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Bill Clinton Stumps for Kerry in Philadelphia; The Youth Vote; Some Flu Vaccinations Stolen and/or Have Gone Missing.

Aired October 25, 2004 - 11:30   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.


RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Exactly 30 minutes after the hour. Welcome back. Thanks for being here. I'm Rick Sanchez.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Daryn Kagan. Here's a look at what's happening right now in the news.

The White House says it was following standard intelligence protocol by not informing the public that 380 tons of explosives have vanished from a site near Baghdad. The facility was supposed to be under the control of U.S. forces. International authorities say the explosives are powerful enough to demolish buildings or detonate nuclear warheads.

Palestinian security sources tell CNN that at least 14 people have died in Israel's overnight strikes on a refugee camp in southern Gaza. Israel says it was responding to weekend mortar attacks launched from the camp. Israel's Parliament is to begin debate today on a proposal to withdraw all Israeli troops and Jewish settlers from Gaza.

A series of strong aftershocks have rumbled across Japan, rattling 100,000 left homeless by the initial tremor. The concern now includes the threat of mudslides from heavy rain. Saturday's earthquake killed at least 25 people and the country's deadliest tremor in a decade. More than 2,700 people were injured.

And back here in the U.S., gasoline prices have reached their highest level in four months. Bloomberg, a leading industry analyst, reports that the average U.S. retail price jumped a nickel over the past two weeks to more than $2 a gallon.

SANCHEZ: And we're going to turn our attention now to the final frenzied week of campaigning in the presidential race -- a little alliteration for you there.

New polls shows President Bush and Senator John Kerry locked in a statistical dead heat. Here's the actual numbers. It's a "Newsweek" poll -- 48 percent of likely voters choose President Bush, 46 percent choose Senator Kerry. The difference is within the margin of error. That's important.

Now, here's different. "TIME" magazine poll shows Mr. Bush leading by a wider margin, 51 percent compared to 46 percent for Mr. Kerry.

KAGAN: If you are counting, there are just eight days left until Election Day. The candidates in the presidential race are bringing out some big names and famous faces.

Our political editor John Mercurio is our big name for the hour. He's in Washington for our campaign countdown. John, good morning.

JOHN MERCURIO, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: Let's let the live pictures tell the story. First to Philadelphia -- already a lot of people gathering there looking to see John Kerry, who will appear with former President Bill Clinton, fresh off the operating table, practically.

MERCURIO: Exactly. This is the day that the Kerry campaign has been waiting a long time for -- seven weeks, in fact, since President Clinton announced that he was going to undergo quadruple bypass surgery.

The focus today is turnout. Bill Clinton is perceived favorably by about 54 percent of America, unfavorable by 43. So, you're talking not necessarily to the swing voters but to your base -- to the Democratic base, particularly to African-American voters. A big turnout in Philadelphia, what's what helped Al Gore in 2000 overcome George Bush in Pennsylvania.

And I think they're looking for the same thing, not just, obviously, in Philadelphia, but across the country.

KAGAN: But here's the one concern. When you show up with Bill Clinton, he outshines everybody at the podium.

MERCURIO: He does. He does tend to do that. I think -- I talked to a Kerry campaign aide on Friday about that specific point. And she said it's a small price we're willing to pay. You know, a lot of people, I think, frankly outshine John Kerry on the stump, but he's gotten used to that, I think. And so, I think he's willing to stand on the same stage with Bill Clinton today.

KAGAN: With the 21 electoral votes up for grabs in Pennsylvania, they're willing to do what it takes to get those votes up.

Let's head west to Colorado -- Aurora, Colorado. President Bush will be appearing later this hour with the former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Of course, that's Mrs. Bush there by his side as they arrive in Aurora.

MERCURIO: Right. And I think Mrs. Giuliani is actually also there with them, as well.

You know, Rudy Giuliani remains sort of the most unimpeachable voice on the war on terror. He was the mayor of New York on 9/11. He led the city out of the terrorist attacks. And I think he's actually a very good person for the president to have with him today, especially with these reports that we're talking about this morning about these missing explosives. I think the president's campaign is responding to that pretty vigorously. The Kerry campaign, obviously, on the attack, as well.

I think it's a good thing -- it's sort of a blessing that they had this prearranged campaign appearance scheduled.

KAGAN: And ahead on the docket, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California governor, will be appearing on President Bush's behalf.

MERCURIO: Yes. Well, this is the one campaign appearance that the governor of California is going to be making on behalf of the president, other than, of course, the convention speech that he gave.

He's doing it in Ohio, which he calls his second home. He campaigned for the president's father there in 1988 and 1992. It couldn't come at a better time. Obviously, there's new polls out this weekend that show that President Bush is actually trailing John Kerry in Ohio, something he hadn't been doing for a long time.

So, a very rare appearance from Arnold Schwarzenegger in a very important state, probably the most important weekend of the campaign.

KAGAN: John Mercurio, thanks for stopping by.

MERCURIO: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: With the election in the home stretch, CNN's Richard Quest has been traveling to some of the battleground states, trying to give us his unique take on American politics.

His first stop was a college campus in Madison, Wisconsin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ready, go!

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a political tug of war -- quite literally.

In the last few days before this bruising election, Republicans and Democrat students like to get a bit physical. Wisconsin's another of these battleground states. The parties are pretty much evenly tied. The university here at Madison is a giant, with more than 40,000 students.

And the college has a famous history of activism. In the 1960s, the campus blew up in riots against the Vietnam War. Today's students are far more moderate.

(on camera): Why are we not seeing the student body activists? This country is divided. And yet, on these campuses, business as normal.

PROF. JAMES COOPER, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON: I think the students themselves are -- first of all, they're of mixed minds. Many of them are of mixed minds, the ones who are in the middle.

And I'm not sure there's any one issue yet that really brings them out, that really they feel a stake in. But there is a potential issue, there is something that could do it. If you want to see Madison look again the way it did in the late 1960s at that one time, head-up activists leaning left: the draft.

QUEST (voice-over): So, Professor Cooper invited me to meet his politics students.

(on camera): How many of you in this room are politically active in this election? Do we agree it's about 30, 40 percent?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's like a big division between Republicans and Democrats. And I think that with the issues in Iraq, there is -- people are just really angry, especially like I think that people are more politically active this election than they have been in a really long time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, our peer group is the one fighting out there in Iraq -- and being drafted possibly -- or being out there right now dying for our country.

QUEST: What are you worried about?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm worried that the war kind of sets a precedent that America can pick a fight wherever it wants to and doesn't really need an active cause to go around killing people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I'm 19. So, it's like the first time I actually get to make a difference.

QUEST (voice-over): If today's students do seem more laid back, it doesn't mean they aren't ready to take part. An evening debate attracted a much larger crowd than the organizers had planned. And all views were here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got involved in the Nader campaign because I wanted to make the vote for social justice as strong as humanly possible in this campaign.

QUEST: The students at Madison are probably pretty representative of students over the rest of the country. They came to listen to the politics, but they stayed to eat the pizza.

And back at the homecoming picnic, one candidate that could probably sweep the university -- Bucky, the university mascot.

(on camera): What are your policies, Bucky?

(voice-over): A giant badger for president? Now there's a thought.

Richard Quest, CNN, Madison, Wisconsin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Who better to do a story like that?

KAGAN: That's why we bring him in. That's why we import him from time to time.

SANCHEZ: ... with that mascot.

Well, whoever thought it would come do this? Hundreds of doses of flu vaccines stolen from clinics all over the country. We're going to talk about what it means for those clinics and for the rest of us.

KAGAN: And some scary moments for a champion figure skater. We'll show you what happened and how she's doing today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Taking a shot at easing the flu vaccine shortage -- The governor of Illinois says he has inked a tentative deal with British wholesalers to purchase at least 30,000 flu vaccinations. Governor Rod Blagojevich says that the potential purchase must still be approved by federal regulators. State officials say they have 35,000 doses of the flu vaccine so far, but the extra vaccinations would help cover nearly 100,000 nursing home residents across the state.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, and guess what? The situation seems to be getting even worse. Something else is happening now. Some of the vaccinations on hand have been stolen or have now gone missing. Hello!

Elizabeth Cohen joins us now with news about these latest incidents. Boy, from bad to worse?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Can you believe it? I mean, what kind of a person would steal flu shots that were bound for elderly people in nursing homes? I mean, you got to wonder what were they thinking.

Anyhow, the biggest incident of supposedly stolen flu shots seems to be in California in Merced County. There were about 900 doses of flu shots stolen from a clinic there. There were about 600 stolen from a pediatric office in Colorado, and about 100 doses apparently stolen from a clinic -- a homeless clinic -- clinic for the homeless in Baltimore.

Now, how do you know if the flu shot that you might be getting is stolen or not? Well, there are a couple of things you can look for. First of all, if they want to charge you more than $30, that's probably the first sign that you should just say no to that flu vaccine because they are doing it for the money. They're not doing it because they think you really need it.

Also, if it's offered over the Internet, you should just say no. You should only be getting it from a health practicer in the flesh.

Now, the reason you want to just say no, it's not just an ethical thing, it's also a health thing. Flu shots need to be kept refrigerated. If it is stolen merchandise, you don't know if it's been refrigerated. You don't know where it's been.

SANCHEZ: Especially you've been talking about -- it's a shot. I mean...

COHEN: Right. You want to be really careful.

SANCHEZ: It's something that's going into your system.

COHEN: Know the person you're getting your flu shot from.

SANCHEZ: Good advice.

And of course, to get your "Daily Dose" of health news, you can go online. Log onto our Web site, and you'll find the latest medical news, a health library, and information on diet and fitness. The address is cnn.com/health.

KAGAN: Well, next time you're at the market, you might want to pick up tomatoes.

SANCHEZ: Tomatoes -- see that was the way I say it in Atlanta.

KAGAN: Or tomatoes.

SANCHEZ: Rhonda Schaffler explains next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Take a look at this crowd. These people are there because Bill Clinton will soon be there. And no, not all of them are reporters. These are people -- in fact, one of our correspondents told us there are even some Republicans on hand who just want to see how the former president is doing.

Mr. Clinton comes out at 1:00 p.m., we're told, and we'll certainly cover it for you right here on CNN.

KAGAN: And we're also covering the rally in Aurora, Colorado, where President Bush has Rudy Giuliani by his side.

We are checking on stocks, and Rhonda Schaffler is doing that for us. Hi, Rhonda.

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

SANCHEZ: Thanks a lot, Rhonda.

KAGAN: Nightmare on ice -- a frightening fall for a champion ice skater. We got a chance to talk with her. That's is just ahead.

SANCHEZ: She's tough.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

KAGAN: And we do have breaking news on Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Getting information he's currently in the hospital receiving medical attention.

SANCHEZ: John King is joining us now from Davenport, Iowa, to give us a sense of the seriousness of this. John, what do we know at this point.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick, we know that two senior government officials tell us the Chief Justice of the United States, 78-year-old William Rehnquist, is at Bethesda Naval Hospital in suburban Washington undergoing treatment for cancer. Sources tell our Barbara Starr and Jamie McIntyre that it is thyroid cancer.

These two senior government officials I spoke to a short time ago said that the chief justice -- his treatment was for a serious condition. They would not elaborate further. Obviously, the health of the chief justice, a major issue in any event. A little more than a week from the election, it could have an impact on the political campaigning, as well.

But again, Chief Justice Rehnquist is 78-years-old, and we are told he checked himself in a few days ago for treatment for cancer. Again, some of our sources saying it is thyroid cancer. And we are led to believe that there will be a statement from the court after our inquiries about this within the next hour or so -- Rick?

SANCHEZ: Sounds, John, like something sudden happened that caused him to go to the hospital. Is that what it seems like at this point, aside from the cancer situation?

KING: There have been questions about the chief justice's health going back several years. Many of the justices are in their 70s. He, again, is 78-years-old. And obviously, he found reason to go for medical treatment and then was told he needed to check himself into Bethesda Naval.

We're trying to get more details on his condition -- this word just coming to us. We're trying to work our sources to get more information. But he's a 78-year-old man who's had some health problems in the past. And obviously any treatment for cancer would be quite a serious issue.

KAGAN: And John, having two issues here, of course -- the health of a chief justice being of the number one concern, but hard to get away from the fact that we are eight days before this presidential election and a top concern for many people in deciding who they're going to vote for. How many Supreme Court seats could come up over the next administration?

KING: Many are surprised, Daryn, that President George W. Bush did not get a Supreme Court pick in his first term as president. Senator Kerry and the Democrats have tried to make this an issue in the campaign. President Bush himself, campaigning especially in the rural Midwestern states where I am today in Iowa, have talked about the culture of life, making clear (INAUDIBLE) the Democrats have said, President Bush, if he gets more Supreme Court picks, could tilt the court in favor of trying to reverse Roe v. Wade.

In the case of a chief justice, were to chief justice to step down or, God forbid, were his situation more serious than that, obviously the next president of the United States would be picking a new chief justice for the court. But we obviously don't want to get out ahead of ourselves in that regard. We hope the chief justice's condition is not so dire.

But yes, there's a week left in the election, and this word will certainly add to the political debate. And it is sometimes a very contentious political debate over the federal courts and who should be the next president of the United States to appoint not only Supreme Court justices, but perhaps lower federal court justices, as well.

KAGAN: All right. John King in Davenport, Iowa, thank you for the latest on that. We have more?

SANCHEZ: Yeah. As you imagine, when a story like this breaks, we here at CNN will try to mobilize as many correspondents as we can to bring you the very latest information.

In fact, to weigh in on this now, we have Barbara Starr, our Pentagon correspondent, also covering this story. Barbara, over to you.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick, as this very sad news about the chief justice breaks around Washington, what we are learning is that he was admitted on Friday to the intensive care unit at Bethesda Naval Hospital just outside of Washington, D.C.

Now, that naval hospital has the very specific facilities to treat VIPs, government VIPs. They have a very secure ward. They have the kind of security and confidentiality at Bethesda Naval Hospital that is required for the highest officials in the government.

Of course, the president of the United States often going there for regular medical checkups by the Navy staff. It's very similar to Walter Reed Army Hospital here in Washington, another facility that has secure confidential ability to care for the highest government officials in the -- any administration outside of the public eye.

We are led to understand that the chief justice remains in the ICU unit at this hour and that indeed he is being treated for cancer of the trachea -- a very difficult treatment, we are told, but we are being given no confidential patient information, of course, about his condition. This entire word just beginning to circulate around Washington at this hour, Rick.

SANCHEZ: And we were also trying to find out -- we were talking to John King just moments ago, regarding what his condition may have been when he was taken. I ask only to find out if there's been any information on that. We don't know that yet, do we, Barbara?

STARR: Well, we certainly don't. I have to tell you, this word began breaking around Washington within the last hour or so and has caught many, many people by surprise.

As everyone knows, the justices of the Supreme Court are the last remnant of the government that lives largely outside the public eye and away from media scrutiny. So, we simply don't know if the justice had been suffering from this medical condition previously. They live very private lives here in Washington, and we simply don't know. This word coming as some surprise in many circles around Washington, Rick. KAGAN: And keeping in mind, Barbara, that we have obviously many different branches of government we're dealing with here. You at the Pentagon, John King saying the Supreme Court may be playing catch up with reporters at this point, expecting an official announcement sometime over the next hour.

Have you have been able to hear anything like that?

STARR: We have heard similar word. That word also circulating through government agencies at this hour, that the Supreme Court, we are told, will be making an announcement quite shortly, we are led to believe. Which -- there are legal reporters who cover the court who know this much better than me, so I'm going to defer to them.

But it's -- the court does not typically put out a lot of public announcements, of course, about anything other than their legal decisions. So, this, of course, quite unusual. And I think people around Washington are going to be watching very closely through the day -- Daryn?

KAGAN: Certainly a lot of concern, not only in Washington, but clear across the country for the chief justice. Barbara, thank you for that.

Once again, our breaking news, that Chief Justice William Rehnquist has been admitted to Bethesda Naval Hospital for treatment for cancer.

SANCHEZ: He's been the chief justice of the United States since 1986, 16th chief justice of the United States -- very prominent role, as most of you, I'm sure, remember, during the impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton, which the entire nation got to see.

Other than that, as Barbara mentioned, oftentimes we in the public don't see justices of the United States in those prominent roles.

KAGAN: We are going to stay with this story. Wolf Blitzer is in New York City today, and he takes over -- Wolf?

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired October 25, 2004 - 11:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Exactly 30 minutes after the hour. Welcome back. Thanks for being here. I'm Rick Sanchez.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Daryn Kagan. Here's a look at what's happening right now in the news.

The White House says it was following standard intelligence protocol by not informing the public that 380 tons of explosives have vanished from a site near Baghdad. The facility was supposed to be under the control of U.S. forces. International authorities say the explosives are powerful enough to demolish buildings or detonate nuclear warheads.

Palestinian security sources tell CNN that at least 14 people have died in Israel's overnight strikes on a refugee camp in southern Gaza. Israel says it was responding to weekend mortar attacks launched from the camp. Israel's Parliament is to begin debate today on a proposal to withdraw all Israeli troops and Jewish settlers from Gaza.

A series of strong aftershocks have rumbled across Japan, rattling 100,000 left homeless by the initial tremor. The concern now includes the threat of mudslides from heavy rain. Saturday's earthquake killed at least 25 people and the country's deadliest tremor in a decade. More than 2,700 people were injured.

And back here in the U.S., gasoline prices have reached their highest level in four months. Bloomberg, a leading industry analyst, reports that the average U.S. retail price jumped a nickel over the past two weeks to more than $2 a gallon.

SANCHEZ: And we're going to turn our attention now to the final frenzied week of campaigning in the presidential race -- a little alliteration for you there.

New polls shows President Bush and Senator John Kerry locked in a statistical dead heat. Here's the actual numbers. It's a "Newsweek" poll -- 48 percent of likely voters choose President Bush, 46 percent choose Senator Kerry. The difference is within the margin of error. That's important.

Now, here's different. "TIME" magazine poll shows Mr. Bush leading by a wider margin, 51 percent compared to 46 percent for Mr. Kerry.

KAGAN: If you are counting, there are just eight days left until Election Day. The candidates in the presidential race are bringing out some big names and famous faces.

Our political editor John Mercurio is our big name for the hour. He's in Washington for our campaign countdown. John, good morning.

JOHN MERCURIO, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: Let's let the live pictures tell the story. First to Philadelphia -- already a lot of people gathering there looking to see John Kerry, who will appear with former President Bill Clinton, fresh off the operating table, practically.

MERCURIO: Exactly. This is the day that the Kerry campaign has been waiting a long time for -- seven weeks, in fact, since President Clinton announced that he was going to undergo quadruple bypass surgery.

The focus today is turnout. Bill Clinton is perceived favorably by about 54 percent of America, unfavorable by 43. So, you're talking not necessarily to the swing voters but to your base -- to the Democratic base, particularly to African-American voters. A big turnout in Philadelphia, what's what helped Al Gore in 2000 overcome George Bush in Pennsylvania.

And I think they're looking for the same thing, not just, obviously, in Philadelphia, but across the country.

KAGAN: But here's the one concern. When you show up with Bill Clinton, he outshines everybody at the podium.

MERCURIO: He does. He does tend to do that. I think -- I talked to a Kerry campaign aide on Friday about that specific point. And she said it's a small price we're willing to pay. You know, a lot of people, I think, frankly outshine John Kerry on the stump, but he's gotten used to that, I think. And so, I think he's willing to stand on the same stage with Bill Clinton today.

KAGAN: With the 21 electoral votes up for grabs in Pennsylvania, they're willing to do what it takes to get those votes up.

Let's head west to Colorado -- Aurora, Colorado. President Bush will be appearing later this hour with the former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Of course, that's Mrs. Bush there by his side as they arrive in Aurora.

MERCURIO: Right. And I think Mrs. Giuliani is actually also there with them, as well.

You know, Rudy Giuliani remains sort of the most unimpeachable voice on the war on terror. He was the mayor of New York on 9/11. He led the city out of the terrorist attacks. And I think he's actually a very good person for the president to have with him today, especially with these reports that we're talking about this morning about these missing explosives. I think the president's campaign is responding to that pretty vigorously. The Kerry campaign, obviously, on the attack, as well.

I think it's a good thing -- it's sort of a blessing that they had this prearranged campaign appearance scheduled.

KAGAN: And ahead on the docket, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California governor, will be appearing on President Bush's behalf.

MERCURIO: Yes. Well, this is the one campaign appearance that the governor of California is going to be making on behalf of the president, other than, of course, the convention speech that he gave.

He's doing it in Ohio, which he calls his second home. He campaigned for the president's father there in 1988 and 1992. It couldn't come at a better time. Obviously, there's new polls out this weekend that show that President Bush is actually trailing John Kerry in Ohio, something he hadn't been doing for a long time.

So, a very rare appearance from Arnold Schwarzenegger in a very important state, probably the most important weekend of the campaign.

KAGAN: John Mercurio, thanks for stopping by.

MERCURIO: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: With the election in the home stretch, CNN's Richard Quest has been traveling to some of the battleground states, trying to give us his unique take on American politics.

His first stop was a college campus in Madison, Wisconsin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ready, go!

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a political tug of war -- quite literally.

In the last few days before this bruising election, Republicans and Democrat students like to get a bit physical. Wisconsin's another of these battleground states. The parties are pretty much evenly tied. The university here at Madison is a giant, with more than 40,000 students.

And the college has a famous history of activism. In the 1960s, the campus blew up in riots against the Vietnam War. Today's students are far more moderate.

(on camera): Why are we not seeing the student body activists? This country is divided. And yet, on these campuses, business as normal.

PROF. JAMES COOPER, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON: I think the students themselves are -- first of all, they're of mixed minds. Many of them are of mixed minds, the ones who are in the middle.

And I'm not sure there's any one issue yet that really brings them out, that really they feel a stake in. But there is a potential issue, there is something that could do it. If you want to see Madison look again the way it did in the late 1960s at that one time, head-up activists leaning left: the draft.

QUEST (voice-over): So, Professor Cooper invited me to meet his politics students.

(on camera): How many of you in this room are politically active in this election? Do we agree it's about 30, 40 percent?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's like a big division between Republicans and Democrats. And I think that with the issues in Iraq, there is -- people are just really angry, especially like I think that people are more politically active this election than they have been in a really long time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, our peer group is the one fighting out there in Iraq -- and being drafted possibly -- or being out there right now dying for our country.

QUEST: What are you worried about?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm worried that the war kind of sets a precedent that America can pick a fight wherever it wants to and doesn't really need an active cause to go around killing people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I'm 19. So, it's like the first time I actually get to make a difference.

QUEST (voice-over): If today's students do seem more laid back, it doesn't mean they aren't ready to take part. An evening debate attracted a much larger crowd than the organizers had planned. And all views were here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got involved in the Nader campaign because I wanted to make the vote for social justice as strong as humanly possible in this campaign.

QUEST: The students at Madison are probably pretty representative of students over the rest of the country. They came to listen to the politics, but they stayed to eat the pizza.

And back at the homecoming picnic, one candidate that could probably sweep the university -- Bucky, the university mascot.

(on camera): What are your policies, Bucky?

(voice-over): A giant badger for president? Now there's a thought.

Richard Quest, CNN, Madison, Wisconsin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Who better to do a story like that?

KAGAN: That's why we bring him in. That's why we import him from time to time.

SANCHEZ: ... with that mascot.

Well, whoever thought it would come do this? Hundreds of doses of flu vaccines stolen from clinics all over the country. We're going to talk about what it means for those clinics and for the rest of us.

KAGAN: And some scary moments for a champion figure skater. We'll show you what happened and how she's doing today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Taking a shot at easing the flu vaccine shortage -- The governor of Illinois says he has inked a tentative deal with British wholesalers to purchase at least 30,000 flu vaccinations. Governor Rod Blagojevich says that the potential purchase must still be approved by federal regulators. State officials say they have 35,000 doses of the flu vaccine so far, but the extra vaccinations would help cover nearly 100,000 nursing home residents across the state.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, and guess what? The situation seems to be getting even worse. Something else is happening now. Some of the vaccinations on hand have been stolen or have now gone missing. Hello!

Elizabeth Cohen joins us now with news about these latest incidents. Boy, from bad to worse?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Can you believe it? I mean, what kind of a person would steal flu shots that were bound for elderly people in nursing homes? I mean, you got to wonder what were they thinking.

Anyhow, the biggest incident of supposedly stolen flu shots seems to be in California in Merced County. There were about 900 doses of flu shots stolen from a clinic there. There were about 600 stolen from a pediatric office in Colorado, and about 100 doses apparently stolen from a clinic -- a homeless clinic -- clinic for the homeless in Baltimore.

Now, how do you know if the flu shot that you might be getting is stolen or not? Well, there are a couple of things you can look for. First of all, if they want to charge you more than $30, that's probably the first sign that you should just say no to that flu vaccine because they are doing it for the money. They're not doing it because they think you really need it.

Also, if it's offered over the Internet, you should just say no. You should only be getting it from a health practicer in the flesh.

Now, the reason you want to just say no, it's not just an ethical thing, it's also a health thing. Flu shots need to be kept refrigerated. If it is stolen merchandise, you don't know if it's been refrigerated. You don't know where it's been.

SANCHEZ: Especially you've been talking about -- it's a shot. I mean...

COHEN: Right. You want to be really careful.

SANCHEZ: It's something that's going into your system.

COHEN: Know the person you're getting your flu shot from.

SANCHEZ: Good advice.

And of course, to get your "Daily Dose" of health news, you can go online. Log onto our Web site, and you'll find the latest medical news, a health library, and information on diet and fitness. The address is cnn.com/health.

KAGAN: Well, next time you're at the market, you might want to pick up tomatoes.

SANCHEZ: Tomatoes -- see that was the way I say it in Atlanta.

KAGAN: Or tomatoes.

SANCHEZ: Rhonda Schaffler explains next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Take a look at this crowd. These people are there because Bill Clinton will soon be there. And no, not all of them are reporters. These are people -- in fact, one of our correspondents told us there are even some Republicans on hand who just want to see how the former president is doing.

Mr. Clinton comes out at 1:00 p.m., we're told, and we'll certainly cover it for you right here on CNN.

KAGAN: And we're also covering the rally in Aurora, Colorado, where President Bush has Rudy Giuliani by his side.

We are checking on stocks, and Rhonda Schaffler is doing that for us. Hi, Rhonda.

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SANCHEZ: Thanks a lot, Rhonda.

KAGAN: Nightmare on ice -- a frightening fall for a champion ice skater. We got a chance to talk with her. That's is just ahead.

SANCHEZ: She's tough.

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

KAGAN: And we do have breaking news on Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Getting information he's currently in the hospital receiving medical attention.

SANCHEZ: John King is joining us now from Davenport, Iowa, to give us a sense of the seriousness of this. John, what do we know at this point.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick, we know that two senior government officials tell us the Chief Justice of the United States, 78-year-old William Rehnquist, is at Bethesda Naval Hospital in suburban Washington undergoing treatment for cancer. Sources tell our Barbara Starr and Jamie McIntyre that it is thyroid cancer.

These two senior government officials I spoke to a short time ago said that the chief justice -- his treatment was for a serious condition. They would not elaborate further. Obviously, the health of the chief justice, a major issue in any event. A little more than a week from the election, it could have an impact on the political campaigning, as well.

But again, Chief Justice Rehnquist is 78-years-old, and we are told he checked himself in a few days ago for treatment for cancer. Again, some of our sources saying it is thyroid cancer. And we are led to believe that there will be a statement from the court after our inquiries about this within the next hour or so -- Rick?

SANCHEZ: Sounds, John, like something sudden happened that caused him to go to the hospital. Is that what it seems like at this point, aside from the cancer situation?

KING: There have been questions about the chief justice's health going back several years. Many of the justices are in their 70s. He, again, is 78-years-old. And obviously, he found reason to go for medical treatment and then was told he needed to check himself into Bethesda Naval.

We're trying to get more details on his condition -- this word just coming to us. We're trying to work our sources to get more information. But he's a 78-year-old man who's had some health problems in the past. And obviously any treatment for cancer would be quite a serious issue.

KAGAN: And John, having two issues here, of course -- the health of a chief justice being of the number one concern, but hard to get away from the fact that we are eight days before this presidential election and a top concern for many people in deciding who they're going to vote for. How many Supreme Court seats could come up over the next administration?

KING: Many are surprised, Daryn, that President George W. Bush did not get a Supreme Court pick in his first term as president. Senator Kerry and the Democrats have tried to make this an issue in the campaign. President Bush himself, campaigning especially in the rural Midwestern states where I am today in Iowa, have talked about the culture of life, making clear (INAUDIBLE) the Democrats have said, President Bush, if he gets more Supreme Court picks, could tilt the court in favor of trying to reverse Roe v. Wade.

In the case of a chief justice, were to chief justice to step down or, God forbid, were his situation more serious than that, obviously the next president of the United States would be picking a new chief justice for the court. But we obviously don't want to get out ahead of ourselves in that regard. We hope the chief justice's condition is not so dire.

But yes, there's a week left in the election, and this word will certainly add to the political debate. And it is sometimes a very contentious political debate over the federal courts and who should be the next president of the United States to appoint not only Supreme Court justices, but perhaps lower federal court justices, as well.

KAGAN: All right. John King in Davenport, Iowa, thank you for the latest on that. We have more?

SANCHEZ: Yeah. As you imagine, when a story like this breaks, we here at CNN will try to mobilize as many correspondents as we can to bring you the very latest information.

In fact, to weigh in on this now, we have Barbara Starr, our Pentagon correspondent, also covering this story. Barbara, over to you.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick, as this very sad news about the chief justice breaks around Washington, what we are learning is that he was admitted on Friday to the intensive care unit at Bethesda Naval Hospital just outside of Washington, D.C.

Now, that naval hospital has the very specific facilities to treat VIPs, government VIPs. They have a very secure ward. They have the kind of security and confidentiality at Bethesda Naval Hospital that is required for the highest officials in the government.

Of course, the president of the United States often going there for regular medical checkups by the Navy staff. It's very similar to Walter Reed Army Hospital here in Washington, another facility that has secure confidential ability to care for the highest government officials in the -- any administration outside of the public eye.

We are led to understand that the chief justice remains in the ICU unit at this hour and that indeed he is being treated for cancer of the trachea -- a very difficult treatment, we are told, but we are being given no confidential patient information, of course, about his condition. This entire word just beginning to circulate around Washington at this hour, Rick.

SANCHEZ: And we were also trying to find out -- we were talking to John King just moments ago, regarding what his condition may have been when he was taken. I ask only to find out if there's been any information on that. We don't know that yet, do we, Barbara?

STARR: Well, we certainly don't. I have to tell you, this word began breaking around Washington within the last hour or so and has caught many, many people by surprise.

As everyone knows, the justices of the Supreme Court are the last remnant of the government that lives largely outside the public eye and away from media scrutiny. So, we simply don't know if the justice had been suffering from this medical condition previously. They live very private lives here in Washington, and we simply don't know. This word coming as some surprise in many circles around Washington, Rick. KAGAN: And keeping in mind, Barbara, that we have obviously many different branches of government we're dealing with here. You at the Pentagon, John King saying the Supreme Court may be playing catch up with reporters at this point, expecting an official announcement sometime over the next hour.

Have you have been able to hear anything like that?

STARR: We have heard similar word. That word also circulating through government agencies at this hour, that the Supreme Court, we are told, will be making an announcement quite shortly, we are led to believe. Which -- there are legal reporters who cover the court who know this much better than me, so I'm going to defer to them.

But it's -- the court does not typically put out a lot of public announcements, of course, about anything other than their legal decisions. So, this, of course, quite unusual. And I think people around Washington are going to be watching very closely through the day -- Daryn?

KAGAN: Certainly a lot of concern, not only in Washington, but clear across the country for the chief justice. Barbara, thank you for that.

Once again, our breaking news, that Chief Justice William Rehnquist has been admitted to Bethesda Naval Hospital for treatment for cancer.

SANCHEZ: He's been the chief justice of the United States since 1986, 16th chief justice of the United States -- very prominent role, as most of you, I'm sure, remember, during the impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton, which the entire nation got to see.

Other than that, as Barbara mentioned, oftentimes we in the public don't see justices of the United States in those prominent roles.

KAGAN: We are going to stay with this story. Wolf Blitzer is in New York City today, and he takes over -- Wolf?

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