Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
President Bush Expected to Take Stage at Convention Center in Detroit, Michigan; Putting Newly Released 9/11 Report into Action
Aired July 23, 2004 - 10:00 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to everyone. From the CNN headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Daryn Kagan.
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice says she agrees with the 9/11 Commission Report that the nation is safer than it was in 2001. But it is still not safe. Speaking this morning, Rice gave no indication which of the commission's recommendations that might be adopted by the Bush administration.
U.S.-led forces reportedly made a precision strike on a suspected terrorist safe house in Fallujah overnight. According to a statement from a multi-national force, the strike was aimed at about a dozen suspected terrorists with ties to Abu Musab al Zarqawi. Zarqawi's terrorist network is suspected of carrying out attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and a series of kidnappings.
Douglas Faneuil, a key prosecution witness against Martha Stewart, faces sentencing this hour in New York this morning. The former assistant stockbroker was the insider who helped prosecutors convict Stewart. He will be sentenced by the same judge who sentenced Stewart.
Former First Lady Nancy Reagan is in San Diego to greet the USS Ronald Reagan. The new aircraft carrier is arriving for the first time in its homeport. And we'll take you there live aboard the warship next hour. Keeping you informed, this is CNN, the most trusted name in news.
Live this hour, President Bush is expected any moment now to take to the stage at the Convention Center in Detroit, Michigan; a swing state that could well decide November's presidential election. He'll address the convention of the Urban League, the civil rights group that just yesterday welcomed Democratic challenger John Kerry.
And let's take a look at public sentiment, as the presidential election draws near and the political conventions loom. The CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll taken earlier this week, shows the candidates Bush and Kerry in a statistical dead heat. That's pretty much been the case for the past several weeks.
And that places a premium on undecided voters and states teetering between candidates. Pollsters, pundits and the politicians themselves know that the election could hinge on winning battle ground states like Michigan.
CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is traveling with the president and joins us now from Detroit -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the president's visit here to the National Urban League convention is significant on a number of fronts. It is part of the administration's effort to reach out to black voters, the black community. In several polls President Bush performs poorly. Nine out of 10 black voters voted for Gore in 2000. Nine out of 10 say they're likely going to vote for Kerry-Edwards ticket. And nine out of 10 believe that the Iraq War was not worth the cost.
Now, as you know, of course, this visit also comes on the heel of President Bush's refusal to meet with the NAACP. That civil rights organization at their conference last week in Philadelphia. President Bush saying that he had a non-existent relationship with that civil rights organization, after receiving some criticism from its leadership. Bush's aides however, also saying as well that he will meet with individuals of that organization and that he will promote policies that are good for all Americans.
But what is important to note here is that his Democratic opponent John Kerry did speak before the NAACP last week, and he was just here yesterday before the National Urban League. Now, yesterday I spoke with the president of the National Urban League, Mark Morial, he said that he invited both President Bush and Kerry in January. That he received a yes from the president in about April or so. And that this is all a part of his organization's bipartisan or nonpartisan approach.
I asked him what he thought about the flap with the NAACP, and Morial said that each one of the civil rights organizations has their own approach, their own tactics when it comes to dealing with the administration. But it certainly should not be taken as any kind of split between what he says is a civil rights family.
Now, what does Morial -- what does this organization want to hear from the president? He says they want to hear what the president's vision is about creating jobs, about improving education. He also wants a national forum of debate on the state of urban America, as well as progress in the civil rights movement. Claire Buchanan, a spokesman for the White House, says the president will talk about his advancement of policies of hope and prosperity -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And at the same time, Mark Morial has said that while he understands the president's position in taking with the NAACP, it would have been his advice that the president speaks at both the NAACP and the Urban League.
Meantime, there have been some convention goers who have been quoted as saying that the atmosphere there will be cold, but polite. What is the Bush White House expecting?
MALVEAUX: Well, Fred, that's a pretty good assessment of it. I think that is what the administration is expecting. That perhaps they won't receive as warm a welcome or reception as they have from some other groups. Typically, the Bush administration, particularly when it comes to campaigning, has gone before very strong supporters. So this is going to be a different type of reception. But again, Morial says that the organization is open to hearing what the president has to say and his policies. Particularly his policies and how they will better the minority community.
WHITFIELD: All right, Suzanne Malveaux in Detroit, traveling with the president. Where we are expecting to take his comments live at the National Urban League when he takes to the podium there in Detroit.
Meantime, Kerry and Edwards are side by side again today. This afternoon they'll be in Aurora, Colorado; Kerry's birthplace. It's also the starting point for their American Freedom Trail, a cross- country tour that will culminate at the party's convention in Boston.
The convention will presumably culminate in the party's formal nomination of the Kerry-Edwards presidential ticket. But that formality will compete with less scripted elements of the gathering, including intensive security precautions against terrorism and expected picket lines by the city's police union.
CNN national correspondent Bob Franken takes a look at the final preparations already under way there -- Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And we can take a look from this vantage point, Fredricka. There's really the much of the whole story being told out there. You can see the Fleet Center, and you can see the sign that says it's the home of the Democratic National Convention, thousands of delegates going to be here, of course.
You can also see the streets, what you won't be seeing as much of on the day the convention starts on Monday is traffic moving. As you have heard repeatedly, they're going to shut down these roadways during the hours of the convention. And officials are asking people from Boston to stay home. I should point out traffic is never a particularly pleasant experience in Boston.
In any case, that's the brand the brand new Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge you're seeing in back of me, by the way. If you look over to my right, to your left, there's an area under some rails there. It is what people are calling a holding pen for demonstrators. As a matter of fact, the leaders of the protests went to court trying to get some of that changed, because of the stage that is located underneath. They were unsuccessful in going to court. You can see a lot of concrete blocks and the like that are set up over there.
What you can't see yet is the massive security presence that's going to be present here. It's just going to be just huge. Now -- oh, yes, we have a political convention and John Kerry is going to be nominated president and John Edwards vice president.
And there was a development with Dennis Kucinich yesterday. You remember him. He was running from the left on the Democratic ticket. And continued to run, although really out of everybody's notice. But now, he's come out to endorse John Kerry. And though his following may be small, he had been considered an alternative to Ralph Nader. And he's saying that Ralph Nader, who the Democrats worry about, Ralph Nader supporters should really vote for John Kerry. So we'll have to assess the significance of that.
But we're going to have massive security presence here. There is going to be still some picketing by police officers, who have been angrily negotiating with the city. Their association negotiating for a new contract. Arbitrators had come up with a contract settlement yesterday, but the police say they're going to continue to picket at least on Sunday night. Twenty-nine events, plus events attended by the mayor of Boston.
The dilemma for the Democrats is they want to attend the convention, but most of them have strong union connections, and are averse to crossing a picket line. So that could be an embarrassment, particularly on Sunday night, when those 29 separate informational pickets are supposed to go up.
One other security note, there has now been an FBI alert put out that there are unconfirmed -- underlined unconfirmed that there could be some attacks against media presence here. Some of the trailers, emphasized unconfirmed, emphasized domestic, if in fact it's true -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And still on the issue of security. Bob, you mentioned that the roads behind you and around the convention center there will be stopped to general traffic. Now what about air space? I understand there's quite a few restrictions for that as well.
FRANKEN: I'm told there are restrictions. There are also, more importantly there's going to be heavy security at the airports. There are going to be a huge number of security people looking at just who comes in. This is going to be a fortress for the Democratic convention.
WHITFIELD: Bob Franken reporting for us from Boston. Thanks very much.
Well, Wolf Blitzer and Judy Woodruff begin CNN's coverage of the Democratic National Convention with a preview. That's Sunday night at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific right here on CNN.
One day after the 9/11 panel issued its findings, the question is what now? Seemingly everyone in Washington and in power believes actions should be taken to implement at least some of the recommended measures. One Capitol Hill veteran, who sat on the commission, says he's not optimistic that change will be swift or nonpartisan. Former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey appeared earlier on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB KERREY (D), MEMBER, 9/11 COMMISSION: We've examined significant vulnerabilities that the country still has. And I'm hopeful the Congress will deal with it. But in the examination of what's going on right now in Congress and my own experience down there, I'm just not optimistic that it's going to happy anytime soon. Unless the American people rise up and ask their congressmen, their senators and their president look, we've got to get these changes in place. Because if we don't, the country simply is not going to be as safe as it needs to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Kerrey says he believes the need is so urgent, in fact, that Congress should call a special session to give immediate exclusive attention to safeguards against terrorism.
Lawmakers have a bigger, more daunting challenge on their minds. Taking the newly released 9/11 Report and putting it into action. It requires not only dancing through a political mine field of partisan interest, but carrying the burden of knowing that doing too little too late can invite disaster.
CNN congressional correspondent Joe Johns explains that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THOMAS KEAN, CHAIRMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: And the American people...
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The commission issued a blunt warning.
JAMES THOMPSON, MEMBER, 9/11 COMMISSION: If something bad happens while these recommendations are sitting there, the American people will quickly fix political responsibility for failure.
JOHNS: The challenge, act now, which was aimed almost squarely at Congress, which must take up the commission's recommendations.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: The sooner we act on this commission's recommendations, the better off we're going to be.
JOHNS: But that won't be easy. The commission is calling for a complete overhaul of congressional oversight of intelligence and Homeland Security, which the panel called dysfunctional.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: These recommendations demand change. And institutions in the executive branch, in Congress, resist change. Even if it's necessary to protect national security.
JOHNS: Impediments to change include turf battles between committee chairmen, who reports to whom and who controls the money. Also, the super-charged election year atmosphere. Democrats say Republicans aren't doing enough on homeland security.
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D-NY), NEW YORK: There's almost a quality here in Washington and in the Senate that we're fiddling while Rome burns.
JOHNS: And Republicans blame Democrats for failing to see the warning signs and act decisively in the years before September 11.
REP. TOM DELAY (R-TX), MAJORITY LEADER: For eight years in the 1990s, international terrorism was at war with us, the World Trade Center bombing, Khobar Towers, the African embassies, the USS Cole, and we treated it like jay walking.
JOHNS: Meanwhile, with Congress set to take the rest of the summer off for political conventions, and the elections coming this fall, time is running out this year. And the speaker of the House is talking about putting on the brakes.
REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), HOUSE SPEAKER: You know, let me say, we're not going to rush through anything. We're going to make sure that we look at this carefully.
JOHNS (on camera): At the other end of the spectrum, some are calling for a special session after the August break. Or if necessary, for Congress to return to Washington after the election to consider the commission's recommendations.
Joe Johns, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Congress has launched its own preemptive strike against a possible terrorist attack. The House passed a resolution saying the November presidential election never should be postponed because of terrorism. And it says no government agency has the authority to change the date. The Department of Homeland Security had explored the possibility of delaying the election in the event of a terrorist attack.
The 9/11 Report reveals new details about the final minutes aboard United Airlines Flight 93. That's the plane that crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. According to the report, the hijacker who was piloting the plane, Ziad Jarrah rolled the Boeing 757 back and forth to try and knock passengers off balance. The passengers were trying to charge the cockpit.
The report says, quote, "Five seconds later Jarrah asked, is that it, shall we finish it off? A hijacker responded, "No, not yet. When they all come, we finish it off." Jarrah resumed pitching the plane up and down for some time. The commission says he then yelled, "Allah is the greatest," and crashed the plane.
Log onto cnn.com for more on the 9/11 Report. You can read the entire document and find out what victims' families are saying about the final outcome.
And we have an update to report in a security breach under investigation at the Los Alamos Laboratories. The director of the nuclear weapons lab says 19 workers have been placed on leave. Investigators are trying to determine what happened to two missing computer disks that contained classified information. That director says the security breach and others like it threaten the very future of the lab.
Let's go now to Iraq and the latest developments there. The brother of an Indian man being held hostage in Iraq says he went there not to fight, but for desperately needed -- he desperately needed work. The brother also vowed his sibling will never accept a job from a U.S. company if he's released unharmed. A group calling itself The Holders of the Black Banner has released a video showing three Indians, three Kenyans and an Egyptian.
A U.S. military spokesman confirms a roadside bomb has killed two U.S. soldiers and wounded another. It happened as the military convoy rolled through Samarra, north of Baghdad. The fatalities pushed the U.S. death toll in Iraq to 906.
The U.S. Army's Office of Inspector General has issued a new report of prisoner abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan. It found 94 cases of confirmed or alleged abuses and 39 deaths. Yet the review also concludes that rogue soldiers and a few officers were at fault, not Army rules or training.
And we're waiting on President Bush due to speak to the National Urban League convention in Detroit any minute now. You're looking at the podium there, where soon he will be taking to the stand. And this comes one day after Democratic candidate John Kerry took to the stand.
And it may be an impossible task, but politicians say they have to try. Later, a closer look at race and politics after the president's address to the National Urban League.
And he risked his life to give a complete stranger a second chance at her own. Honoring a modest everyday hero later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT DAMON, ACTOR as David Bourne: Who's Pamela Landy?
JULIA STILES, ACTRESS as Nicky: She's a task force chief.
DAMON: Is she running Treadstone?
STILES: No. She's the deputy director.
DAMON: Why is she trying to kill me?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And Matt Damon returns as super spy, David Bourne taking on the bad guys.
And "Catwoman" is on the prowl in the theaters. Who will come out on top? We'll ask Mr. Moviefone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: But what looks like snow in July is actually pea- sized hail, driven into Colorado by a cold front that also delivered flood producing storms and a few funnel clouds. Strange weather considering it is so hot, what it seems to be throughout most of the country.
Well, transforming right before your eyes. Halle Berry is "Catwoman" clawing at the box office competition. Mr. Moviefone on the purr factor.
And in the event disaster is about to strike, how do you decide what's important for you to take. Our Gerri Willis has some tips on making that decision -- Gerri.
GERRI WILLIS, CNNFN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: You know, Fredricka, every 82 seconds a home burns in the U.S. We're going to tell you what you need to know if you're worried about it, when we come back on CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, this just in. Douglas Faneuil, the key prosecution witness in the Martha Stewart case, was just sentenced moments ago in New York. He received a fine of $2,000, no probation and no jail time. He was the former assistant stockbroker, who apparently helped prosecutors convict Stewart. Stewart -- Martha Stewart and her broker, Bacanovic, last week were sentenced to jail time and home confinement.
Now, over the past few weeks, Western wildfires have forced thousands of people to flee their homes ahead of the flames. Imagine trying to decide what to take, what to leave behind, and what to do if ashes are all that's left.
In today's "Top Five Tips," CNNFN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis has advice for protecting your home and valuables from disaster.
And it begins with a real checklist, doesn't it, beginning with before disaster strikes?
WILLIS: That's right, Fredricka. First of all, take stock of what you own. You can't make sure that you have the right insurance unless you know what you own. Go room-by-room. Build an inventory. You can take pictures or even a videotape, better yet, of the room so you know what you have. Gather the receipts for those big-ticket items. And keep the documentation in a very safe place.
WHITFIELD: And create a barrier? What do you mean?
WILLIS: Well, I think a great planning for people, if you're worried about fires -- and remember, fires happen everywhere, not just in California. Make sure there's no ladder from the ground to the roof of your house because that's how fires spread.
WHITFIELD: Hmm.
WILLIS: So, eliminate the brush around your house. Make sure there are no tree boughs hanging over your house. And that way you'll make your family safer. WHITFIELD: Now, you talk about documenting the things that you have. You also need to perhaps take check of what kind of insurance coverage you have for those items, right?
WILLIS: You know, Fredricka, this is really important now. Because home values have gone up so much, so far in the last few years, that a lot of people don't have enough coverage to replace their homes. So you definitely want to check it out. Also, listen to what this expert told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL BARRAL, CLAIMQUEST.NET: Definitely make a copy of any master policies you have for your home: automobile, business. And keep the copy with you in your residence. But take the original and please keep it in like a safety deposit box. Maybe over at a relative's House, something where you can have easy access to it in the event of a catastrophe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIS: All right. Tip No. 4, Fredricka, document the damage. You know, if the worst does happen, go in with your camera as soon as you can. Start taking pictures of the damage. Don't destroy anything that's already ruined. You're going to want the insurance company to see your house exactly as it looks right after the fire. But make sure you take notes, you take pictures, so you have evidence of what did occur.
WHITFIELD: And quickly, No. 5, second opinions?
WILLIS: Definitely. If your house is badly damaged, hire an insurance adjuster so that you have your own version of events. You may find that at the end of the day, the insurance adjuster has a different idea than your insurance company. So keep good notes. Make sure you keep pictures.
WHITFIELD: All right. Gerri Willis, thanks very much for those tips.
Now, back to our story that just broke moments ago, the former assistant stockbroker Douglas Faneuil, who was recently just sentenced in a New York courtroom receiving a $2,000 fine and no probation and no jail time.
Our Mary Snow is at the courthouse with the latest on this sentencing -- Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, we are waiting for Doug Faneuil to come out of the courthouse. And if he does, we're going to have to step down.
But he just read a letter to the judge. The judge sentencing him to a $2,000 fine, no probation, no jail time. Doug Faneuil, getting emotional and choked up at times, reading his letter to the judge saying, "I am so sorry." Saying that he should have listened to his gut instinct. Also saying that it would have taken a very brave man at age of 27 to come forward and tell the truth. Saying that he regretted that he wasn't that brave.
He said that he had little credibility in his -- and his confidence and his truth will be recognized at the trial. Also saying, especially since he went up against rich and powerful people. Then the judge telling him that he is a very lucky man. That he had a number of friends and family writing to her, and he had emotional support. And she also said she recognized his enormous credit for his assistance in the government's case.
So Doug Faneuil, some expected him to get probation. The judge did not do that. She sentenced him to a $2,000 fine and no probation -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. And Doug Faneuil, it was at first expected that perhaps he might get that probation. It sounds like he went into the courtroom prepared for that, in giving that very tearful plea.
Is it believed that the judge had made up her mind already, or that his sentimental comments really did make a difference in getting him a fairly lenient sentence?
SNOW: Well, you know, Fredricka, in sentencing him today the judge even told his lawyers, you know, I have gone through everything carefully. I have read the letters carefully. And at one point, one of his lawyers had asked if he could just talk about the steep price that Doug Faneuil paid? And the judge said that she had heard about that price during Faneuil's testimony. So she had already made up her mind by the time Doug Faneuil walked into that courtroom today -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right.
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 July 23, 2004 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to everyone. From the CNN headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Daryn Kagan.
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice says she agrees with the 9/11 Commission Report that the nation is safer than it was in 2001. But it is still not safe. Speaking this morning, Rice gave no indication which of the commission's recommendations that might be adopted by the Bush administration.
U.S.-led forces reportedly made a precision strike on a suspected terrorist safe house in Fallujah overnight. According to a statement from a multi-national force, the strike was aimed at about a dozen suspected terrorists with ties to Abu Musab al Zarqawi. Zarqawi's terrorist network is suspected of carrying out attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and a series of kidnappings.
Douglas Faneuil, a key prosecution witness against Martha Stewart, faces sentencing this hour in New York this morning. The former assistant stockbroker was the insider who helped prosecutors convict Stewart. He will be sentenced by the same judge who sentenced Stewart.
Former First Lady Nancy Reagan is in San Diego to greet the USS Ronald Reagan. The new aircraft carrier is arriving for the first time in its homeport. And we'll take you there live aboard the warship next hour. Keeping you informed, this is CNN, the most trusted name in news.
Live this hour, President Bush is expected any moment now to take to the stage at the Convention Center in Detroit, Michigan; a swing state that could well decide November's presidential election. He'll address the convention of the Urban League, the civil rights group that just yesterday welcomed Democratic challenger John Kerry.
And let's take a look at public sentiment, as the presidential election draws near and the political conventions loom. The CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll taken earlier this week, shows the candidates Bush and Kerry in a statistical dead heat. That's pretty much been the case for the past several weeks.
And that places a premium on undecided voters and states teetering between candidates. Pollsters, pundits and the politicians themselves know that the election could hinge on winning battle ground states like Michigan.
CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is traveling with the president and joins us now from Detroit -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the president's visit here to the National Urban League convention is significant on a number of fronts. It is part of the administration's effort to reach out to black voters, the black community. In several polls President Bush performs poorly. Nine out of 10 black voters voted for Gore in 2000. Nine out of 10 say they're likely going to vote for Kerry-Edwards ticket. And nine out of 10 believe that the Iraq War was not worth the cost.
Now, as you know, of course, this visit also comes on the heel of President Bush's refusal to meet with the NAACP. That civil rights organization at their conference last week in Philadelphia. President Bush saying that he had a non-existent relationship with that civil rights organization, after receiving some criticism from its leadership. Bush's aides however, also saying as well that he will meet with individuals of that organization and that he will promote policies that are good for all Americans.
But what is important to note here is that his Democratic opponent John Kerry did speak before the NAACP last week, and he was just here yesterday before the National Urban League. Now, yesterday I spoke with the president of the National Urban League, Mark Morial, he said that he invited both President Bush and Kerry in January. That he received a yes from the president in about April or so. And that this is all a part of his organization's bipartisan or nonpartisan approach.
I asked him what he thought about the flap with the NAACP, and Morial said that each one of the civil rights organizations has their own approach, their own tactics when it comes to dealing with the administration. But it certainly should not be taken as any kind of split between what he says is a civil rights family.
Now, what does Morial -- what does this organization want to hear from the president? He says they want to hear what the president's vision is about creating jobs, about improving education. He also wants a national forum of debate on the state of urban America, as well as progress in the civil rights movement. Claire Buchanan, a spokesman for the White House, says the president will talk about his advancement of policies of hope and prosperity -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And at the same time, Mark Morial has said that while he understands the president's position in taking with the NAACP, it would have been his advice that the president speaks at both the NAACP and the Urban League.
Meantime, there have been some convention goers who have been quoted as saying that the atmosphere there will be cold, but polite. What is the Bush White House expecting?
MALVEAUX: Well, Fred, that's a pretty good assessment of it. I think that is what the administration is expecting. That perhaps they won't receive as warm a welcome or reception as they have from some other groups. Typically, the Bush administration, particularly when it comes to campaigning, has gone before very strong supporters. So this is going to be a different type of reception. But again, Morial says that the organization is open to hearing what the president has to say and his policies. Particularly his policies and how they will better the minority community.
WHITFIELD: All right, Suzanne Malveaux in Detroit, traveling with the president. Where we are expecting to take his comments live at the National Urban League when he takes to the podium there in Detroit.
Meantime, Kerry and Edwards are side by side again today. This afternoon they'll be in Aurora, Colorado; Kerry's birthplace. It's also the starting point for their American Freedom Trail, a cross- country tour that will culminate at the party's convention in Boston.
The convention will presumably culminate in the party's formal nomination of the Kerry-Edwards presidential ticket. But that formality will compete with less scripted elements of the gathering, including intensive security precautions against terrorism and expected picket lines by the city's police union.
CNN national correspondent Bob Franken takes a look at the final preparations already under way there -- Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And we can take a look from this vantage point, Fredricka. There's really the much of the whole story being told out there. You can see the Fleet Center, and you can see the sign that says it's the home of the Democratic National Convention, thousands of delegates going to be here, of course.
You can also see the streets, what you won't be seeing as much of on the day the convention starts on Monday is traffic moving. As you have heard repeatedly, they're going to shut down these roadways during the hours of the convention. And officials are asking people from Boston to stay home. I should point out traffic is never a particularly pleasant experience in Boston.
In any case, that's the brand the brand new Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge you're seeing in back of me, by the way. If you look over to my right, to your left, there's an area under some rails there. It is what people are calling a holding pen for demonstrators. As a matter of fact, the leaders of the protests went to court trying to get some of that changed, because of the stage that is located underneath. They were unsuccessful in going to court. You can see a lot of concrete blocks and the like that are set up over there.
What you can't see yet is the massive security presence that's going to be present here. It's just going to be just huge. Now -- oh, yes, we have a political convention and John Kerry is going to be nominated president and John Edwards vice president.
And there was a development with Dennis Kucinich yesterday. You remember him. He was running from the left on the Democratic ticket. And continued to run, although really out of everybody's notice. But now, he's come out to endorse John Kerry. And though his following may be small, he had been considered an alternative to Ralph Nader. And he's saying that Ralph Nader, who the Democrats worry about, Ralph Nader supporters should really vote for John Kerry. So we'll have to assess the significance of that.
But we're going to have massive security presence here. There is going to be still some picketing by police officers, who have been angrily negotiating with the city. Their association negotiating for a new contract. Arbitrators had come up with a contract settlement yesterday, but the police say they're going to continue to picket at least on Sunday night. Twenty-nine events, plus events attended by the mayor of Boston.
The dilemma for the Democrats is they want to attend the convention, but most of them have strong union connections, and are averse to crossing a picket line. So that could be an embarrassment, particularly on Sunday night, when those 29 separate informational pickets are supposed to go up.
One other security note, there has now been an FBI alert put out that there are unconfirmed -- underlined unconfirmed that there could be some attacks against media presence here. Some of the trailers, emphasized unconfirmed, emphasized domestic, if in fact it's true -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And still on the issue of security. Bob, you mentioned that the roads behind you and around the convention center there will be stopped to general traffic. Now what about air space? I understand there's quite a few restrictions for that as well.
FRANKEN: I'm told there are restrictions. There are also, more importantly there's going to be heavy security at the airports. There are going to be a huge number of security people looking at just who comes in. This is going to be a fortress for the Democratic convention.
WHITFIELD: Bob Franken reporting for us from Boston. Thanks very much.
Well, Wolf Blitzer and Judy Woodruff begin CNN's coverage of the Democratic National Convention with a preview. That's Sunday night at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific right here on CNN.
One day after the 9/11 panel issued its findings, the question is what now? Seemingly everyone in Washington and in power believes actions should be taken to implement at least some of the recommended measures. One Capitol Hill veteran, who sat on the commission, says he's not optimistic that change will be swift or nonpartisan. Former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey appeared earlier on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB KERREY (D), MEMBER, 9/11 COMMISSION: We've examined significant vulnerabilities that the country still has. And I'm hopeful the Congress will deal with it. But in the examination of what's going on right now in Congress and my own experience down there, I'm just not optimistic that it's going to happy anytime soon. Unless the American people rise up and ask their congressmen, their senators and their president look, we've got to get these changes in place. Because if we don't, the country simply is not going to be as safe as it needs to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Kerrey says he believes the need is so urgent, in fact, that Congress should call a special session to give immediate exclusive attention to safeguards against terrorism.
Lawmakers have a bigger, more daunting challenge on their minds. Taking the newly released 9/11 Report and putting it into action. It requires not only dancing through a political mine field of partisan interest, but carrying the burden of knowing that doing too little too late can invite disaster.
CNN congressional correspondent Joe Johns explains that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THOMAS KEAN, CHAIRMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: And the American people...
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The commission issued a blunt warning.
JAMES THOMPSON, MEMBER, 9/11 COMMISSION: If something bad happens while these recommendations are sitting there, the American people will quickly fix political responsibility for failure.
JOHNS: The challenge, act now, which was aimed almost squarely at Congress, which must take up the commission's recommendations.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: The sooner we act on this commission's recommendations, the better off we're going to be.
JOHNS: But that won't be easy. The commission is calling for a complete overhaul of congressional oversight of intelligence and Homeland Security, which the panel called dysfunctional.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: These recommendations demand change. And institutions in the executive branch, in Congress, resist change. Even if it's necessary to protect national security.
JOHNS: Impediments to change include turf battles between committee chairmen, who reports to whom and who controls the money. Also, the super-charged election year atmosphere. Democrats say Republicans aren't doing enough on homeland security.
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D-NY), NEW YORK: There's almost a quality here in Washington and in the Senate that we're fiddling while Rome burns.
JOHNS: And Republicans blame Democrats for failing to see the warning signs and act decisively in the years before September 11.
REP. TOM DELAY (R-TX), MAJORITY LEADER: For eight years in the 1990s, international terrorism was at war with us, the World Trade Center bombing, Khobar Towers, the African embassies, the USS Cole, and we treated it like jay walking.
JOHNS: Meanwhile, with Congress set to take the rest of the summer off for political conventions, and the elections coming this fall, time is running out this year. And the speaker of the House is talking about putting on the brakes.
REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), HOUSE SPEAKER: You know, let me say, we're not going to rush through anything. We're going to make sure that we look at this carefully.
JOHNS (on camera): At the other end of the spectrum, some are calling for a special session after the August break. Or if necessary, for Congress to return to Washington after the election to consider the commission's recommendations.
Joe Johns, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Congress has launched its own preemptive strike against a possible terrorist attack. The House passed a resolution saying the November presidential election never should be postponed because of terrorism. And it says no government agency has the authority to change the date. The Department of Homeland Security had explored the possibility of delaying the election in the event of a terrorist attack.
The 9/11 Report reveals new details about the final minutes aboard United Airlines Flight 93. That's the plane that crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. According to the report, the hijacker who was piloting the plane, Ziad Jarrah rolled the Boeing 757 back and forth to try and knock passengers off balance. The passengers were trying to charge the cockpit.
The report says, quote, "Five seconds later Jarrah asked, is that it, shall we finish it off? A hijacker responded, "No, not yet. When they all come, we finish it off." Jarrah resumed pitching the plane up and down for some time. The commission says he then yelled, "Allah is the greatest," and crashed the plane.
Log onto cnn.com for more on the 9/11 Report. You can read the entire document and find out what victims' families are saying about the final outcome.
And we have an update to report in a security breach under investigation at the Los Alamos Laboratories. The director of the nuclear weapons lab says 19 workers have been placed on leave. Investigators are trying to determine what happened to two missing computer disks that contained classified information. That director says the security breach and others like it threaten the very future of the lab.
Let's go now to Iraq and the latest developments there. The brother of an Indian man being held hostage in Iraq says he went there not to fight, but for desperately needed -- he desperately needed work. The brother also vowed his sibling will never accept a job from a U.S. company if he's released unharmed. A group calling itself The Holders of the Black Banner has released a video showing three Indians, three Kenyans and an Egyptian.
A U.S. military spokesman confirms a roadside bomb has killed two U.S. soldiers and wounded another. It happened as the military convoy rolled through Samarra, north of Baghdad. The fatalities pushed the U.S. death toll in Iraq to 906.
The U.S. Army's Office of Inspector General has issued a new report of prisoner abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan. It found 94 cases of confirmed or alleged abuses and 39 deaths. Yet the review also concludes that rogue soldiers and a few officers were at fault, not Army rules or training.
And we're waiting on President Bush due to speak to the National Urban League convention in Detroit any minute now. You're looking at the podium there, where soon he will be taking to the stand. And this comes one day after Democratic candidate John Kerry took to the stand.
And it may be an impossible task, but politicians say they have to try. Later, a closer look at race and politics after the president's address to the National Urban League.
And he risked his life to give a complete stranger a second chance at her own. Honoring a modest everyday hero later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT DAMON, ACTOR as David Bourne: Who's Pamela Landy?
JULIA STILES, ACTRESS as Nicky: She's a task force chief.
DAMON: Is she running Treadstone?
STILES: No. She's the deputy director.
DAMON: Why is she trying to kill me?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And Matt Damon returns as super spy, David Bourne taking on the bad guys.
And "Catwoman" is on the prowl in the theaters. Who will come out on top? We'll ask Mr. Moviefone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: But what looks like snow in July is actually pea- sized hail, driven into Colorado by a cold front that also delivered flood producing storms and a few funnel clouds. Strange weather considering it is so hot, what it seems to be throughout most of the country.
Well, transforming right before your eyes. Halle Berry is "Catwoman" clawing at the box office competition. Mr. Moviefone on the purr factor.
And in the event disaster is about to strike, how do you decide what's important for you to take. Our Gerri Willis has some tips on making that decision -- Gerri.
GERRI WILLIS, CNNFN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: You know, Fredricka, every 82 seconds a home burns in the U.S. We're going to tell you what you need to know if you're worried about it, when we come back on CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, this just in. Douglas Faneuil, the key prosecution witness in the Martha Stewart case, was just sentenced moments ago in New York. He received a fine of $2,000, no probation and no jail time. He was the former assistant stockbroker, who apparently helped prosecutors convict Stewart. Stewart -- Martha Stewart and her broker, Bacanovic, last week were sentenced to jail time and home confinement.
Now, over the past few weeks, Western wildfires have forced thousands of people to flee their homes ahead of the flames. Imagine trying to decide what to take, what to leave behind, and what to do if ashes are all that's left.
In today's "Top Five Tips," CNNFN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis has advice for protecting your home and valuables from disaster.
And it begins with a real checklist, doesn't it, beginning with before disaster strikes?
WILLIS: That's right, Fredricka. First of all, take stock of what you own. You can't make sure that you have the right insurance unless you know what you own. Go room-by-room. Build an inventory. You can take pictures or even a videotape, better yet, of the room so you know what you have. Gather the receipts for those big-ticket items. And keep the documentation in a very safe place.
WHITFIELD: And create a barrier? What do you mean?
WILLIS: Well, I think a great planning for people, if you're worried about fires -- and remember, fires happen everywhere, not just in California. Make sure there's no ladder from the ground to the roof of your house because that's how fires spread.
WHITFIELD: Hmm.
WILLIS: So, eliminate the brush around your house. Make sure there are no tree boughs hanging over your house. And that way you'll make your family safer. WHITFIELD: Now, you talk about documenting the things that you have. You also need to perhaps take check of what kind of insurance coverage you have for those items, right?
WILLIS: You know, Fredricka, this is really important now. Because home values have gone up so much, so far in the last few years, that a lot of people don't have enough coverage to replace their homes. So you definitely want to check it out. Also, listen to what this expert told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL BARRAL, CLAIMQUEST.NET: Definitely make a copy of any master policies you have for your home: automobile, business. And keep the copy with you in your residence. But take the original and please keep it in like a safety deposit box. Maybe over at a relative's House, something where you can have easy access to it in the event of a catastrophe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIS: All right. Tip No. 4, Fredricka, document the damage. You know, if the worst does happen, go in with your camera as soon as you can. Start taking pictures of the damage. Don't destroy anything that's already ruined. You're going to want the insurance company to see your house exactly as it looks right after the fire. But make sure you take notes, you take pictures, so you have evidence of what did occur.
WHITFIELD: And quickly, No. 5, second opinions?
WILLIS: Definitely. If your house is badly damaged, hire an insurance adjuster so that you have your own version of events. You may find that at the end of the day, the insurance adjuster has a different idea than your insurance company. So keep good notes. Make sure you keep pictures.
WHITFIELD: All right. Gerri Willis, thanks very much for those tips.
Now, back to our story that just broke moments ago, the former assistant stockbroker Douglas Faneuil, who was recently just sentenced in a New York courtroom receiving a $2,000 fine and no probation and no jail time.
Our Mary Snow is at the courthouse with the latest on this sentencing -- Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, we are waiting for Doug Faneuil to come out of the courthouse. And if he does, we're going to have to step down.
But he just read a letter to the judge. The judge sentencing him to a $2,000 fine, no probation, no jail time. Doug Faneuil, getting emotional and choked up at times, reading his letter to the judge saying, "I am so sorry." Saying that he should have listened to his gut instinct. Also saying that it would have taken a very brave man at age of 27 to come forward and tell the truth. Saying that he regretted that he wasn't that brave.
He said that he had little credibility in his -- and his confidence and his truth will be recognized at the trial. Also saying, especially since he went up against rich and powerful people. Then the judge telling him that he is a very lucky man. That he had a number of friends and family writing to her, and he had emotional support. And she also said she recognized his enormous credit for his assistance in the government's case.
So Doug Faneuil, some expected him to get probation. The judge did not do that. She sentenced him to a $2,000 fine and no probation -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. And Doug Faneuil, it was at first expected that perhaps he might get that probation. It sounds like he went into the courtroom prepared for that, in giving that very tearful plea.
Is it believed that the judge had made up her mind already, or that his sentimental comments really did make a difference in getting him a fairly lenient sentence?
SNOW: Well, you know, Fredricka, in sentencing him today the judge even told his lawyers, you know, I have gone through everything carefully. I have read the letters carefully. And at one point, one of his lawyers had asked if he could just talk about the steep price that Doug Faneuil paid? And the judge said that she had heard about that price during Faneuil's testimony. So she had already made up her mind by the time Doug Faneuil walked into that courtroom today -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
