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In Wisconsin Today, Detectives Say They'll Question College Student; 'Daily Dose'
Aired April 01, 2004 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta.
Let's check the headlines at this hour.
A roadside bomb exploded as a U.S. military convoy passed near Fallujah this morning. A Humvee left behind by American soldiers was set on fire. The new attack comes as the U.S. pledges to hunt down those responsible for killing four civilian contractors in a grizzly scene on Wednesday.
OPEC is cutting production today by four percent. That translates to about a million barrels of crude a day and, experts say, will likely mean higher prices at the pump. The cartel says it's trying to head off a traditional spring price drop, when demand for oil globally slips to a low point.
Martha Stewart wants a new trial. In court papers, her attorneys argue she should be tried again because a juror didn't disclose an assault arrest and three civil judgments. The defense says if it had known, it would have struck the man from the jury pool.
And police in Maine are charging a motorist with drunken driving after he drove into a gas pump. Check out these pictures. Surveillance video shows a huge explosion at the convenience store as the man drives away. Another person pumping gas flees the flames, as does the passenger in his car.
In Wisconsin today, detectives say they'll question college student Audrey Seiler about her apparent kidnapping ordeal, as they search for an abductor.
Our Jonathan Freed joins us from Madison this morning -- good morning.
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
The scene in Madison, Wisconsin this morning is a lot more relaxed than it was yesterday. People are content. Tremendous relief that Audrey Seiler was found alive. The questions that are happening now and the focus now is on is there still a suspect at large. And some people are even questioning whether or not there was ever a suspect at large.
Police are being cautious about answering that one. Yesterday, though, the scene the at hospital when the family and friends were told that Audrey was found alive, tremendous rejecting. There had been tremendous tension for a period of four days since she went missing at 2:30 Saturday morning, which was the last time that anybody spotted her. And it was, in fact, the security camera at her apartment building that captured her leaving without even a coat.
Then yesterday afternoon, at approximately 1:00 p.m. local time here in Madison, somebody passing by a marshy area which is about two and a half miles from where Seiler lives spotted somebody that they thought looked like the mission person, called it in. Police rushed to the scene and it was, indeed, Audrey Seiler.
Now, today, though, this case still has police somewhat puzzled.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KAMHOLZ, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, MADISON POLICE: This investigation as a whole is just very unique. I mean there's just so many things about this case that, you know, she was attacked at -- and left unconscious, which is very strange. And obviously the abduction itself and us locating her in the place that we did was very unique. It's -- there's a lot of things that we have to sit down and go through and try to piece some more information together so we can identify the person that's involved. And that's going to take some time here.
I anticipate the interview with Audrey is going to last for several hours. But it's just something that we're going to have to take our time with and make sure that we have the correct and accurate information from Audrey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREED: And we are standing by to find out what, if anything, police will be prepared to tell us based on that interview. We do know that the search is continuing today for the suspect. It is somewhat scaled back, though. There are not as many officers and investigators combing that marshy area. But they did tell us that the nature of the people that they have there today is different. Fewer people, but it's the special squad that would normally go through and comb through in great detail this kind of a potential crime scene area.
So we are standing by to hear from them on both of those counts -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, Jonathan Freed, we'll check back with you for any new developments.
The Bush and Kerry campaigns are turning out e-mail, letters and barbs today in their renewed dispute over presidential debates.
Candy Crowley has our daily campaign update from Washington -- Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.
John Kerry's campaign is again challenging President Bush to take part in six debates in battleground states. The national chairs of the Bush and Kerry camps talked about the subject in their first ever TV face-off, set to air today on CNN's "Inside Politics."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE SHAHEEN, KERRY CAMPAIGN CHAIRWOMAN: I think it would be great if we could agree to accept the Kerry campaign challenge to debate so that people everywhere can hear the real issues in this campaign.
MARC RACICOT, BUSH CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN: What I would suggest to you is that Senator Kerry ought to debate himself and come to a resolute conclusion about so many different issues before he challenges anybody else. I mean it's hard to know where he stands on a given issue on a given day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: We do not expect to hear from Kerry himself on this debate over the debates, or much else, for that matter. Kerry is taking a respite from the trail, recovering from minor surgery yesterday to repair a tear in his right shoulder tendon. Kerry is scheduled to rest and work from his Boston home for the next couple of days.
Checking a new national poll, an "L.A. Times" survey finds John Kerry leads President Bush 47-44 percent among registered voters. Ralph Nader receives four percent. Nader may not make the ballot in every state, but even if you remove his name from the survey, Kerry still holds onto a three point edge.
John Kerry's former rival, Howard Dean, has new plans for his summer. He has accepted the post of distinguished visiting fellow at Dartmouth College. The job includes talking with students about his new Democracy For America organization and delivering speeches on campus before and after the November election.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has completed a course in preventing sexual harassment. The governor tells the "San Francisco Chronicle" he and his senior staff completed the two hour class in January. During last year's recall campaign, a number of women came forward to accuse Schwarzenegger of sexual misconduct. He then apologized for, in his words, "behaving badly toward women."
As the race for the White House continues, I'll talk with presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich about his campaign strategy and other things along the campaign trail.
Plus, the Bush and Kerry campaign chairs duke it out for the first time ever. My exclusive interview coming up this afternoon.
I'll also talk to one of the president's top advisers, Karen Hughes, about her role in Mr. Bush's reelection effort and her new book.
It's all coming up when I go inside politics at 3:30 p.m. Eastern, 12:30 p.m. Pacific.
But right now, we want to go back to Daryn in Atlanta.
KAGAN: Candy Crowley, thank you.
The price of medication is going through the roof.
Up next in our daily dose of health news, we have your prescription for cheaper drugs.
And later, the joke's on you -- how everybody's favorite day for fooling around is now going high tech.
First, though, today's Fortune 500 projects.
COMMERCIAL
KAGAN: It is time for our daily dose of health news -- a prescription for saving on medications. The price of prescription drugs has increased about seven percent a year over the past decade.
Medical correspondent Christy Feig has some tips for finding cheaper drugs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTY FEIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Adriana Ward takes nine pills a day for the typical health problems that come with old age, like high cholesterol, hypertension and heart disease. Because of the high price of her medicines, she's even gone to Mexico. But now, at age 73, she's taken on a part-time job to cover the almost $200 a month costs.
ADRIANA WARD: I work not by choice, but by necessity. And that is -- I resent that.
FEIG: To help people like Adriana, a non-profit advocacy group called Consumers' Checkbook price shopped for 17 of the most popular prescription drugs, comparing the prices at 1, 400 pharmacies around the country with online drugstores and Canada. The group found a few ways to cut corners.
First, call around to different pharmacies in your city. In the study, that saved about 30 percent.
ROBERT KRUGHOFF, CONSUMERS' CHECKBOOK: On average, the independent stores, the sort of mom and pop stores, were less expensive, on average, than the big chain.
FEIG: Then compare that price with an online or mail order pharmacy and save another two to three percent.
Canada won't always save you money. KRUGHOFF: In some cases, drugs may be twice as expensive if you buy them from Canada as they are if you buy them from the United States.
FEIG: A prescription drug card can save even more at a pharmacy and generics can save you as much as 70 percent.
In Washington, I'm Christy Feig.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Your daily dose of health news is just a click away. On our Web site, you'll find the latest medical news. There's also head to toe health information from CNN and the Mayo Clinic. The address is cnn.com/health.
All right, it's April Fool's. Did you get something in your e- mail this morning from your boss? Hold on. Don't reply. You might want to check the calendar, April Fool's. Daniel Sieberg is here to tell you about some pranks that are out there today. See, this is no April Fool's. He's really here.
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I'm really here.
KAGAN: Yes. And we're going to make a space for you.
SIEBERG: Nice.
KAGAN: Right. We move furniture, too.
COMMERCIAL
KAGAN: Check the calendar and don't be a fool today. You might want to find a few pranks in your e-mail inbox.
Technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg is here to spoil the fun -- or save us from some.
SIEBERG: Daryn, actually, I think we were going to talk about something else. There was a music downloading story we were going to talk about.
KAGAN: No, April Fool's.
SIEBERG: Oh...
KAGAN: Oh, you're so funny!
SIEBERG: We have been trying to set it up during the break.
KAGAN: No.
SIEBERG: But it didn't work.
KAGAN: OK. Anyhow...
SIEBERG: OK, yes?
KAGAN: I might be getting an e-mail from my boss. It happens from time to time.
SIEBERG: Right.
KAGAN: But this one probably is not real.
SIEBERG: Right. We're going to talk about a few sort of high tech jokes here now. Of course, it's important to have a little sense of humor on April Fool's Day.
KAGAN: Ha-ha.
SIEBERG: Ha-ha. But some of these could get you into some trouble. And we're actually going to play the role of the spoiler here, in a sense, and talk about some of them.
Now, the first one, you get an e-mail in your in box. And it's going to look like it's coming from your boss. And here's basically what it says. We're actually not going to tell you what the Web site is. You still might be able to find it on your own. It says, "John" -- or so and so -- "it has come to my attention that you've been using company resources for personal use." It goes on to say a few other things. And it says, "As state in the employee handbook, Widgets, Inc. Takes this behavior very seriously and any continuation of this will result in immediate termination." So that's right there...
KAGAN: OK, it's not really coming from the boss?
SIEBERG: It's really not coming from the boss. But if you were to reply to it, it would go back to the sender.
KAGAN: Oh, no.
SIEBERG: So it gets somebody involved who may not be aware of it. So you really have to be careful with this one. But if you know the person who is going to be fooled by it and you get everybody in on it, to a certain degree, you could have a little fun.
KAGAN: Ha-ha.
SIEBERG: Now, there are some other ones on this particular site. There is one that actually fools people into thinking that their university degree is no longer valid because they don't have enough credits.
KAGAN: Oh, that's my bad dream.
SIEBERG: So, you know...
KAGAN: Yes.
SIEBERG: So there are some ones -- you just don't want to, you want to be careful with the human resources sort of legal side of all of this. But some of them out there are obviously meant to have a little fun.
KAGAN: OK. Now, a hot high tech hunk like you doesn't need to worry about an imaginary girlfriend...
SIEBERG: Gosh, thanks, Daryn.
KAGAN: ... you just have the women clamoring over you.
SIEBERG: Oh, yes, clamoring.
KAGAN: Whoo -- but there is something about imaginary girlfriends.
SIEBERG: Yes, right.
KAGAN: Yes.
SIEBERG: If someone you know is telling you that they have got a brand new girlfriend and she looks maybe rather attractive, it's possible that they have signed up at a site called imaginarygirlfriends.com. You're seeing some of the video of it right now. We can't show the pictures of the girls on the site for legal reasons, but if you go to the site you can actually...
KAGAN: Not because they're nasty? It's not one of those sites?
SIEBERG: No, not because they're nasty. No, they actually try to look rather attractive. They present themselves fairly well. For $40 for a couple of months, you sign up and this imaginary girl who is actually, we think, a real girl, sends you e-mail and photos and will chat with you online, pretending that she's your girlfriend. So then you can send this off to your friends and say hey, look at this girl I'm dating right now.
KAGAN: How much is that right now?
SIEBERG: It varies. It's about $45 or $50 for a couple of months and the best part is she'll pretend -- when the money runs out, she'll pretend that she's begging to have you back.
KAGAN: Oh, that's cheap.
SIEBERG: She'll say, "Oh how could you dump me? Oh, take me back." And you can send this to all your friends and say look, you know, she's really sad that I broke up with her.
KAGAN: I'll tell you this, $45 a month, that's cheaper than a real girlfriend.
SIEBERG: Right.
KAGAN: Yes.
SIEBERG: You do have to question the people who want to sign up for an imaginary girlfriend. And then they believe it.
KAGAN: Yes.
SIEBERG: Just be careful.
KAGAN: OK.
SIEBERG: Imagine it, imaginary girlfriend.
KAGAN: The loser out there who hasn't had a girlfriend and probably still doesn't.
SIEBERG: Yes. Yes, right.
KAGAN: Now, somebody like you, though, could probably use a service where you're trying to get all those girls off the phone.
SIEBERG: Yes.
KAGAN: Yes.
SIEBERG: Now, this is an interesting one. This is part of a company called Simeda. So if you're, let's say you're late for work and you're in bed and you want to fool your boss. This is basically technology that plays on your cell phone in the background to fool someone into thinking that you're somewhere else.
KAGAN: Ah!
SIEBERG: So, let's say I'm actually in bed and I'm calling up and I want to sound like I'm in a traffic jam. So, Daryn, I think we can cue up the sound here.
KAGAN: OK.
SIEBERG: Yes, I'm sorry. There's no way I'm going to be able to make it in. The traffic is terrible on the 85. It's horrible. I'm sorry. Yes. There's just no way I'm going to be able to make it into work. You can hear the traffic -- I can barely hear you. I'm sorry.
KAGAN: Terrible.
SIEBERG: The traffic noise is so loud. So that's one of them.
KAGAN: What other sounds do you have?
SIEBERG: There are a few other sounds. The other one we can tell you about is actually if you're at the dentist, you can pretend you're at the dentist's office.
KAGAN: Oh.
SIEBERG: Yes, oh, and I told you, remember I had this dentist appointment. Hang on a second. I've got a dentist -- just a second. Yes, it's really actually rather painful here. Can you just hang on for a second?
KAGAN: OK. OK. SIEBERG: Right. OK? So that's the dentist's office. Now, a circus. Let's say you're near a circus and you want to pretend you're at the circus.
KAGAN: They will not believe in the circus.
SIEBERG: Yes. Honey, I'm on my way home...
KAGAN: Yes?
SIEBERG: But I'm stuck in this circus thing. It's really weird. No, I'm not over at Ted's place watching the game. No. I'm on my way home. I'm stuck in this circus.
KAGAN: The old elephant traffic jam.
SIEBERG: The elephant traffic jam. Everybody gets stuck in the circus. That's such a common excuse.
The last one, though, is a phone ringing one. Now, this one is if you're on the phone with somebody and you just cannot get rid of them, like Daryn calls me every day...
KAGAN: Like all the...
SIEBERG: ... and it's just like Daryn...
KAGAN: I'm stalking Daniel Sieberg.
SIEBERG: Look, Daryn, really, I've got to go, OK? I've got to go. And...
KAGAN: And there's no sound.
SIEBERG: ... the phone is ringing in the background. There's no sound so we can't get to try that one. But the phone will be ringing in the background.
KAGAN: See, and that's why you can't get me off the phone.
SIEBERG: Right. Because it never works for me.
KAGAN: There you go.
SIEBERG: But anyway, it costs about 10 bucks, 15 bucks to sign up[. It does not work for all cell phones, though, we should say, only certain ones. So you'd have to look into it and find out.
KAGAN: There you go.
SIEBERG: But...
KAGAN: I think I'll just stick with the old I'm not feeling very good.
SIEBERG: Yes, right. That one's -- right. So be on, be alert, though. Be aware.
KAGAN: That's -- yes.
SIEBERG: April Fool's Day.
KAGAN: April Fool's.
SIEBERG: Yes.
KAGAN: You know, an honest soul like Fred Katayama down at the New York Stock Exchange would never...
SIEBERG: Oh, could not be fooled.
KAGAN: ... never. Well, not only could not be fooled, he would never try any of that stuff.
SIEBERG: Right.
KAGAN: As honest as the day is young, which is not so young.
FRED KATAYAMA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, I would never do anything that hurts you, Daryn.
KAGAN: No.
KATAYAMA: You're so sweet.
But these are the sound of real traders behind me, I'll tell you.
KAGAN: Yes, absolutely.
(MARKET REPORT)
KAGAN: All right, now we need to do something that you'll probably see on "David Letterman" later tonight. We need to clear up something from a couple days ago. You might recall that we had some fun with some tape that we took from the Letterman show. It's of a kid who had trouble staying alert during a presidential speech in Orlando last month.
So we aired it on this show and then after we did, they had me come on here and tell you that the White House called and told us it was faked.
Well, it turns out due to a, what we might say a misunderstanding among the folks who are usually so fantastic behind me here in the newsrooms, it turns out that was not true. The White House, it turns out, I guess never did call us about the tape. The Letterman show, if you've been watching at night, strongly denies it was fake. Boy, do they strongly deny that. And we've been looking through our tapes and apparently we now see no evidence that it was faked.
So, Dave, we apologize for the error. I hope that makes things good with us. If you need me to come up and do a stupid human trick or a stupid pet trick, I have that, too. But hopefully we're just OK. We apologize.
We will be back after this.
COMMERCIAL
KAGAN: To the left on your radio dial, Air America. The liberal radio network is on the air to go head to head with conservative talk. Air America debuted yesterday with comedian Al Franken declaring an end to right-wing dominance of talk radio. The network is also streamed over the Internet. It is carried on stations in six cities and on satellite radio.
It has been more than a year since U.S. forces first stormed into Iraq. That is a long time for someone who's only seven years old, even longer when that war separates him from his father. Now we get to see the youngster's surprise of a lifetime thanks to reporter Scott Johnson from our affiliate WJXT of Jacksonville.
Well, I guess we're -- the surprise is we are not going to get to see that because that piece is not ready.
It's just been one of those April Fool's kind of days.
But one person you can rely on, Orelon Sidney. You are there for me.
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Always. Always.
KAGAN: OK.
SIDNEY: Yes, I'm trying to think of a good April Fool's joke myself.
KAGAN: Help me.
SIDNEY: But that was a good one.
KAGAN: Well, I've been living one.
But go ahead.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Orelon Sidney, did you hear the one where they come to me and to Carol Costello and they say we need you to work 12 hours on April 1st? We say oh, come on, April Fool's.
SIDNEY: Yes, right.
KAGAN: They said no, no, no, we're not kidding. Wolf Blitzer is taking April 1st off. So Carol Costello is here to do the noon Eastern. And I'm going to stick around and work for Wolf at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Are you really?
KAGAN: Yes.
COSTELLO: So you can stay around and watch this show for the next hour.
KAGAN: Which was the selling point. I said I don't know if I can and they said, you know, Carol...
SIDNEY: Yes, Wolf's off.
KAGAN: ... will be here at noon.
COSTELLO: That's why I like you so much, Daryn.
KAGAN: And there you go. So go to work.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Daryn.
KAGAN: I'll be watching back in the newsroom.
COSTELLO: Got you.
KAGAN: OK. You bet.
COSTELLO: I am Carol Costello at the CNN Center in Atlanta, in today for Wolf Blitzer.
This hour, the brutal killings of four American contractors in Fallujah. Today, the top U.S. civil administrator in Iraq vows that the deaths will not go unpunished.
More questions today about the Bush administration's focus prior to 9/11. Was it on fighting terrorism or on missile defense?
And a University of Wisconsin student found alive four days after her disappearance. But the story does not end there.
First, some headlines for you now.
An international arrest warrant in Spain for an alleged ringleader in the plot to bomb trains in Madrid. This Tunisian man is described in the warrant as the coordinator. Warrants also were issued for five Moroccans.
Secretary of State Colin Powell commits the U.S. to another big payment toward building a new Afghanistan. At a conference in Berlin, Powell pledged $2.3 billion, more than half the total raised among the 60 odd donors.
Also this hour, a dragnet today in northern Pennsylvania. Police say a man accused of fatally shooting two sheriff's deputies who had gone to a junkyard to serve a warrant. Wanted posters identified the man as 27-year-old Dustin Briggs.
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Aired April 1, 2004 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta.
Let's check the headlines at this hour.
A roadside bomb exploded as a U.S. military convoy passed near Fallujah this morning. A Humvee left behind by American soldiers was set on fire. The new attack comes as the U.S. pledges to hunt down those responsible for killing four civilian contractors in a grizzly scene on Wednesday.
OPEC is cutting production today by four percent. That translates to about a million barrels of crude a day and, experts say, will likely mean higher prices at the pump. The cartel says it's trying to head off a traditional spring price drop, when demand for oil globally slips to a low point.
Martha Stewart wants a new trial. In court papers, her attorneys argue she should be tried again because a juror didn't disclose an assault arrest and three civil judgments. The defense says if it had known, it would have struck the man from the jury pool.
And police in Maine are charging a motorist with drunken driving after he drove into a gas pump. Check out these pictures. Surveillance video shows a huge explosion at the convenience store as the man drives away. Another person pumping gas flees the flames, as does the passenger in his car.
In Wisconsin today, detectives say they'll question college student Audrey Seiler about her apparent kidnapping ordeal, as they search for an abductor.
Our Jonathan Freed joins us from Madison this morning -- good morning.
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
The scene in Madison, Wisconsin this morning is a lot more relaxed than it was yesterday. People are content. Tremendous relief that Audrey Seiler was found alive. The questions that are happening now and the focus now is on is there still a suspect at large. And some people are even questioning whether or not there was ever a suspect at large.
Police are being cautious about answering that one. Yesterday, though, the scene the at hospital when the family and friends were told that Audrey was found alive, tremendous rejecting. There had been tremendous tension for a period of four days since she went missing at 2:30 Saturday morning, which was the last time that anybody spotted her. And it was, in fact, the security camera at her apartment building that captured her leaving without even a coat.
Then yesterday afternoon, at approximately 1:00 p.m. local time here in Madison, somebody passing by a marshy area which is about two and a half miles from where Seiler lives spotted somebody that they thought looked like the mission person, called it in. Police rushed to the scene and it was, indeed, Audrey Seiler.
Now, today, though, this case still has police somewhat puzzled.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KAMHOLZ, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, MADISON POLICE: This investigation as a whole is just very unique. I mean there's just so many things about this case that, you know, she was attacked at -- and left unconscious, which is very strange. And obviously the abduction itself and us locating her in the place that we did was very unique. It's -- there's a lot of things that we have to sit down and go through and try to piece some more information together so we can identify the person that's involved. And that's going to take some time here.
I anticipate the interview with Audrey is going to last for several hours. But it's just something that we're going to have to take our time with and make sure that we have the correct and accurate information from Audrey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREED: And we are standing by to find out what, if anything, police will be prepared to tell us based on that interview. We do know that the search is continuing today for the suspect. It is somewhat scaled back, though. There are not as many officers and investigators combing that marshy area. But they did tell us that the nature of the people that they have there today is different. Fewer people, but it's the special squad that would normally go through and comb through in great detail this kind of a potential crime scene area.
So we are standing by to hear from them on both of those counts -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, Jonathan Freed, we'll check back with you for any new developments.
The Bush and Kerry campaigns are turning out e-mail, letters and barbs today in their renewed dispute over presidential debates.
Candy Crowley has our daily campaign update from Washington -- Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.
John Kerry's campaign is again challenging President Bush to take part in six debates in battleground states. The national chairs of the Bush and Kerry camps talked about the subject in their first ever TV face-off, set to air today on CNN's "Inside Politics."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE SHAHEEN, KERRY CAMPAIGN CHAIRWOMAN: I think it would be great if we could agree to accept the Kerry campaign challenge to debate so that people everywhere can hear the real issues in this campaign.
MARC RACICOT, BUSH CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN: What I would suggest to you is that Senator Kerry ought to debate himself and come to a resolute conclusion about so many different issues before he challenges anybody else. I mean it's hard to know where he stands on a given issue on a given day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: We do not expect to hear from Kerry himself on this debate over the debates, or much else, for that matter. Kerry is taking a respite from the trail, recovering from minor surgery yesterday to repair a tear in his right shoulder tendon. Kerry is scheduled to rest and work from his Boston home for the next couple of days.
Checking a new national poll, an "L.A. Times" survey finds John Kerry leads President Bush 47-44 percent among registered voters. Ralph Nader receives four percent. Nader may not make the ballot in every state, but even if you remove his name from the survey, Kerry still holds onto a three point edge.
John Kerry's former rival, Howard Dean, has new plans for his summer. He has accepted the post of distinguished visiting fellow at Dartmouth College. The job includes talking with students about his new Democracy For America organization and delivering speeches on campus before and after the November election.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has completed a course in preventing sexual harassment. The governor tells the "San Francisco Chronicle" he and his senior staff completed the two hour class in January. During last year's recall campaign, a number of women came forward to accuse Schwarzenegger of sexual misconduct. He then apologized for, in his words, "behaving badly toward women."
As the race for the White House continues, I'll talk with presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich about his campaign strategy and other things along the campaign trail.
Plus, the Bush and Kerry campaign chairs duke it out for the first time ever. My exclusive interview coming up this afternoon.
I'll also talk to one of the president's top advisers, Karen Hughes, about her role in Mr. Bush's reelection effort and her new book.
It's all coming up when I go inside politics at 3:30 p.m. Eastern, 12:30 p.m. Pacific.
But right now, we want to go back to Daryn in Atlanta.
KAGAN: Candy Crowley, thank you.
The price of medication is going through the roof.
Up next in our daily dose of health news, we have your prescription for cheaper drugs.
And later, the joke's on you -- how everybody's favorite day for fooling around is now going high tech.
First, though, today's Fortune 500 projects.
COMMERCIAL
KAGAN: It is time for our daily dose of health news -- a prescription for saving on medications. The price of prescription drugs has increased about seven percent a year over the past decade.
Medical correspondent Christy Feig has some tips for finding cheaper drugs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTY FEIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Adriana Ward takes nine pills a day for the typical health problems that come with old age, like high cholesterol, hypertension and heart disease. Because of the high price of her medicines, she's even gone to Mexico. But now, at age 73, she's taken on a part-time job to cover the almost $200 a month costs.
ADRIANA WARD: I work not by choice, but by necessity. And that is -- I resent that.
FEIG: To help people like Adriana, a non-profit advocacy group called Consumers' Checkbook price shopped for 17 of the most popular prescription drugs, comparing the prices at 1, 400 pharmacies around the country with online drugstores and Canada. The group found a few ways to cut corners.
First, call around to different pharmacies in your city. In the study, that saved about 30 percent.
ROBERT KRUGHOFF, CONSUMERS' CHECKBOOK: On average, the independent stores, the sort of mom and pop stores, were less expensive, on average, than the big chain.
FEIG: Then compare that price with an online or mail order pharmacy and save another two to three percent.
Canada won't always save you money. KRUGHOFF: In some cases, drugs may be twice as expensive if you buy them from Canada as they are if you buy them from the United States.
FEIG: A prescription drug card can save even more at a pharmacy and generics can save you as much as 70 percent.
In Washington, I'm Christy Feig.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Your daily dose of health news is just a click away. On our Web site, you'll find the latest medical news. There's also head to toe health information from CNN and the Mayo Clinic. The address is cnn.com/health.
All right, it's April Fool's. Did you get something in your e- mail this morning from your boss? Hold on. Don't reply. You might want to check the calendar, April Fool's. Daniel Sieberg is here to tell you about some pranks that are out there today. See, this is no April Fool's. He's really here.
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I'm really here.
KAGAN: Yes. And we're going to make a space for you.
SIEBERG: Nice.
KAGAN: Right. We move furniture, too.
COMMERCIAL
KAGAN: Check the calendar and don't be a fool today. You might want to find a few pranks in your e-mail inbox.
Technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg is here to spoil the fun -- or save us from some.
SIEBERG: Daryn, actually, I think we were going to talk about something else. There was a music downloading story we were going to talk about.
KAGAN: No, April Fool's.
SIEBERG: Oh...
KAGAN: Oh, you're so funny!
SIEBERG: We have been trying to set it up during the break.
KAGAN: No.
SIEBERG: But it didn't work.
KAGAN: OK. Anyhow...
SIEBERG: OK, yes?
KAGAN: I might be getting an e-mail from my boss. It happens from time to time.
SIEBERG: Right.
KAGAN: But this one probably is not real.
SIEBERG: Right. We're going to talk about a few sort of high tech jokes here now. Of course, it's important to have a little sense of humor on April Fool's Day.
KAGAN: Ha-ha.
SIEBERG: Ha-ha. But some of these could get you into some trouble. And we're actually going to play the role of the spoiler here, in a sense, and talk about some of them.
Now, the first one, you get an e-mail in your in box. And it's going to look like it's coming from your boss. And here's basically what it says. We're actually not going to tell you what the Web site is. You still might be able to find it on your own. It says, "John" -- or so and so -- "it has come to my attention that you've been using company resources for personal use." It goes on to say a few other things. And it says, "As state in the employee handbook, Widgets, Inc. Takes this behavior very seriously and any continuation of this will result in immediate termination." So that's right there...
KAGAN: OK, it's not really coming from the boss?
SIEBERG: It's really not coming from the boss. But if you were to reply to it, it would go back to the sender.
KAGAN: Oh, no.
SIEBERG: So it gets somebody involved who may not be aware of it. So you really have to be careful with this one. But if you know the person who is going to be fooled by it and you get everybody in on it, to a certain degree, you could have a little fun.
KAGAN: Ha-ha.
SIEBERG: Now, there are some other ones on this particular site. There is one that actually fools people into thinking that their university degree is no longer valid because they don't have enough credits.
KAGAN: Oh, that's my bad dream.
SIEBERG: So, you know...
KAGAN: Yes.
SIEBERG: So there are some ones -- you just don't want to, you want to be careful with the human resources sort of legal side of all of this. But some of them out there are obviously meant to have a little fun.
KAGAN: OK. Now, a hot high tech hunk like you doesn't need to worry about an imaginary girlfriend...
SIEBERG: Gosh, thanks, Daryn.
KAGAN: ... you just have the women clamoring over you.
SIEBERG: Oh, yes, clamoring.
KAGAN: Whoo -- but there is something about imaginary girlfriends.
SIEBERG: Yes, right.
KAGAN: Yes.
SIEBERG: If someone you know is telling you that they have got a brand new girlfriend and she looks maybe rather attractive, it's possible that they have signed up at a site called imaginarygirlfriends.com. You're seeing some of the video of it right now. We can't show the pictures of the girls on the site for legal reasons, but if you go to the site you can actually...
KAGAN: Not because they're nasty? It's not one of those sites?
SIEBERG: No, not because they're nasty. No, they actually try to look rather attractive. They present themselves fairly well. For $40 for a couple of months, you sign up and this imaginary girl who is actually, we think, a real girl, sends you e-mail and photos and will chat with you online, pretending that she's your girlfriend. So then you can send this off to your friends and say hey, look at this girl I'm dating right now.
KAGAN: How much is that right now?
SIEBERG: It varies. It's about $45 or $50 for a couple of months and the best part is she'll pretend -- when the money runs out, she'll pretend that she's begging to have you back.
KAGAN: Oh, that's cheap.
SIEBERG: She'll say, "Oh how could you dump me? Oh, take me back." And you can send this to all your friends and say look, you know, she's really sad that I broke up with her.
KAGAN: I'll tell you this, $45 a month, that's cheaper than a real girlfriend.
SIEBERG: Right.
KAGAN: Yes.
SIEBERG: You do have to question the people who want to sign up for an imaginary girlfriend. And then they believe it.
KAGAN: Yes.
SIEBERG: Just be careful.
KAGAN: OK.
SIEBERG: Imagine it, imaginary girlfriend.
KAGAN: The loser out there who hasn't had a girlfriend and probably still doesn't.
SIEBERG: Yes. Yes, right.
KAGAN: Now, somebody like you, though, could probably use a service where you're trying to get all those girls off the phone.
SIEBERG: Yes.
KAGAN: Yes.
SIEBERG: Now, this is an interesting one. This is part of a company called Simeda. So if you're, let's say you're late for work and you're in bed and you want to fool your boss. This is basically technology that plays on your cell phone in the background to fool someone into thinking that you're somewhere else.
KAGAN: Ah!
SIEBERG: So, let's say I'm actually in bed and I'm calling up and I want to sound like I'm in a traffic jam. So, Daryn, I think we can cue up the sound here.
KAGAN: OK.
SIEBERG: Yes, I'm sorry. There's no way I'm going to be able to make it in. The traffic is terrible on the 85. It's horrible. I'm sorry. Yes. There's just no way I'm going to be able to make it into work. You can hear the traffic -- I can barely hear you. I'm sorry.
KAGAN: Terrible.
SIEBERG: The traffic noise is so loud. So that's one of them.
KAGAN: What other sounds do you have?
SIEBERG: There are a few other sounds. The other one we can tell you about is actually if you're at the dentist, you can pretend you're at the dentist's office.
KAGAN: Oh.
SIEBERG: Yes, oh, and I told you, remember I had this dentist appointment. Hang on a second. I've got a dentist -- just a second. Yes, it's really actually rather painful here. Can you just hang on for a second?
KAGAN: OK. OK. SIEBERG: Right. OK? So that's the dentist's office. Now, a circus. Let's say you're near a circus and you want to pretend you're at the circus.
KAGAN: They will not believe in the circus.
SIEBERG: Yes. Honey, I'm on my way home...
KAGAN: Yes?
SIEBERG: But I'm stuck in this circus thing. It's really weird. No, I'm not over at Ted's place watching the game. No. I'm on my way home. I'm stuck in this circus.
KAGAN: The old elephant traffic jam.
SIEBERG: The elephant traffic jam. Everybody gets stuck in the circus. That's such a common excuse.
The last one, though, is a phone ringing one. Now, this one is if you're on the phone with somebody and you just cannot get rid of them, like Daryn calls me every day...
KAGAN: Like all the...
SIEBERG: ... and it's just like Daryn...
KAGAN: I'm stalking Daniel Sieberg.
SIEBERG: Look, Daryn, really, I've got to go, OK? I've got to go. And...
KAGAN: And there's no sound.
SIEBERG: ... the phone is ringing in the background. There's no sound so we can't get to try that one. But the phone will be ringing in the background.
KAGAN: See, and that's why you can't get me off the phone.
SIEBERG: Right. Because it never works for me.
KAGAN: There you go.
SIEBERG: But anyway, it costs about 10 bucks, 15 bucks to sign up[. It does not work for all cell phones, though, we should say, only certain ones. So you'd have to look into it and find out.
KAGAN: There you go.
SIEBERG: But...
KAGAN: I think I'll just stick with the old I'm not feeling very good.
SIEBERG: Yes, right. That one's -- right. So be on, be alert, though. Be aware.
KAGAN: That's -- yes.
SIEBERG: April Fool's Day.
KAGAN: April Fool's.
SIEBERG: Yes.
KAGAN: You know, an honest soul like Fred Katayama down at the New York Stock Exchange would never...
SIEBERG: Oh, could not be fooled.
KAGAN: ... never. Well, not only could not be fooled, he would never try any of that stuff.
SIEBERG: Right.
KAGAN: As honest as the day is young, which is not so young.
FRED KATAYAMA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, I would never do anything that hurts you, Daryn.
KAGAN: No.
KATAYAMA: You're so sweet.
But these are the sound of real traders behind me, I'll tell you.
KAGAN: Yes, absolutely.
(MARKET REPORT)
KAGAN: All right, now we need to do something that you'll probably see on "David Letterman" later tonight. We need to clear up something from a couple days ago. You might recall that we had some fun with some tape that we took from the Letterman show. It's of a kid who had trouble staying alert during a presidential speech in Orlando last month.
So we aired it on this show and then after we did, they had me come on here and tell you that the White House called and told us it was faked.
Well, it turns out due to a, what we might say a misunderstanding among the folks who are usually so fantastic behind me here in the newsrooms, it turns out that was not true. The White House, it turns out, I guess never did call us about the tape. The Letterman show, if you've been watching at night, strongly denies it was fake. Boy, do they strongly deny that. And we've been looking through our tapes and apparently we now see no evidence that it was faked.
So, Dave, we apologize for the error. I hope that makes things good with us. If you need me to come up and do a stupid human trick or a stupid pet trick, I have that, too. But hopefully we're just OK. We apologize.
We will be back after this.
COMMERCIAL
KAGAN: To the left on your radio dial, Air America. The liberal radio network is on the air to go head to head with conservative talk. Air America debuted yesterday with comedian Al Franken declaring an end to right-wing dominance of talk radio. The network is also streamed over the Internet. It is carried on stations in six cities and on satellite radio.
It has been more than a year since U.S. forces first stormed into Iraq. That is a long time for someone who's only seven years old, even longer when that war separates him from his father. Now we get to see the youngster's surprise of a lifetime thanks to reporter Scott Johnson from our affiliate WJXT of Jacksonville.
Well, I guess we're -- the surprise is we are not going to get to see that because that piece is not ready.
It's just been one of those April Fool's kind of days.
But one person you can rely on, Orelon Sidney. You are there for me.
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Always. Always.
KAGAN: OK.
SIDNEY: Yes, I'm trying to think of a good April Fool's joke myself.
KAGAN: Help me.
SIDNEY: But that was a good one.
KAGAN: Well, I've been living one.
But go ahead.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Orelon Sidney, did you hear the one where they come to me and to Carol Costello and they say we need you to work 12 hours on April 1st? We say oh, come on, April Fool's.
SIDNEY: Yes, right.
KAGAN: They said no, no, no, we're not kidding. Wolf Blitzer is taking April 1st off. So Carol Costello is here to do the noon Eastern. And I'm going to stick around and work for Wolf at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Are you really?
KAGAN: Yes.
COSTELLO: So you can stay around and watch this show for the next hour.
KAGAN: Which was the selling point. I said I don't know if I can and they said, you know, Carol...
SIDNEY: Yes, Wolf's off.
KAGAN: ... will be here at noon.
COSTELLO: That's why I like you so much, Daryn.
KAGAN: And there you go. So go to work.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Daryn.
KAGAN: I'll be watching back in the newsroom.
COSTELLO: Got you.
KAGAN: OK. You bet.
COSTELLO: I am Carol Costello at the CNN Center in Atlanta, in today for Wolf Blitzer.
This hour, the brutal killings of four American contractors in Fallujah. Today, the top U.S. civil administrator in Iraq vows that the deaths will not go unpunished.
More questions today about the Bush administration's focus prior to 9/11. Was it on fighting terrorism or on missile defense?
And a University of Wisconsin student found alive four days after her disappearance. But the story does not end there.
First, some headlines for you now.
An international arrest warrant in Spain for an alleged ringleader in the plot to bomb trains in Madrid. This Tunisian man is described in the warrant as the coordinator. Warrants also were issued for five Moroccans.
Secretary of State Colin Powell commits the U.S. to another big payment toward building a new Afghanistan. At a conference in Berlin, Powell pledged $2.3 billion, more than half the total raised among the 60 odd donors.
Also this hour, a dragnet today in northern Pennsylvania. Police say a man accused of fatally shooting two sheriff's deputies who had gone to a junkyard to serve a warrant. Wanted posters identified the man as 27-year-old Dustin Briggs.
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