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CNN Live At Daybreak

Battleground Michigan; Nuclear Standoff; Historic Vote; Rehnquist Cancer; Political Face-Off

Aired October 26, 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 -- North Korea is saying no thanks to nuclear talks. That's despite pleas from Secretary of State Colin Powell who is on a trip to Asia. The communist nation says it would be impossible to restart the talks at this time.

Back here in the States, some tougher border security rules take effect today, travelers from more than 20 nations must now have passports with coding that can be read by a machine.

A plea hearing in Virginia today for convicted sniper Lee Malvo. He is already serving a life term for one of the Washington area sniper shootings. Malvo is now facing charges in two of the other attacks.

In sports, the Cardinals are hoping to ruffle some feathers today. The World Series shifts to St. Louis for Game 3. The Boston Red Sox up two games to nothing.

To the Forecast Center now and Jacqui.

Good morning.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

JERAS: So, almost feeling like summer here -- Carol?

COSTELLO: That sounds nice. Thank you, Jacqui.

The final week before Election Day and a final push for voters in some battleground states. John Kerry continues a campaign swing in Wisconsin this morning. Then he'll head to Nevada and New Mexico. Kerry arrived at a rally in Wisconsin actually late last night.

He's campaigning in Green Bay this morning as he tries to snag Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes. Wisconsin had the nation's second highest voter turnout in the year 2000. The Kerry camp believes another healthy turnout there and elsewhere will favor the Democratic ticket.

Kerry's running mate John Edwards tells CNN he's looking for long lines on Election Day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: More people who vote, the more likely that John Kerry will be elected president. And I made passing reference to this earlier, but I meant it and want to say it again, you know probably one of the best tests for how we're doing on Election Day is if -- I heard a pollster say this -- if you look on Election Day at a long line, number one, at the polls.

And then, number two, there are a lot of young people in that line, then the odds are John Kerry will be the next president of the United States. And I believe that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: George Bush is hoping to prove John Edwards wrong. The president is visiting three western Wisconsin towns today. It's a push to win the state he lost to Al Gore by fewer than 6,000 votes in 2000. Bush then heads to another battleground, Iowa, where he has a late afternoon rally.

In the meantime, Bush's running mate faced a tough question on the campaign trail. Dick Cheney told a town hall meeting in Ohio that the Iraq war has been a remarkable success story despite continuing insurgent attacks. But one woman from the audience wanted more from the vice president. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there any time that we know that you guys are going to come out of Iraq and bring our children home? I have four over there. Had them there. Got a son going back. And I had one killed. I'd like a little relief.

DICK CHENEY (R), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well we appreciate very much, obviously, the sacrifice that they have made. And they have done a superb job for us, as I mentioned.

I think of it in terms of when we have the capability in place so that we completed the mission. If you put an artificial date on it, then you end up with the terrorists just waiting until that date arrives, the Americans withdrawal and then they'll reassert themselves. So, that's not acceptable. And they have got to know that we'll stay the course and that they are not going to be able to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Cheney says Iraq's interim government is making progress, but he adds U.S. troops are still facing what he calls a difficult situation.

Turning now to Michigan, which has also seen some heavy campaigning from George Bush and John Kerry. The battleground state has 17 electoral votes. In 2000, Michigan went to Al Gore who had a winning margin of just over 5 percent.

So what's on the minds of Michigan voters in a state hard hit by job loss? This is definitely the economy, and that has Republicans and Democrats scrambling for support.

Our Keith Oppenheim takes a look for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GAIL PETERSON, CATTLE FARMER: The ones in here we usually feed twice a day.

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cattle farmer Gail Peterson is feeding his herd and talking politics. He likes George W. Bush. The main reason, tax cuts.

PETERSON: That's what helps the consumers and they have more money to spend. Maybe they go out to eat more and eat more beef.

OPPENHEIM: Republicans here are wooing Peterson. He lives near Niles, a small town with bellwether status.

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can't win Michigan without you.

OPPENHEIM: In fact, the president came to Niles High School in May. Yet even with that star appearance, John Kerry appears to be making gains here, a dangerous sign for the Bush camp.

(on camera): That's because southwest Michigan was once solidly Republican, the part of the state where the GOP could offset Democratic strongholds like Detroit. And while George W. Bush will likely take this region, his margins are being eroded by the one issue that hurts the most here, the economy.

ED SARPOLIS, INDEPENDENT POLLSTER: When you talk to Republicans down there who tell you that I've been voting Republican for 50 years and I'm going to vote Democratic this time because my jobs are gone.

OPPENHEIM (voice-over): In the last year, Michigan suffered a 2.5 percent drop in manufacturing, a staple of employment here.

Pam Sims is undecided, but she is seeing a shift.

PAM SIMS, UNDECIDED VOTER: I think there's more Democrats just for the fact that there's more companies going to Mexico, the middle class people is losing their jobs.

OPPENHEIM: Democrats here are organizing with new confidence.

EDIE MINKS, DEMOCRATIC PARTY ORGANIZER: We're making them spend money they never had to spend before.

OPPENHEIM: But some Republicans believe they can get out the vote with overwhelming numbers and take that part of the state that could make the difference. TIM POLEGA, REPUBLICAN PARTY ORGANIZER: If George Bush wins Michigan, he's almost certainly going to win the presidency.

OPPENHEIM: Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Niles, Michigan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Now let's take a look at what's perhaps the mother of all battleground states, Florida. The latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll shows Bush with a big lead over John Kerry. Among likely voters, 51 percent say Bush is their choice for president, 43 percent say Kerry. Among registered voters, Bush again gets 51 percent, Kerry 42. Ralph Nader gets 1 percent of both groups.

The three other Florida polls paint a much different picture, showing Bush and Kerry in a dead heat. Forty-eight percent of likely voters say Bush is their choice for president, 46 percent say Kerry is their man. And that's well within the 5 percent margin of error.

Wow! We'll have a spirited discussion about all of this in today's talker. That's in the next hour of DAYBREAK where we'll be joined live by radio talk show host Neal Boortz from the right, Nancy Skinner from the left. It's always a good time when they are with us, so don't miss it.

Secretary of State Colin Powell is reaching out, but North Korea is backing off. In the meantime, Israel braces for a historic vote. Those are the top stories as we take you live around the world this morning.

Sohn Jie-Ae is in Seoul, South Korea, where Powell is pushing to restart nuclear talks with the communist North, but North Korea says it isn't ready.

We'll also talk to Guy Raz in Jerusalem where Israeli lawmakers are poised to vote on Ariel Sharon's plan to pull out of Gaza.

But first to Sohn Jie-Ae in Seoul.

Good morning.

SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Mr. Powell has just wrapped up his visit to Seoul. And here Powell was campaigning for the six-party talks, the multilateral framework under which Washington hopes to get North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

In here, in South Korea, as he did in both China and in Japan, he urged South Korea and the U.S. allies in this part of the world to try to urge North Korea to join the multilateral framework. He also had a press conference with the South Korea foreign minister in which he said that he believed here that North Korea realized that it was in North Korea's interest to have the talks start again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is the time to move forward, to bring this matter to conclusion. And frankly, as a result of bringing this matter to a conclusion, putting us all in the position to help the North Korean people. And to help the North Korean people to a better life, providing food sufficiency for them and the other needs that they have as a people and as a nation. We don't intend to attack North Korea. We have no hostile intention (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOHN: And he also met with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and conveyed Washington's appreciation for South Korea sending 3,700 troops to Iraq. This makes South Korea the third largest international contingent in Iraq after the U.S. and the U.K. -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Sohn Jie-Ae, live from Seoul this morning, thank you.

Now on to Jerusalem and Guy Raz.

Ariel Sharon introduced his Gaza pullout plan earlier this year. It's finally coming to a vote. What might happen -- Guy?

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

For the first time in 37 years, the Israeli parliament is set to vote on a historic motion, that if approved would bring about the evacuation of all 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and 4 other settlements in the West Bank.

Now for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a moment of truth. This is a man who has spent most of his public life encouraging Israelis to settle in land Israel has occupied since 1967. Now Ariel Sharon has become public enemy No. 1 for those same settlers he once patronized. And to get a sense of just how divisive this issue is, Mr. Sharon's opening speech to parliament was interrupted some 14 times by legislators, 3 of whom were ejected.

Now when it comes time to actually vote on this issue, he'll have to depend on support from the center left opposition labor parties (ph) to win backing for this plan. About half of his own fellow Likud Party members will oppose their own leader.

Now meanwhile, thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the Israeli parliament last night in a show of support for the disengagement plan. Polls in the country show that an overwhelming number of Israelis do in fact back this plan.

Now all of this is taking place against the backdrop of ongoing violence in Gaza. The Israeli army has started to withdrawal from the Khan Yunis refugee camp after two days of incursions and airstrikes had left some 17 Palestinians dead, including an 11-year-old boy.

Now both Palestinian fighters and the Israeli army in Gaza have stepped up attacks in recent weeks ahead of the planned pullout. Both sides wanting to make it look as if it's their own victory -- Carol. COSTELLO: Guy Raz, reporting live from Jerusalem this morning, thank you.

In other headlines -- and thanks to Sohn Jie-Ae as well.

In other headlines in today's "Global Minute," day two of talks to end the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region gets under way today in Nigeria. Comes amid growing international concern over renewed fighting between Sudanese rebels and government-backed militias. Both sides are being pressured to ease the plight of 1.5 million civilians made destitute by the conflict.

The U.S. Military says it killed one of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's associates in an overnight airstrike on Falluja. The military says the strike hit a safe house used by the terrorist group and Zarqawi's aide was present at the time.

In Japan, the military is still evacuating residents from areas hit hardest by a series of earthquakes. Twenty-six people were killed in the quakes, more than 2,700 others were injured. It's the worst earthquake in Japan in 10 years, and more than 100,000 exhausted survivors are still holed up in makeshift shelters.

The dollar is no good in Cuba, the American dollar that is. President Fidel Castro is ending circulation of American currency. As of next month, residents and visitors will have to spend locally printed convertible pesos, which are equal in value to the dollar. The move is in response to tightened American sanctions against Cuba.

Surprising news from the U.S. Supreme Court, the chief justice suffers a medical setback. In seven minutes, we'll take an inside look at the disease and the prognosis.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

U.S. Marines say they have doled out nearly $2 million in condolence payments to Iraqis in Najaf. The money is going to people who lost property or loved ones in the August fighting to take back the city from insurgents.

In money news, Google stocks are hot. Shares of the Internet search engine hit a new high, closing at $187.40. That's up a whopping 120 percent from its initial public offering price of $85 just two months ago.

In culture, Ashlee Simpson is saying for real at the Radio City Music Awards last night she rebounded from that lip-synching snafu on Saturday Night Live. Simpson says acid reflux disease made her lose her voice just hours before that NFL appearance. In sports, Ron Zook is O-U-T, out as head football coach at the University of Florida and former coach Steve Spurrier is hinting he might be interested in returning as head Gator. Zook and his staff were fired yesterday.

To the Forecast Center now and Jacqui.

JERAS: Hey there. Sorry, had a little acid reflux.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thanks, Jacqui.

Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

Not many of us would be back at work nine days after cancer surgery, but that's exactly what the nation's 80-year-old chief justice plans to do. William Rehnquist intends to work while undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer.

And according to our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, that cancer might be very serious.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Supreme Court has revealed little about Chief Justice William Rehnquist's condition. The press release from the court doesn't indicate what type of thyroid cancer he has or if it has spread to other parts of his body. It simply says that the chief justice underwent a tracheotomy on Saturday in connection with a recent diagnosis of thyroid cancer.

The fact that he had a tracheotomy has some oncologists we spoke with concerned that the cancer might be especially serious.

DR. KENNETH BURMAN, WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER: If someone is going to have a tracheotomy, then that implies that the tumor is around the trachea and is somehow impinging something regarding the flow of the breath through the trachea.

COHEN: In a tracheotomy, a hole is cut in the trachea or windpipe and a tube is inserted to allow the patient to breathe. Normally, thyroid patients don't need tracheotomies. Doctors perform them if the cancer has spread from the thyroid to the trachea or if the cancer in some other way has interfered with breathing.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, thyroid cancer is highly treatable, usually just with surgery to remove all or part of the thyroid. There is one rare type of thyroid cancer called anaplastic thyroid cancer, which is difficult, if not impossible, to treat. And no matter what type of thyroid cancer it is, it's more difficult to treat the older someone gets.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The chief justice's illness is putting the spotlight on the aging justices on the Supreme Court one week before the election. We'll talk about the ramifications with John Pavia of Quinnipiac College Law School. That's in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

"Health Headlines" for you this morning.

The governor of Illinois wants to buy the flu vaccine from Europe to help ease the shortage in his state. He's asking the FDA to sign off on a tentative plan to buy 62,000 flu shots for nursing home residents and children in hospitals.

If you're a woman who takes Tamoxifen to fight breast cancer, you may want to talk to your doctor about the risk of stroke. A new study indicates a woman's chance of having a stroke increases slightly with Tamoxifen.

And yet another good reason to get your kids out on the playground, researchers at the University of Illinois have found that the most physically fit third, fourth and fifth graders also scored the highest on the Illinois Standard Achievement Test.

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

No matter where the candidates go you can be sure they are trying to put on their best face, and every four years, so do a lot of other people. Jeanne Moos on the hunting time politics.

This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Happy birthday.

What do George Bush, John Kerry and Spider-Man have in common? Well they are all good bets to show up at your house this week. And while two are looking for votes, one of them is looking for candy.

As CNN's Jeanne Moos reports, there is just no masking the fact that Election Day is just around the corner.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Why just vote for one of them when you can actually be one of them? That devil Bush or that scary Kerry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kerry's got a great face for a mask, you know, because he's a little like, well, like Lurch.

MOOS: The question at buycostumes.com is which candidate's mask is ahead? Bush has been leading. And they say that over the past six presidential elections, the candidate with the best-selling mask has ended up winning the real race. But here at Halloween Adventure in New York...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The more unpopular you are, the more the masks sell.

MOOS: New York mask buyers tend to lampoon the president. They even improvise, adding a Pinocchio nose. And then there was the Pennsylvania bank robber who wore a Bush mask.

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": You know it wasn't actually George Bush, because apparently the guy had an exit strategy to get out of the bank. So they knew.

MOOS: The Bush bank robber got away with the cash, like a scene out of "Point Break."

KEANU REEVES, ACTOR: By the way, keep your hands where I can see them.

PATRICK SWAYZE, ACTOR: We are the ex-presidents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am not a crook.

MOOS: Richard Nixon's mask has legs. So does Bill Clinton's.

(on camera): What's with the wig?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First black president.

MOOS: Oh, look at Arnold. Wow!

(voice-over): We had to go to a store called Abracadabra to find Colin Powell and Condi Rice. New this year, Al Sharpton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody called up for 300 Al Sharpton yesterday.

MOOS: Why would they want 300 Al Sharptons?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. We were trying to figure it out.

MOOS: The Bush mask left behind by the Pennsylvania robber was made by Cesar.

BRUCE BAUM, CESAR INC: It's a French company. It's called the Cesar Group.

MOOS (on camera): Well there's some irony there, a French company is making the Bush mask.

BAUM: I know.

MOOS (voice-over): It's both the Kerry mask...

(on camera): Who am I?

(voice-over): ... and the Bush mask...

(on camera): Now who am I? Who am I?

(voice-over): ... were equally effective at scaring kids. And while you can buy a Laura Bush mask, we couldn't find a Teresa Heinz Kerry one.

After the Bush/Gore standoff last election, they came out with a two-faced mask. But loser beware, Al Gore is now on sale, and gathering dust.

As we lurch toward Election Day, the Bush mask is ahead by a nose, a long one.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Presidential election, do we have to tell you again, we do, it's just seven days away, but what must the candidates do to win votes? We'll get the views from the left and the right in today's talker segment. Yes, we're going to have that debate.

It's Tuesday. This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired October 26, 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 -- North Korea is saying no thanks to nuclear talks. That's despite pleas from Secretary of State Colin Powell who is on a trip to Asia. The communist nation says it would be impossible to restart the talks at this time.

Back here in the States, some tougher border security rules take effect today, travelers from more than 20 nations must now have passports with coding that can be read by a machine.

A plea hearing in Virginia today for convicted sniper Lee Malvo. He is already serving a life term for one of the Washington area sniper shootings. Malvo is now facing charges in two of the other attacks.

In sports, the Cardinals are hoping to ruffle some feathers today. The World Series shifts to St. Louis for Game 3. The Boston Red Sox up two games to nothing.

To the Forecast Center now and Jacqui.

Good morning.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

JERAS: So, almost feeling like summer here -- Carol?

COSTELLO: That sounds nice. Thank you, Jacqui.

The final week before Election Day and a final push for voters in some battleground states. John Kerry continues a campaign swing in Wisconsin this morning. Then he'll head to Nevada and New Mexico. Kerry arrived at a rally in Wisconsin actually late last night.

He's campaigning in Green Bay this morning as he tries to snag Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes. Wisconsin had the nation's second highest voter turnout in the year 2000. The Kerry camp believes another healthy turnout there and elsewhere will favor the Democratic ticket.

Kerry's running mate John Edwards tells CNN he's looking for long lines on Election Day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: More people who vote, the more likely that John Kerry will be elected president. And I made passing reference to this earlier, but I meant it and want to say it again, you know probably one of the best tests for how we're doing on Election Day is if -- I heard a pollster say this -- if you look on Election Day at a long line, number one, at the polls.

And then, number two, there are a lot of young people in that line, then the odds are John Kerry will be the next president of the United States. And I believe that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: George Bush is hoping to prove John Edwards wrong. The president is visiting three western Wisconsin towns today. It's a push to win the state he lost to Al Gore by fewer than 6,000 votes in 2000. Bush then heads to another battleground, Iowa, where he has a late afternoon rally.

In the meantime, Bush's running mate faced a tough question on the campaign trail. Dick Cheney told a town hall meeting in Ohio that the Iraq war has been a remarkable success story despite continuing insurgent attacks. But one woman from the audience wanted more from the vice president. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there any time that we know that you guys are going to come out of Iraq and bring our children home? I have four over there. Had them there. Got a son going back. And I had one killed. I'd like a little relief.

DICK CHENEY (R), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well we appreciate very much, obviously, the sacrifice that they have made. And they have done a superb job for us, as I mentioned.

I think of it in terms of when we have the capability in place so that we completed the mission. If you put an artificial date on it, then you end up with the terrorists just waiting until that date arrives, the Americans withdrawal and then they'll reassert themselves. So, that's not acceptable. And they have got to know that we'll stay the course and that they are not going to be able to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Cheney says Iraq's interim government is making progress, but he adds U.S. troops are still facing what he calls a difficult situation.

Turning now to Michigan, which has also seen some heavy campaigning from George Bush and John Kerry. The battleground state has 17 electoral votes. In 2000, Michigan went to Al Gore who had a winning margin of just over 5 percent.

So what's on the minds of Michigan voters in a state hard hit by job loss? This is definitely the economy, and that has Republicans and Democrats scrambling for support.

Our Keith Oppenheim takes a look for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GAIL PETERSON, CATTLE FARMER: The ones in here we usually feed twice a day.

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cattle farmer Gail Peterson is feeding his herd and talking politics. He likes George W. Bush. The main reason, tax cuts.

PETERSON: That's what helps the consumers and they have more money to spend. Maybe they go out to eat more and eat more beef.

OPPENHEIM: Republicans here are wooing Peterson. He lives near Niles, a small town with bellwether status.

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can't win Michigan without you.

OPPENHEIM: In fact, the president came to Niles High School in May. Yet even with that star appearance, John Kerry appears to be making gains here, a dangerous sign for the Bush camp.

(on camera): That's because southwest Michigan was once solidly Republican, the part of the state where the GOP could offset Democratic strongholds like Detroit. And while George W. Bush will likely take this region, his margins are being eroded by the one issue that hurts the most here, the economy.

ED SARPOLIS, INDEPENDENT POLLSTER: When you talk to Republicans down there who tell you that I've been voting Republican for 50 years and I'm going to vote Democratic this time because my jobs are gone.

OPPENHEIM (voice-over): In the last year, Michigan suffered a 2.5 percent drop in manufacturing, a staple of employment here.

Pam Sims is undecided, but she is seeing a shift.

PAM SIMS, UNDECIDED VOTER: I think there's more Democrats just for the fact that there's more companies going to Mexico, the middle class people is losing their jobs.

OPPENHEIM: Democrats here are organizing with new confidence.

EDIE MINKS, DEMOCRATIC PARTY ORGANIZER: We're making them spend money they never had to spend before.

OPPENHEIM: But some Republicans believe they can get out the vote with overwhelming numbers and take that part of the state that could make the difference. TIM POLEGA, REPUBLICAN PARTY ORGANIZER: If George Bush wins Michigan, he's almost certainly going to win the presidency.

OPPENHEIM: Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Niles, Michigan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Now let's take a look at what's perhaps the mother of all battleground states, Florida. The latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll shows Bush with a big lead over John Kerry. Among likely voters, 51 percent say Bush is their choice for president, 43 percent say Kerry. Among registered voters, Bush again gets 51 percent, Kerry 42. Ralph Nader gets 1 percent of both groups.

The three other Florida polls paint a much different picture, showing Bush and Kerry in a dead heat. Forty-eight percent of likely voters say Bush is their choice for president, 46 percent say Kerry is their man. And that's well within the 5 percent margin of error.

Wow! We'll have a spirited discussion about all of this in today's talker. That's in the next hour of DAYBREAK where we'll be joined live by radio talk show host Neal Boortz from the right, Nancy Skinner from the left. It's always a good time when they are with us, so don't miss it.

Secretary of State Colin Powell is reaching out, but North Korea is backing off. In the meantime, Israel braces for a historic vote. Those are the top stories as we take you live around the world this morning.

Sohn Jie-Ae is in Seoul, South Korea, where Powell is pushing to restart nuclear talks with the communist North, but North Korea says it isn't ready.

We'll also talk to Guy Raz in Jerusalem where Israeli lawmakers are poised to vote on Ariel Sharon's plan to pull out of Gaza.

But first to Sohn Jie-Ae in Seoul.

Good morning.

SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Mr. Powell has just wrapped up his visit to Seoul. And here Powell was campaigning for the six-party talks, the multilateral framework under which Washington hopes to get North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

In here, in South Korea, as he did in both China and in Japan, he urged South Korea and the U.S. allies in this part of the world to try to urge North Korea to join the multilateral framework. He also had a press conference with the South Korea foreign minister in which he said that he believed here that North Korea realized that it was in North Korea's interest to have the talks start again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is the time to move forward, to bring this matter to conclusion. And frankly, as a result of bringing this matter to a conclusion, putting us all in the position to help the North Korean people. And to help the North Korean people to a better life, providing food sufficiency for them and the other needs that they have as a people and as a nation. We don't intend to attack North Korea. We have no hostile intention (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOHN: And he also met with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and conveyed Washington's appreciation for South Korea sending 3,700 troops to Iraq. This makes South Korea the third largest international contingent in Iraq after the U.S. and the U.K. -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Sohn Jie-Ae, live from Seoul this morning, thank you.

Now on to Jerusalem and Guy Raz.

Ariel Sharon introduced his Gaza pullout plan earlier this year. It's finally coming to a vote. What might happen -- Guy?

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

For the first time in 37 years, the Israeli parliament is set to vote on a historic motion, that if approved would bring about the evacuation of all 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and 4 other settlements in the West Bank.

Now for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a moment of truth. This is a man who has spent most of his public life encouraging Israelis to settle in land Israel has occupied since 1967. Now Ariel Sharon has become public enemy No. 1 for those same settlers he once patronized. And to get a sense of just how divisive this issue is, Mr. Sharon's opening speech to parliament was interrupted some 14 times by legislators, 3 of whom were ejected.

Now when it comes time to actually vote on this issue, he'll have to depend on support from the center left opposition labor parties (ph) to win backing for this plan. About half of his own fellow Likud Party members will oppose their own leader.

Now meanwhile, thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the Israeli parliament last night in a show of support for the disengagement plan. Polls in the country show that an overwhelming number of Israelis do in fact back this plan.

Now all of this is taking place against the backdrop of ongoing violence in Gaza. The Israeli army has started to withdrawal from the Khan Yunis refugee camp after two days of incursions and airstrikes had left some 17 Palestinians dead, including an 11-year-old boy.

Now both Palestinian fighters and the Israeli army in Gaza have stepped up attacks in recent weeks ahead of the planned pullout. Both sides wanting to make it look as if it's their own victory -- Carol. COSTELLO: Guy Raz, reporting live from Jerusalem this morning, thank you.

In other headlines -- and thanks to Sohn Jie-Ae as well.

In other headlines in today's "Global Minute," day two of talks to end the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region gets under way today in Nigeria. Comes amid growing international concern over renewed fighting between Sudanese rebels and government-backed militias. Both sides are being pressured to ease the plight of 1.5 million civilians made destitute by the conflict.

The U.S. Military says it killed one of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's associates in an overnight airstrike on Falluja. The military says the strike hit a safe house used by the terrorist group and Zarqawi's aide was present at the time.

In Japan, the military is still evacuating residents from areas hit hardest by a series of earthquakes. Twenty-six people were killed in the quakes, more than 2,700 others were injured. It's the worst earthquake in Japan in 10 years, and more than 100,000 exhausted survivors are still holed up in makeshift shelters.

The dollar is no good in Cuba, the American dollar that is. President Fidel Castro is ending circulation of American currency. As of next month, residents and visitors will have to spend locally printed convertible pesos, which are equal in value to the dollar. The move is in response to tightened American sanctions against Cuba.

Surprising news from the U.S. Supreme Court, the chief justice suffers a medical setback. In seven minutes, we'll take an inside look at the disease and the prognosis.

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

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

U.S. Marines say they have doled out nearly $2 million in condolence payments to Iraqis in Najaf. The money is going to people who lost property or loved ones in the August fighting to take back the city from insurgents.

In money news, Google stocks are hot. Shares of the Internet search engine hit a new high, closing at $187.40. That's up a whopping 120 percent from its initial public offering price of $85 just two months ago.

In culture, Ashlee Simpson is saying for real at the Radio City Music Awards last night she rebounded from that lip-synching snafu on Saturday Night Live. Simpson says acid reflux disease made her lose her voice just hours before that NFL appearance. In sports, Ron Zook is O-U-T, out as head football coach at the University of Florida and former coach Steve Spurrier is hinting he might be interested in returning as head Gator. Zook and his staff were fired yesterday.

To the Forecast Center now and Jacqui.

JERAS: Hey there. Sorry, had a little acid reflux.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thanks, Jacqui.

Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

Not many of us would be back at work nine days after cancer surgery, but that's exactly what the nation's 80-year-old chief justice plans to do. William Rehnquist intends to work while undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer.

And according to our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, that cancer might be very serious.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Supreme Court has revealed little about Chief Justice William Rehnquist's condition. The press release from the court doesn't indicate what type of thyroid cancer he has or if it has spread to other parts of his body. It simply says that the chief justice underwent a tracheotomy on Saturday in connection with a recent diagnosis of thyroid cancer.

The fact that he had a tracheotomy has some oncologists we spoke with concerned that the cancer might be especially serious.

DR. KENNETH BURMAN, WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER: If someone is going to have a tracheotomy, then that implies that the tumor is around the trachea and is somehow impinging something regarding the flow of the breath through the trachea.

COHEN: In a tracheotomy, a hole is cut in the trachea or windpipe and a tube is inserted to allow the patient to breathe. Normally, thyroid patients don't need tracheotomies. Doctors perform them if the cancer has spread from the thyroid to the trachea or if the cancer in some other way has interfered with breathing.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, thyroid cancer is highly treatable, usually just with surgery to remove all or part of the thyroid. There is one rare type of thyroid cancer called anaplastic thyroid cancer, which is difficult, if not impossible, to treat. And no matter what type of thyroid cancer it is, it's more difficult to treat the older someone gets.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The chief justice's illness is putting the spotlight on the aging justices on the Supreme Court one week before the election. We'll talk about the ramifications with John Pavia of Quinnipiac College Law School. That's in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

"Health Headlines" for you this morning.

The governor of Illinois wants to buy the flu vaccine from Europe to help ease the shortage in his state. He's asking the FDA to sign off on a tentative plan to buy 62,000 flu shots for nursing home residents and children in hospitals.

If you're a woman who takes Tamoxifen to fight breast cancer, you may want to talk to your doctor about the risk of stroke. A new study indicates a woman's chance of having a stroke increases slightly with Tamoxifen.

And yet another good reason to get your kids out on the playground, researchers at the University of Illinois have found that the most physically fit third, fourth and fifth graders also scored the highest on the Illinois Standard Achievement Test.

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

No matter where the candidates go you can be sure they are trying to put on their best face, and every four years, so do a lot of other people. Jeanne Moos on the hunting time politics.

This is DAYBREAK.

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COSTELLO: Happy birthday.

What do George Bush, John Kerry and Spider-Man have in common? Well they are all good bets to show up at your house this week. And while two are looking for votes, one of them is looking for candy.

As CNN's Jeanne Moos reports, there is just no masking the fact that Election Day is just around the corner.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Why just vote for one of them when you can actually be one of them? That devil Bush or that scary Kerry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kerry's got a great face for a mask, you know, because he's a little like, well, like Lurch.

MOOS: The question at buycostumes.com is which candidate's mask is ahead? Bush has been leading. And they say that over the past six presidential elections, the candidate with the best-selling mask has ended up winning the real race. But here at Halloween Adventure in New York...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The more unpopular you are, the more the masks sell.

MOOS: New York mask buyers tend to lampoon the president. They even improvise, adding a Pinocchio nose. And then there was the Pennsylvania bank robber who wore a Bush mask.

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": You know it wasn't actually George Bush, because apparently the guy had an exit strategy to get out of the bank. So they knew.

MOOS: The Bush bank robber got away with the cash, like a scene out of "Point Break."

KEANU REEVES, ACTOR: By the way, keep your hands where I can see them.

PATRICK SWAYZE, ACTOR: We are the ex-presidents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am not a crook.

MOOS: Richard Nixon's mask has legs. So does Bill Clinton's.

(on camera): What's with the wig?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First black president.

MOOS: Oh, look at Arnold. Wow!

(voice-over): We had to go to a store called Abracadabra to find Colin Powell and Condi Rice. New this year, Al Sharpton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody called up for 300 Al Sharpton yesterday.

MOOS: Why would they want 300 Al Sharptons?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. We were trying to figure it out.

MOOS: The Bush mask left behind by the Pennsylvania robber was made by Cesar.

BRUCE BAUM, CESAR INC: It's a French company. It's called the Cesar Group.

MOOS (on camera): Well there's some irony there, a French company is making the Bush mask.

BAUM: I know.

MOOS (voice-over): It's both the Kerry mask...

(on camera): Who am I?

(voice-over): ... and the Bush mask...

(on camera): Now who am I? Who am I?

(voice-over): ... were equally effective at scaring kids. And while you can buy a Laura Bush mask, we couldn't find a Teresa Heinz Kerry one.

After the Bush/Gore standoff last election, they came out with a two-faced mask. But loser beware, Al Gore is now on sale, and gathering dust.

As we lurch toward Election Day, the Bush mask is ahead by a nose, a long one.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Presidential election, do we have to tell you again, we do, it's just seven days away, but what must the candidates do to win votes? We'll get the views from the left and the right in today's talker segment. Yes, we're going to have that debate.

It's Tuesday. This is DAYBREAK.

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