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CNN Live Today

Presidential Running Mates Prepare for Debate; Libya Negotiates for Release of British Hostage; Former Iraqi Administrator Admits Having Too Few Troops

Aired October 05, 2004 - 10:00   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: Hey, good morning. We're at CNN headquarters -- world headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at the stories that are in the news right now.
Vice President Dick Cheney and Democratic challenger John Edwards have traded barbs for months. Tonight they'll deliver them face-to- face in their first and only debate. The polls showing the presidential race in a virtual tie, tonight's showdown suggests greater stakes than usual. George W. Bush and John Kerry hold their second debate on Friday.

In Iraq a Libyan charity is now working toward the release of British hostage Kenneth Bigley. The group tells CNN that Bigley's brother spoke with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who then requested that all efforts be made to save his life. Bigley has been held for three weeks. Terrorists beheaded the two American co-workers who were seized with him.

In the Iraqi city of Najaf, U.S. Marines today handed out more than $200,000 in payments to Iraqis who suffered losses in the August fighting. The payments are made for those who are wounded or lost, a family member in the battles between U.S.-backed forces and militia fighters. People who have property damage also were eligible.

Live this hour on Capitol Hill, the House Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on what's being called Arnold's Law. This would require a constitutional change that would allow naturalized Americans, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger to be eligible for the presidency. The Austrian native and current California governor became a U.S. citizen in 1983.

Also live this hour, Senator John Kerry will hold a town hall- style meeting with voters in Tipton, Iowa. Kerry plans to talk about issues that concern middle-class Americans. Kerry comes to Iowa one day after President Bush visited the state.

The spotlight today though, is not on the president and the senator; it will be on their running mates. Taking the stage for a debate in Cleveland. Our Joe Johns and Dana Bash are right there in Cleveland, Ohio.

Dana, ladies first. Good morning.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. And you know there has been a lot of talk about whether or not the vice president can tonight regain some of the momentum that some polls show his team lost, after the president's performance in his debate last week. Well, the Cheney camp insists that this was always going to be a very important debate tonight, because in a post-9/11 world the role of the vice president is key. So expect the vice president tonight to either explicitly or implicitly make the case that the Bush/Cheney ticket will make Americans more safe than the Kerry/Edwards ticket.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (voice-over): It is this day, these September 11 images, the vice president hopes to remind voters of in tonight's debate. He was the one directing response in the president's absence. And he's the one you'd want if needed next time. Not a one-term senator.

KEN DUBERSTEIN, FMR. REAGAN CHIEF OF STAFF: The first measure of a vice president, is he ready to step in and be president today? Not tomorrow. Not next year, but today. I think Dick Cheney is going to demonstrate that yet again. And I think John Edwards has a big uphill climb.

BASH: Cheney aides say his debate strategy mirrors what he does on the stump. Defend and promote the president's policies, attack his opponents, as liberal on taxes and weak on national defense.

DICK CHENEY (R), UNITED STATES VICE PRESIDENT: When it comes to diplomacy, it looks to me like John Kerry should stick to wind surfing.

(LAUGHTER)

BASH: But Mr. Cheney's unparalleled influence is a target for Democrats. They say he embodies a highly secretive White House. And aides are bracing to hear one name a lot; Halliburton and the accusation the vice president helped his old firm get lucrative Iraq contracts. But Cheney officials insist he didn't overly prepare a defense, calling it unnecessary.

While aides say 40 years of government experience is his greatest asset, they try to manage expectations, by calling Mr. Cheney's liability John Edwards' debating skills.

DUBERSTEIN: He isn't somebody who's going to hit the oratory of a trial lawyer. He isn't somebody who is going to be the charismatic, dynamic figure.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Now, as you just heard, Cheney confidants say that John Edwards was picked for his verbal skills, especially for tonight's debate. And even one adviser calls him the man with the golden tongue. But they do at the Cheney camp play down whether or not there's a heightened significance to tonight's debate. But Daryn, they also are hoping privately that perhaps Dick Cheney's appeal with the GOP pace can make sure rank and file Republicans are energized, even if they might have been disappointed after last week -- Daryn. KAGAN: This whole debate season is always so fascinating, because it's the only time you hear candidates and their people try to talk badly about themselves instead of try to pump themselves up.

(LAUGHTER)

BASH: The expectations game.

KAGAN: I'm telling you. Let's see what the expectations are from the Edwards camp. Dana, thank you for that.

For the Edwards' camp, let's bring in our Joe Johns, providing a sharp contrast on John Edwards to Dick Cheney.

Good morning, Joe.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Edwards is scheduled to have a rally in the Cleveland area around 11:15, just about an hour and 15 minutes from now. His aides clearly are trying to downplay expectations for this debate. They say, No. 1, he has never before had a televised debate one-on-one with any other person he was competing against in a political situation. They also say the format really does not favor him. On balance, however, of course, he is a seasoned trial lawyer, and participated in numerous debates in the primaries.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHEERING)

JOHNS (voice-over): Senator Edwards arrived Monday evening with aides, hoping he was prepped and ready to rock the debate in Cleveland. He spent the weekend cloistered at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York, making only one brief appearance at a roadside country store.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are the preparations going?

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's going fine. Working hard.

JOHNS: Away from the cameras, the Edwards' campaign set up a room that they said looks a lot like the debate site, complete with cameras, with Washington lawyer Bob Barnett playing Vice President Dick Cheney. A role he took on in debate preparations in 2000.

EDWARDS: Polls go up and down. But I feel very good about John Kerry's performance Thursday night.

JOHNS: Edwards' chief goals for the debate, not to lose the momentum John Kerry appears to have picked up in the first presidential debate, to paint Kerry as steadfast and his opponents as favoring the rich over regular Americans. Aides expect him to be attacked for his slim government resume. But they say the work he did as a trial lawyer is just as valuable. And that Cheney's experience is susceptible to criticism. TAD DEVINE, SR. ADVISER, KERRY CAMPAIGN: Dick Cheney's experience, and certainly his judgment in respect to the advice he's given the president, has not been the best experience for America.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: Vice presidential debates are often considered sideshows. But considering the polls right now, this one can qualify as a main event.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: And you are there to cover it. Joe Johns, thank you for that. And thank you to Dana Bash.

What about the numbers? John Edwards appears to provide a sharp contrast to that. What about the numbers that Americans are looking at? Most are not ready to name Edwards as the debate champ just yet. The CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll questioned registered and likely voters about who would do better tonight. There was a statistical dead heat with a 15 percent of respondents saying, you know what? They are just not sure.

To news from Iraq. The man who headed the U.S. Provisional Government in Iraq may have some defense officials grumbling today. In a speech to insurance industry executives, Paul Bremer says there were not enough U.S. troops in Iraq after Saddam Hussein was toppled. Bremer says there was a horrid looting situation and a very unstable situation afterwards. And that established what Bremer called an "atmosphere of lawlessness." But Bremer says there are enough troops on the ground now. And he's more convinced than ever that removing Saddam was the right thing to do. We'll have a live report from the Pentagon coming up with our Barbara Starr in the next hour.

Rooting out pockets of insurgents continues in the Iraqi city of Samarra. But with a major U.S. Iraqi offensive over, residents are venturing outside their homes and venting their anger.

Our Jane Arraf has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Three days into the campaign to retake Samarra, major fighting is over. But the battle against insurgents continues. This has been a test for Iraq's fledgling security forces, the biggest joint-U.S./Iraqi operation since the war. In some operations, Iraqi forces are taking the lead for the first time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will follow you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will follow you.

ARRAF: This was a new Iraqi SWAT team, backed up by the U.S. Army's 1-Infantry Division.

(on camera): This special force, the first battalion of police commandos, was trained to conduct raids and to pave the way for other security forces. It was put together just six weeks ago.

(voice-over): In this house, the target was a Muslim cleric. The head of a renegade Shariya court based on Islamic law, and the suspected financial backer of the insurgency. Commandos found no one home. But they seized damping rods for explosives, and literature they say incited violence.

In three other places though, they had the wrong house. A local businessman they handcuffed was furious. "These Iraqi forces are worse than American forces," he shouted.

Later in the day, the regional governor braved the streets and the anger of people incensed over the siege of Samarra and still terrified. This man said he buried two of his family in his backyard, and asked for an escort to the cemetery. Others complained about neglect and lack of water and electricity. "We won't see you for another month, this man tells the governor."

"Tell me what you need," the Governor Hamad Hamoud asked.

"A bit of electricity, we haven't had any electricity in three days," he says.

Although there's no daytime curfew, with an estimated 50 civilians killed in fighting last week, commerce has stopped. And people say they're too afraid of American forces to venture into the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The problem is about the food and the movement of people and vehicles. Cars and vehicles.

ARRAF: The U.S. military says the solution is to restore the local government and help theme revive Samarra.

COL. RANDY DRAGON, 1-INFANTRY DIVISION: And our intent is to reconstruct the city. That's what we're here to do, to assist the government to do that.

ARRAF: As a start, the governor has brought in electrical workers from Tikrit to repair the power lines. People here, who have suffered for months without functioning security forces, or local government, say apart from water and electricity, the main thing that will have to be restored is trust.

Jane Arraf, CNN, Samarra.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We're going to check in on Afghanistan, which is preparing for elections. And one woman is trying to make history. Our Christiane Amanpour brings us that story from Kabul, Afghanistan.

Also ahead, Mount St. Helens belches more steam and ash. Experts warn a bigger eruption could be on the way.

Later, master of the game Phil Gordon talks about "Poker," his new book and body language you might watch for in the debates.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Nearly three years after U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban regime, voters will take part in that country's first presidential election. And maybe more remarkably, Saturday's ballot includes someone who was a second-class citizen in that society, a woman.

Our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour has a report from Kabul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CHIEF INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Down a dark corridor to a small election office filled with volunteers, Massouda Jalal is making history as the first ever-Afghan woman to run for president.

DR. MASSOUDA JALAL, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, AFGHANISTAN: Three years back I couldn't even dream about being a presidential candidate.

AMANPOUR: With less than a week to the election, this 41-year- old mother of three begs for more TV time, organizes grassroots support, strategies with her running mate.

JALAL: No fundamental change has been taken place. It's still women with not participating equally in political, social, economic and cultural life of the country. It's still women are not equally participating in the decision-making power. It's still Afghan women are not participating equally in the leadership of the country.

AMANPOUR: So while she's a long shot to win, her candidacy is all about change.

(on camera): Here in the capital Kabul, girls are being educated, and women can find work. But in the vast majority of Afghanistan, in the countryside, women still can't even leave their homes without permission from their fathers or their brothers. Still, a source of hope, according to the U.N., is that 41 percent of the voters they've registered are, in fact, women. (voice-over): On this busy market street, women are excited about voting, and about Massouda.

"She's capable and deserves to be a candidate," says this shopper.

But in this bakery, run by war widows, they shriek at the very thought.

"At no time could a woman become the leader of our country. Never," says Roya. But these war widows say they'll vote for anyone, except those candidates close to the warlords who kept this country fighting for 25 years. Woman or man, voters say the winner of these elections will, above all, be the one they believe can keep the peace.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Kabul, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Whipped up wind. Might seem a bit like a dust storm. Look at those pictures. It is not. What is it? We will explain just ahead.

And experts give an ominous warning about Mount St. Helens. A live report with our Ted Rowlands just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Scientists say that the latest eruption from Mount St. Helens suggest a much bigger explosion could be coming soon. Ted Rowlands is watching the Washington volcano.

Ted, good morning.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. This morning, geologists tell us that the bulge on the lava surface -- the lava dome surface inside the volcano continues to grow. It's in excess of 150 feet now, which they say is a clear indication that an eruption could be imminent.

This morning, Mount St. Helens is quiet. We have had one small steam emission this morning. But otherwise it is very quiet and very pristine out there in the distance. We're about 10 miles away from it as the sun comes up here in Washington.

Yesterday it was a different story. There were two separate steam releases. One in excess of 40 minutes, which sent steam and some, it's believed, ash into the air. The ash, however, was not considered a hazard by any stretch of the imagination. Geologists downplayed the significance of the steam release. It was a fantastic thing to witness here. And hundreds of people have been up here since the Level 3 was enacted here to get a look at Mother Nature in action.

Geologists say that the steam release was caused by hot magma coming in contact with water inside the volcano. And it is another indication that the magma is on the move, and is present. And they do believe that eventually it will make its way to the surface, and cause a volcanic eruption of a much greater magnitude than we have seen thus far. They do say, when the eruption occurs, it will be a lesser eruption, if you will, than the 1980 devastating eruption, which killed 57 people and basically cleared out this entire valley.

But we wait, and we will see what happens. They say it could happen in the next two minutes, next two weeks or there's a small chance that it may not happen at all -- Daryn. KAGAN: Hmm. I hope you packed a lot of clean shirts, then, because we're going to leave you...

ROWLAND: Well, you know, there is a Laundromat.

KAGAN: There you go. What about other folks besides journalists who have shown up to watch this? What about the safety issue for them?

ROWLAND: Well, we've been pushed back. We're about nine miles away from the mountain, it appears as though it's a little bit closer just because of the size of it. The public has been pulled away in the same radius here. The closest you can get is about eight miles. and geologists are very confident that everybody is a safe distance away, given the magnitude of an eruption that they are predicting at this point. So we feel safe and they feel very safe. In fact saying that they pushed us back a little bit farther than probably we need to be.

KAGAN: Very good. Ted Rowlands at Mount St. Helens. Thank you for that.

ROWLAND: OK.

KAGAN: You can logon to cnn.com/science for images of Mount St. Helens' 1980 eruption. There's also an interactive guide to volcanoes and information on the Pacific Rim of Fire.

OK. Now the pictures we showed you before the break. Look at this. Might look like a dust storm. Actually a funnel cloud. A line of thunderstorms produced nearly a dozen tornadoes within 40 minutes of the Denver area. A mobile home was destroyed, a barn damaged. No injuries were reported. One tornado touched down near Denver's airport causing changes in landing patterns and short delays.

Well, there are people out there with some good poker faces and fascinated with the game. Maybe you want to improve your poker game. Stay with us. The master of the game Phil Gordon joins me with some insider tips.

Also, the vice presidential candidates ready their game for tonight's debate. That is straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired October 5, 2004 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, good morning. We're at CNN headquarters -- world headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at the stories that are in the news right now.
Vice President Dick Cheney and Democratic challenger John Edwards have traded barbs for months. Tonight they'll deliver them face-to- face in their first and only debate. The polls showing the presidential race in a virtual tie, tonight's showdown suggests greater stakes than usual. George W. Bush and John Kerry hold their second debate on Friday.

In Iraq a Libyan charity is now working toward the release of British hostage Kenneth Bigley. The group tells CNN that Bigley's brother spoke with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who then requested that all efforts be made to save his life. Bigley has been held for three weeks. Terrorists beheaded the two American co-workers who were seized with him.

In the Iraqi city of Najaf, U.S. Marines today handed out more than $200,000 in payments to Iraqis who suffered losses in the August fighting. The payments are made for those who are wounded or lost, a family member in the battles between U.S.-backed forces and militia fighters. People who have property damage also were eligible.

Live this hour on Capitol Hill, the House Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on what's being called Arnold's Law. This would require a constitutional change that would allow naturalized Americans, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger to be eligible for the presidency. The Austrian native and current California governor became a U.S. citizen in 1983.

Also live this hour, Senator John Kerry will hold a town hall- style meeting with voters in Tipton, Iowa. Kerry plans to talk about issues that concern middle-class Americans. Kerry comes to Iowa one day after President Bush visited the state.

The spotlight today though, is not on the president and the senator; it will be on their running mates. Taking the stage for a debate in Cleveland. Our Joe Johns and Dana Bash are right there in Cleveland, Ohio.

Dana, ladies first. Good morning.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. And you know there has been a lot of talk about whether or not the vice president can tonight regain some of the momentum that some polls show his team lost, after the president's performance in his debate last week. Well, the Cheney camp insists that this was always going to be a very important debate tonight, because in a post-9/11 world the role of the vice president is key. So expect the vice president tonight to either explicitly or implicitly make the case that the Bush/Cheney ticket will make Americans more safe than the Kerry/Edwards ticket.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (voice-over): It is this day, these September 11 images, the vice president hopes to remind voters of in tonight's debate. He was the one directing response in the president's absence. And he's the one you'd want if needed next time. Not a one-term senator.

KEN DUBERSTEIN, FMR. REAGAN CHIEF OF STAFF: The first measure of a vice president, is he ready to step in and be president today? Not tomorrow. Not next year, but today. I think Dick Cheney is going to demonstrate that yet again. And I think John Edwards has a big uphill climb.

BASH: Cheney aides say his debate strategy mirrors what he does on the stump. Defend and promote the president's policies, attack his opponents, as liberal on taxes and weak on national defense.

DICK CHENEY (R), UNITED STATES VICE PRESIDENT: When it comes to diplomacy, it looks to me like John Kerry should stick to wind surfing.

(LAUGHTER)

BASH: But Mr. Cheney's unparalleled influence is a target for Democrats. They say he embodies a highly secretive White House. And aides are bracing to hear one name a lot; Halliburton and the accusation the vice president helped his old firm get lucrative Iraq contracts. But Cheney officials insist he didn't overly prepare a defense, calling it unnecessary.

While aides say 40 years of government experience is his greatest asset, they try to manage expectations, by calling Mr. Cheney's liability John Edwards' debating skills.

DUBERSTEIN: He isn't somebody who's going to hit the oratory of a trial lawyer. He isn't somebody who is going to be the charismatic, dynamic figure.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Now, as you just heard, Cheney confidants say that John Edwards was picked for his verbal skills, especially for tonight's debate. And even one adviser calls him the man with the golden tongue. But they do at the Cheney camp play down whether or not there's a heightened significance to tonight's debate. But Daryn, they also are hoping privately that perhaps Dick Cheney's appeal with the GOP pace can make sure rank and file Republicans are energized, even if they might have been disappointed after last week -- Daryn. KAGAN: This whole debate season is always so fascinating, because it's the only time you hear candidates and their people try to talk badly about themselves instead of try to pump themselves up.

(LAUGHTER)

BASH: The expectations game.

KAGAN: I'm telling you. Let's see what the expectations are from the Edwards camp. Dana, thank you for that.

For the Edwards' camp, let's bring in our Joe Johns, providing a sharp contrast on John Edwards to Dick Cheney.

Good morning, Joe.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Edwards is scheduled to have a rally in the Cleveland area around 11:15, just about an hour and 15 minutes from now. His aides clearly are trying to downplay expectations for this debate. They say, No. 1, he has never before had a televised debate one-on-one with any other person he was competing against in a political situation. They also say the format really does not favor him. On balance, however, of course, he is a seasoned trial lawyer, and participated in numerous debates in the primaries.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHEERING)

JOHNS (voice-over): Senator Edwards arrived Monday evening with aides, hoping he was prepped and ready to rock the debate in Cleveland. He spent the weekend cloistered at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York, making only one brief appearance at a roadside country store.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are the preparations going?

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's going fine. Working hard.

JOHNS: Away from the cameras, the Edwards' campaign set up a room that they said looks a lot like the debate site, complete with cameras, with Washington lawyer Bob Barnett playing Vice President Dick Cheney. A role he took on in debate preparations in 2000.

EDWARDS: Polls go up and down. But I feel very good about John Kerry's performance Thursday night.

JOHNS: Edwards' chief goals for the debate, not to lose the momentum John Kerry appears to have picked up in the first presidential debate, to paint Kerry as steadfast and his opponents as favoring the rich over regular Americans. Aides expect him to be attacked for his slim government resume. But they say the work he did as a trial lawyer is just as valuable. And that Cheney's experience is susceptible to criticism. TAD DEVINE, SR. ADVISER, KERRY CAMPAIGN: Dick Cheney's experience, and certainly his judgment in respect to the advice he's given the president, has not been the best experience for America.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: Vice presidential debates are often considered sideshows. But considering the polls right now, this one can qualify as a main event.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: And you are there to cover it. Joe Johns, thank you for that. And thank you to Dana Bash.

What about the numbers? John Edwards appears to provide a sharp contrast to that. What about the numbers that Americans are looking at? Most are not ready to name Edwards as the debate champ just yet. The CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll questioned registered and likely voters about who would do better tonight. There was a statistical dead heat with a 15 percent of respondents saying, you know what? They are just not sure.

To news from Iraq. The man who headed the U.S. Provisional Government in Iraq may have some defense officials grumbling today. In a speech to insurance industry executives, Paul Bremer says there were not enough U.S. troops in Iraq after Saddam Hussein was toppled. Bremer says there was a horrid looting situation and a very unstable situation afterwards. And that established what Bremer called an "atmosphere of lawlessness." But Bremer says there are enough troops on the ground now. And he's more convinced than ever that removing Saddam was the right thing to do. We'll have a live report from the Pentagon coming up with our Barbara Starr in the next hour.

Rooting out pockets of insurgents continues in the Iraqi city of Samarra. But with a major U.S. Iraqi offensive over, residents are venturing outside their homes and venting their anger.

Our Jane Arraf has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Three days into the campaign to retake Samarra, major fighting is over. But the battle against insurgents continues. This has been a test for Iraq's fledgling security forces, the biggest joint-U.S./Iraqi operation since the war. In some operations, Iraqi forces are taking the lead for the first time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will follow you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will follow you.

ARRAF: This was a new Iraqi SWAT team, backed up by the U.S. Army's 1-Infantry Division.

(on camera): This special force, the first battalion of police commandos, was trained to conduct raids and to pave the way for other security forces. It was put together just six weeks ago.

(voice-over): In this house, the target was a Muslim cleric. The head of a renegade Shariya court based on Islamic law, and the suspected financial backer of the insurgency. Commandos found no one home. But they seized damping rods for explosives, and literature they say incited violence.

In three other places though, they had the wrong house. A local businessman they handcuffed was furious. "These Iraqi forces are worse than American forces," he shouted.

Later in the day, the regional governor braved the streets and the anger of people incensed over the siege of Samarra and still terrified. This man said he buried two of his family in his backyard, and asked for an escort to the cemetery. Others complained about neglect and lack of water and electricity. "We won't see you for another month, this man tells the governor."

"Tell me what you need," the Governor Hamad Hamoud asked.

"A bit of electricity, we haven't had any electricity in three days," he says.

Although there's no daytime curfew, with an estimated 50 civilians killed in fighting last week, commerce has stopped. And people say they're too afraid of American forces to venture into the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The problem is about the food and the movement of people and vehicles. Cars and vehicles.

ARRAF: The U.S. military says the solution is to restore the local government and help theme revive Samarra.

COL. RANDY DRAGON, 1-INFANTRY DIVISION: And our intent is to reconstruct the city. That's what we're here to do, to assist the government to do that.

ARRAF: As a start, the governor has brought in electrical workers from Tikrit to repair the power lines. People here, who have suffered for months without functioning security forces, or local government, say apart from water and electricity, the main thing that will have to be restored is trust.

Jane Arraf, CNN, Samarra.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We're going to check in on Afghanistan, which is preparing for elections. And one woman is trying to make history. Our Christiane Amanpour brings us that story from Kabul, Afghanistan.

Also ahead, Mount St. Helens belches more steam and ash. Experts warn a bigger eruption could be on the way.

Later, master of the game Phil Gordon talks about "Poker," his new book and body language you might watch for in the debates.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Nearly three years after U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban regime, voters will take part in that country's first presidential election. And maybe more remarkably, Saturday's ballot includes someone who was a second-class citizen in that society, a woman.

Our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour has a report from Kabul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CHIEF INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Down a dark corridor to a small election office filled with volunteers, Massouda Jalal is making history as the first ever-Afghan woman to run for president.

DR. MASSOUDA JALAL, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, AFGHANISTAN: Three years back I couldn't even dream about being a presidential candidate.

AMANPOUR: With less than a week to the election, this 41-year- old mother of three begs for more TV time, organizes grassroots support, strategies with her running mate.

JALAL: No fundamental change has been taken place. It's still women with not participating equally in political, social, economic and cultural life of the country. It's still women are not equally participating in the decision-making power. It's still Afghan women are not participating equally in the leadership of the country.

AMANPOUR: So while she's a long shot to win, her candidacy is all about change.

(on camera): Here in the capital Kabul, girls are being educated, and women can find work. But in the vast majority of Afghanistan, in the countryside, women still can't even leave their homes without permission from their fathers or their brothers. Still, a source of hope, according to the U.N., is that 41 percent of the voters they've registered are, in fact, women. (voice-over): On this busy market street, women are excited about voting, and about Massouda.

"She's capable and deserves to be a candidate," says this shopper.

But in this bakery, run by war widows, they shriek at the very thought.

"At no time could a woman become the leader of our country. Never," says Roya. But these war widows say they'll vote for anyone, except those candidates close to the warlords who kept this country fighting for 25 years. Woman or man, voters say the winner of these elections will, above all, be the one they believe can keep the peace.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Kabul, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Whipped up wind. Might seem a bit like a dust storm. Look at those pictures. It is not. What is it? We will explain just ahead.

And experts give an ominous warning about Mount St. Helens. A live report with our Ted Rowlands just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Scientists say that the latest eruption from Mount St. Helens suggest a much bigger explosion could be coming soon. Ted Rowlands is watching the Washington volcano.

Ted, good morning.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. This morning, geologists tell us that the bulge on the lava surface -- the lava dome surface inside the volcano continues to grow. It's in excess of 150 feet now, which they say is a clear indication that an eruption could be imminent.

This morning, Mount St. Helens is quiet. We have had one small steam emission this morning. But otherwise it is very quiet and very pristine out there in the distance. We're about 10 miles away from it as the sun comes up here in Washington.

Yesterday it was a different story. There were two separate steam releases. One in excess of 40 minutes, which sent steam and some, it's believed, ash into the air. The ash, however, was not considered a hazard by any stretch of the imagination. Geologists downplayed the significance of the steam release. It was a fantastic thing to witness here. And hundreds of people have been up here since the Level 3 was enacted here to get a look at Mother Nature in action.

Geologists say that the steam release was caused by hot magma coming in contact with water inside the volcano. And it is another indication that the magma is on the move, and is present. And they do believe that eventually it will make its way to the surface, and cause a volcanic eruption of a much greater magnitude than we have seen thus far. They do say, when the eruption occurs, it will be a lesser eruption, if you will, than the 1980 devastating eruption, which killed 57 people and basically cleared out this entire valley.

But we wait, and we will see what happens. They say it could happen in the next two minutes, next two weeks or there's a small chance that it may not happen at all -- Daryn. KAGAN: Hmm. I hope you packed a lot of clean shirts, then, because we're going to leave you...

ROWLAND: Well, you know, there is a Laundromat.

KAGAN: There you go. What about other folks besides journalists who have shown up to watch this? What about the safety issue for them?

ROWLAND: Well, we've been pushed back. We're about nine miles away from the mountain, it appears as though it's a little bit closer just because of the size of it. The public has been pulled away in the same radius here. The closest you can get is about eight miles. and geologists are very confident that everybody is a safe distance away, given the magnitude of an eruption that they are predicting at this point. So we feel safe and they feel very safe. In fact saying that they pushed us back a little bit farther than probably we need to be.

KAGAN: Very good. Ted Rowlands at Mount St. Helens. Thank you for that.

ROWLAND: OK.

KAGAN: You can logon to cnn.com/science for images of Mount St. Helens' 1980 eruption. There's also an interactive guide to volcanoes and information on the Pacific Rim of Fire.

OK. Now the pictures we showed you before the break. Look at this. Might look like a dust storm. Actually a funnel cloud. A line of thunderstorms produced nearly a dozen tornadoes within 40 minutes of the Denver area. A mobile home was destroyed, a barn damaged. No injuries were reported. One tornado touched down near Denver's airport causing changes in landing patterns and short delays.

Well, there are people out there with some good poker faces and fascinated with the game. Maybe you want to improve your poker game. Stay with us. The master of the game Phil Gordon joins me with some insider tips.

Also, the vice presidential candidates ready their game for tonight's debate. That is straight ahead.

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