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CNN Live Today

Celebrating in Boston; Kerry Campaign; Arafat's Health

Aired October 28, 2004 - 10:59   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And here's a look at what's happening right "Now in the News."

On the campaign trail and on the offensive, with just five days until the election, Senator John Kerry and President Bush are battling it out in the crucial swing states this morning. Mr. Kerry is stumping in Ohio. Mr. Bush is at a rally in Michigan.

A campaign update is just ahead. We'll have it for you.

Now, a senior aide says Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is "seriously, seriously ill." He says Arafat is exhausted and weak, but doctors have not been able to pinpoint the cause of the illness. They're deciding whether to take him to a hospital for treatment.

We're going to get an update from our state correspondent -- or State Department correspondent. That's coming in just a little bit.

Also, a grim confession and grisly images on the Web site of an Iraqi militant group. The group says it killed 11 Iraqi National Guard members who were recently captured. According to the posting, one of the guardsmen was beheaded and others were shot. Photos of the killings were shown on a -- on an Internet site.

And presidential candidate Ralph Nader is holding a news conference at this hour. He's speaking out against ballot initiatives in California and in Washington State. Mr. Nader says that the two measures would create nonpartisan primaries that would keep all but the major party candidates out of a general election.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

KAGAN: And we're looking at 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. for those of you on the West Coast. From CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning. I'm Daryn Kagan.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. And we'll have these stories for you.

KAGAN: That we will. We'll have some celebrating.

We begin this hour with the Boston Red Sox and their big victory. Beantown is beaming today after the long-suffering Red Sox swept the Cardinals in game four to win the World Series. The club has been on a power drive ever since overcoming a three- game deficit against the Yankees to win the American League Pennant. So given the cosmic significance of the event, Boston fans reacted just as you would expect. During the game, the moon and sun -- well, the mooth, the Earth and the sun perfectly aligned overhead.

The Sox eclipsed the Cards 3-0. The ghost of Babe Ruth was finally put to rest. And the BoSox stake a claim to baseball history for the first time in 86 years.

Reason enough to celebrate and go live to Boston. That's where our Alina Cho has been keeping tabs on the all-night citywide victory dance.

Good morning.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning to you.

In fact, one more small piece of evidence of how loyal these Red Sox fans are, just down the street from us at the Souvenir Store -- that's what it's called -- there is a line around the block. People are waiting, albeit patiently, to get their hands on anything Red Sox- related. T-shirts, hats, pennants, you name it, they've got it, and they're selling it. Some fans even left and came back for more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was my second time through.

CHO: You know they're hot off the presses, those T-shirts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes. This is my second time through.

CHO: Your second time through the line?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes. Only a two-hat limit. Now I've got four.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: You can't blame these fans. They have been waiting 86 years for a victory, and now the Red Sox are finally World Series champions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHO (voice-over): From Fenway through the Back Bay, Red Sox fans call it the game of the century. The team's first World Series win in 86 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We shocked the world. Greatest team ever. Best postseason ever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We didn't expect it, but it happened. And that's even better.

CHO: At Whiskey's Bar on Boylston Street, where they serve up St. Louis ribs, they were also serving up a World Series sweep.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe I am where I am right now. I am...

CHO (on camera): Is this your girlfriend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... about to cry.

CHO: You've been waiting all these years. And now what?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now we're going to win the Super Bowl! We're going to undefeated. The Super Bowl, the World Series. Beantown, baby! Beantown!

CHO (voice-over): Throughout the city police and revelers flooded the streets near Fenway Park. Officers used restraint this time after a Red Sox celebration last week turned deadly. A college student was killed after police fired a pepper-filled pellet and hit her in the eye.

This celebration was marked by two dozen arrests and dozens of injuries. But mostly happy fans. Fans like John Little (ph) and his good luck charm, Yogi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Say hello.

CHO: Ever since little changed Yogi's uniform, the Red Sox have been undefeated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't put it in words. There's no way to put it in words.

CHO: One Yankee fan was there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I'm nauseous. I mean, the Earth is starting to spin in a different direction.

CHO: Call it reversing the curse, putting the hex to rest. Whatever you call it, Boston has done it, and fans shared the moment with the late Red Sox great Ted Williams.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what he would have wanted!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: And the official celebration will continue here in Boston through the weekend. A big parade is planned for either tomorrow or Saturday. Those details are still being worked out.

Meantime, we should mention that just a moment ago, we got a glimpse, just a glimpse of the World Series trophy in the back of a station wagon. The owner presumably, Daryn, is taking it to some undisclosed location and will hopefully bring it out for the big parade planned, as I mentioned, again, for either tomorrow or Saturday -- Daryn.

KAGAN: They're running that thing around in the back of a station wagon?

CHO: I know.

KAGAN: Like maybe a gold carriage or something would be more appropriate.

CHO: That's right.

KAGAN: Alina, thank you.

SANCHEZ: It's always good to look at newspaper headlines on a day like this to see how they cover these stories, because the headlines always say so much about it. Let's start with the "Boston Herald."

Here's what they say: "The championship was nothing less than the answer to a prayer." So the paper gave it a huge "Amen" on the front page. There it is.

Also, let's go to "The New York Post" now. The paper's version of congratulations: "'Bout Time." Yes, yes, that's right, it's a little dig at Boston's long and frustrating road to reverse the curse.

KAGAN: On now to the sport of politics. The presidential race down to the final five days. Both candidates on the offensive again today.

President Bush is attacking Senator Kerry as the wrong man to lead the country. Kerry keeps hammering away at Mr. Bush over the missing explosives in Iraq.

President Bush wraps up a two-day swing through the Rust Belt battleground today. He started with a rally in Saginaw, Michigan. He campaigns this hour in Ohio and later today in Pennsylvania.

John Kerry started the day in Toledo, Ohio. From there, it's on to rallies in Madison, Wisconsin, and Columbus, Ohio.

The senator is hoping The Boss will boost his campaign as the presidential race nears the finish line. But Kerry is also keeping up his attack over the missing explosives in Iraq. Last hour, we took you live to the Bush campaign. Now correspondent Kelly Wallace is with the Kerry camp in Toledo, Ohio.

Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

It's starting to feel a little bit on the campaign trail like Groundhog Day. Another day, the same message. And this is somewhat of a strategy by Senator Kerry that's not without his risk.

Day after day, going after the Bush administration over these missing explosives in Iraq. But clearly, the campaign seeing it has some opportunity here. A short time ago, here at the University of Toledo, the senator going after the president yet again. The campaign seizing on comments by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is a big Bush supporter. He told "The Today Show" that the actual responsibility for all of this really would be with the troops that were there. Did they search carefully enough?

Well, the senator and the advisers saw that, and saw that as another opening.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president's shifting explanations and excuses and attacks on me demonstrate once again that this president believes the buck stops everywhere but with the president of the United States.

WALLACE (voice-over): To make the election a referendum on the president's handling of Iraq is not risk-free for Senator Kerry. The senator's attacks could turn off undecided voters, while the debate could play to Mr. Bush's strength. According to a recent CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll, the president has a nearly 10-point advantage on who would better handle Iraq.

Meantime, Senator Kerry deploying what he hopes will be heavy- duty ammunition today. Bruce Springsteen to Wisconsin, and later to Ohio, a state that has lost more than 230,000 jobs since the president took office, giving Senator Kerry an opening.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: But the senator still emphasizing national security issues, more than those pocketbook issues. Daryn, it is a sign this campaign believes in these final days the campaign must try to narrow the gap between the president and the senator on these issues to have a better chance of victory -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Kelly Wallace from the campaign trail. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, President Bush made a pitch to core constituents, undecided voters, and even disaffected Democrats at a rally in Michigan this morning. Mr. Bush told the crowd in Saginaw that the president's most important duty is to protect the country. And he says that John Kerry is the wrong man for that job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Five days. Five days from now the people go to the polls. We are choosing the leader of our country at a time of great consequence to our nation. We're at war against a terrorist enemy against unlike any we have ever seen. We have much more to do to win a decisive victory against the terrorists.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: The most important duty of the American president is to protect the American people.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: If America shows uncertainty or weakness in these troubling times, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not happen on my watch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Mr. Bush is also bringing out some star power in the waning days of the campaign. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to appear to rally with the president. That's tomorrow night, scheduled to take place in Ohio.

We're going to have a lot more on this presidential race later this hour. Both candidates, reports on both.

And tune into prime-time politics on CNN's "PAULA ZAHN NOW." On Monday, she's going to hold a town hall meeting with undecided voters live from Florida. That's election eve at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 Pacific.

The races, the votes and all the results live from Times Square and across the country as well. CNN's special prime-time election night coverage begins Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

KAGAN: Well, the latest in the world news, including the condition of Yasser Arafat, who is being described as seriously ill. And the latest on what's being done to get him the medical treatment that they say he needs. A live report is coming up next.

SANCHEZ: Also, pounding the insurgency from the air. U.S. warplanes unleashing a devastation on suspected terrorist targets. This, of course, in Iraq.

KAGAN: And later, candidates need it. Most other people can barely understand it. Is there already trouble brewing in the electoral college race?

CNN LIVE TODAY is coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Here's the big story we've been following all day. Doctors are deciding whether to move Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from his Ramallah compound to a hospital abroad for treatment. Unspecified where at this point, by the way. His wife arrived this morning.

A senior aide describes Arafat as "seriously, seriously ill." He says Arafat is exhausted and weak, but denied earlier reports that the Palestinian leader had lost consciousness. Doctors have been unable to pinpoint exactly what is wrong with him at this point.

State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel is tracking the very latest information on Mr. Arafat's health and the possible political fallout for the Middle East. She's joining us now with the very latest on the story.

Hi, Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Rick.

Just got off the phone a little while ago with a very well-placed Palestinian source who had spoken to Yasser Arafat during the night. And this is what he told me.

He said that Yasser Arafat is in stable condition right now, but he is very weak. He's very dehydrated. As we've all been reporting, he's had the flu for the past couple of weeks. The guy's 75 years old.

He has also been fasting, because it's the holy month of Ramadan. That has certainly not helped matters. But what really concerns Palestinian officials is that they believe that it's much more than the flu. They think that it could be either a blood ailment -- his platelets are apparently very, very low -- or it could be something with his digestive system.

For that reason, they've got doctors coming in from around the Middle East region and elsewhere to try to make an assessment. Palestinian officials say they should know within the next couple of hours whether or not he will need to actually go to hospital in Ramallah or whether he will need to go overseas. Now, in a statement that was made on CNN a short time ago, the Israeli prime minister's spokesman, one of his senior advisers, Ra'anan Gissin, said that whatever Yasser Arafat needs in terms of medical attention, wherever it's necessary, Israel will do what it can to assist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RA'ANAN GISSIN, SR. SHARON ADVISER: We're dealing with as a medical humanitarian problem. In other words, if he -- the doctors say that he needs to be transferred to a certain hospital, and then be returned back, Israel will not impose any conditions. Israel will not impose any restrictions. That is where it stands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: Now, that's really an extraordinary statement by Ra'anan Gissin, because until now, for the last several years since Yasser Arafat has been holed up in his Ramallah headquarters, Israel has threatened to perhaps arrest him even if he were to leave his headquarters, and has made very clear that if he were to leave the Palestinian territories, he wouldn't be welcomed back.

So, right now, things are up in the air as to whether or not Yasser Arafat will leave. But what I can tell you, at least here at the State Department, is that the Bush administration is staying out of this.

It has had a policy of treating Yasser Arafat as persona non- grata. No relationship whatsoever with the Palestinian leader. And for that reason, U.S. officials telling CNN this is between Israel and the Palestinians -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: But surely there's some folks at the State Department, though, Andrea, who would like to have a hand, or a say, or maybe some influence in who could possibly be the next person in charge of the Palestinian Authority. And one would imagine they might want to choose someone a little more malleable.

Has there been any talk at all from your sources there as to who they might be looking at?

KOPPEL: I think if the United States thought it were able to choose a Palestinian leader, there would be a lot of happy people here.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

KOPPEL: but they recognize that that's not something that's going to happen. What they're concerned about, Rick, and what they've told me this morning is that the next person who replaces Yasser Arafat, whenever that might be, could be someone who is a less desirable character, somebody from either Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and not necessarily someone, as you described, who might be more malleable.

SANCHEZ: Yes, that's interesting. All right. Andrea Koppel, thanks so much for bringing that report. We'll be checking back with you as well -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Another deadly explosion in Iraq today in Baghdad. A U.S. soldier was killed when a suspected car bomb struck a convoy. At least one Iraqi civilian was killed and two other soldiers were wounded.

An explosives team is trying to confirm the exact cause of the blast. It's unclear whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.

At least two people reported dead in the latest round of U.S. airstrikes on the rebel stronghold of Falluja. Military officials say the overnight bombing targeted a meeting site used by terrorists loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. A hospital official tells CNN the strike destroyed three houses and killed two brothers.

SANCHEZ: The waters are more than knee-high in certain parts of California. Imagine what it means if your knees are much closer to the crown. Man's best friend in this particular case. Yes, those types of knees.

KAGAN: Little paws.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Getting a helping hand. KAGAN: Paws.

Later, you would never know it by looking at it, but Oregon is a battlefield, and the warriors are moms. Richard Quest looks at the mother of all political sites coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Some help for a furry friend. Storms in California have triggered some flash flooding. Firefighters rescued a dog from a flood channel near L.A. yesterday. Two-year-old Bruno, Rick.

Rick, meet Bruno, a yellow lab, seemed to be suffering from hypothermia when he was pulled from the water. He was nearly eight miles from home.

Bruno, phone home.

SANCHEZ: Wow, that's a good swim. Got a little Johnny Weissmuller in him.

Boy, there's a name from the past, huh?

KAGAN: A little Tarzan actually?

SANCHEZ: Yes.

KAGAN: Was that a test?

SANCHEZ: You picked up on it.

Orelon Sidney standing by now to check on the weather and see how things are going in California, first, I guess. Right?

ORELON, SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, that's where we'll take a look first.

(WEATHER REPORT)

SANCHEZ: All right. Thank you.

KAGAN: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: It's hot here in Atlanta, too.

KAGAN: Almost 80 degrees. Almost November. Amazing. I'll take it.

I'll also take the electoral college, two words that strike fear into the hearts of candidates that confuse just about everybody else. We're talking about the electoral college.

SANCHEZ: Five days until the election. And there may already be some cause for concern. We'll tell you where.

Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: It is 28 minutes after the hour. We welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

Just a few days left to make up your mind in the presidential contest if you have not voted already. And if you live in a handful of crucial showdown states in middle America, George Bush or John Kerry might come calling today. Throughout the day, one or both candidates will be holding rallies in Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Aides to Yasser Arafat say he is seriously, seriously ill. His wife arrived in Amman and is on her way to Ramallah to visit him. Doctors are not saying what is wrong with the 75-year-old Palestinian leader, except that he has been sick for the past two weeks. Palestinian sources say he might go to Paris for treatment.

In Redwood City, California, closing arguments are set for Monday in the Scott Peterson double murder trial. Jurors could get the case as early as Wednesday. They'll be sequestered during their deliberations.

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 28, 2004 - 10:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And here's a look at what's happening right "Now in the News."

On the campaign trail and on the offensive, with just five days until the election, Senator John Kerry and President Bush are battling it out in the crucial swing states this morning. Mr. Kerry is stumping in Ohio. Mr. Bush is at a rally in Michigan.

A campaign update is just ahead. We'll have it for you.

Now, a senior aide says Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is "seriously, seriously ill." He says Arafat is exhausted and weak, but doctors have not been able to pinpoint the cause of the illness. They're deciding whether to take him to a hospital for treatment.

We're going to get an update from our state correspondent -- or State Department correspondent. That's coming in just a little bit.

Also, a grim confession and grisly images on the Web site of an Iraqi militant group. The group says it killed 11 Iraqi National Guard members who were recently captured. According to the posting, one of the guardsmen was beheaded and others were shot. Photos of the killings were shown on a -- on an Internet site.

And presidential candidate Ralph Nader is holding a news conference at this hour. He's speaking out against ballot initiatives in California and in Washington State. Mr. Nader says that the two measures would create nonpartisan primaries that would keep all but the major party candidates out of a general election.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

KAGAN: And we're looking at 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. for those of you on the West Coast. From CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning. I'm Daryn Kagan.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. And we'll have these stories for you.

KAGAN: That we will. We'll have some celebrating.

We begin this hour with the Boston Red Sox and their big victory. Beantown is beaming today after the long-suffering Red Sox swept the Cardinals in game four to win the World Series. The club has been on a power drive ever since overcoming a three- game deficit against the Yankees to win the American League Pennant. So given the cosmic significance of the event, Boston fans reacted just as you would expect. During the game, the moon and sun -- well, the mooth, the Earth and the sun perfectly aligned overhead.

The Sox eclipsed the Cards 3-0. The ghost of Babe Ruth was finally put to rest. And the BoSox stake a claim to baseball history for the first time in 86 years.

Reason enough to celebrate and go live to Boston. That's where our Alina Cho has been keeping tabs on the all-night citywide victory dance.

Good morning.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning to you.

In fact, one more small piece of evidence of how loyal these Red Sox fans are, just down the street from us at the Souvenir Store -- that's what it's called -- there is a line around the block. People are waiting, albeit patiently, to get their hands on anything Red Sox- related. T-shirts, hats, pennants, you name it, they've got it, and they're selling it. Some fans even left and came back for more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was my second time through.

CHO: You know they're hot off the presses, those T-shirts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes. This is my second time through.

CHO: Your second time through the line?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes. Only a two-hat limit. Now I've got four.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: You can't blame these fans. They have been waiting 86 years for a victory, and now the Red Sox are finally World Series champions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHO (voice-over): From Fenway through the Back Bay, Red Sox fans call it the game of the century. The team's first World Series win in 86 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We shocked the world. Greatest team ever. Best postseason ever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We didn't expect it, but it happened. And that's even better.

CHO: At Whiskey's Bar on Boylston Street, where they serve up St. Louis ribs, they were also serving up a World Series sweep.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe I am where I am right now. I am...

CHO (on camera): Is this your girlfriend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... about to cry.

CHO: You've been waiting all these years. And now what?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now we're going to win the Super Bowl! We're going to undefeated. The Super Bowl, the World Series. Beantown, baby! Beantown!

CHO (voice-over): Throughout the city police and revelers flooded the streets near Fenway Park. Officers used restraint this time after a Red Sox celebration last week turned deadly. A college student was killed after police fired a pepper-filled pellet and hit her in the eye.

This celebration was marked by two dozen arrests and dozens of injuries. But mostly happy fans. Fans like John Little (ph) and his good luck charm, Yogi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Say hello.

CHO: Ever since little changed Yogi's uniform, the Red Sox have been undefeated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't put it in words. There's no way to put it in words.

CHO: One Yankee fan was there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I'm nauseous. I mean, the Earth is starting to spin in a different direction.

CHO: Call it reversing the curse, putting the hex to rest. Whatever you call it, Boston has done it, and fans shared the moment with the late Red Sox great Ted Williams.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what he would have wanted!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: And the official celebration will continue here in Boston through the weekend. A big parade is planned for either tomorrow or Saturday. Those details are still being worked out.

Meantime, we should mention that just a moment ago, we got a glimpse, just a glimpse of the World Series trophy in the back of a station wagon. The owner presumably, Daryn, is taking it to some undisclosed location and will hopefully bring it out for the big parade planned, as I mentioned, again, for either tomorrow or Saturday -- Daryn.

KAGAN: They're running that thing around in the back of a station wagon?

CHO: I know.

KAGAN: Like maybe a gold carriage or something would be more appropriate.

CHO: That's right.

KAGAN: Alina, thank you.

SANCHEZ: It's always good to look at newspaper headlines on a day like this to see how they cover these stories, because the headlines always say so much about it. Let's start with the "Boston Herald."

Here's what they say: "The championship was nothing less than the answer to a prayer." So the paper gave it a huge "Amen" on the front page. There it is.

Also, let's go to "The New York Post" now. The paper's version of congratulations: "'Bout Time." Yes, yes, that's right, it's a little dig at Boston's long and frustrating road to reverse the curse.

KAGAN: On now to the sport of politics. The presidential race down to the final five days. Both candidates on the offensive again today.

President Bush is attacking Senator Kerry as the wrong man to lead the country. Kerry keeps hammering away at Mr. Bush over the missing explosives in Iraq.

President Bush wraps up a two-day swing through the Rust Belt battleground today. He started with a rally in Saginaw, Michigan. He campaigns this hour in Ohio and later today in Pennsylvania.

John Kerry started the day in Toledo, Ohio. From there, it's on to rallies in Madison, Wisconsin, and Columbus, Ohio.

The senator is hoping The Boss will boost his campaign as the presidential race nears the finish line. But Kerry is also keeping up his attack over the missing explosives in Iraq. Last hour, we took you live to the Bush campaign. Now correspondent Kelly Wallace is with the Kerry camp in Toledo, Ohio.

Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

It's starting to feel a little bit on the campaign trail like Groundhog Day. Another day, the same message. And this is somewhat of a strategy by Senator Kerry that's not without his risk.

Day after day, going after the Bush administration over these missing explosives in Iraq. But clearly, the campaign seeing it has some opportunity here. A short time ago, here at the University of Toledo, the senator going after the president yet again. The campaign seizing on comments by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is a big Bush supporter. He told "The Today Show" that the actual responsibility for all of this really would be with the troops that were there. Did they search carefully enough?

Well, the senator and the advisers saw that, and saw that as another opening.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president's shifting explanations and excuses and attacks on me demonstrate once again that this president believes the buck stops everywhere but with the president of the United States.

WALLACE (voice-over): To make the election a referendum on the president's handling of Iraq is not risk-free for Senator Kerry. The senator's attacks could turn off undecided voters, while the debate could play to Mr. Bush's strength. According to a recent CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll, the president has a nearly 10-point advantage on who would better handle Iraq.

Meantime, Senator Kerry deploying what he hopes will be heavy- duty ammunition today. Bruce Springsteen to Wisconsin, and later to Ohio, a state that has lost more than 230,000 jobs since the president took office, giving Senator Kerry an opening.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: But the senator still emphasizing national security issues, more than those pocketbook issues. Daryn, it is a sign this campaign believes in these final days the campaign must try to narrow the gap between the president and the senator on these issues to have a better chance of victory -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Kelly Wallace from the campaign trail. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, President Bush made a pitch to core constituents, undecided voters, and even disaffected Democrats at a rally in Michigan this morning. Mr. Bush told the crowd in Saginaw that the president's most important duty is to protect the country. And he says that John Kerry is the wrong man for that job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Five days. Five days from now the people go to the polls. We are choosing the leader of our country at a time of great consequence to our nation. We're at war against a terrorist enemy against unlike any we have ever seen. We have much more to do to win a decisive victory against the terrorists.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: The most important duty of the American president is to protect the American people.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: If America shows uncertainty or weakness in these troubling times, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not happen on my watch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Mr. Bush is also bringing out some star power in the waning days of the campaign. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to appear to rally with the president. That's tomorrow night, scheduled to take place in Ohio.

We're going to have a lot more on this presidential race later this hour. Both candidates, reports on both.

And tune into prime-time politics on CNN's "PAULA ZAHN NOW." On Monday, she's going to hold a town hall meeting with undecided voters live from Florida. That's election eve at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 Pacific.

The races, the votes and all the results live from Times Square and across the country as well. CNN's special prime-time election night coverage begins Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

KAGAN: Well, the latest in the world news, including the condition of Yasser Arafat, who is being described as seriously ill. And the latest on what's being done to get him the medical treatment that they say he needs. A live report is coming up next.

SANCHEZ: Also, pounding the insurgency from the air. U.S. warplanes unleashing a devastation on suspected terrorist targets. This, of course, in Iraq.

KAGAN: And later, candidates need it. Most other people can barely understand it. Is there already trouble brewing in the electoral college race?

CNN LIVE TODAY is coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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SANCHEZ: Here's the big story we've been following all day. Doctors are deciding whether to move Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from his Ramallah compound to a hospital abroad for treatment. Unspecified where at this point, by the way. His wife arrived this morning.

A senior aide describes Arafat as "seriously, seriously ill." He says Arafat is exhausted and weak, but denied earlier reports that the Palestinian leader had lost consciousness. Doctors have been unable to pinpoint exactly what is wrong with him at this point.

State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel is tracking the very latest information on Mr. Arafat's health and the possible political fallout for the Middle East. She's joining us now with the very latest on the story.

Hi, Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Rick.

Just got off the phone a little while ago with a very well-placed Palestinian source who had spoken to Yasser Arafat during the night. And this is what he told me.

He said that Yasser Arafat is in stable condition right now, but he is very weak. He's very dehydrated. As we've all been reporting, he's had the flu for the past couple of weeks. The guy's 75 years old.

He has also been fasting, because it's the holy month of Ramadan. That has certainly not helped matters. But what really concerns Palestinian officials is that they believe that it's much more than the flu. They think that it could be either a blood ailment -- his platelets are apparently very, very low -- or it could be something with his digestive system.

For that reason, they've got doctors coming in from around the Middle East region and elsewhere to try to make an assessment. Palestinian officials say they should know within the next couple of hours whether or not he will need to actually go to hospital in Ramallah or whether he will need to go overseas. Now, in a statement that was made on CNN a short time ago, the Israeli prime minister's spokesman, one of his senior advisers, Ra'anan Gissin, said that whatever Yasser Arafat needs in terms of medical attention, wherever it's necessary, Israel will do what it can to assist.

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RA'ANAN GISSIN, SR. SHARON ADVISER: We're dealing with as a medical humanitarian problem. In other words, if he -- the doctors say that he needs to be transferred to a certain hospital, and then be returned back, Israel will not impose any conditions. Israel will not impose any restrictions. That is where it stands.

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KOPPEL: Now, that's really an extraordinary statement by Ra'anan Gissin, because until now, for the last several years since Yasser Arafat has been holed up in his Ramallah headquarters, Israel has threatened to perhaps arrest him even if he were to leave his headquarters, and has made very clear that if he were to leave the Palestinian territories, he wouldn't be welcomed back.

So, right now, things are up in the air as to whether or not Yasser Arafat will leave. But what I can tell you, at least here at the State Department, is that the Bush administration is staying out of this.

It has had a policy of treating Yasser Arafat as persona non- grata. No relationship whatsoever with the Palestinian leader. And for that reason, U.S. officials telling CNN this is between Israel and the Palestinians -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: But surely there's some folks at the State Department, though, Andrea, who would like to have a hand, or a say, or maybe some influence in who could possibly be the next person in charge of the Palestinian Authority. And one would imagine they might want to choose someone a little more malleable.

Has there been any talk at all from your sources there as to who they might be looking at?

KOPPEL: I think if the United States thought it were able to choose a Palestinian leader, there would be a lot of happy people here.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

KOPPEL: but they recognize that that's not something that's going to happen. What they're concerned about, Rick, and what they've told me this morning is that the next person who replaces Yasser Arafat, whenever that might be, could be someone who is a less desirable character, somebody from either Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and not necessarily someone, as you described, who might be more malleable.

SANCHEZ: Yes, that's interesting. All right. Andrea Koppel, thanks so much for bringing that report. We'll be checking back with you as well -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Another deadly explosion in Iraq today in Baghdad. A U.S. soldier was killed when a suspected car bomb struck a convoy. At least one Iraqi civilian was killed and two other soldiers were wounded.

An explosives team is trying to confirm the exact cause of the blast. It's unclear whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.

At least two people reported dead in the latest round of U.S. airstrikes on the rebel stronghold of Falluja. Military officials say the overnight bombing targeted a meeting site used by terrorists loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. A hospital official tells CNN the strike destroyed three houses and killed two brothers.

SANCHEZ: The waters are more than knee-high in certain parts of California. Imagine what it means if your knees are much closer to the crown. Man's best friend in this particular case. Yes, those types of knees.

KAGAN: Little paws.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Getting a helping hand. KAGAN: Paws.

Later, you would never know it by looking at it, but Oregon is a battlefield, and the warriors are moms. Richard Quest looks at the mother of all political sites coming up.

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KAGAN: Some help for a furry friend. Storms in California have triggered some flash flooding. Firefighters rescued a dog from a flood channel near L.A. yesterday. Two-year-old Bruno, Rick.

Rick, meet Bruno, a yellow lab, seemed to be suffering from hypothermia when he was pulled from the water. He was nearly eight miles from home.

Bruno, phone home.

SANCHEZ: Wow, that's a good swim. Got a little Johnny Weissmuller in him.

Boy, there's a name from the past, huh?

KAGAN: A little Tarzan actually?

SANCHEZ: Yes.

KAGAN: Was that a test?

SANCHEZ: You picked up on it.

Orelon Sidney standing by now to check on the weather and see how things are going in California, first, I guess. Right?

ORELON, SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, that's where we'll take a look first.

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SANCHEZ: All right. Thank you.

KAGAN: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: It's hot here in Atlanta, too.

KAGAN: Almost 80 degrees. Almost November. Amazing. I'll take it.

I'll also take the electoral college, two words that strike fear into the hearts of candidates that confuse just about everybody else. We're talking about the electoral college.

SANCHEZ: Five days until the election. And there may already be some cause for concern. We'll tell you where.

Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: It is 28 minutes after the hour. We welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

Just a few days left to make up your mind in the presidential contest if you have not voted already. And if you live in a handful of crucial showdown states in middle America, George Bush or John Kerry might come calling today. Throughout the day, one or both candidates will be holding rallies in Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Aides to Yasser Arafat say he is seriously, seriously ill. His wife arrived in Amman and is on her way to Ramallah to visit him. Doctors are not saying what is wrong with the 75-year-old Palestinian leader, except that he has been sick for the past two weeks. Palestinian sources say he might go to Paris for treatment.

In Redwood City, California, closing arguments are set for Monday in the Scott Peterson double murder trial. Jurors could get the case as early as Wednesday. They'll be sequestered during their deliberations.

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