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American Morning
Candidates Pouring All Their Energy into Handful of States; Yasser Arafat Arrives in France for Critical Medical Treatment
Aired October 29, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Inside the final hundred hours. The candidates pouring all their energy into just a handful of states divided, again, by only the slightest of margins.
Security very tight in France today. Yasser Arafat on his way, arriving a short time ago, for critical medical treatment there.
An embarrassing situation for Fox anchor Bill O'Reilly suddenly goes away, but with some questions still remaining, as well.
And marketing a surgical pick-me-up when a face lift is just too much and the money is rolling in.
Ahead this morning on AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
HEMMER: Good morning, everyone.
The morning papers here in New York City.
Good morning.
8:00 here.
Good morning to you.
We've made it to Friday.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Woo-hoo!
HEMMER: Not bad, huh?
And we are almost down to the end of Election 2004. What amounts to just a long weekend until the election. In a moment, well, let's talk about how the candidates each are closing out their campaigns. Two governors, one from Arkansas, one from Pennsylvania; Democrat Ed Rendell and Republican Mike Huckabee. We'll get their thoughts in a moment here.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, will early voting in Florida mean a late election for everybody else? We're going to take a look at potential ballot problems in Florida when we talk to the supervisor of elections from Pasco County.
HEMMER: All right, Jack Cafferty, good morning on a Friday.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How you doing, Bill? Coming up in the "Cafferty File," legitimate hotels that offer sex toys and the Bite Me candy bar.
O'BRIEN: Ooh, my.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Sorry.
CAFFERTY: Trick or treat.
And if you're under a lot of stress, you may not remember why. They've done a study about that.
Plus, we do have a Halloween warning to parents everywhere. Please make a note to watch the "Cafferty File." This is important. Your child's welfare could be at stake here.
HEMMER: It's not that serious.
CAFFERTY: I don't know, it's pretty...
O'BRIEN: Ah, it's pretty bad.
CAFFERTY: It's pretty -- yes. She's seen it. It's pretty scary.
HEMMER: Yes, thank you, Jack.
Here's Heidi Collins, top of the hour and the headlines, as well.
Heidi -- good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.
And good morning to you, everyone.
Now in the news this morning, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has landed in Paris within the half hour or so. Arafat will undergo testing in a French military hospital now. He's expected to arrive there at any moment, in fact.
One of his personal doctors says the 75-year-old leader is suffering from a blood platelet deficiency. We're going to have more on this story throughout the show for you.
More fallout on the military explosives in Iraq. The Pentagon claims the material may have been moved from the Al Qaqaa military compound before U.S. troops got there in April of 2003. But former U.S. weapons inspector David Kay says images he has seen suggest the material was kept sealed until American forces arrived. He says the site appears to have been looted. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID KAY, FORMER U.S. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Looters don't come in convoys. They're more like ants in your kitchen. They're every place and they move relatively individually, relatively small amounts. The total is huge. I've been on, oh, at least 15 sites while looting was going on in Iraq and they take down buildings. They move heavy equipment. It's amazing what they can move.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: We will hear more from David Kay coming up in the next hour.
Meanwhile, Bill O'Reilly and his former producer have settled their lawsuits out of court. The Fox News Channel host and Andrea Mackris dropped their extortion and sexual harassment lawsuits yesterday. Mackris had accused O'Reilly of making sexually explicit phone calls and O'Reilly had claimed Mackris was demanding $60 million in hush money. No details on the settlement have been made public. Not too much of a surprise there.
Back to you.
HEMMER: All right, Heidi.
O'BRIEN: Heidi, thank you.
With just four days until the election, both presidential candidates are making a final push to swing voters their way in those all important battleground states.
CNN's Ed Henry explains why both candidates need to be ready to shift gears at just a moment's notice.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a race this close, the pace gets hectic during the final days.
KEN MEHLMAN, BUSH CAMPAIGN MANAGER: First of all, it's frenetic.
HENRY: In 2000, George W. Bush shifted his travel plans on the final day, hitting Arkansas and Tennessee because of promising poll numbers. He won both. This time, John Kerry has scrapped visits to states out of reach, like West Virginia and Missouri. But Kerry has added a visit Monday to Wisconsin, a blue state he needs to lock up.
TAD DEVINE, SENIOR KERRY STRATEGIST: It's a busy time around here and you've got to be willing to -- and ready to -- adjust as, you know, as developments occur.
HENRY: The travel strategy is simple -- what combination of states will get you to the magic number -- 270 electoral votes. The president and Senator Kerry have been practically bumping into one another this week, as they crisscross the same states, thousands of miles logged, racing from Florida to Ohio, and New Hampshire to New Mexico, all to turn out voters in about a dozen battlegrounds.
CHUCK TODD, "THE HOTLINE" EDITOR: It gives you some earned media from free local media. It does rally the troops.
HENRY: After the travel and long nights, there's one thing both campaigns can agree on -- nobody's gotten much rest.
DEVINE: Enough to get through day to day. So I'm looking forward to a long, long sleep once this thing is over.
TODD: I'm going to Disney World when this is over.
HENRY (on camera): Strategists in both camps will finally get to start those vacations next Wednesday, if and only if the election is decided on Tuesday night.
Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
O'BRIEN: A big if, some people are predicting at this point.
Hawaii has become an unlikely battleground state, with Republicans sensing an opening. Vice President Dick Cheney is going to visit there on Sunday. The Kerry campaign sending the candidate's daughter, Alexandra -- Bill.
HEMMER: The Kerry campaign also sensing an opening, this one in Arkansas. So they're sending in a former president there. The native, Bill Clinton, goes back this weekend.
Arkansas' Republican governor, Mike Huckabee, my guest now from Little Rock.
Good morning, Governor.
Good to have you with us today.
GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE (R), ARKANSAS: Thank you, Bill.
Good to be with you.
HEMMER: Does Bill Clinton help swing that state in Kerry's column?
HUCKABEE: I think he's got more influence in New York than Arkansas. He's been gone from here 12 years. But certainly, you know, his presence creates a scene and I think he can motivate some voters. So we've got our work cut out for us and we leave nothing unturned.
However, I have offered to go to Hawaii if Vice President Cheney can't make it over there this weekend.
HEMMER: Hey, listen, Governor, so have we, OK? There's a long line developing for that assignment. Two polls to show you, an Arkansas poll which puts Bush up 7 points over John Kerry. Another one puts it dev at 48-48. Mike McCurry said over the weekend, a John Kerry adviser, that there is an opportunity in your state.
Is that true?
HUCKABEE: I don't think so. I mean, you never rule it out. But it's all about mobilization. There are no undecided voters left. It would be easier to find Osama bin Laden in downtown Little Rock than it would an undecided voter. The question is who's going to get their voters out to the polls and it's all about mobilization.
But John Kerry is a hard sell. I think he's harder to sell than an Ashlee Simpson Live album here, because he's wrong on all the issues. You've got a guy who's wrong on abortion, he's wrong on firearms, he's wrong on his position on the war. He's the wrong man, the wrong time, the wrong job.
HEMMER: That's the second time you've gotten in that line in the last two days from my count. Not bad.
HUCKABEE: It's a good one.
HEMMER: I want to talk, one more thing, about this early voting deal. Over the weekend in the "Washington Post," it was reported that in heavily Democratic counties in your state that Democrats are not turning out numbers like they are in other parts of the country.
Is that a fact?
HUCKABEE: I hope so. You know, it's one of those issues that we're looking at. There's not a reason that Democrats have that are firing them up. Bill Clinton is not on the ballot. And John Kerry is not the kind of candidate that Democrats just say I'll go tear my shirt for him. In fact, as a Massachusetts liberal left of Ted Kennedy, it's really hard to motivate conservative Democrats. They're more motivated by Zell Miller than they are by John Kerry, and Zell Miller is asking them to vote for President Bush.
I think that John Kerry is, again, a tough sell here.
HEMMER: Just to follow-up on the question about the "Post" article, though. You can't say whether or not that's the case at this point in Democratic counties?
HUCKABEE: Actually, I think what I do see is that there is a moderate turnout in some of the Democratic counties that traditionally have a very heavy turnout. Republican counties, in the early voting and absentee, there are record turnouts, record registrations. But, once again, we've got to make sure those pro-Bush voters are willing to stand in line and -- because they need to be willing to stand in line four hours in order to have a president for four years.
HEMMER: Thank you, Governor.
Mike Huckabee down there in Little Rock.
HUCKABEE: Thank you.
HEMMER: From Arkansas now to a battleground state, that State of Pennsylvania.
According to some of the latest polling, it appears the Keystone State still too close to call there. Our polling, CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup, shows Kerry with a 3 point lead over the president. An "L.A. Times" poll out yesterday shows a tie. Then a Quinnipiac poll puts the president up by 2 points over Senator Kerry.
Democrat Ed Rendell knows his state as well as anyone.
He's my guest now.
Governor, good morning.
Good to have you back with us.
GOV. ED RENDELL (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Nice to be back, Bill.
HEMMER: Early voting tells you what at this point?
RENDELL: Well, we don't...
HEMMER: Kick the spin to the curb, if you could, for us.
RENDELL: Well, we don't have early voting. I will say two other polls, local polls, KDK, a television station in Pittsburgh, and the Keystone poll, have Kerry up 8 and 6 points. So the only thing you can say about polls is we ought to shoot 'em all and go back to having no polls, because they're all over the lot.
HEMMER: There were two soldiers, Senator -- or, Governor, rather -- from your state that are raising an issue of absentee overseas ballots. These are soldiers dispatched overseas. Part of their letter and a motion they filed is trying to make sure their vote is counted, because apparently it may come in after the deadline.
On the screen you can see a quote from their claim. "With the war in Iraq a major issue in this election, it is especially imperative the members of the military actually waging that war have their votes counted."
Will you allow these soldiers to have their day and to have their votes counted this year by extending the deadline, possibly?
RENDELL: Well, first of all, it's not my decision. I am bound to follow the laws of the State of Pennsylvania and the laws only allow an extension via the federal court. Two weeks ago, there was a court case in front of a federal judge who was a Governor Ridge appointee as secretary of state, actually. And she turned down the extension. There are 26,000 military and overseas ballots sent out. I met with Senator Santorum, who's been the leading Republican proponent of extending this, on Saturday, and I said bring the evidence that the counties didn't do their job or that there are individuals who have been disenfranchised. And in a five day period, they brought us no evidence that any county didn't do their job and brought us two complaints out of those 26,000.
Well, that's not much evidence. But nonetheless, we've investigated the two cases. In one case, the soldier did -- the absentee ballot was sent to the address and delivered to the address that he put on the form. But in the other, there's no explanation for the soldier not having received his ballot. And I've decided that one military or civilian overseas not getting a ballot in time is too much.
So we are going to go in and ask the judge today for a one week extension.
HEMMER: So then you would fight for that if that's the case, if those ballots went out late, to give those soldiers a chance?
RENDELL: The ballots didn't go out late. Understand that. They did not go out late. The counties, two thirds of which, in Pennsylvania, are controlled by Republicans, the counties did a good job, the county election officials. They got their ballots out timely.
There may have been a screw-up in the mail. But it's not widespread. Again, the Republicans brought us two out of 26,000. But one is too many. I've decided we've got to give whatever number it is the right to vote so as long as they vote by November 2, Election Day, they'll be counted up to a week later.
HEMMER: All right, thank you, Governor.
Good luck on Tuesday.
RENDELL: Thanks, Bill.
HEMMER: Ed Rendell, Democratic governor there in Pennsylvania.
Mike Huckabee from Arkansas before that.
Four days away, Election Night, CNN's team here live in New York City, Times Square, the Nasdaq market site there. And it should be a rather interesting night, chock full of...
O'BRIEN: And probably a really long one.
HEMMER: It could be that, too, as well. Chock full of graphics, too. 7:00 Eastern time is when we kick off our prime time coverage on Tuesday evening.
O'BRIEN: We're looking forward to that and to wrapping all this up, aren't we?
Weather now.
Rob Marciano in for Chad Myers. He's at the CNN Center with the latest for us -- hello, Rob.
Good morning.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: In a moment here, Florida hopes this election runs a lot more smoothly than the one four years ago. But what are the early responses to the changes being made there? I'll check in with one election official on that in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also, a cosmetic surgery option becoming a popular alternative to facelifts. But is it the start of a slippery slope for some patients? We'll look at that.
HEMMER: And how will Yasser Arafat's illness effect the chances for Middle East peace? We'll talk to a man who once drafted a peace process for the entire region, ahead here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Yasser Arafat is in Paris this morning for medical treatment. He arrived by helicopter at Percy Military Hospital just moments ago. The 75-year-old Palestinian leader is suffering from a blood platelet deficiency and doctors need further tests to determine the cause. It's the first time that Arafat has left his Ramallah compound in nearly three years. His illness raising questions about the Palestinian leadership and peace in the Middle East.
Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell joins us to talk about that.
Nice to see you.
Thanks for being with us.
GEORGE MITCHELL, FORMER U.S. SENATOR, FORMER SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Thanks for having me.
O'BRIEN: We heard appeals for calm from Hanan Ashwari and others when news and conflicting reports about Arafat's illness first surfaced. Give me a sense of the impact of his illness on the Palestinian leadership and also the Palestinian people.
MITCHELL: Well, it will have a profound impact on both. I think it also represents an opportunity. I think there's a widespread view in the Middle East, among both Israelis and Palestinians, that the current course will not permit them to achieve their objectives. The Israelis want security, the Palestinians want a state. And my hope is that early next year, whoever is elected president, will undertake a new initiative.
The chance that there may be a transition of Palestinian leadership may coincide and present an opportunity that didn't seem possible just a short time ago. But there is always the possibility of it turning in a darker direction, that is, a conflict for succession that would result, I think, in more chaos as opposed to a smooth and effective transition.
O'BRIEN: Is there a clear line for succession at this point?
MITCHELL: There is not. There are several possibilities. One generation, the Arafat generation, is the current prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, or his predecessor as prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas. They're in their 60s. They're both of Arafat's generation, close to him. Abbas a little bit more independent. On the other hand, a generational skip would take you to Mohammed Dahlan, who is in his mid-40s, was the head of security in Gaza, has had an in and out relationship with Arafat. He was very close to him at one time. Arafat regarded him as a son. Then they had a falling out. He's been less close recently.
So that's all up in the air. But there are many other possibilities, some of them persons not well known in the West.
O'BRIEN: In your mind, Arafat being incapacitated or, if he dies, to speak bluntly, is this a big positive for the peace process then?
MITCHELL: Well, it could go either way. First, of course, both Israel and the United States have made a decision not to talk with him. The problem with that is if an agreement is reached with someone else, will any other person have the capacity to persuade the Palestinian people, with its many factions and divisions, to accept an agreement? He really is a father figure who has a status that no one else has at this time and is unlikely to achieve in the near future.
So hopefully the circumstances will be that an agreement will be reached that all of the leadership, whether he's involved anymore at that point or others, can endorse and have approved by a substantial majority of the Palestinian people.
O'BRIEN: Israel has allowed him to go to Paris for these treatments and also return, which is really the more tricky part of that equation.
MITCHELL: Yes.
O'BRIEN: This is after many years of not so subtly hinting that Arafat would be open for an assassination attempt, frankly, should he leave the country and -- leave and try to come back, rather.
Do you read that as a positive sign, the allowing Arafat to return? Or do you think it's just political at this point?
MITCHELL: I think it is positive and it's also political. I think the Israelis recognize that it would be a disastrous public relations move for them not to permit an obviously ill person not to receive treatment. The Israelis had the authority to kill Arafat at any time. They had the ability to do so. They have refrained from doing so because they don't know what will follow. They could get a situation that's worse than the current situation and I think their cabinet is somewhat divided.
In addition, they have made a commitment to the United States that they will not attempt to kill or harm him and they're honoring that commitment. But I think this is a sensible move by the Israeli government, because any action to the contrary, I think, would create a real problem for them in the international community.
O'BRIEN: On a much lighter note, how about those Red Sox? I understand you have a little stake in that team?
MITCHELL: Oh, it's great. I do. Yes, I do. I am involved with the Red Sox. I'm a life long fan. I grew up in Maine and...
O'BRIEN: A part owner, too, beyond being a fan.
MITCHELL: Yes. Well, not that much of an owner.
O'BRIEN: Well, still, more than most people so.
MITCHELL: Yes, no, it was a great success, a great season and a great success.
O'BRIEN: Congratulations to you on that, then.
MITCHELL: Thank you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: All right, in a moment here, Bill O'Reilly and his accuser striking a deal over harassment charges. But will the accusations still be a factor in O'Reilly's career? "Gimme A Minute" panel weighs in on that in a moment as we continue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Time to check in with Jack.
He's got the Question of the Day -- hello.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Soledad.
Just one letter to read in this segment. The Friday before Halloween, the day that most schools used to let the kids dress up in their costumes and have a little Halloween party, some candy, you know, just a few yuks, a break from the three Rs. But recently, schools around the country are placing bans on the festivities for a lot of reasons that range from costumes being a safety hazard to a distraction from learning to a discrimination of religious beliefs.
So the question is should Halloween festivities be limited or banned in public schools?
I mentioned I'm just going to read one e-mail. It starts like this: "I work for the New York City school district and can tell you firsthand that the safety reason given to explain the Halloween ban is a canard. I've been at meetings where this has been planned and discussed. The real reason is that adherents of three or four religions have objected to Halloween. They claim Halloween is about witchcraft, un-Christian things, paganism or some kind of devil worship, literally. We've had to deal with these irate fundamentalist (OBSCENE WORD OMITTED).
Nobody in their right mind sees Halloween as a real holiday and nobody of sound mind sees it as anything other than a secular observance meant for fun. But these zealous fanatics insist on either seeing it as a religious event or at least pretend to see it that way so that their threats of lawsuits will be taken seriously, and they are.
We were all told not to speak about the real reason for the increasingly broad bans on Halloween. By the way, this started a couple of years ago. And as it succeeded in one school and then another, word spread, and now the tactic is spreading across the country. I'm leaving this unsigned. I'd like to keep my job."
So there you go.
O'BRIEN: Wow!
CAFFERTY: This weekend on "In The Money," better off today than we were four years ago? The question former President Reagan asked in 1980. Join me this weekend for the program. We'll take a look at where we stand just before the election, Saturday at 1:00, Sunday at 3:00. It's a fine program and your attendance is required.
HEMMER: Very fine.
CAFFERTY: So check it out.
HEMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
CAFFERTY: Do you believe that?
O'BRIEN: That's a shocking e-mail. But, you know, I, actually, yes, I completely believe it. I think that those one or two people in those meetings actually drive a lot of things.
CAFFERTY: Whatever happened to the concept that the majority rules? Isn't that what this democracy is based on?
O'BRIEN: Balanced by fear of lawsuits, I think.
CAFFERTY: Yes, well it's nonsense, you know? And it's wrong. And -- well, we don't have time.
O'BRIEN: My daughter's (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
CAFFERTY: We've got to be off by 10 right now.
HEMMER: We do.
A break here. In a moment now, if there are problems with Florida's vote this year, there may not be much of a paper trail to solve them, so say some. Should folks down there be worried about that aspect? Back in a moment with that here when we continue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired October 29, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Inside the final hundred hours. The candidates pouring all their energy into just a handful of states divided, again, by only the slightest of margins.
Security very tight in France today. Yasser Arafat on his way, arriving a short time ago, for critical medical treatment there.
An embarrassing situation for Fox anchor Bill O'Reilly suddenly goes away, but with some questions still remaining, as well.
And marketing a surgical pick-me-up when a face lift is just too much and the money is rolling in.
Ahead this morning on AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
HEMMER: Good morning, everyone.
The morning papers here in New York City.
Good morning.
8:00 here.
Good morning to you.
We've made it to Friday.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Woo-hoo!
HEMMER: Not bad, huh?
And we are almost down to the end of Election 2004. What amounts to just a long weekend until the election. In a moment, well, let's talk about how the candidates each are closing out their campaigns. Two governors, one from Arkansas, one from Pennsylvania; Democrat Ed Rendell and Republican Mike Huckabee. We'll get their thoughts in a moment here.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, will early voting in Florida mean a late election for everybody else? We're going to take a look at potential ballot problems in Florida when we talk to the supervisor of elections from Pasco County.
HEMMER: All right, Jack Cafferty, good morning on a Friday.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How you doing, Bill? Coming up in the "Cafferty File," legitimate hotels that offer sex toys and the Bite Me candy bar.
O'BRIEN: Ooh, my.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Sorry.
CAFFERTY: Trick or treat.
And if you're under a lot of stress, you may not remember why. They've done a study about that.
Plus, we do have a Halloween warning to parents everywhere. Please make a note to watch the "Cafferty File." This is important. Your child's welfare could be at stake here.
HEMMER: It's not that serious.
CAFFERTY: I don't know, it's pretty...
O'BRIEN: Ah, it's pretty bad.
CAFFERTY: It's pretty -- yes. She's seen it. It's pretty scary.
HEMMER: Yes, thank you, Jack.
Here's Heidi Collins, top of the hour and the headlines, as well.
Heidi -- good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.
And good morning to you, everyone.
Now in the news this morning, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has landed in Paris within the half hour or so. Arafat will undergo testing in a French military hospital now. He's expected to arrive there at any moment, in fact.
One of his personal doctors says the 75-year-old leader is suffering from a blood platelet deficiency. We're going to have more on this story throughout the show for you.
More fallout on the military explosives in Iraq. The Pentagon claims the material may have been moved from the Al Qaqaa military compound before U.S. troops got there in April of 2003. But former U.S. weapons inspector David Kay says images he has seen suggest the material was kept sealed until American forces arrived. He says the site appears to have been looted. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID KAY, FORMER U.S. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Looters don't come in convoys. They're more like ants in your kitchen. They're every place and they move relatively individually, relatively small amounts. The total is huge. I've been on, oh, at least 15 sites while looting was going on in Iraq and they take down buildings. They move heavy equipment. It's amazing what they can move.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: We will hear more from David Kay coming up in the next hour.
Meanwhile, Bill O'Reilly and his former producer have settled their lawsuits out of court. The Fox News Channel host and Andrea Mackris dropped their extortion and sexual harassment lawsuits yesterday. Mackris had accused O'Reilly of making sexually explicit phone calls and O'Reilly had claimed Mackris was demanding $60 million in hush money. No details on the settlement have been made public. Not too much of a surprise there.
Back to you.
HEMMER: All right, Heidi.
O'BRIEN: Heidi, thank you.
With just four days until the election, both presidential candidates are making a final push to swing voters their way in those all important battleground states.
CNN's Ed Henry explains why both candidates need to be ready to shift gears at just a moment's notice.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a race this close, the pace gets hectic during the final days.
KEN MEHLMAN, BUSH CAMPAIGN MANAGER: First of all, it's frenetic.
HENRY: In 2000, George W. Bush shifted his travel plans on the final day, hitting Arkansas and Tennessee because of promising poll numbers. He won both. This time, John Kerry has scrapped visits to states out of reach, like West Virginia and Missouri. But Kerry has added a visit Monday to Wisconsin, a blue state he needs to lock up.
TAD DEVINE, SENIOR KERRY STRATEGIST: It's a busy time around here and you've got to be willing to -- and ready to -- adjust as, you know, as developments occur.
HENRY: The travel strategy is simple -- what combination of states will get you to the magic number -- 270 electoral votes. The president and Senator Kerry have been practically bumping into one another this week, as they crisscross the same states, thousands of miles logged, racing from Florida to Ohio, and New Hampshire to New Mexico, all to turn out voters in about a dozen battlegrounds.
CHUCK TODD, "THE HOTLINE" EDITOR: It gives you some earned media from free local media. It does rally the troops.
HENRY: After the travel and long nights, there's one thing both campaigns can agree on -- nobody's gotten much rest.
DEVINE: Enough to get through day to day. So I'm looking forward to a long, long sleep once this thing is over.
TODD: I'm going to Disney World when this is over.
HENRY (on camera): Strategists in both camps will finally get to start those vacations next Wednesday, if and only if the election is decided on Tuesday night.
Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
O'BRIEN: A big if, some people are predicting at this point.
Hawaii has become an unlikely battleground state, with Republicans sensing an opening. Vice President Dick Cheney is going to visit there on Sunday. The Kerry campaign sending the candidate's daughter, Alexandra -- Bill.
HEMMER: The Kerry campaign also sensing an opening, this one in Arkansas. So they're sending in a former president there. The native, Bill Clinton, goes back this weekend.
Arkansas' Republican governor, Mike Huckabee, my guest now from Little Rock.
Good morning, Governor.
Good to have you with us today.
GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE (R), ARKANSAS: Thank you, Bill.
Good to be with you.
HEMMER: Does Bill Clinton help swing that state in Kerry's column?
HUCKABEE: I think he's got more influence in New York than Arkansas. He's been gone from here 12 years. But certainly, you know, his presence creates a scene and I think he can motivate some voters. So we've got our work cut out for us and we leave nothing unturned.
However, I have offered to go to Hawaii if Vice President Cheney can't make it over there this weekend.
HEMMER: Hey, listen, Governor, so have we, OK? There's a long line developing for that assignment. Two polls to show you, an Arkansas poll which puts Bush up 7 points over John Kerry. Another one puts it dev at 48-48. Mike McCurry said over the weekend, a John Kerry adviser, that there is an opportunity in your state.
Is that true?
HUCKABEE: I don't think so. I mean, you never rule it out. But it's all about mobilization. There are no undecided voters left. It would be easier to find Osama bin Laden in downtown Little Rock than it would an undecided voter. The question is who's going to get their voters out to the polls and it's all about mobilization.
But John Kerry is a hard sell. I think he's harder to sell than an Ashlee Simpson Live album here, because he's wrong on all the issues. You've got a guy who's wrong on abortion, he's wrong on firearms, he's wrong on his position on the war. He's the wrong man, the wrong time, the wrong job.
HEMMER: That's the second time you've gotten in that line in the last two days from my count. Not bad.
HUCKABEE: It's a good one.
HEMMER: I want to talk, one more thing, about this early voting deal. Over the weekend in the "Washington Post," it was reported that in heavily Democratic counties in your state that Democrats are not turning out numbers like they are in other parts of the country.
Is that a fact?
HUCKABEE: I hope so. You know, it's one of those issues that we're looking at. There's not a reason that Democrats have that are firing them up. Bill Clinton is not on the ballot. And John Kerry is not the kind of candidate that Democrats just say I'll go tear my shirt for him. In fact, as a Massachusetts liberal left of Ted Kennedy, it's really hard to motivate conservative Democrats. They're more motivated by Zell Miller than they are by John Kerry, and Zell Miller is asking them to vote for President Bush.
I think that John Kerry is, again, a tough sell here.
HEMMER: Just to follow-up on the question about the "Post" article, though. You can't say whether or not that's the case at this point in Democratic counties?
HUCKABEE: Actually, I think what I do see is that there is a moderate turnout in some of the Democratic counties that traditionally have a very heavy turnout. Republican counties, in the early voting and absentee, there are record turnouts, record registrations. But, once again, we've got to make sure those pro-Bush voters are willing to stand in line and -- because they need to be willing to stand in line four hours in order to have a president for four years.
HEMMER: Thank you, Governor.
Mike Huckabee down there in Little Rock.
HUCKABEE: Thank you.
HEMMER: From Arkansas now to a battleground state, that State of Pennsylvania.
According to some of the latest polling, it appears the Keystone State still too close to call there. Our polling, CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup, shows Kerry with a 3 point lead over the president. An "L.A. Times" poll out yesterday shows a tie. Then a Quinnipiac poll puts the president up by 2 points over Senator Kerry.
Democrat Ed Rendell knows his state as well as anyone.
He's my guest now.
Governor, good morning.
Good to have you back with us.
GOV. ED RENDELL (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Nice to be back, Bill.
HEMMER: Early voting tells you what at this point?
RENDELL: Well, we don't...
HEMMER: Kick the spin to the curb, if you could, for us.
RENDELL: Well, we don't have early voting. I will say two other polls, local polls, KDK, a television station in Pittsburgh, and the Keystone poll, have Kerry up 8 and 6 points. So the only thing you can say about polls is we ought to shoot 'em all and go back to having no polls, because they're all over the lot.
HEMMER: There were two soldiers, Senator -- or, Governor, rather -- from your state that are raising an issue of absentee overseas ballots. These are soldiers dispatched overseas. Part of their letter and a motion they filed is trying to make sure their vote is counted, because apparently it may come in after the deadline.
On the screen you can see a quote from their claim. "With the war in Iraq a major issue in this election, it is especially imperative the members of the military actually waging that war have their votes counted."
Will you allow these soldiers to have their day and to have their votes counted this year by extending the deadline, possibly?
RENDELL: Well, first of all, it's not my decision. I am bound to follow the laws of the State of Pennsylvania and the laws only allow an extension via the federal court. Two weeks ago, there was a court case in front of a federal judge who was a Governor Ridge appointee as secretary of state, actually. And she turned down the extension. There are 26,000 military and overseas ballots sent out. I met with Senator Santorum, who's been the leading Republican proponent of extending this, on Saturday, and I said bring the evidence that the counties didn't do their job or that there are individuals who have been disenfranchised. And in a five day period, they brought us no evidence that any county didn't do their job and brought us two complaints out of those 26,000.
Well, that's not much evidence. But nonetheless, we've investigated the two cases. In one case, the soldier did -- the absentee ballot was sent to the address and delivered to the address that he put on the form. But in the other, there's no explanation for the soldier not having received his ballot. And I've decided that one military or civilian overseas not getting a ballot in time is too much.
So we are going to go in and ask the judge today for a one week extension.
HEMMER: So then you would fight for that if that's the case, if those ballots went out late, to give those soldiers a chance?
RENDELL: The ballots didn't go out late. Understand that. They did not go out late. The counties, two thirds of which, in Pennsylvania, are controlled by Republicans, the counties did a good job, the county election officials. They got their ballots out timely.
There may have been a screw-up in the mail. But it's not widespread. Again, the Republicans brought us two out of 26,000. But one is too many. I've decided we've got to give whatever number it is the right to vote so as long as they vote by November 2, Election Day, they'll be counted up to a week later.
HEMMER: All right, thank you, Governor.
Good luck on Tuesday.
RENDELL: Thanks, Bill.
HEMMER: Ed Rendell, Democratic governor there in Pennsylvania.
Mike Huckabee from Arkansas before that.
Four days away, Election Night, CNN's team here live in New York City, Times Square, the Nasdaq market site there. And it should be a rather interesting night, chock full of...
O'BRIEN: And probably a really long one.
HEMMER: It could be that, too, as well. Chock full of graphics, too. 7:00 Eastern time is when we kick off our prime time coverage on Tuesday evening.
O'BRIEN: We're looking forward to that and to wrapping all this up, aren't we?
Weather now.
Rob Marciano in for Chad Myers. He's at the CNN Center with the latest for us -- hello, Rob.
Good morning.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: In a moment here, Florida hopes this election runs a lot more smoothly than the one four years ago. But what are the early responses to the changes being made there? I'll check in with one election official on that in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also, a cosmetic surgery option becoming a popular alternative to facelifts. But is it the start of a slippery slope for some patients? We'll look at that.
HEMMER: And how will Yasser Arafat's illness effect the chances for Middle East peace? We'll talk to a man who once drafted a peace process for the entire region, ahead here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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O'BRIEN: Yasser Arafat is in Paris this morning for medical treatment. He arrived by helicopter at Percy Military Hospital just moments ago. The 75-year-old Palestinian leader is suffering from a blood platelet deficiency and doctors need further tests to determine the cause. It's the first time that Arafat has left his Ramallah compound in nearly three years. His illness raising questions about the Palestinian leadership and peace in the Middle East.
Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell joins us to talk about that.
Nice to see you.
Thanks for being with us.
GEORGE MITCHELL, FORMER U.S. SENATOR, FORMER SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Thanks for having me.
O'BRIEN: We heard appeals for calm from Hanan Ashwari and others when news and conflicting reports about Arafat's illness first surfaced. Give me a sense of the impact of his illness on the Palestinian leadership and also the Palestinian people.
MITCHELL: Well, it will have a profound impact on both. I think it also represents an opportunity. I think there's a widespread view in the Middle East, among both Israelis and Palestinians, that the current course will not permit them to achieve their objectives. The Israelis want security, the Palestinians want a state. And my hope is that early next year, whoever is elected president, will undertake a new initiative.
The chance that there may be a transition of Palestinian leadership may coincide and present an opportunity that didn't seem possible just a short time ago. But there is always the possibility of it turning in a darker direction, that is, a conflict for succession that would result, I think, in more chaos as opposed to a smooth and effective transition.
O'BRIEN: Is there a clear line for succession at this point?
MITCHELL: There is not. There are several possibilities. One generation, the Arafat generation, is the current prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, or his predecessor as prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas. They're in their 60s. They're both of Arafat's generation, close to him. Abbas a little bit more independent. On the other hand, a generational skip would take you to Mohammed Dahlan, who is in his mid-40s, was the head of security in Gaza, has had an in and out relationship with Arafat. He was very close to him at one time. Arafat regarded him as a son. Then they had a falling out. He's been less close recently.
So that's all up in the air. But there are many other possibilities, some of them persons not well known in the West.
O'BRIEN: In your mind, Arafat being incapacitated or, if he dies, to speak bluntly, is this a big positive for the peace process then?
MITCHELL: Well, it could go either way. First, of course, both Israel and the United States have made a decision not to talk with him. The problem with that is if an agreement is reached with someone else, will any other person have the capacity to persuade the Palestinian people, with its many factions and divisions, to accept an agreement? He really is a father figure who has a status that no one else has at this time and is unlikely to achieve in the near future.
So hopefully the circumstances will be that an agreement will be reached that all of the leadership, whether he's involved anymore at that point or others, can endorse and have approved by a substantial majority of the Palestinian people.
O'BRIEN: Israel has allowed him to go to Paris for these treatments and also return, which is really the more tricky part of that equation.
MITCHELL: Yes.
O'BRIEN: This is after many years of not so subtly hinting that Arafat would be open for an assassination attempt, frankly, should he leave the country and -- leave and try to come back, rather.
Do you read that as a positive sign, the allowing Arafat to return? Or do you think it's just political at this point?
MITCHELL: I think it is positive and it's also political. I think the Israelis recognize that it would be a disastrous public relations move for them not to permit an obviously ill person not to receive treatment. The Israelis had the authority to kill Arafat at any time. They had the ability to do so. They have refrained from doing so because they don't know what will follow. They could get a situation that's worse than the current situation and I think their cabinet is somewhat divided.
In addition, they have made a commitment to the United States that they will not attempt to kill or harm him and they're honoring that commitment. But I think this is a sensible move by the Israeli government, because any action to the contrary, I think, would create a real problem for them in the international community.
O'BRIEN: On a much lighter note, how about those Red Sox? I understand you have a little stake in that team?
MITCHELL: Oh, it's great. I do. Yes, I do. I am involved with the Red Sox. I'm a life long fan. I grew up in Maine and...
O'BRIEN: A part owner, too, beyond being a fan.
MITCHELL: Yes. Well, not that much of an owner.
O'BRIEN: Well, still, more than most people so.
MITCHELL: Yes, no, it was a great success, a great season and a great success.
O'BRIEN: Congratulations to you on that, then.
MITCHELL: Thank you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: All right, in a moment here, Bill O'Reilly and his accuser striking a deal over harassment charges. But will the accusations still be a factor in O'Reilly's career? "Gimme A Minute" panel weighs in on that in a moment as we continue.
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O'BRIEN: Time to check in with Jack.
He's got the Question of the Day -- hello.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Soledad.
Just one letter to read in this segment. The Friday before Halloween, the day that most schools used to let the kids dress up in their costumes and have a little Halloween party, some candy, you know, just a few yuks, a break from the three Rs. But recently, schools around the country are placing bans on the festivities for a lot of reasons that range from costumes being a safety hazard to a distraction from learning to a discrimination of religious beliefs.
So the question is should Halloween festivities be limited or banned in public schools?
I mentioned I'm just going to read one e-mail. It starts like this: "I work for the New York City school district and can tell you firsthand that the safety reason given to explain the Halloween ban is a canard. I've been at meetings where this has been planned and discussed. The real reason is that adherents of three or four religions have objected to Halloween. They claim Halloween is about witchcraft, un-Christian things, paganism or some kind of devil worship, literally. We've had to deal with these irate fundamentalist (OBSCENE WORD OMITTED).
Nobody in their right mind sees Halloween as a real holiday and nobody of sound mind sees it as anything other than a secular observance meant for fun. But these zealous fanatics insist on either seeing it as a religious event or at least pretend to see it that way so that their threats of lawsuits will be taken seriously, and they are.
We were all told not to speak about the real reason for the increasingly broad bans on Halloween. By the way, this started a couple of years ago. And as it succeeded in one school and then another, word spread, and now the tactic is spreading across the country. I'm leaving this unsigned. I'd like to keep my job."
So there you go.
O'BRIEN: Wow!
CAFFERTY: This weekend on "In The Money," better off today than we were four years ago? The question former President Reagan asked in 1980. Join me this weekend for the program. We'll take a look at where we stand just before the election, Saturday at 1:00, Sunday at 3:00. It's a fine program and your attendance is required.
HEMMER: Very fine.
CAFFERTY: So check it out.
HEMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
CAFFERTY: Do you believe that?
O'BRIEN: That's a shocking e-mail. But, you know, I, actually, yes, I completely believe it. I think that those one or two people in those meetings actually drive a lot of things.
CAFFERTY: Whatever happened to the concept that the majority rules? Isn't that what this democracy is based on?
O'BRIEN: Balanced by fear of lawsuits, I think.
CAFFERTY: Yes, well it's nonsense, you know? And it's wrong. And -- well, we don't have time.
O'BRIEN: My daughter's (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
CAFFERTY: We've got to be off by 10 right now.
HEMMER: We do.
A break here. In a moment now, if there are problems with Florida's vote this year, there may not be much of a paper trail to solve them, so say some. Should folks down there be worried about that aspect? Back in a moment with that here when we continue.
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