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CNN Live Saturday

Republicans Challenging Thousands of Voters; Ethics Expert: Voting is an Ethical Necessity; Kerry Questions NAACP Investigation

Aired October 30, 2004 - 12:30 ET

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

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

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: It is 12:00 p.m. on the East coast, 9:00 a.m. in the West. Welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Andrea Koppel in Washington.
Ahead this hour: Is it the end of the Arafat era? Why the Palestinian leader might be losing his power and what it will mean to the Middle East and the world?

A sprint to the finish: The candidates in the campaign's final weekend. Will youth be served?

And no matter your politics, there are presidential destinations for every vacation. We'll show you some of the best. But first, here's a quick check of the stories now in the news.

An explosion in Baghdad this morning has injured several TV news workers from an Arabic TV network, al-Arabiya. Police tell CNN the explosion was a car bomb in the streets of the Mansour neighborhood of the city. Al-Arabiya is based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

U.S. government analysts say the latest videotape from Osama bin Laden appears to be authentic and recent. There are possible indications the tape might have been made less than a week ago. The FBI and Justice Department say they're scrutinizing the tape for any clues about possible future terrorist attacks.

And Boston throws a "rolling rally" rather than a parade. Officials feared too many people would turn out to cheer the World Series champs, the Red Sox, so the team is moving through the streets and also on the Charles River. They're riding so-called "duck boats" that can drive on land or on water.

Possibly a major development in the story of ailing Palestinian president, Yasser Arafat. Some Palestinian sources tell CNN that the 75-year-old Arafat is seriously ill, suffering from leukemia and cannot continue leading the Palestinians, but French doctors examining Arafat say their tests exclude leukemia. Arafat is undergoing tests in a French military hospital near Paris. Paula Hancocks is there and has the very latest from Paris.

So Paula, obviously lots of jockeying for power behind the scenes right now.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Andrea. Well, Leila Shahid, the Palestinian delegate for France, has just made a speech about a half hour ago or so, giving more details what she knows at the moment. She says, she's trying to give as much information as possible, at the same time protecting the privacy of the president. She's did say the he was generally better today than he was yesterday and it does appear he's getting better each day. She said he had spoken to his daughters this morning, seemed on good form. And this is actually what else she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEILA SHAHID, PALESTINIAN DELEGATE TO FRANCE: Doing all sorts of exams, examinations that are important and he is still going through more exams. What I can tell you is that the doctor excludes from already from what he has done, in terms of exams, any possibility of leukemia. I repeat, the doctors excludes for the time being any possibility of leukemia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS: Leila Shahid also says that he was showing daily improvements both physically and psychologically. So, that's the latest that she had to give us. She said she would try and keep everyone informed, but she did also say that it could be several days before there is an actual diagnosis of what the French doctor feels he believe is wrong with Arafat. He has had a mystery illness for the last two weeks or more. He was very ill in Ramallah he was taken to Jordan and then brought here to Paris to the military hospital, the Percy Military Hospital, behind me, which specializes in blood and trauma, very suitable for Yasser Arafat, because his own doctors say he does have problems with his blood. They say he does have a low count of blood platelets, which basically is what is responsible for blood clotting. That's the latest from here, Andrea.

KOPPEL: Paula Hancocks in Paris. Thanks so much.

As a result, over concerns about Arafat's health, a struggle is developing to determine if and how his duties might be split. Palestinian sources tell CNN's Christiane Amanpour that meetings are going on among those leaders in Ramallah to figure things out while Arafat is ill, but current and former Palestinian prime ministers would reportedly divide power with form Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas becoming chairman of the PLO and the Fatah organization. Current prime minister, Ahmed Qorei, would lead the Palestinian Authority and Security Services.

Abbas would become the main leader in the event Arafat dies or becomes fully incapacity. Still, sources say a power struggle is underway and they also caution against writing Arafat off anytime soon.

Many Palestinians have known no other leader than Arafat. Matthew chance is in Ramallah with reaction to what is bound to be shocking news for many -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Andrea. Indeed, people here in the west bank town of Ramallah, where Yasser Arafat has been holed up for more than three years inside this very battered compound, were of course, deeply saddened to the to see the Palestinian president, as you say, the only leader many of them have known throughout their whole lives, leave in this very fragile fashion. We've spoken to many people on the street of Ramallah, today, in their homes as well, and they've spoken to us about the kind of despair that they felt seeing this man who, for them, represents the strength of the Palestinian people. He's such a potent symbol of nationhood to so many people here. That leave in such a frail condition, for many people, it was very shocking, indeed.

There's also a great deal of concern about what may follow the era of Yasser Arafat, should it come to an end, which, of course, it eventually will. Because of the nature of Yasser Arafat's leadership, there has been never any clear succession to the mantle of the Palestinian leader and there are these deep concerns existing in Palestinian society that there could be a very chaotic, perhaps even a violent power struggle to fill the vacuum that is eventually left by Yasser Arafat.

On that issue, there's been an announcement by the Palestinian authorities, and what Christiane Amanpour, I think, was referring to earlier, which was made in front of the international media about the division of labor in the absence of Yasser Arafat between Abu Mazen, the former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, and the current Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qorei. They're both taking on key portfolios, one as the chairman of the executive committee of the PLO, not of the PLO altogether, just of this small decision-making body in the PLO, that's been taken on by Abu Mazen in an acting capacity. Ahmed Qorei is taking on the position of chairman of the National Security Council, which is a key position because it oversees all of those security service of the Palestinian Authority, But they're stressing this is for the sake of continuity. They're saying they're doing it only in an acting capacity and if and when Yasser Arafat recovers from his current condition, he'll be back in the driving seat -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Matthew, help our viewers appreciate the significance of this move right now. Even though acting capacity, has anything like this ever happened before with Yasser Arafat?

CHANCE: Well, no, it hasn't. And that's one of the most significant things about it. There was a meeting today of this executive committee of the PLO, this sort of group of elders of the Palestinian Liberation Organization meeting to make these kind of decisions. It was the first one that's ever been held that Yasser Arafat didn't attend and they made a point of showing video, releasing video of the meeting inside and they purposely left the main seat at the head of the table, the seat where Yasser Arafat normally sits, that seat was left empty, because they're metaphorically and actually saying that no one will be able to fill that seat apart from Yasser Arafat.

KOPPEL: Matthew Chance in Ramallah there in the Palestinian territories. Thank you, Matthew.

Well, air strikes and fierce ground fighting in and around Fallujah claimed the lives of at least eight Marines so far, today. CNN's Karl Penhaul is embedded with U.S. Marines near Fallujah and he joins us now by phone.

Karl, what can you tell us?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Andrea. Well, as you mentioned, so far, the balance that the 1st Marine Expedition calls headquarters has given us are that there are eight Marines dead, nine more wounded. They also say those are preliminary figures, those figures could change, reflecting some of those injured may be seriously injured.

The Marine headquarters, however has strenuously stated that that incident occurred outside of Fallujah, not in Fallujah, it occurred elsewhere in the al-Anbar Province, which is the western province. Fallujah is located in that province, but also the Marine area of responsibility is certainly a very large area of responsibility.

But there was, indeed, another incident that was very much closer to Fallujah in the course of the day. In fact, on the southeastern edge, a Marine reconnaissance team went out in force and was patrolling an area just out off the edge of the industrial area, so we understand. That came into contact with Iraqi insurgents inside of the city. Iraqi insurgents were firing automatic weapons fire and mortar fire. In response to that, the Marines called in heavy artillery fire, we understand 105 millimeter and 155 millimeter Howitzers, then pounded positions inside of Fallujah. One Marine described that as the heaviest artillery barrage he had heard in about two months. All of this reflects the fact that military operations are gathering pace, military preparedness is gathering pace (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for what may be an all-out assault on the rebel-held the city of Fallujah. Indeed, Marine commanders here, are speaking more in terms of when this happens, not if -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Karl, that's actually the perfect segue to my question, and that is, is there any possibility if the insurgents were to leave and lay down their arms that this assault by the U.S. and Iraqi military might not happen?

PENHAUL: There have been sporadic negotiations, as you know, going on between fitting (PH) notables best described as fitting (PH) notables, because that's been one of the problems that the coalition has faced always in Fallujah. They never really know the authority with which any representatives from Fallujah are speaking. It does seem the insurgent groups inside Fallujah may be fragmented, at least not under a unified command, that's what makes it difficult sometimes to talk to the insurgents, but certainly what the Marines are saying is that they've seen no signs yet of the insurgents laying down their arms. They do suspect that some of the insurgents may have left in recent days dressed as civilians and traveling unarmed and then once they leave the city, they may be collecting (UNINTELLIGIBLE) weapons in other parts of the province or other parts of the country, but certainly no sign of anything that one would call a peace deal at this stage, and for that reason, as I say, Marine commanders certainly speak of no time lines as yet, but they do seem to indicate when the operation begins, not if.

KOPPEL: Karl Penhaul near Fallujah joining us by satellite phone. Karl, thanks so much.

Well, the battle for key battleground states continues for both President Bush and Senator Kerry. Both candidates began their days in the upper Midwest before heading into a day of full campaigning. John Kerry talked about an America of rising opportunity while also saying the president didn't understand the problems facing America.

Our Kelly Wallace is with the Kerry campaign in Wisconsin, obviously another very busy day for the senator, today -- Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another -- another busy day, indeed, Andrea. And also a day after, of course, the release of that Osama bin Laden tape, the message coming from the Kerry campaign is that it is not changing course. Senior adviser Mike McCurry telling us a short time ago, he believes this tape is another thing that, quote, "crystallizes the stakes in this election" and that the senator will continue making the case that he believes he can fight a more effective war on terror and a better job with those pocketbook issues, the economy and health care issues affecting middle class Americans.

The senator coming here to Appleton, Wisconsin, stop No. 1 on this day in a county that George W. Bush won over Al Gore in 10 points in 2000. This is part of the Kerry campaign strategy to win over those voters who backed President Bush four years ago, but who feel they didn't get exactly what they voted for and are still having a bit of a hard time making the switch.

The senator did not mention at all the Osama bin Laden tape, but he reiterated a comment that he's been making on this stump over the past several months and that is he believes the president missed an opportunity to capture and kill Osama bin Laden in the mountains of Tora Bora in Afghanistan. Now, this is a conversation comment, because the senator made it yesterday in an interview with a Wisconsin television station and after he made that comment, the Bush/Cheney team accused the senator of playing politics with the release of this Osama bin Laden tape.

To that, Mike McCurry telling us that Senator Kerry has said this over and over again over these past several months, even as the Bush/Cheney team says it is not true and Mike McCurry saying Senator Kerry will continue making this comment, reiterating this case and also, Andrea, no surprise, accusing the Bush/Cheney team of being the campaign trying to politicized this new bin Laden tape.

From here, Senator Kerry heading to Iowa and then to Ohio, we're spending a lot of time in the Midwest these days. These are critical battleground states that could play a decisive role on Tuesday -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: We're going to be talking more about the bin Laden tape and hearing from the Bush campaign right after the break. Kelly Wallace, thanks so much for joining us from Appleton, Wisconsin.

And we'll be back with more from the other side, from the Bush campaign, right out of this break. Thanks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: President Bush says he is taking his vision of a more hopeful America directly to the people, while still managing to work in attacks on John Kerry, our Elaine Quijano reports now, from Columbus, Ohio -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Good afternoon to you, Andrea. White House officials say that President Bush began his day here in Columbus, Ohio, really trying to get on top of the situation with Osama bin Laden, trying to tell his security advisers, whom he had a meeting with, via video conference this morning, telling them to, quote, "Take all actions that might be necessary," end quote, to respond to that new Osama bin Laden message, but no mention of the tape itself today at his first campaign stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Instead, the president's aides say that they want to get back to basics, still attacking John Kerry, but in more general terms trying to portray him of lacking conviction, as weak on terrorism, and even out of step with some democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: During the last 20 years, in key moments of challenge and decision, Senator Kerry has chosen the path of weakness and inaction. With that record, he stands in opposition not just to me, but to the great tradition of the Democratic Party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, the Kerry camp all along has accused the Bush camp of twisting Senator Kerry's statements, of twisting his record. Meantime, the president continues today with his tour of battleground states on tap this afternoon: Wisconsin, also Minnesota, and Florida. And the president, although he won't be mentioning that bin Laden tape, the aides to the president are saying that his attacks will not be toned down in any way, that he will continue with his sharp jabs against Kerry -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Elaine Quijano in Columbus, Ohio. Thanks very much, Elaine.

A U.S. intelligence source and number of sources believe that a new tape of Osama bin Laden has been made recently and now some analysts wonder if it could signal an impending terrorist attack. The tape was delivered to Arabic satellite network al-Jazeera on Friday and the FBI is reportedly comparing it to a tape threat by another suspected al-Qaeda member aired by "ABC News" earlier this week.

Joining us is terrorism analyst, Jim Walsh. Mr. Walsh is an executive director of the Managing the Atom Project at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Well, clearly, Jim, the timing of the release of the tape just four days before the presidential election was deliberate, but when you listen to the actual message of Osama bin Laden, he doesn't seem to be throwing his support behind either candidate. JIM WALSH, MANAGING THE ATOM PROJECT AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Well, that's right. He says at one point, somewhat oddly, that it doesn't depend on President Bush, it doesn't depend on Senator Kerry, it doesn't depend on al-Qaeda, it depends on you, the American voter. It's a very -- it's very different in tone than the earlier tapes we heard immediately following 9/11, which were more fire and brimstone. This seems to be an appeal to the American public and an attempt to make an argument defending the horrific things he's done.

KOPPEL: So, why now? Is he -- is he trying to influence the election's outcome? And if so, how?

WALSH: That's a great question, Andrea, and that's certainly one possibility. That's what we've all been talking about. It's also possible that he's simply using our election as a vehicle to do more propagandizing, knowing that if he has a video out now he's going to be able to get lots of news coverage. So, he may be just using our election for his owner purposes. If he's trying to influence voters, it's going to be tough here. Normally, in a normal election, there would be lots and lots of undecided and a tape like this may have an impact. We're talking about voters here who have pretty much made up their minds by this point. There aren't many undecided left. And so if American's don't want the bin Laden tape to influence them, all they have to do is vote the way they planned to vote.

Now again, when it's close like this, it can make a small difference, like a lot of things can make a small difference, and to the extent it does make a difference, it probably helps President Bush at the margin.

KOPPEL: There were -- some of the early analysis of this tape, which runs about 18 minutes long, points out a number of things that are different from previous tapes and we haven't seen bin Laden on video for three years. One of them is the fact there is no weapon visible in the video and I guess the other is the fact that he doesn't specifically threaten another attack. But, do you think we can feel at ease that another attack is not in the works?

WALSH: Well, you can never be sure that there's not going to be another attack, and I wouldn't bet my house on it, but it's worth keeping in mind the broader picture here. We've been getting these tapes, maybe not a videotape of bin Laden, but a videotape of al- Zawahiri, audiotapes of bin Laden, videotapes from Zarqawi. We've been getting these on a pretty regular basis, almost two dozen of them and they're averaging about one a month, one every other month, over the course of the last year-and-a-half. In the earlier days, when we got a tape, we did worry that that tape meant it was going to be followed by an attack, but we've had so many tapes over such a long period, it really has weakened as an indicator. And so it isn't a very strong predictor there would be another attack. And in general, al-Qaeda prefers to take advantage of targets of opportunity, where it's convenient, where it's easy, where they would have the greatest chance of success. And of course, during an election period, people are going to be on guard. So, I think it's less likely that this is really about an attack. It's either about influencing the election or taking advantage of our election to communicate his message. KOPPEL: Jim Walsh at Harvard University. Nice to see you Jim, thanks so much.

WALSH: Good to see you Andrea, thanks.

KOPPEL: And coming up, millions want to vote, millions will, but will all of them be heard? We're going to look at the controversy over voter suppression, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: With the presidential race so close, some believe independent and new voters could hold the key to the oval office, but of course, that depends on turnout. Jim Rainey with the "Los Angeles Times" is with me now to talk about these two groups and their possible impact on Election Day.

I mean, Jim, isn't it the truth that a lot of new voters don't actually show up at the polls?

JIM RAINEY, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": Well, that is true. This year both parties are going to make a huge effort, thought, to make sure those new voters do show up. On the democratic side, for instance, America Coming Together has registered millions of new voters. They've promised that they're going to follow up with each one of those new voters anywhere from six to a dozen times to make sure they do get to the polls. They kind of test marketed this last year in the mayor's race in Philadelphia and they did succeed in getting out voters in pretty high numbers, even new voters.

KOPPEL: So, how many -- do we have a handle on just how many independent voter are registered right now, and how many new voters have been registered across the country?

RAINEY: Yeah, well the voting aged population in the United States, right now, is somewhere around 200 million and the estimates are that about 170 million of those people are registered. As independents, it's hard to tell because in many of these states we don't find out until Election Day. Wisconsin, for instance, you come in on Election Day and register to vote, but independents are the fastest growing group, percentage wise. Democrats are still in the lead, republicans second and then independent voters, but there are some states where independents actually have the lion's share of the voters. For instance, in Iowa, which is going to be a crucial state this year. But we don't have exact numbers on independents, but they're the fastest growing group.

KOPPEL: In a recent piece you did, you talk about the new voters, the under 29 who've been registered and the impact, interestingly, of the Michael Moore 9/11 -- "Fahrenheit 9/11" piece, his documentary, the "Daily Show" and the rock against Bush -- musical push against President Bush.

RAINEY: Right. Well, on the democratic side, certainly there's been a huge registration push on the democratic side and the probably have registered more voters than the republicans and their hope is that these young people will vote in bigger numbers this year, in part, just because it's part of the cultural conversation, now. It's been in "Forethought 9/11," it's regular on the "Daily Show," it's -- you know, they're hearing rock performers and pop music performers talking about it much more than they have in the past. The republicans are a little skeptical about this, whether these new voters are really going to show up, in what kinds of numbers. They're depending more on their tried and true voters who've been out many times before, and they've also built a huge structure to try to and get their people out to the polls.

KOPPEL: You mention republicans, but I love a quote you have from James Carville, obviously, a democratic strategist, in which he says, "You know what you call a candidate who's counting on a lot of new voters? A loser."

RAINEY: Right. Well James Carville always has a colorful way of putting these things and he did make that statement some years back, he wasn't specifically referring to this race and I think he would say, this time, that both the democrats and republicans will turn out these newly registered voters. I mean, it's nice to see that for the first time in many years that we do seem to have people energized and ready to go out and vote. In fact, I think most people are sick of hearing from people like us, the blah, blah, blah has gone on for months now and I think a lot of people -- that's why you see all this early voting, people in Florida and Iowa, states and that aren't considered battleground states are going to these early polling stations, they're voting by absentee ballot in record numbers.

KOPPEL: Sure.

RAINEY: I think people want to get to this. They're ready to go.

KOPPEL: Yeah, well fortunately the blah, blah, blah, only goes on for a few more days. Jim Rainey in Los Angeles, thanks so much.

RAINEY: Thank you.

KOPPEL: On Election Day, millions of Americans will speak, but will all of them be heard? Up next, a brewing battle, are certain groups of voters being suppressed? We're coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDREA KOPPEL, ANCHOR: Americans will speak, but will all of them be heard? Up next, a brewing battle. Are certain groups of voters being suppressed? We're coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: Now in the news, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat apparently does not have leukemia. That word from a Palestinian official quoting doctors in Paris where he Arafat is being treated. More tests are under way.

Along with that announcement, there are conflicting reports about Arafat's leadership role. Palestinian officials close to Arafat tell CNN they believe the era of Arafat as Palestinian leader is over. Other Palestinians quickly denied that report.

In Iraq, it's another violent weekend. An explosion this morning ripped through the Baghdad offices of Al-Arabiya, an Arabic TV network. Officials with the network say at least five people were killed. An Islamic web site published a statement by an Iraqi militant group, the 20th Brigade, claiming responsibility for the attacks.

Red Sox fans in Boston are crammed into every nook and cranny in the downtown area as the city honors its World Series champions. A big parade is going on right now. Millions of fans were expected for the big event.

This long and intense presidential race here in the United States is about to draw to a close. It's just three days until election day. And in our poll of polls, an average of national polling, the race still appears to be very close with President George W. Bush still holding a slight lead, three percentage points, over Senator John Kerry.

As we head into the final few days in the campaign, both major parties are still accusing each other of trying to suppress voter turnout. That's an issue likely to continue right through Tuesday.

Here is CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST (voice-over): Hardball Republican politics, 2004. In Las Vegas, challenging the registration of 17,000 voters; in Milwaukee, contesting 5,600. In Florida, thousands kept off the rolls, because of omissions in their registrations.

Also in Florida, Missouri, Michigan and other states, including Ohio, the GOP plans to station poll watchers on election day in minority neighborhoods. To these Republicans, it's all about making sure that everybody is playing by the rules.

JOHN FUND, COLUMNIST, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": Two civil rights here. There's a civil right to vote. We fought a long civil rights struggle in the 1960s to pass the Voting Rights Act. We need to preserve and protect that.

But there's an equal civil right that everyone has. They have the right not to have their vote voided out or canceled by someone who shouldn't be voting, someone who voted twice or someone who doesn't even exist.

TOOBIN: But Democrats say there's more at work here.

PAMELA KAPLAN, PROFESSOR, STANFORD LAW SCHOOL: I think in this election, it's probably accurate to say that most of the reports of attempts to suppress turnout are about Republican efforts to suppress turnout. And I think the reason for that is the common belief that increased voter turnout is more likely to help the Democratic Party than to help the Republican Party.

TOOBIN: Democrats say today's GOP efforts are part of a long history of intimidation of voters.

In California in 1988, private guards at polling stations in minority neighborhoods. In Louisiana in 1986, challenges from a so- called ballot security task force.

This week, activists went to federal court in New Jersey to try to enforce a 1982 nationwide consent decree in which Republicans agreed to forego voter intimidation tactics for good. The conflict, of Republicans stopping voter fraud or just stopping Democratic voters, will continue into and through election day.

Jeffrey Toobin, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: So what if you don't live in a swing state, and you don't think your vote matters on election day? What if you're just way too busy to take your time to vote?

The ethics guy, Bruce Weinstein, is now with me in New York to talk about the ethics of voting, why you should make sure your ballot is cast on election day.

So obviously, Bruce, you are in the corner of every vote matters and you need to get out there?

BRUCE WEINSTEIN, THE ETHICS GUY: Absolutely, Andrea. You know, in the previous segment, CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin talked about a civil right to vote.

Well, in fact, we have not only a right to vote; we have an obligation to vote, because only in doing so can we really encourage our democratic ideals to flourish. And, in fact, it's through the act of voting that we distinguish ourselves from other kinds of societies that don't have that privilege.

So it's in our own interests in the long run to vote, because that's how we can guarantee, or at least play some role in shaping our future.

KOPPEL: And so you see this really as an ethical decision?

WEINSTEIN: It is an ethical decision, because any time we ask what should I do and the rights and well being of other people, as well as ourselves, come into play, we're asking an ethical question.

Now, if you don't live in a swing state, it's still important to vote, because as we saw in the last election, every vote counts. And although we're leading increasingly busy lives these days, it's simply not good enough to say, well, I have so much to do today. I just don't have time to vote. On Tuesday, arguably, our most important responsibility is to vote. And surely, we can find more ways of meeting the other obligations that we have in our life. Voting is extremely important, not just from a political perspective, but, let's face it, from a self-interested standpoint.

KOPPEL: Bruce, we have another ethical question. This one comes in an e-mail form from a viewer about a colleague who travels for his country and likes to splurge, and what he writes is his tab is usually double the reimbursement allotment. In order to makeup the difference on his claim for reimbursement, he claims the full amount for breakfast and lunch, even when breakfast is complimentary at the hotel. Sometimes he foregoes lunch.

His feelings are that he should get some special consideration because he is away from home and, therefore entitled to recover all costs.

WEINSTEIN: Well, cheating the company is probably not the best way ethically or in any other sense to make up for whatever disparities exist in our salary or the way we're treated.

It's probably better for companies to allow a per diem for traveling employees, so that any employee who's faced with, say, having a free breakfast in the morning could make up the difference by splurging at night. And then there would be no need to feel guilty, because you've abided by your company's policies.

But it's almost never right to deceive others, to lie to get what we think are our just desserts. It's just not the right thing to do. And it seems pretty clear cut. It would be hard to be argue -- it would be hard to argue, I think, that that is justified ethically.

KOPPEL: Well, you are -- you are all of our consciences and, Bruce Weinstein, I -- I would perish the thought of working for you. You're -- I'm sure you're a very, very tough boss.

WEINSTEIN: Well, oh, God, I'd like to think that I'm compassionate and respectful of others.

KOPPEL: I'm sure you are.

WEINSTEIN: Tough, I hope not. Fair, I hope.

KOPPEL: You help to peak our conscience.

WEINSTEIN: That's true.

KOPPEL: Bruce Weinstein, the ethics guy, who joins us every Saturday at this time. Thank you very much.

WEINSTEIN: Thanks, Andrea.

KOPPEL: And you can e-mail your questions for the ethics guy to ethics@CNN.com.

A family barely escapes a run-in with disaster. A freak accident was behind this house fire. We'll explain in our look across America.

Also, one of the nation's largest civil rights groups is being investigated by the IRS, and one presidential candidate isn't happy about it.

We're coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: Now it's time to look at some stories across America.

Officials are investigating the cause of a fire at the home of a congressional candidate in Lafayette, Alabama. Democrat Bill Fuller is challenging Republican incumbent Mike Rogers. Fuller was injured when he was forced to jump to safety from a second floor house.

In metro Atlanta, a house burst into flames after it was hit by a car. The home, dating back to 1854, was destroyed. Homeowner James Eagle says his family was jolted out of bed by the crash. Police believe the driver suffered a seizure at the wheel.

And a homecoming coronation was a little different this year at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. For the first time, a man was chosen as homecoming queen. Following some threatening messages, university president Roy Saigo is asking for tolerance and understanding.

One of the nation's largest civil rights groups is under investigation for its tax exempt status, and presidential candidate John Kerry is criticizing that investigation and its timing, as CNN's Tom Foreman reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John Kerry is calling for an investigation into the IRS investigation of the NAACP. The tax-free status of the civil rights group is under IRS review as a result of chairman Julian Bond's speech at their convention this summer.

In that speech, he supported Kerry and said Republicans have appealed to the dark underside of American culture. "They operate a perpetual motion attack machine and squeal like stuck pigs if you answer back. If you don't vote, you'll be letting the bad guys win."

JULIAN BOND, NAACP CHAIRMAN: We're allowed to educate people, to tell them what we stand for, what we believe in. They are free...

FOREMAN (on camera): You don't believe calling them the bad guys is tilting the table, though?

BOND: I didn't mention President Bush or Vice President Cheney's name in that sentence. No, I don't think so at all. FOREMAN (voice-over): The IRS won't talk about this investigation. However, twice this year it warned tax free charities, including the NAACP, they cannot become involved in any activities that may be beneficial or detrimental to any candidate, because that, in effect, forces taxpayers to pay for campaigns they may oppose.

JACK BURKMAN, ATTORNEY/REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: The loser is the American taxpayer. You can't blame the IRS for enforcing the law whenever it chooses.

FOREMAN: Other civil rights groups say the tax law should not muzzle activists.

NAN ARON, ALLIANCE FOR JUSTICE: Organizations that address policy issues, they must be able to and, in fact, the law allows them to continue to speak out during an election year.

FOREMAN (on camera): The IRS has pursued other charities for similar actions. Nonetheless, African-American leaders, including some congressmen, are accusing the agency of timing this investigation.

(voice-over) They say it is designed to distract black voters as the election looms, but the NAACP was given notice of this investigation three weeks ago and is only now going public.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: Now the IRS web site suggests it is not singling out the NAACP, saying in a statement issued October 14 that the IRS has reviewed more than 100 tax-exempt organizations for improper political activity.

Coming up, CNN is the place to be on Tuesday. We'll show you why next when we preview our election night coverage. Stay with us.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: CNN is the place to be on election night 2004. Among many reasons, wall-to-wall coverage, quite literally, from the best team in the business. Election anchor now Wolf Blitzer now has an inside look at our coverage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS": Let me give you a little tour of our CNN election headquarters. You're among the first to actually see what we're going to be doing.

Behind me, you see this NASDAQ wall. We've got all these video screens and an incredible amount of information we can put up here. And you'll see a lot what's going on as the election returns come in. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we'll all be sitting on the edge of our seat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It'll be tight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the big news, see what happens in Florida this year.

BLITZER: Florida, 8 p.m. Eastern, once those polls close in Florida, we may be able to project a winner. But guess what? We may not be able to project a winner. And this time around, we're not taking any chances.

DAVID BOHRMAN, SENIOR EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: There's a new system for calling that we trust. But then there's a layer on top that says examine everything that they're doing and try to disprove it.

And then we add in the dynamics of lawyers. Sort of like what Ronald Reagan used to say. Trust but verify.

PAULA ZAHN, HOST, "PAULA ZAHN NOW": And the states that take the longest may be the ones that Bush and Kerry most need to win.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, states the Kerry campaign is watching very closely.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So they'll be looking at Florida, and they'll be looking at Ohio, which is in the Eastern Time zone. Two big states. He has to win at least one of those two, probably both of them.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": I have people from both the Kerry and the Bush camps telling me it is going to be over before early at night. I'm not buying that yet.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: My hunch is nobody is going to sleep very early Tuesday night.

ZAHN (voice-over): Down at Times Square, people already know what they're looking for on election night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm a Bush man all the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need a change in this country, so I'm going to vote for Kerry.

ZAHN: And if that's not enough, don't forget the Electoral College, governors, Senate, and House.

BLITZER: When I tell you we will have wall-to-wall coverage on election day, we really mean wall-to-wall coverage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: Our election coverage is far from over. Tune in to "PRIME TIME POLITICS" on CNN's "PAULA ZAHN NOW." On election eve, she'll host a town hall meeting with undecided voters, live from Florida. That's Monday night at 8 Eastern, 5 Pacific.

And on election night, CNN will bring you real time results live from the NASDAQ. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday night.

Looking for a get away this holiday season? Well, why not walk in the footsteps of greatness? We're taking a look at presidential vacations next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: In our travel segment this hour, a look at visiting presidential historical sites. What else?

They're spread across the country, from the Reagan Library in California to the Kennedy Library in Boston.

Fodors editor, Dave Downing, who's also a columnist for Fodors.com, has some great information on the sites, and he's joining us from New York.

Well, of course, we're in an election year. We've got to do this segment, and so did Fodors. Dave, got to ask you. Did you all find that the number of visitors to presidential museums goes up during a presidential election year?

DAVE DOWNING, FODORS EDITOR: Yes, people do. People become more interested in all presidents, not just the ones that are trying to be elected or reelected in this case.

And things like, you know, the death of a president. This year when Ronald Reagan passed away, you know, people really flocked to his museum, in particular, to kind of pay homage to him. And they feel much closer to him when they're there.

KOPPEL: You all, during the course of the research that you did for this -- for this segment you took a survey as to -- or got some percentages as to just what percentage of Americans have actually visited presidential libraries.

DOWNING: Yes. We -- on Fodors.com, we had this poll the beginning of September, and we asked people how many of these presidential sites have been to, libraries and museums, et cetera?

And we found out that 69 percent of people who responded had been to fewer than three. That's not very popular. These aren't popular as sites go. The only thing less popular than the sites themselves is actually voting, because about 50 something percent of Americans vote. So more people will visit a site, a presidential site than will actually vote.

KOPPEL: Got you. Let's take a look at some of the sites that you all have put in this issue. In the northeast, of course, there's the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library sand Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. What -- what is unique about this site?

DOWNING: This is Dorchester. This is -- with the Boston skyline in the background. It was designed by I.M. Pei. It's a beautiful building, very bold, very strong, as the president was.

But what's great about it is you get a sense for the man, not just for the president, and how inextricably linked his life was to the presidency.

In addition to the letters and the tapes and all those things having to do with those presidency, you can also see, you know, Jackie O's finery. Some of her dresses are on display there. You can see Caroline Kennedy's doll collection.

But then again, you know, there's a dark and somber tone, as well. There's one hallway that just shows repeatedly the news announcements of Kennedy's assassination and the live coverage of his funeral, as well.

So you get a full spectrum of the man and the president.

KOPPEL: Sounds dramatic. In the mid-Atlantic there's Mount Vernon in Mount Vernon, Virginia, and Monticello in Charlottesville.

DOWNING: These two are different. I mean, you can set up all these presidential libraries and museums, into one that exist in memory and ones that exist in history. We're talking historic figures here, Washington and Jefferson. So they have a different charge.

These museums have to break down the icon and really show you the man, which is difficult. Because we're talking about presidents who were elected in the time when the, quote, likeability factor wasn't -- didn't really come into play.

At Mount Vernon, for example, you know, Washington, by all accounts, was not a very profusive person, didn't show his emotions. But you can see one thing in particular he wanted was a portico, a back porch where he could sit with Martha and watch the Potomac.

There, you can sit in the same place today and look at the tombstone of him and his wife. But also, you can see the slave quarters there. You know, they remind you that these presidents were men. They were products of their generation. Both of these presidents had slaves. Jefferson...

KOPPEL: Sure. Dave, I'm going to stop you there. Unfortunately, we're running out of time. But the good news is people can pick up a copy of Fodors, and they can get more information about these presidential sites on Fodors.com.

Dave Downing, joining us from New York, thank you.

DOWNING: Thank you, Andrea. You can stop by Fodors.com and also check out my monthly column, tell you what to do if you lose your I.D. while traveling...

KOPPEL: OK.

DOWNING: ... and how your eye color might be able to help you.

KOPPEL: Thank you, Dave.

DOWNING: Thank you.

KOPPEL: There is much more ahead on CNN SATURDAY. In a few moments, "IN THE MONEY." At 2 Eastern, more news in "CNN LIVE SATURDAY." And then at 3, it's "NEXT@CNN," plus continuing news updates.

Thanks for watching. I'm Andrea Koppel.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

Aired October 30, 2004 - 12:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: It is 12:00 p.m. on the East coast, 9:00 a.m. in the West. Welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Andrea Koppel in Washington.
Ahead this hour: Is it the end of the Arafat era? Why the Palestinian leader might be losing his power and what it will mean to the Middle East and the world?

A sprint to the finish: The candidates in the campaign's final weekend. Will youth be served?

And no matter your politics, there are presidential destinations for every vacation. We'll show you some of the best. But first, here's a quick check of the stories now in the news.

An explosion in Baghdad this morning has injured several TV news workers from an Arabic TV network, al-Arabiya. Police tell CNN the explosion was a car bomb in the streets of the Mansour neighborhood of the city. Al-Arabiya is based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

U.S. government analysts say the latest videotape from Osama bin Laden appears to be authentic and recent. There are possible indications the tape might have been made less than a week ago. The FBI and Justice Department say they're scrutinizing the tape for any clues about possible future terrorist attacks.

And Boston throws a "rolling rally" rather than a parade. Officials feared too many people would turn out to cheer the World Series champs, the Red Sox, so the team is moving through the streets and also on the Charles River. They're riding so-called "duck boats" that can drive on land or on water.

Possibly a major development in the story of ailing Palestinian president, Yasser Arafat. Some Palestinian sources tell CNN that the 75-year-old Arafat is seriously ill, suffering from leukemia and cannot continue leading the Palestinians, but French doctors examining Arafat say their tests exclude leukemia. Arafat is undergoing tests in a French military hospital near Paris. Paula Hancocks is there and has the very latest from Paris.

So Paula, obviously lots of jockeying for power behind the scenes right now.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Andrea. Well, Leila Shahid, the Palestinian delegate for France, has just made a speech about a half hour ago or so, giving more details what she knows at the moment. She says, she's trying to give as much information as possible, at the same time protecting the privacy of the president. She's did say the he was generally better today than he was yesterday and it does appear he's getting better each day. She said he had spoken to his daughters this morning, seemed on good form. And this is actually what else she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEILA SHAHID, PALESTINIAN DELEGATE TO FRANCE: Doing all sorts of exams, examinations that are important and he is still going through more exams. What I can tell you is that the doctor excludes from already from what he has done, in terms of exams, any possibility of leukemia. I repeat, the doctors excludes for the time being any possibility of leukemia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS: Leila Shahid also says that he was showing daily improvements both physically and psychologically. So, that's the latest that she had to give us. She said she would try and keep everyone informed, but she did also say that it could be several days before there is an actual diagnosis of what the French doctor feels he believe is wrong with Arafat. He has had a mystery illness for the last two weeks or more. He was very ill in Ramallah he was taken to Jordan and then brought here to Paris to the military hospital, the Percy Military Hospital, behind me, which specializes in blood and trauma, very suitable for Yasser Arafat, because his own doctors say he does have problems with his blood. They say he does have a low count of blood platelets, which basically is what is responsible for blood clotting. That's the latest from here, Andrea.

KOPPEL: Paula Hancocks in Paris. Thanks so much.

As a result, over concerns about Arafat's health, a struggle is developing to determine if and how his duties might be split. Palestinian sources tell CNN's Christiane Amanpour that meetings are going on among those leaders in Ramallah to figure things out while Arafat is ill, but current and former Palestinian prime ministers would reportedly divide power with form Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas becoming chairman of the PLO and the Fatah organization. Current prime minister, Ahmed Qorei, would lead the Palestinian Authority and Security Services.

Abbas would become the main leader in the event Arafat dies or becomes fully incapacity. Still, sources say a power struggle is underway and they also caution against writing Arafat off anytime soon.

Many Palestinians have known no other leader than Arafat. Matthew chance is in Ramallah with reaction to what is bound to be shocking news for many -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Andrea. Indeed, people here in the west bank town of Ramallah, where Yasser Arafat has been holed up for more than three years inside this very battered compound, were of course, deeply saddened to the to see the Palestinian president, as you say, the only leader many of them have known throughout their whole lives, leave in this very fragile fashion. We've spoken to many people on the street of Ramallah, today, in their homes as well, and they've spoken to us about the kind of despair that they felt seeing this man who, for them, represents the strength of the Palestinian people. He's such a potent symbol of nationhood to so many people here. That leave in such a frail condition, for many people, it was very shocking, indeed.

There's also a great deal of concern about what may follow the era of Yasser Arafat, should it come to an end, which, of course, it eventually will. Because of the nature of Yasser Arafat's leadership, there has been never any clear succession to the mantle of the Palestinian leader and there are these deep concerns existing in Palestinian society that there could be a very chaotic, perhaps even a violent power struggle to fill the vacuum that is eventually left by Yasser Arafat.

On that issue, there's been an announcement by the Palestinian authorities, and what Christiane Amanpour, I think, was referring to earlier, which was made in front of the international media about the division of labor in the absence of Yasser Arafat between Abu Mazen, the former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, and the current Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qorei. They're both taking on key portfolios, one as the chairman of the executive committee of the PLO, not of the PLO altogether, just of this small decision-making body in the PLO, that's been taken on by Abu Mazen in an acting capacity. Ahmed Qorei is taking on the position of chairman of the National Security Council, which is a key position because it oversees all of those security service of the Palestinian Authority, But they're stressing this is for the sake of continuity. They're saying they're doing it only in an acting capacity and if and when Yasser Arafat recovers from his current condition, he'll be back in the driving seat -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Matthew, help our viewers appreciate the significance of this move right now. Even though acting capacity, has anything like this ever happened before with Yasser Arafat?

CHANCE: Well, no, it hasn't. And that's one of the most significant things about it. There was a meeting today of this executive committee of the PLO, this sort of group of elders of the Palestinian Liberation Organization meeting to make these kind of decisions. It was the first one that's ever been held that Yasser Arafat didn't attend and they made a point of showing video, releasing video of the meeting inside and they purposely left the main seat at the head of the table, the seat where Yasser Arafat normally sits, that seat was left empty, because they're metaphorically and actually saying that no one will be able to fill that seat apart from Yasser Arafat.

KOPPEL: Matthew Chance in Ramallah there in the Palestinian territories. Thank you, Matthew.

Well, air strikes and fierce ground fighting in and around Fallujah claimed the lives of at least eight Marines so far, today. CNN's Karl Penhaul is embedded with U.S. Marines near Fallujah and he joins us now by phone.

Karl, what can you tell us?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Andrea. Well, as you mentioned, so far, the balance that the 1st Marine Expedition calls headquarters has given us are that there are eight Marines dead, nine more wounded. They also say those are preliminary figures, those figures could change, reflecting some of those injured may be seriously injured.

The Marine headquarters, however has strenuously stated that that incident occurred outside of Fallujah, not in Fallujah, it occurred elsewhere in the al-Anbar Province, which is the western province. Fallujah is located in that province, but also the Marine area of responsibility is certainly a very large area of responsibility.

But there was, indeed, another incident that was very much closer to Fallujah in the course of the day. In fact, on the southeastern edge, a Marine reconnaissance team went out in force and was patrolling an area just out off the edge of the industrial area, so we understand. That came into contact with Iraqi insurgents inside of the city. Iraqi insurgents were firing automatic weapons fire and mortar fire. In response to that, the Marines called in heavy artillery fire, we understand 105 millimeter and 155 millimeter Howitzers, then pounded positions inside of Fallujah. One Marine described that as the heaviest artillery barrage he had heard in about two months. All of this reflects the fact that military operations are gathering pace, military preparedness is gathering pace (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for what may be an all-out assault on the rebel-held the city of Fallujah. Indeed, Marine commanders here, are speaking more in terms of when this happens, not if -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Karl, that's actually the perfect segue to my question, and that is, is there any possibility if the insurgents were to leave and lay down their arms that this assault by the U.S. and Iraqi military might not happen?

PENHAUL: There have been sporadic negotiations, as you know, going on between fitting (PH) notables best described as fitting (PH) notables, because that's been one of the problems that the coalition has faced always in Fallujah. They never really know the authority with which any representatives from Fallujah are speaking. It does seem the insurgent groups inside Fallujah may be fragmented, at least not under a unified command, that's what makes it difficult sometimes to talk to the insurgents, but certainly what the Marines are saying is that they've seen no signs yet of the insurgents laying down their arms. They do suspect that some of the insurgents may have left in recent days dressed as civilians and traveling unarmed and then once they leave the city, they may be collecting (UNINTELLIGIBLE) weapons in other parts of the province or other parts of the country, but certainly no sign of anything that one would call a peace deal at this stage, and for that reason, as I say, Marine commanders certainly speak of no time lines as yet, but they do seem to indicate when the operation begins, not if.

KOPPEL: Karl Penhaul near Fallujah joining us by satellite phone. Karl, thanks so much.

Well, the battle for key battleground states continues for both President Bush and Senator Kerry. Both candidates began their days in the upper Midwest before heading into a day of full campaigning. John Kerry talked about an America of rising opportunity while also saying the president didn't understand the problems facing America.

Our Kelly Wallace is with the Kerry campaign in Wisconsin, obviously another very busy day for the senator, today -- Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another -- another busy day, indeed, Andrea. And also a day after, of course, the release of that Osama bin Laden tape, the message coming from the Kerry campaign is that it is not changing course. Senior adviser Mike McCurry telling us a short time ago, he believes this tape is another thing that, quote, "crystallizes the stakes in this election" and that the senator will continue making the case that he believes he can fight a more effective war on terror and a better job with those pocketbook issues, the economy and health care issues affecting middle class Americans.

The senator coming here to Appleton, Wisconsin, stop No. 1 on this day in a county that George W. Bush won over Al Gore in 10 points in 2000. This is part of the Kerry campaign strategy to win over those voters who backed President Bush four years ago, but who feel they didn't get exactly what they voted for and are still having a bit of a hard time making the switch.

The senator did not mention at all the Osama bin Laden tape, but he reiterated a comment that he's been making on this stump over the past several months and that is he believes the president missed an opportunity to capture and kill Osama bin Laden in the mountains of Tora Bora in Afghanistan. Now, this is a conversation comment, because the senator made it yesterday in an interview with a Wisconsin television station and after he made that comment, the Bush/Cheney team accused the senator of playing politics with the release of this Osama bin Laden tape.

To that, Mike McCurry telling us that Senator Kerry has said this over and over again over these past several months, even as the Bush/Cheney team says it is not true and Mike McCurry saying Senator Kerry will continue making this comment, reiterating this case and also, Andrea, no surprise, accusing the Bush/Cheney team of being the campaign trying to politicized this new bin Laden tape.

From here, Senator Kerry heading to Iowa and then to Ohio, we're spending a lot of time in the Midwest these days. These are critical battleground states that could play a decisive role on Tuesday -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: We're going to be talking more about the bin Laden tape and hearing from the Bush campaign right after the break. Kelly Wallace, thanks so much for joining us from Appleton, Wisconsin.

And we'll be back with more from the other side, from the Bush campaign, right out of this break. Thanks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: President Bush says he is taking his vision of a more hopeful America directly to the people, while still managing to work in attacks on John Kerry, our Elaine Quijano reports now, from Columbus, Ohio -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Good afternoon to you, Andrea. White House officials say that President Bush began his day here in Columbus, Ohio, really trying to get on top of the situation with Osama bin Laden, trying to tell his security advisers, whom he had a meeting with, via video conference this morning, telling them to, quote, "Take all actions that might be necessary," end quote, to respond to that new Osama bin Laden message, but no mention of the tape itself today at his first campaign stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Instead, the president's aides say that they want to get back to basics, still attacking John Kerry, but in more general terms trying to portray him of lacking conviction, as weak on terrorism, and even out of step with some democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: During the last 20 years, in key moments of challenge and decision, Senator Kerry has chosen the path of weakness and inaction. With that record, he stands in opposition not just to me, but to the great tradition of the Democratic Party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, the Kerry camp all along has accused the Bush camp of twisting Senator Kerry's statements, of twisting his record. Meantime, the president continues today with his tour of battleground states on tap this afternoon: Wisconsin, also Minnesota, and Florida. And the president, although he won't be mentioning that bin Laden tape, the aides to the president are saying that his attacks will not be toned down in any way, that he will continue with his sharp jabs against Kerry -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Elaine Quijano in Columbus, Ohio. Thanks very much, Elaine.

A U.S. intelligence source and number of sources believe that a new tape of Osama bin Laden has been made recently and now some analysts wonder if it could signal an impending terrorist attack. The tape was delivered to Arabic satellite network al-Jazeera on Friday and the FBI is reportedly comparing it to a tape threat by another suspected al-Qaeda member aired by "ABC News" earlier this week.

Joining us is terrorism analyst, Jim Walsh. Mr. Walsh is an executive director of the Managing the Atom Project at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Well, clearly, Jim, the timing of the release of the tape just four days before the presidential election was deliberate, but when you listen to the actual message of Osama bin Laden, he doesn't seem to be throwing his support behind either candidate. JIM WALSH, MANAGING THE ATOM PROJECT AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Well, that's right. He says at one point, somewhat oddly, that it doesn't depend on President Bush, it doesn't depend on Senator Kerry, it doesn't depend on al-Qaeda, it depends on you, the American voter. It's a very -- it's very different in tone than the earlier tapes we heard immediately following 9/11, which were more fire and brimstone. This seems to be an appeal to the American public and an attempt to make an argument defending the horrific things he's done.

KOPPEL: So, why now? Is he -- is he trying to influence the election's outcome? And if so, how?

WALSH: That's a great question, Andrea, and that's certainly one possibility. That's what we've all been talking about. It's also possible that he's simply using our election as a vehicle to do more propagandizing, knowing that if he has a video out now he's going to be able to get lots of news coverage. So, he may be just using our election for his owner purposes. If he's trying to influence voters, it's going to be tough here. Normally, in a normal election, there would be lots and lots of undecided and a tape like this may have an impact. We're talking about voters here who have pretty much made up their minds by this point. There aren't many undecided left. And so if American's don't want the bin Laden tape to influence them, all they have to do is vote the way they planned to vote.

Now again, when it's close like this, it can make a small difference, like a lot of things can make a small difference, and to the extent it does make a difference, it probably helps President Bush at the margin.

KOPPEL: There were -- some of the early analysis of this tape, which runs about 18 minutes long, points out a number of things that are different from previous tapes and we haven't seen bin Laden on video for three years. One of them is the fact there is no weapon visible in the video and I guess the other is the fact that he doesn't specifically threaten another attack. But, do you think we can feel at ease that another attack is not in the works?

WALSH: Well, you can never be sure that there's not going to be another attack, and I wouldn't bet my house on it, but it's worth keeping in mind the broader picture here. We've been getting these tapes, maybe not a videotape of bin Laden, but a videotape of al- Zawahiri, audiotapes of bin Laden, videotapes from Zarqawi. We've been getting these on a pretty regular basis, almost two dozen of them and they're averaging about one a month, one every other month, over the course of the last year-and-a-half. In the earlier days, when we got a tape, we did worry that that tape meant it was going to be followed by an attack, but we've had so many tapes over such a long period, it really has weakened as an indicator. And so it isn't a very strong predictor there would be another attack. And in general, al-Qaeda prefers to take advantage of targets of opportunity, where it's convenient, where it's easy, where they would have the greatest chance of success. And of course, during an election period, people are going to be on guard. So, I think it's less likely that this is really about an attack. It's either about influencing the election or taking advantage of our election to communicate his message. KOPPEL: Jim Walsh at Harvard University. Nice to see you Jim, thanks so much.

WALSH: Good to see you Andrea, thanks.

KOPPEL: And coming up, millions want to vote, millions will, but will all of them be heard? We're going to look at the controversy over voter suppression, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: With the presidential race so close, some believe independent and new voters could hold the key to the oval office, but of course, that depends on turnout. Jim Rainey with the "Los Angeles Times" is with me now to talk about these two groups and their possible impact on Election Day.

I mean, Jim, isn't it the truth that a lot of new voters don't actually show up at the polls?

JIM RAINEY, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": Well, that is true. This year both parties are going to make a huge effort, thought, to make sure those new voters do show up. On the democratic side, for instance, America Coming Together has registered millions of new voters. They've promised that they're going to follow up with each one of those new voters anywhere from six to a dozen times to make sure they do get to the polls. They kind of test marketed this last year in the mayor's race in Philadelphia and they did succeed in getting out voters in pretty high numbers, even new voters.

KOPPEL: So, how many -- do we have a handle on just how many independent voter are registered right now, and how many new voters have been registered across the country?

RAINEY: Yeah, well the voting aged population in the United States, right now, is somewhere around 200 million and the estimates are that about 170 million of those people are registered. As independents, it's hard to tell because in many of these states we don't find out until Election Day. Wisconsin, for instance, you come in on Election Day and register to vote, but independents are the fastest growing group, percentage wise. Democrats are still in the lead, republicans second and then independent voters, but there are some states where independents actually have the lion's share of the voters. For instance, in Iowa, which is going to be a crucial state this year. But we don't have exact numbers on independents, but they're the fastest growing group.

KOPPEL: In a recent piece you did, you talk about the new voters, the under 29 who've been registered and the impact, interestingly, of the Michael Moore 9/11 -- "Fahrenheit 9/11" piece, his documentary, the "Daily Show" and the rock against Bush -- musical push against President Bush.

RAINEY: Right. Well, on the democratic side, certainly there's been a huge registration push on the democratic side and the probably have registered more voters than the republicans and their hope is that these young people will vote in bigger numbers this year, in part, just because it's part of the cultural conversation, now. It's been in "Forethought 9/11," it's regular on the "Daily Show," it's -- you know, they're hearing rock performers and pop music performers talking about it much more than they have in the past. The republicans are a little skeptical about this, whether these new voters are really going to show up, in what kinds of numbers. They're depending more on their tried and true voters who've been out many times before, and they've also built a huge structure to try to and get their people out to the polls.

KOPPEL: You mention republicans, but I love a quote you have from James Carville, obviously, a democratic strategist, in which he says, "You know what you call a candidate who's counting on a lot of new voters? A loser."

RAINEY: Right. Well James Carville always has a colorful way of putting these things and he did make that statement some years back, he wasn't specifically referring to this race and I think he would say, this time, that both the democrats and republicans will turn out these newly registered voters. I mean, it's nice to see that for the first time in many years that we do seem to have people energized and ready to go out and vote. In fact, I think most people are sick of hearing from people like us, the blah, blah, blah has gone on for months now and I think a lot of people -- that's why you see all this early voting, people in Florida and Iowa, states and that aren't considered battleground states are going to these early polling stations, they're voting by absentee ballot in record numbers.

KOPPEL: Sure.

RAINEY: I think people want to get to this. They're ready to go.

KOPPEL: Yeah, well fortunately the blah, blah, blah, only goes on for a few more days. Jim Rainey in Los Angeles, thanks so much.

RAINEY: Thank you.

KOPPEL: On Election Day, millions of Americans will speak, but will all of them be heard? Up next, a brewing battle, are certain groups of voters being suppressed? We're coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDREA KOPPEL, ANCHOR: Americans will speak, but will all of them be heard? Up next, a brewing battle. Are certain groups of voters being suppressed? We're coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: Now in the news, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat apparently does not have leukemia. That word from a Palestinian official quoting doctors in Paris where he Arafat is being treated. More tests are under way.

Along with that announcement, there are conflicting reports about Arafat's leadership role. Palestinian officials close to Arafat tell CNN they believe the era of Arafat as Palestinian leader is over. Other Palestinians quickly denied that report.

In Iraq, it's another violent weekend. An explosion this morning ripped through the Baghdad offices of Al-Arabiya, an Arabic TV network. Officials with the network say at least five people were killed. An Islamic web site published a statement by an Iraqi militant group, the 20th Brigade, claiming responsibility for the attacks.

Red Sox fans in Boston are crammed into every nook and cranny in the downtown area as the city honors its World Series champions. A big parade is going on right now. Millions of fans were expected for the big event.

This long and intense presidential race here in the United States is about to draw to a close. It's just three days until election day. And in our poll of polls, an average of national polling, the race still appears to be very close with President George W. Bush still holding a slight lead, three percentage points, over Senator John Kerry.

As we head into the final few days in the campaign, both major parties are still accusing each other of trying to suppress voter turnout. That's an issue likely to continue right through Tuesday.

Here is CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST (voice-over): Hardball Republican politics, 2004. In Las Vegas, challenging the registration of 17,000 voters; in Milwaukee, contesting 5,600. In Florida, thousands kept off the rolls, because of omissions in their registrations.

Also in Florida, Missouri, Michigan and other states, including Ohio, the GOP plans to station poll watchers on election day in minority neighborhoods. To these Republicans, it's all about making sure that everybody is playing by the rules.

JOHN FUND, COLUMNIST, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": Two civil rights here. There's a civil right to vote. We fought a long civil rights struggle in the 1960s to pass the Voting Rights Act. We need to preserve and protect that.

But there's an equal civil right that everyone has. They have the right not to have their vote voided out or canceled by someone who shouldn't be voting, someone who voted twice or someone who doesn't even exist.

TOOBIN: But Democrats say there's more at work here.

PAMELA KAPLAN, PROFESSOR, STANFORD LAW SCHOOL: I think in this election, it's probably accurate to say that most of the reports of attempts to suppress turnout are about Republican efforts to suppress turnout. And I think the reason for that is the common belief that increased voter turnout is more likely to help the Democratic Party than to help the Republican Party.

TOOBIN: Democrats say today's GOP efforts are part of a long history of intimidation of voters.

In California in 1988, private guards at polling stations in minority neighborhoods. In Louisiana in 1986, challenges from a so- called ballot security task force.

This week, activists went to federal court in New Jersey to try to enforce a 1982 nationwide consent decree in which Republicans agreed to forego voter intimidation tactics for good. The conflict, of Republicans stopping voter fraud or just stopping Democratic voters, will continue into and through election day.

Jeffrey Toobin, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: So what if you don't live in a swing state, and you don't think your vote matters on election day? What if you're just way too busy to take your time to vote?

The ethics guy, Bruce Weinstein, is now with me in New York to talk about the ethics of voting, why you should make sure your ballot is cast on election day.

So obviously, Bruce, you are in the corner of every vote matters and you need to get out there?

BRUCE WEINSTEIN, THE ETHICS GUY: Absolutely, Andrea. You know, in the previous segment, CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin talked about a civil right to vote.

Well, in fact, we have not only a right to vote; we have an obligation to vote, because only in doing so can we really encourage our democratic ideals to flourish. And, in fact, it's through the act of voting that we distinguish ourselves from other kinds of societies that don't have that privilege.

So it's in our own interests in the long run to vote, because that's how we can guarantee, or at least play some role in shaping our future.

KOPPEL: And so you see this really as an ethical decision?

WEINSTEIN: It is an ethical decision, because any time we ask what should I do and the rights and well being of other people, as well as ourselves, come into play, we're asking an ethical question.

Now, if you don't live in a swing state, it's still important to vote, because as we saw in the last election, every vote counts. And although we're leading increasingly busy lives these days, it's simply not good enough to say, well, I have so much to do today. I just don't have time to vote. On Tuesday, arguably, our most important responsibility is to vote. And surely, we can find more ways of meeting the other obligations that we have in our life. Voting is extremely important, not just from a political perspective, but, let's face it, from a self-interested standpoint.

KOPPEL: Bruce, we have another ethical question. This one comes in an e-mail form from a viewer about a colleague who travels for his country and likes to splurge, and what he writes is his tab is usually double the reimbursement allotment. In order to makeup the difference on his claim for reimbursement, he claims the full amount for breakfast and lunch, even when breakfast is complimentary at the hotel. Sometimes he foregoes lunch.

His feelings are that he should get some special consideration because he is away from home and, therefore entitled to recover all costs.

WEINSTEIN: Well, cheating the company is probably not the best way ethically or in any other sense to make up for whatever disparities exist in our salary or the way we're treated.

It's probably better for companies to allow a per diem for traveling employees, so that any employee who's faced with, say, having a free breakfast in the morning could make up the difference by splurging at night. And then there would be no need to feel guilty, because you've abided by your company's policies.

But it's almost never right to deceive others, to lie to get what we think are our just desserts. It's just not the right thing to do. And it seems pretty clear cut. It would be hard to be argue -- it would be hard to argue, I think, that that is justified ethically.

KOPPEL: Well, you are -- you are all of our consciences and, Bruce Weinstein, I -- I would perish the thought of working for you. You're -- I'm sure you're a very, very tough boss.

WEINSTEIN: Well, oh, God, I'd like to think that I'm compassionate and respectful of others.

KOPPEL: I'm sure you are.

WEINSTEIN: Tough, I hope not. Fair, I hope.

KOPPEL: You help to peak our conscience.

WEINSTEIN: That's true.

KOPPEL: Bruce Weinstein, the ethics guy, who joins us every Saturday at this time. Thank you very much.

WEINSTEIN: Thanks, Andrea.

KOPPEL: And you can e-mail your questions for the ethics guy to ethics@CNN.com.

A family barely escapes a run-in with disaster. A freak accident was behind this house fire. We'll explain in our look across America.

Also, one of the nation's largest civil rights groups is being investigated by the IRS, and one presidential candidate isn't happy about it.

We're coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: Now it's time to look at some stories across America.

Officials are investigating the cause of a fire at the home of a congressional candidate in Lafayette, Alabama. Democrat Bill Fuller is challenging Republican incumbent Mike Rogers. Fuller was injured when he was forced to jump to safety from a second floor house.

In metro Atlanta, a house burst into flames after it was hit by a car. The home, dating back to 1854, was destroyed. Homeowner James Eagle says his family was jolted out of bed by the crash. Police believe the driver suffered a seizure at the wheel.

And a homecoming coronation was a little different this year at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. For the first time, a man was chosen as homecoming queen. Following some threatening messages, university president Roy Saigo is asking for tolerance and understanding.

One of the nation's largest civil rights groups is under investigation for its tax exempt status, and presidential candidate John Kerry is criticizing that investigation and its timing, as CNN's Tom Foreman reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John Kerry is calling for an investigation into the IRS investigation of the NAACP. The tax-free status of the civil rights group is under IRS review as a result of chairman Julian Bond's speech at their convention this summer.

In that speech, he supported Kerry and said Republicans have appealed to the dark underside of American culture. "They operate a perpetual motion attack machine and squeal like stuck pigs if you answer back. If you don't vote, you'll be letting the bad guys win."

JULIAN BOND, NAACP CHAIRMAN: We're allowed to educate people, to tell them what we stand for, what we believe in. They are free...

FOREMAN (on camera): You don't believe calling them the bad guys is tilting the table, though?

BOND: I didn't mention President Bush or Vice President Cheney's name in that sentence. No, I don't think so at all. FOREMAN (voice-over): The IRS won't talk about this investigation. However, twice this year it warned tax free charities, including the NAACP, they cannot become involved in any activities that may be beneficial or detrimental to any candidate, because that, in effect, forces taxpayers to pay for campaigns they may oppose.

JACK BURKMAN, ATTORNEY/REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: The loser is the American taxpayer. You can't blame the IRS for enforcing the law whenever it chooses.

FOREMAN: Other civil rights groups say the tax law should not muzzle activists.

NAN ARON, ALLIANCE FOR JUSTICE: Organizations that address policy issues, they must be able to and, in fact, the law allows them to continue to speak out during an election year.

FOREMAN (on camera): The IRS has pursued other charities for similar actions. Nonetheless, African-American leaders, including some congressmen, are accusing the agency of timing this investigation.

(voice-over) They say it is designed to distract black voters as the election looms, but the NAACP was given notice of this investigation three weeks ago and is only now going public.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: Now the IRS web site suggests it is not singling out the NAACP, saying in a statement issued October 14 that the IRS has reviewed more than 100 tax-exempt organizations for improper political activity.

Coming up, CNN is the place to be on Tuesday. We'll show you why next when we preview our election night coverage. Stay with us.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: CNN is the place to be on election night 2004. Among many reasons, wall-to-wall coverage, quite literally, from the best team in the business. Election anchor now Wolf Blitzer now has an inside look at our coverage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS": Let me give you a little tour of our CNN election headquarters. You're among the first to actually see what we're going to be doing.

Behind me, you see this NASDAQ wall. We've got all these video screens and an incredible amount of information we can put up here. And you'll see a lot what's going on as the election returns come in. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we'll all be sitting on the edge of our seat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It'll be tight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the big news, see what happens in Florida this year.

BLITZER: Florida, 8 p.m. Eastern, once those polls close in Florida, we may be able to project a winner. But guess what? We may not be able to project a winner. And this time around, we're not taking any chances.

DAVID BOHRMAN, SENIOR EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: There's a new system for calling that we trust. But then there's a layer on top that says examine everything that they're doing and try to disprove it.

And then we add in the dynamics of lawyers. Sort of like what Ronald Reagan used to say. Trust but verify.

PAULA ZAHN, HOST, "PAULA ZAHN NOW": And the states that take the longest may be the ones that Bush and Kerry most need to win.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, states the Kerry campaign is watching very closely.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So they'll be looking at Florida, and they'll be looking at Ohio, which is in the Eastern Time zone. Two big states. He has to win at least one of those two, probably both of them.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": I have people from both the Kerry and the Bush camps telling me it is going to be over before early at night. I'm not buying that yet.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: My hunch is nobody is going to sleep very early Tuesday night.

ZAHN (voice-over): Down at Times Square, people already know what they're looking for on election night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm a Bush man all the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need a change in this country, so I'm going to vote for Kerry.

ZAHN: And if that's not enough, don't forget the Electoral College, governors, Senate, and House.

BLITZER: When I tell you we will have wall-to-wall coverage on election day, we really mean wall-to-wall coverage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: Our election coverage is far from over. Tune in to "PRIME TIME POLITICS" on CNN's "PAULA ZAHN NOW." On election eve, she'll host a town hall meeting with undecided voters, live from Florida. That's Monday night at 8 Eastern, 5 Pacific.

And on election night, CNN will bring you real time results live from the NASDAQ. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday night.

Looking for a get away this holiday season? Well, why not walk in the footsteps of greatness? We're taking a look at presidential vacations next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: In our travel segment this hour, a look at visiting presidential historical sites. What else?

They're spread across the country, from the Reagan Library in California to the Kennedy Library in Boston.

Fodors editor, Dave Downing, who's also a columnist for Fodors.com, has some great information on the sites, and he's joining us from New York.

Well, of course, we're in an election year. We've got to do this segment, and so did Fodors. Dave, got to ask you. Did you all find that the number of visitors to presidential museums goes up during a presidential election year?

DAVE DOWNING, FODORS EDITOR: Yes, people do. People become more interested in all presidents, not just the ones that are trying to be elected or reelected in this case.

And things like, you know, the death of a president. This year when Ronald Reagan passed away, you know, people really flocked to his museum, in particular, to kind of pay homage to him. And they feel much closer to him when they're there.

KOPPEL: You all, during the course of the research that you did for this -- for this segment you took a survey as to -- or got some percentages as to just what percentage of Americans have actually visited presidential libraries.

DOWNING: Yes. We -- on Fodors.com, we had this poll the beginning of September, and we asked people how many of these presidential sites have been to, libraries and museums, et cetera?

And we found out that 69 percent of people who responded had been to fewer than three. That's not very popular. These aren't popular as sites go. The only thing less popular than the sites themselves is actually voting, because about 50 something percent of Americans vote. So more people will visit a site, a presidential site than will actually vote.

KOPPEL: Got you. Let's take a look at some of the sites that you all have put in this issue. In the northeast, of course, there's the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library sand Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. What -- what is unique about this site?

DOWNING: This is Dorchester. This is -- with the Boston skyline in the background. It was designed by I.M. Pei. It's a beautiful building, very bold, very strong, as the president was.

But what's great about it is you get a sense for the man, not just for the president, and how inextricably linked his life was to the presidency.

In addition to the letters and the tapes and all those things having to do with those presidency, you can also see, you know, Jackie O's finery. Some of her dresses are on display there. You can see Caroline Kennedy's doll collection.

But then again, you know, there's a dark and somber tone, as well. There's one hallway that just shows repeatedly the news announcements of Kennedy's assassination and the live coverage of his funeral, as well.

So you get a full spectrum of the man and the president.

KOPPEL: Sounds dramatic. In the mid-Atlantic there's Mount Vernon in Mount Vernon, Virginia, and Monticello in Charlottesville.

DOWNING: These two are different. I mean, you can set up all these presidential libraries and museums, into one that exist in memory and ones that exist in history. We're talking historic figures here, Washington and Jefferson. So they have a different charge.

These museums have to break down the icon and really show you the man, which is difficult. Because we're talking about presidents who were elected in the time when the, quote, likeability factor wasn't -- didn't really come into play.

At Mount Vernon, for example, you know, Washington, by all accounts, was not a very profusive person, didn't show his emotions. But you can see one thing in particular he wanted was a portico, a back porch where he could sit with Martha and watch the Potomac.

There, you can sit in the same place today and look at the tombstone of him and his wife. But also, you can see the slave quarters there. You know, they remind you that these presidents were men. They were products of their generation. Both of these presidents had slaves. Jefferson...

KOPPEL: Sure. Dave, I'm going to stop you there. Unfortunately, we're running out of time. But the good news is people can pick up a copy of Fodors, and they can get more information about these presidential sites on Fodors.com.

Dave Downing, joining us from New York, thank you.

DOWNING: Thank you, Andrea. You can stop by Fodors.com and also check out my monthly column, tell you what to do if you lose your I.D. while traveling...

KOPPEL: OK.

DOWNING: ... and how your eye color might be able to help you.

KOPPEL: Thank you, Dave.

DOWNING: Thank you.

KOPPEL: There is much more ahead on CNN SATURDAY. In a few moments, "IN THE MONEY." At 2 Eastern, more news in "CNN LIVE SATURDAY." And then at 3, it's "NEXT@CNN," plus continuing news updates.

Thanks for watching. I'm Andrea Koppel.

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