Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Saturday
New Movie Stirs Controversy; Al Qaeda Leader Urges Americans to Convert to Islam
Aired September 02, 2006 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: How a new movie about a fictional assassination is stirring up controversy.
But first, the hour's headlines. Al Qaeda's number two man is urging Americans to convert to Islam. His message came today on a videotape. Along with him, a young California man who was also pushing the terror threat. Full details in just a minute.
Israeli troops killed three Palestinians in Gaza today and arrested two others. Israel says the troops were fired on during an operation to arrest Hamas militants.
And about 800 Italian marines came on shore in Tyre, Lebanon today. Wearing blue UN berets, they are part of the United Nations peacekeeping force. Italy has pledged 3,000 troops to the force. It was meant to enforce a truce between Israel and Hezbollah.
And UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is in Tehran today meeting with Iranian officials about a Mideast truce. But there is a lot more to this visit, especially the issue of Iran ignoring a UN call to suspend nuclear operations.
Police have intensified the search for jail escapee Ralph "Bucky" Phillips. He escaped in April and is suspected of shooting a state trooper in June. But now there is much more. Phillips is also the chief suspect after two state troopers were ambushed by a sniper in western New York Thursday evening.
Trees uprooted, cars smashed. What's left of Ernesto is still dumping a lot of rain in the Northeast. Hundreds of thousands lost power and at least five deaths in Virginia and North Carolina are blamed on that storm.
Well, it was a hurricane when it hit Mexico's Baja Peninsula, but John was downgraded to a tropical storm just in the last hour. The storm dumped heavy rain but no injuries were reported.
Thick smoke above Montana as a wildfire continues to burn. Look at that! You can hardly see anything except the smoke. But a fire official says some evacuees are being allowed home. The blaze covers nearly 250 square miles. It's only about 20 percent contained, but it didn't grow significantly overnight.
LIN: More now on that al Qaeda terror tape. On the video, the group's second in command, Ayman al Zawahiri calls on Americans to convert to Islam.
And now here is really the real story. He uses a young American follower to help make the case. Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan, CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fronting al Qaeda's latest message, Azzam the American as he likes to be called, a 28-year-old California convert to Islam, telling fellow Americans they, too, must convert.
ADAM GADAHN, AL QAEDA SPOKESMAN: We invite all Americans and other unbelievers to Islam wherever they are and whatever their role and status in Bush and Blair's world order.
ROBERTSON: Al Qaeda's number two, Ayman al Zawahiri is next to appear seemingly at a different location.
For four minutes he quotes the Koran and backs Gadahn's call. The remaining 43 minutes of the 48 minute message, Gadahn delivers a litany of so-called abuses by the United States. This is not Gadahn's first message. He appeared earlier this year on another tape and last year around the anniversary of September 11th, he warned Americans to expect an attack.
The son of a California couple raising goats in Riverside County, according to family and friends, he embraced heavy metal before dumping it for Islam in 1995. Three years later, he left home for Pakistan. Now Gadahn once again appears to be threatening his countrymen, warning the offer to convert is serious.
GADAHN: Anyone who pays any attention to the messages of the leaders of jihad like Sheikh Osama bin Laden and Sheikh Ayman al Zawahiri, may God protect them, will know that they have been consistent in inviting the Americans and other unbelievers to Islam and impressing upon them they want the best for them and making it clear to all we have no choice but to fight those who fight us.
ROBERTSON (on camera): Implicit in the call to convert, the possibility of attack. For jihadis like Gadahn, their interpretation of Islam dictates that they offer conversion before attacking. In 2002, Osama bin Laden made a similar offer. Shortly thereafter came the Bali bombings and the death of nearly 200 people. Nic Robertson, CNN, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: So who is this young American on this al Qaeda videotape? When did he surface as a terrorist? And are there more American terrorists walking among us?
Well, tonight at 10:00 Eastern after LARRY KING LIVE, we're going to take a closer look at Adam Gadahn. He's a young Californian. He's a heavy metal fan. And he is not your typical terrorist.
ANNOUNCER: CNN, your hurricane headquarters.
LIN: Boy, take a look at this. This could be your neighborhood. Completely flooded streets and rain from Ernesto, still falling in the Northeast this evening. It has left tons of damage behind as you can clearly see.
Our team is standing by on where the storm is going and where it's been. Let's start with Gary Nurenberg in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC.
Gary?
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Carol. We're along the banks of the Potomac here where the waters have receded. The sun is shining and it's now a lovely evening. But as the remnants of Ernesto traveled up the East Coast today, they were still packing quite a punch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NURENBERG (voice-over): Ernesto's most deadly punch in Gloucester, Virginia, when two persons died when a tree crashed through the roof of this modular home. In Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, the Potomac River overflowed its banks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This time, it got us.
NURENBERG: Damaging low-lying businesses like Christina's Robertson's (ph) dog bakery and boutique.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's pretty much wiped out my store. Totally knocked over products and, you know -- cabinets are full of water.
NURENBERG: Like Alexandria, Annapolis, Maryland, saw Ernesto keep tourists away. Ask Storm Brothers Ice Cream factory what storm Ernesto did to its normal Saturday business.
JACKIE DIXON, STORM BROTHERS ICE CREAM: We have a line out the door and around the store. We're not probably going to get that today.
NURENBERG: The wind and rain brought down trees that blocked streets and sidewalks in Washington, DC.
Those trees brought down smoking power lines, leaving hundreds of thousands of mid-Atlantic residents without power for varying amounts of time, for some, a dangerous development.
PETER HART, C&D TREE SERVICE: It's knocked the power out. It's kind of an emergency situation. We have someone in the block with a medical condition that requires electricity. So we're here to get it out.
NURENBERG: Flood warnings were lifted in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where homeowners still had some excitement. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank God no damage, no major damage. Just took up the whole front lawn.
NURENBERG: If Ernesto had any beneficiaries, the chief one may be Andre Agassi. The weather delayed play at the U.S. Open in New York, allowing the tennis star more time to overcome an ailing back. And in Florida, Ernesto's disruptions were so mild at Cape Canaveral that astronauts returned there Saturday to prepare for Wednesday's lunch of the Shuttle Atlantis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NURENBERG (on camera): One interesting twist, health officials have told us here they're worried at least a bit about West Nile virus. The rains of Ernesto left lots of standing pools of water that are attractive breeding grounds for mosquitoes and they're recommending that property owners take a look around homes and businesses and get rid of them, Carol, before those mosquitoes can move in.
LIN: Let's hope that's not our next big story, Gary. Thank you very much.
Now from Ernesto to John. But fortunately for those off western Mexico, John no longer packs as much of a punch. It was downgraded to a tropical storm about an hour ago. But it was a hurricane when it began pounding Mexico's Baja Peninsula and narrowly missed hitting the tourist town of Cabo San Lucas. We have details at the half hour.
Meantime let's go to Bonnie Schneider and see if there are any flood warnings right here in the United States.
Bonnie?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. We are definitely tracking flood warnings and we are also tracking John, now a tropical storm. And you can see as it works its way across the Baja Peninsula, still bringing wind and rain to the region.
The storm will eventually work its way to the north and the west and move away from the U.S. mainland and away from the Mexican coastline, which is some very good news.
In fact, as we put the map into motion, watch the track as it comes over the open waters of Pacific. It should be downgraded even more. Right now maximum winds are at 70 miles per hour.
Well, we're not only tracking John but we're also tracking the remnants of Ernesto. This storm bringing is heavy rain to a good portion of New York State especially further north and into New England as well. We have just a mess going on there for those trying to travel.
Let's go ahead we'll take a look at flight explorer now. I've zoomed in on the New York metropolitan area because we're seeing a tremendous amount of airport delays as a result of the remnants of Ernesto. This is real time data and all the blue dots you see here, these are planes in the skies right now. A lot are waiting to land or waiting to takeoff, depending on where you're going.
I'm going to show you the airport delays because this is Labor Day weekend and many folks are looking to get out of town. And because of Ernesto we have ground delays. At JFK, three hours and 15 minutes and also Newark, New Jersey reporting near three hour delays. So a lot of delays tonight. I think it will hold that way through the evening hours. We'll keep you up to date here on CNN. Carol?
LIN: Thanks, Bonnie.
Up front now on the security watch tonight. A sweep of suspected terror sympathizers in Britain. Fourteen people were taken into custody in London today. Two more were picked up in Manchester. Here's CNN's Robin Oakley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Following months of surveillance, 16 men have been arrested by British police on suspicion of terrorist offenses. Fourteen were arrested in South London, a number at a halal Chinese restaurant. Residents said as many as 40 police were involved, some of them armed.
ROSS CLARK, RESIDENT: The police officers in full raid gear with their head gear balaclavas, were running into the restaurant. And they were standing around some people, but I only saw them standing around one person, really. And the man left was a Muslim man with a beard and everything.
OAKLEY: The owner said some of those taken away were regular customers.
MEHDI BELYANI, RESTAURANT OWNER: They just told me, sorry to this. We have to talk to some of them. But they stopped everyone from eating.
OAKLEY: Police say the latest arrests are in connection with the recruitment and training of terrorists. They said there was no link with the alleged plot in August to blow up airliners en route from Britain to the United States or the London subway bombings in July 2005.
In an unrelated raid, police arrested two men in Manchester in northern England after three houses were searched. A number of vehicles were taken away for examination. Again, police said there was no link to the August airliner plot.
Peter Clarke, Scotland Yard's anti-terror chief, continues to urge the British public to remain on guard against the threat of homegrown terrorism.
PETER CLARKE, DEPT. ASSISTANT COMMISSION: The threat from terrorism is real. It is here. It is deadly. And it is enduring. OAKLEY: Now Mr. Clarke has revealed in a BBC interview to be aired Sunday that thousands of Muslims in Britain are watched as potential terrorist sympathizers, not necessarily involved directly in plots but as people who might support or encourage acts of terrorism.
With the focus very much on terrorist training, police confirmed Saturday they were searching a school in East Sussex. The Jameah Islamiyah Secondary School near Townbridge, Wales.
But Sussex police said nobody had been taken into custody.
(on camera): While the latest arrests seem to involve the more general background of possible preparation for terrorist acts rather than any relation to specific plots, they will further heighten public alarm. And the comments from Peter Clarke that literally thousands of Muslims are being watched as possible terrorist sympathizers will do nothing to help community relations.
Robin Oakley, CNN London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Now, coming up, growing distrust in Iraq. We're going to tell you why the sight of a police uniform is now sparking fear instead of a feeling of safety.
Also, forging ahead. Iran keeps traveling down the nuclear path. So we're going to talk about a visit from the UN's top man. Will Kofi Annan's long trip end up being a bust?
And on the hunt. Two state troopers ambushed in western New York. Now their comrades say enough is enough.
You're watching CNN SATURDAY. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Let's find out what you Web surfers are clicking on at cnn.com. British media say a retired judge is taking over the inquest into the death of Princess Diana. A French judge has already ruled her car crash was an accident, but the rumors persist. Diana and Dodi Fayed died nine years ago this week.
And a former planet gets a show of support. A good natured protest in support of Pluto was held Friday at New Mexico State University. Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto. He also founded the school's astronomy department.
The violence in Iraq shows no sign of letting up. Dozens of people were killed in the last 24 hours and most of them, the victims of sectarian violence. CNN's Michael Holmes is in Baghdad.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, as a very bloody week came to an end in Baghdad, the violence did not. More than two dozen people killed, more wounded on just Saturday alone.
On the political front, the prime minister, Nouri al Maliki and the Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani met on Saturday in the southern Shiite city of Najaf, an attempt, say aides to garner support for prime minister's national reconciliation plan.
Meanwhile, Carol, with sectarian strife tearing apart many of Baghdad's neighborhood, it is sometimes Iraq's own police officers who stand accused of death squad murders, more often men dressed in police uniforms.
Efforts now under way to stop that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES (voice-over): Iraqi national police train in readiness to take on Baghdad's violent streets. Separate to the regular police, these men are in essence paramilitary but a few of them work both sides of the conflict, policemen by day, members of sectarian death squads by night.
JOSEPH PETERSON, U.S. ARMY: Obviously, there's a lot of distrust that was created amongst the people of Baghdad and Iraq over their legitimate security forces.
HOLMES: There have been many, many cases of men in these kinds of uniforms arriving at houses and businesses and killing civilians. Some may be real police. Others simply bought their uniforms at any number of markets or tailors.
PETERSON: They were easy to obtain. And so, therefore, they were also easy to use, especially in the conduct of illicit activities.
HOLMES: Not after next month, not according to the country's new minister of interior, the man in charge of the nation's police. These are new uniforms, digital camouflage, the Iraqi flag embedded in the pattern. They'll be handed out to all 25,000 national police.
JAWAD AL-AWAD AL-BOULANI, IRAQI INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): We believe this will help stop those who want to duplicate and fake the new uniforms. It's hard to do.
HOLMES: We went to one of Baghdad's ubiquitous black market uniform makers to ask about that. Salem took one look at the photographs of the uniforms. His confident reply ...
SALEM, BLACK MARKET TAILOR (through translator): I have been making uniforms for 40 years. We can make any uniform.
HOLMES: The general was ready for that. Tailors like Salem operate with impunity now. But that's about to change.
PETERSON: The ministry can take action against those individuals, those businessmen who are selling these uniforms.
HOLMES: Shut them down?
PETERSON: That's correct.
HOLMES (on camera): The vast majority of Iraq's police wear these uniforms. They're not changing. But their training is. A mini army of cops from the United States, more than 700 of them, is currently embarked on a huge program designed to teach often ill- trained men how to police these always dangerous streets.
(voice-over): And dangerous they are. In a little over two years, 3,500 Iraqi police have lost their lives, 6,500 seriously wounded. Thousands more moderately so.
With Iraqi police widely mistrusted, even feared in many neighborhoods, it's hoped these uniforms will be one step towards changing that fear to trust.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES (on camera): Well, when those troops taking part in Operation Together Forward finish their mission, it's going to be up to those police officers to take over that security. And they're going to need that trust. Carol?
LIN: All right. Thanks to Michael Holmes out there in Baghdad.
Fourteen British troops were killed today when their plane crashed in Afghanistan. It happened in the southern province of Kandahar. Officials say it appears it was a technical problem that caused that crash, not hostile action.
Wrapping up other news in the around the world today. A UN agency says opium cultivation in Afghanistan soared 59 percent this year. Most of that occurred in the southern provinces where Taliban militants have stepped up their attacks.
And new video today of Fidel Castro. The latest tape on Cuban television shows the Cuban leader meeting with visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Castro appears thinner but more animated and stronger than he did in a tape three weeks ago. Castro had intestinal surgery back in July.
An Iranian born American will become the first female space tourist later this month. She's going to join a Russian crew on a mission to the International Space Station September 14th.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan comes face-to-face tomorrow with Iran's president. Now, their talks in Tehran will focus on two very delicate issues, the cease-fire in Lebanon and Iran's nuclear standoff with the West. Reporting from Tehran, CNN's Aneesh Raman. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan arriving in Iran today for two days of talks. He's met so far with Iran's foreign minister and also reportedly with the country's chief nuclear negotiator. Today he had very few words for the press. Here's what he had to say.
KOFI ANNAN, UN SECRETARY GENERAL: Very happy to be here in Tehran again. I'm here to discuss the implementation of Resolution 1701which deals with the situation in Lebanon. And I will also expect to discuss issues of concern to this region and the international community.
RAMAN (on camera): Annan there mentioning of course the cease- fire between Lebanon and Israel. Something he is bringing up in Iran because of Iran's close relationship with Hezbollah, as he did in Syria, hoping that Iran will use its influence to try to get this cease-fire to hold, to prevent the arms that are still, it seems, coming into Lebanon.
Now Annan did not mention specifically the nuclear dispute in those comments that Iran currently finds itself in. He did mention that he wanted to talk about broader international concerns. He'll be talking with Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tomorrow.
(voice-over): The president today was speaking to crowds and reaffirmed his defiance against the world community saying Iran would not stop its nuclear power, would not relinquish its right to peaceful nuclear energy.
This as the country's war games which have been going on for some weeks now, today pinpointed air strikes, defense thence against those, Iran's military showcasing that on Iranian television, all of this about sustained defiance against the West over Iran's nuclear program.
(on camera): Iran has missed the UN deadline to stop the program. European countries specifically are trying to find a way to resolve this diplomatically. But Iran is standing firm and showing no sign it will back down. Aneesh Raman, CNN, Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: When we go on the front lines, we usually take you to Iraq or Afghanistan. But this week we're going to take you to Biloxi, Mississippi, for a more personal story. A woman who lost everything to Katrina now gains a new life.
And later, two Upstate New York troopers ambushed and shot. Now the manhunt intensifies for the suspect. The latest on the search for Ralph "Bucky" Phillips at 42 past.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Every week, we like to bring you the more personal stories from the front lines. And today we're going to bring you the story of tragedy, but hope. As the nation marked the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina this week, many Gulf residents still can't return to their homes. But thanks to some caring people from Indiana, one Mississippi woman is going back to her beloved city. But the story doesn't end there. Kathleen Koch has the story from Biloxi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A shell of a house. It's all Lucy Williams had left after Hurricane Katrina's storm surge swept through her Biloxi, Mississippi neighborhood. She salvaged one dining room chair.
LUCY WILLIAMS, KATRINA VICTIM: I'm going to keep it to remind me.
KOCH: Of what you used to have?
When we caught up with her in February, Williams had no money to start over since the school where she had worked as a janitor had been destroyed.
WILLIAMS: I've been praying. I've been praying that somebody come in and see it and want to help me.
KOCH: Someone did.
WILLIAMS: That's the answer right there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's the angel.
WILLIAMS: That's the angel right there.
KOCH: Steve Kessler in Warsaw, Indiana, saw her story on CNN. Years before becoming a successful businessman, he, too, had been a janitor.
STEVE KESSLER, BUSINESSMAN: We got a hold of Lucy and called her up. I said, we're coming down and we're going to take care of your house.
WILLIAMS: He came right down and just went to work. And he just like an angel that the Lord just sent down to bless me.
KOCH: Over the next six months, Kessler flew down crews from Indiana to clear and grade Williams' lot. Workers from Biloxi joined them in building a beautiful new three-bedroom home.
WILLIAMS: And here is my ding room area. This is my kitchen area.
KESSLER: Obviously, we tried to do it right, and Lucy was real helpful. She was the interior decorator. I don't know what the dollars was. I haven't really kept track. We'll look at that later on.
KOCH: That doesn't matter to you?
KESSLER: No.
WILLIAMS: I just have a smile on my face that I can't take off. I am so happy. He is one wonderful man. I just get up every morning and thank the lord. KOCH: Williams plans to move into the house next week with her husband and one of her 13 grandchildren. Kessler believes the Gulf Coast recovery would be further along if more Americans followed his lead.
KESSLER: It's really not that difficult. You just have to jump in and help the best you can.
I knew this is what I was supposed to do and we did it. Hey, it will be a great storytelling from here on out.
KOCH: A Katrina story with a happy ending.
You guys are the best. Thank you, Steve.
Kathleen Koch, CNN, Biloxi, Mississippi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well, art is supposed to mirror life. But can the reflection be too distorted? We're going to take a look at a controversial new movie that includes an imaginary assassination of President Bush.
Plus, spending the night in a hotel ballroom but it was no party. How Hurricane John crashed the festivities. Next.
And why Hollywood heavyweight Tom Cruise is making headlines this time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Coming up, following a notorious fugitive's trail -- why police in Upstate New York now think Ralph "Bucky" Phillips may have given them the slip. Details straight ahead, when CNN LIVE SATURDAY continues in just 60 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Now in the news, Ayman el-Zawahiri appears on a new al Qaeda tape urging Americans to convert to Islam. Joining the al Qaeda's second in command on the tape is Adam Gadahn, an American convert to Islam.
In Gaza, Israeli Defense Forces say two suspected militants are dead. They allegedly opened fire on an Israeli search team looking for suspected Hamas members. A third Palestinian was killed by the IDF at a border crossing in central Gaza.
And Iraq's infamous Abu Ghraib Prison has a new caretaker -- the Iraqi Ministry of Justice. The U.S.-led coalition returned the now empty lockup back to the Iraqis earlier today.
And British police conduct a terror raid, a series of them, in fact, at a Chinese restaurant in London and a Muslim secondary school. Sixteen people have been picked up today, as Scotland Yard tries to crack down on those suspected of fostering or helping terrorists.
The widow of former Texas Governor John Connally has died. Nellie Connally was the last remaining survivor among those who rode in the president's -- President Kennedy's limo -- when he was assassinated. A family friend said she died peacefully in her sleep. Nellie Connally dead at the age of 87.
From the Northeastern United States to the Mexican west coast, tropical storms are making their respective messes. But there's a silver lining to both -- they could have been much worse.
So our team coverage begins with CNN's Harris Whitbeck riding out the storm in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Heavy winds and rain lashed the southern Baja Peninsula for hours. Roads were interrupted, electricity cut off in some communities.
But Hurricane John did not deliver the heavy damage it could have. In the state capital of La Paz, officials said there was no loss of life. Days of preparation for the storm had paid off.
In the popular tourist resort of Los Cabos, the airport opened early Saturday morning. Visitors returning home said they felt lucky the storm had not completely ruined their vacations.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because that's basically if we were really expecting -- what we thought we were expecting, we probably wouldn't be happy standing here right now.
WHITBECK: Some roads in the resort town of San Jose Los Cabos were filled with water and debris. But cars and pedestrians were getting through.
(on camera): While it could have been a lot worse, cleanup could take several days and some in the tourism industry fear it could be weeks before things are back to normal.
(voice-over): Pedro San La Franca runs a kayaking and snorkeling outfit here in San Jose del Cabo. He says ocean waters filled with runoff from the storm could drive business off.
PEDRO SAN LA FRANCA: It will take at least two or three weeks for it to -- to get better, because of the water. We're like mainly out in the water, like doing activities. So we have to wait for all this to go by.
WHITBECK: But like other residents who ventured out early Saturday to see what the hurricane had left in its wake, he felt lucky that what was feared could be a devastating storm didn't live up to its promise.
Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LIN: Now, reporter Ines Ferre joins us life from Annapolis, Maryland with the very latest from there.
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, Carol.
It's flooding here today next to the city dock. We went out on an inspection with someone from the harbor master's office to see how the area had held up.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JOE SILVER, ASSISTANT HARBOR MASTER: Harbor Office Patrol Boat one.
FERRE (voice-over): Assistant Harbor Master Joe Silver is looking for any damage caused by Ernesto on the creeks along the Annapolis coast.
SILVER: Boats that possibly broke loose from an anchorage or one of our mooring balls, got loose and may have run-into another boat.
FERRE: Silver also keeps a keen eye out for tree limbs or any other debris washed in with the rising water. He also checks in on the boaters.
SILVER: And I knew you guys were on your boat.
FERRE: In from Seattle, Lyl Tayson and his brother weathered the storm inside their vessel.
LYL TAYSON: It was, like I say, maybe gusts of 50 knots. They'd -- they'd grab the boat in a gust and the mast and everything would start pumping and jerking like that.
FERRE: Even though Ernesto came in as a tropical depression and not a hurricane, Tayson says they were still nervous.
TAYSON: The next one, we'll get on a mooring ball and get in further and get a -- it sobered us.
FERRE (on camera): This area is a little bit choppier.
Last night what was this like?
SILVER: Well, last night we had six and seven footers in here that were rolling into the city. Right now we're in three and four footers. It has been worse, a lot worse, in the past.
FERRE (voice-over): Like Hurricane Isabel, which Silver says caused much damage.
SILVER: This is nothing compared to Isabel. All of downtown was flooded very badly last year.
FERRE (on camera): Yet people had that in mind last night. SILVER: They were concerned. They didn't know what to expect. And they -- they expected the worst.
FERRE (voice-over): As we returned to the dock, Silver hopes that the flooding they did get will recede quickly, as they await the next high tide.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
FERRE: And the water has gone down significantly. And as that's happened, more and more visitors here have been coming along this area. We've seen a lot of boats along this area, coming in and out, trying to enjoy the rest of what's left of the Labor Day weekend -- Carol.
LIN: All right, Ines, thank you very much.
Let's go to Bonnie Schneider at the CNN Weather Center to see what the flood warnings are, if any, for tonight from Ernesto -- Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, ATS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we're still getting them. You know, it's funny, even areas that are not receiving rain right now, there's so much water on the ground that we still have reports of flooding.
So for parts of North Carolina on the eastern side of that state, and also toward Virginia, flood warnings continue for tonight.
And up to the north, it's more of a concern of wind than flooding. In fact, the areas you see highlighted in yellow are where we have wind advisories that are posted through the evening hours. Some of them have expired, but Suffolk County on Long Island, it's going to be a windy night there and a windy morning. Right now, winds on the east end of the island, look at that, 32 miles per hour sustained winds. So gusts will be stronger than that. Some of these gusts may get up to 45 miles per hour.
Well, Ernesto isn't the only storm we're tracking. We are also tracking Hurricane John, that is now Tropical Storm John. And it's likely to become Tropical Depression John as early as tomorrow.
You can see the storm really breaking apart as it works its way across the Baja Peninsula. There's Cabo San Lucas. And toward the areas to the north, we're still getting a lot of thunderstorms, definitely some wind and rain. The track of the storm eventually will take it out into the open waters of the Pacific.
And to put this into motion, you could see even by Monday into Tuesday it's well out over those cooler ocean waters of the Pacific.
Now, even though John is not going to make landfall in the United States, the influence from John will be felt across a good portion of the Southwest of the United States.
Take a look at this. This is a computer model, a 2PF, it's called. This actually shows precipitation from tomorrow night to Monday night. And areas you see highlighted in purple, that indicates where we're expecting quite a bit of rain.
But then you see, as look toward the U.S.-Mexico-border northward toward southern California, southern New Mexico-and a good part of west Texas, we're likely to see some very heavy rain, really enhanced by the moisture from this tropical system.
So not really making landfall here, Carol, but definitely bringing about rain to a good portion of the Southwest.
LIN: A rainmaker.
All right, thanks very much, Bonnie.
You know, we get some of the best pictures sometimes from our very own viewers who are on the screen and see it first. So if you have ever said that you want to report for CNN, now's your chance.
CNN has launched I-Report, where you, the viewer, are the eyes and ears on the ground. If you capture a great picture or video on your camera or cell phone, just send it to us via computer at cnn.com or on your cell phone punch I-Report@ceml.
Now, take a look at what I-Reporter Alma Aguilar (ph) from Montebello, California sent us. This picture is of her relatives in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. They're in a hotel ballroom waiting out Hurricane John.
Now, if you've got a picture like our viewer, Ms. Aguilar, go to cnn.com and send an I-Report and join the world's most powerful news team.
In News Across America, flags are flying at half staff in Pennsylvania in tribute to Pittsburgh's late mayor, Bob O'Connor. He died yesterday from a rare form of brain cancer. He was only 61 years old. The Pittsburgh city council president was sworn in as acting mayor until a new election can be held.
And American Muslims are under fire this weekend for inviting former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami to address their convention in Illinois today. Critics say Khatami is an enemy of America. He's also scheduled to attend a U.N. conference in New York.
The crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis back at the Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle is expected to lift off Wednesday afternoon. Bad weather forced two previously scheduled launches to be scrubbed.
Now this is some of the cutest video of the day. Check that out, little baby. Three Sumatran tiger cubs made their public debut at Washington's National Zoo. When they were born on May 24th, each weighed about two pounds and they were blind. Now the cubs weigh about 25 to 30 pounds each and they seem eager to explore their new home.
Well, New York police have intensified the manhunt for a notorious prison escapee. They say Ralph "Bucky" Phillips is armed and dangerous and he is the prime suspect in the ambush of two New York State troopers.
Stefan Mychajilw with our affiliate, WGRZ, is in Fredonia, New York.
STEFAN MYCHAJILW, WGRZ CORRESPONDENT: Good evening.
The New York State Police calls this the biggest manhunt in its organization's history, as the search for fugitive Ralph "Bucky" Phillips continues. Police accused Phillips of shooting three New York State police officers, as the search continues here in Fredonia tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
MYCHAJILW (voice-over): Armed New York State police officers check cars in the driving rain at one of 22 roadblocks in Chautauqua County, as the search for fugitive Ralph "Bucky" Phillips enters its fifth month.
REBECCA GIBBONS, NEW YORK STATE TROOPER: if you're from this area, be prepared to be stopped. There are several checkpoints throughout this area and there will continue to be so.
MYCHAJILW: Exactly 140 New York State police officers are searching for Phillips in 12-hour shifts. That's 280 troopers working around the clock. That's in addition to local and federal law enforcement officers, who are assisting in this manhunt.
GIBBONS: He's a desperate man. He knows he's wanted and his choices are running out.
MYCHAJILW: Police believe Ralph "Bucky" Phillips has been on the run, crisscrossing the New York-Pennsylvania border. At this time, they have no evidence or reason to believe he's anywhere but hiding here in Chautauqua County.
GIBBONS: We have no reason to believe he's not in this area. We're going to continue to search this area until we receive other information to lead us otherwise.
But at this point, yes, we do believe he's in this area.
MYCHAJILW: Today, police also released the exact dollar figure on how much the reward is for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Ralph "Bucky" Phillips.
The total? $225,000.
GIBBONS: If people don't feel compelled that it is their civic duty, hopefully, the $225,000 will be enough to bring that information forward.
(END VIDEO TAPE) MYCHAJILW: The two New York State troopers who were shot on Thursday remain in critical condition. Donald Baker, Jr. is recovering in an Erie, Pennsylvania hospital, and Joe Longobardo recovering at ECMC, Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, New York.
Reporting from Fredonia, Stefan Mychajilw -- Carol, back to you.
LIN: All right, our thanks to Stefan for that report.
In the meantime, blurring the line between fact and fiction. How a new movie about a fictional assassination is stirring up controversy.
And a Hollywood house call to say I'm sorry. Is Tom's heartfelt apology to Brook enough?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: A British docudrama is creating quite a backlash in the United States. It depicts the death of President Bush. The film's portrayal is seen as all too real and some say it crosses the line.
CNN's Louise Schiavone reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
LOUISE SCHIAVONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The shocking image of President George W. Bush taking a bullet is portrayed fictionally in a British film due to premier in less than two weeks. The one-and-a-half-hour-long film from the nation presumed to be America's closest ally is called "Death of a President."
PETER DALE, BRITISH DIGITAL CHANNEL 'MORE4": It's a very intelligent and thought provoking film about what's happening inside America as a result of American foreign policy.
SCHIAVONE: The filmmaker digitally superimposes the face of President Bush on an actor as an assassin in the story guns him down in a Chicago hotel basement. Scenes from archival footage are mixed into the piece, all of which, given the world today, make it an alarmingly realistic real time docudrama.
U.S. reaction? In a word, appalling.
HOWARD KURTZ, "RELIABLE SOURCES": It is so irresponsible on its face, it is so really hateful on its face, especially to do it this way, with archival footage that makes it seem like it really is happening to President Bush.
SCHIAVONE: The dry insistence of the British filmmaker that he's seeking a foreign policy discussion rings hollow in a nation that has suffered several wrenching assassinations, seeing for itself in recent decades the killings of President Kennedy and his brother Robert, the attempts on the lives of Presidents Ford and Reagan, not to mention the frightening and massive toll of 9/11. REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: If you have a film depicting the assassination of a sitting president, that just brings out the worst instincts in the homicidal people in society, our country, the nation. The world is divided anyway.
SCHIAVONE: Critics say that while the U.S. thrills to fictional assassination plots like the one in "Manchurian Candidate" and never tires of Kennedy assassination theories, the digitally mastered purported killing of a sitting president simply goes beyond the pale.
(on camera): On September 10th, "Death Of A President" premiers at the Toronto Film Festival. Once on this side of the Atlantic, it's almost a certainty that some U.S. distributor somewhere will see the opportunity to make a buck, no matter how galling the content.
Louise Schiavone for CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: All right, this just in to CNN Center.
A CIA spokesperson has confirmed to CNN, saying this: "After conducting the technical review on the videotape, it is concluded that the voice is of Ayman el-Zawahiri."
Apparently they only make -- let me see -- they say they only make statements on voice even if it's videotape. All right, so they don't confirm the image itself. But that is, in fact, his voice. That is Adam Gadahn, a California man who grew up right here in the United States, now a member of al Qaeda, telling Americans that they should convert to Islam.
We've got much more on that young man, as well as Ayman el- Zawahiri, coming up in our prime time show at 10:00.
In the meantime, we want to bring you more about a story that's cruising in Hollywood, literally. Tom Cruise has something to tell Brooke Shields, but is it really settling their controversial fight? A mission impossible.
First, here's what's coming up on CNN's "THE WORLD AT WAR."
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: We are seeing an increasing number of Iraqi forces. The real question is not so much whether they can reduce the violence in the short-term, but whether it will hold.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The (UNINTELLIGIBLE) around Baghdad this week is really, really, in many ways, the insurgents saying you haven't got us.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States will not leave until victory is achieved. RICHARD ROTH, SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Whether it's North Korea or Iran, you're seeing the U.S. being challenged on each side of the globe.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: This just in to the CNN Center.
The CIA has confirmed to CNN that the voice on this videotape that you're watching right now is, in fact, the number two in command of al Qaeda, Ayman el-Zawahiri.
More on this story in our prime time show at 10:00 tonight.
In the meantime, news out of Hollywood -- Tom Cruise saying he's sorry. He's apologized to Brooke Shields for criticizing her last year in an all too public beef over her use of anti-depressants to battle post-partum depression.
Kareen Wynter has more on Cruise's atonement.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hollywood heavyweight Tom Cruise making headlines once again, this time for a far less controversial act. The actor has apologized to actress Brooke Shields, whom he publicly criticized last year for using anti- depressants to treat her post-partum depression.
Shields broke the news and Friday's "Tonight Show With Jay Leno."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, COURTESY NBC)
BROOKE SHIELDS, ACTRESS: He had called me and he came over to my house. And he gave me a heartfelt apology. And he apologized for bringing me into the whole thing and for everything that happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: The 41-year-old actress, now a mother of two, took anti- depressants after the birth of her first child. Cruise condemned the use of certain prescription drugs in an interview last year with NBC's Matt Lauer.
As for Cruise's mea culpa, Shields says apology accepted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, COURTESY NBC)
SHIELDS: And through it all, I was so impressed with how heartfelt it was. And I didn't feel at any time that I had to defend myself or did I feel that he was trying to convince me of anything other than the fact that he was deeply sorry. (END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: CNN's calls to Cruise's publicist were not returned.
Cruise's makeup comes almost two weeks after a bitter break up with Paramount Pictures. Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone told the "Wall Street Journal" the two parted ways because of the star's promotion of Scientology and behavior which he said was unacceptable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "OPRAH," COURTESY HARPO PRODUCTIONS)
OPRAH: Katie once told "Seventeen" magazine -- yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: Cruise hasn't been able to live down his couch jumping appearance on "Oprah," where he professed his love for fiance Katie Holmes.
Redstone claims Cruise's conduct led to disappointment in box office sales for "Mission Impossible III."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III," COURTESY PARAMOUNT PICTURES)
TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: Thank you for coming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: Cruise's camp shot back, calling Redstone's comments "shocking and graceless," telling CNN it was their decision to part ways.
Cruise's company has since signed a financing deal with First & Goal.
Kareen Wynter, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LIN: There is a lot more straight ahead on CNN tonight.
Up next at 7:00 Eastern, "THE WORLD AT WAR."
And then at 8:00, "CNN PRESENTS: THE POVERTY TRAP." Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks about some possible solutions in a provocative conversation with President Bill Clinton.
And at 9:00, he says everything you wish you could say about the politicians and stars you hate. Catch Bill Maher on "LARRY KING LIVE."
And I'll be back at 10:00 Eastern. Tonight, Adam Gadahn, a young Californian who's a heavy metal fan, but also a fan of Osama bin Laden.
A check of the hour's headlines next. And then "THIS WEEK AT WAR."
(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
