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Possible Talks With Iran; Obama & Romney's Final Showdown; Gas Prices Expected To Fall; Lethal Presidency of Obama; Esquire: "Lethal Presidency Of Obama"; UCI: "Armstrong Has No Place In Cycling"; Unrest Erupts After Car Bombing; FBI Heads To Lebanon; Romney To Tout CEO Experience Tonight; Obama And Romney: Not Too Far Apart; U.S.: There Is No Deal With Iran; Negotiating With Iran On Nukes

Aired October 22, 2012 - 14:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Good to be with you here on this Monday. Let's get right to it.

Third and final debate now seven hours away. And here is just in just about the past half hour or so, President Obama has arrived in southern Florida. We should tell you that Mitt Romney is already there. The scene of tonight's debate is Boca Raton. And the subject is foreign policy. And the format will be this, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, seated. They're going to be seated around a table with Bob Schieffer of CBS News. That's the hall you're looking at. Obviously it's a rehearsal. But as you can see, they will be pretty cozy sitting around that table there.

And now just in time for tonight's big debate, a very big story concerning foreign policy. Possible, possible talks between the United States and Iran after the election. One on one talks about Iran's nuclear program. And that would be a major shift in Washington's policy toward Tehran. Keep in mind, though, the Obama administration and Iran both denying the talks have been agreed to. That said, Jim Acosta, I want to go to you. He is at the scene for us of tonight's big debate. Our coverage, by the way, begins tonight, 7:00 Eastern.

So, Jim Acosta, curious timing here --

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

BALDWIN: This story about potential talks between the U.S. and Iran.

ACOSTA: Right.

BALDWIN: I'm guessing that could very much so take center stage tonight.

ACOSTA: I think that's right, Brooke. You know, we tried to ask Mitt Romney that question yesterday when his staff came out for a football game with the reporters who cover his campaign. One of the reporters there tried to ask Mitt Romney about this story in "The New York Times" because it was sort of the story of the weekend, as to whether or not he would support these sort of face to face talks between the United States and Iran. And he didn't really answer the question. He wanted to focus on football during that afternoon. And so I think it will come up tonight.

I think you're also going to perhaps see a return to that Libya discussion that we saw flare up at last week's debate in New York. And I think the Romney campaign is also signaling they're going to be going after the president on, say, his comments about Vladimir Putin. Remember those comments that he made to Dmitry Medvedev when he said, after the election, I'll have more flexibility and then Medvedev said, I'll transmit that to Vladimir. The Romney campaign put out a web video this afternoon sort of poking fun at the president for that. So we might see Mitt Romney bring that up.

But, Brooke, I've had to tell you, I've had several conversations with some top Romney advisers in the last hour or so.

BALDWIN: Yes.

ACOSTA: And it's interesting to see what may be coming tonight, Brooke. We may be seeing another round, another feisty round in these debates between the president and Mitt Romney. I talked to a senior Romney strategist leaving the hotel where Mitt Romney has been doing his debate prep about an hour ago and asked about this possibility and they said that they are preparing for a president who will not come out like a lamb. And even though that -- this debate setting tonight is going to be around a round table discussion, I just talked to a Democratic source a few moments ago, Brooke, who said that if you look at how they're going to be seated at the table tonight, it's going to be very interesting. Bob Schieffer will be across from them, but then Mitt Romney and President Obama will be seated very close to one another. So, unlike last week at the town hall debate where they were crossing the stage to invade each other's personal space, they will already be in each other's personal space, according to the layout of this roundtable.

BALDWIN: Like the vice presidential debate.

ACOSTA: That's right. And so you will see --

BALDWIN: Like the VP debate when those two guys were going back and forth and back and forth.

ACOSTA: That's right.

BALDWIN: Right.

ACOSTA: That's right. So you may see -- and I was talking to a Democratic source about this and they said, well, they don't have to walk up to each other. They may be kicking each other under the table. And I think that's probably taking it too far, but I do think that both sides are preparing for this possibility that unlike what you would imagine that would happen at a round table discussion, sort of a subdued conversation about foreign policy issues, that this could get testy tonight.

BALDWIN: Yes, let's hope not for bruised shins in the morning for either of these gentlemen.

ACOSTA: That's right.

BALDWIN: But I do think that a debate, when you're seated, is more conducive to that back and forth and possible interruptions back and forth.

Before I let you go, though, Jim, is there anything in particular that you --

ACOSTA: Yes.

BALDWIN: You've been covering this campaign so closely. What are you listening for tonight?

ACOSTA: You know, one of the things that I think we'll be listening for tonight is that discussion on Libya. It came up at last week's debate. You saw Mitt Romney in the eyes of some viewers have sort of a misstep when he challenged the president exactly what he said in that Rose Garden setting right after --

BALDWIN: It seems like such an obvious opening for Mitt Romney.

ACOSTA: That's right. But recall that in the events, those post debate events and speeches that Mitt Romney had after the debate, he did not bring that up. So I'm -- it's curious as to whether or not Mitt Romney will bring that up tonight. That's one thing I'll be looking for.

The other thing I'll be looking for, Brooke, is who will bring up Osama bin Laden first. Obviously that is something the president will want to bring up tonight. But might it be in Mitt Romney's interest to bring it up first and basically congratulate the president on taking out bin Laden and sort of removing that issue from the table, moving forward. That might be a smart debate tactic. I brought it up with a Romney campaign insider from debate prep and he wouldn't bite on that.

BALDWIN: He wouldn't say. It's a good question.

ACOSTA: But it's of an interesting tactic --

BALDWIN: It's an good question, yes.

ACOSTA: It's an interesting tactic that we might see play out tonight.

BALDWIN: We'll look for it. Jim Acosta, we'll be watching.

ACOSTA: OK.

BALDWIN: We absolutely will be watching. Thank you so much for us from Florida.

With me now from Washington our chief national correspondent John King. And let me ask you, you know, what is the most important thing for each candidate to accomplish tonight? And, John, let's just -- let's begin with Mitt Romney.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Mitt Romney's the challenger, Brooke, so he needs to convince the American people that he is a credible commander in chief. And so, yes, he wants to attack the president. He's in the state of Florida. Swinging a couple of thousand Jewish votes in state of Florida could help him there. So he'll be tough on the president when it comes to Iran's nuclear program. He'll be touch on the president suggesting there's too much distance between the United States and Israel.

He has to be careful as he prosecutes that case. He wants to say, in his view, he wants to make the case the president has been soft on several national security issues. He wants to make the case the president's not on top of things. That the United States is not driving the discussions, but it's following. Leading from behind is a term you'll hear from Governor Romney tonight. But as he does that, he also has to convince people, look, this is an election that is about the economy, the economy, the economy, but he has to show people that he has the gravitas and the temperament to be commander in chief.

BALDWIN: OK. So we watch him to pivot toward the economy, even though this is a foreign policy debate.

KING: Right.

BALDWIN: What about the president?

KING: I think the president will pivot toward the economy on several occasions as well. Whether you talk about the China challenge, that's both a security test and an economic test. Whether you're talking about the European financial crisis, the management of that, that is an economic test. The president will say tonight, I promised to end the war in Iraq, I promised to begin the end of the war in Afghanistan. I have kept that promise. The president will argue there's a peace dividend, my term, not his, but that you have a term -- you have money that you can bring home to the United States.

The biggest test for the president, though, Brooke, is to prove that he's on top of it. Governor Romney is going to say, look at Libya, look at Egypt, look at Syria. This is the United States of America is not driving the world's discussion, it is following. It is reacting. And the president has to make the case. And the Benghazi discussion, the Libya discussion will be, I think, the first biggest centerpiece of this, the carryover from the last debate, that, yes, it's a tough world, yes, things happen, you can't control everything, but he has to make the case that he's on top of it.

BALDWIN: OK. So clearly we have to talk debate today. We're going to be talking debate tomorrow. But then, John, all of a sudden we are within two weeks of the election.

KING: Right. BALDWIN: So I just want to pause and talk big picture with you again. And let me just pose this question to you. It seems Mitt Romney's made major inroads in Florida and could very well -- could very well win that important state come November 6th. That said, we have polls today -- and I'm going to show you some numbers here -- showing President Obama still leading Ohio, leading Wisconsin, leading Iowa. Is the Obama campaign starting to build this firewall, if you will, around those three states and do they think that that may be possibly the election right there?

KING: Well, the Romney campaign says that those states are closer than the public polls suggests, but there's zero question -- there is no question, zero question, that is the key to the president's strategy. You just put up on the screen there Ohio, Wisconsin and Iowa. If the president wins those three states, Brooke, and nothing else changes from how we have the map right now, if the president wins those three states, you see them right there, that would give him -- he's at 237 right now. We say there are 237 electoral college votes strong or leaning Obama's way.

BALDWIN: Need 270.

KING: All three of those are tossups. If you add those three in, that's 34 more. That would be 271. So if nothing else changed in the map, the president wins those three right there, he's the next president of the United States because even if Mitt Romney won everything else that we listed as a battleground right now, everything else, that would be Nevada, Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Florida, that would get Mitt Romney to 267. Close, but close doesn't count. He would have to change something else on the map, take away Pennsylvania, take away Michigan, if the president can win Ohio, Wisconsin and Iowa. So these guys will be camping out in the Midwest, paying income tax in those states by the time we're done in two weeks.

BALDWIN: John King, appreciate it. Thank you so much. We'll be watching for you and everyone else here talking about this debate. Again, our coverage on CNN and cnn.com begins at 7:00 Eastern this evening.

Coming up next, Dan Rather joins me live on today's political climate and the questions he would love to ask both the president and Mitt Romney tonight. Do not miss this conversation here.

Plus, the titles that made Lance Armstrong a legend are now gone, stripped away. In today's bombshell, hear his breaking point.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Once again, a foreign policy debate tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Our CNN coverage begins at 7:00. And joining me now from New York, so pleased to have you with us, veteran news correspondent Dan Rather.

Good to see you, sir.

DAN RATHER, AXS TV: Good to see you again, Brooke.

BALDWIN: I believe an early happy birthday is in order. What is this, the tenth anniversary of 7-0? 7-1?

RATHER: About that. About that.

BALDWIN: About that. About that.

RATHER: But thank you very much.

BALDWIN: You're welcome. You're welcome.

Let me just -- let's switch gears because I want to talk about, you know, foreign policy obviously taking center stage tonight in Boca Raton and I found myself, along with my producer here, we were thinking about foreign policy, we were thinking back to 1968. Way back then, presidential candidate Richard Nixon -- and let's show our viewers a much younger Dan Rather here squaring off with President Richard Nixon. That is -- there he is standing. This is Dan Rather on the left. Folks, again, this is 1968. You have candidate Richard Nixon. He ran on what was called a secret plan to end the Vietnam War. And as we all know, Richard Nixon was elected, re-elected, but did not end that war in Vietnam.

My question to you today is really about voters, right, today, in 2012. And do you think that they would be willing to vote for a candidate who makes a promise -- and let's be honest that both these candidates have been criticized for, you know, not exactly offering up clear agendas. Do you think that they would vote for that person without those specifics.

RATHER: Well, the record shows that they probably would, unfortunately. One can argue they shouldn't, but, yes, I think they would.

BALDWIN: Even today?

RATHER: Even today. For example, as you pointed out, in this campaign already, President Obama has made promises that he hasn't been specific about. One can argue, and I think rightly so, that perhaps Governor Romney has laid out some promises that he's been even less specific about.

The answer to your question is, yes, that voters don't pay nearly as close attention to these campaigns as reporters and political operatives do. So it is not only possible, but probable, but candidates can make promises and not spell out specifics and say, well, I'll handle it later. You're quite right to say that in 1968, President -- Candidate Nixon said at that time he had a plan to end the Vietnam War, but he wouldn't reveal it until after he was elected.

BALDWIN: Right.

What is -- just fast forward to tonight here. You were there in Boca Raton. What is the one foreign policy question that you are absolutely dying to ask of the president? RATHER: Well, I would think -- of the president or both candidates?

BALDWIN: Let's say the president.

RATHER: Well, OK, for the president, it is one thing, what is in your opinion the single biggest threat to world peace and our own national security? And in a second term, if you're re-elected, what would you do to alleviate that threat?

BALDWIN: What about to Governor Romney?

RATHER: It would be exactly the same question to him, if elected, what do you now consider the single biggest threat to world peace and our national security? And, if elected, what would you do to diminish that threat?

BALDWIN: I have some sound. I want to play some sound. This is Mitt Romney. This is from just last week. The last debate. And I have a feeling we might hear some version of this, this evening. Here he was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president's policies throughout the Middle East began with an apology tour and pursue a strategy of leading from behind, and this strategy is unraveling before our very eyes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Unraveling before our very eyes. We have heard it from Romney. We've heard it from Paul Ryan. Would you, Dan Rather, would you press Mitt Romney for specifics on that? And I ask -- I ask that question because it does, as you point out, it doesn't seem to be, you know, that much difference either in terms of specifics or in terms of Obama and Romney when it comes to Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq as well. What to do?

RATHER: Well, the question for Governor Romney, and they are equally tough questions of other varieties for President Obama, but the question to Governor Romney is that he has talked tough about Russia, calling it, in effect, our number one enemy and opponent. He's talked tough about China. He's talked tough and threateningly about Iran. Talked tougher about Syria. So the question is, sir, do you think even though we're the world's ranking economic and military superpower, that we can afford to have confrontations with all of those countries with our military already stretched thin and our economy shaky, does it make sense -- does it really make sense to be in effect threatening Russia, China, Iran and Syria, to name just two, North Korea would be another. So that would be a question to ask him.

I think Governor Romney has been -- he's seen some benefit of being on the offensive, saying that President Obama is weak. But it also leaves him vulnerable on, wow, is this a guy to keep the peace. BALDWIN: Right. All the tough talk kind of makes you wonder what that then could lead to. But, you know, we talk, Dan, we talk about politics being blood sport today. I want to go back to 1968, Democratic Convention, in Chicago. Roll it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RATHER: Take your hands off of me --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dan Rather --

RATHER: Unless you intend to arrest me. Don't push me, please. Sir, I know you won't , but don't push me. Take your hands off of me unless you plan to arrest me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait a minute.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Dan Rather, getting roughed up. This is the floor of the DNC. I can't see you, but I -- do you miss those days when politics -- there's the smile -- when -- I mean politics was really rough.

RATHER: Well, politics is still rough. It's still very much a blood sport. I do miss the conventions where things were decided. As you know so well, Brooke, that the modern political conventions of both parties, nothing is decided there.

BALDWIN: Pep rallies.

RATHER: They're all pre-scripted. In 1968, things were actually decided at both the Republican and Democratic Convention. I do miss that. I don't miss the punch in the stomach I got just after that conversation. But, yes.

BALDWIN: Get your hands of me, you say.

"Dan Rather Reports." This is your show. It's on AXS TV. Tell me about your FaceBook page and your invitation there to all your followers.

RATHER: Well, our program this week on AXS TV, we try to do one hour a week on deep digging investigative reports, international coverage and political coverage. This week, and I think it's timely, we have the last days of Moammar Gadhafi. What happened in the last days and hours of Moammar Gadhafi's demise and eventual death and what that tells us about what's going on in Libya today. Of course, one expects Libya to be front and center at tonight's presidential debate. If Libya does not come up into tonight's presidential debate, I think you're more likely to see ice on the equator than you are not to see -- see that happen. So we think our program is timely about what happened to Gadhafi, what really happened to him and what that tells us about today.

BALDWIN: Yes. How could it not? Libya absolutely has to come up. Dan Rather, thank you. RATHER: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Thank you for allowing us to pull some vintage Dan Rather as well.

RATHER: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Just in time -- just in time for the busiest travel season of the year, gas prices, they are on the way down. So the question is, how low will they go? Alison Kosik has the answer, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Here's something you definitely don't get to hear very often, and I'm happy to say this, gas prices have dropped and they will continue dropping, so that certainly is some good news. The price of the pump has already tumbled 12 cents just in the past week. It's now at a national average of $3.67. This is according to AAA. And, again, it's expected to plunge another 30 cents by late November. Alison Kosik with some good news from The New York Stock Exchange.

Alison, to what do we owe this price drop?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK. So there are a few factors at work here. For one, Brooke, the supply crunch in California is easing. There was a power outage at one refinery there and then a fire at another refinery. So what that did is that caused prices to spike earlier this month. So that stuff is going away.

Also, prices are falling for crude oil and gas. That's traded on the futures market. Now, both of those factor into lowering prices at the pump.

Then there's the typical seasonal slowdown that you see after the peak summer driving season. So what's happening is, there's less demand, which means we don't see stations raising their prices.

Plus, refiners are switching to a cheaper blend of fuel this time of year. It's known as the winter blend. So it's no longer using the cleaner, more expensive summer blend from a couple of months ago. So you roll all that together and it brings down prices for gas at least a little bit where you drive by the gas station and you say, wow, prices are actually lower. Yeah!

BALDWIN: So here's where I want to ask you for more, because the question is, might we actually dip below the $3 a gallon mark or is that just crazy -- crazy talk?

KOSIK: I think a bit -- a bit crazy talk. A little wishful thinking. But I'll going to try not to burst your bubble completely because we talked to a pair of gas analysts and they expect prices to bottom in the $3.35 to $3.50 a gallon range in the next several weeks, but they're not expected to fall below that $3 mark.

Patrick DeHaan of GasBuddy, he thinks prices could go as low as $3.25 a gallon between Thanksgiving and Christmas. He expects many Americans to choose driving over flying this holiday season if they have only, that's to say, you know, a five to six hour ride. But the wild card, of course, with this is that if there are any more refinery issues, any kind of disruption to supply, that can wind up making prices go right back up.

Talking about numbers real fast. Taking a look at the Dow. It is down 73 points, extending the declines from Friday.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. Alison Kosik, we appreciate it.

It is being called President Obama's kill list. His use of drones to take out terrorists. And it's rarely come up on the campaign trail or even in the debates thus far. But, tonight, my next guest wrote a stern piece aimed directly at the president, says it better come up, and they better have answers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: It is the five letter word both presidential candidates have declined to discuss on the trail or at the debate. That being "drone." And, yet, a drone is President Obama's weapon of choice. That is the title of an opinion piece from September in which CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen writes that the president has authorized, quote, "six times more strikes than the number during President George W. Bush's eight years in office."

And I want to turn now to the author of this piece from the July issue of "Esquire," "The Lethal Presidency of Barack Obama." Tom Junod spoke with me back then about his report on the president's kill list and he wrote that choosing who's on it is very much so cloaked in secrecy. That was so much part of your thesis, the crux of your piece.

TOM JUNOD, WRITER, "ESQUIRE" MAGAZINE: That's right.

BALDWIN: Tom Juneau, it's nice to have you here.

JUNOD: It's great being here.

BALDWIN: As we talk drones, and, again, as we were saying in the commercial break, we don't know for sure if it will come up tonight in this foreign policy debate or not.

JUNOD: Right.

BALDWIN: If -- let's just say even if it does or doesn't, if you were there, what is the one question -- let's pose it to President Obama first, what would you ask him on drones?

JUNOD: Well, I think that the -- he has sort of relentlessly expanded the use of drones throughout his presidency. Would that expansion proceed unchecked through the second term or what would he do to limit this sort of ongoing expansion of the use of not just drones, but targeted killings in general?

BALDWIN: You talked in your "Esquire" piece about collateral damage.

JUNOD: Right.

BALDWIN: And a lot of the piece was about this 16-year-old Abdul- Rahman Awlaki, who's father, of course, we know is Anwar Awlaki, who was taken out in a drone --

JUNOD: Right

BALDWIN: And his son was as well, as this sort of accident.

JUNOD: Two weeks later. They were not killed in the same strike.

BALDWIN: Correct.

JUNOD: The son was 400 miles away from where the father was. He was out looking for his father at the time and was killed in a --

BALDWIN: Sitting with his friends.

JUNOD: Right. We know so little about what happened to Abdul- Rahman Awlaki, it's sort of amazing, especially given the fact that he was never accused of terrorism. He was 16 year old. He was an American citizen. And we know nothing.

BALDWIN: But what are the alternatives to drones? I mean we discussed this. Before you would think of sending troops in, you could think of, you know, having people in custody and then simply releasing them. I mean is the alternative not worse?

JUNOD: Well, I mean, I think that that is a little bit of a false dichotomy that's set up because --

BALDWIN: How?

JUNOD: Well, because they always sort of -- they talk about drones sort of as an alternative to war. That drones are sort of cleaner than war. That they're more precise than war. That they're more measured than war.

BALDWIN: Do you agree with that?

JUNOD: All of these things may be true, but they used the precision, the measured quality of drones to expand this program.

I talked to a person during the summer who was a source for me in the story, who had been taking part in some targeting decisions. And who had said that basically the use of -- drones were sort of so precise that they were using it to go after people that they would have never gone after for even capture or interrogation.

BALDWIN: So precision is a good thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

BALDWIN: Precision is a good thing. I was talking to Fareed Zakaria. He on the show on Friday and we were talking about how one concern could be if this technology, we're talking about this because of the "Washington Post" piece about how the CIA is requesting more drones from the administration. He said, but here's the thing, let me just play this. This is Fareed Zakaria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAREED ZAKARIA, HOST, CNN'S "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": If other nations start doing it, that's when we start getting to worry. If the Russians start using drones and say, the Americans use them --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So what happens if other countries, presumably once the president is elected or not, that will have to -- that process will be passed along to the next president. Take it away from the U.S. if our own technology is in the hands of other countries, does that worry you?

JUNOD: Well, it worries me because it is not just technology. The president has for the last two years or the administration has been making an argument in favor of drones.

It has been basically saying we can use these virtually at anytime and at any place to protect our interests. That has been a consistent argument on the part of the administration.

How can you make that argument and basically all of a sudden deny that to other countries? What if Russia does want to use drones? What if China does want to use drones?

Hezbollah flew an unarmed drone over Israel, I believe, two weeks ago. What if Hezbollah wants to use a drone? The argument that has been made for drones is basically accompanies the technology. It is a technology that is essentially meant to be used and I think that's one of the large problems with it.

BALDWIN: I know because of your reporting, you're hoping drones coming up tonight in the debate. You'll be watching for it. We'll be watching for it. Tom Junod, "Esquire" magazine, we thank you so much.

JUNOD: It's great to be here.

BALDWIN: Appreciate it. Today, the final blow to Lance Armstrong's cycling career.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Just ahead, Armstrong responds to the loss of sponsors and supporters amid the doping allegations. Next, you'll hear from him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: They made him a legend, but now Lance Armstrong is losing his seven Tour De France titles. Fourteen years of historic cycling career just totally wiped out by the International Cycling Union.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAT MCQUAID, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL CYCLING UNION: UCI will ban Lance Armstrong from cycling and UCI would strip him of his seven Tour De France titles. Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: This news comes in response to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency finding what it calls overwhelming evidence that Armstrong was involved in a doping program.

But, watching his "Livestrong" anniversary event, this was in Texas just yesterday. You would never know that Lance Armstrong is a man disgraced.

CNN's Victor Blackwell was at that event yesterday in Austin. He joins me live. Victor, what did Lance Armstrong have to say for himself?

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, first let's put this into context. He was in Austin, where I am. His headquarters for "Livestrong" is right behind me. His home is here.

He was surrounded by 4,300 cyclists many of whom were cancer survivors. So he was surrounded by friends. He kind of referenced the controversy, but did not talk about it directly. Here is what he told them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So no mention of the USADA's report, their claim to have overwhelming evidence he used performance enhancing drugs to win those seven Tour De France titles, no mention of what his future would be with "Livestrong" after stepping down as chair -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: So he's now been stripped of these seven titles. What else has happened over the course of the last day with regard to fallout here?

BLACKWELL: Well, since that announcement in Geneva, it has been a domino effect. Almost immediately he lost another endorsement from Oakley, the company that makes the sunglasses. They will not support Lance Armstrong, but they will continue to support "Livestrong."

Now, you know, he's become synonymous with yellow. Not only because it is the color of the band that a lot of people wear, representing "Livestrong," but those seven yellow jerseys. We reached out to the company that manages the Tour De France.

They have said that they will let him keep those jerseys, however, the French Cycling Federation, which paid out almost $4 million in prize money for those seven wins. They have said they want that money back.

We've also reached out to an insurance company that under -- the underwriter for some bonuses for winning, they said they paid him out about $12 million between 2001 and 2004. They also released a statement that says that it is improper for him to keep that money -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Victor Blackwell for us in Austin. Victor, we appreciate it. We'll keep watching that story unfold.

Meantime, violence erupts on the streets of Beirut today following the assassination of Lebanon's intelligence chief. Now, just in, the U.S. is getting involved in the case. Details from the region next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The United States is sending an FBI team to help investigate last Friday's car bombing in Beirut. This blast has set off a tide of civil unrest in Lebanon and the clashes at times have been deafening.

I know you hear that. You think that must be gunfire. It's not. It is actually tear gas canisters police used against demonstrators. This is just yesterday.

Look at the smoke. Now, the protesters, they want the prime minister out because they believe his ties to Syria played a part in the death of Lebanon's intelligence chief.

The government says Wassim Al Hassan was the target of the attack that also killed two others and today we've learned Al Hassan was on his way to talk about a recent threat linked to Syria when he was killed.

All of this is playing into the people's fears. The violence is just beginning. More now from CNN's Nick Paton Walsh in Beirut -- Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, violence worse in the north of the country in Tripoli, but here in the capital as well, exchange of gun fire, from Sunni and Shia sectarian districts.

We went to one area where two Palestinian brothers were shot on their motorcycle, one of them killed by the gunfire. The army later said they shot them because the brother opened fire upon their soldiers.

But locals insisted that they had been shot by a sniper from another sectarian group in a neighboring district. That gives you an idea of how confused the situation on the ground can be, the fear being of retaliation between these different sectarian groups.

A protest was supposed to happen on Marta Square today at 5:00, but that turned out to be very small in number. Many of the pro western coalition involved in that demonstration marching towards the prime minister's office, but in much smaller numbers compared to the unrest we saw on Sunday.

So Beirut really on edge at the moment, uneasy about the violence ahead and very much hoping, I'm sure, that tonight will see calm -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Democrats, they will blast Mitt Romney's lack of experience on the world stage, but keep in mind, two governors have won the presidency over the past 20 years without a beefy foreign policy resume.

Of course, I'm talking about Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. But even though their situations are similar, Romney's advisers tell us tonight the Republican will tout his resume as CEO and his experience turning around quote/unquote "messy situations."

Speaking of Bill Clinton, I want to bring in a man who helped get number 42 elected, live, pretty blue skies there in Boca Raton, Florida, it is Mr. Paul Begala, CNN political contributor and senior adviser to the Democratic "Super PAC Priorities USA Action." Paul, welcome.

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Hi, Brooke. How are you?

BALDWIN: I'm great. When it comes to President Obama's foreign policy chops, I know when you're going to tell me, let's get this out of the way. Roll it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Not everybody agrees with some of the decisions I've made. When it comes to our national security, I mean what I say.

I said I would end the war in Libya -- in Iraq, and I did. I said that we would go after al Qaeda and Bin Laden, we have. I said we would transition out of Afghanistan and start making sure that Afghans are responsible for their own security. That's what I'm doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, Paul, that was a preview. We know what the president is going to say tonight in terms of defending himself. My question to you is what happens when Mitt Romney makes tonight about the economy?

BEGALA: Well, that is where voters are. If I were counseling Governor Romney, I would say, don't be too fast about that. You got to cross the threshold of commander in chief. You've got to be able to -- and I think he can, articulate where, when and why you would send troops into harm's way.

You isn't simply take every question and make it about the economy, because also by the way, his CEO record is actually a net negative if you look at the polls. I think the president can smack back and say, there is more to foreign policy than investing in Swiss bank accounts and the Cayman Islands, Governor Romney. You actually have to be commander in chief and defend America.

BALDWIN: OK, so that's what you would say if you were giving him a little advice. We have a poll, Paul. This is according to the new Harvard poll, nearly half of voters where you are in Florida, and in Ohio, 42 percent.

They think America should pay less attention to problems overseas. You made the point people care about the economy. If that's the case, Romney's strategy tonight, if he does pivot toward the economy, it could pay off, right?

BEGALA: Well, it could, but don't forget, we have over 60,000 troops in combat in harm's way in Afghanistan right now. Mitt Romney forgot to mention them in his convention address. Now, you're right, Governor Ronald Reagan would never have made that mistake.

Governor Bill Clinton would have never made that mistake. Governor George W. Bush would never have made that mistake. So I would be careful about being too fast about saying, it is only just the economy.

They're intertwined and I think you'll hear lots of discussion about, for example, China. But I think the president also has a pretty good argument when he says, look, I ended combat operations in Iraq and Mitt Romney called pulling our troops out of Iraq tragic.

Well, most Americans think it was wonderful. If they want to rebuild a nation and do nation building, they want to rebuild one here at home.

BALDWIN: The majority -- the reality here, you know, major foreign policy issues, the views of both these men, they're actually not that far apart. What is the one area you're hoping the president will distance himself from Governor Romney?

BEGALA: Well, where there has really been combat, Afghanistan and Iraq. It really is, this is a citizen. It is unconscionable to ignore the troops as Governor Romney did in his convention speech.

I'm sure feels bad about that, he won't make that mistake tonight, I hope he won't. But Governor Romney has said he wants more combat troops in Afghanistan and in the most dangerous places.

This was a flashpoint in the vice presidential debate between Paul Ryan and Joe Biden where Vice President Biden said, wait a minute, I want the Afghans fighting for Afghanistan in the most dangerous places and then second, of course, was Iraq.

When you say it was an error, when it was tragic to pull our combat troops out of Iraq, that's not where the American people are. They want to end the war in Afghanistan, they're glad we ended the war in Iraq.

BALDWIN: So before I let you go two major pressing issues, of course, Iran and Syria, Libya is huge, that's a whole other story here, when it comes to Iran and Syria, they don't seem too different. How does the president distance himself?

BEGALA: Well, I think on Syria, especially, I think actually both camps made important mistakes regarding the attack on our consulate in Benghazi. The Obama administration made a mistake in getting out ahead of the facts.

They were relying on legitimate intelligence reports, I guess I don't fault them that badly for that but they made a mistake in getting out ahead of the facts too soon saying it was related to the videotape when it was not.

Romney made a terrible mistake. They put out a political statement when the attacks were going on, before we knew Ambassador Stevens was murdered. You can't play politics with American lives. I think both of them have a little bit of cleanup operation to do tonight on the question of Libya.

BALDWIN: OK, that's Libya. I do want to talk Iran. Paul Begala, thank you so much. We have much more on Iran. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: As President Obama and Mitt Romney get ready to tackle foreign policy, tonight, did you see this over the weekend? The "New York Times" publishing a report suggesting the U.S. had agreed to unprecedented one on one talks with Iran over its nuclear program.

This is according to senior administration officials. But I need to add this, just a couple of hours later, the White House issued a statement saying reports of these direct talks supposedly said to take place after the election are just not true.

That said, here are some numbers, this is according to a new Harvard poll, 72 percent of voters in Florida, 61 percent in Ohio, they care much more about the Iran nuclear issue than any other abroad. It is an important issue.

I want to talk about it with Jim Frederick. He is the executive editor at "Time International." Jim, great to see you.

JIM FREDERICK, INTERNATIONAL EDITOR, "TIME MAGAZINE": Hi, Brooke. How are you? BALDWIN: Great. The administration, they're denying the talks with Iran post election. Iran denies the talks. What do you make of all of this, especially the timing here?

FREDERICK: Well, I think it was clearly a trial balloon floated up because there probably are talks about talks.

BALDWIN: Talks about talks.

FREDERICK: There is always talks about talks. We saw this with the Taliban. There is always talks about talks. There was a trial balloon floated up to see how this would play before and after the debate.

Everybody's climbing down from this, but, you know, I don't think there is any -- we'll see what Romney makes of this during the debate. But I think one of the things that Obama would be well to counter with was that, you know, as Winston Churchill once said, you know, jaw jaw is always better than war war.

So I think this might be an attempt by the Romney camp to spin this into a weakness, but I think Obama would be well advised to rebuff that notion.

BALDWIN: OK, on Iran, let's state sanctions are working like the president suggests. We have been reporting on the currency crisis. Jim, behind closed doors, does this impact Iran's motivation to talk to the west?

FREDERICK: I think absolutely. I think there is no question that the sanctions are working. The sanctions are crippling. We sent a reporter into Iran not too long ago and she came back with very clear indications that the sanctions were hitting not just what people criticized sanctions about hitting the lower strata of the economy.

And not really hitting the centers of power. From her evidence, she said it was hitting all sectors, all quadrants of the economy, having a very real effect. I think there is no question that the sanctions are very definitely working.

BALDWIN: You know, I read an article on time.com. This is Massimo Calabresy, the article, the elections real foreign policy issue, the war with Iran. Let me quote, "Determining the moment when the dangers of a potential Iranian bomb outweigh the dangers of military intervention may be the most important judgment the next president will make."

So at what point -- at what point does the president have to abandon diplomatic talks in favor of getting in there, military action?

FREDERICK: Well, you know, that is not the column I was referring to, but it is very interesting one, very good one by Massimo. But I think that is probably -- I think he's absolutely right. It is the most important question. But I would, in a dialogue. I would take Massimo back to the late 1990s and early 2000s when we were saying this about North Korea.

A nuclear North Korea was absolutely unthinkable and we would take all measures to stop it, even the military option, and guess what, we did it and now we have a nuclear North Korea and the world is still spinning.

And they are rational actors too and they know the second they do anything reckless with their nuclear weapon, it will be the end of North Korea.

I think even among pundits and politicians, and journalists, there is a lot of talk that a nuclear Iran is absolutely unthinkable. Well, it is not only thinkable.

We need to start preparing for the eventuality where that dichotomy that Massimo talks about may not be the only one in play.

BALDWIN: Jim Frederick, editor of "Time International." Jim, we appreciate it. We'll be watching certainly for Iran to come up tonight in Florida.

Now to this, despite speculation about his health, new information about Cuba's Fidel Castro and I'll show you a newly released picture that may end rumors about his condition.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Cuba's former leader wants all to know he's alive and well. In fact, Fidel Castro says he doesn't, quote, "even remember what a headache is."

This is according to this article that has been published under his name on a state run website today. The photos showing Castro strolling in a garden were also posted on the site.

Cuban state media outlets have been trying to refute speculation that Castro is close to death. He has not been seen in public since March.