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Presidential Candidates Prepare to Debate; Massachusetts Senate Race Heats Up

Aired October 02, 2012 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: As we roll on, hour two, I'm Brooke Baldwin. The focus here shifting to the political world, that being Denver, Colorado, site of the very first presidential debate.

It is also where we find our chief national correspondent, John King. John King is there for us.

John, we know you have presided over debates, moderated debates. Let's talk about tomorrow's showdown. The president and Mitt Romney been spending a lot of time obviously getting ready over the past couple of days, even weeks in some cases, of course, and they know the issues, they know the arguments, they know the criticisms.

Why the intensity in the practice sessions?

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, why the intensity, number one, because it is a very competitive race. Yes, we have seen a bit of a trickle in the president's favor, especially in the key battleground states, Brooke, in the last week or two, but this is a very competitive race.

Five weeks left. Both candidates know the first debate sometimes is the most important debate. Why the intensity? Number one, for Governor Romney, he needs to indict the president's economic record, he needs to make the case the president has failed to create jobs, to create a strong recovery of the United States, but he has to be careful as he does that.

He can't be too mean or too nasty because even voters who say they might vote against President Obama like him as a person. His challenge is to be tough, but not mean. And the president's aides what they worry about is sometimes the president can seem dismissive of criticism, sometimes in a word, smug, so we're told both Senator John Kerry, who is playing Mitt Romney and Senator Rob Portman, who is playing the president, have been pretty tough, pretty tough on the candidates in these practice sessions to try to help them prepare for what can be pretty stressful high pressure moments on that debate stage.

BALDWIN: I can't imagine.

And specifically in Colorado, one of the big issues there, immigration, Mitt Romney making some news in talking to "The Denver Post" that, you know, if and when he's elected that he would not revoke that executive order that President Obama recently issued, you know, to protect some of the illegal immigrants, the undocumented immigrants who came here as young children.

In fact, let me quote, in Romney's words -- quote -- "The people who have received the special visa that the president has put in place, which is a two-year visa, should expect that the visa would continue to be valid. I'm not going to take something that they have purchased."

What does that tell you, when you read into that, John King? Is he marching toward the center here?

KING: Well, it tells you that he's politically being smart. It also tells you, Brooke, why didn't they do this at the very beginning? Remember the controversy.

When the president decided to take executive steps to help the dreamers, if you will, to say that the administration would prioritize deportations in a way that they would be protected that they would stay in the United States, and he issued that executive decision, everybody asked Governor Romney, what would you do on day one?

If you become president next January, what would you do? Would you revoke that, would you kick them out of the country? And they wouldn't give a straight answer for the longest time. Governor Romney kept saying we're going to have a comprehensive policy, we're going to move as quickly as possible to get Congress to pass a comprehensive policy knowing full well he was a governor that it takes time to pass legislation, it especially takes time to pass controversial legislation. They wouldn't answer the question then.

Now he's answering it. If you have such a permission to stay, he will let you stay while they have the policy debate, absolutely. He knows Latino vote, younger votes could be the difference for President Obama. He's trying to chip into that advantage. But the part that makes you scratch your head is why didn't you say that in the first place?

BALDWIN: The timing, the timing.

John King, let's talk money. Big, big money. Karl Rove's American Crossroads conservative super PAC buying $11 million worth of TV ads across eight different swing states. Straightforward, you know, the ad talks about unemployment, a lot of numbers here, rising government spending. What is the strategy? Why the huge buy-in? Again to your point on timing, why now?

KING: Why now? Because we're into crunch time.

Because there are five weeks left, Brooke, and the Romney campaign is behind a few points in some of the battleground states, behind a handful in Ohio, behind a handful in Florida, behind a handful, maybe more, in Virginia, behind six or eight maybe in Wisconsin.

Republicans would dispute some of those numbers but there's no question the president is behind in some of these key battleground states, pretty much a dead heat here in Colorado. American Crossroads and the other pro-Romney super PACs are going in number one with heavier spending, trying to influence voters, number two, do that right after the debate.

If Romney turns in a strong debate, you hope you have an economy ad that helps Governor Romney build on any momentum he gets out of the debate. Number three, both campaigns and their friends, the Democratic super PACs and the Republican super PACs have to make very tough decisions over the next three weeks.

There's five weeks left in the campaign, but over the next three to four weeks, you have to make decisions not only where to spend money and maybe spend more money, but where to take resources out. That's the toughest decision in the campaign, is not necessarily where to spend. It is where not to spend.

When you have a big buy like this, then you poll, you see if you're moving the numbers. And in some of those states you will keep the ads, in some states, watch in a week, ask yourself, have they pulled out? That will tell you something.

BALDWIN: Crunch time, indeed. John King, thank you for us in Denver. No pressure, as millions, millions will be watching tomorrow night's first presidential debate. All comes down to the two men on stage. The public will perceive one of them is the winner. As we have seen in history, one line, one line can make all the difference.

Anderson Cooper takes a look back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): September 26, 1960, the first televised presidential debate, signaling a new era where appearances matter more than ever and gaffes, however small, are magnified.

John F. Kennedy, a young senator from Massachusetts, facing off against Vice President Richard Nixon, who is 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 PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think I 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 PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration.

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 PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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 PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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: I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I'm not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience.

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: In the next election, Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis is asked this controversial question in his debate with Vice President George Bush.

QUESTION: Governor, if Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?

MICHAEL DUKAKIS (D), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR: No, I don't, Bernard, and I think you know I have 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 dropped. 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, 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.

Body language makes a difference in a 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 has taught us, when it comes to presidential debates, expect the unexpected.

Anderson Cooper, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Once again, the night is tomorrow, the president vs. his challenger, face to face. Special coverage begins at 7:00 Eastern, right here on CNN and on CNN.com.

A lot more news developing this hour. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: America's top guy in Afghanistan says he will not allow troops to be murdered. But do these insider attacks mean a change in strategy is coming? I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

(voice-over): One pilot calls it embarrassing, seats coming loose on a major airline. Is this part of a larger problem?

Plus, Carole Simpson, the first woman to moderate a presidential debate, tells me what to expect tomorrow night.

And police officers accused of raping a woman, but they press charges against her and now the backlash.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: In Pennsylvania, real voters getting their say trumps fake voters casting a ballot. A judge today put a hold on that new voter I.D. state law.

And as this commercial shows, the law mandates people show a specific kind of identification like a driver's license in order to cast a ballot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you want to vote, then show it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Show it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Show it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now you don't have to. The old forms of utility bill, bank statement will still work for this upcoming November 6 election. This judge said there appeared to be a risk legitimate voters' ballots would not be counted, so he put a hold on the law until the election is over.

And Pennsylvania's law is just one in a string impacting the November elections.

With that, here is CNN's Deborah Feyerick.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a scene that's played out in states across the country. Civil rights groups pushing back against voter I. D. laws enacted by publicly controlled legislature since 2010.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WENDY WEISER, BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE: The effort to actually change the rules of the game at the last minute is a really misguided effort.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Wendy Weiser is with the Brennan Center for Justice and warns hundreds of thousands of voters may not have necessary I. D. They include the elderly, college students, poor people, blacks and Latinos, groups that traditionally vote Democratic.

WEISER: We need to do everything we can to ensure that there is no fraud in our elections, but what we shouldn't be doing is passing unnecessary laws that needlessly exclude thousands or hundreds of thousands of eligible Americans from participating equally in our democracy.

FEYERICK: The new voter I.D. laws protect only against voter impersonation. In Pennsylvania, a traditional swing state, lawyers for both sides admit no known cases of in-person fraud. Still, it's a problem, says conservative columnist John Fund, an expert on the subject.

JOHN FUND, COLUMNIST, "NATIONAL REVIEW": If someone walks in and votes in the name of a dead person, and they don't have to show I.D., how likely is that dead person going to complain? We'll never know. And unless they confess, the crime is perfect.

FEYERICK: Of the eight states to enact strict voter I.D., either the Justice Department or state and federal courts have blocked in three states, Texas, Wisconsin, South Carolina, which is currently appealing. Pennsylvania is pending. Alabama and Mississippi need the green light from the Justice Department. Of the eight, only Tennessee and Kansas voters will have to meet the strict new I.D. standards this November.

FUND: We want to make it easy to vote and we want to make it hard to cheat. We can do both.

FEYERICK: And with both sides fighting against any voter being disenfranchised in November, neither is willing to give up a single vote.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: And, Brooke, this is really a pattern of pushback.

The judge really did an about-face. Initially, the judge refused to block voter I.D., saying there was no evidence that anyone would be disenfranchised. The case goes to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The court says, really, no one will be disenfranchised? Prove it. The judge circles back around and said, actually, I thought a lot more people would have voter I.D. by this point, but of the 100,000 who don't, only 11,000 have actually gotten it.

So this really sort of is a victory for the people of Pennsylvania and the ACLU, the people who did not want these voter I.D. laws enacted. The injunction is only for this election. And there is still going to be a trial to see whether in fact it is even constitutional.

But right now, those voters who thought they might be disenfranchised, it is less likely, Brooke.

BALDWIN: We will see what happens after November 6. Deborah Feyerick for me, Deborah, thank you.

And guess what, you may have money coming to you. Let me say that again. You may have money coming to you. One credit card company will be refunding $85 million to its customers. We will tell you who qualifies next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Anyone who flies has a horror story or two to tell. But I bet your horror story is nothing like this woman's.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a chaotic experience. The seats flipped backwards. It was actually a complete nightmare. And so people were essentially on the laps of the passengers behind them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: On the laps of passengers behind them, she says.

She is talking about an American Airlines flight, last weekend, from Boston to Miami. She said she was simply too traumatized to even show her face.

And there are now reports that possibly three recent American Airlines flights had the very same problems, seats with passengers in them coming loose.

Listen to the pilot on that Boston-to-Miami flight explain how he was trying to deal with, well, we will call it an out of the ordinary emergency.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Passenger seats, rows 12 D, E and F came loose out of the floor. We don't want that thing flying around and hurting the passengers behind them. The seat is loose and can rotate pretty quickly.

(END AUDIO CLIP) BALDWIN: American Airlines did release a statement, and let me quote it for you here.

"An initial internal investigation into why a row of seats became loose on two American Airlines Boeing 757s has indicated there could be a possible issue with a certain model of seats and how they fit into the tracking used to secure the seats" -- end quote.

American Airlines also says it grounded eight planes, all of them Boeing 757s. The airline says the planes are being reinspected.

And a quarter of a million American Express customers could expect refunds. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau blames the company for deceptive practices over the past decade. Total refunds, ka-ching, $85 million.

(FINANCIAL UPDATE)

BALDWIN: The outcome could make or break the balance of power in the Senate. So it is not surprising this debate here between Elizabeth Warren and Senator Scott Brown took on much more than simply policy issues. Folks, this was debate number two last night. Got very, very personal. We have that for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The Massachusetts Senate race is one of the most emotionally charged contests in the country. You have Republican Scott Brown scoring this stunning upset, when he captured the seat once held by Ted Kennedy and Democrats have pinned their hopes on challenger Elizabeth Warren, a high-profile Harvard professor who has helped set up President Obama's consumer watchdog bureau.

So last night they held debate number two and when Brown highlighted his ability to work with Democrats, Warren, yes, she wasn't having any of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH WARREN (D), MASSACHUSETTS SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: He goes around this country and what he says to people around this country is that they should contribute to his campaign because if he's reelected, that increases the odds that the Republicans will control the Senate and that he can block President Obama's agenda. So let's just be honest about what's going on here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash, our guide this week as we check on some of these key races.

Dana, of course we have been following this race. It is already -- it long since has gotten personal. Last night kicked it up a notch.

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, my, sure did.

I was in Massachusetts doing a story on this race this summer and talked to both candidates. And it was already going to be an intense race. And it was already clear then that this these two -- let's just be honest, these two people not only are they running against each other for a seat. They don't really seem to like each other.

That was incredibly clear with the sound bite you just played, but also clear with this, maybe the line of the night, which came from Scott Brown. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. SCOTT BROWN (R), MASSACHUSETTS: If you're going to comment on my record, I would at least have you refer to it...

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Excuse me. I'm not a student in your classroom. Please let me respond, OK? Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Oh.

BASH: Exactly. And the back story there is not just the obvious, which is that was a zinger, but also that Scott Brown goes around calling her Professor Warren, trying to make her seem out of touch, and somebody who is not -- that doesn't really get the people of Massachusetts because she was in her ivory tower at Harvard and that was her knowledge of Massachusetts.

And on the flip side, you know, Elizabeth Warren is trying to make clear what is her political responsibility to make clear is that she's in Massachusetts, and Scott Brown is a Republican, and frankly telling the people of Massachusetts he doesn't belong there, that they should send a Democrat to the Senate.

BALDWIN: And Elizabeth Warren, you know, trying to tout her ability to walk across the aisle by partisan credentials but she fumbled the question here. What happened?

BASH: Well, what happened is that Scott Brown says ad nauseam how independent he is and that's how he's trying to win as a Republican in Massachusetts, and also says the last thing that Democrats need is another liberal Democrat, they need somebody who is willing to cross party lines.

So that was a question posed to Elizabeth Warren. And as you said, it didn't go exactly as planned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN: Probably Richard Lugar would be one that would come to mind.

BROWN: He's not going to be there.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: So, who else could you name, Senator?

WARREN: That is a problem. Let me...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: It was hard to hear what she said. She said she would work with Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana. He's not going to be there. Whomever is going to be there next year, because he's retiring at the end of the year.

BALDWIN: Here is another ooh when you were watching.

Scott Brown was asked quickly on the spot there by David Gregory to name his model Supreme Court justice and that was a bit of a strange answer.

BASH: It sure was. Scott Brown is a lawyer. He talks about that, and he is somebody who, again, is trying to walk that line, saying he's in the middle and it doesn't necessarily work when you're talking about Supreme Court justices. So listen to that answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Let me see here. That's a great question.

I think Justice Scalia is a very good judge. Justice Kennedy -- Justice Kennedy is obviously very good. And Justice Roberts there, Justice Sotomayor.

There's -- I think they're very qualified people there who actually do a very good job.

DAVID GREGORY, DEBATE MODERATOR: Scalia and Sotomayor don't exactly ...

BROWN: Well, you know what? That's the beauty of being independent, David.

GREGORY: OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: So, that was an interesting moment for a couple of reasons.

One is he said the word "Scalia" in Massachusetts which, you know, you saw the reaction there, and then tried to walk back to Sotomayor, who, of course, is a nominee of President Obama and, you know, David Gregory kind of called him on that.

Big picture, though, this is a marquee senate race because of the personalities. They're both kind of iconic figures at this point, but it is also, as we have been talking about this week, so important to the balance of power because Republicans really, really need to hang onto this seat because, if they don't, it's going to be yet another seat that they need to pick up in order to get their goal of retaking the Senate in November.

BALDWIN: Balance of power, we're watching it very closely. Yesterday, it was Missouri and Maine. Today, Massachusetts. We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Dana Bash, we'll see you then. Thank you very much.

The steady drumbeat to get U.S. troops out of Afghanistan ahead of schedule is now getting louder, fueled in part by the deaths, murders of NATO troops by Afghans they are training.

So-called "green-on-blue" attacks have claimed nearly 50 lives thus far this year. And the killings, they're taking a toll on the troops in the field.

Here is what NATO's secretary-general told Britain's "Guardian" newspaper just this week. Quoting here, quote, "There is no doubt insider attacks have undermined trust and confidence, absolutely."

The secretary-general told "The Guardian" NATO's withdraw could come sooner than expected and those attacks have also frustrated, angered those who lead the troops.

Just this past Sunday General John Allen, the ISAF commander in Afghanistan, voiced his frustration on "60 Minutes."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL JOHN ALLEN, COMMANDER, ISAF: Well, I'm mad as hell about them to be honest with you. We're going get after this.

It reverberates everywhere, across the United States. You know, we're willing to sacrifice a lot for this campaign, but we're not willing to be murdered for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: With the headline, that one in "The Guardian" proclaiming the withdraw could be sped up and with General Allen saying -- you heard him "mad as hell" about the attacks, I can't help but remember the words spoken right here on this show two weeks ago by a father still very much so mourning the loss of his son, a result of one of those "green-on-blue" attacks, killing.

I talked to Greg Buckley, Sr., about his son, about what justice would look like, how it could be served in his son's murder. Here was his response to me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG BUCKLEY, SR., FATHER OF MURDERED MARINE: Justice to me is to just let these other young men and women come out. Leave them alone.

You know what? It goes like this. If you want to come over to my house and I don't want you there, you won't come, you know?

They don't want us there, why be there? Our government tells us that they want us there. They don't. There's so much more involved that I know, it's not even -- I can't -- I don't even want to get into it right now with you, but it will all come out soon enough.

But at the end of the day, my justice is so another parent wouldn't feel the heartache that I feel. I'm done inside. They tore my whole heart out.

I have a hard time going to bed. I think about him every day, every minute. His brothers kill me when I look at them because they're hurt. His mom is hurt so bad.

But they didn't just take my son. They destroyed my family and I don't want other families to feel the pain that I'm feeling. I don't want to see another family out there see their son being brought back on a plane and being rolled off a plane in a box with an American flag around it.

But you know what? It was our government that dropped the ball and they won't admit it. This boy should have been protected inside a military base. We're training people and my son said, we're training people that are going to turn the weapons on us and kill us. That's clear as day.

And I thought it was the most outrageous thing I've ever heard. But he said, I'm telling you, Dad. They're going to kill us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: It's one of those interviews I will never forget. His son, Greg Buckley, Jr., was gunned down by an Afghan policeman who was supposed to be his friend.

It happened just this past August. Greg Buckley was all of 21- years old and just days, days from leaving Afghanistan and coming home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Just into us here at CNN, it turns out one of the biggest mysteries of the 20th century remains a mystery. We're talking about the story, the remains of missing teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa.

Remember this search? Under a driveway, Roseville, Michigan. This was on Friday.

They tested the soil samples and we have now learned no presence of human remains found in the soil samples from the Hoffa dig in Roseville, Michigan.

So, the search continues. He's been missing since 1975.

Moving along, the birthplace of the Arab Spring is now the backdrop to a case of alleged corruption so severe you can see women are coming out in full force to protest.

Look at this. They are angry because of this story, this one woman who says police officers raped her and, when she filed a complaint, guess what happened? She was charged with a crime.

CNN's Atika Shubert has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The alleged victim was parked here with her fiance when three policemen ordered the couple out of the car.

She says one stayed with her fiance. The other two put her in the car and took turns raping her, as they drove through the streets. Her fiance, she says, meanwhile, was being extorted by the other policeman in order to be set free.

Her identity protected, she recounts what happened.

They raped me for one hour and 15 minutes while driving, she said. Finally, we reached a place next to a school at a factory. My car was there and the third policeman was standing next to it.

I asked them to let me go and the policeman told my fiance we will fabricate a charge of adultery and you will spend years in prison, she said.

Her ordeal a month ago has brought hundreds of protesters out onto street, outraged not just over the alleged rape, but also over what happened next.

Half an hour after the incident, the couple came to this police station to file a complaint. Then the police accused them of being, quote, "in an immoral position," charging them with, quote, "intentional indecent behavior," punishable by up to six months in prison.

I broke down, she said. It devastated me psychologically. This case has made me have convulsions every day. I keep thinking about one thing, to kill myself. I can't accept my life after what has happened to me, she said.

Tunisia is the birthplace of the Arab Spring, but the Islamist- led coalition now in power is grappling with a draft constitution that does not afford equal rights to women.

Now, this case is proving to be a flashpoint. The three policemen are to be tried on charges of rape and extortion and the woman at the center of it all is putting her faith in the law.

I address all women in Tunisia and elsewhere who face such cases. They shouldn't remain silent because, if you remain silent, you will suffer forever, she said.

At least when you fight it, you will get your rights. This will help to ease the suffering that you live with and, when you see them in court, when I saw them handcuffed, I felt happy.

And when they face trial, I will in my heart feel some relief, she said.

Now, her legal battle will be closely watched at home and abroad.

Atika Shubert, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Atika, thank you.

She broke barrier and became the very first woman to moderate a presidential debate.

Now, 20 years later, Carole Simpson provides her insight into tomorrow night's debate and why she told me it's really more about style than substance.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: We went deep into the vault for this one here at CNN. The date was October 15th, 1992, a presidential debate nearly 20 years ago to the day. You remember this?

CAROLE SIMPSON, FORMER ABC NEWS ANCHOR: The candidates are the Republican nominee, President George Bush; the independent, Ross Perot; and Governor Bill Clinton, the Democratic nominee.

My name is Carole Simpson and I will be the moderator for tonight's 90-minute ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Ninety-minute debate, she says.

That is Carole Simpson then and here is Carole Simpson today. Once again, the lady in red. Carole Simpson, amazing seeing you here, 20 years later, welcome.

You know, all kinds of history made that night. You and I were talking in the commercial break, people recognizing you all around the world in the 20 years since.

And what was unique about that night, the three debaters, not the usual two, you had, my goodness, questions from the audience, you had yourself, you're first woman to host a presidential debate.

I mean, just, if I may, first question, perspective-wise, you presided over history, did you not? SIMPSON: I did and that was the most exciting -- it was the pinnacle of my career to be able to moderate a presidential debate. That's like every reporter's dream in Washington is to have that opportunity, so I was thrilled.

And I don't like you talking about digging way deep ...

BALDWIN: I mean, you know.

SIMPSON: ... into the archives. You're making me so old.

BALDWIN: I'm sorry, Carole Simpson. You look amazing. You look amazing. I hope I can look as amazing.

But let's fast-forward. Let's fast-forward 20 years later because you've been a Twitter -- you've been tweeting about these debates looming now. I checked out your Twitter page.

Your most recent tweet was this. Let me read it for you. "Debates will be about style, not substance, despite what campaigns say. Does he look and sound good? Is he personable? That is your winner."

SIMPSON: But there is always something. People, after I did the debate, would come and tell me that they were concerned about things that the candidates did ...

BALDWIN: Like what?

SIMPSON: ... not what they said.

BALDWIN: Like looking at a watch?

SIMPSON: You know, like George Bush looking at his watch and standing near his stool the entire debate and Bill Clinton wading right up to the audience questioners, and showing his compassion and his feeling for these people and it jumped through the screen.

And I've had people -- I've had people, you know, these days, telling me, I want to see how they do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That was former debate moderator, former ABC News anchor, Carole Simpson, speaking with me just a short time ago.

We will post the whole interview on the Brooke Blog, so make sure you go to CNN.com/Brooke to watch that in its entirety.

Don't forget Tomorrow night, the big night. We'll all be watching. See the first presidential debate right here on CNN, special coverage begins at 7:00 Eastern.

Well, some people would call him brave. Others might call him crazy. He calls himself Fearless Felix and, after spending years of skydiving and skyscraper leaping, he is about to try the ultimate jump of all.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS 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.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm 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?

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 that she has, the 60/40.

The only thing I would recommend, if she hasn't done already, is maybe sprinkle in some alternative investments, things like precious metals or real estate investment trusts for better diversification.

But as a young retiree at 56, I like that I like that bias toward equities because that's what's going to 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 this point.

MCBRIDE: Well, it's nice for a diversification. It does not produce income, so I like maybe 5 percent of the portfolio in that, again, just as a way to diversify, a nice hedge against inflation

It's not going to produce income like other investments such as dividend paying stocks and bonds will.

KOSIK: Anything other 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 see clients even pushing that more towards the 70/30. She easily may be funding, 40, 45 years ahead of her of life and, so, she may need even more allocations to some growth opportunities.

KOSIK: OK, some great advice. Thanks.

And, if you have an issue you want our experts to tackle, upload a 30-second video with your "Help Desk" question to iReport.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Next Monday, this guy known as Fearless Felix is going to jump a balloon 23 miles high, freefall in a pressurized space suit. If he survives, it will be a world record.

Chad Myers, yikes. Why? How?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: What's even better is he is going to break the speed of sound on the way down.

Now, all sky divers are going, wait, you can't do that. Terminal velocity's 120 miles per hour. You can't go faster than that.

But if you're 23 miles in space, there's nothing slowing you down. There's no air up there. There's no there there.

So, he is, at least for a time, will be going faster than the speed of sound and then will start to get more drag as the air slows him down on the way.

Should take between 15 and 20 minutes. He's done close before. He's done 18 miles. He's going to go 23 miles high, 120,000 feet in space, and jump out of this thing and then land in a parachute.

BALDWIN: I have so many questions about what this would do to your body, your lungs, you know, your blood.

MYERS: We have five days to figure that out.

BALDWIN: We have five days to figure it out. We're going to keep that conversation going and we're going to talk about Fearless Felix again.

Thank you, Chad Myers.

MYERS: You're welcome.

BALDWIN: Appreciate it.

Tomorrow night, President Obama and Mitt Romney face off on domestic issues, including jobs, healthcare, but in the coming weeks, foreign policy could change this race and Erin Burnett is standing by with three specific reasons as to why. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Funny thing, tomorrow's debate in Denver is all about domestic policy and, now, all of the sudden, the world is sort of rearing its ugly head, as it tends to do quite often. All kinds of problems are bubbling now across the Middle East.

Erin Burnett, joining me from New York. Erin, good to have you on.

ERIN BURNETT, HOST, "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT": Good to see you, Brooke. BALDWIN: It is looking as though the assassination of the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens -- it's looking as though killing could be an issue in the election should Mitt Romney make it one.

BURNETT: That's the question, Brooke. You know, as you know, Politico's done some great reporting on how there's some real tension within the Romney camp. You know, should he capitalize on this issue and try to push ahead or should you just stay on the economy. It's the economy. It's the economy, stupid.

But, obviously, the attack in Libya has become a hugely politicized issue. You can see it from both sides.

Today, the chairman of the House oversight committee, Darrell Issa, came out with a letter saying that the United States government had denied repeated requests for more security at the consulate in Benghazi and listing 13 incidents that had happened over the past six months that he thinks were warning signs that were ignored.

So, he's going ahead with that and he's going to bring Congress back to have hearings next week on this issue.

So, there is no question that this has become a political issue and it's to be coming, in terms of these hearings, at possibly a very bad time for President Obama and the Democrats.

BALDWIN: Something to look for, possibly, if not tomorrow night in Denver in that debate, down the road, for sure.

And, as we talk Libya, we talked a lot, Erin, on your show and my show about Afghanistan. but if you look at Iraq, where the president has ended U.S. combat operations and he's touted that. You know he promised it and he did. They're having huge problems there.

BURNETT: Yeah, you know, it's amazing. As you talk about it, last week at his speech to the U.N. General Assembly, the president went through a list of what he considered to be his big victories on foreign policy.

Osama bin Laden being dead was one of them and ending the war in Iraq was another. I mean, Brooke, but when you look at September, it was the deadliest month in terms of fatalities in Iraq since August of 2010, which is pretty shocking, considering that the war is technically over.

On top of that, you know, Reuters has some footage that we have for you of literally pictures of the Ayatollah, the Ayatollah from Iran, pictures all over Iraq now as Iran is trying to gain and perhaps succeeding at gaining more and more power in Iraq.

So, this is a big question that obviously is going to be a problem for whatever president is next, but certainly is not something that President Obama wants to be talking about right now.

BALDWIN: With Iran, obviously, they're having sort of its own singular way, inserting itself in the elections. We heard from Ahmadinejad at the UNGA last week. Then we heard from Netanyahu, right, literally drawing that red line on that sort of metaphorical bomb.

BURNETT: Right.

BALDWIN: Could we hear from Iran between now and let's say November 6th?

BURNETT: Well, you know, this is pretty amazing because, obviously, when Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke, there was a sigh of relief, not just in the Obama administration, but for many, saying, look, the deadline for this -- where he drew that red line -- is next spring, next summer, so there isn't going to be a possible Israeli military strike before the election.

But Iran is doubling down. Just today, Prime Minister Ahmadinejad, back in Tehran, gave a press conference and he said this, Brooke. I'll quote him.

"We are not people to retreat on the nuclear issue. If somebody thinks they can pressure Iran, they are certainly wrong and they must correct their behavior."

At least in terms of words, which, you know, actions are more important than words, but in terms of words, not backing down at all from what is going to be the crucial question for the next president whether that is Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.

BALDWIN: Absolutely. Erin Burnett, thank you very much and, as always ...

BURNETT: Good to see you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Good to see you. We'll see you tonight, 7:00 Eastern, "Erin Burnett OutFront." We'll see you then.

Meantime, let's go to Washington, shall we? To Wolf Blitzer.

Thank you so much for watching me. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Now, your "The Situation Room" begins right now.