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CNN Live Today
Troop Redeployment; Hurricane Charley; Kobe Bryant Case; Daily Dose; In Charley's Wake
Aired August 16, 2004 - 11:30 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We've been listening in to President Bush as he addresses the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Cincinnati, Ohio.
President Bush making a major announcement about changes he would like to see take place with the U.S. military and personnel currently stationed overseas. The president saying that about 60,000 to 70,000 uniformed personnel will be brought back here to the U.S., along with about 100,000 civilian employees. He says that will bring more stability for military families and allow the U.S. military to be more flexible to respond to threats all around the world and defend the United States. He says it will be a more effective way in using America's strength to defend this country.
Let's bring in our Candy Crowley who was listening to the speech along with us -- Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: A couple of things here, Daryn. First, as you noticed, the part about troop redeployment was kind of at the end. This was in fact a sort of full frontal assault on some of the things that have been going on out there in the campaign trail and the ongoing debate, albeit from a distance, between President Bush and Senator Kerry.
The president defended his spending on veterans' benefits, for instance, spent a good deal of time about that saying we did not cut veterans' benefits. Here are all the places that we have increased by large amounts.
He then spent a good deal of time on 9/11, saying, listen here, given the chance to do this all over again, knowing what I know now, I still would have gone into Iraq. Three times saying America and the world are safer. And when he talked about the veterans, three times saying we are getting the job done.
He went on to the allies. Another key point of criticism from the Kerry campaign is that George Bush went alone into Iraq. He, of course, said look, we have 30 allies in Iraq, we have 40 in Afghanistan. I'll continue to work with them, but I'm never going to turn over U.S. defense to another country.
Then he took on what is relatively new, Daryn, on the campaign trail, and that is John Kerry's statement that within the first six months of a Kerry administration, he would try to bring home some of the troops that are in Iraq. That obviously very popular in a war that's growing increasingly unpopular. Now, Senator Kerry has always said listen, it would be up to the generals on the ground. But the Bush campaign and the president have taken this on saying this sends the wrong signal to our opponents, saying we just have to wait six months plus a day. It sends the wrong signal to our troops who are over there about how hard they should be fighting and the wrong message to our allies.
So a very kind of comprehensive speech, which, as you say, included this entire notion of moving about 70,000 troops, most of them back to the U.S. that are now in Europe and Asia. I can tell you that that last part will become part of the political landscape.
We are already seeing from the Democratic National Committee, Daryn, a statement from Wesley Clark, who, as you know, ran for president, is now a supporter of John Kerry. Wesley Clark saying in this statement that he believes that this troop movement will -- quote -- "significantly undermine U.S. national security." So the debate already under way under all five of those elements of the president's speech.
KAGAN: In fact, Candy, the debate about to begin right here on our air. Candy Crowley, thank you.
Want to bring in Richard Holbrooke. He served as U.S. Ambassador to United Nations under President Clinton. He is currently an adviser to the Kerry campaign. Ambassador Holbrooke joins me from New York this morning to discuss the president's speech and these ideas of troop realignment.
Mr. Ambassador, good morning, thank you for being here with us.
RICHARD HOLBROOKE, FMR. U.S. AMB. TO THE U.N.: Good to be with you -- Daryn.
KAGAN: I could see you in the monitor listening in to the president. So let's get a fresh off the presses your reaction to this idea of redeploying some 60,000 to 70,000 troops, along with about 100,000 non-uniformed personnel.
HOLBROOKE: Of course President Bush didn't tell the Veterans of Foreign War the details, but they're in the newspapers this morning, and they're pretty alarming. There is no question in my mind that this will weaken our national security.
I was ambassador to Germany. I know that the Germans are very unhappy about these withdrawals. The Koreans are going to be equally unhappy. How can we withdraw troops from Korea while we're engaged in a delicate negotiation with the North Koreans? And there's a country that really does have weapons of mass destruction.
This is another example of the administration's unilateralism. It's going to weaken our national security. It is not going to save us money. It will cost billions of dollars to bring these troops home. Germany, South Korea and Japan, which are going to see the biggest cuts, all spend billions of dollars to support the troops. And I am very concerned about this, both as a former assistant secretary of state for Asia, working on Korean issues and as a former ambassador to Germany.
KAGAN: Well let's look at some of the specifics here, and you did bring up some of the places that the troops are being drawn from. But the basic concept, the president saying bringing these troops home you do two things. He says save money. You say no. But he also said that...
HOLBROOKE: It won't save money -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, yes, we covered that. But I want to get...
HOLBROOKE: The Congressional Budget Office has already stated that.
KAGAN: Yes, I want to move on to some of the other president's other points. He says it's going to make the military more mobile. That if you bring the troops home that it's easier for them to deploy to hot spots. What do you say to that?
HOLBROOKE: It's just not true. The American lift capability out of Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany and out of Korea out of Okinawa, our forward deployments are essential. Even in the modern world, airplanes take time to get places. This is a weakening of our traditional ties to our closest allies just when we need them most.
KAGAN: And then the idea he was talking about military families. You bring military families home, it keeps them closer to their families here in the States, they don't move around as much, it makes them easier to have their lives within the military. Perhaps that could help in recruiting in this day and age?
HOLBROOKE: Recruiting is down. And every poll shows that the families that are stationed with their troops in places like Germany are quite happy about it. So this is not the major -- this is not correct.
But the key issue here, Daryn, is our national security. And I believe, as you just cited, General Clark has already made a statement, I've made a statement, Admiral Crowell, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is about to make a statement, General McPeak, former Chief of the Air Staff. I've talked to all these people yesterday and today, they are overwhelmingly upset that this will weaken our national interests and weaken our alliances.
KAGAN: I imagine we'll be hearing something from Senator Kerry as well when you all head back out on the campaign trail.
Ambassador Holbrooke, thank you for your time this morning...
HOLBROOKE: My pleasure.
KAGAN: ... looking at another side of the issue. Appreciate it.
HOLBROOKE: My pleasure.
KAGAN: Well you have seen the pictures and heard the cries of devastation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my god, here comes another one! It's bad! It's bad!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Still to come, picking up after Charley. How members of several Florida communities are lending a helping hand.
Plus, it could be a day of decision in the Kobe Bryant rape case. The NBA star is in the courtroom, but what will happen next? We'll have the latest from Eagle, Colorado.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Hurricane Charley has fizzled, but some Florida residents say the extent of the devastation is just beginning to sink in. At least 17 people were killed and many are still unaccounted for. Officials estimate that $11 billion in damage happened to insured homes alone.
Schools in the hardest hit area have been delayed in their opening anywhere from two days to two weeks. And just under one million people are still without electricity this morning. Help is arriving to meet the most basic needs. Officials say so far 402 trucks delivering water have arrived in Florida.
The massive cleanup and recovery effort is barely under way in Florida. State officials say it could take two weeks just to restore power to the hardest hit areas. One of those areas is Port Charlotte, and that's where we find our Ed Lavandera this morning.
Ed, good morning.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
Well we've been spending most of our time over the weekend in Punta Gorda, which is just across the bay. We decided to move over here. This is another one of those areas that took the brunt of Hurricane Charley. And you know it's interesting, when we talked to people over the weekend, you know asked them hey, are they coping? I mean you heard a lot of people say that they just felt numb.
You know that numbness is starting to wear off here on the third day of the cleanup process. As the heat starts to take its toll here, county officials just holding a briefing a little while ago describing that the heat is beginning to become a problem for a lot of the elderly, people who are living in shelters. And also just working on cleaning up the areas around their home, a lot of people having issues with the heat.
The medical system here is taxed. Three of the hospitals in the area severely damaged. In fact, one of them operating its emergency room out of a parking lot thanks to the help from federal authorities. So this is a situation that even though the sun is out, it's able to get people out to work, but it's still a very taxing situation.
Also, officials mentioning that the death toll has risen to 17, but that 17th person was someone that was killed in a traffic accident on Sunday, we understand. So it's a situation that has become still very difficult -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And, Ed, you know a lot of our coverage has taken place in the coastal areas. But I was doing some reading online this morning and hearing some complaints from some folks in the inland counties, saying they're not getting the same kind of resources as folks along the coast are.
LAVANDERA: Well you know that we have spent the majority of our time here along the coastal regions as well, but we do understand that you know that we've taken a few brief times to kind of drive inland. It's, you know, a little bit more difficult to kind of get in as quickly as we need to into those further regions. You know it starts getting a little sparse as well. But yes, I don't know about the reports of whether or not they're getting the equipment and the things that they need, but we do know that there are plenty of people to go around that have been affected.
KAGAN: All right, Ed Lavandera from Port Charlotte, Florida. Thank you, Ed.
It is a big day in court for NBA star Kobe Bryant. One big question is looming will the high-profile rape case ever take place? We'll take you live to Eagle, Colorado.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: The last pretrial hearing in the Kobe Bryant case is under way. The trial date less than two weeks away, but there is speculation mounting about whether this case will ever move forward.
Our Chris Lawrence is in Eagle, Colorado, with more on that.
Chris, good morning.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
The court has now gone into recess and so far it has not been a good morning for the prosecution. They had argued to the Colorado Supreme Court that the accuser's sexual activities should not be admitted as evidence. Well today the Supreme Court decided not to consider that request, yet another setback for the prosecution.
Earlier, prosecutors had asked the judge to delay this trial indefinitely because they needed more time to prepare their case against Kobe Bryant. The judge decided not to do that. More than a thousand jury summons had already been mailed out and the entire court proceedings had cleared their calendars for the month of September. So the judge said the trial will start next week on August 27 or it won't start at all.
Now, as to that, today we heard several filings, several motions being heard by the judge. Both the prosecution and the defense trying to set things up for a potential trial.
And right now, after the afternoon, they'll be going behind closed doors to settle some other matters, including whether a certain prosecution DNA expert will be allowed to testify. It's very important for the prosecution, because the defense DNA expert, we already know, we've already heard her testimony. She will testify that she believes DNA evidence shows that the accuser had sex with another man after Kobe Bryant but before her hospital exam. It remains to be seen whether the judge will allow in this prosecution DNA expert to rebut that testimony -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. Chris Lawrence in Eagle, Colorado, thank you for that.
We have a lot more ahead. We're going to take a break. I'm back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: When it comes to kicking the habit, does sex matter? We're talking gender here. Easy there. A new study says that women may actually have a tougher time giving up smoking than men do.
Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen here with more details on that.
Good morning.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
You know it's interesting, doctors are finding out more and more all the time that men and women respond differently to different drugs. And nicotine, it appears, is no exception.
We've all heard of the nicotine replacement strategies, that is you chew gum or you use a patch. There's a patch right there or perhaps you use one of the sprays and it replaces the nicotine that you used to get through cigarettes. So you've got nicotine in your bloodstream but without the carcinogens.
And one would think, well gee, it should work just as well in women than in men. But in fact, this new study, which is actually a study of 21 other studies, says that does not appear to be true. For example, take a look here, when they gave some people nicotine replacements and gave others people placebos, at six months, the genders were the same. They did about the same. But at 12 months, men were doing twice as well as the women were doing.
In other words, the placebo was working about as well for the women as the nicotine replacement was. Now so why would that be? Well that's a little bit unclear. Doctors don't completely know why. But what they have found is that women tend to have more cravings than men do for nicotine, and they're not exactly sure why, but women's bodies just seem to work differently. Also, women like that weight loss thing that can happen with smoking and they get very attached to that. KAGAN: Yes, with that, unfortunately. Really bad message attached to that. So what is supposed to be the best way to quit for men and women?
COHEN: Well for men and women, bottom line, the thing is is that you can't just do the nicotine replacement therapy. It may work for a short period of time, but eventually it will catch up with you. So here are some tips to do in addition with nicotine replacement therapy.
And so, for example, what you need to do is identify your motivation. Let's say you're quitting for your children so they don't get second-hand smoke. Keep that in mind. Don't let go of that.
Set a date, tell everyone you know September 1 I'm quitting smoking. That's it.
Also get rid of any smoking paraphernalia. You have your favorite ashtray in the living room, get rid of it.
Be prepared to slip. It is inevitable that you will slip up and you will start smoking cigarettes again. It is pretty much inevitable. So you might as well realize that's going to happen and just jump back on that horse. Don't give up.
KAGAN: And hang in there.
COHEN: Hang in there. And for women, it seems especially important, get support. Join some kind of a support group. Get some kind of a counselor. For women, in particular, that seems to be very important.
KAGAN: All right, anybody out there who is trying to kick the habit, we wish them well.
COHEN: That's right. We'll give them all our good karma.
KAGAN: We're sending some support their way.
COHEN: That's right.
KAGAN: Elizabeth, thank you.
COHEN: OK.
KAGAN: And it looks like we're going to take a break and we're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: All right, a couple of minutes here to check in on the markets. Looking good. Look at that, the Dow is up 112 points. Have not seen that in some time. And they've been open about two-and-a- half hours. And Nasdaq looking well as well. Nasdaq is up 25 points. Falling energy prices or oil prices getting the credit for bringing the markets up. We'll continue to follow those markets throughout the day, plus all the news.
That's going to do it for me. I'm Daryn Kagan. I will see you right back here tomorrow morning.
Wolf Blitzer takes over from Washington, D.C.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. We have a busy hour coming up.
First, though, some headlines "Now in the News."
The commander in chief performs a military shuffle. President Bush announces a plan to bring home tens of thousands of U.S. troops from bases around the globe. Other units will pick up and move but remain overseas. Coming up, we'll tell you how the plan reflects a new set of goals for the world's single superpower.
Senator John Edwards campaigns for the Democrats today as the leader of the ticket takes a rest. With Senator Kerry relaxing in Idaho, his running mate is criticizing President Bush. Edwards says the current administration has sold out working Americans in favor of friends and big corporations. We'll look at how the message might resonate in a crucial Midwest battleground state.
Also today, Hugo Chavez survives again. With opponents claiming fraud, Venezuela's leftist president has apparently beaten a recall vote. Venezuela's opposition had banked on the vote as a way of restoring stability after years of disruptions, including interruptions of petroleum exports.
We're keeping you informed. CNN, the most trusted name in news.
First, to the catastrophe unfolding still in Florida and the incredible challenges residents are facing in the wake of Hurricane Charley. At least 17 people are now confirmed dead. About a million are still without power. Thousands more have lost almost everything.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is in one of the hardest-hit communities. That would be Port Charlotte on the Florida coast.
Ed, how are the folks there doing?
LAVANDERA: Well, you know, I was mentioning here to some folks a little while ago that it's the third day of the cleanup. And we talked to a lot of the folks over the weekend who described themselves as kind of feeling numb in the immediate moments after the storm and in the day after as they try to, you know, kind of gather their thoughts about as to what exactly has gone on. I think that numbness, though, is starting to wear off and the reality of just how difficult this situation is starting to set in.
Emergency officials here saying that the medical situation, the medical staffing in this area is stressed. Three of the hospitals severely 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 August 16, 2004 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We've been listening in to President Bush as he addresses the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Cincinnati, Ohio.
President Bush making a major announcement about changes he would like to see take place with the U.S. military and personnel currently stationed overseas. The president saying that about 60,000 to 70,000 uniformed personnel will be brought back here to the U.S., along with about 100,000 civilian employees. He says that will bring more stability for military families and allow the U.S. military to be more flexible to respond to threats all around the world and defend the United States. He says it will be a more effective way in using America's strength to defend this country.
Let's bring in our Candy Crowley who was listening to the speech along with us -- Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: A couple of things here, Daryn. First, as you noticed, the part about troop redeployment was kind of at the end. This was in fact a sort of full frontal assault on some of the things that have been going on out there in the campaign trail and the ongoing debate, albeit from a distance, between President Bush and Senator Kerry.
The president defended his spending on veterans' benefits, for instance, spent a good deal of time about that saying we did not cut veterans' benefits. Here are all the places that we have increased by large amounts.
He then spent a good deal of time on 9/11, saying, listen here, given the chance to do this all over again, knowing what I know now, I still would have gone into Iraq. Three times saying America and the world are safer. And when he talked about the veterans, three times saying we are getting the job done.
He went on to the allies. Another key point of criticism from the Kerry campaign is that George Bush went alone into Iraq. He, of course, said look, we have 30 allies in Iraq, we have 40 in Afghanistan. I'll continue to work with them, but I'm never going to turn over U.S. defense to another country.
Then he took on what is relatively new, Daryn, on the campaign trail, and that is John Kerry's statement that within the first six months of a Kerry administration, he would try to bring home some of the troops that are in Iraq. That obviously very popular in a war that's growing increasingly unpopular. Now, Senator Kerry has always said listen, it would be up to the generals on the ground. But the Bush campaign and the president have taken this on saying this sends the wrong signal to our opponents, saying we just have to wait six months plus a day. It sends the wrong signal to our troops who are over there about how hard they should be fighting and the wrong message to our allies.
So a very kind of comprehensive speech, which, as you say, included this entire notion of moving about 70,000 troops, most of them back to the U.S. that are now in Europe and Asia. I can tell you that that last part will become part of the political landscape.
We are already seeing from the Democratic National Committee, Daryn, a statement from Wesley Clark, who, as you know, ran for president, is now a supporter of John Kerry. Wesley Clark saying in this statement that he believes that this troop movement will -- quote -- "significantly undermine U.S. national security." So the debate already under way under all five of those elements of the president's speech.
KAGAN: In fact, Candy, the debate about to begin right here on our air. Candy Crowley, thank you.
Want to bring in Richard Holbrooke. He served as U.S. Ambassador to United Nations under President Clinton. He is currently an adviser to the Kerry campaign. Ambassador Holbrooke joins me from New York this morning to discuss the president's speech and these ideas of troop realignment.
Mr. Ambassador, good morning, thank you for being here with us.
RICHARD HOLBROOKE, FMR. U.S. AMB. TO THE U.N.: Good to be with you -- Daryn.
KAGAN: I could see you in the monitor listening in to the president. So let's get a fresh off the presses your reaction to this idea of redeploying some 60,000 to 70,000 troops, along with about 100,000 non-uniformed personnel.
HOLBROOKE: Of course President Bush didn't tell the Veterans of Foreign War the details, but they're in the newspapers this morning, and they're pretty alarming. There is no question in my mind that this will weaken our national security.
I was ambassador to Germany. I know that the Germans are very unhappy about these withdrawals. The Koreans are going to be equally unhappy. How can we withdraw troops from Korea while we're engaged in a delicate negotiation with the North Koreans? And there's a country that really does have weapons of mass destruction.
This is another example of the administration's unilateralism. It's going to weaken our national security. It is not going to save us money. It will cost billions of dollars to bring these troops home. Germany, South Korea and Japan, which are going to see the biggest cuts, all spend billions of dollars to support the troops. And I am very concerned about this, both as a former assistant secretary of state for Asia, working on Korean issues and as a former ambassador to Germany.
KAGAN: Well let's look at some of the specifics here, and you did bring up some of the places that the troops are being drawn from. But the basic concept, the president saying bringing these troops home you do two things. He says save money. You say no. But he also said that...
HOLBROOKE: It won't save money -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, yes, we covered that. But I want to get...
HOLBROOKE: The Congressional Budget Office has already stated that.
KAGAN: Yes, I want to move on to some of the other president's other points. He says it's going to make the military more mobile. That if you bring the troops home that it's easier for them to deploy to hot spots. What do you say to that?
HOLBROOKE: It's just not true. The American lift capability out of Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany and out of Korea out of Okinawa, our forward deployments are essential. Even in the modern world, airplanes take time to get places. This is a weakening of our traditional ties to our closest allies just when we need them most.
KAGAN: And then the idea he was talking about military families. You bring military families home, it keeps them closer to their families here in the States, they don't move around as much, it makes them easier to have their lives within the military. Perhaps that could help in recruiting in this day and age?
HOLBROOKE: Recruiting is down. And every poll shows that the families that are stationed with their troops in places like Germany are quite happy about it. So this is not the major -- this is not correct.
But the key issue here, Daryn, is our national security. And I believe, as you just cited, General Clark has already made a statement, I've made a statement, Admiral Crowell, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is about to make a statement, General McPeak, former Chief of the Air Staff. I've talked to all these people yesterday and today, they are overwhelmingly upset that this will weaken our national interests and weaken our alliances.
KAGAN: I imagine we'll be hearing something from Senator Kerry as well when you all head back out on the campaign trail.
Ambassador Holbrooke, thank you for your time this morning...
HOLBROOKE: My pleasure.
KAGAN: ... looking at another side of the issue. Appreciate it.
HOLBROOKE: My pleasure.
KAGAN: Well you have seen the pictures and heard the cries of devastation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my god, here comes another one! It's bad! It's bad!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Still to come, picking up after Charley. How members of several Florida communities are lending a helping hand.
Plus, it could be a day of decision in the Kobe Bryant rape case. The NBA star is in the courtroom, but what will happen next? We'll have the latest from Eagle, Colorado.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Hurricane Charley has fizzled, but some Florida residents say the extent of the devastation is just beginning to sink in. At least 17 people were killed and many are still unaccounted for. Officials estimate that $11 billion in damage happened to insured homes alone.
Schools in the hardest hit area have been delayed in their opening anywhere from two days to two weeks. And just under one million people are still without electricity this morning. Help is arriving to meet the most basic needs. Officials say so far 402 trucks delivering water have arrived in Florida.
The massive cleanup and recovery effort is barely under way in Florida. State officials say it could take two weeks just to restore power to the hardest hit areas. One of those areas is Port Charlotte, and that's where we find our Ed Lavandera this morning.
Ed, good morning.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
Well we've been spending most of our time over the weekend in Punta Gorda, which is just across the bay. We decided to move over here. This is another one of those areas that took the brunt of Hurricane Charley. And you know it's interesting, when we talked to people over the weekend, you know asked them hey, are they coping? I mean you heard a lot of people say that they just felt numb.
You know that numbness is starting to wear off here on the third day of the cleanup process. As the heat starts to take its toll here, county officials just holding a briefing a little while ago describing that the heat is beginning to become a problem for a lot of the elderly, people who are living in shelters. And also just working on cleaning up the areas around their home, a lot of people having issues with the heat.
The medical system here is taxed. Three of the hospitals in the area severely damaged. In fact, one of them operating its emergency room out of a parking lot thanks to the help from federal authorities. So this is a situation that even though the sun is out, it's able to get people out to work, but it's still a very taxing situation.
Also, officials mentioning that the death toll has risen to 17, but that 17th person was someone that was killed in a traffic accident on Sunday, we understand. So it's a situation that has become still very difficult -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And, Ed, you know a lot of our coverage has taken place in the coastal areas. But I was doing some reading online this morning and hearing some complaints from some folks in the inland counties, saying they're not getting the same kind of resources as folks along the coast are.
LAVANDERA: Well you know that we have spent the majority of our time here along the coastal regions as well, but we do understand that you know that we've taken a few brief times to kind of drive inland. It's, you know, a little bit more difficult to kind of get in as quickly as we need to into those further regions. You know it starts getting a little sparse as well. But yes, I don't know about the reports of whether or not they're getting the equipment and the things that they need, but we do know that there are plenty of people to go around that have been affected.
KAGAN: All right, Ed Lavandera from Port Charlotte, Florida. Thank you, Ed.
It is a big day in court for NBA star Kobe Bryant. One big question is looming will the high-profile rape case ever take place? We'll take you live to Eagle, Colorado.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: The last pretrial hearing in the Kobe Bryant case is under way. The trial date less than two weeks away, but there is speculation mounting about whether this case will ever move forward.
Our Chris Lawrence is in Eagle, Colorado, with more on that.
Chris, good morning.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
The court has now gone into recess and so far it has not been a good morning for the prosecution. They had argued to the Colorado Supreme Court that the accuser's sexual activities should not be admitted as evidence. Well today the Supreme Court decided not to consider that request, yet another setback for the prosecution.
Earlier, prosecutors had asked the judge to delay this trial indefinitely because they needed more time to prepare their case against Kobe Bryant. The judge decided not to do that. More than a thousand jury summons had already been mailed out and the entire court proceedings had cleared their calendars for the month of September. So the judge said the trial will start next week on August 27 or it won't start at all.
Now, as to that, today we heard several filings, several motions being heard by the judge. Both the prosecution and the defense trying to set things up for a potential trial.
And right now, after the afternoon, they'll be going behind closed doors to settle some other matters, including whether a certain prosecution DNA expert will be allowed to testify. It's very important for the prosecution, because the defense DNA expert, we already know, we've already heard her testimony. She will testify that she believes DNA evidence shows that the accuser had sex with another man after Kobe Bryant but before her hospital exam. It remains to be seen whether the judge will allow in this prosecution DNA expert to rebut that testimony -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. Chris Lawrence in Eagle, Colorado, thank you for that.
We have a lot more ahead. We're going to take a break. I'm back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: When it comes to kicking the habit, does sex matter? We're talking gender here. Easy there. A new study says that women may actually have a tougher time giving up smoking than men do.
Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen here with more details on that.
Good morning.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
You know it's interesting, doctors are finding out more and more all the time that men and women respond differently to different drugs. And nicotine, it appears, is no exception.
We've all heard of the nicotine replacement strategies, that is you chew gum or you use a patch. There's a patch right there or perhaps you use one of the sprays and it replaces the nicotine that you used to get through cigarettes. So you've got nicotine in your bloodstream but without the carcinogens.
And one would think, well gee, it should work just as well in women than in men. But in fact, this new study, which is actually a study of 21 other studies, says that does not appear to be true. For example, take a look here, when they gave some people nicotine replacements and gave others people placebos, at six months, the genders were the same. They did about the same. But at 12 months, men were doing twice as well as the women were doing.
In other words, the placebo was working about as well for the women as the nicotine replacement was. Now so why would that be? Well that's a little bit unclear. Doctors don't completely know why. But what they have found is that women tend to have more cravings than men do for nicotine, and they're not exactly sure why, but women's bodies just seem to work differently. Also, women like that weight loss thing that can happen with smoking and they get very attached to that. KAGAN: Yes, with that, unfortunately. Really bad message attached to that. So what is supposed to be the best way to quit for men and women?
COHEN: Well for men and women, bottom line, the thing is is that you can't just do the nicotine replacement therapy. It may work for a short period of time, but eventually it will catch up with you. So here are some tips to do in addition with nicotine replacement therapy.
And so, for example, what you need to do is identify your motivation. Let's say you're quitting for your children so they don't get second-hand smoke. Keep that in mind. Don't let go of that.
Set a date, tell everyone you know September 1 I'm quitting smoking. That's it.
Also get rid of any smoking paraphernalia. You have your favorite ashtray in the living room, get rid of it.
Be prepared to slip. It is inevitable that you will slip up and you will start smoking cigarettes again. It is pretty much inevitable. So you might as well realize that's going to happen and just jump back on that horse. Don't give up.
KAGAN: And hang in there.
COHEN: Hang in there. And for women, it seems especially important, get support. Join some kind of a support group. Get some kind of a counselor. For women, in particular, that seems to be very important.
KAGAN: All right, anybody out there who is trying to kick the habit, we wish them well.
COHEN: That's right. We'll give them all our good karma.
KAGAN: We're sending some support their way.
COHEN: That's right.
KAGAN: Elizabeth, thank you.
COHEN: OK.
KAGAN: And it looks like we're going to take a break and we're back after this.
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KAGAN: All right, a couple of minutes here to check in on the markets. Looking good. Look at that, the Dow is up 112 points. Have not seen that in some time. And they've been open about two-and-a- half hours. And Nasdaq looking well as well. Nasdaq is up 25 points. Falling energy prices or oil prices getting the credit for bringing the markets up. We'll continue to follow those markets throughout the day, plus all the news.
That's going to do it for me. I'm Daryn Kagan. I will see you right back here tomorrow morning.
Wolf Blitzer takes over from Washington, D.C.
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WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. We have a busy hour coming up.
First, though, some headlines "Now in the News."
The commander in chief performs a military shuffle. President Bush announces a plan to bring home tens of thousands of U.S. troops from bases around the globe. Other units will pick up and move but remain overseas. Coming up, we'll tell you how the plan reflects a new set of goals for the world's single superpower.
Senator John Edwards campaigns for the Democrats today as the leader of the ticket takes a rest. With Senator Kerry relaxing in Idaho, his running mate is criticizing President Bush. Edwards says the current administration has sold out working Americans in favor of friends and big corporations. We'll look at how the message might resonate in a crucial Midwest battleground state.
Also today, Hugo Chavez survives again. With opponents claiming fraud, Venezuela's leftist president has apparently beaten a recall vote. Venezuela's opposition had banked on the vote as a way of restoring stability after years of disruptions, including interruptions of petroleum exports.
We're keeping you informed. CNN, the most trusted name in news.
First, to the catastrophe unfolding still in Florida and the incredible challenges residents are facing in the wake of Hurricane Charley. At least 17 people are now confirmed dead. About a million are still without power. Thousands more have lost almost everything.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is in one of the hardest-hit communities. That would be Port Charlotte on the Florida coast.
Ed, how are the folks there doing?
LAVANDERA: Well, you know, I was mentioning here to some folks a little while ago that it's the third day of the cleanup. And we talked to a lot of the folks over the weekend who described themselves as kind of feeling numb in the immediate moments after the storm and in the day after as they try to, you know, kind of gather their thoughts about as to what exactly has gone on. I think that numbness, though, is starting to wear off and the reality of just how difficult this situation is starting to set in.
Emergency officials here saying that the medical situation, the medical staffing in this area is stressed. Three of the hospitals severely TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
