i'm alina cho. we are coming to you from paris, the birth place of fashion. in the city of light, it is clear it is less about who is in the front row and all about the clothes on the runway. the shows themselves are spectacles. the biggest story out of paris right now, who will take the rains at christian dior? could marc jacobs be it? >> have you made a decision? may i ask you that? >> what the ceo of dior told me. they are the red-soled shoes to the star made famous by ""sex and the city"" and oprah winfrey. >> i have them m my closet. they are like little pieces of sculpture. >> the designer is suing to protect his trademark. >> i do not own that. i own red soles on the back of my shoes. >> he gave me a rare peek inside his studio. an exclusive look inside chanel, arguably the most famous fashion brand in the world with a designer who is just as famous, carl laugerfeld. hawking soda and home appliances, you won't believe what else he is doing. >> not just in france but around the world, carl lagerfeld is mopped wherever he goes. >> i don't know what it is

i'm alina cho at the cnn headquarters in atlanta. i know you, t.j., and there's a lot to talk about there. >> there is a lot to talk about. and many in the republican gop are giving us even more to talk about. now, of course, you think nevada and you're sthig about fabulous nevada, you're thinking about fabulous las vegas and the las vegas strip and what happens in vegas stays in veg crass. you know what they're thinking about here, know? they're thinking about the unmroit rate, one of the highest in the country. 147 of 2% unemployment. we are hearing from a lot of people here who are hurting. they have a message for you. annoy, i can give you statistices and tell you a lot of that, but a lot of them, they can tell you bet just by looking at the strip. also, something happening right now on the other side of the country we want to tell you about. reverend al sharpton is leading a march on washington. they're actually there, calling this the march for jobs and justice, calling on congress and the federal government to do something abo

good morning, i'm alina cho. t.j. holmes is off. we begin with the crazy, snowy weather headed for the northeast. bracing for a storm in october. >>> victims of terror attacks sponsored by libya were promised millions of dollars by the u.s. government but many of those victims say they have to the seen a penny what does the government say about that? >>> and certainly something to cheer about. they barely made the playoffs, now the st. louis cardinals are the world series champions. we will show you the celebrations. >>> we begin this morning with cities throughout the northeast getting ready for a major snowstorm. it's happening before halloween. let's take a look at new york now. the city is preparing for up to a foot of snow, and they aren't alone. snow is expected from baltimore up to boston. and take a look at the radar, here's what it looks like now. one of the biggest problems, potential power outages. heavy snow could leave about a million people without electricity. >> the trees, still plenty of leaves on them. you have for

i'm alina cho. thanks for starting your day with us. a federal appeals court has blocked the enforcement of parts of a controversial immigration law in alabama. including a provision requiring state officials to check the immigration status of public school students. but the state is allowed to try to find out someone's immigration status during lawful police stops. >>> tv veteran larry hagman is battling cancer. he isn't saying the type of cancer he has, only that it's a very common and treatable form of the disease. hagman says it won't affect his return to television in an upcoming remake of "dallas." of course, best known as j.r. >>> nevada, the next stop in the gop run for the white house. the western republican leadership conference and cnn are sponsoring tuesday's presidential debate in las vegas. but not all the canned dates will be there. cnn senior political director mark preston has that. >> reporter: morning, alina. former utah governor jon huntsman says he will not appear here tuesday night at the western republican preside

i'm alina cho. t.j. holmes is on assignment. so glad are you starting your day with us. >>> it is getting started right now in washington. ceremonies to dedicate the memorial honoring dr. martin luther king jr. we will take you there live. >>> also, a look ahead to the cnn western republican presidential debate in las vegas. what can we expect in the tuesday night showdown? >>> and last night in los angeles, a star-studded birthday party for former president bill clinton. but not the kind of birthday you'd think. on hand, lady gaga, usher and el en ellen de generes. thchlts morning on the national mall, the four-acre, $120 million martin luther king jr. memorial will be dedicated. our athena jones is in the mall right now and joins us now live. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. as you can see, the crowd is building here. in just a little while, this dedication ceremony which was postponed, as you know, from august, will begin. we expect to hear from several civil rights leaders like jesse jackson, like john lewis.

i'm alina cho. t.j. holmes is off. >>> three people are dead, 2 million without power -- in the occupy wall street protests. we'll get a live report. >>> we begin with what some in the region are calling snowtober. right now 2 million people are without power. four states have declared emergencies -- new york, new jersey, connecticut and massachusetts. officials predicted the downed trees were going to be a major problem and they were right. take a look. the storm is being blamed for three deaths so far. a man in pennsylvania was killed when a snow-covered tree fell into his house. two others died in connecticut and massachusetts. >>> people in connecticut have lost power there. they're being told it will be a while before it comes back. the governor says they've been waiting for road conditions to improve before sending out repair crews. >>> we're covering all angles of the major storm. chad meyers is on the ground in pennsylvania where there are massive power outages and our alexandra steele is in the

i'm alina cho. breaking news out of afghanistan, a suicide bomber attacks a nato come voi in kabul. 13 u.s. soldiers are killed. we'll get a live report in just a moment. >>> and crazy, snowy weather is headed to the northeast. we'll tell you how bad it will get and where. but we begin with that breaking news out of afghanistan. a suicide bomb attack in kabul today has killed at least 13 american troops. a suicide bomber targeted the nato convoy in the center of afghanistan kaeps capital city. nick, whis nato saying about th? >> 13 u.s. service members killed on this attack on a nato convoy. it appears that a suicide bomber driving a vehicle ladened with explosives ran into this nato convoy, pretty close to the center of kabul. this should be one of the safest areas of afghanistan. but this casualty toll, making this one of the worst attacks since the august crash of a chinook carrying forces to hit a nato campaign so far this year. alina. >> and this is the deadliest attack on troops since a helico

alina cho has a special "in-depth" report.bie. pan am 103, the flight that exploded over lockerbie, scotland, talking about nine terrorist attacks in all, more than 200 victims. back in 2008, the u.s. government under president george w. bush made a deal with the libyans. gadhafi gave up $1.5 billion to compensate u.s. victims of libyan-responsible ared terrorism. in exchange, the victims who filed lawsuits against libya agreed to drop the claims. at the time it seemed like a pretty good deal, but now some are calling this a deal with the devil. these victims came to us with their stories of horror. >> i saw people dying in front of me. >> my kids ask about him a lot, and -- >> i look at my hand, i had skin and blood. >> reporter: maria diaz was just 15 when she and her aunt were caught in the cross fire in the 1972 airport attack 24 tel aviv. diaz was hit way grenade. her aunt, just six years older, 21, and newly engaged, was killed. >> i would have given anything for that to happen to me, not to her. >> reporter: after all t

i'm alina cho. t.j.ree people are dead and two million without power after what some are calling snow-tober. that fall near easter. we'll tell you who got hit the hardest and what's next. >>> the cold weather is impacting those taking part in the occupy wall street protests. we'll hear what they're saying as they face the storm. >>> in a couple of minutes i'll speak to this year's winner of what's known as the nobel prize for children. she's going to tell us how she got involved in philanthropy at the age of 13. >>> battering the northeast right now, around two million people are without power. four states have declared emergencies, new york, new jersey, connecticut, and massachusetts. here's what it looks like in massachusetts right now. officials predicted that downed trees were going to be a major problem. guess what, they were right. the storm is being blamed for three deaths so far. one in massachusetts. a man in pennsylvania was killed when a snow-covered tree fell into his house. the third person

i'm alina cho. thanks for joining us. first, "sanjay gupta m.d." begins right now. >>> good morning and thanks for joining us. i'm dr. sanjay gupta on assignment here in san francisco. concussions and kids. it's a topic we cover quite a bit here on "sgmd." something we're very serious about. i want to tell you about a story about an agonizing decision one family had to make to try and help others. >>> also, the hunt for a new killer virus. it's taking place right now in central africa. and that data is being analyzed here in san francisco. we'll explain. >>> and also, another story that we've talked quite a bit about is about cell phones and radiation. here in san francisco, starting this month, these flyers like this will need to be handed out and on display in stores. take a look. cell phones emit radio-frequency energy. you'll start seeing those here in san francisco along with specific tips on what to do including limiting cell phone use by children, using a headset, using belt clips, avoiding cell phones in weak signal areas. this is something

i'm alina cho. i'll be back at 10:00 a.m. eastern time. your "bottom line" starts right now. >>> another housing rescue program by our count, the tenth attempt to help struggling homeowners, and that doesn't even include the homebuyer tax credit. will it work this time? good morning, i'm christine romans. president obama says he isn't waiting for lawmakers to make up their minds. big changes coming to student loans and how you refinance your underwater home. who will it help? and how fast? we take a look at what really changes for you and your family. let's start with housing. president obama this week announcing new efforts to help struggling homeowners again. the revamped home affordable refinance program, or h.a.r.p., aims to make it easier for homeowners to refinance high-interest mortgages at these rock-bottom interest rates. who qualifies? homeowners who have mortgages backed by fannie mae and freddie mac. you must be current on your payments. and you'll now be able to refinance no matter how much you are under water on that home. th

i'm alina cho.alk about an october surprise, and i'm not talking about politics. >> no. >> that storm was really -- >> it was vicious, wasn't it? >> it certainly was, and it came through fast and left just as fast, but boy, did it leave a trail of destruction. >> yes, it did, and that's up first. the aftermath of a rare and deadly october nor'easter, the storm dumping wet, slushy, heavy snow from maryland to maine. close to three feet of snow fell in new england, leaving millions without power this morning. it's literally postponed halloween in parts of new england. the "boston globe" reporting some towns rescheduled the holiday for friday instead. local officials don't want the kids out with so many power lines down. >>> and it was one of those weekends where travelers heard trouble. 40 passengers stuck on an amtrak train for 13 hours when a rockslide blocked the tracks in central massachusetts. >> at least they had a working bathroom on that train because they didn't on this plane. jetblue facing

i'm alina cho. i'll beac

i'm alina cho along with carol costello. ali and christine are off today. >> up first this morning, presidential politics as texas governor rick perry trying to one-up herman cain's 9-9-9 plan and get back the good graces of gop voters. this morning perry will unveil his economic growth plan that includes a flat tax. cnn deputy political director paul steinhauser joins us from washington with more details. he has this 20% flat tax, but taxpayers is actually opt out if they like their tax rate better? >> reporter: yeah, and banking on most americans not liking the way they have their taxes right now and hoping for some of that 9-9-9 that boosted herman cain from an afterthought to a front-runner in the gop nomination. yes, basically this morning the texas governor rick perry unvams his plan. cut, balance and grow, that's the name of it. what he's proposing. americans get a choice. most earning under $120 million, and exemptions for families makingeneder that $500,000 per year making standard deductions $5,000 for individuals

alina cho gives us a sneak peek at her weekend special "backstage pass," from paris. >> reporter: thisto introduce you to some of the people i think are the creme did he la creme of french fashion. and tomorrow it all comes together in my half-hour special "fashion backstage pass from paris." we'll take you inside the world of chanel and inits iconic designer, carl lagerfeld. what makes you do that? >> i don't know. i have a vision, a flash like that. i don't ask questions. thank god i get answers, i don't know from where. when i make big effort, it is for the garbage can. when i make no effort, it suddenly -- i don't know -- it happens. it is much better. but you cannot count on this. >> the biggest fashion story out of paris, who will replace john g galiano at christian dior. you know has magic hands is marc jacobs. >> i heard about. >> have you made a decision? may i ask you that? >> as i say, the people who knows are not talking and the ones who are talking are not knowing. so, no, no, i cannot make any comments. >> last, but certainly not least, the man behind those iconic red-sol

i'm alina cho. racing fan, in shock after a violent car crash claims the life of an indycar champion. fellow racers saying it's the worse crash they've ever seen. >>> and occupy wall street goes global. i'm christine romans again. demonstrators take to the streets in cities across europe, asia and africa, but after 30 days of protests, what is this movement's end game? on this "american morning." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> good morning, everybody. good morning, christine. it's mont, october 17th. ali is off, carol is on assignment, and i'm alina cho. this car crash, our hearts go out to the family of dan wheldon. we'll speak to say the a lot of about this. >> heart broken fans and drivers this morning. the tragedy on the track. indycar champion dan wheldon died in one of the worst crashes the sport has ever seen yesterday in las vegas. indycar going into the off-season how fragile life can be and how dangerous their sport is. some of the images of the crash you'll see may be disturbin

i'm alina cho, t.j. holmes is off this hour. a halloween weekend surprise for millions of people from the mid-atlantic to nudge. more than a foot of snow is expected to bury some areas. millions of people could be left in the dark. also, student loan debt is now higher than credit card debt in the united states. president obama has a plan to ease the burden. but will it work? we'll hear from a financial expert. >>> and a rags to riches story in india. the son of a poor farm worker becomes the country's real life slum dog manage heillionaire. >>> but first, the top story. at least 13 american service members are among those killed in a nato convoe attack. it happened in the heart of the capital city of kabul. what happened, nick? >> it appears that a suicide bomber drive ago vehicle, perhaps a red toyota car we hear from afghan police drove this load of explosives into a nato convoy. pictures of the aftermath show what appears to be a rhino nato bus. 13 of their military personnel was killed in this explosion. cnn's barbara starr

alina cho met the man behind the logo. look, every day we're using more and more energy.me 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. ♪ >>> paris, the birthplace of fashion, and chanel's carl lagerfeld, one of the high fashion's biggest names. alina cho was backstage at paris' fashion week and has a rare conversation with the elusive icon. >> reporter: not just in france, but around the world, carl lagerfeld is mobbed wherever he goes. he's not just a celebrity designer. he's a celebrity. why do you think it is that people are so fascinated by -- >> very good question. i don't know what it is. it is a strange thing. you know? i think it is flattering. i don't sing. i've not an actser. i have no scandals. >> reporter: he does do this. lagerfeld's chanel show is arguably the most anticipated

joined this morning by my good friend and colleague, keeping things in check for us t cnn center, alina cho. >> good morning, t.j. this is cnn saturday morning. 10:00 a.m. in atlanta and still a very early 7:00 a.m. in los angeles. where you are t.j. and there's a lot to talk about. >> this venetian hotel will be the sight of the republican debate that with him be hosting next week. but already, one of the candidates is boycotting the cnn debate and several others of the candidates are actually going to be boycotting the nevada caucuses. we'll get into that more in just a moment. but if i just ask you to take a moment right now, folks b, and what's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of las vegas? there's a couple of landmarks, and that famous vegas sign that says welcome to the fabulous las vegas that's not the first thing they're thinking about here in this area. metro areas with at least a million people and unemployment rates. 14.2%, the state of nevada, 13.4% unemployment. and the foreclosure rates right here in the las vegas area, highest in the country. it's been t

i'm alina cho. "state of the union wts request candy crowley starts right now. >>> cain catches on but the party establishment gels around mitt. can any candidate stop the romney run? >>> today, 2012 prospects with presidential candidate newt gingrich and through the democratic prism with party chair woman, representative debbie wasser man schultz. then republican veteran john mccain on jobs, iran and politics. >>> and as the mlk memorial is dedicated, the hero's hero -- representative john lewis on martin luther king. >> he made me a stronger, better human being. >>> i'm candy crowley. and this is "state of the union." >>> four months ago one prominent beltway blog said of newt gingrich's troubled presidential run -- he looks a lot like the bruce willis character in the "sixth sense," everyone but him thinks he's dead. but at last week's washington post/bloomberg debate gingrich remained very much alive and kicking. >> all of the spending cuts that are built in the debt ceiling bill, all of them ar

i'm ali velshi. >> and i'm alina cho.4 hours in eastern turkey. the body count and misery on the rise following yesterday's powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake. dozens of buildings collapsed. at least 264 people confirmed dead. search teams are hampered by bitter cold temperatures as they try to find survivors under t s tonsen ctons of concrete. at the scene of the worst earthquake to hit turkey in the situation. diana mag nnay joins us. >> reporter: this country is used to earthquake. but 7.2 is a huge quake affecting this rural area of southeastern turkey, and i'm in a down here you can see search and rescuers are trying to find people in the wreckage. they've been using dogs, trying to hear knocking or screams, no one out of here alive at this point. of course, the red crescent and various other organizations are putting on huge efforts to try to get aid and relief to this part of turkey. particularly as you said because the evenings get so cold here. so tonight they're going to be sending 7,000 tents in for people who w

i'm alina cho. t.j. holmes is off today. and thanks for starting your day with us.east is getting ready for an early, big dose of snow with a rare october nor'easter heading that way. utility companies are preparing for possible outages. as many as 60 million people could be impacted. >>> another bloody day already in afghanistan. a suicide car bomber struck a nato convoy leaving four coalition soldiers dead. the interior ministry also says a gunman disguised in an afghan army uniform shot and killed two coalition service members today. >>> and attorneys defending dr. conrad murray get their star witness to suggest that michael jackson likely died quickly after injecting himself with the drug propofol. closing arguments in the trial are expected early next week. >>> want to get more on the big snowstorm that's set to slam the northeast, as she said. meteorologist alexandra steele is tracking it all in the cnn severe weather center. snow is already falling near washington. >> absolutely. west of town. so the storm is a coming. you know, it's certainly rare, but we ce

alina cho takes it over right now at "cnn newsroom." >> good morning, ali and carol. i'll see you both on monday. meanwhile, welcome to all of you. u.s. stock markets opened this hour, can they keep the rally going. investors riding on good news. the dow finished up thursday, 340 points. this could be the best october in a quarter century. the economy is growing. the gross national product for the third quarter was nearly double the figure from april to june and that's thanks to consumer spending and more business investment. alison kosik will join us in about half an hour for the opening bell, but right now let's talk to global editor at large with reuters. good morning. so, what a difference a day makes. the dow futures are already down this morning and we've learned that whirlpool is cutting 5,000 jobs in north america and europe. it looks like that big rally from yesterday was not the real turn around we were hoping for. >> well, i think the rally yesterday was really mostly about europe. and i think the big question that the markets are asking is not so much is e

alina cho has a sneak peek at the backstage pass from paris. >> it's been my pleasure to introduce you that i think are the creme de la creme of fashion. tomorrow it all comes together in my half hour special from par ilgs. we'll take you inside the world of chanel and its iconic designer, carl loggerfelt. what makes you do that? >> i don't know. i don't ask questions. thank god i get answers i don't know from where. when i make big efforts, it's for the garbage, and suddenly when it happens, it's much better. but you cannot count on it. >> and who will replace john galliano as the next designer of christian dior. and the decision-maker himself, dior's ceo. you know who has magic hands is mark jacobs. >> i heard about it. >> have you made a decision, may i ask you that? >> as i say, for people who know are not talking. and the ones who are talking are not knowing. no, no, i cannot make any comment. >> last you b certainly not least, the man behind those iconic red-soled shoes. >> you know, it comes from the person, from head to toe. >> we're also backstage with the hottest makeup artis

. >> reporter: alina cho, cnn, new york. >>> we're going to turn to some medical news here in a moments. did you know that? and that tremendous pull can cause a few accidents, like a chair sucked up in its grip? now the fda is ready to do something about this. s® tablets. senokot-s®. for occasional constipation associated with certain medications. now you can save big on senokot-s® tablets! go to senokot-s.com. colace® capsules stool softener helps ease straining to make going easier. try colace® capsules for effective, comfortable relief from occasional constipation. now you can save big on colace® capsules! go to colacecapsules.com. >>> more people are getting mris than ever before. they can be lifesaving. but when used the wrong way, they can hurt and even kill you? the fda is continuing a workshop on how to prevent accidents? senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen here to explain. what kind of accidents are we talking about here? >> i know. you never think when you go to an mri that the mri itself could cause problems. usually it zntd. usually it's safe and fine. >> usually b

alina cho got a rare look behind the curtain. >> reporter: not just in france, but around the world,obbed wherever he goes. he's not just a celebrity designer, auto he is a celebrity. why do you think it is that people are so fascinated -- >> it's a very good question. i don't know what it is. it's a strange scene. i think it's flattering. i don't sing. i'm not an actor. i have no scandals. >> reporter: he does do this. lagerfeld chanel show is arguably the most anticipated fashion spectacle of the paris collections rtion something he's been doing at chanel since 1983. when he was hired as artistic director. it's so much work, so many collections. and you're so involved. >> i have it in the blood. you know, when i was asked to do it, chanel wasn't trendy at all. if you can make something, okay, if not, i sell it. and be made something out of it because he gave me total freedom. >> reporter: lagerfeld answers to no one. rare for a company the size of chanel, a nearly $2 billion privately owned business that sells not just those iconic quilted handbags and ballerina flats, but clothes,

. >> reporter: alina cho, cnn, new york. >>> we're going to turn to some medical news here in a moments. did you know that? and that tremendous pull can cause a few accidents, like a chair sucked up in its grip? now the fda is ready to do something about this. s® tablets. senokot-s®. for occasional constipation associated with certain medications. now you can save big on senokot-s® tablets! go to senokot-s.com. colace® capsules stool softener helps ease straining to make going easier. try colace® capsules for effective, comfortable relief from occasional constipation. now you can save big on colace® capsules! go to colacecapsules.com. 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. ♪ >>> more people are getting mris than ever before. they can be lifesaving

it is the biggest question in fashion and alina cho is in paris and she's all over it. >> reporter: thist marc jacobs for louis vuitton, may be a wink and nod to what's swirling around him, the rumors he could be the next designer of christian dior. the previous designer got fired back in march. in the horse race to replace him, marc jacobs is in the lead. >> this all comes from the hands, very human. he's very human. >> reporter: you know who has magic hands is marc jacobs. >> i heard that. >> what do you say to that? >> i have five fingers on each of them and one doesn't work well. >> reporter: have you made a decision? >> as i said, the people will know, not talking and the one we're talking are not knowing. >> reporter: he founded his fashion house in 1946, introducing flowers and shapes, far different from the boxy world war ii styles that had been in fashion. after he died, his assistant took over launching his career. but it was john gal yan no in the '90s that brought glam or back to the house of dior. for 23 years he worked with his right hand bill gaten, now a director of his o