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American Morning

More Americans Voting Early; Mount St. Helens Volcano Alert Now at Highest Level

Aired October 05, 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: Right now, I want to get to the stories in the news this morning. A Libyan charity is working to win the release of British hostage Ken Bigley. Insurgents captured Bigley last month, along with two Americans who have since been killed. Bigley's family asked Libyan leader Colonel Gadhafi to intervene. A spokesman for the Gadhafi International Foundation says it will do whatever it can to save Bigley's life.
In Haiti now, officials say supporters of the ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide have killed 18 people, seven of them police officers. The rebel groups reportedly call this new offensive, quote, "Operation Baghdad." Police say some of the victims were shot and beheaded. Aristide was removed from power in February, and the U.S. supports the transitional government.

Three Americans share the Nobel Prize for physics, David Cross, David Politzer and Frank Wilczeck, who captured the prize earlier this morning. Their work focused on forces inside the nucleus of the atom. One of the men calls the award, quote, "icing on the cake."

Well, Chicago will have to say good-bye to one of its basketball favorites. Scottie Pippen will reportedly announce his retirement today. Pippen won six titles with the Bulls, and he underwent knee surgery in December after 17 seasons in the NBA. And also, of course, had the pleasure of playing with Michael Jordan.

Bill Hemmer now, back in Ohio.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: What a great career he's had, though, huh, Scottie Pippen? Wow.

Heidi, this election still a month away. In fact, four weeks from today, 28 days and counting now. That is not, however, stopping Americans from getting a very early start on voting. A report on that this morning now from Kelly Wallace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than 60 million Americans watched the big debate last week, but for some voters it didn't even matter. This couple in Des Moines had already cast their vote a week before, by absentee ballot.

ANDY HEITING-DOANE, EARLY VOTER IN IOWA: Well, not only is it easy to vote, but it's nice to be able to come down at your own leisure instead of having to wait in line on voting night. WALLACE: It's not just Des Moines, but in Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland and its suburbs, voting before Election Day is catching on.

MICHAEL YU, CUYAHOGA CO. BOARD OF ELECTION: I do believe that there's a trend throughout the United States currently that people are busy and so the best forum for them to vote is to vote absentee.

WALLACE: Michael Yu expects his county to ship out more than 100,000 absentee ballots this year. That's a jump from 2000, when he says 76,000 ballots were requested. It used to be voters needed a good reason to vote early, but now 35 states in all are allowing some form of early voting, no excuses needed.

So it's no surprise both sides are pouring millions into getting at these voters who plan to vote early. How crucial can early voting be? Just look at Iowa in 2000. George W. Bush led Al Gore on Election Day by more than 7,000 votes, but after absentee ballots were counted, Gore won the state by more than 4,000 votes.

Not everyone, though, is a fan of early voting. Critics say it hasn't increased turnout, and that those who vote early may miss out on important information in the days before the election. But supporters say it gives voters more time to study their ballots and could help encourage people to vote who might not have time on November 2nd.

(on camera): Pros and cons aside, the implications for this year's election could be huge. The expectation is that at least one out of every four voters will cast their vote early.

Kelly Wallace, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Kelly, thanks for that. If so, that would be an increase from the 2000 presidential election, when 14 percent voted early or cast absentee ballots. We are in Ohio. We know that, and we know also this could be a very critical state four weeks from today. We're about 12 hours away from the start of tonight's debate on the vice presidential side. Want to talk about that a bit more now, 20 electoral votes up for grabs in this state.

Stephen Koff is the Washington bureau chief of "The Cleveland Plain Dealer." He's also my guest now, and good morning to you.

STEPHEN KOFF, "CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER": Thanks, Bill.

HEMMER: Some say Ohio is the next Florida, perhaps in the closeness, Maybe in the battle for weather or not the ballots cast in this state will be argued later. Put that to the side. What is your sense about where Ohio is leaning right now?

KOFF: Ohio had been leaning heavily toward Bush. He had about an eight percent lead. I think that may have eroded a little bit after last Thursday's performance in Miami, But I think voters are still waiting to make up their minds. They want to watch tonight. They want to watch Friday. They want to watch the last debate.

HEMMER: On the national scene, all we hear about is the job loss in Ohio. Democrats say 237,000, even 11,000 last month. Is your sense in Ohio that that issue is getting the same amount of attention that we hear about it on a national level?

KOFF: It absolutely is. Ohio has lost jobs. People are concerned about it. And in polling, the economy and job losses really lead over all other issues.

However, the war in Iraq, the war on terror, has gained traction a little bit. It's catching up, and I wouldn't be surprised to see on Election Day that those kind of balance one another out. That could, then, impact the election in Ohio.

HEMMER: You have this ongoing battle, too, between Democrats and Republicans. Republicans control the state house in Columbus, as to whether or not this vote is going to be contested come November 3rd. Where do we stand on that now in terms of possibly a legal fight in the Buckeye State?

KOFF: Attorneys are lined up for both campaigns all over the state, people are prepared, and you know, there's a chance that there could be a legal fight.

HEMMER: Is that hyperbole, or is that possible?

KOFF: It's possible, because you've got some issues over who's allowed to vote, who will be allowed to vote, or who won't be allowed to vote. For instance, the Secretary of State Ken Blackwell says that he doesn't believe that they ought to offer what are called provisional ballots, that is if somebody shows up at the wrong precinct, doesn't realize that he or she is at the wrong precinct, they can give them a provisional ballot where they say, well, look, we're not going to let you vote on the local folks who are on the ballot, but you can vote for president, you can vote for senator. That is a ballot that would be counted later. Blackwell says no provisional ballots. And that's consistent with what a lot of other states do.

Cuyahoga County, which is Cleveland, is saying, we don't want to disenfranchise voters, we're going to give them a provisional ballot. So that battle is already shaping up.

HEMMER: Wow. Shades of four years ago.

KOFF: Yes.

HEMMER: You wrote in a piece on Sunday that you believe this debate tonight is more important for John Edwards than it is for Dick Cheney. Why?

KOFF: It's important for a couple reasons. One, is that this is John Edwards' debut, this is his screen test, if you will. He's not faced a national audience of this size before. People want to see his performance. And if the Kerry/Edwards ticket should lose in November, in four years, the nation will be looking to see who's a viable candidate. One of the things they'll look at is how did he perform under pressure in the debate?

The other reason they'll be looking at him tonight, and this is particularly important to him tonight, is because people may be giving the Kerry/Edwards ticket a fresh look after the other night. I don't know that one bad debate is enough for the Bush campaign to worry, to throw in the towel. But it's enough for some undecided voters to say, gee, what's this Kerry guy all about? Well, they're going to get their first chance to take a look tonight with Edwards.

HEMMER: We will see then. Twelve hours and counting. Steven Koff, thanks, from "The Cleveland Plain Dealer."

KOFF: Thank you.

HEMMER: Thanks for your time.

To our viewers later tonight, we'll start our coverage here in Cleveland at 7:00 Eastern Time. The debate starts two hours later, 9:00 Eastern, lasts about 90 minutes. We'll have the pre-debate show here, the post-debate show, let you know as it all goes down tonight in Cleveland.

Back to Heidi now in New York with more there -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Bill, thanks.

Meanwhile, things might be going up. Mount St. Helens let off a little steam yesterday, but geologists are saying that's just a precursor of a much more powerful eruption.

Ted Rowlands is live at Mount St. Helens now in Washington State to give us the very latest.

Good morning, Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

This morning, geologists are telling us that the bulge in the lava dome continues to grow. They are saying it's about 150 feet now, which is a clear indication that an eruption could be imminent.

This morning, as the sun just comes up here, Mount St. Helens is peaceful. It was not the case this way yesterday. There were two separate steam emissions throughout the day. One of them was extensive, lasting for more than 40 minutes, sending smoke billowing high into the air, more than 10,000 feet into the air. There were hundreds of people out here, and there have been since Saturday when we went to this level three, and geologists predicted that an eruption was imminent. Those folks have come out here hoping to get a glimpse at Mother Nature at work. They saw a show yesterday. A lot of folks are camping out. They expect to be out here again today.

What happened yesterday was simply steam with a little bit of volcanic ash, if any. It was not a concern as far as the folks on the ground here. It was a little bit of a concern when it first happened, because of air traffic in the area. And one of the first calls they made was to the FAA. It's still a major concern, that is air traffic, if there is a volcanic eruption.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON MAJOR, USGS: If there's an eruption that sends an ash column into the air, the FAA is one of the first people that we contact. And the FAA alerts the airlines right away. So we're very concerned about the possibility of ash getting into the air as far as aviation is concerned. So we make sure the FAA is alerted immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: An eight-mile radius has been cleared around Mount St. Helens. Folks are being kept behind that area, just to be safe. Geologists don't believe that anybody within or outside that eight- mile radius could be in danger. They don't believe that an eruption, if it occurs, will be anywhere near the magnitude of the 1980 eruption. In fact they're starting to hedge their bet a bit on the fact of whether there will be an eruption or not. This morning, one geologist told us it could happen in two minutes, maybe two weeks, it may never happen. So we wait and we see -- Heidi.

COLLINS: So very tough to know.

All right, well, keep watching it. Ted Rowlands, thanks for that.

Want to get a look at the weather for the day ahead now. Chad Myers is at the CNN Center. Boy, Chad, that steam is so beautiful, but still the highest alert level as far as volcanoes are concerned.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Thanks so much, Chad.

Still to come, no blowing smoke here now. Even a single cigarette may cause damage. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us with that in just a moment.

And police scramble to prevent bedlam on the freeway when money flies everywhere.

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Smoking, of course, can be hazardous to your health, but a new study suggests that even one cigarette can do permanent damage. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us again from the CNN Center with details on this.

One cigarette?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I'll take that one step further even, Heidi, and say just one puff of a cigarette.

Really interesting study coming out, looking at the people who are concerned -- who just smoke socially, for instance. They just take a puff every now and then, perhaps at a bar having a drink. They every now and then smoke. They don't think it's a big deal.

Well, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh decided to put it to the test, specifically looking at the impact that one puff on a cigarette might have on your DNA, the basic building block of our human body. And what they found was that just 1/25th of a cigarette -- we calculated it out, that's about a puff -- causes irreparable DNA damage which could potentially be the building block for cancer.

Now, when I say irreparable, you know, a lot of times we think these things are going to repair themselves if you stop smoking or if you stop doing another bad habit. In this particular situation, what they found was that no repair took place. So, in fact, it could lead to cancer later on.

About 8.3 million social smokers in the United States -- that's about 18 percent of adults. For those who think that they can just smoke one drag or not and not worry about it, this is something for them to think about, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yeah, so even as much as one puff is dangerous for the smoker, I can't imagine the dangers for secondhand smokers.

GUPTA: Yeah, you know, it's sort of interesting. With primary smokers, people who are actually smoking themselves, there's all sorts of risks that are well documented. We've known those for some time.

Secondhand smokers also have risks of things like asthma, other sorts of pulmonary disease. They didn't specifically look at the effects of secondhand smoke in terms of causing those DNA changes. But the researchers we spoke with say it's probably going to be there. It's something they're going to look at.

And obviously, that really lets the cat out of the bag, because all of a sudden you have all these other people who could potentially be having irreparable DNA damage just by being around a smoker. And again, a lot of people paying attention to this, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yeah, they should be, I guess. Thanks so much for that, Sanjay, on smoking.

But there is another opportunity now for our viewers to improve their health: this year's "New You Revolution." I think last time around you actually had a smoker, but tell us now how viewers can get involved this time.

GUPTA: That's right. We're talking about the "New You Revolution." It's another opportunity for people to improve their health. Specifically we're talking about breaking bad health habits.

If you'd like to be a part of CNN's "New You Revolution," go to cnn.com/am. Are you in a desperate battle with weight or struggling with any other health issue? Are you ready to make the commitment to get fit, stay healthy, and live life to the fullest? We're looking for men, women, families and singles -- anyone who's willing to step up and take the challenge.

And I'll tell you, Heidi, last year we did this -- as you know, "New You Resolution" -- we got tens of thousands of people, really popular. We're thinking we're going to get the same this year, as well, Heidi.

COLLINS: I bet you will. All right, people kind of turning their lives around there. Excellent. Sanjay, thanks so much.

GUPTA: Thank you.

COLLINS: And watch AMERICAN MORNING during the month of November to see who will be selected for the eight-week get-fit journey with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. The series will air then every Tuesday beginning in January.

And still to come: Who are the most powerful women in business? The list is out, next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: New Jersey State Police scrambled to prevent a freeway free-for-all. An armored truck crashed last night on the New Jersey Turnpike and money flew everywhere. Look at this scene. Police shut down the northbound lanes while crews cleaned up the cash. They did manage to keep commuters from picking up the loot. Wasn't clear how much money was in the truck. And here's a question for you, I just moved to this state, I saw none of this, I got no dollars, at all.

I want to check on the action on Wall Street with Andy Serwer now, and wondering who the most powerful woman in business is.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, we're going to get to that.

Too bad, you weren't able to pick up any of that cash on the way in. Maybe some people on Wall Street are.

Let's check out the Big Board, down 18 points on the Dow this morning, higher oil prices to blame yet again. Two stocks on the move. IBM is up, despite that Dow number. You can see there it's up about 75 cents to $87. Also Netflix, subscriber base growing by 73 percent. There are now 2.23 million Netflix subscribers out there, including some members of the crew. That stock is up $2 to $19.

Now let's go on to the most powerful women in business list put out by "Fortune" magazine. And big surprise this year, since 1998, Carly Fiorina, the CEO of Hewlett-Packard has been No. 1. But now, supplanted by, who is that? Meg Whitman. Meg Whitman, the CEO of eBay. eBay has been on fire lately. It is now a bigger company than Hewlett-Packard in terms of market value, so that's why she gets the pick. Let's look at some of the other big names on that list, as well. Some familiar names. You can see here, Andrea Jung from Avon. No. 5, by the way, Marjorie Magder. Anne Mulcahy from Xerox and Oprah. Where is Heidi Collins? Heidi, you must be No. 7, because we only go to six, right?

COLLINS: I got to start giving away more cars.

SERWER: Yes, that's right. And not pay for them.

COLLINS: All right, Andy. Thanks so much for that.

SERWER: You're welcome.

COLLINS: You know, the Major League Baseball playoffs begin today. For the Atlanta Braves, it will be their 13th straight year playing in the postseason. But if you're not sure about that number, Gary Tuchman has found the perfect guy to check with.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have heard such neat things about you.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Walter Banks has been an usher at Atlanta Braves games for 38 years, ever since the team moved here from Milwaukee.

But his fame transcends his longevity.

WALTER BANKS: Now just read, or cut the TV off and just breathe.

TUCHMAN: Give Walter Banks any number from one to 100 and he becomes Walter "Memory" Banks.

Number 25?

BANKS: Only two players hit 70 home runs in one season, that was -- both of them were 25, Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds.

TUCHMAN: Number 41.

BANKS: In 1941, Ted Williams batted .406, the last person to bat .400.

TUCHMAN: But it's not just baseball or sports for that matter.

Number 26.

BANKS: Two presidents, the second and third president died in 1826, both of them died on the same day, July the 4th, 1826, and that was John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

TUCHMAN: After the fifth inning, a fan gets to give Walter a number. This woman picked 16.

BANKS: Oldest stadium in the National League, Wrigley Field, open in 1916. Whitey Ford, the winningest pitcher in World Series. He won 10 games. His number is 16.

TUCHMAN: Players can only be envious of Walter's fan support. Even a former leader of the free world considers him a buddy.

JIMMY CARTER, FMR. PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: I would say that of all the ushers in the world, there's not a better one than Walter.

TUCHMAN (on camera): How many more years you want to do this?

BANKS: Well, you can never tell. As long as your health hold up and you're feeling all right, you enjoy, why quit something you like. If it ain't broke, don't fix it?

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Gary Tuchman, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Now that is a trivia master. Well, the Braves don't play until tomorrow night when they host the Houston Astros. The other six teams, of course, all go tonight.

And, Bill Hemmer, you know who's playing in that?

HEMMER: Sixty-four, by the way -- 1964, the last time Ohio did not go with the ultimate winner for the White House that year. State's been pretty good, Heidi, over the years, you know, Ohio's been an absolute bellwether.

In a moment here, Heidi, who makes a better poker player, the president or the senator? The poker stud Phil Gordon weighs in on that, next hour with Daryn Kagan. We are back in a moment here, live in Cleveland, getting ready for the big debate later tonight on AMERICAN MORNING, back in a moment after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, that does it for us right here on AMERICAN MORNING, the New York studios. Thanks also to Andy Borowitz, and Andy No. 1 or two?

SERWER: Yes, we'll take No. 1. He's not here, so I can get it.

COLLINS: Andy Serwer, as well.

Get it back not to Bill.

Bill, one last factoid to you, or for you, 311 miles you are from the White House and Washington, D.C., did you know that?

HEMMER: And 141 miles from Columbus, which is where we'll be tonight, back with our focus groups as we get to watch them on those meters again, Heidi, take us right through the debate, get the reactions, positive and negative throughout the entire 90 minutes. It was very interesting stuff last Thursday. We'll see if it's again tonight. The Case behind me, Case Western University.

(CHEERING)

They're fired up and they're ready to go. They're going to go right across the street later tonight and have their own big debate party, so we will be here again tomorrow morning, get you through the post-debate reaction here between the vice presidents Dick Cheney and John Edwards.

Have a great day, everybody. We've got to go.

Here's Daryn Kagan, live 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 October 5, 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: Right now, I want to get to the stories in the news this morning. A Libyan charity is working to win the release of British hostage Ken Bigley. Insurgents captured Bigley last month, along with two Americans who have since been killed. Bigley's family asked Libyan leader Colonel Gadhafi to intervene. A spokesman for the Gadhafi International Foundation says it will do whatever it can to save Bigley's life.
In Haiti now, officials say supporters of the ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide have killed 18 people, seven of them police officers. The rebel groups reportedly call this new offensive, quote, "Operation Baghdad." Police say some of the victims were shot and beheaded. Aristide was removed from power in February, and the U.S. supports the transitional government.

Three Americans share the Nobel Prize for physics, David Cross, David Politzer and Frank Wilczeck, who captured the prize earlier this morning. Their work focused on forces inside the nucleus of the atom. One of the men calls the award, quote, "icing on the cake."

Well, Chicago will have to say good-bye to one of its basketball favorites. Scottie Pippen will reportedly announce his retirement today. Pippen won six titles with the Bulls, and he underwent knee surgery in December after 17 seasons in the NBA. And also, of course, had the pleasure of playing with Michael Jordan.

Bill Hemmer now, back in Ohio.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: What a great career he's had, though, huh, Scottie Pippen? Wow.

Heidi, this election still a month away. In fact, four weeks from today, 28 days and counting now. That is not, however, stopping Americans from getting a very early start on voting. A report on that this morning now from Kelly Wallace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than 60 million Americans watched the big debate last week, but for some voters it didn't even matter. This couple in Des Moines had already cast their vote a week before, by absentee ballot.

ANDY HEITING-DOANE, EARLY VOTER IN IOWA: Well, not only is it easy to vote, but it's nice to be able to come down at your own leisure instead of having to wait in line on voting night. WALLACE: It's not just Des Moines, but in Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland and its suburbs, voting before Election Day is catching on.

MICHAEL YU, CUYAHOGA CO. BOARD OF ELECTION: I do believe that there's a trend throughout the United States currently that people are busy and so the best forum for them to vote is to vote absentee.

WALLACE: Michael Yu expects his county to ship out more than 100,000 absentee ballots this year. That's a jump from 2000, when he says 76,000 ballots were requested. It used to be voters needed a good reason to vote early, but now 35 states in all are allowing some form of early voting, no excuses needed.

So it's no surprise both sides are pouring millions into getting at these voters who plan to vote early. How crucial can early voting be? Just look at Iowa in 2000. George W. Bush led Al Gore on Election Day by more than 7,000 votes, but after absentee ballots were counted, Gore won the state by more than 4,000 votes.

Not everyone, though, is a fan of early voting. Critics say it hasn't increased turnout, and that those who vote early may miss out on important information in the days before the election. But supporters say it gives voters more time to study their ballots and could help encourage people to vote who might not have time on November 2nd.

(on camera): Pros and cons aside, the implications for this year's election could be huge. The expectation is that at least one out of every four voters will cast their vote early.

Kelly Wallace, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Kelly, thanks for that. If so, that would be an increase from the 2000 presidential election, when 14 percent voted early or cast absentee ballots. We are in Ohio. We know that, and we know also this could be a very critical state four weeks from today. We're about 12 hours away from the start of tonight's debate on the vice presidential side. Want to talk about that a bit more now, 20 electoral votes up for grabs in this state.

Stephen Koff is the Washington bureau chief of "The Cleveland Plain Dealer." He's also my guest now, and good morning to you.

STEPHEN KOFF, "CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER": Thanks, Bill.

HEMMER: Some say Ohio is the next Florida, perhaps in the closeness, Maybe in the battle for weather or not the ballots cast in this state will be argued later. Put that to the side. What is your sense about where Ohio is leaning right now?

KOFF: Ohio had been leaning heavily toward Bush. He had about an eight percent lead. I think that may have eroded a little bit after last Thursday's performance in Miami, But I think voters are still waiting to make up their minds. They want to watch tonight. They want to watch Friday. They want to watch the last debate.

HEMMER: On the national scene, all we hear about is the job loss in Ohio. Democrats say 237,000, even 11,000 last month. Is your sense in Ohio that that issue is getting the same amount of attention that we hear about it on a national level?

KOFF: It absolutely is. Ohio has lost jobs. People are concerned about it. And in polling, the economy and job losses really lead over all other issues.

However, the war in Iraq, the war on terror, has gained traction a little bit. It's catching up, and I wouldn't be surprised to see on Election Day that those kind of balance one another out. That could, then, impact the election in Ohio.

HEMMER: You have this ongoing battle, too, between Democrats and Republicans. Republicans control the state house in Columbus, as to whether or not this vote is going to be contested come November 3rd. Where do we stand on that now in terms of possibly a legal fight in the Buckeye State?

KOFF: Attorneys are lined up for both campaigns all over the state, people are prepared, and you know, there's a chance that there could be a legal fight.

HEMMER: Is that hyperbole, or is that possible?

KOFF: It's possible, because you've got some issues over who's allowed to vote, who will be allowed to vote, or who won't be allowed to vote. For instance, the Secretary of State Ken Blackwell says that he doesn't believe that they ought to offer what are called provisional ballots, that is if somebody shows up at the wrong precinct, doesn't realize that he or she is at the wrong precinct, they can give them a provisional ballot where they say, well, look, we're not going to let you vote on the local folks who are on the ballot, but you can vote for president, you can vote for senator. That is a ballot that would be counted later. Blackwell says no provisional ballots. And that's consistent with what a lot of other states do.

Cuyahoga County, which is Cleveland, is saying, we don't want to disenfranchise voters, we're going to give them a provisional ballot. So that battle is already shaping up.

HEMMER: Wow. Shades of four years ago.

KOFF: Yes.

HEMMER: You wrote in a piece on Sunday that you believe this debate tonight is more important for John Edwards than it is for Dick Cheney. Why?

KOFF: It's important for a couple reasons. One, is that this is John Edwards' debut, this is his screen test, if you will. He's not faced a national audience of this size before. People want to see his performance. And if the Kerry/Edwards ticket should lose in November, in four years, the nation will be looking to see who's a viable candidate. One of the things they'll look at is how did he perform under pressure in the debate?

The other reason they'll be looking at him tonight, and this is particularly important to him tonight, is because people may be giving the Kerry/Edwards ticket a fresh look after the other night. I don't know that one bad debate is enough for the Bush campaign to worry, to throw in the towel. But it's enough for some undecided voters to say, gee, what's this Kerry guy all about? Well, they're going to get their first chance to take a look tonight with Edwards.

HEMMER: We will see then. Twelve hours and counting. Steven Koff, thanks, from "The Cleveland Plain Dealer."

KOFF: Thank you.

HEMMER: Thanks for your time.

To our viewers later tonight, we'll start our coverage here in Cleveland at 7:00 Eastern Time. The debate starts two hours later, 9:00 Eastern, lasts about 90 minutes. We'll have the pre-debate show here, the post-debate show, let you know as it all goes down tonight in Cleveland.

Back to Heidi now in New York with more there -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Bill, thanks.

Meanwhile, things might be going up. Mount St. Helens let off a little steam yesterday, but geologists are saying that's just a precursor of a much more powerful eruption.

Ted Rowlands is live at Mount St. Helens now in Washington State to give us the very latest.

Good morning, Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

This morning, geologists are telling us that the bulge in the lava dome continues to grow. They are saying it's about 150 feet now, which is a clear indication that an eruption could be imminent.

This morning, as the sun just comes up here, Mount St. Helens is peaceful. It was not the case this way yesterday. There were two separate steam emissions throughout the day. One of them was extensive, lasting for more than 40 minutes, sending smoke billowing high into the air, more than 10,000 feet into the air. There were hundreds of people out here, and there have been since Saturday when we went to this level three, and geologists predicted that an eruption was imminent. Those folks have come out here hoping to get a glimpse at Mother Nature at work. They saw a show yesterday. A lot of folks are camping out. They expect to be out here again today.

What happened yesterday was simply steam with a little bit of volcanic ash, if any. It was not a concern as far as the folks on the ground here. It was a little bit of a concern when it first happened, because of air traffic in the area. And one of the first calls they made was to the FAA. It's still a major concern, that is air traffic, if there is a volcanic eruption.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON MAJOR, USGS: If there's an eruption that sends an ash column into the air, the FAA is one of the first people that we contact. And the FAA alerts the airlines right away. So we're very concerned about the possibility of ash getting into the air as far as aviation is concerned. So we make sure the FAA is alerted immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: An eight-mile radius has been cleared around Mount St. Helens. Folks are being kept behind that area, just to be safe. Geologists don't believe that anybody within or outside that eight- mile radius could be in danger. They don't believe that an eruption, if it occurs, will be anywhere near the magnitude of the 1980 eruption. In fact they're starting to hedge their bet a bit on the fact of whether there will be an eruption or not. This morning, one geologist told us it could happen in two minutes, maybe two weeks, it may never happen. So we wait and we see -- Heidi.

COLLINS: So very tough to know.

All right, well, keep watching it. Ted Rowlands, thanks for that.

Want to get a look at the weather for the day ahead now. Chad Myers is at the CNN Center. Boy, Chad, that steam is so beautiful, but still the highest alert level as far as volcanoes are concerned.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Thanks so much, Chad.

Still to come, no blowing smoke here now. Even a single cigarette may cause damage. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us with that in just a moment.

And police scramble to prevent bedlam on the freeway when money flies everywhere.

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Smoking, of course, can be hazardous to your health, but a new study suggests that even one cigarette can do permanent damage. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us again from the CNN Center with details on this.

One cigarette?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I'll take that one step further even, Heidi, and say just one puff of a cigarette.

Really interesting study coming out, looking at the people who are concerned -- who just smoke socially, for instance. They just take a puff every now and then, perhaps at a bar having a drink. They every now and then smoke. They don't think it's a big deal.

Well, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh decided to put it to the test, specifically looking at the impact that one puff on a cigarette might have on your DNA, the basic building block of our human body. And what they found was that just 1/25th of a cigarette -- we calculated it out, that's about a puff -- causes irreparable DNA damage which could potentially be the building block for cancer.

Now, when I say irreparable, you know, a lot of times we think these things are going to repair themselves if you stop smoking or if you stop doing another bad habit. In this particular situation, what they found was that no repair took place. So, in fact, it could lead to cancer later on.

About 8.3 million social smokers in the United States -- that's about 18 percent of adults. For those who think that they can just smoke one drag or not and not worry about it, this is something for them to think about, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yeah, so even as much as one puff is dangerous for the smoker, I can't imagine the dangers for secondhand smokers.

GUPTA: Yeah, you know, it's sort of interesting. With primary smokers, people who are actually smoking themselves, there's all sorts of risks that are well documented. We've known those for some time.

Secondhand smokers also have risks of things like asthma, other sorts of pulmonary disease. They didn't specifically look at the effects of secondhand smoke in terms of causing those DNA changes. But the researchers we spoke with say it's probably going to be there. It's something they're going to look at.

And obviously, that really lets the cat out of the bag, because all of a sudden you have all these other people who could potentially be having irreparable DNA damage just by being around a smoker. And again, a lot of people paying attention to this, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yeah, they should be, I guess. Thanks so much for that, Sanjay, on smoking.

But there is another opportunity now for our viewers to improve their health: this year's "New You Revolution." I think last time around you actually had a smoker, but tell us now how viewers can get involved this time.

GUPTA: That's right. We're talking about the "New You Revolution." It's another opportunity for people to improve their health. Specifically we're talking about breaking bad health habits.

If you'd like to be a part of CNN's "New You Revolution," go to cnn.com/am. Are you in a desperate battle with weight or struggling with any other health issue? Are you ready to make the commitment to get fit, stay healthy, and live life to the fullest? We're looking for men, women, families and singles -- anyone who's willing to step up and take the challenge.

And I'll tell you, Heidi, last year we did this -- as you know, "New You Resolution" -- we got tens of thousands of people, really popular. We're thinking we're going to get the same this year, as well, Heidi.

COLLINS: I bet you will. All right, people kind of turning their lives around there. Excellent. Sanjay, thanks so much.

GUPTA: Thank you.

COLLINS: And watch AMERICAN MORNING during the month of November to see who will be selected for the eight-week get-fit journey with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. The series will air then every Tuesday beginning in January.

And still to come: Who are the most powerful women in business? The list is out, next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: New Jersey State Police scrambled to prevent a freeway free-for-all. An armored truck crashed last night on the New Jersey Turnpike and money flew everywhere. Look at this scene. Police shut down the northbound lanes while crews cleaned up the cash. They did manage to keep commuters from picking up the loot. Wasn't clear how much money was in the truck. And here's a question for you, I just moved to this state, I saw none of this, I got no dollars, at all.

I want to check on the action on Wall Street with Andy Serwer now, and wondering who the most powerful woman in business is.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, we're going to get to that.

Too bad, you weren't able to pick up any of that cash on the way in. Maybe some people on Wall Street are.

Let's check out the Big Board, down 18 points on the Dow this morning, higher oil prices to blame yet again. Two stocks on the move. IBM is up, despite that Dow number. You can see there it's up about 75 cents to $87. Also Netflix, subscriber base growing by 73 percent. There are now 2.23 million Netflix subscribers out there, including some members of the crew. That stock is up $2 to $19.

Now let's go on to the most powerful women in business list put out by "Fortune" magazine. And big surprise this year, since 1998, Carly Fiorina, the CEO of Hewlett-Packard has been No. 1. But now, supplanted by, who is that? Meg Whitman. Meg Whitman, the CEO of eBay. eBay has been on fire lately. It is now a bigger company than Hewlett-Packard in terms of market value, so that's why she gets the pick. Let's look at some of the other big names on that list, as well. Some familiar names. You can see here, Andrea Jung from Avon. No. 5, by the way, Marjorie Magder. Anne Mulcahy from Xerox and Oprah. Where is Heidi Collins? Heidi, you must be No. 7, because we only go to six, right?

COLLINS: I got to start giving away more cars.

SERWER: Yes, that's right. And not pay for them.

COLLINS: All right, Andy. Thanks so much for that.

SERWER: You're welcome.

COLLINS: You know, the Major League Baseball playoffs begin today. For the Atlanta Braves, it will be their 13th straight year playing in the postseason. But if you're not sure about that number, Gary Tuchman has found the perfect guy to check with.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have heard such neat things about you.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Walter Banks has been an usher at Atlanta Braves games for 38 years, ever since the team moved here from Milwaukee.

But his fame transcends his longevity.

WALTER BANKS: Now just read, or cut the TV off and just breathe.

TUCHMAN: Give Walter Banks any number from one to 100 and he becomes Walter "Memory" Banks.

Number 25?

BANKS: Only two players hit 70 home runs in one season, that was -- both of them were 25, Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds.

TUCHMAN: Number 41.

BANKS: In 1941, Ted Williams batted .406, the last person to bat .400.

TUCHMAN: But it's not just baseball or sports for that matter.

Number 26.

BANKS: Two presidents, the second and third president died in 1826, both of them died on the same day, July the 4th, 1826, and that was John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

TUCHMAN: After the fifth inning, a fan gets to give Walter a number. This woman picked 16.

BANKS: Oldest stadium in the National League, Wrigley Field, open in 1916. Whitey Ford, the winningest pitcher in World Series. He won 10 games. His number is 16.

TUCHMAN: Players can only be envious of Walter's fan support. Even a former leader of the free world considers him a buddy.

JIMMY CARTER, FMR. PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: I would say that of all the ushers in the world, there's not a better one than Walter.

TUCHMAN (on camera): How many more years you want to do this?

BANKS: Well, you can never tell. As long as your health hold up and you're feeling all right, you enjoy, why quit something you like. If it ain't broke, don't fix it?

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Gary Tuchman, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Now that is a trivia master. Well, the Braves don't play until tomorrow night when they host the Houston Astros. The other six teams, of course, all go tonight.

And, Bill Hemmer, you know who's playing in that?

HEMMER: Sixty-four, by the way -- 1964, the last time Ohio did not go with the ultimate winner for the White House that year. State's been pretty good, Heidi, over the years, you know, Ohio's been an absolute bellwether.

In a moment here, Heidi, who makes a better poker player, the president or the senator? The poker stud Phil Gordon weighs in on that, next hour with Daryn Kagan. We are back in a moment here, live in Cleveland, getting ready for the big debate later tonight on AMERICAN MORNING, back in a moment after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, that does it for us right here on AMERICAN MORNING, the New York studios. Thanks also to Andy Borowitz, and Andy No. 1 or two?

SERWER: Yes, we'll take No. 1. He's not here, so I can get it.

COLLINS: Andy Serwer, as well.

Get it back not to Bill.

Bill, one last factoid to you, or for you, 311 miles you are from the White House and Washington, D.C., did you know that?

HEMMER: And 141 miles from Columbus, which is where we'll be tonight, back with our focus groups as we get to watch them on those meters again, Heidi, take us right through the debate, get the reactions, positive and negative throughout the entire 90 minutes. It was very interesting stuff last Thursday. We'll see if it's again tonight. The Case behind me, Case Western University.

(CHEERING)

They're fired up and they're ready to go. They're going to go right across the street later tonight and have their own big debate party, so we will be here again tomorrow morning, get you through the post-debate reaction here between the vice presidents Dick Cheney and John Edwards.

Have a great day, everybody. We've got to go.

Here's Daryn Kagan, live at the CNN Center.

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