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American Morning
Hurricane Ivan's Aftermath Still Being Felt Across South; "90- Second Pop"
Aired September 20, 2004 - 09:30 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Here's Kelly Wallace, also with us this morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, a little bit more important news for us this morning.
Hi, Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you both. And good morning, everyone.
Florida Congressman Porter Goss is on Capitol Hill. You are looking at live pictures. That is where this Senate Intelligence Committee hearing will be getting under way. Goss will be facing questions from senators. He has been tapped by President Bush to replace George Tenet as head of the CIA.
The remaining sanctions against Libya may soon be lifted. The move is expected to free more than $1 billion in compensation to families of people who died in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103. It is also a reward for Libya's agreement last year to dismantle its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs.
In Fallujah, U.S. forces are pounding cranes and bulldozers. Troops say the equipment is being used by insurgents to fortify fighting positions. At least three people were killed. And the families of three Western hostages held in Iraq are pleading for their lives. Two Americans and a British national were seized Thursday in Baghdad.
And finally, the battle for the White House is being fought this morning over Iraq. President Bush is expected to step up his criticism of Senator John Kerry at an appearance in New Hampshire. He will address the United Nations in New York tomorrow. And within the half hour, Senator Kerry will detail his peace plan in Iraq in a speech at NYU here in New York City. CNN will have live coverage starting at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. And I know you both can't believe this, 43 days and counting until the election.
COLLINS: And it still seems like they're following each other around the country.
WALLACE: They both are here in New York.
COLLINS: Yes, once again.
All right, Kelly Wallace, thanks so much for that.
This morning, Hurricane Ivan's aftermath is still being felt all across the South. CNN's Chris Lawrence joining us from Pensacola Beach, Florida, where getting back to normal is still so very far away.
Chris, good morning.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
The devastation is incredible, but we do have some good news to report this morning. Of the 12 people who were still missing in this county over the weekend, firefighters found five of them alive and well and fixing their condominium.
But you can tell from just some of the damage here how difficult it is to really account for everyone, especially in areas hit as hard as this one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Monday is supposed to symbolize the start of a new work week, but for people in Pensacola Beach, no one even knows where to begin.
GARY COLL, PENSACOLA BEACH RESIDENT: This is a sad damn thing.
LAWRENCE: Jerry Cole ignored evacuation orders and watched Ivan from his home, a few hundred yards from the beach.
COLL: Not to protect my home, because I know there's nothing you can do in that situation. That's not why I stayed. I just wanted to see it.
LAWRENCE: What he saw was the end of Pensacola Beach as he knew it, homes torn apart, hotels stripped bare, sand piled up to the windows. Where entire families once slept, there is nothing. And no hope of repair.
COLL: They're not all rich. Some of them struggle to pay for these beach homes and raise their children and everything. It's going to be terrible when they come back and they face that.
LAWRENCE: On Sunday, President Bush got a firsthand look at some of the areas damaged by the storm, destruction that left thousands in need of basic food and water, and hundreds of thousands still without power in Florida alone.
And as the first few gas stations reopened in the Florida Panhandle, some people waited up to five hours for a few gallons. As for Gary Cole, he'll never forget the night he lost everything.
COLL: Now I'm going to be able to tell -- I only have about 10 friends in life, but I'm going to tell all 10 of them what I saw.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LAWRENCE: The police tell us it's going to be a few more days before other folks who live here get a chance to get back on the island to see what their homes look like. Although the sand is high here, it's unbelievable in other areas. Still as high as eight to 10 feet -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Wow. Unbelievable. Chris Lawrence, thanks so much for that.
And Tropical Storm Jeanne is bypassing the Bahama Islands right now. It is expected to gain strength, though, in the next 24 hours. Here's a look at the Devastation Jeanne caused in Haiti. At least 54 people killed, 150 more are missing. Some of the victims are believed to have been killed by mudslides there. In one northwestern town alone, some 80,000 residents are effected by the floods. Flooding always a major concern in this.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Back to election 2004 now, one of the biggest complaints of voters during the campaign is that they do not hear enough about the issues. So starting today, we begin our week-long series. It's called "Promises, Promises," five days, five issues. We'll look at what the candidates promise to do and whether they can turn those promises into reality. Today's issue is keeping America safe. A recent CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll found that terrorism tied with the economy as the No. 1 issue on voters' minds according to that survey.
Back with us, our national correspondent Kelly Wallace, here on AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning to you.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATL. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
And what we've been saying is we're trying to clear through the spin and all the attacks and focus on this one question, what would each candidate do at home and abroad to protect the United States from terrorism?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE (voice-over): two candidates, one message -- I can keep the U.S. safer than the other guy.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When it comes to making America safer, we're moving forward, and we're not turning back.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And we are going to make homeland security the kind of priority that it ought to be, not a political slogan.
WALLACE: Yet, despite the rhetoric, the two men have much in common. Both support the creation of a national intelligence director, overseeing the country's 15 intelligence agencies. And both promise to beef up border security, although neither explains exactly how he would pay for it with a budget deficit expected to reach more than $400 billion this year.
That said, there are differences. Senator Kerry promises to expand active duty forces by 40,000 troops. But he has not offered a detailed plan on how he would accomplish that with U.S. forces already stretched thin.
And Mr. Kerry says he, unlike Mr. Bush, would increase funding for first responders.
KERRY: I believe it's wrong to be opening fire houses in Baghdad and closing them down in the United States.
WALLACE: The president actually requested more than $3 billion last year for first responders, but the bill passed by Congress, which Mr. Bush chose not to veto, included just about $1 billion in new spending. Kerry did not vote on that measure. He was in the hospital, recovering from surgery for prostate cancer.
BUSH: Today, because we're on the offensive against terrorist networks, the American people are safer.
WALLACE: What would President Bush do in a second term to keep America safe? He promised to restructure the military, by bringing home some U.S. forces currently based in Europe and Asia.
BUSH: We'll deploy a more agile and more flexible force.
WALLACE: But his critics say such a move could frustrate U.S. allies needed in the fight against terrorism. And the president promises to make permanent the Patriot Act, which strengthens the authority of law enforcement in the United States, but he faces opposition from some lawmakers, including his rival, who voted for the measure, but now says parts of it threaten individual rights.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: And at least according to the latest polls, President Bush seems to enjoy a strong advantage over Senator John Kerry on this issue of terrorism according to "The New York Times"/CBS News poll this weekend. About half the respondents said they had a great deal of confidence in President Bush's ability to protect the U.S. from another attack. Only about 26 percent of those registered voters felt that way about John Kerry.
HEMMER: Today, in about 20 minutes, John Kerry is going to talk about Iraq, and based on the reports we're getting over the weekend, for the next six weeks, that is going to be topic-a for him. You cover these campaigns. How do you like that strategy?
WALLACE: Well, somewhat surprising in some ways. But it does appear that the campaign feels that it has to do two things. No. 1, clarify 100 percent exactly what John Kerry's position is on Iraq. Make sure there are no questions about where he stands, and draw the distinctions with President Bush. Campaign advisers believe the president is growing more and more vulnerable as we see more and more events on the ground in Iraq, more than 1,000 Americans killed. So they think as there's more attention on what's happening in Iraq now, they can succeed. But again, he is still vulnerable himself, because he faces questions on his own position.
HEMMER: Thank you, Kelly. Good series, too.
Tomorrow, "Promises, Promises," we'll get to the topic of Iraq, as you mentioned, one of the top three issues on voters' minds in our recent survey. We'll look at what each candidate promises to do to restore peace in that country -- or try. Be sure to logon to cnn.com/am, and there you can compare the candidates' positions and what they promise to do on various issues.
See you tomorrow, Kelly. Thanks.
All right, Heidi?
COLLINS: Still to come this morning, it's a landmark day for the biggest bankruptcy case in corporate history. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" on that.
Plus a special Emmy edition of "90-Second Pop." There were some familiar faces at the podium last night, but who was the biggest surprise winner?
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Well, it's the morning after television's biggest night, and HBO dominated the Primetime Emmy Awards. "Angels in America" tied the record for the most wins ever, including one for Meryl Streep as Best Actress.
So, here's how Streep accepted her award.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MERYL STREEP, ACTRESS: There are some days when I myself think I'm overrated, but not today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Here for a full recap, it's our Emmys edition of "90- Second Pop." So, with us this morning: Andy Borowitz, author of a new book now, "The Borowitz Report: The Big Book of Shockers" -- some of them last night maybe; Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York Magazine"; and B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor for "Us Weekly." Thanks, guys, for being here.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK MAGAZINE": Good morning.
COLLINS: Anybody stay up late?
BERNARD: Oh, yeah. Of course!
B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Big night for TiVo, too.
COLLINS: Yes, big night for TiVo.
B.J., let's start with you. Sarah Jessica Parker has been nominated many, many times...
SIGESMUND: Right.
COLLINS: ... but never won, until last night.
SIGESMUND: Right.
COLLINS: This was a huge night for her.
SIGESMUND: Right. Between producing the show and starring in the show, she was nominated 10 times before last night.
COLLINS: ... a lot.
SIGESMUND: And people were starting to call her the Susan Lucci of the category, and no one wants to see Susan Lucci and Sarah Jessica Parker's names in the same sentence.
So, yes, she won, finally. And she was owed, as they say in the business. You know, the show came to an end. People loved it going out on a high note and not sticking around for eight or nine seasons, like so many other shows. And they love her. It was a time for her to win.
COLLINS: Aww, did you see Matthew there looking at her adoringly?
BERNARD: I want to know why, if this is kind of payback for all of her years of hard work, why didn't "Friends" get anything? They didn't get one thing.
SIGESMUND: Jennifer Aniston's won before. Matt LeBlanc's won before. They've all...
BERNARD: But tonight...
SIGESMUND: Because they stayed until the 10th season; no one cared anymore.
BERNARD: Oh, they overstayed their welcome -- that's why.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: I really think The Gap ads is what put Sarah Jessica Parker over the top...
BERNARD: Yeah?
BOROWITZ: ... because now there appear to be eight or nine Sarah Jessica Parkers, and I think that really helped. COLLINS: Put her right over the top.
Well, what about "Arrested Development" now? This was kind of a shocker, as we were saying.
SIGESMUND: This was the big upset of the night. It was nominated in a category with "Sex and the City" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and other comedies that had won before. The crazy thing about "Arrested Development" is its ratings are awful. Its ratings are in the basement, but critics love the show.
Critics love the well-written show. They love the performances. But it just has not found an audience. So now, hopefully with an Emmy for Best Writing -- Best Comedy Writing, this show will have a chance.
BERNARD: Well, because they had the worst time slot. I think that's what happened. People weren't really interested in 9:30 on a Sunday for a new show. And FOX admitted that it needed to give it some attention. And this season, I think it's actually going to do a lot better.
SIGESMUND: Hopefully.
COLLINS: It is kind of a weird time slot, that's for sure.
All right, well, Andy, "Arrested Development," as we said, definitely unexpected. But what were some of the other surprises that you saw?
BOROWITZ: Well, I mean, personally I thought the biggest surprise of the night actually happened a little bit earlier in the technical awards for the Emmys, because -- no, it's true. "Frasier" won for Best Sound Mixing, which really shocked me, because I've always felt that the sound mixing on "Frasier" was OK but nothing to write home about. It was the sentimental favorite because it was the last, so they gave them the Best Sound Mixing.
BERNARD: They threw it in.
COLLINS: The dog barks. You know, they've got to get that right in there...
BOROWITZ: That's true. No, that's true.
BERNARD: I think one of the other big surprises was James Spader winning, don't you think? That was really the one that -- and that was also interesting, because he's starting a new show. So, it was kind of promoting him into his new show, "Boston Legal," which is a takeoff of "The Practice."
And the same thing kind of for Drea de Matteo, don't you think?
SIGESMUND: Right.
BERNARD: Because it was like, OK, she did have a big year as Adriana, but now people are paying attention to her for "Joey." COLLINS: Right. Exactly.
BERNARD: Snowballing.
SIGESMUND: Yes. I want to talk about something, though, that I did not like, which was the orchestra shooing people off the stage.
You know, Jeffrey Wright is up there, talking about something as profound as AIDS and its effect on the black community in the U.S., and the orchestra is up like get off the stage, get off the stage -- yet Al Pacino gets to blather on for five minutes about nothing.
COLLINS: They have a hard time keeping everything on time, as we always do here -- even on "90-Second Pop."
We've got to get to the outfits.
BERNARD: All right, the outfits...
COLLINS: ... right? OK, let's look at those who dressed really well.
BERNARD: The hits as opposed to the misses. That's right. Well...
COLLINS: ... Sarah Jessica Parker all around, right?
BERNARD: And I think, again, everyone kind of expected her to come with something fabulous. And she did. This was a Chanel couture dress. I can only imagine the price tag on that one. Sometimes she actually gets kind of these strange 1950s frocks going on, maybe from a little bit of too much Carrie exposure.
COLLINS: If you're calling it a frock, it can't be good.
BERNARD: Right, these sort of drop-waisted pleated things. But this is really classic Hollywood, and I think that no one expected anything less from her.
COLLINS: Mariska Hargitay?
BERNARD: Right. The second one that I really loved was Mariska Hargitay, who not a lot of people know, actually. She is in "Law and Order: SVU." And she recently got married, so she's gotten some press from that.
She's in this beautiful long, green dress. And her hair was up with a flower on. And it just shows you the power of fashion, the power of a good dress. On a night like that, even if you didn't win, even if not that many people know who you are, it really makes you a standout.
COLLINS: OK, so before we go through the other three, which are Allison Janney and Kim Cattrall and Laura Linney -- but the misses.
BERNARD: The misses! The misses are always so much fun. SIGESMUND: This is the best part.
BERNARD: Now, you know, I got to say, unfortunately the misses are sort of like older actresses who we love and we think are so talented, but they just don't...
SIGESMUND: Oh, come on! Come on!
BERNARD: They need a stylist. I don't understand. I think they either -- they don't listen to their stylist. They don't think they need one. But Meryl Streep, I mean, what was that?
It was like this weird like I made my own necklace kind of outfit. These got these kind of off-the-shoulder white -- don't wear white. That is so unflattering.
SIGESMUND: Yes, we all know that.
BERNARD: But you know, so -- and then, after that, I got to say, Helen Mirren. She was wearing some sort of Indian outfit that looked like a tablecloth draped over her shoulder.
SIGESMUND: And don't forget -- don't forget about Elaine Stritch. She really should have shown more cleavage.
COLLINS: Leave her alone.
BERNARD: ... pilgrim outfit.
BOROWITZ: She was like Zell Miller in drag. That seemed (ph) so bizarre.
BERNARD: Maybe that's what she's was going for with the...
COLLINS: All right, guys. Thanks so much for keeping us up to speed on the Emmys -- that's for sure. Andy, Sarah, and B.J., thanks again -- Bill?
HEMMER: I like that. The three of you in primetime.
BERNARD: That's right. Where's our Emmy?
HEMMER: Zell Miller in drag.
Break here. In a moment, today's the day some folks say they never thought they would see in the Enron matter. Andy explains that in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. The day finally arriving for the first Enron criminal trial. With that and a check of the markets, Andy's back "Minding Your Business."
First to the markets, how are we doing? ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: We're not doing that well. But I warned you, I said futures were weak this morning, and in fact, stocks are trading lower at this hour.
Let's check out the Big Board and see what kind of damage we have on the Dow. Well, we're down about 58 points. Not so bad, but not so good either.
Pulling down the Dow this morning, Colgate-Palmolive, CNN Ruben Mark warning that earnings are going to be weak going forward, spending too much money on marketing, he said -- that's advertising. Let's that stock is really taking a beating. It's down over $5, to $48. What they make over there? Colgate, Palmolive, Irish Spring, OK, things like that. Price of oil also hurting stocks this morning. That's up, as well. And then we've got a little situation down in Houston.
HEMMER: Houston.
SERWER: That's right. Three years since the collapse of Enron, we're finally getting to a criminal trial. First one begins today in Houston, looking at jury selection down there. It's a trial of six individuals, two Enron executives, midlevel, Dan Boyle and Sheila Kahanick and also four Merrill Lynch employees. This is the Nigerian barge deal.
Remember this one? The Nigerian barge deal. This is a situation where Enron bought a barge from Merrill Lynch, and then sold it back, or vice versa. And it was kind of a sham transaction, according to the government. A big deal, though, in terms of future stuff for Lay and Skilling, because it's really kind of an acid test for the government -- can they prosecute, can they do the job and bring in some witnesses? So we'll be watching this one.
HEMMER: Starts today. Could go?
SERWER: For eight weeks.
COLLINS: Forever.
SERWER: Yes, four to eight weeks, not that long, they say.
HEMMER: Thanks, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
CAFFERTY: I want to check in with Jack now and the Question of the Day once again.
SERWER: Thanks, Heidi. A couple of op-ed pieces in the "Times" this morning, suggesting that John Kerry might be letting this thing slip away. The question we're asking is what does John Kerry need to do to turn the race around. We've gotten a lot of mail.
Howard in Springfield, Virginia writes, "There are two things Senator Kerry should do. First, study the Clinton-Bush debates of 1992, and learn how a master politician connects with the voters, feels their pain and gives them a reason to vote against the incumbent. Second, replace the current campaign leaders, the gang that can't shoot straight, with pros who know how to direct a winning effort."
Sue writes, "Kerry needs to get more forceful, pound the desk, and tell people that bush is doing the wrong thing on Iraq, the huge deficit, poor health coverage and education for the middle class. He must say to women, pay attention. Your children are suffering from lack of resources."
And Lynn in Huntsville, Alabama, "John Kerry has to give me a reason to vote for him, other than I don't want four more years of W. Bush scares me, but Kerry has yet to inspire me."
Interesting stuff.
HEMMER: Yes, very good stuff, too. What did he say? He's going to start fighting at the end of September? It says history shows...
SERWER: The one thing about John Kerry is that, remember, he was counted out in the Democratic primaries and came all the way back.
CAFFERTY: Well, that's because Howard Dean went on the national television and tried to swallow a beach ball whole on the -- he went nuts in front of the entire world.
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: Yes, but there were other candidates.
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: And the Democrats said we can't put him on the ticket, he's crazy. And then they said, well, who can we get? And they said, well, there's a quiet guy over there in the corner that we might be able to win with, so they got Kerry. It wasn't like there was a consensus for Kerry.
SERWER: And now you know.
CAFFERTY: Jack Cafferty on politics.
HEMMER: Get a break here. AMERICAN MORNING continues after this. Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired September 20, 2004 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Here's Kelly Wallace, also with us this morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, a little bit more important news for us this morning.
Hi, Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you both. And good morning, everyone.
Florida Congressman Porter Goss is on Capitol Hill. You are looking at live pictures. That is where this Senate Intelligence Committee hearing will be getting under way. Goss will be facing questions from senators. He has been tapped by President Bush to replace George Tenet as head of the CIA.
The remaining sanctions against Libya may soon be lifted. The move is expected to free more than $1 billion in compensation to families of people who died in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103. It is also a reward for Libya's agreement last year to dismantle its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs.
In Fallujah, U.S. forces are pounding cranes and bulldozers. Troops say the equipment is being used by insurgents to fortify fighting positions. At least three people were killed. And the families of three Western hostages held in Iraq are pleading for their lives. Two Americans and a British national were seized Thursday in Baghdad.
And finally, the battle for the White House is being fought this morning over Iraq. President Bush is expected to step up his criticism of Senator John Kerry at an appearance in New Hampshire. He will address the United Nations in New York tomorrow. And within the half hour, Senator Kerry will detail his peace plan in Iraq in a speech at NYU here in New York City. CNN will have live coverage starting at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. And I know you both can't believe this, 43 days and counting until the election.
COLLINS: And it still seems like they're following each other around the country.
WALLACE: They both are here in New York.
COLLINS: Yes, once again.
All right, Kelly Wallace, thanks so much for that.
This morning, Hurricane Ivan's aftermath is still being felt all across the South. CNN's Chris Lawrence joining us from Pensacola Beach, Florida, where getting back to normal is still so very far away.
Chris, good morning.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
The devastation is incredible, but we do have some good news to report this morning. Of the 12 people who were still missing in this county over the weekend, firefighters found five of them alive and well and fixing their condominium.
But you can tell from just some of the damage here how difficult it is to really account for everyone, especially in areas hit as hard as this one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Monday is supposed to symbolize the start of a new work week, but for people in Pensacola Beach, no one even knows where to begin.
GARY COLL, PENSACOLA BEACH RESIDENT: This is a sad damn thing.
LAWRENCE: Jerry Cole ignored evacuation orders and watched Ivan from his home, a few hundred yards from the beach.
COLL: Not to protect my home, because I know there's nothing you can do in that situation. That's not why I stayed. I just wanted to see it.
LAWRENCE: What he saw was the end of Pensacola Beach as he knew it, homes torn apart, hotels stripped bare, sand piled up to the windows. Where entire families once slept, there is nothing. And no hope of repair.
COLL: They're not all rich. Some of them struggle to pay for these beach homes and raise their children and everything. It's going to be terrible when they come back and they face that.
LAWRENCE: On Sunday, President Bush got a firsthand look at some of the areas damaged by the storm, destruction that left thousands in need of basic food and water, and hundreds of thousands still without power in Florida alone.
And as the first few gas stations reopened in the Florida Panhandle, some people waited up to five hours for a few gallons. As for Gary Cole, he'll never forget the night he lost everything.
COLL: Now I'm going to be able to tell -- I only have about 10 friends in life, but I'm going to tell all 10 of them what I saw.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LAWRENCE: The police tell us it's going to be a few more days before other folks who live here get a chance to get back on the island to see what their homes look like. Although the sand is high here, it's unbelievable in other areas. Still as high as eight to 10 feet -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Wow. Unbelievable. Chris Lawrence, thanks so much for that.
And Tropical Storm Jeanne is bypassing the Bahama Islands right now. It is expected to gain strength, though, in the next 24 hours. Here's a look at the Devastation Jeanne caused in Haiti. At least 54 people killed, 150 more are missing. Some of the victims are believed to have been killed by mudslides there. In one northwestern town alone, some 80,000 residents are effected by the floods. Flooding always a major concern in this.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Back to election 2004 now, one of the biggest complaints of voters during the campaign is that they do not hear enough about the issues. So starting today, we begin our week-long series. It's called "Promises, Promises," five days, five issues. We'll look at what the candidates promise to do and whether they can turn those promises into reality. Today's issue is keeping America safe. A recent CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll found that terrorism tied with the economy as the No. 1 issue on voters' minds according to that survey.
Back with us, our national correspondent Kelly Wallace, here on AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning to you.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATL. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
And what we've been saying is we're trying to clear through the spin and all the attacks and focus on this one question, what would each candidate do at home and abroad to protect the United States from terrorism?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE (voice-over): two candidates, one message -- I can keep the U.S. safer than the other guy.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When it comes to making America safer, we're moving forward, and we're not turning back.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And we are going to make homeland security the kind of priority that it ought to be, not a political slogan.
WALLACE: Yet, despite the rhetoric, the two men have much in common. Both support the creation of a national intelligence director, overseeing the country's 15 intelligence agencies. And both promise to beef up border security, although neither explains exactly how he would pay for it with a budget deficit expected to reach more than $400 billion this year.
That said, there are differences. Senator Kerry promises to expand active duty forces by 40,000 troops. But he has not offered a detailed plan on how he would accomplish that with U.S. forces already stretched thin.
And Mr. Kerry says he, unlike Mr. Bush, would increase funding for first responders.
KERRY: I believe it's wrong to be opening fire houses in Baghdad and closing them down in the United States.
WALLACE: The president actually requested more than $3 billion last year for first responders, but the bill passed by Congress, which Mr. Bush chose not to veto, included just about $1 billion in new spending. Kerry did not vote on that measure. He was in the hospital, recovering from surgery for prostate cancer.
BUSH: Today, because we're on the offensive against terrorist networks, the American people are safer.
WALLACE: What would President Bush do in a second term to keep America safe? He promised to restructure the military, by bringing home some U.S. forces currently based in Europe and Asia.
BUSH: We'll deploy a more agile and more flexible force.
WALLACE: But his critics say such a move could frustrate U.S. allies needed in the fight against terrorism. And the president promises to make permanent the Patriot Act, which strengthens the authority of law enforcement in the United States, but he faces opposition from some lawmakers, including his rival, who voted for the measure, but now says parts of it threaten individual rights.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: And at least according to the latest polls, President Bush seems to enjoy a strong advantage over Senator John Kerry on this issue of terrorism according to "The New York Times"/CBS News poll this weekend. About half the respondents said they had a great deal of confidence in President Bush's ability to protect the U.S. from another attack. Only about 26 percent of those registered voters felt that way about John Kerry.
HEMMER: Today, in about 20 minutes, John Kerry is going to talk about Iraq, and based on the reports we're getting over the weekend, for the next six weeks, that is going to be topic-a for him. You cover these campaigns. How do you like that strategy?
WALLACE: Well, somewhat surprising in some ways. But it does appear that the campaign feels that it has to do two things. No. 1, clarify 100 percent exactly what John Kerry's position is on Iraq. Make sure there are no questions about where he stands, and draw the distinctions with President Bush. Campaign advisers believe the president is growing more and more vulnerable as we see more and more events on the ground in Iraq, more than 1,000 Americans killed. So they think as there's more attention on what's happening in Iraq now, they can succeed. But again, he is still vulnerable himself, because he faces questions on his own position.
HEMMER: Thank you, Kelly. Good series, too.
Tomorrow, "Promises, Promises," we'll get to the topic of Iraq, as you mentioned, one of the top three issues on voters' minds in our recent survey. We'll look at what each candidate promises to do to restore peace in that country -- or try. Be sure to logon to cnn.com/am, and there you can compare the candidates' positions and what they promise to do on various issues.
See you tomorrow, Kelly. Thanks.
All right, Heidi?
COLLINS: Still to come this morning, it's a landmark day for the biggest bankruptcy case in corporate history. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" on that.
Plus a special Emmy edition of "90-Second Pop." There were some familiar faces at the podium last night, but who was the biggest surprise winner?
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Well, it's the morning after television's biggest night, and HBO dominated the Primetime Emmy Awards. "Angels in America" tied the record for the most wins ever, including one for Meryl Streep as Best Actress.
So, here's how Streep accepted her award.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MERYL STREEP, ACTRESS: There are some days when I myself think I'm overrated, but not today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Here for a full recap, it's our Emmys edition of "90- Second Pop." So, with us this morning: Andy Borowitz, author of a new book now, "The Borowitz Report: The Big Book of Shockers" -- some of them last night maybe; Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York Magazine"; and B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor for "Us Weekly." Thanks, guys, for being here.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK MAGAZINE": Good morning.
COLLINS: Anybody stay up late?
BERNARD: Oh, yeah. Of course!
B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Big night for TiVo, too.
COLLINS: Yes, big night for TiVo.
B.J., let's start with you. Sarah Jessica Parker has been nominated many, many times...
SIGESMUND: Right.
COLLINS: ... but never won, until last night.
SIGESMUND: Right.
COLLINS: This was a huge night for her.
SIGESMUND: Right. Between producing the show and starring in the show, she was nominated 10 times before last night.
COLLINS: ... a lot.
SIGESMUND: And people were starting to call her the Susan Lucci of the category, and no one wants to see Susan Lucci and Sarah Jessica Parker's names in the same sentence.
So, yes, she won, finally. And she was owed, as they say in the business. You know, the show came to an end. People loved it going out on a high note and not sticking around for eight or nine seasons, like so many other shows. And they love her. It was a time for her to win.
COLLINS: Aww, did you see Matthew there looking at her adoringly?
BERNARD: I want to know why, if this is kind of payback for all of her years of hard work, why didn't "Friends" get anything? They didn't get one thing.
SIGESMUND: Jennifer Aniston's won before. Matt LeBlanc's won before. They've all...
BERNARD: But tonight...
SIGESMUND: Because they stayed until the 10th season; no one cared anymore.
BERNARD: Oh, they overstayed their welcome -- that's why.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: I really think The Gap ads is what put Sarah Jessica Parker over the top...
BERNARD: Yeah?
BOROWITZ: ... because now there appear to be eight or nine Sarah Jessica Parkers, and I think that really helped. COLLINS: Put her right over the top.
Well, what about "Arrested Development" now? This was kind of a shocker, as we were saying.
SIGESMUND: This was the big upset of the night. It was nominated in a category with "Sex and the City" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and other comedies that had won before. The crazy thing about "Arrested Development" is its ratings are awful. Its ratings are in the basement, but critics love the show.
Critics love the well-written show. They love the performances. But it just has not found an audience. So now, hopefully with an Emmy for Best Writing -- Best Comedy Writing, this show will have a chance.
BERNARD: Well, because they had the worst time slot. I think that's what happened. People weren't really interested in 9:30 on a Sunday for a new show. And FOX admitted that it needed to give it some attention. And this season, I think it's actually going to do a lot better.
SIGESMUND: Hopefully.
COLLINS: It is kind of a weird time slot, that's for sure.
All right, well, Andy, "Arrested Development," as we said, definitely unexpected. But what were some of the other surprises that you saw?
BOROWITZ: Well, I mean, personally I thought the biggest surprise of the night actually happened a little bit earlier in the technical awards for the Emmys, because -- no, it's true. "Frasier" won for Best Sound Mixing, which really shocked me, because I've always felt that the sound mixing on "Frasier" was OK but nothing to write home about. It was the sentimental favorite because it was the last, so they gave them the Best Sound Mixing.
BERNARD: They threw it in.
COLLINS: The dog barks. You know, they've got to get that right in there...
BOROWITZ: That's true. No, that's true.
BERNARD: I think one of the other big surprises was James Spader winning, don't you think? That was really the one that -- and that was also interesting, because he's starting a new show. So, it was kind of promoting him into his new show, "Boston Legal," which is a takeoff of "The Practice."
And the same thing kind of for Drea de Matteo, don't you think?
SIGESMUND: Right.
BERNARD: Because it was like, OK, she did have a big year as Adriana, but now people are paying attention to her for "Joey." COLLINS: Right. Exactly.
BERNARD: Snowballing.
SIGESMUND: Yes. I want to talk about something, though, that I did not like, which was the orchestra shooing people off the stage.
You know, Jeffrey Wright is up there, talking about something as profound as AIDS and its effect on the black community in the U.S., and the orchestra is up like get off the stage, get off the stage -- yet Al Pacino gets to blather on for five minutes about nothing.
COLLINS: They have a hard time keeping everything on time, as we always do here -- even on "90-Second Pop."
We've got to get to the outfits.
BERNARD: All right, the outfits...
COLLINS: ... right? OK, let's look at those who dressed really well.
BERNARD: The hits as opposed to the misses. That's right. Well...
COLLINS: ... Sarah Jessica Parker all around, right?
BERNARD: And I think, again, everyone kind of expected her to come with something fabulous. And she did. This was a Chanel couture dress. I can only imagine the price tag on that one. Sometimes she actually gets kind of these strange 1950s frocks going on, maybe from a little bit of too much Carrie exposure.
COLLINS: If you're calling it a frock, it can't be good.
BERNARD: Right, these sort of drop-waisted pleated things. But this is really classic Hollywood, and I think that no one expected anything less from her.
COLLINS: Mariska Hargitay?
BERNARD: Right. The second one that I really loved was Mariska Hargitay, who not a lot of people know, actually. She is in "Law and Order: SVU." And she recently got married, so she's gotten some press from that.
She's in this beautiful long, green dress. And her hair was up with a flower on. And it just shows you the power of fashion, the power of a good dress. On a night like that, even if you didn't win, even if not that many people know who you are, it really makes you a standout.
COLLINS: OK, so before we go through the other three, which are Allison Janney and Kim Cattrall and Laura Linney -- but the misses.
BERNARD: The misses! The misses are always so much fun. SIGESMUND: This is the best part.
BERNARD: Now, you know, I got to say, unfortunately the misses are sort of like older actresses who we love and we think are so talented, but they just don't...
SIGESMUND: Oh, come on! Come on!
BERNARD: They need a stylist. I don't understand. I think they either -- they don't listen to their stylist. They don't think they need one. But Meryl Streep, I mean, what was that?
It was like this weird like I made my own necklace kind of outfit. These got these kind of off-the-shoulder white -- don't wear white. That is so unflattering.
SIGESMUND: Yes, we all know that.
BERNARD: But you know, so -- and then, after that, I got to say, Helen Mirren. She was wearing some sort of Indian outfit that looked like a tablecloth draped over her shoulder.
SIGESMUND: And don't forget -- don't forget about Elaine Stritch. She really should have shown more cleavage.
COLLINS: Leave her alone.
BERNARD: ... pilgrim outfit.
BOROWITZ: She was like Zell Miller in drag. That seemed (ph) so bizarre.
BERNARD: Maybe that's what she's was going for with the...
COLLINS: All right, guys. Thanks so much for keeping us up to speed on the Emmys -- that's for sure. Andy, Sarah, and B.J., thanks again -- Bill?
HEMMER: I like that. The three of you in primetime.
BERNARD: That's right. Where's our Emmy?
HEMMER: Zell Miller in drag.
Break here. In a moment, today's the day some folks say they never thought they would see in the Enron matter. Andy explains that in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. The day finally arriving for the first Enron criminal trial. With that and a check of the markets, Andy's back "Minding Your Business."
First to the markets, how are we doing? ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: We're not doing that well. But I warned you, I said futures were weak this morning, and in fact, stocks are trading lower at this hour.
Let's check out the Big Board and see what kind of damage we have on the Dow. Well, we're down about 58 points. Not so bad, but not so good either.
Pulling down the Dow this morning, Colgate-Palmolive, CNN Ruben Mark warning that earnings are going to be weak going forward, spending too much money on marketing, he said -- that's advertising. Let's that stock is really taking a beating. It's down over $5, to $48. What they make over there? Colgate, Palmolive, Irish Spring, OK, things like that. Price of oil also hurting stocks this morning. That's up, as well. And then we've got a little situation down in Houston.
HEMMER: Houston.
SERWER: That's right. Three years since the collapse of Enron, we're finally getting to a criminal trial. First one begins today in Houston, looking at jury selection down there. It's a trial of six individuals, two Enron executives, midlevel, Dan Boyle and Sheila Kahanick and also four Merrill Lynch employees. This is the Nigerian barge deal.
Remember this one? The Nigerian barge deal. This is a situation where Enron bought a barge from Merrill Lynch, and then sold it back, or vice versa. And it was kind of a sham transaction, according to the government. A big deal, though, in terms of future stuff for Lay and Skilling, because it's really kind of an acid test for the government -- can they prosecute, can they do the job and bring in some witnesses? So we'll be watching this one.
HEMMER: Starts today. Could go?
SERWER: For eight weeks.
COLLINS: Forever.
SERWER: Yes, four to eight weeks, not that long, they say.
HEMMER: Thanks, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
CAFFERTY: I want to check in with Jack now and the Question of the Day once again.
SERWER: Thanks, Heidi. A couple of op-ed pieces in the "Times" this morning, suggesting that John Kerry might be letting this thing slip away. The question we're asking is what does John Kerry need to do to turn the race around. We've gotten a lot of mail.
Howard in Springfield, Virginia writes, "There are two things Senator Kerry should do. First, study the Clinton-Bush debates of 1992, and learn how a master politician connects with the voters, feels their pain and gives them a reason to vote against the incumbent. Second, replace the current campaign leaders, the gang that can't shoot straight, with pros who know how to direct a winning effort."
Sue writes, "Kerry needs to get more forceful, pound the desk, and tell people that bush is doing the wrong thing on Iraq, the huge deficit, poor health coverage and education for the middle class. He must say to women, pay attention. Your children are suffering from lack of resources."
And Lynn in Huntsville, Alabama, "John Kerry has to give me a reason to vote for him, other than I don't want four more years of W. Bush scares me, but Kerry has yet to inspire me."
Interesting stuff.
HEMMER: Yes, very good stuff, too. What did he say? He's going to start fighting at the end of September? It says history shows...
SERWER: The one thing about John Kerry is that, remember, he was counted out in the Democratic primaries and came all the way back.
CAFFERTY: Well, that's because Howard Dean went on the national television and tried to swallow a beach ball whole on the -- he went nuts in front of the entire world.
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: Yes, but there were other candidates.
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: And the Democrats said we can't put him on the ticket, he's crazy. And then they said, well, who can we get? And they said, well, there's a quiet guy over there in the corner that we might be able to win with, so they got Kerry. It wasn't like there was a consensus for Kerry.
SERWER: And now you know.
CAFFERTY: Jack Cafferty on politics.
HEMMER: Get a break here. AMERICAN MORNING continues after this. Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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