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Clinton to Undergo Heart Bypass Surgery Saturday; Florida Prepares for Hurricane Frances; Update on Russia Hostage Situation.
Aired September 03, 2004 - 12:59 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Doctors tell former President Clinton he needs a heart bypass operation. We're covering this developing story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... seeing an absolutely horrific scene here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Bullets, explosions, and fire as a hostage situation gets more chaotic. More than 100 men, women, and children feared dead. We're live from the Russian school standoff.
O'BRIEN: And we're live from the Bahamas -- these pictures live. Winds of Hurricane Frances blowing and bearing down on Florida. Actually, those are taped -- apologize for that. Millions of people told to evacuate.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Miles, I'm meteorologist Chad Myers standing right here on the beach -- here at Indianapolis Beach. Tell you what, it's going to be a very rough day out here, near Melbourne. We'll tell you what's going on with the surf right now.
O'BRIEN: All right, we're covering the area. It's bracing for Hurricane Frances this hour.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
O'BRIEN: Our top story today of top stories, coronary bypass surgery on tap for Bill Clinton. CNN, the first to report the former president had checked into a New York hospital after suffering chest pain and fatigue.
And we turn straight away to CNN's Ed Henry for further details -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Miles. That's right, former President Bill Clinton has checked into New York Presbyterian Hospital this morning. He is scheduled to have heart bypass surgery on Saturday. That information coming in from CNN senior White House correspondent John King, that it will be Saturday, in fact. A little earlier, I spoke to a close friend of the former president, who said that the former president has been making phone calls this morning, informing people that he has had chest pains. He first actually checked himself into the hospital yesterday to get checked out -- was well enough to go back home, but then went back to the hospital this morning to get checked out again.
That's when the former president started calling friends to let them know that he was told he would need to have quadruple bypass surgery. Again, that is likely to happen tomorrow. We've been told it is scheduled for Saturday.
We have multiple phone calls and e-mail messages into the former president's office. They have not yet returned those calls or messages. They have not put out an official statement. But multiple friends of the former president saying that they have been informed that he is having heart bypass surgery.
We're also being told that the former president was scheduled today to be in Syracuse at the New York State Fair with his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton. She has gone ahead with at least parts of her public schedule for today. But the former president, obviously, is now at the hospital. He is not in Syracuse.
We are also learning that he is expressing the feeling that he is very upbeat. The friends who have talked to the former president say that he believes that his general health is very good, that his doctors have told him that they feel optimistic about this. Once he has his surgery, they think he will be back on the road to recovery.
Also want to note that, just this past Sunday, I was at the historic Riverside Church in New York, where the former president gave a speech. He looked very vigorous. He came out very strong in support of Senator John Kerry, right on the eve of the Republican National Convention. But obviously now, he is going to have to be off the campaign trail at least for a short period, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Ed, we know a lot about the president's love of fast food and his battles with weight over the years. But he's never had heart trouble in the past, has he?
HENRY: That's right. He has not had heart trouble. And also, it's worth noting that, in recent years, much has been made about the fact that as a former president, Bill Clinton has really shed some weight. He has famously been on the South Beach Diet and has sung its praises and has been looking trim.
As I mentioned, just this past Sunday, he was looking extremely fit, extremely optimistic, gave a long speech, a speech that went on about twice as long as expected at the Riverside Church in New York City. And people there were commenting on the fact that he appeared to be, you know, in wonderful health.
But obviously, this morning, the former president dealing with a very, very serious health situation. But again, he is expressing optimism to his friends that he thinks he's going to be fine, Miles. O'BRIEN: Ed Henry in Washington.
Let's go to Adaora Udoji, who's in New York at the hospital where this will all take place, perhaps as soon as tomorrow. Adaora, what are you hearing there?
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, we are indeed at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. In fact, we're in front of the Milstein Building, where we believe the former president is. But at this point, hospital officials are not giving out any information. In fact, they told us that they have no information about the president or his condition at this point.
We do believe that he may be on the ninth floor, and that's because we've seen at least a half dozen Secret Service agents upstairs. And it's also -- it's called the McKean (ph) Pavilion, and it's a VIP, sort of private area, and we've seen some Secret Service agents up there, so we are supposing that perhaps the former president is indeed there -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right, Adaora Udoji.
Let's go back to Ed Henry in Washington. Ed, as far as details, you say you're not getting anything specifically from Mr. Clinton's office...
HENRY: I now have a statement...
O'BRIEN: Oh, you do.
HENRY: ... I now have just gotten a statement from former President Clinton's office. That's why we're trying to come back. Forgive me for looking down, but I was just handed this.
"Former President" -- this is a quote directly from the former President's office -- quote, "former President Bill Clinton is being admitted to New York Presbyterian Hospital today and is scheduled to have bypass surgery."
"The former president went to Northern Westchester Hospital yesterday afternoon after experiencing mild chest pain and shortness of breath. Initial testing was normal, and he spent the night at home in nearby by Chappaqua, New York. After undergoing additional testing this morning at Westchester Medical Center, doctors advised he should undergo bypass surgery."
"Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton will be with the president in New York City." That statement just coming into CNN. That is the extent of it. No further details. I want to make clear, a moment ago, I said that we were expecting the surgery to be on Saturday. I should say that it will be as early as Saturday. No exact, precise time just yet.
Again, as early as Saturday for the surgery. This statement from the former president's office is not directly addressing the date, but making clear that while Senator Clinton right now is in upstate New York, she will be back in New York City with the former president for the surgery, as will Chelsea Clinton, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Ed Henry in Washington, thank you very much -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Bypass operations are performed by the thousand every day, and survival rates are extremely high. But that doesn't make them any less scary if you're the patient, that's for sure.
Joining us with more on the procedure and the prospects for recovery, CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
I guess, did this come out of the blue or not? Because when you think about he was on this special diet and kind of watching what he was eating, maybe he knew he had something he was dealing with.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Maybe. And maybe, possibly, he had been having a bit of chest pain. I mean, who knows. I mean, people go on diets. He has always struggled with his weight. But you talked about survival rates earlier, and let's talk about that, because sometimes when people hear bypass surgery, they say, "Oh, my goodness, that could be so dangerous."
Actually, we were talking to a doctor from the American Heart Association who says that for someone who is as young as Bill Clinton is -- he just turned 58 -- and for someone who's in as good shape as he is in, that the survival rate -- or the death rate, actually, if you look at it this way, would be less than one percent. So, that is, indeed, very, very low.
Let's talk a little bit -- Ed was talking earlier about tests. People come in, they have chest pain, they go in for tests. What classically happens -- although they haven't given the details in President Clinton's case -- is that someone has chest pains, they go in, they're given an EKG, they're given another kind of test to see a blood test, called an enzyme test, to see if they actually have had a heart attack or not.
And then, often, the next test is to do an actual cardiac catheterization, where they take a very soft tipped needle, go in through a vein, often in the groin, and then they put dye into the heart to see if there has been any blockages in those arteries.
Now, if there have been blockages, either they'll just do an angioplasty right there and then -- they'll put a stent in to open up that vein, or if it's too severe, they'll decide that they're going to go on for actual bypass surgery, which may have been what's happening here, because they've now scheduled him for bypass surgery.
PHILLIPS: Is this the type of surgery where you're in the hospital for a while? Can you go and have the surgery, be released in a few days? Do you know what the average time is in the hospital?
COHEN: What usually happens is you go in for the surgery, and then after the surgery, classically, someone is in the intensive care unit for a day or two and is in the hospital for a total of about five days. The person is then discharged home and is at home for about two weeks, and then is told that they can go back and do normal activities.
Now, that doesn't mean running a marathon; that doesn't mean any kind of heavy exercise. But it does mean that they can resume many kinds of normal activities. And so, it puts them out of commission for that period of time. And then, full recovery is really a matter of months. I mean, it does take a while to fully get back to where you were before.
PHILLIPS: Well, unfortunately, my dad has had this procedure, and as time has rolled on, he's had to have angioplasties since then. So, sometimes it's that type -- you not only have to watch your diet, but you've really got to keep up with exercise and pay attention to everything you're putting into your body.
COHEN: Right, oh, absolutely. And doctors are very sophisticated these days about recovery -- I mean, not just sophisticated about the procedure, but they will discharge someone and they don't just say, "OK, take care of yourself." They put you in a cardiac rehabilitation program, where they basically teach you how to eat again.
They teach you what to eat and what not to eat. They teach you what kinds of exercises you ought to be doing. They will encourage you, even from the, pretty much, very beginning, after the surgery, to start out walking, for example. And so, they really are teaching people how to live better.
Now, as Kyra mentioned, some people, after this kind of bypass surgery, will have to go on an have an angioplasty, which is where they -- much less invasive procedure, where they put a stent in to hold open the arteries. Other people never have to have that. It really depends person to person.
PHILLIPS: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thanks a lot. I know you'll monitor the procedure for us.
COHEN: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: Miles?
O'BRIEN: Hurricane Frances, a storm that is spawning unprecedented precautions in Florida. With the hurricane's brunt still more than 200 miles off Florida's southeastern coast, two-and-a- half million people are under mandatory evacuation orders. That is a record. And the Red Cross is preparing for its largest natural disaster relief effort ever in the United States.
Our coverage begins with CNN meteorologist Chad Myers. He is in Melbourne, and correspondent Sean Callebs is in West Palm Beach. Let's go to Chad first -- Chad.
MYERS: Good afternoon, Miles. I want to show you something. I want to show you the waves back out here, obviously towering over me. Now, they're not as big as the old movie "Hawaii Five-0," but certainly, there are six to eight footers right now. And then, we turn your attention a little bit farther down the beach, and I'll show you what's going on.
You can actually taste this hurricane. You can taste the salt in the air. You can see the salt in the air down there. We have all of this foam on top of the wave cover here, and now the winds at about 25 miles per hour. And by this evening, they're going to be 50. And by later tonight, they're going to be 70. And by tomorrow, they're going to be 100, and maybe even 120 if we get the eye wall, which is where, basically, we're forecast to get the eye wall right here.
Before that, we're going to move farther inland, much farther inland, and get behind a big concrete hotel, because all the folks here along the beach are gone. This place should be packed. It should be absolutely covered with people on a Friday before Labor Day. It's empty. It's a bunch of TV crews, that's it. Miles, back to you.
O'BRIEN: Well, we're glad that people have heeded the call here. Of course, we remember with Charley how these predictions can go a little bit awry, plus or minus quite a bit of distance here on the possibility of that eye striking landfall.
MYERS: Well, here's the deal. Here's another deal. You have to look at the acuteness of the angle. And you can get an appreciation for this, Miles. The southern part of the eye wall, or the western part of the eye wall, may hit as far south as West Palm Beach, or Boca. But then, the rest of the eye wall keeps spinning, keeps spinning, and the center of the eye may go right down the beach, right down the beach.
And by the time the eastern side of the eye wall reaches landfall, it may be 50 miles farther north than where it started, and that will make a lot of devastation at 120 miles an hour if that's where the storm is -- that's what it's forecast to be when it makes landfall.
O'BRIEN: So, a glancing blow like that can actually really be worse. You know, usually, what you often see at this juncture in a storm -- a lot of -- well, you can call them foolish, I think -- foolish people who will go out there and try to catch a few waves. I don't see anybody out there today.
MYERS: No. We had one about 9:00, and he was done at about 9:15, and he was back on shore. That was it. Nobody's been out there in the water at all today. They're all gone. There's not a restaurant. There's not a gas station. And speaking of gas, I came into Orlando yesterday and drove here. The gas lines in Orlando, at times, were 100 cars deep. That's not an exaggeration.
And Miles, there were people driving behind these gas tanker trucks, because they knew that the next time the gas tanker trucks stopped, there would be gas at that gas station. I don't know the number, but it was at least, as I counted, 80 percent of the gas stations were completely out of fuel. And the ones that still had fuel were backed up as far as you could see.
O'BRIEN: Just to add a little more complication to matters. OK, Chad Myers, be careful out there. Thanks very much -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Well, evacuation orders cover 16 Florida counties now. It was 10 yesterday, and five others urged, but not exactly ordered, to clear out. Now, all those people on all those highways, of course, need gas, as Chad and Miles were just talking about, and not all of them can find it, at least not where they're used to filling up.
CNN's Sean Callebs is tracking that part of the story in West Palm Beach. Sean, I remember seeing the live picture yesterday, everybody heading out. You sort of wonder where things stand.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, exactly, I-95 really a parking lot. We actually made the drive down from Orlando all the way to Miami, then back up to West Palm where we are now. Literally thousands of cars bumper to bumper the entire day. Where things stand now, not easy to find gas. And if we can pan up and show you the flags here, we can tell you the winds have picked up.
It's somewhat brisk here, but certainly just a very comfortable afternoon. Perhaps people taking this lull in the movement of the hurricane to come in and try and find gasoline at this, the eleventh hour of these mandatory evacuations.
Here's a gentleman that just pulled up in the last couple of seconds or so. Sir, how hard was it for you to find gas?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been very hard. I've been driving all over. About the last five or six gas stations in the area are closed down.
CALLEBS: And Mark (ph), are you from this area?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
CALLEBS: Are you going to evacuate, or are you just...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to move out west to Wellington.
CALLEBS: So, just out of this immediate area, but you're still going to be inland, so probably feel some of the brunt of the storm once it does come in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely.
CALLEBS: What about this? You've heard all the reports that no more gasoline is going to be coming into this area until after the storm comes through. There are 12 pumps here at this Cumberland Farms convenience store; at least three of them are out of gas now.
What do you think it's going to be like in the coming days?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Scary. It's something I've never been through before. I mean, I'm thinking probably a week afterwards there's not going to be any gas, you know? I would expect a lot of gas cruisers to be coming down here, but I don't know. With all the debris and everything -- a lot of cleanup.
CALLEBS: Mark (ph), best of luck to you. Thanks very much for taking the time to chat with us.
And really, Kyra, that is perhaps the key to this story, the fact that the storm is somewhat moving more slowly now. No gas is being brought into south Florida. So, really, the only gas that's going into the vehicles is out in the pumps.
So, we asked the owners here how long they expected to be open. We got a -- they have no idea. The only gasoline that is even available is supreme -- the most expensive.
So, we've actually seen a couple of people who've been looking for some time, pull in, kind of shake their heads and say, "We're going to look for a different station."
Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: Sean, have the prices remained the same?
CALLEBS: Oh, yes, very much the same. Florida has a very strict price gouging law that really went into effect not long after Hurricane Andrew. So, if there are reports from gas stations, hotels, lumber companies, things of that nature, the state has always been very aggressive in following up any kind of accusations about price gouging.
PHILLIPS: Sean Callebs in West Palm Beach. Thanks, Sean. Wow.
O'BRIEN: Up and down the coast of Florida we go. We've been to Melbourne, we've been to West Palm.
Let's go up to the oldest city in America, St. Augustine, founded in 1565. They've seen quite a few hurricanes over those years, of course. But this one, even though the eye may come south of here, Kathleen, I suppose people are taking it pretty seriously. I see an awful lot of plywood behind you there.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Quite a lot, Miles. And actually, ironically, this city dealt with its last major hurricane just 40 years ago next week. That's the anniversary of Hurricane Dora. It was a Category 2 that slammed into this city. Now, as you can see, these walls and windows boarded up here.
The problem with the historic downtown part of St. Augustine is that it is surrounded by water on three sides. There are two rivers and a bay. And when Hurricane Dora, as a matter of fact, swept in here, the water in the downtown area came up to my thighs. But they say that this city floods even when there is just a serious rainstorm.
So, they're very, very concerned about that. Even if you get a glancing blow here and you get 12, 14 inches of rain, that may be enough to cause significant damage to trap people in their businesses, homes. And as a matter of fact, out there on that barrier island that's connected to St. Augustine by the Bridge of Lions, lots of homes, lots of beachfront hotels.
And a lot of people boarding up and leaving there right now because, again, they say that even in a very severe tropical storm, the bridge here, and then a bridge to the south, they basically flood out, and you're trapped on those islands. But no mandatory evacuation here yet, Miles. We've got schools closed, government buildings closed. They're just preparing for what might be headed our way very soon.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Kathleen Koch in St. Augustine, thank you very much.
Get your pen or pencil out. Hurricane help lines for you. The Florida emergency information 24-hour hotline -- I bet that's a busy phone number -- 800-342-3557. The American Red Cross, 800-HELP-NOW, and in digits, that's 435-7669. We'll have those numbers for you again later in the show, in case you missed it.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's a holiday weekend. Of course, Frances is going to be affecting Labor Day travel plans. In just a few minutes, we're going to talk with a travel consultant about what to do if the storm has canceled your vacation. And what it's like to travel through the eye of the storm -- this is pretty awesome.
Later on, our Orelon Sidney reports on a plane trip she just took right through, with the hurricane hunters, right about that storm. We're going to get a bird's-eye view.
Also ahead, how did today's horrific scene at the Russian school unfold? A lot of details to tell you coming in by the minute. We're in-depth after a break.
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PHILLIPS: Now, to Russia's horrifying hostage crisis. The situation is still volatile. The picture is still confusing, but here's what we know right now. Russian commandos stormed the school earlier today, a gunfight followed. The fighting is still raging at this hour, and loud explosions were heard in the area just about an hour ago, possibly right inside the gymnasium where some of the bodies were.
Some 400 hostages have been freed, but dozens of people, including many children, are still inside, under the guns of their abductors. A number of other people are reported dead. ITV reporter Julian Manyon got inside the burned out school. This is what he saw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIAN MANYON, ITV REPORTER: ... call the mopping up phase. The mopping up is taking some time, because what everyone thinks about their methods, what everyone thinks about the justice, or otherwise, of their cause, the Chechens are formidable fighters, and they're fighting with all the persistence and determination that they're so (INAUDIBLE) for...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Whoever coined the phrase about hell breaking loose could have been describing the gunfire explosions -- blood, death, and panic that culminated two days of fear and threats in Beslan.
CNN's Ryan Chilcote watched it all unfold. He joins us live with the latest -- Ryan.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, let's start with some of the figures. They are very, very disturbing. So far, the Associated Press is reporting that 150 people have been killed, 646 hospitalized -- that's of 1,200 hostages. All that information coming from the Associated Press.
This all began, as you know, this hostage-taking crisis, on Wednesday. It was in its third day. About eight hours ago, the siege ended when four officials, four Russian rescue officials went to collect the bodies of some people that had been killed in the sporadic fighting over the last couple of days.
They had reached a cease-fire arrangement with the hostage takers. They had evacuated two of the bodies from in front of the school. That's when there were some loud explosions at the back side of the school. Some of the children that were inside of the gymnasium decided to make a run for it. They decided to try to flee from the gymnasium.
The hostage takers that were on the roof of the gymnasium opened fire on them. Russian forces returned fire. And seven hours -- almost eight hours later now, we have had periodic gunfire going on in that school. Russian forces still trying to clear the school of the hostage takers inside.
Now, we understand that Russian soldiers from the 58th Army here have begun de-mining in the school. Sometimes, that's an indication that the hostilities are over, when you send the de-miners in. But there has been no official confirmation of an end to the fighting. What I can say is we haven't heard any of the very loud explosions that we've been hearing for the last seven or eight hours. Over the last 15, 20 minutes, it's really quieted down -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Just to clarify then, Ryan, what do we know about the possibility of other hostages being inside right now?
CHILCOTE: Well, we know that as of two hours ago, a representative from the crisis headquarters here, a Russian official, said that there are still hostages inside of the building -- this information about two hours old. There are still hostages inside the building, among them children. And he said that there is still fighting under way.
Now, we could hear that there was fighting under way quite clearly. Since then, it's quieted down, and we know the de-mining teams have moved in. What we don't know is if all of the hostages have been released and if the fighting has come to an end. But that's obviously what everyone is hoping for here, Miles.
O'BRIEN: And also, are we certain that it was the militants, the hostage takers, that began this fight? Or was that explosion -- could it be attributed to the Russian Army? We don't know? CHILCOTE: That's a very good question, Miles. We don't know for sure, but I did speak with a couple of the individuals that were in front of the school recovering those bodies. They're from the Russian emergency ministry, and they went up in front of the school unarmed, as they had agreed with, with the hostage takers.
And they report that they saw a group of children try to flee from the building, and that it was then that the hostage takers opened fire on the children.
This was from these Russian officials. One of them was killed. One of the Russian officials was killed -- these rescue workers -- one was wounded. But they saw this with their very own eyes. Then they say that Russian forces returned fire. What started all of the chaos, apparently, according to these men, were two nearly simultaneous explosions coming from the other side of the building -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right, CNN's Ryan Chilcote. Obviously, this story is still unfolding, and we will check back with him later. Thank you very much.
Hurricane Frances looming large as Florida braces for another big storm coming ashore three weeks after Charley. We're tracking it. And in just a few minutes, we'll take you through the eye of the storm, or at least over it, with one of the hurricane hunter planes. Orelon Sidney got a ride.
And will Bush bounce? How will his convention speech affect his poll with undecided voters? We'll talk about that a little bit later on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired September 3, 2004 - 12:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Doctors tell former President Clinton he needs a heart bypass operation. We're covering this developing story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... seeing an absolutely horrific scene here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Bullets, explosions, and fire as a hostage situation gets more chaotic. More than 100 men, women, and children feared dead. We're live from the Russian school standoff.
O'BRIEN: And we're live from the Bahamas -- these pictures live. Winds of Hurricane Frances blowing and bearing down on Florida. Actually, those are taped -- apologize for that. Millions of people told to evacuate.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Miles, I'm meteorologist Chad Myers standing right here on the beach -- here at Indianapolis Beach. Tell you what, it's going to be a very rough day out here, near Melbourne. We'll tell you what's going on with the surf right now.
O'BRIEN: All right, we're covering the area. It's bracing for Hurricane Frances this hour.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
O'BRIEN: Our top story today of top stories, coronary bypass surgery on tap for Bill Clinton. CNN, the first to report the former president had checked into a New York hospital after suffering chest pain and fatigue.
And we turn straight away to CNN's Ed Henry for further details -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Miles. That's right, former President Bill Clinton has checked into New York Presbyterian Hospital this morning. He is scheduled to have heart bypass surgery on Saturday. That information coming in from CNN senior White House correspondent John King, that it will be Saturday, in fact. A little earlier, I spoke to a close friend of the former president, who said that the former president has been making phone calls this morning, informing people that he has had chest pains. He first actually checked himself into the hospital yesterday to get checked out -- was well enough to go back home, but then went back to the hospital this morning to get checked out again.
That's when the former president started calling friends to let them know that he was told he would need to have quadruple bypass surgery. Again, that is likely to happen tomorrow. We've been told it is scheduled for Saturday.
We have multiple phone calls and e-mail messages into the former president's office. They have not yet returned those calls or messages. They have not put out an official statement. But multiple friends of the former president saying that they have been informed that he is having heart bypass surgery.
We're also being told that the former president was scheduled today to be in Syracuse at the New York State Fair with his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton. She has gone ahead with at least parts of her public schedule for today. But the former president, obviously, is now at the hospital. He is not in Syracuse.
We are also learning that he is expressing the feeling that he is very upbeat. The friends who have talked to the former president say that he believes that his general health is very good, that his doctors have told him that they feel optimistic about this. Once he has his surgery, they think he will be back on the road to recovery.
Also want to note that, just this past Sunday, I was at the historic Riverside Church in New York, where the former president gave a speech. He looked very vigorous. He came out very strong in support of Senator John Kerry, right on the eve of the Republican National Convention. But obviously now, he is going to have to be off the campaign trail at least for a short period, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Ed, we know a lot about the president's love of fast food and his battles with weight over the years. But he's never had heart trouble in the past, has he?
HENRY: That's right. He has not had heart trouble. And also, it's worth noting that, in recent years, much has been made about the fact that as a former president, Bill Clinton has really shed some weight. He has famously been on the South Beach Diet and has sung its praises and has been looking trim.
As I mentioned, just this past Sunday, he was looking extremely fit, extremely optimistic, gave a long speech, a speech that went on about twice as long as expected at the Riverside Church in New York City. And people there were commenting on the fact that he appeared to be, you know, in wonderful health.
But obviously, this morning, the former president dealing with a very, very serious health situation. But again, he is expressing optimism to his friends that he thinks he's going to be fine, Miles. O'BRIEN: Ed Henry in Washington.
Let's go to Adaora Udoji, who's in New York at the hospital where this will all take place, perhaps as soon as tomorrow. Adaora, what are you hearing there?
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, we are indeed at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. In fact, we're in front of the Milstein Building, where we believe the former president is. But at this point, hospital officials are not giving out any information. In fact, they told us that they have no information about the president or his condition at this point.
We do believe that he may be on the ninth floor, and that's because we've seen at least a half dozen Secret Service agents upstairs. And it's also -- it's called the McKean (ph) Pavilion, and it's a VIP, sort of private area, and we've seen some Secret Service agents up there, so we are supposing that perhaps the former president is indeed there -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right, Adaora Udoji.
Let's go back to Ed Henry in Washington. Ed, as far as details, you say you're not getting anything specifically from Mr. Clinton's office...
HENRY: I now have a statement...
O'BRIEN: Oh, you do.
HENRY: ... I now have just gotten a statement from former President Clinton's office. That's why we're trying to come back. Forgive me for looking down, but I was just handed this.
"Former President" -- this is a quote directly from the former President's office -- quote, "former President Bill Clinton is being admitted to New York Presbyterian Hospital today and is scheduled to have bypass surgery."
"The former president went to Northern Westchester Hospital yesterday afternoon after experiencing mild chest pain and shortness of breath. Initial testing was normal, and he spent the night at home in nearby by Chappaqua, New York. After undergoing additional testing this morning at Westchester Medical Center, doctors advised he should undergo bypass surgery."
"Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton will be with the president in New York City." That statement just coming into CNN. That is the extent of it. No further details. I want to make clear, a moment ago, I said that we were expecting the surgery to be on Saturday. I should say that it will be as early as Saturday. No exact, precise time just yet.
Again, as early as Saturday for the surgery. This statement from the former president's office is not directly addressing the date, but making clear that while Senator Clinton right now is in upstate New York, she will be back in New York City with the former president for the surgery, as will Chelsea Clinton, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Ed Henry in Washington, thank you very much -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Bypass operations are performed by the thousand every day, and survival rates are extremely high. But that doesn't make them any less scary if you're the patient, that's for sure.
Joining us with more on the procedure and the prospects for recovery, CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
I guess, did this come out of the blue or not? Because when you think about he was on this special diet and kind of watching what he was eating, maybe he knew he had something he was dealing with.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Maybe. And maybe, possibly, he had been having a bit of chest pain. I mean, who knows. I mean, people go on diets. He has always struggled with his weight. But you talked about survival rates earlier, and let's talk about that, because sometimes when people hear bypass surgery, they say, "Oh, my goodness, that could be so dangerous."
Actually, we were talking to a doctor from the American Heart Association who says that for someone who is as young as Bill Clinton is -- he just turned 58 -- and for someone who's in as good shape as he is in, that the survival rate -- or the death rate, actually, if you look at it this way, would be less than one percent. So, that is, indeed, very, very low.
Let's talk a little bit -- Ed was talking earlier about tests. People come in, they have chest pain, they go in for tests. What classically happens -- although they haven't given the details in President Clinton's case -- is that someone has chest pains, they go in, they're given an EKG, they're given another kind of test to see a blood test, called an enzyme test, to see if they actually have had a heart attack or not.
And then, often, the next test is to do an actual cardiac catheterization, where they take a very soft tipped needle, go in through a vein, often in the groin, and then they put dye into the heart to see if there has been any blockages in those arteries.
Now, if there have been blockages, either they'll just do an angioplasty right there and then -- they'll put a stent in to open up that vein, or if it's too severe, they'll decide that they're going to go on for actual bypass surgery, which may have been what's happening here, because they've now scheduled him for bypass surgery.
PHILLIPS: Is this the type of surgery where you're in the hospital for a while? Can you go and have the surgery, be released in a few days? Do you know what the average time is in the hospital?
COHEN: What usually happens is you go in for the surgery, and then after the surgery, classically, someone is in the intensive care unit for a day or two and is in the hospital for a total of about five days. The person is then discharged home and is at home for about two weeks, and then is told that they can go back and do normal activities.
Now, that doesn't mean running a marathon; that doesn't mean any kind of heavy exercise. But it does mean that they can resume many kinds of normal activities. And so, it puts them out of commission for that period of time. And then, full recovery is really a matter of months. I mean, it does take a while to fully get back to where you were before.
PHILLIPS: Well, unfortunately, my dad has had this procedure, and as time has rolled on, he's had to have angioplasties since then. So, sometimes it's that type -- you not only have to watch your diet, but you've really got to keep up with exercise and pay attention to everything you're putting into your body.
COHEN: Right, oh, absolutely. And doctors are very sophisticated these days about recovery -- I mean, not just sophisticated about the procedure, but they will discharge someone and they don't just say, "OK, take care of yourself." They put you in a cardiac rehabilitation program, where they basically teach you how to eat again.
They teach you what to eat and what not to eat. They teach you what kinds of exercises you ought to be doing. They will encourage you, even from the, pretty much, very beginning, after the surgery, to start out walking, for example. And so, they really are teaching people how to live better.
Now, as Kyra mentioned, some people, after this kind of bypass surgery, will have to go on an have an angioplasty, which is where they -- much less invasive procedure, where they put a stent in to hold open the arteries. Other people never have to have that. It really depends person to person.
PHILLIPS: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thanks a lot. I know you'll monitor the procedure for us.
COHEN: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: Miles?
O'BRIEN: Hurricane Frances, a storm that is spawning unprecedented precautions in Florida. With the hurricane's brunt still more than 200 miles off Florida's southeastern coast, two-and-a- half million people are under mandatory evacuation orders. That is a record. And the Red Cross is preparing for its largest natural disaster relief effort ever in the United States.
Our coverage begins with CNN meteorologist Chad Myers. He is in Melbourne, and correspondent Sean Callebs is in West Palm Beach. Let's go to Chad first -- Chad.
MYERS: Good afternoon, Miles. I want to show you something. I want to show you the waves back out here, obviously towering over me. Now, they're not as big as the old movie "Hawaii Five-0," but certainly, there are six to eight footers right now. And then, we turn your attention a little bit farther down the beach, and I'll show you what's going on.
You can actually taste this hurricane. You can taste the salt in the air. You can see the salt in the air down there. We have all of this foam on top of the wave cover here, and now the winds at about 25 miles per hour. And by this evening, they're going to be 50. And by later tonight, they're going to be 70. And by tomorrow, they're going to be 100, and maybe even 120 if we get the eye wall, which is where, basically, we're forecast to get the eye wall right here.
Before that, we're going to move farther inland, much farther inland, and get behind a big concrete hotel, because all the folks here along the beach are gone. This place should be packed. It should be absolutely covered with people on a Friday before Labor Day. It's empty. It's a bunch of TV crews, that's it. Miles, back to you.
O'BRIEN: Well, we're glad that people have heeded the call here. Of course, we remember with Charley how these predictions can go a little bit awry, plus or minus quite a bit of distance here on the possibility of that eye striking landfall.
MYERS: Well, here's the deal. Here's another deal. You have to look at the acuteness of the angle. And you can get an appreciation for this, Miles. The southern part of the eye wall, or the western part of the eye wall, may hit as far south as West Palm Beach, or Boca. But then, the rest of the eye wall keeps spinning, keeps spinning, and the center of the eye may go right down the beach, right down the beach.
And by the time the eastern side of the eye wall reaches landfall, it may be 50 miles farther north than where it started, and that will make a lot of devastation at 120 miles an hour if that's where the storm is -- that's what it's forecast to be when it makes landfall.
O'BRIEN: So, a glancing blow like that can actually really be worse. You know, usually, what you often see at this juncture in a storm -- a lot of -- well, you can call them foolish, I think -- foolish people who will go out there and try to catch a few waves. I don't see anybody out there today.
MYERS: No. We had one about 9:00, and he was done at about 9:15, and he was back on shore. That was it. Nobody's been out there in the water at all today. They're all gone. There's not a restaurant. There's not a gas station. And speaking of gas, I came into Orlando yesterday and drove here. The gas lines in Orlando, at times, were 100 cars deep. That's not an exaggeration.
And Miles, there were people driving behind these gas tanker trucks, because they knew that the next time the gas tanker trucks stopped, there would be gas at that gas station. I don't know the number, but it was at least, as I counted, 80 percent of the gas stations were completely out of fuel. And the ones that still had fuel were backed up as far as you could see.
O'BRIEN: Just to add a little more complication to matters. OK, Chad Myers, be careful out there. Thanks very much -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Well, evacuation orders cover 16 Florida counties now. It was 10 yesterday, and five others urged, but not exactly ordered, to clear out. Now, all those people on all those highways, of course, need gas, as Chad and Miles were just talking about, and not all of them can find it, at least not where they're used to filling up.
CNN's Sean Callebs is tracking that part of the story in West Palm Beach. Sean, I remember seeing the live picture yesterday, everybody heading out. You sort of wonder where things stand.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, exactly, I-95 really a parking lot. We actually made the drive down from Orlando all the way to Miami, then back up to West Palm where we are now. Literally thousands of cars bumper to bumper the entire day. Where things stand now, not easy to find gas. And if we can pan up and show you the flags here, we can tell you the winds have picked up.
It's somewhat brisk here, but certainly just a very comfortable afternoon. Perhaps people taking this lull in the movement of the hurricane to come in and try and find gasoline at this, the eleventh hour of these mandatory evacuations.
Here's a gentleman that just pulled up in the last couple of seconds or so. Sir, how hard was it for you to find gas?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been very hard. I've been driving all over. About the last five or six gas stations in the area are closed down.
CALLEBS: And Mark (ph), are you from this area?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
CALLEBS: Are you going to evacuate, or are you just...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to move out west to Wellington.
CALLEBS: So, just out of this immediate area, but you're still going to be inland, so probably feel some of the brunt of the storm once it does come in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely.
CALLEBS: What about this? You've heard all the reports that no more gasoline is going to be coming into this area until after the storm comes through. There are 12 pumps here at this Cumberland Farms convenience store; at least three of them are out of gas now.
What do you think it's going to be like in the coming days?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Scary. It's something I've never been through before. I mean, I'm thinking probably a week afterwards there's not going to be any gas, you know? I would expect a lot of gas cruisers to be coming down here, but I don't know. With all the debris and everything -- a lot of cleanup.
CALLEBS: Mark (ph), best of luck to you. Thanks very much for taking the time to chat with us.
And really, Kyra, that is perhaps the key to this story, the fact that the storm is somewhat moving more slowly now. No gas is being brought into south Florida. So, really, the only gas that's going into the vehicles is out in the pumps.
So, we asked the owners here how long they expected to be open. We got a -- they have no idea. The only gasoline that is even available is supreme -- the most expensive.
So, we've actually seen a couple of people who've been looking for some time, pull in, kind of shake their heads and say, "We're going to look for a different station."
Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: Sean, have the prices remained the same?
CALLEBS: Oh, yes, very much the same. Florida has a very strict price gouging law that really went into effect not long after Hurricane Andrew. So, if there are reports from gas stations, hotels, lumber companies, things of that nature, the state has always been very aggressive in following up any kind of accusations about price gouging.
PHILLIPS: Sean Callebs in West Palm Beach. Thanks, Sean. Wow.
O'BRIEN: Up and down the coast of Florida we go. We've been to Melbourne, we've been to West Palm.
Let's go up to the oldest city in America, St. Augustine, founded in 1565. They've seen quite a few hurricanes over those years, of course. But this one, even though the eye may come south of here, Kathleen, I suppose people are taking it pretty seriously. I see an awful lot of plywood behind you there.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Quite a lot, Miles. And actually, ironically, this city dealt with its last major hurricane just 40 years ago next week. That's the anniversary of Hurricane Dora. It was a Category 2 that slammed into this city. Now, as you can see, these walls and windows boarded up here.
The problem with the historic downtown part of St. Augustine is that it is surrounded by water on three sides. There are two rivers and a bay. And when Hurricane Dora, as a matter of fact, swept in here, the water in the downtown area came up to my thighs. But they say that this city floods even when there is just a serious rainstorm.
So, they're very, very concerned about that. Even if you get a glancing blow here and you get 12, 14 inches of rain, that may be enough to cause significant damage to trap people in their businesses, homes. And as a matter of fact, out there on that barrier island that's connected to St. Augustine by the Bridge of Lions, lots of homes, lots of beachfront hotels.
And a lot of people boarding up and leaving there right now because, again, they say that even in a very severe tropical storm, the bridge here, and then a bridge to the south, they basically flood out, and you're trapped on those islands. But no mandatory evacuation here yet, Miles. We've got schools closed, government buildings closed. They're just preparing for what might be headed our way very soon.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Kathleen Koch in St. Augustine, thank you very much.
Get your pen or pencil out. Hurricane help lines for you. The Florida emergency information 24-hour hotline -- I bet that's a busy phone number -- 800-342-3557. The American Red Cross, 800-HELP-NOW, and in digits, that's 435-7669. We'll have those numbers for you again later in the show, in case you missed it.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's a holiday weekend. Of course, Frances is going to be affecting Labor Day travel plans. In just a few minutes, we're going to talk with a travel consultant about what to do if the storm has canceled your vacation. And what it's like to travel through the eye of the storm -- this is pretty awesome.
Later on, our Orelon Sidney reports on a plane trip she just took right through, with the hurricane hunters, right about that storm. We're going to get a bird's-eye view.
Also ahead, how did today's horrific scene at the Russian school unfold? A lot of details to tell you coming in by the minute. We're in-depth after a break.
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PHILLIPS: Now, to Russia's horrifying hostage crisis. The situation is still volatile. The picture is still confusing, but here's what we know right now. Russian commandos stormed the school earlier today, a gunfight followed. The fighting is still raging at this hour, and loud explosions were heard in the area just about an hour ago, possibly right inside the gymnasium where some of the bodies were.
Some 400 hostages have been freed, but dozens of people, including many children, are still inside, under the guns of their abductors. A number of other people are reported dead. ITV reporter Julian Manyon got inside the burned out school. This is what he saw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIAN MANYON, ITV REPORTER: ... call the mopping up phase. The mopping up is taking some time, because what everyone thinks about their methods, what everyone thinks about the justice, or otherwise, of their cause, the Chechens are formidable fighters, and they're fighting with all the persistence and determination that they're so (INAUDIBLE) for...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Whoever coined the phrase about hell breaking loose could have been describing the gunfire explosions -- blood, death, and panic that culminated two days of fear and threats in Beslan.
CNN's Ryan Chilcote watched it all unfold. He joins us live with the latest -- Ryan.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, let's start with some of the figures. They are very, very disturbing. So far, the Associated Press is reporting that 150 people have been killed, 646 hospitalized -- that's of 1,200 hostages. All that information coming from the Associated Press.
This all began, as you know, this hostage-taking crisis, on Wednesday. It was in its third day. About eight hours ago, the siege ended when four officials, four Russian rescue officials went to collect the bodies of some people that had been killed in the sporadic fighting over the last couple of days.
They had reached a cease-fire arrangement with the hostage takers. They had evacuated two of the bodies from in front of the school. That's when there were some loud explosions at the back side of the school. Some of the children that were inside of the gymnasium decided to make a run for it. They decided to try to flee from the gymnasium.
The hostage takers that were on the roof of the gymnasium opened fire on them. Russian forces returned fire. And seven hours -- almost eight hours later now, we have had periodic gunfire going on in that school. Russian forces still trying to clear the school of the hostage takers inside.
Now, we understand that Russian soldiers from the 58th Army here have begun de-mining in the school. Sometimes, that's an indication that the hostilities are over, when you send the de-miners in. But there has been no official confirmation of an end to the fighting. What I can say is we haven't heard any of the very loud explosions that we've been hearing for the last seven or eight hours. Over the last 15, 20 minutes, it's really quieted down -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Just to clarify then, Ryan, what do we know about the possibility of other hostages being inside right now?
CHILCOTE: Well, we know that as of two hours ago, a representative from the crisis headquarters here, a Russian official, said that there are still hostages inside of the building -- this information about two hours old. There are still hostages inside the building, among them children. And he said that there is still fighting under way.
Now, we could hear that there was fighting under way quite clearly. Since then, it's quieted down, and we know the de-mining teams have moved in. What we don't know is if all of the hostages have been released and if the fighting has come to an end. But that's obviously what everyone is hoping for here, Miles.
O'BRIEN: And also, are we certain that it was the militants, the hostage takers, that began this fight? Or was that explosion -- could it be attributed to the Russian Army? We don't know? CHILCOTE: That's a very good question, Miles. We don't know for sure, but I did speak with a couple of the individuals that were in front of the school recovering those bodies. They're from the Russian emergency ministry, and they went up in front of the school unarmed, as they had agreed with, with the hostage takers.
And they report that they saw a group of children try to flee from the building, and that it was then that the hostage takers opened fire on the children.
This was from these Russian officials. One of them was killed. One of the Russian officials was killed -- these rescue workers -- one was wounded. But they saw this with their very own eyes. Then they say that Russian forces returned fire. What started all of the chaos, apparently, according to these men, were two nearly simultaneous explosions coming from the other side of the building -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right, CNN's Ryan Chilcote. Obviously, this story is still unfolding, and we will check back with him later. Thank you very much.
Hurricane Frances looming large as Florida braces for another big storm coming ashore three weeks after Charley. We're tracking it. And in just a few minutes, we'll take you through the eye of the storm, or at least over it, with one of the hurricane hunter planes. Orelon Sidney got a ride.
And will Bush bounce? How will his convention speech affect his poll with undecided voters? We'll talk about that a little bit later on LIVE FROM.
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