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CNN Live Today

Bombing in Mosul Kills 2; Former Enemy Combatant Released; Senate to Vote on Large Tax Bill; Baseball MVP Ken Caminiti Dies; Actor Christopher Reeve Dies; Bush and Kerry Camps Release Ads Before Debate

Aired October 11, 2004 - 10:00   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We'll get started from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at the stories happening now in the news.
Another suicide bomber in Iraq; U.S. troops were attacked in Mosul. Military officials say there are casualties but have yet to say whether any troops were killed. Hospital officials are reporting two Iraqi civilians dead, over 30 wounded.

Former terror detainee, Yaser Hamdi is back in Saudi Arabia. Hamdi was once labeled an enemy combatant. He was released from a U.S. Navy base in South Carolina on Sunday. The 24-year-old was captured in Afghanistan late in 2001, and held in detention for over 2-1/2 years. His release comes after a landmark Supreme Court decision said prisoners could challenge their captivity.

This hour, the Senate is meeting to vote on a sweeping tax bill before adjourning later today. Senators reached a deal on the measure over the weekend. It approves almost $140 billion in tax breaks for manufacturers and other groups. The Senate will also vote on two spending bills for disaster relief and Homeland Security.

And an autopsy will be performed today to find the cause of death for former baseball star Ken Caminiti. He admitted using steroids during his career. The former San Diego Padre died on Sunday. His agent says Caminiti had a heart attack. Caminiti said he used steroids during his 1996 MVP season. He also faced other drug-related troubles since his retirement. Ken Caminiti was 41.

He's being remembered today for his courage as well as his talent. Actor and advocate for spinal cord research, Christopher Reeve is dead at the age of 52. Reeve shot to international stardom a quarter century ago, starring in the movie "Superman." He also played the role in three sequels over nine years. In 1995, Reeve was paralyzed from the neck down after a horse riding accident. He returned to acting a few years later and also directed.

But he also spent much of his time appealing for funding and research for spinal cord injuries and other central nervous system disorders. In an interview with CNN's Paula Zahn one year ago, Reeve asked lawmakers opposed to such funding to take a seat his way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHRISTOPHER REEVE, LATE ACTOR: And any opponent, you know, just please spend one hour in a wheelchair like this and not even be able to scratch your nose or shift your weight, and then, let's resume the conversation after that. You know, you can't legislate compassion. But that's what's needed most. And what politicians have to do is just imagine what it's like to be somebody else. If we all did that, man we could change the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Our senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining me now to talk about the death. But also, I think, more importantly the life of Christopher Reeve.

Good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

KAGAN: First the original injury.

GUPTA: Yes, 1995, a significant spinal cord injury. I brought a model. I know you like models.

KAGAN: I do enjoy toys.

GUPTA: This is a model of the spine. And let me just get you oriented here. This is the back of the head first, and these are all the bones in the cervical spine here. He had an injury very high up in his spinal cord way up high here. Why that's important, Daryn, is not only does that control strength in the rest of the body, but also the ability to breathe on one's own, as well. He could do any of those things right after.

And I bring that up to say that most patients with a spinal cord injury like his die pretty quickly, right at the time or within a year or two. The fact that he lived for nine years is remarkable in and of itself.

KAGAN: This is a man who was very determined. And was determined and it was his dream that he would walk again in his lifetime.

GUPTA: I know. And he will forever be associated with stem cells. You know, we talk about stem cells a lot. He never got them and I think that's an important point. That was not why he had any improvements, though his improvements are still pretty incredible. All the exercise video that you've seen of him actually moving his limbs, moving legs and arms, all of that was part of a -- something known as "activity dependent recovery." His doctor John McDonald talked about that. You see the images there.

The premise is this, a simple one, Daryn. That instead of the brain sending signals to the body; the body is saying you know what? We can move. We'll send the signals back to the brain. Eventually it started to have some improvements. It's unlikely even by his own doctor's concession that he would ever walked again with this therapy alone.

KAGAN: We condition only imagine how many health challenges he faced throughout this last 9-1/2 years. Ultimately, they were talking about a pressure wound. What is that? And why did that lead to his demise ultimately?

GUPTA: There are certain areas in your body, just because you can't move you can't adjust yourself in bed, for example. When you sleep you're constantly moving around. The reason being that you're taking pressure off certain areas of the body. If you can't do that, over a period of time, over a period of years, you'll start to develop these little pressure wounds.

I learned from his doctors today that he had been in and out of the hospital for minor infections from these pressure wounds. What happened in this case though, Daryn, finally became such a significant infection, his entire bloodstream became infected. His heart failed, he went into a coma and that was why he died.

KAGAN: And ultimately looking at his life, his dream didn't come true of walking again. But are you able to measure the impact that he will have on finding that cure?

GUPTA: I think so. You know, there's a Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, which really has done a lot, to be fair. They didn't get stem cells through. Nobody's walking again because of that. But you know, 12.2 to $27 billion is now the budget at the NIH. Not all due to Christopher Reeve but a large part of it. He also has the Reeve Irvine Research Center, at the University of California- Irvine, solely dedicated to trying to find treatments for spinal cord injury.

He also did this thing with something called Health Watch, which basically is he was a spokesman for a company that said let's try and improve the insurance for people who have accidents, because of car accidents or horse riding accidents, as was the case with him.

KAGAN: Because everyone doesn't have the resources that he had.

GUPTA: Exactly.

KAGAN: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.

GUPTA: Thank you. Yes.

KAGAN: Well, Christopher Reeve lent his star power to the fight for stem cell research, as Sanjay was talking about. Coincidentally, Senator John Kerry mentioned Reeve during Friday night's debate with President Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Chris Reeve is a friend of mine. Chris Reeve exercises every single day to keep those muscles alive for the day when he believes he can walk again. And I want him to walk again. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: President Bush hits two battleground states in the West today, after taking Sunday off at his ranch. Our Suzanne Malveaux is in Crawford, Texas, with the latest.

Suzanne, good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONENT: Well, good morning, Daryn. In the final weeks of the campaign, what we are seeing is a shift in strategy here. For months the Bush camp has portrayed Kerry as a flip-flopper. Now what we are seeing is that they are painting him as a consistent liberal extremist.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): President Bush, with his top political advisers hunkered down at the Crawford ranch to prepare for the critical three-week countdown to Election Day. The strategy is three- pronged. One, to convince undecided voters Mr. Bush's opponent, John Kerry, can't be trusted. Two, to rally the base by reminding them that Kerry is a liberal. And three, to persuade all voters that the senator is weak in fighting terror.

Sunday the Bush camp seized on a "New York Times" profile of Kerry to make the case there's a fundamental difference in the way the president and his opponent see the war on terror.

When Kerry was asked what it would take for Americans to feel safe again, he is quoted as saying, "We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives. But they're a nuisance. As a former law enforcement person, I know we're never going to end prostitution. We're never going to end illegal gambling.

But we're going to reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn't on the rise. It isn't threatening people's lives every day. And fundamentally, it's something that you continue to fight, but it's not threatening the fabric of your life."

Bush advisers say this proves Kerry doesn't understand the terrorist threat.

GOV. MARK RACICOT (R), CHMN., BUSH-CHENEY '04: He equated it to prostitution and gambling. A nuisance activity. You know, quite frankly, I just don't think that he has the right view of the world. It's a pre-9/11 view of the world.

MALVEAUX: The Kerry campaign calls that ridiculous. And says the senator's comments are taken out of context.

GOV. Bill RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: Senator Kerry has said that the No. 1 threat to America is international terrorism, al Qaeda.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now, looking forward to the final debate on Wednesday, President Bush's main challenge, his aides say, is that he is going to have to try to knock down the lead that Kerry has consistently in those polls when it comes to those domestic issues like healthcare and the economy.

Later this morning, Daryn, of course, President Bush will be in New Mexico. A critical battleground state, this is a state that he lost just by 366 votes the last time around -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And funny thing, John Kerry will be there today, as well. More on John Kerry in just a moment. First let's talk about the new ads that might be coming out from the Bush campaign.

MALVEAUX: Oh well, certainly. Both ads have been released, one from the Bush campaign, another one responding from the Kerry campaign. This really illustrates just how important getting their messages out in the weeks ahead here.

The Bush campaign releasing its ad. It is called "Worldview," and it essentially ridicules Kerry. They accuse him of equating terrorism with prostitution, with gambling as we had seen in the piece.

The Kerry campaign releasing its own response ad. They call this one, "Can't Win." They say this is essentially an answer to the Bush camp's distortions, the latest distortions. They also want to remind voters that President Bush at one point did say that he did not believe they could win in the war on terror.

But obviously, Daryn, of course, neither one of these teams is letting any kind of time pass before they answer the other's accusations. And this is extremely important. You're talking about one paragraph. The Bush camp believes that they can make a significant point, make some headway on this and the Kerry camp is fighting back -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. Suzanne Malveaux in Crawford, Texas. Thank you.

Our Ed Henry is traveling with John Kerry in New Mexico. And we'll be hearing from him in just a bit.

The climax of the presidential debates will come Wednesday night in Tempe, Arizona. Our prime-time coverage begins at 7:00 Eastern.

Speaking of New Mexico, frightening rescue to show you from there in just a little bit. High winds sends a hot air balloon crashing into a radio tower. We'll hear from the pilot and the passengers.

Turning your tyke into a tycoon. Gerri Willis joins us live with her "Top Five Tips."

And later, from worst to first. A look at the new programming that is putting ABC back on the prime-time map.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: We've been able to track down our Ed Henry. He is in Santa Fe, New Mexico. John Kerry making a campaign appearance there today.

Ed, good morning.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. That's right. Senator Kerry just moments ago did put out a statement honoring Christopher Reeve. And as you had mentioned earlier, John Kerry mentioned Christopher Reeve in Friday night's debate in the context of stem cell research. And in this statement that just was put out moments ago, John Kerry called Christopher Reeve a man who is truly America's hero. He added that Christopher Reeve was quote, "an inspiration to all of us, and gave hope to millions of Americans who are counting on the life-saving cures that science and research can provide."

Aides to John Kerry tell us, also, that in a couple of hours, about 12:00 Eastern Standard Time at this event in Santa Fe that's supposed to be about energy issues, John Kerry will also speak on camera about Christopher Reeve. Aides say that he's, you know, just going to talk about his life, honor Christopher Reeve. He's already made the political points about stem cell research, so there's no reason to belabor that.

Now, John Kerry arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico last evening. He had a rally there. He is going to be in Santa Fe now for two days preparing for the third and final debate in the neighboring state of Arizona. At this rally in Albuquerque, you could tell, John Kerry was pumped up about his performance in the first two presidential debates. And in fact, he mocked the president's refusal in the second debate to say that he had made any mistakes specifically about Iraq. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KERRY: Here I am in the state of New Mexico.

(CHEERING)

KERRY: And George Bush is still in the state of denial.

(CHEERING)

KERRY: And I'll tell you what. I'll tell you what. I tell you what, ladies and gentlemen, New Mexico has five electoral votes. The state of denial has none. I like my chances. That's fine.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: This is a major battleground, that's why he mentioned those five electoral votes that John Kerry wants desperately. It's important to note that Al Gore in 2000 won New Mexico by just 366 popular votes. That was the smallest margin in any state. Even smaller than the margin in Florida. Recent polls show that it is a dead heat once again. Both candidates desperately want those five electoral votes.

John Kerry believes that by preparing for this third and final debate in New Mexico, he'll get more local media coverage. Maybe get a little bit of a bounce in the polls here in New Mexico. You will remember that before the first presidential debate, John Kerry did his preparations in Wisconsin, another key battleground.

Also, this Wednesday's final debate is going to be focused on domestic issues. We're hearing from the Kerry campaign, he will be hitting domestic issues very hard this week and next. And in fact, today at this rally in Santa Fe, this event right behind me that will start in a couple of hours, he will talk about energy reform and the rising -- the nation's rising gasoline prices -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ed Henry in Santa Fe. Ed, thank you for that.

This story is also coming out of Santa Fe. They slammed into an almost 700 foot tower and then they were dangling in midair. A tangled mess of fabric marked the scene of a hot air balloon accident Sunday in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After hitting the tower, the balloon's 69-year-old pilot and the two young passengers saved themselves by carefully and slowly climbing down. Rescue crews met the trio about 100 feet up the tower. The passengers talked about their ordeal on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CHAPEL, BALLOON PILOT: And we just made sure we were all OK. And I kind of settled us all down, and made sure. Took a look at the upper structure of the balloon, and the basket was fairly secure to the power. And then I held onto the tower and the boys climbed out, got out. Troy went first and then Aaron. And then I climbed through the tower.

TROY WELLS, BALLOON ACCIDENT SURVIVOR: When we hit I immediately got down and held onto the ropes inside of the basket. And then as soon as -- I asked Bill if we should get on the tower, and he told me to get on the tower. So I got on and helped him out. As soon as we were on the tower it wasn't too scary. It's just when we hit.

AARON WHITACRE, BALLOON ACCIDENT SURVIVOR: I wasn't that scared because I knew when I climbed down somebody would come to get us.

KAGAN: That is a good attitude. The pilot blames the accident on a shift in the winds, by the way.

A surprise trip to rally the troops in Iraq. Hear what Secretary Rumsfeld says that the U.S. military is facing.

First though, Gerri Willis is along to talk about nurturing the entrepreneurial side of your child.

Gerri, good morning. GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Daryn, good morning to you. Do you want to raise a mini mogul? We'll tell you how when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Do you have a young, budding entrepreneur in your family? If so you might be looking for the best way to give your budding mogul a hand up. CNN-FN personal finance editor Gerri Willis can help you out. She joins me with today's "Top Five Tips."

WILLIS: Hey, good morning, Daryn. Tip No. 1 pick the right business. It's really tough to find the right idea for your kids to execute, to take advantage of and then not lose control of their free time. So some ideas we came up with, if you don't want to do the old- fashioned lemonade stand.

Think about care packages for parents who are sending their kids off to college for the first time. Or maybe you want to put together diaries that high school students can use as they enter high school for the first time. A couple of ideas out there, lemonade stand isn't too bad.

But to do some of this research, we talked to a young woman, 15 year old -- 14-year-old Celia Reingold, who started a business called Ba, Ba, Baubles, it's a jewelry concern on the web. You got it from the horse's mouth how to do it right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CELIA REINGOLD, OWNER, BA, BA, BAUBLES: I don't really think they have to be choosy and do something that they definitely are passionate about or really like doing, so that it doesn't become something that they get tired of or bored of. But they should choose something that they enjoy and does take some time, but not so it takes over their whole childhood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: So take it from Celia, do something you're passionate about.

KAGAN: But keep in mind you don't want this to get too big.

WILLIS: Yes. Don't bite off more than you can chew. You definitely want to pick a business that isn't going to take up all of your child's free time. You want to make sure that those projects are under control. Not just in terms of time, but also in terms of the amount of money you're putting into it -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And keep in mind, this is for kids and for them to learn, so it's not all about making money.

WILLIS: No, natural you want to make some dough, right? I mean that's why you're in business. But there are also lots of things you learn along the way about taking on responsibility. Even working with adults if you're a kid. There are a lot of experiences that you can learn along the way, says our experts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REINGOLD: And I've learned how to deal with people that may love our stuff, or may not think it's perfect for their store. So getting different kinds of reactions, and dealing with the money, and not buying things that I think would be great for myself. But keeping it for the purpose of our business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: So you definitely want to make sure that you're not biting off more than you can chew. And it's not all about the money -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, it might help if you start small to begin with.

WILLIS: Absolutely. You know, it makes a lot of sense to do sort of a one-off business that you can do from time to time, and don't have to run all the time. We found a few of them, the old- fashioned car wash, of course. And here's a cute one, making and selling jam at a fair. So that's one thing you do. It takes maybe a couple of weeks. You take your money and you get a sense of what it's like to be an entrepreneur, but you're not on the hook to run it all the time.

KAGAN: All right. And then if you're ready to step up, some places that your kids can get some other resources from.

WILLIS: Well, one interesting thing is Camp Start Up, which you can learn more on independentmeans.com. They run a camp to teach kids how to be little moguls. It's a great place to go. There are also tons of Web sites to teach your kids about money. A couple of them here: makingallowances.com and kidsmoney.org -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Gerri Willis, thank you so much.

WILLIS: Thank you.

KAGAN: To Afghanistan Now, where the ballot count is under way and so is the investigation. Our Christiane Amanpour reports from Kabul just ahead.

And first he was Superman, then he became a real life hero to the disabled. More on the death of Christopher Reeve just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at the stories that are happening now in the news.

A U.S. military convoy was attacked by a suicide car bomber in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul today. Military officials say there were casualties but no specific numbers have been released. Mosul hospital officials say two Iraqis were killed and 37 wounded, many of them critically.

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Aired October 11, 2004 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We'll get started from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at the stories happening now in the news.
Another suicide bomber in Iraq; U.S. troops were attacked in Mosul. Military officials say there are casualties but have yet to say whether any troops were killed. Hospital officials are reporting two Iraqi civilians dead, over 30 wounded.

Former terror detainee, Yaser Hamdi is back in Saudi Arabia. Hamdi was once labeled an enemy combatant. He was released from a U.S. Navy base in South Carolina on Sunday. The 24-year-old was captured in Afghanistan late in 2001, and held in detention for over 2-1/2 years. His release comes after a landmark Supreme Court decision said prisoners could challenge their captivity.

This hour, the Senate is meeting to vote on a sweeping tax bill before adjourning later today. Senators reached a deal on the measure over the weekend. It approves almost $140 billion in tax breaks for manufacturers and other groups. The Senate will also vote on two spending bills for disaster relief and Homeland Security.

And an autopsy will be performed today to find the cause of death for former baseball star Ken Caminiti. He admitted using steroids during his career. The former San Diego Padre died on Sunday. His agent says Caminiti had a heart attack. Caminiti said he used steroids during his 1996 MVP season. He also faced other drug-related troubles since his retirement. Ken Caminiti was 41.

He's being remembered today for his courage as well as his talent. Actor and advocate for spinal cord research, Christopher Reeve is dead at the age of 52. Reeve shot to international stardom a quarter century ago, starring in the movie "Superman." He also played the role in three sequels over nine years. In 1995, Reeve was paralyzed from the neck down after a horse riding accident. He returned to acting a few years later and also directed.

But he also spent much of his time appealing for funding and research for spinal cord injuries and other central nervous system disorders. In an interview with CNN's Paula Zahn one year ago, Reeve asked lawmakers opposed to such funding to take a seat his way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHRISTOPHER REEVE, LATE ACTOR: And any opponent, you know, just please spend one hour in a wheelchair like this and not even be able to scratch your nose or shift your weight, and then, let's resume the conversation after that. You know, you can't legislate compassion. But that's what's needed most. And what politicians have to do is just imagine what it's like to be somebody else. If we all did that, man we could change the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Our senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining me now to talk about the death. But also, I think, more importantly the life of Christopher Reeve.

Good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

KAGAN: First the original injury.

GUPTA: Yes, 1995, a significant spinal cord injury. I brought a model. I know you like models.

KAGAN: I do enjoy toys.

GUPTA: This is a model of the spine. And let me just get you oriented here. This is the back of the head first, and these are all the bones in the cervical spine here. He had an injury very high up in his spinal cord way up high here. Why that's important, Daryn, is not only does that control strength in the rest of the body, but also the ability to breathe on one's own, as well. He could do any of those things right after.

And I bring that up to say that most patients with a spinal cord injury like his die pretty quickly, right at the time or within a year or two. The fact that he lived for nine years is remarkable in and of itself.

KAGAN: This is a man who was very determined. And was determined and it was his dream that he would walk again in his lifetime.

GUPTA: I know. And he will forever be associated with stem cells. You know, we talk about stem cells a lot. He never got them and I think that's an important point. That was not why he had any improvements, though his improvements are still pretty incredible. All the exercise video that you've seen of him actually moving his limbs, moving legs and arms, all of that was part of a -- something known as "activity dependent recovery." His doctor John McDonald talked about that. You see the images there.

The premise is this, a simple one, Daryn. That instead of the brain sending signals to the body; the body is saying you know what? We can move. We'll send the signals back to the brain. Eventually it started to have some improvements. It's unlikely even by his own doctor's concession that he would ever walked again with this therapy alone.

KAGAN: We condition only imagine how many health challenges he faced throughout this last 9-1/2 years. Ultimately, they were talking about a pressure wound. What is that? And why did that lead to his demise ultimately?

GUPTA: There are certain areas in your body, just because you can't move you can't adjust yourself in bed, for example. When you sleep you're constantly moving around. The reason being that you're taking pressure off certain areas of the body. If you can't do that, over a period of time, over a period of years, you'll start to develop these little pressure wounds.

I learned from his doctors today that he had been in and out of the hospital for minor infections from these pressure wounds. What happened in this case though, Daryn, finally became such a significant infection, his entire bloodstream became infected. His heart failed, he went into a coma and that was why he died.

KAGAN: And ultimately looking at his life, his dream didn't come true of walking again. But are you able to measure the impact that he will have on finding that cure?

GUPTA: I think so. You know, there's a Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, which really has done a lot, to be fair. They didn't get stem cells through. Nobody's walking again because of that. But you know, 12.2 to $27 billion is now the budget at the NIH. Not all due to Christopher Reeve but a large part of it. He also has the Reeve Irvine Research Center, at the University of California- Irvine, solely dedicated to trying to find treatments for spinal cord injury.

He also did this thing with something called Health Watch, which basically is he was a spokesman for a company that said let's try and improve the insurance for people who have accidents, because of car accidents or horse riding accidents, as was the case with him.

KAGAN: Because everyone doesn't have the resources that he had.

GUPTA: Exactly.

KAGAN: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.

GUPTA: Thank you. Yes.

KAGAN: Well, Christopher Reeve lent his star power to the fight for stem cell research, as Sanjay was talking about. Coincidentally, Senator John Kerry mentioned Reeve during Friday night's debate with President Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Chris Reeve is a friend of mine. Chris Reeve exercises every single day to keep those muscles alive for the day when he believes he can walk again. And I want him to walk again. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: President Bush hits two battleground states in the West today, after taking Sunday off at his ranch. Our Suzanne Malveaux is in Crawford, Texas, with the latest.

Suzanne, good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONENT: Well, good morning, Daryn. In the final weeks of the campaign, what we are seeing is a shift in strategy here. For months the Bush camp has portrayed Kerry as a flip-flopper. Now what we are seeing is that they are painting him as a consistent liberal extremist.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): President Bush, with his top political advisers hunkered down at the Crawford ranch to prepare for the critical three-week countdown to Election Day. The strategy is three- pronged. One, to convince undecided voters Mr. Bush's opponent, John Kerry, can't be trusted. Two, to rally the base by reminding them that Kerry is a liberal. And three, to persuade all voters that the senator is weak in fighting terror.

Sunday the Bush camp seized on a "New York Times" profile of Kerry to make the case there's a fundamental difference in the way the president and his opponent see the war on terror.

When Kerry was asked what it would take for Americans to feel safe again, he is quoted as saying, "We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives. But they're a nuisance. As a former law enforcement person, I know we're never going to end prostitution. We're never going to end illegal gambling.

But we're going to reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn't on the rise. It isn't threatening people's lives every day. And fundamentally, it's something that you continue to fight, but it's not threatening the fabric of your life."

Bush advisers say this proves Kerry doesn't understand the terrorist threat.

GOV. MARK RACICOT (R), CHMN., BUSH-CHENEY '04: He equated it to prostitution and gambling. A nuisance activity. You know, quite frankly, I just don't think that he has the right view of the world. It's a pre-9/11 view of the world.

MALVEAUX: The Kerry campaign calls that ridiculous. And says the senator's comments are taken out of context.

GOV. Bill RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: Senator Kerry has said that the No. 1 threat to America is international terrorism, al Qaeda.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now, looking forward to the final debate on Wednesday, President Bush's main challenge, his aides say, is that he is going to have to try to knock down the lead that Kerry has consistently in those polls when it comes to those domestic issues like healthcare and the economy.

Later this morning, Daryn, of course, President Bush will be in New Mexico. A critical battleground state, this is a state that he lost just by 366 votes the last time around -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And funny thing, John Kerry will be there today, as well. More on John Kerry in just a moment. First let's talk about the new ads that might be coming out from the Bush campaign.

MALVEAUX: Oh well, certainly. Both ads have been released, one from the Bush campaign, another one responding from the Kerry campaign. This really illustrates just how important getting their messages out in the weeks ahead here.

The Bush campaign releasing its ad. It is called "Worldview," and it essentially ridicules Kerry. They accuse him of equating terrorism with prostitution, with gambling as we had seen in the piece.

The Kerry campaign releasing its own response ad. They call this one, "Can't Win." They say this is essentially an answer to the Bush camp's distortions, the latest distortions. They also want to remind voters that President Bush at one point did say that he did not believe they could win in the war on terror.

But obviously, Daryn, of course, neither one of these teams is letting any kind of time pass before they answer the other's accusations. And this is extremely important. You're talking about one paragraph. The Bush camp believes that they can make a significant point, make some headway on this and the Kerry camp is fighting back -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. Suzanne Malveaux in Crawford, Texas. Thank you.

Our Ed Henry is traveling with John Kerry in New Mexico. And we'll be hearing from him in just a bit.

The climax of the presidential debates will come Wednesday night in Tempe, Arizona. Our prime-time coverage begins at 7:00 Eastern.

Speaking of New Mexico, frightening rescue to show you from there in just a little bit. High winds sends a hot air balloon crashing into a radio tower. We'll hear from the pilot and the passengers.

Turning your tyke into a tycoon. Gerri Willis joins us live with her "Top Five Tips."

And later, from worst to first. A look at the new programming that is putting ABC back on the prime-time map.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: We've been able to track down our Ed Henry. He is in Santa Fe, New Mexico. John Kerry making a campaign appearance there today.

Ed, good morning.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. That's right. Senator Kerry just moments ago did put out a statement honoring Christopher Reeve. And as you had mentioned earlier, John Kerry mentioned Christopher Reeve in Friday night's debate in the context of stem cell research. And in this statement that just was put out moments ago, John Kerry called Christopher Reeve a man who is truly America's hero. He added that Christopher Reeve was quote, "an inspiration to all of us, and gave hope to millions of Americans who are counting on the life-saving cures that science and research can provide."

Aides to John Kerry tell us, also, that in a couple of hours, about 12:00 Eastern Standard Time at this event in Santa Fe that's supposed to be about energy issues, John Kerry will also speak on camera about Christopher Reeve. Aides say that he's, you know, just going to talk about his life, honor Christopher Reeve. He's already made the political points about stem cell research, so there's no reason to belabor that.

Now, John Kerry arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico last evening. He had a rally there. He is going to be in Santa Fe now for two days preparing for the third and final debate in the neighboring state of Arizona. At this rally in Albuquerque, you could tell, John Kerry was pumped up about his performance in the first two presidential debates. And in fact, he mocked the president's refusal in the second debate to say that he had made any mistakes specifically about Iraq. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KERRY: Here I am in the state of New Mexico.

(CHEERING)

KERRY: And George Bush is still in the state of denial.

(CHEERING)

KERRY: And I'll tell you what. I'll tell you what. I tell you what, ladies and gentlemen, New Mexico has five electoral votes. The state of denial has none. I like my chances. That's fine.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: This is a major battleground, that's why he mentioned those five electoral votes that John Kerry wants desperately. It's important to note that Al Gore in 2000 won New Mexico by just 366 popular votes. That was the smallest margin in any state. Even smaller than the margin in Florida. Recent polls show that it is a dead heat once again. Both candidates desperately want those five electoral votes.

John Kerry believes that by preparing for this third and final debate in New Mexico, he'll get more local media coverage. Maybe get a little bit of a bounce in the polls here in New Mexico. You will remember that before the first presidential debate, John Kerry did his preparations in Wisconsin, another key battleground.

Also, this Wednesday's final debate is going to be focused on domestic issues. We're hearing from the Kerry campaign, he will be hitting domestic issues very hard this week and next. And in fact, today at this rally in Santa Fe, this event right behind me that will start in a couple of hours, he will talk about energy reform and the rising -- the nation's rising gasoline prices -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ed Henry in Santa Fe. Ed, thank you for that.

This story is also coming out of Santa Fe. They slammed into an almost 700 foot tower and then they were dangling in midair. A tangled mess of fabric marked the scene of a hot air balloon accident Sunday in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After hitting the tower, the balloon's 69-year-old pilot and the two young passengers saved themselves by carefully and slowly climbing down. Rescue crews met the trio about 100 feet up the tower. The passengers talked about their ordeal on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CHAPEL, BALLOON PILOT: And we just made sure we were all OK. And I kind of settled us all down, and made sure. Took a look at the upper structure of the balloon, and the basket was fairly secure to the power. And then I held onto the tower and the boys climbed out, got out. Troy went first and then Aaron. And then I climbed through the tower.

TROY WELLS, BALLOON ACCIDENT SURVIVOR: When we hit I immediately got down and held onto the ropes inside of the basket. And then as soon as -- I asked Bill if we should get on the tower, and he told me to get on the tower. So I got on and helped him out. As soon as we were on the tower it wasn't too scary. It's just when we hit.

AARON WHITACRE, BALLOON ACCIDENT SURVIVOR: I wasn't that scared because I knew when I climbed down somebody would come to get us.

KAGAN: That is a good attitude. The pilot blames the accident on a shift in the winds, by the way.

A surprise trip to rally the troops in Iraq. Hear what Secretary Rumsfeld says that the U.S. military is facing.

First though, Gerri Willis is along to talk about nurturing the entrepreneurial side of your child.

Gerri, good morning. GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Daryn, good morning to you. Do you want to raise a mini mogul? We'll tell you how when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Do you have a young, budding entrepreneur in your family? If so you might be looking for the best way to give your budding mogul a hand up. CNN-FN personal finance editor Gerri Willis can help you out. She joins me with today's "Top Five Tips."

WILLIS: Hey, good morning, Daryn. Tip No. 1 pick the right business. It's really tough to find the right idea for your kids to execute, to take advantage of and then not lose control of their free time. So some ideas we came up with, if you don't want to do the old- fashioned lemonade stand.

Think about care packages for parents who are sending their kids off to college for the first time. Or maybe you want to put together diaries that high school students can use as they enter high school for the first time. A couple of ideas out there, lemonade stand isn't too bad.

But to do some of this research, we talked to a young woman, 15 year old -- 14-year-old Celia Reingold, who started a business called Ba, Ba, Baubles, it's a jewelry concern on the web. You got it from the horse's mouth how to do it right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CELIA REINGOLD, OWNER, BA, BA, BAUBLES: I don't really think they have to be choosy and do something that they definitely are passionate about or really like doing, so that it doesn't become something that they get tired of or bored of. But they should choose something that they enjoy and does take some time, but not so it takes over their whole childhood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: So take it from Celia, do something you're passionate about.

KAGAN: But keep in mind you don't want this to get too big.

WILLIS: Yes. Don't bite off more than you can chew. You definitely want to pick a business that isn't going to take up all of your child's free time. You want to make sure that those projects are under control. Not just in terms of time, but also in terms of the amount of money you're putting into it -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And keep in mind, this is for kids and for them to learn, so it's not all about making money.

WILLIS: No, natural you want to make some dough, right? I mean that's why you're in business. But there are also lots of things you learn along the way about taking on responsibility. Even working with adults if you're a kid. There are a lot of experiences that you can learn along the way, says our experts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REINGOLD: And I've learned how to deal with people that may love our stuff, or may not think it's perfect for their store. So getting different kinds of reactions, and dealing with the money, and not buying things that I think would be great for myself. But keeping it for the purpose of our business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: So you definitely want to make sure that you're not biting off more than you can chew. And it's not all about the money -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, it might help if you start small to begin with.

WILLIS: Absolutely. You know, it makes a lot of sense to do sort of a one-off business that you can do from time to time, and don't have to run all the time. We found a few of them, the old- fashioned car wash, of course. And here's a cute one, making and selling jam at a fair. So that's one thing you do. It takes maybe a couple of weeks. You take your money and you get a sense of what it's like to be an entrepreneur, but you're not on the hook to run it all the time.

KAGAN: All right. And then if you're ready to step up, some places that your kids can get some other resources from.

WILLIS: Well, one interesting thing is Camp Start Up, which you can learn more on independentmeans.com. They run a camp to teach kids how to be little moguls. It's a great place to go. There are also tons of Web sites to teach your kids about money. A couple of them here: makingallowances.com and kidsmoney.org -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Gerri Willis, thank you so much.

WILLIS: Thank you.

KAGAN: To Afghanistan Now, where the ballot count is under way and so is the investigation. Our Christiane Amanpour reports from Kabul just ahead.

And first he was Superman, then he became a real life hero to the disabled. More on the death of Christopher Reeve just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at the stories that are happening now in the news.

A U.S. military convoy was attacked by a suicide car bomber in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul today. Military officials say there were casualties but no specific numbers have been released. Mosul hospital officials say two Iraqis were killed and 37 wounded, many of them critically.

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