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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Daschle Demands Bush Apologize for Accusing Democrats of Politicizing Debate on Iraq; Gulf Coast Braces for Hurricane Isidore
Aired September 25, 2002 - 17:00 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.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS: Now on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, showdown Iraq, showdown Washington. Is the president questioning their patriotism? Senate Democrats are up in arms.
SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: That is outrageous, outrageous. The president ought to apologize.
BLITZER: American kids out of the African crossfire, but are they out of danger? Gulf Coast on guard, Isidore takes aim at low- lying Louisiana. Is the Big Easy uneasy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I think we can just hunker down and handle that storm if it comes.
BLITZER: It's almost time to line up for flu shots and there's crucial new advice for parents. And rocks original bad girl rocks Afghanistan, on tour with Joan Jet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (on camera): It's Wednesday, September 25, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. We're following two top stories right now, a tropical storm staring down Louisiana. We've just received an update from the National Hurricane on its path and strength. We'll bring you that along with news of evacuations in just a few moments, but first a showdown here in Washington, the Democratic leader of the Senate demanding an apology from President Bush. The firestorm erupted over remarks by the president questioning the Democrat's commitment in the war against terror.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): At a time when President Bush sorely needs support for a possible war against Iraq, he's taking broadsides from some people he's counting on. An angry Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle responded to this statement from the president on Monday.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Senate is more interested in special interests in Washington and not interested in the security of the American people.
DASCHLE: Not interested in the security of the American people? You tell Senator Inouye he's not interested in the security of the American people. You tell those who fought in Vietnam and in World War II they're not interested in the security of the American people. That is outrageous, outrageous. The president ought to apologize.
BLITZER: But the White House says don't hold your breath.
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I'm aware of the debate that is taking place on Capitol Hill and the accusations that have been made about the president on this, and now is a time for everybody concerned to take a deep breath, to stop finger pointing, and to work well together to protect our national security and our homeland defense.
BLITZER: Daschle also blasted the president for exploiting the threat posed by Iraq.
DASCHLE: We ought not politicize the rhetoric about war and life and death.
BLITZER: The president denied he's engaging in politics.
BUSH: You may try to politicize it. I view it as my main obligation that is to protect the American people.
BLITZER: But later, the Senate's chief Republican returned fire on Senator Daschle.
SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MINORITY LEADER: Who is the enemy here the president of the United States or Saddam Hussein?
BLITZER: Behind the public rhetoric congressional leaders are negotiating with the Bush administration on a resolution that would authorize the president to eliminate Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. Senator Daschle and other Democratic leaders have indicated they'd support that resolution.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Well, at least on the surface there is a division in Washington. The Bush administration though has been trying to assess where U.S. allies stand on a possible strike against Iraq; more now from CNN's Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre traveling with the defense secretary.
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JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One day after NATO defense ministers meeting in Warsaw heard a highly- classified CIA briefing, called sobering by the NATO secretary- general, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld delivered an ominous warning just before departing for Washington.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Everyone is on notice. All now have a clear understanding of the threats that are posed.
MCINTYRE: Rumsfeld insisted he was not trying to garner support for military action against Iraq during the two days of private meetings with NATO ministers. Rather, he argued, the facts about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction should speak for themselves.
RUMSFELD: I've always believed that if people have roughly the same set of facts, they're going to come -- reasonable people, they're going to come to roughly the same conclusions.
MCINTYRE: Rumsfeld repeated but would not elaborate on the U.S. claim of a link between Iraq and the al Qaeda terrorist network.
RUMSFELD: The deputy director of Central Intelligence briefed on that subject. I have no desire to go beyond saying the answer is yes.
MCINTYRE: And while insisting President Bush has made no judgment about the use of force to remove Saddam Hussein from power, Rumsfeld argued that a decade of alternatives, including U.N. inspections have failed.
RUMSFELD: We've been trying political methods. We've tried economic sanctions. We've tried military activity in the northern and southern no-fly zones with our coalition partners and none of them have worked.
MCINTYRE: In his closing remarks, NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said the alliance members recognize that weapons of mass destruction represent a growing threat to the world, but that for now the United Nations should take the lead.
GEORGE ROBERTSON, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL: There was also a view taken that this was a matter that is in the hands of the United Nations at the moment. The United Nations has been challenged by President Bush and by many others to take responsibility for the resolutions that it has passed in relation to Iraq in particular and that was the prevailing view.
MCINTYRE (on camera): Even though he says he never asked, Rumsfeld says several countries volunteered support for the U.S. position. He didn't identify the supporters but clearly Germany wasn't among them. Still miffed by criticism of President Bush during the recent German elections, Rumsfeld never made time to meet with the German minister. Jamie McIntyre CNN, Warsaw.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. Our web question of the day is this: Do you agree with Senator Tom Daschle that President Bush is politicizing the debate over a possible war with Iraq? We'll have the results later in this program.
Vote at cnn.com/wolf. While you're there, read my daily column, cnn.com/wolf. Coming up at the half hour the tough questions on Iraq that you want the answers to. E-mail us. Go to my web page, cnn.com/wolf. That's where you can send me your questions.
Now to Isidore, it's not a hurricane but weather experts and emergency officials are warning no one should take this tropical storm lightly. It could send a wall of water six feet high over parts of the Gulf Coast and dump more than a foot and a half of rain over the next few days. Louisiana and Mississippi are expected to take the brunt of it. The latest report just out puts Isidore 215 miles south of New Orleans and it's gaining strength and sustained winds now reported at about 65 miles an hour. We'll go live to the National Hurricane Center in Miami in just a moment for more on Isidore.
First, we have two reports. John Zarrella standing by live in New Orleans, and Brian Cabell is in Biloxi. Let's begin with John with the latest -- John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, well since about 2:00 Central time, New Orleans has been getting a constant, oftentimes heavy dousing with rain. You can see here that the water is already up on the streets. The sewage system, the drainage system here can not handle the amount of water that has been pouring down all afternoon. And again, Isidore is just a tropical storm.
Here, down in the French Quarter, a lot of the folks have boarded up. The sign here on this restaurant and bar is: "We Don't Run, We Party, Go Away Isidore. We Drink Hurricanes" is what they say here. But they have also taken precautions. They've put up sandbags all along the side here because the water is rising, continuing to rise and we are expecting a lot more rain this evening as Isidore continues to approach closer and closer to the New Orleans area. Of course, a very good thing that Isidore is just a tropical storm. We can all see what it is doing just as a tropical storm. This is, of course, below sea level, New Orleans, one of the most vulnerable places in the nation for a hurricane.
In the city today, city officials used some of the county prisoners to help put sandbags up in some areas that are very susceptible to flooding. While all of New Orleans is surrounded by a levee, there is still street flooding and potential for a lot of flooding outside of the city. Because of Isidore, of course, the hotel district, the businesses, all in the French Quarter damaged quite a bit as far as business is concerned here, and some folks that we talked to said, you know, they just wish the tourists would understand that it's only going to last a couple of days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't blame him one way because if I'd be out of town and I wouldn't know anything about it, I'd probably cancel myself, you know, but if they only had talked to me, you know and that's it. I'd tell them to come in and have a good time. That's the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) as the Cajun says. Let the good times roll.
ZARRELLA: In the City of New Orleans, again you can see the water continuing to pour down here, Wolf. Now since 1965, New Orleans has dodged a lot of bullets. Six hurricanes have come very, very close to the city but all of them have veered away at the last minute, and once again it appears at this point that New Orleans has dodged what could have been a very, very serious bullet -- Wolf.
BLITZER: John Zarrella, he's on the scene for us in New Orleans, thanks very much. Not far away in Biloxi, Mississippi, Brian Cabell is standing by. What's going on there, Brian? BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the word came down at 10:00 this morning here in Mississippi that all the casinos here in the state are being closed down. They were closed down 10:00 this morning, evacuated mandatorily. That's 30 casinos, 18 on the Mississippi River, 12 here on the Gulf. They wanted to be safe rather than sorry. They're sturdy we are told by officials.
Let's take a look at the President Casino right here on the Gulf. All of these casinos are designed to withstand a Category 4 hurricane. That's 155 mile per hour winds, a surge of some 15 to 20 feet. Theoretically they're able to withstand that they say. Nevertheless, most people, the tourists have left here, about three-quarters I would say, but some, a relative few have decided to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully they'll open tomorrow afternoon, no gambling.
QUESTION: But are you going to do in the meantime?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We bought a deck of cards. We're playing poker in the room.
QUESTION: Do you think they should have kept it open a little while longer?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't see anything happening right now, you know. I mean it's breaking up out there. It looks like they could have held off a while longer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABELL: This is the Beau Rivage Casino Hotel, the biggest by far on the coast here, some 1,800 rooms. Normally they have a 90 percent occupancy. Today, tonight they will have only about 350 of those rooms occupied, the reason of course is people come down here to gamble. If there's no gambling, most of them will want to head back up north and that's precisely what they're doing.
Some people are hoping they'll reopen on Thursday. Management told us more likely it might be Friday, but who knows? It all depends on what's out there and what's out there right now, as you can see, we've got cloudy skies. We've got winds perhaps ten, 15 miles per hour.
We had a band of rain just about ten, 15 minutes ago but for the most part we've just had drizzle all day long, some winds but, of course, the worst is yet to come. We're told probably tomorrow morning is going to be the worst of it. But right now, Wolf, not too bad at all. The casinos are closed but the beach is open if you want to come down here, back to you.
BLITZER: Brian Cabell on the scene for us in Biloxi, Mississippi, thanks very much. We'll continue to monitor Isidore, the tropical storm that may potentially eventually become a hurricane. Thanks once again. Let's get back to our top story. The Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle just a few minutes ago once again spoke out on the Senate floor defending his earlier remarks, and once again, asking for an apology from the president. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DASCHLE: ...within which anybody can make that accusation about people on this side of the aisle on an issue relating to homeland security or Iraq or defense or anything else. So let's get that straight and I would hope, I would hope that we can finally bring this debate to a level that it deserves. I can recall in 1991 and '92, especially in '92, when President Bush made the decision he did.
I can recall several of my staff coming to me suggesting that we say this or that but never once did I have someone on my staff, someone here in the United States Senate refer to the politics of the war with Iraq. I remember sitting at my desk handwriting my speech, explaining to my people in South Dakota and to whomever it was who might be listening why I made the decision I did.
I didn't make that decision for political reasons and I don't think there is a person in this chamber who did. We need that same level of debate this time if we're going to have a debate, if we're going to do it this close to an election. So, I want all the apologies at the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue, all of these explanations about context to be taken for what they're worth.
They're not worth the paper they're printed on. The time has come for us to quit the explanations, to quit the rationalizations, to quit the politicization and do what we should do as Americans. Make our statement. Make our judgment. Have a debate and send as clear a message to Saddam Hussein as we can that we're not going to tolerate his actions and we, as a country, will build a coalition to do the right thing.
So, Mr. President, I hope that this will be the last word but I look forward to talking directly with those in the White House and those on this side of the aisle as we fashion our response, as we take this matter as seriously as we should, as we do it in a way that lives up to the expectations of the American people. I yield the floor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Angry words on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue here in Washington. In about 15 minutes on this program I'll speak to two Senators, a Democrat and a Republican. They'll continue this debate over U.S. policy toward Iraq. When we come back, Americans evacuated in the Ivory Coast, their path to safety from a school under siege when we return.
Plus, kids and flu shots, what every parent and grandparent must know before the winter season begins. And, training a killer, we'll get an attack with a smart shark from Chicago, but first today's news quiz. Which critters are responsible for the most human deaths, sharks, mosquitoes, deer, alligators? The answer coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: This story just in to CNN. The Oregon State Capitol Building has been evacuated. The move came just a short time ago after an envelope with a Pakistani postmark was opened and, get this, a white powder was found inside. Police say no one has become ill from the substance. A hazardous materials team is at the capitol right now. They're investigating. We'll, of course, have more details as they become available. Once again, Oregon State Capitol Building has been evacuated. It may turn out to be nothing. We'll be following this story, of course.
Meanwhile, dozens of Americans are being moved out of harm's way in the Ivory Coast. Today French troops evacuated students and staff members from a school that serves the children of missionaries. We get the latest from our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nearly 200 Americans, including dozens of children, were driven to safety from a boarding school caught in the crossfire of civil unrest in the West African nation of the Ivory Coast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're OK. We're glad the French came.
STARR: French soldiers secured the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Baptist International Christian Academy early Wednesday in the town of Bouake and began organizing a rapid evacuation.
VOICE OF MICHEL COUSINEAU, INTL. CHRISTIAN ACADEMY: I can tell you that we have loaded up in 17 vehicles and we are getting ready for departure in three minutes.
STARR: The school children, whose missionary parents are scattered across West Africa, waved American flags and made peace signs as they left the compound where they had been trapped for days. Nervous families back in the United States have been monitoring the situation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When your daughter calls you on a cell phone from under a table and says that bullets are flying overhead, you're not very calm. Your heart is pounding.
STARR: Rebel and government forces exchanged gunfire around the school since a coup attempt last week. Nearly 300 people have been killed across the Ivory Coast in the recent violence. The convoy took the students to the town of Yamasukro (ph) where the State Department was waiting to greet them and get them back to their families.
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We're setting up a staging center, reception center. I'm sure there will be medical care, counseling, help with travel, reuniting families, whatever else we can do for the people involved.
STARR (on camera): Several dozen U.S. troops are also at that staging area. They were not needed for the rescue of these students but they remain on standby ready to move in if the security situation deteriorates and the 2,000 Americans still living in the Ivory Coast have to be moved. Barbara Starr CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And with us now in Atlanta is Jean Hotalen. She's a former missionary to Africa and her grandchild attends the school in the Ivory Coast that was caught in the crossfire. Mrs. Hotalen thanks so much for joining us. First of all, what if anything have you heard directly from your granddaughter?
JEAN HOTALEN, GRANDMOTHER OF EVACUEE: Our granddaughter just called at 2:00 this afternoon. She's in North Georgia and she called her father who is in Abidjan (ph) with his wife and her little brother and learned that they had just been evacuated and her brother, Jason, was up at the school and so now we're glad to know that he's probably reunited with his parents down in Abidjan.
BLITZER: Tell us what they were doing there to begin with.
HOTALEN: Well, our son and his wife and son had just returned. They just left here visiting us for about eight to ten weeks and were on their way back to Point Noire (ph), Congo to resume their missionary service when they had a layover in Abidjan for a couple of days and just after they arrived, they awoke in the morning to hear gunfire at 4:30 a.m. right in their neighborhood. They knew that they were there for a few days, so they hope to leave Sunday and go on their way after they've sent their son back here to live with us and go to school here in Georgia.
BLITZER: I understand you were a missionary with your husband in Africa for some 40 years. Any second thoughts about doing that kind of work in a dangerous environment that currently exists, at least in parts of Africa?
HOTALEN: No. We've been through revolutions and coups and rebellious situations several times over the years and our children have and our grandchildren. Jason feels like an old hand, so he was able to calm and comfort others because he had been through these things where bullets are flying overhead before and we know God is with us. He's taken care of us and we know he'll do it again and he did it again today.
BLITZER: All right, Jean Hotalen thank you for joining us. Good luck to you and good luck to your whole family. Let's hope this all ends smoothly and safely of course for everyone concerned.
HOTALEN: Thank you.
BLITZER: Thank you very much. And important health news for parents, new guidelines for protecting young children from the deadly flu virus and it involves a needle. Also, sound off on Iraq is the drumbeat for war a political move by the president? E-mail us now at my Web site cnn.com/wolf; the debate coming up. And he rarely talks but when he does investors listen. Warren Buffet shares his insights on the markets; but first, a look at news making headlines around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): Gunmen shot and killed seven people in the office of a Christian charity in Karachi, Pakistan. It's the fifth attack on Christian targets in the country since the government allied itself with the U.S. war on terror.
Lawyers for a Colombian paramilitary leader are in Washington arranging for his surrender. The Justice Department accuses Carlos Castano (ph) of smuggling tons of cocaine to the United States over the last five years. Castano says he's innocent.
The Chinese government accused of the outlawed religious group (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of hijacking facilities in Taiwan to beam the sex broadcasts into China. Officials in Taiwan call the allegations far fetched but promise to investigate.
Millions of London commuters had to find another way to work this morning and home tonight. A 24-hour strike by subway drivers closed the tube for the second time in two months. The walkouts are over pay issues.
Thousands of evangelical Christians from the U.S. and around the world marched through Jerusalem in support of Israel. They backed Jewish claims to the entire Holy Land saying they fulfilled Biblical prophecies.
For the first time, Vietnam's communist government approved a beauty pageant once dismissed as capitalist decadence. Along with here title, this 17-year-old new Miss Vietnam won about $3,000, and that's your look around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: You can vote on that web question of the day. Go to my Web site cnn.com/wolf. Next week marks the beginning of the flu season and this year for the first time parents are being urged to get their young children vaccinated but there's an important difference between flu shots for children and those for older people. Our Medical Correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, knows a lot about this subject. She's joining us now live from Atlanta. Explain it to us. This is a story, Elizabeth that affects virtually every one of our viewers.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. It made me think about my own kids actually, Wolf. The CDC, this is the time of year where they say go out and get your flu shot but this year there's something new. They're saying you need to get children flu shots if they're between six months and 23 months. So, six months to almost two years old.
The reason why they say is that when you look at the studies, kids that age can get so sick from the flu that they end up in the hospital at the same rate as older people who have always been recommended that they get the flu shot. The difference is that kids that age, the first time they get immunized need to get it in two doses. They go to the doctor, get one shot, come back a month later and get another shot.
Now, let's take a look at who in general is recommended by the CDC to get flu shots. As we mentioned, all children ages six to 23 months. In addition, adults aged 50 and older. They used to say 65 and older but now they say 50, pregnant women and most pregnant women don't get flu shots. They think they're not supposed to when, in fact, they're supposed to, and anyone with certain medical conditions such as HIV, Asthma, other immune-related diseases.
So again, children have been added to that and actually anyone really can profit from a flu shot. Experts will tell you there's no reason really not to get a flu shot. There are very few side effects and the ones that do exist are usually quite -- they're not severe at all. You just sort of get pain around the injection site and that's all.
What the CDC does say, though, is that there's not an unlimited supply so they're urging healthy adults who are just getting it so they don't feel like getting the flu that season to wait until November to get their shots. Leave October for the folks who we just listed in that list, the people who are at higher risk of getting complications. Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, what's taking so long to make this recommendation? It sounds so reasonable, logical.
COHEN: Absolutely and, in fact, I've talked to doctors who said two years ago, I get my toddlers, you know, immunized. I'm not waiting for the CDC to tell me. In fact, the study, people have suspected for a long time that kids this age ought to get immunized. The studies were done two years ago and it take some time, the CDC says, to read these and review these before they make a final recommendation. But as I said, there are plenty of doctors out there who've been getting their kids immunized for many years now.
BLITZER: Elizabeth Cohen with important advice for all of our viewers. Thanks so much...
COHEN: Thank you.
BLITZER: ... for that report.
And you're asking the tough questions on Iraq. Now, we're going to put them to the policymakers. Senators Conrad Burns of Montana and Robert Torricelli of New Jersey join us live when we return. E-mail me your questions right now. Go to CNN.com/Wolf. Plus, evacuations out west -- fire at a national park drives hundred from their homes. And rough times for an NFL star: Randy Moss goes to jail.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, viewers sound off on Iraq. We'll ask the tough questions you want the answers to.
Let's go now and get the latest on Tropical Storm Isidore. Let's turn to Ed Rappaport. He's the deputy director of the National Hurricane Center. He's joining us now live from Miami.
Ed, show us exactly what's going on.
ED RAPPAPORT, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: OK, Wolf, at this time, we have the center of Tropical Storm Isidore located about 200 miles to the south of New Orleans. That's about 150 miles to the south of the coast. But in this case, we don't have the usual configuration for a tropical storm. Most of the winds and most of the rain are located well away from the center. Out in this band, we can see here -- that's colorized in red and white -- and so, our biggest concern is with rains of 10 to 20 inches with that band as well as a storm surge, as you mentioned, up to six feet.
BLITZER: Ed Rappaport, thanks for the latest. We'll be monitoring and tracking this hurricane -- potential hurricane -- tropical storm together with you as well. Ed Rappaport in Miami.
So, how's an Iraq attack playing outside the beltway? When we return, we'll talk to the mayor of Santa Cruz, California, one of the first cities in the nation to pass a resolution condemning an attack against Iraq. Plus, a rocker rallies the troops. Joan Jett plays in Kandahar. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Returning now to the increasingly heated debate over Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The city council in Santa Cruz, California, has become one of the first municipal bodies in the nation to give a thumbs-down to a possible war with Iraq. Yesterday, the council overwhelmingly passed a resolution denouncing any potential U.S. attack on Iraq. Joining us now from -- with more is the Santa Cruz, Mayor Christopher Krohn.
Mayor, thanks for joining us. Normally, we would expect Berkeley, your neighbor to the north, to have such a resolution. What made you do it right now?
MAYOR CHRISTOPHER KROHN, SANTA CRUZ CALIFORNIA: We had hundreds of people come to the city council. They went out. They got petitions. They came to the council yesterday. They put a resolution together. The council backed it. It's the people doing the whole declaration of independence, the redress of their grievances. You know, they're petitioning the government to act on behalf of the community.
BLITZER: Do you and your colleagues in the council think you're more qualified than the president of the United States to make these kinds of national security decisions?
KROHN: Not at all, sir, but again, our country was founded on the notion of decent and debate. And I would hope that communities across the America are debating these issues. And I'm not saying dissenting, but debating these issues. They make take it to the city council. They might take it to their kitchen table. They might take it to the steps of their capitol.
BLITZER: Are you saying Saddam Hussein represents no threat to his own people, to the region or to the United States?
KROHN: No sir, not at all. But from what even Senator Burns just said, you need to show some proof and we haven't seen the proof. And before, we are going to put our communities' boys in harm's way and girls; we need to know that what this war is about and if it's connected with this terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
BLITZER: Well, if you listen to the president or the vice president, they say it's about weapons of mass destruction, the refusal of the Iraqis to comply with 10-year-old, 12-year-old U.N. Security Council resolutions.
KROHN: Well, I've been -- you know you speak of the U.N. Security Council, I'd love for us to go in it with our allies together as we did in the Persian Gulf -- and what made the Persian Gulf successful -- and also the attack on al Qaeda. I think that war was successful as well, and it's because we went with our allies.
BLITZER: So if the U.N. Security Council and the U.S. Congress give the president their blessing, you and Santa Cruz will go along with it?
KROHN: Well, they're our elected representatives. And we are trying -- we are seeking to have a voice now and let them know where we are on this issue. And I ask all the American people to let their public officials know as well.
BLITZER: Mayor Krohn, thanks for joining us from Santa Cruz, a beautiful town in California.
KROHN: Thank you so much.
BLITZER: We appreciate it very much. Thank you.
And it's something you've never seen before from sharks. The groundbreaking equipment that may change their behavior. We'll show you, coming up. And one of Wall Street's big shots -- has he lost faith in the stock market? A rare opportunity to hear directly from Warren Buffett. That's also coming up. And who in Afghanistan is lifting the spirits of U.S. troops? Our "Picture of The Day" is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Earlier we asked -- which critters are responsible for the most human deaths? The answer, mosquitoes. The pesky bugs spread West Nile, Malaria and Encephalitis, killing more than two million people a year worldwide. Dangerous critters.
When it comes to underwater intelligence, dolphins and whales tend to get all the glory. But, research under way right now in Chicago could change that. CNN's Keith Oppenheim sat in on shark school.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a point of pride at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, the way trained staff train Marine mammals. Mammals that, in terms of learning, seem to have a big jump on fish. But now that training's been exported to a new school. In preparation for a new exhibit, staff are training sharks to discriminate between sounds...
RACHEL WILBORN, AQUARIST: And their call is this clicker. And I click under the water four times.
OPPENHEIM: ... and shapes. The idea is to ultimately mix a variety of shark species and train them to come for food one group at a time.
WILBORN: We're positively reinforcing them for a specific shape. So they understand they're going to get food when they go to their shape. And they understand when they go to another shape, that they don't get reinforced.
OPPENHEIM: The purpose, to improve veterinary care, so staff, for example, know what each shark is eating.
BERT VESCOLONI, SHEDD AQUARIUM: It's really critical for us to be to target those animals and bring them to a location, that if we had to isolate them for whatever reason, we can do that with the training procedures that we've put in place.
OPPENHEIM: By the way, these tanks are the shark's temporary home.
(on-camera): And this is their new home. In this phase of construction, I can give you an inside perspective of the 400,000 gallon tank that will become one the largest indoor shark habits in the world.
(voice-over): But until the exhibit's completed, the training continues. The process of finding out just how much sharks can learn when the reward is a good fish dinner.
In Chicago, I'm Keith Oppenheim reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: A good report. In these troubled economic times, the famed investor, Warren Buffett, is sticking with a strategy. Buffett tells CNN he looks for companies he understands and that are undervalued. And he considers their performance over the long haul instead of just the short term. In an interview in London today with our Richard Quest, Buffett also said he's confident the economy will indeed turn around.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WARREN BUFFETT, CEO, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: I'm very confident about what will happen over 10 or 20 or 30 years and I always have been. I'm a bull on the U.K. I'm a bull on America over time. I have no idea what businesses are going to do next month or next year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Buffett, he's sometimes known as the Oracle of Omaha. He's been called the world's greatest stock market investor. He is CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.
Let's go to New York now and get a preview of "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." That of course begins right at the top of the hour.
Lou, by the way, excellent column in the new issue of "U.S. News and World Report." I read it. I recommend it to our viewers.
LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": Wolf, thank very much, Wolf. And thanks for sharing Warren Buffett with all of us. The Oracle always worth listening to.
Well, coming up next here, the very latest on Tropical Storm Isidore. The storm just 200 miles south of New Orleans. We'll have live reports for you from New Orleans. John Zarrella there. As we heard, the storm has now hit Louisiana and Mississippi hard. And we'll have reports from the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Mark Potter with that.
And exporting American values to Arab nations -- the president says the United States will fight to defend our freedom at home and abroad. A special report tonight. And I'll be joined by former CIA director, James Woolsey. And the shares of Lucent have plunged 99 percent from their high. But some of the company's top executives are buying the stock. We'll have that report. All of that and a great deal more at the top of the hour. Please join us. Now back to Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Lou Dobbs, thanks very much.
Time is running out for you to weigh in on our "Web Question of The Day." Do you agree with Senator Tom Daschle that President Bush is politicizing the debate over a possible war with Iraq? Log on to CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote. The results, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: For our "Picture of The Day," we head to Kandahar in Southern Afghanistan. The rock star, Joan Jett, is there today to visit U.S. troops. And, of course, she took along some rock and roll. Joan's visit is part of a U.S.O. tour. She tells CNN she's proud to meet face-to-face with the troops to tell them Americans care about their mission in Afghanistan and are indeed concerned about their well-being. Joan Jett in Afghanistan.
Now, here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of The Day." Earlier we asked, do you agree with Senator Tom Daschle that President Bush is politicizing the debate over a possible war with Iraq? Look at this -- 57 percent of you say, "yes," 43 percent of you say, "no." You can find the exact vote tally and continue to vote on my CNN Web site, CNN.com/Wolf.
Let's get some of your e-mails as well. Your comments on Iraq are pouring in. Sue writes this -- "An attack on Iraq would not be preemptive. It would defensive. The Democrats are using this word to inflame passions and divide this country." Paul adds -- "We need to stop giving Iraq time to prepare itself and attack immediately without exposing our strategies. Iraq will only be able to inflict greater damage if we don't."
That's all the time we have today. Thanks very much for watching. I'll see you tomorrow, twice a day, at noon for our special program, "SHOWDOWN: IRAQ" and at 5:00 p.m. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right now.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Politicizing Debate on Iraq; Gulf Coast Braces for Hurricane Isidore>
Aired September 25, 2002 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS: Now on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, showdown Iraq, showdown Washington. Is the president questioning their patriotism? Senate Democrats are up in arms.
SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: That is outrageous, outrageous. The president ought to apologize.
BLITZER: American kids out of the African crossfire, but are they out of danger? Gulf Coast on guard, Isidore takes aim at low- lying Louisiana. Is the Big Easy uneasy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I think we can just hunker down and handle that storm if it comes.
BLITZER: It's almost time to line up for flu shots and there's crucial new advice for parents. And rocks original bad girl rocks Afghanistan, on tour with Joan Jet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (on camera): It's Wednesday, September 25, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. We're following two top stories right now, a tropical storm staring down Louisiana. We've just received an update from the National Hurricane on its path and strength. We'll bring you that along with news of evacuations in just a few moments, but first a showdown here in Washington, the Democratic leader of the Senate demanding an apology from President Bush. The firestorm erupted over remarks by the president questioning the Democrat's commitment in the war against terror.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): At a time when President Bush sorely needs support for a possible war against Iraq, he's taking broadsides from some people he's counting on. An angry Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle responded to this statement from the president on Monday.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Senate is more interested in special interests in Washington and not interested in the security of the American people.
DASCHLE: Not interested in the security of the American people? You tell Senator Inouye he's not interested in the security of the American people. You tell those who fought in Vietnam and in World War II they're not interested in the security of the American people. That is outrageous, outrageous. The president ought to apologize.
BLITZER: But the White House says don't hold your breath.
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I'm aware of the debate that is taking place on Capitol Hill and the accusations that have been made about the president on this, and now is a time for everybody concerned to take a deep breath, to stop finger pointing, and to work well together to protect our national security and our homeland defense.
BLITZER: Daschle also blasted the president for exploiting the threat posed by Iraq.
DASCHLE: We ought not politicize the rhetoric about war and life and death.
BLITZER: The president denied he's engaging in politics.
BUSH: You may try to politicize it. I view it as my main obligation that is to protect the American people.
BLITZER: But later, the Senate's chief Republican returned fire on Senator Daschle.
SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MINORITY LEADER: Who is the enemy here the president of the United States or Saddam Hussein?
BLITZER: Behind the public rhetoric congressional leaders are negotiating with the Bush administration on a resolution that would authorize the president to eliminate Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. Senator Daschle and other Democratic leaders have indicated they'd support that resolution.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Well, at least on the surface there is a division in Washington. The Bush administration though has been trying to assess where U.S. allies stand on a possible strike against Iraq; more now from CNN's Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre traveling with the defense secretary.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One day after NATO defense ministers meeting in Warsaw heard a highly- classified CIA briefing, called sobering by the NATO secretary- general, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld delivered an ominous warning just before departing for Washington.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Everyone is on notice. All now have a clear understanding of the threats that are posed.
MCINTYRE: Rumsfeld insisted he was not trying to garner support for military action against Iraq during the two days of private meetings with NATO ministers. Rather, he argued, the facts about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction should speak for themselves.
RUMSFELD: I've always believed that if people have roughly the same set of facts, they're going to come -- reasonable people, they're going to come to roughly the same conclusions.
MCINTYRE: Rumsfeld repeated but would not elaborate on the U.S. claim of a link between Iraq and the al Qaeda terrorist network.
RUMSFELD: The deputy director of Central Intelligence briefed on that subject. I have no desire to go beyond saying the answer is yes.
MCINTYRE: And while insisting President Bush has made no judgment about the use of force to remove Saddam Hussein from power, Rumsfeld argued that a decade of alternatives, including U.N. inspections have failed.
RUMSFELD: We've been trying political methods. We've tried economic sanctions. We've tried military activity in the northern and southern no-fly zones with our coalition partners and none of them have worked.
MCINTYRE: In his closing remarks, NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said the alliance members recognize that weapons of mass destruction represent a growing threat to the world, but that for now the United Nations should take the lead.
GEORGE ROBERTSON, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL: There was also a view taken that this was a matter that is in the hands of the United Nations at the moment. The United Nations has been challenged by President Bush and by many others to take responsibility for the resolutions that it has passed in relation to Iraq in particular and that was the prevailing view.
MCINTYRE (on camera): Even though he says he never asked, Rumsfeld says several countries volunteered support for the U.S. position. He didn't identify the supporters but clearly Germany wasn't among them. Still miffed by criticism of President Bush during the recent German elections, Rumsfeld never made time to meet with the German minister. Jamie McIntyre CNN, Warsaw.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. Our web question of the day is this: Do you agree with Senator Tom Daschle that President Bush is politicizing the debate over a possible war with Iraq? We'll have the results later in this program.
Vote at cnn.com/wolf. While you're there, read my daily column, cnn.com/wolf. Coming up at the half hour the tough questions on Iraq that you want the answers to. E-mail us. Go to my web page, cnn.com/wolf. That's where you can send me your questions.
Now to Isidore, it's not a hurricane but weather experts and emergency officials are warning no one should take this tropical storm lightly. It could send a wall of water six feet high over parts of the Gulf Coast and dump more than a foot and a half of rain over the next few days. Louisiana and Mississippi are expected to take the brunt of it. The latest report just out puts Isidore 215 miles south of New Orleans and it's gaining strength and sustained winds now reported at about 65 miles an hour. We'll go live to the National Hurricane Center in Miami in just a moment for more on Isidore.
First, we have two reports. John Zarrella standing by live in New Orleans, and Brian Cabell is in Biloxi. Let's begin with John with the latest -- John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, well since about 2:00 Central time, New Orleans has been getting a constant, oftentimes heavy dousing with rain. You can see here that the water is already up on the streets. The sewage system, the drainage system here can not handle the amount of water that has been pouring down all afternoon. And again, Isidore is just a tropical storm.
Here, down in the French Quarter, a lot of the folks have boarded up. The sign here on this restaurant and bar is: "We Don't Run, We Party, Go Away Isidore. We Drink Hurricanes" is what they say here. But they have also taken precautions. They've put up sandbags all along the side here because the water is rising, continuing to rise and we are expecting a lot more rain this evening as Isidore continues to approach closer and closer to the New Orleans area. Of course, a very good thing that Isidore is just a tropical storm. We can all see what it is doing just as a tropical storm. This is, of course, below sea level, New Orleans, one of the most vulnerable places in the nation for a hurricane.
In the city today, city officials used some of the county prisoners to help put sandbags up in some areas that are very susceptible to flooding. While all of New Orleans is surrounded by a levee, there is still street flooding and potential for a lot of flooding outside of the city. Because of Isidore, of course, the hotel district, the businesses, all in the French Quarter damaged quite a bit as far as business is concerned here, and some folks that we talked to said, you know, they just wish the tourists would understand that it's only going to last a couple of days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't blame him one way because if I'd be out of town and I wouldn't know anything about it, I'd probably cancel myself, you know, but if they only had talked to me, you know and that's it. I'd tell them to come in and have a good time. That's the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) as the Cajun says. Let the good times roll.
ZARRELLA: In the City of New Orleans, again you can see the water continuing to pour down here, Wolf. Now since 1965, New Orleans has dodged a lot of bullets. Six hurricanes have come very, very close to the city but all of them have veered away at the last minute, and once again it appears at this point that New Orleans has dodged what could have been a very, very serious bullet -- Wolf.
BLITZER: John Zarrella, he's on the scene for us in New Orleans, thanks very much. Not far away in Biloxi, Mississippi, Brian Cabell is standing by. What's going on there, Brian? BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the word came down at 10:00 this morning here in Mississippi that all the casinos here in the state are being closed down. They were closed down 10:00 this morning, evacuated mandatorily. That's 30 casinos, 18 on the Mississippi River, 12 here on the Gulf. They wanted to be safe rather than sorry. They're sturdy we are told by officials.
Let's take a look at the President Casino right here on the Gulf. All of these casinos are designed to withstand a Category 4 hurricane. That's 155 mile per hour winds, a surge of some 15 to 20 feet. Theoretically they're able to withstand that they say. Nevertheless, most people, the tourists have left here, about three-quarters I would say, but some, a relative few have decided to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully they'll open tomorrow afternoon, no gambling.
QUESTION: But are you going to do in the meantime?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We bought a deck of cards. We're playing poker in the room.
QUESTION: Do you think they should have kept it open a little while longer?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't see anything happening right now, you know. I mean it's breaking up out there. It looks like they could have held off a while longer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABELL: This is the Beau Rivage Casino Hotel, the biggest by far on the coast here, some 1,800 rooms. Normally they have a 90 percent occupancy. Today, tonight they will have only about 350 of those rooms occupied, the reason of course is people come down here to gamble. If there's no gambling, most of them will want to head back up north and that's precisely what they're doing.
Some people are hoping they'll reopen on Thursday. Management told us more likely it might be Friday, but who knows? It all depends on what's out there and what's out there right now, as you can see, we've got cloudy skies. We've got winds perhaps ten, 15 miles per hour.
We had a band of rain just about ten, 15 minutes ago but for the most part we've just had drizzle all day long, some winds but, of course, the worst is yet to come. We're told probably tomorrow morning is going to be the worst of it. But right now, Wolf, not too bad at all. The casinos are closed but the beach is open if you want to come down here, back to you.
BLITZER: Brian Cabell on the scene for us in Biloxi, Mississippi, thanks very much. We'll continue to monitor Isidore, the tropical storm that may potentially eventually become a hurricane. Thanks once again. Let's get back to our top story. The Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle just a few minutes ago once again spoke out on the Senate floor defending his earlier remarks, and once again, asking for an apology from the president. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DASCHLE: ...within which anybody can make that accusation about people on this side of the aisle on an issue relating to homeland security or Iraq or defense or anything else. So let's get that straight and I would hope, I would hope that we can finally bring this debate to a level that it deserves. I can recall in 1991 and '92, especially in '92, when President Bush made the decision he did.
I can recall several of my staff coming to me suggesting that we say this or that but never once did I have someone on my staff, someone here in the United States Senate refer to the politics of the war with Iraq. I remember sitting at my desk handwriting my speech, explaining to my people in South Dakota and to whomever it was who might be listening why I made the decision I did.
I didn't make that decision for political reasons and I don't think there is a person in this chamber who did. We need that same level of debate this time if we're going to have a debate, if we're going to do it this close to an election. So, I want all the apologies at the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue, all of these explanations about context to be taken for what they're worth.
They're not worth the paper they're printed on. The time has come for us to quit the explanations, to quit the rationalizations, to quit the politicization and do what we should do as Americans. Make our statement. Make our judgment. Have a debate and send as clear a message to Saddam Hussein as we can that we're not going to tolerate his actions and we, as a country, will build a coalition to do the right thing.
So, Mr. President, I hope that this will be the last word but I look forward to talking directly with those in the White House and those on this side of the aisle as we fashion our response, as we take this matter as seriously as we should, as we do it in a way that lives up to the expectations of the American people. I yield the floor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Angry words on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue here in Washington. In about 15 minutes on this program I'll speak to two Senators, a Democrat and a Republican. They'll continue this debate over U.S. policy toward Iraq. When we come back, Americans evacuated in the Ivory Coast, their path to safety from a school under siege when we return.
Plus, kids and flu shots, what every parent and grandparent must know before the winter season begins. And, training a killer, we'll get an attack with a smart shark from Chicago, but first today's news quiz. Which critters are responsible for the most human deaths, sharks, mosquitoes, deer, alligators? The answer coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: This story just in to CNN. The Oregon State Capitol Building has been evacuated. The move came just a short time ago after an envelope with a Pakistani postmark was opened and, get this, a white powder was found inside. Police say no one has become ill from the substance. A hazardous materials team is at the capitol right now. They're investigating. We'll, of course, have more details as they become available. Once again, Oregon State Capitol Building has been evacuated. It may turn out to be nothing. We'll be following this story, of course.
Meanwhile, dozens of Americans are being moved out of harm's way in the Ivory Coast. Today French troops evacuated students and staff members from a school that serves the children of missionaries. We get the latest from our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nearly 200 Americans, including dozens of children, were driven to safety from a boarding school caught in the crossfire of civil unrest in the West African nation of the Ivory Coast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're OK. We're glad the French came.
STARR: French soldiers secured the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Baptist International Christian Academy early Wednesday in the town of Bouake and began organizing a rapid evacuation.
VOICE OF MICHEL COUSINEAU, INTL. CHRISTIAN ACADEMY: I can tell you that we have loaded up in 17 vehicles and we are getting ready for departure in three minutes.
STARR: The school children, whose missionary parents are scattered across West Africa, waved American flags and made peace signs as they left the compound where they had been trapped for days. Nervous families back in the United States have been monitoring the situation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When your daughter calls you on a cell phone from under a table and says that bullets are flying overhead, you're not very calm. Your heart is pounding.
STARR: Rebel and government forces exchanged gunfire around the school since a coup attempt last week. Nearly 300 people have been killed across the Ivory Coast in the recent violence. The convoy took the students to the town of Yamasukro (ph) where the State Department was waiting to greet them and get them back to their families.
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We're setting up a staging center, reception center. I'm sure there will be medical care, counseling, help with travel, reuniting families, whatever else we can do for the people involved.
STARR (on camera): Several dozen U.S. troops are also at that staging area. They were not needed for the rescue of these students but they remain on standby ready to move in if the security situation deteriorates and the 2,000 Americans still living in the Ivory Coast have to be moved. Barbara Starr CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And with us now in Atlanta is Jean Hotalen. She's a former missionary to Africa and her grandchild attends the school in the Ivory Coast that was caught in the crossfire. Mrs. Hotalen thanks so much for joining us. First of all, what if anything have you heard directly from your granddaughter?
JEAN HOTALEN, GRANDMOTHER OF EVACUEE: Our granddaughter just called at 2:00 this afternoon. She's in North Georgia and she called her father who is in Abidjan (ph) with his wife and her little brother and learned that they had just been evacuated and her brother, Jason, was up at the school and so now we're glad to know that he's probably reunited with his parents down in Abidjan.
BLITZER: Tell us what they were doing there to begin with.
HOTALEN: Well, our son and his wife and son had just returned. They just left here visiting us for about eight to ten weeks and were on their way back to Point Noire (ph), Congo to resume their missionary service when they had a layover in Abidjan for a couple of days and just after they arrived, they awoke in the morning to hear gunfire at 4:30 a.m. right in their neighborhood. They knew that they were there for a few days, so they hope to leave Sunday and go on their way after they've sent their son back here to live with us and go to school here in Georgia.
BLITZER: I understand you were a missionary with your husband in Africa for some 40 years. Any second thoughts about doing that kind of work in a dangerous environment that currently exists, at least in parts of Africa?
HOTALEN: No. We've been through revolutions and coups and rebellious situations several times over the years and our children have and our grandchildren. Jason feels like an old hand, so he was able to calm and comfort others because he had been through these things where bullets are flying overhead before and we know God is with us. He's taken care of us and we know he'll do it again and he did it again today.
BLITZER: All right, Jean Hotalen thank you for joining us. Good luck to you and good luck to your whole family. Let's hope this all ends smoothly and safely of course for everyone concerned.
HOTALEN: Thank you.
BLITZER: Thank you very much. And important health news for parents, new guidelines for protecting young children from the deadly flu virus and it involves a needle. Also, sound off on Iraq is the drumbeat for war a political move by the president? E-mail us now at my Web site cnn.com/wolf; the debate coming up. And he rarely talks but when he does investors listen. Warren Buffet shares his insights on the markets; but first, a look at news making headlines around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): Gunmen shot and killed seven people in the office of a Christian charity in Karachi, Pakistan. It's the fifth attack on Christian targets in the country since the government allied itself with the U.S. war on terror.
Lawyers for a Colombian paramilitary leader are in Washington arranging for his surrender. The Justice Department accuses Carlos Castano (ph) of smuggling tons of cocaine to the United States over the last five years. Castano says he's innocent.
The Chinese government accused of the outlawed religious group (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of hijacking facilities in Taiwan to beam the sex broadcasts into China. Officials in Taiwan call the allegations far fetched but promise to investigate.
Millions of London commuters had to find another way to work this morning and home tonight. A 24-hour strike by subway drivers closed the tube for the second time in two months. The walkouts are over pay issues.
Thousands of evangelical Christians from the U.S. and around the world marched through Jerusalem in support of Israel. They backed Jewish claims to the entire Holy Land saying they fulfilled Biblical prophecies.
For the first time, Vietnam's communist government approved a beauty pageant once dismissed as capitalist decadence. Along with here title, this 17-year-old new Miss Vietnam won about $3,000, and that's your look around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: You can vote on that web question of the day. Go to my Web site cnn.com/wolf. Next week marks the beginning of the flu season and this year for the first time parents are being urged to get their young children vaccinated but there's an important difference between flu shots for children and those for older people. Our Medical Correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, knows a lot about this subject. She's joining us now live from Atlanta. Explain it to us. This is a story, Elizabeth that affects virtually every one of our viewers.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. It made me think about my own kids actually, Wolf. The CDC, this is the time of year where they say go out and get your flu shot but this year there's something new. They're saying you need to get children flu shots if they're between six months and 23 months. So, six months to almost two years old.
The reason why they say is that when you look at the studies, kids that age can get so sick from the flu that they end up in the hospital at the same rate as older people who have always been recommended that they get the flu shot. The difference is that kids that age, the first time they get immunized need to get it in two doses. They go to the doctor, get one shot, come back a month later and get another shot.
Now, let's take a look at who in general is recommended by the CDC to get flu shots. As we mentioned, all children ages six to 23 months. In addition, adults aged 50 and older. They used to say 65 and older but now they say 50, pregnant women and most pregnant women don't get flu shots. They think they're not supposed to when, in fact, they're supposed to, and anyone with certain medical conditions such as HIV, Asthma, other immune-related diseases.
So again, children have been added to that and actually anyone really can profit from a flu shot. Experts will tell you there's no reason really not to get a flu shot. There are very few side effects and the ones that do exist are usually quite -- they're not severe at all. You just sort of get pain around the injection site and that's all.
What the CDC does say, though, is that there's not an unlimited supply so they're urging healthy adults who are just getting it so they don't feel like getting the flu that season to wait until November to get their shots. Leave October for the folks who we just listed in that list, the people who are at higher risk of getting complications. Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, what's taking so long to make this recommendation? It sounds so reasonable, logical.
COHEN: Absolutely and, in fact, I've talked to doctors who said two years ago, I get my toddlers, you know, immunized. I'm not waiting for the CDC to tell me. In fact, the study, people have suspected for a long time that kids this age ought to get immunized. The studies were done two years ago and it take some time, the CDC says, to read these and review these before they make a final recommendation. But as I said, there are plenty of doctors out there who've been getting their kids immunized for many years now.
BLITZER: Elizabeth Cohen with important advice for all of our viewers. Thanks so much...
COHEN: Thank you.
BLITZER: ... for that report.
And you're asking the tough questions on Iraq. Now, we're going to put them to the policymakers. Senators Conrad Burns of Montana and Robert Torricelli of New Jersey join us live when we return. E-mail me your questions right now. Go to CNN.com/Wolf. Plus, evacuations out west -- fire at a national park drives hundred from their homes. And rough times for an NFL star: Randy Moss goes to jail.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, viewers sound off on Iraq. We'll ask the tough questions you want the answers to.
Let's go now and get the latest on Tropical Storm Isidore. Let's turn to Ed Rappaport. He's the deputy director of the National Hurricane Center. He's joining us now live from Miami.
Ed, show us exactly what's going on.
ED RAPPAPORT, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: OK, Wolf, at this time, we have the center of Tropical Storm Isidore located about 200 miles to the south of New Orleans. That's about 150 miles to the south of the coast. But in this case, we don't have the usual configuration for a tropical storm. Most of the winds and most of the rain are located well away from the center. Out in this band, we can see here -- that's colorized in red and white -- and so, our biggest concern is with rains of 10 to 20 inches with that band as well as a storm surge, as you mentioned, up to six feet.
BLITZER: Ed Rappaport, thanks for the latest. We'll be monitoring and tracking this hurricane -- potential hurricane -- tropical storm together with you as well. Ed Rappaport in Miami.
So, how's an Iraq attack playing outside the beltway? When we return, we'll talk to the mayor of Santa Cruz, California, one of the first cities in the nation to pass a resolution condemning an attack against Iraq. Plus, a rocker rallies the troops. Joan Jett plays in Kandahar. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Returning now to the increasingly heated debate over Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The city council in Santa Cruz, California, has become one of the first municipal bodies in the nation to give a thumbs-down to a possible war with Iraq. Yesterday, the council overwhelmingly passed a resolution denouncing any potential U.S. attack on Iraq. Joining us now from -- with more is the Santa Cruz, Mayor Christopher Krohn.
Mayor, thanks for joining us. Normally, we would expect Berkeley, your neighbor to the north, to have such a resolution. What made you do it right now?
MAYOR CHRISTOPHER KROHN, SANTA CRUZ CALIFORNIA: We had hundreds of people come to the city council. They went out. They got petitions. They came to the council yesterday. They put a resolution together. The council backed it. It's the people doing the whole declaration of independence, the redress of their grievances. You know, they're petitioning the government to act on behalf of the community.
BLITZER: Do you and your colleagues in the council think you're more qualified than the president of the United States to make these kinds of national security decisions?
KROHN: Not at all, sir, but again, our country was founded on the notion of decent and debate. And I would hope that communities across the America are debating these issues. And I'm not saying dissenting, but debating these issues. They make take it to the city council. They might take it to their kitchen table. They might take it to the steps of their capitol.
BLITZER: Are you saying Saddam Hussein represents no threat to his own people, to the region or to the United States?
KROHN: No sir, not at all. But from what even Senator Burns just said, you need to show some proof and we haven't seen the proof. And before, we are going to put our communities' boys in harm's way and girls; we need to know that what this war is about and if it's connected with this terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
BLITZER: Well, if you listen to the president or the vice president, they say it's about weapons of mass destruction, the refusal of the Iraqis to comply with 10-year-old, 12-year-old U.N. Security Council resolutions.
KROHN: Well, I've been -- you know you speak of the U.N. Security Council, I'd love for us to go in it with our allies together as we did in the Persian Gulf -- and what made the Persian Gulf successful -- and also the attack on al Qaeda. I think that war was successful as well, and it's because we went with our allies.
BLITZER: So if the U.N. Security Council and the U.S. Congress give the president their blessing, you and Santa Cruz will go along with it?
KROHN: Well, they're our elected representatives. And we are trying -- we are seeking to have a voice now and let them know where we are on this issue. And I ask all the American people to let their public officials know as well.
BLITZER: Mayor Krohn, thanks for joining us from Santa Cruz, a beautiful town in California.
KROHN: Thank you so much.
BLITZER: We appreciate it very much. Thank you.
And it's something you've never seen before from sharks. The groundbreaking equipment that may change their behavior. We'll show you, coming up. And one of Wall Street's big shots -- has he lost faith in the stock market? A rare opportunity to hear directly from Warren Buffett. That's also coming up. And who in Afghanistan is lifting the spirits of U.S. troops? Our "Picture of The Day" is coming up.
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BLITZER: Earlier we asked -- which critters are responsible for the most human deaths? The answer, mosquitoes. The pesky bugs spread West Nile, Malaria and Encephalitis, killing more than two million people a year worldwide. Dangerous critters.
When it comes to underwater intelligence, dolphins and whales tend to get all the glory. But, research under way right now in Chicago could change that. CNN's Keith Oppenheim sat in on shark school.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a point of pride at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, the way trained staff train Marine mammals. Mammals that, in terms of learning, seem to have a big jump on fish. But now that training's been exported to a new school. In preparation for a new exhibit, staff are training sharks to discriminate between sounds...
RACHEL WILBORN, AQUARIST: And their call is this clicker. And I click under the water four times.
OPPENHEIM: ... and shapes. The idea is to ultimately mix a variety of shark species and train them to come for food one group at a time.
WILBORN: We're positively reinforcing them for a specific shape. So they understand they're going to get food when they go to their shape. And they understand when they go to another shape, that they don't get reinforced.
OPPENHEIM: The purpose, to improve veterinary care, so staff, for example, know what each shark is eating.
BERT VESCOLONI, SHEDD AQUARIUM: It's really critical for us to be to target those animals and bring them to a location, that if we had to isolate them for whatever reason, we can do that with the training procedures that we've put in place.
OPPENHEIM: By the way, these tanks are the shark's temporary home.
(on-camera): And this is their new home. In this phase of construction, I can give you an inside perspective of the 400,000 gallon tank that will become one the largest indoor shark habits in the world.
(voice-over): But until the exhibit's completed, the training continues. The process of finding out just how much sharks can learn when the reward is a good fish dinner.
In Chicago, I'm Keith Oppenheim reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: A good report. In these troubled economic times, the famed investor, Warren Buffett, is sticking with a strategy. Buffett tells CNN he looks for companies he understands and that are undervalued. And he considers their performance over the long haul instead of just the short term. In an interview in London today with our Richard Quest, Buffett also said he's confident the economy will indeed turn around.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WARREN BUFFETT, CEO, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: I'm very confident about what will happen over 10 or 20 or 30 years and I always have been. I'm a bull on the U.K. I'm a bull on America over time. I have no idea what businesses are going to do next month or next year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Buffett, he's sometimes known as the Oracle of Omaha. He's been called the world's greatest stock market investor. He is CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.
Let's go to New York now and get a preview of "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." That of course begins right at the top of the hour.
Lou, by the way, excellent column in the new issue of "U.S. News and World Report." I read it. I recommend it to our viewers.
LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": Wolf, thank very much, Wolf. And thanks for sharing Warren Buffett with all of us. The Oracle always worth listening to.
Well, coming up next here, the very latest on Tropical Storm Isidore. The storm just 200 miles south of New Orleans. We'll have live reports for you from New Orleans. John Zarrella there. As we heard, the storm has now hit Louisiana and Mississippi hard. And we'll have reports from the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Mark Potter with that.
And exporting American values to Arab nations -- the president says the United States will fight to defend our freedom at home and abroad. A special report tonight. And I'll be joined by former CIA director, James Woolsey. And the shares of Lucent have plunged 99 percent from their high. But some of the company's top executives are buying the stock. We'll have that report. All of that and a great deal more at the top of the hour. Please join us. Now back to Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Lou Dobbs, thanks very much.
Time is running out for you to weigh in on our "Web Question of The Day." Do you agree with Senator Tom Daschle that President Bush is politicizing the debate over a possible war with Iraq? Log on to CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote. The results, when we come back.
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BLITZER: For our "Picture of The Day," we head to Kandahar in Southern Afghanistan. The rock star, Joan Jett, is there today to visit U.S. troops. And, of course, she took along some rock and roll. Joan's visit is part of a U.S.O. tour. She tells CNN she's proud to meet face-to-face with the troops to tell them Americans care about their mission in Afghanistan and are indeed concerned about their well-being. Joan Jett in Afghanistan.
Now, here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of The Day." Earlier we asked, do you agree with Senator Tom Daschle that President Bush is politicizing the debate over a possible war with Iraq? Look at this -- 57 percent of you say, "yes," 43 percent of you say, "no." You can find the exact vote tally and continue to vote on my CNN Web site, CNN.com/Wolf.
Let's get some of your e-mails as well. Your comments on Iraq are pouring in. Sue writes this -- "An attack on Iraq would not be preemptive. It would defensive. The Democrats are using this word to inflame passions and divide this country." Paul adds -- "We need to stop giving Iraq time to prepare itself and attack immediately without exposing our strategies. Iraq will only be able to inflict greater damage if we don't."
That's all the time we have today. Thanks very much for watching. I'll see you tomorrow, twice a day, at noon for our special program, "SHOWDOWN: IRAQ" and at 5:00 p.m. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right now.
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Politicizing Debate on Iraq; Gulf Coast Braces for Hurricane Isidore>
