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CNN Live At Daybreak

Latest Developments from Both Sides of 2004 Presidential Campaign; Examining Shortage of Flu Shots

Aired October 18, 2004 - 05:00   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

Now in the news, a deadly gunfight this morning on the Israeli- Gaza border. An Israeli source says two Palestinian gunmen crossed into Israel and traded shots with Israeli troops. The gunmen were killed. There was also an explosion. One gunmen apparently had bombs on him.

In Iraq, insurgents ambushed a group of Iraqi police officers north of Baghdad this morning. Seven officers were hurt in Ba'qubah. Iraqi sources tell CNN the insurgents laid a trap by calling in a false accident report.

Back in the States, it's time for the early birds to cast their votes in Florida. Election offices across the state are opening up this morning, giving people the option of voting for president early.

And the Red Sox are not going down without a fight. Did you see the game? David Ortiz belted a two run homer in the bottom of the twelfth to carry Boston over New York 6-4 in the A.L. championship series. Still, the Yankees are up three games to one, so Boston has a long way to go -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I was waiting and waiting and waiting for that game to start. You know, they said oh, the game is going to start at 7:30, right after this game.

COSTELLO: It didn't start until 8:30, after 8:30, right?

MYERS: And I'm sitting there and it was a five hour game. It didn't get over until 1:22 Eastern time.

COSTELLO: Oh, man.

MYERS: So I'm glad I didn't stay up for that. It was long.

COSTELLO: You probably got up this morning and caught the end.

MYERS: I was getting so made at Jeannie Zelasko for not tossing it to the game, because thinking that it's already going. I don't know what they were doing there, but obviously they weren't playing baseball yet.

COSTELLO: You're upset about this. MYERS: I am. I wanted to see some of it. I saw nothing but the back of my eyelids.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Two weeks and one day until the national elections and George Bush and John Kerry are hitting the campaign trail hard in the final 15 days. Kerry is in the battleground state of Florida. He spent Sunday targeting voters there and he's doing more of the same today. Kerry starts with a voter rally in West Palm Beach just about four and a half hours from now. He's also visiting Tampa and Orlando.

George Bush starts the day in Washington. This morning, he'll sign appropriations legislation for the Homeland Security Department and then off to New Jersey and Florida. Topping the president's agenda today, though, the fight against terror. But his aides are also paying attention to the latest poll numbers, which seem to give the Bush campaign a bit of a boost.

CNN's Elaine Quijano is at the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): Just over two weeks left to reach the shrinking number of undecideds and most polls show a neck and neck race. But a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll gives President Bush an edge over Senator John Kerry -- among likely voters, 52 percent to 44 percent; among registered voters, 49-46. Bush aides say they have the momentum and note the debates, which instant polls showed Kerry won, did not have an effect on Kerry's favorable rating. Both sides say anything could still happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's only poll that matters and that's the one on November the 2nd.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's only one poll that matters, Wolf, and that's on November 2nd.

QUIJANO: This week the president heads to several battleground states including Florida, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Add to that New Jersey, a traditionally Democratic stronghold, where the president is set to give a speech on terrorism Monday. Hundreds of New Jersey residents died in the September 11th attacks, and as one senior Bush aide put it, voters still feel the personal sting of 9/11.

Behind the scenes, administration officials say they've been reaching out to Congressional leaders, trying to get a bill on 9/11 intelligence reforms to the president's desk as soon as possible. Republicans say lawmakers plan to meet Wednesday to work out differences in the House and Senate versions of the legislation.

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN) MAJORITY LEADER: On Wednesday, the conference report, the conferees, the senators and the House members will meet to pull those two bills together. And I'm very hopeful that over the next several weeks we will send a bill to the president of the United States which will be the most far reaching reform in over 50 years of our intelligence community.

QUIJANO (on camera): Before leaving the White House Monday, President Bush will sign the Homeland Security Appropriations Act for fiscal 2005. The money will go to pay for border protection, transportation security and first responders.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: And CNN will bring you the president's speech on terrorism and homeland security live.

Our coverage starts at 1:15 p.m. Eastern time, 10:15 a.m. Pacific time.

John Kerry also hits the stage this afternoon, armed with a different topic. He'll be touching on health care. He's also looking for a healthy voter turnout in the state. Early voting starts there today, as we told you.

Our Joe Johns is with John Kerry.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before a large crowd in Pembrook Pines, Senator Kerry issued an urgent bilingual appeal to south Floridians to show up early when voting begins here on Monday morning.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Necessitos su voto. Necessitos su ayuda. I need your help. I need your votes. Not for me, not for me, not for John Edwards, but for you and for our country, because we have to lift this nation up.

JOHNS: There was a new line of attack, playing off of a "New York Times" magazine article, asserting that the president told Republican insiders he was planning to come out strong for privatizing Social Security in January.

KERRY: He said, and I quote him, "We're going to move quickly to privatize Social Security." Those are his words.

JOHNS: The attack has special resonance in Florida, with the largest number of retired residents per capita in the country. The Bush campaign denied the quote and said the president has never used the word "privatization," accusing Kerry of scaring seniors.

But the Commerce Secretary said the president is taking the long view.

DONALD L. EVANS, COMMERCE SECRETARY: He has consistently said for the last five or six years that we need to give serious consideration for the young people of this country to be able to have private accounts within the Social Security system, so that over a 30 or 40 year period, they will have a nice nest egg to retire on. JOHNS: Kerry started the day in another key swing state, Ohio, attending church for the second time this weekend, trying to rally African-American voters with reminders of the recount war four years ago.

KERRY: You have my pledge, you get to the polls and we're going to make sure that this time not only does every vote count, but every vote is going to be counted.

JOHNS (on camera): Kerry continues his Florida swing on Monday. He is to give a health care speech unveiling a new proposal to present a repeat of the flu vaccine shortage, another issue senior citizens care about.

Joe Johns, CNN, Pembrook Pines, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And CNN will have live coverage of John Kerry's health care address in Florida. That's at 1:45 p.m. Eastern, 10:45 a.m. Pacific time.

John Kerry and George Bush are splitting some key newspaper endorsements. We've got them for you this morning. Kerry's won the backing of the "New York Times," which calls Bush's term "disastrous." Kerry is also endorsed by his hometown paper, the "Boston Globe" -- I know, you're not surprised -- along with the "Minneapolis Star Tribune" and the "Atlanta Journal Constitution."

George Bush has the backing of the "Chicago Tribune," which says he's leading a bolder struggle against terrorists than Kerry would. Also in Bush's camp, Denver's "Rocky Mountain News," Nebraska's "Omaha World Herald" and the "Carlsbad Current-Argus" in New Mexico.

But there's a far different message from Florida's "Tampa Tribune." The paper says it will not back Bush or Kerry and bashes both candidates on their domestic and foreign policy views.

So to back or not to back? That takes us to our e-mail Question of the Morning. Should newspapers endorse presidential candidates? I know they have for a long time, but is this an antiquated thing to do because everybody pretty much knows how each newspaper will endorse, don't they?

Let us know what you think, daybreak@cnn.com. Daybreak@cnn.com. And do those newspaper endorsements change any minds? Daybreak@cnn.com.

John Kerry wants to make the shortage of flu vaccine an issue in the final days of this campaign. John Kerry says, and I'm quoting here, "Because of the failure of judgment, failure to act, we have a shortfall of 48 million flu shots."

Republicans, though, deny the administration was warned in advance about what could become a U.S. health care crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY THOMPSON, HHS SECRETARY: It is not a health crisis. In fact, I would like to tell individuals just be calm. And don't stand in line because we have approximately 24 million doses of vaccine that have not been shipped yet. We're reallocating those vaccines and shipments to regions that have a shortage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But many people, many of them elderly or disabled, are still lining up across the country for flu shots. Some are getting them and some are not, as CNN correspondent Sara Dorsey reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This year's flu shot season, hurry up and wait. Sometimes that means five or six hours in line for a vaccine that many are used to getting easily.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They said they were here like 6:30, 7:00.

DORSEY: Complaints, for the most part are minimal, though. Many of these people just feel lucky to finally have found a dose.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were at Publix and they didn't have any more shots available. So we came over here and got a number, and hopefully we'll make it.

DORSEY: Some did make it. And others were turned away. Only 130 vaccines were made available to this Eckerd's drugstore in Georgia. And the scene is similar in other states. In the nation's capitol, more lines. In Michigan, people wait in cars. As the shot becomes more scarce, frustrations begin to rise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not organized properly. You know, the issue -- you should have a time scheduled or get something pre-done early instead of lining cars up.

DORSEY: Peggy Meaney's (ph) daughter-in-law works for the CDC, proving even knowing someone won't get you help this year.

PEGGY MEANEY, SEARCHING FOR FLU SHOT: It seems like no sooner do you find out that there is one than they're all filled up. So I wish there was a better way, a more accurate way.

DORSEY (on camera): Unless the CDC can find a way to stretch the 54 million doses of the vaccine on hand, a better way is probably at least a year away.

Sara Dorsey, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: So did U.S. health authorities get advanced warning of a possible flu vaccine shortage? Dr. Julie Gerberding may shed some light on that. The director for the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention will be the American guest -- will be an AMERICAN MORNING guest, I should say. That will happen two hours from now at 7:00 Eastern on CNN.

In other news across America this morning, California authorities are awaiting positive identification of a man who committed suicide at the scene of the forest fire in Yosemite National Park. Police believe the man killed his wife and two daughters in Brentwood and then set fire, set the fire before he killed himself.

Perhaps heading for a hot poker game. A shuttle boat for a casino cruise ship caught fire Sunday off New Port Richey, Florida. Three crew members were on board. Fortunately, off duty Coast Guardsman Robert Morgan was nearby in his own boat and he rescued the three.

It's hard to believe after seeing these pictures, but only one person remains hospitalized this morning from Saturday's 17 crashes on I-95 in Maryland. A violent, fast moving storm cut visibility and piled up 92 vehicles. I believe this was near Baltimore -- it was in Baltimore. Fifty people were injured.

Beginning today, defense attorneys in one of the nation's most watched murder trials get their turn. It may not be set in stone, but Scott Peterson's defense is set in concrete. Rusty Dornin has details in six minutes.

One late night swing of the bat keeps the dream alive for the fans of Fenway. Mark McKay wraps up game four of the ALCS in 11 minutes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my business. I'm an actress. I'm a messenger. How I feel about it has absolutely nothing to do with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: She has a face, as you can see. But she's one of the invisible people of politics. Bruce Burkhardt explains that in 42 minutes.

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONNA ROSATO, WRITER, "MONEY": A great time to go on a Caribbean cruise is early December. You'll get a great combination of fantastic weather. It's usually in the 70s or 80s. You'll get fewer crowds and you'll get fantastic deals. Most people just can't get away and they're doing their holiday shopping. So tour companies usually offer very good package deals. The hurricane season officially ends November 30. While some resorts may still be recovering and rebuilding after the hurricanes this fall, if you're on a cruise, you won't have to worry about that. You can still get a lot of the island flavor without having to worry about whether your hotel has any problems.

In general, you're going to find very good deals throughout most of the area in the Caribbean.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It is 5:17 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

Two deadly car bomb blasts in Iraq on Sunday. One happened on a bridge in the northern city of Mosul. Five Iraqis were killed. Another car bomb went off in central Baghdad, killing six people.

A plea to the United Nations, it's coming this morning from British scientists. They're urging the U.N. to ignore a call by President Bush to ban all forms of human cloning.

In money news, the week has barely begun and oil prices are already surging. The price of crude is topping $55 a barrel this morning. Lingering worries over supply are fueling the costs.

In culture, "Shark Tale" has really sunk its teeth into movie fans. The animated fish story has led the box office for a third straight weekend, taking in just over $22 million.

And in sports, the Patriots hold off the Seahawks for a 30-20 victory. That gives them their 17th straight regular season win. Counting the post-season, the 5-0 Pats have won 20 straight. And, of course, as you know, Chad, that is an NFL record.

MYERS: It is. It was an amazing game. They really did play very well yesterday. And -- although a lot of teams played really well. There were no real bad blowouts. Almost any...

COSTELLO: Well, Detroit.

MYERS: Well, you know.

COSTELLO: Green Bay.

MYERS: They were playing pretty well.

COSTELLO: Green Bay showed signs of life. Why this weekend they had to do that, I don't know. MYERS: Yes, well, there's still no life in Miami so the Green Bay fans still have that to look forward to.

Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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

For months we've heard the prosecution's case against Scott Peterson on charges of killing his wife and their unborn child. Beginning today, the defense gets its turn.

CNN's Rusty Dornin has a preview for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The trial came to a halt last week over the concrete used to make this anchor found at the bottom of Scott Peterson's boat. Sources tell CNN prosecutors needed more time to counter testimony by a defense witness, an engineer who is an expert in concrete. The defense claims Peterson made the anchor and used the remainder of a 90 pound bag of cement to do a backyard project. The prosecution contends Peterson used the bag of cement to make five anchors, four of them to weight down Laci Peterson's body in San Francisco Bay, anchors that were never found.

A prosecution witness said the concrete in the anchor did not match the concrete in the backyard. The defense expert is expected to say the concrete is the same. The defense could point to this wiretapped conversation between Scott Peterson and Laci Peterson's brother, Brent Rocha.

BRENT ROCHA, LACI'S BROTHER: They talked about cement in your shop that was used for, I don't know, anchors or something.

SCOTT PETERSON: Yes, I made a boat anchor with some cement and I put some in the driveway here.

DORNIN: Analysts foresee a battle of experts. Key could be a pathologist expected to testify Laci Peterson's fetus survived past December 24th. If jurors believe that, it could exonerate Scott Peterson, who was under surveillance after his wife's disappearance. The defense may also call a witness to cast doubt on prosecution claims that the dog Tremble (ph) picked up Laci Peterson's scent at the Berkeley marina.

(on-camera): Defense attorney Mark Geragos is expected to take six to eight days to present his case. The judge has told the jury he hopes they will begin deliberations November 3.

Rusty Dornin, CNN, Redwood City, California.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: Coming up in the next hour in "Coffey Talk," legal analyst Kendall Coffey will give us his take on the defense's case in the Scott Peterson trial and we'll also discuss whether Scott Peterson will take the stand. There's some rumors going around that he will.

With one last gasping breath, the Red Sox managed to hold on. We'll have highlights of the classic 12 inning battle.

And don't forget to e-mail us. This morning's DAYBREAK question, should newspapers endorse presidential candidates and do those endorsements change your mind about how you're going to vote. The address, daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

And you are watching DAYBREAK for Monday, October 18.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Time to talk baseball. In the baseball playoffs, the Houston Astros tied the National League championship series at two games apiece, with a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. That was a thrilling game, as well. Game five tonight at Houston.

Mark McKay now with the other side of the playoffs.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With one swing of the bat, David Ortiz was able to do two things -- prevent New York from sweeping Boston out of the ALCS and give hope to this city of believers. The Yankees haven't been able to stop the Red Sox biggest weapon, who struck with force five hours and four minutes into game four.

DEREK LOWE, RED SOX PITCHER: It was a great win. You know, we could easily have laid down and died and just, you know, went on our way. But, you know, we found a way to win.

DAVID ORTIZ, RED SOX DESIGNATED HITTER: Whenever you get the chances to go for it and get the opportunity to win a game against them, you've got to try hard, because they don't give many chances. I mean we're three and one right now. You never know what can happen. But we're going to keep playing the game.

JOE TORRE, YANKEES MANAGER: I've always felt, since, you know, I started doing this thing about nine years ago that, you know, momentum is easily changed in a short series. And there's not much you can do about it. You just have to make sure that when, you know, we go out there for the next game that, you know, we can't carry this baggage with us.

MCKAY: The Red Sox proved that they could neutralize the Yankees' biggest weapon -- Mariano Rivera, who pitched two innings but gave up the tying run. With his availability in question for game five, it allows the fans at Fenway to keep the faith.

Mark McKay, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: We'll have much more in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

And here's what's all new in our next half hour.

Hear what the military has to say about the U.S. platoon that reportedly refused to follow orders in Iraq.

Plus, what moving British troops into Baghdad may have to do with the U.S. presidential election. We'll take you live to London for the British side of that story.

And speaking of politics, you hear their voices all the time, now you get to meet the people behind those political ads.

Stay right there.

This is DAYBREAK.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Jim Voss has come back down to earth after a 20 year career w NASA. A decorated veteran of five space flights totaling 201 days, he returned to his alma mater last year to teach.

JIM VOSS, ENGINEERING PROFESSOR, AUBURN UNIVERSITY: But I look at it as continuing one of the missions of NASA, which is stated as to inspire the next generation of explorers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Voss encourages his students to reach for the stars by doing everything they do well.

VOSS: That's good advice for anything that a person does in life, not just for becoming an astronaut. Whether it's teaching in a classroom or operating a robotic arm on the international space station or doing a space walk, I think attention to detail and trying to do things in the best way that I can is probably the thing that makes for success.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired October 18, 2004 - 05:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

Now in the news, a deadly gunfight this morning on the Israeli- Gaza border. An Israeli source says two Palestinian gunmen crossed into Israel and traded shots with Israeli troops. The gunmen were killed. There was also an explosion. One gunmen apparently had bombs on him.

In Iraq, insurgents ambushed a group of Iraqi police officers north of Baghdad this morning. Seven officers were hurt in Ba'qubah. Iraqi sources tell CNN the insurgents laid a trap by calling in a false accident report.

Back in the States, it's time for the early birds to cast their votes in Florida. Election offices across the state are opening up this morning, giving people the option of voting for president early.

And the Red Sox are not going down without a fight. Did you see the game? David Ortiz belted a two run homer in the bottom of the twelfth to carry Boston over New York 6-4 in the A.L. championship series. Still, the Yankees are up three games to one, so Boston has a long way to go -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I was waiting and waiting and waiting for that game to start. You know, they said oh, the game is going to start at 7:30, right after this game.

COSTELLO: It didn't start until 8:30, after 8:30, right?

MYERS: And I'm sitting there and it was a five hour game. It didn't get over until 1:22 Eastern time.

COSTELLO: Oh, man.

MYERS: So I'm glad I didn't stay up for that. It was long.

COSTELLO: You probably got up this morning and caught the end.

MYERS: I was getting so made at Jeannie Zelasko for not tossing it to the game, because thinking that it's already going. I don't know what they were doing there, but obviously they weren't playing baseball yet.

COSTELLO: You're upset about this. MYERS: I am. I wanted to see some of it. I saw nothing but the back of my eyelids.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Two weeks and one day until the national elections and George Bush and John Kerry are hitting the campaign trail hard in the final 15 days. Kerry is in the battleground state of Florida. He spent Sunday targeting voters there and he's doing more of the same today. Kerry starts with a voter rally in West Palm Beach just about four and a half hours from now. He's also visiting Tampa and Orlando.

George Bush starts the day in Washington. This morning, he'll sign appropriations legislation for the Homeland Security Department and then off to New Jersey and Florida. Topping the president's agenda today, though, the fight against terror. But his aides are also paying attention to the latest poll numbers, which seem to give the Bush campaign a bit of a boost.

CNN's Elaine Quijano is at the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): Just over two weeks left to reach the shrinking number of undecideds and most polls show a neck and neck race. But a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll gives President Bush an edge over Senator John Kerry -- among likely voters, 52 percent to 44 percent; among registered voters, 49-46. Bush aides say they have the momentum and note the debates, which instant polls showed Kerry won, did not have an effect on Kerry's favorable rating. Both sides say anything could still happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's only poll that matters and that's the one on November the 2nd.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's only one poll that matters, Wolf, and that's on November 2nd.

QUIJANO: This week the president heads to several battleground states including Florida, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Add to that New Jersey, a traditionally Democratic stronghold, where the president is set to give a speech on terrorism Monday. Hundreds of New Jersey residents died in the September 11th attacks, and as one senior Bush aide put it, voters still feel the personal sting of 9/11.

Behind the scenes, administration officials say they've been reaching out to Congressional leaders, trying to get a bill on 9/11 intelligence reforms to the president's desk as soon as possible. Republicans say lawmakers plan to meet Wednesday to work out differences in the House and Senate versions of the legislation.

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN) MAJORITY LEADER: On Wednesday, the conference report, the conferees, the senators and the House members will meet to pull those two bills together. And I'm very hopeful that over the next several weeks we will send a bill to the president of the United States which will be the most far reaching reform in over 50 years of our intelligence community.

QUIJANO (on camera): Before leaving the White House Monday, President Bush will sign the Homeland Security Appropriations Act for fiscal 2005. The money will go to pay for border protection, transportation security and first responders.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: And CNN will bring you the president's speech on terrorism and homeland security live.

Our coverage starts at 1:15 p.m. Eastern time, 10:15 a.m. Pacific time.

John Kerry also hits the stage this afternoon, armed with a different topic. He'll be touching on health care. He's also looking for a healthy voter turnout in the state. Early voting starts there today, as we told you.

Our Joe Johns is with John Kerry.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before a large crowd in Pembrook Pines, Senator Kerry issued an urgent bilingual appeal to south Floridians to show up early when voting begins here on Monday morning.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Necessitos su voto. Necessitos su ayuda. I need your help. I need your votes. Not for me, not for me, not for John Edwards, but for you and for our country, because we have to lift this nation up.

JOHNS: There was a new line of attack, playing off of a "New York Times" magazine article, asserting that the president told Republican insiders he was planning to come out strong for privatizing Social Security in January.

KERRY: He said, and I quote him, "We're going to move quickly to privatize Social Security." Those are his words.

JOHNS: The attack has special resonance in Florida, with the largest number of retired residents per capita in the country. The Bush campaign denied the quote and said the president has never used the word "privatization," accusing Kerry of scaring seniors.

But the Commerce Secretary said the president is taking the long view.

DONALD L. EVANS, COMMERCE SECRETARY: He has consistently said for the last five or six years that we need to give serious consideration for the young people of this country to be able to have private accounts within the Social Security system, so that over a 30 or 40 year period, they will have a nice nest egg to retire on. JOHNS: Kerry started the day in another key swing state, Ohio, attending church for the second time this weekend, trying to rally African-American voters with reminders of the recount war four years ago.

KERRY: You have my pledge, you get to the polls and we're going to make sure that this time not only does every vote count, but every vote is going to be counted.

JOHNS (on camera): Kerry continues his Florida swing on Monday. He is to give a health care speech unveiling a new proposal to present a repeat of the flu vaccine shortage, another issue senior citizens care about.

Joe Johns, CNN, Pembrook Pines, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And CNN will have live coverage of John Kerry's health care address in Florida. That's at 1:45 p.m. Eastern, 10:45 a.m. Pacific time.

John Kerry and George Bush are splitting some key newspaper endorsements. We've got them for you this morning. Kerry's won the backing of the "New York Times," which calls Bush's term "disastrous." Kerry is also endorsed by his hometown paper, the "Boston Globe" -- I know, you're not surprised -- along with the "Minneapolis Star Tribune" and the "Atlanta Journal Constitution."

George Bush has the backing of the "Chicago Tribune," which says he's leading a bolder struggle against terrorists than Kerry would. Also in Bush's camp, Denver's "Rocky Mountain News," Nebraska's "Omaha World Herald" and the "Carlsbad Current-Argus" in New Mexico.

But there's a far different message from Florida's "Tampa Tribune." The paper says it will not back Bush or Kerry and bashes both candidates on their domestic and foreign policy views.

So to back or not to back? That takes us to our e-mail Question of the Morning. Should newspapers endorse presidential candidates? I know they have for a long time, but is this an antiquated thing to do because everybody pretty much knows how each newspaper will endorse, don't they?

Let us know what you think, daybreak@cnn.com. Daybreak@cnn.com. And do those newspaper endorsements change any minds? Daybreak@cnn.com.

John Kerry wants to make the shortage of flu vaccine an issue in the final days of this campaign. John Kerry says, and I'm quoting here, "Because of the failure of judgment, failure to act, we have a shortfall of 48 million flu shots."

Republicans, though, deny the administration was warned in advance about what could become a U.S. health care crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY THOMPSON, HHS SECRETARY: It is not a health crisis. In fact, I would like to tell individuals just be calm. And don't stand in line because we have approximately 24 million doses of vaccine that have not been shipped yet. We're reallocating those vaccines and shipments to regions that have a shortage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But many people, many of them elderly or disabled, are still lining up across the country for flu shots. Some are getting them and some are not, as CNN correspondent Sara Dorsey reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This year's flu shot season, hurry up and wait. Sometimes that means five or six hours in line for a vaccine that many are used to getting easily.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They said they were here like 6:30, 7:00.

DORSEY: Complaints, for the most part are minimal, though. Many of these people just feel lucky to finally have found a dose.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were at Publix and they didn't have any more shots available. So we came over here and got a number, and hopefully we'll make it.

DORSEY: Some did make it. And others were turned away. Only 130 vaccines were made available to this Eckerd's drugstore in Georgia. And the scene is similar in other states. In the nation's capitol, more lines. In Michigan, people wait in cars. As the shot becomes more scarce, frustrations begin to rise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not organized properly. You know, the issue -- you should have a time scheduled or get something pre-done early instead of lining cars up.

DORSEY: Peggy Meaney's (ph) daughter-in-law works for the CDC, proving even knowing someone won't get you help this year.

PEGGY MEANEY, SEARCHING FOR FLU SHOT: It seems like no sooner do you find out that there is one than they're all filled up. So I wish there was a better way, a more accurate way.

DORSEY (on camera): Unless the CDC can find a way to stretch the 54 million doses of the vaccine on hand, a better way is probably at least a year away.

Sara Dorsey, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: So did U.S. health authorities get advanced warning of a possible flu vaccine shortage? Dr. Julie Gerberding may shed some light on that. The director for the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention will be the American guest -- will be an AMERICAN MORNING guest, I should say. That will happen two hours from now at 7:00 Eastern on CNN.

In other news across America this morning, California authorities are awaiting positive identification of a man who committed suicide at the scene of the forest fire in Yosemite National Park. Police believe the man killed his wife and two daughters in Brentwood and then set fire, set the fire before he killed himself.

Perhaps heading for a hot poker game. A shuttle boat for a casino cruise ship caught fire Sunday off New Port Richey, Florida. Three crew members were on board. Fortunately, off duty Coast Guardsman Robert Morgan was nearby in his own boat and he rescued the three.

It's hard to believe after seeing these pictures, but only one person remains hospitalized this morning from Saturday's 17 crashes on I-95 in Maryland. A violent, fast moving storm cut visibility and piled up 92 vehicles. I believe this was near Baltimore -- it was in Baltimore. Fifty people were injured.

Beginning today, defense attorneys in one of the nation's most watched murder trials get their turn. It may not be set in stone, but Scott Peterson's defense is set in concrete. Rusty Dornin has details in six minutes.

One late night swing of the bat keeps the dream alive for the fans of Fenway. Mark McKay wraps up game four of the ALCS in 11 minutes.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my business. I'm an actress. I'm a messenger. How I feel about it has absolutely nothing to do with it.

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COSTELLO: She has a face, as you can see. But she's one of the invisible people of politics. Bruce Burkhardt explains that in 42 minutes.

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

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DONNA ROSATO, WRITER, "MONEY": A great time to go on a Caribbean cruise is early December. You'll get a great combination of fantastic weather. It's usually in the 70s or 80s. You'll get fewer crowds and you'll get fantastic deals. Most people just can't get away and they're doing their holiday shopping. So tour companies usually offer very good package deals. The hurricane season officially ends November 30. While some resorts may still be recovering and rebuilding after the hurricanes this fall, if you're on a cruise, you won't have to worry about that. You can still get a lot of the island flavor without having to worry about whether your hotel has any problems.

In general, you're going to find very good deals throughout most of the area in the Caribbean.

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COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It is 5:17 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

Two deadly car bomb blasts in Iraq on Sunday. One happened on a bridge in the northern city of Mosul. Five Iraqis were killed. Another car bomb went off in central Baghdad, killing six people.

A plea to the United Nations, it's coming this morning from British scientists. They're urging the U.N. to ignore a call by President Bush to ban all forms of human cloning.

In money news, the week has barely begun and oil prices are already surging. The price of crude is topping $55 a barrel this morning. Lingering worries over supply are fueling the costs.

In culture, "Shark Tale" has really sunk its teeth into movie fans. The animated fish story has led the box office for a third straight weekend, taking in just over $22 million.

And in sports, the Patriots hold off the Seahawks for a 30-20 victory. That gives them their 17th straight regular season win. Counting the post-season, the 5-0 Pats have won 20 straight. And, of course, as you know, Chad, that is an NFL record.

MYERS: It is. It was an amazing game. They really did play very well yesterday. And -- although a lot of teams played really well. There were no real bad blowouts. Almost any...

COSTELLO: Well, Detroit.

MYERS: Well, you know.

COSTELLO: Green Bay.

MYERS: They were playing pretty well.

COSTELLO: Green Bay showed signs of life. Why this weekend they had to do that, I don't know. MYERS: Yes, well, there's still no life in Miami so the Green Bay fans still have that to look forward to.

Good morning, Carol.

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

For months we've heard the prosecution's case against Scott Peterson on charges of killing his wife and their unborn child. Beginning today, the defense gets its turn.

CNN's Rusty Dornin has a preview for you.

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RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The trial came to a halt last week over the concrete used to make this anchor found at the bottom of Scott Peterson's boat. Sources tell CNN prosecutors needed more time to counter testimony by a defense witness, an engineer who is an expert in concrete. The defense claims Peterson made the anchor and used the remainder of a 90 pound bag of cement to do a backyard project. The prosecution contends Peterson used the bag of cement to make five anchors, four of them to weight down Laci Peterson's body in San Francisco Bay, anchors that were never found.

A prosecution witness said the concrete in the anchor did not match the concrete in the backyard. The defense expert is expected to say the concrete is the same. The defense could point to this wiretapped conversation between Scott Peterson and Laci Peterson's brother, Brent Rocha.

BRENT ROCHA, LACI'S BROTHER: They talked about cement in your shop that was used for, I don't know, anchors or something.

SCOTT PETERSON: Yes, I made a boat anchor with some cement and I put some in the driveway here.

DORNIN: Analysts foresee a battle of experts. Key could be a pathologist expected to testify Laci Peterson's fetus survived past December 24th. If jurors believe that, it could exonerate Scott Peterson, who was under surveillance after his wife's disappearance. The defense may also call a witness to cast doubt on prosecution claims that the dog Tremble (ph) picked up Laci Peterson's scent at the Berkeley marina.

(on-camera): Defense attorney Mark Geragos is expected to take six to eight days to present his case. The judge has told the jury he hopes they will begin deliberations November 3.

Rusty Dornin, CNN, Redwood City, California.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: Coming up in the next hour in "Coffey Talk," legal analyst Kendall Coffey will give us his take on the defense's case in the Scott Peterson trial and we'll also discuss whether Scott Peterson will take the stand. There's some rumors going around that he will.

With one last gasping breath, the Red Sox managed to hold on. We'll have highlights of the classic 12 inning battle.

And don't forget to e-mail us. This morning's DAYBREAK question, should newspapers endorse presidential candidates and do those endorsements change your mind about how you're going to vote. The address, daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

And you are watching DAYBREAK for Monday, October 18.

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COSTELLO: Time to talk baseball. In the baseball playoffs, the Houston Astros tied the National League championship series at two games apiece, with a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. That was a thrilling game, as well. Game five tonight at Houston.

Mark McKay now with the other side of the playoffs.

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MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With one swing of the bat, David Ortiz was able to do two things -- prevent New York from sweeping Boston out of the ALCS and give hope to this city of believers. The Yankees haven't been able to stop the Red Sox biggest weapon, who struck with force five hours and four minutes into game four.

DEREK LOWE, RED SOX PITCHER: It was a great win. You know, we could easily have laid down and died and just, you know, went on our way. But, you know, we found a way to win.

DAVID ORTIZ, RED SOX DESIGNATED HITTER: Whenever you get the chances to go for it and get the opportunity to win a game against them, you've got to try hard, because they don't give many chances. I mean we're three and one right now. You never know what can happen. But we're going to keep playing the game.

JOE TORRE, YANKEES MANAGER: I've always felt, since, you know, I started doing this thing about nine years ago that, you know, momentum is easily changed in a short series. And there's not much you can do about it. You just have to make sure that when, you know, we go out there for the next game that, you know, we can't carry this baggage with us.

MCKAY: The Red Sox proved that they could neutralize the Yankees' biggest weapon -- Mariano Rivera, who pitched two innings but gave up the tying run. With his availability in question for game five, it allows the fans at Fenway to keep the faith.

Mark McKay, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: We'll have much more in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

And here's what's all new in our next half hour.

Hear what the military has to say about the U.S. platoon that reportedly refused to follow orders in Iraq.

Plus, what moving British troops into Baghdad may have to do with the U.S. presidential election. We'll take you live to London for the British side of that story.

And speaking of politics, you hear their voices all the time, now you get to meet the people behind those political ads.

Stay right there.

This is DAYBREAK.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Jim Voss has come back down to earth after a 20 year career w NASA. A decorated veteran of five space flights totaling 201 days, he returned to his alma mater last year to teach.

JIM VOSS, ENGINEERING PROFESSOR, AUBURN UNIVERSITY: But I look at it as continuing one of the missions of NASA, which is stated as to inspire the next generation of explorers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Voss encourages his students to reach for the stars by doing everything they do well.

VOSS: That's good advice for anything that a person does in life, not just for becoming an astronaut. Whether it's teaching in a classroom or operating a robotic arm on the international space station or doing a space walk, I think attention to detail and trying to do things in the best way that I can is probably the thing that makes for success.

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