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"I Take Responsibility"; Second Presidential Debate Tonight; Former Senator George McGovern In Hospice; Officer Investigated For Possible Brutality; FBI: Malware Attacks On Your Android; Planet With Four Suns; Pakistani Teen Recovering In Britain; Pentagon Hacker Won't Be Extradited; Honda Passes 1,000,000 Hybrid Sales; Minnesota Viking Stands Up For Rights; Jumping into a New Era; Diversity Lunch Under Attack
Aired October 16, 2012 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Would you pay higher taxes as a way to help balance the budget?
CHRIS KLUWE, MINNESOTA VIKING'S PUNTER: I would without question. As long as I have my couch and my video games, I'm good to go. That's all I need. Do you really need a diamond encrusted yacht?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You can hear more of Kluwe's views in Poppy Harlow's full report that's coming in the next hour of NEWSROOM. That's a look at sports.
And by the way, the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
Stories we're watching right now. Taking blame, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton now shouldering the responsibility for the American deaths in Benghazi. Will it help President Obama in tonight's debate?
A diversity program under attack. It's just students having lunch with kids they usually avoid, but now a conservative group that same program promotes a gay lifestyle.
The legal challenge. Medical marijuana advocates take the government to court, the issue, should marijuana be the same drug classification as heroin and LSD.
And it was the jump watched round the world. Fearless Felix makes history, but could this be the start of a changing future for space travel? NEWSROOM starts now.
COSTELLO: Good morning to you. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Carol Costello. Eleven hours before the big debate tonight, and Hillary Clinton throws the President a lifeline. Secretary of State is taking full responsibility for the death of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: I take responsibility. I'm in charge of the State Department, 60,000-plus people all over the world, 275 posts. The President and the Vice President certainly wouldn't be knowledgeable about specific decisions that are made by security professionals. They're the ones who weigh the threats and the risks and the needs and make a considered decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Clinton made it clear to CNN's Elise Labott she does not want to play the blame game following last month's attack, something that is sure to play out in tonight's presidential debate at Hofstra University.
And speaking of Hofstra, everything is ready to go with that university. The podiums are set up, the chairs are in place. Eighty undecided voters will ask questions of the candidates and CNN's Candy Crowley will moderate and most likely ask follow-up questions.
CNN political director, Mark Preston, is at Hofstra. Good morning, Mark.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Want to start with the Libya question first and whether that will help or hurt -- whether it will help President Obama.
PRESTON: Well, I mean, look, there's no question that two weeks ago, foreign policy was not much of an issue in this campaign, Carol. Fact of the matter is, though, it has become an issue.
And the Romney campaign has really done a good job of trying to use it as a wedge with the American voters. President Obama, when you look at the issue of foreign policy, has had a wide lead, all throughout the year on the issue of foreign policy.
Now, it's not one of the top issues on voters' minds. We note that it comes down to the economy. But Carol, I think we would be shocked not to hear it tonight.
Whether that question is going to be asked by one of the audience members or whether Mitt Romney is going to bring it up himself. I have to tell you, the fact that Hillary Clinton went out last night and fully accepted responsibility in some ways will help shield the President tonight.
But the fact of the matter is, as John McCain said last night, the Republican from Arizona, while it's laudable that Hillary Clinton did that, the fact of the matter is, the buck stops with the President. I wouldn't be surprised to hear Mitt Romney say that tonight -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And just going back to voter interest in this particular topic, I mean, do polls show there's much interest at all?
PRESTON: Well, you know, it's not a voting issue, right? We all know that it's the economy, the economy, the economy. And it's been the economy since 2008 in many ways. That is how Barack Obama rode his victory against John McCain that year.
The fact -- what we've seen over the past couple weeks is an effort by the Romney campaign, in some ways a successful effort, to try to erode away the credibility on the issue of foreign policy, but the issue of honesty.
We heard different stories coming out from the State Department, from the administration officials about what exactly happened in Benghazi that night, what led to the killing of the ambassador and those three other U.S. officials.
So what the Romney campaign is trying to do is to say, look, he's not being forceful in acknowledging what has happened. It was a terrorist attack. And President Obama has not really addressed that so thoroughly. So says the Romney campaign.
COSTELLO: All right, Mark Preston, live at Hofstra this morning.
Let's talk more about the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, taking one for the team. In an interview with CNN foreign affairs correspondent Elise Labott, she had this to say about the attack on the U.S. Consulate at Benghazi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I take responsibility. I'm in charge of the State Department, 60,000-plus people all over the world, 275 posts. The president and the Vice President certainly wouldn't be knowledgeable about specific decisions that are made by security professionals.
They're the ones who weigh all of the threats and the risks and the needs and make a considered decision. In the wake of an attack like this, in the fog of war, there's always going to be confusion.
And I think it is absolutely fair to say that everyone had the same intelligence. Everyone who spoke --
ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER: Bad intelligence, it seems, though.
CLINTON: Everyone who spoke tried to give the information they had. As time has gone on, the information has changed, we've gotten more detail, but that's not surprising. That always happens. And what I want to avoid is some kind of political gotcha or blame game going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: I think it's a little too late for that. Tom Fuentes is a former assistant director of the FBI and a CNN contributor. Tom, welcome.
TOM FUENTES, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So all of this is going on in Washington and the FBI is trying to figure out what happened in Benghazi. How does this affect investigators?
FUENTES: Well, actually, it will not affect the investigators. They're going to do a thorough job, no matter what. They're not really paying attention to the politics and, frankly, the FBI team that's working on this could care less about the political implications.
They just want to get the facts. But as far as the statement of the secretary of state, if you listen closely, yes, she takes responsibility and says I was in charge, I'm in charge of the State Department. I'm responsible.
Then goes on to say the decisions were made by security professionals, which mean Israeli diplomatic security service within the State Department. And then also goes on to somewhat fault a lack of intelligence.
So that would put that off on the intelligence community and other agencies. So yes, she's taking responsibility the way a captain of the ship might take responsibility if it sinks. But not necessarily saying it's my fault.
COSTELLO: So ultimately, I mean, people are saying the President is to blame, no matter what the investigation shows. Is that true?
FUENTES: I think that is true. I think what's going to happen here is that if you're for President Obama, you're going to say she did the right thing, it's her fault. The White House had nothing to do with it.
If you're not for President Obama, you're going to say wait a minute, the buck stops here, and you might even go on to say, did the White House put her up to this?
Hurry up and make a statement, taking blame 12 hours or 24 hours before the next debate, which makes it politically suspicious as far as the timing of why she makes that statement now.
COSTELLO: When do you expect some sort of the -- you know, concrete answer will come from the FBI, you know, the investigators in Libya?
FUENTES: I think it will be another month or two, probably, before they've completed all of the investigation and looked at all of the intelligence reporting that was available going back not just on this past 9/11 when the incident happened, but preceding it.
And I think the other interesting story about this is where else have they received the similar type threat reporting in other dangerous places throughout Africa, throughout the Middle East, throughout Asia?
Prior to the problem in the post-9/11 2001 era, the intelligence community and law enforcement agencies and the State Department are flooded with reporting.
And you have this water fall of material they're trying to sift through for the key drops that might indicate a specific attack. So that's the difficulty here, is not a lack of information in one sense. It's almost the fact that there's too much information to determine what is serious and what isn't.
COSTELLO: Tom Fuentes, thanks so much for joining us this morning.
FUENTES: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Former presidential candidate, George McGovern is in bad shape this morning. The former senator from South Dakota has been admitted to a hospice in Sioux Falls. He is 90 years old. As you know, McGovern ran for president in 1972. He lost to Richard Nixon.
A community in New York is outraged after a violent police arrest is caught on camera. Now, an internal investigation is deciding the fate of the police officer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Hillary Clinton takes one for the team, depending on your perspective. The secretary of state taking full responsibility for Ambassador Chris Hill's death in Libya.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I'm not going to get into the political back and forth. I know that we're very close to an election. I want just to take a step back here and say from my own experience, we are at our best as Americans when we pull together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But some conservatives are saying how convenient on the eve of a make-or-break debate. CNN's senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein is here to talk about that and more.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.
COSTELLO: So she tried to make it not political, but it became more political.
BROWNSTEIN: In October of a year easily divisible by four. Pretty much everything that happens is political. I think what she said is plausible, as far as it goes. I mean, I think it is realistic that a request for more security at an individual diplomatic outpost would not necessarily reach the White House, would ultimately be decided by the State Department.
If she is taking responsibility, that is completely reasonable. There is another side of the equation, what the White House said after the fact about what happened there, what the President said, what Jay Carney said, what others, Susan Rice, the U.N. ambassador said.
And that's really something that I think is still out there and is going to be investigated and debated for some time.
COSTELLO: Well, in this particular debate, that's going to take place tonight. In this particular format, I mean, the undecided voters are going to be asking the questions. They're not going to get into the weeds like that, right?
BROWNSTEIN: Right.
COSTELLO: So how much will it actually help or hurt anyone?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, I mean, look, it's just kind of a drum beat in the back drop. Yes, you know, the town hall debates are a little bit of a wild card because you don't know what people are going to ask.
The questions are not always formulated the way journalists would formulate them, knowing kind of -- living the details of all of the stories. And yet as the respondent, you have to kind of appear empathetic and concerned.
Probably the most memorable moment from any of the town hall debates was George H.W. Bush looking at his watch while someone was asking the question, kind of out of luck, out of time in his case.
COSTELLO: So since President Obama is the underdog, that's my "Talkback" question for today, I just wanted from your perspective, what does he need to say? I mean, is there one thing he needs to say to get voters back on his side?
BROWNSTEIN: I don't think there is one thing he can say. I do not think there is any way to return the race to where it was in September where he had had a margin of comfort. I think at best now, we're talking about a dog fight all the way through to the end.
But I think he has a couple different challenges tonight. First, I think above all, is to convey energy and passion that he has an agenda that would make people's lives better over the next four years.
That was really missing in that first debate. I think he has to try to focus in on some of the questions that are looming over Mitt Romney's plans, particularly the tax plan and whether he can do the three things he says he wants to.
Cut tax rates 20 percent, not increase the deficit and not reduce the share of taxes paid by the rich nonpartisan studies say that is mathematically impossible.
The third thing, Carol, I think is a little different. You know, this debate -- first two debates focus almost entirely on a very narrow range of issues. He really hasn't gotten to some of the issues that activate key elements of his coalition.
Such as immigration, such as the battle over contraception, abortion came up at the end. He needs to do a little bit I think broaden the discussion to get to some of the issues where he has contrasts that benefit him with the voters he needs.
COSTELLO: OK, and the final question for you. I think that many analysts are surprised that the last debate was so, you know, wonderful for Mitt Romney and so not wonderful for President Obama. Is that unusual?
BROWNSTEIN: I think -- look, I think this is the black swan in the race. I think a lot of people are surprised, myself included that there has not been a clear pattern. Debates have mattered sometimes, haven't mattered other times.
But there have been very few debates that have mattered, judging by the polls, as much as this one, maybe 1980 with Carter-Reagan, 1960 with Nixon-Kennedy.
It has fundamentally reshaped the race. It has put Romney in a position where voters not considering him before, somewhat dissatisfied with President Obama are now seriously considering him.
And now Obama, I think, has an urgent task on both sides of the ball to show what he would do and to re-establish some of the doubts that his campaign worked so laboriously to sow about Romney and which Romney made enormous progress, at least temporarily, of dispelling in the first debate.
COSTELLO: Ron Brownstein, thanks so much.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.
COSTELLO: I know you'll be watching tonight. Hopefully, you'll come back tomorrow.
Checking our top stories. It's 16 minutes past the hour, New York City police officer under investigation after a violent arrest was caught on camera. Two officers, one male, one female, were responding to a dispute at a Brooklyn Community Center last week when, boy, things got out of hand.
The video appears to show a male officer hitting a suspect dozens of times after the suspect pulls free. The department's Internal Affairs Bureau is now reviewing the situation.
In money news this morning, the FBI issues a warning for Android phone users. Two attacks are fishing for your information using text messages and installed applications containing malware. The FBI is warning, don't open text messages you don't know and password protect your mobile device.
Amateur astronomers discovered a new planet in a solar system with four, count them, four suns. The planet orbits two of the suns and is orbited by two more suns and is a little bigger than Neptune and about six times bigger than the earth. Scientists say this is the first- known quadruple sun system.
The Pakistani teenager is recovering at a British hospital one week after she was shot in the head by the Taliban in Pakistan. The 14- year-old Malala Yousufzai's was airlifted to Birmingham, England.
Her recovery is expected to take several months. Dan Rivers is live in Birmingham right now. So Dan, what are the doctors saying about her condition? DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're saying she spent a comfortable night here at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Her condition, they're now saying, is stable.
She has had the initial assessment from a whole range of doctors, specialists in brain surgery, dealing with kids and so on, always different teams looking at different areas of her health.
Now they will go away and start to plan how and when they're going to begin the very long, complicated process of surgery and rehabilitation. One of the first things they've got to do is an MRI scan on her brain, on her head.
And they want to sort of build a 3-D reconstruction of her skull and her brain to map exactly where the bullet went through her head and work out what has been damaged or what needs to be repaired.
So that's a kind of critical part of all this. Dr. David Rosser is the director of medicine here. Here's what he had to say to reporters earlier on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. DAVE ROSSER, HOSPITAL MEDICAL DIRECTOR: I guess, I would say irritating incident overnight. I understand there are a number of people who have been arrested, but there are no security concerns. We don't believe there's any sort of threat to her personal security. We think it's probably people being overcurious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: So that's highlighting that overnight people have tried to get access to her. The police here are playing this down even more, saying actually it was just well wishers trying to deliver flowers to her, and they were turned away saying they weren't even arrested.
But it highlights that security is a big concern here. There is still a death threat hanging over her from the Taliban who have already once tried to execute her.
COSTELLO: Dan Rivers reporting live from Birmingham, England this morning. Thank you.
Minnesota Vikings' punter, Chris Kluwe, gets his kicks off the field with politics. Kluwe may not be running for office, but he has something to say about the men running for the White House and it isn't pretty.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, what does President Obama need to do in tonight's debate?
The stakes couldn't be higher for the President after his last debate performance. Obama saw a drop in the polls and is now running behind Mr. Romney, 47 percent to 48 percent that's according to CNN's latest poll of polls.
Romney is making in-roads in the swing states and according to Gallup/"USA Today," it's now tied with Obama among women voters, a group once considered a slam-dunk for Obama. Still Obama adviser Robert Gibbs says not to worry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GIBBS, OBAMA CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: I think we're going to have a chance to talk about Governor Romney's economic theories we tried, quite frankly, for eight years. And they didn't work too well. They ended up crushing us and leaving us with this economic disaster we've been trying to dig our way out of for the last four years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Yet to dig himself out of this slump, the President will have to score big in tonight's town hall forum and connect with the audience. In other words, take a page from Bill Clinton's playbook.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: If the question -- if -- maybe I won't get it wrong. Are you suggesting if somebody has means that the national debt doesn't affect them?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What I'm saying --
BUSH: I'm not sure -- help me with the question and I'll try to answer it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've had friends that have been laid off from jobs.
BUSH: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know people who cannot afford to pay the mortgage on their homes, their car payment. I have personal problems with the national debt.
BUSH: Thank you. Glad to clarify.
FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: Tell me how it's affected you again. You know people who have lost their jobs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
CLINTON: In my state, when people lose their jobs, there's a good chance I'll know them by their names.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Yes, he really felt your pain. Although the race is considered a statistical dead heat, many Democrats are worried Romney is whipping over the independent voters who waited until now for deciding. So the challenge for the President, how to win them back? Talkback question today, what does President Obama need to do in tonight's debate? Facebook.com/carolcnn. Your responses later this hour.
Just ahead, an amazing leap by Felix Baumgartner goes into the record books, but is it a jumping off point for the future of space travel?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: And good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining us. It's 30 minutes past the hour.
Coming up to 30 minutes past the hour, stories we are watching right now in the NEWSROOM. A Pakistani teenager now being treated in a British hospital a week after being shot in the head by the Taliban. The 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai was airlifted to a Birmingham, England hospital.
A man the U.S. government says carried out the biggest military computer hacking of all-time will not face trial in the United States. Gary McKinnon has been fighting extradition from London for 10 years and today, the British government said it would not extradite him citing concerns over his health.
Honda says it's past the 1 million mark for hybrid sales. The Japanese automaker was the first to sell gasoline-electric hybrids in the United States. Honda says it took just under 13 years to reach the million mark milestone.
You know tonight's the night. Round two, President Obama and Republican challenger Governor Mitt Romney face off in a town hall style debate moderated by Candy Crowley.
Paul Steinhauser is at the university now. Good morning, Paul. Set the scene for us.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hi, Carol, good morning. Here's the scene now. Neither candidate is here yet, but they will get here in a couple of hours. Each of them is going to have a private walk through. Right behind me there, that's the debate hall. Each of them is going to take a look at the stage, take a look at where the audience is going to be seated.
Now yesterday -- I got a sneak peek inside the debate hall with Frank Fahrenkopf, you know him well, he is the co-chairman of the Commission of the Presidential Debates. Here's what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANK FAHRENKOPF, CO-CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMISSION OF PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES: Well, we're standing right where Candy Crowley is going to be, she'll be at this table right behind us. And you'll see beyond her is two stools, high stools that's where the two candidates will be. And then around them, in sort of a semi-circle there will about 80 people who have been chosen from the area around Hofstra here on Long Island. And they're the ones who will ask the questions of the candidates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: That's the live pictures right now inside the debate hall. And Carol, those 80 people that Frank was just talking about, they are all undecided voters as he mentioned, they're from the area here. And as he also mentioned, they are the ones coming up with the questions.
They are arriving here right around now and they will be meeting with Candy Crowley at an undisclosed location. I don't know where it is, so don't ask me.
And what she'll do is she'll gather all of these questions from these voters and she'll decide which ones get to ask the questions to Governor Romney and to President Obama. There will be probably time for about maybe 15 questions. Each candidate will get two minutes to answer and then Candy gets her turn. She can kind of facilitate the discussion for another two minutes after that. That's how it's going work today, Carol.
COSTELLO: Ok. So who gets the first question?
STEINHAUSER: Well, they did it very scientifically. They flipped a coin, and Governor Romney -- former Governor Romney will get the first question. He'll have two minutes to answer and then two minutes from the President and then we'll see what happens.
COSTELLO: Ok and so what's the seating situation like? So will the audience be right up there, like right in front of the podiums where the candidates will be standing behind?
STEINHAUSER: Yes. If we show that live picture, we'll put it up again, it is going to be pretty close, comfortable atmosphere. You can see the candidates will be sitting on stools. Candy will be behind a desk and then the audience is going to be right around them there. And this is why body language is so much more important this time than it was in Denver two weeks ago.
The candidates were behind podiums two weeks ago. This time every part of their body will be visible. Body language really matters in a debate like this one -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Paul Steinhauser. We'll all be watching along with you. Thanks so much.
The debate's not the only thing people have their eye on today. Outspoken Minnesota Vikings' kicker Chris Kluwe says he doesn't like either candidate for president.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: He's an outspoken advocate for marriage equality. Minnesota Vikings' punter Chris Kluwe doesn't just reveal his inner geeky side for "Out" magazine by posing shirtless and defending gay rights, Kluwe has a feisty political side, too. CNN's Poppy Harlow is here to tell us what makes this NFL player so passionate and so unusual.
HARLOW: He's so unusual. He's all about breaking the stereotypes, Carol. And he's been making headlines. He's this outspoken advocate for same-sex marriage. He penned a profanity-laced letter recently to a Maryland representative for trying to silence another player's support of same-sex marriage. He really went off on the lawmaker.
So I went home to Minnesota to find out what makes this quirky video game-loving football player tick.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So Chris Kluwe will be taking it away.
HARLOW (voice-over): This is the Chris Kluwe most football fans know. And this is the Minnesota Vikings' punter posing for a prominent gay magazine.
(on camera): What is this fight about for you?
KLUWE: To me this fight is about equality and human rights.
HARLOW (voice-over): Kluwe, who is not gay, isn't coming out, he's speaking out. Loudly.
(on camera): Where would you say this real passion to defend gay marriage came from?
KLUWE: The fact is that there are American citizens who pay taxes, who serve in our military, who defend this country, who are not benefiting under the same legal protections and laws that the rest of us are. And to me, that is -- that's flat-out discrimination. That's the same as segregation or -- or suffrage.
HARLOW (voice-over): In a state divided over a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, Kluwe has taken his fight to blogs and Twitter.
KLUWE: I will defend to the death your right to say or do what you want, as long as it does not oppress other people.
HARLOW: Fellow NFL players certainly don't all agree with him, but Kluwe says attitudes are changing.
KLUWE: I think there is a very -- a much more tolerant atmosphere in the NFL now.
HARLOW (on camera): Is America ready for an openly gay NFL player?
KLUWE: I don't know. I think until -- until someone comes out, you know we -- we never will know.
HARLOW: You've tweeted that you'd like to debate any Minnesota politician on the same-sex marriage issue. I wonder have any --
(CROSSTALK) KLUWE: I'm still waiting.
HARLOW: Yes you're still waiting.
KLUWE: I'm still waiting.
HARLOW (voice-over): It's not just same-sex marriage that gets him riled up. Ask about other hot-button issues and he goes off.
KLUWE: Citizens United, that's a huge issue for me right now. Corporations are not people. And if you look at the current presidential race right now, we're spending over $1 billion to determine who our president is going to be. And to me that says that money has an overriding influence in our politics right now.
HARLOW: And on taxes? You would be part of the one percent.
KLUWE: I am part of the one percent.
HARLOW: Would you pay higher taxes as a way to help balance the budget?
KLUWE: I would, without question. As long as I have my couch and my video games, I'm good to go. That's -- that's all I need. I mean do you really need a diamond-encrusted yacht?
HARLOW: But don't bet on him running for office. He has zero interest. For now, this is his fight.
KLUWE: It shouldn't be news when someone speaks out for equality. It should be news when someone speaks out against equality.
HARLOW: He's not wild about either candidate, but says he'll vote for President Obama, calling him the less terrible choice. He's not punting this election.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: He is certainly not punting this election. A few other sort of fascinating things, Carol. He even wrote a letter to Minnesota's Catholic archbishop and Pope Benedict, making all of his points from the Bible of why he says same-sex marriage should be allowed. I said, are you a religious guy? He said I'm cheerfully agnostic. A fascinating guy.
COSTELLO: So -- so how does his outspokenness go over in Minnesota?
HARLOW: It's a great question. I think it's right down the middle. People in Minnesota like me are loyal Vikings' fans. But even all his teammates don't agree with him and his stance. And -- and some have spoken out. And certainly not all Minnesotans do.
You know there's this big vote coming up November 6th in Minnesota, whether or not to define marriage as between a man and woman in the state Constitution. And recent polling shows that it's really split right down the middle. He's doing everything he can to -- to have that vote not go through. He's working for Minnesotans for Equality, and he is going out and speaking.
Interestingly, though, the Vikings, no pushback from teammates or the league. Roger Goodell, the commissioner, was asked about him and what he thought about, you know, this player speaking out in support of same-sex marriage. He said these are the times. People are going to say what they want to say, and that is ok.
So there is a changing tone in the league, but still not one single gay current NFL player has -- has come out, even if there is one that -- that we know of. So it's still that sort of machismo support very much.
COSTELLO: I don't believe him when he says he's not going to run for political office.
HARLOW: He has zero interest.
COSTELLO: After he retires from football, I'm going to place a bet. We'll be watching.
HARLOW: I said that to him. All right we'll be watching.
COSTELLO: Thanks, Poppy.
HARLOW: Sure.
COSTELLO: We never get tired of seeing this video. I mean never. Daredevil Felix Baumgartner's 24 mile high leap. Did he just jump- start the future of space travel, too?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Forty-two minutes past the hour. Checking our "Top Stories" now.
Former Senator Arlen Specter will be laid to rest today. The Republican turned Democrat died Sunday following a long battle with cancer. Vice President Joe Biden will attend today's service. Specter represented Pennsylvania for 30 years. He was 82.
At least two more drugs could be linked to a growing outbreak of meningitis. So far, 214 people have the rare fungal disease; 15 have died. Now the FDA says anyone who has received drugs made at the Massachusetts Compounding Pharmacy could be at risk.
In money news, Social Security benefits are going up slightly, starting next year. The average increase is less than $20 per month. More than 56 million people are now on Social Security.
And medical marijuana advocates hope they can sway a three-judge panel over how the government classifies marijuana. Today the group, Americans for Safe Access wants the U.S. Court of Appeals to change the classification of marijuana from a schedule 1 drug, like heroin and LSD. The DEA considers those drugs to have high rates of abuse and no acceptable medical use. You've probably seen video of Felix Baumgartner's incredible jump by now. He plummeted 24 miles to earth in a free-fall from the edge of space and lived to tell about it. It was an incredible feat for sure. But it could be a sign that space exploration is moving to the realm of private business.
Here's CNN's Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Felix Baumgartner talks about the moment that had all of our hearts pounding when he went into a rapid spin that he may not have come out of alive. He said his rotation started off well.
FELIX BAUMGARTNER, STRATOSPHERE JUMPER: And then it started spinning so violent, it spun me around in all different ways, you know. And I was always trying to find out how to stop this. You know I was putting one arm out, it didn't work. And putting another arm out.
TODD: Baumgartner's feat has experts talking about what's next and asking when there are risks that great, is it better for a privately sponsored explorer to go on these missions or a government trained one?
JOHN LOGSDON, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: There is really no reason for a government-trained person to be doing what Baumgartner did.
TODD: John Logsdon of George Washington University, who helped investigate the shuttle "Columbia" disaster says Baumgartner's mission doesn't relate as much to space as we might think. 50 to 60 miles above the earth, he says, the upper atmosphere is higher than Baumgartner's 24-mile ascent. Logsdon says future astronauts will likely be wearing suits different from what Felix Baumgartner wore.
But will private firms like Red Bull lead the way in exploration? Aside from Baumgartner's mission, private firm SpaceX contracted with NASA to send an unmanned supply craft to the International Space Station. This vehicle, Space Ship 1, privately financed, went over the border into space in 2004 and returned safely. Richard Branson is trying to develop that into commercial space tourism.
Listen to what the technical project manager of Baumgartner's jump said about their mission.
ART THOMPSON, TECHNICAL PROJECT MANAGER, RED BULL STRATOS: That's really part of what this program was to achieve, was to show high- altitude egress, passing through mach and a successful re-entry back. Because our belief is that scientifically, that's going to benefit future private space programs or high-altitude pilots.
TODD (on camera); : That's something you used to hear from NASA's mission control. Is this where this is going, companies like Red Bull leading us into all aspects of future exploration?
LOGSDON: No, I don't think so. I think there is a market for commercial space flight, for adventure tourism, for these kind of high-risk, adrenaline-producing undertakings like this jump. But it is still governments that are going to take its place, that's going to build space stations or going to take us back to the moon, to asteroids, to Mars.
TODD (voice-over): Why is that? Logsdon says that while there are billionaires who invest in these projects, it takes multiple billions to do space exploration. And he says no individual or company is rich enough to fund that without the possibility of getting a return on investment.
Also Logsdon says, these missions may be too risky for private investors. He says it's generally more acceptable for governments to take the risks on behalf of society.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: It's an effort to stop bullying, to get kids to sit with kids they usually avoid. But a conservative group claims there's another reason behind the program -- to promote homosexuality.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: 50 minutes past the hour.
Mix it up at lunch day is an anti bullying project that began 11 years ago. More than 2,500 schools across the country now participate in the program with October 30th a day usually set aside for it. But the American Family Association wants parents to keep their children home that day, saying the program promotes a gay lifestyle.
Bryan Fischer is the director of issue analysis for the American Family Association. He joins us by phone. Welcome.
BRYAN FISCHER, AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION (via telephone): Thank you, Carol. Good to be with you.
COSTELLO: "Mix it up at lunch" appears to be a lesson in intolerance. As a religious leader, what's wrong with that?
FISCHER: Parents need to understand about this program, it's a thinly veiled attempt to push the normalization of homosexual behavior in public schools. And to eventually punish students who would express a Judeo-Christian view of sexuality. So it appears to be innocent and innocuous on the surface, but the hidden agenda if you look at the Web site tolerance.org is primarily about pushing homosexual orientation and acceptance of alternative behavior -- sexual behavior. Then --
COSTELLO: So are you saying that merely sitting beside a gay person will promote a gay lifestyle?
FISCHER: No, but what parents need to understand, this is about pressuring public schools and students in public schools to accept homosexuality as a normal, healthy alternative to heterosexuality. You know, it's interesting to me that they're doing this on October 30, the day before Halloween, and what this program is, it's like poisoned Halloween candy. Somebody takes a candy bar, injects it with cyanide, the label looks fine. It looks innocuous, it looks fine. It's not until you internalize it that you realize how toxic it is.
And we want parents to be aware that any program that comes from the Southern Poverty Law Center is going to be toxic to their students' moral health.
COSTELLO: Well, on its Web site, the Southern Poverty Law Center it urges students to move out of their comfort zone, saying connect with someone new over lunch. There is absolutely no mention of homosexuality at all and this program has been going on for 11 years.
FISCHER: Well, that's fine, Carol. And if they want to say it's not about homosexuality and all, then what we would challenge the SPLC to do is issue a disclaimer, just put a disclaimer right on their web page, "mix it up day" should not be construed as an endorsement of homosexual behavior, and "mix it up day" will not infringe on any student's right to raise serious moral and health questions about homosexuality either.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: But they're trying to promote tolerance to all students who may be different so I don't think that the Southern Poverty Law Center would put a disclaimer like that.
FISCHER: No, they wouldn't.
COSTELLO: And also the Southern Policy Law Center has called your organization, the American Family organization, a hate group. And some might say that's really what's motivating you.
FISCHER: Well, the reality is, though, Carol, is that what the Southern Poverty Law Center is about is punishing and intimidating and silencing Christian students who take a conservative view of human sexuality. So in reality, Southern Poverty Law Center is out to bully students who have conservative moral values into silence.
The head of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Mark Potok has said that their mission is to destroy all family organizations like the AFA and Family Research Council. We're not --
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Mr. Fischer, I think that the Southern Policy Center could turn the tables on you. Because in the past, I'm just going to read to our viewers what you have said in the past. This is from a radio web cast from September of 2010. You have said, "Hitler recruited homosexuals around him to make up his storm troopers. They were his enforcers. They were his thugs. Hitler discovered he could not get straight soldiers to be savage and brutal and vicious enough to carry out his orders but that homosexual soldiers had no limit to the savagery and brutality they were willing to inflict on whoever Hitler sent them after." That spells agenda to me.
FISCHER: Carol, what I would encourage you to do is read a book by Lothar Machtan (ph), he's a German historian, well respected secular german historian who has written a book called "The Hidden Hitler" in which he does in fact do that same thing. It says exactly that same thing.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: We're talking sir about (inaudible) and by most people's standard --
FISCHER: He recruited storm troopers to be his enforcers. That's exactly what I said, that's exactly what this noted German historian has said. I would encourage you to read his book, "The Hidden Hitler".
COSTELLO: Well, I would think most historians would take issue with that. But what I'm saying to you, that by many people standards, would be hate speech.
FISCHER: Well, but the reality is, the Southern Poverty Law Center, they're out to destroy the AFA and FRC. That makes them the bullying group. That makes them the hate group. They're the ones that want to silence any view that would criticize the normalization of homosexual behavior.
And we know from the CDC and from the FDA not part of the vast right wing conspiracy that homosexual behavior has the same health risks associated with --
COSTELLO: Ok. That's just not true. I'm going to end this interview now, sir. I'm sorry because that's just not true. Mr. Fischer thanks for sharing your views, I guess.
We're going to take a break. We'll be back with much more in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: More than a quarter million people will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Many will become survivors and celebrity yoga and Pilates instructor Kristin McGee has an empowering exercise for them in today's "Daily Dose".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTIN MCGEE, YOGA AND PILATES EXPERT: Yoga is a wonderful tool and aid to have during the breast cancer recovery process. So one of my favorite things is mountain pose. And you're lifting everything up, so you're even engaging your lower abdominal muscles. You're keeping the shoulders down and back. And then you're going to reach your fingertips down to the floor, and you're going to feel that nice empowered stance. You can hold this for five to eight breaths in your mountain pose. And then open your feet to about your own legs' length apart, turn one foot out 90 degrees, turn the other foot in about 45 degrees. Keep both legs nice and straight and active and then just start to tip to your side so you can slide this hand down the thigh.
If you're dealing with any sort of incisions or scars, you can always keep your hand on your hip. This is such a wonderful stretch for the side and back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Ok. The question of the day, the "Talk Back" question, what does President Obama need to do in tonight's debate?
This from Steven, "Put Romney on the spot, ask him point blank about everything he's not telling people -- numbers, policies, 47 percent and why he will not release his taxes."
This from Tiffany. "Be honest and forthright, connecting individually with voters, but also point out Governor Romney's changing positions on virtually every issue."
And this from Lisa. "First be himself. Second don't let Romney get by with sneaking in lies and distortions. Use any opportunity to remind people of his successes and share his plans for the future."
And from Dan, "Show up this time."
Please continue the conversation. Facebook.com/Carolcnn. Thanks for your responses and thanks for joining me this morning.
I'm Carol Costello.
"CNN NEWSROOM" continues right now with Ashleigh Banfield.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you very much, Carol Costello. Nice to see you. And nice to see you, everybody.
Hi there, it's 11:00 on the East Coast, it's 8:00 on the West Coast.
Let's start here, three weeks and counting. That is how long we have until Election Day. And each day has its own challenges. Today's is a debate. The second presidential debate this season.
