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CNN Live At Daybreak

One Month After Charley; Baghdad Bombs; Batman Returns; Kids & Antidepressants; Partisan Paraphernalia

Aired September 14, 2004 - 05:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A lumbering giant of a hurricane strikes a glancing blow at western Cuba. So what's next for Ivan?
It is Tuesday, September 14. This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

"Now in the News."

In central Iraq, two car bombs went off a little more than three hours ago outside of a police station. The area has been a recent hot spot for clashes between U.S. forces and insurgents. At least 35 Iraqis have been killed, many more wounded.

In Israel today, at least two Israeli soldiers have been wounded in a suicide attack in the West Bank. The Al-Aqsa Martyr Brigade is claiming responsibility for that attack.

Japan executed a man today for killing eight children at a school in Osaka. Mamoru Takuma raced into the school three years ago slashing at several teachers and children.

And a nasty scene at last night's Rangers Athletics game in Oakland. Take a look at this. Texas reliever Frank Francisco apparently got irritated by fans near the bullpen, so he threw a chair into the stands. Two people got hurt. On woman's nose was broken. No arrests have been made.

But, man, that's got to change, Chad. I bet some charges will be filed.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I would hope so.

COSTELLO: Unbelievable.

MYERS: Yes. Man, man, I couldn't even believe the pictures.

Anyway, good morning.

I can't believe this thing either, 160 miles per hour. Obviously it's still Hurricane Ivan, a category 5. The eye tightening up here. That tightening of the eyewall actually means that the storm is probably getting a little stronger, although the pressure is actually coming up. And we say that with the full knowledge that the pressure is exactly the same right now as when Andrew actually hit south Florida.

So, yes, this is, although it's weakened a little bit when it did clip here. This is Cuba. Here is Cancun. This is the Mexican radar, and you can actually see the eyewall itself, the eye of the storm there across parts of southern Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Channel, if you will.

A lot more to talk about, Carol, still to come. I'll try to get the forecast for you. Don't have a lot of time there to talk about anything else this morning, unfortunately.

COSTELLO: Understand. Thank you, Chad.

And Chad talked a little about western Cuba. This is the tobacco rich growing area Pinar del Rio. Our Lucia Newman is there and reports many of the roads here are washed out. Cuba evacuated most coastal residents before Ivan struck. Ivan has now killed more than 60 people in its lumbering movement across Jamaica, Grenada and other Caribbean Islands. Grenada was the hardest his, 37 died here.

A hurricane watch remains in effect for much of the Gulf Coast this morning. A mandatory evacuation order goes into effect today for Florida Panhandle residents in low-lying areas.

It's already been a month since Charley hit the west coast of Florida. And in many cases, recovery is like taking one step forward and two steps back.

Ned Roberts of our affiliate station WTSP has more for you on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NED ROBERTS, WTSP-TV REPORTER (voice-over): At the Ross home in Port Charlotte, progress is measured one shingle at a time.

LAURA ROSS, RECOVERING FROM CHARLEY: Slowly but surely it's coming back to normal.

ROBERTS: Keyword, slowly, because while roofers work, much more remains.

ROSS: You can pull it out and it's just, well, you can see.

ROBERTS: Water damage has left Laura Ross' house unlivable.

ROSS: It's not healthy.

ROBERTS: So for the next six to eight months, home will be here.

ROSS: This is it, our home away from home.

ROBERTS: There's a master bedroom, a dining table, even a television.

ROSS: And this is our kitchen. ROBERTS: But for a family of four, it's tight.

ROSS: We have to be patient. We have to learn to respect each other's feelings a little bit more because it's a stressful time.

WAYNE SALLADE, DIRECTOR, CHARLOTTE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: We made great progress the first two weeks after Charley.

ROBERTS: Charlotte County Emergency Management Director Wayne Sallade.

SALLADE: We had power restored to those who could accept it. All water was restored. Many of the essential services were back.

ROBERTS: Then came Frances, now Ivan.

SALLADE: And that has really slowed our recovery.

ROBERTS: Especially in places like Riviera Lagoons where Gary Anderson (ph) and Jamie Lambert (ph) continue living in a trailer outside their mangled mobile home without electricity.

GARY ANDERSON, RECOVERING FROM CHARLEY: It's very difficult.

ROSS: It's just a lot of stress that you just have to learn to live with. It's just a different way of living.

ROBERTS: Indeed, as the sun sets on this one-month milestone, much work remains as people here look toward brighter days ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just the only thing you can control is the future and the present. You just have to forget about the past, you know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Charlotte County residents are now keeping their eyes on Ivan.

We must talk about Iraq this morning, because there have been a terrible car bombing in Baghdad outside of a police station, 30 or more people have been killed.

Our senior international editor David Clinch joins us now to tell us any new details you may have about this blast.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes. Good morning, Carol.

Well it's a really bloody scene in Baghdad again today. This is the area, the Hiffa Street area in Baghdad, where we've seen a real up tick in the violence over the last week or so. Out and out street fights between U.S. forces and insurgents there in the last few days.

But today, it's Iraqis who were lining up outside a police station looking for work, looking to join the Iraqi police force. Many of the dead, 30 plus dead, many of them were in that line looking for jobs as policemen.

But then you know looking at these pictures and hearing from our local journalists that have gone down to cover the story for us, and that's something I'll talk about in a minute, how dangerous it is to even cover this story. Nothing is simple in Iraq right now.

These people are lining up to become policemen, and yet after the fact, our journalists that have gone down there, have said that people are standing there with body parts in their hands, blaming the Americans for this. Some of them even saying that it was American shells that landed on the people and that killed them.

COSTELLO: But how can they do that, because it's always proved that insurgents are responsible?

CLINCH: Well, this is part of the contradiction and confusion that reigns in Baghdad. And in Iraq, in general, at the moment, is people are looking for money, they are looking for jobs. And here is money and a job, so they are lining up to become policemen. Some of them may sincerely want to be part of this new system or want to take part in the reconstruction of Iraq. Some of them may just want a job.

But the confusion of course that reigns is whenever this violence happens, the Iraqi people are caught in the middle, in many, many cases. And we've seen this many times, they lash out at the Americans with no proof, no evidence of any kind.

And that of course is a difficulty that the U.S. faces as they try to crush this insurgency. The harder they push the insurgents, the harder the insurgents attack back. The Iraqi people, in many cases, blame the Americans.

COSTELLO: Tell us the situation in Iraq right now. I know that U.S. forces don't have control over Fallujah.

CLINCH: Yes.

COSTELLO: What about Baghdad? I mean...

CLINCH: Well there are areas of Baghdad, Sadr City. This is not Sadr City, this is not the Shiite insurgency, necessarily, this is a mostly Sunni part of town. Some of these insurgents the U.S. tells us are really more like gangs than they are any kind of political movement.

But the fact is it's security in general. Whether it's Sadr City, Fallujah or Hiffa Street in Baghdad, the security situation the U.S. is determined to gain, regain control. And in doing that, they face the risk of alienating the Iraqi public, so very confusing. There are of course other parts of Iraq that are relatively more peaceful. But overall, it's hanging in the balance. As they get closer to the elections, both sides flexing their muscles.

COSTELLO: David Clinch, many thanks.

American super heroes are causing quite a stir in England, but not in a good way. In fact, the latest appearance of Batman has British security officials on edge.

We get the story from ITN's James Mates in London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES MATES, ITN REPORTER (voice-over): How could it happen? Three years after September the 11th, after innumerable security breaches, many involving the royal family, a man in a Batman costume stands on a ledge near the main balcony of Buckingham Palace.

To say it's embarrassing is just the half of it. It's also a most serious indictment of security at one of our most prominent potential targets. These still pictures, which appear in tomorrow's "Daily Mail," show how easy it was for the protesters from the pressure group Fathers For Justice. An aluminum ladder over iron railings and barbed wall and up onto the wall. Once there, it seems, getting about the outer wall of the palace was easy.

Batman made it. His sidekick, predictably enough, Robin, didn't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He got on. A police officer challenged me with a small-arm, said, come down or I'll shoot you. So I sort of thought about it very quickly and came down.

MATES: The two men found a weak spot. As colleagues created a diversion at the front gate, they scaled a low wall at the side. Once up on the ledge, it was an easy walk around to the front of the palace to unfurl a banner and play to the cameras.

Once there, the police could do little but try to talk him down, offering him a drink while they did it and try to explain why they hadn't acted more robustly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The officers identified immediately that this was what it was, a publicity stunt. And they had any concerns that it was something more serious, then the outcome could have been extremely difficult -- different.

MATES: But the police recognized the protesters because there have been so many, the purple flour bomb in the House of Commons in May, the man dressed as Spider-Man who paralyzed the London Eye on Saturday, and sundry superheroes on the Clifton Suspension Bridge and a crane near Tower Bridge.

As today's protest entered its sixth hour, Batman finally revealed himself to be Jason Hatch, a leading member of Fathers For Justice, who is complaining of lack of access to his children, despite court orders in his favor. Hatch finally agreed to come down in a cherry-picker. Once again, he and his fellow protesters have proved to superb at winning publicity. The police took him away. But they and those who run security at Britain's most sensitive buildings are going to be answering some pretty searching questions this evening.

James Mates, ITV News, Buckingham Palace.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: Coming up on DAYBREAK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATHY MILLING DOWNLING, DAUGHTER COMMITTED SUICIDE: Our child was never sad. There was never any point where she said I don't think life is worth living.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The risk of suicide in children who take antidepressants. Coming up in four minutes, is there a deadly link?

Also, only time will tell. Coming up in 13 minutes, from watches to wheel covers. We'll look at some of the Bush-Kerry stuff up for grabs this political season.

And our e-mail "Question of the Day," do all of the books and all of the films out about the presidential candidates influence your vote or is there too much noise? E-mail us, DAYBREAK@CNN.com. DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

But first, here is a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In "Health Headlines" for you this morning. It's an alternative to glasses, contact lenses and laser surgery. The government has now Okayed a special lens to clear up the vision of nearsighted people. Doctors can permanently implant the lens in the eye.

When it comes to a key check up, many women aren't following up. A new study says most women are getting their first mammogram screenings for breast cancer at the recommended age of 40, but many are not coming back for yearly screenings and doctors say you should.

Another study says even damaged hearts can benefit from alcohol in small amounts. German researchers say moderate drinking can keep arteries from narrowing further in people who have had heart surgery. The study says alcohol can help protect the heart even after the damage has been done and repaired.

It's an emotional and controversial issue, do some antidepressants prescribed to help depressed children actually increase their risk of killing themselves?

As CNN's Christy Feig reports, FDA advisory panels are trying to figure out what kind of advice to give doctors.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTY FEIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mathy Milling Downling outgoing and active 12-year-old daughter Candace (ph) was becomingly increasingly anxious about school issues, so doctors prescribed her a common antidepressant. A few weeks later, she committed suicide.

MATHY MILLING DOWNLING, DAUGHTER COMMITTEE SUICIDE: We had no indication that anything like this could possibly happen. Our child was never sad. There was never any point where she said, "I don't think life is worth living."

FEIG: Chris Drell was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 11. He credits similar antidepressants with saving his life.

CHRIS DRELL, TAKES ANTIDEPRESSANTS: I couldn't deal with anything, and I couldn't deal with life, couldn't deal with the depressed feeling that I had, the bad feeling that I had. I knew that I didn't want to deal with it, and I had to die.

FEIG: Currently the only antidepressant approved by the FDA for use in children is Prozac.

But it doesn't work for every child. And there's nothing illegal about a doctor's prescribing any adult antidepressant for kids. And that's what Candace (ph) and Chris' doctors did.

Now evidence is surfacing that some antidepressants that work well in adults may not work in children at all, or may actually increase suicidal tendencies in teens.

Even so, some who work with depressed children don't want to be limited to just Prozac.

DR. ADELAIDE ROBB, CHILDREN'S NATIONAL MEDICAL CENTER: I don't think they're dangerous but they need to be monitored closely.

But multiple studies now indicate the drugs don't work in kids. But since the studies were never released, doctors didn't have that information.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We simply do not know what to believe. We are increasingly bewildered, skeptical and cynical.

FEIG: But others say the disease alone, without treatment, is dangerous.

KEN DUCKWORTH, NAMI: Every person should know, and you should communicate to them, that untreated depression also kills people.

FEIG: The committee will discuss more data Tuesday, then make recommendations to the FDA on how they should advise doctors.

Christy Feig, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/health.

Former President Clinton looks pretty good after undergoing heart bypass surgery. Here's a picture of Clinton taken outside his New York home Sunday by a tabloid photographer. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton says her husband is regaining strength and he is recovering steadily.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:46 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.

The nation's only September 11 case moves closer to trial. A federal appeals court ruled the government has the right to seek the death penalty for Zacarias Moussaoui. But it also protected Moussaoui's access to favorable statements from al Qaeda captives in U.S. custody. The panel sent the case back to trial court.

The U.S. is expected to pass around a revised U.N. resolution on Sudan today. It calls on the U.N. to investigate whether the atrocities in the Darfur region amount to genocide, and it threatens imposing sanctions.

In money news, breathing room for US Airways. A bankruptcy judge says the airline can use a $700 million government loan to fund operations. Also, the airline says it will skip a $110 million pension payment due tomorrow.

In culture, you may want to take up gambling. A Yale University survey finds that recreational gamblers over 65 years old are in better health than seniors who do not gamble.

In sports, New York Mets Manager Art Howe says he wants the team to make a decision. Reports have surfaced that he will be fired after the season, but Howe says he wants to know now. The Mets have the third worst record in the National League -- Chad.

MYERS: Yes, and you can see all those fans sitting there in the stands, too, couldn't you? Not really.

To the maps we go, Carol. Here we go. This is 24 hours ago, that was the eye of Ivan. Put it into motion for you and you can see that it just clipped the western end there of Cuba. And now it is right here, headed toward the, I call it the north-northwest at this point, but it's still moving there into the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricane warnings for the Yucatan, still for parts of Cuba. And a tropical storm watch for the Florida Keys. We had some wind gusts to about 30 miles an hour at Key West in the past hour or so.

But here is the area of concern, the hurricane watch here across parts of the Gulf Coast, from Morgan City, Louisiana, all the way over to St. Mark's, Florida. This is the hurricane watch. Hurricane conditions expected in the next 36 hours. New Orleans, you're in it, Biloxi, Mobile, Pensacola, Panama City, obviously all of those cities in the storm.

And it does look like the eye of the storm probably around 2:00 a.m., which is a little bit after midnight tomorrow night. So about 45 hours, maybe 44 hours from now is when it actually makes landfall. And that's very close. The Hurricane Center forecast very close to Mobile. Remember, it could move left or it could move right, at least a few miles. I think the track will change at least a little bit before landfall. So if you are anywhere near that area. If you are 100 miles east or west of Mobile, you need to be making all the preps necessary right now.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

Those are the latest headlines for you.

It's the stuff that political campaigns are made of, but what do doormats and hubcaps have to do with presidential politics? Our Jeanne Moos takes us to the streets to see how you are showing your support.

And keep those e-mails coming. Our e-mail "Question of the Day," do books and films about presidential candidates influence your votes? You know the Kitty Kelley book is out today. Too much noise for you? We'll read some of your e-mails ahead.

Stay with us. It's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A controversial gossipy new book that dishes on the life of the first family comes out this week. The unauthorized biography is called "The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty." In one explosive charge, author Kitty Kelley says George W. Bush used cocaine with one of his brothers at Camp David when his father was president. She cites as her source Sharon Bush, the ex-wife of the president's brother, Neil. But Sharon Bush is denying the claim, and so does the White House. Kitty Kelley's book is already No. 2 on Amazon.com. So there is a lot of interest in this book.

We thought we would post this question to you this morning, do books and films about the presidential candidates influence your vote or is there too much noise out there, because there's an awful lot of books out? You go into Borders these days and that's all you see is books about Bush, books about Kerry and of course lots of documentaries on both men out now.

So it's time to read some of your e-mails.

This is from, you didn't put your name, this is from Mary (ph). She says, yes, books help to frame the whole picture of the candidate. It's much easier to discern facts or fiction when I read a book. It's harder when the news covers every little detail and some of what the candidate wants you to hear. They, the politicians, use the media to taint the picture. It's always good to get your sources of information from many different places.

This is from Robert (ph). He says in today's society where it is so hard to distinguish fact from fiction, books and movies follow the same line. Truthfulness seems to be a distant priority and it's seldom found quality in politics. Spin, smear and special interests seem to be the norm. And Robert is from Rapid City, South Dakota.

And this one, I have not read any books or seen Moore's movie, as in Michael Moore. I'm already suffering from too much information. I want an exit strategy from Iraq and I'm not getting it.

Keep the e-mails coming this morning, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

Forget the old political bumper sticker routine. Today's proud partisans have plenty of oddball ways to show their support.

CNN's Jeanne Moos has a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): OK, they're a little hard to make out when you're moving, but why settle for old- fashioned bumper stickers, when you can stick President Bush on your hubcaps, or carry condoms that say redefeat Bush, or take a knockout punch at John Kerry, or give President Bush the boot...

(on camera) You missed a spot.

(voice-over) ... with the Bush doormat.

God bless the Internet. It's opened up a whole new world of political merchandise.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Love it. Love it!

MOOS: So does the head of the Democratic National Committee. Terry McAuliffe has one outside his door.

(on camera) Now is that nice to do to our president?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't like him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't wipe my feet on George Bush.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Disrespectful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're too young for that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, he's not.

MOOS (voice-over): Or maybe you'd prefer to let your pet do the dirty work. That is if your pet isn't petrified of politics. At PoliticalPetToys.com, you can choose to chew on Bush or Kerry at $13 bucks apiece.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get him, Ripley, chew him up.

MOOS: Their slogan?

(on camera) You can't get even, but your pets can.

(voice-over) No wonder, they also sell Saddam and Osama.

(on camera) Finally, someone who can catch Osama.

(voice-over) If you want a more compassionate canine, CafePress.com offers the John Kerry "That dog won't hunt" T-shirt, as well as the "Anyone But Bush" T-shirt, modeled by Julius.

You can even turn your baby into a political poster child.

(on camera) "Mommy, this mess is nothing compared to Bush's war in Iraq."

(voice-over) Though Nate modeled the bib, his dad is a Republican.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His dad will let him spit up all over it.

MOOS: Which Nate did seconds after we removed the bib.

You can count down to election day with timepieces from ElectionWatches.com. At WaffleWatch.com, you can get Senator Kerry flipping waffles. A Bush growing nose watch is in the works, similar to the Bush Pinocchio mask favored by protesters.

As for the hubcaps honoring President Bush, we tooled around in them, but got very few comments.

(on camera) Would you put these hubcabs on your car?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.

MOOS (voice-over): Try CleverCovers.com for $70.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do they have a toilet lid?

MOOS: Not that we know of.

Nader supporters might enjoy Julius gnawing on Kerry on a Bush doormat. These guys can teach even the candidates a thing or two about mud slinging.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: In the next hour of DAYBREAK, walking in the well-worn shoes of America's civil rights icons. We'll have details and a special tribute ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired September 14, 2004 - 05:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A lumbering giant of a hurricane strikes a glancing blow at western Cuba. So what's next for Ivan?
It is Tuesday, September 14. This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

"Now in the News."

In central Iraq, two car bombs went off a little more than three hours ago outside of a police station. The area has been a recent hot spot for clashes between U.S. forces and insurgents. At least 35 Iraqis have been killed, many more wounded.

In Israel today, at least two Israeli soldiers have been wounded in a suicide attack in the West Bank. The Al-Aqsa Martyr Brigade is claiming responsibility for that attack.

Japan executed a man today for killing eight children at a school in Osaka. Mamoru Takuma raced into the school three years ago slashing at several teachers and children.

And a nasty scene at last night's Rangers Athletics game in Oakland. Take a look at this. Texas reliever Frank Francisco apparently got irritated by fans near the bullpen, so he threw a chair into the stands. Two people got hurt. On woman's nose was broken. No arrests have been made.

But, man, that's got to change, Chad. I bet some charges will be filed.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I would hope so.

COSTELLO: Unbelievable.

MYERS: Yes. Man, man, I couldn't even believe the pictures.

Anyway, good morning.

I can't believe this thing either, 160 miles per hour. Obviously it's still Hurricane Ivan, a category 5. The eye tightening up here. That tightening of the eyewall actually means that the storm is probably getting a little stronger, although the pressure is actually coming up. And we say that with the full knowledge that the pressure is exactly the same right now as when Andrew actually hit south Florida.

So, yes, this is, although it's weakened a little bit when it did clip here. This is Cuba. Here is Cancun. This is the Mexican radar, and you can actually see the eyewall itself, the eye of the storm there across parts of southern Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Channel, if you will.

A lot more to talk about, Carol, still to come. I'll try to get the forecast for you. Don't have a lot of time there to talk about anything else this morning, unfortunately.

COSTELLO: Understand. Thank you, Chad.

And Chad talked a little about western Cuba. This is the tobacco rich growing area Pinar del Rio. Our Lucia Newman is there and reports many of the roads here are washed out. Cuba evacuated most coastal residents before Ivan struck. Ivan has now killed more than 60 people in its lumbering movement across Jamaica, Grenada and other Caribbean Islands. Grenada was the hardest his, 37 died here.

A hurricane watch remains in effect for much of the Gulf Coast this morning. A mandatory evacuation order goes into effect today for Florida Panhandle residents in low-lying areas.

It's already been a month since Charley hit the west coast of Florida. And in many cases, recovery is like taking one step forward and two steps back.

Ned Roberts of our affiliate station WTSP has more for you on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NED ROBERTS, WTSP-TV REPORTER (voice-over): At the Ross home in Port Charlotte, progress is measured one shingle at a time.

LAURA ROSS, RECOVERING FROM CHARLEY: Slowly but surely it's coming back to normal.

ROBERTS: Keyword, slowly, because while roofers work, much more remains.

ROSS: You can pull it out and it's just, well, you can see.

ROBERTS: Water damage has left Laura Ross' house unlivable.

ROSS: It's not healthy.

ROBERTS: So for the next six to eight months, home will be here.

ROSS: This is it, our home away from home.

ROBERTS: There's a master bedroom, a dining table, even a television.

ROSS: And this is our kitchen. ROBERTS: But for a family of four, it's tight.

ROSS: We have to be patient. We have to learn to respect each other's feelings a little bit more because it's a stressful time.

WAYNE SALLADE, DIRECTOR, CHARLOTTE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: We made great progress the first two weeks after Charley.

ROBERTS: Charlotte County Emergency Management Director Wayne Sallade.

SALLADE: We had power restored to those who could accept it. All water was restored. Many of the essential services were back.

ROBERTS: Then came Frances, now Ivan.

SALLADE: And that has really slowed our recovery.

ROBERTS: Especially in places like Riviera Lagoons where Gary Anderson (ph) and Jamie Lambert (ph) continue living in a trailer outside their mangled mobile home without electricity.

GARY ANDERSON, RECOVERING FROM CHARLEY: It's very difficult.

ROSS: It's just a lot of stress that you just have to learn to live with. It's just a different way of living.

ROBERTS: Indeed, as the sun sets on this one-month milestone, much work remains as people here look toward brighter days ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just the only thing you can control is the future and the present. You just have to forget about the past, you know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Charlotte County residents are now keeping their eyes on Ivan.

We must talk about Iraq this morning, because there have been a terrible car bombing in Baghdad outside of a police station, 30 or more people have been killed.

Our senior international editor David Clinch joins us now to tell us any new details you may have about this blast.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes. Good morning, Carol.

Well it's a really bloody scene in Baghdad again today. This is the area, the Hiffa Street area in Baghdad, where we've seen a real up tick in the violence over the last week or so. Out and out street fights between U.S. forces and insurgents there in the last few days.

But today, it's Iraqis who were lining up outside a police station looking for work, looking to join the Iraqi police force. Many of the dead, 30 plus dead, many of them were in that line looking for jobs as policemen.

But then you know looking at these pictures and hearing from our local journalists that have gone down to cover the story for us, and that's something I'll talk about in a minute, how dangerous it is to even cover this story. Nothing is simple in Iraq right now.

These people are lining up to become policemen, and yet after the fact, our journalists that have gone down there, have said that people are standing there with body parts in their hands, blaming the Americans for this. Some of them even saying that it was American shells that landed on the people and that killed them.

COSTELLO: But how can they do that, because it's always proved that insurgents are responsible?

CLINCH: Well, this is part of the contradiction and confusion that reigns in Baghdad. And in Iraq, in general, at the moment, is people are looking for money, they are looking for jobs. And here is money and a job, so they are lining up to become policemen. Some of them may sincerely want to be part of this new system or want to take part in the reconstruction of Iraq. Some of them may just want a job.

But the confusion of course that reigns is whenever this violence happens, the Iraqi people are caught in the middle, in many, many cases. And we've seen this many times, they lash out at the Americans with no proof, no evidence of any kind.

And that of course is a difficulty that the U.S. faces as they try to crush this insurgency. The harder they push the insurgents, the harder the insurgents attack back. The Iraqi people, in many cases, blame the Americans.

COSTELLO: Tell us the situation in Iraq right now. I know that U.S. forces don't have control over Fallujah.

CLINCH: Yes.

COSTELLO: What about Baghdad? I mean...

CLINCH: Well there are areas of Baghdad, Sadr City. This is not Sadr City, this is not the Shiite insurgency, necessarily, this is a mostly Sunni part of town. Some of these insurgents the U.S. tells us are really more like gangs than they are any kind of political movement.

But the fact is it's security in general. Whether it's Sadr City, Fallujah or Hiffa Street in Baghdad, the security situation the U.S. is determined to gain, regain control. And in doing that, they face the risk of alienating the Iraqi public, so very confusing. There are of course other parts of Iraq that are relatively more peaceful. But overall, it's hanging in the balance. As they get closer to the elections, both sides flexing their muscles.

COSTELLO: David Clinch, many thanks.

American super heroes are causing quite a stir in England, but not in a good way. In fact, the latest appearance of Batman has British security officials on edge.

We get the story from ITN's James Mates in London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES MATES, ITN REPORTER (voice-over): How could it happen? Three years after September the 11th, after innumerable security breaches, many involving the royal family, a man in a Batman costume stands on a ledge near the main balcony of Buckingham Palace.

To say it's embarrassing is just the half of it. It's also a most serious indictment of security at one of our most prominent potential targets. These still pictures, which appear in tomorrow's "Daily Mail," show how easy it was for the protesters from the pressure group Fathers For Justice. An aluminum ladder over iron railings and barbed wall and up onto the wall. Once there, it seems, getting about the outer wall of the palace was easy.

Batman made it. His sidekick, predictably enough, Robin, didn't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He got on. A police officer challenged me with a small-arm, said, come down or I'll shoot you. So I sort of thought about it very quickly and came down.

MATES: The two men found a weak spot. As colleagues created a diversion at the front gate, they scaled a low wall at the side. Once up on the ledge, it was an easy walk around to the front of the palace to unfurl a banner and play to the cameras.

Once there, the police could do little but try to talk him down, offering him a drink while they did it and try to explain why they hadn't acted more robustly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The officers identified immediately that this was what it was, a publicity stunt. And they had any concerns that it was something more serious, then the outcome could have been extremely difficult -- different.

MATES: But the police recognized the protesters because there have been so many, the purple flour bomb in the House of Commons in May, the man dressed as Spider-Man who paralyzed the London Eye on Saturday, and sundry superheroes on the Clifton Suspension Bridge and a crane near Tower Bridge.

As today's protest entered its sixth hour, Batman finally revealed himself to be Jason Hatch, a leading member of Fathers For Justice, who is complaining of lack of access to his children, despite court orders in his favor. Hatch finally agreed to come down in a cherry-picker. Once again, he and his fellow protesters have proved to superb at winning publicity. The police took him away. But they and those who run security at Britain's most sensitive buildings are going to be answering some pretty searching questions this evening.

James Mates, ITV News, Buckingham Palace.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: Coming up on DAYBREAK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATHY MILLING DOWNLING, DAUGHTER COMMITTED SUICIDE: Our child was never sad. There was never any point where she said I don't think life is worth living.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The risk of suicide in children who take antidepressants. Coming up in four minutes, is there a deadly link?

Also, only time will tell. Coming up in 13 minutes, from watches to wheel covers. We'll look at some of the Bush-Kerry stuff up for grabs this political season.

And our e-mail "Question of the Day," do all of the books and all of the films out about the presidential candidates influence your vote or is there too much noise? E-mail us, DAYBREAK@CNN.com. DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

But first, here is a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In "Health Headlines" for you this morning. It's an alternative to glasses, contact lenses and laser surgery. The government has now Okayed a special lens to clear up the vision of nearsighted people. Doctors can permanently implant the lens in the eye.

When it comes to a key check up, many women aren't following up. A new study says most women are getting their first mammogram screenings for breast cancer at the recommended age of 40, but many are not coming back for yearly screenings and doctors say you should.

Another study says even damaged hearts can benefit from alcohol in small amounts. German researchers say moderate drinking can keep arteries from narrowing further in people who have had heart surgery. The study says alcohol can help protect the heart even after the damage has been done and repaired.

It's an emotional and controversial issue, do some antidepressants prescribed to help depressed children actually increase their risk of killing themselves?

As CNN's Christy Feig reports, FDA advisory panels are trying to figure out what kind of advice to give doctors.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTY FEIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mathy Milling Downling outgoing and active 12-year-old daughter Candace (ph) was becomingly increasingly anxious about school issues, so doctors prescribed her a common antidepressant. A few weeks later, she committed suicide.

MATHY MILLING DOWNLING, DAUGHTER COMMITTEE SUICIDE: We had no indication that anything like this could possibly happen. Our child was never sad. There was never any point where she said, "I don't think life is worth living."

FEIG: Chris Drell was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 11. He credits similar antidepressants with saving his life.

CHRIS DRELL, TAKES ANTIDEPRESSANTS: I couldn't deal with anything, and I couldn't deal with life, couldn't deal with the depressed feeling that I had, the bad feeling that I had. I knew that I didn't want to deal with it, and I had to die.

FEIG: Currently the only antidepressant approved by the FDA for use in children is Prozac.

But it doesn't work for every child. And there's nothing illegal about a doctor's prescribing any adult antidepressant for kids. And that's what Candace (ph) and Chris' doctors did.

Now evidence is surfacing that some antidepressants that work well in adults may not work in children at all, or may actually increase suicidal tendencies in teens.

Even so, some who work with depressed children don't want to be limited to just Prozac.

DR. ADELAIDE ROBB, CHILDREN'S NATIONAL MEDICAL CENTER: I don't think they're dangerous but they need to be monitored closely.

But multiple studies now indicate the drugs don't work in kids. But since the studies were never released, doctors didn't have that information.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We simply do not know what to believe. We are increasingly bewildered, skeptical and cynical.

FEIG: But others say the disease alone, without treatment, is dangerous.

KEN DUCKWORTH, NAMI: Every person should know, and you should communicate to them, that untreated depression also kills people.

FEIG: The committee will discuss more data Tuesday, then make recommendations to the FDA on how they should advise doctors.

Christy Feig, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/health.

Former President Clinton looks pretty good after undergoing heart bypass surgery. Here's a picture of Clinton taken outside his New York home Sunday by a tabloid photographer. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton says her husband is regaining strength and he is recovering steadily.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:46 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.

The nation's only September 11 case moves closer to trial. A federal appeals court ruled the government has the right to seek the death penalty for Zacarias Moussaoui. But it also protected Moussaoui's access to favorable statements from al Qaeda captives in U.S. custody. The panel sent the case back to trial court.

The U.S. is expected to pass around a revised U.N. resolution on Sudan today. It calls on the U.N. to investigate whether the atrocities in the Darfur region amount to genocide, and it threatens imposing sanctions.

In money news, breathing room for US Airways. A bankruptcy judge says the airline can use a $700 million government loan to fund operations. Also, the airline says it will skip a $110 million pension payment due tomorrow.

In culture, you may want to take up gambling. A Yale University survey finds that recreational gamblers over 65 years old are in better health than seniors who do not gamble.

In sports, New York Mets Manager Art Howe says he wants the team to make a decision. Reports have surfaced that he will be fired after the season, but Howe says he wants to know now. The Mets have the third worst record in the National League -- Chad.

MYERS: Yes, and you can see all those fans sitting there in the stands, too, couldn't you? Not really.

To the maps we go, Carol. Here we go. This is 24 hours ago, that was the eye of Ivan. Put it into motion for you and you can see that it just clipped the western end there of Cuba. And now it is right here, headed toward the, I call it the north-northwest at this point, but it's still moving there into the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricane warnings for the Yucatan, still for parts of Cuba. And a tropical storm watch for the Florida Keys. We had some wind gusts to about 30 miles an hour at Key West in the past hour or so.

But here is the area of concern, the hurricane watch here across parts of the Gulf Coast, from Morgan City, Louisiana, all the way over to St. Mark's, Florida. This is the hurricane watch. Hurricane conditions expected in the next 36 hours. New Orleans, you're in it, Biloxi, Mobile, Pensacola, Panama City, obviously all of those cities in the storm.

And it does look like the eye of the storm probably around 2:00 a.m., which is a little bit after midnight tomorrow night. So about 45 hours, maybe 44 hours from now is when it actually makes landfall. And that's very close. The Hurricane Center forecast very close to Mobile. Remember, it could move left or it could move right, at least a few miles. I think the track will change at least a little bit before landfall. So if you are anywhere near that area. If you are 100 miles east or west of Mobile, you need to be making all the preps necessary right now.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

Those are the latest headlines for you.

It's the stuff that political campaigns are made of, but what do doormats and hubcaps have to do with presidential politics? Our Jeanne Moos takes us to the streets to see how you are showing your support.

And keep those e-mails coming. Our e-mail "Question of the Day," do books and films about presidential candidates influence your votes? You know the Kitty Kelley book is out today. Too much noise for you? We'll read some of your e-mails ahead.

Stay with us. It's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A controversial gossipy new book that dishes on the life of the first family comes out this week. The unauthorized biography is called "The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty." In one explosive charge, author Kitty Kelley says George W. Bush used cocaine with one of his brothers at Camp David when his father was president. She cites as her source Sharon Bush, the ex-wife of the president's brother, Neil. But Sharon Bush is denying the claim, and so does the White House. Kitty Kelley's book is already No. 2 on Amazon.com. So there is a lot of interest in this book.

We thought we would post this question to you this morning, do books and films about the presidential candidates influence your vote or is there too much noise out there, because there's an awful lot of books out? You go into Borders these days and that's all you see is books about Bush, books about Kerry and of course lots of documentaries on both men out now.

So it's time to read some of your e-mails.

This is from, you didn't put your name, this is from Mary (ph). She says, yes, books help to frame the whole picture of the candidate. It's much easier to discern facts or fiction when I read a book. It's harder when the news covers every little detail and some of what the candidate wants you to hear. They, the politicians, use the media to taint the picture. It's always good to get your sources of information from many different places.

This is from Robert (ph). He says in today's society where it is so hard to distinguish fact from fiction, books and movies follow the same line. Truthfulness seems to be a distant priority and it's seldom found quality in politics. Spin, smear and special interests seem to be the norm. And Robert is from Rapid City, South Dakota.

And this one, I have not read any books or seen Moore's movie, as in Michael Moore. I'm already suffering from too much information. I want an exit strategy from Iraq and I'm not getting it.

Keep the e-mails coming this morning, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

Forget the old political bumper sticker routine. Today's proud partisans have plenty of oddball ways to show their support.

CNN's Jeanne Moos has a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): OK, they're a little hard to make out when you're moving, but why settle for old- fashioned bumper stickers, when you can stick President Bush on your hubcaps, or carry condoms that say redefeat Bush, or take a knockout punch at John Kerry, or give President Bush the boot...

(on camera) You missed a spot.

(voice-over) ... with the Bush doormat.

God bless the Internet. It's opened up a whole new world of political merchandise.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Love it. Love it!

MOOS: So does the head of the Democratic National Committee. Terry McAuliffe has one outside his door.

(on camera) Now is that nice to do to our president?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't like him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't wipe my feet on George Bush.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Disrespectful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're too young for that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, he's not.

MOOS (voice-over): Or maybe you'd prefer to let your pet do the dirty work. That is if your pet isn't petrified of politics. At PoliticalPetToys.com, you can choose to chew on Bush or Kerry at $13 bucks apiece.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get him, Ripley, chew him up.

MOOS: Their slogan?

(on camera) You can't get even, but your pets can.

(voice-over) No wonder, they also sell Saddam and Osama.

(on camera) Finally, someone who can catch Osama.

(voice-over) If you want a more compassionate canine, CafePress.com offers the John Kerry "That dog won't hunt" T-shirt, as well as the "Anyone But Bush" T-shirt, modeled by Julius.

You can even turn your baby into a political poster child.

(on camera) "Mommy, this mess is nothing compared to Bush's war in Iraq."

(voice-over) Though Nate modeled the bib, his dad is a Republican.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His dad will let him spit up all over it.

MOOS: Which Nate did seconds after we removed the bib.

You can count down to election day with timepieces from ElectionWatches.com. At WaffleWatch.com, you can get Senator Kerry flipping waffles. A Bush growing nose watch is in the works, similar to the Bush Pinocchio mask favored by protesters.

As for the hubcaps honoring President Bush, we tooled around in them, but got very few comments.

(on camera) Would you put these hubcabs on your car?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.

MOOS (voice-over): Try CleverCovers.com for $70.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do they have a toilet lid?

MOOS: Not that we know of.

Nader supporters might enjoy Julius gnawing on Kerry on a Bush doormat. These guys can teach even the candidates a thing or two about mud slinging.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: In the next hour of DAYBREAK, walking in the well-worn shoes of America's civil rights icons. We'll have details and a special tribute ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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