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Yasser Arafat Seriously Ill; Foo Fighters, Springsteen Play at Kerry Event; Red Sox Win World Series

Aired October 28, 2004 - 13:00   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, CO-HOST: Palestinian Authority leader President Yasser Arafat seriously ill. What will this mean for the future of the volatile Middle East?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very appalling to think that any organization, Republican or Democrat, would take away our God-given right to vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Worries that some get out the vote drives are intentionally shutting out people from registering to vote.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Frank Buckley, live in Madison, Wisconsin, where the Foo Fighters are performing. Bruce Springsteen is up next, and oh, yes, Senator John Kerry will be here, too. That story coming up.

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a united nation in Boston, a Red Sox nation. And as the locals might say, they're going to have a wicked big parade here. I'm Keith Oppenheim at Fenway Park. Live report coming up.

PHILLIPS: That's pretty good, Keith. From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.

O'BRIEN: And yes, the curse is over. I'm Miles O'Brien. LIVE FROM begins right this moment.

PHILLIPS: We begin this hour with Yasser Arafat's affliction. Stomach flu or cancer? Gallstone or stroke? All of the above or something else entirely?

The outside world is forced to speculate amid wildly conflicting stories and borderline chaos in the Palestinian leader's ramshackle compound in Ramallah.

It's clear Arafat is seriously ill. And we've just learned doctors want to treat him in Paris. But issues of prognosis, convalescence, political succession all remain grimly uncertain.

We get the very latest now from CNN's John Vause, who's at the scene -- John.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra.

Well, CNN has just learned from Palestinian sources that Yasser Arafat is refusing to leave his compound against the advice of his doctors, who are strongly urging the Palestinian leader to travel to Paris to seek urgent medical treatment.

His condition is described as stable, but serious. A short time ago the Palestinian Authority released a video showing the Palestinian leader holding hands with some of the doctors who have been treating him over the last few days. He is smiling. He is talking with these doctors.

In the background, his bodyguards stand behind him. He's also wearing pajamas. This is an unusual sight for most people who are used to seeing the leader in military uniform with his trademark kafir (ph).

Now one of the possible reasons why Arafat is refusing to leave his Ramallah compound could possibly be because of a longstanding Israeli policy that if he does leave, if he does leave the West Bank, he will not be allowed to return.

But earlier today, the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, reversed that policy for medical reasons. He said this was a humanitarian mission, that he would extend all medical facilities for Yasser Arafat, including allowing him to leave his compound to seek medical treatment abroad and then he would be allowed to return.

However, it must be said, there remains a great deal of mistrust between Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon. These two men have been nemeses for a generation. So that could possibly be one of the reasons, Kyra, why Arafat is refusing to leave his compound at this stage -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And John, just a quick review for our viewers. Let's remind them of why he's there and why he hasn't wanted to leave.

If we take viewers back a couple of years when there were these suicide bombings, there was an attack on his compound. He hasn't left since, and he fears for his life, that he'll be killed, right?

VAUSE: Well, this is true, Kyra. He's been holed up in this compound behind me for more than two and a half years, since December 2001. There have been a number of threats made by Israel that they will assassinate the leader, that they will expel him.

He has been blamed by Israel for a campaign against Israeli civilians, for a terrorist campaign within Israel. He, of course, denies that.

Israel has tried to put him in exile, if you like, by leaving him here in this compound. And many Palestinians say that this virtual house arrest here in his compound in Ramallah has contributed greatly to his current state of poor health, a state which deteriorated rapidly over the last two days. Palestinian doctors said that he was suffering from the stomach flu. But he appeared to get a lot worse in the last three days, deteriorating last night to the point he collapsed. And right now Palestinian officials say that he is a very, very sick man, indeed -- Kyra.

PHILLIP: John Vause, live right outside the compound there. Thank you so much -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Kerry's got the Boss. Bush has Schwarzenegger. Kerry's got the Red Sox. Bush has some blue states tinting at least a little purple, maybe completely red. Both men have five days left to win friends and influence voters.

For the third day in a row, Bush is polling 49 percent, Kerry, 47, in that poll of polls we've been telling you all about. Once again, that gap is well within the sampling error, which of course, is four percentage points either way.

John Kerry is spending his day in Ohio and Wisconsin. We catch up with CNN's Frank Buckley, who is in Madison.

Hello, Frank.

BUCKLEY: Hey there, Miles. A huge crowd here in Madison right now. The Foo Fighters performing behind me. Bruce Springsteen to appear with Senator John Kerry a little bit later.

Senator John Kerry, meanwhile, continuing his criticism of President Bush on those missing explosives in Iraq. Earlier today in Toledo, Senator Kerry saying that this speaks directly to President Bush's, quote, "misjudgments in Iraq."

Kerry campaign advisers believe that this gives them one more chance to convince undecided voters that President Bush is not a strong commander in chief. Of course, that's been a strength for President Bush in polling.

President Bush, meanwhile, saying that Senator Kerry is jumping to conclusions without knowing all of the facts. Senator Kerry was ready for that today. Here was his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: George Bush jumped to conclusions about 9/11 and Saddam Hussein. George Bush jumped to conclusions about weapons of mass destruction, and he rushed to war without a plan to win the peace. George Bush jumped to conclusions about how the Iraqi people would receive our troops.

He not only jumped to conclusions; he ignored the facts that he was given by his generals, by the Congress, by the experts.

According to George Bush's own words, he shouldn't be our commander in chief, and I couldn't agree more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Now, despite all the tough talk on Iraq, Senator John Kerry said to be in a very good mood today because of the win of his beloved Red Sox in the World Series. Senator Kerry actually donning a Red Sox cap at the beginning of that rally in Toledo.

He joked about a caller to a talk radio station about a year ago, who he said claimed John Kerry won't be president until the Red Sox win the World Series. Kerry saying, "We are on our way."

John Kerry on his way here to Madison, Wisconsin. And shortly, we will be seeing John Kerry up on stage with Bruce Springsteen, the first time Bruce Springsteen is performing at a rally with John Kerry -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Frank, looks like a big crowd there. Do you have a count?

BUCKLEY: Well, no official count yet, but I was talking to one of the security folks here who said that they've -- they've had plans for 10,000 people to go through the mags (ph) and then space up the street toward the state capitol here for another 40 to 60,000 people.

O'BRIEN: All right. Big numbers in those waning days. Frank Buckley, thanks much -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: George W. Bush is backtracking today, hitting Michigan -- Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, one day after visiting Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan.

He, too, has stars on his side -- It actually took me a minute to figure out what the writer did there -- including one of the stars on his collar. Got to love Jim Guthrie. At a rally next hour in the Cleveland suburb of West Lake, Bush will be introduced by Centcom commander, Iraq war architect Tommy franks.

But earlier today in Dayton, Bush said Kerry is in, one word, wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This week Senator Kerry is, again, attacking the actions of our military in Iraq with complete disregard for the facts.

Senator Kerry will say anything to get elected. The Senator's willingness to trade principle for political convenience makes it clear that John Kerry is the wrong man for the wrong job at the wrong time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And we'll bring you portions of Bush's next event and tomorrow's appearance with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in Columbus. O'BRIEN: John Kerry may say the Red Sox win is a good omen, but that hasn't stopped George Bush from getting into the end of the curse act. He called Red Sox pitching ace Curt Schilling to offer some presidential props.

The planets were literally aligned last night, and the Boston Red Sox are the World Series champions. Yes, you heard it right. They're the champs.

And for all those years of heartbreak, all the talk of curses, all the fans who learned never to expect too much, well, they made it look easy. A four-game sweep of the formerly formidable St. Louis Cardinals was all it took to sweep away generations of Fenway funk.

Today CNN's Keith Oppenheim is basking in Beantown reborn, trying out his New England accent.

It's wicked good there, Keith.

OPPENHEIM: Thank you, Miles. You know how to do it yourself.

And the news that we're getting -- this is no joke -- is that the city is going to have -- here's my accent -- the longest parade in the city's history. I'm not joking.

And the -- there's going to be a press conference this afternoon at 3:00 with Mayor Tom Menino. He'll announce some of the details of this parade. Likely, we hear, to take place on Saturday, but we're still trying to get that confirmed, whether or not it's tomorrow or Saturday. But it's coming up awfully soon.

And this is an important time for Boston fans, because now that they've gotten past some of the shock, it's time for them to connect with this team, which has reversed the curse, and from their point of view, changed history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OPPENHEIM (voice-over): After ending 86 years of futility Wednesday night, the victorious Red Sox came home to Fenway Park this morning, where ecstatic fans cheered on their heroes.

When the Sox recorded the final out, they shouted in the streets of Boston that the sweep of the Cardinals was complete.

But earlier in the evening, fans were more cautious, still fearing the curse of the Bambino. Down the street in a Boston University dorm, college students, descended from generations of dedication and disappointment, believed the moment was upon them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm afraid my dad's just going to die in his sleep tonight. I'm just happy, everything in life accomplished, passes away with this big grin on his face, you know?

OPPENHEIM: Fans flocked to Fenway Park, all waiting for the last out. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sweep! Sweep! Sweep!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sweep! Sweep! Sweep!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sweep! Sweep! Sweep!

OPPENHEIM: But not long after the moment of victory arrived, police in riot gear worked to get thousands of people out of the streets. It was a rowdy scene with a few injuries and arrests.

It wasn't tough to find older folks who, even in victory, carried the die-hard superstitions of Red Sox Nation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You think, however, in the ninth inning, I thought, well, we're going to lose it again. But it's a wonderful thing. Truly a wonderful thing, wonderful thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OPPENHEIM: Now just in historical context, Miles, since 1918, the Boston Red Sox have gone to the World Series five times. Obviously, they lost in the last four appearances. But this time, boy, did things change.

They are now the first team in major league history to have won eight straight games in a single postseason, making the sweet victory here even sweeter -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. A couple thoughts here, Keith. First of all, you were up all night. And we appreciate you joining us, by the way. A lot of euphoria in the streets. And what's that shirt you're wearing by the way?

OPPENHEIM: Yes, actually, I got this for 10 bucks in the middle of the mayhem while all those fans were getting rowdy. I saw an opportunity to make a deal.

O'BRIEN: Oh, yes. Very nice.

OPPENHEIM: The official champion shirt. I thought -- pretty nice, I thought.

O'BRIEN: Are you a Sox fan, though, Keith?

OPPENHEIM: Very much so. I've been someone who has -- fortunately, on this day, but not so fortunately in the past gone through some of the anguish of '75 and '86.

O'BRIEN: All right. You'll understand this next question. There's a couple of pieces I saw, typical of the Red Sox psyche. A lot of people saying, you know, now that they've won, what do we talk about? Because when they lose, you know you can go through all the what-ifs and you can talk about wait till next year. In a way, the Red Sox have lost part of their -- what made them special.

OPPENHEIM: Yes, I think part of the attraction, at least for some fans, was to be miserable about the fact that the Sox were always losing.

So now it's an opportunity for fans like me to reinvent ourselves. And instead of being, you know, so upset about the fact that the sox didn't make it, we can look at this team like a lot of people look at their teams, with the expectation that they'll actually win.

O'BRIEN: Next fall, we'll be talking about why can't the Sox repeat? That will be it. We'll have something to moan about.

OPPENHEIM: Yes, right.

O'BRIEN: Keith Oppenheim, thanks for staying up for us. We appreciate it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Miles, you know the one-liner now.

O'BRIEN: No, what?

PHILLIPS: That Scott, you know, our director, the big Red Sox fan?

O'BRIEN: Yes, what is it?

PHILLIPS: Scottie, tell me the line again. Never won back to back.

O'BRIEN: There you go. See?

PHILLIPS: I sound like I know what I'm talking about.

O'BRIEN: We've started it here. The moaning begins.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Miles.

All right. Straight ahead, who should get a flu shot? A prisoner or an elderly shut-in? Well, the flu shot shortage is raising some tricky ethical questions for health care workers. We'll have more on that.

Firefighter to the rescue of a dog trapped in a canal with fast- moving water. Oh, yes. It's the doggy highlight of the day. The rest of the story right after the break.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: News across America now.

Did it take a total lunar eclipse during the World Series to 86 that Boston Red Sox curse? Well, we can't answer that, but we can offer you a time-lapse replay of last night's other cosmic event, just in case you missed it.

Your next chance to view a total lunar eclipse won't be until March 2007. So here you go. Check it out. Check it out. No guess on how long it will be until the Bosox win the series again.

Now, it's usually the social world that makes the news in Malibu, California. But yesterday it was all about the water sports (ph). Rarely seen in they see parts, the water spouts were part of a major rainstorm that also dumped snow in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles.

And two doggone miracles for the Marino family in Los Angeles. Both Bruno and Bear were washed into a storm channel and carried miles away from the home by torrential rains. But thanks to a microchip I.D., firefighters right there on the line were able to find and rescue both pets. That's Bruno, by the way, being hauled to safety.

Now to the feverish quest for a flu shot. Which high-risk categories should get to roll up their sleeves first? The CDC is even asking medical ethicists to help local health officials decide who is more important when it comes to getting a shot.

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen joins us now with more on the hard decisions forced by the vaccine shortage.

Hi.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's hard decisions because all of these people need flu shots. This is the high-risk group of people -- excuse me -- who need to get...

PHILLIPS: Do you need a flu shot?

COHEN: No, luckily, I don't. Just a cough.

PHILLIPS: OK.

COHEN: These are all high-risk people who need to get flu shots. So all of these lines that we've been seeing, we will continue to see them.

Now, let's talk for a minute -- excuse me -- about people who are at high risk and ought to have flu shots. For example children ages 6 to 23 months. Excuse me.

PHILLIPS: Take a sip of water. Take a sip of water.

COHEN: OK.

PHILLIPS: We're going to keep that up for a minute. We're talking about children aged 6 to 23 months, adults 65 years and older and people with chronic medical conditions.

COHEN: Right, those are some people who ought to get them. And also all women who will be pregnant during the flu season. And also health care workers ought to get shots. And also people who are living with infants ages 6 months and under. They ought to get flu shots also.

And so the big decision is, how do you decide between those people?

PHILLIPS: All right. Take another drink of water because I've got a couple questions here. I even took some notes.

Talking about the CDC. Now, they told people, did they say who should get them first and who shouldn't?

COHEN: They didn't. They just lumped these high-risk people into one group and they said, OK, you know, this is who ought to get them. They didn't say who should get them. So the CDC is now saying, you know what? Why don't we let ethicists decide? So they got four ethicists together, and they are going to try to decide who should get them.

PHILLIPS: All right. Now in some states, there's been a huge outcry over the fact that some state and federal prisoners are in line ahead of others to get these flue shots. I was reading a couple different articles. One of my writers brought me something out of Cleveland. There's some pretty upset people who have a sick relative that can't get that flu shot, yet the prisoner down the street can.

COHEN: Right. And that's because those shots are set aside for prisoners. So I know, it sounds terrible, you know? Why can't my grandmother get a flu shot when a prisoner can get a flu shot? But the bottom line here is that those shots are set aside way before. They happened to get them. Other people didn't. And it would be tough to start now kind of reassigning all of those shots.

PHILLIPS: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much.

COHEN: All right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM, allegations of voter fraud, even before election day. Two poll watchers share their strategy for avoiding a repeat of election 2000.

Tomorrow on LIVE FROM, pollsters say the presidential race is too close to call. But has anyone asked you who you're voting for? Inside the polls tomorrow.

And later on LIVE FROM...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People say we're speaking out against the war. We're not speaking out against the war. We're speaking out about the war.

PHILLIPS: Veterans of the war in Iraq take on a controversial new mission. Is it a political statement or just stating the facts?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, hold the phone. The Kyocera wireless company is recalling about a million cell phone batteries. The company fears batteries on some of their phones may actually be counterfeits. The fakes can short circuit and overheat.

Kyocera says it's gotten ten reports of failure, two minor burn injuries. The effective models include the Slider series, the K400 series and the 3200 series.

PHILLIPS: Well, today marks a special or at least memorable day on Wall Street. Rhonda Schaffler joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange with the details.

Hi, Rhonda.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired October 28, 2004 - 13:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Palestinian Authority leader President Yasser Arafat seriously ill. What will this mean for the future of the volatile Middle East?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very appalling to think that any organization, Republican or Democrat, would take away our God-given right to vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Worries that some get out the vote drives are intentionally shutting out people from registering to vote.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Frank Buckley, live in Madison, Wisconsin, where the Foo Fighters are performing. Bruce Springsteen is up next, and oh, yes, Senator John Kerry will be here, too. That story coming up.

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a united nation in Boston, a Red Sox nation. And as the locals might say, they're going to have a wicked big parade here. I'm Keith Oppenheim at Fenway Park. Live report coming up.

PHILLIPS: That's pretty good, Keith. From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.

O'BRIEN: And yes, the curse is over. I'm Miles O'Brien. LIVE FROM begins right this moment.

PHILLIPS: We begin this hour with Yasser Arafat's affliction. Stomach flu or cancer? Gallstone or stroke? All of the above or something else entirely?

The outside world is forced to speculate amid wildly conflicting stories and borderline chaos in the Palestinian leader's ramshackle compound in Ramallah.

It's clear Arafat is seriously ill. And we've just learned doctors want to treat him in Paris. But issues of prognosis, convalescence, political succession all remain grimly uncertain.

We get the very latest now from CNN's John Vause, who's at the scene -- John.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra.

Well, CNN has just learned from Palestinian sources that Yasser Arafat is refusing to leave his compound against the advice of his doctors, who are strongly urging the Palestinian leader to travel to Paris to seek urgent medical treatment.

His condition is described as stable, but serious. A short time ago the Palestinian Authority released a video showing the Palestinian leader holding hands with some of the doctors who have been treating him over the last few days. He is smiling. He is talking with these doctors.

In the background, his bodyguards stand behind him. He's also wearing pajamas. This is an unusual sight for most people who are used to seeing the leader in military uniform with his trademark kafir (ph).

Now one of the possible reasons why Arafat is refusing to leave his Ramallah compound could possibly be because of a longstanding Israeli policy that if he does leave, if he does leave the West Bank, he will not be allowed to return.

But earlier today, the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, reversed that policy for medical reasons. He said this was a humanitarian mission, that he would extend all medical facilities for Yasser Arafat, including allowing him to leave his compound to seek medical treatment abroad and then he would be allowed to return.

However, it must be said, there remains a great deal of mistrust between Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon. These two men have been nemeses for a generation. So that could possibly be one of the reasons, Kyra, why Arafat is refusing to leave his compound at this stage -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And John, just a quick review for our viewers. Let's remind them of why he's there and why he hasn't wanted to leave.

If we take viewers back a couple of years when there were these suicide bombings, there was an attack on his compound. He hasn't left since, and he fears for his life, that he'll be killed, right?

VAUSE: Well, this is true, Kyra. He's been holed up in this compound behind me for more than two and a half years, since December 2001. There have been a number of threats made by Israel that they will assassinate the leader, that they will expel him.

He has been blamed by Israel for a campaign against Israeli civilians, for a terrorist campaign within Israel. He, of course, denies that.

Israel has tried to put him in exile, if you like, by leaving him here in this compound. And many Palestinians say that this virtual house arrest here in his compound in Ramallah has contributed greatly to his current state of poor health, a state which deteriorated rapidly over the last two days. Palestinian doctors said that he was suffering from the stomach flu. But he appeared to get a lot worse in the last three days, deteriorating last night to the point he collapsed. And right now Palestinian officials say that he is a very, very sick man, indeed -- Kyra.

PHILLIP: John Vause, live right outside the compound there. Thank you so much -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Kerry's got the Boss. Bush has Schwarzenegger. Kerry's got the Red Sox. Bush has some blue states tinting at least a little purple, maybe completely red. Both men have five days left to win friends and influence voters.

For the third day in a row, Bush is polling 49 percent, Kerry, 47, in that poll of polls we've been telling you all about. Once again, that gap is well within the sampling error, which of course, is four percentage points either way.

John Kerry is spending his day in Ohio and Wisconsin. We catch up with CNN's Frank Buckley, who is in Madison.

Hello, Frank.

BUCKLEY: Hey there, Miles. A huge crowd here in Madison right now. The Foo Fighters performing behind me. Bruce Springsteen to appear with Senator John Kerry a little bit later.

Senator John Kerry, meanwhile, continuing his criticism of President Bush on those missing explosives in Iraq. Earlier today in Toledo, Senator Kerry saying that this speaks directly to President Bush's, quote, "misjudgments in Iraq."

Kerry campaign advisers believe that this gives them one more chance to convince undecided voters that President Bush is not a strong commander in chief. Of course, that's been a strength for President Bush in polling.

President Bush, meanwhile, saying that Senator Kerry is jumping to conclusions without knowing all of the facts. Senator Kerry was ready for that today. Here was his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: George Bush jumped to conclusions about 9/11 and Saddam Hussein. George Bush jumped to conclusions about weapons of mass destruction, and he rushed to war without a plan to win the peace. George Bush jumped to conclusions about how the Iraqi people would receive our troops.

He not only jumped to conclusions; he ignored the facts that he was given by his generals, by the Congress, by the experts.

According to George Bush's own words, he shouldn't be our commander in chief, and I couldn't agree more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Now, despite all the tough talk on Iraq, Senator John Kerry said to be in a very good mood today because of the win of his beloved Red Sox in the World Series. Senator Kerry actually donning a Red Sox cap at the beginning of that rally in Toledo.

He joked about a caller to a talk radio station about a year ago, who he said claimed John Kerry won't be president until the Red Sox win the World Series. Kerry saying, "We are on our way."

John Kerry on his way here to Madison, Wisconsin. And shortly, we will be seeing John Kerry up on stage with Bruce Springsteen, the first time Bruce Springsteen is performing at a rally with John Kerry -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Frank, looks like a big crowd there. Do you have a count?

BUCKLEY: Well, no official count yet, but I was talking to one of the security folks here who said that they've -- they've had plans for 10,000 people to go through the mags (ph) and then space up the street toward the state capitol here for another 40 to 60,000 people.

O'BRIEN: All right. Big numbers in those waning days. Frank Buckley, thanks much -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: George W. Bush is backtracking today, hitting Michigan -- Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, one day after visiting Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan.

He, too, has stars on his side -- It actually took me a minute to figure out what the writer did there -- including one of the stars on his collar. Got to love Jim Guthrie. At a rally next hour in the Cleveland suburb of West Lake, Bush will be introduced by Centcom commander, Iraq war architect Tommy franks.

But earlier today in Dayton, Bush said Kerry is in, one word, wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This week Senator Kerry is, again, attacking the actions of our military in Iraq with complete disregard for the facts.

Senator Kerry will say anything to get elected. The Senator's willingness to trade principle for political convenience makes it clear that John Kerry is the wrong man for the wrong job at the wrong time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And we'll bring you portions of Bush's next event and tomorrow's appearance with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in Columbus. O'BRIEN: John Kerry may say the Red Sox win is a good omen, but that hasn't stopped George Bush from getting into the end of the curse act. He called Red Sox pitching ace Curt Schilling to offer some presidential props.

The planets were literally aligned last night, and the Boston Red Sox are the World Series champions. Yes, you heard it right. They're the champs.

And for all those years of heartbreak, all the talk of curses, all the fans who learned never to expect too much, well, they made it look easy. A four-game sweep of the formerly formidable St. Louis Cardinals was all it took to sweep away generations of Fenway funk.

Today CNN's Keith Oppenheim is basking in Beantown reborn, trying out his New England accent.

It's wicked good there, Keith.

OPPENHEIM: Thank you, Miles. You know how to do it yourself.

And the news that we're getting -- this is no joke -- is that the city is going to have -- here's my accent -- the longest parade in the city's history. I'm not joking.

And the -- there's going to be a press conference this afternoon at 3:00 with Mayor Tom Menino. He'll announce some of the details of this parade. Likely, we hear, to take place on Saturday, but we're still trying to get that confirmed, whether or not it's tomorrow or Saturday. But it's coming up awfully soon.

And this is an important time for Boston fans, because now that they've gotten past some of the shock, it's time for them to connect with this team, which has reversed the curse, and from their point of view, changed history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OPPENHEIM (voice-over): After ending 86 years of futility Wednesday night, the victorious Red Sox came home to Fenway Park this morning, where ecstatic fans cheered on their heroes.

When the Sox recorded the final out, they shouted in the streets of Boston that the sweep of the Cardinals was complete.

But earlier in the evening, fans were more cautious, still fearing the curse of the Bambino. Down the street in a Boston University dorm, college students, descended from generations of dedication and disappointment, believed the moment was upon them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm afraid my dad's just going to die in his sleep tonight. I'm just happy, everything in life accomplished, passes away with this big grin on his face, you know?

OPPENHEIM: Fans flocked to Fenway Park, all waiting for the last out. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sweep! Sweep! Sweep!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sweep! Sweep! Sweep!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sweep! Sweep! Sweep!

OPPENHEIM: But not long after the moment of victory arrived, police in riot gear worked to get thousands of people out of the streets. It was a rowdy scene with a few injuries and arrests.

It wasn't tough to find older folks who, even in victory, carried the die-hard superstitions of Red Sox Nation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You think, however, in the ninth inning, I thought, well, we're going to lose it again. But it's a wonderful thing. Truly a wonderful thing, wonderful thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OPPENHEIM: Now just in historical context, Miles, since 1918, the Boston Red Sox have gone to the World Series five times. Obviously, they lost in the last four appearances. But this time, boy, did things change.

They are now the first team in major league history to have won eight straight games in a single postseason, making the sweet victory here even sweeter -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. A couple thoughts here, Keith. First of all, you were up all night. And we appreciate you joining us, by the way. A lot of euphoria in the streets. And what's that shirt you're wearing by the way?

OPPENHEIM: Yes, actually, I got this for 10 bucks in the middle of the mayhem while all those fans were getting rowdy. I saw an opportunity to make a deal.

O'BRIEN: Oh, yes. Very nice.

OPPENHEIM: The official champion shirt. I thought -- pretty nice, I thought.

O'BRIEN: Are you a Sox fan, though, Keith?

OPPENHEIM: Very much so. I've been someone who has -- fortunately, on this day, but not so fortunately in the past gone through some of the anguish of '75 and '86.

O'BRIEN: All right. You'll understand this next question. There's a couple of pieces I saw, typical of the Red Sox psyche. A lot of people saying, you know, now that they've won, what do we talk about? Because when they lose, you know you can go through all the what-ifs and you can talk about wait till next year. In a way, the Red Sox have lost part of their -- what made them special.

OPPENHEIM: Yes, I think part of the attraction, at least for some fans, was to be miserable about the fact that the Sox were always losing.

So now it's an opportunity for fans like me to reinvent ourselves. And instead of being, you know, so upset about the fact that the sox didn't make it, we can look at this team like a lot of people look at their teams, with the expectation that they'll actually win.

O'BRIEN: Next fall, we'll be talking about why can't the Sox repeat? That will be it. We'll have something to moan about.

OPPENHEIM: Yes, right.

O'BRIEN: Keith Oppenheim, thanks for staying up for us. We appreciate it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Miles, you know the one-liner now.

O'BRIEN: No, what?

PHILLIPS: That Scott, you know, our director, the big Red Sox fan?

O'BRIEN: Yes, what is it?

PHILLIPS: Scottie, tell me the line again. Never won back to back.

O'BRIEN: There you go. See?

PHILLIPS: I sound like I know what I'm talking about.

O'BRIEN: We've started it here. The moaning begins.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Miles.

All right. Straight ahead, who should get a flu shot? A prisoner or an elderly shut-in? Well, the flu shot shortage is raising some tricky ethical questions for health care workers. We'll have more on that.

Firefighter to the rescue of a dog trapped in a canal with fast- moving water. Oh, yes. It's the doggy highlight of the day. The rest of the story right after the break.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: News across America now.

Did it take a total lunar eclipse during the World Series to 86 that Boston Red Sox curse? Well, we can't answer that, but we can offer you a time-lapse replay of last night's other cosmic event, just in case you missed it.

Your next chance to view a total lunar eclipse won't be until March 2007. So here you go. Check it out. Check it out. No guess on how long it will be until the Bosox win the series again.

Now, it's usually the social world that makes the news in Malibu, California. But yesterday it was all about the water sports (ph). Rarely seen in they see parts, the water spouts were part of a major rainstorm that also dumped snow in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles.

And two doggone miracles for the Marino family in Los Angeles. Both Bruno and Bear were washed into a storm channel and carried miles away from the home by torrential rains. But thanks to a microchip I.D., firefighters right there on the line were able to find and rescue both pets. That's Bruno, by the way, being hauled to safety.

Now to the feverish quest for a flu shot. Which high-risk categories should get to roll up their sleeves first? The CDC is even asking medical ethicists to help local health officials decide who is more important when it comes to getting a shot.

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen joins us now with more on the hard decisions forced by the vaccine shortage.

Hi.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's hard decisions because all of these people need flu shots. This is the high-risk group of people -- excuse me -- who need to get...

PHILLIPS: Do you need a flu shot?

COHEN: No, luckily, I don't. Just a cough.

PHILLIPS: OK.

COHEN: These are all high-risk people who need to get flu shots. So all of these lines that we've been seeing, we will continue to see them.

Now, let's talk for a minute -- excuse me -- about people who are at high risk and ought to have flu shots. For example children ages 6 to 23 months. Excuse me.

PHILLIPS: Take a sip of water. Take a sip of water.

COHEN: OK.

PHILLIPS: We're going to keep that up for a minute. We're talking about children aged 6 to 23 months, adults 65 years and older and people with chronic medical conditions.

COHEN: Right, those are some people who ought to get them. And also all women who will be pregnant during the flu season. And also health care workers ought to get shots. And also people who are living with infants ages 6 months and under. They ought to get flu shots also.

And so the big decision is, how do you decide between those people?

PHILLIPS: All right. Take another drink of water because I've got a couple questions here. I even took some notes.

Talking about the CDC. Now, they told people, did they say who should get them first and who shouldn't?

COHEN: They didn't. They just lumped these high-risk people into one group and they said, OK, you know, this is who ought to get them. They didn't say who should get them. So the CDC is now saying, you know what? Why don't we let ethicists decide? So they got four ethicists together, and they are going to try to decide who should get them.

PHILLIPS: All right. Now in some states, there's been a huge outcry over the fact that some state and federal prisoners are in line ahead of others to get these flue shots. I was reading a couple different articles. One of my writers brought me something out of Cleveland. There's some pretty upset people who have a sick relative that can't get that flu shot, yet the prisoner down the street can.

COHEN: Right. And that's because those shots are set aside for prisoners. So I know, it sounds terrible, you know? Why can't my grandmother get a flu shot when a prisoner can get a flu shot? But the bottom line here is that those shots are set aside way before. They happened to get them. Other people didn't. And it would be tough to start now kind of reassigning all of those shots.

PHILLIPS: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much.

COHEN: All right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM, allegations of voter fraud, even before election day. Two poll watchers share their strategy for avoiding a repeat of election 2000.

Tomorrow on LIVE FROM, pollsters say the presidential race is too close to call. But has anyone asked you who you're voting for? Inside the polls tomorrow.

And later on LIVE FROM...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People say we're speaking out against the war. We're not speaking out against the war. We're speaking out about the war.

PHILLIPS: Veterans of the war in Iraq take on a controversial new mission. Is it a political statement or just stating the facts?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, hold the phone. The Kyocera wireless company is recalling about a million cell phone batteries. The company fears batteries on some of their phones may actually be counterfeits. The fakes can short circuit and overheat.

Kyocera says it's gotten ten reports of failure, two minor burn injuries. The effective models include the Slider series, the K400 series and the 3200 series.

PHILLIPS: Well, today marks a special or at least memorable day on Wall Street. Rhonda Schaffler joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange with the details.

Hi, Rhonda.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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