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American Morning
Both Campaigns Deliver Final Push; '90-Second Pop'
Aired November 01, 2004 - 09:30 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get right to headlines this morning. Heidi Collins at the newsdesk for us with stories now in the news.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad. Good morning to you, everybody.
Now in the news, Israeli police are boosting security after a morning suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. The blast killed at least three people and left more than 30 others wounded. A Palestinian militant group has claimed responsibility. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the attack proved there is no change in the Palestinian Authority.
In Iraq, two top government officials targeted today in separate attacks. Insurgents gunned down a deputy governor of Baghdad in a drive-by shooting. And in Baquba, officials now say the Iraqi interior ministry official was killed. Police are investigating both of those incidents.
In California, closing arguments are set to begin in the Scott Peterson double-murder case. The prosecution has two days to present final statements, followed by the defense. Jury deliberations could start as early as Wednesday. And court is set to resume in just about three hours from now.
And a crucial vote that could keep Delta Airlines from going broke. Pilots for the third largest carrier in the U.S. will begin voting today on a contract proposal that would slash their pay. Pilots would forfeit almost one-third of their salaries under the deal. We've seen that before with other airlines of course.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: That's true about that, yes. Heidi, thanks.
To Burkettstown (ph), Pennsylvania now, President Bush arriving a short time ago. We saw him about two hours ago in Wilmington, Ohio. So this is going to be a day where it's extremely busy, stops scheduled for the morning hours up to the evening hours. Burkettstown, Pennsylvania, western part of the state, right along the border of Ohio and West Virginia. So they're essentially hitting three different markets there when you go to that town. We'll watch that rally throughout the day.
Florida, meanwhile, the battleground state with the largest prize among the battleground states now, 27 electoral votes. Two more than they had four years ago. And with a number of legal challenges already this year, many are hoping that tomorrow's election does not spark a repeat of 2000.
Gary Tuchman is live in West Palm Beach with more there this morning.
Hey, Gary, good morning.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, it's hard to believe it's been four years since we spent so much time together here in the state of Florida, but here we are again. We talked about Election Day being tomorrow. But here in Florida, they've been voting for two weeks already. It's the most elaborate advanced voting system in the United States, as a result of the chaos in this state in the year 2000. About 10 million registered voters in the state of Florida, already about 2 million have voted over the last two weeks, even on the weekends. We're here in West Palm Beach, the Epicenter of the problems in the year 2000 here in Palm Beach County.
Behind me, you can see a line outside the Supervisor of Elections Office. This is where advanced voting is going on. There are several hundred people in the line. It's a very hot day here in Florida. People brought their umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun. They have brought chairs, hoping to vote, because many of them can't be here tomorrow. But either way, you don't have to say why you're here; you're just allowed to vote early. Lots of problems in 2000, but already in 2004, there has been controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN (on camera): Emma, show me on the registration form what you forgot to fill out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Number four.
TUCHMAN: Emma Diaz forgot to check a box on her voter registration form saying she was mentally competent, because of that, she won't be allowed to cast a ballot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's not fair.
TUCHMAN: She was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Florida and its secretary of state Glenda Hood. The lawsuit failed.
GLENDA HOOD, FLA. SECY. OF STATE: Individuals and groups and political parties feel that the only way that they can get media attention, and get some attention is through litigation.
TUCHMAN: It was one of many election-related lawsuits filed here. Four years after the state's election fiasco, the problems were varied, ranging from the hanging chads on punch card ballots to the so-called butterfly ballots in Palm Beach County, where many accidentally voted for Pat Buchanan instead of Al Gore.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got a call the next morning from Japan, grandma, what did you do? What happened there? I said, I don't want to talk about it. He says, who did you vote for? I'm not talking, because I was so confused, and I thought I was violated.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: Well, as a result of all that, punch card ballots have been made illegal here in the state of Florida, in this county and many other counties in the state, they're using touch screen machines. They're also using in the states optical scanners. We want to give you a look at most of these polling places, where there's the early voting. Demonstrators are out. It is not a quiet place to come to do this early voting. It gets very raucous at times. Mostly Kerry/Edwards supporters here. But also Bush/Cheney supporters. This kind of reflects the vote from the year 2000. It was about 60 to 40, Kerry to Bush -- actually Gore to Bush; Kerry's running this year.
HEMMER: And again, you know, two years ago, that midterm election, a few hiccups here and there in Florida, but the microscope firmly placed back on the Sunshine State this time again.
Gary, thanks for that.
Later tonight in primetime, 8:00 Eastern Time, join Paula Zahn, she is live in Florida, for a townhall meeting, and we'll gauge the reaction she gets later tonight. "PAULA ZAHN" 8:00 Eastern here on CNN -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: No more days left, only hours now left until the 2004 election.
Bill Schneider has the blow by blow of the campaigns, both campaigns final push.
Good morning.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POL. ANALYST: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Let's begin with the Osama bin Laden tape. What kind of impact do you think this has on either candidate?
SCHNEIDER: There was lots of speculation that the tape would heighten fear and help Bush. But you know what, the evidence suggests just the opposite happened. The CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll reveals that President Bush lost ground on the issue of terrorism over the past week. A week ago he had an 18-point lead over John Kerry for handling terrorism. Now he has just a seven-point lead.
O'BRIEN: So that's not necessarily specifically the tape per se, but also maybe the missing explosives, things like that?
SCHNEIDER: Well, he also lost ground on the issue of Iraq. The point is, he didn't make any gains, as a lot of people speculated he might. It looks like the tape may have reminded voters that Osama bin Laden is still at large, taunting President Bush on the tape, despite the president's promise to get him dead or alive. O'BRIEN: It seems like we're hearing both candidates on the campaign trail, and they have been going like crazy on this. I mean, there's numerous stops yesterday and today, talking about domestic issues, trying to refocus on domestic issues. Before I ask you the question, let's listen to what they said on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, for example, I sat down with our national intelligence team, analyzing the latest tape that came in over the air. We understand that the enemy has designs on America. We're still at heightened alert. We're doing everything we can to protect the American people.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's unfortunate that anybody puts Osama bin Laden into any political context in the United States' election. I'm outraged that he has appeared. I'm outraged that he inserts himself in any kind of way into the electoral process of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: That was a question we were just talking about moments ago, but what I wanted to hear was domestic issues, because now the candidates are really focusing on that.
You guys, do we have this tape?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: If you believe that taxes should stay low so families can pay the bills and small businesses can create new jobs, I ask come and stand with me.
KERRY: George Bush is promising you four more years of the same. I'm promising you a champion for the middle class, someone who fights to make the workplace in America work for Americans again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: So many wild cards in this election. But do folks vote the domestic issues, or are they going to vote terrorism and Iraq?
SCHNEIDER: Well, fear and anger are the two emotions that have dominated this campaign. Fear of terrorism and anger over President Bush's policies, and they have trumped the usual calculations of self- interest, which is why it's been such an emotional campaign, and why we can say, it is not the economy, stupid.
O'BRIEN: The list of states that are in play as they say continues to change. But if you look at the battleground states, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, still all too close to call. What can you glean from those states?
SCHNEIDER: That both sides have rallied in all the battleground states, and when President Bush or Senator Kerry goes to a state, they don't just rally their own supporters when they run ads, they don't just rally their own people, they also rally the other side. What we're finding out is the more the campaign goes on at a fever pitch in these battleground states, the more both sides get rallied, and the more divided they get.
O'BRIEN: Ground game, you say. This is going to rely on a good ground game. What does that mean exactly?
SCHNEIDER: Well, it's not so hard to get people to sign their name on a form to register. It is much harder to get them out to vote. So what's happening is you're getting a flood of volunteers and activists out in these battleground states to pull people out to vote, but it's even harder than that. It's not just getting them to the polls, but Republican activists are out there to challenge the credentials of people they suspect are not qualified to vote, and you've got Democratic activists at the polling places to defend the qualifications.
O'BRIEN: Challenging the challengers.
SCHNEIDER: Challenging the challengers, and defending the qualifications of the voters. So it's a very complicated, and may I add, expensive operation, not just to get them there, but to defend them once they get there.
O'BRIEN: Will this result on Wednesday?
SCHNEIDER: We don't know. We certainly -- I certainly hope so. I've got plans.
O'BRIEN: Oh, no, don't say that. That's the first sign that it won't be resolved. Bill Schneider, as always, thanks.
For the latest polling data, you can go to CNN.com/americavotes, where you can also find updated information on all the races for the Senate and the House, and you can get up-to-the minute results tomorrow with CNN's special election night coverage. That comes to you live from New York and starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time -- Bill.
HEMMER: More tea leaves, Soledad, now. Is the type of music Americans prefer a predictor for the White House? Here's a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll of musical and political likes and dislikes. We found that President Bush has the support of country music fans by a ratio of more than two to one. That's played at every campaign stop for him. The votes are more easily split between classical and rock bands. But a majority says that they prefer Senator Kerry. Again, undecided.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: We know the damage cigarettes can do. But combining those smokes with a cup of Joe can be double trouble for your heart. That's our medical topic now with Elizabeth Cohen, in for Sanjay, at the CNN Center. Good morning, Elizabeth. What do you have?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Bill, coffee and cigarettes just sometimes seem to naturally go together. A lot of people who smoke also like to have a cup of coffee. In fact, there's even a movie called "Coffee and Cigarettes" that came out last spring, and that's a main theme: people smoking and drinking together.
But there appears to be a bad combination when the chemicals from coffee and the chemicals from cigarettes come together. No one's sure exactly why it's true, but a new study has come out that shows that when people smoke a cigarette plus have two cups of coffee, that may increase hardening of the arteries. That's obviously not a good thing.
Now, it doesn't have to be coffee. It can be any caffeinated beverage, and the effect seems to be particularly bad when somebody already has heart disease -- Bill?
HEMMER: We drink a lot of coffee around here, Elizabeth. We're not going to have to give that up, are we?
COHEN: Well, the American Heart Association says that moderate coffee drinking, meaning a cup or two a day, is OK. It does not appear to be harmful. And sort of the jury is still out. There are still studies out there to look at drinking more than that. But most of the time, cardiologists don't get too frantic about coffee drinking. But boy do they get frantic about cigarette smoking.
So, the bottom line here is don't worry so much about the coffee. Worry about the cigarette smoking. The message is very simple: quit smoking.
HEMMER: And a good reminder, too. Elizabeth, thanks for that.
COHEN: Thanks.
HEMMER: Soledad?
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, lots at stake, of course, in tomorrow's election, especially for one company in Ohio. Andy's going to explain as he minds your business coming up.
Plus, it seems that Ashlee Simpson's problems on "SNL" started before last week's show even hit the air. "90-Second Pop" ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. "90-Second Pop" for a Monday. Andy Borowitz, humorist and big cheese over at borowitzreport.com -- maybe the only cheese, as a matter of fact. Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York Magazine." Good morning, Sarah.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK MAGAZINE": Good morning.
HEMMER: And Toure, CNN pop culture correspondent. Good morning...
TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Thank you.
HEMMER: ... to all three of you.
What's going on with Jay-Z and R. Kelly. These guys have issues, huh?
TOURE: Yeah, yeah, well, two big things happened at the concert on Friday night. R. Kelly and Jay-Z have the "Best of Both Worlds" concert that they've been going on. But there's a lot of friction backstage. Basically boils down to R. Kelly doesn't like it when Jay- Z gets all the applause.
So, Friday night they're at Madison Square Garden...
HEMMER: And you're there.
TOURE: I'm there. They did about three or four songs together. R. Kelly didn't like the way it was going down. He comes out by himself and says, "Somebody in the -- two people in the crowd pointed guns at me. I'm out of here."
BERNARD: That was you, right?
TOURE: No.
HEMMER: One of them.
TOURE: As he's leaving, somebody in Jay-Z's crowd pepper sprays him backstage.
HEMMER: Who gets maced?
TOURE: R. Kelly. Goes to the hospital and everything. Now, this was no problem for me because I don't care for R. Kelly. So, I'm like, he's leaving, great! Jay-Z makes a call. Mary J. Blige is in the audience. Usher is in the audience. Your man Ja Rule is in the audience.
HEMMER: Ja Rule.
TOURE: "Come up, come up." They come up, and they perform one after the other in their street clothes.
HEMMER: Really!
TOURE: Amazing. It was the most hip-hop thing I have seen in years.
HEMMER: Why can't all these million dollar hip-hoppers get along, Toure?
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: No, it's not just the hip-hop theme, because I saw a very similar thing went down a few years ago at "VH1 Divas Live" between Celine Dion and Faith Hill. HEMMER: And they're still fighting it out.
BERNARD: I don't understand why he thought R. Kelly was a good partner anyway. He was -- he has been charged with child pornography, right? His trial -- he has a court date this week.
HEMMER: Sarah, details, details, please.
"60 Minutes" last night showed another side of the Ashlee Simpson saga. Did it actually play in her favor, because they show that she did have voice trouble. You saw it.
BERNARD: It did a little bit. Now, they happened to be there on a good week. They were doing a profile of the inner workings of "Saturday Night Live," and they caught her dress rehearsal, actually, which showed that she was already upset because her voice wasn't so great and she kind of ran off the stage crying. So, it did support her theory that there was something wrong earlier in the day.
But you know, they didn't explain that that was the acid reflux problem. That I still don't know if I buy.
HEMMER: Well, that didn't happen until Wednesday, remember?
BERNARD: Exactly. But I think the most shocking thing was that Lorne Michaels, who is, you know, credited as the genius for 20 years behind the show, said he had no idea that she was lip-syncing.
HEMMER: You think that was the most shocking thing?
BERNARD: I do. How could he not no?
HEMMER: I thought it was the fact that Eminem was the music guest on "Saturday Night Live" and he did not make a headline. The guy is losing his edge.
We have to leave it there. We're out of time. Good to see you all three, OK? See you later in the week -- Soledad?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.
We got this just in to us at CNN. William Rehnquist, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, supposed to be on the bench again today when the Supreme Court returned to work. He apparently is not at work today.
We're going to check in with Bob Franken, who is live for us this morning. Hey, Bob, good morning. Well, what are the details on this?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, Soledad, the significance is this occurs one day before the election where one of the issues has really not been the fact that there's an expectation there could be the replacement of several Supreme Court justices in the next term. We had been told by Chief Justice Rehnquist and the court that he would be coming here on Monday and showing up at the bench. But he just put out a paper statement. I'm going to read it to you; it's really quite short.
"I underwent a tracheotomy nine days ago and, at the suggestion of my doctors, I'm continuing to recuperate at home. According to my doctors, my plan to return to the office today was too optimistic. I am continuing to take radiation and chemotherapy treatments on an outpatient basis." That's the statement from William Rehnquist. He goes on to say, "While at home, I'm working on court matters, including opinions for cases already argued. I am and will continue to be in close contact with my colleagues, my law clerks and members of the Supreme Court staff. So William Rehnquist did not come to work today.
I say again that the issue of selection of Supreme Court justices is one that's percolated, but it has never really gotten the prominence of other issues in this campaign. There have been some warnings, particularly from interest groups who are to the left, who say that if President Bush is re-elected, he could appoint as many as four new justices. Those on the right make the same claim. There's an undercurrent about questions about what would happen to the Roe v. Wade decision. All of that, of course, is highly speculative.
But the announcement by Supreme Court Chief Justice Rehnquist that he would be here today is now followed with an announcement that he is not in good health enough to come, which will raise questions, of course, about the issue that have so far been suppressed in the campaign -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Bob Franken for us this morning. Bob, thanks for that update. Many people did, in fact, think it was very ambitious for the chief justice to be thinking about returning when the court came back into session.
Still to come this morning, why an Ohio company has lots riding on tomorrow's vote. Andy's "Minding Your Business," just ahead as we continue right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Tomorrow's election could be a make-or-break event for one company, plus Prada joining the ranks of Google. For that, and a check of the markets, Andy Serwer "Minding Your Business."
What do you want to start with? The markets?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Let's do that.
Dow is up a little bit this morning, Soledad, about eight points here to the upside, One Stock trading down this morning is Merck. Big story in "The Wall Street Journal" today, saying the company hid problems about Vioxx for years. That stock is down $2 to $29.30. Merck is going to be a holding pattern today and tomorrow, like everyone else, probably waiting for the big results to come out. Jobs report on Friday, maybe we'll have a new president by then. Let's see here. Prada trying to go public. They've tried three times to do this, Soledad. It's sort of like me picking the Patriots. Never been able to pull it off. But it looks like they might do OK, wouldn't you say here? Depends what you think.
O'BRIEN: You can't walk in those shoes.
SERWER: Jil Sanders one of those brands -- that's one 'l' in Jil Sanders, I was today.
A make-or-break week for Dibold (ph). This is the electronic voting machine company out of North Canton, Ohio. They're kind of like ATMs; you know, it's a touchscreen thing -- 48,000 of these machines in 10 states. 29 percent of the U.S. is going to be using these this time around, versus 12 percent last time. There have been problems. What a surprise, there have been problems.
Some of the company's problems include their software got out on the Internet. People were noodling around with it. Then the CEO, Walden O'Dell, who is a Bush supporter, sent out a letter to fellow Bush supporters in Ohio, saying he would help deliver the election to President Bush in Ohio. Don't worry, the state of Ohio is not using his machines, so that controversy is -- it's interesting. Then there are some problems with his machines, or the company's machines, I should say, in California, could be very interesting, don't you think?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: I think that's an understatement.
O'BRIEN: A long list of things...
SERWER: Just like an ATM. Hit $1,000, $300, President Bush, you know, just touch the right little thingy there, right? Make sure it works.
CAFFERTY: Political analysis -- touch the right little thingy.
O'BRIEN: I'm glad you're not running the machines.
SERWER: Yes, I'm not running the machines or the chads or anything else, that's right?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Question of the Day, did the Osama bin Laden tape change the way that you view the election. Eight-hundred letters.
HEMMER: Wow.
CAFFERTY: Not bad, for a Monday before. Christy in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, "I'm not going to let a snake in a turban influence me any more than a loser of a film director. It's a shame some Americans listen to either of them."
I assume, Christy, you're referring to Michael Moore, but that's just a guess. 'H' in St. John, Canada, "Makes me want George Bush to get back in more than ever. He, Osama bin Laden, knows President Bush is more of a threat to him than John Kerry."
And Vicky writes from Tennessee, "The only thing that I get from the Osama tape is that he's still free to make tapes. So how can this possibly spin well for Bush? Run, but not hide? Seems he's done it."
Thank you for your interest in our QoD.
HEMMER: Big response.
CAFFERTY: Yes, it's quite a few for a Monday.
HEMMER: In a moment here, back next hour, the candidates sprinting to the finish. "CNN LIVE TODAY" is on the campaign trail with both men. Plus Jeff Toobin runs gown the possible legal rulings that may change the face of tomorrow's vote. That's next hour with Daryn and Rick.
We're back in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: We're out of time. Let's check in with Daryn Kagan and Rick Sanchez at the CNN Center, going to take us through the next couple of hours.
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Aired November 1, 2004 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get right to headlines this morning. Heidi Collins at the newsdesk for us with stories now in the news.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad. Good morning to you, everybody.
Now in the news, Israeli police are boosting security after a morning suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. The blast killed at least three people and left more than 30 others wounded. A Palestinian militant group has claimed responsibility. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the attack proved there is no change in the Palestinian Authority.
In Iraq, two top government officials targeted today in separate attacks. Insurgents gunned down a deputy governor of Baghdad in a drive-by shooting. And in Baquba, officials now say the Iraqi interior ministry official was killed. Police are investigating both of those incidents.
In California, closing arguments are set to begin in the Scott Peterson double-murder case. The prosecution has two days to present final statements, followed by the defense. Jury deliberations could start as early as Wednesday. And court is set to resume in just about three hours from now.
And a crucial vote that could keep Delta Airlines from going broke. Pilots for the third largest carrier in the U.S. will begin voting today on a contract proposal that would slash their pay. Pilots would forfeit almost one-third of their salaries under the deal. We've seen that before with other airlines of course.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: That's true about that, yes. Heidi, thanks.
To Burkettstown (ph), Pennsylvania now, President Bush arriving a short time ago. We saw him about two hours ago in Wilmington, Ohio. So this is going to be a day where it's extremely busy, stops scheduled for the morning hours up to the evening hours. Burkettstown, Pennsylvania, western part of the state, right along the border of Ohio and West Virginia. So they're essentially hitting three different markets there when you go to that town. We'll watch that rally throughout the day.
Florida, meanwhile, the battleground state with the largest prize among the battleground states now, 27 electoral votes. Two more than they had four years ago. And with a number of legal challenges already this year, many are hoping that tomorrow's election does not spark a repeat of 2000.
Gary Tuchman is live in West Palm Beach with more there this morning.
Hey, Gary, good morning.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, it's hard to believe it's been four years since we spent so much time together here in the state of Florida, but here we are again. We talked about Election Day being tomorrow. But here in Florida, they've been voting for two weeks already. It's the most elaborate advanced voting system in the United States, as a result of the chaos in this state in the year 2000. About 10 million registered voters in the state of Florida, already about 2 million have voted over the last two weeks, even on the weekends. We're here in West Palm Beach, the Epicenter of the problems in the year 2000 here in Palm Beach County.
Behind me, you can see a line outside the Supervisor of Elections Office. This is where advanced voting is going on. There are several hundred people in the line. It's a very hot day here in Florida. People brought their umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun. They have brought chairs, hoping to vote, because many of them can't be here tomorrow. But either way, you don't have to say why you're here; you're just allowed to vote early. Lots of problems in 2000, but already in 2004, there has been controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN (on camera): Emma, show me on the registration form what you forgot to fill out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Number four.
TUCHMAN: Emma Diaz forgot to check a box on her voter registration form saying she was mentally competent, because of that, she won't be allowed to cast a ballot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's not fair.
TUCHMAN: She was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Florida and its secretary of state Glenda Hood. The lawsuit failed.
GLENDA HOOD, FLA. SECY. OF STATE: Individuals and groups and political parties feel that the only way that they can get media attention, and get some attention is through litigation.
TUCHMAN: It was one of many election-related lawsuits filed here. Four years after the state's election fiasco, the problems were varied, ranging from the hanging chads on punch card ballots to the so-called butterfly ballots in Palm Beach County, where many accidentally voted for Pat Buchanan instead of Al Gore.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got a call the next morning from Japan, grandma, what did you do? What happened there? I said, I don't want to talk about it. He says, who did you vote for? I'm not talking, because I was so confused, and I thought I was violated.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: Well, as a result of all that, punch card ballots have been made illegal here in the state of Florida, in this county and many other counties in the state, they're using touch screen machines. They're also using in the states optical scanners. We want to give you a look at most of these polling places, where there's the early voting. Demonstrators are out. It is not a quiet place to come to do this early voting. It gets very raucous at times. Mostly Kerry/Edwards supporters here. But also Bush/Cheney supporters. This kind of reflects the vote from the year 2000. It was about 60 to 40, Kerry to Bush -- actually Gore to Bush; Kerry's running this year.
HEMMER: And again, you know, two years ago, that midterm election, a few hiccups here and there in Florida, but the microscope firmly placed back on the Sunshine State this time again.
Gary, thanks for that.
Later tonight in primetime, 8:00 Eastern Time, join Paula Zahn, she is live in Florida, for a townhall meeting, and we'll gauge the reaction she gets later tonight. "PAULA ZAHN" 8:00 Eastern here on CNN -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: No more days left, only hours now left until the 2004 election.
Bill Schneider has the blow by blow of the campaigns, both campaigns final push.
Good morning.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POL. ANALYST: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Let's begin with the Osama bin Laden tape. What kind of impact do you think this has on either candidate?
SCHNEIDER: There was lots of speculation that the tape would heighten fear and help Bush. But you know what, the evidence suggests just the opposite happened. The CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll reveals that President Bush lost ground on the issue of terrorism over the past week. A week ago he had an 18-point lead over John Kerry for handling terrorism. Now he has just a seven-point lead.
O'BRIEN: So that's not necessarily specifically the tape per se, but also maybe the missing explosives, things like that?
SCHNEIDER: Well, he also lost ground on the issue of Iraq. The point is, he didn't make any gains, as a lot of people speculated he might. It looks like the tape may have reminded voters that Osama bin Laden is still at large, taunting President Bush on the tape, despite the president's promise to get him dead or alive. O'BRIEN: It seems like we're hearing both candidates on the campaign trail, and they have been going like crazy on this. I mean, there's numerous stops yesterday and today, talking about domestic issues, trying to refocus on domestic issues. Before I ask you the question, let's listen to what they said on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, for example, I sat down with our national intelligence team, analyzing the latest tape that came in over the air. We understand that the enemy has designs on America. We're still at heightened alert. We're doing everything we can to protect the American people.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's unfortunate that anybody puts Osama bin Laden into any political context in the United States' election. I'm outraged that he has appeared. I'm outraged that he inserts himself in any kind of way into the electoral process of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: That was a question we were just talking about moments ago, but what I wanted to hear was domestic issues, because now the candidates are really focusing on that.
You guys, do we have this tape?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: If you believe that taxes should stay low so families can pay the bills and small businesses can create new jobs, I ask come and stand with me.
KERRY: George Bush is promising you four more years of the same. I'm promising you a champion for the middle class, someone who fights to make the workplace in America work for Americans again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: So many wild cards in this election. But do folks vote the domestic issues, or are they going to vote terrorism and Iraq?
SCHNEIDER: Well, fear and anger are the two emotions that have dominated this campaign. Fear of terrorism and anger over President Bush's policies, and they have trumped the usual calculations of self- interest, which is why it's been such an emotional campaign, and why we can say, it is not the economy, stupid.
O'BRIEN: The list of states that are in play as they say continues to change. But if you look at the battleground states, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, still all too close to call. What can you glean from those states?
SCHNEIDER: That both sides have rallied in all the battleground states, and when President Bush or Senator Kerry goes to a state, they don't just rally their own supporters when they run ads, they don't just rally their own people, they also rally the other side. What we're finding out is the more the campaign goes on at a fever pitch in these battleground states, the more both sides get rallied, and the more divided they get.
O'BRIEN: Ground game, you say. This is going to rely on a good ground game. What does that mean exactly?
SCHNEIDER: Well, it's not so hard to get people to sign their name on a form to register. It is much harder to get them out to vote. So what's happening is you're getting a flood of volunteers and activists out in these battleground states to pull people out to vote, but it's even harder than that. It's not just getting them to the polls, but Republican activists are out there to challenge the credentials of people they suspect are not qualified to vote, and you've got Democratic activists at the polling places to defend the qualifications.
O'BRIEN: Challenging the challengers.
SCHNEIDER: Challenging the challengers, and defending the qualifications of the voters. So it's a very complicated, and may I add, expensive operation, not just to get them there, but to defend them once they get there.
O'BRIEN: Will this result on Wednesday?
SCHNEIDER: We don't know. We certainly -- I certainly hope so. I've got plans.
O'BRIEN: Oh, no, don't say that. That's the first sign that it won't be resolved. Bill Schneider, as always, thanks.
For the latest polling data, you can go to CNN.com/americavotes, where you can also find updated information on all the races for the Senate and the House, and you can get up-to-the minute results tomorrow with CNN's special election night coverage. That comes to you live from New York and starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time -- Bill.
HEMMER: More tea leaves, Soledad, now. Is the type of music Americans prefer a predictor for the White House? Here's a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll of musical and political likes and dislikes. We found that President Bush has the support of country music fans by a ratio of more than two to one. That's played at every campaign stop for him. The votes are more easily split between classical and rock bands. But a majority says that they prefer Senator Kerry. Again, undecided.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: We know the damage cigarettes can do. But combining those smokes with a cup of Joe can be double trouble for your heart. That's our medical topic now with Elizabeth Cohen, in for Sanjay, at the CNN Center. Good morning, Elizabeth. What do you have?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Bill, coffee and cigarettes just sometimes seem to naturally go together. A lot of people who smoke also like to have a cup of coffee. In fact, there's even a movie called "Coffee and Cigarettes" that came out last spring, and that's a main theme: people smoking and drinking together.
But there appears to be a bad combination when the chemicals from coffee and the chemicals from cigarettes come together. No one's sure exactly why it's true, but a new study has come out that shows that when people smoke a cigarette plus have two cups of coffee, that may increase hardening of the arteries. That's obviously not a good thing.
Now, it doesn't have to be coffee. It can be any caffeinated beverage, and the effect seems to be particularly bad when somebody already has heart disease -- Bill?
HEMMER: We drink a lot of coffee around here, Elizabeth. We're not going to have to give that up, are we?
COHEN: Well, the American Heart Association says that moderate coffee drinking, meaning a cup or two a day, is OK. It does not appear to be harmful. And sort of the jury is still out. There are still studies out there to look at drinking more than that. But most of the time, cardiologists don't get too frantic about coffee drinking. But boy do they get frantic about cigarette smoking.
So, the bottom line here is don't worry so much about the coffee. Worry about the cigarette smoking. The message is very simple: quit smoking.
HEMMER: And a good reminder, too. Elizabeth, thanks for that.
COHEN: Thanks.
HEMMER: Soledad?
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, lots at stake, of course, in tomorrow's election, especially for one company in Ohio. Andy's going to explain as he minds your business coming up.
Plus, it seems that Ashlee Simpson's problems on "SNL" started before last week's show even hit the air. "90-Second Pop" ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. "90-Second Pop" for a Monday. Andy Borowitz, humorist and big cheese over at borowitzreport.com -- maybe the only cheese, as a matter of fact. Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York Magazine." Good morning, Sarah.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK MAGAZINE": Good morning.
HEMMER: And Toure, CNN pop culture correspondent. Good morning...
TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Thank you.
HEMMER: ... to all three of you.
What's going on with Jay-Z and R. Kelly. These guys have issues, huh?
TOURE: Yeah, yeah, well, two big things happened at the concert on Friday night. R. Kelly and Jay-Z have the "Best of Both Worlds" concert that they've been going on. But there's a lot of friction backstage. Basically boils down to R. Kelly doesn't like it when Jay- Z gets all the applause.
So, Friday night they're at Madison Square Garden...
HEMMER: And you're there.
TOURE: I'm there. They did about three or four songs together. R. Kelly didn't like the way it was going down. He comes out by himself and says, "Somebody in the -- two people in the crowd pointed guns at me. I'm out of here."
BERNARD: That was you, right?
TOURE: No.
HEMMER: One of them.
TOURE: As he's leaving, somebody in Jay-Z's crowd pepper sprays him backstage.
HEMMER: Who gets maced?
TOURE: R. Kelly. Goes to the hospital and everything. Now, this was no problem for me because I don't care for R. Kelly. So, I'm like, he's leaving, great! Jay-Z makes a call. Mary J. Blige is in the audience. Usher is in the audience. Your man Ja Rule is in the audience.
HEMMER: Ja Rule.
TOURE: "Come up, come up." They come up, and they perform one after the other in their street clothes.
HEMMER: Really!
TOURE: Amazing. It was the most hip-hop thing I have seen in years.
HEMMER: Why can't all these million dollar hip-hoppers get along, Toure?
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: No, it's not just the hip-hop theme, because I saw a very similar thing went down a few years ago at "VH1 Divas Live" between Celine Dion and Faith Hill. HEMMER: And they're still fighting it out.
BERNARD: I don't understand why he thought R. Kelly was a good partner anyway. He was -- he has been charged with child pornography, right? His trial -- he has a court date this week.
HEMMER: Sarah, details, details, please.
"60 Minutes" last night showed another side of the Ashlee Simpson saga. Did it actually play in her favor, because they show that she did have voice trouble. You saw it.
BERNARD: It did a little bit. Now, they happened to be there on a good week. They were doing a profile of the inner workings of "Saturday Night Live," and they caught her dress rehearsal, actually, which showed that she was already upset because her voice wasn't so great and she kind of ran off the stage crying. So, it did support her theory that there was something wrong earlier in the day.
But you know, they didn't explain that that was the acid reflux problem. That I still don't know if I buy.
HEMMER: Well, that didn't happen until Wednesday, remember?
BERNARD: Exactly. But I think the most shocking thing was that Lorne Michaels, who is, you know, credited as the genius for 20 years behind the show, said he had no idea that she was lip-syncing.
HEMMER: You think that was the most shocking thing?
BERNARD: I do. How could he not no?
HEMMER: I thought it was the fact that Eminem was the music guest on "Saturday Night Live" and he did not make a headline. The guy is losing his edge.
We have to leave it there. We're out of time. Good to see you all three, OK? See you later in the week -- Soledad?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.
We got this just in to us at CNN. William Rehnquist, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, supposed to be on the bench again today when the Supreme Court returned to work. He apparently is not at work today.
We're going to check in with Bob Franken, who is live for us this morning. Hey, Bob, good morning. Well, what are the details on this?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, Soledad, the significance is this occurs one day before the election where one of the issues has really not been the fact that there's an expectation there could be the replacement of several Supreme Court justices in the next term. We had been told by Chief Justice Rehnquist and the court that he would be coming here on Monday and showing up at the bench. But he just put out a paper statement. I'm going to read it to you; it's really quite short.
"I underwent a tracheotomy nine days ago and, at the suggestion of my doctors, I'm continuing to recuperate at home. According to my doctors, my plan to return to the office today was too optimistic. I am continuing to take radiation and chemotherapy treatments on an outpatient basis." That's the statement from William Rehnquist. He goes on to say, "While at home, I'm working on court matters, including opinions for cases already argued. I am and will continue to be in close contact with my colleagues, my law clerks and members of the Supreme Court staff. So William Rehnquist did not come to work today.
I say again that the issue of selection of Supreme Court justices is one that's percolated, but it has never really gotten the prominence of other issues in this campaign. There have been some warnings, particularly from interest groups who are to the left, who say that if President Bush is re-elected, he could appoint as many as four new justices. Those on the right make the same claim. There's an undercurrent about questions about what would happen to the Roe v. Wade decision. All of that, of course, is highly speculative.
But the announcement by Supreme Court Chief Justice Rehnquist that he would be here today is now followed with an announcement that he is not in good health enough to come, which will raise questions, of course, about the issue that have so far been suppressed in the campaign -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Bob Franken for us this morning. Bob, thanks for that update. Many people did, in fact, think it was very ambitious for the chief justice to be thinking about returning when the court came back into session.
Still to come this morning, why an Ohio company has lots riding on tomorrow's vote. Andy's "Minding Your Business," just ahead as we continue right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Tomorrow's election could be a make-or-break event for one company, plus Prada joining the ranks of Google. For that, and a check of the markets, Andy Serwer "Minding Your Business."
What do you want to start with? The markets?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Let's do that.
Dow is up a little bit this morning, Soledad, about eight points here to the upside, One Stock trading down this morning is Merck. Big story in "The Wall Street Journal" today, saying the company hid problems about Vioxx for years. That stock is down $2 to $29.30. Merck is going to be a holding pattern today and tomorrow, like everyone else, probably waiting for the big results to come out. Jobs report on Friday, maybe we'll have a new president by then. Let's see here. Prada trying to go public. They've tried three times to do this, Soledad. It's sort of like me picking the Patriots. Never been able to pull it off. But it looks like they might do OK, wouldn't you say here? Depends what you think.
O'BRIEN: You can't walk in those shoes.
SERWER: Jil Sanders one of those brands -- that's one 'l' in Jil Sanders, I was today.
A make-or-break week for Dibold (ph). This is the electronic voting machine company out of North Canton, Ohio. They're kind of like ATMs; you know, it's a touchscreen thing -- 48,000 of these machines in 10 states. 29 percent of the U.S. is going to be using these this time around, versus 12 percent last time. There have been problems. What a surprise, there have been problems.
Some of the company's problems include their software got out on the Internet. People were noodling around with it. Then the CEO, Walden O'Dell, who is a Bush supporter, sent out a letter to fellow Bush supporters in Ohio, saying he would help deliver the election to President Bush in Ohio. Don't worry, the state of Ohio is not using his machines, so that controversy is -- it's interesting. Then there are some problems with his machines, or the company's machines, I should say, in California, could be very interesting, don't you think?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: I think that's an understatement.
O'BRIEN: A long list of things...
SERWER: Just like an ATM. Hit $1,000, $300, President Bush, you know, just touch the right little thingy there, right? Make sure it works.
CAFFERTY: Political analysis -- touch the right little thingy.
O'BRIEN: I'm glad you're not running the machines.
SERWER: Yes, I'm not running the machines or the chads or anything else, that's right?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Question of the Day, did the Osama bin Laden tape change the way that you view the election. Eight-hundred letters.
HEMMER: Wow.
CAFFERTY: Not bad, for a Monday before. Christy in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, "I'm not going to let a snake in a turban influence me any more than a loser of a film director. It's a shame some Americans listen to either of them."
I assume, Christy, you're referring to Michael Moore, but that's just a guess. 'H' in St. John, Canada, "Makes me want George Bush to get back in more than ever. He, Osama bin Laden, knows President Bush is more of a threat to him than John Kerry."
And Vicky writes from Tennessee, "The only thing that I get from the Osama tape is that he's still free to make tapes. So how can this possibly spin well for Bush? Run, but not hide? Seems he's done it."
Thank you for your interest in our QoD.
HEMMER: Big response.
CAFFERTY: Yes, it's quite a few for a Monday.
HEMMER: In a moment here, back next hour, the candidates sprinting to the finish. "CNN LIVE TODAY" is on the campaign trail with both men. Plus Jeff Toobin runs gown the possible legal rulings that may change the face of tomorrow's vote. That's next hour with Daryn and Rick.
We're back in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING, right after this.
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O'BRIEN: We're out of time. Let's check in with Daryn Kagan and Rick Sanchez at the CNN Center, going to take us through the next couple of hours.
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