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'Godless' Accusation: Dole Opponent Crying Foul; Battleground Blitz; Race to the Finish
Aired October 31, 2008 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Morning in the nation's capital. A live picture of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. In just four days we will be electing the next president of the United States.
New faces also coming to Capitol Hill. Senate Democrats say they have a shot at winning a filibuster-proof 60-seat super majority. Republicans say not so fast.
And I have to tell you, as we head for the homestretch in this election, some of these races have become down right nasty. Accusations flying back and forth.
Our Joe Johns looks at one of these contentious races, the one in North Carolina, where there are accusations that one candidate is Godless.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been called despicable, a sign of desperation.
NARRATOR: A leader of the Godless Americans PAC recently held a secret fund-raiser in Kay Hagan's honor.
JOHNS: With time running out in her tough re-election bid, Republican Senator Elizabeth Dole went up with a sledgehammer of a television ad against her Democratic opponent Kay Hagan, an ad tailor- made to put religious conservatives, always a force in North Carolina, on red alert.
NARRATOR: Godless Americans and Kay Hagan. She hid from cameras, took Godless money. What did Hagan promise in return?
JOHNS: Hagan is screaming foul and says she is filing a lawsuit claiming damage to her reputation.
KAY HAGAN (D), NORTH CAROLINA SENATE CANDIDATE: I don't have a relationship with this group. I had never even heard of it until Elizabeth Dole put a press release out about it. Never heard of it.
JOHNS: So what's the truth of it? Keeping them honest, let's start with the facts. It's true that Hagan attended a fund-raiser on her behalf at the Boston home of guy named Woody Kaplan, who was a member of the board of advisers of a group called the Godless Americans Political Action Committee. But the fund-raiser was not sponsored by the Godless Americans PAC. Rather, it was sponsored by Massachusetts's Senator John Kerry and something called the Secure our Senate Majority Host Committee.
According to Hagan's disclosure forms, Kaplan, in his own name, has donated a total of $2,300. Hagan says she has received no money from the Godless America PAC itself. Her campaign says the fund- raiser was not secret and she wasn't hiding from the camera.
OK. So the ad stretches the facts a little. But is it despicable?
STUART ROTHENBERG, ROTHENBERG POLITICAL REPORT: I think this is actually standard political theater.
JOHNS: And there's a money trail.
ROTHENBERG: You go to a fund-raiser, take a check, you're going to have to answer for that. It doesn't mean she can't answer it, but it's not such a crazy issue to bring up for the Republicans.
JOHNS: Hagan has come out strong. She and others see a larger problem with the ad. It implies she's anti-Christian, even though she says she's a Sunday school teacher and an elder in the Presbyterian Church.
HAGAN: I want people to know who I am. I'm a strong Christian. And I believe in my faith, and I am appalled that Elizabeth Dole would stoop this low.
JOHNS: Democrats have a lot riding on the race, getting to a filibuster-proof majority could depend on it.
ROTHENBERG: Well, Senator Dole's fate is crucial because she's one of the nine seats that the Democrats need to get to 60. If they can take her out, they still have a chance to get to 60. If she wins, it's an awful hard fight for him.
JOHNS: If she files one, Hagan's lawsuit wouldn't be decided until long after Tuesday. The Dole campaign calls any lawsuit frivolous and says it won't stop running the ad.
Joe Johns, CNN Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Well, the clock running down. The presidential candidates picking up the race in the final lap of campaigning, just four days to the big vote.
Barack Obama back in the state that gave him his first victory, Iowa. He is live in Des Moines next hour. Our Suzanne Malveaux is on the scene.
Suzanne, good to see you.
Let's sort of widen this out a little bit if we could. What is the Barack Obama campaign saying about the state of the race overall?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, Tony, they're really quite confident now. We just got off a conference call with David Plouffe of the campaign, and he says that there's going to be new ads -- well, essentially ads that are in other states, but new to certain states that they're adding. That is Georgia, North Dakota, and John McCain's own home state of Arizona.
HARRIS: Wow.
MALVEAUX: That these ads are going to run in the next four days. The reason why is because they are looking at those poll numbers. They believe that the race is tightening in those states.
So they're saying, look, we're going to throw out everything, everything in this race. And these are some places where they said we have got to win a bunch of battleground states by small margins to win, plus carry the states that John Kerry did back in 2004.
They believe they can do that. And I want to give you another example here.
HARRIS: OK.
MALVEAUX: They talk about the early voting numbers. When you take a look at those numbers, they are very encouraged.
Florida, for instance, back in 2004, that number, there were about 40,000 more Republicans that voted absentee than Democrat. Flip that around. As of yesterday, the campaign says they're looking at 200,000 more Democrats than Republicans voting in the state of Florida.
Those are the kinds of things that they're looking at. So it's all about voter turnout, early voting, absentee voting. They believe that is really going to help them and they are looking at this map and saying this looks very, very good for us -- Tony.
HARRIS: Yes. And Suzanne, the Obama campaign is where it started there in Iowa. Why do you think he is there now with just days left in this campaign?
MALVEAUX: Well, part of it, obviously the polls show that he is quite ahead, at least the CNN Poll of Polls showing perhaps as many as 12 percentage points beyond John McCain. But they also think it could be a little bit tighter than that, so they don't want to take anything for granted. But it's also kind of a big thank you to the voters here.
It really launched his campaign. It made him a viable candidate. We talked to a lot of the voters here -- we've been talking to them since a year ago, Tony, when Barack Obama was here shaking hands, getting to know folks, a year before the Iowa caucuses. They feel like they know Barack Obama quite well, and they're very comfortable with him -- Tony.
HARRIS: And you must feel like you've been on the trail for a year.
Suzanne Malveaux.
MALVEAUX: I have.
HARRIS: Because you have.
Suzanne Malveaux for us in Des Moines, Iowa.
Suzanne, good to see you.
Strategies in the homestretch. Four days until the election, and Barack Obama is trying to keep the pressure on, even in traditional Republican strongholds. John McCain trying to beat the odds and beat the clock.
Here is Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Barack Obama has the schedule of a man looking for a blowout, campaigning in Republican counties inside Republican states: Sarasota, Florida, Virginia Beach, and swing spots like Boone County, Missouri. And even if he cannot win in these spots, Obama could tamp down the McCain vote.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you want to know where John McCain will drive this economy, just look in the rear- view mirror, because, when it comes to our economic policies, John McCain has been right next to George Bush. He's been sitting there in the passenger seat ready to take over every step of the way.
CROWLEY: Whatever else, this is a campaign in syndicated columnist.
NARRATOR: Wonder where John McCain would take the economy? Look behind you.
CROWLEY: He brushes off old and new charges pushed by the McCain campaign, his associations with a '60s radical, a Palestinian scholar, and the new robocalls about Tony Rezko, a donor and real estate developer convicted of fraud who had business dealings with Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama needs to come clean on this deal before the election, so that the voters can judge whether Obama received monetary benefits from these Rezko favors.
CROWLEY: That's a call being automatically dialed into Arizona, where Republicans are increasingly worried about McCain's home state.
It is a rough road for McCain, facing major electoral hurdles and minor campaign screw ups, say, the failure of the campaign confirm an appearance by Joe the plumber.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Joe's with us today.
Joe, where are you?
Where is Joe? Is Joe here with us today?
Joe, I thought you were here today.
All right. Well, you're all Joe the plumbers.
CROWLEY: Touted by the McCain campaign as a working-class symbol, Joe did show up for the next two events and probably proved himself a better plumber than politician.
JOE WURZELBACHER, RESIDENT OF OHIO: I'm going to go vote for a real American, John McCain.
CROWLEY: Joe pretty much became the third person on the McCain ticket when Obama told him he would tax people making over $250,000 to "spread the wealth around." McCain will take that issue to the finish line.
MCCAIN: This business of "spreading the wealth around," spreading your income around, that's been tried before by far-left liberals. That's been tried in other countries.
CROWLEY: McCain has drawn some big, raucous crowds, but, as he hurries through Bush-won states, trying to blunt Obama's aggressive schedule, the loudest sound is surely the ticking of the clock.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Columbia, Missouri.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: For John McCain, it seems the road to the White House leads through Ohio. He is on a roll through the must-win state for the second straight day.
CNN's latest Poll of Polls shows McCain trailing Barack Obama 49 percent to 44 percent, with 7 percent of likely voters saying they're still unsure.
Our battleground correspondent Dana Bash following the McCain campaign in Ohio.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As John McCain rolls through Ohio, particularly rural areas like Hanoverton, Ohio, you can hear him behind me. He is rallying the crowds by using the word "fight."
He is insisting this fight is not over, and he wants his supporters to get out and fight for him. That is crucial, according to McCain aides, to keep any sense of momentum, because that really is the name of the game right now. It's to convince people it is not over, particularly in states like Ohio, where it really does seem to be neck and neck.
Now, the other key thing for John McCain, according to his aides, is to convince undecided voters -- and there still are a lot of undecided voters, they say -- that Barack Obama is too risky, that he doesn't share the philosophy of voters, particularly in places like this, where there are rural voters. They may be Democrats, but they're conservative Democrats.
So you heard John McCain here say that Barack Obama is liberal, a word we haven't heard him use very much, but he used it a couple of times here. He even used the "S" word, "socialism," to describe Barack Obama. That is becoming more apparent that that is absolutely essential for John McCain, to show that there is a major philosophical divide between Obama and the voters here.
And people might be ready for change, they might want change. But he's trying to say, look, Barack Obama isn't the change you want.
Dana Bash, CNN, Hanoverton, Ohio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: We are expecting John McCain to speak in Steubenville, Ohio, later this hour. And we will bring it to you live, about 30 minutes from right now.
We also want to hear from you if you run into problems at the polls. Call the CNN voter hotline, help us track the problems, and we will report the trouble in real time.
Here's the number at the bottom of the screen: 1-877-462-6608. And we are keeping them honest all the way through the election and beyond.
Waiting and waiting and waiting. Three hours or more just to vote. One state doesn't have this early voting problem, and we'll hear why. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: All right. Have you voted already? If you did, you had plenty of company.
More than half the states offered some type of early or absentee voting for this election. Many reporting record turnout leading to long lines, long waits in some places. Still standing, two hours, three hours, four hours in line.
Nevada among the states offering early voting for the past two weeks now, but they've done it without the long lines. What's going on here?
Joining us to talk about that is Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller.
Ross, good to see you.
ROSS MILLER (D), NEVADA SECRETARY OF STATE: Thanks for having me.
HARRIS: Well, let me ask you this. Share with me if you would Nevada's philosophy behind making early voting as easy, as convenient as possible for the people of your state.
MILLER: Well, that's just it. We're a growing population, one of the fastest-growing states in the entire country. In order to deal with that population growth, and coupled with the fact that we were an early caucus state and now a major battleground state, we want to make it as easy and convenient as possible for people to vote.
So we have got a strong early voting system in place. We allow them to vote in supermarkets and in shopping centers, all across the state.
HARRIS: In gymnasiums -- yes.
MILLER: Yes, all across the state. And so it makes it very easy for people to cast their ballots. And I would anticipate by the close of early voting today, probably half of those who will vote will have already cast their ballots through our voting process.
HARRIS: Are you kidding me? Half?
MILLER: Half has been about consistent over the last couple presidential cycles that we've seen in Nevada, and I'd anticipate that to be about the same.
HARRIS: OK. So, Ross, when you see these pictures we showed just a moment ago, when you see these pictures of long lines in other states and compare that to your state, I mean, you must be pretty happy that your state has taken the stance it has on early voting.
MILLER: I don't know whether or not we would have been able to run this election were it not for such a strong early voting program.
HARRIS: Now, why do you say that?
MILLER: Well, we just have a tremendous population growth. And any time you've got the kind of numbers of people moving into Nevada that we've seen, we've got to try to push as many people as possible through the early voting hours. In one of our counties we have 3,000 hours of early voting opportunity.
HARRIS: Yes.
MILLER: In another county, 2,000 hours. So that's really the only way we'd be able to deal with trying to push that many people through the polling locations, because on November 4th, we can't afford to have that many people waiting in long lines.
HARRIS: Well, let me ask you about as loaded a question as I can here, and I admit that up front. So when you see these lines in other states -- and I'm thinking Florida, and I'm obviously thinking of Georgia -- we're here in Georgia -- does it seem a bit ridiculous to you? All right, take ridiculous out of it. Don't you wonder what these other states are thinking?
MILLER: Well, I'm pretty happy with the program we have out here in Nevada. I wouldn't be presumptuous...
HARRIS: Oh, that's kind. That's kind of you.
MILLER: I won't tell other states how to run their elections.
HARRIS: Yes.
MILLER: But when you're an election administrator, you open yourself up. And any state can see problems. And it can come from any number of things. I think the bottom line is all of us are saying a prayer for wide margins so that you don't see the type of irregularities that they're seeing in other states.
HARRIS: How do you respond to the criticism -- and I don't really know who is leveling this, I've heard it in various spots -- that your state is actually making it too easy to early vote, that you are in fact short-circuiting the process here, that people should view the entire race, the entire process before voting?
MILLER: Well, obviously it's up to the voters. They don't have to vote early, but many of them at this point are already decided on who they want to vote for.
This campaign has been going on for a couple years now. So they're able to cast their ballot and then just put the election behind them and get on to doing other things.
And they're able to vote at a location that's convenient for them when they're at their own supermarket. That may be unusual to some parts of the country. We're probably the only area in the country where you're likely to hear a call for a wet mop at voting both number eight. But it works out pretty well for us. And, you know, large numbers of people as a result of how convenient it is turn out to vote early, and that makes it easier to run the election.
HARRIS: Well, we appreciate you getting up early to be with us.
Ross Miller is Nevada's secretary of state.
And good luck with this election. Thank you. Thanks for your time this morning.
MILLER: Thank you, sir.
HARRIS: We also want to hear from you if you run into problems at the polls. Call the CNN voter hotline. Help us track the problems and we will report the trouble in real time.
Here is the number again. We're getting close here -- 1-877-462- 6608. And we're keeping them honest all through the election and beyond.
You've got plenty of questions during these tough economic times. And our Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis has the answers next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Credit scores, how to check them, how to improve them. Finding a job in this troubled economy. And how to -- how much emergency savings should you have on hand?
Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis is here to answer your e- mail questions.
Gerri, these are some great questions.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Tony, Tony, Tony, happy Friday.
HARRIS: Yes, happy Friday. Happy Halloween. Is that what you say, Happy Halloween? I suppose so. Is that OK?
WILLIS: Yes, right. Correct.
HARRIS: All right.
WILLIS: To you as well.
HARRIS: Yes -- thank you.
Terrific e-mails this week.
Tammy writes, Gerri, "With your help" -- how about that? -- "I have learned and now practice the basics of creating a high credit score. I got a free credit report which helps a lot, but have not figured out the best way to get a free credit score. Please help."
WILLIS: Tammy, a lot of people ask me this question. The reality is they see these places on the Web that you can get estimates of your credit score. But look, you have to enter information about yourself that's personal. They may sell that info.
Now, you can get another estimate that's free where you're anonymous at myfico.com. But if what you really want is your score because you're going to apply for a big loan, you want the real deal. You've got to get it at fico.com. It will cost you $15.95 to get the answer to the question, but it will be well worth it because this is a number you really need to know.
HARRIS: Another great question here from Jeff in Florida, Gerri, who writes, "I am attempting to rebuild and increase my credit score quickly within the next three to six months. Is adding a secured credit card going to benefit me, or will my score drop overall because I am applying for and adding more debt to my credit?"
WILLIS: Well, look, I think three to six months is a good rule of thumb. But, you know, at the end of the day, if you're really trying to rebuild your credit, you really want to think about making sure that you have enough credit on line to make sense for you.
The reality is, getting this card is not going to help you because you have to put money aside to buy it in the first place. So that's a cost. And then it's going to bring your credit score down. That's the big thing.
HARRIS: Yes.
WILLIS: If you had a longer time horizon, say, a year or two, opening a credit card account would make sense as long as you make your payments on time and keep your balances low. There's really only one way to see a quick jump in your scores, and that's only if you're carrying a lot of credit card debt and are able to pay it off quickly.
HARRIS: Yes. I mean, get rid of that debt if you can.
You have time for one more, Gerri?
WILLIS: Sure.
HARRIS: Yes. Jason in Maine writes, "In this market what is the minimum cash assets that you recommend you have on hand? I'm operating on keeping three months' worth of salary and expenses in the bank. I'm an average American on an above-average salary. Is this enough?"
Gerri?
WILLIS: Well, Jason, it depends. If you have kids, dependents, you might want to extend that cushion, make it a little bigger, maybe have six months' worth of savings on hand. And also think about this -- you know, it's open enrollment time. Make sure you get disability insurance, because your main contribution as the breadwinner to your household is that you can work, right?
So you want to keep that going, get disability insurance. You'll want to make sure you protect that ability to work. That's what disability insurance does. If you get sick, it continues to pay out.
HARRIS: Hey, Gerri, give us a bit of a preview of the big "OPEN HOUSE" show this weekend, please.
WILLIS: Well, we're like the rest of the network. We're all about the election.
HARRIS: Yes.
WILLIS: We are looking at the issues that matter to consumers: taxes, housing, you name it. We'll be talking about it on "OPEN HOUSE," 9:30 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN. We'll be answering the questions that matter to you about the economy. HARRIS: Good to see you, Gerri. Have a great weekend.
WILLIS: Thank you.
HARRIS: And as the most serious credit crisis in decades rocks your finances, CNNMoney.com has some advice, answers. Check out our special report, "America's Money Crisis." That's at CNNMoney.com.
You know, we recently revealed CNN's top 10 heroes of 2008, and more than 350,000 of you have already told us who you want to be hero of the year. Today, country music star Gretchen Wilson tells us about a woman bringing confidence and hope to hundreds of adults.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRETCHEN WILSON, COUNTRY MUSIC SINGER: I dropped out of high school when I was 15 years old. I had put education on the back burner. I didn't have to go back and get my GED, but it was something I really needed to complete me as a person. My manager called the local high school, and they sent us to Bernadine.
My name is Gretchen Wilson, and my hero helps people finish their education.
BERNADINE NELSON, RUNS ADULT LEARNING CENTER: Your scores are incredible.
When I began working in adult ed, I had no earthly idea that there was millions of people without a high school diploma or a GED. But you know, every single person who I help helps the big problem.
What are you going to do after you get your GED?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pediatric nursing.
NELSON: So you're going to be a great success, aren't you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
NELSON: We have a GED program for people from 17 to 75. We work the individuals, wherever they are, to take them where they need to go.
WILSON: Bernadine promised me that I'd be able to stand in that line and be proud of myself.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gretchen Francis Wilson.
NELSON: As long as they're at the sixth grade level, we can make that work.
Education is a passion for me because I know that I'm making a difference in people's lives.
WILSON: She's bound and determined to put that sense of pride back into these people. Not only is it respectable, it's admirable. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: CNN Heroes will be honored at an all-star tribute hosted by Anderson Cooper. That's Thanksgiving night, right here on CNN.
Keeping a roof over your head and keeping food on the table, harder than ever for many families right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just think that at my age right now, I should be enjoying the fruits of my life. And now I'm having to beat my brains just like I'm starting all over again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Real families, real problems in a tough economy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: For the past few weeks, I've been sitting at the dinner table with struggling families -- real families like yours, who can barely make ends meet in this tight economy; Like the Hartshorns, from Stockbridge, Georgia. Garet Hartshorn worked for Ford's award- winning Atlanta plant for years as a quality control engineer. He was making as much as $104,000 with overtime. A great living for his family.
He was laid off when the plant shut down a couple of years ago, when he was about ready to retire. Sure, had a small pension, had a 401(k). But, he's already eaten through half of it just to survive and keep food on the table. He started his own company. But with things as they are in this economy, he's not getting enough work. Little Damon here helped with the groceries and we all sat down to a wonderful chili feast and some dinner time talk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Wow, wow.
GARET HARTSHORN, STRUGGLING TO STAY AFLOAT: This is really good.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
HARRIS: Wow. Wow, this is terrific. This is really good.
What's it been like for him going through this downturn?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trying to bring money in to support his family and pay the bills. That's really been hard. And then I've been trying to find me a job, but I've never worked since we've been married. So, nobody wants to hire anybody really -- I mean, I've always been a homemaker. You know, he's always allowed me to be with my children and never has asked me to ever work. Now I feel like we need two incomes.
HARRIS: Your beautiful wife, she knows -- she knows you're struggling.
G. HARTSHORN: And it's taken a toll, a terrible toll on her.
HARRIS: How is your health?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not that well.
HARRIS: Tell me what you're dealing with?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm dealing with losing like three pints of blood. And I'm a diabetic, high blood pressure. But, finding out why I've lost the blood, we just don't have the insurance to do that. We have to meet a real high deductible first.
HARRIS: So you don't have level of health care you need to find out what's going on with your health right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
G. HARTSHORN: I've got to find a way that I can produce enough cash flow where she can be taken care of. And I will. I'm a -- I'm very close right now.
When I married this woman, I didn't have a pot to do you know what in.
HARRIS: Yes, I know the rest of it.
G. HARTSHORN: Or, went to the store.
(LAUGHTER)
G. HARTSHORN: And I have trained myself, and I've worked hard all my life to where we are right now. And she's been with me -- I mean, there were times when we didn't have food to eat or a place to stay at. And she was with me. We've stayed at our sister and brother's house and begged food --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't beg -- our family.
G. HARTSHORN: They made me sure we were taken care of.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).
G. HARTSHORN: And we -- that's the way all families are in this country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or should be.
G. HARTSHORN: Or should be.
HARRIS: Tell me about your daughter. Tell me about Ms. Nicole. I understand she's pretty doggone brilliant. And she's having a difficult time. She's made her way through college, has her degree -- UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, she'll have it in december.
HARRIS: In December, ready to jump out into the workforce, full time in a big way.
G. HARTSHORN: No prospects.
HARRIS: And no prospects.
G. HARTSHORN: No prospects. And she's put out hundreds of resumes.
HARRIS: What do you think about the direction of the country right now?
G. HARTSHORN: We don't know who's running the ship anymore. We've got a president that has put us into a war that we're not going to get out of easily. We believe -- and I voted for him twice, you know? And I'm afraid for my grandson's future. I mean, he's faced with a future that it's going to be dismal if we don't figure a way around it. We need some real help. And what we're seeing right now is pitiful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: By the way, Garet has a plan of attack to make good money again. He is now working on becoming a financial adviser. Yes, so he can help other families get out of debt. And he's already helped quite a few families.
(BUSINESS REPORT)
HARRIS: Long lines for early voting just about everywhere. Take a look at these pictures just in to us a short time ago, from Oklahoma. Where is this? Is this Oklahoma City, where are we? Waiting and waiting. Standing and standing and waiting and standing.
And whether you are comparing the candidates, looking at the issues or just looking at the nearest polling place, you know the web is always a pretty good source in these areas. Our Veronica De La Cruz has been online this morning and she joins us now with what she's found.
Veronica, good morning.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning to you.
We're going to start with our favorite page, Tony. What is that?
HARRIS: That's our page. Come on now.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. Well, besides that, CNN.com.
HARRIS: Oh, yes, yes. DE LA CRUZ: This is our favorite web site. The Election Center there, it's called CNN.com/elections. Election Center 2008 -- that's the page, Tony. You're going to find lots and lots of information there. You can also read the latest election stories. You can track the race by watching the electoral map. You can read about the issues, compare the candidates, side by side. It's a great resource to visit, just in case you've got to check out the candidates' issues, where they stand.
And check this out, Tony --
HARRIS: Yes.
DE LA CRUZ: Just in case you have to work on election night and you can't be glued to the tube, you can download CNN Mobile to your cell phone, or you PDA and you can track the election results.
HARRIS: Oh, that's terrific.
DE LA CRUZ: Get highlights, right there to your cell phone.
So, we love CNN.com. But, I want to show you another site that I found, blocksavvy.com. Normally, you would find a social networking site geared towards hip hop and R&B fans, but they've suspended their services, Tony, to build out the election room that we're looking at. You can take a look around you can read the candidate bios, pictures. You can even check out CNN video. You can also download this election widget on your computer. It's going to keep you up to date.
Now, Tony, do you google? I mean, how many times --
HARRIS: Oh, yes, yes.
DE LA CRUZ: How many times a day do you google?
HARRIS: It's a part of my life.
DE LA CRUZ: It's a part of your life.
HARRIS: I mean, look, what I do -- a two-hour newscast here. So, what about 25 or so times in the two hours. I mean, come on.
DE LA CRUZ: Really, really.
HARRIS: Yes.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, do you ever check this out? The google election center can be found at google.com/election2008. And you can of course compare the candidates side by side.
I wanted to show you this, Tony. Because this is really cool. I love google maps. I check it out all the time. And if you don't know where to vote on election day, you need to find your polling place, then google is set up --
HARRIS: Google is helping you find your polling place? DE LA CRUZ: Yes. You enter in your address, it gives you all the information, the voting location right there. Isn't that cool?
HARRIS: Google's taken over the world. What's going on here? Someone stop google.
DE LA CRUZ: This is taking over the world. Our Facebook group. Our Facebook group is taking over the world. You can actually log-on right now and check out the conversation taking place.
I've been watching it this morning, Tony. We're talking about homeland security. 10 issues, 10 days. Today we are talking about homeland security. And I wanted to go ahead and share some of the comments that people are posting.
HARRIS: OK.
DE LA CRUZ: This is from John Gordon Hudson. He writes, we need to rebuild our friends as well as enemies, deciding who those enemies are is the hard part. We have some allies I think we can do without and a stern hand is needed.
So, some interesting discussion taking place, some interesting opinions. And if you want to go ahead an join in on the discussion, go ahead and log-on to Facebook and search for Veronica De La Cruz and Tony Harris in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I knew that was your favorite page.
HARRIS: Well, I'll pay attention when we get up to numbers up somewhere close to Sanchez's numbers. When we get close to Rick's numbers, wake me up, OK?
DE LA CRUZ: Well, what does he have?
HARRIS: He's in the zillions somewhere. It's insane. He's got friends all over the place.
DE LA CRUZ: I think we're close to that. No, 421. We're nowhere close.
HARRIS: See, see? All right, Veronica. See you next hour.
And check out our political ticker for all the latest campaign news. Just log-on to CNNpolitics.com. your source for all things political.
We are checking on your Halloween forecast. Our Reynolds Wolf is in the CNN Weather Center, that's next.
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HARRIS: Want to give you a quick update on a breaking news story we brought you this morning during Heidi's show. 28 people rescued off Miami Beach this morning. Two bodies also pulled from the water. The U.S. Coast Guard and Miami police carrying out those rescues. Some people were pulled from the waters, others from a derelict boat. The nationalities of those rescued, not yet known. Right now they are being questioned.
HARRIS: And one friendly reminder here. Before you go to bed Saturday, set your clocks back so you can get that extra hour of sleep. That sounds like a pretty good idea. Here's another. Change the batteries in your home smoke alarms. Fall back. It's the end of daylight saving time. Can we get that racket out of my ears? Man I need an attitude adjustment.
A shaky economy. A messy presidential race. None of those things sort of getting in the way of your Halloween celebration. There's some good news, here. Let's take a trip to CNN.com's iReport desk and check in with Tyson Wheatley; Tyson's Corner.
Hey Tyson, I guess you're getting some pretty interesting iReports. And you're all in black. What are you, the grim reaper today?
What's going on with you?
TYSON WHEATLEY, IREPORT PRODUCER: You can't tell? This is my Rick Sanchez outfit.
HARRIS: Oh, you will pay for that later, you know, my friend.
Good to see you, Tyson.
WHEATLEY: Hey, it's good to see you. How are you doing? Happy Halloween.
HARRIS: I'm good, I'm good. Yes, thank you. The same to you.
WHEATLEY: Well, we're having fun obviously on iReport.com. We've been getting so many great stories from all over the country, people going all out on Halloween.
Check out this video from Chicago. This is from Thomas Nava. He's been doing this -- the Nava family says they've been doing this for like 20 years. So, some of these decorations are actually that old. I counted at least six inflatable decorations here. Thomas tells us, if you think this is impressive, just wait for what's in store come Christmas.
HARRIS: For Christmas time, yes.
WHEATLEY: All right, you know, let's take a look at some jack- o'-lanterns, OK?
HARRIS: OK.
WHEATLEY: We've been getting tons of carved pumpkins. But, this next one, I think, takes the cake. This is the most impressive one we saw.
This comes to us from Lisa de Gorter. She's from Arlington, Virginia. She says -- well, she won first place in a scary pumpkin contest and says there was nothing more scary than all the money she lost in the market. I thought that's pretty creative.
And let's move along to this next one. I don't think it's any surprise that Joe the Plumber is a popular Halloween costume.
HARRIS: Oh, yes.
WHEATLEY: But check this out. This is Andy Neumeier, from Dayton, Ohio. He's dressed up as Joe the Plumber. But, he got his cousin in on the act, he's dressed up as John McCain. And then of course, his fiance, is Sarah Palin. And you know, they're just not just doing it for fun. They're actually big McCain supporters. So, kind of a big hit on the streets of Daytona.
OK. All right. So, this is not an iReport. These are actually some of our co-workers down here at dot come.
HARRIS: That's right. There you go.
WHEATLEY: Yes. We're having fun today. This is Anne (ph) and Larry and Liz. And do we have time for one more?
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
WHEATLEY: Can I show you this one? All right.
This one takes the cake. This is Cody McCloy (ph), dressed up as a zombie masher.
HARRIS: Well, you guys have too much time.
WHEATLEY: It's pretty impressive.
HARRIS: It's clear. And you're Rick Sanchez.
All right, Tyson.
WHEATLEY: Hold on, Tony. I'm hearing -- yes, officially my Twitter board has exploded. So --
HARRIS: You are on fire.
WHEATLEY: I'm just kidding, Rick. We love you. We love you.
HARRIS: On fire. All right, Tyson. Have a good weekend.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, a new man in charge of the U.S. war on terror. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: This just in to CNN. Police are on the -- are searching for a gunman right now after a bank robbery and shooting this morning. It's taking place in Mesquite, Texas, of course, that's a suburb outside of Dallas. Mesquite police are telling us that an ambulance has taken two people to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Reporting goes that some people were shot in this robbery. We don't know at this point whether the shooting victims are customers or bank employees. This information coming to us from our CBS affiliate. Again, a bank robbery and a shooting. Police on the scene, as you can see. At least two people have been take to a local hospital with non- life threatening injuries and a suspect is still on the loose and being purchase sighed by police at this point. As we get additional information on this, we will bring you the latest.
Four days to go and we've been counting them down and laying out the candidates' presidential plans. 10 issues in 10 days. So far this week we've look at the stands on the economy, taxes, energy, health care, education, housing. Today, homeland security.
On this issue the plans look similar in a number of ways. Both Barack Obama and John McCain say they will implement recommendations from the 9/11 Commission. Both also plan to provide assistance to first responders. In addition, they both vow to protect critical infrastructure chemical plants. Obama says he will coordinate domestic intelligence gathering. McCain says he'll call for more military intelligence, special forces and civil affairs personnel.
Change in command. General David Petraeus, sworn into his new role of head of U.S. Central Command last hour. That puts him in charge of the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. At the ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, General Petraeus said the road ahead will be challenging, but he is honored to take on that challenge.
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GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, CMDR., U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: And there can be no higher privilege for any soldier than being allowed to serve once more with such wonderful Americans and to work hard at work worth doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: General Petraeus plans to visit Pakistan on his first trip as Cent Com commander.
Encouraging news coming out of Iraq these days. The death rate in Baghdad is way down. What does that mean for coalition forces and the Iraqi people? We will take you there live, next hour.
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