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American Morning
Hurricane Charley Gaining Strength; In California, Firefighters Battling 7,500-Acre Blaze
Aired August 13, 2004 - 09:30 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, Hurricane Charley, that's what some are saying in Florida. It is gaining strength, brushing the Florida Keys before it turns north.
Neki Mohan has been with us all morning long. She's from WPLG in Key West, Florida.
Neki, we checked in with you at 7:30, 8:30, here we are at 9:30. What are the differences you're noticing. Is that wind picking up?
NEKI MOHAN, WPLG REPORTER: Yes. Actually, it's like the last blast before Charley heads north. We've had sustained winds of up to 50 miles per hour. But now it seems like we're getting rain with it, too, and the meteorologists at our station promised me it's the last bit.
Take a loot at world-famous Duvall Street, where they've boarded up for the hurricane. Right now, people getting confident. Things are slowing down, they're coming back out. Officials still want people to stay inside. Because as you see, there's no telling when the wind is going to pick up. There are about 70 people in shelters there just as a precaution, but no major outages to report. I think the sail of a mast went into a transformer, and that's causing some problems. But they're working on that right now. Lots of people have come out and said, they really thought it was going to be bad. But of course, it's always better to be prepared for the worst, and then have something that's not that bad.
We're on top of the largest -- the highest hotel, tallest hotel in Key West, and that's why we're feeling the brunt of the winds. Down on the ground, it's not that bad. You can see a few trees still blowing around, but it looks like Charley has just given us a taste of what he's going to do when he's headed north. He's more than 50 miles off of Key West, headed to Tampa. So we're just getting actually just a little bit of what Charley's really packing, up to 150-mile-per-hour winds.
So not that bad for us here. We still got blown around a bit, but for now, live in downtown Key West, I'm Neki Mohan. Back to you, Heidi.
How's the weather in New York?
COLLINS: It's a heck of a lot better than that, that's fore sure, as your photographer there wipes the lens a couple of times on your report. Neki Mohan, thanks for being a sport. We appreciate your reporting this morning very much.
(WEATHER REPORT)
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go from Florida now to California, firefighters battling a 7,500-acre blaze there. That fire destroying at least 67 homes in a subdivision near Lake Shasta. Hundreds more have been evacuated, too.
Miguel Marquez live from Shasta Lake there in California.
Miguel, good morning.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.
This is about the worst-hit area just here of Lake Shasta, here in California. This is a ravine home that we're in, 67 homes, as you said. I can count about eight homes in this area alone.
The fire started just south of where we are, started by a guy mowing his lawn, trying to protect his home from fire danger, and unfortunately it sparked this fire. He's been cited, but not been named because officials were concerned about that, I'm sure. I'm sure he was concerned about that as well.
The official numbers are 50 percent containment, though. Firefighters did a big burnout operation in this area last night. They believe it was very successful. And they expect that those containment numbers will rise sharply in the next hour or so when they do their morning update.
By Sunday afternoon, 6:00 p.m., they expect to have this fire fully contained. The fire last night didn't do what they were afraid it might do, which was to start moving southward again, and they were able to light a backfire, keeping that fire away now from several communities that are south and east of where the fire is right now.
We searched this morning for the fire, couldn't find any sign of it. That gives you an idea of just how much it lays down during the evening when the humidity goes up and the temperatures go down. Today they're expecting triple-digit temperatures again, though. But if that fire burnout operation was as successful as they hoped, they probably have a pretty good handle on this thing.
About 1,600 firefighters on hand to fight this thing right now. Two injuries, minor injuries, two firefighters on this fire. But at this point, it seems that they have it pretty much under control -- Bill.
HEMMER: That is a good thing, too. Miguel Marquez, thanks, in California -- Heidi.
COLLINS: The latest political polls show President Bush and John Kerry still in a dead heat. The Gallup poll shows President Bush slightly edging out John Kerry, which makes it a statistical tie, of course considering that margin of error. Could it remain this close up to the election?
Well, here now, senior political analyst Bill Schneider, joining us live from Los Angeles.
Bill, good morning to you.
Is this dead heat going to continue all the way through November?
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POL. ANALYST: It might. That's what happened in 2000. And you remember it went beyond November, all the way into December last time. All the polls are showing a close race nationally.
As you point out,there are other polls coming out from the Associated Press and from the Pew Center this week showing Kerry one, or two or three points ahead. So all the polls are showing a very tight race, just as it was in 2000, nationally.
COLLINS: Let's talk about battleground states, though, obviously Ohio and Florida. Looking first at Ohio now, we see those numbers, Kerry at 48 percent of likely voters, and Bush at 45 percent, Nader at 2 percent, sampling error there plus or minus 4 percentage points. Lots of manufacturing jobs have been lost in this state, Bill. What sort of impact is that going to have?
SCHNEIDER: Well, that's probably the major factor that may be tilting Ohio towards Kerry, though only slightly. The economy's a very big issue. It's one of the top 10 states in the loss of manufacturing jobs, a lot of economic discontent. That is a crucial state for George Bush. If he doesn't keep Ohio, which he carried in 2000, it's unlikely he can be re-elected.
COLLINS: And what about the Reagan Democrats in Ohio as well, working class Democrats who actually voted Republican because, you know, they agreed with the values there. Where are these people now?
SCHNEIDER: A lot of them are out of work, or a lot of them have found lower-paying jobs and their unhappy with the economy. Last time, a lot of them voted for Bush, and they have in the past because of values issues, this time their interests may trump their values, and they may be voting the economy.
COLLINS: OK, let's move on, look at some of the numbers coming out of that other battleground state, Florida. Here they are, Kerry at 47 percent, Bush 41 percent, and Nader at 4 percent. Again, sampling error there of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
John Kerry, though, making a big pitch for the senior voters of that state. There are a lot of them in Florida. Is he making any headway there?
SCHNEIDER: I think he is, because there's a lot of discontent among seniors with the prescription drug plan that was added to Medicare. Bush takes great pride in that plan, he did last night, when he was interviewed by Larry King, said that they improved Medicare. But a lot of seniors expressed discontent with that, they're very unhappy over it, and in Florida, that may cost Bush the state that he barely carried by the official count last time. That's a key factor in Florida, as well as Hispanic voters.
There's been a big influx of Puerto Ricans voters in Florida, some from Puerto Rico, and a lot from New York. Those voters are citizens, they're not immigrants; they can vote. And once they establish residency, they do vote, and unlike Cuban-Americans in Florida, Puerto Rican Hispanic voters vote overwhelmingly Democratic.
COLLINS: Quickly, Bill, what sort of impact, or pull, should I say, will Governor Jeb Bush, the president's brother, have in Florida?
SCHNEIDER: Well, he disappointed a lot of people last time in 2000 by not securing Florida for his brother. What they -- you know, it's unclear that -- exactly what's happening as far as the Republicans are concerned in Florida. Both Jeb Bush and George Bush have fairly low approval ratings in Florida. He's obviously pulling for his brother. They've made some strides in cleaning up the voting system there, although there's still a lot of controversies over those new touchscreen voting machines, but it's really unclear whether he can deliver the state of Florida for his brother any more than he could in 2000.
COLLINS: Bill Schneider, CNN senior political analyst. Thanks for that, Bill.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
HEMMER: Twenty-one before the hour. Back to Carol Costello watching the news for us, and again, we start in Iraq.
Carol, good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I do have news out of Iraq. Thank you, Bill.
Iraq government officials are negotiating a possible truce with aids loyal to radical cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr. In the meantime, a spokesman says the radical cleric was slightly injured there while he was inside Imam Ali Mosque. The U.S. military denies that any damage has been done to that mosque, considered one of the holiest in Shiite Islam.
In Japan, three U.S. Marines were injured when their helicopter crash-landed on a college campus. The chopper went down earlier this morning at Okinawa International University. Okinawa is home to more than half of the American troops stationed in Japan. That accident now under investigation.
Canadian beef producers are launching a multimillion-dollar suit against the United States. The claim is a bid to force the United States to reopen the Canadian border to live cattle. It was closed in May of last year after a case of mad cow disease.
And an unprecedented multinational security effort is now in place as opening ceremonies for the 2004 Olympics are just hours away. The Summer Games will be protected by 70,000 Greek security personnel, supported by hundreds of international military intelligence and security-related personnel. Security now outnumber the athletes 7-1. The opening ceremony begins this afternoon.
HEMMER: Gives you a taste of what's happening in the world.
Carol, thanks. Have a great weekend, all right.
COSTELLO: Thank you. You, too.
HEMMER: All right, Carol Costello, at the CNN Center. Quick check of the market right now, How Wall Street is doing 10 minutes into the day. Stocks on the mend, up 28 points, thanks to strong earnings from folks like Dell Computer. Oil prices still a concern today, though, Trading just below record highs that were set yesterday. And those rising oil prices just one reason why U.S. Airways could be headed for bankruptcy again. Its pilot union says that without deep cost cuts, U.S. Air could file for Chapter 11 by the middle of next month. That carrier spent about seven months in bankruptcy after 9/11.
COLLINS: Still to come this morning, it's summer camp season, and we'll take you to one camp that caters to some very special kids. It's our "Extra Effort" segment.
HEMMER: Also, madonna's made a career out of pushing the envelope. some news about her backstage demands. What are they? The poppers have a shot at that.
COLLINS: Plus, the latest on Hurricane Charley, we've been tracking the storm here on AMERICAN MORNING. We will continue to do that all day on CNN.
For now, keep it here, though, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: In our extra effort segment this morning, imagine having a disease that prevents you from going in the sun. It's called XP, and it can be especially tough on kids who have it.
But this summer, there is a special camp where they can go and have fun under the stars instead.
CNN's Alina Cho reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At dusk, all is quiet on the outside. Inside, it's jumping. Joining in the fun, Caren Mahar, the woman behind Camp Sundown in New York's Hudson Valley. The summer camp is run entirely at night for kids with rare diseases that prevent them from being in the sun. Exposure to sunlight, even ultraviolet lighting, can be fatal.
CAREN MAHAR, FOUNDER, CAMP SUNDOWN: This is the only haven that they have, away from the light.
CHO: Caren and her husband, Dan, started Camp Sundown nine years ago after their daughter Katie was diagnosed with XP. Camp Sundown was a way for Katie to be outside with kids just like herself.
KATIE MAHAR, HAS XP: It's like home to me. It's like a home away from home.
CHO: A chance to play like other kids do, only under the light of the silvery moon.
Meghan Fruchter is a Camp Sundown regular.
MEGHAN FRUCHTER, HAS XP: It's nice to know people know, and you don't have to explain it. You don't have to go through it with them.
CHO: Thirteen year-old Jonathan Pultz comes every year from Virginia. So does his father, who calls it a chance to compare notes with other parents.
CHRISTOPHER PULTZ, JONATHAN'S FATHER: Well, what do you guys do for this? You know, how do you get him to school? And we start swapping ideas about, hey, I never thought of that.
CHO: Camp Sundown relies primarily on donations and people who donate their time.
JIM CAMPION, PRESIDENT, COLUMBIA GREENE COMM. COLLEGE: Hey, it's getting late, and we all get up early tomorrow. But hey, it's for them, and it's a great thing, and we're just happy to be able to do it.
CHO: Alixe Johnson comes from North Carolina. This year, she's a staff member, and tells younger campers...
ALIXE JOHNSON, HAS XP: You have to get through the rain to get to the rainbow, and just to make the best of whatever you've got.
C. MAHAR: It gives them an opportunity to be as normal as every other kid out there that they know, just at a different time of the day, and it makes everything possible to them.
CHO: At the campfire, all of them say they'll be back next year.
Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The chances of getting this disease are literally one in a million, and there is no cure.
HEMMER: Going to get a break. In a moment, the PGA championship, first round yesterday. You might be a bit surprised to see where Tiger Woods finished. This was expected by many to be his comeback tournament. Is it? We'll check it out after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: It is one of the four major tournaments in golf every year, and the world's best now in Wisconsin to fight for the top prize there.
To this point in the tournament, it's been a birdie party, except for Tiger.
Patrick Snell there live.
Good morning, Patrick.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.
It certainly is a huge day for the world's No. 1. He didn't have the best of starts. He would end play Thursday at 3 over par. And Tiger Woods has much work to do if he's to avoid the unthinkable from his point of view, which would be to miss the cut and not feature during the weekend play.
But I think a lot of players yesterday did prove that there are birdies to be had. There are good scores to be had. Darren Clarke, the leader, shot a 65. And K.J. Choi came up all guns blazing. He opened up with five straight birdies, and that had a trigger effect, bringing out the best in his playing partners.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN LEONARD, 6 UNDER AFTER ROUND 1: It's always fun to have a group like that where everybody's playing well, and for me, to get kind of sucked into it there on the back nine, was a lot of fun as well.
ERNIE ELS, 6 UNDER AFTER ROUND 1: The wind died down a little bit and it changed, so and I didn't want to think of the numbers today, I just wanted to try to and play as good as I could.
TIGER WOODS, 3 OVER AFTER ROUND 1: I didn't hit the ball all that poorly, but I sure putted bad. I missed everything today. You know, two, three putts, a couple of other short putts missed from inside six feet. I mean, I just putted atrociously today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Surprising, really, words. He's normally so prolific on the greens. According to the stats, he's currently second when it comes to putting on the tour. He has much work to do, as I say. But he likes this tournament. He's won it twice before. And he's had a second place finish as well, Bill.
HEMMER: Patrick, thanks. We'll watch it over the weekend, round two already under way there in Wisconsin, thanks -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Coming up on CNN, back to Florida, as Hurricane Charley presses closer to the coast. That's coming up in the next hour with Daryn Kagan on "CNN LIVE TODAY." AMERICAN MORNING will be back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: They put the pop in the acclaimed "90-Second Pop." So let's cue our panel for a Friday. How's that?
Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine, Josh Elliott, staff writer for "Sports Illustrated," and Jessica Shaw from "Entertainment Weekly."
Hey, guys, it's Friday. Glad you're here.
All right, we have got to get to "American Idol," Sarah. Fantasia Barrino, Diana DeGarmo, the record sales are good, but they're not getting very much play on the radio.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: That's true.
COLLINS: What's going on?
BERNARD: Well, you know, this is actually the same thing that happened with Kelly Clarkson. We just don't remember it from all of those years ago. But...
COLLINS: And it was the movie she did with Justin.
BERNARD: Maybe it was.
COLLINS: We just forget.
BERNARD: Oh, Justin. I forgot about Justin.
JOSH ELLIOTT, STAFF WRITER, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Well, maybe it's the fact that the songs are terrible!
BERNARD: No, they're not. But here is the thing: So the songs that are -- that they have to sing on the show are these kinds of schmaltzy ballads.
ELLIOTT: OK.
BERNARD: They do well on TV. They don't do well on radio. And what's happening is right now they are going to be working with the best pop songwriters. Actually, that's exactly what happened with Kelly Clarkson.
COLLINS: Yes.
BERNARD: "Moment in Time" was not such a big hit. Then "Miss Independent," which was actually written by Christina Aguilera, believe it or not, was her big hit.
COLLINS: I didn't know that.
JESSICA SHAW, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": And (UNINTELLIGIBLE) song truly...
(CROSSTALK)
ELLIOTT: Yes. No schmaltzy ballads, absolutely.
SHAW: No, no, no.
BERNARD: So now they're going to get -- you know, Desmond Child, who is one of the big songwriters, actually wrote "Dreams" for Diana DeGarmo. So they're going to be -- when their albums come out in October they're going to be totally different. They're going to be poppy, and they'll be all over the radio.
SHAW: Full albums, like 12 songs.
BERNARD: Full albums, yes.
ELLIOTT: Yes.
COLLINS: So, Josh, you're excited about this.
ELLIOTT: No, I'm actually not. I can't get over the dreamy Clay Aiken. Look...
BERNARD: He's a big Fantasia fan.
SHAW: Don't you kind of think that radio managers, they don't want to condone a reality show that chooses the next pop star.
ELLIOTT: But I'll also say this: Fantasia is a great performer. She's -- I don't think that's in question. But I don't -- she didn't have the strongest voice. She...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get out, John!
ELLIOTT: All right, I'm going to go.
COLLINS: Josh, since this is too painful for you we're going to move on. Jessica, Madonna, OK?
SHAW: On to a less disturbing topic.
COLLINS: Yes. She has requested an interesting type of water to be brought to her.
SHAW: Yes.
COLLINS: Twenty-five cases actually of Kabala water.
SHAW: Yes, of Kabala water.
COLLINS: What is it?
SHAW: It turns out it's water. It has been imbued with all sorts of mystical powers.
COLLINS: OK.
SHAW: And clearly she has bought into this, because she did request 25 cases. But she also requested some vodka. So...
COLLINS: Oh, now do you mix the...
(CROSSTALK)
BERNARD: The company sent her something.
SHAW: I'm thinking that should be the new hot drink. Kabala water and vodka, it would be like a kabala-tini (ph).
ELLIOTT: OK, but...
BERNARD: That sounds good. Served in a little martini glass with lemon.
COLLINS: Exactly.
(CROSSTALK)
ELLIOTT: Really? I mean, J.Lo has her green M&Ms picked out of her bowl.
COLLINS: Well, OK, green M&Ms...
BERNARD: She wanted everything white. Remember that famous contract rider? She has to have white roses, white votive candles. Her whole room has to be white.
COLLINS: Oh, yes.
BERNARD: Those things are so much fun to read. Christina Aguilera actually eats Flintstones vitamins. The Foo Fighters need boxer shorts in their rooms.
(CROSSTALK)
SHAW: And you should see Fantasia's! My god!
COLLINS: Sarah Bernard, Josh Elliott, and Jessica Shaw, thanks so much, you guys, Happy Friday -- Bill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Happy Friday indeed. Thank you for that, Heidi.
As we close out our show on this Friday morning. Hope you have a great weekend. Thanks to Heidi and Toure. What's on your mind?
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE": Are are we on? Oh, wait, look what I found. Yes, baby, looking good, shirt's open.
HEMMER: I'm auditioning for "Dawson's Creek," I'm told. A friend of mine said you look like you're on "Dawson's Creek."
COLLINS: I think that's a compliment. It's from "TV Guide."
HEMMER: Check out "Soul City," Toure's book.
TOURE: Write that down, too, pal.
HEMMER: Have a great weekend. We got to run. Here's Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 13, 2004 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, Hurricane Charley, that's what some are saying in Florida. It is gaining strength, brushing the Florida Keys before it turns north.
Neki Mohan has been with us all morning long. She's from WPLG in Key West, Florida.
Neki, we checked in with you at 7:30, 8:30, here we are at 9:30. What are the differences you're noticing. Is that wind picking up?
NEKI MOHAN, WPLG REPORTER: Yes. Actually, it's like the last blast before Charley heads north. We've had sustained winds of up to 50 miles per hour. But now it seems like we're getting rain with it, too, and the meteorologists at our station promised me it's the last bit.
Take a loot at world-famous Duvall Street, where they've boarded up for the hurricane. Right now, people getting confident. Things are slowing down, they're coming back out. Officials still want people to stay inside. Because as you see, there's no telling when the wind is going to pick up. There are about 70 people in shelters there just as a precaution, but no major outages to report. I think the sail of a mast went into a transformer, and that's causing some problems. But they're working on that right now. Lots of people have come out and said, they really thought it was going to be bad. But of course, it's always better to be prepared for the worst, and then have something that's not that bad.
We're on top of the largest -- the highest hotel, tallest hotel in Key West, and that's why we're feeling the brunt of the winds. Down on the ground, it's not that bad. You can see a few trees still blowing around, but it looks like Charley has just given us a taste of what he's going to do when he's headed north. He's more than 50 miles off of Key West, headed to Tampa. So we're just getting actually just a little bit of what Charley's really packing, up to 150-mile-per-hour winds.
So not that bad for us here. We still got blown around a bit, but for now, live in downtown Key West, I'm Neki Mohan. Back to you, Heidi.
How's the weather in New York?
COLLINS: It's a heck of a lot better than that, that's fore sure, as your photographer there wipes the lens a couple of times on your report. Neki Mohan, thanks for being a sport. We appreciate your reporting this morning very much.
(WEATHER REPORT)
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go from Florida now to California, firefighters battling a 7,500-acre blaze there. That fire destroying at least 67 homes in a subdivision near Lake Shasta. Hundreds more have been evacuated, too.
Miguel Marquez live from Shasta Lake there in California.
Miguel, good morning.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.
This is about the worst-hit area just here of Lake Shasta, here in California. This is a ravine home that we're in, 67 homes, as you said. I can count about eight homes in this area alone.
The fire started just south of where we are, started by a guy mowing his lawn, trying to protect his home from fire danger, and unfortunately it sparked this fire. He's been cited, but not been named because officials were concerned about that, I'm sure. I'm sure he was concerned about that as well.
The official numbers are 50 percent containment, though. Firefighters did a big burnout operation in this area last night. They believe it was very successful. And they expect that those containment numbers will rise sharply in the next hour or so when they do their morning update.
By Sunday afternoon, 6:00 p.m., they expect to have this fire fully contained. The fire last night didn't do what they were afraid it might do, which was to start moving southward again, and they were able to light a backfire, keeping that fire away now from several communities that are south and east of where the fire is right now.
We searched this morning for the fire, couldn't find any sign of it. That gives you an idea of just how much it lays down during the evening when the humidity goes up and the temperatures go down. Today they're expecting triple-digit temperatures again, though. But if that fire burnout operation was as successful as they hoped, they probably have a pretty good handle on this thing.
About 1,600 firefighters on hand to fight this thing right now. Two injuries, minor injuries, two firefighters on this fire. But at this point, it seems that they have it pretty much under control -- Bill.
HEMMER: That is a good thing, too. Miguel Marquez, thanks, in California -- Heidi.
COLLINS: The latest political polls show President Bush and John Kerry still in a dead heat. The Gallup poll shows President Bush slightly edging out John Kerry, which makes it a statistical tie, of course considering that margin of error. Could it remain this close up to the election?
Well, here now, senior political analyst Bill Schneider, joining us live from Los Angeles.
Bill, good morning to you.
Is this dead heat going to continue all the way through November?
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POL. ANALYST: It might. That's what happened in 2000. And you remember it went beyond November, all the way into December last time. All the polls are showing a close race nationally.
As you point out,there are other polls coming out from the Associated Press and from the Pew Center this week showing Kerry one, or two or three points ahead. So all the polls are showing a very tight race, just as it was in 2000, nationally.
COLLINS: Let's talk about battleground states, though, obviously Ohio and Florida. Looking first at Ohio now, we see those numbers, Kerry at 48 percent of likely voters, and Bush at 45 percent, Nader at 2 percent, sampling error there plus or minus 4 percentage points. Lots of manufacturing jobs have been lost in this state, Bill. What sort of impact is that going to have?
SCHNEIDER: Well, that's probably the major factor that may be tilting Ohio towards Kerry, though only slightly. The economy's a very big issue. It's one of the top 10 states in the loss of manufacturing jobs, a lot of economic discontent. That is a crucial state for George Bush. If he doesn't keep Ohio, which he carried in 2000, it's unlikely he can be re-elected.
COLLINS: And what about the Reagan Democrats in Ohio as well, working class Democrats who actually voted Republican because, you know, they agreed with the values there. Where are these people now?
SCHNEIDER: A lot of them are out of work, or a lot of them have found lower-paying jobs and their unhappy with the economy. Last time, a lot of them voted for Bush, and they have in the past because of values issues, this time their interests may trump their values, and they may be voting the economy.
COLLINS: OK, let's move on, look at some of the numbers coming out of that other battleground state, Florida. Here they are, Kerry at 47 percent, Bush 41 percent, and Nader at 4 percent. Again, sampling error there of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
John Kerry, though, making a big pitch for the senior voters of that state. There are a lot of them in Florida. Is he making any headway there?
SCHNEIDER: I think he is, because there's a lot of discontent among seniors with the prescription drug plan that was added to Medicare. Bush takes great pride in that plan, he did last night, when he was interviewed by Larry King, said that they improved Medicare. But a lot of seniors expressed discontent with that, they're very unhappy over it, and in Florida, that may cost Bush the state that he barely carried by the official count last time. That's a key factor in Florida, as well as Hispanic voters.
There's been a big influx of Puerto Ricans voters in Florida, some from Puerto Rico, and a lot from New York. Those voters are citizens, they're not immigrants; they can vote. And once they establish residency, they do vote, and unlike Cuban-Americans in Florida, Puerto Rican Hispanic voters vote overwhelmingly Democratic.
COLLINS: Quickly, Bill, what sort of impact, or pull, should I say, will Governor Jeb Bush, the president's brother, have in Florida?
SCHNEIDER: Well, he disappointed a lot of people last time in 2000 by not securing Florida for his brother. What they -- you know, it's unclear that -- exactly what's happening as far as the Republicans are concerned in Florida. Both Jeb Bush and George Bush have fairly low approval ratings in Florida. He's obviously pulling for his brother. They've made some strides in cleaning up the voting system there, although there's still a lot of controversies over those new touchscreen voting machines, but it's really unclear whether he can deliver the state of Florida for his brother any more than he could in 2000.
COLLINS: Bill Schneider, CNN senior political analyst. Thanks for that, Bill.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
HEMMER: Twenty-one before the hour. Back to Carol Costello watching the news for us, and again, we start in Iraq.
Carol, good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I do have news out of Iraq. Thank you, Bill.
Iraq government officials are negotiating a possible truce with aids loyal to radical cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr. In the meantime, a spokesman says the radical cleric was slightly injured there while he was inside Imam Ali Mosque. The U.S. military denies that any damage has been done to that mosque, considered one of the holiest in Shiite Islam.
In Japan, three U.S. Marines were injured when their helicopter crash-landed on a college campus. The chopper went down earlier this morning at Okinawa International University. Okinawa is home to more than half of the American troops stationed in Japan. That accident now under investigation.
Canadian beef producers are launching a multimillion-dollar suit against the United States. The claim is a bid to force the United States to reopen the Canadian border to live cattle. It was closed in May of last year after a case of mad cow disease.
And an unprecedented multinational security effort is now in place as opening ceremonies for the 2004 Olympics are just hours away. The Summer Games will be protected by 70,000 Greek security personnel, supported by hundreds of international military intelligence and security-related personnel. Security now outnumber the athletes 7-1. The opening ceremony begins this afternoon.
HEMMER: Gives you a taste of what's happening in the world.
Carol, thanks. Have a great weekend, all right.
COSTELLO: Thank you. You, too.
HEMMER: All right, Carol Costello, at the CNN Center. Quick check of the market right now, How Wall Street is doing 10 minutes into the day. Stocks on the mend, up 28 points, thanks to strong earnings from folks like Dell Computer. Oil prices still a concern today, though, Trading just below record highs that were set yesterday. And those rising oil prices just one reason why U.S. Airways could be headed for bankruptcy again. Its pilot union says that without deep cost cuts, U.S. Air could file for Chapter 11 by the middle of next month. That carrier spent about seven months in bankruptcy after 9/11.
COLLINS: Still to come this morning, it's summer camp season, and we'll take you to one camp that caters to some very special kids. It's our "Extra Effort" segment.
HEMMER: Also, madonna's made a career out of pushing the envelope. some news about her backstage demands. What are they? The poppers have a shot at that.
COLLINS: Plus, the latest on Hurricane Charley, we've been tracking the storm here on AMERICAN MORNING. We will continue to do that all day on CNN.
For now, keep it here, though, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: In our extra effort segment this morning, imagine having a disease that prevents you from going in the sun. It's called XP, and it can be especially tough on kids who have it.
But this summer, there is a special camp where they can go and have fun under the stars instead.
CNN's Alina Cho reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At dusk, all is quiet on the outside. Inside, it's jumping. Joining in the fun, Caren Mahar, the woman behind Camp Sundown in New York's Hudson Valley. The summer camp is run entirely at night for kids with rare diseases that prevent them from being in the sun. Exposure to sunlight, even ultraviolet lighting, can be fatal.
CAREN MAHAR, FOUNDER, CAMP SUNDOWN: This is the only haven that they have, away from the light.
CHO: Caren and her husband, Dan, started Camp Sundown nine years ago after their daughter Katie was diagnosed with XP. Camp Sundown was a way for Katie to be outside with kids just like herself.
KATIE MAHAR, HAS XP: It's like home to me. It's like a home away from home.
CHO: A chance to play like other kids do, only under the light of the silvery moon.
Meghan Fruchter is a Camp Sundown regular.
MEGHAN FRUCHTER, HAS XP: It's nice to know people know, and you don't have to explain it. You don't have to go through it with them.
CHO: Thirteen year-old Jonathan Pultz comes every year from Virginia. So does his father, who calls it a chance to compare notes with other parents.
CHRISTOPHER PULTZ, JONATHAN'S FATHER: Well, what do you guys do for this? You know, how do you get him to school? And we start swapping ideas about, hey, I never thought of that.
CHO: Camp Sundown relies primarily on donations and people who donate their time.
JIM CAMPION, PRESIDENT, COLUMBIA GREENE COMM. COLLEGE: Hey, it's getting late, and we all get up early tomorrow. But hey, it's for them, and it's a great thing, and we're just happy to be able to do it.
CHO: Alixe Johnson comes from North Carolina. This year, she's a staff member, and tells younger campers...
ALIXE JOHNSON, HAS XP: You have to get through the rain to get to the rainbow, and just to make the best of whatever you've got.
C. MAHAR: It gives them an opportunity to be as normal as every other kid out there that they know, just at a different time of the day, and it makes everything possible to them.
CHO: At the campfire, all of them say they'll be back next year.
Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The chances of getting this disease are literally one in a million, and there is no cure.
HEMMER: Going to get a break. In a moment, the PGA championship, first round yesterday. You might be a bit surprised to see where Tiger Woods finished. This was expected by many to be his comeback tournament. Is it? We'll check it out after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: It is one of the four major tournaments in golf every year, and the world's best now in Wisconsin to fight for the top prize there.
To this point in the tournament, it's been a birdie party, except for Tiger.
Patrick Snell there live.
Good morning, Patrick.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.
It certainly is a huge day for the world's No. 1. He didn't have the best of starts. He would end play Thursday at 3 over par. And Tiger Woods has much work to do if he's to avoid the unthinkable from his point of view, which would be to miss the cut and not feature during the weekend play.
But I think a lot of players yesterday did prove that there are birdies to be had. There are good scores to be had. Darren Clarke, the leader, shot a 65. And K.J. Choi came up all guns blazing. He opened up with five straight birdies, and that had a trigger effect, bringing out the best in his playing partners.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN LEONARD, 6 UNDER AFTER ROUND 1: It's always fun to have a group like that where everybody's playing well, and for me, to get kind of sucked into it there on the back nine, was a lot of fun as well.
ERNIE ELS, 6 UNDER AFTER ROUND 1: The wind died down a little bit and it changed, so and I didn't want to think of the numbers today, I just wanted to try to and play as good as I could.
TIGER WOODS, 3 OVER AFTER ROUND 1: I didn't hit the ball all that poorly, but I sure putted bad. I missed everything today. You know, two, three putts, a couple of other short putts missed from inside six feet. I mean, I just putted atrociously today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Surprising, really, words. He's normally so prolific on the greens. According to the stats, he's currently second when it comes to putting on the tour. He has much work to do, as I say. But he likes this tournament. He's won it twice before. And he's had a second place finish as well, Bill.
HEMMER: Patrick, thanks. We'll watch it over the weekend, round two already under way there in Wisconsin, thanks -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Coming up on CNN, back to Florida, as Hurricane Charley presses closer to the coast. That's coming up in the next hour with Daryn Kagan on "CNN LIVE TODAY." AMERICAN MORNING will be back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: They put the pop in the acclaimed "90-Second Pop." So let's cue our panel for a Friday. How's that?
Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine, Josh Elliott, staff writer for "Sports Illustrated," and Jessica Shaw from "Entertainment Weekly."
Hey, guys, it's Friday. Glad you're here.
All right, we have got to get to "American Idol," Sarah. Fantasia Barrino, Diana DeGarmo, the record sales are good, but they're not getting very much play on the radio.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: That's true.
COLLINS: What's going on?
BERNARD: Well, you know, this is actually the same thing that happened with Kelly Clarkson. We just don't remember it from all of those years ago. But...
COLLINS: And it was the movie she did with Justin.
BERNARD: Maybe it was.
COLLINS: We just forget.
BERNARD: Oh, Justin. I forgot about Justin.
JOSH ELLIOTT, STAFF WRITER, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Well, maybe it's the fact that the songs are terrible!
BERNARD: No, they're not. But here is the thing: So the songs that are -- that they have to sing on the show are these kinds of schmaltzy ballads.
ELLIOTT: OK.
BERNARD: They do well on TV. They don't do well on radio. And what's happening is right now they are going to be working with the best pop songwriters. Actually, that's exactly what happened with Kelly Clarkson.
COLLINS: Yes.
BERNARD: "Moment in Time" was not such a big hit. Then "Miss Independent," which was actually written by Christina Aguilera, believe it or not, was her big hit.
COLLINS: I didn't know that.
JESSICA SHAW, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": And (UNINTELLIGIBLE) song truly...
(CROSSTALK)
ELLIOTT: Yes. No schmaltzy ballads, absolutely.
SHAW: No, no, no.
BERNARD: So now they're going to get -- you know, Desmond Child, who is one of the big songwriters, actually wrote "Dreams" for Diana DeGarmo. So they're going to be -- when their albums come out in October they're going to be totally different. They're going to be poppy, and they'll be all over the radio.
SHAW: Full albums, like 12 songs.
BERNARD: Full albums, yes.
ELLIOTT: Yes.
COLLINS: So, Josh, you're excited about this.
ELLIOTT: No, I'm actually not. I can't get over the dreamy Clay Aiken. Look...
BERNARD: He's a big Fantasia fan.
SHAW: Don't you kind of think that radio managers, they don't want to condone a reality show that chooses the next pop star.
ELLIOTT: But I'll also say this: Fantasia is a great performer. She's -- I don't think that's in question. But I don't -- she didn't have the strongest voice. She...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get out, John!
ELLIOTT: All right, I'm going to go.
COLLINS: Josh, since this is too painful for you we're going to move on. Jessica, Madonna, OK?
SHAW: On to a less disturbing topic.
COLLINS: Yes. She has requested an interesting type of water to be brought to her.
SHAW: Yes.
COLLINS: Twenty-five cases actually of Kabala water.
SHAW: Yes, of Kabala water.
COLLINS: What is it?
SHAW: It turns out it's water. It has been imbued with all sorts of mystical powers.
COLLINS: OK.
SHAW: And clearly she has bought into this, because she did request 25 cases. But she also requested some vodka. So...
COLLINS: Oh, now do you mix the...
(CROSSTALK)
BERNARD: The company sent her something.
SHAW: I'm thinking that should be the new hot drink. Kabala water and vodka, it would be like a kabala-tini (ph).
ELLIOTT: OK, but...
BERNARD: That sounds good. Served in a little martini glass with lemon.
COLLINS: Exactly.
(CROSSTALK)
ELLIOTT: Really? I mean, J.Lo has her green M&Ms picked out of her bowl.
COLLINS: Well, OK, green M&Ms...
BERNARD: She wanted everything white. Remember that famous contract rider? She has to have white roses, white votive candles. Her whole room has to be white.
COLLINS: Oh, yes.
BERNARD: Those things are so much fun to read. Christina Aguilera actually eats Flintstones vitamins. The Foo Fighters need boxer shorts in their rooms.
(CROSSTALK)
SHAW: And you should see Fantasia's! My god!
COLLINS: Sarah Bernard, Josh Elliott, and Jessica Shaw, thanks so much, you guys, Happy Friday -- Bill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Happy Friday indeed. Thank you for that, Heidi.
As we close out our show on this Friday morning. Hope you have a great weekend. Thanks to Heidi and Toure. What's on your mind?
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE": Are are we on? Oh, wait, look what I found. Yes, baby, looking good, shirt's open.
HEMMER: I'm auditioning for "Dawson's Creek," I'm told. A friend of mine said you look like you're on "Dawson's Creek."
COLLINS: I think that's a compliment. It's from "TV Guide."
HEMMER: Check out "Soul City," Toure's book.
TOURE: Write that down, too, pal.
HEMMER: Have a great weekend. We got to run. Here's Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center.
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