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Wingsuiting; Women Wavering In Key Swing States; Daughter of JFK; Beirut Blast A Likely Assassination; Beirut Blast A Likely Assassination; Congressional Workers Complaints Rise; Candidates Trade One-Liners; Unemployment Numbers Could Sway Voters; Clinton Says She Won't Run in 2016; Film Gives Glimpse into Kennedy Years; Study Says Frozen Eggs as Good as Fresh for IVF

Aired October 19, 2012 - 13:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: I thought that was a -- yes, I thought that was such a unique thing to one particular jumper out there, but now when you see it en masse --

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, no, no. Everyone's doing it.

WHITFIELD: It makes it less special.

HOLMES: Everyone's doing it. You don't do that?

WHITFIELD: Sorry.

HOLMES: You haven't got a wingsuit?

WHITFIELD: I need to jump on the bandwagon and do that.

HOLMES: Yes, go wingsuiting this weekend --

WHITFIELD: That could be fun.

HOLMES: -- because I know I am.

WHITFIELD: Yes, OK, well, good for you. We'll be watching.

HOLMES: Good to see you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Probably videotape it along the way.

HOLMES: I'm going to pop that later and we'll chat (INAUDIBLE), OK?

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much. We'll look forward to seeing you in a few minutes, about 10 minutes or so from now. Thanks so much, Michael.

Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Suzanne Malveaux. Let's talk about the presidential race. The campaigns are going after key groups of voters like women, and they're targeting those make or break swing states. Wisconsin is one of about nine battleground states that will likely decide who wins the White House. Our Miguel Marquez went to a swing county in Wisconsin to talk with women voters. Some of them still trying to make up their minds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here we are milking cows in Racine County, Wisconsin. What else would we be doing in a place that offers up such delicious dairy delicacies. This is a county and state in play, in a place that hasn't voted for a Republican since Reagan in 1984. The rank family has farmed here since Grover Cleveland was president. Marsha Rank and Linda Nelson have run the family dairy for 16 years.

LINDA NELSON: Right underneath you, yes. Look it there.

MARQUEZ (voice-over): Twice a day 3:00 a.m. and p.m. they milk their 80 cows.

(on camera): This is a first.

(voice-over): They want to expand, but it's pricing and credit tight. Their biggest concern? Government debt acting like an anchor on the economy.

(on camera): Have either of you made your mind up about who you are going to vote for?

MARSHA RANK: I have a pretty good idea.

NELSON: Yes.

MARQUEZ: But still could change it?

NELSON: Could change it.

RANK: Anything could change.

MARQUEZ (voice-over): So, what is it they want out of the White House?

NELSON: It's going to take someone that wants to strap on their big boy boots and really take charge and say, look, we are in a world of hurt. We need change.

MARQUEZ (on camera): Voters here take elections seriously. Turn-out is high and most voters independent. To give you an idea of just how swinging Wisconsin is, these counties voted for George Bush in 2000 and 2004. Those same counties voted Obama in 2008. There are more Bush to Obama swing counties in Wisconsin than any other state.

(voice-over): Even in the same family votes often split.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am voting for Romney.

MARQUEZ (on camera): You are voting for Romney? You think because his business credentials?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. He is a businessman first. MARQUEZ: Did you make up your mind who you're voting for?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. I am -- I am not -- I have no clue who I'm going to vote for. It kind of teeters depending.

MARQUEZ (voice-over): Four years ago Laura and her daughter, Margie (ph), started their own bakery.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're making upside down stars.

MARQUEZ: They struggled but the business grew, now in a bigger space and three new employees.

(on camera): Are social issues or economic issues bigger for you?

MARGIE VAN BLAIRCOM, SLICE CUSTOM CAKES: I have to go with economic just because of our country and everything like that but social issues are important. It isn't anybody's right to tell a women what to -- they can or can't do with their body.

MARQUEZ (voice-over): Carol Hobbie (ph) rents out most of her farmland and says she works harder than ever just to keep her head above water.

(on camera): Do you have a sense of a campaign at this point?

CAROL HOBBIE: Oh, yes, hot and heavy. In the mail, on the phone.

MARQUEZ: Five women, one battleground state. Both campaigns in overdrive, working for their votes in the final stretch.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, Miguel joining us now from Waterford, Wisconsin. And, Miguel, I know some of the ladies say they're still undecided, but it really is hard to understand how anyone doesn't know at this juncture what they want to do when we're just talking about 18 days until election. They've heard all this campaigning and they still don't know?

MARQUEZ: Yes, I mean, a lot of people are not completely undecided. They feel that they know who they're going to vote for, but they have weak preference, that's what everybody says both in Ohio and now in Wisconsin that there are a lot of people out there who have just weak preferences. They're not sure. They like one candidate, but they can still be swayed towards the others, and that's why the campaigns are working so hard at right now -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK, so what do the polls say where you are right now?

MARQUEZ: There's been a couple of the polls this past week. One from Marquette University here which had the race literally dead heat, just millimeters apart. Another one that NBC-Maris poll came out. That one took into account -- a few of those responses took into account the second debate, and that had Obama up by six points. I do want to show you one thing here, because we are on a dairy farm. I'm in a barn, give you a reason why we're here. These two don't care about polls at all. This is -- these are two new additions here at the Rank farm. This is Barack, and this is Mitt.

WHITFIELD: No.

MARQUEZ: They named them in honor of us being here doing this story. They are absolutely adorable and they -- these two -- this Barack and this Mitt, they don't care about polls at all.

WHITFIELD: OK. Meantime, those are the stars of the show for now, but we understand some other big names are going to be crisscrossing the state, including that of Michelle Obama who will be in Racine County as well stomping for the President, right?

MARQUEZ: Yes, she's not too far. We're in Racine County now, and she's not too far from here. But Bill Clinton will be in Green Bay, and Matt Romney will also be in town. So, all these campaigns hitting it hard. We're also one county over from Janesville where Paul Ryan is from, so, you know, this is an area, this is a state that they are working incredibly hard.

WHITFIELD: Excellent. All right, thanks so much. Miguel Marquez, appreciate that -- appreciate that from Waterford, Wisconsin.

All right. Abortion is one of the issues that could affect how women vote in the presidential race, and it's in the spotlight again after a comment by an Illinois Republican Congressman. Representative Joe Walsh is in a pretty tough re-election fight. Here's what he said to reporters just last night about exceptions to abortion bans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOE WALSH (R), ILLINOIS: This is an issue that opponents of life throw out there to make us look unreasonable. There's no such exception as life of the mother and as far as health of the mother. Same thing. With advances in science and technology, there is -- health of the mother has been -- has become a tool for abortions any time under any reason.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's bring in our Political Editor Paul Steinhauser. So, is this a sign of how tough Congressman Walsh's re- election bid is, or what's the translation here?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, this story is definitely getting a lot of attention both online and on T.V., no doubt about that, Fred, after his comments last night. That was after his debate with Tammy Duckworth. She is the Democratic opponent in a suburban Chicago district. And she, of course, is a war hero in a way. She was flying helicopters during the Iraq war and had both of her legs shot out. How is this going to play? Well, listen, Joe Walsh is known to say a lot of controversial things. We've gotten to expect that over the last two years.

How will this work in the suburban Chicago district? It may -- it may hurt him to a degree. Polls are kind of over all -- all over the place in this race. Some polls indicate that Duckworth has an advantage. Other polls indicate that the race is a little bit closer. So, it's hard to say right now. This is still -- I will say, Fred, this is one of the most high profile house races out there. A lot of attention to this race, and now with the Congressman's controversial comments from last night, it is even more high profile, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And many can remember Duckworth actually speaking at the Democratic national convention as well.

STEINHAUSER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, meantime, the Obama campaign has tried to keep the focus on Romney, and Ryan's position on abortion.

STEINHAUSER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: We heard from the President on the campaign trail in Virginia last hour, and he was out with a new line trying to hit Romney on women's issues as a whole. What did he say exactly?

STEINHAUSER: Yes, and, of course, right now, we are talking so much about the female vote and abortion is an important topic for a lot of women. Take a listen to these new lines from the President at that -- at that campaign event in Virginia just in the last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you say women should have access to contraception care, but you support legislation that would let your employer deny you contraceptive care, you might have a case of Romnesia. If you say you'll protect a woman's right to choose, but you stand up in a primary debate and say that you would be delighted sign a law outlawing that right to choose in all cases, man, you definitely got Romnesia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: You know, we keep saying that the economy is the top issue with American voters, but take a look at this poll from Gallop that came out yesterday. It's interesting, this is among women voters in the battleground states, and take a look at what is there, their top issue. Abortion. And it was very different, of course, for male likely voters. Again, this is just one survey, and just in the battleground states, but it is interesting that it goes to the point of what the President was just talking about.

Written response. Fred, this is fresh off the Blackberry, here, from the Romney campaign. They respond to the President's new line there of Romnesia, by saying women haven't forgotten how we've suffered over the last four years in the Obama economy with higher taxes, higher unemployment, and higher levels of poverty. So, that is their pushback every time the President or the Democrats bring up abortion, they say that women have suffered under the Obama economy. You're going to hear a lot more of this between now and November 6 election day -- Fred. WHITFIELD: All right. A whole lot over the next 18 days of everything.

STEINHAUSER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much. Paul Steinhauser, appreciate that.

So, remember, you can watch the third and final presidential debate right here on CNN. Our live coverage from Boca Raton, Florida, beginning Monday night, 7:00 Eastern time.

All Right. Here's what we're working on for this hour. Sexual harassment and discrimination on Capitol Hill, and the settlements costing you big money. And she is the youngest of Robert Kennedy's 11 children. I talked to Rory Kennedy about the legacy of both her father and mother, Ethel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RORY KENNEDY: He was obviously on the forefront of so many extraordinary moments in our nation's history and civil rights movement, the missile crisis. Really significant events but my mother played a significant role in those as well.

He was obviously on the forefront of so many extraordinary moments in our nation's history and civil rights movement, the missile crisis. Really significant events, but my mother played a significant role in those as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In Beirut, Lebanon today, a car bomb blew up in a normally peaceful neighborhood. It threw the whole city into emergency mode.

And this is what we've learned in just the past hour, one of the people killed in Beirut today was one of the country's top intelligence officials. He was a man who publicly blamed Syria and Hezbollah for assassinating a former prime minister back in 2005. And who also worked to arrest a politician friendly to Syria's president. Michael Holmes from "CNN INTERNATIONAL" is here with us now. So, right now, it looks like everything is pointing towards this car bomb as a real assassination attempt and that he, indeed, the victim, was the target?

HOLMES: Well, I mean, it's one of those join the dots situations. When this happened, one of the things we're all asking, those who know Beirut, is why? Why there? This, as you said, is a very peaceful part of town. One of the nicest places in Beirut, actually. And it's predominantly Christian and it hasn't been involved in any of this stuff we've seen up north in the fourth city of Tripoli, the secretarian classes there.

And so, when we learned in the last hour when I was anchoring the show, that Wissam Al-Hassan was one of those killed. Now, this is the guy who named and shamed Syria and Hezbollah as being linked to behind the assassination of Rafi Calgary back in 2005. Also, just a couple of months ago, there was the curious case of the politician -- pro-Syrian politician basically arrested with explosives himself and being part of an alleged plot to create bombings inside Lebanon to destabilize Lebanon, which is, you know, potentially fractured at the best of times, in order to divert attention away from what was happening in Syria. This was part of Assad's plan to have the conflicts. So, now, it's starting to make sense. If, indeed, he was killed, which it looks like he was, he would be a target for pro- Syrian elements. Who? We don't know.

WHITFIELD: Now, there had been a warning to Lebanon recently. What does this mean? A warning in what -- to what degree and what does this mean about relationship between Syria and Lebanon?

HOLMES: Well, this is the U.N. and Arab League envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, who's got the unenvable job of trying to sort this mess out on behalf of those two groups. He was in Lebanon just a couple of days ago. He's now in Syria to talk with Bashar al-Assad.

But it was interesting, when he was there, he said to Lebanese leaders, keep a lid on things here. Watch out because -- he said that you can't keep this conflict inside Syria's borders. And then this happens two days after he left the place. I mean it was almost a (INAUDIBLE) what he said there.

WHITFIELD: And it is believed that this vehicle was parked -- you know, the victim went to his parked vehicle, started it up, it blew up. Or do we know any kind of circumstances like?

HOLMES: We don't. We don't know. (INAUDIBLE) with Syria, with Lebanon, you've got to remember, you've got 18 distinct religious groupings. Of course (INAUDIBLE) and Sunni and Alawite. And within the Christian groups you've got Maronite (ph), Greek Orthodox, Catholic and then some sets of Catholicism, Protestants as well. (INAUDIBLE) always (INAUDIBLE). When I was there, it was -- the peace around this part of town was wonderful. You've got churches next to mosques.

WHITFIELD: So people clearly living --

HOLMES: You hear the ringing of the church (INAUDIBLE) and it was a very peaceful place to be. To see this happening in this part of town, everyone's worried about what it could lead to.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And it's happening at peak kind of afternoon rush hour.

HOLMES: It was, yes.

WHITFIELD: People are in cafes or going home, feeling relaxed.

HOLMES: A lot of cafes, bars, coffee shops, that sort of stuff in that area.

WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE).

HOLMES: Residential as well, yes. WHITFIELD: OK, thanks so much, Michael Holmes, for bringing us those tips (ph). Appreciate it.

All right, back in this country, every workplace has rules, right, and many of them were written by U.S. Congress. But a new report shows the number of complaints of harassment and discrimination by congressional employees is up sharply. CNN's Dana Bash reports from Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Florida Democrat Alcee Hastings, accused of sexual harassment last year. The case was dismissed in court, but it's one example of a sharply rising number of harassment and discrimination complaints by congressional employees. One hundred forty-two people made claims in 2011. And settlements last year cost taxpayers $461,366.

BASH (on camera): Why are my taxpayer dollars going to settle cases of people who are not treating their employees well?

DEBRA KATZ, LABOR ATTORNEY: Well, in an ideal world, members of Congress would not be discriminating against their workers.

BASH (voice-over): Debra Katz is an attorney who represented congressional employees in harassment cases, including some against former Congressman Eric Massa, who two years ago admitted to tickling his male staffers. Katz thinks the real number of harassment cases is much higher than a new report states, but congressional aides are too intimated to formally complain.

KATZ: It's young, aspiring people who want political careers, who want to do great things, who believe in the parties in the office that they work in. They don't want to be disloyal. And they know that by filing a complaint against these very powerful people, it's the end of their careers functionally.

BASH: Before a complaint is filed, the first step is a request for confidential counseling. And often a person alleges more than one claim. In 2011, there were 196. That's up from 2010. And if you look at this graph, a significant climb since 2008.

The report also tracks retaliation. Last year there were 108 cases of bosses retaliating against employees. Most complaints come from police officers and Capitol support workers in less political jobs with unions who inform them of their rights. That's not the case for congressional employees. See this? Workers' rights on the wall at CNN. That's required by law. But members of Congress are exempt from posting that.

The report also unearthed how inaccessible the Capitol is to people with disabilities. Listing 154 so-called barriers to access, 84 pose safety risks.

BASH (on camera): This curb ramp right outside the House Longworth Building is a classic example of a safety risk. Look at this. The cracks are so wide and this slope is so steep that wheelchairs can easily flip over. In fact, 93 percent of all curb ramps outside House office buildings are not compliant with the American Disabilities Act. This is a law, of course, that Congress itself passed.

The fact that people in wheelchairs can't get up on a curb to get to what's supposed to be the people's house --

KATZ: Is disgraceful.

BASH (voice-over): One bright spot? We did happen to see one curb ramp being fixed.

Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And the candidates took time out from campaigning last night for a little standup.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Everyone please take your seats, otherwise Clint Eastwood will yell at them.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's nice to finally relax and to wear what Ann and I wear around the house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll hear more of the best punch lines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Obama and Mitt Romney are back on the campaign trail today after appearing on the same stage last night to trade some one-liners. The two men were front and center at the annual Alfred A. Smith Memorial Dinner in New York. They took pot shots mostly at themselves at the white tie affair.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: After -- some of you guys remember. After my foreign trip in 2008, I was attacked as a celebrity because I was so popular with our allies overseas. And I have to say, I'm impressed with how well Governor Romney has avoided that problem.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In the spirit of "Sesame Street," the President's remarks tonight are brought to you by the letter "o" and the number $16 trillion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: President Obama also stopping by Jon Stewart's "Daily Show," but his conversation turned serious when he talked about the September 11th attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We weren't confused about the fact that four Americans had been killed.

JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": Sure.

OBAMA: I wasn't confused about the fact that we needed to ramp up diplomatic security around the world right after it happened.

STEWART: I would say even you would admit it was not the optimal response, at least to the American people, as far as us all being on the same page.

OBAMA: Well, here -- here's what I'll say.

STEWART: Yes.

OBAMA: If four Americans get killed, it's not optimal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN political director Mark Preston joining us now live from Washington.

So, Mark, what did we learn last night about the two candidates particularly, not at the Jon Stewart there when we heard the President talk about a rather serious matter, but we're talking about at kind of this roast, this dinner?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, we learned that Mitt Romney can actually tell a joke and people can laugh at it, Fred, you know? Although he didn't have a great delivery. You know, when you talk to folks who watched the dinner over and over again, you know, it seems like Mitt Romney had better jokes, but Barack Obama just can deliver the jokes better.

But, you know, we're in the closing days of this campaign, and this was really the last rest stop along the way where these two candidates could not be vicious towards one another. They could put politics aside, or at least largely put politics aside, before they get back on the campaign trail because it is going to get very ugly and it's going to get very heated as we close into November.

WHITFIELD: And the overall movement kind of at this dinner, I mean, the expectations were high that it would be jovial and funny.

PRESTON: Yes, and they did OK. I mean they both did pretty good and they -- you know, their jokes were good. I got to tell you, I was watching it last night here on CNN and I walked away from it saying that it was a draw. They both did very well.

WHITFIELD: OK. What do we expect for these candidates going forward? We know they're already campaigning. But we've got 18 days to go. The pressure is on. Monday night, last presidential debate. There's a lot on both of their plates. PRESTON: Well, you know, Fred, you and I talk about this all the time. This is going to be the most important night of the campaign will be Monday night, especially where we are right now in the campaign. It's all basically tied up across the country. Nationally these swing states are really closing up, if not Mitt Romney taking a lead in some of them.

We do know today that President Obama, did campaign today in Virginia. He is now at Camp David. He is going to be prepping for his debate. Mitt Romney, right now, prepping as well. But he'll be down in Florida for a campaign event tonight. And then expect these candidates just to do a lot of studying and getting prepared for Monday night because, really, the campaign will be shaped by what happens on that debate Monday night.

WHITFIELD: All right. Indeed. Thanks so much. Mark Preston, appreciate that.

All right, more on the President and host Jon Stewart sharing some of the lighter moments now, and actually making fun of Vice President Joe Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": How many times --

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm a little nervous.

STEWART: A week does Biden show up in a wet bathing suit to a meeting? Just ballpark figure.

OBAMA: I had to put out a presidential directive on that. We had to stop that.

STEWART: You've got to put towels down.

OBAMA: I've got to say, though, he looks pretty good.

STEWART: No. I don't doubt that in any way, shape, or form.

OBAMA: I'm just saying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A little TMI, too much information there.

All right, new unemployment numbers now out in some key swing states, and that could say a lot about what happens come Election Day. We'll get a closer look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. When the September unemployment rate came in at 7.8 percent nationally, it was widely seen as a boon for President Obama's re-election campaign. But state by state numbers just out this morning show a murkier picture, especially in some swing states. We're joined by Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange.

Alison, let's start with two of the biggest electoral prizes, Ohio and Florida. How is the job market looking in those states?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These are the powerhouses, Ohio and Florida, because 47 electoral votes are up for grabs in those states. And we did just get these state-by-state unemployment numbers. These are the last ones before the election, so we focus in on this swing states.

We found out that unemployment rates in Ohio and Florida fell, but the job picture in each state is a little different. In Ohio, there's 7 percent unemployment. That's below the national average, partially, because there's a big recovery going on in manufacturing, and partially because people are just dropping out of the labor force. You're seeing a little good. You're seeing a little bad in Ohio. For voters, of course, it really depends on their personal situation. And the positive and negative forces in Ohio means it could really be a close call.

All right, let's turn to Florida. Florida, there is a clear picture of improvement there. For more than two years, though, Florida was dogged by double-digit unemployment. But at 8.7 percent -- that is where the unemployment rate in Florida is now -- it's down for more than 10 percent a year ago. That's a huge decline. And you look at Florida's labor force, it's growing. More people are looking for jobs, and more people, Fredricka are getting jobs, at least in Florida.

WHITFIELD: Let's talk about another swing state, Nevada. Big housing bust over the years. You know, there have been some signs that that sector is kind of improving, but the job market overall?

KOSIK: Job market still having a real hard time in Nevada. Nevada had the highest unemployment rate in the country. It's at 11.8 percent. Get this. It's gone up since President Obama took office. When he took office, it was at 9.6 percent. You compare that to Florida and Ohio, where unemployment is the same or lower than when the President took office, you know, this could realistically be an issue to the President's campaign. Nevada's biggest industry is tourism. And some, but not all of those jobs, have come back. But the unemployment rate is recovering. It is down quite a bit compared to last year, but they're certainly still feeling the pain there -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: The flip side to that, Iowa, unemployment rate is fairly low. Why?

KOSIK: Yes. Iowa is kind of interesting because it's got a diverse economy. Many people, you know, think agriculture when they think Iowa, but it's also a hotspot for high-tech jobs, for banking, for insurance. It's a well-educated state. Not a surprise you're seeing the unemployment rate at 5.2 percent.

You look at 2008 for President Obama -- just to pull all of these states together -- he won Ohio, Florida and Nevada and Iowa. Now the economic picture is mixed. You know, Iowa is strong. Florida is kind of getting there. But Nevada is still in the midst of a recovery, and there's still a lot of discouraged workers in Ohio. So you know what, with these states, it could go either way. A lot of these states could wind up being toss-ups -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Alison Kosik, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

All right, Mitt Romney gets a little love from the "Orlando Sentinel." That newspaper made its pick for president official today, endorsing the Republican. "The Sentinel" endorsed candidate Barack Obama in 2008, but it's now picking Romney, with a condition. The paper's editors say, if Romney doesn't produce results, they'll, quote, "get behind someone who will in four years."

President Barack Obama had his biggest single day of fundraising this week. Campaign staffers confirmed they tallied a record amount of donations on Wednesday, the day after the second presidential debate. They're not releasing the exact figure. It's not the Obama campaign's first fundraising record. It pulled in more than $150 million just in September, and that was a monthly report.

Will she or won't she? Hillary Clinton telling "Marie Claire" magazine she won't run in 2016, but her supporters are still hoping she changes her mind.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: As first lady, then U.S. senator, and now U.S. secretary of state, Hillary Clinton has spent the last two decades in the vanguard of American politics, but she tells "Marie Claire" magazine that her current government job will be her last. In this week's issue, Clinton says definitively that she will not run for president in 2016.

CNN's Elise Labott joining us.

You've spent thousands of hours with the secretary. How serious is she about leaving politics, or is there wiggle room that maybe, after a respite, she would reconsider?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER: Well, Fred, you know, it's not the first time that Secretary Clinton has said this. In fact, I did an interview with her in February where she said that she's out of politics after this job. And basically, what she has told me and "Marie Claire" and countless other reporters is that she wants her life back. She's been in public service for 20 years, and she really just wants to be her own person.

I don't know. I don't think we've heard the last of this. I do think after she might take a rest. I think she might, you know, maybe write a book or something like that. And I think once her supporters come out of the wood work, and you know that there has been lots of supporters still looking for her to run, I think that perhaps she might reconsider. But I believe her right now when she says she's not running. I just don't know if that will be her mindset a year or so from now.

WHITFIELD: Right. She's feeling that in the moment. You know, you mentioned there a lot of her supporters who have wanted her to run. There's even a Facebook page apparently -- not her doing, but someone else's -- about her running in 2016.

So if, you know, she were to take a break and stay away from politics for a while, is she saying anything about wanting to spend more time with the Clinton's foundation or perhaps even create her own?

LABOTT: Well, I think these are things that she's definitely thinking about. I mean, she's very interested in women's issues, in children's issues, and issues of poverty that she's worked on, not just as secretary of state, but as first lady and as a Senator. So I think that she's going to want to do those types of philanthropic type of things maybe with President Clinton's foundation, maybe of her own.

She's tired, Fred. And all of those who travel with her for the past three years or so are tired too. I mean, she's got an incredible energy. The frantic pace when she travels around the world and the hours of secretary of state are really all-consuming, and so I think right now she wants to take a little bit of distance from this whirlwind of the last four years and kind of regroup.

But, you know, again, her aides have said, a lot of supporters have said to me, I would drop anything if I heard she'd run. A lot of people looking for her to, you know, think about it a little bit longer.

WHITFIELD: I'm sure she will. Rest does a body and mind very good.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Elise, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

All right, and they are considered American royalty. A rare glimpse inside the Kennedy family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RORY KENNEDY, DAUGHTER OF ROBERT KENNEDY: -- was obviously on the forefront of so many extraordinary moments in our nation's history, the civil rights movement, the Cuban Missile Crisis, really significant events, but my mother played a significant role in those as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And more details from the interview between mother and daughter in the new documentary "Ethel."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Much has been written about the legendary Kennedy father. Now, the youngest daughter of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, Rory, provides a different glimpse into their world. Rory never knew her father. She was born six months after Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated.

Well, together with archive pictures from the Kennedy Library and 16,000 images from her mother's private collection, Rory interviewed her mom and siblings in a documentary now on HBO.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Your mom was reluctant to do this.

ETHEL KENNEDY, WIFE OF ROBERT KENNEDY & MOTHER OF RORY: Why should I have to answer all these questions?

RORY KENNEDY: Well, we're making a documentary about you.

(LAUGHTER)

ETHEL KENNEDY: That's a bad idea.

WHITFIELD: So what provoked you to do a documentary about your mom, Ethel and be so persistent about it?

KENNEDY: Well, HBO had approached me to do this film, and I was resistant to it. I said no a number of times, but they were very persistent -- Sheila Nevams (ph). And then I thought I would ask my mother, and she would say no because she doesn't like doing interviews. She hasn't done one in 25 years. She has really never told the story of her life. And I asked her, and she surprised me and said yes.

WHITFIELD: Your mom and dad met skiing.

ETHEL KENNEDY: We made a bet right away about who could get down the mountain faster.

WHITFIELD: Your mom says it was love at first sight. Your mother amazingly outgoing, athletic. Your dad athletic as well but quiet and a bit more reserved. Yet, you depict they really did compliment each other as individuals, as parents in the world of politics. Is that kind of one of the big reveals in this documentary?

KENNEDY: Well, I think it is. I think to show the role that my mother played. There's been a long of attention over the years about my family, which has been really wonderful, but it has mostly focused on the men in the family, and it's nice to show the role that women played, that my mother played as a partner with my father because, who was obviously on the forefront of so many extraordinary moments in our nation's history, the civil rights movement, the Cuban Missile Crisis, really significant events. But my mother played a significant role in those as well. So this film really shifts the perspective of it to explore what she did, how she contributed, and how they really worked together to create social change. WHITFIELD: Do you think, in large part, people knew that, or do you believe that's one of the surprises about this documentary, about your mom, Ethel?

KENNEDY: No. I think that it's a bit of a reveal in the film to change the spotlight a bit and to look and really examine the role she played. So many people come up to me afterwards, after watching the film, and say I have -- I had no idea both who your mother was as a character, as a person going throughout world, and then also her contribution. And I think it's significant. It adds a new dimension to, you know, to this story that I hope is helpful and, you know, is meaningful to people.

WHITFIELD: One of the other fun surprises was that, you know, your dad actually dated your mom's sister, Pat, for two years. And also that Arthur Schlesinger would write that your mom really -- once they finally got back together again, that your mom really did bring out your dad emotionally. What did you learn about your parents, your family as a whole, in all of this?

KENNEDY: Well, it was such a great experience for me. I was able to sit down with my mother for five days and ask her every question I have ever wanted to ask. I'm the youngest of 11 children, and so it was also nice for me to be able to speak with my older brothers and sisters, because they had a very different experience growing up than I did. I'm on the other end of the spectrum than my siblings, Kathleen, Joe, Bobby, my older siblings. They had a very different childhood. And sometimes, you know, life goes by and you don't have time to sit back and ask these questions: What was it like in the House during the Cuban Missile Crisis? What was it like during the civil rights movement? There's some insights into those answers that I think have never been shared before. I found them fascinating. And I'm hopeful that other people will find it interesting as well.

WHITFIELD: Like you said, you have been wanting to talk to your mom about these questions for a long time. And it really has been a labor of love to get this off the ground.

KENNEDY: Well, it was -- you know, it was a difficult project for me because I am -- I make documentaries, and I always shed light on issues that are outside of my own world and try to bring attention to things that otherwise might not be focused on in the mainstream media. And so this was a very different experience for me to kind of focus more inwards, towards my own family. But in that way it was probably my hardest film, but I think -- I hope that people will find some insights into it. I certainly did. I hope others will too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And to see more of my interview with Rory Kennedy, tune in tomorrow in the 3:00 p.m. eastern hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. The film "Ethel" airs again on HBO, Sunday, 1:45 p.m. eastern time.

All right, it could help turn back the biological clock for women trying to have children. We'll take a look at a fascinating new study. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: When it comes to in vitro fertilization, frozen eggs are as good as fresh eggs. That's according to a new report that brings it -- its own stamp of approval on this idea.

Senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is here to explain what this could mean for women trying to conceive and believe they need the help of IVF.

So, fresh or frozen, stamp of approval, says they're equally good?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It says that they should no longer be considered experimental. This is from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Frozen eggs have been out there for a couple of years now, maybe five years or so. But everyone is saying, are they really good? Should we really give our stamp approval and this group says yes.

Let's talk about the success rates. When you harvest your eggs at age 30, your success rate at getting pregnancy later on is 50 percent. And at age 40, it is about 15 percent. We want to put that out there, that it is better to harvest young than to harvest old. And this is not cheap. At age 30, harvesting your eggs will cost about $10,000. And at age 40, harvesting your eggs will cost about $15,000. It takes more sort of stuff to make it work when you're 40 than when you're 30. And really harvesting your eggs at 40 is probably not the best time to be doing it. you should be doing it sooner. So it is expensive and it is not a guarantee that you're going to have a kid, but certainly is sort of, like, an insurance policy.

WHITFIELD: There are a lot of situations in which one will consider, you know, harvesting eggs, I guess. So if you are the young woman who says, somewhere down the line I want to conceive, but I'm just not sure if my career or my life will allow it, is this good news, particularly for that 20-year-old woman who says, I just kind of wanted something in storage?

COHEN: Right. Let's say you're 30 years old, you have not yet met Mr. Right. You don't think Mr. Right is on the horizon. And you say, gosh, what if I meet someone at 39 and I get pregnant at 40, I want to freeze these eggs now. The American Study for Reproductive Medicine says they don't think there is enough proof out there that would persuade these women to do it. It is not necessarily going to work. It is an invasive procedure to do it.

But having said that, fertility doctors will say, look, if you're concerned about this, why not go ahead and do it? The chances you're going to get hurt are really quite tiny and you may need these later.

So is there proof absolutely this is going to help you? No. But it is --

(CROSSTALK)

COHEN: Some women are not risk takers and they want to make sure. WHITFIELD: It is a possible safety net. You brought up some numbers. Those are pretty sizable numbers. So a lot of women or couples, families, would want to rely on their insurance. Does this -- I guess it is a breakthrough or does this --

(CROSSTALK)

COHEN: Right.

WHITFIELD: -- make a difference as it pertains to whether insurance would cover it or not?

COHEN: Yes, it could make a very big difference. Because now this group has said this is not experimental, insurance companies will be under more pressure to cover it. So, for example, a 25-year-old has cancer, is about to have radiation, wants to preserve those eggs before she has radiation, there is now a pretty good chance that insurance will cover that, with this stamp of approval. They weren't so likely to cover it before.

But, again, going back to the 30-year-old woman who hasn't met Mr. Right and just wants to preserve those eggs in case she needs them later, chances are insurance still isn't going to cover that because she doesn't have a medical necessity. She just has anxiety.

WHITFIELD: A rainy day fund.

CROSSTALK)

COHEN: Exactly. Exactly. But this is potentially really good news for, for example, cancer patients that want to preserve those eggs for medical reasons.

WHITFIELD: Sure. Fantastic. Fascinating information.

COHEN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Elizabeth Cohen.

And, of course, to become an empowered patient and learn more about fertility treatments, visit CNN.com/empoweredpatient.

All right, Texas just lost a part of its heritage after Big Tex catches fire.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A sad day for the state of Texas today. One of the most famous and recognizable Texas figures went up in smoke. This is what's left of Big Tex -- just his iron skeleton. 52 feet tall, Big Tex welcomed visitors to the state fair of Texas for 60 years. Well, today, something caught fire inside the giant fiberglass body of Big Tex and it simply burned. The mayor of Dallas is already promising to rebuild him.

I can't believe I missed Big Tex when I lived in Dallas. Much more of the NEWSROOM straight ahead with Brooke Baldwin.

Have you ever seen it?

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, never. I have a fellow Texas on my team.

WHITFIELD: How did I miss it?

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: -- Barb, who had to school me on Big Tex today, but a travesty.