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American Morning

Second Sunni Cleric Assassinated; Bush and Kerry Campaign in New York; Tighter Airport Security

Aired September 20, 2004 - 9:00   ET

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

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


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Gardening, poetry and listening to the bombs of insurgents: a look at Saddam Hussein's life in prison as his trial approaches.
Two, three, none? What do the candidates agree to when it comes to presidential debates.

And what Ivan left behind. The storm now flooding town after town as rivers run over. Tropical Storm Jeanne pounds northern Haiti. We'll find out where that one's going next on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

COLLINS: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins, in for Soledad today.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Bill Hemmer. Good morning again.

A lot of political talk today. The two campaigns hitting hard at each other over national security issues. We'll look at that today, and also begin a series on what each campaign is really proposing for the big issues. Our series is called "Promises, Promises."

It starts today. So we'll get to that.

COLLINS: Also starting today, the government is planning tougher security checks at the nation's airports, including new pat-down searches. We'll talk with the head of the Transportation Security Administration about those changes.

Also find out about this new machine called the people puffer. Tell you how that thing works.

HEMMER: Hey, Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm not sure I want to know...

COLLINS: Interesting.

CAFFERTY: ... based on the title.

John Kerry, what does he have to do to get the campaign turned around? Despite polls that show time and again that people are dissatisfied with the direction the country is moving in, John Kerry is not exactly running away with this thing. And a couple of blistering op-ed pieces in "The Times" suggested his campaign is in trouble, and they offer suggestions on what he has to do to get back in the race.

AM@CNN.com if you have some thoughts. We'll read some of your letters a little bit later.

COLLINS: OK, Jack.

CAFFERTY: People puffers?

COLLINS: People puffers.

CAFFERTY: There you go.

COLLINS: We'll get to that in a moment. All right. Thanks, Jack.

We're going to check on the stories "Now in the News" right now with Kelly Wallace.

Hi, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi Heidi and Jack and Bill. And good morning, everybody.

We begin with the controversy involving CBS. CBS News may apologize to its viewers as early as this morning.

The network plans to issue a statement about disputed documents used by Dan Rather on "60 Minutes" to question President Bush's National Guard service. Sources say CBS may also disclose the confidential source of those memos.

Within the half-hour, Florida Congressman Porter Goss will face the Senate Intelligence Committee for the second time in less than a week. Goss has been tapped by President Bush to replace George Tenet as director of the CIA.

And as for President Bush, he and Senator John Kerry are edging closer to a face-off. A Democratic source tells CNN this morning both candidates have tentatively agreed to three presidential debates. Details are still being worked out, but there are reports the first debate could come later this month.

Today, the candidates are bound for the Big Apple. We'll tell you more about that coming up.

And the first criminal trial against Enron executives begins this morning in Houston. The giant energy firm collapsed three years ago when its shady bookkeeping came to light. The jury will be chosen today for a conspiracy case involving two executives from Enron and four from Merrill Lynch.

That's the latest on news in this hour. Back to Bill and Heidi.

HEMMER: All right, Kelly. Thanks. Good to have you here. WALLACE: Good to be here.

HEMMER: Want to start an hour -- this hour, rather, again back in Iraq, where a second Sunni cleric has been assassinated now in the past 24 hours, both in Baghdad. Also, U.S. air strikes in Fallujah already today killing at least three there, we're told. It follows a weekend of heavy violence and reports of dozens of hostages now being held.

To Baghdad and Jane Arraf there.

Jane, hello.

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Bill.

Well, a 48-hour deadline has expired this morning, with no word on the fate of two Americans and one Briton who were seized from their unguarded home in the diplomatic district of Baghdad. Now, the group holding them says it will behead them if Iraqi female prisoners are not released. They're just three of several dozen hostages Iraqis and non-Iraqis being held here in the country.

This morning in Baghdad, a roadside bomb hit a U.S. military convoy. At least 15 Iraqis were wounded in that attack. No reports, though, of U.S. casualties.

And new air strikes, new U.S. military air strikes in the troubled city of Fallujah, where violence has flared up again. The military confirms the air strikes, will not confirm the target. But witnesses say that it hit a bulldozer, killing at least two Iraqis.

A hospital official there says the Iraqis were municipal workers who were working on construction projects. The U.S., though, says that a lot of that construction is used to launch attacks against U.S. forces -- Bill.

HEMMER: Jane Arraf following the events there in Baghdad.

A bit earlier today, Iyad Allawi, the interim prime minister, saying a trial for Saddam Hussein could begin next month. I talked about the captured former dictator with John Burns, "The New York Times" bureau chief there in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Over the weekend, you wrote about Saddam Hussein and his confinement. You describe him as a gardener at this point. What are you learning about his confinement?

JOHN BURNS, "NEW YORK TIMES": Well, my guess is that Saddam -- we know a lot about him now. We were able to discover quite a lot about him for that -- for that article, sitting there in his cell out at Camp Cropper (ph), about 10 miles from where I'm standing in the grounds of one of his old palaces, gardening during his three-hour exercise breaks, reading the Koran, reading ancient Arab tomes of poetry and tales of Arab glory, and listening, one may expect, to the sounds of war all about him.

He's between the city of Baghdad and the city of Fallujah. He will see attack helicopters passing over. He will hear suicide bombs. And he will say, well, now they know that what I said was true.

And what he said before American troops invaded Iraq, you come in to Iraq, you may be able to invade us and overrun us, but you wait, we'll have -- we'll have another war waiting for you. And that's what came about. Saddam Hussein ask such a narcissist, it's not impossible facing the death penalty at trial, as he is, that he's sitting there thinking -- dreaming about restoration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Again, John Burns, "New York Times" bureau chief in Baghdad. Wrote that piece over the weekend -- Heidi.

COLLINS: There's going to be campaign gridlock in New York tonight as both President Bush and John Kerry hit town to raise money and talk about Iraq. We have two campaign reports now: Dana Bash at the White House and Bob Franken in New York.

Want to begin at the White House, though, and Dana.

Good morning to you, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

You know, the Bush campaign is certainly prepared to defend itself against Senator Kerry, who is expected to focus on what he calls the president's mistakes in Iraq this week. But there's also new criticism coming from within the president's own party, from senior senators in the Republican Party, about how he's handling Iraq.

For example, Republican Senate Foreign Relations chairman, Richard Lugar, talked about the incompetence, as he called it, of the administration for spending only $1 billion out of $18 billion they had for rebuilding Iraq. And perhaps the most noteworthy from a political perspective, Senator John McCain urged the president to be more aggressive with insurgents in Iraq, and also said the president is not being as straight with the American people as he should be about the Iraq situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: You've got to send our troops in there on the ground. And that, of course, means the most difficult kind of fighting.

I think the president is being clear. I would like to see him more clear, because I believe the American people, the majority of them, know what's at stake and will support this effort.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, Bush campaign officials privately say that that criticism from Senator McCain certainly did sting, especially since they have touted Senator McCain's support for Mr. Bush. They've campaigned together on the stump. And because it certainly goes to one of the questions Senator Kerry is raising this week about the president's honesty, integrity and credibility when it comes to Iraq.

But Bush aides still counter that Senator Kerry does not have a better plan from their perspective. That's something the president will try to reinforce later today on the stump in New Hampshire. He's going to have yet another new criticism of Senator Kerry. He will accuse him of wanting to retreat from Iraq -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Dana Bash at the White House. Thanks so much for that, Dana.

Now I want to bring in Bob Kerry -- or, excuse me, Bob Franken covering the Kerry campaign in New York. Two different people there.

Hey, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You just slandered senator -- former Senator Kerry. As we're at New York University, where Senator John Kerry is expected in just a very short while to get what his campaign calls an extremely important speech in which he will give his specific plan showing, they say, the differences between how a Kerry administration would handle Iraq and how the Bush administration has. It's part of a grueling schedule now, with just a little over seven weeks left in the campaign, that will go from morning to late night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): It's time tonight for John Kerry to show that he really does have a sense of humor with an appearance on the David Letterman show. Meanwhile, his top 10 advisers or more will continue debating pet political tricks, strategies for turning things around. The latest midcourse correction, be aggressive.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me tell you something. These folks have got me in a fighting mood. And when I get in a fighting mood towards the end of September, and towards the beginning of October, I think you know what happens here, Massachusetts.

FRANKEN: A reminder that in Massachusetts Kerry has fought from behind in the past. On Sunday, the fight was carried on by his running mate.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you think America is headed in the right direction, you ought to vote for George Bush. If you don't, you ought to vote for President John Kerry come November.

(APPLAUSE)

FRANKEN: The Kerry campaign says it's ready to do battle and will head from here, Tuesday, to the battleground state of Florida, where disasters have not only devastated the natural landscape, but confused the political one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: And, of course, that's the state where the first presidential debate is expected at the latter part of next week. And the Kerry strategy, Heidi, is very simple there: win, or else.

COLLINS: All right. Let me just ask you this, Bob. We know that John Edwards responded to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert's comment that he made about al Qaeda and what would happen if John Kerry and John Edwards were put into office. Are these sort of attacks by the Republicans actually going to really have an impact on the Kerry campaign?

FRANKEN: Well, the Kerry campaign is trying to turn it around on the Republicans, say in the words of John Edwards, that comments like Hastert saying that al Qaeda would have an easier time with the Kerry administration, saying that is fear mongering. Of course, that kind of debate has occurred before. The comments of Vice President Cheney come to mind. So there is clearly this make your mark, and then retreat if you need to, and the Democrats are being criticized for some for playing defense instead of offense.

COLLINS: All right. Bob Franken, thanks so much for that report. We appreciate your time this morning -- Bill.

HEMMER: Hurricane Ivan gone, definitely not forgotten, though. Heavy rains battering parts of the East Coast over the weekend. And this morning, flooding is now a major concern in at least five states.

Thousands in New Jersey and Pennsylvania fleeing their homes on Sunday along the Delaware River. Also on Sunday, President Bush declared disaster areas in eight states from Florida all the way up to Pennsylvania.

We talk a lot about Florida and Alabama. But up and down the East Coast, there are issues out there.

Chad, I'm hearing some folks in Atlanta without power for three days. Had some good friends, had a tree go right through the middle of their home over the weekend, too. Destroyed the thing, too. So a lot of people feeling the factor of Ivan.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You bet. Had a lot of rain, Bill. And then had a lot of wind. And that rain saturates the ground, makes mud, and then the wind blows those big trees over in a really big hurry, all the way up from North Carolina, all the way up, for that matter, right on up into Pittsburgh.

Here's Jeanne, moving to the North and to the Northeast. Here's Karl right here. And then obviously back just getting on the screen, that is Lisa. Let's detail them for you.

Tropical Storm Jeanne making a right-hand turn. Not making the left-hand turn, as was shown on Friday. Karl heading up into the middle part of the Atlantic. Good news, that's now a Category 4 hurricane. And now new Tropical Storm Lisa kind of heading off to the west here as a Category 1 hurricane for over the weekend.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: All right, Chad. Thanks for that.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COLLINS: Still to come this morning, a promise made should be a promise kept, right? Well, when it comes to elections, reality doesn't always live up to the rhetoric. Part one of our weeklong series, "Promises, Promises, " is ahead.

HEMMER: Also, you already take off your shoes for airport security. Get ready to take off your jacket. The question, though, will that help stop the terrorists?

Back in a moment after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: If you're catching a flight today, get ready for some new security procedures. The passenger screening measures take effect today nationwide. They're designed for better detection of explosives hidden in clothing or carry-on bags. Earlier, I spoke with Admiral David Stone. He's the head of the Transportation Security Administration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: What is going to be different today? What will passengers notice?

ADM. DAVID STONE, HEAD OF TSA: Well, we've put in some new procedures at the checkpoint that we think -- we think mitigate the risk of an explosive being able to be brought through the checkpoint onto a commercial air craft. And so you'll see some additional folks divesting their jackets and sport coats, as well as we're really focusing on using the explosive trace detection devices that we have there to pick up the explosive residue -- residue on any carry-on items.

And then we have our screeners doing some additional pat-down of the torso area on suspicious areas. And so we think the combination of those three actions further mitigates the risk of explosives being brought on board aircraft.

COLLINS: You also mention some of these new machines that will be used. In particular, we talked a little bit earlier this morning about the people puffer. A lot of folks not really sure what that is. Can you explain how it works for us?

STONE: Sure. We have a number of airports that we put in the -- a puffer machine, where it blows little puffs of air. And from that we're able to measure the explosive residue that may be on a person's body. And so those machines have been deployed to five airports, along with document scanners, where at a number of our airports we've been able to put the document scanner in place, which also focuses on being able to detect explosive residue. And so you can tell from these initiatives that we really are working to ramp up our ability to detect explosives at our checkpoint.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Admiral David Stone, assistant secretary of Homeland Security this morning -- Bill.

HEMMER: Note from the NFL season yesterday. In a touching moment, too, the Arizona Cardinals honored Pat Tillman yesterday. A giant number 40 was displayed at half-time in Sun Devil Stadium, where he played his college ball, in fact.

Tillman was killed fighting in Afghanistan last April. The Cardinals' safety walked away from a lucrative NFL contract to join the Army Rangers after 9/11. The entire NFL paid tribute to Tillman yesterday, wearing his number 40 on their uniforms, and the back of their helmets.

Arizona is going to continue to do that throughout the rest of the season. Pat Tillman honored yesterday in Arizona.

His mother was there, too. And actually talked about it, which is a very rare thing for the Tillman family.

Get a break here. In a moment, time for folks to pick up the pieces after Ivan. With so much damage, the question is, where do you start? A look at that after this on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: OK. Back to Jack, "Question of the Day."

CAFFERTY: Thank you, Bill.

Questions about whether John Kerry has what it takes to win this election are getting louder. There are a couple of rough op-ed pieces in "The Times" today, critical of Kerry's approach on several fronts.

William Safire lists 10 things he thinks Kerry needs to do to stop the erosion in the polls and turn his campaign around. He says Kerry has failed to connect with voters on who he is and what he believes in.

Bob Herbert says Kerry has run a "cautious, soulless campaign" based on his actions of 30 years ago. That would be the Vietnam War.

So here's the question: what does John Kerry need to do to turn the race around?

Mingo in Miami writes: "Kerry could be reciting Shakespeare and running through the streets with his hair on fire for all we know. The rotten media won't cover anything about the Kerry campaign. We only get a five-second sound bite per day if we're lucky."

Mingo, I've talked to our executive producer, Will Serat (ph), and in the -- I'm assured that in the event Kerry starts reciting Shakespeare and running through the streets with his hair on fire, we do plan to step up our coverage.

HEMMER: We'll take it live.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

CAFFERTY: Kevin writes -- this makes a lot of sense, gets right to the heart of the problem, I think. Kevin in New York writes: "He needs to risk losing. In other words he needs to put himself out there, take some risks."

Lee in Mount Airy, Maryland, "John Kerry needs to stop his impression of James Stewart and put real emotion in his speeches. He's too robotic to fire up a point."

And Patricia in Atlanta writes: "Kerry needs to hire Al Sharpton to run his campaign. At least Sharpton kept everyone's feet to the fire during the primaries, which is exactly what Kerry needs to do to Bush, discuss issues that Bush wants to sweep under the rug."

"Also, a little humor would not. Al, where are you?"

Not a bad idea. Sharpton probably...

HEMMER: Six weeks from tomorrow?

CAFFERTY: Gee, is it that soon?

HEMMER: If the polls -- if the polls are right, the debates could -- the debates could determine this entire deal.

CAFFERTY: Yes?

COLLINS: Yes, it could make a big difference.

HEMMER: And if they do three, that would actually be a higher number than we've seen in the past. I think in '96, Bill Clinton and Bob Dole did two, I believe?

CAFFERTY: Yes, I think, and one vice president. The best debate is going to be Cheney-Edwards, you know that.

HEMMER: It'll be...

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: I can't wait for that. That's going to be...

HEMMER: October 5th, I think? Is that right?

CAFFERTY: That's going to be the best of the three. I mean, these other two guys, we know what -- I want to see Cheney-Edwards. It's going to be...

HEMMER: Guess who will be there, by the way?

CAFFERTY: You?

HEMMER: CNN's AMERICAN MORNING.

CAFFERTY: Where?

HEMMER: We'll be in Cleveland for that debate.

(LAUGHTER)

CAFFERTY: Are you serious?

HEMMER: Yes.

CAFFERTY: How come nobody tells me this stuff? I'm on vacation that week.

COLLINS: You're going. Oh, OK. You don't even know what week it is.

CAFFERTY: You know what I was just told?

HEMMER: What's that?

CAFFERTY: Just you. The rest of us are staying here. One person from this program going to Cleveland is one too many.

(LAUGHTER)

HEMMER: We'll see.

COLLINS: All right, Jack. We'll check in a little bit later on. Thanks.

And now, still to come, a special Emmy edition of "90-Second Pop." We've got you covered with a recap of last night's 56th annual primetime Emmy Awards. We've got the good, the bad and the ugly on the upsets, the surprises and the fashion.

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Just about half past the hour now on this AMERICAN MORNING.

You know, for many people in Pensacola Beach, Florida, Hurricane Ivan demolished in hours what it took a lifetime to build. In just a moment, we're going to check how people are doing there today and hear one man's story of why he stayed at home and rode out the storm.

HEMMER: Absolute devastation, too.

COLLINS: Yes.

HEMMER: Up and down that beach.

Also, in a moment here, part one in our series "Promises, Promises." We begin it today. We'll have one for you every day this week, going through the specific positions that President Bush has staked out and Senator Kerry has staked out, where they stand on the biggest issues today. And we'll look at the candidates' plans for fighting terrorism.

That's our topic today and throughout the week. We'll look at the economy, and certainly the topic of Iraq, as we progress throughout this series.

Want to get down to Wall Street now. The opening bell on this Monday morning as we kick off a whole new week here.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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Aired September 20, 2004 - 9:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Gardening, poetry and listening to the bombs of insurgents: a look at Saddam Hussein's life in prison as his trial approaches.
Two, three, none? What do the candidates agree to when it comes to presidential debates.

And what Ivan left behind. The storm now flooding town after town as rivers run over. Tropical Storm Jeanne pounds northern Haiti. We'll find out where that one's going next on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

COLLINS: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins, in for Soledad today.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Bill Hemmer. Good morning again.

A lot of political talk today. The two campaigns hitting hard at each other over national security issues. We'll look at that today, and also begin a series on what each campaign is really proposing for the big issues. Our series is called "Promises, Promises."

It starts today. So we'll get to that.

COLLINS: Also starting today, the government is planning tougher security checks at the nation's airports, including new pat-down searches. We'll talk with the head of the Transportation Security Administration about those changes.

Also find out about this new machine called the people puffer. Tell you how that thing works.

HEMMER: Hey, Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm not sure I want to know...

COLLINS: Interesting.

CAFFERTY: ... based on the title.

John Kerry, what does he have to do to get the campaign turned around? Despite polls that show time and again that people are dissatisfied with the direction the country is moving in, John Kerry is not exactly running away with this thing. And a couple of blistering op-ed pieces in "The Times" suggested his campaign is in trouble, and they offer suggestions on what he has to do to get back in the race.

AM@CNN.com if you have some thoughts. We'll read some of your letters a little bit later.

COLLINS: OK, Jack.

CAFFERTY: People puffers?

COLLINS: People puffers.

CAFFERTY: There you go.

COLLINS: We'll get to that in a moment. All right. Thanks, Jack.

We're going to check on the stories "Now in the News" right now with Kelly Wallace.

Hi, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi Heidi and Jack and Bill. And good morning, everybody.

We begin with the controversy involving CBS. CBS News may apologize to its viewers as early as this morning.

The network plans to issue a statement about disputed documents used by Dan Rather on "60 Minutes" to question President Bush's National Guard service. Sources say CBS may also disclose the confidential source of those memos.

Within the half-hour, Florida Congressman Porter Goss will face the Senate Intelligence Committee for the second time in less than a week. Goss has been tapped by President Bush to replace George Tenet as director of the CIA.

And as for President Bush, he and Senator John Kerry are edging closer to a face-off. A Democratic source tells CNN this morning both candidates have tentatively agreed to three presidential debates. Details are still being worked out, but there are reports the first debate could come later this month.

Today, the candidates are bound for the Big Apple. We'll tell you more about that coming up.

And the first criminal trial against Enron executives begins this morning in Houston. The giant energy firm collapsed three years ago when its shady bookkeeping came to light. The jury will be chosen today for a conspiracy case involving two executives from Enron and four from Merrill Lynch.

That's the latest on news in this hour. Back to Bill and Heidi.

HEMMER: All right, Kelly. Thanks. Good to have you here. WALLACE: Good to be here.

HEMMER: Want to start an hour -- this hour, rather, again back in Iraq, where a second Sunni cleric has been assassinated now in the past 24 hours, both in Baghdad. Also, U.S. air strikes in Fallujah already today killing at least three there, we're told. It follows a weekend of heavy violence and reports of dozens of hostages now being held.

To Baghdad and Jane Arraf there.

Jane, hello.

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Bill.

Well, a 48-hour deadline has expired this morning, with no word on the fate of two Americans and one Briton who were seized from their unguarded home in the diplomatic district of Baghdad. Now, the group holding them says it will behead them if Iraqi female prisoners are not released. They're just three of several dozen hostages Iraqis and non-Iraqis being held here in the country.

This morning in Baghdad, a roadside bomb hit a U.S. military convoy. At least 15 Iraqis were wounded in that attack. No reports, though, of U.S. casualties.

And new air strikes, new U.S. military air strikes in the troubled city of Fallujah, where violence has flared up again. The military confirms the air strikes, will not confirm the target. But witnesses say that it hit a bulldozer, killing at least two Iraqis.

A hospital official there says the Iraqis were municipal workers who were working on construction projects. The U.S., though, says that a lot of that construction is used to launch attacks against U.S. forces -- Bill.

HEMMER: Jane Arraf following the events there in Baghdad.

A bit earlier today, Iyad Allawi, the interim prime minister, saying a trial for Saddam Hussein could begin next month. I talked about the captured former dictator with John Burns, "The New York Times" bureau chief there in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Over the weekend, you wrote about Saddam Hussein and his confinement. You describe him as a gardener at this point. What are you learning about his confinement?

JOHN BURNS, "NEW YORK TIMES": Well, my guess is that Saddam -- we know a lot about him now. We were able to discover quite a lot about him for that -- for that article, sitting there in his cell out at Camp Cropper (ph), about 10 miles from where I'm standing in the grounds of one of his old palaces, gardening during his three-hour exercise breaks, reading the Koran, reading ancient Arab tomes of poetry and tales of Arab glory, and listening, one may expect, to the sounds of war all about him.

He's between the city of Baghdad and the city of Fallujah. He will see attack helicopters passing over. He will hear suicide bombs. And he will say, well, now they know that what I said was true.

And what he said before American troops invaded Iraq, you come in to Iraq, you may be able to invade us and overrun us, but you wait, we'll have -- we'll have another war waiting for you. And that's what came about. Saddam Hussein ask such a narcissist, it's not impossible facing the death penalty at trial, as he is, that he's sitting there thinking -- dreaming about restoration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Again, John Burns, "New York Times" bureau chief in Baghdad. Wrote that piece over the weekend -- Heidi.

COLLINS: There's going to be campaign gridlock in New York tonight as both President Bush and John Kerry hit town to raise money and talk about Iraq. We have two campaign reports now: Dana Bash at the White House and Bob Franken in New York.

Want to begin at the White House, though, and Dana.

Good morning to you, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

You know, the Bush campaign is certainly prepared to defend itself against Senator Kerry, who is expected to focus on what he calls the president's mistakes in Iraq this week. But there's also new criticism coming from within the president's own party, from senior senators in the Republican Party, about how he's handling Iraq.

For example, Republican Senate Foreign Relations chairman, Richard Lugar, talked about the incompetence, as he called it, of the administration for spending only $1 billion out of $18 billion they had for rebuilding Iraq. And perhaps the most noteworthy from a political perspective, Senator John McCain urged the president to be more aggressive with insurgents in Iraq, and also said the president is not being as straight with the American people as he should be about the Iraq situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: You've got to send our troops in there on the ground. And that, of course, means the most difficult kind of fighting.

I think the president is being clear. I would like to see him more clear, because I believe the American people, the majority of them, know what's at stake and will support this effort.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, Bush campaign officials privately say that that criticism from Senator McCain certainly did sting, especially since they have touted Senator McCain's support for Mr. Bush. They've campaigned together on the stump. And because it certainly goes to one of the questions Senator Kerry is raising this week about the president's honesty, integrity and credibility when it comes to Iraq.

But Bush aides still counter that Senator Kerry does not have a better plan from their perspective. That's something the president will try to reinforce later today on the stump in New Hampshire. He's going to have yet another new criticism of Senator Kerry. He will accuse him of wanting to retreat from Iraq -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Dana Bash at the White House. Thanks so much for that, Dana.

Now I want to bring in Bob Kerry -- or, excuse me, Bob Franken covering the Kerry campaign in New York. Two different people there.

Hey, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You just slandered senator -- former Senator Kerry. As we're at New York University, where Senator John Kerry is expected in just a very short while to get what his campaign calls an extremely important speech in which he will give his specific plan showing, they say, the differences between how a Kerry administration would handle Iraq and how the Bush administration has. It's part of a grueling schedule now, with just a little over seven weeks left in the campaign, that will go from morning to late night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): It's time tonight for John Kerry to show that he really does have a sense of humor with an appearance on the David Letterman show. Meanwhile, his top 10 advisers or more will continue debating pet political tricks, strategies for turning things around. The latest midcourse correction, be aggressive.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me tell you something. These folks have got me in a fighting mood. And when I get in a fighting mood towards the end of September, and towards the beginning of October, I think you know what happens here, Massachusetts.

FRANKEN: A reminder that in Massachusetts Kerry has fought from behind in the past. On Sunday, the fight was carried on by his running mate.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you think America is headed in the right direction, you ought to vote for George Bush. If you don't, you ought to vote for President John Kerry come November.

(APPLAUSE)

FRANKEN: The Kerry campaign says it's ready to do battle and will head from here, Tuesday, to the battleground state of Florida, where disasters have not only devastated the natural landscape, but confused the political one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: And, of course, that's the state where the first presidential debate is expected at the latter part of next week. And the Kerry strategy, Heidi, is very simple there: win, or else.

COLLINS: All right. Let me just ask you this, Bob. We know that John Edwards responded to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert's comment that he made about al Qaeda and what would happen if John Kerry and John Edwards were put into office. Are these sort of attacks by the Republicans actually going to really have an impact on the Kerry campaign?

FRANKEN: Well, the Kerry campaign is trying to turn it around on the Republicans, say in the words of John Edwards, that comments like Hastert saying that al Qaeda would have an easier time with the Kerry administration, saying that is fear mongering. Of course, that kind of debate has occurred before. The comments of Vice President Cheney come to mind. So there is clearly this make your mark, and then retreat if you need to, and the Democrats are being criticized for some for playing defense instead of offense.

COLLINS: All right. Bob Franken, thanks so much for that report. We appreciate your time this morning -- Bill.

HEMMER: Hurricane Ivan gone, definitely not forgotten, though. Heavy rains battering parts of the East Coast over the weekend. And this morning, flooding is now a major concern in at least five states.

Thousands in New Jersey and Pennsylvania fleeing their homes on Sunday along the Delaware River. Also on Sunday, President Bush declared disaster areas in eight states from Florida all the way up to Pennsylvania.

We talk a lot about Florida and Alabama. But up and down the East Coast, there are issues out there.

Chad, I'm hearing some folks in Atlanta without power for three days. Had some good friends, had a tree go right through the middle of their home over the weekend, too. Destroyed the thing, too. So a lot of people feeling the factor of Ivan.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You bet. Had a lot of rain, Bill. And then had a lot of wind. And that rain saturates the ground, makes mud, and then the wind blows those big trees over in a really big hurry, all the way up from North Carolina, all the way up, for that matter, right on up into Pittsburgh.

Here's Jeanne, moving to the North and to the Northeast. Here's Karl right here. And then obviously back just getting on the screen, that is Lisa. Let's detail them for you.

Tropical Storm Jeanne making a right-hand turn. Not making the left-hand turn, as was shown on Friday. Karl heading up into the middle part of the Atlantic. Good news, that's now a Category 4 hurricane. And now new Tropical Storm Lisa kind of heading off to the west here as a Category 1 hurricane for over the weekend.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: All right, Chad. Thanks for that.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COLLINS: Still to come this morning, a promise made should be a promise kept, right? Well, when it comes to elections, reality doesn't always live up to the rhetoric. Part one of our weeklong series, "Promises, Promises, " is ahead.

HEMMER: Also, you already take off your shoes for airport security. Get ready to take off your jacket. The question, though, will that help stop the terrorists?

Back in a moment after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: If you're catching a flight today, get ready for some new security procedures. The passenger screening measures take effect today nationwide. They're designed for better detection of explosives hidden in clothing or carry-on bags. Earlier, I spoke with Admiral David Stone. He's the head of the Transportation Security Administration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: What is going to be different today? What will passengers notice?

ADM. DAVID STONE, HEAD OF TSA: Well, we've put in some new procedures at the checkpoint that we think -- we think mitigate the risk of an explosive being able to be brought through the checkpoint onto a commercial air craft. And so you'll see some additional folks divesting their jackets and sport coats, as well as we're really focusing on using the explosive trace detection devices that we have there to pick up the explosive residue -- residue on any carry-on items.

And then we have our screeners doing some additional pat-down of the torso area on suspicious areas. And so we think the combination of those three actions further mitigates the risk of explosives being brought on board aircraft.

COLLINS: You also mention some of these new machines that will be used. In particular, we talked a little bit earlier this morning about the people puffer. A lot of folks not really sure what that is. Can you explain how it works for us?

STONE: Sure. We have a number of airports that we put in the -- a puffer machine, where it blows little puffs of air. And from that we're able to measure the explosive residue that may be on a person's body. And so those machines have been deployed to five airports, along with document scanners, where at a number of our airports we've been able to put the document scanner in place, which also focuses on being able to detect explosive residue. And so you can tell from these initiatives that we really are working to ramp up our ability to detect explosives at our checkpoint.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Admiral David Stone, assistant secretary of Homeland Security this morning -- Bill.

HEMMER: Note from the NFL season yesterday. In a touching moment, too, the Arizona Cardinals honored Pat Tillman yesterday. A giant number 40 was displayed at half-time in Sun Devil Stadium, where he played his college ball, in fact.

Tillman was killed fighting in Afghanistan last April. The Cardinals' safety walked away from a lucrative NFL contract to join the Army Rangers after 9/11. The entire NFL paid tribute to Tillman yesterday, wearing his number 40 on their uniforms, and the back of their helmets.

Arizona is going to continue to do that throughout the rest of the season. Pat Tillman honored yesterday in Arizona.

His mother was there, too. And actually talked about it, which is a very rare thing for the Tillman family.

Get a break here. In a moment, time for folks to pick up the pieces after Ivan. With so much damage, the question is, where do you start? A look at that after this on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: OK. Back to Jack, "Question of the Day."

CAFFERTY: Thank you, Bill.

Questions about whether John Kerry has what it takes to win this election are getting louder. There are a couple of rough op-ed pieces in "The Times" today, critical of Kerry's approach on several fronts.

William Safire lists 10 things he thinks Kerry needs to do to stop the erosion in the polls and turn his campaign around. He says Kerry has failed to connect with voters on who he is and what he believes in.

Bob Herbert says Kerry has run a "cautious, soulless campaign" based on his actions of 30 years ago. That would be the Vietnam War.

So here's the question: what does John Kerry need to do to turn the race around?

Mingo in Miami writes: "Kerry could be reciting Shakespeare and running through the streets with his hair on fire for all we know. The rotten media won't cover anything about the Kerry campaign. We only get a five-second sound bite per day if we're lucky."

Mingo, I've talked to our executive producer, Will Serat (ph), and in the -- I'm assured that in the event Kerry starts reciting Shakespeare and running through the streets with his hair on fire, we do plan to step up our coverage.

HEMMER: We'll take it live.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

CAFFERTY: Kevin writes -- this makes a lot of sense, gets right to the heart of the problem, I think. Kevin in New York writes: "He needs to risk losing. In other words he needs to put himself out there, take some risks."

Lee in Mount Airy, Maryland, "John Kerry needs to stop his impression of James Stewart and put real emotion in his speeches. He's too robotic to fire up a point."

And Patricia in Atlanta writes: "Kerry needs to hire Al Sharpton to run his campaign. At least Sharpton kept everyone's feet to the fire during the primaries, which is exactly what Kerry needs to do to Bush, discuss issues that Bush wants to sweep under the rug."

"Also, a little humor would not. Al, where are you?"

Not a bad idea. Sharpton probably...

HEMMER: Six weeks from tomorrow?

CAFFERTY: Gee, is it that soon?

HEMMER: If the polls -- if the polls are right, the debates could -- the debates could determine this entire deal.

CAFFERTY: Yes?

COLLINS: Yes, it could make a big difference.

HEMMER: And if they do three, that would actually be a higher number than we've seen in the past. I think in '96, Bill Clinton and Bob Dole did two, I believe?

CAFFERTY: Yes, I think, and one vice president. The best debate is going to be Cheney-Edwards, you know that.

HEMMER: It'll be...

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: I can't wait for that. That's going to be...

HEMMER: October 5th, I think? Is that right?

CAFFERTY: That's going to be the best of the three. I mean, these other two guys, we know what -- I want to see Cheney-Edwards. It's going to be...

HEMMER: Guess who will be there, by the way?

CAFFERTY: You?

HEMMER: CNN's AMERICAN MORNING.

CAFFERTY: Where?

HEMMER: We'll be in Cleveland for that debate.

(LAUGHTER)

CAFFERTY: Are you serious?

HEMMER: Yes.

CAFFERTY: How come nobody tells me this stuff? I'm on vacation that week.

COLLINS: You're going. Oh, OK. You don't even know what week it is.

CAFFERTY: You know what I was just told?

HEMMER: What's that?

CAFFERTY: Just you. The rest of us are staying here. One person from this program going to Cleveland is one too many.

(LAUGHTER)

HEMMER: We'll see.

COLLINS: All right, Jack. We'll check in a little bit later on. Thanks.

And now, still to come, a special Emmy edition of "90-Second Pop." We've got you covered with a recap of last night's 56th annual primetime Emmy Awards. We've got the good, the bad and the ugly on the upsets, the surprises and the fashion.

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Just about half past the hour now on this AMERICAN MORNING.

You know, for many people in Pensacola Beach, Florida, Hurricane Ivan demolished in hours what it took a lifetime to build. In just a moment, we're going to check how people are doing there today and hear one man's story of why he stayed at home and rode out the storm.

HEMMER: Absolute devastation, too.

COLLINS: Yes.

HEMMER: Up and down that beach.

Also, in a moment here, part one in our series "Promises, Promises." We begin it today. We'll have one for you every day this week, going through the specific positions that President Bush has staked out and Senator Kerry has staked out, where they stand on the biggest issues today. And we'll look at the candidates' plans for fighting terrorism.

That's our topic today and throughout the week. We'll look at the economy, and certainly the topic of Iraq, as we progress throughout this series.

Want to get down to Wall Street now. The opening bell on this Monday morning as we kick off a whole new week here.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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