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CNN Live At Daybreak

Boston Red Sox Clinch It in Game Seven; Controversy Over Whether U.S. Elections Should be Monitored by International Observers

Aired October 21, 2004 - 06:00   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 LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The Sox clinch it in game seven and the Yankee empire falls.
It's Thursday, October 21, and this is DAYBREAK.

Good morning.

From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin in for Carol Costello.

More on the championship series in just a moment.

But first, right now in the news, the highest ranking soldier charged with abusing inmates at Iraq's Abu Ghraib Prison is expected to be sentenced today. Staff Sergeant Ivan "Chip" Frederick, an Army Reservist, pleaded guilty yesterday to five charges.

Pakistani officials have arrested two al Qaeda suspects. One of the men is said to be wanted by the U.S. and is known within the terror network by the nickname "Electronic." Pakistani officials say the other man was carrying important documents.

And there are fears this morning that we could see a repeat of the flu shot shortage next year. The drug maker Chiron says it cannot guarantee it will be ready to meet the demand for flu shots in the U.S. in 2005.

And check out this huge twister caught on tape at Cape Canaveral, Florida. There are reports -- no reports, actually, of any injuries, but some damage is reported at Port Canaveral.

Orelon, is that all wind or is there some water in there, do you think?

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There's probably, well, it looks like a water spout to me more than anything there. And so that's just the tornado that forms over the water and then moves over the land, becomes a tornado at that point. Some of that debris you see at the bottom probably picking up water.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: In the meantime, the Red Sox nation is rejoicing this morning thanks to an improbable comeback against the Evil Empire. Sound like a bad science fiction movie? Actually, it's just national baseball. Nearly 50 years ago, the Brooklyn Bums shocked the world by beating the Yankees. And now it's the Red Sox's turn.

CNN's Mark McKay picks up that story.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As they celebrated under the hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium, Red Sox players had to be pinching themselves. Could this have actually happened? After a nightmarish start to the American League championship series, Boston enjoyed a dream finish and a World Series bound for the first time in 18 years at the expense of their greatest rival.

CURT SCHILLING, RED SOX PITCHER: We just beat the best organization in sports history. We're going to get to the World Series in an unprecedented fashion. So, what an appropriate group of guys to do it.

KEVIN MILLER, RED SOX FIRST BASEMAN: And you've got to win four games, not three. It's just like when you're hitting, you get three strikes, not two. And I'll tell you right now, they didn't win the fourth.

THEO EPSTEIN, RED SOX GENERAL MANAGER: This one's for all the great Red Sox teams that couldn't quite beat the Yankees, you know, since '49. Suddenly our team last year fell just short against these guys.

MCKAY: History has never been kind to Boston. If the Red Sox exercised demons against the Yankees, they did so in grand fashion, after being victimized by past play-off home runs from such unlikely heroes as Bucky Danton and Aaron Boone, this Red Sox team turned the tables by simply bombing the Bronx Bombers.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ, YANKEES THIRD BASEMAN: It's something that's going to hurt all winter. And I think it's going to make us stronger and make us hungrier for next year. And we'll be back.

DEREK LOWE, RED SOX PITCHER: We'll take a trip to the World Series no matter the road. But coming through Yankee Stadium, falling down 3-0 to these guys, to be down in the ninth inning in game four and come back to beat them in Yankee Stadium makes it beyond the imagination.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole Babe Ruth, the whole curse, I mean after a while you start to believe in it because of just all of the stuff that keeps happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wasn't alive in 1918 so I, this is my second year, and I know this is my second year and we're going to the World Series. So I'm just excited to be a part of that.

MCKAY (on camera): With history in their back pocket, the Red Sox will now go about the business of trying to reverse the curse. Eighty-six years after winning their last World Series title, the Red Sox play host to game one of the 2004 fall classic Saturday at Fenway Park.

Mark McKay, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: We'll have much more on the fans and the series coming up a little bit later in the show.

Right now, we're going to go on the political trail.

President Bush starts his day in Washington, signing a measure aimed at preventing suicide on college campuses. And then it's on to Pennsylvania for a day of rallying the party faithful.

Senator John Kerry has a busy day ahead in the Midwest. John Kerry starts in Ohio, where he is going to be hunting for 20 electoral votes and also hunting geese and goats. Now, one speech he's going to talk about stem cell research with Dana Reeve, the widow of actor Christopher Reeve, who died last week. John Kerry will also campaign in Minneapolis.

The flu shot shortage is injecting itself into campaign rhetoric. The Capitol's attending physician says no members of Congress are getting preferential treatment when it comes to flu vaccines. A spokesperson says Vice President Dick Cheney recently got a flu shot, saying, "He does so every year at the recommendation of his doctors due to his 25-year history of heart disease."

Now, the CDC says the very young, the very old and people with chronic health problems like Dick Cheney and health care workers should be first in line for flu vaccines.

Now, there is going to be unprecedented scrutiny of this presidential election, right down to the flu shot. As many as 100 observers from a European security organization is going to be among those watching the voting process. Now, critics object to having foreign or international election monitors.

CNN's Kitty Pilgrim reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): St. Louis, Missouri had a problem in the year 2000. People who had moved couldn't verify they were really registered. So this time around, city officials hope election monitors will pronounce the process glitch-free.

GARY STOF, ST. LOUIS GOP ELECTIONS DIRECTOR: It's extremely important in the City of St. Louis that we have a very efficient, well run election so that we can get past that perception that the City of St. Louis can't do its job in that regard.

PILGRIM: But some object to inviting international observers to put their seal of approval on elections in the world's oldest democracy. REP. JEFF MILLER (R), FLORIDA: I do contend that our election process is the best in the world and we do have redress for those that do have problems in that process.

PILGRIM: Earlier this year, 11 Democrats sent a letter to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, asking for the United Nations to provide election observers.

KELLY BATES, ECONOMIC HUMAN RIGHTS PROJECT: We need an outside, you know, neutral body that can come in and make sure that the elections are monitored and evaluated and that they're fair.

PILGRIM: The United Nations says the only way they would do it is if the president asked for it.

But another organization, the Vienna-based OSCE, a group that monitors elections and emerging democracies, is sending 100 observers. Some say that is highly inappropriate. The group observes deeply flawed elections in Third World countries. But in the U.S., the rule of law is established and the election system has its own checks and balances.

JOSHUA MURAVCHIK, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: That they should come and supervise our election is silly at best, and at worst it's quite destructive because it perpetuates this myth that it's impossible to tell a democratic country from a non-democratic country.

PILGRIM: Kitty Pilgrim, CNN.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: Well, doctors are calling it a miracle after two people survived a fiery plane crash in northern Missouri. Search crews recovered the last five bodies from the commuter plane crash. In all, 13 people were killed when the plane went down while attempting to land in Kirksville. But two survivors suffered only broken bones and a few burns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JOHN KROGH, COMMUTER CRASH SURVIVOR: Then all of a sudden there was just a crashing sound, which didn't really shock the plane too much. And as I thought back on it later, I'm sure that was a wing hitting a tree. And then within maybe, I don't know, two seconds, maybe later, big time crashes occurred as the plane went into the trees and sort of come apart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Well, investigators recovered the black boxes from the plane and they'll know soon enough, in a few weeks, what actually caused that crash, if it was mechanical.

Now, news across America right now.

Bad weather may be to blame for an air ambulance crash near Pensacola, Florida. The pilot and a crew member were killed and another is missing. The helicopter was on its way to pick up a critically ill patient when bad weather forced the pilot to try to return to the airport.

Speaking of airports, lax is getting a makeover. The Los Angeles City Council approved $11 billion in upgrades for the world's fifth busiest airport. The plan calls for a new transit hub and a state-of- the-art people mover. The changes would allow Los Angeles International Airport to handle 78 million passengers a year. It looks pretty good on a TV show.

Now, the Scott Peterson defense is going to the dogs. Testimony in this case is centered on Laci's dog and police dogs. One investigator testified police received a tip from a man who saw Laci walking her dog the day she disappeared. Prosecutors contend she had stopped walking the dog weeks before.

Still to come this morning, "Business Buzz." Another airline on the threshold of bankruptcy? That's at 13 past the hour.

And then, at half past, political hot topics. Teresa Heinz Kerry apologizes to the first lady. Will words of the wives, that's with a V, affect the election?

And the man we knew as Old Blue Eyes -- souvenirs from the archives of Frank Sinatra, at 6:50 Eastern. You can actually own copies of them.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: It's time now for a little "Business Buzz."

One discount airline warns it's running out of cash.

Carrie Lee reports.

She's at the Nasdaq market site in Times Square.

Are you talking Delta Airlines? Or is this somebody else?

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Delta is one of the few carriers, Carol, that has been losing money. Pretty much, in fact, everyone has. Delta, AMR, parent company of American, also Northwest all reporting losses for the recent quarter, all losing ground. Yesterday, ATA no exception. Now, of course, this carrier is a little smaller than the other three I just mentioned. But they're saying that their cash crunch has worsened since August. This is a carrier based out of Indianapolis. And now analysts are concerned that a Chapter 11 filing for bankruptcy protection could be coming close.

This is the third such warning by ATA in 18 months. The carrier is seeking a recovery strategy that could possibly include a merger. The company's stock, meanwhile, down about 22 percent yesterday. We'll see if there's any flow through today.

Speaking of flow through, we're keeping an eye on shares of eBay, which actually lost some ground late last night after giving its third quarter profit report. Not that the numbers were so bad, profits jumping more than 76 percent, but eBay, of course, considered one of the more financially conservative companies. They did boost their outlook for the rest of the year, provided bullish projections for 2005. But the stock has been such a high flier over the years, there's some concern that the company's very rapid growth pace may be slowing in future years.

So eBay a big one to watch today, Carol.

Futures across-the-board looking a bit weak. So we could see some selling at 9:30.

LIN: OK. In the world of markets, how can anyone be unhappy about 76 percent increase in profits?

LEE: Well, you know, it's all about the expectation here.

LIN: Oh, we should worry now.

LEE: Exactly. It's all about the expectation. And it's all about the expectation going forward especially. You know, the recent quarter is already factored into stock prices very often. What do they have to say going forward, what's next? You know, that's what Wall Street always wants to know.

LIN: Right. Everything is relative.

LEE: That's right.

LIN: Thanks, Carrie.

LEE: OK.

LIN: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It's now 15 past the hour and here's what's all new this morning.

The family of Margaret Hassan is pleading with her captors to let her go. The CARE director was abducted Tuesday in Baghdad. Hassan's husband says he is shocked since she isn't even involved in politics or religion in the region.

And a gas explosion in a coal mine in central China has killed 56 workers. Chinese officials say the fate of more than 90 others trapped inside the mine is unknown.

In money, more money troubles for Delta Airlines. Delta announced a $646 million loss in the third quarter. The airline also warned that a court supervised restructuring may be needed.

And in culture, Miss. America may be missing from network TV next year. ABC dropped the pageant from its schedule, citing poor ratings. The Miss. America pageant has been televised every year since 1954.

In sports, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros to force a game seven in the National League championship series. Jim Edmonds launched an extra inning home run to tie the series at three games apiece.

And in weather -- Orelon.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: Still to come, the thrills of the game, the champagne and the tears. The ride was just as emotional for the fans as the players. We're going to talk about that historical game.

And later, it's not even Halloween yet, but we have a forecast on holiday shopping.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: It's the day after one heck of a baseball play-off game. So let's not waste any time.

CNN sports contributor Chris Cotter is here with me this morning -- Chris.

CHRIS COTTER, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: Oh, what a night.

LIN: OK, I know, an amazing night. But you are the only person I've bumped into yet -- and, granted, it is a little early out here...

COTTER: Yes, very early.

LIN: ... who's actually not happy about the Sox winning.

COTTER: Well, I'm not a Sox fan and I'm not a Yankee fan. So I don't have, I really don't have a dog in that fight.

LIN: It's not a bias.

COTTER: Right. It's just I think baseball loses a little something when the Red Sox win and when they beat the Yankees. I think that there's a mystique around the fact that the Red Sox are lovable losers, in a sense, that the Yankees are the Evil Empire. They win and you hate them because they win and you want to see them lose, but then when they finally do lose, it's sort of like the day after Christmas a little bit. And you're not going to tell any Red Sox fan that right now, because they're still up from partying last night.

LIN: Right.

COTTER: And they're going to be up tomorrow and the next day and for weeks they're going to party on this. But at some point in time I think Red Sox fans, you know, probably come around March when spring training begins, they're going to say, they're going to take a deep breath and say now what do we do? LIN: No excuses.

COTTER: What -- yes, we've got no excuses. We have no curse anymore. But what we've been talking about and crying in our beer every night for the last 100 years, ever since 1918, is now not there anymore, that topic of conversation. We've beaten the Yankees. We beat them as bad as you can beat them.

LIN: Right.

COTTER: They were up 3-0...

LIN: Utter humiliation, I think, is what people are saying.

COTTER: We came -- in their house.

LIN: Yes.

COTTER: Yes. In Yankee Stadium.

LIN: Yes.

COTTER: We went there and beat them. And so we've finally gotten that over, you know, we've gotten over that hump. We've been building and building and building and now we've gotten over that hump. And that's how we identify ourselves, as the one that's trying to knock off the Evil Empire.

LIN: Right.

COTTER: Well, now that we've done it, now where do we go from here?

LIN: What's next?

All right, well, this is what the Yankee fans had to say last night. Can you imagine how they felt?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEREK JETER, YANKEES SHORTSTOP: We had four games there to win one. We didn't do it. They were better than us. You know, you can sit here and try to make excuses, but the bottom line is those guys didn't give up and they outplayed us.

KEVIN BROWN, YANKEES PITCHER: Short of trading the health of my family, I'd give anything to be there back and, you know, and do things differently and being, you know, to give this team a chance to win.

MARIANO RIVERA, YANKEES PITCHER: Yes, it is tough. It is tough, but, you know, what can we do? And so we are ready to just go home and relax, I guess.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Go home and relax. I don't think so. Was that a little tear forming in Derek Jeter's eyes?

COTTER: I don't know. These guys won a ton of them. I mean this is bad for them because they're supposed to win. They feel like they're supposed to win every time they go out there and lace 'em up. So it's tough for them. But it's important for the Red Sox, but I don't want to hear any Red Sox fan say hey this, that was our World Series, because that's a loser mentality.

LIN: Oh.

COTTER: I want a Red Sox fan to say I want Houston to win, I want Roger Clemens to come into Fenway and I want to beat Roger Clemens, because that's the icing on the cake. That's the other thing the Red Sox fans have to worry about. Roger Clemens, who may be the greatest Red Sox pitcher of all time, now wearing a Houston Astros cap, if he comes into Fenway and beats the Red Sox in Fenway, it's -- there's still going to be a little bit of a sour taste in their mouths, I think. That's the one I'm looking for. But that National League series has been phenomenal, too.

Just a quick note on that one, hadn't had a walk off home run in the National League championship series since 1986, when Lenny Dykstra did it. We've had two in a row now. Last night Jim Edmonds did it and then the night before we had Jeff Kent for Houston do it. So that series has been exciting, just as exciting. It goes into game seven tonight.

I think these two series, the ALCS and the NLCS, have been the two most exciting ones we've had since I can remember.

LIN: Yes.

COTTER: I cannot remember having two better series.

LIN: All right, we'll be talking about it on Monday.

COTTER: Oh, I'm looking forward to it so much.

LIN: Thanks, Chris.

All right, coming up, we're going to get back to that other big contest, the race for the White House. Senator Kerry shares his plans for those color-coded terror alerts with "Rolling Stone."

Also, his wife issues an apology.

And then, debating the faith factor. Will voters' politics be influenced by the pulpit?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Good morning.

From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin in for Carol Costello. Right now in the news, there could be yet another crisis over flu vaccines next year. The chief executive of one company that makes the vaccine says he cannot guarantee the company will be ready to meet next year's demand for flu shots.

And aviation investigators are reviewing the flight data recorders from the fatal crash of a commuter plane in Kirksville, Missouri. Just two of the 15 people on board survived Tuesday's crash.

In California, rescue crews resume searching this morning for eight missing hikers. They were caught in a blizzard that swept the Sierra Nevada.

This morning, American gymnast Paul Hamm will learn if he gets to keep his Olympic gold medal. The court of arbitration for sports will announce whether the gold medal stays with Hamm or goes to a South Korean gymnast.

Orelon, that would be a shame. You know, I know Paul Hamm's got to be pretty nervous about it because he's saying look, if they tell me to give it up, I'll give it up.

SIDNEY: Yes, I really hope that he gets to keep it, honestly, because that would be so discouraging. But just wait and see. I'm with you, though.

LIN: Yes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: It is getting down to the wire, folks. Just 12 more days until the presidential election and we've got a new poll for you. Gallup asked Kerry voters how they would feel if Bush wins reelection. 57 percent say very upset, 25 percent say somewhat upset, but 16 percent say they will not be upset at all.

Gallup put the same question to Bush supporters, how would you feel if Kerry wins? Half say very upset, 33 percent say somewhat upset and 17 percent say they will not be upset.

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 21, 2004 - 06:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The Sox clinch it in game seven and the Yankee empire falls.
It's Thursday, October 21, and this is DAYBREAK.

Good morning.

From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin in for Carol Costello.

More on the championship series in just a moment.

But first, right now in the news, the highest ranking soldier charged with abusing inmates at Iraq's Abu Ghraib Prison is expected to be sentenced today. Staff Sergeant Ivan "Chip" Frederick, an Army Reservist, pleaded guilty yesterday to five charges.

Pakistani officials have arrested two al Qaeda suspects. One of the men is said to be wanted by the U.S. and is known within the terror network by the nickname "Electronic." Pakistani officials say the other man was carrying important documents.

And there are fears this morning that we could see a repeat of the flu shot shortage next year. The drug maker Chiron says it cannot guarantee it will be ready to meet the demand for flu shots in the U.S. in 2005.

And check out this huge twister caught on tape at Cape Canaveral, Florida. There are reports -- no reports, actually, of any injuries, but some damage is reported at Port Canaveral.

Orelon, is that all wind or is there some water in there, do you think?

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There's probably, well, it looks like a water spout to me more than anything there. And so that's just the tornado that forms over the water and then moves over the land, becomes a tornado at that point. Some of that debris you see at the bottom probably picking up water.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: In the meantime, the Red Sox nation is rejoicing this morning thanks to an improbable comeback against the Evil Empire. Sound like a bad science fiction movie? Actually, it's just national baseball. Nearly 50 years ago, the Brooklyn Bums shocked the world by beating the Yankees. And now it's the Red Sox's turn.

CNN's Mark McKay picks up that story.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As they celebrated under the hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium, Red Sox players had to be pinching themselves. Could this have actually happened? After a nightmarish start to the American League championship series, Boston enjoyed a dream finish and a World Series bound for the first time in 18 years at the expense of their greatest rival.

CURT SCHILLING, RED SOX PITCHER: We just beat the best organization in sports history. We're going to get to the World Series in an unprecedented fashion. So, what an appropriate group of guys to do it.

KEVIN MILLER, RED SOX FIRST BASEMAN: And you've got to win four games, not three. It's just like when you're hitting, you get three strikes, not two. And I'll tell you right now, they didn't win the fourth.

THEO EPSTEIN, RED SOX GENERAL MANAGER: This one's for all the great Red Sox teams that couldn't quite beat the Yankees, you know, since '49. Suddenly our team last year fell just short against these guys.

MCKAY: History has never been kind to Boston. If the Red Sox exercised demons against the Yankees, they did so in grand fashion, after being victimized by past play-off home runs from such unlikely heroes as Bucky Danton and Aaron Boone, this Red Sox team turned the tables by simply bombing the Bronx Bombers.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ, YANKEES THIRD BASEMAN: It's something that's going to hurt all winter. And I think it's going to make us stronger and make us hungrier for next year. And we'll be back.

DEREK LOWE, RED SOX PITCHER: We'll take a trip to the World Series no matter the road. But coming through Yankee Stadium, falling down 3-0 to these guys, to be down in the ninth inning in game four and come back to beat them in Yankee Stadium makes it beyond the imagination.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole Babe Ruth, the whole curse, I mean after a while you start to believe in it because of just all of the stuff that keeps happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wasn't alive in 1918 so I, this is my second year, and I know this is my second year and we're going to the World Series. So I'm just excited to be a part of that.

MCKAY (on camera): With history in their back pocket, the Red Sox will now go about the business of trying to reverse the curse. Eighty-six years after winning their last World Series title, the Red Sox play host to game one of the 2004 fall classic Saturday at Fenway Park.

Mark McKay, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: We'll have much more on the fans and the series coming up a little bit later in the show.

Right now, we're going to go on the political trail.

President Bush starts his day in Washington, signing a measure aimed at preventing suicide on college campuses. And then it's on to Pennsylvania for a day of rallying the party faithful.

Senator John Kerry has a busy day ahead in the Midwest. John Kerry starts in Ohio, where he is going to be hunting for 20 electoral votes and also hunting geese and goats. Now, one speech he's going to talk about stem cell research with Dana Reeve, the widow of actor Christopher Reeve, who died last week. John Kerry will also campaign in Minneapolis.

The flu shot shortage is injecting itself into campaign rhetoric. The Capitol's attending physician says no members of Congress are getting preferential treatment when it comes to flu vaccines. A spokesperson says Vice President Dick Cheney recently got a flu shot, saying, "He does so every year at the recommendation of his doctors due to his 25-year history of heart disease."

Now, the CDC says the very young, the very old and people with chronic health problems like Dick Cheney and health care workers should be first in line for flu vaccines.

Now, there is going to be unprecedented scrutiny of this presidential election, right down to the flu shot. As many as 100 observers from a European security organization is going to be among those watching the voting process. Now, critics object to having foreign or international election monitors.

CNN's Kitty Pilgrim reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): St. Louis, Missouri had a problem in the year 2000. People who had moved couldn't verify they were really registered. So this time around, city officials hope election monitors will pronounce the process glitch-free.

GARY STOF, ST. LOUIS GOP ELECTIONS DIRECTOR: It's extremely important in the City of St. Louis that we have a very efficient, well run election so that we can get past that perception that the City of St. Louis can't do its job in that regard.

PILGRIM: But some object to inviting international observers to put their seal of approval on elections in the world's oldest democracy. REP. JEFF MILLER (R), FLORIDA: I do contend that our election process is the best in the world and we do have redress for those that do have problems in that process.

PILGRIM: Earlier this year, 11 Democrats sent a letter to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, asking for the United Nations to provide election observers.

KELLY BATES, ECONOMIC HUMAN RIGHTS PROJECT: We need an outside, you know, neutral body that can come in and make sure that the elections are monitored and evaluated and that they're fair.

PILGRIM: The United Nations says the only way they would do it is if the president asked for it.

But another organization, the Vienna-based OSCE, a group that monitors elections and emerging democracies, is sending 100 observers. Some say that is highly inappropriate. The group observes deeply flawed elections in Third World countries. But in the U.S., the rule of law is established and the election system has its own checks and balances.

JOSHUA MURAVCHIK, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: That they should come and supervise our election is silly at best, and at worst it's quite destructive because it perpetuates this myth that it's impossible to tell a democratic country from a non-democratic country.

PILGRIM: Kitty Pilgrim, CNN.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: Well, doctors are calling it a miracle after two people survived a fiery plane crash in northern Missouri. Search crews recovered the last five bodies from the commuter plane crash. In all, 13 people were killed when the plane went down while attempting to land in Kirksville. But two survivors suffered only broken bones and a few burns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JOHN KROGH, COMMUTER CRASH SURVIVOR: Then all of a sudden there was just a crashing sound, which didn't really shock the plane too much. And as I thought back on it later, I'm sure that was a wing hitting a tree. And then within maybe, I don't know, two seconds, maybe later, big time crashes occurred as the plane went into the trees and sort of come apart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Well, investigators recovered the black boxes from the plane and they'll know soon enough, in a few weeks, what actually caused that crash, if it was mechanical.

Now, news across America right now.

Bad weather may be to blame for an air ambulance crash near Pensacola, Florida. The pilot and a crew member were killed and another is missing. The helicopter was on its way to pick up a critically ill patient when bad weather forced the pilot to try to return to the airport.

Speaking of airports, lax is getting a makeover. The Los Angeles City Council approved $11 billion in upgrades for the world's fifth busiest airport. The plan calls for a new transit hub and a state-of- the-art people mover. The changes would allow Los Angeles International Airport to handle 78 million passengers a year. It looks pretty good on a TV show.

Now, the Scott Peterson defense is going to the dogs. Testimony in this case is centered on Laci's dog and police dogs. One investigator testified police received a tip from a man who saw Laci walking her dog the day she disappeared. Prosecutors contend she had stopped walking the dog weeks before.

Still to come this morning, "Business Buzz." Another airline on the threshold of bankruptcy? That's at 13 past the hour.

And then, at half past, political hot topics. Teresa Heinz Kerry apologizes to the first lady. Will words of the wives, that's with a V, affect the election?

And the man we knew as Old Blue Eyes -- souvenirs from the archives of Frank Sinatra, at 6:50 Eastern. You can actually own copies of them.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: It's time now for a little "Business Buzz."

One discount airline warns it's running out of cash.

Carrie Lee reports.

She's at the Nasdaq market site in Times Square.

Are you talking Delta Airlines? Or is this somebody else?

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Delta is one of the few carriers, Carol, that has been losing money. Pretty much, in fact, everyone has. Delta, AMR, parent company of American, also Northwest all reporting losses for the recent quarter, all losing ground. Yesterday, ATA no exception. Now, of course, this carrier is a little smaller than the other three I just mentioned. But they're saying that their cash crunch has worsened since August. This is a carrier based out of Indianapolis. And now analysts are concerned that a Chapter 11 filing for bankruptcy protection could be coming close.

This is the third such warning by ATA in 18 months. The carrier is seeking a recovery strategy that could possibly include a merger. The company's stock, meanwhile, down about 22 percent yesterday. We'll see if there's any flow through today.

Speaking of flow through, we're keeping an eye on shares of eBay, which actually lost some ground late last night after giving its third quarter profit report. Not that the numbers were so bad, profits jumping more than 76 percent, but eBay, of course, considered one of the more financially conservative companies. They did boost their outlook for the rest of the year, provided bullish projections for 2005. But the stock has been such a high flier over the years, there's some concern that the company's very rapid growth pace may be slowing in future years.

So eBay a big one to watch today, Carol.

Futures across-the-board looking a bit weak. So we could see some selling at 9:30.

LIN: OK. In the world of markets, how can anyone be unhappy about 76 percent increase in profits?

LEE: Well, you know, it's all about the expectation here.

LIN: Oh, we should worry now.

LEE: Exactly. It's all about the expectation. And it's all about the expectation going forward especially. You know, the recent quarter is already factored into stock prices very often. What do they have to say going forward, what's next? You know, that's what Wall Street always wants to know.

LIN: Right. Everything is relative.

LEE: That's right.

LIN: Thanks, Carrie.

LEE: OK.

LIN: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It's now 15 past the hour and here's what's all new this morning.

The family of Margaret Hassan is pleading with her captors to let her go. The CARE director was abducted Tuesday in Baghdad. Hassan's husband says he is shocked since she isn't even involved in politics or religion in the region.

And a gas explosion in a coal mine in central China has killed 56 workers. Chinese officials say the fate of more than 90 others trapped inside the mine is unknown.

In money, more money troubles for Delta Airlines. Delta announced a $646 million loss in the third quarter. The airline also warned that a court supervised restructuring may be needed.

And in culture, Miss. America may be missing from network TV next year. ABC dropped the pageant from its schedule, citing poor ratings. The Miss. America pageant has been televised every year since 1954.

In sports, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros to force a game seven in the National League championship series. Jim Edmonds launched an extra inning home run to tie the series at three games apiece.

And in weather -- Orelon.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: Still to come, the thrills of the game, the champagne and the tears. The ride was just as emotional for the fans as the players. We're going to talk about that historical game.

And later, it's not even Halloween yet, but we have a forecast on holiday shopping.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: It's the day after one heck of a baseball play-off game. So let's not waste any time.

CNN sports contributor Chris Cotter is here with me this morning -- Chris.

CHRIS COTTER, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: Oh, what a night.

LIN: OK, I know, an amazing night. But you are the only person I've bumped into yet -- and, granted, it is a little early out here...

COTTER: Yes, very early.

LIN: ... who's actually not happy about the Sox winning.

COTTER: Well, I'm not a Sox fan and I'm not a Yankee fan. So I don't have, I really don't have a dog in that fight.

LIN: It's not a bias.

COTTER: Right. It's just I think baseball loses a little something when the Red Sox win and when they beat the Yankees. I think that there's a mystique around the fact that the Red Sox are lovable losers, in a sense, that the Yankees are the Evil Empire. They win and you hate them because they win and you want to see them lose, but then when they finally do lose, it's sort of like the day after Christmas a little bit. And you're not going to tell any Red Sox fan that right now, because they're still up from partying last night.

LIN: Right.

COTTER: And they're going to be up tomorrow and the next day and for weeks they're going to party on this. But at some point in time I think Red Sox fans, you know, probably come around March when spring training begins, they're going to say, they're going to take a deep breath and say now what do we do? LIN: No excuses.

COTTER: What -- yes, we've got no excuses. We have no curse anymore. But what we've been talking about and crying in our beer every night for the last 100 years, ever since 1918, is now not there anymore, that topic of conversation. We've beaten the Yankees. We beat them as bad as you can beat them.

LIN: Right.

COTTER: They were up 3-0...

LIN: Utter humiliation, I think, is what people are saying.

COTTER: We came -- in their house.

LIN: Yes.

COTTER: Yes. In Yankee Stadium.

LIN: Yes.

COTTER: We went there and beat them. And so we've finally gotten that over, you know, we've gotten over that hump. We've been building and building and building and now we've gotten over that hump. And that's how we identify ourselves, as the one that's trying to knock off the Evil Empire.

LIN: Right.

COTTER: Well, now that we've done it, now where do we go from here?

LIN: What's next?

All right, well, this is what the Yankee fans had to say last night. Can you imagine how they felt?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEREK JETER, YANKEES SHORTSTOP: We had four games there to win one. We didn't do it. They were better than us. You know, you can sit here and try to make excuses, but the bottom line is those guys didn't give up and they outplayed us.

KEVIN BROWN, YANKEES PITCHER: Short of trading the health of my family, I'd give anything to be there back and, you know, and do things differently and being, you know, to give this team a chance to win.

MARIANO RIVERA, YANKEES PITCHER: Yes, it is tough. It is tough, but, you know, what can we do? And so we are ready to just go home and relax, I guess.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Go home and relax. I don't think so. Was that a little tear forming in Derek Jeter's eyes?

COTTER: I don't know. These guys won a ton of them. I mean this is bad for them because they're supposed to win. They feel like they're supposed to win every time they go out there and lace 'em up. So it's tough for them. But it's important for the Red Sox, but I don't want to hear any Red Sox fan say hey this, that was our World Series, because that's a loser mentality.

LIN: Oh.

COTTER: I want a Red Sox fan to say I want Houston to win, I want Roger Clemens to come into Fenway and I want to beat Roger Clemens, because that's the icing on the cake. That's the other thing the Red Sox fans have to worry about. Roger Clemens, who may be the greatest Red Sox pitcher of all time, now wearing a Houston Astros cap, if he comes into Fenway and beats the Red Sox in Fenway, it's -- there's still going to be a little bit of a sour taste in their mouths, I think. That's the one I'm looking for. But that National League series has been phenomenal, too.

Just a quick note on that one, hadn't had a walk off home run in the National League championship series since 1986, when Lenny Dykstra did it. We've had two in a row now. Last night Jim Edmonds did it and then the night before we had Jeff Kent for Houston do it. So that series has been exciting, just as exciting. It goes into game seven tonight.

I think these two series, the ALCS and the NLCS, have been the two most exciting ones we've had since I can remember.

LIN: Yes.

COTTER: I cannot remember having two better series.

LIN: All right, we'll be talking about it on Monday.

COTTER: Oh, I'm looking forward to it so much.

LIN: Thanks, Chris.

All right, coming up, we're going to get back to that other big contest, the race for the White House. Senator Kerry shares his plans for those color-coded terror alerts with "Rolling Stone."

Also, his wife issues an apology.

And then, debating the faith factor. Will voters' politics be influenced by the pulpit?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Good morning.

From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin in for Carol Costello. Right now in the news, there could be yet another crisis over flu vaccines next year. The chief executive of one company that makes the vaccine says he cannot guarantee the company will be ready to meet next year's demand for flu shots.

And aviation investigators are reviewing the flight data recorders from the fatal crash of a commuter plane in Kirksville, Missouri. Just two of the 15 people on board survived Tuesday's crash.

In California, rescue crews resume searching this morning for eight missing hikers. They were caught in a blizzard that swept the Sierra Nevada.

This morning, American gymnast Paul Hamm will learn if he gets to keep his Olympic gold medal. The court of arbitration for sports will announce whether the gold medal stays with Hamm or goes to a South Korean gymnast.

Orelon, that would be a shame. You know, I know Paul Hamm's got to be pretty nervous about it because he's saying look, if they tell me to give it up, I'll give it up.

SIDNEY: Yes, I really hope that he gets to keep it, honestly, because that would be so discouraging. But just wait and see. I'm with you, though.

LIN: Yes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: It is getting down to the wire, folks. Just 12 more days until the presidential election and we've got a new poll for you. Gallup asked Kerry voters how they would feel if Bush wins reelection. 57 percent say very upset, 25 percent say somewhat upset, but 16 percent say they will not be upset at all.

Gallup put the same question to Bush supporters, how would you feel if Kerry wins? Half say very upset, 33 percent say somewhat upset and 17 percent say they will not be upset.

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