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Early Voting in Georgia Today; Truth Behind Campaign Accusations; World Leaders Convene to Discuss Financial Crisis; Which Candidate Promises Best Economic Fix For You?

Aired October 22, 2008 - 10:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: I want to get this information out to you, just into the CNN NEWSROOM. According to the "Associated Press," the White House is going to announce shortly that world leaders are going to meet on the financial crisis in Washington. That meeting is apparently going to take place on November 15th. So obviously after the election on November 4th which is clearly a Tuesday. This, November 15th, in case you don't have your calendar with you, is a Saturday.
We have seen other meetings internationally, I should say, over the weekend. But interesting to point out that it indeed will be on a Saturday. Again, the "Associated Press" is reporting that world leaders are going to be meeting regarding the financial crisis, November 15th in Washington. We'll be following that story for you.

Pushing hard in the swing state. This hour Sarah Palin reaches out to Ohio voters. We're live at her rally.

And Wall Street, not so much of a rally, more worry. Corporate concerns moving the market down.

It is Wednesday, October 22nd, I'm Heidi Collins. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

13 days now until the presidential election. And candidates are on the last lap of their campaign. A lot of miles, a lot of stops and certainly a lot of ground to cover. We're going to cover it all this hour. John McCain began his day in New Hampshire, still looking at live pictures there as he speaks to the crowd. He is going to be traveling on to Ohio a little bit later for rallies with running mate Sarah Palin. Meanwhile Barack Obama in Virginia today. A couple of rallies there. His running mate, Joe Biden, is on a bus tour in the state of Colorado.

All four candidates hitting the battleground states today. So we want to begin with John McCain in a morning rally that I have been telling you about in New Hampshire taking place right now. CNN's Ed Henry is there in Manchester.

Good morning once again, Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

John McCain literally just wrapped up his remarks with a sort of a rousing summation about how he's a fighter, and he wants to fight for people in New Hampshire. The latest CNN poll of polls though in the granite state shows John McCain trailing by about eight points. That's tough for him symbolically. Obviously, New Hampshire is the scene of where he revived his GOP primary campaign several months ago.

He said just a few moments ago to this crowd that he would rather be nowhere else than New Hampshire down trying to come back. That he's basically fought back before. He knows he can do it in this state. He needs the four electoral votes here, not a lot of electoral votes obviously. But when you look at the electoral map, John McCain is trailing in many, many of these battlegrounds. He needs electoral votes everywhere he can. And the way he's trying to do it here is by focusing in on the issue of taxes and Barack Obama's recent comment about how he wanted to spread the wealth around.

And you know, we've obviously heard that before. That's something John McCain has hit over and over. But I can tell you this crowd behind me, very loud, rousing ovation for John McCain. About several hundred people, much less people than we've seen, for example, with Sarah Palin on the stump in a lot of these battleground states. I was in Colorado with her a couple of days ago, she had several, several thousand people for her. So it's an interesting barometer of the situation out here on the trail when John McCain's running mate is still getting much larger crowds than he is, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. CNN's Ed Henry for us there in Manchester, New Hampshire. As you just said, John McCain is now going out and greeting the crowd. Just wrapped up his rally there.

Thank you, Ed.

Your money, your vote. Today we are focusing on a critical question. Will the troubled economy affect your vote in the presidential election?

The candidates are taking no chances as we see in this report now from CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Obama doesn't need Joe the plumber to talk shop.

VICTORIA VILLALBA, SMALL BUSINESS OWNER: I'm not Joe the plumber and I'm not Victoria of Victoria's secret. She's Victoria Villalba, a small business owner from Florida who says times are tough to stay afloat. She along with a small panel of high profile Democrats were assembled to show their support for Barack Obama's economic plan. Governors from Republican-leaning or swing states spoke with one voice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are hurting.

GOV. JENNIFER GRANHOLM (D), MICHIGAN: We have lost 400,000 jobs.

MALVEAUX: It was billed as a growing American job summit hosted in a state Obama is fiercely fighting to win. SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Florida is actually over the last several months lost more jobs even than Ohio and Michigan. So Florida is really getting hammered. This is not unique just to the Midwest.

MALVEAUX: At times it appeared to be a forum designed to showcase Obama's know-how.

OBAMA: I just want everybody to understand what this means.

MALVEAUX: At one point Obama's economic adviser on the panel, former Federal Reserve Paul Volcker, asked the obvious.

PAUL VOLCKER, FMR. FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: I just wonder why I'm here. You give my speech much more effect.

OBAMA: That's because I've been listening to you.

MALVEAUX: Obama used the platform to go after John McCain who says Obama's economic plan is nothing but a big government handout.

OBAMA: These folks are working. This isn't some giveaway to people on welfare.

MALVEAUX: He defended his call for more government intervention and spending as a justifiable approach to fix the economy which would include an energy plan to create a new electricity grid and conserve energy.

OBAMA: It's an expensive project and it's not something that can be done without the help of the federal government.

MALVEAUX: McCain is accusing Obama of exerting government control over private industry or socialism. But Volcker says the Bush administration's bailout plan has already put us on that path.

VOLCKER: But one of the next challenges for the next president will be how do we re-privatize institutions that never needed to be socialized in the first place by this administration?

MALVEAUX (on camera): Volcker says the problem is the lack in trust and confidence in the markets. The fact that big banks don't trust each other and that the biggest problem is that voters have a lack of confidence in their government. They have to be able to feel as if they can rely on their government. Volcker says he believes that Barack Obama will change that.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Lake Worth, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: So where is your money headed today? The opening bell on Wall Street just over 30 minutes ago or so. And you can see right now Dow Jones industrial averages down about 368 points.

Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, a closer look at the credit crisis. Lawmakers will focus this hour on the breakdown of credit rating agencies.

Money fears also casting a large shadow overseas. Asian markets tank in overnight trading. Japan's Nikkei index closed down nearly seven percent. South Korea's market lost more than five percent. Things not quite as bad in Europe, but trading is still down. Last check markets in both England and Germany were down more than 3.5 percent.

The politics of money. The power of fear. The gut-churning ride on Wall street has left investments battered and nerves rattled. So how will the election affected by the morning headlines? CNN's Christine Romans is in New York once again for us this morning.

So we did just get word, Christine, according to the "Associated Press" about this meeting that apparently is going to take place on November 15th, financial crisis for all world leaders to get together and talk about it.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And CNN of course has confirmed that now. And that is a Saturday, you're right.

It's a good day for people to get together, world leaders to get together and talk about what's happening in this economy, what's happening in the crisis worldwide. It allows them to really sort of hash out any kind of message that they want to send before markets open again on Monday morning. So again, November 15th, a global summit in Washington to talk about the financial crisis. We'll hear more about that in the president's daily briefing. The White House daily briefing coming up in just a couple of hours or so.

But there's a lack of trust and confidence between the banks. Suzanne was talking about that. That lack of trust and confidence that you're seeing on Wall Street and between the banks. They're also seeing a lack of trust and confidence among voters and their government and the leadership that we've seen so far in this financial crisis. The most recent CNN opinion research poll showing that federal assistance to banks in exchange for an ownership share, 53 percent think that's a bad idea. That's, of course, what we are pursuing right now.

Let's talk about government assistance to big companies in exchange for an ownership share. 58 percent think that's a bad idea. How about government assistance to homeowners who cannot pay their mortgages? Well, here is where this changes. You think that more people think that's a good idea. They favor that. 58 percent think that they like to see some sort of direct assistance to homeowners. So a theme here. Remember for weeks and weeks, we've been talking about if we don't do this, something terrible is going to happen.

COLLINS: Right.

ROMANS: Americans have been told this over and over and over again. And a lot of leaders in Congress switch their votes. A lot of members in Congress switch their votes and passed something that they said that they didn't want to pass in the first place because they thought there was this real sense of urgency. Well voters, this poll of registered voters showing they still don't really like it. They don't like what they're seeing her right now. And there's a real sense of unease as they head into the voting booth in just a couple of weeks, Heidi, about where we've come and how we're trying to get out of it.

COLLINS: Yes. It is certainly fascinating to look at those numbers and a lot more discussion is going to take place -

ROMANS: That's right.

COLLINS: All across the world. No doubt about it as we have just mentioned here. All right.

CNN's Christine Romans for us live in New York this morning.

Your money, your vote. A new CNN Opinion Research poll shows six in 10 Americans say the economy will be extremely important in their vote come Election Day. And voters in battleground states have some key concerns when it comes to the economy as well. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow is in New York. Unfortunately, that is not the case. We are going to go to Poppy just as soon as we possibly can.

I believe, are we standing by guys, to hear from the president about this potential meeting we've been hearing about? All right. We apparently are going to be hearing from President Bush shortly about the international meeting that we mentioned to you that will take place on November 15th about the financial crisis. It's going to be several different world leaders will be meeting in Washington. We are likely to get more detail on that. And just as soon as we do, of course, we'll bring it to you.

Now I think we're going to Poppy Harlow.

Hi there, Poppy.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hey, there. I can hear you now.

COLLINS: Excellent.

HARLOW: We're talking about the battleground states today and just how critical the economy is. States like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, they are so important in this election. There are also some of the states where economic concerns are so important because they've been hit hardest by this economic downturn. Let's start off with Pennsylvania here. Take a look there at the unemployment rate. You see just how it has jumped 1.3 percent in the past year. You can bet when voters head to the poll, jobs will be the key issue. They're asking, hey which candidate will create more jobs or at least help me keep the job I have right now.

Another thing that's critical there is manufacturing. Pennsylvania is rich in coal. Mining jobs are actually one place where there's been an increase in the hiring in the state. Senators McCain and Obama are both promising some pretty hefty investments in clean coal technology. That could bring some more jobs in to Pennsylvania, luring some of that corporate money from energy companies. But you know what? It's the construction and the manufacturing sectors in Pennsylvania that have seen the greatest decline in the past year.

Take a look at these numbers here. Construction jobs have fallen almost three percent since last September. Manufacturing jobs -- manufacturing jobs down almost three percent. Construction jobs down more than two percent. A lot of voters concerned with those jobs, Heidi, being shipped overseas.

COLLINS: Boy, it's certainly upsetting when you think about all of that. so everybody wants to be working here.

HARLOW: Yes.

COLLINS: CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow. We sure do appreciate that. Thank you, Poppy.

And again, we are watching the gizmo, as we call it, down on the bottom of the screen there, the right-hand side, Dow Jones Industrial Averages down about 365 points right now.

Apparently we are going to be going to White House spokesperson Dana Perino who is at the podium regarding this meeting we've been telling you about. Let's go ahead and listen in for just a few moments.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

DANA PERINO, CNN WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON: ... two areas to discuss, areas of on going cooperation especially when it comes to Liberia's security sector, combating malaria and improving the quality of education in Liberia. It's also an opportunity for the president to reinforce the United States' long-term commitment to assist Liberia in reconstruction and stabilization efforts.

Early next week on October 27th, in Monrovia, the Peace Corps director Ron Tschetter will swear in 12 Peace Corps volunteers as the first group to return in over 18 years. With the country enjoying a new period of peace, and at the request of President Sirleaf, the Peace Corps is re-establishing a program to help rebuild Liberia's education infrastructure. And it was last year in October that the president of the United States told President Sirleaf that we would work to make that happen. So he is going to be happy to talk about that today.

Just one note. There were over 4400 Peace Corps volunteers in Liberia before they left in 1990 due to the civil war.

Now, on to the news that some of you have already had a chance to find out about. The President today is going to invite the leaders of a group of 20 countries -- 20 countries to a summit in Washington, D.C.. That will be November 15th. And it will be to discuss the financial markets and the global economy. The meeting will be preceded by a dinner the night before, on November 14th, at the White House hosted by President and Mrs. Bush. The leaders will review progress being made to address the current financial crisis, advance a common understanding of its causes and in order to avoid a repetition, agree on a common set of principles for reform of the regulatory and institutional regimes for the world's financial sectors. These principles can be further developed by working groups for consideration in subsequent summits as announced on Saturday night by President Bush, President Sarkozy and the president of the E.C. Barroso.

In addition we expect that the leaders will discuss the effects of the crisis on emerging economies and developing nations. The summit will also provide an important opportunity for leaders to strengthen the underpinnings of capitalism, by discussing their commitment to open competitive economies as well as trade and investment liberalization. We don't have a venue yet for you here in Washington, D.C.. But we'll get that as soon as possible.

There's only 23 days between now and that meeting. Usually when you have a big summit like this, you have over a year to plan. So we're going to put it together quickly. We're going to do it here in D.C.. We think that's the best way to get it done most efficiently and actually cut down on costs for all of us. So we're looking forward to the meeting. We do expect heads of government. The President has spent the past couple of days on the phone with a lot of different leaders, talking to them about their thoughts about this meeting, and today he is proud to be able to announce that he's inviting them here for that meeting on the 15th and the dinner on the 14th.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

PERINO: As I said, we will look for his input after the election. But I think it's too early to say. We don't know what that president will want or not want to do. And so we'll just leave that open for now, but just to say the president does anticipate --

COLLINS: White House Press Secretary Dana Perino there commenting on a number of things but most importantly we were interested in what she was going to be telling us about this world leader meeting, if you will, that's going to take police on November 15th regarding the global financial crisis. So again, she did confirm that for us November 15th. It's a Saturday. No venue yet. But I'm sure shortly we will learn of where that is going to take place in Washington.

Meanwhile, I want to take you to the other event that we've been telling you about. Governor Sarah Palin at the podium in Finley, Ohio.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... are similar to his earlier assessment of Barack Obama all throughout the primary -- remember he said, and it wasn't that long ago that Barack Obama wasn't up to the job and that, "the presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training." This is the same Joe Biden that said he would be honored to run on the ticket with John McCain because, "he said the country would be better off."

And here we have some common ground. We finally have common ground with Joe Biden. OK. I too, I want a president who spent 22 years in uniform defending our great country.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

PALIN: I want a president who isn't afraid to use the word victory when he talks about the wars that America is fighting. I, too, want a president ready on day one. I want a president with the experience and the judgment and the wisdom and the truthfulness to be able to meet the next international crisis or, better yet, to avoid it. I want a president who wants to win the war on terrorism.

And as the mother of one of the troops over in Iraq today, I know that we need John McCain as the next commander in chief.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

Now, I understand that in Hancock County, you're known for letting your spirit show, and I can already feel that here. You're known for letting your spirit show. So I would ask you, if we could take a moment, and those whom we need to show the great heart and spirit of America in thankfulness to those who have defended us, those of you who have served in the past, you are veterans. Those of you serving us in uniform today, raise your hand and let us thank you because we do thank you.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

Thank you so much. We thank you. Thank you, sir. Yes, we do thank you for your service and your sacrifice. Now, I think that if that was a protester -- they escorted him out too early. I think that person would have learned a little bit from all of you as we just thanked our U.S. military.

Well, it is just so great to be here with you all again. I thank you for coming out today. It's great to be in the hometown of Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. You've got to be so proud of him. I would be so proud of him. Ben and Finley, obviously know a little something about victory. I'm hoping we can count on you to put us over the top on Election Day, Finley. Ohio, are you ready to help carry this state to victory? Are you ready to make John McCain become the next president of the United States? Are you ready to send us to Washington to shake things up? Thank you.

Ohio, I know that each one of you, you are here today because you know of the stakes in this election, how important this is. This is about the future of our country. I look at these young kids especially, and I say this is about their future. This is about the future of America. Our country today is facing tough economic times, and now, more than ever, we need someone tough as president. We need a leader with experience and courage and good judgment and truthfulness. We need someone with a bold and a free and fair plan of action to take this country in a new direction. We need John McCain.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

John and I will help our families keep their homes and help our retirees keep their savings, those investments that they have worked all of their lives for. We will help all of us be able to afford good health care. We're going to help our students pay for college.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

Our economic plan will get this economy back on the right track. We'll bring tax relief to every American and every business. And I know that here in Ohio small business owners, you guys are the backbone of this economy. The backbone of the American economy. Those of you -- in fact, how many of you are small business owners or you work for small business? We're speaking to you. We are speaking to you because you are the backbone of the U.S. economy. We're going to let you keep more of what you earn and produce so that you can hire more people. That's how jobs are created.

Families, John and I will lower your income taxes. We're going to double the child tax deduction for every family. We're going to cut capital gains tax, and we're going to cut business taxes. Right now the U.S. business tax is the second highest in the world. We will cut that tax to keep American businesses in America.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

You know, when it comes to taxes, you do have a real choice, a clear choice on November 4th. I want to talk about this for a minute, because our opponent is not being candid with you about his tax plans, and it is not mean spirited. It is not negative campaigning to call someone out on their record and their plan and their associations. It's in fairness to you. It's not negative. It is in fairness to the electorate.

And you have to really listen to our opponent's words. You have to hear what he's saying. Because he's hiding his real agenda of redistributing your hard-earned money. He says he's for a tax credit which is when government takes your money and gives it away to someone else. And John McCain and I are for a real tax cut which is when government takes less of your earnings in the first place.

You know, I think we've really got to hand it to old Joe the plumber up the road in Toledo. Somehow Joe got our opponent to accomplish something that the rest of us had not been able to accomplish. He finally got Obama to state his intentions in plain language. Senator Obama says now he wants to spread the wealth. And what that means, what that means is that government takes your money and doles it out however a politician would see fit. And Barack Obama calls this spreading the wealth. And Joe Biden calls it higher taxes, patriotic. But from right here in Ohio, Joe the plumber said to him it sounded like socialism.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

COLLINS: A little taste of that event as well taking place in Finley, Ohio, there. All right. We will be covering all the candidates today as always right here on CNN.

No excuses. Many voters are making sure they're not caught short on Election Day by making their vote count right now. A live shot for you, Lawrenceville, Georgia, early voting lines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Early bird voters lining up in big numbers across 31 states and the District of Columbia. Voters in Florida, Louisiana and Kansas are among those casting pre-election day ballots. Election officials in Florida are adding new equipment and updating Web sites with wait times on the third day of early voting there. Long lines also being reported in Kansas where early voting began yesterday. In Louisiana state election officials say some 34,000 people voted on the first day of early balloting.

Georgia is one of the states voting early so far about 13 percent of the state's registered voters are already locked in. CNN's Fredricka Whitfield is there for all the action this morning, from a polling center in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Hi there, Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Heidi.

Well, election history is being measured in so many different ways. Just take a look at this line. And this is the beginning of the line here in Gwinnett County, just outside of Atlanta at this polling station. Now take a look at the end of the line. We already know that it's about an hour wait from this point on. But take a look. It goes down as far as the eye can see. And then it doubles around into this second lane. And it's likely to fill up here, too. Because we're talking about the polling station has been open only a little over an hour now, and folks are lining up here.

It doesn't matter how long they have to wait. They've turned out in large numbers. And this is really the scene across the state of Georgia. Already some 690,000 people have taken advantage of early voting, not just in this county but across the state.

And it's a pretty significant number because already that measures to about 21 percent of the entire voting population during the last presidential election. 3.3 million people turned out then. And now we're already seeing we're getting close to that national figure, the estimated number of about one-third of voters will be voting, taking advantage of early voting before November 4th election day. Let's find out exactly why folks have turned out such as yourself.

Why are you here taking advantage of early voting?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just wanted to go ahead and get it out of the way. So I won't have to come. I think the lines will be longer on the 4th. So I wanted to go out and get it out of the way today. It's going to be colder on the 4th, also. WHITFIELD: That's right. That's one good incentive. So when you came out here initially and then you saw this line, did you think, wait a minute, I didn't quite expect it this way?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't expect it. But I'm going to hold it out. This is probably the most important election. This is my first time being able to vote.

WHITFIELD: I was just going to ask you that. This got to be your first time voting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's my first time.

WHITFIELD: So what's it feel like so far? Exciting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It feels good. I feel like a new man, after this, I will.

WHITFIELD: Good. Excellent. All right. We'll find out why others are standing in line. We don't want you to lose your place. I think you're a couple of folks ahead there. All right. How about you? Why are you out here voting early?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE; Just the convenience of picking my time rather than the day the nation votes. It's more convenient for me working second shift to vote early. So --

WHITFIELD: Well, that seems to sum it up that a lot of folks decided they want to vote early -- I got to get under this line here, Heidi, in order to really get close to the people here.

Let's find out from you. Why did you decide to come out early, even though it means maybe an hour, maybe two hours to vote?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been more than an hour already. My daughter's in college and she came home. So we wanted to go ahead and get both of us voted.

WHITFIELD: Have you done this before? Early voting?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've never early voted, no.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, what was the impetus this time? Why did you say, you know what? This is the year I'm going to do this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I'm hoping that this line is shorter than if I waited till November 4th. Plus I wanted to make sure that she came with me, get her to vote.

WHITFIELD: All right. What are your impressions?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really long line. It's my first time voting for the presidential election. I don't know. I'm imagining that it will be a lot shorter than November 4th.

WHITFIELD: Is it excited to you being involved in this election? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Actually, I'm in college and a lot of my friends, we talk about the debates, we talk about who's being elected, who's running and all that stuff. It's really interesting.

WHITFIELD: All right. Excellent. I want to say congratulations. Because it does feel good to vote, whether it's on November 4th, or it's early voting as you guys are doing.

All right how about for you gentlemen here? Why is it so important for you to vote early, even if it means standing in line for two hours?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's convenient. My schedule's actually packed for the 4th. So, why not get out early, put my vote in, do my part?

WHITFIELD: And the weather is good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of cold.

WHITFIELD: It's cold but it's sunny.

All right. How about you? How good does it feel to vote early?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's great. I mean, the convenience of it. I don't have to worry about coming back in the lines for November 4th. It's wonderful.

WHITFIELD: All right. Good job. All right. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

All right. So, folks are willing to stand in line if it means being able to vote early like they are. About two weeks now ahead of schedule. And Heidi, 31 states, as you mentioned, and the District of Columbia taking advantage of early voting like this. But guess what? Next week, even more.

COLLINS: Sure.

WHITFIELD: Two more states, New Jersey and Oklahoma will be joining in the ranks of voting early without excuses, meaning you can just show up. You don't have to have a note from your doctor or anybody else in order to take advantage of early voting.

COLLINS: Yes. Well it is exciting. I love the first-time voter enthusiasm from that young lady there, as well. And I also love that being from Minnesota that Georgians are saying that it is cold. What is it? like 60?

WHITFIELD: I know. We're wimps. You see I have a coat on.

COLLINS: I know you do. That's all right. That's all right. Love that --

WHITFIELD: I know, it's not bad.

COLLINS: Talking with the early voters. Lots of enthusiasm out there.

Thank you, Fred.

CNN is keeping them honest. If you have trouble at the polls, call the CNN Voter Hotline. Help us track the problems and then of course, we will report the trouble in real time. That number is on the bottom of your screen there, 877-462-6608. We are keeping them honest all the way through the election and beyond.

The CNN Truth Squad looking at dozens of claims from both sides on the campaign trail. Now, many of them about issue number one. You know what it is, your money. CNN's Josh Levs is joining me now with two of the most popular fact checks of the election.

All right. I'm dying to know. What are they?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, I wonder if you'd be surprised by this. I'll just tell you, the Truth Squad has had tremendous response on TV and online. Millions of people visiting the fact check site here at .com. Now, one of the most popular ones we've had is about this attack, which is part of John McCain's stump speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: 94 times Senator Obama voted either to raise taxes or against tax cuts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: And you can see that we ruled that one misleading. Now factcheck.org, which is run by the non-partisan Annenberg Public Policy Center, broke down those 94 votes that we keep hearing about all the time.

Hear's their breakdown. It found that 23 were against proposed tax cuts; 7 were measures that would lower taxes for a lot of people, raise them for a few; 11 were to increase taxes on people making more than a million a year to fund programs like Head Start. Then you have 53 that were for resolutions that would not on their own raise taxes.

Also the total includes multiple votes on the same measures as you're seeing right there. So, when you put all that together, the Truth Squad determined that when you hear that about the 94 votes, that attack, Heidi, is misleading.

COLLINS: Another misleading claim. This one's from Barack Obama about health care. And some of these proposals have been really confusing. So I'm interested to know this one.

LEVS: Yes, no kidding. This is a really -- obviously this it's a really hot topic this year. Again, it's one of the most popular Truth Squad fact checks that we've done. This is Obama saying that McCain will do to health care what was done to banking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's right. He wants to deregulate the insurance industry just like he fought to deregulate the banking industry. And we can all see how well that's worked out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: And again, misleading there. Now, here's why. McCain wrote this in a magazine article that Obama was referring to. We have a graphic.

He said, "Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products, less burden by the worst excesses of state based regulation."

Short version here, McCain wants to carry out some types of deregulation on the health industry. But he is not calling for all the deregulations that were done to banking. So that one also, Heidi, as you can see is misleading.

COLLINS: You know. Why misleading? Let's just tell the truth. Can you call them? Come on, Josh.

LEVS: Well, sometimes they get false. Sometimes they get false. But, it's there's a technical way that they could justify it in very tiny, narrow terms, then they'd get a misleading. That's all we can do.

COLLINS: All right. Josh Levs, we sure do appreciate it. Thank you.

Coming up in just a few minutes, we are going to be talking about the weather because we've been seeing these shots today of the early voting that's been going on. And some of it taking place in Georgia. We've been told people are cold. Jackie Jeras coming up in just a moment.

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COLLINS: Evacuations underway east of Los Angeles, this morning. Voluntary evacuation orders in effect for about 100 homes near a Buddhist temple near Fontana, California. The fire broke out overnight, already charred at least 100 acres.

Also a major forest fire burning in southern New Jersey. About 150 firefighters are battling that blaze across three counties. About 1,000 acres are burned. Smoke is being seen in Atlantic City, about 30 miles away. No homes are damaged.

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COLLINS: Remember Monday's big Wall Street rally? Well, it's kind of ancient history already. What's making the Dow tumble today? Now down about 300 points.

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COLLINS: The CNN money team is coming up to talk more about these issues. In just a couple minutes a great panel discussion headed your way.

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COLLINS: Thirteen days until the presidential election and the candidates are on the last lap of their campaigns now. A lot of miles and a lot of stops. John McCain began the day in New Hampshire. He then will be traveling on to Ohio for rallies with his running mate, Sarah Palin. From there, Senator McCain will go on to Florida.

Meanwhile, Senator Barack Obama in Virginia today for a couple of rallies there. He will then travel to Wisconsin. His running mate, Joe Biden, is on a bus tour across Colorado.

We'll be talking a little more about your money and your vote and how the two tie together in just a moment, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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COLLINS: President Bush will host world leaders next month for a summit on the international financial crisis. We put together our own panel to assess the continuing economic troubles. CNN's Christine Romans is here now live from New York with several guests to talk about all of this.

And as we look at the Dow Jones as well, down now by about 275 points there, Christine.

ROMANS: Hi there, Heidi.

That is absolutely right. We're here with Paul La Monica, Jeanne Sahadi, and Poppy Harlow to talk about your money and your vote.

For many of these swing states, Poppy, when people go to the voting booth in just less than two weeks, they are going to be reacting to a lot of things they're feeling in their economy -- foreclosures, wages going down, joblessness going up.

HARLOW: That's exactly what it's about. Let's look at Pennsylvania, its unemployment is up, jobs in manufacturing and construction are down. Their only hope is really in coal because Obama and McCain want to push that investment in clean coal technology.

Ohio, the Buckeye State, again jobs, jobs, jobs. GM cut a plant in Ohio, and also National City, that bank, it said yesterday they're cutting 4,000 jobs.

And then Florida, forget it. It's all about housing, all about how are you going to (INAUDIBLE) those foreclosures. These are huge issues.

ROMANS: We made this big map that sort of shows which states are suffering the most. And if you look at the states that are suffering the most, they are red states on this map, you can see -- red, meaning the color of those states not because of the way they lean -- you can see on those maps, you can see states like Ohio, you can see Florida, a very high foreclosure rate in Florida. And that is continuing.

We know that layoffs last month across the country were the highest since September 11th, 2001. That tells you that these two candidates have to deal with an awful lot of pocketbook issues when these folks go to the polls.

Now, the promises they're making on the campaign trail, have they changed? And are they realistic?

JEANNE SAHADI, CNNMONEY.COM: Most of the promises have not changed. What they've done is they've added new promises in forms of stimulus proposals. Obama wants to increase jobless benefits. McCain wants to increase tax rates on seniors withdrawal from retirement accounts. Both of them want to remove the tax burden on jobless workers, on their unemployment benefits. And both of them want to make it easier for seniors to get money -- rather, for seniors not to have to withdraw money --

ROMANS: Either candidate has some similar, very short-term, temporary moves that would help people right now. Both candidates.

SAHADI: Both candidates, but basically their bigger proposals -- they're going to have a very hard time putting those into effect.

Both of them are calling for a lot of tax cuts. Regardless of what they say about each other, both of them want a lot, a lot of tax cuts. They're not going to be able to afford it.

ROMANS: Right. Well, so many people say tax cuts may not be good policy right now or good long-term policy, but sure is good politics.

PAUL LA MONICA, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, CNNMONEY.COM: Yes, obviously it definitely is. So clearly you're going to hear more about that, I think, in the final stage of the campaign.

But as everyone has been pointing out, jobs is really, I think, the most important thing right now. And it's interesting that both Obama and McCain have been hinting at job growth through their energy policies. Obviously, McCain is really, strongly pushing for more nuclear power. We've had Obama also looking at other alternative sources of energy, such as solar and wind. And I think that's going to be something that they're going to be stressing for the long term for job growth.

HARLOW: I think the big issue there, especially with this bailout bill, our economy being so strained in terms of having money to spend, the spending in that alternative energy, that we create those jobs, it's just not happening. It's not there. So the question is -- they'd like it, but I really wonder if it can happen if either of them gets in office.

ROMANS: So bottom line, each of you, quickly, when people go into the voting booth, what are they supposed to take away about which one of these candidates -- I guess it depends on what policy you're looking at, whether it's energy or health care. By the way, both health care policies are very, very different as well.

HARLOW: Yes, unfortunately the candidates can't appeal to both voters. They can't appeal to the person that needs their job at a bank and the person that needs their jobs in a car factory. They can't. They have -- people are voting on their jobs this year.

ROMANS: And we know that issue No. 1 is still the economy. 51 percent of voters say that's the No. 1 thing they're going to consider when they go in the booth.

SAHADI: I think voters should really have a realistic view and realize that if anyone wants to show real leadership in the presidential position next year they're going to have to be willing to be an unpopular president because they're going to have to make some really unpopular decisions.

ROMANS: And why aren't they selling that on the campaign trail?

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ROMANS: It must not get you elected if you stand up and talk about the big sacrifices.

LA MONICA: No one goes into this wanting this to be a one-term president, let's be honest. The moment the election is over, they automatically start thinking about 2012.

I think really, though, that the key is obviously jobs, and I don't think taxes are really going to be as big of an issue even though it's certainly being pressed a lot. I think there are more mundane things like food prices still remain stubbornly high, even with energy prices coming down. I think the average consumer, American, is looking for relief beyond just tax relief --

ROMANS: There is this most recent poll from Opinion Research Corporation and CNN today that showed the majority of Americans don't like the bailout, they don't like giving money to banks, an American taxpayer taking a stake in the banks. They don't like that. And the approval rating, Paulson just 28 percent. I'm wondering about some of those other races where congressmen voted for that bill, I'm wondering about people who -- what that's going to mean for some other races.

SAHADI: Both candidates voted for that bill.

ROMANS: Right.

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ROMANS: Poppy Harlow, Jeanne Sahadi, Paul La Monica -- Heidi, back to you. COLLINS: All right, guys, thanks so much for that. CNN's Christine Romans for us there in New York, along with all of her guests.

Polling stations are packed with early voters. As you know we've been showing you this morning. But the boost in turnout could also boost the risk of voting glitches. Is your vote at risk? Trouble at the polls, it's part of our day-long focus tomorrow right here on CNN.

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