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CNN Live At Daybreak
Hurricane Jeanne; Hamdi Release; Militant Killed; Russia Combats Terror; Effects of Jeanne
Aired September 27, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news -- a bloody battle this morning in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City. U.S. forces call in airstrikes on insurgent positions. Five Iraqis are killed, 46 others wounded -- among them, 15 women and nine children.
Both presidential candidates are taking a break from preparations for their debate on Thursday night. President Bush, who has been studying at his Texas ranch, campaigns today in Ohio with stops at Springfield and Westchester.
John Kerry is cramming for the debate and working on his golf swing at a resort in the swing state of Wisconsin. Today he holds a town meeting at the junior high school in Spring Green, Wisconsin.
And say happy birthday to the Taj Mahal. The architectural wonder is 350 years old. Tourists are flocking to Agra, India, to celebrate the anniversary of the Taj Mahal, which was built in the 17th century.
Let's see what's happening this hour with Jeanne and with the cleanup in Florida. We've got Chad Myers in Melbourne, Florida, this morning. Rob Marciano is here at the Forecast Center.
Let's start with you -- Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carol, it's a tropical storm now, and it will continue to weaken as we go through the morning, but it's a slow moving one. It's hit the brakes just a little bit, and it's also slow to weaken. It's been the case for the past day-and-a- half.
Right now the center the circulation about 40 miles to the east of Tallahassee. You can kind of see the way this precipitation is circulating. Notice, though, this part of the echo is not really showing up as the precipitation, a range shield, getting a little less organized.
But it's shifting up to the north in Georgia and there is potential for flooding rains, not only in eastern parts of Georgia, but South Carolina and North Carolina as well, especially if it shifts closer to the mountains. Potential of rainfall with this thing, three to five isolated instances, six inches of rain possible. And to the east of the center of circulation, watch boxes are out for tornadoes. There's a couple now in eastern Georgia and just to the -- in eastern South Carolina, as well, one just to the west of Savannah, Georgia. And this potential will exist probably right on through the rest of today and probably tonight as well.
Here's the forecast track for Jeanne. Notice it skims the Appalachian Mountains just to the east, so the potential from flooding there exists because this area is saturated from Ivan and Frances the past several weeks. And for the folks in the northeast, it looks just to be beautiful. But folks across the southeast, big headaches continue. Cleanup in Florida, Carol, and the southeast will see another soaking rain and some wind over the next 24 hours.
Back to you.
COSTELLO: OK, stay right there, Rob, because we're going to join Chad Myers from Melbourne, Florida. I know he has questions for you.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I do.
COSTELLO: But Chad, tell us what you're seeing damage-wise in Melbourne this morning.
MYERS: It's kind of hard to say, Carol, for two reasons. One, because we had Frances earlier. And then, obviously, Frances did some damage. And anytime you have damage on a house already, it's easier to get new damage with the new wind, especially if a window is broken or even any kind of a little gap or seam in a wall. That new wind is going to get in that gap and get in that seam and do more damage than it would have if the house was all sealed back up again, all sealed tight.
We were back down on the waterfront down by the boardwalk last night, and every little building that was hurt by Frances was re-hurt again by Jeanne. And hurt probably worse than it would have been simply because the windows were out already or a wall was out already, and that new wall, that new wind just kept blowing through and doing damage like this. This really looks like probably down by Barefoot Bay where we were just a couple of weeks ago for all of this damage with Frances.
The problem that we saw was that it was hard to distinguish what was old damage and what was new damage, Carol. So, that's where we were yesterday going did that happen yesterday or did that happen three weeks ago?
COSTELLO: And then the wind was blowing around all the debris that came down from the previous hurricanes which made it even more dangerous to be out and about.
MYERS: Right. Absolutely. And what I want to ask Rob about, too, I'm very concerned about the low country of South Carolina, all the way up to upstate, and even into the Piedmont, Rob, because they're going to get some sunshine this morning into this afternoon. And the tornadoes could really get going there this afternoon. MARCIANO: One thing, as you note, Chad, that we haven't seen with this storm, at least as it went through Florida, were many tornadoes that were dropping down. And I think that the extensive cloud cover is probably the main reason, you're right. I'm worried about that, too, because there is an area for sunshine to be baking the ground there in South Carolina, North Carolina as well.
So, I think that there is a greater threat for tornadoes to pop out of the right side of this system as we go on through the afternoon.
And Chad and Carol, you probably remember too, when Ivan rolled up the eastern seaboard, tornadoes were dropping out of the sky there for days it seemed like. And we could see that same...
COSTELLO: And doing a lot of damage and causing death, too.
MARCIANO: Yes.
COSTELLO: Chad, Rob, thank you very much. We'll get back to you both.
MARCIANO: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Stuart, Florida also took a blow from Jeanne. Stuart's mayor and a Red Cross relief worker will talk about the cleanup efforts on "AMERICAN MORNING." That will come your way in the 7:00 Eastern hour.
In developments around the world this morning in the war on terror, we have three reports for you. First, Yaser Hamdi is to be flown to Saudi Arabia and released. Hamdi, who was born in Louisiana, was once labeled an enemy combatant by the Bush administration, and he's been being held in jail for nearly three years without charges being filed.
So, what's next for him? CNN's Rida Said is in the port city of Jetta in western Saudi Arabia.
Good morning.
RIDA SAID, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, we've had no confirmation yet from either the foreign ministry or the interior ministry yet whether Yaser Hamdi has in fact left the United States and is on his way to Saudi Arabia. I've also spoken with his father this morning, who I have been in contact with him regularly, and he has had no confirmation either whether he has actually left the United States.
COSTELLO: Is there any word on what Yaser Hamdi will be doing once he sets foot in Saudi Arabia?
SAID: Well, not really. Basically many of the people that we have been in contact with at the foreign ministry have indicated that they have not really been involved very much in communicating very much with American authorities over this issue. The only person who we have been able to really speak to and get something out of is his father.
His father is -- the only thing his father is saying is that he wants to get his son back as soon as possible so that he can take him around, show, you know see his family again and be reunited with them and basically get back to life as normal.
COSTELLO: This is a man who has been being held by the United States as an enemy combatant. He was found fighting with the Taliban. We would assume that means he is dangerous. Is Saudi Arabia concerned about that at all?
SAID: Well that's right. His father, obviously, doesn't -- you know doesn't believe that these allegations are true. He simply believes that his son was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Saudi authorities, who we've been in contact with, also have made no comment on whether they think that Yaser Hamdi is in fact a danger to society here and have not suggested in any way that there will be undergoing -- the he will be undergoing any kind of questioning or in fact going into custody at any time.
COSTELLO: Rida Said in western Saudi Arabia reporting for us this morning. Thank you.
We'll let's move along now to the Middle East, a vow of revenge from the Palestinian militant group Hamas after one of its leaders was killed in an explosion in Syria. Hamas accuses Israel of being involved.
For more, let's take you to Jerusalem now and Ben Wedeman.
Hello -- Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello, Carol.
And indeed it seems that Hamas may be right in this case. Israeli officials are being a bit coy about the killing of Izz al-Din Khalil in Sunday in Damascus in an apparent car bombing. Now this man is described as a mid-level operational figure within Hamas.
Israeli officials are neither confirming, nor denying, any involvement in this killing. But all indications are on the ground that in fact they did have a hand somehow in the assassination. Israeli officials are expressing a certain amount of satisfaction over the killing of Khalil.
Now this is only the latest in a series of assassinations of senior Hamas leaders. This year, in March in fact, Israel assassinated Shaikh Ahmed Yassin, who was the spiritual leader and founder of Hamas. And just a few weeks later, Israel assassinated his successor, Abdul Aziz Al-Rantisi. And this all seems to be an effort by Israel to put pressure on Syria to expel radical Palestinian organizations -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman, live in Jerusalem this morning, thank you. Finally, off to Russia, which is also dealing with a spade of terrorist attacks. Perhaps the most notable is the deadly hostage crisis at that elementary school in Beslan. This and other incidents have raised suspicions of a global terror connection.
So, let's head live to Moscow to get the latest on that and CNN's Jill Dougherty.
Hello -- Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Carol.
Well that is true, Russian authorities do say that Beslan, the school massacre, and two other terrorist attacks that happened at roughly the same time were directly linked to international terrorism. And President Putin himself says that Russia is being attacked, that international terrorists are trying to rip this country apart.
Now when you go to Beslan, on that, the Russian authorities say that terrorists included fighters from Arab countries. Now they are continuing, at this hour in fact, to try to identify all the bodies of those terrorists, but so far they say there were terrorists from two Arab countries. They have not identified precisely who they were or from which countries.
Shamil Basayev, he is the extremist who masterminded that operation. He has claimed responsibility. And he, too, said that two of the men who took part in that were from Arab countries.
Now Basayev has denied that he has any financing coming from al Qaeda. But the U.S. State Department does believe that there are some connections between Basayev and international terrorism and al Qaeda going back perhaps. And also the Russians say that he has gotten not only financial support but personnel from al Qaeda and other international organizations.
And then finally, Carol, two other points of connection here. Basayev was directly linked to two major fighters in Chechnya who did have links with Osama bin Laden. That is Hatab. He is now dead. He was a major fighter killed two years ago. And also Abu al-Valid. And interestingly, just the other day, the Russians confirmed that Abu al- Valid had been killed in April -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Why are these terrorist groups, why may they be joined together? What's the underlying reason, is it just convenience and they can learn better tactics from each other, or is it some underlying core belief?
DOUGHERTY: It could be both, actually, Carol, because you seem to have it coming both ways that people who are -- the fighters in Chechnya who are now turning to more extreme beliefs are looking for financing abroad and the Russians say they are getting it. And then, also, you have people in the international terrorist network who use Chechnya as a rallying call and they want to come to Chechnya to fight.
COSTELLO: Jill Dougherty, reporting live from Moscow this morning, thank you.
The presidential candidates are doing some shadow boxing today. They are getting ready for the first of three debates coming up later this week.
And in the wake of the state's fourth hurricane in six weeks, we'll take you live to Florida for a look at the damage wrought by Jeanne.
And our e-mail "Question of the Day," bangs or brains: what influences voters the most? We saw in three papers over the weekend they were talking about things like the way a candidate looks, the way they wear their hair, if they hugged, you know, their running mate or not. What influence voters the most, is it the superficial or is it the issues?
What else is making news this Monday morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Best known for his online file sharing company KaZaA, Niklas Zennstrom is now lending his entrepreneurial ideas to the field of telecom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello.
ANNOUNCER: As CEO of Skype Technologies, Zennstrom created a software that allows Internet users to make free crystal clear PC to PC phone calls to anyone in the world who has downloaded the company's software.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, how are you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm all right, thanks.
ANNOUNCER: For consumers without computers or high-speed connections, the company offers SkypeOut, a new PC to phone pay service.
Coming soon, more subscription services, such as voice mail and video conferencing. And Skype is also going wireless, bringing its technology to pocket PCs and other mobile devices.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:47 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
A car bomb attack today in the Iraqi city of Mosul kills three Iraqi national guard members. Three other guard members were injured, along with four civilians. The bomb went off next to a national guard vehicle. In Washington State, Mount St. Helens is kicking up a bit. Scientists will do some testing today on the volcano that blew its stack in 1980 and killed 57 people. The U.S. geological survey has issued a so-called notice of volcanic unrest. In layman's terms, there have been hundreds of earthquakes there since Thursday, little tiny ones.
In money news, early damage estimates from Hurricane Jeanne are on the $5 billion to $9 billion range. Combined with Charley, Frances and Ivan, the total cost for Florida could top the $20 billion mark.
In culture, armed guards are in place for a special Rembrandt showing. The painting, "Minerva in her Study," is on display in Stockholm, Sweden before going on sale. The 369-year-old masterpiece could fetch as much as $46 million.
In sports, you might say this year's San Francisco 49ers stink. The Niners drop to 0 and 3 after being shut out by the Seattle Seahawks 34 to nothing. The first time they've been shut out since 1977. That's a span of 420 regular season games. And boy, does that put things in perspective.
MARCIANO: They got rid of Garcia, now they're regretting it, I think.
COSTELLO: Well he's not doing great in Cleveland either.
MARCIANO: Well you know he's a spicy guy.
Hey, here's where Jeanne is, just 40 miles to the east of Tallahassee. And remnants of it will spin showers and storms up the eastern seaboard. Tornado watch out for eastern Georgia, likely the Carolinas later on today.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Rob.
Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
As many as eight inches of rain fell in parts of central Florida. The rain overfilled lakes and turned city streets into fast moving streams.
Jessica Sanchez of CNN affiliate WKMG joins us live now with a look at the aftermath in Kissimmee, Florida.
Good morning.
JESSICA SANCHEZ, WKMG-TV REPORTER: Yes, good morning, Carol.
The last six weeks have been exhausting for the people of Florida. I am standing along Lake Toho in Kissimmee, Florida. It's just south of Orlando. We can take a look right here at some of the debris. This is the shattered remains of a pier that sits along Lake Toho. You can see it's washed up on shore.
The damage to homes and businesses used to be the biggest concern. Now it's starting to turn toward flooding. You can see the water levels that are starting to take over the water docks, taking over the boat ramps. And it's expected to rise to a level of 60 feet by this Friday. It's going to present major flooding problems, of course, for those who live along the lake.
Lake Toho was already above normal levels, about two feet above levels from the previous two hurricanes of Charley and Frances. It would have only taken a few more inches of rain to flood. But Osceola County here received 20 inches of rain yesterday. In that downpour, it also overburdened the storm drains. It caused major flooding in roads, in parking lots. There are some cars that were up to their headlights in floodwaters.
And as you can imagine also, it creates septic problems. Flood conditions create septic problems. Those who depend on septic systems are being told to use extra caution. City officials are asking people to limit their water use.
I mean the last six weeks have just been so exhausting. You know the county here is studying ways to fix these flooding problems. It has been a problem, but I think the first phase of that solution isn't going to start until 2005. And the total solution is about six to seven years away. So, we're just hoping we don't have another hurricane season like we did this year.
But for now we are live in Kissimmee, Florida, Jessica Sanchez for WKMG.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Jessica.
On the campaign trail, the presidential candidates are getting ready for what could be make or break debates. We're going to get into that right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: On the campaign trail, the presidential candidates are getting ready for what could be make or break debates. George Bush and John Kerry face off Thursday in the first of three debates. President Bush is preparing with mock debates at his Texas ranch, while Senator Kerry is prepping at a Wisconsin resort.
And our e-mail "Question of the Day": What influences voters the most: bangs or brains? And we bring this subject up because three newspapers over the weekend did huge articles on the candidates' looks. In fact, they went so far as to say their hair might matter, because John Kerry has the better hair. George Bush's hairline is receding.
We're going to get much more into this in the 6:00 hour of DAYBREAK. But we were wondering how much of that kind of stuff matters to voters, and we've been soliciting your e-mail this morning. This is from Kevin (ph). He says, "Brains, politics -- the two don't mix. Each candidate has their own cynical agenda that undermines everyone. So, what I'm trying to say is Bush needs hair transplant surgery to cut back on that receding hairline, Kerry needs a new way to comb his hair."
This is from Carol (ph). She says, "The answer to your question is a no-brainer, brains. Maybe an I.Q. test should be added to the voter registration process."
And this from Deborah (ph) from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She says, "I cringe when I think voters might considerate a candidate based on his hair. I do think the debates prove how well each candidate can handle themselves under pressure, in addition to the issues at hand. And please keep up the good work, Carol and Chad." I like that comment best of all.
Daybreak@cnn.com. And you can watch Thursday's University of Miami debate right here on CNN. That begins at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
And stay with DAYBREAK, we'll have more from the political front in the next hour of DAYBREAK. And a quiet morning is shattered as violence erupts in Sadr City. We'll have the latest for you live from Baghdad.
This is DAYBREAK for Monday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 27, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news -- a bloody battle this morning in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City. U.S. forces call in airstrikes on insurgent positions. Five Iraqis are killed, 46 others wounded -- among them, 15 women and nine children.
Both presidential candidates are taking a break from preparations for their debate on Thursday night. President Bush, who has been studying at his Texas ranch, campaigns today in Ohio with stops at Springfield and Westchester.
John Kerry is cramming for the debate and working on his golf swing at a resort in the swing state of Wisconsin. Today he holds a town meeting at the junior high school in Spring Green, Wisconsin.
And say happy birthday to the Taj Mahal. The architectural wonder is 350 years old. Tourists are flocking to Agra, India, to celebrate the anniversary of the Taj Mahal, which was built in the 17th century.
Let's see what's happening this hour with Jeanne and with the cleanup in Florida. We've got Chad Myers in Melbourne, Florida, this morning. Rob Marciano is here at the Forecast Center.
Let's start with you -- Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carol, it's a tropical storm now, and it will continue to weaken as we go through the morning, but it's a slow moving one. It's hit the brakes just a little bit, and it's also slow to weaken. It's been the case for the past day-and-a- half.
Right now the center the circulation about 40 miles to the east of Tallahassee. You can kind of see the way this precipitation is circulating. Notice, though, this part of the echo is not really showing up as the precipitation, a range shield, getting a little less organized.
But it's shifting up to the north in Georgia and there is potential for flooding rains, not only in eastern parts of Georgia, but South Carolina and North Carolina as well, especially if it shifts closer to the mountains. Potential of rainfall with this thing, three to five isolated instances, six inches of rain possible. And to the east of the center of circulation, watch boxes are out for tornadoes. There's a couple now in eastern Georgia and just to the -- in eastern South Carolina, as well, one just to the west of Savannah, Georgia. And this potential will exist probably right on through the rest of today and probably tonight as well.
Here's the forecast track for Jeanne. Notice it skims the Appalachian Mountains just to the east, so the potential from flooding there exists because this area is saturated from Ivan and Frances the past several weeks. And for the folks in the northeast, it looks just to be beautiful. But folks across the southeast, big headaches continue. Cleanup in Florida, Carol, and the southeast will see another soaking rain and some wind over the next 24 hours.
Back to you.
COSTELLO: OK, stay right there, Rob, because we're going to join Chad Myers from Melbourne, Florida. I know he has questions for you.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I do.
COSTELLO: But Chad, tell us what you're seeing damage-wise in Melbourne this morning.
MYERS: It's kind of hard to say, Carol, for two reasons. One, because we had Frances earlier. And then, obviously, Frances did some damage. And anytime you have damage on a house already, it's easier to get new damage with the new wind, especially if a window is broken or even any kind of a little gap or seam in a wall. That new wind is going to get in that gap and get in that seam and do more damage than it would have if the house was all sealed back up again, all sealed tight.
We were back down on the waterfront down by the boardwalk last night, and every little building that was hurt by Frances was re-hurt again by Jeanne. And hurt probably worse than it would have been simply because the windows were out already or a wall was out already, and that new wall, that new wind just kept blowing through and doing damage like this. This really looks like probably down by Barefoot Bay where we were just a couple of weeks ago for all of this damage with Frances.
The problem that we saw was that it was hard to distinguish what was old damage and what was new damage, Carol. So, that's where we were yesterday going did that happen yesterday or did that happen three weeks ago?
COSTELLO: And then the wind was blowing around all the debris that came down from the previous hurricanes which made it even more dangerous to be out and about.
MYERS: Right. Absolutely. And what I want to ask Rob about, too, I'm very concerned about the low country of South Carolina, all the way up to upstate, and even into the Piedmont, Rob, because they're going to get some sunshine this morning into this afternoon. And the tornadoes could really get going there this afternoon. MARCIANO: One thing, as you note, Chad, that we haven't seen with this storm, at least as it went through Florida, were many tornadoes that were dropping down. And I think that the extensive cloud cover is probably the main reason, you're right. I'm worried about that, too, because there is an area for sunshine to be baking the ground there in South Carolina, North Carolina as well.
So, I think that there is a greater threat for tornadoes to pop out of the right side of this system as we go on through the afternoon.
And Chad and Carol, you probably remember too, when Ivan rolled up the eastern seaboard, tornadoes were dropping out of the sky there for days it seemed like. And we could see that same...
COSTELLO: And doing a lot of damage and causing death, too.
MARCIANO: Yes.
COSTELLO: Chad, Rob, thank you very much. We'll get back to you both.
MARCIANO: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Stuart, Florida also took a blow from Jeanne. Stuart's mayor and a Red Cross relief worker will talk about the cleanup efforts on "AMERICAN MORNING." That will come your way in the 7:00 Eastern hour.
In developments around the world this morning in the war on terror, we have three reports for you. First, Yaser Hamdi is to be flown to Saudi Arabia and released. Hamdi, who was born in Louisiana, was once labeled an enemy combatant by the Bush administration, and he's been being held in jail for nearly three years without charges being filed.
So, what's next for him? CNN's Rida Said is in the port city of Jetta in western Saudi Arabia.
Good morning.
RIDA SAID, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, we've had no confirmation yet from either the foreign ministry or the interior ministry yet whether Yaser Hamdi has in fact left the United States and is on his way to Saudi Arabia. I've also spoken with his father this morning, who I have been in contact with him regularly, and he has had no confirmation either whether he has actually left the United States.
COSTELLO: Is there any word on what Yaser Hamdi will be doing once he sets foot in Saudi Arabia?
SAID: Well, not really. Basically many of the people that we have been in contact with at the foreign ministry have indicated that they have not really been involved very much in communicating very much with American authorities over this issue. The only person who we have been able to really speak to and get something out of is his father.
His father is -- the only thing his father is saying is that he wants to get his son back as soon as possible so that he can take him around, show, you know see his family again and be reunited with them and basically get back to life as normal.
COSTELLO: This is a man who has been being held by the United States as an enemy combatant. He was found fighting with the Taliban. We would assume that means he is dangerous. Is Saudi Arabia concerned about that at all?
SAID: Well that's right. His father, obviously, doesn't -- you know doesn't believe that these allegations are true. He simply believes that his son was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Saudi authorities, who we've been in contact with, also have made no comment on whether they think that Yaser Hamdi is in fact a danger to society here and have not suggested in any way that there will be undergoing -- the he will be undergoing any kind of questioning or in fact going into custody at any time.
COSTELLO: Rida Said in western Saudi Arabia reporting for us this morning. Thank you.
We'll let's move along now to the Middle East, a vow of revenge from the Palestinian militant group Hamas after one of its leaders was killed in an explosion in Syria. Hamas accuses Israel of being involved.
For more, let's take you to Jerusalem now and Ben Wedeman.
Hello -- Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello, Carol.
And indeed it seems that Hamas may be right in this case. Israeli officials are being a bit coy about the killing of Izz al-Din Khalil in Sunday in Damascus in an apparent car bombing. Now this man is described as a mid-level operational figure within Hamas.
Israeli officials are neither confirming, nor denying, any involvement in this killing. But all indications are on the ground that in fact they did have a hand somehow in the assassination. Israeli officials are expressing a certain amount of satisfaction over the killing of Khalil.
Now this is only the latest in a series of assassinations of senior Hamas leaders. This year, in March in fact, Israel assassinated Shaikh Ahmed Yassin, who was the spiritual leader and founder of Hamas. And just a few weeks later, Israel assassinated his successor, Abdul Aziz Al-Rantisi. And this all seems to be an effort by Israel to put pressure on Syria to expel radical Palestinian organizations -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman, live in Jerusalem this morning, thank you. Finally, off to Russia, which is also dealing with a spade of terrorist attacks. Perhaps the most notable is the deadly hostage crisis at that elementary school in Beslan. This and other incidents have raised suspicions of a global terror connection.
So, let's head live to Moscow to get the latest on that and CNN's Jill Dougherty.
Hello -- Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Carol.
Well that is true, Russian authorities do say that Beslan, the school massacre, and two other terrorist attacks that happened at roughly the same time were directly linked to international terrorism. And President Putin himself says that Russia is being attacked, that international terrorists are trying to rip this country apart.
Now when you go to Beslan, on that, the Russian authorities say that terrorists included fighters from Arab countries. Now they are continuing, at this hour in fact, to try to identify all the bodies of those terrorists, but so far they say there were terrorists from two Arab countries. They have not identified precisely who they were or from which countries.
Shamil Basayev, he is the extremist who masterminded that operation. He has claimed responsibility. And he, too, said that two of the men who took part in that were from Arab countries.
Now Basayev has denied that he has any financing coming from al Qaeda. But the U.S. State Department does believe that there are some connections between Basayev and international terrorism and al Qaeda going back perhaps. And also the Russians say that he has gotten not only financial support but personnel from al Qaeda and other international organizations.
And then finally, Carol, two other points of connection here. Basayev was directly linked to two major fighters in Chechnya who did have links with Osama bin Laden. That is Hatab. He is now dead. He was a major fighter killed two years ago. And also Abu al-Valid. And interestingly, just the other day, the Russians confirmed that Abu al- Valid had been killed in April -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Why are these terrorist groups, why may they be joined together? What's the underlying reason, is it just convenience and they can learn better tactics from each other, or is it some underlying core belief?
DOUGHERTY: It could be both, actually, Carol, because you seem to have it coming both ways that people who are -- the fighters in Chechnya who are now turning to more extreme beliefs are looking for financing abroad and the Russians say they are getting it. And then, also, you have people in the international terrorist network who use Chechnya as a rallying call and they want to come to Chechnya to fight.
COSTELLO: Jill Dougherty, reporting live from Moscow this morning, thank you.
The presidential candidates are doing some shadow boxing today. They are getting ready for the first of three debates coming up later this week.
And in the wake of the state's fourth hurricane in six weeks, we'll take you live to Florida for a look at the damage wrought by Jeanne.
And our e-mail "Question of the Day," bangs or brains: what influences voters the most? We saw in three papers over the weekend they were talking about things like the way a candidate looks, the way they wear their hair, if they hugged, you know, their running mate or not. What influence voters the most, is it the superficial or is it the issues?
What else is making news this Monday morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Best known for his online file sharing company KaZaA, Niklas Zennstrom is now lending his entrepreneurial ideas to the field of telecom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello.
ANNOUNCER: As CEO of Skype Technologies, Zennstrom created a software that allows Internet users to make free crystal clear PC to PC phone calls to anyone in the world who has downloaded the company's software.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, how are you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm all right, thanks.
ANNOUNCER: For consumers without computers or high-speed connections, the company offers SkypeOut, a new PC to phone pay service.
Coming soon, more subscription services, such as voice mail and video conferencing. And Skype is also going wireless, bringing its technology to pocket PCs and other mobile devices.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:47 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
A car bomb attack today in the Iraqi city of Mosul kills three Iraqi national guard members. Three other guard members were injured, along with four civilians. The bomb went off next to a national guard vehicle. In Washington State, Mount St. Helens is kicking up a bit. Scientists will do some testing today on the volcano that blew its stack in 1980 and killed 57 people. The U.S. geological survey has issued a so-called notice of volcanic unrest. In layman's terms, there have been hundreds of earthquakes there since Thursday, little tiny ones.
In money news, early damage estimates from Hurricane Jeanne are on the $5 billion to $9 billion range. Combined with Charley, Frances and Ivan, the total cost for Florida could top the $20 billion mark.
In culture, armed guards are in place for a special Rembrandt showing. The painting, "Minerva in her Study," is on display in Stockholm, Sweden before going on sale. The 369-year-old masterpiece could fetch as much as $46 million.
In sports, you might say this year's San Francisco 49ers stink. The Niners drop to 0 and 3 after being shut out by the Seattle Seahawks 34 to nothing. The first time they've been shut out since 1977. That's a span of 420 regular season games. And boy, does that put things in perspective.
MARCIANO: They got rid of Garcia, now they're regretting it, I think.
COSTELLO: Well he's not doing great in Cleveland either.
MARCIANO: Well you know he's a spicy guy.
Hey, here's where Jeanne is, just 40 miles to the east of Tallahassee. And remnants of it will spin showers and storms up the eastern seaboard. Tornado watch out for eastern Georgia, likely the Carolinas later on today.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Rob.
Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
As many as eight inches of rain fell in parts of central Florida. The rain overfilled lakes and turned city streets into fast moving streams.
Jessica Sanchez of CNN affiliate WKMG joins us live now with a look at the aftermath in Kissimmee, Florida.
Good morning.
JESSICA SANCHEZ, WKMG-TV REPORTER: Yes, good morning, Carol.
The last six weeks have been exhausting for the people of Florida. I am standing along Lake Toho in Kissimmee, Florida. It's just south of Orlando. We can take a look right here at some of the debris. This is the shattered remains of a pier that sits along Lake Toho. You can see it's washed up on shore.
The damage to homes and businesses used to be the biggest concern. Now it's starting to turn toward flooding. You can see the water levels that are starting to take over the water docks, taking over the boat ramps. And it's expected to rise to a level of 60 feet by this Friday. It's going to present major flooding problems, of course, for those who live along the lake.
Lake Toho was already above normal levels, about two feet above levels from the previous two hurricanes of Charley and Frances. It would have only taken a few more inches of rain to flood. But Osceola County here received 20 inches of rain yesterday. In that downpour, it also overburdened the storm drains. It caused major flooding in roads, in parking lots. There are some cars that were up to their headlights in floodwaters.
And as you can imagine also, it creates septic problems. Flood conditions create septic problems. Those who depend on septic systems are being told to use extra caution. City officials are asking people to limit their water use.
I mean the last six weeks have just been so exhausting. You know the county here is studying ways to fix these flooding problems. It has been a problem, but I think the first phase of that solution isn't going to start until 2005. And the total solution is about six to seven years away. So, we're just hoping we don't have another hurricane season like we did this year.
But for now we are live in Kissimmee, Florida, Jessica Sanchez for WKMG.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Jessica.
On the campaign trail, the presidential candidates are getting ready for what could be make or break debates. We're going to get into that right after this break.
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COSTELLO: On the campaign trail, the presidential candidates are getting ready for what could be make or break debates. George Bush and John Kerry face off Thursday in the first of three debates. President Bush is preparing with mock debates at his Texas ranch, while Senator Kerry is prepping at a Wisconsin resort.
And our e-mail "Question of the Day": What influences voters the most: bangs or brains? And we bring this subject up because three newspapers over the weekend did huge articles on the candidates' looks. In fact, they went so far as to say their hair might matter, because John Kerry has the better hair. George Bush's hairline is receding.
We're going to get much more into this in the 6:00 hour of DAYBREAK. But we were wondering how much of that kind of stuff matters to voters, and we've been soliciting your e-mail this morning. This is from Kevin (ph). He says, "Brains, politics -- the two don't mix. Each candidate has their own cynical agenda that undermines everyone. So, what I'm trying to say is Bush needs hair transplant surgery to cut back on that receding hairline, Kerry needs a new way to comb his hair."
This is from Carol (ph). She says, "The answer to your question is a no-brainer, brains. Maybe an I.Q. test should be added to the voter registration process."
And this from Deborah (ph) from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She says, "I cringe when I think voters might considerate a candidate based on his hair. I do think the debates prove how well each candidate can handle themselves under pressure, in addition to the issues at hand. And please keep up the good work, Carol and Chad." I like that comment best of all.
Daybreak@cnn.com. And you can watch Thursday's University of Miami debate right here on CNN. That begins at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
And stay with DAYBREAK, we'll have more from the political front in the next hour of DAYBREAK. And a quiet morning is shattered as violence erupts in Sadr City. We'll have the latest for you live from Baghdad.
This is DAYBREAK for Monday.
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