[Carol Costello, Cnn Anchor:] And good morning to you. From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello. Now in the news, U.S. and Iraqi forces launch more air and ground raids in Falluja. They have also set up vehicle checkpoints in and around the insurgent stronghold. U.S. military officials say the operation is to lay the groundwork for an eventual offensive to retake the city. Eastern nations have come up with a plan of incentives and threats for dealing with Iran's nuclear program. Senior officials from the group of eight industrial nations will present the proposal today at the U.S. State Department. Today, Muslims begin their most sacred time of the year, the holy month of Ramadan. It's a time of fasting and prayer. And many fear it may also mark an increased time of violence. Florida's Palm Beach County plans to test its electronic voting machines today. An election official says Tuesday's dry run was postponed because of a computer server that crashed. To the forecast center and Chad good morning.
[Chad Myers, Cnn Meteorologist:] A good thing it wasn't a couple Tuesdays from now, huh?
[Costello:] You're not kidding.
[Myers:] Yes. Good morning.
[Costello:] It's 18 days until election day and the presidential candidates head into the final stretch with a sprint through the battleground states. On the campaign trail, President Bush wakes up this morning in Jacksonville, Oregon. And then he'll head to campaign rallies in Iowa and in Wisconsin. Last night police in riot gear fired pepper balls to break up protests by rival Bush and Kerry supporters in Jacksonville. Earlier, during a campaign appearance there, Bush painted Kerry as a liberal.
[George W. Bush, President Of The United States:] My opponent says he's in touch with the West, but sometimes I think he means Western Massachusetts.
[Costello:] As for Democrat John Kerry, he begins his day in the battleground state of Iowa. He then heads to Wisconsin, where polls show President Bush holds a slight lead. On the campaign trail yesterday, Kerry reacted to claims of voter registration fraud in Nevada, where Democratic forms were allegedly tossed out.
[Sen. John Kerry , Presidential Candidate:] We're going to have teams of people prepared wherever there is the potential of any kind of fraud or suppression to take appropriate legal action. We are not going to allow this election to become what the year 2000 was.
[Costello:] And Nevada isn't the only state where there are concerns about voter irregularities. Our Dan Lothian looks at the problem nationwide.
[Dan Lothian, Cnn Correspondent:] The race to register voters in some states is being clouded by allegations of fraud. In the battleground state of Colorado, there's a list of people who have registered multiple times and stacks of forms with bogus names, like this one filled out by Jason Kills Enemy. Colorado's Secretary of State Donetta Davidson is fuming and has called for an investigation.
[Donetta Davidson, Colorado Secretary Of State:] I don't care if the election is close or not. We cannot allow fraud to happen in our state.
[Lothian:] In southern Nevada, the FBI is looking into allegations that registration forms filled out by Democrats at a private voters outreach office were destroyed and discarded, as this ex-worker claims.
[Eric Russell, Former Voter Registration Employee:] And she grabbed the Democrats. She handed them to her assistant. And he ripped them up right in front of us.
[Lothian:] Republican officials in the state have their doubts but are demanding answers.
[Brian Scroggins, Clark County Republican Party:] Obviously, any of these allegations are serious and we're not taking them lightly.
[Lothian:] In this election battle, locked in a statistical dead heat, allegations are amplified, especially in key battleground states like Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Colorado. Throw into the mix concerns over new voting technology, confusing ballot changes and not enough poll workers, and the results, some fear, could be troubling.
[Doug Chapin, Director, Electiononline.org:] It's very unlikely that we will get through election day without some kind of a problem.
[Lothian:] This Government Accountability Office report indicates the Justice Department has made some progress since the 2000 election in addressing voter irregularities. But it also reveals not enough has been done. [voice-over]: Congressman Henry Waxman says the government is not ready for another close election.
[Rep. Henry Waxman , California:] The Justice Department should have been prepared and maybe still can try to be prepared to stop any irregularities.
[Lothian:] But in statement, the Justice Department said it has been proactive already, implementing significant changes, and that it can better monitor election activities and track voter complaints. From Capitol Hill to the courts, an aggressive effort is under way to make sure every vote is counted, without fraud, mistakes or confusion. Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
[Costello:] We'll have much more on this topic and the state that could be the Florida of 2004. We'll talk with a reporter who's covered it extensively about 15 minutes from now. In other news across America now, it took a Louisiana jury just over 90 minutes to recommended the death penalty for convicted killer Derrick Todd Lee. Lee was found guilty of killing a 22-year-old woman in May of 2002. The woman had been stabbed more than 80 times. DNA evidence has linked Lee to seven murders since 1998. A 50-seat passenger plane with only the pilot and co-pilot on board crashed into a residential area in Jefferson City, Missouri. No word on injuries to the pilots or anyone on the ground. Police say the Pinnacle Airlines plane experienced engine problems before the crash. Cleanup has begun in a mysterious oil spill, about 1,000 gallons off the coast of Tacoma, Washington. Investigators are reviewing a list of ships that passed through the area to see who may have dumped the oil. Wildlife agencies are afraid the heavy oil will devastate bird colonies in Puget Sound. It's doubtful that the government can get more doses of the flu vaccine in time for flu season. That's what Health and Human Services Director Tommy Thompson is saying this morning. In the meantime, Michigan's health department issued an emergency order that limits who's eligible to receive the flu vaccine. Officials say there are about three and a half million high risk patients in Michigan, but only two million doses of the vaccine. People are waiting in lines in other states, as well, and now even more reports of price gouging are being heard. For more on that, we're joined live from Washington by CNN's Julie Vallese good morning, Julie.
[Julie Vallese, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning to you, Carol. We're here at a 24 hour grocery store where people started lining up at 12:30 to get vaccines that won't start being given out until 9:00 a.m. And that is a scene that is being played out across the country. As you mentioned, an emergency rule in Michigan. That's something that is being seen in other states and municipalities, in some cases, misdemeanor charges and fines, all an effort to stop thefts, price gouging and something that hasn't been seen yet, but officials are worried about, counterfeiting.
[Vallese:] The young, the old and the middle-aged were lining up at this clinic for flu shots. It does have an ample supply, charging only $25. But the clinic says in accordance with the CDC's plea, if you're young and healthy, you'll be turned away.
[Unidentified Male:] I didn't know that.
[Vallese:] And if you were watching the Yankees-Red Sox game, like this man, instead of the presidential debate, you probably didn't hear the president ask healthy Americans to forego a vaccine this year.
[Unidentified Male:] But I just thought, you know, more was going to come down the pipeline and it was just a matter of when.
[Vallese:] But that is probably unlikely and some distributors know it and are taking advantage of it. In some states, reports of vaccines being sold for 10 times more than they should.
[Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Attorney General:] We're aware of numerous increasing reports about price gouging and profiteering that are depriving our most vulnerable citizens, particularly senior citizens and children.
[Vallese:] In Florida, two price gouging suits have been filed against Medstat, one by the State of Florida, the other Kansas. The company issued a statement saying they have done nothing wrong. To combat price gouging, the CDC is shifting supply.
[Dr. Julie Gerberding, Cdc Director:] We're going first to the people who need vaccine the most and where we can logically predict the greatest number of at risk people.
[Vallese:] The CDC may be able to logically predict where to send the vaccine, but more difficult to predict how many healthy people will still try to get it and how much they're willing to pay to keep from getting sick. Now, price gouging is a state issue. In some states, it's not illegal. And on the federal level, fraud or conspiracy charges will have to be used because overcharging, it's not against the law Carol.
[Costello:] Unbelievable. Julie Vallese live in Washington this morning. Thank you. Still to come on DAYBREAK, Colorado could it be the Florida of 2004? At 6:15 Eastern we'll tell you why some people are concerned about the vote counting in that state. And immigrants in America whether you welcome them or not, some of them are here to stay. An emotional look at an issue that came up in the last presidential debate. That's at 35 minutes past the hour. And then, it's meant to make you laugh. Oh, it's got a lot of people talking. I'll get a critic's take on this movie that mixes marionettes, puppets, with social commentary. But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.