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Al Qaeda Claims Turn Around in Afghanistan; Arab Editor Says Suicide Bombers a Symptom of Cultural Disease; Annie Lennox Talks about Tour, Album; Designers Using Lots of Color in Spring Lines
Aired September 09, 2004 - 14:30 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.
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MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Welcome back to the CNN Center in Atlanta. This is LIVE FROM. I'm Miles O'Brien.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: And I'm Kyra Phillips. All new this half hour...
(MUSIC)
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes, she's an amazing artist. Solo or with the Eurhythmics, Annie Lennox has, I guess you could say, pretty much got the soundtrack of the last two decades.
Finally, we're going to...
O'BRIEN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Right. She's here today live to talk about her new album and tour. Now, Miles won the arm wrestling match so he gets the interview. But he also gets to do this...
Maybe a little karaoke?
O'BRIEN: I'm not going to try karaoke.
PHILLIPS: Oh, wait. I'm taking her out to karaoke.
O'BRIEN: I can tell you right now; she's not going to be dressed like the diva. But...
PHILLIPS: Look at her. She's amazing over there.
O'BRIEN: She's good to look at. Well, anyway, we'll be seeing her very shortly -- there she is.
PHILLIPS: There she is. Hi, Annie.
O'BRIEN: Before we get to that we've got to take care of some business. Let's see what's happening now in the news.
The No. 2 man of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri appears in a new tape that aired today on the Arab network, Al Jazeera. In it al- Zawahiri says holy fighters have taken control of southern and eastern Afghanistan and driven U.S. forces into trenches. U.S. military is acknowledging Iraqi civilians were killed in a U.S. air strike in Fallujah today. American warplanes have bombed the city's stronghold over the past couple of days, targeting insurgents. A U.S. military official says foreign fighters hide among civilians, putting the innocents at risk.
No word on the number of dead, though reports range from 10 to 12 victims. I believe that video has nothing to do with the story I'm reading. Actually this story is what it has to do with.
Hurricane Ivan. The third time in the past month, folks are heading out of Florida, in particular the Keys. Mandatory evacuation orders went into effect today ahead of Ivan, which forecasters say could arrive by late Sunday. The Category Five hurricane is barely to the Caribbean right now, leaving behind death and destruction. It is expected to strike Jamaica tomorrow.
PHILLIPS: Well, as you know we've been telling you about the developing story as it happened just about within the past 15 or 20 minutes, and that's Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, surfacing with a videotape.
We actually have a number of things we want to talk to our senior editor of Arab affairs, Octavia Nasr, about. But let's start with that videotape first.
You have been listening to it; you've been getting information. What can you give us so far on this?
OCTAVIA NASR, CNN SENIOR EDITOR OF ARAB AFFAIRS: First of all very interesting tape. We do see Ayman al-Zawahiri. This is the No. 2 man of al Qaeda. Here he is sitting down in a studio-like setting with his Kalishnikov (ph) next to him speaking comfortably, looking good, some would say, and giving a status report, sort of a very skewed status report on the situation in Afghanistan.
He says that east and south Afghanistan are in -- are controlled by the Mujahadin, that the Americans are hiding in trenches, in hideouts, and they won't come out even when triggered by the Mujahadin. He also talks about Kabul.
And of course, Al Jazeera aired this tidbit from the tape. They said that they have more that they are going to -- to run in a little less than two hours from now.
So we'll be watching. We'll be listening to see if there are any indications when this was taped, where it was taped and anything like that.
PHILLIPS: OK. And I know that you and Nic Robertson have both been working this story. Have you -- has anything come out of the tape talking about Iraq? I know Nic mentioned Afghanistan. But anything about Iraq or 9/11 or the third anniversary coming up of 9/11 or any type -- another planned attack?
NASR: Not on the part that we heard. We will see what the next parts are going to bring. And we will be calling Al Jazeera to find out if we can learn more about the next part.
What Al Jazeera has been doing, which is interesting, in the past they would sit on a tape like this until they're ready with guests and analysis around it.
What they have done recently is as soon as they get the tape they put a part of it out and then they say more to come later. So you have to guess that they're not ready yet to tell us what else is on that tape.
Plus their 4 p.m. Eastern show is their flagship show. So they're going to have a whole panel around the tape.
But nothing talking about anything other than Afghanistan in this one part that we heard. We will see what else is going to come next.
Now of course, we have been suspecting something, a message or a statement or a tape from either bin Laden or Zawahiri or any other al Qaeda member, high-ranking member on the anniversary of 9/11. So this doesn't come as a surprise, as a total surprise.
It is a surprise, though, to see the man. We've been used to hear him but not see him lately. A lot of people were saying that maybe he's just sending audiotapes because he's injured, because he doesn't look good. Maybe he changed his looks. So this is a change from past -- from a few months ago, and maybe this is what he's trying to do is send a message that "I'm alive and well."
PHILLIPS: Just as this tape comes out, you and I were talking about an editorial that came out. And the headline reads, "The Painful Truth: All the World's Terrorists are Muslims." And the writer is the general manager of al-Arabiya Television, a Saudi national and a Muslim.
Now, he wrote the column in response to the horrific images of dead children in Beslan, "We can't forget these pictures. The hostage nightmare that has left the world shaken."
Since we have our senior editor of Arab affairs, Octavia Nasr, here with us, let's talk about the self-criticism in the Arab media. The name of this general manager is --
NASR: Abdul Rahman al-Rashid.
PHILLIPS: al-Rashid. OK. And he writes and we have the quotes here in a graphic, "Most perpetrators of suicide operations in buses, schools and residential buildings around the world for the past 10 years have been Muslims."
He goes on and says, "The picture is humiliating, painful and harsh for all of us. And our terrorist sons are an end-product of our corrupt culture."
This is the first time we've really seen someone in this type of position in the Arab media stand up and say such powerful statements. What's going on? NASR: What's going on is that perhaps Rashid had some enlightenment after a deep soul-searching session. That's what a lot of people in the Middle East are saying these days.
It's good. They're seeing it as a good thing, although some think that he went a little bit too far by sort of making the mistake of putting all Muslims under this -- under one umbrella. A lot of people are not happy with him saying all Muslims are terrorists or all terrorists are Muslims.
And -- and when you look at the commentaries and look at the responses that he got to his article, people are saying, "Well, you forgot one essential element here. You didn't talk about the root of this problem." Because Mr. Rashid described this phenomenon as a disease, which is a first in the Middle East.
PHILLIPS: So what do they say the root is? What do they say the root is when they responded to him?
NASR: They say the root is the way Muslims are treated around the world. That that they are not getting their rights, that they are not respected. They are not liked. And, you know, they have Chechnya to list as an example. Also, the Palestinian territories.
And, of course, you have a big issue that is not being discussed much, according to these people, is Guantanamo. They say instead of being so outraged about this story, how come we don't hear outrage from the West about the treatment of the Guantanamo prisoners?
They're all Muslims. They all were rounded up. Some of them didn't even get the chance to have a lawyer or to be tried or even to be given a reason why they're held in Guantanamo.
So you have all sides in the Arab media. You do hear condemnation all the time. But what Mr. Rashid said in his article, and he was very effective in doing so, he said, "We have to stop condemning and we have to start doing something about it."
Again, he called it a disease that needs to be cured. And he said the cure starts with ourselves. We have to start. We have to identify the problem. We have to admit that we have this disease and then help ourselves out of it.
Pretty powerful. And you can see how Western media have picked up on it, which -- which tells me...
PHILLIPS: Of course.
NASR: ... which tells me that he was very effective in the Arab world and in the West by what he did.
PHILLIPS: Well, of course, we'll be following what kind of outcome. I'm sure there will be lots of debates. It will be interesting to see if anybody else comes forward, too.
NASR: That's right. PHILLIPS: Octavia Nasr, thank you so much. All right. We're going to take a quick break. Annie Lennox just ahead.
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O'BRIEN: Annie Lennox, you first got to know her in the early '80s, when she and Dave Stewart teamed up to create a band and a sound that was truly unique. And unique is an overused word. It really was unique.
The Eurhythmics are a fond memory for all of us. But Annie Lennox writes and sings and performs on her own, continues to do so. She pours amazing passion and emotion into her work.
Her latest C.D. is simply titled "Bare," and it's awesome. That's the only word that applies. And she's here in Atlanta with us.
It's great to have you with us. Taking some time out from her touring with Sting. How's that going, first of all?
ANNIE LENNOX, SINGER: Fantastic. Absolutely brilliant, yes.
O'BRIEN: How did that come to be, that you and Sting decided to go on tour?
LENNOX: I got a phone call, and he invited me to join him on tour. And I said yes straight away. I wasn't planning on going on tour with Sting. It was nothing that was on my agenda, because I'm a mother and I take my kids to school in the morning. So, you know, I wasn't planning to do that. But when I heard that, I thought, "Yes, that's a very nice idea."
O'BRIEN: All right. We're listening -- in the background here we're listening to "Pavement Cracks" a little bit. And kind of down low.
But as you listen to the album, it's a lot of emotion. It's almost a dark album in a way. What was going on as you wrote all these songs?
LENNOX: I think music is a very powerful form of communication. And I think we artists, the people that write the music and perform and sing it for people are bridges to reach people's -- all aspects, the whole range of emotion. And I feel that my music can do that.
And it's also something that can communicate connectivity with people. When people come to concerts and they identify with your music, they lose themselves in it for a moment. Music has all kinds of possibility. So I always like to say if people like my music, if they identify with it, it gives them something to inspire them. And it's doing what it can do.
O'BRIEN: Was there something in particular going on in your life that focused you in this way? LENNOX: There's always something going on in my life, I tell you. Drama. I'm afraid so.
O'BRIEN: And you can sort of hear the drama, in a sense. You get a sense of it, and you can really identify with if you're at a certain age.
LENNOX: Yes, I think so. As a child I was a very sensitive, artistic kind of soul, and I've been very fortunate that I've managed to find my way and create my own identity as an artist. And I know what that is.
And it's sometimes a painful journey. It's not -- everybody -- It's not a happy, glamorous place to be. But this is -- this is my calling. It's what I do.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
LENNOX: I hope that people benefit from it.
O'BRIEN: Yes. It's not lightweight stuff. You've never sold out, as it were.
LENNOX: No, I never have.
O'BRIEN: No, you haven't.
You were born Christmas Day 1954. I'm not a math major, but that puts you facing a big turning point this next Christmas. You look like a million bucks.
LENNOX: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Do you -- do you consider yourself a role model for women, men of this age?
LENNOX: I would like to think that perhaps I could inspire women of my own age that might feel that because -- because our society concentrates on youth culture so much, that we don't have to think that we're washed out by the time we're in our 40s. And a lot of us do. Because everything is about beauty and youth.
And I'm actually now coming to my prime with my singing and my performance, and I'm surprised, myself, at that. So I'm kind of inspired to carry on. And I hope that I inspire women in particular, you know, that it's not the end when you're 50.
O'BRIEN: Were you pleasantly surprised that this is your prime?
LENNOX: Totally. When I started to do this tour, I knew it was a big challenge for me, because I haven't toured in a little while, you know? And actually I found a whole new direction and avenue in my voice. And it's stronger than it's ever been.
I'm not -- I'm sorry, it sounds a bit -- I'm quite modest and I don't want to boast. O'BRIEN: That's all right.
LENNOX: But I know it's stronger than it's ever been. So I'm like, "Wow! That's amazing."
O'BRIEN: You are entitled to brag about your voice. And the range of that voice and the emotion you can express is really astounding. I don't want to, you know, make you embarrassed over that.
LENNOX: Thank you. Thank you.
O'BRIEN: What about the future? You know, concerts have never been your thing, necessarily. They've been rare.
LENNOX: They were rare. They were for years and years.
O'BRIEN: Then you stopped.
LENNOX: Yes, to have my children.
O'BRIEN: Are you back sort of in that limelight again?
LENNOX: I don't know. I always play life by ear. I never knew what's going to come my way. And I always like to do what inspires me in the moment.
So at the moment I'm doing the tour with Sting. And when it finishes I'll go back to London where we live, and I'll continue writing and recording. And my next album hopefully will come out next year, which is thrilling for me to be still making music now, you know. Stronger than ever, I hope.
O'BRIEN: Spend a little time walking the kids to school.
LENNOX: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Annie Lennox, you look great. You sound great.
LENNOX: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Good to have you drop by.
LENNOX: Thank you for everything.
O'BRIEN: My pleasure.
LENNOX: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Kyra.
PHILLIPS: No, do this tease with me.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Yes, come on in here. O'BRIEN: OK.
PHILLIPS: I know we're a little mesmerized by Annie Lennox.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Not only an amazing performer but a great mom. Still taking the kids to school.
O'BRIEN: And let's put the album up there one more time. The album is "Bare," and you actually did the design of the cover. And this is totally your album. You wrote it. You performed it. You actually did the photograph and you like to do the full thing.
LENNOX: Yes, I do.
O'BRIEN: The full Monty, so to speak. All right.
LENNOX: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: You, too.
O'BRIEN: Good to have you with us.
PHILLIPS: Well, even more glitz and glamour than usual fills the streets in New York. Find out who's in town. We hit the Big Apple just ahead.
O'BRIEN: Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now? New cell phone rules aimed to wipe out those connection hassles for good. We'll find out about that, after we hang up for a few minutes.
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PHILLIPS: We're used to this: dropped calls, weak signal. Soon cell phone problems like these probably will be a thing of the past, hopefully.
O'BRIEN: I'm not putting a lot of money on that one, but we'll listen to Fred anyway. Fred Katayama at the exchange.
Hello, Fred.
(STOCK REPORT)
O'BRIEN: All right, Fred Katayama, thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, you may not have thought about your fall wardrobe yet, but the fashionistas, as we well know...
O'BRIEN: I've been obsessing about it.
PHILLIPS: He sure has. He's been talking about all the top designers, showing us spring collections.
O'BRIEN: Yes. PHILLIPS: It's Fashion Week in New York.
O'BRIEN: Yes. That Passion of the Christ clothing line is very nice.
CNN's Alina Cho is backstage at the Bill Blass show with more.
Hello, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Miles, Kyra.
We are backstage here. The show has ended and lots of activity going on here behind me, as you can see. The fashion icon Marissa Baris (ph) is right behind me there.
And this is -- this is quite a scene here, Fashion Week. This is the first time I've covered it.
I can tell you that the shows normally start about a half an hour late, and they last about ten minutes. What we're seeing a lot for spring 2005 -- Remember, we're going in the fall, but we're looking ahead to spring -- is lots of color and what the designers are calling a return to femininity.
In fact, the creative director at Bill Blass said that he was inspired by what he called the lady.
The same was true over at Carolina Herrera. You saw lots of pretty, flowing dresses in pretty colors. Miss Herrera said she was inspired by the '40s. We even saw bathing suits and Bermuda shorts on the runway there.
And again, lots of colors: citrus yellow, tangerine, orange, blue, pinks, lime green. Lots of color. Herrera didn't use black; neither did Bill Blass.
Another thing to keep in mind as you're looking at the spring collection is that these don't come cheap. Bill Blass dresses one tenth of one percent of the American woman. Here's why. Day dresses cost $2,500. Evening gowns can go for as high as $15,000.
The models don't come cheap, either, Kyra and Miles. A top model here gets $13,000 to walk a ten-minute show.
O'BRIEN: Wow! Now there's a living to try -- Hey, Alina, I always wonder, when you get assigned to cover something like this, do you fret about what to wear?
CHO: I did. You know what? You know how many hours went into this outfit?
PHILLIPS: Tell us what you're wearing.
CHO: Well, I'm wearing...
O'BRIEN: Is that about the sixth outfit you tried today? PHILLIPS: Let's get the Alina Cho check. If our photographer could start from the toes and move up.
CHO: OK.
PHILLIPS: Maybe we can get -- Here we go.
O'BRIEN: OK.
CHO: Purple shoes.
O'BRIEN: They're nice.
CHO: Purple shoes. We heard that purple was big for fall. I'm wearing jeans, because I thought that that was sort of hip and cool.
O'BRIEN: That works.
CHO: I don't normally get to wear jeans. And then I'm wearing a chocolate brown top and a, you know, fuchsia velvet jacket.
PHILLIPS: The top is a little see through. You see that?
O'BRIEN: I think -- I think she's really put together. Alina, you're working it well.
CHO: Thanks, Miles.
O'BRIEN: And I bet you're doing it a lot less than $2,500 an article.
Hey, the one thing about Bill Blass, he was one of the few that I look at and go -- wow, that's...
PHILLIPS: He's been around for awhile. It's classy.
O'BRIEN: Well, I guess I'm a conservative guy but I like his style, you know?
CHO: Very, very pretty. You know, again this spring is all about feminine, flowy dresses, poofy dresses in some cases and lots of color. You won't see a lot of black heading into spring.
PHILLIPS: All right. Our Alina Cho, looking good. She doesn't need to wear any of these designer fashions.
O'BRIEN: Thumbs up.
PHILLIPS: Yes, look at her. Thumbs up on Alina.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: She'll be walking the runway.
O'BRIEN: She'd look good in a burlap sack, that Alina.
Thank you very much.
CHO: OK.
O'BRIEN: All right. More on Hurricane Ivan's track when we return.
PHILLIPS: And we're also taking your e-mails about the Bush National Guard controversy. Is it going to sway your vote? We want to hear from you. E-mail at LiveFrom@CNN.com. We're going to read some of them in just a few minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: In the news now: al Qaeda is claiming a comeback in Afghanistan. That videotaped message just aired on the Arab network Al Jazeera. The message was delivered by Osama bin Laden's right-hand man, Ayman al-Zawahiri. He states the Mujahadin are now in control of much of Afghanistan and have driven U.S. forces into the trenches, he says.
We'll have much more on this in just a moment.
The most devastating in a decade. Hurricane Ivan roars across the eastern Caribbean, aiming now for Jamaica. The menacing storm has strengthened to a Category Five, the strongest possible. And forecasters say it could hit the Florida Keys by Monday.
More on that in a moment, as well.
Terror in Indonesia. Police say a car bomb caused all of this you see here, exploding just outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta. At least eight are dead; 170 others wounded. The impact was heard six miles away. Damaged buildings are seen for blocks.
And massive evacuations in Los Angeles to tell you about, but don't worry. It was really just a drill to test the readiness of those who work in downtown L.A. When the alarm was given, nearly 20,000 people rushed out of city hall, police headquarters and several civic center buildings.
We begin this hour with a voice from the underground. Ayman al- Zawahri, right-hand man to Osama bin Laden, claiming U.S. troops are on the ropes in Afghanistan. The Egyptian-born doctor appears in a video clip on the Arab network Al-Jazeera, though the tape's date of origin, obviously, its location are a mystery.
CNN's Nic Robertson, who has covered al Qaeda extensively, has been watching the tape, looking at the translations, has some insights for us.
We should remind folks there was a time when it was thought that Ayman al-Zawahri was corned in the mountains of Afghanistan by U.S. forces. Some question as to whether he was dead. It appears that is not the case.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It appears this is not the case.
There are several things that are interesting. No. 1, we're very, very close to the anniversary of September 11. Al Qaeda has a tradition over the last few years of releasing video messages, videotapes annually around September 11. They release audio messages in between, but this is a special event for them.
What also makes this stand out is, this is an al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, the No. 2 to Osama bin Laden, appearing on the tape delivering the message. That's the first time we've had that type of video-delivered message in 2 1/2 years. The headline on it, the mujahedeen, the holy warriors, as he calls them, are in control of the south and east of Afghanistan, that U.S. troops are hiding in their trenches, afraid to go out and face these holy warriors.
O'BRIEN: All right, so a fairly predictable type of message from al Qaeda. But the fact that we're seeing him on camera, I guess we could say is significant. Nevertheless, we don't know when it was recorded, right?
ROBERTSON: We don't know when it's recorded. We've only seen a portion of it so far. The Gulf broadcaster Al-Jazeera has only played a small percentage of the tape, we believe.
What is the real thrust of the message? We still don't know that. Could it be about Iraq? Could it be about other issues in the world at this time? But this focuses on Afghanistan. Also, having been there recently, I have to say, that's not the case, the image that he's portraying. The troops go out on daily patrols. They go into villages. Yes, they do face attack at certain times in some areas. But they are not hiding in their trenches. We have seen this for ourselves over the last few months.
O'BRIEN: Now, Al-Jazeera is promising to release I presume the full contents of this tape. It has been speculated in the past somehow these tapes are used by al Qaeda to communicate with cells. Is that a real concern, do you think?
ROBERTSON: It certainly used to be a concern. And I'm sure within the intelligence community, that exists.
What are the clues here? Well, he is wearing a white turban. There is an AK-47, an automatic weapon, standing in the background. In the past, people have said, look, there's Osama. He's delivering a message. There is a map. There is his weapon pointing at somewhere on the map. But there doesn't seem to be any real hard clues in this that we, you and I, can see, but knows? Perhaps al Qaeda has some coded message that they have already pre given to their troops.
But it appears much more that this is al Qaeda delivering their sort of annual big special, if you will, right around the anniversary of September 11. Clearly, this event is still very important to them and raising morale and flying the banner and saying, look, we're here. We haven't been captured.
O'BRIEN: It's got to be very frustrating for troops on the hunt for al Qaeda.
Anyway, Nic Robertson, thank you very much. Appreciate your insights -- Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, also in the war on terror, Pakistan's Air Force bombed a suspected al Qaeda training camp in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The area is believed to be a hideout for terrorists groups and a possible haven for Osama bin Laden. Pakistani officials say the camp was destroyed and at least 55 people were killed, none of them believed to be top members of al Qaeda.
And for a third straight day, U.S. forces target insurgents in Iraq with deadly results. Iraqi officials say that these are some of the civilians seen here caught in the crosshairs in Fallujah. U.S. warplanes bombed what were identified as militant targets. Later, U.S. officials acknowledged an unknown number of civilians were indeed killed.
O'BRIEN: The National Hurricane Center calls Hurricane Ivan extremely dangerous. It has damaged 90 percent of structures on Granada and is blamed for more than 12 deaths there. Jamaica and Cuba next in line for Ivan's wrath. And people in the Bahamas and Florida are urged to keep a close eye on this storm. Mandatory evacuations already have been issued for Florida's keys.
Current forecasts put Ivan near the Keys either Sunday or early Monday.
Neki Mohan of our Miami affiliate WPLG is on the scene in Jamaica.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEKI MOHAN, WPLG REPORTER (voice-over): The shutters are going up. Jamaicans are gassing up. In the streets of Kingston, a mad rush to get ready for Ivan.
(on camera): I'm here in downtown Kingston at the grocery store. The store opened 15 minutes ago. People were lined up at the door waiting to get in to stock up.
MOHAN: Are you worried?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very much worried. We're in a state right now where we can't even take a Category 1 hurricane, much less a Category 5. It is very frightening. And we need to really prepare ourselves.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, God, we're terrified, because I heard that the country is basically going to be closed down at 12:00 today. And the government issued a warning that we should all make sure that if we are not prepared, we are prepared, because it's definitely coming.
MOHAN (voice-over): People here are preparing for the worst, memories fresh in most people's mind because of Gilbert in 1988. Ironically, Ivan comes almost on the 16-year anniversary.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was living in Portland at that time. And all the roofs, everything went, flooded. The stores were broken into, the glasses, and all of that. Terrible, terrible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, following all that terrible weather that is going on in parts of the country, specifically Florida, Orelon Sidney live from the Weather Center now.
What's the latest?
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Thanks a lot, Kyra.
We do continue to watch our storm moving to west-northwest. It is still strong. The next update from the Hurricane Center is due in at 5:00 p.m. But this is the 2:00 update, winds still of 160 miles an hour with higher gusts moving to the west-northwest at 15 miles an hour. At that time, 360 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica. And it just doesn't look like there's any way that Jamaica is going to avoid a hit.
We're looking at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, the winds of about 155 miles an hour with much higher gusts, Category 4, then. We're looking at a storm that is so strong, a lot of times they don't maintain this force for very long, so they will fluctuate back and forth. And we expect to see that fluctuation between Category 4 and 5 as it heads towards Jamaica tomorrow.
Then, after it passes through Jamaica, it's headed towards Cuba. And there, we expect to run into maybe a little forecast problem here. We start to see it interact with land, run into some cooler waters and also get a little bit of sheer. As far as its direction is concerned, there's a wide zone of possibility extending from the Bahamas through the Southeastern United States and into the Central Gulf of Mexico.
So, even though there's a line here, this is just showing you the official current forecast, but also official is this zone of possibility. You should be prepared for the landfall of a major hurricane if you live anywhere in that area -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Orelon Sidney, thank you.
And we can't forget Frances, especially if you live in North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania or New York. The former hurricane is still fact of life. All those states report huge amounts of rain, 16 inches in parts of North Carolina, with the inevitable result. In New York City, the subway floods of yesterday receded today. But 10 counties in western North Carolina are still in states of emergency.
O'BRIEN: Let's turn it over to presidential politics now.
All four candidates are seeking votes out on the campaign trail today, President Bush in Pennsylvania, Democratic John Kerry, Vice President Cheney in Ohio. And Kerry's running mate, John Edwards, is in New Hampshire.
Mr. Bush spoke about economic recovery and opportunities in Colmar, Pennsylvania, earlier today. The race is close in that battleground state. A new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll has the president and John Kerry in a dead heat in the Keystone State.
Meanwhile, the president is facing another round of attacks about his National Guard service in the '70s. There are new ads that question his stint in Alabama. Now the man who says he helped the president and others avoid active duty in Vietnam is going on camera. Former Texas Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes spoke on CBS' "60 Minutes."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "60 MINUTES")
BEN BARNES, FMR. TEXAS LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: I was a young, ambitious politician, doing what I thought was acceptable, that was important to make friends. And I recommended a lot of people for the -- for the National Guard during the Vietnam era as speaker of the House and as lieutenant governor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you recommended George W. Bush?
BARNES: Yes, I did. I would describe it as preferential treatment.
There were hundreds of names on the list of people wanting to get in the Air National Guard or the Army National Guard. I think that would have been a preference to anybody that didn't want to go to Vietnam, that didn't want to leave.
We had a lot of young men that left and went to Canada in the '60s and fled this country. But those that could get in the Reserves or those that could get in the National Guard, chances are they would not have to go to Vietnam.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: So, will the debate over the president's National Guard service impact your vote? We'll read some of your e-mail on that in a few minutes. Got my work cut out for me on that one.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is seeking support in the battleground state of Iowa, as we just told you. He criticized the president's health care plan to voters in Des Moines. Kerry says Bush failed to hold down health care costs during his four years in office. Kerry's criticism comes the same day a study finds a double- digit increase in insurance premiums for the fourth year in a row.
PHILLIPS: Well, straight ahead, we'll honor the nation's more than 1,000 fallen troops in Iraq. You won't want to miss this piece by our Beth Nissen.
Stay with us.
(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 9, 2004 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(MUSIC)
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Welcome back to the CNN Center in Atlanta. This is LIVE FROM. I'm Miles O'Brien.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: And I'm Kyra Phillips. All new this half hour...
(MUSIC)
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes, she's an amazing artist. Solo or with the Eurhythmics, Annie Lennox has, I guess you could say, pretty much got the soundtrack of the last two decades.
Finally, we're going to...
O'BRIEN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Right. She's here today live to talk about her new album and tour. Now, Miles won the arm wrestling match so he gets the interview. But he also gets to do this...
Maybe a little karaoke?
O'BRIEN: I'm not going to try karaoke.
PHILLIPS: Oh, wait. I'm taking her out to karaoke.
O'BRIEN: I can tell you right now; she's not going to be dressed like the diva. But...
PHILLIPS: Look at her. She's amazing over there.
O'BRIEN: She's good to look at. Well, anyway, we'll be seeing her very shortly -- there she is.
PHILLIPS: There she is. Hi, Annie.
O'BRIEN: Before we get to that we've got to take care of some business. Let's see what's happening now in the news.
The No. 2 man of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri appears in a new tape that aired today on the Arab network, Al Jazeera. In it al- Zawahiri says holy fighters have taken control of southern and eastern Afghanistan and driven U.S. forces into trenches. U.S. military is acknowledging Iraqi civilians were killed in a U.S. air strike in Fallujah today. American warplanes have bombed the city's stronghold over the past couple of days, targeting insurgents. A U.S. military official says foreign fighters hide among civilians, putting the innocents at risk.
No word on the number of dead, though reports range from 10 to 12 victims. I believe that video has nothing to do with the story I'm reading. Actually this story is what it has to do with.
Hurricane Ivan. The third time in the past month, folks are heading out of Florida, in particular the Keys. Mandatory evacuation orders went into effect today ahead of Ivan, which forecasters say could arrive by late Sunday. The Category Five hurricane is barely to the Caribbean right now, leaving behind death and destruction. It is expected to strike Jamaica tomorrow.
PHILLIPS: Well, as you know we've been telling you about the developing story as it happened just about within the past 15 or 20 minutes, and that's Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, surfacing with a videotape.
We actually have a number of things we want to talk to our senior editor of Arab affairs, Octavia Nasr, about. But let's start with that videotape first.
You have been listening to it; you've been getting information. What can you give us so far on this?
OCTAVIA NASR, CNN SENIOR EDITOR OF ARAB AFFAIRS: First of all very interesting tape. We do see Ayman al-Zawahiri. This is the No. 2 man of al Qaeda. Here he is sitting down in a studio-like setting with his Kalishnikov (ph) next to him speaking comfortably, looking good, some would say, and giving a status report, sort of a very skewed status report on the situation in Afghanistan.
He says that east and south Afghanistan are in -- are controlled by the Mujahadin, that the Americans are hiding in trenches, in hideouts, and they won't come out even when triggered by the Mujahadin. He also talks about Kabul.
And of course, Al Jazeera aired this tidbit from the tape. They said that they have more that they are going to -- to run in a little less than two hours from now.
So we'll be watching. We'll be listening to see if there are any indications when this was taped, where it was taped and anything like that.
PHILLIPS: OK. And I know that you and Nic Robertson have both been working this story. Have you -- has anything come out of the tape talking about Iraq? I know Nic mentioned Afghanistan. But anything about Iraq or 9/11 or the third anniversary coming up of 9/11 or any type -- another planned attack?
NASR: Not on the part that we heard. We will see what the next parts are going to bring. And we will be calling Al Jazeera to find out if we can learn more about the next part.
What Al Jazeera has been doing, which is interesting, in the past they would sit on a tape like this until they're ready with guests and analysis around it.
What they have done recently is as soon as they get the tape they put a part of it out and then they say more to come later. So you have to guess that they're not ready yet to tell us what else is on that tape.
Plus their 4 p.m. Eastern show is their flagship show. So they're going to have a whole panel around the tape.
But nothing talking about anything other than Afghanistan in this one part that we heard. We will see what else is going to come next.
Now of course, we have been suspecting something, a message or a statement or a tape from either bin Laden or Zawahiri or any other al Qaeda member, high-ranking member on the anniversary of 9/11. So this doesn't come as a surprise, as a total surprise.
It is a surprise, though, to see the man. We've been used to hear him but not see him lately. A lot of people were saying that maybe he's just sending audiotapes because he's injured, because he doesn't look good. Maybe he changed his looks. So this is a change from past -- from a few months ago, and maybe this is what he's trying to do is send a message that "I'm alive and well."
PHILLIPS: Just as this tape comes out, you and I were talking about an editorial that came out. And the headline reads, "The Painful Truth: All the World's Terrorists are Muslims." And the writer is the general manager of al-Arabiya Television, a Saudi national and a Muslim.
Now, he wrote the column in response to the horrific images of dead children in Beslan, "We can't forget these pictures. The hostage nightmare that has left the world shaken."
Since we have our senior editor of Arab affairs, Octavia Nasr, here with us, let's talk about the self-criticism in the Arab media. The name of this general manager is --
NASR: Abdul Rahman al-Rashid.
PHILLIPS: al-Rashid. OK. And he writes and we have the quotes here in a graphic, "Most perpetrators of suicide operations in buses, schools and residential buildings around the world for the past 10 years have been Muslims."
He goes on and says, "The picture is humiliating, painful and harsh for all of us. And our terrorist sons are an end-product of our corrupt culture."
This is the first time we've really seen someone in this type of position in the Arab media stand up and say such powerful statements. What's going on? NASR: What's going on is that perhaps Rashid had some enlightenment after a deep soul-searching session. That's what a lot of people in the Middle East are saying these days.
It's good. They're seeing it as a good thing, although some think that he went a little bit too far by sort of making the mistake of putting all Muslims under this -- under one umbrella. A lot of people are not happy with him saying all Muslims are terrorists or all terrorists are Muslims.
And -- and when you look at the commentaries and look at the responses that he got to his article, people are saying, "Well, you forgot one essential element here. You didn't talk about the root of this problem." Because Mr. Rashid described this phenomenon as a disease, which is a first in the Middle East.
PHILLIPS: So what do they say the root is? What do they say the root is when they responded to him?
NASR: They say the root is the way Muslims are treated around the world. That that they are not getting their rights, that they are not respected. They are not liked. And, you know, they have Chechnya to list as an example. Also, the Palestinian territories.
And, of course, you have a big issue that is not being discussed much, according to these people, is Guantanamo. They say instead of being so outraged about this story, how come we don't hear outrage from the West about the treatment of the Guantanamo prisoners?
They're all Muslims. They all were rounded up. Some of them didn't even get the chance to have a lawyer or to be tried or even to be given a reason why they're held in Guantanamo.
So you have all sides in the Arab media. You do hear condemnation all the time. But what Mr. Rashid said in his article, and he was very effective in doing so, he said, "We have to stop condemning and we have to start doing something about it."
Again, he called it a disease that needs to be cured. And he said the cure starts with ourselves. We have to start. We have to identify the problem. We have to admit that we have this disease and then help ourselves out of it.
Pretty powerful. And you can see how Western media have picked up on it, which -- which tells me...
PHILLIPS: Of course.
NASR: ... which tells me that he was very effective in the Arab world and in the West by what he did.
PHILLIPS: Well, of course, we'll be following what kind of outcome. I'm sure there will be lots of debates. It will be interesting to see if anybody else comes forward, too.
NASR: That's right. PHILLIPS: Octavia Nasr, thank you so much. All right. We're going to take a quick break. Annie Lennox just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
O'BRIEN: Annie Lennox, you first got to know her in the early '80s, when she and Dave Stewart teamed up to create a band and a sound that was truly unique. And unique is an overused word. It really was unique.
The Eurhythmics are a fond memory for all of us. But Annie Lennox writes and sings and performs on her own, continues to do so. She pours amazing passion and emotion into her work.
Her latest C.D. is simply titled "Bare," and it's awesome. That's the only word that applies. And she's here in Atlanta with us.
It's great to have you with us. Taking some time out from her touring with Sting. How's that going, first of all?
ANNIE LENNOX, SINGER: Fantastic. Absolutely brilliant, yes.
O'BRIEN: How did that come to be, that you and Sting decided to go on tour?
LENNOX: I got a phone call, and he invited me to join him on tour. And I said yes straight away. I wasn't planning on going on tour with Sting. It was nothing that was on my agenda, because I'm a mother and I take my kids to school in the morning. So, you know, I wasn't planning to do that. But when I heard that, I thought, "Yes, that's a very nice idea."
O'BRIEN: All right. We're listening -- in the background here we're listening to "Pavement Cracks" a little bit. And kind of down low.
But as you listen to the album, it's a lot of emotion. It's almost a dark album in a way. What was going on as you wrote all these songs?
LENNOX: I think music is a very powerful form of communication. And I think we artists, the people that write the music and perform and sing it for people are bridges to reach people's -- all aspects, the whole range of emotion. And I feel that my music can do that.
And it's also something that can communicate connectivity with people. When people come to concerts and they identify with your music, they lose themselves in it for a moment. Music has all kinds of possibility. So I always like to say if people like my music, if they identify with it, it gives them something to inspire them. And it's doing what it can do.
O'BRIEN: Was there something in particular going on in your life that focused you in this way? LENNOX: There's always something going on in my life, I tell you. Drama. I'm afraid so.
O'BRIEN: And you can sort of hear the drama, in a sense. You get a sense of it, and you can really identify with if you're at a certain age.
LENNOX: Yes, I think so. As a child I was a very sensitive, artistic kind of soul, and I've been very fortunate that I've managed to find my way and create my own identity as an artist. And I know what that is.
And it's sometimes a painful journey. It's not -- everybody -- It's not a happy, glamorous place to be. But this is -- this is my calling. It's what I do.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
LENNOX: I hope that people benefit from it.
O'BRIEN: Yes. It's not lightweight stuff. You've never sold out, as it were.
LENNOX: No, I never have.
O'BRIEN: No, you haven't.
You were born Christmas Day 1954. I'm not a math major, but that puts you facing a big turning point this next Christmas. You look like a million bucks.
LENNOX: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Do you -- do you consider yourself a role model for women, men of this age?
LENNOX: I would like to think that perhaps I could inspire women of my own age that might feel that because -- because our society concentrates on youth culture so much, that we don't have to think that we're washed out by the time we're in our 40s. And a lot of us do. Because everything is about beauty and youth.
And I'm actually now coming to my prime with my singing and my performance, and I'm surprised, myself, at that. So I'm kind of inspired to carry on. And I hope that I inspire women in particular, you know, that it's not the end when you're 50.
O'BRIEN: Were you pleasantly surprised that this is your prime?
LENNOX: Totally. When I started to do this tour, I knew it was a big challenge for me, because I haven't toured in a little while, you know? And actually I found a whole new direction and avenue in my voice. And it's stronger than it's ever been.
I'm not -- I'm sorry, it sounds a bit -- I'm quite modest and I don't want to boast. O'BRIEN: That's all right.
LENNOX: But I know it's stronger than it's ever been. So I'm like, "Wow! That's amazing."
O'BRIEN: You are entitled to brag about your voice. And the range of that voice and the emotion you can express is really astounding. I don't want to, you know, make you embarrassed over that.
LENNOX: Thank you. Thank you.
O'BRIEN: What about the future? You know, concerts have never been your thing, necessarily. They've been rare.
LENNOX: They were rare. They were for years and years.
O'BRIEN: Then you stopped.
LENNOX: Yes, to have my children.
O'BRIEN: Are you back sort of in that limelight again?
LENNOX: I don't know. I always play life by ear. I never knew what's going to come my way. And I always like to do what inspires me in the moment.
So at the moment I'm doing the tour with Sting. And when it finishes I'll go back to London where we live, and I'll continue writing and recording. And my next album hopefully will come out next year, which is thrilling for me to be still making music now, you know. Stronger than ever, I hope.
O'BRIEN: Spend a little time walking the kids to school.
LENNOX: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Annie Lennox, you look great. You sound great.
LENNOX: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Good to have you drop by.
LENNOX: Thank you for everything.
O'BRIEN: My pleasure.
LENNOX: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Kyra.
PHILLIPS: No, do this tease with me.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Yes, come on in here. O'BRIEN: OK.
PHILLIPS: I know we're a little mesmerized by Annie Lennox.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Not only an amazing performer but a great mom. Still taking the kids to school.
O'BRIEN: And let's put the album up there one more time. The album is "Bare," and you actually did the design of the cover. And this is totally your album. You wrote it. You performed it. You actually did the photograph and you like to do the full thing.
LENNOX: Yes, I do.
O'BRIEN: The full Monty, so to speak. All right.
LENNOX: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: You, too.
O'BRIEN: Good to have you with us.
PHILLIPS: Well, even more glitz and glamour than usual fills the streets in New York. Find out who's in town. We hit the Big Apple just ahead.
O'BRIEN: Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now? New cell phone rules aimed to wipe out those connection hassles for good. We'll find out about that, after we hang up for a few minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: We're used to this: dropped calls, weak signal. Soon cell phone problems like these probably will be a thing of the past, hopefully.
O'BRIEN: I'm not putting a lot of money on that one, but we'll listen to Fred anyway. Fred Katayama at the exchange.
Hello, Fred.
(STOCK REPORT)
O'BRIEN: All right, Fred Katayama, thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, you may not have thought about your fall wardrobe yet, but the fashionistas, as we well know...
O'BRIEN: I've been obsessing about it.
PHILLIPS: He sure has. He's been talking about all the top designers, showing us spring collections.
O'BRIEN: Yes. PHILLIPS: It's Fashion Week in New York.
O'BRIEN: Yes. That Passion of the Christ clothing line is very nice.
CNN's Alina Cho is backstage at the Bill Blass show with more.
Hello, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Miles, Kyra.
We are backstage here. The show has ended and lots of activity going on here behind me, as you can see. The fashion icon Marissa Baris (ph) is right behind me there.
And this is -- this is quite a scene here, Fashion Week. This is the first time I've covered it.
I can tell you that the shows normally start about a half an hour late, and they last about ten minutes. What we're seeing a lot for spring 2005 -- Remember, we're going in the fall, but we're looking ahead to spring -- is lots of color and what the designers are calling a return to femininity.
In fact, the creative director at Bill Blass said that he was inspired by what he called the lady.
The same was true over at Carolina Herrera. You saw lots of pretty, flowing dresses in pretty colors. Miss Herrera said she was inspired by the '40s. We even saw bathing suits and Bermuda shorts on the runway there.
And again, lots of colors: citrus yellow, tangerine, orange, blue, pinks, lime green. Lots of color. Herrera didn't use black; neither did Bill Blass.
Another thing to keep in mind as you're looking at the spring collection is that these don't come cheap. Bill Blass dresses one tenth of one percent of the American woman. Here's why. Day dresses cost $2,500. Evening gowns can go for as high as $15,000.
The models don't come cheap, either, Kyra and Miles. A top model here gets $13,000 to walk a ten-minute show.
O'BRIEN: Wow! Now there's a living to try -- Hey, Alina, I always wonder, when you get assigned to cover something like this, do you fret about what to wear?
CHO: I did. You know what? You know how many hours went into this outfit?
PHILLIPS: Tell us what you're wearing.
CHO: Well, I'm wearing...
O'BRIEN: Is that about the sixth outfit you tried today? PHILLIPS: Let's get the Alina Cho check. If our photographer could start from the toes and move up.
CHO: OK.
PHILLIPS: Maybe we can get -- Here we go.
O'BRIEN: OK.
CHO: Purple shoes.
O'BRIEN: They're nice.
CHO: Purple shoes. We heard that purple was big for fall. I'm wearing jeans, because I thought that that was sort of hip and cool.
O'BRIEN: That works.
CHO: I don't normally get to wear jeans. And then I'm wearing a chocolate brown top and a, you know, fuchsia velvet jacket.
PHILLIPS: The top is a little see through. You see that?
O'BRIEN: I think -- I think she's really put together. Alina, you're working it well.
CHO: Thanks, Miles.
O'BRIEN: And I bet you're doing it a lot less than $2,500 an article.
Hey, the one thing about Bill Blass, he was one of the few that I look at and go -- wow, that's...
PHILLIPS: He's been around for awhile. It's classy.
O'BRIEN: Well, I guess I'm a conservative guy but I like his style, you know?
CHO: Very, very pretty. You know, again this spring is all about feminine, flowy dresses, poofy dresses in some cases and lots of color. You won't see a lot of black heading into spring.
PHILLIPS: All right. Our Alina Cho, looking good. She doesn't need to wear any of these designer fashions.
O'BRIEN: Thumbs up.
PHILLIPS: Yes, look at her. Thumbs up on Alina.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: She'll be walking the runway.
O'BRIEN: She'd look good in a burlap sack, that Alina.
Thank you very much.
CHO: OK.
O'BRIEN: All right. More on Hurricane Ivan's track when we return.
PHILLIPS: And we're also taking your e-mails about the Bush National Guard controversy. Is it going to sway your vote? We want to hear from you. E-mail at LiveFrom@CNN.com. We're going to read some of them in just a few minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: In the news now: al Qaeda is claiming a comeback in Afghanistan. That videotaped message just aired on the Arab network Al Jazeera. The message was delivered by Osama bin Laden's right-hand man, Ayman al-Zawahiri. He states the Mujahadin are now in control of much of Afghanistan and have driven U.S. forces into the trenches, he says.
We'll have much more on this in just a moment.
The most devastating in a decade. Hurricane Ivan roars across the eastern Caribbean, aiming now for Jamaica. The menacing storm has strengthened to a Category Five, the strongest possible. And forecasters say it could hit the Florida Keys by Monday.
More on that in a moment, as well.
Terror in Indonesia. Police say a car bomb caused all of this you see here, exploding just outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta. At least eight are dead; 170 others wounded. The impact was heard six miles away. Damaged buildings are seen for blocks.
And massive evacuations in Los Angeles to tell you about, but don't worry. It was really just a drill to test the readiness of those who work in downtown L.A. When the alarm was given, nearly 20,000 people rushed out of city hall, police headquarters and several civic center buildings.
We begin this hour with a voice from the underground. Ayman al- Zawahri, right-hand man to Osama bin Laden, claiming U.S. troops are on the ropes in Afghanistan. The Egyptian-born doctor appears in a video clip on the Arab network Al-Jazeera, though the tape's date of origin, obviously, its location are a mystery.
CNN's Nic Robertson, who has covered al Qaeda extensively, has been watching the tape, looking at the translations, has some insights for us.
We should remind folks there was a time when it was thought that Ayman al-Zawahri was corned in the mountains of Afghanistan by U.S. forces. Some question as to whether he was dead. It appears that is not the case.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It appears this is not the case.
There are several things that are interesting. No. 1, we're very, very close to the anniversary of September 11. Al Qaeda has a tradition over the last few years of releasing video messages, videotapes annually around September 11. They release audio messages in between, but this is a special event for them.
What also makes this stand out is, this is an al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, the No. 2 to Osama bin Laden, appearing on the tape delivering the message. That's the first time we've had that type of video-delivered message in 2 1/2 years. The headline on it, the mujahedeen, the holy warriors, as he calls them, are in control of the south and east of Afghanistan, that U.S. troops are hiding in their trenches, afraid to go out and face these holy warriors.
O'BRIEN: All right, so a fairly predictable type of message from al Qaeda. But the fact that we're seeing him on camera, I guess we could say is significant. Nevertheless, we don't know when it was recorded, right?
ROBERTSON: We don't know when it's recorded. We've only seen a portion of it so far. The Gulf broadcaster Al-Jazeera has only played a small percentage of the tape, we believe.
What is the real thrust of the message? We still don't know that. Could it be about Iraq? Could it be about other issues in the world at this time? But this focuses on Afghanistan. Also, having been there recently, I have to say, that's not the case, the image that he's portraying. The troops go out on daily patrols. They go into villages. Yes, they do face attack at certain times in some areas. But they are not hiding in their trenches. We have seen this for ourselves over the last few months.
O'BRIEN: Now, Al-Jazeera is promising to release I presume the full contents of this tape. It has been speculated in the past somehow these tapes are used by al Qaeda to communicate with cells. Is that a real concern, do you think?
ROBERTSON: It certainly used to be a concern. And I'm sure within the intelligence community, that exists.
What are the clues here? Well, he is wearing a white turban. There is an AK-47, an automatic weapon, standing in the background. In the past, people have said, look, there's Osama. He's delivering a message. There is a map. There is his weapon pointing at somewhere on the map. But there doesn't seem to be any real hard clues in this that we, you and I, can see, but knows? Perhaps al Qaeda has some coded message that they have already pre given to their troops.
But it appears much more that this is al Qaeda delivering their sort of annual big special, if you will, right around the anniversary of September 11. Clearly, this event is still very important to them and raising morale and flying the banner and saying, look, we're here. We haven't been captured.
O'BRIEN: It's got to be very frustrating for troops on the hunt for al Qaeda.
Anyway, Nic Robertson, thank you very much. Appreciate your insights -- Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, also in the war on terror, Pakistan's Air Force bombed a suspected al Qaeda training camp in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The area is believed to be a hideout for terrorists groups and a possible haven for Osama bin Laden. Pakistani officials say the camp was destroyed and at least 55 people were killed, none of them believed to be top members of al Qaeda.
And for a third straight day, U.S. forces target insurgents in Iraq with deadly results. Iraqi officials say that these are some of the civilians seen here caught in the crosshairs in Fallujah. U.S. warplanes bombed what were identified as militant targets. Later, U.S. officials acknowledged an unknown number of civilians were indeed killed.
O'BRIEN: The National Hurricane Center calls Hurricane Ivan extremely dangerous. It has damaged 90 percent of structures on Granada and is blamed for more than 12 deaths there. Jamaica and Cuba next in line for Ivan's wrath. And people in the Bahamas and Florida are urged to keep a close eye on this storm. Mandatory evacuations already have been issued for Florida's keys.
Current forecasts put Ivan near the Keys either Sunday or early Monday.
Neki Mohan of our Miami affiliate WPLG is on the scene in Jamaica.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEKI MOHAN, WPLG REPORTER (voice-over): The shutters are going up. Jamaicans are gassing up. In the streets of Kingston, a mad rush to get ready for Ivan.
(on camera): I'm here in downtown Kingston at the grocery store. The store opened 15 minutes ago. People were lined up at the door waiting to get in to stock up.
MOHAN: Are you worried?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very much worried. We're in a state right now where we can't even take a Category 1 hurricane, much less a Category 5. It is very frightening. And we need to really prepare ourselves.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, God, we're terrified, because I heard that the country is basically going to be closed down at 12:00 today. And the government issued a warning that we should all make sure that if we are not prepared, we are prepared, because it's definitely coming.
MOHAN (voice-over): People here are preparing for the worst, memories fresh in most people's mind because of Gilbert in 1988. Ironically, Ivan comes almost on the 16-year anniversary.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was living in Portland at that time. And all the roofs, everything went, flooded. The stores were broken into, the glasses, and all of that. Terrible, terrible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, following all that terrible weather that is going on in parts of the country, specifically Florida, Orelon Sidney live from the Weather Center now.
What's the latest?
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Thanks a lot, Kyra.
We do continue to watch our storm moving to west-northwest. It is still strong. The next update from the Hurricane Center is due in at 5:00 p.m. But this is the 2:00 update, winds still of 160 miles an hour with higher gusts moving to the west-northwest at 15 miles an hour. At that time, 360 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica. And it just doesn't look like there's any way that Jamaica is going to avoid a hit.
We're looking at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, the winds of about 155 miles an hour with much higher gusts, Category 4, then. We're looking at a storm that is so strong, a lot of times they don't maintain this force for very long, so they will fluctuate back and forth. And we expect to see that fluctuation between Category 4 and 5 as it heads towards Jamaica tomorrow.
Then, after it passes through Jamaica, it's headed towards Cuba. And there, we expect to run into maybe a little forecast problem here. We start to see it interact with land, run into some cooler waters and also get a little bit of sheer. As far as its direction is concerned, there's a wide zone of possibility extending from the Bahamas through the Southeastern United States and into the Central Gulf of Mexico.
So, even though there's a line here, this is just showing you the official current forecast, but also official is this zone of possibility. You should be prepared for the landfall of a major hurricane if you live anywhere in that area -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Orelon Sidney, thank you.
And we can't forget Frances, especially if you live in North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania or New York. The former hurricane is still fact of life. All those states report huge amounts of rain, 16 inches in parts of North Carolina, with the inevitable result. In New York City, the subway floods of yesterday receded today. But 10 counties in western North Carolina are still in states of emergency.
O'BRIEN: Let's turn it over to presidential politics now.
All four candidates are seeking votes out on the campaign trail today, President Bush in Pennsylvania, Democratic John Kerry, Vice President Cheney in Ohio. And Kerry's running mate, John Edwards, is in New Hampshire.
Mr. Bush spoke about economic recovery and opportunities in Colmar, Pennsylvania, earlier today. The race is close in that battleground state. A new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll has the president and John Kerry in a dead heat in the Keystone State.
Meanwhile, the president is facing another round of attacks about his National Guard service in the '70s. There are new ads that question his stint in Alabama. Now the man who says he helped the president and others avoid active duty in Vietnam is going on camera. Former Texas Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes spoke on CBS' "60 Minutes."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "60 MINUTES")
BEN BARNES, FMR. TEXAS LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: I was a young, ambitious politician, doing what I thought was acceptable, that was important to make friends. And I recommended a lot of people for the -- for the National Guard during the Vietnam era as speaker of the House and as lieutenant governor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you recommended George W. Bush?
BARNES: Yes, I did. I would describe it as preferential treatment.
There were hundreds of names on the list of people wanting to get in the Air National Guard or the Army National Guard. I think that would have been a preference to anybody that didn't want to go to Vietnam, that didn't want to leave.
We had a lot of young men that left and went to Canada in the '60s and fled this country. But those that could get in the Reserves or those that could get in the National Guard, chances are they would not have to go to Vietnam.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: So, will the debate over the president's National Guard service impact your vote? We'll read some of your e-mail on that in a few minutes. Got my work cut out for me on that one.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is seeking support in the battleground state of Iowa, as we just told you. He criticized the president's health care plan to voters in Des Moines. Kerry says Bush failed to hold down health care costs during his four years in office. Kerry's criticism comes the same day a study finds a double- digit increase in insurance premiums for the fourth year in a row.
PHILLIPS: Well, straight ahead, we'll honor the nation's more than 1,000 fallen troops in Iraq. You won't want to miss this piece by our Beth Nissen.
Stay with us.
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