vitac -- www.vitac.com that's going to wrap it up for us. we'll see you back here bright and early tomorrow. >> sure will. the news continues, kyra phillips starts now. >> good morning. we're talking about how to get 33 guys out of a hole half a mile underground. their escape route is ready t. trick now, getting the bodies ready. we're talking about gay bashing as well. something that a guy running for new york governor have in common on some level. 22 days until the crucial midterm elections. the balance of power in washington isn't the only thing at stake. 2010 could go oun in history as the year pot goes mainstream. hello. i'm kyra phillips. you're live in the c nrks nrnn . we're talking about 22 days until the elections t. talk is all about the new accusations

of, quote, stunning homo phobia in the new york governor's rate. democrat an draw cuomo is blasting carl paladino. he said that cuomo marched 18 gay rights parade. >> i 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 equally valid successful option. it isn't. >> paladino is denying these remarks, that come from a written political statement handed out at the same event. the comments obtained by cnn from new york affiliate new york one actually say, quote, there is nothing to be proud of in being a dysfunctional homosexual. that is not how god created us.

once the media pounced on the comments, paladino responded with this. i do not agree with this passage nor did i say it. apparently a few reported relied on suggested remarks distributed by my host after my departure, not the statements that i made. carl paladino is not the only politician launching damage control. remember this. in nevada, senate candidate sharon angle is caught bashing the gop, the same party trying to get her elected. she's the republican nominee, after all. her counterpart christine o'donnell has several gaffes to explain t. most haunting may be this old televised admission. >> i dabbled in witchcraft. >> you were a witch? >>dy join a covan. >> you're a witch, going i was a witch. wait. >> that's exactly why. because -- because i dabbled

into witchcraft, i hung around people who were doing these things. i'm not making this stuff up. i know what they told me they do. and one of my dates, one mif dates, my first -- >> hold it. i want to hear. >> one of my first dates with a dich was on a satanic altar. i didn't know it. there was blood there. >> your first zmat. >> we went to a movie and had a midnight picnic. satanic altar. >> o'donnell is running an ad saying i'm not a witch. jerry brown got caught on a voice mail that recorded a candid conversation. listen to how his aide referred to brown's gop opponent. >> whiteman will cut a deal i won't. >> and in florida, democratic congressman allen grayson isn't reverting too name calling, he's calling his opponent taliban dan. >> daniel webster wants the

impose his fundamentalism on us. webster tried to deny medical care and a right to divorce their abusers. >> submit to me. >> he wants to force women to bear the child. taliban dan webster, hands off our bodies and our laws. >> john, i look at all of this and it seems like there is no such thing as extreme anymore. >> that's exactly right. in the new politics we're seeing no such thing as too extreme. it's not a gaffe as much as a strategy to suck up the oxygen of attention and to play to the base 18 way that causes activist groups to rally toward you in many cases becoming not recruiting tool but a fundraising driver. the problem is to it's divisive strategy. i think it's hurting america. >> it is hurting america. let's talk about that.

we're talking about issues very sensitive right now. terrorism, gay bashing, we've got kids that are being called out and are taking their own lives because they are being bullied because they are gay. and then this horrible -- i'm not going to say the word -- we know what was said in jerry brown's camp about meg whitman. it's like where's the class? where's the common decency? does that not exist? >> yeah. well, i think there are two things going on. with the rise of technology all the candidates and the aides are always on. in the case of jerry brown's camp there is no place you can't go where you're not concomment. you need to hold yourself to a higher standard. in the case of carl paladino's comments, you have something different, a scripted comment. it wasn't a gaffe, it was in a script, an intentional attempt play to the social conservative base in a state like new york. and that is a remarkable shift

it seems to me. that is a conscious attempt at positive polarization, quote unquote. it's an attempt divide in order to conquer. we've seen it across the country. given that we're in the midsle of the gay civil rights movement it's a remarkably divisive strategy, attempt, tactic. he's saying he was quoted out of constext amazing itself. >> so you talk about all of these various comments that are being made. why is it happening now? do you think that we are just in a point where we've got no boundaries any more? that anything goes and it's okay? are we accepting too much as a society? >> you know, i think first we are deep in the weird season of politics. it's no longer the silly season. it's the strange season. i do think that the politics of insightment, the way the extremes insight and encourage each other created an

environment where there is no such thing as too extreme. it used to be leaders gave talking points to hosts. now talk radio hosts give to political leaders, that's created a different dynamic. in which the shock jock approach, in which planting a flag and trying to gain the most attention possible is seen as a smart move. that create as race to the bottom that is having a negative effect on our miss cal discipline. >> that type of attitude within even just our news circle make as lot of money and gets rating, now our political leaders are turning to the same. always great talking to you. thanks, john. breaking ne ing news in a rn afghanistan. these are the reports we're getting that u.s. special forces tried to save british aide worker.

she may have been killed by a grenade thrown by american forces trying to free her. earlier reports say she died in a blast set off by her captors. you may remember she was captured by militants last month. a drama that started in august could finally be over in two days. the way out for the 33 trapped miners in chile is finally ready. now it's time to get guys ready for the half mile trip to the surface. patrick is in chile, has been working pretty much nonstop since they reached the miners. it was a tremendously exciting moment, patrick. >> reporter: yes, it was. even though there were widespread celebrations people really got caught up in the moment. the rescue workers here, the pace has continued nonstop. they finished the casing for the mine hole. it will now be ready starting wednesday, to put a capsule down

to the 33 miners and as early as wednesday start bringing them up. it's going to be quite a ride. even in the final moments of captivity it will abterrifying ordeal. when that comes up it could spin as it makes its rise to the surface. they are going to start a liquid diet to com fwat nausea. despite that, the two months under ground you think everyone will be running to the exits but quite the opposite. miners are saying they want to go last saying they want their colleagues to go before them, to be able to see the families, enjoy their freedom. so it's a bit of an argument over who goes last, not who goes first. >> and don't you find that remarkable? you would think they have been down there since august, that all of these guys would want to get out of there as fast as possible.

and the fact that they are having debate on the order of people that go up, how are they figuring this out and how is it going to remain calm as they make these decisions? >> reporter: you know, this is how they survive. they had a hierarchy, a shift foreman down there, he for the most part is sort of the captain of this ship and he's the first who says i'm the captain, i'm going last. but there is so much respect for one another they say no, you deserve to go first. backing each other up, having solidarity and a job to do. they is been clearing rubble, guiding the drill bits as they come down. they have been helping in their own rescue. it continues to be an amazing story. >> truly is. we can't wait for that moment when they start coming up out of that mine shaft. we'll take it live for sure.

thanks so much. and hold on because we're going back to chile after the break. we're going to talk with the two american drillers that opened the way for those miners to get out of there. -i can't always get to the bank. -but i can still bank. i have the bank of america mobile banking app. i can take care of things on my break. i can check my balance... while i'm on a bus. waiting at the barber shop. at the studio. oh, my paycheck's already in. [ chuckles ] i just transferred money. i went online and set up alerts to let me know if... my balance drops below $200. you can pay your bills online. you enter the amount. then, "make payment." -boom. -done. -wish i was... [ male announcer ] bank whenever, wherever, however you want. with mobile and online banking from bank of america.

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contuously? >> you know, we have those moments all the time. it's not an easy drilling business is just not an easy business. so every day, every moment something can go wrong so it's an ongoing battle. at the same time it is what we love to do and there's 33 lives at stake. there wasn't an issue with motivation at that point. there were some very long days and very hard working days, we have a great team, all the guys that worked on this, everybody put in 110%. it came together. the goal was met and it's an awesome feeling. >> jeff, just to give our viewers and idea of what challenges you faced because this isn't where you just pop the drill in and get straight to the guys. there are obstacles. give an example to our viewers

of an obstacle and how you trouble shoot. it has to abclean perfect drill, correct? >> that's correct. you have a lot of issues that as you drill you have to be on the rig to fool what it's doing. there's torque, so many things, you have to know the difference between good and bad torque f we wait too long to pull one of the drill bits out and it's undergauge, the next won't go into the hole so. you have a lot of reaming to do. you have a guessing game along with luck. but that's basically the day-to-day thing of troubleshooting in the drilling business. >> were you able to say anything once you broke through and you reached the miners what was the first thing you said to the

miners, to the crew. give us a feeling for what it was like and what was said at this moment. >> you know, the few moments before that were real stressful. as we said, you can spend all this time on a well and in the last meter have something fail and lose the entire thing. so when we broke through it was more of a sigh of relief. jim was on the phone with the miners, we had a video so we could see it penetrate so it was one of those things i turned to jim and shook his hand and gave him a hug and said we did it, congratulations, we're there. >> fantastic. jeff stefonik, got to give a shout out to jim and his company. jim hart with lane chris and company, a driller from denver, that came in here to be a hero.

you and jim did an amazing job. thank you so much for joining us. it means a lot to us. straight ahead, 22 days voters in nearly two dozen states decide on changes in their marijuana law. a closer look. also, the best jobs in america. where are they? how much do they pay? our friends have a list of 100 of the best jobs. you'll see a lot of them. here's a few of them. number 5, environmental engineer. visit cnn money.com to see the full list. ♪

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checking the top stories. police in washington are trying to determine who spiked drinks at a party attended by central washington university students. police suspect someone spiked the drinks with the date rape drug. richard branson's dream of space travel, this is video from the test flight in july. the space ship passed all the tests yesterday over california's mojave desert at 45,000 feet. branson says the test flight

means the sky is no longer the limit. >> after the meeting the spt going to make public comments. we'll bring it to you live. we are 22 days away from one of the most watched midterm elections in recent memory. among the issues marijuana. several states have proposals that would loosen mariner statutes. josh levs has the details. >> it is a big year for marijuana battles, before we take a look at specific ballot initiatives i want to show you a map. this is from stateline.org. they show how many states considered loosening marijuana laws. the states in light green considered medicinal marijuana. and the yellow states considered

taxing marijuana. a lot of bills died in committee but there are four states we're looking at the initiatives on the ballots. the main one we hear about is california here with a conversation about legalizing marijuana and taxing its sale. there are two states, arizona and south dakota where there are ballot measures that would allow medical marijuana. if those pass these would join 14 others and washington, d.c. in allowing medical marijuana. there is another in oregon. this would allow and regulate the sale of medical marijuana. as we watch these heated debates over these laws remember there is also the political question of who gets drawn to the polls in those states partly because of those measures. it will be interesting which side gets more turnouts. i'm at jov lev cnn.

look forward to hearing from you. back to you. josh, thanks. he might be the next deck tater of north korea or might not. he might take charge of its military and nukes or not. welcome to kim yong un. counting down america's best jobs. environmental engineer came in at five. four, physical therapist. visit cnn money.com to see the full list. we know why we're here. to chart a greener path in the air and in our factories. ♪ to find cleaner, more efficient ways to power flight. ♪ and harness our technology for new energy solutions. [ female announcer ] around the globe, the people of boeing are working together, to build a better tomorrow.

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stocks are pretty, well, riding pretty good winning streak. the dow has risen in five out of the last six weeks. that's good news. alison? >> as we speak the dow is pushing beyond that 11,000 mark today and it's expected to continue doing that all week because corporate earnings are beginning to roll in. and those company report cards really show us how companies are faring in this tough economy. and that's a big question. because we know the recovery has been slowing down lately and we'll see if that's the case with the big companies. this week we're going to hear from intel, jp morgan chase and

google t. key is those sales numbers, we'll also be watching to see if demand is picking up. in the meantime, the dow industrials up 12, and the nasdaq up slightly about one. finally, a story right up your alley. would you trust a car that drives itself? i know it sounds crazy but that's what google is in the process of doing. the company is saying it's testing cars that use cameras and sensors to steer, stop and start without a human driver. the cars are, they say, always being manned during the testing phase. and engineers say the cars are safer because they react more quickly than humans. i don't know. do you want to be in the car where technology fails a it the moment when you're in the car surfing the web and the technology decides to go down? >> let's think about this. people are texting on the phone googling and everything else

while they are driving. so, hey, if this is good technology you could go ahead and a.d.d. while the car does everything else. >> in about eight years it will come to market so maybe you'll be first in line. >> if it's looking good we need to invest. thanks. north korea is among the most sinister places. what we do know is pretty scary. exploding nuclear devices and testing long range missiles. so, who is in charge is crucial. this weekend in a rare public appearance kim jong-il's son was announced as the new heir apparent in some spectacular mass rallies. all we can do is speculate what kind of leader kim yong u.n. can be. it's not like he is going to tell us. john roberts talked with an expert about the mystery son

earlier this morning. and really we only know what we read. it's not necessarily encouraging news. >> yeah. even is what you read accurate? with the coming out party for kim yong un, 27, maybe 28, we don't know a lot about him. he looks like he is being set up to be the next leader of north korea. gordon chang joined us. i asked what do we know about kim jong un. >> kim jong un and his son is a downright mystery. what do we know? >> he's the youngest of kim yong ill's acknowledged sons. he posed as the son of the driver of the north korean embassy. you know, he likes michael

jordan, basketball like his dad, the most important thing, though, is that he's as ruthless and calculating as kim yong ill t son with the dictator gene. >> so much we don't knowment we don't know how old he is. twofrnlths 27, 28. he's following in the footsteps of pop. >> pretty scary when you hear he is as ruthless as pop as your guest said. there have been a lot of comparisons to saddam hussein and his johns and do we know if this transition is a sure thing? >> that's the thing. with the father, the dictator of north korea, prepared for kim jong-il, he did it over the course of two decades, got everybody used to him. kim jong-il hasn't talked about

succession until he suffered from a stroke. he has had to in the past two years get used to the idea that kim jong un could take over. it may be that if kim jong-il passes away a general decides hey, i want to be the leader. so if you have an unstable transition, perhaps might fall apart and a countrynuclear weapons that could be a problem for the united states. he says find out who to called if everything falls apart and at the moment they don't know the right phone number. >> going to be interesting to watch this unravel, shall we say. thanks. better pay, more opportunities, we're counting down america's best jobs. number 3, management consultant. stick around, we'll get to the top two jobs coming up. how are those flat rate boxes working out?

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checking top stories. president obama host as meeting this morning with mayors and governors on a $50 billion plan to fix the nation's roads, rails and runways. after the meeting he'll make public comment. we'll bring to the you live. in chile the final steps to bring 33 trapped miners to the surface. crews have finished the drilling and reinforcing an escape shaft. those men could finally be brought up as early as wednesday. in afghanistan the governor of the province was assassinated during friday prayers. 19 other worshipers also died. a few days earlier he had warned cnn in an interview that 40% of his province was under taliban control. afghan president hamid karzai

>> 22 days until the midterm election and the pal of you poer could shift in washington. enter the clout after former president. the campaign value of bill clinton, this hour.

22 days until americans cast their votes in the midterm elections and the control of congress hanging in the balance. paul steinhauser at our political desk, what else is crossing? >> talking about the bottle for control of the house. you get this first, i haven't finished writing it yet. i'm talking about florida's 22nd congressional drik. the republicans think they can win back. today you have president barack obama in south florida for a fund-raiser and some of the money he raises will go to the democratic candidate in the seat. this morning john boehner, the house minority leader, the top republican in the house, down in the district as well helping out the republican candidate. you can see even race by race, one race could make the difference. remember the republicans need 39 seats to win back control of congress. i'm going to ask reggie to zip in here to the political ticker. former president bill:on the,

the democrat's go to guy. where is he going to be? he starts in kentucky. then, boom, moves on to west virginia teaming up with the governor there who is running for the senate trying to keep a seat in party hands. the former president ends in upstate new york, campaigning with a democrat in the house. what do these places have in common? all areas where the former president may be more popular than the current president and they are asking the former president to campaign. interesting stuff. you'll see a lot more of bill clinton. finally this battle for the last week or two between president obama and the republicans. a new democratic national committee ad going up tomorrow you heard the president talk about this, he is calling american crossroads an independent organization that raises money and spends money for republicans and is going after the chamber of commerce as well which does similar stuff. they may be using foreign money.

both of them pushing back and karl rove who has helped and associated with american crossroads, he said this is beyond the pale. this is a big battle and it's all over this big money spent by republican groups that are independent but are backing republican candidates and butch freer now how they raise the money thanks to supreme court decisions. a nasty battle over money. a lot more later. back to you. >> paul, thanks a lot. more at the top of the hour. you need the political fix, go to cnnpolitics.com. christine o'donnell one of the story this is season, a hot topic for the host of parker spitzer. >> i think when we look at the substance of what she says a lot of people are going to say you know what, we're not so sure. >> i feel for the girl a little bit. she was a sweet girl when she

was on the bill mar show. >> i agree with you. >> now it's taken a life. >> i think that's not only fair to her but accurate. i defended her with that crazy ad i'm not a witch because you know when she is trying to defuse a tough situation. as you get closer to november 2nd you say wait a minute, there are serious issues here. >> there are a lot of people who are cute and spunky i don't want running the country. >> for more opinions, ideas and analysis, don't miss "parker spitzer." in the bronx, in new york, eight suspects in brutal anti-gay hate crimes arraigned, between the ages of 17 and 23. police say the men held three and beat them and sodomized

them. the victim, gay. washington, police are trying to learn who supposedly spiked drinks at a party attended by students at washington university. police believe someone put the date rape drug in the drinks. on the border police say the dashboard cam on a state trooper's car shows two jet skis. traffic stop came three hours before heart hi's wife called to say she and her husband were attacked on the mexican side of the lake. tiffany says her husband was shot and killed. >> look at history making tv, fair to say the phrase live from new york it's saturday night changed the face of television

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we now how new york's republican candidate for governor feels about gays. carl paladino in his own words. >> 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 brain washed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid or successful option. it isn't. >> well, there you have it. in this climate, where you have

gay kids feeling so isolated, so ostracized, distraught and shamed that they are drink on the suicide, is it really necessary to make statements like that? to use words like brain washed when talking about people, many of them young, who are being who they are, many of them young, being who there are, struggling to come to terms with it. there are now at least eight sus secretaries of a new york industry gang targeting gays, beating sod damizing with a plunger handle and putting out cigarette putts on their victim's skin. you have gay bashing people in serbia, chanting death to homosexuals. 140 people hurt, some 200 arrested. violent intolerance that can hurt serbia's chances of getting into the european union.

you don't expect much from the street thugs in new york city or the westboro baptist church that uses homosexuality as its excuse to protest at military funerals, but from a man who wants to be governor of new york, you would expect him to be above gay bashing. what's his solution to anti-gay bullying. does he think these kids choose to be gay, to be harassed to the point where they decide it would be better to jump off a bridge? this is proof that words can do unspeakable damage. a man who expects to govern all of the people of the empire state should know that. >> let's check in with patrick oppmann at the site of the mine rescue operation in chile. >> reporter: keer remark the top of the hour, we're going to have a lot more on the operation to get these 33 trapped men above ground and when that's going to happen. i'm mark preston at the

cnnpolitics.com desk. carl paladino, the republican nominee for governor in new york is under fire for controversial comments he made critical of gays. more at the top of the hour. >> i'm alison kosic live at the new york stock exchange. the blue chips closed above the 11,000 mark on friday for the first time in five months, but question is, what it a one-hit wonder or will the rally continue? we'll take a look at that in the next hour. also, next hour, thousands of hungarians wait for the inevitable. a cracked reservoir is about to unleash a giant wave of toxic sludge on their village.

imagine opulence on the open sea. you don't have to. you can surround yourself with a luxury suite that costs $24,000 a person on a ship more than three football fields long. the new queen elizabeth leaves on her maiden voyage to the canary islands tomorrow.

we are going on board. >> reporter: welcome aboard the queen elizabeth. isn't it magnificent? this ship is about 12 stories high, and if you think about placing four big planes side by side, that is the length of the queen elizabeth. 2,092 guests will set sail to the canary islands and steam through the mediterranean. the final price tag, $634 million and made in italy. this is the grand lobby entra e entrance, and if you look at it, it's an art deco style. a special portrait of the queen hangs in the grand lobby. the chef tells me there are six kitchens, 140 chefs to make 10,000 meals a day. it took 1 1/2 years for chef

zimmerman to get the produce in the kitchen. >> over here, we got veal limon. >> reporter: i never had a potato souffle. theater and ballroom dancing in the evening. some guests can retire into this $24,000 suites on this trip. has it been hard to sell the rooms? >> no, it the maiden voyage. >> reporter: the broom suite leads to something special. >> the jacuzzi bath, you can see out the window to watch the world go past. >> reporter: kyra, there's a lot more excitement here as we are just under an hour away from the

queen's arrival. you can see the red carpets have been rolled out. everybody's been spruced up, and the guests are arriving and waiting for the queen to wish her name sake bon voyage. >> what is the queen going to go? is she going to be hanging out in the 24,000 a night suite checking out the jacuzzi bathtub? >> reporter: maybe not this trip, kyra but she's going to get on board immiately. it's a gift for her 60th anniversary as the monarch. so she will tour around, meet the captain, meet the crew. she's going to be in a new state of the art theater setup, and they have private boxes, but only when the queen stands in it, will it be designated a royal box, and what's a boat like this without fabulous shops. she's going to take a look at the great should bes, and then she'll come down and standing at

the podium. there will be bands playing and an orchestra over here. i went up on the podium. there's a large wooden button she will press and it will trigger a mechanism all of the way to the front of the ship and there is a 2009 bottle of rothschild white wine waiting to be whacked on the queen elizabeth ship. >> this couldn't be a more perfect assignment for zain verjee. do you know your port from starboard? >> reporter: i do, actually. i thought i better check. if i'm on a ship, i better know which one. it's like stalactites and stalagmites, right? port is four letters, and left is four letters, and starboard, that side of the ship is right. >> when they say rothschild wine, you'll go in any direction where that is.

>> reporter: rothschild wine, darling. only the best for the queen of england. i askeded why they didn't put a bottle of champagne. they said it was tradition, so they're sticking to it. >> i love it. zain verjee gets the fun gigs now and again. great to see you. 22 days until elections, and the talk this morning, all about the blistering new accusations of stunning homophobia in the new york governor's race. democrat andrew cuomo is blasting republican carl paladino to remarks he made to a group of orthodox jews, saying he set a bad example for children by marching in a gay rights parade. i didn't march in a gay parade this year, 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 misquote me as wanting to hurt homosexual people in any way. that would be a dastardly lie. 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 brain washed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid or successful option. it isn't. >> all right, but there's some other comments, and paladino is vehemently denying the other remarks that went even further. they actually come from a written political statement handed out at the same event, but paladino says they never came out of his mouth. quote, in my speech, i noted my opposition to gay marriage inspired by my catholic beliefs.

i also oppose discrimination of any form. i did not say this phrase, there is nothing to be proud of in being a dysfunctional homosexual. that is not how god created us. i do not agree with this passage, nor did i say that. paladino says the remarks attributed to him came from the synagogue that hosted his speech, and he says the comments were added and given to reporters after he left the gathering. paladino has a colorful history of winding up in the headlines and not always in the positive light. he acknowledged sending e-mails that are considered racist and sexist. paladino promised to convert empty new york prisons for housing for people on welfare. they could qualify for lessons in hygiene. he scoffed at his critics who

say he's too blunt. he says he doesn't apologize for being an angry man. paladino has plenty of company. he tapped into voter anger and is hoping to ride that anti-washington backlash all of the way to capitol hill. let's get more perspective from mark preston in washington at the political desk. let's talk more about who is this guy, and what impact do you think all of these comments, in particular these ones about homosexuals, will have on the race, mark? >> well, kyra, let's just set it up. right now, if you are to look at polg, including cnn's most recent poll from last week, it shows paladino is down 14 points to andrew cuomo, the democratic nominee. he's this tea party favorite that came out of nowhere, a successful businessman from buffalo, new york. came out of nowhere, beat the republican establishment candidate, as you so eloquently pointed out. he's not afraid to make some charged remarks, and we saw that

yesterday when he was speaking to this orthodox jewish community in brooklyn. a few weeks ago, he threatened to take on a reporter from the new york post. so he doesn't shy away from controversy is, i think, the simplest way to describe mr. paladino. >> it's not just paladino, but it seems like politicians are making a lot of extreme comments within this election period. have you noticed that? and why do you think -- even john avalon says there is nothing that's too extreme. >> we are seeing the polarization. of course, you can go back to any election and find the polarization of democrats and republicans but we're seeing that even more so right now. even if you talk to some of the more centrist republicans, there's concern that they feel the real conservative wing of the party, the social conservatives of the party are shifting control of the party more their way. some of that has to do with the

tea party influence on the republican side. now, on the democratic side, talk to centrist democrats, and they'll say that the liberals are trying to pull their party a little too far to the left. >> you talk about elections, how are you going to win or lose, in the end, democrats vote for democrats, and republicans vote for republicans, but it's that middle ground that both parties are striving to get. that's how you win elections. that's the voters that these politicians should be reaching out to. >> gay rights supporters have found plenty of ammunition in paladino's comments. we have a guest on the phone. your response to pal la deadino statements this weekend. >> paladino's statements portray an ignorance about what it means to be gay in 2010. i don't think it's a win are

strategy to try to get independent voters and moderate voters. >> you can see that gregory is actually on a cell phone. we'll see if we can get him to call back in, get a better connection, and we did lose him. we'll trite to get him back and get a chance to get the reaction there on paladino's statement from the log cabin republicans. a lot of people are saying that this is one of the nastiest elections ever. some candidates are waging personal attacks while otherwise are flooding the air waves with downright nasty ads at their opponents. will these tactics and ads deter you from going to the poll and voting? do you watch them? go to my blog. i'd love to know what you think. cnn.com/kyra. take a look at what is the most welcome site in chile.

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you can just imagine how families and friends of the 33 trapped miners chile felt on saturday when the rescue hole broke through. they're cheering. flags were waving. hugs, tears. you're seeing it all there. huge breakthrough after a couple of pretty tense months. the exit route is ready, and it's time to get the guys ready for their half-mile trip to the surface. patrick oppmann has more. >> reporter: there's only one thing everyone wants to know. when will chile's trapped miners

be freed. mining minister laurence golborne has the answer. >> we are going to have another three days. that's why we are foreseeing that we will administrate the rescue process on wednesday. >> reporter: despite the hours they have put in, they are up to the final challenge. >> this is the most important task we ever had in our life, so i think the human group is easier to motivate than i ever faced in my life. >> reporter: officialing concede the rescue will be an ordeal for the miners. one man at a time, they will be hoisted to the surface by the phoenix rescue capsule. ris skewers above will watch them ascend over a live video feed to deal with any possible medical emergencies. the capsule has an escape hatch and has oxygen, and a giant winch will raise the capsule with its human cargo. when the winch lowers the

phoenix capsule into the mine, that's when the rescue operation begins, but there is a debate brewing deep under ground on the order they will leave. >> they were fighting yesterday because everyone of them wants to be at the end of the line, not at the beginning. >> reporter: above ground, miners' families make their own final preparations. this woman sends a message to her brother. >> i write him to have faith and trust in god and for everything to turn out well he needs to be strong. >> reporter: and strength is what all of the miners will need to end what seems like an eternity hundreds of meters beneath the earth's surface. as you can imagine, this is an incredibly tense time as families wait, so hopeful that this rescue operation will go off without any hitches. government officials have said, yes, this is the most dangerous

part of the process of getting these men to the surface and any mistakes, problems, any injuries that the miners suffer are unacceptable. all have to be brought back safely or the operation will be a failure. >> they have had to go on liquid diets to fit in the capsule, right? are they going to be given anything else to remain calm, not have anxiety because that's a 20-minute trip straight up in a very tight atmosphere. >> reporter: there has been some discussion about giving the men sedatives, calming them down, and government officials of decided, no, they need the men sharp. they need to be aware of the surroundings and they need them to help get the rescue capsule. they need the men at their best. they can't cloud their judgment. these men will help, as they have throughout the whole rescue, with this. >> can't wait for the moment when they start coming out from that mine. we'll be taking it live, of

course. last hour, i got to talk with one of the americans who drilled that rescue hole. jeff hart went to chile from denver to help out. i asked what happened when the drilling team finally broke through and saw those miners. >> the few moments before that were real stressful as we said. you can spend all of this time on a well and in the last meter have something fail and lose the entire thing. so when we actually broke through, it was more of a sigh of relief. jim stefanik was on the phone, and we had video so we could see if penetrate. i turned to jim stefanik, gave him a hug and said, we did it, congratulations, we're there. how a house party turns into a nightmare for college students in washington state. drinks spiked and dozens of people sent to the hospital. [ commentator ] lindsey vonn! she stays tough!

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>> that's the question. today, don't expect any huge moves. we have a light trading day because of the columbus day holiday, but, hey, stocks are rising now ever so slightly. the dow jones industrial average up 7, the nasdaq up about 00 points higher. at the same time we're heading higher, wall street is betting that the fed is going to do something more to help the economy. it's really a sign that the economy is in one of those rough spots. wall street will be listening to fed officials this week. they'll be speaking out, including ben persbernanke. the dow is down 22% from 2007, its record high of 14,167 hit in october. we have 3,000 points to go to hit that record high again, but, still, let's all cheer the 11,000. kyra? >> no kidding. when we talk about the recovery

slowing down, we have to talk about foreclosure. several major lenders are freezing foreclosures. what effect will this have? >> the foreclosure freeze in effect right now will be a positive effect because home prices will stabilize, fewer foreclosed properties on the market diluting the market but this is really a false positive because the foreclosures will continue to pile up, and those will eventually hit the market, and when that happens, prices are going to fall. people will still lose their homes, and it also brings down the value of those people living next to those homes, those neighboring properties. bottom line, it will delay a housing recovery which could also delay a robust recovery in the overall economy. kyra. >> thanks. other top stories -- police in washington trying to determine who spiked drinks at a party friday attended by central

washington university students. 11 female students were taken to the hospital. police suspect that someone spiked the drinks with roofies. smooth sailing for richard branson's dream of affordable space travel. in july, this space ship passed tests. it passed tests again yesterday. branson says this means the sky is no longer the limit. democrats and gay rights organizes accusing carl paladino of stunning homophobia after he condemns gays' rights and the politicians who support them. the remarks went off the cuff. they were actually prepared. you know, gay rights supporters have found plenty of ammunition in his comments. we lost our guest a few minutes ago by phone. he's back with us. gregory, do we have a good connection? >> i think we do. >> i appreciate you calling back

in. >> my pleasure. >> we heard what paladino said on tape, and now he's vehemently denying these other comments that came in a written form. he says that comes from the synagogue from which he gave his speech. but overall, his statements that he did say were very clear on tape. >> this is an ignorance of what it means to be gay in 2010, regarding what was said or not being said is that it was implied that being gay is a choice or option, and that's not a position that log cabin republicans support and the majority of voters in new york support and not a strategy of winning if he wants to be the governor of the state. >> he said he did not want to add fuel to the fire of gay hatred. >> i don't think his intention was to incite violence or

promote hatred and would say he wasn't advocating homophobia. i think that's dangerous to say that. i really do think that what is at the heart and core of his statements is a deep misunderstanding of what it means to be gay and a lack of sympathy for the gay community. >> interesting. you're saying he is not homophobic. he just doesn't get it? >> i have met carl paladino. we had a very civil conversation a few weeks ago. when you talk about homophobia, he wasn't afraid to meet me. i do know there are gay people working on his campaign, so i wouldn't go so far to say the man is homophobic but does he truly believe gay men and women are equal and deserve the same rights, including marriage rights, he does not and that's something we take issue with. >> do you think this is being taken a little too far or do you think the criticism is fair? >> i think the criticism is fair.

what is at the core of his statement is a misunderstanding of what it means to be gay, and also a -- the comments that he said about being brain washed, i think. that's not a message that needs to be getting out there right now. >> it's interesting. you said you met with him and had conversations with him. what have you said to him to try and educate a very archaic thinking, as you well put it? >> well, let me just say that i have met carl paladino. we have not had any formal meetings with him as an organization but i did have an opportunity to meet him and had the opportunity to meet him as chairman of the log cabin republicans of new york state, and at the time he seemed open to dialogue and it's important to underline the fact that we are still open to dialogue with the paladino campaign. that's the work we are doing. we have a lot of work to do on our side of the aisle in order to make the case for equality. i will also add that here in new york state we have a big victory

convenient coming up tomorrow night, where we are celebrating two republicans in the new york state assembly who have gone on record and voted yes for marriage equality. it's important to note there are fair-minded republicans out there. we support them and as far as republicans like carl paladino, we are open to dialogue with them. the statements he made yesterday are certainly not helping along any positive endorsement from our organization. >> in light of those comments, final question, gregory, will you push to that meeting to sit down with his cam and have a discussion about this? >> i think it's important to have a discussion with carl paladino and republicans running in this state and running nationally. we need to put a face on what it means to be a gay man or lesbian woman in 2010, and i'm happy to meet with carl paladino and his

campaign and i want to say here on air, the offer is on the table. we'd be happy to meet with him. >> we'll follow up. thank you for calling back in, gaeg gore. voters in nearly two daz states will decide on changes in her marijuana laws. a closer look ots on what it means for you. also, america's best jobs, the work is satisfying, there's growth opportunities. we have the list of the best jobs in the country. coming in at number two, physician assistant. next is what's the best job in america or you can visit cnn.com and check out the entire list.

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days away from election. some states are voting on changes to marijuana laws. california going the distance with a proposal to make smoking pot legal whether it's for medical purposes or just for pleasure. joe johnson has more. >> reporter: not one, no two, not three, but four states have initiatives on the ballot this fall that would change their marijuana laws in big ways, and one of those initiatives, the one in california, proposition 19, it's called, would pretty much legalize retail sales of the drug for recreational use. that's right, if the voters go for it, what once was called the gateway drug, the evil weed that led to cocaine, heroin, and sent thousands upon thousands to jail, could suddenly after all these years become okay to do for fun in california. the three other states with pending legislation, oregon, south dakota, arizona, are looking to either legalize it

for medical purposes or modify those laws in place. it turns out, coast to coast, 14 states and the district of columbia already allow medical use, which is something a former national anti-drug czar sees as a problem. to him this is like booze and if legalize ld have the same negative effect on society. >> an intoxicant makes people feel you've forric, part of the pathway toed a addiction. this is a sham. >> reporter: so how did we get here anyway, especially considering all of the reminders we've had about the evils of marijuana, the old black and white movie warning the public about it or former first lady's just is a no to drugs campaign in the 1980s. criminologist peter reuter says attitudes have changed about

marijuana especially since medical marijuana has become a legal reality. >> it does give an aura of usefulness to this drug which previously in every public presentation by any official agency was always very negative. >> reporter: use of the drug hasn't exactly skyrocketed recently, but the one thing that has changed is the economy. money-hungry states are looking for new sources of revenue and already wondering whether pot is the next cash crop. >> governments certainly, if they become promoters of legalized marijuana, if legislatures get involved it will be for revenue reasons. >> reporter: some predict legalization in california could cause chaos in the courts. such legislation will clash with federal law launching a big battle that could end up in the supreme court. but at least for now, it's all

just a pipe dream with a lot of speculation, though the world of drug enforcement could look a lot different when the smoke clears on election day. joe johns, cnn, washington. thousands of hungarians waiting for a cracked reservoir to unleash a giant wave of toxic sludge on their village. [ female announcer ] any hair shines in the spotlight. aveeno hair shines in real life. new aveeno nourish plus shine with active naturals wheat smooths damaged cuticles for 75% more shine in one use. real shine, for real life.

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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. let's get to hungary and the threat of another environmental crisis. we just learned that an eighth person has died after a toxic flood pour sbod a village in hungary last week. we have the latest with diana magnay. >> reporter: we just spoke to the spokesperson of the catastrophe protection unit here in hungary.

they now confirmed that they have found that final person that was missing, a body. so the death toll now stands at eight, and, of course, more than 130 people injured by the alkaline purn burns that you gm being exposed to the toxic sludge, and there is concern there will be another release of toxic sludge because the reservoir walls appear to be cracking. there was a crack that authorities found over the weekend which is about half a meter wide and 20 meters long, so really quite a giant crack and if that wall does give way there is a possibility that around 00,000 cubic meters of red sludge -- so all of the sludge remaining in this reservoir could be unleashed down into the villages, and authorities are trying to work really against the clock torque build up an emergency dam to try and protect those villages

should the sludge come out. they say that dam should be about ready in a couple of hours' time, so by tonight, so they hope that is measure enough to keep people safe. >> can you give us an idea of the type of toxins that we're talking about and where they came from and accumulated from? because it's hard to even imagine that that type of threat would be so close, even though the reservoir has these cracks, but so close to so many humans and homes and livelihoods. >> reporter: absolutely. this red mud is highly alkaline and is the byproduct of aluminum and contains heavy metals like lead and arsenic and unpleasant chemicals, and, of course, it was meant to stay within this reservoir. after the first 1 million cubic liters were leaked, it was

feared it will get into the dan yup, poisoning all life in the waterways. that's one of the mightiest rivers in europe, but tests have been made on that water, and it seems that the measures put into place, dumping things like plaster and acid onto the water to try to neutralize the ph value have worked and the danube isn't as badly contaminated as people had worried about at t t that. >> appreciate you calling in. we will continue to follow this story, of course. north korea is among the world's most sinister places, a place foreigners rarely see. exploding nuclear devices, testing long range missiles. in a rare prubl appearance, kim jong-il's son was visible as the heir apparent. >> reporter: kyra, good evening from pyongyang where north

koreans are marking the 56th anniversary of the ruling workers party but this is also a coming out party, giving us a rare glimpse inside one of the most secretive societies in the world. the most reclusive dictator in the world opens his arms and his doors to the world. en unofficial and elaborate coming-out party for kim jong un, the hidden prince, the son of kim jong-il, who one day will become the leader. this is the world's first glimpse of him in action after being named a four star general last month. just after touching down, we're wisked to pongian's may day performance. there are more than 100,000 people performing in a massive display of coordinating song, dance and gymnastics.

they practiced eight hours a day every day nor a year, and there is never a guarantee that chairman kim jong-il will be in attendance but tonight he is. this time, kim jong-il appears alongside his son. when the show is over, north koreans in the audience applaud not for the performers but for their leader. next up, a massive military parade, billed as the country's largest ever. a goose-stepping show of fire hower hower -- power. jim jong ill rarely seen in public, shows up again, for the second time in two days. walking unaided but with one hand on the railing. long live the general, this woman says, and long live his

son. here, kim jong-il flashes a rare smile as his son jokes with elders. the crowd goes wild, jumping, clapping, even crying. then as night falls, yet another spectacle. tonight's soiree is the third event in less than 24 hours. the colors, choreography, thousands of dancers in traditional dress. the media has been invited as guests. this is the invitation but make no mistake, the real guests of honor are up in the balcony, kim jong-il and his son, the heir apparent kim jong un. this man, an actor from denmark, one of the handful of private citizens invited from the north korean government is one those watching. what about the reports of

oppression and the people starving? >> i can't see it. maybe it is there but i can't see it. i can just see lucky people. >> reporter: this secretive nation will soon close its doors again, leaving many questions about its future. how will the young son rule? how long can north korea continue as an isolationist state? the world's eyes are watching as north korea begins its transfer of power. and for all this talk about transfer of power, it's incredible to note that we actually know very little about kim jong un. he is said to be 27 or 28 years old, went to boarding school in switzerland as a teen and knows some english, german and french, and, kyra, he's also said to be a chip off the old block, that he not only looks like his father but acts like him, too.

kyra. straight ahead, we're talking gay bashing, something that gang goons, right wing serbs and a guy running for new york governor all have in common on some level but i'm thinking that one of them knows better.

checking top stories, we are actually waiting to hear from the president any minute now. he'll be stepping up to that podium in about eight minutes talking about infrastructure. he's going to be meeting with various governors, mayors, the head of transportation. we will bring that live as soon as it happens. other stories we're following right now -- chile, the final steps are under way to bring 33 trapped miners to the surface. rescue crews and finished drilling and reinforcing the escape shaft. in afghanistan, the governor of a province was assassinated

during friday prayers. 19 other worshipers died in the explosion. on friday, he warned that 40% of his province was under taliban control. >> democrats and gay rights organizes accusing carl paladino of stunning homophobia after he condemns gay rights and the pligs who support them. those went off the cuff remarks, however. they were prepared. now, we know how new york's republican candidate for governor feels about gays as i just mentioned, but here's carl paladino in his own words. >> 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 brain washed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid and successful option. it isn't. >> well, in this climate, where you have gay kids feeling so

ostracized, so distraught and shamed that they're driven to suicide, is it really necessary to make statements like that, to use words like brain washed, when talking about people, many of them young, being who they are, many of them struggling to come to terms with it. and then listen to this, there are now at least eight suspects of a new york street gang accused of horrific krams targeting gays, and it doesn't stop in the u.s. you have gay bashing thugs in serbia, tossing molotov cocktails and chants "death to homosexuals." you don't expect much responsibility from street thugs, but from a man who wants to be governor of new york, you'd expect him to be above gay bashing. does he think these kids, like tyler clementi, choose to be gay, that they would rather be harassed to the point where they decide it was better to jump off

a bridge? this whole problem is sad proof that words can do unspeakable damage. a man who expects to govern all of the people of the empire state should know that. two days until elections, even though president obama is not on the ballot, he's looming large in many of those states. y. they're still so tired-looking. with olay, challenge that with regenerist anti-aging eye roller. its hydrating formula with caffeine-conditioning complex perks up the look of eyes. it works in the blink of an eye. i can take one airline out... and another home. so with more flight options, i can find the combination that gets me there and back quickest. where you book matters. expedia. hostcould switching gei real a bd in the hd or more worth 2 inhe bush? praiser: well you rarely see them in this good of shape. appraiser: for example the fingers are perfect. appraiser: the bird is in mint condition.

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only 22 days until americans cast their votes in the midterm elections, and the control of congress could be hanging in the balance. mark preston, part of the best political team in television, what's crossing now, mark? >> democrats have talked about running local elections, meaning they don't want to nationalize this election, and really that was a top democrat really put a point on that thought yesterday on cnn's "state of the union" with candy crowley, they said that it's okay for democrats to run away from president obama. in fact, he said that by doing so, they're talking about their independence on certain issues, and he also said it's a sign of the party's strength that democrats can disassociate themselves from president obama. they're highlighting their independence and shows how ideologically the house democratic caucus is. of course, republicans are able to pick up more than 39 seats on election day, republicans will take back control of the house.

democrats are doing their best to stave that off. speaking of president obama, as we speak, he is meeting with governors and mayors in the white house. we should hear his remarks from a short time. he is talking about a $50 million infrastructure plan to not only create jobs but help rebuild roads, bridges and rail across the country. a story that certainly will get some blow-back from republicans who say there's been too much spending so far or too much bad spending so far. let's close it out with this. we talk about 39 house seats that republicans need to pick up. well, democrats are hoping that a loss in a primary early this year will help them hold onto a west virginia seat. allen monihan lost to oliverio, and he is considered to have a better chance of holding onto this seat. the republican is david

mckinley. if you want to get an idea of how republicans think they can take back the house, how democrats feel they can defend it, you need to check thit out on cnnpolitics.com. >> more political news next hour. if you are away from the tv, go our website cnnpolitics.com. christine o'donnell one of the hottest topics. >> when you look at the substance of what she says here, a lot of people are going to say we're not so sure she's ready for the senate. >> i feel for her a little bit. she was a sweet girl on the bill maher show. she was 20 years old. had a lot of personality, spunky and cute and saying things she didn't intend to be taken seriously. it's taken a life of its own. >> i agree. i even defended her with that crazy ad, i'm not a witch. she's trying to defuse a tough

situation, but then when you step back and get cloeter to november 2nd, you say, there are serious issues. i don't think she passing that threshold. >> there are a lot of people who are cute and spunky that i don't want running the country. >> don't miss "parker spitzer" week nights at 8:00 p.m. eastern. what makes a good job, salary, stress, growth level? we compiled a list of the best 100 jobs in america. here's the job that topped it. five, environmental engineer, four, physical therapy, three, management consultant, two, physician assistant, and number one, software, engineer. check out the entire list on kmn kmn money.com.

♪ i never thought that this would be the way you'd come back home ♪ every day we honor the men and women in uniform who have given their lives in iraq and afghanistan for us. today we lift up master sergeant robert horrigan. his younger brother dan created

a memorial outside his home in texas is honor him. it's a sculpted bronze statue. sergeant horrigan could do it a you will. service for the country was long and dangerous, three tours in afghanistan and four in iraq. he was killed on his fifth tour on duty there. he leaves behind a widow, a daughter, his mom, a sister and two brothers. master sergeant robert horrigan is buried in arlington national cemetery. if you have a loved one would you like us to honor, type in your confidence member's name in the upper right hand search field, pull up the profile, send us your thoughts and picks, and we promise to keep the thoughts of your hero alive.

>>. >> pretty troubling story out of central washington about a college party that went horribly wrong. plea police say that someone spiked drinks causing a massive overdose. most of the women had to be hospitali hospitalized. >> reporter: the party was thrown lie a college freshman. 11 out of the 12 victims were girls, all 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 playing, people were having fun, and all of a sudden all of the girls were