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FDA Warns About Antidepressants for Kids; Hamid Karzai Ahead in Early Election Returns; Alaskan Fishermen Catch Giant Squid; Interview with Jennifer Lopez
Aired October 15, 2004 - 14:30 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.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Here's what's happening "Now in the News." A warning from the FDA about antidepressants for kids. The agency ordering drug manufacturers to add a black box warning to labels on antidepressant medication. The label will have to describe the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior among children taking these drugs. A black box warning is the most serious in the labeling of a prescription medication.
Early returns from Afghanistan's first ever democratic election showing interim President Hamid Karzai ahead of his rivals. With less than 1 percent of ballot votes counted, the U.S.-backed Karzai is ahead with 56 percent of the vote. His closest rival is former education minister there with a little more than 17 percent of the vote.
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan downplaying the impact of higher oil prices on the U.S. economy. Greenspan says record crude prices are unlikely to inflict the same kind of pain they did in the 1970s. Oil future prices reached a high of almost $55 a barrel yesterday.
Just in time for winter, a Wyoming judge has ruled snowmobiles can hit the trails again in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The court struck down a ban on the vehicles, calling it "prejudged political move" that was imposed during the Clinton era.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: This story just coming in to CNN. That is the military apparently investigating whether a unit in Iraq refused to undertake a dangerous mission. Our Barbara Starr at the Pentagon working this story -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Kyra, a very unusual story unfolding at this hour. The U.S. military is now confirming an investigation is under way in Iraq as to whether members of a 19-man quartermaster unit failed orders Wednesday, failed to drive a fuel convoy from Tallil to Taji.
Of course, this is a very dangerous mission, driving these fuel convoys. All 19 members of the unit were supposed to report for duty. Some failed, refused to undertake, we are told, the mission to drive that convoy. Now the commanding officer is investigating why the members refused. There is going to be questioning of them. There will be a determination about whether there was any violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. What a source has told CNN is the question here is whether the means, how they refused essentially to undertake this mission, whether that was a violation of the military code of justice. The military has issued the following statement confirming, quote: "This is an isolated incident and it's far too early in the investigation to speculation as to what happened, why it happened or any action that might be taken. It is important to note the mission in question was carried out using other soldiers from the unit."
But a source has told CNN that the preliminary findings are again that some soldiers, quote, "raised valid concerns and the command is addressing them." At the same time, the commander has now ordered what is called a safety and maintenance stand down in the unit. Essentially all vehicles will be inspected, procedures reviewed. No missions undertaken with those vehicles and these troops until all of this is resolved.
But the source emphasizes, and this is a very key matter, the unit has continued to perform honorably, he said, in Iraq. This involves a small number of soldiers who chose to express their concerns in, quote, "an inappropriate manner that may have caused a breakdown in discipline."
So all of this now under investigation -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So a breach of military discipline. Could that be deemed cause to kick them out of the military if proven true?
STARR: Well, this would be a very lengthy process. What will happen is there is an investigation. The findings will go to the commanding officer. He will then review them and make a decision as to whether to proceed with some sort of administrative reprimand, administrative review or to proceed with some sort of criminal charges. If he believes there is enough evidence that they have violated military law.
But apparently the commanding officer has already ordered a safety stand down. No use of these vehicles or this equipment until they figure out exactly what's going on. The members of the unit, this 19-member group, some of them now have been put in other quarters, separated out. They are being interviewed to find out why exactly on Wednesday they felt they could not obey the order to drive this fuel convoy across Iraq -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr, LIVE FROM the Pentagon, thanks much.
And earlier this hour we checked in with the Kerry campaign in Wisconsin. President Bush is going to be there later on. Right now he has got his eye on the Hawkeye State, Iowa. Elaine Quijano keeping watch on the campaign from the White House -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Kyra. Bush aides say that over the next 18 days the president's performances out on the stump, out on the campaign trail are going to be crucial. They concede that the president had more momentum going into the presidential debates than he has now coming out of them. But what these aides have also pointed out in the past is that President Bush is quite comfortable out on the stump. Now yesterday the president was campaigning in the West, stopping in Nevada, in Oregon. Today he is focused on two battleground states in the Midwest, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Now in 2000, Mr. bush lost Iowa by 4100 votes and he lost Wisconsin by 5700 votes. This time around, even though polls show the race extremely tight once again, the campaign feels these are the states where the president can pull ahead.
Now a live picture there where the president is set to speak within the hour in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The campaign officials have targeted both these areas, Iowa and Wisconsin with advertisements and have registered tens of thousands of volunteers.
In Wisconsin particularly, aides feel that John Kerry has been forced to defend that state, which has traditionally trended Democratic. Now first up today, though, that event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He will rally supporters there and then moving on to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for another event. Look for the president to once again vigorously attack Senator John Kerry, trying to portray him as a tax and spend liberal who favors big government -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Elaine Quijano, live from the White House. And this programming note, CNN's senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley, will have a one on one interview with Democratic candidate Senator John Kerry. That interview will run tonight on "PAULA ZAHN NOW" at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.
GRIFFIN: Well, the big question now in this election may be is it over? Have we seen it all or what will the candidates do next to try to win your vote? Hal Bruno, ABC News political director for years, veteran Washington political reporting and debate moderator himself, joins us live from Washington.
And Mr. Bruno, a pleasure to talk to you.
HAL BRUNO, FMR. ABC NEWS POLITICAL DIR.: Nice to be with you.
GRIFFIN: I just feel like I'm tired of this. What are these candidates going to do? Do you expect bombshells or nasty surprise attacks in the final stretch?
BRUNO: Yes, I do, Miles. I think it's going to be a very tough two weeks, 18 days that we have yet to go. This has been more negative and a worst campaign than the one four years ago. Each one gets worse than the previous one. And I think they're going to hit some new lows. I expect sometime in the next 18 days there is going to be -- somebody is going to make some kind of colossal blunder or a terrible misstatement or something really bad. And I think this campaign could hinge on that type of a thing.
GRIFFIN: And each of the opposing campaigns is trying to find that. We saw some of that in the debate, which we just saw when John Kerry brought up Dick Cheney's daughter. The Republicans cried foul. I wonder, you've been a debate monitor. Is there a line that was drawn here that was crossed over?
BRUNO: Yes, yes, definitely, there was a line that was crossed. You just don't say things about the other candidate's family, not his wife, not the children. Unless -- if it were a case where they did something that was germane, you know, there was a reason for it. But this was completely uncalled for and it was a blunder. They shouldn't have done it. And coming on the heels of what Senator Edwards had said in the vice presidential debate, that only made it worse.
GRIFFIN: A contentious campaign, and the post-election battle lines are already being drawn. We've got Democratic operatives telling people how to complain about the votes they haven't even cast yet. We've got Republican lawyers being canvassed around the country. What are you expecting post-election, sir?
BRUNO: I suspect there's a lot of Floridas out there. There was only one Florida the last time, but I think you've got about at least a half a dozen states now where this race is so close going in that it will be too close to call on Election Day. When they come out it might be just a few hundred votes that separate the candidates, and in every one of those states, there will be a recall.
Now the method of doing it -- a recount, I mean. The method of doing it will vary from state to state, of course. But I think we're going to have -- we could have a very contentious post-election period in which, before we're done, state legislatures, governors and the courts may very well become involved. It won't be just one state. It will be a number of states.
GRIFFIN: One of those states I want to ask you about, we haven't talked about this before, was Colorado with this proposition to split the electoral votes. If it goes into effect -- it looks like it might pass. It's for this election. That will, of course, be challenged by either side who needs that one vote.
BRUNO: That absolutely is going to be a challenge that will go all the way to the Supreme Court, I'm sure. The electoral vote, as we saw in the last election, in previous elections, most of them, it was sort of an abstract thing because, you know, everybody knew, whoever got the popular vote was also going to get the electoral vote. Well, that's not true now after what we saw four years ago. And anything that tampers with the system everybody is familiar with, that's bound to lead to legal action.
GRIFFIN: Mr. Bruno, these are very interesting times for political observers. Thank you for joining us today.
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, childhood memories of camp, not the kind with swimming pools and tennis courts though but al Qaeda training camps. A 21-year-old from Canada tells us what it was like to be there.
Never seen before in some parts of the world. How would you like to pull this thing out of the water?
J. Lo is back on the big screen. Some words of advice for her from another Hollywood leading lady.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: From the time he was a little boy, Abdurahman Khadr was almost destined to be an al Qaeda fighter but after years of violence the young man now says he's ready to move on with a different life in Canada. Deborah Feyerick has his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the terror camps of Afghanistan, 21-year-old Canadian Abdurahman Khadr learned how to fight.
ABDURAHMAN KHADR, CANADIAN CITIZEN: I learned, like, mortars, explosives, pistols, snipers, tactics, mountain tactics.
FEYERICK: Though he speaks fluent English, he said he spent little time with his friends in hometown Toronto, but training side by side with young Muslim jihadis like himself.
KHADR: They were training to help Islam if anything happens, to help the Taliban, to maybe do something back home.
FEYERICK: Khadr's story is incredible. His own family has called him a liar and he has admitted changing parts of the story. But he has also testified in a Canadian court under oath to tell the truth. It's those details that give credibility to the story Khadr tells CNN. A story that begins when Khadr was 11, the first time his father took him to an al Qaeda training camp. He was just 13 when he met Osama bin Laden.
KHADR: I shaked (ph) hands with him and we sat down. He talked to my father and we were just sitting there looking at them both talk. That's my first memory.
FEYERICK: His father Ahmed Said Khadr (ph) worked with bin Laden in the mid eighties. He became known among jihadis as Ahmed al Canadi (ph) the Canadian.
KHADR: It's a small circle. The Canadians, it was very small and I think 90 percent to 95 percent of any of the Canadians that came there either came to our house or otherwise we met them at guest houses or at camps. So we knew about anybody that came from Canada.
FEYERICK: Khadr says he met some half dozen Canadian jihad trainees among them Amerel Mati (ph) a man he knew as a plane expert and one of seven people on an FBI terror watch list. But the life of a jihadi wasn't for him. Though he went through training eight times, he says refused his father's plea to become a suicide bomber.
KHADR: Any family that's really committed to this cause, it would be a pride for them to have a son that would become a suicide bomber.
FEYERICK: Three years ago Khadr was captured by northern alliance forces in Afghanistan. He ended up in U.S. custody, testifying in court recently that he became a CIA informant, first at Guantanamo and then in Bosnia. The CIA will not comment. Khadr tells CNN he couldn't handle the pressure or harsh conditions and so he went public forcing his return to Canada last year.
KHADR: Yes, I trained. Yes, I went to training. I met Osama. I did all of this. But I admit it all and now I just want to move on, so please give me a chance.
FEYERICK: Canadian officials concede they aren't thrilled Khadr is back home but they are willing to give him a chance. Just to make sure he doesn't change his mind and return overseas, he's been turned down for a passport. Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Toronto.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: We're going to switch gears next. Any idea what this is? So rare they are calling in the experts.
PHILLIPS: It's disgusting, that's what it is.
"Shall We Dance?" No, Drew, not you. Although, you are a great swing dancer. I've got to hand it to you. We're talking about a new movie. We're going to get the scoop in today's Hollywood headliner.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Some Alaskan fishermen were just trying to get their nets ready for the next day's outing. What they netted, well, was a pretty big ball of yuck. Right there in this guy's hand, a jumbo flying squid. Ever heard of that? Nobody has ever seen them as far north as Alaska. And the squid was sent to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History for Research. Normally these squids are found around Baja, California, but -- doesn't that look like an eyeball? It's like the evil eye looking at you.
GRIFFIN: A lot of kalamari there.
PHILLIPS: Lots of kalamari.
GRIFFIN: This is you.
PHILLIPS: Oh, is that me? A trio of abandoned kittens found near...
That's a kitten? No, it's a chihuahua. It's not kittens. Oh, it is kittens. Kittens and a chihuahua. The owner was surprised as am I to see the dog nursing the kittens because the dog hates cats. But now she's more afraid the kittens will grow up confused and just forget that they are little kitties.
GRIFFIN: The new Richard Gere and J. Lo movie "Shall We Dance" opens in theaters across the country today. But the light-hearted romantic musical about a tired accountant who finds passion in his life after taking up ballroom dancing is not a Hollywood original. It's a remake. Do you know from which country the original movie comes from? We'll have the right answer right after Hollywood headlines. And in this segment of Hollywood headlines our entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas sits down face to face with hip-hop diva, dancer, designer, and actress Jennifer Lopez. She may be a doctor after all of this, Sibila?
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Who knows, she's just extraordinary, this woman.
You know, she's got a lot riding on this film, Drew. A lot of people have their eyes on her after the box office disaster "Gigli" and all the bad press she got from the Bennifer hoopla. I sat down with Lopez in New York earlier this month and she told me that unlike the old J. Lo, she now wants to keep her personal life low key.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER LOPEZ, ENTERTAINER: I think, you know, I've been very open in the past, and a little bit to my own chagrin. It's just been really tough. And I think I've decided that I want to just -- a little bit of boundaries. I've been very kind of open in the past and it hasn't been great for my personal life.
VARGAS: It seems to me that you are making a fresh start. Do you feel that way?
LOPEZ: I feel like I'm in a new phase. It's like a new beginning for me because you learn as you go along and you have all this experience now. And so you approach things in a different way. And I think that's where I am. So I think that's going to be reflected in the things that I do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: And one thing that she definitely doesn't want to do is talk about her marriage to Latin singer Marc Anthony. Unlike her relationship with Ben Affleck, which was really an open book, she really wants to keep their personal -- all the personal, you know, their personal lives out of the headlines. You understand, Drew.
GRIFFIN: I understand and I agree with her completely. The less I hear about her personal life the better, really. What other projects does she have going? She's coming back with this movie. Are there other movies coming?
VARGAS: Yes, Jennifer's got a few projects coming out in the new future. She stars in "An Unfinished Life" with Robert Redford and in "Monster-In-Law" with Jane Fonda. And Jennifer also told me that Jane Fonda gave her some great words of advice. The veteran actress told Jennifer, choose your roles wisely. After all at the end of the day, you have to stand for something. Good, sound words of advice. I wanted to ask you. You are a great swing dancer?
PHILLIPS: Yes, he is.
GRIFFIN: Great is pushing it. Let's put you on the spot. Do you know the answer to our trivia question of the day, Sibila?
VARGAS: I do. Japan.
GRIFFIN: We asked before if you could guess which country the original movie came from and Sibila blows it. The answer, the original movie, "Shall We Dance" actually made in Japan. It was a great, great movie released in 1996 and went on to win several awards the following years. Very darling.
PHILLIPS: Should have asked Sibila if she was a swing dancer. I think she was kind of wondering there. She's ready to take you dancing.
VARGAS: She's bad. I am so jealous. I want to go dancing. Drew, we have to go someday.
GRIFFIN: I am a married swing dancer, Sibila, I'll be happy to...
VARGAS: So am I but hey, we can dance. There's nothing wrong with dancing.
GRIFFIN: All right. Let's move on to...
Thank you very much, Sibila.
PHILLIPS: Insurance stocks under a bit of fire. Rhonda Schaffler live from the New York Stock Exchange.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
GRIFFIN: Rhonda, thank you. That wrap ups this swinging Friday edition of LIVE FROM.
PHILLIPS: INSIDE POLITICS with the swinging Judy who joins us now with a preview. Hi, Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Thank you, Kyra. Thank you, Drew. Just 18 days until the election, the candidates are out in full force. We're live on the campaign trail with the president and with Senator Kerry.
Plus, Mexico houses the largest population of Americans living abroad. With so many votes at stake you can bet both candidates are paying attention. We'll look at how voters there could help either party secure the White House when INSIDE POLITICS begins in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired October 15, 2004 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Here's what's happening "Now in the News." A warning from the FDA about antidepressants for kids. The agency ordering drug manufacturers to add a black box warning to labels on antidepressant medication. The label will have to describe the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior among children taking these drugs. A black box warning is the most serious in the labeling of a prescription medication.
Early returns from Afghanistan's first ever democratic election showing interim President Hamid Karzai ahead of his rivals. With less than 1 percent of ballot votes counted, the U.S.-backed Karzai is ahead with 56 percent of the vote. His closest rival is former education minister there with a little more than 17 percent of the vote.
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan downplaying the impact of higher oil prices on the U.S. economy. Greenspan says record crude prices are unlikely to inflict the same kind of pain they did in the 1970s. Oil future prices reached a high of almost $55 a barrel yesterday.
Just in time for winter, a Wyoming judge has ruled snowmobiles can hit the trails again in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The court struck down a ban on the vehicles, calling it "prejudged political move" that was imposed during the Clinton era.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: This story just coming in to CNN. That is the military apparently investigating whether a unit in Iraq refused to undertake a dangerous mission. Our Barbara Starr at the Pentagon working this story -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Kyra, a very unusual story unfolding at this hour. The U.S. military is now confirming an investigation is under way in Iraq as to whether members of a 19-man quartermaster unit failed orders Wednesday, failed to drive a fuel convoy from Tallil to Taji.
Of course, this is a very dangerous mission, driving these fuel convoys. All 19 members of the unit were supposed to report for duty. Some failed, refused to undertake, we are told, the mission to drive that convoy. Now the commanding officer is investigating why the members refused. There is going to be questioning of them. There will be a determination about whether there was any violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. What a source has told CNN is the question here is whether the means, how they refused essentially to undertake this mission, whether that was a violation of the military code of justice. The military has issued the following statement confirming, quote: "This is an isolated incident and it's far too early in the investigation to speculation as to what happened, why it happened or any action that might be taken. It is important to note the mission in question was carried out using other soldiers from the unit."
But a source has told CNN that the preliminary findings are again that some soldiers, quote, "raised valid concerns and the command is addressing them." At the same time, the commander has now ordered what is called a safety and maintenance stand down in the unit. Essentially all vehicles will be inspected, procedures reviewed. No missions undertaken with those vehicles and these troops until all of this is resolved.
But the source emphasizes, and this is a very key matter, the unit has continued to perform honorably, he said, in Iraq. This involves a small number of soldiers who chose to express their concerns in, quote, "an inappropriate manner that may have caused a breakdown in discipline."
So all of this now under investigation -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So a breach of military discipline. Could that be deemed cause to kick them out of the military if proven true?
STARR: Well, this would be a very lengthy process. What will happen is there is an investigation. The findings will go to the commanding officer. He will then review them and make a decision as to whether to proceed with some sort of administrative reprimand, administrative review or to proceed with some sort of criminal charges. If he believes there is enough evidence that they have violated military law.
But apparently the commanding officer has already ordered a safety stand down. No use of these vehicles or this equipment until they figure out exactly what's going on. The members of the unit, this 19-member group, some of them now have been put in other quarters, separated out. They are being interviewed to find out why exactly on Wednesday they felt they could not obey the order to drive this fuel convoy across Iraq -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr, LIVE FROM the Pentagon, thanks much.
And earlier this hour we checked in with the Kerry campaign in Wisconsin. President Bush is going to be there later on. Right now he has got his eye on the Hawkeye State, Iowa. Elaine Quijano keeping watch on the campaign from the White House -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Kyra. Bush aides say that over the next 18 days the president's performances out on the stump, out on the campaign trail are going to be crucial. They concede that the president had more momentum going into the presidential debates than he has now coming out of them. But what these aides have also pointed out in the past is that President Bush is quite comfortable out on the stump. Now yesterday the president was campaigning in the West, stopping in Nevada, in Oregon. Today he is focused on two battleground states in the Midwest, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Now in 2000, Mr. bush lost Iowa by 4100 votes and he lost Wisconsin by 5700 votes. This time around, even though polls show the race extremely tight once again, the campaign feels these are the states where the president can pull ahead.
Now a live picture there where the president is set to speak within the hour in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The campaign officials have targeted both these areas, Iowa and Wisconsin with advertisements and have registered tens of thousands of volunteers.
In Wisconsin particularly, aides feel that John Kerry has been forced to defend that state, which has traditionally trended Democratic. Now first up today, though, that event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He will rally supporters there and then moving on to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for another event. Look for the president to once again vigorously attack Senator John Kerry, trying to portray him as a tax and spend liberal who favors big government -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Elaine Quijano, live from the White House. And this programming note, CNN's senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley, will have a one on one interview with Democratic candidate Senator John Kerry. That interview will run tonight on "PAULA ZAHN NOW" at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.
GRIFFIN: Well, the big question now in this election may be is it over? Have we seen it all or what will the candidates do next to try to win your vote? Hal Bruno, ABC News political director for years, veteran Washington political reporting and debate moderator himself, joins us live from Washington.
And Mr. Bruno, a pleasure to talk to you.
HAL BRUNO, FMR. ABC NEWS POLITICAL DIR.: Nice to be with you.
GRIFFIN: I just feel like I'm tired of this. What are these candidates going to do? Do you expect bombshells or nasty surprise attacks in the final stretch?
BRUNO: Yes, I do, Miles. I think it's going to be a very tough two weeks, 18 days that we have yet to go. This has been more negative and a worst campaign than the one four years ago. Each one gets worse than the previous one. And I think they're going to hit some new lows. I expect sometime in the next 18 days there is going to be -- somebody is going to make some kind of colossal blunder or a terrible misstatement or something really bad. And I think this campaign could hinge on that type of a thing.
GRIFFIN: And each of the opposing campaigns is trying to find that. We saw some of that in the debate, which we just saw when John Kerry brought up Dick Cheney's daughter. The Republicans cried foul. I wonder, you've been a debate monitor. Is there a line that was drawn here that was crossed over?
BRUNO: Yes, yes, definitely, there was a line that was crossed. You just don't say things about the other candidate's family, not his wife, not the children. Unless -- if it were a case where they did something that was germane, you know, there was a reason for it. But this was completely uncalled for and it was a blunder. They shouldn't have done it. And coming on the heels of what Senator Edwards had said in the vice presidential debate, that only made it worse.
GRIFFIN: A contentious campaign, and the post-election battle lines are already being drawn. We've got Democratic operatives telling people how to complain about the votes they haven't even cast yet. We've got Republican lawyers being canvassed around the country. What are you expecting post-election, sir?
BRUNO: I suspect there's a lot of Floridas out there. There was only one Florida the last time, but I think you've got about at least a half a dozen states now where this race is so close going in that it will be too close to call on Election Day. When they come out it might be just a few hundred votes that separate the candidates, and in every one of those states, there will be a recall.
Now the method of doing it -- a recount, I mean. The method of doing it will vary from state to state, of course. But I think we're going to have -- we could have a very contentious post-election period in which, before we're done, state legislatures, governors and the courts may very well become involved. It won't be just one state. It will be a number of states.
GRIFFIN: One of those states I want to ask you about, we haven't talked about this before, was Colorado with this proposition to split the electoral votes. If it goes into effect -- it looks like it might pass. It's for this election. That will, of course, be challenged by either side who needs that one vote.
BRUNO: That absolutely is going to be a challenge that will go all the way to the Supreme Court, I'm sure. The electoral vote, as we saw in the last election, in previous elections, most of them, it was sort of an abstract thing because, you know, everybody knew, whoever got the popular vote was also going to get the electoral vote. Well, that's not true now after what we saw four years ago. And anything that tampers with the system everybody is familiar with, that's bound to lead to legal action.
GRIFFIN: Mr. Bruno, these are very interesting times for political observers. Thank you for joining us today.
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, childhood memories of camp, not the kind with swimming pools and tennis courts though but al Qaeda training camps. A 21-year-old from Canada tells us what it was like to be there.
Never seen before in some parts of the world. How would you like to pull this thing out of the water?
J. Lo is back on the big screen. Some words of advice for her from another Hollywood leading lady.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: From the time he was a little boy, Abdurahman Khadr was almost destined to be an al Qaeda fighter but after years of violence the young man now says he's ready to move on with a different life in Canada. Deborah Feyerick has his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the terror camps of Afghanistan, 21-year-old Canadian Abdurahman Khadr learned how to fight.
ABDURAHMAN KHADR, CANADIAN CITIZEN: I learned, like, mortars, explosives, pistols, snipers, tactics, mountain tactics.
FEYERICK: Though he speaks fluent English, he said he spent little time with his friends in hometown Toronto, but training side by side with young Muslim jihadis like himself.
KHADR: They were training to help Islam if anything happens, to help the Taliban, to maybe do something back home.
FEYERICK: Khadr's story is incredible. His own family has called him a liar and he has admitted changing parts of the story. But he has also testified in a Canadian court under oath to tell the truth. It's those details that give credibility to the story Khadr tells CNN. A story that begins when Khadr was 11, the first time his father took him to an al Qaeda training camp. He was just 13 when he met Osama bin Laden.
KHADR: I shaked (ph) hands with him and we sat down. He talked to my father and we were just sitting there looking at them both talk. That's my first memory.
FEYERICK: His father Ahmed Said Khadr (ph) worked with bin Laden in the mid eighties. He became known among jihadis as Ahmed al Canadi (ph) the Canadian.
KHADR: It's a small circle. The Canadians, it was very small and I think 90 percent to 95 percent of any of the Canadians that came there either came to our house or otherwise we met them at guest houses or at camps. So we knew about anybody that came from Canada.
FEYERICK: Khadr says he met some half dozen Canadian jihad trainees among them Amerel Mati (ph) a man he knew as a plane expert and one of seven people on an FBI terror watch list. But the life of a jihadi wasn't for him. Though he went through training eight times, he says refused his father's plea to become a suicide bomber.
KHADR: Any family that's really committed to this cause, it would be a pride for them to have a son that would become a suicide bomber.
FEYERICK: Three years ago Khadr was captured by northern alliance forces in Afghanistan. He ended up in U.S. custody, testifying in court recently that he became a CIA informant, first at Guantanamo and then in Bosnia. The CIA will not comment. Khadr tells CNN he couldn't handle the pressure or harsh conditions and so he went public forcing his return to Canada last year.
KHADR: Yes, I trained. Yes, I went to training. I met Osama. I did all of this. But I admit it all and now I just want to move on, so please give me a chance.
FEYERICK: Canadian officials concede they aren't thrilled Khadr is back home but they are willing to give him a chance. Just to make sure he doesn't change his mind and return overseas, he's been turned down for a passport. Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Toronto.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: We're going to switch gears next. Any idea what this is? So rare they are calling in the experts.
PHILLIPS: It's disgusting, that's what it is.
"Shall We Dance?" No, Drew, not you. Although, you are a great swing dancer. I've got to hand it to you. We're talking about a new movie. We're going to get the scoop in today's Hollywood headliner.
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PHILLIPS: Some Alaskan fishermen were just trying to get their nets ready for the next day's outing. What they netted, well, was a pretty big ball of yuck. Right there in this guy's hand, a jumbo flying squid. Ever heard of that? Nobody has ever seen them as far north as Alaska. And the squid was sent to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History for Research. Normally these squids are found around Baja, California, but -- doesn't that look like an eyeball? It's like the evil eye looking at you.
GRIFFIN: A lot of kalamari there.
PHILLIPS: Lots of kalamari.
GRIFFIN: This is you.
PHILLIPS: Oh, is that me? A trio of abandoned kittens found near...
That's a kitten? No, it's a chihuahua. It's not kittens. Oh, it is kittens. Kittens and a chihuahua. The owner was surprised as am I to see the dog nursing the kittens because the dog hates cats. But now she's more afraid the kittens will grow up confused and just forget that they are little kitties.
GRIFFIN: The new Richard Gere and J. Lo movie "Shall We Dance" opens in theaters across the country today. But the light-hearted romantic musical about a tired accountant who finds passion in his life after taking up ballroom dancing is not a Hollywood original. It's a remake. Do you know from which country the original movie comes from? We'll have the right answer right after Hollywood headlines. And in this segment of Hollywood headlines our entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas sits down face to face with hip-hop diva, dancer, designer, and actress Jennifer Lopez. She may be a doctor after all of this, Sibila?
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Who knows, she's just extraordinary, this woman.
You know, she's got a lot riding on this film, Drew. A lot of people have their eyes on her after the box office disaster "Gigli" and all the bad press she got from the Bennifer hoopla. I sat down with Lopez in New York earlier this month and she told me that unlike the old J. Lo, she now wants to keep her personal life low key.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER LOPEZ, ENTERTAINER: I think, you know, I've been very open in the past, and a little bit to my own chagrin. It's just been really tough. And I think I've decided that I want to just -- a little bit of boundaries. I've been very kind of open in the past and it hasn't been great for my personal life.
VARGAS: It seems to me that you are making a fresh start. Do you feel that way?
LOPEZ: I feel like I'm in a new phase. It's like a new beginning for me because you learn as you go along and you have all this experience now. And so you approach things in a different way. And I think that's where I am. So I think that's going to be reflected in the things that I do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: And one thing that she definitely doesn't want to do is talk about her marriage to Latin singer Marc Anthony. Unlike her relationship with Ben Affleck, which was really an open book, she really wants to keep their personal -- all the personal, you know, their personal lives out of the headlines. You understand, Drew.
GRIFFIN: I understand and I agree with her completely. The less I hear about her personal life the better, really. What other projects does she have going? She's coming back with this movie. Are there other movies coming?
VARGAS: Yes, Jennifer's got a few projects coming out in the new future. She stars in "An Unfinished Life" with Robert Redford and in "Monster-In-Law" with Jane Fonda. And Jennifer also told me that Jane Fonda gave her some great words of advice. The veteran actress told Jennifer, choose your roles wisely. After all at the end of the day, you have to stand for something. Good, sound words of advice. I wanted to ask you. You are a great swing dancer?
PHILLIPS: Yes, he is.
GRIFFIN: Great is pushing it. Let's put you on the spot. Do you know the answer to our trivia question of the day, Sibila?
VARGAS: I do. Japan.
GRIFFIN: We asked before if you could guess which country the original movie came from and Sibila blows it. The answer, the original movie, "Shall We Dance" actually made in Japan. It was a great, great movie released in 1996 and went on to win several awards the following years. Very darling.
PHILLIPS: Should have asked Sibila if she was a swing dancer. I think she was kind of wondering there. She's ready to take you dancing.
VARGAS: She's bad. I am so jealous. I want to go dancing. Drew, we have to go someday.
GRIFFIN: I am a married swing dancer, Sibila, I'll be happy to...
VARGAS: So am I but hey, we can dance. There's nothing wrong with dancing.
GRIFFIN: All right. Let's move on to...
Thank you very much, Sibila.
PHILLIPS: Insurance stocks under a bit of fire. Rhonda Schaffler live from the New York Stock Exchange.
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GRIFFIN: Rhonda, thank you. That wrap ups this swinging Friday edition of LIVE FROM.
PHILLIPS: INSIDE POLITICS with the swinging Judy who joins us now with a preview. Hi, Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Thank you, Kyra. Thank you, Drew. Just 18 days until the election, the candidates are out in full force. We're live on the campaign trail with the president and with Senator Kerry.
Plus, Mexico houses the largest population of Americans living abroad. With so many votes at stake you can bet both candidates are paying attention. We'll look at how voters there could help either party secure the White House when INSIDE POLITICS begins in just a moment.
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