>> good to see you, suzanne. what we know right now is horrific but what the fbi and police in philadelphia are still trying to figure out could be worse. they are desperate to learn how many mentally disabled or otherwise vulnerable adults fell victim to an alleged scheme to steal their government benefits. four such people were discovered over the weekend in a dark and pu trid philadelphia basement. three of them have spoken with a local reporter. listen to this carefully. >> back of my head and this was bleeding and everything. >> that was real dirty of you. that was wrong. >> did you guys willingly give her your information? >> she asked for it. >> she took it. >> she took it away from me. >> reporter: the alleged members, each of whom faces numerous charges and being held on two and a half million dollars bond. weston did time in the mid-1980s

for locking her sister's boyfriend in a closet until he starved to death. more recently she had a house in florida and she had the i.d.s and social security numbers or powers of attorney for some 50 other people when they arrested her. finding those people, learning their storieses no small job but some questions are still being answered. just this morning police in west palm beach confirmed a 15-year-old girl who was last seen in july with gregory thomas or thomas's teenage son was found apparently safe in philly. the girl's mom is elated. >> i just want to hold her and love her and just -- i don't know, i don't have -- i want to hold her and just want to hold her. >> now we want to bring in cnn's sara hoy, who has been covering the story up close. tell us about your visit to the virtual dunch on.

last night we were able to go into the basement, it was dark and cramped and smelled. the smell of urine was so strong it burned my nos trillions, there was a metal mop bucket with feces in it. it was claustrophobiclaustropho there for five minutes, i can't imagine being in there for a week or two weeks. >> what do we know, if we do, about the other people who could have been subjected to at least this kind of treatment, sara? >> we don't know much. like you said in the local reports, we are hearinging that one of the victims did meet linda weston on the internet, possibly a dating site. the police aren't going into a lot of details because they have a lot of work to do and they have a case that needs to go to trial. they are kind of keeping some details close to the chest. >> all right. great, thanks so much for that. sara. tonight the republican presidential candidates square off in las vegas. you'll be able to see all of action right here starting at

8:00 eastern. some of the candidates are hoping to keep the momentum going while others may be looking for a quick spark to reignite the campaign. t.j. holmes is live in las vegas. are all candidates preparing? one at least is not showing up? >> yeah, when we say all, all that plan on participating because we had one candidate say he was going to boycott the debate. we had to put one of the podiums back in the truck. this big dust up, one of the story lines surds rouning the debate, jon huntsman is going to stay in new hampshire and put his chips on new hampshire and doing this as a show to stand with new hampshire because they are kind of -- at least they would say getting hoegsed by nevada, which has moved up its caucus date to january 14th. iowa is going on january 3rd. new hampshire doesn't have enough room in between the two really to have its primary.

they might have to go in december. so what he's doing is saying, i'm going to show new hampshire that i'm standing with you and it's wrong what nevada did. he's boycotting the debate. five candidates said they will boycott the nevada caulks all together. you have is a storyline going on right now. the bigger issue of course is the economy, jobs. there will be a big issue in tonight's debate and all of these debates. but a lot of people, joe, will question, las vegas, is that the right backdrop? with the billions of dollars going on the casino floors, isn't vegas a wash in cash? absolutely not. this is the ideal spot to have this debate and to have this conversation about the economy because when people over on the east coast are hit by the economy, that means they are not going to fly to las vegas and spend their money. that's what they depend on right now is you and your dollars. so the highest unemployment rate

in the country of any major metro area is right here in las vegas. you can bet -- sorry for that pun, but you can bet you will be hearing a lot this evening about the economy and a lot probably about 9-9-9 which herman cain getting a lot more attention these days. >> all good points, cain and romney on defense, perry on offense, it will be interesting to watch and you'll be there. remember, you can see the cnn western republican presidential debate tonight at 8:00 eastern tonight. anderson cooper is the pit boss for the debate. tune in and check it out. here's something the president didn't count on during his bus tour through north carolina and virginia. he revs up crowds, somebody got to work stealing a truck containing sound equipment. presidential podiums and presidential seals. police recover the truck but it's not clear if they got back all of the equipment. the feds do say the truck did not carry anything sensitive or

classified. but the trip itself is a sensitive subject with republicans who say all of this time on a million dollar bus is a campaign swing and not the people's business. what is one man's life worth? how more than 1,000 palestinians are being traded for one israeli soldier. but first, this just isn't something you see every day. 52 catholic nuns from china running in the beijing marathon. outfitted in their white t shirts and black sweat pants to raise money for charity, nuns participating in a major public event is actually quite unusual in china. they normally keep a low profile because religion is still state controlled in china. for the four dozen or so who participated, you're today's rock star. at bayer, we're re-inventing aspirin for pain relief.

with new extra-strength bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles, enters the bloodstream faster and rushes relief to the site of pain. it's clinically proven to relieve pain twice as fast. new bayer advanced aspirin. my son and i never missed opening day. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort.

it helps significantly improve my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better, and that means... game on! symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. [ whistle ] with copd, i thought i might miss out on my favorite tradition. now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing. today i'm back with my favorite team. ask your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or click to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. i tell you what i can spend. i do my best to make it work. i'm back on the road safely. and i saved you money on brakes.

that's personal pricing. day of joy in israel and joy in gaza and the west bank. en uncommon convergence because of one israeli soldier and hundreds of palestinian president prisoners are free. shalit was held by hamas and the palestinians were locked up for crimes against israel, up to and including murder. 477 were freed today, more than 500 others due to be freed by year's end. the israeli ambassador to washington was a guest on cnn this morning. my colleague kira phillips asked why his country would give so much to bring just one man home. >> we've had similar exchanges in the past after the 1967, six-day war, we exchanged over 6,000 arab prisoners for two

israeli pilots. that type of commitment to our children who go out to defend our country has enabled us to remain strong in the face of terror. >> cnn's kevin flower joins me from jerusalem. let's talk about how the swap came about. >> reporter: well, joe, this is a deal years in the making. both sides have been negotiating for a long time about this release. and the numbers that they've been talking about have been about the same that we saw in this final deal. but in the end, both sides decided that now is the time to act. israeli prime minister calculating that israel could probably never get a better deal than it was going to get today for the release of gilad shalit and for hamas, a calculation that now is the time to sort of bolster their own popularity with the palestinian people by making a bold move and getting so many palestinian prisoners

freed in one stroke, joe. i notice that gilad shalit's father had public comments. did he talk at all about his son's condition? >> reporter: he did indeed. noam shalit went outside his house in northern israel today to address the throngs of reporters and supporters who had camped out outside. this is what he said to say. >> translator: today we come to the end of a long, exhausting journey which began in july of 2006 and has come to an end four years he says and four months later in october 2011. gilad has come home. >> reporter: so, joe, clearly a

very relieved shalit family. noam shalit said they were experiencing the rebirth of their son. so a very happy shalit family and very happy israeli public as well. >> kevin flower in jerusalem, thanks so much for that reporting. this has been a long odyssey for gilad shalit. the stakes will be understandably high at the las vegas gop debate but may be higher for one the candidates, it's fair game and it's next. but first, john king on how politics is like dating. >> now we've had our first date and our second date and our third date. you see some people falling out of favor and some of them come back. maybe i don't want them to be my date but be my friend. i'm laughing and making light of it but that is how it works because as much as we vote on the substance, do i agree with this person, do they share my values, most voters make a gut

judgment. but the jeep grand cherokee uses advanced technology. like the quadra-lift air suspension that lowers the vehicle at highway speeds to improve aerodynamics and deliver a more than 540 mile driving range. so you can raise your standards while lowering your fuel consumption. ♪ sun life financialrating should be famous.d bad, we're working on it. so you're seriously proposing we change our name to sun life valley. do we still get to go skiing? sooner or later, you'll know our name. sun life financial.

it's time to talk politics and debate, tonight cnn hosts the western republican presidential debate, you'll see how we put it all together. we'll have the debate tonight live at 8:00 eastern time. for most of this debate cycle, herman cain has been nipping at the heels of the front-runners but now the shoe is on the foot and he's the guy everybody is looking to kick around. my guest, maria cardona and associate dean christopher

metsler. maria, what do you make of this guy, herman cain? do you think he can outlast the barrage of questions he'll get from other republicans on the podium tonight? >> i do think his appeal is for real. if it wasn't, he would not have surged too front-runner status. if you're asking whether he's in it to win it and always been in it to win it, i don't think that's true. my theory on herman cain is he was somebody who wanted to get in there and shake up the debate, change the conversation, to see if he could get some traction for his book, frankly, which we all know he just published. and i think that this surge has somewhat taken him as a surprise as much as it's taken all of us as a surprise. he doesn't really have a fund raising infrastructure and does not have the money romney nor perry do. he does not have any organization in any of the early

voting states. and i think that now he's just kind of making it up as he goes along to try to stay up with the surge that he was not expecting. >> the truth is, if you look closely, specifically at the fund raising numbers, the guys to worry about here are perry and romney. just what do you think romney has to do and what do you think perry has to do and who is going to be on the attack if anyone? >> a couple of things. i think in particular for perry, you've got three simple letters. a, b, c for tonight. first, pay attention, second, be excited about being there and third, give us some charm. give us some of that texas charm that you have not been able to give us. as to romney, i think what has to happen tonight, just kind of stay the course. don't do anything dramatic, not that he can. or don't say anything that's kind of out of the box. i think who's going to be on the attack tonight is primarily

michele bachmann. she has to be on the attack tonight. if she's not on the attack, cain is taking her conservative base. that's what a lot of this surge is about. so she is going to be on the attack. she has to come out swinging with velvet gloves of course. >> maria, when you look at the poll numbers, the guy who seems to be in trouble is rick perry. wouldn't you imagine he's the guy who has to be on the attack tonight? >> i completely agree with that, joe. i think rick perry has got to do a lot more than pay attention and show us some charm. he has got to be aggressive because he's not just third place right now. he's quite a distant third place in back of romney and in back of cain. he has to make a difference. he has the most to lose tonight as well as the most to gain. the perception that he has left in voter's mind in the last debates he has been in is not a good one and not be easy to

overcome. yes he has to be charming and pretend he wants to be there. but he also has to give voters a reason to give him back either the front-runner status or at least neck in neck with the front-runners right now. if he doesn't do that, this thing will be quick -- over very quickly for rick perry. >> go ahead. >> yeah, it's a two-prong attack. he has to do the abcs tonight but just released kind of -- he has to use his ads to be extremely aggressive in those particular ads. being that he's got the money in the bank, it has to be a combination of the ad strategy and it also has to be him actually looking like he wants to be in the debate. keep in mind, the impression of him has been largely driven by the fact that people looked at him in the debate and said, maybe not so much. he's one -- he reminds me of one of my students who shows up to

class and it's like, you can't vote present here, perry, you've got to do more than that. i think that's the opportunity. pro-prong attack, both being present and engaged and he's got to also hit hard with the ads and i think he's doing that. >> that's for sure. we've got many months before it gets down to the wire here. >> just the beginning. >> maria cardona, that's fair game. appreciate it. >> the inconsistent timeline and bombshell her mom dropped about the day her daughter went missing. if you're a parent or following the story, stick around, the search for baby lisa next [ male announcer ] it's simple physics...

a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods.

nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion.

we're learning more from the police and they found a body in the maryland woods. they think it's a boy that went missing more than two weeks ago. a search dog team found the body and investigators believe it is 11-year-old william mcquan, his mom was found stabbed and beaten to death in her home last week. the news comes a week after curtis lopez was arrested in charlotte, north carolina.

lopez is accused of killing his wife, william's mom. investigators have surveillance video from october 1st, showing lopez with the boy is a storage unit. we want to dig a little deeper into the disappearance two weeks ago of baby lisa irwin in kansas city. by now most of you probably have seen the shocking admission by her mom, debra bradley. >> were you drinking that night? >> yes. >> how much? >> enough to be drunk. >> you were drunk? >> uh-huh. >> a lot of people will say, deborah, you were drunk that night, is there any chance you did anything to hurt your daughter that you're not telling us? >> no, no, no. if i thought there was a chance i'd say it, no. no. i don't think that alcohol changes a person enough to do something like that. >> the 11-month-old baby vanished in the middle of her night from the home, the same night her mom was seen on surveillance video at the

grocery store buying baby products and boxed wine. the big question, what kind of impact will the new details have on the investigation. local and federal agents are searching the area around baby lisa's home. let's go straight to kansas city, missouri where jim spellman is standing by. jim, are the investigators planning to go back and have another conversation at least with the mom? >> reporter: they would love to but it's been over a week since the family agreed to speak with any of the fbi or the local police here in this case. they would definitely like to do that. the new attorney that came in yesterday, a high profile attorney represented joran van der sloot and a number of other big type cases. he has said they said what they are going to say. but then on the other hand saying they want to do everything to try baby lisa. there's a lot of friction between the police and family. the police would also love to talk to the two half brothers of baby lisa, 6 and 8 years old in

the home at the time of the disappearance. they also have not allowed them to be reinterviewed ach an initial interview. they would love to speak with her because this new information that deborah bradley was drunk means those two children and their perceptions may be more important in the investigation. joe. >> the chronology seems to be an important factor here, specifically what time she put the baby to bed. as i understand it, she's changed that story a bit. can you give me some sense of why that's important in the investigation? >> sure, initially two weeks ago when baby lisa went missing, she said she last saw baby lisa at 10:30. now she tells nbc news it was about 6:40 in the evening. that is a huge difference for investigators. at 6:40 the sun is up and people are coming home from work and the neighborhood is hopping with people getting dinner and kids doing homework and people still out and about. by 10:30 it's dark and much quieter scene here in the

neighborhood. so it raises a lot of questions in that almost four-hour gap of did people who initially were thinking 10:30, what did i see after 10:30. now they have to think back two weeks to what was i seeing at 6:30. really changes the kplexgs for the public and investigators. >> are they done with the searches? what's the status of that? >> reporter: we don't believe they are searching right at this moment. i spoke with the fbi this morning. they may do searches later today. all of the searches we've seen including on sunday when the national guard was mobilized, they are researching areas they've already gone over trying to get fresh sets of eyes. they brought in a specially military police unit to go over woods on sunday. we saw yesterday dogs out even in the neighbor's home. we're not sure exactly what they were doing. they didn't take any evidence away but the dogs that maybe are going to be used to search wooded areas. searches do continue but not

based on new leads, joe. >> thanks so much for that, my colleague jim spellman in kansas city. they are called the expendables, children being lured into the deadly world of drug smuggling and it's happening along the u.s.-mexico border. parents you don't want to miss this. chilling details coming up next. here's a look at the stories you're watching on cnn.com.

the violent drug war raging in mexico gets plenty of attention. we want to focus on one chilling aspect, cartels luring children as young as 11 to work in the smuggling operations. the arrests just days ago of key members of the cartel have not slowed the recruitment efforts, mexican drug gangs call these kids the expandibles. rafael romo joins me. what these kids do has to be dangerous work. where do they come from? >> the cartels are taking advantage of the situation of poverty and isolation, a lot of these kids would do anything for $50 and that's how much they are paying them to have a car cross the border to run drugs from one end of town to the other. and the main point here and this is something that former u.s. drug czar mccaffrey says, the

influence of the mexican cartels have been felt here in the united states. let's take a listen. >> the dominant criminal enterprise in the united states, more than 260 cities, we just in portland oregon, talking to their police department is elements of mexican cartels. and they are moving hundreds of metric tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and ecstasy across the border. >> the director of the department of public safety i should say also spoke about this saying basically, listen to this, this is very sad. the mexican cartel valued texas teenagers for their ability to serve as expandible labor and they have unlimited resources to recruit our children. >> it's a chilling story. it seems there's a calculation here. they are not going to raise as much suspicion and number two,

if they are caught they won't be punished as severely. >> it's been happening in mexico for years. they know these kids won't spend too much time in jail. they are going to be sent to a correction alpha silt for a couple of years. and now it's happening in the united states. the point officials are trying to make, we have a serious problem across the borer and we have to do something about it. there was a hearing in congress last friday that representative michael mccall from texas said this is a situation that the united states has really has to pay attention to. >> the other thing that comes to mind too -- >> we have a sound bite. >> characteristics of terrorism. >> and he said again, violence in mexico is spreading in ways that increasingly show characteristics of terrorism. >> back in the crack wars here in the united states, it was the same thing, very young kids and they were sort of fly under the radar if they were caught, everybody felt sorry for them. it's a very tough situation for

authorities and fascinating story. >> to give you an example. there was a 12-year-old boy caught a couple weeks ago at the border driving a pickup truck with 800 pounds of marijuana. >> wow. >> that paints a picture that officials are facing at the border. >> fascinating story. thanks so much. other stories we're following, secretary of state hillary clinton is in libya to meet with top leaders of the transitional council. she's the first top u.s. official to visit libya since moammar gadhafi was driven from power. clinton will announce millions in new aid to help find and destroy weapons that disappeared after the fall of gadhafi's government. the u.s. is particularly concerned that shoulder fired missiles could find their way to terrorists on the black market. herman cain is on a roll but with popularity comes a lot more attention on some of his controversial comments. we'll get into that from las vegas next. first, our political junkie

question, the kennedy/nixon debates in 1960 were first televised presidential debate. which presidential election was the second time candidates squared off on tv? it's just ahead. nnouncer ] you are a business pro. your core competency is...competency. 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'm getting an upgrade. [ male announcer ] as you wish, business pro. as you wish. go national. go like a pro. now through january earn a free day with every two rentals. find out more at nationalcar.com. delivering mail, medicine and packages. yet they're closing thousands of offices, slashing service, and want to lay off over 100,000 workers. the postal service is recording financial losses, but not for reasons you might think. the problem ? a burden no other agency or company bears.

a 2006 law that drains 5 billion a year from post-office revenue while the postal service is forced to overpay billions more into federal accounts. congress created this problem, and congress can fix it. [ tires squeal ] an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model-year newer with 15,000 fewer miles on it. there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call...

or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? before the break we were talking about the historic kennedy-nixon debates. but which presidential election sought the next televised debate? it was the 1976 election with jimny carter and gerald ford, 16 years after john f. kennedy and

richard nixon faced off in the first ones. cnn in depth this week and we're taking a closer look at herman cain, his popularity is on an up swing with more good news in the polls. but comments he's made on the campaign trail can be described as unpresidential at worst pretty questionable at best. here are just a couple. a message to occupy wall street protesters and an explanation of his stance against appointing a muslim to his cabinet. >> would i be comfortable with the muslim in my administration? not that i wouldn't aappoint one, that's the exact transcript. i would not be comfortable because you have peaceful muslims and militant muslims. those trying to kill us. when i say i wouldn't be comfortable, i was thinking about the ones that are trying to kill us. if you are envious of somebody who happens to be rich that you call a fat cat, go and get rich instead of expecting them to

walk outside of the office and write you a check. that's not the way america works. work for it. >> that's not to mention the fact he's sort of all over the place on talking about an electrified fence on the border. joining me now from las vegas, our cnn political analyst s ari fleischer. you know, the rap on this man, herman cain, he sometimes says things in public, that for example, people on the right and some white americans who are very conservative believe but would feel uncomfortable saying in public. he sort of gives voice to certain sent m. me me ments. do you agree with that and how well do you think that plays into the primaries? >> people are responding nicely

to how blunt he is and doesn't sound like he's from inside the beltway. the trick is to be presidential while being an outsider and he's made a couple of bad mistakes along the way. everybody running for president makes mistakes along the way. the question is do you make fewer as you go along. barack obama famously said that people cling to their religion and guns out of frustration and that was a big set back to him. so the challenge for cain is to step up to the presidential level if he's going to be taken seriously. he has a good shot in the primary of being taken seriously. >> joe, here's the fundamental problem we always see, the voters say we want people to be honest and straightforward and speak truth. bupt the reality is, they don't want that much truth. okay, it happens all the time. if you are a blunt speaking clear concise to the point candidate, yeah, you're a great quote machine but then people begin to say, are you too

radical? remember, when howard dean ran for the democratic nomination, same thing, oh, my god he's too honest. he was speaking honestly, putting it out there. people saying, bad thing to say. herman cain has to understand little newance in the dance when you're running because the public says one thing but believes another. >> here's what i want to get at. the thing that a lot of people find fascinating because he's an african-american candidate and deals with certain issues involving for example muslims and also says african-americans are brain washed, he may take it back and distinguish it but it's something that, for example, it would be more difficult and more controversial if a white candidate were to say it. do you agree with that? >> look, i understand that. i mean, we see that all the time. sure you can say that he has license to say certain things that frankly other people can't. the same thing during the 2008

campaign. hillary clinton could openly talk about what it means to be a woman president but then senator barack obama couldn't be asked forthright in saying what it means to be a black president. i get all of that. what i'm sighing trying to say, going to have to understand and transition to, you're moving yourself out of being the shock jock if you will of presidential politics. now people are taking you seriously. you cannot make a comment on the campaign trail saying i'm going to build a fence that will shock illegal immigrants who are trying to cross the border and say it was a joke because now the problem -- when are you serious and when rur joking? >> you've got to respond to that ari. is it possible for a candidate like cain to ride those shocking statements all the way to the nomination. >> no, it's not. the point we're both making. the art of running for a presidency where people are fed

up in what washington does and says, credibility as an outsider, you can make things better and fix it but you have to raise your game and act presidential. the statement about electrifying a fence is a mistake, it's the type of thing nobody should say in public office or candidacy for office. it has nothing to do with race. if race was a shield, why is he in trouble for saying these things? thank goodness he is being judged by the same criteria everybody running for office should be judged by. the key here is will he learn and will he grow and do better? he has every chance to do so. these are not disqualifying statements he's making. she's are mistakes. >> the question you say he's been called to task but has he really. has he been held accountable for many of these statements or are we now at a point where things that would be considered gaffes by other other candidates are considered just herman cain. >> the reason you're saying that

is not because of the color of his skin but because he was in third or fourth place in the polls. now that he vaulted up people are paying more scrutiny to him. it has nothing to do with race but has to do with numbers. >> joe, it's real serious, let's cut to the chase. if you want honest talk. in herman cain was not one one or two we would not be talking about him right now. he wouldn't be on piers morgan, wouldn't be on all of the sunday shows. if you're another candidate, you don't punch down. if you're a mitt romney, you don't talk to herman cain during the debate because he was polling in the bottom. now that he's in the upper wrung and competing, expect in this debate to see the other candidates be very critical of every comment he has made because he no longer -- you no longer punching down. now you're punching up to bring him back down. >> it's an amazing phenomenon. we have the first african-american president. he's a democrat. we've also got a republican who appears ats least in the polls to be a very viable contender

for the republican nomination. who would have thought this stage in the game we'd see something like this. thanks to both of you. >> michael steele was chairman of the gop. it's not like we didn't see that change in the republican party before. >> absolutely. appreciate it. ari and r roland, good to see y. you can see the debate live here at 8:00 p.m. eastern. anderson cooper will be moderating the debate. tune in and check it out. they are planning to charge a fee for you to use your debit card and you may think they are just covering their costs. so why are the big banks showing a profit? stick around. it's your money. the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building one of the biggest natural gas projects in the world. enough power for a city the size of singapore for 50 years. what's it going to do to the planet? natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this.

it's a smart way to go. ♪ i'm not a line item on a budget. and i'm definitely not a pushover. but i am a voter. so washington... before you even think about cutting my medicare and social security benefits... here's a number you should remember. 50 million. we are 50 million seniors who earned our benefits... and you will be hearing from us... today and on election day. ♪ d medicare prescription dru. ♪ with the lowest nationalpl. ♪ ...and copaysas low a. ♪ ...saving on medicare pr. ♪ so you're free to focus os that really matter.

call humana at 1-800-808-4003. or go to walmart.com for details.

are cell phones dangerous and if so can we trust the research? a new study raises questions about the standards the government uses to test cell phone radiation. according to the environmental health trust, the standard is based on a large adult man. so what about smaller people and children? this study says radiation penetrates a 10-year-old head 150% deeper than the government standard. a 5-year-old gets even more radiation. the environmental health trust says we need more comprehensive testing. big banks are out with their earnings and we're talking about big bucks. alison kosik joins us from the new york stock exchange. how many money are the banks

making? >> yeah, you know what, joe, you make a good point. take a look. bank of america made $6 bilon in the third quarter, you look at citigroup and j.p. morgan and wells fargo making $4 million. goldman sachs posted a lost but even though they are clearly doing all right there are big concerns. citigroup and bank of america, to name just two, both are still struggling with the mortgage market there is right now. mortgage defaults are the biggest problem for citi's bottom line and b of a lost the title of the biggest bank by assets. both banks say the way the economy is is challenging for many of the banks. their investment banking business is getting hit by fewer ipos and so their investment banking is not growing like it used to. regulations, of course and europe's debt issues certainly hurting profits as well. as much as we love the hate the banks. they are the lifeblood of the

economy and keep the money moving around the country and around the world. >> we do sure love to hate the banks. there's facts they are hands handing out big bonuses and people get outraged. how do you justify that? >> it is hard to justify justify these billions of dollars in bonuses. when you're in a weak economy, it helps make the banks an easy target for frustration. and that's why we see the protests that occupy wall street. it's because of the big disconnect between wall street and main street. joe? >> that's for sure. it sure gets people riled up. thanks so much, alison kosik. >> yes. lockers, benches, cafeteria

trays, you name it, all being shrinked wrap. thas next in "street level." my name is robin. i'm a wife, i'm a mom... and chantix worked for me. it's a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation,

depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. my inspiration for quitting were my sons. they were my little cheering squad. [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

taking a closer look now at stories making headlines across the country at stre level. in tennessee, nearly a thousand state workers are getting food stamps, according to wtvf. 964 employees are on welfare and they say it's because they don't make enough money. the department of human services which hands out food stamps has nearly 230 of its own employees on welfare. in mobile, alabama, more people are turning toing a can culture for work. more than 300 people have signed up on this database, the alabama

career center system is an initiative on behalf of the governor to help the state because they lost immigrant workers. look who gets out from the driver's side, a 9-year-old daughter. the police say that the dad rode shotgun while he had his 9-year-old drive him to the store because he was drunk. and listen to what he tells the court clerk. >> 9 years old. 9. dad, drinking, listen, we're leaving. and she's driving. >> a customer heard the dad bragging who called the police and the father was charged with child abuse. let's take a look at the san

juan unified school district. if you walk through a san juan public school, you'd see this. ads. these ads have been here for years, but like an increasing number of school systems, the san jaundice strict is looking for solutions to massive budget cuts and is now partnering with a firm to take ads in schools to the next level. trent allen joins us now. trent, why is it that the district made the decision on this? i mean, whats was the reasoning behind it? did it just come down to the al mighty dollar? >> well, we've long had sponsorships in our local organizations. what we're looking to do -- we've lost more than 20% of our unrestricted funds. we're looking for ways to make up cuts in our district. we made $36 million worth of reductions last year alone and we're hoping to raise 1 to $2 million in sponsorships.

it's not an answer to the problem but it's something that could help. >> so how much money do you make on this and a lot of people say, how far is too far? >> well, we're hoping when this program is fully up and running, we'll be making about a million to $2 million a year for our schools. but one of the great things about the partnership that we formed, if we have complete control over the opportunities that we've set up and we don't accept, even though we have someone else out solace sitting those opportunities for us. we won't be doing the locker wraps or lunch trays. it will be in common areas or hallways or gymnasiums. we're looking to take it into the next level, tap into national pocketbooks to come up with innovative sponsorships that further social causes rather than to promote a product. >> you wouldn't allowed a sketchy company to put up an ad in the school?

>> absolutely. we maintain complete local control overall of these opportunities. so if for whatever reason we don't like the message, where somebody want to place something, we absolutely have the right and the ability to say, no thank you. >> trent allen from san juan, california, thank you so much for that. nice talking to you. >> thank you. time now for a cnn poll l political update. i understand what voters are thinking about the contenders, at least right now. >> reporter: that's right. the latest poll shows that republicans are backing the vegas odd makers. they are putting their money on mitt romney. if you look at these numbers, it's pretty extraordinary. 51% of the republicans that we talked to in this survey say that they believe that mitt romney will capture the gop nomination, contrast that with

herman cain, even though they are neck-and-neck in the polls, far fewer republicans believe that the former godfather's pizza ceo will be the gop nominee. and only 14% believe that perry will be the nominee. contrast that with a survey that we took just last month, joe. 41% of americans in that survey thought rick perry would go on to clench the gop nomination. now just 14%. so it's been a reversal of fortunes for rick perry and herman cain. that means that here on the strip here in las vegas, we'll perhaps see rick perry take the offensive. he's really running out of debates at this point, even though there are a lot scheduled, joe. he really has to grab ahold of some momentum and get his campaign headed back in the right direction. as for herman cain, it's an opportunity to show the rest of the republicans out there that

he could, in fact, be the nominee. he made those controversial remarks over the weekend on immigration, putting an electric fence on the :ou.s.-mexico bord. they think maybe he can't be the nominee because of the outspoken remarks. perhaps we'll see mr. cain calm down on the die-hard rhetoric, joe. >> thank you for that. time to go over to brooke baldwin. >> i'll take it, mr. johns. we start with political pop. i'm brooke baldwin. let's get you caught up with everything beginning at this hour. rapid fire. beginning with a father-son reunion five years now. gilad shalit was released after five years. huge crowds celebrated in the

streets. secretary of state hillary clinton is going to meet with transitional officials to offer medical help to help with the transitional government there. and a 15-year-old florida girl last seen with the son of win of those three arrested in the philadelphia enslavement case. she's not a victim, she's a run away. that is what we're hearing from philadelphia's police commissioner. police say four mentally challenged adults were kept shackled in this philadelphia basement, all in this alleged scheme to steal their social security checks. by the way, we're actually going to hear from some of those victims. chilling accounts, their time in the basement. >> now moms and dads, beware of bumper pads in your toddler's crib. they say they should never be used. there is a risk that babies could get trapped, suffocated, or strangled by those bumpers.

and -- did you hear about this? someone jacked a presidential vehicle and it's been recovered at a hotel but we don't know if any of the equipment that was inside is still inside. the van had some $200,000 worth of equipment, including president obama's teleprompter, a sound system, podiums, and even presidential seals. that was british millionaire after he shot up into space. >> i'm just lucky to be in a position where i can make dreams come true. we have to thank the people of new mexico to help get this building built and it's up to us to make sure that not one of them regret it. >> all right. you want to go into space?

450 tickets at $200,000 apiece have been sold. and even the dust storms are bigger in texas. get a load of this. this is caught by an ireporter, by trey caliva from texas. look at that. and we have a lot more to cover for you here on cnn in the next two hours, including this. they are calling in the dungeon of horrors. chilling accounts of the four people held captive in that philadelphia basement. also news today, a fifth person. a once missing florida teenager is now found as well. i'm brooke baldwin. the news is now. 911 calls capture the chaos at the california beauty salon. listen to this. >> how many shots have you

heard? >> eight people killed by a gunman seeking revenge in a custody battle. more on the seal beach massa occur. this detroit man says he's got a designated driver. it's his 9-year-old daughter. watch as the van pulls away from the gas station. >> she's actually driving pretty good. i can't believe it. >> police say the kid was genuinely surprised when she was pulled over. and incredible pictures after the leftover dust storm in texas. chad myers tells us why the sky turned red. and we're hours away from the debate until vegas. herman cain has been surging in the polls. we'll talk to the man who inspired cain to run godfather's pizza. did he really turn around the company?

where there's magic. and you now understand what nature's been hiding. ♪ at dow we understand the difference between innovation and invention. invention is important. it's the beginning. it's the spark. but innovation is where we actually create value for dow, for society, and for the world. ♪ at dow, we're constantly searching for how to use our fundamental knowledge of chemistry to solve these difficult problems. science is definitive. there is a right answer out there. [ male announcer ] the same 117 elements do the fundamental work of chemistry. ♪ the difference, the one element that is the catalyst for innovation, the one element that changes everything is the human element. ♪

i tell you what i can spend. i do my best to make it work. i'm back on the road safely. and i saved you money on brakes. that's personal pricing. big debate in vegas. our cnn crews are moving mountains, trying to put this thing together. here's what you're looking at, if you haven't already guessed. time lapts lapse video showing our set come together there. this is a massive production, folks. they are going to have it ready to go by the zero hour tonight. that's 8:00 p.m. anderson cooper hosting our presidential debate tonight at 8:00 prk m. they are going to go 90 minutes, maybe even longer. cnn gloria borger, getting

seronateb, we'll talk politics as well. what's the one thing that you're going to look for tonight? >> reporter: well, i'm going to look for whether rick perry and herman cain can actually look presidential on that stage. we've seen mitt romney come across as a plausible president. we've seen rick perry look like a deer caught in the headlights. herman cain has had unfortunate jokes in the last few weeks and he's all about 9-9-9. i think today he's going to be under scrutiny by his fellow republicans and i'm looking to see how he handles all of that. because the debate is a job interview. and people are going to be watching at home saying, you know what, i want to know if this person -- and today it's herman cain, can actually go toe to toe against barack barack

obama. so rick perry, herman cain, do they look like presidential candidates. >> and you and i spoke about the seeminglessly policy statements and oops, i apologize about that. >> yeah. >> here he is talking about health care reforms. >> this legislation that is going to pass is going to ruin our health care system. we've got the best in the world. why do you think the shiites and get here when they get sick. that was supposed to be a joke, y'all. what is wrong with you people? >> so, you know, great entertainer but not exactly a professional politician. and whether you like it or not, that can certainly cause some problems. >> reporter: you know, it can. i think the notion that herman cain keeps saying to americans, you need to have a sense of humor, really doesn't serve him

well. we're here in las vegas which has over 14% unemployment, one in 39 homes here is being foreclosed upon, large hispanic population, doesn't really work. and, again, getting back to the presidential notion, you have to learn when you're a presidential candidate that you can actually censure. maybe herman cain ought to get more staff surrounding him to tell him, you know what, this is not the way you need to behave and these are not the jokes you need to tell when you get into the top tier of a presidential race. people take their votes seriously. you have to behave seriously. >> the anyone but romney crowd, they catapulted bachmann, perry, and now herman cain. and let's just imagine for a moment that cain does eventually flame out. who is next in line with regard

to the end romney faction? gingrich? >> reporter: well, you know, anything is possible. i'm being sar nated again. anything is possible. he does have some problems with evangelicals. but i really think what we're probably going to see if rick perry does a good job tonight, we're probably going to see rick perry go back up. because don't forget, he's the one with the money in the bank. he can put ads on television. he was put ads out on the web. he can really give mitt romney a run. both of these guys are really well funded. newt gingrich has done pretty well in these debates. he's a man of good ideas. who news, it could be newt next. >> so if you're on the stage and you're one of the contenders, do you go after and make stabs at cain or do you go a different way around it and sort of try to

prognosticate who may be the next, if i may, flavor of the week, and go after that person, perhaps perry, as you just guessed? >> well, i think you're going to see a lot of folks taking shots at herman cain. what you're going to see mitt romney do is what he's always done, which is remain above the fray. talk about barack obama. and if he's attacked, he will respond. but the romney campaign strategy is going to remain as it has always been. attack barack obama, act like a front-runner, and leave it at that, and answer charges. now, if i were michele bachmann, i would go after someone else other than herman cain. i would maybe take on mitt romney. she's got to get herself back in the fray. but as for mitt romney, he's going to try to remain above it all. >> fascinating. fascinating. gloria borger, thank you so much. don't forget live here on cnn,

the presidential candidates go live head to head at 8:00 here on cnn. now, this -- >> it looked like a dungeon. these people were stored like surplus meat in the basement. >> and the people he's talking about, they are now speaking up about what it was like in that basement. we're going to hear from them, chilling accounts ahead. also, there he is. the israeli prison held for five years in gaza is finally free. so were the other prisoners that he was traded for. and we have the chilling 911 phone calls from last week's deadly hair salon. back in two minutes. [ male announcer ] there's just something about werther's caramel

that makes a chocolate so smooth and creamy, you don't just taste it, you feel it. ♪ do you believe in magic? ♪ ♪ it's magic ♪ [ male announcer ] it's a comfort that comes from the only caramel worthy of being wrapped in gold. ♪ do you believe in magic? [ male announcer ] werther's original caramel chocolate. what comfort tastes like.

. so a father goes into a michigan's gas station's convenience store around 3:00 in the morning and he brags about having a designated driver and show officer. this whole incident is caught on tape. the issue is the designated driver is his 9-year-old daughter. he's now being charged with child abuse. a witness spotted them and decided to follow them. >> it looked like a 7-year-old girl was driving it and her dad is drunk and he's in the passenger. >> is the vehicle staying on the road? >> she's driving pretty good. i'm telling you, i can't believe it. >> he reportedly refused a breathalyzer test. police found the girl sitting on a booster seat behind the wheel.

the father also said he let her drive before. the 911 phone calls from the horror that occurred at a salon in seal beach, california. >> you need to answer my questions, okay? do we know who the shooter is? >> we think we do. we think it's one of the hairstylist's husbands. the girl that came in here is just hysterical. >> why do they have the door open? >> you need to hide, okay? >> he's shooting everyone in there. >> in another phone call the woman clearly shaken up describes how she got away how she feared being killed herself. >> i got down and put my hand over my neck and was just hoping he wasn't going to kill me. >> that's okay. we have police and paramedics on the way. and you said how many people are shot? do you know? okay. we are on our way. what is your name? >> my name is.

[ bleep ] >> and you're at the hair salon? >> i'm hiding behind a car in the parking lot. >> and is this your cell phone? >> yes. >> okay. go ahead and wait there, okay? we're on our way. can i get off the phone? >> yes. we are on our way. >> chilling. eight people were killed in last wednesday's shooting. a ninth person was seriously wounded. and police say they believe the suspect, scott dekraai, was out for revenge in a custody battle with his ex-wife. she is among those dead. dekraai was arraigned in court. as he left court, the victims' relatives lashed out. >> i hate you! i hate you! >> orange county district

attorney says he will seek the death penalty. celebrations in both israel and gauze za are under way after a major prison swap. next. and the discovery of the dungeon of horror actually helped a florida mother find her missing daughter. we're going to explain. >> i can breathe. i can breathe now. because she says she's doing good. i can breathe. she's okay. s also, we're going to hear from the victims held captive, tethered to a boiler in that basement. at a gas station? well it still takes gas to go farther. but you're not getting gas. true. not this time. uh, don't have to gas up very often. so you have to go to the bathroom? no. yes you do. thought these were electric? yes, it's a uh,

a chevy volt. so what are you doing at a gas station? new splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart new ways to sweeten. same great taste. new splenda® essentials™. but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ deep breath] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth!

an israeli soldier is a free man today and home after five years of palestinian captivity. watch this moment. >> quite a home coming, indeed. gilad shalit was just 19 when he was kidnapped from his army base

in israel. hamas negotiators were involved and it's really about the people in this small town of israel happy to see one another, and their own home and alive. cnn's fred pleitgen is there and tell us about that moment, when gilad shalit arrived. >> reporter: people came from not just the home town as well but waving israeli flags and chanting happily that gilad shalit came home. his father was saying that his son is currently not in a state to address these people. that, of course, is very understandable considering that he's just been 5 1/2 years in captivity. this whole deal went on for the entire day when gilad shalit was

released earlier today. he was taken to an israeli military base where he met prime minister netanyahu, he met his family for the first time, and he also received medical treatment and medical checkups. we're staying right here in his home town, there is jubilation. however, not everyone in israel is happy with this deal. arnold's daughter was killed in a terror attack. now, one of the women convicted for her participation in the plot is likely to be released as part of the gilad shalit deal. >> everyone wants to see gilad shalit safe and well and back home. but there is a price being paid. the price is phenomenal. we're releasing people who are dedicated -- who have dedicated their lives to killing jews and israelis. >> reporter: in august 201, a suicide bomber blew himself up in downtown jerusalem, killing 15 people. many family members of the victims of this and other terror

attacks on israelis oppose the exchange for gilad shalit. almost 300 prisoners serving life sentences will be released from the detention centers. one man who lost five relatives. this is the site of the bombing and for years later of the victims' family and friends, the wounds have not healed. there is also a larger security concern. could those being released perpetrate other acts in the future and em bold enother troops to capture israeli soldiers? >> reporter: some politicians say that these concerns made it impossible for them to approve for the deal. >> a vote for such an agreement will be an edncouragement for future terror. in the middle east it will show that they were paid off.

>> reporter: still, israel's prime minister insists, there was no other choice. >> translator: it is very possible that this window of opportunity that opened because of the circumstances would have closed indefinitely, netanyahu said, and we never would have been able to bring gilad shalit home at all. >> fred, the people that you're speaking to, do they buy netanyahu's position, that this deal was the only way to get shalit home? >> reporter: well, a lot of people here in israel actually do believe that's the case. i'm going to hit you with one poll number that i think really says it all about what is going on here. it says about 70% of israelis approve of the gilad shalit deal, however, more than half think that it will hurt their security in the long term. what the israeli government is saying that they explored other options to try to get gilad shalit out as well, including military operations. but in the end, none of those seemed feasible to them.

there are some people who believe that perhaps the israeli government could have negotiated for a longer period of time, that perhaps they could have tried other options, including km commando operations. but if you talk to people like we saw in that report, whose daughter was killed, they will tell you that they believe there might have been other options on the table. one of the things that we have to point out, though, the deal that was made right now, the 1,000 palestinian prisoners for gilad shalit, the terms for that deal, they have been on the table for about half a year now and so far it seemed as though both sides were not coming any closer now that deal happened very quickly. >> and the deal, of course, was broke and now we have gilad shalit back home. fred pleitgen, thank you very much on the other side, we have palestinian prisoners, nearly 500 of them, were also let out of jail in israel.

and this is just the first batch of what will eventually be more than 1,000 people released. they were convicted of crimes, sometimes violent crimes in israel, and they, too, are rejoining their families in the occupied territories. let's go straight to cnn's international correspondence, matthew chance. matthew, i've heard you describe their homecoming. it was like a carnival atmosphere there as well. matthew chance, can you hear me? >> reporter: he's embracing his old friend. he's been in an israeli jail for 19 years. he's 42 years old now. he spent most of his adult life behind bars in israel. he hasn't got married or hasn't got any children, but he's

picking up the pieces of his life. and just over here, you can see more of the prisoners that have been freed, being brought by these buses into the site of the gaza strip. where they are being met by their family members to give them a first official welcome before they move on to the much more public parade in gaza city, where they are expecting tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people in that mass parade in the center of gaza. as you can see here, for example, people who have been in prison for so long. the emotion of it all. being reunited with their families. you can see he joined arms with him. >> and now we have matthew chance in gaza city. matthew, we just heard the report from fred pleitgen saying

that the israelis are feeling like the deal was lopsided. how is that resounding on the palestinian side? >> reporter: i don't think they are taking any notice of that criticism. i think they would probably say it's a reflection of the realities on the ground. the reason for the 1,027 palestinians have been exchanged for one israeli soldier is one israeli soldier is all the palestinians held and the palestinian -- i'm sorry. the israelis have about 6,000 palestinians in their jail. so they were able to negotiate the release of far many more than just the one they handed back. certain three there were none of the concerns here in the gaza strip that we heard expressed there in israel, about whether this was a good deal or not. it's public opinion, whole-heartedly behind hamas'

success in securing so many people, obviously, for the return of just one israeli soldier. and what the call is here, and i think fred alluded to it earlier, an israeli concern and it's real because one of the big calls here is if this is so successful, why don't palestinian militants capture more israeli soldiers and use them to trade for the freedom of the other, more than 5,000 palestinians are still in israeli jails. brooke? >> matthew chance, thank you so much. now this -- >> one of the houses that we used to live in and i didn't get away. >> the victims of the so-called dungeon of horror, finally speaking out about what it was like. we're going to hear more from them, also speak with the lieutenant of the philadelphia police department about what's happening next, after this

break. ask me... even if you think you can live with your old mattress... ask me how i've never slept better... why not talk to one of the 6 million people who've switched to the most highly recommended bed in america. it's not a sealy, a simmons, or a serta... ask me about my tempur-pedic. ask me how i can finally sleep all night. ask me how great my back feels every morning. did you know there's a tempur-pedic for every body? tempur-pedic beds now come insoft...firm...and everything in-between... ask me how i don't wake up anymore when he comes to bed... these are real tempur-pedic owners...ask someone you know...check out twitter, or your friends on facebook...

you'll hear it all...unedited! ask me how i wish i had done this sooner. ask me how this is the best investment i've ever made. tempur-pedic brand owners are more satisfied. than owners of any traditional mattress brand... to learn more, or find an authorized retailer near you visit tempur-pedic.com. tempur-pedic the most highly recommended bed in america.

it is being called the dungeon of horrors. four mentally disabled people held captive in this filthy, dark basement in philadelphia. the building's landlord who we had on the show yesterday, first to find them, padlocked behind this steel door, sitting in fill this, one of them actually chained to a boiler. now some of these victims are talking about this unthinkable ordeal. >> i escaped one time to one of the houses that we used to live in of hers and i didn't get away and they beat me. >> that was real dirty of you. that was wrong. >> for the first time we are seeing images of this basement where they were held. the police say it's about 15

feet by 6 figeet. feces and urine still hung in the air two days after the discovery of the victims. they were down there with a bucket, no toilet, and he promptly called the police. >> it looks like a dungeon. these people were stored like surplus meat in the basement. >> flee tli people have been arrested in connection with this crime. linda weston, and wright and they carried their victims from state to state before ending up in philadelphia. the three have been connected with an endangered run away case. the police also found 15-year-old benit a-rod rod of

benita rodriguez of florida. they are not saying how she's connected to the basement imprisonment case. but she was last seen with one of the sons of the suspects. the mother is just happy that they found her daughter. >> did you think it was real? >> no, at that moment, no, i didn't. and i'm so blessed and i thank the media because if it was never for the media, i never would have found her. >> reporter: and you talked to the police. what did they say? >> right now, they are interviewing her. but she's doing real good. they are going to let me talk to her in a little bit and i have to make arrangements if they can bring her or if i have to go and get her. very blessing news that she's alive. >> reporter: and about an hour

ago, hour and a half ago, you were still worried. and you've been worried since july 4th. tell us how you feel now. >> i can breathe now. i can breathe now. because she's doing okay. she's okay. i just want to hold her and love her and -- i don't know. i just want to hold her. i just want to hold her. >> and now on the phone we have philadelphia police lieutenant ray evers. and i think we just saw you in a sound bite describing these four people in the boiler room, looked like they were just treated as they were a piece of meat. where do things stand right now? >> right now we have a special investigations unit, special victims unit, a lot of city agencies that are involved. our mental health delegates and, of course, the fbi and philadelphia, we're trying to

piece everything together. an investigator would know that any fraud investigation is -- takes a lot of time. but we had basically -- it's a fraud with these people being used as pawns to extract money out of their ssi checks or disability checks. we know it's -- >> do we know -- >> i'm sorry. go ahead. >> do we know where these people came from, these four people who were down, chained in the basement? who are they? >> sure. we know at least two are from philadelphia. one, the gentleman that was identified yesterday with the help of cnn, he is from norfolk, virginia. and one of the males who was taken from florida. the one female from philadelphia was a missing person from 2005. >> wow. >> but we know that part of the group was in texas for a period of time. there was some indication through some of the interviews

that the police or another agency was close on their trail and they abruptly moved out of texas and went to florida. something similar of that nature went to florida and they went back up to philadelphia. so she's been on the run for some time and now it's trying to trace exactly where these three defendants were for the last several years. >> so we're talking multiple states in which this alleged scheme went down and these people, you mentioned one person had been missing since '05? >> yeah, 2005. her relatives made a missing persons report in philadelphia in 2005. and one of the northeast detectives visited the relatives and was described that the relatives were falling on the ground with being so happy that we've actually located their family member. >> lieutenant, might there be

other victims involved here? >> it's -- again, with this -- it's going to be a long-term investigation. we're actually pulling more detectives into this investigation. of course, there's so much items to go through, so many interviews need to be conducted. will there be other victims? i guarantee there will be, yes. >> you guarantee there will be. okay. so benita rodriguez, the one whose mother is clearly elated that she's all right. did she leave florida against her will? >> well, we're not sure but the florida authorities to locate the juvenile. we believe that she came up to philadelphia area august of this year. she was not being held captive with these four adults. we believe that she befriended one of the defendants and became possibly boyfriend and girlfriend and they were living

in philadelphia, and we're using investigative techniques to find out where she was and we're glad that she'll be reunited with mom. >> is there any message that you want to get out to the public, lieutenant, before i let you go? >> sure. if you recognize any of these defendants or have family members that may have been in any contact with these folks, definitely call philadelphia police and we're tracking down every lead. we've found 50 pieces of identification that we have to look through, powers of attorneys, driver's license, birth certificates and things of that nature. so it's a long investigation. we're going to go through it piece by piece and we're working with our city agencies and federal counterparts to help us out and get this done. >> lieutenant evers, thank you very much for calling in. you said that you can guarantee that there will be additional victims. that is frightening. now this -- he was a true gentleman, on

and off the track. words cannot describe how much we are going to miss him. >> the father of dan wheldon. also, we will take you live to las vegas where cnn is getting ready for tonight's big republican debate. be right back. at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car

and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we offer accident forgiveness, man: good job. where your price won't increase due to your first accident. we also offer a hassle-free lifetime repair guarantee, where the repairs made on your car are guaranteed for life or they're on us. these are just two of the valuable features you can expect from liberty mutual. plus, when you insure both your home and car with us, it could save you time and money. at liberty mutual, we help you move on with your life. so get the insurance responsible drivers like you deserve. looks really good. call us at... or visit your local liberty mutual office, where an agent can help you find the policy that's right for you. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

. time now for 2012

presidential debate. what do you think about the polls today? >> reporter: well, we've seen herman cain surge in the polls. well, why? look at that. who's most likely to get the economy moving? look who is number one there. herman cain. and i bet that the 9-9-9 plan that he's touting is likely the reason. he's likeable, too. i think tonight we're going to see a lot of herman cain getting a lot of scrutiny because of his rise in the poll numbers. and number two, who is most likely to beat barack obama? mitt romney. brooke? >> interesting. so we see the numbers. peter hamby, let's talk web videos. out with the web videos today. the message is a bit different.

>> reporter: yes, very different here. but you're seeing a preview of what we might hear from the candidates tonight. rick perry is the first one that came out with a video. he put out a largely positive message. he's trying to get back on his feet in the polls and he pointed to his energy plan, which he rolled out last week in pennsylvania. take a listen to this web video real quick. >> we're standing on top of the next american economic boom. it is the energy underneath this country and the quickest way to give our economy a shot in the arm is to deploy the american ingenuity to tap american energy. >> reporter: so that's the latest in a series of jerry bruckheimer videos. even though cain is up in the poll, they still see rick perry as his rival.

he's got a ton of money in the bank and they are trying to keep him down. there was a negative attack from mitt romney attacking perry's jobs record. ♪ >> so there you see, again, perry trying to get back on message, talking about his jobs record in texas. the romney people are trying to keep him down and break holes in that record. i think you're going to see that as well tonight. >> i promise i was paying attention to you guys, but it's hard when you see the gondulaeer go by. interesting live locations, gentlemen. thank you. thank you so much. peter hamby and paul

steinhauser. don't forget tonight, the presidential debate in las vegas at 8:00 p.m. only here on cnn. the coroner's report is out on what killed indy race car driver dan wheldon over the weekend. also, did you hear this? susan saran don's comment about the pope. we're going to learn what she said in two minutes. [ male announcer ] robitussin, advil, clorox disinfecting wipes and...a digital recorder. i'm finally feeling better. good honey, you turn into such a little whiner when you're sick.

no i don't. [ bawk! ] honey, i'm sick. i can't reach the remote. that sounds nothing like me. [ beep ] honey, i'm sick. i can't reach the remote. that kind of does. [ male announcer ] get low prices every day on everything to prepare for cold and flu season. we're so confident in our low prices, we back 'em with our ad match guarantee. save money. live better. walmart.

a nevada coroner is now confirming what killed dan wheldon. wheldon died of blunt trauma to his head. this accident happened during a

15-car pileup at the speedway. wheldon had long been part of the effort to make indy races safer. he was just 33 years of age and survived by his wife and two young children and his father spoke to reporters just yesterday in england. >> daniel was born to be a racer and yesterday left us doing what he loved to do. he was a true champion and a gentleman on and off the track. words cannot describe how much our family will miss him. he touched so many and the place is a better world because of dan. >> indy is giving refunds. the race did not continue on after the crash that killed dan wheldon. and just in to cnn, the military has decided to end a ban on previously controversial

bracelets. that's right. we're talking about bracelets here. the kind that honor soldiers in combat. barbara starr, i know exactly what these bracelets are. i had no idea that they were banned in the first place. >> well, you know, brooke, the u.s. military, when you are in uniform, has very strict relations about what you are allowed to wear and bracelets don't really fit in, until now, of course. i have one on. this is actually a blank model that i want to show you. because i think you'll recall you see them in this rubber or metal. it's to remind everybody what they look like. well, the marines, according to their uniform regulations, aren't allowed to wear these but a lot of these guys, women and male marines also wearing them in honor of the fallen. and it became couldn't verntrov.

even high-ranking officers wearing them to remember their troops that were fallen in battle. james amos was out in california welcoming home some marines home from the war, saw them wearing these bracelets, asked them about it, said they really wanted to keep wearing these. it had already been on his scope. he made the decision, listen, let's wear them. they are in honor of the fallen. so those marines while in uniform who want to wear them are allowed to and it's, of course, to remember their fallen comrades. >> barbara starr, thank you so much. and susan sarandon under fire today. we're going to tell what you she said about the pope. and then, next, what herman cain's prior boss thinks about him being a presidential candidate and if he thinks he

can do the job. we want you to take a look at the top five halloween costumes. rebecca black, duchess catherine. number three, moammar gadhafi. number two, stick around. [ sniffs ] i have a cold. [ sniffs ] i took dayquil but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ deep breath] awesome.

[ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! consumers er wanchai ferry orange chicken... over p.f. chang's home menu orange chicken women men and uh pandas... elbows mmm [ male announcer ] wanchai ferry, try it yourself. [ tires squeal ]

an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model-year newer with 15,000 fewer miles on it. there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? do you need some creative

halloween costume ideas. rebecca black is in fifth, duchess catherine is in fourth, moammar gadhafi is third, second is gop candidates, and number one is pregnant beyonce. celina gomez has been granted a temporary restraining order for a man who has threatened to kill her. he's required to stay 100 yards away from the singer, actress, and away from her workplace and she says she's in extreme fear of him and according to complaints filed by selena gom

mez's attorney, ep went to her state to follow her and had conversations with god about killing selena gomez. gomez, the girlfriend of justin bieber, also responding. and susan sarandon called the pope, reportedly a nazi. she says she was returning to the book "dead man walking" and gave a copy of the book to the pope saying, not this nazi one we have now. just to clarify for now. the anti-defamation league are blasting the actress for those comments and says, susan sarandon's ignorance is willful and those who have hatred in their veins not interested in the truth.