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Time Grows Short, Days Grow Long for Presidential Candidates; CARE International Director Abducted in Baghdad; Objective: al- Zarqawi

Aired October 19, 2004 - 14:00   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.


TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Long lines and short supplies of the flu vaccine. Live this hour, we are expecting Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to hold a news conference about the situation.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: He swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden. American forces try new tactics to track down a suspected terrorist mastermind.

HARRIS: The campaign crunch. With just two weeks to go, candidates key in on crucial make-or-break states. And we're live from the campaign trail.

PHILLIPS: Soccer goddess Brandi Chastain in the LIVE FROM interview. She says it's not about the bra.

HARRIS: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris, in for Miles O'Brien.

PHILLIPS: Come on, you've seen the picture.

HARRIS: Well, yes.

PHILLIPS: I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

HARRIS: Time is short and the days are long for the men who want to be president. Today alone, exactly two weeks before Election Day, John Kerry woke up in Florida, flew to Pennsylvania, flies next to Ohio, and spends the night, he will, in Iowa. All of those battleground states where the smart money and both campaigns believe the race will be decided. CNN's Frank Buckley weighs in from Wilkes Barre.

Hello, Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Tony.

Those four states among the 15 or so so-called battleground states where this election is going to be decided. And Senator Kerry traveling to three of them.

Just earlier today, he was in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio later today, Iowa, beyond that. Three of those, the conventional wisdom goes, if you win two out of the three states, Ohio, Florida or Pennsylvania, you win the presidency.

Now, right now, we are in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, where Senator Kerry is speaking inside here at Kirby Hall. This is an area that went to Al Gore in 2000, but one that's considered vulnerable by the Bush campaign. President Bush was just here speaking in this very venue where Senator Kerry is speaking right now just a couple of weeks ago.

Senator Kerry speaking about Social Security and fiscal responsibility. He is saying that 72 years ago today FDR was here in the state of Pennsylvania. Senator Kerry saying that this election comes down to a choice, one candidate who will save Social Security and the other who will undermine it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: George W. Bush has become the first president since Herbert Hoover to lose jobs on his watch. He's become the first president in more than 70 years to have the incomes of Americans decline in each year of his presidency. He has become the first president to turn a record surplus into the largest deficit in American history. And he has become the first president to launch an all-out assault on Social Security since Franklin Roosevelt first signed the program into law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Senator Kerry over the next couple of weeks will be giving speeches, picking a -- picking a specific topic or issue of the day, and speaking on that issue as he moves forward toward Election Day. They will all revolve around middle class issues or middle class values.

Senator Kerry saying today that he will be the champion of the middle class. At the same time, he's answering the criticisms coming from the Bush administration about his national security credentials. Senator Kerry saying here today that you can do both, be the champion of the middle class be and a strong commander in chief -- Tony.

HARRIS: Frank, I've got a question for you. As I look at those pictures of John Kerry, you can see that the lines are sort of deepening under the eyes. And it reminds me that this is hard work under the campaign trail.

Give us a sense of the feel, the enthusiasm. What's the energy like out there for John Kerry right now?

BUCKLEY: Well, certainly among -- in a crowd like, it's -- there's a great deal of enthusiasm. This is a very supportive crowd. I suspect that the Bush campaign when President Bush speaks has similar crowds, a great deal of enthusiasm.

Maybe more importantly is what is the mood within the campaign. And I can tell you that just in our conversations with the strategists and the advisers that we talk, to they feel very comfortable. They believe their internal polling, despite what you hear about the national polling and the horse race numbers, they believe that their internal polling, specifically in the battleground states, shows them at a very comfortable lead, they feel very good right now.

HARRIS: All right. Frank Buckley following the Kerry campaign for us today. Frank, thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, for the second time in four days, George W. Bush is going town to town in the state that made him president today, though two of Bush's three stops in Florida are places that voted for Al Gore in 2000. To St. Pete, Bush sought to immunize himself against a new attack by Kerry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know there are some here who are worried about the flu season. I want to assure them that our government is doing everything possible to help older Americans and children get their shots despite the major manufacturing defect that caused this problem. We have millions of vaccine doses on hand for the most vulnerable Americans, and millions more will be shipped in the coming weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: As always, Bush also stressed protection against a threat for which no vaccine exists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: This election will also determine how America responds to the continuing threat of terrorism. The most solemn duty of the American president is to protect the American people. If America shows uncertainty or weakness in this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not happen on my watch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: A little later, Bush visits a retirement enclave he carried last time, then flies back to Washington before setting out for Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin tomorrow.

HARRIS: Now to the fight for Iraq. Insurgents target the National Guard and longtime humanitarian worker. U.S. forces return the favor in Falluja. CNN's Karl Penhaul brings us up to date from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Iraq country director for the aid organization CARE International has been kidnapped in Baghdad. Margaret Hassan was seized this morning, we're told by be members of CARE International, an aid organization headquartered in Brussels. She's an Iraqi-British dual national citizen, and she's dedicated more than 30 years of her life to the service of aid and humanitarian work here in Baghdad. No idea yet as what the motives are for this kidnapping, and certainly no clues at this stage as to which group may be behind that kidnapping. CARE International has issued a statement saying that they're not aware of the motives, but trust that she's in good health. That also seems to be borne out in a videotape broadcast by the Arabic broadcaster Al Jazeera. That shows Margaret Hassan sitting in a room, it shows closeups of her I.D. papers.

Now, in other developments this morning, about 30 kilometers north of Baghdad, an Iraqi National Guard base came under attack by multiple mortar rounds. The Iraqi Defense Ministry has told us that at least four Iraqi guardsmen were killed in that attack and 80 others were wounded.

Also, overnight, in the rebel-held city of Falluja, U.S. warplanes once again in action. U.S. Army spokesmen say the target of those attacks were hideouts used by the al-Zarqawi terrorist network. They say there were a number of secondary explosion after the airstrikes. That may indicate that a number of ammunitions dumps may also have exploded.

Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, Falluja is also the focus of a different mission. The objective, terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. He's believed to be leading the insurgency and on the run, moving from house to house in Falluja. U.S. authorities are distributing flyers hoping someone there will turn him in, if only for the reward. It still stands at $25 -- or $25 million.

On the phone now from Baghdad to talk about the strategy, Lieutenant Colonel Steven Boylan of the U.S. Army.

Colonel, thanks for being with us.

LT. COL. STEVEN BOYLAN, U.S. ARMY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about the strategy behind these flyers, whether it's air drop, handout, pinning them up. What's the mission behind this effort?

BOYLAN: Well, the simple mission is we're requesting and asking the Iraqi people who Zarqawi has used as indiscriminate shields to help us find him and his network so that his network can be destroyed and, if possible, Zarqawi captured or killed. And if they can get the reward for that, then so much the better. But ultimately we need the information.

PHILLIPS: Looking at other high-threat targets, looking at this -- because this is an effort that's been done before. It was done in Afghanistan, it's been done in Iraq. How effective has it been? Have you received a lot of calls, a lot of e-mails to CENTCOM?

BOYLAN: Well, we do get tips through informants, and we use, of course, our own intelligence gathering sources to try to pinpoint the network. And as you've been seeing on the news, we have been targeting their hideouts, their safe houses, their meeting locations, weapons caches, and getting very good results.

The thing is we still need the Iraqi people to help. Because what Zarqawi has actually done to the Iraqi people more than anything else is use them as shields. They have been killed by his indiscriminate weapons of -- such as car bombs and mortars and rockets.

PHILLIPS: Do you believe you're getting close to him, Colonel?

BOYLAN: Well, that remains to be seen. We know we're having an effect on his network. He has not been as effective as he has been in the past, and we're continuing to go after it with everything we can.

PHILLIPS: Finally, if you do get him, as you -- as you believe you're getting closer, the impact on the insurgency, can you even gauge how much of an impact it would have?

BOYLAN: Well, unfortunately, we're not fortune tellers. We would hope that it would be a very significant impact, as you would take any leader of any organization out of the equation. It should have a significant impact, but some of that we'll just have to wait and see when we get them.

PHILLIPS: Meanwhile, $25 million still on the line. Interesting how you say "when we get him." Lieutenant Colonel Steven Boylan of the U.S. Army. Thank you, sir, for your time.

BOYLAN: Thank you.

HARRIS: And now the fight against terror in other parts of the world. For the first time, television networks in Spain showed these images of the Madrid train bombings earlier this year. They illustrate panic and pandemonium.

Look at this. As bombs go off and as commuters run for their lives, bombs exploded on four trains in March, killing more than 190 people.

Also in Spain, police nab an eighth terror suspect in an alleged plot to blow up the national court building in Madrid. Police arrested the Algerian man in Pamplona. Seven other suspects all said to be members of a terror ring are already in custody.

And British authorities charge a hard-line Muslim cleric with 10 counts of soliciting to murder. Abu Hamza al-Masri also faces six other charges, including inciting racial hatred. Al-Masri, being held in a south London prison, faces an extradition from the U.S. for alleged links to al Qaeda.

PHILLIPS: Americans head to the border to get flu shots. How do Canadians view this?

California Governor Schwarzenegger takes a controversial stand on hotly-contested issue.

And they've broken records, but will the Red Sox and the Yankees break some hearts in their amazing championship series? We're live from the Bronx.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: In news "Across America" now, he publicly criticized his company and says he was fired for it. John Lieberman was the Washington bureau chief for Sinclair Broadcast Group. In an interview with the "Baltimore Sun," Lieberman says he opposed the airing of an anti-Kerry program on the network's 62 stations so he was given the ax. Sinclair confirmed that firing and called Lieberman a disgruntled employee.

Arnold Schwarzenegger throws his muscle behind a controversial state measure. The California governor is endorsing Proposition 71, a $3 billion bond measure that would provide money for stem cell research. The state's conservative voting wing opposes the measure.

The FDA says it's actively negotiating with a Canadian drug maker to get 1.5 million doses of flu vaccine. Canadian health officials say that they're working to confirm the safety and potency of the vaccine. Officials say American consumers could get the extra doses this flu season.

In about 15 minutes, U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, Tommy Thompson, will hold a news conference about the flu shot. We're going to bring it to you live.

HARRIS: Meanwhile, anxious Americans unable to find a flu shot at home are making tracks north. Rich Newberg with our affiliate, WIVB, says a Canadian clinic is offering to help them out for a fee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICH NEWBERG, REPORTER, WIVB (voice-over): Paul Craden of western New York is getting his flu shot across the border in Canada because his doctor is out of the vaccine.

PAUL CRADEN, FLU SHOT RECIPIENT: Years ago I did not have the flu shot, and I got the flu and pneumonia, and I was out of work for six weeks, deathly sick.

NEWBERG: Anna Smith, who has ovarian cancer, crossed the border. She couldn't conveniently find a western New York doctor who could give her the shot.

ANNA SMITH, CANCER PATIENT: Well, it's ridiculous that I'm a -- you know, person that really needs it and I can't get one in my own country?

NEWBERG: Flu shots are in demand but in short supply. People are waiting in long lines even at shopping plazas since news of a shortage of vaccine surfaced last month. DR. PETER OSTROW, MEDICAL EXPERT: We created this demand. Over the past several years, we've been pointing out that more and more people could benefit from having flu shots, and that happens to be true.

NEWBERG (on camera): This clinic in Ft. Eerie purchased a separate supply of flu vaccines to serve the needs of U.S. citizens. It is illegal for them to use vaccines supplied by the Canadian government.

(voice-over): The shots are going for $50 Canadian or about $40 U.S.

TIM WINSOR, FT. EERIE URGENT CARE: A fee was set based on our understanding of the price in the U.S. market. We don't want to take advantage of people. We're not going to gouge them, we're not going to charge them unreasonably.

NEWBERG: Some Canadians feel a little put out by the Americans who are flooding into clinic waiting rooms.

SHIRLEY DUFF, FT. EERIE RESIDENT: I don't like them here because they make me wait for my doctor's appointment. I come in. I'm on time, but I have to sit and wait.

NEWBERG: Others welcome the U.S. shot-seeking visitors with open arms.

JUDY CARTER, CRYSTAL BEACH RESIDENT: I look at it this way, we're all brothers and sisters. We should help each other out. And if we can do anything to help our brothers and sisters out across the border, we should do it.

NEWBERG: Americans are now being reassured by their government that enough flu vaccine will be available for most people who need it, especially seniors and young children.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rhonda Schaffler in New York. You know all about the flu shot shortage now. There may be another drug shortage developing. Details on that story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The Donald gets his due and Britney says she's through? So what's a star watcher to do? Here to report some happenings in Hollywood is CNN's entertainment correspondent Sibila -- let me say it again -- I just love saying this name.

PHILLIPS: Sibila.

HARRIS: Sibila Vargas live from Los Angeles.

Sibila, hello.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Sibila. And you got it right! You got it right!

HARRIS: Thank you. I practiced.

VARGAS: It usually takes forever. It goes from Sibila, Sibila tequila. That's what it is.

Well, Tony, just when you thought you've heard enough of those words, "You're fired," he's back. That's right. The second season of "The Apprentice" far from being over.

NBC is banking on giving viewers more of The Donald. Donald Trump has confirmed the third installment of the highly successful reality show is now shooting. Trump tells The Associated Press production is going very well and that it's a great group.

And rock singer Melissa Etheridge is reaching out to fans as she recovers at home from two operations to treat breast cancer. On her Web site, Etheridge thanks her supporters and says, "The good news is that they took out the tumor and a few lymph nodes, only one of which is positive for breast cancer."

Etheridge, who plans on having chemotherapy, was forced to cancel some upcoming tour dates, but there is good news. She is still planning on shooting a TV pilot for ABC -- Tony.

HARRIS: Sibila, that is good news. All right. So what's -- one singer to another, what's going on with Britney Spears?

VARGAS: You know, she's one of those people that just cannot get herself out of the spotlight. And even pop princesses need a break. Britney Spears needs some time off, and she's letting the world know it on her Web site.

(MUSIC)

VARGAS: And the singer says in her own words that it's her prerogative right now to just chill. The 22-year-old, who recently wed 26-year-old Kevin Federline, adds, "Being married is great, and I can't wait to start my family."

Spears also goes onto say, "Let all of the over-exposed blondes on the cover of 'US Weekly' be your entertainment. Good luck, girls."

Tony, I wonder who she might be talking about?

HARRIS: I wonder.

VARGAS: I mean, you've got your Christina Aguilera.

HARRIS: Yes.

VARGAS: But she doesn't do a lot of "US." And you've got your Jessica Simpson.

HARRIS: Right.

VARGAS: She does a lot.

HARRIS: It kind of narrows it, doesn't it?

VARGAS: Let's just leave it there.

HARRIS: Yes. Sibila, good to see you, good to talk to you.

VARGAS: Thank you.

HARRIS: Be well.

VARGAS: All right. You, too.

PHILLIPS: All right. Health officials are realizing that without prevention of the flu -- low vaccines this year -- there may be shortages of other things as well. Rhonda Schaffler has that story from the New York Stock Exchange -- Rhonda.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired October 19, 2004 - 14:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Long lines and short supplies of the flu vaccine. Live this hour, we are expecting Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to hold a news conference about the situation.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: He swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden. American forces try new tactics to track down a suspected terrorist mastermind.

HARRIS: The campaign crunch. With just two weeks to go, candidates key in on crucial make-or-break states. And we're live from the campaign trail.

PHILLIPS: Soccer goddess Brandi Chastain in the LIVE FROM interview. She says it's not about the bra.

HARRIS: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris, in for Miles O'Brien.

PHILLIPS: Come on, you've seen the picture.

HARRIS: Well, yes.

PHILLIPS: I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

HARRIS: Time is short and the days are long for the men who want to be president. Today alone, exactly two weeks before Election Day, John Kerry woke up in Florida, flew to Pennsylvania, flies next to Ohio, and spends the night, he will, in Iowa. All of those battleground states where the smart money and both campaigns believe the race will be decided. CNN's Frank Buckley weighs in from Wilkes Barre.

Hello, Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Tony.

Those four states among the 15 or so so-called battleground states where this election is going to be decided. And Senator Kerry traveling to three of them.

Just earlier today, he was in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio later today, Iowa, beyond that. Three of those, the conventional wisdom goes, if you win two out of the three states, Ohio, Florida or Pennsylvania, you win the presidency.

Now, right now, we are in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, where Senator Kerry is speaking inside here at Kirby Hall. This is an area that went to Al Gore in 2000, but one that's considered vulnerable by the Bush campaign. President Bush was just here speaking in this very venue where Senator Kerry is speaking right now just a couple of weeks ago.

Senator Kerry speaking about Social Security and fiscal responsibility. He is saying that 72 years ago today FDR was here in the state of Pennsylvania. Senator Kerry saying that this election comes down to a choice, one candidate who will save Social Security and the other who will undermine it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: George W. Bush has become the first president since Herbert Hoover to lose jobs on his watch. He's become the first president in more than 70 years to have the incomes of Americans decline in each year of his presidency. He has become the first president to turn a record surplus into the largest deficit in American history. And he has become the first president to launch an all-out assault on Social Security since Franklin Roosevelt first signed the program into law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Senator Kerry over the next couple of weeks will be giving speeches, picking a -- picking a specific topic or issue of the day, and speaking on that issue as he moves forward toward Election Day. They will all revolve around middle class issues or middle class values.

Senator Kerry saying today that he will be the champion of the middle class. At the same time, he's answering the criticisms coming from the Bush administration about his national security credentials. Senator Kerry saying here today that you can do both, be the champion of the middle class be and a strong commander in chief -- Tony.

HARRIS: Frank, I've got a question for you. As I look at those pictures of John Kerry, you can see that the lines are sort of deepening under the eyes. And it reminds me that this is hard work under the campaign trail.

Give us a sense of the feel, the enthusiasm. What's the energy like out there for John Kerry right now?

BUCKLEY: Well, certainly among -- in a crowd like, it's -- there's a great deal of enthusiasm. This is a very supportive crowd. I suspect that the Bush campaign when President Bush speaks has similar crowds, a great deal of enthusiasm.

Maybe more importantly is what is the mood within the campaign. And I can tell you that just in our conversations with the strategists and the advisers that we talk, to they feel very comfortable. They believe their internal polling, despite what you hear about the national polling and the horse race numbers, they believe that their internal polling, specifically in the battleground states, shows them at a very comfortable lead, they feel very good right now.

HARRIS: All right. Frank Buckley following the Kerry campaign for us today. Frank, thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, for the second time in four days, George W. Bush is going town to town in the state that made him president today, though two of Bush's three stops in Florida are places that voted for Al Gore in 2000. To St. Pete, Bush sought to immunize himself against a new attack by Kerry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know there are some here who are worried about the flu season. I want to assure them that our government is doing everything possible to help older Americans and children get their shots despite the major manufacturing defect that caused this problem. We have millions of vaccine doses on hand for the most vulnerable Americans, and millions more will be shipped in the coming weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: As always, Bush also stressed protection against a threat for which no vaccine exists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: This election will also determine how America responds to the continuing threat of terrorism. The most solemn duty of the American president is to protect the American people. If America shows uncertainty or weakness in this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not happen on my watch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: A little later, Bush visits a retirement enclave he carried last time, then flies back to Washington before setting out for Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin tomorrow.

HARRIS: Now to the fight for Iraq. Insurgents target the National Guard and longtime humanitarian worker. U.S. forces return the favor in Falluja. CNN's Karl Penhaul brings us up to date from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Iraq country director for the aid organization CARE International has been kidnapped in Baghdad. Margaret Hassan was seized this morning, we're told by be members of CARE International, an aid organization headquartered in Brussels. She's an Iraqi-British dual national citizen, and she's dedicated more than 30 years of her life to the service of aid and humanitarian work here in Baghdad. No idea yet as what the motives are for this kidnapping, and certainly no clues at this stage as to which group may be behind that kidnapping. CARE International has issued a statement saying that they're not aware of the motives, but trust that she's in good health. That also seems to be borne out in a videotape broadcast by the Arabic broadcaster Al Jazeera. That shows Margaret Hassan sitting in a room, it shows closeups of her I.D. papers.

Now, in other developments this morning, about 30 kilometers north of Baghdad, an Iraqi National Guard base came under attack by multiple mortar rounds. The Iraqi Defense Ministry has told us that at least four Iraqi guardsmen were killed in that attack and 80 others were wounded.

Also, overnight, in the rebel-held city of Falluja, U.S. warplanes once again in action. U.S. Army spokesmen say the target of those attacks were hideouts used by the al-Zarqawi terrorist network. They say there were a number of secondary explosion after the airstrikes. That may indicate that a number of ammunitions dumps may also have exploded.

Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, Falluja is also the focus of a different mission. The objective, terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. He's believed to be leading the insurgency and on the run, moving from house to house in Falluja. U.S. authorities are distributing flyers hoping someone there will turn him in, if only for the reward. It still stands at $25 -- or $25 million.

On the phone now from Baghdad to talk about the strategy, Lieutenant Colonel Steven Boylan of the U.S. Army.

Colonel, thanks for being with us.

LT. COL. STEVEN BOYLAN, U.S. ARMY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about the strategy behind these flyers, whether it's air drop, handout, pinning them up. What's the mission behind this effort?

BOYLAN: Well, the simple mission is we're requesting and asking the Iraqi people who Zarqawi has used as indiscriminate shields to help us find him and his network so that his network can be destroyed and, if possible, Zarqawi captured or killed. And if they can get the reward for that, then so much the better. But ultimately we need the information.

PHILLIPS: Looking at other high-threat targets, looking at this -- because this is an effort that's been done before. It was done in Afghanistan, it's been done in Iraq. How effective has it been? Have you received a lot of calls, a lot of e-mails to CENTCOM?

BOYLAN: Well, we do get tips through informants, and we use, of course, our own intelligence gathering sources to try to pinpoint the network. And as you've been seeing on the news, we have been targeting their hideouts, their safe houses, their meeting locations, weapons caches, and getting very good results.

The thing is we still need the Iraqi people to help. Because what Zarqawi has actually done to the Iraqi people more than anything else is use them as shields. They have been killed by his indiscriminate weapons of -- such as car bombs and mortars and rockets.

PHILLIPS: Do you believe you're getting close to him, Colonel?

BOYLAN: Well, that remains to be seen. We know we're having an effect on his network. He has not been as effective as he has been in the past, and we're continuing to go after it with everything we can.

PHILLIPS: Finally, if you do get him, as you -- as you believe you're getting closer, the impact on the insurgency, can you even gauge how much of an impact it would have?

BOYLAN: Well, unfortunately, we're not fortune tellers. We would hope that it would be a very significant impact, as you would take any leader of any organization out of the equation. It should have a significant impact, but some of that we'll just have to wait and see when we get them.

PHILLIPS: Meanwhile, $25 million still on the line. Interesting how you say "when we get him." Lieutenant Colonel Steven Boylan of the U.S. Army. Thank you, sir, for your time.

BOYLAN: Thank you.

HARRIS: And now the fight against terror in other parts of the world. For the first time, television networks in Spain showed these images of the Madrid train bombings earlier this year. They illustrate panic and pandemonium.

Look at this. As bombs go off and as commuters run for their lives, bombs exploded on four trains in March, killing more than 190 people.

Also in Spain, police nab an eighth terror suspect in an alleged plot to blow up the national court building in Madrid. Police arrested the Algerian man in Pamplona. Seven other suspects all said to be members of a terror ring are already in custody.

And British authorities charge a hard-line Muslim cleric with 10 counts of soliciting to murder. Abu Hamza al-Masri also faces six other charges, including inciting racial hatred. Al-Masri, being held in a south London prison, faces an extradition from the U.S. for alleged links to al Qaeda.

PHILLIPS: Americans head to the border to get flu shots. How do Canadians view this?

California Governor Schwarzenegger takes a controversial stand on hotly-contested issue.

And they've broken records, but will the Red Sox and the Yankees break some hearts in their amazing championship series? We're live from the Bronx.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: In news "Across America" now, he publicly criticized his company and says he was fired for it. John Lieberman was the Washington bureau chief for Sinclair Broadcast Group. In an interview with the "Baltimore Sun," Lieberman says he opposed the airing of an anti-Kerry program on the network's 62 stations so he was given the ax. Sinclair confirmed that firing and called Lieberman a disgruntled employee.

Arnold Schwarzenegger throws his muscle behind a controversial state measure. The California governor is endorsing Proposition 71, a $3 billion bond measure that would provide money for stem cell research. The state's conservative voting wing opposes the measure.

The FDA says it's actively negotiating with a Canadian drug maker to get 1.5 million doses of flu vaccine. Canadian health officials say that they're working to confirm the safety and potency of the vaccine. Officials say American consumers could get the extra doses this flu season.

In about 15 minutes, U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, Tommy Thompson, will hold a news conference about the flu shot. We're going to bring it to you live.

HARRIS: Meanwhile, anxious Americans unable to find a flu shot at home are making tracks north. Rich Newberg with our affiliate, WIVB, says a Canadian clinic is offering to help them out for a fee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICH NEWBERG, REPORTER, WIVB (voice-over): Paul Craden of western New York is getting his flu shot across the border in Canada because his doctor is out of the vaccine.

PAUL CRADEN, FLU SHOT RECIPIENT: Years ago I did not have the flu shot, and I got the flu and pneumonia, and I was out of work for six weeks, deathly sick.

NEWBERG: Anna Smith, who has ovarian cancer, crossed the border. She couldn't conveniently find a western New York doctor who could give her the shot.

ANNA SMITH, CANCER PATIENT: Well, it's ridiculous that I'm a -- you know, person that really needs it and I can't get one in my own country?

NEWBERG: Flu shots are in demand but in short supply. People are waiting in long lines even at shopping plazas since news of a shortage of vaccine surfaced last month. DR. PETER OSTROW, MEDICAL EXPERT: We created this demand. Over the past several years, we've been pointing out that more and more people could benefit from having flu shots, and that happens to be true.

NEWBERG (on camera): This clinic in Ft. Eerie purchased a separate supply of flu vaccines to serve the needs of U.S. citizens. It is illegal for them to use vaccines supplied by the Canadian government.

(voice-over): The shots are going for $50 Canadian or about $40 U.S.

TIM WINSOR, FT. EERIE URGENT CARE: A fee was set based on our understanding of the price in the U.S. market. We don't want to take advantage of people. We're not going to gouge them, we're not going to charge them unreasonably.

NEWBERG: Some Canadians feel a little put out by the Americans who are flooding into clinic waiting rooms.

SHIRLEY DUFF, FT. EERIE RESIDENT: I don't like them here because they make me wait for my doctor's appointment. I come in. I'm on time, but I have to sit and wait.

NEWBERG: Others welcome the U.S. shot-seeking visitors with open arms.

JUDY CARTER, CRYSTAL BEACH RESIDENT: I look at it this way, we're all brothers and sisters. We should help each other out. And if we can do anything to help our brothers and sisters out across the border, we should do it.

NEWBERG: Americans are now being reassured by their government that enough flu vaccine will be available for most people who need it, especially seniors and young children.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rhonda Schaffler in New York. You know all about the flu shot shortage now. There may be another drug shortage developing. Details on that story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The Donald gets his due and Britney says she's through? So what's a star watcher to do? Here to report some happenings in Hollywood is CNN's entertainment correspondent Sibila -- let me say it again -- I just love saying this name.

PHILLIPS: Sibila.

HARRIS: Sibila Vargas live from Los Angeles.

Sibila, hello.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Sibila. And you got it right! You got it right!

HARRIS: Thank you. I practiced.

VARGAS: It usually takes forever. It goes from Sibila, Sibila tequila. That's what it is.

Well, Tony, just when you thought you've heard enough of those words, "You're fired," he's back. That's right. The second season of "The Apprentice" far from being over.

NBC is banking on giving viewers more of The Donald. Donald Trump has confirmed the third installment of the highly successful reality show is now shooting. Trump tells The Associated Press production is going very well and that it's a great group.

And rock singer Melissa Etheridge is reaching out to fans as she recovers at home from two operations to treat breast cancer. On her Web site, Etheridge thanks her supporters and says, "The good news is that they took out the tumor and a few lymph nodes, only one of which is positive for breast cancer."

Etheridge, who plans on having chemotherapy, was forced to cancel some upcoming tour dates, but there is good news. She is still planning on shooting a TV pilot for ABC -- Tony.

HARRIS: Sibila, that is good news. All right. So what's -- one singer to another, what's going on with Britney Spears?

VARGAS: You know, she's one of those people that just cannot get herself out of the spotlight. And even pop princesses need a break. Britney Spears needs some time off, and she's letting the world know it on her Web site.

(MUSIC)

VARGAS: And the singer says in her own words that it's her prerogative right now to just chill. The 22-year-old, who recently wed 26-year-old Kevin Federline, adds, "Being married is great, and I can't wait to start my family."

Spears also goes onto say, "Let all of the over-exposed blondes on the cover of 'US Weekly' be your entertainment. Good luck, girls."

Tony, I wonder who she might be talking about?

HARRIS: I wonder.

VARGAS: I mean, you've got your Christina Aguilera.

HARRIS: Yes.

VARGAS: But she doesn't do a lot of "US." And you've got your Jessica Simpson.

HARRIS: Right.

VARGAS: She does a lot.

HARRIS: It kind of narrows it, doesn't it?

VARGAS: Let's just leave it there.

HARRIS: Yes. Sibila, good to see you, good to talk to you.

VARGAS: Thank you.

HARRIS: Be well.

VARGAS: All right. You, too.

PHILLIPS: All right. Health officials are realizing that without prevention of the flu -- low vaccines this year -- there may be shortages of other things as well. Rhonda Schaffler has that story from the New York Stock Exchange -- Rhonda.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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