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Bush & Kerry Make Final Pitch to Battleground States

Aired November 01, 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: The final push, the final polls, the final hours before Election Day. What are the candidates' final strategies to get your vote?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gary Tuchman in West Palm Beach, Florida. This was the epicenter of the problems in election 2000. Now the day before Election Day, hundreds of people voting early in the broiling November sun. We'll have the story.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: New voters signing up in record numbers. Could they be the wildcard that makes this year's election even more unpredictable?

PHILLIPS: The Osama bin Laden videotape. What you didn't see last week.

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.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's come down to this: two candidates, seven battlegrounds, two percentage points, mere hours to go. John Kerry is spending election eve in Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. But don't blink or you'll miss him. George W. Bush began his day in Ohio and will end it in Texas, a nonbattleground state, 13 hours later.

CNN's Frank Buckley only feels as if he's in seven states at once. He's really in Milwaukee. Elaine Quijano, meanwhile, is in the relatively calm, relatively quiet, relatively uneventful confines of the White House.

Frank, how about you first?

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, we're really in the center of the political universe this afternoon. And what I mean by that is that within an hour of each other, both President Bush and Senator Kerry are both here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In fact, we just got a report from the motorcade as it -- as it was on -- the Kerry motorcade as it was on its way to Milwaukee to the downtown area. That Air Force One, with President Bush aboard, was taking off and actually flew parallel to the Kerry motorcade.

We don't know if they dipped their wings in acknowledgment. I doubt it.

President Bush has a couple of advantages here in Wisconsin. One, his event was indoors. Senator Kerry's is outdoors here.

And the latest CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll shows that President Bush has an eight-point lead here in Wisconsin. Other polls indicate it's a statistical dead heat.

Now, Senator Kerry started his day earlier today in Florida. He had an airport rally, his last event on the ground in Florida. He urged his supporters to go to the polls.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're down to the last day. And I just want to say to all of the folks in the Orlando area, the I-4 area, and all the way down through the rest of Florida, this is the choice. This is the moment of accountability for America. And it's the moment where the world is watching what you're going to do.

All of the hopes and dreams -- all of the hopes and dreams of our country are on the line today. The choice is clear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, you can tell we had a little bit of technical problem there with audio. We're going to check back in with Frank Buckley as soon as we get him up live again there in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, we'll move on to Tony.

HARRIS: Absolutely -- OK.

Mr. Bush, too, was in Milwaukee today. The candidates' geographic proximity yet again highlighting their neck-and-neck status in the polls. CNN's Elaine Quijano is watching from Pennsylvania Avenue.

Hello, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Tony.

Well, we heard Frank Buckley talk about the proximity. Talking about Air Force One taking off, being parallel to John Kerry's motorcade.

Well, we got a report just a short time ago from our own Dana Bash, who is giving us some behind-the-scenes about the press corps. Apparently saying that the bus is carrying the Kerry press corps apparently passed the Bush press corps buses en route to the airport, and that the two press planes were actually side by side there in Milwaukee. Really, just again, underscoring how important Wisconsin is.

But as you said, the president just a short time ago rallying supporters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The president doing all he can to energize voters. But that state, Wisconsin, went to Al Gore by just 5,700 votes in 2000. And this time around, Bush aides think they can win Wisconsin this time out.

Now, the president in these final stops is continuing to try to make the case that his time in office makes him more qualified to lead the country. He continues to try to paint Senator Kerry as weak on terrorism.

But in these waiting hours, the president not only trying to rally his base, but also trying to reach out to undecideds, Democrats and Independents, on social issues like abortion, gay marriage and embryonic stem cell research. Now, in between campaign stops this morning, the president told reporters this whirlwind tour is also giving him a chance to express his gratitude to all of his supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's an opportunity to thank people who have worked so hard on behalf of my candidacy, and to tell them how grateful I am for all the sacrifices they have made on behalf of their country. It's also a chance to remind them that when they work hard then I'm confident we're going to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now as for his schedule, already this morning the president has hit the battleground states of Ohio, then Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, as we just mentioned. Now it is onto Iowa, New Mexico, and his last stop, Dallas, Texas, before he overnights at his ranch in Crawford.

Now, the president saying that he can see the finish line, the finish line is in sight. Telling reporters earlier today that he has the energy, the optimism and the enthusiasm to make it across the finish line. But Tony, also a Bush aide telling us that the president is also feeling a bit nostalgic about this, his last campaign, his last presidential campaign as it's drawing to a close -- Tony.

HARRIS: Elaine Quijano at the White House. Elaine, thank you.

As if Ohio needed one more reason to command the rest of the country's attention, there this, an appeal still pending of two federal court decisions barring in-person challenges of individual voters. Ohio Republicans had planned to send thousands of partisan poll watchers to question voter eligibility in line with the 51-year- old law.

Joining us with the latest is reporter Tom Beres of CNN affiliate WKYC in Cleveland.

It's been a long time, Tom. Good to see you.

TOM BERES, REPORTER, WKYC: Hi, Tony, former colleague. Proud to say we used to work together a long time ago.

Well, this is -- this is a very big decision that was made first this morning by two federal judges, who said that there would not be any party poll watchers allowed. Republicans had wanted to challenge votes, particularly in Cleveland, in urban areas, where there's likely to be lots of minority, lots of new voters.

The Democrats, the Kerry supporters, of course, not happy about that challenge. And very much overjoyed by today's ruling, which says that poll workers will deal with the questions of voter eligibility.

Both of the judges saying that the law that Ohio had for challenging is basically unconstitutional. And given the volatile environment and the other problems that might happen, possible confrontations, they were setting it aside and deciding that there would not be any Republican challengers allowed.

But again, the Ohio Republican Party saying it intends to file an appeal. But to the best -- to the best of our knowledge, that appeal yet to be filed, and unclear whether they're going to get same-day drive-through service on it.

So as of the moment, no challengers. And again, the Kerry camp hailing that as a big victory. Again, John Kerry, Bruce Springsteen at one of the final events here in Cleveland tonight. So Ohio has kind of been the epicenter, ground zero, continues to be.

HARRIS: It really has been. And Tom, before the Democrats get too happy about all of this, could this ruling still be overturned before the polls open?

BERES: Well, I guess it could. We all know that the courts work on their own timetable and in mysterious ways.

And again, the Republicans are going to be down before a federal appeals court in Cincinnati trying to get it overturned. I guess it just depends on how fast the system can work.

HARRIS: Tom Beres reporting for us from Cleveland. Tom, good to see you. Take care.

BERES: Good to see you, Tony. Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Questionable signatures, rejected ballots. Swing state Florida can't seem to get a break when it comes to making presidential election snag free. Polling places have been swamped with early voters; legal teams are already challenging some of the ballots. Is it the sequel of hanging chads?

Say it isn't so. Our Gary Tuchman is in West Palm Beach, Florida, where it's pretty beautiful today.

Hi, Gary.

TUCHMAN: A beautiful day, Kyra. Also supposed to be a beautiful day tomorrow for the official Election Day. But that is an important point to make.

About two million of the 10 million eligible voters in the state of Florida have already voted. A very sophisticated early voting program has been set up as a result of the turmoil in the year 2000. And behind me, you can see some of those two million people who are casting their ballots early.

For two weeks here in the state of Florida there have been several precincts set up in each and every one of the counties here in Florida for people to vote early. They don't have to give a reason. They just show up and vote.

In this line right now about 300 people. The wait is four to five hours.

We're talking about the weather, Kyra. It's in the upper 80s. A rather humid day for the beginning of November. People are waiting with their umbrellas, they're waiting with chairs, and for the last two weeks they've been waiting hours to cast their ballots.

We can tell you, some deja vus. Inside the building behind me, the Palm Beach County Canvassing Board is meeting right now. It's a three-member board, it's a county judge, it's a county commissioner and the supervisor of elections.

Now, these were the same three people, this board -- although two of the people have changed -- it was the same board that four years ago put up the ballot cards, looked at chads, the dimpled chads and the pregnant chads, to determine if they were votes. Famous video.

Well, now they are gathering together to try to determine if some of the absentee ballots should be excluded from the count. They're comparing signatures on the absentee ballots with the original signatures these people allegedly made when they registered to vote years ago, in some cases decades ago.

If the signatures are different, they then vote among themselves whether or not it should be accepted. There are Republican and Democratic operatives there who make complaints. Very controversial what's going on inside. They are eliminating people whose signatures look different.

There were a lot of problems in the year 2000 here in the Sunshine State. And already here in 2004, there's a great deal of paranoia, but there are also some problems now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Emma, show me on the registration form what you forgot to fill out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Number four.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Emma Diaz forgot to check a box on her voter registration form saying she was mentally competent. Because of that, she won't be allowed to cast a ballot.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's not fair.

TUCHMAN: She was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Florida and its secretary of state, Glenda Hood. The lawsuit failed.

GLENDA HOOD, FLA. SECY. OF STATE: Individuals and groups and political parties feel that the only way that they can get media attention and get some attention is through litigation.

TUCHMAN: It was one of many election-related lawsuits filed here. Four years after the state's election fiasco, the problems were varied, ranging from the hanging chads on punch card ballots to the so-called butterfly ballots in Palm Beach County, where many accidentally voted for Pat Buchanan instead of Al Gore.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got a call the next morning from Japan, "Grandma, what did you do? What happened there?" I said, "I don't want to talk about it."

He says, "Who did you vote for?" "I'm not talking," because I was so confused, and I thought I was violated.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Some very nice ladies we met at grocery store.

We can tell you that punch card ballots have been banned here in the state of Florida. They're using touch-screen machines here in Palm Beach County and other counties, and optical scanners in the remaining parts of the state.

Back to you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Gary, you always find the cutest voters. Gary Tuchman, we'll talk to you later.

All right. It's election eve, and who's ahead? We're going to get the latest and the last numbers before the balloting. Gallup's Frank Newport will join us at the bottom of the hour with that.

And turnout could be key in this election, as you know. So do you plan on heading to the polls tomorrow, or do you just think you're going to stay home? If you're not voting, we want to know why. Send us an e-mail here at LIVE FROM at livefrom@CNN.com. We'll read some of the responses later in the hour.

HARRIS: And Kyra, a chilling tape just days before the U.S. presidential election. What are intelligence agencies learning about this message from Osama bin Laden? A report on that ahead. Plus, what is being revealed today about what you did not see on the tape?

And it's been taken off the market now, but did the makers of the painkiller Vioxx ignore some early warning signs of trouble? Details about that later on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So was it an attempt to disrupt the presidential election or something else? It was just days ago that a new videotape surfaced from Osama bin Laden. Here's a little of what he had to say. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OSAMA BIN LADEN (through translator): Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or al Qaeda. Your security is in your hands. Each state that will not play with our security by default will secure themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: So now intelligence analysts are gathering more from the tape. Here to talk about what they've learned is CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

Hello, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Tony.

Well, that mention of John Kerry just one of the current time references that Osama bin Laden makes on that tape. Analysts looking very closely.

What we have now learned is he makes some very interesting indications of just how closely he follows the news. He made a reference on the tape, although we did not hear it on Friday, to the Halliburton corporation. Of course which has been in the news for some weeks and months now.

He calls the Halliburton corporation -- quoting him on the tape -- "a shady Bush administration-linked mega corporation." One of the indicators, again, that bin Laden is perhaps not as isolated, not as out of touch as the administration might hope he is.

There is another very interesting reference on the tape to the morning of September 11, and President Bush being in a schoolroom listening to children. And, of course, that was one of the major topics of Michael Moore's movie, "Fahrenheit 9/11," leading some people to wonder if bin Laden is aware of that movie. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIN LADEN (through translator): We never knew that the commander in chief of the American armed forces will leave 50,000 of his people and the two towers to face those events by themselves when they were in critical, in the most urgent need for their leader. He was talking to a child about a goat. He was more preoccupied with that than the attacks of the towers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Now keep watching that tape. As you see Osama bin Laden, this is a tape with some level of production values to it.

There is good lighting. There is good sound. There was certainly some sort of electrical power supply to make all of this happen. So it happened one way or the other, analysts tell us. Either all of this equipment came to bin Laden, or bin Laden went somewhere to make the tape. And either way, that means he feels pretty comfortable about his security arrangements and isn't terribly worried, analysts say, at the moment about being caught -- Tony.

HARRIS: Barbara Starr from the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you.

And then there's this, a big twist today surrounding the bin Laden tape. The Arabic television network Al-Jazeera released a full English transcript of bin Laden's comments, something it has never done before. So why did it do it, and what else does the tape reveal?

Joining me now is Octavia Nasr, our senior editor of Arab affairs.

Octavia, good to see you. OK. Tell us about this tape. In talking to your sources, why did Al-Jazeera not run the entire tape?

OCTAVIA NASR, CNN SR. EDITOR, ARAB AFFAIRS: Well, to answer that question, I just got on the phone with the executives at Al-Jazeera. And they tell me that the tape was long, it was not necessarily all newsworthy. So they chose the parts that were newsworthy and aired those.

And they said that in lower third they were running in graphic format the rest of the tape, which later on, as you said, today, this morning, they posted the entire speech. So -- and this is a first for Al-Jazeera.

HARRIS: If you see the entire tape or read the entire transcript, it will direct folks to it in a moment. It is tougher on the president, would you agree?

NASR: Absolutely. It's tougher on the president. It's -- also, it has some nuances that are extremely important.

We just heard that sound bite that Barbara Starr referred to with bin Laden telling the American people "Your security is not in the hands of Bush or Kerry or al Qaeda." The security of the land is in your hands. Well, the interesting thing about the transcript is the sentence right before this comment. And this is what he says.

He says, "And know that it is better to return to the truth than persist in error." And that "The wise man doesn't squander his security, wealth and children for the sake of the liar in the White House."

Really tough words against the president.

HARRIS: Yes.

NASR: And also, it brings context to that one line about "Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or al Qaeda. It's in your hands." So basically he's giving them a choice. He's telling them there's still a chance to turn things around and make sure you are secure and safe.

HARRIS: Have you been able to detect any kind of a political motivation with Al-Jazeera in broadcasting the edited portion of the tape?

NASR: Al-Jazeera insists -- I just spoke with them -- they insist there was no political motivation behind this. It's very interesting. In answer to my question about why release the entire transcript, they said that there were rumors that Al-Jazeeera kept from airing -- on the tape, they kept a part that mentioned specific targets in the U.S., and they were appalled by these rumors.

HARRIS: I see.

NASR: They figured the best thing to do is to publish the whole thing. Now, the interesting thing is this didn't stop networks and some groups from still exploiting that and indicating that perhaps on that tape there is a direct threat to a state or a location in this country.

HARRIS: All right. I've got to ask the question. Al-Jazeera has never provided a complete transcript of a bin Laden tape before. What's behind this and the timing of it?

NASR: Well, they're saying it's only to answer these rumors, and they're saying because researchers have been asking them all the time for full transcripts. And apparently it's a change in policy.

Now, one interesting thing that this executive told me at Al- Jazeera, he said, "You know what? I'm surprised why everybody calls and asks us why, why, why?" He said, "Why didn't you ask ABC why they didn't release the transcript of their tape that they aired a few days ago?"

These Arab executives are becoming very savvy. And they're questioning us back when we ask these tough questions.

HARRIS: Octavia, thank you for the analysis on all of this. And thanks for making the phone calls for us. We appreciate it.

NASR: Sure.

HARRIS: OK -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Once again, two candidates, seven battleground states. Right now, John Kerry in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As you know, he's spending election eve in Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. Quick trips.

Here he is working up the crowd. Looks like we just missed him at the podium. It was just quick -- yes, it was quick and dirty there.

HARRIS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: A little music, a nice warm coat. A lot of supporters. That's all he needs. HARRIS: When you've got the schedule that these guys are trying to keep today, I guess you can't stay anywhere for any real length of time.

PHILLIPS: No, he's got to take off to four more states before tomorrow. Unbelievable. We'll check in and see how the president is doing also, and where he is.

HARRIS: OK. The final poll before you go to the polls. Ahead, the Gallup editor-in-chief joins us to talk about something that's never happened in the history of that organization's presidential polling.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rhonda Schaffler at the New York Stock Exchange. How does something so hostile become sweet? Details coming up when CNN's LIVE FROM continues. That's in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, you know, it's been a big drama on Wall Street for nearly a year and a half. And now one party is calling its latest bid the best and final offer.

PHILLIPS: Rhonda Schaffler live at the New York Stock Exchange with that story -- Rhonda.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired November 1, 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: The final push, the final polls, the final hours before Election Day. What are the candidates' final strategies to get your vote?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gary Tuchman in West Palm Beach, Florida. This was the epicenter of the problems in election 2000. Now the day before Election Day, hundreds of people voting early in the broiling November sun. We'll have the story.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: New voters signing up in record numbers. Could they be the wildcard that makes this year's election even more unpredictable?

PHILLIPS: The Osama bin Laden videotape. What you didn't see last week.

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.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's come down to this: two candidates, seven battlegrounds, two percentage points, mere hours to go. John Kerry is spending election eve in Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. But don't blink or you'll miss him. George W. Bush began his day in Ohio and will end it in Texas, a nonbattleground state, 13 hours later.

CNN's Frank Buckley only feels as if he's in seven states at once. He's really in Milwaukee. Elaine Quijano, meanwhile, is in the relatively calm, relatively quiet, relatively uneventful confines of the White House.

Frank, how about you first?

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, we're really in the center of the political universe this afternoon. And what I mean by that is that within an hour of each other, both President Bush and Senator Kerry are both here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In fact, we just got a report from the motorcade as it -- as it was on -- the Kerry motorcade as it was on its way to Milwaukee to the downtown area. That Air Force One, with President Bush aboard, was taking off and actually flew parallel to the Kerry motorcade.

We don't know if they dipped their wings in acknowledgment. I doubt it.

President Bush has a couple of advantages here in Wisconsin. One, his event was indoors. Senator Kerry's is outdoors here.

And the latest CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll shows that President Bush has an eight-point lead here in Wisconsin. Other polls indicate it's a statistical dead heat.

Now, Senator Kerry started his day earlier today in Florida. He had an airport rally, his last event on the ground in Florida. He urged his supporters to go to the polls.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're down to the last day. And I just want to say to all of the folks in the Orlando area, the I-4 area, and all the way down through the rest of Florida, this is the choice. This is the moment of accountability for America. And it's the moment where the world is watching what you're going to do.

All of the hopes and dreams -- all of the hopes and dreams of our country are on the line today. The choice is clear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, you can tell we had a little bit of technical problem there with audio. We're going to check back in with Frank Buckley as soon as we get him up live again there in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, we'll move on to Tony.

HARRIS: Absolutely -- OK.

Mr. Bush, too, was in Milwaukee today. The candidates' geographic proximity yet again highlighting their neck-and-neck status in the polls. CNN's Elaine Quijano is watching from Pennsylvania Avenue.

Hello, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Tony.

Well, we heard Frank Buckley talk about the proximity. Talking about Air Force One taking off, being parallel to John Kerry's motorcade.

Well, we got a report just a short time ago from our own Dana Bash, who is giving us some behind-the-scenes about the press corps. Apparently saying that the bus is carrying the Kerry press corps apparently passed the Bush press corps buses en route to the airport, and that the two press planes were actually side by side there in Milwaukee. Really, just again, underscoring how important Wisconsin is.

But as you said, the president just a short time ago rallying supporters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The president doing all he can to energize voters. But that state, Wisconsin, went to Al Gore by just 5,700 votes in 2000. And this time around, Bush aides think they can win Wisconsin this time out.

Now, the president in these final stops is continuing to try to make the case that his time in office makes him more qualified to lead the country. He continues to try to paint Senator Kerry as weak on terrorism.

But in these waiting hours, the president not only trying to rally his base, but also trying to reach out to undecideds, Democrats and Independents, on social issues like abortion, gay marriage and embryonic stem cell research. Now, in between campaign stops this morning, the president told reporters this whirlwind tour is also giving him a chance to express his gratitude to all of his supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's an opportunity to thank people who have worked so hard on behalf of my candidacy, and to tell them how grateful I am for all the sacrifices they have made on behalf of their country. It's also a chance to remind them that when they work hard then I'm confident we're going to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now as for his schedule, already this morning the president has hit the battleground states of Ohio, then Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, as we just mentioned. Now it is onto Iowa, New Mexico, and his last stop, Dallas, Texas, before he overnights at his ranch in Crawford.

Now, the president saying that he can see the finish line, the finish line is in sight. Telling reporters earlier today that he has the energy, the optimism and the enthusiasm to make it across the finish line. But Tony, also a Bush aide telling us that the president is also feeling a bit nostalgic about this, his last campaign, his last presidential campaign as it's drawing to a close -- Tony.

HARRIS: Elaine Quijano at the White House. Elaine, thank you.

As if Ohio needed one more reason to command the rest of the country's attention, there this, an appeal still pending of two federal court decisions barring in-person challenges of individual voters. Ohio Republicans had planned to send thousands of partisan poll watchers to question voter eligibility in line with the 51-year- old law.

Joining us with the latest is reporter Tom Beres of CNN affiliate WKYC in Cleveland.

It's been a long time, Tom. Good to see you.

TOM BERES, REPORTER, WKYC: Hi, Tony, former colleague. Proud to say we used to work together a long time ago.

Well, this is -- this is a very big decision that was made first this morning by two federal judges, who said that there would not be any party poll watchers allowed. Republicans had wanted to challenge votes, particularly in Cleveland, in urban areas, where there's likely to be lots of minority, lots of new voters.

The Democrats, the Kerry supporters, of course, not happy about that challenge. And very much overjoyed by today's ruling, which says that poll workers will deal with the questions of voter eligibility.

Both of the judges saying that the law that Ohio had for challenging is basically unconstitutional. And given the volatile environment and the other problems that might happen, possible confrontations, they were setting it aside and deciding that there would not be any Republican challengers allowed.

But again, the Ohio Republican Party saying it intends to file an appeal. But to the best -- to the best of our knowledge, that appeal yet to be filed, and unclear whether they're going to get same-day drive-through service on it.

So as of the moment, no challengers. And again, the Kerry camp hailing that as a big victory. Again, John Kerry, Bruce Springsteen at one of the final events here in Cleveland tonight. So Ohio has kind of been the epicenter, ground zero, continues to be.

HARRIS: It really has been. And Tom, before the Democrats get too happy about all of this, could this ruling still be overturned before the polls open?

BERES: Well, I guess it could. We all know that the courts work on their own timetable and in mysterious ways.

And again, the Republicans are going to be down before a federal appeals court in Cincinnati trying to get it overturned. I guess it just depends on how fast the system can work.

HARRIS: Tom Beres reporting for us from Cleveland. Tom, good to see you. Take care.

BERES: Good to see you, Tony. Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Questionable signatures, rejected ballots. Swing state Florida can't seem to get a break when it comes to making presidential election snag free. Polling places have been swamped with early voters; legal teams are already challenging some of the ballots. Is it the sequel of hanging chads?

Say it isn't so. Our Gary Tuchman is in West Palm Beach, Florida, where it's pretty beautiful today.

Hi, Gary.

TUCHMAN: A beautiful day, Kyra. Also supposed to be a beautiful day tomorrow for the official Election Day. But that is an important point to make.

About two million of the 10 million eligible voters in the state of Florida have already voted. A very sophisticated early voting program has been set up as a result of the turmoil in the year 2000. And behind me, you can see some of those two million people who are casting their ballots early.

For two weeks here in the state of Florida there have been several precincts set up in each and every one of the counties here in Florida for people to vote early. They don't have to give a reason. They just show up and vote.

In this line right now about 300 people. The wait is four to five hours.

We're talking about the weather, Kyra. It's in the upper 80s. A rather humid day for the beginning of November. People are waiting with their umbrellas, they're waiting with chairs, and for the last two weeks they've been waiting hours to cast their ballots.

We can tell you, some deja vus. Inside the building behind me, the Palm Beach County Canvassing Board is meeting right now. It's a three-member board, it's a county judge, it's a county commissioner and the supervisor of elections.

Now, these were the same three people, this board -- although two of the people have changed -- it was the same board that four years ago put up the ballot cards, looked at chads, the dimpled chads and the pregnant chads, to determine if they were votes. Famous video.

Well, now they are gathering together to try to determine if some of the absentee ballots should be excluded from the count. They're comparing signatures on the absentee ballots with the original signatures these people allegedly made when they registered to vote years ago, in some cases decades ago.

If the signatures are different, they then vote among themselves whether or not it should be accepted. There are Republican and Democratic operatives there who make complaints. Very controversial what's going on inside. They are eliminating people whose signatures look different.

There were a lot of problems in the year 2000 here in the Sunshine State. And already here in 2004, there's a great deal of paranoia, but there are also some problems now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Emma, show me on the registration form what you forgot to fill out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Number four.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Emma Diaz forgot to check a box on her voter registration form saying she was mentally competent. Because of that, she won't be allowed to cast a ballot.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's not fair.

TUCHMAN: She was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Florida and its secretary of state, Glenda Hood. The lawsuit failed.

GLENDA HOOD, FLA. SECY. OF STATE: Individuals and groups and political parties feel that the only way that they can get media attention and get some attention is through litigation.

TUCHMAN: It was one of many election-related lawsuits filed here. Four years after the state's election fiasco, the problems were varied, ranging from the hanging chads on punch card ballots to the so-called butterfly ballots in Palm Beach County, where many accidentally voted for Pat Buchanan instead of Al Gore.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got a call the next morning from Japan, "Grandma, what did you do? What happened there?" I said, "I don't want to talk about it."

He says, "Who did you vote for?" "I'm not talking," because I was so confused, and I thought I was violated.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Some very nice ladies we met at grocery store.

We can tell you that punch card ballots have been banned here in the state of Florida. They're using touch-screen machines here in Palm Beach County and other counties, and optical scanners in the remaining parts of the state.

Back to you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Gary, you always find the cutest voters. Gary Tuchman, we'll talk to you later.

All right. It's election eve, and who's ahead? We're going to get the latest and the last numbers before the balloting. Gallup's Frank Newport will join us at the bottom of the hour with that.

And turnout could be key in this election, as you know. So do you plan on heading to the polls tomorrow, or do you just think you're going to stay home? If you're not voting, we want to know why. Send us an e-mail here at LIVE FROM at livefrom@CNN.com. We'll read some of the responses later in the hour.

HARRIS: And Kyra, a chilling tape just days before the U.S. presidential election. What are intelligence agencies learning about this message from Osama bin Laden? A report on that ahead. Plus, what is being revealed today about what you did not see on the tape?

And it's been taken off the market now, but did the makers of the painkiller Vioxx ignore some early warning signs of trouble? Details about that later on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So was it an attempt to disrupt the presidential election or something else? It was just days ago that a new videotape surfaced from Osama bin Laden. Here's a little of what he had to say. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OSAMA BIN LADEN (through translator): Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or al Qaeda. Your security is in your hands. Each state that will not play with our security by default will secure themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: So now intelligence analysts are gathering more from the tape. Here to talk about what they've learned is CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

Hello, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Tony.

Well, that mention of John Kerry just one of the current time references that Osama bin Laden makes on that tape. Analysts looking very closely.

What we have now learned is he makes some very interesting indications of just how closely he follows the news. He made a reference on the tape, although we did not hear it on Friday, to the Halliburton corporation. Of course which has been in the news for some weeks and months now.

He calls the Halliburton corporation -- quoting him on the tape -- "a shady Bush administration-linked mega corporation." One of the indicators, again, that bin Laden is perhaps not as isolated, not as out of touch as the administration might hope he is.

There is another very interesting reference on the tape to the morning of September 11, and President Bush being in a schoolroom listening to children. And, of course, that was one of the major topics of Michael Moore's movie, "Fahrenheit 9/11," leading some people to wonder if bin Laden is aware of that movie. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIN LADEN (through translator): We never knew that the commander in chief of the American armed forces will leave 50,000 of his people and the two towers to face those events by themselves when they were in critical, in the most urgent need for their leader. He was talking to a child about a goat. He was more preoccupied with that than the attacks of the towers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Now keep watching that tape. As you see Osama bin Laden, this is a tape with some level of production values to it.

There is good lighting. There is good sound. There was certainly some sort of electrical power supply to make all of this happen. So it happened one way or the other, analysts tell us. Either all of this equipment came to bin Laden, or bin Laden went somewhere to make the tape. And either way, that means he feels pretty comfortable about his security arrangements and isn't terribly worried, analysts say, at the moment about being caught -- Tony.

HARRIS: Barbara Starr from the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you.

And then there's this, a big twist today surrounding the bin Laden tape. The Arabic television network Al-Jazeera released a full English transcript of bin Laden's comments, something it has never done before. So why did it do it, and what else does the tape reveal?

Joining me now is Octavia Nasr, our senior editor of Arab affairs.

Octavia, good to see you. OK. Tell us about this tape. In talking to your sources, why did Al-Jazeera not run the entire tape?

OCTAVIA NASR, CNN SR. EDITOR, ARAB AFFAIRS: Well, to answer that question, I just got on the phone with the executives at Al-Jazeera. And they tell me that the tape was long, it was not necessarily all newsworthy. So they chose the parts that were newsworthy and aired those.

And they said that in lower third they were running in graphic format the rest of the tape, which later on, as you said, today, this morning, they posted the entire speech. So -- and this is a first for Al-Jazeera.

HARRIS: If you see the entire tape or read the entire transcript, it will direct folks to it in a moment. It is tougher on the president, would you agree?

NASR: Absolutely. It's tougher on the president. It's -- also, it has some nuances that are extremely important.

We just heard that sound bite that Barbara Starr referred to with bin Laden telling the American people "Your security is not in the hands of Bush or Kerry or al Qaeda." The security of the land is in your hands. Well, the interesting thing about the transcript is the sentence right before this comment. And this is what he says.

He says, "And know that it is better to return to the truth than persist in error." And that "The wise man doesn't squander his security, wealth and children for the sake of the liar in the White House."

Really tough words against the president.

HARRIS: Yes.

NASR: And also, it brings context to that one line about "Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or al Qaeda. It's in your hands." So basically he's giving them a choice. He's telling them there's still a chance to turn things around and make sure you are secure and safe.

HARRIS: Have you been able to detect any kind of a political motivation with Al-Jazeera in broadcasting the edited portion of the tape?

NASR: Al-Jazeera insists -- I just spoke with them -- they insist there was no political motivation behind this. It's very interesting. In answer to my question about why release the entire transcript, they said that there were rumors that Al-Jazeeera kept from airing -- on the tape, they kept a part that mentioned specific targets in the U.S., and they were appalled by these rumors.

HARRIS: I see.

NASR: They figured the best thing to do is to publish the whole thing. Now, the interesting thing is this didn't stop networks and some groups from still exploiting that and indicating that perhaps on that tape there is a direct threat to a state or a location in this country.

HARRIS: All right. I've got to ask the question. Al-Jazeera has never provided a complete transcript of a bin Laden tape before. What's behind this and the timing of it?

NASR: Well, they're saying it's only to answer these rumors, and they're saying because researchers have been asking them all the time for full transcripts. And apparently it's a change in policy.

Now, one interesting thing that this executive told me at Al- Jazeera, he said, "You know what? I'm surprised why everybody calls and asks us why, why, why?" He said, "Why didn't you ask ABC why they didn't release the transcript of their tape that they aired a few days ago?"

These Arab executives are becoming very savvy. And they're questioning us back when we ask these tough questions.

HARRIS: Octavia, thank you for the analysis on all of this. And thanks for making the phone calls for us. We appreciate it.

NASR: Sure.

HARRIS: OK -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Once again, two candidates, seven battleground states. Right now, John Kerry in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As you know, he's spending election eve in Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. Quick trips.

Here he is working up the crowd. Looks like we just missed him at the podium. It was just quick -- yes, it was quick and dirty there.

HARRIS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: A little music, a nice warm coat. A lot of supporters. That's all he needs. HARRIS: When you've got the schedule that these guys are trying to keep today, I guess you can't stay anywhere for any real length of time.

PHILLIPS: No, he's got to take off to four more states before tomorrow. Unbelievable. We'll check in and see how the president is doing also, and where he is.

HARRIS: OK. The final poll before you go to the polls. Ahead, the Gallup editor-in-chief joins us to talk about something that's never happened in the history of that organization's presidential polling.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rhonda Schaffler at the New York Stock Exchange. How does something so hostile become sweet? Details coming up when CNN's LIVE FROM continues. That's in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, you know, it's been a big drama on Wall Street for nearly a year and a half. And now one party is calling its latest bid the best and final offer.

PHILLIPS: Rhonda Schaffler live at the New York Stock Exchange with that story -- Rhonda.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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