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CNN Live At Daybreak
Scott Peterson's Lawyers Give Closing Arguments in Murder Trail; Controversy in Ohio
Aired November 02, 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": Guess what? It's Election Day. Voters have already been lining up in New Hampshire. The small communities of Hart's Location and Dixville Notch have cast the first ballots for president. And so far, George Bush has an early lead.
In California it is the defense's turn today. Scott Peterson's lawyers give their closing arguments in his murder trail. Jurors already heard from the prosecution. They could get the case tomorrow.
In Iraq, another U.S. air strike in the rebel-held city of Fallujah. The fighter jet destroyed what the U.S. military says was insurgent weapons site.
The Supreme Court meets in a few hours without its chief justice. William Rehnquist had planned to return this week, but he says now, he's still being treated for what is apparently a very serious type of thyroid cancer.
Chad?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
You know we see red states, blue states. Well, in weather we're a little more sophisticated than that. We have four colors.
(LAUGHTER)
(WEATHER FORECAST)
COSTELLO: There is a lot on the line, that is what George Bush says about today's presidential vote. Bush wraps up a marathon campaign day in Dallas. After heading through six states in 19 hours, he asks voters in each place a simple question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These are historic times. There is a lot at stake in this election. The future safety and prosperity of America are on the ballot. The truth of the matter is, this election comes down to who do you trust? Who do you trust?
CROWD SHOUTING: George Bush!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: John Kerry also had a long day, making six stops in four states. Most of his rallies were in the battlegrounds of Ohio and Wisconsin. Kerry told supporters it is time to put America on a new course.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Today is decision day. You have an opportunity now, this day, to make fundamental change in America. The hopes of our country are on the line. And I intend to move this country in the right direction, move it forward, lift it up, put it back on track, put it back to work and make it fair for the middle class of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Kerry flies home to Boston today to vote. George Bush votes in Crawford, Texas before heading back to the White House this afternoon.
So why did John Kerry spend so much time in Ohio. Well, 20 electoral votes, that's why. The Buckeye State went to President Bush in 2000, but by a small margin. In the past 100 years John Kennedy is the only man to win the election without carrying Ohio.
The other thing Ohio has is controversy. Just a few hours ago a federal appeals court ruled that challengers from both parties will be allowed inside the polling places. That reversed a decision earlier Monday that banned challengers.
But just who are these challengers? What is their purpose? CNN's Joe Johns explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWD CHANTING: Get out the vote! Get out the vote!
JOE JOHNS, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): How many people will come out to vote? Will there be long lines at the polls? But for all the moving parts one of the most controversial is the role of thousands of people enlisted by both parties to camp out inside polling places and challenge the eligibility of voters.
Republican Dave Timms is one of them.
DAVE TIMMS, GOP CHALLENGER: You know, if we see someone who came in and voted at 8 in the morning and we see them in the afternoon at 5, and it is the same person. Well, then you are going to speak up and say something is amiss.
JOHNS: Timms attended a training course and studied a manual explaining the reason a person can be challenged, such as questionable citizenship, residency, or even someone pretending to be someone else. An Ohio law seldom used until now allows voter challenges. Republicans said they needed people at the polls to watch for trickery, because mailings sent to 35,000 newly registered voters came back undelivered.
We sent out thousands of pieces of mail as did the Board of Elections and they continue to come back, deceased, return to sender, no such person here, no such address, nobody here by this name.
Nobody wants fraud in Ohio.
JOHNS: The Democrats say challenging voters is just a way of suppressing the vote and trained their own people to counter the Republicans.
MARK GRIFFIN, OHIO DEMOCRATIC PARTY OFFICER: I think our training has been completely sufficient to avoid challenges and to keep as many people voting as possible.
JOHNS: Democrats encouraged their faithful not to let the controversies keep them from the polls.
REP. STEPHANIE TUBBS-JONES, (D-OH): African-American folks have withstood slavery, they have withstood Jim Crowe, and we can withstand any challenger.
JOHNS (on camera): For all the warnings and planning neither side really knows what to expect Tuesday at the polls -- Joe Johns, CNN, Cleveland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: From Europe, to the Mideast to Asia, the world is watching as Americans head to the polls today and whoever wins the White House has his work cut out for him. Rifts are deep and bloody in the Middle East. Our Ben Wedeman is in Cairo, Egypt. And in Asia, a number of hot spots and they show no sign of cooling down, Mike Chinoy standing by in Hong Kong.
Let's start with you, Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CIARO BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, well, Carol, many people watching this election very closely. By and large the people we have spoken to seem to favor Mr. Senator Kerry over George W. Bush.
There is a feeling that President Bush has embarked on a very difficult course here in the Middle East. Many people look at the situation in Iraq, which initially some welcomed. Welcome the idea that Saddam Hussein was removed, but are now very concerned about the chaos that is so apparent in that country.
Many people, also here, Carol, would like to see the United States more engaged in trying to reach a solution to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. And there is a widespread feeling here that George W. Bush has by and large ignored that situation. So they would like to see, many of the people I've spoken with, would like to see Senator Kerry elected president of the United States.
They would like to see the United States pursue a somewhat less aggressive policy in this region, in the opinion of many people here. And would like to see the United States be more active in trying to work out the problems, the many problems, that are so apparent in this part of the world.
COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman, live from Cairo, Egypt this morning. Thank you.
Now, on to Asia, where old rivalries are simmering, new tensions are cropping up. CNN's Senior Asia Correspondent Mike Chinoy in Hong Kong.
Hello, Mike.
MIKE CHINOY, CNN SR. ASIA CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, high on the agenda of whoever wins this election is going to be the nuclear crisis involving North Korea. Both Senator Kerry and President Bush have said that stopping further nuclear proliferation is the top priority for the U.S. government.
During the last two years, North Korea has produced enough weapons grade plutonium, experts believe, for between six and eight nuclear bombs. Now, talks, six nation talks, designed to roll back Pyongyang's nuclear program, that have been held in Beijing on three separate occasions, have stalled.
And now the North Koreans say at the moment they are not going to come back to those talks.
President Bush says that it would be wrong for the U.S. to talk directly with North Korea. Senator Kerry says he is willing to open bi-lateral talks but there is little doubt that he will have just as tough demands on the North Koreans as the president. And it is far from clear that the North Koreans will show any more flexibility under a Kerry administration.
A lot of attention has focused on the role that China might play in resolving the North Korean crisis. In the last couple of years relations between China and the Bush administration have been pretty good, after a rocky start at the beginning of the Bush administration.
But just in the last couple of days China's former foreign minister, Chen Chi Chun (ph), has issued remarkably blunt attack on the Bush administration, saying that the United States was arrogant. Accusing the U.S. of trying to rule the world through military force. And so there are some questions about just how friendly the Chinese would be if President Bush gets re-elected -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Mike Chinoy, reporting from Hong Kong this morning. Thank you.
Turning away from Asia now, to a little town in New Hampshire, where the results of the election are already in. We'll run through the results with an authentic Dixville Notch voter, next.
Plus, the man it seems everyone loves to hate, our coverage would not be complete without a look at the third candidate, Ralph Nader, on this Election Day.
And our question of the morning, as you head to the polls this morning, knowing that in some states, like Ohio, there will be challengers inside the polling places. And there will be legal challenges after because the lawyers are descending on polling places across the country: Do you think your vote will count today?
E-mail us at Daybreak@cnn.com. That is Daybreak@CNN.com.
Now onto our next election stumper: How many presidents have won without winning more than 50 percent of the popular vote?
Ooh, you'll be surprised. That answer is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: All right our political pop-quiz right now. The answer -- or actually, the question is: How many presidents have won without winning more than 50 percent of the popular vote?
And the answer is: 18. George H.W. Bush in 1988 was the last president to win a majority of the popular vote. So there you have it.
Your news, money, weather and sports, it is 5:44 Eastern. Here is what is all new this morning.
An explosion in Iraq, a car bomb explodes near the ministry of education offices north of Baghdad. First reports put the death toll at five.
Looks like a 22-month-old boy suffered only minor injuries after being trapped in a well for 13 hours. The toddler fell 14 feet into the abandoned well in rural Alabama on Sunday. Rescuers managed to free him yesterday.
In money news, Whole Foods, the number one natural food chain is getting ready to kick off an organic clothing line. Company execs say the collection will feature clothes made of, get this, bamboo, soy, other natural fibers. So, go get your soy sweater out.
In culture, I'll bet you aren't reading the newspaper as much as you used to. Newspaper circulation is down all across the country, accept among the big three. The Newspaper Association of America reports that readership is up for "USA Today", "The Wall Street Journal" and "The New York Times".
In sports, the New York Jets routed -- routed the Miami Dolphins, 41 to 14 last night. Grabbing a share of the AFC and upping their record to 6 in 1. The Dolphins sink to 1 in 7.
MYERS: That wasn't pretty for the Dolphins defense.
COSTELLO: They don't even want Ricky Williams back, no matter how bad their record.
MYERS: No, but they want his money.
COSTELLO: Yes, they do.
MYERS: They want millions and millions -- I'm still trying to get over these, like, beef socks I'm wearing here. I don't know?
COSTELLO: Those what, what?
MYERS: You know these all natural socks, I've go on.
COSTELLO: Oh, the beef, yes.
MYERS: The beef, right, yes. Bamboo, that sounds comfortable!
(WEATHER FORECAST)
COSTELLO: You know most polling places have not opened yet, but the voters of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire have made their choice for president. The town and its 26 registered voters have a long-standing tradition of being the first to cast their ballots on election day and the first to announce results.
On the phone now is Michael Pearson, who is on the election committee there.
Good morning, Michael.
MICHAEL PEARSON, ELECTION COMMITTEE, DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H.: Good morning.
COSTELLO: Only 26 registered voters? I thought there were a little more?
PEARSON: There have been in past years, but this year we had 26 who were eligible.
COSTELLO: So everybody showed up to cast their ballots at midnight, Eastern Time, right?
PEARSON: That's correct. We had nine who were absentee, but 17 people did show up.
COSTELLO: You had nine that were absentee, huh?
PEARSON: Yes.
COSTELLO: Any problems with polling?
PEARSON: None whatsoever.
COSTELLO: Good. So no problems with the ballots?
PEARSON: No.
COSTELLO: Do you use the old-fashioned kind?
PEARSON: Yes. They are good ol' paper ballots.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: OK. So, tell us what the results were.
PEARSON: Well, for President Bush there were 19, and for John Kerry and John Edwards there were seven.
COSTELLO: Oh. So historically, does the vote there mean anything to the wider election?
PEARSON: No, it is more significant in the fact that it is kind of a ribbon cutting type of event to get the whole country voting. It is, you know, we get 100 percent participation, that is the only way you can legally close the poll so quickly. And we think everyone should participate at that same level.
COSTELLO: Wouldn't that be great if there were 100 percent participation? Because we talk about huge voter turn out and we talk about, you know, the figure 72 percent.
PEARSON: That is true. We'd be better off if everyone voted at our level.
COSTELLO: So, how do you get all 26 voters to vote?
PEARSON: We all agree at our town meeting, that we have every year, that every four years we'll care on this tradition. So, there is no end in sight for us.
COSTELLO: Tell us why only 26 registered voters live in Dixville Notch?
PEARSON: Well, we're a small resort community. And we're -- it is in an unincorporated place. We only incorporated to conduct our own elections. The nearest town is 10 miles away.
COSTELLO: Is it beautiful there?
PEARSON: It is that.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: It is that.
When did the tradition start?
PEARSON: In 1960 we began to do this, as a town. When, basically, along with when the presidential primary system was becoming prominent.
COSTELLO: I'm looking at the results. I have a print out of the results of the vote in Dixville Notch, through the years. And one, two, three, four, five times the voters there have accurately predicted the outcome of the whole election.
PEARSON: Usually, and on the Republican side.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: OK.
MYERS: I was going to say.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
Michael Pearson, thank you for joining us this morning. And congratulations on a 100 percent voter turn out once again this year.
MYERS: I'm reminded of the movie, "Arthur". It is a very small place. He'd take a taxi cab across the entire city.
COSTELLO: Isn't that the last time you watched a movie? When "Arthur" came out.
MYERS: Could have been "Arthur".
COSTELLO: Our e-mail question of the day, we're asking you this morning: Do you think your vote will count?
There will challengers inside the polling places in Ohio now.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: There will be monitors outside polling places throughout much of the country. There will be lawyers descending everywhere, throughout the country; 30,000 lawyers.
MYERS: Today, tomorrow and the next day, I'm afraid.
COSTELLO: So, I'm going to give you some e-mail.
MYERS: I like this one. I'll read this one. This is actually my first one. The question, do you think your vote will count?
"My vote will count more than the guy that doesn't vote." That's from Lou, in New Jersey. And you are exactly right.
COSTELLO: Good for you.
This is from Chris. He says, "Yes, of course, every votes counts. Yes, of course, every vote counts is like splinters" -- you know, this is too complicated.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: It's a long one.
COSTELLO: Here let me go to a shorter one. This is from Aaron, from Japan. You know, he is an American living in Japan.
MYERS: Sure. Absentee ballot.
COSTELLO: He says, "I hate to say it, but the make up of the electoral college effectively makes my vote null. Voting for a Democratic presidential candidate in the state of Indiana is about as effective as tossing a chlorine tablet into the ocean."
MYERS: Wouldn't do much.
"I'm from Florida, so I can answer with a resounding, I hope so." That's from John.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: This is from James in Arizona, "What a sad commentary about the state of our democracy that citizens of the greatest nation on Earth aren't sure if they're vote counts. This undercuts the foundation of our civilization."
MYERS: The answer to the question from Brad, says, "You know, I'm not alone in this. I don't even know what the answer is, but do you think my vote will count? It better count," he says.
COSTELLO: It does count.
MYERS: It does count. Of course, get out there and enjoy it.
COSTELLO: Absolutely does. We should have all learned this from the 2000 election.
MYERS: It is why men and women have lost their lives over the years. Get out there and vote.
COSTELLO: Vote, vote, vote.
In this race this close, he could be the big spoiler. We'll take a look at what keeps Ralph Nader running and running and running.
And for our next test of your election knowledge we ask you this question: When is the last time a sitting U.S. senator was elected president?
Hmm, stick around. We'll have the answer next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: OK, now back to our political pop quiz. Before the break we asked you this question: When is the last time a sitting U.S. senator was elected president?
And the answer is?
MYERS: I know, I know, I know!
COSTELLO: All right, what?
MYERS: JFK. COSTELLO: Good for you, Chad. John F. Kennedy, that happened way back in 1960. Wow!
Here's another bit of election trivia, who is the only third party candidate to finish in the top two? Teddy Roosevelt, who ran as a Progressive Party candidate in 1912. I know most of you didn't realize that, because I was surprised by that one.
While no one gives Ralph Nader a realistic chance to come in second, there are some who think his mere presence could change the outcome. CNN's Jeanne Moos has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A last-minute rally for Ralph ...
CROWD CHANTING: Nader! Nader!
JOE MEYERS, NO POLICE STATE COALITION: Cheater! Cheater!
MOOS: ... brought out the Nader haters.
MEYERS: Why are you helping Bush!?
MOOS: The former consumer advocate now has some consumed with anger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shame on you, Nader!
MOOS: Granted there were about 200 supporters and only a handful of wild-eyed hecklers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nader, Bush puppet!
MEYERS: Bush is relying on Ralph Nader!
MOOS: At first Nader supporters tried to shush him.
MYERS: Why are you helping Bush?!
MOOS: But he eventually got yanked away by police. Ironic, since Joe Meyers identified himself as being with a group with No Police State Coalition.
MOOS: You don't work for the Kerry campaign?
MEYERS: No I don't. Although, I will vote for Kerry.
This is the pathetic last chapter of Ralph Nader's career.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These Democrats sure are desperate, aren't they?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me. Excuse me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nut cases like this are desperate.
MOOS: Some of those who used to be on the same left of center side are not sticking signs in each other's faces and snatching them away.
Nader himself was asked if he has ever considered pulling out of the race.
RALPH NADER, (I) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Not for a nanosecond.
MOOS: Even when begged by Michael Moore and Bill Maher.
MICHAEL MOORE, MOVIE PRODUCER: Please, Ralph!
BILL MAHER, TALK SHOW HOST: Please. It proves you are a great American!
MOOS: It had no effect?
NADER: That just persuaded me that they are on their knees like the Republicans and the Democrats are before corporate power.
MOOS: Now Michael Moore says Nader has lost his compass and he's worried Nader is losing his mind.
But Nader says Bush and Kerry are too much alike. To get into the debates he wasn't allowed to join, Nader debates Kerry and Bush dolls on his Web site.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You can run, but you can't hide.
SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have a plan for Iraq.
NADER: A vote for Bush, and a vote for Kerry, is a vote for war.
MOOS: A group called the NaderFactor.com has followed Nader around, trying to convert his supporters to Kerry. That is a would be converter under the Bush mask. On the Left wing, this race sure has things turned upside down -- Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Oh, we live in one wacky country, don't we?
MYERS: I wonder how many Nader masks were sold for Halloween?
COSTELLO: Probably, zero.
MYERS: Not too many.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
In case you are wonder what that little -- I can't point the way you can, Chad -- that little blue box is? It is 13 hours until the first poll closes tonight, around 6 p.m. Eastern or 7 p.m. Eastern.
MYERS: And 13 days 'til we know the outcome.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Oh, stop it!
MYERS: Sorry.
COSTELLO: In just a few minutes the polls will open and voting will actually get underway. We'll go live to the lines and check in on the candidates in the next hour of DAYBREAK. You stay right there.
MYERS: Then we're just sending Hemmer.
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 November 2, 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": Guess what? It's Election Day. Voters have already been lining up in New Hampshire. The small communities of Hart's Location and Dixville Notch have cast the first ballots for president. And so far, George Bush has an early lead.
In California it is the defense's turn today. Scott Peterson's lawyers give their closing arguments in his murder trail. Jurors already heard from the prosecution. They could get the case tomorrow.
In Iraq, another U.S. air strike in the rebel-held city of Fallujah. The fighter jet destroyed what the U.S. military says was insurgent weapons site.
The Supreme Court meets in a few hours without its chief justice. William Rehnquist had planned to return this week, but he says now, he's still being treated for what is apparently a very serious type of thyroid cancer.
Chad?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
You know we see red states, blue states. Well, in weather we're a little more sophisticated than that. We have four colors.
(LAUGHTER)
(WEATHER FORECAST)
COSTELLO: There is a lot on the line, that is what George Bush says about today's presidential vote. Bush wraps up a marathon campaign day in Dallas. After heading through six states in 19 hours, he asks voters in each place a simple question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These are historic times. There is a lot at stake in this election. The future safety and prosperity of America are on the ballot. The truth of the matter is, this election comes down to who do you trust? Who do you trust?
CROWD SHOUTING: George Bush!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: John Kerry also had a long day, making six stops in four states. Most of his rallies were in the battlegrounds of Ohio and Wisconsin. Kerry told supporters it is time to put America on a new course.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Today is decision day. You have an opportunity now, this day, to make fundamental change in America. The hopes of our country are on the line. And I intend to move this country in the right direction, move it forward, lift it up, put it back on track, put it back to work and make it fair for the middle class of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Kerry flies home to Boston today to vote. George Bush votes in Crawford, Texas before heading back to the White House this afternoon.
So why did John Kerry spend so much time in Ohio. Well, 20 electoral votes, that's why. The Buckeye State went to President Bush in 2000, but by a small margin. In the past 100 years John Kennedy is the only man to win the election without carrying Ohio.
The other thing Ohio has is controversy. Just a few hours ago a federal appeals court ruled that challengers from both parties will be allowed inside the polling places. That reversed a decision earlier Monday that banned challengers.
But just who are these challengers? What is their purpose? CNN's Joe Johns explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWD CHANTING: Get out the vote! Get out the vote!
JOE JOHNS, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): How many people will come out to vote? Will there be long lines at the polls? But for all the moving parts one of the most controversial is the role of thousands of people enlisted by both parties to camp out inside polling places and challenge the eligibility of voters.
Republican Dave Timms is one of them.
DAVE TIMMS, GOP CHALLENGER: You know, if we see someone who came in and voted at 8 in the morning and we see them in the afternoon at 5, and it is the same person. Well, then you are going to speak up and say something is amiss.
JOHNS: Timms attended a training course and studied a manual explaining the reason a person can be challenged, such as questionable citizenship, residency, or even someone pretending to be someone else. An Ohio law seldom used until now allows voter challenges. Republicans said they needed people at the polls to watch for trickery, because mailings sent to 35,000 newly registered voters came back undelivered.
We sent out thousands of pieces of mail as did the Board of Elections and they continue to come back, deceased, return to sender, no such person here, no such address, nobody here by this name.
Nobody wants fraud in Ohio.
JOHNS: The Democrats say challenging voters is just a way of suppressing the vote and trained their own people to counter the Republicans.
MARK GRIFFIN, OHIO DEMOCRATIC PARTY OFFICER: I think our training has been completely sufficient to avoid challenges and to keep as many people voting as possible.
JOHNS: Democrats encouraged their faithful not to let the controversies keep them from the polls.
REP. STEPHANIE TUBBS-JONES, (D-OH): African-American folks have withstood slavery, they have withstood Jim Crowe, and we can withstand any challenger.
JOHNS (on camera): For all the warnings and planning neither side really knows what to expect Tuesday at the polls -- Joe Johns, CNN, Cleveland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: From Europe, to the Mideast to Asia, the world is watching as Americans head to the polls today and whoever wins the White House has his work cut out for him. Rifts are deep and bloody in the Middle East. Our Ben Wedeman is in Cairo, Egypt. And in Asia, a number of hot spots and they show no sign of cooling down, Mike Chinoy standing by in Hong Kong.
Let's start with you, Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CIARO BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, well, Carol, many people watching this election very closely. By and large the people we have spoken to seem to favor Mr. Senator Kerry over George W. Bush.
There is a feeling that President Bush has embarked on a very difficult course here in the Middle East. Many people look at the situation in Iraq, which initially some welcomed. Welcome the idea that Saddam Hussein was removed, but are now very concerned about the chaos that is so apparent in that country.
Many people, also here, Carol, would like to see the United States more engaged in trying to reach a solution to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. And there is a widespread feeling here that George W. Bush has by and large ignored that situation. So they would like to see, many of the people I've spoken with, would like to see Senator Kerry elected president of the United States.
They would like to see the United States pursue a somewhat less aggressive policy in this region, in the opinion of many people here. And would like to see the United States be more active in trying to work out the problems, the many problems, that are so apparent in this part of the world.
COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman, live from Cairo, Egypt this morning. Thank you.
Now, on to Asia, where old rivalries are simmering, new tensions are cropping up. CNN's Senior Asia Correspondent Mike Chinoy in Hong Kong.
Hello, Mike.
MIKE CHINOY, CNN SR. ASIA CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, high on the agenda of whoever wins this election is going to be the nuclear crisis involving North Korea. Both Senator Kerry and President Bush have said that stopping further nuclear proliferation is the top priority for the U.S. government.
During the last two years, North Korea has produced enough weapons grade plutonium, experts believe, for between six and eight nuclear bombs. Now, talks, six nation talks, designed to roll back Pyongyang's nuclear program, that have been held in Beijing on three separate occasions, have stalled.
And now the North Koreans say at the moment they are not going to come back to those talks.
President Bush says that it would be wrong for the U.S. to talk directly with North Korea. Senator Kerry says he is willing to open bi-lateral talks but there is little doubt that he will have just as tough demands on the North Koreans as the president. And it is far from clear that the North Koreans will show any more flexibility under a Kerry administration.
A lot of attention has focused on the role that China might play in resolving the North Korean crisis. In the last couple of years relations between China and the Bush administration have been pretty good, after a rocky start at the beginning of the Bush administration.
But just in the last couple of days China's former foreign minister, Chen Chi Chun (ph), has issued remarkably blunt attack on the Bush administration, saying that the United States was arrogant. Accusing the U.S. of trying to rule the world through military force. And so there are some questions about just how friendly the Chinese would be if President Bush gets re-elected -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Mike Chinoy, reporting from Hong Kong this morning. Thank you.
Turning away from Asia now, to a little town in New Hampshire, where the results of the election are already in. We'll run through the results with an authentic Dixville Notch voter, next.
Plus, the man it seems everyone loves to hate, our coverage would not be complete without a look at the third candidate, Ralph Nader, on this Election Day.
And our question of the morning, as you head to the polls this morning, knowing that in some states, like Ohio, there will be challengers inside the polling places. And there will be legal challenges after because the lawyers are descending on polling places across the country: Do you think your vote will count today?
E-mail us at Daybreak@cnn.com. That is Daybreak@CNN.com.
Now onto our next election stumper: How many presidents have won without winning more than 50 percent of the popular vote?
Ooh, you'll be surprised. That answer is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: All right our political pop-quiz right now. The answer -- or actually, the question is: How many presidents have won without winning more than 50 percent of the popular vote?
And the answer is: 18. George H.W. Bush in 1988 was the last president to win a majority of the popular vote. So there you have it.
Your news, money, weather and sports, it is 5:44 Eastern. Here is what is all new this morning.
An explosion in Iraq, a car bomb explodes near the ministry of education offices north of Baghdad. First reports put the death toll at five.
Looks like a 22-month-old boy suffered only minor injuries after being trapped in a well for 13 hours. The toddler fell 14 feet into the abandoned well in rural Alabama on Sunday. Rescuers managed to free him yesterday.
In money news, Whole Foods, the number one natural food chain is getting ready to kick off an organic clothing line. Company execs say the collection will feature clothes made of, get this, bamboo, soy, other natural fibers. So, go get your soy sweater out.
In culture, I'll bet you aren't reading the newspaper as much as you used to. Newspaper circulation is down all across the country, accept among the big three. The Newspaper Association of America reports that readership is up for "USA Today", "The Wall Street Journal" and "The New York Times".
In sports, the New York Jets routed -- routed the Miami Dolphins, 41 to 14 last night. Grabbing a share of the AFC and upping their record to 6 in 1. The Dolphins sink to 1 in 7.
MYERS: That wasn't pretty for the Dolphins defense.
COSTELLO: They don't even want Ricky Williams back, no matter how bad their record.
MYERS: No, but they want his money.
COSTELLO: Yes, they do.
MYERS: They want millions and millions -- I'm still trying to get over these, like, beef socks I'm wearing here. I don't know?
COSTELLO: Those what, what?
MYERS: You know these all natural socks, I've go on.
COSTELLO: Oh, the beef, yes.
MYERS: The beef, right, yes. Bamboo, that sounds comfortable!
(WEATHER FORECAST)
COSTELLO: You know most polling places have not opened yet, but the voters of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire have made their choice for president. The town and its 26 registered voters have a long-standing tradition of being the first to cast their ballots on election day and the first to announce results.
On the phone now is Michael Pearson, who is on the election committee there.
Good morning, Michael.
MICHAEL PEARSON, ELECTION COMMITTEE, DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H.: Good morning.
COSTELLO: Only 26 registered voters? I thought there were a little more?
PEARSON: There have been in past years, but this year we had 26 who were eligible.
COSTELLO: So everybody showed up to cast their ballots at midnight, Eastern Time, right?
PEARSON: That's correct. We had nine who were absentee, but 17 people did show up.
COSTELLO: You had nine that were absentee, huh?
PEARSON: Yes.
COSTELLO: Any problems with polling?
PEARSON: None whatsoever.
COSTELLO: Good. So no problems with the ballots?
PEARSON: No.
COSTELLO: Do you use the old-fashioned kind?
PEARSON: Yes. They are good ol' paper ballots.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: OK. So, tell us what the results were.
PEARSON: Well, for President Bush there were 19, and for John Kerry and John Edwards there were seven.
COSTELLO: Oh. So historically, does the vote there mean anything to the wider election?
PEARSON: No, it is more significant in the fact that it is kind of a ribbon cutting type of event to get the whole country voting. It is, you know, we get 100 percent participation, that is the only way you can legally close the poll so quickly. And we think everyone should participate at that same level.
COSTELLO: Wouldn't that be great if there were 100 percent participation? Because we talk about huge voter turn out and we talk about, you know, the figure 72 percent.
PEARSON: That is true. We'd be better off if everyone voted at our level.
COSTELLO: So, how do you get all 26 voters to vote?
PEARSON: We all agree at our town meeting, that we have every year, that every four years we'll care on this tradition. So, there is no end in sight for us.
COSTELLO: Tell us why only 26 registered voters live in Dixville Notch?
PEARSON: Well, we're a small resort community. And we're -- it is in an unincorporated place. We only incorporated to conduct our own elections. The nearest town is 10 miles away.
COSTELLO: Is it beautiful there?
PEARSON: It is that.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: It is that.
When did the tradition start?
PEARSON: In 1960 we began to do this, as a town. When, basically, along with when the presidential primary system was becoming prominent.
COSTELLO: I'm looking at the results. I have a print out of the results of the vote in Dixville Notch, through the years. And one, two, three, four, five times the voters there have accurately predicted the outcome of the whole election.
PEARSON: Usually, and on the Republican side.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: OK.
MYERS: I was going to say.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
Michael Pearson, thank you for joining us this morning. And congratulations on a 100 percent voter turn out once again this year.
MYERS: I'm reminded of the movie, "Arthur". It is a very small place. He'd take a taxi cab across the entire city.
COSTELLO: Isn't that the last time you watched a movie? When "Arthur" came out.
MYERS: Could have been "Arthur".
COSTELLO: Our e-mail question of the day, we're asking you this morning: Do you think your vote will count?
There will challengers inside the polling places in Ohio now.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: There will be monitors outside polling places throughout much of the country. There will be lawyers descending everywhere, throughout the country; 30,000 lawyers.
MYERS: Today, tomorrow and the next day, I'm afraid.
COSTELLO: So, I'm going to give you some e-mail.
MYERS: I like this one. I'll read this one. This is actually my first one. The question, do you think your vote will count?
"My vote will count more than the guy that doesn't vote." That's from Lou, in New Jersey. And you are exactly right.
COSTELLO: Good for you.
This is from Chris. He says, "Yes, of course, every votes counts. Yes, of course, every vote counts is like splinters" -- you know, this is too complicated.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: It's a long one.
COSTELLO: Here let me go to a shorter one. This is from Aaron, from Japan. You know, he is an American living in Japan.
MYERS: Sure. Absentee ballot.
COSTELLO: He says, "I hate to say it, but the make up of the electoral college effectively makes my vote null. Voting for a Democratic presidential candidate in the state of Indiana is about as effective as tossing a chlorine tablet into the ocean."
MYERS: Wouldn't do much.
"I'm from Florida, so I can answer with a resounding, I hope so." That's from John.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: This is from James in Arizona, "What a sad commentary about the state of our democracy that citizens of the greatest nation on Earth aren't sure if they're vote counts. This undercuts the foundation of our civilization."
MYERS: The answer to the question from Brad, says, "You know, I'm not alone in this. I don't even know what the answer is, but do you think my vote will count? It better count," he says.
COSTELLO: It does count.
MYERS: It does count. Of course, get out there and enjoy it.
COSTELLO: Absolutely does. We should have all learned this from the 2000 election.
MYERS: It is why men and women have lost their lives over the years. Get out there and vote.
COSTELLO: Vote, vote, vote.
In this race this close, he could be the big spoiler. We'll take a look at what keeps Ralph Nader running and running and running.
And for our next test of your election knowledge we ask you this question: When is the last time a sitting U.S. senator was elected president?
Hmm, stick around. We'll have the answer next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: OK, now back to our political pop quiz. Before the break we asked you this question: When is the last time a sitting U.S. senator was elected president?
And the answer is?
MYERS: I know, I know, I know!
COSTELLO: All right, what?
MYERS: JFK. COSTELLO: Good for you, Chad. John F. Kennedy, that happened way back in 1960. Wow!
Here's another bit of election trivia, who is the only third party candidate to finish in the top two? Teddy Roosevelt, who ran as a Progressive Party candidate in 1912. I know most of you didn't realize that, because I was surprised by that one.
While no one gives Ralph Nader a realistic chance to come in second, there are some who think his mere presence could change the outcome. CNN's Jeanne Moos has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A last-minute rally for Ralph ...
CROWD CHANTING: Nader! Nader!
JOE MEYERS, NO POLICE STATE COALITION: Cheater! Cheater!
MOOS: ... brought out the Nader haters.
MEYERS: Why are you helping Bush!?
MOOS: The former consumer advocate now has some consumed with anger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shame on you, Nader!
MOOS: Granted there were about 200 supporters and only a handful of wild-eyed hecklers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nader, Bush puppet!
MEYERS: Bush is relying on Ralph Nader!
MOOS: At first Nader supporters tried to shush him.
MYERS: Why are you helping Bush?!
MOOS: But he eventually got yanked away by police. Ironic, since Joe Meyers identified himself as being with a group with No Police State Coalition.
MOOS: You don't work for the Kerry campaign?
MEYERS: No I don't. Although, I will vote for Kerry.
This is the pathetic last chapter of Ralph Nader's career.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These Democrats sure are desperate, aren't they?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me. Excuse me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nut cases like this are desperate.
MOOS: Some of those who used to be on the same left of center side are not sticking signs in each other's faces and snatching them away.
Nader himself was asked if he has ever considered pulling out of the race.
RALPH NADER, (I) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Not for a nanosecond.
MOOS: Even when begged by Michael Moore and Bill Maher.
MICHAEL MOORE, MOVIE PRODUCER: Please, Ralph!
BILL MAHER, TALK SHOW HOST: Please. It proves you are a great American!
MOOS: It had no effect?
NADER: That just persuaded me that they are on their knees like the Republicans and the Democrats are before corporate power.
MOOS: Now Michael Moore says Nader has lost his compass and he's worried Nader is losing his mind.
But Nader says Bush and Kerry are too much alike. To get into the debates he wasn't allowed to join, Nader debates Kerry and Bush dolls on his Web site.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You can run, but you can't hide.
SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have a plan for Iraq.
NADER: A vote for Bush, and a vote for Kerry, is a vote for war.
MOOS: A group called the NaderFactor.com has followed Nader around, trying to convert his supporters to Kerry. That is a would be converter under the Bush mask. On the Left wing, this race sure has things turned upside down -- Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Oh, we live in one wacky country, don't we?
MYERS: I wonder how many Nader masks were sold for Halloween?
COSTELLO: Probably, zero.
MYERS: Not too many.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
In case you are wonder what that little -- I can't point the way you can, Chad -- that little blue box is? It is 13 hours until the first poll closes tonight, around 6 p.m. Eastern or 7 p.m. Eastern.
MYERS: And 13 days 'til we know the outcome.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Oh, stop it!
MYERS: Sorry.
COSTELLO: In just a few minutes the polls will open and voting will actually get underway. We'll go live to the lines and check in on the candidates in the next hour of DAYBREAK. You stay right there.
MYERS: Then we're just sending Hemmer.
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