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CNN Live At Daybreak

What is Reaction in Latin America to Four More Years of Bush Administration?; Yasser Arafat in Intensive Care in Hospital in France

Aired November 04, 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": Yasser Arafat in intensive care in this hospital in France. You're taking a live look at that hospital in Paris. CNN has just confirmed that Yasser Arafat has slipped into a coma. He has been in a coma since last night. We do have correspondents there and we will get to them live as soon as those hospital officials come out with more information for us.

There will be court hearings today and tomorrow in the Michael Jackson child molestation case. But Jackson is not expected to be there. The pop singer is trying to get District Attorney Thomas Dedden (ph) removed from the case.

Election officials in at least five New Mexico counties are still counting ballots from Tuesday's election. In some of those counties the counting may continue into next week.

A volcano in eastern Iceland erupted earlier this week. Take a look at this. No one was hurt, but the eruption sent a cloud of volcanic ash over Northern Europe. And the Dutch airlines had to cancel 59 flights.

Oh, that's a cool picture. Isn't it, Chad?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. Except jets don't fly really good through that ash because it is course, like sandpaper, and the engines don't like that getting in there. So that is why they have to stop flights.

COSTELLO: Well, I'm glad they stopped flying then.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

COSTELLO: What do you think about the presidential election? We asked, Gallup answers. A CNN/ "USA Today"/Gallup Poll shows 51 percent of respondents are pleased with the outcome; 38 percent say they are upset.

But the polling also shows a large majority, 80 percent agreed with Sen. Kerry's decision to concede the election and not challenge the close vote in Ohio. A flurry of congratulations from around the world have made their way to President Bush. Some Asian leaders say they hope the president's re-election will help defuse nuclear tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

In Europe, leaders alienated by the war in Iraq appear to be ready to let bygones be bygones. Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair is President Bush's staunchest ally and he was among the first leaders to offer congratulations. But how is the rest of the U.K. reacting?

Joining us live now, Diana Muriel, from London.

Good morning.

DIANA MURIEL, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, the idea of four more years of a Bush administration is sinking in around Europe, and indeed, here in Britain.

Most of the newspapers have adopted this headline, which you can see on the front page of "The Guardian", "Four More Years". This appears on the "Financial Times" and "The Times" newspaper, and indeed, "The Daily Telegraph", which is seen as a more right-wing newspaper.

"The Guardian" newspaper, you must remember, is the paper that mounted a campaign urging voters in Ohio to vote Democrat. And perhaps the editorial reaction of that paper is best seen on its supplement, which is a page of black, with the words, "Oh, God" in the middle of it.

"The Guardian" newspaper, of course, a left-leaning newspaper, which very much championed the cause of the Democratic challenger John Kerry.

Other newspapers also adopt the "Four More Years" headline, but here on "The Independent" newspaper, they use images which they associate with George Bush, Guantanamo Bay, the war in Iraq, Abu Ghraib, Christian fundamentalism, and of course, oil, under the headline, "Four More Years".

Inside this newspaper congratulates John Kerry for conceding, an act which they describe as gracious.

"The Daily Mirror" perhaps is one of the most contentious headlines that we see in Britain this morning. "The Daily Mirror" says, "How can 59 million people be so dumb?" And a small headline here, "No Brainer, Bush is Back". This editorial of this newspaper very much antagonistic towards President Bush being re-elected. They say that if Europeans had been given the vote, then he would have lost by a landslide.

The papers also analyze what the re-election of George Bush will mean for Tony Blair. He's the next main European ally to be up for re- election sometime in the first half of next year. There is no consensus of opinion, but it seems that most people agree that Blair is likely to be re-elected here. But there is a great deal of division in his party, the Labour Party and the re-election of Bush in the States is seen as increasing that divisiveness -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Diana Muriel, live from London this morning. Thank you.

In the volatile Middle East there are very different reactions from Israelis and Palestinians to President Bush's re-election. CNN's Guy Raz gauges the mood from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Official reaction in Israel has been generally positive among government officials and cabinet members. George W. Bush is regarded as a close ally of Israel. He's been called Israel's closed ally in the White House in history, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Mr. Bush is a known quantity to the current Israeli government and essentially many Israeli politicians privately hope that Mr. Bush would win this election. That said, there is some disappointment among other Israelis that Mr. Bush perhaps hasn't made enough of an effort pursue some kind of resurrection, re-engagement in the Middle East peace process over the past two years.

There was hope among a minority Israelis that perhaps a John Kerry presidency would have began the process to resurrect the peace process. A process that former U.S. President Bill Clinton really began in 1993.

Now, that said, among Palestinians a sense of ambivalence, both of these candidates were generally seen as taking very strong pro- Israel positions on the campaign trial. Both Sen. Kerry and President Bush seemed to back Israel's stance on Yasser Arafat. Israel believing he is not a credible negotiating partner. Both of these candidates also back Israel's position on the expansion of existing settlements.

Now, so Palestinians essentially believing that whoever was elected there really wouldn't be much change at all coming from the White House, at least in its approach to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict -- Guy Raz, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And what is the reaction in Latin America to four more years of the Bush administration? Lucia Newman, our bureau chief in Havana, takes a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF (voice over): South of the border news of President George Bush's re-election did not provoke spontaneous demonstrations of joy. The prospect of further restrictions for illegal migrants a particular concern to Mexicans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I think Bush has received a mandate to get tougher on migration. He's forgotten that he promised Fox one thing and never followed through.

NEWMAN: Many ordinary Mexicans say they are not just concerned about themselves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): More destruction, more invasions of other countries, Cuba is the country that should be the most worried.

NEWMAN: Bush has vowed to tighten the economic and political screws on the Communist regime to accelerate the downfall of Fidel Castro in his second term. Communist officials say they aren't intimidated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm not a mechanic, but I know that when you tighten screws too much you end up breaking them. And Bush is doing just that.

NEWMAN: Further south, in Argentina, which has center-left (ph) government, many say they would have preferred John Kerry, that Bush is too authoritarian.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He's going to keep managing the world like he owns it.

NEWMAN: But in a region with an economy so sensitive to fluctuations in the United States foreign policy is not the main issue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The most important thing for Latin America is for the United States economy to keep growing. Because when the U.S. pushes the locomotive, the world grows, and that is what we need.

NEWMAN: Unfortunately, say Latin American analysts, the White House, preoccupied with other parts of the world has largely ignored its neighbors.

(On camera): In the last four years, President Bush has barely stepped foot in Latin America, except for Mexico. Significantly, his first overseas trip after his re-election will be to Chile in mid- November, but that is to attend the APEC Summit, which again focuses more on Asia than on the neighboring region -- Lucia Newman, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: John Kerry, the candidate, departs, John Kerry, the man, emerges. Candy Crowley tells us all about that in six minutes and four minutes after that, Howard Kurtz offers a report card on media's election night performance.

And our e-mail question of the morning, the decision is final, Can the country now unite? Or are we hopelessly divided? I'm reading some of your e-mails right now. They are quite interesting. But keep them coming, Daybreak@cnn.com.

But first, here is a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.

(GRAPHIC WITH HEADLINES)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In news, money, weather and sports, it is 5:43 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning: CNN has learned from a senior Palestinian official that Yasser Arafat is indeed in a coma. We're expecting a briefing on his condition, any minute. Now you are looking at a live picture from outside a Paris hospital.

Four Maryland bankers have been convicted of conspiracy and fraud for propping up Enron's bottom line. One former mid-level Enron executive also has been found guilty. It is the first criminal trial stemming from Enron's collapse.

In money news, Time Warner say third quarter earnings outpaced Wall Street's expectations. But the company also says that it is setting aside $500 million in legal reserve. It is a response to a federal probe into AOL's accounting practices. Time Warner, of course, is the parent company of CNN.

In culture, more than $120 million was spent during the first day of the fall auction season at Christie's. The highest price was paid for this 100-year old Monet masterpiece that had never before been available for sale. It went for $18 million.

In sports, this was a costly outburst for Detroit Pistons forward Antonio Micdiaz (ph). He was fined $5,000 for kicking the ball into the stands during Tuesday night's opening game win over the Houston Rockets.

To the forecast center now and Chad.

What is it with sports figures throwing things into the stands, kicking things into the stands?

MYERS: I'm at a loss, Carol. What if it went in? Would it be a three-pointer?

COSTELLO: It would have ricocheted off someone's head?

(CROSS TALK)

MYERS: It would have been a field goal?

COSTELLO: Oh, man!!

(WEATHER FORECAST)

COSTELLO: So, come back in a few minutes for our e-mail segment, Chad. Because...

MYERS: I'm printing some up, here, right now. COSTELLO: I'm telling you -- well it is divided according to our e-mail box, at least.

But people are really prescient, and you would be interested in what they have to say.

Like President Bush, John Kerry is taking a little time to rest after he decided not to challenge the results from Tuesday's big election. The senator from Massachusetts spoke with his supporters. Our Candy Crowley was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It only hurts when he breathes.

SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D) FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm sorry that we got here a little bit late, and a little bit short.

CROWLEY: Two years of late nights, early mornings and long days. Seething heat, numbing cold, bad food and sketchy hotels. Speeches, rallies, conventions and debates, talking and listening and then it got hard.

KERRY: I wish, you don't know how much, that I could have brought this race home, for you.

CROWLEY: He said all the right things, in just the right way, but the votes were not there. That it was time to come together.

More interesting was who he showed himself to be. Losing set something free in John Kerry who reached out in a way seldom seen.

KERRY: I wish that I could just wrap you up in my arms and embrace each and every one of you, individually, all across this nation. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

(APPLAUSE)

CROWLEY: Twenty-four hours ago they were flying so high, certain that those giant crowds were an omen, that the long lines meant more hands punching the Democratic ticket, believing that the early exit polls would bring early victory.

Democratic strategist say they did their job, but Republicans did it better. They will spend years thinking about what went wrong. Right now, they only feel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I try to care about anybody I work for, but he's a (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

CROWLEY: John Kerry will return to the Senate, there are four years left in his term as the junior senator from Massachusetts. He's different, though. Like every presidential candidate he set out to change the country, only to have the country change him. KERRY: I'll never forget the wonderful people who came to our rallies, who stood in our rope lines, who put their hopes in our hands, who invested in each and every one of us. I saw in them the truth, that America is not only great, but it is good.

CROWLEY: Candy Crowley, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: All right, our e-mail question of the morning. We heard a lot from John Kerry and George Bush about how the country must unite. How we must all do our part to unite this very divided country. Our e-mail question of the morning: Can the country possibly unite when it is so very divided?

And, oh, the e-mails we have received so far, very interesting.

MYERS: "The day Bush will be a uniter is the day Osama will become and evangelical Christian." -- from Lisa.

That's easy for me to say.

COSTELLO: Yes.

This, though, I think crystallizes everything, of just about how divided we are as a nation, as far as Democrats and Republicans.

MYERS: I picked up the same one.

COSTELLO: Yes. This is from Eric: "The question isn't can the country unite? The question is should the country unite? Why should I, as a liberal New Yorker, unite with a West Virginia Christian evangelical when our values are so at odds? Why would I unite with someone who thinks I'm a godless pervert, who hates America? What's to unite?"

Here's another one, this is from Jerry, from Maryland: "Yes, I do believe the country can unite. But the Democratic Party must understand the United States has values and morals that are different from their beliefs. If the Democrats are representatives of the people they need to represent the people's values as well, not try to change them to fit their liberal no-holds barred, open-ended, anything goes morals.

After all, we do have standards that have made us the strongest country in the world. Let's not stray from those values."

And that is just an example of how far apart these two sides are. And who can possibly bring them to some common ground?

MYERS: And Mr. M, from Conrow, Texas, says, "No, the country will never be united because the media won't let it happen."

COSTELLO: Oh, man. People always blame the media.

MYERS: Interesting, they always blame us. COSTELLO: It is like, we invite you to watch all media, not just CNN. Watch everybody and then come up with your own conclusions. I don't want to change anyone's mind just from the words I say. I just want to like, give you the information we have available, that you don't. And take it for it is worth, what it is worth to you.

MYERS: Keep the e-mails coming, please.

COSTELLO: We love them, Daybreak@cnn.com.

Most Americans do think the media did a good job covering the 2004 general election. How do I know that? Well, a CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll, that's how.

And 78 percent of those surveyed said the media did a good job; 19 percent said the media did a poor job.

MYERS: We did our own poll?

COSTELLO: No, Gallup.

(LAUGHTER)

MYERS: It was a CNN poll?

(LAUGHTER)

MYERS: Hey, how'd we do?

COSTELLO: See, full disclosure here, on CNN.

We did blow it four years ago, when we in the news media declared Al Gore the winner in Florida. So in this election, we were all very cautious.

Actually, really, really, really, cautious. Details from Howard Kurtz of CNN's "Reliable Sources".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOWARD KURTZ, CNN ANCHOR, "RELIABLE SOURCES" (voice over): As word of the exit polls began spreading Tuesday across the nation's newsrooms and across such Internet sites as the "Drudge Report" and "Slate", the presidential race was, at least briefly, looking pretty good for John Kerry.

And there were hints of that in the television coverage.

ROBERT NOVAK, CNN, CAPITAL GANG: I think it is an uphill climb in Ohio. It hasn't been lost yet, but I think the Republicans have got to count on possibly losing Ohio.

SUSAN ESTRICH, FOX NEWS, POLITICAL ANALYST: What you have to say right now, is that either the exit polls, by and large, are completely wrong, or George Bush loses.

KURTZ: But while no one made the kind of blunder we all remember from 2000...

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: A big call to make, CNN announces that we call Florida in the Al Gore column.

KURTZ: The initial exit polls were, once again, off base. Or at least far enough off base to convince many journalists that President Bush was in deep trouble. Could that have had an impact on people who were still considering whether to vote? It is hard to know for sure.

(On camera): The problem is that the initial morning wave of exit polling was pretty raw stuff. Not yet adjusted for the voting population, or the flood of absentee ballots. And by the time the later waves were ready to be sent out, the system crashed, for as much as an hour.

(Voice over): Meanwhile, as the actual votes came in and Bush began building a lead in Florida, the tone of the coverage shifted to reflect not exit poll projections but real-world numbers.

JAMES CARVELLE, CNN, CROSSFIRE: One never wants to give up, but one has to be a realist. And tonight doesn't seem to be a very good night.

KURTZ: But the networks were cautious, remarkably cautious, considering how competitive the business is in making predictions.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The last thing we at CNN would ever want to do, again, is call a state for a presidential candidate and have to retract it later.

KURTZ: And with Ohio hanging in the balance, network anchors remained cautious, until 12:41 Wednesday morning, when FOX News' Brit Hume projected Bush the winner in Ohio. Bringing him just one measly electoral vote from victory. NBC followed suite at 1 a.m.

TOM BROKAW, ANCHOR, "NBC NEWS": This race is all but over. President Bush is our projected winner in the State of Ohio.

KURTZ: But unlike four years ago, when everyone jumped on the Bush bandwagon within minutes, the other networks refused to be stampeded.

DAN RATHER, ANCHOR, CBS NEWS: Yes we are aware that in some other quarters, perhaps they have decided that they can project it as a winner, but we have to go by our own rules, our own traditions of being -- we'd rather be last than be wrong.

KURTZ: Brokaw says that NBC decided not to call anymore states to avoid anointing a president-elect.

Despite the two network projections, nearly all newspapers went with carefully hedged headlines. Fortunately for the news business John Kerry took everyone off the hook by conceding this morning.

In the new media Zeitgeist being second, or third, or fourth, is not such a bad thing, at least compared to making an early call that turns out to be wrong -- Howard Kurtz, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The Scott Peterson jury has a live or death decision to make. Their deliberations resume this morning. We'll look at their choice, double murder or unfaithful husband who was framed. Details in the next hour. You are watching DAYBREAK for Thursday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Across America" this morning, an historic courthouse in Prince George's County, Maryland has been gutted by fire while undergoing renovation. Oh, that looks beautiful. Firefighters let the blaze burn while protecting the newer courthouse next door. Most of the important artifacts of the 123 year old courthouse had been removed before the fire started.

In Santa Barbara, California, an accused rapist is behind bars after he was spotted by his alleged victim on a TV dating show. Police were alerted when Ulrich Kevin White was seen on the show "Blind Date". They had been looking for White since September of 2003 when he allegedly attacked a woman outside a bar in Ventura, California.

Oh, that brings up a lot of disturbing questions, doesn't it?

Former Oakland Raiders kicker Cole Ford (ph), has been arrested in connection to the September shooting at the home of Siegfried and Roy. Ford was taken into custody without incident at Kinko's in Las Vegas. He faces two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. Nobody was hurt in the shooting and police have not released a motive.

Coming up next on DAYBREAK, the latest on Yasser Arafat's medical condition at the top of the hour. He has now slipped into a coma.

You are watching DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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 4, 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": Yasser Arafat in intensive care in this hospital in France. You're taking a live look at that hospital in Paris. CNN has just confirmed that Yasser Arafat has slipped into a coma. He has been in a coma since last night. We do have correspondents there and we will get to them live as soon as those hospital officials come out with more information for us.

There will be court hearings today and tomorrow in the Michael Jackson child molestation case. But Jackson is not expected to be there. The pop singer is trying to get District Attorney Thomas Dedden (ph) removed from the case.

Election officials in at least five New Mexico counties are still counting ballots from Tuesday's election. In some of those counties the counting may continue into next week.

A volcano in eastern Iceland erupted earlier this week. Take a look at this. No one was hurt, but the eruption sent a cloud of volcanic ash over Northern Europe. And the Dutch airlines had to cancel 59 flights.

Oh, that's a cool picture. Isn't it, Chad?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. Except jets don't fly really good through that ash because it is course, like sandpaper, and the engines don't like that getting in there. So that is why they have to stop flights.

COSTELLO: Well, I'm glad they stopped flying then.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

COSTELLO: What do you think about the presidential election? We asked, Gallup answers. A CNN/ "USA Today"/Gallup Poll shows 51 percent of respondents are pleased with the outcome; 38 percent say they are upset.

But the polling also shows a large majority, 80 percent agreed with Sen. Kerry's decision to concede the election and not challenge the close vote in Ohio. A flurry of congratulations from around the world have made their way to President Bush. Some Asian leaders say they hope the president's re-election will help defuse nuclear tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

In Europe, leaders alienated by the war in Iraq appear to be ready to let bygones be bygones. Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair is President Bush's staunchest ally and he was among the first leaders to offer congratulations. But how is the rest of the U.K. reacting?

Joining us live now, Diana Muriel, from London.

Good morning.

DIANA MURIEL, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, the idea of four more years of a Bush administration is sinking in around Europe, and indeed, here in Britain.

Most of the newspapers have adopted this headline, which you can see on the front page of "The Guardian", "Four More Years". This appears on the "Financial Times" and "The Times" newspaper, and indeed, "The Daily Telegraph", which is seen as a more right-wing newspaper.

"The Guardian" newspaper, you must remember, is the paper that mounted a campaign urging voters in Ohio to vote Democrat. And perhaps the editorial reaction of that paper is best seen on its supplement, which is a page of black, with the words, "Oh, God" in the middle of it.

"The Guardian" newspaper, of course, a left-leaning newspaper, which very much championed the cause of the Democratic challenger John Kerry.

Other newspapers also adopt the "Four More Years" headline, but here on "The Independent" newspaper, they use images which they associate with George Bush, Guantanamo Bay, the war in Iraq, Abu Ghraib, Christian fundamentalism, and of course, oil, under the headline, "Four More Years".

Inside this newspaper congratulates John Kerry for conceding, an act which they describe as gracious.

"The Daily Mirror" perhaps is one of the most contentious headlines that we see in Britain this morning. "The Daily Mirror" says, "How can 59 million people be so dumb?" And a small headline here, "No Brainer, Bush is Back". This editorial of this newspaper very much antagonistic towards President Bush being re-elected. They say that if Europeans had been given the vote, then he would have lost by a landslide.

The papers also analyze what the re-election of George Bush will mean for Tony Blair. He's the next main European ally to be up for re- election sometime in the first half of next year. There is no consensus of opinion, but it seems that most people agree that Blair is likely to be re-elected here. But there is a great deal of division in his party, the Labour Party and the re-election of Bush in the States is seen as increasing that divisiveness -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Diana Muriel, live from London this morning. Thank you.

In the volatile Middle East there are very different reactions from Israelis and Palestinians to President Bush's re-election. CNN's Guy Raz gauges the mood from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Official reaction in Israel has been generally positive among government officials and cabinet members. George W. Bush is regarded as a close ally of Israel. He's been called Israel's closed ally in the White House in history, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Mr. Bush is a known quantity to the current Israeli government and essentially many Israeli politicians privately hope that Mr. Bush would win this election. That said, there is some disappointment among other Israelis that Mr. Bush perhaps hasn't made enough of an effort pursue some kind of resurrection, re-engagement in the Middle East peace process over the past two years.

There was hope among a minority Israelis that perhaps a John Kerry presidency would have began the process to resurrect the peace process. A process that former U.S. President Bill Clinton really began in 1993.

Now, that said, among Palestinians a sense of ambivalence, both of these candidates were generally seen as taking very strong pro- Israel positions on the campaign trial. Both Sen. Kerry and President Bush seemed to back Israel's stance on Yasser Arafat. Israel believing he is not a credible negotiating partner. Both of these candidates also back Israel's position on the expansion of existing settlements.

Now, so Palestinians essentially believing that whoever was elected there really wouldn't be much change at all coming from the White House, at least in its approach to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict -- Guy Raz, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And what is the reaction in Latin America to four more years of the Bush administration? Lucia Newman, our bureau chief in Havana, takes a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF (voice over): South of the border news of President George Bush's re-election did not provoke spontaneous demonstrations of joy. The prospect of further restrictions for illegal migrants a particular concern to Mexicans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I think Bush has received a mandate to get tougher on migration. He's forgotten that he promised Fox one thing and never followed through.

NEWMAN: Many ordinary Mexicans say they are not just concerned about themselves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): More destruction, more invasions of other countries, Cuba is the country that should be the most worried.

NEWMAN: Bush has vowed to tighten the economic and political screws on the Communist regime to accelerate the downfall of Fidel Castro in his second term. Communist officials say they aren't intimidated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm not a mechanic, but I know that when you tighten screws too much you end up breaking them. And Bush is doing just that.

NEWMAN: Further south, in Argentina, which has center-left (ph) government, many say they would have preferred John Kerry, that Bush is too authoritarian.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He's going to keep managing the world like he owns it.

NEWMAN: But in a region with an economy so sensitive to fluctuations in the United States foreign policy is not the main issue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The most important thing for Latin America is for the United States economy to keep growing. Because when the U.S. pushes the locomotive, the world grows, and that is what we need.

NEWMAN: Unfortunately, say Latin American analysts, the White House, preoccupied with other parts of the world has largely ignored its neighbors.

(On camera): In the last four years, President Bush has barely stepped foot in Latin America, except for Mexico. Significantly, his first overseas trip after his re-election will be to Chile in mid- November, but that is to attend the APEC Summit, which again focuses more on Asia than on the neighboring region -- Lucia Newman, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: John Kerry, the candidate, departs, John Kerry, the man, emerges. Candy Crowley tells us all about that in six minutes and four minutes after that, Howard Kurtz offers a report card on media's election night performance.

And our e-mail question of the morning, the decision is final, Can the country now unite? Or are we hopelessly divided? I'm reading some of your e-mails right now. They are quite interesting. But keep them coming, Daybreak@cnn.com.

But first, here is a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.

(GRAPHIC WITH HEADLINES)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In news, money, weather and sports, it is 5:43 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning: CNN has learned from a senior Palestinian official that Yasser Arafat is indeed in a coma. We're expecting a briefing on his condition, any minute. Now you are looking at a live picture from outside a Paris hospital.

Four Maryland bankers have been convicted of conspiracy and fraud for propping up Enron's bottom line. One former mid-level Enron executive also has been found guilty. It is the first criminal trial stemming from Enron's collapse.

In money news, Time Warner say third quarter earnings outpaced Wall Street's expectations. But the company also says that it is setting aside $500 million in legal reserve. It is a response to a federal probe into AOL's accounting practices. Time Warner, of course, is the parent company of CNN.

In culture, more than $120 million was spent during the first day of the fall auction season at Christie's. The highest price was paid for this 100-year old Monet masterpiece that had never before been available for sale. It went for $18 million.

In sports, this was a costly outburst for Detroit Pistons forward Antonio Micdiaz (ph). He was fined $5,000 for kicking the ball into the stands during Tuesday night's opening game win over the Houston Rockets.

To the forecast center now and Chad.

What is it with sports figures throwing things into the stands, kicking things into the stands?

MYERS: I'm at a loss, Carol. What if it went in? Would it be a three-pointer?

COSTELLO: It would have ricocheted off someone's head?

(CROSS TALK)

MYERS: It would have been a field goal?

COSTELLO: Oh, man!!

(WEATHER FORECAST)

COSTELLO: So, come back in a few minutes for our e-mail segment, Chad. Because...

MYERS: I'm printing some up, here, right now. COSTELLO: I'm telling you -- well it is divided according to our e-mail box, at least.

But people are really prescient, and you would be interested in what they have to say.

Like President Bush, John Kerry is taking a little time to rest after he decided not to challenge the results from Tuesday's big election. The senator from Massachusetts spoke with his supporters. Our Candy Crowley was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It only hurts when he breathes.

SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D) FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm sorry that we got here a little bit late, and a little bit short.

CROWLEY: Two years of late nights, early mornings and long days. Seething heat, numbing cold, bad food and sketchy hotels. Speeches, rallies, conventions and debates, talking and listening and then it got hard.

KERRY: I wish, you don't know how much, that I could have brought this race home, for you.

CROWLEY: He said all the right things, in just the right way, but the votes were not there. That it was time to come together.

More interesting was who he showed himself to be. Losing set something free in John Kerry who reached out in a way seldom seen.

KERRY: I wish that I could just wrap you up in my arms and embrace each and every one of you, individually, all across this nation. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

(APPLAUSE)

CROWLEY: Twenty-four hours ago they were flying so high, certain that those giant crowds were an omen, that the long lines meant more hands punching the Democratic ticket, believing that the early exit polls would bring early victory.

Democratic strategist say they did their job, but Republicans did it better. They will spend years thinking about what went wrong. Right now, they only feel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I try to care about anybody I work for, but he's a (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

CROWLEY: John Kerry will return to the Senate, there are four years left in his term as the junior senator from Massachusetts. He's different, though. Like every presidential candidate he set out to change the country, only to have the country change him. KERRY: I'll never forget the wonderful people who came to our rallies, who stood in our rope lines, who put their hopes in our hands, who invested in each and every one of us. I saw in them the truth, that America is not only great, but it is good.

CROWLEY: Candy Crowley, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: All right, our e-mail question of the morning. We heard a lot from John Kerry and George Bush about how the country must unite. How we must all do our part to unite this very divided country. Our e-mail question of the morning: Can the country possibly unite when it is so very divided?

And, oh, the e-mails we have received so far, very interesting.

MYERS: "The day Bush will be a uniter is the day Osama will become and evangelical Christian." -- from Lisa.

That's easy for me to say.

COSTELLO: Yes.

This, though, I think crystallizes everything, of just about how divided we are as a nation, as far as Democrats and Republicans.

MYERS: I picked up the same one.

COSTELLO: Yes. This is from Eric: "The question isn't can the country unite? The question is should the country unite? Why should I, as a liberal New Yorker, unite with a West Virginia Christian evangelical when our values are so at odds? Why would I unite with someone who thinks I'm a godless pervert, who hates America? What's to unite?"

Here's another one, this is from Jerry, from Maryland: "Yes, I do believe the country can unite. But the Democratic Party must understand the United States has values and morals that are different from their beliefs. If the Democrats are representatives of the people they need to represent the people's values as well, not try to change them to fit their liberal no-holds barred, open-ended, anything goes morals.

After all, we do have standards that have made us the strongest country in the world. Let's not stray from those values."

And that is just an example of how far apart these two sides are. And who can possibly bring them to some common ground?

MYERS: And Mr. M, from Conrow, Texas, says, "No, the country will never be united because the media won't let it happen."

COSTELLO: Oh, man. People always blame the media.

MYERS: Interesting, they always blame us. COSTELLO: It is like, we invite you to watch all media, not just CNN. Watch everybody and then come up with your own conclusions. I don't want to change anyone's mind just from the words I say. I just want to like, give you the information we have available, that you don't. And take it for it is worth, what it is worth to you.

MYERS: Keep the e-mails coming, please.

COSTELLO: We love them, Daybreak@cnn.com.

Most Americans do think the media did a good job covering the 2004 general election. How do I know that? Well, a CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll, that's how.

And 78 percent of those surveyed said the media did a good job; 19 percent said the media did a poor job.

MYERS: We did our own poll?

COSTELLO: No, Gallup.

(LAUGHTER)

MYERS: It was a CNN poll?

(LAUGHTER)

MYERS: Hey, how'd we do?

COSTELLO: See, full disclosure here, on CNN.

We did blow it four years ago, when we in the news media declared Al Gore the winner in Florida. So in this election, we were all very cautious.

Actually, really, really, really, cautious. Details from Howard Kurtz of CNN's "Reliable Sources".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOWARD KURTZ, CNN ANCHOR, "RELIABLE SOURCES" (voice over): As word of the exit polls began spreading Tuesday across the nation's newsrooms and across such Internet sites as the "Drudge Report" and "Slate", the presidential race was, at least briefly, looking pretty good for John Kerry.

And there were hints of that in the television coverage.

ROBERT NOVAK, CNN, CAPITAL GANG: I think it is an uphill climb in Ohio. It hasn't been lost yet, but I think the Republicans have got to count on possibly losing Ohio.

SUSAN ESTRICH, FOX NEWS, POLITICAL ANALYST: What you have to say right now, is that either the exit polls, by and large, are completely wrong, or George Bush loses.

KURTZ: But while no one made the kind of blunder we all remember from 2000...

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: A big call to make, CNN announces that we call Florida in the Al Gore column.

KURTZ: The initial exit polls were, once again, off base. Or at least far enough off base to convince many journalists that President Bush was in deep trouble. Could that have had an impact on people who were still considering whether to vote? It is hard to know for sure.

(On camera): The problem is that the initial morning wave of exit polling was pretty raw stuff. Not yet adjusted for the voting population, or the flood of absentee ballots. And by the time the later waves were ready to be sent out, the system crashed, for as much as an hour.

(Voice over): Meanwhile, as the actual votes came in and Bush began building a lead in Florida, the tone of the coverage shifted to reflect not exit poll projections but real-world numbers.

JAMES CARVELLE, CNN, CROSSFIRE: One never wants to give up, but one has to be a realist. And tonight doesn't seem to be a very good night.

KURTZ: But the networks were cautious, remarkably cautious, considering how competitive the business is in making predictions.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The last thing we at CNN would ever want to do, again, is call a state for a presidential candidate and have to retract it later.

KURTZ: And with Ohio hanging in the balance, network anchors remained cautious, until 12:41 Wednesday morning, when FOX News' Brit Hume projected Bush the winner in Ohio. Bringing him just one measly electoral vote from victory. NBC followed suite at 1 a.m.

TOM BROKAW, ANCHOR, "NBC NEWS": This race is all but over. President Bush is our projected winner in the State of Ohio.

KURTZ: But unlike four years ago, when everyone jumped on the Bush bandwagon within minutes, the other networks refused to be stampeded.

DAN RATHER, ANCHOR, CBS NEWS: Yes we are aware that in some other quarters, perhaps they have decided that they can project it as a winner, but we have to go by our own rules, our own traditions of being -- we'd rather be last than be wrong.

KURTZ: Brokaw says that NBC decided not to call anymore states to avoid anointing a president-elect.

Despite the two network projections, nearly all newspapers went with carefully hedged headlines. Fortunately for the news business John Kerry took everyone off the hook by conceding this morning.

In the new media Zeitgeist being second, or third, or fourth, is not such a bad thing, at least compared to making an early call that turns out to be wrong -- Howard Kurtz, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The Scott Peterson jury has a live or death decision to make. Their deliberations resume this morning. We'll look at their choice, double murder or unfaithful husband who was framed. Details in the next hour. You are watching DAYBREAK for Thursday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Across America" this morning, an historic courthouse in Prince George's County, Maryland has been gutted by fire while undergoing renovation. Oh, that looks beautiful. Firefighters let the blaze burn while protecting the newer courthouse next door. Most of the important artifacts of the 123 year old courthouse had been removed before the fire started.

In Santa Barbara, California, an accused rapist is behind bars after he was spotted by his alleged victim on a TV dating show. Police were alerted when Ulrich Kevin White was seen on the show "Blind Date". They had been looking for White since September of 2003 when he allegedly attacked a woman outside a bar in Ventura, California.

Oh, that brings up a lot of disturbing questions, doesn't it?

Former Oakland Raiders kicker Cole Ford (ph), has been arrested in connection to the September shooting at the home of Siegfried and Roy. Ford was taken into custody without incident at Kinko's in Las Vegas. He faces two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. Nobody was hurt in the shooting and police have not released a motive.

Coming up next on DAYBREAK, the latest on Yasser Arafat's medical condition at the top of the hour. He has now slipped into a coma.

You are watching DAYBREAK.

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