Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Obama, Romney Face Off Tonight; Who's Funnier: The Place of Humor in Politics; Protests in Iran as Currency Sinks; More Violence in Syria; Questions Over Security in Libya; Pilot Whales Die on Shore; Day Planners And Pushups Can Mix
Aired October 03, 2012 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. We're taking you around the world in 60 minutes. Here's what's going on right now.
The world, of course, watching and anticipating the stage for the build up, the stage set for the first presidential debate. The University of Denver in Colorado. Now, this is where for 90 minutes President Obama, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will go at it tonight head-to-head, face-to-face, and while they're on the stage, whole lot's going to be happening behind the scenes.
Want to bring in CNN political director, Mark Preston, who gives us a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: As you can see, reporters from around the world are setting up right now to cover this debate. Three thousand in total, 700 of them are coming from other countries. So let's head inside right now where the action is going to take place.
So you might be wondering, who's actually going to be sitting in the audience tonight for this first presidential debate. I don't know the answer, but Peter Eyre with the Commission on Presidential debates does.
PETER EYRE, COMM. ON PRES. DEBATE SPOKESMAN: So on Wednesday night at the University of Denver, we'll have students, VIPs, and those that the campaigns have invited. They'll be on floor and then some up on the balcony behind us.
PRESTON: So how do you get invited to this debate if you don't get an invitation from one of the candidates?
EYRE: It would be very difficult to get into the debate.
PRESTON: Who is going to be at that far podium?
EYRE: So at the far podium will be Governor Romney, and then at the near podium will be President Obama. PRESTON: And how is it going to work? Who is going to get the first question?
EYRE: So Mr. Lehrer will direct the first question to President Obama. He'll have two minutes to respond and then Governor Romney will have two minutes to respond to that same question.
PRESTON: How is this all going to work in this 90-minute debate format?
EYRE: So we think having these six segments will really encourage detailed discussion about these topics, and Mr. Lehrer will try to facilitate an in depth discussion that is substantive and really focuses on the details.
PRESTON: So you might think the best seat in the house is on the floor, but I would argue it's on this riser right here. This is where all the technical magic happens right now where we'll be broadcasting the debate. So this is going to be where Candy Crowley is going to be sitting --
EYRE: --nine, ten.
PRESTON: -- as she watches the debate and as she gives her analysis about what she expects to see tonight.
And if you're wondering where I'm going to be tonight, well, I'm sitting in my seat right here. We're in the press filing center where hundreds of journalists are going to be here tonight reporting on the debate.
As you can see, there are TV monitors set up all across this place. And in a sign of the times, it looks like Mitt Romney here has his own TV studio set up, probably a place where they can put guests out to do interviews with local television stations or across the country. It's also a place where they're going to be watching the debate. Not to be outdone, right here behind the red curtain, it looks like Barack Obama has the same kind of setup.
And, of course, these two studios butt up against what we call the spin room. Spin room is where we're going to see surrogates and some of the top campaign officials that are going to come after the debate and they're going to try to tell us why they think their candidate won.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Mark Preston, he's joining us live from the scene of the debate. Mark, there is no other spot where I would rather be. That is incredible. I mean, the energy, the excitement, inside that room tonight is going to be amazing. And of course the spin room, it's very unique. I don't know if a lot of people actually really actually realize that you have folks who are coming in and who are just trying to convince you this is the guy who won, this is the guy who lost, and of course, Mark, you and our team are going to make sense of all of that. How many international journalists are there?
PRESTON: Well, they say there's 700 foreign journalists being credentialed for this debate. That's an enormous amount. Three thousand journalists total who are here on site just covering this debate. I mean, it just goes to show you how important this debate is going to be tonight, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And the world is watching. Give us a sense of new poll numbers that actually would put these two into perspective here, when you talk about the key battleground states, the ones that they have to have if they're going to win.
PRESTON: Well, you know, Suzanne, we always talk about the macronumber. The American public is going nationally in this contest, but I'm going to tell you what, it is going to be won or lost in nine key battleground states. Three new polls out from NBC/"Wall Street Journal"/Marist just a few hours ago: Florida, Virginia, Ohio. Let's take a quick tour of those states.
In Florida right there, it shows that the race right now in a dead tie right now. The fact of the matter is this state is crucial to whoever is going to win the election, very well is going to have to win Florida. Moving up the East Coast to Virginia right now. Statistically tied as well. Good news for Mitt Romney, who's had some terrible news in the past few weeks. A lot of people have said his campaign has sputtered, but those are two good states for him. Where there is bad news, though, is you head to the Midwest to Ohio, shows that right there Barack Obama has a pretty good lead right now in that battleground state, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Mark, I know at the debate tonight is focused on domestic issues. When you look at both of these candidates here, of course one the incumbent, the other one who is trying to make the case that his policies would actually be better than the president's, who has the advantage?
PRESTON: Well, you know, that's a good question because they both say that they have the answers to try to turn the economy around and it really comes down to appealing to, we think, about 6 percent of the electorate right now who hasn't decided who they're going to vote for. And, of that 6 percent, they live in nine states, including the state that I'm standing in right now. But the other states that we're really focusing on as we just talked about - Virginia, in Florida, in Ohio. It's also Nevada, it's Iowa, it's New Hampshire. It's all across the spectrum of who these candidates are trying to reach out to, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And right where you, of course, you mention in Colorado, nine electoral votes. Really critical to get them to the magic number of 270 needed to win. President Obama seems to have the advantage in this state and, of course, the DNC held their convention there back in 2008. How much does it matter to have the hometown advantage, to have the people who are sitting in that audience and perhaps you are ahead in the polls? Does that make that much difference in a debate setting? PRESTON: Well, he certainly has a little bit of a lead right now, according to the latest CNN poll of polls, but it's only by a few points right now. I don't think having the debate here is really going to matter about persuading Coloradans to vote either way, for either of them.
But I gotta tell you what, back in 2008, one of the reasons why Democrats held their convention in Colorado, they held it here in Denver, is because they believed that it would help them win that state. Now, of course, they're holding their convention -or they held their convention down in North Carolina, in Charlotte, just a few weeks ago. Part of the reason they chose North Carolina is that they think that they could win North Carolina this time around.
We'll have to wait and see, but it really comes down to what happens tonight, who wins or loses, who tripsand who delivers the best performance, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. We'll be watching. Thank you, Mark.
Better believe people will watch the debate tonight for what the candidates say about the issues. Also, of course to see their human side, how they actually handle an argument or might go off script, loosen up, laugh or two. A little bit of humor has helped debaters in the past and sometimes a lot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RONALD REAGAN, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: 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.
(LAUGHTER)
MALE: But can you get things done? And I believe I can.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. How has the national debt personally affected each of your lives?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: All right. That was the moment in 1992. Then president George H.W. Bush looked at his watch during the debate with Bill Clinton and Ross Perot.
Want to talk to Dean Obeidallah, he is aa stand-up comedian, writer, and, of course, contributor. Dean, you know performing. You've studied these two guys. You write in your blog the candidates who are funny in the debates tend to get elected. What do you think? Either one of these guys going to get a laugh?
DEAN OBEIDALLAH, POLITICAL COMEDIAN: I think that they're going to try, I'll be honest with you. And let's be honest, you don't need a political consultant to tell you if you make people laugh, you're creating a bond with them. You're getting an organic visceral reaction from people. They're laughing, they're feeling more warm to you, and I think it's a thing that is overlooked by some of the candidates.
I think -- look at Ronald Reagan's joke. Classic. He used it. He destroyed an issue and made himself more likable at the same time.
MALVEAUX: Do they need to go in with a strategy to be funny? Because sometimes when you plan these things and you bomb, it looks even worse.
OBEIDALLAH: I can tell you, I have told many jokes that have bombed in my career. I can assure you the audience gets angry and they want their money back and I'm not giving their money back. You know, you have to make it organic. You have to have some sense of comedy timing, a little bit. Use it at the right place. If you come out with a bunch of one-liners, it's just one after the other zingers, it's not going to work. It has to be more organic than that. And I'm hoping these guys have the right people working with them to tell them here might be the right time to use a joke.
MALVEAUX: All right. So Dean, let's take a listen, let's take a look at how they deliver a good joke.
OBEIDALLAH: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Which reminds me of an old saying. What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? A pit bull is delicious.
MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Here in Dubuque, Iowa and we were on this stage that had been set up. And I was on one-half of the stage, she was on the other, and her half collapsed. And she fell down and landed on her backside and got up and said, "Well, I fell on "de butt" in Dubuque."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: OK, so Dean, they both tried there. To be fair, usually there are script writers, obviously, for the president and those White House correspondents' dinners. They're not writing a lot of their own material. But his delivery, kind of deadpan, has usually been on and usually generally funny. We see Mitt Romney taking a stab at humor. That seemed to be a little bit more spontaneous. What do you make of both of these guys and their ability to elicit a response where they like -- people actually like them?
OBEIDALLAH: I think with President Obama, we've seen at the Correspondents' Dinner, he has timing, he can do well with comedy. He is just comfortable with it. Mitt Romney is a little uncomfortable with comedy. You can see it. I think he is a little uncomfortable in his own skin, on some level, and that connects his audience. Like, if you're watching and someone is really relaxed and they tell a joke, they're timed well, they don't look like they're forcing it -- better laughs. You feel forced and uncomfortable, we don't laugh as much. And I see in comedy clubs and see with people on television or business leaders trying to be funny, same thing. Start with a strong joke.
If either are going to do it tonight, start with your best joke at some place, because it gets laughs, you'll have confidence. It will build credibility that you can be funny.
MALVEAUX: And Dean, you know, we're going into this debate. It's obviously about domestic policy. It's going to be a lot about economics, of course, and people are going to be looking to these guys with some serious solutions because a lot of people are suffering here. Is there any topic you think that they should actually open up with a joke or try to make humor or anything you think they should stay away from?
OBEIDALLAH: I think -- well, I think you don't make fun of people who are suffering. That's easy. But I think a joke about yourself, I think a self-deprecating joke can be a great thing to bring people in. I think especially, and I'm not being partisan, especially in the case of Mitt Romney, who the polls show not as likable as President Obama - you know, you tell a joke, people feel warm with you, they feel a connection. They feel like you're showing them a glimpse of who you are. And if you do it at your own expense, subtly, it's a great tool. It's really something overlooked by some of these politicians.
MALVEAUX: All right. Dean, we'll be watching for the humor as well.
OBEIDALLAH: Me too. Thanks, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: See you tomorrow.
One politician who is not afraid to show her personality.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER GRANHOLM, (D) FMR. GOVERNOR OF MICHIGAN: In Ohio, 150,000 jobs. And in the great state of Michigan -
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Jennifer Granholm. That makes me laugh every single time. The former Michigan governor, she rocked the crowd at the Democratic National Convention. And she's getting fired up again about how she thinks tonight's debate is going to pan out. We're going to talk to her live in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
First presidential debate 2012 tonight. Watch it right here on CNN starting at 7:00 Eastern. Here's more of what we're working on for this hour in NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL.
Car bombs ripping through Syria. We're going to talk to CNN's own Nic Robertson who just got back from the war zone. And tough times in Iran. The country's currency plummets by 40 percent in a single week under the pressure of U.S. sanctions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Protests are raging today in Iran. Tehran residents flooded one of city's largest bazaars shouting and setting garbage cans on fire. Now people, they are furious about how far the Iranian currency has fallen in trading, particularly against the U.S. dollar.
Now, Iran's president gave a speech yesterday saying his government not to blame for the money crisis. He says it's the West, the United States, the sanctions that amount to warfare against Iran. I want to bring in Hala Gorani from CNN International. Congratulations on your Emmy, by the way.
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Us and the CNN International team and all of us when we covered the Egyptian revolution and, certainly, the story for which we were recognized, the fall of Hosni Mubarak. (INAUDIBLE).
MALVEAUX: (INAUDIBLE).
Let's talk a little bit about Iran here. How much has the currency fallen within the last week?
GORANI: Well, within the last week, we're looking at 38, 40 percent, but really the decline of the rial has been going on over the last several years. Experts are saying it's the result of sanctions. It's squeezing the dollar-denominated revenues that Iran relies on so much when it sells its oil abroad.
MALVEAUX: Do we know if that's true?
GORANI: If what is true?
MALVEAUX: Do we know if that's true? Is it the sanctions that are really doing this?
GORANI: Well, part of it is when you bring dollars in, if that amount of dollar income is reduced, then you're going to have less to play with inside the country.
And the question is, why are people so unhappy? It's because it can and has led to inflation because, when you're an Iranian factory and you need spare parts and you need supplies that you need to buy outside of Iran, then if the value of your currency has fallen 40 percent in one week, that's how much more expensive it is for you to buy those parts.
And we saw it on the streets of Tehran outside of one of those main bazaars. It's leading to a lot of anger among ordinary Iranian residents who have to spend a lot more of their income to buy everyday goods.
MALVEAUX: So Ahmadinejad is not going to be in power for much longer here. Is it going to make a different to have a new leader or is it ultimately the Ayatollah, who's the religious leader, who pulls the strings?
GORANI: Yes, it's always a tussle in Iran between the presidency and the clerical leadership and part of the motivation of some of those protests, some say, is perhaps that you have the more conservative, clerical leaders pushing for those demonstrations, blaming Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president, for not being equipped to handle the economy.
One of the things that's interesting and we saw this in a Reuters report is that, you know, when you call traders in Dubai, a major financial center in that part of the world, saying, you know, what is the quote on the rial, the Iranian currency? And they say, "We have lost touch with our counterparts in Tehran. We cannot even quote this currency anymore."
So we don't know exactly how much more it's fallen over the last several hours.
MALVEAUX: That's crazy, I mean, when you don't even realize how much your own -- the worth, the value of your currency.
How does this change? How do the Iranian people actually make a difference? I mean, we see them on the streets there. Does that make any difference at all?
GORANI: Well, it's a question of how much pressure ordinary Iranians can put on their leadership. And with the demonstrations of 2009 that were so brutally put down, you can see that there might be some concern and some fear about going out there.
But these are very angry people out there on the streets today, a smaller number of people, but it gives you a sense of how frustrated they are, economically, at this stage because of what's happening in their currency.
There are reporters we've spoken to inside of the country who've said that Iranians are looking at the boards, you know, where ...
MALVEAUX: Yes, absolutely.
GORANI: ... the currency exchange rates are sort of blinking and furiously falling, minute by minute, with their just jaws dropped to the floor because they can't believe what's going on. It's a very difficult time for them and ordinary Iranians. Inflation is also going to be a big issue.
MALVEAUX: We're going to be following that and see just where the boiling point is.
Hala, good to see you.
GORANI: Good to see you.
MALVEAUX: And congratulations.
Well, we've shown you the deals as well as the consequences. How are the people in Syria actually coping with the madness? We're going to talk to a reporter who's been inside the war zone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEAUX: Bodies litter the streets in Syria's largest city today. Opposition activists say at least 40 people were killed and about 90 wounded when car bombs exploded in Aleppo. They say most of the dead were government forces. Three of the explosions happened in a popular public square. A fourth car bomb detonated near the city's chamber of commerce.
I want to bring in our Nic Robertson who's just back from Syria. Nic, first of all, it's just great to see you here in person, out of harm's way. Congratulations on your Emmy award as well. Tell us what is going on on the ground now.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You have a complete split. You have the rebels and the population that supports them in places that look like there's utter hell breaking loose and you have centers of population like Damascus where almost normal life is going on. And you have this sort of sense that people -- you know, people have become used to the war going on. They can hear the shells falling, but the shops, there's everything that they need in the stores.
So you are in this kind of strange situation, even though the people who are in Damascus, for example, they're trying to live their lives normally. We met some of them in a beauty salon, trying to live their lives normally, but they don't necessarily support Assad.
MALVEAUX: Do they believe this is going to end and it's going to end well, or do they believe that this killing will just continue for a long period of time?
ROBERTSON: I think people right now believe that it's going to go on, that it's going to continue, that there's no immediate end in sight.
They just kind of get on with their -- those sort of in the middle class who are less well off and less affected by the battles themselves are just trying to get on with their lives, but I think they all know that this ultimately is going to come to just a worsening situation where there's more loss of life.
I think what we've seen, for example, in Aleppo today with those car bombs that makes it look like the battle's turning into, as we saw in Iraq and certainly some of the groups that are getting involved in the fight with -- on the rebel side, are using tactics that have been borrowed from al Qaeda and others in Iraq and that's why we're beginning to see some of those tactics.
MALVEAUX: There are 30,000 people, perhaps more, who have been killed over the course of this uprising. Talk about what it is like for those people, the people you meet, the people you talk to who are experiencing this.
ROBERTSON: You know, it's amazing. When we were there in January in Damascus, you had this real sense that people were utterly afraid of how the war was going to go.
Now, the war's begun and they see what it looks like, how it affects their lives. They can smell it. They can see it. They can hear it. So, they're almost sort of used to it in a way. In fact, that's what people there are telling us. They're used to it now and they're trying to get on with their lives as best they can.
MALVEAUX: We know that the presidential candidates, they're going to be face-to-face and, obviously, they've got a different approach to Syria. They're talking about the president not using military action, but trying to find some way to support the rebels, get rid of Assad, and you've got Mitt Romney who's talking about what he says is something that is more aggressive.
What do the Syrian people tell you? What do they want?
ROBERTSON: This is really complicated. They feel, if they're pro- government or even if they're sort of -- they haven't been affected by the war, they may not be pro-government, but they're afraid of the rebels because they don't see them as being united and they're afraid of what will come with them in a power vacuum.
They would say, stop even giving the rebels any sense that you are going to support them. Even if you're only giving them communications equipment, stop it. Make them realize that they need to come to the negotiating table.
And if they're on the rebel side, they're saying, look, you're abandoning us. You want to get rid of Assad, you know, just give us the weapons and let us get on with it, then we can finish it ourselves.
But what is very clear through all of that is there's no unity among all the different opposition groups. There's no emerging leader and what is -- what will be created by further fighting is more bloodshed. This is what's going to -- this is what is set to happen.
More bloodshed and a potential for longer-term power vacuum than a negotiated solution. I mean, these are essentially the two choices -- lots of bloodshed or compromises and a negotiated solution that gets rid of Assad.
MALVEAUX: Nic, you're going to be going back to the region, to the area soon. How is this going to play out?
ROBERTSON: It's going to play out very badly as things stand right now. Nobody is prepared to back down. The rebels say they'll fight to the end. Assad has got a reconciliation program, but it's essentially to shell them into submission. The rebels are not going to submit and there's a population caught in the middle and the battle's going to be fought around them and it's going to land on their homes and they're the ones who are going to suffer.
But this is what we're going to see. The casualty toll is gradually going up, every day, every week, and without a dialogue, that's the scenario and it will get worse and it will spill over and affect the region more gravely and it will raise tensions and, ultimately, without a negotiated solution, there will be a serious power vacuum and a lot of infighting. MALVEAUX: Nic, I applaud your journalism and your courage and I certainly wish you the best and safety in your next assignment. Thank you, Nic. Good to see you.
ROBERTSON: Thank you.
MALVEAUX: Four Americans died. Now, all signs point to a group linked to al Qaeda being responsible. So what could the military have done to stop the attack in Libya? We get a live report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: House Republicans want answer from the secretary of state herself. CNN has obtained a letter sent to Secretary Hillary Clinton, demanding to know why more wasn't done to protect American diplomats on the ground in the months leading up to the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.
Our Jill Dougherty is reporting that the GOP is also charging that requests for additional security were ignored.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Congressional Republicans charge there were numerous threats, security breaches and attacks in Libya leading up to the killing of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.
For example, Stevens, they say, took regular early morning jogs around Tripoli with members of the security detail, but according to their sources, a pro-Gadhafi Facebook page trumpeted those runs, posting a threat against the ambassador along with a stock photo of him. Stevens stopped running for about a week then resumed.
REP. DARRELL ISSA, (R-CA) OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM CHAIRMAN: All indications are the ambassador was not reckless and he took the advice, always, of his security forces, including sometimes when they said that meetings needed to be canceled. So I think that this is a failure of intelligence, a failure of security and a failure of judgment, but not of the now deceased ambassador.
DOUGHERTY: And there were other security breaches, according to the committee. An assailant blew a hole in the security perimeter at the north gate of the Benghazi mission, two rocket propelled grenade rounds were fired at the Benghazi office of the Red Cross and the convoy carrying the British ambassador was attacked by a militant with a grenade.
The letter from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee says multiple U.S. federal government officials told them that "the U.S. mission in Libya made repeated requests for increased security in Benghazi, but was denied these resources by officials in Washington."
However, State Department officials tell CNN that security upgrades were made to the Benghazi mission because of those incidents and others. Within hours of receiving the letter from Congress, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote back. Her spokeswoman said at this point she could not comment on specific questions, but the department is amassing all the documents requested.
VICTORIA NULAND, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESWOMAN: We want to get to the bottom of precisely what happened and learn the lessons we need to learn from it. We're taking this very, very seriously.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Jill Dougherty is joining us from the State Department.
So, Jill, first of all, the State Department, do they also see this as being politically driven, this investigation, in light of the fact that Republicans, the Romney campaign have been criticizing how the Obama administration has handled this?
DOUGHTERY: Well, that's, of course, what Democrats are saying, but over here at the State Department, you are never going to get them to say that, Suzanne. It's simply not what they would do.
And, as you heard from Victoria Nuland, what they're saying is we want to get to the bottom of it, too. If there were problems or there wasn't enough protection, they want to take that as a lesson for other places in the world where diplomats are working. But right now what they're saying is they're collecting all of the documents and all of the information that they have to and they will make them available.
MALVEAUX: Do we expect that the Secretary is actually going to testify before this committee? Is there actually precedence for this?
DOUGHTERY: You know, I asked that yesterday, in fact, and they said she was not asked in that letter to testify, but there will be -- herself -- but there will be State Department officials who will be testifying. We don't know precisely at this point who they are.
And, you know, Suzanne, don't forget there are like three investigations. You've got the FBI investigating, you have the State Department's own accountability review board that's required by law and then you also have Congress looking into this.
So that -- you know, there's quite a lot of information that they're going to amass for three different purposes.
MALVEAUX: All right, Jill Dougherty, thank you, Jill. Appreciate it.
The last time they were in the same room almost five years ago and now the candidates are about to go toe-to-toe in Denver. We're going to take a look at what has to happen tonight to make a dent in the polls.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Tonight's the night we've been waiting for and they've been prepping for, of course. President Obama, Mitt Romney, the candidates going face-to-face for the first time. The debate's going to focus on domestic policy only. Half the time, it's going to be dedicated to the economy and there's also going to be a segment on healthcare. Another, the role of government and one on governing leadership and style.
Joining us from Washington to talk about it, Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, Republican strategist Ana Navarro, both CNN contributors. Good to see you both.
This is exciting. I think this is what we all kind of live for, you know, when you are into politics, but clearly, they are going to be lots and lot of other people who are really just tuning in here trying to figure out which one they like better.
One of the questions that we know is going to be front-and-center, each candidate, whether or not the voters actually trust them in handling the economy. Mitt Romney says he's going to create 12 million new jobs. He's going to cut income tax rates, across-the- board, by 20 percent to make up the difference by eliminating some deductions and credits. Is he going to get into some of these details here about how this is all going to shake out?
Ana, start with you.
ANA NAVARRO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: You know, Suzanne, I don't know how much time is allowed in a debate to go into real detail of a plan. Certainly, he can't go into detail about 59 points, but I do hope that he chooses three -- two, three, four points to really focus on, make the sale. This is his strength. It should be something that he's able to sell well, that he's able to, you know, give trust to the American people that he can do it, so I do hope he gets more specific on a plan.
MALVEAUX: And, Donna, President Obama has to run on his economic record. His supporters, of course, like you, point out that more than four million jobs have been added back into the economy since he took office. But you've got growth. It's been stuck at one percent, which really is pretty disastrous for a recovery. What does he have to say to convince voters that, you know what, stick with me, stick with my plan?
DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, first of all, I don't think 90 minutes is long enough for Mitt Romney to explain his 59- point plan or to figure out if it will ever add up and not add up to the federal deficit. I think President Obama needs to make his points very clear and concise and not try to give us too many sound bytes.
First of all, he should say my policies helped to end the greatest economic disaster since the Great Depression and then, number two, he should stress that we've created more than five million jobs. Those job numbers have been revived, of course.
And the president needs to be clear that his policies and the policies that he has proposed to Congress that Congress will not deal with because they're more focused on their own re-election and not focused on getting the American people back to work. He should say his policies will continue to bring about jobs. It will fasten economic growth in this country and that he has a plan to deal with the federal deficit as well.
I think the president can say that with a straight face, with confidence and Mitt Romney's the one who's going to have to answer what Janet Jackson said in a song, "What have you done for me lately?"
MALVEAUX: Oh, Ana, she's quoting Janet Jackson here. I mean --
NAVARRO: Well, listen, as long as we don't have a wardrobe malfunction, we're all good.
MALVEAUX: All right, hopefully, we'll keep it rated G.
Ana, what are some of the pitfalls that Romney has to avoid here? Because, you know, both candidates have strengths and weaknesses. If you're advising him, what are the pitfalls he's got to avoid?
NAVARRO: Well, I would say to him, Mitt, don't try to be funny. You're not funny. You're at your best when you're serious. Do not zing. Go out there, be authentic, be genuine.
Now, everybody is going to be looking for zingers because somebody in his campaign talked about him prepping zingers, so if you're going to deliver a zinger, you better make sure it comes out looking genuine, authentic and spontaneous. And I think he does need to get specific, and he needs to also smile, be likable. He's got a likability gap. You know, he is -- he can be likable. Go and be on and no "oops" moment, please.
MALVEAUX: OK, no "oops" moments.
Donna, same question to you. Obviously, the president has strengths and weaknesses. What are the things that he needs to avoid doing this evening?
BRAZILE: Well, first of all, as a single lady, let me just be very honest. They're both very appealing on the eyes, so I know they'll look good. They'll sound great.
But I think it's very important to look in the camera and talk to us and Jim Lehrer is a great American. He's a wonderful moderator. But talk to us. Talk to us in our living rooms and our kitchens, whether we're working, watching at the airport or watching it, sitting and drinking a beer at a bar. Really, the American people want a grown-up conversation. They're tired of the sound bites, the gaffes. They really want to hear directly from the candidates.
And, if you can give me just one more second, congratulations, Mr. President and First Lady Michelle Obama. It's their 20th anniversary, so, tonight, give her a wonderful gift by having a great debate performance. Mr. President, don't look down. Look straight in the camera. Don't give us those long sentences. Just keep it clear, keep it concise and, Mr. President, you're going to do a good job.
MALVEAUX: What an anniversary. Oh, boy, I tell you, to spend it doing a debate here.
I want both of you to take a look at this. This is the latest poll that came out, CNN/ORC poll of Latino voters choice for the president. A whopping 70 percent chose President Obama compared to 26 percent for Mitt Romney. Romney here is doing worse than John McCain did back in 2008 who got 31 percent of the Latino vote and also worse than George W. Bush in 2004 who got 44 percent of Latinos.
So, Ana, to you, is there anything at this point that Romney can do to get the Latino support up?
NAVARRO: Well, Suzanne, I think praying a novena might help.
You know, it's just -- look, he -- we had a tough primary on the Republican side. I think Mitt Romney's been an unknown commodity to his Hispanics. He's not somebody that comes from a border state like John McCain or George W. Bush did. He has not done a great, intense voter outreach with the Latinos because he ran out of money after the primary.
And he -- let me just be absolutely truthful and give you some straight talk, as John McCain would say. Mitt Romney dug himself into a hole with Latinos during the primary. He said some things that are coming back to haunt him.
He now needs to find a way to dig himself out of that hole and I think the only way he'll do it is if he really continues the intense activity outreach with Latinos, speaks to Latinos as directly as he can and as often as he can between now and November 6th. He's got to regain trust.
MALVEAUX: All right, we've got to leave it there.
Ana and Donna, of course, we'll be watching this and we'll bring you back tomorrow. He'll be talking to all the single ladies as well as a lot of other folks tonight. Good to see you both.
BRAZILE: Gracias.
MALVEAUX: Gracias.
The first presidential debate of 2012, tonight. Watch it here on CNN starting at 7:00 Eastern.
A tragedy on the coast of Indonesia, dozens of whales beach themselves. We're going to find out what's going on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: A strange and sad story. In Indonesia, 46 pilot whales end up beached on an island. All but three of them died. Chad Myers is here to help us understand this.
First of all, Chad, how did they end up in this location?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, we don't know. We don't even know why whales beach themselves, technically. There have been many theories thrown out there: seismic activity, earthquakes, sonar from machines out there, ships that are doing soundings, all kinds of other things -- one sick whale leading the way. There's just -- when we find out, we'll be able to either stop what we're doing to these guys or just it's a natural phenomenon that's been going on for millions of years. We simply don't know.
Forty-six whales on the shore here. Three are technically still alive and they're keeping them wet and trying to get them back on land or back in the water. The problem is there's been very high tide and low tide extremes here and so when the water went down, the whales were on the beach.
MALVEAUX: Was there any way of rescuing or saving more of these whales?
MYERS: I don't believe so.
MALVEAUX: Getting them back to sea?
MYERS: This is not really a populated area. This is a very small island in the middle, just not that far from East Timor. There was an earthquake about 10 days ago in the area. A lot of theories out there about that, that if the earth moves and undersea pressures change, the sinuses of these whales can change. But, you know, that's -- those are just theories. We're just scratching the surface to our knowledge of what these majestic creatures do and why they end up on beaches sometimes.
You can see the -- when they found these guys, they had lots of men and women out there trying to get them back. But for most, it was too late.
MALVEAUX: They look rather small when you think of whales. They look more like large -- actually large fish, but we know they're mammals.
MYERS: You think they're dolphins.
MALVEAUX: Yes. What happens? Are they buried, or do we know?
MYERS: Well, the local custom is here -- this has been going on for years, obviously -- the local custom is for the people of the islands to come in and take the meat of the animals as they die. And so, you know, I hate to say that, you know, this benefits these local communities, but in fact, if this is a source of food for these local areas, if they've been doing this for thousands of years in this area, that's just kind of what happens. That's what -- they expected this and when they see it, they go and harvest it. At least the whale is not completely wasted, and just buried as nothing.
MALVEAUX: Sure. All right. Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
MALVEAUX: Appreciate it. Thanks for the update.
Costa Rica about to become the first country in Latin America to make it illegal to go hunting. We're going to tell you why.
And trying to squeeze in a workout while you're on the road. Our Richard Quest, he's going to show you how it's done.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Well, if you're doing a lot of traveling these days and you're on the suitcase circuit, well, one of the toughest challenges, as you know, staying fit when you're hardly staying at home. No worries, however. Our Richard Quest, he's got a plan that will have you doing push-up in your PJs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Andrew Mayer (ph) has been training me for four years. He knows my travel lifestyle well. So he's put together a routine of exercises suited to a hotel room of any size. When you wake up in your PJs, all in 10 minutes.
ANDREW MAYER (ph): And you're going to sit all day in a meeting, and you've probably been on the plane for 4 hours up to 16 hours depending how far you've flown, and your body's just stuck. It just wants to move. So, move.
QUEST: So, the workout. Six simple steps.
MAYER (ph): Firstly, let's do a squat. The thing about the squat is you're going to be in a sitting position all day. The squat is not actually to load your body up. It's actually to make muscles move. Pull the push-ups and make sure you're squeezing your shoulder blades together so you're not pushing forward on your shoulders. Keep your head level with your back.
OK, the next one, backward lunges. This is going to really mobilize your hips. You want to be straight up from your hips. Lift your elbows up and so it's hitting these muscles. All we're trying to do here is just make sure that your muscles are moving as much as possible.
QUEST: And the stretches.
MAYER (ph): Sit in this position and sit down onto your glutes and feel the stretch.
QUEST (on camera): That might be a little challenging.
MAYER (ph): Try and get your hip closer and get your body up --
QUEST: I'm trying.
MAYER (ph): And then the last exercise that we'll do just to round everything off, just put your foot up on the bed like that, go into a lunge position, and from this position just open up as much as you can. Lean back into it.
QUEST: So now to do it for real. In a reasonable amount of time, allowing 10 to 15 minutes before you have a shower.
(voice-over): The whole routine, 10 squats, 10 push-ups, 10 lunges, 10 standing rows, and stretch the glutes and the hip flexors. Take a 30 second rest if needed and do the whole lot again twice. And you'll find you still have time for a shower and breakfast.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Richard Quest, he is joining us from London. Hi, Richard. Good to see you. How you feeling?
QUEST: I'll tell you, a bit of twinging and hurting, but yesterday we talked about breakfast, Suzanne. Today it really is all about just keeping fit. You know, I've traveled a lot. You have a good few thousand miles and every bit tightens up -- the glutes, the back. And what this is really all about, it's not just keeping fit or getting bigger. What this is really all about is doing something, making sure that you do keep the body moving. And I promise you this, if you do it -- and I'm not doing a push-up on television -- if you do it, I guarantee you the body feels better for the meetings ahead.
MALVEAUX: I agree. I totally agree. I'm more of an outdoor kind of gal. I like to go for a run. I used to travel with my bike. I don't do that anymore because, you know, I guess tennis shoes is better than traveling with a bike. But do you ever -- does your trainer recommend that you get outside, outside the room, or does it matter at all?
QUEST: Look, no, I'm being realistic here. This is not about the geeks or the people who are into this. This is about every traveler who just knows they need to do something. Make your arms move. Do your push-ups. Touch your toes. Whatever it is. That's what this is about. Otherwise, you will get to our age, or my age, and you will start to wish you'd done it sooner.
And the core point about this: you can do it in 10 minutes. The CNN.com/businesstraveler, CNN.com/businesstraveler -- I'm not saying it's the only hotel room workout, but I am saying it's the one that will make you feel better.
MALVEAUX: Yes, it looks pretty good. It looks like you're working up a sweat there and you don't have to wear, like, fancy gym clothes. You can do it in your PJs. Are you in your PJs there, Richard?
QUEST: I don't -- I don't - I think we'll draw a veil over what I'm in, but I wore this specifically to make the point that you roll out of bed, you do it in the hotel room, you're into the shower, and you're on with the day. And for business travelers like you and me, it's essential.
MALVEAUX: All right. And you're looking good too, Richard, by the way. Good to see you.
QUEST: Thanks. I'm blushing.
MALVEAUX: Good.
Take a look at what is trending on Twitter today.
Costa Rica, known for its lush rain forests, beautiful beaches and eco-tourism. Well, now lawmakers have approved a wildlife conservation law that's going to make Costa Rica the first Latin American country to ban hunting. Some native species that will be protected are jaguars, puma, and sea turtles.
Ahead in NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL, another deadly shooting on a college campus. This time it happened in Nigeria.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: They called their victims by name. That is what Nigerian police are telling CNN about the attackers responsible for a bloody massacre at a university housing area. It happened late Monday night at Federal Polytechnic. This is a university that is in Mubi. That is not far from the border with Cameroon. Got to warn you, the picture you're about to see is rather disturbing. At least 25 people were killed.
