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Bush and Kerry Campaign in Wisconsin; Zarqawi Associate Killed in Raid; Israeli Lawmakers Plan Approval of Gaza Withdrawal

Aired October 26, 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: Let's go ahead and take a look at what's happening now in the news.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: The presidential campaigns are converging on Wisconsin today. There you see a shot of Mr. -- of President Bush. He arrived in the Showdown State last night. Today he starts a bus tour of western Wisconsin into Iowa. It's a live picture. We're going to getting back to it in just a little bit.

Here's another live picture. This is Democratic nominee, John Kerry, who is going to be at that very same podium in just a little bit. He's going to be in eastern Wisconsin. He's appearing on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. The state has 10 electoral votes at stake. And yes, it is one of the states that's being challenged.

Elections officials in Afghanistan say U.S.-backed leader Hamid Karzai has apparently won that country's presidential contest. The results, which are not yet official, show President Karzai capturing 55 percent of the vote. Elections officials say the results are trickling in from remote provinces and an investigation is continuing into claims of voter fraud.

Israeli lawmakers appear on the verge of approving a historic withdrawal from Gaza. The pullout of Israeli troops and settlers would clear land the Palestinians are seeking for statehood; the plan is backed by the U.S. and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Also, NASA's Cassini spacecraft is now attempting to pierce a veil of fog that's surrounding Saturn's moon, Titan. The pass would put Cassini within 745 miles of Titan's surface. The closest ever to this icy moon. The spacecraft has cut off communications during its approach.

KAGAN: And good morning, everyone. I'm Daryn Kagan.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. Just one week until the election and working hard to get out the vote on both sides.

KAGAN: And once again we are tracking both candidates. You see they're both in Wisconsin today. Of course that's President Bush in the lower part of your screen. He's in Onalaska. And you will soon be seeing Senator John Kerry appearing at the event in Green Bay. We'll be dipping in and checking in on both events as the day progresses. SANCHEZ: John Kerry kicks off another leg of the political marathon, hitting four key states in three time zones on this day. Today's 3,000-mile trip takes him from Wisconsin to Nevada, then New Mexico and then Iowa, for those of you that are keeping track.

I know somebody that is. CNN's Kelly Wallace, she's in Green Bay, Wisconsin with a look at the senator's message.

Kelly, good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Rick. And the senator beginning here in Wisconsin, a state Al Gore narrowly won back in 2000. And just moments from now, he will be delivering what the campaign is calling his final closing argument speech. His focus will be on homeland security.

Most of the speech, though, focusing on the president's handling of the war in Iraq. Some very sharp attacks coming from Mr. Kerry, and continued questions about the report about missing explosives in Iraq.

This is all part of this campaign strategy, knowing that the president has been holding an advantage on national security, this campaign trying to eliminate that advantage in these seven days.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): In Macomb County, Michigan last night, home of the highly coveted Reagan Democrats, Senator John Kerry losing his voice, but not his focus. This was the message of the day.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The unbelievable incompetence again and again of this administration, and this president has put our troops and our country at greater risk. George Bush has failed the essential test of a commander in chief.

(CHEERING)

WALLACE: The senator, in his speech today, expected to continue hammering away at the president over missing explosives in Iraq, trying to convince undecided voters the war has increased the dangers for Americans.

KERRY: He is somebody who brags about making America safer, but once again, the president has failed to deliver.

WALLACE: A constant story line of this campaign, illustrated in the latest polls, Senator Kerry trailing the president by nearly 20 points when voters are asked who can better handle terrorism. Camp Kerry's goal in the final week, narrowing the gap with tough rhetoric...

KERRY: Now, this administration has failed to make the American people safer.

WALLACE: ... and new faces on the stump. One of the September 11 widows traveling with Elizabeth Edwards in Minnesota yesterday. This though, the photo-op of the day as far as Team Kerry was concerned. Former President Clinton turning out tens of thousands of downtown Philadelphia and later in Miami, trying to fire up Democrats to get out and vote.

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON (D), FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Remember, we won the state the last two times. They just didn't count them last time. We can win it again. Let's go for it three in a row.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE (on camera): And former President Clinton will be stumping again today in Florida. As for Senator Kerry, after he finishes his speech here in Green Bay we expect him to get to the podium just moments from now, he heads west to Nevada and New Mexico -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: I imagine he's going to be using both former President Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore, as well. Will we see both of those on the campaign in the days to come?

WALLACE: Well, you're definitely going to see more and more of former President Clinton, because in addition to Florida and Pennsylvania yesterday, he'll be heading west to Nevada and New Mexico. And Rick, his home state of Arkansas, which Kerry advisers now say is suddenly very close. As for Al Gore, he was out this weekend in Florida. Not clear if he'll be doing any more stumping in the days ahead.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much. Kelly Wallace there with the Kerry campaign.

Now, both George Bush and John Kerry have almost identical favorable ratings at this point. We've checked and the latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup shows the ratings hovering around 50 percent. That's for both. That mark indicates that just about the only people who like the candidates are those who are already planning to vote for them.

KAGAN: Meanwhile, President Bush also in Wisconsin. He is speaking live right now in Onalaska in Wisconsin. Our Suzanne Malveaux is with him. We're going to be checking with her as soon as the president wraps up his comments. And she'll bring you the highlights from that.

As an expected record turnout, new voters, new machines, provisional ballots, perhaps most importantly not enough poll workers.

Our Dan Lothian has a story that could be recipe for a very difficult election day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The help wanted sign for trained poll workers is hanging across America.

DEFOREST SOARIES, U.S. ELECTION ASSIST. COMM.: And except in a few scant places, we have more need for poll workers than we have poll workers.

LOTHIAN: Several hundred thousand fewer people on hand than the 2 million desired. Election watchers say the shortage is rooted in apathy, and an aging pool of poll workers.

DOUG CHAPIN, DIR., ELECTIONONLINE.ORG: I've seen studies that say that the average age of the American poll worker is early 70s. Given that, you already are facing a declining population of available poll workers.

LOTHIAN: With questions about provisional ballots, concerns over new electronic voting machines, new identification requirements...

(on camera): ... and a tight race, which many experts predict, will result in a record turnout; federal officials say a shortage could be the No. 1 election hurdle this year. The concern boils down to this. Insufficient quality help to handle long lines, prevent confusion, or void any mistakes.

SOARIES: Our system of democracy can't exist unless we have volunteers who work at the polls.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): The Election Assistance Commission is going back to school to find a new generation of recruits, hitting college campuses hard with the help of a grant of more than $600,000. And in key battleground states like Pennsylvania, where every vote will be magnified, and where some poll workers are feeling the pressure...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want it to be right. No mistakes.

LOTHIAN: ... an aggressive effort is under way...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Make sure that they are available.

LOTHIAN: ... to ensure poll workers are ready.

JANE ERVIN, EXECUTIVE, LEHIGH COUNTY, PA: Getting trained on some of the new rules and regulations that are in place for this election.

LOTHIAN: This class is in Allentown.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they're not in that book, then we just don't need to really call you to see if they're registered, correct?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's correct.

LOTHIAN: The federal government says it has never been as involved as it is now in helping local and state officials staff the polls with well-trained workers.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Also checking some of the very latest developments coming out of Iraq. U.S. military says its latest air strike in Falluja has killed an associate of militant leader Abu Musab al- Zarqawi. But a Falluja resident said no one was in the four houses that were actually destroyed.

An NBC News report suggests the 380 tons of missing explosives were already gone by the time U.S. troops arrived at the al Qaqaa facility. Iraqi officials told the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, the powerful explosives vanished sometime after Saddam Hussein's regime fell.

And the Pentagon is looking for ways to add about 22,000 more troops in Iraq to provide security during elections next year. Some troops now in Iraq could have their departures delayed while others, due to be deployed to Iraq, could be sent -- actually be sent sooner.

KAGAN: While we're focusing on the election that is one week from today, a big vote in the Israeli parliament. It has to do with the long dispute over Israeli settlers. It is about to come to a vote there. We'll go live to Jerusalem for more on today's historic decision on Ariel Sharon's pullout plan.

SANCHEZ: Also, one grandmother has one important question for Vice President Dick Cheney.

KAGAN: And later, a brutal attack on Elvis. But why would someone want to attack a familiar neighborhood -- oh.

SANCHEZ: Is that a knife?

KAGAN: Yes. In a gator.

SANCHEZ: Wow.

KAGAN: Goodness. We will get the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Now to the Middle East and search for common ground in the disputed territory of Gaza. Israeli lawmakers are to take a historic vote today on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw settlers and troops from lands that could become a Palestinian state.

Our John Vause is in Jerusalem with the latest on that. John, hello.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. Just a few hours away now from the historic vote in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. It is expected to pass Ariel Sharon's controversial disengagement plan. It's expected to win approval in principle, but only with the support of the labor opposition. Still that will pave the way for the evacuation of some 8,000 Jewish settlers from all of the Gaza Strip and a small part of the West Bank.

An historic day, the first time in more than 20 years that Israel has decided to give up settlements built on land, which it has occupied since the end of the Six-Day War in 1967.

But this day has not passed without protest. Earlier thousands gathered in a park across the road from the Knesset. They've accused the prime minister of tearing apart the fabric of Israeli society and pushing it closer to civil war. Ariel Sharon in turn has accused the settlers of having a messianic complex.

But still, if the latest opinion polls are to be believed, it seems most Israelis support the disengagement plan. One out just this morning says 65 percent of Israelis support disengagement. Only 26 percent are opposed -- Daryn.

KAGAN: John, the transformation of Ariel Sharon on this point is absolutely fascinating. And leads to a lot of the resentment toward him. He not only used to support this, he sent settlers into this area and encouraged them to go. And now he's saying turn around and come back.

VAUSE: Indeed, that's one of the things you hear a lot from the settlers who are protesting earlier today, that this man was seen very much as the father of the settlers. He sent them to the hilltops and now he is asking them to come down. They see this as a betrayal.

But it's a very different Ariel Sharon who we saw in the Knesset last night opening up the debate with his speech. He talked about pain, which had been delivered to the Palestinians. He also talked about painful concessions.

He also said that it was time that the Israelis stood together to show unity. He quoted former prime ministers like Menachem Begin, the last Israeli prime minister to evacuate a settlement. That was the Yamit settlement in the Sinai, when Israel signed a peace agreement with Egypt.

But as you say, Daryn, this is certainly a very, very different Ariel Sharon from the prime minister who was elected just a few years ago, and certainly a different Ariel Sharon from the general who has played a part in all of Israel's wars -- Daryn.

KAGAN: John Vause in Jerusalem. John, thank you.

SANCHEZ: Let's take you now to another international hot spot. North Korea is rebuffing calls to restart nuclear talks. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell had joined South Korea's efforts to try and jump-start discussions on North Korea's nuclear ambitions. Saying international aid for Pyongyang hung in the balance, but North Korea says Washington's quote, "hostile policies" make such diplomacy simply impossible.

KAGAN: We expect to get some answers today in the crash of Flight 587 in New York. Still to come, findings from a just-released NTSB report. Find out who is blaming what. SANCHEZ: Also, some are spreading their wings while others are tucking them in. Still to come, several major airlines are facing important decisions today. A look at how it could alter your travel plans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: The big airlines are going global to improve their bottom line. "USA Today" reports that older carriers are not only restoring international service that was cut after 9/11, but launching new routes to Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Discount airlines have driven down fares on many domestic routes. Major carriers are taking planes off those money-losing routes and transferring them to international flights.

ATA Airlines could file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as early as today. And that could ignite a bidding war for lucrative gates at Chicago's Midway Airport. Air Tran is looking to reduce its dependence on its Atlanta hub. America West may be more interested in acquiring all of ATA's holdings to compete with bigger rivals.

SANCHEZ: Here's a story that became a bit of a controversy, as well. The National Transportation Safety Board is meeting to discuss its final report on the American Airlines Flight 587 crash. That was the airliner that took off from JFK Airport nearly three years ago, right after September 11. That's important. And then crashed moments later. Two hundred and sixty-five people died in the second deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil.

CNN's Kathleen Koch is covering that meeting and joins us outside the NTSB building in Washington, D.C.

Hi, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rick. The hearing before the National Transportation Safety Board is back under way right now after a brief intermission. It's been a very emotional morning, not only has the board been going over the facts of this crash, they've been playing animation, recreating how it proceeded. And also showing actual video captured on toll plaza cameras.

It was simply too much for some of the family members here, some of the 260 on board, many of them from the Dominican Republic. Some burst into tears. They had to take a break in the hearing.

But what we're expected to hear later today is that the final cause of this crash is really very far from what investigators initially suspected.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Terrorism, the first reaction when Americans shell shocked from the 9/11 attacks saw smoke rising from Queens, New York. But within 45 minutes, a government advisory went out.

MARION BLAKEY, FMR. NTSB CHAIRWOMAN: There is no indication of a terrorist attack. All information we have currently is that this is an accident.

STAN MOLIN, PILOT'S FATHER: It was the worst day of my life.

KOCH: Stan Molin's son was at the controls of the Flight 587 that day. Molin, an airline pilot himself, had taught his son to fly.

MOLIN: I used to tell people that he was a better pilot than I was.

KOCH: But after engine failure and a flaw in the composite tail fin were ruled out, pilot error became the focus. In an effort to overcome wake turbulence, Molin had moved the rudder rapidly back and forth, snapping the tail off.

As the investigation proceeded, so did a war of words. American Airlines insisting Airbus, the manufacturer, had concealed previous incidents with the plane that showed its rudder was so sensitive that pilots using it the way Molin did, at normal maneuvering speeds, could damage the tail fin.

Airbus maintains it warned American Airlines in 1997 that its training program caused pilots to use rudder too aggressively, risking structural failure.

MOLIN: That airplane was -- was very vulnerable to this.

KOCH: Some eyewitnesses still believe there was an explosion on the plane.

JAMES CONNER (RET.), NYPD OFFICER: I saw a white puff of smoke come from the fuselage area, and then two seconds later, approximately, an explosion.

TOM LYNCH (RET.), FIREFIGHTER: I know there was a fire on this aircraft before the vertical stabilizers were separated. I'll go to my grave with that statement.

KOCH: In fact, CNN has learned a high-level captured al Qaeda operative told authorities this man, a shoe bomber, was on board Flight 587. But experts say a bomb would have left unmistakable evidence.

PETER GOELZ, FMR. NTSB MANAGING DIRECTOR: One of the things you would hear on the voice recorder, you'd hear the bomb going off.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH (on camera): Now, the hearing is expected to last all day. And the NTSB is expected to find as a final cause not only pilot actions and pilot training, but the design of the very sensitive rudder pedal system on the Airbus 8300-600 -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Kathleen Koch following that story for us. Thank you so much, Kathleen.

KAGAN: All right. Let's get back to the presidential campaign, both campaigns in Wisconsin this morning.

Let's check in with our Suzanne Malveaux, who's covering President Bush in Onalaska.

Good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. We heard some words from the president today that made it very, very clear that he's asking for the explicit support of Democrats. This is a paraphrase but the president essentially said if you believe in a strong country, a strong nation, he said I would be honored to have your support, and I am asking for your vote.

This is a clear attempt, of course, to win some of those Democrats; those swing voters, and still the undecided. Earlier today I spoke with the senior adviser Karl Rove who said there's essentially three groups that they are targeting. Of course, those swing voters, also the ex-urban areas. Those are areas where they're seeing population explosions, but people who generally have not voted. And of course the final group is the areas where they are under performing. This is one of those areas.

They're hitting these states, Wisconsin, later Iowa to specifically cut -- try to generate the type of support that they lost the last time around by just several thousand votes -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And this state in particular, Wisconsin, as you said President Bush narrowly losing this last time to Al Gore. Ten electoral votes up for stakes this time around. How is it looking?

MALVEAUX: Well, they're very confident. They say, of course, the polls show it's very, very close. But they are visiting particularly small town areas. There's one in particular very interesting story, Cuba City. That is where the president swung by the last time through Wisconsin but he didn't actually stop in that small town, less than 3,000 people there who lined the streets. The kids got out of school early. They were quite disappointed.

The Kerry camp found out about it. Kerry visited just a couple weeks ago and the Bush camp decided, of course, they would not be left out. That is why they are back here today, making sure that every vote counts -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux from Wisconsin, thank you.

SANCHEZ: Well, they're known to give good advice. But grandmothers also know how to ask real good questions. Case in point, one granny had some words for Vice President Dick Cheney.

KAGAN: Plus, how does a newspaper decide which presidential candidate to endorse? We go behind the scenes as one major publication makes that crucial decision.

SANCHEZ: And then later, what impact could a possible vacancy on the Supreme Court have on this year's election?

Stay with.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired October 26, 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: Let's go ahead and take a look at what's happening now in the news.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: The presidential campaigns are converging on Wisconsin today. There you see a shot of Mr. -- of President Bush. He arrived in the Showdown State last night. Today he starts a bus tour of western Wisconsin into Iowa. It's a live picture. We're going to getting back to it in just a little bit.

Here's another live picture. This is Democratic nominee, John Kerry, who is going to be at that very same podium in just a little bit. He's going to be in eastern Wisconsin. He's appearing on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. The state has 10 electoral votes at stake. And yes, it is one of the states that's being challenged.

Elections officials in Afghanistan say U.S.-backed leader Hamid Karzai has apparently won that country's presidential contest. The results, which are not yet official, show President Karzai capturing 55 percent of the vote. Elections officials say the results are trickling in from remote provinces and an investigation is continuing into claims of voter fraud.

Israeli lawmakers appear on the verge of approving a historic withdrawal from Gaza. The pullout of Israeli troops and settlers would clear land the Palestinians are seeking for statehood; the plan is backed by the U.S. and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Also, NASA's Cassini spacecraft is now attempting to pierce a veil of fog that's surrounding Saturn's moon, Titan. The pass would put Cassini within 745 miles of Titan's surface. The closest ever to this icy moon. The spacecraft has cut off communications during its approach.

KAGAN: And good morning, everyone. I'm Daryn Kagan.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. Just one week until the election and working hard to get out the vote on both sides.

KAGAN: And once again we are tracking both candidates. You see they're both in Wisconsin today. Of course that's President Bush in the lower part of your screen. He's in Onalaska. And you will soon be seeing Senator John Kerry appearing at the event in Green Bay. We'll be dipping in and checking in on both events as the day progresses. SANCHEZ: John Kerry kicks off another leg of the political marathon, hitting four key states in three time zones on this day. Today's 3,000-mile trip takes him from Wisconsin to Nevada, then New Mexico and then Iowa, for those of you that are keeping track.

I know somebody that is. CNN's Kelly Wallace, she's in Green Bay, Wisconsin with a look at the senator's message.

Kelly, good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Rick. And the senator beginning here in Wisconsin, a state Al Gore narrowly won back in 2000. And just moments from now, he will be delivering what the campaign is calling his final closing argument speech. His focus will be on homeland security.

Most of the speech, though, focusing on the president's handling of the war in Iraq. Some very sharp attacks coming from Mr. Kerry, and continued questions about the report about missing explosives in Iraq.

This is all part of this campaign strategy, knowing that the president has been holding an advantage on national security, this campaign trying to eliminate that advantage in these seven days.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): In Macomb County, Michigan last night, home of the highly coveted Reagan Democrats, Senator John Kerry losing his voice, but not his focus. This was the message of the day.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The unbelievable incompetence again and again of this administration, and this president has put our troops and our country at greater risk. George Bush has failed the essential test of a commander in chief.

(CHEERING)

WALLACE: The senator, in his speech today, expected to continue hammering away at the president over missing explosives in Iraq, trying to convince undecided voters the war has increased the dangers for Americans.

KERRY: He is somebody who brags about making America safer, but once again, the president has failed to deliver.

WALLACE: A constant story line of this campaign, illustrated in the latest polls, Senator Kerry trailing the president by nearly 20 points when voters are asked who can better handle terrorism. Camp Kerry's goal in the final week, narrowing the gap with tough rhetoric...

KERRY: Now, this administration has failed to make the American people safer.

WALLACE: ... and new faces on the stump. One of the September 11 widows traveling with Elizabeth Edwards in Minnesota yesterday. This though, the photo-op of the day as far as Team Kerry was concerned. Former President Clinton turning out tens of thousands of downtown Philadelphia and later in Miami, trying to fire up Democrats to get out and vote.

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON (D), FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Remember, we won the state the last two times. They just didn't count them last time. We can win it again. Let's go for it three in a row.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE (on camera): And former President Clinton will be stumping again today in Florida. As for Senator Kerry, after he finishes his speech here in Green Bay we expect him to get to the podium just moments from now, he heads west to Nevada and New Mexico -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: I imagine he's going to be using both former President Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore, as well. Will we see both of those on the campaign in the days to come?

WALLACE: Well, you're definitely going to see more and more of former President Clinton, because in addition to Florida and Pennsylvania yesterday, he'll be heading west to Nevada and New Mexico. And Rick, his home state of Arkansas, which Kerry advisers now say is suddenly very close. As for Al Gore, he was out this weekend in Florida. Not clear if he'll be doing any more stumping in the days ahead.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much. Kelly Wallace there with the Kerry campaign.

Now, both George Bush and John Kerry have almost identical favorable ratings at this point. We've checked and the latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup shows the ratings hovering around 50 percent. That's for both. That mark indicates that just about the only people who like the candidates are those who are already planning to vote for them.

KAGAN: Meanwhile, President Bush also in Wisconsin. He is speaking live right now in Onalaska in Wisconsin. Our Suzanne Malveaux is with him. We're going to be checking with her as soon as the president wraps up his comments. And she'll bring you the highlights from that.

As an expected record turnout, new voters, new machines, provisional ballots, perhaps most importantly not enough poll workers.

Our Dan Lothian has a story that could be recipe for a very difficult election day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The help wanted sign for trained poll workers is hanging across America.

DEFOREST SOARIES, U.S. ELECTION ASSIST. COMM.: And except in a few scant places, we have more need for poll workers than we have poll workers.

LOTHIAN: Several hundred thousand fewer people on hand than the 2 million desired. Election watchers say the shortage is rooted in apathy, and an aging pool of poll workers.

DOUG CHAPIN, DIR., ELECTIONONLINE.ORG: I've seen studies that say that the average age of the American poll worker is early 70s. Given that, you already are facing a declining population of available poll workers.

LOTHIAN: With questions about provisional ballots, concerns over new electronic voting machines, new identification requirements...

(on camera): ... and a tight race, which many experts predict, will result in a record turnout; federal officials say a shortage could be the No. 1 election hurdle this year. The concern boils down to this. Insufficient quality help to handle long lines, prevent confusion, or void any mistakes.

SOARIES: Our system of democracy can't exist unless we have volunteers who work at the polls.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): The Election Assistance Commission is going back to school to find a new generation of recruits, hitting college campuses hard with the help of a grant of more than $600,000. And in key battleground states like Pennsylvania, where every vote will be magnified, and where some poll workers are feeling the pressure...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want it to be right. No mistakes.

LOTHIAN: ... an aggressive effort is under way...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Make sure that they are available.

LOTHIAN: ... to ensure poll workers are ready.

JANE ERVIN, EXECUTIVE, LEHIGH COUNTY, PA: Getting trained on some of the new rules and regulations that are in place for this election.

LOTHIAN: This class is in Allentown.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they're not in that book, then we just don't need to really call you to see if they're registered, correct?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's correct.

LOTHIAN: The federal government says it has never been as involved as it is now in helping local and state officials staff the polls with well-trained workers.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Also checking some of the very latest developments coming out of Iraq. U.S. military says its latest air strike in Falluja has killed an associate of militant leader Abu Musab al- Zarqawi. But a Falluja resident said no one was in the four houses that were actually destroyed.

An NBC News report suggests the 380 tons of missing explosives were already gone by the time U.S. troops arrived at the al Qaqaa facility. Iraqi officials told the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, the powerful explosives vanished sometime after Saddam Hussein's regime fell.

And the Pentagon is looking for ways to add about 22,000 more troops in Iraq to provide security during elections next year. Some troops now in Iraq could have their departures delayed while others, due to be deployed to Iraq, could be sent -- actually be sent sooner.

KAGAN: While we're focusing on the election that is one week from today, a big vote in the Israeli parliament. It has to do with the long dispute over Israeli settlers. It is about to come to a vote there. We'll go live to Jerusalem for more on today's historic decision on Ariel Sharon's pullout plan.

SANCHEZ: Also, one grandmother has one important question for Vice President Dick Cheney.

KAGAN: And later, a brutal attack on Elvis. But why would someone want to attack a familiar neighborhood -- oh.

SANCHEZ: Is that a knife?

KAGAN: Yes. In a gator.

SANCHEZ: Wow.

KAGAN: Goodness. We will get the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Now to the Middle East and search for common ground in the disputed territory of Gaza. Israeli lawmakers are to take a historic vote today on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw settlers and troops from lands that could become a Palestinian state.

Our John Vause is in Jerusalem with the latest on that. John, hello.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. Just a few hours away now from the historic vote in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. It is expected to pass Ariel Sharon's controversial disengagement plan. It's expected to win approval in principle, but only with the support of the labor opposition. Still that will pave the way for the evacuation of some 8,000 Jewish settlers from all of the Gaza Strip and a small part of the West Bank.

An historic day, the first time in more than 20 years that Israel has decided to give up settlements built on land, which it has occupied since the end of the Six-Day War in 1967.

But this day has not passed without protest. Earlier thousands gathered in a park across the road from the Knesset. They've accused the prime minister of tearing apart the fabric of Israeli society and pushing it closer to civil war. Ariel Sharon in turn has accused the settlers of having a messianic complex.

But still, if the latest opinion polls are to be believed, it seems most Israelis support the disengagement plan. One out just this morning says 65 percent of Israelis support disengagement. Only 26 percent are opposed -- Daryn.

KAGAN: John, the transformation of Ariel Sharon on this point is absolutely fascinating. And leads to a lot of the resentment toward him. He not only used to support this, he sent settlers into this area and encouraged them to go. And now he's saying turn around and come back.

VAUSE: Indeed, that's one of the things you hear a lot from the settlers who are protesting earlier today, that this man was seen very much as the father of the settlers. He sent them to the hilltops and now he is asking them to come down. They see this as a betrayal.

But it's a very different Ariel Sharon who we saw in the Knesset last night opening up the debate with his speech. He talked about pain, which had been delivered to the Palestinians. He also talked about painful concessions.

He also said that it was time that the Israelis stood together to show unity. He quoted former prime ministers like Menachem Begin, the last Israeli prime minister to evacuate a settlement. That was the Yamit settlement in the Sinai, when Israel signed a peace agreement with Egypt.

But as you say, Daryn, this is certainly a very, very different Ariel Sharon from the prime minister who was elected just a few years ago, and certainly a different Ariel Sharon from the general who has played a part in all of Israel's wars -- Daryn.

KAGAN: John Vause in Jerusalem. John, thank you.

SANCHEZ: Let's take you now to another international hot spot. North Korea is rebuffing calls to restart nuclear talks. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell had joined South Korea's efforts to try and jump-start discussions on North Korea's nuclear ambitions. Saying international aid for Pyongyang hung in the balance, but North Korea says Washington's quote, "hostile policies" make such diplomacy simply impossible.

KAGAN: We expect to get some answers today in the crash of Flight 587 in New York. Still to come, findings from a just-released NTSB report. Find out who is blaming what. SANCHEZ: Also, some are spreading their wings while others are tucking them in. Still to come, several major airlines are facing important decisions today. A look at how it could alter your travel plans.

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KAGAN: The big airlines are going global to improve their bottom line. "USA Today" reports that older carriers are not only restoring international service that was cut after 9/11, but launching new routes to Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Discount airlines have driven down fares on many domestic routes. Major carriers are taking planes off those money-losing routes and transferring them to international flights.

ATA Airlines could file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as early as today. And that could ignite a bidding war for lucrative gates at Chicago's Midway Airport. Air Tran is looking to reduce its dependence on its Atlanta hub. America West may be more interested in acquiring all of ATA's holdings to compete with bigger rivals.

SANCHEZ: Here's a story that became a bit of a controversy, as well. The National Transportation Safety Board is meeting to discuss its final report on the American Airlines Flight 587 crash. That was the airliner that took off from JFK Airport nearly three years ago, right after September 11. That's important. And then crashed moments later. Two hundred and sixty-five people died in the second deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil.

CNN's Kathleen Koch is covering that meeting and joins us outside the NTSB building in Washington, D.C.

Hi, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rick. The hearing before the National Transportation Safety Board is back under way right now after a brief intermission. It's been a very emotional morning, not only has the board been going over the facts of this crash, they've been playing animation, recreating how it proceeded. And also showing actual video captured on toll plaza cameras.

It was simply too much for some of the family members here, some of the 260 on board, many of them from the Dominican Republic. Some burst into tears. They had to take a break in the hearing.

But what we're expected to hear later today is that the final cause of this crash is really very far from what investigators initially suspected.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Terrorism, the first reaction when Americans shell shocked from the 9/11 attacks saw smoke rising from Queens, New York. But within 45 minutes, a government advisory went out.

MARION BLAKEY, FMR. NTSB CHAIRWOMAN: There is no indication of a terrorist attack. All information we have currently is that this is an accident.

STAN MOLIN, PILOT'S FATHER: It was the worst day of my life.

KOCH: Stan Molin's son was at the controls of the Flight 587 that day. Molin, an airline pilot himself, had taught his son to fly.

MOLIN: I used to tell people that he was a better pilot than I was.

KOCH: But after engine failure and a flaw in the composite tail fin were ruled out, pilot error became the focus. In an effort to overcome wake turbulence, Molin had moved the rudder rapidly back and forth, snapping the tail off.

As the investigation proceeded, so did a war of words. American Airlines insisting Airbus, the manufacturer, had concealed previous incidents with the plane that showed its rudder was so sensitive that pilots using it the way Molin did, at normal maneuvering speeds, could damage the tail fin.

Airbus maintains it warned American Airlines in 1997 that its training program caused pilots to use rudder too aggressively, risking structural failure.

MOLIN: That airplane was -- was very vulnerable to this.

KOCH: Some eyewitnesses still believe there was an explosion on the plane.

JAMES CONNER (RET.), NYPD OFFICER: I saw a white puff of smoke come from the fuselage area, and then two seconds later, approximately, an explosion.

TOM LYNCH (RET.), FIREFIGHTER: I know there was a fire on this aircraft before the vertical stabilizers were separated. I'll go to my grave with that statement.

KOCH: In fact, CNN has learned a high-level captured al Qaeda operative told authorities this man, a shoe bomber, was on board Flight 587. But experts say a bomb would have left unmistakable evidence.

PETER GOELZ, FMR. NTSB MANAGING DIRECTOR: One of the things you would hear on the voice recorder, you'd hear the bomb going off.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH (on camera): Now, the hearing is expected to last all day. And the NTSB is expected to find as a final cause not only pilot actions and pilot training, but the design of the very sensitive rudder pedal system on the Airbus 8300-600 -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Kathleen Koch following that story for us. Thank you so much, Kathleen.

KAGAN: All right. Let's get back to the presidential campaign, both campaigns in Wisconsin this morning.

Let's check in with our Suzanne Malveaux, who's covering President Bush in Onalaska.

Good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. We heard some words from the president today that made it very, very clear that he's asking for the explicit support of Democrats. This is a paraphrase but the president essentially said if you believe in a strong country, a strong nation, he said I would be honored to have your support, and I am asking for your vote.

This is a clear attempt, of course, to win some of those Democrats; those swing voters, and still the undecided. Earlier today I spoke with the senior adviser Karl Rove who said there's essentially three groups that they are targeting. Of course, those swing voters, also the ex-urban areas. Those are areas where they're seeing population explosions, but people who generally have not voted. And of course the final group is the areas where they are under performing. This is one of those areas.

They're hitting these states, Wisconsin, later Iowa to specifically cut -- try to generate the type of support that they lost the last time around by just several thousand votes -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And this state in particular, Wisconsin, as you said President Bush narrowly losing this last time to Al Gore. Ten electoral votes up for stakes this time around. How is it looking?

MALVEAUX: Well, they're very confident. They say, of course, the polls show it's very, very close. But they are visiting particularly small town areas. There's one in particular very interesting story, Cuba City. That is where the president swung by the last time through Wisconsin but he didn't actually stop in that small town, less than 3,000 people there who lined the streets. The kids got out of school early. They were quite disappointed.

The Kerry camp found out about it. Kerry visited just a couple weeks ago and the Bush camp decided, of course, they would not be left out. That is why they are back here today, making sure that every vote counts -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux from Wisconsin, thank you.

SANCHEZ: Well, they're known to give good advice. But grandmothers also know how to ask real good questions. Case in point, one granny had some words for Vice President Dick Cheney.

KAGAN: Plus, how does a newspaper decide which presidential candidate to endorse? We go behind the scenes as one major publication makes that crucial decision.

SANCHEZ: And then later, what impact could a possible vacancy on the Supreme Court have on this year's election?

Stay with.

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