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CNN Live At Daybreak
Strength and Path of Hurricane Ivan; Expiration of Ban on Assault Weapons
Aired September 13, 2004 - 06:00 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Making way for Ivan. He's on the move and so are his potential victims. Could Cuba be next?
It is Monday, September 13.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news, U.S. warplanes strike in the heart of Iraq's Fallujah today. Hospital officials there say at least 10 people have been killed, several more wounded. It comes a day after at least 65 people were killed across Iraq.
In the United States, the so-called assault weapons ban is set to expire at midnight, 19 hours from now. Unless Congress passes an extension, the current ban on the manufacture of 19 different weapons comes to an end.
And in the Caribbean, residents of Cuba are bracing for a monster hurricane Ivan. Right now the powerful hurricane is southeast of western Cuba, scouring the Caribbean with, well, let's find out how strong the winds are.
To the forecast center now and -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's still a category five this morning, Carol, at 160 miles per hour, and gusts now to 195 miles per hour. We have these planes, the air force does, that flies through them. And they drop these little canisters, almost like the canisters that you go to the bank. You know, you put your little deposit in and you put it in the machine and it goes up over to the teller? Well, those little things they drop out the bottom. And they know how far they're moving, they know how fast they're moving. And they just got a wind gust there at 202 miles per hour a few hundred feet off the ground.
So this thing is still obviously a very dangerous storm, headed over to the Yucatan channel. Here's Cancun, Progreso, Marina over there on the top. That entire area now with hurricane warnings. It didn't have them a couple hours ago, but they are now.
There are your winds, 160, gusting to 195. A category five. Still a category five by 2:00 today. Then down to a category four. The Hurricane Center thinking that it's going to see a little bit of shear here in the Gulf of Mexico. The water is still very warm, but a little bit of shear kind of blowing the tops off some of the storms. So down to 140 as it gets closer to Mobile, New Orleans and also over to Pensacola and maybe even a little bit less as it makes its approach. ;
Here's the problem this morning. We show you these spaghetti lines all the time. There's the eye of the storm. As we zoom into this eye, this is really what all the forecast models are saying here, many of them clustered close to New Orleans; another one back here to about Pensacola; one almost to Fort Walton Beach; and then three, you can see, making a bit right hand turn; one that's not all that far from Tampa.
So we can't let everybody out of the way yet. Obviously, Miami, you're probably out of the way. But even as one of these models now begins to turn to the right, we have to keep watching for that potential right hand turn. Just because all the other models aren't thinking it, that doesn't mean that it's not going to happen. So it's still a very dangerous storm and it's not even clearing Cuba yet. So that's why we're still watching it so closely.
Carol -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Understand.
Thank you, Chad.
And people in Cuba are bracing for hurricane Ivan and the destruction it could bring to their island nation.
Lucia Newman joins us live by phone from Havana this morning -- good morning, Lucia.
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
It's been an excruciating wait here in Cuba for hurricane Ivan. It's going so, so slowly. People have been waiting for days here, glued to their television sets and radios to hear the latest.
And although, as we've heard now, there's a chance that Ivan's eye, at least, won't hit Cuba directly, there's still close to one and a half million Cubans who have been evacuated from low lying areas or from homes that are considered not to be strong enough to resist this hurricane's incredibly strong winds.
Now, in western Pinar del Rio Province, which is on the far tip of the island, there is certain to be a great deal of flooding from the storm surges and from overflowing rivers. And now this is the part of the country where the tobacco for Cuba's famous cigars is grown. And remember, Carol, that exactly one month ago today, this same part of Cuba, as well as Havana, in fact, was pounded by hurricane Charley.
So the devastation to property and the economy is expected to still be enormous -- Carol. COSTELLO: Well, you know, it was sort of surreal to see Fidel Castro appearing on television talking to the -- talking to his people. And he also said that he would accept no aid from the United States. He made that clear right up front.
NEWMAN: Yes. He is on television every night now, for the last three days, at least, and as I mentioned, when hurricane Charley plowed through Cuba, the United States offered $50,000, saying that it should be distributed by groups that are independent of the government. Well, Fidel Castro was furious. He said this was a measly handout.
So this time, even before the hurricane approached, he said that Cuba would not accept a penny from the United States. And his quote was, "You can spare yourself the hypocrisy of trying to help Cuba." That's what he said.
So we'll see who will come to Cuba's aid, depending on how much damage there is. But they've made it clear they don't want any money, or this government doesn't want any help from the United States -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Lucia Newman live on the phone from Havana, Cuba this morning.
And while Cuba could see Ivan close-up today, people in storm weary Florida are getting a few more days to prepare.
With more on their efforts to get ready, we head to Tallahassee and CNN's Sara Dorsey -- good morning, Sara.
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
People are already beginning to shop at this Home Depot in Tallahassee and home improvement stores across the state can be promised a very busy day, as Floridians gear up for yet another hurricane, this one Ivan, a storm that has already killed 42 people.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
DORSEY (voice-over): Last week at this time, Floridians were cleaning up from hurricane Frances. Now they're anxiously awaiting hurricane Ivan, a much stronger storm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think until we know exactly what it's going to do, I think you need to take this one real serious, just looking at the pictures of Jamaica and Grenada.
DORSEY: Those pictures clearly show Ivan's power. Waves two stories high crashed onto Jamaica's eastern shore yesterday. Pair that with horizontal rains and flooding was a definite. Streets were underwater as residents there huddled in shelters, waiting for crews to assess the early damages.
In Florida, the attitude is hurry up and wait. It's becoming routine -- three storms in one month. This one, forecasters say, is headed toward the panhandle. So for many, it's back to the store again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Water, plywood, batteries, just I don't need too much. I have plywood left over from the last one.
DORSEY: Florida Governor Jeb Bush is asking people to be patient and stay put.
GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: My polite admonition is if you don't need to drive, don't do it. If you're not asked to evacuate, please don't do so. We're asking Floridians to work together to make the most of what we have.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
DORSEY: Plywood and generators are in high demand right now. Managers here say many generators have been sent to other areas in the state that were affected by the last two storms. So Floridians that want a generator just in case will have to do what they do best -- wait.
We're live in Tallahassee, Florida.
Sara Dorsey.
Now back to you -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Thanks, Sara.
We'll have more on Ivan coming up a little later this hour.
Plus, there is plenty of Ivan information at your fingertips at cnn.com/hurricanes. We have a special section on the hurricane season, which includes a look at Ivan's projected path. You know the address, cnn.com.
Time seems to have run out on the assault weapons ban. Ten years after it was signed into law, the controversial gun ban is set to fall by the wayside. But is there a chance that Congress could make a last minute save? Hmmm, not likely.
For more, let's head to Washington and CNN's Jennifer Davis -- good morning, Jennifer.
JENNIFER DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
That assault weapons ban is set to expire at midnight tonight. And while some politicians and police would like to see it extended, they appear to be fighting a losing battle.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
DAVIS (voice-over): The assault weapons ban of 1994 is on the verge of expiring and gun control advocates say if that happens, 10 years of progress will expire with it.
SARAH BRADY: We're going to assault weapons and large capacity magazines back on the street.
DAVIS: The bill, signed into law by President Clinton, outlawed the manufacture of 19 different weapons, including military style ones like Uzis and modified AK-47s. Gun control advocates have launched an explosive ad campaign alleging that failure to pass an extension will make these weapons easily available to terrorists.
New York Senator Charles Schumer favors renewing the ban.
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: We know that there is traffic between terrorists and assault weapons.
DAVIS: A recent poll shows an overwhelming 68 percent of Americans support extending the ban.
But congressional leaders have no plans to do that. Democrats blame the president for blocking a renewal, although he says he'd sign one of it was brought to his desk. Republicans say the votes just aren't there.
REP. TOM DELAY (R-TX), MAJORITY LEADER: It's a feel good piece of legislation and all it does is punish those people that are attracted -- that live by the law and it does nothing to keep assault weapons out of the hands of criminals.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
DAVIS: It remains to be seen if this issue will resonate with voters. But when CNN last polled Americans on what issues matter to them, guns ranked second to last.
Jennifer Davis, CNN, Washington -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, you know, Jennifer, a lot of people are thinking that when this ban expires at midnight tonight, people will be lining up to buy Uzis and AK-47s.
Any evidence of that?
DAVIS: Gun makers say they don't expect that, even though they are planning to manufacture these pre-banned rifles as early as tomorrow. They don't expect sales to be brisk because they say stripped down versions of these weapons have already been available.
But they're getting strong disagreement from the nation's police chiefs. Several police chiefs from big cities say they're predicting we're going to see an increase in violent gun crimes.
So we're just going to have to wait and see.
COSTELLO: Yes, we will.
Jennifer Davis reporting live from Washington this morning.
In other stories across America this Monday, in Ohio, police suspect arson in a weekend fire that killed 10 people, most of them members of the same family. The flames engulfed an apartment building just outside of Columbus. One survivor says he desperately tried to reach his relatives, who were trapped on the third floor. Police have no suspects.
Wildfires are taking a deadly toll in California. Flames overran seven firefighters as they battled a blaze in a national forest. One of them died, the others were hurt. Officials described the fire as relatively small, but tricky.
Trouble may be brewing on the Big Island of Hawaii -- in Hawaii, rather. A recent rise in earthquake activity could be signaling that Mauna Loa is close to erupting. Mauna Loa is the world's largest volcano. More than 350 quakes have been reported at Mauna Loa since July. The volcano last erupted back in 1984.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, bankruptcy for US Airways again. What does it mean for you? Some answers for the flying public later this hour.
Before that, though, we'll take you on the hurricane hunt. What does Ivan look like from inside out? That's at 23 minutes past the hour.
And Colin Powell's comments cause a stir in the Kerry campaign. Hear what the secretary of state had to say. It's one of today's political hot topics at 33 minutes past the hour.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's 6:14 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Thick smoke has been rising over the Iraqi city of Fallujah. The U.S. military says fighter jets struck a suspected terrorist meeting site. We're going to have a live report for you out of Baghdad at the bottom of this hour.
Accused deserter Charles Jenkins reported for duty today at a U.S. military base in Japan 41 years after allegedly defecting to North Korea. The 64-year-old is on active duty while prosecutors decide how to proceed with his case.
In money news, it's take two for US Airways. The airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in two years. US Airways hopes to reorganize as a low cost carrier.
In culture, video game heroines and, of course, zombies captured America's attention at the box office this weekend. "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" came in first, with more than $23 million in ticket sales. In sports, Barry Bonds one step closer to a major milestone. The San Francisco Giants slugger hit home run number 699 Sunday. And, oh, yes, his Giants took a one game lead in the National League wildcard race -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
Drawing the line of where the storm actually was, Ivan, of course, and now where it is. Going past that little yellow line I just made and eventually here into the Gulf of Mexico. That's kind of the bad news for places that are in the southern sections where of our country, anywhere from probably the Gulf Coast, including New Orleans, all the way back over to almost Tallahassee, still under the gun for this very, very dangerous storm.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Senator John Kerry wants President Bush to renew the decade old ban on assault weapons. It's set to expire at midnight tonight. The president says he would sign such a measure, but hasn't exactly pushed law makers to put it on his desk. Supporters of the ban say ending it could boost time or terrorism. But opponents say it tramples on the second amendment.
And that takes us back to our e-mail Question of the Morning. Should the ban on assault weapons continue?
We've gotten a lot of interesting responses. So allow me to read some of them for you this morning.
Mike from Bloomington, Illinois: "It makes absolutely no difference if the ban continues or not. The ban doesn't do anything except stop manufacturing more of the same guns that are readily available. America is not safer because of this ban."
This is from Connie from Woodstock, Georgia. She says: "Of course assault weapons should be banned. Are the gun people saying they need them because all of a sudden the deer will be shooting back at them with Uzis or what? I'm glad that our law makers bypassed working on silly stuff like this in favor of devoting whole days to stuff like Janet Jackson showing a body part."
This is from John from Centerpoint, Alabama. He says: "The ban should expire. If criminals want those types of weapons, they are able to find them. Why should the unlawful have the upper hand on home defense?"
And this is from David from Redondo Beach, California: "Sure, let the ban on assault weapons expire. I also think it's rude for the government not to let us own shoulder fired missiles and tank busters. After all, as the NRA might say, it's not the missile that shoots down the plane, it's the person."
Keep those e-mails coming, daybreak@cnn.com.
I love you guys out there. Always interesting. In the eye of the storm. Coming up, fly along as hurricane hunters search for information about Ivan's intentions.
And we'll get an update on the devastation in Jamaica. Just a short ride from the Caribbean resorts, stories of immeasurable human loss.
This is DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Electricity reportedly is coming on again this morning in parts of Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica. And water service is being restored to those areas that have power. Jamaica is just one of the Caribbean islands beginning to recover from their encounters with hurricane Ivan.
Vin Martin, honorary Jamaican consul, is on the phone from suburban Atlanta.
Good morning.
VIN MARTIN, JAMAICAN HONORARY CONSUL: Good morning.
COSTELLO: Tell us what the situation is now in Jamaica.
MARTIN: OK, this news out of Jamaica still relatively grim. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the site of the eye of Hurricane Ivan did not get onshore. But our death count is mounting as people get back in from the shelters and get back home. The death count is closer to 20 now and there are more expected.
There is, this, the roadways between Kingston and the north coast of Jamaica, which takes you over to another city called Ocho Rios are blocked and they're trying as best they can to (AUDIO GAP)...
COSTELLO: Go ahead, sir.
MARTIN: Yes. As best they can to get the roads open. But there are some 12,000 plus people in shelters still. And so we are still now trying to determine just the full extent of the damage.
COSTELLO: Tell us about the help that Jamaica needs to just restore life to some semblance of normalcy.
MARTIN: Right. We are focusing primarily now on raising and getting monetary contributions because there are foodstuffs in Jamaica that we can get from the warehouses to the points where it's needed. So we are focusing on monetary contributions.
But besides that, we are also looking for materials such as the top hauling, plastic sheeting for those homes that have not their roofs. They're also looking for bed and bedding; some foodstuffs, not in large quantities. But we are accepting canned goods so that those people who are going to be in shelters over the long run can be properly fed as they are housed. COSTELLO: Vin Martin, the honorary Jamaican consul, joining us live by phone this morning.
Thank you, sir.
Oh, just awful. Just awful. And, you know...
MYERS: And the good news is that this storm got -- this storm missed Jamaica. That's the good news. If this storm was 40 miles farther to the north and northwest of where it was, that would have been a completely different conversation.
COSTELLO: True. But still...
MYERS: The numbers would not have been 20. The number would have been 20,000 dead.
COSTELLO: ... the people of Jamaica have so little.
MYERS: Well, of course.
COSTELLO: And their homes, you know, aren't the most solidly built anyway.
MYERS: Right. Yes.
COSTELLO: And it's just, it's just awful to see.
MYERS: Are you looking at the dark side or the light side?
COSTELLO: I'm sorry.
MYERS: The light side of this thing is that this storm was 160 miles per hour. They got hit with 100. They didn't get the 160. One sixty would have completely devastated the island. The death toll would have been 20,000. So I know 20 seems like a big number, but the fact that this thing did a crazy Ivan, it did a left turn right before it hit Spanish Town, right before it hit Kingston, saved and spared people here of Jamaica. I know the folks obviously with the 20 people missing still yet, they're not happy about that. But, you know...
COSTELLO: But, you know, you compare that situation to the Grand Cayman Islands, who seem to be much more prepared, perhaps, had much better shelters for people to go to...
MYERS: Sure, much sturdier.
COSTELLO: ... have much more resources.
MYERS: Right. Obviously I've been to Jamaica and I love the country. But the entire area there, up from Fern Valley over to Ocho Rios like he was talking about, you know, the folks don't have $500 to their name. You know, their homes are literally built with this corrugated sheeting, the corrugated aluminum. And that's what I was really concerned about, all this stuff that's really not attached very well starting to get into the air and fly around and injure people as debris. And obviously debris hurts more people in a hurricane than anything else.
COSTELLO: It seems like most people were killed by the storm surge. They drowned.
MYERS: Yes. Yes.
COSTELLO: It's really sad.
MYERS: So...
COSTELLO: All right.
I know you'll have much more later.
MYERS: I know it doesn't seem like it, but they got really lucky.
COSTELLO: Yes.
Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Did you ever wonder what it's like to come eye to eye with a hurricane? No.
Our Jason Bellini found out firsthand when he hopped on board with hurricane hunters who flew right into Ivan's eye.
So buckle your seat belts. Here's what he found out.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's about quarter to 6:00 a.m. And we're about to get on board the Hurricane Hunter plane.
(voice-over): This is the start of a 12 hour flight. The Vietnam era C-130 is souped up with extra fuel tanks. As we head to the hurricane, another hurricane hunter is on its way home.
The testing of pressure, humidity and wind is now around the clock operation. The trip across the Gulf of Mexico to the center of the storm is getting shorter.
(on camera): We just flew over Cuban air space. And while we were over Cuba, we were able to look down and see the island, but we were told we had to turn off our camera.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The big sensitivity is that their military bases - they don't want us to act like a reconnaissance flight that we're flying over, and journalists taking pictures of their military bases is really what it all boils down to.
BELLINI: A shout to buckle up is given, as we get closer to Ivan's eye. Once inside, we have about two minutes to take a look. (on camera): What they're telling us front is that even though we're not really seeing a clear eye right now, people shouldn't really take comfort in that because the eye is reforming. The eye has blinked, if you will.
When I told my mom I was doing this, I told her, don't worry it's not a big deal. Did I lie to her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that what you did? No, it's not a big deal. I mean, it is a big deal in the sense that we're flying into one of the - one of nature's biggest storms, you know. But at the same time, the way we fly into these storms and we respect them.
BELLINI: How do you respect a storm when you poke it in the eye?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's - we just keep poking it until it - we find out where it's going and what it's going to do.
BELLINI: Up here where you feel the storm, people do better than Ivan the Terrible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ivan the Terrible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ivan the mysterious.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ivan, we're watching closely. He has potential to be terrible.
BELLINI: You don't have to be a metaphorologist to know Ivan is a troublemaker.
Jason Bellini, CNN, somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
MYERS: The Caribbean, actually. But that's OK. He's not quite in the Gulf of Mexico yet. Well, that's...
COSTELLO: Well, did he fly into the eye? I was confused by that. He did not yet.
MYERS: He did fly into the eye, yes.
COSTELLO: And what was that like? Did he tell you?
MYERS: He said that you couldn't find the eye because the eye was torn up. The eye was ragged. So you didn't...
COSTELLO: Oh, OK.
MYERS: So typically you think you're flying into the Roman Coliseum, which is called the stadium effect. But there wasn't a stadium effect there. The storm was a little bit unorganized when they got in.
COSTELLO: So they -- OK. I was just waiting for some dramatic picture. But I guess it's not so dramatic even if you're able to go into a fully formed eye.
MYERS: No.
COSTELLO: Am I correct?
MYERS: The dramatic part is when the plane gets bounced around and your lunch is on the ceiling.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes.
Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, we'll take you live to Iraq, where the fighting has been especially fierce this weekend and this morning. It doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon.
Plus, fact or fiction? It depends on who you talk to in Washington. Will a new book about the Bush family affect the president's campaign?
This is DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired September 13, 2004 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Making way for Ivan. He's on the move and so are his potential victims. Could Cuba be next?
It is Monday, September 13.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news, U.S. warplanes strike in the heart of Iraq's Fallujah today. Hospital officials there say at least 10 people have been killed, several more wounded. It comes a day after at least 65 people were killed across Iraq.
In the United States, the so-called assault weapons ban is set to expire at midnight, 19 hours from now. Unless Congress passes an extension, the current ban on the manufacture of 19 different weapons comes to an end.
And in the Caribbean, residents of Cuba are bracing for a monster hurricane Ivan. Right now the powerful hurricane is southeast of western Cuba, scouring the Caribbean with, well, let's find out how strong the winds are.
To the forecast center now and -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's still a category five this morning, Carol, at 160 miles per hour, and gusts now to 195 miles per hour. We have these planes, the air force does, that flies through them. And they drop these little canisters, almost like the canisters that you go to the bank. You know, you put your little deposit in and you put it in the machine and it goes up over to the teller? Well, those little things they drop out the bottom. And they know how far they're moving, they know how fast they're moving. And they just got a wind gust there at 202 miles per hour a few hundred feet off the ground.
So this thing is still obviously a very dangerous storm, headed over to the Yucatan channel. Here's Cancun, Progreso, Marina over there on the top. That entire area now with hurricane warnings. It didn't have them a couple hours ago, but they are now.
There are your winds, 160, gusting to 195. A category five. Still a category five by 2:00 today. Then down to a category four. The Hurricane Center thinking that it's going to see a little bit of shear here in the Gulf of Mexico. The water is still very warm, but a little bit of shear kind of blowing the tops off some of the storms. So down to 140 as it gets closer to Mobile, New Orleans and also over to Pensacola and maybe even a little bit less as it makes its approach. ;
Here's the problem this morning. We show you these spaghetti lines all the time. There's the eye of the storm. As we zoom into this eye, this is really what all the forecast models are saying here, many of them clustered close to New Orleans; another one back here to about Pensacola; one almost to Fort Walton Beach; and then three, you can see, making a bit right hand turn; one that's not all that far from Tampa.
So we can't let everybody out of the way yet. Obviously, Miami, you're probably out of the way. But even as one of these models now begins to turn to the right, we have to keep watching for that potential right hand turn. Just because all the other models aren't thinking it, that doesn't mean that it's not going to happen. So it's still a very dangerous storm and it's not even clearing Cuba yet. So that's why we're still watching it so closely.
Carol -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Understand.
Thank you, Chad.
And people in Cuba are bracing for hurricane Ivan and the destruction it could bring to their island nation.
Lucia Newman joins us live by phone from Havana this morning -- good morning, Lucia.
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
It's been an excruciating wait here in Cuba for hurricane Ivan. It's going so, so slowly. People have been waiting for days here, glued to their television sets and radios to hear the latest.
And although, as we've heard now, there's a chance that Ivan's eye, at least, won't hit Cuba directly, there's still close to one and a half million Cubans who have been evacuated from low lying areas or from homes that are considered not to be strong enough to resist this hurricane's incredibly strong winds.
Now, in western Pinar del Rio Province, which is on the far tip of the island, there is certain to be a great deal of flooding from the storm surges and from overflowing rivers. And now this is the part of the country where the tobacco for Cuba's famous cigars is grown. And remember, Carol, that exactly one month ago today, this same part of Cuba, as well as Havana, in fact, was pounded by hurricane Charley.
So the devastation to property and the economy is expected to still be enormous -- Carol. COSTELLO: Well, you know, it was sort of surreal to see Fidel Castro appearing on television talking to the -- talking to his people. And he also said that he would accept no aid from the United States. He made that clear right up front.
NEWMAN: Yes. He is on television every night now, for the last three days, at least, and as I mentioned, when hurricane Charley plowed through Cuba, the United States offered $50,000, saying that it should be distributed by groups that are independent of the government. Well, Fidel Castro was furious. He said this was a measly handout.
So this time, even before the hurricane approached, he said that Cuba would not accept a penny from the United States. And his quote was, "You can spare yourself the hypocrisy of trying to help Cuba." That's what he said.
So we'll see who will come to Cuba's aid, depending on how much damage there is. But they've made it clear they don't want any money, or this government doesn't want any help from the United States -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Lucia Newman live on the phone from Havana, Cuba this morning.
And while Cuba could see Ivan close-up today, people in storm weary Florida are getting a few more days to prepare.
With more on their efforts to get ready, we head to Tallahassee and CNN's Sara Dorsey -- good morning, Sara.
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
People are already beginning to shop at this Home Depot in Tallahassee and home improvement stores across the state can be promised a very busy day, as Floridians gear up for yet another hurricane, this one Ivan, a storm that has already killed 42 people.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
DORSEY (voice-over): Last week at this time, Floridians were cleaning up from hurricane Frances. Now they're anxiously awaiting hurricane Ivan, a much stronger storm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think until we know exactly what it's going to do, I think you need to take this one real serious, just looking at the pictures of Jamaica and Grenada.
DORSEY: Those pictures clearly show Ivan's power. Waves two stories high crashed onto Jamaica's eastern shore yesterday. Pair that with horizontal rains and flooding was a definite. Streets were underwater as residents there huddled in shelters, waiting for crews to assess the early damages.
In Florida, the attitude is hurry up and wait. It's becoming routine -- three storms in one month. This one, forecasters say, is headed toward the panhandle. So for many, it's back to the store again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Water, plywood, batteries, just I don't need too much. I have plywood left over from the last one.
DORSEY: Florida Governor Jeb Bush is asking people to be patient and stay put.
GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: My polite admonition is if you don't need to drive, don't do it. If you're not asked to evacuate, please don't do so. We're asking Floridians to work together to make the most of what we have.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
DORSEY: Plywood and generators are in high demand right now. Managers here say many generators have been sent to other areas in the state that were affected by the last two storms. So Floridians that want a generator just in case will have to do what they do best -- wait.
We're live in Tallahassee, Florida.
Sara Dorsey.
Now back to you -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Thanks, Sara.
We'll have more on Ivan coming up a little later this hour.
Plus, there is plenty of Ivan information at your fingertips at cnn.com/hurricanes. We have a special section on the hurricane season, which includes a look at Ivan's projected path. You know the address, cnn.com.
Time seems to have run out on the assault weapons ban. Ten years after it was signed into law, the controversial gun ban is set to fall by the wayside. But is there a chance that Congress could make a last minute save? Hmmm, not likely.
For more, let's head to Washington and CNN's Jennifer Davis -- good morning, Jennifer.
JENNIFER DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
That assault weapons ban is set to expire at midnight tonight. And while some politicians and police would like to see it extended, they appear to be fighting a losing battle.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
DAVIS (voice-over): The assault weapons ban of 1994 is on the verge of expiring and gun control advocates say if that happens, 10 years of progress will expire with it.
SARAH BRADY: We're going to assault weapons and large capacity magazines back on the street.
DAVIS: The bill, signed into law by President Clinton, outlawed the manufacture of 19 different weapons, including military style ones like Uzis and modified AK-47s. Gun control advocates have launched an explosive ad campaign alleging that failure to pass an extension will make these weapons easily available to terrorists.
New York Senator Charles Schumer favors renewing the ban.
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: We know that there is traffic between terrorists and assault weapons.
DAVIS: A recent poll shows an overwhelming 68 percent of Americans support extending the ban.
But congressional leaders have no plans to do that. Democrats blame the president for blocking a renewal, although he says he'd sign one of it was brought to his desk. Republicans say the votes just aren't there.
REP. TOM DELAY (R-TX), MAJORITY LEADER: It's a feel good piece of legislation and all it does is punish those people that are attracted -- that live by the law and it does nothing to keep assault weapons out of the hands of criminals.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
DAVIS: It remains to be seen if this issue will resonate with voters. But when CNN last polled Americans on what issues matter to them, guns ranked second to last.
Jennifer Davis, CNN, Washington -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, you know, Jennifer, a lot of people are thinking that when this ban expires at midnight tonight, people will be lining up to buy Uzis and AK-47s.
Any evidence of that?
DAVIS: Gun makers say they don't expect that, even though they are planning to manufacture these pre-banned rifles as early as tomorrow. They don't expect sales to be brisk because they say stripped down versions of these weapons have already been available.
But they're getting strong disagreement from the nation's police chiefs. Several police chiefs from big cities say they're predicting we're going to see an increase in violent gun crimes.
So we're just going to have to wait and see.
COSTELLO: Yes, we will.
Jennifer Davis reporting live from Washington this morning.
In other stories across America this Monday, in Ohio, police suspect arson in a weekend fire that killed 10 people, most of them members of the same family. The flames engulfed an apartment building just outside of Columbus. One survivor says he desperately tried to reach his relatives, who were trapped on the third floor. Police have no suspects.
Wildfires are taking a deadly toll in California. Flames overran seven firefighters as they battled a blaze in a national forest. One of them died, the others were hurt. Officials described the fire as relatively small, but tricky.
Trouble may be brewing on the Big Island of Hawaii -- in Hawaii, rather. A recent rise in earthquake activity could be signaling that Mauna Loa is close to erupting. Mauna Loa is the world's largest volcano. More than 350 quakes have been reported at Mauna Loa since July. The volcano last erupted back in 1984.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, bankruptcy for US Airways again. What does it mean for you? Some answers for the flying public later this hour.
Before that, though, we'll take you on the hurricane hunt. What does Ivan look like from inside out? That's at 23 minutes past the hour.
And Colin Powell's comments cause a stir in the Kerry campaign. Hear what the secretary of state had to say. It's one of today's political hot topics at 33 minutes past the hour.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's 6:14 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Thick smoke has been rising over the Iraqi city of Fallujah. The U.S. military says fighter jets struck a suspected terrorist meeting site. We're going to have a live report for you out of Baghdad at the bottom of this hour.
Accused deserter Charles Jenkins reported for duty today at a U.S. military base in Japan 41 years after allegedly defecting to North Korea. The 64-year-old is on active duty while prosecutors decide how to proceed with his case.
In money news, it's take two for US Airways. The airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in two years. US Airways hopes to reorganize as a low cost carrier.
In culture, video game heroines and, of course, zombies captured America's attention at the box office this weekend. "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" came in first, with more than $23 million in ticket sales. In sports, Barry Bonds one step closer to a major milestone. The San Francisco Giants slugger hit home run number 699 Sunday. And, oh, yes, his Giants took a one game lead in the National League wildcard race -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
Drawing the line of where the storm actually was, Ivan, of course, and now where it is. Going past that little yellow line I just made and eventually here into the Gulf of Mexico. That's kind of the bad news for places that are in the southern sections where of our country, anywhere from probably the Gulf Coast, including New Orleans, all the way back over to almost Tallahassee, still under the gun for this very, very dangerous storm.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Senator John Kerry wants President Bush to renew the decade old ban on assault weapons. It's set to expire at midnight tonight. The president says he would sign such a measure, but hasn't exactly pushed law makers to put it on his desk. Supporters of the ban say ending it could boost time or terrorism. But opponents say it tramples on the second amendment.
And that takes us back to our e-mail Question of the Morning. Should the ban on assault weapons continue?
We've gotten a lot of interesting responses. So allow me to read some of them for you this morning.
Mike from Bloomington, Illinois: "It makes absolutely no difference if the ban continues or not. The ban doesn't do anything except stop manufacturing more of the same guns that are readily available. America is not safer because of this ban."
This is from Connie from Woodstock, Georgia. She says: "Of course assault weapons should be banned. Are the gun people saying they need them because all of a sudden the deer will be shooting back at them with Uzis or what? I'm glad that our law makers bypassed working on silly stuff like this in favor of devoting whole days to stuff like Janet Jackson showing a body part."
This is from John from Centerpoint, Alabama. He says: "The ban should expire. If criminals want those types of weapons, they are able to find them. Why should the unlawful have the upper hand on home defense?"
And this is from David from Redondo Beach, California: "Sure, let the ban on assault weapons expire. I also think it's rude for the government not to let us own shoulder fired missiles and tank busters. After all, as the NRA might say, it's not the missile that shoots down the plane, it's the person."
Keep those e-mails coming, daybreak@cnn.com.
I love you guys out there. Always interesting. In the eye of the storm. Coming up, fly along as hurricane hunters search for information about Ivan's intentions.
And we'll get an update on the devastation in Jamaica. Just a short ride from the Caribbean resorts, stories of immeasurable human loss.
This is DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Electricity reportedly is coming on again this morning in parts of Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica. And water service is being restored to those areas that have power. Jamaica is just one of the Caribbean islands beginning to recover from their encounters with hurricane Ivan.
Vin Martin, honorary Jamaican consul, is on the phone from suburban Atlanta.
Good morning.
VIN MARTIN, JAMAICAN HONORARY CONSUL: Good morning.
COSTELLO: Tell us what the situation is now in Jamaica.
MARTIN: OK, this news out of Jamaica still relatively grim. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the site of the eye of Hurricane Ivan did not get onshore. But our death count is mounting as people get back in from the shelters and get back home. The death count is closer to 20 now and there are more expected.
There is, this, the roadways between Kingston and the north coast of Jamaica, which takes you over to another city called Ocho Rios are blocked and they're trying as best they can to (AUDIO GAP)...
COSTELLO: Go ahead, sir.
MARTIN: Yes. As best they can to get the roads open. But there are some 12,000 plus people in shelters still. And so we are still now trying to determine just the full extent of the damage.
COSTELLO: Tell us about the help that Jamaica needs to just restore life to some semblance of normalcy.
MARTIN: Right. We are focusing primarily now on raising and getting monetary contributions because there are foodstuffs in Jamaica that we can get from the warehouses to the points where it's needed. So we are focusing on monetary contributions.
But besides that, we are also looking for materials such as the top hauling, plastic sheeting for those homes that have not their roofs. They're also looking for bed and bedding; some foodstuffs, not in large quantities. But we are accepting canned goods so that those people who are going to be in shelters over the long run can be properly fed as they are housed. COSTELLO: Vin Martin, the honorary Jamaican consul, joining us live by phone this morning.
Thank you, sir.
Oh, just awful. Just awful. And, you know...
MYERS: And the good news is that this storm got -- this storm missed Jamaica. That's the good news. If this storm was 40 miles farther to the north and northwest of where it was, that would have been a completely different conversation.
COSTELLO: True. But still...
MYERS: The numbers would not have been 20. The number would have been 20,000 dead.
COSTELLO: ... the people of Jamaica have so little.
MYERS: Well, of course.
COSTELLO: And their homes, you know, aren't the most solidly built anyway.
MYERS: Right. Yes.
COSTELLO: And it's just, it's just awful to see.
MYERS: Are you looking at the dark side or the light side?
COSTELLO: I'm sorry.
MYERS: The light side of this thing is that this storm was 160 miles per hour. They got hit with 100. They didn't get the 160. One sixty would have completely devastated the island. The death toll would have been 20,000. So I know 20 seems like a big number, but the fact that this thing did a crazy Ivan, it did a left turn right before it hit Spanish Town, right before it hit Kingston, saved and spared people here of Jamaica. I know the folks obviously with the 20 people missing still yet, they're not happy about that. But, you know...
COSTELLO: But, you know, you compare that situation to the Grand Cayman Islands, who seem to be much more prepared, perhaps, had much better shelters for people to go to...
MYERS: Sure, much sturdier.
COSTELLO: ... have much more resources.
MYERS: Right. Obviously I've been to Jamaica and I love the country. But the entire area there, up from Fern Valley over to Ocho Rios like he was talking about, you know, the folks don't have $500 to their name. You know, their homes are literally built with this corrugated sheeting, the corrugated aluminum. And that's what I was really concerned about, all this stuff that's really not attached very well starting to get into the air and fly around and injure people as debris. And obviously debris hurts more people in a hurricane than anything else.
COSTELLO: It seems like most people were killed by the storm surge. They drowned.
MYERS: Yes. Yes.
COSTELLO: It's really sad.
MYERS: So...
COSTELLO: All right.
I know you'll have much more later.
MYERS: I know it doesn't seem like it, but they got really lucky.
COSTELLO: Yes.
Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Did you ever wonder what it's like to come eye to eye with a hurricane? No.
Our Jason Bellini found out firsthand when he hopped on board with hurricane hunters who flew right into Ivan's eye.
So buckle your seat belts. Here's what he found out.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's about quarter to 6:00 a.m. And we're about to get on board the Hurricane Hunter plane.
(voice-over): This is the start of a 12 hour flight. The Vietnam era C-130 is souped up with extra fuel tanks. As we head to the hurricane, another hurricane hunter is on its way home.
The testing of pressure, humidity and wind is now around the clock operation. The trip across the Gulf of Mexico to the center of the storm is getting shorter.
(on camera): We just flew over Cuban air space. And while we were over Cuba, we were able to look down and see the island, but we were told we had to turn off our camera.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The big sensitivity is that their military bases - they don't want us to act like a reconnaissance flight that we're flying over, and journalists taking pictures of their military bases is really what it all boils down to.
BELLINI: A shout to buckle up is given, as we get closer to Ivan's eye. Once inside, we have about two minutes to take a look. (on camera): What they're telling us front is that even though we're not really seeing a clear eye right now, people shouldn't really take comfort in that because the eye is reforming. The eye has blinked, if you will.
When I told my mom I was doing this, I told her, don't worry it's not a big deal. Did I lie to her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that what you did? No, it's not a big deal. I mean, it is a big deal in the sense that we're flying into one of the - one of nature's biggest storms, you know. But at the same time, the way we fly into these storms and we respect them.
BELLINI: How do you respect a storm when you poke it in the eye?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's - we just keep poking it until it - we find out where it's going and what it's going to do.
BELLINI: Up here where you feel the storm, people do better than Ivan the Terrible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ivan the Terrible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ivan the mysterious.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ivan, we're watching closely. He has potential to be terrible.
BELLINI: You don't have to be a metaphorologist to know Ivan is a troublemaker.
Jason Bellini, CNN, somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
MYERS: The Caribbean, actually. But that's OK. He's not quite in the Gulf of Mexico yet. Well, that's...
COSTELLO: Well, did he fly into the eye? I was confused by that. He did not yet.
MYERS: He did fly into the eye, yes.
COSTELLO: And what was that like? Did he tell you?
MYERS: He said that you couldn't find the eye because the eye was torn up. The eye was ragged. So you didn't...
COSTELLO: Oh, OK.
MYERS: So typically you think you're flying into the Roman Coliseum, which is called the stadium effect. But there wasn't a stadium effect there. The storm was a little bit unorganized when they got in.
COSTELLO: So they -- OK. I was just waiting for some dramatic picture. But I guess it's not so dramatic even if you're able to go into a fully formed eye.
MYERS: No.
COSTELLO: Am I correct?
MYERS: The dramatic part is when the plane gets bounced around and your lunch is on the ceiling.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes.
Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, we'll take you live to Iraq, where the fighting has been especially fierce this weekend and this morning. It doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon.
Plus, fact or fiction? It depends on who you talk to in Washington. Will a new book about the Bush family affect the president's campaign?
This is DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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