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Hurricane Frances Heading Toward Southeast U.S. Coast; The Youth Vote; Device to Prevent Strokes; RNC Protesters

Aired September 02, 2004 - 11:30   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan in Atlanta. Let's check the headlines now in the news.
Hurricane Frances unleashing its Category 4 fury on the Bahamas, and Florida officials warning residents don't wait, now is the time to act. Evacuations already are underway as the Sunshine State prepares for another treacherous storm. We have live reports coming up in just about a minute.

In Beslan, Russia, armed gunmen have released as many as 26 women and children from a school where hundreds are being held hostage for a second day. Earlier, the kidnappers fired on a car outside the building, causing it to explode. Negotiations so far have failed to get food and water to those held captive. They have been held hostage now for some 35 hours.

In Miami, the man who set a military van on fire and himself after learning his son had been killed in Iraq will be temporarily released from the hospital later today. Carlos Arredondo will fly to Boston to attend his son's funeral. Marine Lance Corporal Alexander Arredondo was killed in Najaf.

Halliburton is in the news again this morning. The company says an internal probe found that a consortium that it was involved it once considered bribing Nigerian officials to win business. Documents suggest the bribes were discusses at least 10 years ago, before Halliburton's involvement with that consortium. There is no evidence any payments were ever made.

Frances narrowing the distance to Florida with each passing hour. So far, there's no sign the Category 4 hurricane is losing any steam. And that means that many people in Florida are choosing to get up and get out.

You're looking at the -- basically the entire east coast of Florida there. And this is a live Department of Transportation camera. This is from Brevard County, I-95. We're just outside the Orlando area. You can see the thousands of people that are trying to get out of that area. I-95 and 528 -- they are trying to get north and west of where they are.

One person who now must prepare for Hurricane Frances, our own John Zarrella. He's provided viewers with blow-by-blow coverage of a lot of hurricanes over the years. He's a veteran of the big storms. He took a camera crew along as he picked up the necessities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): My first stop was the home improvement store. With Frances coming toward the Florida east coast, I have to do what everyone else should be doing: getting prepared now.

(on camera): Yeah, this is good: nylon rope, 50 foot, 3/16th- inch -- 3/16th-inch. This will work good.

(voice-over): The rope is for tying down any loose objects that I can't bring inside. I have many of the basics, but if you don't, get out now and buy batteries, flashlights, gas cans, heavy-duty trash bags for cleanup. Stay away from candles. If they fall or blow over, you may have a bigger problem than the hurricane.

I touched base with my wife to let her know what I was picking up.

(on camera): So, I've got some -- I got a whole bunch of plastic tarps. I've got a big box of plastic sheeting to go on the roof -- if, God forbid, we lose the roof or a portion of it.

(voice-over): Many people were buying plywood to cover windows. Get 5/8th-inch or 3/4th-inch. Anything thinner won't be as effective against flying debris. Stay away from pressed board, if possible -- it doesn't hold up well when wet. And be patient. Stores are packed, and it's only going to get worse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is that, a reality show or something?

ZARRELLA (on camera): This is the ultimate reality show, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's for sure.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): At home, we have hurricane supplies stockpiled. You should have at least three days worth of nonperishable foods for your family. Canned meats and lots of water are a must. Make sure you have emergency medical supplies.

Your pre-storm to-do list should include: make sure your car has a full tank of gas; identify the safest room in your house where you and your family can take cover, if necessary; locate an escape room from your home; have a mattress ready to cover you and your family; and put important documents, photos, and valuables in water-tight bags or containers.

For my bigger windows, I have accordion shutters that easily close in place.

(on camera): And they're locked. These are the aluminum hurricane panels I've got to put up. There's plenty of them. I'm going to hold off on that, at least until we get probably the hurricane warning and then go ahead and put those up. And I think I'm going to leave that to my teenage sons to do.

(voice-over): Most importantly, heed the recommendations of your local officials. I've done everything I can to protect my family and property. The rest is out of my hands.

John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Always nice to go along with the Zarrella family, see how they're doing. Orelon, did you notice he was smart? He checked in with his wife from the store to make sure they were getting everything they needed.

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I think that's an excellent idea. And really, I mean, it's kind of late in the game to say this, but folks, if you live anywhere along the Gulf coast or the eastern coast of the United States, you should have hurricane preparedness kits ready by June 1st, the first day of the Atlantic hurricane season.

It's really late to get in the game now when the storm is approaching your area. You really do want to have that available for you at any time after the Atlantic hurricane season begins.

Taking a look now at Frances as it moves its way toward the U.S. coast, a very powerful Category 4 storm with 145 mile-an-hour winds. The pressure now is 939 millibars. And that's what we use to determine the intensity of the storm. And the storm right now is closest to Hurricane Hugo when it made landfall back in 1989. Its pressure was 940 millibars.

Of course, this is the current pressure. We'll know what the pressure is at landfall a bit later. But it's landfalling, if you will, across parts of the Bahamas certainly. And so, a very, very powerful storm is beating up on that area.

Here's what can happen with Category 4 storms as far as their damage is concerned. You start to get structural damage now with Category 4 storms. Inland flooding is also a problem, depending upon where the storm makes landfall along the coast and the angle it makes landfall. We will definitely be seeing some problems with potential storm surge.

If we go up to Category 5, structural damage becomes likely, and you're looking at severe damage, major storm surge flooding with winds over 156 miles an hour. Now, I bring this up because the storm is moving to the west-northwest at 13 miles an hour. If you add that to the speed of the winds, 145, you get Category 5 on the eastern side of the storm.

Remember, that as the storm moves, the eastern side of the storm, east of the direction of motion, you have to add its forward speed together with its wind speed to get the actual speed of the winds. This side is actually already Category 5 as far as that's concerned. The side on the left, you have to subtract the forward motion from the wind speed. So, this side is actually a little bit -- little bit -- less dangerous.

But for now, you really need to know that this is a very powerful storm heading in your direction. By Friday morning, we still expect it to be a Category 4. Friday evening into Saturday morning, looking at a very strong Category 4 storm making landfall before it kind of diminishes down to Category 1, we think, by Sunday morning.

This part of the track we're really not too concerned with now; more concerned with what's going to happen in the next 36 to 48 hours -- Daryn?

KAGAN: All right. Orelon, you are busy. We will check back. Thank you.

SIDNEY: You're welcome.

KAGAN: President Bush delivers his acceptance speech tonight at the Republican convention. And one of his best friends says all Mr. Bush has to do is be his friendly self.

Our Kelly Wallace reports now on efforts to show the president's kinder side.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush arrives in the city that redefined his presidency, huddling with firefighters last night in Queens.

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You effected my way of thinking in a deep way.

WALLACE: Getting ready to show his kinder, gentler side.

Making over Mr. Macho President, a recent headline in the "New York Daily News."

THOMAS DEFRANK, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": He's got to come up with a persona and an appeal and in engaging side and tone to this speech.

His aides all say that that's the real Bush but that part of him has been obscured by what one calls the hard ads, the warrior side of him.

WALLACE: His advisers thought his record in the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq would put him far out in front.

BUSH: We did the right thing and the world is better off for it.

WALLACE: But along came problems in post-war Iraq, a sagging economy, criticisms he's set in his ways.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What you really have is stubborn leadership.

WALLACE: And so, the effort to put a human face on the warrior leader from Laura Bush.

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: But he's still the same person I met at a backyard barbecue in Midland, Texas, and married three months later.

WALLACE: And the president himself, in a recent "New York Times" interview, for the first time acknowledging a miscalculation of what the conditions would be after the war in Iraq. This from the man who only months ago couldn't name one mistake he'd made.

BUSH: You know I just -- I'm sure something will pop in my head here in the rest of this press conference, all the pressure of trying to come up with an answer but it hasn't yet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Well, there's a lot of talk about capturing the youth vote, both parties are courting it, and the daughters of President Bush and John Kerry are actively campaigning on the trail at the conventions and at events like the MTV Video Music Awards show.

But exactly how important is that segment of voters? With us now from New York, Jehmu Greene, deputy director of Rock the Vote.

Good morning. Good to have you here with us again.

JEHMU GREENE, DEP. DIR., ROCK THE VOTE: Good morning. Thanks for having me, Daryn.

KAGAN: Are young people going to come out and vote this year?

GREENE: Absolutely. We have been talking all year about how young people were going to make history. They started off in the Iowa caucuses by turning out in larger numbers, and the New Hampshire primary, and we're seeing record numbers in voter registration. We're starting to see a surge in voter registration happening already, and we know that on November 2nd, at least 20 million young people will turn out on Election Day.

KAGAN: But there are signs that people are feeling -- young people -- still feeling disenfranchised. If you look at what happened at the MTV Video Awards in Miami last week, you had both sets of daughters, you had the Kerry daughters and the Bush twins there; they both got booed.

GREENE: I was lucky to be at the VMA Awards in Miami, and I will say, that I don't think that was disenfranchised. I think that was engagement, like, you had the audience, the young people who were engaged in the election and showing what their political opinions were. And that's a sign that young people are more interested in this election.

And of course, the candidates are going to have to do their work to pull them to their side and to get those votes, but young people are, you know, finding the candidates that are -- they are supporting and, you know, making those opinions heard, and that's what they did in Miami.

KAGAN: OK, so the daughters come on stage and they get booed, but that's a good thing. I think, Jehmu, that's what they call spin in politics.

Let's look at some numbers here to see who the young people say they're going to vote for, two sets of numbers. First, new voters choice for president, Kerry, 50 percent over President Bush's 40 percent. Do those numbers surprise you?

GREENE: Well, no, they don't surprise me. Bush has been losing ground when it comes to young voters, and young voters make up the largest percentage of the new voting population. And he's going to have to come out here tonight and really knock it out of the park and address the issues that are top of mind for young voters and talk to them about the rising cost of college tuition and what is going to be put in place to get rid of the burden of debt that students are facing, and the job market and the fact that college graduates are having to move back in with their parents.

They want both candidates to address these issues. They're taking this election seriously. And we have some work to do between now and November 2nd. But the numbers, with voter registration at Rock the Vote, we've already registered over 600,000 people to vote. We're way ahead than we've been in past presidential election cycles, and this is a sign of how engaged this generation is.

KAGAN: I want to get one more set of numbers. Talk about rocking things, when you add Ralph Nader to the mix for the poll, look what happens. It basically, de facto, takes away Kerry's support and gives it to President Bush.

GREENE: Well, I think it's all going to come down to what states Ralph Nader is on the ballot. And you know, whoever is on the ballot in those states that young voters are voting in, those candidates are going to have to do their job of pulling them to their side and convincing them why they should cast their ballot for them.

KAGAN: All right, makes for interesting conversation. Jehmu Greene, Rock the Vote, thanks for stopping by, looking at those new numbers with us.

GREENE: Thanks, Daryn.

KAGAN: There is more to come from the convention.

Jeanne Moos will take a look for us at protesters who are literally wearing out their message, a clothes encounter, coming up.

But next, new hope in the fight against strokes. It's a treatment meant to the get your own blood flowing, because that's coming up in your daily dose of health news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Now the government has approved a new tool to help prevent strokes.

Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is here with our "Daily Dose" of health news. Good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Every 45 seconds in the United States, someone has a stroke. Now a stroke is sort of similar to a heart attack, except it's in the brain, as a matter of fact, some people call it a brain attack. It's when there's some kind of blockage, and so blood isn't getting to the brain in the way that there should be. There's some kind of a blockage in that blood vessel.

So, a California company said, hey, why don't we devise a stent for the carotid artery in the same way that there are stents for your heart after people have a heart attack.

Here's what the stent looks like. You can see the stents are on the right, those little mesh things, and that's the device that helps get it in there, and those stents actually can prop open the arteries to prevent someone from having a stroke in the first place.

Let's take a look at how this works. It actually -- a catheter goes in, and first an umbrella will open up to filter out any blood clots that might be coming through, and then the stent is then put in place. And as I said, it pretty much props open the arteries so that the blood can start flowing again.

There's a surgery now that neurosurgeons do to hopefully accomplish the same thing. And what this company did, is they compared the risk of death, or heart attack or stroke with the surgery versus with this new stent, which the FDA just approved. And what they found, is that when the folks had the stent, there was a 10 percent risk of death, stroke and heart attack, but with the surgery there was a 15 percent risk. So that's way the FDA approved it.

Two-hundred thousand people have this surgery already. This is the surgery that you have instead of the stent. And there's hope that the stent might possibly take the place for at some of those. It's less invasive; you need local anesthesia instead of general.

KAGAN: So you're supposed to get it if you're at risk for stroke. How do you know if you're at risk?

COHEN: Right, not everyone would get this. You and I wouldn't want to have this put in our carotid artery. You would only get this if the FDA says there's an 80 percent blockage, or if you're already having symptoms of a stroke. So obviously doctors are going to be very careful about who gets this.

KAGAN: And ultimately, we're not talking about replacing surgery, this is perhaps to prevent. Or it's not going to completely prevent surgery?

COHEN: Well, surgeons say that they don't think it's going to take the place of surgery, and there are several reasons here. First of all, the surgery is sort of the tried and true technique that surgeons have been doing for quite a while now. This stent hasn't had as much experience as the surgeries had. Also, doctors need to have very, very particular training to do it, and neurosurgeons right now out there for the most part don't have that training. So you can't just show up and get it. The doctor needs to know what he's doing.

KAGAN: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.

For your "Daily Dose" of health news online, just log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical stories, special reports and a health library. The address is CNN.com/health.

Well, you've heard of people who wear their heart on their sleeve. Right in New York City a lot of folks are wearing their cause in the same place.

Jeanne Moos goes undercover to get to the bottom of all that. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: At the Republican National Convention, thousands of protesters are wearing their feelings on their sleeves, on their backs, on their chests, not to mention some other unmentionable places.

Our Jeanne Moos takes a look at the underlying message.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They turn the body into a billboard that sometimes goes overboard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No more Bush. No more Bush.

MOOS: The T-shirts in New York this week were enough to encourage literacy, fight plaque, not Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would rather spend time in the bathroom with a toothbrush than you know fighting a war.

MOOS: There's no question the anti-Bush T-shirts were meaner. This seemingly incomprehensible one folds into something a little too comprehensible. And then there is Texas homegrown dope.

(on camera): Planting instructions: using a silver spoon, plant in shallow hole.

(voice-over): But the anti-Kerry crowd likewise had a laugh.

(LAUGHTER)

MOOS: With flip flopping ketchup completely free of all substance.

We glimpsed an anti-Kerry shirt calling him Osama's man. But most jives were gentle, John who? And then there was I'm with Arnold. No, that's not Arnold she's with, this Arnold. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is because I'm in the California delegation and we support Arnold.

MOOS: The Republicans turn the Democrat's symbol against them, while the Democrats turn President Bush's axis of evil phrase against him. But T-shirts pale compared to...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Panties with a purpose.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Which side are you on? The panty lines are drawn.

MOOS: A group that calls itself Axis of Eve held what it called a mass flash.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The metaphor of exposure, that this is a president who has lied to the American people.

MOOS: But the panties are so risque that the only one we can risk is weapon of mass seduction.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can't do this one either.

MOOS (on camera): No.

(voice-over): The group guesses it's sold around $50,000 worth of panties in three months. The NYPD didn't bother to go undercover at this underwear protest.

MOOS (on camera): Safe to assume this is not for personal use.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

MOOS (voice-over): But who needs panties when you're a 7-month- old Republican decked out in elephants and diapers.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And we'll let that be the last word. I'm Daryn Kagan. I'll be back right here tomorrow morning.

Break coming up now.

Wolf Blitzer take takes over from New York City at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired September 2, 2004 - 11:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan in Atlanta. Let's check the headlines now in the news.
Hurricane Frances unleashing its Category 4 fury on the Bahamas, and Florida officials warning residents don't wait, now is the time to act. Evacuations already are underway as the Sunshine State prepares for another treacherous storm. We have live reports coming up in just about a minute.

In Beslan, Russia, armed gunmen have released as many as 26 women and children from a school where hundreds are being held hostage for a second day. Earlier, the kidnappers fired on a car outside the building, causing it to explode. Negotiations so far have failed to get food and water to those held captive. They have been held hostage now for some 35 hours.

In Miami, the man who set a military van on fire and himself after learning his son had been killed in Iraq will be temporarily released from the hospital later today. Carlos Arredondo will fly to Boston to attend his son's funeral. Marine Lance Corporal Alexander Arredondo was killed in Najaf.

Halliburton is in the news again this morning. The company says an internal probe found that a consortium that it was involved it once considered bribing Nigerian officials to win business. Documents suggest the bribes were discusses at least 10 years ago, before Halliburton's involvement with that consortium. There is no evidence any payments were ever made.

Frances narrowing the distance to Florida with each passing hour. So far, there's no sign the Category 4 hurricane is losing any steam. And that means that many people in Florida are choosing to get up and get out.

You're looking at the -- basically the entire east coast of Florida there. And this is a live Department of Transportation camera. This is from Brevard County, I-95. We're just outside the Orlando area. You can see the thousands of people that are trying to get out of that area. I-95 and 528 -- they are trying to get north and west of where they are.

One person who now must prepare for Hurricane Frances, our own John Zarrella. He's provided viewers with blow-by-blow coverage of a lot of hurricanes over the years. He's a veteran of the big storms. He took a camera crew along as he picked up the necessities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): My first stop was the home improvement store. With Frances coming toward the Florida east coast, I have to do what everyone else should be doing: getting prepared now.

(on camera): Yeah, this is good: nylon rope, 50 foot, 3/16th- inch -- 3/16th-inch. This will work good.

(voice-over): The rope is for tying down any loose objects that I can't bring inside. I have many of the basics, but if you don't, get out now and buy batteries, flashlights, gas cans, heavy-duty trash bags for cleanup. Stay away from candles. If they fall or blow over, you may have a bigger problem than the hurricane.

I touched base with my wife to let her know what I was picking up.

(on camera): So, I've got some -- I got a whole bunch of plastic tarps. I've got a big box of plastic sheeting to go on the roof -- if, God forbid, we lose the roof or a portion of it.

(voice-over): Many people were buying plywood to cover windows. Get 5/8th-inch or 3/4th-inch. Anything thinner won't be as effective against flying debris. Stay away from pressed board, if possible -- it doesn't hold up well when wet. And be patient. Stores are packed, and it's only going to get worse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is that, a reality show or something?

ZARRELLA (on camera): This is the ultimate reality show, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's for sure.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): At home, we have hurricane supplies stockpiled. You should have at least three days worth of nonperishable foods for your family. Canned meats and lots of water are a must. Make sure you have emergency medical supplies.

Your pre-storm to-do list should include: make sure your car has a full tank of gas; identify the safest room in your house where you and your family can take cover, if necessary; locate an escape room from your home; have a mattress ready to cover you and your family; and put important documents, photos, and valuables in water-tight bags or containers.

For my bigger windows, I have accordion shutters that easily close in place.

(on camera): And they're locked. These are the aluminum hurricane panels I've got to put up. There's plenty of them. I'm going to hold off on that, at least until we get probably the hurricane warning and then go ahead and put those up. And I think I'm going to leave that to my teenage sons to do.

(voice-over): Most importantly, heed the recommendations of your local officials. I've done everything I can to protect my family and property. The rest is out of my hands.

John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Always nice to go along with the Zarrella family, see how they're doing. Orelon, did you notice he was smart? He checked in with his wife from the store to make sure they were getting everything they needed.

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I think that's an excellent idea. And really, I mean, it's kind of late in the game to say this, but folks, if you live anywhere along the Gulf coast or the eastern coast of the United States, you should have hurricane preparedness kits ready by June 1st, the first day of the Atlantic hurricane season.

It's really late to get in the game now when the storm is approaching your area. You really do want to have that available for you at any time after the Atlantic hurricane season begins.

Taking a look now at Frances as it moves its way toward the U.S. coast, a very powerful Category 4 storm with 145 mile-an-hour winds. The pressure now is 939 millibars. And that's what we use to determine the intensity of the storm. And the storm right now is closest to Hurricane Hugo when it made landfall back in 1989. Its pressure was 940 millibars.

Of course, this is the current pressure. We'll know what the pressure is at landfall a bit later. But it's landfalling, if you will, across parts of the Bahamas certainly. And so, a very, very powerful storm is beating up on that area.

Here's what can happen with Category 4 storms as far as their damage is concerned. You start to get structural damage now with Category 4 storms. Inland flooding is also a problem, depending upon where the storm makes landfall along the coast and the angle it makes landfall. We will definitely be seeing some problems with potential storm surge.

If we go up to Category 5, structural damage becomes likely, and you're looking at severe damage, major storm surge flooding with winds over 156 miles an hour. Now, I bring this up because the storm is moving to the west-northwest at 13 miles an hour. If you add that to the speed of the winds, 145, you get Category 5 on the eastern side of the storm.

Remember, that as the storm moves, the eastern side of the storm, east of the direction of motion, you have to add its forward speed together with its wind speed to get the actual speed of the winds. This side is actually already Category 5 as far as that's concerned. The side on the left, you have to subtract the forward motion from the wind speed. So, this side is actually a little bit -- little bit -- less dangerous.

But for now, you really need to know that this is a very powerful storm heading in your direction. By Friday morning, we still expect it to be a Category 4. Friday evening into Saturday morning, looking at a very strong Category 4 storm making landfall before it kind of diminishes down to Category 1, we think, by Sunday morning.

This part of the track we're really not too concerned with now; more concerned with what's going to happen in the next 36 to 48 hours -- Daryn?

KAGAN: All right. Orelon, you are busy. We will check back. Thank you.

SIDNEY: You're welcome.

KAGAN: President Bush delivers his acceptance speech tonight at the Republican convention. And one of his best friends says all Mr. Bush has to do is be his friendly self.

Our Kelly Wallace reports now on efforts to show the president's kinder side.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush arrives in the city that redefined his presidency, huddling with firefighters last night in Queens.

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You effected my way of thinking in a deep way.

WALLACE: Getting ready to show his kinder, gentler side.

Making over Mr. Macho President, a recent headline in the "New York Daily News."

THOMAS DEFRANK, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": He's got to come up with a persona and an appeal and in engaging side and tone to this speech.

His aides all say that that's the real Bush but that part of him has been obscured by what one calls the hard ads, the warrior side of him.

WALLACE: His advisers thought his record in the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq would put him far out in front.

BUSH: We did the right thing and the world is better off for it.

WALLACE: But along came problems in post-war Iraq, a sagging economy, criticisms he's set in his ways.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What you really have is stubborn leadership.

WALLACE: And so, the effort to put a human face on the warrior leader from Laura Bush.

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: But he's still the same person I met at a backyard barbecue in Midland, Texas, and married three months later.

WALLACE: And the president himself, in a recent "New York Times" interview, for the first time acknowledging a miscalculation of what the conditions would be after the war in Iraq. This from the man who only months ago couldn't name one mistake he'd made.

BUSH: You know I just -- I'm sure something will pop in my head here in the rest of this press conference, all the pressure of trying to come up with an answer but it hasn't yet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Well, there's a lot of talk about capturing the youth vote, both parties are courting it, and the daughters of President Bush and John Kerry are actively campaigning on the trail at the conventions and at events like the MTV Video Music Awards show.

But exactly how important is that segment of voters? With us now from New York, Jehmu Greene, deputy director of Rock the Vote.

Good morning. Good to have you here with us again.

JEHMU GREENE, DEP. DIR., ROCK THE VOTE: Good morning. Thanks for having me, Daryn.

KAGAN: Are young people going to come out and vote this year?

GREENE: Absolutely. We have been talking all year about how young people were going to make history. They started off in the Iowa caucuses by turning out in larger numbers, and the New Hampshire primary, and we're seeing record numbers in voter registration. We're starting to see a surge in voter registration happening already, and we know that on November 2nd, at least 20 million young people will turn out on Election Day.

KAGAN: But there are signs that people are feeling -- young people -- still feeling disenfranchised. If you look at what happened at the MTV Video Awards in Miami last week, you had both sets of daughters, you had the Kerry daughters and the Bush twins there; they both got booed.

GREENE: I was lucky to be at the VMA Awards in Miami, and I will say, that I don't think that was disenfranchised. I think that was engagement, like, you had the audience, the young people who were engaged in the election and showing what their political opinions were. And that's a sign that young people are more interested in this election.

And of course, the candidates are going to have to do their work to pull them to their side and to get those votes, but young people are, you know, finding the candidates that are -- they are supporting and, you know, making those opinions heard, and that's what they did in Miami.

KAGAN: OK, so the daughters come on stage and they get booed, but that's a good thing. I think, Jehmu, that's what they call spin in politics.

Let's look at some numbers here to see who the young people say they're going to vote for, two sets of numbers. First, new voters choice for president, Kerry, 50 percent over President Bush's 40 percent. Do those numbers surprise you?

GREENE: Well, no, they don't surprise me. Bush has been losing ground when it comes to young voters, and young voters make up the largest percentage of the new voting population. And he's going to have to come out here tonight and really knock it out of the park and address the issues that are top of mind for young voters and talk to them about the rising cost of college tuition and what is going to be put in place to get rid of the burden of debt that students are facing, and the job market and the fact that college graduates are having to move back in with their parents.

They want both candidates to address these issues. They're taking this election seriously. And we have some work to do between now and November 2nd. But the numbers, with voter registration at Rock the Vote, we've already registered over 600,000 people to vote. We're way ahead than we've been in past presidential election cycles, and this is a sign of how engaged this generation is.

KAGAN: I want to get one more set of numbers. Talk about rocking things, when you add Ralph Nader to the mix for the poll, look what happens. It basically, de facto, takes away Kerry's support and gives it to President Bush.

GREENE: Well, I think it's all going to come down to what states Ralph Nader is on the ballot. And you know, whoever is on the ballot in those states that young voters are voting in, those candidates are going to have to do their job of pulling them to their side and convincing them why they should cast their ballot for them.

KAGAN: All right, makes for interesting conversation. Jehmu Greene, Rock the Vote, thanks for stopping by, looking at those new numbers with us.

GREENE: Thanks, Daryn.

KAGAN: There is more to come from the convention.

Jeanne Moos will take a look for us at protesters who are literally wearing out their message, a clothes encounter, coming up.

But next, new hope in the fight against strokes. It's a treatment meant to the get your own blood flowing, because that's coming up in your daily dose of health news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Now the government has approved a new tool to help prevent strokes.

Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is here with our "Daily Dose" of health news. Good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Every 45 seconds in the United States, someone has a stroke. Now a stroke is sort of similar to a heart attack, except it's in the brain, as a matter of fact, some people call it a brain attack. It's when there's some kind of blockage, and so blood isn't getting to the brain in the way that there should be. There's some kind of a blockage in that blood vessel.

So, a California company said, hey, why don't we devise a stent for the carotid artery in the same way that there are stents for your heart after people have a heart attack.

Here's what the stent looks like. You can see the stents are on the right, those little mesh things, and that's the device that helps get it in there, and those stents actually can prop open the arteries to prevent someone from having a stroke in the first place.

Let's take a look at how this works. It actually -- a catheter goes in, and first an umbrella will open up to filter out any blood clots that might be coming through, and then the stent is then put in place. And as I said, it pretty much props open the arteries so that the blood can start flowing again.

There's a surgery now that neurosurgeons do to hopefully accomplish the same thing. And what this company did, is they compared the risk of death, or heart attack or stroke with the surgery versus with this new stent, which the FDA just approved. And what they found, is that when the folks had the stent, there was a 10 percent risk of death, stroke and heart attack, but with the surgery there was a 15 percent risk. So that's way the FDA approved it.

Two-hundred thousand people have this surgery already. This is the surgery that you have instead of the stent. And there's hope that the stent might possibly take the place for at some of those. It's less invasive; you need local anesthesia instead of general.

KAGAN: So you're supposed to get it if you're at risk for stroke. How do you know if you're at risk?

COHEN: Right, not everyone would get this. You and I wouldn't want to have this put in our carotid artery. You would only get this if the FDA says there's an 80 percent blockage, or if you're already having symptoms of a stroke. So obviously doctors are going to be very careful about who gets this.

KAGAN: And ultimately, we're not talking about replacing surgery, this is perhaps to prevent. Or it's not going to completely prevent surgery?

COHEN: Well, surgeons say that they don't think it's going to take the place of surgery, and there are several reasons here. First of all, the surgery is sort of the tried and true technique that surgeons have been doing for quite a while now. This stent hasn't had as much experience as the surgeries had. Also, doctors need to have very, very particular training to do it, and neurosurgeons right now out there for the most part don't have that training. So you can't just show up and get it. The doctor needs to know what he's doing.

KAGAN: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.

For your "Daily Dose" of health news online, just log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical stories, special reports and a health library. The address is CNN.com/health.

Well, you've heard of people who wear their heart on their sleeve. Right in New York City a lot of folks are wearing their cause in the same place.

Jeanne Moos goes undercover to get to the bottom of all that. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: At the Republican National Convention, thousands of protesters are wearing their feelings on their sleeves, on their backs, on their chests, not to mention some other unmentionable places.

Our Jeanne Moos takes a look at the underlying message.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They turn the body into a billboard that sometimes goes overboard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No more Bush. No more Bush.

MOOS: The T-shirts in New York this week were enough to encourage literacy, fight plaque, not Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would rather spend time in the bathroom with a toothbrush than you know fighting a war.

MOOS: There's no question the anti-Bush T-shirts were meaner. This seemingly incomprehensible one folds into something a little too comprehensible. And then there is Texas homegrown dope.

(on camera): Planting instructions: using a silver spoon, plant in shallow hole.

(voice-over): But the anti-Kerry crowd likewise had a laugh.

(LAUGHTER)

MOOS: With flip flopping ketchup completely free of all substance.

We glimpsed an anti-Kerry shirt calling him Osama's man. But most jives were gentle, John who? And then there was I'm with Arnold. No, that's not Arnold she's with, this Arnold. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is because I'm in the California delegation and we support Arnold.

MOOS: The Republicans turn the Democrat's symbol against them, while the Democrats turn President Bush's axis of evil phrase against him. But T-shirts pale compared to...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Panties with a purpose.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Which side are you on? The panty lines are drawn.

MOOS: A group that calls itself Axis of Eve held what it called a mass flash.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The metaphor of exposure, that this is a president who has lied to the American people.

MOOS: But the panties are so risque that the only one we can risk is weapon of mass seduction.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can't do this one either.

MOOS (on camera): No.

(voice-over): The group guesses it's sold around $50,000 worth of panties in three months. The NYPD didn't bother to go undercover at this underwear protest.

MOOS (on camera): Safe to assume this is not for personal use.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

MOOS (voice-over): But who needs panties when you're a 7-month- old Republican decked out in elephants and diapers.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And we'll let that be the last word. I'm Daryn Kagan. I'll be back right here tomorrow morning.

Break coming up now.

Wolf Blitzer take takes over from New York City at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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