open-minded. the movie is "conviction." opens october 15. it's great. for more on these incredible stories and information about the innocence project, go to cnn.com/larryking. and look for the book, "tested: how 12 wrongly imprisoned men held on to hope." this hour everything you need to know for your week ahead. freedom could soon be a reality for those 33 miners trapped for months in chile. but some worry the rescue could put them in even more danger. we have new video just in to cnn tonight. and unfolding right now, a republican running for new york's highest office is in hot water again. last time, it was for threatening a reporter. this time, he infers guys are brainwash -- gays are brainwashing children. if you can't find a date, lower your standards. stick around, we've got the web

site for you called uglyschmucks.com. and members say it works. good evening, everyone, i'm don lemon. the political pressure is growing by the hour. the all-important midterm elections are just over the horizon, and the latest polls point to what could be huge victories for republicans just 23 days from now. democrats are scrambling to build some kind of momentum to salvage their hold on congress and to preserve the president's political agenda. today, a dramatic sign of what's at stake. president obama hit the campaign trail in philadelphia, trying to rekindle the magic that propelled him into the house, into the white house, in a state that's usually reliable for democrats. he brought the vice president with him. a double-barrel push to hold on to the democrats' house and senate majorities. this week, mr. obama plans more stops in florida, delaware, and massachusetts. today the president told supporters there's too much at stake to stay home on election day. >> they think you're going to be

willing to let the same politicians and the same policies that left our economy in a shambles back to washington. well, philadelphia, i think the pundits are wrong. i think the pundits are wrong. i think we're going to win. but you got to prove them wrong. [ cheers ] >> it's up to you to show the pundits that you care too much about this country to let it fall backwards. >> let's bring in our senior political editor, mr. mark preston. mark, why is it so important that the president go to pennsylvania today? >> don, twofold. first of all, 2010 midterm elections. talking to republicans, they think they can pick up five pennsylvania seats. these are seats held by democrats right now, don. and if they are able to pick up these five, pick up 34 more, they're going to take back control of the house. there's also a senate seat on the line. that's arlticle article -- thats arlen specter's seat. mr. obama got behind him, he lost. that now look like it could be

in the losing column for democrats. there's also a governor's seat in that state. looking ahead to 2012, pennsylvania's an extremely important state in the presidential race. 21 electoral votes on the line. a lot at stake for mr. obama. don? >> let's talk about the republicans now. i was talking to a republican strategist yesterday. he stead's the eighth inning and -- he said it's the eighth inning and republicans don't want to shoot themselves in the foot. and carl paladino, a republican candidate in new york, he made e headlines by threatening to take out a reporter on the allegation that he has an out-of-wedlock child. he's stirring more controversy tonight with critical rocks about gay -- critical remarks about gays, after a suspect was arrested in anti-gay attacks against men. let's listen in bicycle. >> i -- listen in brooklyn. >> i didn't march in a gay pride parade this year. my opponent did.

and that's not the example that we should be showing our children and certainly not in our schools. [ applause ] >> and don't miss quote me as wanting to hurt homosexual people in any way. that would be a dastardly lot. my approach is live and let live. i just think my children and your children will be much better off and much more successful getting married and raising a family. and i don't want them to be brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid or successful option. it isn't. >> okay. mark, you heard and saw that pregnant pause in there. and what of left out. this is on the transcript, but he didn't say it. there is nothing to be proud of being a disfunctional homosexual. he skipped that part. he is already infamous for other controversial remarks. what do you think? how will he and republicans react? >> well, the twofold again.

let's look at the new york governor's race now. he's doing in the polls pretty badly, trailing to the democrat cuomo up there, andrew cuomo up there. this couldn't come at a worse time for him to say something. he had these remarks typed out. it's not something he said off the cuff. this comes at a time after the police arrested an eighth suspect up in new york for hate crimes against four gentlemen. so this is how it's going to play tomorrow. the tabloids are going to go big with it in new york. we've seen it in the web sites. the "daily news" and "new york post" are playing it up big. nationally, republicans don't want to defend paladino for making the remarks. his campaign says this is equivalent to the teachings of the catholic church. so he's equating it to that, saying, look, this is how the catholic church think about homosexuality. that's all i'm saying. however, given the timing right now, and given the fact that he actually typed these remark out is not a very good thing for republicans. in fact, don, i've just been

e-mailing back and forth with representative -- a representative of a gay conservative organization, this is what they tell me. carl paladino's comment would matter if they were coming from a serious political figure. however, they are not. they are instead coming from an imploding campaign of a man with a personal baggage of john edwards and the electability of alan keys. that's from christopher baron from gop proud, a conservative oregon. expect to more statements like that in the next 24 hours. i believe they'll be condemning mr. paladino. don? >> that's what we'll be talking about tomorrow. thank you very much. don't go anywhere, our political coverage is just getting started. coming up, my conversation with pennsylvania's democratic governor, ed rendell. he spoke today before president obama and then he spoke with cnn. plus, i'll talk with our very own wolf blitzer. he's going to preview this week's delaware senate debate. he is co-moderating the showdown which will air right here on cnn. wolf joins me in just a few minutes. please stick around. now the latest on that mass overdose at a college party in

central washington. all but one of those who got sick were young women, and police say it appears they were targeted. police responding to the off-campus party near central washington university arrived to a scene of chaos. we've got the details now from ted rowlands. >> reporter: the party was thrown by a college freshman here at a second home owned by his parents, according to police. 11 out of the 12 victims were girls. all of them were between the ages of 18 and 21. students at the party say it was clear something was wrong. >> everything was going fine. the music was play, people were having fun. then all of a sudden, all the girls were puking everywhere. girls were outside on their back. and the people were so drunk they didn't know what to do. >> reporter: police believe the victims were drugged without their knowledge. >> saying don't drink out of the red cups. don't drink out of the red cups. and i know i had saw you someone drink out of the red cup. i took one sip of it, i

immediately threw up without a single drink. that's how powerful it was. >> reporter: for police the night started in this grocery store parking lot. a girl was unconscious if a car. officers tray traced her condition -- officers traced her condition back to the party. they had to break down the door because nobody would answer. >> i hate to think what would have occurred had another 15 or 20 minutes passed. >> reporter: police detained a man who was having second with a female. he was released after it was deemed they were boyfriend and girlfriend. it's not sure what the attendants consumed. police will interview everyone to try to figure out who drugged the students. cnn, washington. >> thanks. in chile the 33 trapped miners could surface this week. crews are lining the first 100 yards of the tunnel with steel tubing. and cnn is near the site,

walking us through the next steps. patrick? >> reporter: don, the pace remains full speed ahead here at the san jose mine. officials say by monday steel casing will be in place to reinforce the newly drilled mine shaft. by wednesday, the rescue operation will be underway. that rescue operation will kick off once a navy paramedic and mine rescue expert are lowered down the hole to the trapped men. they'll be sending up the miners one at a time through the rescue capsule. it will not be a pleasant ride. the miners will soon be on a liquid diet to combat nausea. if there are problems there will be an escape hatch. one problem that's come up is who goes first. many miners told officials they want to be at the end of the line to allow their fellow miner an earlier taste of freedom. don? >> thank you very much. in other news, a massive military parade marks a major anniversary in north korea. and in a rare move, the country's leader, kim jong-il, attends with his youngest son.

coming up, an extraordinary look into north korea's reclusive communist regime. plus, three top lenders halt foreclosures in a number of states because of problems related to improper paperwork. what about a national moratorium? we'll tell you what the white house has to say about that. and don't just sit there. we want you to be part of the conversation. send us a message on twitter or facebook, check our our blog. [ female announcer ] during endless shrimp at red lobster, you can have something decadent with something grilled. then something crunchy, then something new -- like parmesan shrimp in a buttery garlic sauce. and after that, you can do it all again. it's endless shrimp. indulge in endless servings of your favorite shrimp dishes. all for just $15.99. come in now for the best value of the year. at red lobster. 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! ♪ [ engine revs, tires screeching ] we give to you the all-new volkswagen jetta. we have one more surprise for you. fifteen-thousand nine-hundred neunzig dollar? [ sobbing ] [ camera shutters clicking ] ♪ whoo-hoo, yeah ♪ whoo-hoo, yeah ♪ i like your messy hair

♪ i like the clothes you wear ♪ i like the way you sing ♪ and when you dance with me ♪ you always make me smile [ male announcer ] we believe you're at your best when you can relax and be yourself. and at thousands of newly refreshed holiday inn express hotels, you always can. holiday inn express. stay you. and now stay rewarded with a sweet dilemma. up to five free nights at any of our properties or double points. u.s. relations with north korea may be about to get more complicated and perhaps more dangerous. kim jong-il made clear this weekend he wants his youngest son to be his successor. there was no official announcement. instead the message was conveyed

through the symbolism of a massive public spectacle. cnn's alena cho was invited in to north korea to witness it. >> reporter: we are in the center of kim il-sung square, named for the founder of north korea. what you are witnessing behind subcommittee what's being billed as the largest military parade in that country's history. it is officially the 65th anniversary of the founding of the ruling workers party of north korea. it is also a national holiday. but you in effect what this really is is an elaborate coming out party for the man, the heir apparent, the man who will become the next leader of north korea. kim jong-un. he is the young son of the ailing leader, kim jong-il a little about what is happening today. security is incredibly tight. there were numerous checkpoints, even our government minders were checked. to give you an idea, don, my notebook and pen were checked.

so security is tight. you're not allowed into this square without an invitation from the government. having said that, this is an extraordinary sight in pyongyang. there is no other way to describe it. some 100,000 people, members of the elite north korean society are here. as well as an international delegation. it is extraordinary to see some of the western faces in the crowd, as well. most important, the two most important guests here today, don, are kim jong-il, the lord of north korea, and -- the leaders of north korea, and his son, the heir apparent, who are to my right and above me, in the square. an extraordinary site in point yang today. >> thank you. no one had heard of kim jong-un until a couple of weeks ago. earlier i spoke with expert gordon chang about who he is. >> he likes a lot of things

western. he was educateded in a swiss school. really the most important thing is that he is as rudy giulianiless and cal -- as ruthless and calculating as his father. he's the one that got the dictator gene. >> is that the reason for him and not his two older brothers? >> well, they went through the two older brothers who for various reasons failed the test. the eldest son got caught trying to get into japan on a false dominican passport. that sort of ruled him out. the second son is a little effeminate. and though he had his moment in the sun, he didn't last long. there are numerous factions supporting all three of these kids. apparently the one supporting the youngest one has won out. >> gordon, as someone educated in the west and familiar with western culture, should we expect that he will be a different kind of leader than his father? >> absolutely not. his father is also -- loves

basketball, idolizes michael jordan, you know, watches all sorts of western movies, but he's like one of the worst dictators ever. the problem for kim jong-un is there's a system in north korea, a regime. he's very young, and he's going to have very little influence over the nature of the regime and what it does for a very long time. and he very well may not survive because there are so many people who want to be sitting on the throne instead of him. you know, i don't think that he has a very long life span. >> so how are north korean reacting to the sudden appointing of this heir apparent? >> you know, in the official media there's just joy and jubilation, and jefferson is so happy to be -- and everyone is so happy to be ruled by a third generation kim. as we saw in the beginning of december last year, there were protests and riots and demonstrations across the country because of botched currency reform. and basically people do not like kim jong-il at this point. so they're not going to like kim jong-il's son. and he's going to have to

overcome that because although kim jong-un will have the support of the regime or elements in, it he certainly doesn't have the support of the people. >> gordon, thank you. >> thank you. up next tonight on cnn, no toy unless a kids meal is healthy. we'll tell you where that could become the law. three mortgage firms halting foreclosures in some states. what do you think of a national moratorium? [ female announcer ] join yoplait in our commitment to fight breast cancer. 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. ♪ 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.

the nation is trying to get past its foreclosure crisis, but it's tough to do when shoddy paperwork is apparently grinding the process to a halt. several major bank have stopped foreclosure sales because of it. still, a senior white house adviser said today the president will not press bank to freeze all foreclosures. we are concerned -- >> we are concerned, there's not

a national moratorium. some foreclosures should if forward. >> to give us information, senior writer for cnnmoney.com. welcome. david axelrod mentioned some foreclosures, he said may be valid. but why wouldn't the president just want to stop all of them to make sure everything is above board in all cases? >> sure. well it's not healthy for the nation or for the housing market for foreclosures to stop. we have a lot of inventory out there. foreclosures are very popular. and we need to get this inventory out of the way for housing prices to stabilize and for banks to start making new loans again. and also, people don't want foreclosed properties on their block. they're boarded up, they're vacant, they're ugly. we want foreclosures and foreclosure sales to continue. >> the country has been in foreclosure trouble for three years now. why is this all happening now? >> well, a couple of weeks ago, three bank announced that they were going to stop the

foreclosure proceedings in the 23 states that court have to approve the foreclosures in. then on friday, bank of america came out and said that it was going to stop foreclosure sales in all 50 states, which set off a firestorm. >> tami, give us perspective, how big a deal is this? >> right. it's still a little too early to tell. attorneys general are investigating for fraud, politicians are calling for the banks' heads. the bottom line is if you haven't paid your mortgage, you can't stay in your home. so there may be some instances where the foreclosure proceedings were improper and people will get to stay in their homes. but for most people, this is just going to delay the process by a couple of weeks or couple of months. ultimately it's not going to change the outcome. >> for people who bought foreclosed properties, should they worry that they may have to give back their investments? >> that doesn't seem very likely. i mean, if there was a foreclosure that was truly improper, the original homeowner may be compensated for the sale. but it would be hard to believe

that they're going to evict the new buyers. >> thanks for helping us through this. tami luby, senior writer with cnn.com. appreciate it. from holiday shopping to toyless kids' meals, here's carter evans with this week's "getting down to business." it looks like some americans just had their thriftiest year on record. that's according to a new report from the labor department. in 2009, middle-class households cut spending by about 3.5%. that's the steepest one-year drop since tracking began in 1984. but even as income declined, spending by the poorest american rose 5.6% between 2007 and 2009. that's due in part to higher food and housing rental costs. we're going to find out more from the consumer price index report that comes out on friday. meanwhile, stores are hoping that shoppers decide to loosen their purse strings this holiday season. the new study by the national retail federation estimates that

sales will increase about 2.3% this year. buyers are still concerned about the health of the economy. so expect bargains to abound. the latest retail sales numbers come out this week. finally, some sad news for happy meals in the city by the bay. soon it could be illegal in san francisco for kids' meals to include toys unless they meet certain health criteria. the city board is expected to vote on legislation in the coming weeks. that's this week's "getting down to business." i'm carter evans for cnn in new york. "s&l," "saturday night live" pulling out the political stops again. this time with christine o'donnell, delaware's gop candidate for senator. our wonderful blitzer -- our wolf bill clinton blitzer joins. and president obama with democratic support on elections. pennsylvania's governor has strong words for republicans.

i think to have the republicans back in control of the house of representatives would be very destructive. i think they've said very clearly they want to go back to the policies, the economic policies that have ruined the country. >> you'll want to stay with us because governor rendell is going to tell us why he says it was so important for him to get out there with the president today. hey, did you ever finish last month's invoices? sadly, no. oh. but i did pick up your dry cleaning and had your shoes shined. well, i made you a reservation at the sushi place around the corner. well, in that case, i better get back to these invoices... which i'll do right after making your favorite pancakes. you know what? i'm going to tidy up your side of the office. i can't hear you because i'm also making you a smoothie. [ male announcer ] marriott hotels & resorts knows it's better for xerox to automate their global invoice process so they can focus on serving their customers. with xerox, you're ready for real business. - hello! - ha!

why don't you try a home cooked meal... with yummy hamburger helper? oh! tada! fantastically tasty, huh? ummm, it's good. what would you guys like? hamburger helper. what?! one pound... one pan... one tasty meal! boss: and now i'll turn it over gecko: ah, t, ecko. as we all know, geico has been saving people money on rv, camper and trailer insurance... ...as well as motorcycle insurance... gecko: oh...sorry, technical difficulties. boss: uh...what about this? gecko: what's this one do? gecko: um...maybe that one. ♪ dance music boss: ok, let's keep rolling. we're on motorcycle insurance. vo: take fifteen minutes to see how much you can save on motorcycle, rv, and camper insurance.

being a leader means moving fast. across the country when the economy tumbled, jpmorgan chase set up new offices to work one-on-one with homeowners. since 2009, we've helped over 200,000 americans keep their homes. and we're reaching out to small businesses too, increasing our lending commitment this year to $10 billion... and giving businesses the opportunity to ask for a second review if they feel their loan should have been approved. this is how recoveries happen. everyone doing their part. this is the way forward.

so as we mentioned earlier, president obama trited to pump up the democratic base at a rally pennsylvania. a state where his party could lose a number of seats it the midterms. top democrat ed rendell also spoke at today's rally. he is leaving office because of term limits, but he still has a lot of advice for getting voters out to the polls. >> when there's a bad economy, people just tend to reflexiveliy blame those people in power. it's important to focus even in the state, and we're not a really blue state. we've had a republican legislature for a long time. we're more a purple state than a blue or red. but it's very important for the president to take to our base. i said to the crowd today,

financial reform, democrats supported it, republicans were with the same people who brought us to the brink of economic disaster. student loans, the democrats and the president got rid of $60 billion that was going to companies and -- >> mr. rendell -- >> made available for students. >> with all due respect, i mentioned all of that and also with health care. i see the ads in my state and actually republicans are voting -- at least campaigning against that. saying that those i guess wins that the democrats have gotten, the president has gotten, they're using that as a negative in campaigns. you're saying that the democrats should be touting that. >> certainly whether we talk to our base. no question about it. because our base has to understand that there have been real achievements. you look at the seven things that have gone into effect in the health care bill today. already. not one of them people object to. i just give you one -- no longer can children 25 years of age or under be denied coverage for

pre-existing conditions. everyone agrees with that. when i said it on bill o'reilly's show, he said that's a good point, and he doesn't like the health care bill. >> why are democrats running on that? why is the president so unpopular? why isn't the. talking about that when he goes out -- at least a lot when he goes on the campaign trail? why aren't democrats campaigning at least on health care if it is such a positive for the party? >> cause, of course, in the spin war over the last two years, health care got a bad name. and they got it -- because people don't understand it. when you break the health care bill down and its components and when you tell people that the cbo says over the next 20 years it's going to cut the deficit by $1 trillion, all of a sudden people say, wow, i didn't know that. and yeah, you're right. seniors are getting money back to fill the doughnut hole. and small businesses are getting a 35% tax credit. wow, that's amazing. and high-risk pools are giving people coverage who might otherwise die. yeah, hey, it sounds pretty good

to me. you mean they can't cap us for expenses if a year? they can't drop us off health care because we're sick? boy, those are great. we just haven't done a good job of explaining it. >> governor ed rendell. thank you. you know, it's going to be a big week in politics. and wolf blitzer is going to be here with a preview for you. and it's a race again the clock in hungary right now where another wave of toxic sludge is threatening an already-devastated area. we'll look at what's causing the problem and what's being done to fix it. ♪

everything you need to stretch out on long trips. residence inn. ♪ everything you need to stay balanced on long trips. residence inn.

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.

it pressure-packed political -- pressure might have packed political season is not without lighter moments. christine o'donnell has provided laughs, thanks to her past statements on a decade-old comedy talk show. this weekend, "saturday night live" isn't letting anyone forget that she once admitted dabbling in witchcraft. >> i'm you. and just like you, i have to constantly deny that i'm a witch. isn't that what the people of delaware deserve? a candidate who promises first and foremost that she's not a witch? >> okay. so all jokes aside, christine o'donnell is the republican nominee for the u.s. senate. and she is taking part in a debate on wednesday evening here on sthen. our very own -- on cnn. our very own wolf blitzer is co-moderator. he joins us now. good evening, first of all. what do you expect at this

debate this week? these two candidates have very different political styles. >> very different styles, don. i think it's going to be a lively, informative debate because i want to make sure that during the course of 90 minutes, no commercial interruption, we'll go through all the major issues. issue number one, of course, being the economy, jobs, taxes, what to do about the current situation. and we'll press them on all of these issues. both the republican nominee christine o'donnell and the democratic nominee, chris koons. i don't want to neglect national security issues, whether the wars in iraq and afghanistan, what to do with iran, north korea. these are critical issues, as well. and i think both of these candidates should be prepared to discuss how all of these important issues -- because i think the voter of delaware, the voters across the country are going to be interested to hear what they say. you know, everybody seems to be caught up in what she said many years ago about, you know, what she said recently but also what she said years ago about being

attracted to witchcraft or whatever. but there are important substantive issues now the people of delaware have a right to know where these candidates stand. i want to make sure i get through that. >> wolf, the president was in the neighboring state, pennsylvania, today. you know, explain to our viewers who don't live in delaware why this race is so important to everyone nationally. >> because right now the republicans have 41 seats. the democrats, democratic caucus have 59. two independents who caucus with the democrats. the key number in the senate is 60. as you know, if the democrats have 60, then they can break filibusters more easily, assuming there are no democratic defections. the republicans need ten seats in order to become the majority. and they're close, they're not there by any means, but they're close. and if they can pick up delaware which is obviously problematic for christine o'donnell and the republicans but not necessarily outside the realm of possibility, she beat mike castle, who was a shoe-in supposedly for the republican

nomination, the long-time congressman from delaware. if she can beat chris koons on november 2, that's an important seat in terms of the balance of power in the senate. it will have national ramifications. >> here's what i'm wandering, you see "saturday night live" and shows making fun of christine o'donnell saying years ago she dabbled in witchcraft, and everyone's knowledging, gosh, this is bad press, she should be embarrassed. could be giving her a boost. >> it could be a whole movement saying the national news media, they're liberal shlg they're having a -- liberal, they're having a field day with this woman. she might be getting support. she spent ten minutes in an interview earlier on cnn with jim o costa. he -- jim acosta. he asked pointed questions and she answered them. she's -- this lady is by no mean an idiot or anything like that. it's going to be a tough debated and i'm going to make sure we go through all the issues. and give both of these candidates a chance to respond.

but, you know, let's see how she does and let's see how chris koons does. i think the voters of delaware are going to be informed. >> and it's a big week coming up for you. i appreciate you taking the time tonight. >> always my pleasure, don. >> and you heard what wolf said. you don't want to miss this. it's -- watch christine o'donnell go toe to toe with democratic candidate chris koons at the delaware senate debate. wolf blitzer will be the co-moderator of the showdown live on cnn wednesday night, 7:30 p.m. eastern. make sure you tune in. christine o'donnell is one of the big stories of the political season. she's been a hot topic for the hosts of cnn's newest program, "parker spitzer." >> i think when we look at the substance of what she says here, a lot of people are going to see, we're not so sure she's ready for -- >> i feel for the girl a little bit. she was a sweet girl when she was on the "bill maher show." she was 20 years old. she had personality, she's spunky and cute.

she was saying thing i don't think she intended to be taken terribly seriously. that's taken a life of its own. >> i think all that is not only fair to her but accurate. i defended her with that crazy ad, i'm not a witch. she's trying to defuse a situation. as you get closer to november 2 and say wait a minute, there are serious issues here. i don't think she passes that threshold. >> no, there a lot of people execute and spunky that i don't -- cute and spunky that i don't want running the country. >> for more opinions, ideas, analysis, don't miss cnn's newest show, "parker spitzer," weeknight, 8:00 p.m. eastern. many african-americans say church is one of the few places they can still call their own. we'll tell you about a california church that's questioning why there's little integration. and after began president karzai reacts to allegations that he is manic depressive. [ indistinct shouting ] ♪ another day ♪ another dollar

♪ daylight comes [ dogs barking ] ♪ i'm on my way ♪ another day ♪ another dollar ♪ working my whole life away ♪ another day ♪ another dollar lord of the carry-on. sovereign of the security line. you never take an upgrade for granted. and you rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i deserve this. [ male announcer ] you do, business pro. you do. go national. go like a pro. ♪ i like your messy hair ♪ i like the clothes you wear

♪ i like the way you sing ♪ and when you dance with me ♪ you always make me smile [ male announcer ] we believe you're at your best when you can relax and be yourself. and at thousands of newly refreshed holiday inn hotels, you always can. holiday inn. stay you. and now stay rewarded with a sweet dilemma. up to five free nights at any of our properties or double points.

let's check your top stories right now. hungary is racing to stop a new wave of tockic sludge. a cracked wall is threatening to collapse at the same aluminum plant where a reservoir burst last week and unleashed a deadly flood of chemical-laced mud.

crews are building an emergency dam. thousands of people have been evacuated, and troops are on standby for rescue operations. the wife of this year's nobel peace prize winner is under house arrest now. human rights groups say she was detained in her beijing apartment after she returned home from telling her jailed husband that he had won the award. liu xiaobo, a key figure in the 1989 tiananmen square protests, is serving an 11-year prison sentence. he has been a vocal supporter of human rights and democratic reform. in chile, another step closer to freedom for these 33 trapped miners. crews are reinforcing the first 100 yard of the rescue tunnel with steel tubing. once that is done, they will send down a doctor and rescue worker to prepare the men for their journey back to the surface. if all goes according to plan, the first miner could be back up by wednesday. crusading against almighty debt from the pulpit. a california pastor is on a mission to integrate america's

black churches. but as our ted rowland reports, some fear the church could lose more than they could gain. ♪ >> reporter: sunday service at christ our redeemer ame church in orange county, california. ♪ >> reporter: church started 12 years ago by reverend mark whitlock, 3,000 members strong and growing. here they practice something many other black churches do not -- integration. >> it's time for us to get away from black church and white church. >> the church is still the most segregated place on sunday in the united states. our goal is to do what heaven has accomplished. heaven is fully integrated. ♪ >> reporter: african-americans make up 2% of the population in orange county which makes integration here almost essential for growth. but whitlock argues it should be happening at every church because he says unlike the past, most of the issues that blacks, whites, and everybody else

struggle with are the same. >> we have problems with our kids. we have problems with bills. we have problems on the job. >> reporter: but not everybody thinks integrating the black church is such a good idea. michael realle is the former editor of "the baptist voice" and co-founder of realurbannews.com. >> it's ours. it's the one last place in the world that we have that we can call our own. >> we have whites on our board. they look different from blacks, yeah. they speak up a little more than blacks, yeah. but that means that they feel a sense of freedom. they feel a sense of belonging. if other churches aren't doing it, are they really practicing authentic christianity? >> reporter: cnn, california. >> don't miss cnn's "black in america" special "almighty debt." it premieres a week from thursday, october 21, 9:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. and coming up tonight, larry king asks afghan president hamid

karzai about all those rumors over his mental health. >> larry: are you a manic depressive? do you take medication for it? >> hear what the afghan leader has to say in response. plus, a web site for ugly people? we'll hear from the founder and one of its members. sorry i'm late fellas. [ evan ] ah it's cool. ah... ah. ah. ah. ah. ah. ah. ah. ah. ah! ah! whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, what is that? how come my dap wasn't like that? huh? it's just an "us" thing. yeah, it's a little something we do. who else is in this so-called "us"? man, i don't know. there's a lot of us. [ chuckles ] ask your friends what it's like to be part of a group that's 40 million strong. state farm insures more drivers than geico and progressive combined. it's no surprise, with so many ways to save and discounts of up to 40%.

so call an agent at 1-800-state-farm or go online. 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.

let's take a look now at the what the week ahead will bring from washington to hollywoodf t expected to grab the headlines. we begin tonight at the white

house. >> reporter: i'm ed henry at the white house where this week the president will be campaigning in key states like florida and ohio. but the big story is that his wife will also be hitting the trail. going to wisconsin and her home state of illinois. after all, she's the most popular obama, with an approval rating of 65%. about 20 points higher than her husband. >> reporter: i'm chris lawrence at the pentagon. coming up next week, home and away. here at home, the article 32 court-martial hearing begins for major nidal hasan, the army officer accused of opening fire and killing multiple people at ft. hood, texas. away, secretary robert gates. he'll be joining secretary of state hillary clinton in belgium, laying the groundwork with their nato allies, talking about afghanistan, ahead of the big meeting coming up at the end of november. >> reporter: i'm poppy haarlow in new york. this week is a busy one for wall street. report due out to consumer sentiment.

retail sales and inflation on the consumer and wholesale level. and a lot of focus will be on washington. the federal reserve will release the minutes from its latest policy meeting midweek, and also we'll get the treasury'sa latest report on the federal budget and a lot of earnings ahead for major corporations. we'll get a trio of report from dow components including intel, jpmorgan chase, and general electric. they're all said to report their third-quarter earnings. google is also set to report its numbers. we'll have it all for you on cnn "money." >> reporter: i'm "showbiz tonight's" brooke anderson. here's what we're watching this week. lisa rinna opens up about her headline-making plastic surgery revelations. and dancing's big d-day. will bristol palin over the situation survive the next round of cuts? we'll have a lot of fun with that and more. "showbiz tonight" is live at 5:00 p.m. eastern on hln. and still tv's most provocative tv news show at 11:00 p.m. >> that's what's happening in this country domesticallya we say.

let's take you nationally. we start with we hope it's gone. by wednesday the chilean miners, the first could come up. >> absolutely. final preparations are underway. if everything goes as planned, they're saying, like you said, as early assed with the first miner could be rescued. now, these 33 miners have been trapped underground, 2,300 feet for over two months. so a lot of anticipation that they're going to make it out safe. and they're going to send down a rescue capsule down the shaft and load 'em unone by one and -- load 'em up, one by one. a pull them up. >> you heard everyone was cheering, horns honking, and in camp hope, a makeshift tent city of family and friends who are trying -- they are there for the miners. we will be following that. we have crews down there. stay tuned. okay. it's fun to be here, you know, at the cnn center doing the news. boy, wouldn't it be great to be on this fancy cruise ship?

>> you know what, and wouldn't it be better to have it named after you? i guess that's what you can do when you're the queen, right? >> right. >> seriously, roll out the red carpet. her majesty herself will be presiding over a naming ceremony for a ship that bears her name, called the queen elizabeth elizabeth ii. this is going to happen monday in southampton. seriously, look at this thing. it looks like the bumming ham palace of the high seas -- buckingham palace of the high seas. >> 90,400-ton vessel, the second largest ever built by the line behind the six-year-old queen mary ii. christened monday. >> they said it cost like half a billion dollars to make. and it's taking a tour around the world in 2011. we should try to get tickets. >> 2,092-passenger vessel. very nice. maybe we'll get a ride, get a descount, something like that. thank you very much. have a great week, okay? >> you, too. and we go to a cnn exclusive and i sneak preview of tomorrow's

""one of the united states' most important allies, hamid karzai, is asked about rumors that he's emotionally unstable, even manic depressive and bipolar. i want you to listen. >> his recent book, "obama's wars," bob woodward says that you were diagnose the as a manic depressive. he writes that sensitive intelligence reports on you claim you are sometimes delusional. sometimes don't take your medications. is that true? are you a manic depressive? do you take medication for it? >> the the only medication that i have taken is an antibiotic call eed augmentin, the stronge i have taken when i had a bad cold two years ago. >> larry: what do you make of the stories about you being manic depressive which, by the way, is a common disease.

millions around the world have it. and being delusional? where does that come from? >> like -- like -- like -- like all other stories. >> larry: not true? >> oh, definitely not. rather funny. >> hear much, much more from afghan president karzai on the taliban, the ninth anniversary of the u.s.-led afghanistan war, and his push for peace. he is telling all in a cnn exclusive on "larry king live," tomorrow, 9:00 p.m. eastern. a dating web site for the homely? sounds like a loser propaganda. but hear why uglyschmucks.com is winning more and more support. its creator up next. ♪ 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 like your messy hair ♪ i like the clothes you wear ♪ i like the way you sing ♪ and when you dance with me ♪ you always make me smile [ male announcer ] we believe you're at your best when you can relax and be yourself. and at thousands of newly refreshed holiday inn express hotels, you always can. holiday inn express. stay you. and now stay rewarded with a sweet dilemma. up to five free nights at any of our properties or double points.

so you can't get a date? maybe you should lower your standard. there's a dating web site for ugly people. it may sound like a gimmick, but supporters say it's only honest intentions behind uglyschmucks.com. it launched about three weeks ago here and in canada.

its creator, joe de luca, told me he's had a great response. and a member, keeley wheeler, told me why she joined. >> i am looking inwards, the people i want to meet. i find beauty is within the soul. besides that, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. i leave that to each person to decide. >> what do you ong the traditional web sites they were too focused on beauty and bodies and all that stuff, so you decided to do this? >> uh-huh. and, you know, they not only focus on beauty, but also on material possessions, your income, thing that are irrelevant to me. >> this is a unique idea. so far we have had -- we've had 2,000 registered members on the site. but we've only been live for about a month now. >> so pretty people, don't even bother because joe de lucaa is making sure membership stays exclusive. mb