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American Morning
Residents Around Florida Nervous They Could be Hit Yet Again; New Threats From Al Qaeda
Aired September 10, 2004 - 08:00 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hurricane Ivan, with its category four winds, looking more and more like it will hit Florida, but not before hitting Jamaica today.
The number two man in al Qaeda back on videotape threatening the U.S. on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary.
And at ground zero, moving forward with a bold new plan up and over the controversies on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
O'BRIEN: Good morning.
They aren't here.
Bill and Soledad are off this morning, enjoying some time off, recuperation in the case of one.
I'm Miles O'Brien.
Good to have you with us.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.
Great to have you with us, Mr. Miles.
O'BRIEN: It's good to be here.
COLLINS: Good to see you again.
And some of the news making headlines that we want to get straight to this morning, what should America do now the Secretary of State Colin Powell is calling the killing in Sudan genocide? We're going to talk about the crisis with Senator Jon Corzine and find out what happens next. He actually just came back from the country. So he'll have some insight there.
O'BRIEN: Also, Sanjay Gupta in the house looking at a new study that uncovers just how extreme binge drinking is rising among college students. Students drinking as many as 24 drinks in a row. It happens a lot more than you may think. It's a troubling story. We'll have that for you, as well.
Jack Cafferty also off today. Andy Borowitz is here.
He's reading your e-mails, and good ones at that.
COLLINS: Yes. We'll get to that in just a moment.
But for now, we want to check on the stories now in the news with Daryn Kagan, once again, at the CNN Center -- good morning, Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Heidi, good morning.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is giving an update this morning on the war on terror. Just a couple hours from now, the secretary will speak at the National Press Club in Washington. Right now, Rumsfeld is preparing to meet with members of Congress for a special breakfast. This meal is in remembrance of the September 11 attacks.
Within the last couple of hours, Israel imposed tight new travel restrictions for Palestinians in Gaza. It's an effort, they say, to guard against attacks during the Jewish holiday season. The ban comes as new skirmishes break out in Gaza. Sources say an Israeli helicopter fired on a group of Palestinians earlier this morning.
Two inmates are being questioned at a Nevada maximum security prison in connection with some booby-trapped letters. The office of Montana's governor and parts of the state capital were evacuated yesterday. A letter sent to the governor set on fire when it was opened. The governors of four other states received similar threatening letters. No injuries were reported.
Let's check on the campaign trail for the day. President Bush launching a bus tour in West Virginia this morning. He'll be meeting with voters throughout that state as he makes his way to Ohio.
His rival, Senator John Kerry, is in St. Louis this morning. About a half hour from now, Kerry records the Democratic radio address and then he will head to Pennsylvania.
Our Ed Henry tells us who is ahead in the polls. Ed will be along in about 25 minutes.
But we waste no more time in getting right back up to New York City.
COLLINS: All right, Daryn, thanks so much for that.
Hurricane Ivan will make a run at Jamaica today. The powerful category four hurricane is expected to make landfall there tonight. The storm has sustained winds of nearly 150 miles an hour. Ivan is blamed already for at least 23 deaths in the Caribbean, 17 0f those on the island of Grenada. Officials say Ivan will hit Jamaica and Cuba before making its way to the Florida Keys and possibly up Florida's west coast.
O'BRIEN: Scattered evacuations continue this hour in the Florida Keys. Residents on their way out this morning. Yesterday, tourists were told to evacuate. Meanwhile, residents around the state are nervous they could be hit yet again.
CNN's John Zarrella with more.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Denis Chavez has had just about all he can take. He and daughters Alexis and Ashley spent Thursday cleaning up the yard of their Palm Beach County home.
Less than a week ago, they watched as the core of Hurricane Frances just missed them. Now, it's Ivan, and now the anxiety level is going up again.
Denis says maybe it's time to leave Florida for good.
DENIS CHAVEZ, RESIDENT: It's a tough decision mentally, but we're exhausted. We're just -- I don't -- I just don't want to go through it again, and I don't want to put my kids through it again.
ZARRELLA: But it's very possible that it will be deja vu all over again for some parts of the so-called Sunshine State. Ivan, coming up from the south, compounds the problems. Evacuations have begun in the Keys, but do people go east or west to get out of harm's way?
Debris, that could become deadly projectiles, still litter streets from Punta Gorda to Fort Pierce. Fuel is still a precious commodity. Utility trucks handling Hurricane Frances repairs need it, but so will evacuees.
GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: So, I mean, welcome to our world. This is -- there is no set answer to any of these questions. A lot of this depends on where the storm goes. We have a huge challenge in front of us.
ZARRELLA: Plywood continues pouring out of home improvement stores. People who didn't or couldn't board up for Charley or Frances are now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You could only get so many pieces of wood, and now we're boarding up the rest of it, because I'm just too scared to see what's going to happen now.
ZARRELLA: With no let up in this mean season, many hurricane- punch-drunk Floridians have opted to live in the dark, even those who have electricity. Everywhere you look, shutters or plywood cover windows, and people say they are not coming down until the tropics calm down.
John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
O'BRIEN: If Ivan hits Florida, it would be the first time in 40 years that three major hurricanes hit the Sunshine State in the same season.
COLLINS: Yes. Hard to imagine what the people there are feeling at this time.
Chad Myers is tracking Ivan at the CNN Center for us this morning.
Good morning once again -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Remember the first one?
COLLINS: Yes.
MYERS: Charley? That was Friday the 13th.
COLLINS: Right.
MYERS: And this thing could hit on the 12th or the 13th. So that's really, that's three major hurricanes in a month, not in a season.
COLLINS: Yes.
MYERS: It's just amazing. These folks are really going through it here.
Hey, Jamaica now, you're under the gun. It's only about 165 miles now from Kingston, Jamaica, which is right there. And the wind speeds, although they're down a little bit from yesterday, still 145 miles per hour, a strong category four.
To get to category five, you must get to 156. So you need 11 more miles per hour to get to a category five. And I don't think it's going to get there before it gets to Jamaica, although it could get there as it goes over the little Cayman, the Cayman Brac area or possibly right over Havana.
And then look at this, right back over, which is probably just -- probably Mile Marker #1, maybe west of there, into Fort Jefferson, possibly even as far west as the western Dry Tortugas and then right on up the same basic track that Charley took. And that's not good news for the folks in western Florida.
Now, the good news is this thing is still three and a half days away. It could turn left or turn right.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: As the third anniversary of 9/11 nears, new threats from al Qaeda to tell you about. Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant, Ayman el-Zawahiri, appeared in a taped message on the Arab network Al Jazeera. Now, in it he says Mujahedeen fighters will triumph in Iraq and in Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AYMAN EL-ZAWAHIRI, BIN LADEN'S CHIEF DEPUTY (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): In Iraq, the Mujahedeen turned America's plan upside down after the weak appearance of the men of the transitional government. The defeat of America in Iraq and Afghanistan has become just a matter of time, with god's help. Americans in both countries are between two fires. If they carry on, they will bleed to death and if they pull out, they lose everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The CIA says it is analyzing the tape to determine if it is, indeed, new, and if it might offer any other information.
Now, in the weeks just before September 11, 2001, the FBI repeatedly blocked Special Agent Coleen Rowley in her investigation of Zacarias Moussaoui. He is the only person in America to be charged in the 9/11 attacks.
After 9/11, she went public with her story. She made the cover of "Time" magazine as a Person of the Year. Now she's contributed to a new book with a chapter of her own thoughts, and not the FBI's, about the Patriot Act and civil liberties in general.
Coleen Rowley joins us now from Washington.
Ms. Rowley, good to have you with us.
COLEEN ROWLEY, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: I want to talk about civil liberties in just a moment.
First, I think viewers are very curious right now, from your view on the inside of the FBI -- I understand you're retiring, but you still have an insider's view -- if someone such as yourself came forward with the same kind of information that you had, you know, in August of 2001, would it be heeded?
ROWLEY: Well, there is, curiously, the 9/11 Commission's, even though they made several good recommendations, did not include a recommendation for Whistleblower Protection Act reform. And I think that would be a very good step in order to elicit the kinds of concerns that are always cropping up of people on the front lines that spot problems.
O'BRIEN: And as a whistleblower, did you feel tremendous pressure before and after it became known that you were doing just that?
ROWLEY: Well, there is actually a little fallacy in what you said earlier, because it was agents in my office that did the investigation. I was -- I had a peripheral role to the side, furnishing legal guidance. And, of course, that's where my paper comes from, is my background legally.
O'BRIEN: OK. Well, let's talk about that, then, civil liberties, the Patriot Act and generally the reaction to 9/11. There are many out there, and I think you're probably among them, who say in many cases the pendulum has swung too far the other way.
ROWLEY: The problems that existed during the summer of 2001 have changed. We were in an overly complacent mode in the summer of 2001. The laws, the wall that prevented sharing of intelligence, were very high. And that has really simply all changed.
The FBI now is embarked in a very proactive, aggressive intelligence collection.
O'BRIEN: No, but when you talk about people's personal civil liberties, though, and you talk about no fly lists and all the things that go along with the Patriot Act, including pulling library records, are you concerned that this is not an appropriate thing to be happening in the United States? And does it really provide us a measure of security?
ROWLEY: Well, there's so much misinformation. You mentioned library lists and that really is not happening. It's one of the -- all of this discussion has really been, you know, hyperbole, etc. And that's the reason I wrote the paper. If we follow the letter of the law of the Patriot Act and we're very careful on these other initiatives, I think we can effectively balance civil liberties. But it's very imperative that we use common sense, which is the -- it's in the title of this book.
O'BRIEN: Well, where is common sense not being used, then?
ROWLEY: There's a real temptation to engage in simplistic, quick, one time solutions. The post-9/11 roundup is an example of that. I actually think the war or the invasion of Iraq perhaps was even an example of an idea that if we just do this one thing -- the national intelligence czar idea, the idea that if we just get a czar, we will solve these problems.
In essence, though, the long, hard slog that it's going to take for generations to come requires very thoughtful attention to the nuts and bolts of how we do investigations.
O'BRIEN: Well, is the intelligence czar a bad idea, though? Or is it just something that you think is not the silver bullet, put it that way?
ROWLEY: Intelligence collection, of course, is necessary. But we have to keep in mind that it is not simply adding more dots and sometimes the dots that don't matter that clutter up the picture. We have to have a way of sifting through and getting to only the important pieces of information.
So, again, it's a process. We have to elicit that type of information, but we also have to use good judgment in what we decide to follow up on.
O'BRIEN: And just a quick final thought. You're not profiting from this book. You make no money from your speeches.
Why are you on this cause, this campaign? ROWLEY: Actually, I've sat through and made my own mistakes in pre-9/11 and I've really resolved never to sit quietly if I know or I think I have an idea that could help. I talk a lot on ethics because I think integrity is behind a lot of the problems and the issues out there.
O'BRIEN: Coleen Rowley, thanks for your time.
Appreciate it -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Miles, we want to take you straight to Connecticut now.
We're getting some pictures into us right now this morning out of Colchester, Connecticut, our affiliate there, WTNH, live pictures. This used to be a church. There was a massive explosion there. As you can see, the church is completely leveled.
Apparently, according to the Associated Press, and the name, St. Mary's Ukrainian Church. This is, if you know the area, at Route 16 and Route 2. Just completely leveled by this explosion.
Authorities on the scene not sure what caused the explosion at this time. Utility companies and fire services, of course, are there. We don't see a whole lot of other people around. We're not sure if there were people inside that building at the time. I think we would see a lot more activity there, much more fast paced, if there were.
Again, Colchester, Connecticut, WTNH, live pictures coming into us now. Some sort of explosion there. We, of course, are going to be watching this story and bringing you details just as soon as we possibly can.
Actually, I am seeing now no reports of injuries at this time, again, according to the Associated Press. But those officials on the scene, of course, checking through all that debris. Unbelievable.
O'BRIEN: A tremendous scene of devastation there.
COLLINS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: We'll be watching that one for you all day, of course.
COLLINS: We will.
Meanwhile, still to come this morning, a government accused of ignoring the murder of its own people. What will it take to stop the crisis in Sudan? We'll talk to a senator just back from that country.
O'BRIEN: Also ahead, America will elect a president in November, in case you haven't been listening. Who would be the rest of the world's pick? That's in Give Me A Minute.
COLLINS: And the centerpiece of ground zero's future gets tangled up in a fight over money.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The Bush administration, for the first time, is calling the humanitarian crisis in Sudan genocide.
Secretary of State Colin Powell says the violent campaign by Arab militias against black Africans in western Sudan is a form of ethnic cleansing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We concluded, I concluded, that genocide has been committed in Darfur and that the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed bear responsibility and that genocide may still be occurring.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Powell wants a U.N. commission to investigate.
New Jersey Senator Jon Corzine is just back from Sudan.
He's joining us this morning now from Washington.
Senator Corzine, hello to you.
Thanks for being with us.
SEN. JON CORZINE (D), NEW JERSEY: Good morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: Take us back to your visit in Sudan.
What were your thoughts as you walked through those villages? What did you see?
CORZINE: Probably the most horrifying human existence that I've ever been exposed to. Women, children, families under threat of starvation, certainly under threat of epidemics of all sorts, and in very crowded, very primitive situations. Already have lost 30,000 to 50,000 lives from violence and a real risk that you have a Rwanda like loss of life from disease and starvation if the international community doesn't put the kind of pressure that Secretary Powell spoke about that the United States is prepared to recognize now existing there.
It is really horrifying.
COLLINS: Yes, looking at the pictures, it's definitely pretty tough to watch, even from this far away. And, again, mentioning that word genocide that Secretary of State Colin Powell is now using -- and I know you also pushed legislation through Congress to use that word -- what happens? I mean what changes when we label it genocide?
CORZINE: Well, when you label it genocide, it requires that, first, when the United States takes that legal action, that we appeal to the United Nations to get specific action out of the Security Council. The Security Council now, under the request from the United States, will review the same data that Secretary Powell produced yesterday and hopefully that will lead to international action, including military force, and certainly sanctions if there's not change by the -- in the behavior of the government of Sudan and particularly these militias that they have empowered to create this million and a half displaced people in western Sudan.
COLLINS: Well, you mentioned the sanctions and, of course, as we've said, the U.S. is trying to win support in the U.N. Security Council for sanctions against Khartoum. But there are three countries -- Pakistan, Algeria and also China -- that import Sudanese oil. They're opposed to these sanctions.
How can they be opposed?
CORZINE: Well, I think that the transparency of the efforts that are brought by -- the transparency that's sought to be brought by the efforts of the media, even by politicians that go and visit and raise the level of concern should bring moral pressure on these countries. I actually think we have to be very strong in our diplomatic conversations with China and Algeria and other places, and they are going to have to be told they're going to have to give up something if they're not going to support us in this process.
This is not just the United States. The European Union, it's a broad, broad group of nations around the globe understand what kind of problem this is and there is no responsible individual or country that could tolerate the kind of genocide that will lead to the reaction that we saw in Rwanda.
COLLINS: In fact, Senator Corzine, I know that this country has given almost $212 million in aid. But referring to the relief efforts, you wrote in your op-ed piece for the "Washington Post" just yesterday: "The most disgraceful performance of all comes from the oil rich Arab states, which have contributed virtually nothing."
CORZINE: Absolutely. It's just mind boggling that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, other countries in the Middle East, Muslim populations, haven't stepped in. This is Muslim group against Muslim group and there is no, no responsible action being taken by the Arab nations.
COLLINS: Senator Jon Corzine, we're going to have to leave it there.
I wish we had more time this morning.
But we certainly appreciate your insights.
CORZINE: Thank you.
COLLINS: Thanks so much -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, they're boarding up the windows, filling up the gas tanks and getting out of the way. We'll take you live to one Florida community keeping a very close watch on hurricane Ivan, as are we. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The category four hurricane Ivan is on its way to Jamaica. And the latest weather information shows it heading toward Cuba and the Florida Keys come Monday.
Irene Toner is the director of emergency management for Monroe County.
She's joining us now live from Marathon, Florida.
Good morning to you.
Thanks for being with us.
IRENE TONER, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR, MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA: Thank you.
COLLINS: Last hour we were checking on the evacuations and how things are going there.
Can you update us on that? Are people getting out smoothly still?
TONER: Yes. We're getting reports the traffic is heavy, but it's moving very smoothly, which is good news. That is an indication that people are taking this very seriously and leaving Monroe County for now.
COLLINS: But your county does not have a shelter system in place for more than a hurricane two, a hurricane category two, I should say.
What sort of challenges does that pose if this hurricane should really come your way?
TONER: You're right, we do not have any shelters within the county if the category of storm is three or higher. What we do have is a very unique evacuation plan, preparedness plan. We start very early, like 36 hours plus, that we start evacuation procedures, because we move our tourists first, R.V.s, mobile homes and so forth. Then we evacuate and close the state parks. And then we evacuate our hospital patients.
We have two hospitals in Monroe County that we get out of here by C130 aircraft. That's going to be on ground today at noon.
COLLINS: Well, you know, as we've been mentioning all morning long, the third hurricane in as much as a month in this area. It seems, you know, kind of like a movie.
I mean are you concerned about your resources or manpower?
TONER: Well, a lot of people are leaving, OK, whether they're just residents or they do have certain jobs. And most certainly we would not stop anyone from leaving. We may have some shortage of personnel, but I think for the most part all of our emergency responders are in place. So the concern isn't all that great. We do have resources, as well.
What's going to happen after the impact of the storm is a whole another story. As you know, we are a chain of islands connected by 42 bridges. Our infrastructure is going to be severely damaged. We do have some concerns about that.
COLLINS: Yes, understandably so, that's for sure.
Irene Toner is the director of emergency management for Monroe County.
Appreciate your time this morning and we wish you best of luck, as well.
TONER: Thank you.
COLLINS: Miles?
O'BRIEN: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, John Kerry uses the bible to slam the president. It's a figure of speech. He didn't really use the bible to slam the president. A campaign update is coming up.
Plus, ground zero is evolving. But some of those involved in the project are finding it hard to move past controversy. That's also ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired September 10, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hurricane Ivan, with its category four winds, looking more and more like it will hit Florida, but not before hitting Jamaica today.
The number two man in al Qaeda back on videotape threatening the U.S. on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary.
And at ground zero, moving forward with a bold new plan up and over the controversies on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
O'BRIEN: Good morning.
They aren't here.
Bill and Soledad are off this morning, enjoying some time off, recuperation in the case of one.
I'm Miles O'Brien.
Good to have you with us.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.
Great to have you with us, Mr. Miles.
O'BRIEN: It's good to be here.
COLLINS: Good to see you again.
And some of the news making headlines that we want to get straight to this morning, what should America do now the Secretary of State Colin Powell is calling the killing in Sudan genocide? We're going to talk about the crisis with Senator Jon Corzine and find out what happens next. He actually just came back from the country. So he'll have some insight there.
O'BRIEN: Also, Sanjay Gupta in the house looking at a new study that uncovers just how extreme binge drinking is rising among college students. Students drinking as many as 24 drinks in a row. It happens a lot more than you may think. It's a troubling story. We'll have that for you, as well.
Jack Cafferty also off today. Andy Borowitz is here.
He's reading your e-mails, and good ones at that.
COLLINS: Yes. We'll get to that in just a moment.
But for now, we want to check on the stories now in the news with Daryn Kagan, once again, at the CNN Center -- good morning, Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Heidi, good morning.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is giving an update this morning on the war on terror. Just a couple hours from now, the secretary will speak at the National Press Club in Washington. Right now, Rumsfeld is preparing to meet with members of Congress for a special breakfast. This meal is in remembrance of the September 11 attacks.
Within the last couple of hours, Israel imposed tight new travel restrictions for Palestinians in Gaza. It's an effort, they say, to guard against attacks during the Jewish holiday season. The ban comes as new skirmishes break out in Gaza. Sources say an Israeli helicopter fired on a group of Palestinians earlier this morning.
Two inmates are being questioned at a Nevada maximum security prison in connection with some booby-trapped letters. The office of Montana's governor and parts of the state capital were evacuated yesterday. A letter sent to the governor set on fire when it was opened. The governors of four other states received similar threatening letters. No injuries were reported.
Let's check on the campaign trail for the day. President Bush launching a bus tour in West Virginia this morning. He'll be meeting with voters throughout that state as he makes his way to Ohio.
His rival, Senator John Kerry, is in St. Louis this morning. About a half hour from now, Kerry records the Democratic radio address and then he will head to Pennsylvania.
Our Ed Henry tells us who is ahead in the polls. Ed will be along in about 25 minutes.
But we waste no more time in getting right back up to New York City.
COLLINS: All right, Daryn, thanks so much for that.
Hurricane Ivan will make a run at Jamaica today. The powerful category four hurricane is expected to make landfall there tonight. The storm has sustained winds of nearly 150 miles an hour. Ivan is blamed already for at least 23 deaths in the Caribbean, 17 0f those on the island of Grenada. Officials say Ivan will hit Jamaica and Cuba before making its way to the Florida Keys and possibly up Florida's west coast.
O'BRIEN: Scattered evacuations continue this hour in the Florida Keys. Residents on their way out this morning. Yesterday, tourists were told to evacuate. Meanwhile, residents around the state are nervous they could be hit yet again.
CNN's John Zarrella with more.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Denis Chavez has had just about all he can take. He and daughters Alexis and Ashley spent Thursday cleaning up the yard of their Palm Beach County home.
Less than a week ago, they watched as the core of Hurricane Frances just missed them. Now, it's Ivan, and now the anxiety level is going up again.
Denis says maybe it's time to leave Florida for good.
DENIS CHAVEZ, RESIDENT: It's a tough decision mentally, but we're exhausted. We're just -- I don't -- I just don't want to go through it again, and I don't want to put my kids through it again.
ZARRELLA: But it's very possible that it will be deja vu all over again for some parts of the so-called Sunshine State. Ivan, coming up from the south, compounds the problems. Evacuations have begun in the Keys, but do people go east or west to get out of harm's way?
Debris, that could become deadly projectiles, still litter streets from Punta Gorda to Fort Pierce. Fuel is still a precious commodity. Utility trucks handling Hurricane Frances repairs need it, but so will evacuees.
GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: So, I mean, welcome to our world. This is -- there is no set answer to any of these questions. A lot of this depends on where the storm goes. We have a huge challenge in front of us.
ZARRELLA: Plywood continues pouring out of home improvement stores. People who didn't or couldn't board up for Charley or Frances are now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You could only get so many pieces of wood, and now we're boarding up the rest of it, because I'm just too scared to see what's going to happen now.
ZARRELLA: With no let up in this mean season, many hurricane- punch-drunk Floridians have opted to live in the dark, even those who have electricity. Everywhere you look, shutters or plywood cover windows, and people say they are not coming down until the tropics calm down.
John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
O'BRIEN: If Ivan hits Florida, it would be the first time in 40 years that three major hurricanes hit the Sunshine State in the same season.
COLLINS: Yes. Hard to imagine what the people there are feeling at this time.
Chad Myers is tracking Ivan at the CNN Center for us this morning.
Good morning once again -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Remember the first one?
COLLINS: Yes.
MYERS: Charley? That was Friday the 13th.
COLLINS: Right.
MYERS: And this thing could hit on the 12th or the 13th. So that's really, that's three major hurricanes in a month, not in a season.
COLLINS: Yes.
MYERS: It's just amazing. These folks are really going through it here.
Hey, Jamaica now, you're under the gun. It's only about 165 miles now from Kingston, Jamaica, which is right there. And the wind speeds, although they're down a little bit from yesterday, still 145 miles per hour, a strong category four.
To get to category five, you must get to 156. So you need 11 more miles per hour to get to a category five. And I don't think it's going to get there before it gets to Jamaica, although it could get there as it goes over the little Cayman, the Cayman Brac area or possibly right over Havana.
And then look at this, right back over, which is probably just -- probably Mile Marker #1, maybe west of there, into Fort Jefferson, possibly even as far west as the western Dry Tortugas and then right on up the same basic track that Charley took. And that's not good news for the folks in western Florida.
Now, the good news is this thing is still three and a half days away. It could turn left or turn right.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: As the third anniversary of 9/11 nears, new threats from al Qaeda to tell you about. Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant, Ayman el-Zawahiri, appeared in a taped message on the Arab network Al Jazeera. Now, in it he says Mujahedeen fighters will triumph in Iraq and in Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AYMAN EL-ZAWAHIRI, BIN LADEN'S CHIEF DEPUTY (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): In Iraq, the Mujahedeen turned America's plan upside down after the weak appearance of the men of the transitional government. The defeat of America in Iraq and Afghanistan has become just a matter of time, with god's help. Americans in both countries are between two fires. If they carry on, they will bleed to death and if they pull out, they lose everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The CIA says it is analyzing the tape to determine if it is, indeed, new, and if it might offer any other information.
Now, in the weeks just before September 11, 2001, the FBI repeatedly blocked Special Agent Coleen Rowley in her investigation of Zacarias Moussaoui. He is the only person in America to be charged in the 9/11 attacks.
After 9/11, she went public with her story. She made the cover of "Time" magazine as a Person of the Year. Now she's contributed to a new book with a chapter of her own thoughts, and not the FBI's, about the Patriot Act and civil liberties in general.
Coleen Rowley joins us now from Washington.
Ms. Rowley, good to have you with us.
COLEEN ROWLEY, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: I want to talk about civil liberties in just a moment.
First, I think viewers are very curious right now, from your view on the inside of the FBI -- I understand you're retiring, but you still have an insider's view -- if someone such as yourself came forward with the same kind of information that you had, you know, in August of 2001, would it be heeded?
ROWLEY: Well, there is, curiously, the 9/11 Commission's, even though they made several good recommendations, did not include a recommendation for Whistleblower Protection Act reform. And I think that would be a very good step in order to elicit the kinds of concerns that are always cropping up of people on the front lines that spot problems.
O'BRIEN: And as a whistleblower, did you feel tremendous pressure before and after it became known that you were doing just that?
ROWLEY: Well, there is actually a little fallacy in what you said earlier, because it was agents in my office that did the investigation. I was -- I had a peripheral role to the side, furnishing legal guidance. And, of course, that's where my paper comes from, is my background legally.
O'BRIEN: OK. Well, let's talk about that, then, civil liberties, the Patriot Act and generally the reaction to 9/11. There are many out there, and I think you're probably among them, who say in many cases the pendulum has swung too far the other way.
ROWLEY: The problems that existed during the summer of 2001 have changed. We were in an overly complacent mode in the summer of 2001. The laws, the wall that prevented sharing of intelligence, were very high. And that has really simply all changed.
The FBI now is embarked in a very proactive, aggressive intelligence collection.
O'BRIEN: No, but when you talk about people's personal civil liberties, though, and you talk about no fly lists and all the things that go along with the Patriot Act, including pulling library records, are you concerned that this is not an appropriate thing to be happening in the United States? And does it really provide us a measure of security?
ROWLEY: Well, there's so much misinformation. You mentioned library lists and that really is not happening. It's one of the -- all of this discussion has really been, you know, hyperbole, etc. And that's the reason I wrote the paper. If we follow the letter of the law of the Patriot Act and we're very careful on these other initiatives, I think we can effectively balance civil liberties. But it's very imperative that we use common sense, which is the -- it's in the title of this book.
O'BRIEN: Well, where is common sense not being used, then?
ROWLEY: There's a real temptation to engage in simplistic, quick, one time solutions. The post-9/11 roundup is an example of that. I actually think the war or the invasion of Iraq perhaps was even an example of an idea that if we just do this one thing -- the national intelligence czar idea, the idea that if we just get a czar, we will solve these problems.
In essence, though, the long, hard slog that it's going to take for generations to come requires very thoughtful attention to the nuts and bolts of how we do investigations.
O'BRIEN: Well, is the intelligence czar a bad idea, though? Or is it just something that you think is not the silver bullet, put it that way?
ROWLEY: Intelligence collection, of course, is necessary. But we have to keep in mind that it is not simply adding more dots and sometimes the dots that don't matter that clutter up the picture. We have to have a way of sifting through and getting to only the important pieces of information.
So, again, it's a process. We have to elicit that type of information, but we also have to use good judgment in what we decide to follow up on.
O'BRIEN: And just a quick final thought. You're not profiting from this book. You make no money from your speeches.
Why are you on this cause, this campaign? ROWLEY: Actually, I've sat through and made my own mistakes in pre-9/11 and I've really resolved never to sit quietly if I know or I think I have an idea that could help. I talk a lot on ethics because I think integrity is behind a lot of the problems and the issues out there.
O'BRIEN: Coleen Rowley, thanks for your time.
Appreciate it -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Miles, we want to take you straight to Connecticut now.
We're getting some pictures into us right now this morning out of Colchester, Connecticut, our affiliate there, WTNH, live pictures. This used to be a church. There was a massive explosion there. As you can see, the church is completely leveled.
Apparently, according to the Associated Press, and the name, St. Mary's Ukrainian Church. This is, if you know the area, at Route 16 and Route 2. Just completely leveled by this explosion.
Authorities on the scene not sure what caused the explosion at this time. Utility companies and fire services, of course, are there. We don't see a whole lot of other people around. We're not sure if there were people inside that building at the time. I think we would see a lot more activity there, much more fast paced, if there were.
Again, Colchester, Connecticut, WTNH, live pictures coming into us now. Some sort of explosion there. We, of course, are going to be watching this story and bringing you details just as soon as we possibly can.
Actually, I am seeing now no reports of injuries at this time, again, according to the Associated Press. But those officials on the scene, of course, checking through all that debris. Unbelievable.
O'BRIEN: A tremendous scene of devastation there.
COLLINS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: We'll be watching that one for you all day, of course.
COLLINS: We will.
Meanwhile, still to come this morning, a government accused of ignoring the murder of its own people. What will it take to stop the crisis in Sudan? We'll talk to a senator just back from that country.
O'BRIEN: Also ahead, America will elect a president in November, in case you haven't been listening. Who would be the rest of the world's pick? That's in Give Me A Minute.
COLLINS: And the centerpiece of ground zero's future gets tangled up in a fight over money.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The Bush administration, for the first time, is calling the humanitarian crisis in Sudan genocide.
Secretary of State Colin Powell says the violent campaign by Arab militias against black Africans in western Sudan is a form of ethnic cleansing.
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COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We concluded, I concluded, that genocide has been committed in Darfur and that the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed bear responsibility and that genocide may still be occurring.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Powell wants a U.N. commission to investigate.
New Jersey Senator Jon Corzine is just back from Sudan.
He's joining us this morning now from Washington.
Senator Corzine, hello to you.
Thanks for being with us.
SEN. JON CORZINE (D), NEW JERSEY: Good morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: Take us back to your visit in Sudan.
What were your thoughts as you walked through those villages? What did you see?
CORZINE: Probably the most horrifying human existence that I've ever been exposed to. Women, children, families under threat of starvation, certainly under threat of epidemics of all sorts, and in very crowded, very primitive situations. Already have lost 30,000 to 50,000 lives from violence and a real risk that you have a Rwanda like loss of life from disease and starvation if the international community doesn't put the kind of pressure that Secretary Powell spoke about that the United States is prepared to recognize now existing there.
It is really horrifying.
COLLINS: Yes, looking at the pictures, it's definitely pretty tough to watch, even from this far away. And, again, mentioning that word genocide that Secretary of State Colin Powell is now using -- and I know you also pushed legislation through Congress to use that word -- what happens? I mean what changes when we label it genocide?
CORZINE: Well, when you label it genocide, it requires that, first, when the United States takes that legal action, that we appeal to the United Nations to get specific action out of the Security Council. The Security Council now, under the request from the United States, will review the same data that Secretary Powell produced yesterday and hopefully that will lead to international action, including military force, and certainly sanctions if there's not change by the -- in the behavior of the government of Sudan and particularly these militias that they have empowered to create this million and a half displaced people in western Sudan.
COLLINS: Well, you mentioned the sanctions and, of course, as we've said, the U.S. is trying to win support in the U.N. Security Council for sanctions against Khartoum. But there are three countries -- Pakistan, Algeria and also China -- that import Sudanese oil. They're opposed to these sanctions.
How can they be opposed?
CORZINE: Well, I think that the transparency of the efforts that are brought by -- the transparency that's sought to be brought by the efforts of the media, even by politicians that go and visit and raise the level of concern should bring moral pressure on these countries. I actually think we have to be very strong in our diplomatic conversations with China and Algeria and other places, and they are going to have to be told they're going to have to give up something if they're not going to support us in this process.
This is not just the United States. The European Union, it's a broad, broad group of nations around the globe understand what kind of problem this is and there is no responsible individual or country that could tolerate the kind of genocide that will lead to the reaction that we saw in Rwanda.
COLLINS: In fact, Senator Corzine, I know that this country has given almost $212 million in aid. But referring to the relief efforts, you wrote in your op-ed piece for the "Washington Post" just yesterday: "The most disgraceful performance of all comes from the oil rich Arab states, which have contributed virtually nothing."
CORZINE: Absolutely. It's just mind boggling that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, other countries in the Middle East, Muslim populations, haven't stepped in. This is Muslim group against Muslim group and there is no, no responsible action being taken by the Arab nations.
COLLINS: Senator Jon Corzine, we're going to have to leave it there.
I wish we had more time this morning.
But we certainly appreciate your insights.
CORZINE: Thank you.
COLLINS: Thanks so much -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, they're boarding up the windows, filling up the gas tanks and getting out of the way. We'll take you live to one Florida community keeping a very close watch on hurricane Ivan, as are we. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The category four hurricane Ivan is on its way to Jamaica. And the latest weather information shows it heading toward Cuba and the Florida Keys come Monday.
Irene Toner is the director of emergency management for Monroe County.
She's joining us now live from Marathon, Florida.
Good morning to you.
Thanks for being with us.
IRENE TONER, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR, MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA: Thank you.
COLLINS: Last hour we were checking on the evacuations and how things are going there.
Can you update us on that? Are people getting out smoothly still?
TONER: Yes. We're getting reports the traffic is heavy, but it's moving very smoothly, which is good news. That is an indication that people are taking this very seriously and leaving Monroe County for now.
COLLINS: But your county does not have a shelter system in place for more than a hurricane two, a hurricane category two, I should say.
What sort of challenges does that pose if this hurricane should really come your way?
TONER: You're right, we do not have any shelters within the county if the category of storm is three or higher. What we do have is a very unique evacuation plan, preparedness plan. We start very early, like 36 hours plus, that we start evacuation procedures, because we move our tourists first, R.V.s, mobile homes and so forth. Then we evacuate and close the state parks. And then we evacuate our hospital patients.
We have two hospitals in Monroe County that we get out of here by C130 aircraft. That's going to be on ground today at noon.
COLLINS: Well, you know, as we've been mentioning all morning long, the third hurricane in as much as a month in this area. It seems, you know, kind of like a movie.
I mean are you concerned about your resources or manpower?
TONER: Well, a lot of people are leaving, OK, whether they're just residents or they do have certain jobs. And most certainly we would not stop anyone from leaving. We may have some shortage of personnel, but I think for the most part all of our emergency responders are in place. So the concern isn't all that great. We do have resources, as well.
What's going to happen after the impact of the storm is a whole another story. As you know, we are a chain of islands connected by 42 bridges. Our infrastructure is going to be severely damaged. We do have some concerns about that.
COLLINS: Yes, understandably so, that's for sure.
Irene Toner is the director of emergency management for Monroe County.
Appreciate your time this morning and we wish you best of luck, as well.
TONER: Thank you.
COLLINS: Miles?
O'BRIEN: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, John Kerry uses the bible to slam the president. It's a figure of speech. He didn't really use the bible to slam the president. A campaign update is coming up.
Plus, ground zero is evolving. But some of those involved in the project are finding it hard to move past controversy. That's also ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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