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American Morning
Clinton Heart Surgery; After the Storm; Russia's School Massacre
Aired September 07, 2004 - 9:00 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.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. Nine o'clock on a Tuesday here in New York after the Labor Day holiday.
Good morning. Soledad's out, Heidi's out, but Kelly Wallace is helping out.
Good morning.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you.
HEMMER: Nice to have you here.
We continue now with more talk about what's happening in Florida. Damage from Frances yet again has a lot of people concerned. FEMA has its hands full for the second time in three weeks. In a few moments, we'll talk to the agency's director of response, get a sense this morning of how bad the storm was, and what they need at this point, too, in the Sunshine State.
WALLACE: Also ahead, the Department of Homeland Security, believe it or not, will be a year old soon. How has the agency done in its first year? We'll talk to the author of the book "Fortress America" about whether the country is safer and some possible flaws in the way the department was put together.
Jack Cafferty, as we've been saying, is off today, all week. But Toure is here.
HEMMER: We'll get back to Toure in a moment.
First, Betty Nguyen, who's live at the CNN Center.
"Now in the News," Betty. Good morning there.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Bill.
In Moscow, the Red Square is at a standstill at this hour. Thousands of protesters are now gathering near the Kremlin for a march to condemn terrorism. City police reportedly say at least 1,000 people are expected.
And here's a live look. A lot of people there at the Kremlin. The rally is set to start right now. As you can see, it's under way. Now, in 15 minutes, CNN's Jill Dougherty has the latest on what's happening in Red Square.
Now to Baghdad. The governor of Baghdad escaped an assassination attempt this morning. The official was not hurt.
Outside of Baghdad, a U.S. military convoy was attacked by a roadside bomb. One of the trucks is seen engulfed by flames and smoke. You see it here. A dozen American troops were killed in Iraq since Monday morning, raising the U.S. war toll to 998.
Congress reconvenes this morning after a summer break. It's giving itself a month to come up with legislation restructuring the nation's intelligence system. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will hold a hearing on ways to implement 9/11 Commission recommendations, and that happens a little later today.
Tiger Woods is bumped from the top spot in golf. Yesterday, Vijay Singh won a head-to-head match-up with Tiger Woods, and that ended his record reign of 264 weeks as the world's top-ranked golfer. Singh withstood a mid-round challenge from Woods to win that open. It's his tour-leading sixth victory of the year.
Back to you, Bill.
HEMMER: I wonder how long he'll stay there.
NGUYEN: I don't think for long. Tiger's a go-getter.
HEMMER: No? We will see. He hasn't been on top of his game lately.
NGUYEN: No, he hasn't.
HEMMER: Betty, thanks for that.
Surgeons may have gotten to former President Bill Clinton just in the nick of time. They say some of his arteries were so blocked, that without yesterday's bypass operation he was very likely headed for a major heart attack possibly sometime soon. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is back outside the hospital here in New York.
Sanjay, good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
And we have Dr. Craig Smith. He's the chairman of the cardiac division here at Columbia Hospital as well. I should point out, he was actually going to celebrate his 34th wedding anniversary, but he got the call, he turned around, and he operated on the president successfully. And he's with us now.
Good morning, Dr. Smith.
DR. CRAIG SMITH, CHIEF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGEON: Good morning.
GUPTA: How is the president doing? SMITH: He's doing just fine this morning. He's extubated yesterday, came off the breathing machine yesterday. He's sitting up, talking, and he's having a normal amount of discomfort, but he's actually doing just fine.
GUPTA: How close was he to a heart attack? You talked about his angiogram. When might he have actually had a heart attack?
SMITH: Well, it's difficult to be really certain about that, but the fact that he had what sounds like an accelerating pattern of unstable rest angina, class four angina occurring without effort in the days leading up to this event is worrisome in anyone. And when you combine those symptoms with the appearance of the angiogram, that showed critical lesions in the major distributions of the coronary branches, that, you know, pretty well makes anyone worried about his prospects for going a long time without trouble.
GUPTA: OK. Yesterday, you made it sound fairly routine, which isn't surprising, I guess. You do about 350 of these operations a year. What was special, what was more challenging or interesting about operating on a former president?
SMITH: Well, I think this is a situation where the challenges are not so much of the more commonplace surgical nature, where your ability to put a critical stitch in a dark corner under the aorta makes the life-saving difference. This is -- the pressure here is to avoid bad decision-making because of overconcern about doing too much or too little, so that you either become too bold or too timid.
So it's the decision-making and judgment that takes the heat here. And fortunately, I think it's also one of the things we learn to do. And -- but that is what we mostly struggled with yesterday, I would say.
GUPTA: There's a lot of cardiac pundits out, if you will, already, talking about the fact that you can do this operation one of two ways, either on a beating heart or a non-beating heart. And you chose to do it by actually stopping the president's heart. Why was that, and what sort of long-term impact might that have?
SMITH: Well, the reason for that is that, when I saw the heart and could actually look at the specific nature of the branches that I was going to bypass, I decided that it was going to be better, safer, easier to do it with the heart stopped, which is not the way I usually do it. I do about 80 percent of these procedures without stopping the heart. And I went into this operation expecting that he would probably fall in the 80 percent.
But the reason there is that 20 percent is that not everybody is perfect for that approach. So in my judgment, that was going to give him the best guarantee of a good long-term outcome.
GUPTA: Might he have memory problems or depression or any of those things as a consequence of this operation?
SMITH: Well, this is -- you know, this is talked about at great length. There's so much you can say on that general subject. But a man of his age, on the heart-lung machine for a little over an hour, how much of an issue that is, is probably not very much of an issue, frankly.
And as we learn more and more about that issue, I think it may be less and less specific to the heart-lung machine than we may have thought several years ago. So we stay tuned on that. But I think when you weigh that against the possibility of a less good outcome from the graphs I had to do, I think it was an exchange worth making.
GUPTA: OK. Dr. Smith, congratulations. Good luck with your new-found fame as well.
He's the chief of cardiac surgery here at Columbia Hospital. A successful operation.
Back to you, Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Sanjay, thanks for that, here in New York City.
Now Kelly with more.
WALLACE: Thanks, Bill.
And this morning, Hurricane Frances is nothing but a tropical depression, but it's still pummeling Georgia and Alabama with heavy winds and rain. Meanwhile, in Florida, residents are breathing a sigh of relief that Frances has finally moved on.
Tom Foreman is live in the Panhandle town of Carrabelle with more.
Tom, how are residents there coping?
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, residents here are looking at the sun this morning for the first time. And they're very happy to see it, as they are all over Florida. It's quite a mess down here.
This was not the most fierce hurricane to hit this state. People have seen things that are more -- that are much worse in a tight area. But in terms of overall destruction, spread out over a big area, they were shocked at the persistence of this storm and how the damage built up slowly and steadily.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (voice-over): Six million people without electricity, 90,000 in shelters, and up to $10 billion in property damage. By the numbers alone, Frances was a monster.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it just went on and on and on and on and on and on.
FOREMAN: And the cleanup is going to be mammoth, too. Extra utility crews and relief trucks are heading in from all around the South. And people are lining up by the thousands just for the basics.
LT. GOV. TONI JENNINGS (R), FLORIDA: We're focused on mass care at this point. That's the ice, water, food, comfort stations, headed towards those areas in southeast Florida that had the first of the impact.
FOREMAN: The loss of lives was relatively small considering the storm's size. But among the fatalities are a former son-in-law and a grandson of Florida state football coach Bobby Bowden. They died in a car crash on a wet road.
Many residents are grateful they lost only property. But at places like this decimated marina, where the National Guard is now standing by to stop looting, that is little comfort.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, it's got insurance on it. That's all I can do is collect the insurance. And we spend all our free time working on it and trying to keep it nice. There it is. What can you do?
FOREMAN: Up in the Panhandle, where Frances passed with little of the expected damage, a sigh of relief.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You never know what you're going to get, so you have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: One bit of warning for folks further north is, as this wet weather comes through, about half of the deaths here were caused by auto accidents on wet roads. And that's something that can come around any big storm, certainly in the country. Certainly people north should bear that in mind as this storm moves up there -- Kelly.
WALLACE: Tom, good advice. Tough road ahead for the people of Florida. Tom Foreman reporting from the Panhandle town of Carrabelle this morning. Thanks so much.
HEMMER: Eric Tolbert is the response director at FEMA. He joins me now from FEMA headquarters in D.C.
Good morning. Welcome here.
ERIC TOLBERT, FEMA RESPONSE DIRECTOR: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: I talked to Michael Brown yesterday. Did not have a whole lot of information passed along to us, because your teams had not gone out into the field, essentially. You went to five counties yesterday. How bad is it?
TOLBERT: Well, we're seeing -- the level of destruction is actually a little bit less than what we saw with Hurricane Charley. It was a lower grade storm. And fortunately for Florida, a lot of the heavy precipitation stayed offshore when the storm stalled near the East Coast. So in many ways, it's less than Charley, but it is much more widespread, even into the Panhandle of Florida. HEMMER: We have heard a huge range on the damage side, anywhere from $2 billion to $10 billion. The governor, Jeb Bush, said perhaps $7 billion is the total, which would match Charley. Do you see any of these numbers adding up based on what you've seen so far?
TOLBERT: No. We're not in the position yet of adding up the numbers. We're just trying to provide the basic humanitarian services and take care of critical needs in Florida at this point.
HEMMER: Also, the food, the ice, the power, how can you help? And how much have you helped at this point?
TOLBERT: Well, all during last week, we were able to stock up on a lot of the commodities that we're accustomed to providing after a disaster. We've worked very closely with the state of Florida's emergency management team in pre-positioning these critical supplies. We think our stock levels are in good shape for this disaster.
We've already moved several of our disaster medical assistance teams in to Brevard, St. Lucie and Martin counties to assist with special-needs shelters and a couple of hospitals that were impacted. So our people are very well on the ground.
The urban search and rescue teams are there. But they haven't -- they haven't been needed yet. And that's a real good sign that the level of structural destruction is less than what we saw with Charley.
HEMMER: That is a good sign, you're right. Go back to some of my first questions, though. It is Tuesday. Frances moved on late on Sunday. When do you have a good idea of what the condition for the state is after this storm?
TOLBERT: Well, we had liaison officers embedded in most of the counties that we expected to have dramatic damage from. So we were -- we were actually getting reports during the night and through yesterday. We're not into the counting dollars yet, but in terms of infrastructure impact and the impact on people, we've been getting those reports all along.
HEMMER: All right. Are you thinking about Ivan yet?
TOLBERT: Yes, we sure are. We're keeping an eye on Ivan. In fact, we deployed people out of New York yesterday to Puerto Rico in anticipation of any impacts down there. And we're going to keep a real -- real close eye on her.
HEMMER: Eric Tolbert, thanks, from FEMA headquarters there in D.C. Thanks -- Kelly.
WALLACE: Bill, thanks.
The storm that was once Hurricane Frances continues to cause problems in the South this morning. Pictures now from Atlanta, where trees and branches of down, crushing cars. Streets are flooded, dozens of schools are closed, power lines are also down. More than half a million customers in metro Atlanta are without electricity. Also, in Atlanta, Rob Marciano. He's in for Chad Myers at the CNN Center.
Rob, what are you seeing around there?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, wind and rain. And a lot of the schools are closed. You know, it's tough to get a snow day down across the South, so any chance you get any sort of bad weather -- and this would be considered that -- they're closing a lot of schools around the metro Atlanta area.
Winds have gusted over 60 miles -- or 40 miles an hour here in the Atlanta metro area. Some of the heavier rain has begun to move off to the north and east as remnants of Frances continues her march across and up the Appalachian Mountain chain.
But behind it a lot of tropical moisture. So a flood threat of three to six inches. Locally, up to 10 in some areas. A possibility over the next 24 hours in some of these big southern cities. And a lot of this moisture is going to be heading up the Northeast as well.
Tornado threats, yes, that's a possibility as well. We had one yesterday in Savannah. And this watch box is in effect until 2:00 this afternoon.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Kelly, we're watching Hurricane Ivan. The latest advisory out of the National Hurricane Center does upgrade it once again to major category status, at a Category 3 storm. And it will head into the Caribbean over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Back to you in New York.
WALLACE: Thanks, Rob. We'll keep watching and checking in with you.
HEMMER: Yes, we will.
In a moment here, is the Homeland Security Department hamstrung by the people who created it? We'll talk to one man who says yes on that question.
WALLACE: Also, the Kobe Bryant case came to a screeching halt last week. What was the final straw? We'll hear from the accuser's lawyers.
HEMMER: Also, the president got a bit of a bump out of his convention, but did he create some long-term problems in the process? Some experts say yes. We'll ask the Bush campaign communications director about that in a moment after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: Across Russia's 11 time zones, thousands of marchers are protesting terrorism today. Friday's school massacre may prove to be a watershed event for Russia. Jill Dougherty is live in Moscow now.
Jill, what's the latest from there?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kelly, I can tell you, here in Moscow, this is really the biggest march of all. It's actually a rally, it's being held downtown right off Red Square, right outside of the walls of the Kremlin. And from the pictures we're seeing, it is really huge.
Now, you might, to a certain degree, expect this, because it was organized by the trade unions. And even going back to Soviet times, they could bring a lot of people out on the streets. But there are thousands and thousands of people. And they have signs.
I've just been looking at some of them. "Russia will not be brought to her knees." "Bring the killers to justice." "Russia against terror."
And significantly, what you're seeing are a lot of "Putin, we are with you" signs. That's to be expected, because what you're not getting here is protests against the government, or anything like that, or against the president, for that matter.
That feeling, however, does exist. It exists pretty much in the south of Russia, in the town of Beslan, in that area, where the tragedy took place. People are still asking questions, wanting to know why they didn't get the entire truth, and why so many people had to die.
But here in Russia, it's a way -- here in Moscow, at least, it's a way for people to gather together to express their grief, their solidarity. And that is what President Putin wanted and was urging people to do.
Now, speaking of President Putin, I have to tell you, there was some very interesting comments by him here in Moscow last night. He was speaking to a large group of Russia experts, and he made some very poied comments about the United States.
He said, "There is a double standard in the war on terror. And when it comes to talking about terror in the West, it's described as terrorists." And he said, "In Russia, it is described, these people are described sometimes as freedom fighters." And he said, "They are not freedom fighters, they are terrorists, the people who took these children hostage. And their aim is to try to destabilize Russia."
He also said that some people in mid-level government in the United States are helping Chechen terrorists by meeting with them. And that that is not fair.
And he had very strong words. He said, "Why don't you meet with Osama bin Laden, invite him to Brussels or to the White House and engage in talks? Ask him what he wants, and give it to him so he'll leave you in peace."
In other words, what he's saying is, you tell us to negotiate with these terrorists. We're not going to do it. And why you, of course, wouldn't talk with Osama bin Laden -- Kelly.
WALLACE: Jill, tough words coming from Vladimir Putin. Jill, thanks. Jill Dougherty reporting from Moscow -- Bill.
HEMMER: Fifty-six days until November 2, the Election Day. Both presidential candidates pounding the pavement in the battleground Midwest, too. And today the president is in Missouri. John Kerry visits North Carolina.
And there's a new CNN poll confirming the post-convention bounce for the president. Nicolle Devenish is communications director for the Bush-Cheney team. She's with us live in Arlington, Virginia.
Welcome back, Nicolle. Good morning to you.
NICOLLE DEVENISH, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, BUSH-CHENEY CAMPAIGN: Thank you. Good morning.
HEMMER: On the screen, a seven-point lead right now for George Bush over John Kerry. How do you hold on to that 52-45 point lead?
DEVENISH: You know, a real contest and vision and philosophy I think is under way. And I think what we see in the selection is the president's compassionate and optimistic stewardship of this country, and a real clear plan and path for where he wants to lead this country in the next four years, pit against John Kerry's politics of anger, politics and lines ripped from the manifestos of Michael Moore and Howard dean.
His statements yesterday represent I think his eighth position on the war on terror. And, you know, I can't imagine this is the advice that President Clinton gave him, but there are certainly a lot of cooks in the kitchen over there. So...
HEMMER: Well, here's what we also found out in that survey on the screen now. Terrorism, versus the economy, both are considered number one, 31 percent for terrorism, 31 for the economy.
On another screen, let's show you, terrorism at the bottom. George Bush leads John Kerry now by 27 points. Sorry, on terrorism, excuse me. On the economy, though, John Kerry leads George Bush by three at 49-46.
How far vulnerable is the White House on the issue of economy, Nicolle?
DEVENISH: Well, there is a lot more work to be done. And that's why you see our president out on the road, taking his agenda for a second term straight to the people. And, you know, until the day this election ends, we will stick to the strategy we started with in March.
There are two big issues that will decide this election, and two very different plans and philosophies for the best way to win this war on terror and continue to grow our economy. So, you know, I think people are going to have to choose in November between the president's pro-growth agenda, pro-worker policies, and a Massachusetts senator who has championed old failed ideas and higher taxes on everything from a gallon of gas to the family farm for his 19 years in the Senate.
HEMMER: That same Massachusetts senator yesterday was talking about the issue of Iraq. Here's how he characterized the White House's position and decision on that war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The "W" stands for wrong choices, wrong judgment, wrong priorities, wrong direction for our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That was John Kerry from yesterday. Your reaction today is what?
DEVENISH: Well, like I said, that's his eighth position in the war on terror. And as the president remarked yesterday, he's got a new team of political operatives. And this is a new position. And with 56 days left, I'm sure we'll see several more iterations. But it is interesting that people understand, these are lines ripped from Michael Moore and Howard Dean's angry agendas and angry messages.
HEMMER: Well, do you have any reaction to the word that broke yesterday about John Kerry seeking advice from Bill Clinton?
DEVENISH: Well, I can't imagine this is the advice that the governor from Hope gave him. But certainly we have an agenda that we're proud to run on. And the contrast on the domestic policies that the president has championed and has laid out for his second term stand in real contrast to John Kerry's agenda.
HEMMER: Is that as far as you're going to go on the Clinton comment?
DEVENISH: That's as far as we're going to go this morning.
HEMMER: All right. Nicolle Devenish, thanks, in Arlington.
DEVENISH: Thanks.
HEMMER: Kelly.
WALLACE: Thanks, Bill.
Still to come, splitting hairs over DNA evidence in the Scott Peterson trial. A live report is coming up.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: And as we've been telling you, Jack taking some vacation. We hope he's enjoying himself. So let's check in with Toure.
TOURE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: And Will.
WALLACE: And the "Question of the Day." And Will.
TOURE: Don't forget about Will.
WALLACE: I'm not -- I'm not dissing Will, don't you worry.
TOURE: We're talking junk food first. President Clinton had bypass surgery on four arteries yesterday. And medical experts say junk food is the culprit that contributed to his condition, among also family history.
But you see the guy at McDonald's all the time. What do you think is going to happen? Are we as people responsible enough to handle fast fattening food in our lives anywhere, or should it be a controlled substance?
Our question, should the government strictly regulate junk food like it does with tobacco and alcohol? Some good answers now.
Dave from Nevada, "We have too much government already. Of course Tom Ridge could decide to have Big Macs fall under his omnipotent Patriot Act powers, but why would he as long as the high- profile victims remain Democrats?"
Ouch.
Joel from Naugatuck, Connecticut, "When I need my fix of fat late at night, I drive an extra hour to the 24-hour McDonald's. I drive while fat, but feel no guilt because it's legal. The fat tastes so good."
Did you get the four O's with the so good?
WALLACE: I like it.
TOURE: "I love my fat. They cannot take my fat from me. I can stop any time I want to."
Oh, Joel, I'm not sure if you can.
And Dale in Philadelphia, "I say, let 'em eat cake. By allowing those knuckleheads to gorge or junk meals, the Darwinian theory of natural selection will prevail. That simply makes more room for those of us who are vegetarians."
HEMMER: Yes.
WALLACE: Yes. Waiting for one of those comments.
TOURE: Yes.
(LAUGHTER) HEMMER: Are you a junkie by the way? Junk food?
TOURE: I'm a -- no, no, no.
HEMMER: Really?
TOURE: I cut that out.
HEMMER: That's how you keep that slim, that slim...
WALLACE: Slim, sleek look.
TOURE: I've been trying to eat pasta, trying to eat more chicken, trying to eat more lamb, trying to cook at home more and not be, you know, going to KFC, although that stuff -- that stuff tastes good, man.
HEMMER: I'm telling you, three pieces, original recipe...
TOURE: Oh, no, no.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Yes.
TOURE: Don't talk about that stuff unless you've got it.
HEMMER: See you later.
In a moment here, is the Department of Homeland Security losing out to the war in Iraq? Some startling figures ahead on that.
Also, just as the Kobe Bryant trial was expected to start, prosecutors dropped that case. Why did the accuser back down? Her lawyers in their first TV interview on why the case was dismissed on the criminal side.
Back in a moment after this.
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Aired September 7, 2004 - 9:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. Nine o'clock on a Tuesday here in New York after the Labor Day holiday.
Good morning. Soledad's out, Heidi's out, but Kelly Wallace is helping out.
Good morning.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you.
HEMMER: Nice to have you here.
We continue now with more talk about what's happening in Florida. Damage from Frances yet again has a lot of people concerned. FEMA has its hands full for the second time in three weeks. In a few moments, we'll talk to the agency's director of response, get a sense this morning of how bad the storm was, and what they need at this point, too, in the Sunshine State.
WALLACE: Also ahead, the Department of Homeland Security, believe it or not, will be a year old soon. How has the agency done in its first year? We'll talk to the author of the book "Fortress America" about whether the country is safer and some possible flaws in the way the department was put together.
Jack Cafferty, as we've been saying, is off today, all week. But Toure is here.
HEMMER: We'll get back to Toure in a moment.
First, Betty Nguyen, who's live at the CNN Center.
"Now in the News," Betty. Good morning there.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Bill.
In Moscow, the Red Square is at a standstill at this hour. Thousands of protesters are now gathering near the Kremlin for a march to condemn terrorism. City police reportedly say at least 1,000 people are expected.
And here's a live look. A lot of people there at the Kremlin. The rally is set to start right now. As you can see, it's under way. Now, in 15 minutes, CNN's Jill Dougherty has the latest on what's happening in Red Square.
Now to Baghdad. The governor of Baghdad escaped an assassination attempt this morning. The official was not hurt.
Outside of Baghdad, a U.S. military convoy was attacked by a roadside bomb. One of the trucks is seen engulfed by flames and smoke. You see it here. A dozen American troops were killed in Iraq since Monday morning, raising the U.S. war toll to 998.
Congress reconvenes this morning after a summer break. It's giving itself a month to come up with legislation restructuring the nation's intelligence system. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will hold a hearing on ways to implement 9/11 Commission recommendations, and that happens a little later today.
Tiger Woods is bumped from the top spot in golf. Yesterday, Vijay Singh won a head-to-head match-up with Tiger Woods, and that ended his record reign of 264 weeks as the world's top-ranked golfer. Singh withstood a mid-round challenge from Woods to win that open. It's his tour-leading sixth victory of the year.
Back to you, Bill.
HEMMER: I wonder how long he'll stay there.
NGUYEN: I don't think for long. Tiger's a go-getter.
HEMMER: No? We will see. He hasn't been on top of his game lately.
NGUYEN: No, he hasn't.
HEMMER: Betty, thanks for that.
Surgeons may have gotten to former President Bill Clinton just in the nick of time. They say some of his arteries were so blocked, that without yesterday's bypass operation he was very likely headed for a major heart attack possibly sometime soon. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is back outside the hospital here in New York.
Sanjay, good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
And we have Dr. Craig Smith. He's the chairman of the cardiac division here at Columbia Hospital as well. I should point out, he was actually going to celebrate his 34th wedding anniversary, but he got the call, he turned around, and he operated on the president successfully. And he's with us now.
Good morning, Dr. Smith.
DR. CRAIG SMITH, CHIEF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGEON: Good morning.
GUPTA: How is the president doing? SMITH: He's doing just fine this morning. He's extubated yesterday, came off the breathing machine yesterday. He's sitting up, talking, and he's having a normal amount of discomfort, but he's actually doing just fine.
GUPTA: How close was he to a heart attack? You talked about his angiogram. When might he have actually had a heart attack?
SMITH: Well, it's difficult to be really certain about that, but the fact that he had what sounds like an accelerating pattern of unstable rest angina, class four angina occurring without effort in the days leading up to this event is worrisome in anyone. And when you combine those symptoms with the appearance of the angiogram, that showed critical lesions in the major distributions of the coronary branches, that, you know, pretty well makes anyone worried about his prospects for going a long time without trouble.
GUPTA: OK. Yesterday, you made it sound fairly routine, which isn't surprising, I guess. You do about 350 of these operations a year. What was special, what was more challenging or interesting about operating on a former president?
SMITH: Well, I think this is a situation where the challenges are not so much of the more commonplace surgical nature, where your ability to put a critical stitch in a dark corner under the aorta makes the life-saving difference. This is -- the pressure here is to avoid bad decision-making because of overconcern about doing too much or too little, so that you either become too bold or too timid.
So it's the decision-making and judgment that takes the heat here. And fortunately, I think it's also one of the things we learn to do. And -- but that is what we mostly struggled with yesterday, I would say.
GUPTA: There's a lot of cardiac pundits out, if you will, already, talking about the fact that you can do this operation one of two ways, either on a beating heart or a non-beating heart. And you chose to do it by actually stopping the president's heart. Why was that, and what sort of long-term impact might that have?
SMITH: Well, the reason for that is that, when I saw the heart and could actually look at the specific nature of the branches that I was going to bypass, I decided that it was going to be better, safer, easier to do it with the heart stopped, which is not the way I usually do it. I do about 80 percent of these procedures without stopping the heart. And I went into this operation expecting that he would probably fall in the 80 percent.
But the reason there is that 20 percent is that not everybody is perfect for that approach. So in my judgment, that was going to give him the best guarantee of a good long-term outcome.
GUPTA: Might he have memory problems or depression or any of those things as a consequence of this operation?
SMITH: Well, this is -- you know, this is talked about at great length. There's so much you can say on that general subject. But a man of his age, on the heart-lung machine for a little over an hour, how much of an issue that is, is probably not very much of an issue, frankly.
And as we learn more and more about that issue, I think it may be less and less specific to the heart-lung machine than we may have thought several years ago. So we stay tuned on that. But I think when you weigh that against the possibility of a less good outcome from the graphs I had to do, I think it was an exchange worth making.
GUPTA: OK. Dr. Smith, congratulations. Good luck with your new-found fame as well.
He's the chief of cardiac surgery here at Columbia Hospital. A successful operation.
Back to you, Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Sanjay, thanks for that, here in New York City.
Now Kelly with more.
WALLACE: Thanks, Bill.
And this morning, Hurricane Frances is nothing but a tropical depression, but it's still pummeling Georgia and Alabama with heavy winds and rain. Meanwhile, in Florida, residents are breathing a sigh of relief that Frances has finally moved on.
Tom Foreman is live in the Panhandle town of Carrabelle with more.
Tom, how are residents there coping?
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, residents here are looking at the sun this morning for the first time. And they're very happy to see it, as they are all over Florida. It's quite a mess down here.
This was not the most fierce hurricane to hit this state. People have seen things that are more -- that are much worse in a tight area. But in terms of overall destruction, spread out over a big area, they were shocked at the persistence of this storm and how the damage built up slowly and steadily.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (voice-over): Six million people without electricity, 90,000 in shelters, and up to $10 billion in property damage. By the numbers alone, Frances was a monster.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it just went on and on and on and on and on and on.
FOREMAN: And the cleanup is going to be mammoth, too. Extra utility crews and relief trucks are heading in from all around the South. And people are lining up by the thousands just for the basics.
LT. GOV. TONI JENNINGS (R), FLORIDA: We're focused on mass care at this point. That's the ice, water, food, comfort stations, headed towards those areas in southeast Florida that had the first of the impact.
FOREMAN: The loss of lives was relatively small considering the storm's size. But among the fatalities are a former son-in-law and a grandson of Florida state football coach Bobby Bowden. They died in a car crash on a wet road.
Many residents are grateful they lost only property. But at places like this decimated marina, where the National Guard is now standing by to stop looting, that is little comfort.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, it's got insurance on it. That's all I can do is collect the insurance. And we spend all our free time working on it and trying to keep it nice. There it is. What can you do?
FOREMAN: Up in the Panhandle, where Frances passed with little of the expected damage, a sigh of relief.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You never know what you're going to get, so you have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: One bit of warning for folks further north is, as this wet weather comes through, about half of the deaths here were caused by auto accidents on wet roads. And that's something that can come around any big storm, certainly in the country. Certainly people north should bear that in mind as this storm moves up there -- Kelly.
WALLACE: Tom, good advice. Tough road ahead for the people of Florida. Tom Foreman reporting from the Panhandle town of Carrabelle this morning. Thanks so much.
HEMMER: Eric Tolbert is the response director at FEMA. He joins me now from FEMA headquarters in D.C.
Good morning. Welcome here.
ERIC TOLBERT, FEMA RESPONSE DIRECTOR: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: I talked to Michael Brown yesterday. Did not have a whole lot of information passed along to us, because your teams had not gone out into the field, essentially. You went to five counties yesterday. How bad is it?
TOLBERT: Well, we're seeing -- the level of destruction is actually a little bit less than what we saw with Hurricane Charley. It was a lower grade storm. And fortunately for Florida, a lot of the heavy precipitation stayed offshore when the storm stalled near the East Coast. So in many ways, it's less than Charley, but it is much more widespread, even into the Panhandle of Florida. HEMMER: We have heard a huge range on the damage side, anywhere from $2 billion to $10 billion. The governor, Jeb Bush, said perhaps $7 billion is the total, which would match Charley. Do you see any of these numbers adding up based on what you've seen so far?
TOLBERT: No. We're not in the position yet of adding up the numbers. We're just trying to provide the basic humanitarian services and take care of critical needs in Florida at this point.
HEMMER: Also, the food, the ice, the power, how can you help? And how much have you helped at this point?
TOLBERT: Well, all during last week, we were able to stock up on a lot of the commodities that we're accustomed to providing after a disaster. We've worked very closely with the state of Florida's emergency management team in pre-positioning these critical supplies. We think our stock levels are in good shape for this disaster.
We've already moved several of our disaster medical assistance teams in to Brevard, St. Lucie and Martin counties to assist with special-needs shelters and a couple of hospitals that were impacted. So our people are very well on the ground.
The urban search and rescue teams are there. But they haven't -- they haven't been needed yet. And that's a real good sign that the level of structural destruction is less than what we saw with Charley.
HEMMER: That is a good sign, you're right. Go back to some of my first questions, though. It is Tuesday. Frances moved on late on Sunday. When do you have a good idea of what the condition for the state is after this storm?
TOLBERT: Well, we had liaison officers embedded in most of the counties that we expected to have dramatic damage from. So we were -- we were actually getting reports during the night and through yesterday. We're not into the counting dollars yet, but in terms of infrastructure impact and the impact on people, we've been getting those reports all along.
HEMMER: All right. Are you thinking about Ivan yet?
TOLBERT: Yes, we sure are. We're keeping an eye on Ivan. In fact, we deployed people out of New York yesterday to Puerto Rico in anticipation of any impacts down there. And we're going to keep a real -- real close eye on her.
HEMMER: Eric Tolbert, thanks, from FEMA headquarters there in D.C. Thanks -- Kelly.
WALLACE: Bill, thanks.
The storm that was once Hurricane Frances continues to cause problems in the South this morning. Pictures now from Atlanta, where trees and branches of down, crushing cars. Streets are flooded, dozens of schools are closed, power lines are also down. More than half a million customers in metro Atlanta are without electricity. Also, in Atlanta, Rob Marciano. He's in for Chad Myers at the CNN Center.
Rob, what are you seeing around there?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, wind and rain. And a lot of the schools are closed. You know, it's tough to get a snow day down across the South, so any chance you get any sort of bad weather -- and this would be considered that -- they're closing a lot of schools around the metro Atlanta area.
Winds have gusted over 60 miles -- or 40 miles an hour here in the Atlanta metro area. Some of the heavier rain has begun to move off to the north and east as remnants of Frances continues her march across and up the Appalachian Mountain chain.
But behind it a lot of tropical moisture. So a flood threat of three to six inches. Locally, up to 10 in some areas. A possibility over the next 24 hours in some of these big southern cities. And a lot of this moisture is going to be heading up the Northeast as well.
Tornado threats, yes, that's a possibility as well. We had one yesterday in Savannah. And this watch box is in effect until 2:00 this afternoon.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Kelly, we're watching Hurricane Ivan. The latest advisory out of the National Hurricane Center does upgrade it once again to major category status, at a Category 3 storm. And it will head into the Caribbean over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Back to you in New York.
WALLACE: Thanks, Rob. We'll keep watching and checking in with you.
HEMMER: Yes, we will.
In a moment here, is the Homeland Security Department hamstrung by the people who created it? We'll talk to one man who says yes on that question.
WALLACE: Also, the Kobe Bryant case came to a screeching halt last week. What was the final straw? We'll hear from the accuser's lawyers.
HEMMER: Also, the president got a bit of a bump out of his convention, but did he create some long-term problems in the process? Some experts say yes. We'll ask the Bush campaign communications director about that in a moment after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: Across Russia's 11 time zones, thousands of marchers are protesting terrorism today. Friday's school massacre may prove to be a watershed event for Russia. Jill Dougherty is live in Moscow now.
Jill, what's the latest from there?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kelly, I can tell you, here in Moscow, this is really the biggest march of all. It's actually a rally, it's being held downtown right off Red Square, right outside of the walls of the Kremlin. And from the pictures we're seeing, it is really huge.
Now, you might, to a certain degree, expect this, because it was organized by the trade unions. And even going back to Soviet times, they could bring a lot of people out on the streets. But there are thousands and thousands of people. And they have signs.
I've just been looking at some of them. "Russia will not be brought to her knees." "Bring the killers to justice." "Russia against terror."
And significantly, what you're seeing are a lot of "Putin, we are with you" signs. That's to be expected, because what you're not getting here is protests against the government, or anything like that, or against the president, for that matter.
That feeling, however, does exist. It exists pretty much in the south of Russia, in the town of Beslan, in that area, where the tragedy took place. People are still asking questions, wanting to know why they didn't get the entire truth, and why so many people had to die.
But here in Russia, it's a way -- here in Moscow, at least, it's a way for people to gather together to express their grief, their solidarity. And that is what President Putin wanted and was urging people to do.
Now, speaking of President Putin, I have to tell you, there was some very interesting comments by him here in Moscow last night. He was speaking to a large group of Russia experts, and he made some very poied comments about the United States.
He said, "There is a double standard in the war on terror. And when it comes to talking about terror in the West, it's described as terrorists." And he said, "In Russia, it is described, these people are described sometimes as freedom fighters." And he said, "They are not freedom fighters, they are terrorists, the people who took these children hostage. And their aim is to try to destabilize Russia."
He also said that some people in mid-level government in the United States are helping Chechen terrorists by meeting with them. And that that is not fair.
And he had very strong words. He said, "Why don't you meet with Osama bin Laden, invite him to Brussels or to the White House and engage in talks? Ask him what he wants, and give it to him so he'll leave you in peace."
In other words, what he's saying is, you tell us to negotiate with these terrorists. We're not going to do it. And why you, of course, wouldn't talk with Osama bin Laden -- Kelly.
WALLACE: Jill, tough words coming from Vladimir Putin. Jill, thanks. Jill Dougherty reporting from Moscow -- Bill.
HEMMER: Fifty-six days until November 2, the Election Day. Both presidential candidates pounding the pavement in the battleground Midwest, too. And today the president is in Missouri. John Kerry visits North Carolina.
And there's a new CNN poll confirming the post-convention bounce for the president. Nicolle Devenish is communications director for the Bush-Cheney team. She's with us live in Arlington, Virginia.
Welcome back, Nicolle. Good morning to you.
NICOLLE DEVENISH, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, BUSH-CHENEY CAMPAIGN: Thank you. Good morning.
HEMMER: On the screen, a seven-point lead right now for George Bush over John Kerry. How do you hold on to that 52-45 point lead?
DEVENISH: You know, a real contest and vision and philosophy I think is under way. And I think what we see in the selection is the president's compassionate and optimistic stewardship of this country, and a real clear plan and path for where he wants to lead this country in the next four years, pit against John Kerry's politics of anger, politics and lines ripped from the manifestos of Michael Moore and Howard dean.
His statements yesterday represent I think his eighth position on the war on terror. And, you know, I can't imagine this is the advice that President Clinton gave him, but there are certainly a lot of cooks in the kitchen over there. So...
HEMMER: Well, here's what we also found out in that survey on the screen now. Terrorism, versus the economy, both are considered number one, 31 percent for terrorism, 31 for the economy.
On another screen, let's show you, terrorism at the bottom. George Bush leads John Kerry now by 27 points. Sorry, on terrorism, excuse me. On the economy, though, John Kerry leads George Bush by three at 49-46.
How far vulnerable is the White House on the issue of economy, Nicolle?
DEVENISH: Well, there is a lot more work to be done. And that's why you see our president out on the road, taking his agenda for a second term straight to the people. And, you know, until the day this election ends, we will stick to the strategy we started with in March.
There are two big issues that will decide this election, and two very different plans and philosophies for the best way to win this war on terror and continue to grow our economy. So, you know, I think people are going to have to choose in November between the president's pro-growth agenda, pro-worker policies, and a Massachusetts senator who has championed old failed ideas and higher taxes on everything from a gallon of gas to the family farm for his 19 years in the Senate.
HEMMER: That same Massachusetts senator yesterday was talking about the issue of Iraq. Here's how he characterized the White House's position and decision on that war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The "W" stands for wrong choices, wrong judgment, wrong priorities, wrong direction for our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That was John Kerry from yesterday. Your reaction today is what?
DEVENISH: Well, like I said, that's his eighth position in the war on terror. And as the president remarked yesterday, he's got a new team of political operatives. And this is a new position. And with 56 days left, I'm sure we'll see several more iterations. But it is interesting that people understand, these are lines ripped from Michael Moore and Howard Dean's angry agendas and angry messages.
HEMMER: Well, do you have any reaction to the word that broke yesterday about John Kerry seeking advice from Bill Clinton?
DEVENISH: Well, I can't imagine this is the advice that the governor from Hope gave him. But certainly we have an agenda that we're proud to run on. And the contrast on the domestic policies that the president has championed and has laid out for his second term stand in real contrast to John Kerry's agenda.
HEMMER: Is that as far as you're going to go on the Clinton comment?
DEVENISH: That's as far as we're going to go this morning.
HEMMER: All right. Nicolle Devenish, thanks, in Arlington.
DEVENISH: Thanks.
HEMMER: Kelly.
WALLACE: Thanks, Bill.
Still to come, splitting hairs over DNA evidence in the Scott Peterson trial. A live report is coming up.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: And as we've been telling you, Jack taking some vacation. We hope he's enjoying himself. So let's check in with Toure.
TOURE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: And Will.
WALLACE: And the "Question of the Day." And Will.
TOURE: Don't forget about Will.
WALLACE: I'm not -- I'm not dissing Will, don't you worry.
TOURE: We're talking junk food first. President Clinton had bypass surgery on four arteries yesterday. And medical experts say junk food is the culprit that contributed to his condition, among also family history.
But you see the guy at McDonald's all the time. What do you think is going to happen? Are we as people responsible enough to handle fast fattening food in our lives anywhere, or should it be a controlled substance?
Our question, should the government strictly regulate junk food like it does with tobacco and alcohol? Some good answers now.
Dave from Nevada, "We have too much government already. Of course Tom Ridge could decide to have Big Macs fall under his omnipotent Patriot Act powers, but why would he as long as the high- profile victims remain Democrats?"
Ouch.
Joel from Naugatuck, Connecticut, "When I need my fix of fat late at night, I drive an extra hour to the 24-hour McDonald's. I drive while fat, but feel no guilt because it's legal. The fat tastes so good."
Did you get the four O's with the so good?
WALLACE: I like it.
TOURE: "I love my fat. They cannot take my fat from me. I can stop any time I want to."
Oh, Joel, I'm not sure if you can.
And Dale in Philadelphia, "I say, let 'em eat cake. By allowing those knuckleheads to gorge or junk meals, the Darwinian theory of natural selection will prevail. That simply makes more room for those of us who are vegetarians."
HEMMER: Yes.
WALLACE: Yes. Waiting for one of those comments.
TOURE: Yes.
(LAUGHTER) HEMMER: Are you a junkie by the way? Junk food?
TOURE: I'm a -- no, no, no.
HEMMER: Really?
TOURE: I cut that out.
HEMMER: That's how you keep that slim, that slim...
WALLACE: Slim, sleek look.
TOURE: I've been trying to eat pasta, trying to eat more chicken, trying to eat more lamb, trying to cook at home more and not be, you know, going to KFC, although that stuff -- that stuff tastes good, man.
HEMMER: I'm telling you, three pieces, original recipe...
TOURE: Oh, no, no.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Yes.
TOURE: Don't talk about that stuff unless you've got it.
HEMMER: See you later.
In a moment here, is the Department of Homeland Security losing out to the war in Iraq? Some startling figures ahead on that.
Also, just as the Kobe Bryant trial was expected to start, prosecutors dropped that case. Why did the accuser back down? Her lawyers in their first TV interview on why the case was dismissed on the criminal side.
Back in a moment after this.
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