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CNN Live At Daybreak

Arafat Remains In Coma At Paris Hospital; Interview with Author Mark Perry; E-Voting Report Card

Aired November 05, 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 remains in a coma this morning in a hospital in France. And reports on his prognosis very. Bush administration officials tell CNN Arafat is on life support, while arguments continue over where he should be buried.

The PLO says the coma is reversible and Arafat could come out of it.

Russia has completed ratification of the Kyoto Protocol to cut greenhouse gas emissions. It requires 55 industrialized nations have now endorsed the protocol and it takes effect next year.

It will be day three of the jury deliberations in the Scott Peterson double murder trial. The judge now says there can be a live audio feed but no live TV coverage of the verdict.

A Canadian was arrested at the Los Angeles Airport after he ran naked across the tarmac and climbed into the wheel well of a plane about to take off. Officials say the many is mentally unstable.

To the Forecast Center and Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, but how did he get on the tarmac in the first place?

COSTELLO: You know that is a good question.

MYERS: That is my question.

COSTELLO: And how did he get into the airport naked?

MYERS: Well, he was dressed there.

COSTELLO: Oh, and he took his clothes off -- in the restroom?

MYERS: Like that would help? How and why I don't know.

COSTELLO: Oh.

MYERS: I want to know how he actually got out there.

COSTELLO: Very disturbing. MYERS: Because that is the biggest story, right?

COSTELLO: Absolutely.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

COSTELLO: We want to get right to the latest developments in the health of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Jim Bittermann outside the hospital in Paris, where Arafat remains in intensive care.

Jim, have there been any changes?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There have been a couple of things this morning, Carol.

In fact, we were able to talk just a short while ago to Leila Shahid, who is a Palestinian representative here in France, as she was coming here to the hospital to visit Yasser Arafat.

And she confirmed what she had said earlier, on a French radio station, basically that she wanted to deny first that Yasser Arafat was brain dead. That was one of the rumors that was circulating here. And she went on to say that he is, indeed, in a coma, but what she called a reversible coma, that he could possibly come out of. She also said that his vital organs are functioning.

And she gave us a little bit of a scenario of what's happened over the last few days here. Apparently, Arafat's condition was improving, up until Wednesday afternoon, when it suddenly took a turn for the worse. At that point, doctors wanted to do a biopsy and they administered anesthesia for the biopsy. And since then Arafat has remained in the coma.

So, that is about the way it stands this morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Jim Bittermann, live from Paris, with an update. Thank you.

Arafat's condition forces crucial questions about what will happen when the Palestinian leader dies. So, let's turn to an expert on Palestinian/Israeli issues. Mark Perry is the author of several Mid East books, including "Fire in Zion: How Israel and the Palestinian Made Peace". He is also vice president of an international relations consulting firm called Jefferson Waterman International. He joins us live from Washington this morning.

Thank you for being with DAYBREAK.

MARK PERRY, AUTHOR, "FIRE IN ZION": Pleasure.

COSTELLO: Why this confusion over the condition of Yasser Arafat?

PERRY: Well, I think we have to take what Jim Bittermann says at face value. Mr. Arafat's condition is grave, he is in a coma, people are uncertain about whether he can recover. The reports that I have been receiving is that his situation, his condition remains critical, and I think that is right.

We can see a lot of maneuvering now in the Palestinian Authority, in a transition, beginning. So, I think it is very unlikely -- it is possible but I think it is unlikely that Mr. Arafat will recover.

COSTELLO: You say the Palestinians are repositioning? But John Vause reported earlier that they are absolutely not prepared for Arafat's death?

PERRY: Well, this is, you know, Mr. Arafat is still the president of the Palestinian Authority and will be until there is a new election. But some of the security roles that he had have been taken over now by Abu Ala, the serving prime minister. Certainly, Mahmoud Abbas/Abu Mazen is capable of heading the PLO and he has taken over the function of doing that.

We see, today, Abu Allah will be going to Gaza to negotiate with some of the Palestinian factions, to unite them in the wake of Mr. Arafat's death. So, there is some movement there.

COSTELLO: A lot of people expect chaos in the event of Arafat's death. Do you think that will happen?

PERRY: I think that is more of a reflection of our prejudice than reality. I don't see chaos at all. I think it is much more likely that the Palestinian leadership will unit. This is much more of a family than even a government. These are people who might disagree behind closed doors, but they understand the meaning of unity and the power of unity. They work well together. They have known each other for decades.

I think it is very unlikely that we would have the kind of descent into chaos that some people are predicting. I think it is very unlikely.

COSTELLO: You mention prejudices, but you know, we have seen so many suicide bombings coming out of the Palestinian territory, that it is difficult to believe that they are a family.

PERRY: Well, I'm basing my belief on experience and history and what I know of the Palestinian leadership. Americans tend to think that every time there is a transition of government in the Arab world people pick up a gun and contend for the leadership. But in fact, history shows that that is not the case. The Palestinian ...

(CROSS TALK)

COSTELLO: But...

PERRY: Yes?

COSTELLO: But besides that, didn't Mahmoud Abbas leave the prime minister's role because he -- Yasser Arafat wouldn't let him do what he needed to do?

PERRY: It is certainly arguable that that is the case. There were disagreements between the two, and I don't think there is any -- there is no doubt about that. But prime ministers change in countries everyday, not just in the Palestinian Authority, because of disagreements with the political leadership.

And he had disagreements with the political leadership, but there was not resort, then, to gunfire. There won't be in the future. I think we have to understand what the Palestinian leadership is. And I'm going to repeat this, but I think it is important.

These are people who have known each other professionally for many, many, many years. Behind closed doors they do have very strong positions and arguments, but at the end of the day, inside the Palestinian Authority, the move has always been towards unity on every level. And I think we'll see that again.

COSTELLO: Mark Perry, live from Washington, thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

PERRY: Pleasure.

COSTELLO: As you have heard in our live reports on the condition of Yasser Arafat, there is some confusion about his health. At the White House, President Bush was erroneously told yesterday that Arafat had died. This is what the president had to say in response to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My first reaction is, God bless his soul. And my second reaction is, is that we will continue to work for a free Palestinian state that is at peace with Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But of course, Arafat had not died. We learned this morning that he is still in a Paris hospital, apparently on life support systems. The question revolves around if he is brain dead or not. Our Senior International Editor David Clinch joins us now to sort this all out and tell us where this confusion is coming from, and why?

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SR. INT'L EDITOR: Don't promise I'm going to sort it all out.

COSTELLO: I know, but I'm asking everybody and no one giving me like a concrete answer.

CLINCH: Let's talk about a couple of things here. I mean, first of all there is what you could call the obvious confusion. And then we'll go back to the President Bush thing yesterday.

But first of all, you have various people saying various things. Let's look, for instance, we have U.S. officials tell us, CNN, that Arafat, they are being told, is on life support. They are also saying, though, that that is something they are describing, we have a quote here, "a sensitive situation for the Palestinians". So, why are they indicating that it is a sensitive situation?

While we have today, for instance, the quote from the Palestinian official today, "He is in a coma. But we don't know what type, it is a reversible coma."

What is a reversible coma?

COSTELLO: What is a reversible -- exactly.

CLINCH: Basically a coma that he may come out of. So, you look at what the U.S. is telling us. You look at what the Palestinians are telling us. It can be confusing. The Palestinians also saying he's not brain dead.

Let's look at those three things. We're being told he's on life support, we're being told he's in a coma. And we're being told he's not brain dead. Those things may be confusing, but they are not necessarily contradictory. So, that what we're reporting, all three of those things.

He is on life support, he's in a coma, he's not brain dead.

COSTELLO: So, why is it so important to get the point across to the Palestinian people that Yasser Arafat is not dead, is not brain dead? Is it because he's such a symbol to the Palestinian people?

CLINCH: That sensitive issue that the U.S. officials are reminding us about is obvious in some ways that obviously they don't want to say he's dead until he is, of course. But they also have to consider the Muslim tradition that he needs to be buried within 24 hours of an announcement of death. That has to be taken into consideration because of the question of where he will be buried.

And then, of course, the question of who succeeds him. Big problem, big questions, those things are still being worked out on the ground as John Vause has been reporting from Ramallah.

COSTELLO: And then the other issue is money, because Yasser Arafat, supposedly, has a lot of money out of the country.

CLINCH: Right.

COSTELLO: In Swiss bank accounts, that (INAUDIBLE).

CLINCH: The will -- where's the will?

COSTELLO: Where is the will?

CLINCH: Well, there may very well be a will. And we're watching in Paris, his wife is there. We're watching in Ramallah to hear details of that, on not just the question of the money, but also the question of who he hands power over. Will that be in the will. So, we're watching very closely on that.

Just very briefly, there is what we call the BlackBerry effect.

COSTELLO: I was wondering why you were holding your BlackBerry.

CLINCH: It was what caused that question yesterday to the president, from a reporter, basically it came from him reading a bulletin on his BlackBerry, and putting it out to the president as a fact, that Arafat had died.

So, a new factor for us journalists, these BlackBerrys can be as much of a nuisance as they are a use.

COSTELLO: I don't know what reporter it was, but aren't you supposed to confirm something even if...

CLINCH: I do but I'm not going to say that on air.

COSTELLO: OK, that ...

CLINCH: Not a CNN reporter.

COSTELLO: Not a CNN reporter.

Thank you, David.

CLINCH: All right.

COSTELLO: Still to come this morning on DAYBREAK. Was the real winner in this year's election technology? At 47 minutes past the hour, we'll look at how well electronic voting worked.

Also there are new initiatives to help make young drivers safer, but these classes are aimed specifically at teenaged girls. So, we want to know: Do the girls need extra help? E-mail us, who are the better drivers, men or women? Young women or young men? Daybreak@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports, it is 5:44 Eastern. Here's what is all new this morning.

Yasser Arafat still in a coma this morning. He's still in that French hospital. The PLO says the coma is reversible and Arafat could come out of it. But U.S. officials say the Palestinian leader is being kept alive by those machines.

It appears Michael Jackson is stuck with District Attorney Tom Sneddon, at least for now. A judge has rejected Jackson's bid to remove Sneddon as prosecutor in his child molestation case.

In money news, GM is recalling nearly 1.5 million vehicles, including 946,000 SUVs with faulty taillights; 204,000 mid-size GM cars have accelerators that can stick and cause crashes.

In culture, the movie studios go after pirates. They'll file lawsuits against individuals suspected of swapping movies on the Internet. Several hundred movie piracy suits are expected this month. In sports, it was Shaq's home debut in a Heat uniform and Shaquille O'Neal got -- well, he got 17 points and nine rebounds last night. Teammate Dwayne Wade scored 28 as Miami beat Cleveland 90 to 86 -- Chad?

MYERS: You know what is absent of all these sports reports, Carol?

COSTELLO: What?

MYERS: The hockey scores.

COSTELLO: That is because nobody is playing, are they?

MYERS: Oh, right.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.

After an historic victory, President Bush used his first news conference to lay out lofty goals for his second term. They include an overhaul of Social Security, revamping the tax system and fighting terrorism.

We begin a new segment on DAYBREAK today. It is some of the off topic news that is happening behind the big headline sound bites. Yesterday, there was an emotional moment for President Bush, as he talked with his father.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: At 3:30 in the morning, on the -- I guess it was the day after the election -- he was sitting upstairs. I finally said, go to bed. He was awaiting the outcome and was hopeful that we would go over and be able to talk to our supporters. And it just didn't happen that way.

So, I asked him the next morning, when he got up, I said come by the Oval Office and visit. And I -- he came by and we had a good talk. He was heading down to Houston. And it was - there was some uncertainty about that morning as to when the election would actually end. And it wasn't clear at that point in time, so I never got to see him face-to-face, to watch his, I guess, pride in his tired eyes as his son got a second term.

I did talk to him and he was relieved. I told him to get a nap. I was worried about him staying up too late. But -- so I haven't had a chance to really visit and, you know, embrace.

And you're right, '92 was a disappointment. But he taught me a really good lesson, that life moves on. And it is very important for us in the political arena, win or lose, to recognize that life is bigger than just politics. And that is one of the really good lessons he taught me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Something you might not have heard in all the hullabaloo of yesterday. That was President Bush's first press conference in his second term. And by the way, President Bush is the first president in 68 years to win re-election and gain seats in both the House and the Senate.

And everyday, at this time on DAYBREAK, we'll bring you something that you might not have heard, that newscasters might not have put forth for you to listen to.

A lot of touchy voters help President Bush secure that historic victory. And in elections to come you can expect to be more involved in the electronic age. CNN technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg has our e-voting report card.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUSH: The voters turned out in record numbers, and delivered an historic victory.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was close, but this year voters didn't have to wait 36 days before getting their next commander in chief, no suffering through endless hanging or pregnant chads, thanks in part to electronic voting.

So, did the high-tech voting machines get a passing grade?

MICHAEL ALVAREZ, CAL TECH: You know, I think I'd give it sort of a good passing grade. Maybe something like a B.

SIEBERG: Cal Tech and MIT have been jointly studying e-voting since the problems of 2000.

ALVAREZ: Now, again, we just didn't see meltdowns using any type of voting technology.

SIEBERG: But some observers say it is still very early in the post-election analysis.

BRUCE SCHNEIDER, SECURITY EXPERT: E-voting didn't pass any sort of test. What we have here is anecdotal evidence. A medical procedure might be safe or dangerous, and just because a patient didn't die doesn't mean that the procedure is safe.

SIEBERG: While there were no major meltdowns, e-voting watchdogs say they received thousands of complaints. It was a relatively small figure, considering one-third of the record 120 million voters used some type of e-voting machine.

(on camera): And makers of the machines, like this one from Hart Intercivic, claimed a success. They are one of several companies who put the machines out there. But critics say there is still a lot of work to be done, like adding a voter verified paper trail and further review of the software code.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were extremely pleased with the reliability and accuracy of all the equipment.

SIEBERG (voice over): Without an electronic meltdown, or any legal challenges, some observers are worried that the lack of follow- up scrutiny will leave e-voting problems unchecked as we move toward the elimination of other systems.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Help America Vote Act will require all punch-card and lever systems to be eliminated before the first federal election in 2006.

SIEBERG: All eyes were on e-voting this year. Much of the extra attention has to do with instilling confidence in the voter. That may take time, says one of the judges who inspected the Florida ballots in 2000.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People talk about going back to a paper ballot, but you know in 2000 we used paper and that didn't really do a lot to instill voter confidence.

SIEBERG: And 2004's presidential election is history. Now, it is a matter of securing e-voting's future -- Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: So, are e-mail question of the morning: Do you think men or women, young men or young women, are better drivers.

Whew. We've been getting a lot of e-mail, Chad. And it has been pretty nasty towards women, I must say. So, women, where are you? E- mail us, daybreak@cnn.com. That is daybreak@cnn.com.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In health headlines this morning, Swiss scientists say Merck & Company should have pulled the plug on Vioxx four years ago. Researchers at the University of Bern say there was evidence in 2000 that Vioxx increased the risk of heart attack.

Those mice huddled outside in a snowstorm puffing on cigarettes, might be scientific subjects. U.S. researchers say some genetically altered mice are unusually sensitive to nicotine. And they hope those mice can help researchers nail down how people become addicted to tobacco.

Researchers now say that white bread, long ridiculed as just bland, could actually increase your risk of contracting Type II diabetes. The villain appears to be a spike in blood sugar caused by eating starchy foods like white bread, cookies, crackers, and cakes.

I see you are nodding, Chad, because you are an Atkins Diet fanatic.

MYERS: Yes. COSTELLO: For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site, CNN.com/health.

All right let's get to our E-Mail Question of the Day. Some startling statistics on safety. As we told you earlier, fatal accidents involving teenage girls are on the rise. A recent study from the Department of Transportation says those numbers are up 42 percent for girls between the ages of 15 and 20. In the meantime the number of accidents involving young men is decreasing.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Interesting, so our e-mail question of the morning, who are the better drivers, men or women? Is that changing from years ago, when women were always considered the better drivers. We always got the best insurance rates, right?

MYERS: Exactly. Until the men go to 25, when you turned 25 or you got married, your men's rates always went down.

COSTELLO: Yes, magically, somehow that made you a good driver.

MYERS: Magically, you were a better driver, right.

We got some great answers today. I have one, it says, "Who is the better driver? He who has the better car and has more money. He's the better driver."

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: I guess so. "With respect to the question of which gender is the better driver I would suggest it has nothing to do with being male or female but is more related to left brain, right brain function, and the level of self-confidence behind the wheel." That is from Bill, from South Carolina.

MYERS: From Charlotte, in California: "Women are much better drivers. Who else could drive down the freeway, find thrown bottles, toys and keep peace in the car? Heck, my husband can't even find the milk behind the butter."

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: This is from Thomas. He says: "Women make better drivers. They can put on their make-up, comb their hair, talk on the cell phone, crash into a car, flutter their eyes to police officer and swear that it wasn't their fault. And then do it all over again."

MYERS: We got an awful lot of those.

COSTELLO: Yes we did. And we choose not to read them, because we didn't want the hatred from women being directed upon us.

MYERS: Keep them coming.

COSTELLO: Daybreak@cnn.com. Here's what we're working on for you, all new in the hour of DAYBREAK.

President Bush lays out his goals for next four years. We'll tell you what programs are first on is agenda.

And it is super heroes and super hunks making debuts at the weekend box office. You are watching DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired November 5, 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 remains in a coma this morning in a hospital in France. And reports on his prognosis very. Bush administration officials tell CNN Arafat is on life support, while arguments continue over where he should be buried.

The PLO says the coma is reversible and Arafat could come out of it.

Russia has completed ratification of the Kyoto Protocol to cut greenhouse gas emissions. It requires 55 industrialized nations have now endorsed the protocol and it takes effect next year.

It will be day three of the jury deliberations in the Scott Peterson double murder trial. The judge now says there can be a live audio feed but no live TV coverage of the verdict.

A Canadian was arrested at the Los Angeles Airport after he ran naked across the tarmac and climbed into the wheel well of a plane about to take off. Officials say the many is mentally unstable.

To the Forecast Center and Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, but how did he get on the tarmac in the first place?

COSTELLO: You know that is a good question.

MYERS: That is my question.

COSTELLO: And how did he get into the airport naked?

MYERS: Well, he was dressed there.

COSTELLO: Oh, and he took his clothes off -- in the restroom?

MYERS: Like that would help? How and why I don't know.

COSTELLO: Oh.

MYERS: I want to know how he actually got out there.

COSTELLO: Very disturbing. MYERS: Because that is the biggest story, right?

COSTELLO: Absolutely.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

COSTELLO: We want to get right to the latest developments in the health of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Jim Bittermann outside the hospital in Paris, where Arafat remains in intensive care.

Jim, have there been any changes?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There have been a couple of things this morning, Carol.

In fact, we were able to talk just a short while ago to Leila Shahid, who is a Palestinian representative here in France, as she was coming here to the hospital to visit Yasser Arafat.

And she confirmed what she had said earlier, on a French radio station, basically that she wanted to deny first that Yasser Arafat was brain dead. That was one of the rumors that was circulating here. And she went on to say that he is, indeed, in a coma, but what she called a reversible coma, that he could possibly come out of. She also said that his vital organs are functioning.

And she gave us a little bit of a scenario of what's happened over the last few days here. Apparently, Arafat's condition was improving, up until Wednesday afternoon, when it suddenly took a turn for the worse. At that point, doctors wanted to do a biopsy and they administered anesthesia for the biopsy. And since then Arafat has remained in the coma.

So, that is about the way it stands this morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Jim Bittermann, live from Paris, with an update. Thank you.

Arafat's condition forces crucial questions about what will happen when the Palestinian leader dies. So, let's turn to an expert on Palestinian/Israeli issues. Mark Perry is the author of several Mid East books, including "Fire in Zion: How Israel and the Palestinian Made Peace". He is also vice president of an international relations consulting firm called Jefferson Waterman International. He joins us live from Washington this morning.

Thank you for being with DAYBREAK.

MARK PERRY, AUTHOR, "FIRE IN ZION": Pleasure.

COSTELLO: Why this confusion over the condition of Yasser Arafat?

PERRY: Well, I think we have to take what Jim Bittermann says at face value. Mr. Arafat's condition is grave, he is in a coma, people are uncertain about whether he can recover. The reports that I have been receiving is that his situation, his condition remains critical, and I think that is right.

We can see a lot of maneuvering now in the Palestinian Authority, in a transition, beginning. So, I think it is very unlikely -- it is possible but I think it is unlikely that Mr. Arafat will recover.

COSTELLO: You say the Palestinians are repositioning? But John Vause reported earlier that they are absolutely not prepared for Arafat's death?

PERRY: Well, this is, you know, Mr. Arafat is still the president of the Palestinian Authority and will be until there is a new election. But some of the security roles that he had have been taken over now by Abu Ala, the serving prime minister. Certainly, Mahmoud Abbas/Abu Mazen is capable of heading the PLO and he has taken over the function of doing that.

We see, today, Abu Allah will be going to Gaza to negotiate with some of the Palestinian factions, to unite them in the wake of Mr. Arafat's death. So, there is some movement there.

COSTELLO: A lot of people expect chaos in the event of Arafat's death. Do you think that will happen?

PERRY: I think that is more of a reflection of our prejudice than reality. I don't see chaos at all. I think it is much more likely that the Palestinian leadership will unit. This is much more of a family than even a government. These are people who might disagree behind closed doors, but they understand the meaning of unity and the power of unity. They work well together. They have known each other for decades.

I think it is very unlikely that we would have the kind of descent into chaos that some people are predicting. I think it is very unlikely.

COSTELLO: You mention prejudices, but you know, we have seen so many suicide bombings coming out of the Palestinian territory, that it is difficult to believe that they are a family.

PERRY: Well, I'm basing my belief on experience and history and what I know of the Palestinian leadership. Americans tend to think that every time there is a transition of government in the Arab world people pick up a gun and contend for the leadership. But in fact, history shows that that is not the case. The Palestinian ...

(CROSS TALK)

COSTELLO: But...

PERRY: Yes?

COSTELLO: But besides that, didn't Mahmoud Abbas leave the prime minister's role because he -- Yasser Arafat wouldn't let him do what he needed to do?

PERRY: It is certainly arguable that that is the case. There were disagreements between the two, and I don't think there is any -- there is no doubt about that. But prime ministers change in countries everyday, not just in the Palestinian Authority, because of disagreements with the political leadership.

And he had disagreements with the political leadership, but there was not resort, then, to gunfire. There won't be in the future. I think we have to understand what the Palestinian leadership is. And I'm going to repeat this, but I think it is important.

These are people who have known each other professionally for many, many, many years. Behind closed doors they do have very strong positions and arguments, but at the end of the day, inside the Palestinian Authority, the move has always been towards unity on every level. And I think we'll see that again.

COSTELLO: Mark Perry, live from Washington, thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

PERRY: Pleasure.

COSTELLO: As you have heard in our live reports on the condition of Yasser Arafat, there is some confusion about his health. At the White House, President Bush was erroneously told yesterday that Arafat had died. This is what the president had to say in response to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My first reaction is, God bless his soul. And my second reaction is, is that we will continue to work for a free Palestinian state that is at peace with Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But of course, Arafat had not died. We learned this morning that he is still in a Paris hospital, apparently on life support systems. The question revolves around if he is brain dead or not. Our Senior International Editor David Clinch joins us now to sort this all out and tell us where this confusion is coming from, and why?

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SR. INT'L EDITOR: Don't promise I'm going to sort it all out.

COSTELLO: I know, but I'm asking everybody and no one giving me like a concrete answer.

CLINCH: Let's talk about a couple of things here. I mean, first of all there is what you could call the obvious confusion. And then we'll go back to the President Bush thing yesterday.

But first of all, you have various people saying various things. Let's look, for instance, we have U.S. officials tell us, CNN, that Arafat, they are being told, is on life support. They are also saying, though, that that is something they are describing, we have a quote here, "a sensitive situation for the Palestinians". So, why are they indicating that it is a sensitive situation?

While we have today, for instance, the quote from the Palestinian official today, "He is in a coma. But we don't know what type, it is a reversible coma."

What is a reversible coma?

COSTELLO: What is a reversible -- exactly.

CLINCH: Basically a coma that he may come out of. So, you look at what the U.S. is telling us. You look at what the Palestinians are telling us. It can be confusing. The Palestinians also saying he's not brain dead.

Let's look at those three things. We're being told he's on life support, we're being told he's in a coma. And we're being told he's not brain dead. Those things may be confusing, but they are not necessarily contradictory. So, that what we're reporting, all three of those things.

He is on life support, he's in a coma, he's not brain dead.

COSTELLO: So, why is it so important to get the point across to the Palestinian people that Yasser Arafat is not dead, is not brain dead? Is it because he's such a symbol to the Palestinian people?

CLINCH: That sensitive issue that the U.S. officials are reminding us about is obvious in some ways that obviously they don't want to say he's dead until he is, of course. But they also have to consider the Muslim tradition that he needs to be buried within 24 hours of an announcement of death. That has to be taken into consideration because of the question of where he will be buried.

And then, of course, the question of who succeeds him. Big problem, big questions, those things are still being worked out on the ground as John Vause has been reporting from Ramallah.

COSTELLO: And then the other issue is money, because Yasser Arafat, supposedly, has a lot of money out of the country.

CLINCH: Right.

COSTELLO: In Swiss bank accounts, that (INAUDIBLE).

CLINCH: The will -- where's the will?

COSTELLO: Where is the will?

CLINCH: Well, there may very well be a will. And we're watching in Paris, his wife is there. We're watching in Ramallah to hear details of that, on not just the question of the money, but also the question of who he hands power over. Will that be in the will. So, we're watching very closely on that.

Just very briefly, there is what we call the BlackBerry effect.

COSTELLO: I was wondering why you were holding your BlackBerry.

CLINCH: It was what caused that question yesterday to the president, from a reporter, basically it came from him reading a bulletin on his BlackBerry, and putting it out to the president as a fact, that Arafat had died.

So, a new factor for us journalists, these BlackBerrys can be as much of a nuisance as they are a use.

COSTELLO: I don't know what reporter it was, but aren't you supposed to confirm something even if...

CLINCH: I do but I'm not going to say that on air.

COSTELLO: OK, that ...

CLINCH: Not a CNN reporter.

COSTELLO: Not a CNN reporter.

Thank you, David.

CLINCH: All right.

COSTELLO: Still to come this morning on DAYBREAK. Was the real winner in this year's election technology? At 47 minutes past the hour, we'll look at how well electronic voting worked.

Also there are new initiatives to help make young drivers safer, but these classes are aimed specifically at teenaged girls. So, we want to know: Do the girls need extra help? E-mail us, who are the better drivers, men or women? Young women or young men? Daybreak@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports, it is 5:44 Eastern. Here's what is all new this morning.

Yasser Arafat still in a coma this morning. He's still in that French hospital. The PLO says the coma is reversible and Arafat could come out of it. But U.S. officials say the Palestinian leader is being kept alive by those machines.

It appears Michael Jackson is stuck with District Attorney Tom Sneddon, at least for now. A judge has rejected Jackson's bid to remove Sneddon as prosecutor in his child molestation case.

In money news, GM is recalling nearly 1.5 million vehicles, including 946,000 SUVs with faulty taillights; 204,000 mid-size GM cars have accelerators that can stick and cause crashes.

In culture, the movie studios go after pirates. They'll file lawsuits against individuals suspected of swapping movies on the Internet. Several hundred movie piracy suits are expected this month. In sports, it was Shaq's home debut in a Heat uniform and Shaquille O'Neal got -- well, he got 17 points and nine rebounds last night. Teammate Dwayne Wade scored 28 as Miami beat Cleveland 90 to 86 -- Chad?

MYERS: You know what is absent of all these sports reports, Carol?

COSTELLO: What?

MYERS: The hockey scores.

COSTELLO: That is because nobody is playing, are they?

MYERS: Oh, right.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.

After an historic victory, President Bush used his first news conference to lay out lofty goals for his second term. They include an overhaul of Social Security, revamping the tax system and fighting terrorism.

We begin a new segment on DAYBREAK today. It is some of the off topic news that is happening behind the big headline sound bites. Yesterday, there was an emotional moment for President Bush, as he talked with his father.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: At 3:30 in the morning, on the -- I guess it was the day after the election -- he was sitting upstairs. I finally said, go to bed. He was awaiting the outcome and was hopeful that we would go over and be able to talk to our supporters. And it just didn't happen that way.

So, I asked him the next morning, when he got up, I said come by the Oval Office and visit. And I -- he came by and we had a good talk. He was heading down to Houston. And it was - there was some uncertainty about that morning as to when the election would actually end. And it wasn't clear at that point in time, so I never got to see him face-to-face, to watch his, I guess, pride in his tired eyes as his son got a second term.

I did talk to him and he was relieved. I told him to get a nap. I was worried about him staying up too late. But -- so I haven't had a chance to really visit and, you know, embrace.

And you're right, '92 was a disappointment. But he taught me a really good lesson, that life moves on. And it is very important for us in the political arena, win or lose, to recognize that life is bigger than just politics. And that is one of the really good lessons he taught me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Something you might not have heard in all the hullabaloo of yesterday. That was President Bush's first press conference in his second term. And by the way, President Bush is the first president in 68 years to win re-election and gain seats in both the House and the Senate.

And everyday, at this time on DAYBREAK, we'll bring you something that you might not have heard, that newscasters might not have put forth for you to listen to.

A lot of touchy voters help President Bush secure that historic victory. And in elections to come you can expect to be more involved in the electronic age. CNN technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg has our e-voting report card.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUSH: The voters turned out in record numbers, and delivered an historic victory.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was close, but this year voters didn't have to wait 36 days before getting their next commander in chief, no suffering through endless hanging or pregnant chads, thanks in part to electronic voting.

So, did the high-tech voting machines get a passing grade?

MICHAEL ALVAREZ, CAL TECH: You know, I think I'd give it sort of a good passing grade. Maybe something like a B.

SIEBERG: Cal Tech and MIT have been jointly studying e-voting since the problems of 2000.

ALVAREZ: Now, again, we just didn't see meltdowns using any type of voting technology.

SIEBERG: But some observers say it is still very early in the post-election analysis.

BRUCE SCHNEIDER, SECURITY EXPERT: E-voting didn't pass any sort of test. What we have here is anecdotal evidence. A medical procedure might be safe or dangerous, and just because a patient didn't die doesn't mean that the procedure is safe.

SIEBERG: While there were no major meltdowns, e-voting watchdogs say they received thousands of complaints. It was a relatively small figure, considering one-third of the record 120 million voters used some type of e-voting machine.

(on camera): And makers of the machines, like this one from Hart Intercivic, claimed a success. They are one of several companies who put the machines out there. But critics say there is still a lot of work to be done, like adding a voter verified paper trail and further review of the software code.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were extremely pleased with the reliability and accuracy of all the equipment.

SIEBERG (voice over): Without an electronic meltdown, or any legal challenges, some observers are worried that the lack of follow- up scrutiny will leave e-voting problems unchecked as we move toward the elimination of other systems.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Help America Vote Act will require all punch-card and lever systems to be eliminated before the first federal election in 2006.

SIEBERG: All eyes were on e-voting this year. Much of the extra attention has to do with instilling confidence in the voter. That may take time, says one of the judges who inspected the Florida ballots in 2000.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People talk about going back to a paper ballot, but you know in 2000 we used paper and that didn't really do a lot to instill voter confidence.

SIEBERG: And 2004's presidential election is history. Now, it is a matter of securing e-voting's future -- Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: So, are e-mail question of the morning: Do you think men or women, young men or young women, are better drivers.

Whew. We've been getting a lot of e-mail, Chad. And it has been pretty nasty towards women, I must say. So, women, where are you? E- mail us, daybreak@cnn.com. That is daybreak@cnn.com.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In health headlines this morning, Swiss scientists say Merck & Company should have pulled the plug on Vioxx four years ago. Researchers at the University of Bern say there was evidence in 2000 that Vioxx increased the risk of heart attack.

Those mice huddled outside in a snowstorm puffing on cigarettes, might be scientific subjects. U.S. researchers say some genetically altered mice are unusually sensitive to nicotine. And they hope those mice can help researchers nail down how people become addicted to tobacco.

Researchers now say that white bread, long ridiculed as just bland, could actually increase your risk of contracting Type II diabetes. The villain appears to be a spike in blood sugar caused by eating starchy foods like white bread, cookies, crackers, and cakes.

I see you are nodding, Chad, because you are an Atkins Diet fanatic.

MYERS: Yes. COSTELLO: For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site, CNN.com/health.

All right let's get to our E-Mail Question of the Day. Some startling statistics on safety. As we told you earlier, fatal accidents involving teenage girls are on the rise. A recent study from the Department of Transportation says those numbers are up 42 percent for girls between the ages of 15 and 20. In the meantime the number of accidents involving young men is decreasing.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Interesting, so our e-mail question of the morning, who are the better drivers, men or women? Is that changing from years ago, when women were always considered the better drivers. We always got the best insurance rates, right?

MYERS: Exactly. Until the men go to 25, when you turned 25 or you got married, your men's rates always went down.

COSTELLO: Yes, magically, somehow that made you a good driver.

MYERS: Magically, you were a better driver, right.

We got some great answers today. I have one, it says, "Who is the better driver? He who has the better car and has more money. He's the better driver."

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: I guess so. "With respect to the question of which gender is the better driver I would suggest it has nothing to do with being male or female but is more related to left brain, right brain function, and the level of self-confidence behind the wheel." That is from Bill, from South Carolina.

MYERS: From Charlotte, in California: "Women are much better drivers. Who else could drive down the freeway, find thrown bottles, toys and keep peace in the car? Heck, my husband can't even find the milk behind the butter."

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: This is from Thomas. He says: "Women make better drivers. They can put on their make-up, comb their hair, talk on the cell phone, crash into a car, flutter their eyes to police officer and swear that it wasn't their fault. And then do it all over again."

MYERS: We got an awful lot of those.

COSTELLO: Yes we did. And we choose not to read them, because we didn't want the hatred from women being directed upon us.

MYERS: Keep them coming.

COSTELLO: Daybreak@cnn.com. Here's what we're working on for you, all new in the hour of DAYBREAK.

President Bush lays out his goals for next four years. We'll tell you what programs are first on is agenda.

And it is super heroes and super hunks making debuts at the weekend box office. You are watching DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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