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CNN Live At Daybreak

Latest on Ivan's Path; Biloxi Residents Preparing for Ivan; Baseball Brawl Fallout; First Day of School in Beslan, Russia

Aired September 15, 2004 - 05:00   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A slow crawl out of the Big Easy: Residents of New Orleans get out of Ivan's way.
It is Wednesday, September 15.

This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you.

From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

Now in the news, as armed guards stand by, children are returning to the school in the south Russian city of Beslan this morning. It's been two weeks since a terrorist siege at the school killed 335 hostages, many of them children.

He's back! Get this -- former Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry has won the Democratic nomination for a seat on the city council. The spot almost assures him of a win in the November general election because there aren't many Republicans in Washington, D.C.

On the Gulf Coast, there's bumper to bumper traffic in Mississippi and in Louisiana. People are evacuating as Hurricane Ivan approaches with 140 mile an hour winds.

And let's head to the forecast center and check in with Chad.

How strong could this storm be?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, it's still going to be forecast to be 140 miles per hour when it makes landfall, Carol. And officially landfall is very close to Mobile Bay, although it certainly has not made that right hand turn just yet toward Mobile. It is still aiming toward New Orleans. We are expecting, though, a little bit of a hook here. And that hook somewhere between Pascagoula and Mobile Bay.

Here's what you need to know. Hurricane warnings all the way from Grand Isle, Louisiana, all the way back to Apalachicola. This entire area will feel hurricane winds. Now, some folks will feel cat one winds, category two winds, category three and then some folks very close to Mobile Bay and points eastward could very well pick up those category four, 140 mile per hour winds as you're very close to the eyewall.

Obviously the right side of the eyewall always worse. We have the forward trajectory. It's like throwing a baseball at this side and then the winds are coming this way on this side, so actually blowing offshore. And those winds are a little less destructive than those ones blowing onshore.

Here we go.

Today, at 2:00, still in the Gulf of Mexico, 2:00 in the morning very close, though, to the mouth of the Mississippi. And then by, well, you know, you kind of have to fudge that, maybe, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, landfall of the eye. Don't concentrate on the eye. Concentrate on how large the wind field is, as well. This thing today still at 140 miles per hour. And those winds will be coming onshore well before the eye will. And then, the problem is by Thursday, it's on up here toward Birmingham as still a category one.

So, you expect it to die off as it hit land. It's not going to do that this time. Plus, then it's going to stall, Carol, and the stall is actually going to make a huge flooding problem anywhere from Atlanta right on back into parts of eastern Louisiana. This could be flooding like we haven't seen here in a long, long time, especially if this storm stops.

COSTELLO: That's just nasty.

And there's another one. Jeanne is out there.

MYERS: Yes. Hurricane warnings now for Puerto Rico and also for the U.S. Virgin Islands. It's Tropical Storm Jeanne still, but the hurricane warnings are there because they do expect those storms -- that storm -- to actually get stronger. It's J-E-A-N-N-E. We'll pay attention to that one after this one.

COSTELLO: Yes, one at a time.

MYERS: All right.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: People in Pensacola have been getting ready for Ivan. Plywood and power generators are flying off the shelves. Many schools will be closed today. The U.S. Navy and Air Force are moving aircraft from Ivan's path. About 300 planes have been flown from the Naval Air Station at Pensacola and Whiting Field in the panhandle.

Farther west, more than a million people in metro New Orleans have been warned to get out of harm's way. The city is below sea level. Business and homeowners have been trying to protect their properties before leaving.

And people in Mississippi also bracing for Ivan. People living along the coast are packing up whatever they can and heading for higher ground.

Our Susan Candiotti is in Biloxi. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With a state of emergency in effect, Mobile gallery owner Yolawnda Avery is boxing up what she can, and moving everything else off the floor.

YOLAWNDA AVERY, MOBILE GALLERY OWNER: I'm getting some of my larger pictures, some of my better artists, a lot of my limited edition pieces, and I'm trying to protect them, take them out of town.

CANDIOTTI: With Mobile Bay just around the corner, flooding is a sure bet if Ivan pounds ashore.

Boats line the Mobile River, coming up from the bay, from freighters and cargo ships, to sport fishing boats, all trying to move out of harm's way.

With Ivan inching closer and closer, there is little time to spare. A downtown office building sandbagging its ground floor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, everything is pulled away from the windows. We have all the interior doors locked and shut.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Landfall is expected early Thursday. The weather will start to go downhill beginning tomorrow...

CANDIOTTI: Interstate 10 heading east and west, busy throughout the day. New Orleans, below sea level, also a potential target, a voluntary evacuation urging residents to move to higher ground.

MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: If we get a storm like Ivan to hit us directly, or to become -- come really close to us, then we could have a situation where we have 12 to 18 feet of water throughout the city.

CANDIOTTI: In Biloxi, Mississippi, a dozen Gulf Coast hotel casinos were ordered to silence their slots by noon, guests ushered out two hours later.

Just off the shore, Treasure Bay -- a casino hit hard by George in 1998.

BERNIE BURRHOLDER, TREASURE BAY CASINO: We've been in waist deep water here in previous storms.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): And how high up would that be, where we're walking now?

BURRHOLDER: It would be at an elevation of about 82 above sea level.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): B.I. Mobley (ph) escaped St. Croix before Frances and now has Ivan nipping at his heels. Says he's starting to take it personally.

B.I. MOBLEY (ph): Yes, it's very scary. I don't like it. It's not good.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): And disaster planners not at all pleased with those refusing to budge, despite a mandatory evacuation order. Army deputies with forms going door to door asking for next of kin.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Biloxi, Mississippi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And with Ivan expected to hit some time early tomorrow morning, DAYBREAK's special coverage of this powerful hurricane begins an hour earlier than usual, at 4:00 a.m. Eastern, 1:00 Pacific Time.

Senator Kerry has several big stops on the campaign trail today. In Michigan, he'll address the Detroit Economic Club. And then he'll travel to Madison, Wisconsin, for a rally. And tonight he'll be in Washington to speak to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

President Bush will also address the Congressional Hispanic Caucus today. The president's schedule keeps him in the nation's capital throughout the day.

A CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll says John Kerry has the edge in the key battleground state of Michigan. Among likely voters surveyed, 50 percent back Kerry while 44 percent support Bush. As for registered voters, half of them also back Kerry, 43 percent favor Bush. Ralph Nader gets 1 percent among both groups. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

More questions about some memos involving President Bush's military service. Three document experts tell CNN they could not verify the authenticity of the memos. The documents allege Bush got special treatment in the Texas Air National Guard. The experts were asked to look the them by CBS, which reported the story and is standing by it. But one of the experts says the network ignored her concerns.

We're now hearing from author Kitty Kelley herself on that controversial new book. "The Family" alleges George W. Bush used cocaine at Camp David when his dad was president. Kelley quotes Sharon Bush, the ex-wife of Mr. Bush's brother. Sharon Bush denies making that allegation.

But Kelley tells CNN she stands by the book.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KITTY KELLEY, AUTHOR, "THE FAMILY": I didn't go to Sharon Bush, she came to me. I then confirmed that quote the next day with Sharon Bush in front of my editor, Peter Gethers. And later I took her to the William Morris Agency to see my agent because she wanted to give speeches. So, on the two occasions where substantial information was exchanged, I have two independent witnesses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The White House is flatly rejecting the book's claims.

In news across America now, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Richardson are the latest governors to receive letters rigged to catch fire. Twenty of the letters have been sent to statehouses across the country. No one has been hurt in any of the incidents. All of the letters carry that postmark from a maximum security prison in Nevada. Officials there say they have a person of interest in the case.

The collapse of an air traffic control tower system affected about 400 planes in southern California. Controllers couldn't talk to pilots for three hours. Flights had to be rerouted, delayed or canceled. FAA officials say the planes weren't in danger because the pilots could talk to controllers at other facilities. Los Angeles, Oakland and Las Vegas were among the affected airports.

About 40 volunteers are looking for the remains of Lori Hacking in a Salt Lake City landfill. She's been missing since July. Her husband has been charged with murder. Searchers say they're prepared to sift through the 4,600 tons of trash for as long as it takes to find Lori's body. The same volunteers searched for human remains in the wreckage of the World Trade Center.

Just who is to blame for Monday night's fight between players and fans at a baseball game in Oakland? Texas Rangers pitcher Frank Francisco has now been charged with aggravated battery after that chair throwing incident. The woman whose nose was broken says she's thinking of filing a civil suit against Francisco.

We get more on the incident and the team's reactions from Dan Kerman of CNN affiliate KRON in Oakland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN KERMAN, KRON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It wasn't just players taking the field Tuesday night, but Oakland police officers near the Ranger bullpen, the dugout and nearby stands.

SGT. TOM HIDGEN MILLER, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA POLICE: We just wanted to come out here to make sure everybody understands that it's a safe environment and a good place to come and watch a baseball game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a fight going on...

KERMAN: Monday night was anything but safe, when heckling from an A's fan led to this -- Ranger reliever Frank Francisco hurling a chair into the stands, hitting a fan.

GABRIELLA MUNEREZ (ph): And then all of a sudden it just got out of control. We saw the chair just flying.

KERMAN: Gabriella Munerez (ph) was sitting nearby.

MUNEREZ (ph): What the heck? You know, you don't come into our town and beat up our fans and get to this point. It shouldn't be like that. It doesn't make you any different because you're a ball player, you know? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I go to about 15, 20 games a year and this is probably the most heckling I've ever heard.

KERMAN: But other fans say the heckling was personal and mean- spirited. But the A's say it wasn't over the line.

DAVID RINETTA, A'S VICE PRESIDENT: Going over the line typically entails someone that would use a racial slur, use profanity, use a gender. None of that was displayed last night.

BUCK SHOWALTER, RANGERS MANAGER: We all, as the Ranger organization, just feel horrible about the lady getting hurt last night as a result of what happened. And that's, that's the thing that we're very regretful about.

KERMAN: Despite the Rangers' apology, major league baseball is investigating. And Senior Vice President Sandy Alderson left little doubt that one or several Rangers players will be disciplined.

SANDY ALDERSON, VICE PRESIDENT BASEBALL OPERATIONS: There are no circumstances under which it is appropriate for players to engage fans, enter the stands. And as a consequence, that conduct would be addressed.

KERMAN (on camera): Alderson says major league baseball will complete its investigation in the next couple of days. Then, disciplinary action will follow in the form of either fines, suspensions or a combination of both.

In Oakland, Dan Kerman for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: You know, Chad, they've had problems in Oakland before with rowdy fans actually throwing things onto the field and hurting the players.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: And the controversy is should you put up some sort of netting that separates the fans from the players on the field?

MYERS: You know, I can't even sit behind the home plate with that net in the way. You know, it just kind of -- you get a bad view of the whole thing. I don't think so. Although they...

COSTELLO: And you pay so much for those seats, you want, you know, as intimate of an experience as you can.

MYERS: Exactly. They do have the nets now behind the goals to stop the pucks from flying over in many...

COSTELLO: In hockey.

MYERS: In hockey, yes. But you know what? Baseball is not the only one where the players and the fans get into it. I remember hockey games, players climbing over the glass behind the bench and going into the stands, as well. Certain...

COSTELLO: But not to beat up the fans.

MYERS: Yes!

COSTELLO: Oh!

MYERS: Absolutely!

COSTELLO: See, there are problems in every sport, aren't there?

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: That brings us...

MYERS: And it's certainly not right.

COSTELLO: No, it's not. That brings us to our...

MYERS: That's not judging it.

COSTELLO: It brings us to our e-mail Question of the Day: "What is the best way to deal with rowdy fans and the players?" E-mail us, daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

Here's what's ahead for you in this hour, actually.

At 16 minutes past, school is back in session in southern Russia two weeks after that horrific massacre that left more than 300 dead. But for one young mother, a heart wrenching choice and a lifetime of sorrow.

And just after the half hour, our Diana Muriel goes on patrol with soldiers assigned to one of Iraq's most dangerous neighborhoods, Sadr City.

At 48 minutes past, a new push for warnings about kids using anti-depressants. The government now says the drugs could increase suicidal tendencies.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In southern Russia today, teachers and students are returning to school in Beslan, the city where terrorists massacred 300 hostages two weeks ago.

Our Ryan Chilcote covered that siege and its deadly ending. Today he watched as students and parents returned to the school under heavy security -- Ryan, did a lot of them actually go into the school this morning?

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Carol. Well, not too many of them did. In fact, attendance was very low. We went to -- we visited a group of second graders. And there should have been 30 kids in that classroom that we went into and there were actually just six.

A lot of the kids are too afraid, still, to go to school. Even if they weren't hostages themselves inside of School Number 1, as the hostage crisis was playing out there nearly two weeks ago, almost everybody in this town knows someone, including those kids, knows someone that was, that either was wounded or killed.

Remember that more than 300 people were killed as they tried to flee that building, that school, 12 days ago, almost half of them children.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): After more than 24 hours in captivity with her two daughters, Anetta Gadiava had to make the choice.

ANETTA GADIAVA: Terrorists came and said, "Only one woman and only one baby come out."

CHILCOTE: The hostage-takers had struck a deal with a Russian negotiator to let a small group of mothers leave the school with their infants, but any older children would have to stay.

Anetta pleaded with the terrorists to leave her behind, and let her nine-year-old take one-year-old Milena out instead.

GADIAVA: I say, "It is my other daughter. Maybe she take my baby, and she come out."

CHILCOTE: There was to be no compromise. Either she went with the infant, or no one would be released.

GADIAVA: My bigger daughter look me, and I -- every time, every time I see her eyes.

CHILCOTE: Her elder daughter, Alana, started to cry.

(on camera): This is your daughter.

GADIAVA Yes.

CHILCOTE: And she -- how old is she here?

GADIAVA: Nine-and-a-half.

CHILCOTE (voice-over): The last time she saw Alana alive was as she left the school with a group of other mothers, many of whom had to make the same choice.

Twenty-four hours later, Alana was still a hostage, sleeping, a survivor said, when one of the terrorists' bombs went off. Anetta loses her English when she tells the rest. "When the blast went off, she must have gotten up and started running away," she tells me, "because she had a bullet here in her neck."

Every morning, Anetta goes to the memorial cemetery. Every morning, she seeks forgiveness.

"Mommy didn't protect you. Mommy didn't save you. I left you there. I thought all three of us would die if we stayed. Why don't you come to me in my dreams?"

This was Alana two years ago, star of her class. She spoke to graduating students. Her words then now have new meaning.

"This is the last time I will sing for you," she says. "I will remain in the school to live, and for you, I will remain in the past."

From her apartment's balcony view of the school, Anetta struggles with the decision that freed two lives, but forever made her a hostage of her choice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: There's just no words, Ryan.

CHILCOTE (on camera): Yes, it's a very difficult story. You know, a lot of mothers who had to make the same decision, who had to make that decision to leave with their infants on the second day, when the hostage takers gave them that option, and left their older children and in so doing left their older children inside, faced a very similar situation. They, too, lost their children.

We do, however, know of one mother who left with her infant child, leaving her seven-year-old daughter inside the school. And miraculously, her seven-year-old girl did make it out of the school, even despite the fighting that next day, alive -- Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, though, even -- I mean I'm so glad that that child survived. But even in having to make that choice, the child knowing that you made that choice, that in itself would be tough to deal with, as well. I just can't even imagine.

Are there mental health people there to help these people deal with their grief?

CHILCOTE: Indeed, there are several mental health experts here in the town of Beslan. And they are particularly concerned about people like Anetta and this group of mothers. Interestingly, they say that the children -- I remember there were about 900 school kids being held in that gym for three days with no food, no water, amidst constant fighting between these hostage takers and constant threats between the hostage takers and the Russian forces outside.

Interestingly, mental health experts say those kids have a better chance of mentally recovering from that very traumatic experience than the adults because kids, the experts say, are prepared to receive help and support from other people. They're used to doing it from their own family, from their parents, from their teachers.

So, if that support is available, and Russian officials say it is, then they stand in a better position than the adults. That's why people like Anetta are so very -- her situation is so very troubling. She told me she's not going to seek out any help. She said the more pain she feels, that's -- the more pain she feels, the more comfortable she feels with her decision. It was a very, very troubling conversation.

COSTELLO: You know, I can understand that, even though I have no children.

Ryan Chilcote live in Beslan in southern Russia this morning.

And about 5:45 Eastern time, Matthew Chance will join us. He's back in Atlanta. He's been in Russia. We're going to talk to him about how Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, is dealing with this crisis.

DAYBREAK will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Rising oil prices and a lackluster retail sales report have the major markets opening just slightly higher this morning.

The Dow up 3 points. The Nasdaq up 5. The S&P 500 up 2 1/2 points.

The international markets are mixed this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei down 137 points, while the London FTSE is trading up about 13 points. And in Paris, the CAC is trading up nearly 11 points.

It's time for our DAYBREAK "Eye Opener."

In Australia, a man climbed into the lion enclosure at the Melbourne Zoo. And boy, did he get everyone's attention. He even asked onlookers if they wanted him to pet the animals. In the meantime, the four lions just growled at him until zookeepers led them to another area. Needless to say, the man was sent away for a psychiatric evaluation.

People are flocking to Colchester, Connecticut, to get a glimpse of the Virgin Mary. The statue is the only thing that survived last week's explosion at St. Mary's Church and many people are taking it as a sign. Authorities believe a leaking propane tank caused the church to blow up.

Italy's Mt. Etna is putting on another show. Europe's most active volcano sent more lava streaming out of cracks along the mountainside. No people are threatened by this latest lava show.

Here's what's new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.

America's favorite pastime turns ugly. You've seen the tape by now, as baseball turns into basebrawl. Which brings us to our e-mail Question of the Morning: "What is the best way to deal with rowdy fans and players?" Should there be some sort of separation, like a net or a glass enclosure put up to separate the fans from the players on the field?

E-mail us. The address, daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

Also, spreading insurgency in Iraq. We'll show you what it's like for soldiers on patrol and under fire in Sadr City.

This is DAYBREAK for Wednesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired September 15, 2004 - 05:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A slow crawl out of the Big Easy: Residents of New Orleans get out of Ivan's way.
It is Wednesday, September 15.

This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you.

From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

Now in the news, as armed guards stand by, children are returning to the school in the south Russian city of Beslan this morning. It's been two weeks since a terrorist siege at the school killed 335 hostages, many of them children.

He's back! Get this -- former Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry has won the Democratic nomination for a seat on the city council. The spot almost assures him of a win in the November general election because there aren't many Republicans in Washington, D.C.

On the Gulf Coast, there's bumper to bumper traffic in Mississippi and in Louisiana. People are evacuating as Hurricane Ivan approaches with 140 mile an hour winds.

And let's head to the forecast center and check in with Chad.

How strong could this storm be?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, it's still going to be forecast to be 140 miles per hour when it makes landfall, Carol. And officially landfall is very close to Mobile Bay, although it certainly has not made that right hand turn just yet toward Mobile. It is still aiming toward New Orleans. We are expecting, though, a little bit of a hook here. And that hook somewhere between Pascagoula and Mobile Bay.

Here's what you need to know. Hurricane warnings all the way from Grand Isle, Louisiana, all the way back to Apalachicola. This entire area will feel hurricane winds. Now, some folks will feel cat one winds, category two winds, category three and then some folks very close to Mobile Bay and points eastward could very well pick up those category four, 140 mile per hour winds as you're very close to the eyewall.

Obviously the right side of the eyewall always worse. We have the forward trajectory. It's like throwing a baseball at this side and then the winds are coming this way on this side, so actually blowing offshore. And those winds are a little less destructive than those ones blowing onshore.

Here we go.

Today, at 2:00, still in the Gulf of Mexico, 2:00 in the morning very close, though, to the mouth of the Mississippi. And then by, well, you know, you kind of have to fudge that, maybe, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, landfall of the eye. Don't concentrate on the eye. Concentrate on how large the wind field is, as well. This thing today still at 140 miles per hour. And those winds will be coming onshore well before the eye will. And then, the problem is by Thursday, it's on up here toward Birmingham as still a category one.

So, you expect it to die off as it hit land. It's not going to do that this time. Plus, then it's going to stall, Carol, and the stall is actually going to make a huge flooding problem anywhere from Atlanta right on back into parts of eastern Louisiana. This could be flooding like we haven't seen here in a long, long time, especially if this storm stops.

COSTELLO: That's just nasty.

And there's another one. Jeanne is out there.

MYERS: Yes. Hurricane warnings now for Puerto Rico and also for the U.S. Virgin Islands. It's Tropical Storm Jeanne still, but the hurricane warnings are there because they do expect those storms -- that storm -- to actually get stronger. It's J-E-A-N-N-E. We'll pay attention to that one after this one.

COSTELLO: Yes, one at a time.

MYERS: All right.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: People in Pensacola have been getting ready for Ivan. Plywood and power generators are flying off the shelves. Many schools will be closed today. The U.S. Navy and Air Force are moving aircraft from Ivan's path. About 300 planes have been flown from the Naval Air Station at Pensacola and Whiting Field in the panhandle.

Farther west, more than a million people in metro New Orleans have been warned to get out of harm's way. The city is below sea level. Business and homeowners have been trying to protect their properties before leaving.

And people in Mississippi also bracing for Ivan. People living along the coast are packing up whatever they can and heading for higher ground.

Our Susan Candiotti is in Biloxi. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With a state of emergency in effect, Mobile gallery owner Yolawnda Avery is boxing up what she can, and moving everything else off the floor.

YOLAWNDA AVERY, MOBILE GALLERY OWNER: I'm getting some of my larger pictures, some of my better artists, a lot of my limited edition pieces, and I'm trying to protect them, take them out of town.

CANDIOTTI: With Mobile Bay just around the corner, flooding is a sure bet if Ivan pounds ashore.

Boats line the Mobile River, coming up from the bay, from freighters and cargo ships, to sport fishing boats, all trying to move out of harm's way.

With Ivan inching closer and closer, there is little time to spare. A downtown office building sandbagging its ground floor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, everything is pulled away from the windows. We have all the interior doors locked and shut.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Landfall is expected early Thursday. The weather will start to go downhill beginning tomorrow...

CANDIOTTI: Interstate 10 heading east and west, busy throughout the day. New Orleans, below sea level, also a potential target, a voluntary evacuation urging residents to move to higher ground.

MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: If we get a storm like Ivan to hit us directly, or to become -- come really close to us, then we could have a situation where we have 12 to 18 feet of water throughout the city.

CANDIOTTI: In Biloxi, Mississippi, a dozen Gulf Coast hotel casinos were ordered to silence their slots by noon, guests ushered out two hours later.

Just off the shore, Treasure Bay -- a casino hit hard by George in 1998.

BERNIE BURRHOLDER, TREASURE BAY CASINO: We've been in waist deep water here in previous storms.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): And how high up would that be, where we're walking now?

BURRHOLDER: It would be at an elevation of about 82 above sea level.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): B.I. Mobley (ph) escaped St. Croix before Frances and now has Ivan nipping at his heels. Says he's starting to take it personally.

B.I. MOBLEY (ph): Yes, it's very scary. I don't like it. It's not good.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): And disaster planners not at all pleased with those refusing to budge, despite a mandatory evacuation order. Army deputies with forms going door to door asking for next of kin.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Biloxi, Mississippi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And with Ivan expected to hit some time early tomorrow morning, DAYBREAK's special coverage of this powerful hurricane begins an hour earlier than usual, at 4:00 a.m. Eastern, 1:00 Pacific Time.

Senator Kerry has several big stops on the campaign trail today. In Michigan, he'll address the Detroit Economic Club. And then he'll travel to Madison, Wisconsin, for a rally. And tonight he'll be in Washington to speak to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

President Bush will also address the Congressional Hispanic Caucus today. The president's schedule keeps him in the nation's capital throughout the day.

A CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll says John Kerry has the edge in the key battleground state of Michigan. Among likely voters surveyed, 50 percent back Kerry while 44 percent support Bush. As for registered voters, half of them also back Kerry, 43 percent favor Bush. Ralph Nader gets 1 percent among both groups. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

More questions about some memos involving President Bush's military service. Three document experts tell CNN they could not verify the authenticity of the memos. The documents allege Bush got special treatment in the Texas Air National Guard. The experts were asked to look the them by CBS, which reported the story and is standing by it. But one of the experts says the network ignored her concerns.

We're now hearing from author Kitty Kelley herself on that controversial new book. "The Family" alleges George W. Bush used cocaine at Camp David when his dad was president. Kelley quotes Sharon Bush, the ex-wife of Mr. Bush's brother. Sharon Bush denies making that allegation.

But Kelley tells CNN she stands by the book.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KITTY KELLEY, AUTHOR, "THE FAMILY": I didn't go to Sharon Bush, she came to me. I then confirmed that quote the next day with Sharon Bush in front of my editor, Peter Gethers. And later I took her to the William Morris Agency to see my agent because she wanted to give speeches. So, on the two occasions where substantial information was exchanged, I have two independent witnesses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The White House is flatly rejecting the book's claims.

In news across America now, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Richardson are the latest governors to receive letters rigged to catch fire. Twenty of the letters have been sent to statehouses across the country. No one has been hurt in any of the incidents. All of the letters carry that postmark from a maximum security prison in Nevada. Officials there say they have a person of interest in the case.

The collapse of an air traffic control tower system affected about 400 planes in southern California. Controllers couldn't talk to pilots for three hours. Flights had to be rerouted, delayed or canceled. FAA officials say the planes weren't in danger because the pilots could talk to controllers at other facilities. Los Angeles, Oakland and Las Vegas were among the affected airports.

About 40 volunteers are looking for the remains of Lori Hacking in a Salt Lake City landfill. She's been missing since July. Her husband has been charged with murder. Searchers say they're prepared to sift through the 4,600 tons of trash for as long as it takes to find Lori's body. The same volunteers searched for human remains in the wreckage of the World Trade Center.

Just who is to blame for Monday night's fight between players and fans at a baseball game in Oakland? Texas Rangers pitcher Frank Francisco has now been charged with aggravated battery after that chair throwing incident. The woman whose nose was broken says she's thinking of filing a civil suit against Francisco.

We get more on the incident and the team's reactions from Dan Kerman of CNN affiliate KRON in Oakland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN KERMAN, KRON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It wasn't just players taking the field Tuesday night, but Oakland police officers near the Ranger bullpen, the dugout and nearby stands.

SGT. TOM HIDGEN MILLER, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA POLICE: We just wanted to come out here to make sure everybody understands that it's a safe environment and a good place to come and watch a baseball game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a fight going on...

KERMAN: Monday night was anything but safe, when heckling from an A's fan led to this -- Ranger reliever Frank Francisco hurling a chair into the stands, hitting a fan.

GABRIELLA MUNEREZ (ph): And then all of a sudden it just got out of control. We saw the chair just flying.

KERMAN: Gabriella Munerez (ph) was sitting nearby.

MUNEREZ (ph): What the heck? You know, you don't come into our town and beat up our fans and get to this point. It shouldn't be like that. It doesn't make you any different because you're a ball player, you know? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I go to about 15, 20 games a year and this is probably the most heckling I've ever heard.

KERMAN: But other fans say the heckling was personal and mean- spirited. But the A's say it wasn't over the line.

DAVID RINETTA, A'S VICE PRESIDENT: Going over the line typically entails someone that would use a racial slur, use profanity, use a gender. None of that was displayed last night.

BUCK SHOWALTER, RANGERS MANAGER: We all, as the Ranger organization, just feel horrible about the lady getting hurt last night as a result of what happened. And that's, that's the thing that we're very regretful about.

KERMAN: Despite the Rangers' apology, major league baseball is investigating. And Senior Vice President Sandy Alderson left little doubt that one or several Rangers players will be disciplined.

SANDY ALDERSON, VICE PRESIDENT BASEBALL OPERATIONS: There are no circumstances under which it is appropriate for players to engage fans, enter the stands. And as a consequence, that conduct would be addressed.

KERMAN (on camera): Alderson says major league baseball will complete its investigation in the next couple of days. Then, disciplinary action will follow in the form of either fines, suspensions or a combination of both.

In Oakland, Dan Kerman for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: You know, Chad, they've had problems in Oakland before with rowdy fans actually throwing things onto the field and hurting the players.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: And the controversy is should you put up some sort of netting that separates the fans from the players on the field?

MYERS: You know, I can't even sit behind the home plate with that net in the way. You know, it just kind of -- you get a bad view of the whole thing. I don't think so. Although they...

COSTELLO: And you pay so much for those seats, you want, you know, as intimate of an experience as you can.

MYERS: Exactly. They do have the nets now behind the goals to stop the pucks from flying over in many...

COSTELLO: In hockey.

MYERS: In hockey, yes. But you know what? Baseball is not the only one where the players and the fans get into it. I remember hockey games, players climbing over the glass behind the bench and going into the stands, as well. Certain...

COSTELLO: But not to beat up the fans.

MYERS: Yes!

COSTELLO: Oh!

MYERS: Absolutely!

COSTELLO: See, there are problems in every sport, aren't there?

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: That brings us...

MYERS: And it's certainly not right.

COSTELLO: No, it's not. That brings us to our...

MYERS: That's not judging it.

COSTELLO: It brings us to our e-mail Question of the Day: "What is the best way to deal with rowdy fans and the players?" E-mail us, daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

Here's what's ahead for you in this hour, actually.

At 16 minutes past, school is back in session in southern Russia two weeks after that horrific massacre that left more than 300 dead. But for one young mother, a heart wrenching choice and a lifetime of sorrow.

And just after the half hour, our Diana Muriel goes on patrol with soldiers assigned to one of Iraq's most dangerous neighborhoods, Sadr City.

At 48 minutes past, a new push for warnings about kids using anti-depressants. The government now says the drugs could increase suicidal tendencies.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In southern Russia today, teachers and students are returning to school in Beslan, the city where terrorists massacred 300 hostages two weeks ago.

Our Ryan Chilcote covered that siege and its deadly ending. Today he watched as students and parents returned to the school under heavy security -- Ryan, did a lot of them actually go into the school this morning?

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Carol. Well, not too many of them did. In fact, attendance was very low. We went to -- we visited a group of second graders. And there should have been 30 kids in that classroom that we went into and there were actually just six.

A lot of the kids are too afraid, still, to go to school. Even if they weren't hostages themselves inside of School Number 1, as the hostage crisis was playing out there nearly two weeks ago, almost everybody in this town knows someone, including those kids, knows someone that was, that either was wounded or killed.

Remember that more than 300 people were killed as they tried to flee that building, that school, 12 days ago, almost half of them children.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): After more than 24 hours in captivity with her two daughters, Anetta Gadiava had to make the choice.

ANETTA GADIAVA: Terrorists came and said, "Only one woman and only one baby come out."

CHILCOTE: The hostage-takers had struck a deal with a Russian negotiator to let a small group of mothers leave the school with their infants, but any older children would have to stay.

Anetta pleaded with the terrorists to leave her behind, and let her nine-year-old take one-year-old Milena out instead.

GADIAVA: I say, "It is my other daughter. Maybe she take my baby, and she come out."

CHILCOTE: There was to be no compromise. Either she went with the infant, or no one would be released.

GADIAVA: My bigger daughter look me, and I -- every time, every time I see her eyes.

CHILCOTE: Her elder daughter, Alana, started to cry.

(on camera): This is your daughter.

GADIAVA Yes.

CHILCOTE: And she -- how old is she here?

GADIAVA: Nine-and-a-half.

CHILCOTE (voice-over): The last time she saw Alana alive was as she left the school with a group of other mothers, many of whom had to make the same choice.

Twenty-four hours later, Alana was still a hostage, sleeping, a survivor said, when one of the terrorists' bombs went off. Anetta loses her English when she tells the rest. "When the blast went off, she must have gotten up and started running away," she tells me, "because she had a bullet here in her neck."

Every morning, Anetta goes to the memorial cemetery. Every morning, she seeks forgiveness.

"Mommy didn't protect you. Mommy didn't save you. I left you there. I thought all three of us would die if we stayed. Why don't you come to me in my dreams?"

This was Alana two years ago, star of her class. She spoke to graduating students. Her words then now have new meaning.

"This is the last time I will sing for you," she says. "I will remain in the school to live, and for you, I will remain in the past."

From her apartment's balcony view of the school, Anetta struggles with the decision that freed two lives, but forever made her a hostage of her choice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: There's just no words, Ryan.

CHILCOTE (on camera): Yes, it's a very difficult story. You know, a lot of mothers who had to make the same decision, who had to make that decision to leave with their infants on the second day, when the hostage takers gave them that option, and left their older children and in so doing left their older children inside, faced a very similar situation. They, too, lost their children.

We do, however, know of one mother who left with her infant child, leaving her seven-year-old daughter inside the school. And miraculously, her seven-year-old girl did make it out of the school, even despite the fighting that next day, alive -- Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, though, even -- I mean I'm so glad that that child survived. But even in having to make that choice, the child knowing that you made that choice, that in itself would be tough to deal with, as well. I just can't even imagine.

Are there mental health people there to help these people deal with their grief?

CHILCOTE: Indeed, there are several mental health experts here in the town of Beslan. And they are particularly concerned about people like Anetta and this group of mothers. Interestingly, they say that the children -- I remember there were about 900 school kids being held in that gym for three days with no food, no water, amidst constant fighting between these hostage takers and constant threats between the hostage takers and the Russian forces outside.

Interestingly, mental health experts say those kids have a better chance of mentally recovering from that very traumatic experience than the adults because kids, the experts say, are prepared to receive help and support from other people. They're used to doing it from their own family, from their parents, from their teachers.

So, if that support is available, and Russian officials say it is, then they stand in a better position than the adults. That's why people like Anetta are so very -- her situation is so very troubling. She told me she's not going to seek out any help. She said the more pain she feels, that's -- the more pain she feels, the more comfortable she feels with her decision. It was a very, very troubling conversation.

COSTELLO: You know, I can understand that, even though I have no children.

Ryan Chilcote live in Beslan in southern Russia this morning.

And about 5:45 Eastern time, Matthew Chance will join us. He's back in Atlanta. He's been in Russia. We're going to talk to him about how Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, is dealing with this crisis.

DAYBREAK will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Rising oil prices and a lackluster retail sales report have the major markets opening just slightly higher this morning.

The Dow up 3 points. The Nasdaq up 5. The S&P 500 up 2 1/2 points.

The international markets are mixed this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei down 137 points, while the London FTSE is trading up about 13 points. And in Paris, the CAC is trading up nearly 11 points.

It's time for our DAYBREAK "Eye Opener."

In Australia, a man climbed into the lion enclosure at the Melbourne Zoo. And boy, did he get everyone's attention. He even asked onlookers if they wanted him to pet the animals. In the meantime, the four lions just growled at him until zookeepers led them to another area. Needless to say, the man was sent away for a psychiatric evaluation.

People are flocking to Colchester, Connecticut, to get a glimpse of the Virgin Mary. The statue is the only thing that survived last week's explosion at St. Mary's Church and many people are taking it as a sign. Authorities believe a leaking propane tank caused the church to blow up.

Italy's Mt. Etna is putting on another show. Europe's most active volcano sent more lava streaming out of cracks along the mountainside. No people are threatened by this latest lava show.

Here's what's new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.

America's favorite pastime turns ugly. You've seen the tape by now, as baseball turns into basebrawl. Which brings us to our e-mail Question of the Morning: "What is the best way to deal with rowdy fans and players?" Should there be some sort of separation, like a net or a glass enclosure put up to separate the fans from the players on the field?

E-mail us. The address, daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

Also, spreading insurgency in Iraq. We'll show you what it's like for soldiers on patrol and under fire in Sadr City.

This is DAYBREAK for Wednesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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