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Clinton Surgery Over; Al Qaeda-Chechnya Connection

Aired September 06, 2004 - 13:59   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Up first this hour, we want to bring you the latest on former President Bill Clinton's heart bypass surgery. The operation just wrapped up. How did it go, and what's next? CNN's senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is at New York Presbyterian Hospital with an update -- Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: All right. We're here at New York Presbyterian Hospital. The operation is over. The president is resting comfortably.

The operation was a success. That's what we're hearing here from the New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Listen, it's been a busy weekend for the Clintons, no doubt about it. Friday is when he was admitted to the hospital here. The family has been here off and on.

The McKeen Suite (ph), it's a pavilion. It's an entire wing of the hospital, really, where the president gets presidential-level care. His family can stay there, as well.

The operation and preparations began about 6:45 this morning, we're told now. The operation took anywhere between four to five hours. Hard to tell exactly when they began.

Just a short time ago, we did receive a statement saying the operation was over and it was successful. There's going to be a further press briefing at about 4:00.

President Clinton and his family did release a statement yesterday, reminding people that the overall -- that patients should take this as an opportunity to remind themselves about heart disease and not wait until symptoms. Focus on diet and exercise, and also make sure to have good health insurance. That was a focus and a message from both the president and the first lady.

Back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.

We want to remind you again about that update by Mr. Clinton's doctors. It is scheduled for 4:00 Eastern. CNN will carry it live.

Now Frances strikes again. Having lumbered across Florida's midsection as a big wet hurricane, Frances just made landfall again. And on the Panhandle, it's a big, wet tropical storm. Statewide, more than three million utility customers are utilizing flashlights and candles if they are home, which many of them shouldn't be. Some 80,000 Florida's are still hunkered down in shelters. And so far, we know of five storm-related deaths; three in Florida, two in the Bahamas.

And all this bring us to a beachfront town front of Carrabelle. Front and center in the latest hurricane warning zone, CNN's Tom Foreman.

Tom, what do you know?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now it doesn't feel a lot like a hurricane, although we're starting to get again these little gusty winds that you get on the outlying areas of the hurricane. People are obviously concerned about that.

One of the benefits of the facts that this has been such a slow- moving storm has been that utility companies here, as power lines have come down, have been able to repair them right then and there, because it hasn't been such a bad circumstance. We've had these little bands come through that would knock a tree down, that sort of thing. So they've been able to keep up on that.

I just spoke a minute ago to the Alabama state troopers, who said they are ready much further inland. They have all available troopers on duty, as they would have to some degree on Labor Day anyway. But they also have a call list for everybody else who's out there in case the storm comes in and becomes a problem and they have to start moving people back.

You do have to remember, with storms like this, even when it gets quiet along the coast, even if it comes up to this area and doesn't have a lot of punch here, which would be good for people here, that doesn't mean it won't spawn tornadoes and bad weather further inland. People in Alabama, Georgia, all the way up to Tennessee, Kentucky, they know that very well, because some huge hurricanes have done a lot of damage up there when they didn't always do a lot of damage out here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Tom, we've also talked about a lot of the damage to businesses, particularly the citrus industry. I know where you are it's all about the oysters. What do you know about that?

FOREMAN: Well, oysters are a big, big business in this part of Florida. Oyster beds can really get messed up by a big storm coming through. It doesn't even have to be a hurricane. It can pollute the bed, basically, by drawing pollutants into it, and then it can be out of mission for months, more than a year sometimes.

It can also cover the bed over with sand. It makes it difficult to harvest the oysters.

The fishing industry hasn't done that well here in recent years. So that's something that already is a little bit back on its heels. So people don't feel real comfortable about that. By and large, a lot of these small communities along the coast try to put together a combination of tourism and fishing charter boats and oyster business, and increasingly real estate to make things happen. They worry about all of that when a big storm like this comes in.

At the moment, what they are hoping most of all here is that it will keep pushing that way. Because, over there, there really aren't many people. It's a large marsh area, a bunch of trees. I've driven through it in years past, and you can drive a long way over there and not see much in the way of buildings or people. If the storm is going to come onshore in the gulf shore -- Gulf Coast, as we expect, boy, there's no better place for it to be -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Tom Foreman, thank you.

Well, it's far too early to know or even estimate the damage of Frances' wake. But see for yourself.

For all the focus on rain, Frances' winds were and are hugely devucted. This is Palm Beach, where the full force of a Category 2 hurricane were felt for more than 24 hours. The east coast city of Ft. Pierce is in pieces today, and that's where we find CNN's Sean Callebs.

How are the lines for supplies, Sean?

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the lines of supplies are slowly getting to this area. Without question, people are adversely affected in this area.

They still don't have electricity. A lot of people direly are looking for ice, water at this hour. A lot of people also coming out shelters and where they were holed up, whether it be hotels, friends, neighbors, or whatever after the hurricane. But this is what a lot of people are finding.

This area known for its pleasure boating. They have a marina here that was really the centerpiece of the city.

You're looking at the Talani Chai (ph). This just one of the many pleasure craft. This one simply devastated by the fury of Frances. And as the water continues to come up, the tide moves in, we can see the water getting higher and higher on all of these boats, these luxury yachts.

There -- this is actually a massive dock. It used to go out this way about 200 yards. There were many floating docks out there. They're basically concrete -- they were Styrofoam encased in concrete. However, when the wind came in, it just blew them all in, stacking all of these yachts up on top of each other.

And this is an area where a lot of people want to come out and see what happened. Well, authorities are trying to keep that from happening. Several hours ago, National Guard troops, as well as local police, came here. They sealed off the docks. They are not letting anybody getting access to their boats at this hour.

They are concerned about the condition of those docks, firstly. And also, there's a lot of fuel in the water. They're concerned maybe a cigarette or something like that could cause severe disaster.

There's a reason a lot of people want to see this. For many people, this was their home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, a lot of these boats are weekend cottages for people. Or they go out once a month and go sport fishing on them and so forth.

They are an expensive toy, but other people who actually live on it and have their life on the boat, I know a half a dozen who have lost their boats. And they are all crying, and rightfully so, because it's not an easy thing to replace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: Now, the authorities here in Ft. Pierce are also working with these people. If they can safely get them to their yachts or their boats, they are doing so, allowing them to get whatever salvageable kind of goods can they can off of them.

There was a crane here a while ago. It was poised to begin trying to bring these boats out of the water. But it pulled up and moved on elsewhere.

And authorities are clearly overwhelmed in this area. We talked to a local sergeant with the police a while ago. He said there are widespread reports of looting. With power out, traffic lights out, he says people are just being negligent at this hour, roaring through the intersections.

He's really concerned about the possibility of someone seriously getting injured about -- in this. And the police and National Guard are doing what they can to try to protect stores, business, but they say there are just too many for the limited number of officials here in the Ft. Pierce area -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Sean Callebs, thanks so much.

Well, from Frances to Ivan, as you can imagine, this is a hectic hurricane season. Our Jacqui Jeras has been working in overdrive, overtime, over everything.

Hi, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Kya. Hanging in there. I had a good sleep last night. So I'm fresh and ready to go.

PHILLIPS: Good.

JERAS: And Frances is now making its second landfall at this time. At the top of the hour, the advisory in, and it is making landfall right here near St. Marks.

We're going to see some pretty good storm surge here that goes along with it. Possibly as high as five to 10 feet. So that is some serious surge moving on in. And we're also seeing those winds right now around 65 miles per hour.

We'll zoom it out for you and show you one of the other concerns is to think about -- just remember, the back half of this storm is much chunkier than the front half. So a lot of the really bad weather is also still going to be back here, right around Gainesville. We're seeing some very intense thunderstorms right now, and we've also been seeing some very severe weather moving around the Orlando area.

This band swings up just on off to the east of Jackson. And then we're seeing warnings on and off in the southern parts of Georgia, as well.

Let's switch sources here and show you our advisories. These are the latest statistics if you're tracking this one at home.

Near St. Marks, 65 mile-an-hour winds. It's moving north- northwest now at eight miles per hour. And it remains at tropical storm status. But should be weakening now that we're getting this over land. So hopefully we'll see a tropical depression, if we're real lucky, maybe even before the day is over and done with, before midnight tonight.

Two watches are in effect for that tornadic threat. And also, taking note of where these rainbands extend up to. In fact, we've got clouds, cirrus clouds, extending almost all the way up the East Coast from this system.

You can also see a strong line of showers and thunderstorms. We had some good severe weather last night in the upper Midwest from this trough coming on through. And that's going to start to help steer Frances up on to the north and to the east. And it is going to be moving very slowly, unfortunately, and that is why we could see some very significant flooding.

This is the latest forecast track here for Frances, moving up on north, almost right along the Georgia-Alabama line, then moving up through Tennessee. You can see that "L." That means it's a depression now before it becomes extra tropical. Heading all the way up into the great lakes, and then it's going to be swinging back on out this way by the end of the week.

But we're working on some forecasts, rainfall totals over the next five days for the East Coast, and it's unbelievable. I'm going to bring that to you about an hour from now. And the hurricane hunters have just gotten out of flying into Ivan. And we've got a little change in status there with Ivan, and I'm going to bring that to you in about 20 minutes from now -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: All right. Jacqui Jeras, thanks so much.

Well of course you can watch Jacqui. Also to keep on top of the big storms anytime with cnn.com. You're going to find safety tips, links to all the best resources and, of course, the latest forecasts, watches and warnings around the clock.

Well, if you would like to help Frances' victims, here's how you can do it. The Salvation Army can take donations over the phone at 1- 800-SAL-ARMY. Or you can go on line at the email that you see here. And the Red Cross would love you to call at 1-800-HELP NOW. Or, if you just need information, 1-866-GET-INFO.

Widespread flooding in Florida after Frances dumps more than a foot of rain in some areas. How long before things will get back to normal? We're going to talk with a power company official just ahead on LIVE FROM.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elaine Quijano at the White House. President Bush heads to the Midwest on this Labor Day later today, where he will talk about creating jobs and helping small businesses. I'll have details in a live report.

PHILLIPS: And John Kerry taking his message to West Virginia today. Just ahead, what former President Clinton advised the Democratic candidate to do in a call from his hospital room.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The Labor Day holiday is always a big day for political campaigning. President Bush is taking his message to voters in the Show-Me State today as he stumps in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Our Elaine Quijano is at the White House with some more on what's ahead for the president -- Elaine.

QUIJANO: Good afternoon, Kyra.

Well, this Labor Day, President Bush will be highlighting his domestic in Missouri, a state that he won by three percentage points back in 2000. Now, the president is in the middle of an eight-day, six-state post-convention tour. A tour that the Bush campaign has dubbed "The Opportunity Tour."

Now, to emphasize that theme, yesterday President Bush traveled to Parkersburg, West Virginia. There he told folks at a rally that the government's latest job figures showed an overall increase of 144,000 jobs, new jobs, in July -- in August, rather, and some 73,000 new jobs in July.

Now, this morning, the president's labor secretary, Elaine Chao, reiterated to our Kelly Wallace the president's view that the economy is coming back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELAINE CHAO, LABOR SECRETARY: I think President Bush's policies has helped the economy overcome a number of devastating events since we took office. When the president came in, he inherited a recession. The economy was further devastated by the attacks of September 11.

We then faced the -- we faced the reality of the corporate scandals, which tooks years in the making, and then we had the war on terror. And it is really quite a mark of our economy that, again, this is the 12th straight month of job creation, with over 1.7 million jobs being created in the last 12 months.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, the president's Democratic opponent, Senator John Kerry, has said that is not enough. The Kerry campaign points to a net deficit of what they say is some one million jobs lost since President Bush took office.

Meantime, the president, as we said, headed to Poplar Bluff, Missouri, later today. Campaign officials say that he will focus on his agenda to help small businesses.

Now, the president has said that he believes helping small businesses is a way to get Americans working once again. He says that most small businesses are responsible for creating the majority of new jobs in the U.S. -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, Elaine, why Poplar Bluff?

QUIJANO: Interesting story behind that, Kyra. Poplar Bluff is a town of about 17,000 people in southeast Missouri. And residents there had actually launched a petition drive back in June. They wanted to bring the president there, and they were able to gather some 10,000 signatures.

They found out last week that their efforts paid off. And that, in part, is why President Bush is heading there today -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Elaine Quijano, thanks so much.

Well, armed with some friendly advice, John Kerry is going after voters of in some key states today. Former President Clinton told Kerry by phone not to make so much over the debate about Vietnam. Instead, the two agreed Kerry should stay focused on domestic issues. But can that help him regain lost ground?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush has surged out of his convention with a bump in the polls and a united GOP. Senator John Kerry is taking heat from fellow Democrats who think he has been caught flat-footed. So the candidate is vowing to get more aggressive.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to take the wood to them over the course of these next two months. And we're going to show the difference in these parties. HENRY: Not a moment too soon for anxious Democrats, like Senator Chris Dodd. He told "The New York Times" Kerry had, "a very confused message in August and the Republicans had a very clear and concise one." A "Newsweek" poll conducted on Thursday and Friday gives the president an 11-point edge.

MARY BETH CAHILL, KERRY CAMPAIGN MANAGER: We always thought that President Bush was going to get a bump of about 12 percent. You know, some polls show us even. Some show us down two. These are all over the net (ph).

HENRY: Kerry hopes to shift the focus to his perceived strength, domestic issues. He has a new Medicare ad, taking aim at a promise the president made in his convention speech about prescription drugs. GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now seniors are getting immediate help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The very next day, George Bush imposes the biggest Medicare premium increase in history.

HENRY: On the stump, Kerry slammed the 17-percent hike for doctor's visits.

KERRY: Now, let me ask you something. Who are they going to send the bill to? Are they going to send the bill to Halliburton?

AUDIENCE: No!

KERRY: Are they going to send the bill to Ken Lay at Enron?

AUDIENCE: No!

KERRY: You bet they are not. They are going to send the bill to our senior citizens.

PHILLIPS: That was, once again, our congrengsal correspondent, Ed Henry.

Now, will Bush's post-convention bounce stick, or can Kerry make a comeback? After all, he's getting advice from the comeback kid, Bill Clinton.

Let's talk to political strategists now, a couple of experts -- strategy rather. They're both strategists. How's that?

Cheri Jacobus is a Republican strategist in Washington. Doug Schoen, Democratic strategist in New York.

Great to have you both with us.

DOUGH SCHOEN, AUTHOR, "ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL": Thank you.

CHERI JACOBUS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Doug, let's -- let's start with you, and talk about Bush slightly ahead now. If you look at polls pre-convention, some coming out during both conventions. What does Kerry have to do now?

SCHOEN: Well, I think what President Clinton said is exactly right. The American people still are dissatisfied with the direction the country is going, dissatisfied with the president's leadership of the economy, very worried about their own employment situation, worried about healthcare. And to focus on the so-called middle class squeeze that many Americans are facing is really where the Kerry campaign will go. And I think the race will tighten as a result of that.

PHILLIPS: Cheri, what do you think? You look at the DNC, you look at the RNC, two totally different presentations and feels in many ways. Is it smooth sailing for Bush? Or is it going to get even tighter?

JACOBUS: I would not call it smooth sailing. And I don't think Karl Rove is taking anything for granted. And I know Ken Mehlman certainly is not either. These are two hard-charging folks, and they take this very seriously.

However, I think this bounce will stick. It will go up and down a little bit. But it's going to hang in there.

It's a bounce that's larger than anybody anticipated, either Democrats or Republicans. And I think the difference between the two conventions was stark.

John Kerry went out there and saluted on stage. And that's how he defined himself. He is blaming Swift Boat Vets now. He's blaming his campaign manager, Mary Beth Cahill. But ultimately, this was his decision to go out there and sort of show his obsession with the past rather than a vision for the future.

We saw just the opposite from George W. Bush and the others at the Republican convention. And I think that's going to be the tone that carries us through to Election Day. And it definitely gives President Bush the edge.

PHILLIPS: Doug, John Sasso factor, is that going to give Kerry, I guess you should say, the edge? I mean this is someone who ran Dukakis' campaign in '88. Obviously, it didn't do so well. What kind of gaps does he need to fill?

SCHOEN: Well, I think, first, to Cheri's point, the polls now almost certainly overstate the lead. The bounce will retard, and already there are other polls that show the race to within two to four points.

To your question about John Sasso, a skilled strategist. Many of my former colleagues in the Clinton campaigns have joined to bolster the John Kerry effort. And I think when the economic message sharpens on health care, the economy, job creation, you'll see the race tighten. And I think John Sasso and his colleagues will be an instrumental part of making the race a real tossup.

PHILLIPS: Cheri, you see Sasso come in, a number of former Clinton advisers coming in. Is this a normal evolution before a November election, or is the Kerry camp getting nervous?

JACOBUS: No, I don't think it's normal. The only thing this is normal for is somebody who is really in a panic.

And I think we saw that on Thursday night, when John Kerry held that ridiculous pep rally, press conference, whatever it was, right after President Bush gave his convention acceptance speech. Not only was it in extremely poor taste, but he had a muddled message.

A rally should be something that's uplifting in the first place. But he came out very angry, very disorganized. And so I think that showed a real panic on his part.

I think he's been getting a lot of pressure from leading Democrats, as we heard in your piece leading into this interview. They are in a panic. But they are in a panic after the Republican National Convention. They should have been in a panic after the Democratic National Convention.

PHILLIPS: Doug, is John Kerry in a panic?

SCHOEN: I don't think he's in a panic. I think we have a candidate who is trying to sharpen the distinctions between himself and President Bush.

I think it's absolutely clear, with the American people being as frustrated with the direction the country is going in, that John Kerry should raise questions about the conduct of the war, raise questions about the conduct of the economy, a net million jobs lost, 45 million Americans without health care.

These are real issues the American people will vote on. And I think ultimately that will make this race a real tossup.

PHILLIPS: Now, Doug, you were a research and strategic consultant for Bill Clinton. So do you think Bill Clinton from his hospital bed, for 90 minutes, called John Kerry, or do you think John Kerry called Bill Clinton in the hospital?

SCHOEN: I don't know who called who. But I can tell you, there is no better strategist in American political life than Bill Clinton. And if he can get back on the campaign trail quickly it will be a tremendous benefit to John Kerry.

PHILLIPS: Cheri -- Cheri, does John Kerry need to stop talking about Vietnam like Clinton has said and just...

JACOBUS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: OK.

JACOBUS: Yes. I think he needed to stop talking about it a long time ago.

I just want to say, too, that I don't think the American people are dissatisfied with the direction of the country, because even though the president's numbers are up in the polls, and directly head to head against John Kerry, the fact is, over the month of August, his job approval ratings went up as well, and that's very encouraging. So I think folks are pretty happy with the president, even separate from the choice between John Kerry and George W. Bush.

PHILLIPS: Cheri Jacobus, Doug Schoen, thank you both so much.

SCHOEN: Thank you.

JACOBUS: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: All right.

Straight ahead, is there an al Qaeda connection to recent attacks in Russia? We're going to talk about that.

Also, don't forget, former President Bill Clinton, as he finishes up with bypass surgery, we are being told via our Dr. Sanjay Gupta that doctors say it went well. We are expecting a live press conference at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. And we'll take it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: News around the world now.

First, to Sydney, Australia, where snowboarders took advantage of some pretty freaky weather. An unusual hailstorm created icy slopes at the famous (UNINTELLIGIBLE). But the storm wasn't fun for everyone. There were numerous traffic accidents, and hundreds of air travelers were stranded.

Japan's southernmost main island is bracing for its own bad weather. The third typhoon in three weeks is threatening to bring heavy rain and high winds. The typhoon already injured at least 26 people in Okinawa.

And it's a day of mourning in Russia. Grief-stricken families buried some of the victims of last week's school massacre. At least 338 hostages, almost half of them children, were killed after terrorists seized that building. Authorities took over land next to a cemetery with more room to bury the victims.

Chechen rebels are blamed for that school siege, as well as two Russian plane explosions and a suicide subway bombing in Moscow. But as CNN's Maria Ressa reports, al Qaeda has had an influence among that Chechen movement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA RESSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what is left of two Russian passenger planes. Russian authorities say two Chechen women, suicide bombers, boarded the planes and triggered midair explosions, killing all 89 people onboard. This terrorism expert say nearly identical to a plot first hatched as part of the 9/11 attacks.

According to the 9/11 Commission report, al Qaeda was considering a number of plans prior to 9/11, including one that called for suicide bombers to board planes in Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and Hong Kong, and then trigger midair explosions. The report concluded this plot was canceled by Osama bin Laden but not forgotten.

While there are no confirmed links between 9/11 and the Russian attacks, there is little doubt among terrorism experts that there is an al Qaeda influence among Chechen rebels who have stepped up attacks on Russian soil. Within days of the Russian plane explosions, another terrorist attack in this Russian school. Hundreds were killed, many of them children. It's the second highest casualty rate from a terrorist attack since 9/11.

Russian officials were quick to say Arab fighters were among the attackers killed. And the Russian news agency quotes an unnamed source, saying the attack was financed by Abu Omar As-Seyf, the man Russian officials say is al Qaeda's representative in Chechnya. But as of yet, Russian officials have not made any evidence of this link public. Not surprising says al Qaeda expert Rohan Gunaratna.

ROHAN GUNARATNA, AUTHOR, "INSIDE AL QAEDA": Al Qaeda has had a very long-term involvement in the Chechen conflict. So we have seen a continuous flow of al Qaeda and other Arab mujahedeen that will work with the Chechen groups. And these foreign fighters inspired the Chechen Muslims exactly to operate like al Qaeda.

RESSA: Among the first, Ivan Omar Khattab, believed by some to be a protege of Osama bin Laden, went to Chechnya to set up the International Islamic Brigade. But the Chechen struggle is much more than just a theater of operations for al Qaeda. It is also a sort of inspiration, fueling a global jihad, like in southeast Asia, where intelligence sources say al Qaeda's arm, the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), plotted to hijack a Russian plane from Bangkok and crash it into Singapore's airport.

(on camera): After the plot leader was arrested, authorities here asked him why he chose a Russian plane. His answer? He said he wanted revenge for what the Russians are doing in Chechnya.

Maria Ressa, CNN, Singapore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired September 6, 2004 - 13:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Up first this hour, we want to bring you the latest on former President Bill Clinton's heart bypass surgery. The operation just wrapped up. How did it go, and what's next? CNN's senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is at New York Presbyterian Hospital with an update -- Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: All right. We're here at New York Presbyterian Hospital. The operation is over. The president is resting comfortably.

The operation was a success. That's what we're hearing here from the New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Listen, it's been a busy weekend for the Clintons, no doubt about it. Friday is when he was admitted to the hospital here. The family has been here off and on.

The McKeen Suite (ph), it's a pavilion. It's an entire wing of the hospital, really, where the president gets presidential-level care. His family can stay there, as well.

The operation and preparations began about 6:45 this morning, we're told now. The operation took anywhere between four to five hours. Hard to tell exactly when they began.

Just a short time ago, we did receive a statement saying the operation was over and it was successful. There's going to be a further press briefing at about 4:00.

President Clinton and his family did release a statement yesterday, reminding people that the overall -- that patients should take this as an opportunity to remind themselves about heart disease and not wait until symptoms. Focus on diet and exercise, and also make sure to have good health insurance. That was a focus and a message from both the president and the first lady.

Back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.

We want to remind you again about that update by Mr. Clinton's doctors. It is scheduled for 4:00 Eastern. CNN will carry it live.

Now Frances strikes again. Having lumbered across Florida's midsection as a big wet hurricane, Frances just made landfall again. And on the Panhandle, it's a big, wet tropical storm. Statewide, more than three million utility customers are utilizing flashlights and candles if they are home, which many of them shouldn't be. Some 80,000 Florida's are still hunkered down in shelters. And so far, we know of five storm-related deaths; three in Florida, two in the Bahamas.

And all this bring us to a beachfront town front of Carrabelle. Front and center in the latest hurricane warning zone, CNN's Tom Foreman.

Tom, what do you know?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now it doesn't feel a lot like a hurricane, although we're starting to get again these little gusty winds that you get on the outlying areas of the hurricane. People are obviously concerned about that.

One of the benefits of the facts that this has been such a slow- moving storm has been that utility companies here, as power lines have come down, have been able to repair them right then and there, because it hasn't been such a bad circumstance. We've had these little bands come through that would knock a tree down, that sort of thing. So they've been able to keep up on that.

I just spoke a minute ago to the Alabama state troopers, who said they are ready much further inland. They have all available troopers on duty, as they would have to some degree on Labor Day anyway. But they also have a call list for everybody else who's out there in case the storm comes in and becomes a problem and they have to start moving people back.

You do have to remember, with storms like this, even when it gets quiet along the coast, even if it comes up to this area and doesn't have a lot of punch here, which would be good for people here, that doesn't mean it won't spawn tornadoes and bad weather further inland. People in Alabama, Georgia, all the way up to Tennessee, Kentucky, they know that very well, because some huge hurricanes have done a lot of damage up there when they didn't always do a lot of damage out here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Tom, we've also talked about a lot of the damage to businesses, particularly the citrus industry. I know where you are it's all about the oysters. What do you know about that?

FOREMAN: Well, oysters are a big, big business in this part of Florida. Oyster beds can really get messed up by a big storm coming through. It doesn't even have to be a hurricane. It can pollute the bed, basically, by drawing pollutants into it, and then it can be out of mission for months, more than a year sometimes.

It can also cover the bed over with sand. It makes it difficult to harvest the oysters.

The fishing industry hasn't done that well here in recent years. So that's something that already is a little bit back on its heels. So people don't feel real comfortable about that. By and large, a lot of these small communities along the coast try to put together a combination of tourism and fishing charter boats and oyster business, and increasingly real estate to make things happen. They worry about all of that when a big storm like this comes in.

At the moment, what they are hoping most of all here is that it will keep pushing that way. Because, over there, there really aren't many people. It's a large marsh area, a bunch of trees. I've driven through it in years past, and you can drive a long way over there and not see much in the way of buildings or people. If the storm is going to come onshore in the gulf shore -- Gulf Coast, as we expect, boy, there's no better place for it to be -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Tom Foreman, thank you.

Well, it's far too early to know or even estimate the damage of Frances' wake. But see for yourself.

For all the focus on rain, Frances' winds were and are hugely devucted. This is Palm Beach, where the full force of a Category 2 hurricane were felt for more than 24 hours. The east coast city of Ft. Pierce is in pieces today, and that's where we find CNN's Sean Callebs.

How are the lines for supplies, Sean?

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the lines of supplies are slowly getting to this area. Without question, people are adversely affected in this area.

They still don't have electricity. A lot of people direly are looking for ice, water at this hour. A lot of people also coming out shelters and where they were holed up, whether it be hotels, friends, neighbors, or whatever after the hurricane. But this is what a lot of people are finding.

This area known for its pleasure boating. They have a marina here that was really the centerpiece of the city.

You're looking at the Talani Chai (ph). This just one of the many pleasure craft. This one simply devastated by the fury of Frances. And as the water continues to come up, the tide moves in, we can see the water getting higher and higher on all of these boats, these luxury yachts.

There -- this is actually a massive dock. It used to go out this way about 200 yards. There were many floating docks out there. They're basically concrete -- they were Styrofoam encased in concrete. However, when the wind came in, it just blew them all in, stacking all of these yachts up on top of each other.

And this is an area where a lot of people want to come out and see what happened. Well, authorities are trying to keep that from happening. Several hours ago, National Guard troops, as well as local police, came here. They sealed off the docks. They are not letting anybody getting access to their boats at this hour.

They are concerned about the condition of those docks, firstly. And also, there's a lot of fuel in the water. They're concerned maybe a cigarette or something like that could cause severe disaster.

There's a reason a lot of people want to see this. For many people, this was their home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, a lot of these boats are weekend cottages for people. Or they go out once a month and go sport fishing on them and so forth.

They are an expensive toy, but other people who actually live on it and have their life on the boat, I know a half a dozen who have lost their boats. And they are all crying, and rightfully so, because it's not an easy thing to replace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: Now, the authorities here in Ft. Pierce are also working with these people. If they can safely get them to their yachts or their boats, they are doing so, allowing them to get whatever salvageable kind of goods can they can off of them.

There was a crane here a while ago. It was poised to begin trying to bring these boats out of the water. But it pulled up and moved on elsewhere.

And authorities are clearly overwhelmed in this area. We talked to a local sergeant with the police a while ago. He said there are widespread reports of looting. With power out, traffic lights out, he says people are just being negligent at this hour, roaring through the intersections.

He's really concerned about the possibility of someone seriously getting injured about -- in this. And the police and National Guard are doing what they can to try to protect stores, business, but they say there are just too many for the limited number of officials here in the Ft. Pierce area -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Sean Callebs, thanks so much.

Well, from Frances to Ivan, as you can imagine, this is a hectic hurricane season. Our Jacqui Jeras has been working in overdrive, overtime, over everything.

Hi, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Kya. Hanging in there. I had a good sleep last night. So I'm fresh and ready to go.

PHILLIPS: Good.

JERAS: And Frances is now making its second landfall at this time. At the top of the hour, the advisory in, and it is making landfall right here near St. Marks.

We're going to see some pretty good storm surge here that goes along with it. Possibly as high as five to 10 feet. So that is some serious surge moving on in. And we're also seeing those winds right now around 65 miles per hour.

We'll zoom it out for you and show you one of the other concerns is to think about -- just remember, the back half of this storm is much chunkier than the front half. So a lot of the really bad weather is also still going to be back here, right around Gainesville. We're seeing some very intense thunderstorms right now, and we've also been seeing some very severe weather moving around the Orlando area.

This band swings up just on off to the east of Jackson. And then we're seeing warnings on and off in the southern parts of Georgia, as well.

Let's switch sources here and show you our advisories. These are the latest statistics if you're tracking this one at home.

Near St. Marks, 65 mile-an-hour winds. It's moving north- northwest now at eight miles per hour. And it remains at tropical storm status. But should be weakening now that we're getting this over land. So hopefully we'll see a tropical depression, if we're real lucky, maybe even before the day is over and done with, before midnight tonight.

Two watches are in effect for that tornadic threat. And also, taking note of where these rainbands extend up to. In fact, we've got clouds, cirrus clouds, extending almost all the way up the East Coast from this system.

You can also see a strong line of showers and thunderstorms. We had some good severe weather last night in the upper Midwest from this trough coming on through. And that's going to start to help steer Frances up on to the north and to the east. And it is going to be moving very slowly, unfortunately, and that is why we could see some very significant flooding.

This is the latest forecast track here for Frances, moving up on north, almost right along the Georgia-Alabama line, then moving up through Tennessee. You can see that "L." That means it's a depression now before it becomes extra tropical. Heading all the way up into the great lakes, and then it's going to be swinging back on out this way by the end of the week.

But we're working on some forecasts, rainfall totals over the next five days for the East Coast, and it's unbelievable. I'm going to bring that to you about an hour from now. And the hurricane hunters have just gotten out of flying into Ivan. And we've got a little change in status there with Ivan, and I'm going to bring that to you in about 20 minutes from now -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: All right. Jacqui Jeras, thanks so much.

Well of course you can watch Jacqui. Also to keep on top of the big storms anytime with cnn.com. You're going to find safety tips, links to all the best resources and, of course, the latest forecasts, watches and warnings around the clock.

Well, if you would like to help Frances' victims, here's how you can do it. The Salvation Army can take donations over the phone at 1- 800-SAL-ARMY. Or you can go on line at the email that you see here. And the Red Cross would love you to call at 1-800-HELP NOW. Or, if you just need information, 1-866-GET-INFO.

Widespread flooding in Florida after Frances dumps more than a foot of rain in some areas. How long before things will get back to normal? We're going to talk with a power company official just ahead on LIVE FROM.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elaine Quijano at the White House. President Bush heads to the Midwest on this Labor Day later today, where he will talk about creating jobs and helping small businesses. I'll have details in a live report.

PHILLIPS: And John Kerry taking his message to West Virginia today. Just ahead, what former President Clinton advised the Democratic candidate to do in a call from his hospital room.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The Labor Day holiday is always a big day for political campaigning. President Bush is taking his message to voters in the Show-Me State today as he stumps in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Our Elaine Quijano is at the White House with some more on what's ahead for the president -- Elaine.

QUIJANO: Good afternoon, Kyra.

Well, this Labor Day, President Bush will be highlighting his domestic in Missouri, a state that he won by three percentage points back in 2000. Now, the president is in the middle of an eight-day, six-state post-convention tour. A tour that the Bush campaign has dubbed "The Opportunity Tour."

Now, to emphasize that theme, yesterday President Bush traveled to Parkersburg, West Virginia. There he told folks at a rally that the government's latest job figures showed an overall increase of 144,000 jobs, new jobs, in July -- in August, rather, and some 73,000 new jobs in July.

Now, this morning, the president's labor secretary, Elaine Chao, reiterated to our Kelly Wallace the president's view that the economy is coming back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELAINE CHAO, LABOR SECRETARY: I think President Bush's policies has helped the economy overcome a number of devastating events since we took office. When the president came in, he inherited a recession. The economy was further devastated by the attacks of September 11.

We then faced the -- we faced the reality of the corporate scandals, which tooks years in the making, and then we had the war on terror. And it is really quite a mark of our economy that, again, this is the 12th straight month of job creation, with over 1.7 million jobs being created in the last 12 months.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, the president's Democratic opponent, Senator John Kerry, has said that is not enough. The Kerry campaign points to a net deficit of what they say is some one million jobs lost since President Bush took office.

Meantime, the president, as we said, headed to Poplar Bluff, Missouri, later today. Campaign officials say that he will focus on his agenda to help small businesses.

Now, the president has said that he believes helping small businesses is a way to get Americans working once again. He says that most small businesses are responsible for creating the majority of new jobs in the U.S. -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, Elaine, why Poplar Bluff?

QUIJANO: Interesting story behind that, Kyra. Poplar Bluff is a town of about 17,000 people in southeast Missouri. And residents there had actually launched a petition drive back in June. They wanted to bring the president there, and they were able to gather some 10,000 signatures.

They found out last week that their efforts paid off. And that, in part, is why President Bush is heading there today -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Elaine Quijano, thanks so much.

Well, armed with some friendly advice, John Kerry is going after voters of in some key states today. Former President Clinton told Kerry by phone not to make so much over the debate about Vietnam. Instead, the two agreed Kerry should stay focused on domestic issues. But can that help him regain lost ground?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush has surged out of his convention with a bump in the polls and a united GOP. Senator John Kerry is taking heat from fellow Democrats who think he has been caught flat-footed. So the candidate is vowing to get more aggressive.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to take the wood to them over the course of these next two months. And we're going to show the difference in these parties. HENRY: Not a moment too soon for anxious Democrats, like Senator Chris Dodd. He told "The New York Times" Kerry had, "a very confused message in August and the Republicans had a very clear and concise one." A "Newsweek" poll conducted on Thursday and Friday gives the president an 11-point edge.

MARY BETH CAHILL, KERRY CAMPAIGN MANAGER: We always thought that President Bush was going to get a bump of about 12 percent. You know, some polls show us even. Some show us down two. These are all over the net (ph).

HENRY: Kerry hopes to shift the focus to his perceived strength, domestic issues. He has a new Medicare ad, taking aim at a promise the president made in his convention speech about prescription drugs. GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now seniors are getting immediate help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The very next day, George Bush imposes the biggest Medicare premium increase in history.

HENRY: On the stump, Kerry slammed the 17-percent hike for doctor's visits.

KERRY: Now, let me ask you something. Who are they going to send the bill to? Are they going to send the bill to Halliburton?

AUDIENCE: No!

KERRY: Are they going to send the bill to Ken Lay at Enron?

AUDIENCE: No!

KERRY: You bet they are not. They are going to send the bill to our senior citizens.

PHILLIPS: That was, once again, our congrengsal correspondent, Ed Henry.

Now, will Bush's post-convention bounce stick, or can Kerry make a comeback? After all, he's getting advice from the comeback kid, Bill Clinton.

Let's talk to political strategists now, a couple of experts -- strategy rather. They're both strategists. How's that?

Cheri Jacobus is a Republican strategist in Washington. Doug Schoen, Democratic strategist in New York.

Great to have you both with us.

DOUGH SCHOEN, AUTHOR, "ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL": Thank you.

CHERI JACOBUS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Doug, let's -- let's start with you, and talk about Bush slightly ahead now. If you look at polls pre-convention, some coming out during both conventions. What does Kerry have to do now?

SCHOEN: Well, I think what President Clinton said is exactly right. The American people still are dissatisfied with the direction the country is going, dissatisfied with the president's leadership of the economy, very worried about their own employment situation, worried about healthcare. And to focus on the so-called middle class squeeze that many Americans are facing is really where the Kerry campaign will go. And I think the race will tighten as a result of that.

PHILLIPS: Cheri, what do you think? You look at the DNC, you look at the RNC, two totally different presentations and feels in many ways. Is it smooth sailing for Bush? Or is it going to get even tighter?

JACOBUS: I would not call it smooth sailing. And I don't think Karl Rove is taking anything for granted. And I know Ken Mehlman certainly is not either. These are two hard-charging folks, and they take this very seriously.

However, I think this bounce will stick. It will go up and down a little bit. But it's going to hang in there.

It's a bounce that's larger than anybody anticipated, either Democrats or Republicans. And I think the difference between the two conventions was stark.

John Kerry went out there and saluted on stage. And that's how he defined himself. He is blaming Swift Boat Vets now. He's blaming his campaign manager, Mary Beth Cahill. But ultimately, this was his decision to go out there and sort of show his obsession with the past rather than a vision for the future.

We saw just the opposite from George W. Bush and the others at the Republican convention. And I think that's going to be the tone that carries us through to Election Day. And it definitely gives President Bush the edge.

PHILLIPS: Doug, John Sasso factor, is that going to give Kerry, I guess you should say, the edge? I mean this is someone who ran Dukakis' campaign in '88. Obviously, it didn't do so well. What kind of gaps does he need to fill?

SCHOEN: Well, I think, first, to Cheri's point, the polls now almost certainly overstate the lead. The bounce will retard, and already there are other polls that show the race to within two to four points.

To your question about John Sasso, a skilled strategist. Many of my former colleagues in the Clinton campaigns have joined to bolster the John Kerry effort. And I think when the economic message sharpens on health care, the economy, job creation, you'll see the race tighten. And I think John Sasso and his colleagues will be an instrumental part of making the race a real tossup.

PHILLIPS: Cheri, you see Sasso come in, a number of former Clinton advisers coming in. Is this a normal evolution before a November election, or is the Kerry camp getting nervous?

JACOBUS: No, I don't think it's normal. The only thing this is normal for is somebody who is really in a panic.

And I think we saw that on Thursday night, when John Kerry held that ridiculous pep rally, press conference, whatever it was, right after President Bush gave his convention acceptance speech. Not only was it in extremely poor taste, but he had a muddled message.

A rally should be something that's uplifting in the first place. But he came out very angry, very disorganized. And so I think that showed a real panic on his part.

I think he's been getting a lot of pressure from leading Democrats, as we heard in your piece leading into this interview. They are in a panic. But they are in a panic after the Republican National Convention. They should have been in a panic after the Democratic National Convention.

PHILLIPS: Doug, is John Kerry in a panic?

SCHOEN: I don't think he's in a panic. I think we have a candidate who is trying to sharpen the distinctions between himself and President Bush.

I think it's absolutely clear, with the American people being as frustrated with the direction the country is going in, that John Kerry should raise questions about the conduct of the war, raise questions about the conduct of the economy, a net million jobs lost, 45 million Americans without health care.

These are real issues the American people will vote on. And I think ultimately that will make this race a real tossup.

PHILLIPS: Now, Doug, you were a research and strategic consultant for Bill Clinton. So do you think Bill Clinton from his hospital bed, for 90 minutes, called John Kerry, or do you think John Kerry called Bill Clinton in the hospital?

SCHOEN: I don't know who called who. But I can tell you, there is no better strategist in American political life than Bill Clinton. And if he can get back on the campaign trail quickly it will be a tremendous benefit to John Kerry.

PHILLIPS: Cheri -- Cheri, does John Kerry need to stop talking about Vietnam like Clinton has said and just...

JACOBUS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: OK.

JACOBUS: Yes. I think he needed to stop talking about it a long time ago.

I just want to say, too, that I don't think the American people are dissatisfied with the direction of the country, because even though the president's numbers are up in the polls, and directly head to head against John Kerry, the fact is, over the month of August, his job approval ratings went up as well, and that's very encouraging. So I think folks are pretty happy with the president, even separate from the choice between John Kerry and George W. Bush.

PHILLIPS: Cheri Jacobus, Doug Schoen, thank you both so much.

SCHOEN: Thank you.

JACOBUS: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: All right.

Straight ahead, is there an al Qaeda connection to recent attacks in Russia? We're going to talk about that.

Also, don't forget, former President Bill Clinton, as he finishes up with bypass surgery, we are being told via our Dr. Sanjay Gupta that doctors say it went well. We are expecting a live press conference at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. And we'll take it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: News around the world now.

First, to Sydney, Australia, where snowboarders took advantage of some pretty freaky weather. An unusual hailstorm created icy slopes at the famous (UNINTELLIGIBLE). But the storm wasn't fun for everyone. There were numerous traffic accidents, and hundreds of air travelers were stranded.

Japan's southernmost main island is bracing for its own bad weather. The third typhoon in three weeks is threatening to bring heavy rain and high winds. The typhoon already injured at least 26 people in Okinawa.

And it's a day of mourning in Russia. Grief-stricken families buried some of the victims of last week's school massacre. At least 338 hostages, almost half of them children, were killed after terrorists seized that building. Authorities took over land next to a cemetery with more room to bury the victims.

Chechen rebels are blamed for that school siege, as well as two Russian plane explosions and a suicide subway bombing in Moscow. But as CNN's Maria Ressa reports, al Qaeda has had an influence among that Chechen movement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA RESSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what is left of two Russian passenger planes. Russian authorities say two Chechen women, suicide bombers, boarded the planes and triggered midair explosions, killing all 89 people onboard. This terrorism expert say nearly identical to a plot first hatched as part of the 9/11 attacks.

According to the 9/11 Commission report, al Qaeda was considering a number of plans prior to 9/11, including one that called for suicide bombers to board planes in Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and Hong Kong, and then trigger midair explosions. The report concluded this plot was canceled by Osama bin Laden but not forgotten.

While there are no confirmed links between 9/11 and the Russian attacks, there is little doubt among terrorism experts that there is an al Qaeda influence among Chechen rebels who have stepped up attacks on Russian soil. Within days of the Russian plane explosions, another terrorist attack in this Russian school. Hundreds were killed, many of them children. It's the second highest casualty rate from a terrorist attack since 9/11.

Russian officials were quick to say Arab fighters were among the attackers killed. And the Russian news agency quotes an unnamed source, saying the attack was financed by Abu Omar As-Seyf, the man Russian officials say is al Qaeda's representative in Chechnya. But as of yet, Russian officials have not made any evidence of this link public. Not surprising says al Qaeda expert Rohan Gunaratna.

ROHAN GUNARATNA, AUTHOR, "INSIDE AL QAEDA": Al Qaeda has had a very long-term involvement in the Chechen conflict. So we have seen a continuous flow of al Qaeda and other Arab mujahedeen that will work with the Chechen groups. And these foreign fighters inspired the Chechen Muslims exactly to operate like al Qaeda.

RESSA: Among the first, Ivan Omar Khattab, believed by some to be a protege of Osama bin Laden, went to Chechnya to set up the International Islamic Brigade. But the Chechen struggle is much more than just a theater of operations for al Qaeda. It is also a sort of inspiration, fueling a global jihad, like in southeast Asia, where intelligence sources say al Qaeda's arm, the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), plotted to hijack a Russian plane from Bangkok and crash it into Singapore's airport.

(on camera): After the plot leader was arrested, authorities here asked him why he chose a Russian plane. His answer? He said he wanted revenge for what the Russians are doing in Chechnya.

Maria Ressa, CNN, Singapore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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