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Tropical Storm Drenching S.E.; Keeping Guitars Tuned; Obama Jobs Speech; Romney to Speak at N.H. Rally; Thousands Gather for Dragon Con; NYC Gets Ready for Fashion Week; Strauss-Kahn Returns Home to France; President Obama Tours Storm Damage New Jersey
Aired September 04, 2011 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everybody, top of the hour, 5:00 p.m. on the East Coast. I'm Alina Cho. Thanks for joining us. Three developing stories we're watching this hour, the ongoing onslaught from Tropical Storm Lee. Parts of the Gulf Coast waist high in water. We'll take you there live.
Gadhafi's son speaks out from his hiding place revealing new information about cease-fire talks. It's exclusive, and that as a deadline for his father surrender looms. We'll have that report, just seconds away. And nearly ten years after 9/11, new compelling video from that tragic day comes to light. That is straight ahead.
This Labor Day weekend is a washout for millions of Americans along the Gulf Coast. Tropical Storm Lee is still drenching parts of the Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida coast this hour. But it's starting to make a move toward the Tennessee Valley. The storm came ashore yesterday along the Louisiana coastline where some roads and low-lying areas rather are under water. So far, no reports of any major flooding in the region's biggest city, New Orleans. We've got reporters across the storm zone to bring you the very latest.
Ed Lavandera in Southern Louisiana, Reynolds Wolf on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Susan Candiotti in Paterson, New Jersey, a city flooded by Hurricane Irene last weekend. President Obama toured that area today. But we want to begin with Ed Lavandera. He's in Jean Lafitte, Louisiana, near New Orleans. Ed, set the scene for us where you are.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Alina. Jean Lafitte is south of New Orleans, on its way down to the Gulf of Mexico. If you look down there in the distance, you'll see some orange sheet over there on the horizon. Just, on the other side of that, that is the Intracoastal Waterway. If you go to the left there, that takes you down toward the Gulf of Mexico. And you got to the right, it kind of winds its way back in towards the city of New Orleans. The problem here isn't necessarily wind, which has been rather minimal or the rain. It's actually been tidal surge. As this storm has slowly crept inland, the winds continue to shoot out to the south.
That means, all this water is getting pushed up through here. This is already a low-lying area. And what's happening is, that water is getting pushed out of the waterway and into these neighborhoods around Lafitte. So, we haven't seen just a handful of homes that have actually taken on water. But mostly what we're seeing as we drive around are homes where all of this water is threatening to go inside. And what they need here, according to the Jefferson Parish president, they need the winds to shift and start pointing toward the South.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: What you need ultimately here is that you're probably tired of just watching the storm sit here.
JOHN YOUNG, PRESIDENT, JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA: We need the storm to move out and we need Mother Nature to change the direction of the wind. That's what we need. We can work but we need a little help from Mother Nature. We need a shift in the wind direction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: It's interesting, they're really kind of battling this on all fronts, all around this community. This little area here, this pocket is surrounded by waterways, just South of New Orleans. That orange sheet that you saw down there in the distance, that's actually a water-filled makeshift levee, that's to try to control where the water goes. They've been doing sandbags, they've got trucks going around all over the place just to kind of control. They think that here in the next 12 hours or so, the winds will shift down towards the south and that will give them the break they need -- Alina.
CHO: Well, let's hope that happens for the residents there. Ed Lavandera, thank you so much.
We want to track the storm now. Jacqui Jeras of course keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Lee. You are saying that the good news is that it's picked up speed. Right, Jacqui?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: But the bad news is it's starting to slow down a little bit once again.
CHO: Oh, boy.
JERAS: And actually, could potentially stall a little bit before we see a more significant turn towards the northeast. And that will probably happen tomorrow. So, we did make a little bit of progress today. You know, anything is better than stalled. And so, we're moving about four miles per hour up to the north. That's down from eight that we saw last hour. OK? So, we're waiting for this trough to come in and pick it up to the forward speed and bring it up to the North and East. But it's really going to lingering still for another day or so. It is over land. And typically, we weaken a lot while it's over land. But there's still a lot of moisture. It's very marshy here in the Southern Louisiana. And so, very little change in intensification is going to be expected. It will be a gradual we can need.
So, rain continues to be one of the number one threats that we're dealing with because of that slow movement. It's going to be moving into Alabama as we head into Tuesday and then on up towards Tennessee we think by Thursday. The rainfall totals by the way so far have been incredible. Look at this out of New Orleans. At Audubon, about 10.5 inches. Pascagoula, about 10.5 as well. Look at this number from Biloxi, nearly nine. Same story for the lakefront airport there in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, had about seven inches of rain as well. How much more can you expect? Let's take a look. This is a computer model forecast and it's predicting. This is on top of what you already have. So, really heavy downpours across Central Mississippi, in the Northern Alabama, and on up to the Appalachians.
General amount about four to eight. But some heavier stuff down here, we think could reach six to 12. And then includes you in Jackson as well as into the Greenville area. And the Northeast, we're concerned about flooding here, too. And that has to do with the cold front that's coming in. And we might get a little tropical moisture trying to sneak in as well. So, one to three already over those flood- ravaged areas from Irene. We also have the threat of tornadoes, a new watch box has just been issued that's going to extend until late tonight. We've had a couple of spin-ups here. No real damage. Waterspout in mobile spotted earlier today. But rain will continue to be the big story. Some spotty power outages, too, maybe Alina because of some of those wind gusts that are going to be reaching maybe 40 to 60 miles per hour.
CHO: How long is this storm going to be a problem, do you think? And what about all the people who want to be traveling back from their Labor Day holiday tomorrow?
JERAS: Well, the storm is going to stay in the Southeast for a couple of days. And then it's going to ride up the coast a little bit. We're talking about a week before the moisture from this thing is out of here altogether. And people up and down the eastern seaboard with Lee and then the cold front are going to have a lot of travel problems.
CHO: Call ahead.
JERAS: Definitely.
CHO: That's your advice to me, at least. Jacqui, thank you.
President Obama is back at Camp David after visiting parts of New Jersey devastated by Hurricane Irene. He toured Wayne and Paterson, the two towns hit hard by the storm's strong winds and heavy rains. The President comforted victims and vowed that the federal government will help them recover. A live report is just ahead.
But first to Libya and exclusive information right here on CNN. Moammar Gadhafi's whereabouts still unknown. But one of his sons is talking to CNN about his father's options. In the past few hours, our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson spoke by phone with Saadi Gadhafi who says that cease-fire negotiations with rebel fighters have broken down. The younger Gadhafi thinks that rebels will soon enter one of the last factions of his father's support. A short time ago, I talked with Nic in London.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I asked him specifically where his father was, where his brother Saif al-Islam al- Gadhafi. They are apparent really to Moammar Gadhafi where they were. He told me, he hadn't seen them in two months. I asked him where he was. And he told me, he was a little way outside Bani Walid. He told me that he'd been moving around a lot. That he hadn't been able to watch television very much. That he was relatively safe but still in a dangerous situation. He told me then that he's been negotiating with national transitional council, rebel military commanders. They've also confirmed it. He's been negotiating to try and get a cease-fire for the town of Bani Walid. However, he said, on Thursday, when his brother Saif Gadhafi gave what he described as a very aggressive speech on television, urging his supporters to keep fighting, Saadi Gadhafi told me at that point the National Transition Council, the rebels essentially said the cease-fire talks are off, if your brother's going to talk like that.
And right now, according to Saadi Gadhafi, he believes that there's no point in negotiations, that the National Transition Council is amassing troops to move into Bani Walid. He did, however, say, and this is very significant that he clearly has differences with his father and his brother Saif al-Islam. And there's clearly divisions emerging in this family. He said that he is neutral, he's neither in the rebel camp nor his father's camp and is merely trying to negotiate a cease-fire. The divisions are significant. Because until now, Gadhafi's family have been the power brokers, the main people that have run the country. They've always stuck together and now that cohesion is falling apart -- Alina.
CHO: Nic, as you well know, the rebels have set a Saturday deadline for Gadhafi to surrender and now this development. How do you see things playing in and out Libya over the next few days?
ROBERTSON: Well, that even talked about extending that cease-fire, there had been some discussion about it, certainly from political leaders. There was one senior military commander on the rebel side told me he wasn't comfortable with that extension that the political leaders had given, this extension of another week, until next weekend. So, it seems that the military commanders really have the initiative right now. And it does seem that they will go into Bani Walid and probably will seem slightly reminiscent of Tripoli where the rebels will quickly take control after perhaps some small fear skirmishes.
But the majority of those loyal to Gadhafi will run away. And this seems set now to be a brave protracted campaign that the National Transition Council, the rebels have said their key aim is to catch Moammar Gadhafi. And it's beginning to look like this could take some time. It's beginning to look like an Iraq-type scenario where the Iraqis and U.S. forces were chasing Saddam Hussein for a long time. It hasn't quite come to that yet but the next few days in Bani Walid will already give us an indication, is that what lies ahead for Libya right now, a long chase for Moammar Gadhafi.
CHO: We have some dramatic video to show you. It's from 9/11 but it is just now surfacing nearly ten years after the fact. It was taken just minutes after United Airlines flight 93 crashed into a Pennsylvania field by a man who lived just a few miles away. What you're about to hear is the voice of that man calmly narrating what he saw.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: The remains of an airplane crash over on Lambertsville Road. And probably a terrorist bomb on board that blew up. Don't know anything more than that. That's what I heard on the scanner. I just saw the smoke come up and the explosion shook the house clear over here. And we are, what, 15 mile from Lambertsville. And it shook the heck out of the house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: The man you heard from is now deceased and his family wishes to remain anonymous. We want you to see the entire video. So, in the next half hour, we will play it for you.
And we here at CNN will bring you special 9/11 coverage beginning next Sunday morning at 8:30 Eastern. Anderson Cooper and Candy Crowley are among the many people who will help us remember the tragic events of September 11th and honor the lives that were lost. In 9/11, 10 years later.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, he was once favored to become the next president of France. Well, now that the U.S. rape charges have been dropped against the former IMF Chief, does he have a shot at a political comeback? It certainly wouldn't be the first time. We're going to take a look at that, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is back home in his native France. He arrived this morning after charges he raped a hotel maid in New York were dismissed. I talked with CNN's Jim Bittermann about the big homecoming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Strauss-Kahn came in an hour and a half early, perhaps thinking that he could avoid the press mob but they were there anyway. And as you can see, a big that were crowd gathered there around the airport and as well some well wishers. We talked to one woman who got up at 5:30 this morning in order to be out there to support Strauss-Kahn. He actually received a brief round of applause from some of his supporters.
CHO: Jim, I understand that you have some information about Strauss- Kahn possibly speaking out in the next 24 hours or so?
BITTERMANN: Well, in fact he said before he left the United States, he said that he wanted to speak out about the subject when he returned to France. He's now returned. His spokesman said to journalists today, that she didn't think that he was going to say anything today. That perhaps by tomorrow he might be ready to say something. It's also sort of being made clear that he's not going to talk about the details of the affair in the United States, because there was still this civil suit.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHO: Don't forget that Strauss-Kahn was not only the head of the International Monetary Fund, he was a major political figure in France. A former finance minister and until this scandal broke, an almost guaranteed candidate for president.
That's what we're talking about right now as CNN International Ralitsa Vassileva. Ralitsa, you know, I mean, a lot of people have heard this but, you know, he was not an only, nearly going to run for president but many people thought that he was going to be a shoo-in, right? He'll win the election.
RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: He was going to beat Sarkozy.
CHO: That's right.
VASSILEVA: A lot of the pollster...
CHO: That's right. So, I mean, given the fact that the charges have been dropped. He's now back in France. You know, Jim Bittermann talked about one woman waking up at 5:30 in the morning to come to the airport and greet him when he arrived. You know, you see the mob scene there. I mean, obviously, a lot of it is press. But does he have a shot at making a political comeback, what do you think?
VASSILEVA: Well, what we've been seeing is, that his socialist party is, you know, dumping him like a hot potato, distancing themselves from him. Because he has become extremely unpopular, even in tolerant France. And we see a front-runner in the socialist party saying that he has a lot of explaining to do about his attitude towards women.
CHO: Right. Because we should mention that there's still a civil case pending.
VASSILEVA: There's a civil case. Tristane Banon who is a writer and a novelist has accused him, has a complaint against him of attempted rape.
CHO: Which is a separate case.
VASSILEVA: Yes, in 2003. So, French authorities are now considering whether to bring charges against him.
CHO: But you touched on this. Listen, you know, in France, political and, you know, scandals are seen differently than they are in the United States. That's for sure. Given that, how do the French as a people, view him?
VASSILEVA: Well, if you look at the polls, he is extremely unpopular, even in tolerant France. So, something has happened here to where they are not forgiving him for what they've heard about the way he's treated women, even though the charges were dropped against him. Eighty percent of the French people who were polled in a recent poll do not want him to run for the presidency. Sixty one percent do not want him to even have a senior government position. CHO: Interesting. Because Jim Bittermann touched on the fact that there is a possibility he could come back counseling a political figure, maybe in sort of a tangential road or something like that. Are you hearing anything about what his next act might be?
VASSILEVA: Well, his next act will be to explain himself. That he's going to be speaking. They expect him to speak any day now. That he has gone back and explain things. And then it's uncertain, very uncertain as to what awaits him.
CHO: Well, listen, I mean, if he makes a comeback, as I mentioned before, it certainly would not be the first time. Ralitsa Vassileva, we thank you so much for your perspective.
VASSILEVA: We don't rule that out.
CHO: We don't never rule that out. Never in politics.
VASSILEVA: Especially in France.
CHO: That's right. And especially in politics, even here. Thank you, Ralitsa.
President Obama visits an area struggling to recover from Hurricane Irene. His message to frustrated residents is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Bridges out, roads closed and overwhelmed residents, that's just some of what President Obama saw today when he toured areas of New Jersey, hit hard by Hurricane Irene.
CNN National correspondent Susan Candiotti is live for us today in Paterson, New Jersey. One of the two towns the president visited, the other one being Wayne. Susan, what did the President say to these residents?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the main message, of course, Alina, is help is on the way. We're on one of the bridges that remains closed in Paterson, New Jersey. And this is where the President spoke. It's one of two communities that he visited, both Wayne and Paterson. There were cheers and tears and handshakes and hugs as the president played the role today of comforter in chief. As he visited with residents along the way and told them that federal disaster money is coming here. Mainly people were ravaged in many parts of this area by floodwaters, not so much by wind damage. And so, a lot of people remain displaced. They don't have electricity yet. They are trying to get their lives back into the norm. And so, the president wanted to tell them that the country is behind them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES: And the last thing that residents here in Paterson or the residents of Vermont or the residents of Upstate New York need is Washington politics getting in the way of us making sure that we are doing what we can to help communities that have been badly affected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: You know, Alina, there's still a lot of work to be done. And we talked to a lot of the residents here this day and they're happy that the President came.
CHO: You can bet. I mean, you know, as they rebuild, obviously what they're looking for with a visit like this is a psychological lift. And so, I know you spoke to a lot of residents, Susan. What did they say to you?
CANDIOTTI: Well, you know, for one thing we have to keep in perspective here that the president is very popular, particularly in Paterson. In 2008, he won Paterson's vote by a 90 percent margin over Senator McCain. So, he came to a spot where he's already very well liked. But there is growing frustration, especially from people who are not home yet. They want to get out of the shelter, back into their homes. They had 900 boat rescues here. And we also talked with a single mother to be who was at least able to get out of her home. She had to evacuate. But she's living with her father for the time being and is happy that the President came.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: The community like this really needs to see, you know, that the President is just not in Washington. He can be anywhere anytime and, you know, that he has a lot of support for everyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: You know, one hopeful sign that perhaps things are getting back to normal here. There's a fisherman over there in the Passaic River. I don't know what he's catching today but the current is strong. So, maybe that's a good sign when you're fishing. In any case, they're getting ready, you know, Alina, to re-open this bridge. They've got the street cleaners out, the firemen about to hose it down, so that they can get it open. So, that at least will help with the traffic flow here.
CHO: Well, at the very least, Susan, that fisherman is an encouraging sign that things may be inching back to normal. Susan Candiotti, live for us in Paterson, New Jersey. Susan, as always, thank you very much.
CANDIOTTI: And two more East Coast states have been declared federal disaster areas after getting hit hard by Hurricane Irene. They are Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Those two states join seven others now are eligible for federal funds and that money of course will help this communities recover from all the flooding and wind damage cause by Irene.
One Philadelphia family who made it through Hurricane Irene is using their baby to commemorate the storm. What are we talking about?
Well, up next in the chat room, find out what's so special about that little guy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: All right. I'm new to this but it is that time, it's time to enter the chat room for a look at some lighter stories making news this week.
JERAS: You're a natural. I'm sure of it, Alina.
(CROSSTALK)
CHO: Jacqui, you're not flattering me. Anyway, so, we've got a couple of stories here that we want to talk about. And the first, you have a dog.
JERAS: I do have a dog.
CHO: Astro. Great name.
JERAS: Yes. Astro.
CHO: You know, there's a story coming out about pets having plastic surgery.
JERAS: Can you believe this?
CHO: Braces for dogs. You know, doggy Botox and then another, you know, surgery that's quite popular among dogs that have been neutered, anyway.
JERAS: Right. We'll call it implants.
CHO: Implants. What do you make of this? I mean, is this something you'd do for your dog?
JERAS: Absolutely not.
CHO: I mean, not to mention the fact that -- first of all, it sounds crazy. Second of all, you know, the cost of it all.
JERAS: Right.
CHO: And I'm not doing it as a human, why would I do it...
JERAS: I could see maybe a teeth problem. Like if the teeth are really bad, and I really loved my dog and there's stuff stuck in there, and it could, you know, cause dental health issues, maybe I would consider something like that.
CHO: If it's a health issue, that's one thing.
JERAS: Right.
CHO: All right. So, you know...
JERAS: But they say dogs are like their owners, right? CHO: Yes, exactly.
JERAS: So, we can probably guess who the clientele might be.
CHO: OK, maybe - may be very popular out in Los Angeles. Nothing against Los Angeles. I love L.A.
JERAS: (INAUDIBLE).
CHO: Yes, exactly. We love our West Coast viewers.
JERAS: There you go (ph).
CHO: Let's talk about this next story. You know, I - I have to admit, I'm one of these people who sleep with my BlackBerry very close to me.
JERAS: Do you really?
CHO: I do. It's really not that -
JERAS: Do you wake up in the middle of the night and - yes?
CHO: Quite frequently.
JERAS: Really?
CHO: And, you know, I do wake up in the morning sometimes and I've sent e-mails quite frankly -
JERAS: And you don't remember it.
CHO: So, anyway, there's - people are sleep texting and it's very popular.
JERAS: Yes. Well, apparently, there is a study. Dr. Arder (ph) from the St. Vincent Sleep Disorder Center in Indianapolis, he said it's not uncommon and people are doing this sort of like sleepwalking.
CHO: Well, see, there's the video. Yes, exactly.
JERAS: Wow.
CHO: Well, exactly, you know?
JERAS: It's an addiction. It's like an addiction.
CHO: And it's gone viral on YouTube, apparently. But, yes, I mean, it's happening.
I - you know, I have to admit I - I've been a sleep eater in the past.
JERAS: Really?
CHO: It happened to me - yes.
JERAS: You go down to the fridge or you go into the pantry? What do you - what do you eat in the middle of the night?
CHO: I wake up -
JERAS: Chocolate? Nuts?
CHO: Fruit sometimes. I wake up in the middle - I'm not kidding you. I woke up once and there was a little bowl with a half eaten apple and some - a couple of almonds there. And I thought what did I do?
JERAS: It could be worse. It could have been like, you know -
CHO: You know, I think I'm just food deprived in general.
JERAS: -- ice cream or something.
CHO: Anyway, we digress.
JERAS: We digress.
CHO: You know, Hurricane Irene, obviously now Tropical Storm Lee we're watching, but -
JERAS: Right.
CHO: -- with the hurricane last week, we had a Pennsylvania couple who took advantage of this.
JERAS: That's right.
CHO: They named their - we could see a shot of them. They named their son Manuel Hurricane Cooper and apparently they're going to call him Hurricane. Cute little guy.
JERAS: Yes. He was born just after midnight last Sunday as Hurricane Irene moved through Pennsylvania. So he was born and - he's adorable, isn't he?
CHO: He's adorable. And if Gwyneth Paltrow can name her daughter Apple, then, you know, they can name their son Hurricane.
JERAS: Absolutely. And you wonder if nine months from now, maybe there'll be a little baby boom of Hurricane.
CHO: That's right. Let's help -
JERAS: What do you do without (INAUDIBLE) for a week? Just saying.
CHO: Apple hasn't exactly taken the world by storm. So, anyway, Jacqui -
JERAS: I kind of like Hurricane. I'm down with it.
CHO: Well, you're down with it for obvious reasons. Jacqui Jeras, thank you. Say hi to Astro, the dog, for me.
JERAS: OK. CHO: Coming up, Tropical Storm Lee, its floodwaters cover roads in low-lying areas in parts of the southeast. We're going to get an update on the storm, where it's heading. And Jacqui will be back, of course.
And nearly 10 years after September 11th, dramatic new video from Pennsylvania shot on that horrific day. It's now, just now, coming out. And we're going to play it for you in its entirety, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: The Alabama Gulf Coast is another area feeling the impact of Tropical Storm Lee.
Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf now live from Gulf Shores. So, Reynolds, we spoke to you last hour and the wind was starting to pick up. What's it like right now?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's still kind of an intermittent kind of thing.
And that's, you know, really, Alina, the one constant we've had with this has been the wind. The wind has been fairly steady the entire time. Right now, I'd say about 35 to 40, maybe an occasional gust to 45, but that's about it. I mean, this is certainly nothing - nothing (INAUDIBLE) we've dealt with systems far worse than this.
I can tell you, though, the situation, though, here, has been kind of mild. Some rain here and there. Some heavy surfs in the background. Definitely situations have been far more dire in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and even parts of Alabama in terms of flooding.
And flooding, for now, has been a tremendous danger for other places. Here they've had about seven inches of rainfall over the last 30, 36 hours and certainly there may be more on the way.
We spoke with the mayor, Robert Kraft, actually just a few hours ago. And then he was telling us that his concern, as the mayor of Gulf Shores, really has been a couple of things. First and foremost, has been the heavy surf and the temptation of people to get out in the water. Undertow has been - again, the undertow and rip currents has been a big concern.
But he has another and that, of course, is some of the flooding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ROBERT KRAFT, GULF SHORES, ALABAMA: The flooding in our low- lying areas is a real problem. We've had quite a bit of rain over the last couple of days and we expect more to come. And the drainage systems just can't handle this so much water. We designed for a certain amount of rain and when it rains more than that it overflows the system and we've had that.
(END VIDEO CLIP) WOLF: You know what's interesting about this entire tropical system is, you know, if it stayed out in the Gulf perhaps a bit longer, it would have had the opportunity really to intensify, perhaps taking in more of the gulf - warm gulf water, which would help out really to gain a bit of its strength.
But it did come onshore. It is not incredibly strong. We're talking of winds around 45 miles per hour sustained and the farther north it goes the more it's going to weaken. The problem is, though, there's still a tremendous danger that we really need to pay attention to and that will be the potential of further flooding as it drives north or perhaps interacting with higher elevations with the Appalachians that really could enhance more rainfall - Alina.
CHO: Seem to be lucky where you are, though. Reynolds Wolf live for us along the Gulf Coast in Alabama. Reynolds, thank you so much.
Of course, Jacqui Jeras is tracking the storm. And so you saw that windy scene there. But the real problem with this storm, Jacqui, is the flooding, right? It's the rain.
JERAS: Absolutely, yes. And there's a lot more rain to be had with the storm, Alina, unfortunately. And a lot of it has to do with how slow moving it is.
Now, some of this rain is welcomed. Parts of the southeast certainly need rainfall. We just don't want too much at once, and unfortunately that's going to be happening.
We've already had as much as a foot of rain in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi and this is going to spread across Alabama, into Georgia and throughout the Appalachians. And as Reynolds mentioned, as it gets into that higher elevation, we do worry about mudslides as well as that flood threat. So we'll continue to track Lee.
Now, something else we're dealing with is the threat of tornadoes with this storm as we often get in that right quadrant. So the threat of tornadoes will be ongoing from New Orleans stretching all the way over through the Panhandle past Apalachicola into the State of Florida.
A cool satellite picture here that I just want to show you real quick, this one from NOAA. And this shows you Lee over the United States. And check out over here. This is Katia. So we still have to keep an eye on Katia. Most of the mottles curving it up to the north, but the outer banks are in that cone of uncertainty now.
Tomorrow's Labor Day forecast is very wet for everybody up and down the Seaboard. It's going to be a rough day of travel, unfortunately, for so many, but much cooler behind the front. So we'll try to end with a little optimism there.
CHO: You know, that's - that's the silver lining there.
Thank you, Jacqui Jeras, very much.
We want to take a few minutes to show you more of a dramatic video we played earlier this hour. It's from 9/11, but it's just now surfacing.
It was taken just minutes after United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a Pennsylvania field, by a man who lived just a couple of miles away.
What you're about to hear is the voice of that man, calmly narrating what he saw.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The remains of an airplane crash over on Lambertsville Road, and it probably had a terrorist bomb on board, that blew up. Don't know anything more than that. That's what I heard on the scanner. I just saw the smoke come up and the explosion shook the house clear over here. And we are, what, 15 miles from Lambertsville, and it shook the heck out of the house.
I don't know what else is happening. They ran one into the Pentagon and into the World Trade Center. And we're watching it on TV. And this one happened.
A great big black cloud just mushroomed right up into the air and it shook the house, shook everybody's houses. I wonder if there's anything left of Lambertsville?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Very incredible to hear. The man, by the way, that you've heard from is now deceased. His family wishes to remain anonymous. By the way, we should mention that this is believed to be the first known video that shows the smoke cloud from the Flight 93 crash.
We here at CNN we'll bring you special 9/11 coverage beginning next Sunday morning at 8:30 A.M. Eastern. Anderson Cooper and Candy Crowley are among the many who will help us remember the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 and honor the lives lost in 9/11, 10 years later.
Coming up, South Carolina Republican kingmaker Jim Demint hosts a presidential forum in his own state. We're going to take a look ahead this week in politics.
And thousands of die-hard science fiction fans have descended upon Atlanta. I'm finally figuring out why I've seen so many people in costume. We're going to show you the famous Dragon Con parade, next.
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REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Guitars are one of the most loved instruments in modern music unless, of course, they're out of tune.
PHIL GATES, BLUE ARTIST: In music, the tuning is very important. Anybody can tune a guitar, but keeping it in tune is the problem. All of a sudden, you're dancing in front of the audience, you're like, hey, how's everybody doing? I'm tuning. How's the world? It's a process that can take away from the rhythm of the show.
WOLF: That led to EverTune, a device that will keep your guitar in tune forever.
(on camera): In some ways it's a pretty simple design, isn't it?
MARK CHAYET, CEO, EVERTUNE: It's very simple. This is all mechanical. It's based on a spring technology and constant tension. And that's the beauty of EverTune. We're not adding bells and whistles and blinking lights to a guitar.
WOLF (voice-over): The EverTune is now being used by some of the biggest names on stage. And it's just the beginning.
(on camera): So we're talking pianos, violins, we're talking of bass, we're talking about everything?
COSMOS LYLES, EVERTUNE: Any string strung between two points works on the same principles. So, if there's a string, we can keep it in tune.
WOLF (voice-over): Which means now, you've run out of excuses for why you're off key.
Reynolds Wolf, CNN, Hollywood, California.
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CHO: As President Obama prepares for his big jobs speech this Thursday, his supporters and his detractors today talked about what they're looking for in that speech.
Republican Senator Jim Demint told CNN's Candy Crowley he's tired of talk. He wants something in writing.
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SEN. JIM DEMINT (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: We need a plan in writing. He needs to send it to us and tell us what it's going to cost, so not only Congress but the American people can read it, businesses can read it. But without sending something in writing, the president makes all of these grand gestures and - and then it doesn't appear in any legislation and he'll blame Congress for not passing something he never sends over.
So it's pretty clear what we need to do to improve our economy. We need to lower the risk of being in business and we need to make sure there's ample reward for creating those risks. The president has it backwards.
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CHO: Well, the shortage of jobs prompted Teamsters President Jim Hoffa to call for something bold from the president. Watch.
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JIM HOFFA, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS: Guess who's going to challenge America? I mean, so far what we've done hasn't worked. We're still at nine percent, so it's not working.
We need a bold plan. We have to look at what happened with Irene. We have to rebuild our roads. You know, basically our dams, our highways, everything's got to be redone. You know, our schools. We've got to start that. We need a WPA-type program.
But, most of all, what I think he's got to do is to challenge business.
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CHO: Well, in that "STATE OF THE UNION" interview, Hoffa also said he thinks that U.S. companies that are sitting on piles of money and not hiring American workers are unpatriotic.
Mitt Romney is speaking at a Tea Party rally in New Hampshire today. Tomorrow, he'll head to Columbia, South Carolina. He's certainly on the move. After all, he is a candidate for president.
And we are going to talk now with CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser, who is in New Hampshire right now.
Paul, you know, Sarah Palin spoke yesterday, Romney today. Are we getting a sense of what he might say?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes. You know, this is really interesting, Alina. It is a whole different strategy it seems, for Mitt Romney, who really hasn't gone to many, if any, Tea Party events since he's been running for president this second time.
So, yes, about an hour from now in Concord, New Hampshire - I believe we have some live pictures of that. He's going to be speaking at a rally put on by the Tea Party Express. And this is in advance of, yes, Presidential Debate. They're teaming up with us in Tampa, Florida, about a week from now.
And then tomorrow, Romney's coming right here to South Carolina where I am, Columbia, South Carolina and he's going to be speaking at a Presidential Forum put on by Senator Jim DeMint. DeMint, of course, a two-term Republican senator here in South Carolina and a favorite, very influential among Tea Party types and grassroots conservatives.
So we're really seeing a little bit of different strategy by Romney, maybe because he's not the front-runner in the national polls anymore in the race for the White House in the Republican side.
Some Tea Party people, Alina, not so happy with this. In fact, there is a counter protest tonight, while Romney speaks in Concord, New Hampshire. There will be a counter protest not too far away. But other Tea Party activist were not happy that Romney was invited - Alina.
CHO: My apologies to Paul. There are about a dozen states between New Hampshire and South Carolina. I thought you are with Romney.
STEINHAUSER: They told you (ph).
CHO: My apologies. Obviously, you are in Columbia, South Carolina.
You know, I want to talk about an article I read in the "New York Times" today about just how this is a pivotal moment for GOP candidates that their strategy is shifting from simply going on the attack against President Obama and now going after each other. It was bound to happen. And, of course, Rick Perry is a big target.
STEINHAUSER: Oh, yes. Rick Perry, a big target. Of course, he jumped into the race less than a month ago, the Texas governor, and now he's the front-runner in most of those national polls, including one by CNN and ORC.
So now he's been coming under attack by some of the other candidates, including Mitt Romney. Romney, who up until now has been kind of running a general election campaign in this primary, caucus calendar season. Now, he's going after Rick Perry to a degree kind of talking about how he's a lifetime politician and that Romney is not.
So we're seeing Romney shift strategy a little bit and we're seeing some of the other candidates as well. Alina, so much is going to happen over the next five weeks. We've got five presidential debates, a bunch of forums. It is going to get extremely busy on the race to the White House - Alina.
CHO: My goodness, gracious, it makes your head spin. But thank goodness, we have you, Paul Steinhuser, to watch it all for us. Thank you so much. Good to see you, as always.
The Republican presidential candidates will soon face off right here on CNN, by the way. They will take the stage at the CNN Tea Party Republican Debate co-hosted by the Tea Party Express. Catch all the actions September 12th, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time.
Well, what is Dragon Con, you ask?
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RITA SANDERS, DRAGONCON ATTENDEE: Dragon Con is the Nerd Super Bowl. And the parade is the shining event of the Nerd Super Bowl. It is the most fun on earth to have all year.
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CHO: It's happening right here in Atlanta. So we will explore the sites and sounds of Dragon Con next.
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CHO: Welcome back. You know when I arrived in Atlanta this weekend, I noticed a lot of people in costume and I wondered what is going on here? Well, it's Dragon Con and it's the largest multimedia pop culture convention in the world.
Look at these pictures here. It takes place each year on Labor Day Weekend in Atlanta, who knew. And now one of the most anticipated events is the Dragon Con parade. Watch.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, I'm on camera!
SANDERS: Dragon Con is the Nerd Super Bowl and the parade is the shining event of the Nerd Super Bowl. It is the most fun on earth to have all year.
"MOLLY MAYHEM," ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI: What's so special about Dragon Con is that it is the largest fan-based run, science fiction, multimedia convention in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand back. We need to make sure you're safe.
"MOLLY MAYHEM": Comic-Con is bigger, but it is all corporate. This is fan based run, so you have a lot more interaction with the fans.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my first Dragon Con.
KIMBERLY JOHNSON, DRAGONCON ATTENDEE: This is my eighth year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have been coming for four years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my first time at Dragon Con.
JOHNSON: This is just one weekend where you just be what you want to be and do what you want to do and not have to worry about anybody.
"MOLLY MAYHEM": If you're into any of this at all, no matter what genre, you have to make the Mecca of Dragon Con.
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CHO: Well, New York Fashion Week starts this coming Thursday. It's a mega showcase of top designer collections for spring 2012.
Just a few days ago, I got an exclusive look with one of the fashion superstars, Marc Jacobs. He's labeled a genius, not surprisingly. The man "Time" Magazine named one of its 100 most influential people tells me that's not how he would describe himself.
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Marc Jacobs, designer: I don't know that I'm a household name. I - I really don't have the awareness, you know, or I'll go somewhere and people will ask for a picture or an autograph or something, and it is not that I'm unaware or that I'm naive, but, you know, I'm busy. I do my thing and I - I carry on.
And, yes, I have some nice things and I collect art and all that kind of stuff, but - but I'm not a different person.
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CHO: I also interviewed another top personality in fashion, Rachel Zoe, best known as the most famous celebrity stylist. So I was surprised to hear that even after dressing major stars like Anne Hathaway for the Oscar's, Zoe's more anxious about now designing her own collection.
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RACHEL ZOE, STYLIST: It - 100 percent it's the scariest thing I've ever done.
CHO (on camera): What about it is so scary?
ZOE: It's not a one time thing. This isn't - this isn't something where I'm dressing someone and it's the Oscar's and I really hope they look amazing and I work really hard at it, they are on the red carpet, and you hope it's incredible, and if not, you move on to the next thing. This is a very constant, constant process.
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CHO: We'll have many more inside looks at the runway shows, designers, fashions, trends you wouldn't see anywhere else, all on my special Fashion Week Back Stage Pass, September 17th, 2:30, Eastern on CNN.
I'm Alina Cho. See you back here tomorrow at 9:00 A.M. Eastern. CNN NEWSROOM continues at the top of the hour.
