[Ali Velshi, Cnn Anchor:] Don, good to see you. And we're both back in the same place. You have yourself a great afternoon Don Lemon.
[Don Lemon, Cnn Anchor:] Thank you, sir.
[Velshi:] I'm Ali Velshi. And as Don says, for the next two hours, I'll be with you, today and every week day, to guide you through this maze of information coming your way. Together, we're going to learn what's going on at home and around the world. You'll get access to some of the folks who can best explain what it means today and what the impact is beyond today. We'll showcase the best ideas in innovation, philanthropy, public education. My mission is to help you figure out how what's going on around you fits in to your world. Let's get started right now. Here's what I've got on the rundown. A blown engine, an emergency landing on the biggest, newest jumbo jet in the sky. Qantas Airlines quickly grounds it A380 fleet. How worried should other airlines and passengers be? And with this year's election in the books, it's time to talk 2012 with Republicans already lining up to take on Barack Obama. We're going to run down the early favorites and handicap them. And if this week's GOP shellacking wasn't a big enough blow to the president, now he's been knocked down to number two on the "Forbes" list of the world's most powerful people. Wait until you see who has taken over as the world's most powerful person. But, here's the story I want to tell you about. As hurricanes go, this storm, Tomas, is not going to set any records, but we're watching its every move because of where it's moving. At the moment, Tomas isn't a hurricane at all, not anymore. It's a tropical storm. But it's closing in on Haiti, probably the most vulnerable, least prepared nation in the hemisphere. As if the total devastation from January's earthquake weren't enough, a wave of cholera has been spreading into the countryside. That's a by-product, as you know, of natural disasters, especially in underdeveloped countries. An infection caused by drinking contaminated water, or eating bad food, cholera causes severe diarrhea and vomiting. If not treated, it can kill within hours. Now, look at these numbers. As we speak, 1 million or more men, women and children are living in tents, 10 months after the quake. Some shelters are available. Some evacuations are planned, but the vast majority of the homeless have nowhere to go. The Pan American Health Organization tells us 442 Haitians have died, so far, of cholera. More than 6,000 others are hospitalized. And then there is Tomas. It could dump five to 15 inches of rain on a country susceptible to floods and mudslides in the best of times. And those winds well, the damage that they can do to those tents. Chad has been following this and this is what he's been warning us about. And we saw those pictures about I mean, I think that's what you can say. This is the last place that we want a hurricane to go. We don't want hurricanes hurting anybody but wow.
[Chad Myers, Ams Meteorologist:] Could you imagine taking shelter in rubble because that's essentially what's going to be going on.
[Velshi:] Yes.
[Myers:] When those blue tarps and tents start to get 15, 20, 30 miles an hour, they're going to go away. The only significant place to get out of the wind will be behind cinderblock buildings that are unstable.
[Velshi:] Yes.
[Myers:] And people are going to scatter for that area. This storm has significantly increased in intensity overnight. The numbers don't really show it. It's 45, 50 miles per hour.
[Velshi:] But as you pointed out, that's a different story. When you live in a place that has safe buildings, you can withstand three times that wind.
[Myers:] In Marathon or Key West, Florida, they're having a hurricane party at 50 miles per hour, OK?
[Velshi:] Right.
[Myers:] That's not going to happen in Haiti. There will be no party. These people will be trying to take shelter, just simply to save their life.
[Velshi:] Yes.
[Myers:] Now, the good news is, there's Port-au-Prince right here. There is a mountain chain right through here.
[Velshi:] OK. That will give a bit of a break.
[Myers:] That mountain chain is where the earthquake actually occurred.
[Velshi:] Right.
[Myers:] That chain of events where the earthquake and the earth moved is because of that seam right there in the fault line. So that may stop, at least help a little bit. As the air comes up this way, a lot of the rain will fall on this side of that mountain range.
[Velshi:] OK.
[Myers:] But as the storm gets here, the starts to That's the problem. Even for CNN crews
[Velshi:] Yes?
[Myers:] when they say go down to go down to Stewart, Florida, and set up a safe place for the truck.
[Velshi:] Right.
[Myers:] There's no safe place for the truck because at 2:00, the wind is coming this way 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, all of the sudden, the truck is in
[Velshi:] Right.
[Myers:] OK, we're not talking about trucks. We're talking about 1 million people that don't have homes as this storm comes up.
[Velshi:] Right.
[Myers:] Now, at least at this point in time, it doesn't get to be the category one hurricane until 8:00 Friday night in the Turks and Caicos. But notice where else this is going. What's right there?
[Velshi:] That's Guantanamo Bay?
[Myers:] That's Gitmo. That's exactly Gitmo. And then a skirt shot right here to Jamaica.
[Velshi:] Yes.
[Myers:] And, OK, if you're every here at Montego Bay
[Velshi:] It's the most vulnerable still.
[Myers:] It probably still won't be the fact that they're going to get 67-mile-an-hour winds. This is an estimate of where the heaviest rainfall will be.
[Velshi:] OK.
[Myers:] You know, we talk about computer models. Hey, those computer models saying this and saying this and saying this. I want you to take a look at this spot right there
[Velshi:] Right.
[Myers:] and look how much rain falls for how many hours.
[Velshi:] Right.
[Myers:] And we're going we're backing up. This is now, this is live.
[Velshi:] Right. So, here's where it starts, heavy rain starts now.
[Myers:] Thursday, Friday, Friday, Friday, Saturday, and we you said, five to 15 inches of rainfall. Cholera, things in the streets that we can't even think about as a first-world nation at this point in time
[Velshi:] Yes, right.
[Myers:] because they're not even living as that kind of a nation at this point of time.
[Velshi:] That's right.
[Myers:] There's subsisting and they're surviving, and cholera is already out there. It's going to be worse.
[Velshi:] We'll keep a very close eye on that. I just hope that they dodge whatever tragedy could be coming their way and you'll keep on it. I know you can do that for a few days, Chad. Thanks so much.
[Myers:] Sure. You bet.
[Velshi:] Hey, five shootings in 2 12 weeks targeting military buildings near D.C. The FBI confirms the same gun has been used in each. No word on any suspects, but the profilers have been hard at work. Today's "Sound Effect" targets one expert's opinion.
[Gregg Mccrary, Former Fbi Profiler:] Could be a former military guy. Could be active. Could be someone who didn't get into the military that wanted to. Someone that was phased out, they feel unfairly. Could be a family member of a military person, could be a would- be terrorist who has no association with the military. Certainly, it would be easy enough to shoot people if he cared to do so. But he seems to be making a concerted effort not to do that.
[Velshi:] Now, this all started October 17th when shots were fired at a Marine Corps Museum in northern Virginia. Then the Pentagon was shot at. After that, the Marine recruiting facility, the Marine Museum again, and this week, a Coast Guard recruiting office. All the incidents have taken place late at night. So, thankfully, nobody has been injured. OK. A big problem for a very big plane, an Airbus A380, the big super jumbo jet, the biggest thing that flies, blows an engine and loses parts in midflight. It's not the first time this plane has had an engine issue. My friend Richard Quest joins me to break this down, explains what's going on and what you should know about it.