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4 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq; Donors Urged to Honor Pledge to Iraq Reconstruction; Due To Shortage, High-Risk Groups Priority for Flu Shots

Aired October 13, 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 here at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Daryn Kagan.
Taking a look at what is happening in the news. Violence in Iraq has killed at least four U.S. troops in the past 24 hours. One soldier died today from a roadside bomb in western Baghdad. Three others were killed late yesterday by a roadside bomb east of the capital. An Iraqi police captain was also gunned down and killed nearby the city of Baquba.

The ongoing violence in Iraq apparently has stalled billions of dollars in reconstruction money from donor nations. At the latest Donor's Conference now underway in Tokyo, countries were pointedly reminded they had not yet made good on earlier promises. The international community so far has pledged more than $13 billion to help rebuild Iraq, but only $1 billion has actually been donated.

Iran's nuclear ambitions will be the focus of talks this Friday in Washington. U.S. and European officials will huddle to discuss possible economic leverage to persuade Iran to abandon uranium enrichment. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and says it will not cave into international pressure.

And in the American League pennant race, Game 1 goes to the New York Yankees. Boston rallied in the late innings against an eight-run deficit. But New York prevails 10 to 7. The second game is tonight. Also, let's not forget about the National League, the NLCS, Game 1. That championship series begins between St. Louis and Houston.

The temperature is rising in Tempe. Arizona State University is the site of tonight's potentially decisive Round 3 in the presidential debates. Like the first debate, the candidates will stand at lecterns and take a question from one moderator. The focus will be on domestic issues.

But will the voters be listening? Twenty-five percent fewer people watched the second debate than the first.

Senator John Kerry watched his beloved Boston Red Sox lose the opener of their playoff series with the New York Yankees last night. Tonight, though, he steps to the plate for the finale of his debate series with President Bush.

Our Ed Henry is with Senator Kerry and his campaign in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ed, good morning.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. In fact, I asked a Kerry aide yesterday whether there was a parallel between that baseball series and this presidential election? And he said we want to wait and see how the baseball series turns out. Obviously, the Red Sox have a few more games, but there's only one more debate that is tonight.

John Kerry woke up here in Santa Fe, but he's now making his way to Tempe, Arizona, site of the third and final presidential debate. He -- you know, basically both sides are acknowledging that this could be pivotal since this race is deadlocked right now. So what did John Kerry do on the night before what could be the biggest moment of his political life? He went for a bike ride last night, just a couple of hours before that Yankees/Red Sox Game 1.

What basically they're trying to project here is an image that John Kerry is calm, cool and collected heading into this debate. The Kerry camp is saying they feel they won the first two debates. They cannot think of a single time when an incumbent president lost three straight debates and then went on to win in November. They feel that John Kerry was very strong in the first two debates. They feel that he will be even stronger now that the focus will be the domestic agenda. They think that's his strong suit.

And they say all the pressure is on George W. Bush that the president has lost the first two and now he has to come up very big in order to come back -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Interesting choice. The senator had a bike helmet but it was hanging off the handlebars.

Different question though, for you, Ed. What about Ralph Nader and that factor. That's something that's like the elephant that's kind of in the room but the people are not talking about. How is this campaign dealing or not dealing with the Ralph Nader factor?

HENRY: Well, there's still a lot of nervousness among Democrats across the country at the fact that Ralph Nader is still on a lot of ballots. That he could play a very important key role in some of these battle ground states. It's now been reduced to about 10 battlegrounds that both campaigns are advertising on the television airwaves, trying to compete in states, like right here New Mexico.

Obviously, they the Democrats are nervous about Nader. But they feel that maybe John Kerry has dealt with him better than Al Gore did in 2000. That some of the rhetoric that John Kerry is focusing on now, beating up on George W. Bush saying he is captive of special interests, that that might appeal to Nader voters, bring them back home to the Democratic Party -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ed Henry in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ed, thank you.

As for President Bush, Tuesday was less huddling with aides and more stumping before the crowds. It's a little different this morning.

Our Suzanne Malveaux covering the Bush campaign, she is to the north of Tempe in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Suzanne, good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Daryn. I spoke with a Bush campaign advisor this morning. They say that the strategy here for tonight is really to put Kerry on the ropes, to have him answer to his 20-year Senate record. They say a record they believe is of few accomplishments.

Now, it was late yesterday that the president and first lady had dinner with John McCain, a popular senator from Arizona. The president appeared rather relaxed. Arizona, as you know, is really a friendly territory to the president, to Republicans. This was once a battleground state, but now the Kerry camp all but giving up on this.

Now, we are told that the president really is not going to be in the spotlight tonight or today, he is -- rather, today. He is going to be laying low, meeting with his staff members, going over notes. But Bush aides say that he is confident, that he is ready for the final debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): President Bush is going into his final debate looking to make up for lost ground. Polls judge Senator John Kerry the winner of the first two face-offs, and the candidates now locked in a dead heat. In Colorado Springs, Mr. Bush summed up his debate strategy with his one-line zinger to Kerry.

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He can run but he cannot hide.

MALVEAUX: The final debate will focus on domestic issues, widely viewed as Kerry strong suit. The latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll shows Kerry scoring higher than Bush on health care, slightly higher on the economy, with Mr. Bush in a better position on taxes.

BUSH: Thank you all for coming.

(CHEERING)

MALVEAUX: On the eve of the debate at a GOP fundraiser in Arizona, the president contrasted his economic plan with his opponent's, by casting Kerry as a tax and spend liberal.

BUSH: You're not going to have fiscal sanity with John Kerry as the president.

MALVEAUX: It is too soon to tell whether that message will resonate with the voters at large. But political analysts say both candidates must win over voters in the final debate. JAMES A. THRUBER, PROFESSOR, ARIZONA UNIV.: In a very close election like this one, these debates will make a difference. And there -- it is unprecedented that it is this close.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now, political observers say it will be especially important for the president to focus on the economy tonight. That is the No. 1 issue for the Midwest battleground states, where unemployment is relatively high -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And Suzanne, Arizona of course, is home country for John McCain. These two have had an interesting relationship over the months of the campaign.

MALVEAUX: Oh, absolutely. And the two, as you have seen, of course, have been campaigning together. That relationship has been rocky at times. Of course, both of them, four years ago, challenging each other. But this time around, the two of them side by side. And this is really meant to be a move to convince those swing voters, those undecided voters and those moderates that the president, yes, he's resolve in the war on terror. But as well that he has a softer side. The two of them seen side by side really considered a big asset for President Bush.

KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux in Scottsdale, Arizona, thank you.

Let's check in on First Lady Laura Bush. She says he's not surprised at the intensity and the number of attacks in the current presidential race. Mrs. Bush spoke with CNN's Larry King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: I think we think every campaign is very negative. You know, I mean I think that's just a fact of life in politics. And you know it is when you get -- when you throw your hat in the ring that that's what it's going to be like, especially for this big job, for president of the United States. But really for any political race. I mean ask anybody who runs for school board or -- you know, there is a part of a political race, the competitive part that is always a little bit nasty. And that's just the way it is. That's just competition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Excuse me. Our primetime coverage kicks off tonight. Anderson Cooper at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, Paula Zahn following at 8:00, Wolf Blitzer and the CNN election team handling our pre-debate show 8:30. And the final debate will air at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

The war in Iraq was a key point of contention in another political debate last night. Republican Alan Keyes and Democrat Barack Obama faced off as part of their Senate race in Illinois. Keyes said that the U.S. must feel free to use military force against other countries, even if it's not certain they're a danger to America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

ALAN KEYES (R-IL), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: You cannot give a soft response to a hard threat. It would be kind of like beating a bayonet with a spaghetti noodle. And it's not going to help the people of this country to survive. After 9/11, we were faced with a hard threat. We had lost thousands of people and we had to move aggressively.

BARACK OBAMA (D), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE, ILLINOIS: I think that this administration has not been very good at what's been called the exercise of soft power. All of us recognize and reserve the right of the United States to exercise its military power in the national interest and for national security. But we also have to recognize that a lot of our power comes from our ideals.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

KAGAN: Some Republicans are already distancing themselves from Alan Keyes. We're going to show you why in the next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY.

You're going to want to log on to cnn.com/americavotes before, during and after tonight's debate. We'll have fact checks, blogs, and a pundit's scorecard, and complete transcripts of the debate as well.

Fighting the flu in the face of a vaccine shortage. Hear how the government plans to keep the country healthy and how one family is struggling.

Plus, the job market is brighter than ever for people over 50. We'll look at the options.

And later, a very personal look at the fight against breast cancer. I'll share the story of my mom and some of our other CNN colleagues. Their mothers have faced breast cancer, including our Jacqui Jeras and her mother. They're along as well. We're back in a bit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's talk about flu shots now. Your best bet for avoiding the flu this year might turn out to be hope and good hygiene, such as washing your hands frequently. Millions upon millions of flu shots suddenly unavailable in the U.S.; federal health authorities say that those who need it the most will be the priority. However, compliance is voluntary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JULIE GERBERDING, DIRECTOR, CDC: We're asking clinicians and the people who are sponsoring clinics across the country to really try to screen people for these high-risk conditions. And again, it is the children between the ages of 6 and 23 months that we are worried about most, people with the chronic and serious medical conditions, and then people 65 and older. So those are fairly easy screening criteria. And we're hoping that folks will just cooperate with that. (END VIDEO CLIP)

So here's the deal. There simply may not be enough flu vaccine to go around this year, even to those at highest risk. Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen explains just locating the flu vaccine has become a shot in the dark.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mike Saffold's life could depend on finding a flu shot. He has diabetes and he just had triple heart bypass surgery. So if he got the flu he could become extremely ill. But when he went to his family doctor, he was told no flu shots here. His office ordered 300 doses and received none.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just wanted to find out whether you guys have any flu vaccines, any -- nothing.

COHEN: And there's little hope of getting any more.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's still CVS and Publix (ph).

MIKE SAFFOLD, NEEDS FLU VACCINE: Yes, CVS.

COHEN: Worried about her husband, Mike's wife hits the phone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Due to a national flu vaccine shortage, CVS has suspended all flu shots clinics scheduled in our stores until further notice.

COHEN: But no luck.

(on camera): Mike's next stop was going to be he church, where every year the County Health Department comes and gives out flu shots. But then he found out not this year. Dekalb County in Georgia has had to canceled all of its flu shot clinics, hundreds of them, because of the shortage.

(voice-over): And that's the case around the country. The Senior Center in Onondaga County, New York, no flu shots. Vanderbilt Hospital in Tennessee, also no flu shots. New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital ordered 1500 shots, received none.

DR. LESTER CRAWFORD, FOOD & DRUG ADMIN.: Where it is important to remember we have faced influenza shortages in the past, we worked with our HHS colleagues, health officials and manufacturers on how to best use the limited supply.

COHEN: That's not good enough for some in Congress.

REP. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON (D), D.C. DELEGATE: Here we're sitting here wondering what are we going to do with no back-up plan. This is inexcusable.

COHEN: There are two possible solutions. Some experts say pay pharmaceutical companies more money to produce vaccine and the supply will increase. Another idea, let the government make the vaccine.

DR. JERRY AVORN, AUTHOR, "POWERFUL MEDICINES": You have some very smart scientists at NIH and at CDC who are perfectly capable of making the nation's vaccine supply so that this does not happen again.

COHEN: But both of these solutions would be years away, which leaves Mike Saffold still on the hunt for a flu shot and praying he doesn't get sick.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Tucker, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Other medical news for you now. Remember this little guy? Well, he and his brother are the Egyptian twins who were surgically separated a year ago on Tuesday. And as you can see in the new pictures, 3 year old Mohammed and Ahmed Ibrahim appear to be some very energetic boys. Doctors say the recovery is going well. The twins were joined at the tops of their heads and separated during a 34-hour procedure in Dallas.

And from twins to clones. Researchers at Harvard want to produce cloned human embryos. University scientists have asked the school for permission to clone the embryos for disease research. One expert says it is an attempt to study and possibly cure diseases. Harvard says it is being extremely careful in making a decision, weighing the ethical issues and other issues over this controversial area of study.

Is it constitutional to put teenage killers to death? That is the question the Supreme Court starts tackling today. We will look at the arguments. First though, if you can't decide whether you want to go back to work or stay at home, Gerri Willis might have some solutions for you.

Hi, Gerr.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, good morning. You know, if you are over 50, an at-home business may be more for you. We'll tell you more when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: All right. For most of your 50 plus years you've worked for someone else. Why not try working for yourself. Experts say older, experienced workers are in high demand, and opportunities abound for seniors who start their own business. Here with tips on how to get started is our Gerri Willis, live in New York City.

Gerri, good morning.

WILLIS: Hey, good morning, Daryn. Well, No. 1, you've got to hatch a plan. First things first. You've got to figure out exactly what kind of business to start. Have you spent a lifetime working and you want to put those skills to use? Start there. Maybe you have a hobby that you really love and you think you can make money off of it. That's another great way to go. But whatever you do, consider the bigger picture. There may be opportunities you haven't thought about because Americans are living longer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL EDWARDS, AUTHOR: There will be 7 million people over 85 by the year 2020. And at that point in life, people need a lot of services. They need elder care, geriatric care managers. And many of these things -- these services for seniors are things that people can do from home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: You know, it is not just elder care out there that is important. You've got to consider those busy Boomers in their 40s and early 50s who don't have time to make that cake. Maybe you should be a caterer. Maybe you should be a mobile notary. There are lots of opportunities because people are busy and may not have time to perform services they'd like to.

KAGAN: How do you know how much you're supposed to charge for your services?

WILLIS: It's tough to price yourself right. A lot of people say hey, go to the trade associations; figure out how much to charge. But you know, that doesn't really work if you are operating a very small business. You're much better off going to people who are these buying services in the community and figuring out what vendors are charging. That's a great place to start. But make sure that you do your research, start online, look there as well to find out what rivals are asking people to pony up.

KAGAN: And what about marketing? That's really important in business.

WILLIS: You know, marketing is very tough. If you are starting a very small business in your own community, think about your own personal network first: friends, family, social organizations may be in your hometown might be able to provide you with people to actually sell your services to. And if you are actually starting a business with something you're already doing in the business world, a professional service, you want to extend those contacts, romance those people you are already talking to so they'll buy from you specifically.

KAGAN: You know that old saying it takes money to make money?

WILLIS: Yes it does. It always takes money to make money. You got to know where to go for the dough to start up your own business. But you've got to start by asking, how much do you need?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

EDWARDS: The average business, according to the Small Business Administrations, to start, takes less than $5,000. So we're not talking about huge amounts of money. But with so many people living paycheck to paycheck, they may not have those funds. Which is a reason to look at all the possible sources of funding if your goal is to start a business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: So go to the Small Business Administration. They provide micro loans for up to $35,000, short-term loans that can provide you money for start-up capital and anything else you're going to need to start up that home-based business.

KAGAN: And there are some scam artists that are going to want to take advantage of people out there.

WILLIS: Daryn, there are some really awful scam artists out there. They're selling work at home opportunities. And here is a red flag. If somebody asks you to pay for training, that means they are probably a scam artist. So watch out if you're starting your own business, you know, consult yourself. You're the best expert on what your own personal talents are, and go from there -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. Thank you so much.

WILLIS: Thank you.

KAGAN: And I want to show you live pictures from Seattle -- oh, well not from Seattle, from Mount St. Helens. Steam coming up. Live pictures thanks to our affiliates KPTV and KOIN looking at Mount St. Helens. Now, there have been weeks and weeks for earthquakes and the steam. For the first time -- and I don't think we've seen these pictures. But for the first time, we're starting to see a new lava dome that they're saying could even eclipse the volcano's old ones as the volcano -- as the earthquakes subside, more steam and more lava kind of finding the path of least resistance.

We're going to keep our eyes on these very cool, kind of cool, or hot pictures from the West Coast and Mount St. Helens in Washington State.

It is Round 3 of the debates and all bets have the candidates coming out swinging. We're going live back to Tempe, Arizona for a preview.

Plus, concerns that terrorists are choosing Canada as a place to hide out and recruit. We'll take a closer look just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired October 13, 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 here at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Daryn Kagan.
Taking a look at what is happening in the news. Violence in Iraq has killed at least four U.S. troops in the past 24 hours. One soldier died today from a roadside bomb in western Baghdad. Three others were killed late yesterday by a roadside bomb east of the capital. An Iraqi police captain was also gunned down and killed nearby the city of Baquba.

The ongoing violence in Iraq apparently has stalled billions of dollars in reconstruction money from donor nations. At the latest Donor's Conference now underway in Tokyo, countries were pointedly reminded they had not yet made good on earlier promises. The international community so far has pledged more than $13 billion to help rebuild Iraq, but only $1 billion has actually been donated.

Iran's nuclear ambitions will be the focus of talks this Friday in Washington. U.S. and European officials will huddle to discuss possible economic leverage to persuade Iran to abandon uranium enrichment. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and says it will not cave into international pressure.

And in the American League pennant race, Game 1 goes to the New York Yankees. Boston rallied in the late innings against an eight-run deficit. But New York prevails 10 to 7. The second game is tonight. Also, let's not forget about the National League, the NLCS, Game 1. That championship series begins between St. Louis and Houston.

The temperature is rising in Tempe. Arizona State University is the site of tonight's potentially decisive Round 3 in the presidential debates. Like the first debate, the candidates will stand at lecterns and take a question from one moderator. The focus will be on domestic issues.

But will the voters be listening? Twenty-five percent fewer people watched the second debate than the first.

Senator John Kerry watched his beloved Boston Red Sox lose the opener of their playoff series with the New York Yankees last night. Tonight, though, he steps to the plate for the finale of his debate series with President Bush.

Our Ed Henry is with Senator Kerry and his campaign in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ed, good morning.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. In fact, I asked a Kerry aide yesterday whether there was a parallel between that baseball series and this presidential election? And he said we want to wait and see how the baseball series turns out. Obviously, the Red Sox have a few more games, but there's only one more debate that is tonight.

John Kerry woke up here in Santa Fe, but he's now making his way to Tempe, Arizona, site of the third and final presidential debate. He -- you know, basically both sides are acknowledging that this could be pivotal since this race is deadlocked right now. So what did John Kerry do on the night before what could be the biggest moment of his political life? He went for a bike ride last night, just a couple of hours before that Yankees/Red Sox Game 1.

What basically they're trying to project here is an image that John Kerry is calm, cool and collected heading into this debate. The Kerry camp is saying they feel they won the first two debates. They cannot think of a single time when an incumbent president lost three straight debates and then went on to win in November. They feel that John Kerry was very strong in the first two debates. They feel that he will be even stronger now that the focus will be the domestic agenda. They think that's his strong suit.

And they say all the pressure is on George W. Bush that the president has lost the first two and now he has to come up very big in order to come back -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Interesting choice. The senator had a bike helmet but it was hanging off the handlebars.

Different question though, for you, Ed. What about Ralph Nader and that factor. That's something that's like the elephant that's kind of in the room but the people are not talking about. How is this campaign dealing or not dealing with the Ralph Nader factor?

HENRY: Well, there's still a lot of nervousness among Democrats across the country at the fact that Ralph Nader is still on a lot of ballots. That he could play a very important key role in some of these battle ground states. It's now been reduced to about 10 battlegrounds that both campaigns are advertising on the television airwaves, trying to compete in states, like right here New Mexico.

Obviously, they the Democrats are nervous about Nader. But they feel that maybe John Kerry has dealt with him better than Al Gore did in 2000. That some of the rhetoric that John Kerry is focusing on now, beating up on George W. Bush saying he is captive of special interests, that that might appeal to Nader voters, bring them back home to the Democratic Party -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ed Henry in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ed, thank you.

As for President Bush, Tuesday was less huddling with aides and more stumping before the crowds. It's a little different this morning.

Our Suzanne Malveaux covering the Bush campaign, she is to the north of Tempe in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Suzanne, good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Daryn. I spoke with a Bush campaign advisor this morning. They say that the strategy here for tonight is really to put Kerry on the ropes, to have him answer to his 20-year Senate record. They say a record they believe is of few accomplishments.

Now, it was late yesterday that the president and first lady had dinner with John McCain, a popular senator from Arizona. The president appeared rather relaxed. Arizona, as you know, is really a friendly territory to the president, to Republicans. This was once a battleground state, but now the Kerry camp all but giving up on this.

Now, we are told that the president really is not going to be in the spotlight tonight or today, he is -- rather, today. He is going to be laying low, meeting with his staff members, going over notes. But Bush aides say that he is confident, that he is ready for the final debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): President Bush is going into his final debate looking to make up for lost ground. Polls judge Senator John Kerry the winner of the first two face-offs, and the candidates now locked in a dead heat. In Colorado Springs, Mr. Bush summed up his debate strategy with his one-line zinger to Kerry.

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He can run but he cannot hide.

MALVEAUX: The final debate will focus on domestic issues, widely viewed as Kerry strong suit. The latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll shows Kerry scoring higher than Bush on health care, slightly higher on the economy, with Mr. Bush in a better position on taxes.

BUSH: Thank you all for coming.

(CHEERING)

MALVEAUX: On the eve of the debate at a GOP fundraiser in Arizona, the president contrasted his economic plan with his opponent's, by casting Kerry as a tax and spend liberal.

BUSH: You're not going to have fiscal sanity with John Kerry as the president.

MALVEAUX: It is too soon to tell whether that message will resonate with the voters at large. But political analysts say both candidates must win over voters in the final debate. JAMES A. THRUBER, PROFESSOR, ARIZONA UNIV.: In a very close election like this one, these debates will make a difference. And there -- it is unprecedented that it is this close.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now, political observers say it will be especially important for the president to focus on the economy tonight. That is the No. 1 issue for the Midwest battleground states, where unemployment is relatively high -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And Suzanne, Arizona of course, is home country for John McCain. These two have had an interesting relationship over the months of the campaign.

MALVEAUX: Oh, absolutely. And the two, as you have seen, of course, have been campaigning together. That relationship has been rocky at times. Of course, both of them, four years ago, challenging each other. But this time around, the two of them side by side. And this is really meant to be a move to convince those swing voters, those undecided voters and those moderates that the president, yes, he's resolve in the war on terror. But as well that he has a softer side. The two of them seen side by side really considered a big asset for President Bush.

KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux in Scottsdale, Arizona, thank you.

Let's check in on First Lady Laura Bush. She says he's not surprised at the intensity and the number of attacks in the current presidential race. Mrs. Bush spoke with CNN's Larry King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: I think we think every campaign is very negative. You know, I mean I think that's just a fact of life in politics. And you know it is when you get -- when you throw your hat in the ring that that's what it's going to be like, especially for this big job, for president of the United States. But really for any political race. I mean ask anybody who runs for school board or -- you know, there is a part of a political race, the competitive part that is always a little bit nasty. And that's just the way it is. That's just competition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Excuse me. Our primetime coverage kicks off tonight. Anderson Cooper at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, Paula Zahn following at 8:00, Wolf Blitzer and the CNN election team handling our pre-debate show 8:30. And the final debate will air at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

The war in Iraq was a key point of contention in another political debate last night. Republican Alan Keyes and Democrat Barack Obama faced off as part of their Senate race in Illinois. Keyes said that the U.S. must feel free to use military force against other countries, even if it's not certain they're a danger to America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

ALAN KEYES (R-IL), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: You cannot give a soft response to a hard threat. It would be kind of like beating a bayonet with a spaghetti noodle. And it's not going to help the people of this country to survive. After 9/11, we were faced with a hard threat. We had lost thousands of people and we had to move aggressively.

BARACK OBAMA (D), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE, ILLINOIS: I think that this administration has not been very good at what's been called the exercise of soft power. All of us recognize and reserve the right of the United States to exercise its military power in the national interest and for national security. But we also have to recognize that a lot of our power comes from our ideals.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

KAGAN: Some Republicans are already distancing themselves from Alan Keyes. We're going to show you why in the next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY.

You're going to want to log on to cnn.com/americavotes before, during and after tonight's debate. We'll have fact checks, blogs, and a pundit's scorecard, and complete transcripts of the debate as well.

Fighting the flu in the face of a vaccine shortage. Hear how the government plans to keep the country healthy and how one family is struggling.

Plus, the job market is brighter than ever for people over 50. We'll look at the options.

And later, a very personal look at the fight against breast cancer. I'll share the story of my mom and some of our other CNN colleagues. Their mothers have faced breast cancer, including our Jacqui Jeras and her mother. They're along as well. We're back in a bit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's talk about flu shots now. Your best bet for avoiding the flu this year might turn out to be hope and good hygiene, such as washing your hands frequently. Millions upon millions of flu shots suddenly unavailable in the U.S.; federal health authorities say that those who need it the most will be the priority. However, compliance is voluntary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JULIE GERBERDING, DIRECTOR, CDC: We're asking clinicians and the people who are sponsoring clinics across the country to really try to screen people for these high-risk conditions. And again, it is the children between the ages of 6 and 23 months that we are worried about most, people with the chronic and serious medical conditions, and then people 65 and older. So those are fairly easy screening criteria. And we're hoping that folks will just cooperate with that. (END VIDEO CLIP)

So here's the deal. There simply may not be enough flu vaccine to go around this year, even to those at highest risk. Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen explains just locating the flu vaccine has become a shot in the dark.

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ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mike Saffold's life could depend on finding a flu shot. He has diabetes and he just had triple heart bypass surgery. So if he got the flu he could become extremely ill. But when he went to his family doctor, he was told no flu shots here. His office ordered 300 doses and received none.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just wanted to find out whether you guys have any flu vaccines, any -- nothing.

COHEN: And there's little hope of getting any more.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's still CVS and Publix (ph).

MIKE SAFFOLD, NEEDS FLU VACCINE: Yes, CVS.

COHEN: Worried about her husband, Mike's wife hits the phone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Due to a national flu vaccine shortage, CVS has suspended all flu shots clinics scheduled in our stores until further notice.

COHEN: But no luck.

(on camera): Mike's next stop was going to be he church, where every year the County Health Department comes and gives out flu shots. But then he found out not this year. Dekalb County in Georgia has had to canceled all of its flu shot clinics, hundreds of them, because of the shortage.

(voice-over): And that's the case around the country. The Senior Center in Onondaga County, New York, no flu shots. Vanderbilt Hospital in Tennessee, also no flu shots. New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital ordered 1500 shots, received none.

DR. LESTER CRAWFORD, FOOD & DRUG ADMIN.: Where it is important to remember we have faced influenza shortages in the past, we worked with our HHS colleagues, health officials and manufacturers on how to best use the limited supply.

COHEN: That's not good enough for some in Congress.

REP. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON (D), D.C. DELEGATE: Here we're sitting here wondering what are we going to do with no back-up plan. This is inexcusable.

COHEN: There are two possible solutions. Some experts say pay pharmaceutical companies more money to produce vaccine and the supply will increase. Another idea, let the government make the vaccine.

DR. JERRY AVORN, AUTHOR, "POWERFUL MEDICINES": You have some very smart scientists at NIH and at CDC who are perfectly capable of making the nation's vaccine supply so that this does not happen again.

COHEN: But both of these solutions would be years away, which leaves Mike Saffold still on the hunt for a flu shot and praying he doesn't get sick.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Tucker, Georgia.

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KAGAN: Other medical news for you now. Remember this little guy? Well, he and his brother are the Egyptian twins who were surgically separated a year ago on Tuesday. And as you can see in the new pictures, 3 year old Mohammed and Ahmed Ibrahim appear to be some very energetic boys. Doctors say the recovery is going well. The twins were joined at the tops of their heads and separated during a 34-hour procedure in Dallas.

And from twins to clones. Researchers at Harvard want to produce cloned human embryos. University scientists have asked the school for permission to clone the embryos for disease research. One expert says it is an attempt to study and possibly cure diseases. Harvard says it is being extremely careful in making a decision, weighing the ethical issues and other issues over this controversial area of study.

Is it constitutional to put teenage killers to death? That is the question the Supreme Court starts tackling today. We will look at the arguments. First though, if you can't decide whether you want to go back to work or stay at home, Gerri Willis might have some solutions for you.

Hi, Gerr.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, good morning. You know, if you are over 50, an at-home business may be more for you. We'll tell you more when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.

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KAGAN: All right. For most of your 50 plus years you've worked for someone else. Why not try working for yourself. Experts say older, experienced workers are in high demand, and opportunities abound for seniors who start their own business. Here with tips on how to get started is our Gerri Willis, live in New York City.

Gerri, good morning.

WILLIS: Hey, good morning, Daryn. Well, No. 1, you've got to hatch a plan. First things first. You've got to figure out exactly what kind of business to start. Have you spent a lifetime working and you want to put those skills to use? Start there. Maybe you have a hobby that you really love and you think you can make money off of it. That's another great way to go. But whatever you do, consider the bigger picture. There may be opportunities you haven't thought about because Americans are living longer.

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PAUL EDWARDS, AUTHOR: There will be 7 million people over 85 by the year 2020. And at that point in life, people need a lot of services. They need elder care, geriatric care managers. And many of these things -- these services for seniors are things that people can do from home.

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WILLIS: You know, it is not just elder care out there that is important. You've got to consider those busy Boomers in their 40s and early 50s who don't have time to make that cake. Maybe you should be a caterer. Maybe you should be a mobile notary. There are lots of opportunities because people are busy and may not have time to perform services they'd like to.

KAGAN: How do you know how much you're supposed to charge for your services?

WILLIS: It's tough to price yourself right. A lot of people say hey, go to the trade associations; figure out how much to charge. But you know, that doesn't really work if you are operating a very small business. You're much better off going to people who are these buying services in the community and figuring out what vendors are charging. That's a great place to start. But make sure that you do your research, start online, look there as well to find out what rivals are asking people to pony up.

KAGAN: And what about marketing? That's really important in business.

WILLIS: You know, marketing is very tough. If you are starting a very small business in your own community, think about your own personal network first: friends, family, social organizations may be in your hometown might be able to provide you with people to actually sell your services to. And if you are actually starting a business with something you're already doing in the business world, a professional service, you want to extend those contacts, romance those people you are already talking to so they'll buy from you specifically.

KAGAN: You know that old saying it takes money to make money?

WILLIS: Yes it does. It always takes money to make money. You got to know where to go for the dough to start up your own business. But you've got to start by asking, how much do you need?

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EDWARDS: The average business, according to the Small Business Administrations, to start, takes less than $5,000. So we're not talking about huge amounts of money. But with so many people living paycheck to paycheck, they may not have those funds. Which is a reason to look at all the possible sources of funding if your goal is to start a business.

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WILLIS: So go to the Small Business Administration. They provide micro loans for up to $35,000, short-term loans that can provide you money for start-up capital and anything else you're going to need to start up that home-based business.

KAGAN: And there are some scam artists that are going to want to take advantage of people out there.

WILLIS: Daryn, there are some really awful scam artists out there. They're selling work at home opportunities. And here is a red flag. If somebody asks you to pay for training, that means they are probably a scam artist. So watch out if you're starting your own business, you know, consult yourself. You're the best expert on what your own personal talents are, and go from there -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. Thank you so much.

WILLIS: Thank you.

KAGAN: And I want to show you live pictures from Seattle -- oh, well not from Seattle, from Mount St. Helens. Steam coming up. Live pictures thanks to our affiliates KPTV and KOIN looking at Mount St. Helens. Now, there have been weeks and weeks for earthquakes and the steam. For the first time -- and I don't think we've seen these pictures. But for the first time, we're starting to see a new lava dome that they're saying could even eclipse the volcano's old ones as the volcano -- as the earthquakes subside, more steam and more lava kind of finding the path of least resistance.

We're going to keep our eyes on these very cool, kind of cool, or hot pictures from the West Coast and Mount St. Helens in Washington State.

It is Round 3 of the debates and all bets have the candidates coming out swinging. We're going live back to Tempe, Arizona for a preview.

Plus, concerns that terrorists are choosing Canada as a place to hide out and recruit. We'll take a closer look just ahead.

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