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The Final Push to Election Day; John McCain Campaigns in Ohio

Aired October 31, 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: The clock is ticking and the candidates aren't wasting a single minute.
Presidential hopeful, Senator John McCain in Ohio much of today; he's getting ready to rally Republicans in Hanoverton this hour. We're going to take you there. And then tomorrow he will head on to Virginia.

McCain's running mate, Governor Sarah Palin on the stump in Pennsylvania; she will be in Florida tomorrow.

After a late night rally in Missouri, Senator Obama heads for Ohio, then it's on to Indiana, landing in Nevada around midnight. Obama's VP pick, senator Joe Biden starts off back in his home state of Delaware. Then it's on to Ohio. He'll wrap things up in Indiana.

The best political team on television following their every move. Here is two of them now. Dana Bash chasing the McCain bus tour across Ohio and Suzanne Malveaux covering Obama in Iowa.

Let's begin with you, Dana. Not to say that you're actually running alongside the bus or anything but it's Senator John McCain's second day in Ohio as we know. What does he hope to accomplish with those voters today?

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, specifically, Heidi, I think today this particular area is a good indication of the challenge that he has and what he feels like he has to do. This area of Ohio -- let's look at the numbers -- over the past 20 years has really gone back and forth between the Democratic and Republican candidate. It's clearly a swing area.

So what he needs to do is convince particularly Independents and conservative Democrats -- this is a pretty rural area -- that they should vote for him and not for Barack Obama. Basically it's the theme that you hear from McCain aides, particularly in this urgent, urgent rush to the finish, is that he's trying to convince those undecided voters, and there still are undecided voters out there, even those who think they're going to vote for Barack Obama but aren't entirely sure, try to convince them that Barack Obama is not like them philosophically particularly on the issue of the economy.

You're going to hear behind me, I'm sure what we've heard time and time again, the basic idea that he says Barack Obama is going to raise some taxes and he says it won't affect you, but it will. He'll explain why. And also the idea, just on the experience issue. He's been hitting this idea that Joe Biden, Barack Obama's running mate, says be careful if Barack Obama is elected, America's enemies will want to test him. McCain has been saying I don't need to be tested.

Again, it's putting a seed, many seeds of doubt in these undecided voters' minds because really they don't have a lot of time. They're going to have to make up their minds soon. They're trying to make the statement that Barack Obama is just too risky.

You probably hear the crowd starting behind me. They just announced John McCain is about to come in here.

COLLINS: Yes. It's a little difficult to hear you. I'm sure you can't hear us at all. We're going to keep our eye on this picture. When Senator McCain comes to the podium there in Ohio, we of course will bring it to our viewers at home.

Dana Bash right there, following the McCain campaign. Thank you, Dana.

This morning finds Obama back in Iowa where many months ago he scored an upset victory. Suzanne Malveaux also back in Des Moines. You've been on that campaign trail for a whole year, Suzanne. Why do you think Obama's back in Iowa where he's leading with just four days to go now.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hard to believe it's been a whole year, Heidi but yes, it has been. It was really quite incredible what happened here in Iowa because a lot of people didn't expect it, including the Obama campaign.

He had been working very hard, about a year or so before the Iowa caucuses. He was here shaking hands, the snow, the sleet, the rain; we followed him many of those days. What people say -- the voters in Iowa say why did you support him early on? Why did you believe in him? They said they had a lot of time to get to know him. That is what happened.

And essentially they really built up a very strong ground organization, a lot of volunteers, a lot of people coming out before the Iowa caucuses.

There's some good numbers coming out of Iowa as well. They're allowed to vote early through absentee ballot, at their polling station, 40 days prior to the election, just four days out now, they're now saying every single day that the Democrats and Republicans have been able to do it, the Democrats have outnumbered the Republicans when it comes to voting absentee, when it comes to voting early. They believe that is a very good indication that things are going towards Barack Obama's way.

That is something the campaign has been watching very closely, and they believe that it's one of the reasons they can be confident that some of those swing states that we've been looking at are going to go in Barack Obama's favor, simply because of those early voting numbers that have been so strong and so much bigger, if you will, than the Republicans -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, CNN's Suzanne Malveaux for us covering the Barack Obama campaign there in Iowa today. Thank you, Suzanne.

Quickly I want to get back to the story that we told you about a little while ago here in the CNN Newsroom, something that's happening off the coast of Miami involving a coast guard rescue. These are some of the pictures we've been showing you. We have an update on the story from Coast Guard Petty Officer James Harless who is on the line right now.

Petty Officer Harless, why don't you go ahead and tell us exactly what's happening out there, some of these pictures that we are getting in, a little bit hard to decipher for us.

JAMES HARLESS, COAST GUARD PETTY OFFICER: Good morning. What I can tell you, initially what started off this morning as a search and rescue case for the coast guard, after initial investigation we deemed it a migrant interdiction.

We have a report of 18 individuals who have been brought aboard coast guard assets and local law enforcement assets. And there's been one confirmed death.

One confirmed death and 18 people that have been taken on board a Coast Guard vessel. Do you have any idea, Petty Officer Harless, where these people are from as of yet?

HARLESS: No, we don't. We don't have any confirmation of who these individuals are. It would be pure speculation at this point. The one unfortunate death is just proof of how dangerous coming to the United States illegally can be. We just continue to stress to individuals that there are legal ways and legal means to try to come to the United States.

COLLINS: Excellent point. I know as a Coast Guard member you often are the ones who are out there who see these unfortunate cases obviously. Coast Guard Petty Officer James Harless, once again, thank you for the update; 18 people have been taken off a boat off the coast of Miami and brought on board a Coast Guard vessel. Unfortunately there has been one death. We will stay on top of this story for you as well.

Quickly now, I want to get over to the Severe Weather Center where Reynolds Wolf is standing by talking about what's happened in Texas. Good morning to you, Reynolds.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. We're talking about these two minor earthquakes we had in Texas. And a funny thing that happens to be, if you have these earthquakes -- I believe they're like a 3.892, you have those in San Francisco, you just yawn and then keep drinking the morning coffee. If that happens in Texas, that's a little bit unusual.

Something else we've seen that's been unusual, some of the record temperatures. Take a look at what we had just yesterday, Phoenix getting up to 94 degrees. Needles, California, up to 92, 89 in Barstow, in Salt Lake City 77, and mid 70s for Cedar City, Utah.

Now on the other side of the coin, with the warm up it would be nice and cool. Some record low temperatures that we have for you. Let's pop those up. You'll notice those temperatures actually a little bit cooler in parts out towards the west.

Let's show you our surface map. Here's what you can expect for the day. Partly cloudy skies in parts of the northeast; high pressure is going to keep things relatively dry until you get to Jacksonville, Florida, right near St. Augustine, you can expect some scattered showers near the bridge of Lyons, southward I'd say to about the dry Tortugas. Meanwhile back over the central plains very dry. But if you get into Arkansas, parts of Missouri, even into Kansas and Oklahoma, you might see some raindrops there and for the Pacific Northwest same story.

In terms of temperatures that we can expect later on today, highs going to 61 degrees in New York, 67 for the Windy City of Chicago, Portland with 62 with those scattered showers I was talking about, and 92 once again in Phoenix.

For tonight, the trick or treaters, a lot of kids going out there. You're going to have great conditions to the Central Plains back in the Midwest; beautiful with low temperatures dropping back in the 40s.

For Atlanta, right around 50 degrees near Stone Mountain. Meanwhile in New York, mainly some 30s and 40s. But check out again most of your West Coast as you go from San Francisco northward to Seattle, got a chance of some scattered showers, maybe a rumble of thunder. It looks like overall a very damp trick or treat for the poor kids on the West Coast.

For the parents, when the kids come home and check out the candy, just making sure everything is safe and eating half the bag with the kids, doesn't matter if you have raindrops or not.

COLLINS: Exactly. And weird in Texas. We're going to keep our eye on that one.

WOLF: A little unusual but yes, we'll watch it. It could happen again.

COLLINS: OK, all right Reynolds, we'll check back later on. Thanks.

WOLF: Any time.

COLLINS: A health warning in Bakersfield, California, follows the first dust storm of the season. The blowing sand is making it hard to see. And health officials say people should take extra precautions now before going outside. The fear is the dust could worsen breathing problems and possibly cause valley fever. Valley fever is a lung infection caused by a fungus that is sometimes found in the dirt. Your money, issue number one from coast to coast. In California a conference on the mortgage crisis. We'll hear from Ben Bernanke, of course you see him there, chairman of the Federal Reserve. He is expected to call on Washington to find new ways to ease the crisis.

We're also watching Wall Street, of course, a live look at the big board now shows Dow Jones Industrial averages up about 23 points. Watching that all day long as usual.

Markets just as volatile overseas; big sell-offs across Asia. Japan's Nikkei closed down more than 5 percent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng slid 2.5 percent, Europe also reversed its course, at least, from yesterday's gains. Markets in Britain and France have been in the negative all morning long.

Silver lining, though, through the rough times; got to give you that. Gas prices, you, I'm sure have noticed, they have actually gone down for the 44th straight day. According to Triple A today's national average $2.50 a gallon.

Time to fall back and get an extra hour of sleep; we waited all year for this. This weekend is when we change our clocks. So make sure you set your clocks back an hour before you go to bed Saturday night. Officially the change comes at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.

A new law actually went into effect last year starting Daylight Savings Time, the second week in March and ending the first Sunday in November. There you have it. You get your extra hour that we've all been waiting for.

I also want to let you know, we are waiting for Senator John McCain to take the podium there today. He is in Hanoverton, Ohio. We're looking at former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. We'll you there just as soon as John McCain comes to the microphone.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Senator John McCain spending another day in Ohio, right now he's holding a rally at the Union High School Gym in Hanoverton, Ohio. We see former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani at the podium getting ready to introduce him. As you may know, 20 electoral votes are at stake in this state.

Tonight, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will add some muscle to the campaign when he joins McCain in Columbus. We'll bring that event to you live when John McCain gets to the podium.

Countdown to the election; ten issues, ten days. We've already looked at where the presidential candidates stand on taxes, energy, health care, education and housing. Today we turn the page to homeland security.

Senator Barack Obama proposes implementing the 9/11 commission recommendations. He also wants to provide technical assistance to first responders. Senator John McCain says he will implement the 9/11 commission recommendations as well. He will also provide more and improved communications equipment to first responders.

Obama would work to protect critical infrastructure like chemical plants. He will strive to coordinate domestic intelligence. McCain would also protect critical infrastructure like chemical plants. He also wants to provide more military intelligence, Special Forces and civil affairs personnel.

Obama would revise the Patriot Act and he voted for the FISA amendment act. McCain voted for the Patriot Act and FISA but he did not attend the July vote to update FISA.

Both McCain and Obama say they would close Guantanamo Bay prison camp. Obama promises to secure loose nuclear weapons and strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. McCain vows a long-term commitment to a nuclear weapons-free world but he says he sees nuclear weapons as a deterrent.

Tomorrow we're going to be taking a look at the candidate's foreign policy agenda.

Younger viewers follow their movies and TV shows but do they also support the stars' candidates. We're going to bring you that story in just a moment.

First we're hearing that Senator John McCain has taken to the podium in Ohio. Let's go ahead and listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Thank you Ohio. Thank you United Golden Eagles. Thank you for that vote of confidence. Thank you.

That's what's going to happen on Tuesday, the votes that took place right here at the home of the Golden Eagles. Thank you so much. I'm grateful.

Senator Lindsey Graham, I know you didn't understand him very well, but he's still a good guy. He's a colonel in the Air Force Reserve; he's the only United States Senator that is. He goes to Iraq and helps them with the rule of law, helps them with freedom. He serves his country both in uniform and as a United States Senator. Thank you Lindsey Graham, thank you.

Our daughter Meghan McCain who is with us on the campaign trail, the next First Lady of the United States of America, Cindy McCain; thank you, Cindy for everything. Thank you very much.

So a word about America's mayor. My friends, I'll never forget going to New York City and seeing the terrible, terrible fires that were still burning, the smoke was still coming out. And this man never missed a funeral, who consoled the families and consoled America. I'll never forget the way that Rudy Giuliani united America. Thank you, Rudy, we're grateful to you. Thank you.

My friends, it's great to be back. It's great to spend time here in the heartland of America. And again I want to tell you the enthusiasm and the momentum that I feel here in Ohio is going to carry us to victory here in Ohio and throughout this country.

This kind of enthusiasm, my friends -- we're going to bring real change to Washington, and we need a new direction and we have to fight for it and we'll fight for it together.

I've been fighting for this country since I was 17 years old, and I have the scars to prove it.

Could I say how proud I am to have as my partner in this fight, the great governor of the state of Alaska, Sarah Palin. Thank you for your support. Thank you. She's been marvelous.

I'm so proud of her. She represents reform. She represents energy, she represents family. She represents everything that's good and wonderful about America. I am so proud to have her as my running mate. Thank you.

My friends, if I'm elected president, I'll fight to shake up Washington. I'll take America in a new direction from my first day in office until my last, and I'm not afraid of the fight. I'm ready for the fight.

I have a plan to hold the line on taxes, cut them to make America more competitive and create jobs here at home. We're going to double the child deduction for working families. We'll cut the capital gains tax. We'll cut business taxes and create jobs and keep American business in America.

Raising taxes makes a bad economy much worse. Keeping taxes low creates jobs, keeps money in your hands and strengthens our economy.

I won't spend nearly a trillion dollars more of your money. Senator Obama will, and he can't do that without raising your taxes or digging us further into debt. I'm going to make government live on a budget just like you do.

Friends, we'll freeze government spending on all but the most important programs like defense, veterans' care, social security and health care until we scrub every single government program, get rid of the ones that aren't working for the American people. And my friends, I veto every single pork barrel bill that comes across my desk. You will know their names.

My friends, there's corruption in Washington. There's corruption there. We just had a senior member of the United States Senate convicted. We have former members of Congress residing in federal prison. I will clean up this mess and make you proud again of people who serve you in Washington.

I'm not going to spend $750 billion of your money just bailing out the Wall Street bankers and brokers who got us into this mess. Senator Obama will. I'm going to make sure we take care of the working people who were devastated by the excesses and greed and corruption of Wall Street and Washington. And my friends, this crisis started with the housing market.

I don't have to tell anybody in Ohio. I don't have to tell you how tough this thing is. We have a plan to fix the housing market so that home value doesn't go down, when your neighbor defaults and so that people in danger of defaulting have a way to stay in their home.

We go out, we buy the bad mortgages, we give people who are living in their primary residence a new mortgage so they can stay in their home. That's the American dream, and I'm going to protect it. And this administration isn't doing enough.

And my friends, when I'm elected president -- we're going to stop spending -- sending $700 billion a year to buy oil from countries that don't like us very much.

Now, you know Senator Obama is very eloquent. But listen carefully to his words. He says he will, quote, "consider drilling offshore." When I'm president, we'll drill offshore and we'll drill now. We'll drill now.

Now, he says that he's for nuclear power. But he doesn't want store it and he doesn't want to reprocess nuclear fuel. How do you get there? It's beautiful eloquence. But the fact is, there are some navy veterans -- will our veterans please raise your hands so we can thank you for your service to our country. Thank you. Thank you.

Some of these navy veterans will tell you we've sailed navy ships around the world for 50 years with nuclear power weapons on them. It's safe. Senator Obama, it's safe, let's do now.

So we will invest in all energy alternatives, wind, solar, tide and safe nuclear power. We will encourage the manufacture of hybrid, flex-fuel and electric automobiles, and we will invest in clean coal technology, my friends.

America, Ohio, Pennsylvania, other parts of America, we sit on the world's largest coal reserves. My friends, clean coal technology, and we will lower the cost of energy within months. And we will create millions of new jobs in America. And we will not distribute the wealth.

We've learned more about Senator Obama's real goals for our country over the last two weeks and we learned over the past two years. And that's only because Joe the Plumber asked him the right question right here -- right here in Ohio, that's when Senator Obama revealed he wants to, quote, "spread the wealth around."

Now, Joe didn't ask for Senator Obama to come to his house. He sure didn't ask to be famous, he certainly didn't ask for the political attacks on him from the Obama campaign. Joe's dream is your dream, to own a small business that creates jobs. And the attacks on him are attacks on small businesses all over this nation. We shouldn't stand for it. Small businesses employ 84 percent of Americans, and we need to support these small businesses. Taxing small businesses will kill jobs. We can't let that happen. Senator Obama will tax 50 percent of small business income in America, that's 16 million jobs.

Now, my friends, Senator Obama is running to be redistributionist-in-chief. I'm running to be commander-in-chief. Senator Obama is running to spread the wealth, to take the money from one group of Americans and give it to another. I'm running to create more wealth. Senator Obama is running to punish the successful. I'm running to make everyone successful.

Now, he's made a lot of promises. First he said people making less than $250,000 would benefit. Then this weekend he announced in an ad, if you're a family making less than $200,000 you'll benefit. This week, the gift that keeps on giving, Senator Biden said tax relief should only go to middle class people, people making $150,000. Get a glimpse of where we're going, my friends? It's fascinating how the liberal left's definition of rich has a way of creeping down.

Senator Obama voted 94 times for tax increases or against tax cuts. It won't be long -- it won't be long before Senator Obama is right back to his vote that taxes Americans making just $42,000 a year. Increasing them, we can't let that happen, my friends.

Thanks to Speaker Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barney Frank we know this Democrat Congress. We know it's planning all sorts of new taxes. This week we're hearing they want to tax your 401(k) contributions.

This is a time when we need to encourage more investing, not tax it. We need to protect people's retirement, not endanger it. Now and here is what's going on.

And here's what's going on, it's Halloween. So what do the Democrats do? Every four years they run out and they try to scare seniors by saying that Republicans are going to take away their social security or we're going to take away Medicare. They do it every four years.

And, my friends, our Americans have wised up. I'm going to protect Social Security. I'm going to protect Medicare, and I'm not going to let this Congress tax away your retirement savings.

My opponent's massive new tax increase is exactly the wrong approach in an economic slowdown. The answer to a slowing economy is not higher taxes.

And by the way, did you notice he said it's going to give a tax cut to 95 percent of the American people; 40 percent don't pay any income taxes. So what do you do? You take money from one group and you give it to another. But that's not worked in countries around the world.

The liberal left has tried it before. It will not work in America. I will not allow it to happen. And what could happen when the Democrats have total control of Washington? We need pro growth and pro jobs economic policies, not pro government spending programs paid for with higher taxes. This is the fundamental difference between Senator Obama who began his campaign in the liberal left lane of American politics and has never left it. It's not an accident that he's the most liberal Senator in the United States senate, more liberal than a Senator who used to call himself a socialist.

You know, we both disagree with President Bush on economic policy. The difference is Senator Obama thinks taxes have been too low, and I think that spending has been too high.

We're going to change Washington. We need a president who was actually fought for change and make it happen. The next president won't have time to get used to the Office. We face many challenges here at home from many enemies abroad in this dangerous world. And I want to promise you I will bring our troops home, but they will come with victory and honor and not in defeat.

(APPLAUSE)

CROWD: USA! USA! USA!

MCCAIN: You know, our friend Joe the Biden, again, the other night warned Senator Obama -- this was Senator Biden's word -- that Senator Obama, because of his youth and inexperience, would be tested with an international crisis. I've been tested, my friends. Senator Obama hasn't.

(APPLAUSE)

Senator Biden referred to how Jack Kennedy was tested in the Cuban Missile Crisis. And I have a little personal experience in that. I was on board the U.S. Enterprise, and I sat in a cockpit on the flight deck waiting to take off. We had a target. I know how close we came to a nuclear war and I will not be a president of the United States that needs to be tested. I know our friends and I know our enemies and they know me.

(APPLAUSE)

We know already, as Senator Biden predicted, we know already that Senator Obama won't have the right response to that test. Because we've already seen wrong responses from him over and over during this campaign.

He opposed the surge strategy that is bringing us victory in Iraq, and will bring us victory in Afghanistan. He said he would sit down unconditionally, with the world's worst dictators. When Russia invaded Georgia, Senator Obama said the invaded country should show restraint. He's been wrong on all of these.

When I'm president, as I said, we're going to win in Iraq. We're going to win in Afghanistan. Our troops will come home with honor. Our troops are succeeding. And when I'm president, they will not suffer defeat. They will come home with victory and they're the best in the world and the best (INAUDIBLE).

(APPLAUSE)

Let me give you a little straight talk today about the state of the race today, if I could. There's just four days left. The pundits have written us off just like they've done before. But we're closing, my friends, and we're going to win in Ohio.

(APPLAUSE)

And my opponent is working out the details with Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid. Their plans to raise your taxes, increase spending and concede defeat in Iraq. He's measuring the drapes. And as you notice, the night before last he gave his first address to the nation before the election. And this week he's settled on a chief of staff. We're a few points down, but we're coming back and we're coming back strong, my friends.

(APPLAUSE)

The other night Senator Obama said that if he lost, he would return to the Senate and try again in four years with a second act. That sounds like a great idea to me.

(APPLAUSE)

Let's help him make that happen. Let's help him out.

Finally could I say, my friends, in a little straight talk. I know you're worried. America is a great country, the greatest nation in the world. But we're at a moment of national crisis that will determine our future. Let me ask you, will we continue to lead the world's economies, or will we be overtaken. Will the world become safer or more dangerous? Will our military remain the strongest in the world? Will our children and grandchildren's future be brighter than ours?

My answer to you is yes. Yes we will lead, yes we will prosper, yes, we will be safer, yes, we will pass on to our children a stronger, better country. But we must be prepared to act swiftly, boldly, with courage and wisdom. I am an American and I choose to fight. Don't give up hope.

(APPLAUSE)

Be strong. Have courage and fight. Fight for a new direction for our country. Fight for what's right for America. Fight to clean up the mess of corruption, infighting and selfishness in Washington. Fight to get our economy out of the ditch and back in the lead. Fight for the ideals and character of a free people. Fight for our children's future. Fight for justice and opportunity for all. Stand up to defend our country from its enemies. Stand up, stand up and fight.

(APPLAUSE) America is worth fighting for. Nothing is inevitable. We never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history, we make history. Now, let's go win this election and get this country moving again.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you and God bless you. God bless America. Thank you.

COLLINS: Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain, coming to you live from Hanoverton, Ohio. It's a two-day tour across Ohio for him.

We are also going to be bringing you Senator Barack Obama, coming up a little bit later. That will happen -- Des Moines, Iowa, during our noon hour. A quick break here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Missouri voters have picked almost every winner of the presidential race for more than 100 years. CNN's Josh Rubin checks out the prevailing opinions in the show me state, in this Election Express Yourself.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH RUBIN, ELECTION EXPRESS PRODUCER (on camera): It's the final days of the election. And we're in the Bell Weather state of Missouri, asking voters who think is going to win the presidency.

On November 6th, you wake up in the morning and who's going to be president of the United States?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: John McCain.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John McCain's going to win.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE; I would suppose that Barack Obama would win given what the polls say and have said for a continuous period up until now.

RUBIN: Who do you think is going to win the presidency?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE; I think Barack Obama will win.

RUBIN: And why is that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I think he offers what America's looking for. And that is hope and change in the future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John McCain's got the experience. Barack Obama proves over and over that he doesn't have the experience to run the country. He's leading us down a path to destruction. He's going to raise taxes in the height of recession. The last time we did that was Jimmy Carter and look what happened. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Obama wins, then it would be like a (INAUDIBLE) on Martin Luther King, in a sense. I feel as though that he has his spirit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: CNN is keeping them honest. If you have trouble at the polls, call the CNN Voter Hotline. We'll keep track of the problems and then report the trouble to you in real time. The number there, 1- 877-462-6608. We're keeping them honest all the way through the election and beyond.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Some information just in here, we want to share with you. A frightening hostage incident ends in a Maine elementary school. Police in Stockton Springs say a gunman walked into a classroom and took 11 fifth graders hostage. The gunman was taken into custody and the children were not hurt. Police are not releasing many details on this. So, of course, if we get anymore information, we will bring it to you.

To Iraq now. A less violent month for U.S. troops in Iraq. The Pentagon lists 13 combat and noncombat deaths in all of Iraq for October. That is the second-lowest total since the war began. 11 people died in July of this year, 15 U.S. troops were killed in combat in Afghanistan this month. A total of 4,189 U.S. troops have died in the Iraq war.

Change of command ceremonies going on now. This is MacDill Air Force Base. General David Petraeus, getting his new command, taking over U.S. Central Command. Once again, live pictures coming to us from the ceremony at MacDill. It's right near Tampa, Florida. In his new role, Petraeus will be overseeing U.S. Military operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

It's been a pretty scary right, wouldn't you say, on Wall Street this month. So, are investors spooked on this Halloween? We'll get a check on the markets coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

COLLINS: A glass of wine fine, while you're pregnant. What a new study says about expectant moms and drinking.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Drinking while pregnant, really? Well, you've heard the warnings. But now a provocative new study suggests -- it's challenging that conventional wisdom. Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is joining us to talk a little bit more about it and certainly put it into context.

OK. So, drinking while pregnant, clearly already some limits to this, I would imagine.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely. I mean, Heidi, everybody agrees that heavy drinking during pregnancy is terrible, really bad idea. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Your kid can be messed up in the all sorts of ways.

But, what people are beginning to question is, how about light drinking? How about having a drink or two a week, let's say, while you're pregnant. And so what this study out of the United Kingdom found is, that in fact, the children of these women -- they were OK, as far as behavioral and cognitive things go. They didn't have emotional problems, they didn't have cognitive problems. In fact, I almost hesitate to say this. According to this study, some of those kids did better than the children of the moms who abstain.

COLLINS: Yes. Well, of course it's scary to say these things because you don't want anybody to go to the extreme in any way. But, I wonder a couple things. Does it matter what drinks we're talking about? Because we do talk about wine being sort of a natural anticoagulant and the blood flows better. Again, one or two drinks a week in the second or third trimester.

Is that right?

COHEN: Right. Well, let me take this back a bit. You asked a good question. It didn't really seem to matter what the type of alcohol was. That didn't seem to matter.

But, let me talk for a minute about about what obstetricians in the United States say, even with this study, even with other studies that might have found sort of similar things. This is what obstetricians in the United States say. They say, women should avoid alcohol entirely while drinking or trying to conceive. I mean really, it could not be more clear than that. So, there you have it.

COLLINS: Yes. That is very clear.

And then in the U.K., they say something different?

COHEN: Something a little different. It's interesting. There's a group that the government runs that basically gives advice to practitioners about what to tell their patients, OK?

So this group says this. They say, number one, in the second and third trimester, if you're going to drink, don't have more than one to two drinks, once or twice a week. In the first trimester, they say do not drink at all because there's a serious risk of miscarriage.

So, you can see that the Americans and the Brits say very different things. But, everyone basically agrees. Look, if you want to be safe, don't drink at all. That's really the solution. Don't drink at all when you're pregnant. That's a sure thing.

COLLINS: All right. Well, we always have to watch these studies very closely and make sure you understand what they're trying to say.

COHEN: Right.

COLLINS: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, appreciate that. Thank you.

Well, you have no doubt seeing the long lines that not every voter has to wait hours to cast a ballot. We're going to tell you about one state where early voting's actually been a breeze.

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COLLINS: OK. So, here's a thrilling Halloween story. 73 fans set a new record for dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." There was even a dead-on Michael Jackson impersonator. See him on the left? He's kind of a few steps behind. They surrounded Jackson's wax figure at New York's Madame Tosseau's museum yesterday, to dance to the 25- year-old hit. 25 years old, wow. Previous record was 62 dancers. Guinness World Record says it will make sure these dancers broke the record before issuing official confirmation. Always want to have that.

I'm Heidi Collins. Join us Monday morning beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern. Happy Halloween, everybody.

For now, CNN NEWSROOM continues with Tony Harris.