Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Cycling Body Comes Down Hard; Obama, Romney Prep for Final Debate; Gas Prices Expected to Plunge; Swaying the Undecided; Final Debate Focus is Foreign Policy; Struggling with Same-Sex Marriage; RG3/Eli in Classic Showdown

Aired October 22, 2012 - 09:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning Soledad. Thank you.

Happening now in the "NEWSROOM".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Lance Armstrong is stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from cycling.

Gas prices dropped eight cents and could tumble another 30 cents. Why some analysts say many of us could soon be paying less than $3 a gallon.

A heated debate over same-sex marriage in Maryland divides the African-American community with the NAACP on one side and the African- American clergy on the other.

Thou shall not Tebow. The quarterback makes a move to keep people from profiting on Tebowing.

NEWSROOM starts now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

And good morning to you. A happy Monday. I'm Carol Costello. We do start with breaking news this morning. Cycling's governing body today handed down a so-called death sentence to Lance Armstrong. The group stripped Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and banned him from the sport. The decision follows the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency finding of overwhelming evidence that Armstrong doped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are here to answer your questions and to say to the cycling community, UCI is listening and is on your side. We have come too far in the fight against doping to return to our past. Cycling has a future, and something like this must never happen again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But that's not all. Another sponsor, Oakley sunglasses, announced it will no longer sponsor Lance Armstrong.

Bill Strickland is "Bicycling" magazine's editor-at-large and author of "Tour de Lance."

Thank you so much for joining us this morning.

BILL STRICKLAND, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, BICYCLING MAGAZINE: Hey, Carol. Thanks.

COSTELLO: It's mind boggling, this colossal fall, isn't it?

STRICKLAND: Inevitable at this point. But still shocking when you -- when you finally hear the words and think back over the seven tours and look at what he has won which now is just a handful of races. It's going to be tough for people to deal with from here on out.

COSTELLO: Well, Lance Armstrong was at an event just yesterday. And he didn't really address the doping agency's findings. He was at a Livestrong event. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LANCE ARMSTRONG, CYCLIST: Obviously, it's been an interesting, and as I said the other night, at times very difficult few weeks. People ask me a lot, how you doing? And I tell them, I say, well, I've been better. But I've also been worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Of course, I wasn't there. But it struck me there was no reaction at all from the crowd as he said those words.

STRICKLAND: Well, people don't know how to react. He still has some level of supporters. But I think even those supporters faced with, you know, the thousand pages of the USADA report and now this official ruling and the dropping of all the sponsors. I think everyone has to re-evaluate Lance even those who still want to support him.

COSTELLO: And of course, this isn't over for Lance Armstrong. What might come next?

STRICKLAND: Well, there's still the possibility that the federal investigation could be reopened. People might start going to him to get some of their money back, sponsorship. There's a highly publicized case, SCA, that paid him a bonus for winning the tour. And some of us think that now, just as this was inevitable, some sort of admission or confession seems to be inevitable. I just -- I can't see how he can get around that now.

COSTELLO: We'll see. Bill Strickland, thank you so much for sharing your insight this morning. We appreciate it.

STRICKLAND: Thank you. COSTELLO: All right. Let's turn to politics now. Tonight's third and final presidential debate. In a month that's seen Mitt Romney surge and President Obama stumble, tonight's showdown could be all that's needed to tip the scales on this deadlocked race.

Romney walks in with the most approved according to a "Washington Post"/ABC News poll. Only 40 percent of registered voters believe he would do a better job at handling international affairs. That's compared to half for President Obama. And both men will be gunning for that 5 percent that's uncommitted.

White House correspondent Brianna Keilar is in Boca Raton, Florida, for the primetime face-off.

Brianna, by all accounts Romney won the first debate. At least held his own in the second. But as a former governor, he has no foreign policy experience. So does that put him at a huge disadvantage tonight?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, that would put him at a disadvantage in terms of his grasp of the subject -- matter, I should say. President Obama has four years of hands-on experience with foreign policy. And you just can't beat that. But we're in this really interesting situation where the president is also very vulnerable to Mitt Romney because of what has happened in Libya in recent weeks. And because his administration is under fire for their handling of this situation there. Of the four Americans who were killed at the Benghazi consulate.

And also amid questions of whether this couldn't have been prevented. So some of the things that -- these candidates are going to be trying to achieve today, sources from the Romney campaign telling our Dana Bash that he's looking to project a calmer demeanor than, perhaps, we saw at the last debate. That he wants to obviously hit President Obama on Libya. And that he's going to try and make a turn back to the economy when he can. Because obviously this is his comfort zone as far as the subject matter goes.

For President Obama, he's going to try and point out some of Romney's foreign policy blunders. We saw some of those on Mitt Romney's foreign trip. He's going to try to hit him for a lack of specifics. And he's going to try and paint him as unpresidential. The Obama campaign already out today with an ad and a memo, doing as much on that front, Carol, trying to paint Mitt Romney as bellicose and not ready. So get ready, because this is what we're going to see tonight.

COSTELLO: We will be ready, Brianna Keilar, reporting live from Boca Raton, Florida.

For many of us, for many Americans, the big question about tonight's debate, will it be another bare knuckled brawl like the last one? That debate, just last Tuesday, had a number of fiery, short tempered moments. One example, this exchange over the president's handling of the deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: There were many days that passed before we knew whether this was a spontaneous demonstration or actually whether it was a terrorist attack. And there was no demonstration involved. It was a terrorist attack. And it took a long time for that to be told to the American people. Whether that was some misleading or instead whether we just didn't know what happened, I think you have to ask yourself why didn't we know five days later when the ambassador to the United Nations went on TV to say that this was a demonstration? How could we have not known?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And the suggestion that anybody in my team or the secretary of state or U.N. ambassador, anybody on my team would play politics or mislead when we've lost four of our own, Governor, is offensive. That's not what we do. That's not what I do as president. That's not what I do as commander-in- chief.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So it's safe to say you can expect more of that. We're going to talk much more about this later on in the NEWSROOM.

It is a shame more people don't vote in the United States. A crime, really. So what do you do? Well, a neighborhood in Los Angeles had a novel idea. These fliers were apparently passed around offering free weed, you know, as in pot, with proof of voting in Eagle Rock's local election. The flier listed candidates of the Progress and Collaboration Slate who ran against others who oppose pot dispensaries. Some voters weren't too happy about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This marijuana issue is a travesty of American justice. How could anyone believe that the intellect will survive running against a candidate that is enlisting the community's drug addiction for $40 for a voucher, to get a free drug voucher.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Reports say 10 times as many people turned out to vote in this year's election than in past elections. There's no proof the fliers were a motivation. And Progress members say the fliers did not belong to them.

All right. Let's head out to Boca Raton, Florida. Paul Steinhauser is standing by. Wanted to talk a little bit more about the debate and if it will be as contentious as the last debate.

So take it away, Paul.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, Carol, that's the big question. Are we going to pick up where we left off just last week at the town hall debate in New York state? Remember, they were battling over a lot of issues. Especially Libya and especially China. So are we going to see some more of that? Well, maybe. And here's why. Take a look at the format of the debate, Carol. There are going to be six 15-minute segments. So after Bob Schieffer, the moderator, asks his question and each candidate gets about two minutes to answer, you're going to have anywhere, Carol, from about eight to 10 more minutes for the candidates to kind of mix it up.

So that wide format could allow for some back and forth between the two candidates. But here's the reason why you may not see that. Take a look at the live picture. This is the debate hall inside right behind me here at Lynn University. They're going to be sitting around a table very much like the vice presidential debate. Two candidates going to be very close to each other right there.

They won't be able to walk next to each other like they did last week in the town hall debate. And when you're sitting that close to your opponent maybe, maybe it brings a little more of a civil exchange. We'll find out tonight -- Carol.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: I know. I'm going to miss them walking around and stalking each other. I kind of enjoyed that. What else should we be looking for tonight?

STEINHAUSER: Here's one thing I'm definitely looking forward to. And you mentioned it with Brianna few minutes ago. I call it the pivot. All right. This is a -- this is a debate about foreign policy, right? But we all know the top issue on the minds of American voters remains the economy.

So are these candidates going to be able to pivot and -- end up talking about the economy even if they started answering a question about foreign policy. I think the answer is yes. And I want to see which candidate does it and does it better. I think especially when China comes up, tonight. The issue of China and trade. You're going to see both candidates talk about jobs and maybe about Ohio, Carol, a state you know very, very well.

COSTELLO: Yes. My people will decide it as usual.

Paul Steinhauser live in Boca Raton, Florida.

You will likely have some extra cash this holiday season. Gas prices already are down eight cents in the last two weeks to a national average of $3.67. And gas prices are expected to drop another 30 cents by late November.

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.

So why are gas prices dropping now?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: There are a few things happening all at once. For one, Carol, the supply crunch in California that's been happening there is kind of easing off a bit. There was a power outage at one refinery there. And then a fire at another refinery. What that did is it caused prices in California to spike earlier this month. Also there's a decline in crude oil prices themselves. Now remember oil makes up a majority of our gasoline prices. And those have actually been coming down since the beginning of September. And then we've got the typical seasonal slowdown that you all can see after the peak summer driving season. So what's happening is there's less demand, which means we don't see stations rising -- raising their prices. Plus, what these refineries do is they switch to a cheaper fuel this time of year and what's known as winter gray.

They no -- they no longer use a cleaner, more expensive summer blend from a couple of months ago. So you roll all that together. And that brings down gas prices ever so slightly. But noticeable, you know, you drive by the gas station, you see the drop. You say, wow, finally -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And with no help from either presidential candidate those gas prices came down. How amazing.

KOSIK: Amazing. Isn't it? Shocking.

COSTELLO: Of course, the price of gas has an impact on all kinds of things. Maybe holiday shopping?

KOSIK: It could. You know what, that's a good point because it could be a good sign. Especially since high gas prices are often cited for holding people back from spending on other things. Look, if prices continue this downward trend, you know, you may see shoppers willing to drive to different stores, go out of their way a little bit more, spend a little more when they get there.

In fact, you look at the National Retail Federation. It says that holiday sales are expected to go up more than 4 percent this year. And I don't know if you've been in the stores lately. They're offering big incentives like layaway and price matching. So even if people are nervous about gas prices, retailers are doing what they can to lure in shoppers and get them to spend more -- Carol.

Alison Kosik reporting live from the New York Stock Exchange.

Get the remote ready and the DVR rolling. It's going to be an action packed night of television. The debate, Monday night football and the national league championship series all at once.

A word about baseball now since the NLCS will go to game seven. The San Francisco Giants beat St. Louis 6-1 last night behind strong pitching by Ronnie Vogelsong. He struck out nine in seven innings of work holding the Cardinals to just four hits. Giants scored all the runs they needed in the second inning. Marco Scutaro had the biggest hit. That would be that two-run double.

The two teams go at it again tonight weather permitting. The winner heads to the World Series to take out the Tigers.

The race for the White House comes down to the undecided voter. Who is the undecided voter? And what the heck is keeping that voter from making up his mind?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Fifteen minutes past the hour.

Checking our top stories now:

Details about a deadly shooting in Wisconsin. Police say 45-year-old Radcliffe Haughton was targeting his estranged wife when he opened fire at a Milwaukee area spa Sunday. Three women were killed, four others wounded. Authorities have been working to identify all the victims. Police found the suspect dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the spa.

Cuba steps up its efforts to douse any speculation Fidel Castro is on his death bed. A state-run newspaper published an article under his name which scoffed at rumors. The article included pictures of Castro reportedly taken on Saturday.

In money news, Apple is expected to unveil its newest iPad. Many believe it will be a smaller, lighter tablet called the iPad mini. No one will know for certain until tomorrow's announcement.

In South Florida, in the heart of blue Florida, you se that blimp? A big, huge picture of Mitt Romney's face on the side. Well, sadly, it came crashing down. Strong winds forced the blimp-like aircraft to make an emergency landing. It simply deflated and fell to the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was floating backwards. It looked like it was actually coming down. It was strange. I thought, boy, Mitt Romney really wants us to vote for him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Maybe it's an omen. Maybe it'll be effective and work better. Who knows?

Police say the pilot knew he couldn't make it to the airport. The pilot was not hurt.

Mitt Romney and Barack Obama yearn for their vote, the elusive, mysterious undecided number. They're small in number, an estimated 1 percent to 2 percent of the electorate. Yet they could decide the election. At least that's what they say.

Proof of their importance, the last debate featured undecided voters asking the questions. And they are even now parodied on "Saturday Night Live."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Before you get our vote, you're going to have to answer some questions. Questions like --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When is the election? How soon do you have to decide? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are the names of the two people running? And be specific.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where is the president right now? Is he or she running?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Joining me now is Drew Westen, a psychology professor at Emory University and author of "The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation". He was also an informal adviser to the Obama campaign.

Welcome.

DREW WESTEN, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Thanks for having me again.

COSTELLO: I can't wait to talk to you about this.

So, an undecided voter, seriously? We live in such partisan times. Mitt Romney's been running forever. Barack Obama is our president. The two men are as different as can be.

What's to be undecided about?

WESTEN: You know, it's a really interesting question. I think there's a couple things going on. One obviously is the "SNL" piece sets it up.

You know, there is a group of people who just don't care all that much. But there's a bigger group of people who are really concerned about what's been going on for the last four years. They're struggling to pay the mortgage or their rent. If they've still got a job, they're struggling with two or three jobs while taking care of their k kids.

A lot of them are women who are -- a lot of them are single moms. And what they feel on the one hand is things aren't good. On the other hand, they've been looking at Mitt Romney and thinking, he's not good.

And the debates have really changed that dynamic. I think suddenly it looks like there's an alternative to Barack Obama.

COSTELLO: OK. Just the profile of the undecided voter. It's interesting. You mentioned that they watched the debate. This is according to a poll released by "Politico" and George Washington University and examined by Yahoo.

The undecided voter, they say, is typically a single white female between 18 and 29 years old. She has a job with a low income. It's a union household. She did not graduate from college. She's Protestant but does not go to church.

Here's the big one. According to this poll, she skipped watching the debate. So, with that kind of voter, if you're a candidate and you really need that voter, what do you say? Because she doesn't appear to be all that engaged.

WESTEN: You do a couple of things. One of them is that you get a really good get out the vote effort where you've got people going door to door talking about your candidate for you. For those people, the ad blitzes are not going to make that big of difference.

The other is you'd be surprised how much people hear while they're making dinner of CNN out of the corner of their ears. And so, they didn't watch the debate. What they're picking up is what they're hearing about what happened in the debate. They're seeing the clips of those debates.

The one you showed a minute ago where the president basically gave Mitt Romney a scolding for -- you know, I find that offensive. I thought that was a tremendously effective moment for him. Even though Romney came out swinging, then he came back and said, as president, do you really think I wouldn't care about four of my own people dying? It was -- those are the kind of moments that they hear.

COSTELLO: So they hear moments. They don't really delve deeper into a topic. But that moment is enough for them.

WESTEN: Well, that's it. And, you know, what I tell candidates all the time, what I tell elected officials is, what you want to do is you want to speak in the language at the kitchen table, because what people are doing is they're listening out of the corner of their ears while they're making dinner for their kids.

So, you want to speak in plain language they can hear. They go, oh, this person -- maybe something will be different in the next four years. Or on the other hand, they think, maybe I'll give this guy a shot because I'm struggling.

COSTELLO: OK. So just on the subject of undecided voters, deciding the election, really? Because they're only 1 percent to 2 percent of the electorate. And some of them may not even vote. Why wouldn't it be white men deciding the election or African-Americans and Hispanics? Which is a much bigger voting population?

WESTEN: Yes. I think you're asking the right questions. I think what most -- what both campaigns are now doing is they're now making sure that their base comes out.

Romney's base is now excited. It's so interesting because he's moved far to the left of everything that he said during the primaries. I mean, you have to do that. You have to please the pot for FOX News listeners in order to win the Republican primaries, which means you're getting -- you're working with people who are ignorant.

COSTELLO: Oh, Drew!

WESTEN: Sorry. I don't mean to be partisan towards CNN. But the reality is they have a point of view. They've been taught a series of things which Mitt Romney is smart enough to know isn't true.

So, you know, what he had to do is to get through that. And what both sides are doing now is Obama knows that he's got to get -- President Obama knows he has to get people on his side excited. And he's done a lot of things that's got them unexcited.

So, it may well be the difference between the likely voters, where it's right now 47/47, versus the registered voters, where Obama has a much bigger advantage. That's probably going to be more important than the undecided voter.

COSTELLO: Yes, because the likely voters are the excited voters. That may be good for Romney.

WESTEN: Exactly.

COSTELLO: Drew Westen, thank you so much.

WESTEN: Happy to be on.

COSTELLO: There is one thing President Obama and Mitt Romney can agree on, RG 3. We'll hear what they had to say about the Redskins' rookie quarterback and bringing Washington together.

(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 -- yes, it's your turn. Seriously? Are there still undecided voters?

Fifteen days to the election. Hard to believe, right? It seems this election has been going on since time began.

Most of you want it to be over already. Except maybe those undecided voters.

I mean, seriously, how could that be? Mitt Romney's been running for president since forever. And everybody knows Barack Obama, our president for the past four years.

And the two men are like cats and dogs, as different in economic policy as you can be. I'm not the only one befuddled. The great undecided are now the butt of jokes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When is the election? How soon do you have to decide?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are the names of the two people running? And be specific.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where is the president right now? Is he or she running? Because, if so, experiences may be something we should consider.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long is the president's term of office? One year? Two years? Three years? Or life?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: If you're wondering who the experts say those undecided voters are, business insider analyzed a poll released by "Politico" and George Washington University and came up with this composite: she is a white Protestant, 18 to 29-year-old single woman, employed, not a college grad, a self-identified independent who splits tickets when voting, lives in a union household and is considered low income. And yes, she did not watch the debates.

And to win the election, Obama and Romney will have to find this elusive voter and win her over. So for the next 15 days, get ready to be bombarded with political ads, whether you're decided or not.

So, the talk back question for you this morning: seriously? Are there still undecided voters? Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Your responses later this hour.

Few issues divide Americans like the topic of same-sex marriage. Now, voters in Maryland get to decide what they want. We'll take a look at how the issue is dividing many in the African-American community.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning to you. Happy Monday. It's 30 minutes past the hour. I'm Carol Costello.

Stories we're watching right now in THE NEWSROOM:

The opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange rang just seconds ago. Stock futures are up with investors waiting for more corporate earnings reports. Last Friday, stocks saw their worst day since June falling 200 points after several companies released disappointing earnings. And as you can see, the folks at Seadrill Partners rang the bell this morning.

The world of cycling's governing body strips Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles. Within the last hour Armstrong's final major sponsor, eyeglass maker Oakley, severed its ties. This follows the release of evidence against Armstrong by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Armstrong stepped down as the head of his Livestrong Charity Foundation.

In Beirut, four people are dead in more violence following Friday's car bombing that killed Lebanon's intelligence chief. Anti-government protesters and security forces have clashed all weekend long. Protesters blame Syria for the assassination.

By most accounts, Mitt Romney won the first presidential debate. And the president evened the score in round two. So, tonight, it's the rubber match.

And the focal point in this best-of-three showdown is foreign policy.

Joining me now are CNN contributors L.Z. Granderson who leans left and Will Cain who leans right.

Welcome, gentlemen.

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.

L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

So I'm going to steal a page from "Saturday Night Live." First question, Libya. L.Z.?

CAIN: Was that a question? Go for it, L.Z.

COSTELLO: You had to watch "SNL" to get it.

GRANDERSON: Oh, Libya. You know, the important thing for the president tonight to do is to make sure that when we talk about Libya and what's going on there, that it doesn't start with the attack that happened at the embassy. But actually it starts before that, about how he handled the situation when the rebels were rising up and there was criticism about whether or not we should send troops in to help in that fight.

He opted not to do that. He opted instead to get the entire nation around him and then we saw him using drone attacks and no fly zones and Gadhafi is now dead. And we didn't lose any U.S. soldiers because of it.

He needs to start with that particular point of the Libya discussion and not solely what happened at the embassy.

COSTELLO: And, Will, word is that Governor Romney won't be as aggressive in his questions. He'll be more, I don't know -- I don't know if calm is the right word. But businesslike -- maybe that's the right word.

CAIN: Well, yes. Some of that tonally, interrupting Candy Crowley, attempting to interrupt the president, talking about whose turn it is and how much time is left, that doesn't come off appealing to anyone.

On Libya, I would suggest Mitt Romney should try a question that's a little more direct but less specific. I like L.Z.'s recommendation that we talk about Libya going back much further than just September 11th of this year. I agree with L.Z., we should talk about the rebellion. We should talk about the United States' role in it.

We should also talk about the security at the Benghazi consulate leading up to the attack on September 11th.

And finally, this is the question I wish Mitt Romney would have asked, Carol. Not specifically about what words were uttered in the Rose Garden. But why did your administration give the American people the impression for up to two weeks after the event that it was a spontaneous protest, attack, part of a protest to a video? Just answer that. Why did Susan Rice and Jay Carney and your administration give us that impression?

COSTELLO: OK. Something else that is sure to come up is this idea of an apology tour conducted by the president. If you look at the "Drudge Report" this morning on the cover of the drudge report you see there are many pictures of President Obama supposedly bowing to foreign leaders.

On the heels of "The New York Times" reporting that the Obama administration is ready to sit down with Iran and talk about nukes after the election, how will this play into the whole debate thing, L.Z.?

GRANDERSON: You know, I'm -- if all the -- all the things that the president has done his 3 1/2 and four years in office I'm most proud of the way that he handled foreign policy. Now, I'm going to tell you why.

We spent a great deal of time talking about war and foreign policy. We're talking about it right now with Libya and foreign policy. He's being criticized for, quote-unquote, "apologizing", having this apologist tour.

And I looked at his -- the things that he said. I went back and I looked at the things that he talked about and nowhere in there is he saying, I'm apologizing. He is being strategic. He is being intelligent.

He's also saying to both us as well as the world that we've made some mistakes, yes. You've made some mistakes, too. Let's admit our faults and move forward together. Only together will we have a good country and a good planet.

I don't understand why Republicans are hung up on this apologist tour. There's nothing in transcripts to suggest he apologized. They're using it to make him look weak when actually admitting you're wrong is a strength, not a fault.

COSTELLO: Well, still, Will, I have heard Governor Romney say that line a million times. I will not apologize for America.

CAIN: I can't be as certain about this as L.Z. sounds like he is.

Here's the deal -- Mitt Romney will criticize President Obama's rhetoric, right? That's what he'll try to do in America's positioning around the world. I think he does run the risk of coming off petty when you criticize the commander-in-chief and the burdens and responsibilities that go with that.

However, listen. L.Z.'s response that, you know, being someone who's part of a world community and we're all in this together for a greater planet sounds nice and flowery. But I'm not sure it achieves what you really want to achieve, because not everybody in this world is in it together with you.

In "New York Times" this morning, they quote an analyst from the Brookings Institute -- not a conservative think tank. The Brookings institute that said, the world, Middle East specifically, views America under Obama as weak. That if you stand up to them, they will back down. If you have a disagreement with America, just stand up to them.

That is from the "New York Times" and the Brookings Institute.

COSTELLO: Well, it will be an interesting debate, just as this was this morning.

L.Z. Granderson, Will Cain, thanks so much.

CAIN: Thank you.

GRANDERSON: Thank you.

COSTELLO: CNN's live debate coverage tonight 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Us Weekly" reporting eight time Grammy Award winner Adele just gave birth to her biggest accomplishments.

HLN "Showbiz Tonight" host A.J. Hammer has all the details.

Good morning.

A.J. HAMMER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT' HOST: Good morning, Carol.

Yes, big congratulations to Adele. She has reportedly given birth to a baby boy. A source close to the family is also confirming the news to "People" magazine. This is Adele's first child.

You might remember she first made the announcement on her Web site back in June that she and her boyfriend were expecting. We're still waiting for details about the birth. No word yet on the little guy's name. We've reached out to her representatives, hoping to hear back from them soon.

One thing I've seen in the coverage, Carol, very consistently, everyone is certain Adele is going to be singing some great lullabies to her new baby. And I must say it's the first time I'm actually jealous of an infant.

COSTELLO: I know. Wouldn't that be great? That gives me a calm this morning for some reason.

Let's talk about Garth Brooks. He's inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Seems like that should have happened a long time ago.

HAMMER: It sure does. But, finally, he has joined the other national legends in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Garth Brooks was inducted to the hall on Sunday night.

It was clearly an emotional moment for him. He was seen tearing up on the red carpet before the big event. Of course, Garth Brooks has already achieved just about every other possible honor in the music biz, not to mention the fact that he's sold more than 128 million albums.

So, this induction really like the well deserved cherry on top of an already extraordinary career. He was inducted, by the way, by his hero, George Strait. He said hearing Strait in college was his inspiration to become a country artist.

Congratulations to Garth Brooks this morning.

COSTELLO: Absolutely. A.J., thanks as usual.

Catch A.J. tonight on HLN, 11:00 p.m. Eastern.

Few issues divide Americans like the topic of same-sex marriage. Now voters in Maryland, voters, get to decide what they want. We'll take a look at how it's dividing many in the African-American community, though.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Coming up on 45 minutes past the hour.

Same-sex marriage is on the ballot in Maryland. That's a historic first. Usually, same-sex marriage has been decided by the courts or by the legislature, never by popular vote. As you might expect, the issue in Maryland is contentious, especially within the African- American community, with the clergy on one side and the NAACP on the other.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO (voice-over): An historic fight in the battle for same-sex marriage is being fought out of Rebecca Murphy's Maryland kitchen.

REBECCA MURPHY, SUPPORTER, MARRIAGE EQUALITY: I have gay and lesbian friends and family who are raising children. And, you know, having families and creating lives. And they deserve to be treated fairly and equally.

COSTELLO: Reverend Frank Reid and his wife, Marlaa, are fighting against it from their Baltimore Church.

(on camera): Explain the importance of the institution to me.

MARLAA REID, BETHEL AME CHURCH: It is a holy ordinance, a sacred opportunity for a man and woman to come together.

COSTELLO (voice-over): But these efforts inside Maryland are dwarfed by what's going on outside the state.

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, MAYOR, NEW YORK: My name is Mike and I'm calling on behalf of New Yorkers United for Marriage.

COSTELLO: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave a quarter of a million dollars to the Maryland campaign along with hedge fund manager Paul Sanger. Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue lives in Washington, D.C., but he ponied up $100,000. EVAN WOLFSON, FREEDOM TO MARRY: We are seeing large numbers of non- gay people and large numbers of non-gay money being contributed to this campaign. And that's part of how we've now grown a majority for marriage nationwide. It's not because of gay people who support the Freedom to Marry. It's because non-gay people, family members, neighbors, co-workers, loved ones, fellow citizens.

COSTELLO: There is a lot at stake. This could be the first time that voters approve marriage rights for gays and lesbians.

PASTOR FRANK REID, BETHEL AME CHURCH: The purpose of the money is to buy other voices -- all right. Who speak differently because most African-American pastors and churches in this season don't have a lot of money to make ads.

COSTELLO: Black voters are key in this fight; 30 percent of the electorate. "Washington Post" poll has yes on question six favor by a 52-43 margin.

MURPHY: For me personally as an African-American, it's hugely important that I make this public stand. Because I believe that the more diversity of opinion can be demonstrated, the better.

COSTELLO: Where 38 states have outlawed marriage for gays, six have marriage rights because of courts or legislatures.

WOLFSON: We've shown that we can win the Freedom to Marry in public opinion. We've shown that we can win the Freedom to Marry in courts. We've shown that we can win the Freedom to Marry in legislatures. The last barrier we now have to overcome is to show that we can win the Freedom to Marry in an up or down vote on the ballot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: More examples of how outside money is fueling the fire in Maryland. The push for yes on Question 6 which would legalize same- sex marriage has a $3.2 million war chest. A similar initiative in Washington State has raised a little more than $10 million. And a same-sex initiative in Maine has pulled in about $3 million.

Religious organizations like the Knights of Columbus have also poured in millions of dollars to defeat same-sex marriage initiatives. We'll find out what happens on Election Day.

Turning now to sports, a trademark for Tebowing. The quarterback moves to control the phenomenon he started.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Oh there's excitement back on the D.C. sports scene. You have the Nationals reaching the baseball post-season and now RG3, boy he's taking the town by storm.

Vince Cellini from Bleacher Report is here. What a fantastic finish?

VINCE CELLINI, BLEACHER REPORT: Great in New Jersey, big divisional game between the Redskins and the Giants, and Robert Griffin III is really showing how impressive he can be and he's on this uptick in terms of making his way through the league.

I want to show you some highlights here, Carol, of this game and how dynamic a player he is this Washington Redskins quarterback. In a tight game he ran for 89 yards on 9 carries, and then watch this, with his team down 20-16, beautiful teardrop pass to Santana Moss with about 1:30 left in the game.

So you think they're in good shape, but Eli Manning is the crusty veteran, Super Bowl quarterback, and he hits Victor Cruz for 77 yards and a touchdown. Watch this Cruz's dance is a little salsa move. He does that after every touchdown.

So the Giants win --

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: He's going to be on "Dancing with the Stars" soon.

CELLINI: Yes maybe. The Giants win but it's good for Washington like you said because RG3 is really a dynamic young player and part of this upswing.

COSTELLO: And maybe he will run for office one day because the two guys running for president, they're into RG3, both of them mentioned RG3 over the weekend. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: RG3 hasn't been in Washington very long but he's already created change.

OBAMA: It's tough to unite this city around anything, believe me, I know. But RG3 makes it look easy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So there you go. He is -- he is the ticket to like bipartisan in Washington.

CELLINI: So of all these big issues, RG3 is the uniter. He's going to bring us all together, but I think both candidates would do well to align themselves with Robert Griffin III, sure.

COSTELLO: And they think so too.

CELLINI: He can't lose this year.

COSTELLO: Exactly. Let's talk about Tim Tebow because I find this fascinating. He's trademarked Tebowing. So what do you suppose he'll do with it now?

CELLINI: Well, before we tell what you he's going to do with it, let's get a little background on this. First of all, essentially Tim Tebow folks is a backup quarterback. He has limited skills, but he has an incredible sense of self. When you go back to the legend now you see him here with the Jets he had four carries and 12 yards in a loss to the Patriots Sunday.

But in college won the Heisman Trophy and he has this amazing sense of self and I think that's what people gravitate to. And then in Denver last year, made a big play, dropped to one knee, put the fist on the head -- there you have it -- and Tebowing was born. And he said quote, "The trade marking is more to control how it's used to make sure that it's used in the right way" Carol. So we wouldn't want Tebowing to fall in the hands of evil.

COSTELLO: That's right because Satan may use it and God knows what he would do with it.

(CROSSTALK)

CELLINI: Exactly but that's part of it.

COSTELLO: So what's he going to do, he's going to put it on t-shirt and sell them what's -- what's the future hold for Tebowing?

CELLINI: Right, it will go to some items and it also will help serve and fund charities in Tim Tebow's name. So he wants to make sure profits go in that direction.

COSTELLO: What about trying to think of like is there any other thing like that that's been trademarked? Maybe three-peat? I think three- peat was trademarked but that really didn't go anywhere. The icky shuffle that was trademarked and of course that went nowhere.

CELLINI: Well right, Pat Riley was the guy who came up with three peats when he was the Los Angeles Lakers coach. I just think we live in a time right now where something happens and then it's on a t-shirt in about 20 minutes or somebody is selling it for profit.

So he's getting to jump on things and his reps are moving closer to trade marking this. Do you want to Tebow with me right now?

COSTELLO: We're not allowed. They'll charge us.

CELLINI: Oh that's right. The infringement, that's correct.

COSTELLO: Vince Cellini, thanks.

For more "Top Stories" and a deeper look at tonight's NLCS game seven between the Cardinals and Giants, check out BleacherReport.com.

CELLINI: Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

Our big "Talk Back" question of the day, "Seriously? Are there still undecided voters?" Your responses next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: All right. "Talk Back" question this morning. Seriously? Are there still undecided voters?

This from Marti. "It's so confusing right now all the lies and deception. It's like a soap opera where they leave you hanging on a Friday."

This from Mark, "Yes, really, undecided? Flip a coin. How can you be undecided? Hope you don't treat all decisions in your life like this."

This from Julie, "People do not like Romney or Obama. They want another option. Some will vote third party, some won't vote at all. Some will give in and vote for a candidate they really don't like."

And from an undecided Johnny. "Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security are big and I have never trusted the Republicans on this issue. I have not decided yet."

And this from Kevin, "Here's undecided, do I watch the debate or game seven?"

Keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/carolCNN and thanks, as always, for your responses.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

Happening now in the NEWSROOM, stripped -- Lance Armstrong's seven Tour de France titles taken away. How do Armstrong and the world of cycling move on?

Final round, President Obama and Mitt Romney go toe to toe one more time today. The latest poll shows the race is tied.

Here is a new incentive to vote. Cast a ballot and score some medical marijuana. Some are calling it "burn out the vote".

And teaching tolerance. Promoting a gay lifestyle. School kids are caught in the middle of the debate. We cut through the spin to find out what's really going on.

NEWSROOM starts now.

And good morning. Thank you so much for being with us this morning. Happy Monday if that's possible. I'm Carol Costello.

We begin with tonight's third and final presidential debate. In a month that's seen Mitt Romney surge and President Obama stumble, the showdown could be all that's need to tip the scales in this deadlocked race.

In fact, here is a new CNN poll of polls released just this morning. The merging of five national polls show the men are tied at -- get this -- 47 percent among likely voters. Some irony for you this morning.

White House correspondent, Brianna Keilar is in Boca Raton, Florida.