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CNN Live Today

Issue of Executing Violent Juvenile Offenders Comes Before Nation's High Court; Since 9/11, Terrorism Officials Have Started Looking to the North; Breast Cancer Awareness

Aired October 13, 2004 - 10:30   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: Let's take a look at some of the stories now in the news. U.S. forces are exhuming a mass grave site in northwestern Iraq. The remains of scores of men, women and children have been found. Many are believed to be Kurdish victims of a genocide campaign of Saddam Hussein's regime. The leader of the excavation says the killings probably took place about 16 years ago.
Vote counting in the Afghan presidential election is being held up while an independent end panel looks at complaints of irregularities. The panel has reviewed 37 of the candidates 43 complaints, and there's no word when the investigation will be complete. Final voting results aren't expected until the end of the month.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair stood up to his critics on Iraqi in parliament today. Mr. Blair says he takes responsibility for WMD information that turned out to be wrong, but the prime minister flatly refused to admit that he deceived anyone, or that the war was wrong.

And Mount St. Helens is wearing a new cap. Take a look at these pictures here, live pictures from Washington State. Molten rock has crested to the surface and formed a new lava dome just behind the old one. A low-level eruption followed weeks of earthquakes and burst of steam. Scientists say there's still a chance for more explosive eruptions. We're going to keep an eye on those live pictures throughout the hour.

More now on tonight's final presidential debate. CNN's Kelly Wallace is the at Tempe, Arizona, site, ASU, home of the Sun Devils.

Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

Well, you know, It's been called the tempest in Tempe, the duel in the desert, nothing short of a high-stakes domestic showdown. Whatever you call it, there is likely to be two different strategies by these candidates. We saw in round two, likely to see it in round three. The two men targeting very different audiences.

And the reason is team Kerry believes that this race ultimately will be decided by undecided swing voters. So look for Senator Kerry to continue talking about how he is fighting for the middle class. On the other hand, the Bush campaign believes that this race will be decided by increased turnout among Republicans, especially social conservatives.

So look for the president to use words that really play to his base, including painting Senator Kerry as a tax-and-spend liberal. They will likely use these strategies when they hit on some of the issues expected to dominate this evening. Those issues include jobs and taxes, health care, and also social issues, such as embryonic stem cell research, an issue getting attention after the surprising and sudden death of actor Christopher Reeve, who as we know, was a tireless advocate for more expansive federal funding of this research.

Senator Kerry, many believe, going into tonight with the advantage, because according to our CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, he leads on almost every domestic issue, with the exception of taxes and terrorism.

But, in the last debate, during the domestic issues portion, some political observers believe the president might have been more effective than Senator Kerry.

So, fair to say, stakes are very high. Both men have a lot riding on tonight. It could alter the dynamics of this race. And, Daryn, you will have to forgive us for the sports analogy. We have baseball on our minds. Both men hoping to hit one out of the ballpark tonight.

KAGAN: Right, and actually they're not the only ones. That kind of leads right naturally into my question about the competition for viewership tonight and some key playoff games. Even Senator Kerry wanted to stick around Santa Fe last night to make sure that he saw his Red Sox.

WALLACE: I know, so now he's not going to be able to watch the Red Sox, because he'll be debating with President Bush. You have the Yankees and the Red Sox. You also have -- am I going to get it right? -- Houston and St. Louis.

KAGAN: Very good. Good job.

WALLACE: So lots of competition.

We were laughing, thinking that in the press room, where you have the debate on one screen, are you going to have the baseball games on the other. And which will be reporters by watching more heavily, the game or the debate? We know the answer to that.

KAGAN: Well, you'll have to report on that.

WALLACE: I will.

KAGAN: Kelly Wallace in Tempe, on the campus of ASU, thank you.

Well, the campaign debate over stem cell research has stepped up after Sunday's death of actor Christopher Reeve. You heard Kelly make mention of that. Reeve fought for spinal cord injury research for the last decade of his life. A friend of John Kerry's, Reeve shared the senator's stand on stem cell research. On the campaign trail yesterday, John Edwards had this comment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, if we do the work that we can do in this country, the work that we will do when John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to get walk, get up out of that wheelchair and walk again. That's what we can do in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Senate majority leader Bill Frist, who also is a doctor, criticized Edwards comments, saying, quote, "Let me say as a physician, I find that crass. I find it opportunistic to use the death of someone like Christopher Reeve. I think it's shameful, in order to mislead the American people."

Well, John Edwards wife says that using high-profile people as examples helps the public connect with an issue.

Elizabeth Edwards appeared on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH EDWARDS, WIFE OF JOHN EDWARDS: I think he's trying to do what all of us try to do, and that is to put a personal face on some of the problems that we address. You know, when you talk about 1.6 million people having lost their jobs in this country, it's just too big a number. And when you talk about the people who can benefit from stem cell research, too big a number. So Christopher Reeve and Michael J. Fox are people who have come out in favor of this. They're faces that people can attach to the policies that John Kerry and John Edwards would promote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: You can be sure that we'll hear more about stem cell in the debate tonight. You can watch it right here. CNN's primetime coverage begins at 7:00 Eastern.

The U.S. is one of the only countries in the world that permits the execution of a violent juvenile offender. Now that issue has come before the nation's high court.

Our Bob Franken takes a closer look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's 28 years old now, but Christopher Simmons was 17 when he and an accomplice pushed a neighbor off a railroad bridge to her death in St. Louis County, Missouri, after robbing her of just $6, and beating her and tying her up. Simmons was sentenced to be executed.

Now the fundamental question before the Supreme Court is whether offenders should be put to death for their crimes as juveniles in these times?

WILLIAM MOFFITT, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTY.: Should the Constitution reflect the evolving standards of society?

FRANKEN: The justices decided in 2002 those evolving standards meant the execution of the mentally retarded should not be allowed.

(on camera): On the issue of putting juvenile killers to death, 18 states still permit it, but the Missouri supreme court last year declared it was unconstitutional, and that's the case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

(voice-over): The United States is one of just a few countries that still execute juvenile killers. Among those submitted briefs in opposition are Mikhail Gorbachev and Dalai Lama. That raises a significant legal debate.

PETER WHITE, FMR. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Should what extent should the court look to international law and international standards in determining whether or not the -- it would violate the cruel and unusual punishment clause of the U.S. Constitution.

FRANKEN: His lawyers contend juvenile offenders like Simmons have limited capacity to make responsible decisions. The other side argues, it's the nature of the crime which should determine the penalty, not the criminal's age.

Bob Franken, CNN, the Supreme Court.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Now we're going to look at other news from coast to coast. Lawyers for Scott Peterson will have to wait until next week to begin presenting their case. To the surprise of many, the judge in the double-murder trial announced a recess just as Peterson's attorneys were set to begin his defense. The judge said that legal issues need to be worked out on both sides before the trial proceeds. The defense is set to begin presenting witnesses now on Tuesday.

In California, a fire in wine country. A wind-driven wildfire in Napa Valley has roared through nearly 30,000 acres. Officials say fire is only 5 percent contained, and they've issued a voluntary evacuation for 75 homes near Lake Berryessa. No buildings have been destroyed and there are no reports of any injuries.

And in New York, officials are trying to determine what caused a building at a Long Island car dealership to collapse on Tuesday. Nine people were hurt in that incident. Some news reports say the collapse could have been caused by a natural gas explosion.

A wave of Muslim immigrants with ties to jihad catches Canada by surprise. We will talk about the challenges and victims of that country's war on terror.

But first, a country that eats out a lot. You'll be surprised to find out that how many Americans think that meals should be prepared at home. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Security experts say there is no credible threat that would justify closing a congressional office, but Democratic Senator Mark Dayton of Minnesota has shuttered his office anyway, and he says it won't reopen until after the election. Dayton said a security briefing by the Senate majority leader convinced him the situation was unsafe. No other lawmakers have followed suit.

The Middle East is typically thought of as the origin of Islamic terrorism. But since 9/11, terrorism officials have started looking to the north.

Our Deborah Feyerick recently spoke with Canadian experts about the potential jihad brewing within its own borders.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They came to Canada to a new life, then gave it up, instead, choosing holy war against the West.

MARTIN RUDNER, CANADIAN SECURITY EXPERT: Well, this is, of course, extremely disconcerting for Canada, for Canadians. Not only that it happened but that the recruitment took place in this country of young Canadians educated in Canadian schools.

FEYERICK: Canadian officials say many are disciples of Osama bin Laden. Of the 25 known Canadian terror suspects, 4 have direct links to major attacks, including an alleged 9/11 recruiter, a suspected trainer for the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in East Africa, a confessed scout for the Bali disco bombings, and a man leaving Canada, caught with a trunkload of explosives meant for a millennium attack on Los Angeles airport. At least three Canadians caught in Afghanistan are now in Guantanamo.

REID MORDEN, FMR. DIR., CANADIAN SEC. INTELL. SERVICE: The people who come more recently tend to have a more radical view of things and perhaps bring with them some of the conflicts they left behind in their homelands.

FEYERICK (on camera): Muslims with ties to jihad began arriving in Canada more than a dozen years ago, security officials first seeing Algerians, Moroccans, Tunisians. Then came Egyptians, followed in the late '90s by a small group who had trained in Afghanistan...

(voice-over): ... a wave that caught Canadians by surprise.

RUDNER: We were naive. We did not read their text. We did not assess their intentions. After 9/11, it became quite clear what their intentions were, that this was a sanctuary for global jihad. FEYERICK: The problem may be growing. A recent study by the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations finds in Canada and elsewhere, new Saudi-funded Islamic centers are preaching a kind of Islam that encourages violence against the West, helping to create the next generation of terrorists. But a lawyer who defends several Muslims in Canadian custody says some of the immigrants who fought against communists in Afghanistan are being targeted for the very lives they tried to leave behind.

BARBARA JACKMAN, IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE LAWYER: They weren't terrorists at that time, but now that past history is being used against people.

FEYERICK: In a country known for giving immigrants fresh starts, clerics say Muslims are feeling the heat.

IMAM ALY HINDY, SALAHEDDIN ISLAMIC CENTER: This is what we're suffering from. People are afraid to donate money. People are afraid to even transfer money. People are afraid to travel.

FEYERICK: One fear created by another, as Canadians struggle to come to terms with home-grown Islamic militancy without undermining the country's strong liberal traditions. Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Toronto.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We see all the pink ribbons and hear about the races and the walks. Up next, we here at CNN LIVE TODAY are going to share our own personal stories about breast cancer, our mothers' stories and show you how close to home this disease really hits.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And this Friday is National Mammography Day. So, ladies -- especially if you have not had a breast exam lately -- now is the time. Many radiology centers are providing free or discounted screenings for women during October.

Early detection could save your life or that of someone close to you. Believe me, I know.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Define families affected by breast canner, just look at the people you watch every day here on CNN. My mother, Phyllis, was diagnosed a year ago January. Paula Zahn's mother, Betty, is a long-time beast cancer survivor. And meteorologist Jacqui Jeras was by her mother's side when she was diagnosed last year.

CAROL JERAS, JACQUI'S MOTHER: Last August, I was diagnosed with my breast cancer. And we had been following that very closely, because I had had abnormal mammograms. And so, every six months I was going in.

And so, because of the continued change, I ended up having a biopsy done.

KAGAN: There's also a strong family history of breast cancer, something that Jeras says was alarming, but also reassuring.

C. JERAS: Your first reaction is, my gosh, I can't believe that, you know, I really have this. And then it's like, well, you know what? My sisters are fine. You know, my mother went through 10 years and didn't have any problems. So, I can do this, too.

KAGAN: And because of that family history, Jeras decided to have a double mastectomy, even though the pre-surgery biopsy showed cancer in just one breast.

C. JERAS: My surgeon had advised me, "Why go through this all over again?" He said, "Who knows? In six months or a year, you may have to be following something on the other side." So, I did make the decision to have both sides done. And that was the best decision, because it turned out I had cancer in both sides.

KAGAN: Part of Jeras' recovery was wondering what she and her sisters may have inherited from their mother. And she worries about what's been passed on to her daughter and granddaughter.

DR. DEBRA ARMSTRONG, ONCOLOGIST, JOHNS HOPKINS: Most people who get breast cancer or ovarian cancer don't get it because of an inherited predisposition.

What we do recognize is that there are -- there are families where it is very clearly an autosomal dominant inheritance of a high risk of breast cancer.

KAGAN: It turns out that Carol Jeras tested negative for the breast cancer gene. She and Jacqui are still diligent about prevention and early detection.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Before I was even 30, I had my first mammogram, because I had actually had a lump that seemed suspicious to me. And so, they sent me to a specialist, and I got a mammogram. And thankfully it turned out negative and was no big deal. But I think they watch me a lot more closely. I do self-exams, you know, quite regularly, as well, because I do think that I'm vulnerable.

C. JERAS: She needs to be very vigilant. And so, I talk to Jacqui about that, being sure that she's getting her mammogram and following up if there's -- would be anything abnormal.

But I am also so very hopeful. There is so much research going on. There have been so many donations through all the different foundations out there that I'm hopeful that she won't have to go through what I went through. And the same would hold true for my granddaughter. I just am very optimistic about finding a cure or, possibly, a better treatment that they won't have to have as drastic a surgery as I did.

KAGAN: Meanwhile, they celebrate early detection. It's something we all do. It saved Jacqui's mother's life and Paula's mother's life and my mother, as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): Kind of different to share our personal story there. Your mother is so lovely.

J. JERAS: Thank you.

KAGAN: I just have to say that.

The history in your family is just -- is absolutely incredible. So, your grandmother?

J. JERAS: My grandmother, my mother, both of her sisters -- and we'll see.

KAGAN: And yet, your mother, she shared with me that she'd been tested for the breast cancer gene and it came up negative.

J. JERAS: That's right, yeah. So, apparently there must be some other factor that's involved, possibly why they all got it, plus my mom and both of her sisters got it within a year of each other.

So, we don't have the gene. But even though technically we don't have the gene, it is still something that I worry about for myself, for my sister, and for my daughter.

KAGAN: And it will be fascinating to see and hopeful to see how breast cancer research has changed from the time that your grandmother dealt with breast cancer...

J. JERAS: Right.

KAGAN: ... to when Aurora grows up...

J. JERAS: Absolutely.

KAGAN: ... and she has to look at it.

J. JERAS: Even been very different in the last 20 years. How about you and your mom? How's your mom?

KAGAN: Well, my mom is doing great. As I said, she was diagnosed a year ago January. She had a lumpectomy and radiation and is doing fantastic. Everything is clean and clear. She also was tested for the breast cancer gene and it came up negative. But it's still something we watch in our family.

And in our family, my mom was the first to have breast cancer.

J. JERAS: OK.

KAGAN: So, not the same family history. So lovely to meet your mom.

J. JERAS: Thank you. KAGAN: We're going to take our mother's to a survivor's tea at the end of this month.

J. JERAS: We are!

KAGAN: Look forward to that. Jacqui, thank you to you and your mom...

J. JERAS: You're welcome.

KAGAN: ... for sharing the story.

J. JERAS: OK.

KAGAN: It is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In the next hour, I will be speaking with photographer Jean Karotkin. And her book "Body & Soul" documents the courage of facing breast cancer and the sisterhood that forms among survivors.

Other medical news out there, finding that flu shot may not be your only problem. Now there are reports of price gouging. We'll have details on what's being done to stop that.

And Robin Williams stops by. You never know what he's going to bring. He has a very interesting new movie out. I watched it last night. It's called "Final Cut." It's an unconventional science fiction film that shows Robin Williams' darker side.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired October 13, 2004 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at some of the stories now in the news. U.S. forces are exhuming a mass grave site in northwestern Iraq. The remains of scores of men, women and children have been found. Many are believed to be Kurdish victims of a genocide campaign of Saddam Hussein's regime. The leader of the excavation says the killings probably took place about 16 years ago.
Vote counting in the Afghan presidential election is being held up while an independent end panel looks at complaints of irregularities. The panel has reviewed 37 of the candidates 43 complaints, and there's no word when the investigation will be complete. Final voting results aren't expected until the end of the month.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair stood up to his critics on Iraqi in parliament today. Mr. Blair says he takes responsibility for WMD information that turned out to be wrong, but the prime minister flatly refused to admit that he deceived anyone, or that the war was wrong.

And Mount St. Helens is wearing a new cap. Take a look at these pictures here, live pictures from Washington State. Molten rock has crested to the surface and formed a new lava dome just behind the old one. A low-level eruption followed weeks of earthquakes and burst of steam. Scientists say there's still a chance for more explosive eruptions. We're going to keep an eye on those live pictures throughout the hour.

More now on tonight's final presidential debate. CNN's Kelly Wallace is the at Tempe, Arizona, site, ASU, home of the Sun Devils.

Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

Well, you know, It's been called the tempest in Tempe, the duel in the desert, nothing short of a high-stakes domestic showdown. Whatever you call it, there is likely to be two different strategies by these candidates. We saw in round two, likely to see it in round three. The two men targeting very different audiences.

And the reason is team Kerry believes that this race ultimately will be decided by undecided swing voters. So look for Senator Kerry to continue talking about how he is fighting for the middle class. On the other hand, the Bush campaign believes that this race will be decided by increased turnout among Republicans, especially social conservatives.

So look for the president to use words that really play to his base, including painting Senator Kerry as a tax-and-spend liberal. They will likely use these strategies when they hit on some of the issues expected to dominate this evening. Those issues include jobs and taxes, health care, and also social issues, such as embryonic stem cell research, an issue getting attention after the surprising and sudden death of actor Christopher Reeve, who as we know, was a tireless advocate for more expansive federal funding of this research.

Senator Kerry, many believe, going into tonight with the advantage, because according to our CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, he leads on almost every domestic issue, with the exception of taxes and terrorism.

But, in the last debate, during the domestic issues portion, some political observers believe the president might have been more effective than Senator Kerry.

So, fair to say, stakes are very high. Both men have a lot riding on tonight. It could alter the dynamics of this race. And, Daryn, you will have to forgive us for the sports analogy. We have baseball on our minds. Both men hoping to hit one out of the ballpark tonight.

KAGAN: Right, and actually they're not the only ones. That kind of leads right naturally into my question about the competition for viewership tonight and some key playoff games. Even Senator Kerry wanted to stick around Santa Fe last night to make sure that he saw his Red Sox.

WALLACE: I know, so now he's not going to be able to watch the Red Sox, because he'll be debating with President Bush. You have the Yankees and the Red Sox. You also have -- am I going to get it right? -- Houston and St. Louis.

KAGAN: Very good. Good job.

WALLACE: So lots of competition.

We were laughing, thinking that in the press room, where you have the debate on one screen, are you going to have the baseball games on the other. And which will be reporters by watching more heavily, the game or the debate? We know the answer to that.

KAGAN: Well, you'll have to report on that.

WALLACE: I will.

KAGAN: Kelly Wallace in Tempe, on the campus of ASU, thank you.

Well, the campaign debate over stem cell research has stepped up after Sunday's death of actor Christopher Reeve. You heard Kelly make mention of that. Reeve fought for spinal cord injury research for the last decade of his life. A friend of John Kerry's, Reeve shared the senator's stand on stem cell research. On the campaign trail yesterday, John Edwards had this comment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, if we do the work that we can do in this country, the work that we will do when John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to get walk, get up out of that wheelchair and walk again. That's what we can do in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Senate majority leader Bill Frist, who also is a doctor, criticized Edwards comments, saying, quote, "Let me say as a physician, I find that crass. I find it opportunistic to use the death of someone like Christopher Reeve. I think it's shameful, in order to mislead the American people."

Well, John Edwards wife says that using high-profile people as examples helps the public connect with an issue.

Elizabeth Edwards appeared on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH EDWARDS, WIFE OF JOHN EDWARDS: I think he's trying to do what all of us try to do, and that is to put a personal face on some of the problems that we address. You know, when you talk about 1.6 million people having lost their jobs in this country, it's just too big a number. And when you talk about the people who can benefit from stem cell research, too big a number. So Christopher Reeve and Michael J. Fox are people who have come out in favor of this. They're faces that people can attach to the policies that John Kerry and John Edwards would promote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: You can be sure that we'll hear more about stem cell in the debate tonight. You can watch it right here. CNN's primetime coverage begins at 7:00 Eastern.

The U.S. is one of the only countries in the world that permits the execution of a violent juvenile offender. Now that issue has come before the nation's high court.

Our Bob Franken takes a closer look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's 28 years old now, but Christopher Simmons was 17 when he and an accomplice pushed a neighbor off a railroad bridge to her death in St. Louis County, Missouri, after robbing her of just $6, and beating her and tying her up. Simmons was sentenced to be executed.

Now the fundamental question before the Supreme Court is whether offenders should be put to death for their crimes as juveniles in these times?

WILLIAM MOFFITT, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTY.: Should the Constitution reflect the evolving standards of society?

FRANKEN: The justices decided in 2002 those evolving standards meant the execution of the mentally retarded should not be allowed.

(on camera): On the issue of putting juvenile killers to death, 18 states still permit it, but the Missouri supreme court last year declared it was unconstitutional, and that's the case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

(voice-over): The United States is one of just a few countries that still execute juvenile killers. Among those submitted briefs in opposition are Mikhail Gorbachev and Dalai Lama. That raises a significant legal debate.

PETER WHITE, FMR. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Should what extent should the court look to international law and international standards in determining whether or not the -- it would violate the cruel and unusual punishment clause of the U.S. Constitution.

FRANKEN: His lawyers contend juvenile offenders like Simmons have limited capacity to make responsible decisions. The other side argues, it's the nature of the crime which should determine the penalty, not the criminal's age.

Bob Franken, CNN, the Supreme Court.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Now we're going to look at other news from coast to coast. Lawyers for Scott Peterson will have to wait until next week to begin presenting their case. To the surprise of many, the judge in the double-murder trial announced a recess just as Peterson's attorneys were set to begin his defense. The judge said that legal issues need to be worked out on both sides before the trial proceeds. The defense is set to begin presenting witnesses now on Tuesday.

In California, a fire in wine country. A wind-driven wildfire in Napa Valley has roared through nearly 30,000 acres. Officials say fire is only 5 percent contained, and they've issued a voluntary evacuation for 75 homes near Lake Berryessa. No buildings have been destroyed and there are no reports of any injuries.

And in New York, officials are trying to determine what caused a building at a Long Island car dealership to collapse on Tuesday. Nine people were hurt in that incident. Some news reports say the collapse could have been caused by a natural gas explosion.

A wave of Muslim immigrants with ties to jihad catches Canada by surprise. We will talk about the challenges and victims of that country's war on terror.

But first, a country that eats out a lot. You'll be surprised to find out that how many Americans think that meals should be prepared at home. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Security experts say there is no credible threat that would justify closing a congressional office, but Democratic Senator Mark Dayton of Minnesota has shuttered his office anyway, and he says it won't reopen until after the election. Dayton said a security briefing by the Senate majority leader convinced him the situation was unsafe. No other lawmakers have followed suit.

The Middle East is typically thought of as the origin of Islamic terrorism. But since 9/11, terrorism officials have started looking to the north.

Our Deborah Feyerick recently spoke with Canadian experts about the potential jihad brewing within its own borders.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They came to Canada to a new life, then gave it up, instead, choosing holy war against the West.

MARTIN RUDNER, CANADIAN SECURITY EXPERT: Well, this is, of course, extremely disconcerting for Canada, for Canadians. Not only that it happened but that the recruitment took place in this country of young Canadians educated in Canadian schools.

FEYERICK: Canadian officials say many are disciples of Osama bin Laden. Of the 25 known Canadian terror suspects, 4 have direct links to major attacks, including an alleged 9/11 recruiter, a suspected trainer for the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in East Africa, a confessed scout for the Bali disco bombings, and a man leaving Canada, caught with a trunkload of explosives meant for a millennium attack on Los Angeles airport. At least three Canadians caught in Afghanistan are now in Guantanamo.

REID MORDEN, FMR. DIR., CANADIAN SEC. INTELL. SERVICE: The people who come more recently tend to have a more radical view of things and perhaps bring with them some of the conflicts they left behind in their homelands.

FEYERICK (on camera): Muslims with ties to jihad began arriving in Canada more than a dozen years ago, security officials first seeing Algerians, Moroccans, Tunisians. Then came Egyptians, followed in the late '90s by a small group who had trained in Afghanistan...

(voice-over): ... a wave that caught Canadians by surprise.

RUDNER: We were naive. We did not read their text. We did not assess their intentions. After 9/11, it became quite clear what their intentions were, that this was a sanctuary for global jihad. FEYERICK: The problem may be growing. A recent study by the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations finds in Canada and elsewhere, new Saudi-funded Islamic centers are preaching a kind of Islam that encourages violence against the West, helping to create the next generation of terrorists. But a lawyer who defends several Muslims in Canadian custody says some of the immigrants who fought against communists in Afghanistan are being targeted for the very lives they tried to leave behind.

BARBARA JACKMAN, IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE LAWYER: They weren't terrorists at that time, but now that past history is being used against people.

FEYERICK: In a country known for giving immigrants fresh starts, clerics say Muslims are feeling the heat.

IMAM ALY HINDY, SALAHEDDIN ISLAMIC CENTER: This is what we're suffering from. People are afraid to donate money. People are afraid to even transfer money. People are afraid to travel.

FEYERICK: One fear created by another, as Canadians struggle to come to terms with home-grown Islamic militancy without undermining the country's strong liberal traditions. Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Toronto.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We see all the pink ribbons and hear about the races and the walks. Up next, we here at CNN LIVE TODAY are going to share our own personal stories about breast cancer, our mothers' stories and show you how close to home this disease really hits.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And this Friday is National Mammography Day. So, ladies -- especially if you have not had a breast exam lately -- now is the time. Many radiology centers are providing free or discounted screenings for women during October.

Early detection could save your life or that of someone close to you. Believe me, I know.

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(voice-over): Define families affected by breast canner, just look at the people you watch every day here on CNN. My mother, Phyllis, was diagnosed a year ago January. Paula Zahn's mother, Betty, is a long-time beast cancer survivor. And meteorologist Jacqui Jeras was by her mother's side when she was diagnosed last year.

CAROL JERAS, JACQUI'S MOTHER: Last August, I was diagnosed with my breast cancer. And we had been following that very closely, because I had had abnormal mammograms. And so, every six months I was going in.

And so, because of the continued change, I ended up having a biopsy done.

KAGAN: There's also a strong family history of breast cancer, something that Jeras says was alarming, but also reassuring.

C. JERAS: Your first reaction is, my gosh, I can't believe that, you know, I really have this. And then it's like, well, you know what? My sisters are fine. You know, my mother went through 10 years and didn't have any problems. So, I can do this, too.

KAGAN: And because of that family history, Jeras decided to have a double mastectomy, even though the pre-surgery biopsy showed cancer in just one breast.

C. JERAS: My surgeon had advised me, "Why go through this all over again?" He said, "Who knows? In six months or a year, you may have to be following something on the other side." So, I did make the decision to have both sides done. And that was the best decision, because it turned out I had cancer in both sides.

KAGAN: Part of Jeras' recovery was wondering what she and her sisters may have inherited from their mother. And she worries about what's been passed on to her daughter and granddaughter.

DR. DEBRA ARMSTRONG, ONCOLOGIST, JOHNS HOPKINS: Most people who get breast cancer or ovarian cancer don't get it because of an inherited predisposition.

What we do recognize is that there are -- there are families where it is very clearly an autosomal dominant inheritance of a high risk of breast cancer.

KAGAN: It turns out that Carol Jeras tested negative for the breast cancer gene. She and Jacqui are still diligent about prevention and early detection.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Before I was even 30, I had my first mammogram, because I had actually had a lump that seemed suspicious to me. And so, they sent me to a specialist, and I got a mammogram. And thankfully it turned out negative and was no big deal. But I think they watch me a lot more closely. I do self-exams, you know, quite regularly, as well, because I do think that I'm vulnerable.

C. JERAS: She needs to be very vigilant. And so, I talk to Jacqui about that, being sure that she's getting her mammogram and following up if there's -- would be anything abnormal.

But I am also so very hopeful. There is so much research going on. There have been so many donations through all the different foundations out there that I'm hopeful that she won't have to go through what I went through. And the same would hold true for my granddaughter. I just am very optimistic about finding a cure or, possibly, a better treatment that they won't have to have as drastic a surgery as I did.

KAGAN: Meanwhile, they celebrate early detection. It's something we all do. It saved Jacqui's mother's life and Paula's mother's life and my mother, as well.

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(on camera): Kind of different to share our personal story there. Your mother is so lovely.

J. JERAS: Thank you.

KAGAN: I just have to say that.

The history in your family is just -- is absolutely incredible. So, your grandmother?

J. JERAS: My grandmother, my mother, both of her sisters -- and we'll see.

KAGAN: And yet, your mother, she shared with me that she'd been tested for the breast cancer gene and it came up negative.

J. JERAS: That's right, yeah. So, apparently there must be some other factor that's involved, possibly why they all got it, plus my mom and both of her sisters got it within a year of each other.

So, we don't have the gene. But even though technically we don't have the gene, it is still something that I worry about for myself, for my sister, and for my daughter.

KAGAN: And it will be fascinating to see and hopeful to see how breast cancer research has changed from the time that your grandmother dealt with breast cancer...

J. JERAS: Right.

KAGAN: ... to when Aurora grows up...

J. JERAS: Absolutely.

KAGAN: ... and she has to look at it.

J. JERAS: Even been very different in the last 20 years. How about you and your mom? How's your mom?

KAGAN: Well, my mom is doing great. As I said, she was diagnosed a year ago January. She had a lumpectomy and radiation and is doing fantastic. Everything is clean and clear. She also was tested for the breast cancer gene and it came up negative. But it's still something we watch in our family.

And in our family, my mom was the first to have breast cancer.

J. JERAS: OK.

KAGAN: So, not the same family history. So lovely to meet your mom.

J. JERAS: Thank you. KAGAN: We're going to take our mother's to a survivor's tea at the end of this month.

J. JERAS: We are!

KAGAN: Look forward to that. Jacqui, thank you to you and your mom...

J. JERAS: You're welcome.

KAGAN: ... for sharing the story.

J. JERAS: OK.

KAGAN: It is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In the next hour, I will be speaking with photographer Jean Karotkin. And her book "Body & Soul" documents the courage of facing breast cancer and the sisterhood that forms among survivors.

Other medical news out there, finding that flu shot may not be your only problem. Now there are reports of price gouging. We'll have details on what's being done to stop that.

And Robin Williams stops by. You never know what he's going to bring. He has a very interesting new movie out. I watched it last night. It's called "Final Cut." It's an unconventional science fiction film that shows Robin Williams' darker side.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins in just a moment.

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