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CNN Live Today
Farewell to Frances; Battle of Wits and Will; Mourning in Russia
Aired September 07, 2004 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. in the West. From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen, in today for Daryn Kagan.
We begin this hour with cleanup and repairs from Hurricane Frances. Big rigs filled with water, ice and other supplies are arriving at distribution points all around Florida today. Federal relief workers plan to truck in baby formula and rolls of tarp to cover damaged roofs.
Now, damage appears most severe in coastal cities, where roofs and marinas took a big beating from the storm. Florida officials estimate it will cost at least a couple billion dollars to repair the damage from Frances. Residents are urged to stay put today because of gas shortages. One gas line was five miles along on the Florida turnpike.
Here's what's happening today with Frances. The hurricane's remnants are bringing strong wind and heavy rain to Georgia this morning. As much as a foot of rain is forecast for metro Atlanta. Schools closed after thousands of people lost electricity when trees and limbs fell on power lines.
CNN's Tom Foreman is in the fishing town of Carrabelle, Florida, this morning, and joins us with an update on Frances as she blew through.
Good morning, Tom.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty.
There's a tremendous amount of help in Florida today, coming from all over the country. Some of these people were in place already because of Charley just a couple of weeks ago, but now there's a renewed effort to bring in just thousands of people to help out in many, many different place.
At that one marina that was wrecked, for example, National Guard people are working all around there, some of the relief efforts here. More than 8,000 Guardsmen are deployed around the state to help people get down roads, to clear areas, stabilize areas, prevent looting, that sort of thing. They're all over the place.
In the neighborhoods, there are many, many relief efforts, both public and private, helping people patch their roofs, helping them clear the roads, get the trees out, get their vehicles going, all the things that have to happen. The Red Cross is here in huge numbers. They were here for Charley, and now they're trying to deal with this new big storm.
Earlier on, one of the Red Cross spokesmen from this area explained to us what they plan to do today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAREN HAGAN, AMERICAN RED CROSS: One of the things we're going to do, if they go back to their communities and they can't get back into their home, of course we're going to need to keep some of the shelters open. And if they don't have any power, that's when mobile feeding is going to be very important, because we'll need to be going community, community, street to street, to try to make sure that people are fed, trying to make sure that there's ice to be distributed.
We don't know how long the power's going to be out. So we just need to make sure that people's basic needs are met.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: This is a live picture from Jacksonville right now of what's happening in that area as people try to figure out how much damage there's been and how they can clean it all up. The outages of electricity are going to last for several more days. And that's a big deal, because so much of what people are counting on has to be dealt with electricity.
Even in places, for example, where they have gasoline in the wells beneath the gas stations, they can't get it up to use unless they have electricity. So they're trying to solve that as one of the critical problems in this state. And, of course, as the remnants of the storm move north, other states are going to be dealing with the same thing. So Frances is gone, but we're still getting the blustery winds and, of course, the effects are going to linger for quite some time -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Oh, yes. Florida has a lot on its hands. Let me ask you just really quickly, now that Frances has blown through, there's also the threat of Ivan. Have Floridians even thought about that as they go to rebuild and look at the damage?
FOREMAN: People in Florida don't want to think about Ivan because it's just -- it's too much to take right now, frankly. And people here are overwhelmed by what they've had.
You know, there are some communities here that had both Charley and Frances cross right over them. And those neighborhoods really got socked by this thing.
They don't want to talk about another hurricane right now. But, that said, the emergency people here are looking at it. They recognize it's far off, a lot of things can happen between where Ivan is now and where it's going to arrive. And hopefully for the people of Florida it won't be here. NGUYEN: Taking it one step at a time. All right. Tom Foreman, thank you so much.
Well, we want to check on Frances, Ivan and all that's going on weather-wise. And for that we go to Orelon Sidney.
Good morning, Orelon.
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.
We do have two tropical systems of concern. Obviously Ivan here now, about to work its way through the southern Lesser Antilles and what's left of Frances there in the far upper left corner of your screen.
Still looking at quite a bit of circulation from this. It is really holding itself together. You can see the center is here, just off in the eastern portion of Alabama, western Georgia.
We still also have a tornado watch in effect until 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time for the right side of the storm. That's where you're going to see the greatest risk of tornadoes. And look at all the heavy rain stretching across much of the deep South today.
This is a slow-moving storm. There's not a whole lot to push it along. Whenever you see a storm kind of stall out like this, that means the scary currents in the atmosphere are extremely weak, so it's basically moving of its own momentum. And it's not much forward momentum at all.
We're looking now at generally flood possibilities from northern Florida, stretching through Georgia and the Carolinas, even northward into parts of southern West Virginia. So not a good day for those areas. Some flooding has been reported already. So do be careful if you have to travel here.
Now, this is the very latest update from the National Hurricane Center, just in five minutes ago. Hurricane Ivan still Category 3 at 115 mile-an-hour winds, moving to the west at 18.
It's 45 miles now northeast of Tobago at 11.8 north, 60.2 west. We'll be getting a look at the track.
I'm currently putting the track in the computer and I'm processing the graphics. I'll be able to show you a little bit better where it's expected to go.
But at the current point, 72 hours takes it through the Caribbean Sea, somewhere in between Hispaniola and Jamaica in a 72-hour period. Beyond that, the models start to diverge and it gets a little sketchy. But certainly going to be impacting the Lesser Antilles today and moving into the Caribbean Sea tomorrow. That much we know for sure -- Betty.
NGUYEN: We'll let the computer process that and we'll check back in with you a little bit later. Thank you, Orelon. SIDNEY: You're welcome.
NGUYEN: In Iraq, the U.S. death toll nears 1,000. One U.S. soldier was killed in fighting today in the Sadr City section of Baghdad. The renewed round of violence comes as American forces battle supporters of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Included in the new total number of soldiers killed are 11 American troops killed in five separate combat incidents since Monday. U.S. military officials have released casualty counts from the last few months in Iraq. More than 200 American troops have been killed since the 1st of May.
In the western section of Baghdad, a burned car riddled with bullet holes marks an ambush gone awry. Early this morning, assailants unleashed machine gun rounds and a roadside bomb on a convoy carrying the governor of Baghdad. But officials say the governor escaped without injury. There are, though, reports that two people were killed in that attack, and that others were injured.
In the battle against insurgents in Iraq U.S. forces are using a broad range of weapons in their arsenal, including their wits and their will. Here's CNN's Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hundreds of U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq. Victims of car bombs, mortar attacks and improvised explosive devices.
COL. LARRY SAUL, CENTER FOR ARMY LESSONS LEARNED: The one thing we have learned over the last 16 months since the end of the major ground combat operation, on or about the first of May of 2003, is that we're fighting a dedicated, committed enemy.
STARR (on camera): As the insurgents continue to change their tactics, the Army is still looking at what it has learned in Iraq and scrambling for new ideas.
(voice-over): The Army says it still needs to improve in at least 10 areas, including added armor protection, new weapons to counter insurgent attacks and better urban combat training. Soldiers remain vulnerable. To help reduce casualties, there are new shoulder protectors for shoulders, especially those in high-risk convoy operations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And keep in mind that these are additions that were asked for by soldiers in the theater who said, look, these are the problems that we're seeing over in theater now.
STARR: The Army is testing new weapons to destroy rockets, artillery and mortars before they strike. A new laser weapon shot down multiple mortar rounds for the first time in a test last month.
In basic training, soldiers are now immediately put into an urban environment, learning to deal with civilians who may not welcome them. But it is still the improvised explosive device that is the deadly symbol of the Iraq tour of duty. IEDs have been hidden in trash, buried in animal carcasses and stuffed behind political posters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You go and rip that poster down and there's a explosive device behind it.
STARR: The ultimate lesson learned still the simple one: keep your eyes open, see what is going on around you and...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you did not drop it, do not pick it up.
STARR: Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And we may learn more about the situation in Iraq later today at a Pentagon briefing. We expect to hear from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Richard Myers. That briefing is set to get under way at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. As always, you can count on CNN to bring that to you live.
Turning now to Bill Clinton's recovery. The former president is breathing freely today after a successful heart bypass surgery. Doctors removed him from a respirator, and that was an important step on the road to recovery.
Over 90 percent of Clinton's arteries were clogged. And doctors say that left untreated, he likely would have had a massive heart attack. Clinton's lead surgeon appeared on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. CRAIG SMITH, CHIEF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGEON: The fact that he had what sounds like an accelerating pattern of unstable rest angina, or class four angina occurring without effort in the days leading up to this event is worrisome in anyone. And when you combine those symptoms with the appearance of the angiogram that showed critical lesions in the major distributions of the coronary branches, that, you know, pretty well makes anyone worried about his prospects for going a long time without trouble.
To avoid bad decision-making because of overconcern about doing too much or too little so that you either become too bold or too timid -- so it's the decision-making and judgment that takes the heat here. And fortunately, I think it's also one of the things we learn to do. And -- but that is what we mostly struggled with yesterday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And doctors say Clinton will have to monitor his medicines and his weight to prevent new blockages.
Well, an incredible scene near Moscow's Red Square. Hundreds of thousands of people standing against terrorism. But Russia's government is laying part of the blame for last week's school massacre with the U.S. Live from Moscow next.
Also, Congress returns. And for some, the first order of business is a fallout from 9/11.
And while Frances soaks the South, Japan is dealing with both a typhoon and earthquakes, plural. The world wrap is next when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
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NGUYEN: Thousands of protesters rallied today in Moscow's Red Square to denounce last week's terror attack at a school in the caucuses. President Vladimir Putin today sarcastically rejected calls to negotiate with Chechnya separatists, asking whether the U.S. would inviet Osama bin Laden to Washington.
Well, the streets of Beslan are crowded again today for funeral processions for the hundreds of victims at that school. Moscow bureau chief, Jill Dougherty, joins us now with an update.
Hi, Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Betty.
Well, there were demonstrations, rallies, et cetera, all throughout Russia, but none of them bigger than the one here in Moscow. There were tens of thousands of people down just off Red Square, under the walls of the Kremlin, rallying against terrorism. In fact, that was the theme, Russia against terror.
It was organized by the trade unions of Russia. And so they were able to bring out a lot of people. But there were others who joined in, some who were angry, some who were sad about what happened, and all of them expressing their grief. Signs like "Bring the killers to justice," "Russia will not be brought to its knees," and several signs saying, "Putin, we are with you."
There were other people in other cities, and certainly some anger. But you didn't -- against the government. But you didn't really hear that here, except for the mayor of Moscow, who said the security services were partly to blame. He said, "How did these terrorists get their hands on modern Russian weapons?"
President Putin, meanwhile, issuing some very strong statements about the war on terror and what he considers a double policy. The West looking on at Russia, and when Russia is attacked, he said, by terrorists, not calling the terrorists by their names, but sometimes saying "freedom fighters." He said these people are not freedom fighters. And very strong rhetoric.
He said, you ask us to negotiate, but "why don't you meet Osama bin Laden, invite him to Brussels or to the White House and engage in talks? Ask him what he wants and give it to him so he leaves you in peace." A sarcastic comment coming from President Putin.
And, by the way, he mentioned there will be a commission, some type of inquiry that will look into the reasons for this tragedy that has killed so many hundreds of children and their parents. But he said it will not be public. There will be no type of 9/11 Commission here in Russia.
Finally, down in the south of Russia, where that tragedy took place, funerals today. They will continue for a very, very long time. And many people still trying to determine whether their relatives died, where are their bodies.
There are, at last count, 105 bodies that have not been identified. And that has simply increased the grief of people in Beslan -- Betty.
NGUYEN: That may explain why although 338 dead, grave diggers have been asked to prepare for as many 600 burials. What's the condition of those injured? How bad is it?
DOUGHERTY: Some of them are very, very serious, because the people who really got the worst injuries were the ones who were in that gymnasium. And remember, that's where the explosion took place which triggered a fire, and then the roof collapsed.
So they were -- some burned very, very seriously, and that's why the aid has been coming in from other countries, specifically from the United States. Cargo planes coming in and bringing supplies, especially for people who have burns. That's the most important thing right now that they can do.
NGUYEN: Our bureau chief in Moscow, Jill Dougherty. Thank you so much for that.
Well, here's what's making news overseas in this morning's world wrap: funerals in Gaza. Palestinians say at least 15 people were killed when Israeli helicopters fired into a camp near Gaza City. Israel says militants used the facility as a training base.
Powerful typhoon Songda made landfall today in southern Japan with 130-mile-an-hour winds. Several deaths are reported, and two dozen seamen are missing. This is Japan's seventh typhoon of the season, which is a record.
And a freak hail storm -- hail storm, that's right -- brought out snowboarders in Australia on Sunday. Hopefully we can show you that. Sydney's airport canceled several flights after runways got coated with ice. Check it out, they are just sliding down the snow in Australia.
Well, teens often act out when they see things on television, which is why some are disturbed at the findings of a new study. Researchers have found a possible link between teenage sexual activity and television.
A scientist with the Rand Corporation says adolescents who watch a lot of TV with sexual content are twice as likely to engage in such behavior earlier in life. The study appears in the "Journal of Pediatrics."
We're coming up on three years since the 9/11 attacks. And today is at the top of the agenda for some on Capitol Hill. We'll let you know what it could mean for the 9/11 Commission's recommendations. That's next.
And later, the wind cries Anderson. Ever wonder why reporters spend hours standing in the wind and rain covering hurricanes? Well, so does our own Anderson Cooper. That's ahead.
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NGUYEN: Congress is back at work today after a summer recess. And intelligence reforms recommended by the 9/11 Commission topped the agenda. Congress plans to focus on intelligence changes, at least into the 1st of October. And a post-election session may be necessary to finish the work.
Well, the Senate Intelligence Committee is diving into the business at hand today. National security correspondent David Ensor is in Washington this morning with the latest.
So what's on the agenda?
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, as you mentioned, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says now Congress is back in session. It will be all 9/11 all the time. And it is certainly starting out that way.
Two influential senators, John McCain and Joe Lieberman, will unveil their proposal today for how to enact the 9/11 Commission recommendations into law. And this afternoon, the commission's two top members, Governor Thomas Kean and former Congressman Lee Hamilton, will have a chance at a hearing to react their proposal and to some of the others that are out there already.
Administration officials have been working on hard on legislation for the president to propose, and that could be made public soon. The administration proposal could well set the terms for the debate more than any other.
Now, all the ideas include a new powerful national intelligence director and the creation of a national counterterrorism center. But, of course, the devil is in the details.
How much power would the new director have over budgets and personnel? How closely associated would he or she be with the Central Intelligence Agency? Or should the CIA be broken up, as Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Pat Reports has proposed?
There's also the question of how far to go towards a national ID card. The 9/11 Commission recommendations don't go that far, but they do say that there should be new federal standards for states on driver's licenses, birth certificates and the like, so that they are harder for would-be terrorists to forge. Other proposals may go further on that one.
And then, of course, there's the question of cutting back on the number of oversight committees. The maze on Capitol Hill that the 9/11 Commission said is also hurting national security, that is going to be a tough one. Some powerful politicians might have to agree to become less powerful if that is to happen. We shall see -- Betty.
NGUYEN: We shall. Let me ask you, though, David, with all of this work on the table, do you expect anything to pass before the election?
ENSOR: Well, it's very hard to say. There is a good head of steam behind it, though.
President Bush had hesitated to try to take this on before the election, but with his -- with his challenger saying -- which the U.S. should enact all 41 of the 9/11 Commission recommendations right away, there's a good deal of pressure from the Democrats to move forward. And it looks as if the Republicans have concluded better to come up with the best proposal they can and get it passed than to be accused in November of dragging their feet -- Betty.
NGUYEN: We'll see how it all shakes out. CNN's David Ensor, thank you so much for that.
George Bush's bounce may mean John Kerry is ready to play hardball. Up next, your morning's most complete political wrap-up. We're coming right back.
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Aired September 7, 2004 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. in the West. From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen, in today for Daryn Kagan.
We begin this hour with cleanup and repairs from Hurricane Frances. Big rigs filled with water, ice and other supplies are arriving at distribution points all around Florida today. Federal relief workers plan to truck in baby formula and rolls of tarp to cover damaged roofs.
Now, damage appears most severe in coastal cities, where roofs and marinas took a big beating from the storm. Florida officials estimate it will cost at least a couple billion dollars to repair the damage from Frances. Residents are urged to stay put today because of gas shortages. One gas line was five miles along on the Florida turnpike.
Here's what's happening today with Frances. The hurricane's remnants are bringing strong wind and heavy rain to Georgia this morning. As much as a foot of rain is forecast for metro Atlanta. Schools closed after thousands of people lost electricity when trees and limbs fell on power lines.
CNN's Tom Foreman is in the fishing town of Carrabelle, Florida, this morning, and joins us with an update on Frances as she blew through.
Good morning, Tom.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty.
There's a tremendous amount of help in Florida today, coming from all over the country. Some of these people were in place already because of Charley just a couple of weeks ago, but now there's a renewed effort to bring in just thousands of people to help out in many, many different place.
At that one marina that was wrecked, for example, National Guard people are working all around there, some of the relief efforts here. More than 8,000 Guardsmen are deployed around the state to help people get down roads, to clear areas, stabilize areas, prevent looting, that sort of thing. They're all over the place.
In the neighborhoods, there are many, many relief efforts, both public and private, helping people patch their roofs, helping them clear the roads, get the trees out, get their vehicles going, all the things that have to happen. The Red Cross is here in huge numbers. They were here for Charley, and now they're trying to deal with this new big storm.
Earlier on, one of the Red Cross spokesmen from this area explained to us what they plan to do today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAREN HAGAN, AMERICAN RED CROSS: One of the things we're going to do, if they go back to their communities and they can't get back into their home, of course we're going to need to keep some of the shelters open. And if they don't have any power, that's when mobile feeding is going to be very important, because we'll need to be going community, community, street to street, to try to make sure that people are fed, trying to make sure that there's ice to be distributed.
We don't know how long the power's going to be out. So we just need to make sure that people's basic needs are met.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: This is a live picture from Jacksonville right now of what's happening in that area as people try to figure out how much damage there's been and how they can clean it all up. The outages of electricity are going to last for several more days. And that's a big deal, because so much of what people are counting on has to be dealt with electricity.
Even in places, for example, where they have gasoline in the wells beneath the gas stations, they can't get it up to use unless they have electricity. So they're trying to solve that as one of the critical problems in this state. And, of course, as the remnants of the storm move north, other states are going to be dealing with the same thing. So Frances is gone, but we're still getting the blustery winds and, of course, the effects are going to linger for quite some time -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Oh, yes. Florida has a lot on its hands. Let me ask you just really quickly, now that Frances has blown through, there's also the threat of Ivan. Have Floridians even thought about that as they go to rebuild and look at the damage?
FOREMAN: People in Florida don't want to think about Ivan because it's just -- it's too much to take right now, frankly. And people here are overwhelmed by what they've had.
You know, there are some communities here that had both Charley and Frances cross right over them. And those neighborhoods really got socked by this thing.
They don't want to talk about another hurricane right now. But, that said, the emergency people here are looking at it. They recognize it's far off, a lot of things can happen between where Ivan is now and where it's going to arrive. And hopefully for the people of Florida it won't be here. NGUYEN: Taking it one step at a time. All right. Tom Foreman, thank you so much.
Well, we want to check on Frances, Ivan and all that's going on weather-wise. And for that we go to Orelon Sidney.
Good morning, Orelon.
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.
We do have two tropical systems of concern. Obviously Ivan here now, about to work its way through the southern Lesser Antilles and what's left of Frances there in the far upper left corner of your screen.
Still looking at quite a bit of circulation from this. It is really holding itself together. You can see the center is here, just off in the eastern portion of Alabama, western Georgia.
We still also have a tornado watch in effect until 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time for the right side of the storm. That's where you're going to see the greatest risk of tornadoes. And look at all the heavy rain stretching across much of the deep South today.
This is a slow-moving storm. There's not a whole lot to push it along. Whenever you see a storm kind of stall out like this, that means the scary currents in the atmosphere are extremely weak, so it's basically moving of its own momentum. And it's not much forward momentum at all.
We're looking now at generally flood possibilities from northern Florida, stretching through Georgia and the Carolinas, even northward into parts of southern West Virginia. So not a good day for those areas. Some flooding has been reported already. So do be careful if you have to travel here.
Now, this is the very latest update from the National Hurricane Center, just in five minutes ago. Hurricane Ivan still Category 3 at 115 mile-an-hour winds, moving to the west at 18.
It's 45 miles now northeast of Tobago at 11.8 north, 60.2 west. We'll be getting a look at the track.
I'm currently putting the track in the computer and I'm processing the graphics. I'll be able to show you a little bit better where it's expected to go.
But at the current point, 72 hours takes it through the Caribbean Sea, somewhere in between Hispaniola and Jamaica in a 72-hour period. Beyond that, the models start to diverge and it gets a little sketchy. But certainly going to be impacting the Lesser Antilles today and moving into the Caribbean Sea tomorrow. That much we know for sure -- Betty.
NGUYEN: We'll let the computer process that and we'll check back in with you a little bit later. Thank you, Orelon. SIDNEY: You're welcome.
NGUYEN: In Iraq, the U.S. death toll nears 1,000. One U.S. soldier was killed in fighting today in the Sadr City section of Baghdad. The renewed round of violence comes as American forces battle supporters of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Included in the new total number of soldiers killed are 11 American troops killed in five separate combat incidents since Monday. U.S. military officials have released casualty counts from the last few months in Iraq. More than 200 American troops have been killed since the 1st of May.
In the western section of Baghdad, a burned car riddled with bullet holes marks an ambush gone awry. Early this morning, assailants unleashed machine gun rounds and a roadside bomb on a convoy carrying the governor of Baghdad. But officials say the governor escaped without injury. There are, though, reports that two people were killed in that attack, and that others were injured.
In the battle against insurgents in Iraq U.S. forces are using a broad range of weapons in their arsenal, including their wits and their will. Here's CNN's Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hundreds of U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq. Victims of car bombs, mortar attacks and improvised explosive devices.
COL. LARRY SAUL, CENTER FOR ARMY LESSONS LEARNED: The one thing we have learned over the last 16 months since the end of the major ground combat operation, on or about the first of May of 2003, is that we're fighting a dedicated, committed enemy.
STARR (on camera): As the insurgents continue to change their tactics, the Army is still looking at what it has learned in Iraq and scrambling for new ideas.
(voice-over): The Army says it still needs to improve in at least 10 areas, including added armor protection, new weapons to counter insurgent attacks and better urban combat training. Soldiers remain vulnerable. To help reduce casualties, there are new shoulder protectors for shoulders, especially those in high-risk convoy operations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And keep in mind that these are additions that were asked for by soldiers in the theater who said, look, these are the problems that we're seeing over in theater now.
STARR: The Army is testing new weapons to destroy rockets, artillery and mortars before they strike. A new laser weapon shot down multiple mortar rounds for the first time in a test last month.
In basic training, soldiers are now immediately put into an urban environment, learning to deal with civilians who may not welcome them. But it is still the improvised explosive device that is the deadly symbol of the Iraq tour of duty. IEDs have been hidden in trash, buried in animal carcasses and stuffed behind political posters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You go and rip that poster down and there's a explosive device behind it.
STARR: The ultimate lesson learned still the simple one: keep your eyes open, see what is going on around you and...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you did not drop it, do not pick it up.
STARR: Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And we may learn more about the situation in Iraq later today at a Pentagon briefing. We expect to hear from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Richard Myers. That briefing is set to get under way at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. As always, you can count on CNN to bring that to you live.
Turning now to Bill Clinton's recovery. The former president is breathing freely today after a successful heart bypass surgery. Doctors removed him from a respirator, and that was an important step on the road to recovery.
Over 90 percent of Clinton's arteries were clogged. And doctors say that left untreated, he likely would have had a massive heart attack. Clinton's lead surgeon appeared on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. CRAIG SMITH, CHIEF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGEON: The fact that he had what sounds like an accelerating pattern of unstable rest angina, or class four angina occurring without effort in the days leading up to this event is worrisome in anyone. And when you combine those symptoms with the appearance of the angiogram that showed critical lesions in the major distributions of the coronary branches, that, you know, pretty well makes anyone worried about his prospects for going a long time without trouble.
To avoid bad decision-making because of overconcern about doing too much or too little so that you either become too bold or too timid -- so it's the decision-making and judgment that takes the heat here. And fortunately, I think it's also one of the things we learn to do. And -- but that is what we mostly struggled with yesterday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And doctors say Clinton will have to monitor his medicines and his weight to prevent new blockages.
Well, an incredible scene near Moscow's Red Square. Hundreds of thousands of people standing against terrorism. But Russia's government is laying part of the blame for last week's school massacre with the U.S. Live from Moscow next.
Also, Congress returns. And for some, the first order of business is a fallout from 9/11.
And while Frances soaks the South, Japan is dealing with both a typhoon and earthquakes, plural. The world wrap is next when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
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NGUYEN: Thousands of protesters rallied today in Moscow's Red Square to denounce last week's terror attack at a school in the caucuses. President Vladimir Putin today sarcastically rejected calls to negotiate with Chechnya separatists, asking whether the U.S. would inviet Osama bin Laden to Washington.
Well, the streets of Beslan are crowded again today for funeral processions for the hundreds of victims at that school. Moscow bureau chief, Jill Dougherty, joins us now with an update.
Hi, Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Betty.
Well, there were demonstrations, rallies, et cetera, all throughout Russia, but none of them bigger than the one here in Moscow. There were tens of thousands of people down just off Red Square, under the walls of the Kremlin, rallying against terrorism. In fact, that was the theme, Russia against terror.
It was organized by the trade unions of Russia. And so they were able to bring out a lot of people. But there were others who joined in, some who were angry, some who were sad about what happened, and all of them expressing their grief. Signs like "Bring the killers to justice," "Russia will not be brought to its knees," and several signs saying, "Putin, we are with you."
There were other people in other cities, and certainly some anger. But you didn't -- against the government. But you didn't really hear that here, except for the mayor of Moscow, who said the security services were partly to blame. He said, "How did these terrorists get their hands on modern Russian weapons?"
President Putin, meanwhile, issuing some very strong statements about the war on terror and what he considers a double policy. The West looking on at Russia, and when Russia is attacked, he said, by terrorists, not calling the terrorists by their names, but sometimes saying "freedom fighters." He said these people are not freedom fighters. And very strong rhetoric.
He said, you ask us to negotiate, but "why don't you meet Osama bin Laden, invite him to Brussels or to the White House and engage in talks? Ask him what he wants and give it to him so he leaves you in peace." A sarcastic comment coming from President Putin.
And, by the way, he mentioned there will be a commission, some type of inquiry that will look into the reasons for this tragedy that has killed so many hundreds of children and their parents. But he said it will not be public. There will be no type of 9/11 Commission here in Russia.
Finally, down in the south of Russia, where that tragedy took place, funerals today. They will continue for a very, very long time. And many people still trying to determine whether their relatives died, where are their bodies.
There are, at last count, 105 bodies that have not been identified. And that has simply increased the grief of people in Beslan -- Betty.
NGUYEN: That may explain why although 338 dead, grave diggers have been asked to prepare for as many 600 burials. What's the condition of those injured? How bad is it?
DOUGHERTY: Some of them are very, very serious, because the people who really got the worst injuries were the ones who were in that gymnasium. And remember, that's where the explosion took place which triggered a fire, and then the roof collapsed.
So they were -- some burned very, very seriously, and that's why the aid has been coming in from other countries, specifically from the United States. Cargo planes coming in and bringing supplies, especially for people who have burns. That's the most important thing right now that they can do.
NGUYEN: Our bureau chief in Moscow, Jill Dougherty. Thank you so much for that.
Well, here's what's making news overseas in this morning's world wrap: funerals in Gaza. Palestinians say at least 15 people were killed when Israeli helicopters fired into a camp near Gaza City. Israel says militants used the facility as a training base.
Powerful typhoon Songda made landfall today in southern Japan with 130-mile-an-hour winds. Several deaths are reported, and two dozen seamen are missing. This is Japan's seventh typhoon of the season, which is a record.
And a freak hail storm -- hail storm, that's right -- brought out snowboarders in Australia on Sunday. Hopefully we can show you that. Sydney's airport canceled several flights after runways got coated with ice. Check it out, they are just sliding down the snow in Australia.
Well, teens often act out when they see things on television, which is why some are disturbed at the findings of a new study. Researchers have found a possible link between teenage sexual activity and television.
A scientist with the Rand Corporation says adolescents who watch a lot of TV with sexual content are twice as likely to engage in such behavior earlier in life. The study appears in the "Journal of Pediatrics."
We're coming up on three years since the 9/11 attacks. And today is at the top of the agenda for some on Capitol Hill. We'll let you know what it could mean for the 9/11 Commission's recommendations. That's next.
And later, the wind cries Anderson. Ever wonder why reporters spend hours standing in the wind and rain covering hurricanes? Well, so does our own Anderson Cooper. That's ahead.
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NGUYEN: Congress is back at work today after a summer recess. And intelligence reforms recommended by the 9/11 Commission topped the agenda. Congress plans to focus on intelligence changes, at least into the 1st of October. And a post-election session may be necessary to finish the work.
Well, the Senate Intelligence Committee is diving into the business at hand today. National security correspondent David Ensor is in Washington this morning with the latest.
So what's on the agenda?
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, as you mentioned, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says now Congress is back in session. It will be all 9/11 all the time. And it is certainly starting out that way.
Two influential senators, John McCain and Joe Lieberman, will unveil their proposal today for how to enact the 9/11 Commission recommendations into law. And this afternoon, the commission's two top members, Governor Thomas Kean and former Congressman Lee Hamilton, will have a chance at a hearing to react their proposal and to some of the others that are out there already.
Administration officials have been working on hard on legislation for the president to propose, and that could be made public soon. The administration proposal could well set the terms for the debate more than any other.
Now, all the ideas include a new powerful national intelligence director and the creation of a national counterterrorism center. But, of course, the devil is in the details.
How much power would the new director have over budgets and personnel? How closely associated would he or she be with the Central Intelligence Agency? Or should the CIA be broken up, as Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Pat Reports has proposed?
There's also the question of how far to go towards a national ID card. The 9/11 Commission recommendations don't go that far, but they do say that there should be new federal standards for states on driver's licenses, birth certificates and the like, so that they are harder for would-be terrorists to forge. Other proposals may go further on that one.
And then, of course, there's the question of cutting back on the number of oversight committees. The maze on Capitol Hill that the 9/11 Commission said is also hurting national security, that is going to be a tough one. Some powerful politicians might have to agree to become less powerful if that is to happen. We shall see -- Betty.
NGUYEN: We shall. Let me ask you, though, David, with all of this work on the table, do you expect anything to pass before the election?
ENSOR: Well, it's very hard to say. There is a good head of steam behind it, though.
President Bush had hesitated to try to take this on before the election, but with his -- with his challenger saying -- which the U.S. should enact all 41 of the 9/11 Commission recommendations right away, there's a good deal of pressure from the Democrats to move forward. And it looks as if the Republicans have concluded better to come up with the best proposal they can and get it passed than to be accused in November of dragging their feet -- Betty.
NGUYEN: We'll see how it all shakes out. CNN's David Ensor, thank you so much for that.
George Bush's bounce may mean John Kerry is ready to play hardball. Up next, your morning's most complete political wrap-up. We're coming right back.
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