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American Morning
Escape from Charley; Stunning Admission from Governor of New Jersey
Aired August 13, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Today it is escape from Charley. Hundreds of thousands are told to get out as the hurricane gets closer to hitting the west side of Florida's coast.
Also...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think the American people know my style of leadership, they know what to expect, and they understand that the commander-in-chief must not waver.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: The president's exclusive interview only with Larry King, why Mr. Bush says he will win in November.
And a stunning admission. The governor of New Jersey comes out of the closet, resigns his post and does it all on national television.
Those stories, straight ahead this hour on American morning.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING, with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
Good morning, everyone. Bill Hemmer, along with Heidi Collins here. Soledad at home resting.
And good morning to you.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
HEMMER: We have a huge news day ahead of us.
COLLINS: That's for sure.
HEMMER: We have a lot to watch, including the progress of Hurricane Charley. That storm bearing down on Florida, expected to pick up even more steam as it gets closer. Live to Florida in a moment for the tracking of Charley.
COLLINS: Also, a shocker in New Jersey yesterday. Governor Jim McGreevey coming out during a news conference and admitting to an extramarital affair with a man. Jeff Greenfield has stopped by to talk about the political implications. HEMMER: Also coming up this hour, another day on the stand for Scott Peterson's ex-mistress, Amber Frey. Yesterday again jurors listening to more of the taped phone calls between the two, including the moment when Frey confronted Peterson. We'll play the tapes for you and talk to former San Mateo County prosecutor, Dean Johnson, on this. And also we'll return and revisit the whole question surrounding politics and Governor McGreevey. And Toure has that this morning, in for the vacationing Jack Cafferty. So stay tuned for more.
Let's start in Florida, though, first, with Hurricane Charley, pushing ever closer to that coast on the west side of Florida, gaining strength overnight, setting its sights on the Tampa Bay area. Here is what he know. In the last several hours, Charley's winds increasing to 110 miles an hour. That's nearly a category three storm. Expected to strengthen over the next 12 hours and then expected to make landfall near Tampa around 7:00 or 8:00 tonight.
And millions of tourists and residents being asked to get out of the area and seek higher ground. We will get an update from the hurricane center in a moment.
First, though, two live reports in Florida. Chad Myers is in Tampa Bay, and Ed Lavandera is at an evacuation center in Dunedin, Florida.
Let's start with Chad.
Good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Bill.
This is going to be a boater's worst enemy today,a broken fishing line, a broken bow line, whatever it might be about four feet down from the water level at this point, where I am on the dock right now. The unfortunate part for these boat owners: this will now be under about 10 foot of water when I'm standing here, literally in about 10 or 12 hours. There are boats up and down as far as you can see, not only $100,000, $200,000 boats here, but million-dollar boats here in the harbors.
This water is going to come up. It's going to almost be like taking a glass of water, pouring it down into a piece of paper, then folding the piece of paper in half. There's no place for that water to the go because the volume is the same, and it's going up, and as that water comes in to Tampa Bay, it's going up the rivers, and that water level's going back up. We are going to see this the water level go up significantly, maybe as high as 15 feet. That's called storm surge. We'll get in to that on the morning show and tell you how it happens, why it happens and who's going to be most affected.
HEMMER: All right, Chad, thanks for that. We'll talk to you a lot throughout the morning here.
Ed Lavandera, good morning there. ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. We're at one of the 49 shelters that have opened up across the state Florida. Some 2,500 people across the state already taking advantage of these shelters, and this is the way people will spend the next 24 hours.
This is Dunedin Middle School, just west of Tampa, one of higher points in this county. We're only about a mile away from the water here. So many of these people have been urged to evacuate their homes. They're along the coastal areas, and along the low-lying areas, and in the motor homes. They will be spending the next 24 hours here as they await for the arrival of Hurricane Charley -- Bill.
HEMMER: Ed Lavandera, thanks, also in Dunedin, Florida. We'll check back with both of you throughout the hour here.
Now Heidi with more on this -- Charley.
COLLINS: Ed Rappaport has been watching Charley from the National Hurricane Center in Miami. He gives us the very latest on when and where the powerful storm is expected to come ashore.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Mr. Rappaport, Charley is expected to hit the Florida coast by either late today or maybe even early tomorrow. Track this thing for us. Tell us exactly where it's going to hit.
ED RAPPAPORT, DEP. DIR., NATIONAL HURRICANE CTR.: Yes, overnight Hurricane Charley crossed Cuba near Havana, where a gust to 124 miles per hour was reported. It's now located to the west of Key West, likely to have the worst of the weather pass just to the west of Key West, but then we'll continue on toward the north, basically north, northeast, and have a landfall we think this evening on the west coast of Florida, probably in the Tampa area.
At that stage, we think that Charley will be a category-3 hurricane. Very dangerous. Storm surge of perhaps 10 to perhaps 15 feet.
COLLINS: Yes, let's talk more about those severe weather conditions when we're talking about a category 3. What can people expect? We're hearing a lot about water surges there?
RAPPAPORT: That's right. A category-3 hurricane has winds of at least 115 miles per hour, and we're just below that threshold now; 110 miles per hour is the sustained wind, with higher gusts.
We also expect rise of the water. The wind will push that water inland along the coast, and as I said, could rise to 10 to maybe 15 feet with wave action on top, a very serious situation along the coastal area.
COLLINS: All right, as we know, Tropical Storm Bonnie hit landfall in Florida's northwest panhandle, so People have made it through that, but now they're probably looking for some sort of comparison as to what Hurricane Charley will look like. Can you compare the two, quickly?
RAPPAPORT: It's better to contrast the two. Bonnie was a wet system, but had very little wind when it came ashore. This is much stronger. This is a hurricane. It has the potential to be the strongest in perhaps 50 years along the west coast of Florida.
COLLINS: All right, and as I'm sure you have probably heard, NOAA, or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is predicting a 45 percent probability of an above-normal season. Do these storms, then, serve as a decent warning, if you will, of what's still to come?
RAPPAPORT: We certainly got off to a very fast start with Alex last week in North Carolina. Now two storms this week here in Florida and pushing northward, and we have other systems, looks like, starting to develop further to the east. So it has started as an afterseason.
COLLINS: Anything about this season surprise you, or have you on guard?
RAPPAPORT: Well, we're always concerned about landfalls, particularly landfalls of intense hurricanes, like Charley. Most people have not experienced the core of a hurricane, and it's a very different experience and one which you're in the threatened area, you really need to take precautions seriously.
COLLINS: All right, you hit the nail on the head, Ed Rappaport, from the National Hurricane Center, thanks so much.
RAPPAPORT: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Before Bonnie left Florida, the storm spawned an incredible looking tornado near downtown Jacksonville. Look at this, slowly moving through town, ripping shingles from houses, knocked down trees and snapped power lines. Residents did take cover though. There were no injuries to report.
HEMMER: Heidi, now the political storm created in New Jersey late yesterday afternoon. People stunned at a news conference yesterday when Governor Jim McGreevey dropped both shoes, abruptly announcing his resignation from office. And before that, there was this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JIM MCGREEVEY (D), NEW JERSEY: At a point in every person's life, one has to look deeply into the mirror of one's soul and decide one's unique truth in the world, not as we may want to see it, or hope to see it, but as it is. And so my truth is that I am a gay American.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: With us this morning to talk about the fallout now from New Jersey, and across the country for that matter, is senior analyst Jeff Greenfield.
And good morning to you.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Good morning.
HEMMER: Clearly, this statement has a lot to do with what's happening in his own personal life. How much does it say about gays in politics in America today?
GREENFIELD: Less I think than you might think, because yes, McGreevey had concealed his sexuality for his entire public life. But what really triggered this resignation was an impending lawsuit that was going to be filed by an ex-aide, a controversial homeland security aide, who'd been effectively forced out of that office because of his qualifications, or lack of them. He was then put on the governor's payroll at about $100,000 a year.
Now, look, we've seen politicians who's careers ended because of straight affairs. Governor Paul Patton of Kentucky just about a year ago involved with a woman for whom he allegedly did favors.
We've seen politicians, by the way, on the other side, survive outings. There was a Republican Congressman from Wisconsin who was re-elected after he was outed. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, probably the best know gay position, survived a scandal involving his involvement with a male prostitute.
So I think the gay thing, while it's the "oh my Lord" headline is not the key to why he's being forced to leave.
HEMMER: Can we answer the question, though, can a gay win office in a state like New Jersey?
GREENFIELD: Sure, I can answer that question. I don't know, Because we haven't been there yet. We know there are 275 elected gay officials in America. There are three in the Congress. Most of them are local offices. There are mayors. I think Providence, Rhode Island is the biggest city with a gay mayor.
I guess the most intriguing question for me, is suppose there hadn't been a public payroll issue here, it was simply an affair? And if McGreevey had gotten up said, I have this to tell you, I had to talk to my wife, the way Clinton had to say that, and then said, look, I'm staying, I made a mistake, this guy was trying to blackmail me. He can't now, because I'm out of the closet, and I'm going to serve as governor for the next year. We don't know yet. I certainly think that we can that attitudes towards gays are radically different than they were 20 years ago.
HEMMER: Second big political story this morning, Larry King last night with the first lady and President Bush, an hour here only CNN. This is how he addressed the issue of polling regarding the race for November 2nd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know if it's going to be close or not. I believe I'm going to win. I believe the American people know my style of leadership. They know what to expect, and they understand that the commander-in-chief must not waver in this era, that we must continue to stay on the offense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Was that a shade of things to come in New York City, Madison Square Garden?
GREENFIELD: Well, this is the theme of the whole election. By the way, in the entire amount of history on politics -- excuse me -- I've never heard a politician say, I expect to lose, just for the record.
But the theme of this campaign is steady leadership at a time of change. And their entire pitch, both positively and negatively, which you heard Vice President Cheney go after Kerry, very tough on the sensitive war on terror issue, is I'm the commander in chief, I'm the wartime president, you can't trust this other guy with power; he's a flip-flopper, he's indecisive.
So, yes. He also, by the way, Larry King got the first chance to actually ask him, what about those seven minutes on September 11th when you sat in the classroom listening to kids read "The Pet Goat?" a major part of the Michael Moore movie, and President Bush said I was trying to collect my thoughts. Clearly that's one that they feel has a potential to hurt.
HEMMER: Let me stop you there, because we have a little bit of that This is part of that conversation last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: Whether or not I understand and understood then the stakes, and I recognized that we at war, and I made a determination we would do everything we could to bring those killers to justice and to protect the American people. It was my most solemn duty.
LARRY KING, "LARRY KING LIVE" HOST: Wasn't that one of the hardest seven minutes of your life?
BUSH: Well, there's been a lot of hard moments in my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: He went on to say it's not so important about what happened then, at that moment for his actions, but what he was thinking about and how he later responded, and then pointedly pointed out, September 14th coming to Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: Yes, I think it's fair to say, that in that first week, those seven minutes on September 11th were moments that the Bush folks would like people not to remember, and his appearance on September 14th in the rooms of the World Trade Center with that bullhorn, that's the image that they want people to remember. And, look, I think of all the stuff on "Fahrenheit 9/11," much of which I will say, matter of opinion, is patently unfair. It's a piece of -- it's political propaganda. But looking at those seven minutes of the president sitting there raises questions that the president was trying to answer.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jeff.
The Kerry campaign immediately issuing a response last night of the appearance with Larry King. Reading in part, and quoting now, "The president spent an hour on TV and did not talk about jobs or his plans to get the economy going. It's the latest proof that this president is completely out of touch with the priorities of this country and has no plan to turn things around," end quote. That from the Kerry campaign.
Now, Heidi, again, with more.
COLLINS: Thirteen minutes past the hour now. Time for look at some of today's other news with Carol Costello.
Carol, good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Heidi. Thank you.
A spokesman for Muqtada Al Sadr says the radical cleric was slightly injured earlier today during fighting in Najaf. We'll have the latest from the scene, coming up.
In the meantime, a British journalist has been taken hostage in the southern city of Basra. The British Foreign Office identified as James Brandon. That's him a videotape released by his apparent kidnappers. He was apparently abducted at gunpoint yesterday.
In Japan, three U.S. marines were injured when their helicopter crash-landed on a college campus. The chopper went down early this morning at Okinawa International University. Okinawa is home to more than half of the American troops stationed in Japan. The accident now under investigation.
In California, a wildfire is forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents. Flames have destroyed more than 60 homes near Shasta Lake in north central California. The fire, only 50 percent contained, has already consumed nearly 8,000 acres. Authorities say the blaze may have been started by sparks from a lawnmower.
Also out in California, a legal ruling has nullified nearly 4,000 same-sex marriages. Couples rallied in protest after the California supreme court ruled unanimously that San Francisco's mayor exceeded his authority by issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. The courts focused its rulings on the limits of local government. The question of whether the California constitution will permit same-sex marriage remains unanswered.
Back to New York now.
COLLINS: All right, Carol, thanks so much for that. We'll talk again soon.
Still to come this morning, much more on Hurricane Charley as hundreds of thousands of people evacuate the Florida gulf coast.
HEMMER: Also in a moment, the jury hearing yet again, more taped conversations between Scott Peterson and Amber Frey, including one dramatic confession. That's ahead here.
COLLINS: And can U.S. forces take control of Najaf without attacking the holy Imam Ali Shrine? Live to Baghdad, amid reports cleric Muqtada Al Sadr has been injured.
It's all ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Back to campaign 2004 now. Senator John Kerry is still in the American West this morning. Some comments the senator has made, though, now have the Bush team firing back, especially Vice President Dick Cheney.
Senior White House correspondent John King has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: California is the biggest prize in presidential politics. At the moment, things here look good for John Kerry. And when you're up more than 10 points strategy gets simple, play to your strengths.
JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We believe that a stronger America is, in fact, built on a strong middle class.
KING: But the other side has other ideas believing Senator Kerry created an opening by promising to wage a more sensitive war on terror.
RICHARD CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Those who threaten us and kill innocents around the world do not need to be treated more sensitively. They need to be destroyed.
KING: Senator Kerry made no mention of the attack in his economic speech and aides said he had no intention of personally responding. But when pressed after the speech, he took issue with the vice president's tone, not his criticism.
KERRY: It is sad that they can only be negative. They have nothing to say about the future vision of America. I think Americans want a positive vision for the future.
KING: In a speech at issue a week ago, Senator Kerry vowed to destroy terrorist networks. And aides say by promising to be more sensitive he simply meant more diplomatic with other countries, much as President Bush used the term six weeks after taking office.
BUSH: Precisely because America is powerful, we must be sensitive about expressing our power and influence.
KING: The Bush campaign attacks are designed to protect a critical campaign edge, a 13 point advantage over Senator Kerry when voters are asked, who would better handle terrorism.
Another Bush-Cheney strategy is daily questions about Senator Kerry's vote in favor of the Iraq war. That is more risky. It was Mr. Bush who launched the war and nearly half of Americans now think it was a mistake to send troops to Iraq. But just among Democrats, 74 percent call the war a mistake and the White House thinks the more Senator Kerry has to explain his vote, the more anti-war Democrats might become disillusioned with his candidacy.
(on camera): Senior Kerry advisers concede the Bush-Cheney campaign has had some success in raising questions, perhaps even doubts, about Senator Kerry's positions on Iraq and the broader war on terrorism. These Kerry advisers contribute the attacks to a worried Bush White House, but concede they need to do a better job in answering them.
John king, CNN, Central Point, Oregon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And today President Bush is holding a rally in downtown Portland. Rival John Kerry is there, too. It's the second time in a week that he and Senator Kerry are holding dueling events in the same place.
HEMMER: And it's such a big country, too.
COLLINS: I know.
HEMMER: Money talk now. Supposed to be a major day for Google. It still maybe, but now there's talk about "Playboy" magazine, the founders of that company. Google, Gerri Willis, working for Andy Serwer "Minding Your Business."
Explain this one. What's going on?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, guys. Good to see you.
Google, the Internet search engine, supposed to go public today. Big auction starting, very unusual the way they want to handle it, and they made a big misstep. They did an interview in "Playboy." You're not supposed to talk before your company goes public. Now big speculation out there that the FCC could bring a stop to the whole thing, which just goes to show you, the SEC attorneys, they could be the people who actually read "Playboy" instead of looking at the pictures.
HEMMER: Kind of makes you second guess trying to get in on that bidding, don't you think, Gerri, a little bit? WILLIS: Exactly. There's been other problems with this registration as well. Keep in mind, they failed the to register a ton of shares that employees held, so there are loads of questions about this.
HEMMER: Well, there was a big push for this a couple of months ago, when they heard about the auction, they heard about the bidding, and everybody wanted in on it, but it's really lost its shine a little bit over the past several weeks.
WILLIS: You bet.
HEMMER: Quickly, the markets down again yesterday?
WILLIS: Yes, it was really bad. The Dow down particularly hard yesterday. You're looking at the numbers here. What happened, oil prices climbing. This is just not good news for stocks, not good news for the economy.
Here's what we're looking at today, though. Stocks could pick up at the open. We're looking at the futures a little higher here/
HEMMER: Forty-five, 50 a barrel?
WILLIS: Exactly.
HEMMER: Thank you, Gerri.
Another note for you, over the weekend, Jack is not here, so I'll do the honors today. "IN THE MONEY" this weekend, a closer look at the men who join groups like Al Qaeda. Some surprise that they are middle class and very educated in cases. That's this weekend, Saturday, 1:00 Eastern, Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
COLLINS: When you said you'll do the honors, I thought you meant you were doing the show.
HEMMER: No, no, no, no, you know, Jack comes to me every Friday, and says, you know, Hemmer, can you help me out today?
COLLINS: And you say no.
HEMMER: Jack's on vacation.
COLLINS: All right, still to come today, we will hear some of those tapes made by Amber Frey, played in court yesterday at the Scott Peterson trial.
And the latest on Hurricane Charley as it gets closer to Florida. You'll see it swirling there. Stay with us, right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The dramatic resignation of New Jersey's governor took many in New York's tristate area surprised. Last night, Jay Leno made light of the political ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, "TONIGHT SHOW" HOST: Did you hear about this? New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey -- is that his name, McGreevey -- announced a press conference, announced he is resigning as governor because he had an extramarital affair with another man. Finally, a Democrat who can honestly say, I did not have sex with that woman!
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: We leave that to the side.
COLLINS: Jack Cafferty, as you know, is on vacation. Toure is here now, with the question of the day, which talks a little about this.
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: Yes, this is a perfect lead-in. Governor McGreevey's stunning announcement yesterday that he's gay reminds us that though there are many gay Americans, in all walks of life, there are very few openly gay Americans in national politics. In the House of Representatives, there's Barney Frank from Massachusetts, Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin and Jim Colby from Arizona. But we're wondering what the future holds. One day, the dam will break and the hegemony of white men over the Oval Office will end, but who will break through first? Governor McGreevey is the highest ranking government official to share his homosexuality with the public.
But you, be a political prognosticator and tell us who will be president first? A gay American, a black person or a woman? E-mail us now at am@CNN.com.
COLLINS: Excellent question.
HEMMER: Do you have an opinion on that?
TOURE: I do. Jeff Greenfield's making the point that there are so many women governors, especially Michigan and Kansas, Arizona. So probably one of them. But Barack Obama is such a great candidate that I think he's somebody that could make a splash on a national level.
COLLINS: Do you think people know him well enough yet?
TOURE: Not yet, not yet, but give him six, eight years and then they'll know him and...
HEMMER: We will think about that for three hours.
By the way, we have something special for you right now. Remember on Wednesday when you were dissing the Olympics bad? This is why people love the games Toure. Yesterday in Greece, Iraq's soccer team in the Games, officially opening up later tonight, they beat Portugal yesterday. A stunning defeat, too, 4-2. Iraq heavily an underdog in that game, and back in Baghdad, they were partying in the streets from Baghdad to Basra, coming out of the tea houses and...
TOURE: And they gave up one of their own goals...
HEMMER: Yes, they did. Yes, that put them in a hole.
TOURE: And still won.
HEMMER: See, now, the excitement's building, isn't it?
COLLINS: Thank you for that, Bill.
Still to come this morning, the weekend is finally here. So it's time for "90-Second Pop."
The Material Girl shocks concert organizers with her backstage wishlist. And why isn't Fantasia Barrino getting as much radio play as the Idols before her? Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired August 13, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Today it is escape from Charley. Hundreds of thousands are told to get out as the hurricane gets closer to hitting the west side of Florida's coast.
Also...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think the American people know my style of leadership, they know what to expect, and they understand that the commander-in-chief must not waver.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: The president's exclusive interview only with Larry King, why Mr. Bush says he will win in November.
And a stunning admission. The governor of New Jersey comes out of the closet, resigns his post and does it all on national television.
Those stories, straight ahead this hour on American morning.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING, with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
Good morning, everyone. Bill Hemmer, along with Heidi Collins here. Soledad at home resting.
And good morning to you.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
HEMMER: We have a huge news day ahead of us.
COLLINS: That's for sure.
HEMMER: We have a lot to watch, including the progress of Hurricane Charley. That storm bearing down on Florida, expected to pick up even more steam as it gets closer. Live to Florida in a moment for the tracking of Charley.
COLLINS: Also, a shocker in New Jersey yesterday. Governor Jim McGreevey coming out during a news conference and admitting to an extramarital affair with a man. Jeff Greenfield has stopped by to talk about the political implications. HEMMER: Also coming up this hour, another day on the stand for Scott Peterson's ex-mistress, Amber Frey. Yesterday again jurors listening to more of the taped phone calls between the two, including the moment when Frey confronted Peterson. We'll play the tapes for you and talk to former San Mateo County prosecutor, Dean Johnson, on this. And also we'll return and revisit the whole question surrounding politics and Governor McGreevey. And Toure has that this morning, in for the vacationing Jack Cafferty. So stay tuned for more.
Let's start in Florida, though, first, with Hurricane Charley, pushing ever closer to that coast on the west side of Florida, gaining strength overnight, setting its sights on the Tampa Bay area. Here is what he know. In the last several hours, Charley's winds increasing to 110 miles an hour. That's nearly a category three storm. Expected to strengthen over the next 12 hours and then expected to make landfall near Tampa around 7:00 or 8:00 tonight.
And millions of tourists and residents being asked to get out of the area and seek higher ground. We will get an update from the hurricane center in a moment.
First, though, two live reports in Florida. Chad Myers is in Tampa Bay, and Ed Lavandera is at an evacuation center in Dunedin, Florida.
Let's start with Chad.
Good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Bill.
This is going to be a boater's worst enemy today,a broken fishing line, a broken bow line, whatever it might be about four feet down from the water level at this point, where I am on the dock right now. The unfortunate part for these boat owners: this will now be under about 10 foot of water when I'm standing here, literally in about 10 or 12 hours. There are boats up and down as far as you can see, not only $100,000, $200,000 boats here, but million-dollar boats here in the harbors.
This water is going to come up. It's going to almost be like taking a glass of water, pouring it down into a piece of paper, then folding the piece of paper in half. There's no place for that water to the go because the volume is the same, and it's going up, and as that water comes in to Tampa Bay, it's going up the rivers, and that water level's going back up. We are going to see this the water level go up significantly, maybe as high as 15 feet. That's called storm surge. We'll get in to that on the morning show and tell you how it happens, why it happens and who's going to be most affected.
HEMMER: All right, Chad, thanks for that. We'll talk to you a lot throughout the morning here.
Ed Lavandera, good morning there. ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. We're at one of the 49 shelters that have opened up across the state Florida. Some 2,500 people across the state already taking advantage of these shelters, and this is the way people will spend the next 24 hours.
This is Dunedin Middle School, just west of Tampa, one of higher points in this county. We're only about a mile away from the water here. So many of these people have been urged to evacuate their homes. They're along the coastal areas, and along the low-lying areas, and in the motor homes. They will be spending the next 24 hours here as they await for the arrival of Hurricane Charley -- Bill.
HEMMER: Ed Lavandera, thanks, also in Dunedin, Florida. We'll check back with both of you throughout the hour here.
Now Heidi with more on this -- Charley.
COLLINS: Ed Rappaport has been watching Charley from the National Hurricane Center in Miami. He gives us the very latest on when and where the powerful storm is expected to come ashore.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Mr. Rappaport, Charley is expected to hit the Florida coast by either late today or maybe even early tomorrow. Track this thing for us. Tell us exactly where it's going to hit.
ED RAPPAPORT, DEP. DIR., NATIONAL HURRICANE CTR.: Yes, overnight Hurricane Charley crossed Cuba near Havana, where a gust to 124 miles per hour was reported. It's now located to the west of Key West, likely to have the worst of the weather pass just to the west of Key West, but then we'll continue on toward the north, basically north, northeast, and have a landfall we think this evening on the west coast of Florida, probably in the Tampa area.
At that stage, we think that Charley will be a category-3 hurricane. Very dangerous. Storm surge of perhaps 10 to perhaps 15 feet.
COLLINS: Yes, let's talk more about those severe weather conditions when we're talking about a category 3. What can people expect? We're hearing a lot about water surges there?
RAPPAPORT: That's right. A category-3 hurricane has winds of at least 115 miles per hour, and we're just below that threshold now; 110 miles per hour is the sustained wind, with higher gusts.
We also expect rise of the water. The wind will push that water inland along the coast, and as I said, could rise to 10 to maybe 15 feet with wave action on top, a very serious situation along the coastal area.
COLLINS: All right, as we know, Tropical Storm Bonnie hit landfall in Florida's northwest panhandle, so People have made it through that, but now they're probably looking for some sort of comparison as to what Hurricane Charley will look like. Can you compare the two, quickly?
RAPPAPORT: It's better to contrast the two. Bonnie was a wet system, but had very little wind when it came ashore. This is much stronger. This is a hurricane. It has the potential to be the strongest in perhaps 50 years along the west coast of Florida.
COLLINS: All right, and as I'm sure you have probably heard, NOAA, or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is predicting a 45 percent probability of an above-normal season. Do these storms, then, serve as a decent warning, if you will, of what's still to come?
RAPPAPORT: We certainly got off to a very fast start with Alex last week in North Carolina. Now two storms this week here in Florida and pushing northward, and we have other systems, looks like, starting to develop further to the east. So it has started as an afterseason.
COLLINS: Anything about this season surprise you, or have you on guard?
RAPPAPORT: Well, we're always concerned about landfalls, particularly landfalls of intense hurricanes, like Charley. Most people have not experienced the core of a hurricane, and it's a very different experience and one which you're in the threatened area, you really need to take precautions seriously.
COLLINS: All right, you hit the nail on the head, Ed Rappaport, from the National Hurricane Center, thanks so much.
RAPPAPORT: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Before Bonnie left Florida, the storm spawned an incredible looking tornado near downtown Jacksonville. Look at this, slowly moving through town, ripping shingles from houses, knocked down trees and snapped power lines. Residents did take cover though. There were no injuries to report.
HEMMER: Heidi, now the political storm created in New Jersey late yesterday afternoon. People stunned at a news conference yesterday when Governor Jim McGreevey dropped both shoes, abruptly announcing his resignation from office. And before that, there was this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JIM MCGREEVEY (D), NEW JERSEY: At a point in every person's life, one has to look deeply into the mirror of one's soul and decide one's unique truth in the world, not as we may want to see it, or hope to see it, but as it is. And so my truth is that I am a gay American.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: With us this morning to talk about the fallout now from New Jersey, and across the country for that matter, is senior analyst Jeff Greenfield.
And good morning to you.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Good morning.
HEMMER: Clearly, this statement has a lot to do with what's happening in his own personal life. How much does it say about gays in politics in America today?
GREENFIELD: Less I think than you might think, because yes, McGreevey had concealed his sexuality for his entire public life. But what really triggered this resignation was an impending lawsuit that was going to be filed by an ex-aide, a controversial homeland security aide, who'd been effectively forced out of that office because of his qualifications, or lack of them. He was then put on the governor's payroll at about $100,000 a year.
Now, look, we've seen politicians who's careers ended because of straight affairs. Governor Paul Patton of Kentucky just about a year ago involved with a woman for whom he allegedly did favors.
We've seen politicians, by the way, on the other side, survive outings. There was a Republican Congressman from Wisconsin who was re-elected after he was outed. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, probably the best know gay position, survived a scandal involving his involvement with a male prostitute.
So I think the gay thing, while it's the "oh my Lord" headline is not the key to why he's being forced to leave.
HEMMER: Can we answer the question, though, can a gay win office in a state like New Jersey?
GREENFIELD: Sure, I can answer that question. I don't know, Because we haven't been there yet. We know there are 275 elected gay officials in America. There are three in the Congress. Most of them are local offices. There are mayors. I think Providence, Rhode Island is the biggest city with a gay mayor.
I guess the most intriguing question for me, is suppose there hadn't been a public payroll issue here, it was simply an affair? And if McGreevey had gotten up said, I have this to tell you, I had to talk to my wife, the way Clinton had to say that, and then said, look, I'm staying, I made a mistake, this guy was trying to blackmail me. He can't now, because I'm out of the closet, and I'm going to serve as governor for the next year. We don't know yet. I certainly think that we can that attitudes towards gays are radically different than they were 20 years ago.
HEMMER: Second big political story this morning, Larry King last night with the first lady and President Bush, an hour here only CNN. This is how he addressed the issue of polling regarding the race for November 2nd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know if it's going to be close or not. I believe I'm going to win. I believe the American people know my style of leadership. They know what to expect, and they understand that the commander-in-chief must not waver in this era, that we must continue to stay on the offense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Was that a shade of things to come in New York City, Madison Square Garden?
GREENFIELD: Well, this is the theme of the whole election. By the way, in the entire amount of history on politics -- excuse me -- I've never heard a politician say, I expect to lose, just for the record.
But the theme of this campaign is steady leadership at a time of change. And their entire pitch, both positively and negatively, which you heard Vice President Cheney go after Kerry, very tough on the sensitive war on terror issue, is I'm the commander in chief, I'm the wartime president, you can't trust this other guy with power; he's a flip-flopper, he's indecisive.
So, yes. He also, by the way, Larry King got the first chance to actually ask him, what about those seven minutes on September 11th when you sat in the classroom listening to kids read "The Pet Goat?" a major part of the Michael Moore movie, and President Bush said I was trying to collect my thoughts. Clearly that's one that they feel has a potential to hurt.
HEMMER: Let me stop you there, because we have a little bit of that This is part of that conversation last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: Whether or not I understand and understood then the stakes, and I recognized that we at war, and I made a determination we would do everything we could to bring those killers to justice and to protect the American people. It was my most solemn duty.
LARRY KING, "LARRY KING LIVE" HOST: Wasn't that one of the hardest seven minutes of your life?
BUSH: Well, there's been a lot of hard moments in my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: He went on to say it's not so important about what happened then, at that moment for his actions, but what he was thinking about and how he later responded, and then pointedly pointed out, September 14th coming to Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: Yes, I think it's fair to say, that in that first week, those seven minutes on September 11th were moments that the Bush folks would like people not to remember, and his appearance on September 14th in the rooms of the World Trade Center with that bullhorn, that's the image that they want people to remember. And, look, I think of all the stuff on "Fahrenheit 9/11," much of which I will say, matter of opinion, is patently unfair. It's a piece of -- it's political propaganda. But looking at those seven minutes of the president sitting there raises questions that the president was trying to answer.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jeff.
The Kerry campaign immediately issuing a response last night of the appearance with Larry King. Reading in part, and quoting now, "The president spent an hour on TV and did not talk about jobs or his plans to get the economy going. It's the latest proof that this president is completely out of touch with the priorities of this country and has no plan to turn things around," end quote. That from the Kerry campaign.
Now, Heidi, again, with more.
COLLINS: Thirteen minutes past the hour now. Time for look at some of today's other news with Carol Costello.
Carol, good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Heidi. Thank you.
A spokesman for Muqtada Al Sadr says the radical cleric was slightly injured earlier today during fighting in Najaf. We'll have the latest from the scene, coming up.
In the meantime, a British journalist has been taken hostage in the southern city of Basra. The British Foreign Office identified as James Brandon. That's him a videotape released by his apparent kidnappers. He was apparently abducted at gunpoint yesterday.
In Japan, three U.S. marines were injured when their helicopter crash-landed on a college campus. The chopper went down early this morning at Okinawa International University. Okinawa is home to more than half of the American troops stationed in Japan. The accident now under investigation.
In California, a wildfire is forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents. Flames have destroyed more than 60 homes near Shasta Lake in north central California. The fire, only 50 percent contained, has already consumed nearly 8,000 acres. Authorities say the blaze may have been started by sparks from a lawnmower.
Also out in California, a legal ruling has nullified nearly 4,000 same-sex marriages. Couples rallied in protest after the California supreme court ruled unanimously that San Francisco's mayor exceeded his authority by issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. The courts focused its rulings on the limits of local government. The question of whether the California constitution will permit same-sex marriage remains unanswered.
Back to New York now.
COLLINS: All right, Carol, thanks so much for that. We'll talk again soon.
Still to come this morning, much more on Hurricane Charley as hundreds of thousands of people evacuate the Florida gulf coast.
HEMMER: Also in a moment, the jury hearing yet again, more taped conversations between Scott Peterson and Amber Frey, including one dramatic confession. That's ahead here.
COLLINS: And can U.S. forces take control of Najaf without attacking the holy Imam Ali Shrine? Live to Baghdad, amid reports cleric Muqtada Al Sadr has been injured.
It's all ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Back to campaign 2004 now. Senator John Kerry is still in the American West this morning. Some comments the senator has made, though, now have the Bush team firing back, especially Vice President Dick Cheney.
Senior White House correspondent John King has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: California is the biggest prize in presidential politics. At the moment, things here look good for John Kerry. And when you're up more than 10 points strategy gets simple, play to your strengths.
JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We believe that a stronger America is, in fact, built on a strong middle class.
KING: But the other side has other ideas believing Senator Kerry created an opening by promising to wage a more sensitive war on terror.
RICHARD CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Those who threaten us and kill innocents around the world do not need to be treated more sensitively. They need to be destroyed.
KING: Senator Kerry made no mention of the attack in his economic speech and aides said he had no intention of personally responding. But when pressed after the speech, he took issue with the vice president's tone, not his criticism.
KERRY: It is sad that they can only be negative. They have nothing to say about the future vision of America. I think Americans want a positive vision for the future.
KING: In a speech at issue a week ago, Senator Kerry vowed to destroy terrorist networks. And aides say by promising to be more sensitive he simply meant more diplomatic with other countries, much as President Bush used the term six weeks after taking office.
BUSH: Precisely because America is powerful, we must be sensitive about expressing our power and influence.
KING: The Bush campaign attacks are designed to protect a critical campaign edge, a 13 point advantage over Senator Kerry when voters are asked, who would better handle terrorism.
Another Bush-Cheney strategy is daily questions about Senator Kerry's vote in favor of the Iraq war. That is more risky. It was Mr. Bush who launched the war and nearly half of Americans now think it was a mistake to send troops to Iraq. But just among Democrats, 74 percent call the war a mistake and the White House thinks the more Senator Kerry has to explain his vote, the more anti-war Democrats might become disillusioned with his candidacy.
(on camera): Senior Kerry advisers concede the Bush-Cheney campaign has had some success in raising questions, perhaps even doubts, about Senator Kerry's positions on Iraq and the broader war on terrorism. These Kerry advisers contribute the attacks to a worried Bush White House, but concede they need to do a better job in answering them.
John king, CNN, Central Point, Oregon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And today President Bush is holding a rally in downtown Portland. Rival John Kerry is there, too. It's the second time in a week that he and Senator Kerry are holding dueling events in the same place.
HEMMER: And it's such a big country, too.
COLLINS: I know.
HEMMER: Money talk now. Supposed to be a major day for Google. It still maybe, but now there's talk about "Playboy" magazine, the founders of that company. Google, Gerri Willis, working for Andy Serwer "Minding Your Business."
Explain this one. What's going on?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, guys. Good to see you.
Google, the Internet search engine, supposed to go public today. Big auction starting, very unusual the way they want to handle it, and they made a big misstep. They did an interview in "Playboy." You're not supposed to talk before your company goes public. Now big speculation out there that the FCC could bring a stop to the whole thing, which just goes to show you, the SEC attorneys, they could be the people who actually read "Playboy" instead of looking at the pictures.
HEMMER: Kind of makes you second guess trying to get in on that bidding, don't you think, Gerri, a little bit? WILLIS: Exactly. There's been other problems with this registration as well. Keep in mind, they failed the to register a ton of shares that employees held, so there are loads of questions about this.
HEMMER: Well, there was a big push for this a couple of months ago, when they heard about the auction, they heard about the bidding, and everybody wanted in on it, but it's really lost its shine a little bit over the past several weeks.
WILLIS: You bet.
HEMMER: Quickly, the markets down again yesterday?
WILLIS: Yes, it was really bad. The Dow down particularly hard yesterday. You're looking at the numbers here. What happened, oil prices climbing. This is just not good news for stocks, not good news for the economy.
Here's what we're looking at today, though. Stocks could pick up at the open. We're looking at the futures a little higher here/
HEMMER: Forty-five, 50 a barrel?
WILLIS: Exactly.
HEMMER: Thank you, Gerri.
Another note for you, over the weekend, Jack is not here, so I'll do the honors today. "IN THE MONEY" this weekend, a closer look at the men who join groups like Al Qaeda. Some surprise that they are middle class and very educated in cases. That's this weekend, Saturday, 1:00 Eastern, Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
COLLINS: When you said you'll do the honors, I thought you meant you were doing the show.
HEMMER: No, no, no, no, you know, Jack comes to me every Friday, and says, you know, Hemmer, can you help me out today?
COLLINS: And you say no.
HEMMER: Jack's on vacation.
COLLINS: All right, still to come today, we will hear some of those tapes made by Amber Frey, played in court yesterday at the Scott Peterson trial.
And the latest on Hurricane Charley as it gets closer to Florida. You'll see it swirling there. Stay with us, right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The dramatic resignation of New Jersey's governor took many in New York's tristate area surprised. Last night, Jay Leno made light of the political ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, "TONIGHT SHOW" HOST: Did you hear about this? New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey -- is that his name, McGreevey -- announced a press conference, announced he is resigning as governor because he had an extramarital affair with another man. Finally, a Democrat who can honestly say, I did not have sex with that woman!
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: We leave that to the side.
COLLINS: Jack Cafferty, as you know, is on vacation. Toure is here now, with the question of the day, which talks a little about this.
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: Yes, this is a perfect lead-in. Governor McGreevey's stunning announcement yesterday that he's gay reminds us that though there are many gay Americans, in all walks of life, there are very few openly gay Americans in national politics. In the House of Representatives, there's Barney Frank from Massachusetts, Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin and Jim Colby from Arizona. But we're wondering what the future holds. One day, the dam will break and the hegemony of white men over the Oval Office will end, but who will break through first? Governor McGreevey is the highest ranking government official to share his homosexuality with the public.
But you, be a political prognosticator and tell us who will be president first? A gay American, a black person or a woman? E-mail us now at am@CNN.com.
COLLINS: Excellent question.
HEMMER: Do you have an opinion on that?
TOURE: I do. Jeff Greenfield's making the point that there are so many women governors, especially Michigan and Kansas, Arizona. So probably one of them. But Barack Obama is such a great candidate that I think he's somebody that could make a splash on a national level.
COLLINS: Do you think people know him well enough yet?
TOURE: Not yet, not yet, but give him six, eight years and then they'll know him and...
HEMMER: We will think about that for three hours.
By the way, we have something special for you right now. Remember on Wednesday when you were dissing the Olympics bad? This is why people love the games Toure. Yesterday in Greece, Iraq's soccer team in the Games, officially opening up later tonight, they beat Portugal yesterday. A stunning defeat, too, 4-2. Iraq heavily an underdog in that game, and back in Baghdad, they were partying in the streets from Baghdad to Basra, coming out of the tea houses and...
TOURE: And they gave up one of their own goals...
HEMMER: Yes, they did. Yes, that put them in a hole.
TOURE: And still won.
HEMMER: See, now, the excitement's building, isn't it?
COLLINS: Thank you for that, Bill.
Still to come this morning, the weekend is finally here. So it's time for "90-Second Pop."
The Material Girl shocks concert organizers with her backstage wishlist. And why isn't Fantasia Barrino getting as much radio play as the Idols before her? Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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