areas or around areas that are predominantly latino. >> reporter: the billboards have been popping up in cities in ohio and wisconsin. 85 in milwaukee and 30 in columbus and another 30 in cleveland and 31 in cincinnati. protests started almost as soon as they went up, demanding the signs come down. >> this billboard is nothing but a symbol of pure, unadulterated to target an african-american community. >> reporter: the two advertizing companies that sold the space, clear channel and norton outdoor say the buyer was not out to target minorities. >> no request for any specific demographic target at all. they wanted the best locations they could get for those four weeks leading up to the election. >> reporter: the big mystery is, who is behind them? the billboard itself does not tell. paid for by a private family foundation and neither company will say who that is. after declining an on-camera interview here's what clear

channel wrote to cnn. the advertiser put into the contractor remain anonymous. our policy to require advertisers including political advertisers to have disclaimers to identify them. unfortunately, that policy was not followed in this case. but marshal sees that as a red flag. >> no one is stepping forward and taking responsibility for these billboards and explaining the reason why and that's part of the problem. if these were innocuous why would you negotiate with clear channel a confidentiality cause to stay hidden. mike norton whose family owns norton outdoors sees nothing wrong with the content of the ad as. >> the things we stipulate from political advertisers is that it's acrtd and, "b," they're not attack ads. just fell well within the realm of reason on both of those benchmarks. >> the billboard are scheduled to be up through election day and neither company has 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. >> joe, thank you. ohio and wisconsin aren't the only state dealing with voter i.d. laws. still ahead, we'll speak with two men on very different sides of the issue in pennsylvania.may o thine customers! [old english accent] safe driver, multi-car, paid in full -- a most fulsome bounty indeed, lord jamie. thou cometh and we thy saveth! what are you doing? we doth offer so many discounts, we have some to spare. oh, you have any of those homeowners discounts? here we go. thank you. he took my shield, my lady. these are troubling times in the kingdom. more discounts than we knoweth what to do with. now that's progressive. actually... that way i could split my payments up into little bite-size chunks. i mean you feel me right? yeah. uh, sir... ah... [ male announcer ] shop now. and put it on layaway so you have more time to pay. walmart.

100% new. ♪ 100% greek. 100% mmm... ♪ oh wow, that is mmm... ♪ in fact it's so mmm you might not believe it's a hundred calories. well ok then, new yoplait greek 100. it is so good. ♪ your doctor will say get smart about your weight. i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have six grams of sugars.

with fifteen grams of protein to help manage hunger... look who's getting smart about her weight. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. see life in the best light. outdoors, or in. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. experience life well lit. ask for transitions adaptive lenses. check with your employer to see if your vision plan covers transitions brand lenses. and discover the benefits of adaptive lenses. so you can experience life well lit.

an attempt to stop fraud or suppress the vote. that is the debate and often a heated one over voter i.d. laws. in pennsylvania a judge while allowing poll workers to ask for photo i.d.s but not stopping voters if they don't have one. joining me now jim burn which opposes the law and ron reuben, director for the pennsylvania department of state which backs it. good morning to both of you. this is a very interesting topic. getting a lot of attention. ron, i want to start with you, though, first. yesterday the aclu filed a motion with this same judge saying that the show-it campaign that says photo i.d.s are still required is being publicized while making a small disclaimer that you can vote without a photo i.d. what are you doing to counter

this messaging that a lot of folks are calling misleading? >> in litigations and i'm constrained what i could say about that. however, since the judge ruled october 2nd. we have revamped our outreach campaign to follow the judge's ruling which you said, randi, will have poll workers asking i.d. and you can still vote by regular balt and the judge was very specific in his ruling that this education campaign should continue because right now that law is in effect for future elections. so, our campaign is saying now that you'll be asked to show the i.d. and will not be required and it will give information on the website and a toll free phone number where you can get information if you need a free photo i.d. >> why not make it well known? this is false information, really, that is out there. why not change the messaging letting people know that an i.d. is suggested, but not required?

>> we did. it's absolutely in all the ads. it says very clearly in the television and radio spots that photo i.d. will be asked for, but not required to vote. that's the exact language and it is very clearly stated in the spots that that is what will happen. >> if you look at the messaging on that bus, as we look at it, it is hard to see that is the message because all you see there is the license and show it. but, let me ask you, your efforts and similar ones are focused on -- >> well, i don't agree with that. it says if you have it this election, show it. i think it's very clear, if you have it, show it. if you don't, you're not required to. >> your efforts and similar ones are focused on voters, but there have also been reports in other states of consultants hindering the vote. how are you addressing that problem? >> well, we have not had that here in pennsylvania this election anyway. so, we have a pretty good system here in pennsylvania of voter registrations are handled by our 67 countsies and we have very

good election workers in each of those counties and they're diligent in what they do and we work with them if there are any problems that do arise. in pennsylvania, we had our share of irregularities over the years of people trying to submit false registrations. on both sides, we had a situation several years ago where a republican group was trying to scam college students in western pennsylvania to changing their registration party or their address and the story that was done in the newspaper concluded the only reason they were doing this, they were trying to get these students registered and if they moved, as college students often do after they graduate, they could have people vote for them and people arrested and prosecuted for submitting false registrations here in pennsylvania. we've had that in the past and i'm not aware of anything in particular this year, though. >> let me bring in jim. pennsylvania began off aering photo i.d. for free. i know you are concerned about voters being confused, but by some estimates, only 12,000 i.d.s have been issued.

can you say the large groups of people are being disenfranchised by this effort? >> large groups would be disenfranchised and ron and the administration should be ashamed of them selves for the spin they continue to take with this piece of legislation. only 12,000 were registered because of the poor job this administration did reaching out to those who were affected. we have to remember what started this piece of legislation. the republican governor who used to be the attorney general told folks it was about voter fraud, despite what ron would have you believe. the governor, the former attorney general, never prosecuted a case. the republican leader of the house, admitted on the floor of the republican party meeting that this was about tilting the playing field in an uneven fashion to allow an inferior candidate to win pennsylvania. then they would have you believe that only 100,000 voters would have been affected. more like three quarters of a million. now that the judge put the injunction in place. it's very easy, ron.

you are not required to have photo identification to vote in pennsylvania. it's that simple, but they are continuing to move forward with this, with this attempt, this campaign to disenfranchise and suppress. >> what about the checks and balances? this is a very, very tight race, jim. >> it is a tight race. but there has never been a case of voter fraud prosecuted. there's not this surge of folks marching to the polls with invalid identification or not this massive conspiracy that this governor and this administration would have you believe. it's simply not the case. when you look at the demographic of those in pennsylvania who would be affected by this legislation, 85%, 90% of that demographic are democratic voters or those who, through polling, strongly support this president. the republican leader admitted what the purpose of the legislation was all about. while we were pleased that the judge granted the injunction, pennsylvanians do not have to show voter i.d.

we were disappointed that he left -- >> let me just jump in here because very, very quickly. we want to get ron's reaction who was caught on tape saying this in june. >> voter i.d., which is going to allow governor romney to win the state of pennsylvania, done. >> so, ron, how do you address those allegations? what do you say? >> he does not speak for the administration. voter fraud is prosecuted by district attorneys here in pennsylvania, not the attorney general. he's right, attorney corbt would not have prosecuted that. we believe that about 1% of eligible voters did not have photo i.d. when the law was p s passed. as far as who it would impact, i don't think anyone really knows that and point out that poll after poll here in pennsylvania and across the country shows large majority of voters,

including democrats, support the concept of having a photo i.d. what it does, preserves the integrity of every vote that does not give us something we have right now. verify the identity of that voter when they come to the polls. maybe there is a little voter fraud in pennsylvania and maybe there's a lot. no one really knows and people who care about elections should support this common sense step to make sure our elections have fair. >> i appreciate you both of you weighing in. thank you very much for your time this morning. >> thank you, randi. two presidential debates down and now it comes to the third and final showdown on monday. but with the focus on foreign policy, the gop may have given mitt romney the weapon he needs against president obama. new york congressman and house foreign affairs member elliot engel joins us next to give us some perspective. corporate pa- companies like microsoft, american red cross and adobe - to create options for you.

not only that, we're using what we learn from these partners to shape our curriculum. so that when you find the job you want you'll be a perfect fit. let's get to work. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing a reason...to look twice. introducing a stunning work of technology -- the entirely new lexus es. and the first-ever es hybrid. this is the pursuit of perfection.

in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ progresso. in what world do potatoes, bacon and cheese add up to 100 calories? your world. ♪ [ whispers ] real bacon... creamy cheese... 100 calories... [ chef ] ma'am [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

>> this is the third time that governor romney and i have met

recently. as some of you may have noticed, i had more energy in our second debate. i felt really well rested after the nice long nap i had in the first debate. 17 days until election day and the race is a dead heat. now, one thing that's been moving the poll numbers this month are the debates. two down, one to go. governor romney gained some ground after the first one and president obama had the best single day of fund-raising in history after the second debate. well, number three is monday. it's the last chance the candidates will have to persuade voters in such large numbers. a foreign policy is the focus of the upcoming debate. but just three days from that big foreign policy debate, republican chairman of the house overnight committee has released this. 166 pages of sensitive, but unclassified documents that will likely add fuel to the fire surrounding the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate, the mission there in benghazi. joining me now, elliot engel a

member of the house foreign affairs committee. good to have you this morning. before we get to the debate, i want to ask you about these documents released by chairman issa. aren't these documents showing there was really a major security concern before the attack? >> well, we don't really know and the investigation is going on, we should let the investigation continue. the republicans with chairman issa, with mitt romney statements trying to make political hay out of a national tragedy, quite frankly, the way governor romney acted after the ambassador was killed was despicable. at a time of such national tragedy, we should be pulling together and speaking with one voice, not trying to score cheap political points. president obama is no more responsible for what happened in benghazi than president bush was for 9/11 or president reagan was

for the marines being killed in beirut. >> you say we don't know. i want to read you something from this document on friday. this is from ambassador chris stevens. he writes in a cable, what we have seen are not random crimes of opportunity, but rather targeted and discriminate attacks. so, he, obviously, knew something there. this shows a pattern of of per civil ent violence. the attacks were targeted, not random, right? >> well, i don't think we know. i think there are conflicting reports. i think we ought to have everything investigated fully. if there was any kind of impropriety, then i think heads should roll, but what i'm saying is that at a time of national crisis the republicans should stop playing cheap political games. that's what governor romney is doing. that's what congressman issa is doing. that's what they are doing. this is just an attempt to try to sway the election. the ambassador was killed. it was a tragedy. i want to get to the bottom of it. you know, we had classified

briefings in congress, and while i can't, you know, divulge what happened, i think a lot of things are murky. i want to get to the bottom of it just like anybody else. >> but here's the question. >> i don't want it to be cheap political points and that's what they are doing. >> you say you want to get to the problem of it, the problem, at least the republicans would say, is that the government is not speaking with one voice. we want to go to the sound bite from the president on the 12th in the rose garden. let's listen to that and let's listen to other members of the administration saying some very different things. let's start with the president. okay. well, can i tell you what the president said. he indeed the next day called it an act of terror saying no act of terror would stand against the president, but then we heard from jay carney the president's spokesperson who says there was nothing pointing to this being a planned act of terror. then we heard from the u.n. ambassador susan rice who said that there was nothing that showed this was planned or premeditated, when we heard from her on the 16th on on all the

sunday shows and we heard from panetta on the 26th who said it was clear this was a planned act of terror. should the administration come out and say what it absolutely is or is not before they know? >> well, president obama said the buck stops with him, and the administration should investigate and come out with exactly what happened there. you know, i really find it interesting that the republicans are trying to use this for the election when -- when congressman ryan, my colleague, had a budget which cut $330 million out of diplomatic security which is less than what the administration requested. so, you know, i want to get to the bottom of it, and i want to find out if -- if there were any kind of improprieties, and if there are heads should roll, but i think using this to use cheap political gains before an election is not what the republicans should be doing at all. >> do you think that congressman issa released these documents specifically to set up governor

romney before the debate on monday? >> well, what do you think? >> what do you think? >> i think, of course. i think congressman issa has been doing these kinds of things with his committee, playing politics, and -- and becoming the attack dog against the administration. this is just one in many things that congressman issa has done. that's what his committee does. that's the purpose of his committee, and, of course, they are doing it because of the debate. president obama has a great record on national security. he killed osama bin laden. we're getting out of afghanistan. we got out of iraq. that's why the american people have constantly said that president obama is way ahead of governor romney in terms of national security, in terms of foreign policy. >> congressman engel of new york, thank you for your time. >> my pleasure, thank you. check out these images of president obama. one 80-year-old woman found them so offensive that she just had

to get involved. her story coming up after the break. hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios

how they'll live tomorrow. for more than 116 years, ameriprise financial has worked for their clients' futures. helping millions of americans retire on their terms. when they want. where they want. doing what they want. ameriprise. the strength of a leader in retirement planning. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you one-to-one. together for your future. ♪

just about two and a half weeks away from the presidential election, and we've all seen how really nasty this political process can get. >> it is ugly. one woman says defaced posters of president obama just goes too far. kevin hogan of our affiliate wfsb in connecticut filed this report. >> i was very mad because i saw the mustache, and i went to the gym and tried to cool off a little bit. >> reporter: nancy lack said she

did what she thought was right last week and removed three lawn signs placed by supporters of the lyndon larouche political action committee. signs were posted at a table outside the hebert post office on route 66. >> they tried to hold on to the posters, and i -- i won. i took them and put them in my car, and it just made me so angry that they would distort obama like that. >> reporter: representatives of the pac filed a complaint with the state police after getting her license plate. she was charged with sixth degree larceny and it's a class c misdemeanor punishable by up to three months in prison and a $500 fine. but nancy tells me it was the image that disturbed her so, recalling a period in our nation's history in world war ii. >> it just infuriated that they would put such a hateful image on to him. >> reporter: they had to arrest

her. >> good. good. they should do more of that. >> i think i would have did the same thing. >> reporter: our cameras would have captured members of the larouche pac promoting an upcoming event. a staffer gave up this statement. that barack obama is a puppet of the british empire and is threatening thermal nuclear war in order to impose a global financial dictatorship. nancy lack tells me she realizes now what she did was wrong and will represent herself in court to answer the charges. >> hitler made me angry. >> she has to go to court for this. that is amazing, facing three months in prison for pulling down a sign? >> and she clearly thinks her case is strong enough where she doesn't need an attorney. she will walk in and state her case >> i just can't believe that something like that -- you have a charge of larceny and a breach of peace, really? >> an 80-year-old woman pulls down a sign. >> man oh, man.

>> thanks for starting your morning with us. >> we've go the much more ahead on "cnn saturday morning" which starts right now. good morning, everyone. i'm randi kaye. >> i'm victor blackwell. it's 8:00 in the east, 5:00 out west. good to have you with us. we begin with a controversy surrounding lance armstrong. he appeared publicly for the first time since the release of a u.s. anti-doping agency report. now, that report detailed what was called overwhelming evidence of armstrong's involvement in doping as a cyclist. armstrong addressed supporters last night at the anniversary celebration for his livestrong charity. >> it's been an interesting couple of weeks. it's been a difficult couple of weeks for me, for my family, for my friends, for this foundation. i get asked a lot. people say, man, how are you doing? and i say -- and i