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CNN Live Today
Debate Preview; Merck Pulls Vioxx; Buzz on the Web
Aired September 30, 2004 - 10:59 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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast and 8:00 a.m. out West. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin. Daryn's got the day off.
Up first on CNN, standing side by side and going toe to toe. President Bush and Senator John Kerry face each other and a national audience tonight in the first of three debates.
CNN's Dan Lothian begins our coverage this hour from the University of Miami, the scene of tonight's debate -- Dan.
DANN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right Carol Lin -- Carol. Some 50 million people expected to watch the debate on television. Both of the candidates will be doing walkthroughs this afternoon. But still, there's a lot of talk about all those debate rules.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN (voice-over): The devil is in the debate details, a 32- page agreement between both campaigns. But television networks are refusing to accept some of the rules. In particular, this item, barring TV cutaways while a candidate is answering a question. It's the kind of shot that embarrassed Al Gore in the 2000 debates.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The candidates don't like the cutaway thing. They wanted the -- of course, the commission to try to stop that. Well, of course, it's not within our power to stop that. We don't own the feed.
LOTHIAN: The debate commission says it won't sign the agreement, and no moderator has either. Fox News, which is handling camera feeds for the media in the first debate, said in a statement, "Because of journalistic standards, we're not going to follow outside restrictions."
CNN and other networks issued similar statements. NBC saying, "We're not subject to agreements between candidates."
Another issue, timing lights. The agreement says the TV audience must be able to see when a candidate's answer goes too long. But, again, the networks have signaled they'll decide what to show.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those details of television production that lawyers really don't have any knowledge of. And they shouldn't be involved in doing them. LOTHIAN: The questions that keep popping up around this controversy, is this even a debate? Is the agreement getting in the way of what voters should be seeing and hearing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no question, this is not the classic debate you saw in college or in high school in debate society. But it's better than nothing. And when you realize that there's no way you can force these candidates to debate if they don't want to...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN: A commission member told me probably both camps will have some gripes with what the networks decide to do, but he said "There's absolutely nothing that we can do about that" -- Carol.
LIN: Well, plenty of rules, but also lots of room for plenty or surprises, Dan.
LOTHIAN: That's right.
LIN: Thank you.
Well, President Bush toured more hurricane damage this morning before heading to tonight's debate. Within the past half-hour, or hour and a half, actually, the president visited Stuart, Florida, near where Hurricane Jeanne made landfall.
And Senator John Kerry arrived in Florida late yesterday. He's spending the day in Miami and plans to attend a rally there following the debate. Kerry says he's looking forward to the opportunity to challenge the president on issues affecting the country's future.
All right. Ahead, we're going to have live reports from both the Bush and Kerry camps. Already heard, actually, from the debate site. White House correspondent Dana Bash and national correspondent Frank Buckley is going to be with me in about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, of course, you want to watch tonight's debate right here on CNN. Our prime-time coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
In the meantime, a shocker from drug maker Merck. It is pulling its popular and profitable arthritis drug Vioxx off the market. Financial correspondent Fred Katayama is in New York this morning with more on that.
A lot of people take this drug. This is big news for lots of folks, as well as market makers on Wall Street.
FRED KATAYAMA, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Carol. We're just outside the Manhattan hotel where Merck made the bombshell announcement over one of its blockbuster drugs. And as a result, the more than 1.25 million in the U.S., arthritis sufferers who take Vioxx, will soon have to stop taking it, immediately.
Merck, the manufacturer of the drug, announced that it is immediately withdrawing Vioxx from the worldwide market. The company said it made that decision after clinical test results showed that Merck -- that patients that took that drug suffered an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. And Merck chief executive, Raymond Gilmartin, explained the reasoning behind his decision.
And we're told we don't have what Gilmartin had to say. But he said that he was voluntarily recalling that drug after clinical results showed that patients who had been taking the drug more than 18 months had suffered an increase risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The FDA -- the company then soon notified the Food and Drug Administration of its decision. The FDA responded in a statement saying that Merck made, in its words, the right -- "did the right thing by promptly reporting its findings." The FDA went on to say that it will continue to closely monitor other drugs in the same class for similar side effects.
Now, this move is an extremely painful one for Merck because Vioxx is one of its blockbuster drugs. It had worldwide revenues of $2.5 billion last year. This accounts for more than a tenth of Merck's worldwide revenues.
Merck's stock is falling sharply in the stock market today. And we'll have more on that from Rhonda Schaffler, from the New York Stock Exchange, later on -- Carol.
LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Fred, with that.
We want to show you some -- a videotape that just came in from Stuart, Florida. President Bush, after looking at the storm damage there. Here's what he had to say.
If we can have the audio. All right. Obviously, we've got some audio problems. Our apologies. We're having some technical -- there we go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Long hours not only in Florida, but in other states as well. The Red Cross, for example, has sheltered over 400,000 people. The Salvation Army, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Convoy of Hope from Springfield, Missouri, and other faith-based groups have set up kitchens and helped feed the hungry.
Unions and truckers have transported supplies. Young people have given up free time to lend a hand. I just met with some of the high school students here from Martin High School who were volunteering to help the Red Cross. I thank them for their example. I thank them for their service.
See, these volunteers show the true heart of America, because we're a compassionate people. We care when a neighbor hurts. We long to help somebody when -- when help is needed. They have the gratitude of all they've served, and they have the admiration for our whole country. Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne have strained the resources of many relief organizations. People across the nation have donated money and supplies to help their efforts. I'm grateful for their generosity. I hope many more Americans will continue to contribute.
It's very important for our fellow citizens to understand the strain on the resources for the Red Cross, for example, or the Salvation Army, or other faith-based groups. And if you want to help, if you want to participate in helping the good folks in this part of the country who hurt, contribute.
You can contact the Red Cross at 1-800-HELP-NOW. Or the Salvation Army at 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Or the Florida volunteer and donations hotline at 1-800-FL-HELP1. Or you can contact one of the many other organizations that are providing help.
The federal government is working closely with state and local authorities to help people recover. FEMA has worked with Florida emergency response team and the National Guard to ensure safety. Medical personnel are treating the sick and the injured.
Earlier today, I visited a FEMA disaster recovery center where hurricane victims can go to register for disaster assistance. I've asked Congress to provide $12.2 billion in federal funds to respond to these storms. I urged the Congress to pass my supplemental request quickly, so the people of Florida can get the help they need.
People in Florida and many other states are coming through a trying time. I thank all those who've reached out to help their neighbors in need. I thank the leaders who have shown strength and composure during difficult times.
And to our fellow citizens facing hardship, the prayers of our nation are with you. And America stands with you.
Thank you all for coming. God bless your compassion.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: A personal appeal by the president the United States for private donations to help the storm victims in Florida. After four hurricanes, more than 70 people died in the past six weeks.
In the meantime, a debate there, and an election to talk about: the Florida vote. Now that New Yorkers could actually be able to vote in that Florida Sunshine State, well, at least that's what one Web site is hyping. It's asking people to actually register in the state of Florida. We're going to talk about that.
And rumblings at Mount St. Helens. We're going to get a live report from there.
Plus, the master planner behind the Freedom Tower. Now that the inspiration behind Daniel Libeskind's designs are actually under construction, how much influence did he really have? I'm going to talk to the architect himself who's got a new book.
I'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Well, George Bush won the presidency over Al Gore by a little more than 500 votes, a razor-thin margin four years ago. And consider this, it all happened in Florida. And that is where the first presidential debate takes place tonight, at the University of Miami.
Now, also in the backdrop, the war in Iraq, the war on terrorism. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright offered their opinions about what should happen tonight on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI (R), FMR. NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: The problem for Senator Kerry is he has 10 different positions on Iraq and he changes them virtually every day. I mean, in the last week, he's changed them twice.
So I can find a position of Senator Kerry's that agrees completely with mine and President Bush's, and then I can find one that's diametrically opposed. Hardly the -- the characteristic of a leader in time of war. I mean, just the opposite of what you need in time of war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: What the president has done has created a situation in Iraq that is more dangerous than what we faced before, and he took his eye off the ball in Afghanistan. That's where the people who hit the twin towers came from. And I think what we need from the president is some truth about what is really happening in Iraq, where this morning there were car bombs again.
More Americans have died in each month, and I think it's a mess. And that's what we need the president to tell us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Well, there you go. Chances are, that's what you're going to be hearing at tonight's debate from both the candidates. CNN's special prime-time coverage of that debate begins tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. And believe it or not, it is a hot topic on the Web right now. We're going to go to Regina Lewis with AOL to talk about the buzz on the Web.
Regina, folks are really not only talking about the debate, but also talking about where to register to vote. I thought that had a lot to do with where you lived.
REGINA LEWIS, AOL ONLINE ADVISER: Yes, you would think so. But one guy who is running Operation Snowboard has this idea: where you vote, you want to vote where it matters most. And here's what he's thinking, all those people who live in New York, which is expected to be a Kerry-Edwards landslide, but spend a little time in Florida, where as we know it can be very, very close.
If you've got an address there, if you spend any time there, you might be able to vote there. And he's saying, don't throw away your votes, come down here, we can win this thing. So he's trying to build momentum that way.
Now, to be clear, you've got an October 4 deadline to pull that off, and you can't vote both places. That's fraud. One New York newspaper says I think about 46,000 people might have done that.
LIN: Yes.
LEWIS: So you have to play this one straight.
LIN: October 4, because by law, you have to be a resident "for 30 days" in that state.
LEWIS: There you go.
LIN: All right. In the meantime, also on the Web, what is this offshore bookie taking bets on "The Apprentice?"
LEWIS: Yes. Now, with these shows, you know, the stakes are high for The Donald and for the NBC network. And people bet on everything online. And they do it offshore for all kinds of reasons.
The average bet is usually about $25. But here's what happened. People started saying -- putting $300 on one of "The Apprentice" contestants. And that made people think maybe people know something we don't. Because, of course, this show is taped in advance and they have to sign these big disclaimers to not give away those kinds of secrets.
So if you don't want to know who it is, don't listen now. But there's five to one odds on Elizabeth winning this thing.
LIN: Really?
LEWIS: They couldn't -- yes. They've since pulled it down because they think something's up and somebody might have known something and done something they shouldn't have.
LIN: Oh. It makes sense that it might be a woman, though, given a man, you know -- Bill Rancic won it the last time.
All right. What about on the heels of yesterday's fantastic story about that plane making it almost into outer space. People talking about going to space now on the Web?
LEWIS: Absolutely. In fact, they're lining up to get reservations at VirginGalactic.com. And they've got all of the information there.
You can sign up to be notified when they'll start taking reservations. Now, the price tag is about $190,000 a seat. They can accommodate about 3,000 people. In an AOL people, 50 percent of people said they'd love to do this if they could drum up the cash.
LIN: Really?
LEWIS: I know. I was surprised by that actually.
LIN: Yes. Ski condo, go to space? Ski condo, go to space?
LEWIS: Yes, right. But Virgin Airlines, you know, they do a good job with marketing. And the descriptions there are really fascinating.
I think, you know, the view flying into LaGuardia is quite nice. They describe the view of what it will be like when you finally get up there.
So certainly an interesting project. If you want to do this, they say you've got to be ready to suit up in 2007.
LIN: All right. Do they have on-flight meals, do you think? I hope for $190,000.
LEWIS: You know, I didn't click on that. I am going to guess yes.
LIN: All right, Regina. Good to see you. Thanks so much.
LEWIS: Sure.
LIN: Well, one of the most popular stories on the CNN Web site today is about a California surfer who suddenly found himself standing on the back of a whale. You can read all about it in the day's other news at cnn.com. What a surprise.
Another surprise maybe in the brewing, volcano warning. Scientists say Mount St. Helens could be about to blow. We're going to get a live update from there when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Scientists are warning Mount St. Helens could blow any time. But nothing, they say, like the devastating eruption back in 1980. CNN's Kimberly Osias is near the mountain this morning.
Kimberly, is anybody in the way of this possible eruption?
KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, not right now, Carol. There are a couple of tourists that will be -- that you see kind of looking around here and media folk. But things don't actually open up until 10:00.
But there have been a number of people that have been very interested in the geological activity. Not just scientists.
What we've been told this morning, that there is an increased energy here at Mount St. Helens, since last night, even. And now the depth of the earthquakes are a little bit deeper, measuring 3 to 3.3 on the Richter scale.
Now, scientists are also trying to puzzle through some rather conflicting data that they have received recently. On the one hand, they've been looking for CO2 and SO2 gas levels.
Yesterday, they went down in the chopper and tried to get as close as possible as they could to the mouth of the crater. They didn't find anything of significance, which is good news because that would mean that there is no hot magma underneath the dome moving. This was the second time they tested. They tested on a Monday as well and found the same thing, no statistically significant results.
But the dome of the crater has moved up northwards about an inch and a half recently. That is of concern to scientists.
And on the flip side, also, you see that there's just sheer volume of earthquakes, albeit shallow ones. We've seen about one to 2,000 since Mount St. Helens started waking up last Thursday, which is actually a record since 1996.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CYNTHIA GARDNER, USGS SCIENTIST: So what are we expecting? Well, we are expecting that either nothing could happen or we perhaps could have an explosive event. We're looking at something -- our best guesstimate is something that's small to moderate. What that means is that we might have fragments being hurled out of the volcano. Primarily, we're thinking the lava dome, upwards to perhaps five kilometers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OSIAS: Now, scientists don't know when or if an eruption will take place. Now, there are a lot of tourists still, a lot of hiking trails that are open. Several have been shut down.
And for climbers 4,800 feet and above, they are unable to climb right now. Obviously, they probably wouldn't even want to -- Carol.
LIN: I would hope not. Thanks very much, Kimberly.
Orelon Sidney standing by in the weather center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: In the meantime, we're gearing up for the big night. When I come back, we're going to go live to Florida to check in with the candidates and see how they are preparing for their first debate when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: I'm Carol LIN in Atlanta. Let's check what's happening right "Now in the News" for Thursday, September 30.
Several car bombs in Iraq today killed 45 people and wounded dozens more. And many of the dead were children who had gathered to get candy which was being given out at a ceremony to open a new sewage treatment station.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today conceded violence in Iraq is getting worse. He says insurgents, or as he put it, dead-enders, are trying to disrupt elections planned for January.
And Merck is discontinuing sales of its arthritis drug, Vioxx. The drug maker said tests shows an increased risk of heart attack and stroke when Vioxx is used longer than 18 months.
Visitors from 27 countries, most of them European, will find major changes when they arrive in the United States today. Now almost all traveler will be photographed and fingerprinted when they arrive.
Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 30, 2004 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast and 8:00 a.m. out West. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin. Daryn's got the day off.
Up first on CNN, standing side by side and going toe to toe. President Bush and Senator John Kerry face each other and a national audience tonight in the first of three debates.
CNN's Dan Lothian begins our coverage this hour from the University of Miami, the scene of tonight's debate -- Dan.
DANN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right Carol Lin -- Carol. Some 50 million people expected to watch the debate on television. Both of the candidates will be doing walkthroughs this afternoon. But still, there's a lot of talk about all those debate rules.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN (voice-over): The devil is in the debate details, a 32- page agreement between both campaigns. But television networks are refusing to accept some of the rules. In particular, this item, barring TV cutaways while a candidate is answering a question. It's the kind of shot that embarrassed Al Gore in the 2000 debates.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The candidates don't like the cutaway thing. They wanted the -- of course, the commission to try to stop that. Well, of course, it's not within our power to stop that. We don't own the feed.
LOTHIAN: The debate commission says it won't sign the agreement, and no moderator has either. Fox News, which is handling camera feeds for the media in the first debate, said in a statement, "Because of journalistic standards, we're not going to follow outside restrictions."
CNN and other networks issued similar statements. NBC saying, "We're not subject to agreements between candidates."
Another issue, timing lights. The agreement says the TV audience must be able to see when a candidate's answer goes too long. But, again, the networks have signaled they'll decide what to show.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those details of television production that lawyers really don't have any knowledge of. And they shouldn't be involved in doing them. LOTHIAN: The questions that keep popping up around this controversy, is this even a debate? Is the agreement getting in the way of what voters should be seeing and hearing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no question, this is not the classic debate you saw in college or in high school in debate society. But it's better than nothing. And when you realize that there's no way you can force these candidates to debate if they don't want to...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN: A commission member told me probably both camps will have some gripes with what the networks decide to do, but he said "There's absolutely nothing that we can do about that" -- Carol.
LIN: Well, plenty of rules, but also lots of room for plenty or surprises, Dan.
LOTHIAN: That's right.
LIN: Thank you.
Well, President Bush toured more hurricane damage this morning before heading to tonight's debate. Within the past half-hour, or hour and a half, actually, the president visited Stuart, Florida, near where Hurricane Jeanne made landfall.
And Senator John Kerry arrived in Florida late yesterday. He's spending the day in Miami and plans to attend a rally there following the debate. Kerry says he's looking forward to the opportunity to challenge the president on issues affecting the country's future.
All right. Ahead, we're going to have live reports from both the Bush and Kerry camps. Already heard, actually, from the debate site. White House correspondent Dana Bash and national correspondent Frank Buckley is going to be with me in about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, of course, you want to watch tonight's debate right here on CNN. Our prime-time coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
In the meantime, a shocker from drug maker Merck. It is pulling its popular and profitable arthritis drug Vioxx off the market. Financial correspondent Fred Katayama is in New York this morning with more on that.
A lot of people take this drug. This is big news for lots of folks, as well as market makers on Wall Street.
FRED KATAYAMA, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Carol. We're just outside the Manhattan hotel where Merck made the bombshell announcement over one of its blockbuster drugs. And as a result, the more than 1.25 million in the U.S., arthritis sufferers who take Vioxx, will soon have to stop taking it, immediately.
Merck, the manufacturer of the drug, announced that it is immediately withdrawing Vioxx from the worldwide market. The company said it made that decision after clinical test results showed that Merck -- that patients that took that drug suffered an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. And Merck chief executive, Raymond Gilmartin, explained the reasoning behind his decision.
And we're told we don't have what Gilmartin had to say. But he said that he was voluntarily recalling that drug after clinical results showed that patients who had been taking the drug more than 18 months had suffered an increase risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The FDA -- the company then soon notified the Food and Drug Administration of its decision. The FDA responded in a statement saying that Merck made, in its words, the right -- "did the right thing by promptly reporting its findings." The FDA went on to say that it will continue to closely monitor other drugs in the same class for similar side effects.
Now, this move is an extremely painful one for Merck because Vioxx is one of its blockbuster drugs. It had worldwide revenues of $2.5 billion last year. This accounts for more than a tenth of Merck's worldwide revenues.
Merck's stock is falling sharply in the stock market today. And we'll have more on that from Rhonda Schaffler, from the New York Stock Exchange, later on -- Carol.
LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Fred, with that.
We want to show you some -- a videotape that just came in from Stuart, Florida. President Bush, after looking at the storm damage there. Here's what he had to say.
If we can have the audio. All right. Obviously, we've got some audio problems. Our apologies. We're having some technical -- there we go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Long hours not only in Florida, but in other states as well. The Red Cross, for example, has sheltered over 400,000 people. The Salvation Army, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Convoy of Hope from Springfield, Missouri, and other faith-based groups have set up kitchens and helped feed the hungry.
Unions and truckers have transported supplies. Young people have given up free time to lend a hand. I just met with some of the high school students here from Martin High School who were volunteering to help the Red Cross. I thank them for their example. I thank them for their service.
See, these volunteers show the true heart of America, because we're a compassionate people. We care when a neighbor hurts. We long to help somebody when -- when help is needed. They have the gratitude of all they've served, and they have the admiration for our whole country. Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne have strained the resources of many relief organizations. People across the nation have donated money and supplies to help their efforts. I'm grateful for their generosity. I hope many more Americans will continue to contribute.
It's very important for our fellow citizens to understand the strain on the resources for the Red Cross, for example, or the Salvation Army, or other faith-based groups. And if you want to help, if you want to participate in helping the good folks in this part of the country who hurt, contribute.
You can contact the Red Cross at 1-800-HELP-NOW. Or the Salvation Army at 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Or the Florida volunteer and donations hotline at 1-800-FL-HELP1. Or you can contact one of the many other organizations that are providing help.
The federal government is working closely with state and local authorities to help people recover. FEMA has worked with Florida emergency response team and the National Guard to ensure safety. Medical personnel are treating the sick and the injured.
Earlier today, I visited a FEMA disaster recovery center where hurricane victims can go to register for disaster assistance. I've asked Congress to provide $12.2 billion in federal funds to respond to these storms. I urged the Congress to pass my supplemental request quickly, so the people of Florida can get the help they need.
People in Florida and many other states are coming through a trying time. I thank all those who've reached out to help their neighbors in need. I thank the leaders who have shown strength and composure during difficult times.
And to our fellow citizens facing hardship, the prayers of our nation are with you. And America stands with you.
Thank you all for coming. God bless your compassion.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: A personal appeal by the president the United States for private donations to help the storm victims in Florida. After four hurricanes, more than 70 people died in the past six weeks.
In the meantime, a debate there, and an election to talk about: the Florida vote. Now that New Yorkers could actually be able to vote in that Florida Sunshine State, well, at least that's what one Web site is hyping. It's asking people to actually register in the state of Florida. We're going to talk about that.
And rumblings at Mount St. Helens. We're going to get a live report from there.
Plus, the master planner behind the Freedom Tower. Now that the inspiration behind Daniel Libeskind's designs are actually under construction, how much influence did he really have? I'm going to talk to the architect himself who's got a new book.
I'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Well, George Bush won the presidency over Al Gore by a little more than 500 votes, a razor-thin margin four years ago. And consider this, it all happened in Florida. And that is where the first presidential debate takes place tonight, at the University of Miami.
Now, also in the backdrop, the war in Iraq, the war on terrorism. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright offered their opinions about what should happen tonight on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI (R), FMR. NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: The problem for Senator Kerry is he has 10 different positions on Iraq and he changes them virtually every day. I mean, in the last week, he's changed them twice.
So I can find a position of Senator Kerry's that agrees completely with mine and President Bush's, and then I can find one that's diametrically opposed. Hardly the -- the characteristic of a leader in time of war. I mean, just the opposite of what you need in time of war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: What the president has done has created a situation in Iraq that is more dangerous than what we faced before, and he took his eye off the ball in Afghanistan. That's where the people who hit the twin towers came from. And I think what we need from the president is some truth about what is really happening in Iraq, where this morning there were car bombs again.
More Americans have died in each month, and I think it's a mess. And that's what we need the president to tell us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Well, there you go. Chances are, that's what you're going to be hearing at tonight's debate from both the candidates. CNN's special prime-time coverage of that debate begins tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. And believe it or not, it is a hot topic on the Web right now. We're going to go to Regina Lewis with AOL to talk about the buzz on the Web.
Regina, folks are really not only talking about the debate, but also talking about where to register to vote. I thought that had a lot to do with where you lived.
REGINA LEWIS, AOL ONLINE ADVISER: Yes, you would think so. But one guy who is running Operation Snowboard has this idea: where you vote, you want to vote where it matters most. And here's what he's thinking, all those people who live in New York, which is expected to be a Kerry-Edwards landslide, but spend a little time in Florida, where as we know it can be very, very close.
If you've got an address there, if you spend any time there, you might be able to vote there. And he's saying, don't throw away your votes, come down here, we can win this thing. So he's trying to build momentum that way.
Now, to be clear, you've got an October 4 deadline to pull that off, and you can't vote both places. That's fraud. One New York newspaper says I think about 46,000 people might have done that.
LIN: Yes.
LEWIS: So you have to play this one straight.
LIN: October 4, because by law, you have to be a resident "for 30 days" in that state.
LEWIS: There you go.
LIN: All right. In the meantime, also on the Web, what is this offshore bookie taking bets on "The Apprentice?"
LEWIS: Yes. Now, with these shows, you know, the stakes are high for The Donald and for the NBC network. And people bet on everything online. And they do it offshore for all kinds of reasons.
The average bet is usually about $25. But here's what happened. People started saying -- putting $300 on one of "The Apprentice" contestants. And that made people think maybe people know something we don't. Because, of course, this show is taped in advance and they have to sign these big disclaimers to not give away those kinds of secrets.
So if you don't want to know who it is, don't listen now. But there's five to one odds on Elizabeth winning this thing.
LIN: Really?
LEWIS: They couldn't -- yes. They've since pulled it down because they think something's up and somebody might have known something and done something they shouldn't have.
LIN: Oh. It makes sense that it might be a woman, though, given a man, you know -- Bill Rancic won it the last time.
All right. What about on the heels of yesterday's fantastic story about that plane making it almost into outer space. People talking about going to space now on the Web?
LEWIS: Absolutely. In fact, they're lining up to get reservations at VirginGalactic.com. And they've got all of the information there.
You can sign up to be notified when they'll start taking reservations. Now, the price tag is about $190,000 a seat. They can accommodate about 3,000 people. In an AOL people, 50 percent of people said they'd love to do this if they could drum up the cash.
LIN: Really?
LEWIS: I know. I was surprised by that actually.
LIN: Yes. Ski condo, go to space? Ski condo, go to space?
LEWIS: Yes, right. But Virgin Airlines, you know, they do a good job with marketing. And the descriptions there are really fascinating.
I think, you know, the view flying into LaGuardia is quite nice. They describe the view of what it will be like when you finally get up there.
So certainly an interesting project. If you want to do this, they say you've got to be ready to suit up in 2007.
LIN: All right. Do they have on-flight meals, do you think? I hope for $190,000.
LEWIS: You know, I didn't click on that. I am going to guess yes.
LIN: All right, Regina. Good to see you. Thanks so much.
LEWIS: Sure.
LIN: Well, one of the most popular stories on the CNN Web site today is about a California surfer who suddenly found himself standing on the back of a whale. You can read all about it in the day's other news at cnn.com. What a surprise.
Another surprise maybe in the brewing, volcano warning. Scientists say Mount St. Helens could be about to blow. We're going to get a live update from there when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
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LIN: Scientists are warning Mount St. Helens could blow any time. But nothing, they say, like the devastating eruption back in 1980. CNN's Kimberly Osias is near the mountain this morning.
Kimberly, is anybody in the way of this possible eruption?
KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, not right now, Carol. There are a couple of tourists that will be -- that you see kind of looking around here and media folk. But things don't actually open up until 10:00.
But there have been a number of people that have been very interested in the geological activity. Not just scientists.
What we've been told this morning, that there is an increased energy here at Mount St. Helens, since last night, even. And now the depth of the earthquakes are a little bit deeper, measuring 3 to 3.3 on the Richter scale.
Now, scientists are also trying to puzzle through some rather conflicting data that they have received recently. On the one hand, they've been looking for CO2 and SO2 gas levels.
Yesterday, they went down in the chopper and tried to get as close as possible as they could to the mouth of the crater. They didn't find anything of significance, which is good news because that would mean that there is no hot magma underneath the dome moving. This was the second time they tested. They tested on a Monday as well and found the same thing, no statistically significant results.
But the dome of the crater has moved up northwards about an inch and a half recently. That is of concern to scientists.
And on the flip side, also, you see that there's just sheer volume of earthquakes, albeit shallow ones. We've seen about one to 2,000 since Mount St. Helens started waking up last Thursday, which is actually a record since 1996.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CYNTHIA GARDNER, USGS SCIENTIST: So what are we expecting? Well, we are expecting that either nothing could happen or we perhaps could have an explosive event. We're looking at something -- our best guesstimate is something that's small to moderate. What that means is that we might have fragments being hurled out of the volcano. Primarily, we're thinking the lava dome, upwards to perhaps five kilometers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OSIAS: Now, scientists don't know when or if an eruption will take place. Now, there are a lot of tourists still, a lot of hiking trails that are open. Several have been shut down.
And for climbers 4,800 feet and above, they are unable to climb right now. Obviously, they probably wouldn't even want to -- Carol.
LIN: I would hope not. Thanks very much, Kimberly.
Orelon Sidney standing by in the weather center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: In the meantime, we're gearing up for the big night. When I come back, we're going to go live to Florida to check in with the candidates and see how they are preparing for their first debate when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
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LIN: I'm Carol LIN in Atlanta. Let's check what's happening right "Now in the News" for Thursday, September 30.
Several car bombs in Iraq today killed 45 people and wounded dozens more. And many of the dead were children who had gathered to get candy which was being given out at a ceremony to open a new sewage treatment station.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today conceded violence in Iraq is getting worse. He says insurgents, or as he put it, dead-enders, are trying to disrupt elections planned for January.
And Merck is discontinuing sales of its arthritis drug, Vioxx. The drug maker said tests shows an increased risk of heart attack and stroke when Vioxx is used longer than 18 months.
Visitors from 27 countries, most of them European, will find major changes when they arrive in the United States today. Now almost all traveler will be photographed and fingerprinted when they arrive.
Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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