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Romney to Speak on Foreign Policy; Two Chinese Companies under Suspicion; Americans Protesting in Pakistan; Fungal Meningitis Cases Rise; Romney to Give Foreign Policy Speech; As Deadline Looms, Apathy Wins; Texas Highway Gets 85 mph Speed Limit
Aired October 08, 2012 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We will see. All right. Well, we are out of time. We'll see everybody back here tomorrow morning. "CNN NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello begins right now.
Hey, Carol. Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Soledad. Good morning.
Happening now, immoral, illegal and making the United States hated around the world. A group of American activists are spreading that around in Pakistan. Code Pink co-founder live from Islamabad.
Security threat. A new government report shows two companies that employ thousands of Americans may actually pose a security concern for the United States.
NASCAR drivers are questioning their safety after a 25 car pile-up at one of NASCAR's most famous tracks. Hear why one driver calls it bloodthirsty.
And the Obama camp launches a counteroffensive to a speech that hasn't even happened yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Reckless. Amateurish. That's what news media and fellow Republicans called Mitt Romney's gaffe-filled July tour of England, Israel and Poland. When our U.S. diplomat --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That's what you call a pre-buttal.
NEWSROOM starts now.
Good morning to you. Happy Monday. I'm Carol Costello. That's where we begin on the campaign trail. President Obama is raising cash. Mitt Romney is raising concerns.
This morning he's ripping the administration's handling of the Middle East and its many recent flashpoints like the fatal terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya. Romney is trying to polish his own spotty record on foreign affairs and he faces some public doubts.
According to a CNN/ORC poll 52 percent of Americans believe Obama is better at -- better at handling foreign affairs, 45 percent say Romney.
CNN national political correspondent Jim Acosta is at the Virginia Military Institute where Romney will speak in just a little over two hours.
Good morning, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. That's right. After what was widely perceived as a big victory for Mitt Romney on the issue of domestic policies at that first presidential debate, he's going to be going after the president on foreign policy at that speech at the Virginia Military Institute here in Lexington later on this morning.
And the campaign did release some excerpts from the speech that we could look at to sort of see where he might be going with this address later on this morning.
A few things to point out, Carol. He's going to be going after the president as you mentioned just a few moments ago on those diplomatic attacks in Benghazi, Libya. He is going to be talking about that attack as the work of al Qaeda, saying that that was likely the work of the same forces that attacked the United States on September 11th.
Now a few other things he's going to be talking about. He's going to be calling for new sanctions, stronger sanctions against the government in Iran to prevent that country from developing nuclear weapons. He's also going to be talking about arming the Syrian rebels. And lastly, Carol, as part of his remarks that were released by the campaign, interesting to note that he is also going to be calling for a prosperous state of Palestine to stand side by side with the state of Israel.
That's a very interesting development. Because as you remember over the summer, Carol, you talked about that foreign policy trip overseas. Mitt Romney was strongly criticized by some in the Palestinian community after he basically said that the reason why the Palestinian territory there is not doing very well is because of cultural differences with Israel.
Now there is one excerpt from the speech we want to show to you. And this is basically where Mitt Romney is going to be going with this speech later on this morning. He is going to say, quote, "We cannot support our friends and defeat our enemies in the Middle East when our words are not backed by deeds, when our defense cut," excuse me, "defense spending is being arbitrarily and deeply cut, when we have no trade agenda to speak of and the perception of our strategy is not one of partnership, but of passivity. It is time to change course in the Middle East."
And one final thing, Carol, on a campaign conference call yesterday Romney's foreign policy team talked about some presidents of past that they might be shaping their foreign policy principles after. And they talked about the presidencies of JFK, Truman and even Bill Clinton. You know, after that first debate when a lot of pundits on the right and the left were sensing that Mitt Romney might be moving to the middle on domestic policy issues, there might be some of that on foreign policy when we hear this speech later on this morning -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Jim Acosta, we'll check back with you.
OK. So let's take another peek at the Obama campaign's preemptive strike. Remember, it's called a pre-buttal because it's challenging a speech that Romney will not give for a couple of more hours. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When our U.S. diplomats were attacked in Libya, "The New York Times" said Romney's knee-jerk response showed an extraordinary lack of presidential character. And even Republican experts said Romney's remarks were the worst possible reaction to what happened.
If this is how he handles the world now, just think what Mitt Romney might do as president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: See? The battle's already begun. The president, by the way, wrapping up a two-day fundraising blitz in California. He's expected to raise about $9.5 million. Last night's shindig had A- listers like Katy Perry, Jon Bon Jovi and George Clooney.
Just a reminder, Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan are preparing to debate the vice presidential debate is Thursday night. CNN's live coverage begins at 7:00 Eastern.
This morning one of America's harshest critics is celebrating his re- election to another six-year term. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez beat back a serious challenge from a candidate backed by a number of opposition groups. The U.S. is Venezuela's largest trading partner and the South American country is America's fourth largest oil supplier. But despite those business ties, Chavez has wrangled Washington with fiery criticism and support for controversial leaders like the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Tensions across Israel and Lebanon could grow following the shoot out of mysterious drone over Israel. This unmanned aircraft was destroyed by Israeli defense forces Saturday over Israeli air space. Happened not far from a secret nuclear plant. No one has claimed responsibility for the aircraft. One Israeli security analyst says the drone, though, originated in Lebanon. But the Israeli government has not made any official announcement.
On the subject of drones, several Americans are now in Pakistan protesting U.S. policy. More than 30 members of Code Pink marched against American drone strikes in Pakistan because, according to Code Pink, those drones are killing way too many civilians. If you're not familiar with Code Pink it's a feminist group that's made a name for itself for its anti-war demonstrations and for disrupting meetings like this protest at the 2008 Republican National Convention.
Joining me now from Islamabad is Medea Benjamin, a co-founder of Code Pink.
Welcome.
MEDEA BENJAMIN, CO-FOUNDER, CODE PINK: Hi, Carol. Thanks for having me on.
COSTELLO: Thanks for being here. What made you decide to go to Pakistan to protest?
BENJAMIN: We have been protesting these drone strikes in the United States, as you say, in places like congressional hearings outside the White House, in front of the air force bases where the drones are being piloted, at the headquarters of the manufacturers, and we thought it was important to come directly to Pakistan to let the Pakistani people know there were Americans that were against this policy that's killed so many innocent civilians and that we apologize for the death of their loved ones.
COSTELLO: So you're apologizing for America on foreign soil?
BENJAMIN: When we kill innocent people, we met with people whose sons have been killed, whose relatives have been killed. People who were totally innocent. And they have lost everything. Their homes. And many of them also have been injured and get no kind of health care.
We think it's terrible that the Obama administration is doing this. And this is a secret CIA program. And we felt it was important to say to the Pakistani people that we want to live with them in peace. We don't want our government killing innocent people. And that we will go back home and pressure our government to stop this.
COSTELLO: Well, the Obama administration would say these drone strikes are necessary because they've taken out dangerous people who can harm the United States.
BENJAMIN: What the people that we have met with from the region tell us, that this is a recruitment tool for al Qaeda and the Taliban. That as soon as there's a drone strike that kills somebody's child or kills their wife, in that culture, the culture is then to pick up a gun and seek revenge. These people, when we went into a meeting where there were just thousands of people waiting for us, they were chanting, "We want peace, we want peace."
They don't want to live like this. This has been over eight years of drone strikes. Killed way too many people. And they were so excited to see us coming as the face of Americans who value their lives and who want to live in peace with them as well.
COSTELLO: Medea, the United States has a tricky relationship with Pakistan. We're trying to better our relations with them. Don't you think it's -- don't you think your actions there are making it more difficult for our government to operate in Pakistan the way it sees fit?
BENJAMIN: On the contrary, Carol, we think that we are the citizen diplomats that are actually winning the hearts and minds of the Pakistani people. We've been to an area where they have not seen Americans for 10 years and all they know of America are planes that fly over their heads. Sometimes 24 hours a day. Terrorizing them. Especially the children who go to sleep at night not knowing if they will wake up alive the next day.
And so to have a group of Americans come there with open arms to say that we want to live in peace with you, that's a wonderful thing for our national security. You know, polls show that three out of four Pakistanis think of the U.S. as the enemy. When they see a group of Americans like us, that changes their mind.
COSTELLO: Medea Benjamin from Code Pink, thank you so much for joining us this morning.
There is growing suspicion this morning surrounding two of China's largest telecom companies operating here in the United States. A new congressional report out today shows they pose a potential national security threat. But the companies say, hey, that's not the case.
Poppy Harlow joins me now from New York.
Good morning, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. This is the report. A little over 50 pages. We're just going through it. But a draft was released yesterday. And these two Chinese companies don't agree with the report at all.
It was prepared by the House Intelligence Committee over the past year. And it hones in on two Chinese telecom companies that really want to expand here in the United States. One is called Huawei, the other is called ZTE. And both of them are big technology companies. They make things like routers and other Internet gear.
And what this report says is they think that China, the government, has the means, the opportunity and the motive to use telecommunication companies like this for malicious purposes. Namely espionage. Spying. They say these companies' equipment poses a national security threat for the United States.
Now interestingly this report is especially critical of Huawei. It points to intellectual property violations, alleged ties to Iran and what the committee calls, quote, "a pattern and practice of potentially illegal behavior in the United States."
Of course, both companies pushing back. They're disputing the findings. They are expected to release more detailed statements later but in the meantime here's what they're saying. Huawei is calling the report baseless. It's saying it is a dangerous political distraction. ZTE says that it sets an unprecedented standard for cooperation by any Chinese company with the congressional investigation. That coming from ZTE, the smaller of the two companies.
But, Carol, I think as this plays out, and it certainly will, it's important to note here that this congressional report found no proof of wrongdoing by the companies. They have suspicions. They think there are enough things that line up here. But no solid proof. And that really stood out to me -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Poppy Harlow reporting live for us this morning.
A word about sports before we take you to break. And it's about the Talladega super speedway. It has lived up to its dangerous reputation. Tony Stewart tried a blocking maneuver to maintain a last lap lead. And he wound up causing a 25-car crash. This was a scary thing.
Matt Kenseth won the race under caution. But afterwards at least two drivers complained about the conditions at the track.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF GORDON, NASCAR DRIVER: This type of racing and the way the dynamics are and the power is on these cars, that's what happens, is when you lose that momentum, you lose a -- a ton. I mean you're going backwards in such a hurry that -- and the other guys are coming forward in such -- with so much momentum, it's inevitable that those types of things are going to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said the Talladega is not safe. It's bloodthirsty.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees has broken a record that stood for half a century. Brees scoring past to Devery Henderson, and marked a 48 straight game. He's had a touchdown pass and of course that breaks the previous mark of Baltimore Colts' legend Johnny Unitas. Brees threw for three more scores as New Orleans beat San Diego, 31-24. Amazingly, its first win of the season.
In the baseball playoffs, Tigers reliever Al Albuquerque got out of a ninth inning jam by inducing a comebacker to the mound. He was so happy. He was so, so very happy he actually picked up the ball and kissed it. The Oakland A's were not happy with that gesture. They weren't happy with the way the game ended either. Detroit won in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice flyby by Don Kelly.
The teams play in Oakland tomorrow night with the A's facing elimination.
Fungal meningitis cases are on the rise. And a pharmacy is now in crisis mode. We'll tell you what the government is now telling doctors and clinics.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Seventeen minutes past the hour.
Checking our top stories now:
Jerry Sandusky will find out this week how long he will serve behind bars and if he'll be labeled a sexually violent predator. Former Penn State assistant coach is expected to address the court during his sentencing. Sandusky was found guilty of sexually assaulting several young boys, including some on Penn State's campus.
The first commercial cargo flight is on its way to the International Space Station.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Two, one -- and liftoff! Liftoff of the SpaceX's Falcon 9 --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket took off last night from Florida, carrying everything from food to clothes to science experiments. It's due to arrive on Wednesday. This is the first of a dozen commercial cargo flights contracted by NASA.
Two Philadelphia brides will never forget their weddings for absolutely the wrong reasons. This weekend, three people were arrested when two different wedding parties got into a fight in a hotel lobby. During the fight, one of the wedding guests had a heart attack and died -- still unclear why the brawl started in the first place.
And an Englishman and a Japanese man will share the Nobel Prize for medicine. The announcement this morning in Norway recognizes their understanding on cells' and organisms' development. They'll split the price and the money.
At least 91 people in nine states have gotten sick with fungal meningitis. Seven others have now died. The cases are believed to be linked to tainted steroid injections. And the maker of those injections is now recalling all of its products.
Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now.
And this just seems to be getting bigger and bigger.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It does, because I guess what they figured is if they got fungus in one of their products, maybe they got fungus in more than one of their products. So, out of abundance of caution, they're telling doctors and hospitals: don't use anything made by the New England Compounding Center.
And it's a lot of products. Some of the biggies are, of course, injectable steroids, which is what caused all these problems in the first place. Fentanyl, Lidocaine, morphine and Vancomycin. For the full list of products from this company that are not supposed to be used, meaning, all of their products, go to CNN.com/EmpoweredPatient.
COSTELLO: So what kind of products are we talking about besides the steroids? What else do they make at this pharmacy? I didn't know pharmacies did that.
COHEN: Right. It's a compounding pharmacy, which is sort of this unusual animal. I mean, they make these products on their own. They may take a little bit of this and that.
In this case, it's thins like Fentanyl, which treats pain. Lidocaine. Morphine, again pain. Vancomycin, an antibiotic. There's a whole bunch of different products.
COSTELLO: So, just about everyone should be worried then?
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: No, no, absolutely not. Let me make that very clear. This is one company that makes morphine.
COSTELLO: Gotcha.
COHEN: Tons of companies make morphine. Chances are the morphine you or your grandma got in the hospital is not from this company.
But if the hospital does have morphine from this company, they're supposed to not use it. I have to think that hospitals will be good about getting this off the shelves. This is a huge -- not to mention human liability, but a huge legal liability, too.
COSTELLO: So, who specifically should be worried?
COHEN: If you got steroid injections any time since May 21st, using this product, you should, you know, be thinking about, gee, if I get a headache, if I start feeling nauseous, maybe it's because of that medicine.
Here's who shouldn't be worried. If your husband got injections, you don't need to worry about it. He's not going to give the disease to you. This is not contagious person to person. Only the person who got the shots needs to worry.
COSTELLO: Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.
COHEN: Thanks.
COSTELLO: Talk back question this morning, how enthusiastic are you about voting? Facebook.com/CarolCNN.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Now's your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning: how enthusiastic are you about voting? Perhaps Mitt Romney's not so super secret weapon this year is not winning debates, but enthusiasm. Republicans can't wait to get to the polls. In a new "Politico"/George Washington University poll, 86 percent of those who backed Romney say they're extremely likely to vote compared to 73 percent who support Obama. And that poll was taken before the president's lackluster debate performance, a performance that's still being widely trashed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Number two, open up more trade, especially with Latin America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The anniversary gift -- I can't believe I forgot the anniversary gift. This is bad. This is very bad.
OK. I was distracted by the mess I inherited from Bush. But, still, I should have remembered our anniversary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says, remember that weird moment with Clint Eastwood's empty chair? Well, it's become symbolic.
In their latest cover "The New Yorker" magazine seems to agree with Gingrich. Take a look. Empty podium. Empty chair. It pretty much says it all.
Polls aside, enthusiasm does seem to be gaining for Romney. He attracted approximately 9,000 people at rally in Florida on Sunday. He raised $12 million in online donations right after the debate. Still, Romney remains in a statistical tie with the president, although most political analysts say voter enthusiasm and subsequent turnout could decide the election.
So, talk back this morning: How enthusiastic are you about voting? Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Your responses later this hour.
It was billed as a rumble in a temperature-controlled room with a wrestling belt as a price. "The Daily Show's" Jon Stewart faced off with FOX News' Bill O'Reilly this weekend. And if last week's presidential debate left you hungry for zingers. Well, these guys definitely did not disappoint.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, COMEDIAN: I have come here tonight to plead to the mayor of (EXPLETIVE DELETED) mountain --
(CHEERS & LAUGHTER)
STEWART: -- talk to your people.
(CHEERS) BILL O'REILLY, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: This man, this man over here, has offended every single American. Are you going to stand there -- are you sitting or standing?
(LAUGHTER)
And what would you like for Christmas, little boy?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you could see any American elected president, who would you choose and why?
O'REILLY: I'd say Clint Eastwood would have to be my guy.
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: Well, why don't we ask him?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think is the most fundamental problem with the public political discourse?
O'REILLY: Stewart.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Even though the mock debate was heavy on laughs, the two men hit on issues of substance, too -- even giving President Obama and Mitt Romney tips on their next debate. Their advice? Stick to the issues.
Goodbye 55. More and more states up the speed limit despite more traffic fatalities. The question is, why?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Thirty minutes past the hour. Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello.
Stories we're watching right now in THE NEWSROOM:
We're just seconds away from the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. U.S. stocks set for a lower open at the new trading week begins. Investors aren't really optimistic about a report on Asia's economic outlook. Executives from the security company ADT are ringing the opening bell this morning.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez thanking supporters and celebrating another victory. The leftist leader defeated his more moderate opponent to stay in office for six more years. Chavez, who's been a vocal critic of the United States, as you know, he's often aligned himself with controversial world leaders. With gas prices nearing $5 a gallon in California the governor is now getting involved. Governor Jerry Brown has ordered emergency steps to increase the state's gas supply to help bring down prices. A power outage at one refinery and a fire at another have pushed up prices in California.
So Mitt Romney is set to give his speech on foreign policy in Virginia just about two hours from now. The Romney campaign has released excerpts ahead of the speech and it contains sharp criticisms of President Obama's policies in the Middle East.
The Obama campaign has already hit back, even before Romney has spoken. The Obama camp released a new ad this morning targeting what it calls Romney's foreign policy inexperience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AD NARRATOR: When our U.S. diplomats were attacked in Libya, "The New York Times" said Romney's knee-jerk response showed an extraordinary lack of presidential character. And even Republican experts said Romney's remarks were the worst possible reaction to what happened. If this is how he handles the world now, just think what Mitt Romney might do as president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That's what you call a preemptive strike.
Joining me now: CNN contributor L.Z. Granderson. He leans left.
And senior political consultant on the Rick Santorum presidential campaign and Republican political consultant, John Brabender.
Welcome to you both.
JOHN BRABENDER, REPUBLICAN POLITICAL CONSULTANT: Good to see you.
L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Nice to see you both.
John, let's start with you. The Obama campaign is, like, offering this prebuttal. Good strategy?
BRABENDER: Well, I think they're very much on unsafe turf here. This is a president whose only foreign policy experience when he was elected was as a state senator in Illinois which is none. Second of all, this is the exact same president who got caught whispering in the ear of the Russians that we were going to be more flexible negotiating missile defense after the election.
What type of strategy is that when you tell your major adversary you're basically going to roll over for them on a critical foreign policy issue?
So I think that actually Obama is now going into unsafe turf for him. I think that this makes Mitt Romney look very presidential.
COSTELLO: So, L.Z., have the tables turned? President Obama is vulnerable on the Libya question since it took the administration so long to admit it really was a terrorist attack that killed four Americans there.
GRANDERSON: You know, I had to laugh. Because while it is true, Senator Obama did not have a lot of foreign policy experience, what he did to shore that up was to bring in Joe Biden as his V.P. candidate. What did Mitt Romney do? He brought in Paul Ryan who has even less, if you could imagine that, foreign policy experience except maybe perhaps voting against tougher sanctions on Iran while he was in Congress.
So, as far as that argument's concerned, I think it's rather debunked. I want to read to you very quickly a quote from Mitt Romney from that video with the 47 percent. This is his -- this is his foreign policy in a nutshell.
So what do you do -- this is about peace in the Middle East. You say you move things along the best way you can. You hope for some degree of stability. But you recognize this is an unsolved problem and we kick the ball down the field and hope ultimately somehow something will happen and resolve it.
That's what Mitt Romney said on foreign policy behind closed doors. So, whatever he says today in a couple of hours, you got to juxtapose that to that quote in the video when he thought no one else was listening.
COSTELLO: Well, John, one of Mitt Romney's problems is the only specifics he's given as to how his foreign policy differs from President Obama is that he's going to talk tougher and somehow that'll change the behavior of these countries.
BRABENDER: Well, first of all, let's not forget this is the president that said on foreign policy you lead from behind, which is not the American way.
Second of all, the reason for the speech today is Mitt Romney is going to talk about a plan for the Middle East -- something that this president has yet to really talk about. And third of all --
GRANDERSON: Kick the ball down the field?
BRABENDER: -- there are a lot of questions about Libya, the security there, that are yet unanswered. I think that'll be addressed by Mitt Romney today.
COSTELLO: L.Z.?
GRANDERSON: Well, I hope if he mentions Libya he talked about Gadhafi. Gadhafi is no longer here because of the president's leadership.
I hope when he talks about foreign policy he also remembers foreign policy isn't just about war and disagreement but also about the way the rest of the world feels about this country.
I traveled the world when Bush was in office. And I traveled it since Obama's been in office. I can tell you I am greeted totally different as an American as a result of this presidency, and his foreign policy.
So it's not just about war. It's not just about the Middle East. It's about the globe.
I think if you really look at it holistically, you would see the president has had a good record in how he's managed the other world leaders in making sure America stays on top.
And just one other thing. If he's going to talk about foreign policy, make sure you bring up some of the things he doesn't like to talk about, like how the Iran currency has collapsed because of the president's leadership, and that there's actually now been rioting in Iran because of the president's leadership.
Also, by the way, Osama bin Laden is dead. If he doesn't mention that, he's not really being serious.
COSTELLO: Well, John, something that I think that mitt Republican keeps saying, that's these huge increases to defense spending. I think most Americans really aren't so in favor of that.
BRABENDER: Well, look. We see that you have Iran rapidly moving towards nuclear weapons. We see North Korea moving towards long range missiles. We see the Muslim Brotherhood now in charge in places like Egypt.
There is a lot of fear that is out there. And being a leader is something that says, look, we have to do better than we are.
Second of all, I think a lot of Americans understand that the top job of the federal government is to keep Americans safe.
Third of all, I agree. There's probably a lot of places that they are very happy with the American policy right now. When you embrace people like Chavez, when you place people like the Muslim Brotherhood in places like Egypt, I'm sure they love that American strategy.
But it's time they start respecting us, not just liking us because we're doing nothing.
COSTELLO: John Brabender, L.Z. Granderson.
GRANDERSON: Doing nothing. OK. Ask bin Laden about nothing.
COSTELLO: You guys fight amongst yourselves behind the scenes. We appreciate the conversation. Thanks so much.
BRABENDER: Thank you for having me.
COSTELLO: "Kony 2012" director Jason Russell is breaking his silence about a very public breakdown. You remember -- naked in the street and all? (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Of course, you remember the naked breakdown of "Kony 2012" filmmaker Jason Russell. Well, he's now explaining why.
"Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer is live in New York.
What did he say?
A.J. HAMMER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Well, Carol, "Mashable" has called Russell's film the most viral video of all time. And, yes, he's now speaking out for the first time since having what he says was a nervous breakdown. That breakdown virtually crushed his project "Stop Kony 2012," which really seemed to be inspiring a movement against Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony earlier this year.
Now, he spoke with Oprah Winfrey there yesterday on "Oprah's Next Chapter". And he said most of his doctors agree that post-traumatic stress disorder compounded his breakdown, which built up over nine years of stress and, of course, the sudden catapult into the media just exacerbated the pressure he felt.
Here's what he told Oprah. Let's watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, TV HOST: Did you go crazy?
JASON RUSSELL, KONY 2012: Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
WINFREY: I'm glad you say that.
RUSSELL: Oh, yes. It was like a soda can. You shake it up. It explodes into the air. I mean, it was --
WINFREY: So how do you end up in the street naked?
RUSSELL: Yes. I know. I wish I knew.
I had my bathrobe on and my underwear. A friend was coming over. We were talking in the kitchen. It got to the point in the house where I snapped.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Wow. Well, "Kony 2012" is by many accounts one of the most watched videos of all time. One hundred eleven million viewings at a recent counting according to the "L.A. Times".
Now, Russell's organization, Invisible Children, released a new video on Sunday in hopes of restarting efforts to bring Joseph Kony to justice. A rally is planned for Washington, D.C., on November 17th.
Kony fled Uganda in 2006, Carol. He is believed to be hiding somewhere in Central Africa. Fascinating story, though.
COSTELLO: Absolutely.
HAMMER: What a wild thing to have been through for this guy.
COSTELLO: I know. You do. You feel for him. You really do. Let's talk about something happy, though.
"Esquire" magazine naming Mila Kunis sexiest woman alive. And I must say, I agree.
HAMMER: Yes. She has been declared for very good reason alpha female in "Esquire's" annual hotness derby and crowned sexiest woman alive. She's 29 years old. She appears topless on the cover of the November issue.
She's in pretty good company for the "Esquire" honor. She takes the crowd from last year's winner, Rihanna. Before that, you have Minka Kelly, Kate Beckinsale, Halle Berry and Jessica Biel. They've all held the title
And Kunis is having a good year. Not just this cover. But she's got a handful of films in the works, including a "Ted" sequel. She recently signed on for a Christian Dior campaign as well.
Good times. A long way from "That '70s Show," Carol.
COSTELLO: Oh, you're not kidding. I was going to mention "Black Swan." She's so great in that movie.
A.J. Hammer, thanks so much.
HAMMER: You got it.
COSTELLO: A.J. will be back with us next hour to tell us how much "Taken 2," how it took over the box office this weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Forty-five minutes past the hour.
In the always important state of Florida, the voter registration deadline for the presidential election is tomorrow night.
CNN's John Zarrella caught up with some people working to sign up potential voters. And they're finding a discouraging amount of apathy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessinia Fernandez and Karen Garcia go door to door. The question they ask is simple but one of democracy's most important.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you register for --
ZARRELLA: In Florida the deadline is Tuesday, if you're not registered by then you can't vote in the presidential election. JESSINIA FERNANDEZ, FLORIDA IMMIGRANT COALITION: Sometimes I get sad because people tell me, you know, I don't want to vote. I don't like voting. And you know it's kind of like frustrating sometimes. That they do have the right and they can vote. They just don't want to vote.
ZARRELLA: Jessinia and Karen work for the Florida Immigrant Coalition one of a plethora of organizations, some partisan, some not, engaged in a last minute swing state signing race to register voters. Since the state's August primary more than 133,000 people have registered. At Nova South Eastern University Law School in Broward County.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you registered to vote?
ZARRELLA: At Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey are you registered to vote this year?
ZARRELLA: Outside the courthouse in Plantation there is no mistaking which candidate Alan Ehrlich supports. But he says --
ALAN EHRLICH, NEIGHBORHOOD TEAM LEADER: We register anyone that comes along that wants to register.
ZARRELLA: But you would prefer they register Democrats.
EHRLICH: Of course. I work for the Obama campaign.
ZARRELLA: 20-year-old Jonathan Colon registered.
JONATHAN COLON, NEW VOTER: I'm looking in the future like 10 years I'm like whatever like -- what they can do to make their four years count is what I really want.
ZARRELLA: With so much at stake in Florida there can be a darker side to voter registration. Palm Beach County's supervisor of elections Susan Bucher discovered discrepancies. Signatures that looked the same; addresses that didn't appear right on more than 100 voter registration forms.
SUSAN BUCHER, PALM BEACH COUNTY, SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS: We just haven't ever experienced this kind of issue with the registration forms. And so that's got us a little disconcerted.
ZARRELLA: The company at the center of what is now a statewide investigation, Strategic Allied Consulting, hired by the Republican Party to register voters, was fired. Strategic insists the problem was with one individual and that it maintains rigorous quality control measures.
Back in Ft. Lauderdale, not a good day for Jessinia and Karen -- only a handful of new registers. That hurts, they say. You see, neither one is a U.S. citizen. Both are part of the group called Dreamers, whose parents brought them here illegally when they were children. And here they are trying to encourage people to exercise a right they only wish they had. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have a nice day.
ZARRELLA: John Zarrella, CNN, Ft. Lauderdale.
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COSTELLO: And that brings us definitely to our "Talk Back" question of the morning. How enthusiastic are you about voting?
This from Val. "I'm so there for Romney. We have to turn this economy around."
This from Mackenzie. "In 2008 I was so excited to vote for Obama that I actually cried tears of joy. This year I'm still very enthusiastic about voting for Obama, but I probably won't cry."
This from Sharon. "I'm very excited to vote for the Romney/Ryan ticket. I believe that Obama has been a terrible president and am worried for my family if he's re-elected."
This from David, "I'm super excited to vote for Obama. I don't trust Romney. I don't think Romney cares about me."
And this from Steve. "It seems that it's not so much that I'm voting for someone. I'm always voting against someone."
Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Please continue the conversation.
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COSTELLO: You can't drive 55, well, no one else can either. So instead of providing more money and manpower to enforce the law, many politicians across the country are upping the speed limit big time. According to the Governor's Highway Safety Association seven states - Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia -- have increased speed limits to as high as 85 miles per hour on certain roads.
Maybe you're saying oh it's about time. But consider this. There is no doubt excessive speed kills.
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COSTELLO: If you have a need for speed, highway 130 near Austin, Texas, is where you've got to be. Later this fall posted legal speed limit 85.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is the highest posted speed limit on the whole western hemisphere, right? I mean, it's really pretty, pretty neat.
COSTELLO: An anomaly? Not by a long shot. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 35 states have raised speed limits to 70 miles per hour or higher, and no one is more aware of that than long distance truckers like Anthony Frederick and frankly, it scares him. ANTHONY FREDERICK, WHEELING TRANSPORTATION COMPANY: Doing 85 miles an hour, all they're doing is asking for more, more accidents and more deaths, that's about it. Because by the time like they say it takes a football field to stop a semi; 85 miles an hour, go ahead and try to stop a semi if somebody slams on the brakes in front of you real quick for an emergency or something.
COSTELLO: After all think about it; 85 miles an hour packs a punch, as strong as a Category 1 hurricane.
ADRIAN LUND, PRESIDENT INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY: The chances of surviving an 85 mile an hour crash is essentially zero.
COSTELLO: And he ought to know. Adrian Lund is the crash test dummy guy. This is what a crash looks like at only 40 miles per hour. So why go twice as fast? Well, according to the Texas Department of Transportation, "Highway 130 was built for speed, engineers put their professional certifications and seals on the line stating this is the safe and right speed for this highway. Also, the reality is people have been driving at high rates of speeds in Texas for years."
LUND: People don't recognize that there is a real trade here. They want to go faster they want to deny that there will be any safety cost to it. It's just wrong.
COSTELLO: And although Texas officials would disagree, an American Journal of Public Health study found an extra 12,000 highway deaths occurred in the decade after the nationwide 55 mile an hour speed limit was lifting.
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COSTELLO: And if you want more specifics, in 2010 10,530 people lost their lives in speeding-related crashes in the United States and Puerto Rico, that's 31 percent of all traffic deaths. So why are speed limits going up and why do we need to drive that fast anyway? We'll talk more about that in the next hour of NEWSROOM.
Two of this generation's top quarterbacks faced off in an historic meeting with AFC dominance at stake. Tom Brady versus Peyton Manning next.
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COSTELLO: Two of the NFL's elite quarterbacks faced off in Foxborough, New England hosted Denver. Tom Brady led the Patriots on more than four scoring drives of more than 80 yards and many of the plays were called without a huddle. Packs led by 31-7 in the third quarter. Peyton Manning threw for two touchdowns to bring the Broncos closer but a failed fourth down attempt and turnover sealed Denver's fate. Patriots win 31-21.
Peyton Manning's former team, the Indianapolis Colts were wearing Chuck strong t-shirts for their head coach. Chuck Pagano is on leave while battling leukemia. Less than a minute to go in their against the Packers, there it is, Andrew Luck connects with Wayne. Wayne Regis (inaudible) into the end zone and the Colts win 30-27.
Baltimore is back in baseball's playoffs for the first time since 1997 and the Yankees spoiled that return last night. Russell Martin's home run ignited a five-run ninth inning. C.C. Sabathia pitched eight in two-thirds innings to get the win. Yankees 7, Orioles 2, and game two tonight in Baltimore.
The Washington Nationals won their first playoff game ever. Tyler Moore's (ph) two-out single in the eighth inning scored two runs and the Nats held on to beat St. Louis 3-2. Washington starter Gio Gonzalez was wild and gave up seven walks. The Nats reliever stymied the cards in the other NFL -- I'm sorry not NFL -- in the other National League Playoff Game last night. The Reds beat the Giants to go up 2-0 in their series.
And that's a look at sports this morning.
The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
