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CNN Sunday Morning

50 Iraq Soldiers Apparent Ambush Victims; Bush, Kerry Chase Votes in Battleground States

Aired October 24, 2004 - 09:00   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.


BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: With only nine days left in this year's presidential campaign, new polls still show it is too close to call.
Good morning. It is October 24. This is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm Betty Nguyen.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Good morning. We're at CNN's global headquarters in Atlanta.

Let's get you started with the day's top stories.

A gruesome discovery in eastern Iraq, near the Iranian border. Iraq officials say at least 49 Iraqi soldiers were found shot to death. The men were traveling to their homes on leave from their training camp when their mini buses were ambushed. A live report is just ahead.

A senior U.S. State Department employee was killed today at a mortar attack near Baghdad airport. The diplomat was identified as Ed Seitz, an assistant regional security officer. A U.S. soldier was wounded in that same attack.

In the Middle East, the Israeli Cabinet today approve aid plan to persuade Jewish settlers to leave their homes in Gaza. Settlers who leave voluntarily could receive up to $500,000 per family. Those who refuse to leave would be subject to up to five years in jail. The proposal now goes before the Israeli parliament, where a fight is expected.

And at Boston's Fenway Park, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling will try to make it two in a row tonight in Game 2 of the World Series. Schilling goes up against Matt Morris of the St. Louis Cardinals. Last night's Game 1 was a slugfest between the two clubs, trading bat for bat, hit for hit -- well, error for error. The Red Sox eventually won it 11-9. It was the highest-scoring Game 1 in World Series history.

NGUYEN: And here's what we've got for you in the next 55 minutes:

Coping with loss. Sergeant Josh Forbess has done a lot of coping since a chopper crash in Mosul. The Iraq war vet has a "Soldier's Story" to share with us.

In our "Best of the Web" segment, George Bush and John Kerry haven't approved these message, but some homemade political ads are popping up online.

And later in the hour, bumper-to-bumper traffic. You know what I'm talking about. It could be bumping up your stress level.

HARRIS: Up first this hour: nine months since the primaries started, nine presidential hopefuls out the of the way and it's all come down to this. Just nine days until Election Day. You can certainly count on CNN's team coverage of the 2004 races from now until Election Day, from Florida to Texas.

Our Ed Henry is following the Kerry campaign in Ft. Lauderdale.

But first up, we go down to the ranch, where Suzanne Malveaux is covering the president in Crawford. Good morning, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

Of course, only nine days left, and the Bush campaign is giving an all-intense-out, get-out-the-vote effort. The president, of course, on the road. He will be back in New Mexico today, a critical state for the president. He'll be specifically targeting the Hispanic vote. It is fair to say we are seeing the kind of theater that is only reserved for the last week when it comes to the campaign.

Yesterday, President Bush making four stops in Florida. Huge rallies there, Marine One landing in a ballpark in Ft. Myers, Florida. Really a lot of drama there. The president traveling with the first lady, with his brother, the Florida governor, Jeb Bush. It is all about energizing the base.

But they also say they do believe there are still a few undecided votes there left. They are going to try to cater to that very small group. I spoke with White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett this morning, who talked about strategy in the final days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: I think there's a very small undecided group compared to past elections because people have paid such attention to this. But if you look at the type of support President Bush is receiving, if you look at the own CNN/Gallup poll, President Bush is getting over 50 percent approval -- or, in the ballot. That means he's pulling together a coalition that is not just Republicans, but Democrats, independents, and that's what we're going to appeal to in the last days of this campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And of course, Tony, the wild card in all of this is the huge increase in the amount -- the number of registered voters for Florida -- in that state back from 2000, is 18 percent.

That is where we find Ed Henry in Ft. Lauderdale with the Kerry campaign. ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Suzanne.

That's right. John Kerry is shadowing president Bush, both in his travel plans and his rhetoric. As you mentioned, President Bush yesterday in Florida. Of course, John Kerry will also be here. A lot in the final nine days. He's here this morning; he's going to be speaking at this black church behind me in about an hour or so.

We also heard yesterday the president charge that -- yesterday that John Kerry has a fundamental misunderstanding of the war on terror. The president also warning of dire consequences if John Kerry is elected president -- dire consequences on the national security front.

At a rally in Las Cruces, New Mexico last night, Kerry fired back by saying he thinks the president is just playing on the people's fears, focusing on the negatives. Kerry says he wants to focus on optimism, and he also says that while he believes he will wage a more effective war on terror, that's not enough. Kerry says you also have to focus on the domestic agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need a president of the United States who can do more than one thing at a time. We need a president -- we need a president who knows what's happening to the average families of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: And in the final nine days, both candidates will be zeroing in on about 11 battlegrounds. Senator Kerry will hit eight of those 11 in the next 48 hours or so. After spending the day today in Florida, Kerry heads Monday to New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Then Tuesday, back out west: Nevada, New Mexico. And then Tuesday evening he arrives in Iowa, a key Midwest battleground for some events on Wednesday.

And this morning, John Kerry wakes up to good news in Iowa, even though he's here in Florida. He gets the endorsement of "The Des Moines Register," a very influential newspaper in Iowa. If you remember back in the Iowa caucuses, John Edwards was endorsed by "The Des Moines Register." That was seen as a major boost. That's how he came in second to John Kerry; really boosted his campaign overall.

So the Kerry campaign happy about that -- Betty.

HARRIS: Ed Henry and Suzanne Malveaux on the campaign trails for us this morning. Thank you both.

And now to our "Question of the Day": "Which do you support: Electoral College or the popular vote?" Just send us an e-mail at wam@cnn.com. And we'll read some of those responses during the course of the hour. NGUYEN: In Baghdad now, a U.S. diplomat has been killed in a mortar attack, and some of Iraq's newest soldiers, fresh from training camp have been found executed.

CNN's Karl Penhaul is live in Baghdad with all these details.

Good morning to you, Karl. It's been a very deadly development over there.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Betty.

Defense sources -- Defense Ministry sources have told us that at least 49 Iraqi soldiers are dead in that attack. What seems to have happened -- these men were on their way home for a period of rest and relaxation with their families. And late yesterday afternoon, as they were traveling in three mini buses, then those mini buses were intercepted by heavily armed insurgents. They were made to lie on the ground, and the Iraqi Defense Ministry sources tell us they were killed execution style.

Now, this attack took place about 70 miles east of Baghdad. That's an area of very close to the Iranian border. And at this stage one can only say the security situation there is very unstable. It seems from the reports that we have that this was a very well-armed, very well-prepared insurgent group that carried out this ambush. And, in fact, it's one of the latest in a pattern of developing attacks that we've seen on the fledgling Iraqi security forces, aimed as well at trying to deter any other Iraqis who are thinking of signing up, trying to warn them to stay away.

Now, the other development, of course, here in Baghdad -- there was a mortar attack on one of the largest U.S. bases here in the capital. And in that attack, a U.S. diplomatic security agent was killed. He, in fact, died while the attack took place as he was sleeping.

Now, according to U.S. Embassy sources, this is the first full- time State Department official to be killed in Iraq -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Karl Penhaul, thank you for that report.

HARRIS: You're going to meet an extraordinary young man.

Josh Forbess is a soldier's soldier. He joined the military at 18, and was already an eight-year veteran when he went to Iraq almost a year ago. Sergeant Forbess was involved in a collision of two Blackhawk helicopters in Mosul. Of the 22 soldiers aboard, the two choppers, 18 were killed; Forbess was the sole survivor of his unit.

His recovery is painfully difficult both physically and emotionally, but he is now back to work at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, helping train other soldiers for duty in Iraq.

Sergeant Forbess joins us this morning from Nashville with this week's "Soldier's Story." Sergeant, good to see you.

SGT. JOSH FORBESS, U.S. ARMY: Morning (ph). How are you doing?

HARRIS: Oh, quite well. Thank you.

I've got to ask you: describe for us your life before November, your life as a soldier before November 15 of last year. How would you describe it?

FORBESS: It was great. I mean, the only thing I loved to do. It's -- you know, I loved to train soldiers. I loved going places. It's just a great experience. I don't know -- unless you've been here and, you know, done that, I don't know. It's kind of hard to explain.

HARRIS: Yes. Take us back to that day almost a year ago. Now, can you believe it's been almost a year?

FORBESS: No, I really can't.

HARRIS: Yes. Take us back -- not in too much detail, but give us a sense. Put us in the air and on the ground with you and your soldiers that day, November 15, about a year ago. What happened?

FORBESS: I really can't tell you too much. I don't remember hardly anything about the day, the crash or anything.

I know we were supposed to fly around 6:00 p.m. Iraqi time. And we had responded to some forces on the ground being ambushed. And the next thing I know, a big loud boom. And that's about all the time until I woke up.

HARRIS: Let me ask you to give us a sense of what it was like on the ground there. You were in Mosul, is that correct?

FORBESS: Yes, it was.

HARRIS: Give us a sense of what it was on the ground -- what things were like on the ground when you and your fellow soldiers were there almost a year ago. Because the events of these recent days have been difficult for everyone to watch and to see on television. Give us a sense of it.

FORBESS: We did a lot of propane things, whenever we first got, after the war was ended, we did a lot of stuff with the propane, issuing out propane to all the Iraqi people so they could be able to cook and heat thee house again. We also used to do daily patrols, just walk around, try to get the people to support us, try to help us identify the bad guys.

HARRIS: As bad then as it appears to be now, in your estimation?

FORBESS: I really don't know. I didn't watch the news over there. I was over there, so I didn't really watch the news. I heard about what was going on. I watch the news now. I mean, it's really hard to tell. You -- we really don't know. I mean... HARRIS: Yes.

FORBESS: I really couldn't say.

HARRIS: Yes. Give us a sense of the extent of your injuries and how you're doing with the recovery.

FORBESS: I'm doing just fine. I had 11.5 percent burns to my body. Obviously, most of them to my head and my face. I also was burned on my right arm.

I had a couple -- sorry about that. I had a couple broken bones to my left hand and also broken bone in my right hand.

HARRIS: You're about to get married, aren't you?

FORBESS: Yes, I am.

HARRIS: Ah, congratulations to you! You found a woman who loves you and will be there for the rest of your life. We've got a picture of the happy couple.

Congratulations. When are you getting married?

FORBESS: July 30.

HARRIS: Well, congratulations. You take care of that woman. She'll take care of you.

FORBESS: Oh, yes, she already has.

HARRIS: Sergeant, good to see you.

FORBESS: Good to see you.

HARRIS: Take care of yourself.

FORBESS: You, too.

NGUYEN: And we want to wish him the best of luck in that marriage. Congratulations on that.

Well, DNA evidence may have helped put a face on what police call the most prolific serial killer in Los Angeles history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, you know, it's like taking the scab off of a wound that never heals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Some of the murders are from more than a decade ago. The story right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

HARRIS: Plus, political ads you can see only on the Internet, the focus of this morning's "Best of the Web."

But good morning, New York. Bet you're wondering what the weather will be like for this morning's Tour De Bronx. A boogie down. More than 3,000 bikers will take part in the annual event, ending with a jazz concert. Later on, Jacqui Jeras has the forecast coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: The Evangelical movement here in the U.S. carries with it 60 million eligible voters. So which way will they turn when they reach the ballot box? The congregation's new political might. That's coming up on CNN LIVE SUNDAY at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Updating our top stories:

A mass killing is discovered in Iraq. Iraqi police say 49 Iraqi soldiers were killed execution style in eastern Iraq near the border with Iran. Military officials say they were on their way home after graduating from training.

A security officer with the State Department was killed this morning in Baghdad. Officials say security officer Ed Seitz was killed by a mortar attack on a U.S. base near Baghdad airport.

In Afghanistan, an American woman and an Afghan girl were killed in a suicide attack yesterday in Kabul. Military officials say three peacekeepers were also wounded. There's been no claim of responsibility.

NGUYEN: Other news "Across America" now:

The short supply of influenza vaccine in the U.S. appears to have gotten even shorter. Police in California say about 900 doses of vaccine have been stolen from a clinic. The vaccine had been kept in an unlocked lab refrigerator, and police think it is now headed for the black market.

Well, the vaccine shortage isn't keeping some Americans from getting their flu jabs. They are heading north of the border. A ferry company is booking trips from Seattle to Canada, complete with a flu shot at the Canadian port. Now, a round-trip price, just $105. The first boatload of flu-shot seekers sets off tomorrow morning.

HARRIS: There's a way to turn this to a dollar. Oh!

NGUYEN: Always a way.

And the Navy calls it an import weapon in the war on terror. The USS Virginia is the lead ship in a new class of fast-attack submarines. The $2.2 billion vessel is able to maneuver close to the shore and shallow water. The Navy commissioned the Virginia in a ceremony in Norfolk, Virginia, yesterday.

HARRIS: We are headed deep into the satire zone for this week's look at the "Best of the Web."

NGUYEN: Oh yes, and neither George Bush nor John Kerry is immune from taking a fair share of ribbing on the Internet. We will show you ads that are definitely not approved by the candidates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONNA ROSATO, WRITER, "MONEY": Chilly weather usually keeps most tourists away from Europe in the winter, but Rome is a great destination in January and February. Rome tends to be a little warmer than the rest of Europe. So if you go during this time of year, you can get some fantastic deals on airfare.

It's typically in the mid-to-high 50s in Rome in February and March. That's fine for, you know, walking around the ruins and visiting some of the more popular museums and art galleries in Rome.

One thing to keep in mind is that some restaurants may be closed, and some hotels may trim their hours. But in general, in the city, everything should be operating as normal.

Families would enjoy a Rome destination because there's a lot of art and architecture to see, and there's a lot of outdoor activity.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Well, it is hard to turn on your TV lately without a political ad popping up. You know the ones. They end with the phrase "and I approved this message."

But the Internet's the place for plenty of other ads, most of which don't carry that official seal of approval. So in this morning's "Best of the Web segment," "Wired" magazine managing editor Blaise Zerega joins us to look at some few homemade political ads.

Good morning to you.

BLAISE ZEREGA, MANAGING EDITOR, WIRED: Good morning, Betty.

NGUYEN: All right, first off -- we want to get right to them. Let's given to two spots offered primarily on the Internet, and we will start with one from P2P, which is politics.com.

Let's listen to that one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are these dishes doing in the sink? I left a note for Andy to do him because they're his.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh yes. He -- he refused to recognize your note. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What? Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of its liberal bias.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Liberal bias?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are his dishes. He's using the note to deflect attention from the dishes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What dishes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These ones in the sink.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait a second. Wait a second. We're talking about your biased note. Don't try to change the subject.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: All right. Obviously a homemade ad. We're going to get to another, and we're going to talk about these.

But the other one is aimed at Senator Tom Daschle. And I believe we have an excerpt from that one right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)

(GUN SHOT)

(MUSIC)

(SCREAMING)

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Obviously has a little bit of a Halloween theme there.

We're seeing more and more of these. Is this the new trend on the Web these days, especially in this political season?

ZEREGA: It absolutely is, Betty.

You know, just as the television was one of the defining mediums for politics in 1960 when, you know, Nixon and Kennedy debated, the internet will be the hallmark of the 2004 election.

NGUYEN: Now, do they make any money, these Web sites, the creators of these homemade ads -- do they make any money off of these?

ZEREGA: No, they don't. In fact, money is exactly -- or the need not to have money is what's propelling these homemade political videos. The cost for producing these, going out and shooting them, editing them and distributing them have fallen dramatically. There's virtually no barriers to entry to making a homemade political video.

NGUYEN: And these are obviously on partisan Web sites, correct?

ZEREGA: They're -- they are partisan. Most of these ads tend to be negative. But they're very -- some of them are very effective. Some of them are entertaining. And some of them are offensive.

NGUYEN: All right. We want to look at another one. This one is something called the Kerry flip-flop Olympics. Let's check that one out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: All right. We're looking at video of it.

Tell me a little about this site. It's from georgebush.com. Now that sounds like an official Web site, but this is nothing that has been -- quote -- approved by George W. Bush, correct?

ZEREGA: It is an official Web site, yes. The parties and the candidates, you know, -- pardon me, President Bush and John Kerry have both made videos. In fact, scores of them.

But more interesting are the homemade political videos, the ones by the individuals who are, you know, just fiercely motivated. What's really exciting here is we're seeing a further democratization of the electoral process. And interestingly enough, we haven't seen too many videos that are grossly distorted when it comes to telling the truth.

NGUYEN: Some of them are really funny. I mean, of course, we've all seen the jibjab.com ones. Tell us about some of the other ones.

ZEREGA: Jibjab.com is wonderful. A very site is ericbloomrich.com. He's someone who -- the quality of the videos are really, really superior. Just -- it looks as though he's a Steven Spielberg or somebody.

NGUYEN: Hmm. Maybe this is where you get your start, on the Internet. Hmm. That's an idea.

All right. Blaise Zerega, managing editor of "Wired" magazine, thanks.

ZEREGA: Thanks.

NGUYEN: Tony.

HARRIS: Betty, we have sad news to report. This just in to CNN. The man who led the Roman Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., has passed. Cardinal James Hickey has died at 84 years old. He died in a nursing home in the Washington, D.C., area.

On the phone with us now is Susan Gibbs, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese. Susan, good morning.

SUSAN GIBBS, ARCHDIOCESE OF WASHINGTON: Good morning.

HARRIS: Well, Susan, when did you learn this news?

GIBBS: Well, I found out just a few minutes after he died. He passed away at 6:15 this morning. He's been ill for the past year. Cardinal McCarrick was with him, who's our current archbishop, and a couple of the other bishops and priests.

HARRIS: Can you describe for us sort of the last days, the last months of his life? Has he been at rest, peaceful?

GIBBS: He's been peaceful. He's slowly, over the past year -- he entered about a year ago, run by the Little Sisters of the Poor here in Washington. And he's been slowly just kind of wearing out, I would say.

HARRIS: Yes.

GIBBS: And it's just been a hard time. Last time he was out with the staff was at Christmas, actually. And he came over to the pastoral center and celebrated Mass with us. And just a wonderful man. I knew him for years, and I worked with him for many years.

HARRIS: Susan, do we know a cause of death?

GIBBS: We don't have a cause much death. It's just, again, a -- a slow -- I think, just a slow process.

HARRIS: Susan, give us a sense of the life. You mentioned he's a wonderful man. Give us a sense of his life.

GIBBS: He was a quiet person. I think people would be surprised at how much he did. He entered the seminary when he was 13 years old.

HARRIS: Thirteen?

GIBBS: Seventy years in service to the church. Loved every minute of it. He was a priest all the way through.

He had been in a small town in Michigan. Became a priest for Saginaw. And a bishop -- he was the rector of the North American College, a seminary in Rome for Americans. He was very active in Cleveland and in Washington; spoke out about concerns in El Salvador Very active in working and promoting justice in the immigrant community, he was bilingual.

He did so much here: starting schools, opening 12 new parishes expanding our social services, I think they nearly doubled during his 20 years as archbishop of Washington.

TONY HARRIS, CNN CO-ANCHOR: And Susan, how do you think the cardinal will be rembered, finally?

GIBBS: I think he'll be remembered as a man who loved the church. He loved children and he loved the poor.

HARRIS: Susan, good to talk to you.

GIBBS: Thank you.

HARRIS: On these trying times for you, I'm sure. But, thanks for taking the time to talk to us this morning, Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman from the archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

Susan, thank you.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Obviously Cardinal James Hickey has done a lot in his 84 years.

HARRIS: Well, what a great life.

Now, we all know commuter stress is a high price to pay to keep a job. Just ahead, we'll look at how the daily fight to get to work could be affecting your quality of life.

NGUYEN: Also ahead, a suspected long-term serial killer may be finally brought to justice in Los Angeles after years of unsolved killings.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY JOHNSON, VICTIM'S MOTHER: A whole -- you know, it's like taking the scab off of a wound that never healed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The Los Angeles police believe they now know who is behind the killings of 12 women dating back more than a decade. Welcome back. That's today's top story coming up in just moments.

NGUYEN: But first, here's what's happening now in the news.

The U.S. military says 49 Iraqi soldiers were shot and killed in an ambush attack near the Iranian border. The soldiers were on their way home after graduating from training camp. They were apparently forced to lie face down on the ground before they were shot.

Also in Iraq today, an American diplomat has been killed in an attack in Baghdad. Secretary of state Colin Powell confirmed the death to reporters traveling with him in Beijing. In a statement Powell said, quote, "The Department of State and I mourn the loss of one of our own today in Baghdad. Assistant Regional Security Officer Ed Seitz was killed in a mortar attack on Camp Victory."

Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, gets another boost for his Gaza withdrawal plan. The Israeli cabinet today approved a proposal to compensate settlers uprooted by the withdrawal. It also includes penalties for those who resist evacuation orders. The Israeli parliament votes on the withdrawal plan this week. And the Boston Red Sox continue their winning ways. They beat the Saint Louis cardinals 11-9 in the opening game of the World Series last night. The Sox are trying to win their first World Series since 1918. But Saint Louis gets a chance to even things up in tonight's game two.

HARRIS: Police in Los Angeles say he could be the most prolific killer in the city's history. They say DNA evidence links a man in prison for rape to a dozen homicides dating back to 1987. As Donna Tetreault reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNSON: A whole -- you know, it's like taking the scab off of a wound that never healed.

DONNA TETREAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jerry Johnson has had to live with the agonizing questions in her head for more than a decade: Who killed her 29-year-old daughter, Andrea Triplett?

JOHNSON: For 11 years I have walked around in my community -- my daughter was found two blocks away from my house. I didn't know if I had looked in that person's face, if I had rubbed shoulders with him. I just didn't know what to look or think.

TETREAULT: But investigators now believe that 37-year-old Chester Dwayne Turner is the man who killed Triplett and 11 other women, two of them pregnant at the time. They have dubbed Turner the most prolific serial killer ever identified in Los Angeles history. Extensive DNA testing led detectives to Turner. Already in prison for a prior sexual assault where he had to submit a DNA sample, detectives working the cold case unit were able to limg his DNA to the victims through a DNA database.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just thank god for just having this closure.

TETREAULT: All of the murders happened in the city of Los Angeles between 1987 and 1998. All of the victims were sexually assaulted, strangled, their bodies dumped. Many were left alongside the road within miles of this home where mail is still delivered in Turner's name.

DET. JOSE RAMIREZ, LAPD COLD CASE UNIT: Our suspect was in the area that these women frequented. So we feel that during that time they came into contact with him. Just -- not because he was targeting a certain group of women, but because they were easy prey for him. You know, he had what they wanted, which was probably narcotics.

TETREAULT: Now these family members who didn't understand why their loved ones became victims can see what most likely happened and begin to move on.

ROBERT WILLIAMS, MURDER VICTIM'S BROTHER: We have been going through what if, what happened, who did this to her? And this bringing a lot of great closure. TETREAULT (on camera): Detectives believe there could be other murders connected to Turner. Ten of the 13 homicides allegedly committed by Turner will be filed with the district attorney's office early next week.

Donna Tetreault for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And turning now to the presidential race and the polls, a "Newsweek" poll taken Thursday and Friday shows President Bush and Senator Kerry tied at 46 percent each among registered voters. But among likely voters, Mr. Bush has a slight edge, leading Kerry 48 to 46 percent. After we plugged those numbers into our poll of polls, which averages all the major national polls, the results are just about the same. In that survey, the president holds a slim three- point lead over the Massachusetts senator.

NGUYEN: The candidates are back on the trail today after a morning at his Texas ranch, President Bush will take part in a victory rally in New Mexico today. Yesterday the president attended at a rally at a football stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. He portrayed himself as the man to lead the country in the war against terror.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is the first presidential election since September the 11th, 2001. Americans will go to the polls in a time of war and ongoing threats, unlike any we have faced before. The terrorists who kill thousands of innocent people are still dangerous. They are determined to strike us again. The outcome of this election will set the direction of the war against terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Meanwhile, Senator Kerry is spending the day campaigning in the pivotal state of Florida. He'll start out by attending a church service in Fort Lauderdale then head to a rally in Boca Raton. While campaigning in New Mexico yesterday, Kerry urged a crowd of supporters to vote their hopes, not their fears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Are you ready to put just basic common sense back into the decisions of our country? Are you ready for a president of the United States who tells you the truth and nothing but the truth? Are you ready for a president who fights for the middle class, not just for the powerful? Are you ready to put America back to work at the jobs that pay more than the ones we're losing?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now, George Bush and John Kerry are finding good news and bad news. On the printed page this morning they are splitting some newspaper endorsements in key battleground states. The "Columbus Dispatch" in Ohio is backing Bush, but the paper also says it's, quote, "less than enthused about the choice between Bush and Kerry." In Iowa, Kerry's getting the support of the "Des Moines Register" which calls him "a wise and decent man." The "Washington post" is also in Kerry's camp.

HARRIS: Well, the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to place independent candidate Ralph Nader on the ballot in Pennsylvania. The state court cited flawed signatures on voter petion sheets. Nader wanted the high court to remove the decision to remove him from the ballot, but it refused.

We're looking for some feedback from you on a contentious issue, the Electoral College or the popular vote? Which is the best system? E-mail us at wam@cnn.com. Let's take a look at some of your thoughts so far.

Do you have that first e-mail? OK.

NGUYEN: Actually, we'll read those later in the show. We'll get to those, but go ahead and send in your e-mails so we'll have those on the air when we do get to that portion.

HARRIS: So what would you do if you or a family member got seriously ill? Would you be protected? We'll look at what John Kerry and George Bush have to say about crucial health care issues.

NGUYEN: And we know the stress of traffic that can test your patience. Boy, do we know it. But it can also test your blood pressure and long-term health. We'll explain just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Good health versus good health care coverage. Everybody wants it, so what are the two presidential candidates doing about it? Find out in our weekly look at where the candidates stand on the issues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Good morning, New York. Here's a live look at the Big Apple. Bet you're wondering what the weather will be like for this morning's Tour de Bronx. More than 3,000 bikers will take part in the event ending with a jazz concert a little bit later on. Jacqui Jeras' forecast is coming right up.

HARRIS: Does your chest tighten when you're stuck in the morning and afternoon traffic hell that is all over this country? Certainly here in Atlanta. Do you wonder sometimes if you might just be suffering a heart attack or might soon if the situation doesn't improve? Well, there is reason to be concerned. A new German study suggests there is a link between traffic, traffic congestion and air pollution. And some doctors are not surprised by this new German study. One of those doctors, who isn't surprised, joins us now, Dr. Peter Stone, a cardiologist at Harvard Medical School, and he joins us from Boston. Dr. Stone, good to talk to you.

DR. PETER STONE, HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL: Good morning.

HARRIS: Well, give us a sense -- a fuller sense of what this study out of Germany is telling us.

STONE: Well, this study comes in the context of really decades of epidemiologic evidence. What it shows clearly is that those individuals who are exposed to air pollution associated with being in traffic were associated with developing a heart attack within an hour of their exposure to traffic.

HARRIS: An hour?

STONE: An hour. And I think what this also underscores in a very important way is that air pollution has been associated both with very long-term adverse effects of making atherosclerosis and cardiac arrest worse, but this also focuses on the short-term risk within an hour.

HARRIS: Well, Dr. Stone, talk us through kind of the science of this. What actually happens when we're in this very stressful environment?

STONE: Well, it starts, really, in the context of how does atherosclerosis develop altogether, and that's related often, in large part, to the systemic inflammatory state that may develop and be exacerbated by exposure to air solution. So the process of atherosclerosis develops and progresses. And there are times when the atherosclerosis becomes what's called "vulnerable," a small plaque, small area of inflammation inside the artery that may not require much to make it rupture, lead to a blood clot, and lead to a heart attack. And air pollution is associated with a variety of features that can both cause the atherosclerosis, as well as, exacerbate the likelihood of developing an acute rupture, whether it causes a thrombus, it can also lead to the stresses of the vessel constricting, causing rupture of the plaque, and a variety of factors making a rupture that does occur more likely to be associated with blood clot.

HARRIS: Well Doctor, is this something we should all worry about, the heart healthy and those -- or is it a particular concern to those -- I would imagine it would be -- who have preexisting heart conditions?

STONE: Well, it's both. Certainly those at the greatest risk for the problem are the ones most likely to develop the problem. But the difficult thing about air pollution is that it clearly affects us all. And so we need to be careful because we never are -- we never know when we're going to be in that vulnerable population ourselves.

HARRIS: Is there a quick answer as to what we should do here?

STONE: Well, the only obvious one, is certainly we can't avoid exposure to traffic. We can't avoid exposure to our environment. The only approach really is to improve our environment, to make our reliance on fossil fuel less, to use alternative fuels, and to clean up our environment to thereby reduce our risk for all of us.

HARRIS: And there is a great debate raging about how we do just that. Dr. Stone, thanks for taking the time to talk to us this Sunday morning.

STONE: Thank you.

NGUYEN: I want to give you a look at some of our top stories today. He led the Roman Catholic Church in the nation's capital for 20 years. Former Washington Archbishop James Hickey died this morning. He was 84 years old. Hickey retired as archbishop four years ago.

A deadly ambush in eastern Iraq, insurgents shot and killed at least 49 soldiers yesterday. The Army recruits were on their way home after graduating from training.

And coming up after the break: Getting good health care coverage can sometimes make you sick with worry.

HARRIS: As part of our ongoing issue series, we'll see how each candidate wants to make the system healthy again.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Health care, it is a major issue of the 2004 campaign, especially for the millions of Americans without health insurance. Now, as part of our issue -- our series of issues, national correspondent, Bob Franken, examines the problem and what each of the candidates promises to do to fix those problems.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Life without health care coverage is life on the edge of disaster, but it's a fact of life for 45 million Americans now. And that includes 20 million who are employed, like Washington waitress Maya Long.

MAYA LONG, WAITRESS WITHOUT MEDICAL INSURANCE: There's always that fear that something would happen, you'd get sick, and you wouldn't be able to take care of yourself.

FRANKEN: But year after year there have been staggering increases in health insurance premiums, up 36 percent in the last four years. Maya's employer, a small business owner, just can't afford it.

GENE LAWSON, RESTAURANT CO-OWNER: It would cost us, assuming everyone that was eligible, applied, it would cost us in the neighborhood of an extra $5,000 a month.

FRANKEN: Health care is a national anxiety. The scale of the proposals from each candidate range from massive to more massive. John Kerry claims that his would provide new coverage for 27 million. It would expand eligibility for the same health insurance plans offered to federal employees, and provide government assistance to lighten the crushing burden on employers. KERRY: And if employers are paying in less, the cost of doing business is reduced, and American companies become more competitive...

FRANKEN: But critics argue Kerry's plan would break the bank. By his estimate alone, it would cost $650 billion over ten years. And some suggest it could go over $1 trillion. The president, meanwhile, proposing tax credits and small business pools called "Association Plans."

BUSH: We've got to change law to allow small firms to pool together so they can purchase insurance at the same discounts that big businesses get.

FRANKEN: The cost, according to the Bush campaign, about $102 billion over a decade. But critics say he's nibbling at the edges, providing health insurance for anywhere from the 11 million that the campaign estimates, to as few as 1 million. It's been out there, but health care has not really dominated the campaign.

EDWARD HOWARD, ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH REFORM: People who lack health insurance often are people who, on the one hand, aren't very politically powerful. They tend to be lower income, they aren't as politically active, and some politicians think they can ignore this as a result.

FRANKEN: But not one the uninsured can ignore.

LONG: To not know if you can go to the doctor, to have friends who get sick and can't get treated because they don't have insurance and they don't happen to have $400 that it's going to cost them to just go to an office visit.

FRANKEN (on camera): Health care is a crisis that gets worse and worse. All agree something must be done about it. There's little agreement on what?

Bob Franken, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Abortion rights, gay rights, and stem cell research are some of the other issues at the center of the national debate over values. Next week, Bob Franken tells us how values figures into the presidential race.

HARRIS: "Inside politics" is next. Let's get a preview with Kelly Wallace.

Hi, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, "INSIDE POLITICS": Good morning to you, Tony. "Inside Politics Sunday" live from the Big Apple this morning. We will head to the campaign trail as both candidates kick off the final full week before the election.

Plus, two New York congressmen debate politics, the war in Iraq and how it factors into your decision.

And are all voters created equal? Maybe not. Some want to change the Electoral College system. We will examine the ballot box battle coming up at the top of the hour.

Tony, only nine days left until the big election.

HARRIS: Hard to believe. And we are counting. We'll see you at the top of the hour, Kelly. Thank you.

NGUYEN: And speaking of which, all morning long we've been asking for your thoughts on our e-mail question of the day. Electoral College versus the popular vote. And we've got lots of interesting responses.

HARRIS: Let's start with this e-mail from Amy from New York: "When the result of the electoral vote ceases matching that of the popular vote, as it did in 2000, there's clearly a problem. We call ourselves a democracy, but the "winner takes all" approach of the Electoral College ensures that many citizen's votes don't count. It's an antiquated and broken system. We need to move to a popular vote like every other civilized country.

NGUYEN: Now listen to what Jen from Philadelphia has to say: "I don't think that the people of the United States are bright enough to elect the president of the United States. What would happen if the popular vote was used, as it is in all other races? We could easily have elected an unqualified person in the White House. I fear that if the popular vote were allowed, we get presidents like: Howard Stern, Madonna, Oprah, and anyone else that could their popularity for political votes." And he ends with saying, "Ozzy for president."

He brings up an interesting point, though.

HARRIS: Absolutely.

NGUYEN: And we appreciate all of your responses today.

HARRIS: And let's get you quickly to Jacqui Jeras for a final check of the weather report.

Go Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: That's good.

NGUYEN: Perfect. Great weather there, all right. Thank you, Jacqui.

Well, that is going to do it for us. Thanks for watching. We're back at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

HARRIS: "Inside Politics Sunday" is next. Have a great day.

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


Aired October 24, 2004 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: With only nine days left in this year's presidential campaign, new polls still show it is too close to call.
Good morning. It is October 24. This is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm Betty Nguyen.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Good morning. We're at CNN's global headquarters in Atlanta.

Let's get you started with the day's top stories.

A gruesome discovery in eastern Iraq, near the Iranian border. Iraq officials say at least 49 Iraqi soldiers were found shot to death. The men were traveling to their homes on leave from their training camp when their mini buses were ambushed. A live report is just ahead.

A senior U.S. State Department employee was killed today at a mortar attack near Baghdad airport. The diplomat was identified as Ed Seitz, an assistant regional security officer. A U.S. soldier was wounded in that same attack.

In the Middle East, the Israeli Cabinet today approve aid plan to persuade Jewish settlers to leave their homes in Gaza. Settlers who leave voluntarily could receive up to $500,000 per family. Those who refuse to leave would be subject to up to five years in jail. The proposal now goes before the Israeli parliament, where a fight is expected.

And at Boston's Fenway Park, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling will try to make it two in a row tonight in Game 2 of the World Series. Schilling goes up against Matt Morris of the St. Louis Cardinals. Last night's Game 1 was a slugfest between the two clubs, trading bat for bat, hit for hit -- well, error for error. The Red Sox eventually won it 11-9. It was the highest-scoring Game 1 in World Series history.

NGUYEN: And here's what we've got for you in the next 55 minutes:

Coping with loss. Sergeant Josh Forbess has done a lot of coping since a chopper crash in Mosul. The Iraq war vet has a "Soldier's Story" to share with us.

In our "Best of the Web" segment, George Bush and John Kerry haven't approved these message, but some homemade political ads are popping up online.

And later in the hour, bumper-to-bumper traffic. You know what I'm talking about. It could be bumping up your stress level.

HARRIS: Up first this hour: nine months since the primaries started, nine presidential hopefuls out the of the way and it's all come down to this. Just nine days until Election Day. You can certainly count on CNN's team coverage of the 2004 races from now until Election Day, from Florida to Texas.

Our Ed Henry is following the Kerry campaign in Ft. Lauderdale.

But first up, we go down to the ranch, where Suzanne Malveaux is covering the president in Crawford. Good morning, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

Of course, only nine days left, and the Bush campaign is giving an all-intense-out, get-out-the-vote effort. The president, of course, on the road. He will be back in New Mexico today, a critical state for the president. He'll be specifically targeting the Hispanic vote. It is fair to say we are seeing the kind of theater that is only reserved for the last week when it comes to the campaign.

Yesterday, President Bush making four stops in Florida. Huge rallies there, Marine One landing in a ballpark in Ft. Myers, Florida. Really a lot of drama there. The president traveling with the first lady, with his brother, the Florida governor, Jeb Bush. It is all about energizing the base.

But they also say they do believe there are still a few undecided votes there left. They are going to try to cater to that very small group. I spoke with White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett this morning, who talked about strategy in the final days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: I think there's a very small undecided group compared to past elections because people have paid such attention to this. But if you look at the type of support President Bush is receiving, if you look at the own CNN/Gallup poll, President Bush is getting over 50 percent approval -- or, in the ballot. That means he's pulling together a coalition that is not just Republicans, but Democrats, independents, and that's what we're going to appeal to in the last days of this campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And of course, Tony, the wild card in all of this is the huge increase in the amount -- the number of registered voters for Florida -- in that state back from 2000, is 18 percent.

That is where we find Ed Henry in Ft. Lauderdale with the Kerry campaign. ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Suzanne.

That's right. John Kerry is shadowing president Bush, both in his travel plans and his rhetoric. As you mentioned, President Bush yesterday in Florida. Of course, John Kerry will also be here. A lot in the final nine days. He's here this morning; he's going to be speaking at this black church behind me in about an hour or so.

We also heard yesterday the president charge that -- yesterday that John Kerry has a fundamental misunderstanding of the war on terror. The president also warning of dire consequences if John Kerry is elected president -- dire consequences on the national security front.

At a rally in Las Cruces, New Mexico last night, Kerry fired back by saying he thinks the president is just playing on the people's fears, focusing on the negatives. Kerry says he wants to focus on optimism, and he also says that while he believes he will wage a more effective war on terror, that's not enough. Kerry says you also have to focus on the domestic agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need a president of the United States who can do more than one thing at a time. We need a president -- we need a president who knows what's happening to the average families of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: And in the final nine days, both candidates will be zeroing in on about 11 battlegrounds. Senator Kerry will hit eight of those 11 in the next 48 hours or so. After spending the day today in Florida, Kerry heads Monday to New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Then Tuesday, back out west: Nevada, New Mexico. And then Tuesday evening he arrives in Iowa, a key Midwest battleground for some events on Wednesday.

And this morning, John Kerry wakes up to good news in Iowa, even though he's here in Florida. He gets the endorsement of "The Des Moines Register," a very influential newspaper in Iowa. If you remember back in the Iowa caucuses, John Edwards was endorsed by "The Des Moines Register." That was seen as a major boost. That's how he came in second to John Kerry; really boosted his campaign overall.

So the Kerry campaign happy about that -- Betty.

HARRIS: Ed Henry and Suzanne Malveaux on the campaign trails for us this morning. Thank you both.

And now to our "Question of the Day": "Which do you support: Electoral College or the popular vote?" Just send us an e-mail at wam@cnn.com. And we'll read some of those responses during the course of the hour. NGUYEN: In Baghdad now, a U.S. diplomat has been killed in a mortar attack, and some of Iraq's newest soldiers, fresh from training camp have been found executed.

CNN's Karl Penhaul is live in Baghdad with all these details.

Good morning to you, Karl. It's been a very deadly development over there.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Betty.

Defense sources -- Defense Ministry sources have told us that at least 49 Iraqi soldiers are dead in that attack. What seems to have happened -- these men were on their way home for a period of rest and relaxation with their families. And late yesterday afternoon, as they were traveling in three mini buses, then those mini buses were intercepted by heavily armed insurgents. They were made to lie on the ground, and the Iraqi Defense Ministry sources tell us they were killed execution style.

Now, this attack took place about 70 miles east of Baghdad. That's an area of very close to the Iranian border. And at this stage one can only say the security situation there is very unstable. It seems from the reports that we have that this was a very well-armed, very well-prepared insurgent group that carried out this ambush. And, in fact, it's one of the latest in a pattern of developing attacks that we've seen on the fledgling Iraqi security forces, aimed as well at trying to deter any other Iraqis who are thinking of signing up, trying to warn them to stay away.

Now, the other development, of course, here in Baghdad -- there was a mortar attack on one of the largest U.S. bases here in the capital. And in that attack, a U.S. diplomatic security agent was killed. He, in fact, died while the attack took place as he was sleeping.

Now, according to U.S. Embassy sources, this is the first full- time State Department official to be killed in Iraq -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Karl Penhaul, thank you for that report.

HARRIS: You're going to meet an extraordinary young man.

Josh Forbess is a soldier's soldier. He joined the military at 18, and was already an eight-year veteran when he went to Iraq almost a year ago. Sergeant Forbess was involved in a collision of two Blackhawk helicopters in Mosul. Of the 22 soldiers aboard, the two choppers, 18 were killed; Forbess was the sole survivor of his unit.

His recovery is painfully difficult both physically and emotionally, but he is now back to work at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, helping train other soldiers for duty in Iraq.

Sergeant Forbess joins us this morning from Nashville with this week's "Soldier's Story." Sergeant, good to see you.

SGT. JOSH FORBESS, U.S. ARMY: Morning (ph). How are you doing?

HARRIS: Oh, quite well. Thank you.

I've got to ask you: describe for us your life before November, your life as a soldier before November 15 of last year. How would you describe it?

FORBESS: It was great. I mean, the only thing I loved to do. It's -- you know, I loved to train soldiers. I loved going places. It's just a great experience. I don't know -- unless you've been here and, you know, done that, I don't know. It's kind of hard to explain.

HARRIS: Yes. Take us back to that day almost a year ago. Now, can you believe it's been almost a year?

FORBESS: No, I really can't.

HARRIS: Yes. Take us back -- not in too much detail, but give us a sense. Put us in the air and on the ground with you and your soldiers that day, November 15, about a year ago. What happened?

FORBESS: I really can't tell you too much. I don't remember hardly anything about the day, the crash or anything.

I know we were supposed to fly around 6:00 p.m. Iraqi time. And we had responded to some forces on the ground being ambushed. And the next thing I know, a big loud boom. And that's about all the time until I woke up.

HARRIS: Let me ask you to give us a sense of what it was like on the ground there. You were in Mosul, is that correct?

FORBESS: Yes, it was.

HARRIS: Give us a sense of what it was on the ground -- what things were like on the ground when you and your fellow soldiers were there almost a year ago. Because the events of these recent days have been difficult for everyone to watch and to see on television. Give us a sense of it.

FORBESS: We did a lot of propane things, whenever we first got, after the war was ended, we did a lot of stuff with the propane, issuing out propane to all the Iraqi people so they could be able to cook and heat thee house again. We also used to do daily patrols, just walk around, try to get the people to support us, try to help us identify the bad guys.

HARRIS: As bad then as it appears to be now, in your estimation?

FORBESS: I really don't know. I didn't watch the news over there. I was over there, so I didn't really watch the news. I heard about what was going on. I watch the news now. I mean, it's really hard to tell. You -- we really don't know. I mean... HARRIS: Yes.

FORBESS: I really couldn't say.

HARRIS: Yes. Give us a sense of the extent of your injuries and how you're doing with the recovery.

FORBESS: I'm doing just fine. I had 11.5 percent burns to my body. Obviously, most of them to my head and my face. I also was burned on my right arm.

I had a couple -- sorry about that. I had a couple broken bones to my left hand and also broken bone in my right hand.

HARRIS: You're about to get married, aren't you?

FORBESS: Yes, I am.

HARRIS: Ah, congratulations to you! You found a woman who loves you and will be there for the rest of your life. We've got a picture of the happy couple.

Congratulations. When are you getting married?

FORBESS: July 30.

HARRIS: Well, congratulations. You take care of that woman. She'll take care of you.

FORBESS: Oh, yes, she already has.

HARRIS: Sergeant, good to see you.

FORBESS: Good to see you.

HARRIS: Take care of yourself.

FORBESS: You, too.

NGUYEN: And we want to wish him the best of luck in that marriage. Congratulations on that.

Well, DNA evidence may have helped put a face on what police call the most prolific serial killer in Los Angeles history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, you know, it's like taking the scab off of a wound that never heals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Some of the murders are from more than a decade ago. The story right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

HARRIS: Plus, political ads you can see only on the Internet, the focus of this morning's "Best of the Web."

But good morning, New York. Bet you're wondering what the weather will be like for this morning's Tour De Bronx. A boogie down. More than 3,000 bikers will take part in the annual event, ending with a jazz concert. Later on, Jacqui Jeras has the forecast coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: The Evangelical movement here in the U.S. carries with it 60 million eligible voters. So which way will they turn when they reach the ballot box? The congregation's new political might. That's coming up on CNN LIVE SUNDAY at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Updating our top stories:

A mass killing is discovered in Iraq. Iraqi police say 49 Iraqi soldiers were killed execution style in eastern Iraq near the border with Iran. Military officials say they were on their way home after graduating from training.

A security officer with the State Department was killed this morning in Baghdad. Officials say security officer Ed Seitz was killed by a mortar attack on a U.S. base near Baghdad airport.

In Afghanistan, an American woman and an Afghan girl were killed in a suicide attack yesterday in Kabul. Military officials say three peacekeepers were also wounded. There's been no claim of responsibility.

NGUYEN: Other news "Across America" now:

The short supply of influenza vaccine in the U.S. appears to have gotten even shorter. Police in California say about 900 doses of vaccine have been stolen from a clinic. The vaccine had been kept in an unlocked lab refrigerator, and police think it is now headed for the black market.

Well, the vaccine shortage isn't keeping some Americans from getting their flu jabs. They are heading north of the border. A ferry company is booking trips from Seattle to Canada, complete with a flu shot at the Canadian port. Now, a round-trip price, just $105. The first boatload of flu-shot seekers sets off tomorrow morning.

HARRIS: There's a way to turn this to a dollar. Oh!

NGUYEN: Always a way.

And the Navy calls it an import weapon in the war on terror. The USS Virginia is the lead ship in a new class of fast-attack submarines. The $2.2 billion vessel is able to maneuver close to the shore and shallow water. The Navy commissioned the Virginia in a ceremony in Norfolk, Virginia, yesterday.

HARRIS: We are headed deep into the satire zone for this week's look at the "Best of the Web."

NGUYEN: Oh yes, and neither George Bush nor John Kerry is immune from taking a fair share of ribbing on the Internet. We will show you ads that are definitely not approved by the candidates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONNA ROSATO, WRITER, "MONEY": Chilly weather usually keeps most tourists away from Europe in the winter, but Rome is a great destination in January and February. Rome tends to be a little warmer than the rest of Europe. So if you go during this time of year, you can get some fantastic deals on airfare.

It's typically in the mid-to-high 50s in Rome in February and March. That's fine for, you know, walking around the ruins and visiting some of the more popular museums and art galleries in Rome.

One thing to keep in mind is that some restaurants may be closed, and some hotels may trim their hours. But in general, in the city, everything should be operating as normal.

Families would enjoy a Rome destination because there's a lot of art and architecture to see, and there's a lot of outdoor activity.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Well, it is hard to turn on your TV lately without a political ad popping up. You know the ones. They end with the phrase "and I approved this message."

But the Internet's the place for plenty of other ads, most of which don't carry that official seal of approval. So in this morning's "Best of the Web segment," "Wired" magazine managing editor Blaise Zerega joins us to look at some few homemade political ads.

Good morning to you.

BLAISE ZEREGA, MANAGING EDITOR, WIRED: Good morning, Betty.

NGUYEN: All right, first off -- we want to get right to them. Let's given to two spots offered primarily on the Internet, and we will start with one from P2P, which is politics.com.

Let's listen to that one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are these dishes doing in the sink? I left a note for Andy to do him because they're his.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh yes. He -- he refused to recognize your note. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What? Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of its liberal bias.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Liberal bias?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are his dishes. He's using the note to deflect attention from the dishes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What dishes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These ones in the sink.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait a second. Wait a second. We're talking about your biased note. Don't try to change the subject.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: All right. Obviously a homemade ad. We're going to get to another, and we're going to talk about these.

But the other one is aimed at Senator Tom Daschle. And I believe we have an excerpt from that one right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)

(GUN SHOT)

(MUSIC)

(SCREAMING)

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Obviously has a little bit of a Halloween theme there.

We're seeing more and more of these. Is this the new trend on the Web these days, especially in this political season?

ZEREGA: It absolutely is, Betty.

You know, just as the television was one of the defining mediums for politics in 1960 when, you know, Nixon and Kennedy debated, the internet will be the hallmark of the 2004 election.

NGUYEN: Now, do they make any money, these Web sites, the creators of these homemade ads -- do they make any money off of these?

ZEREGA: No, they don't. In fact, money is exactly -- or the need not to have money is what's propelling these homemade political videos. The cost for producing these, going out and shooting them, editing them and distributing them have fallen dramatically. There's virtually no barriers to entry to making a homemade political video.

NGUYEN: And these are obviously on partisan Web sites, correct?

ZEREGA: They're -- they are partisan. Most of these ads tend to be negative. But they're very -- some of them are very effective. Some of them are entertaining. And some of them are offensive.

NGUYEN: All right. We want to look at another one. This one is something called the Kerry flip-flop Olympics. Let's check that one out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: All right. We're looking at video of it.

Tell me a little about this site. It's from georgebush.com. Now that sounds like an official Web site, but this is nothing that has been -- quote -- approved by George W. Bush, correct?

ZEREGA: It is an official Web site, yes. The parties and the candidates, you know, -- pardon me, President Bush and John Kerry have both made videos. In fact, scores of them.

But more interesting are the homemade political videos, the ones by the individuals who are, you know, just fiercely motivated. What's really exciting here is we're seeing a further democratization of the electoral process. And interestingly enough, we haven't seen too many videos that are grossly distorted when it comes to telling the truth.

NGUYEN: Some of them are really funny. I mean, of course, we've all seen the jibjab.com ones. Tell us about some of the other ones.

ZEREGA: Jibjab.com is wonderful. A very site is ericbloomrich.com. He's someone who -- the quality of the videos are really, really superior. Just -- it looks as though he's a Steven Spielberg or somebody.

NGUYEN: Hmm. Maybe this is where you get your start, on the Internet. Hmm. That's an idea.

All right. Blaise Zerega, managing editor of "Wired" magazine, thanks.

ZEREGA: Thanks.

NGUYEN: Tony.

HARRIS: Betty, we have sad news to report. This just in to CNN. The man who led the Roman Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., has passed. Cardinal James Hickey has died at 84 years old. He died in a nursing home in the Washington, D.C., area.

On the phone with us now is Susan Gibbs, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese. Susan, good morning.

SUSAN GIBBS, ARCHDIOCESE OF WASHINGTON: Good morning.

HARRIS: Well, Susan, when did you learn this news?

GIBBS: Well, I found out just a few minutes after he died. He passed away at 6:15 this morning. He's been ill for the past year. Cardinal McCarrick was with him, who's our current archbishop, and a couple of the other bishops and priests.

HARRIS: Can you describe for us sort of the last days, the last months of his life? Has he been at rest, peaceful?

GIBBS: He's been peaceful. He's slowly, over the past year -- he entered about a year ago, run by the Little Sisters of the Poor here in Washington. And he's been slowly just kind of wearing out, I would say.

HARRIS: Yes.

GIBBS: And it's just been a hard time. Last time he was out with the staff was at Christmas, actually. And he came over to the pastoral center and celebrated Mass with us. And just a wonderful man. I knew him for years, and I worked with him for many years.

HARRIS: Susan, do we know a cause of death?

GIBBS: We don't have a cause much death. It's just, again, a -- a slow -- I think, just a slow process.

HARRIS: Susan, give us a sense of the life. You mentioned he's a wonderful man. Give us a sense of his life.

GIBBS: He was a quiet person. I think people would be surprised at how much he did. He entered the seminary when he was 13 years old.

HARRIS: Thirteen?

GIBBS: Seventy years in service to the church. Loved every minute of it. He was a priest all the way through.

He had been in a small town in Michigan. Became a priest for Saginaw. And a bishop -- he was the rector of the North American College, a seminary in Rome for Americans. He was very active in Cleveland and in Washington; spoke out about concerns in El Salvador Very active in working and promoting justice in the immigrant community, he was bilingual.

He did so much here: starting schools, opening 12 new parishes expanding our social services, I think they nearly doubled during his 20 years as archbishop of Washington.

TONY HARRIS, CNN CO-ANCHOR: And Susan, how do you think the cardinal will be rembered, finally?

GIBBS: I think he'll be remembered as a man who loved the church. He loved children and he loved the poor.

HARRIS: Susan, good to talk to you.

GIBBS: Thank you.

HARRIS: On these trying times for you, I'm sure. But, thanks for taking the time to talk to us this morning, Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman from the archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

Susan, thank you.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Obviously Cardinal James Hickey has done a lot in his 84 years.

HARRIS: Well, what a great life.

Now, we all know commuter stress is a high price to pay to keep a job. Just ahead, we'll look at how the daily fight to get to work could be affecting your quality of life.

NGUYEN: Also ahead, a suspected long-term serial killer may be finally brought to justice in Los Angeles after years of unsolved killings.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY JOHNSON, VICTIM'S MOTHER: A whole -- you know, it's like taking the scab off of a wound that never healed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The Los Angeles police believe they now know who is behind the killings of 12 women dating back more than a decade. Welcome back. That's today's top story coming up in just moments.

NGUYEN: But first, here's what's happening now in the news.

The U.S. military says 49 Iraqi soldiers were shot and killed in an ambush attack near the Iranian border. The soldiers were on their way home after graduating from training camp. They were apparently forced to lie face down on the ground before they were shot.

Also in Iraq today, an American diplomat has been killed in an attack in Baghdad. Secretary of state Colin Powell confirmed the death to reporters traveling with him in Beijing. In a statement Powell said, quote, "The Department of State and I mourn the loss of one of our own today in Baghdad. Assistant Regional Security Officer Ed Seitz was killed in a mortar attack on Camp Victory."

Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, gets another boost for his Gaza withdrawal plan. The Israeli cabinet today approved a proposal to compensate settlers uprooted by the withdrawal. It also includes penalties for those who resist evacuation orders. The Israeli parliament votes on the withdrawal plan this week. And the Boston Red Sox continue their winning ways. They beat the Saint Louis cardinals 11-9 in the opening game of the World Series last night. The Sox are trying to win their first World Series since 1918. But Saint Louis gets a chance to even things up in tonight's game two.

HARRIS: Police in Los Angeles say he could be the most prolific killer in the city's history. They say DNA evidence links a man in prison for rape to a dozen homicides dating back to 1987. As Donna Tetreault reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNSON: A whole -- you know, it's like taking the scab off of a wound that never healed.

DONNA TETREAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jerry Johnson has had to live with the agonizing questions in her head for more than a decade: Who killed her 29-year-old daughter, Andrea Triplett?

JOHNSON: For 11 years I have walked around in my community -- my daughter was found two blocks away from my house. I didn't know if I had looked in that person's face, if I had rubbed shoulders with him. I just didn't know what to look or think.

TETREAULT: But investigators now believe that 37-year-old Chester Dwayne Turner is the man who killed Triplett and 11 other women, two of them pregnant at the time. They have dubbed Turner the most prolific serial killer ever identified in Los Angeles history. Extensive DNA testing led detectives to Turner. Already in prison for a prior sexual assault where he had to submit a DNA sample, detectives working the cold case unit were able to limg his DNA to the victims through a DNA database.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just thank god for just having this closure.

TETREAULT: All of the murders happened in the city of Los Angeles between 1987 and 1998. All of the victims were sexually assaulted, strangled, their bodies dumped. Many were left alongside the road within miles of this home where mail is still delivered in Turner's name.

DET. JOSE RAMIREZ, LAPD COLD CASE UNIT: Our suspect was in the area that these women frequented. So we feel that during that time they came into contact with him. Just -- not because he was targeting a certain group of women, but because they were easy prey for him. You know, he had what they wanted, which was probably narcotics.

TETREAULT: Now these family members who didn't understand why their loved ones became victims can see what most likely happened and begin to move on.

ROBERT WILLIAMS, MURDER VICTIM'S BROTHER: We have been going through what if, what happened, who did this to her? And this bringing a lot of great closure. TETREAULT (on camera): Detectives believe there could be other murders connected to Turner. Ten of the 13 homicides allegedly committed by Turner will be filed with the district attorney's office early next week.

Donna Tetreault for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And turning now to the presidential race and the polls, a "Newsweek" poll taken Thursday and Friday shows President Bush and Senator Kerry tied at 46 percent each among registered voters. But among likely voters, Mr. Bush has a slight edge, leading Kerry 48 to 46 percent. After we plugged those numbers into our poll of polls, which averages all the major national polls, the results are just about the same. In that survey, the president holds a slim three- point lead over the Massachusetts senator.

NGUYEN: The candidates are back on the trail today after a morning at his Texas ranch, President Bush will take part in a victory rally in New Mexico today. Yesterday the president attended at a rally at a football stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. He portrayed himself as the man to lead the country in the war against terror.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is the first presidential election since September the 11th, 2001. Americans will go to the polls in a time of war and ongoing threats, unlike any we have faced before. The terrorists who kill thousands of innocent people are still dangerous. They are determined to strike us again. The outcome of this election will set the direction of the war against terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Meanwhile, Senator Kerry is spending the day campaigning in the pivotal state of Florida. He'll start out by attending a church service in Fort Lauderdale then head to a rally in Boca Raton. While campaigning in New Mexico yesterday, Kerry urged a crowd of supporters to vote their hopes, not their fears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Are you ready to put just basic common sense back into the decisions of our country? Are you ready for a president of the United States who tells you the truth and nothing but the truth? Are you ready for a president who fights for the middle class, not just for the powerful? Are you ready to put America back to work at the jobs that pay more than the ones we're losing?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now, George Bush and John Kerry are finding good news and bad news. On the printed page this morning they are splitting some newspaper endorsements in key battleground states. The "Columbus Dispatch" in Ohio is backing Bush, but the paper also says it's, quote, "less than enthused about the choice between Bush and Kerry." In Iowa, Kerry's getting the support of the "Des Moines Register" which calls him "a wise and decent man." The "Washington post" is also in Kerry's camp.

HARRIS: Well, the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to place independent candidate Ralph Nader on the ballot in Pennsylvania. The state court cited flawed signatures on voter petion sheets. Nader wanted the high court to remove the decision to remove him from the ballot, but it refused.

We're looking for some feedback from you on a contentious issue, the Electoral College or the popular vote? Which is the best system? E-mail us at wam@cnn.com. Let's take a look at some of your thoughts so far.

Do you have that first e-mail? OK.

NGUYEN: Actually, we'll read those later in the show. We'll get to those, but go ahead and send in your e-mails so we'll have those on the air when we do get to that portion.

HARRIS: So what would you do if you or a family member got seriously ill? Would you be protected? We'll look at what John Kerry and George Bush have to say about crucial health care issues.

NGUYEN: And we know the stress of traffic that can test your patience. Boy, do we know it. But it can also test your blood pressure and long-term health. We'll explain just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Good health versus good health care coverage. Everybody wants it, so what are the two presidential candidates doing about it? Find out in our weekly look at where the candidates stand on the issues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Good morning, New York. Here's a live look at the Big Apple. Bet you're wondering what the weather will be like for this morning's Tour de Bronx. More than 3,000 bikers will take part in the event ending with a jazz concert a little bit later on. Jacqui Jeras' forecast is coming right up.

HARRIS: Does your chest tighten when you're stuck in the morning and afternoon traffic hell that is all over this country? Certainly here in Atlanta. Do you wonder sometimes if you might just be suffering a heart attack or might soon if the situation doesn't improve? Well, there is reason to be concerned. A new German study suggests there is a link between traffic, traffic congestion and air pollution. And some doctors are not surprised by this new German study. One of those doctors, who isn't surprised, joins us now, Dr. Peter Stone, a cardiologist at Harvard Medical School, and he joins us from Boston. Dr. Stone, good to talk to you.

DR. PETER STONE, HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL: Good morning.

HARRIS: Well, give us a sense -- a fuller sense of what this study out of Germany is telling us.

STONE: Well, this study comes in the context of really decades of epidemiologic evidence. What it shows clearly is that those individuals who are exposed to air pollution associated with being in traffic were associated with developing a heart attack within an hour of their exposure to traffic.

HARRIS: An hour?

STONE: An hour. And I think what this also underscores in a very important way is that air pollution has been associated both with very long-term adverse effects of making atherosclerosis and cardiac arrest worse, but this also focuses on the short-term risk within an hour.

HARRIS: Well, Dr. Stone, talk us through kind of the science of this. What actually happens when we're in this very stressful environment?

STONE: Well, it starts, really, in the context of how does atherosclerosis develop altogether, and that's related often, in large part, to the systemic inflammatory state that may develop and be exacerbated by exposure to air solution. So the process of atherosclerosis develops and progresses. And there are times when the atherosclerosis becomes what's called "vulnerable," a small plaque, small area of inflammation inside the artery that may not require much to make it rupture, lead to a blood clot, and lead to a heart attack. And air pollution is associated with a variety of features that can both cause the atherosclerosis, as well as, exacerbate the likelihood of developing an acute rupture, whether it causes a thrombus, it can also lead to the stresses of the vessel constricting, causing rupture of the plaque, and a variety of factors making a rupture that does occur more likely to be associated with blood clot.

HARRIS: Well Doctor, is this something we should all worry about, the heart healthy and those -- or is it a particular concern to those -- I would imagine it would be -- who have preexisting heart conditions?

STONE: Well, it's both. Certainly those at the greatest risk for the problem are the ones most likely to develop the problem. But the difficult thing about air pollution is that it clearly affects us all. And so we need to be careful because we never are -- we never know when we're going to be in that vulnerable population ourselves.

HARRIS: Is there a quick answer as to what we should do here?

STONE: Well, the only obvious one, is certainly we can't avoid exposure to traffic. We can't avoid exposure to our environment. The only approach really is to improve our environment, to make our reliance on fossil fuel less, to use alternative fuels, and to clean up our environment to thereby reduce our risk for all of us.

HARRIS: And there is a great debate raging about how we do just that. Dr. Stone, thanks for taking the time to talk to us this Sunday morning.

STONE: Thank you.

NGUYEN: I want to give you a look at some of our top stories today. He led the Roman Catholic Church in the nation's capital for 20 years. Former Washington Archbishop James Hickey died this morning. He was 84 years old. Hickey retired as archbishop four years ago.

A deadly ambush in eastern Iraq, insurgents shot and killed at least 49 soldiers yesterday. The Army recruits were on their way home after graduating from training.

And coming up after the break: Getting good health care coverage can sometimes make you sick with worry.

HARRIS: As part of our ongoing issue series, we'll see how each candidate wants to make the system healthy again.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Health care, it is a major issue of the 2004 campaign, especially for the millions of Americans without health insurance. Now, as part of our issue -- our series of issues, national correspondent, Bob Franken, examines the problem and what each of the candidates promises to do to fix those problems.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Life without health care coverage is life on the edge of disaster, but it's a fact of life for 45 million Americans now. And that includes 20 million who are employed, like Washington waitress Maya Long.

MAYA LONG, WAITRESS WITHOUT MEDICAL INSURANCE: There's always that fear that something would happen, you'd get sick, and you wouldn't be able to take care of yourself.

FRANKEN: But year after year there have been staggering increases in health insurance premiums, up 36 percent in the last four years. Maya's employer, a small business owner, just can't afford it.

GENE LAWSON, RESTAURANT CO-OWNER: It would cost us, assuming everyone that was eligible, applied, it would cost us in the neighborhood of an extra $5,000 a month.

FRANKEN: Health care is a national anxiety. The scale of the proposals from each candidate range from massive to more massive. John Kerry claims that his would provide new coverage for 27 million. It would expand eligibility for the same health insurance plans offered to federal employees, and provide government assistance to lighten the crushing burden on employers. KERRY: And if employers are paying in less, the cost of doing business is reduced, and American companies become more competitive...

FRANKEN: But critics argue Kerry's plan would break the bank. By his estimate alone, it would cost $650 billion over ten years. And some suggest it could go over $1 trillion. The president, meanwhile, proposing tax credits and small business pools called "Association Plans."

BUSH: We've got to change law to allow small firms to pool together so they can purchase insurance at the same discounts that big businesses get.

FRANKEN: The cost, according to the Bush campaign, about $102 billion over a decade. But critics say he's nibbling at the edges, providing health insurance for anywhere from the 11 million that the campaign estimates, to as few as 1 million. It's been out there, but health care has not really dominated the campaign.

EDWARD HOWARD, ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH REFORM: People who lack health insurance often are people who, on the one hand, aren't very politically powerful. They tend to be lower income, they aren't as politically active, and some politicians think they can ignore this as a result.

FRANKEN: But not one the uninsured can ignore.

LONG: To not know if you can go to the doctor, to have friends who get sick and can't get treated because they don't have insurance and they don't happen to have $400 that it's going to cost them to just go to an office visit.

FRANKEN (on camera): Health care is a crisis that gets worse and worse. All agree something must be done about it. There's little agreement on what?

Bob Franken, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Abortion rights, gay rights, and stem cell research are some of the other issues at the center of the national debate over values. Next week, Bob Franken tells us how values figures into the presidential race.

HARRIS: "Inside politics" is next. Let's get a preview with Kelly Wallace.

Hi, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, "INSIDE POLITICS": Good morning to you, Tony. "Inside Politics Sunday" live from the Big Apple this morning. We will head to the campaign trail as both candidates kick off the final full week before the election.

Plus, two New York congressmen debate politics, the war in Iraq and how it factors into your decision.

And are all voters created equal? Maybe not. Some want to change the Electoral College system. We will examine the ballot box battle coming up at the top of the hour.

Tony, only nine days left until the big election.

HARRIS: Hard to believe. And we are counting. We'll see you at the top of the hour, Kelly. Thank you.

NGUYEN: And speaking of which, all morning long we've been asking for your thoughts on our e-mail question of the day. Electoral College versus the popular vote. And we've got lots of interesting responses.

HARRIS: Let's start with this e-mail from Amy from New York: "When the result of the electoral vote ceases matching that of the popular vote, as it did in 2000, there's clearly a problem. We call ourselves a democracy, but the "winner takes all" approach of the Electoral College ensures that many citizen's votes don't count. It's an antiquated and broken system. We need to move to a popular vote like every other civilized country.

NGUYEN: Now listen to what Jen from Philadelphia has to say: "I don't think that the people of the United States are bright enough to elect the president of the United States. What would happen if the popular vote was used, as it is in all other races? We could easily have elected an unqualified person in the White House. I fear that if the popular vote were allowed, we get presidents like: Howard Stern, Madonna, Oprah, and anyone else that could their popularity for political votes." And he ends with saying, "Ozzy for president."

He brings up an interesting point, though.

HARRIS: Absolutely.

NGUYEN: And we appreciate all of your responses today.

HARRIS: And let's get you quickly to Jacqui Jeras for a final check of the weather report.

Go Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: That's good.

NGUYEN: Perfect. Great weather there, all right. Thank you, Jacqui.

Well, that is going to do it for us. Thanks for watching. We're back at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

HARRIS: "Inside Politics Sunday" is next. Have a great day.

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