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Kerry's Comments; Tennessee Senate Race; Political Strains in Iraq
Aired November 01, 2006 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: You're with CNN. You're informed.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.
Developments keep coming into the NEWSROOM on this Wednesday, November 1st.
Here's what's on the rundown.
It's hard to run with a foot in your mouth, especially when it belongs to somebody else. A Democratic candidate speaks out on the famous flubbed line flap.
HARRIS: That was pretty good.
He's not even up for election this time, but will John Kerry's gaffe affect your votes?
All things political today in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: And the mystery killer known as SIDS. A new discovery. Health news parents won't want to miss today in the NEWSROOM.
Senator John Kerry under fire for controversial comments about the Iraq war and U.S. troops. Today he pulled out of several campaign appearances, saying he did not want to be a distraction for Democrats. But Republicans, from the president on down, have already made Kerry's comments a campaign issue.
Here now, CNN's White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was the fight the White House had been itching for, a rematch between the president and his 2004 opponent, Senator John Kerry.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The senator's suggestion that the men and women of our military on somehow uneducated is insulting. And it is shameful.
MALVEAUX: The president's attack on Kerry at this George fund- raiser was the latest jab in a verbal brawl that began 24 hours earlier. The White House's poster boy for Democrats' weakness in the war on terror threw the first punch.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Well, you know, education, if you make the most of it, and you study hard, and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you -- you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq.
MALVEAUX: Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran, made those remarks to college students at a campaign stop in California Monday afternoon. The next morning, the White House's spokesman had talking points in hand, eager to pounce.
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Senator Kerry not only owes an apology to those who are serving, but also to the families of those who have given their lives in this.
MALVEAUX: The rhetoric got even hotter, when Republican Senate John McCain, a fellow Vietnam vet, weighed in.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: The statement, in itself, is incredibly offensive.
MALVEAUX: The controversy exploded when it hit conservative blogs and talk show radio.
The White House and Republican candidates, having been pummeled for weeks for the failures in Iraq during much of the campaign season, saw an opening.
But a Kerry aide tells CNN the senator's prepared remarks were mangled, that he meant to say, if you don't study, if you aren't smart, if you are intellectually lazy, you end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq.
Kerry twice tried to explain himself, first in a written statement, addressing who he called Republican hacks and right-wing nut jobs, saying, "I'm not going to be lectured by a stuffed-suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium or doughy talk show host Rush Limbaugh," then, with a hastily called press conference.
KERRY: My statement yesterday -- and the White House knows this full well -- was a botched joke about the president and the president's people, not about the troops.
Let me make it crystal clear, as crystal clear as I know how. I apologize to no one for my criticism of the president and of his broken policy.
MALVEAUX: After Kerry's comments, the White House stoked the controversy by releasing excerpts of how the president would respond 90 minutes later in his Georgia speech.
BUSH: The members of the United States military are plenty smart.
(APPLAUSE)
BUSH: And they are plenty brave.
(APPLAUSE)
BUSH: And the senator from Massachusetts owes them an apology.
MALVEAUX (on camera): It was telling that Kerry was pretty much alone in defending himself throughout the day. Democrats quietly saying they wish Kerry had kept quiet on this one. But late evening, Senator Chuck Schumer released a statement criticizing Bush for criticizing Kerry.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And let's get you to Fredricka Whittled in the newsroom.
Fred, at least one Democrat in a hotly contested race is calling for Senator Kerry to apologize.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. That's right, a candidate for Senate in Tennessee who has been getting a lot of attention lately. Harold Ford Jr. is now out with a written statement saying, "Whatever the intent, Senator Kerry was wrong to say what he said. He needs to apologize to our troops."
"However, Senator Kerry's words don't alter the fact that the 'stay the course' strategy pursued by President Bush and supported by his challenger, Bob Corker, isn't working. We need a new direction in Iraq. I know how hard our troops work and the sacrifices they make for our freedoms. They deserve a plan for victory as good as they are, and as senator, I intend to see they get one."
That comment coming from Harold Ford Jr., who is vying for the Senate seat in Tennessee.
We understand that John Kerry was to campaign for Democratic candidate Bob Casey in Pennsylvania today. That appearance has been canceled, and we understand an appearance he was to make tomorrow in Iowa for congressional candidate Bruce Braley has also been canceled.
So this being the first very clear, defined statement coming from a Democrat in a hotly contested race, at least for the Senate in Tennessee, that we have learned of thus far. But we do understand that other Democrats have been uneasy about the comments that were made by Kerry yesterday -- or the day before yesterday.
HARRIS: And other Democrats clearly saying , thanks, but no thanks to potential visits.
WHITFIELD: Right.
HARRIS: OK. Fred, thank you.
Let's talk a little more about that tight Senate race in Tennessee. It may very well come down to crossover votes, with Congressman Harold Ford now hoping he can convince enough people that he's not just another Democrat.
We get the story from CNN Chief National Correspondent John King.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. HAROLD FORD (D-TN), TENNESSEE SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Hi, ladies.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): History is Harold Ford's destination -- rural west Tennessee, one of the places that will decide if he makes it there.
FORD: (INAUDIBLE) we are about to win us a Senate race.
(APPLAUSE)
KING: Victory would make Ford the first African-American senator from the South since Reconstruction, no easy task in a state where blacks will make up, at best, 15 percent of the vote, and where white voters have trended increasingly Republican in recent years.
FORD: I got great faith in the voters in Tennessee that they are going to vote for the person they believe can best represent them. And I believe we are going to win this race.
FORD: Thank you. Didn't mean to interrupt your lunch. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good luck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No problem.
KING: The 36-year-old congressman is a tireless and charismatic campaigner. But a new CNN poll shows him trailing former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker heading into the final week.
BOB CORKER (R), TENNESSEE SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Still campaigning heavily.
KING: Corker led 52 percent to 44 percent among likely voters in the Opinion Research Corporation survey, an edge anchored by a big lead among white voters and among those who identify themselves as conservatives.
CORKER: All of us know the strength that comes from prayer. It's at least 10 or 12 times a day that, on this campaign trail, that I pray to -- to hopefully carry myself in a manner that will make people in this -- of this state proud.
KING: Both candidates support a state ballot initiative that would outlaw same-sex marriage. And knowing question one will motivate social conservatives to vote, Ford takes every opportunity to make clear he's no liberal.
FORD: You know, I voted for parental notification. I'm against partial-birth abortion.
KING: The most bruising attacks have been delivered in TV ads, including one now infamous Republican spot Ford aides call a smear to scare white voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I met Harold at the Playboy party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: The first lady was here one week out, but the president won't be back -- Corker among the many Republicans who think they need some distance from the White House on Iraq, yet worried stepping too far away could alienate conservatives still loyal to the president.
CORKER: Maybe it's time for something else to lead that effort.
KING: No more saying it is up to the president who serves as defense secretary.
As the bloodiest month in Iraq this year comes to a close, Corker and many other Republicans are more critical, and more open in pushing for change.
CORKER: Maybe it is time to look at who leads that. I never felt in the first place that we went to Iraq with enough troops on the ground.
KING: Congressman Ford says, it won't sell.
FORD: You just can't trust him. One day, he's for Rumsfeld staying. The next day, when the polls say it is not popular, he's against that. We have had that kind of leadership in Washington now for six years.
KING: All Democrats are selling change this year, but Ford is asking for more than most, to keep his base and to dip into the other guy's, asking for Tennessee to put him in the Senate and the history books, and ignoring polls or anything else that suggest he won't get there.
John King, CNN, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: All right. Stay with me here. A lot of information to get to you, because I don't want you to miss any of this.
CNN primetime next Tuesday, beginning at 7:00 Eastern, Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Paula Zahn, Lou Dobbs lead the best political team on television as your votes are counted. The races, the results, the ramifications, Tuesday night, beginning at 7:00 Eastern.
Then CNN's election night coverage continues with a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE," midnight Eastern. Hear from the winners and those who lost across the country, plus expert analysis from the best political team on television.
COLLINS: A new month, another wave of attacks in the Iraqi capital. Bombs and mortars have ripped through Baghdad today. Dozens of people are dead and wounded. But amid the bloodshed, some political strains as well.
Let's get the very latest now from Baghdad and CNN's Aneesh Raman.
Aneesh, there's some new reaction this morning from Prime Minister al-Maliki's decision to relieve those orders at the checkpoints there. What is that new reaction?
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Heidi, we saw mixed reaction, really not surprisingly, falling along sectarian lines today. In Sadr City, the area that for a week had seen intense security cordons, checkpoints -- it essentially stifled daily life to a standstill -- celebrations, as you see there, of the some two million residents. Some pouring out, claiming victory over the United States.
Sadr City a Shia bastion of support for the anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who had just before the prime minister issued that statement saying the checkpoint should be taken down, had himself - Muqtada al-Sadr said that if this, in his words, siege continued, other things would have to happen. They say that it was because of Sadr's pressure that this came to an end.
Meanwhile, late today we had a press conference from one of Iraq's vice presidents, a prominent Sunni politician. He brought to light a number of issues. First, being what he says are double standards, that in Shia areas, when Shia clerics essentially object to a military operation it ends, whereas in Sunni areas -- as we have seen in Falluja, Tal Afar, for example -- it does not.
He also said that with the lifting of these blockades, terrorists are able to go back into the city, saying now that the iron fist has loosened they can move around as they please and shape the stability in Baghdad again. To make his point, he pointed to a number of attacks on Sunnis that have happened since those blockades have ended.
All of this underscoring that much of what happens here is seen by many through the lens of sectarianism -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Aneesh Raman live from Baghdad today.
Aneesh, thank you for that.
Meanwhile, why were so many U.S. troops killed in Iraq in October? An answer from military commanders coming up.
HARRIS: Also, from the front lines of the civil rights movement, to the center of controversy, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, it seems he's done it all. Now he talks with our Don Lemon in the NEWSROOM. COLLINS: And getting physical and personal on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No I'm not. No I'm not at all. Let's move on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Allen, did you spit on your first wife?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Protester pushed out.
Those stories and more.
You are in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Ohio was a key state in the 2004 presidential election. The state is in the spotlight again this election year. At issue, concerns about confusion at the polls.
CNN's Kelli Arena explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's only a week to go before the election. And here in Ohio, people are confused.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
ARENA: A Cleveland TV station is hosting election officials who are taking voters questions and the switchboard is lighting up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whether they need to have a driver's license, whether driver's license has to have their current address on it.
ARENA: Ohio has a new law that says voters have to bring I.D. to the polls. The critics say it's too complex and it's being applied differently from county to county.
NORMAN ROBBINS, GREATER CLEVELAND VOTER COALITION: It's not equal who gets affected by these laws and by this confusion. It will be people who move a lot, so their registration has to be updated. There will be problems with the updating. Who moves a lot? Census data tells us youth, low-income people and minorities.
ARENA: The young, the poor, minorities, they all tend to vote Democratic and that makes the new law politically controversial. Inevitably lawyers are involved challenging the I.D. law in court. A ruling won't come before Wednesday. That's just six days before the polls open and time is running out. CANDICE HOKE, CENTER FOR ELECTION INTEGRITY: The poll workers have to have possibly retraining, new materials. We don't know what the standards are for Election Day right now. But certainly the law that we have is confused, so something has to happen.
ARENA: And that from the woman appointed by Cuyahoga County, Ohio's most populous, to monitor the elections. What about those electronic voting machines we've heard so much about? Well all of Ohio's counties now have them. And poll workers in some places couldn't get them to work during the primaries in May.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I've seen you done this...
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... the last election.
ARENA: There's a lot more training this time around.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, like I said, there's many different ways.
ARENA: Poll workers are more confident.
BARBARA SIMMONS, POLL WORKER: We'll get through it. We'll make it.
ARENA: Michael Vu, who runs Cuyahoga County's Board of Elections, insists that he's optimistic.
MICHAEL VU, DIR., CUYAHOGA CO. ELECTION BOARD: We have a plan in place to making sure that things go -- run smoothly.
ARENA: Whatever happens, a lot of people will be watching, state officials, independent observers, even citizens.
SHARON LETTMAN, PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY: We're not going to leave it up just to the government to do their part. We're citizen advocates. We're advocating for democracy.
ARENA (on camera): And of course both political parties have lawyers ready to pounce at the first sign of trouble.
Kelli Arena, CNN, Cleveland, Ohio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: A contentious campaign for a Senate seat in Virginia becoming physical at one stop.
Have you seen these pictures? A protester tried to approach Senator George Allen at a Charlottesville hotel.
CNN affiliate WVIR was there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are you putting your hands on me? I'm a constituent, he's my senator. I'm asking you a question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) apart or something?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to need to leave now. Get out the door.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you part of...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No I'm not. No I'm not at all. Let's move on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Allen...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... did you spit on your first wife?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now you're getting personal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now you're getting personal. Now you're getting personal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't touch anybody. OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to move on out of here now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the hotel asked me to leave I'd leave.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're getting personal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he? What do you know? What do you know?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you're a punk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: In a statement, Allen's campaign says the protester aggressively went after the senator. The protester is a law student at the University of Virginia. He tells The Associated Press he will press charges.
COLLINS: And CNN primetime, next Tuesday night, beginning at 7:00 Eastern, Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Paula Zahn and Lou Dobbs lead the best team on television as your votes are counted. The races and the results, Tuesday night beginning at 7:00.
And then, beyond that, CNN's election night coverage continues with a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE," midnight Eastern. Hear from the winners and those who lost around the country. Plus, expert analysis from the best political team on television. The calendar changes, the carnage does not. A new month opens with another salvo of attacks in Baghdad. The latest when we come back here in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And coming up, the mystery of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Scientists find something that may help explain SIDS in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: An early warning for men about prostate cancer. Researchers say tracking the changes in a particular blood test may offer early signs of aggressive forms of the disease.
The lead author of a new study says men should consider having their blood tested for prostate-specific antigen around the age of 40 instead of 50. That would give doctors a baseline number to use for future comparison.
COLLINS: Some intriguing results from a new study on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS. Scientists may have found what could be an important link. It could take some of the mystery out of the leading killer of newborns.
We get the story now from Senior Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is sudden, unexplainable. It often happens in very healthy babies as well. It is SIDS, and it is the leading cause of death in newborns.
Oftentimes very tragic, those deaths occurring in babies younger than six months. And for most of the time, people have no idea what actually causes SIDS.
Scientists possibly have a mechanism here, very preliminarily, but looking at some data specifically at the lowest part of the brain stem called the medulla. Looking at serotonin activity in that area.
Take a look at these images here. You see the control case on the right. All that green activity there shows serotonin pathways actually lighting up. On the left in a baby who died of SIDS, very little activity.
Now, what does is this part of the brain responsible for? Well, your ability to regulate your blood pressure, your heart rate, and your breathing.
So the idea is that it's possible that in someone who has very little activity here, they're not able to wake up if they were sleeping and control the amount of oxygen, for example, getting to their brain. Or, you know, in some situation where their carbon dioxide levels rise, to be able to start breathing more quickly. It is unclear whether this is the actual mechanism, but this does appear to be pretty convincing evidence, at least for now.
It does not mean that there is any sort of test. That is the question that a lot of people are asking, can you somehow test for it? The answer is not yet. Obviously, a lot of researchers working on this, trying to figure out if there is a way at the time of birth to figure out if a baby is more at risk for SIDS.
In the meantime, there are good guidelines to try and prevent cases of SIDS. Keep these in mind.
Put your baby on their back to sleep. That's an important one. Use a firm surface. Also, don't use any soft bedding, and never smoke around your child.
Following those guidelines has decreased the incidence of SIDS significantly since they were implemented. But again, some interesting scientific developments in the world of SIDS.
We'll keep you posted.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: A health scare that hit much of the eastern United States appears to be over. That, according to federal health officials investigating a salmonella outbreak.
More than 170 people were sickened in some 19 states. Health officials still aren't sure where the bacteria came from. Salmonella causes flu-like symptoms that can last two or three days.
To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness.
The address, cnn.com/health.
COLLINS: Deadly month in Iraq. Why were so many U.S. troops killed in October? An answer from military commanders coming up.
HARRIS: New concerns about old old-fashioned voter fraud. Dead people registered to vote. Will it have an impact in tight races?
COLLINS: And from the front lines of the civil rights movement, to the center of controversy, the Reverend Jesse Jackson. It seems he's done it all. Hear what he has to say about his past and his political future. An interview with our Don Lemon straight ahead here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins and Tony Harris.
HARRIS: Dozens dead and wounded. As a new month seems to usher in old problems in Iraq, bombs and mortars have exploded across Baghdad today. At least 10 people are dead and 21 wounded. Also today, police have found at least ten unidentified bodies scattered around the capital.
Meanwhile, here's a glimpse of celebrations that erupted yesterday in the Baghdad slum, Sadr City. Supporters of a radical Muslim cleric waved guns and honked their car horns after Iraq's prime minister ordered U.S. and Iraqi troops to open several closed checkpoints. The security crackdown was implemented last week after the abduction of a U.S. soldier.
COLLINS: One hundred and four, that's the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq in October. The fourth highest monthly figure since the war began. Why so many now?
CNN's Barbara Starr take a look at that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Alabama, hundreds paid their respects to 19-year-old Private First Class Steven Biknell (ph). Among the mourners, his pregnant 18-year- old widow. He was killed in an IED attack north of Baghdad.
One hundred and four Americans lost their lives in Iraq during October, the fourth deadliest month of the war. Across America, there are hundreds, if not thousands of grieving families, friends and neighbors. Why was last month so deadly? Commanders believe the rise in attacks was tied to the holy month of Ramadan.
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, SPOKESMAN MULTINATIONAL FORCE IRAQ: Traditionally this is a time of great celebration. It has, instead, been a period of increased violence.
STARR: All of it leading to this admission.
CALDWELL: The violence is, indeed, disheartening.
STARR: About twice as many army troops as Marines died in October. It's the army that has been in Baghdad on deadly patrols, mainly against Shia death squads and militias. The Marines are in western Iraq's al Anbar province, where Sunni insurgents are also carrying out lethal attacks.
How are the troops being killed? In Baghdad, sniper attacks are on the rise. Lieutenant general Peter Chiarelli (ph), the Corp commander, says the total numbers are elevated and the effectiveness has been greater. Troops are also being killed by catastrophic IEDs, roadside bombs that kill three and four troops at a time. Some are filled with chemicals that result in fire balls on impact.
Twenty-year-old Lance Corporal Eric Hurtzburg also died in al Anbar province in October. Still, his mother is unwavering in her support.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The war was going on when he joined. He knew what he was going to get into. I am so proud to have him for 20 years. Everybody should go home and hug their kids tonight because they're lent to us for a very short time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: You know, this year tight races can turn on almost anything. That's why there's so much concern over electronic voting fraud.
But in New York, there's also concern about a more low-tech type of voter fraud.
CNN's Mary Snow takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a suspicion that's haunted elections past, but could the names of dead people potentially be used in present elections? That's a question posed by the "Poughkeepsie Journal of New York." It did its own analysis of the state's new database of 11 million-plus registered voters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We found that in New York State, in its voter registration database, there were as many as 77,000 people who were deceased but were still registered to vote.
SNOW: Reporter John farrow says, make no mistake, the analysis is not an exact science, and he did not find any fraud, but says his investigation points to the possibility of it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our report quantifies, if you will, or gives an estimate for the first time of a potential for fraud involving deceased registered voters in this brand new database.
SNOW: That database is only three months old. A spokesman for the Board of Elections was unable to appear on camera for an interview, but told us he was concerned by the paper's results. He added that the board will complete its own analysis by May of 2007.
Doug Chapin of the nonpartisian group electionline.org, says he's not all that surprised by the findings.
DOUG CHAPIN, DIR., ELECTIONLINE.ORG: It's worth looking carefully at, but I don't think all 77,000 of those people are going to rise from the dead and descend on the polls on Election Day.
SNOW: Chapin says suspicions about dead people voting are nothing new, and it swirled in Chicago following the election of John F. Kennedy. Chapin says, more often than not, it's more fiction than fact.
CHAPIN: When you hear stories about perhaps in the 1960 election whether or not there were some dead voters who turned out to vote on Election Day, rarely proven, often repeated.
SNOW: And it's being repeated again in an election year, where so many tight races, where everything is coming under scrutiny. To illustrate the point that every vote counts, analysts look to the 2004 governor's race in Washington State that had two recounts. Democrat Christine Gregoire was ultimately named the winner with a 133-vote victory.
Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: CNN primetime next Tuesday night beginning at 7:00 Eastern. Wolf Blitzer -- look at this lineup -- Anderson Cooper, Paula Zahn, Lou Dobbs lead the best political team on television as your votes are counted. The races, the results, the ramifications Tuesday night beginning at 7:00 eastern. Then CNN's election night coverage continues with a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE," midnight Eastern Time. Hear from the winners and those who lost across the country.
Plus, expert analysis from the best political team on television.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Halloween horror in Reno, Nevada. A historic hotel goes up in flames. We will have new developments straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
From the front-lines of the civil rights movement to the center of controversy, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, it seems, he has done it all. Hear what he has to say about his past and his political future. An interview with our Don Lemon. Don will tell us all about it, in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: In Reno, Nevada, police say a woman has been arrested on arson and murder charges in the investigation of a deadly fire at an historic hotel. The police chief says the woman set fire to a mattress in a room at the hotel.
Fire officials now say at least six people died in the blaze. More than two dozen others were injured. The hotel, built in 1922, is in the city's downtown casino district. Officials say when firefighters arrived, people were hanging out of windows and yelling for help. Several escaped through second-floor windows. Dozens live in that building.
In the aftermath of that deadly wildfire in Southern California, a man described as a person of interest is now in custody. He was arrested on unrelated charges yesterday, just one day after the huge fire was fully contained. It scorched more than 40,000 acres. Dozens of homes and other buildings were destroyed. Authorities say the cause was arson. The man in custody faces arson charges in connection with a June wildfire as authorities investigate this latest fire, they're mourning the death of a fifth firefighter -- Pablo Cerda died yesterday. COLLINS: The Reverend Jesse Jackson called charismatic to controversial. The civil rights leader just celebrated his 65th birthday. He sat down with CNN's Don Lemon to talk about politics, his past and the road ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REVEREND JESSE JACKSON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: The laws of convenience lead to collapse.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Whatever you think of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, there's no denying he's been there.
JACKSON: And when parents and teachers join hands together...
LEMON: In the company of kings.
JACKSON: Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Martin King.
LEMON: Even on the balcony when America's most famous King was assassinated. Now, nearly 40 years later, surrounded by family and some most influential friends, Jesse Jackson turns 65.
JACKSON: I didn't think I'd make it to be 65 because this has been a difficult ride.
LEMON: And a dangerous one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May I be admitted?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, sir, you cannot be admitted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am not going to serve you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of my race?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not going to serve you.
LEMON: "How Soon We Forget" could be the theme of Jesse Jackson's last decade or so. After all, it was him marching or sitting with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in all those civil rights photographs. But lately he's been called everything from an opportunist to a philanderer to an agitator.
LEMON (on camera): So when people say, Jesse Jackson plays the race card too much, your answer to them is?
JACKSON: Well, that it is not true. It is true that blacks have high infant mortality rates and shorter life expectancy. That's because of structures, conditions that must change.
LEMON: When people say, Jesse Jackson inserts himself into every big news story, that he's enamored with the media and publicity, you say? JACKSON: The media is the outlet for ideas. No African-American leader or journalist has a primetime show to get ideas out. And so if I go to Syria or Iraq or Cuba or Yugoslavia to bring Americans back home, I didn't chase the ambulance, the ambulance chased me.
LEMON: People would say, well, what is his job? Does Jesse Jackson have a job? Has he gotten a job yet? And your answer is?
JACKSON: It's an attempt to demean our Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. It is a human rights organization. People who speak that way are speaking in pejorative, demeaning terms. You have to dismiss it. Consider the source.
LEMON: Jesse Jackson is a reverend, yet he had an affair. He's got a kid.
JACKSON: We all stand and fall for the glory of God. But if we are honest and open, God will forgive and redeem and allow us to move on and get back up again.
LEMON (voice-over): Even one of the largest black-owned publications, Ebony Magazine" recently asked the question, does the Reverend Jesse Jackson still matter?
LEMON (on camera): Does Jesse Jackson still matter?
JACKSON: They didn't say that. They asked that.
LEMON: That's a question.
JACKSON: And the people answered.
LEMON: Answered, and many came to his defense.
CAMILLE COSBY, WIFE OF BILL COSBY: Of course he still matters. He has always mattered. You cannot eradicate all the wonderful work that he has done throughout his career.
MICHELLE OBAMA, WIFE OF SEN. BARAK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: That's obvious. I mean, he is teaching us in everything he does and says. He still takes the kind of risks to say things that a lot of us can't. He's in a position to use his leverage and he does it every single time. I mean, we wouldn't be here if it weren't for Jesse Jackson. That's just a no brainer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's true.
LEMON: Even Michelle Obama's husband, Barack Obama agrees.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) ILLINOIS: Reverend Jackson continues to be one of the most powerful voices on behalf of the disaffected, the dispossessed. Wherever he goes, he makes news.
LEMON: Before there was a Barack addressing a Democratic convention and hinting at a presidential run, there was a Jesse. Run, Jesse, run. Remember 1984? And then again in '88? JACKSON: You hold on and hold out. We must never surrender. America will get better and better. Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive. Keep hope...
CROWD: Keep hope...
JACKSON: Alive.
CROWD: Alive.
JACKSON: Keep hope...
CROWD: Keep hope...
JACKSON: Alive.
CROWD: Alive.
JACKSON: Let me hear you scream. [ cheers ]
(APPLAUSE)
LEMON: Times have certainly changed since Jesse Jackson first uttered those famous words. His children are grown and accomplished. Jesse Jr. is a U.S. Congressman.
JACKSON: I am delighted to have lived long enough to see now two generations of direct beneficiaries of our work continue to grow. So, when I look at these fruits of our struggle, the beneficiaries of our work, it's a good feeling.
LEMON: No regrets, he insists. But admits he's a bit battered, but not broken by his journey. And today still dogged about his message of hope.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Don Lemon joining us now. Great interview there. It seemed, though, that he, it's very obvious he still certainly wants to matter, wants to make some sort of difference.
LEMON: He does want to. You can see, he was a little bit uncomfortable about that. And he said they didn't say that, they asked the question -- "Ebony" magazine did. And they did for those reasons that we pointed out in the interview for the last couple years, he's been a bit controversial. But even he admits that he is either loved or hated. And the reason he is the way he is he says is because of the scars that he gathered along the way. And he feels that he -- people say he plays the race card a lot. And he says it's because of institutional racism. And if it were not for that, he would not have to be the way that he is.
COLLINS: What did he mean by that?
LEMON: Well, he just said that racism is entrenched in our society so much. And obviously, from the video, if you look at the time, it's really been 40 years. 40 years is not really that long since he, you know, he started, the civil rights movement, at least his part in it. But, he believes that there are certain structures that really have to be battered in order to be broken down because it's entrenched.
COLLINS: Does he think there's been progress?
LEMON: Yes, absolutely. Yes, he does think there's progress, but he still thinks we have a long way to go. And obviously, he thinks that progress comes in the form of the leaders that we have now and even the ones controversial, Harold Ford, you know, the whole thing with the ad there. Barack Obama, he mentions other black political leaders who he says, including his own son, who is a U.S. congressman who are fruits of his labor. So, and some people would say, well maybe -- I asked him the question, do you feel like that should be you? Are you envious in any way? And he goes, no, I'm very proud of those people. We worked hard for that. And now they have an obligation to do better.
COLLINS: How does he resonate with African-Americans across all demographics? I mean, if you had to sort of make a guess on, you know, for or against, they understand his thoughts today?
LEMON: That's a very good question, Heidi. It's a mixed bag. Mostly because of his history, because he is who he is and most African-Americans have suffered some form of racism at least once, a lot more in their lives, but at least once. So they do resonate with him and they do think that he has a message and a place. But not everybody's going to agree with you just because you're African- American doesn't mean you agree with everything that Jesse Jackson says or does. But for the most part he is an appreciated person in society, in America, and someone who most African-Americans, at least speaking for myself, think that he has made huge contributions, especially when it comes to civil rights.
COLLINS: Interesting. Barack Obama, too.
LEMON: Yes.
COLLINS: Very close families.
LEMON: Very close families. They actually live in the same neighborhoods. Kids are best friends.
COLLINS: Good interview. Thank you Don Lemon, appreciate it.
HARRIS: And while you were talking we were able to get some new sound into CNN from the head of the Democratic National Committee. Howard Dean reacting now to the comments, the controversial comments from Senator John Kerry on Monday and all of the fallout that ensued yesterday. Here's Howard Dean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD DEAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Well, I think it focuses on the war. I think it also focuses on the president's own intemperate language, saying that voting for Democrats is voting for the terrorists to win. I think it's intemperate, particularly from a guy who is criticizing someone who did serve, and President Bush has never served. So I think that kind of language is unhelpful. I think it's wrong. And I think voters basically are going to react to the intimidation -- attempted intimidation by the White House by saying we've had enough of this. I mean, you know Kerry made a blooper. Bloopers happen. My knowledge is he apologized to it on the "Imus" show this morning. I think, we want to focus on the president's intemperate rhetoric and saying a vote for Democrats is a vote for the terrorists to win -- that's clearly untrue and it's exactly the reason that President Bush is a failed president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The head of the DNC, Howard Dean reacting to the John Kerry controversy. "YOUR WORLD TODAY" coming up in just a couple minutes at the top of the hour. Hala Gorani standing by with a preview. Hala, good morning.
HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Tony. Well, you know these U.S. midterm elections really interest not only the United States of course, but the entire world. We're going to take to you Mankota, Minnesota. We're going to be speaking with Tim Waltz a Democratic Congressional candidate from Minnesota and we're going to ask him on his decision to cancel a campaign appearance by John Kerry after Kerry made those controversial remarks yesterday on U.S. troops that he says were meant actually for the U.S. president. So, we'll have the latest on that.
As well, we'll take to you Gaza. Israel launches a major raid in Gaza -- airstrikes encircling a town in the northern part of that territory, 10 dead. An Israeli soldier reportedly also dead. The latest on the flare-up live from the Gaza/Israel border.
And we'll also be talking about the Internet, the 100th, 100 million Web site was created. A milestone for the Internet. Just 10 years ago, 11 years ago a few thousand Internet Web sites were in existence. A special report on that as well.
Hope you can joins us, YOUR WORLD TODAY top of the hour, Jim Clancy and myself.
Back to you.
COLLINS: It's amazing, isn't it, how it's grown? My goodness.
HARRIS: Yes, I visit all five of them.
COLLINS: We know how to get to five.
Hala Gorani, thanks. We'll be watching.
Bob Barker, generations know him as the host of "The Price is Right." Now he says -- oh, the song -- the time is right for something else. We'll have details coming up right here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
And our mornings will no longer be the same. Bob Barker makes an announcement about his future. Details in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Take a look at this team. CNN primetime next Tuesday, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, Paula Zahn, Lou Dobbs, you can't beat that, leading the best political team on television as your votes are counted. The race and the results' ramifications Tuesday night beginning at 7:00 Eastern.
Then CNN's election night coverage continues with a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE" midnight eastern. Hear from the winners, those who lost across the country, plus expert analysis from the best political team on television.
COLLINS: Come on, let's just listen to the music.
HARRIS: It's good, isn't it?
COLLINS: Bob Barker, sit on down. The venerable TV host says he'll retire from "The Price is Right" after 35 years. It's the longest running game show in the U.S. But Barker has been on the tube even longer. The 82-year-old launched his national TV career in 1956 with, yes, "Truth or Consequences." Barker says in June, he will break from his current schedule, taping five shows a week. That's a lot. CBS, however, argues the show will go on.
HARRIS: What a career, I mean, really,
COLLINS: Ryan Seacrest, what do you think? No.
HARRIS: No. Doesn't he have enough shows already?
COLLINS: Yes.
HARRIS: He's got like 25 jobs already. No, no, no, no.
COLLINS: He does. We'll think of somebody else.
You'd probably be pretty good with that booming voice of yours.
HARRIS: Well, thank you, Heidi, thank you.
COLLINS: CNN continues one hour from now.
HARRIS: But I'm quite busy in the NEWSROOM, thank you, Heidi.
"YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with news happening across the globe and here at home. I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins. We'll see you tomorrow, everybody.
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