affiliate WFTV says a group of bikers was getting ready for a charity motorcycle ride when a group of armed suspects showed up and opened fire. Two people were killed, one injured.

It was the biggest domestic accomplishment of Barack Obama's first term, health care. But how will that issue really play and now that voters have already started choosing between President Obama and Mitt Romney.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Wednesday night in Denver, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama face off in the first presidential debate. It's been a contentious race while the overall climate in Washington remains one of discord. Evaluating the discord is what's at the core of a new documentary called "Patriocracy." Audiences will be able to see it and discuss it Monday night at the University of Denver and then again at the University of Boulder.

Here's a little of what they will be seeing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congress is not even being minimally competent today. So our behavior is shameful in many, many respects. We've got to cure this problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have allowed the partisan divide in the Congress to bring our action almost to a screeching halt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it's bad policy, there's going to be no compromise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Candy Crowley, host of "STATE OF THE UNION" will moderate the second presidential debate October 16th.

So, Candy, you see and examine this culture of division in Washington all the time. Is there something particularly disturbing about how we got here?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: There's so many different reasons as to how we got to this place, that clearly is a partisan divide so stark that it is difficult to get things done on Capitol Hill. Now I can assure you as you heard on that last sound bite of the documentary, there are a lot of people who think that's OK. You know, there are a lot of things that, you know, folks wanted to get done that shouldn't have been done, so it's all right.

But the fact is, when they can't get budgets together, when it's always at the 11th hour and 59 minutes before they can come to an agreement and then it's only for three months, there certainly is a lot of that going on. I mean, and there's so many things to blame. But it is as bad as I've seen it since I began covering Congress in Washington.

WHITFIELD: Do you feel like very -- many people in the documentary express that there's very little hope for change that barely getting anything done or not getting anything done has become permanent.

CROWLEY: I don't think anything's permanent in the American political system and I think history kind of shows us that. Do I think that I can see it lasting for a while? Yes, but the hope here is first of all when Congress absolutely, positively has to get it done, they do it and it isn't pretty. And they yell at each other a lot, and you think you're not going to get there, but they're like reporters. they expand to the amount of time they've got. And so when that deadline comes up, Congress is still arguing, you think all is lost and then they pass it. And they have done this time after time after time over the last decade. So they will get it done, but when it comes to other things, there's so much that has gone wrong and honestly a lot of people ask me this question and I have to tell you that while we look at Congress and say what's wrong with those people, in part, let us remember that those are the people that Americans are voting for.

And what's happened? People have been redistricted to the point where there are very red places and very blue places, very Republican and very Democratic, and a lot of those swing Congress people, northeast Republicans, southern Democrats, the blue dogs, their numbers have diminished over time because when we have swing elections, the first ones to go are the very people, and that would be northeast Republicans, moderate Republicans, and southern Democrats, conservative Democrats, they're the very first to go, so the people that have the most impetus to see compromise are gradually being voted out of Congress.

So, you know, the fault often lies here, dear Brutus, as they say. It is as well a voter decision to send this particular set of congressmen and senators to Washington.

WHITFIELD: So let's look ahead now to Wednesday's presidential debate. Both candidates are practicing leading up to it. Who faces the greatest pressure to really nail it?

CROWLEY: Mitt Romney. I don't think there's any question about that. And I would say that about anybody that was behind. And what we have seen -- since the Democratic convention is that the bounce that the president got is -- seems to have some staying power.

Let us talk again after the debate, but Mitt Romney, the guy behind needs to have a really good debate. Now the president does, too. But he can coast, he can have a good debate. Mitt Romney has to have a great debate.

WHITFIELD: Candy Crowley, host of "STATE OF THE UNION," thanks so much. Of course we look forward to this week's presidential debate and of course we look forward to the one you'll be moderating mid- October.

CROWLEY: That's right.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Candy.

CROWLEY: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Don't forget you do have a front row seat for the upcoming debate, the first one, between the president and former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, Tuesday night, 9:30 Eastern Time, right here on CNN.

All right. The issues that could make or break this election, that's what we're looking at this hour. CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, looking at the health care plan of both President Obama and Mitt Romney. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since President Obama's health care law was enacted 3.1 million people under the age of 26 are now covered by their parents' plans. And preventive care is covered 100 percent by insurance companies. Seniors in particular have benefitted on prescription drugs.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Seniors who fall in the coverage gap known as the doughnut hole will start getting some help. They'll receive $250 to help pay for prescriptions and that will over time fill in the doughnut hole.

GUPTA: 5.5 million seniors have saved a total of nearly $4.5 billion on prescription drugs since the law was enacted. That's according to the Health and Human Services Department.

OBAMA: I have strengthened Medicare, we've added years to the life of Medicare. We did it by getting rid of taxpayer subsidies to insurance companies that weren't making people healthier.

GUPTA: By 2014, the law requires everyone to have health insurance, whether they purchase it themselves or through their employers. And insurers can't deny you if you have a pre-existing condition or increase your rates.

In hopes of covering more people the law planned to expand Medicaid to the states with the aim of covering 17 million more people. But the Supreme Court ruled in June that it was up to each state to decide whether to expand coverage.

The law has become a cornerstone of the Obama campaign.

OBAMA: I refuse to eliminate health insurance for millions of Americans who are poor and elderly or disabled. Also those with the most can pay less.

GUPTA: But Romney says the Affordable Care Act is unaffordable.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We know that health care is too expensive, Obamacare doesn't make it less expensive.

GUPTA: Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan propose to cap malpractice insurance, cut Medicaid by $810 million over the next 10 years, give states more control over their Medicaid funds, overhaul Medicare. The overhaul? People now younger than 55 when they reach retirement would have the option of getting a voucher to purchase private insurance or they could stick with traditional Medicare.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This financial support system is designed to guarantee that seniors can always afford Medicare coverage no exceptions.

GUPTA: While the repeal of Obamacare would get rid of the prescription drug benefit to seniors, Romney doesn't want to take out all of the law's provisions. ROMNEY: We have to make sure that people who have pre-existing conditions are able to get insured and that folks that get sick don't get dropped by their insurance company.

GUPTA: Douglas Holtz-Eakin is the president of the American Action Forum. He doesn't support the current health care law.

DOUGLAS HOLTZ-EAKIN, AMERICAN ACTION FORUM PRESIDENT: Both sides agree that the amount we spend on Medicare has to be capped. They just disagree how to get there. What Romney and Ryan say what we're going to do is give the money to seniors, give them a place to go, shop for competing choices. If they don't like the care they're getting, they get to go to another choice and that that will meet the cap.

GUPTA: Jonathan Cohn supports the law and writes about health care for "The New Republic."

JONATHAN COHN, WRITER, "THE NEW REPUBLIC": The Obama budget says, look, we want to hold down costs to this -- to this target and we're going to do our very best to accomplish that. But we're also not going to sacrifice benefits. No matter what happens, we will make sure that seniors get the same level of benefits they're getting now.

GUPTA: Both Obama and Romney agree that health care needs to be more affordable. They just disagree about how to do that.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The mayor of Phoenix lived for a week on a food stamp budget and now he'll tell us how that experience changed him.

And if you have to go out today, you can remember that we're everywhere. You can watch us from your mobile phone, you can also watch us from your laptop. Just go to CNN/TV.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, this hour we're taking a look at some of the key issues that could decide this election. And one is poverty. Could you feed yourself on $29 in a week?

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton wanted to know what that was like. So he tried living on a food stamp budget for seven days. He's joining me right now on the line from Phoenix.

So, Mayor, what got you to do this? What provoked you to give it a try to see if you could survive on food stamps?

MAYOR GREG STANTON, PHOENIX: Well, first, of course, is that we are living through the brutal economy, too many people in the city that I lead, the sixth largest city in America, are living through these incredibly difficult time. Many saw -- middle class people just a few years ago are living under very difficult circumstances. So when the Arizona Community Action Association issued a challenge to me to live off of food stamps to get a better sense of what people are going through, I couldn't say no, I had to do it to try to be a better leader and policymaker.

WHITFIELD: So you weren't at all reluctant. What did you discover in your first, you know, shot at seeing what you could buy and what you couldn't buy with the food stamps?

STANTON: Well, $29 for an entire week of eating doesn't go very far, and I had to live off of a lot of stuff that I used to eat when I was a college kid with not much of a budget. Top Ramen, beans, you know, that sort of thing. I had to skip a few meals in order to make the budget work. I ended up losing a few pounds which is not really what the program is supposed to do. So I learned a lot and I think it will make me a better policymaker as I deal with all of the people in my city particularly people living in poverty under these difficult economic times.

WHITFIELD: So now what would you take from that experience? You said makes you a better policymaker. But in particular, can you think of something off the bat where you are now wanting to kind of redress or something you want to tackle as a result of that experience knowing what so many people have to go through by living with so little?

STANTON: Well, there's too often stereotyping that goes on with people living on food stamps. The vast majority of people living on food stamps, they don't want to be doing that. They're going through incredibly difficult times. But temporary times. And these are people that need to be supported during these times and when the economy comes roaring back, and it's in the process of doing so, I'm an optimist.

I believe that they're going to be a big part of the future of our economy, so number one, don't present negative stereotypes of people who happen to be living on food stamps. Number two, there are a lot of kids, a lot of families with children that are going through these difficult times and need our help and so I'm telling people that, you know, if you want to support me on what I did what you can do is donate money or food to our local food banks that help to supplement what goes on at food stamps for families.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: But you mentioned policy changes.

STANTON: Particularly those families with kids.

WHITFIELD: You mentioned how this would -- this might potentially reshape you in a way you tried to shape policy. For example, what kind of policy?

STANTON: Well, we've got to do as much as we can to support families that are going through these difficult economic times. And it's not just the federal government. Federal government has a role. State government has a role. As a city of Phoenix, we need to make sure that we're getting out there, finding, number one, the number of people that are going through this and all we can do, all we can do to promote those entities, particularly those non-profits that are serving the poor in our community.

Make sure that we let the community know that they need to be supported, they need our help. Both as a government as well as the private sector and compassionate people stepping up to the plate. So hopefully raise awareness of what people go through.

Look, it was only a week for me. I mean, you know, it's not that big of a deal that I went through it. I could stand to have dropped a few pounds anyway. But the whole point was to raise awareness of an issue that a lot of people in our community are going through.

WHITFIELD: Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, thanks so much for your time.

STANTON: Happy to do it. Anytime. Have a great weekend.

WHITFIELD: All right. You too.

All right, the first presidential debate just three days away, on Wednesday. We'll take a hard look at the possible challenges each candidate could face as they go head to head for the first time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Among the domestic issues that will likely be tackled in this first presidential debate on Wednesday, health care, education, the economy, three days leading up to the big night. President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are in full political mode.

CNN's senior political analyst Ron Brownstein joining me now from New York. Good to see you.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, Fred. Glad to be here.

WHITFIELD: So, Ron, I talked with Candy earlier and she believes the pressure is on Romney to nail this first debate. So does that mean, in your view, if you agree with that, does that mean that, you know, he's got to try really hard to answer every question in detail or carefully avoid certain issues or topics that might be pitfalls for him?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, clearly I agree with that. I mean Mitt Romney is behind, and even if he wasn't behind, the reality is the president of course won in 2008. If he can hold his voters from 2008, he can win. Romney is the one that has to dislodge voters from the president. So the pressure is on.

You know, it is funny. I feel like if you look at the polling in this race, it does turn the expectations on its head in one respect. The challenge I think for Romney is not so much to make a case against President Obama as it is to make a case for himself.

He simply has not been able to convince even voters who are adamant about -- if any voters are adamant about Obama's performance on record on the first four years -- that he would do better over the next four years. In particular, he is suffering from this perception particularly in swing states that have seen the Obama advertising that he does not relate to or really care about the lives of average working people. And I think that is much more of a challenge for him in this debate to begin to reverse that perception. He didn't really do it as much as he needed to at the convention, that I think is job number one, more than making a case against the president.

WHITFIELD: When you talk about making a case for himself, for Romney, it would seem like health care might be a hallmark in which to do so, but on one hand he wants to talk about bringing universal health care to Massachusetts, but on the other hand talking about revealing all or some parts of the president's plan. You know he seems like he is really kind of between on what to do about health care, does he tout it? It was an accomplishment for him or does he downplay it because he wants to criticize the president?

BROWNSTEIN: And he has been tortured on this really from the on said health care reform, which, you know, structurally is very similar to what President Obama passed at the national level, was Romney's hallmark achievement as governor of Massachusetts. It was something that he could not embrace in the Republican primary and in fact kind of tried to emphasize deference's between what he did and President Obama did are were really kind of splitting hairs.

And now, in the general election, he is kind of sending mixed signals, on the one hand at times he has embraced certain aspects or goals, that overlap what president has done but the reality is Fred, and regardless of the messaging or the signaling, Mitt Romney has pledged to repeal President Obama's health care reform, that policy decision really kind of overrides any positioning. It really does ensure there's a stark contrast between the two of them on the issue if it comes up in the debate.

WHITFIELD: So does this end up giving the president kind of the upper hand even though he too is on the defensive as it pertains to health care?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think the president is clearly in the lead, but still in a somewhat precarious position. In some ways as we said on the cover of our "National Journal" magazine this week, he is defying gravity. He still has at almost 2/3 of the country or at least 60 percent saying we're on the wrong track, traditionally that's a very difficult environment for the incumbent to get reelected. I think with the president, the risk for president is that while voters are not being convinced they wanted to go in Romney's direction, simply extending where we are for another four years is not that attractive of a prospect particularly to the swing voters who are going to decide this thing.

So I think on the one hand, he's got to walk that tight rope amazingly saying we are moving in the right direction without seeming triumphfulest (ph) in an economy that still has many people disappointed. And also kind of give people a sense of the next four years that are going to be better in their lives than the previous four have been.

WHITFIELD: Sometimes we look ahead and look back and see that yes, what these candidates say is going to be important and pivotal but maybe what they don't say, what their body language potentially says., is also going to be close to watched. Who can forget the Gore-Bush debate? And you have to wonder between these two candidates, Romney and Obama, who's likely to win? Who's likely to be too breathy or maybe be an easy read just by facial expressions that could potentially hurt their performance?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Well, first of all, debates have -- there's no consistent record of whether debates have been significant or not. Certainly in 1980; to some extent in 1992 when George H. W. Bush looked at his watch. But do you remember a single moment from the debates in 1996? I mean they have not always mattered -- at times, they have, and at times, they haven't.

And as you say what matters is not always kind of the lines of arguments between the candidates but the general impression that they leave. And, again, I think this is more important for Romney than the president at this point. The president is being judged mostly on his record. Romney simply has not convinced an important slice of voters who are not overwhelmed with Obama's first term that he would do better in a second. I think ultimately he has to make it more comfortable with him. That's job one.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Fascinating stuff. All right, Ron Brownstein, thanks so much. We'll be listening for your insight throughout the week too. Big debate night, Wednesday night - folks, don't forget it.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: This programming note, the first presidential debate starting this Wednesday night, just three days away. You can watch it live right here on CNN, 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time and of course with CNN.com as well.

All right, gun control, well it can be a critical issue for some voters, but the presidential candidates may not be so far apart on that. Another 2012 issue right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: With just 37 days to go until the election, CNN is taking a look at some of the major issues shaping the campaign. Gun control is often a hot button issue in any presidential campaign, but the differences between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney may not be so big. CNN's Deborah Feyerick explains where each stands.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When it comes to gun control, those on the extremes of the debate see it in one of two ways. On one side, gun control is a threat to all law-abiding gun owners and their right to protect themselves. But on the other side, gun control is the only way to stem gun violence and potentially prevent tragedies like the summer's Colorado movie theater massacre and the Wisconsin temple shooting. So where do the candidates stand? Well, when it comes to the Second Amendment, both President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney say, yes, they support it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OBAMA: I believe in the Second Amendment. I believe in people's lawful right to bear arms.

ROMNEY: I will protect the Second Amendment's rights of the American people.

FEYERICK (voice-over): Both sides speak the language in the Constitution, President Obama attempting to pacify critics from the National Rifle Association.

OBAMA: I will not take your shotgun away. I will not take your rifle away. I won't take your handgun away.

FEYERICK: The fact he hasn't even tried doesn't placate the NRA, which continued unsubstantiated warning which began back in 2008.

WAYNE LAPIERRE, NRA PRESIDENT: All that first term lip service to gun owners is just part of a massive Obama conspiracy to deceive voters and hide his true intentions to destroy the Second Amendment during his second term.

FEYERICK: Romney has been actively cultivating the NRA, speaking at this year's convention. It's a switch for the once tough on guns governor.

Consider the Assault Weapons Ban. President Obama is a yes but with an asterisk. Mr. Romney moves from a yes to a no. Here is why.

In 2004, Governor Romney signed a permanent assault weapons ban in Massachusetts. Now candidate Romney says he opposes any new laws.

ROMNEY: We need a president who will enforce current laws, not create new ones that only serve to burden lawful gun owners.

FEYERICK: Mr. Obama stressed the need for a ban on assault weapons. So that's a yes.

OBAMA: A lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers not in the hands of criminals.

FEYERICK: The reason Obama's yes has an asterisk is that in four years no new gun control laws have been enacted. In fact, under Obama's watch, concealed weapons are now allowed on Amtrak trains and in national parks.

DAN GROSS, PRESIDENT, BRADY CAMPAIGN: He's continued to pay lip service to those things but he hasn't shown real leadership in pursuing those changes.

FEYERICK: Yes, background checks have gotten more thorough under President Obama for people legally buying guns in gun shops. But the big problem remains gun shows and the internet, specifically unlicensed dealers selling firearms to buyers with no background check needed. President Obama has supported closing the gun show loophole in the past. But the White House says his focus now is on existing laws. Governor Romney says no to any further regulation of gun shows.

ROMNEY: There's no particular change in law that is going to keep people who are intent on doing harm from doing harm.

OBAMA: The majority of gun owners would agree that we should do everything possible to prevent criminals and fugitives from purchasing weapons.

FEYERICK: So while President Obama says he wants tougher gun laws, little was done during his first term. Republican challenger Romney has done more in the past then now says it is enough. Those candidates apparently not so different now when it comes to gun control.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: We're looking at some of the key issues that could decide the presidential election, one of the issues, what to do about the estimated 10 million illegal immigrants living in this country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We're looking at some of the key issues that could decide the presidential election. One of the issues: what to do about the estimated ten million illegal immigrants living in this country? CNN's Casey Wian has a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Under President Obama, the United States has deported a record number of undocumented immigrants, mostly the result of targeting criminals for removal. But this summer, the president ordered a moratorium on deportations for young undocumented immigrants an opportunity for temporary legal status and work permits.

OBAMA: Now, let's be clear, this is not amnesty, this is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship. It's not a permanent fix.

WIAN: Mitt Romney favors enforcing existing immigration laws which he said would keep undocumented immigrants from getting jobs here and would ultimately force them to in effect deport themselves.

ROMNEY: I'm not in favor of a massive deportation effort, rounding up 12 million people and taking them out of the country, I believe people make their own choices as to whether they want to go home and that's what I mean by self-deportation.

WIAN: Obama supports the DREAM Act which would open a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrant students brought to the United States as children.

OBAMA: I have said time and time again to Congress that sent me the DREAM Act and put it on my desk and I will sign it right away.

WIAN: Not Romney.

ROMNEY: The question is if I were elected and Congress would of passed the DREAM Act would I veto it and the answer is yes. For those that come here illegally, the idea of giving them in state tuition credits or other special benefits I find to be contrary to the idea of a nation of laws.

WIAN: Obama's Justice Department sued to block Arizona's recently enacted SB1070 empowering police to check the immigration status of people they suspect may be in the country illegally.

OBAMA: I don't approve of the Arizona law. I think it's the wrong approach.

WIAN: Romney says Arizona's law attacked by critics who say it would encourage racial profiling could be a model for the nation.

ROMNEY: I support the Arizona law, recognizing that what Arizona has done underscores the failure of the federal government to do its job.

WIAN: In the election and immigration battleground state of Arizona, opinions are sharply divided.

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: Hopefully Romney doesn't win and doesn't take away the deport action. Because that is a fear. What I don't like is that he doesn't offer a solution, he just shuts down ideas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Obama wants to talk about what do we do with these ten to 20 million people. Well a lot of Americans including myself say before we have that discussion, let's secure the border.

WIAN: Both candidates say they'll work on that.

Casey Wian, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: It's an issue that impacts neighborhoods all across the country -- we're talking about illegal drugs. So why aren't the men who want to be president talking about it?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We are covering the top issues of the 2012 campaign all across the country. Illegal drugs and drug abuse are destroying communities and families. So why aren't the candidates talking more about it? John Zarrella reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A fishing trawler tries to outrun a Coast Guard cutter. The crew of the cutter fires its 50 caliber machine-gun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's smoke, that's smoke. All right!

ZARRELLA: Disabling the troller. On board, 20 tons of marijuana, this was the mid 1980s, the drug war was at its height. Then-Vice President George Bush headed up a task force to fight the problem.

GEORGE H. W. BUSH, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have got to do better in interdicting it.

ZARRELLA: In Miami, cocaine is found hidden in commercial jets, flowers, even boxes of yams. The problem is, some are not yams at all, rather plaster casts painted and shaped like yams, inside pure coke. Stash houses and drug labs are routinely raided. That was a war on drugs, these days it is not even a war of words.

The White House doesn't even call it a war any longer, focusing more on prevention. And in this political season, the issue of illicit drugs rarely gets a mention on the campaign trail.

When it does come up, President Obama and Milt Romney appear to be on the same page.

ROMNEY: The president of the United States must make a priority of helping reduce demand in this country.

OBAMA: The United States can focus on drug treatment and prevention.

GISELE POLLACK, JUDGE: Absolutely. I agree with that.

ZARRELLA: If anyone should know, it's Judge Gisele Pollack she resides over misdemeanor drug court in Broward County, Florida. The idea, you get clean, you avoid a criminal record.

POLLACK: You've done perfect throughout the entire program, with no violation of probation.

ZARRELLA: Pollack says drug courts ought to be a priority among the candidates because they reduce drug dependency and save taxpayers millions. And she got the numbers to back it up. A study showed that Pollack's court saved the county as much as $30 million a year over a five year period. Basically the difference in the cost of treatment and counseling versus incarceration.

POLLACK: If we can keep them out of the criminal justice system at this level, then we will save billions and billions in prison costs.

ZARRELLA: For the White House, it's a multi-layered approach, focus on education and prevention, and treat drugs and addition as a public health issue not just a criminal justice concern. Law enforcement continues choking off the supply.

This year, the federal government is spending just over $10 billion on prevention and treatment. Law enforcement and corrections just under $10. Mitt Romney has not outlined how he will allocate federal dollars, but both men say they are not in favor of legalizing marijuana and both are emphatic that working closely with Mexico which has used Florida as a favorite drug route is a must. Pollack says she would like more political discussion about drugs in part because substance abuse can be the result of a job lost in tough economic times.

POLLACK: We live in a society of aggravating stress. So it is only natural that people are going to substances, what ever they may be to numb their pain, their stress.

ZARRELLA: Ironically, the most talked about campaign issues leading to one of the least.

John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: When Barack Obama was elected in 2008, he was called the Facebook president. In 2012, everyone's using social media; we'll look at how social media might make the difference come Election Day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. We're taking a look at the big issues this election and if you want to see what the candidates are promising to do, learn more about the issues. We actually have some online tools for you our Josh Levs joins us with that.

Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so Fred, it's easy to hear the claims and the counterclaims. What I want all you to have are the facts. Not just what the candidates are saying they will achieve, but what their records are and how it is playing out so far. I want to show a great resource, this is called CNN.com/election, very easy to remember and when you get there, it gives you all sorts of information about what's going on in this election. Now one of the features that we have here is a section that is on issues.

If you zoom me over here, you will see you can click on whatever issue is important to you, whether it's health care, immigration, foreign policy. I have a graphic for you, lets go to this here, I just want to show you an example the kinds of things you can learn about. I'm not pretending to summarize their whole policies in a matter of seconds.

But, for example, for the environment, you can learn about how President Obama refers to his policy and energy being all of the above policy. He also promised 5 million green jobs when he ran in 2008. There has not been 5 million green jobs, there's an estimate of about 3.1million that is very broad. Mitt Romney supports more drilling and also pushes for more deregulation which is very controversial. There are some people out there want more regulation. We also have back on my screen here, a rundown of nine different hot points, flash points on which these two disagree on energy.

So if you go to CNN.com/election. You will see all sorts of information there that will help you get to the bottom and you will be able to see who you agree with more. Everything I just showed you, I'm going to go tweet out right now as soon as I'm off the air.

Josh Levs, CNN.

WHITFIELD: A perfect. Thanks so much, Josh.

LEVS: You got it.

WHITFIELD: All right. You're in THE NEWSROOM. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. It is crunch time for the presidential candidates. President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have just three days now to prepare for their first debate.