are it's not you, then someone you know is using drugs illegally. and the economy has a whole lot to do with what kind. we'll explain why drug consumption is up this year. the pope caught his followers off guard with comments on the sex abuse scandal rocking the catholic church. is it an official apology? why did the baby cross the road? and why didn't anybody stop? the new darling of the tea part yy cancels all of her sund morning talk show appearances. we have the tv clip that just might explain why. i'm don lemon. thanks for joining us. an american woman is on her way home after spending more than a year captive in iran. sarah shourd today left oman where she was staying. shourd is one of three american

hikers detained by iran after they allegedly crossed over the border from iraq in july of 2009. as our nic robertson reports, her journey home is somewhat bittersweet. >> reporter: sarah shourd looked a little more relaxed. she appeared to have caught a little sun. she said she had been permitted to visit the grand mosque. she was introduced by her uncle but, again, her words were carefully chosen. thanking the country's leader, thanking the u.s. ambassador. but also saying that her visit was unfortunately brief. >> i also want to extend my gratitude to the american ambassador and his wife, sandy, for hosting my family and i during our unfortunately brief stay. i have a deep appreciation for the doctor bringing me from tehran, for the honor of his friendship, and most importantly, for his continued

engagement in my life, in the life of my fiance, shane bauer, and my dear friend josh fattal during the past 13 1/2 months. it would be a pleasure to return to amman and it is my deepest hope that i would be able to show shane and josh the grand mosque soon, one of the most powerful places of worship i've ever seen. i will always associate your country with the first breath of my freedom. >> very clearly her thoughts with her fiance and her friend who are still in jail in tehran. she's flying back to new york, but it's clear from what she says she's almost torn, torn because she has to leave. so for her, her words and

emotions during this brief statement, an indication that although she's now going home, that it is hard for her to leave knowing that she leaves her fiance and friend still locked up in a tehran jail. nick robertson, cnn, amman. we go now to afghanistan where the polls are now closed. despite a spike in bombings, rocket attacks and ambush shootings by the taliban, millions of afghans turned out to pick a new parliament. counting begins tomorrow. cnn's ivan watson joins us live from kabul. what's the mood there? did the violence keep a lot of people from voting? >> reporter: that's a really good question. according to afghan election organizers, don, 3.6 million people voted, they say that's 40% of the electorate. let me give you another statistic, however. at least 20%, around 20% of the polling stations across the

country never even opened on election today because of the threats from taliban insurgents. there were more than 160 various types of attacks, rocket attacks, grenade attacks, roadside bombs. at least 11 civilians killed. i've been trying to ask officials here, diplomats, afghan officials, how many people could have been disenfranchised if 20% of the polling stations across the country weren't open and nobody can give me a straight answer on that. don? >> ivan, this is the fourth election in the post taliban era. how important is it and when will the final results be known from this election? >> reporter: well, it's going to take a long time before we know who's been elected to the lower house of parliament. according to the election commission here, the final results won't be ready until october 31st. why? because the road network in this country is awful.

you're carrying ballot boxes on donkeys through the mountains. it takes a long time. and there's another factor here that's going to complicate matters. a lot of the candidates who are running for parliament have already been accusing each other and the system of widespread fraud. so i anticipate a lot of arguing over the vote count in the weeks and perhaps months ahead. as far as how important this election is, it is the fourth election basically since the taliban was overthrown nearly nine years ago. the problem is, last year there was an awful lot of cheating. more than a million ballots thrown out of last year's presidential elections. so this is a real test for what's left of the credibility of this electoral process here in afghanistan. >> ivan watson joining us from kabul, afghanistan. thank you very much. we turn to news about the

pope. pope benedict xvi today expressing his sorrow about the sexual abuse by clergy. abuse victims and protestors who don't agree with the church's stand on gays and women priests lined the streets outside westminister cathedral. inside the pope talked about what he described as the immense suffering caused by abuse. >> above all, i express my deep sorrow to the innocent victims of these crimes. along with my hope that the power of christ's grace, his sacrifice of reconciliation, will bring deep healing and peace to their lives. the pope did not make any changes to his plans scheduled today despite the arrest of six men yesterday on terror charges. police won't confirm the arrests

are directly related to the pope's visit. in the gulf of mexico, a pressure test is under way to see if cement pumped into the bottom of the bp well is holding. final authority to declare the well dead rests with thad allen. 11 people were killed in that accident. 33 men buried 2,000 feet underground are a step closer to freedom tonight. ahead, why it still could take weeks to rescue them, though. the new darling of the tea party movement has some explaining to do. how witchcraft has become an issue in a race for the u.s. senate. don't just sit there, make sure you're part of the conversation. send us a message on twitter or facebook or check out our blog. we want to hear from you. [ female announcer ] you use the healing power of touch every day.

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it's time for a cnn equals politics update. we're keeping an eye on the latest headlines on the political ticker. here's what's crossing right now. indiana congressman mike pence wins the straw poll in washington. it's considered an early test of possible 2012 presidential candidates. mike huckabee came in second followed by mitt romney, newt gingrich and sarah palin. lisa murkowski is launching a write-in campaign after losing her republican primary to joe miller. the tea party express, which did a lot of campaigning for miller, says sh just proves that murkowski doesn't get it. jim dement says if the gop wins

control of congress, it must keep its promises. he's calling on his party to unite around common causes, but he's supported christine o'donnell over mike castle. candy crowley will have the full interview tomorrow. for the latest political news, go to cnnpolitics.com. so let's talk a little bit more politics, especially the tea party and its success at the ballot box. john, let's talk about this story. it is developing right now. i want to talk about tea party favorite and republican nominee for senate in delaware, christine o'donnell. last night on hbo, bill mauer played this unaired 1999 clip of her from his old show. take a look. >> i dabbled in witchcraft, i

never joined a coven. >> you were a witch? >> i was a witch. >> wait a minute. >> how can you be a witch? >> i dabbled in witchcraft. i hung around people who were doing these things. i'm not making this stuff up. >> what did they do? >> one of my dates -- >> i want to hear this. >> one of my first dates was on a satanic altar. >> your first date was a satanic altar? >> yeah, a satanic altar. >> okay, i said it was unaired. it did air. o'donnell has canceled two appearances. bill mauer said he's got more clips and will release it until she comes on his show. is she in trouble here? >> yeah. look, there's a reason the libertarian magazine "reason" called her a crack pot of the first order.

and i think that we've got a -- >> keep talking. we can hear you. >> and i think in this case, you are seeing that a lot of the controversies from her past have come -- are coming out and they're going to keep coming out in drips and drabs. you may see more about her past talking about gay conversion therapy. this is a real issue for her campaign and it's a reason a lot of responsible republicans and conservatives were concerned about her winning the nomination, not just about electability, but about the skeletons in her closet. being a professional conservative activist on a lot of talk shows in the '90s. so expect more from where this comes from. >> do you think this clip is the reason she canceled yesterday? obviously you're not in her campaign, but do you think this clip had something to do with it? >> probably. she was on a surge, giving a speech at value voters just the other day, talking about how some people out there call us

wing nuts but we represent we the people, and getting a positive reception at the forum. so i knew that this was coming down the pike as what causes campaigns to go into massive defensive mode. when you're booked for the sundays show and go into retreat, that is a sign of a candidate going into panic mode, usually for good reasons. >> it's, you know, to call people wing nuts and say we're not wing nutting and then say you're part of a coven, that may not bode well. bill mauer is a comedian, has a talk show. so are jon stewart, right? and steven colbert. what do you make of this thing that they're having on october 31st in washington? these rallies? >> the restore sanity rally? i love it. you know, i've long dreamed about the day when people would

yell "be reasonable." it is a good pushback and colbert's competing rally is called "keep fear alive" which is inspired. we are living in a time where sometimes satire is the only way to tell the truth about our politics because the spin cycle is so insidious and extreme. it also does speak to the way that media is playing a dominant role and driving the conversation. so this is just another step in that direction. and from my point of view, an independent point of view, that's a hopeful sign because we do need to restore some sanity. >> you can look at people like christine o'donnell and the early beginnings of the tea party movement and what glenn beck did and what's happening with jon stewart and steven colbert, you can call them outsiders. do outsiders have more power than in the past? >> absolutely. we are in a time when people are energized about politics, they are engaged and anxious, because of the economy.

and that's good to the extent it keeps the political establishment on its toes. the fact that mike pence, a conservative congressman won the values voters straw poll also shows a continuum of that attitude. and so that makes it an exciting time, a fluid time. it does reinforce in particular, the republican party is in warlord status with competing leaders but no clear one standard bearer. but if you care about democracy in the deepest sense in terms of citizens engaging, even if it can be informed by fringe groups, which help boil up and stir up the grassroots, that's a good thing. it is good to see outsiders engage our politics, we just have to make sure we're holding the candidates accountable. >> john, nice concentration, you know why i'm talking, had a little hiccup with the camera

and you get going. see you soon. jacqui jeras is in the hurricane headquarters. people in bermuda are bracing for the worst and we'll tell you where hurricane igor is headed now. a high school football player collapses and dies on the field. what doctors are saying happened to him.

time now to check your top stories. deputies in texas have arrested a man who forced them into a standoff that lasted nearly 24 hours. it started late friday when the gunman shot two deputies and a civilian. the suspect victor white set fire to his home, which was surrounded by officers. he's now at the hospital. a community is mourning the death of a high school star quarterback who collapsed during a game on friday in texas. reginald garrett crumpled to the

ground moments after throwing his second touchdown of the night. he was rushed to a hospital but did not survive. the team's coach said garrett had a history of seizure and an autopsy has been ordered. tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern, we will talk to his coach. a spokesman for toyota says the car company has settled with two families over a deadly crash. four people were killed last year when their lexus accelerated on a freeway near san diego and crashed over an embankment. lexus is a division of toyota. the company says both parties wish to keep the amount of the settlement private. toyota is not admitting liability. for nearly 40 years, the federal government has asked people from all states if and how much they use illegal drugs. this year, the national survey on drug use and health isn't the worst researchers have seen, but it is worse than last year.

>> reporter: illegal drug use is higher than it has been in a decade. according to a new government survey, usage among americans 12 and over rose from 8% in 2008 to 8.7% in 2009. with an upswing in the use of ecsta ecstasy, meth and marijuana. marijuana jumped from 6.7% in 2008 to 7.3% in 2009 among teenagers. >> young, heavy marijuana users are much more likely to report getting ds and fs than as and bs, are more likely to be in trouble with the law for crimes like theft. >> reporter: the survey shows a change in teen attitudes. >> marijuana has a low risk compared to other things. >> reporter: like? >> like alcohol for example. >> reporter: fewer teens see

marijuana as dangerous because of tv coverage of marijuana debates. >> i can't rule out the discussion of so-called medical marijuana and the down playing of marijuana harms that is prevalent in the media. >> reporter: with california voting in november on a ballot measure legalizing marijuana, that debate has picked up tempo. earlier this week, former heads of the drug enforcement administration urged the obama administration to take a strong stand. >> we need a legal, regulated marijuana market. >> reporter: and that will lead to less teen use? >> it has for alcohol and tobacco. >> reporter: the rate of alcohol and tobacco use for teens stayed the same. other trends, the abuse of prescription drugs is up, but the use of cocaine has declined

30% since 2006. >> 30% since 2006? in the '80s and '90s, cocaine was the drug, especially on wall street. what's the reason behind the drop in cocaine use, could it be the economy? >> at this press conference, officials said they thought the reason was education, simply people had become more aware of the hazards, particularly of crack cocaine, leading more people to stay away from it. >> good report. thank you. you get what you pay for, right? well, that may not be true when it comes to colleges. wait till you hear what new study -- a new study on higher education found. this is good news for parents who pay the bills. stick around for that. look at this video. we saw it today in the newsroom and we were spoked by it. a toddler crawling in traffic. how did it happen?

well, there is a reason that private colleges are so expensive and hard to get in. they're supposed to be a pathway to a better career, right? but "the wall street journal" this week released a list of the top 25 universities that employers recruit from. and the result might surprise you. jennifer merit is the careers editor for "the wall street journal" and oversaw this particular survey. jennifer, thanks for joining us. tell us what you looked at and what you found. >> well, what we did is we surveyed recruiters from the biggest companies, public, private, non-profit, government organizations and asked them which schools they recruit at and which schools produce the best graduates overall as far as

being prepared to work in the companies, succeed, academic prowess, et cetera. so what happened was, the list that we came up with, the top 25 out of the almost 500 companies who responded was primarily made up of state schools. so what we found was that they really liked these graduates who had all this academic preparedness and were well rounded in other ways. >> that leads me to this then. i want to pop this up, all of them except one, which is carnegie melon are publicly funded. tuition at carnegie this year is $42,000, but $15,000 at penn state. >> there's a couple things going on. people can really understand their business, so you could be brilliant and come in with a great marketing idea, but if you

don't know marketing analytics, that company is not going to get as much out of you. you could have a great strategy how to build the next great thing, but if you don't know how to do it, that's a big problem. so companies are reaching out to schools that can partner with on research and what they found is these faculty are teaching these folks real world education. so they start recruiting these people and find they really like them. >> i hate to cut you off, but even the expensive universities, the private universities, maybe they need to evolve a little bit and figure out what recruiters and what employers want and maybe they're not doing that. maybe they're just relying on their name and history and reputation. >> there is a little bit of that. some of the elite schools will tell you they don't have those bread and butter classes. after we published a report from a few elite schools, they're working on this, trying to mix

the liberal arts with that foundation of skills. >> okay. final question to you, so anyone who is applying for college, kids that are applying, parents that are listening, what is the most important information to take away from this survey? >> you know, one of the most shocking things we found, i guess surprising more than shocking is that internship recruiting is the new full-time hiring recruiting for college grads. you need to actually call the career services office. the head recruiter at ge recommended this, before you decide on where to go to school, call career services, find out who recruits interns and how many they recruit. even if you don't know what you want to do, you can get a feel or who comes to the school and who appreciates those school's grads. it's critical to get a great internship, so you need to know those things before you decide. >> this is a very interesting survey. thank you for coming on, because i think our viewers got a lot of out this, especially people looking forward to going to college soon.

jennifer merit with "the wall street journal," appreciate it. >> my pleasure. a woman held in an iranian prison for more than a year is free. what sarah shourd said today as she boarded a plane to come home. it's almost over a year over in the gulf -- excuse me, it's almost over in the gulf. we're watching that deep water horizon well that could be sealed for good this weekend. sometimes it's the little things like a holiday barbecue or letter from home. we'll have positive news for those 33 trapped miners in chile. >> no it's a sale. nothing beats a sale! wrong move! you. you can save up to half off that sale when you name your own price on priceline. but this one's a deal...trust me. it's only pretending to be a deal. here, bid $79. got it. wow! you win this time good twin! there's no disguising the real deal.

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chile is celebrating its bicentennial today. the 33 miners trapped underground marked the occasion with a rousing chorus of the national anthem. as carl penhaul reports, engineers have their work cut out for them. >> reporter: mid morning, and a breakthrough in the rescue efforts. >> communications started happening with the miners. they were a big part of that process letting us know how far we were from them. they were able to pull the plug

out and what we call sound or measure, where our bit is so we could mark the point on the drill pipe and break through. >> reporter: fisher's u.s. based company owns the drill bit that's punched a 12-inch shaft through almost half a mile of rock down to where the 33 miners are trapped. the rig, known as plan b, is owned by a chilean company. it is one of three trying to save the miners. it began drilling just two weeks ago. >> we got a late start. we've come out of the gate rather fast. >> reporter: but the hardest job may still lie ahead. rescuers are slowed down again, trying to make the hole twice as wide to get the men back to the surface. the million dollar question is how long is it going to take to make is big enough hole? >> oh, man, how high is up? that's hard to predict.

>> reporter: chile's mine minister said it could still take at least six weeks. >> you can imagine this as we are eating here donuts and in this part we are eating the center part of the doughnut, which is smaller. and now we have to eat the whole part of the doughnut. so it's a lot of more material that we have to remove. it will take more time. >> reporter: but it's far from clear that plan b will be the plan that rescues the miners. over there, an oil rig known as plan c. that in theory can drill much faster than the other two options but it's unlikely to be fired up until probably monday. as the drills grind away, families camp out at the mine are preparing a cookout for chile's independence day celebrations this weekend. for the trapped miners, chefs prepare a treat with pastries

stuffed with meat, onions and olives. they'll get a barbecue steak underground, too. the minister says he bet rescue workers another barbecue, depending which team can pull the miners back to earth quicker. >> no matter which arrives early, i will be very happy if we can pay that as soon as possible. >> reporter: carl penhaul, cnn, northern chile. hurricane igor could make a direct hit on bermuda. jacqui jeras is tracking the storm. the forecast for the tropics and your area when we come right back.

let's check your top stories right now, shall we? an american woman held captive in iran for more than a year is on her way home. sarah shourd today left amman where he was staying following her release on tuesday. shourd is one of three american hikers detained by iran after they allegedly crossed over the border from iraq in 2009. iran let her go for medical reasons. the other two americans are still in prison. expectations are high that

bp's oil well is finally dead. official word may not come for a day or so. cement was pumped from this drilling rig into the well deep underneath the ocean floor, a procedure known as bottom kill. pressure testing will confirm where the plug is holding. once thad allen announces the well is dead, crews will abandon the site. the last boat is expected to leave the area in about a week. not one, but two tornadoes, two of them hit new york city on thursday night. imagine that. the national weather service confirms one twister touched down in betwequeens and another brooklyn. one storm related death was reported in queens when a tree fell on a car. also in queens, officials say the storm caused a sudden spike in wind called a microburst, clocked at 125 miles per hour.

also, more weather news. the remnants of hurricane karl are dissipating over mexico, but authorities worry they're not out of the woods yet. forecasters warn that the rain could cause flash floods and mudslides. karl left two people dead. and bermuda is bracing for igor. jacqui, talk about those two tornados. can you imagine that in a city that big? it was called a microburst. >> yeah, two tornadoes. incredible damage in new york city, a fast-moving city that caused quite a bit of damage, hundreds of trees down all over the place, one person was killed unfortunately and things are very busy in the tropics. we saw the pictures of what was going on with karl there. karl has pretty much moved out now, but take a look at this. this is in the gulf of mexico. here is texas and northern mexico. we have this upper level disturbance.

this is not a tropical wave. there's no organized rotation with this system, but bringing in torrential down pours through the weekend. we could see as much as 2 to 5 inches of rainfall. this is so close to the shore we don't think there's time for this to organize into a tropical storm. but either way you slice it, this is going to be a flood maker. let's move on to igor. igor is a huge hurricane. this thing spans nearly 700 miles across. when you take a look at the island of bermuda, what is it, like 20 miles across? there's no way you're going to get a miss on this. you're going to get lashed with tropical storm force winds any time arriving now. we're talking about that's going to last for almost 48 hours, and landfall is going to be probably late tomorrow night and into early monday morning.

here's the forecast track, a category 2 storm. little change in strength is going to be expected. curving up to the north, a hit or near hit. and curving off to the northeast. the u.s. will see big swells along the atlantic coast as a result of that. as we look at radar, thanks to the bermuda weather service, there you can see that first outer band, which is about 25 miles away. one of our producers was there and sent us a couple of photos. people aren't heeding the water warnings and getting out in the water. that's a kite surfer, there he is. and look at some of those waves. workers here are taking the lights down, trying to prepare ahead of this storm and people are digging sand bags. so big storm that will cause a lot of damage in bermuda. >> jacqui, thank you very much. you know, we've all introduced you to remarkable everyday people who are changing the world.

we do that with our cnn heroes. in just one week, we'll reveal our top ten cnn heroes of 2010. it's been a year already. one of those ten will become the cnn hero of the year. first, let's check in with our 2009 hero of the year to see how the recognition has helped him expand his extraordinary work. >> the cnn hero of the year -- >> from the slums of the philippines to hollywood, he's come a long way. >> we are the change that this world needs to be. >> for 12 years, he and his volunteers have pushed their mobile classrooms through the streets of their neighborhoods teaching kids who never make it to school. but after being named 2009 cnn hero of the year, efran became a

national hero. >> this is really overwhelming. >> upon his return, philippine president gloria arroyo presented him with one of the country's highest honors. one year later, the model has been replicated more than 50 times across the philippines. and inspired the construction of an education center funded in part by the cnn heroes grant. >> now they see it as a symbol of hope and education. >> recently, efran who has had his story told in six countries and languages, a young man from the slums has turned the attention of a nation toward a common dream. >> my fellow filipinos, there is a hero inside each of them. thank you. >> who will be the cnn hero of the year for 2010? you decide. next thursday, we will be

announcing the year's top ten heroes on cnn.com at 1:00 p.m. that's when you can vote online for the cnn hero who inspires you the most. all ten will be honored on thanksgiving night at cnn heroes and an all-star tribute hosted by anderson cooper but only one named cnn hero of the year. ♪ you're the one ♪ who's born to care this life was protected... ♪ seems you've always been right there ♪ this life was saved... ♪ soothing sadness ♪ healing pain and this life was made easier... ♪ making smiles appear again because of this life. nursing. at johnson & johnson, we salute all those who choose the life... that makes a difference. ♪ you're a nurse ♪ you make a difference

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it's dinner time. dinner time. we're talking about what to eat here after this show. something healthy? well, it means you don't have to spend a lot of money on that if you want something healthy. it requires smart shopping. dr. sanjay dew point gupta getsr eating on a budget. >> reporter: families are struggling to make ends meet. you don't have to sacrifice good nutrition. where better to look for tips on healthy living on cheap than a

five-star french chef? >> put a little bit of interest into the food, it's easy to find ways to eat for a budget which is not too expensive, good food. >> reporter: world renowned chef, eric repare, says it's doing what works for you. >> chicken, which is very inexpensive, instead of buying the chicken already cut or cooked, you buy it whole, and therefore, you save a lot of money. if you want something inexpen inexpensive you have to think -- if you want tomatoes in general, it's very expensive. in general, you get your fruits and vegetables, if you make a soup with a squash it's going to be inexpensive. >> reporter: how does this french chef extraordinary stay healthy, himself surrounded by cuisine all day long? >> before i leave the house i have a little bit of dark

chocolate, good quality. i leave my house around 10:00 and walk through the streets of new york. takes 40, 45 minutes. i think it keeps me in good health and in shape. >> reporter: the bottom line, says repare -- >> i'm a strong believer that you can do a lot of things in terms of eating which is you can eat butter, you can eat chocolate, you can have a little dessert here and there, but again, has to be in a quantity that is controlled and you have to compensate with some exercise. >> reporter: dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, reporting. >> dr. gupta. "the situation room" is ahead. wolf leblitzer, what do you hav? a at the top of the hour, my interview with the flim maker michael moore. he doesn't hold back from the mosque and community center near ground zero to what's going on with the democrats in the tea

party movement. also my special interview with tony blair, former prime minister. we'll talk about u.s. presidents, his relationship with them. and darrell issa, the powerful republican congressman, if the republicans gain the majority in the house will he launch investigations and subpoenas or top white house officials? all that and a lot more coming up right here in "the situation room." don, back to you. >> looking forward to it. thank you. you know, you won't believe this next story. take a look at the size of this gator. it's 1,000 pounds of nasty. we're not showing the nasty part of it. we'll show you the woman that captured the beast and tell you how she did it. i love my curves. but the love i have for strawberry shortcake, threw a curve at my curves. so i threw it right back... with yoplait light -- around 100 calories.

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every weekend we like to bring you some interesting news, i say, you might have missed throughout the week. look at this one. it's a 13 foot alligator. it's nothing to mess with. is this woman crazy? no one told the massachusetts woman who came to the swamps of south carolina to bagged one. she hooked into the thousand-pound animal with a fishing rod. the battle was epic. over two hours. it took eight bullets to kill it. never mind the gator outweighed her more than eight times and could have swallowed her whole. she plans to have the carcass stuffed, probably because no one would believe it otherwise. okay. the fountain on locust is not a big place. it's an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and soda fountain in downtown st. louis. i know, but it has something no other place has. the best restrooms in america

including in online voting in an annual competition. fountain on locust had serious competition including major hotels around the u.s. and new york city bryant park. the hand painted art dekko deck co deck core. a colorado wildfire that wiped up homes near boulder around labor day, it started in a fire pit in someone's yard. our affiliate kusa reports that pit belongs to a 20-year veteran of the volunteer department. the man had set a legal controlled burn several days earlier to get rid of the brush fire. to get rid of the brush on his property. you're not going to believe this. this is from southern turkey. a very close call for a toddler w who wandered on to a busy street. the little boy and her son took refuge in nearby