>> larry: cara? >> the real holy grail is how does consciousness, how does, you know, our mind come from brain and that's so fascinating. >> larry: thanks to all of you for a great hour. good morning. several college students end up in the hospital after a party where someone spiked their drinks. police say they're victims of a scheme to render them up conscious and defenseless. also this is what north korea wants you to see, wants the word to sld to see, that it

strong stable portion to being reckoned with. we're there as they celebrate an anniversary and possibly mark the beginning of a new era of leadership. we'll talk about what that could mean for u.s. relations. this is your cnn sunday morning, 6:00 a.m. here in atlanta, 1:00 p.m. in baghdad. wherever you you may be, we're glad you're right here. our troops who are watching on the armed forces network right now around the world including if iraq and afghanistan, thank you for what you do and thank you for being here, as well. also coming up for you, they are prevented by military policy from being in combat, but 22 american women have been killed so far in afghanistan. we're taking a look into the role of women at war. also 23 days to the critical midterm elections. it's already been at times nasty, at times whacky campaign season. now comes this, a congressional candidate dressed up like a nazi

soldier. you'll hear his response coming up. also, the nfl is investigating allegations that superstar and future hall of fame quarterback brett favre sent text messages and nude pictures to a woman allegedly and that woman was not his wife. all that coming up over the next 90 minutes for you here on this cnn sunday morning. but first that mass drugging in washington state. sends 12 young people to the hospital. the students at least believe possibly they were the victim of will date rain drug apparently mixeded in to their drinks without them even knowing it. our affiliate reports on the incident that now has students on alert at central washington university. >> everybody's scared on go anywhere. even if it's like close to campus. >> reporter: she sticks close to her friends as she walk together as a group at central washington university. the school had meetings reminding students to be careful

and letting them know where they go to get help. >> it scares knee to go out anywhere. if they drug you, you don't know what's going to it happen. >> reporter: 12 young women didn't know what happened friday night. they drank some cups inside this house and overdosed on a drug mixed in their drinks. at first everything was okay. >> people were having fun and then all of a sudden all the girls were puking everywhere, girls were outside like on their back and people were so drunk they didn't know what to do. >> reporter: police say some of the women only had one or two cups. >> we suspect again that these drugs were introduced to these students probably without their knowledge. >> reporter: some people at the party tell us that they believe the drinks were mixed with a powerful date rate drug called roof rufis. >> their drinks were going everywhere and we were picking them up. i carried about four people down the stairs. >> reporter: some women drove their friends to it a nearby parking lot and called police. when police showed up at the

house around 50 other college freshmen and teens were either passed out or highly intoxicated. medics drove 12 people to a hospital. most of them have been treated and released. miss are determined to find out who laced the drinks and what drug was used. >> we knew immediately it was rufis and we're try to investigate who can did it. >> reporter: some opportunities are keeping their guard up. >> i wouldn't go out without my group of people. right now just one person still in the hospital. police don't know yet who either spiked the drinks. the owner of the house was not at the home at the time of the party, but the party was hosted by his son. police have no evidence that he laced the drinks with anything. also now we'll turn to north korea. a thorn in the side of washington for decades. and the family that had run the country for some 62 years now seems ready to pass control over to a new generation, a new generation that like the previous generations of leaders there is expected to defy u.s.

foreign policy, defy the world really. the current threat, nuclear weapons. kim jung il inherited it and he's expected to pass it to his son, kim jong dchlt-ucht n. image counts for a lot, so today the father, kim jong-il, putting the son front and son in a major way at a major military parade. >> reporter: what this is really in effect is an elaborate coming out party for the man who will be the next leader of north korea, kim jong-un, the son of

kim jong-il. he is 27 or 28 years old. we believe he was schooled in switzerland and has a fondnesses for basketball. some english, german and french. but, of course, the big question is will he continue the policies of his father, this communist policy of military first. that certainly is an open question. but by all accounts, he will be watched very closely by elders and it ththis is a very signifi time in north korean history. when this handover does take place, it will be the first time in communist history that there has been a handover from grandfather to son, and 234ethe from son, kim jong-il, to his son. when that will happen, of course, is an open question. kim jong-il by all accounts suffered a debilitating stroke back in 2008, but recent

pictures have shown him looking better, frankly, according to north koreans. good.

not good. not what you want to be caught wearing. i'll tell what you you will be caught wearing in the pacific northwest, rain gear. really heavy at times. 35 parts of the southeast, you might want to wear less clothing articles. yeah. it's going to be hot. we'll talk about how warm it will be coming up in a few moments. you're watching cnn sunday morning. for those of us who have lactose intolerance,

let's raise a glass to cookies just out of the oven. to the morning bowl of cereal. and to lactaid® milk. easy to digest and with all the calcium and vitamin d of regular milk. [ female announcer ] lactaid®. the original lactose-free milk. thanks. i got the idea from general mills big g cereals. they put a white check on the top of every box to let people know that their cereals have healthy whole grain, and they're the right choice... (announcer) general mills makes getting whole grain an easy choice. just look for the white check.

15 past the hour. reynolds wolf, struggling a little bit this morning. >> it was a late flignight for people. >> we should admit, during the football season, on sundays, reynolds and i won't be worth much. alabama went down. >> absolutely. and our teams won, but it it was a very good day weather-wise except the ducks won, but they played under very rainy complains, conditions that will persist day. a warm-up for the southeast.

a lot to cover. we'll hop on over and do it. let's get things started with what's happening in the pacific northwest. you look at the national perspective, things look quiet out to the east, so let's go west. seattle you see the scattered showers. all the pacific moisture racing on shore. as it does so, it's coupled with strong wind gusts. flooding is a possibility, but nos not as potent as yesterday. we'll show you showers down near denver, but if you look just to the northwest of boulder, a little bit of that popping up as white. they could see up to three inches of snow before the day is out. and in the northeast, it is not the snow but it certainly is the cold conditions. we've got frost and freeze warnsings in effect for places not far from white plains. temperatures in the 30s this morning. by mid-morning, those temperatures will warm up. something else that will warm up, the southeast.

you see this area of high pressure, you see those arrows? watch where they go, light around the northern periphery, that area of high pressure. it will it also pull down to the gulf of mexico and that will be like a tractor beam pulling all that muggy area into parts of the plains of texas back into the southeast. arkansas a muggy day and eventually monday those temperatures in atlanta could get close to 90, possibly presenting a record set back in 1971 of 88 degrees. but takes stands, 86 the high in atlanta, warmer stuff for tomorrow. very muggy in houston. shocker, i know. 87 in las vegas. 77 in san francisco. 61 in seattle. 81 in minneapolis. boston, new york, highs in the 60s and 70s. a cool afternoon. we'll be talking about fall colors coming up, too. they are spectacular in parts of the country. we'll also show you video of gl great things to show. >> appreciate it, talk to you

again shortly. we're coming up on less than a month now away from the midterm elections and there are pictures surfacing of a republican congressional candidate in a nazi uniform. the candidate is defending himself. you'll see the picture and you'll hear from the candidate coming up next. ♪ ♪ every day, it's getting closer ♪ ♪ going faster than a roller coaster ♪ ♪ love like yours will surely come my way ♪

♪ a-hey, a-hey-hey ♪ every day, it's getting faster ♪ [ male announcer ] at&t and blackberry have teamed up to evolve the smartphone. business, meet fun. fun, business. at&t. rethink possible. you do? your medicare card. [ laughing ] but don't let me or anyone see it except your doctor or their staff. and don't tell anyone your card or social security number over the phone. guard your card. [ woman 2 ] i hear unauthorized card use is a big source of fraud. the new healthcare law lets us crack down on criminals and win against fraud. making medicare stronger. and speaking of winning... [ man 2 ] not again! [ man ] learn more at stopmedicarefraud.gov.

hour here on this cnn sunday morning and we're 23 days until an election that could change our political landscape. cnn of course your place for politics here. and making news this hour, take a look. an ohio congressional candidate responding to criticism that he dressed like a nazi officer. the at plannic magazine reports the republican, is a member of a group that reenacts the campaignses of a world war ii division. the magazine posted a picture of him dressed in uniform. that is him, the second from the left. is he not denying this, but he is responding to it and defending it. never in any of my re-enacting of military history have i met any disrespect to anyone who served in our military or anyone who has been affected by the tragedy of war. he goes on to say i have immense respect for veterans who serve

our country valiantly, particularly though those who fought to rid the world of tyranny and aggression by rely debati debating ziism to the trash heap of history. 23 days now until the midterm elections that will decide who will run congress and democratic party 1 pulling out the big guns in pennsylvania. paul steinhauser is there for us with a look at who is on the campaign trail. >> reporter: good morning, it t.j. i'm here with the cnn election express, we're in pennsylvania and later today somebody a lot bigger than me is coming to pennsylvania. barack obama had been joined by joe biden. they'll be in philadelphia for a rally. what they're trying to do here is excite democratic voter to get out and vote republicans think they can make a clean sweep in the state and they may be able to win back control of congress. that's what's going on here in

pennsylvania. back to you. >> and we'll continue to check in with paul. coming up the next hour, we'll get the latest perspective on the upcoming midterm election with a democratic strategist and conservative commentator right here on cnn. and, of course, for all the latest political news, you know the spot. cnn politics.com. let's go to outer space right now. another first in outer space.russian soyuz docks at the international space station, but actually it's how it made that docking that's making news. ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ the new cadillac srx. the cadillac of crossovers.

cadillac. the new standard of the world. for every pink lid you send in, yoplait will donate 10 cents to susan g. komen for the cure. with your help, we've donated $25 million over 12 years. so let's continue to make a difference one lid at a time. we get double miles on every purchase. echo! so we earned a trip to the grand canyon twice as fast. uhoh. we get double miles every time we use our card. i'll take these. no matter what we're buying. plus the damages. and since double miles add up quick, we can bring the whole gang. it's hard to beat double miles. no, we ride them. [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? oh, that's the spot!

take a look, folks. we're sharing with you live pictures, this happening right now in north korea. now, you look at the pageantry here, the pomp, the circumstance, and you would never position that this is an oppressive, secretive, secluded country that is ruled with an iron fist, and there he is, the sdaer leader dear leader as he calls himself, kim jong il. but there he is, this huge festival to celebrate the 65th

anniversary of the workers union. they do this every year, bicertainbi certain but certainly this this is a big anniversary. this is a well coordinated festival. you saw the fireworks going off. again, you see these pictures, the celebration and festivities and its in stark contrast it what has been happening in north korea and with the relationship this country has had with the rest of the world for quite some time. but it's important and we are noting this moment in time. and in history. because this is also seen as being a part of kind of a coming out party for the younger son of kim jong-il, kim jong-un, widely believed to be tapped to be his successor of kim jong il who has been in pretty bad health. he'll have to step aside at some point and many believe that the

son, who is about 27 years old, who up until a few weeks ago didn't really have any accomplishments, didn't have a real role, but overnight he became a four star general and holding a prime spot in the ruling workers party there. so it's believed he is now being groomed to be the next leader. what that could mean for north korea and the future, north core rad korea's relationship with the rest of the world, a lot of people don't know how long the younger son will get to be groomed under his father, but, again a huge show. this is what the rest of the word and the united states world and the united states to see that takes stable, strong, force to be reckoned with. that is debatable. but still with the believe that they still want to continue to develop nuclear weapons, that makes them a serious force to be reckoned with in the eyes of many people. we'll continue to keep an eye on what's happening in north korea but want to share with you live

pictures of a celebration believed to be at least 50,000 people. and this is a coordinated festival here, some 50,000 are believed to be participating in this festivity. we saw the military parade earlier. that was a different type of show. that was a show of force with the military. this something all together different. i'm going to listen, as well. ♪ it really is amazing. this brings back memories of what we saw at the opening games at the olympics in china not too long ago, but a huge -- look at that. a huge celebration here. and, again, you're not able, we're not able, to do much reporting out of north korea for the most part. again, they clamp down, they're secretive, don't let a lot of information get out. there's not a lot of freedom of press, if you will. no freedom of press, i should

say, there in north korea. but this is a time they invited the world in. they invited journalists from around the world into cover this event. we're getting a live picture of this event, as well, because they certainly have a mission in mind here with letting the world see this at least. plenty of other things they won't let the world into see, but they want the world to see this. it's very important for them, their image is very important in the eyes of the rest of the world because, quite frankly, that's all they have is image. but a huge impressive no doubt impressive celebration that they are able to put on on this 65th anniversary. a liar pictuve picture, rare tht these, because lot of people say come do not let this this picture fool you. many will go back to really liveses that are not what they should be right now after this celebration. but, again, we keep an eye on what's happening here. the 65th anniversary that could

mark the beginning of a new era of leadership in north korea. s♪ ♪ for a chain of supply, that's logistics ♪ ♪ when the parts for the line ♪ ♪ come precisely on time ♪ that's logistics ♪ ♪ a continuous link, that is always in sync ♪ ♪ that's logistics ♪ ♪ there will be no more stress ♪ ♪ cause you've called ups, that's logistics ♪ so, you can eat them right here... or eat green giant beans at home... ...frozen within 8 hours to lock in nutrients. up to you. [ green giant ] ho ho ho ♪ green giant. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] at&t and blackberry have teamed up to keep your business moving. introducing the blackberry torch. at&t. rethink possible. ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ the new cadillac srx. the cadillac of crossovers. cadillac. the new standard of the world.

(announcer) new icy hot spray. relief that's icy to dull pain, hot to relax it away. and no mess. new icy hot spray. don't mess around with pain.

hello again. welcome back to cnn sunday morning. bottom of the hour here. hope you're having a good day so far. we'll turn to chile, a story we've been keeping a close eye on. we watched yesterday those miners who have been trapped there for more than two months now just a few days away from being back to the surface, the first of the 33 men could be hoisted up starting wednesday. a report from outside the mine in northern chile. >> reporter: this is the news they all have been waiting for.

breakthrough. a rescue shaft finally drilled half a mile deep to the 33 trapped miners. this bell sounds the moment, 8:05 a.m. a barren hillside, families somebody with joy. this is the final countdown to the time they'll be reunited with their loved ones. they must be happy just look at us up here. imagine how they must feel, this miner's wife says. 8-year-old hugs a flag dedicated to his miner granddad. when the mine collapsed, i

shouted god, why has will this happened to me. i've been a good boy. i didn't deserve this. i didn't think there was any hope, he says, but the bell chime stirs new hope inside little brian. he has the words ready to welcome granddad home. i love you, p after theapito, h. when the mine caved in, no one knew if the if the 33 were alive. but 17 days later, a test probe located them. it came back to the surface with this letter from mario gomez to his wife. dear l willi lclila thanks to g.

i hope to get out soon. be patient and have faith we will get out. we will be happy with our family. we will see one another again soon. good-bye my darling. a kiss. mario gomez and his 32 comrades have fulfilled that promise against you all the odds, they survived. and soon they'll be coming home. coming up, a house party in washington state lands several students in the hospital. police suspect the victims, most of them women, may have been targeted in a date rain scheme. also, from ancient blood sport to modern day weight loss, some successful results that we'll show you. we're going inside a gladiator camp in germany that sheds pounds, not blood.

everything you need to stretch out on long trips. residence inn. ♪ everything you need to stay balanced on long trips. residence inn. how'd you do that? do what? you made it taste like chocolate. it has 35% of your daily value of fiber. tasty fiber, that's a good one! ok, umm...read her mind. [ male announcer ] fiber one chewy bars.

39 minutes past the hour. take a look at some of the stories we're keeping an eye on and the pictures, as well. authority korea celebrating a 65th anniversary of the ruling workers party, also marking a coming out party for kim jong-un, the heir apparent of kim jong-il. they've invited international journalists there is to this event because they want the world to see that they are a stable and strong government there to be reckoned with. also an eighth suspect has been arrested after a string of attacks in new york. new york police say there is a ninth suspect they are hooking for, as well. they say these people beat three victims and sod domized two of them. they are calling these hate crimes again in new york. also one woman still

hospitalized after a house party in washington state. the party was attended by a lot of students. >> girls were puking everywhere, girls were outside like on their back. >> they were rufied, they were falling down, their drinkses were going everywhere and we were just picking them up. i carried about four people down the stairs. >> you heard the young man say rufied. they are referring to the date rain drunk. police haven't confirmed that's what it was, but many students believe it was the date rain drug. showing you some of the pictures of gas stations and, you know, the signs out front that tells you how much that gas is costing you. it's costing you more accordinged to aaa. gas prices up just a penny. doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up because the national average is now at $2.79 a

gallon. those pennies i just mentioned, now we have seen a ninth straight increase in the average price of gas. so those pennies are adding up.

you remember this movie, right? did it win for best picture? this is a scene from gladiator. great action film. but what if i told you an ancient warrior code has been entered in to a weight loss club in germany. nadia is here with this story.

we've been trying to get this story in for a while now. it's working? >> it wasn't about a weight loss program. in the moth southern state of germany, the historical department of the university said let's re-enact rome at the time of the roman empire. so the gladiators fight. and the weight loss was a byproduct of the program and it was sponsored by this multimillionaire in germany. they took these young men about 20 of them and said we are going to debt you into glad tore yal shape. which means exercise and diet. and they lost an enormous amount of weight. when they started off, they were couch potatoes and slobs. and what happened was by doing the gladitorial exercises, it took them 25 minutes to put on the armor and what they did was

certain exercises and then the diet. now, the diet is the interesting part. staple diet mainly len tills because they could only eat what was available 2,000 years ago. so think about what was available. len tills, beans, berries. and gladiator typically were slaves that wanted to be freed or let's say, rather, poor people who wanted to earn some money. so the diet at that time -- so then they put these gentlemen in a camp for two months. they were only allowed to eat this diet. and what they reported was that they felt so good. and what was really interesting is after strenuous exercise, sometimes eight hours a day, they had no muscle pain after eating the lentils, the beans, the berries, the mushrooms. >> the idea initially for the program to put these guys through, what were they trying to get at? >> to re-enact the time of gladiators. like you spoke earlier about somebody re-enacting world war ii. the idea was let's recreate for

our history class. so it was part of the university's program. they actually got credit for doing this. >> so all these men were students. >> all students. four did drop out because of mainly academic things that they had to do. >> were they lazy kids or were they actually overweight guys? >> both. they were typical kids who watch a lot of it tv and play a lot of xbox and they went lieu this program and it was so rigorous and they developed great muscle, and interesting enough, a month into the program, they did eat petition and felt very tired after it. >> so is this the new diet craze? >> instead of the cereal this morning, a bowl of l event ntil soup. follow lick aside, high fiber, only 230 calories for a cup of lentils. >> you said beans and you said what, berries.

>> but the lentils are super food. >> give me two months about. >> never mind hamburgers for lunch. it will be l evententils. >> might be the next diet craze. >> they call it the gladiator diet. there's actually a website. >> there you go. beans. >> lentil soup, bean cakes -- >> this keeps getting better. >> instead of an apple a day, it will it will be a bowl of lentils a day. and they also said they had great brain function. >> well, everything sounds good except the lentil cake that you mentioned. thank you, we'll talk to her again, of course. 23 days until the midterm election. they're sending out the big dogs. bill clinton, sarah chin toin, r palin, calorieing trallying the. s

have healthy whole grain, and they're the right choice... (announcer) general mills makes getting whole grain an easy choice. just look for the white check. ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ the new cadillac srx. the cadillac of crossovers. cadillac. the new standard of the world. can stop frequent heartburn before it begins? heartburn happens when stomach acid refluxes into the esophagus. prilosec otc uses a unique delayed-release system that protects the medicine as it passes through the stomach's tough acid. then it gets absorbed into the body, turning off many acid-producing pumps at the source. with just one pill a day, you get 24-hour heartburn protection

all day and all night. prilosec otc. heartburn gone. power on. ♪ every day, it's getting closer ♪ ♪ going faster than a roller coaster ♪ ♪ love like yours will surely come my way ♪ ♪ a-hey, a-hey-hey ♪ every day, it's getting faster ♪ [ male announcer ] at&t and blackberry have teamed up

to evolve the smartphone. business, meet fun. fun, business. at&t. rethink possible. personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke.

the hour. we're 23 days until election day. an election that could change our political landscape. cnn of course the police for politics and our deputy political editor paul steinhauser is in harrisburg, pennsylvania with a preview of what's ahead. >> reporter: good morning. as you can imagine, a very businesses city political week ahead. let's start with former president bill clinton who has become a rock star on the democratic side. he's in three place tomorrow. starts out in kentucky, then to west virginia, ends up in new york state. later in the week he's in new mexico and california. he has become a big rock star for the democrats in these congressional elections. wednesday, delaware, big debate, first one in the senate side between christine o'donnell and

chris coons. the debate will be co-moderated by our own wolf blitzer. what about the next night in nevada? this is the first debate in this big battle between harry reid and sharron angle who has been backed bia lot of people in the tea party movement. an ugly race and reid is fighting for his political life. all eyes on nevada on thursday. and at the end of the week, sarah palin, the former alaska governor and she was john mccain's running mate, she's teaming up with michael steam in anaheim, california on saturday for a big fund-raising rally to help raise bucks for the republicans as they try to win back control of congress. a busy week ahead. a lot going on here in pennsylvania, as well. back to you. >> thanks to paul steinhauser. coming up in the next hour, we'll get the latest perspective on the upcoming midterm elections with the democratic strategist and conservative

commentator. that's 7:00 eastern right here on cnn. and of course for all the latest political news, you can go to cnnpolitics.c cnnpolitics.com. women warriors. they are banned from combat, but still do some fighting on the front lines. >> in these wars, women are shooting and killing and they have not done that in u.s. wars as members of the military at any time in the past. >> soon there this could be big changes for women fighting the war. ♪ now the healing power of touch just got more powerful. introducing precise from the makers of tylenol. precise pain relieving heat patch activates sensory receptors. it helps block pain signals for deep penetrating relief you can feel precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol.

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. now i love my curves in all the right places. ♪ everything you need to stretch out on long trips.

residence inn. ♪ everything you need to stay balanced on long trips. residence inn. let's raise a glass to cookies just out of the oven. to the morning bowl of cereal. and to lactaid® milk. easy to digest and with all the calcium and vitamin d of regular milk. [ female announcer ] lactaid®. the original lactose-free milk.

nine years after the start

of operation enduring freedom, a look at the role of women if war. officially women can't fight. not supposed to be on the front line, but 22 american female service members have lost their lives in afghanistan. here now chris lawrence. >> reporter: when the fighting started in 2001, this young soldier had no idea what she was in for. >> did you know today's army would be so from the one you joined? >> no. initially i thought the army would change. what i didn't realize is how many different ways it was going to change. >> reporter: new two deployments in afghanistan and one in iraq, kelly rodriguez did jobs that didn't exist nine years ago. in 2006, she was one of the first female combat medics to deploy with special forces teams spending a year in remote parts of afghanistan. >> worked out because in future deployments, that yunt has taken several females down there to do that mission. >> reporter: this year her second afghanistan deployment took her to the border with

pakistan during the most violent months of the war. >> did i change? yeah. i saw a lot. i saw a lot of injury and i think that changes somebody. >> reporter: she was single during the first deployment, then she married another soldier and now has three boys at ft. bragg. >> how did it go coming back from deployment and having to be mom again? >> perfect example is my youngest son was 3 mf when i came home and he said, mommy, you're not the boss, daddy's the boss. and i said, well, mommy's home now. >> reporter: 2001, about a quarter of a million american have served in war zones. dog handlers patrol ied alleys searching for hides bombs. last spring in afghanistan, i followed a femamale engagement team of marines. >> they're definitely a key player in getting information.

>> reporter: women still can't be assigned to ground combat team, but for years commanders have been getting around pentagon policy by attaching them to units. the marine corps had to impose a time limit so in afghanistan, every six weeks, the female engagement teams go back to a big base for one night, then reattach with their combat unit for another 45 days. >> just a nonsensical policy, and we've been living with it for nine years. and it does confuse the on the ground commanders. >> reporter: lori manage runs the women in the military project and says she's seen more changes than all the years since world war ii. >> in these war, women are shooting and killing and they have not done that as members of the military at any time in the past. >> as jobs expanded, so did the military's ability to accommodate a woman's personal life.

>> what was expected ten years ago? >> it seemed like they were i don't want to say ridiculed, but there was almost a resentment. i think it's easier for women because you're a mom. nothing will change that. so it's nice to know, hey, i can go home and i'm not going to get talked about tomorrow for skipping out on a detail. >> reporter: so what's next in the first group of female navy officer is in submarine school and could be in the fleet by next year. just last went, robert gates says he sees a day when women are incorporated into special forces units. but in the most immediate future, to better accommodate battlefield commanders needs, a lot of folks say there needs to be a change in policy to catch up with the reality already on the ground. chris lawrence, cnn, tpentagon. good morning.

this is what north korea wants you to see today. it's what it wants the world to see. a strong, stable government and country, a force to be reckoned with. you're looking at a live picture of the 65th anniversary celebration in north korea. they are putting on quite a show right now for the rest of the world. we'll be going back here in just a moment, but from the cnn center, this is your cnn sunday morning 7:00 eastern time here. i'm t.j. holmes. thank you for being right here with us. we've got a lot to get to in this next half hour including what you were seeing there. you're seeing the pomp, circumstance, the pageantry and the beauty of an impressive celebration being put on in north korea today. this is the second part of the festivities. a huge festival taking places as part of the 65th anniversary celebration. we saw also a huge military showing, a military parade that took place, as well, earlier in the day.

here it is as a show -- again, a show of force that north korea is to be reckoned with. putting on a show, yes, for their own country, but also for the world. and that guy in the middle of the picture, that is kim jong-un, the youngest son of kim jong-il. kim jong-il, you see him there, he is the leader who is in ailing health, believed to have had a stroke two year ago, but he's bringing out his son now putting him front and center and this is the start of a succession there in north korea that the younger son will be taking over for kim jong-il. just given him a position of a four star general and a major position in the ruling party there. we'll be going back there live here in just a moment, but, again, enter mags al jouinterna journalists were invited in

because north korea wants the world to see this display. we'll cautalk more coming up. back to new york, eight men are under arrest and a ninth is being sought in hate crimes in new york. the police commissioner says three men were kidnapped and tortured by up to nine attackers. say they beat them in a vacant apartment and sodomized two of the men with wooden objects. a fourth victim also beaten and robbed in connection with these attacks. politicians are campaigning against the growing climate of hate right now. >> i was sickened by the brutal nature of he's crimes and saddened by the anti-gay bias that contributed to them. no one in this city should ever, ever have to feel afraid because of race, religion or zek yal orientation. >> these crimes are not jokes, they are not games, they are thing that's the away at the fabric of our city.

>> the string of attacks began when members of a street gang learn that had one of their aspiring members is gay. there have been 45 hate crimes in new york this year. we'll turn back to politics here in a moment. also want to tell you we won't be too away from that story in north korea. we'll be going there live shortly. also the election, 23 days away from those all-important midterm elections and republican ares and democrats pulling out all the stops and pulling out all the big stars. who is hitting the trail, who is helping, who is hurting? we have two political strategists joining us for our sunday conversation. copd makes it hard for me to breathe. but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now, i can join the fun and games with my grandchildren. great news! for people with copd, including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both, advair helps significantly improve lung function. while nothing can reverse copd, advair is different from most other copd medications because it contains both an anti-inflammatory

and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help you breathe better. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. i had fun today, grandpa. you and me both. if copd is still making it hard to breathe, ask your doctor if including advair will help improve your lung function for better breathing. get your first full prescription free and save on refills.

progresso. hi. we love your weight watchers endorsed soups but my husband looks the way he did 20 years ago. well that's great. you haven't seen him... my other can is ringing. progresso. hey can you tell my wife to relax and enjoy the view? (announcer) progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

as we told you at the top of the hour, north korea will soon have a new leader it's widely anticipated, continuing a family dynasty that has ruled the country for some six decades now. what happens there, of course, affects u.s. policy, affects the

rest of the word really. north korea poses a nuclear threat to the world.ld really. north korea poses a nuclear threat to the world. kim jong-il ailing. a major military parade celebrating 65 years of rule there by the worker party. alina cho is joining us from the korean capital. about hello to you. >> reporter: >> reporter: good evening here in the pyongyang where tonight north koreans are holding the third such event in less than 24 hours. officially marking the 65th anniversary of the founding of the workers party of north core

re, a but make no mistake, what this is in effect is an elaborate coming out party for the man who will be the next leader of north korea, kim jong-un, the young son of ailing lead are kim jong-il. and take it a look behind me, it is purepageantry. literally thousands of dancers both men and women dancing and sin singing. earlier there were fireworks, as well. and right here in the same place earlier this was that large military parade that you referred to just a moment ago. the largest in north korean history, some 20,000 military personnel a real show of the country's military might, if you will, the hardware, the missiles, the tanks. the media we should also mention has been invited as guests here about 100 of us from around the world. but make no mistake, t.j., the

real guests of honor are in the balcony to my right tonight. and that is kim jong-il and his son, the heir apparent kim jong-un who are in attendance tonight. t.j., back to you. >> alina cho again reporting live there. it's rare that we're able to get hive pictures like that, but thanks for that report. but she is there, has been there doing the reporting. again, we talked about -- she talked about the pageantry. as many as 5 0,000 people participating. an elaborate show for the rest of the world to see north korea and to see who would be the next leader of north korea, like she said a coming out party for the son of kim jong-il believed to be the successor of his father. you can get more news at

cnn.com/north korea. it includes details about kim jong-il and kim jong-un. we have background on the divide between north and south korea, as well. again, you can get that at cnn.com/north korea. 23 days to go until the midterm elections and up next, two political strategists who have their smiles on now. we'll see how long they last once i start asking questions of the two. [ male announcer ] it's luxury with fire in its veins. bold. daring. capable of moving your soul. ♪ and that's even before you drop your foot on the pedal. ♪ the new 2011 cts coupe from cadillac. the new standard of the world.

this chicken tortilla soup has such a wonderful zesty quality. that's the chipotle and cilantro. it's one of our new mexican soups. it reminds me of guadalajara. a special man. his delicious soups. sheila? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. his delicious soups. sheila? ♪ when it's planes in the sky ♪ ♪ for a chain of supply, that's logistics ♪ ♪ when the parts for the line ♪ ♪ come precisely on time ♪ that's logistics ♪ ♪ a continuous link, that is always in sync ♪

♪ that's logistics ♪ ♪ there will be no more stress ♪ ♪ cause you've called ups, that's logistics ♪

i'm martina and we can make an impact on breast cancer. you don't for get the date that your life is changed forever. the first thought this can't be happening. i was in denial for about two seconds. then i cried for about a minute. and then i said what do i do. and i thought i would use this as a platform to remind women to take care of themselves and go for that yearly checkup. your chances of surviving are much greater, your chances of it not being so bad in the first place are much greater. and a fuller life.

thankful i caught it when i did did, that i didn't wait another year, oh, i'll just do it later. i'll be very meticulous about going to the doctor. i'm not going to let that lapse again. join the movement. impact your world. cnn.com/impact.

16 past the hour now. just 23 days until an election that could change the balance of power in congress and cnn always your police for poll tlace your politics. let's break down the issues. maria and matt, thank you both for being here.

who will have a bigger impact, barack obama or sarah palin? >> i definitely think it will be president obama for sure. that's not to say that sarah palin hasn't already had an impact. she's become the biggest king maker, queen maker in terms of primary election winners, but the question is how are her candidates going for do in the november elections when she actually has to face mainstream voters when all of their policies, the candidates that she has backed, are very much out of the mainstream in terms of wanting to get rid of social security, medicare, department of education. that's out of the mainstream. i think president obama will have more of an impact. >> matt, what do you think? >> i agree president obama will have more of an impact because of his policies which have given us this 9.6 unemployment rate. absolutely this race will be a referendum on president obama and his policies not mention the

democrats who have held congress now for four years. i think sarah palin has a role to play, but clearly barack obama is much more important in terms of who people will be voting for in november. >> matt, if you had to give free advice to your friends, the democrats, what would you tell them to run on right now because it eaches lie it eaches li s it eaches lieems like there sho record of accomplishment, human wall street reform, health care reform, would you advise them to run on these? >> i would not. those are very unpopular. especially health care. even less popular than it was when they barely pushed it through. >> so what do you see them running on right now? >> i think that their only strategy left is simply to go after republicans and try to portray them as being extreme or not experienced. i don't think that democrats can win this election by trumpeting anything that they've accomplished. i think what they can do is try

to basically scare the american public about what the republicans may or may not do. that's what they're doing and i think it's probably smart politics. >> maria, will you take that free advice? >> absolutely not. here's what democrats are running on. a very clear record of standing with the middle class, against insurance companies, against big oil, against financial companies, grenagainst wall str defense a against all of the companieses who have thus far tried to make the middle class voters life more difficult and the only thing we see republicans standing up for is 700 build tied to our deficit for tax cuts for the rich he is 1% of families in this country and big corporations who only ship jobs overseas. a very clear choice and democrats will continue to underscore that. and i think in we coko if we do will minimize our losses. >> so you admit that a lot of people assume there will be huge -- >> no question, t.j.

we always knew going into this. >> how are we going to get the issue of the tax cuts worked out? because there will be a limited window now between the time they come back after the election and before they go on thanksgiving break and then christmas and new year's break to get that done. how is that going to get worked out? go ahead, maria. >> democrats will continue to push and underscore the importance of making sure that tax cuts for the middle class are sended. that is the most important thing right now, t.j. middle class voters, middle class and working class families are the ones that have felt the squeeze especially from the past eight years of failed republican economic policies. the top 1% of the wealthy do not need another $100,000 tax cut especially when it will cost us $700 billion. >> so your prediction is that we will extend or they will extend the tax cuts for -- >> absolutely. >> so, made the, what do you think, is that what's going to

happen, are republicans going to have to let go on the idea of extending them for everybody? >> first of all, keep in mind democrats have a 40 seat majority in the house and they dominated the u.s. senate.fact that they couldn't pass any tax cuts before leaving to go campaign i think is an indictment against them. here's what i think will happen, though is nothing. and i'll tell you why. there is a philosophical difference between the way that democrats and republicans view the tax cuts. i think republicans and i think conservative philosophy is genuinely believes that if you raise taxes on the people who create jobs that will hurt the economy for everybody. it's not that conservatives or republicans like rich people, it's like that how they help the economy improve. raising taxes on job producers is not a good idea. >> i wouldn't get to into ratwo races quickly. delaware and florida. let me start with delaware, christine o'donnell, is she just

a fascinating character right now or a major player that needs to be dealt with, matt? >> i think in a the democrats should take christine owe dondg done he will very searsly. she's within strikes distance. i like the direction she's been going. i like the new tv ads. so let's see how it goes. but i'd keep an eye on it. >> an interesting character or a force to be reckoned with? >> for sure an interesting character. that's not to discount, though, the anger that's behind her getting elected. because that is real. what is not reand completely out of the mainstream are the public policies that she would put in place if she were elected, completely out of the mainstream. she doesn't seem to be a very serious candidate, at least for this election cycle. clearly anything can happen in the future, but for right now, i think that seat is pretty safe in democratic hands.

>> last thing here and i know, matt, a race you're fascinated by is down in florida. first of all, three-way race, independent governor, chairly chris, you have the republican and meeks the congressman, a report he was possibly going to drop out. he says he is not, but you find that race fascinating not because of that but what rubio could mean for the future of republicans. >> i'm very excited about this race. the u.s. senate could dramatically change. even if republicans don't take hold, if they get rand paul and toomey and rubio in there, it could be dramatically more conservative. but i think marco rubio is possibly the future of the republican party. can he articulate a conservative vision like you wouldn't believe. i think he'll win down in florida and i think he could be the future of the party. >> matt, that will have to be the last word. matt and marie, a also good to s

always good to see you guys. thank you for being here with us and enjoy the rest of your day. the minnesota vikings quarterback bret pafsh is in a b favre is in a bit of trouble and the nfl is looking in to allegations that he sent racy messages and even nude pictures to a woman that was not his wife. was actually a female reporter.

♪ every day you check the weather, check the time ♪ ♪ check the news online ♪heck the wife, eck the kids ♪ ♪ check your email messages ♪ check the money in the bank ♪ check the gas in the tank ♪ check the flava from your shirt ♪ ♪ make sure your pits don't stank ♪ ♪ check the new hairdo, check the mic one two ♪ ♪ 'cause i'm about to drop some knowledge right on top of you ♪ ♪ you check a lot of things already why not add one more ♪ ♪ that can help your situation for sure ♪ ♪ check your credit score ♪ free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ free-credit-score ♪ you won't regret it at all! ♪ check the legal y'all. >>offer applies with enrollment in triple advantage.®

brett favre, we all know him, the legendary quarterback, hall of famer, back with the vikings. usually when he's in the press, people are annoyed with him going back and forth. >> can't make up his behind. >> he is back once again. he can back again, but playing for the vikings. he's in the middle now of a bit of a mess because there are allegations against him that he, in fact, sent some racy text messages and also nude pictures of himself allegedly to a

particular woman who was not his wife. that woman was a reporter, a sideline reporter. i want you to listen now. there she is. i want you to listen to one of the alleged voice messages that he left for her. take a listen here. >> jen, it's not a setup. just got done with practice. got meetings here for a couple more hours, then i'm going back to the hotel to just chill. so give me a text because i'll be in the building for a couple of hours. love to have you come over tonight. but i know i think [ bleep ] came up and asked you if you --

your number or he wassing for to give you my number, but i understand. give me a text. love to see you tonight. all right. talk to you later. bye. >> need to say clearly this was put out by dead spin, a website posted the pictures, posted the text messages. can't independently confirm whether or not that's him. you you can judge for yourself when or not that sounds like him. certainly nothing in that that would sound necessarily racy, but it's knonot something you'd want out there if you're married. but it's serious enough that the nfl is investigating. >> wow. but that's not the only part of the messages. is there something else that goes with it? >> yeah, there are other actual text messages, influenbut there nude pictures that are out there. and the nfl as all fans know, you don't have to break the law to