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CNN Live At Daybreak
Deadly Battles in Iraq; Russia's Response; Hurricane Damage; Hangover Help
Aired September 07, 2004 - 05:30 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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From CNN's Headquarters here in Atlanta, I'm Catherine Callaway. I'm in for Carol this morning.
"In the News," the number of American troops killed in Iraq has now jumped to 997. And there is fighting right now in Baghdad's Sadr City between U.S. forces and Iraqi insurgents. Iraq's Ministry of Health says that 18 Iraqis have been killed, 136 wounded in Sadr City in just the past two days.
Congress back in session this morning. Among the items on the agenda, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence holds a hearing on ways to implement 9/11 Commission recommendations.
Army Private Lynndie England is closer to finding out if she will be court-martialed in the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal. The hearing officer in the case will make her recommendation today or tomorrow.
Florida is picking up the pieces from Hurricane Frances and assessing the damage there. And the National Hurricane Center says it appears that Hurricane Ivan could be veering away from hitting that state.
Let's check in with Rob and find out.
Rob, is that true?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well I would just say -- they said that? Come on, really?
CALLAWAY: That's what the report is, yes.
MARCIANO: All right. All right.
CALLAWAY: You can change it, though, you have the power.
MARCIANO: Well, it's the five-day forecast still brings it close to the southern tip of Florida, so we don't want to scare them, but we don't want to say they are out of it just yet. That's for sure. We'll watch that thing as it develops.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CALLAWAY: Just to clarify now, the Hurricane Center said it could, it's a possibility, I guess it's not heading right at us. All right.
MARCIANO: Yes. Wishful thinking there.
CALLAWAY: That's right.
MARCIANO: Well hopefully that will happen.
CALLAWAY: I hope so, too.
MARCIANO: Yes.
CALLAWAY: Thanks, Rob, see you a little bit later.
New and deadly battles are going on in Iraq this morning. Since Monday, dozens of people have been killed and more than a hundred injured in Baghdad in the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City.
Let's turn to our senior international editor David Clinch who is joining us with the latest on this 997.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, good morning, Catherine.
Well that is true, that is the death toll for Americans in the war so far. And obviously we're going to approach that total of 1,000 Americans at some point. We're in a situation where 11 Americans at least died yesterday on Monday.
And now we're hearing, we haven't seen it yet, because the fighting is continuing so viciously at this point that the people who are taking the pictures for us and others haven't even been able to get out of Sadr City. So 11 dead yesterday elsewhere in Fallujah and other parts of Baghdad, but today, fighting raging in Sadr City overnight and into this morning. And we are hearing reports of U.S. casualties there.
Obviously also reports of a significant death toll on the Iraqi side. Many of these people are militants. But it's interesting the approach that we take to these death tolls. We don't want to keep some sort of sickening clock running on American casualties. But on the other hand, this 1,000 dead, people have been using this figure in the political arena here in the...
CALLAWAY: Yes.
CLINCH: ... U.S. for weeks now saying approaching 1,000 dead. And obviously when we pass it, it will resonate there in the political arena here in the United States.
But in Iraq itself for the American soldiers that are fighting, every death is as important as any other. And to get hung up on the 1,000 dead is a disrespect in some way to the others that have died over the years.
And also, of course, the Iraqi death toll is something which is very difficult for us, because we're told how many Iraqis have died. There is of course the U.S. point of view that most, if not all of those that die in Sadr City are militants that they are targeting and that they are targeting the Americans.
CALLAWAY: Yes.
CLINCH: But there are also stories that it's so hard for us to get to the truth of. Like stories, for instance, I'm reading today of a young Iraqi boy who was playing soccer in the streets and caught in the crossfire, killed by who knows who, 14-year-old died and his funeral taking place today. We would love to be able to go out into the streets and tell the story of every American soldier that has died and every young Iraqi boy that has died. It's not that easy, of course.
CALLAWAY: It's terribly unsafe, too, for the journalists there.
CLINCH: It's very unsafe. The people we rely on in Sadr City to take the pictures for us there are mostly local people. It is not safe for us in most circumstances to go out into Sadr City. So not only the video, but the information, as well, is second hand.
CALLAWAY: All right, David. David Clinch with the latest on what's going on in Sadr City, thank you.
CLINCH: All right.
CALLAWAY: And you can keep up with the latest in Iraq as well as across the globe on our Web site. Of course the address CNN.com/world.
The scene of last week's school hostage tragedy in southern Russia has become a makeshift memorial now to the hundreds that were killed there. And funeral processions passed by the school on their way to a new cemetery for the more than 330 victims. But while some families bury their children, others are still searching. Around 100 people are still unaccounted for.
And many residents of Beslan place some of the blame on Moscow. They say that their leaders undercounted the number of people that were being held in the school and underestimated the hostage takers. One of the suspected attackers appeared on Russian television where he said the school seizure was planned by Chechen rebel leaders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They gathered us in the woods and the colonel said that we should take over a school in Beslan. That was our order. And they said that Mascadof (ph) and Besayef (ph) gave the order. We were made up of different nationalities. There were Uzbeks, Arabs and even several Chechens. When we asked why we were doing this, what our goal was, the colonel answered us, because we need to start a war across the caucuses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: And today is the second national day of mourning for the victims in Beslan. Just a few hours, nearly a 100,000 people are expected to take part in a march in Moscow against the recent acts of terrorism throughout Russia.
And CNN's Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty is joining us now with more on the March and on the likely investigation into that school tragedy -- Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Catherine, they are going to have this march, this rally, actually down by Red Square. It will be starting in about three hours. And we're not expecting that there will really be much, if any, criticism of the government. After all, it's pretty well officially sanctioned. But it does give people a chance to express their sadness and grief about what happened in the south of Russia.
Now more information coming out about the investigation who were these hostage takers? Who were these terrorists? And the Russian authorities at this point say that they have half of the terrorists identified. There were approximately 30, 32 of them. And they say, interestingly, so far they are not finding any Chechens. But they do say they have found 10 what they are calling Arab mercenaries. However, they are not saying precisely which countries they are from.
And another interesting development, President Putin all along has maintained that there is a double standard in the way the West deals with terrorism and the way the West deals with terrorism that takes place in Russia. And last night he met with a number of experts in Russia's foreign policy and he said there's definitely a double standard. And he maintains that the United States and the West are undermining Russia's war against terror.
He said, for instance, these people that you're calling freedom fighters, they are not freedom fighters, they are terrorists. And he made the point you say that we should be negotiating with these people, but would you? And you should invite Osama bin Laden, he said, to Brussels or to the White House and talk with him, get his demands and see if he will leave you alone if you fulfill those demands.
Also, he said that their aim is to try to destabilize Russia. And finally, he said that there will be an investigation here in Russia about how all of this happened, but it won't be public. He said that he doesn't want to turn it into a political show.
CALLAWAY: Right.
DOUGHERTY: And he also said that the 9/11 Commission report was essentially a political document created during an election campaign.
CALLAWAY: Well those are some strong words. And President Putin criticized mid-level management. Any more specifics to that criticism of the U.S. government?
DOUGHERTY: Yes, he's not saying specifically that President Bush has set this into policy. What he is saying is there are people in the government who are meeting with Chechen representatives from the rebels or the separatists and that they are treated like freedom fighters. But what he is saying is they are not freedom fighters, they are terrorists. And if we are both on the same side in this war on terror, we shouldn't have these double standards.
CALLAWAY: So much of this incident reminds people of 9/11 here in America. How much is President Putin communicating with the residents there in Russia about what is going on? He said that the investigation was going to be behind closed doors. How much is being told to the Russian people?
DOUGHERTY: You know that's one of the real problems here, people feel that they simply don't have enough information. Just look at the fact that in the beginning they said there are only about 130 hostages in there. Then it went up to 350, and then it turned out that there were about 1,200.
And now, how many people died? Well we know 338, we think, but there is still more than 100 unaccounted for. So that figure could go up. And there is really building anger, especially among the families and in that region which is very tight. There are families and they are very angry about that.
Now whether it goes up to President Putin is a question. But they certainly do think that their government and President Putin have not been able to protect them from terrorism.
CALLAWAY: Jill, is there anything that you can, one thing that has changed since this incident to make the Russian people feel more secure?
DOUGHERTY: I don't think so. I would really say that they feel, if anything, less secure. Don't forget this is the third major terrorist attack in a little over eight days. That was the last one. But there were two. The planes that crashed and the woman who tried to get into the subway and blow herself up but still killed 10 other people. So Russians are very frightened and very fearful. They do not really have any faith that their government can protect them.
CALLAWAY: All right, Jill Dougherty with the latest from Russia. Thank you, Jill.
Frances lightens up. Coming up in just five minutes, how the tropical storm turned tropical depression leaves a path of destruction. We'll get a bird's eye view of the aftermath coming up.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: Coming up on 14 minutes before the hour now, your news, money, weather and sports.
In Iraq, the governor of Baghdad survives an apparent assassination attempt uninjured today. A roadside bomb went off near his convoy seconds after gunmen opened fire with machine guns. Two people were killed and three of his bodyguards were injured.
Israeli helicopters attacked a suspected Hamas training camp in Gaza City today. Palestinian medical sources say that at least 15 people were killed.
In money news this morning, the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon raised $59.4 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. That's nearly 2 percent less than last year, though. Organizations believe disruptions from Hurricane Frances affected the donations.
And in culture, Michael Moore wants top honors for "Fahrenheit 9/11" at this year's Academy Awards. Moore says that he won't put the film up for best documentary. Instead, he wants the bigger prize, best picture.
And in sports, the New York Yankees asked the commissioner's office to award them a forfeit victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Tampa didn't show up on time rather for a double header because of travel problems due to Hurricane Frances. The request was denied.
Let's check in now with Rob and get the latest on Frances, which is now causing a mess out there.
MARCIANO: Yes, I'm not sure if the Braves are playing today, but it's going to be rained out if they are.
Here is the forecast weather map for today.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: See you later -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: Yes, those people in Florida are dreaming about that snow in Colorado this morning.
Frances left a lot of damage in its wake. Officials there blaming at least nine deaths on the storm. It is also blamed for a death in Georgia. Frances knocked out power to more than three million homes and businesses in Florida. A lot of people haven't been able to go back home yet. More than 75,000 remain in shelters.
President Bush will get a close up look at the damage in Florida. He plans to visit some of the hard hit areas tomorrow.
And people in Florida certainly have a long clean up ahead of them. In Palm Beach County alone, debris from wrecked buildings is littering the streets. Heavy winds and rain lashed nearby Hutchinson Island. But officials say the storm didn't damage two key nuclear reactors there. That's certainly good news.
Meantime, cars filled with storm weary residents are lining up for supplies, just the basic supplies. The lines for ice, water and gas sometimes stretch for miles, but people are willing to wait.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long have you been waiting in line?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four hours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it worth it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, for ice, you can bet your life it is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got a couple of thousand people here at least coming through the line, as you see. People want their ice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very profound that this happened and it shows you just how vulnerable we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: Well, as you know by now, the damage from Frances is widespread. And here's a glimpse of what it looks like from the air and on the ground.
Here's our Miles O'Brien.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hurricanes always clear the air. And when Frances left, it was clear Florida residents have got a huge mess to clean up. It's a familiar scene, a landscape left battered and beaten. In parts of Palm Beach County, entire neighborhoods are destroyed, some houses left with only a front porch or living room wall still standing. Still others even worse. Some hotels with hardly a single window intact, mattresses dangling from high above. The powerful winds left marinas in Fort Pierce littered with mangled boats and overturned vessels. Million-dollar yachts smashed into docks.
The winds weren't the worst of it, though. Heavy rains left several areas of the state under water, some cars nearly covered, parts of Tampa now passable only by boat or canoe. Up and down the Atlantic coast, the storm ripped roofs off stores and flattened gas station canopies, many of those tanks tapped out before the storm, now themselves destroyed. Massive trees were toppled, perhaps just as many power lines down. In Melbourne, a lamppost still dangled from one that remained.
Early estimates put the cost of the slow-moving storm at anywhere from $2 billion to $5 billion. But combined with Charley, and now Ivan on the horizon, the cost of Mother Nature is proving to as massive as the hurricanes themselves.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Miles O'Brien, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLAWAY: And for the latest on Hurricane Frances, including why experts think the Florida death toll may still rise, just log on to our Web site at CNN.com.
You're watching DAYBREAK on a Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: "Health Headlines" for you this morning.
A warning about diabetes and the heart, a study says that diabetes can triple the risk of heart failure for postmenopausal women with coronary heart disease. A researcher at San Francisco General Hospital says that it's more proof that heart failure is not just a disease that affects men.
And parents might want to take note of this, your teenagers might be learning more from television than you want them to. A Rand Corporation study looked at teenagers who watched a lot of television programs with sexual content and those who don't, and it finds that teens who do are twice as likely to have sex.
Turning from sex to alcohol now, ever wonder how best to nurse your occasional hangover? Well, our medical correspondent Holly Firfer has some advice for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A night of this can turn into a morning like this. What in the Jack Daniels did you do? Too late for remorse, now what? A greasy breakfast?
DR. JEFF WIESE, TULANE UNIVERSITY: I don't know how that would help other than perhaps the greasy food just takes your mind off of the other pain and the alcohol hangover.
FIRFER: The hair of the dog that bit you.
WIESE: Certainly doesn't fix the problem, it only prolongs it farther in the day.
FIRFER: Dr. Jeff Wiese has been studying hangovers for years.
WIESE: We know that dehydration is certainly a component of the alcohol hangover, largely because alcohol inhibits the kidney's ability to hold on to fluid. We also know that poor sleep over the course of the night is also a substantial component. We do know there appears to be an inflammatory component that goes with a hangover.
FIRFER: That third martini may have tasted good last night, but the next morning the only taste you'll have is regret. So don't mix liquor?
WIESE: And there's never been any proof of scientific study to substantiate that. FIRFER: Drink coffee to sober up?
WIESE: The only thing coffee will do the night before is keep you up and, again, make the sleep worse such as your hangover is going to be even worse the following morning.
FIRFER: The culprit, the congeners or the toxic chemicals that give color, smell and flavor to alcohol give you the headache and the queasy stomach the next day.
WIESE: The more that you drink the darker alcohols, the alcohol itself, such as bourbon, scotches, dark cabernets, the greater the risk for a hangover.
FIRFER: But be warned, the lighter drinks, vodka, gin and light rum, still contain alcohol, you won't be completely in the clear. And what about some of those products on the market that claim to cure a hangover by ridding the body of congeners or toxic byproducts of alcohol that make you feel sick?
WIESE: And I don't refute that, though I haven't seen that research validated by independent investigators in the scientific community.
FIRFER: Wiese's recommendation, an aspirin for the pain, water and sports drinks for the dehydration and get back in bed and sleep it off.
Holly Firfer, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLAWAY: And for more on this or any other health story, just head to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/health.
Coming up in the next hour of DAYBREAK, what do the polls really say about the presidential candidates? A closer look at the latest polls and what it means in the race for the White House. Stay with us everyone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired September 7, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From CNN's Headquarters here in Atlanta, I'm Catherine Callaway. I'm in for Carol this morning.
"In the News," the number of American troops killed in Iraq has now jumped to 997. And there is fighting right now in Baghdad's Sadr City between U.S. forces and Iraqi insurgents. Iraq's Ministry of Health says that 18 Iraqis have been killed, 136 wounded in Sadr City in just the past two days.
Congress back in session this morning. Among the items on the agenda, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence holds a hearing on ways to implement 9/11 Commission recommendations.
Army Private Lynndie England is closer to finding out if she will be court-martialed in the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal. The hearing officer in the case will make her recommendation today or tomorrow.
Florida is picking up the pieces from Hurricane Frances and assessing the damage there. And the National Hurricane Center says it appears that Hurricane Ivan could be veering away from hitting that state.
Let's check in with Rob and find out.
Rob, is that true?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well I would just say -- they said that? Come on, really?
CALLAWAY: That's what the report is, yes.
MARCIANO: All right. All right.
CALLAWAY: You can change it, though, you have the power.
MARCIANO: Well, it's the five-day forecast still brings it close to the southern tip of Florida, so we don't want to scare them, but we don't want to say they are out of it just yet. That's for sure. We'll watch that thing as it develops.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CALLAWAY: Just to clarify now, the Hurricane Center said it could, it's a possibility, I guess it's not heading right at us. All right.
MARCIANO: Yes. Wishful thinking there.
CALLAWAY: That's right.
MARCIANO: Well hopefully that will happen.
CALLAWAY: I hope so, too.
MARCIANO: Yes.
CALLAWAY: Thanks, Rob, see you a little bit later.
New and deadly battles are going on in Iraq this morning. Since Monday, dozens of people have been killed and more than a hundred injured in Baghdad in the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City.
Let's turn to our senior international editor David Clinch who is joining us with the latest on this 997.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, good morning, Catherine.
Well that is true, that is the death toll for Americans in the war so far. And obviously we're going to approach that total of 1,000 Americans at some point. We're in a situation where 11 Americans at least died yesterday on Monday.
And now we're hearing, we haven't seen it yet, because the fighting is continuing so viciously at this point that the people who are taking the pictures for us and others haven't even been able to get out of Sadr City. So 11 dead yesterday elsewhere in Fallujah and other parts of Baghdad, but today, fighting raging in Sadr City overnight and into this morning. And we are hearing reports of U.S. casualties there.
Obviously also reports of a significant death toll on the Iraqi side. Many of these people are militants. But it's interesting the approach that we take to these death tolls. We don't want to keep some sort of sickening clock running on American casualties. But on the other hand, this 1,000 dead, people have been using this figure in the political arena here in the...
CALLAWAY: Yes.
CLINCH: ... U.S. for weeks now saying approaching 1,000 dead. And obviously when we pass it, it will resonate there in the political arena here in the United States.
But in Iraq itself for the American soldiers that are fighting, every death is as important as any other. And to get hung up on the 1,000 dead is a disrespect in some way to the others that have died over the years.
And also, of course, the Iraqi death toll is something which is very difficult for us, because we're told how many Iraqis have died. There is of course the U.S. point of view that most, if not all of those that die in Sadr City are militants that they are targeting and that they are targeting the Americans.
CALLAWAY: Yes.
CLINCH: But there are also stories that it's so hard for us to get to the truth of. Like stories, for instance, I'm reading today of a young Iraqi boy who was playing soccer in the streets and caught in the crossfire, killed by who knows who, 14-year-old died and his funeral taking place today. We would love to be able to go out into the streets and tell the story of every American soldier that has died and every young Iraqi boy that has died. It's not that easy, of course.
CALLAWAY: It's terribly unsafe, too, for the journalists there.
CLINCH: It's very unsafe. The people we rely on in Sadr City to take the pictures for us there are mostly local people. It is not safe for us in most circumstances to go out into Sadr City. So not only the video, but the information, as well, is second hand.
CALLAWAY: All right, David. David Clinch with the latest on what's going on in Sadr City, thank you.
CLINCH: All right.
CALLAWAY: And you can keep up with the latest in Iraq as well as across the globe on our Web site. Of course the address CNN.com/world.
The scene of last week's school hostage tragedy in southern Russia has become a makeshift memorial now to the hundreds that were killed there. And funeral processions passed by the school on their way to a new cemetery for the more than 330 victims. But while some families bury their children, others are still searching. Around 100 people are still unaccounted for.
And many residents of Beslan place some of the blame on Moscow. They say that their leaders undercounted the number of people that were being held in the school and underestimated the hostage takers. One of the suspected attackers appeared on Russian television where he said the school seizure was planned by Chechen rebel leaders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They gathered us in the woods and the colonel said that we should take over a school in Beslan. That was our order. And they said that Mascadof (ph) and Besayef (ph) gave the order. We were made up of different nationalities. There were Uzbeks, Arabs and even several Chechens. When we asked why we were doing this, what our goal was, the colonel answered us, because we need to start a war across the caucuses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: And today is the second national day of mourning for the victims in Beslan. Just a few hours, nearly a 100,000 people are expected to take part in a march in Moscow against the recent acts of terrorism throughout Russia.
And CNN's Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty is joining us now with more on the March and on the likely investigation into that school tragedy -- Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Catherine, they are going to have this march, this rally, actually down by Red Square. It will be starting in about three hours. And we're not expecting that there will really be much, if any, criticism of the government. After all, it's pretty well officially sanctioned. But it does give people a chance to express their sadness and grief about what happened in the south of Russia.
Now more information coming out about the investigation who were these hostage takers? Who were these terrorists? And the Russian authorities at this point say that they have half of the terrorists identified. There were approximately 30, 32 of them. And they say, interestingly, so far they are not finding any Chechens. But they do say they have found 10 what they are calling Arab mercenaries. However, they are not saying precisely which countries they are from.
And another interesting development, President Putin all along has maintained that there is a double standard in the way the West deals with terrorism and the way the West deals with terrorism that takes place in Russia. And last night he met with a number of experts in Russia's foreign policy and he said there's definitely a double standard. And he maintains that the United States and the West are undermining Russia's war against terror.
He said, for instance, these people that you're calling freedom fighters, they are not freedom fighters, they are terrorists. And he made the point you say that we should be negotiating with these people, but would you? And you should invite Osama bin Laden, he said, to Brussels or to the White House and talk with him, get his demands and see if he will leave you alone if you fulfill those demands.
Also, he said that their aim is to try to destabilize Russia. And finally, he said that there will be an investigation here in Russia about how all of this happened, but it won't be public. He said that he doesn't want to turn it into a political show.
CALLAWAY: Right.
DOUGHERTY: And he also said that the 9/11 Commission report was essentially a political document created during an election campaign.
CALLAWAY: Well those are some strong words. And President Putin criticized mid-level management. Any more specifics to that criticism of the U.S. government?
DOUGHERTY: Yes, he's not saying specifically that President Bush has set this into policy. What he is saying is there are people in the government who are meeting with Chechen representatives from the rebels or the separatists and that they are treated like freedom fighters. But what he is saying is they are not freedom fighters, they are terrorists. And if we are both on the same side in this war on terror, we shouldn't have these double standards.
CALLAWAY: So much of this incident reminds people of 9/11 here in America. How much is President Putin communicating with the residents there in Russia about what is going on? He said that the investigation was going to be behind closed doors. How much is being told to the Russian people?
DOUGHERTY: You know that's one of the real problems here, people feel that they simply don't have enough information. Just look at the fact that in the beginning they said there are only about 130 hostages in there. Then it went up to 350, and then it turned out that there were about 1,200.
And now, how many people died? Well we know 338, we think, but there is still more than 100 unaccounted for. So that figure could go up. And there is really building anger, especially among the families and in that region which is very tight. There are families and they are very angry about that.
Now whether it goes up to President Putin is a question. But they certainly do think that their government and President Putin have not been able to protect them from terrorism.
CALLAWAY: Jill, is there anything that you can, one thing that has changed since this incident to make the Russian people feel more secure?
DOUGHERTY: I don't think so. I would really say that they feel, if anything, less secure. Don't forget this is the third major terrorist attack in a little over eight days. That was the last one. But there were two. The planes that crashed and the woman who tried to get into the subway and blow herself up but still killed 10 other people. So Russians are very frightened and very fearful. They do not really have any faith that their government can protect them.
CALLAWAY: All right, Jill Dougherty with the latest from Russia. Thank you, Jill.
Frances lightens up. Coming up in just five minutes, how the tropical storm turned tropical depression leaves a path of destruction. We'll get a bird's eye view of the aftermath coming up.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: Coming up on 14 minutes before the hour now, your news, money, weather and sports.
In Iraq, the governor of Baghdad survives an apparent assassination attempt uninjured today. A roadside bomb went off near his convoy seconds after gunmen opened fire with machine guns. Two people were killed and three of his bodyguards were injured.
Israeli helicopters attacked a suspected Hamas training camp in Gaza City today. Palestinian medical sources say that at least 15 people were killed.
In money news this morning, the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon raised $59.4 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. That's nearly 2 percent less than last year, though. Organizations believe disruptions from Hurricane Frances affected the donations.
And in culture, Michael Moore wants top honors for "Fahrenheit 9/11" at this year's Academy Awards. Moore says that he won't put the film up for best documentary. Instead, he wants the bigger prize, best picture.
And in sports, the New York Yankees asked the commissioner's office to award them a forfeit victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Tampa didn't show up on time rather for a double header because of travel problems due to Hurricane Frances. The request was denied.
Let's check in now with Rob and get the latest on Frances, which is now causing a mess out there.
MARCIANO: Yes, I'm not sure if the Braves are playing today, but it's going to be rained out if they are.
Here is the forecast weather map for today.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: See you later -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: Yes, those people in Florida are dreaming about that snow in Colorado this morning.
Frances left a lot of damage in its wake. Officials there blaming at least nine deaths on the storm. It is also blamed for a death in Georgia. Frances knocked out power to more than three million homes and businesses in Florida. A lot of people haven't been able to go back home yet. More than 75,000 remain in shelters.
President Bush will get a close up look at the damage in Florida. He plans to visit some of the hard hit areas tomorrow.
And people in Florida certainly have a long clean up ahead of them. In Palm Beach County alone, debris from wrecked buildings is littering the streets. Heavy winds and rain lashed nearby Hutchinson Island. But officials say the storm didn't damage two key nuclear reactors there. That's certainly good news.
Meantime, cars filled with storm weary residents are lining up for supplies, just the basic supplies. The lines for ice, water and gas sometimes stretch for miles, but people are willing to wait.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long have you been waiting in line?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four hours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it worth it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, for ice, you can bet your life it is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got a couple of thousand people here at least coming through the line, as you see. People want their ice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very profound that this happened and it shows you just how vulnerable we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: Well, as you know by now, the damage from Frances is widespread. And here's a glimpse of what it looks like from the air and on the ground.
Here's our Miles O'Brien.
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MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hurricanes always clear the air. And when Frances left, it was clear Florida residents have got a huge mess to clean up. It's a familiar scene, a landscape left battered and beaten. In parts of Palm Beach County, entire neighborhoods are destroyed, some houses left with only a front porch or living room wall still standing. Still others even worse. Some hotels with hardly a single window intact, mattresses dangling from high above. The powerful winds left marinas in Fort Pierce littered with mangled boats and overturned vessels. Million-dollar yachts smashed into docks.
The winds weren't the worst of it, though. Heavy rains left several areas of the state under water, some cars nearly covered, parts of Tampa now passable only by boat or canoe. Up and down the Atlantic coast, the storm ripped roofs off stores and flattened gas station canopies, many of those tanks tapped out before the storm, now themselves destroyed. Massive trees were toppled, perhaps just as many power lines down. In Melbourne, a lamppost still dangled from one that remained.
Early estimates put the cost of the slow-moving storm at anywhere from $2 billion to $5 billion. But combined with Charley, and now Ivan on the horizon, the cost of Mother Nature is proving to as massive as the hurricanes themselves.
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Miles O'Brien, CNN, Atlanta.
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CALLAWAY: And for the latest on Hurricane Frances, including why experts think the Florida death toll may still rise, just log on to our Web site at CNN.com.
You're watching DAYBREAK on a Tuesday morning.
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CALLAWAY: "Health Headlines" for you this morning.
A warning about diabetes and the heart, a study says that diabetes can triple the risk of heart failure for postmenopausal women with coronary heart disease. A researcher at San Francisco General Hospital says that it's more proof that heart failure is not just a disease that affects men.
And parents might want to take note of this, your teenagers might be learning more from television than you want them to. A Rand Corporation study looked at teenagers who watched a lot of television programs with sexual content and those who don't, and it finds that teens who do are twice as likely to have sex.
Turning from sex to alcohol now, ever wonder how best to nurse your occasional hangover? Well, our medical correspondent Holly Firfer has some advice for you.
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HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A night of this can turn into a morning like this. What in the Jack Daniels did you do? Too late for remorse, now what? A greasy breakfast?
DR. JEFF WIESE, TULANE UNIVERSITY: I don't know how that would help other than perhaps the greasy food just takes your mind off of the other pain and the alcohol hangover.
FIRFER: The hair of the dog that bit you.
WIESE: Certainly doesn't fix the problem, it only prolongs it farther in the day.
FIRFER: Dr. Jeff Wiese has been studying hangovers for years.
WIESE: We know that dehydration is certainly a component of the alcohol hangover, largely because alcohol inhibits the kidney's ability to hold on to fluid. We also know that poor sleep over the course of the night is also a substantial component. We do know there appears to be an inflammatory component that goes with a hangover.
FIRFER: That third martini may have tasted good last night, but the next morning the only taste you'll have is regret. So don't mix liquor?
WIESE: And there's never been any proof of scientific study to substantiate that. FIRFER: Drink coffee to sober up?
WIESE: The only thing coffee will do the night before is keep you up and, again, make the sleep worse such as your hangover is going to be even worse the following morning.
FIRFER: The culprit, the congeners or the toxic chemicals that give color, smell and flavor to alcohol give you the headache and the queasy stomach the next day.
WIESE: The more that you drink the darker alcohols, the alcohol itself, such as bourbon, scotches, dark cabernets, the greater the risk for a hangover.
FIRFER: But be warned, the lighter drinks, vodka, gin and light rum, still contain alcohol, you won't be completely in the clear. And what about some of those products on the market that claim to cure a hangover by ridding the body of congeners or toxic byproducts of alcohol that make you feel sick?
WIESE: And I don't refute that, though I haven't seen that research validated by independent investigators in the scientific community.
FIRFER: Wiese's recommendation, an aspirin for the pain, water and sports drinks for the dehydration and get back in bed and sleep it off.
Holly Firfer, CNN, Atlanta.
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CALLAWAY: And for more on this or any other health story, just head to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/health.
Coming up in the next hour of DAYBREAK, what do the polls really say about the presidential candidates? A closer look at the latest polls and what it means in the race for the White House. Stay with us everyone.
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