Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Hillary And Obama 2008 Debate; Romney During 2011 Debate; Pennsylvania I.D. Law Halted; Awaiting October Surprise; Winning The Debate; Debate Could Make History; Loose Seats on Flights; American's Taxes Could Go Up Thousands; Boston EMS Could Have Tampered with Drugs; Romney, Obama Battle for Latino Votes
Aired October 02, 2012 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: I want to get right to it. We are just 32 hours away from the first presidential debate. President Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney taking the stage at the University of Denver in Colorado. This is a live picture. This is inside the hall. This is where the two men are going to face off for the first time. Lots at stake for both of the candidates. Now, according to our latest CNN Poll of Polls which is an average of five national polls, it is a tight race among likely voters. The president has 49 percent, Mitt Romney at 46 percent. Now, both men, they've had moments in the past debates that they probably wished they could do a do over. As a matter of fact, we recall a heated exchange between Hillary Clinton and President Obama at the CNN and Congressional Black Caucus debate back in 2008 in South Carolina.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: While I was working on those streets watching those folks see their jobs shipped overseas, you were a corporate lawyer sitting on the board of Wal-Mart. I was fighting these fights. I was fighting these fights.
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: I was fighting against those ideas when you were practicing law and representing your contributor in his slum landlord business in inner city Chicago.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So, Wolf Blitzer, Joe Johns and myself, we had a chance to ask questions of the candidates in Myrtle Beach. I want to bring in Joe Johns, because, Joe, I don't know if you remember just the energy in that room. I mean, you knew when they went after each other that the battle was on. It was game on time. You had cheers. You had jeers. All of that. And people remember those moments. What do you think --
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
MALVEAUX: -- what do you think the President -- what do you think he learned out of that experience? JOHNS: You know, I thought about that for a while today, Suzanne. I think the President clearly perfected his style. At some point, during all of those debates four years ago, it was pretty clear to me that he started seeing, even then, that any flashes of anger on his part were more likely than not to go over poorly. So, in that debate that you and in moderated together with Wolf, we saw efforts by Hillary Clinton, who was also running for president at the time, to get under the President's skin, to get under Mr. Obama's skin again and again and again. It looked like, to some degree there in South Carolina, both Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton were sort of -- were sort of going after him at the same time, trying to fluster him when he got to the -- this debate. He never went there. And I think that's telling for this debate upcoming. All these attempts to try to fluster him, he's -- you know, do you remember, Suzanne, the talk about Ronald Reagan in that debate?
MALVEAUX: Right, right.
JOHNS: Do you recall that?
MALVEAUX: Yes, that's right.
JOHNS: Well, all this talk about Ronald Reagan and whether Obama had sort of invoked the name of Ronald Reagan because so many Democrats didn't like him or whatever. Well, senator Obama then took the punches, explained what he said about Reagan and then sort of took it back to her, keeping the under control -- the anger under control, I should say, finding balance and pushing back hard, just not too hard.
MALVEAUX: It was interesting, too, as well, because you could ask the most dry, mundane question, that even, say, you know, --
JOHNS: Pow.
MALVEAUX: -- dealing with the economy. And they would just go back --
JOHNS: Right.
MALVEAUX: -- to the talking points in the attacks there. I mean, it was very clear they were trying to score points.
JOHNS: Fireworks.
MALVEAUX: Fireworks, absolutely. A game changer, if you will. I want you to see --
JOHNS: Yes.
MALVEAUX: -- here's Mitt Romney in a scenario that played out in the debates, the primaries, with Rick Perry in Las Vegas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: The newspaper --
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm speaking.
PERRY: -- the newspaper --
ROMNEY: I'm speaking.
PERRY: It's time for you --
ROMNEY: I'm speaking. You get 30 seconds.
PERRY: It's time for you --
ROMNEY: This is the way the rules work here is that I get 60 seconds --
PERRY: -- well, no, but the American people --
ROMNEY: -- and then you get -- and then you get 30 seconds respond, right?
PERRY: -- and they want to hear you say --
ROMNEY: Anderson?
PERRY: -- that you knew you had illegals --
ROMNEY: Would you please -- would you please wait?
PERRY: -- working at your --
ROMNEY: Are you just going keep talking?
PERRY: Yes, sir.
ROMNEY: Let me finish what I have to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: All right. There's always that opportunity, really, when somebody gets in the other's skin and you lose control of the debate.
JOHNS: Yes.
MALVEAUX: And he clearly lost control over his cool, calm demeanor. What are some of the challenges that he's going to be up against when he's faced off with Obama?
JOHNS: I think you're absolutely right. I mean, that's a situation where it gets out of control and people start not looking very presidential. And you certainly don't want that on either side. So, my guess is you're going to see President Obama playing defense first. That's usually the tactic in a situation like this. President of the United States comes in, defends his record, makes the case for why he deserves a second term and the challenger then it's up to him to try to attack the record and to bring this president down a notch. So, in all likelihood, my suspicion is you'll see President Obama playing defense first, -- MALVEAUX: Yes.
JOHNS: -- and Mitt Romney sort of going after him and trying to take a few chunks out of the armor.
MALVEAUX: And, Joe, on another matter -- a breaking news matter out of Pennsylvania. You've been covering this, this judge that's ruled the state can't enforce the new voter I.D. law --
JOHNS: Yes.
MALVEAUX: -- in the upcoming election. Who does it impact? What does it mean?
JOHNS: Well, we're talking about probably 90,000, some say maybe 100,000, even more according to some accounts, of people who don't have the type of I.D. required under this new law in the state of Pennsylvania. The judge, after an appeals court ruled, had to essentially put in an injunction. That injunction says, we're not going to enforce this voter I.D. law through November. Nonetheless, he also left it open for people at the polls to ask for I.D. of people who come to vote. It's just that the law is not going to be enforced.
There's a question right now that we're still trying to work out as to whether they'll have to fill out provisional ballots or they can just vote regularly even if they don't have I.D. But after November, that Pennsylvania law remains in place and they are going to go back to the whole I.D. law idea.
MALVEAUX: OK. All right, Joe, thank you. Good to see you as always. We'll be watching the debate.
Don't forget, you catch all the debate action right here on CNN. CNN's live coverage of Wednesday night's debate starts at 7:00 Eastern.
And the question, will Israel strike Iran? Will the stock market dictate a dive? Will America get hit with another terrorist attack? Those are just some of the scenarios that could be an October surprise. We're talking about an event that happens late in the election season that could have a major impact on who actually wins the White House. As Dana Bash shows us, it's happened before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Election year 1972. The raging unpopular war in Vietnam consumed the bitter campaign battle between President Nixon and George McGovern. Suddenly, on October 26th, 12 days before the election, Vietnam negotiator Henry Kissinger made a surprise declaration believed to cement Nixon's front-runner status.
HENRY KISSINGER, 1972 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We believe that peace is at hand.
BASH: It was the first so-called October surprise. A late in the game campaign event with a significant impact on the election.
ROBERT DALLEK, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: In order to win re-election for Nixon in 1972, he needed to end the Vietnam war. And this was sort of the definitive statement.
BASH: The most famous October surprise was in 1980, and the surprise was what did not happen. Fifty-two U.S. hostages held in Iran were not released before the election despite president carter's efforts. Instead, they were freed as soon as Ronald Reagan was inaugurated setting off Democratic suspicion never proven that Reagan emissaries back channeled with Iran to delay freeing the hostages and denied the troubled Carter campaign a huge pre-election boost.
DALLEK: It fed into the whole dynamic of the 1980 race in sense that Jimmy Carter was a stumbling ineffective president.
BASH: Fast forward to 1992. President George H. W. Bush was already on the ropes against Bill Clinton over a sluggish economy when Casper Weinberger, former President Ronald Reagan's defense secretary, was implicated in the Iran contra scandal shortly before election day. Bad news that Bush, who served as Reagan's vice president, did not need. In 2004, a classic October surprise. Osama Bin Laden released a video on October 29th, just four days before election day in a razor thin race between President Bush and John Kerry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: INAUDIBLE.
BASH: Three years after 911, it served as a reminder of the terrorist threat and strategists in both parties believed helped President Bush. More recently, the term October surprise has come to mean a seismic event in the fall of an election year. Though most have centered around foreign policy, others have been about the economy like in 2008.
When the economy imploded, John McCain's advisers say his campaign collapsed along with it and never recovered. Historians say, in order for an October surprise to have a real 11th hour impact, it has to feed into a narrative that already exist, whether it's Carter's ineffectiveness or questions about McCain's credentials on the economy.
DALLEK: It's not so much that suddenly, eureka, this is so surprising, so amazing, but rather people nod, yes, this is where we thought things were going.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Dana Bash joins us live from Washington. So, Dana, first of all, I guess people are going to be take a look at Friday's numbers, the jobs numbers, and do we think that could be a -- the October surprise that people are waiting for on the unemployment?
BASH: You know, it could be -- if it's anything like the unemployment reports that we've seen important the past several months, it's going to be pretty static in that would not be a surprise. But, you know, what was interesting about what Robert Dallek, the presidential historian we talked to said, it really is true about these October surprises. They really only have an impact if it's -- because it's so late in the game, if it feeds into a feeling that people have which is why maybe Mitt Romney's 47 percent comment could have been the October surprise.
But, you know, what makes our jobs -- one of the things that makes our jobs some interesting and sometimes fun is we really don't know. And it might be one of the campaigns has in their pocket, a dirty trick, that they're going to whip out at the last minute. But you know what? It's a surprise so by definition, we don't know what it's going to be.
MALVEAUX: We'll see -- we'll see how the next couple of weeks go. All right, Dana, thank you so much, we appreciate it.
Here's what we're working on for this hour.
(voice-over): Imagine being on a plane and your seat comes loose during the flight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the seat is loose, we don't want it flying around and hurting the passengers behind it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: It's happened twice on American Airlines flights.
Plus, if Congress doesn't act soon, your taxes could go up more than $3,000.
And crime is up in New York, and would you believe it's because of Apple products? Yes, your iPhone is causing a spike in theft.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Just 35 days until the election. Early voting already starts today in Ohio, and Florida the first absentee ballots hit the mail this morning. The big question is who's going to win tomorrow's debate? Both President Obama and Mitt Romney trying to down play expectations, of course.
Joining us from Washington to talk about it, Democratic strategist Donna Brazil and Republican strategist Ana Navarro. Good to see you both.
DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good to see you.
MALVEAUX: Let's take a look at this poll, ABC's "The Washington Post" poll, that says Americans -- who Americans think that are going to win this thing. Fifty-five percent of likely voters say President Obama is going to. Thirty-one percent who say Romney is going to come out on top. So, it's pretty consistent with some earlier polling that we've seen. Donna, does it help or hurt the President that people are already going in thinking, OK, he's going to win this thing? BRAZILE: Well, that should reassure the President. Of course, I think he has to come across as confident tomorrow. He has a terrific record to tell the American people. Mitt Romney has been in dress rehearsal for this first debate now for five years. I suspect that he'll be the more aggressive person tomorrow. But President Obama should preempt any strike that Mitt Romney intends to aim at him -- you know, attack, attack, attack -- by hitting him with a very big question that could possibly knock him off his game plan and make him rely on those zingers that he's been working on.
MALVEAUX: All right, Ana, what do you think?
ANA NAVARRO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think, Suzanne, there is a lot of pre-debate spin. Both of these guys are very experienced, very seasoned debaters. They've both been in it and been debating for the last five years. You'll remember that there were many debates that then candidate Barack Obama and now President Barack Obama did in the Democrat primary four years ago, as well as Mitt Romney had debates four years ago and also in this most recent primary.
President Obama does have the advantage of having done the one on one with John McCain four years ago. He went one on one with McCain. He did very well.
MALVEAUX: All right.
NAVARRO: Most would say that he beat John McCain. So I think -- I think the onerous is on President Obama.
MALVEAUX: Todd Graham, he's director of debates at Southern Illinois University. So he wrote an op-ed for CNN today and he says that both of them, they have their strengths and their weaknesses here and that this is really going to be the most -- one of the most important presidential debates that we've seen in history. So here's how he outlines it here.
He says, first of all, when you talk about Romney's strength, he says Romney is smooth, knowledgeable, has excellent first lines, and tends to pivot. He's able to pivot when he needs too. He says President Obama, his strengths, he can be detached, he has an ability to focus and crystallize, that he's very strong on his reasoning.
Donna, do you see either one of these as being accurate here? Do you think that there's some sort of opportunity, if you will, for the President to attack on Romney's strengths, or is he pretty formidable?
BRAZILE: Oh, yes. Look, I think -- look, I think President Obama is preparing very well for this debate based on what I've seen in the newspapers. But, you know, this is like the opening night on Broadway where you're both playing to the audience and the room, as well as to the public out at large. And if you get a good review, as I hope President Obama will receive, then that will continue to help him, you know, lead in the poll and get people out to vote.
I have to tell my good friend Ana that President Obama has not been in a one on one debate since October 15, 2008, unless he's doing something behind closed doors with Joe Biden, debating him. But I think Mitt Romney is the one that's been, like I say, well prepared. And he speaks in perfect sound bites.
MALVEAUX: Ana, I weigh in on the weaknesses here. This is -- this is what he says in terms of weakness. For Romney he says he is too smooth, that he is debating and he's coming from behind, because most people think that he's not going to win. And then they talk about Obama's weaknesses, saying that he has a slow approach, sometimes a stuttering approach, and he can be somewhat long-winded. How do you evaluate that?
NAVARRO: Yes, I think both of them have strengths and weaknesses. I disagree that some of those are weaknesses and some are strengths. I think President Obama's detachment can actually be a weakness. Sometimes he comes across as aloof, as somewhat condescending and detached. Detached from what's going on at that moment.
I think both of them, also, are capable of losing their cool. I've seen it happen with both of them in previous debates. Mitt Romney actually being from behind can be an advantage for him. The times I've seen him do best is when he is the underdog, when he is on the ropes. I saw him do best, probably his two best debates, Suzanne, were the Florida debates with when Newt Gingrich had just beat him like a pulp in the South Carolina debates a few weeks before. So I think that could actually be an advantage for Mitt Romney. He seems to be good under pressure. But, you know, both these guys have a lot of strengths and some weaknesses.
MALVEAUX: OK.
BRAZILE: The question is, (INAUDIBLE) nasty candidate.
NAVARRO: (INAUDIBLE) will the opponent be able to exploit those.
MALVEAUX: Let's talk specifically --
BRAZILE: They don't want a nasty candidate, Ana. I mean the nastiness is time out for that. We know the base of both political parties are very enthusiastic. This is about appealing to those undecided moderates and independents and their -- and nasty is not cool.
MALVEAUX: Let's talk about --
NAVARRO: No, nasty -- let's actually talk about nasty.
MALVEAUX: Let's (INAUDIBLE) talk about appealing to Latino voters, because CNN is actually going to release a new poll out today to talk a little bit about that. But we know that back in 2008 McCain had 31 percent of the Latino vote. That was not as good as George W. Bush in 2004. He had 44 percent of the Latino vote. Romney needs at least a quarter to a third of Latino voters to be competitive in states like Colorado, where the debate is, and that kind of thing.
So, Ana, real quickly here, because I want to get to Donna as well on this issue, what does he need to do to appeal to Latino voters? NAVARRO: I think he -- I think Latino voters need to know more about Mitt Romney. And they know very little, precious little about him. And the little they have known, they haven't liked. He has begun to change his tone as of late. He needs to continue doing Latino outreach. He needs to continue doing events, doing interviews, doing media, pouring money and resources into paid media and to outreach efforts.
MALVEAUX: And, Donna, to that point, Romney has actually moved closer to President Obama on immigration issues, just very recently saying he's not going to revoke the visas, deport young illegal immigrants under President Obama's new law here. Does that present a problem to the President here if he moves closer?
BRAZILE: Well, look, we know that Mitt Romney has a pension for Etch- a-Sketch. He likes to erase his previous statements and his previous support for SB-1070, show me your papers in Arizona. But he's turned his back on Latino voters. It's very difficult to appeal to a very large and influential segment of our population when you've already said things that turn most of them off. So I would tell Mitt Romney, well, you know what, bye-bye. How do you say that in Spanish?
MALVEAUX: All right.
NAVARRO: Adios. (SPEAKING IN SPANISH).
MALVEAUX: All right, Ana --
BRAZILE: Adios.
NAVARRO: (INAUDIBLE), Donna, he's going to -- he's going to keep on trying or he's going lose.
BRAZILE: Adios.
MALVEAUX: We're running out of time here.
NAVARRO: (INAUDIBLE) to the last day.
MALVEAUX: I've got say -- I got to say bye-bye, adios to both of you. We'll bring you back, I promise.
BRAZILE: Adios. Adios.
MALVEAUX: All right.
Presidential candidates may not win election with good debate performances, but a bad one, of course, can destroy it. The good, the bad, the ugly from a half century worth of debates, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: We're about 32 hours away from the Obama-Romney debate in Denver. And while debates may not always change the course of the elections, they, of course, can have some pretty powerful moments, revealing something about the politicians running for president. Anderson Cooper, he shows us some of the most memorable debates. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): September 26, 1960. The first televised presidential debate, signaling a new era where appearances mattered more than ever and gaffes, however small, are magnified.
JOHN F. KENNEDY, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: The goals are the same for all Americans.
COOPER: John F. Kennedy, a young senator from Massachusetts, facing off against Vice President Richard Nixon, who's known to be a fierce debater. But on screen, Kennedy looks cool and calm, while Nixon looks uncomfortable, sweating profusely under the hot studio lights.
RICHARD NIXON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I think I'd better shave.
COOPER: Nixon flounders under the glare of television for all four debates. Kennedy goes on to win the election. In 1976, President Gerald Ford makes this blunder in his debate with Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter.
GERALD FORD, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: There is no Soviet domination of eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry. What -- could I just --
COOPER: The remark becomes a central theme in Carter's campaign and is blamed by many for costing Ford the election.
In 1980, Ronald Reagan is repeatedly attacked by President Carter for his stance on health care.
JIMMY CARTER, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Governor Reagan, as a matter of fact, began his political career campaigning around this nation against Medicare.
COOPER: But Reagan wins fans and the election by staying cool.
RONALD REAGAN, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: There you go again.
COOPER: Four years later, President Reagan again uses humor to handle attacks on his age during his debate with Walter Mondale.
REAGAN: And I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience.
COOPER: In the next election, Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis is asked this controversial question in his debate with Vice President George Bush.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor, if Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?
MICHAEL DUKAKIS, FORMER DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, I don't, Bernard (ph), and I think you know that I've opposed the death penalty during all of my life.
COOPER: The public sees his answer as cold and dispassionate and that very night his poll numbers drop. During the 1988 vice presidential debate, Republican Senator Dan Quayle's comparison of John F. Kennedy elicits this blistering response from his opponent.
LLOYD BENTSEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.
COOPER: Body language plays a part in the presidential debate in 1992. George H.W. Bush deliberately looks at his watch and he pays for it when the audience and voters see it as disrespectful.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: There's differences --
AL GORE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: (SIGH).
COOPER: Body language makes a difference in the debate between Al Gore and George W. Bush as well. Gore sighs over and over again. And Bush, the underdog, surprises by winning the debate and, of course, the election.
Both President Obama and Governor Romney are seasoned debaters. And experts say neither are prone to making major gaffes. But if there is one thing that history's taught us, when it comes to presidential debates, expect the unexpected.
Anderson Cooper, CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Don't forget, you can catch all the debate action right here on CNN. CNN's live coverage of Wednesday night's debate starts at 7:00 Eastern.
And talk about second chances. He was hit in the head in his first major league at bat. Well now, seven years later, he'll step up to the plate again.
Don't forget, you can watch CNN live on your computer while you're at work. Head to cnn.com/tv.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Character -- how is it measured best? It's not about being knocked down. It's what happens afterwards. Adam Greenberg was knocked down by a 92 mile-an-hour fast ball, his first and only major league at-bat. Despite years of concussion issues, he never gave up his baseball dream. With the help of an online campaign and one-day contract with the Florida Marlins', Greenberg will bat again tonight. He told CNN it's all about not staying down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADAM GREENBERG, WILL BAT WITH FLORIDA MARLINS: This campaign and this at-bat is a success already. So the result of what happens on Tuesday, it's one at-bat, but obviously it's resonated with so many people, showing the power of the human spirit, the power of perseverance and just staying positive and not letting yourself stay down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Good for him.
So when you take off on a flight, last thing you worry about is if your seat is actually secure. What if it came loose? That's happened twice in the last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there. Today on the "Help Desk" we're talking about adjusting your investments during retirement.
With me this hour are Liz Miller and Greg McBride.
Greg, listen to this question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I recently retired. Young retiree at 56. I still have my 60-40 equity bond allocation. Should I be investing any differently now that I'm not a working person?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: And there are lots of choices out there, right, Greg?
GREG MCBRIDE, SENIOR FINANCIAL ANALYST, BANKRATE.COM: There are. I like that equity bond split she has the 60-40. The only thing I would recommend is sprinkle in some alternative investment, things like precious metals or real estate investment trusts for better diversification. As a young retiree, at 56, I like that bias towards equities because that's what will preserve her buying power and keep ahead of inflation in the decades ahead.
KOSIK: What about gold. A lot of retirees are really getting hooked on gold at his point.
MCBRIDE: Well, it's nice for a diversification. It does not produce income. So I like maybe 5 percent of the portfolio, as a way to diversity. A nice hedge against inflation. It won't produce income like other investments, like dividends or bank stocks and bonds will.
KOSIK: Anything else you can suggest?
LIZ MILLER, PRESIDENT, SUMMIT PLACE FINANCIAL ADVISORS: I think that if 60-40 was the right mix for her before retirement, then that's good to stick with. But at her age, I would often se clients end pushing that more towards a 70-30. She easily may be funding 40, 45 years ahead of her of life, so she may need more allocations to some growth opportunities.
KOSIK: Some great advice.
Thanks.
If you have an issue you want our experts to tackle, upload a 30- second video to our "Help Desk" to iReport.com.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: American Airlines flight from Chicago to London is diverted to Ireland after a passenger smells smoke. The problem was an overhead fan that overheated. That is not the only problem the airlines have been dealing with. This is video we just got in here. Shows you what has happened on a couple of flights at least twice in the past few days. Passenger seats detached from the floor mid- flight. Last week, a flight from Boston-Miami had to make an emergency landing at JFK in New York after three seats detached during the flight. Yesterday, a flight from New York to Miami had to return to JFK after some seats came loose in the cabin.
So take a listen to the pilot on that flight. He's trying to explain what happened to airline controllers. He's explaining to it them, and the crew and how they are dealing with all this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PILOT: Got an unusual one for you. During climb-out, rows of passengers seats rows 12 "D," "E" and "F" came loose out of the floor. Passengers are unable to sit in that seat. And so we're rearranging the row of seats to prevent a hazard later in the flight if we hit turbulence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: I want to bring in former CNN colleague, friend, pilot, aviation analyst, Miles O'Brien.
Miles, good to see you.
You know a lot of things about this. Clearly, does this sound like something that is just totally out of the box or have you heard of something like this happening before?
MILES O'BRIEN, PILOT & AVIATION ANALYST: Well it's unusual. Of course, American Airlines is under quite a microscope right now because of the bankruptcy and the ensuing work slow down by the pilots. And so we're paying a lot of attention to little maintenance issue that American Airlines has right now.
Having said that, rocking chairs on an airplane, not a good idea.
MALVEAUX: Not a good idea. We actually have some new video out of Boston, American Airlines, it looks like they are pulling some seats off the planes. Is this the kind of problem that can be resolved quickly and easily, or is it something that speaks of a bigger more dangerous issue?
O'BRIEN: Well, yes and yes. First of all, yes. Just as simple as tightening a few bolts. And it's interesting, pilots before 9/11 carried a little tool kit with them, and now they can't bring them on board. This might have been, pre-9/11, would have been solved more easily.
The bigger issue is you have an airline in bankruptcy with pilots who are upset and flying to the absolute letter of the maintenance law, causing a lot of work slow downs but, more importantly, a raft of work orders for those maintenance teams. You have to ask yourself, number one, are they too busy to make sure those bolts are properly tightened and, secondly, how much is American Airlines outsourcing this work to other maintenance facilities that may or may not be doing the job as well.
I should point out that an airline in bankruptcy like American, the FAA steps up its investigations and its supervision of that airline. So, in theory, they are operating with the government looking over their shoulder.
MALVEAUX: Sure. Miles, you bring up a good point. Obviously, they have priorities. When it comes to loose seats, how does that rank in terms of a safety issue?
O'BRIEN: Well, it's one of those things that's so simple you and I can fix it. Site seems like big deal. But having said that look what happens. When the seats go loose anticipate there's no way to fix it easy in flight it causes all kind of disruptions. So little things lead to big things in aviation. Every pilot knows that. And that is why you're seeing what you're seeing.
MALVEAUX: Miles O'Brien. Miles, good to see you, as always.
O'BRIEN: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: What could be worse than a weak job and housing market? We're talking about the dreaded fiscal cliff. Economists think it's the most serious risk facing our economy. And your taxes can go up thousands of dollars.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Time running out for Congress and the president to reach a budget deal. If they don't, we could come what's called the "fiscal cliff" that could cost thousands of dollars in tax increase because a slew of temporary tax cuts are due to expire in January.
Alison Kosik, at the New York Stock Exchange, is here to talk a little bit what folks on Wall Street are calling a major threat to the economy.
Why do they say that?
KOSIK: It's because, Suzanne, if you have less money in your wallet it means you have less money to spend, so it goes with this fiscal cliff. That's part of the reason economists are saying we can go into a recession if we go off this fiscal cliff because it means we would pay a lot more in money in taxes. So for the average American, thousands of more in tax.
The Tax Policy Center breaks this down pretty well. Look at this. So if you're making less than $20,000, you pay an extra $400 in taxes. Fall into the middle income range, you would pay an extra $2,000. People making over $108,000, you pay an extra $14,000. A record number of tax increases all kick in starting in January. You'll see the Bush-era taxes expire. Health reform taxes kick in. This will have a huge impact because 88 percent Americans, Suzanne, would pay more in taxes.
MALVEAUX: How likely do we think the tax increases will kick in?
KOSIK: The good news is "CNN Money" asked 17 economists what do you think whether or not Congress can get a deal done in time, and the answer was unanimous, all 17 said, you know what, you're not going to go off the fiscal cliff. We are definitely not. But for them, it's just a guess. Those economists are putting a lot of faith in Congress at this point. And the reality is, don't expect anything to happen until after the election on November 6th. It's going to come down the wire. The big worry is that we could go into a recession if Congress doesn't get their act together in time -- Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: Even if we don't fall off a fiscal cliff, there's a chance that at least some of the tax increases will go into effect?
KOSIK: Exactly. Some taxes could still go up even if Congress avoids the full fiscal cliff. A good example is the payroll tax credit. Expect that to expire no matter what. The reality is there's no champion behind it. The White House isn't pushing for an extension. Tim Geithner said this was meant to be a temporary tax cut.
The worse case scenario, somebody making $50,000, would pay an extra $1,000 in payroll taxes. The bigger picture is, hopefully, we avoid the Tax Policy Centers doomsday scenario -- Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: Thank you, Alison.
New York police say the theft of Apple products, way up. More than 11,000 Apple gadgets have been stolen so far this year. That's 3,000 more than last year at this time. If it weren't for the increase in those thefts, crime would be down in the city. Booths were set up outside of the Apple stores to help buyers activate technology that can track stolen phones.
Paramedics supposed to save your life, not put it in danger, but that's what happened to some folks in Boston.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Another health scare in New England. Just this summer, dozens of people were infected with hepatitis C in New Hampshire when a lab tech tampered with medicines. Now we're hearing about another alleged tampering incident that happened in the Boston area. I want to bring in Elizabeth Cohen to talk about -- what is going on here.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I don't want to regionalize this because experts will tell you this is going on all over the country and we're not catching most of it.
In this case, what's going on is that there was a paramedic working for Boston EMS, and late last year, they got a feeling something wasn't quite right. They are doing an investigation. And what is possible, what possibly might have happened here, what the concern is, is that he was -- he or she. We don't know the gender -- was doing drug diversion, meaning drugs meant for patients, he or she was taking some of that drug him or herself.
MALVEAUX: Oh, I see.
COHEN: Little for the patient, little for me. Maybe none for the patient, all for me. It happens in a variety of ways. 57 patients might have been impacted.
MALVEAUX: What kind of drugs are we talking about?
COHEN: They won't say exactly. What Boston EMS says is, "We have sedatives on board we use for patients. We have pain killers like morphine and fentanyl that we use for patients." They did say they're no longer using morphine because of this incident. Which makes you think morphine might have been one of the ones involved.
There are no good statistics on this. When I spoke to law enforcement agencies that made this a priority and look for it they have found it in spades. It is relatively common. Nurses, paramedics, doctors, they have this incredible access to these painkillers. And they usually you know it relatively easy to do without getting caught.
MALVEAUX: Should we be worried?
COHEN: I think it is not something you can actually do much about, so I always feel, why worry about something you can't do much about. I always say if you find you're going in for a procedure and supposed to be sedated or receiving pain medication, and the pain is not going away, you're not sedated, you should definitely raise your hand and say, wait a minute --
(CROSSTALK)
MALVEAUX: Something is not right.
COHEN: Something is not right. Maybe it is you and the way you're reacting to the drug, but maybe it is that the health care practitioner has taken some of the drug. I don't want to make it sounds like this happens every day, all the time, but it definitely happens, and it is something to be aware of. Not something to worry about, but something to be aware of.
MALVEAUX: Elizabeth, thank you. COHEN: Thank you.
MALVEAUX: Appreciate it.
It could be the deciding factor in several states this election. We're talking about the Latino vote and the battle from both sides to win it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: One area where there's no disagreement between Mitt Romney and President Obama is on the importance of Latino vote.
We go "In-depth" with Miguel Marquez who shows us how powerful Latino vote will be November 6th.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It might sound like Mexico, but this is the fight for the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
ROMNEY: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) -- Mitt Romney. (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ: Welcome to Washoe County, Nevada, the front line in this battleground state. Washoe County's 250,000 voters are expected to decide whether Nevada goes blue or red. And Latinos, about 30,000 votes here, could make the critical difference in a race that could come down to a few thousand votes.
Here's how Nevada's 1.4 million votes break down and way Washoe is a battleground within the battleground. Most of the votes here are in Clark County. That's Las Vegas. It leans left. And rural Nevada is solidly Republican. The state almost evenly split. It leaves Washoe County, and that biggest little city in the world, Reno, feeling like, well, the biggest little city in the world.
(SHOUTING)
MARQUEZ: To the Democrats here, the ground war is on. Bus loads of party faithful, some from other states, already knocking on doors, appealing directly to Latinos.
(APPLAUSE) MARQUEZ: Republicans too seeking favor with Latino voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(on camera): Mitt Romney -- (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
CRAIG ROMNEY, SON OF MITT ROMNEY: Si.
MARQUEZ: The candidates' Spanish speaking son, on one of the many trips by the candidate. His family and surrogates all descending on Nevada. Obama, First Lady and their surrogates doing the same. A massive effort on both sides for Nevada's six electoral votes.
CRAIG ROMNEY: That's why you saw my dad here Friday, my mom here yesterday. We have got -- you know, this is -- this state is very important to us, as are many other states across the country. But this election is going to come down to just a handful of votes probably in the entire country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, ma'am. Are you registered to vote? (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
MARQUEZ: Registering Latinos, new voters a priority in the state where the margin of victory could be razor thin.
(on camera): You've been out here how long today?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today, like five hours.
MARQUEZ: Five hours. How many people have you gotten to register?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Six people.
MARQUEZ: That's about -- that's not very good, is it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know, is it? I know.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): The growing Latino population decisive here in Nevada and across the country, if only it voted.
ERIC HERZIK, UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO: The Latino voter is in a sense an untapped resource in many instances. The registration level, the turnout level in the Latino community lags badly to other groups.
MARQUEZ: In 2008, nearly 20 million eligible voters nationwide were Latinos. But less than 10 million actually showed up to vote.
ROSA LOPEZ, CULINARY WORKER'S UNION: It is really important to be after them. I can say that. It makes sure that they go and vote.
MARQUEZ: The White House, in the balance, Latino voters could help either party win the whole enchilada.
Miguel Marquez, CNN, Reno, Nevada.
(END VIDEO CLIP) MALVEAUX: "We are deeply sorry for what has happened." Now, that is the response from IKEA. The Swedish retail giant has come under criticism now for intentionally removing photos of women in cat logs that were shipped to Saudi Arabia. The company is investigating why the photos were omitted in the first place. Saudi Arabia doesn't prohibit the presence of women in marketing materials.
Several other stories caught our attention today, photos as well. Take a look at these.
Gandhi was born 143 years ago today. 1,000 students in India dressed up as Gandhi to celebrate. They set a Guinness World Book record for the largest number of folks to do so. Gandhi, of course, helped India gain independence from Britain.
A Buddhist monk in Bangladesh looks through the rubble of a burned temple. Today, police arrested hundreds linked to burning Buddhist buildings and homes over the weekend.
Toyota unveiled this pretty cool concept car at an electronics show in Japan. It is called the Smart Insect. Uses facial recognition to greet the driver with flashing headlights. Like your Smartphone, it uses voice commands. You can tell it, "Open the door."
Storms, too many coral eating star fish and coral bleaching. Research scientists in Australia say these are the three factors most responsible for the Great Barrier Reef's great disappearing act. One of the world's natural wonders has lost half its coral in just the past 27 years.
Earlier today, John Gunn, of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, said man's impact on the reef is easily traceable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN GUNN, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE: We have in the corals a wonderful library of what we have done to the Great Barrier Reef. There's some corals that live for many thousands of years. we found through some of the science we do we can drill holes down to the center of the corals and look at annual growth rings and we can look at when, in fact, when the first agriculture in Australia happened. We saw a change in the type of chemistry that the annual growth rings and coral were depositing. So we have seen a chronology of increased siltation, of increased fertilization, of increased pesticides in the coral record. And as we have seen this growth, we have seen major stressors happening as well. And particularly over the last 27 years we have seen this very, very sad decline in the coral cover of the reef.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: CNN NEWSROOM continues with Brooke Baldwin.
Hey, Brooke.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Suzanne. Thank you so much. Hello it all of you. Happy Tuesday.
A lot of trackers would disagree but Mitt Romney is out there saying tomorrow's big debate isn't about winning.
