Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Death of 1,000th U.S. Soldier in Iraq; Visiting One Florida Family Struggling to Live Without Electricity in Wake of Frances
Aired September 08, 2004 - 08:00 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
The number of Americans killed in Iraq more than 1,000 now, increasing again today. Will security needs keep that country from rebuilding?
And rebuilding in Florida after Frances. We follow one family through a perils of a life turned upside down.
And the 10-year ban on assault weapons set to expire next Monday. Will Congress keep the weapons off the streets?
Pressing questions on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
HEMMER: All right, good morning, everyone from a rainy New York City.
Soledad is out, resting at home. She has four now, four kids to watch after. And Heidi is moving, too, to New York, so she's out. And Kelly Wallace with us out again today.
And good to have you.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to be here.
HEMMER: Good morning.
WALLACE: Good morning to you.
Good morning, everyone.
Bill, a big story for us this half hour, the assault weapons ban. Gun control a sensitive campaign issue. We will look at what is likely to happen to the assault weapons ban. And we'll talk about it with Jim and Sarah Brady on one side and Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association on the other.
HEMMER: Also, the vice president, Dick Cheney, drawing Democratic fire for comments about John Kerry and the war on terror, and whether one would bring the other. We'll ask Kamber and May if the vice president went over the line or not. We'll debate that.
Jack is off today. Toure is back in with us. And we'll get to Toure again in a moment here.
First, though, top stories. And to the CNN Center and Daryn Kagan -- good morning, Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Bill, good morning to you.
Within the hour, President Bush will outline his proposed intelligence reforms. The president is holding a bipartisan meeting at the White House this morning on some of the recommendations from the 9/11 Commission. Topping that agenda, the creation of a post for national intelligence director.
Democratic candidate John Kerry, meanwhile, is attacking President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq. Senator Kerry will give an address this morning in Cincinnati at the same hall where President Bush outlined his case for the war in Iraq in October 2002. That speech is set to begin in about an hour and a half.
Russia says it is ready to strike against terrorist bases anywhere in the world. The warning comes as a response to the school siege in Beslan, in which more than 330 people died. Russian officials are also offering a $10 million reward for information about two Chechen rebel leaders suspected of masterminding that hostage incident.
The Pentagon is releasing newly found records concerning President Bush's service in the National Guard. According to reports, 17 pages of documents were released in response to a lawsuit by the Associated Press. The release coincided with the debut of a new television commercial sponsored by a Democratic group. The ad questions Bush's attendance in the Guard after he transferred to Alabama in the early 70s -- back to you in New York City.
HEMMER: All right, Daryn, thanks for that.
This hour, we start in Iraq. Another American soldier died today in Baghdad on patrol there. U.S. troops battling Iraqi insurgents in rebel strongholds in the Iraqi capital, as well as in Fallujah, where two days of pounding by U.S. warplanes, tanks and artillery may have left as many as 100 Iraqis dead in that town.
This latest American casualty makes the number of U.S. soldiers who have died during the war in Iraq 1,004. Seven hundred and fifty- eight of them have died in combat. Of those, 649 have died since May 1, 2003, when major combat operations were declared over.
The fierce resistance now straining the reconstruction effort now in Iraq.
Lieutenant General Carl Strock heads the Army Corps of Engineers.
He is my guest now here in New York.
And good morning to you.
LT. GEN. CARL STROCK, COMMANDER & CHIEF, ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: First, your reaction on the grim milestone, more than 1,000 dead in the effort in Iraq.
STROCK: Well, certainly, Bill, it's a tragic number. But every death is a tragedy and our hearts go out to the families of those soldiers who were lost.
HEMMER: On the reconstruction effort, apparently there is a movement, of the $18 billion assigned to help rebuild the country, there's now an effort to take $3 billion of that, based on the advice of the ambassador in Iraq, and put it into security needs.
How will that affect the reconstruction effort if, indeed, that's the case?
STROCK: There's clearly a linkage between our security efforts and the reconstruction. If we cannot establish security, it makes the reconstruction more difficult. At the same time, our success in reconstruction will go to improve the security situation. So we really see the two actions combined and we think that overall that this will have a positive impact on our efforts over there.
HEMMER: Well, you heard Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday. He said if you can't build a sewer and do it safely, then you can't build the sewer. So you have to take care of security first, right?
STROCK: Well, that's correct, although creation of the infrastructure and the improvement of the quality of life for the Iraqi people, we think, will improve the security situation by reducing the anxiety of the Iraqis.
HEMMER: If that is the case, how do the Iraqi people respond now, thinking that they're going to get a better country as a result of the after war and perhaps at this point that is pushed back to the burner?
STROCK: Well, I'm not sure it is pushed back. I think, again, the linkage between the security situation and our ability to make improvements in the infrastructure is understood by everyone. So I think at the end of the day, the wisdom of this move will be seen.
HEMMER: You're also responsible, in part, for what's happening in Afghanistan.
STROCK: Yes, we are.
HEMMER: What's going on in that country with regards to reconstruction other than this main highway that was built from Kabul down to Kandahar?
STROCK: There's a tremendous amount going on. The Corps of Engineers has principal responsibility to support the Afghan National Army, which is one of the few instruments of national power over there. And so we are working to build facilities for the army, to extend the government's influence out into the countryside.
But there's also a tremendous amount being done, principally by the U.S. Agency for International Development, in improving schools and hospitals and basic quality of life facilities (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
HEMMER: Do you see elections happening there in early October still?
STROCK: Well, certainly I don't see anything that would preclude that.
HEMMER: Nothing?
STROCK: I was recently there and the mood was optimistic that elections will continue to be scheduled.
HEMMER: Lieutenant General Carl Strock, nice to see you and good luck to you, whether it's Iraq or Afghanistan.
STROCK: Thank you very much, Bill.
HEMMER: OK. You've got it -- Kelly.
WALLACE: Thanks, Bill.
President Bush heading to Florida today to tour areas devastated by hurricane Frances. Mr. Bush is expected to sign off on $2 billion worth of federal aid, approved last night by the House of Representatives.
Gary Tuchman joins us now live from West Palm Beach -- good morning, Gary.
How are Floridians coping?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kelly, they are doing the best they can. Today, President Bush does arrive here in West Palm Beach early this afternoon. He then goes 60 miles north, to Fort Pierce, Florida, one of the hardest hit cities during this hurricane, where he will tour hurricane damage and a relief center. And he will see a lot of people, people who in most cases still are without electricity.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's get whatever is left in the freezer.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): A neighborhood get together in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Hey, I remember this taco meat.
TUCHMAN: Where neighbors who have been without electricity since the arrival of hurricane Frances try to eat their frozen food before it goes bad. During daylight hours, the lack of power is tolerable. But as night falls, it gets increasingly trying. (on camera): In all honesty, has this made everyone in the family a little more irritable than usual?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes, very irritable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I left today for a while.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): With the help of a flashlight, we talked to Cindy and Pat Rappelle (ph), proud parents of two girls, who, like countless children throughout Florida, lived through a dark and scary weekend.
(on camera): What did you think was going to happen to you and your sister and your mom and dad that night?
DAISY: We were going to die.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Ten-year-old Daisy's parents are more grateful than anything their children are OK; but now, days later, are getting a bit impatient for power.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time you go to bed, and even going and sleeping, you're sweating. And it's just continually hot.
TUCHMAN: That's why they're staying outside as long as possible, across the street, at the Markwiths (ph) house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I started to take cold showers and washing the dishes. It's, you know, sometimes impossible. You've got to boil the water and you've got to use bleach. It's -- it gets frustrating. After four or five days, it starts wearing on you.
TUCHMAN (on camera): About two million Florida households are still without power. That works out to be about four million people, about one quarter of the population of the entire state.
(voice-over): The whole Rappelle family is sleeping in the living room with the battery powered TV on to provide a night-light of sorts. Their living room gets an occasional refreshing breeze, a Florida night so much different than the one now ingrained in their memories.
(on camera): When you become a mom, what are you going to tell your kids about this hurricane?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: It was really bad.
TUCHMAN: And I bet you'll protect them as well as your parents protected you, right?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yes.
(END VIDEO TAPE) TUCHMAN: Now, about 500,000 Florida customers have got their power back, but no promises are being made to the other two million. There is still a lot of work to do, and at this point, many of those two million are being told this could take at least a week, just in time for the possible arrival -- and we emphasize possible arrival of hurricane Ivan.
Kelly -- back to you.
WALLACE: Gary, incredible what those Floridians have had to endure.
Gary Tuchman coming to us from West Palm Beach.
Thanks so much, Gary.
HEMMER: In the meantime, Frances occupying the time and attention of a lot of people in a number of states today.
And Chad has that on the map -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, we talked about Florida for the longest time. Look at this thing. Now it's all the way up to Cleveland, down to Columbia and a new tornado watch here right over Raleigh, the triad, the triangle, all the way back up here, even into southern Virginia. You are not out of the woods yet.
Not only that, but look at the rainfall totals from Frances now. Highlands, a lot of folks live up there or retirees move up there for the summertime. If you're a snow bird, 10.40 inches of rain there. Even Macon, Georgia at five inches and Gatlinburg at over four.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: A former CNN reporter now royalty. Yesterday, Rym Brahimi married Prince Ali of Jordan. He's the half brother of Jordan's King Abdullah II. The couple married in a private ceremony outside of Amman. Instead of a wedding party, the prince and princess will donate food to needy families in the kingdom. Brahimi resigned as CNN's Middle East reporter back in April when she announced her engagement.
Go Rym!
WALLACE: Go girl, Rym!
HEMMER: It's Princess Rym.
WALLACE: Princess Rym it is.
HEMMER: Yes.
WALLACE: Well, now some CNNers, we won't mention names, are there. We've told them to bring back many pictures after the royal wedding.
HEMMER: Right. We'll get some decent gossip out of that, do you think?
WALLACE: Should be, yes.
HEMMER: As long as we can get it.
WALLACE: Absolutely. We'll try. We'll try.
Well, still to come here on AMERICAN MORNING, former President Bill Clinton was lucky. He saw the warning signs of heart trouble before it was too late. What should you be looking for? We're "Paging Dr. Gupta."
HEMMER: Also in a moment, the Scott Peterson trial. Prosecutors may have run into a problem with a pair of pliers. We'll have a look at that today.
WALLACE: And a 10-year ban on some kinds of semi-automatic weapons is set to expire next week. Already, both sides of the debate speaking out strongly. We'll hear from Jim and Sarah Brady, as well as the NRA's Wayne LaPierre. That's just ahead right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: Only an act of Congress will prevent a 10-year-old federal ban on assault weapons from expiring Monday. President Bush supports the landmark gun control law, but the current Congress appears unlikely to renew it.
We're going to hear both sides of this politically charged debate.
First, from Jim and Sarah Brady. They have established the Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence after Jim Brady was shot during a 1991 assassination attempt on President Reagan.
The Bradys are in Washington.
Good morning, Sarah and Jim Brady.
Thanks for being with us.
SARAH BRADY: Good morning, Kelly.
JIM BRADY, FORMER REAGAN PRESS SECRETARY: Good morning, Kelly.
WALLACE: Sarah, let me begin with you.
This is going to be a big battle for you and for Jim Brady.
Are you confident you are going to win?
S. BRADY: Well, we're going to work to win. The problem, we've got the votes, I think. I'm pretty sure we do, although it's an uphill battle. The problem is the president said he is going to sign this piece of legislation, but he's done nothing to make sure it's brought up. And the House leadership is not willing to bring it up right now.
WALLACE: Jim...
S. BRADY: So the...
WALLACE: Go ahead, Sarah.
S. BRADY: The onus today falls on President Bush. He must call for this piece of legislation to be renewed.
WALLACE: Jim Brady, have you reached out to the president or to any members of the administration? And are you getting any assurances that the White House will, in fact, try and push this legislation over the next week?
J. BRADY: No.
WALLACE: No? No you have not reached out to President Bush?
S. BRADY: Oh, you've reached out.
J. BRADY: We've reached out.
WALLACE: But you don't have any assurances that the White House will step in in any way?
J. BRADY: We do not.
WALLACE: Some people might be surprised, Jim Brady, to hear that, of course, during the 1991 assassination attempt we know you were injured, and after that attempted assassination on President Reagan's life, he became a strong supporter of gun control.
Is that in any way something you are using and that's going to help you trying to convince law makers to deal with this issue now?
J. BRADY: Well, I think the facts speak for themselves. He was one of our -- I'm prejudiced, but I'd say he's perhaps our most popular president and...
WALLACE: Sarah, let me bring you in here, because you know what the National Rifle Association and other opponents will say. They'll say there's no evidence this assault weapons ban is actually reducing crime. And they say the way to deal with issues such as crime and law enforcement is to enforce the laws, the existing laws on the books.
S. BRADY: Well, this is an existing law on the books and it has been effective. It has reduced crimes with this type of weapons by 66 percent. And the very fact is, is that law enforcement needs this. We, especially in this time of homeland security, when terrorism is rampant, do we want to put AK-47s, Uzis and banana clips that'll hold up to 100 rounds of ammunition back on our streets? Do we want to arm our kids with Uzis and AK-47s? I think not.
Our country has never needed to be more secure than we are today. And to make these weapons available at gun shows, for kids and terrorists, is just insanity.
WALLACE: Sarah, you know the House majority whip, Roy Blount, saying the Senate has said it's not going to take it up, so then the House won't take it up, because if the Senate won't act, the House won't act. So it does not look like this measure will be dealt with this week.
S. BRADY: Well, that's why it's up to President Bush. And law enforcement has come to town to try and meet with him, to explain to him the importance, which I'm sure he already knows, of this legislation, and to get him to act. The onus is on him.
If he wants this passed, he'll see to it that the leadership brings it up. It has passed the Senate in the past, in March. We're confident it'll pass the Senate again.
WALLACE: OK...
S. BRADY: The onus is on Bush, as I said, right now.
WALLACE: Sarah and Jim Brady, we have to leave it there.
Thanks so much for joining us from Washington, D.C.
We appreciate it.
J. BRADY: Thank you, Kelly.
S. BRADY: Thank you.
WALLACE: Let's now get the other side in this debate.
We turn now to Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association.
And he is with us also from Washington.
Mr. LaPierre, thanks for joining us.
WAYNE LAPIERRE, NRA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT: Good to be with you, Kelly.
WALLACE: Well, you know the Bradys. They very much believe this assault weapons ban is leading to a reduction in crime. Gun control advocates cite Justice Department figures. They say the proportion of banned assault weapons traced to crimes dropped by 65.8 percent since 1995. They say the factors speak for themselves.
LAPIERRE: Well, they don't. I mean people that have looked at those figures, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, say that trace data cannot be used to arrive at that conclusion. Furthermore, there are studies by the National Institute of Justice, the Congressional Research Service, the Urban Institute, that show that these guns were very rarely used in crime, a very small percentage, and there's simply no evidence that the ban in '94 had anything to do with the drop in crime. What affected that was prosecutions of gun criminals are up by 68 percent. Prison building took place, mandatory sentences, all the types of crime programs the NRA backed. And that's what cut the crime rate, not this '94 cosmetic ban.
WALLACE: But you also heard, Mr. LaPierre, the Bradys talking about homeland security. The world is so much different post- September 11 and they say this ban will help in the fight against terrorism, protecting the homeland.
What do you say to that?
LAPIERRE: I don't buy it, Kelly. I mean the fact is the day after 9/11, when box cutters were used, the people that want to pass gun control and ban guns in this country started changing immediately all their material. They no longer talked about crime. They said guns needed to be banned because terrorists could walk around a gun show and buy one. I mean it was kind of an attempt to put a failed agenda on the back of a national tragedy. And I just don't think the public buys it.
I mean the fact is this whole '94 ban was built on the false premise, convincing politicians and the public that somehow the performance characteristics of guns on the '94 ban list were different than those that were not on the ban list. They were machine guns. They fired faster. They made bigger holes. They sprayed bullets. They were guns like our soldiers used.
All the terminology you've seen in the media because they relied on the media repeating it verbatim without doing their homework, was, is not true. The guns...
WALLACE: Mr. LaPierre, let me jump in, because we're running out of time.
I just want to ask you, have you received any assurances from President Bush that he won't step in and try and push the House and the Senate to pass this legislation? Because, as you know, he has said if it comes to his desk, he would sign it into law?
LAPIERRE: You know, he did say he'd sign it, Kelly. I don't think it will reach his desk. There's a substantial bloc of Democrats in the House of Representatives and a big bloc of Republicans that are not going to go down this path again. In fact, President Clinton, after the '94 election, said he thought this issue probably cost the Democrats the House of Representatives. He said he thought it probably cost them over 20 seats.
The members in the House, they know it was bogus legislation. They know it was built on a lie and the lie has been found out, that these guns are not the way they were described. They're no different than any other type of gun. And the bogus legislation should sunset because there was no reason for it in the first place.
WALLACE: OK, Wayne LaPierre, we have to leave it there.
Executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, thanks for being with us.
The debate continues.
We'll be watching it this week -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Kelly.
In a moment here, a sucker punch or a fair point? A war of words between the vice president and the man who wants his job. Kamber and May set to duke it out on that issue and a more, ahead here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone.
Jack is on vacation.
He's Toure now back with The Question of the Day, right?
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: The Question of the Day.
We're talking presidential debates today, and I can't wait for them. They're going to be great this time. The president says he may not want to participate in one of the three debates proposed by the commission in 2000. Then Governor George Bush wanted to participate in just one of the commission's debates. But eventually he caved in under accusations from the Gore campaign that he was ducking out.
Presidential debating is a provocative political blood sport.
But our question is how important are they to you? How important are the presidential debates in influencing your vote?
Let's see what we got.
Rena from Illinois: "Even though I already lean toward Kerry, the debates are very important and, yes, they affect my vote. The president shouldn't run from a good fight. After all, he's a war president."
That's true.
Mike from Chester Springs, Pennsylvania: "The debates force them to deliver real answers. I'm afraid that's why George W. is trying to pull out of one of them. He's doing just fine with sound bites and Swift Boat ads. If the debates didn't matter, Bush wouldn't be trying to so hard to wiggle out of them."
Charlie from Newport, Virginia: "Kerry will need two podiums, one on each side of Bush. It'll be interesting seeing Kerry run back and forth to each podium, taking both sides of each q."
Yes, yes.
And Gaye from San Antonio, Texas says: "The presidential debates are as American as apple pie and baseball. What other country has such an open and spirited venue for candidates, which all citizens can watch? I agree with W., though, three is too many. But one or two, yes. Bring 'em on. The debates are the icing on the campaign cake."
Absolutely.
WALLACE: I like that line, the icing on the campaign cake.
HEMMER: Yes.
WALLACE: We can't wait.
HEMMER: We'll see what happens in 65 days or not. But we know the debates are out there.
TOURE: Right. Right.
HEMMER: And they are events that everyone is going to be keying on.
WALLACE: And everyone should watch.
TOURE: And they will be great.
HEMMER: Hey, the heck with the presidential...
WALLACE: It's important to watch.
HEMMER: ... how about the vice presidential match up, Dick Cheney and John Edwards?
TOURE: Right.
HEMMER: Talk about must see TV, my friend.
WALLACE: Yes.
TOURE: Right. We've got a trial lawyer...
WALLACE: Both of them...
TOURE: Cheney, it's going to be great.
HEMMER: You're right.
Letterman last night taking a few shots at the presidential campaign.
He's the "Late Show" now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN," COURTESY CBS/WORLDWIDE PANTS)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: Well, John Kerry, you know, after the big Republican convention, is slipping in the polls. And -- yes. And I believe he's starting to lose confidence, because all week long he's just been telling people, well, you know, it's a thrill just to be nominated. Just to be nominated is a thrill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Plenty more to come, right?
WALLACE: Plenty more. Lots of material for those late night talk show hosts.
Well, still ahead right here on AMERICAN MORNING, there is movement in Congress on enacting some of the September 11 panel's recommendations. It looks like the White House is getting closer to acting, too. We will have that.
Plus, the prosecution in the Scott Peterson trial may have hit a snag with a key piece of evidence. A look at that.
That's all ahead right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 8, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
The number of Americans killed in Iraq more than 1,000 now, increasing again today. Will security needs keep that country from rebuilding?
And rebuilding in Florida after Frances. We follow one family through a perils of a life turned upside down.
And the 10-year ban on assault weapons set to expire next Monday. Will Congress keep the weapons off the streets?
Pressing questions on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
HEMMER: All right, good morning, everyone from a rainy New York City.
Soledad is out, resting at home. She has four now, four kids to watch after. And Heidi is moving, too, to New York, so she's out. And Kelly Wallace with us out again today.
And good to have you.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to be here.
HEMMER: Good morning.
WALLACE: Good morning to you.
Good morning, everyone.
Bill, a big story for us this half hour, the assault weapons ban. Gun control a sensitive campaign issue. We will look at what is likely to happen to the assault weapons ban. And we'll talk about it with Jim and Sarah Brady on one side and Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association on the other.
HEMMER: Also, the vice president, Dick Cheney, drawing Democratic fire for comments about John Kerry and the war on terror, and whether one would bring the other. We'll ask Kamber and May if the vice president went over the line or not. We'll debate that.
Jack is off today. Toure is back in with us. And we'll get to Toure again in a moment here.
First, though, top stories. And to the CNN Center and Daryn Kagan -- good morning, Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Bill, good morning to you.
Within the hour, President Bush will outline his proposed intelligence reforms. The president is holding a bipartisan meeting at the White House this morning on some of the recommendations from the 9/11 Commission. Topping that agenda, the creation of a post for national intelligence director.
Democratic candidate John Kerry, meanwhile, is attacking President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq. Senator Kerry will give an address this morning in Cincinnati at the same hall where President Bush outlined his case for the war in Iraq in October 2002. That speech is set to begin in about an hour and a half.
Russia says it is ready to strike against terrorist bases anywhere in the world. The warning comes as a response to the school siege in Beslan, in which more than 330 people died. Russian officials are also offering a $10 million reward for information about two Chechen rebel leaders suspected of masterminding that hostage incident.
The Pentagon is releasing newly found records concerning President Bush's service in the National Guard. According to reports, 17 pages of documents were released in response to a lawsuit by the Associated Press. The release coincided with the debut of a new television commercial sponsored by a Democratic group. The ad questions Bush's attendance in the Guard after he transferred to Alabama in the early 70s -- back to you in New York City.
HEMMER: All right, Daryn, thanks for that.
This hour, we start in Iraq. Another American soldier died today in Baghdad on patrol there. U.S. troops battling Iraqi insurgents in rebel strongholds in the Iraqi capital, as well as in Fallujah, where two days of pounding by U.S. warplanes, tanks and artillery may have left as many as 100 Iraqis dead in that town.
This latest American casualty makes the number of U.S. soldiers who have died during the war in Iraq 1,004. Seven hundred and fifty- eight of them have died in combat. Of those, 649 have died since May 1, 2003, when major combat operations were declared over.
The fierce resistance now straining the reconstruction effort now in Iraq.
Lieutenant General Carl Strock heads the Army Corps of Engineers.
He is my guest now here in New York.
And good morning to you.
LT. GEN. CARL STROCK, COMMANDER & CHIEF, ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: First, your reaction on the grim milestone, more than 1,000 dead in the effort in Iraq.
STROCK: Well, certainly, Bill, it's a tragic number. But every death is a tragedy and our hearts go out to the families of those soldiers who were lost.
HEMMER: On the reconstruction effort, apparently there is a movement, of the $18 billion assigned to help rebuild the country, there's now an effort to take $3 billion of that, based on the advice of the ambassador in Iraq, and put it into security needs.
How will that affect the reconstruction effort if, indeed, that's the case?
STROCK: There's clearly a linkage between our security efforts and the reconstruction. If we cannot establish security, it makes the reconstruction more difficult. At the same time, our success in reconstruction will go to improve the security situation. So we really see the two actions combined and we think that overall that this will have a positive impact on our efforts over there.
HEMMER: Well, you heard Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday. He said if you can't build a sewer and do it safely, then you can't build the sewer. So you have to take care of security first, right?
STROCK: Well, that's correct, although creation of the infrastructure and the improvement of the quality of life for the Iraqi people, we think, will improve the security situation by reducing the anxiety of the Iraqis.
HEMMER: If that is the case, how do the Iraqi people respond now, thinking that they're going to get a better country as a result of the after war and perhaps at this point that is pushed back to the burner?
STROCK: Well, I'm not sure it is pushed back. I think, again, the linkage between the security situation and our ability to make improvements in the infrastructure is understood by everyone. So I think at the end of the day, the wisdom of this move will be seen.
HEMMER: You're also responsible, in part, for what's happening in Afghanistan.
STROCK: Yes, we are.
HEMMER: What's going on in that country with regards to reconstruction other than this main highway that was built from Kabul down to Kandahar?
STROCK: There's a tremendous amount going on. The Corps of Engineers has principal responsibility to support the Afghan National Army, which is one of the few instruments of national power over there. And so we are working to build facilities for the army, to extend the government's influence out into the countryside.
But there's also a tremendous amount being done, principally by the U.S. Agency for International Development, in improving schools and hospitals and basic quality of life facilities (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
HEMMER: Do you see elections happening there in early October still?
STROCK: Well, certainly I don't see anything that would preclude that.
HEMMER: Nothing?
STROCK: I was recently there and the mood was optimistic that elections will continue to be scheduled.
HEMMER: Lieutenant General Carl Strock, nice to see you and good luck to you, whether it's Iraq or Afghanistan.
STROCK: Thank you very much, Bill.
HEMMER: OK. You've got it -- Kelly.
WALLACE: Thanks, Bill.
President Bush heading to Florida today to tour areas devastated by hurricane Frances. Mr. Bush is expected to sign off on $2 billion worth of federal aid, approved last night by the House of Representatives.
Gary Tuchman joins us now live from West Palm Beach -- good morning, Gary.
How are Floridians coping?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kelly, they are doing the best they can. Today, President Bush does arrive here in West Palm Beach early this afternoon. He then goes 60 miles north, to Fort Pierce, Florida, one of the hardest hit cities during this hurricane, where he will tour hurricane damage and a relief center. And he will see a lot of people, people who in most cases still are without electricity.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's get whatever is left in the freezer.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): A neighborhood get together in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Hey, I remember this taco meat.
TUCHMAN: Where neighbors who have been without electricity since the arrival of hurricane Frances try to eat their frozen food before it goes bad. During daylight hours, the lack of power is tolerable. But as night falls, it gets increasingly trying. (on camera): In all honesty, has this made everyone in the family a little more irritable than usual?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes, very irritable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I left today for a while.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): With the help of a flashlight, we talked to Cindy and Pat Rappelle (ph), proud parents of two girls, who, like countless children throughout Florida, lived through a dark and scary weekend.
(on camera): What did you think was going to happen to you and your sister and your mom and dad that night?
DAISY: We were going to die.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Ten-year-old Daisy's parents are more grateful than anything their children are OK; but now, days later, are getting a bit impatient for power.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time you go to bed, and even going and sleeping, you're sweating. And it's just continually hot.
TUCHMAN: That's why they're staying outside as long as possible, across the street, at the Markwiths (ph) house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I started to take cold showers and washing the dishes. It's, you know, sometimes impossible. You've got to boil the water and you've got to use bleach. It's -- it gets frustrating. After four or five days, it starts wearing on you.
TUCHMAN (on camera): About two million Florida households are still without power. That works out to be about four million people, about one quarter of the population of the entire state.
(voice-over): The whole Rappelle family is sleeping in the living room with the battery powered TV on to provide a night-light of sorts. Their living room gets an occasional refreshing breeze, a Florida night so much different than the one now ingrained in their memories.
(on camera): When you become a mom, what are you going to tell your kids about this hurricane?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: It was really bad.
TUCHMAN: And I bet you'll protect them as well as your parents protected you, right?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yes.
(END VIDEO TAPE) TUCHMAN: Now, about 500,000 Florida customers have got their power back, but no promises are being made to the other two million. There is still a lot of work to do, and at this point, many of those two million are being told this could take at least a week, just in time for the possible arrival -- and we emphasize possible arrival of hurricane Ivan.
Kelly -- back to you.
WALLACE: Gary, incredible what those Floridians have had to endure.
Gary Tuchman coming to us from West Palm Beach.
Thanks so much, Gary.
HEMMER: In the meantime, Frances occupying the time and attention of a lot of people in a number of states today.
And Chad has that on the map -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, we talked about Florida for the longest time. Look at this thing. Now it's all the way up to Cleveland, down to Columbia and a new tornado watch here right over Raleigh, the triad, the triangle, all the way back up here, even into southern Virginia. You are not out of the woods yet.
Not only that, but look at the rainfall totals from Frances now. Highlands, a lot of folks live up there or retirees move up there for the summertime. If you're a snow bird, 10.40 inches of rain there. Even Macon, Georgia at five inches and Gatlinburg at over four.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: A former CNN reporter now royalty. Yesterday, Rym Brahimi married Prince Ali of Jordan. He's the half brother of Jordan's King Abdullah II. The couple married in a private ceremony outside of Amman. Instead of a wedding party, the prince and princess will donate food to needy families in the kingdom. Brahimi resigned as CNN's Middle East reporter back in April when she announced her engagement.
Go Rym!
WALLACE: Go girl, Rym!
HEMMER: It's Princess Rym.
WALLACE: Princess Rym it is.
HEMMER: Yes.
WALLACE: Well, now some CNNers, we won't mention names, are there. We've told them to bring back many pictures after the royal wedding.
HEMMER: Right. We'll get some decent gossip out of that, do you think?
WALLACE: Should be, yes.
HEMMER: As long as we can get it.
WALLACE: Absolutely. We'll try. We'll try.
Well, still to come here on AMERICAN MORNING, former President Bill Clinton was lucky. He saw the warning signs of heart trouble before it was too late. What should you be looking for? We're "Paging Dr. Gupta."
HEMMER: Also in a moment, the Scott Peterson trial. Prosecutors may have run into a problem with a pair of pliers. We'll have a look at that today.
WALLACE: And a 10-year ban on some kinds of semi-automatic weapons is set to expire next week. Already, both sides of the debate speaking out strongly. We'll hear from Jim and Sarah Brady, as well as the NRA's Wayne LaPierre. That's just ahead right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: Only an act of Congress will prevent a 10-year-old federal ban on assault weapons from expiring Monday. President Bush supports the landmark gun control law, but the current Congress appears unlikely to renew it.
We're going to hear both sides of this politically charged debate.
First, from Jim and Sarah Brady. They have established the Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence after Jim Brady was shot during a 1991 assassination attempt on President Reagan.
The Bradys are in Washington.
Good morning, Sarah and Jim Brady.
Thanks for being with us.
SARAH BRADY: Good morning, Kelly.
JIM BRADY, FORMER REAGAN PRESS SECRETARY: Good morning, Kelly.
WALLACE: Sarah, let me begin with you.
This is going to be a big battle for you and for Jim Brady.
Are you confident you are going to win?
S. BRADY: Well, we're going to work to win. The problem, we've got the votes, I think. I'm pretty sure we do, although it's an uphill battle. The problem is the president said he is going to sign this piece of legislation, but he's done nothing to make sure it's brought up. And the House leadership is not willing to bring it up right now.
WALLACE: Jim...
S. BRADY: So the...
WALLACE: Go ahead, Sarah.
S. BRADY: The onus today falls on President Bush. He must call for this piece of legislation to be renewed.
WALLACE: Jim Brady, have you reached out to the president or to any members of the administration? And are you getting any assurances that the White House will, in fact, try and push this legislation over the next week?
J. BRADY: No.
WALLACE: No? No you have not reached out to President Bush?
S. BRADY: Oh, you've reached out.
J. BRADY: We've reached out.
WALLACE: But you don't have any assurances that the White House will step in in any way?
J. BRADY: We do not.
WALLACE: Some people might be surprised, Jim Brady, to hear that, of course, during the 1991 assassination attempt we know you were injured, and after that attempted assassination on President Reagan's life, he became a strong supporter of gun control.
Is that in any way something you are using and that's going to help you trying to convince law makers to deal with this issue now?
J. BRADY: Well, I think the facts speak for themselves. He was one of our -- I'm prejudiced, but I'd say he's perhaps our most popular president and...
WALLACE: Sarah, let me bring you in here, because you know what the National Rifle Association and other opponents will say. They'll say there's no evidence this assault weapons ban is actually reducing crime. And they say the way to deal with issues such as crime and law enforcement is to enforce the laws, the existing laws on the books.
S. BRADY: Well, this is an existing law on the books and it has been effective. It has reduced crimes with this type of weapons by 66 percent. And the very fact is, is that law enforcement needs this. We, especially in this time of homeland security, when terrorism is rampant, do we want to put AK-47s, Uzis and banana clips that'll hold up to 100 rounds of ammunition back on our streets? Do we want to arm our kids with Uzis and AK-47s? I think not.
Our country has never needed to be more secure than we are today. And to make these weapons available at gun shows, for kids and terrorists, is just insanity.
WALLACE: Sarah, you know the House majority whip, Roy Blount, saying the Senate has said it's not going to take it up, so then the House won't take it up, because if the Senate won't act, the House won't act. So it does not look like this measure will be dealt with this week.
S. BRADY: Well, that's why it's up to President Bush. And law enforcement has come to town to try and meet with him, to explain to him the importance, which I'm sure he already knows, of this legislation, and to get him to act. The onus is on him.
If he wants this passed, he'll see to it that the leadership brings it up. It has passed the Senate in the past, in March. We're confident it'll pass the Senate again.
WALLACE: OK...
S. BRADY: The onus is on Bush, as I said, right now.
WALLACE: Sarah and Jim Brady, we have to leave it there.
Thanks so much for joining us from Washington, D.C.
We appreciate it.
J. BRADY: Thank you, Kelly.
S. BRADY: Thank you.
WALLACE: Let's now get the other side in this debate.
We turn now to Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association.
And he is with us also from Washington.
Mr. LaPierre, thanks for joining us.
WAYNE LAPIERRE, NRA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT: Good to be with you, Kelly.
WALLACE: Well, you know the Bradys. They very much believe this assault weapons ban is leading to a reduction in crime. Gun control advocates cite Justice Department figures. They say the proportion of banned assault weapons traced to crimes dropped by 65.8 percent since 1995. They say the factors speak for themselves.
LAPIERRE: Well, they don't. I mean people that have looked at those figures, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, say that trace data cannot be used to arrive at that conclusion. Furthermore, there are studies by the National Institute of Justice, the Congressional Research Service, the Urban Institute, that show that these guns were very rarely used in crime, a very small percentage, and there's simply no evidence that the ban in '94 had anything to do with the drop in crime. What affected that was prosecutions of gun criminals are up by 68 percent. Prison building took place, mandatory sentences, all the types of crime programs the NRA backed. And that's what cut the crime rate, not this '94 cosmetic ban.
WALLACE: But you also heard, Mr. LaPierre, the Bradys talking about homeland security. The world is so much different post- September 11 and they say this ban will help in the fight against terrorism, protecting the homeland.
What do you say to that?
LAPIERRE: I don't buy it, Kelly. I mean the fact is the day after 9/11, when box cutters were used, the people that want to pass gun control and ban guns in this country started changing immediately all their material. They no longer talked about crime. They said guns needed to be banned because terrorists could walk around a gun show and buy one. I mean it was kind of an attempt to put a failed agenda on the back of a national tragedy. And I just don't think the public buys it.
I mean the fact is this whole '94 ban was built on the false premise, convincing politicians and the public that somehow the performance characteristics of guns on the '94 ban list were different than those that were not on the ban list. They were machine guns. They fired faster. They made bigger holes. They sprayed bullets. They were guns like our soldiers used.
All the terminology you've seen in the media because they relied on the media repeating it verbatim without doing their homework, was, is not true. The guns...
WALLACE: Mr. LaPierre, let me jump in, because we're running out of time.
I just want to ask you, have you received any assurances from President Bush that he won't step in and try and push the House and the Senate to pass this legislation? Because, as you know, he has said if it comes to his desk, he would sign it into law?
LAPIERRE: You know, he did say he'd sign it, Kelly. I don't think it will reach his desk. There's a substantial bloc of Democrats in the House of Representatives and a big bloc of Republicans that are not going to go down this path again. In fact, President Clinton, after the '94 election, said he thought this issue probably cost the Democrats the House of Representatives. He said he thought it probably cost them over 20 seats.
The members in the House, they know it was bogus legislation. They know it was built on a lie and the lie has been found out, that these guns are not the way they were described. They're no different than any other type of gun. And the bogus legislation should sunset because there was no reason for it in the first place.
WALLACE: OK, Wayne LaPierre, we have to leave it there.
Executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, thanks for being with us.
The debate continues.
We'll be watching it this week -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Kelly.
In a moment here, a sucker punch or a fair point? A war of words between the vice president and the man who wants his job. Kamber and May set to duke it out on that issue and a more, ahead here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone.
Jack is on vacation.
He's Toure now back with The Question of the Day, right?
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: The Question of the Day.
We're talking presidential debates today, and I can't wait for them. They're going to be great this time. The president says he may not want to participate in one of the three debates proposed by the commission in 2000. Then Governor George Bush wanted to participate in just one of the commission's debates. But eventually he caved in under accusations from the Gore campaign that he was ducking out.
Presidential debating is a provocative political blood sport.
But our question is how important are they to you? How important are the presidential debates in influencing your vote?
Let's see what we got.
Rena from Illinois: "Even though I already lean toward Kerry, the debates are very important and, yes, they affect my vote. The president shouldn't run from a good fight. After all, he's a war president."
That's true.
Mike from Chester Springs, Pennsylvania: "The debates force them to deliver real answers. I'm afraid that's why George W. is trying to pull out of one of them. He's doing just fine with sound bites and Swift Boat ads. If the debates didn't matter, Bush wouldn't be trying to so hard to wiggle out of them."
Charlie from Newport, Virginia: "Kerry will need two podiums, one on each side of Bush. It'll be interesting seeing Kerry run back and forth to each podium, taking both sides of each q."
Yes, yes.
And Gaye from San Antonio, Texas says: "The presidential debates are as American as apple pie and baseball. What other country has such an open and spirited venue for candidates, which all citizens can watch? I agree with W., though, three is too many. But one or two, yes. Bring 'em on. The debates are the icing on the campaign cake."
Absolutely.
WALLACE: I like that line, the icing on the campaign cake.
HEMMER: Yes.
WALLACE: We can't wait.
HEMMER: We'll see what happens in 65 days or not. But we know the debates are out there.
TOURE: Right. Right.
HEMMER: And they are events that everyone is going to be keying on.
WALLACE: And everyone should watch.
TOURE: And they will be great.
HEMMER: Hey, the heck with the presidential...
WALLACE: It's important to watch.
HEMMER: ... how about the vice presidential match up, Dick Cheney and John Edwards?
TOURE: Right.
HEMMER: Talk about must see TV, my friend.
WALLACE: Yes.
TOURE: Right. We've got a trial lawyer...
WALLACE: Both of them...
TOURE: Cheney, it's going to be great.
HEMMER: You're right.
Letterman last night taking a few shots at the presidential campaign.
He's the "Late Show" now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN," COURTESY CBS/WORLDWIDE PANTS)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: Well, John Kerry, you know, after the big Republican convention, is slipping in the polls. And -- yes. And I believe he's starting to lose confidence, because all week long he's just been telling people, well, you know, it's a thrill just to be nominated. Just to be nominated is a thrill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Plenty more to come, right?
WALLACE: Plenty more. Lots of material for those late night talk show hosts.
Well, still ahead right here on AMERICAN MORNING, there is movement in Congress on enacting some of the September 11 panel's recommendations. It looks like the White House is getting closer to acting, too. We will have that.
Plus, the prosecution in the Scott Peterson trial may have hit a snag with a key piece of evidence. A look at that.
That's all ahead right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
