Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

The Fight For Iraq; Maryland Senate Race; Nigeria Plane Crash; Castro's Message; Long-Term Care Tips

Aired October 30, 2006 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And a new report of missing weapons.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: America votes. The candidates search for what matters to you as Election Day nears. Are they getting it right?

HARRIS: Your health versus your taste buds. The age-old battle gets a new spin today as a debate over trans fat heats up.

It is Monday, October 30th, and you are in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: New developments this morning in the fight for Iraq. President Bush's national security adviser is in Baghdad at this hour on an unannounced visit. Stephen Hadley meeting with his Iraqi counterpart to discuss cooperation between the two countries as both nations confront growing losses. And amid it all, the ongoing trial of Saddam Hussein. CNN's Arwa Damon is in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The chief defense attorney for Saddam Hussein, Khalil Dulaimi, temporarily ended a two-month boycott of the Anfal trial, to appear in court and read a list of 12 demands to the chief judge. Among them were issues such as allowing foreign lawyers to represent the defendants and demanding an investigation into allegations that one of the defendants, Hussein Rashid, was tortured. He walked out from court once again less than an hour into the proceedings. The trial has continued with court-appointed lawyers at this point.

Over the weekend, Dulaimi had sent a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush, when he delivered to the U.S. embassy in Amman. In that letter he warned that if Saddam Hussein was found guilty in the upcoming Dujail verdict, that violence would only increase across this country. He also accused the U.S. administration of deliberately manipulating the verdict date, now expected on November 5th, so that it comes just two days before the U.S. midterm elections. Saddam Hussein also sent a letter to the Dujail chief judge, similar to Khalil Dulaimi's letter to the U.S. president, but adding that the judge should not allow himself or his court to be upon in U.S. domestic politics.

Meanwhile, hours before trial began, a bomb exploded in the predominately Shia area of Sadr City, home to some 2.5 million Iraqi Shias. The boom was hidden inside a plastic bag that was then hidden in a pile of garbage at a location where day laborers gather on a regular basis for people just looking for work. The bomb exploded at 7:50 in the morning killing at least 26 Iraqis, wounding at least 60. Sadr City is an area that has been predominately under the control of the Mehdi militia. That is the militia loyal to radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. It has not had a U.S. military or an Iraqi security force present for quite some years now.

However, in recent days, the U.S. military has entered that area and blocked off all entry and exit points. They are looking for one of their soldiers who is believed to have been kidnapped on Monday. But today's innocent, which bears all of the hallmarks of the sectarian attack, again highlighting to the people of Sadr City and the people of Baghdad, that despite the U.S. military efforts, despite the efforts of the Iraqi security forces and even despite the efforts of the Mehdi militia, the Iraqi population continues to be vulnerable to such violent attacks.

In another grimes milestone for U.S. forces here, the U.S. military announcing the death of yet another one of its troops. A Marine was killed due to injuries sustained from enemy action in the volatile al-Anbar Province, bringing the U.S. death toll in October to 100. October is now the fourth deadliest month for U.S. forces in Iraq since the U.S. president announced the end of major combat.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: The search continues for a U.S. soldier missing in Iraq. But new information is being reported about him. "The New York Times says the Iraqi-American translator apparently married a Baghdad woman, which is a violation of military rules. The newspaper says the soldier was visiting her when Shiite militiamen came to her home and dragged him into their car. The soldier, who has not been identified, disappeared a week ago today.

Also missing in Iraq, thousands of weapons bought by U.S. taxpayers. According to a new report to Congress, the Pentagon can't account for nearly one of every 25 weapons the military bought for Iraqi security forces. That adds up to more than 14,000 assault rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers and other weapons. It is not clear where the weapons are. Even more, U.S. provided fire power is out of commission because parts of technical manuals are unavailable.

COLLINS: It is down to the wire in Maryland. It's a battle for the Senate where political attacks have gotten very personal. CNN's Gary Nurenberg with the update.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): An NAACP forum in Baltimore Saturday.

LT. GOV. MICHAEL STEELE, (R) MARYLAND: A lot of talk, no delivery. I've laid down a very good plan.

NURENBERG: A talk show Sunday. BEN CARDIN, (D) MARYLAND SENATE CANDIDATE: Look on his web page. Try to find his positions on Iraq. One hundred and sixty-eight words. That's all he devotes.

NURENBERG: The campaign for an open Maryland Senate seat between Republican Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele and Democratic Congressman Ben Cardin has becoming increasingly personal.

Is it a fair reading to say that you guys don't like each other?

CARDIN: It's fair to say that we differ on the issues dramatically.

MICHAEL J. FOX, ACTOR: George Bush and Michael Steele would put limits on the most promising stem cell research.

NURENBERG: It seemed personal when a Michael J. Fox ad criticizing Steele for his position on stem cell research was rebutted by Steele's sister who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Cardin should be ashamed.

NURENBERG: In his television ads . . .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael Steele's been working for George Bush.

NURENBERG: In complain literature, in every speech . . .

CARDIN: But he was recruited by George Bush.

NURENBERG: Cardin tries to link Steele to President Bush.

STEELE: All I have heard for the past year of this campaign is George Bush, anti-George Bush.

NURENBERG: In blue state Maryland, Steele rarely mentions the president, rarely mentions he's a Republican.

STEELE: We've spent a lot of time focused on labels. And when we focus on the labels, nothing gets done.

NURENBERG: And tries to distance himself from his party.

STEELE: Where my party is wrong, I'm not standing with it. I'm not voting with it.

NURENBERG: And there is this.

STEELE: You've got an African-American candidate running against a white candidate.

CARDIN: I think the African-American vote is going to be critical.

NURENBERG: Cardin defeated black Democrat Quisi Emphoma (ph) in the primary.

NORM ORNSTEIN, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: It was a close contest and the white Democrat won. Now with a black Republican, the Republicans have been hopeful that they can crack through with the minority vote.

NURENBERG: Some disappointed black Democrats may skip voting in the Senate race. A Sunday "Washington Post" poll gives Cardin an 11- point lead, but political analyst Charles Cook now labels the race a toss-up.

That means a big get out the vote effort for each side. Because in this race, turnout will be key.

Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Silver Spring, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Parkinson's disease sufferer Michael J. Fox is campaigning for stem cell research and criticism of him is raising awareness of the disease. Today a former U.S. attorney general, Janet Reno, is in the NEWSROOM. She'll be talking about how she realized she suffered from Parkinson's and how she lives with it from day to day. Plus, how it has affected another member of her family. That's at 3:00 Eastern right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: How about this, finally some breathing room for weary firefighters in southern California. Their fierce battle against the deadly wildfire near Palm Springs could soon be ending. The blaze is now 85 percent contained. Full contained expected sometime tonight. Four firefighters lost their lives in the battle four days ago. The flames have scorched more than 40,000 acres. Dozens of homes and other buildings destroyed. The fire is believed to have been deliberately set. The search for the suspected arsonist is underway.

COLLINS: A deadly plane crash in Nigeria. Bodies and baggage strewn over a wide area. But amazingly, nine people did survive. CNN Africa correspondent Jeff Koinange with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): It's hard to imagine how people could have walked away from this. The Boeing 737 burst into flames one minute after taking off from Nigeria's capital, Abuja, with 104 people on board. Only the plane's tail, an engine, and part of a wing were still recognizable at the crash site, littered with smoldering fires, boxes, and bags.

Emergency response teams arrived at the horrific scene. Nearly 100 bodies, including the man regarded as a spiritual leader of Nigeria's 17 million Muslims, the Sultan of Sokoto, Al-Haji (ph) Muhammadu Maccido. Also among the wreckage of the shattered plane, the body of his son, a senator in the Nigerian national assembly. There are still numerous questions surrounding this accident. Like, just how people could have survived.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Six of them are quite stable. One is critical. She's in the intensive care unit.

KOINANGE: One survivor said everything seemed routine before the ill-fated flight began its taxi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was terrible. I tell you, it was terrible. What went wrong, I don't know.

KOINANGE: Nigeria's president, Olusegun Obasanjo, offered condolences to the families of the dead and ordered an immediate investigation into the cause of the crash. Nigeria's aviation has a notorious history of accidents, but the past year has been particularly tragic. Two crashes in as many months late last year led to more than 200 fatalities, including dozens of children. This latest crash has plunged Nigeria's religious community into six days of mourning for the Sultan of Sokoto and has left the families of the nearly 100 victims asking why.

Jeff Koinange, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And still to come on the campaign trail, with candidates who aren't facing much of a challenge in the midterms, but they are still raising lots of money and spending campaign cash on hand ahead in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: And a message from Fidel Castro, "rumors of my death greatly exaggerated."

HARRIS: Oh, boy.

COLLINS: But do these new pictures tell the whole story. Well, we're going to have that live from Havana.

You are watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris, with Heidi Collins right over here.

Trying to put the rumors -- have you seen this video -- of his death to rest. Cuba's ailing Fidel Castro out with new pictures and a new message. CNN's Morgan Neill reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Cuban Leader Fidel Castro doesn't have to wonder what they'll say about him when he's gone, he's already heard it time and time again. Rumors of Castro's death pop up whenever he's out of the public eye. And by now, he knows how to dispel those rumors. In a new video broadcast on Cuban television Saturday evening, Castro appears to relish the opportunity.

"Now when our enemy has declared my dying or dead," he says, "it gives me pleasure to send this little video to my countrymen and friends around the world."

Wearing a track suit in the colors of Cuba's flag, he is seen walking and reading allowed from the day's newspaper. While he looks better than he did in his last appearance six weeks ago, the Cuban leader is still thin and his walking is obviously labored.

Castro was forced to hand over power to his brother, Raul, on July 31st, calling what the state said was surgery to stop intestinal bleeding. But even before the procedure, he showed the effects of his age. The leader now 80 years old.

In the streets of the capital, most people said they hadn't seen the new video. There were a few who had.

"His ability to keep going is impressive," says Yadida (ph). "He's packed through his illness very well."

Manuel (ph), a cab driver, says "he looked good. The problem is the United States and the American mafia. They're playing with his life and saying he's dead and it's all a lie."

Cuban officials insist Fidel Castro is recovering and will reassume the presidency. Many observers are looking toward December 2nd, the date set by Castro for a belated birthday celebration and the day he could make his first public appearance since surgery. But for now, its ailing leader is content to jab at his opponents.

"Now we'll see what they say. They're going to have to bring me back to life," he said, "at least until the next set of rumors come around."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Morgan Neill joins us now from Havana.

And, Morgan, I have to say, he's looking better, but he's not looking good. You wouldn't go that far. But I have to ask you, is there any evidence at all that Fidel Castro is making any decisions at all in country there?

NEILL: Well, as we've seen before, details of his health are regarded as a secret of state. And as far as who is making the decisions, well, it's very hard to sort that out from this end. What we know is that analysts have said for a long time that they expect, when and if Raul is in control, they expect some sort of economic opening based on what they've seen in the past.

Now is Raul in complete control? He is the acting president. But at the same time, Fidel Castro has been the leader of this country for 47 years. His brother has always been his subordinate, has always been comfortable in that position. So it's hard to imagine Raul Castor taking decisions at this point that Fidel Castro did not agree with.

Tony.

HARRIS: Yes, it makes sense.

Morgan Neill for us in Havana.

Morgan, thank you.

COLLINS: Coming up in just a few minutes, getting the fat out. Talk in the big apple this morning about making eateries in the city's almost 25,000 restaurants healthier. So we'll have details on that. Doesn't that look good right about now? Coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And Gerri Willis is here with "Top Tips."

And, Gerri, what are we talking about today?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I want some of those fries, first.

HARRIS: Well, first things first.

WILLIS: You know, health care costs are rising. Seniors are getting pinched more than anybody else. We'll show you how to ensure your future. That's next on "Top Tips."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Heidi, help me here. I'm sorry. Got a little caught up with a little snack. A little M&M.

COLLINS: You've got to quit the eating during the commercial breaks. All that trans fats.

Meanwhile . . .

HARRIS: All right. So we're checking the big board. Better now. Thank you. That's all the time I needed. Great.

Check the big board now and the Dow, as you can see, down 28 points inside the first hour of the trading day. Friday, the Dow was off, what, 70 points. So on a bit of a downward slide right now, but there's still time to rebound. We will check in I believe with Susan Lisovicz a little later in the hour to get a look ahead at the rest of the day in stocks and Wall Street.

But you've been paying more for convenient cash, that's for sure. Before you make your next stop at an ATM, you may want to check the fine print if it's outside your bank's network. And here's why. A study just released by bankrate.com finds non-account holders paying record high fees. The average charge, $1.64. That is up a dime from one year ago. And look, it's no small change, but fees add up to about $4 billion a year.

COLLINS: Planning for your future, financial and otherwise. Your 401(k) may not cover all of your needs. One thing to consider now, insurance that will provide for your long-term care when you are no longer able to. So here now to discuss that very positive outlook. It's frightening, but it is absolutely something . . . WILLIS: It's good information.

COLLINS: Gerri, that's right, that we all have to deal with and think about at some time.

WILLIS: That's right.

Well, to get us started here. You know, it's no surprise that health care costs are soaring. Let's take a look at some of them. The cost of a nursing home today, for example, is $71,000 annually. The cost for assisted living is about $32,000. And the average hourly rate for home health care aides, about $25 an hour.

COLLINS: Wow. That is absolutely huge. So how do you make these decisions? I mean, it seems like you really have to consider a lot of different things.

WILLIS: Absolutely. Well, first off, you buy long-term care insurance to protect your assets in case you need to pay for assisted living, home care or a nursing home stay. Now if you have a lot of assets or maybe mom and dad live very far away, you may want to explore long-term care insurance options for either you or your parents. Now most people start looking into these policies in their 50s because that's when premiums are generally lower. For example, a 50-year-old might pay $2,000 for a policy, where as a 70-year-old would pay $8,000 or even more.

Heidi.

COLLINS: Wow. So you have to be really smart about this. So you have to know what exactly you're shopping for.

WILLIS: Absolutely. And, you know, fewer and fewer insurers are even offering this kind of insurance. Your best bet is to go with a very well-known company. Make sure it's been in business for at least 15 years so that they have a proven track record. You'll also want to make sure that the company has not had to raise premiums drastically. That's always a bad sign. Get the details on their financial strength by going to websites like moodys.com, standardandpoors.com or Fitch Ratings at fitchratings.com. Those sites will evaluate their financial health.

COLLINS: And you want to get the right policy, too, because it sounds like there's a lot of products out there (INAUDIBLE).

WILLIS: It's confusing. You know, when you buy a long-term care insurance policy, you'll also want to get an inflation rider because health care costs are expected to rise between five and seven percent a year going forward. The other thing you should know is that the average stay in a nursing home is about 30 months. So most people buy benefits for about three years. And, of course, you can get benefit payouts for 10 years or more, but the premiums would more than double and it's typically not worth it.

And, Heidi, just a reminder, as always, we want to hear from your, your viewers. Send us questions to toptips@cnn.com. We'll have the answers right here every Friday. And, of course, we love to hear from you.

COLLINS: Yes. And I bet, you know what, you'll probably have a lot of questions about this because there's no question everybody has to deal with it at some point, just not the funest thing to think about for sure.

WILLIS: You're right about that, Heidi.

COLLINS: Appreciate the information.

Thanks, Gerri.

WILLIS: Thank you.

HARRIS: And community comes together in celebration after a controversy at the nation's most prominent school for the deaf. What's it all about? That story ahead in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Plus, on the campaign trail with candidates who aren't facing much of a challenge in the midterms, but still they are raising a heck of a lot of money and spending it too. Campaign cash ahead here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Tony Harris and Heidi Collins.

COLLINS: New developments this morning in the fight for Iraq. President Bush's national security adviser makes an unannounced visit to Baghdad. Stephen Hadley meeting with his Iraqi counterpart. The focus, an increasing source of friction between the two countries, cooperation on military and political issues.

It comes as the U.S. military reports a grim milestone with its 100th death in October. That makes this month the fourth deadliest since the war began in March 2003. The Pentagon says the spike was fueled by the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and on increased patrol in hostile areas.

And across Baghdad, at least six bombs rocked the capital, the deadliest in the crowded Shiite slum of Sadr City. At least 26 people are dead, another 60 wounded.

HARRIS: It takes major amounts of cash to run for Congress. That's no big shocker. But what my surprise you, candidates still scrambling for cash even though they're running virtually unopposed.

Here's investigative correspondent Drew Griffin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Days before the election and Georgia Republican Congressman Tom Price is hitting the campaign trail, sort of.

REP. TOM PRICE (R), GEORGIA: Congratulations, keep up your great work.

GRIFFIN: This Saturday morning he's shaking hands and speaking to constituents, most of whom aren't even old enough to vote.

PRICE: It's always wonderful to be with a group of scouts.

GRIFFIN: Look around his wealthy district in Atlanta's northern suburbs, and except for the occasional yard sign, it's hard to find evidence there's a congressional race under way.

SHELLY BERKLEY (D), NEVADA: I'm Congresswoman Shelly Berkley.

GRIFFIN: There are not many signs out West either, except at Democratic headquarters, where Shelly Berkley is running for her fifth term, representing most of Las Vegas. She says yard signs are environmentally unfriendly, but make no mistake, she says, her campaign is in full swing.

BERKLEY: I'm campaigning like crazy.

GRIFFIN: Two virtually unopposed candidates, one Republican, one Democrat, who have each raised almost $2 million this election. Why do they really need the money? Two big reasons. Money helps buy votes, of course, but it also helps buy access and some say influence in Congress.

And money, according to campaign finance expert Larry Noble, is what helps keep an incumbent in Congress.

LARRY NOBLE, CAMPAIGN FINANCE EXPERT: What you want to do, if you are an incumbent, is you want to raise a lot of money early, millions of dollars, if you can, and that will scare off opponents.

GRIFFIN: Our two candidates do spend money, a lot of it. They spend money to raise money. Wining and dining contributors, people who want to get close to their elected officials, get their messages heard and apparently get their bellies full.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And tonight, 10, Tony, on "AC 360", we're keeping them honest. We've got the actual receipts to show you where these guys are wining and dining.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Oh!

GRIFFIN: Just how good it is to be in Congress limitless amounts of cash.

HARRIS: Let's follow up on that. Did any of these candidates apologize for all of the money? I mean, how did they answer the question of what did they need it all for?

GRIFFIN: Tony, you've been to D.C.

HARRIS: Yeah. GRIFFIN: Almost every time I go to D.C., I get this question. That's how we do it in D.C.

HARRIS: Is that what they say?

GRIFFIN: Unapologetic. In fact, they say that they're using this money, spending these big bucks on dining to raise even more money. Which lead to my first question, why do you need the money?

HARRIS: Right. So, let me ask you this, these two candidates, Berkley and Pyrce, have they formed leadership PACs, where they in essence give the money to other candidates? Has either of these candidates form one of these packs?

GRIFFIN: It's no surprise to the insiders. But if you give money to a candidate, there's a good chance that money will go not to a race not for your candidate but far flung areas. They all give money all across the country. Shelley has a pact. Pryce doesn't. But they both spend lots of dough on candidates all across the country. People you've never even heard of.

HARRIS: So you're thinking you're giving money to this candidate because I like you, and you have no idea but that money may be going to someone else in Montana, or wherever -- wherever!

GRIFFIN: It's going to actually buy favors on Capitol Hill. That's what it is all about. We'll show you tonight.

HARRIS: Beautiful. Drew, good to see you. Thank you.

GRIFFIN: Good seeing you.

HARRIS: And only eight days to go until the election. Do you really know where your campaign contributions go? Well, not according to Drew Griffin. Anderson Cooper is back and keeping them honest, and following the money trail, that's tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: As we just said, just over a week to go until election day. But that doesn't mean you can't vote right now. A closer look now at the efforts to get out the vote early. Bob Greene of CNN affiliate WFAA in Dallas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB GREENE, REPORTER, WFAA TV (voice over): The call went out across the city.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Spanish.)

GREENE: And although it was in a language other than English, there was no mistaking the message. Let's go vote.

BRENDA REYES, DALLAS AREA INTERFAITH: What we're trying to get the Hispanic community used to early voting. Understand that early voting is a lot easier and you can do that. GREENE: Brenda Reyes, with Dallas Area Interfaith, says because the Hispanic population is growing so rapidly in the Dallas area, it's important minorities, especially Hispanic people, get out and vote. She says right now Dallas County has 35,000 Hispanic households registered to vote, but have never done so.

REYES: Even people who are registered to vote here sometimes try to go to the polls and they get confused. They don't understand what they need to do. So we're overcoming many obstacles.

GREENE: She says that's why Dallas Area Interfaith made it so easy on this Super Sunday.

(on camera): Directly from church, folks were taken by busload to voting locations all around the city, including right here at City Hall.

(Voice over): Ten locations in all, from 10 different churches. Brenda Reyes says she did not want anyone who was registered to have an excuse not to vote in this election.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: More than 30 states allow some form of early voting. Check with your state or county elections office if you want to beat the Tuesday rush.

HARRIS: A student celebration. That's the mood at Gallaudet University, country's prestigious school for the deaf. After a month of protest, the board of trustees voted Sunday to withdraw the appointment of Jane Fernandes as president from the school.

The students who opposed Fernandes said she wasn't effective in her job as provost. And that she's not the right person to deal with the school's problems. Fernandes says she has deep regret about the decision to withdraw her appointment and she was born deaf, but didn't learn American Sign Language until she was in her 20s. Fernandes has said some people don't consider her deaf enough to be president of the school.

And do you want the good news or the bad news first? Heidi?

COLLINS: Huh, I'm good with both.

HARRIS: Let's start with the bad news.

COLLINS: Let's be positive about this. You know?

HARRIS: This year's World Series participants. Here's the bad news.

COLLINS: Things have changed a little bit here.

HARRIS: Absolutely. St. Louis tops the list of most dangerous cities, in a new survey, followed by Detroit. Detroit normally tops that list, sorry to say. COLLINS: Camden, New Jersey?

HARRIS: The cities are ranked by crime rate, giving more weight to more violent crimes. Camden, New Jersey, topped this list the past two years. On the flip side, these cities top the list of safest cities. Brick, New Jersey, is number one. Where is Brick? About 78,000 residents live there. OK, just about 70 miles from New York. Amherst, New York and Mission Viejo, California, also in the top three.

COLLINS: Huh, all right. Getting the fat out, talking the Big Apple this morning. And about eating at the city's almost 25,000 restaurants and making them healthier. Details on that being served up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A healthier New York? The city's health department says it's possible. But to do that, the city's almost 25,000 restaurants must stop using artificial transfatty acids. French fries, pizza, cookies -- out! Out! Out!

HARRIS: Yeah.

COLLINS: A public hearing on prohibiting transfat, getting under way this hour.

The KFC Corporation, you know, the folks with the buckets of fried chicken, announcing just a short while ago that it's going to stop using artery-clogging fat. Harvard researchers say transfat contributes to 30,000 deaths a year. And that's a lot.

HARRIS: There have been some big Internet deals lately, but Yahoo! has joined the party. Now it may be making a push for one of the web's best known properties. Susan Lisovicz joins us from the New York stock exchange with details.

Susan, good morning.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT, NEWSROOM: Yahoo, Tony.

HARRIS: Yahoo!

LISOVICZ: Our corporate cousin, that is CNN's corporate cousin, "Fortune" magazine, is reporting that Yahoo! recently approached Time Warner, the parent of this network, about buying America Online.

The source close to Yahoo! is denying the story and saying there's no active talks between the companies. But if Yahoo! does make a move for AOL, it would likely have to shell out at least $13 billion. Such a move would also give Yahoo! more traffic and boost its ad sales.

Despite having the biggest single audience on the web, Yahoo! is well behind Google in terms of ad revenue, because of Google's dominance among search engines. Google reached a deal with AOL last year, when it paid $1 billion for a 5 percent stake and the right to be AOL's exclusive Internet search provider.

Lots of consolidation going on online, Tony.

HARRIS: Sounds like it. Hey, Susan, if Yahoo! doesn't buy AOL, because you know, we'd like to move that thing -- no! sorry, I shouldn't have said that -- what are its other options, the other options for Yahoo?

LISOVICZ: Right now Yahoo's strategy seems to be stay the course. Chairman and CEO Terry Semel says if Yahoo can do a better job at monetizing search ads and exploiting new areas like ads on cell phones, video, and social networking sites, it will do just fine.

But another option is just sell the company. Microsoft could see buying Yahoo as a way to compete better with Google. And Google may be interested too, if only to keep Yahoo away from Microsoft.

Yahoo's stock price has fallen 35 percent this year. But today it's adding -- right now -- about 2 1/3 percent.

Overall stocks in a different direction after Fed officials said inflation is unacceptably high and that the economy could withstand more interest rate hikes. Wall Street doesn't like that. Right now the Dow industrials off 13 points, but up 13 percent year-to-date. That's not so bad, right, Tony?

HARRIS: No, no, no. You have to be optimistic about these things.

LISOVICZ: That's right a pull back every now and then, is OK.

HARRIS: Every now and again.

LISOVICZ: Nasdaq is flat, basically. So, it's not too bad the sell off we're seeing so far, in the early going. And it's early in the week.

HARRIS: Susan, Heidi just handed me a phone. Apparently Dick Parson is on the line for me. Thank you, Heidi.

All right, Susan, thank you.

COLLINS: You're getting the hook, are you?

HARRIS: That's it.

Still to come this morning, a fierce battle against the raging wildfire goes on, but the end may be near. Straight ahead the latest on the blaze that scorched tens of thousands of acres in Southern California.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: In parts of the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and New England, some wicked weather on the weekend before Halloween. Cleanup on the way after howling winds, flooding rains pounded the region. This scene coming to us from Portland, Maine after high winds knocked over a construction crane. It fell on several houses there. No injuries to report.

The storm system also brought down trees and power lines in Massachusetts. A motorcyclist was killed by a falling tree there. Northeastern Ohio also pounded by heavy rain, winds and sleet. More than 30,000 people there last power during the storm.

HARRIS: This five-day old inferno in Southern California almost contained today. On the phone with us now, is Captain Don Camp, he is with the California Department of Forestry.

Don, good to talk to you. Thanks for your time.

DON CAMP, CA. DEPT. OF FORESTRY: Thank you, sir.

HARRIS: First of all, our condolences to you and to all the forestry personnel out there for your losses a few days ago. We are so sorry about that situation. Just wanted to share that with you, first of all.

CAMP: Thank you very much, sir. We appreciate all the support from the media and the public. This has been a difficult time for all the fire service.

HARRIS: And a very difficult fire to battle, for sure. But I have to tell you, it is amazing considering where we all were at this time on Friday, that we are sitting here today. Don, you can tells that this fire is about 85 percent contained?

CAMP: We are currently at 40,200 acres. We are 85 percent contained. And we are anticipating full containment of the fire by 6:00 p.m. tonight Pacific Standard Time.

HARRIS: Don, that is absolutely -- once again, based on where we were on Friday, this is absolutely amazing. Give us a sense of what happened over the weekend that allowed you to turn the corner on this relatively quickly, I think we would have to say.

CAMP: Well, basically, we had a significant change in the weather during the initial stages of the fire, as well as, the second day of the fire. We were in a Santa Ana wind pattern, which was resulting in high velocity, erratic wind with high temperatures and low humidities. Since then the Santa Ana pattern has diminished. We received an onshore flow bringing lower temperatures, higher humidities and the lack of winds on the fire which has allowed us to be a little for more aggressive and do some more direct attack on the fire.

HARRIS: Are you able to allow some of the firefighters to go back home?

CAMP: We had a pretty significant demobilization of resources yesterday. We were able to release just under 300 firefighters. We currently have 2,555 personnel committed to the incident. That was about a 300 person reduction from yesterday's numbers.

HARRIS: This is all increasingly good news. Captain, great to hear you. Can you tell us anything about the ongoing investigation -- I don't know that you can -- but can you tell us anything about the investigation, as to how this fire started?

CAMP: We have very limited information at this point in time. Our investigators are actively -- actively -- pursuing multiple leads on this. This is a multi-agency investigation involving the California Department of Forestry, the United States Forest Service, and the Riverside County sheriff's office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

They all have investigators actively involved in determining what caused this fire and ultimately, we hope, bringing the personal responsible for it to answer to it.

HARRIS: Are you getting a lot of leads?

CAMP: We have had a just a tremendous amount of support from the public. Our investigators are chasing down in excess of 100 leads.

HARRIS: Once again, just to recap it for us, this fire, you believe, will be contained by when?

CAMP: 8 o'clock -- excuse me 1800 or 6:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time this evening.

HARRIS: That is just tremendous. Captain, thank you for your time.

CAMP: Thank you for your time. Have a good day.

HARRIS: Captain Don Camp with the California Department of Forestry on the line with us.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: New generation, new values. Some evangelical voters widen their scope. We'll talk about that coming up right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The power of prayer and power at the polls, evangelicals and politics, at one conservative university some may be thinking of more than family values in this election. CNN's Faith and Values Correspondent Delia Gallagher has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bethel University attracts some of the most conservative evangelical students in the country.

ERIC SWARD, BETHEL UNIV. SOPHOMORE: You know, I was raised going to pro-life rallies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do believe in family values.

GALLAGHER: All students here sign a covenant.

(on camera): We will abstain from use or possession of alcoholic beverages. We believe that sexual intercourse and other forms of intensely interpersonal sexuality activity are reserved for monogamous heterosexual marriages. This is a tough moral standard.

EMILY HOLMES, BETHEL UNIV. JUNIOR: We stand by these, because we're a community.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): These kids were brought up on a diet of what evangelicals call family values, the staples of which are opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.

And yet here on this deeply religious campus, these four students, two Republicans, a Democrat and an undecided, say that while those family values are important to them, they're not the only values they'll vote on.

DAVID MILLER, BETHEL UNIV. SENIOR: The state of humanity globally, and that could encompass things like, you know, AIDS and poverty, things like that, is tremendously important right now to students. I think domestic poverty and family values on top of that.

GALLAGHER: The students aren't alone in shifting away the predominant emphasis on family values that has shaped the evangelical political voice in the last 30 years. Tonight, they are among 2,000 at this evangelical strong hold applauding Reverend Jim Wallis, one of the most liberal evangelical leaders.

REV. JIM WALLIS, AUTHOR, "GOD'S POLITICS": We support values, but all our values. And I'm on record of saying those who say there are only two moral values are mistaken.

When I find 2,000 verses in my Bible about poor people, I insist that fighting poverty is a moral values issue, too, so is protecting the environment. Here they call it "creation care."

GALLAGHER: Some conservative evangelical leaders are coming aboard too. Richard Cizik of the National Association of Evangelical is even featured in a new movie on global warming, once considered a liberal issue.

REV. RICHARD CIZIK, NATL. ASSN. OF EVANGELICALS: To deplete our resources, to harm this world by environmental degradation is an offense against God.

GALLAGHER: And Cizik just signed an open letter to President Bush, urging him to do more to stop the genocide in Darfur. It's a letter also signed by conservative leader Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention. Land says he's long been concerned about Darfur, the environment and poverty, but he says the fight against same-sex marriage and abortion should and will remain the issue among top value voters.

DR. RICHARD LAND, SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION: I care about people, but a poor child, if he gets born or she gets born, at least has some hope of escaping poverty. If he's killed before he's born, he doesn't have a chance to escape anything, because he's dead.

GALLAGHER: But will those values remain the priority for evangelicals just entering the political processed?

MILLER: There's a shift that's happening. I mean, I've seen it since I came here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Eight days until election. Do you really know where your campaign contributions go? Anderson is keeping them honest and following the money trial, tonight, at 10:00 Eastern.

HARRIS: You're with CNN, you're informed. Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins. Developments keep coming into the NEWSROOM, on this Monday, October 30. Here's what is on the rundown now.

On the campaign trial: The war in Iraq and his battle for your vote. Will it be the top issue?

HARRIS: Also on the ballot, fear taking a tough stand on sex predators, is all the rage in TV ads.

COLLINS: And controversy, stem cell funding is the focus as Michael J. Fox takes the stage this hour. You can see it live, right here in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: President Bush hitting the campaign trail in Georgia and Texas today with just eight days left until the midterm elections. Kathleen Koch is with the president in Georgia.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com