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CNN Live Sunday
Mount St. Helens Continues To Threaten; Mehdi Army Begins Disarming; U.S. Army Begins Clean-up Of Samarra
Aired October 10, 2004 - 16:00 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: What do runners have to do with the United States presidential election?
And will this image become entangled with this image in the voters' minds? We'll talk to Bill Schneider about the D word.
And...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let's give it a try. The Bush burrito. The Kerry burrito. I'm still undecided.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Ed Henry on a different campaign trail. Which candidates win the great burrito poll?
Hello and welcome to CNN SUNDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after a check of the headlines.
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited U.S. marines in Iraq today. This as two U.S. troops were killed in that country. One marine was killed Saturday in the Al Anbar province, and another died of wounds suffered in a car bomb attack.
Ten Turkish hostages are freed by their captors in Iraq. The company that employs the men has reportedly agreed to freeze its operations in Baghdad. The workers have been held for over three weeks now.
And Mount St. Helens is still rumbling in Washington state. The volcano released more steam today. The white plume rose several hundred feet above the mountain. The U.S. Geological Survey is set to hold a news conference right now. And if there's any information coming out of it, we'll be bringing that to you as soon as possible.
Well, looking ahead to Wednesday, talking tough on prescription drug costs today. John Kerry campaigns in Florida before heading to New Mexico to prep for the financial presidential debate. Our Frank Buckley is on the road with the Kerry campaign.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Senator John Kerry campaigning today in Florida, the state that decided the 2000 presidential election. George Bush winning this state by a mere 537 votes. Both campaigns believe that they can win Florida this year. John Kerry doing his best to try to make sure there isn't a repeat of the 2000 presidential election.
Today he appeared at a predominantly African-American church along with former presidential candidate, the Reverend Al Sharpton and the Reverend Jesse Jackson, doing his best to fire up a base of the Democratic party and presidential politics in African-American voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D-MA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In 2004 in a few weeks here in Florida and all across this country, never again will a million African-Americans be denied their right to exercise the vote in the United States of America. That's not going to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: Kerry advisers say in the days ahead Senator Kerry will primarily focus on domestic issues. But never far away will be the issue of Iraq. Senator Kerry's advisers saying that the senator will consistently criticize President Bush about his handling of the war there.
Today it was Senator Edwards, his running mate, who took up that cause in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president had a responsibility to plan for this stage, to have a plan to win the peace, and it's now absolutely clear he didn't have a plan and the results are catastrophic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: Tonight Senator Kerry will be in New Mexico, where he'll be spending the next couple of days preparing for the third and final presidential debate, taking place on Wednesday in Tempe, Arizona. Frank Buckley, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, taking a break from the campaign trail, President Bush is spending the day at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, doing some preparations for Wednesday's debate. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is there with more on what's ahead for the president -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Bush is hunkered down at his Crawford Ranch with his top advisers. We are told that he's having a relaxing day, but also of course strategizing for the critical three weeks ahead. Their strategy is a three-prong strategy to try to convince undecided voters that Kerry is not trustworthy. Secondly to try to rally the base by reminding them that Kerry is a liberal. And third, to try to convince all voters that Kerry is weak when it comes to fighting terror.
Now, Bush surrogates today taking to the airwaves. They seized on this "New York Times" magazine profile of Kerry, saying that this is another example that shows how Kerry's world view, the view of terror, is different from the president. In this article, Kerry was asked for Americans, what would it take for them to feel safe again?
He is quoted as saying the following, "we have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives but they're a nuisance. As a former law enforcement person, I know we're never going to end prostitution. We're never going to end illegal gambling. But we're going to reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn't on the rise. It isn't threatening people's lives every day, and fundamentally it's something that you continue to fight, but it's not threatening the fabric of your life." Now, Bush advisers say that this is yet another example, they say that Kerry does not understand the terror threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARC RACICOT, BUSH-CHENEY CAMPAIGN: He equated it to prostitution and gambling, a nuisance activity. You know, quite frankly, I just don't think he has the right view of the world. That's a pre-9/11 view of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVAUX: Now, Kerry campaign spokesman Phil Singer, who I spoke with earlier today, says this is absolutely ridiculous, that this has been taken once again, Kerry's comments, out of context. We heard earlier today from Governor Bill Richardson.
WHITFIELD: All right. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much from Crawford, Texas.
We want to take you straight out to Washington State now, where the U.S. Geological Survey is beginning a press conference there talking about this volcano. Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...every six to seven minutes. All the earthquakes we've recorded are shallow at present. We've not had visual observations from our helicopter yet. It's airborne now. So we should get some confirmation of any new uplift or any activity in the crater other than what you're seeing, and many people have seen on the news this morning and the people of course out here have seen today, and that's primarily these steam puffs coming up out of the area behind the dome and rising up over the crater rims. This is normal kind of activity that one would expect from hot rocks interacting with water.
In addition, we have again, repeating from yesterday, gas flights scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of this week, this coming week. With regard to deformation, I think the facts that I told you yesterday remain current, and that is the -- we'll get this updated this afternoon, but at present based on yesterday's data we're still saying that the area of uplift through yesterday was about an area of 1,300 -- 1,300 feet north-south by 1,600 feet east-west with a maximum uplift of 300 to 400 feet.
We talked about the volume of that yesterday, and I can follow up with questions. I won't repeat all that again unless you need me to.
A new development as we have specialists in our USGS office in Denver who are working to develop more precise measurements of the volumetric change of this blister that's growing behind the dome, this uplifted area, and this is based on using aerial photographs that were collected between the 1st and the 5th of October.
As a result of the intense unrest of the past 15 days, we still infer that magma's at shallow levels, and obviously you're seeing that interaction of hot rock with steam that's indicative of such a high- level rise of magma. Even though the current rate of seismicity is low, we remain vigilant during times of unrest.
Mount St. Helens and similar volcanoes elsewhere around the world undergo these kinds of episodic changes. We are indeed riding a roller coaster. We've seen that seismic change last night where we tapered off through morning hours, just this morning it started back up a little bit, but well below the levels of yesterday, which were about at the levels that we've seen just before the last couple of explosions.
Again, escalation of the degree of unrest, and perhaps an eruption, could occur suddenly and with little warning and there may be little time to raise the alert level, the formal alert level before a hazardous event occurs. Wind forecasts from NOAA combined with eruption models show that winds today will remain westerly and any ash clouds emitted will drift to the east or to the southeast.
The only other comment I have is we are continuing to develop new technologies to monitor the volcano in periods of bad weather and nighttime conditions and I think I'll leave it at that and open it for questions. It's pretty brief right now, but we've been busy this morning.
WHITFIELD: All right. This update coming out of Washington state from the U.S. Geological Survey on the new plumes of steam coming from Mount St. Helens.
Well, back to the steam produced by politics. With the election expected to be so close both campaigns are reaching out to swing voters any way they can. Not only are their messages inundating the air waves, they're turning up in some unlikely places. As our Alina Cho explains, learning about the lives of each candidate may be as simple as picking up your favorite magazine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first parents on Dr. Phil.
DR. PHIL MCGRAW: Were you all spankers? Did you spank them?
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not really. LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: Not very often.
G. BUSH: Not really. We were in your roomers. You know, get to your room.
CHO: Senator John Kerry on live with Regis & Kelly.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are going to create the the Regis and Kelly global headquarters.
CHO: Presidential candidates have long used talk shows to reach the electorate. Now they're going one step further.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're learning more and more that voters really want to know more about the candidates as individuals and what makes them tick.
CHO: Political consultants are increasingly relying on microtargeting, demographic data that allows campaigns to sell candidates like products.
JEFREY POLLOCK, DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL CONSULTANT: Both parties have huge databases of voters. And we now know a lot of information about each voter such as their lifestyle choices, magazines they subscribe to.
CHO: Magazines like Field & Stream, which targets outdoorsmen. The current issue offers a debate on gun rights and the future of hunting and fishing with President Bush and Senator Kerry.
Ladies Home Journal recently offered competing covers on the newsstand. Even Runner's World has interviewed both the president, and vice presidential candidate John Edwards.
It says to voters, we share the same interests. The presidential election is as much about popularity as it is about policy. And voters cast their ballot for the candidate they like.
Core supporters will be there through thick and thin. Why you see Vice President Cheney talking to the conservative base.
REED DICKENS, BUSH-CHENEY SPOKESMAN: When the vice president goes out and speaks to Republicans anywhere in the country, he's always a huge hit.
CHO: And not on a talk show.
The opposite could be said for Senator Edwards. Democrats say his good looks and southern charm appeal to women.
Different approaches, the same goal: getting undecideds to vote on election day. Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, in just three days John Kerry and George Bush will go head to head again. After that voters won't get another chance to see them face off before election day. So what does each candidate need to do? Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider has pulled out his crystal ball for us. Good to see you, Bill.
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Hello.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, let's begin with the president. He's at exam Camp David. What likely is he zeroing in on as he preps for Wednesday's debates?
SCHNEIDER: Kerry's record. I mean, it's been the focus of the Republican campaign really for most of this year, ever since it was clear that Kerry would be the Democratic nominee. The president, the Republicans, the Bush/Cheney campaign would want this election to be a referendum not on President Bush, where people are genuinely on the line, he's got about a 50-50 approval rating, but on Senator Kerry, whom he's trying to portray as an out of the mainstream tax and spend liberal who's got a record of vacillating and waffling on issues relating to international affairs. Bush is trying to make this about John Kerry, which would be rare. When an incumbent is running for re- election. But that's what he's been doing all year long.
WHITFIELD: Well, then what about for John Kerry?
SCHNEIDER: Well, he wants this to be a referendum on George Bush. Not a surprise there. And it's becoming more and more of that since that first debate, when for the first time, voters got a chance to see the two contenders side by side on an equal footing.
Suddenly there was the realization that this is really about President Bush. It's about whether the voters want to rehire him, or fire him. And after that debate what happened is the election, a close election, became even closer.
WHITFIELD: Well, I wonder, could John Kerry be going into it too overly confident, since he is boasting what many of the polls have said is a 2 for 2 win in the debates so far.
SCHNEIDER: I don't think anyone is terribly confidence in this race. If they were, they'd be absolutely crazy, because there is no clear momentum. Some states point one way, some states point another way, in the battlegrounds across the country. I don't think anyone has enough momentum to feel confident in this race. And anyone who tells you they know what's going to happen is grossly misinformed.
WHITFIELD: Do you expect as we get closer to November 2 that these campaigns will get uglier, that the attacks will become a bit more personal?
SCHNEIDER: Now, there's a prediction I can make. This race is going to get nasty and it's going to get brutish and it's going to get harsh, harsher even than it is right now. Because turnout is a big part of this game. They've got to get their supporters out to vote. There have been a lot of newly registered voters in both parties this year, but it's one thing to get people to register, to go find them and have them sign their name on a registration form, but it's another whole effort to get them to show up at the polls.
Newly registered voters are the least motivated. Otherwise, they'd also register themselves. So getting them to the polls is going to be a struggle. And the way you do that is by firing up their emotions.
What Republicans and conservatives have going for them is enthusiasm about President Bush. What Democrats have going for them is anger over President Bush's policies.
WHITFIELD: And isn't it fairly remarkable that there are still undecided voters that say even after seeing two debates they still are not quite sure and that maybe the third debate may not necessarily seal their opinion on one candidate or the other. So are we likely to see a rather large number of voters out there who are going to make their decision come November 2 as they're in the balloting -- as they're putting their votes in the balloting boxes?
SCHNEIDER: A large number, no. A few, yes. And that few, as we found out in 2000, may be enough to turn the tide. The battle for the undecided voters is not strong and fierce, because there are so many of them, there are actually very few of them. It's because in a very close race like this, they have all the power, they make all the difference, and they're often the least tuned in, the least motivated voters of all, and the hardest to reach so you've got to make a very strong effort to get through to those voters.
WHITFIELD: This Wednesday, domestic issues will be the primary focus. However, some might still argue that the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq certainly do impact domestic agenda. So is it likely that these two wars will still somehow sneak their way into the debate on Wednesday?
SCHNEIDER: Yes. I think that the president wants to make sure that this entire campaign is seen through the lens of the war on terror, 9/11. So when he talks about the economy, he talks about the impact of 9/11 on the jobs situation. When he talks about other domestic issues, 9/11 usually finds its way into the discussion. And it's costing a lot of money.
Senator Kerry, when he talks about the war in Iraq, talks about how much money that war has cost and how it's taking money away from other domestic priorities. So I think you can count on the fact that the war on terror, the war in Iraq is going to enter into the domestic policy debate.
WHITFIELD: All right. And we're not finished with you yet, Bill. We're going to take a short break. But for all of you out there, remember the images of people burning their draft cards. When we come back, we're going to be talking, Bill and I, about the draft as a campaign issue. It took the spotlight in the last debate. And are we going to be hearing about it again?
And later in the show, want a Kerry Berry Cosmo or a W-tini? Creative cocktails for the campaign season, or you might call it voting by alcohol consumption. Either way, it's about the most unscientific polling we've come across, but some seem to think it's rather fun.
And just when you thought your car repair problems couldn't get worse, Congress gets involved.
And then...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A week after the battle a lot of these shops are still littered with broken glass. It's one of the army's main priorities now, repairing some of the damage and trying to restore some goodwill.
END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Small steps in Samarra, Iraq.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: An estimated 2.6 million people are serving in the U.S. military on active and reserve status. More than 130,000 troops are based in Iraq. Throughout the war, there have been rumors of the draft being reinstated. It even came up during Friday's presidential debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
G. BUSH: I hear there's rumors on the Internets that we're going to have a draft. We're not going to have a draft. Period. The all- volunteer army works.
KERRY: Our guard and reserves have been turned into almost active duty. You've got people doing two and three rotations. You've got stop loss policies so people can't get out when they were supposed to. You've got a back door draft right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: For more on the controversy, we are joined again by CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider. And he joins us live again from Washington.
All right, Bill. Both are emphatic, there will be no draft if elected or if re-elected. Why are so many people still so skeptical?
SCHNEIDER: Well, it's the issue that won't go away, despite the best efforts of Republicans to stop the debate. It's not going to happen. The president, you just heard him say that. The leadership of the Republicans will control the House and Senate, have said it's not going to happen.
In fact, this week they took a fairly unusual step. They brought up a measure that was lying around for almost two years that would have reinstated the draft in order to kill it. They voted it down to make the point there ain't going to be a draft. And yet, and yet as the president acknowledged, it's out there. In fact, a recent poll by the Annenberg Center shows that a majority of Americans between 18 and 29 believe that President Bush does favor reinstating the draft. Where do those ideas come from?
Well, as the president said, a lot of them are on the Internet. There are a lot of rumors about discussions at the Pentagon, memos which report to show discussions of the possibility of reinstating the draft. The Democrats haven't yet said the president is going -- they haven't said it at all, the president's going to reinstate the draft.
But what Senator Kerry said last month was, if George Bush were to be re-elected, given the way he's gone about this war and given his avoidance of responsibility in North Korea and Iran and other places, it is possible. I can't tell you. And then he added, I will not reinstate the draft.
So when he said that, those rumors started spreading. And a lot of people are saying, well, if we're going to police the world, as the questioner said in the debate, and if we are overextended, as a lot of people believe, there may be no alternative.
WHITFIELD: And we'll see if it is sparked again maybe as another centerpiece issue during the upcoming debate on Wednesday. Thanks so much. Bill Schneider, good to see you again.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Well, the final presidential debate takes place on Wednesday. And from Tempe, Arizona CNN will have live coverage starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
And how you see the debates differs greatly from the late night comedians, who are strictly in it for laughs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the problem here may be more of a question of getting rid of the bad Internets and keeping the good Internets. Because I think we can all agree there are just too many Internets.
JAY LENO, TALK SHOW HOST: And occasionally your husband will make a gaffe, which we will exploit to the hilt.
L. BUSH: Yes.
LENO: I mean, do you guys have fun with that afterwards?
L. BUSH: We do. We laugh about it sometimes. Sometimes we don't laugh.
CONAN O'BRIEN: TALK SHOW HOST: During the debate, this is true, John Edwards accused Dick Cheney of, quote, not being straight with the American people. That's what he said. Yes, and apparently, Cheney misunderstood because he started yelling, who are you calling gay?
LENO: Well, tomorrow night's debate in St. Louis will be in front of an audience made up entirely of undecided voters, which creates a huge dilemma for Kerry. Does he stand on the stage beside President Bush or sit in the audience with all the other people who can't make up their mind?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I should just sit down, confident in the fact that I just cleaned the president's clock and not say anything else. But I'm not going to do that. No. I'm going to keep on talking. Why? Because I can't help myself.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Our political fun doesn't end here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was there a burrito bounce from the debate?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ed, the numbers don't lie when it comes to the burrito.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Coming up a bit later, voting with your stomach. We hear the secret's in the sauce.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Insurgents begin to disarm in Baghdad's Sadr City, but despite the movement forward, more violence rocks the city. And this all happens on the day Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld makes an unannounced stop in Iraq. CNN's Brent Sadler has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Preparing to disarm: masked Shia Muslim militants in Sadr City break down a heavy machine gun, pledging to hand over such weapons starting Monday.
We're following orders, he says, from the office of the martyr. Meaning the hard line organization led by Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shia cleric. Word is out to the Mehdi Army militia al Sadr leads: stop fighting, implores this loyalist, broadcasting from a mosque, surrender your weapons.
Mehdi Army militiamen have battled U.S.-backed Iraqi forces in Najaf during August and recently here in Sadr City. But the militia says it's not disbanding. Partially disarming at best, say Iraqi officials. In return, the government expects to end bloody clashes, release jailed al Sadr militants and extend an amnesty for so-called non-criminals. All of this generating enough optimism for schools here to reopen.
(on camera): Iraqi security officials hope a smooth surrender of weapons in Sadr City will shore up a flank of the insurgency, allowing U.S. and Iraqi forces to concentrate on Fallujah, the so-called epicenter of violence.
(voice-over): As hopes bloomed for an end to the deadly Shia revolt, the capital was hit Sunday by two more suicide bombs. A U.S. soldier died from wounds suffered in one blast. Police recruits were among the dead and injured from a second explosion. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visiting U.S. troops in Iraq, warns violence will likely get worse and claim more innocent Iraqi lives.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: In many instances, they are the targets because this is not a battle against large armies and navies and air forces, this is a test of wills.
SADLER: The most important of which may be the fate of Fallujah, west of the capital. Suspected terror groups have been hit by weeks of U.S. air strikes, with mounting civilian casualties, claim city doctors. The prelude to a possible all-out air and ground assault. Brent Sadler, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Last week, U.S. forces declared the offensive into the city of Samarra a success. U.S. forces along with Iraqi troops regained control of the city after heavy fighting with insurgents. And while U.S. officials say they had taken pains not to hit civilians, many residents said the casualties included women and children.
Located north of Baghdad, Samarra is just one step in the campaign to root out insurgents before the January elections.
And now begins the battle to win back the hearts and minds of Samarra's citizens. Many of them had their homes and businesses damaged in the fighting so U.S. troops are going through the city with bags full of money to pay for the reconstruction. CNN's Jane Arraf, embedded with American forces has this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys ready? Grab some of these radios.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): After the fighting in Samarra a more complicated battle begins. To get across their message that the U.S. wants to help rebuild Samarra, these troops from the 1st Infantry Division are handing out radios.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are jamming already. That's the frequency right there.
ARRAF: Tuned to a coalition channel that's a mix of music and public service announcements. One of them tells Iraqis where they can go to file claims with the military for losses and damage. A week ago U.S. troops were being shot at from these alleys. Now they're venturing down the same narrow streets, taking compensation to the people. Captain George Rodriguez from the 2nd Battalion 108th Infantry inspects a barbershop that's been hit by gunfire.
CAPTAIN GEORGE RODRIQUEZ: I'll give you $750.
ARRAF: His offer of $750 though is rejected. The air-conditioner alone costs $500, the owner tells him. They settle on $850 in U.S. cash.
RODRIQUEZ: Three hundred.
ARRAF: This woman got $60 for a broken window. It was worth more, she says, but she was too embarrassed to haggle. Her son was killed by insurgents last year, she says, and although she's still afraid, she says she's less so with U.S. forces in town.
ARRAF (on camera): A week after the battle a lot of these shops are still littered with broken glass. It's one of the army's main priorities now, repairing some of the damage and trying to restore some goodwill.
ARRAF (voice over): Not an easy task in this historic city. Don't think it's a happy picture. Everyone is bitter. They need time to forget this tragedy, Sheik Ha Zane (ph) tells us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You and your soldiers are the future of Iraq.
ARRAF: The top U.S. military official in Iraq, General George Casey, landed in Samarra to congratulate troops on what could be a model for overcoming the insurgency.
GENERAL GEORGE CASEY, U.S. ARMY: What we're seeing is that the Iraqis just need to have the freedom to get on with the reconstruction, and we're seeing that in those cities, and hopefully we'll see it soon in many others.
ARRAF: But near one of Shiah Islam's holiest sites, an imam complains that U.S. forces have arrested some of his employees and confiscated their weapons. They never had any problems with insurgents at the mosque, he says, but he shakes hands with the general anyway.
CASEY: Everything will be fine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice to meet you.
CASEY: Nice to meet you. Good luck to you.
ARRAF: In other parts of town the military is busy putting townspeople to work, cleaning trash and repairing power lines. Back at the mosque, where some of the heaviest fighting took place, Iraqis watch to see what the U.S. presence will bring this time.
Jane Arraf, CNN, Samarra.
(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: Here now is a look at what's happening now in the news. Ten Turkish workers held hostage in Iraq since last month have been released. Their company's general manager says the drivers and mechanics were taken to a safe place where they will meet with them tomorrow. And he didn't deny an Al-Jazeera report the company has agreed to pull its operations from Iraq.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is campaigning in the key battle ground state of Florida today. Speaking to the congregation of a predominantly African-American church in Miami this morning, Kerry said his campaign's legal effort is working to avoid the legal problems that plagued Florida four years ago.
President Bush is spending the day at his ranch in Crawford, Texas with no public events planned. He's reportedly doing some informal preparations for next week's third and final presidential debate in Tempe, Arizona. The focus of that debate is domestic policy.
In Afghanistan demands to nullify the elections are called unjustified. CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour has the latest. Plus I'll talk with the ambassador of Afghanistan about the country's realistic hopes for a Democratic future.
And then -- paradise lost. A once politics-free zone for many now scarred by a deadly attack. Coming up, a little later, a trip to the Sinai.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: To keep or to nullify. That's the question now in Afghanistan. Millions headed to the polls yesterday, but opposition candidates are crying fraud. CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was back to business as usual a day after their landmark election. Only now people were left mulling the great ink controversy that prompted the opposition to say it would boycott the results. "I think they're thinking of their own interests," says this shopkeeper.
But in such a difficult situation for our country they should not make such threats. He showed us his finger, ink still there. And so did this woman. "They said the ink was faulty, but I even did my laundry and it hasn't come off. The election must be accepted."
The day before, millions had come out around the country, proud to cast their first ever vote. Men and women waited patiently in line for hours. But at some polling stations police on hand to guarantee security were caught up in the ink dispute. But after crying foul, some in the opposition are now moderating their anger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translator): I'm in the middle position. I'm not too unhappy at the result of the election but not as happy as Mr. Karzai is. I don't know what cheating went on. AMANPOUR: Election organizers and observers say they will investigate the complaints but not cancel the vote.
ROBERT BARRY, DSCE: We concur with the joint election management board that the candidates' demand to nullify the election is unjustified.
AMANPOUR: As ballot boxes began coming in from around the country, teams of vote counters settle in for a long and arduous job.
AMANPOUR (on camera): There are hundreds of ballot boxes in this one hall alone, and officials tell us even initial results won't be available for several days and then it'll take a few more weeks before the final result is known. But for many the winner is a foregone conclusion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We elect, select Mr. Karzai. Yes, we are happy with Mr. Karzai.
HAMID KARZAI, AFGHAN PRESIDENT: I hope that God was kind to me so that the Afghan people will vote for me. My government will be one that will be extremely clean and in tremendous respect and regard to the vote of the Afghan people.
AMANPOUR (voice over): People overwhelmingly say they were voting for peace and security, to end the decades of war and bloodshed and to earn a decent living.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know five programs of computer, but today I don't have any job.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of the people of Afghanistan --
AMANPOUR: For the first time they dream of a future where that may be a possibility.
Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Kabul, Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: For more on Afghanistan's controversial and historic election, I'm joined by the Afghan ambassador to the United States, Said Tayeb Jawad in Washington. Good to see you, Mr. Ambassador.
SAID TAYEB JAWAB, AFGHAN AMBASSADOR: Nice to be with you.
WHITFIELD: Well, is it your view that these elections were fair and legitimate?
JAWAB: The elections were an historic achievement for Afghanistan. I think when the Afghan people, yesterday, lined up in the millions of them; they made a very clear statement. They showed their commitment, their courage, and their competence, but they also delivered a very strong message to fundamentalists and terrorists who have prohibited Afghans from participating in the process. It also shows that the investment made by the international community and the partnership created between Afghans and the international community has created significant results. It was a historic day for Afghanistan.
WHITFIELD: But with 10 million registered voters and something like 20,000 polling stations, which many were concerned there would be intimidation, security issues, in the end those aren't the things that prevented some people from actually being able to vote, but instead the confusion over the ink issue, then why would it still be considered a success when there were some voters who were denied the right to vote?
JAWAD: Well, everybody had a chance to vote. This was the first national election organized in Afghanistan. And --
WHITFIELD: But reportedly, there were people interviewed who said they did not get a chance to vote because of the confusion over the ink issue at some of the polling stations.
JAWAD: The confusion was not over the ink, actually. Some people did not get to vote because there's such a tremendous number of the people show up at the polling stations they had to keep the polling station open for an additional two hours. The confusion over the ink was a simple technical matter. The polling stations were provided with two types of marker -- a black marker to mark the ballots paper and a purple marker to mark the finger of people who were voting.
Some inexperienced staff had marked the finger of the voter with a black marker, which was washable. And that was only in the first two hours of the elections. And again, this will not affect the results of the election, where more than 10 million people have participated, even if 100 people or even 1,000 people got a chance to vote more than once.
WHITFIELD: Well, should some concessions be made for those disenfranchised voters, then, of those few voters that you talk about who didn't get a chance to vote because of the long lines?
JAWAD: Well, the joint commission is working to add two additional days if needed. In some areas where the harsh weather particularly the snowfall. Or a large turnout of the people prevented everybody to register. That is under consideration. And most probably there will be an additional one or two days to accommodate this technical problem.
WHITFIELD: Among the particularly poignant moments during this historic election was the sight of women, many women in Burkas, some in head scarves only, who were lined up for many hours waiting for the right to vote for the first time. For you personally, these images conjured up what emotions for you?
JAWAD: These are extraordinary messages. These women are not only voting for democracy in Afghanistan but they are also voting against terrorism in the world. This is every vote casted in Afghanistan; particularly every vote cast by a woman in Afghanistan is a vote for democracy and a vote against terrorism.
There were tremendous stories about women showing up in many areas of Afghanistan; in central Afghanistan women have waited in snow for many hours to vote. In Kunar Province a rocket landed close to an area where a long line of women waited to vote. They did not run away.
They insisted on staying and voting because they said if you run away from that rocket today this kind of attacks by terrorists will continue, we want to vote and make sure that these kind of attacks by terrorists will end forever.
WHITFIELD: Mr. Ambassador, Tayeb Jawad in Washington, thank you so much for joining us.
JAWAD: My pleasure.
WHITFIELD: On to Egypt now. Security officials say a fedwan (ph) tribesman has confessed to selling explosives that may have been used in last week's Taba bombings. According to one investigator, the tribesman said the buyers told him the explosives would be used in the Palestinian territories. Israel has blamed Al Qaeda for Thursday night's three deadly attacks.
And Egypt is leaning toward an Al Qaeda connection with a local sleeper cell. Thirty-four people were killed in the attacks. The victims were Egyptian, Israeli, Italian, and Russian.
In an interview published today, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he had no intention of closing the border with Sinai but he strongly criticized Israelis for staying despite an urgent call for them to return home. CNN's Ben Wedeman talks to the defiant ones in Taba.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Not all Israelis are fleeing the Sinai. A few stay on to enjoy the now empty beaches and make a point. Ofra Barelli from Tel Aviv won't let bombs drive her away.
OFRA BARELLI, ISRAELI TOURIST: And if I run away from this, I give more power to terror, I give more power to hate; you give more power to war.
WEDEMAN (on camera): This was one spot where Arabs and Israelis got along. For Israelis the Sinai was a politics-free zone, a place where it was easy to forget, however briefly, the troubles back home. And Egyptians were more than willing to accommodate.
WEDEMAN (voice over): A fluent Hebrew speaker, taxi driver Salema Fahad (ph) recalls his first phone call after the attacks came from an old Israeli friend. "Forget politics," says Salama (ph), a Bedouin. We deal with people as people, as one soul to another. Almost all the guests at Haleb Yusef's tourist camp came from Israel. "Of course there were no problems," he tells me. "They were our source of income." Israeli tourist Einav Gilboa believes the bombings were aimed at one of the last links between Arabs and Israelis.
EINAV GILBOA, ISRAELI TOURIST: When we hear the bombing, because we hear that from here, my first feeling was oh God, they are going to destroyed the only true place that we can be together.
WEDEMAN: A place that is now largely empty. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Taba, Egypt.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A little over an hour from now more of CNN LIVE SATURDAY, posted by Carol Lin. What is on tap?
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're going to be talking with Cokie Roberts. She's a woman who is a cancer survivor and award- winning journalist. She quit one of the biggest jobs in broadcast news to co-host "This Week," to work on special projects for NPR. And she has interviewed the four living former presidents about the constitution. I'll be talking to her about that.
And going to be talking with an inmate who served at Martha Stewart's prison, Alderson, in West Virginia. She has pictures of Martha inside. We don't know yet whether we're going to be legally being able to show them to you, but if we can't show them to you we're going to tell you where you can go to see them.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
LIN: Yes, her first days in prison.
WHITFIELD: And is she also one that argues that camp cupcake is no cakewalk?
LIN: We're going to find out at 6:00.
WHITFIELD: Thanks a lot Carol.
Well, call it car wars. The neighborhood repair shop you've always taken your car to, well, owners say they're losing a whole lot of business. The reason -- repair work is being steered to dealers with access to computer diagnostic information. It's a fight that has made its way all the way to the U.S. Congress. CNN's Sean Callebs reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As the saying goes, you don't have to be a rocket scientist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take a right in 100 yards.
CALLEBS: But when it comes to repairing today's computer-laden cars, a little extra knowledge wouldn't hurt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's got 30 distinct systems, and all of these different computers are communicating with each other.
CALLEBS: But non-dealer repair shops, everything from the mom and pop outfit to large chains like NAPA, Auto Zone, and Jiffy Lube, say carmakers aren't playing fair. They contend, as cars get more complex to repair dealers keep vital information about computer diagnostics to themselves, freezing out mechanics not in the family.
MICHAEL FOX, SERVICE MANAGER: If we can't scan your system because of the fact that we don't know -- we don't have the technology to scan your system, you have no choice but to take it back to the dealer. I mean that is the bottom line.
CALLEBS: Carmakers say the information is out there. Two years ago car companies and the largest group of independent garages reached an accord that allowed Internet access to all the information mechanics need. But independent garages say it's too complex to navigate easily and costly to purchase diagnostic equipment and tools.
Congress is considering weighing in. Debating a measure called the Right To Repair Act that would give the Federal Trade Commission auto repair information oversight.
MIKE STANTON, ALLIANCE OF AUTO MANUFACTURERS: There's absolutely no question that the vehicles have become much more complex.
CALLEBS: The automotive industry says it's much ado about nothing. It says the real issue is independent garages need to spend more time and money training mechanics.
STANTON: It's in our best interest that vehicles are repaired safely and economically to make your customers happy.
CALLEBS: Independent garages employ about 5 million people. The coalition for auto repair equality says its members are losing as much as 15 percent of their business.
SANDY BASS, COAL FOR AUTO REPAIR EQUALITY: Not only are consumers being locked out and the small business being locked out, but the economy is going to have a large sucking sound because we will have to lay people off, we will not be able to keep people employed.
CALLEBS (on camera): Despite demands from such organizations as AAA, its not expected Congress will take any action on the Right To Repair issue. Sean Callebs, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: When we return, a political story that could make you switch sides. The Kerry-Bush burrito taste test. Coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The business of Washington is politics, and Washington businesses are hopping onto the political bandwagon with a variety of eye-catching presidential-themed foods and drinks for political junkies. We sent CNN's Ed Henry out to sample what's out there inside the beltway, of course.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): With the presidential race so close, businesses all over Washington are getting in on the action, giving consumers a chance to vote with their stomachs as well as their hearts. This Democrat sunk his teeth into the John Kerry savory chicken burrito, which is full of ingredients the senator's campaign helped pick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody's buying these burritos because they want to see what Kerry eats.
HENRY: The owner of California Tortilla says sales of Kerry's favorite burrito soared after the candidate's strong performance in the first debate. Was there a burrito bounce from the debate?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ed, the numbers don't lie when it comes to the burrito.
HENRY: This Bush voter was skeptical.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The burrito poll to me is not the best poll out there. I think we'll find out when the vote's taken.
HENRY: There are no avoiding flip-flops when you're rolling a burrito. The Bush burrito has chicken with Texas hickory sauce, while the Kerry one has Boston baked beans and Heinz 57 sauce. What's an undecided voter to do? Let's give it a try.
The Bush burrito. The Kerry burrito. I'm still undecided. The hip Hotel George on Capitol Hill, named after George Washington, is offering two presidential room packages, complete with the candidate's favorite desserts.
SHOLEN KIA, HOTEL GEORGE GENERAL MANAGER: UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to have some fun and creativity with our guests. Therefore, we're trying to keep both parties happy.
HENRY: Hmm. Kerry's cookies. George W.'s ice cream. I just can't make up my mind. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Georgetown is also shaking things up, with creative cocktails for the campaign season.
Bartender, can I get a w-teeny?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Certainly.
HENRY: How about a Kerry berry Cosmo as well?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kerry berry, all righty.
HENRY: Now, I noticed the W drink is blue, even though he normally wins the red states. The Kerry drink's red, even though he normally wins the blue states.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. HENRY: Why the mix-up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we figured if George Bush wants to win again he's got to switch up and go for the voters he didn't get the last time.
HENRY: Hmm. Still can't make up my mind. Just put me down as an undecided voter. Covering the presidential battle and the burritos, the candidates and the cocktails. Ed Henry, CNN Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: An undecided taster. That's it for us. I'll be back with the headlines right after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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 10, 2004 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: What do runners have to do with the United States presidential election?
And will this image become entangled with this image in the voters' minds? We'll talk to Bill Schneider about the D word.
And...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let's give it a try. The Bush burrito. The Kerry burrito. I'm still undecided.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Ed Henry on a different campaign trail. Which candidates win the great burrito poll?
Hello and welcome to CNN SUNDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after a check of the headlines.
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited U.S. marines in Iraq today. This as two U.S. troops were killed in that country. One marine was killed Saturday in the Al Anbar province, and another died of wounds suffered in a car bomb attack.
Ten Turkish hostages are freed by their captors in Iraq. The company that employs the men has reportedly agreed to freeze its operations in Baghdad. The workers have been held for over three weeks now.
And Mount St. Helens is still rumbling in Washington state. The volcano released more steam today. The white plume rose several hundred feet above the mountain. The U.S. Geological Survey is set to hold a news conference right now. And if there's any information coming out of it, we'll be bringing that to you as soon as possible.
Well, looking ahead to Wednesday, talking tough on prescription drug costs today. John Kerry campaigns in Florida before heading to New Mexico to prep for the financial presidential debate. Our Frank Buckley is on the road with the Kerry campaign.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Senator John Kerry campaigning today in Florida, the state that decided the 2000 presidential election. George Bush winning this state by a mere 537 votes. Both campaigns believe that they can win Florida this year. John Kerry doing his best to try to make sure there isn't a repeat of the 2000 presidential election.
Today he appeared at a predominantly African-American church along with former presidential candidate, the Reverend Al Sharpton and the Reverend Jesse Jackson, doing his best to fire up a base of the Democratic party and presidential politics in African-American voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D-MA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In 2004 in a few weeks here in Florida and all across this country, never again will a million African-Americans be denied their right to exercise the vote in the United States of America. That's not going to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: Kerry advisers say in the days ahead Senator Kerry will primarily focus on domestic issues. But never far away will be the issue of Iraq. Senator Kerry's advisers saying that the senator will consistently criticize President Bush about his handling of the war there.
Today it was Senator Edwards, his running mate, who took up that cause in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president had a responsibility to plan for this stage, to have a plan to win the peace, and it's now absolutely clear he didn't have a plan and the results are catastrophic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: Tonight Senator Kerry will be in New Mexico, where he'll be spending the next couple of days preparing for the third and final presidential debate, taking place on Wednesday in Tempe, Arizona. Frank Buckley, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, taking a break from the campaign trail, President Bush is spending the day at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, doing some preparations for Wednesday's debate. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is there with more on what's ahead for the president -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Bush is hunkered down at his Crawford Ranch with his top advisers. We are told that he's having a relaxing day, but also of course strategizing for the critical three weeks ahead. Their strategy is a three-prong strategy to try to convince undecided voters that Kerry is not trustworthy. Secondly to try to rally the base by reminding them that Kerry is a liberal. And third, to try to convince all voters that Kerry is weak when it comes to fighting terror.
Now, Bush surrogates today taking to the airwaves. They seized on this "New York Times" magazine profile of Kerry, saying that this is another example that shows how Kerry's world view, the view of terror, is different from the president. In this article, Kerry was asked for Americans, what would it take for them to feel safe again?
He is quoted as saying the following, "we have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives but they're a nuisance. As a former law enforcement person, I know we're never going to end prostitution. We're never going to end illegal gambling. But we're going to reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn't on the rise. It isn't threatening people's lives every day, and fundamentally it's something that you continue to fight, but it's not threatening the fabric of your life." Now, Bush advisers say that this is yet another example, they say that Kerry does not understand the terror threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARC RACICOT, BUSH-CHENEY CAMPAIGN: He equated it to prostitution and gambling, a nuisance activity. You know, quite frankly, I just don't think he has the right view of the world. That's a pre-9/11 view of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVAUX: Now, Kerry campaign spokesman Phil Singer, who I spoke with earlier today, says this is absolutely ridiculous, that this has been taken once again, Kerry's comments, out of context. We heard earlier today from Governor Bill Richardson.
WHITFIELD: All right. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much from Crawford, Texas.
We want to take you straight out to Washington State now, where the U.S. Geological Survey is beginning a press conference there talking about this volcano. Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...every six to seven minutes. All the earthquakes we've recorded are shallow at present. We've not had visual observations from our helicopter yet. It's airborne now. So we should get some confirmation of any new uplift or any activity in the crater other than what you're seeing, and many people have seen on the news this morning and the people of course out here have seen today, and that's primarily these steam puffs coming up out of the area behind the dome and rising up over the crater rims. This is normal kind of activity that one would expect from hot rocks interacting with water.
In addition, we have again, repeating from yesterday, gas flights scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of this week, this coming week. With regard to deformation, I think the facts that I told you yesterday remain current, and that is the -- we'll get this updated this afternoon, but at present based on yesterday's data we're still saying that the area of uplift through yesterday was about an area of 1,300 -- 1,300 feet north-south by 1,600 feet east-west with a maximum uplift of 300 to 400 feet.
We talked about the volume of that yesterday, and I can follow up with questions. I won't repeat all that again unless you need me to.
A new development as we have specialists in our USGS office in Denver who are working to develop more precise measurements of the volumetric change of this blister that's growing behind the dome, this uplifted area, and this is based on using aerial photographs that were collected between the 1st and the 5th of October.
As a result of the intense unrest of the past 15 days, we still infer that magma's at shallow levels, and obviously you're seeing that interaction of hot rock with steam that's indicative of such a high- level rise of magma. Even though the current rate of seismicity is low, we remain vigilant during times of unrest.
Mount St. Helens and similar volcanoes elsewhere around the world undergo these kinds of episodic changes. We are indeed riding a roller coaster. We've seen that seismic change last night where we tapered off through morning hours, just this morning it started back up a little bit, but well below the levels of yesterday, which were about at the levels that we've seen just before the last couple of explosions.
Again, escalation of the degree of unrest, and perhaps an eruption, could occur suddenly and with little warning and there may be little time to raise the alert level, the formal alert level before a hazardous event occurs. Wind forecasts from NOAA combined with eruption models show that winds today will remain westerly and any ash clouds emitted will drift to the east or to the southeast.
The only other comment I have is we are continuing to develop new technologies to monitor the volcano in periods of bad weather and nighttime conditions and I think I'll leave it at that and open it for questions. It's pretty brief right now, but we've been busy this morning.
WHITFIELD: All right. This update coming out of Washington state from the U.S. Geological Survey on the new plumes of steam coming from Mount St. Helens.
Well, back to the steam produced by politics. With the election expected to be so close both campaigns are reaching out to swing voters any way they can. Not only are their messages inundating the air waves, they're turning up in some unlikely places. As our Alina Cho explains, learning about the lives of each candidate may be as simple as picking up your favorite magazine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first parents on Dr. Phil.
DR. PHIL MCGRAW: Were you all spankers? Did you spank them?
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not really. LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: Not very often.
G. BUSH: Not really. We were in your roomers. You know, get to your room.
CHO: Senator John Kerry on live with Regis & Kelly.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are going to create the the Regis and Kelly global headquarters.
CHO: Presidential candidates have long used talk shows to reach the electorate. Now they're going one step further.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're learning more and more that voters really want to know more about the candidates as individuals and what makes them tick.
CHO: Political consultants are increasingly relying on microtargeting, demographic data that allows campaigns to sell candidates like products.
JEFREY POLLOCK, DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL CONSULTANT: Both parties have huge databases of voters. And we now know a lot of information about each voter such as their lifestyle choices, magazines they subscribe to.
CHO: Magazines like Field & Stream, which targets outdoorsmen. The current issue offers a debate on gun rights and the future of hunting and fishing with President Bush and Senator Kerry.
Ladies Home Journal recently offered competing covers on the newsstand. Even Runner's World has interviewed both the president, and vice presidential candidate John Edwards.
It says to voters, we share the same interests. The presidential election is as much about popularity as it is about policy. And voters cast their ballot for the candidate they like.
Core supporters will be there through thick and thin. Why you see Vice President Cheney talking to the conservative base.
REED DICKENS, BUSH-CHENEY SPOKESMAN: When the vice president goes out and speaks to Republicans anywhere in the country, he's always a huge hit.
CHO: And not on a talk show.
The opposite could be said for Senator Edwards. Democrats say his good looks and southern charm appeal to women.
Different approaches, the same goal: getting undecideds to vote on election day. Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, in just three days John Kerry and George Bush will go head to head again. After that voters won't get another chance to see them face off before election day. So what does each candidate need to do? Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider has pulled out his crystal ball for us. Good to see you, Bill.
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Hello.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, let's begin with the president. He's at exam Camp David. What likely is he zeroing in on as he preps for Wednesday's debates?
SCHNEIDER: Kerry's record. I mean, it's been the focus of the Republican campaign really for most of this year, ever since it was clear that Kerry would be the Democratic nominee. The president, the Republicans, the Bush/Cheney campaign would want this election to be a referendum not on President Bush, where people are genuinely on the line, he's got about a 50-50 approval rating, but on Senator Kerry, whom he's trying to portray as an out of the mainstream tax and spend liberal who's got a record of vacillating and waffling on issues relating to international affairs. Bush is trying to make this about John Kerry, which would be rare. When an incumbent is running for re- election. But that's what he's been doing all year long.
WHITFIELD: Well, then what about for John Kerry?
SCHNEIDER: Well, he wants this to be a referendum on George Bush. Not a surprise there. And it's becoming more and more of that since that first debate, when for the first time, voters got a chance to see the two contenders side by side on an equal footing.
Suddenly there was the realization that this is really about President Bush. It's about whether the voters want to rehire him, or fire him. And after that debate what happened is the election, a close election, became even closer.
WHITFIELD: Well, I wonder, could John Kerry be going into it too overly confident, since he is boasting what many of the polls have said is a 2 for 2 win in the debates so far.
SCHNEIDER: I don't think anyone is terribly confidence in this race. If they were, they'd be absolutely crazy, because there is no clear momentum. Some states point one way, some states point another way, in the battlegrounds across the country. I don't think anyone has enough momentum to feel confident in this race. And anyone who tells you they know what's going to happen is grossly misinformed.
WHITFIELD: Do you expect as we get closer to November 2 that these campaigns will get uglier, that the attacks will become a bit more personal?
SCHNEIDER: Now, there's a prediction I can make. This race is going to get nasty and it's going to get brutish and it's going to get harsh, harsher even than it is right now. Because turnout is a big part of this game. They've got to get their supporters out to vote. There have been a lot of newly registered voters in both parties this year, but it's one thing to get people to register, to go find them and have them sign their name on a registration form, but it's another whole effort to get them to show up at the polls.
Newly registered voters are the least motivated. Otherwise, they'd also register themselves. So getting them to the polls is going to be a struggle. And the way you do that is by firing up their emotions.
What Republicans and conservatives have going for them is enthusiasm about President Bush. What Democrats have going for them is anger over President Bush's policies.
WHITFIELD: And isn't it fairly remarkable that there are still undecided voters that say even after seeing two debates they still are not quite sure and that maybe the third debate may not necessarily seal their opinion on one candidate or the other. So are we likely to see a rather large number of voters out there who are going to make their decision come November 2 as they're in the balloting -- as they're putting their votes in the balloting boxes?
SCHNEIDER: A large number, no. A few, yes. And that few, as we found out in 2000, may be enough to turn the tide. The battle for the undecided voters is not strong and fierce, because there are so many of them, there are actually very few of them. It's because in a very close race like this, they have all the power, they make all the difference, and they're often the least tuned in, the least motivated voters of all, and the hardest to reach so you've got to make a very strong effort to get through to those voters.
WHITFIELD: This Wednesday, domestic issues will be the primary focus. However, some might still argue that the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq certainly do impact domestic agenda. So is it likely that these two wars will still somehow sneak their way into the debate on Wednesday?
SCHNEIDER: Yes. I think that the president wants to make sure that this entire campaign is seen through the lens of the war on terror, 9/11. So when he talks about the economy, he talks about the impact of 9/11 on the jobs situation. When he talks about other domestic issues, 9/11 usually finds its way into the discussion. And it's costing a lot of money.
Senator Kerry, when he talks about the war in Iraq, talks about how much money that war has cost and how it's taking money away from other domestic priorities. So I think you can count on the fact that the war on terror, the war in Iraq is going to enter into the domestic policy debate.
WHITFIELD: All right. And we're not finished with you yet, Bill. We're going to take a short break. But for all of you out there, remember the images of people burning their draft cards. When we come back, we're going to be talking, Bill and I, about the draft as a campaign issue. It took the spotlight in the last debate. And are we going to be hearing about it again?
And later in the show, want a Kerry Berry Cosmo or a W-tini? Creative cocktails for the campaign season, or you might call it voting by alcohol consumption. Either way, it's about the most unscientific polling we've come across, but some seem to think it's rather fun.
And just when you thought your car repair problems couldn't get worse, Congress gets involved.
And then...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A week after the battle a lot of these shops are still littered with broken glass. It's one of the army's main priorities now, repairing some of the damage and trying to restore some goodwill.
END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Small steps in Samarra, Iraq.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: An estimated 2.6 million people are serving in the U.S. military on active and reserve status. More than 130,000 troops are based in Iraq. Throughout the war, there have been rumors of the draft being reinstated. It even came up during Friday's presidential debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
G. BUSH: I hear there's rumors on the Internets that we're going to have a draft. We're not going to have a draft. Period. The all- volunteer army works.
KERRY: Our guard and reserves have been turned into almost active duty. You've got people doing two and three rotations. You've got stop loss policies so people can't get out when they were supposed to. You've got a back door draft right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: For more on the controversy, we are joined again by CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider. And he joins us live again from Washington.
All right, Bill. Both are emphatic, there will be no draft if elected or if re-elected. Why are so many people still so skeptical?
SCHNEIDER: Well, it's the issue that won't go away, despite the best efforts of Republicans to stop the debate. It's not going to happen. The president, you just heard him say that. The leadership of the Republicans will control the House and Senate, have said it's not going to happen.
In fact, this week they took a fairly unusual step. They brought up a measure that was lying around for almost two years that would have reinstated the draft in order to kill it. They voted it down to make the point there ain't going to be a draft. And yet, and yet as the president acknowledged, it's out there. In fact, a recent poll by the Annenberg Center shows that a majority of Americans between 18 and 29 believe that President Bush does favor reinstating the draft. Where do those ideas come from?
Well, as the president said, a lot of them are on the Internet. There are a lot of rumors about discussions at the Pentagon, memos which report to show discussions of the possibility of reinstating the draft. The Democrats haven't yet said the president is going -- they haven't said it at all, the president's going to reinstate the draft.
But what Senator Kerry said last month was, if George Bush were to be re-elected, given the way he's gone about this war and given his avoidance of responsibility in North Korea and Iran and other places, it is possible. I can't tell you. And then he added, I will not reinstate the draft.
So when he said that, those rumors started spreading. And a lot of people are saying, well, if we're going to police the world, as the questioner said in the debate, and if we are overextended, as a lot of people believe, there may be no alternative.
WHITFIELD: And we'll see if it is sparked again maybe as another centerpiece issue during the upcoming debate on Wednesday. Thanks so much. Bill Schneider, good to see you again.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Well, the final presidential debate takes place on Wednesday. And from Tempe, Arizona CNN will have live coverage starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
And how you see the debates differs greatly from the late night comedians, who are strictly in it for laughs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the problem here may be more of a question of getting rid of the bad Internets and keeping the good Internets. Because I think we can all agree there are just too many Internets.
JAY LENO, TALK SHOW HOST: And occasionally your husband will make a gaffe, which we will exploit to the hilt.
L. BUSH: Yes.
LENO: I mean, do you guys have fun with that afterwards?
L. BUSH: We do. We laugh about it sometimes. Sometimes we don't laugh.
CONAN O'BRIEN: TALK SHOW HOST: During the debate, this is true, John Edwards accused Dick Cheney of, quote, not being straight with the American people. That's what he said. Yes, and apparently, Cheney misunderstood because he started yelling, who are you calling gay?
LENO: Well, tomorrow night's debate in St. Louis will be in front of an audience made up entirely of undecided voters, which creates a huge dilemma for Kerry. Does he stand on the stage beside President Bush or sit in the audience with all the other people who can't make up their mind?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I should just sit down, confident in the fact that I just cleaned the president's clock and not say anything else. But I'm not going to do that. No. I'm going to keep on talking. Why? Because I can't help myself.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Our political fun doesn't end here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was there a burrito bounce from the debate?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ed, the numbers don't lie when it comes to the burrito.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Coming up a bit later, voting with your stomach. We hear the secret's in the sauce.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Insurgents begin to disarm in Baghdad's Sadr City, but despite the movement forward, more violence rocks the city. And this all happens on the day Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld makes an unannounced stop in Iraq. CNN's Brent Sadler has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Preparing to disarm: masked Shia Muslim militants in Sadr City break down a heavy machine gun, pledging to hand over such weapons starting Monday.
We're following orders, he says, from the office of the martyr. Meaning the hard line organization led by Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shia cleric. Word is out to the Mehdi Army militia al Sadr leads: stop fighting, implores this loyalist, broadcasting from a mosque, surrender your weapons.
Mehdi Army militiamen have battled U.S.-backed Iraqi forces in Najaf during August and recently here in Sadr City. But the militia says it's not disbanding. Partially disarming at best, say Iraqi officials. In return, the government expects to end bloody clashes, release jailed al Sadr militants and extend an amnesty for so-called non-criminals. All of this generating enough optimism for schools here to reopen.
(on camera): Iraqi security officials hope a smooth surrender of weapons in Sadr City will shore up a flank of the insurgency, allowing U.S. and Iraqi forces to concentrate on Fallujah, the so-called epicenter of violence.
(voice-over): As hopes bloomed for an end to the deadly Shia revolt, the capital was hit Sunday by two more suicide bombs. A U.S. soldier died from wounds suffered in one blast. Police recruits were among the dead and injured from a second explosion. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visiting U.S. troops in Iraq, warns violence will likely get worse and claim more innocent Iraqi lives.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: In many instances, they are the targets because this is not a battle against large armies and navies and air forces, this is a test of wills.
SADLER: The most important of which may be the fate of Fallujah, west of the capital. Suspected terror groups have been hit by weeks of U.S. air strikes, with mounting civilian casualties, claim city doctors. The prelude to a possible all-out air and ground assault. Brent Sadler, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Last week, U.S. forces declared the offensive into the city of Samarra a success. U.S. forces along with Iraqi troops regained control of the city after heavy fighting with insurgents. And while U.S. officials say they had taken pains not to hit civilians, many residents said the casualties included women and children.
Located north of Baghdad, Samarra is just one step in the campaign to root out insurgents before the January elections.
And now begins the battle to win back the hearts and minds of Samarra's citizens. Many of them had their homes and businesses damaged in the fighting so U.S. troops are going through the city with bags full of money to pay for the reconstruction. CNN's Jane Arraf, embedded with American forces has this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys ready? Grab some of these radios.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): After the fighting in Samarra a more complicated battle begins. To get across their message that the U.S. wants to help rebuild Samarra, these troops from the 1st Infantry Division are handing out radios.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are jamming already. That's the frequency right there.
ARRAF: Tuned to a coalition channel that's a mix of music and public service announcements. One of them tells Iraqis where they can go to file claims with the military for losses and damage. A week ago U.S. troops were being shot at from these alleys. Now they're venturing down the same narrow streets, taking compensation to the people. Captain George Rodriguez from the 2nd Battalion 108th Infantry inspects a barbershop that's been hit by gunfire.
CAPTAIN GEORGE RODRIQUEZ: I'll give you $750.
ARRAF: His offer of $750 though is rejected. The air-conditioner alone costs $500, the owner tells him. They settle on $850 in U.S. cash.
RODRIQUEZ: Three hundred.
ARRAF: This woman got $60 for a broken window. It was worth more, she says, but she was too embarrassed to haggle. Her son was killed by insurgents last year, she says, and although she's still afraid, she says she's less so with U.S. forces in town.
ARRAF (on camera): A week after the battle a lot of these shops are still littered with broken glass. It's one of the army's main priorities now, repairing some of the damage and trying to restore some goodwill.
ARRAF (voice over): Not an easy task in this historic city. Don't think it's a happy picture. Everyone is bitter. They need time to forget this tragedy, Sheik Ha Zane (ph) tells us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You and your soldiers are the future of Iraq.
ARRAF: The top U.S. military official in Iraq, General George Casey, landed in Samarra to congratulate troops on what could be a model for overcoming the insurgency.
GENERAL GEORGE CASEY, U.S. ARMY: What we're seeing is that the Iraqis just need to have the freedom to get on with the reconstruction, and we're seeing that in those cities, and hopefully we'll see it soon in many others.
ARRAF: But near one of Shiah Islam's holiest sites, an imam complains that U.S. forces have arrested some of his employees and confiscated their weapons. They never had any problems with insurgents at the mosque, he says, but he shakes hands with the general anyway.
CASEY: Everything will be fine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice to meet you.
CASEY: Nice to meet you. Good luck to you.
ARRAF: In other parts of town the military is busy putting townspeople to work, cleaning trash and repairing power lines. Back at the mosque, where some of the heaviest fighting took place, Iraqis watch to see what the U.S. presence will bring this time.
Jane Arraf, CNN, Samarra.
(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: Here now is a look at what's happening now in the news. Ten Turkish workers held hostage in Iraq since last month have been released. Their company's general manager says the drivers and mechanics were taken to a safe place where they will meet with them tomorrow. And he didn't deny an Al-Jazeera report the company has agreed to pull its operations from Iraq.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is campaigning in the key battle ground state of Florida today. Speaking to the congregation of a predominantly African-American church in Miami this morning, Kerry said his campaign's legal effort is working to avoid the legal problems that plagued Florida four years ago.
President Bush is spending the day at his ranch in Crawford, Texas with no public events planned. He's reportedly doing some informal preparations for next week's third and final presidential debate in Tempe, Arizona. The focus of that debate is domestic policy.
In Afghanistan demands to nullify the elections are called unjustified. CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour has the latest. Plus I'll talk with the ambassador of Afghanistan about the country's realistic hopes for a Democratic future.
And then -- paradise lost. A once politics-free zone for many now scarred by a deadly attack. Coming up, a little later, a trip to the Sinai.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: To keep or to nullify. That's the question now in Afghanistan. Millions headed to the polls yesterday, but opposition candidates are crying fraud. CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was back to business as usual a day after their landmark election. Only now people were left mulling the great ink controversy that prompted the opposition to say it would boycott the results. "I think they're thinking of their own interests," says this shopkeeper.
But in such a difficult situation for our country they should not make such threats. He showed us his finger, ink still there. And so did this woman. "They said the ink was faulty, but I even did my laundry and it hasn't come off. The election must be accepted."
The day before, millions had come out around the country, proud to cast their first ever vote. Men and women waited patiently in line for hours. But at some polling stations police on hand to guarantee security were caught up in the ink dispute. But after crying foul, some in the opposition are now moderating their anger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translator): I'm in the middle position. I'm not too unhappy at the result of the election but not as happy as Mr. Karzai is. I don't know what cheating went on. AMANPOUR: Election organizers and observers say they will investigate the complaints but not cancel the vote.
ROBERT BARRY, DSCE: We concur with the joint election management board that the candidates' demand to nullify the election is unjustified.
AMANPOUR: As ballot boxes began coming in from around the country, teams of vote counters settle in for a long and arduous job.
AMANPOUR (on camera): There are hundreds of ballot boxes in this one hall alone, and officials tell us even initial results won't be available for several days and then it'll take a few more weeks before the final result is known. But for many the winner is a foregone conclusion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We elect, select Mr. Karzai. Yes, we are happy with Mr. Karzai.
HAMID KARZAI, AFGHAN PRESIDENT: I hope that God was kind to me so that the Afghan people will vote for me. My government will be one that will be extremely clean and in tremendous respect and regard to the vote of the Afghan people.
AMANPOUR (voice over): People overwhelmingly say they were voting for peace and security, to end the decades of war and bloodshed and to earn a decent living.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know five programs of computer, but today I don't have any job.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of the people of Afghanistan --
AMANPOUR: For the first time they dream of a future where that may be a possibility.
Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Kabul, Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: For more on Afghanistan's controversial and historic election, I'm joined by the Afghan ambassador to the United States, Said Tayeb Jawad in Washington. Good to see you, Mr. Ambassador.
SAID TAYEB JAWAB, AFGHAN AMBASSADOR: Nice to be with you.
WHITFIELD: Well, is it your view that these elections were fair and legitimate?
JAWAB: The elections were an historic achievement for Afghanistan. I think when the Afghan people, yesterday, lined up in the millions of them; they made a very clear statement. They showed their commitment, their courage, and their competence, but they also delivered a very strong message to fundamentalists and terrorists who have prohibited Afghans from participating in the process. It also shows that the investment made by the international community and the partnership created between Afghans and the international community has created significant results. It was a historic day for Afghanistan.
WHITFIELD: But with 10 million registered voters and something like 20,000 polling stations, which many were concerned there would be intimidation, security issues, in the end those aren't the things that prevented some people from actually being able to vote, but instead the confusion over the ink issue, then why would it still be considered a success when there were some voters who were denied the right to vote?
JAWAD: Well, everybody had a chance to vote. This was the first national election organized in Afghanistan. And --
WHITFIELD: But reportedly, there were people interviewed who said they did not get a chance to vote because of the confusion over the ink issue at some of the polling stations.
JAWAD: The confusion was not over the ink, actually. Some people did not get to vote because there's such a tremendous number of the people show up at the polling stations they had to keep the polling station open for an additional two hours. The confusion over the ink was a simple technical matter. The polling stations were provided with two types of marker -- a black marker to mark the ballots paper and a purple marker to mark the finger of people who were voting.
Some inexperienced staff had marked the finger of the voter with a black marker, which was washable. And that was only in the first two hours of the elections. And again, this will not affect the results of the election, where more than 10 million people have participated, even if 100 people or even 1,000 people got a chance to vote more than once.
WHITFIELD: Well, should some concessions be made for those disenfranchised voters, then, of those few voters that you talk about who didn't get a chance to vote because of the long lines?
JAWAD: Well, the joint commission is working to add two additional days if needed. In some areas where the harsh weather particularly the snowfall. Or a large turnout of the people prevented everybody to register. That is under consideration. And most probably there will be an additional one or two days to accommodate this technical problem.
WHITFIELD: Among the particularly poignant moments during this historic election was the sight of women, many women in Burkas, some in head scarves only, who were lined up for many hours waiting for the right to vote for the first time. For you personally, these images conjured up what emotions for you?
JAWAD: These are extraordinary messages. These women are not only voting for democracy in Afghanistan but they are also voting against terrorism in the world. This is every vote casted in Afghanistan; particularly every vote cast by a woman in Afghanistan is a vote for democracy and a vote against terrorism.
There were tremendous stories about women showing up in many areas of Afghanistan; in central Afghanistan women have waited in snow for many hours to vote. In Kunar Province a rocket landed close to an area where a long line of women waited to vote. They did not run away.
They insisted on staying and voting because they said if you run away from that rocket today this kind of attacks by terrorists will continue, we want to vote and make sure that these kind of attacks by terrorists will end forever.
WHITFIELD: Mr. Ambassador, Tayeb Jawad in Washington, thank you so much for joining us.
JAWAD: My pleasure.
WHITFIELD: On to Egypt now. Security officials say a fedwan (ph) tribesman has confessed to selling explosives that may have been used in last week's Taba bombings. According to one investigator, the tribesman said the buyers told him the explosives would be used in the Palestinian territories. Israel has blamed Al Qaeda for Thursday night's three deadly attacks.
And Egypt is leaning toward an Al Qaeda connection with a local sleeper cell. Thirty-four people were killed in the attacks. The victims were Egyptian, Israeli, Italian, and Russian.
In an interview published today, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he had no intention of closing the border with Sinai but he strongly criticized Israelis for staying despite an urgent call for them to return home. CNN's Ben Wedeman talks to the defiant ones in Taba.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Not all Israelis are fleeing the Sinai. A few stay on to enjoy the now empty beaches and make a point. Ofra Barelli from Tel Aviv won't let bombs drive her away.
OFRA BARELLI, ISRAELI TOURIST: And if I run away from this, I give more power to terror, I give more power to hate; you give more power to war.
WEDEMAN (on camera): This was one spot where Arabs and Israelis got along. For Israelis the Sinai was a politics-free zone, a place where it was easy to forget, however briefly, the troubles back home. And Egyptians were more than willing to accommodate.
WEDEMAN (voice over): A fluent Hebrew speaker, taxi driver Salema Fahad (ph) recalls his first phone call after the attacks came from an old Israeli friend. "Forget politics," says Salama (ph), a Bedouin. We deal with people as people, as one soul to another. Almost all the guests at Haleb Yusef's tourist camp came from Israel. "Of course there were no problems," he tells me. "They were our source of income." Israeli tourist Einav Gilboa believes the bombings were aimed at one of the last links between Arabs and Israelis.
EINAV GILBOA, ISRAELI TOURIST: When we hear the bombing, because we hear that from here, my first feeling was oh God, they are going to destroyed the only true place that we can be together.
WEDEMAN: A place that is now largely empty. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Taba, Egypt.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A little over an hour from now more of CNN LIVE SATURDAY, posted by Carol Lin. What is on tap?
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're going to be talking with Cokie Roberts. She's a woman who is a cancer survivor and award- winning journalist. She quit one of the biggest jobs in broadcast news to co-host "This Week," to work on special projects for NPR. And she has interviewed the four living former presidents about the constitution. I'll be talking to her about that.
And going to be talking with an inmate who served at Martha Stewart's prison, Alderson, in West Virginia. She has pictures of Martha inside. We don't know yet whether we're going to be legally being able to show them to you, but if we can't show them to you we're going to tell you where you can go to see them.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
LIN: Yes, her first days in prison.
WHITFIELD: And is she also one that argues that camp cupcake is no cakewalk?
LIN: We're going to find out at 6:00.
WHITFIELD: Thanks a lot Carol.
Well, call it car wars. The neighborhood repair shop you've always taken your car to, well, owners say they're losing a whole lot of business. The reason -- repair work is being steered to dealers with access to computer diagnostic information. It's a fight that has made its way all the way to the U.S. Congress. CNN's Sean Callebs reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As the saying goes, you don't have to be a rocket scientist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take a right in 100 yards.
CALLEBS: But when it comes to repairing today's computer-laden cars, a little extra knowledge wouldn't hurt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's got 30 distinct systems, and all of these different computers are communicating with each other.
CALLEBS: But non-dealer repair shops, everything from the mom and pop outfit to large chains like NAPA, Auto Zone, and Jiffy Lube, say carmakers aren't playing fair. They contend, as cars get more complex to repair dealers keep vital information about computer diagnostics to themselves, freezing out mechanics not in the family.
MICHAEL FOX, SERVICE MANAGER: If we can't scan your system because of the fact that we don't know -- we don't have the technology to scan your system, you have no choice but to take it back to the dealer. I mean that is the bottom line.
CALLEBS: Carmakers say the information is out there. Two years ago car companies and the largest group of independent garages reached an accord that allowed Internet access to all the information mechanics need. But independent garages say it's too complex to navigate easily and costly to purchase diagnostic equipment and tools.
Congress is considering weighing in. Debating a measure called the Right To Repair Act that would give the Federal Trade Commission auto repair information oversight.
MIKE STANTON, ALLIANCE OF AUTO MANUFACTURERS: There's absolutely no question that the vehicles have become much more complex.
CALLEBS: The automotive industry says it's much ado about nothing. It says the real issue is independent garages need to spend more time and money training mechanics.
STANTON: It's in our best interest that vehicles are repaired safely and economically to make your customers happy.
CALLEBS: Independent garages employ about 5 million people. The coalition for auto repair equality says its members are losing as much as 15 percent of their business.
SANDY BASS, COAL FOR AUTO REPAIR EQUALITY: Not only are consumers being locked out and the small business being locked out, but the economy is going to have a large sucking sound because we will have to lay people off, we will not be able to keep people employed.
CALLEBS (on camera): Despite demands from such organizations as AAA, its not expected Congress will take any action on the Right To Repair issue. Sean Callebs, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: When we return, a political story that could make you switch sides. The Kerry-Bush burrito taste test. Coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The business of Washington is politics, and Washington businesses are hopping onto the political bandwagon with a variety of eye-catching presidential-themed foods and drinks for political junkies. We sent CNN's Ed Henry out to sample what's out there inside the beltway, of course.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): With the presidential race so close, businesses all over Washington are getting in on the action, giving consumers a chance to vote with their stomachs as well as their hearts. This Democrat sunk his teeth into the John Kerry savory chicken burrito, which is full of ingredients the senator's campaign helped pick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody's buying these burritos because they want to see what Kerry eats.
HENRY: The owner of California Tortilla says sales of Kerry's favorite burrito soared after the candidate's strong performance in the first debate. Was there a burrito bounce from the debate?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ed, the numbers don't lie when it comes to the burrito.
HENRY: This Bush voter was skeptical.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The burrito poll to me is not the best poll out there. I think we'll find out when the vote's taken.
HENRY: There are no avoiding flip-flops when you're rolling a burrito. The Bush burrito has chicken with Texas hickory sauce, while the Kerry one has Boston baked beans and Heinz 57 sauce. What's an undecided voter to do? Let's give it a try.
The Bush burrito. The Kerry burrito. I'm still undecided. The hip Hotel George on Capitol Hill, named after George Washington, is offering two presidential room packages, complete with the candidate's favorite desserts.
SHOLEN KIA, HOTEL GEORGE GENERAL MANAGER: UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to have some fun and creativity with our guests. Therefore, we're trying to keep both parties happy.
HENRY: Hmm. Kerry's cookies. George W.'s ice cream. I just can't make up my mind. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Georgetown is also shaking things up, with creative cocktails for the campaign season.
Bartender, can I get a w-teeny?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Certainly.
HENRY: How about a Kerry berry Cosmo as well?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kerry berry, all righty.
HENRY: Now, I noticed the W drink is blue, even though he normally wins the red states. The Kerry drink's red, even though he normally wins the blue states.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. HENRY: Why the mix-up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we figured if George Bush wants to win again he's got to switch up and go for the voters he didn't get the last time.
HENRY: Hmm. Still can't make up my mind. Just put me down as an undecided voter. Covering the presidential battle and the burritos, the candidates and the cocktails. Ed Henry, CNN Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: An undecided taster. That's it for us. I'll be back with the headlines right after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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