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American Morning
The Day After; Interview With Senator-Elect Mel Martinez; Scott Peterson's Fate in Hands of Jurors
Aired November 04, 2004 - 9:00 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. 9:00 here in New York. Soledad making her way back from Columbus, Ohio.
There and back, right?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
HEMMER: The story fit perfectly into our five-hour show yesterday.
O'BRIEN: They had -- you know, by the time Senator Kerry had decided under some advisement to concede the election, really we were in the middle of the show. And kind of wrapped things up.
HEMMER: And job well done.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
HEMMER: And quick work, too, in the middle of the night.
O'BRIEN: And likewise for all the time you spent.
HEMMER: We're going to sleep this weekend.
The dust settling now in the election for 2004. A lot of changes to consider -- we will this hour.
Voters sending some fresh faces to Washington. And we'll talk about that. Also some thoughts about being the new guy in the Senate. Mel Martinez out of Florida, a Cuban-American, too. So we'll get his thoughts.
O'BRIEN: Also, "Sports Illustrated" is celebrating its 50th anniversary. No, not with another swimsuit issue, but with a special tribute to American sports. This morning, we talk to "SI's" Frank Deford, dip into his memory bank of some great sports moments, and also a little bit of a retrospective from him as well.
HEMMER: This is the book.
O'BRIEN: Isn't it beautiful?
HEMMER: Yes. It is stunning, too, especially for the holiday time. So we'll get Frank's thoughts in a moment here. If you're looking for a gift, we got one for you.
O'BRIEN: That's where I thought you were going with that.
HEMMER: Here's the plug.
Jack is out. Toure is back, taking e-mails in a moment here. So we'll get to him.
In the meantime, though, want to get to Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center, starting us off this hour. News on Yasser Arafat, too.
Daryn, good morning.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Bill, good morning to you. Now to the news.
More on the story that we have been following all morning long. We are now waiting word from medical officials on the condition of the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat.
Senior Palestinian officials tell CNN that the Palestinian leader has drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the night. There were also reports that Arafat had slipped into a coma. No confirmation on any of those claims from medical sources.
There is word of a car bomb attack south of Baghdad. Officials say at least three members of the Iraqi National Guard were killed in that explosion. And in Falluja, U.S. forces destroyed several insurgent targets in overnight attacks. That is part of a plan to soften insurgent resistance ahead of a possible U.S. offensive in the city.
Back here in the U.S., the jury in the Scott Peterson double murder trial gets back to work this morning. Closing statements wrapped up yesterday in the case. Deliberations are set to resume in about two-and-a-half hours. The jury is being sequestered until that verdict is reached.
And the film industry is reportedly following the lead of record companies and fighting online movie swapping. The Motion Picture Association of America is expected to make a major announcement today. According to reports, Hollywood studios are preparing a first round of lawsuits apparently targeting people who share digitized version of films over peer-to-peer networks.
So watch out. Hollywood police could be knocking on your door.
Back to you.
O'BRIEN: All right, Daryn. Thanks.
Well, it's the morning after the morning after, and with a second term now on the horizon, President Bush vows that he's going to work to gain the support of all Americans, especially those who did not vote for him. During his victory speech yesterday in Washington, the president thanked his supporters and said it is time for the country to unite.
A CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll shows a majority of Americans are pleased with the outcome of the election. No big surprise there.
Thirty-eight say they are upset about the outcome. Nine percent say it doesn't matter. Nearly a quarter of those polled are enthusiastic about a second Bush term, and a third are optimistic about it. Eighteen percent say they're pessimistic, while nearly a quarter say they are afraid.
In just about an hour, the president is expected to meet with his cabinet. Could there be some changes in that lineup during this term? White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux live for us in Washington, D.C., with more this morning.
Hey, Suzanne. Good morning.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Soledad.
Of course it's not official until it's official, but in Washington, of course, a lot of talk, a lot of speculation about the cabinet makeup of a second term. We have been told Secretary of State Colin Powell one of those people who he had told recently, months ago, as a matter of fact, that it is likely he is not going to serve another term.
As you know, he was at odds at times with the approach, the policy dealing with Iraq. Perhaps one of the cabinet members that was most reluctant to invade.
Also, of course, Attorney General John Ashcroft. Now, this is someone who has come to symbolize the far right, the conservative right. He has also faced some health problems. It is not likely that he will go ahead and serve a second term. Somewhat of a surprise perhaps, despite the calls in the spring for his resignation.
Word is that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is one of the people who is going to stick around.
Now, as you know, of course, in about an hour or so the president is going to meet with his cabinet. He is going to be pushing forward his second-term agenda. Some of those items, of course, include reforming intelligence, as well as setting a budget, cutting the deficit in half, and reforming tax code as well.
Now, the president yesterday in a rather boisterous and celebratory victory speech, reached out and said that he was going to try to work with members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike. He reached out to those 55 million people who actually voted to oust him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: America has spoken, and I am humbled by the trust and the confidence of my fellow citizens. With that trust comes a duty to serve all Americans. And I will do my best to fulfill that duty every day as your president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, the president says, of course, that he will work in a bipartisan fashion, Democrats and Republicans alike. But, of course, it is going to be their own brand of bipartisanship. That is because this White House has won a mandate -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Suzanne Malveaux for us this morning at the White House. Suzanne, thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: John Kerry, meanwhile, says he will continue to fight the good fight, but as a senator and not as a president.
From Boston this morning, here's Kelly Wallace, the day after.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was hard, and it showed.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I wish that I could just wrap you up in my arms and embrace each and every one of you individually all across this nation. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
(APPLAUSE)
WALLACE: The candidate who seemed to have trouble at times connecting on the stump, connecting in defeat. Inside Boston's Faneuil Hall, John Kerry saluted is family, his staff, his supporters, and the men and women he met from Manchester to Milwaukee during his two-year quest for the presidency.
KERRY: I've heard your stories. I know your struggles, I know your hopes. They are part of me now. And I will never forget you, and I will never stop fighting for you.
WALLACE: It was a crushing blow for a campaign that felt the wind at its back on Election Day based on the early exit polls. By election night, though, strategists started to get concerned.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sort of slid away slowly over the course of the evening and into the morning.
WALLACE: Aides said the campaign's lawyers actually argued the senator should file a lawsuit over the votes not yet counted in Ohio, but that Senator Kerry rejected that, not wanting to further divide the country with a lengthy court battle. In his concession call to the president, and in his concession speech, an appeal for national unity after a costly and contentious race.
KERRY: Today I hope that we can begin the healing.
WALLACE: It is early for the second-guessing and the campaign critiques. Aides say it's less about what went wrong than what team Bush did better. They've say while Senator Kerry received four million votes more than Al Gore did in 2000, that Republicans turned out even more.
(on camera): The day focused on Senator Kerry. But soon his party will likely to have do some soul searching after a presidential election that left a huge swathe of the country in red, only a small portion in blue.
Kelly Wallace, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Also, Republican leaders applauding Kerry's decision not to fight that vote in Ohio. They say it was a message to the world about the strength of America's election process -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Republicans have strengthened their hold on the House and the Senate. Florida's Mel Martinez is one of the newly-minted senators. He's also the first Cuban-American to be elected to the Senate. Mel Martinez joins us from Orlando, Florida, this morning.
Congratulations, Senator-Elect Martinez. That's got to sound pretty good, huh?
MEL MARTINEZ (R), SENATOR-ELECT, FLORIDA: It sounds absolutely great. Thank you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Tell me why you won.
MARTINEZ: Well, I think people got to know me during the course of the campaign. You know, it always is a struggle to get through the 30-second ads and have people actually get to know who you are.
I think people in Florida, first and foremost, were concerned about national security. We stressed that issue in the campaign. And I think at the end of the day I won strongly on that issue.
I think secondarily, the things you've been discussing on your program this morning, the moral values, the moral issues of the day I think also went in my favor.
O'BRIEN: You have said in the past you are no centrist. When you are accepting victory, you said, "I want to be a senator for everybody. I want to be a senator for the Republicans, for the Democrats, for the independent -- Independents, rather. Aren't those two things completely contradictory?
MARTINEZ: You know, I tried really hard every time I was asked, "Are you a moderate, are you a liberal, are you a conservative," to say, I'm a compassionate conservative. I worked in President Bush's cabinet, I understand what he means when he talks about compassionate conservatism. And that's what I talk about. And that's how I would self-define myself.
It means that in some regards you are someone who has a great concern for those who are hurting in life, those who need a help up by government. But at the same time, I'm also a conservative when it comes to, you know, believing that marriage ought to be between a man and a woman or the fact that I'm a pro-life person. And so I think it's a -- it's a shifting sand of issues as it relates to what it is we are talking about at any giving moment.
O'BRIEN: Are other Latinos falling along? Forty-four percent of the Latino vote went Republican. It's been historically, as you well know, a Democratic stronghold, but it seems to be chipped away now. Why is that?
MARTINEZ: Right. I was thrilled that was the result.
Being in the president's cabinet, I was well aware that he only one 35 percent of the vote in the 2000 election. I was determined he would do better, and I'm glad to see that he did.
I'm proud that I won about 60 percent, of course, of the Latino vote in Florida. That is no surprise, I suppose. And I think that the president's message, the Republican message is beginning to really resonate in Latino households, and I think it has to do with national security, but also with a whole host of other social and moral issues that I think they'll begin to relate with the Republican Party on.
O'BRIEN: And many people are saying, of course -- and probably every single time they say your name, they say, "You know, he's the first Cuban-American to be elected to the Senate." How will that play out while you're in the Senate? Or as you just -- something else on your resume?
MARTINEZ: Well, I think that you need to be a great senator for Florida, a great leader for Florida, who happens to be a Cuban- American. And I think that's a great thing. I am very proud of my heritage.
I know the Cuban community in Florida and throughout the country, and I think Cuba itself are very proud of my election, and I'm delighted for that. But I need to be a leader for all of Florida and the United States, and then also maintain my heritage. And I think that's what I've always done in life. I'll try to do that as a senator as well.
O'BRIEN: For the first time, two Hispanics in the Senate.
MARTINEZ: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Nice to see you, sir. Congratulations to you.
MARTINEZ: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: Eleven minutes past the hour. Back to Chad watching the weather.
Hey -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Bill.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Chad, thanks. Eighty-five last week in your city?
MYERS: It was so nice.
HEMMER: Kiss it good-bye.
MYERS: Yes, I know. See you.
HEMMER: Thanks.
Some amazing videotape out of Taiwan today. A man attacked and injured at a Taipei zoo, jumping into the lion's den, starting to preach Christianity. The man reportedly said, "Jesus will save you." And then said, "Come bite me."
Well, one of the male lions did just that right there. Zoo workers able to drive off the lion with water hoses and a tranquilizer gun. The man said he'd be OK -- Taiwan.
O'BRIEN: You don't have to tell lions "come bite me" twice.
HEMMER: Not a genius at work here.
O'BRIEN: And probably the preaching not going to get through. Just guessing. That's strange. Good thing he's alive, though.
Still to come this morning, flu vaccine supplies low, but there may be a way to stretch the supply. We'll explain just ahead.
HEMMER: Also, Dean Johnson is back with us, former prosecutor. Scott Peterson's fate now in the hands of jurors. Dean Johnson tells us the most important 20 minutes of the trial happened recently. And we'll tell you about that.
O'BRIEN: Also, Election Day tough for John Kerry and several other Democrats. So where does the party go from here? A look at that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: A California jury now considering the death of Laci Peterson and her unborn son. Laci's husband, Scott Peterson, accused of killing them. Deliberations started yesterday afternoon. They resume a bit later today.
Dean Johnson, former San Mateo County prosecutor, with us again from Redwood City.
Always great to have you on our show, Dean. And good morning to you out there.
You say that the critical 20 minutes of this case, right before the jurors got their opportunity to deliberate was the most critical. Why? DEAN JOHNSON, FRM. SAN MATEO COUNTY PROSECUTOR: Well, let me set the scene. Mark Geragos gave a very fine closing argument, and he threw down the gauntlet to prosecutor Rick Distaso, saying, look, if Scott Peterson killed his wife, there would be marks on Scott Peterson from the struggle.
Rick Distaso got up and said, "There are no marks on Scott Peterson? Really? Let me show you something."
And he played a tape of an interview by a local reporter in which Scott Peterson himself holds out his hands and says, "Look, I get my fingers cut all the time. I got a cut on my finger that day, the day that Laci went missing."
And Rick Distaso said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've always said that Laci was smothered or strangled. If she was strangled my Scott Peterson, wouldn't she be scratching his hands to save her own life?" And jaws dropped in that courtroom. He turned this trial around.
HEMMER: Wow. Was there any reasonable doubt, do you believe, that Mark Geragos raised for jurors to consider at this point?
JOHNSON: Well, certainly Mark Geragos very effectively argued for reasonable doubt. But the problem is that they have never -- the defense has never constructed a theory about how this happened that's consistent with innocence. And there's that one big question standing out there, which is, how did those bodies wash up just a stone's throw from where Scott Peterson was fishing? Mark Geragos talked for over a day and did not address that critical question.
HEMMER: Dean, I know you are a prosecutor, but try and reverse it a little bit for us. If you're in -- if you're on that panel, how do you find a way to acquit Scott Peterson?
JOHNSON: Very simply. Mark Geragos marshaled a number of facts that suggested Laci Peterson was up and awake and doing her morning activities when Scott Peterson left the house. If that's true, then Scott Peterson is not the killer.
There is evidence, even in the prosecution's own expert testimony, that suggest that Conner Peterson, the baby, lived beyond December 24. If that's true, then Scott Peterson is not the killer. If the jury can get to the point of believing those two facts to be true, then they must logically conclude that whatever else the explanation may be, Scott Peterson was not the murderer.
HEMMER: Well, one thing you were talking about yesterday is how the jurors at one point laughed at Mark Geragos. What was the scenario for that?
JOHNSON: Well, that's one of the big problems in this case. Mark Geragos has floated so many theories. He's told us about Laci being abducted by the homeless in Modesto, Laci possibly being dumped in the water by homeless people around the Berkeley Marina, crazed drug addicts, devil cults. Rick Distaso had the jury laughing. At one point, he said, "You know, the homeless have gotten a bad rap in this case. How could they, being homeless people, abduct Laci, take her 90 miles away, transfer here to the other colony of homeless people at the Berkeley Marina, let Laci live, let Conner be born, drop these two bodies in the water, all under the most intense media scrutiny of all time?"
The jurors were laughing at Mark Geragos' theories. And, you know, we say we can't actually read jurors' body language, but when the jurors are laughing at your theory, that's usually not a good sign.
HEMMER: "Court TV" is also reporting, as they got off a bus and just went into deliberations to be sequestered, they were apparently very jovial. I don't know if that means anything. As you point out, jurors are tough to read. Do you have a quick thought on that, though?
JOHNSON: Well, normally, as prosecutors, we say a laughing jury is an acquitting jury. You want them to be very serious.
But there were a few funny incidents that happened yesterday. One juror came in late to the applause of the rest of the jurors, that sort of thing. And I think they are very happy to have this case and have the opportunity now finally to deliberate. So I think this jury is going to be very serious, they're going to settle down to their work today. I think we will have a verdict fairly soon.
HEMMER: OK. Dean, thanks. Dean Johnson out there in California -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Here's a step toward decreasing those unwanted e-mails in your in box. A Virginia jury sent up the country's first felony conviction for Internet spammers. Jeremy James was found guilty yesterday of sending spam email to millions of AOL customers. Jurors also recommended a nine-year prison sentence.
His sister was fined $7,500. A judge says he will decide James' sentence come February.
HEMMER: If you are looking for a holiday gift, I've got a great idea right here.
O'BRIEN: What are you getting me, the "Sports Illustrated" 50th anniversary book?
HEMMER: Yes. It's a beautiful, beautiful book. Frank Deford writes the introduction on it. We'll talk to Frank a bit later this hour, show you some pictures, too, in a moment here as we continue after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: A day after conceding, John Kerry may be questioning why he lost the election. "The Late Show's" David Letterman had some suggestions for excuses the senator can make. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: No. 5, should have campaigned more in New Mexico less in regular Mexico. Regular? That's really? Regular Mexico?
(APPLAUSE)
LETTERMAN: Look at any map.
No. 4, it turns out voters think it's hot that Cheney has a lesbian daughter.
No. 3, thought America was ready for a lunatic first lady.
No. 2, voters seemed to really like a weak economy and a badly- run war.
(APPLAUSE)
LETTERMAN: And the No. 1 John Kerry excuse, he was distracted by late-night erotic phone calls from Bill O'Reilly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE": Ooh.
O'BRIEN: Very funny. That was good.
HEMMER: Jack's out. Hello, Toure.
TOURE: How are you guys?
O'BRIEN: Hello, Toure. How's the experience today?
TOURE: The experience is great. Well, I should ask you, how is the experience going?
O'BRIEN: The experience is great.
TOURE: The president swaggers into his second term in office with an opportunity to shape his legacy. How is he going to move forward on Iraq, Iran, North Korea and the war on terror? What's going to happen to the Supreme Court, gay rights, stem cell research? And what will be the unforeseen challenges?
Here's our question: What do you expect President Bush to accomplish in the next four years? Lots of answers from the people.
JJ from Arizona, "It amazes me that the Democratic talking heads are now saying Bush must do this, must do that. Don't they realize that they lost in more than one category? Perhaps they should be asking what they must do."
Tough words. Renee from Madison, Wisconsin, "With an effective ban on new stem cell research, I'm expecting Bush to further the restrictions on scientific research. America risks losing its place as a global research leader in favor of radical ideology."
Lee, from San Antonio, "Over the next four years, I would like to see some unity. Sometimes making the right decisions is not popular. This president has demonstrated that he's committed to doing the right thing."
And Grace, from Woodbury, Minnesota, "Unity? Perhaps we need to somehow enforce the separation of church and state. If it weren't for the evangelicals pushing their agenda on America, we might have a different White House now."
I'm not picking them.
HEMMER: Dare I say that I was disappointed at voter turnout? 120 million people voted, but it's only 60 percent of the eligible voters in America. I thought it would go higher than that.
TOURE: Yes.
HEMMER: Now, the last time -- with fairness, the last time we saw that was 1968 -- 1960 had a bigger turnout.
TOURE: And the noise around this one with the fanfare. It's like, "You've got to get involved."
HEMMER: Very true.
O'BRIEN: Do you think read into that, then, that the celebrities weighing in just doesn't work? It doesn't have an impact?
TOURE: Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.
HEMMER: I'm not sure.
O'BRIEN: You know, because that was sort of the -- the gist, getting celebrities to motivate people to vote.
TOURE: Yes.
HEMMER: I just filed this talking head, JJ.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: We worship you, we worship you, we worship you.
Still to come this morning, some mystery today is surrounding the health of Yasser Arafat. We'll take a look at just how dire that situation could be. We're going to have a live report from Paris.
Plus, John Kerry's defeat not the only big loss for the Democrats on election night. Ahead, what's the next step for that party?
As we go to break, a look at some of CNN's exit poll results.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired November 4, 2004 - 9:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. 9:00 here in New York. Soledad making her way back from Columbus, Ohio.
There and back, right?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
HEMMER: The story fit perfectly into our five-hour show yesterday.
O'BRIEN: They had -- you know, by the time Senator Kerry had decided under some advisement to concede the election, really we were in the middle of the show. And kind of wrapped things up.
HEMMER: And job well done.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
HEMMER: And quick work, too, in the middle of the night.
O'BRIEN: And likewise for all the time you spent.
HEMMER: We're going to sleep this weekend.
The dust settling now in the election for 2004. A lot of changes to consider -- we will this hour.
Voters sending some fresh faces to Washington. And we'll talk about that. Also some thoughts about being the new guy in the Senate. Mel Martinez out of Florida, a Cuban-American, too. So we'll get his thoughts.
O'BRIEN: Also, "Sports Illustrated" is celebrating its 50th anniversary. No, not with another swimsuit issue, but with a special tribute to American sports. This morning, we talk to "SI's" Frank Deford, dip into his memory bank of some great sports moments, and also a little bit of a retrospective from him as well.
HEMMER: This is the book.
O'BRIEN: Isn't it beautiful?
HEMMER: Yes. It is stunning, too, especially for the holiday time. So we'll get Frank's thoughts in a moment here. If you're looking for a gift, we got one for you.
O'BRIEN: That's where I thought you were going with that.
HEMMER: Here's the plug.
Jack is out. Toure is back, taking e-mails in a moment here. So we'll get to him.
In the meantime, though, want to get to Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center, starting us off this hour. News on Yasser Arafat, too.
Daryn, good morning.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Bill, good morning to you. Now to the news.
More on the story that we have been following all morning long. We are now waiting word from medical officials on the condition of the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat.
Senior Palestinian officials tell CNN that the Palestinian leader has drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the night. There were also reports that Arafat had slipped into a coma. No confirmation on any of those claims from medical sources.
There is word of a car bomb attack south of Baghdad. Officials say at least three members of the Iraqi National Guard were killed in that explosion. And in Falluja, U.S. forces destroyed several insurgent targets in overnight attacks. That is part of a plan to soften insurgent resistance ahead of a possible U.S. offensive in the city.
Back here in the U.S., the jury in the Scott Peterson double murder trial gets back to work this morning. Closing statements wrapped up yesterday in the case. Deliberations are set to resume in about two-and-a-half hours. The jury is being sequestered until that verdict is reached.
And the film industry is reportedly following the lead of record companies and fighting online movie swapping. The Motion Picture Association of America is expected to make a major announcement today. According to reports, Hollywood studios are preparing a first round of lawsuits apparently targeting people who share digitized version of films over peer-to-peer networks.
So watch out. Hollywood police could be knocking on your door.
Back to you.
O'BRIEN: All right, Daryn. Thanks.
Well, it's the morning after the morning after, and with a second term now on the horizon, President Bush vows that he's going to work to gain the support of all Americans, especially those who did not vote for him. During his victory speech yesterday in Washington, the president thanked his supporters and said it is time for the country to unite.
A CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll shows a majority of Americans are pleased with the outcome of the election. No big surprise there.
Thirty-eight say they are upset about the outcome. Nine percent say it doesn't matter. Nearly a quarter of those polled are enthusiastic about a second Bush term, and a third are optimistic about it. Eighteen percent say they're pessimistic, while nearly a quarter say they are afraid.
In just about an hour, the president is expected to meet with his cabinet. Could there be some changes in that lineup during this term? White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux live for us in Washington, D.C., with more this morning.
Hey, Suzanne. Good morning.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Soledad.
Of course it's not official until it's official, but in Washington, of course, a lot of talk, a lot of speculation about the cabinet makeup of a second term. We have been told Secretary of State Colin Powell one of those people who he had told recently, months ago, as a matter of fact, that it is likely he is not going to serve another term.
As you know, he was at odds at times with the approach, the policy dealing with Iraq. Perhaps one of the cabinet members that was most reluctant to invade.
Also, of course, Attorney General John Ashcroft. Now, this is someone who has come to symbolize the far right, the conservative right. He has also faced some health problems. It is not likely that he will go ahead and serve a second term. Somewhat of a surprise perhaps, despite the calls in the spring for his resignation.
Word is that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is one of the people who is going to stick around.
Now, as you know, of course, in about an hour or so the president is going to meet with his cabinet. He is going to be pushing forward his second-term agenda. Some of those items, of course, include reforming intelligence, as well as setting a budget, cutting the deficit in half, and reforming tax code as well.
Now, the president yesterday in a rather boisterous and celebratory victory speech, reached out and said that he was going to try to work with members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike. He reached out to those 55 million people who actually voted to oust him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: America has spoken, and I am humbled by the trust and the confidence of my fellow citizens. With that trust comes a duty to serve all Americans. And I will do my best to fulfill that duty every day as your president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, the president says, of course, that he will work in a bipartisan fashion, Democrats and Republicans alike. But, of course, it is going to be their own brand of bipartisanship. That is because this White House has won a mandate -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Suzanne Malveaux for us this morning at the White House. Suzanne, thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: John Kerry, meanwhile, says he will continue to fight the good fight, but as a senator and not as a president.
From Boston this morning, here's Kelly Wallace, the day after.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was hard, and it showed.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I wish that I could just wrap you up in my arms and embrace each and every one of you individually all across this nation. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
(APPLAUSE)
WALLACE: The candidate who seemed to have trouble at times connecting on the stump, connecting in defeat. Inside Boston's Faneuil Hall, John Kerry saluted is family, his staff, his supporters, and the men and women he met from Manchester to Milwaukee during his two-year quest for the presidency.
KERRY: I've heard your stories. I know your struggles, I know your hopes. They are part of me now. And I will never forget you, and I will never stop fighting for you.
WALLACE: It was a crushing blow for a campaign that felt the wind at its back on Election Day based on the early exit polls. By election night, though, strategists started to get concerned.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sort of slid away slowly over the course of the evening and into the morning.
WALLACE: Aides said the campaign's lawyers actually argued the senator should file a lawsuit over the votes not yet counted in Ohio, but that Senator Kerry rejected that, not wanting to further divide the country with a lengthy court battle. In his concession call to the president, and in his concession speech, an appeal for national unity after a costly and contentious race.
KERRY: Today I hope that we can begin the healing.
WALLACE: It is early for the second-guessing and the campaign critiques. Aides say it's less about what went wrong than what team Bush did better. They've say while Senator Kerry received four million votes more than Al Gore did in 2000, that Republicans turned out even more.
(on camera): The day focused on Senator Kerry. But soon his party will likely to have do some soul searching after a presidential election that left a huge swathe of the country in red, only a small portion in blue.
Kelly Wallace, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Also, Republican leaders applauding Kerry's decision not to fight that vote in Ohio. They say it was a message to the world about the strength of America's election process -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Republicans have strengthened their hold on the House and the Senate. Florida's Mel Martinez is one of the newly-minted senators. He's also the first Cuban-American to be elected to the Senate. Mel Martinez joins us from Orlando, Florida, this morning.
Congratulations, Senator-Elect Martinez. That's got to sound pretty good, huh?
MEL MARTINEZ (R), SENATOR-ELECT, FLORIDA: It sounds absolutely great. Thank you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Tell me why you won.
MARTINEZ: Well, I think people got to know me during the course of the campaign. You know, it always is a struggle to get through the 30-second ads and have people actually get to know who you are.
I think people in Florida, first and foremost, were concerned about national security. We stressed that issue in the campaign. And I think at the end of the day I won strongly on that issue.
I think secondarily, the things you've been discussing on your program this morning, the moral values, the moral issues of the day I think also went in my favor.
O'BRIEN: You have said in the past you are no centrist. When you are accepting victory, you said, "I want to be a senator for everybody. I want to be a senator for the Republicans, for the Democrats, for the independent -- Independents, rather. Aren't those two things completely contradictory?
MARTINEZ: You know, I tried really hard every time I was asked, "Are you a moderate, are you a liberal, are you a conservative," to say, I'm a compassionate conservative. I worked in President Bush's cabinet, I understand what he means when he talks about compassionate conservatism. And that's what I talk about. And that's how I would self-define myself.
It means that in some regards you are someone who has a great concern for those who are hurting in life, those who need a help up by government. But at the same time, I'm also a conservative when it comes to, you know, believing that marriage ought to be between a man and a woman or the fact that I'm a pro-life person. And so I think it's a -- it's a shifting sand of issues as it relates to what it is we are talking about at any giving moment.
O'BRIEN: Are other Latinos falling along? Forty-four percent of the Latino vote went Republican. It's been historically, as you well know, a Democratic stronghold, but it seems to be chipped away now. Why is that?
MARTINEZ: Right. I was thrilled that was the result.
Being in the president's cabinet, I was well aware that he only one 35 percent of the vote in the 2000 election. I was determined he would do better, and I'm glad to see that he did.
I'm proud that I won about 60 percent, of course, of the Latino vote in Florida. That is no surprise, I suppose. And I think that the president's message, the Republican message is beginning to really resonate in Latino households, and I think it has to do with national security, but also with a whole host of other social and moral issues that I think they'll begin to relate with the Republican Party on.
O'BRIEN: And many people are saying, of course -- and probably every single time they say your name, they say, "You know, he's the first Cuban-American to be elected to the Senate." How will that play out while you're in the Senate? Or as you just -- something else on your resume?
MARTINEZ: Well, I think that you need to be a great senator for Florida, a great leader for Florida, who happens to be a Cuban- American. And I think that's a great thing. I am very proud of my heritage.
I know the Cuban community in Florida and throughout the country, and I think Cuba itself are very proud of my election, and I'm delighted for that. But I need to be a leader for all of Florida and the United States, and then also maintain my heritage. And I think that's what I've always done in life. I'll try to do that as a senator as well.
O'BRIEN: For the first time, two Hispanics in the Senate.
MARTINEZ: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Nice to see you, sir. Congratulations to you.
MARTINEZ: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: Eleven minutes past the hour. Back to Chad watching the weather.
Hey -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Bill.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Chad, thanks. Eighty-five last week in your city?
MYERS: It was so nice.
HEMMER: Kiss it good-bye.
MYERS: Yes, I know. See you.
HEMMER: Thanks.
Some amazing videotape out of Taiwan today. A man attacked and injured at a Taipei zoo, jumping into the lion's den, starting to preach Christianity. The man reportedly said, "Jesus will save you." And then said, "Come bite me."
Well, one of the male lions did just that right there. Zoo workers able to drive off the lion with water hoses and a tranquilizer gun. The man said he'd be OK -- Taiwan.
O'BRIEN: You don't have to tell lions "come bite me" twice.
HEMMER: Not a genius at work here.
O'BRIEN: And probably the preaching not going to get through. Just guessing. That's strange. Good thing he's alive, though.
Still to come this morning, flu vaccine supplies low, but there may be a way to stretch the supply. We'll explain just ahead.
HEMMER: Also, Dean Johnson is back with us, former prosecutor. Scott Peterson's fate now in the hands of jurors. Dean Johnson tells us the most important 20 minutes of the trial happened recently. And we'll tell you about that.
O'BRIEN: Also, Election Day tough for John Kerry and several other Democrats. So where does the party go from here? A look at that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: A California jury now considering the death of Laci Peterson and her unborn son. Laci's husband, Scott Peterson, accused of killing them. Deliberations started yesterday afternoon. They resume a bit later today.
Dean Johnson, former San Mateo County prosecutor, with us again from Redwood City.
Always great to have you on our show, Dean. And good morning to you out there.
You say that the critical 20 minutes of this case, right before the jurors got their opportunity to deliberate was the most critical. Why? DEAN JOHNSON, FRM. SAN MATEO COUNTY PROSECUTOR: Well, let me set the scene. Mark Geragos gave a very fine closing argument, and he threw down the gauntlet to prosecutor Rick Distaso, saying, look, if Scott Peterson killed his wife, there would be marks on Scott Peterson from the struggle.
Rick Distaso got up and said, "There are no marks on Scott Peterson? Really? Let me show you something."
And he played a tape of an interview by a local reporter in which Scott Peterson himself holds out his hands and says, "Look, I get my fingers cut all the time. I got a cut on my finger that day, the day that Laci went missing."
And Rick Distaso said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've always said that Laci was smothered or strangled. If she was strangled my Scott Peterson, wouldn't she be scratching his hands to save her own life?" And jaws dropped in that courtroom. He turned this trial around.
HEMMER: Wow. Was there any reasonable doubt, do you believe, that Mark Geragos raised for jurors to consider at this point?
JOHNSON: Well, certainly Mark Geragos very effectively argued for reasonable doubt. But the problem is that they have never -- the defense has never constructed a theory about how this happened that's consistent with innocence. And there's that one big question standing out there, which is, how did those bodies wash up just a stone's throw from where Scott Peterson was fishing? Mark Geragos talked for over a day and did not address that critical question.
HEMMER: Dean, I know you are a prosecutor, but try and reverse it a little bit for us. If you're in -- if you're on that panel, how do you find a way to acquit Scott Peterson?
JOHNSON: Very simply. Mark Geragos marshaled a number of facts that suggested Laci Peterson was up and awake and doing her morning activities when Scott Peterson left the house. If that's true, then Scott Peterson is not the killer.
There is evidence, even in the prosecution's own expert testimony, that suggest that Conner Peterson, the baby, lived beyond December 24. If that's true, then Scott Peterson is not the killer. If the jury can get to the point of believing those two facts to be true, then they must logically conclude that whatever else the explanation may be, Scott Peterson was not the murderer.
HEMMER: Well, one thing you were talking about yesterday is how the jurors at one point laughed at Mark Geragos. What was the scenario for that?
JOHNSON: Well, that's one of the big problems in this case. Mark Geragos has floated so many theories. He's told us about Laci being abducted by the homeless in Modesto, Laci possibly being dumped in the water by homeless people around the Berkeley Marina, crazed drug addicts, devil cults. Rick Distaso had the jury laughing. At one point, he said, "You know, the homeless have gotten a bad rap in this case. How could they, being homeless people, abduct Laci, take her 90 miles away, transfer here to the other colony of homeless people at the Berkeley Marina, let Laci live, let Conner be born, drop these two bodies in the water, all under the most intense media scrutiny of all time?"
The jurors were laughing at Mark Geragos' theories. And, you know, we say we can't actually read jurors' body language, but when the jurors are laughing at your theory, that's usually not a good sign.
HEMMER: "Court TV" is also reporting, as they got off a bus and just went into deliberations to be sequestered, they were apparently very jovial. I don't know if that means anything. As you point out, jurors are tough to read. Do you have a quick thought on that, though?
JOHNSON: Well, normally, as prosecutors, we say a laughing jury is an acquitting jury. You want them to be very serious.
But there were a few funny incidents that happened yesterday. One juror came in late to the applause of the rest of the jurors, that sort of thing. And I think they are very happy to have this case and have the opportunity now finally to deliberate. So I think this jury is going to be very serious, they're going to settle down to their work today. I think we will have a verdict fairly soon.
HEMMER: OK. Dean, thanks. Dean Johnson out there in California -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Here's a step toward decreasing those unwanted e-mails in your in box. A Virginia jury sent up the country's first felony conviction for Internet spammers. Jeremy James was found guilty yesterday of sending spam email to millions of AOL customers. Jurors also recommended a nine-year prison sentence.
His sister was fined $7,500. A judge says he will decide James' sentence come February.
HEMMER: If you are looking for a holiday gift, I've got a great idea right here.
O'BRIEN: What are you getting me, the "Sports Illustrated" 50th anniversary book?
HEMMER: Yes. It's a beautiful, beautiful book. Frank Deford writes the introduction on it. We'll talk to Frank a bit later this hour, show you some pictures, too, in a moment here as we continue after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: A day after conceding, John Kerry may be questioning why he lost the election. "The Late Show's" David Letterman had some suggestions for excuses the senator can make. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: No. 5, should have campaigned more in New Mexico less in regular Mexico. Regular? That's really? Regular Mexico?
(APPLAUSE)
LETTERMAN: Look at any map.
No. 4, it turns out voters think it's hot that Cheney has a lesbian daughter.
No. 3, thought America was ready for a lunatic first lady.
No. 2, voters seemed to really like a weak economy and a badly- run war.
(APPLAUSE)
LETTERMAN: And the No. 1 John Kerry excuse, he was distracted by late-night erotic phone calls from Bill O'Reilly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE": Ooh.
O'BRIEN: Very funny. That was good.
HEMMER: Jack's out. Hello, Toure.
TOURE: How are you guys?
O'BRIEN: Hello, Toure. How's the experience today?
TOURE: The experience is great. Well, I should ask you, how is the experience going?
O'BRIEN: The experience is great.
TOURE: The president swaggers into his second term in office with an opportunity to shape his legacy. How is he going to move forward on Iraq, Iran, North Korea and the war on terror? What's going to happen to the Supreme Court, gay rights, stem cell research? And what will be the unforeseen challenges?
Here's our question: What do you expect President Bush to accomplish in the next four years? Lots of answers from the people.
JJ from Arizona, "It amazes me that the Democratic talking heads are now saying Bush must do this, must do that. Don't they realize that they lost in more than one category? Perhaps they should be asking what they must do."
Tough words. Renee from Madison, Wisconsin, "With an effective ban on new stem cell research, I'm expecting Bush to further the restrictions on scientific research. America risks losing its place as a global research leader in favor of radical ideology."
Lee, from San Antonio, "Over the next four years, I would like to see some unity. Sometimes making the right decisions is not popular. This president has demonstrated that he's committed to doing the right thing."
And Grace, from Woodbury, Minnesota, "Unity? Perhaps we need to somehow enforce the separation of church and state. If it weren't for the evangelicals pushing their agenda on America, we might have a different White House now."
I'm not picking them.
HEMMER: Dare I say that I was disappointed at voter turnout? 120 million people voted, but it's only 60 percent of the eligible voters in America. I thought it would go higher than that.
TOURE: Yes.
HEMMER: Now, the last time -- with fairness, the last time we saw that was 1968 -- 1960 had a bigger turnout.
TOURE: And the noise around this one with the fanfare. It's like, "You've got to get involved."
HEMMER: Very true.
O'BRIEN: Do you think read into that, then, that the celebrities weighing in just doesn't work? It doesn't have an impact?
TOURE: Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.
HEMMER: I'm not sure.
O'BRIEN: You know, because that was sort of the -- the gist, getting celebrities to motivate people to vote.
TOURE: Yes.
HEMMER: I just filed this talking head, JJ.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: We worship you, we worship you, we worship you.
Still to come this morning, some mystery today is surrounding the health of Yasser Arafat. We'll take a look at just how dire that situation could be. We're going to have a live report from Paris.
Plus, John Kerry's defeat not the only big loss for the Democrats on election night. Ahead, what's the next step for that party?
As we go to break, a look at some of CNN's exit poll results.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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