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CNN Live At Daybreak

Wisconsin Tug-of-War; Nuclear Standoff; Japan Aftershocks; Gaza Plan; Playing in Pain; Battle for New Hampshire; Shortage Stress

Aired October 25, 2004 - 05:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news -- Defusing nuclear tensions, that's topping Secretary of State Colin Powell's agenda this morning. Powell is in Beijing. He's urging the Chinese leader to push North Korea to resume talks on its disputed nuclear program.

In Virginia, officials are trying to find out what caused a plane crash that killed all 10 people on board. The twin engine plane, owned by a top stock car racing team, was heading to a race.

Some of you seem to be feeling a bit more charitable lately. A survey says donations to the nation's biggest charities rose slightly last year. Donations fell in 2002, the first drop in a decade.

To the Forecast Center, Jacqui Jeras in for Chad this morning.

Good morning -- Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol. Good morning, everybody.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: It was foggy this morning coming in to work.

JERAS: Yes, it was almost eerie, wasn't it?

COSTELLO: It was eerie.

JERAS: Halloween is coming.

COSTELLO: I love Halloween. What are you going as?

JERAS: We're going to be kind of Royal family. My daughter thinks she's a princess, so my son is going to be a frog prince and my husband and I will be king and queen.

COSTELLO: I love that. I can't wait to see the pictures.

JERAS: I don't know if I'll bring them, but we're going to do it.

COSTELLO: Thanks -- Jacqui. JERAS: OK.

COSTELLO: The election is just a week and a day away. The polls open in eight days, and this is the last full week for the candidates to push their agendas and pick up those crucial undecided voters.

Over the weekend, Senator John Kerry picked up these four big newspaper endorsements, "The Washington Post," "The Chicago Sun Times," "The Des Moines Register" in the battleground state of Iowa and "The Orlando Sentinel," a major Florida newspaper that backed Bush in the year 2000.

Kerry also picked up the biggest Democratic gun. Former President Bill Clinton will join Kerry at a rally in Philadelphia. That will happen later today.

And speaking of big guns, the Governator is something for President George Bush. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will join the president for a trip through Ohio late this week. Schwarzenegger is a popular Republican among moderates. A new poll shows Bush trailing Kerry by four states or four points, rather, in the Buckeye state.

Wisconsin is another battleground state where the candidates are in a tug-of-war over undecided voters.

Our Richard Quest, who lives in London, is in the States looking at the presidential race. He brings us this view from Madison and the campus of the University of Wisconsin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a political tug-of-war, quite literally. In the last few days before this bruising election, Republicans and Democrat students like to get a bit physical.

Wisconsin is another of these battleground states. The university here at Madison is a giant with more than 40,000 students. In the 1960s, the campus blew up in riots against the Vietnam War. Today's students are far more moderate.

(on camera): This country is divided and yet on these campuses, business as normal?

PROF. JAMES COOPER, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN: I think the students themselves are of, first of all, they're of mixed minds. Many of them are of mixed minds, the ones who are in the middle. And I'm not sure there is any one issue yet that really brings it out, that really they feel a stake in. But there is a potential issue. There is something that could do it. If you want to see Madison look again the way it did in the late 1960s at that one time, head up, activist, leaning left: the draft.

QUEST: (voice-over): So Professor Cooper invited me to meet his politic students. (on camera): How many of you in this room are politically active in this election? Do we agree it's about 30, 40 percent?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is like a big division between Republicans, Democrats. And I think that with the issues in Iraq there is people are just really angry, and especially like I think that people are more politically active this election than they have been in a really long time.

QUEST: What are you worried about?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm worried that the war kind of sets a precedent that America can pick a fight wherever it wants to and doesn't really need an active cause to go around fighting (ph) people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're all 19, so it's like the first time I actually get to make a difference.

QUEST (voice-over): And back at the homecoming picnic, one candidate that could probably sweep the university, Bucky, the university mascot.

(on camera): What are your policies, Bucky?

(voice-over): A giant badger for president. Now there's a thought.

Richard Quest, CNN, Madison, Wisconsin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: What an image, Richard Quest talking to a giant badger.

Time to get serious now. Getting North Korea to the table, getting relief to Japan and getting Israel out of Gaza. Those are some of the issues as we take you live around the world this morning.

Our Mike Chinoy is in Beijing and so is Secretary of State Colin Powell. He's trying to defuse the nuclear standoff with North Korea.

In northern Japan, the death toll is rising after a series of earthquakes and the region is still shaking. Atika Shubert is in Tokyo with the latest.

And finally we will take you to Jerusalem and our Guy Raz. Israeli lawmakers are debating how to get out of Gaza, but Israeli troops are moving in.

And we start, though, with Mike Chinoy in Beijing.

Good morning -- Mike.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well Secretary of State Powell has now wound up his visit here. He's on his way to South Korea. He met with China's top leaders, trying to enlist their support to pressure North Korea to return to those six-party negotiations, that form aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis.

The Chinese and the U.S. in this one are on the same page that both countries want to see the talks resume. But the big question is will the North Koreans play? And from what Secretary of State was saying today, it's far from clear they will. He again ruled out any direct bilateral dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea. That's been a key North Korean condition for returning to the six-party forum.

I sat down a little while ago and spoke with him at some length about this. He told me there is no red line in the Bush administration, no point beyond which, if North Korea goes in its nuclear program, it would trigger a conflict. He said that the Bush administration has not ruled any options out, but that the president's preference is very much to resolve it diplomatically.

Secretary of State took a dig at Democratic presidential contender John Kerry, who has promised if he is elected that he will begin direct bilateral talks. Mr. Powell saying that the North Koreans would be rubbing their hands at the opportunity to be -- in his words -- "rewarded for their bad behavior by a resumption of American dialogue." Secretary of State suggesting that Senator Kerry, if he won the election, would in fact not pursue that policy -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Mike Chinoy, live in Beijing this morning, thank you.

Now on to Japan where another strong aftershock has rattled the quake-ravaged north. Our Atika Shubert is in Tokyo.

Hello -- Atika.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well authorities say the death toll has risen, at least 25 people have been killed by the series of earthquakes, more than 1,000 injured. At the moment, tens of thousands of residents in Niigata Prefecture are now sheltering there in schools, gyms, any public space where they can set up camp over the next few days.

In the meantime, authorities are struggling to get the relief supplies that these residents need. They're having a tough time because roads are severely damaged, cracked open by the earthquake.

In the meantime, also, authorities are warning residents not to go home just yet, even if their homes are still standing, because of structural damage. Several houses collapsed under the earthquake and now several more are partly destroyed or damaged. And they're worried that because aftershocks are still continuing today, any tremor might bring some of those damaged buildings tumbling down. So asking residents to just hold out a bit longer, camping out and wait for the all clear before they go home -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Atika Shubert, thank you. On to Jerusalem now where Israeli lawmakers are starting to debate Ariel Sharon's plan to pull out of Gaza. Our Guy Raz has the latest on that.

Hello -- Guy.

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning.

If anything, since Israel announced its plan to evacuate from Gaza, the violence has increased in the area. Palestinian fighters were hoping to show that they will force the Israeli settlers and soldiers out of the area. The Israeli government wanting to show that it's not withdrawing under fire.

Now in the past several hours, at least 11 Palestinians have been killed, 40 others wounded, in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, mainly around central Gaza. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli armored vehicles entered that refugee camp, Israel says to stop mortar attacks on nearby Jewish settlements.

Now meanwhile, as the violence goes on unabated in Gaza, a different drama is playing out inside Israel itself. In less than five hours time, the Israeli parliament will begin a marathon 24-hour session to begin debating Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to evacuate all Jewish settlements from Gaza and four smaller settlements from the West Bank by the end of next year.

Now opinion polls in the country, Carol, show that Mr. Sharon has the support of the majority of the public, and government officials say he will win this vote in the parliament. And if in fact it is carried out, it would be the first time in 22 years that Israel withdrawals from a territory that it's occupied since 1967. The last time, Carol, was in 1982 when Israel withdrew from Sinai after striking a peace deal with Egypt -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Guy Raz, live in Jerusalem, thank you.

We're down to just nine days and counting until the presidential election. Eleven states still considered toss-ups. Both candidates hitting those states as hard and fast as they can.

And the Red Sox and the Cardinals flying back to St. Louis down 2-0. Larry Smith has a World Series wrap-up in four minutes.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The World Series always brings out the best in baseball, and this year is no exception. Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling led his team to victory in Game 2 while playing through terrible pain. Could his performance be the inspiration that leads the Sox to their first championship in 86 years? Can it break the curse?

CNN Sports Larry Smith has the story for you from Boston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For weeks Curt Schilling has pitched with an injured ankle that won't heal without an operation. But Sunday, a problematic extra stitch in the ankle almost kept the Red Sox ace off the mound.

CURT SCHILLING, GAME 2 WINNING PITCHER: I, honest to God, did not think I was going to take the ball today. I didn't think I could. And then everything starts happening. You start looking around at your teammates and understanding what you've been through over the last eight months.

SMITH: Relying on the work of the team doctors and his faith, Schilling threw six strong innings, handcuffing a powerful Cardinal line up while sidestepping a Boston defense that committed four errors for the second straight night.

SCHILLING: Regardless of what happens in my career, I'll never get the feeling like that ever again in my life that I had tonight.

KEITH FOULKE, RED SOX RELIEF PITCHER: It takes a lot of guts, you know. You know it says that you know in no matter how much pain he's in, that he wants to go out there and help this ball club win. And you know that gives us a lot of inspiration.

KEVIN MILLAR, RED SOX FIRST BASEMAN: Tremendous. I mean he's a tremendous professional. The most committed pitcher you'll ever see. And this guy is going out there and grinding it out for us. And he gave us six strong innings again tonight.

SMITH (on camera): Schilling won't pitch in the games in St. Louis to rest the ankle, but the Sox aren't ruling him out should the series return to Fenway Park for a Game 6 next weekend. The Red Sox say they would rather simply get two wins in three games on the road this week and return home with the long awaited World Series title.

Larry Smith, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

A huge cache of explosives powerful enough to demolish buildings is reportedly missing in Iraq. "The New York Times" reports Iraq's interim government warned the Bush administration that almost 400 tons of conventional explosives vanished from a former military facility south of Baghdad. That site was supposed to be under U.S. military control. Just a few minutes ago, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed "The Times" report.

Hundreds of Americans are taking a ferry ride to Canada to get a flu shot. It's a deal they can't refuse. A round-trip boat ride from Seattle, Washington to Vancouver for $105, flu shot included. In money news, crude oil jumped to another record high today. U.S. crude oil futures rose to more than $55.63 per barrel.

In culture, the horror flick, "The Grudge," starring Sarah Michelle Gellar topped the box office with $40 million. "Shark Tale" dropped to second place after three straight weeks on top.

In sports, it was just another Sunday for the New England Patriots. Can you believe this team? The Pats beat the New York Jets, who were undefeated by the way. They beat them 13 to 7 to extend their record-winning streak to 21 games. They have not lost since September 28 of last year.

To the Forecast Center and Jacqui Jeras.

JERAS: What would that feel like?

COSTELLO: I would feel good.

JERAS: It would feel good. They're waking up happy this morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Jacqui.

Those are the latest headlines for you.

The presidential candidates are blazing the campaign trail. First stop for George Bush this morning is a rally in Greeley, Colorado. Later, he's got two rallies in Iowa, one in Council Bluffs, the other in Davenport. And the president will overnight in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Senator John Kerry kicks off his day with an event in Dover, New Hampshire this morning. Later, he heads to Philadelphia for a rally with former President Bill Clinton. And then Kerry is off to war in Michigan for another rally. He ends the day with a nighttime rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Every electoral vote certainly counts. The battleground state of New Hampshire has four electoral votes. Bush won the state by just over 1 percent in the year 2000. Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton are the only Democrats to win New Hampshire since 1948. The governor is Craig Benson who is a Republican.

We take you live to New Hampshire now. Our favorite WOKQ Morning Waking Crew, Mark Ericson and Danielle Carrier join us now.

Good morning -- Mark and Danielle.

MARK ERICSON, WOKQ MORNING WAKING CREW, PORTSMOUTH & MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Good morning, Carol.

DANIELLE CARRIER, WOKQ MORNING WAKING CREW, PORTSMOUTH & MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Good morning. COSTELLO: So Kerry is in your state again.

ERICSON: Yes, he is.

CARRIER: Yes, he is.

ERICSON: Second time in the month of October.

CARRIER: He seems to be focusing a lot on some of the votes that weren't represented in 2000, which is women and college students.

COSTELLO: Everybody wants the women vote this time.

CARRIER: Yes.

COSTELLO: But are the people of New Hampshire getting sick of both candidates visiting so often?

ERICSON: I don't think so. There's a level of excitement, not only for the candidates, but in some instances...

CARRIER: Well we feel special.

ERICSON: ... some instances, for their surrogates as well and some of their guests. The last time Senator Kerry was in state, he was talking about stem cell research and actor Michael J. Fox was with him.

I also have to tell you, Senator Kerry almost, almost upstaged himself yesterday in Nashua. Stumping for Senator Kerry was Red Sox owner Tom Werner. So that was a very popular rally just a few hours before Game 2 last night...

COSTELLO: You know I'm going to make a guess and guess that more people attended that rally than will attend John Kerry's rally today.

CARRIER: This week, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: You know, though, in talking about how many times the candidates have been in swing states or important states where they want the electoral votes, I know that the city of Cleveland, it was getting so expensive to provide security, it actually sent a bill for security to both the Republican and Democratic Parties.

CARRIER: Wow!

ERICSON: It's a very difficult situation. I know that just last week when Laura Bush was in state, that has a tendency to mess up highways and toll booths and traffic patterns for security reasons.

COSTELLO: Well let's talk about your personal space. I mean Kerry is going to appear four miles down the road, so what's that going to be like around your station?

ERICSON: Well,...

CARRIER: I'm going shopping.

(LAUGHTER)

CARRIER: I'm going to avoid that whole area, because it does get very congested, especially in, and I'm not going to say in a smaller town, but in a more condensed town, like Dover.

ERICSON: And he will be at the high school this morning. They have got it relatively well contained. And all of these events, the closer we get to the election, they're actually making the public show up fairly early. Most folks actually have to be in the doors, probably about an hour before the settler (ph) makes his actual appearance.

CARRIER: Right. And for the most part, they do actually a very good job of rerouting traffic and taking care of crowd control.

COSTELLO: That's because they're getting so used to it by now.

ERICSON: That's true.

CARRIER: We're becoming old hat, yes, yes, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: You know it's interesting it's in a high school. As for the students, they must be quite excited no matter which candidate they are pulling for. Of course most of them can't vote anyway.

CARRIER: Most of them can't vote, but a lot of schools do hold their own mock election. So this still is very exciting for a lot of them.

ERICSON: And Kerry's speech today at a little after 8:00 in Dover is planning on keying in on some very New Hampshire-specific things. Health insurance premiums in New Hampshire, the senator says those have gone up.

CARRIER: Yes, college tuition.

ERICSON: College tuition in the state, as well as unemployment figures, specifically for women, in this state. And of course the senator is going to lay a lot of the blame on the Bush administration.

COSTELLO: Of course, it goes without saying.

Mark and Danielle, that's the way the game is played.

ERICSON: Yes.

COSTELLO: Mark and Danielle, thanks so much for joining us live this morning on DAYBREAK.

CARRIER: Thanks, Carol. ERICSON: Thank you -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Some people are getting panicky because of the shortage of the flu virus vaccine. But is there really a cause for concern?

This is DAYBREAK for a Monday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Stay calm, that's the advice of federal health officials amid the flu vaccine shortage. They also say more vaccine is on the way.

But as CNN's Denise Belgrave reports, a lot of people are still worried.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Actual threat or not, the idea of not being prepared for the flu season is enough to send chills down the spines of thousands of Americans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need all of us to take a deep breath.

BELGRAVE: But many people, and especially those in high-risk groups, are holding their breath waiting to see if the vaccine shortage will be relieved anytime soon.

DR. NANCY COX, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: Not all of it has been distributed yet. And not everyone realizes that there's vaccine on the way. And that if they don't get it this week, it's not a tragedy, because there will be more available next week, and the week after, and the week after.

BELGRAVE: One California woman died of heat exhaustion while standing in line for the vaccine. Others across the country have also endured hours online, waiting for something that may or may not help them.

COX: We cannot predict with certainty what level of influenza activity will be occurring, or how long the season will be, when it will start. Any of these, we cannot predict with certainty. All of these questions that are on people's minds.

BELGRAVE: And what's on people's minds? An Associated Press poll out this weekend, shows the flu vaccine shortage is causing widespread concern among those with a high-risk relative. And that's four in every ten American families. And the fear of not knowing whether people can get the vaccine has triggered reactions like severe price gouging, shouting matches, stolen vaccine, and even new criminal penalties for breaking the rules.

Social psychologist, Corey Keyes, sees the problem as something more than medical. DR. COREY KEYES, EMORY UNIVERSITY: We've created a culture of medicine in our society. And that is, we have come to expect that there will be a fix for any problem that could come around. And here we have a potential problem, and Americans are demanding a fix before it's actually happened.

BELGRAVE: And that way of thinking is something all the vaccine in the world can't change.

Denise Belgrave, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address, cnn.com/health.

The presidential candidates canvass the country. And with eight days and counting until the big election, the Bush and Kerry camps bring out the big gun.

This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired October 25, 2004 - 05:30   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, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news -- Defusing nuclear tensions, that's topping Secretary of State Colin Powell's agenda this morning. Powell is in Beijing. He's urging the Chinese leader to push North Korea to resume talks on its disputed nuclear program.

In Virginia, officials are trying to find out what caused a plane crash that killed all 10 people on board. The twin engine plane, owned by a top stock car racing team, was heading to a race.

Some of you seem to be feeling a bit more charitable lately. A survey says donations to the nation's biggest charities rose slightly last year. Donations fell in 2002, the first drop in a decade.

To the Forecast Center, Jacqui Jeras in for Chad this morning.

Good morning -- Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol. Good morning, everybody.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: It was foggy this morning coming in to work.

JERAS: Yes, it was almost eerie, wasn't it?

COSTELLO: It was eerie.

JERAS: Halloween is coming.

COSTELLO: I love Halloween. What are you going as?

JERAS: We're going to be kind of Royal family. My daughter thinks she's a princess, so my son is going to be a frog prince and my husband and I will be king and queen.

COSTELLO: I love that. I can't wait to see the pictures.

JERAS: I don't know if I'll bring them, but we're going to do it.

COSTELLO: Thanks -- Jacqui. JERAS: OK.

COSTELLO: The election is just a week and a day away. The polls open in eight days, and this is the last full week for the candidates to push their agendas and pick up those crucial undecided voters.

Over the weekend, Senator John Kerry picked up these four big newspaper endorsements, "The Washington Post," "The Chicago Sun Times," "The Des Moines Register" in the battleground state of Iowa and "The Orlando Sentinel," a major Florida newspaper that backed Bush in the year 2000.

Kerry also picked up the biggest Democratic gun. Former President Bill Clinton will join Kerry at a rally in Philadelphia. That will happen later today.

And speaking of big guns, the Governator is something for President George Bush. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will join the president for a trip through Ohio late this week. Schwarzenegger is a popular Republican among moderates. A new poll shows Bush trailing Kerry by four states or four points, rather, in the Buckeye state.

Wisconsin is another battleground state where the candidates are in a tug-of-war over undecided voters.

Our Richard Quest, who lives in London, is in the States looking at the presidential race. He brings us this view from Madison and the campus of the University of Wisconsin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a political tug-of-war, quite literally. In the last few days before this bruising election, Republicans and Democrat students like to get a bit physical.

Wisconsin is another of these battleground states. The university here at Madison is a giant with more than 40,000 students. In the 1960s, the campus blew up in riots against the Vietnam War. Today's students are far more moderate.

(on camera): This country is divided and yet on these campuses, business as normal?

PROF. JAMES COOPER, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN: I think the students themselves are of, first of all, they're of mixed minds. Many of them are of mixed minds, the ones who are in the middle. And I'm not sure there is any one issue yet that really brings it out, that really they feel a stake in. But there is a potential issue. There is something that could do it. If you want to see Madison look again the way it did in the late 1960s at that one time, head up, activist, leaning left: the draft.

QUEST: (voice-over): So Professor Cooper invited me to meet his politic students. (on camera): How many of you in this room are politically active in this election? Do we agree it's about 30, 40 percent?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is like a big division between Republicans, Democrats. And I think that with the issues in Iraq there is people are just really angry, and especially like I think that people are more politically active this election than they have been in a really long time.

QUEST: What are you worried about?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm worried that the war kind of sets a precedent that America can pick a fight wherever it wants to and doesn't really need an active cause to go around fighting (ph) people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're all 19, so it's like the first time I actually get to make a difference.

QUEST (voice-over): And back at the homecoming picnic, one candidate that could probably sweep the university, Bucky, the university mascot.

(on camera): What are your policies, Bucky?

(voice-over): A giant badger for president. Now there's a thought.

Richard Quest, CNN, Madison, Wisconsin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: What an image, Richard Quest talking to a giant badger.

Time to get serious now. Getting North Korea to the table, getting relief to Japan and getting Israel out of Gaza. Those are some of the issues as we take you live around the world this morning.

Our Mike Chinoy is in Beijing and so is Secretary of State Colin Powell. He's trying to defuse the nuclear standoff with North Korea.

In northern Japan, the death toll is rising after a series of earthquakes and the region is still shaking. Atika Shubert is in Tokyo with the latest.

And finally we will take you to Jerusalem and our Guy Raz. Israeli lawmakers are debating how to get out of Gaza, but Israeli troops are moving in.

And we start, though, with Mike Chinoy in Beijing.

Good morning -- Mike.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well Secretary of State Powell has now wound up his visit here. He's on his way to South Korea. He met with China's top leaders, trying to enlist their support to pressure North Korea to return to those six-party negotiations, that form aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis.

The Chinese and the U.S. in this one are on the same page that both countries want to see the talks resume. But the big question is will the North Koreans play? And from what Secretary of State was saying today, it's far from clear they will. He again ruled out any direct bilateral dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea. That's been a key North Korean condition for returning to the six-party forum.

I sat down a little while ago and spoke with him at some length about this. He told me there is no red line in the Bush administration, no point beyond which, if North Korea goes in its nuclear program, it would trigger a conflict. He said that the Bush administration has not ruled any options out, but that the president's preference is very much to resolve it diplomatically.

Secretary of State took a dig at Democratic presidential contender John Kerry, who has promised if he is elected that he will begin direct bilateral talks. Mr. Powell saying that the North Koreans would be rubbing their hands at the opportunity to be -- in his words -- "rewarded for their bad behavior by a resumption of American dialogue." Secretary of State suggesting that Senator Kerry, if he won the election, would in fact not pursue that policy -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Mike Chinoy, live in Beijing this morning, thank you.

Now on to Japan where another strong aftershock has rattled the quake-ravaged north. Our Atika Shubert is in Tokyo.

Hello -- Atika.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well authorities say the death toll has risen, at least 25 people have been killed by the series of earthquakes, more than 1,000 injured. At the moment, tens of thousands of residents in Niigata Prefecture are now sheltering there in schools, gyms, any public space where they can set up camp over the next few days.

In the meantime, authorities are struggling to get the relief supplies that these residents need. They're having a tough time because roads are severely damaged, cracked open by the earthquake.

In the meantime, also, authorities are warning residents not to go home just yet, even if their homes are still standing, because of structural damage. Several houses collapsed under the earthquake and now several more are partly destroyed or damaged. And they're worried that because aftershocks are still continuing today, any tremor might bring some of those damaged buildings tumbling down. So asking residents to just hold out a bit longer, camping out and wait for the all clear before they go home -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Atika Shubert, thank you. On to Jerusalem now where Israeli lawmakers are starting to debate Ariel Sharon's plan to pull out of Gaza. Our Guy Raz has the latest on that.

Hello -- Guy.

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning.

If anything, since Israel announced its plan to evacuate from Gaza, the violence has increased in the area. Palestinian fighters were hoping to show that they will force the Israeli settlers and soldiers out of the area. The Israeli government wanting to show that it's not withdrawing under fire.

Now in the past several hours, at least 11 Palestinians have been killed, 40 others wounded, in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, mainly around central Gaza. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli armored vehicles entered that refugee camp, Israel says to stop mortar attacks on nearby Jewish settlements.

Now meanwhile, as the violence goes on unabated in Gaza, a different drama is playing out inside Israel itself. In less than five hours time, the Israeli parliament will begin a marathon 24-hour session to begin debating Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to evacuate all Jewish settlements from Gaza and four smaller settlements from the West Bank by the end of next year.

Now opinion polls in the country, Carol, show that Mr. Sharon has the support of the majority of the public, and government officials say he will win this vote in the parliament. And if in fact it is carried out, it would be the first time in 22 years that Israel withdrawals from a territory that it's occupied since 1967. The last time, Carol, was in 1982 when Israel withdrew from Sinai after striking a peace deal with Egypt -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Guy Raz, live in Jerusalem, thank you.

We're down to just nine days and counting until the presidential election. Eleven states still considered toss-ups. Both candidates hitting those states as hard and fast as they can.

And the Red Sox and the Cardinals flying back to St. Louis down 2-0. Larry Smith has a World Series wrap-up in four minutes.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The World Series always brings out the best in baseball, and this year is no exception. Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling led his team to victory in Game 2 while playing through terrible pain. Could his performance be the inspiration that leads the Sox to their first championship in 86 years? Can it break the curse?

CNN Sports Larry Smith has the story for you from Boston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For weeks Curt Schilling has pitched with an injured ankle that won't heal without an operation. But Sunday, a problematic extra stitch in the ankle almost kept the Red Sox ace off the mound.

CURT SCHILLING, GAME 2 WINNING PITCHER: I, honest to God, did not think I was going to take the ball today. I didn't think I could. And then everything starts happening. You start looking around at your teammates and understanding what you've been through over the last eight months.

SMITH: Relying on the work of the team doctors and his faith, Schilling threw six strong innings, handcuffing a powerful Cardinal line up while sidestepping a Boston defense that committed four errors for the second straight night.

SCHILLING: Regardless of what happens in my career, I'll never get the feeling like that ever again in my life that I had tonight.

KEITH FOULKE, RED SOX RELIEF PITCHER: It takes a lot of guts, you know. You know it says that you know in no matter how much pain he's in, that he wants to go out there and help this ball club win. And you know that gives us a lot of inspiration.

KEVIN MILLAR, RED SOX FIRST BASEMAN: Tremendous. I mean he's a tremendous professional. The most committed pitcher you'll ever see. And this guy is going out there and grinding it out for us. And he gave us six strong innings again tonight.

SMITH (on camera): Schilling won't pitch in the games in St. Louis to rest the ankle, but the Sox aren't ruling him out should the series return to Fenway Park for a Game 6 next weekend. The Red Sox say they would rather simply get two wins in three games on the road this week and return home with the long awaited World Series title.

Larry Smith, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

A huge cache of explosives powerful enough to demolish buildings is reportedly missing in Iraq. "The New York Times" reports Iraq's interim government warned the Bush administration that almost 400 tons of conventional explosives vanished from a former military facility south of Baghdad. That site was supposed to be under U.S. military control. Just a few minutes ago, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed "The Times" report.

Hundreds of Americans are taking a ferry ride to Canada to get a flu shot. It's a deal they can't refuse. A round-trip boat ride from Seattle, Washington to Vancouver for $105, flu shot included. In money news, crude oil jumped to another record high today. U.S. crude oil futures rose to more than $55.63 per barrel.

In culture, the horror flick, "The Grudge," starring Sarah Michelle Gellar topped the box office with $40 million. "Shark Tale" dropped to second place after three straight weeks on top.

In sports, it was just another Sunday for the New England Patriots. Can you believe this team? The Pats beat the New York Jets, who were undefeated by the way. They beat them 13 to 7 to extend their record-winning streak to 21 games. They have not lost since September 28 of last year.

To the Forecast Center and Jacqui Jeras.

JERAS: What would that feel like?

COSTELLO: I would feel good.

JERAS: It would feel good. They're waking up happy this morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Jacqui.

Those are the latest headlines for you.

The presidential candidates are blazing the campaign trail. First stop for George Bush this morning is a rally in Greeley, Colorado. Later, he's got two rallies in Iowa, one in Council Bluffs, the other in Davenport. And the president will overnight in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Senator John Kerry kicks off his day with an event in Dover, New Hampshire this morning. Later, he heads to Philadelphia for a rally with former President Bill Clinton. And then Kerry is off to war in Michigan for another rally. He ends the day with a nighttime rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Every electoral vote certainly counts. The battleground state of New Hampshire has four electoral votes. Bush won the state by just over 1 percent in the year 2000. Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton are the only Democrats to win New Hampshire since 1948. The governor is Craig Benson who is a Republican.

We take you live to New Hampshire now. Our favorite WOKQ Morning Waking Crew, Mark Ericson and Danielle Carrier join us now.

Good morning -- Mark and Danielle.

MARK ERICSON, WOKQ MORNING WAKING CREW, PORTSMOUTH & MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Good morning, Carol.

DANIELLE CARRIER, WOKQ MORNING WAKING CREW, PORTSMOUTH & MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Good morning. COSTELLO: So Kerry is in your state again.

ERICSON: Yes, he is.

CARRIER: Yes, he is.

ERICSON: Second time in the month of October.

CARRIER: He seems to be focusing a lot on some of the votes that weren't represented in 2000, which is women and college students.

COSTELLO: Everybody wants the women vote this time.

CARRIER: Yes.

COSTELLO: But are the people of New Hampshire getting sick of both candidates visiting so often?

ERICSON: I don't think so. There's a level of excitement, not only for the candidates, but in some instances...

CARRIER: Well we feel special.

ERICSON: ... some instances, for their surrogates as well and some of their guests. The last time Senator Kerry was in state, he was talking about stem cell research and actor Michael J. Fox was with him.

I also have to tell you, Senator Kerry almost, almost upstaged himself yesterday in Nashua. Stumping for Senator Kerry was Red Sox owner Tom Werner. So that was a very popular rally just a few hours before Game 2 last night...

COSTELLO: You know I'm going to make a guess and guess that more people attended that rally than will attend John Kerry's rally today.

CARRIER: This week, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: You know, though, in talking about how many times the candidates have been in swing states or important states where they want the electoral votes, I know that the city of Cleveland, it was getting so expensive to provide security, it actually sent a bill for security to both the Republican and Democratic Parties.

CARRIER: Wow!

ERICSON: It's a very difficult situation. I know that just last week when Laura Bush was in state, that has a tendency to mess up highways and toll booths and traffic patterns for security reasons.

COSTELLO: Well let's talk about your personal space. I mean Kerry is going to appear four miles down the road, so what's that going to be like around your station?

ERICSON: Well,...

CARRIER: I'm going shopping.

(LAUGHTER)

CARRIER: I'm going to avoid that whole area, because it does get very congested, especially in, and I'm not going to say in a smaller town, but in a more condensed town, like Dover.

ERICSON: And he will be at the high school this morning. They have got it relatively well contained. And all of these events, the closer we get to the election, they're actually making the public show up fairly early. Most folks actually have to be in the doors, probably about an hour before the settler (ph) makes his actual appearance.

CARRIER: Right. And for the most part, they do actually a very good job of rerouting traffic and taking care of crowd control.

COSTELLO: That's because they're getting so used to it by now.

ERICSON: That's true.

CARRIER: We're becoming old hat, yes, yes, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: You know it's interesting it's in a high school. As for the students, they must be quite excited no matter which candidate they are pulling for. Of course most of them can't vote anyway.

CARRIER: Most of them can't vote, but a lot of schools do hold their own mock election. So this still is very exciting for a lot of them.

ERICSON: And Kerry's speech today at a little after 8:00 in Dover is planning on keying in on some very New Hampshire-specific things. Health insurance premiums in New Hampshire, the senator says those have gone up.

CARRIER: Yes, college tuition.

ERICSON: College tuition in the state, as well as unemployment figures, specifically for women, in this state. And of course the senator is going to lay a lot of the blame on the Bush administration.

COSTELLO: Of course, it goes without saying.

Mark and Danielle, that's the way the game is played.

ERICSON: Yes.

COSTELLO: Mark and Danielle, thanks so much for joining us live this morning on DAYBREAK.

CARRIER: Thanks, Carol. ERICSON: Thank you -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Some people are getting panicky because of the shortage of the flu virus vaccine. But is there really a cause for concern?

This is DAYBREAK for a Monday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Stay calm, that's the advice of federal health officials amid the flu vaccine shortage. They also say more vaccine is on the way.

But as CNN's Denise Belgrave reports, a lot of people are still worried.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Actual threat or not, the idea of not being prepared for the flu season is enough to send chills down the spines of thousands of Americans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need all of us to take a deep breath.

BELGRAVE: But many people, and especially those in high-risk groups, are holding their breath waiting to see if the vaccine shortage will be relieved anytime soon.

DR. NANCY COX, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: Not all of it has been distributed yet. And not everyone realizes that there's vaccine on the way. And that if they don't get it this week, it's not a tragedy, because there will be more available next week, and the week after, and the week after.

BELGRAVE: One California woman died of heat exhaustion while standing in line for the vaccine. Others across the country have also endured hours online, waiting for something that may or may not help them.

COX: We cannot predict with certainty what level of influenza activity will be occurring, or how long the season will be, when it will start. Any of these, we cannot predict with certainty. All of these questions that are on people's minds.

BELGRAVE: And what's on people's minds? An Associated Press poll out this weekend, shows the flu vaccine shortage is causing widespread concern among those with a high-risk relative. And that's four in every ten American families. And the fear of not knowing whether people can get the vaccine has triggered reactions like severe price gouging, shouting matches, stolen vaccine, and even new criminal penalties for breaking the rules.

Social psychologist, Corey Keyes, sees the problem as something more than medical. DR. COREY KEYES, EMORY UNIVERSITY: We've created a culture of medicine in our society. And that is, we have come to expect that there will be a fix for any problem that could come around. And here we have a potential problem, and Americans are demanding a fix before it's actually happened.

BELGRAVE: And that way of thinking is something all the vaccine in the world can't change.

Denise Belgrave, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address, cnn.com/health.

The presidential candidates canvass the country. And with eight days and counting until the big election, the Bush and Kerry camps bring out the big gun.

This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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