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Fire at a Florida Theme Park; Election Eve

Aired November 06, 2006 - 09:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

For the next three hours, watch events unfold live on this Monday, November 6th.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Election eve and plenty of incumbents are locked in nail-biters. The last minute scramble for votes and control of Congress.

HARRIS: Fire at a Florida theme park. We check on the tourists and the animals at Gatorland.

COLLINS: And the USS Intrepid make waves in New York today. An old war horse crossing the Hudson for a Jersey makeover.

It's in THE NEWSROOM, next.

HARRIS: The clock counts down, the tension ratchets up, campaigning is now in the final hours. Tomorrow, America votes in critical mid-term elections. The control of Congress may hang in the balance.

CNN has deployed correspondents and unmatched resources across the country. We'll check in on key races and take a look at this the emerging signs.

COLLINS: The power of numbers -- tomorrow it will be measured at the polls. And today, we get a preview in this CNN poll.

According to a survey from Opinion Research Corporation, Democrats are holding onto a double digit lead now over Republicans in this year's Congressional elections.

Nationally, registered voters favor Democrats 54 percent to 39. The gap is even larger among likely voters. That's 58 percent to 38 percent. Keep in mind the old refrain, though, politics is local.

A national sampling does not necessarily reflect opinion in any particular Congressional district. The waning Republican support comes as President Bush's popularity takes another dip. The president's approval rating has fallen to 35 percent. Sixty-one percent of those polled saying they disapprove of the way he is handling his job.

And he's midway through his second term, but make no mistake, President Bush a major factor in this mid-term election. Today, the president ransoms his campaign blitz from his home base, his Texas ranch.

And CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is there in Crawford with the very latest.

So what's on tap for the president today -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, as you know, at this point it really is all about momentum and mojo -- who's going to get to the finish line. President Bush really involved in this sprint, of course. This is all about the Iraq war. This is a referendum on the president and his war. So he is speaking about it. He is not shying away from that topic, but he's also dealing with things that are appealing to the Republican base -- tax cuts, as well as immigration reform.

His first stop is going to be Pensacola, Florida. That is where his brother, Jeb Bush, is stepping down as governor. And the interesting thing about this, we expect 10,000 people at this rally. But the one person who's not going to be there, that is Charles Crist. And he is the Republican candidate for that position that the president is campaigning for.

Now, his campaign says, look, they're not trying to 'dis the president, but they feel that Crist needs to go out to some of the areas in Florida to appeal to moderates and Independents, he needs to try to pick off some of those voters, while President Bush can appeal to the base. He is very popular in Pensacola, in that very red district.

And then, of course, President Bush also going to Arkansas -- a very competitive race there -- as well as ending up in Texas to -- for a big rally at the end of the day. And then tomorrow to vote in Crawford -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Boy, it's crazy, isn't it?

I mean some of these races are just so tight, we're going to be talking about it, of course, all day here, trying to do some analysis.

But how about the vice president?

He's taking a little bit of a break, huh?

MALVEAUX: Oh, he gets a break because he actually voted early from his home state of Wyoming. And what he's going to do is he's going to go on a hunting trip in South Dakota. He is going to be with his daughter, Mary Cheney, as well as a campaign director, to help him bring in the election, to watch the results from there. This is an annual tradition of the vice president. He really likes to do it in this hunting range in South Dakota. He did it the last mid-term elections in 2002. And, Heidi, as you know, this is the first hunting trip that he's been on since that hunting accident back in February, when he accidentally shot a friend.

COLLINS: That's right.

All right, Suzanne Malveaux from Crawford, Texas, traveling with the president.

Thank you, Suzanne.

HARRIS: Getting out the vote -- the times are changing and so are some of the rules.

CNN's Dana Bash reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm calling to ask you to join me in reelecting George Allen of Georgia.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Allen to the Senate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to reelect George Allen.

BASH (voice-over): Voices of a voter turnout operation Republicans hope keeps them in power.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.

We're ready to go?

Let's get started.

BASH: GOP foot soldiers are marching battlegrounds across the country, implementing their 72-hour get out the vote plan.

MICHAEL DUHAIME, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: The 72-hour program really takes about 72 weeks to put together. So there's no doubt it can make a difference in these close elections.

BASH: Since 2000, Republicans have been building a voter vault -- files of GOP voters. Adding to that by micro-targeting -- using consumer data -- what magazines or car someone buys -- to identify new voters.

DUHAIME: We feel with our targeting, we're able to go in and find very specific voters in there, as individuals, and turn them out. And maybe instead of getting 10 or 12 percent, we get 14 or 16 percent.

BASH: That could make the difference where it's neck-and-neck, like this Indiana district.

DUHAIME: We target these households based on folks we think may be friendly toward the reception we get at those houses.

BASH: GOP volunteers knock on doors in Democratic neighborhoods Republicans wrote off in the past.

What's different this year is Democrats are doing the same thing here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're volunteers with the local Democratic Party.

BASH: Using the same strategy and technology to find Democratic voters, investing $8 million in turnout, but playing catch up.

KAREN FINNEY, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: We had some challenges in 2004 with our database. We have addressed those challenges and we feel very confident in our voter file.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please vote for Democrats Jim Webb for U.S. Senate.

BASH: Back in Virginia, Democrats use bar codes, just like Republicans, to track voters -- who needs an extra push, maybe a ride to the polls.

LARRY BYRNE, DEMOCRATIC FIELD ORGANIZER: In the old days when we used to have to do this, you know, one at a time, we would have never gotten to 100,000 contacts. And we got to 300,000.

BASH: But all the money and fancy micro-targeting in the world can't replace moments like this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Allen's made it (UNINTELLIGIBLE) worse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You could convince me to vote for George Allen if you help me start my lawnmower.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I will start your lawn mower. All the way up. There we go. One vote for George Allen.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HARRIS: It has to be more sophisticated than that.

Dana Bash joins us now from Arlington, Virginia -- Dana, do Democrats think they have drawn even with Republicans with respect to getting out the vote?

BASH: Well, you know, the answer is no. They think that they're getting closer this year, certainly, than in the past couple of election cycles. But one thing that they do feel pretty confident that they have is the energy and, frankly, some of the anger, real anger toward what's going on in Washington and the Republicans.

We see here already -- it's pretty early in the morning -- we see phone calls already being made by Democrats here. You can be assured that Republicans are making the same kind of calls here in Virginia and around the country.

These final calls, Tony, to identify -- to go to people that have already been identified as probable voters for the Democrat and make sure that they get out to the polls.

HARRIS: And, Dana, what about these outside groups?

They spent a lot on ads.

Are they involved in the turnout effort, as well?

BASH: They are. And that's another sort of interesting part of this dynamic. You know, on the one hand, you have Republicans who have had this well oiled machine for several cycles. They have -- and it's something that is organized from the top down. The headquarters really focuses on how much money is going to be spent, where it's going to be spent and so forth.

On the Democratic side, as I mentioned, they are doing better. They're pouring a lot of money in, all told, probably more money than Republicans are. But they're splintered. Even the House and Senate campaign committees, they're kind of doing their own thing. The Democratic National Committee is doing their own thing. And then you mentioned the outside groups.

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: Unions are historically a large group that really helps get out the vote for Democrats. They're doing that again this year. In fact, the AFL-CIO is pouring more money in than any mid-term election in the past, about $40 million. And they are going to be walking the streets, tens of thousands across the country, especially here in Virginia.

HARRIS: CNN's Congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, for us in Arlington, Virginia.

Dana, thank you.

There is so much at stake tomorrow, so stay with us tonight. The best political team on television -- Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Larry King, Paula Zahn and Lou Dobbs. We investigate how your vote could impact the next moves in Iraq and who controls Congress.

Our election special begins tonight at 7:00 Eastern.

COLLINS: Fire at Gatorland. Flames and smoke rising high into the air at the Orlando-area tourist attraction.

Reporter Carolyn Scofield from our affiliate Central Florida News 13 is there.

Wow! These flames are just huge -- Carolyn.

CAROLYN SCOFIELD, CENTRAL FLORIDA NEWS 13: Yes, Heidi.

If you take a look at the video from earlier, you can tell the firefighters really had a challenge putting out this blaze. They're now in their third hour of battling the flames here at Gatorland. And let me step out of the way and give you a live look at the scene from where we're standing, just north of the gift shop area.

That's where the fire broke out, just before 6:00 this morning. A massive blaze. This is a three alarm fire with three agencies responding to it. More than 7,500 firefighters at the height of this blaze earlier this morning were out here dumping water on the flames.

Now, firefighters ran into a few challenges here. Not only is Gatorland a very old landmark here in Central Florida, which means a very old building, which firefighters say contributed to the blaze, but, also, on a normal fire situation, firefighters set up their engines all the way around the building so they can tackle it from all angles.

Well, in this situation, directly behind the gift shop, there is a large pond full of alligators. So firefighters were only able to tackle the blaze from the front of the building. They dumped gallon after gallon of water on the fire. Now we're told that is it contained at this point. Firefighters are still trying to put out the hot spots, also trying to locate the origin of the fire.

Now, Gatorland workers are all out here watching the situation. There are a lot of people very worried. We saw a lot of tears and hugs this morning, everyone concerned about the well being of the many animals that are inside. Not only does Gatorland house dozens of alligators, there is also a wildlife sanctuary for birds and other wildlife, some exotic reptiles here at the Gatorland theme park.

Now, Gatorland workers tell us they know of two crocodiles that are housed close to the gift shop building. They don't know about the safety or the well being of those crocodiles at this point.

Workers are hopeful, however, that the crocodiles made it out and they hope that all of the other animals are OK. They're hoping to get inside the attraction as soon as they can.

The state fire marshal's office is investigating the cause of this blaze -- Heidi, back to you.

COLLINS: All right, Carolyn, just real quickly, you mentioned that they hoped that the alligators -- or the crocodiles -- got out.

How did they go about that process of getting them out?

As you say, the firefighters very worried about trying to fight the fire and be careful of alligators and crocodiles in the mix.

SCOFIELD: Well, they're not sure at this point whether the crocodiles were close enough to the flames. There are three sections to the building that was on fire. Two two-story buildings that are, each side, they kind of book in the middle building. And if anybody has been here to Central Florida and knows the big gator mouth that kind of welcomes visitors to Gatorland -- it's a landmark here in Central Florida, been here since 1949 -- that's the part that was on fire.

We haven't heard yet where those crocodiles were located in location in relation to that gift shop area itself. And their -- workers are hoping to get in as soon as they can and check on those animals.

COLLINS: Boy, I bet they're pretty concerned with all that smoke, as you see it blowing in the wind there.

All right, Carolyn Scofield, thanks so much.

HARRIS: Let's get you to Chad Myers now in the Weather Center -- and, Chad, we've become trained to sort of ask you about the conditions around a fire like that, the conditions at least from the pictures seemed rather benign.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, benign for some of the animals, as well, Tony, because of the way the wind was actually blowing.

Here's the gift shop right here. The lagoon is actually on the other side. And then there's this walkway area that you actually have to walk to get to most of the attractions, and especially back out here to the bird sanctuary. And this is the building that actually was on fire. And that's that little mouth. There's a little blue thing right there. That's where the mouth of the gator was. And I was looking at some of the pictures and it was just completely on fire.

So this is the area here that was on fire. But most of the animals are back between here. And I suspect that a lot of the animals just kind of swam out to the other side of the lagoon, because they knew it was coming, and the wind was blowing the smoke this way. So there shouldn't be any smoke inhalation problems with any of the animals, either.

So I guess a couple of good things in a really disastrous fire that they had this morning. We were watching that for hours this morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: The Saddam Hussein verdict -- live to Baghdad to see how Iraqis feel about the death sentence. That's coming up in THE NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: A dark past, now questions about the future -- a closer look at the personal and political implications of one preacher.

COLLINS: And even an old war horse could use a little nip and tuck.

Take a look at this live picture of the USS Intrepid in New York. An American legend sails off for repairs. See that coming up in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Two more Americans lose their lives in Iraq. The soldiers were killed when their helicopter crashed north of Baghdad.

CNN's Aneesh Raman joining us now live from Baghdad -- good morning to you there, Aneesh.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, good morning.

That extensive curfew that took place in Baghdad and two other provinces starting Sunday morning, ahead of the verdict against Saddam Hussein, has now been lifted, lifted just about an hour ago. In the capital, pedestrians are now able to go about their daily life for just a few hours, though. A regular nighttime curfew kicks in shortly.

Vehicles will be back on the streets in those three provinces tomorrow morning. No word yet on when the international airport will open.

All of this had been done to quell any violence that might spark after the verdict of Saddam Hussein, the guilty verdict we saw.

We did see, though, people take to the streets this morning in the northern part of the country, in a Sunni stronghold. Those came out in demonstration against the verdict, against a trial that they have deemed illegitimate. They were carrying posters of Saddam Hussein, a hero for many of them. And a time that they say has passed, where now they suffer from this sectarian violence. They went to the streets against pretty much this entire process, as we've seen them do throughout.

But we saw an opposing visual out of Shia areas, specifically Sadr City in Baghdad, yesterday. Thousands defying that curfew that was in place, going out onto the streets to celebrate what, for them, has been a day long in the making, years long, if you will. The minute Saddam Hussein's regime toppled, for them, this was about recog -- this was about essentially reconciling with that brutal past. They see this verdict as justice. They see the death penalty as exactly what Saddam Hussein deserves.

But it all has been digested here along sectarian lines. Sunni television, for example, yesterday not really showcasing the trial at all, only showing the part when Saddam Hussein got his verdict and sentence. And the real question will be, once this curfew lifts, whether we do see any outpouring or for, whether many Iraqis, you know, the past is simply that, and it's this violent present and doubtful future that has them more concerned -- Heidi.

COLLINS: So exactly how is this appeal process going to work?

I mean we know that it is going to be appealed.

RAMAN: Yes, it's an automatic appeal because Saddam Hussein got the sentence of death. It goes through an appellate court within the Iraqi high tribunal. Within 30 days, the defense and the prosecution have to file any motions that they choose. And the appellate court really can take as long as it wants to review this case.

But court officials have told us not to expect it to take too long, the reason being that this appellate court doesn't retry the case. It goes through the paperwork, makes sure everything is legal. It can call some witnesses again, but we've already heard suggestions that this execution could be carried out by mid-next year.

The other question, of course, Saddam is in a second trial, faces potentially 10 more. The court telling us that once the appellate court, if it does, upholds this death sentence, it has to be carried out within 30 days. It doesn't matter that other trials are ongoing. Saddam Hussein must be executed and he will simply be tried in abstentia for those other crimes -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Aneesh Raman live from Baghdad this morning.

Aneesh, thank you.

In the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, reaction to the Saddam Hussein verdict. Hundreds of Iraqi immigrants and refugees are cheering the news. Dearborn is home to one of the nation's largest Iraqi populations. More than 30,000 immigrants and refugees live in the Detroit area and some of those happy with the death sentence were victims of Hussein's iron-fisted rule.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISSAC ISSACS, FORMER PRISONER IN IRAQ: It was very bad, of course, you know? We've been in Abu Ghraib Jail for six years and I have some friends who have been more than 10 years there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: He calls himself a deceiver, a liar, a man guilty of sexual immorality. The Reverend Ted Haggard, a minister without a church this morning. He apologizes to the congregation he once led.

CNN's Sean Callebs reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ted Haggard's long time friend and head of the oversight committee that removed him from the pulpit, the Reverend Larry Stockstill, read Haggard's mea culpa to the congregation.

PASTOR LARRY STOCKSTILL, NEW LIFE CHURCH: The fact is I am guilty of sexual immorality. And I take responsibility for the entire problem. I am a deceiver and a liar.

CALLEBS: Haggard has denied having a gay affair, but Stockstill has his doubts. STOCKSTILL: He had developed a pattern of deception and that is why it took us so long to really arrive at the truth. We still haven't.

CALLEBS: Mike Jones, the former gay prostitute who made the allegations, tells CNN he now feels vindicated. Even though he failed a lie detector test when asked about his alleged three year affair with Haggard, Jones tells CNN he's willing to take another polygraph.

Jones says he deliberately came public days before Tuesday's mid- term election.

MIKE JONES, HAGGARD'S ACCUSER: I don't know how many minds that I've changed. I don't know how many votes might have changed. But I still, for my fellow community friends, I needed to bring this out.

CALLEBS: With the issue of gay marriage on the ballot in Colorado and other states, Jones says he wants to show what he calls the hypocrisy of Haggard and other Evangelicals.

According to an academic who studies the Evangelical movement, this controversy is only one reason members of the religious right may feel disenfranchised.

RANDALL BALMER, AMERICAN RELIGION, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Add to that a growing discontent on the part of many Evangelicals with both the Bush administration and the Republican Party, as well as the leadership of the religious right, and I think this is -- this is a big scandal.

CALLEBS: But some members of Haggard's former flock emerged from a Sunday service saying the scandal won't affect the way they vote.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's going to encourage more people to go to the polls. And I certainly hope that's true.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HARRIS: And Sean Callebs joins us live now...

CALLEBS: With some 60 million...

HARRIS: Good morning.

Good morning -- Sean.

CALLEBS: I'm sorry, Tony.

What's up?

Sixty million people in the United States calling themselves Evangelicals. The stakes are high heading into tomorrow's election. They have always been an electorate that has been courted by the Republicans. But the big question before the mid-term vote, can they once again be a sure thing, Tony?

HARRIS: And, Sean, just a quick follow.

We don't really know from the statement that was read in church yesterday? We don't really know about what Reverend Haggard is admitting to?

CALLEBS: I think the big question -- a lot people here are wondering, because there is ambiguity in that letter.

Did he have a homosexual affair?

He simply refers to immoral sexual conduct.

Haggard has denied having a gay relationship with Mike Jones.

We can tell you, we asked the overseers that yesterday after the service. They said that, believe it or not, they didn't talk at length about that question. But they said the fact that Haggard contacted Jones, who was, at the time, a gay escort, and received a massage, for them, that was sexual immorality and that put his trust in question. And that was enough for them to remove him from the pulpit.

HARRIS: And, Sean, one more quick one, because I thought this was particularly interesting.

What was the response to -- from the congregation -- to the letter that was read that was authored by the Reverend Haggard?

And what was the reaction by the congregation to the letter that was written and read from his wife?

CALLEBS: I think that's a good point. There were two separate letters that were read. Ted Haggard's was very long. We can tell you that there were a lot of members of the congregation -- and it was packed yesterday, overflowing crowd. They were crying, constantly wiping their eyes with tears.

But afterward, there were what could be called tepid applause. It didn't last that very long.

Then they read a letter from Gail Haggard. And in it, she said she was going to stand beside her husband, that death -- until death do them part. And they hoped that they could forgive Ted Haggard at some point. And there was an eruption of applause. She received two standing ovations.

So, clearly, the congregation, their heart going out to her.

HARRIS: Yes. How telling. How telling.

All right, Sean Callebs for us in Colorado Springs.

Sean, thank you.

COLLINS: We want to get straight to this now, coming to you out of Miami. On an interstate there -- we're trying to get more information in. But as you can see, a tanker fire. Crews obviously have been responding to this. And it looks to be, at least from that shot there, we don't see any flames anymore. So we will watch this and find out the best we can as to what happened here. And we'll have much more on that coming up right after a quick break.

HARRIS: And we are Minding Your Business.

Stephanie Elam is in for Andy Serwer and she is here now with a preview -- Stephanie, good morning.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

That's right, Oprah Winfrey still has that magic touch. We're going to take a look at who she's tapped now in THE NEWSROOM, right after this break.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Quickly now, we want to get the story for you.

In Miami, a tanker crash on the interstate there. You can see some pretty smoldering flames, apparently right before crews got there. Obviously, this whole thing was completely engulfed. They're using a foam here to sort of contain the situation. It looks a little bit better, but, again, this is what it looked like earlier. They needed to get that under control just as soon as possible, due to traffic and things this time of the day, I would imagine, on the interstate.

we want to get you to T.J. Holmes. He's standing by to tell us more as far as what we know so far -- T.J. in Miami, what are we looking at here?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, we're looking at -- this is just from not too long ago. We've had our eye on this thing for a little bit now. But this is what we saw. And this was just minutes ago, really, when that tanker was pretty much fully engulfed in flames.

Drivers, as you can see there, on the left side of the screen, at least, traffic is not flowing in that direction. That's because traffic has been backed up and stopped for some time now.

And, again, this tanker -- we don't know why, but fell off the interstate there, off that overpass. That's I-95 we were just looking at. It fell down. This area, if anybody is familiar, I-95 and 135th Street in North Miami.

But it fell off the overpass there, burst into flames. And firefighters have been working to put this thing out. It seems weird to say that it happened in a good spot. I say that because apparently it happened right in front of a fire station so there was a -- there were firefighters really close by. Also nearby, we're told by fire officials, was a church and also a day care. However, we're being told that no injuries of anyone else around being reported at this time. Also don't know just yet the fate of the driver of that tanker or what might have happened to him. And again, don't know if any other vehicles were involved in this accident and what exactly made this tanker go off that overpass.

But again, it looks like right now they do have the fire and flames under control. We are going to continue to monitor that, try to figure out exactly what happened and if they will finally get that traffic back going. So we will be checking back in with you guys shortly.

COLLINS: Yeah, it could have been a whole lot worse.

HOLMES: Oh, yeah.

COLLINS: T.J. Holmes, thank you.

HARRIS: Let's get you to the New York Stock Exchange now, the sounding of the opening bell. Just moments ago. The Dow -- need to get this business day going here. Stocks fell Friday. The Dow posting its longest losing streak in more than a year. Day before the election. We have got to get that going. So we're counting on our friends from Regions Financial Corporation to get us off to a good start this week. More business news now.

Oprah Winfrey proves that she can sell books without really trying. Stephanie Elam is in for Andy Serwer, "Minding your Business." Stephanie, good morning.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony. That's right. She has the magic touch when it comes to those literary endeavors, and she proved it again on Thursday with a couple of doctors. Mehmet Oz (ph) and Dr. Michael Rosien (ph) were on to talk about their new diet books. "You on a Diet" is the one that came out. They also have that book with the DVD and then their older diet book, older, I should say, health book. And all three of those books are on the top of amazon.com's best seller list so obviously in just a day she managed to turn it around and get people buying those books.

case you were wondering, Tony, these aren't even official Oprah book club selections.

HARRIS: Well, Stephanie, I was about to ask you about that. What about the book club? When was the last time she actually picked a new book?

ELAM: It was about 10 months ago. It was Elie Wiesel's book. It was "Knife." That's the last one and before that, you may remember it was the much controversial, I'd say, book, the James Frey book about "A Million Little Pieces.

HARRIS: Yeah. Stephanie, give us a quick look at the numbers we saw, the opening bell just a moment ago. Are we off to a quick start?

ELAM: We're off to a good start, which is good because we were on a six-day losing streak before that. Lat week we lost almost one percent on the Dow. The numbers were looking higher. Now you can see they're up about 31 points on the Dow so this is good news. The reason why we are seeing this wait here, the elections are coming so everyone is waiting to see if it is going to be Democrats or Republicans and how that will weigh out.

Now one IPO I do want to tell you about is investment banking firm Keefe, Bruyette and Woods. No the reason they are so big today, KBW is what they are usually called. During 9/11 they lost their offices and half of their staff, a third of their employees. The good news here, they are going public this week. They have mid town offices and they have doubled the employees that they did back then, so it's a good all-American story about the comeback kid.

HARRIS: Great recovery story. All right Steph. Appreciate it. Thank you.

ELAM: Thanks.

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

COLLINS: Buckeye Battle. A Republican senator trying to hold onto his job. We'll have that coming up in the NEWSROOM.

And even an old war horse could use a little nip and tuck. An American legend sails off for repairs. Look at this, live shot. It's the first time it has moved in 24 years. The USS Intrepid. See it here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Can you hear it? The clock ticking down to Election Day. A Republican incumbent running behind is not wasting a single minute. CNN's Bob Franken now with the details now on the battle in the Buckeye State.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The last days reflect the styles of each Senate candidate. Democratic Sherrod brown, the poll-leading challenger held a loud rally last night here in a Columbus church accompanied by space hero and Ohio native John Glenn.

SHERROD BROWN, (D) SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: John Glenn, thank you. It's an honor to be introduced by you.

FRANKEN: The Republican incumbent Senator Mike DeWine was methodically trying to play catch-up, fueling up at a pancake breakfast.

SEN. MIKE DEWINE, (R) OH: Pancakes look good. What's going on?

FRANKEN: DeWine insists his six to eight point deficit looks good. DEWAIN: We are closing. We are closing. Poll this morning had us six down but we are moving the right direction and we are going ft close it and win.

FRANKEN: The Democratic challenger describes Republicans as desperate.

BROWN: They are angry and they can't stand it that they might lose their job and they're saying, I want my blanky.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

FRANKEN: National Republicans decided to blanket other states with money. They have cut off their spending for the Ohio Senate race, but the TV ads are still incessant, from both sides.

DEWINE: I'm Mike DeWine. I approve this message to keep fighting for all our families.

BROWN: I'm Sherrod Brown, I approve this message. It's time to put the middle class first.

FRANKEN: Ohio Democrats have gotten a big boos from the state GOP's corruption problems. Convicted for receiving bribes, just resigned Congressman Bob Ney is considered an embarrassment by his own party. Outgoing Governor Bob Taft pleaded no contest and was fined $4,000 for failing to report gifts. Secretary of state Ken Blackwell, the man who wants to be governor, is far back in the polls.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Bob Franken joining us now live. So, Bob, those that are very concerned about this corruption, obviously has become an issue in these races. But what are some of the other major issues facing Ohioans?

FRANKEN: There's the big issue, playing out in Ohio which is such a bellwether as it is across the United States and that is the war in Iraq that is being debated mightily here. The Republicans feel like they have to be on the defensive on that. They would rather be talking about the economy which they believe is on the upswing. But it really always gets back to the war in Iraq, and across the country, the various scandals that have bedeviled the Republican Party, including the particular emphasis here in Ohio on a variety of corruption questions. Heidi?

COLLINS: All right. Bob Franken there in Ohio. Thank you for that, Bob.

There is a lot at stake tomorrow so stay with us tonight. The best political team on television, wolf Blitzer, Anderson cooper, Larry King, Paula Zahn and Lou Dobbs, we investigate how your vote could impact the next move in Iraq, and who controls Congress. Our election special begins tonight at 7:00 Eastern.

HARRIS: Chad Myers, I wonder if you can get a bit of a two-fer here. Can we look ahead to tomorrow? Oh, we can? And I'm also thinking about the travelers' forecast for today, not trying to get too far ahead.

CHAD MYERS, METEOROLOGIST: The travelers forecast was paid for so I have to get to that.

HARRIS: OK.

MYERS: Just kidding.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Okay, Chad, appreciate it. Thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

HARRIS: You know what? Let's mention this right now. Noon today -- noon today, instead of YOUR WORLD TODAY, we are going to preempt YOUR WORLD TODAY.

COLLINS: My head is bigger than everybody else's.

HARRIS: That's not true in life because I have got a gigantic head here. But today, here's a special. Special election coverage today at noon, in the place of your world today, join all of us. There's Heidi, there's Don Lemon, there's Fredricka and yours truly as well, at noon today, for the entire hour, in the NEWSROOM, special election coverage.

COLLINS: Meanwhile, even an old war horse could use a little nip and tuck. And, boy, the USS Intrepid is certainly going to get it. It will be about 18 to 24 months of restoration and renovation. Look at this now. USS Intrepid slowly, slowly, slowly but surely off the move for the first time in 24 years. An American legend sails off. See it right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A big day for an American legend. Heading off for a much-needed face lift. You are looking at the USS Intrepid, a World War II aircraft airier. You may know it as a museum on New York's Hudson River. This morning it's on the move for the first time since 1982. Just a short while ago, I spoke with Bill White, the president of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WHITE, PRESIDENT, INTREPID MUSEUM: The intrepid is about to move five miles down the Hudson River to its new home, temporarily in Bayonne, New Jersey. She has got about five tractor tugs, 2,100 horsepower, going to move the 30,000 ton aircraft carrier, five kamikaze attacks, 270 sailors give their life in service to our country so this is a very historic day. Some of the former crew members who served on the ship are up there today, you will see them manning the rails. We ask all of America to kind of really not let the Intrepid be out of their minds even though she's out of sight. We have to honor our heroes every day.

COLLINS: This is the first time that the USS Intrepid has moved in 24 years, the first time she set sail.

WHITE: That's right. It is going to be a pretty nervous day for most of us. I wouldn't be telling you the truth if I didn't say I wasn't nervous. But, you know, we've got McAllister Tug. They have been doing this for about 150 years in New York Harbor, they have moved about 1,000 ships, some much bigger than the Intrepid. But you are right, this is the first time -- she has been sitting in the mud for 24 years. It's really going to be a historic move.

COLLINS: Wow. So you have, as you said, some former servicemen on the USS Intrepid that served on that ship. You are also going to be something pretty special when you pass Ground Zero today.

WHITE: That's right. When we pass Ground Zero we are going to unfurl a very special flag that we actually use for Memorial Day. It is going to be the Intrepid's way to render honors to those who were lost on 9/11 at this historic Ground Zero spot. We're going to pass the Statue of Liberty. It's a beautiful day out today for this. We're so excited. We ask all people to please remember the sacrifices of our service members each and every day.

COLLINS: Absolutely. And during a time of war that we are in right now, Bill, though, I know you have mentioned many times that you just don't want people to forget about the Intrepid. It's a two-year project, lots and lots of money going to be spent. What should people be thinking of within that two-year time frame while the Intrepid is being worked on?

WHITE: Well, you know, Heidi, as you said it's so important that, you know, out of sight but not out of mind. A hundred and one service members killed last month in Iraq. Families are being torn up. You know, whether you're for the war or against the war, that's not what the Intrepid is about. The Intrepid is about the humanity behind the hardware. Let's focus on the humanity and support our troops. That's the most important thing we can get out of the message from the Intrepid today. We thank you for bringing the story to your viewers.

COLLINS: We certainly appreciate it for you, too and we wish you the absolute best of luck. We will be watching as she sets sail.

WHITE: I have one other thing for you, Heidi. We have a hat now. Everybody in the studio is going to have to salute you. They will call you the admiral. You have got to wear it the next time I see. And God bless all of you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: All right. So cool.

COLLINS: I'm waiting for that hat.

HARRIS: Still to come, fire at Gatorland, flames and smoke rise high above a Florida tourist attraction. We will have the latest in the NEWSROOM.

And next, half a world away, Iraqis are looking to see how the American elections could affect them. Find out, in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Now to the North Korea nuclear standoff. The U.S. and Japan propose five-way talks. They would come next week on the sidelines of the APEC economic summit in Vietnam. Doing the talking, the U.S., Japan, China, South Korea and Russia. North Korea is not a member of APEC. North Korea conducted its first nuclear test just last month. Last week, Pyongyang agreed to rejoin six-party talks that have been stalled for a year.

HARRIS: The Iraqi government today keeping a watch on reaction to the Saddam Hussein verdict. Hussein now sentenced to death for crimes against humanity. Some of the insurgents battling Iraqi and coalition forces served in the Iraqi military under the deposed ruler. Baghdad and other part itself of Iraq are under a curfew until Tuesday. Iraq's Interior Ministry closed two Sunni television stations in Tikrit, Hussein's hometown. The death sentence is being celebrated in predominantly Shiite parts of Iraq.

American voters are about to have their say, but Iraqis are wondering what's in it for them. Could this election change their lives?

CNN's John Roberts has that from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The campaigning and the war of words in America may be a half a world away, but Iraqis are anticipating the outcome. Fully aware that the results could have a profound effect on their lives.

Though neither is up for re-election, the Iraqis we talked to in this Baghdad neighborhood still associate the Republican and Democratic Parties with George Bush and John Kerry. This man, a Christian, says, "It doesn't matter who wins. If it Bush it might be better. But at least we know him."

Abu Farat (ph), who wouldn't tell us whether he is Shiite or Sunni, he says, "The most important thing for us is that U.S. forces leave Iraq. So any government that takes power, Democrats or Republican, we want them to do us a favor and get the Americans out of Iraq. That's what we're hoping. We hope John Kerry" -- Democrats, he means - "wins the election. He is better than Bush because Bush destroyed Iraq."

The presence of U.S. troops here is both a stabilizing factor and a point of aggravation for many ordinary Iraqis. In some neighborhoods of Baghdad and the towns and villages that surround the capital, American forces are the only security residents can really count on. People don't trust the police, and the Iraqi army isn't yet ready to take over. At the same time, though, they detest the idea that a force for liberation has now become in their eyes an army of occupation. And Baseen Gazi (ph), a Shiite, told us, "It doesn't matter who wins, but the old policy towards Iraq, we hope it changes and that the occupation ends and there is democracy in Iraq. What's important is the American policy towards Iraq, that the occupation leaves and that Iraq has peace."

(on camera): Iraqis we talked to aren't looking for a precipitous withdrawal of U.S. forces, well aware that they may be the only thing preventing the sectarian violence from tipping into all-out civil war, but what they are looking for is some kind of end point, a clear policy that may allow Iraq to soon stand on its own. John Roberts, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Get more election coverage and get it free right on your desktop, today CNN Pipeline is free. It's free, it's for me, with behind the scenes access, more live feeds, campaign coverage. You won't find it anywhere else. CNN Pipeline free all day today, Monday. Go to cnn.com.

COLLINS: Maybe former House Speaker Tip O'Neil said it best, all politics is local. Getting out the vote at the grassroots level. A look at the heated Missouri race coming up in the NEWSROOM.

And playing the numbers game. Pollsters and pundits on the Democrats' chances of taking control of Congress. That's also right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NICOLE LAPIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cnn.com is your campaign headquarters online and with midterm elections come up tomorrow, log onto our special report, America Votes, to get the very latest.

From the main page you can navigate through various tabs to track live results in House, in Senate and in gubernatorial races. Cnn.com will track key races, display vote counts and the percentage of votes each candidate is receiving and also the percentage of precincts counted thus far.

If you're also voting on a ballot measure, we are going have those results also, state by state, all of the propositions, all of the amendments, like Arizona's Proposition 103 that would make English the official language in that state.

And only today, CNN Pipeline is free for the entire day. So here's your big chance to catch up and watch all of the hot political stories. Get the issues and watch the various controversial television ads before casting your vote tomorrow. Point your browser to cnn.com/americavotes. For the dotcom desk I'm Nicole Lapin.

COLLINS: Good Monday morning, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.

HARRIS: I'm Tony Harris. Spend the second hour in the NEWSROOM this morning and stay informed. Here's what's on the run down.

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