Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Presidential Debate Preview; Your Baby's Food

Aired October 13, 2004 - 06:33   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Will the third time be the charm for the either one of the candidates? The heat is on in the desert. It is Wednesday, October 13. This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you from the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Costello.

"Now in the News."

Fourteen and a half hours and counting. The final presidential debate between George W. Bush and John F. Kerry is in Tempe, Arizona. It gets under way at 9:00 Eastern. They'll be talking domestic issues, but do not be surprised if Iraq creeps into the debate. CNN, of course, will bring that to you live.

In San Francisco, hotel workers want to get back to work this morning and end a two-week strike. But hotel operators plan to keep them locked out until a contract deal is reached.

There is a new lava dome rising inside Mount St. Helens. The volcano has been rumbling since late September, and experts say an eruption is still a distinct possibility. The area around the mountain is off limits now.

They did to the Atlanta Braves, but can the Houston Astros get by the Saint Louis Cardinals? Game one of the NLCS playoffs between the Astros and the Cards is tonight in Saint Louis. And as everyone probably knows by now, Chad, the Yankees won.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: They did win. They almost blew it, but they came back. Actually, it was only 8-7, because that's as far as Boston came back. But, boy, they were on a roll for a while.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Decision day approaches when the nation picks a leader for the next four years on November 2. We're just 20 days out from the general election now. So, how many of you will be tuning in for tonight's final debate between George Bush and John Kerry?

Sixty-two and a half million Americans watched the first face- off, and 46.7 million tuned in for the second one. But a reminder: That took place on a Friday night, and the number of viewers was down 25 percent. Tonight's debate takes place during a Yankees/Red Sox championship game, and that may affect the numbers as well.

But if you do tune in, what can you expect? Neither campaign plans to pulls any punches.

Joining us now for a debate preview is Chuck Todd, editor-in- chief of "The Hotline."

Good morning.

CHUCK TODD, "THE HOTLINE": Good morning.

COSTELLO: So, will it be feisty, feistier than the others?

TODD: I think it's going to be more feisty, absolutely. I think they're going to attack each other. It might be less personal attacks, but I think that Kerry is going to get very over-the-top on his attacks on domestic policy on Bush. And I think Bush is going to fight back very hard on the word "liberal." I think we're going to hear the word "liberal," oh, 40 times tonight.

COSTELLO: Oh, you know, we had a contest in the first hour of DAYBREAK as far as how many times each candidate would use a key phrase and "liberal" was one of those. We said 32 times, so...

TODD: Yes, just don't make it a drinking game where you won't make it to the end of the debate.

COSTELLO: Oh, man, Chuck! You know, you talk about the debate being feisty and kind of nasty. A lot of people have been e-mailing DAYBREAK this morning saying this: "I don't want to hear any more mud-slinging from these two. This is such a turnoff to me as I'm sure it is for a lot of Americans. I would like to see a poll about this."

But this seems to work with voters, doesn't it?

TODD: Yes, you know, we hear this every four years. Actually, you hear it every election in every state of the Union, which is, oh, we don't like the nastiness, blah, blah, blah. But the nastiness works.

I think Bush is going to be the aggressor. I think he'll probably -- he may end up coming across tougher than Kerry, because I think Bush feels like Kerry has the momentum and he's got to stop it.

COSTELLO: Well, you say the president will use the word "liberal." This is from John. He's from Morris, New York. He says, "I also think the president will use the word 'nuisance' like a red- headed stepchild."

TODD: You know, I'm trying to figure out how he's going to do that, because this is a domestic policy debate. Nuisance was over a -- it has to do with terrorism. And so, you know, this is a risky line for him to walk, OK? If he goes and he basically turns a domestic debate into another debate on Iraq and terrorism, he may actually turn off some swing voters, who are waiting to hear more about domestic policy.

COSTELLO: Interesting. TODD: And I think that that is an interesting line he's got to walk. Is he going to use it? Once or twice he might use it as sort of an aside. But I'd be surprised if he goes after it a lot.

COSTELLO: Interesting. You know, Bob Schieffer, CBS' Bob Schieffer is going to be the moderator for tonight's debate. He talked with our Wolf Blitzer yesterday afternoon, and here's what he had to say about the numbers of questions he's been getting from just people out there in America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB SCHIEFFER, HOST, CBS' "FACE THE NATION": I haven't even told my wife what the final questions are going to be. She has suggested a few along the way, as a lot of my colleagues have.

As a matter of fact, Wolf, I've got a box of suggestions from an organization, and they told me in the cover letter that there were 11,000 questions in there. Now, I'm going to have to have full disclosure here and tell you I didn't read all 11,000. But there were a couple of pretty good ones in there, and I made some notes from them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, how will the questions be chosen? And will they stick to domestic policy?

TODD: I think, you know, I they're going to have -- I'm not sure if they're going to stick completely to domestic policy. I think Kerry is going to try to, and you won't see him waver too much other than trying to compare something to the mess in Iraq or something like that. And then Bush will try to use it as sort of saying, you know, you're going to -- you know, you're not ready to lead on, you know, terrorism. And he may try to turn terrorism into a domestic issue on homeland security.

We'll see. I think Schieffer is as fair as they come. I would imagine that there will be some imaginative questions from Schieffer, because that's -- you know, he usually is thinking a little more outside the box than most moderators. So, I think that actually he's going to provide a pretty interesting debate.

COSTELLO: I think so. Chuck Todd, editor for "The National Journal's" "Hotline," thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

As you know, this has been an extremely nasty election campaign season. First Lady Laura Bush, though, thinks it's totally understandable. She justified it during an interview with CNN's Larry King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I think we think every campaign is very negative. You know, I mean, I think that's just a fact of life in politics. And you know it is when you throw your hat in the ring that that's what it's going to be like, especially for this big job of president of the United States, but really for any political race. I mean, ask anybody who runs for a school board. You know, there is a part of a political race, the competitive part that is always a little bit nasty, and that's just the way it is. It's just competition.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Laughter is always the best medicine, at least that's what they say. So, let's look at how Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards took a few jabs at President Bush on the Jay Leno show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": I think it was in the first debate where they said that President Bush had something in his jacket. Do we have that (UNINTELLIGIBLE)? Show it there. OK. And they said it was like -- they thought it was a transmitter or something in his ear.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it was his battery. What did you think?

LENO: Oh, man!

(CROSSTALK)

EDWARDS: Talking about the rules, I think we ought to have tomorrow before the debate, John Kerry ought to pat him down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oh, you can hear from the other Edwards. John Edwards' wife, Elizabeth, will be a guest in the second hour of "AMERICAN MORNING." So, be sure to catch that. That will come your way at 8:00 a.m. Eastern.

Doing any online shopping this morning? Find out why paying may be a problem for some e-customers.

And every parent knows it's not easy to introduce new foods at the dinner table, let alone the high chair. Coming up, food guidelines for mom, dad and baby.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Let's head live to New York now to check in with Bill and Heidi to see what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Carol. BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol. A packed show. By my count, 109 million Americans have watched these first two presidential debates. And we'll see how many tune in tonight.

COLLINS: That's an awful lot.

HEMMER: Yes, it is. The final debate is later tonight. We'll talk to the Bush campaign communications director, Nicole Devonish (ph), about what her man needs to do. We'll talk to Joe Lockhart from the Kerry campaign about what his man has to do tonight. So, we'll have that for you.

COLLINS: Also, a hostage rescue attempt. The U.S. tried to rescue two Americans and one British hostage in Iraq. You remember these pictures that were on the Internet. We are going to speak once again with Ty Hensley (ph), the brother of Jack Hensley, one of the hostages killed, about how he feels knowing now that this attempt was made.

HEMMER: Yes, and we're hearing more and more details about it just about every day.

This flu report, the shortage, tips on how you can avoid the flu without getting the vaccine. I like that idea.

COLLINS: Yes.

HEMMER: No shots, no sickness.

COLLINS: Me too.

HEMMER: We'll talk to the head of the CDC on that coming up at the top of the hour. Jack is here, too. So, we'll have it for you in 15 minutes -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I bet she's going to tell you to wash your hands a lot and stay away from other sick people.

HEMMER: And don't tough your eyes, yes.

COLLINS: Yes.

COSTELLO: That's a good one, too.

COLLINS: I think you're right.

COSTELLO: I'm sure she'll have great tips for us. Thank you both.

HEMMER: Sure.

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

A call for help in Iraq is going out in Tokyo. Delegates from 55 nations are attending a donor's conference. Already, Iraqi and Japanese officials have criticized countries for not delivering on earlier pledges to help Iraq.

Fox has reached new levels of indecency, or so says the FCC; 169 Fox-affiliated TV stations were fined a total of $1.2 million over an episode of the reality show "Married by America." The episode, not seen here, features strippers engaging in what the FCC called wild sex parties. I think whipped cream had something to do with it, too.

In money news, reason to celebrate at Yahoo. Third-quarter profits more than tripled from 2003. The big bump was due mostly to a windfall when Yahoo sold part of its ownership in Google.

In culture, Michael Jackson wants Eminem's new video pulled off the air. In the video for the song, "Just Lose It," Eminem dresses up like Jackson and sits on a bed with a group of young boys. So far, only BET has agreed to pull the video.

In sports, the Cincinnati Reds have decided against resigning Barry Larkin. The 40-year-old shortstop originally said he would retire after this season, but he changed his mind shortly after making the All-Star team. Larkin spent 19 seasons with the Reds.

It just makes me sad, Chad.

MYERS: Well, that just means we're all getting old, Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes, you got that right.

MYERS: Because we remember him in his heyday, right?

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

It's time now for a little business buzz.

Do you ever shop on eBay over the weekend? Well, double-check that deal to see if it went through.

Carrie Lee has more warnings for us from the Nasdaq Marketsite.

Good morning.

CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

Well, a lot of people use Paypal obviously on eBay to buy and sell items. If you're having problems with Paypal, you're not the only one. Service outages at the online payment service continued yesterday for the fifth consecutive day, affecting payments, logins and account creations. Some people are able to log in, others are not.

And this is a big problem for eBay, which actually owns Paypal, because, of course, they're ramping up for the holiday season. So now, financial analysts are starting to wonder if the problems are going to translate into any financial impact for the online auction giant. So, eBay, remember back in July, actually upped its numbers, but we'll see if there is any effect. But five days in a row so far for Paypal problems. We'll see if they are resolved in the near future. Hopefully for the company, they will be.

Turning to stock market futures, looking a little bit higher for today's session. One stock to watch is Yahoo. Profits more than tripling over the year-ago period, but that's because of a big windfall they got, Carol, for selling about 2.3 Google shares. Take that out of the equation, and they met the Wall Street estimate of 9 cents a share in profits.

Back to you.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Carrie Lee.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, do those weight loss surgeries really improve your health? And food for thought, tips for feeding the very youngest members of your family. We're talking babies.

This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Gastric bypass surgery is helping extremely obese individuals drop more than just their weight. A review of 136 studies encompassing 22,000 patients suggests obesity surgery can reverse diabetes and high blood pressure and even lower cholesterol.

A report in this week's "Journal of the American Medical Association" says all of the patients lost more than 61 percent of their excess weight. Diabetes was completely resolved in 76 percent of the cases, and high blood pressure and cholesterol problems were corrected or least improved 86 percent of the time.

We've talked about dietary guidelines for adults and children. But what should your toddler eat, as in baby? Well, we have some answers for you.

Joining us for that is registered dietitian Lisa Drayer.

Good morning, Lisa.

LISA DRAYER, REGISTERED DIETITIAN: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So, you should put your 1-year-old on a diet?

DRAYER: I don't know if we're talking about a weight loss diet. But for first time ever, the American Dietetic Association has announced healthy feeding guidelines for infants and toddlers. We're talking about children 2 years old or younger.

And there are two main reasons for the new advice, Carol. First is a growing consensus that healthy eating habits should start at a very early age, especially due to the rise in obesity rates among children. Also, research has revealed that a lot of moms simply don't know what they should be feeding their children, and there are a lot of misconceptions out there as well.

COSTELLO: So, what should you be feeding your baby?

DRAYER: Right. Well, there are some guidelines. Let's take a look at these now.

First, breast-feeding is definitely an excellent choice. Breast milk provides a great mix of nutrients, like protein and fat. But after the six month of life, a breast-fed infant needs additional foods; that is, foods or liquids other than human milk in order to meet nutrient needs. These are known as complimentary foods.

Also, very few moms will serve meat as a first food, Carol. But pediatric experts recommend pureed meat as one option for a child's first solid food. And the reason is meat is a source of iron. Iron is a critical nutrient for growth and development. And according to recent data, 9 percent of children under 3 are iron-deficient. So, that's a concern there.

Iron-fortified cereals can provide iron as well, and strained fruit is a source of vitamin C, which helps to boost iron absorption. So, you can combine these two together.

Also another misconception, many moms believe that pureed vegetables should be the first foods served. But there is really no scientific basis for this. So, the order in which solid foods are introduced really doesn't seem to matter.

And as far as variety goes, offering a wide range of foods is important. It encourages different textures and flavors. But experts say it can take up to 10 to 15 exposures for a child to accept a new food. So, parents shouldn't give up too soon.

Now, we do want to say, Carol, Gerber did provide funding for the research, but ADA had their expert panel reviewing all of the science before the guidelines were issued to the public. So, that's one thing we want to mention there.

Also, there is some exciting news. I've been told that the researchers are working on developing meal plans. So soon parents will have meal plans for their infants and toddlers, so they can...

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Oh, that would make it so much easier.

DRAYER: I know. Wouldn't it?

COSTELLO: Yes. I'm still getting over the pureed meat thing. That just sounds wrong. Thank you, Lisa, for making it more clear for all of those new moms and dads out there.

Today's mug winner will be announced in two minutes.

And another reminder: CNN's coverage of the third and final presidential debate begins tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's time to reveal the winner of this beautiful DAYBREAK mug.

MYERS: There it is. Almost time to get that pureed bratwurst for breakfast.

The answers and the questions from yesterday. Who was shot inside the Ambassador Hotel back in 1968? That obviously was Robert F. Kennedy. Yesterday, the Board of Education there decided to vote this thing into a three-school campus, and there is kind of some controversy going on there.

COSTELLO: So, it won't be torn down then.

MYERS: Correct, correct.

COSTELLO: OK.

MYERS: And in what year did the Boston Red Sox last play in the World Series? I got a lot of the last time that they won the World Series, but the answer was actually 1986. That's when they played. Remember the Buckner thing and all of that? And the curse of the Bambino was back in 1918.

The winner, Mark Johnson from Denver, Colorado.

COSTELLO: Oh!

MYERS: The guy should be sleeping still. Good morning, hey.

And now the questions for today if you are playing along with us. Daybreak@CNN.com is where you want to send your answers.

Some Germans are upset about what display? A brand-new display, putting it up today. And how many times does an infant or a child have to try a new flavor before they accept it, especially that ground bratwurst?

COSTELLO: Good speed-reading. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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 13, 2004 - 06:33   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Will the third time be the charm for the either one of the candidates? The heat is on in the desert. It is Wednesday, October 13. This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you from the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Costello.

"Now in the News."

Fourteen and a half hours and counting. The final presidential debate between George W. Bush and John F. Kerry is in Tempe, Arizona. It gets under way at 9:00 Eastern. They'll be talking domestic issues, but do not be surprised if Iraq creeps into the debate. CNN, of course, will bring that to you live.

In San Francisco, hotel workers want to get back to work this morning and end a two-week strike. But hotel operators plan to keep them locked out until a contract deal is reached.

There is a new lava dome rising inside Mount St. Helens. The volcano has been rumbling since late September, and experts say an eruption is still a distinct possibility. The area around the mountain is off limits now.

They did to the Atlanta Braves, but can the Houston Astros get by the Saint Louis Cardinals? Game one of the NLCS playoffs between the Astros and the Cards is tonight in Saint Louis. And as everyone probably knows by now, Chad, the Yankees won.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: They did win. They almost blew it, but they came back. Actually, it was only 8-7, because that's as far as Boston came back. But, boy, they were on a roll for a while.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Decision day approaches when the nation picks a leader for the next four years on November 2. We're just 20 days out from the general election now. So, how many of you will be tuning in for tonight's final debate between George Bush and John Kerry?

Sixty-two and a half million Americans watched the first face- off, and 46.7 million tuned in for the second one. But a reminder: That took place on a Friday night, and the number of viewers was down 25 percent. Tonight's debate takes place during a Yankees/Red Sox championship game, and that may affect the numbers as well.

But if you do tune in, what can you expect? Neither campaign plans to pulls any punches.

Joining us now for a debate preview is Chuck Todd, editor-in- chief of "The Hotline."

Good morning.

CHUCK TODD, "THE HOTLINE": Good morning.

COSTELLO: So, will it be feisty, feistier than the others?

TODD: I think it's going to be more feisty, absolutely. I think they're going to attack each other. It might be less personal attacks, but I think that Kerry is going to get very over-the-top on his attacks on domestic policy on Bush. And I think Bush is going to fight back very hard on the word "liberal." I think we're going to hear the word "liberal," oh, 40 times tonight.

COSTELLO: Oh, you know, we had a contest in the first hour of DAYBREAK as far as how many times each candidate would use a key phrase and "liberal" was one of those. We said 32 times, so...

TODD: Yes, just don't make it a drinking game where you won't make it to the end of the debate.

COSTELLO: Oh, man, Chuck! You know, you talk about the debate being feisty and kind of nasty. A lot of people have been e-mailing DAYBREAK this morning saying this: "I don't want to hear any more mud-slinging from these two. This is such a turnoff to me as I'm sure it is for a lot of Americans. I would like to see a poll about this."

But this seems to work with voters, doesn't it?

TODD: Yes, you know, we hear this every four years. Actually, you hear it every election in every state of the Union, which is, oh, we don't like the nastiness, blah, blah, blah. But the nastiness works.

I think Bush is going to be the aggressor. I think he'll probably -- he may end up coming across tougher than Kerry, because I think Bush feels like Kerry has the momentum and he's got to stop it.

COSTELLO: Well, you say the president will use the word "liberal." This is from John. He's from Morris, New York. He says, "I also think the president will use the word 'nuisance' like a red- headed stepchild."

TODD: You know, I'm trying to figure out how he's going to do that, because this is a domestic policy debate. Nuisance was over a -- it has to do with terrorism. And so, you know, this is a risky line for him to walk, OK? If he goes and he basically turns a domestic debate into another debate on Iraq and terrorism, he may actually turn off some swing voters, who are waiting to hear more about domestic policy.

COSTELLO: Interesting. TODD: And I think that that is an interesting line he's got to walk. Is he going to use it? Once or twice he might use it as sort of an aside. But I'd be surprised if he goes after it a lot.

COSTELLO: Interesting. You know, Bob Schieffer, CBS' Bob Schieffer is going to be the moderator for tonight's debate. He talked with our Wolf Blitzer yesterday afternoon, and here's what he had to say about the numbers of questions he's been getting from just people out there in America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB SCHIEFFER, HOST, CBS' "FACE THE NATION": I haven't even told my wife what the final questions are going to be. She has suggested a few along the way, as a lot of my colleagues have.

As a matter of fact, Wolf, I've got a box of suggestions from an organization, and they told me in the cover letter that there were 11,000 questions in there. Now, I'm going to have to have full disclosure here and tell you I didn't read all 11,000. But there were a couple of pretty good ones in there, and I made some notes from them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, how will the questions be chosen? And will they stick to domestic policy?

TODD: I think, you know, I they're going to have -- I'm not sure if they're going to stick completely to domestic policy. I think Kerry is going to try to, and you won't see him waver too much other than trying to compare something to the mess in Iraq or something like that. And then Bush will try to use it as sort of saying, you know, you're going to -- you know, you're not ready to lead on, you know, terrorism. And he may try to turn terrorism into a domestic issue on homeland security.

We'll see. I think Schieffer is as fair as they come. I would imagine that there will be some imaginative questions from Schieffer, because that's -- you know, he usually is thinking a little more outside the box than most moderators. So, I think that actually he's going to provide a pretty interesting debate.

COSTELLO: I think so. Chuck Todd, editor for "The National Journal's" "Hotline," thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

As you know, this has been an extremely nasty election campaign season. First Lady Laura Bush, though, thinks it's totally understandable. She justified it during an interview with CNN's Larry King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I think we think every campaign is very negative. You know, I mean, I think that's just a fact of life in politics. And you know it is when you throw your hat in the ring that that's what it's going to be like, especially for this big job of president of the United States, but really for any political race. I mean, ask anybody who runs for a school board. You know, there is a part of a political race, the competitive part that is always a little bit nasty, and that's just the way it is. It's just competition.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Laughter is always the best medicine, at least that's what they say. So, let's look at how Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards took a few jabs at President Bush on the Jay Leno show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": I think it was in the first debate where they said that President Bush had something in his jacket. Do we have that (UNINTELLIGIBLE)? Show it there. OK. And they said it was like -- they thought it was a transmitter or something in his ear.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it was his battery. What did you think?

LENO: Oh, man!

(CROSSTALK)

EDWARDS: Talking about the rules, I think we ought to have tomorrow before the debate, John Kerry ought to pat him down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oh, you can hear from the other Edwards. John Edwards' wife, Elizabeth, will be a guest in the second hour of "AMERICAN MORNING." So, be sure to catch that. That will come your way at 8:00 a.m. Eastern.

Doing any online shopping this morning? Find out why paying may be a problem for some e-customers.

And every parent knows it's not easy to introduce new foods at the dinner table, let alone the high chair. Coming up, food guidelines for mom, dad and baby.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Let's head live to New York now to check in with Bill and Heidi to see what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Carol. BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol. A packed show. By my count, 109 million Americans have watched these first two presidential debates. And we'll see how many tune in tonight.

COLLINS: That's an awful lot.

HEMMER: Yes, it is. The final debate is later tonight. We'll talk to the Bush campaign communications director, Nicole Devonish (ph), about what her man needs to do. We'll talk to Joe Lockhart from the Kerry campaign about what his man has to do tonight. So, we'll have that for you.

COLLINS: Also, a hostage rescue attempt. The U.S. tried to rescue two Americans and one British hostage in Iraq. You remember these pictures that were on the Internet. We are going to speak once again with Ty Hensley (ph), the brother of Jack Hensley, one of the hostages killed, about how he feels knowing now that this attempt was made.

HEMMER: Yes, and we're hearing more and more details about it just about every day.

This flu report, the shortage, tips on how you can avoid the flu without getting the vaccine. I like that idea.

COLLINS: Yes.

HEMMER: No shots, no sickness.

COLLINS: Me too.

HEMMER: We'll talk to the head of the CDC on that coming up at the top of the hour. Jack is here, too. So, we'll have it for you in 15 minutes -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I bet she's going to tell you to wash your hands a lot and stay away from other sick people.

HEMMER: And don't tough your eyes, yes.

COLLINS: Yes.

COSTELLO: That's a good one, too.

COLLINS: I think you're right.

COSTELLO: I'm sure she'll have great tips for us. Thank you both.

HEMMER: Sure.

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

A call for help in Iraq is going out in Tokyo. Delegates from 55 nations are attending a donor's conference. Already, Iraqi and Japanese officials have criticized countries for not delivering on earlier pledges to help Iraq.

Fox has reached new levels of indecency, or so says the FCC; 169 Fox-affiliated TV stations were fined a total of $1.2 million over an episode of the reality show "Married by America." The episode, not seen here, features strippers engaging in what the FCC called wild sex parties. I think whipped cream had something to do with it, too.

In money news, reason to celebrate at Yahoo. Third-quarter profits more than tripled from 2003. The big bump was due mostly to a windfall when Yahoo sold part of its ownership in Google.

In culture, Michael Jackson wants Eminem's new video pulled off the air. In the video for the song, "Just Lose It," Eminem dresses up like Jackson and sits on a bed with a group of young boys. So far, only BET has agreed to pull the video.

In sports, the Cincinnati Reds have decided against resigning Barry Larkin. The 40-year-old shortstop originally said he would retire after this season, but he changed his mind shortly after making the All-Star team. Larkin spent 19 seasons with the Reds.

It just makes me sad, Chad.

MYERS: Well, that just means we're all getting old, Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes, you got that right.

MYERS: Because we remember him in his heyday, right?

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

It's time now for a little business buzz.

Do you ever shop on eBay over the weekend? Well, double-check that deal to see if it went through.

Carrie Lee has more warnings for us from the Nasdaq Marketsite.

Good morning.

CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

Well, a lot of people use Paypal obviously on eBay to buy and sell items. If you're having problems with Paypal, you're not the only one. Service outages at the online payment service continued yesterday for the fifth consecutive day, affecting payments, logins and account creations. Some people are able to log in, others are not.

And this is a big problem for eBay, which actually owns Paypal, because, of course, they're ramping up for the holiday season. So now, financial analysts are starting to wonder if the problems are going to translate into any financial impact for the online auction giant. So, eBay, remember back in July, actually upped its numbers, but we'll see if there is any effect. But five days in a row so far for Paypal problems. We'll see if they are resolved in the near future. Hopefully for the company, they will be.

Turning to stock market futures, looking a little bit higher for today's session. One stock to watch is Yahoo. Profits more than tripling over the year-ago period, but that's because of a big windfall they got, Carol, for selling about 2.3 Google shares. Take that out of the equation, and they met the Wall Street estimate of 9 cents a share in profits.

Back to you.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Carrie Lee.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, do those weight loss surgeries really improve your health? And food for thought, tips for feeding the very youngest members of your family. We're talking babies.

This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Gastric bypass surgery is helping extremely obese individuals drop more than just their weight. A review of 136 studies encompassing 22,000 patients suggests obesity surgery can reverse diabetes and high blood pressure and even lower cholesterol.

A report in this week's "Journal of the American Medical Association" says all of the patients lost more than 61 percent of their excess weight. Diabetes was completely resolved in 76 percent of the cases, and high blood pressure and cholesterol problems were corrected or least improved 86 percent of the time.

We've talked about dietary guidelines for adults and children. But what should your toddler eat, as in baby? Well, we have some answers for you.

Joining us for that is registered dietitian Lisa Drayer.

Good morning, Lisa.

LISA DRAYER, REGISTERED DIETITIAN: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So, you should put your 1-year-old on a diet?

DRAYER: I don't know if we're talking about a weight loss diet. But for first time ever, the American Dietetic Association has announced healthy feeding guidelines for infants and toddlers. We're talking about children 2 years old or younger.

And there are two main reasons for the new advice, Carol. First is a growing consensus that healthy eating habits should start at a very early age, especially due to the rise in obesity rates among children. Also, research has revealed that a lot of moms simply don't know what they should be feeding their children, and there are a lot of misconceptions out there as well.

COSTELLO: So, what should you be feeding your baby?

DRAYER: Right. Well, there are some guidelines. Let's take a look at these now.

First, breast-feeding is definitely an excellent choice. Breast milk provides a great mix of nutrients, like protein and fat. But after the six month of life, a breast-fed infant needs additional foods; that is, foods or liquids other than human milk in order to meet nutrient needs. These are known as complimentary foods.

Also, very few moms will serve meat as a first food, Carol. But pediatric experts recommend pureed meat as one option for a child's first solid food. And the reason is meat is a source of iron. Iron is a critical nutrient for growth and development. And according to recent data, 9 percent of children under 3 are iron-deficient. So, that's a concern there.

Iron-fortified cereals can provide iron as well, and strained fruit is a source of vitamin C, which helps to boost iron absorption. So, you can combine these two together.

Also another misconception, many moms believe that pureed vegetables should be the first foods served. But there is really no scientific basis for this. So, the order in which solid foods are introduced really doesn't seem to matter.

And as far as variety goes, offering a wide range of foods is important. It encourages different textures and flavors. But experts say it can take up to 10 to 15 exposures for a child to accept a new food. So, parents shouldn't give up too soon.

Now, we do want to say, Carol, Gerber did provide funding for the research, but ADA had their expert panel reviewing all of the science before the guidelines were issued to the public. So, that's one thing we want to mention there.

Also, there is some exciting news. I've been told that the researchers are working on developing meal plans. So soon parents will have meal plans for their infants and toddlers, so they can...

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Oh, that would make it so much easier.

DRAYER: I know. Wouldn't it?

COSTELLO: Yes. I'm still getting over the pureed meat thing. That just sounds wrong. Thank you, Lisa, for making it more clear for all of those new moms and dads out there.

Today's mug winner will be announced in two minutes.

And another reminder: CNN's coverage of the third and final presidential debate begins tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's time to reveal the winner of this beautiful DAYBREAK mug.

MYERS: There it is. Almost time to get that pureed bratwurst for breakfast.

The answers and the questions from yesterday. Who was shot inside the Ambassador Hotel back in 1968? That obviously was Robert F. Kennedy. Yesterday, the Board of Education there decided to vote this thing into a three-school campus, and there is kind of some controversy going on there.

COSTELLO: So, it won't be torn down then.

MYERS: Correct, correct.

COSTELLO: OK.

MYERS: And in what year did the Boston Red Sox last play in the World Series? I got a lot of the last time that they won the World Series, but the answer was actually 1986. That's when they played. Remember the Buckner thing and all of that? And the curse of the Bambino was back in 1918.

The winner, Mark Johnson from Denver, Colorado.

COSTELLO: Oh!

MYERS: The guy should be sleeping still. Good morning, hey.

And now the questions for today if you are playing along with us. Daybreak@CNN.com is where you want to send your answers.

Some Germans are upset about what display? A brand-new display, putting it up today. And how many times does an infant or a child have to try a new flavor before they accept it, especially that ground bratwurst?

COSTELLO: Good speed-reading. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.