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CNN Newsnight Aaron Brown

Isabel's Aftermath; Former Iraqi Defense Minister in U.S. Custody; Bush to Go to U.N. Next Week

Aired September 19, 2003 - 22:00   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.


AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, again.
It seems that a fair amount of the program tonight deals with cleaning up messes. The entire first section deals with the considerable mess of Hurricane Isabel.

If last night was about frightening pictures and waterlogged correspondents, today's stories are about cold realities, fatalities first and foremost and it's not the only mess we deal with.

A surrender in Iraq today was another small step in cleaning up a mess there and a couple of explosions in the country a reminder of what sort of mess we are dealing with.

And then there is that very messy political, or is it a legal brawl in California.

A few Friday guilty pleasures are thrown in as well into our little mess which, as always, begins with the whip.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve starts it all off once again in Virginia Beach, Jeanne a headline from you.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Baltimore looked like Venice today as floodwaters filled the streets and five and a half million people got to sample life before electricity. Isabel had taken it away -- Aaron.

BROWN: Jeanne, thank you.

Next to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, CNN's Susan Candiotti knee deep in the story tonight, Susan a headline please.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, because of a curfew thousands and thousands of residents here cannot get to their homes and businesses where there is more than a half a billion dollars in damages.

BROWN: Susan, thank you.

Baghdad next, CNN's Walt Rodgers with the duty, Walt a headline from you tonight.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Aaron. With the surrender of Iraq's former defense minister the U.S. nets a big fish and hopes the general's surrender will persuade other Saddam loyalists to give up the resistance -- Aaron.

BROWN: Walter, thank you.

And, finally, L.A. and the recall and more echoes of Florida 2000. CNN's Frank Buckley is there, Frank a headline.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the courts are involved in this election too, Aaron, and just when we thought election day had been postponed by one group of judges another group of judges plans to reconsider. And, just to make it seem even more like deja vu all over again, Al Gore shows up in California.

BROWN: Frank, thank you, back to you and the rest shortly.

Also coming up on this Friday edition of NEWSNIGHT is it live or is it Memorex not the program, it's live. The HBO drama that borrows from political reality and vice versa. Jeff Greenfield who knows a thing or two about both takes a look at "K Street."

And with fashion week winding down here in Manhattan, producer Katherine Mitchell (ph) introduces us to Esteban Cortesar (ph) a top designer and high school student. He's on the rise.

And, from strutting peacocks to what else roosters, our look at Saturday morning papers from around the country and maybe even from around the world, all that and more in the hour ahead.

We begin with the storm which isn't a hurricane or even a tropical storm anymore. Tonight, call it pain in the neck Isabel or flash flood Isabel or in the dark Isabel. Whatever you call it the trouble isn't over and probably will not be for days.

A look at it all as we go along tonight beginning first with CNN's Jeanne Meserve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE (voice-over): In parts of Baltimore canoes and kayaks supplanted cars and trucks as the primary modes of transportation. Flooding just the latest natural disaster to hit the city.

MAYOR MARTIN O'MALLEY, BALTIMORE: Lucky me, I get the world's biggest snowfall in the world and Baltimore's biggest flood. Next will come the plague of locusts.

MESERVE: Maryland joined North Carolina and Virginia in the club of declared disaster areas, a club that's likely to expand its membership. Blame Isabel's more than eight foot storm surge which brought flooding, water supply, and sewage problems to much of the Chesapeake Basin.

It was her rain and wind that tossed down trees and power lines leaving an estimated five and a half million customers without light not to mention more vital things.

WILLIAM GOODWIN, BALTIMORE FIRE CHIEF (voice-over): We've lost power to firehouses, police stations, nursing homes which were critical incidents that we had to address right away.

MESERVE: It was enough to shut down the federal government for a second day. The Independent Insurance Association estimates the storm did $2 billion worth of damage but, despite the property loss and bother of it all, for many it was a time to count blessings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been around the whole neighborhood and everybody's just real lucky. Nobody got killed and nobody got seriously hurt.

MESERVE: Isabel may have done her nastiest work on North Carolina's Outer Banks surveyed Friday from a Coast Guard helicopter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess that's waterfront property right there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is now.

MESERVE: A roof in the water off Hatteras, a community chewed up by the hurricane. Isabel isolated the town, submerging parts of the one road that snakes down the Outer Banks but the big picture assessment upbeat.

REAR ADMIR. SALLY BRICE-O'HARA, U.S. COAST GUARD: I was delighted to see that the extent of the damage was not worse than it was.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Despite the destruction and deaths Isabel brought there were some people who managed to enjoy her aftermath today. Off Virginia Beach in the surf, surfers enjoying the big waves the storm had kicked up and in the skies riding the still gusty winds kites -- Aaron.

BROWN: Jeanne, these things at their best bring out a kind of ingenuity or entrepreneurial spirit in people. Did you see examples of either?

MESERVE: We did. We saw some trucks going down the street today that said Texas on the side and then we had a gentleman stop by our truck asking if we knew some houses where there had been some water damage. We thought he was another journalist looking for a tip. It turns out he cleaned carpets and he'd come in from Colorado to try and make a little money here in Virginia Beach -- Aaron.

BROWN: I expect there's work to be done.

MESERVE: A lot.

BROWN: Thank you, Jeanne. You've had a terrific work for us, Jeanne Meserve. To Kitty Hawk next. Four years ago Hurricane Floyd did enormous damage to the Carolina coast. Isabel, as Jeanne just reported was somewhat gentler. The decision to stay or go somewhat tougher at least in retrospect.

The man you're about to meet chose to stay. Fortunately he is healthy tonight. He is also homeless. The hurricane destroyed his home, two dozen more. Here's CNN's Susan Candiotti.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): What's going to happen next?

Twenty-four hours after Ron Meadows lost about all he owns to Isabel he was only able to get a block away from his still flooded beachfront apartment and remember.

RON MEADOWS, RESIDENT: I knew we were in trouble because the high tide was coming.

CANDIOTTI: Meadows figured he could ride out the storm inside his house. He was wrong.

MEADOWS: I actually could see all the waves come over the dunes at one point together at free will because they were that big, the storm surge.

CANDIOTTI: He escaped before five feet of water washed in.

(on camera): Meadows says in the middle of the storm he had his waders on and walked a few blocks to this shopping center, sat down on a park bench and waited out the rest of the hurricane.

MEADOWS: By the grace of God I made it. I don't know why he wants me around but he got me through this one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think you want to go down that street.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Miles of beachfront on the Outer Banks took a beating from Isabel and relocated even the most intimate of furnishings.

MEADOWS: I'm standing here at the corner of Front, Lindbergh (ph), and Water.

CANDIOTTI: On the Outer Banks emergency officials estimate $545 million of damage, most of it on Hatteras Island. Homes with a new entrance to the sea, long sections of beachfront roads are buried under at least three feet of sand, pavement cracked below it.

Because of an extended curfew even residents remain forbidden from returning home until at least late Saturday. They'll see sights including this. Power remains out for tens of thousands of customers on the Outer Banks alone. Kitty Hawk's mayor says nature in part made a statement. MAYOR BILL HARRIS, KITTY HAWK, NORTH CAROLINA: The statement is that you're on borrowed time when you're building up next to the ocean like this.

CANDIOTTI: As for 59-year-old Ron Meadows he refuses to leave the beachfront.

MEADOWS: So, we'll all get together and rebuild, everybody. Everybody will help everybody here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: And this is an example of the kind of flooding we're talking about. I'm knee deep in it. This is ocean water. I'm in the middle of a four-lane highway that is just about a block in from the ocean and this stretch of flooding goes for about half a mile so a lot of people can't get through.

Now, some of the electricity is coming back on here and just over my shoulder is one of the businesses that does have power but, again, the business owner can't get to it. Some people had row boats out here trying to assess the damage.

Again, that kind of work is going to go on for quite some time but, again, because of the curfew people cannot get out here yet to even assess the damage and it looks like this water won't recede on its own and they might have to bring pumps in to get it out -- Aaron.

BROWN: And how do they -- how long will that take? When will they be able if, in fact, that's what they have to do, get the pumps in and are we talking about another week of this or less?

CANDIOTTI: Well, they're not giving any estimates yet but it could take quite some time. Certainly in the past when there have been hurricanes, Aaron, it has taken several days if not weeks to get the trucks in, to get the sand out that's covering a lot of the highways as well as flooding just like this. So, it is going to take quite a while and then the question is, is there any damage to the road below this water and below all that sand? So, it's a mess.

BROWN: It is a mess. Susan, thank you very much, Susan Candiotti in Kitty Hawk tonight.

Literally millions of people in the dark, many places under water, sewage plants offline, all the rest. Local officials you can be sure are quite busy so we're especially grateful right now to have a couple of mayors with us to give us some time.

William Euille is the mayor of Alexandria, Virginia, and Meyera Oberndorf is the mayor of Virginia Beach and it's nice to see you both. Virginia Beach first. Mayor what's your biggest problem right now in the city?

MEYERA OBERNDORF, MAYOR, VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA: It's the cleanup. We are looking at close to $11 million just to clean up the debris, fallen trees, power lines that are down, about 358,000 people are still without power and I might add my family is one of them. But by and large we were truly lucky enough that it was only a stage two storm. I hate to think what would have happened if it had come through as a five.

BROWN: Just quickly on the power, mayor, when do you think you'll get most of the power back?

OBERNDORF: I'll be honest with you. I don't have an answer. I have dialed Dominion to see if they could give me an estimate and I have not been able to talk yet to an executive to find out.

BROWN: So, even mayors have that problem.

Mayor Euille, your situation is what tonight? What's the biggest problem you face?

WILLIAM EUILLE, MAYOR, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA: My problem here in the city is similar to my friend in Virginia Beach. We have widespread power outages. We have a lot of trees that have fallen down, limbs everywhere, a lot of debris.

And probably more than 40 percent of our residents are without power as we speak and we're in a cleanup mode. We have been the entire day. The flooding in the city it was limited pretty predominantly to the Old Town waterfront area along the historic King's Street corridor but we're surviving.

BROWN: And we're pleased. Do people have water?

EUILLE: Water was a problem earlier in the day. We get our water as part of the Fairfax County water treatment authority. They lost power during the night so we were concerned about contamination and we actually were running short on water for a while because they actually had turned us completely off.

But that was restored about 3:30, 4:00 this afternoon, but we're also encouraging our residents to continue to boil water for drinking purposes and eating purposes, preparing food but they can bathe with it and everything and we're hoping that by tomorrow afternoon everything will be back to normal.

BROWN: And is there a curfew in your city tonight?

EUILLE: No, we do not have a curfew. Actually we're open for business and we're adequately described as the fun side of the Potomac and we have a lot of folks out here having fun and enjoying themselves.

BROWN: That's fascinating.

Back to Virginia Beach. Mayor, are you under a curfew tonight by the way?

OBERNDORF: Yes, we are. The city manager asked that there be a curfew from 9:00 in the evening until 7:00 in the morning. The reason for that is our traffic signals are out as well as street lighting and when you go through the intersections it is like demolition derby so as soon as Virginia power gets back on we'll be rolling.

BROWN: I think it's fair to say that everybody in the east had pretty good warning on this and that the computer models turned out to be pretty accurate in terms of where it would hit and when it would hit and I assume that that was enormously helpful in your preparations, wasn't it?

OBERNDORF: We had a marvelous chance to prepare and to plan. We followed the plan and it worked.

BROWN: It's always great when they work.

Mayor Euille, when you woke up this morning, assuming you slept last night, and the sun came up and you got a look at what was there, what was your reaction?

EUILLE: Well, it was shocking. Even though as Meyera mentioned we had the best plan of action in place. We started working at this on Monday at the beginning of the week. We had crews that were available 24 hours around the clock, emergency crews at our Emergency Operations Center.

But, nevertheless, when we saw the devastating results it was a sight to be seen. I've been through a few serious storms and hurricanes here in the city of Alexandria in my lifetime but nothing like what we witnessed this morning.

Thank the God that we were limited in terms of the rainfall that was projected so we did not have a lot of flooding throughout the city which was anticipated. We thought all of our streets would be under water but, you know, it was the downed power lines and trees which created a very hazardous and unsafe condition.

BROWN: And quickly to each of you, I probably should have begun this way, is everybody in your town accounted for, Mayor Euille?

EUILLE: Yes. We had no loss of life, no serious emergencies or anything of that sort and people are out roaming the city tonight, the streets, and pretty much enjoying themselves. We're very resilient here in Alexandria.

BROWN: And Mayor Oberndorf, everybody in Virginia Beach accounted for as best you know?

OBERNDORF: Yes, thank God and not any reported deaths and no reported injuries. We came out while the sun was out today to start the cleanup and it's just in the dark hours until we get the power back are we just slowed up a little.

BROWN: Well, it's good to talk to both of you. We're glad things were no worse than they turned out to be. It's a big mess but nobody died in your towns and that's something to note.

OBERNDORF: Thank God.

BROWN: Thank you both very much. Have a good weekend.

EUILLE: Thank you.

BROWN: Ahead on the program tonight, another big fish netted in Iraq as the president faces a tough week ahead selling his Iraq policy to a skeptical United Nations.

And later, on the rise, he's a high school student already making his mark in the world of fashion, a break first.

This is NEWSNIGHT from CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: At U.N. Headquarters in Baghdad today the flag which had been flying at half staff since the terrorist bombing a month ago was raised again. Not far away two more bombs exploded, on in the al- Mansoor (ph) neighborhood, the other by the road not far from the Tigris River. It went off as a taxi carrying a family went by. Fortunately those inside suffered only bumps and bruises.

Meantime, to the north in Mosul another one of Iraq's most wanted was taken into custody. In this case, perhaps, the how of it just as important as the what. Reporting for us tonight CNN's Walt Rodgers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RODGERS (voice-over): Former Iraqi Defense Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmed agreed to surrender to the United States after a week of negotiations, according to an Iraqi human rights mediator. He was No. 27 on the U.S. most wanted list. A coalition spokesman was quick to crow about the latest U.S. catch.

DAN SENOR, COALITION SPOKESMAN: I think all of them are helpful. I think all of them have basically had the sort of total cumulative effect of demonstrating to the Iraqi people that the curtain is closing on their past and that the worst days are over.

RODGERS: General Hashim Ahmed was the Iraqi official who signed the cease-fire on behalf of Saddam Hussein after the first Gulf War befitting his rank and as part of the terms of his surrender he apparently got an agreement he be treated better than much of the rest of Saddam's government.

COL. JOE ANDERSON, U.S. ARMY: His surrender would guarantee that he will be treated with dignity and respect and be allowed the opportunity to explain his former situation.

RODGERS: Because the general surrendered, U.S. forces were at least spared an assault on his home that might have resulted in casualties among his family and also U.S. troops. An ambush of U.S. soldiers Thursday evening claimed three American lives, two soldiers were wounded.

LT. COL. GEORGE KRIVO, U.S. ARMY: We've seen the tactics change from close-in encounters with RPGs and small arms to encounters that are more apt to use mortars and improvised explosive devices which tend to be more of a standoff sort of weapon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RODGERS: With attacks on U.S. forces now a daily occurrence, U.S. officials are hoping the surrender of General Hashim Ahmed may act as a damper on other resistance fighters trying to attack U.S. forces here -- Aaron.

BROWN: All right, Walt, a little translation of military talk for me. When he was talking about the difference in weapons that are being used he said that's more of a standoff weapon. What's he really saying?

RODGERS: What he's saying is that when the initial attacks, the ambushes were launched against U.S. forces here the insurgents were coming very close to the road. They were firing rocket-propelled grenades and setting off small mines, booby traps, improvised explosive devices.

Now, the Iraqis have learned that the U.S. can strike and kill anyone who launches those so they're firing standoff weapons now, a lot of mortars from a good distance back which makes them harder to hit and helps the survival rate of the insurgents -- Aaron.

BROWN: Walter thank you very much, good to see you, Walter Rodgers in Iraq tonight.

There has been this week a lowering of expectations on just how much the United States can expect from the international community in terms of help in Iraq both in terms of dollars to pay for the reconstruction and troops to help keep the peace.

But while the White House is likely to get less of what it would like it will surely get more than it now has. The president lays out his case at the United Nations next week. The laying of the groundwork is underway already.

Here's CNN's John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president heads into a critical week of diplomacy welcoming conciliatory words from a fierce critic of the war in Iraq.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said it is time to put the bitterness aside and in a "New York Times" essay writes: "Germany is willing to provide humanitarian aid, to assist in the civilian and economic reconstruction of Iraq and to train Iraqi security forces."

The administration hopes for similar financial and security commitments out of next week's United Nations General Assembly and is trying to quiet its critics overseas and at home. GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will continue to make the case that reconstruction aid is necessary and we'll also remind our European friends that we're making good progress there.

KING: "Iraq is being transformed," Secretary of State Colin Powell wrote in the "Wall Street Journal." "The evidence is everywhere to be seen."

Secretary Powell says he saw the security problems firsthand during a recent Iraq visit but he also says all major cities and 85 percent of Iraq's towns now have governing councils. Schools and universities are reopened and all major hospitals and 95 percent of health clinics are also now open. The leading critics are unimpressed.

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: This is a failed, flawed, bankrupt policy.

KING (on camera): House Majority Leader Tom DeLay criticized Senator Kennedy and other Democrats he says are directing more "hateful rhetoric" at President Bush than they ever did at Saddam Hussein but senior Republicans are also telling the White House that the president and his top advisers need to do a much better job of answering the critics themselves.

John King, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Eight years ago at a different desk on a different network we watched a report on the siege of Srebrenica in Bosnia but unlike the pieces we'd run before in this one the producer had turned down the color in the picture and suddenly, like a World War II news reel, the story unfolded sunken faces, barbed wire, battered women and all.

Not Germans this time but Serbs, Muslims not Jews, not the Holocaust but certainly a holocaust, the worst atrocity in Europe since the Second World War. This weekend with thousands of victims still unaccounted for a tiny fraction will receive a proper burial.

Here's CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The tiny village of Srebrenica became the symbol of the bitter Bosnian war. Serbian forces overran the Muslim enclave in eastern Bosnia in 1995 massacring an estimated 8,000 men and boys in what was the single biggest atrocity of the war.

It was also the atrocity that galvanized the Clinton administration into action. Horrified by the slaughter just two months later the U.S., along with its allies, launched a NATO bombing campaign against Serbian forces besieging Bosnian towns and villages. Within two months the war that had lasted four years was over and the U.S. then hammered out the Bosnian peace plan at Dayton.

But Bosnia is still trying to account for all of its dead. Mass graves are still being found and exhumed eight years after the war ended. According to the Red Cross some 200,000 people were killed during the war. Just this week about 500 bodies were pulled from this, the latest and largest mass grave discovered so far.

EVA KLONOVSKI, CHIEF FORENSIC EXAMINER: (Unintelligible) think about this grave because we have here, we have had here remains of women and children and it is the biggest concentration of women and children found in one grave.

AMANPOUR: The healing is happening only slowly. Eight years after the war Srebrenica's pre-war population of 36,000 has dwindled to 9,000 and most of those Muslims who survived have not been able to return because of lingering ethnic rivalries.

Meantime at the War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague, Slobodan Milosevic, the former leader of Yugoslavia denies he was involved in the Srebrenica massacre. He is charged with a host of war crimes, including genocide, for what happened in Bosnia while eight years later the principal perpetrators accused of the massacre are still at large, former Bosnia and Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic.

President Clinton has been asked to open the memorial to Srebrenica because of his role in bringing the war to an end. On Saturday he'll preside over the re-burial of the remains of 107 of the town's dead.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Coming up on NEWSNIGHT, Al Gore goes to battle for Gray Davis in California.

And, the strange story of the TV show "K Street," fact, fantasy, or a weird combination of both?

A break first, from New York this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: There are palm trees in this story, palm trees and warm breezes and chads and a courthouse or two. There is an election, or A travesty, depending on who you ask. And today, the judges who put the election, or the travesty, on hold decided to decide once again. And just to make the recall total, there is one more thing.

Here is CNN's Frank Buckley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former Vice President Al Gore danced into California to denounce the recall. AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The people who want to see this recall take place are disrespecting the majority of Californians, who voted in the election last year.

BUCKLEY: California Governor Gray Davis, who is trying to save his job, invoked memories of Gore's loss to George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential race, claiming that Republicans prevented Gore from winning then in the Supreme Court and now they are coming after him.

GOV. GRAY DAVIS (D), CALIFORNIA: The Republicans are trying to steal an election they could not win.

BUCKLEY: Gore's appearance came on a day when another court announced it would reconsider an earlier decision to postpone the election until March. On Monday, judges will hear arguments that could change the election date back to October 7. Davis, who initially opposed that earlier date, now says he would like the election to go forward.

DAVIS: Momentum is clearly growing against the recall. I believe we will beat the recall on October 7. And my attitude is, let's just get it over with.

BUCKLEY: An attitude shared by Davis' chief Republican opponent, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and by the state's secretary of state, who says the election is actually already under way. Half a million people have already turned in their absentee ballots.

KEVIN SHELLEY, CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE: Never in the history of this country has an election been halted after the electoral process, specifically voting, has begun. And so I would find it rather extraordinary if that's the final decision by the 9th Circuit.

BUCKLEY: But legal experts say, in this election, it is hard to predict anything.

ELIZABETH GARRETT, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Typically, an en banc hearing means that we probably will have a rehearsal. But this is an atypical case. And I'm not sure we can read the tea leaves in that way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BUCKLEY: Now, the 11-judge panel that will hear the arguments on Monday has on it eight Democrats and three Republicans. They are considered to be more conservative and less adventuresome, as Professor Garrett put it, in both their judicial temperament and their political ideology. But will they conform to the conventional wisdom and reset the election for October 7?

We won't know until sometime next week at the earliest. In short, we may not know the precise election date until just a few days before Election Day -- Aaron.

BROWN: This is not the entire appeals court, correct? BUCKLEY: That's right. There is -- they will take 11 members of the appeals court. It is a larger group than the three-member panel that ruled earlier this week. But the 11-member panel will now take a look at this on Monday.

BROWN: And they were picked at random?

BUCKLEY: That's right, picked at lottery, random. And the three judges who are on -- who made that decision earlier this week are not among the 11.

BROWN: Frank, thank you very much, Frank Buckley.

Now from politics in Hollywood to Hollywood in politics.

Jeff Greenfield with the strange mixture of political fact and fantasy in the new television show called "K Street."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST (voice-over): What is this? It looks like a behind-the-scenes peak inside a new Washington lobbying firm, with the husband and wife team of Democrat James Carville and Republican Mary Matalin. Only it isn't. It is a scene from "K Street," a new HBO drama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "K STREET")

JAMES CARVILLE, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Well, let's just act like we know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: Named after the Washington street where powerful law firms and lobbyists hang their hats. But wait, isn't that the real Senator Don Nickles? Isn't that the real Senator Rick Santorum that a fictional lobbyist is talking to?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "K STREET")

HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I grew up in New York City.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: And isn't that the real-life Howard Dean being briefed by Carville and his "CROSSFIRE" partner, Paul Begala? Why, yes. And to confuse things just a little more, how about this one- liner from Carville to counter criticism that Dean doesn't understand racial issues because he's from mostly white Vermont.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "K STREET")

CARVILLE: If the percentage of black folks in your state was determinative of your record civil rights, then Trent Lott would be Martin Luther King. (END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: And now listen to what Dean actually said at a real- live Fox News Channel presidential debate this month.

DEAN: If the percent of minorities that is in your state has anything to do with how you can connect with African-American voters, then Trent Lott would be Martin Luther King.

GREENFIELD (on camera): This is really just another chapter in a very old story about mutual need and envy. The public policy types want the adulation and glamour of celebrityhood. The entertainment world yearns to be taken more seriously.

(voice-over): That's why the 1951 sci-fi classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still" used real journalists of that era -- Elmer Davis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL")

ELMER DAVIS, JOURNALIST: We still don't know what it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: H.V. Kaltenborn.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL")

H.V. KALTENBORN, JOURNALIST: Anxiety and concern.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: And Drew Pearson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL")

DREW PEARSON, JOURNALIST: The arrival of a spaceship in Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: To make the alien visit more credible.

That's why the fictional presidential candidate, Jack Tanner, crossed paths in HBO's "Tanner '88" with Gary Hart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "TANNER '88")

GARY HART, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: Hey, Jack, how you doing?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: And Bob Dole.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "TANNER '88")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Michigan is a strong one for me. (END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: And Pat Robertson. And it's why the political satire "Dave" peppered its story with actual stories.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "DAVE")

SANDER VANOCUR, REPORTER: This is Sander Vanocur at the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: And U.S. senators. And senators also appeared in the drama "Traffic."

(on camera): When you add "K Street" to the politician making fun of themselves on "Saturday Night Live" and actors running for office and journalists playing journalists in front of the cameras, what do you get? In 10 years, we won't vote politicians out of office. They'll be canceled.

Jeff Greenfield, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Still to come on NEWSNIGHT: a huge weekend for women's soccer and this country and around the world. The World Cup begins. So why is it that, in this country, women's professional soccer failed? And that little spacecraft that could, Galileo, about to go out with a bang.

Around the world, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Four years ago, women's sports were on a high, especially women's soccer. The U.S. team dramatically won the World Cup. Millions watched it. And the sports seemed ready to come into its own in the United States. Yet, with the women's world cup set to begin again tomorrow, American women's soccer is reeling tonight. Its professional league went belly up this week, making it clear that it will take more than a dramatic victory to stave off defeat.

Here is CNN's David Mattingly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Goal!

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Brandi Chastain pulled off her jersey in celebration of her winning goal in the 1999 World Cup, all that investors could see was opportunity. They didn't know they would be losing their own shirts as well.

ANDREW ZIMBALIST, SPORTS COLUMNIST: The advertising market was great. The corporate sponsorship market was great. The stock market was still going higher and higher. And so everybody was rolling in dough. And women's sports were in the ascendance. It looked great.

MATTINGLY: The WUSA women's professional soccer league launched in 2001 with $40 million, eight teams and seemingly unlimited marketing potential. But after three seasons and $100 million in the red, the league marked the beginning of this year's World Cup by folding.

APRIL HEINRICHS, U.S. WORLD CUP COACH: Unfortunately, I think it is a statement about where the soccer community is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There you go. And we're moving.

MATTINGLY: Where women's soccer is, according to sports analysts, is on the field, played every week by thousands of young women and girls on school campuses and in community leagues.

JENNY GILMORE, HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER COACH: A weekend without soccer, you sit around the house and wonder, what am I supposed to do?

MATTINGLY: But this kind of enthusiasm wasn't filling up expensive stadiums or generating ratings for televised games, a miscalculation, according to experts, who believe organizers expected too much too soon.

ZIMBALIST: There is a whole culture that develops around spectator sports. And it simply takes time to develop in soccer.

MATTINGLY: Youth and school leagues continue to thrive with community support and Title 9 leveling the playing field with the boys. The pros, however, had to make it on their own, competing against a host of other entertainment choices in a bad economy.

But in the three seasons it was alive, the WUSA produced bone fide stars who won over thousands of young fans who aren't ready to let go.

JULIE FOUDY, PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER: We feel like it is important to have these women role models out there for these young kids, because they represent so much good.

MATTINGLY: The World Cup tournament couldn't have returned to the U.S. at a better time, according to the now unemployed players, who hope to score big again with a championship and with potential new investors willing to start a new league.

David Mattingly, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And the American women begin their defense this weekend.

Now, imagine, if you will, booking a flight to Chicago, getting delayed for what seems like forever, then finding out the only way to get there is by way of Timbuktu? Did we mention a round-trip ticket is totally out of the question? But, oh, what sights you'll see. This weekend, spaceship Galileo is expected to crash into the surface of Jupiter after a 14-year journey through the solar system, taking extraordinary pictures along the way?

Here is CNN's Miles O'Brien.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The Galileo team made a lot of things possible, in spite some of serious problems.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have ignition and liftoff of Atlantis and the Galileo spaceship bound for Jupiter.

O'BRIEN: Launched aboard the shuttle Atlantis in '89, the $1.5 billion project was hampered by the Challenger explosion in '86. Delayed and then denied a more powerful booster rocket for shuttle safety's sake, mission managers had to abandon a beeline to Jupiter in favor of a slingshot around Venus.

Along the way, Galileo took pictures of lightning on Venus, of two asteroids, one named Ida that had its own moon, us here on Earth -- can you see me waving -- and of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet as it augered into Jupiter in '94.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Galileo was the only spacecraft that was there that could actually see the impacts. It saw the chunks of the comet as they entered the atmosphere on the night side.

O'BRIEN (on camera): But it is amazing Galileo sent back anything at all. The antenna that was supposed to transmit all the pictures never unfurled. The backup was measly, to say the least, able to send only a trickle, like drinking an ocean through a straw. But the computer whizzes at NASA's jet propulsion lab reprogrammed Galileo on the fly and thus squeezed 10 pounds of data into a 1-ounce bag.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had to make choices. We had to make sort of mind-bending scientific tradeoffs. But we also learned to fold our science together in such a way that we really maximized how much we got. It was amazing how much you could fit in.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): When Galileo first knocked on Jupiter's door in '95, it sent down a probe, tasting the ammonia-laced atmosphere and giving scientists an inkling of what happened to the planet that nearly became a second sun. Now the mother ship will do the same, sending in the science even in her final throes.

NASA is incinerating Galileo this way to ensure it does not contaminate one of the Jovian moons with any hitchhiking microbes from Earth. In Pasadena, they'll hold a party that will be a wake, of sorts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know how it is when you're celebrating someone who has passed, and you end up reminiscing and talking and sharing wonderful stories. And you want to do that with the other people who know what you're talking about.

O'BRIEN: Not unlike Hubbell, Galileo came back in spades from the brink of utter failure. Perhaps our greatest triumphs arise from our worst mistakes.

Miles O'Brien, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And as NEWSNIGHT continues, Fashion Week and the high school student who is the talk of the town.

From New York, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Today is the final day of New York's Fashion Week.

That's a time when, just as you're getting ready to pull out your fall clothes, the designers are telling you what you'll wear in the spring. But from the pictures, honestly, we see in the paper every day, the stuff on the runway is not likely to end up in your closet, let alone on your back.

And among all those names whose labels are sewn into clothes you already own, here is a name who might be there one day, Esteban Cortazar. He's a designer. And he's "On the Rise."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ESTEBAN CORTAZAR, FASHION DESIGNER: My name is Esteban Cortazar. And I'm a high school student/fashion designer. According to people, I'm the youngest designer to ever show during Fashion Week.

I had my first fashion show in sixth grade. I heard there was going to be a talent show at school. And I just decided to put together a fashion show. I launched Cortazar March 2002. And my stuff is available at Henri Bendel, Bloomingdale's, and Baguta (ph) and hopefully more after the show.

All the long gowns, put one back on top and the other one in the bottom, OK, so it doesn't get dirty.

I've been working on this show for about three months now, every night until late hours of the night.

We need to start the show.

It is a weird feeling right before the show. You're in such a high at that point, because it is about to start. And there is so much that is behind it, the hair, the makeup. So it is, in a sense, a theatrical presentation, the models are getting dressed backstage, the press, the celebrities sitting in the front row. And I love the world. I just love that whole thing, everything mixed together.

I feel this collection really has a lot to do with my feelings and my emotions. The style of the collection is just -- it's very colorful. It's full of life, lots of Latin flavor, cha-cha-cha. I'm Latin. I love to celebrate that, because I love where I'm from. And I love to just celebrate a woman that loves to be a woman.

CINDY CRAWFORD, MODEL: It is incredible what he's accomplished at such a young age.

But just as a person, I don't feel that much older than you.

CORTAZAR: Cindy Crawford is wearing a dress completely covered in Swarovski crystal mesh. She came for the fitting. And she's like, oh, I'll work it. I'm like, I know you will.

It is overwhelming sometimes, because I'm learning still. There is still a lot to learn. Sometimes, when I see that all these incredible people that I admire so much, that I've always admired, and they are looking up to me, that, to me, is just an honor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Your average high school kid.

Morning papers after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(ROOSTER CROWING)

BROWN: OK, time to check -- Saturday's morning papers is our favorite edition of morning papers, because, of course, it means it is Friday. And, in 2.5 minutes, we're on our way home for the week. It has been a long week around here.

"New York Times" starts it off. All the things you expect, the hurricane down below. "Storm Leaves Nearly Two Dozen Dead, Millions Without Power." A couple of pictures. You got all that. There's a story on California. A story I love, however -- we tried to get this in the program tonight and had to drop it for time.

But I managed to get it in anyway, didn't I? "Airline Gives Defense Firm Passenger Files." JetBlue turned over millions of files to a company that was trying to figure out how to do anti-terrorist profiles. The company is apologizing. Because it is JetBlue, they turned over the programs you watched on television when you were flying. No, I made that part up. You knew I made that part up, didn't you?

"The Miami Herald" leads with the hurricane. "Millions Are Left in Dark, High Water." This is a very good story. And it is a "Herald" exclusive, as it turns out. "Iranians Linked to Argentine Bombing" -- or Argentine, if you prefer. This was the bombing of a Jewish community center in 1994. And, according to "The Miami Herald," it was backed by Iran's ambassador to Buenos Aires. Pretty good story.

Down at the bottom of the front page, this is going to crop up on a number of front pages around the country. "Nathan Hale A Lousy Spy, Papers Indicate." He was executed 227 years ago on Monday. And it turns out he talked too much, basically proving the old adage about loose lips. Anyway, these documents were recently declassified.

"The Richmond Times-Dispatch." "Isabel's Wake: Dry, Dark and Devastating," right in the heart of it. Look at that picture on the front page, pretty good picture. Three stories: "Power, Water Out in Much of the State." "One of the Most Devastating Ever." And "Eight Deaths Reported in the Richmond Area." So the storm was particularly nasty around Richmond, Virginia. That's almost half the deaths, I believe. I think there were 17 in the hurricane. And so that's pretty much what is going to dominate the news in Richmond, Virginia.

"The Hartford Courant" up in Hartford, Connecticut. Well, it may not be up. It depends where you are, doesn't it? "Nathan Hale, Brave Spy Who Talked Too Much." Probably, Nathan Hale never made the front page before in his life. He's made it now. And down at the -- oh, "Isabel Limps Into Canada." OK, I'm not sure why that was the take, but that is.

Down at the bottom, as the father of a daughter, not surprising. "Study Shows Girls Making the Grade." Girls, it turns out, are better readers. I think this has a way of evening out as the kids get older. But I don't know how surprising that is, but it is a new study. And it proves a point that we believe in our house, or at least we have been telling our kid.

I love this picture also on the front page. This is Judy O'Bannon, now the widow of the late governor of the state of Indiana in "The South Bend Tribune." There was a big memorial service to the governor who died this week. Isn't that a nice picture of her looking out at all the people who gathered? "Farewell to a Noble Man" is the headline.

I bet we're really close to out of time, too, aren't we? Fifteen.

"Six Million Left Without Power." We'll leave it at that, in "The South Bend Tribune."

It's been a long and busy week for all of us. We appreciate your being with us. We're all back with you on Monday. Please join us, 10:00 Eastern time.

Until then, good night for all of us.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Custody; Bush to Go to U.N. Next Week>


Aired September 19, 2003 - 22:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, again.
It seems that a fair amount of the program tonight deals with cleaning up messes. The entire first section deals with the considerable mess of Hurricane Isabel.

If last night was about frightening pictures and waterlogged correspondents, today's stories are about cold realities, fatalities first and foremost and it's not the only mess we deal with.

A surrender in Iraq today was another small step in cleaning up a mess there and a couple of explosions in the country a reminder of what sort of mess we are dealing with.

And then there is that very messy political, or is it a legal brawl in California.

A few Friday guilty pleasures are thrown in as well into our little mess which, as always, begins with the whip.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve starts it all off once again in Virginia Beach, Jeanne a headline from you.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Baltimore looked like Venice today as floodwaters filled the streets and five and a half million people got to sample life before electricity. Isabel had taken it away -- Aaron.

BROWN: Jeanne, thank you.

Next to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, CNN's Susan Candiotti knee deep in the story tonight, Susan a headline please.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, because of a curfew thousands and thousands of residents here cannot get to their homes and businesses where there is more than a half a billion dollars in damages.

BROWN: Susan, thank you.

Baghdad next, CNN's Walt Rodgers with the duty, Walt a headline from you tonight.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Aaron. With the surrender of Iraq's former defense minister the U.S. nets a big fish and hopes the general's surrender will persuade other Saddam loyalists to give up the resistance -- Aaron.

BROWN: Walter, thank you.

And, finally, L.A. and the recall and more echoes of Florida 2000. CNN's Frank Buckley is there, Frank a headline.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the courts are involved in this election too, Aaron, and just when we thought election day had been postponed by one group of judges another group of judges plans to reconsider. And, just to make it seem even more like deja vu all over again, Al Gore shows up in California.

BROWN: Frank, thank you, back to you and the rest shortly.

Also coming up on this Friday edition of NEWSNIGHT is it live or is it Memorex not the program, it's live. The HBO drama that borrows from political reality and vice versa. Jeff Greenfield who knows a thing or two about both takes a look at "K Street."

And with fashion week winding down here in Manhattan, producer Katherine Mitchell (ph) introduces us to Esteban Cortesar (ph) a top designer and high school student. He's on the rise.

And, from strutting peacocks to what else roosters, our look at Saturday morning papers from around the country and maybe even from around the world, all that and more in the hour ahead.

We begin with the storm which isn't a hurricane or even a tropical storm anymore. Tonight, call it pain in the neck Isabel or flash flood Isabel or in the dark Isabel. Whatever you call it the trouble isn't over and probably will not be for days.

A look at it all as we go along tonight beginning first with CNN's Jeanne Meserve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE (voice-over): In parts of Baltimore canoes and kayaks supplanted cars and trucks as the primary modes of transportation. Flooding just the latest natural disaster to hit the city.

MAYOR MARTIN O'MALLEY, BALTIMORE: Lucky me, I get the world's biggest snowfall in the world and Baltimore's biggest flood. Next will come the plague of locusts.

MESERVE: Maryland joined North Carolina and Virginia in the club of declared disaster areas, a club that's likely to expand its membership. Blame Isabel's more than eight foot storm surge which brought flooding, water supply, and sewage problems to much of the Chesapeake Basin.

It was her rain and wind that tossed down trees and power lines leaving an estimated five and a half million customers without light not to mention more vital things.

WILLIAM GOODWIN, BALTIMORE FIRE CHIEF (voice-over): We've lost power to firehouses, police stations, nursing homes which were critical incidents that we had to address right away.

MESERVE: It was enough to shut down the federal government for a second day. The Independent Insurance Association estimates the storm did $2 billion worth of damage but, despite the property loss and bother of it all, for many it was a time to count blessings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been around the whole neighborhood and everybody's just real lucky. Nobody got killed and nobody got seriously hurt.

MESERVE: Isabel may have done her nastiest work on North Carolina's Outer Banks surveyed Friday from a Coast Guard helicopter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess that's waterfront property right there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is now.

MESERVE: A roof in the water off Hatteras, a community chewed up by the hurricane. Isabel isolated the town, submerging parts of the one road that snakes down the Outer Banks but the big picture assessment upbeat.

REAR ADMIR. SALLY BRICE-O'HARA, U.S. COAST GUARD: I was delighted to see that the extent of the damage was not worse than it was.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Despite the destruction and deaths Isabel brought there were some people who managed to enjoy her aftermath today. Off Virginia Beach in the surf, surfers enjoying the big waves the storm had kicked up and in the skies riding the still gusty winds kites -- Aaron.

BROWN: Jeanne, these things at their best bring out a kind of ingenuity or entrepreneurial spirit in people. Did you see examples of either?

MESERVE: We did. We saw some trucks going down the street today that said Texas on the side and then we had a gentleman stop by our truck asking if we knew some houses where there had been some water damage. We thought he was another journalist looking for a tip. It turns out he cleaned carpets and he'd come in from Colorado to try and make a little money here in Virginia Beach -- Aaron.

BROWN: I expect there's work to be done.

MESERVE: A lot.

BROWN: Thank you, Jeanne. You've had a terrific work for us, Jeanne Meserve. To Kitty Hawk next. Four years ago Hurricane Floyd did enormous damage to the Carolina coast. Isabel, as Jeanne just reported was somewhat gentler. The decision to stay or go somewhat tougher at least in retrospect.

The man you're about to meet chose to stay. Fortunately he is healthy tonight. He is also homeless. The hurricane destroyed his home, two dozen more. Here's CNN's Susan Candiotti.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): What's going to happen next?

Twenty-four hours after Ron Meadows lost about all he owns to Isabel he was only able to get a block away from his still flooded beachfront apartment and remember.

RON MEADOWS, RESIDENT: I knew we were in trouble because the high tide was coming.

CANDIOTTI: Meadows figured he could ride out the storm inside his house. He was wrong.

MEADOWS: I actually could see all the waves come over the dunes at one point together at free will because they were that big, the storm surge.

CANDIOTTI: He escaped before five feet of water washed in.

(on camera): Meadows says in the middle of the storm he had his waders on and walked a few blocks to this shopping center, sat down on a park bench and waited out the rest of the hurricane.

MEADOWS: By the grace of God I made it. I don't know why he wants me around but he got me through this one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think you want to go down that street.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Miles of beachfront on the Outer Banks took a beating from Isabel and relocated even the most intimate of furnishings.

MEADOWS: I'm standing here at the corner of Front, Lindbergh (ph), and Water.

CANDIOTTI: On the Outer Banks emergency officials estimate $545 million of damage, most of it on Hatteras Island. Homes with a new entrance to the sea, long sections of beachfront roads are buried under at least three feet of sand, pavement cracked below it.

Because of an extended curfew even residents remain forbidden from returning home until at least late Saturday. They'll see sights including this. Power remains out for tens of thousands of customers on the Outer Banks alone. Kitty Hawk's mayor says nature in part made a statement. MAYOR BILL HARRIS, KITTY HAWK, NORTH CAROLINA: The statement is that you're on borrowed time when you're building up next to the ocean like this.

CANDIOTTI: As for 59-year-old Ron Meadows he refuses to leave the beachfront.

MEADOWS: So, we'll all get together and rebuild, everybody. Everybody will help everybody here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: And this is an example of the kind of flooding we're talking about. I'm knee deep in it. This is ocean water. I'm in the middle of a four-lane highway that is just about a block in from the ocean and this stretch of flooding goes for about half a mile so a lot of people can't get through.

Now, some of the electricity is coming back on here and just over my shoulder is one of the businesses that does have power but, again, the business owner can't get to it. Some people had row boats out here trying to assess the damage.

Again, that kind of work is going to go on for quite some time but, again, because of the curfew people cannot get out here yet to even assess the damage and it looks like this water won't recede on its own and they might have to bring pumps in to get it out -- Aaron.

BROWN: And how do they -- how long will that take? When will they be able if, in fact, that's what they have to do, get the pumps in and are we talking about another week of this or less?

CANDIOTTI: Well, they're not giving any estimates yet but it could take quite some time. Certainly in the past when there have been hurricanes, Aaron, it has taken several days if not weeks to get the trucks in, to get the sand out that's covering a lot of the highways as well as flooding just like this. So, it is going to take quite a while and then the question is, is there any damage to the road below this water and below all that sand? So, it's a mess.

BROWN: It is a mess. Susan, thank you very much, Susan Candiotti in Kitty Hawk tonight.

Literally millions of people in the dark, many places under water, sewage plants offline, all the rest. Local officials you can be sure are quite busy so we're especially grateful right now to have a couple of mayors with us to give us some time.

William Euille is the mayor of Alexandria, Virginia, and Meyera Oberndorf is the mayor of Virginia Beach and it's nice to see you both. Virginia Beach first. Mayor what's your biggest problem right now in the city?

MEYERA OBERNDORF, MAYOR, VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA: It's the cleanup. We are looking at close to $11 million just to clean up the debris, fallen trees, power lines that are down, about 358,000 people are still without power and I might add my family is one of them. But by and large we were truly lucky enough that it was only a stage two storm. I hate to think what would have happened if it had come through as a five.

BROWN: Just quickly on the power, mayor, when do you think you'll get most of the power back?

OBERNDORF: I'll be honest with you. I don't have an answer. I have dialed Dominion to see if they could give me an estimate and I have not been able to talk yet to an executive to find out.

BROWN: So, even mayors have that problem.

Mayor Euille, your situation is what tonight? What's the biggest problem you face?

WILLIAM EUILLE, MAYOR, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA: My problem here in the city is similar to my friend in Virginia Beach. We have widespread power outages. We have a lot of trees that have fallen down, limbs everywhere, a lot of debris.

And probably more than 40 percent of our residents are without power as we speak and we're in a cleanup mode. We have been the entire day. The flooding in the city it was limited pretty predominantly to the Old Town waterfront area along the historic King's Street corridor but we're surviving.

BROWN: And we're pleased. Do people have water?

EUILLE: Water was a problem earlier in the day. We get our water as part of the Fairfax County water treatment authority. They lost power during the night so we were concerned about contamination and we actually were running short on water for a while because they actually had turned us completely off.

But that was restored about 3:30, 4:00 this afternoon, but we're also encouraging our residents to continue to boil water for drinking purposes and eating purposes, preparing food but they can bathe with it and everything and we're hoping that by tomorrow afternoon everything will be back to normal.

BROWN: And is there a curfew in your city tonight?

EUILLE: No, we do not have a curfew. Actually we're open for business and we're adequately described as the fun side of the Potomac and we have a lot of folks out here having fun and enjoying themselves.

BROWN: That's fascinating.

Back to Virginia Beach. Mayor, are you under a curfew tonight by the way?

OBERNDORF: Yes, we are. The city manager asked that there be a curfew from 9:00 in the evening until 7:00 in the morning. The reason for that is our traffic signals are out as well as street lighting and when you go through the intersections it is like demolition derby so as soon as Virginia power gets back on we'll be rolling.

BROWN: I think it's fair to say that everybody in the east had pretty good warning on this and that the computer models turned out to be pretty accurate in terms of where it would hit and when it would hit and I assume that that was enormously helpful in your preparations, wasn't it?

OBERNDORF: We had a marvelous chance to prepare and to plan. We followed the plan and it worked.

BROWN: It's always great when they work.

Mayor Euille, when you woke up this morning, assuming you slept last night, and the sun came up and you got a look at what was there, what was your reaction?

EUILLE: Well, it was shocking. Even though as Meyera mentioned we had the best plan of action in place. We started working at this on Monday at the beginning of the week. We had crews that were available 24 hours around the clock, emergency crews at our Emergency Operations Center.

But, nevertheless, when we saw the devastating results it was a sight to be seen. I've been through a few serious storms and hurricanes here in the city of Alexandria in my lifetime but nothing like what we witnessed this morning.

Thank the God that we were limited in terms of the rainfall that was projected so we did not have a lot of flooding throughout the city which was anticipated. We thought all of our streets would be under water but, you know, it was the downed power lines and trees which created a very hazardous and unsafe condition.

BROWN: And quickly to each of you, I probably should have begun this way, is everybody in your town accounted for, Mayor Euille?

EUILLE: Yes. We had no loss of life, no serious emergencies or anything of that sort and people are out roaming the city tonight, the streets, and pretty much enjoying themselves. We're very resilient here in Alexandria.

BROWN: And Mayor Oberndorf, everybody in Virginia Beach accounted for as best you know?

OBERNDORF: Yes, thank God and not any reported deaths and no reported injuries. We came out while the sun was out today to start the cleanup and it's just in the dark hours until we get the power back are we just slowed up a little.

BROWN: Well, it's good to talk to both of you. We're glad things were no worse than they turned out to be. It's a big mess but nobody died in your towns and that's something to note.

OBERNDORF: Thank God.

BROWN: Thank you both very much. Have a good weekend.

EUILLE: Thank you.

BROWN: Ahead on the program tonight, another big fish netted in Iraq as the president faces a tough week ahead selling his Iraq policy to a skeptical United Nations.

And later, on the rise, he's a high school student already making his mark in the world of fashion, a break first.

This is NEWSNIGHT from CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: At U.N. Headquarters in Baghdad today the flag which had been flying at half staff since the terrorist bombing a month ago was raised again. Not far away two more bombs exploded, on in the al- Mansoor (ph) neighborhood, the other by the road not far from the Tigris River. It went off as a taxi carrying a family went by. Fortunately those inside suffered only bumps and bruises.

Meantime, to the north in Mosul another one of Iraq's most wanted was taken into custody. In this case, perhaps, the how of it just as important as the what. Reporting for us tonight CNN's Walt Rodgers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RODGERS (voice-over): Former Iraqi Defense Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmed agreed to surrender to the United States after a week of negotiations, according to an Iraqi human rights mediator. He was No. 27 on the U.S. most wanted list. A coalition spokesman was quick to crow about the latest U.S. catch.

DAN SENOR, COALITION SPOKESMAN: I think all of them are helpful. I think all of them have basically had the sort of total cumulative effect of demonstrating to the Iraqi people that the curtain is closing on their past and that the worst days are over.

RODGERS: General Hashim Ahmed was the Iraqi official who signed the cease-fire on behalf of Saddam Hussein after the first Gulf War befitting his rank and as part of the terms of his surrender he apparently got an agreement he be treated better than much of the rest of Saddam's government.

COL. JOE ANDERSON, U.S. ARMY: His surrender would guarantee that he will be treated with dignity and respect and be allowed the opportunity to explain his former situation.

RODGERS: Because the general surrendered, U.S. forces were at least spared an assault on his home that might have resulted in casualties among his family and also U.S. troops. An ambush of U.S. soldiers Thursday evening claimed three American lives, two soldiers were wounded.

LT. COL. GEORGE KRIVO, U.S. ARMY: We've seen the tactics change from close-in encounters with RPGs and small arms to encounters that are more apt to use mortars and improvised explosive devices which tend to be more of a standoff sort of weapon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RODGERS: With attacks on U.S. forces now a daily occurrence, U.S. officials are hoping the surrender of General Hashim Ahmed may act as a damper on other resistance fighters trying to attack U.S. forces here -- Aaron.

BROWN: All right, Walt, a little translation of military talk for me. When he was talking about the difference in weapons that are being used he said that's more of a standoff weapon. What's he really saying?

RODGERS: What he's saying is that when the initial attacks, the ambushes were launched against U.S. forces here the insurgents were coming very close to the road. They were firing rocket-propelled grenades and setting off small mines, booby traps, improvised explosive devices.

Now, the Iraqis have learned that the U.S. can strike and kill anyone who launches those so they're firing standoff weapons now, a lot of mortars from a good distance back which makes them harder to hit and helps the survival rate of the insurgents -- Aaron.

BROWN: Walter thank you very much, good to see you, Walter Rodgers in Iraq tonight.

There has been this week a lowering of expectations on just how much the United States can expect from the international community in terms of help in Iraq both in terms of dollars to pay for the reconstruction and troops to help keep the peace.

But while the White House is likely to get less of what it would like it will surely get more than it now has. The president lays out his case at the United Nations next week. The laying of the groundwork is underway already.

Here's CNN's John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president heads into a critical week of diplomacy welcoming conciliatory words from a fierce critic of the war in Iraq.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said it is time to put the bitterness aside and in a "New York Times" essay writes: "Germany is willing to provide humanitarian aid, to assist in the civilian and economic reconstruction of Iraq and to train Iraqi security forces."

The administration hopes for similar financial and security commitments out of next week's United Nations General Assembly and is trying to quiet its critics overseas and at home. GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will continue to make the case that reconstruction aid is necessary and we'll also remind our European friends that we're making good progress there.

KING: "Iraq is being transformed," Secretary of State Colin Powell wrote in the "Wall Street Journal." "The evidence is everywhere to be seen."

Secretary Powell says he saw the security problems firsthand during a recent Iraq visit but he also says all major cities and 85 percent of Iraq's towns now have governing councils. Schools and universities are reopened and all major hospitals and 95 percent of health clinics are also now open. The leading critics are unimpressed.

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: This is a failed, flawed, bankrupt policy.

KING (on camera): House Majority Leader Tom DeLay criticized Senator Kennedy and other Democrats he says are directing more "hateful rhetoric" at President Bush than they ever did at Saddam Hussein but senior Republicans are also telling the White House that the president and his top advisers need to do a much better job of answering the critics themselves.

John King, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Eight years ago at a different desk on a different network we watched a report on the siege of Srebrenica in Bosnia but unlike the pieces we'd run before in this one the producer had turned down the color in the picture and suddenly, like a World War II news reel, the story unfolded sunken faces, barbed wire, battered women and all.

Not Germans this time but Serbs, Muslims not Jews, not the Holocaust but certainly a holocaust, the worst atrocity in Europe since the Second World War. This weekend with thousands of victims still unaccounted for a tiny fraction will receive a proper burial.

Here's CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The tiny village of Srebrenica became the symbol of the bitter Bosnian war. Serbian forces overran the Muslim enclave in eastern Bosnia in 1995 massacring an estimated 8,000 men and boys in what was the single biggest atrocity of the war.

It was also the atrocity that galvanized the Clinton administration into action. Horrified by the slaughter just two months later the U.S., along with its allies, launched a NATO bombing campaign against Serbian forces besieging Bosnian towns and villages. Within two months the war that had lasted four years was over and the U.S. then hammered out the Bosnian peace plan at Dayton.

But Bosnia is still trying to account for all of its dead. Mass graves are still being found and exhumed eight years after the war ended. According to the Red Cross some 200,000 people were killed during the war. Just this week about 500 bodies were pulled from this, the latest and largest mass grave discovered so far.

EVA KLONOVSKI, CHIEF FORENSIC EXAMINER: (Unintelligible) think about this grave because we have here, we have had here remains of women and children and it is the biggest concentration of women and children found in one grave.

AMANPOUR: The healing is happening only slowly. Eight years after the war Srebrenica's pre-war population of 36,000 has dwindled to 9,000 and most of those Muslims who survived have not been able to return because of lingering ethnic rivalries.

Meantime at the War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague, Slobodan Milosevic, the former leader of Yugoslavia denies he was involved in the Srebrenica massacre. He is charged with a host of war crimes, including genocide, for what happened in Bosnia while eight years later the principal perpetrators accused of the massacre are still at large, former Bosnia and Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic.

President Clinton has been asked to open the memorial to Srebrenica because of his role in bringing the war to an end. On Saturday he'll preside over the re-burial of the remains of 107 of the town's dead.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Coming up on NEWSNIGHT, Al Gore goes to battle for Gray Davis in California.

And, the strange story of the TV show "K Street," fact, fantasy, or a weird combination of both?

A break first, from New York this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: There are palm trees in this story, palm trees and warm breezes and chads and a courthouse or two. There is an election, or A travesty, depending on who you ask. And today, the judges who put the election, or the travesty, on hold decided to decide once again. And just to make the recall total, there is one more thing.

Here is CNN's Frank Buckley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former Vice President Al Gore danced into California to denounce the recall. AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The people who want to see this recall take place are disrespecting the majority of Californians, who voted in the election last year.

BUCKLEY: California Governor Gray Davis, who is trying to save his job, invoked memories of Gore's loss to George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential race, claiming that Republicans prevented Gore from winning then in the Supreme Court and now they are coming after him.

GOV. GRAY DAVIS (D), CALIFORNIA: The Republicans are trying to steal an election they could not win.

BUCKLEY: Gore's appearance came on a day when another court announced it would reconsider an earlier decision to postpone the election until March. On Monday, judges will hear arguments that could change the election date back to October 7. Davis, who initially opposed that earlier date, now says he would like the election to go forward.

DAVIS: Momentum is clearly growing against the recall. I believe we will beat the recall on October 7. And my attitude is, let's just get it over with.

BUCKLEY: An attitude shared by Davis' chief Republican opponent, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and by the state's secretary of state, who says the election is actually already under way. Half a million people have already turned in their absentee ballots.

KEVIN SHELLEY, CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE: Never in the history of this country has an election been halted after the electoral process, specifically voting, has begun. And so I would find it rather extraordinary if that's the final decision by the 9th Circuit.

BUCKLEY: But legal experts say, in this election, it is hard to predict anything.

ELIZABETH GARRETT, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Typically, an en banc hearing means that we probably will have a rehearsal. But this is an atypical case. And I'm not sure we can read the tea leaves in that way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BUCKLEY: Now, the 11-judge panel that will hear the arguments on Monday has on it eight Democrats and three Republicans. They are considered to be more conservative and less adventuresome, as Professor Garrett put it, in both their judicial temperament and their political ideology. But will they conform to the conventional wisdom and reset the election for October 7?

We won't know until sometime next week at the earliest. In short, we may not know the precise election date until just a few days before Election Day -- Aaron.

BROWN: This is not the entire appeals court, correct? BUCKLEY: That's right. There is -- they will take 11 members of the appeals court. It is a larger group than the three-member panel that ruled earlier this week. But the 11-member panel will now take a look at this on Monday.

BROWN: And they were picked at random?

BUCKLEY: That's right, picked at lottery, random. And the three judges who are on -- who made that decision earlier this week are not among the 11.

BROWN: Frank, thank you very much, Frank Buckley.

Now from politics in Hollywood to Hollywood in politics.

Jeff Greenfield with the strange mixture of political fact and fantasy in the new television show called "K Street."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST (voice-over): What is this? It looks like a behind-the-scenes peak inside a new Washington lobbying firm, with the husband and wife team of Democrat James Carville and Republican Mary Matalin. Only it isn't. It is a scene from "K Street," a new HBO drama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "K STREET")

JAMES CARVILLE, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Well, let's just act like we know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: Named after the Washington street where powerful law firms and lobbyists hang their hats. But wait, isn't that the real Senator Don Nickles? Isn't that the real Senator Rick Santorum that a fictional lobbyist is talking to?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "K STREET")

HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I grew up in New York City.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: And isn't that the real-life Howard Dean being briefed by Carville and his "CROSSFIRE" partner, Paul Begala? Why, yes. And to confuse things just a little more, how about this one- liner from Carville to counter criticism that Dean doesn't understand racial issues because he's from mostly white Vermont.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "K STREET")

CARVILLE: If the percentage of black folks in your state was determinative of your record civil rights, then Trent Lott would be Martin Luther King. (END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: And now listen to what Dean actually said at a real- live Fox News Channel presidential debate this month.

DEAN: If the percent of minorities that is in your state has anything to do with how you can connect with African-American voters, then Trent Lott would be Martin Luther King.

GREENFIELD (on camera): This is really just another chapter in a very old story about mutual need and envy. The public policy types want the adulation and glamour of celebrityhood. The entertainment world yearns to be taken more seriously.

(voice-over): That's why the 1951 sci-fi classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still" used real journalists of that era -- Elmer Davis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL")

ELMER DAVIS, JOURNALIST: We still don't know what it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: H.V. Kaltenborn.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL")

H.V. KALTENBORN, JOURNALIST: Anxiety and concern.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: And Drew Pearson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL")

DREW PEARSON, JOURNALIST: The arrival of a spaceship in Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: To make the alien visit more credible.

That's why the fictional presidential candidate, Jack Tanner, crossed paths in HBO's "Tanner '88" with Gary Hart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "TANNER '88")

GARY HART, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: Hey, Jack, how you doing?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: And Bob Dole.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "TANNER '88")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Michigan is a strong one for me. (END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: And Pat Robertson. And it's why the political satire "Dave" peppered its story with actual stories.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "DAVE")

SANDER VANOCUR, REPORTER: This is Sander Vanocur at the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GREENFIELD: And U.S. senators. And senators also appeared in the drama "Traffic."

(on camera): When you add "K Street" to the politician making fun of themselves on "Saturday Night Live" and actors running for office and journalists playing journalists in front of the cameras, what do you get? In 10 years, we won't vote politicians out of office. They'll be canceled.

Jeff Greenfield, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Still to come on NEWSNIGHT: a huge weekend for women's soccer and this country and around the world. The World Cup begins. So why is it that, in this country, women's professional soccer failed? And that little spacecraft that could, Galileo, about to go out with a bang.

Around the world, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Four years ago, women's sports were on a high, especially women's soccer. The U.S. team dramatically won the World Cup. Millions watched it. And the sports seemed ready to come into its own in the United States. Yet, with the women's world cup set to begin again tomorrow, American women's soccer is reeling tonight. Its professional league went belly up this week, making it clear that it will take more than a dramatic victory to stave off defeat.

Here is CNN's David Mattingly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Goal!

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Brandi Chastain pulled off her jersey in celebration of her winning goal in the 1999 World Cup, all that investors could see was opportunity. They didn't know they would be losing their own shirts as well.

ANDREW ZIMBALIST, SPORTS COLUMNIST: The advertising market was great. The corporate sponsorship market was great. The stock market was still going higher and higher. And so everybody was rolling in dough. And women's sports were in the ascendance. It looked great.

MATTINGLY: The WUSA women's professional soccer league launched in 2001 with $40 million, eight teams and seemingly unlimited marketing potential. But after three seasons and $100 million in the red, the league marked the beginning of this year's World Cup by folding.

APRIL HEINRICHS, U.S. WORLD CUP COACH: Unfortunately, I think it is a statement about where the soccer community is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There you go. And we're moving.

MATTINGLY: Where women's soccer is, according to sports analysts, is on the field, played every week by thousands of young women and girls on school campuses and in community leagues.

JENNY GILMORE, HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER COACH: A weekend without soccer, you sit around the house and wonder, what am I supposed to do?

MATTINGLY: But this kind of enthusiasm wasn't filling up expensive stadiums or generating ratings for televised games, a miscalculation, according to experts, who believe organizers expected too much too soon.

ZIMBALIST: There is a whole culture that develops around spectator sports. And it simply takes time to develop in soccer.

MATTINGLY: Youth and school leagues continue to thrive with community support and Title 9 leveling the playing field with the boys. The pros, however, had to make it on their own, competing against a host of other entertainment choices in a bad economy.

But in the three seasons it was alive, the WUSA produced bone fide stars who won over thousands of young fans who aren't ready to let go.

JULIE FOUDY, PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER: We feel like it is important to have these women role models out there for these young kids, because they represent so much good.

MATTINGLY: The World Cup tournament couldn't have returned to the U.S. at a better time, according to the now unemployed players, who hope to score big again with a championship and with potential new investors willing to start a new league.

David Mattingly, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And the American women begin their defense this weekend.

Now, imagine, if you will, booking a flight to Chicago, getting delayed for what seems like forever, then finding out the only way to get there is by way of Timbuktu? Did we mention a round-trip ticket is totally out of the question? But, oh, what sights you'll see. This weekend, spaceship Galileo is expected to crash into the surface of Jupiter after a 14-year journey through the solar system, taking extraordinary pictures along the way?

Here is CNN's Miles O'Brien.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The Galileo team made a lot of things possible, in spite some of serious problems.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have ignition and liftoff of Atlantis and the Galileo spaceship bound for Jupiter.

O'BRIEN: Launched aboard the shuttle Atlantis in '89, the $1.5 billion project was hampered by the Challenger explosion in '86. Delayed and then denied a more powerful booster rocket for shuttle safety's sake, mission managers had to abandon a beeline to Jupiter in favor of a slingshot around Venus.

Along the way, Galileo took pictures of lightning on Venus, of two asteroids, one named Ida that had its own moon, us here on Earth -- can you see me waving -- and of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet as it augered into Jupiter in '94.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Galileo was the only spacecraft that was there that could actually see the impacts. It saw the chunks of the comet as they entered the atmosphere on the night side.

O'BRIEN (on camera): But it is amazing Galileo sent back anything at all. The antenna that was supposed to transmit all the pictures never unfurled. The backup was measly, to say the least, able to send only a trickle, like drinking an ocean through a straw. But the computer whizzes at NASA's jet propulsion lab reprogrammed Galileo on the fly and thus squeezed 10 pounds of data into a 1-ounce bag.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had to make choices. We had to make sort of mind-bending scientific tradeoffs. But we also learned to fold our science together in such a way that we really maximized how much we got. It was amazing how much you could fit in.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): When Galileo first knocked on Jupiter's door in '95, it sent down a probe, tasting the ammonia-laced atmosphere and giving scientists an inkling of what happened to the planet that nearly became a second sun. Now the mother ship will do the same, sending in the science even in her final throes.

NASA is incinerating Galileo this way to ensure it does not contaminate one of the Jovian moons with any hitchhiking microbes from Earth. In Pasadena, they'll hold a party that will be a wake, of sorts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know how it is when you're celebrating someone who has passed, and you end up reminiscing and talking and sharing wonderful stories. And you want to do that with the other people who know what you're talking about.

O'BRIEN: Not unlike Hubbell, Galileo came back in spades from the brink of utter failure. Perhaps our greatest triumphs arise from our worst mistakes.

Miles O'Brien, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And as NEWSNIGHT continues, Fashion Week and the high school student who is the talk of the town.

From New York, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Today is the final day of New York's Fashion Week.

That's a time when, just as you're getting ready to pull out your fall clothes, the designers are telling you what you'll wear in the spring. But from the pictures, honestly, we see in the paper every day, the stuff on the runway is not likely to end up in your closet, let alone on your back.

And among all those names whose labels are sewn into clothes you already own, here is a name who might be there one day, Esteban Cortazar. He's a designer. And he's "On the Rise."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ESTEBAN CORTAZAR, FASHION DESIGNER: My name is Esteban Cortazar. And I'm a high school student/fashion designer. According to people, I'm the youngest designer to ever show during Fashion Week.

I had my first fashion show in sixth grade. I heard there was going to be a talent show at school. And I just decided to put together a fashion show. I launched Cortazar March 2002. And my stuff is available at Henri Bendel, Bloomingdale's, and Baguta (ph) and hopefully more after the show.

All the long gowns, put one back on top and the other one in the bottom, OK, so it doesn't get dirty.

I've been working on this show for about three months now, every night until late hours of the night.

We need to start the show.

It is a weird feeling right before the show. You're in such a high at that point, because it is about to start. And there is so much that is behind it, the hair, the makeup. So it is, in a sense, a theatrical presentation, the models are getting dressed backstage, the press, the celebrities sitting in the front row. And I love the world. I just love that whole thing, everything mixed together.

I feel this collection really has a lot to do with my feelings and my emotions. The style of the collection is just -- it's very colorful. It's full of life, lots of Latin flavor, cha-cha-cha. I'm Latin. I love to celebrate that, because I love where I'm from. And I love to just celebrate a woman that loves to be a woman.

CINDY CRAWFORD, MODEL: It is incredible what he's accomplished at such a young age.

But just as a person, I don't feel that much older than you.

CORTAZAR: Cindy Crawford is wearing a dress completely covered in Swarovski crystal mesh. She came for the fitting. And she's like, oh, I'll work it. I'm like, I know you will.

It is overwhelming sometimes, because I'm learning still. There is still a lot to learn. Sometimes, when I see that all these incredible people that I admire so much, that I've always admired, and they are looking up to me, that, to me, is just an honor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Your average high school kid.

Morning papers after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(ROOSTER CROWING)

BROWN: OK, time to check -- Saturday's morning papers is our favorite edition of morning papers, because, of course, it means it is Friday. And, in 2.5 minutes, we're on our way home for the week. It has been a long week around here.

"New York Times" starts it off. All the things you expect, the hurricane down below. "Storm Leaves Nearly Two Dozen Dead, Millions Without Power." A couple of pictures. You got all that. There's a story on California. A story I love, however -- we tried to get this in the program tonight and had to drop it for time.

But I managed to get it in anyway, didn't I? "Airline Gives Defense Firm Passenger Files." JetBlue turned over millions of files to a company that was trying to figure out how to do anti-terrorist profiles. The company is apologizing. Because it is JetBlue, they turned over the programs you watched on television when you were flying. No, I made that part up. You knew I made that part up, didn't you?

"The Miami Herald" leads with the hurricane. "Millions Are Left in Dark, High Water." This is a very good story. And it is a "Herald" exclusive, as it turns out. "Iranians Linked to Argentine Bombing" -- or Argentine, if you prefer. This was the bombing of a Jewish community center in 1994. And, according to "The Miami Herald," it was backed by Iran's ambassador to Buenos Aires. Pretty good story.

Down at the bottom of the front page, this is going to crop up on a number of front pages around the country. "Nathan Hale A Lousy Spy, Papers Indicate." He was executed 227 years ago on Monday. And it turns out he talked too much, basically proving the old adage about loose lips. Anyway, these documents were recently declassified.

"The Richmond Times-Dispatch." "Isabel's Wake: Dry, Dark and Devastating," right in the heart of it. Look at that picture on the front page, pretty good picture. Three stories: "Power, Water Out in Much of the State." "One of the Most Devastating Ever." And "Eight Deaths Reported in the Richmond Area." So the storm was particularly nasty around Richmond, Virginia. That's almost half the deaths, I believe. I think there were 17 in the hurricane. And so that's pretty much what is going to dominate the news in Richmond, Virginia.

"The Hartford Courant" up in Hartford, Connecticut. Well, it may not be up. It depends where you are, doesn't it? "Nathan Hale, Brave Spy Who Talked Too Much." Probably, Nathan Hale never made the front page before in his life. He's made it now. And down at the -- oh, "Isabel Limps Into Canada." OK, I'm not sure why that was the take, but that is.

Down at the bottom, as the father of a daughter, not surprising. "Study Shows Girls Making the Grade." Girls, it turns out, are better readers. I think this has a way of evening out as the kids get older. But I don't know how surprising that is, but it is a new study. And it proves a point that we believe in our house, or at least we have been telling our kid.

I love this picture also on the front page. This is Judy O'Bannon, now the widow of the late governor of the state of Indiana in "The South Bend Tribune." There was a big memorial service to the governor who died this week. Isn't that a nice picture of her looking out at all the people who gathered? "Farewell to a Noble Man" is the headline.

I bet we're really close to out of time, too, aren't we? Fifteen.

"Six Million Left Without Power." We'll leave it at that, in "The South Bend Tribune."

It's been a long and busy week for all of us. We appreciate your being with us. We're all back with you on Monday. Please join us, 10:00 Eastern time.

Until then, good night for all of us.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Custody; Bush to Go to U.N. Next Week>