Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Bill Clinton Faces Surgery; Hurricane Frances; Russian Hostage Crisis
Aired September 03, 2004 - 13:57 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Heart trouble -- former president will undergo heart bypass surgery after experiencing chest pains. We're live on the story.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hunkering down in Florida after the winds of Hurricane Frances whip up the Bahamas. We're live from the areas expected to be hit by that storm.
PHILLIPS: A horrific hostage situation at a Russian school. Some children and adults escape, but not before dozens of them are killed.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips.
O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM begins right now.
PHILLIPS: Well, we begin this hugely busy news days with the coronary bypass operation in Bill Clinton's very near future. As CNN first told you, the 42nd U.S. president is in a New York hospital after suffering chest pain and tiredness, and surgery could come as early as tomorrow.
CNN's Ed Henry is following the developments from our D.C. Bureau. He and John Keen broke the story. What do you know, Ed?
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra. Over the course of this morning, the former president started calling very close friends to inform them that, over the last two days, he was feeling some discomfort, some chest pains.
He's been going in and out of the hospital in order to check them out. Having a series of tests. And he informed his close friends that doctors this morning decided that he should have heart bypass surgery as soon as he can.
But I can tell you, from speaking to people who spoke to the former president this morning, they say he has been very upbeat, very optimistic, feeling that once he gets this taken care of, his health will be fine. He's has been looking very trim, very vigorous in recent weeks and months.
In fact, just this past Sunday, the former president gave a rousing speech at the Riverside Church in New York City to kick off there right on the eve of the Republican National Convention. He gave a speech in which he expressed, once again, his support for the Kerry/Edwards ticket. He is also been expected to be out on the campaign trail for Democrats this fall.
But obviously that is taking a back seat as just a short while ago, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was in Syracuse at the New York State Fair, upstate New York. She was supposed to be joined this morning by her husband. He had to cancel since he is in New York Presbyterian Hospital as we speak.
Senator Clinton went ahead with her schedule -- at least the early part of it -- but then gave these remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: Let me just extend the personal regrets of my husband. As many of you know, he was planning on being here. It's something he really does look forward to the entire year.
He believes coming to the state fair is one of his obligations as a Senate spouse. And he takes it very seriously. And we have -- we plan for it. Last year, he was in the throes of trying to finish his book. And so, this year we had not only planned for the fair, but going up to the north country, to the Thousand Islands, and having a little bit of rest and respite.
You may have heard by now, however, since it just hit the news, that he was admitted to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital just in the last hour or so. He is scheduled to have bypass surgery.
He went to our local hospital yesterday complaining of some chest pains and shortness of breath, and the initial testing was normal. So, he spent the night at home.
And we talked through the day, and he said he -- you know, he felt fine and not to worry, and he'd see me at the fair. But his doctors asked him to come back early this morning for some additional tests, and as a result of those additional tests at Westchester Medical Center, they did advise him to have bypass surgery, and to do it soon, as soon as he could.
So, I'm leaving here, and I know you understand. And I'm sorry I'm not going to get a chance to see each of you personally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: So, you heard right there, the senator obviously cutting short her schedule to get back to New York City. We're also told in an official statement from the former president's office that Chelsea Clinton will also be in New York City for the surgery -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Ed Henry, thank you so much. We'll continue to check in with you -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. How about a little bit of bypass surgery 101, the ins and outs of coronary bypass. Cardiac surgeon John Gott here. He's from Piedmont Hospital here in Atlanta.
He actually brought a few props. We can sort of get under the hood, if you will, with the heart and explain what's going to happen.
Dr. Gott, walk us through it, if you could.
DR. JOHN GOTT, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Sure. It sounds as if former President Clinton has had cardiac catheterization, which is a great road map of the blockages in the coronary arteries which travel over the surface of the heart, supplying blood to the heart muscle.
The problem, the blockage usually occurs at the very beginning of these blood vessels, allowing an opportunity for literally a bypass around the blockage. And the conduit or the path that the blood takes after it's reestablished with a new operation is -- can be through a vein or through an artery that's harvested from behind the breast bone, an internal mammary artery. A combination is the usual.
But the blood goes from an area of good supply, the aorta, to an area of poor supply, the coronary artery, restoring the blood flow and allowing a second chance.
O'BRIEN: And these veins come from yourself. You take something out of the leg and that is something that is replaced and other veins take over. It's like a spare part, as you said a few moments ago.
What's -- as you walk us through here, first of all, show us kind of the tools of the trade, if you would.
GOTT: The -- these blood vessels are on the order of one to two millimeters in diameter, so they're very small. And these jewelers loops, in a sense, that we wear, surgical telescopes, allow magnification from -- from a distance. And it magnifies the blood vessels about three and a half times. And we use instruments that are very much like jewelers' instruments to hole the suture that is smaller than the diameter of a human hair.
O'BRIEN: I don't know if you can zoom in on that, Robert, but you can see that suture there, thinner than a human hair. You've got to have a steady hand, obviously, to do that. Typically, these things are extremely successful. Do you know the number off the top?
GOTT: I think that's the overwhelming message. This has been one of the great success stories in all of medicine.
The operation has begun in the 1960s, and it's had an evolution. But it offers a chance at improved quality and length of life, something that not many things in medicine can offer.
But for a 58-year-old man in reasonable health, as former President Clinton is, one would expect a 99 percent chance or better that he would come through fine and be able to return to whatever activity he wanted.
O'BRIEN: And one of the key things, however, though, and one of the -- the recurrence issue here is changing lifestyle so you don't plug up that artery again, the bypass artery.
GOTT: Absolutely. There are about 10 things that we know are associated with the development of coronary disease, hereditary component, blood pressure, diabetes, the diet, cholesterol, exercise, smoking. And about half of these things you can do something about. And we call that risk factor modification, medications and lifestyle changes indeed.
O'BRIEN: And you just did one of these surgeries this morning. Everything go OK?
GOTT: Yes, happy ending.
O'BRIEN: All right. And very rarely there's a problem. Aside from what we've talked about, the long-range consequences, change in behavior, what can happen?
GOTT: Around the time of the operation, the things that the surgeons worry about and express their concerns to the patients and the family ahead of time, there can be bleeding. Very low incidence of that necessitating return to the operating room, and that usually has a happy ending. Very low rate of infection, less than one-half of one percent.
Stroke rate or brain damage, well less than one percent. Kidney trouble, lung trouble, very infrequently.
O'BRIEN: And how frequently or how soon, I should say, are these patients back on their feet?
GOTT: Usually the next day.
O'BRIEN: Really?
GOTT: Up in a chair sometimes the night of the operation.
O'BRIEN: Wow. All right,. Thank you very much, Dr. John Gott. We got a little bit of coronary bypass 101, and we appreciate it.
GOTT: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: All right -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: It's a little bit slower and a little bit weaker than yesterday but hurricane Frances is still a force to be feared, especially in Florida. We've got correspondents in the massive storm's pathway and in between. But we start with the science.
CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras to explain how it's all going down -- Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Kyra, holding steady now. The 2:00 advisory is in, and Frances is still packing winds of 115 miles per hour. So, it appears like that weakening trend is over with, at least for now. It's becoming a little bit steadier. And take a look. We've had very good outflow all day across the northern and eastern sides of the storm. But the west side of the storm is where it's really started to break down.
We had some drier air which has been entraining into the hurricane, and that's why it's breaking down and why we've had some weakening today. But now take a look here. It's starting to kind of become a little bit more symmetrical.
So, just by judging and by looking at satellite pictures alone, we might see a little bit more strengthening here. And there's still plenty of time to do that.
It's moving to the west-northwest around eight miles per hour. So, as it moves very slowly, that has been our biggest problem. That means more time for strengthening and more time for flooding rains as this thing moves across Florida.
You can see across the Miami area right now some rain showers, isolated showers and thundershowers as that tropical moisture is moving on shore now. But the real heavy rain band still back here.
The center of the storm right now is around the southern tip of Great Abaco Island, somewhere right around over there. And that's about 200 miles away from the Florida coastline.
So, it is getting a little bit closer. Right now, it still looks like landfall timing hasn't changed. Likely sometime tomorrow afternoon, into the evening hours. We'll have to see how much this continues to slow down.
There you can see the forecast track, likely still going to be a Category 3, maybe a weak 3 as this makes landfall. And you can see it should likely weaken quite a bit and turn back into a tropical storm as it moves over land.
But as it moves slow, that means the rainfall amounts are going to be very, very high, eight to 10 inches, will be very likely around the center of this storm. And we're also going to see some isolated amounts, we think, a little bit higher than that, possibly even as much as 20 inches.
So, the storm surge and the rain are going to be the big keys here. And as you can see, the hurricane warnings still remain in place up towards Flagler Beach, down towards Florida City. And the tropical storm warnings then extending southward across the Keys.
We'll talk more about the winds, Kyra, and who that is going to be effecting and how soon they'll be arriving about one hour from now.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll talk to you then. Jacqui Jeras, thanks -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Hurricane Frances turned parts of the Bahamas from a paradise into a nightmare today. Tourists in one luxury hotel told to leave their rooms and stay in a conference room. Elsewhere, powerful winds blew out windows and precipitated a little bit of looting.
Our Karl Penhaul has more from Freeport.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in Freeport on Grand Bahama. In the course of the morning, we've been seeing the buildup of Hurricane Frances. At the moment, what we're feeling are tropical storm-force winds. And in the course of the afternoon, meteorologists tell us the eye of the hurricane will start to pass over this island itself.
Now, you'll appreciate that the Bahamas is an island chain of more than 700 islands and keys. And throughout the day yesterday and overnight, other parts of the south and central Bahamas have really been pounded by Hurricane Frances.
We've been talking, though, to members of an incident center set up to monitor any potential crisis here, and they tell us here in Freeport that they have heard no reports of any deaths or injuries anywhere in the Bahamas. They say that there have been reports of buildings and roofs ripped off by the sheer force of the hurricane, but, again, they haven't had any major reports of severe structural damage.
We've moved inshore about three or four miles to the interior of the island. Meteorologists have been warning us that when the hurricane winds strike at winds up to 120 miles an hour, there could be a tidal surge between 14 and 18 feet. Because most of Grand Bahama is very low lying, that could mean that a large part of the island is under water.
For that reason, we and many of the islanders, it must be said, have moved to safer areas in the interior. Once the hurricane strikes here, it's expected to linger in the region of about eight hours, meteorologists tell us. And from here, it's 100 miles to the coast of Florida.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Freeport, Grand Bahama.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: The monster hurricane has caused some monster traffic jams on roads out of Florida. This was the scene earlier today on I- 75 in Valdosta, Georgia. Traffic was either stopped or moving at about 15 miles an hour in the area. The Georgia State Patrol said they've had six wrecks since last night just because of that volume.
Meanwhile, thousands of Floridians have moved into shelters to weather the storm. Almost 100 facilities are open from Daytona Beach south to Miami. Georgia and South Carolina have also opened up shelters.
O'BRIEN: They've already been hard hit by Hurricane Charley, and now Florida residents bracing for Frances. Ahead, we'll talk with an insurance expert about how to people for the double whammy. And get out of Dodge. More than two million people told to evacuate. A look at what they're encountering on the road a little bit later.
And one of Miami's most famous residents, singer Gloria Estefan, is on the road, thank goodness. She's here, she's safe and sound and dry, and she'll talk with us about the storm and the incredible -- yes, well, and all of the things she does on stage, which can whip up a frenzy, too.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Now to the chaos and confusion in Russia. Earlier today, Russian forces stormed the school where Chechen rebels were holding hundreds of students, parents and teachers hostage. In the aftermath, terrified half-naked children, some bloodied, ran from the school. Other survivors were carried out on stretchers.
Inside the building, however, a grisly discovery. Journalists report seeing about 100 bodies in the school gym. And more than 50 others may also be dead. An ITV reporter witnessed some of the fighting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we appear to be looking at is a terrible scene which prompted the Russian Army, I think quite understandably in those circumstances -- as you can see, the Chechen rebels actually opened firing -- opened fire on the people's children.
It provoked the Russian army into going beyond their orders, which up to then had been not to return fire, and they opened fire on the Chechens, and (INAUDIBLE) a full-scale battle unfolded.
It may be for that reason -- that that was the reason that the Chechens had the opportunity to detonate the explosive charges in the gymnasium. We're seeing more firing, as you hear, and another group of Russian combat troops moving forward to the other side of the school.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: It appears the hostage crises is not over. CNN's Jill Dougherty joining us now from Moscow with the latest -- Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, that's the latest that we have -- that it isn't over, that the operation continues. But the latest news coming from the spokesman for the regional president down in that part of south Russia on TV, Russian TV, first channel, saying that three terrorists have been captured, that they are in the hands of Russian intelligence, and they are now being interrogated.
That is a new development, because we do know that 20 terrorists were killed in this battle. And according to the FSB -- that's the successor agency to the KGB -- half of those that were killed were actually Arab mercenaries, not just regional Chechen people from that area, but they say Arab mercenaries.
And Miles, on the numbers of people who were killed on this horrific day, the total is now at 150. But aides to -- an aide to President Putin is saying that that could go much higher.
We know that there are roughly 650 people in the regional hospitals, and there was a lot of question, if you remember, Miles, throughout the day, how many people total were being held hostage, parents, children, teachers. It turns out that it was 1,200 people, and 840 of them approximately were children.
They were held in there. And as we saw those pictures of children running out of the building, trying to escape, along with some parents, they were, as you've noticed, probably, many of them in their underwear. Many theories why that was happening, Miles.
It was very hot. But it also may have been an attempt -- this is speculation -- by the hostage-takers to make it harder for those people to want to run out under those circumstances.
O'BRIEN: Jill, have we heard from Vladimir Putin yet? There was some anticipation earlier that he might make an address to the nation.
DOUGHERTY: There was, but at that time, where we heard that he might be coming out, the operation actually wasn't over. And as we know, it's still continuing practically nine hours later.
So, the president has not said anything. But you can be very sure that is he following this very carefully. There are regional authorities who are down there on the scene, people being taken off to the hospitals. And they're trying to give the most immediate care.
Don't forget, these people, the hostages, the children and parents, had nothing to drink, no water, nothing, and no food for two- and-a-half days. They are, under the best of circumstances, really under extraordinary stress and need some psychological as well as physical help.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Jill Dougherty in Moscow. Thanks -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, we continue to track Hurricane Frances as it heads toward Florida. In a few minutes, we're going to go live to the National Hurricane Center to get the latest on where the huge storm is headed.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Sunny beaches and balmy winters are part of the good life in Florida. But on the other side of the spectrum, hurricanes and the back-to-back storms. Charley and Frances are a good example of why so many people need hurricane insurance. Joining us now from Washington to talk about it is Bob Rusbuldt. He's the CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America.
Sir, thanks for being with us.
ROBERT RUSBULDT, INDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENTS & BROKERS: Good to be with you.
PHILLIPS: I guess, first of all, for those that are getting ready to leave, they've probably already done this. But for insurance purposes, explain how important it is to make an inventory and what exactly needs to be done. And what do folks need to document that they have and where it is?
RUSBULDT: Incredibly important to plan before the hurricane hits your home or your neighborhood to plan what you're going to do during that event if you decide to stay, and then how you're going to deal with it afterwards. And it's, you know, the old Boy Scout motto, be prepared, and that's what residents of Florida need to do.
You need to inventory your items either by videotape, taking pictures or writing down all of your valuable items and personal possessions in that house. You need to have a disaster kit that includes everything from flashlights and candles to radios, water, those sorts of basic staples.
You should tape your windows or board your windows, or close your shutters, obviously. You should remove tree branches, you should remove any kind of debris that can fly in your backyard, lawn chairs, those sorts of things. A lot of it is common sense, but a lot of times you don't think about those kinds of things.
PHILLIPS: What about your homeowners' policy? Should you have that in hand? I mean, looking at the details and reading the fine print?
RUSBULDT: Most people do not read their homeowners' policy until they need it. And that's just human nature.
I would strongly recommend that all residents in the path of any natural disaster read their homeowners' policies. What's your deductible, how much do you have to pay out of pocket? Do you have full replacement value, or do you have a cost-basis homeowners' policy? Do you have exclusions for artwork and valuables, or those sorts of things in your policy?
There's a lot of considerations for people. But you should have your policy. You should have your insurance agent's phone number ready to call. Know who your insurance agent is, and be ready for afterwards, when the claim is going to be made.
PHILLIPS: And I'm taking it that it's probably too late for flood insurance at this point if you don't have it.
RUSBULDT: Unfortunately, you're right. People -- there are a lot of people that don't have flood insurance. Once a hurricane is on the map you can't buy it anymore.
Flood insurance is not included in your homeowners' policy. And as you know, storm surges from hurricanes, flooding is a major problem.
You saw Gaston come through Richmond, Virginia. They were all flood claims. People didn't have flood insurance. So, this should be a good warning for people that they do need flood insurance in the future.
PHILLIPS: And Bob, this is double whammy for Florida. Are the rates higher there? And will there be any sort of, I don't know, deal cut for folks that are insured in Florida?
RUSBULDT: You know, there is, depending on where you live, differences in rates obviously. If you live an on earthquake fault line your rates are going to be higher than if you live in some places that's never experienced an earthquake.
The same with Florida homeowners. Rates in Florida are higher than they are in Iowa, for instance. So, yes, rates will be affected by this, just as they are after many natural disasters.
Insurance companies are going to be able to handle whatever Charley throws at us or whatever Frances throws at us. We've handled Charley. That was about a $7 billion to $9 billion event. We don't know what Charley is going to be, but, yes, unfortunately rates are part of economic reality.
PHILLIPS: Bob Rusbuldt, Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America. Thanks for your time today.
RUSBULDT: Good to be with you.
PHILLIPS: Are we going to a break? OK. Direction would be great. We're going to take a break. Thank you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Happening now in the news -- Frances hurdles toward Florida's east coast. The state has ordered its largest evacuation ever; 2.5 million people have been ordered out. That storm, the size of Texas, is due to make landfall tomorrow. The Red Cross is mounting its biggest operation ever for a U.S. natural disaster, even bigger for Hurricane Andrew back in 1992.
Former President Bill Clinton undergoing heart bypass operation as early as tomorrow. He's in New York Presbyterian Hospital this afternoon after complaining of chest discomfort and fatigue. A friend quoted Clinton as saying he might have a quadruple bypass. Actually, that's what we've been told he's going to have. The 58-year-old former president has been in good health and has no known history of heart problems.
Chaos and tragedy and Russian Special Forces try to end the hostage crises at a school in the southern city of Beslan. About 400 people, including children, parents, teachers all fled to safety when commandos assaulted the school building. Dozens of people have been killed. We're going to have an analysis of the crisis and a look at the hostage-takers' terror link in six minutes.
A Russian cosmonaut and an American astronaut are on a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The station's commander and science officer will install new equipment, including three antenna -- three antennas, rather.
We're keeping you informed -- Miles will keep you informed on that, I can promise you that.
CNN and Miles, the most trusted names in news.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 3, 2004 - 13:57 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Heart trouble -- former president will undergo heart bypass surgery after experiencing chest pains. We're live on the story.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hunkering down in Florida after the winds of Hurricane Frances whip up the Bahamas. We're live from the areas expected to be hit by that storm.
PHILLIPS: A horrific hostage situation at a Russian school. Some children and adults escape, but not before dozens of them are killed.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips.
O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM begins right now.
PHILLIPS: Well, we begin this hugely busy news days with the coronary bypass operation in Bill Clinton's very near future. As CNN first told you, the 42nd U.S. president is in a New York hospital after suffering chest pain and tiredness, and surgery could come as early as tomorrow.
CNN's Ed Henry is following the developments from our D.C. Bureau. He and John Keen broke the story. What do you know, Ed?
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra. Over the course of this morning, the former president started calling very close friends to inform them that, over the last two days, he was feeling some discomfort, some chest pains.
He's been going in and out of the hospital in order to check them out. Having a series of tests. And he informed his close friends that doctors this morning decided that he should have heart bypass surgery as soon as he can.
But I can tell you, from speaking to people who spoke to the former president this morning, they say he has been very upbeat, very optimistic, feeling that once he gets this taken care of, his health will be fine. He's has been looking very trim, very vigorous in recent weeks and months.
In fact, just this past Sunday, the former president gave a rousing speech at the Riverside Church in New York City to kick off there right on the eve of the Republican National Convention. He gave a speech in which he expressed, once again, his support for the Kerry/Edwards ticket. He is also been expected to be out on the campaign trail for Democrats this fall.
But obviously that is taking a back seat as just a short while ago, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was in Syracuse at the New York State Fair, upstate New York. She was supposed to be joined this morning by her husband. He had to cancel since he is in New York Presbyterian Hospital as we speak.
Senator Clinton went ahead with her schedule -- at least the early part of it -- but then gave these remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: Let me just extend the personal regrets of my husband. As many of you know, he was planning on being here. It's something he really does look forward to the entire year.
He believes coming to the state fair is one of his obligations as a Senate spouse. And he takes it very seriously. And we have -- we plan for it. Last year, he was in the throes of trying to finish his book. And so, this year we had not only planned for the fair, but going up to the north country, to the Thousand Islands, and having a little bit of rest and respite.
You may have heard by now, however, since it just hit the news, that he was admitted to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital just in the last hour or so. He is scheduled to have bypass surgery.
He went to our local hospital yesterday complaining of some chest pains and shortness of breath, and the initial testing was normal. So, he spent the night at home.
And we talked through the day, and he said he -- you know, he felt fine and not to worry, and he'd see me at the fair. But his doctors asked him to come back early this morning for some additional tests, and as a result of those additional tests at Westchester Medical Center, they did advise him to have bypass surgery, and to do it soon, as soon as he could.
So, I'm leaving here, and I know you understand. And I'm sorry I'm not going to get a chance to see each of you personally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: So, you heard right there, the senator obviously cutting short her schedule to get back to New York City. We're also told in an official statement from the former president's office that Chelsea Clinton will also be in New York City for the surgery -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Ed Henry, thank you so much. We'll continue to check in with you -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. How about a little bit of bypass surgery 101, the ins and outs of coronary bypass. Cardiac surgeon John Gott here. He's from Piedmont Hospital here in Atlanta.
He actually brought a few props. We can sort of get under the hood, if you will, with the heart and explain what's going to happen.
Dr. Gott, walk us through it, if you could.
DR. JOHN GOTT, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Sure. It sounds as if former President Clinton has had cardiac catheterization, which is a great road map of the blockages in the coronary arteries which travel over the surface of the heart, supplying blood to the heart muscle.
The problem, the blockage usually occurs at the very beginning of these blood vessels, allowing an opportunity for literally a bypass around the blockage. And the conduit or the path that the blood takes after it's reestablished with a new operation is -- can be through a vein or through an artery that's harvested from behind the breast bone, an internal mammary artery. A combination is the usual.
But the blood goes from an area of good supply, the aorta, to an area of poor supply, the coronary artery, restoring the blood flow and allowing a second chance.
O'BRIEN: And these veins come from yourself. You take something out of the leg and that is something that is replaced and other veins take over. It's like a spare part, as you said a few moments ago.
What's -- as you walk us through here, first of all, show us kind of the tools of the trade, if you would.
GOTT: The -- these blood vessels are on the order of one to two millimeters in diameter, so they're very small. And these jewelers loops, in a sense, that we wear, surgical telescopes, allow magnification from -- from a distance. And it magnifies the blood vessels about three and a half times. And we use instruments that are very much like jewelers' instruments to hole the suture that is smaller than the diameter of a human hair.
O'BRIEN: I don't know if you can zoom in on that, Robert, but you can see that suture there, thinner than a human hair. You've got to have a steady hand, obviously, to do that. Typically, these things are extremely successful. Do you know the number off the top?
GOTT: I think that's the overwhelming message. This has been one of the great success stories in all of medicine.
The operation has begun in the 1960s, and it's had an evolution. But it offers a chance at improved quality and length of life, something that not many things in medicine can offer.
But for a 58-year-old man in reasonable health, as former President Clinton is, one would expect a 99 percent chance or better that he would come through fine and be able to return to whatever activity he wanted.
O'BRIEN: And one of the key things, however, though, and one of the -- the recurrence issue here is changing lifestyle so you don't plug up that artery again, the bypass artery.
GOTT: Absolutely. There are about 10 things that we know are associated with the development of coronary disease, hereditary component, blood pressure, diabetes, the diet, cholesterol, exercise, smoking. And about half of these things you can do something about. And we call that risk factor modification, medications and lifestyle changes indeed.
O'BRIEN: And you just did one of these surgeries this morning. Everything go OK?
GOTT: Yes, happy ending.
O'BRIEN: All right. And very rarely there's a problem. Aside from what we've talked about, the long-range consequences, change in behavior, what can happen?
GOTT: Around the time of the operation, the things that the surgeons worry about and express their concerns to the patients and the family ahead of time, there can be bleeding. Very low incidence of that necessitating return to the operating room, and that usually has a happy ending. Very low rate of infection, less than one-half of one percent.
Stroke rate or brain damage, well less than one percent. Kidney trouble, lung trouble, very infrequently.
O'BRIEN: And how frequently or how soon, I should say, are these patients back on their feet?
GOTT: Usually the next day.
O'BRIEN: Really?
GOTT: Up in a chair sometimes the night of the operation.
O'BRIEN: Wow. All right,. Thank you very much, Dr. John Gott. We got a little bit of coronary bypass 101, and we appreciate it.
GOTT: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: All right -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: It's a little bit slower and a little bit weaker than yesterday but hurricane Frances is still a force to be feared, especially in Florida. We've got correspondents in the massive storm's pathway and in between. But we start with the science.
CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras to explain how it's all going down -- Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Kyra, holding steady now. The 2:00 advisory is in, and Frances is still packing winds of 115 miles per hour. So, it appears like that weakening trend is over with, at least for now. It's becoming a little bit steadier. And take a look. We've had very good outflow all day across the northern and eastern sides of the storm. But the west side of the storm is where it's really started to break down.
We had some drier air which has been entraining into the hurricane, and that's why it's breaking down and why we've had some weakening today. But now take a look here. It's starting to kind of become a little bit more symmetrical.
So, just by judging and by looking at satellite pictures alone, we might see a little bit more strengthening here. And there's still plenty of time to do that.
It's moving to the west-northwest around eight miles per hour. So, as it moves very slowly, that has been our biggest problem. That means more time for strengthening and more time for flooding rains as this thing moves across Florida.
You can see across the Miami area right now some rain showers, isolated showers and thundershowers as that tropical moisture is moving on shore now. But the real heavy rain band still back here.
The center of the storm right now is around the southern tip of Great Abaco Island, somewhere right around over there. And that's about 200 miles away from the Florida coastline.
So, it is getting a little bit closer. Right now, it still looks like landfall timing hasn't changed. Likely sometime tomorrow afternoon, into the evening hours. We'll have to see how much this continues to slow down.
There you can see the forecast track, likely still going to be a Category 3, maybe a weak 3 as this makes landfall. And you can see it should likely weaken quite a bit and turn back into a tropical storm as it moves over land.
But as it moves slow, that means the rainfall amounts are going to be very, very high, eight to 10 inches, will be very likely around the center of this storm. And we're also going to see some isolated amounts, we think, a little bit higher than that, possibly even as much as 20 inches.
So, the storm surge and the rain are going to be the big keys here. And as you can see, the hurricane warnings still remain in place up towards Flagler Beach, down towards Florida City. And the tropical storm warnings then extending southward across the Keys.
We'll talk more about the winds, Kyra, and who that is going to be effecting and how soon they'll be arriving about one hour from now.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll talk to you then. Jacqui Jeras, thanks -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Hurricane Frances turned parts of the Bahamas from a paradise into a nightmare today. Tourists in one luxury hotel told to leave their rooms and stay in a conference room. Elsewhere, powerful winds blew out windows and precipitated a little bit of looting.
Our Karl Penhaul has more from Freeport.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in Freeport on Grand Bahama. In the course of the morning, we've been seeing the buildup of Hurricane Frances. At the moment, what we're feeling are tropical storm-force winds. And in the course of the afternoon, meteorologists tell us the eye of the hurricane will start to pass over this island itself.
Now, you'll appreciate that the Bahamas is an island chain of more than 700 islands and keys. And throughout the day yesterday and overnight, other parts of the south and central Bahamas have really been pounded by Hurricane Frances.
We've been talking, though, to members of an incident center set up to monitor any potential crisis here, and they tell us here in Freeport that they have heard no reports of any deaths or injuries anywhere in the Bahamas. They say that there have been reports of buildings and roofs ripped off by the sheer force of the hurricane, but, again, they haven't had any major reports of severe structural damage.
We've moved inshore about three or four miles to the interior of the island. Meteorologists have been warning us that when the hurricane winds strike at winds up to 120 miles an hour, there could be a tidal surge between 14 and 18 feet. Because most of Grand Bahama is very low lying, that could mean that a large part of the island is under water.
For that reason, we and many of the islanders, it must be said, have moved to safer areas in the interior. Once the hurricane strikes here, it's expected to linger in the region of about eight hours, meteorologists tell us. And from here, it's 100 miles to the coast of Florida.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Freeport, Grand Bahama.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: The monster hurricane has caused some monster traffic jams on roads out of Florida. This was the scene earlier today on I- 75 in Valdosta, Georgia. Traffic was either stopped or moving at about 15 miles an hour in the area. The Georgia State Patrol said they've had six wrecks since last night just because of that volume.
Meanwhile, thousands of Floridians have moved into shelters to weather the storm. Almost 100 facilities are open from Daytona Beach south to Miami. Georgia and South Carolina have also opened up shelters.
O'BRIEN: They've already been hard hit by Hurricane Charley, and now Florida residents bracing for Frances. Ahead, we'll talk with an insurance expert about how to people for the double whammy. And get out of Dodge. More than two million people told to evacuate. A look at what they're encountering on the road a little bit later.
And one of Miami's most famous residents, singer Gloria Estefan, is on the road, thank goodness. She's here, she's safe and sound and dry, and she'll talk with us about the storm and the incredible -- yes, well, and all of the things she does on stage, which can whip up a frenzy, too.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Now to the chaos and confusion in Russia. Earlier today, Russian forces stormed the school where Chechen rebels were holding hundreds of students, parents and teachers hostage. In the aftermath, terrified half-naked children, some bloodied, ran from the school. Other survivors were carried out on stretchers.
Inside the building, however, a grisly discovery. Journalists report seeing about 100 bodies in the school gym. And more than 50 others may also be dead. An ITV reporter witnessed some of the fighting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we appear to be looking at is a terrible scene which prompted the Russian Army, I think quite understandably in those circumstances -- as you can see, the Chechen rebels actually opened firing -- opened fire on the people's children.
It provoked the Russian army into going beyond their orders, which up to then had been not to return fire, and they opened fire on the Chechens, and (INAUDIBLE) a full-scale battle unfolded.
It may be for that reason -- that that was the reason that the Chechens had the opportunity to detonate the explosive charges in the gymnasium. We're seeing more firing, as you hear, and another group of Russian combat troops moving forward to the other side of the school.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: It appears the hostage crises is not over. CNN's Jill Dougherty joining us now from Moscow with the latest -- Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, that's the latest that we have -- that it isn't over, that the operation continues. But the latest news coming from the spokesman for the regional president down in that part of south Russia on TV, Russian TV, first channel, saying that three terrorists have been captured, that they are in the hands of Russian intelligence, and they are now being interrogated.
That is a new development, because we do know that 20 terrorists were killed in this battle. And according to the FSB -- that's the successor agency to the KGB -- half of those that were killed were actually Arab mercenaries, not just regional Chechen people from that area, but they say Arab mercenaries.
And Miles, on the numbers of people who were killed on this horrific day, the total is now at 150. But aides to -- an aide to President Putin is saying that that could go much higher.
We know that there are roughly 650 people in the regional hospitals, and there was a lot of question, if you remember, Miles, throughout the day, how many people total were being held hostage, parents, children, teachers. It turns out that it was 1,200 people, and 840 of them approximately were children.
They were held in there. And as we saw those pictures of children running out of the building, trying to escape, along with some parents, they were, as you've noticed, probably, many of them in their underwear. Many theories why that was happening, Miles.
It was very hot. But it also may have been an attempt -- this is speculation -- by the hostage-takers to make it harder for those people to want to run out under those circumstances.
O'BRIEN: Jill, have we heard from Vladimir Putin yet? There was some anticipation earlier that he might make an address to the nation.
DOUGHERTY: There was, but at that time, where we heard that he might be coming out, the operation actually wasn't over. And as we know, it's still continuing practically nine hours later.
So, the president has not said anything. But you can be very sure that is he following this very carefully. There are regional authorities who are down there on the scene, people being taken off to the hospitals. And they're trying to give the most immediate care.
Don't forget, these people, the hostages, the children and parents, had nothing to drink, no water, nothing, and no food for two- and-a-half days. They are, under the best of circumstances, really under extraordinary stress and need some psychological as well as physical help.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Jill Dougherty in Moscow. Thanks -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, we continue to track Hurricane Frances as it heads toward Florida. In a few minutes, we're going to go live to the National Hurricane Center to get the latest on where the huge storm is headed.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Sunny beaches and balmy winters are part of the good life in Florida. But on the other side of the spectrum, hurricanes and the back-to-back storms. Charley and Frances are a good example of why so many people need hurricane insurance. Joining us now from Washington to talk about it is Bob Rusbuldt. He's the CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America.
Sir, thanks for being with us.
ROBERT RUSBULDT, INDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENTS & BROKERS: Good to be with you.
PHILLIPS: I guess, first of all, for those that are getting ready to leave, they've probably already done this. But for insurance purposes, explain how important it is to make an inventory and what exactly needs to be done. And what do folks need to document that they have and where it is?
RUSBULDT: Incredibly important to plan before the hurricane hits your home or your neighborhood to plan what you're going to do during that event if you decide to stay, and then how you're going to deal with it afterwards. And it's, you know, the old Boy Scout motto, be prepared, and that's what residents of Florida need to do.
You need to inventory your items either by videotape, taking pictures or writing down all of your valuable items and personal possessions in that house. You need to have a disaster kit that includes everything from flashlights and candles to radios, water, those sorts of basic staples.
You should tape your windows or board your windows, or close your shutters, obviously. You should remove tree branches, you should remove any kind of debris that can fly in your backyard, lawn chairs, those sorts of things. A lot of it is common sense, but a lot of times you don't think about those kinds of things.
PHILLIPS: What about your homeowners' policy? Should you have that in hand? I mean, looking at the details and reading the fine print?
RUSBULDT: Most people do not read their homeowners' policy until they need it. And that's just human nature.
I would strongly recommend that all residents in the path of any natural disaster read their homeowners' policies. What's your deductible, how much do you have to pay out of pocket? Do you have full replacement value, or do you have a cost-basis homeowners' policy? Do you have exclusions for artwork and valuables, or those sorts of things in your policy?
There's a lot of considerations for people. But you should have your policy. You should have your insurance agent's phone number ready to call. Know who your insurance agent is, and be ready for afterwards, when the claim is going to be made.
PHILLIPS: And I'm taking it that it's probably too late for flood insurance at this point if you don't have it.
RUSBULDT: Unfortunately, you're right. People -- there are a lot of people that don't have flood insurance. Once a hurricane is on the map you can't buy it anymore.
Flood insurance is not included in your homeowners' policy. And as you know, storm surges from hurricanes, flooding is a major problem.
You saw Gaston come through Richmond, Virginia. They were all flood claims. People didn't have flood insurance. So, this should be a good warning for people that they do need flood insurance in the future.
PHILLIPS: And Bob, this is double whammy for Florida. Are the rates higher there? And will there be any sort of, I don't know, deal cut for folks that are insured in Florida?
RUSBULDT: You know, there is, depending on where you live, differences in rates obviously. If you live an on earthquake fault line your rates are going to be higher than if you live in some places that's never experienced an earthquake.
The same with Florida homeowners. Rates in Florida are higher than they are in Iowa, for instance. So, yes, rates will be affected by this, just as they are after many natural disasters.
Insurance companies are going to be able to handle whatever Charley throws at us or whatever Frances throws at us. We've handled Charley. That was about a $7 billion to $9 billion event. We don't know what Charley is going to be, but, yes, unfortunately rates are part of economic reality.
PHILLIPS: Bob Rusbuldt, Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America. Thanks for your time today.
RUSBULDT: Good to be with you.
PHILLIPS: Are we going to a break? OK. Direction would be great. We're going to take a break. Thank you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Happening now in the news -- Frances hurdles toward Florida's east coast. The state has ordered its largest evacuation ever; 2.5 million people have been ordered out. That storm, the size of Texas, is due to make landfall tomorrow. The Red Cross is mounting its biggest operation ever for a U.S. natural disaster, even bigger for Hurricane Andrew back in 1992.
Former President Bill Clinton undergoing heart bypass operation as early as tomorrow. He's in New York Presbyterian Hospital this afternoon after complaining of chest discomfort and fatigue. A friend quoted Clinton as saying he might have a quadruple bypass. Actually, that's what we've been told he's going to have. The 58-year-old former president has been in good health and has no known history of heart problems.
Chaos and tragedy and Russian Special Forces try to end the hostage crises at a school in the southern city of Beslan. About 400 people, including children, parents, teachers all fled to safety when commandos assaulted the school building. Dozens of people have been killed. We're going to have an analysis of the crisis and a look at the hostage-takers' terror link in six minutes.
A Russian cosmonaut and an American astronaut are on a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The station's commander and science officer will install new equipment, including three antenna -- three antennas, rather.
We're keeping you informed -- Miles will keep you informed on that, I can promise you that.
CNN and Miles, the most trusted names in news.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
