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Michigan Roadway Shootings; "Livestrong" Support is Strong; Poll: Very Tight Race in Florida; White House Denies Report on Iran Talks; Michigan Random Shootings; Ship to Gaza Stopped; Jesse Jackson Jr's Battle; Ole Miss African-American Homecoming Queen

Aired October 20, 2012 - 19:00   ET

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


DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.

Here's what's happening right now:

A dramatic development tonight to tell you about in the standoff over Iran's nuclear program. "The New York Times" is reporting that Iran has agreed to one-on-one talks with the United States. The report is attributed to White House officials and suggests that talks wouldn't begin until after the presidential election.

"The Times" describes this as a last-ditch development, diplomatic effort to avoid a military strike. It also comes just two days before the last presidential debate, one that will focus on foreign policy. CNN correspondents are working our sources to confirm this report. We'll keep you updated on this story throughout the evening here on CNN.

Here's what else is happening right now. Two days of random shootings in southeastern Michigan are bringing back memories of the sniper attacks in Washington, D.C., 10 years ago. Fifteen shootings targeting motorists have happened over 48 hours in the suburban Detroit area, leaving many on edge. And so far, no one has been hurt, but there have been some close calls. Investigators from three counties are taking part in the investigation. No arrests have been made.

Police in Englewood, California, are searching for a gunman who opened fire on a family before setting fire to a nearby house. A 30-year-old dad and his 4-year-old son died in the early morning attack. The mother and their two young children remain in critical condition. Police are now searching for a 55-year-old black man, who was last seen wearing a dark hat and painter's mask. Some reports say the suspect was recently evicted from his home.

In Arizona, one person was killed and dozens injured after a bus full of Australian tourists crashed into the Arizona/Nevada border. Authorities say the driver lost control of the bus and ran it into a ravine after he had a heart attack behind the wheel late Friday night. The driver was killed, the bus is returning to Las Vegas after taking passengers on a tour of the Grand Canyon.

The numbers are climbing higher in the deadly fungal meningitis outbreak. According to data released by the CDC just a short time ago, 23 deaths are now tied to the outbreak. There are 284 total cases, including three joint infections. This week, the FDA raided the company in Massachusetts that is linked to the injections. Most patients got sick after being given contaminated steroid injections used for back and neck pain.

A U.N. envoy in Damascus making the case for a territory cease-fire during a Muslim holiday next week. But even as he makes a push for peace, there is word of yet another atrocity in Syria. Opposition groups say more than 80 bodies were discovered in a mass grave in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor. They were among 233 people reported dead on Friday. Activists say another 80 people were killed nationwide just today.

Drivers in suburban Detroit on edge tonight after a series of random highway shootings, spanning three different counties over a two-day period. Now, there have been at least 15 different incidents. Witnesses have reported seeing a gunman traveling toward them in the opposite direction, firing shots. So far, no one has been hurt, but there have been some very close calls. For some, it's really eerily reminiscent of the sniper attacks that terrorized the Washington, D.C., area 10 years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank God nobody's been shot, and no one's been hurt, but it brings back memories of the sniper and everything that's happening in D.C.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's crazy. People are getting shot at all over the place. The kids are scared. The parents are scared. Someone's got to put a stop to it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Know that we are coming for you. It's only a matter of time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That's a good point.

For more now on these shootings, we're joined on the phone by Sheriff Michael Bouchard in Oakland County, Michigan. Do you believe it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt if you don't find out who's doing this?

MICHAEL BOUCHARD, SHERIFF, OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN (via telephone): Yes, obviously this person has no regard for human life or injuring other people, given the number of times he's done this, and I say "he," because we don't know if it's more than one perpetrator or if it's male or female at this point.

But, obviously, they have no concern about shooting randomly. It's very clearly randomly, and we have two more to add to the count now. We've confirmed that at 17 at this point -- all still in the same timeline, between the 16th of October, 7:00 p.m., to the 18th of October, at about almost the same time. So, yes, we want to get this guy. Chief Godlein, the great chief there in Wixom, and a good partner, spoke it well. We're coming for him.

LEMON: Yes. So, Sheriff, what should people know? Because -- I mean, this is pretty frightening, if you're driving -- anyone coming towards you with a gun, but if you're driving, you may -- you know, it's harder to duck or get out of the way. What should people know in that area?

BOUCHARD: Well, you know, (a), it's very typically a safe area, and actually, all these areas where it's happened, it's happened in three counties. Wixom is kind of where it started, kind of the epicenter. But it's moved into Livingston and Ingham.

It's really not something specific other than you know we would tell you all the time, be aware of your surroundings. Notice things that are odd. If somebody starts to roll down the window near you or towards you or you see something coming out of a window, it's not necessarily always opposing traffic, we don't know that for a fact yet. One individual was actually taking out his garbage and the guy -- the vehicle came towards him and shot at him.

So just be aware of your surroundings. I wouldn't alter your routine, but be noticing things.

LEMON: Right.

BOUCHARD: Don't be afraid to come to the police if you see anything. It may be that one piece of the puzzle we're missing.

LEMON: Yes. Sheriff, thank you very much. Sheriff Michael Bouchard of Oakland County, Michigan, where he has given a new information now. It was -- Michael Bouchard -- it was 15 shootings, different incidents, now it's 17, we're just learning, directly from the sheriff.

Again, our thanks to the sheriff here.

Moving on now, Lance Armstrong does not want his supporters to stop fighting cancer, even though he's no longer the face of the group he founded 15 years ago. The group is called Livestrong. You've seen the bracelets.

The seven-time Tour de France winner stepped down as the Livestrong chairman just this week as his doping scandal got louder. And at about the same time, most of his biggest sponsors cut their ties. Nike, RadioShack, Trek, Anheuser-Busch, they all jumped off the Armstrong bandwagon this week. But no matter what people think of him personally, support for the Livestrong Foundation remains very high now.

Let's go live now to Austin and CNN's Victor Blackwell is there.

Victor, you are with people who are sticking by the Livestrong organization. How are they keeping separate support from the group from the scandal that disgraced the man behind it?

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, for the women I just spoke with, it's not difficult at all. In fact, they all call themselves Lance Armstrong supporters, whether he indeed doped or not during the Tour de France competitions. They're all members of an organization called Team Survivor -- all cancer survivors, all very active in dance and cycling and yoga and swimming and all types of activities.

And we have two members of team survivor with us here now. We have Paula Ivey, who is a 25-year colon cancer survivor, and also Jean Anne Booth, who is a 3 1/2 year breast cancer survivor.

You both have on the bracelets. Let me see the Livestrong bracelets here.

And we spoke about Lance Armstrong as it relates to the organization and how this has changed your perception of him. How has it? Even if he did dope during the Tour de France competitions?

JEAN ANNE BOOTH, TEAM SURVIVOR: Well, from my perspective, the jury's completely out, right? There are lots of allegations, but I've never seen any proof.

So doping or not doping, from the cancer side of things, Lance has done more for cancer survivors than anybody in the entire world. And that kind of creation of the Livestrong foundation, the survivorship services that are provided for all of us, the funding of research -- I mean, he used his story and this has accomplishments to create something that's better for all of us. So I wish he hadn't stepped down.

BLACKWELL: And, Paula, when we spoke a few moments ago, I told you that there's some people who supported the organization, individuals, not just corporations, who say that they were fooled, they were duped, and they want their money back. And you had really strong reaction to that.

PAULA IVEY, TEAM SURVIVOR: Yes. I feel like the Livestrong Foundation is about cancer survivorship. And so if they're asking for their money back, they're asking for money back that's supporting cancer survivorship. It's not -- I feel like it's not well-placed.

So I feel like that's sad that they would feel that strongly, that the Livestrong Foundation has such a significant and important role it's playing in cancer survivorship now that I hope everyone recognizes that and continues to support it.

BLACKWELL: And these ladies still call themselves Lance Armstrong supporters. Obviously, still supporters of the organization -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Victor Blackwell, Jean, and Paula -- thank you all very much.

You know, those doping allegations never went away, despite the fact that Lance Armstrong never failed a drug test. And we just talked about his involvement with the charity even tomorrow in Austin. But listen to what he told a cancer survivor's group there yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LANCE ARMSTRONG, FORMER CHAIRMAN, LIVESTRONG: This mission is bigger than me. It's bigger than any individual. There's 28 million people around the world living with this disease. Martin Luther King said once, he said, "We must accept finite disappointment. But never lose infinite hope."

Yes.

(APPLAUSE)

This team behind me on this stage has infinite hope. The people in this room have infinite hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, Lance Armstrong can still count on his A-list friends to stand by him for now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: You've been a proud supporter of this organization for many years. Has anything changed for you in the last days?

SEAN PENN, ACTOR: In the last days? No, I think it's an organization that was developed by somebody who's been an enormous inspiration to so many and to myself and has done an incredible amount of good and I expect it will continue to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And I want you to stay with CNN, because coming up later, tonight at 10:00, really, a big dollar donor to the Livestrong organization wants his money back. He feels he's ripped off and he blames Lance Armstrong for that. And he's going to tell me the reasons why and the man is angry. So that later, tonight at 10:00 here on CNN.

Just 17 days until the presidential election. And up next, the candidates' running mates are shifting into overdrive in key battleground states.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Seventeen days -- 17 days left until the election and two days until the last presidential debate.

President Obama is hunkered down at Camp David today, preparing for the debate. Mitt Romney is out of sight as well. He's in Florida, getting ready for the debate.

They're running mates hit battleground states today, though. Congressman Paul Ryan stumped in Ohio. Vice President Joe Biden campaigned in St. Augustine, Florida.

A battleground Florida, that state looks like a virtual tie right now. A new CNN/ORC International poll finds 49 percent of likely Florida voters support Romney, 48 percent support President Obama. The one- point difference is within the poll's margin of error.

President Obama and Mitt Romney are scrambling to pull ahead in the race for Florida's 29 electoral votes, of course.

Well, Vice President Joe Biden zeroed in on Florida today. Biden stumped, as I said, in St. Augustine, and hit on some very familiar themes, like education, health care, women's issues.

Our political reporter, Shannon Travis, has more on Biden's day now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Don, the Obama campaign is going after the woman's vote, maybe even the baby's vote. More on that in just a moment.

But Vice President Biden just finished up a short while ago a rally here in St. Augustine, Florida. This is his third rally here in Florida over the last two days. You can bet that one of the key issues that Vice President Biden talked about, women's issues. He talked about -- he referenced that comment from Governor Romney in the last debate about binders.

Take a listen and look closely at what happened.

JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When Governor Romney was asked a direct question in the last debate about equal pay for women, he started talking about binders.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: Binder.

TRAVIS: Now, there's obviously a lot of talk about binders. The Obama campaign seriously feels like this is a winning issue for them, this issue of equal pay for equal work for men and for women.

The Romney campaign, on the other hand, feels like this talk about binders makes the president look small. Let me read a statement from the Romney campaign, quote, "Four years ago, candidate Obama said the following: 'If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as somebody people should run away from.'" The statement goes on to say, "With no record to run on and no agenda for a second term, President Obama has become the type of candidate that he once decried." That from the Romney campaign.

Meanwhile, there was one other political attack that Vice President Biden made here at his rally. Take a listen at this.

BIDEN: Like that beautiful baby over there. I don't -- I don't blame her for crying. I don't blame that baby for crying. That baby, that baby, that baby knows what's in store for him or her if Romney wins.

TRAVIS: Next up for Vice President Biden, Ohio, Ohio, Ohio. Three days there and on Tuesday, he will make a rare joint appearance with President Obama -- Don.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Shannon Travis, thank you, sir.

The race is also tight in battleground Ohio, where Shannon just mentioned, a new FOX -- a FOX News poll found 46 percent of likely Ohio voters support President Obama, 43 percent support Mitt Romney. Ohio has 18 electoral votes.

Vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan zigzagged to Ohio and Pennsylvania today. A few hours ago, Mr. Ryan campaigned in Belmont, Ohio. Earlier, he worked the crowds in Pennsylvania. He focused his remarks on rebuilding the economy and job creation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are not going to duck these tough issues. We're going to run at our country's economic and physical problems before they get out of our control. That's what leaders do.

And when you look at the engine of economic growth and job creation in this country, it's small businesses. It's risk takers. It's entrepreneurs. It's the workers that work overtime to make those small businesses work and succeed.

We're going to champion these small businesses. We're not going to keep taxing these small businesses and regulating them and spending us into a debt crisis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, Ryan also got into the local spirit in Pennsylvania. He waved a terrible towel for Pittsburgh Steelers fans.

The last debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney happens Monday night and you can watch the showdown live right here on CNN, 7:00 p.m. Eastern our coverage starts.

An estimated 5.8 million people don't have the right to vote. A new book called "The New Jim Crow" argues some former inmates carry a label for life, denied their basic rights as an American.

We're going to talk to the author. You don't want to miss it, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I want everyone to sit down and listen to this, even if you think it might be beyond what you're normally interested in, you should know this. I have an appalling statistic for you. The U.S. has about 5 percent of the world's population, 5 percent, but has nearly a quarter of its prisoners. And even on the outside, ex- felons aren't really free. In many states, they can't vote or exercise other rights that most of us take for granted, even after they pay their debt to society, so to speak.

And our next guest calls this part of the new Jim Crow, the new Jim Crow law, that have left millions of people, especially minorities, out of the electoral process.

Michelle Alexander is a professor at the Ohio State University and the author of "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness." And she joins us now from Ohio.

And, Michelle, I don't know if you can see here. This is my book, it's dog-eared. I think this is a must-read. Colleges should read this. Everyone should be required to read this book.

So, thank you for coming on and thank you for writing this book.

You talk about --

MICHELLE ALEXANDER, AUTHOR, "THE NEW JIM CROW": Well, thank you.

LEMON: Yes. You talk about how many minorities find themselves in the same position as their grandparents, deprived of their civil rights. Who do you blame for the situation or what do you blame?

ALEXANDER: Well, it has been a bipartisan adventure. The war on drugs and the get-tough movement is responsible for millions of people being swept into our nation's prisons and jails.

People are swept in, typically at young ages, often before they're old enough to vote, swept in for relatively minor crimes, typically. Nonviolent, drug-related offenses, swept in, then branded criminals and felons. And then released into a parallel social universe in which many of the basic civil and human rights supposedly won in the civil rights movement, no longer apply to them. Like the right to vote.

LEMON: Michelle, people will say, OK, so what are we supposed to do? Are we not supposed to fight a war on drugs? Are we not supposed to put people in jail or prosecute them for drug violations?

ALEXANDER: Well, drugs were illegal before the war on drugs was declared. We declared a literal war on poor communities of color and we did so at a time when drug crime was actually on the decline, not on the rise.

President Ronald Reagan declared his drug war in 1982, at a time when drug crime was actually on the decline, not on the rise. The war on drugs from the outset had much more to do with politics, including racial politics than any genuine concern about drug addiction or drug abuse. This drug war has been waged almost exclusively in poor communities of color, even though studies have consistently shown now for decades that contrary to popular belief, people of color are no more likely to use or sell illegal drugs than whites.

LEMON: And, Michelle --

ALEXANDER: But in some states --

LEMON: I just want to get this in. I get your point. You think that is sort of a misconception in society. And actually, it's higher among whites than it is among minorities, according to statistics in your book.

But let's talk about -- let's focus on this now, the election. So much has been talked about, voter suppression, voter rights.

So the people who are convicted felons who come out, for some times very serious crimes, critics would say these aren't victims. Why should they be allowed to vote, after they have, so-called, paid their debt to society?

ALEXANDER: Well, voting is a right of citizenship. It shouldn't be forfeited because you once made a mistake, years ago or decades ago. There are states in the United States today where you forfeit your right permanently, because of a felony you once were convicted of in your life.

Voting should be deemed a right, an absolute, inalienable right. In other Western democracies, the idea that, you know, you can be deprived of your right to vote because you once committed a crime is, you know, considered laughable. There are actually voting drives conducted in prisons and other Western democracies.

But here in the United States, you can be deprived of your right to vote for a period of years or even the rest of your life.

LEMON: I should say that the NAACP launched a campaign this month to restore voting rights to ex-felons, and it's going to be interesting to watch that one, but I want to be more specific about this election.

You have seen the efforts to, what some people call voter suppression. Some people say it's to protect the voting process, by asking people to show identification. Is that voter suppression or is it protecting the voter process?

ALEXANDER: Oh, it's absolutely voter suppression. No doubt about it.

One of the reasons these cases have been thrown out in courts across the country -- I mean, these laws have been thrown out in courts across the country is because they haven't been able to come up with a shred of evidence that the voting process has been abused, by the lack of ID and the part of individuals.

So, really, you know, these voter ID laws, much like felon disenfranchisement laws, are an attempt to exclude from the political process, poor people, impoverished people, and people of color. And we have seen these tactics over and over again. They were part of the Jim Crow poll taxes and literacy tests, style disenfranchisement tactics -- and we see them resurrected today -- LEMON: Michelle --

ALEXANDER: -- in new form.

LEMON: Michelle, we're out of time. But I want to thank you for coming on. And we will have you back again.

The book is called "The New Jim Crow" and I would suggest that everyone, everyone read this book. It really -- it was very helpful to me and you taught me a lot. Thank you. Appreciate you coming on.

ALEXANDER: Thank you.

LEMON: All right.

ALEXANDER: You know, some say it reminds them of the D.C. sniper shootings. Right now, police are looking for the person they say shooting at vehicles along a Michigan highway.

And Ole Miss makes history. I'm going to talk to the school's first African-American homecoming queen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It's the bottom of the hour. We're going to get you caught up on the headlines right now.

New developments in the story that we told you about at the top of this newscast.

The White House has just released a statement, denying a report that Iran has agreed to one-on-one talks over its nuclear program. "The New York Times" first reported the agreement on negotiations, but a spokesman for the National Security Council says that report is not true. He added that the U.S. still wants to work on a diplomatic solution, and that President Obama will do whatever it takes to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. Keep you updated on this story throughout the evening here on CNN.

A big mystery unfolding in southeastern Michigan. Authorities are searching for one or more shooters who are randomly targeting drivers in suburban Detroit. Now, we confirm this hour that 17 incidents have taken place over two days in three separate counties. Witnesses describe the shooter as driving a black Ford Mustang with blue tinted front lights and a racing stripe down the middle. So far, no arrests have been made.

Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.'s emotional phone call marks the first time we've heard from him in months, since he revealed his struggle and treatment for bipolar disorder and depression. Jackson's recorded call to constituents in his Illinois district asked for their patience and for their support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JESSE JACKSON JR. (D), ILLINOIS (OVER THE PHONE): After my family, my constituents are the most important people in the world to me. I will always act in your best interests. Your patience, your prayers, and your support during this difficult time mean more to me than you will ever know. With your help, your patience, and god's grace, we will continue to work together to strengthen our communities, provide a better future for our children, and leave the world better than we found it. Thank you and god bless you all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Jesse Jackson Jr. reportedly has returned to the Mayo Clinic for more treatment. He's been absent from work since June. He's also facing other challenges beyond his health. A federal law enforcement official confirms to CNN that the FBI and federal prosecutors are investigating Jackson for possible financial improprieties.

A ship trying to break the sea blockade of Gaza today didn't make it to shore. The Israeli military intercepted it, boarded and took everyone on board into custody. The passengers were trying to call attention to the plight of people living in the Palestinian territories. Israeli officials praise the operation. Critics say the ship was in international waters at the time. Israel and Egypt have enforced a blockade of Gaza since 2007.

The University for Mississippi, you know it as Ole Miss, well, the school has just made history right now. Fifty years after integrating, the school has elected its first African-American homecoming queen. I'm going to talk to her next. There she is live, giving her queen wave. Her royal wave.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Fifty years after African-American student James Meredith walked into the all-white campus of the University of Mississippi, the student body has crowned their first African-American homecoming queen. Can you imagine, 2012, it's the first time. Courtney Pearson, there she is, a lovely young lady, and she is making her mark right now, living proof that change is possible, even if it takes 50 years to happen.

Courtney Pearson joins me now live from Mississippi. We have been talking during the commercial break, and she's an exceptional young lady. Let's say that. So, first of all, congratulations to you.

COURTNEY PEARSON: Thank you so much.

LEMON: Yes. So what was going through your head the moment that you heard the words that you were going to be queen and then they put the crown on your head?

PEARSON: Oh, I absolutely could not believe it. It was a wonderful, wonderful moment. It was a moment I'll always remember. My mom was screaming and jumping up and down. It was amazing. We couldn't contain the excitement.

LEMON: Yes. It's even more important to you, because several of your family members went to Ole Miss. So, you becoming homecoming queen, I mean, they just must have been ecstatic.

PEARSON: Oh, they are. They are in love. They are so proud of their alma mater and they're so proud of me. So there's a lot of good feelings going around.

LEMON: Yes. There have been African-American candidates before. Why do you think that you're the one who won?

PEARSON: I really just think that the student body is just growing and it's progressing and they're really looking at the character of a person and they're just showing how wonderful, how wonderful of a university that we are. And they looked at me and saw something in me that said that they wanted me to represent them. And it was a great feeling.

LEMON: So let's talk about everything here. You said we can ask you anything, right?

PEARSON: Sure.

LEMON: Right? So -

PEARSON: Sure.

LEMON: So you know the typical look for a homecoming queen, especially an Ole Miss homecoming queen - I went to college in the south, and I know what that's like, you don't look like that in the sense of, you're not, you know, a size two and blond. What do you think that means? Do you think that you are making a difference for people who are, you know, as we say, bigger girls, who can - may have more confidence in themselves, if they say that you can go on and become homecoming queen, they can be more comfortable with their bodies and not try to maintain a size zero or a size one, two, or three?

PEARSON: Oh, absolutely. I think it just tells people to just be who you are and be proud of who you are and make sure that people are accepting of who you are. Don't try to be anything that you're not and go out there and be the best person that you absolutely can be. And you can achieve anything that you want to.

LEMON: You can be any size, if you're healthy, and be beautiful, right?

PEARSON: Absolutely. Absolutely. Beauty is so amazing. You know, there's obviously outer beauty, but there's definitely inner beauty as well. And that's so important. And as long as that beauty is shining through, that's the only thing that matters.

LEMON: How have people reacted - very well put, by the way. How have people reacted to you becoming homecoming queen, being crowned queen on campus or in Mississippi?

PEARSON: The University of Mississippi, both the faculty and staff and the student body has been just absolutely wonderful. I've heard nothing but good things from them. Taking up for me, saying, this is our representative, this is our homecoming queen. We're proud of her. We love her. And it's just been such a welcoming and humbling experience to get so much love from the University of Mississippi.

LEMON: And outside, it's been - it's been OK, right?

PEARSON: It's been OK. Absolutely. I mean, there's things out there, but I'll absolutely have the best experience I could possibly have. Absolutely.

LEMON: There's a picture here, and I have just been informed of my producers, I think - is this you with James Meredith, the guy in the red shirt?

PEARSON: In the red shirt, yes, that is.

LEMON: That is?

PEARSON: Yes.

LEMON: What was the man to integrate Ole Miss, you're the first homecoming queen. I mean, what was going through your head?

PEARSON: It was just amazing. He's - I've met him right after I won a couple of days later. In the Skybox with the chancellor, and it was just a wonderful opportunity to just be in his midst and be able to personally tell him thank you and to see him again for homecoming and to take a picture with him. It was really - it was just a wonderful moment for me to be able to just say thank you and really be in his presence.

LEMON: Yes.

PEARSON: And be able to be - have him be proud of me. That's a huge thing for me.

LEMON: I think you're amazing and I think more people should get to know you and they can reach out to you, do you mind if I give your Twitter address so they can tweet their congratulations to you?

PEARSON: Not at all. Not at all.

LEMON: It's @pearson-ality.

PEARSON: That's right.

LEMON: All right. Thank you. Congratulations. Best of luck to you, OK.

PEARSON: Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you.

LEMON: I can't wait for you to be president of the United States.

PEARSON: Bye.

LEMON: Bye. New voter I.D. laws have sparked an intense battle over who counts. Now questions are being asked about the message behind billboards in swing states, warning against voter fraud.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: As election day approaches, a lot of people are wondering if potential voter fraud will taint the election. But some people question if the whole issue has been overblown. CNN's Joe Johns has been examining voter fraud for us and here's an update.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, you might think voter fraud is a massive problem, given all the attention it's getting this year, despite the fact that a Justice Department study said it was an issue in far less than one percent of votes cast between 2002 and 2005.

So are new ads about voter fraud intended to inform voters or intimidate them?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS (voice-over): Voter fraud is a felony. Billboards with this simple and factual message are stirring up controversy in two battleground states. Here is why voting rights advocates like Eric Marshall are upset.

ERIC MARSHALL, LAWYERS' CMTE. FOR CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER LAW: Yes, voter fraud is a felony but it's the way they're being displayed, the fact that they're in almost exclusively areas or around areas that are predominantly African-American, sends a message to those communities, there is a problem with your voting.

JOHNS: The billboards have been popping up in cities in Ohio and Wisconsin, 85 in Milwaukee, 30 in Columbus, another 30 in Cleveland and 31 in Cincinnati.

Protests started almost as soon as they went up, demanding the signs come down.

NINA TURNER (D), OHIO STATE SENATOR: This billboard is nothing but a symbol of pure unadulterated voter suppression, to target an African- American community.

JOHNS: But the two advertising companies that sold the space Clear Channel and Norton Outdoor say the buyer was not out to target minorities.

MIKE NORTON, NORTON OUTDOOR: There was no request for any specific demographic target at all. They wanted the best location they could get for the four weeks leading up to the election.

JOHNS: The big mystery is who is behind them? The billboard itself does not tell. It reads paid for by a Private Family Foundation. And neither company will say who that is. After declining an on-camera interview, here is what Clear Channel wrote to CNN. "The advertiser put to the contract to remain anonymous. It is our policy to require advertisers including political advertisers, to have disclaimers which identify them. Unfortunately, that policy was not followed in this case." But Marshall sees that as a red flag.

MARSHALL: No one is stepping up, taking responsibility for these billboards and explain the reason why. That is part of the problem, if these were innocuous, then why would you specifically negotiate in your contract with Clear Channel the confidentiality clause to stay hidden?

JOHNS: But bottom line, Mike Norton, whose family owns Norton Outdoor sees nothing wrong with the content of the ads.

NORTON: The thing that we stipulates from political advertisers is that, a, it is accurate, and b, that they're not attack ads and these fell well within the realm of reason of those benchmarks.

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JOHNS: The billboards are scheduled to be up through election day, and neither company has any plans to take them down before then. Voting rights groups have raised $30,000 to put up their own billboards in Cleveland and Milwaukee encouraging everyone to vote. Don.

LEMON: All right. Joe, thank you. Make sure you watch Joe's documentary. It's called "Voters in America: Who Counts?" tonight at the top of the hour 8:00 Eastern right after this newscast.

Another hot-button issue on the campaign trail, how can America break its addiction to coal and oil? Another CNN special takes a look at that this weekend. Fareed Zakaria's team traveled around the world to look at renewable energy and natural gas and they found what's often called the fifth fuel efficiency. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Trains, planes, and automobiles burn over 13 million barrels of oil every day in the United States. And we spend over $1 billion per day buying that oil, almost half of which comes from foreign countries, some of whom are considered national security problems.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Weaning ourselves off oil saves about $4 trillion net present value in the United States alone. That money then stays at home.

ZAKARIA: So, Lovins reasoned, what if we wasted less fuel getting gas to the wheels? And he designed the hypercar, which could weigh about two-thirds less than a normal car and could run up to an astonishing 240 miles per hour.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: "Global lessons, a GPS road map for powering America" airs Sunday night, 8:00 and 11:00 Eastern here on CNN. Spilling secrets about the town hall presidential debate. Wait until you hear what debate moderator Candy Crowley had to say when she answers questions from I-reporters.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: She not only moderated the second presidential debate, she was part referee. CNN's Candy Crowley takes questions from ireporters about the experience.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Standouts are the face-offs, they did not let each other go. They kind of circled each other. It was this very kind of powerful moment when you thought, whoa, everybody came to play today.

Hey, I'm Candy Crowley, and I'm going to answer your ireport questions.

KATHI CORDSEN, CNN IREPORTER: How hard was it for you to keep the candidates' time limit? Did it make you feel strange or did it make you feel powerful?

CROWLEY: Hey, Kathi. It didn't make me feel powerful. Actually there were just times when I thought, you know, you need to listen here. It was difficult to keep them on time because, for instance, if you go back to the gas tax question, it was way over the budget of time. They were interested in it and they were engaged in it. And so in the end they were just kind of decisions I made in the moment, like, this is going, I don't want to just say, I'm sorry, your two minutes are up, when the two of them are engaging in an actual conversation.

So this is a question from Mwangala Jonas - what did you think of Romney's "binders full of women" comment?

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I went to a number of women's groups and said, can you help us find folks and they brought us whole binders full of women.

CROWLEY: Let me tell you something, while we're all sitting there on that debate stage, there is an entire, you know, world of conversations going around that we are unaware of, on Facebook, on Twitter. It was not one of those things that registered at all to me, as it was going on. Clearly it became quite the Facebook and Twitter point of conversation.

MARK IVY, IREPORTER: Do you think that a town hall style forum provided more insight into both of the candidates than the more traditional format?

CROWLEY: They're really different species here, the town hall and the sit-down debate with a moderator. I kind of like both of them actually. Certainly a town hall format requires that the candidates at least try to engage with the person that is asking them the question. So maybe you learn a little bit more about how they engage with other people.

In some ways, the sit-down, I mean I think any journalist would say, but then I could have pounded them about this, and kept asking this question, that question. You clearly don't have that because I think you're so aware that these town hall people had come and had questions to ask.

PJ ROBIN, IREPORTER: Seeing how well you did with the last debate, if you could do another debate with any two people in the world? Who would it be?

CROWLEY: PJ, here's the truth. If I can do another debate with any two people in the world, I'd do it again today with President Obama and Governor Romney. I actually thought it was fun. I'd bring back all those town hall people who didn't get their questions asked. It was so in the moment, and I loved that part of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Great job, Candy. Great job.

Day care programs in high schools? It's part of a growing effort to keep teen parents in school. We'll show you how it's working in one city.

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LEMON: There is no doubt that being a mother in high school can be difficult. But it's getting easier now for teen moms at a high school in Richmond, Virginia. Athena Jones has more in an effort to keep teen parents in school.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Teen mom Alexus Barbee has big goals.

ALEXUS BARBEE, TEEN MOM: I would like to be a nurse or a lawyer.

JONES: But when she got pregnant at 16 she feared she would have to put them on hold.

BARBEE: I thought that I'm not able to go to school every day, who is going to be there to watch my child? Like, am I going to be able to finish, like, I had a lot going through my mind.

JONES: Now she brings her nine month-old daughter with her to Richmond, Virginia high school. While Alexus goes to class, her daughter goes to daycare downstairs. Alexus also gets parenting classes, which includes spending time at the daycare. The program was funded with local and federal dollars.

(on camera): Administrators here at Armstrong High School hope this program will help raise graduation rates.

(voice-over): Just 38 percent of teen girls who have a child before age 18 get a high school diploma. Armstrong High's program is a win- win for teens like Alexus, says her principal.

APRIL HAWKINS, PRINCIPAL, ARMSTRONG HIGH SCHOOL: just to think back, I have known Alexus for four years, and this is such a different, mature type of student who really wants to get her high school diploma, so the child care lab affords her that helps opportunity.

JONES: While it is unknown exactly how many high schools offer daycare, these programs are available in states across the country. Studies show that providing teen mothers with access to child care at school not only increases their likelihood of graduating, it also lowers the chance of having another child while in high school.

(on camera): When do you think you will have another child?

BARBEE: When I get my own place, and when I finish good and when I have a good job.

JONES (voice-over): But some critics say these programs are not a good use of taxpayer dollars.

NEAL MCCLUSKEY, CATO INSTITUTE: It is something that we should be looking to charitable organizations, philanthropists, lots of people who are interested in these things, to fund it.

JONES: On the contrary, says the director of federal grants for Richmond city schools, she believes the program is invaluable.

ERNESTINE SCOTT, RICHMOND CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS: The data for parents don't graduate from high school is going to be ripple negative impact on their children's education.

JONES: The daycare gives Alexus peace of mind. And Alexus is in a better place, too, determined to graduate on time next spring.

Athena Jones, CNN, Richmond, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: I'm Don Lemon, see you back here at 10:00 Eastern.