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House, Senate Conferees Struggle Over Intel Reforms; Day of Developments in Iraq

Aired October 20, 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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Double date in Iowa. Both candidates courting voters just miles apart in a race that's oh so close. We're live on the campaign trail.
RUDI BAKHTIAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rudi Bakhtiar in Washington. The 9/11 bill is back on Capitol Hill and so are the 9/11 family members, desperately trying to get it passed. We'll tell you what's holding it up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both the survivors, I mean, it's an incredible miracle that they're alive and in stable condition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A fiery crash. Rescuers astonished to find two survivors in the wreckage of a commuter plane.

PHILLIPS: And he tackles terror and politics and, of course, makes you laugh. Comedian George Carlin gives his take on both of those issues in the LIVE FROM interview.

From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris, in for Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

Crossing paths, crossing swords, maybe crossing fingers, surely crossing one more day off the calendar in the sprint toward the November 2 election. George W. Bush today flew from Iowa, where he spoke at the same time as John Kerry, 80 miles away, to Wisconsin, where John Edwards campaigned yesterday, Dick Cheney campaigns tomorrow and Kerry returns on Friday.

Kerry is in Pennsylvania now, where Bush returns tomorrow and Friday. Edwards, if you're keeping track, is in Iowa, where Kerry heads next, then flies to Iowa where Kerry and Bush both were this morning. And we're right back where we started.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House.

Good afternoon, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Tony. Enough to make your head spin, I guess. President Bush heading to three battleground states. Very important these Midwest states, because all three of them he narrowly lost to Gore four years ago, some by a margin of a couple thousand votes.

His first stop, of course, was Mason City, Iowa. There are 25,000 Republican volunteers certainly hoping to close the gap there.

His second stop is where he is now. That is Rochester, Minnesota. The last time -- that is a state that voted Democrat since 1976. That's going to be more of a challenge for the Bush campaign.

And the third and final stop later today will be Eau Claire, Wisconsin. That is a state where the president is going to focus specifically on his economic plan and how it benefits those in those rural areas. The president, of course, focusing on his domestic agenda, talking about the case that his tax cuts are good for the farmers, are good for the small towns, and also good, of course, for Wisconsin's big business in cheese.

The president also talking about his health care plan as well, taking the opportunity of being in Minnesota. That is the home of the very famous Mayo Cancer Clinic. That is where he set up his contrast between his health care plan and that of his opponent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So there's a fundamental difference of philosophy in this campaign about health care. I believe health care ought to be a common sense approach, not one that increases the scope and power of the federal government.

We ought to be worried about a health care system that moves people from private care to federally-controlled health care, because that will lead to is rationing, bad decision making. It will take the consumer totally out of the equation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And, of course, not only on the offense, but also the defense as well. A very appropriate part of his strategy, again, taking on Kerry.

Kerry saying that he believed that Iraq or the invasion of Iraq was a diversion from getting Osama bin Laden and going after the real terrorists. President Bush again trying to hit Kerry hard, saying that he believes the Jordanian militant al-Zarqawi, who is in Iraq, who is believed to be responsible for those beheadings, that he is connected to al Qaeda and that he believes that he presents the kind of threat that proves that Iraq certainly is a central front in the war on terror, not a diversion -- Tony.

HARRIS: Suzanne Malveaux live from the White House. Suzanne, thank you -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now we find out who's been paying attention. Where's John Kerry? Here's a hint: our Frank Buckley is in the Steel City.

Hi, Frank.

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

Senator Kerry coming to Pittsburgh a little bit later to speak at Carnegie Mellon University. Earlier today, he was in Iowa to deliver a national security speech.

Senator Kerry doing a couple of things during this speech. One, defending against some of these criticisms that are coming from President Bush on his national security credentials. Simultaneously, he's going after President Bush on national security and Iraq. Senator Kerry saying that the president has confused the war on terror with the war in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He claims that Iraq is the centerpiece of the war on terror. In fact, Iraq was a profound diversion from that war and the battle against the enemy.

(APPLAUSE)

KERRY: It was a profound diversion from the focus on Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda and the other terrorists that threaten us. But now we are fighting two wars. And we will prevail in both.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Senator Kerry's comments and criticisms of President Bush coming within the framework, the theme of the Kerry campaign. And that is that President Bush can't fix problems if he won't acknowledge them. The Bush campaign saying that the proposals that Senator Kerry continues to talk about are failed, pre-9/11 policies coming from a pre-9/11 candidate -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And Frank, the Kerry campaign pretty excited about what they call a Democratic rock star that's going to be out there stumping for them?

BUCKLEY: Yes, they certainly are. We're talking, of course, about President Clinton, confirming today that, yes, he will join Senator Kerry here in the state of Pennsylvania in the city of Philadelphia on Monday at a rally.

President Clinton certainly a rock star within the Democratic Party. But more importantly, the campaign believes that he can also reach over to moderates, persuadables, Independent voters, swing voters to come over and be reminded, as one aide told me, of the Clinton years that were considered to be prosperous years here in the U.S. at a time when the U.S. was not at war.

PHILLIPS: Frank Buckley, thank you so much -- Tony.

HARRIS: Thirteen days before a president, 34 senators and 435 representatives are chosen at the polls. It's hard to find too many lawmakers toiling away in Washington. The few that are, are focused on deadly, serious business, reforming the nation's intelligence apparatus in line with the 9/11 panel's recommendations.

CNN's Rudi Bakhtiar joins us from our D.C. bureau with that story.

Good afternoon, Rudi.

RUDI BAKHTIAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Tony.

Well, congressional Democrats and 9/11 family members came before cameras late this morning urging congressmen and senators to find a way to draft a final version of the bill. In fact, right now, you're looking at live pictures of the family members talking to reporters there.

The bill which would create a post of national intelligence director and counterterrorism center, among other reforms, has been mired in dispute. The House and Senate versions of the bill are very different, and there's concern the impasse will prevent a bill from being passed in this session of Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEVERLY ECKERT, 9/11 FAMILIES STEERING COMMITTEE: We're losing precious time as we're trying to move forward to get the core recommendations, the national intelligence director, the national counterterrorism center, and the civil liberties board and a bill on the president's desk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARRIE LEMACK, 9/11 FAMILIES STEERING COMMITTEE: Right now, this is not time to be a Republican, it's not time to be a Democrat. It's not time to be an opportunist. It's time to be American and get passed the important reforms that we need to get passed now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAR: Now, President Bush, seen here in late July with members of the 9/11 Commission, has urged the two houses to adopt and deliver a bill to his desk before the presidential election, now only a couple of weeks away. Yesterday, the president's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, sent a letter to the House and Senate conferees, reiterating the president's desire and urging that the process move swiftly.

For their part, though, lawmakers expressed high hopes as they kicked off negotiations. Today, Senator Susan Collins telling reporters, "The urgency is clear." Senator Graham of Florida, also speaking to reporters just a short time ago as the conference concluded, also said, that "The president is the elephant in the room. If he wants a bill by November 2nd, he can make it happen" -- Tony. HARRIS: Rudi Bakhtiar in Washington. Rudi, thank you.

PHILLIPS: A day of developments in Iraq. CARE International takes action after its senior aide worker is kidnapped. And U.S. forces take aim at insurgents in Falluja but may have missed. The highest ranking soldier charged with abusing Iraqi detainees has his day in court also.

Covering it all, CNN's Karl Penhaul in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At a court-martial hearing in Baghdad this morning a U.S. military policeman has pleaded guilty to five counts relating to the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison. Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick is the most senior soldier so far to face trial. The five charges that he has pleaded guilty to all relate to sexual humiliation of prisoners, and also beating some of those prisoners in detention at the Abu Ghraib center.

If and once his sentence is handed down in this two-day hearing, he's likely to face up to 11 years in prison, we are told. Though it's not only of interest how long his sentence will be, but also if evidence comes to light in this hearing that these orders to abuse prisoners came from higher up the military chain.

In other developments, no further news about the possible whereabouts of Margaret Hassan, the CARE international aid worker kidnapped in Baghdad yesterday morning. No further demands from the kidnappers.

Her husband, though, says that he believes a religious group is behind this kidnapping. That opens the way to possible political demands being made for her release, not just a straightforward ransom for kidnap. CARE International, in response to the kidnapping, has announced that it's suspending all its humanitarian aid operations in Iraq for the time being.

And then, west of Baghdad, in the rebel-held city of Falluja, renewed U.S. Army airstrikes overnight. Two buildings were destroyed by what the U.S. Army has termed precision airstrikes against suspected hideouts used by the al-Zarqawi terrorist network. CNN sources on the ground, including hospital sources, however, tell us that six civilians were killed in those strikes, a mother, a father and four children.

Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a commuter plane goes down in a fiery crash. Amazingly, there are survivors. Their story ahead on LIVE FROM.

Filing day for Martha Stewart. Find out what her attorneys are doing to get her out of prison. Call in the riot police. A stunner for Yankee fans suffering who may be suffering through something worse than the curse. A live report from Yankee Stadium right after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Look, look, look, look, look. If a curse is to be broken, we say break it dramatically. A nail-biter tonight in New York. The AL championship series, Boston and the Yankees, somebody's going home with a pennant!

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Runners go, Red Sox force game seven.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Last night, Yankee Stadium, stopper Keith Foulke struck out Tony Clark to tie the series 3-3 and set up a little deja vu. These two teams took it all the way to the wire last year as well.

Mark McKay is in the Bronx, where the hometown fans are hoping for last year's result all over again.

Hey, Mark.

MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, again, Tony. Nice to talk with you.

Yes, Yankee fans are going to come here hoping they will see a repeat of what happened last year. Just to refresh your memory, Aaron Boone smacked an extra-inning homer that allowed the Yankees to go on to the World Series and beat the Red Sox in game seven of the ALCS.

Isn't this the way it's supposed to be between these two rivals? A winner-take-all showdown for a trip to baseball's title series? Sounds familiar now, doesn't it?

Last night, as you mentioned, Tony, here at Yankee Stadium, Curt Schilling's arm and Mark Bellhorn's bats were the big reasons why the Red Sox were able to beat the Yanks, 4-2, to become the first team in baseball history to force a game seven after losing the first three games of a series.

One year after the Sox and Yankees went down to the wire in the ALCS, the scenario is similar. However, this time New York stands on the verge of blowing what appeared to be just a few days ago a sure thing. So which dugout does the pressure really lie?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRONSON ARROYO, RED SOX PITCHER: I feel like we've had less pressure, you8 know, ever since we've been down 3-0, because, you know, everybody counted us out, and we really had nothing to lose but come out and just try to fight our way back to the position we are in now. (END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEREK JETER, YANKEES SHORTSTOP: You've just got to play better for one day. That's the bottom line. There's no way to sit here and try to describe it in words. Whoever wins one game, that's the bottom line. That's what it comes down to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON VARITEK, RED SOX CATCHER: Hopefully means a lot to the people at home. It means a lot to the people here. But this team has to maintain our focus and focus on one game playoff, and do what we've been doing, leave everything we have out on that field.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKAY: Now, after last night's game ended, or I should say ended this morning, both managers were a bit cagey as to who they would start tonight. Yankees Joe Torre apparently going with Kevin Brown. He started game three, that 19-8 fun finale at Fenway Park. You remember that one, Tony.

The Red Sox counter with either knuckleballer Tim Wakefield or Derek Lowe. Game seven at Yankee Stadium tonight.

HARRIS: Bring on the no-nos (ph). Mark, thank you.

MCKAY: We'll need it.

HARRIS: These two teams mad tormenting each other as much a tradition as the game itself. Still, we can expect the fans tonight at Yankee Stadium to be, Kyra, courteous, reserved and sensitive to the other side's delicate psyches and natures. Right?

PHILLIPS: That's not us.

HARRIS: On shelves this year, "Chasing Steinbrenner," on account of Boston's bitter rivalry with the Yankees. Rob Bradford wrote it. He covered the Red Sox with (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and he joins us from Boston.

Rob, good to see you. Good to talk with you.

ROB BRADFORD, "CHASING STEINBRENNER": Hey, thanks for having me. It wouldn't be a Yankees-Red Sox series without riot gear, right?

HARRIS: Without riot -- there it is, New York, right?

BRADFORD: That's right.

HARRIS: Well, let me ask you this (UNINTELLIGIBLE). You not only report on the Red Sox, but you're a fan, right? BRADFORD: Well, I mean once you report on, you're not supposed to be a fan anymore. But I did grow up in the Boston area, so I remember '78 with Bucky Dent, and I remember '86. And everything else that goes along with being a Red Sox fan. And I think last year was certainly a momentous occasion with game seven, and this year is -- there's nothing like this. It's unbelievable.

HARRIS: Well, Rob, you're going to speak for Boston fans right now. You know -- you know the Red Sox are going to lose. It's destiny. You know they're going to lose.

It's 86 years of curse history. The Red Sox are going to lose tonight! Why bother? Why play the game?

BRADFORD: Normally, I would agree with you, but if they are going to accomplish this feat, this 86-year-old thing that's been hovering over them, it has to be through something so absurd as coming back from a 3-0 deficit. I mean, it can only happen this way. Then, again, like you said, this can be the ultimate setup, you know, worse than last year, maybe even the Aaron Boone homerun.

HARRIS: No, no, let's talk about this. Wouldn't this be the ultimate, well, shall I say it ? Ultimate tease?

You start the series, and the Yankees are hammering the Sox. And then they get three games up in the series, and now we have a comeback. What about the psyche of the poor Sox fans? What kind of shape are they in?

BRADFORD: Well, that's exactly what happened over the course of this year, where the fans were giving up hope pretty much in midyear, and they trade Nomar and then they make this great run and they suck everybody back in.

They actually go into the series as the favorites, and you're absolutely right. I mean, I know what happened last year. I remember the scenes from game seven last year. I can't imagine what it's going to be like next year. Theo Epstein, the general manager of the Red Sox last year, called this -- the game seven form last year -- the enchilada game, so I guess this is enchilada two.

HARRIS: Rob, I've got to tell you, I'm loving -- I'm loving the games, I'm loving the baseball. But you see the pictures here? Where is the testiness?

We had a little brush back. Where's the knockdown, where's the Zimmer stuff from last year? Where is all that heat and passion in this series?

BRADFORD: Well, I guess they got it all out of their systems during the regular season, right? With the A-Rod and the Varitek going at it.

But, I mean, I certainly think it's festering, where you're seeing some quotes in the paper. And it's clear these teams respect each other, but they might not like each other too much. But in a game seven like this, you aren't going to see -- you aren't going to see any fights or anything like this. They're going to point to the scoreboard at the end of the game, and last year that's exactly what the Yankees did. So we'll see.

HARRIS: Well, what are you expecting tonight? Who are the starters? Set that scene for us.

BRADFORD: Well, I think they're going to go with -- the Red Sox are going to go with Derek Lowe to start game, and then maybe bring in Tim Wakefield. And there's a good chance that Pedro Martinez might pitch at the end of the game for one or two innings. It would be his -- his off day anyway to throw.

And I think the Yankees are going to go with Kevin Brown. And here's a guy that got shelled by the Red Sox the last time out, yet pitched well the previous two times out.

I mean, you can throw everything out with this game. Last year, the game seven, Roger Clemens, he doesn't pitch well and then they bring in Mike Mussina, down 4-1, and he shuts down the Red Sox the rest of the way. So you just -- you just don't know who's going to step up.

HARRIS: Well, Rob, where are you going to be watch the game? Are you going to be home so that we can inform your family, next of kin?

BRADFORD: Well, I'm going to either be watching the walk of the living dead through the streets of Boston or the car flipping ceremony, I guess. Not that we encourage that.

HARRIS: Well, be safe. Rob, good to talk to you. Rob Bradford, he wrote a book called "Chasing Steinbrenner," and he reports on the Red Sox with the "Lowell Sun."

Rob, good to see you.

BRADFORD: Thanks very much.

PHILLIPS: This is going to be our breaking news on the right here.

HARRIS: Exactly.

PHILLIPS: Too bad they're in the middle.

All right. Straight ahead, point sampling errors and likely voters. How do you keep score in the race for the White House? We're going to sort it all out and maybe we'll learn something from watching those polls just ahead on LIVE FROM.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rhonda Schaffler at the New York Stock Exchange. Coming up, we're talking about sticker shock that comes with this year's college tuition. You're going to want to brace yourself. CNN's LIVE FROM continues in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: We'd all agree education may be priceless. Well, it is priceless. But college education is really pricey these days.

PHILLIPS: I'm still paying off college. What are you talking about?

Rhonda Schaffler has the latest numbers from the New York Stock Exchange.

Hi, Rhonda.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired October 20, 2004 - 14:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Double date in Iowa. Both candidates courting voters just miles apart in a race that's oh so close. We're live on the campaign trail.
RUDI BAKHTIAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rudi Bakhtiar in Washington. The 9/11 bill is back on Capitol Hill and so are the 9/11 family members, desperately trying to get it passed. We'll tell you what's holding it up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both the survivors, I mean, it's an incredible miracle that they're alive and in stable condition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A fiery crash. Rescuers astonished to find two survivors in the wreckage of a commuter plane.

PHILLIPS: And he tackles terror and politics and, of course, makes you laugh. Comedian George Carlin gives his take on both of those issues in the LIVE FROM interview.

From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris, in for Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

Crossing paths, crossing swords, maybe crossing fingers, surely crossing one more day off the calendar in the sprint toward the November 2 election. George W. Bush today flew from Iowa, where he spoke at the same time as John Kerry, 80 miles away, to Wisconsin, where John Edwards campaigned yesterday, Dick Cheney campaigns tomorrow and Kerry returns on Friday.

Kerry is in Pennsylvania now, where Bush returns tomorrow and Friday. Edwards, if you're keeping track, is in Iowa, where Kerry heads next, then flies to Iowa where Kerry and Bush both were this morning. And we're right back where we started.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House.

Good afternoon, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Tony. Enough to make your head spin, I guess. President Bush heading to three battleground states. Very important these Midwest states, because all three of them he narrowly lost to Gore four years ago, some by a margin of a couple thousand votes.

His first stop, of course, was Mason City, Iowa. There are 25,000 Republican volunteers certainly hoping to close the gap there.

His second stop is where he is now. That is Rochester, Minnesota. The last time -- that is a state that voted Democrat since 1976. That's going to be more of a challenge for the Bush campaign.

And the third and final stop later today will be Eau Claire, Wisconsin. That is a state where the president is going to focus specifically on his economic plan and how it benefits those in those rural areas. The president, of course, focusing on his domestic agenda, talking about the case that his tax cuts are good for the farmers, are good for the small towns, and also good, of course, for Wisconsin's big business in cheese.

The president also talking about his health care plan as well, taking the opportunity of being in Minnesota. That is the home of the very famous Mayo Cancer Clinic. That is where he set up his contrast between his health care plan and that of his opponent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So there's a fundamental difference of philosophy in this campaign about health care. I believe health care ought to be a common sense approach, not one that increases the scope and power of the federal government.

We ought to be worried about a health care system that moves people from private care to federally-controlled health care, because that will lead to is rationing, bad decision making. It will take the consumer totally out of the equation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And, of course, not only on the offense, but also the defense as well. A very appropriate part of his strategy, again, taking on Kerry.

Kerry saying that he believed that Iraq or the invasion of Iraq was a diversion from getting Osama bin Laden and going after the real terrorists. President Bush again trying to hit Kerry hard, saying that he believes the Jordanian militant al-Zarqawi, who is in Iraq, who is believed to be responsible for those beheadings, that he is connected to al Qaeda and that he believes that he presents the kind of threat that proves that Iraq certainly is a central front in the war on terror, not a diversion -- Tony.

HARRIS: Suzanne Malveaux live from the White House. Suzanne, thank you -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now we find out who's been paying attention. Where's John Kerry? Here's a hint: our Frank Buckley is in the Steel City.

Hi, Frank.

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

Senator Kerry coming to Pittsburgh a little bit later to speak at Carnegie Mellon University. Earlier today, he was in Iowa to deliver a national security speech.

Senator Kerry doing a couple of things during this speech. One, defending against some of these criticisms that are coming from President Bush on his national security credentials. Simultaneously, he's going after President Bush on national security and Iraq. Senator Kerry saying that the president has confused the war on terror with the war in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He claims that Iraq is the centerpiece of the war on terror. In fact, Iraq was a profound diversion from that war and the battle against the enemy.

(APPLAUSE)

KERRY: It was a profound diversion from the focus on Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda and the other terrorists that threaten us. But now we are fighting two wars. And we will prevail in both.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Senator Kerry's comments and criticisms of President Bush coming within the framework, the theme of the Kerry campaign. And that is that President Bush can't fix problems if he won't acknowledge them. The Bush campaign saying that the proposals that Senator Kerry continues to talk about are failed, pre-9/11 policies coming from a pre-9/11 candidate -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And Frank, the Kerry campaign pretty excited about what they call a Democratic rock star that's going to be out there stumping for them?

BUCKLEY: Yes, they certainly are. We're talking, of course, about President Clinton, confirming today that, yes, he will join Senator Kerry here in the state of Pennsylvania in the city of Philadelphia on Monday at a rally.

President Clinton certainly a rock star within the Democratic Party. But more importantly, the campaign believes that he can also reach over to moderates, persuadables, Independent voters, swing voters to come over and be reminded, as one aide told me, of the Clinton years that were considered to be prosperous years here in the U.S. at a time when the U.S. was not at war.

PHILLIPS: Frank Buckley, thank you so much -- Tony.

HARRIS: Thirteen days before a president, 34 senators and 435 representatives are chosen at the polls. It's hard to find too many lawmakers toiling away in Washington. The few that are, are focused on deadly, serious business, reforming the nation's intelligence apparatus in line with the 9/11 panel's recommendations.

CNN's Rudi Bakhtiar joins us from our D.C. bureau with that story.

Good afternoon, Rudi.

RUDI BAKHTIAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Tony.

Well, congressional Democrats and 9/11 family members came before cameras late this morning urging congressmen and senators to find a way to draft a final version of the bill. In fact, right now, you're looking at live pictures of the family members talking to reporters there.

The bill which would create a post of national intelligence director and counterterrorism center, among other reforms, has been mired in dispute. The House and Senate versions of the bill are very different, and there's concern the impasse will prevent a bill from being passed in this session of Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEVERLY ECKERT, 9/11 FAMILIES STEERING COMMITTEE: We're losing precious time as we're trying to move forward to get the core recommendations, the national intelligence director, the national counterterrorism center, and the civil liberties board and a bill on the president's desk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARRIE LEMACK, 9/11 FAMILIES STEERING COMMITTEE: Right now, this is not time to be a Republican, it's not time to be a Democrat. It's not time to be an opportunist. It's time to be American and get passed the important reforms that we need to get passed now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAR: Now, President Bush, seen here in late July with members of the 9/11 Commission, has urged the two houses to adopt and deliver a bill to his desk before the presidential election, now only a couple of weeks away. Yesterday, the president's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, sent a letter to the House and Senate conferees, reiterating the president's desire and urging that the process move swiftly.

For their part, though, lawmakers expressed high hopes as they kicked off negotiations. Today, Senator Susan Collins telling reporters, "The urgency is clear." Senator Graham of Florida, also speaking to reporters just a short time ago as the conference concluded, also said, that "The president is the elephant in the room. If he wants a bill by November 2nd, he can make it happen" -- Tony. HARRIS: Rudi Bakhtiar in Washington. Rudi, thank you.

PHILLIPS: A day of developments in Iraq. CARE International takes action after its senior aide worker is kidnapped. And U.S. forces take aim at insurgents in Falluja but may have missed. The highest ranking soldier charged with abusing Iraqi detainees has his day in court also.

Covering it all, CNN's Karl Penhaul in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At a court-martial hearing in Baghdad this morning a U.S. military policeman has pleaded guilty to five counts relating to the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison. Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick is the most senior soldier so far to face trial. The five charges that he has pleaded guilty to all relate to sexual humiliation of prisoners, and also beating some of those prisoners in detention at the Abu Ghraib center.

If and once his sentence is handed down in this two-day hearing, he's likely to face up to 11 years in prison, we are told. Though it's not only of interest how long his sentence will be, but also if evidence comes to light in this hearing that these orders to abuse prisoners came from higher up the military chain.

In other developments, no further news about the possible whereabouts of Margaret Hassan, the CARE international aid worker kidnapped in Baghdad yesterday morning. No further demands from the kidnappers.

Her husband, though, says that he believes a religious group is behind this kidnapping. That opens the way to possible political demands being made for her release, not just a straightforward ransom for kidnap. CARE International, in response to the kidnapping, has announced that it's suspending all its humanitarian aid operations in Iraq for the time being.

And then, west of Baghdad, in the rebel-held city of Falluja, renewed U.S. Army airstrikes overnight. Two buildings were destroyed by what the U.S. Army has termed precision airstrikes against suspected hideouts used by the al-Zarqawi terrorist network. CNN sources on the ground, including hospital sources, however, tell us that six civilians were killed in those strikes, a mother, a father and four children.

Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a commuter plane goes down in a fiery crash. Amazingly, there are survivors. Their story ahead on LIVE FROM.

Filing day for Martha Stewart. Find out what her attorneys are doing to get her out of prison. Call in the riot police. A stunner for Yankee fans suffering who may be suffering through something worse than the curse. A live report from Yankee Stadium right after a break.

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HARRIS: Look, look, look, look, look. If a curse is to be broken, we say break it dramatically. A nail-biter tonight in New York. The AL championship series, Boston and the Yankees, somebody's going home with a pennant!

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Runners go, Red Sox force game seven.

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HARRIS: Last night, Yankee Stadium, stopper Keith Foulke struck out Tony Clark to tie the series 3-3 and set up a little deja vu. These two teams took it all the way to the wire last year as well.

Mark McKay is in the Bronx, where the hometown fans are hoping for last year's result all over again.

Hey, Mark.

MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, again, Tony. Nice to talk with you.

Yes, Yankee fans are going to come here hoping they will see a repeat of what happened last year. Just to refresh your memory, Aaron Boone smacked an extra-inning homer that allowed the Yankees to go on to the World Series and beat the Red Sox in game seven of the ALCS.

Isn't this the way it's supposed to be between these two rivals? A winner-take-all showdown for a trip to baseball's title series? Sounds familiar now, doesn't it?

Last night, as you mentioned, Tony, here at Yankee Stadium, Curt Schilling's arm and Mark Bellhorn's bats were the big reasons why the Red Sox were able to beat the Yanks, 4-2, to become the first team in baseball history to force a game seven after losing the first three games of a series.

One year after the Sox and Yankees went down to the wire in the ALCS, the scenario is similar. However, this time New York stands on the verge of blowing what appeared to be just a few days ago a sure thing. So which dugout does the pressure really lie?

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BRONSON ARROYO, RED SOX PITCHER: I feel like we've had less pressure, you8 know, ever since we've been down 3-0, because, you know, everybody counted us out, and we really had nothing to lose but come out and just try to fight our way back to the position we are in now. (END VIDEO CLIP)

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DEREK JETER, YANKEES SHORTSTOP: You've just got to play better for one day. That's the bottom line. There's no way to sit here and try to describe it in words. Whoever wins one game, that's the bottom line. That's what it comes down to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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JASON VARITEK, RED SOX CATCHER: Hopefully means a lot to the people at home. It means a lot to the people here. But this team has to maintain our focus and focus on one game playoff, and do what we've been doing, leave everything we have out on that field.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKAY: Now, after last night's game ended, or I should say ended this morning, both managers were a bit cagey as to who they would start tonight. Yankees Joe Torre apparently going with Kevin Brown. He started game three, that 19-8 fun finale at Fenway Park. You remember that one, Tony.

The Red Sox counter with either knuckleballer Tim Wakefield or Derek Lowe. Game seven at Yankee Stadium tonight.

HARRIS: Bring on the no-nos (ph). Mark, thank you.

MCKAY: We'll need it.

HARRIS: These two teams mad tormenting each other as much a tradition as the game itself. Still, we can expect the fans tonight at Yankee Stadium to be, Kyra, courteous, reserved and sensitive to the other side's delicate psyches and natures. Right?

PHILLIPS: That's not us.

HARRIS: On shelves this year, "Chasing Steinbrenner," on account of Boston's bitter rivalry with the Yankees. Rob Bradford wrote it. He covered the Red Sox with (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and he joins us from Boston.

Rob, good to see you. Good to talk with you.

ROB BRADFORD, "CHASING STEINBRENNER": Hey, thanks for having me. It wouldn't be a Yankees-Red Sox series without riot gear, right?

HARRIS: Without riot -- there it is, New York, right?

BRADFORD: That's right.

HARRIS: Well, let me ask you this (UNINTELLIGIBLE). You not only report on the Red Sox, but you're a fan, right? BRADFORD: Well, I mean once you report on, you're not supposed to be a fan anymore. But I did grow up in the Boston area, so I remember '78 with Bucky Dent, and I remember '86. And everything else that goes along with being a Red Sox fan. And I think last year was certainly a momentous occasion with game seven, and this year is -- there's nothing like this. It's unbelievable.

HARRIS: Well, Rob, you're going to speak for Boston fans right now. You know -- you know the Red Sox are going to lose. It's destiny. You know they're going to lose.

It's 86 years of curse history. The Red Sox are going to lose tonight! Why bother? Why play the game?

BRADFORD: Normally, I would agree with you, but if they are going to accomplish this feat, this 86-year-old thing that's been hovering over them, it has to be through something so absurd as coming back from a 3-0 deficit. I mean, it can only happen this way. Then, again, like you said, this can be the ultimate setup, you know, worse than last year, maybe even the Aaron Boone homerun.

HARRIS: No, no, let's talk about this. Wouldn't this be the ultimate, well, shall I say it ? Ultimate tease?

You start the series, and the Yankees are hammering the Sox. And then they get three games up in the series, and now we have a comeback. What about the psyche of the poor Sox fans? What kind of shape are they in?

BRADFORD: Well, that's exactly what happened over the course of this year, where the fans were giving up hope pretty much in midyear, and they trade Nomar and then they make this great run and they suck everybody back in.

They actually go into the series as the favorites, and you're absolutely right. I mean, I know what happened last year. I remember the scenes from game seven last year. I can't imagine what it's going to be like next year. Theo Epstein, the general manager of the Red Sox last year, called this -- the game seven form last year -- the enchilada game, so I guess this is enchilada two.

HARRIS: Rob, I've got to tell you, I'm loving -- I'm loving the games, I'm loving the baseball. But you see the pictures here? Where is the testiness?

We had a little brush back. Where's the knockdown, where's the Zimmer stuff from last year? Where is all that heat and passion in this series?

BRADFORD: Well, I guess they got it all out of their systems during the regular season, right? With the A-Rod and the Varitek going at it.

But, I mean, I certainly think it's festering, where you're seeing some quotes in the paper. And it's clear these teams respect each other, but they might not like each other too much. But in a game seven like this, you aren't going to see -- you aren't going to see any fights or anything like this. They're going to point to the scoreboard at the end of the game, and last year that's exactly what the Yankees did. So we'll see.

HARRIS: Well, what are you expecting tonight? Who are the starters? Set that scene for us.

BRADFORD: Well, I think they're going to go with -- the Red Sox are going to go with Derek Lowe to start game, and then maybe bring in Tim Wakefield. And there's a good chance that Pedro Martinez might pitch at the end of the game for one or two innings. It would be his -- his off day anyway to throw.

And I think the Yankees are going to go with Kevin Brown. And here's a guy that got shelled by the Red Sox the last time out, yet pitched well the previous two times out.

I mean, you can throw everything out with this game. Last year, the game seven, Roger Clemens, he doesn't pitch well and then they bring in Mike Mussina, down 4-1, and he shuts down the Red Sox the rest of the way. So you just -- you just don't know who's going to step up.

HARRIS: Well, Rob, where are you going to be watch the game? Are you going to be home so that we can inform your family, next of kin?

BRADFORD: Well, I'm going to either be watching the walk of the living dead through the streets of Boston or the car flipping ceremony, I guess. Not that we encourage that.

HARRIS: Well, be safe. Rob, good to talk to you. Rob Bradford, he wrote a book called "Chasing Steinbrenner," and he reports on the Red Sox with the "Lowell Sun."

Rob, good to see you.

BRADFORD: Thanks very much.

PHILLIPS: This is going to be our breaking news on the right here.

HARRIS: Exactly.

PHILLIPS: Too bad they're in the middle.

All right. Straight ahead, point sampling errors and likely voters. How do you keep score in the race for the White House? We're going to sort it all out and maybe we'll learn something from watching those polls just ahead on LIVE FROM.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rhonda Schaffler at the New York Stock Exchange. Coming up, we're talking about sticker shock that comes with this year's college tuition. You're going to want to brace yourself. CNN's LIVE FROM continues in just a moment.

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HARRIS: We'd all agree education may be priceless. Well, it is priceless. But college education is really pricey these days.

PHILLIPS: I'm still paying off college. What are you talking about?

Rhonda Schaffler has the latest numbers from the New York Stock Exchange.

Hi, Rhonda.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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