be sure to join soledad o'brien for "almighty debt" thursday, october 21st, 9:00 p.m.y here on cnn. >>> world war i ended more than 80 years ago, right? well, not really. the war officially ended today, at least one part did. we'll explain right after the break. >>> every weekend we like to bring you some interesting news items you might have missed during the week. here's one, the brand new hotel's unique curve and reflective windows have made it an instant las vegas landmark. it's nice to look at. but the same features have also turned it into a hazard to guests out by the pool. for about 90 minutes a day sunlight on the building is reflected down to the pool area as an intense, concentrated beam that is much hotter than normal. just like a magnifying glass, the beam can melt plastic and quickly burn unprotected skin. the hotel says it is aware of the problem and is working on a permanent solution. right now, though, they're providing umbrellas to try to shield the guests against those intense reflected sun rays. >>> the last shot was fired more than 80 years ago, bu

cnn's soledad o'brien introduces us to a man whose mission it is to rally black americans to serve in their own communities. >> i'm the jackie robinson of mission, you know. >> reporter: leroy barber is a man with a calling. >> we do not see through our eyes or hear through our ears. >> reporter: it's a program for chris chaun young adults in the united states. >> there is a goal for people to know jesus. there is another strong goal of things are not right in the world, and i want to be a part of making them right. >> reporter: how many african-americans are involved in missionary work? >> about 5% a year or less sometimes. >> reporter: what does it matter? >> i don't think it's good for a kid growing up in an urban neighborhood to only see white faces coming to serve. boyd left his chicago home to spend the year in atlanta. he lives on $12,000 but he has to raise that himself. >> i do believe that with every relationship that i build, that i'll be showing people that i'm in the same struggle you are. >> reporter: he's the only minority on his team. it's not surprising when you consi

coming up, soledad o'brien looking at a new trend in politics. the surprising number of african-american candidates running as republicans. also, you know the place to go. you need political news out there. our website for politics. cnnpolitics.com. >>> he was 14 years old when he shot his mother, father and sister. today, he's going to walk out of prison a free man. that story is coming up. it's nine past the hour. it's time to check in with reynolds wolf. >> we have a lot of weather. tropics are active. your college football weekend forecast. all kinds of stuff coming straight ahead. t.j., back to you. >> i have an easy question for you, easy. the griz the fortune 500 list. who is number one? i'll let you take the break to think about this? oprah winfrey or indra nooyi or irene rosenfeld? mills big g ce. they put a white check on the top of every box to let people know that their cereals have healthy whole grain, and they're the right choice... (announcer) general mills makes getting whole grain an easy choice. just look for the white check. ♪

soledad o'brien's "almighty debt kwn a black in america special. ". >>> does that make him a bigot. we'll ask two muslims what they think right after the break. >>> he used to -- used to host "the talk of the nation." but this week juan williams took on the title himself. he made comments that some think are bigoted against muslims. now there are those who say national public radio is wrong. here's more from park parker & spitzer. >> this is no first amendment issue. he can say what he wants. the government isn't coming in and say you can't speak this, you're not going to be imprisoned for saying this. the bottom line is an employer is saying we don't want to be associated with you for this reason. now, getting back to your question about why would npr have fired him, i think it's not just a wrong move on npr's move it's a really bad strategic move for npr. this is a media entity for years that has been dogged by allegations of being too liberal so you think they would be at least particularly sensitive to making decisions that will allow them to be targets. >> all right. let's get

i'm soledad o'brien. thanks for watching us tonight. the news continues now on cnn. >>> this hour, everything you need to know for your week ahead including the next big international crisis unfolding right now in haiti. a fast-moving and fast-killing infectious disease has already killed hundreds of people. it is expected to get worse. >>> and uncovering a growing and disturbing trend -- drunken moms. mothers taking to the bottle when their kids, the job, and the husband become too much to handle. >>> and young american swimming champion cut down in the prime of his life right in the middle of an overseas competition, found dead in the ocean. his coach tonight with an emotional interview about what went wrong. >>> hello, everyone, i'm don lemon. thanks for joining us tonight. just nine days until election day, and the entire momentum this campaign could be turning. democrats are now claiming the polls are tightening in their favor, including in nevada for the senate majority leader, harry reid. also, the head of the dnc made this pitch

soledad o'brien introduces us to one man who is daring to try. >> reporter: two illnesses threaten jeffrey gavin. his church knows only about one. >> i have what's called morfans syndrome. that makes me very tall. i'm constantly in pain. >> reporter: he feels compelled to tell his pastor, buster, the rest of his story. >> i'm living with hiv. >> in the name of jesus. >> reporter: jay gavin as his friends know him found out he was hiv positive four years ago. he's never mentioned it in church, keeping that kind of a secret is common in the african-american community. >> if the average person in this church knew how many people they interacted with in this church who were hiv positive, it would be scandalous. >> reporter: the cdc says it's the stigma in the african-american community that's putting many blacks at higher risk of contracting the disease. nearly half the people living with hiv in the united states are african-american. gavin is gay and contracted hiv from sex, but the message he wants to send to his community is anyone can get it. >> how you doing, man? >> thank you so much. >>

i'm soledad o'brien. thanks for watching us tonight. the news continues now on cnn. >>> i'm don lemon at the cnn world headquarters in atlanta. cnn special investigation murder in the capital, the death of chandra levy begins in just a second. but first, a look at some of our top stories. >>> former alaska governor sarah palin was on the campaign trail today for republican candidates in florida. with the midterm elections only ten days away, she urged 2,000 gop activists in orlando to keep working until the last minute. palin said americans are afraid president obama's economic policies are driving us off a cliff. president obama led the effort fresh off a campaign stop for senate majority leader harry reid in nevada. the president was at the university of minnesota to stump for mark dayton. it was the president's fifth state in the last four days. two american-born radicals linked to terrorists appeared in new videos today. tej groums said this video was posted on various jihadist websites. he urged muslims to carry out individual jiha

here's cnn's soledad o'brien. >> reporter: two illnesses threaten jeffrey gavin.yndrome. that makes me very tall. i'm constantly in pain. i don't have the gene that produces connective tissue. >> reporter: he feels compelled to tell his pastor, buster sorries, the rest of his story. >> no longer am i dying from morphans but i'm living with hiv. >> reporter: jay gavin, as his friends know him, found out he was hiv positive four years ago. he's never mentioned it in church. keeping that kind of secret is common in the african-american community. >> if the average person in this church knew how many people they interacted with in this church who were hiv positive, it would be scandalous. >> reporter: the pastor doesn't know gavin's hiv status yet. gavin is going to tell him today. gavin knows he's not alone. statistically in his church of 7,000 people, there should be about 100 other members with the disease. the cdc says it's the stigma in the african-american community that's putting many black at higher risk of contracting the disease. nearly half the people livin

the story now from our soledad o'brien. >> live within your means.g our lives wisely. >> reporter: soaries is the senior pastor in central new jersey, and he's on a crusade. he thinks black america has a new enemy. is debt a bigger problem than racism? >> yes. >> you didn't even hesitate. >> there's no question to me that debt is a bigger problem than racism. >> it's a provocative theory but soaries stands by his claim. >> we still do pay day loans, rent-to-own, but you see we'll drive shiny cars and we'll wear designer clothes an we have all the appearances of doing well but we won't admit that we're broke. being in debt is slavery. when i'm paying last month's bills with next month's check, that's slavery. when i'm writing a check hoping that it doesn't bounce or when i pull out my credit card praying that it's not rejected, then i'm living in financial bondage. >> reporter: it's a problem exacerbated in today's economy, the worst since the depression. longtime church members doug and mary jeffries feel like they're living in financial bondage. the

cnn anchor and special correspondent soledad o'brien examines personal debt in her new "black in americaecial, "almighty debt." >> live within your means. people that don't manage their money wisely are not managing our lives wisely. >> reporter: this is the senior pastor at first baptist church of lincoln gardens in central new jersey, and he's on a crusade. he thinks black america has a new enemy. is debt a bigger problem than racism? >> yes. debt is a bigger problem than racism. >> reporter: you didn't even hesitate? >> there's no question to me that debt is a bigger problem than racism. >> reporter: it's a provocative theory but he stands by his claim. >> one out of five of us has no bank account. we still do pay day loans. we still do rent to own, but, you see, we'll drive shiny cars and wear designer clothes and we have all of the appearances of doing well, but we won't admit that we're broke. being in debt is slavery. when i'm paying last month's bills with next month's check, that's slavery. when i'm writing a check hoping that it doesn't bounce or when i pull up my credit card p

i'm soledad o'brien. thanks for watching us tonight. the news continues now on cnn. >>> the stock market is up, but where are the jobs? that's what voters want to know just over one week before the midterm election. welcome to "your money," i'm christine romans. ali velshi is off this week. democratic congress, democratic presidents and the economy remains issue number one. how does the party in power sell this economy? cnn's chief national correspondent john king is the host of "john king usa" which airs every weeknight at 7:00 p.m. eastern. john, here's the jobs picture. 9.6% unemployment, 14.8 million people want a job and can't find one. nearly 42% of those out of work, they've been unemployed for six months or longer. are democrats going to pay the price for so many americans still being out of work, john? >> in a word, christine, yes. and it gets even more painful. if you take a map of that unemployment and overlay it where the most competitive in the battleground races are this year. nevada has the highest unemployment in the cou

. >> why did soledad o'brien ask that question?on made some statement about plantation politics. >> bad media event, boring character. >> i'm sorry, willie. we're incensed by the race card being played. go ahead. >>> lebron stood by the comments. after practice people followed up. he wouldn't go into detail. he said, yes, race played into this. as heilemann just mentioned, not the first time race has come into this conversation. in july cleveland cavs owner dan gilbert responded. jesse jackson weighed in saying the cavs owner saw lebron as a, quote, runaway slave. >> worth $100 million by the time he was 19 years old. please, please, please, please. >> please. >> please. i'm not trying to validate anything. if you were soledad o'brien you might think there is some history here. let's try to make some news. >> are you having drinks with soledad. we're talking about lebron. you want to keep going back to soledad. >> she made some news. good journalism. >>> another good one for you. chad ocho cinco, the cincinnati bengals wide receive

here's soledad o'brien. >> reporter: two illnesses threaten jeffrey gavin.s only about one. >> i have -- that makes me very tall, i'm constantly in pain. >> reporter: he feels compelled to tell his pastor the rest of his story. >> i'm living with hiv. >> reporter: jay gavin as his friends know him found out he's hiv positive four years ago. he's never mentioned it in church. keeping that kind of a secret is common in the african-american community. >> if the average person in this church knew how many people they interacted with in this church who were hiv positive, it would be scandalous. >> reporter: the cdc says it's the stigma in the african-american community that's putting many blacks at higher risk of contracting the disease. nearly half the people living with hiv in the united states are african-american. gavin is gay and contracted hiv from sex. but the message he wants to send to his community is anyone can get it. >> thank you so much. >> well, thank you for this. >> you look so relieved. >> i am -- i want to shout for joy. because i see the avenu

eastern for black in america "almighty debt" with our soledad o'brien.day morning and wake people up a little bit. >> i think i'm going to go to church this morning. i think i might. >> i feel like i have gone to church this morning. this is nice. >> that is not going to do. you still need to go. that didn't count. >> come on, it's beautiful. >> josh, we appreciate it. thanks. >>> coming up, a 13-year-old that was battling a terminal disease. this is a great story, though. that sounds like a bad beginning to it. but the child is getting a wish fulfilled. >> and we are actually with her as she takes a special trip to alaska on a coast guard training helicopter, and she's wearing flight suit and all. interesting grooming. thanks. i got the idea from general mills big g cereals. they put a white check on the top of every box to let people know that their cereals have healthy whole grain, and they're the right choice... (announcer) general mills makes getting whole grain an easy choice. just look for the white check. everything you need to stretch out on lon

but he and his manager are now telling our soledad o'brien that they believe race may have played a rolee's a role that race plays in this? >> i think so at times. it's always, you know, a race factor. >> it definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media and things that were written for sure. >> rick horro joins us from west palm beach, florida. good to have you back with us. good to be back with you here on cnn saturday morning. lebron james has the right to feel however he feels, but how does he come across now by saying race was a factor in how he was treated? >> well, i'm not sure if you listen it says it's always a factor. i don't know if that's the biggest factor. the biggest factor from my perspective is there were five or six cities competing for this multimillion dollar industry and he can only play for one team at a time. miami won and all of these other teams and cities lost. i suspect he would even agree that the decision that show where he made the decision on national television was a bit inartful. by the way he's 42% less popular than he was last yea

here's cnn's special correspondent soledad o'brien. >> retired lieutenant colonel allan west is the facey. >> in this election cycle, 42 black americans are running on republican tickets. >> unprels dented number? >> it is. i think we don't want to be seen as a monolithic group. >> a victory would make west just the fifth black republican electioned to congress in the past 100 years. this iraq vet caught fire with a youtube call to arms, ironically against the first black president. >> the constitution says, promote the general welfare. not provide welfare. it's about steady conditions. >> what happened after that speech? >> it went viral. and the next thing you know, people started to pay attention. people go to the website. the fundraising really picks up. >> in his bid to represent palm beach, florida, west raised more money in the second quarter of this year than any other congressional challenger. >> america needs a new way forward. >> along with ryan frazier in colorado and tim scott who's running strong in south carolina, the three are the black republican congressional candidates

cnn's soledad o'brien has been busy putting the final touches on a brand new special almighty debt.r for a lot of people because they've been struggling with debt but when you look at how the church factors into it, it's more textured. >> it's one of the most influential institutions in the black community when the black community is in crisis and devastation that's followed that. we wanted to see what the black church is doing in this new front in civil rights which is how are it they helping not just their parishioners but people in their communities recover from a devastating financial situation. >> a lot of people lean on the church when they are going through that, right? when you talk about this, what did you find was the most surprising that people encountered? >> we know that black wealth is a function of history when it is slavery, black people were not garnering wealth and money obviously at the same time white counterparts were. there's that. also at the same time it's a function of debt that's a big part of that. african-americans have high debt. when you have a crisis l

for the first time, our soledad o'brien sits down with james to find out why he still has cleveland on his mind. 11 minutes past the hour. ♪ ♪ no. no. ♪ [ engine revs, tires screeching ] ♪ ♪ whoo-hoo, yeah ♪ whoo-hoo, yeah ♪ whoo-hoo, yeah ♪ [ vw ceo ] ladies and gentlemen, we give to you the all-new volkswagen jetta. and we have one more surprise for you. fifteen-thousand nine-hundred neunzig dollar? [ indistinct conversation ] [ sobbing ] [ camera shutters clicking ] ♪ ♪ whoo-hoo, yeah ♪ whoo-hoo, yeah >>> 14 minutes after the hour. some shocking moments during the ukrainian circus performance caught on camera by a cnn i-reporter. a lion tamer in the ring is suddenly mauled by two lions. circus workers quickly tried to hose down the cats. he said there wasn't much to protect the crowd from the attacking animals either. >> a one-ring circus with about, you know, 1,000 people, 1,500 people around. and then the gate that goes in and out of the ring is held up by aluminum with some netting. and throughout the video you see it open and closed for people to come in and out. and there's not