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CNN Live Today
Hurricane Ivan's Path; Goss as Spy Boss; Fallujah Strategy
Aired September 14, 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hurricane Ivan is heading toward the U.S. after taking a swipe at Cuba. The storm slammed into the western tip of Cuba and pounded the island's tobacco region. There were no immediate reports of casualties, but Ivan is blamed for more than 60 deaths across the Caribbean.
A purported claim of responsibility for a deadly Baghdad car bombing. According to an Islamic Web site, a group affiliated with terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi says that it was behind the attack. At least 47 people were killed when the bomb exploded outside a Baghdad police station.
We check the clock. It is 11:00 a.m. in Panama City, Florida, 7:00 p.m. in Baghdad. From CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
Up first this hour on CNN, slightly -- and we say slightly weaker, but still wicked, Hurricane Ivan barrels into the Gulf of Mexico. Ivan is now a Category 4 storm churning toward the Gulf Coast with 155 mile-per-hour winds.
Ivan has already struck a blow to the western edge of Cuba before heading into the Gulf. Taking a look at these pictures, the storm uprooted trees, and it knocked down power lines on that island.
Where is Ivan? Where is it headed, more importantly? Jacqui Jeras has been working on that and joins us now from the weather center -- Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Daryn, as you said, Ivan has weakened. It's pretty significant, but it's still a Category 4. We don't want to let down our guard, because fluctuations of intensity are quite common.
It is a Category 4 with 140 mile-per-hour winds. And this is the exact location. It's honing in on about 400 miles away now from the mouth of the Mississippi River.
The forecast track is still on a north-to-northwesterly path. But there's still a bit of uncertainty here as to exactly where it's going to go. Let's show you that track now in our other system, and show you the cone of uncertainty now.
There you can see it as it makes its way toward the central Gulf Coast. This is the 11:00 forecast track, so this is brand new information. You can see there has been a slight shift off to the west once again. We've been seeing this westerly trend all day yesterday, and then we had a little bit of a shift back to the east, and now we're kind of back over towards the westward trend.
So, people who live in maybe in Biloxi, Pascagoula, heading over to New Orleans, should get increasingly concerned and be a little bit more aware of the situation, because you are likely going to be getting hit with the hurricane-force winds if it doesn't make landfall for you, because they extend out so far from the center of the storm, about 100 miles on the eastern side, and not quite as far on the west, but certainly close to it. We should start to be feeling these effects, we think, sometime tomorrow morning, of the tropical-force winds coming in and the hurricane-force winds coming in, maybe late tomorrow afternoon.
We still have a hurricane watch in effect across the entire area, and we're probably going to see that upgraded to a tropical storm warning, we think, maybe later on for today. And as it moves inland, it will be move very slowly, tracking up to the North and to the East, and we may see widespread flooding inland as well. So, people who live all across the Southeast need to be concerned.
Also want to take note on what's going on out here. We've got another tropical storm to talk about. Jeanne has developed at this time. And so, we've got to keep our eyes out there towards the Leeward Islands. We've got some watches and warnings in effect across the U.S. Virgin Islands.
We'll have a little bit more on Jeanne coming up in the next hour -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Gene as in G-E...
JERAS: No. It's J-E-A-N-N-E. We thought it was Jeannie. We checked with the hurricane center.
KAGAN: This is Jeanne. Just Jeanne. All right. People getting tired of hearing these next storms coming along. Let's just deal with Ivan.
JERAS: I know.
KAGAN: All right. There is a lot -- thank you, Jacqui, by the way.
There is apprehension and uncertainty along the Gulf Coast this morning, from Louisiana all the way to the Florida Panhandle. You can see why from Jacqui's forecast there. Coastal residents are bracing for Ivan's arrival.
Our David Mattingly is in Panama City Beach, Florida.
David, good morning.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. About an hour from now, a mandatory evacuation order goes into effect for Panama City Beach. But for people familiar with this area, we've got to show what you it looks like here behind me.
This empty beach has to be an incredibly different sight from what people are normally used to, because over the years this has become the party spot of the Panhandle. We've actually got some video put together to show you what this place looks like in the spring time.
Panama City Beach is the biggest spring break destination in the United States. It hosts up to 400,000 high school and college students every year. And why do they put up with that sort of headache? It's obviously for the money, because those kids come here and spend about $60 million just in the month of March alone.
Their big concern right now is that if this storm takes a little bit of a turn to the east and comes this way, that there could be some very severe damage, damage that will take months to repair, and repairs that could send the party elsewhere. So, that is one of the big concerns right now.
That's actually what happened here back in 1995 when Hurricane Opal came through. It was a Category 3 hurricane, and it brought with it a great deal of damage from a storm surge, a storm surge of 17 feet. That may not sound like a lot, but I want to show you something.
This is what the surf looks like right now. This is the normal surf. But a 17-foot storm surge from Hurricane Opal, the waters from the Gulf of Mexico not only came up all the way over this beach, but it came up to the hotels here. And in some cases, between the hotels and beyond, to the street beyond. So, that's what a 17-foot storm surge can do.
This time, people are just boarding up, paying attention to a mandatory evacuation order. And they're hoping that this does not happen again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR LEE SULLIVAN, PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLORIDA: If it moves on through, you tend to have less damage. But if like it did in south Florida, it just camps out on your front door and just continues to beat you up. And then that's a concern that we have.
Getting people off the island, getting properties secured and getting through this thing is -- is all -- it's just tough. Because there's nothing you can do but wait.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: Well, they're advising the people, don't -- they're advising the people, do not wait to see what happens here. They want them to pay attention to the mandatory evacuation order and get off of this island, this Barrier Island. Because once the winds reach 55 miles per hour, the three bridges linking this island to the mainland are closed down. No one comes in. And if you're stuck on the island, you're going to have to ride the storm out right here -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. That definitely tells the story, looking at how high that water can come up there on the beach. David, thank you. You and our crew, please be safe there along Panama City.
We encourage you to stay with CNN for the latest on Hurricane Ivan. You can log on to cnn.com/hurricanes to follow Ivan's projected path. You'll also find links to emergency information and resources, and tips on what you should do in a hurricane.
He is trying to nail down a job that has an uncertain future. Outgoing Florida Congressman Porter Goss is in front of senators this hour for a confirmation hearing. But with the intelligence community facing radical changes by Congress in the months ahead, the job of CIA director could actually be greatly diminished, even eliminated in favor of a national intelligence director.
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SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D), WEST VIRGINIA: I do have a number of concern concerns about whether your past partisan actions or statements will allow you to be that type of nonpartisan, independent and objective national intelligence director that our country needs. That's what this discussion will be about, tough but fair. And these questions need to be put. You have made a number of statements relative to intelligence matters, many in the past year that are highly, in my judgment, partisan and display a willingness on your part to use intelligence issues as a political broad sword against members of the Democratic Party.
REP. PORTER GOSS (R), FLORIDA: To show you, however, that I do understand completely the difference in obligations the position of DCI carries with it, and that which the role of congressman carries, these are two completely distinct jobs in our form of government. I understand those distinctions and, if confirmed, I commit myself to a nonpartisan approach to the job of DCI.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Well, what kind of spy boss would Porter Goss make in this age of terrorism? Let's ask Jim Walsh. He is at the Belfer Center at Harvard University.
Jim, always good to have you with here with us.
JIM WALSH, BELFER CENTER, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Good morning, Daryn.
KAGAN: Good morning to you. First of all, for Porter Goss, this is actually an example of an old spy done good being nominated for this job.
WALSH: That's right. And that's arguably one of his strengths, is he is someone who has been an agent in the CIA in his past, and brings that knowledge to him to the job. And it's argued that, at a time when the CIA is in battle, when it has been criticized for problem after problem after problem, maybe someone like him, who is from the agency, will be able to boost morale and get the agency turned around.
That's the argument in his favor. There are also arguments against him as well.
KAGAN: And we'll get to those in a second. But this is just an odd kind of time of crossroads. You can't even really say what job he's trying out for here. It is CIA director, but who knows how long that job is going to be around.
WALSH: Well, you're absolutely right, Daryn. And in fact, I think that's the most important question here.
From a policy perspective, not a political perspective, but from a policy perspective, it really doesn't make a lot of sense to appoint someone right now. Traditionally, presidents, when they're in this situation, simply let the acting director carry on until the election so that the new president, whether it's someone being re-elected or a new guy, can come in and appoint their own person.
This is a break with the past. President Bush has decided to appoint this person, even though Senator Kerry may win and then turn around and get rid of him, you know, after being on the job for only a few months. So, it's -- it's unusual and it does raise a lot of questions.
KAGAN: And let's talk about the reform here that the CIA faces. Critics, especially from within the CIA of this reform, say, you know, you're not giving us credit for all the changes that have taken place since 9/11. You keep looking at how it was before 9/11. Then you have people like the current chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Pat Roberts, who basically is really talking about completely changing the system.
WALSH: Well, I think I -- what I would say is probably the middle road, and that is to look to the 9/11 Commission. Again, the 9/11 Commission has spent more time, looked at more documents and interview interviewed more people than any other group who has looked a the problem of intelligence reform. And they've been specific about their criticisms.
Has the CIA, have the DIA and other agencies improved since 9/11? Certainly they have. We would expect that that would be the case.
The question is, have they changed fast enough? Have they adopted the difficult changes that have to be made? And I think the 9/11 Commission comes down saying, no, they haven't. And we need more fundamental change.
KAGAN: Well, and as a clue as to what kind of CIA director Porter Goss might be, as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, he seemed to be kind of conservative and like, well, let's just hold on here, let's not make drastic changes. He did not seem ready to adopt all the changes from the 9/11 Commission.
WALSH: That's right, Daryn. And in fact, there are -- if there are two knocks on Porter Goss, one would be that he -- as we saw in the clip with Senator Rockefeller -- that he was a very partisan congressman and he attacked Senator Kerry on the floor of the House. Can he be so partisan and then sort of change stripes and be a nonpartisan CIA director?
The other knock on Porter Goss here is that he was on watch. He was part of the oversight process that the 9/11 Commission so harshly criticized.
He was in charge of keeping an eye on the CIA, and if he was -- some would argue he was part of the problem, not part of the solution, so why put this guy in charge now? Those are two arguments against him, but, as I say, there are arguments in his favor as well.
KAGAN: Which we talked about at the top. Jim Walsh, thank you. Always great to hear your insight on both sides of the issue there.
WALSH: Thank you, Daryn.
KAGAN: It has been a day of death and destruction across Iraq. A car bomb and a deadly ambush proved one unfortunate fact: police in Iraq are targets for terror. The latest coming up next.
Also, the plan was to root out terrorists in Fallujah. Now some of the U.S. military are saying that plan was a massive failure.
And one of Europe's most temperamental volcanoes is blowing its top again. The incredible view coming up when CNN LIVE TODAY Returns.
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KAGAN: A huge car bomb killed at least 47 people in the heart of Baghdad today. Most were recruits lined up for jobs outside of a police station. The site of the carnage generated outrage from Iraqis. They held up body parts and cursed the Americans for a lack of security.
Just two hours later, in the Iraqi town of Baquba, gunmen opened fire on a police minibus. A dozen officers were killed in that drive- by attack. According to an Islamic Web site, a group affiliated with terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said it was behind those attacks, both in Baquba and Baghdad.
The outgoing U.S. commander for Fallujah is now criticizing decisions that have left that Iraqi town in the hands of insurgents. Here now, senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.S. decision to launch a Marine assault on Fallujah back in April, only to pull back after three days, is now seen by many as a colossal failure. Several top Pentagon officials and U.S. commanders concede it was a mistake to leave security to the Fallujah Brigade, made up of remnants of Saddam Hussein's old army.
LT. GEN. JAMES CONWAY, 1ST MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE: We said at the outset that the Fallujah Brigade was an experiment. But the experiment didn't work for a combination of reasons.
MCINTYRE: In April, the Pentagon portrayed the experiment as the best thinking of field commanders, but Lieutenant General James Conway, who just finished his tour as Marine commander, says both the attack and the abrupt halt were ordered over his objections.
CONWAY: When you order elements of a Marine division to attack a city, that you really need to understand what the consequences of that is going to be, and not perhaps vacillate in the middle of something like that. Once you commit, you've got to -- you've got to stay committed.
MCINTYRE: Instead of fighting insurgents, the Fallujah Brigade aided them, Marines say. And trucks, radios and some 800 AK-47 assault rifles provided by the U.S. appear to have ended up in the hands of the insurgents. One Marine commander called it a fiasco.
Now, with a sovereign Iraqi government in charge, the U.S. must wait until the fledgling Iraqi army and police are in a position to help retake Fallujah, something officials concede will take months. Meanwhile, Fallujah remains a haven for terrorists and anti-U.S. militants.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Our commanders are dealing with the problem. They are putting in place plans to recover all of the cities that -- in which there is a great insurgent presence in the Sunni Triangle over the next several months.
MCINTYRE: Pentagon officials say lessons learned in Fallujah were applied in Najaf, where negotiations, backed by a strong offense of by both U.S. and Iraqi forces, produced an agreement to regain control from Muqtada al-Sadr's militia.
(on camera): Pentagon officials say a showdown in Fallujah probably won't come until after early November. Those officials are adamant it's because the Iraqi military needs more time to build confidence before tackling the challenge of Fallujah, and not because of any effort to hold down casualties before the U.S. presidential election.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: All right. I think I'm hearing -- yes, OK, we'll go live to Alabama, listening in to the governor about possible evacuations. GOV. BOB RILEY (R), ALABAMA: ... need to be doing. Is there anything else anyone can be doing today?
The only way that I know to do that is to get you together. And I didn't come down here to make a speech or wish you well. I came down here today just to find out if we can do anything else. And with that, Bruce may want to have a few words. And then we'll just open it up and start talking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of the issues you're confronted with, we've been working with Leanne (ph) all summer with, as a matter of fact. It's interesting, some time ago we ran an exercise, and the scenario that we're confronted with is exactly what we were looking at.
So, a lot of the issues, those who were at the exercise probably in July, was it, June? Same issues we were looking at then.
Some of the things that we're doing, though, is working real closely with the federal government to mobilize lots of material that can be brought in to assist. Debris removal, again, we met with the county on that. We stand by to help with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to remove debris.
We've got search and rescue teams on standby, we've got, emergency medical teams on standby, water, ice. Those things that you've seen flown into Florida we've got on standby here.
The one area that is critically short is emergency generators. Florida has pulled in a bunch of emergency generators, but we're scrambling to get those in place. We've located probably 100 generators we can bring in to assist the county. Evacuation, we're going to be meeting separately on the evacuation issues, talking about what we can do to help speed that up.
So, those are some of the things we've worked on today. We've got FEMA coming in this afternoon. We'll be in my office. So, we'll be working with our federal counterparts to get you what you need to make things happen.
Thank you.
RILEY: Thank you.
Again, let -- this is probably as much for the other residents here, more than the people in this room. You know, one of the things that Alabamans are famous for, I mean, as part of our Alabaman legacy, we always take care of our neighbor. And what I want to encourage everyone out there today that -- and the general population, you know, talk to your neighbor.
If you know an elderly person, go by and check on them. If you need some help for a special needs individual out there, call this office and let us know about it. Because this is something that we all have to work together on. And we can't do it with the people in this room. We can't do it at the state level. We can't do it at the federal level. But if we can get all the citizens to really start talking about taking care of each other, taking care of their neighbor, taking care of the elderly, helping them, helping them when they can't help themselves today, it's going to take that type of effort for us to get through to them.
KAGAN: We've been listening in to Alabama Governor Bob Riley. They are getting ready for Hurricane Ivan.
There is a hurricane watch that has been posted all along the Gulf shore there from Morgan City, Louisiana, through to Saint Marks, Florida. Talking about they're going to figure out what they want to do for evacuations for Alabama.
I had a chance earlier to talk with the mayor of New Orleans. And we also expect to hear from the governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco, just ahead. She's expected to hold a news conference as well.
So, we are tracking Ivan. We've got Jacqui Jeras in our weather center. And we are bringing you the latest.
We're going to take a break. A lot more information on Ivan. A lot more news just ahead.
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KAGAN: Hundreds of long-legged models and lots of wandering eyes. The catwalks and some cat calls continue in New York today. Fashion Week rolling on. Alina Cho watching the show. She has been talking to one of the most famous designers in the industry.
Good morning, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.
Yes, we are backstage at the Michael Kors show, where the designers showed both men's wear and women's wear on the catwalk, as he always does. Joining us now is the designer himself, Michael Kors.
Thank you for joining us.
MICHAEL KORS, FASHION DESIGNER: Good to be here.
CHO: You said you were inspired this season by Greek chic, Jude Law, Sienna Miller. Talk about that.
KORS: You know, I mean, to me, first off, the Olympics, you know, I was glued like everyone else. And I -- and I -- you see all these fabulous paparazzi pictures of great-looking couples, like Hugh Grant and his girlfriend, Jemima Khan, or Sienna Miller and Jude Law. And they're always on a boat, they're always on vacation.
We all kind of grew up and with Jackie O. and Ari on the boat. And I kind of love that, you know, when you think about a Greek island trip, it's glamorous, but it's sporty at the same time. CHO: Relaxed.
KORS: Yes, it's relaxed. It's not -- it's not unapproachable glamour. So, I think it has relevance, you know, even in real life.
CHO: Lots of color. Turquoise, chartreuse, the straw hats and the sunglasses, those were great touches.
KORS: Well, you know, I think, again, you know, you get out of the winter, and everyone wants to put on something bright, cheerful. And I think fashion should be a tonic, a mood lifter. So, the color and all that white and all I think is so important.
CHO: Let's talk a little bit about your second line, because not everyone can afford the Michael Kors line. But you just launched another line for a younger set, Michael.
KORS: Well, you know, it's not even necessarily for a younger set. You know, we have customers who are 17 and 75.
My Michael line, which we just launched now in the stores, it's for men and women, plus accessories, and it gives you all of the fingerprints and all the feeling of Michael Kors, but for like an eighth the price. So, you know, that jacket you've been coveting and waiting for it to go on sale 20 times over, well now you can get a piece of Michael Kors.
And I think that that's so great, because a lot of people have wonderful taste. They just don't have the pocketbook to match.
CHO: We saw Lil' Kim and Jessica Simpson in the front row today. Jessica Simpson has been a big -- big client of yours.
KORS: She's a huge fan of ours. We just opened our store in Beverly Hills, and Jessica was our first customer in the store.
She was shopping while the construction workers were still there, which I think kind of took their attention away. But she's a great supporter. And Lil' Kim is just fun and really stylish. It's just great to see her.
CHO: All right. Michael Kors, thank you so much for joining us.
KORS: Thank you.
CHO: All right. This is the second to the last day of Fashion Week, Daryn. So, this assignment, sadly, is almost over for me.
KAGAN: Oh, no. You get one more day, though?
CHO: One more day, maybe.
KAGAN: Whose show can we get you into tomorrow?
CHO: You know what? I think Ralph Lauren is the big finale tomorrow. KAGAN: Oh, OK.
CHO: So, maybe if I'm lucky.
KAGAN: All right. Ralph, put out the invitation to our Alina. We want to see your stuff.
CHO: Right,.
KAGAN: Thank you, Alina.
Politics ahead. President Bush going back to the National Guard for a campaign stop just as John Kerry is hammering away today at healthcare. The morning's most complete political wrap-up is up next.
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Aired September 14, 2004 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hurricane Ivan is heading toward the U.S. after taking a swipe at Cuba. The storm slammed into the western tip of Cuba and pounded the island's tobacco region. There were no immediate reports of casualties, but Ivan is blamed for more than 60 deaths across the Caribbean.
A purported claim of responsibility for a deadly Baghdad car bombing. According to an Islamic Web site, a group affiliated with terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi says that it was behind the attack. At least 47 people were killed when the bomb exploded outside a Baghdad police station.
We check the clock. It is 11:00 a.m. in Panama City, Florida, 7:00 p.m. in Baghdad. From CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
Up first this hour on CNN, slightly -- and we say slightly weaker, but still wicked, Hurricane Ivan barrels into the Gulf of Mexico. Ivan is now a Category 4 storm churning toward the Gulf Coast with 155 mile-per-hour winds.
Ivan has already struck a blow to the western edge of Cuba before heading into the Gulf. Taking a look at these pictures, the storm uprooted trees, and it knocked down power lines on that island.
Where is Ivan? Where is it headed, more importantly? Jacqui Jeras has been working on that and joins us now from the weather center -- Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Daryn, as you said, Ivan has weakened. It's pretty significant, but it's still a Category 4. We don't want to let down our guard, because fluctuations of intensity are quite common.
It is a Category 4 with 140 mile-per-hour winds. And this is the exact location. It's honing in on about 400 miles away now from the mouth of the Mississippi River.
The forecast track is still on a north-to-northwesterly path. But there's still a bit of uncertainty here as to exactly where it's going to go. Let's show you that track now in our other system, and show you the cone of uncertainty now.
There you can see it as it makes its way toward the central Gulf Coast. This is the 11:00 forecast track, so this is brand new information. You can see there has been a slight shift off to the west once again. We've been seeing this westerly trend all day yesterday, and then we had a little bit of a shift back to the east, and now we're kind of back over towards the westward trend.
So, people who live in maybe in Biloxi, Pascagoula, heading over to New Orleans, should get increasingly concerned and be a little bit more aware of the situation, because you are likely going to be getting hit with the hurricane-force winds if it doesn't make landfall for you, because they extend out so far from the center of the storm, about 100 miles on the eastern side, and not quite as far on the west, but certainly close to it. We should start to be feeling these effects, we think, sometime tomorrow morning, of the tropical-force winds coming in and the hurricane-force winds coming in, maybe late tomorrow afternoon.
We still have a hurricane watch in effect across the entire area, and we're probably going to see that upgraded to a tropical storm warning, we think, maybe later on for today. And as it moves inland, it will be move very slowly, tracking up to the North and to the East, and we may see widespread flooding inland as well. So, people who live all across the Southeast need to be concerned.
Also want to take note on what's going on out here. We've got another tropical storm to talk about. Jeanne has developed at this time. And so, we've got to keep our eyes out there towards the Leeward Islands. We've got some watches and warnings in effect across the U.S. Virgin Islands.
We'll have a little bit more on Jeanne coming up in the next hour -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Gene as in G-E...
JERAS: No. It's J-E-A-N-N-E. We thought it was Jeannie. We checked with the hurricane center.
KAGAN: This is Jeanne. Just Jeanne. All right. People getting tired of hearing these next storms coming along. Let's just deal with Ivan.
JERAS: I know.
KAGAN: All right. There is a lot -- thank you, Jacqui, by the way.
There is apprehension and uncertainty along the Gulf Coast this morning, from Louisiana all the way to the Florida Panhandle. You can see why from Jacqui's forecast there. Coastal residents are bracing for Ivan's arrival.
Our David Mattingly is in Panama City Beach, Florida.
David, good morning.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. About an hour from now, a mandatory evacuation order goes into effect for Panama City Beach. But for people familiar with this area, we've got to show what you it looks like here behind me.
This empty beach has to be an incredibly different sight from what people are normally used to, because over the years this has become the party spot of the Panhandle. We've actually got some video put together to show you what this place looks like in the spring time.
Panama City Beach is the biggest spring break destination in the United States. It hosts up to 400,000 high school and college students every year. And why do they put up with that sort of headache? It's obviously for the money, because those kids come here and spend about $60 million just in the month of March alone.
Their big concern right now is that if this storm takes a little bit of a turn to the east and comes this way, that there could be some very severe damage, damage that will take months to repair, and repairs that could send the party elsewhere. So, that is one of the big concerns right now.
That's actually what happened here back in 1995 when Hurricane Opal came through. It was a Category 3 hurricane, and it brought with it a great deal of damage from a storm surge, a storm surge of 17 feet. That may not sound like a lot, but I want to show you something.
This is what the surf looks like right now. This is the normal surf. But a 17-foot storm surge from Hurricane Opal, the waters from the Gulf of Mexico not only came up all the way over this beach, but it came up to the hotels here. And in some cases, between the hotels and beyond, to the street beyond. So, that's what a 17-foot storm surge can do.
This time, people are just boarding up, paying attention to a mandatory evacuation order. And they're hoping that this does not happen again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR LEE SULLIVAN, PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLORIDA: If it moves on through, you tend to have less damage. But if like it did in south Florida, it just camps out on your front door and just continues to beat you up. And then that's a concern that we have.
Getting people off the island, getting properties secured and getting through this thing is -- is all -- it's just tough. Because there's nothing you can do but wait.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: Well, they're advising the people, don't -- they're advising the people, do not wait to see what happens here. They want them to pay attention to the mandatory evacuation order and get off of this island, this Barrier Island. Because once the winds reach 55 miles per hour, the three bridges linking this island to the mainland are closed down. No one comes in. And if you're stuck on the island, you're going to have to ride the storm out right here -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. That definitely tells the story, looking at how high that water can come up there on the beach. David, thank you. You and our crew, please be safe there along Panama City.
We encourage you to stay with CNN for the latest on Hurricane Ivan. You can log on to cnn.com/hurricanes to follow Ivan's projected path. You'll also find links to emergency information and resources, and tips on what you should do in a hurricane.
He is trying to nail down a job that has an uncertain future. Outgoing Florida Congressman Porter Goss is in front of senators this hour for a confirmation hearing. But with the intelligence community facing radical changes by Congress in the months ahead, the job of CIA director could actually be greatly diminished, even eliminated in favor of a national intelligence director.
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SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D), WEST VIRGINIA: I do have a number of concern concerns about whether your past partisan actions or statements will allow you to be that type of nonpartisan, independent and objective national intelligence director that our country needs. That's what this discussion will be about, tough but fair. And these questions need to be put. You have made a number of statements relative to intelligence matters, many in the past year that are highly, in my judgment, partisan and display a willingness on your part to use intelligence issues as a political broad sword against members of the Democratic Party.
REP. PORTER GOSS (R), FLORIDA: To show you, however, that I do understand completely the difference in obligations the position of DCI carries with it, and that which the role of congressman carries, these are two completely distinct jobs in our form of government. I understand those distinctions and, if confirmed, I commit myself to a nonpartisan approach to the job of DCI.
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KAGAN: Well, what kind of spy boss would Porter Goss make in this age of terrorism? Let's ask Jim Walsh. He is at the Belfer Center at Harvard University.
Jim, always good to have you with here with us.
JIM WALSH, BELFER CENTER, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Good morning, Daryn.
KAGAN: Good morning to you. First of all, for Porter Goss, this is actually an example of an old spy done good being nominated for this job.
WALSH: That's right. And that's arguably one of his strengths, is he is someone who has been an agent in the CIA in his past, and brings that knowledge to him to the job. And it's argued that, at a time when the CIA is in battle, when it has been criticized for problem after problem after problem, maybe someone like him, who is from the agency, will be able to boost morale and get the agency turned around.
That's the argument in his favor. There are also arguments against him as well.
KAGAN: And we'll get to those in a second. But this is just an odd kind of time of crossroads. You can't even really say what job he's trying out for here. It is CIA director, but who knows how long that job is going to be around.
WALSH: Well, you're absolutely right, Daryn. And in fact, I think that's the most important question here.
From a policy perspective, not a political perspective, but from a policy perspective, it really doesn't make a lot of sense to appoint someone right now. Traditionally, presidents, when they're in this situation, simply let the acting director carry on until the election so that the new president, whether it's someone being re-elected or a new guy, can come in and appoint their own person.
This is a break with the past. President Bush has decided to appoint this person, even though Senator Kerry may win and then turn around and get rid of him, you know, after being on the job for only a few months. So, it's -- it's unusual and it does raise a lot of questions.
KAGAN: And let's talk about the reform here that the CIA faces. Critics, especially from within the CIA of this reform, say, you know, you're not giving us credit for all the changes that have taken place since 9/11. You keep looking at how it was before 9/11. Then you have people like the current chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Pat Roberts, who basically is really talking about completely changing the system.
WALSH: Well, I think I -- what I would say is probably the middle road, and that is to look to the 9/11 Commission. Again, the 9/11 Commission has spent more time, looked at more documents and interview interviewed more people than any other group who has looked a the problem of intelligence reform. And they've been specific about their criticisms.
Has the CIA, have the DIA and other agencies improved since 9/11? Certainly they have. We would expect that that would be the case.
The question is, have they changed fast enough? Have they adopted the difficult changes that have to be made? And I think the 9/11 Commission comes down saying, no, they haven't. And we need more fundamental change.
KAGAN: Well, and as a clue as to what kind of CIA director Porter Goss might be, as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, he seemed to be kind of conservative and like, well, let's just hold on here, let's not make drastic changes. He did not seem ready to adopt all the changes from the 9/11 Commission.
WALSH: That's right, Daryn. And in fact, there are -- if there are two knocks on Porter Goss, one would be that he -- as we saw in the clip with Senator Rockefeller -- that he was a very partisan congressman and he attacked Senator Kerry on the floor of the House. Can he be so partisan and then sort of change stripes and be a nonpartisan CIA director?
The other knock on Porter Goss here is that he was on watch. He was part of the oversight process that the 9/11 Commission so harshly criticized.
He was in charge of keeping an eye on the CIA, and if he was -- some would argue he was part of the problem, not part of the solution, so why put this guy in charge now? Those are two arguments against him, but, as I say, there are arguments in his favor as well.
KAGAN: Which we talked about at the top. Jim Walsh, thank you. Always great to hear your insight on both sides of the issue there.
WALSH: Thank you, Daryn.
KAGAN: It has been a day of death and destruction across Iraq. A car bomb and a deadly ambush proved one unfortunate fact: police in Iraq are targets for terror. The latest coming up next.
Also, the plan was to root out terrorists in Fallujah. Now some of the U.S. military are saying that plan was a massive failure.
And one of Europe's most temperamental volcanoes is blowing its top again. The incredible view coming up when CNN LIVE TODAY Returns.
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KAGAN: A huge car bomb killed at least 47 people in the heart of Baghdad today. Most were recruits lined up for jobs outside of a police station. The site of the carnage generated outrage from Iraqis. They held up body parts and cursed the Americans for a lack of security.
Just two hours later, in the Iraqi town of Baquba, gunmen opened fire on a police minibus. A dozen officers were killed in that drive- by attack. According to an Islamic Web site, a group affiliated with terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said it was behind those attacks, both in Baquba and Baghdad.
The outgoing U.S. commander for Fallujah is now criticizing decisions that have left that Iraqi town in the hands of insurgents. Here now, senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.S. decision to launch a Marine assault on Fallujah back in April, only to pull back after three days, is now seen by many as a colossal failure. Several top Pentagon officials and U.S. commanders concede it was a mistake to leave security to the Fallujah Brigade, made up of remnants of Saddam Hussein's old army.
LT. GEN. JAMES CONWAY, 1ST MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE: We said at the outset that the Fallujah Brigade was an experiment. But the experiment didn't work for a combination of reasons.
MCINTYRE: In April, the Pentagon portrayed the experiment as the best thinking of field commanders, but Lieutenant General James Conway, who just finished his tour as Marine commander, says both the attack and the abrupt halt were ordered over his objections.
CONWAY: When you order elements of a Marine division to attack a city, that you really need to understand what the consequences of that is going to be, and not perhaps vacillate in the middle of something like that. Once you commit, you've got to -- you've got to stay committed.
MCINTYRE: Instead of fighting insurgents, the Fallujah Brigade aided them, Marines say. And trucks, radios and some 800 AK-47 assault rifles provided by the U.S. appear to have ended up in the hands of the insurgents. One Marine commander called it a fiasco.
Now, with a sovereign Iraqi government in charge, the U.S. must wait until the fledgling Iraqi army and police are in a position to help retake Fallujah, something officials concede will take months. Meanwhile, Fallujah remains a haven for terrorists and anti-U.S. militants.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Our commanders are dealing with the problem. They are putting in place plans to recover all of the cities that -- in which there is a great insurgent presence in the Sunni Triangle over the next several months.
MCINTYRE: Pentagon officials say lessons learned in Fallujah were applied in Najaf, where negotiations, backed by a strong offense of by both U.S. and Iraqi forces, produced an agreement to regain control from Muqtada al-Sadr's militia.
(on camera): Pentagon officials say a showdown in Fallujah probably won't come until after early November. Those officials are adamant it's because the Iraqi military needs more time to build confidence before tackling the challenge of Fallujah, and not because of any effort to hold down casualties before the U.S. presidential election.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
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KAGAN: All right. I think I'm hearing -- yes, OK, we'll go live to Alabama, listening in to the governor about possible evacuations. GOV. BOB RILEY (R), ALABAMA: ... need to be doing. Is there anything else anyone can be doing today?
The only way that I know to do that is to get you together. And I didn't come down here to make a speech or wish you well. I came down here today just to find out if we can do anything else. And with that, Bruce may want to have a few words. And then we'll just open it up and start talking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of the issues you're confronted with, we've been working with Leanne (ph) all summer with, as a matter of fact. It's interesting, some time ago we ran an exercise, and the scenario that we're confronted with is exactly what we were looking at.
So, a lot of the issues, those who were at the exercise probably in July, was it, June? Same issues we were looking at then.
Some of the things that we're doing, though, is working real closely with the federal government to mobilize lots of material that can be brought in to assist. Debris removal, again, we met with the county on that. We stand by to help with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to remove debris.
We've got search and rescue teams on standby, we've got, emergency medical teams on standby, water, ice. Those things that you've seen flown into Florida we've got on standby here.
The one area that is critically short is emergency generators. Florida has pulled in a bunch of emergency generators, but we're scrambling to get those in place. We've located probably 100 generators we can bring in to assist the county. Evacuation, we're going to be meeting separately on the evacuation issues, talking about what we can do to help speed that up.
So, those are some of the things we've worked on today. We've got FEMA coming in this afternoon. We'll be in my office. So, we'll be working with our federal counterparts to get you what you need to make things happen.
Thank you.
RILEY: Thank you.
Again, let -- this is probably as much for the other residents here, more than the people in this room. You know, one of the things that Alabamans are famous for, I mean, as part of our Alabaman legacy, we always take care of our neighbor. And what I want to encourage everyone out there today that -- and the general population, you know, talk to your neighbor.
If you know an elderly person, go by and check on them. If you need some help for a special needs individual out there, call this office and let us know about it. Because this is something that we all have to work together on. And we can't do it with the people in this room. We can't do it at the state level. We can't do it at the federal level. But if we can get all the citizens to really start talking about taking care of each other, taking care of their neighbor, taking care of the elderly, helping them, helping them when they can't help themselves today, it's going to take that type of effort for us to get through to them.
KAGAN: We've been listening in to Alabama Governor Bob Riley. They are getting ready for Hurricane Ivan.
There is a hurricane watch that has been posted all along the Gulf shore there from Morgan City, Louisiana, through to Saint Marks, Florida. Talking about they're going to figure out what they want to do for evacuations for Alabama.
I had a chance earlier to talk with the mayor of New Orleans. And we also expect to hear from the governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco, just ahead. She's expected to hold a news conference as well.
So, we are tracking Ivan. We've got Jacqui Jeras in our weather center. And we are bringing you the latest.
We're going to take a break. A lot more information on Ivan. A lot more news just ahead.
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KAGAN: Hundreds of long-legged models and lots of wandering eyes. The catwalks and some cat calls continue in New York today. Fashion Week rolling on. Alina Cho watching the show. She has been talking to one of the most famous designers in the industry.
Good morning, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.
Yes, we are backstage at the Michael Kors show, where the designers showed both men's wear and women's wear on the catwalk, as he always does. Joining us now is the designer himself, Michael Kors.
Thank you for joining us.
MICHAEL KORS, FASHION DESIGNER: Good to be here.
CHO: You said you were inspired this season by Greek chic, Jude Law, Sienna Miller. Talk about that.
KORS: You know, I mean, to me, first off, the Olympics, you know, I was glued like everyone else. And I -- and I -- you see all these fabulous paparazzi pictures of great-looking couples, like Hugh Grant and his girlfriend, Jemima Khan, or Sienna Miller and Jude Law. And they're always on a boat, they're always on vacation.
We all kind of grew up and with Jackie O. and Ari on the boat. And I kind of love that, you know, when you think about a Greek island trip, it's glamorous, but it's sporty at the same time. CHO: Relaxed.
KORS: Yes, it's relaxed. It's not -- it's not unapproachable glamour. So, I think it has relevance, you know, even in real life.
CHO: Lots of color. Turquoise, chartreuse, the straw hats and the sunglasses, those were great touches.
KORS: Well, you know, I think, again, you know, you get out of the winter, and everyone wants to put on something bright, cheerful. And I think fashion should be a tonic, a mood lifter. So, the color and all that white and all I think is so important.
CHO: Let's talk a little bit about your second line, because not everyone can afford the Michael Kors line. But you just launched another line for a younger set, Michael.
KORS: Well, you know, it's not even necessarily for a younger set. You know, we have customers who are 17 and 75.
My Michael line, which we just launched now in the stores, it's for men and women, plus accessories, and it gives you all of the fingerprints and all the feeling of Michael Kors, but for like an eighth the price. So, you know, that jacket you've been coveting and waiting for it to go on sale 20 times over, well now you can get a piece of Michael Kors.
And I think that that's so great, because a lot of people have wonderful taste. They just don't have the pocketbook to match.
CHO: We saw Lil' Kim and Jessica Simpson in the front row today. Jessica Simpson has been a big -- big client of yours.
KORS: She's a huge fan of ours. We just opened our store in Beverly Hills, and Jessica was our first customer in the store.
She was shopping while the construction workers were still there, which I think kind of took their attention away. But she's a great supporter. And Lil' Kim is just fun and really stylish. It's just great to see her.
CHO: All right. Michael Kors, thank you so much for joining us.
KORS: Thank you.
CHO: All right. This is the second to the last day of Fashion Week, Daryn. So, this assignment, sadly, is almost over for me.
KAGAN: Oh, no. You get one more day, though?
CHO: One more day, maybe.
KAGAN: Whose show can we get you into tomorrow?
CHO: You know what? I think Ralph Lauren is the big finale tomorrow. KAGAN: Oh, OK.
CHO: So, maybe if I'm lucky.
KAGAN: All right. Ralph, put out the invitation to our Alina. We want to see your stuff.
CHO: Right,.
KAGAN: Thank you, Alina.
Politics ahead. President Bush going back to the National Guard for a campaign stop just as John Kerry is hammering away today at healthcare. The morning's most complete political wrap-up is up next.
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