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CNN Live At Daybreak
Focus on Education; The Overseas Vote; Back to School; Peterson Murder Trial; Fighting the Flu; Fear of Flying
Aired October 22, 2004 - 05:30 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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, and welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From CNN's Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin in for Carol Costello.
Right "Now in the News," in Missouri, a former employee who opened fire at a St. Louis area factory has now surrendered. Authorities say one person suffered a minor gunshot wound. The man had been fired about a year ago.
The director of a documentary critical of John Kerry's Vietnam service is suing Sinclair Broadcast Group. George Butler accuses Sinclair of illegally copying his photographs for use in the film "Stolen Honor."
And we'll all be seeing red at the World Series. St. Louis wins the National League pennant 5 to 2 over the Houston Astros. The Cardinals play the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the World Series Saturday night.
Orelon, how's the weather going to be?
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good. I think I know why the Astros lost.
LIN: Why is that?
SIDNEY: They are used to heat.
LIN: Is that what it is?
SIDNEY: And it just wasn't warm enough up there. That's the deal.
LIN: They're freezing their little socks off.
SIDNEY: That's it.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: Warm, but nice fall weather around the country.
SIDNEY: That's right.
LIN: A little bit wet. All right, thanks -- Orelon.
SIDNEY: You're welcome. LIN: Eleven days and counting until Americans go to the polls. Let's hope weather isn't going to be a factor there. The presidential election is Tuesday, November 2, and early voting has already started in 28 states.
The latest poll by The Association Press has George Bush and John Kerry still locked in a virtual dead heat. Among likely voters, 49 percent support John Kerry, 46 percent support Bush, but that is within the 3-point margin of error.
Now all week we've been taking up a closer issue or a closer look at the issues in this presidential race. Today we're going to look at where the candidates stand on education.
CNN's Aaron Brown reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I say to every child, no matter what your circumstance, no matter where you live, your school will be the path to promise of America.
AARON BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): George W. Bush made education reform and the No Child Left Behind act his first legislative priority. The act required that all states set and meet academic standards, measured by testing. If schools did not improve, parents could send their children elsewhere. In return, federal funding for education has risen to record levels.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two, ready, go.
BROWN: The president proposes for a second term increasing the number of required tests, creating a fund to reward effective teachers, and forgiving more college loans for math, science and special education teachers who agree to work in low-income communities.
In addition, President Bush supports vouchers that would allow parents to apply public money to private school tuition. To help with the rising cost of college, the president would agree to allow more volunteers to earn college money in the AmeriCorps program and increase funding for other education loans and grants.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our education plan for a stronger America sets high standards and it demands accountability from parents, teachers and schools. It provides for smaller class sizes and it treats teachers like the professionals that they are.
Are you ready? Everybody ready?
BROWN: John Kerry supported the No Child Left Behind act, but says that Mr. Bush has never fully funded it, and that he will. Senator Kerry supports improving the required tests, putting more resources into so-called failing schools, and creating a national education trust fund to keep education funding out of the yearly budget battle.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what we don't finish in class, you're going to finish for homework.
BROWN: The Democrats would raise the pay of many teachers, but require increased teacher testing and a streamlined process to fire those who do not perform. Their plan would provide federal guarantees for school repair and increase after-school programs.
Kerry is opposed to vouchers, saying they hurt public education. To combat the rising costs of college, Senator Kerry proposes a tax credit for a portion of college tuition and a plan under which two years of community service would earn enough money to pay for a state university degree.
Aaron Brown, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well John Kerry is in the battleground state of Wisconsin this morning. This is a state where polls show he narrowly trails George Bush. Kerry is hoping to win over some women voters during a speech today at the University of Wisconsin. And later, he heads to Reno for a rally at the University of Nevada. He's going to spend the night in Colorado.
Now George Bush is trying to win the Hispanic vote as well. He is reminding immigrants he supports temporary legal status for many people coming to this country. President Bush talked about it during an interview on a Spanish language television show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: People are coming here to work. And so long as they are coming to work in jobs that Americans will not do, I believe there ought to be a guest worker program, there ought to be a legitimacy, there ought to be a card that allows any willing worker and any willing employer to come together. And this would be good for America. It will help take the pressure off our borders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Well President Bush also says he deserves the support of Hispanics in this election because of his plans for security, education and health care.
Now an estimated four million Americans live overseas, including U.S. troops, and it's reported they are demanding ballots in record numbers. But you've heard the word snafu. CNN found several potential voters fighting an uphill battle to even get registered to vote. It's left them quite skeptical of our election process.
In Egypt, an anybody-but-Bush sentiment is rife in the Arab world. Arabs cite conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and the West Bank and Gaza. An opinion poll in Egypt found that 98 percent had a negative view of the United States. Now the war in Iraq is a thorn in the side of many in Japan, and yet Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi appears to be risking his political career over the U.S. election.
Atika Shubert joins us live from Tokyo via videophone.
Atika, is it unusual for the prime minister to actually express an opinion about the U.S. elections?
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It certainly is unusual to make such a candid comment just a few days before the election. But what we've found is that it may have been important for him to do so because he has a distinctly different opinion from what the public wants.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT (voice-over): With just days to go before the U.S. election, Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made a blunt comment on who he is backing.
JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI, JAPAN'S PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I'm close to President Bush, so I'd like him to do well, he told reporters.
SHUBERT: Koizumi has staked his political career on supporting Bush policies, even when the Japanese public disagrees with him.
NORIKO HAMA (ph), POLITICAL ANALYST: The Japanese people are very, very skeptical about this Bush-Koizumi combination. They do want to keep that distance.
SHUBERT: Case in point, Koizumi sent Japanese troops to Iraq at the request of President Bush, despite loud objections from the public.
(on camera): Koizumi may back Bush, but media polls show more than 50 percent of Japanese want to see Kerry in the White House to find out why we went to the center of political debate the easy kia (ph), also known as the local pub.
(voice-over): A few beers, get some candid answers.
This man told us, "I don't really support either one, but Bush is the worst. He started the Iraq war and he failed."
We found just one Bush supporter in this crowd. "Bush has a good relationship with Koizumi and that's important. I think it's better for Japan," this man says.
But the overwhelming majority of answers were more anti-Bush than pro Kerry. "I support Kerry," this man says, "Bush is a failure. It would be better for the U.S. and the whole world if Kerry is president."
Koizumi may think Bush is the right man for the job, the Japanese public, it seems, isn't so sure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Now most Japanese won't be able to vote in the elections, but they do feel the elections will directly impact their lives. In fact, one analyst joked that if Japanese citizens were allowed to vote in this election, voter turnout may in fact be higher than in a local election. That's how important the issue is for people here -- Carol.
LIN: Wow! All right, thanks very much, Atika.
Now we often do look at the war in Iraq in terms of violence and casualties and security, but this morning we're going to look at progress made, or lack thereof, in getting schools up and running in that country.
CNN's Jane Arraf shows us what back-to-school days are like in Kirkuk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): A new day of Iraqi classes is rung in at this primary school in Kirkuk for 250 first through sixth graders. At the Halime Asad Dia School (ph) in this middle class neighborhood, Principal Lamia Arafia Ahmed (ph) shows us around. There are only three toilets. The water tank is broken so there's no water in the bathrooms.
Bushuwa (ph), in the sixth grade, says their notebooks are such bad quality the pages rip and they can't read what they write in them.
The desks are battered. The students say they need pencils and erasers and they haven't been given new textbooks.
(on camera): The paint is peeling, some of the walls are crumbling and when it starts to rain, the roof will leak on these children. But this school is so in better shape than a lot of others in Iraq.
(voice-over): The Iraqi government says half of Iraq's primary schools have no toilets. More than a quarter still need major structural repair. The problems are both money and security.
U.S. military officials on the ground say money that was to come in from the U.S. funded project and contracting office, which oversees $18 billion in reconstruction funds, has been delayed. U.N. agencies and non-governmental organizations, which would normally help more, have reduced operations due to the ongoing violence in parts of Iraq.
At this school, U.S. soldiers unpack supplies donated by American aid organizations. To help with community relations, the soldiers give the packages to Iraqi police to hand out, notebooks, rulers, erasers, colored pencils. They're the first most of these children, Arab, Kurds and Turkoman, have seen this year. The 25th Infantry Division 2nd Brigade combat team is spending $48,000 of its own funds to renovate this school. CAPT. DERRICK BIRD, U.S. ARMY: It means electricity and plumbing and just an overall paint job, as well as drinking water, electricity to put in fans, heaters, stuff like that.
ARRAF: If the school had more money, they'd expand and maybe someday buy computers, says the principal. After all they've been through, students want to feel there is something new in their lives, she says.
Jane Arraf, CNN, Kirkuk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well the defense goes on the offensive with an expert witness in the Scott Peterson trial. In four minutes, could they punch holes in the prosecution's main theory?
Also, you know how hard it is to get a flu shot this year. Well, it looks like more tough times are on the horizon as health and government officials scramble to cope with this year's flu crisis. Next year's flu vaccine supplies are already in doubt. That's in seven minutes.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: In Redwood City, California, testimony in the Scott Peterson murder trial resumes on Monday. Thursday, prosecutors attacked the findings of a defense witness who said Laci Peterson's fetus died a week after she had vanished. Now that conclusion, if proved, has the potential to exonerate Scott Peterson.
CNN's Kimberly Osias explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A medical expert testifying in the Scott Peterson murder trial today said the fetus carried by Laci Peterson could not have died earlier than December 29, 5 days after the mother-to-be was reported missing.
Dr. Charles March, an obstetrician, based his findings on bone measurements, Laci Peterson's last ultrasound and an early home pregnancy test. The prosecution tried to discredit the methodology March used.
CHUCK SMITH, LEGAL ANALYST: The underlying premise for all this medical testimony is that the child was abducted by someone who then killed the child sometime around December 29 and, obviously, killed the mother and then somehow framed Scott Peterson. That's quite a leap of faith.
OSIAS: But since this double murder case is based largely on circumstantial evidence, it will ultimately boil down to how jurors react to all the expert testimony they're hearing. Relatives on both sides have been present during the months of testimony. Today's was especially poignant.
JANEY PETERSON, SCOTT'S SISTER-IN-LAW: It's very much a two-edge sword. You know to hear facts like that, that outline the date that our sister-in-law and nephew were killed, is not fun information to hear. But at the same time, it shows that Scott's innocent.
OSIAS: Also on the stand today, Ricardo Cardova, a neighbor of the Peterson's and currently a superior court judge. He testified that a suspicious person went door to door in that neighborhood asking for money the night before Laci Peterson disappeared. He said this was a pattern for burglars.
(on camera): Tomorrow, court will be dark, however, Judge Alfred Delucchi assured jurors that things would continue on as scheduled. That means that testimony should wrap up by the end of next week. However, for deliberations, the jury will be sequestered.
Kimberly Osias, CNN, Redwood City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: I'm going to be talking with our legal analyst Kendall Coffey in the next hour, probably about 30 minutes from now, about the developments in the Peterson case. He's always got a great perspective on it and surprises to come.
And your news, money, weather and sports. It's now 48 minutes past the hour and here's what's all new this morning.
A state police report finds careless driving was partly to blame for a deadly tour bus accident earlier this month in Arkansas. The bus overturned on a wet highway, killing 14 people and injuring 16 others.
In money, with the hopes of taking a big bite out of China, the first Hooters restaurant opens today in Shanghai. It joins other American food chains, like McDonald's and KFC, in trying to take advantage of China's booming economy.
In culture, movie tough guy Sylvester Stallone is taking a swipe at a new venture. He's starting a men's magazine focusing on health and fitness for men of a certain age. It will be called "Sly."
In sports, American gymnast Paul Hamm gets to keep his Olympic gold medal for all-around champ. An international sports committee rejected an appeal from a South Korean gymnast.
Orelon, you know, I know the judging was controversial, but good for Paul Hamm and good for the American team.
SIDNEY: Well that's good news. And you know what, you don't take back the Super Bowl just because you go back a day later and look at the replays and such.
LIN: Look at the footage. Yes, good point.
SIDNEY: There you go.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: All right, things are getting a little chilly -- Orelon.
SIDNEY: That's right, it's almost winter.
LIN: It's almost winter, which obviously causes a lot of concern for people who are trying to get a flu shot this year. The shortage of the flu vaccines has more and more patients depending on the luck of the draw for protection. A county in Maryland is the latest municipality to hold a flu shot lottery. Eight hundred Montgomery County residents at high risk will be selected by computer.
As CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen reports, there are already signs next year's flu shot crisis could be just as bad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Will these long lines stretch all the way to next year's flu season? After regulators said it could be contaminated, nearly half the nation's supply of flu shots had to be thrown out this year. And now there are signs that the same factory won't be able to make any shots next year.
In a conference call with investors, the CEO of Chiron, the company that made the flu shots, said, "The situation remains fluid. We're determined...to return to the U.S. market as a reliable supplier of flu vaccine as soon as is feasible."
If Chiron doesn't get back on track, that could leave the U.S. for the second year in a row with just one company making the vaccine for the entire country.
DR. JERRY AVORN, AUTHOR, "POWERFUL MEDICINES": We probably should not be in a position where we are so dependent on one or two companies for a product that is literally life saving.
COHEN: The government is now on the hunt for other suppliers. A spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control said all options are open. The government is already inspecting a Canadian drug manufacturing plant to see if it's up to U.S. standards.
Over the past four years, several pharmaceutical companies have gotten out of the flu shot business.
AVORN: Companies have felt that this is not a profitable area, and one by one, most of the vaccine manufacturers of many kinds have dropped out to pursue more lucrative products.
COHEN: That's prompted some experts to say the government ought to take over the production of flu shots itself.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LIN: Our thanks to Elizabeth Cohen on our medical unit.
For more on this or any other health story, you just head to our Web site. The address is CNN.com/health.
All right, we've got much more to come on DAYBREAK. It is Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Are you afraid to fly? Many people are, and among them, our very own Jeanne Moos. So she gets off the ground without ever leaving it. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For some, flying seems heavenly. But for others, it's like preparing to join the dearly departed. We sit rigid as dummies, analyzing every engine noise, waiting for impact, watching for wings to ignite, imagining flopping around tethered to a fireball. Yikes!
(on camera): I don't think I've been on a plane for a decade.
(voice-over): Which means the only thing I'll take off on is a virtual reality flight.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Move your head a little bit.
MOOS (on camera): OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can look out the window.
MOOS: Oh, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can see you're on the runway.
MOOS: Yes.
(voice-over): Here at Cornell-New York Presbyterian Hospital in a nondescript office, psychologist Joanne Defreedy (ph) asked questions like, did I stop flying because of a bad experience that made me fear for my life?
(on camera): No.
JOANNE DEFREEDY, PSYCHOLOGIST: No.
MOOS: Never thought I was going to die.
DEFREEDY: OK.
MOOS: I do things when I'm on the plane like, I tiptoe to the back. You know, I want to go easy on the airplane, like my weight is going to make some kind of difference. It's nuts.
(voice-over): For 15 years at CNN, I flew when absolutely necessary -- to China, for instance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS (on camera): Here at the Great Wall, you don't have to walk a mile for a camel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(voice-over): I'd rather take a camel than a jet. Finally I stopped flying altogether, though I still managed to ride in a balloon and go up in a blimp.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Try it.
MOOS (on camera): I am not going to fly this thing.
Whoa, hey, hey, I don't want to drive anymore.
(voice-over): The goal of virtual reality is to desensitize patients to what scares them.
(on camera): It's the actual hurtling down the runway part that really gets me going.
(voice-over): For eight sessions that cost about $2,100, the therapist puts you in a 3-D world of airplane noises and thunderstorms.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can do that again and again and again.
MOOS: They even have a virtual reality program for those traumatized by 9/11.
Defreedy says the success rate of virtual reality is about 90 percent, but you have to want to overcome your fear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Going to Hawaii, to, I don't know...
MOOS (on camera): Could care less. I have no desire.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Europe, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Japan, anywhere...
MOOS: I mean, the plane trip is not -- the vacation is not worth the plane trip.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have no motivation.
MOOS (voice-over): No wonder my progress is slow.
(on camera): So do I get frequent flier miles for this?
(voice-over): Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired October 22, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, and welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From CNN's Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin in for Carol Costello.
Right "Now in the News," in Missouri, a former employee who opened fire at a St. Louis area factory has now surrendered. Authorities say one person suffered a minor gunshot wound. The man had been fired about a year ago.
The director of a documentary critical of John Kerry's Vietnam service is suing Sinclair Broadcast Group. George Butler accuses Sinclair of illegally copying his photographs for use in the film "Stolen Honor."
And we'll all be seeing red at the World Series. St. Louis wins the National League pennant 5 to 2 over the Houston Astros. The Cardinals play the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the World Series Saturday night.
Orelon, how's the weather going to be?
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good. I think I know why the Astros lost.
LIN: Why is that?
SIDNEY: They are used to heat.
LIN: Is that what it is?
SIDNEY: And it just wasn't warm enough up there. That's the deal.
LIN: They're freezing their little socks off.
SIDNEY: That's it.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: Warm, but nice fall weather around the country.
SIDNEY: That's right.
LIN: A little bit wet. All right, thanks -- Orelon.
SIDNEY: You're welcome. LIN: Eleven days and counting until Americans go to the polls. Let's hope weather isn't going to be a factor there. The presidential election is Tuesday, November 2, and early voting has already started in 28 states.
The latest poll by The Association Press has George Bush and John Kerry still locked in a virtual dead heat. Among likely voters, 49 percent support John Kerry, 46 percent support Bush, but that is within the 3-point margin of error.
Now all week we've been taking up a closer issue or a closer look at the issues in this presidential race. Today we're going to look at where the candidates stand on education.
CNN's Aaron Brown reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I say to every child, no matter what your circumstance, no matter where you live, your school will be the path to promise of America.
AARON BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): George W. Bush made education reform and the No Child Left Behind act his first legislative priority. The act required that all states set and meet academic standards, measured by testing. If schools did not improve, parents could send their children elsewhere. In return, federal funding for education has risen to record levels.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two, ready, go.
BROWN: The president proposes for a second term increasing the number of required tests, creating a fund to reward effective teachers, and forgiving more college loans for math, science and special education teachers who agree to work in low-income communities.
In addition, President Bush supports vouchers that would allow parents to apply public money to private school tuition. To help with the rising cost of college, the president would agree to allow more volunteers to earn college money in the AmeriCorps program and increase funding for other education loans and grants.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our education plan for a stronger America sets high standards and it demands accountability from parents, teachers and schools. It provides for smaller class sizes and it treats teachers like the professionals that they are.
Are you ready? Everybody ready?
BROWN: John Kerry supported the No Child Left Behind act, but says that Mr. Bush has never fully funded it, and that he will. Senator Kerry supports improving the required tests, putting more resources into so-called failing schools, and creating a national education trust fund to keep education funding out of the yearly budget battle.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what we don't finish in class, you're going to finish for homework.
BROWN: The Democrats would raise the pay of many teachers, but require increased teacher testing and a streamlined process to fire those who do not perform. Their plan would provide federal guarantees for school repair and increase after-school programs.
Kerry is opposed to vouchers, saying they hurt public education. To combat the rising costs of college, Senator Kerry proposes a tax credit for a portion of college tuition and a plan under which two years of community service would earn enough money to pay for a state university degree.
Aaron Brown, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well John Kerry is in the battleground state of Wisconsin this morning. This is a state where polls show he narrowly trails George Bush. Kerry is hoping to win over some women voters during a speech today at the University of Wisconsin. And later, he heads to Reno for a rally at the University of Nevada. He's going to spend the night in Colorado.
Now George Bush is trying to win the Hispanic vote as well. He is reminding immigrants he supports temporary legal status for many people coming to this country. President Bush talked about it during an interview on a Spanish language television show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: People are coming here to work. And so long as they are coming to work in jobs that Americans will not do, I believe there ought to be a guest worker program, there ought to be a legitimacy, there ought to be a card that allows any willing worker and any willing employer to come together. And this would be good for America. It will help take the pressure off our borders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Well President Bush also says he deserves the support of Hispanics in this election because of his plans for security, education and health care.
Now an estimated four million Americans live overseas, including U.S. troops, and it's reported they are demanding ballots in record numbers. But you've heard the word snafu. CNN found several potential voters fighting an uphill battle to even get registered to vote. It's left them quite skeptical of our election process.
In Egypt, an anybody-but-Bush sentiment is rife in the Arab world. Arabs cite conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and the West Bank and Gaza. An opinion poll in Egypt found that 98 percent had a negative view of the United States. Now the war in Iraq is a thorn in the side of many in Japan, and yet Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi appears to be risking his political career over the U.S. election.
Atika Shubert joins us live from Tokyo via videophone.
Atika, is it unusual for the prime minister to actually express an opinion about the U.S. elections?
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It certainly is unusual to make such a candid comment just a few days before the election. But what we've found is that it may have been important for him to do so because he has a distinctly different opinion from what the public wants.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT (voice-over): With just days to go before the U.S. election, Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made a blunt comment on who he is backing.
JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI, JAPAN'S PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I'm close to President Bush, so I'd like him to do well, he told reporters.
SHUBERT: Koizumi has staked his political career on supporting Bush policies, even when the Japanese public disagrees with him.
NORIKO HAMA (ph), POLITICAL ANALYST: The Japanese people are very, very skeptical about this Bush-Koizumi combination. They do want to keep that distance.
SHUBERT: Case in point, Koizumi sent Japanese troops to Iraq at the request of President Bush, despite loud objections from the public.
(on camera): Koizumi may back Bush, but media polls show more than 50 percent of Japanese want to see Kerry in the White House to find out why we went to the center of political debate the easy kia (ph), also known as the local pub.
(voice-over): A few beers, get some candid answers.
This man told us, "I don't really support either one, but Bush is the worst. He started the Iraq war and he failed."
We found just one Bush supporter in this crowd. "Bush has a good relationship with Koizumi and that's important. I think it's better for Japan," this man says.
But the overwhelming majority of answers were more anti-Bush than pro Kerry. "I support Kerry," this man says, "Bush is a failure. It would be better for the U.S. and the whole world if Kerry is president."
Koizumi may think Bush is the right man for the job, the Japanese public, it seems, isn't so sure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Now most Japanese won't be able to vote in the elections, but they do feel the elections will directly impact their lives. In fact, one analyst joked that if Japanese citizens were allowed to vote in this election, voter turnout may in fact be higher than in a local election. That's how important the issue is for people here -- Carol.
LIN: Wow! All right, thanks very much, Atika.
Now we often do look at the war in Iraq in terms of violence and casualties and security, but this morning we're going to look at progress made, or lack thereof, in getting schools up and running in that country.
CNN's Jane Arraf shows us what back-to-school days are like in Kirkuk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): A new day of Iraqi classes is rung in at this primary school in Kirkuk for 250 first through sixth graders. At the Halime Asad Dia School (ph) in this middle class neighborhood, Principal Lamia Arafia Ahmed (ph) shows us around. There are only three toilets. The water tank is broken so there's no water in the bathrooms.
Bushuwa (ph), in the sixth grade, says their notebooks are such bad quality the pages rip and they can't read what they write in them.
The desks are battered. The students say they need pencils and erasers and they haven't been given new textbooks.
(on camera): The paint is peeling, some of the walls are crumbling and when it starts to rain, the roof will leak on these children. But this school is so in better shape than a lot of others in Iraq.
(voice-over): The Iraqi government says half of Iraq's primary schools have no toilets. More than a quarter still need major structural repair. The problems are both money and security.
U.S. military officials on the ground say money that was to come in from the U.S. funded project and contracting office, which oversees $18 billion in reconstruction funds, has been delayed. U.N. agencies and non-governmental organizations, which would normally help more, have reduced operations due to the ongoing violence in parts of Iraq.
At this school, U.S. soldiers unpack supplies donated by American aid organizations. To help with community relations, the soldiers give the packages to Iraqi police to hand out, notebooks, rulers, erasers, colored pencils. They're the first most of these children, Arab, Kurds and Turkoman, have seen this year. The 25th Infantry Division 2nd Brigade combat team is spending $48,000 of its own funds to renovate this school. CAPT. DERRICK BIRD, U.S. ARMY: It means electricity and plumbing and just an overall paint job, as well as drinking water, electricity to put in fans, heaters, stuff like that.
ARRAF: If the school had more money, they'd expand and maybe someday buy computers, says the principal. After all they've been through, students want to feel there is something new in their lives, she says.
Jane Arraf, CNN, Kirkuk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well the defense goes on the offensive with an expert witness in the Scott Peterson trial. In four minutes, could they punch holes in the prosecution's main theory?
Also, you know how hard it is to get a flu shot this year. Well, it looks like more tough times are on the horizon as health and government officials scramble to cope with this year's flu crisis. Next year's flu vaccine supplies are already in doubt. That's in seven minutes.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
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LIN: In Redwood City, California, testimony in the Scott Peterson murder trial resumes on Monday. Thursday, prosecutors attacked the findings of a defense witness who said Laci Peterson's fetus died a week after she had vanished. Now that conclusion, if proved, has the potential to exonerate Scott Peterson.
CNN's Kimberly Osias explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A medical expert testifying in the Scott Peterson murder trial today said the fetus carried by Laci Peterson could not have died earlier than December 29, 5 days after the mother-to-be was reported missing.
Dr. Charles March, an obstetrician, based his findings on bone measurements, Laci Peterson's last ultrasound and an early home pregnancy test. The prosecution tried to discredit the methodology March used.
CHUCK SMITH, LEGAL ANALYST: The underlying premise for all this medical testimony is that the child was abducted by someone who then killed the child sometime around December 29 and, obviously, killed the mother and then somehow framed Scott Peterson. That's quite a leap of faith.
OSIAS: But since this double murder case is based largely on circumstantial evidence, it will ultimately boil down to how jurors react to all the expert testimony they're hearing. Relatives on both sides have been present during the months of testimony. Today's was especially poignant.
JANEY PETERSON, SCOTT'S SISTER-IN-LAW: It's very much a two-edge sword. You know to hear facts like that, that outline the date that our sister-in-law and nephew were killed, is not fun information to hear. But at the same time, it shows that Scott's innocent.
OSIAS: Also on the stand today, Ricardo Cardova, a neighbor of the Peterson's and currently a superior court judge. He testified that a suspicious person went door to door in that neighborhood asking for money the night before Laci Peterson disappeared. He said this was a pattern for burglars.
(on camera): Tomorrow, court will be dark, however, Judge Alfred Delucchi assured jurors that things would continue on as scheduled. That means that testimony should wrap up by the end of next week. However, for deliberations, the jury will be sequestered.
Kimberly Osias, CNN, Redwood City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: I'm going to be talking with our legal analyst Kendall Coffey in the next hour, probably about 30 minutes from now, about the developments in the Peterson case. He's always got a great perspective on it and surprises to come.
And your news, money, weather and sports. It's now 48 minutes past the hour and here's what's all new this morning.
A state police report finds careless driving was partly to blame for a deadly tour bus accident earlier this month in Arkansas. The bus overturned on a wet highway, killing 14 people and injuring 16 others.
In money, with the hopes of taking a big bite out of China, the first Hooters restaurant opens today in Shanghai. It joins other American food chains, like McDonald's and KFC, in trying to take advantage of China's booming economy.
In culture, movie tough guy Sylvester Stallone is taking a swipe at a new venture. He's starting a men's magazine focusing on health and fitness for men of a certain age. It will be called "Sly."
In sports, American gymnast Paul Hamm gets to keep his Olympic gold medal for all-around champ. An international sports committee rejected an appeal from a South Korean gymnast.
Orelon, you know, I know the judging was controversial, but good for Paul Hamm and good for the American team.
SIDNEY: Well that's good news. And you know what, you don't take back the Super Bowl just because you go back a day later and look at the replays and such.
LIN: Look at the footage. Yes, good point.
SIDNEY: There you go.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: All right, things are getting a little chilly -- Orelon.
SIDNEY: That's right, it's almost winter.
LIN: It's almost winter, which obviously causes a lot of concern for people who are trying to get a flu shot this year. The shortage of the flu vaccines has more and more patients depending on the luck of the draw for protection. A county in Maryland is the latest municipality to hold a flu shot lottery. Eight hundred Montgomery County residents at high risk will be selected by computer.
As CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen reports, there are already signs next year's flu shot crisis could be just as bad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Will these long lines stretch all the way to next year's flu season? After regulators said it could be contaminated, nearly half the nation's supply of flu shots had to be thrown out this year. And now there are signs that the same factory won't be able to make any shots next year.
In a conference call with investors, the CEO of Chiron, the company that made the flu shots, said, "The situation remains fluid. We're determined...to return to the U.S. market as a reliable supplier of flu vaccine as soon as is feasible."
If Chiron doesn't get back on track, that could leave the U.S. for the second year in a row with just one company making the vaccine for the entire country.
DR. JERRY AVORN, AUTHOR, "POWERFUL MEDICINES": We probably should not be in a position where we are so dependent on one or two companies for a product that is literally life saving.
COHEN: The government is now on the hunt for other suppliers. A spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control said all options are open. The government is already inspecting a Canadian drug manufacturing plant to see if it's up to U.S. standards.
Over the past four years, several pharmaceutical companies have gotten out of the flu shot business.
AVORN: Companies have felt that this is not a profitable area, and one by one, most of the vaccine manufacturers of many kinds have dropped out to pursue more lucrative products.
COHEN: That's prompted some experts to say the government ought to take over the production of flu shots itself.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LIN: Our thanks to Elizabeth Cohen on our medical unit.
For more on this or any other health story, you just head to our Web site. The address is CNN.com/health.
All right, we've got much more to come on DAYBREAK. It is Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Are you afraid to fly? Many people are, and among them, our very own Jeanne Moos. So she gets off the ground without ever leaving it. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For some, flying seems heavenly. But for others, it's like preparing to join the dearly departed. We sit rigid as dummies, analyzing every engine noise, waiting for impact, watching for wings to ignite, imagining flopping around tethered to a fireball. Yikes!
(on camera): I don't think I've been on a plane for a decade.
(voice-over): Which means the only thing I'll take off on is a virtual reality flight.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Move your head a little bit.
MOOS (on camera): OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can look out the window.
MOOS: Oh, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can see you're on the runway.
MOOS: Yes.
(voice-over): Here at Cornell-New York Presbyterian Hospital in a nondescript office, psychologist Joanne Defreedy (ph) asked questions like, did I stop flying because of a bad experience that made me fear for my life?
(on camera): No.
JOANNE DEFREEDY, PSYCHOLOGIST: No.
MOOS: Never thought I was going to die.
DEFREEDY: OK.
MOOS: I do things when I'm on the plane like, I tiptoe to the back. You know, I want to go easy on the airplane, like my weight is going to make some kind of difference. It's nuts.
(voice-over): For 15 years at CNN, I flew when absolutely necessary -- to China, for instance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS (on camera): Here at the Great Wall, you don't have to walk a mile for a camel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(voice-over): I'd rather take a camel than a jet. Finally I stopped flying altogether, though I still managed to ride in a balloon and go up in a blimp.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Try it.
MOOS (on camera): I am not going to fly this thing.
Whoa, hey, hey, I don't want to drive anymore.
(voice-over): The goal of virtual reality is to desensitize patients to what scares them.
(on camera): It's the actual hurtling down the runway part that really gets me going.
(voice-over): For eight sessions that cost about $2,100, the therapist puts you in a 3-D world of airplane noises and thunderstorms.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can do that again and again and again.
MOOS: They even have a virtual reality program for those traumatized by 9/11.
Defreedy says the success rate of virtual reality is about 90 percent, but you have to want to overcome your fear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Going to Hawaii, to, I don't know...
MOOS (on camera): Could care less. I have no desire.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Europe, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Japan, anywhere...
MOOS: I mean, the plane trip is not -- the vacation is not worth the plane trip.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have no motivation.
MOOS (voice-over): No wonder my progress is slow.
(on camera): So do I get frequent flier miles for this?
(voice-over): Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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