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Florida Hurricane Damage in Billions; Senators Propose Adopting 9/11 Commission Recommendations; Gallup Poll Shows Lead for Bush

Aired September 07, 2004 - 14:39   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: No free passes in the fight against terrorism, the words of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who along with his chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Richard Myers, just gave us a briefing.
Referring to the Beslan terror crisis: "Civilized people can only express sympathy and solidarity with the Russian people," said Rumsfeld. "There are no free passes in this struggle, this war, no free passes for countries, no free passes for individuals."

Back with more of CNN's LIVE FROM in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Frances wasn't the most intense storm ever to strike the U.S., but its staying power was one for the record books. Damage is so widespread, it's one of the costliest storms in U.S. history. And Frances did economic damage even in areas that it didn't hit.

Our Mary Snow, tallying the totals in New York. She has her calculator out. It's a good thing you're doing the math, Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Miles.

Yes, and you know, Frances is anticipated to be the fifth costliest storm in the U.S. And that's even after damage forecasts were lowered.

Assessment teams are on the ground and the damage is expected to be in the billions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): Hurricane Frances didn't pack the winds many feared, but her slow churn through Florida dumped up to several feet of water in some regions. From homes to boats to businesses, Frances' fury was widely felt.

LT. GOV. TONI JENNINGS, FLORIDA: It is probably the largest storm we've ever had. It's engulfed the entire state. Fifty-seven of our 67 counties have been impacted by loss of power alone.

SNOW: Frances dealt a blow not only to Florida's residents, but to its economy, already reeling from Hurricane Charley just a few weeks ago. Some economists estimate the double-fisted punch of both hurricanes could cost up to $40 billion in total economic damages. Estimated insured losses, however, are much less.

While still being tallied, the range of insured losses for Frances are from $2 to $10 billion. Hurricane Charley's insured damages were estimated to be roughly $7 billion.

Frances, though, did damage in areas even where she didn't hit.

ROBERT HARTWIG, INSURANCE INSTITUTE OF NEW YORK: The primary reason for that is the record evacuations ordered along the east coast of Florida, from Miami Beach to Jacksonville. That means tens of thousands of empty hotel rooms, restaurants and businesses.

SNOW: Florida's three main theme parks, including Disney World, had to close over the weekend, costing an estimated $41 million. And then there are small businesses that depend on tourism that lost income when forced to close over the Labor Day weekend.

ANDY FLEMING, SMALL BUSINESS OWNER: We've lost at least a week. My servers haven't been making any tips. My cooks haven't been making any wages. We're all going to be hurting for awhile. Probably won't make the rent this month.

SNOW: Florida's $9 billion citrus crop is also feeling the sting. Damages from Charley a few weeks ago and now Frances are expected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (on camera): And Florida's agriculture department is calling the damage to citrus crops serious. Some citrus farmers are saying in central Florida that up to 90 percent of oranges and grapefruits are on the ground. The picture right there telling the story. State officials saying that between Charley and Frances the damage to the citrus industry could add up to almost $200 million -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Mary Snow, thank you very much -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hiking up the pressure to implement the 9/11 recommendations. Senate lawmakers held a press conference last hour, outlining new legislation for restructuring the nation's intelligence community.

This comes as the Senate Intelligence Committee holds yet another 9/11 hearing today.

Our national security correspondent, David Ensor, is keeping up with all of it in Washington -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, as you say, the Congress is back in session and is trying to hit the ground running on the 9/11 Commission recommendations. As we speak, there is a Senate intelligence hearing underway. They are hearing from the two top men in the -- in the 9/11 Commission. That you see there is the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Pat Roberts who himself has submitted some recommendations.

As you mentioned, at a news conference four Senators presented legislation they will submit, implementing the 41 recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, including the creation of a new national intelligence director and reforming congressional oversight of intelligence and homeland security.

Senators McCain, Specter, Bayh, and Lieberman are the co- sponsors. And though time is short, they say they hope to get the legislation made law before the November elections.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: Ad the 9/11 Commission documented, our intelligence institutions face an enemy without borders who can reach from around the world and make our homeland the front lines of this war.

If we reorganize and reform the enormous human and technological intelligence assets America has, as the commission has recommended, we will be able to see, hear and stop the terrorist attacks against us before they occur.

SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: I am worried the wake-up call that America received on 9/11 may not be answered if we wait until after November the 2nd, and the country moves on to other things. Momentum is important. Time is not on our side.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENSOR: Congressional leaders say they've been called up to the White House for a meeting tomorrow to discuss how best to react to the 9/11 Commission recommendations. Administration officials have been working long hours on a proposal for the president to make.

Among the key issues are how powerful should a new national intelligence director be? How much budget power over the entire 15- agency intelligence community should he or she have?

And how closely associated should the new director be with the Central Intelligence Agency? Also, should the CIA be broken up, as Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Roberts has proposed?

How many oversight committees should be allowed to exist? Right now dozens of overlapping committees share oversight, and they sometimes snarl up the work of government.

And how far should the nation go towards a national I.D. card? The 9/11 Commission doesn't go quite that far, but does say there should be new federal standards for states on driver's license, birth certificates and the like so that they're much harder for terrorists to forge -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: National security correspondent David Ensor, thank you.

O'BRIEN: They are trading shots from the stump.

PHILLIPS: But what message is America looking for? The poll numbers tell all when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: We can expect a tight horse race between President Bush and his Democratic rival, John Kerry, until November. How tight? Well, that's a question for pollmeister Frank Newport, Gallup editor- in-chief. He's in Princeton, New Jersey.

Frank, let's talk about the latest poll, talking about Bush's bounce from the RNC and Kerry overtaking it.

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP: Well, Kyra, I didn't hear the question exactly, but I think I know exactly where we're going here. And that's into a discussion of where the race goes and whether or not Bush got a bounce out of the Republican convention.

Let's show you our latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll numbers. Bush at 52, Kerry at 45 and Nader at one percent of the vote.

Right prior to the convention it was about a three-point margin. So, we've now got have a situation that the race has expanded to seven. So, there's a slight increase now. We'll see where it goes from this point.

Another point, I would show you, critical for an incumbent, is his job approval rating. Incumbents above 50 percent generally tend to get reelected. At this point, Bush is slightly up to 52 percent. So, generally speaking, that's good news for the Bush administration, but it's just slightly above 50 percent. We'll have to wait and see what develops as we go through the next two months.

A couple of other points I wanted to make quickly for yow. Enthusiasm chipped up for the Republicans. After the Democratic convention, I'm showing you here, 73 percent of Democrats said they were more enthusiastic, higher than that red bar for the Republicans.

Now it's flipped: Republicans 69, Democrats at 62. In other words Republicans more enthusiastic coming out of their convention. Not a great shock. But turn out is critical, so if they can keep that up, it bodes well for the Republicans in the fall. But a lot can change, of course, as we just saw, comparing the two conventions.

Final point here: interesting question, weekend poll, what else other than what the candidates have been talking about do you wish they would discuss more? Domestic concerns. That's what really comes through. Economy and jobs, health care, education, Social Security. All of these are the issues that Americans want Kerry and Bush to be talking about during this fall campaign. Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Frank Newport, thank you so much.

We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired September 7, 2004 - 14:39   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: No free passes in the fight against terrorism, the words of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who along with his chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Richard Myers, just gave us a briefing.
Referring to the Beslan terror crisis: "Civilized people can only express sympathy and solidarity with the Russian people," said Rumsfeld. "There are no free passes in this struggle, this war, no free passes for countries, no free passes for individuals."

Back with more of CNN's LIVE FROM in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Frances wasn't the most intense storm ever to strike the U.S., but its staying power was one for the record books. Damage is so widespread, it's one of the costliest storms in U.S. history. And Frances did economic damage even in areas that it didn't hit.

Our Mary Snow, tallying the totals in New York. She has her calculator out. It's a good thing you're doing the math, Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Miles.

Yes, and you know, Frances is anticipated to be the fifth costliest storm in the U.S. And that's even after damage forecasts were lowered.

Assessment teams are on the ground and the damage is expected to be in the billions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): Hurricane Frances didn't pack the winds many feared, but her slow churn through Florida dumped up to several feet of water in some regions. From homes to boats to businesses, Frances' fury was widely felt.

LT. GOV. TONI JENNINGS, FLORIDA: It is probably the largest storm we've ever had. It's engulfed the entire state. Fifty-seven of our 67 counties have been impacted by loss of power alone.

SNOW: Frances dealt a blow not only to Florida's residents, but to its economy, already reeling from Hurricane Charley just a few weeks ago. Some economists estimate the double-fisted punch of both hurricanes could cost up to $40 billion in total economic damages. Estimated insured losses, however, are much less.

While still being tallied, the range of insured losses for Frances are from $2 to $10 billion. Hurricane Charley's insured damages were estimated to be roughly $7 billion.

Frances, though, did damage in areas even where she didn't hit.

ROBERT HARTWIG, INSURANCE INSTITUTE OF NEW YORK: The primary reason for that is the record evacuations ordered along the east coast of Florida, from Miami Beach to Jacksonville. That means tens of thousands of empty hotel rooms, restaurants and businesses.

SNOW: Florida's three main theme parks, including Disney World, had to close over the weekend, costing an estimated $41 million. And then there are small businesses that depend on tourism that lost income when forced to close over the Labor Day weekend.

ANDY FLEMING, SMALL BUSINESS OWNER: We've lost at least a week. My servers haven't been making any tips. My cooks haven't been making any wages. We're all going to be hurting for awhile. Probably won't make the rent this month.

SNOW: Florida's $9 billion citrus crop is also feeling the sting. Damages from Charley a few weeks ago and now Frances are expected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (on camera): And Florida's agriculture department is calling the damage to citrus crops serious. Some citrus farmers are saying in central Florida that up to 90 percent of oranges and grapefruits are on the ground. The picture right there telling the story. State officials saying that between Charley and Frances the damage to the citrus industry could add up to almost $200 million -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Mary Snow, thank you very much -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hiking up the pressure to implement the 9/11 recommendations. Senate lawmakers held a press conference last hour, outlining new legislation for restructuring the nation's intelligence community.

This comes as the Senate Intelligence Committee holds yet another 9/11 hearing today.

Our national security correspondent, David Ensor, is keeping up with all of it in Washington -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, as you say, the Congress is back in session and is trying to hit the ground running on the 9/11 Commission recommendations. As we speak, there is a Senate intelligence hearing underway. They are hearing from the two top men in the -- in the 9/11 Commission. That you see there is the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Pat Roberts who himself has submitted some recommendations.

As you mentioned, at a news conference four Senators presented legislation they will submit, implementing the 41 recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, including the creation of a new national intelligence director and reforming congressional oversight of intelligence and homeland security.

Senators McCain, Specter, Bayh, and Lieberman are the co- sponsors. And though time is short, they say they hope to get the legislation made law before the November elections.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: Ad the 9/11 Commission documented, our intelligence institutions face an enemy without borders who can reach from around the world and make our homeland the front lines of this war.

If we reorganize and reform the enormous human and technological intelligence assets America has, as the commission has recommended, we will be able to see, hear and stop the terrorist attacks against us before they occur.

SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: I am worried the wake-up call that America received on 9/11 may not be answered if we wait until after November the 2nd, and the country moves on to other things. Momentum is important. Time is not on our side.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENSOR: Congressional leaders say they've been called up to the White House for a meeting tomorrow to discuss how best to react to the 9/11 Commission recommendations. Administration officials have been working long hours on a proposal for the president to make.

Among the key issues are how powerful should a new national intelligence director be? How much budget power over the entire 15- agency intelligence community should he or she have?

And how closely associated should the new director be with the Central Intelligence Agency? Also, should the CIA be broken up, as Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Roberts has proposed?

How many oversight committees should be allowed to exist? Right now dozens of overlapping committees share oversight, and they sometimes snarl up the work of government.

And how far should the nation go towards a national I.D. card? The 9/11 Commission doesn't go quite that far, but does say there should be new federal standards for states on driver's license, birth certificates and the like so that they're much harder for terrorists to forge -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: National security correspondent David Ensor, thank you.

O'BRIEN: They are trading shots from the stump.

PHILLIPS: But what message is America looking for? The poll numbers tell all when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: We can expect a tight horse race between President Bush and his Democratic rival, John Kerry, until November. How tight? Well, that's a question for pollmeister Frank Newport, Gallup editor- in-chief. He's in Princeton, New Jersey.

Frank, let's talk about the latest poll, talking about Bush's bounce from the RNC and Kerry overtaking it.

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP: Well, Kyra, I didn't hear the question exactly, but I think I know exactly where we're going here. And that's into a discussion of where the race goes and whether or not Bush got a bounce out of the Republican convention.

Let's show you our latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll numbers. Bush at 52, Kerry at 45 and Nader at one percent of the vote.

Right prior to the convention it was about a three-point margin. So, we've now got have a situation that the race has expanded to seven. So, there's a slight increase now. We'll see where it goes from this point.

Another point, I would show you, critical for an incumbent, is his job approval rating. Incumbents above 50 percent generally tend to get reelected. At this point, Bush is slightly up to 52 percent. So, generally speaking, that's good news for the Bush administration, but it's just slightly above 50 percent. We'll have to wait and see what develops as we go through the next two months.

A couple of other points I wanted to make quickly for yow. Enthusiasm chipped up for the Republicans. After the Democratic convention, I'm showing you here, 73 percent of Democrats said they were more enthusiastic, higher than that red bar for the Republicans.

Now it's flipped: Republicans 69, Democrats at 62. In other words Republicans more enthusiastic coming out of their convention. Not a great shock. But turn out is critical, so if they can keep that up, it bodes well for the Republicans in the fall. But a lot can change, of course, as we just saw, comparing the two conventions.

Final point here: interesting question, weekend poll, what else other than what the candidates have been talking about do you wish they would discuss more? Domestic concerns. That's what really comes through. Economy and jobs, health care, education, Social Security. All of these are the issues that Americans want Kerry and Bush to be talking about during this fall campaign. Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Frank Newport, thank you so much.

We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com