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Sneak Peak Into Biden Debate Prep; Senior U.S. Embassy Official Killed in Yemen; Former Teammates Speak Out Against Lance Armstrong; Pakistani Girl In Critical Condition; Defying Nazis With Music

Aired October 11, 2012 - 12:00   ET

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

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.

Qassem Aqlan worked at the U.S. embassy in Yemen for more than 20 years, shot dead. Men on motorcycles, they ambushed his car, and they killed him. Officials in Yemen say it looks like the work of al Qaeda. More of what we know about the killing and why he may have been a terrorist target coming up in just a couple of minutes.

Also, startling revelations from former teammates of superstar cyclist Lance Armstrong. One quote says, "We hid from doping drug tests." The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency says Armstrong and his teammates, they were part of the most sophisticated and successful doping program in cycling history. The agency says 11 cyclists came forward to admit their use of banned performance enhancing drugs. We're going to have more on that later in the hour.

But first, a new jobs report that really surprised a lot of folks, including a lot of economists. We just found out this morning, the number of Americans filing new unemployment claims plummeted last week. Fell by 30,000. That is to 339,000. It is the lowest level in the past four and a half years. Many economists predicted the number of claims would actually go up.

They are the number two names on the ticket, but the spotlight, of course, on Congressman Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden tonight. They are going to spar. Their first and only debate. Of course, pressure may be on Biden after President Obama's underwhelming debate performance last week.

So here's a new photo. We just got this. This is of Biden. Essentially he is prepping for the debate there. The Vice President and his wife, Jill, they are expected to arrive many Danville, Kentucky, in just a minute or so. But just before he left his home state of Delaware this morning, Biden was asked about the debate. Now, here's how he responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm looking forward to it. So nice of you guys to be here. Are you on the plane with us? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes.

BIDEN: All right. Well, (INAUDIBLE) --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE). Tell me the strategy -- rope-a-dope?

BIDEN: Those guys get paid. Have you ever seen me rope-a-dope?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: All right, "rope-a-dope". Brianna Keilar, she's in Danville, Kentucky.

Brianna, a lot of people know what that rope-a-dope is from the days of Mohammed Ali here and some are looking to see what the Vice President's going to do after a pretty disappointing performance from the President. We're all going to be focused on some of the back and forth here. What are the expectations?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right.

Well, certainly the expectation is to see if Joe Biden can stem the tide here because the momentum certainly in favor of the Romney/Ryan ticket.

But you say why is there all of this boxing terminology going on? Well, take a look at this. This is one of the posters here for sale at Center College. This is being set up sort of with a lot of boxing terminology. So perhaps that's part of it.

But also, Suzanne, I wanted to tell you a little bit about that photo that we put up there earlier, if we can show that again, because that's something that only CNN has. You can only see it right here. It's an exclusive look at the debate prep conditions. This was taken yesterday in Wilmington, Delaware, where Joe Biden has spent the better part of the last four days in an intensive debate camp that culminated each evening in a mock debate.

If you don't recognize the guy on the right, that is Chris van Hollen. He is the ranking Democrat, the top Democrat, on the House Budget Committee. He knows Paul Ryan because he is the Budget Chairman of that committee. And you're seeing the back of the head of Shailagh Murray. That is the communications director for the Vice President, also a former "Washington Post" reporter. She has been sitting in for all of these days and for these previous mock debates as the moderator. So she's been playing Martha Raddatz.

And this is very similar to what you're going to be seeing here at Center College. The Biden team went to great lengths to replicate the conditions that the Vice President will face here in Danville, Kentucky. That table, which is a semicircle with a small circle that the moderator sits at is exactly as it will be here. The same dimensions. You can see that's very different than what we saw last week when Jim Lehrer was very much removed as the moderator from the President and from Mitt Romney.

MALVEAUX: Right.

KEILAR: So you're going to see a lot more intimacy, not just between the moderator and obviously the candidates asking questions, but these candidates are going to be very close. And so if they do end up attacking each other, it's going to have, I think, a lot more sort of a sense of that it could be a personal attack.

MALVEAUX: Right.

KEILAR: They're sitting right next to each other, just as you'll see in that photo, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And, Brianna, I want our viewers to know, we're looking at live pictures inside the debate hall. And you can see the same -- pretty much the same setup there with the tables and the chairs and the intimate setup there. What do you think -- how do you think that's actually going to influence how these two very strong personalities interact with each other? They're not going to be behind those podiums like we saw with the President and Romney, but very much in a close setting. Do we think that's going to encourage fireworks, or do you think they're going to be a little bit more polite?

KEILAR: I think that what it kind of does is it emphasizes whatever happens. Obviously they're -- it's going to be very intimate, so there's more of an opportunity for them, at least off the get go, to be polite to each other and be gracious.

But if they do start attacking -- I mean it's a matter of, they're right next to each other. And even with their hand gestures, they can almost be in each other's space. The other thing to consider, I think, is with the moderator. We saw -- and there was some criticism, certainly, of the moderator in the debate in Denver of Jim Lehrer that he wasn't able to really get in there or didn't make enough of an effort.

I think in this case, just because of physically the way it's set up, that you can see Martha Raddatz will have more of an opportunity to kind of almost physically be a part of this discussion. But I think it certainly does open it up for fireworks since there are so close. It's kind of got more of a hand-to-hand combat feel about it than we saw in Denver.

MALVEAUX: And, finally here, Brianna, one of the things -- you mentioned hand to hand combat. We have not actually seen Joe Biden in a TV interview since five months ago when he was on "Meet The Press" and he was ahead of the President when it came to approval on same-sex marriage. Do we think that that is a very deliberate strategy from the Obama campaign to keep him out there until he is ready, he is fully prepared to take on his opponent?

KEILAR: No doubt, I would say. Now if you ask them that, they would say they have their own press strategy. But when I think you look at the numbers and you say, how many interviews has Paul Ryan done? The number is close to 200. How many interviews has Joe Biden done? Zero. That's not part of their press strategy, obviously.

MALVEAUX: OK.

KEILAR: And we do know certainly that Joe Biden doesn't always have the most discipline with his messages, and so I think what they're looking toward is this debate. And you say, oh, what if he's going to gaff tonight in the debate? If you look at him, and he has been tested on a national stage with national debates, he doesn't actually tend to be gaff-prone during debates. So I think his team right now is feeling confident with that, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Good. You've got a front row seat, Brianna. We are definitely envious of that front row seat. We'll all be watching very closely. Thank you.

Paul Ryan, of course, says he's not intimidated heading into tonight's debate. He says he's excited. Well, Ryan, he sat down with our own Dana Bash to talk about his prep for the debate. And Dana asked about Biden's last debate opponent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The only other person to debate Joe Biden in a vice presidential debate is Sarah Palin. Have you called her for advice?

REP. PAUL RYAN, (R-WI) VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: You know, I haven't. I don't really know her. I only met her once and that was about two years ago.

BASH: Would you call her?

RYAN: Sure. Sure.

SARAH PALIN, (R) FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Nice to meet you.

BIDEN: It's a pleasure to meet you.

PALIN: Hey, can I call you Joe?

BIDEN: You can call me Joe.

BASH: She famously, or maybe infamously, said that she wanted to call him Joe, because she kept calling him Joe O'Biden in debate prep.

RYAN: Well, you know, I've known Joe a long time, and so I do call him Joe. He's a --

BASH: So you're not going to say -- oh, so are you going to call him Joe?

RYAN: Well, he knows me as Paul, and I know him as Joe. I don't know. We -- I haven't given much thought to that, to be honest with you. Probably not unless he wants to make a case of it, but we know each other. Actually, we've gotten along quite well over the years. You know, I like Joe personally quite a bit, I just disagree with his policies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: All right. Dana's in Danville.

And, you know, we've all been trying not to say O'Biden because it gets kind of kooky sometimes, right, when you're mixing up all of the names here. But it's really --

BASH: That was Sarah Palin's problem.

MALVEAUX: Yes, it's fascinating, Dana, because you really had a chance to get to know Paul Ryan. You've talked with him. You interviewed him. And you learned the most fascinating details about what he does. Some of the habits that he has. You say he has like 40 pounds of paper in his briefcase. He does P90X. We often see him with his white board. What does that say? Tell us about the rituals that he has in prepping and what it says about him.

BASH: You know, he has said, and other people who I talked to who know him well have said that his whole M.O., his whole life has been to be prepared. And that is how he got to where he got at the young age that he did.

And, remember, he ran for Congress when he was 27 years old. And he -- that is something that I know I personally -- in fact, I said to him, we're about the same age. I reminded him that he is older, Suzanne. But I said, I can't -- I was in Washington at the time, and I knew a lot of very ambitious people, and I didn't know very many people who had the gumption to run for Congress. And his answer was that he surrounded himself with people who were very supportive of him, high profile people who became mentors, like Jack Kemp, who was a -- who happened to also be a Republican vice presidential candidate, Bill Bennett, who was a former Education Secretary.

And also he talked a little bit about this during his convention speech, but the fact that his father died so suddenly when Paul Ryan was only 16 did force him to grow up very fast. And he also used a lot of the lessons that his father taught him, according to his brother, stretch your mind and think big, to go forward in his young live.

MALVEAUX: Dana, I want to play some of that interview that you did with Ryan for our viewers just to kind of give them a sense of some of those stories that he told you in your exclusive interview. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: The only other person to debate Joe Biden in a vice presidential debate is Sarah Palin. Have you called her for advice?

RYAN: You know, I haven't. I don't really know her. I only met her once, and that was about two years ago.

BASH: Would you call her?

RYAN: Sure. Sure.

PALIN: Nice to meet you.

BIDEN: It's a pleasure to meet you.

PALIN: Hey, can I call you Joe?

BIDEN: You can call me Joe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: All right, Dana, sorry we played the same bite there, but that was a good one. Tell us a little bit about --

BASH: That's OK.

MALVEAUX: Some of the things he mentioned, because he's got a lot of very interesting stories and how he is actually prepared -- how he prepares when he goes hunting, how he prepares when he goes debating. Describe some of that for us and what you've learned.

BASH: Well, I was talking to a source who is close to him, who has hunted with him, before the interview, who talked to me about the fact that Ryan showers in non-scented detergent, he sprays his clothing in non-scented detergent after he already washed the clothes in non- scented detergent. That, of course, is to sort of, you know, keep the deer -- he's a deer hunter -- away from him. Which is not that unusual for hunters. But I was told that he takes that to a whole different level.

When I asked about that, he said, that is the way I really do everything in life. I do everything to the nth degree. I trY to be meticulous. And just looking at the big, big briefcase that he has of binders which he's been carrying around for, I guess, a couple of months now, he has been studying very, very hard --

MALVEAUX: Sure.

BASH: Cramming for this. And then in the most recent weeks, he has been doing the mock -- same mock debates Brianna was talking about with Joe Biden. He's been doing it for a longer period of time with Ted Olson, who, as you know, is a renowned litigator. He argued Bush v Gore for the Republican side.

MALVEAUX: Right.

BASH: And he actually is the same generation as Joe Biden, which helps because there's a generational difference between the two of them.

MALVEAUX: And, Dana, tell us a little bit about "Time" magazine. It's going to come out with these photos that appear on the issues of the newsstands. This is actually coming out tomorrow. And there are pictures of him posing, as he's been working out. We know that he's a big workout P90X guy. Does Ryan take that kind of risk? Does he have these risks at times of appearing not presidential, or do you think it's not fair -- a fair assessment of him for "Time" to put these photos out now? BASH: Well, Ryan talks all the time -- or at least when he was first picked -- about his workout regime, and certainly, covering him in Congress, that's what he's known for. He's the guy in the gym every single morning and he's kind of the leader of that pack.

With regard to these pictures, the story is, if you just look on "Time's" website, it tells you that he was one of the finalists for "Time's" "Person of the Year," and so that's why they took these photographs. Why did they do this now? Why did they put it out now? Well, you know, they're in the news business, just like we're in the news business. And it is a newsy day for Paul Ryan. Why not put them out now?

How does Ryan's -- you might want to know how Ryan's camp feels about it?

MALVEAUX: Yes.

BASH: Well, they're trying to take it in a -- take it in stride. And we actually put up a quote from Ryan's spokesperson, Michael Steel. He said, "Paul Ryan takes his health seriously. Clearly, judging by these silly pictures, he doesn't take himself too seriously."

So, they're just kind of trying to brush it off, you know --

MALVEAUX: Yes.

BASH: Unclear about -- actually not unclear. It's pretty clear that those are not the kinds of photos that they want out there the day that he's going up against a sitting vice president, but these pictures --

MALVEAUX: Yes, they acknowledge that they look silly. So that's probably an appropriate response. Dana, thank you so much four your excellent reporting. Of course, going to be watching the vice presidential debate.

BASH: Thanks, Suzanne.

We want you to watch it as well tonight live right here on CNN, on cnn.com, our coverage starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

And here's more of what we're working on for this hour of NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL.

A U.S. embassy worker shot dead in Yemen. We're going to tell you why this attack could mean real trouble for that country. And what it means in the race for the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: A man who was investigating violence against the U.S. embassy in Yemen, well, now, shot dead in the street today. It happened here in Yemen's capital. Now, the man was a Yemeni national who had worked for the embassy for 20 years. Witnesses say men on motorcycles drove up next to his car and opened fire. It happened in broad daylight in one of the city's main streets and the way he was killed, his long career with the U.S. government, making officials believe that perhaps he was singled out and targeted.

Want to talk with Hala Gorani about this and, Hala, first of all, what do we know about the victim and who do we think is responsible?

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is one of the stories we're covering on CNN International and following out of the Arab world. You mentioned the fact that this was a senior official at the U.S. embassy, a Yemeni national, though, that had worked there for almost two decades, his name, Qassem Aqlan.

The attackers, as you mentioned, driving up to his car on motorcycles and this does, as far as sources at CNN have spoken to, sort of bear the hallmarks of an al Qaeda-style attack where they targeted, they knew the route that this man took to work. He was off-duty, according to a State Department official who spoke with CNN.

Now, you'll remember, of course, the U.S. embassy in Yemen was a target of attacks and protests against that anti-Islam film and some protesters that day breached the perimeter, burned the U.S. flag and some sources are saying that Mr. Aqlan was investigating this particular attack. Others have not been able to confirm that to us.

MALVEAUX: Now, is this the same al Qaeda that the U.S. is fighting in Afghanistan, this al Qaeda that's in Yemen?

GORANI: Well, the Yemen -- the central government in Yemen in Sana'a doesn't control all of the territory in Yemen and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is in control of some large parts of the territory and they have vowed to attack U.S. and Western interests.

And if, indeed, the investigation does reveal that this is an al Qaeda attack against this gentleman, Mr. Aqlan, then it would not be surprising because the tactic is similar and, also, this is something that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula works hard to do. It attacks the central government that is allied with the United States in Sanaa, as well as, in this particular case, it seems, one of the workers at the U.S. embassy.

MALVEAUX: Hala, tell me about the breaking news in Syria. I know you've got more details.

GORANI: Right. This is also something that we're looking into. The Prime Minister of Turkey has come out on television and said that a civilian Syrian airliner that yesterday was flying from Moscow to Damascus that was diverted to Ankara by a fighter jet, Turkish fighter jets, was carrying military equipment to Syria.

This is raising tensions, of course, in the region between Turkey and Syria. Those two countries are already very much in a tense relationship because of some of the cross-border fire and violence.

MALVEAUX: So ...

GORANI: But, interestingly, also mentioning the fact that ammunition, that munitions destined for the ministry of defense in Syria coming from a Russian military manufacturer were onboard this civilian plane.

MALVEAUX: And this is coming from Turkish officials. I know that CNN hasn't independently confirmed it yet, but what does that nation -- in terms of Russia's role in arming the Syrian government?

GORANI: No, they're not -- he is not accusing and we are not hearing from Turkish officials that is it is the Russian government, but that it is a Russian military equipment manufacturer, that the equipment found on this plane, according to Turkish officials and the prime minister in this particular instance, had originated in Russia and were bound for the ministry of defense in Syria.

MALVEAUX: Very important distinction.

GORANI: And Syria for its part -- yes -- has said that this is an act of piracy because, remember, this was a civilian airliner that was bound for Damascus that was forced down in Ankara by Turkish fighter jets.

So, you know, this is yet another piece of the puzzle raising the level of tension a little bit more in that part of the world.

MALVEAUX: And do we know if Putin has said anything? What are Putin's plans?

GORANI: Well, we do know that he had a trip planned, an official trip, planned for Turkey, but it was postponed to December 3rd. This is what we're hearing now and we don't know if it's related to this incident or not.

MALVEAUX: All right, Hala, all the latest news. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

It is being called the most sophisticated and successful doping program in cycling history. His teammates say that Lance Armstrong was at the center of it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: More now on the startling revelations from former teammates of superstar cyclist Lance Armstrong, one says, quote, "We hid from doping drug tests."

Casey Wian has got the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The United States Anti-Doping agency has released what it calls overwhelming evidence that seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, quote, "doped throughout the majority of his professional cycling career."

In August, the agency banned Armstrong from competition for life. Now, it's releasing more than 1,000 pages of evidence and sworn statements by 26 people, including 11 of Armstrong's former teammates. The USADA called it "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that the sport has ever seen."

BILL STRICKLAND, "BICYCLING" MAGAZINE: Like the Black Sox scandal in baseball, I think this was a seminal moment, not just for cycling, but for sports, for performance-enhancing and doping in sports.

WIAN: Several former Armstrong teammates released statements admitting their own doping histories and vowed to help clean up the sport. Armstrong has repeatedly denied doping and his image has survived the scandal largely intact. He's kept endorsement deals with Nike and Anheuser-Busch. One reason? The well-respected charity he founded 15 years ago. LiveStrong has raised nearly half a billion dollars to fight cancer, a disease Armstrong himself has beaten.

HOWARD BRAGMAN, CRISIS PUBLICIST: He's done amazing things for people with cancer. He's given a lot of people hope in this world and, to many millions of Americans and people around the world, Lance Armstrong will always be a hero and none of these allegations are ever going to change that.

WIAN: Armstrong's attorney called USADA's report a "one-sided hatchet job, a taxpayer-funded tabloid piece rehashing old, disproved, unreliable allegations based largely on ax grinders, serial perjurers, coerced testimony, sweetheart deals, and threat-induced stories."

Back in February, the U.S. attorney here in Los Angeles abruptly closed a two-year criminal fraud investigation into Armstrong's alleged doping program.

We asked the U.S. attorney's office if these newly released documents could reopen that criminal investigation. A spokesman declined to comment.

Casey Wian, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: It was win or go home as the top two golfers on the planet faced off at the World Golf Final. That happened in Turkey. Rory McIlroy went home. Tiger Woods beat him by six strokes. Woods advances to the semifinals, but not so bad for McIlroy. He actually leaves the course with $300,000 in prize money.

For Republicans, a win could add up to their momentum. For Democrats, it's going to be about getting back up after a tough loss. We are talking debate strategy in the last hours before the vice presidential debate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Want to take to you some live pictures that we're looking at out of Danville, Kentucky, for tonight's -- actually, this is Lexington, Kentucky, but he's going to be heading back to -- to Danville.

That is Air Force Two, of course. You can see the door just beginning to open there as they bring the stairs to eventually where the vice president will exit and he will travel to the debate site.

Of course, a lot of anticipation over his performance with Ryan tonight and how that's going to go after the last presidential debate. Want to talk a little bit about that. Mitt Romney's big win in last week's debate, of course, receiving now a bounce, we understand, in the polls. How long it's going to last, we really don't know. That question, of course, could be answered tonight when we're talking about this one and only vice presidential debate.

Ron Brownstein is joining us and he's our senior political analyst and "National Journal" editor -- editorial director and, Ron, you and I were at those vice presidential debates last go round back in 2008 when a record 70 million people watched that night.

There was so much excitement and I think there was a lot of curiosity, how Sarah Palin was going to go up against Joe Biden and a lot that came out of that debate. What do we make of the expectations tonight between Biden and now Ryan?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, first of all, I would be surprised if the audience was as big as it was in '08 where Sarah Palin was not only a political, but a cultural phenomenon at that point. On the other hand, the first debate, the Romney-Obama debate received an enormous audience, even bigger than we expected.

I was at the last debate in Danville, the vice presidential debate in 2000, between Joe Lieberman and Dick Cheney, but I think the analogy here, the model here, is really the 2004 vice presidential debate. Then, as now, you had a first debate where the incumbent president -- in that case, George W. Bush, in this case, President Obama, did not do nearly as well as expected. Obama, I think, had a much tougher night than Bush did in the first debate in '04 and it came to the vice presidential debate to try to kind of right the ship and steady the momentum.

And, in 2004, Dick Cheney was able to do that in his debate against John Edwards and there will be that pressure, I think, on Joe Biden tonight really to change the storyline. I mean, the polls suggest that there's a clear advantage for Romney from that first debate, but it's kind of stabilizing. Nonetheless, if Ryan has a very strong night tonight, Congressman Ryan, it will kind of reinforce a storyline and amplification that will be a problem for Democrats.

MALVEAUX: And, Ron, again, we're taking a look at these pictures. This is Air Force Two, obviously preparing for the vice president to step down off the plane and he'll be heading to the debate site.

But talk a little bit about what's at stake here because often the vice presidential debates don't really make that much difference when you take a look at the overall picture. But you still have some people, especially after Obama's kind of lackluster performance, who are undecided, who are actually looking at this and now you've got Mitt Romney and Obama, neck-and-neck now.

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, I think a lot of things changed in that first presidential debate, which makes this somewhat more consequential than usual. As you point out, people don't usually vote for the vice president. The vice presidential debate is not a central factor in the campaign.

Probably the biggest, you know, effective blow ever landed in a vice presidential debate was Lloyd Bentsen against Dan Quayle in 1988. "You're no Jack Kennedy." Didn't affect the outcome of the race. But what matters here, I think, is the Democrats have to re-establish a case both on the offense and really the defense, what they want to do and the portrait they want to paint of the Republicans.

President Obama really failed to do either one of those things. He failed to identify a compelling second-term agenda that he wants to put out and he really didn't identify or reinforce the arguments that his ticket has made against the Republicans for months and I think there'll be enormous pressure on the vice president to kind of move both of those lines of argument forward tonight.

MALVEAUX: Do you think we're going to hear from the vice president some of the things that the president did not mention, the 47-percent comment that Mitt Romney made, the role of Bain Capital, the issue of how much he pays in taxes?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think some of the things about Romney himself, like Bain and taxes, are going to be harder to shoehorn in, but the 47 percent is fascinating because, you know, in the case of Paul Ryan, that is not a kind of ancillary comment.

He has made arguments like that, repeatedly, dozen of times, in his major addresses. It is central to his view of the debate about the role of government. He has repeatedly argued that, once we get to a point where a majority of Americans are receiving government benefits of one sort or another, they will inexorably vote themselves more benefits at the expense of those who are paying taxes.

I mean, Mitt Romney has, as you know, on Sean Hannity kind of renounced what he said about the 47 percent, but it is absolutely central to Paul Ryan's view of the world, so it will be interesting to see what he says about it and, also, Mitt Romney's later comments about it.

MALVEAUX: All right, I want to you see this. Again, our viewers, we're looking at Air Force Two. We're waiting for the vice president to get out of the plane and, obviously, go to the debate site.

But, Ron, I want you to talk a little bit about this because this is Ronald Reagan when he blew his first debate against Walter Mondale. This happened back in '84 and you'll recall this. He seemed confused. Some people, you know, thought elderly and confused, but he really came back with -- in the second debate. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I want you to know that, also, I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Ron, does Biden need to throw one of those at Ryan there? I mean, these guys are not the same age.

BROWNSTEIN: Game, set, match in 1984.

No, it's interesting. I mean, this is the widest age gap we've had in a vice presidential debate.

On the other hand, what's interesting, Suzanne, you know, they both are sort of unusually early-starting politicians. Biden was elected to the senate at 29, Paul Ryan to the house at 28. They're both people who have kind of made their way in Washington, but I think the contrast between them will be enormous. Joe Biden can't reverse this race by himself.

The race has changed, I think, fundamentally. You had a slice of voters who were dissatisfied with Obama who did not see Romney as a viable alternative. Some of them now do see him as a viable alternative. That means, I think, we're going to have a closer race all the way through.

But Democrats need to re-establish, as I said, the storylines that they had been successful -- the arguments that they have to successfully drive going into that first debate, both in their portrayal as Romney as someone and the Republican ticket more concerned about the wealthy than the middle class, and also the argument that this represents a choice of directions for the country.

President Obama really didn't move forward on either of those fronts. This is only the beginning for them, but Biden has to try to move the ball forward tonight.

MALVEAUX: All right, got to leave it there, Ron. We'll both be watching and, of course, we'll talk about this on the other end tomorrow. Good to see you, as always.

She just got out of prison in Moscow. Now, a member of the Russian punkers, Pussy Riot, is now talking. We're going to hear about her time behind bars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Russia punk singer just freed from prison says she is not going to stop staging political protests. Yekaterina Samutsevich is a member of the band, Pussy Riot. She and two other band members were found guilty of hooliganism after the band performed a song that was critical of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Well, it happened inside Moscow's main cathedral. This happened in February. The three were sentenced in two years -- for two years in prison, but Samutsevich says she was released yesterday because she wasn't actually at that performance.

She talked exclusively with Christiane Amanpour about her time behind bars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YEKATERINA SAMUTSEVICH, FREED RUSSIAN PUNK SINGER (via translator): We were in separate rooms in separate cells, so we were isolated in special holding cells. And we had three to four other cellmates and people who were sort of cautious. We were always recorded. We were always on camera. There was some additional security measures, but then they treated us in a more even-handed -- sort of in a calmer fashion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: She was shot in the head by the Taliban. We're going to have the latest on the 14-year-old girl from Pakistan who stood up for what she believes in and paid the price.

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MALVEAUX: We learned just last hour that a 14-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban has been transferred to a military hospital as her condition is now worsening.

We've been telling you about Malala Yousufzai since Tuesday's shooting. Gunmen boarded her school bus, called her out by name and shot her in the head and neck. She was targeted for her social media activism supporting education for girls, something as simple as that.

Well, there's been condemnation of this attack and support for the teenager has been growing from Washington to the United Nations, around the world.

Reza Sayah is joining us live from Islamabad. You've been talking to the doctors and the family members. You have been all over this story. How is she doing? What is taking place now? What is the update?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, doctors say she's in critical condition. We've also spoken to the uncle within the past hour. He's saying that doctors are now hopeful, that she's out of danger, but I think the next 24 to 36 hours are going to be critical. This is the period after operation yesterday. Of course, there's been an outpouring of emotion for this young girl. The last time we saw this kind of outpouring was probably 2007 when the former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated. But now, here, we're talking about a 14-year-old girl. This is the kind of impact she's had on many here, and probably the impact has been strongest in Pakistan's classrooms.

MALVEAUX: And you visited actually the school in Islamabad there today. Tell us about what these children are saying, if they are afraid or if they are worried.

SAYAH: Well, first off, they're shocked and horrified that this happened, but they're also hopeful and they're praying that Malala recovers. For the past 24 hours, they've been making posters, banners, get well cards. We spoke to a few of them here in Islamabad. Here's a look at that report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAYAH (voice-over): It was Malala Yousufzai's nonstop courage to speak out against the Taliban that first captured the hearts of many of this country's youth.

MALALA YOUSUFZAI: I thought that I must stand up for my rights. The right of education. The right for peace.

SAYAH: Malala was targeted for fighting for girls' education. Now it's her fight to survive that has countless young admirers praying for her in schools throughout Pakistan.

SAYAH (on camera): Did everyone hear about what happened to Malala?

KIDS: Yes.

SAYAH (voice-over): When students at Islamabad's Khaldunia School learned militants had shot Malala in the head, they made banners, wrote her letters, demanding the government to do everything to save her.

MARYAM TARIQ, STUDENT: I was really shocked because she was so ambitious. And, like, she is the girl which Pakistani girls should look up to. And now she's been shot, and I pray for her.

SAYAH (on camera): So who in here was inspired with what Malala said and what she did?

MEHVER ISMAIL, STUDENT: To have the courage to actually just go against all that, I think that was quite respectable.

SAYAH: So has anyone here decided to maybe change the way they live their life because of Malala? Anyone?

GIREM HASSAN, STUDENT: In our society, it's considered that girls, they don't have rights and they don't get to study. But I think that's completely wrong. We have same rights as men, and we will stand up for our rights and we will go out and encourage all girls to study.

SAYAH: Now, Malala liked to speak up, even though she was in a dangerous situation. How many of you are finding yourselves speaking up more about things that are not right because of Malala?

AILLEYA ZEHRA, STUDENT: Well, I like to -- you know, I want these people that attacked her, and I want them to learn that -- that, you know, women, they're not all bad because they're basically afraid of giving women equal rights because they're afraid of what women can do because they know women can do a lot.

SAYAH: Obviously, Malala has inspired a lot of girls. But boys go to school here. And here's what's remarkable. Malala is inspiring the boys as well.

Does Malala inspire you? KAMIL AZIZ, STUDENT: Yes, she does.

SAYAH: She does?

AZIZ: Yes.

SAYAH: How so?

AZIZ: A, like, now I won't take advantage of school. I actually want to study. So --

SAYAH: Because of Malala?

AZIZ: Yes.

JAMIL AHMED: What I learned from her is education is the best thing. If you get education, then you will be a better person.

SAYAH (voice-over): Motivated to be better people, work hard, get an education, and the source of their inspiration? A remarkable 14-year- old girl now fighting for her life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Reza, I understand the Taliban have now warned that if she survives this time, she's not going to survive next time. I mean that is a pretty direct threat to this little girl. Can she even be protected?

SAYAH: Well, look, there's a huge pressure on the Pakistani government and the Pakistani military to protect this girl. Authorities say they've offered her protection years ago and she turned it down. But there's going to be pressure on the government to offer protection moving forward.

But make no mistake, the focus right now is her medical condition. They want her to get better. They have their best doctors, they say, treating her. They want to get her out of the hospital, up on her feet as soon as possible.

MALVEAUX: Reza, thank you so much. Excellent reporting. Really appreciate you bringing this story to us. Clearly, a lot of support for this little girl and really opens a window to what is taking place inside Pakistan.

Well, a dark part of history now is coming to light in one amazing, amazing performance.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Defiant Requiem" tells the story of Verdi's requiem as an act of defiance, an inspired declaration by prisoners against Nazi oppression.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MALVEAUX: Concentration camp prisoners sang what they could not say to their captors. Well, now, one conductor is bringing their story to life on the stage.

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MALVEAUX: Want to take you back in history for a moment. The time, World War II. The place, Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia. At the Terezin concentration camp, Jewish prisoners were forced to sing for the Nazis.

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MALVEAUX: The song is just one small part of "Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezin" conducted by Murry Sidlin. And Murry is joining us now.

It just is so powerful and so impressive to see you and what you do and to experience that performance. Tell us about where this came from, the original conductor, and those Jewish prisoners who actually performed it for the Nazis in defiance.

MURRY SIDLIN, CONDUCTOR: Well, Rafael Schachter was the conductor in Terezin of 16 performances of the Verdi Requiem. Now, he only had one score, and he had to teach 150 volunteer prisoners to sing this by rote. And so when I learned the story, oh, maybe 12 years ago, I began a quest to find survivors who sang and they became my teachers and told me the story that it wasn't only the Verdi Requiem, but it was a requiem that was performed in defiance and resistance of Nazi oppression.

They could sing things that they couldn't say to the Nazis. So in retranslating the mass, instead of the last section, which is, "Deliver me oh Lord," it became "Liberate me oh Lord" and "Everything will be avenged." And all of this is in the mass. But instead of God speaking to the individual, they threw it out to the Nazis. So, I found prisoners and put it together, and a foundation came out of this, the Defiant Requiem Foundation, which I head up with the distinguished Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat.

MALVEAUX: I want -- I want our listeners, I want our viewers to actually see some of those survivors and their stories and what they told you. Let's play that.

SIDLIN: Sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANA KRASA, TEREZIN SURVIVOR: It's very uplifting, and I think you forget where you are. You forget the surrounding. You -- there are things that today I can't imagine, what did we do for this?

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MALVEAUX: What does it mean for them?

SIDLIN: Well, I think it takes them back to the time when they heard the music and the lectures and the cabaret and all the arts at Terezin that flourished among the prisoners to give themselves hope, courage, dignity, and to maintain what, above all, a quest for life. You know, and we're working in conjunction here with the wonderful Anti Defamation League, which is getting ready to celebrate its 100th anniversary as one of the leading organizations against oppression and bigotry, and we at the Defiant Requiem Foundation share that. And Defiant Requiem is also the subject of our new documentary film entitled "Defiant Requiem."

MALVEAUX: What makes it unique? What makes it different that it is actually music that brings this message?

SIDLIN: I think it works like this. When you run out of language, when language can no longer suffice to express the deep emotions that you had, the fear, the anguish, all of that, we turn to art because art allows us to go way beyond normal language. So these prisoners turn to art and the humanities - 2,400 lectures, 1,000 concerts. At first it was sub rosa, and then it was permitted.

MALVEAUX: All right.

SIDLIN: And so these are a people who are a -- an inspiration, a beacon to those of us in present day to respond to the worst of mankind with the best of mankind.

MALVEAUX: All right, thank you so much. It's a very powerful message. It's a very powerful performance. I would recommend anybody go see it. Thank you very much for your time. Really appreciate it.

SIDLIN: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: We're going to take a quick break and then we'll have more on the vice presidential debate coming up.

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