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CNN Live Today

Discussing the Debate; Some Soldiers Not Rushing Out to Vote; Dealing with the Lack of Vioxx; This Weekend's Movies

Aired October 01, 2004 - 10:28   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: Here are the stories right now in the news.
Gunfire could be heard across the Iraqi city of Samarra today as U.S. and Iraqi forces fought insurgents. The U.S. Military says at least 109 insurgents and one U.S. soldier were killed in the operation which began overnight. The offensive was centered around a Shiite mosque in the Sunni-dominated city. Iraqi troops, with the help of U.S. forces, blasted open the doors to the mosque and confiscated weapons stored by the insurgents.

A bomb exploded during prayers at a Shiite mosque in Pakistan today. At least 20 people were killed and another 50 were wounded. As many as 800 people inside the mosque at the time of the explosion were actually at risk. The attack comes less than a week after a top al Qaeda suspect was killed in a shoot-out with Pakistani police.

And in the Kobe Bryant case, new details are likely to emerge when previously sealed documents are released today. And they include Bryant's statements to investigators, an arrest affidavit, and other records. The documents were temporarily sealed after the sexual assault case against the Lakers star was dropped a month ago. Earlier this week, Bryant's attorney dropped a request to have the record sealed permanently.

And stronger rumblings from within Mount St. Helens suggest the volcano could erupt at any time. Scientists warn a small or moderate blast from the Washington mountain could spew ash and rock as far as three miles. But experts say an eruption would be nothing like the 1980 blast when 57 people were killed.

President Bush and John Kerry are taking their disagreements over Iraq back to the campaign trail today, after focusing on that issue in their first debate. Now, one spark came when the president said he committed U.S. troops to Iraq because the enemy attacked the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He just said the enemy attacked us. Saddam Hussein didn't attack us. Osama bin Laden attacked us.

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNTIED STATES: First listen...

JIM LEHRER, DEBATE MODERATOR: Thirty seconds. BUSH: Of course I know Osama bin Laden attacked us. I know that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Well, we have the opportunity to take a look at a CNN/"USA Today" flash poll which shows that John Kerry, according to those who were surveyed right after the debate, did pretty well. In fact, he was voted as having done the better job in the debates.

But how does that really affect the race as a whole? I'm going to be talking with both campaigns. I'm going to start with Terry Holt, who is the press secretary for the Bush/Cheney '04 campaign. Thanks very much, Terry.

TERRY HOLT, BUSH/CHENEY '04 PRESS SECY.: Hi, Carol.

LIN: Good morning.

Taking a look at that poll, who did the better job in the debate? John Kerry gets 53 percent. President Bush, 37 percent.

HOLT: Well, I think that's -- it's a fascinating poll, because even though Kerry is a pretty slick debater, down in numbers you guys have also said that -- that who they trust, who the American people trust to fight and win the war on global terror, who's better at doing the job and winning in Iraq, that the president actually widened his margin there.

So, maybe you can be a slick debater, but ultimately this is about being commander-in-chief, about having steady focus, and about protecting the American people. And the president definitely demonstrated last night that he's prepared to do whatever it takes to protect this country.

LIN: You know, there were plenty of opportunities, frankly, for President Bush to go after John Kerry on, you know, several issues that played to President Bush's favor.

For example, when he was asked whether the country would be more susceptible to a terrorist attack if John Kerry were elected president, President Bush frankly chose not to really answer the question. Why is that?

HOLT: Well, I think that we -- we -- we want to keep this on the substance and on the policies. The president's put us on a course for a safer world, for more democracy in this world, because we think that ultimately, in the long term, that's going to create a safer environment.

You know, John Kerry has his own problems on these issues. You know, we talk about the $87 billion thing. He said it was a word choice problem. It was actually a vote against the troops. It's one of his bigger vulnerabilities.

I think that John Kerry has to get out from his own mess. The president really just wanted to do a job there where he talked about what the country faces, what's important to this country, how his policies have helped us make a safer world. And I think he did a good job of really steadily putting his program out there.

LIN: Terry, just from a personal standpoint, did the president seem agitated to you? Did he seem -- frankly, he was making faces as John Kerry was giving some of his responses.

HOLT: I think the president did a great job last night. You know, he showed a command of the fact that Kerry failed to. You know, Kerry had 16 different fact problems last night. He was fact challenged, in fact.

The president reacts to the incoherence of John Kerry's policies. I think that's obvious, you know, the twisting and turning on Iraq and on supporting the troops.

In fact, he had this incoherent approach on North Korea where he said that though we need more allies in Iraq, we need no allies in North Korea. And that's just simply wrong, and I think that all of us were a little bit confused by John Kerry's flip-flopping on these two very important national security issues.

LIN: Terry Holt with the Bush campaign. Mistakes -- frankly, factual mistakes made on both sides of the aisle last night.

HOLT: Well...

LIN: But right now, I want to get to Joe Lockhart, who is the senior advisor with the Kerry/Edwards campaign. He joins me from the campaign headquarters in Washington. Good morning, Joe.

JOE LOCKHART, KERRY CAMPAIGN SR. ADVISOR: Good morning.

LIN: Let me get your reaction to the "USA Today" -- CNN/"USA Today" flash poll. John Kerry -- who did the better job in the debate? John Kerry with 53 percent. George W. Bush with 37 percent.

Does winning the debate necessarily mean winning the election?

LOCKHART: Well, listen, I wish your camera had been on me in a split screen during Kerry's performance, because I was practicing my George Bush smirks...

LIN: Were cutaways allowed.

LOCKHART: ... and being agitated. And I think I had it down pretty well, and I wish your viewers could have seen it.

Listen, winning the debate does not mean winning the election. There are three debates.

It's important to note a couple things. One is the Bush campaign went in last night telling reporters that they were going to knock John Kerry out of the race. They were going to finish him off last night. It couldn't be further from the truth. The second thing is, they wanted foreign policy as the first debate because it's the most important. We're now going to shift to domestic issues where the president is really challenged. I mean, we've lost two million jobs in this country. Healthcare costs are continuing to spiral out of control...

LIN: Well, Joe, let's stick with the international picture right now...

LOCKHART: Sure.

LIN: ... since that was the focus of last night's debate.

John Kerry made a big point of saying that he would be the leader who would reach out for allied support in the war against terror and the war in Iraq. Let's take a look what President Bush had to say in response to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: My opponent says we didn't have any allies in this war? What's he say to Tony Blair? What's he say to Alexander Kwasniewski of Poland? I mean, you can't expect to build alliance when you denigrate the contributions of those who are serving side by side with American troops in Iraq.

Plus, he says the cornerstone of his plan to succeed in Iraq is to call upon nations to serve. So, what's the message going to be? Please join us in Iraq for a grand diversion? Join us for a war that is a wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Joe, you know as well as anybody that a campaign is very different than a presidency. Already today, the foreign ministry -- Germany's foreign minister, France's foreign minister both have said neither country is going to send troops to Iraq.

So, how does John Kerry build that alliance when already the allies are saying no?

LOCKHART: Well, listen, I mean the president was quite confused last night, and he seemed to be debating himself on this issue. We can do it just by having a fresh start and credibility.

I mean, contrast George Bush with his father. He went in with countries from around the world, not just two countries. And -- and 96 percent of the cost of the Gulf -- first Gulf War was borne by our allies. We're stuck here with a $200 billion bill, and -- and still rising.

So, you can do this by having credibility, by when you go to the international community, not being arrogant and telling them what's going to be, but working with them, having the reconstruction be something that's open to our allies. All of these things, I think, will make it more possible. And no country is going to say now that they're going to come in. No country wants to put the president of the United States in that position. But I'm certain, and I think John Kerry is certain, that when he is sworn in to office, we're going to have a new approach and we're going to have a new response from our allies.

LIN: We'll see what happens. Thanks very much, Joe Lockhart with the Kerry campaign.

LOCKHART: Thank you.

LIN: Now a large group of absentee voters may be forgiven for missing the debate. They are fighting insurgents in Iraq.

CNN's Baghdad Bureau Chief Jane Arraf spoke with U.S. soldiers at one base camp about the election coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): There are few Americans with more at stake in these elections than American soldiers, but they're not rushing to send in those ballots.

At this 1st Infantry division camp near Muqdadiyah, Sergeant Major Steve Falconberg has launched a one-man voter registration drive. He's personally filled out and mailed registration forms for almost 200 soldiers. But he thinks that fewer than half of the 800 troops here might end up voting. No doubt who's getting his vote.

SGT. MAJ. STEVE FALCONBERG, U.S. ARMY: Oh, George W. Bush. Absolutely.

ARRAF (on camera): How come?

FALCONBERG: I believe he has put some pride in to America that wasn't there before.

ARRAF: Soldiers have fought and died for the right to vote. But at this base in the Sunni Triangle, the U.S. elections seem to be about the last thing on most soldiers' minds.

(voice-over): This medic joined the Army after a cousin was killed in the World Trade Center attack. No matter who wins, he says U.S. troops will need to be in Iraq. He's not voting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To me, it's beyond voting.

ARRAF: But there are others who question why they're here. Like Tom, who covered up his last name because he didn't want to get into trouble.

TOM, U.S. ARMY: It's kind of a -- difficult, because you don't know who the bad guy is. And some days, you don't even know if you're the good guy. It's more just you're here to keep your guys alive. ARRAF: He says he plans to vote for Kerry. In what many believe is a traditionally Republican-leaning military, a surprising number of soldiers we spoke with said they plan to give Kerry a chance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want somebody to represent us and to know what we've been through, to help us do what we're going through.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of the other guys on the camp pretty much say the same thing. It's almost kind of choosing the lesser of two evils.

ARRAF: Like the question of whether they should have gone to war in Iraq. When it comes to this election, more than a few soldiers say there are no easy choices.

Jane Arraf, CNN, at Camp Normandy, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Just in case you missed last night's debate, you can read the transcript of the debate and do a fact check on some of the candidates' claims. Just click on cnn.com/americavotes.

In the meantime, the Dow fell sharply Thursday after Merck announced it was pulling its arthritis drug Vioxx worldwide. We're going to see what's happening with the markets today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: The Dow fell sharply Thursday after Merck announced it was pulling its arthritis drug Vioxx worldwide. We're going to see what's happening with the markets today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

LIN: We were just talking about Merck's decision to pull its popular arthritis drug Vioxx off the U.S. market. Well, it was a $25 billion decision, because that's how much value Merck's stock lost yesterday after that announcement. And for patients who must now find an effective alternative, losing Vioxx has become a real pain.

CNN's Ed Lavandera explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. ALAN BROOSKY, RHEUMATOLOGIST: I'm going to look at your knee here for just a moment. Can we?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This past Monday, Rosemarie Ewton came to her doctor with a swollen arthritic knee.

ROSEMARIE EWTON, PATIENT: I could not walk when I came in here. And then after we did the aspiration of the fluid and then I took the medication for a 24-hour period, then I could walk and do anything. It was amazing.

LAVANDERA: That amazing medicine was Vioxx. But now Ewton is back at the doctor's office. The threat of heart attacks and strokes has her looking for an alternative pain medication.

BROOSKY: We've got to find a new medicine.

EWTON: Well I'm willing to do whatever, you know.

BROOSKY: It's a medicine that's very effective for a lot of patients with very few side effects. We had virtually no side effects whatsoever in terms of cardiovascular events happening.

LAVANDERA: When news spread that Vioxx was being withdrawn from the market, phone calls poured into doctor's offices around the country. Patients looking for answers on what to do next.

DR. JOHN WILLIS, ARTHRITIS CENTER OF TEXAS: So the patients want to know, well I tried several of these, what do I do now? You know what do I go to? I thought this was the best one. And so you have to sort of rummage around and figure out, well, what do we do? What's the best thing for this patient?

LAVANDERA: It's not just patients looking for new pain relief treatment. Dr. Alan LaMonte (ph) had prescribed the medicine and been taking Vioxx himself for two years.

DR. ALAN LAMONTE (ph): I will be quitting cold turkey, yes.

LAVANDERA: He says while some Vioxx patients will struggle to find another medicine that works, most will be fine.

LAMONTE (ph): Everybody has a number of options available to them, so the loss of this drug isn't going to mean that people are going to be going without -- with unmet pain needs or without good alternatives.

LAVANDERA: Many patients considered Vioxx a miracle pain reliever, but now many are left frustrated and thinking Vioxx was just too good to be true.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix team up for a little drama. We're going to see what Mr. Moviefone has to say about "Ladder 49."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Why is it that me locks can sting other people, but they have no effect on me or you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: "Shark Tale" is the latest work from Dreamworks and one of the new releases at the theaters this weekend. Mr. Moviefone is Russ Leatherman. He's in Los Angeles to talk all about these new releases.

Good morning, Russ.

RUSS LEATHERMAN, "MR. MOVIEFONE": Hey, happy Friday. How are you?

LIN: Happy Friday.

"Shark Tale." OK, you've got Robert DeNiro keeling over, you've got Will Smith taking credit for it. Tell me more.

LEATHERMAN: Well, you've described a very strange combination, which is what we have with this movie. Big, huge, animated feature. Big voice stars, Robert DeNiro, Martin Scorsese, Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, and oddly, this is an animated mob movie. And I won't give you all the plot details, but it's set underwater in New York City, and it's about this little fish who gets in trouble with the mob, and it's a very interesting mix.

I mean, the question is, will the kids follow the plot? You know, unless they've been watching "The Sopranos" and are familiar with the intricacies of a mob hit, I don't think they will. I think it will go a little over their head. I think the animation also looks a little weird. The whole world, sometimes you can tell their underwater, sometimes you can tell they're not. It's an interesting movie. There are some good laughs. I love the shrimp. Keep your eye out for the shrimp. But it's not a "Finding Nemo," and it's not a "Shrek." I think it will open well, it will open well, but will tail off after that, because it's just sort of a weird movie.

LIN: All right, and what parent wants to explain a mob hit to their child. Let's move on to "Ladder 49," Joaquin Phoenix trapped in a fire. What's this about.

LEATHERMAN: Joaquin Phoenix is trapped in a fire, and that's how this movie plays out. It plays out in flashback as he's trapped and can't really get out of this terrible situation he's in, he starts reliving his life from when he first joined the fire force, to when he had a baby, to when he got married, et cetera. John Travolta also stars as the fire captain in this movie.

Now this movie is meant to be a tribute to firefighters. And we can all say that we love firefighters, we love what they do for us. It's an amazing thing to do. That doesn't necessarily make this a great movie. I thought that the fire scenes were fantastic. Some of the stunts were unbelievable. But it was really sort of overly sappy, overly sentimental, and not the best firefighting movie I think I've seen.

So if you want to see some great scenes, some great stunts, go check this out. But just be aware, it is overly sentimental, pretty sappy, and tries to pull every heart string can you imagine. LIN: Fifteen seconds, for last but not least, the dead haunting an electronics store employee, "Shaun of the Dead."

LEATHERMAN: This is the best romantic comedy zombie movie of the year. I had more fun at this movie than I had really all year long. It's a spoof on "Dawn of the Dead," obviously, perfectly pitched, well done. If you want to spend your money in the right place this weekend, you've got to go see "Shaun of the Dead."

LIN: How bizarre, Russ, that you would say "Shark Tale" was bizarre, and not bat an eye at "Shaun of the Dead."

LEATHERMAN: I know. It's very weird. But I'm telling you, you go see "Shaun of the Dead" this weekend. If you don't like the movie, I'll pay for your ticket.

LIN: It's a deal -- $9.50 in major cities.

LEATHERMAN: That's what I'm talking about. Have a great weekend.

LIN: Thanks, Russ.

You can keep an eye on entertainment 24/7 by pointing your Internet browser to CNN.com/entertainment. I'm back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: All right you're looking at a live picture of Lehigh Valley International in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where President Bush is arriving there with his entourage, planning on speaking to reporters as the campaign continues less than 24 hours after he debated John Kerry. CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, flash poll, shows that John Kerry did a better job than President Bush according to those surveyed, but more people, more than half, still believe that President Bush is tougher in the war on terror.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

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 October 1, 2004 - 10:28   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Here are the stories right now in the news.
Gunfire could be heard across the Iraqi city of Samarra today as U.S. and Iraqi forces fought insurgents. The U.S. Military says at least 109 insurgents and one U.S. soldier were killed in the operation which began overnight. The offensive was centered around a Shiite mosque in the Sunni-dominated city. Iraqi troops, with the help of U.S. forces, blasted open the doors to the mosque and confiscated weapons stored by the insurgents.

A bomb exploded during prayers at a Shiite mosque in Pakistan today. At least 20 people were killed and another 50 were wounded. As many as 800 people inside the mosque at the time of the explosion were actually at risk. The attack comes less than a week after a top al Qaeda suspect was killed in a shoot-out with Pakistani police.

And in the Kobe Bryant case, new details are likely to emerge when previously sealed documents are released today. And they include Bryant's statements to investigators, an arrest affidavit, and other records. The documents were temporarily sealed after the sexual assault case against the Lakers star was dropped a month ago. Earlier this week, Bryant's attorney dropped a request to have the record sealed permanently.

And stronger rumblings from within Mount St. Helens suggest the volcano could erupt at any time. Scientists warn a small or moderate blast from the Washington mountain could spew ash and rock as far as three miles. But experts say an eruption would be nothing like the 1980 blast when 57 people were killed.

President Bush and John Kerry are taking their disagreements over Iraq back to the campaign trail today, after focusing on that issue in their first debate. Now, one spark came when the president said he committed U.S. troops to Iraq because the enemy attacked the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He just said the enemy attacked us. Saddam Hussein didn't attack us. Osama bin Laden attacked us.

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNTIED STATES: First listen...

JIM LEHRER, DEBATE MODERATOR: Thirty seconds. BUSH: Of course I know Osama bin Laden attacked us. I know that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Well, we have the opportunity to take a look at a CNN/"USA Today" flash poll which shows that John Kerry, according to those who were surveyed right after the debate, did pretty well. In fact, he was voted as having done the better job in the debates.

But how does that really affect the race as a whole? I'm going to be talking with both campaigns. I'm going to start with Terry Holt, who is the press secretary for the Bush/Cheney '04 campaign. Thanks very much, Terry.

TERRY HOLT, BUSH/CHENEY '04 PRESS SECY.: Hi, Carol.

LIN: Good morning.

Taking a look at that poll, who did the better job in the debate? John Kerry gets 53 percent. President Bush, 37 percent.

HOLT: Well, I think that's -- it's a fascinating poll, because even though Kerry is a pretty slick debater, down in numbers you guys have also said that -- that who they trust, who the American people trust to fight and win the war on global terror, who's better at doing the job and winning in Iraq, that the president actually widened his margin there.

So, maybe you can be a slick debater, but ultimately this is about being commander-in-chief, about having steady focus, and about protecting the American people. And the president definitely demonstrated last night that he's prepared to do whatever it takes to protect this country.

LIN: You know, there were plenty of opportunities, frankly, for President Bush to go after John Kerry on, you know, several issues that played to President Bush's favor.

For example, when he was asked whether the country would be more susceptible to a terrorist attack if John Kerry were elected president, President Bush frankly chose not to really answer the question. Why is that?

HOLT: Well, I think that we -- we -- we want to keep this on the substance and on the policies. The president's put us on a course for a safer world, for more democracy in this world, because we think that ultimately, in the long term, that's going to create a safer environment.

You know, John Kerry has his own problems on these issues. You know, we talk about the $87 billion thing. He said it was a word choice problem. It was actually a vote against the troops. It's one of his bigger vulnerabilities.

I think that John Kerry has to get out from his own mess. The president really just wanted to do a job there where he talked about what the country faces, what's important to this country, how his policies have helped us make a safer world. And I think he did a good job of really steadily putting his program out there.

LIN: Terry, just from a personal standpoint, did the president seem agitated to you? Did he seem -- frankly, he was making faces as John Kerry was giving some of his responses.

HOLT: I think the president did a great job last night. You know, he showed a command of the fact that Kerry failed to. You know, Kerry had 16 different fact problems last night. He was fact challenged, in fact.

The president reacts to the incoherence of John Kerry's policies. I think that's obvious, you know, the twisting and turning on Iraq and on supporting the troops.

In fact, he had this incoherent approach on North Korea where he said that though we need more allies in Iraq, we need no allies in North Korea. And that's just simply wrong, and I think that all of us were a little bit confused by John Kerry's flip-flopping on these two very important national security issues.

LIN: Terry Holt with the Bush campaign. Mistakes -- frankly, factual mistakes made on both sides of the aisle last night.

HOLT: Well...

LIN: But right now, I want to get to Joe Lockhart, who is the senior advisor with the Kerry/Edwards campaign. He joins me from the campaign headquarters in Washington. Good morning, Joe.

JOE LOCKHART, KERRY CAMPAIGN SR. ADVISOR: Good morning.

LIN: Let me get your reaction to the "USA Today" -- CNN/"USA Today" flash poll. John Kerry -- who did the better job in the debate? John Kerry with 53 percent. George W. Bush with 37 percent.

Does winning the debate necessarily mean winning the election?

LOCKHART: Well, listen, I wish your camera had been on me in a split screen during Kerry's performance, because I was practicing my George Bush smirks...

LIN: Were cutaways allowed.

LOCKHART: ... and being agitated. And I think I had it down pretty well, and I wish your viewers could have seen it.

Listen, winning the debate does not mean winning the election. There are three debates.

It's important to note a couple things. One is the Bush campaign went in last night telling reporters that they were going to knock John Kerry out of the race. They were going to finish him off last night. It couldn't be further from the truth. The second thing is, they wanted foreign policy as the first debate because it's the most important. We're now going to shift to domestic issues where the president is really challenged. I mean, we've lost two million jobs in this country. Healthcare costs are continuing to spiral out of control...

LIN: Well, Joe, let's stick with the international picture right now...

LOCKHART: Sure.

LIN: ... since that was the focus of last night's debate.

John Kerry made a big point of saying that he would be the leader who would reach out for allied support in the war against terror and the war in Iraq. Let's take a look what President Bush had to say in response to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: My opponent says we didn't have any allies in this war? What's he say to Tony Blair? What's he say to Alexander Kwasniewski of Poland? I mean, you can't expect to build alliance when you denigrate the contributions of those who are serving side by side with American troops in Iraq.

Plus, he says the cornerstone of his plan to succeed in Iraq is to call upon nations to serve. So, what's the message going to be? Please join us in Iraq for a grand diversion? Join us for a war that is a wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Joe, you know as well as anybody that a campaign is very different than a presidency. Already today, the foreign ministry -- Germany's foreign minister, France's foreign minister both have said neither country is going to send troops to Iraq.

So, how does John Kerry build that alliance when already the allies are saying no?

LOCKHART: Well, listen, I mean the president was quite confused last night, and he seemed to be debating himself on this issue. We can do it just by having a fresh start and credibility.

I mean, contrast George Bush with his father. He went in with countries from around the world, not just two countries. And -- and 96 percent of the cost of the Gulf -- first Gulf War was borne by our allies. We're stuck here with a $200 billion bill, and -- and still rising.

So, you can do this by having credibility, by when you go to the international community, not being arrogant and telling them what's going to be, but working with them, having the reconstruction be something that's open to our allies. All of these things, I think, will make it more possible. And no country is going to say now that they're going to come in. No country wants to put the president of the United States in that position. But I'm certain, and I think John Kerry is certain, that when he is sworn in to office, we're going to have a new approach and we're going to have a new response from our allies.

LIN: We'll see what happens. Thanks very much, Joe Lockhart with the Kerry campaign.

LOCKHART: Thank you.

LIN: Now a large group of absentee voters may be forgiven for missing the debate. They are fighting insurgents in Iraq.

CNN's Baghdad Bureau Chief Jane Arraf spoke with U.S. soldiers at one base camp about the election coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): There are few Americans with more at stake in these elections than American soldiers, but they're not rushing to send in those ballots.

At this 1st Infantry division camp near Muqdadiyah, Sergeant Major Steve Falconberg has launched a one-man voter registration drive. He's personally filled out and mailed registration forms for almost 200 soldiers. But he thinks that fewer than half of the 800 troops here might end up voting. No doubt who's getting his vote.

SGT. MAJ. STEVE FALCONBERG, U.S. ARMY: Oh, George W. Bush. Absolutely.

ARRAF (on camera): How come?

FALCONBERG: I believe he has put some pride in to America that wasn't there before.

ARRAF: Soldiers have fought and died for the right to vote. But at this base in the Sunni Triangle, the U.S. elections seem to be about the last thing on most soldiers' minds.

(voice-over): This medic joined the Army after a cousin was killed in the World Trade Center attack. No matter who wins, he says U.S. troops will need to be in Iraq. He's not voting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To me, it's beyond voting.

ARRAF: But there are others who question why they're here. Like Tom, who covered up his last name because he didn't want to get into trouble.

TOM, U.S. ARMY: It's kind of a -- difficult, because you don't know who the bad guy is. And some days, you don't even know if you're the good guy. It's more just you're here to keep your guys alive. ARRAF: He says he plans to vote for Kerry. In what many believe is a traditionally Republican-leaning military, a surprising number of soldiers we spoke with said they plan to give Kerry a chance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want somebody to represent us and to know what we've been through, to help us do what we're going through.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of the other guys on the camp pretty much say the same thing. It's almost kind of choosing the lesser of two evils.

ARRAF: Like the question of whether they should have gone to war in Iraq. When it comes to this election, more than a few soldiers say there are no easy choices.

Jane Arraf, CNN, at Camp Normandy, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Just in case you missed last night's debate, you can read the transcript of the debate and do a fact check on some of the candidates' claims. Just click on cnn.com/americavotes.

In the meantime, the Dow fell sharply Thursday after Merck announced it was pulling its arthritis drug Vioxx worldwide. We're going to see what's happening with the markets today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: The Dow fell sharply Thursday after Merck announced it was pulling its arthritis drug Vioxx worldwide. We're going to see what's happening with the markets today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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LIN: We were just talking about Merck's decision to pull its popular arthritis drug Vioxx off the U.S. market. Well, it was a $25 billion decision, because that's how much value Merck's stock lost yesterday after that announcement. And for patients who must now find an effective alternative, losing Vioxx has become a real pain.

CNN's Ed Lavandera explains.

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DR. ALAN BROOSKY, RHEUMATOLOGIST: I'm going to look at your knee here for just a moment. Can we?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This past Monday, Rosemarie Ewton came to her doctor with a swollen arthritic knee.

ROSEMARIE EWTON, PATIENT: I could not walk when I came in here. And then after we did the aspiration of the fluid and then I took the medication for a 24-hour period, then I could walk and do anything. It was amazing.

LAVANDERA: That amazing medicine was Vioxx. But now Ewton is back at the doctor's office. The threat of heart attacks and strokes has her looking for an alternative pain medication.

BROOSKY: We've got to find a new medicine.

EWTON: Well I'm willing to do whatever, you know.

BROOSKY: It's a medicine that's very effective for a lot of patients with very few side effects. We had virtually no side effects whatsoever in terms of cardiovascular events happening.

LAVANDERA: When news spread that Vioxx was being withdrawn from the market, phone calls poured into doctor's offices around the country. Patients looking for answers on what to do next.

DR. JOHN WILLIS, ARTHRITIS CENTER OF TEXAS: So the patients want to know, well I tried several of these, what do I do now? You know what do I go to? I thought this was the best one. And so you have to sort of rummage around and figure out, well, what do we do? What's the best thing for this patient?

LAVANDERA: It's not just patients looking for new pain relief treatment. Dr. Alan LaMonte (ph) had prescribed the medicine and been taking Vioxx himself for two years.

DR. ALAN LAMONTE (ph): I will be quitting cold turkey, yes.

LAVANDERA: He says while some Vioxx patients will struggle to find another medicine that works, most will be fine.

LAMONTE (ph): Everybody has a number of options available to them, so the loss of this drug isn't going to mean that people are going to be going without -- with unmet pain needs or without good alternatives.

LAVANDERA: Many patients considered Vioxx a miracle pain reliever, but now many are left frustrated and thinking Vioxx was just too good to be true.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

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LIN: Well, John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix team up for a little drama. We're going to see what Mr. Moviefone has to say about "Ladder 49."

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UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Why is it that me locks can sting other people, but they have no effect on me or you?

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LIN: "Shark Tale" is the latest work from Dreamworks and one of the new releases at the theaters this weekend. Mr. Moviefone is Russ Leatherman. He's in Los Angeles to talk all about these new releases.

Good morning, Russ.

RUSS LEATHERMAN, "MR. MOVIEFONE": Hey, happy Friday. How are you?

LIN: Happy Friday.

"Shark Tale." OK, you've got Robert DeNiro keeling over, you've got Will Smith taking credit for it. Tell me more.

LEATHERMAN: Well, you've described a very strange combination, which is what we have with this movie. Big, huge, animated feature. Big voice stars, Robert DeNiro, Martin Scorsese, Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, and oddly, this is an animated mob movie. And I won't give you all the plot details, but it's set underwater in New York City, and it's about this little fish who gets in trouble with the mob, and it's a very interesting mix.

I mean, the question is, will the kids follow the plot? You know, unless they've been watching "The Sopranos" and are familiar with the intricacies of a mob hit, I don't think they will. I think it will go a little over their head. I think the animation also looks a little weird. The whole world, sometimes you can tell their underwater, sometimes you can tell they're not. It's an interesting movie. There are some good laughs. I love the shrimp. Keep your eye out for the shrimp. But it's not a "Finding Nemo," and it's not a "Shrek." I think it will open well, it will open well, but will tail off after that, because it's just sort of a weird movie.

LIN: All right, and what parent wants to explain a mob hit to their child. Let's move on to "Ladder 49," Joaquin Phoenix trapped in a fire. What's this about.

LEATHERMAN: Joaquin Phoenix is trapped in a fire, and that's how this movie plays out. It plays out in flashback as he's trapped and can't really get out of this terrible situation he's in, he starts reliving his life from when he first joined the fire force, to when he had a baby, to when he got married, et cetera. John Travolta also stars as the fire captain in this movie.

Now this movie is meant to be a tribute to firefighters. And we can all say that we love firefighters, we love what they do for us. It's an amazing thing to do. That doesn't necessarily make this a great movie. I thought that the fire scenes were fantastic. Some of the stunts were unbelievable. But it was really sort of overly sappy, overly sentimental, and not the best firefighting movie I think I've seen.

So if you want to see some great scenes, some great stunts, go check this out. But just be aware, it is overly sentimental, pretty sappy, and tries to pull every heart string can you imagine. LIN: Fifteen seconds, for last but not least, the dead haunting an electronics store employee, "Shaun of the Dead."

LEATHERMAN: This is the best romantic comedy zombie movie of the year. I had more fun at this movie than I had really all year long. It's a spoof on "Dawn of the Dead," obviously, perfectly pitched, well done. If you want to spend your money in the right place this weekend, you've got to go see "Shaun of the Dead."

LIN: How bizarre, Russ, that you would say "Shark Tale" was bizarre, and not bat an eye at "Shaun of the Dead."

LEATHERMAN: I know. It's very weird. But I'm telling you, you go see "Shaun of the Dead" this weekend. If you don't like the movie, I'll pay for your ticket.

LIN: It's a deal -- $9.50 in major cities.

LEATHERMAN: That's what I'm talking about. Have a great weekend.

LIN: Thanks, Russ.

You can keep an eye on entertainment 24/7 by pointing your Internet browser to CNN.com/entertainment. I'm back in a moment.

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LIN: All right you're looking at a live picture of Lehigh Valley International in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where President Bush is arriving there with his entourage, planning on speaking to reporters as the campaign continues less than 24 hours after he debated John Kerry. CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, flash poll, shows that John Kerry did a better job than President Bush according to those surveyed, but more people, more than half, still believe that President Bush is tougher in the war on terror.

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LIN: The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

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