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Paula Zahn Now

Hurricane Frances Nears Florida; Russian Hostage Standoff Ends in Tragedy

Aired September 03, 2004 - 20:00 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.

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: An uneasy twilight settling over Florida tonight. Tomorrow, instead of the sun, something much more ominous will come over the eastern horizon.
You are looking at live pictures of a largely deserted West Palm Beach. A curfew has just now gone into effect. This area has seen more than its share of hurricanes and tropical storms. In 1995, Erin came close and Jerry hit. Irene came in the back way from the Gulf of Mexico in 1999. Now something more powerful is out in the Atlantic.

Hurricane Frances, a monster-sized storm, is swirling toward the Florida coast with 150-mile-an-hour sustained winds. Frances was just downgraded to a strong Category 2 storm. Exactly when and where it will hit and how powerful it will eventually be still not certain at this hour.

But here is a preview, pictures taken today as Frances battered the Bahamas. It is too soon to assess the damage there just yet. But Florida is taking no chances. Some two and a half million people have been ordered to leave their homes.

Now, during this hour, we will update the forecast, look over preparations and listen to the hopes and fears of some determined to ride out the storm, but more on Hurricane Frances in a moment and a little bit later on, the latest on former President Clinton, who checked into a New York hospital today with chest pains and is awaiting heart surgery.

But we begin tonight with what Russia is calling its 9/11. Explosions, gunfire and chaos, that was the beginning of the end today to the standoff at a school in southern Russia where hundreds of children, along with their parents and teachers, were being held hostage by terrorists demanding independence for Chechnya. Tonight, more than 200 people are dead, and the death toll is still climbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): It begins on Wednesday, the first day of the new school year in the town of Beslan. Heavily armed insurgents storm the local grade school, some with explosives strapped to their chests. Hundreds of children, parents and teachers are trapped inside the school's gym. Almost immediately there is gunfire between local police and the terrorists. And an unknown number of hostages are killed.

CNN's Ryan Chilcote describes the scene. RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The hostage takers are warning Russian authorities not to try and storm the building. They say that if the Russians try to storm the building to free the hostages, that they will blow the building up with all the hostages inside.

ZAHN: The terrorists also say that for every one of them killed, they will kill 50 children. Later, Russian troops and police surround the building. A handful of hostages manages to escape, some by hiding in the school's boiler room.

The troops settle in for a long wait. Day two, late afternoon, about 25 hostages are freed, including babies less than a year old. Reports say some women hostages released were forced to pick one of their children to leave behind. Hundreds still remain inside miserable conditions with temperatures reaching 100 degrees. The terrorists provide little water or food.

Reuters correspondent Paul Quinn-Judge reports.

PAUL QUINN-JUDGE, REUTERS: Neither side is showing any sign at this point of any compromise. As far as we know as well, the guerrillas have not had any substantive negotiations with the government side since the early hours of this morning, when they, we are told, turned off their cell phones and have not turned them on since.

There's been sporadic shooting in the course of the day. It rises and falls in its intensity. It seems to come mostly from the guerrillas when they're trying to move people back, if they think soldiers are moving closer.

ZAHN: Families continue to wait nearby for a breakthrough.

QUINN-JUDGE: The biggest tension comes from not knowing what's going on. What has not changed is just the sheer terror of knowing that you have somebody in that school being held by people who are ready to go right to the end in their fight with Moscow.

ZAHN: Day two ends with no resolution in sight. Today, early afternoon, two large explosions rock the school. There is confusion about what's going on inside. Russian commandos storm the building, responding to they say to terrorists shooting at hostages trying to escape. Gunfire erupts and smoke billows from the school, as bloodied and traumatized hostages escape from the building.

CHILCOTE: Russian forces were making their way through the school, clearing it room by room. There was two, maybe three dozen people standing outside the school with stretchers. And as the Russian soldiers would clear a room, they would bring the people in with the stretchers to collect the wounded and the dead. Then they would be brought to ambulances and whisked away. And it was like a conveyor belt of a sort of casualty collection point.

ZAHN: They run screaming through the streets, as families wait helpless, hoping their loved ones will emerge from the siege. Some are reunited. Some wait in vain. Many of the children are nearly naked, having shed their clothes in the extreme heat inside the school.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And joining us now on the phone from Beslan, Russia, Scott Peterson, Moscow bureau chief of "The Christian Science Monitor," who has been covering the siege from day one.

Thank you so much for being with us.

Before we get to the details of what you witnessed, can you give us any sense at all at what kind of death toll we might ultimately be looking at here?

SCOTT PETERSON, MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF, "THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR": Well, I think 200 is a fairly good place to start. I mean, how high it goes is not clear, because it's still not really entirely clear how many people were inside the school.

On day one, we heard that there were 132 hostages that were captured. Then that figure was pushed up to 350, 400 or so. And then now some of the hostages that are coming out are telling us that they've seen at least 1,500 hostages inside that building. It seems hard to imagine how they could all fit into the gym space where most of them were kept. But this is what their figure is. And they certainly had three days to count them.

ZAHN: Scott, those of us that are looking at the pictures for the first time are absolutely sickened by what we saw, particularly once the Russian forces stormed the building. Describe to us what you saw.

PETERSON: Well, I think what I saw was an incredible emotional roller-coaster ride that the people of this town experienced today. I mean, I think they were shocked to start with. The very fact that a raid of some nature was going on was a surprise to them, because the authorities said that they were not going to stage this kind of raid.

So of course we know it was actually sparked by some other events. The Russian officials decided to go in and deal with it. And basically what we saw were, as the first people in the first -- people began to emerge from the chaos, from the noise, from the confusion, also from the smoke and everything, I think the state of the bodies that came out and also the state of some of those who were wounded really shocked people to start with.

And I think a lot of it brought home to people the reality of this hostage situation, because it had been cordoned off for three days. And while people of course were mourning for their family members, unsure where they were or how safe they were, at least they were out of eyesight. When they really began to see the elements of their families coming out of the school, I think it really, really struck people.

And for some, of course, it was complete joy, because the child of theirs or their family members were alive, and for others it was real misery.

ZAHN: Scott, have you been able to talk with any of the survivors?

PETERSON: I've spoken to several of the survivors, including one woman at length who gave a very, very detailed description of kind of her emotions as this went through.

She was at the school with her 6-year-old boy. He was experiencing his first day of first grade. He was there also with his grandmother. So the three of them were there. And the mother described how she pushed her 6-year-old son and her mother out of a window while this whole chaos, just when it got going. There was a group of hostages that tried to escape. Pushed out of a window, they raced across and managed to get away.

This woman herself stayed inside. She really didn't have the strength. And, in fact, what was remarkable about her psychological state, a couple of hours later, she was still completely shell- shocked. She couldn't believe that she had gotten out. She couldn't believe that she was safe. She had been told that her son and her mother were alive, but she hadn't been able to see them either.

But she was really -- she was just so shell-shocked by this entire experience. None of it had settled in.

(CROSSTALK)

PETERSON: What had settled in was the fact that the day before, she had decided that it probably wasn't going to be worth living much longer.

ZAHN: And we are going to hear, I am sure, dozens more stories like that, particularly from some of the women who were forced by the hostage takers to make a choice about which child they fled with and which one they left behind with the hostage takers. It just makes you sick.

"Christian Science Monitor"'s Scott Peterson, thanks so much for the update.

Now we turn back to Hurricane Frances. The storm center is still 200 miles off Florida's east coast. But the first clouds and bands of rain are just starting to blow in.

My colleague Anderson Cooper is about halfway down Florida's east coast near Melbourne. He has the very latest for us there.

I see the winds starting to kick up there behind you, Anderson. What are people expecting?

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, every hour, it's been kicking up, the wind. We're on Melbourne Beach, which is a barrier island. We're just anticipating some rain here in about 10, 20 minutes. That will be the first band of the storm really reaching Melbourne Beach. The storm, as you know, has weakened to a strong Category 2. The winds are still above 110 miles an hour. That's the latest word we get from the National Weather Center.

But it is still a very strong storm. And people here are not taking any chances. This area has largely evacuated, mandatory evacuation in this county and some 16 counties or parts of 16 counties here in Florida. Voluntary evacuations in five other counties. There are long lines for gas. There's a shortage of gas. A lot of gas stations have shut down. Restaurants have shut down. Hotels have shut down. This place really is deserted.

There are just a few rescue personnel and some die-hard people who just refuse to leave still here. But it is really a ghost town, people not taking any chances. There are hundreds of shelters that have popped up and have opened throughout the state of Florida. Last night, some 21,000 people were in shelters operated by the American Red Cross.

The Red Cross tells us this is going to be their largest disaster response effort in their history to a natural disaster. But, again, with this storm weakening, it has slowed down now over the Bahamas. It's moving at under 10 miles per hour. So that is giving more time to residents here to prepare, to get out. And it is giving some hope to residents here that it will not build back up, as some had feared, that it will continue to slow down.

Still a lot of rain expected here, a lot of flooding expected here. And, as you know, Paula, often the most amount of deaths that occur in a hurricane are from flooding. It's not from the actual force of the winds. It's from flooding. It's also from people going out of their house afterward and getting electrocuted by downed power lines and such in water, Paula.

ZAHN: Well, we know you will be sensible tonight, won't you, my colleague Anderson?

COOPER: We certainly will. We'll try.

ZAHN: Stay safe. Thanks for the late update there.

Now, just three weeks ago, Florida officials suffered through the agonizing Hurricane Charley. But that certainly doesn't make this one any easier.

Joining me from Tallahassee is the state's lieutenant governor, Toni Jennings.

Thank you so much for being with us tonight.

Is there any sense of relief that this storm has been downgraded?

LT. GOV. TONI JENNINGS, FLORIDA: Well, always when a storm is downgraded, we are glad, because it's not nearly as devastating as it could have been.

But, again, we want to urge people to understand that a strong Category 2 can be very devastating. This is a big storm. It's got lots of rain in it. It's got lots of wind. And Charley, as it went through central Florida several weeks ago, was about 100 miles an hour and just did terrific damage all through the central part of the state and as it left the state. Charley did not have the rain associated with it that we know that Frances does.

So we're going to be plummeted and pelted with rain for long periods of time, which means there's going to be flooding as well as the wind damage. And we're urging people to understand, when we say evacuate, we mean for your safety's sake. And that's exactly -- seeing the live shot there from Melbourne. We understand a number have evacuated. That's important.

By tomorrow, it's going to be a little hard to leave. So we need to have those people leave now, because they're going to have lots more water and wind than they've ever seen before.

ZAHN: So this is the second time in three weeks your boss, Governor Jeb Bush, has called a state of emergency in your state. At this hour, what is your chief concern about the millions of people who are trying to seek shelter?

JENNINGS: Well, first and foremost, we want to make sure that they have found a safe, secure place to go and those who have been asked to evacuate have done so. There will be many who stay, because we've got some die-hard Floridians who say we've ridden through storms before; we'll do it again.

But we want to make sure that the safety and security of the person is the important part right now. Then we will move quickly to having that mass care after the storm moves through, the water, the ice, the food, the comfort stations that will need to go in. We'll have widespread loss of power, much as we did with Charley, because there will be lots of trees down due to the wind. And then from there, we will go to rebuilding, because there will be damage.

FEMA is here. Our federal partners have just been terrific. You heard earlier that this may be the largest Red Cross initiative that they've had for a very long time. And the Red Cross, United Way, Salvation Army will all be here to help.

ZAHN: Well, we wish you and everybody in your state tremendous luck tonight and we hope Frances continues to lose steam. Lieutenant Governor, thank you for your time.

JENNINGS: We do as well. Thank you.

ZAHN: On this very busy evening.

Now, as people play this horrific waiting game, folks in the Bahamas suffer the worst of the storm already.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hurricane Frances is finally here. We're feeling the effects of this powerful storm, Category 3, with the wind gusts of more than 125 miles per hour.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Could that be a glimpse of what's in store for Florida? More on Hurricane Frances when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIV DAVALOS, WFOR REPORTER: We are experiencing a very strong feeder band right now coming through. Just take a look at the ocean, the waves pretty high, very strong. There is a person who see here walking along the beach. He was just talked to by BSO deputies to get off the beach.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Just a glimpse of what it is like to be on hurricane duty in advance of the storm blowing into Florida. Hurricane Frances has forced the largest evacuation in Florida's history. Some 2.5 million people have been told to clear out. Now, for most, that means a trip to a shelter.

And while there are many terms to describe what that is like, as our Bruce Burkhardt shows us, fun is not one of them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fifty-seven hundred people are in shelters this morning. Around the state, nearly 100 shelters are open from Daytona Beach south to Miami.

BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The bent-over palm trees might get all the publicity, but this is as much as a part of the hurricane experience as anything else, the waiting. And with Frances and her stubborn ways inching slowly along, it's even worse. More time to wait means more time to worry.

(on camera): What about your house? Are you worried about your house?

(voice-over): The shelter here at Brevard Community College is nearly full with 1,000 people. Twin sisters Doris Bustamante (ph) and Frances Budin (ph), who's visiting from England, got here yesterday. They have time, time to worry about the cat they left at home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody would take him. And I couldn't bring him here. And I left a ton of food. He's a beautiful -- you know, Morris that used to be on TV? He's a second Morris.

BURKHARDT (on camera): What else can you do while you wait? Well, you can buy plywood, like these folks in line here at a Lowe's store in Rockledge, Florida. And even though they've got a 10-sheet- per-customer limit, they're going to run out before they get to the end of this line.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should have bought plywood three weeks ago and had it all cut in the garage.

BURKHARDT (voice-over): But elsewhere, time can be a good thing, time to fill up a few sandbags on the beach because the lines at the fire station were too long.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're playing in the sandbox today because we're bored.

BURKHARDT: And time to take advantage of waves that only come at times like this.

Time is a good thing, too, when you need to evacuate 85 patients from Wuesthoff Memorial Hospital in Rockledge to a newer, sturdier hospital in Melbourne. For a young mom, it's time to get to know her one-day-old daughter.

And what about politicians? Well, it's time to get rid of them, at least get rid of their signs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's still a lot of political signs that are stuck in the ground that are going to be projectiles in these winds.

BURKHARDT: Waiting and killing time, sometimes nearly as hard as going through the storm itself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: And that was our own Bruce Burkhardt reporting.

Some day, when everything has blown over and life is reasonably back to normal, one young couple will have quite a story to tell. Their Florida wedding was blown away by this hurricane. And in return for sharing their story with us, we have promised not to reveal their last names.

So right now, Jason and Dara join us by telephone from her parents' home in Boca Raton.

Thank you both for being with us tonight.

I know, Jason, you were supposed to be celebrating at a bachelor party at this hour. Instead, you are hunkered down with your in-laws, not quite what you expected, is it?

JASON, FLORIDA RESIDENT: Well, I would say not.

I don't know too many grooms who would be willing to give up their bachelor party to hang out with their in-laws for the evening. But, you know, I'm having fun. I'm having a good time.

ZAHN: I'm surprised to hear you say that. I thought you would have gone with option A.

Now, Dara, your fairy tale wedding had been pretty much paid for. How are you handling this turn of events?

DARA, FLORIDA RESIDENT: Well, I'm just happy that we're all together and my family's here with me and my future husband. And we're actually turning this into a big giant slumber party and having a great time.

ZAHN: Well, I hope you two behave, particularly with mom and dad around, Dara. Is this a test of your future commitment to each other and life throwing you curve balls?

JASON: Well, you know, you have to put it into perspective. And, you know, especially when we think about, you know, the stories that you've been showing with these, you know -- the suffering that these Russian families are going through and people whose homes were destroyed in Hurricane Charley, we're obviously disappointed, and, you know, it's a letdown, but I think if you put it into perspective, we're still -- we love each other. We're happy. And we're going to get married one way or the other. And, you know, that's really the bottom line.

ZAHN: So it's just not going to be this weekend, Dara, right?

DARA: It's just not going to be this weekend. But we're hoping to plan something again soon. And all our friends and family have been so supportive and helpful and wonderful and said they would try again. And that's what we're just hoping for.

ZAHN: Well, we thank you for letting us crash your slumber party, as you described it. And we hope you're able to recoup some of the investment you made in this wedding that's not going to happen this weekend. Best of luck to the two of you.

JASON: Thank you.

DARA: Thank you.

ZAHN: And, again, thanks for sharing your story with us tonight.

JASON: You're welcome.

DARA: Thank you.

ZAHN: Hurricane Frances up close and personal. We're going to fly you over the eye of the storm when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Hurricane Frances, although downgraded to a Category 2 storm, still bearing down on the Florida coast at this hour. The best way to measure the strength of it is still the hard way, get into a plane and fly as close as you dare.

Our meteorologist Orelon Sidney has done just that. She flew with the experts and brought along a camera to share the experience with all of us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): It's dark. It's really dark. And I'm wide awake. That's surprising, given the fact that this is way past my bedtime. That's what the fear of impending doom will do with you.

I'm at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, to meet up with an elite of weather warriors, those who hunt hurricanes. After some final preparations, not to mention a few prayers, we take off on an eight-hour air mission to rendezvous with an old windbag named Frances.

The group of scientists/pilots/engineers are made up from both military and civilian ranks. These folks put it all on the line in order to better understand hurricanes, but also to help save people's lives. Even so, it's sometimes hard to leave the ground.

(on camera): What does your family think about you flying around in hurricanes all the time?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They think I'm a little bit crazy on it. But they understand it's something I really enjoy and am fascinated with. It just -- it's a little -- it becomes a little more personal when the storm starts threatening your family, because all of my family is in southeast Florida. And this particular storm is a big concern.

In addition to me helping out here, I'm calling right before the flight to make sure my family's ready to deal with the hurricane.

SIDNEY (voice-over): Most people think of this hurricane flight as bumpy and dangerous. But this high-altitude mission flies over most of the weather. The weather from Atlanta to Tampa was rougher than this one. So much for impending doom.

(on camera): The most important element of this flight is the release of these skinny tubes known as dropsondes, a sophisticated science lab in an oversize Tootsie Roll wrap. By the way, these Tootsie Rolls cost over 600 bucks apiece.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why this is called the dropsonde. The original sondes were balloon sondes. They go up and then actually back down.

SIDNEY (voice-over): Twenty-three dropsondes will be released on this mission. They will sample the atmosphere around Frances to help fill holes in the data needed by the National Hurricane Center.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's got a little parachute in it, almost like a little drag chute that comes out of the top. And then it has a pressure sensor in it for atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction.

SIDNEY: GPS and radio links get that information back on board. After being reviewed by these experts, the data then gets sent to the National Hurricane Center to be included in their forecast models, all of this to assist people on the ground make the most vital of calls, should I stay or should I go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This storm which we've been seen go from different eye cycles, but generally get stronger and stronger over the last almost week, it seems like, finally has had something that's disrupted its structure, has started to go downhill a little bit. The problem is, we don't know if it's a temporary 24-hour bug it has or whether it's really on the decline.

SIDNEY: Really, only Frances knows that. And she plays close to the vest. I can tell you this. From here, she's really beautiful. Just don't get too close.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: We are all collectively praying she gets the 48-hour bug, old Frances. That was CNN meteorologist or Orelon Sidney.

We're going to keep you updated on Hurricane Frances throughout the night, but there was other important news today, former President Bill Clinton awaiting heart surgery at a New York City hospital.

We'll have that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Former President Bill Clinton is in a New York hospital tonight awaiting heart bypass surgery. Senator Hillary Clinton told us the operation will be done sometime early next week.

The former president checked himself into New York's Presbyterian Hospital today after experiencing mild chest pains and shortness of breath yesterday. While the former president has been known for his sprawling appetites, he heads into surgery with several factors on his side.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): President Bill Clinton was a jogger, robust, and though his weight went up and down, his doctors regularly declared him fit.

But there were always those Big Mac attacks. And in recent years, there were reports of high cholesterol. He decided to go on a diet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You look a little thinner.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm a little thinner.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What have you been doing?

B. CLINTON: I work out a lot. And I went on the South Beach Diet for a while. That helped. But the combination, I have -- I have a wonderful man who comes in two or three times a week and we work out.

You know, when you get older, you've got to really watch it. It's hard. The older I get, the harder it is.

ZAHN: And sometime late this week in Chappaqua, New York, our 42nd president began feeling chest pains. He canceled a visit to the New York state fair with his wife and wound up in the hospital instead. Bill Clinton has heart problems.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: They did advise him to have bypass surgery, and to do it as soon -- as soon as he could.

ZAHN: His wife rushed to his side in a car with dark windows.

H. CLINTON: My husband is doing very well. He's in great humor. He's beating all of us at cards and the rest of the games we're playing. He's going to be fine. And he will be back in fighting form before, really, very long.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: We're going to get More now on former President Clinton's medical condition. I'm joined by Dr. Joseph Cunningham. He is chairman of cardiothoracic surgery here at Maimonides Medical Center here in New York.

Good to see you. Welcome.

DR. JOSEPH CUNNINGHAM, MAIMONIDES MEDICAL CENTER: Thank you.

ZAHN: Are we to read anything into the surgery needing to be done as soon as possible?

CUNNINGHAM: I think it indicates that he has fairly severe blockages in his coronaries, and his physicians probably felt that the sooner, better than rather than later.

ZAHN: How dangerous of a surgery is bypass surgery?

CUNNINGHAM: In general, it's fairly low risk, although a complicated procedure. In President Clinton's situation the risk really should be well less than one percent.

ZAHN: And by that, you mean once they get in there, and there isn't any terribly complicated procedure, he should be out and walking in, what, five, six days?

CUNNINGHAM: I think he'll probably be out of the hospital in five or six days, and back to regular socioeconomic activities in a very brief period of time.

ZAHN: And what is your chief concern as a surgeon when you go in and do bypass surgery? What can go wrong?

CUNNINGHAM: There's always the unknown. I just said that the risk was very low. But we always worry about some untoward event that might occur, a tear in an artery, a surprise that we didn't see on an angiogram. And so we're already -- always prepared for those eventualities.

ZAHN: I guess the other thing we've learned is the president has been struggling with some pretty high cholesterol levels recently, which I think a lot of us were surprised by, because we've literally watched him shrink before our eyes over the last five, six months.

How much do you think that contributed to what the president faces?

CUNNINGHAM: In the short term, probably very little. But this, as you know, this is a process that takes 10, 15, 20 years to occur. But there's certainly no reason to have high cholesterol in this day and time with the news drugs that are available.

ZAHN: I guess the one thing we can all learn from the president's experiences, what, when you experience any kind of unusual chest pains, or any sort of numbing in your arms, you need to pay attention to it.

CUNNINGHAM: You should listen to your body.

ZAHN: Thank you for the house call and the free one at that.

CUNNINGHAM: My pleasure.

ZAHN: Appreciate it.

We're going to move on to politics right now, and my provocative interview with another former president, George Herbert Walker Bush.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Welcome back.

A "TIME" magazine poll tonight finds President Bush opening up a clear lead over John Kerry for the first time in this presidential race. The poll was conducted on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week before the president's acceptance speech at the Republican convention.

It finds 52 percent of likely voters would vote for Mr. Bush if the election were held today. Forty-one percent would vote for Kerry, 3 percent for Ralph Nader. The survey has a margin of error of four percent and some say it reflects the normal bump that candidates get coming out of their conventions.

Now, as Republicans gathered in New York this week, I talked with the first President Bush about watching his son try to do something that he could not: win a second term in office.

We also talked about the war and the continuing violence in Iraq. You may have seen some of our conversation during our convention coverage. Tonight, though, we have more of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: Mr. President, great to see you.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH: Thank you, Paula.

ZAHN: Welcome to New York City.

BUSH: Nice to be here, I think.

ZAHN: You think?

BUSH: Yes.

ZAHN: You're not sure yet?

BUSH: Not positive, because I want to see this go well. I want to see our son get a fair shake in the news. And to the degree there are overwhelming demonstrations, that might not be possible.

So far, a lot of -- a lot of ink has been given to and tube time to the demonstrators, and I think that will change. But you can put yourself in my shoes for a minute as a father. I don't like it.

ZAHN: The president faces yet another very close election. And I know you've told me before one of the biggest mistakes you made in '92 was underestimating Bill Clinton's ability to connect with the American public.

What is it that the president should be worried about when it comes to John Kerry?

BUSH: Well, I think the president is connecting with the American people. I really do. He's facing extraordinary problems, of course.

But I don't worry -- I don't worry so much about John Kerry, who I've known forever, and his record is -- I don't think in keeping with the mood of the American people, the fourth most liberal man in the Senate and all of that.

So I think -- I think it's just the president being the president. And I think people will see that here. I think they have seen it in the past. He's been through extraordinary problems, and support is still solid for him.

So I guess it's just two agonizing months of campaigning, and we'll see what comes out of it.

ZAHN: This campaign has gotten very ugly. First lady Laura Bush over the weekend said she didn't think the swift boat ads were unfair, because she felt that her husband had been victimized by, in her words, millions of these negative 527 ads.

We have heard the amount of attacks on John Kerry and his war record, and his activities in Vietnam.

BUSH: Right.

ZAHN: What do you make of those ads?

BUSH: Well, I haven't seen the ads. I saw something on the run- up to the ads on -- And I must say, what I saw of these individuals, and there are quite a few of them, was rather compelling. But then people have gone in and said that they weren't telling the truth.

ZAHN: There have been a number of reports that have pointed out factual errors in these ads.

BUSH: Yes?

ZAHN: Your son has condemned all of the 527 ads, but not specifically the swift boat ads. Should he have?

BUSH: No. He's right to condemn the 527. Look, we have been victimized by this MoveOn.org, this slobby Michael Moore and all these people for months. And for months before the president started campaigning he was attacked by all kinds of people.

So you've got to get -- you know you can't have it both ways. And I'm not -- I don't know enough about the swift boat veterans. I think Kerry served honorably. But I don't know enough about him to say they're all liars.

All, every one of these men that are speaking up, are we saying they're liars? Is the press now condemning all of them? There's no truth to any of this? I don't know enough about it to know that.

So why not do what the president suggests, get rid of all of these 527s or 547s or whatever they are. Get them out of there, including the ones that have been brutalizing our son for months.

ZAHN: Let's come back to the issue of Iraq. You talked about the divisiveness this war has created in this country. Polls would show that Americans are increasingly concerned about what the exit strategy will be, increasingly concerned about the continuing loss of American life.

There is a perception out there among some American voters, though, that in part, the president went into Iraq to finish off the first Gulf War.

BUSH: Oh, that's bull. I'll clean it up for you. That is erroneous. It's not true.

The Gulf War was finished off properly. Make no mistake about it. We had an objective. That was to kick Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. We tried to do it diplomatically, tried to go to the U.N., tried everything. He wouldn't get out. We kicked him out. And we came home.

Ten years later, eight years later, after U.N. resolution after U.N. resolution was violated, the president felt he should take action. So it's a different circumstance.

And I don't think the president feels that the -- you know, that the war was unfinished. Now, the fact -- see, our goal was never to eliminate Saddam Hussein. That wasn't the goal. It wasn't to stay in Iraq. That wasn't a goal. It's not that goal today, incidentally.

So it's different times that -- I hear that criticism, and man, that's one thing that gets me really mad, that and "The New York Times."

ZAHN: But even the president admitted just several days ago that he had made a miscalculation in the post-war plan. Were you surprised by the strength of the insurgency movement in Iraq?

BUSH: Paula, you know something? I've spent the last four years as the father of the president. And I have vowed -- I've gone into more with you today than I intended.

But I vowed to stay out of any nuance of difference where some illustrious reporter could say, the president's father differs with him. I'd like to have done it from time to time, on something or another -- not this, but something or another. But I don't do it.

ZAHN: Would you like to tell us where those divisions existed?

BUSH: No, I wouldn't. I sit there and cuss at the TV set, tear up the newspaper and do all the things I've told kids they shouldn't do in their lives. But I'm entitled to do that now.

But I don't -- and the reason I do that is I do not want to say anything inferentially, marginally that can be used against the president. The division, the father says this. He should have listened to him. Same people that were saying I was wrong 10 years ago. They're now saying, well, he ought to listen to him. Come on, give me a break.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: And the former president has a lot more to say about his son, his son's critics and what it's like to be the father of a president when we come back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: You can discount what I've said because of the love of a father for his son. And this is something that's, you know, factored into other elections. Nobody's been in this shape since -- since the Adams.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: More now in my interview with the first President Bush. I sat down with him earlier this week, just as the Republican convention was getting under way. And among the many things we discussed was his son's treatment in the media.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: All right. Back to the issue of "The New York Times." You really believe the criticism in that paper has been all that different from what we've read in other papers across the country?

BUSH: Oh, yes.

ZAHN: How come?

BUSH: It's consistently liberal, consistently opposes the president on almost -- almost everything editorial. Most of their editorial comment on the op ed page is extraordinarily liberal.

And the thing that troubles me is that, in my opinion, their news columns are getting to show a certain bias. And there's a new way you do it now. Reporter's notebook. And then that gives you a little chance to be an advocate in the news column. Or Washington Whispers or something like that. And that relieves the order of objectivity -- objective reporting.

ZAHN: I know you have told me that when you see your son attacked, it hurts you more than it hurt you when you took hits as the president.

BUSH: Much more.

ZAHN: But do you really believe that the intensity or the volume of the criticism is any different than when you were president, or President Clinton served?

BUSH: Well, I think it is. But again, you can discount what I've said because of the love of a father for his son. And this is something that's, you know, factored into other elections. Nobody's been in this shape since the Adams.

So you've got to -- you've got to say this old guy is -- is colored in what he says or won't say, because of his heart-felt love for his son that results in unequivocal support, support without reservation.

And that's the kind of dad I am. I think he appreciates it. That's the kind of son he is.

And I don't care now. I can give you a few opinions on these things, but what matters to me is our son. And when I see some of these attacks on him, on his character I just -- I get so angry, I can't stand it. And Barbara says, "Stop listening to it. Turn it off. Don't read it."

But please understand, that's where I'm coming from.

ZAHN: I know you are very private about the kind of relationship you have with the president, the kind of conversations you have, period. Is there anything that you're comfortable sharing with us about any counsel you might provide? Particularly during these very challenging times. BUSH: No, there's not. We talk a lot. But there's no counsel. I would not share that with you.

But what I will share with you is the real George W. Bush compared to the posters and the editorial comments and the continuous denigration of a good man. And I know it, because I've lived with him -- the guy for years, watched him grow up, watched him mature, watched him fight some demons and come back strong.

This son of ours does not hold his finger up into the wind, "Hey which way is it going? What's the latest Fox poll or Pew out of Philadelphia say?"

Is this after consultation? Deliberation? He says, "This is what we're going to do." And I've seen that in his life long before he was president of the United States.

ZAHN: It is no secret that your son sort of enjoys the fact that some people have low expectations. Has that helped him?

BUSH: Well, I'll tell you something I've never understood. Here's a guy who graduated from a good university, Yale University. Here's a guy who did well at Harvard Business School. Here's a guy who built an extraordinarily successful business venture.

And yet he gets the rap from some of the comics and comedians that he's -- that he's going after his -- how bright he is. I mean, it's just pathetic, that kind of criticism.

But you get it. And the liberals rally around and sit around, these elite salons here and they sip their little dry sherries and talk to each other, how horrible George W. Bush the cowboy is.

When all along, our son connects with the American people. Maybe not on upper side here, Upper East Side, but he connects. And you watch and see.

In spite of huge problems that could divide anybody, divide any country, he connects in his integrity, in his honor and doing what he thinks is right.

ZAHN: How has the president grown during this presidency?

BUSH: He's taking a lot of hits, and he's still strong. And that is a test of character. And he-- he talked about restoring honor and integrity to the White House. He's done that. And I think that gives him strength.

People sometimes get on him about his faith. Just -- I read this book April of 19 -- 1865, I guess it was, about the last days of the -- the month of the war ended where Robert E. Lee surrendered and where -- where Lincoln was shot.

And in that book, it talked about Lincoln's reliance on God, public recognition of his faith. And I thought, you know, there's a parallel here. Some of these cynics can attack our son for his personal faith, but you ought to go back and read what Abraham Lincoln, going through something horrible, did about his faith.

And somebody once told me, "You can't be president of the United States," is what Lincoln said, "without spending some times on your knees in prayer." That's a lesson that our son knew before he became president.

And I think part of his real strength comes from belief in something far greater than himself. And he's not ashamed to say it. And he's not saying others should think it exactly the way he does.

But this helps. This helps. It's how do you get through tough times? Get on your knees and say a prayer.

ZAHN: Mr. President, thank you so much for your time.

BUSH: Thank you, Paula. Good questions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: We did that heading into the Republican National Convention.

We're going to turn back to our breaking story tonight with one final look at Hurricane Frances. It has battered the Bahamas. It is heading for Florida. That, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Time now to get an update on Hurricane Frances. John Zarrella joins us now from West Palm Beach, Florida.

It looks like a ghost town behind you, John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boy, Paula, I have never seen West Palm Beach like this ever before, and I've been here quite often over the years.

You can see down the street there, just absolutely deserted. Very few cars, if any.

Blustery winds all day here. We had a squall line move through here about 3:30 this afternoon, the only really bad weather we've had. And that squall line dumping some heavy rain on the area, some very gusty winds. In fact, down in Broward County, some reports of some trees -- some trees that were out.

And you can see here on this wind meter that we're holding up not much right now. The winds are only about seven, eight miles an hour, but earlier this evening we had them up to, oh, about 30 miles an hour at one point.

Gasoline is awfully hard to come by here, many gas stations completely out of gasoline. People trying to get the last drops.

Shelters have opened. There were 1,900 people in one shelter this morning here. And people, more of them pouring into the shelters tonight as they are getting ready for this very slow-moving hurricane that's expected to drop a lot of rain on us -- Paula.

ZAHN: John Zarrella, hope you seek higher ground there. Stay safe. Thanks for your update.

Just a reminder to all of you, please stay with CNN all weekend long for the very latest on Hurricane Frances. Fortunately, Frances has been downgraded to a Category Two hurricane, but as John just mentioned, there are a lot of big concerns in Florida about flooding, as well as these high winds.

Thanks so much for joining us tonight. We hope you all have a terrific Labor Day weekend. We'll be back here again next week. Good night.

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 3, 2004 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: An uneasy twilight settling over Florida tonight. Tomorrow, instead of the sun, something much more ominous will come over the eastern horizon.
You are looking at live pictures of a largely deserted West Palm Beach. A curfew has just now gone into effect. This area has seen more than its share of hurricanes and tropical storms. In 1995, Erin came close and Jerry hit. Irene came in the back way from the Gulf of Mexico in 1999. Now something more powerful is out in the Atlantic.

Hurricane Frances, a monster-sized storm, is swirling toward the Florida coast with 150-mile-an-hour sustained winds. Frances was just downgraded to a strong Category 2 storm. Exactly when and where it will hit and how powerful it will eventually be still not certain at this hour.

But here is a preview, pictures taken today as Frances battered the Bahamas. It is too soon to assess the damage there just yet. But Florida is taking no chances. Some two and a half million people have been ordered to leave their homes.

Now, during this hour, we will update the forecast, look over preparations and listen to the hopes and fears of some determined to ride out the storm, but more on Hurricane Frances in a moment and a little bit later on, the latest on former President Clinton, who checked into a New York hospital today with chest pains and is awaiting heart surgery.

But we begin tonight with what Russia is calling its 9/11. Explosions, gunfire and chaos, that was the beginning of the end today to the standoff at a school in southern Russia where hundreds of children, along with their parents and teachers, were being held hostage by terrorists demanding independence for Chechnya. Tonight, more than 200 people are dead, and the death toll is still climbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): It begins on Wednesday, the first day of the new school year in the town of Beslan. Heavily armed insurgents storm the local grade school, some with explosives strapped to their chests. Hundreds of children, parents and teachers are trapped inside the school's gym. Almost immediately there is gunfire between local police and the terrorists. And an unknown number of hostages are killed.

CNN's Ryan Chilcote describes the scene. RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The hostage takers are warning Russian authorities not to try and storm the building. They say that if the Russians try to storm the building to free the hostages, that they will blow the building up with all the hostages inside.

ZAHN: The terrorists also say that for every one of them killed, they will kill 50 children. Later, Russian troops and police surround the building. A handful of hostages manages to escape, some by hiding in the school's boiler room.

The troops settle in for a long wait. Day two, late afternoon, about 25 hostages are freed, including babies less than a year old. Reports say some women hostages released were forced to pick one of their children to leave behind. Hundreds still remain inside miserable conditions with temperatures reaching 100 degrees. The terrorists provide little water or food.

Reuters correspondent Paul Quinn-Judge reports.

PAUL QUINN-JUDGE, REUTERS: Neither side is showing any sign at this point of any compromise. As far as we know as well, the guerrillas have not had any substantive negotiations with the government side since the early hours of this morning, when they, we are told, turned off their cell phones and have not turned them on since.

There's been sporadic shooting in the course of the day. It rises and falls in its intensity. It seems to come mostly from the guerrillas when they're trying to move people back, if they think soldiers are moving closer.

ZAHN: Families continue to wait nearby for a breakthrough.

QUINN-JUDGE: The biggest tension comes from not knowing what's going on. What has not changed is just the sheer terror of knowing that you have somebody in that school being held by people who are ready to go right to the end in their fight with Moscow.

ZAHN: Day two ends with no resolution in sight. Today, early afternoon, two large explosions rock the school. There is confusion about what's going on inside. Russian commandos storm the building, responding to they say to terrorists shooting at hostages trying to escape. Gunfire erupts and smoke billows from the school, as bloodied and traumatized hostages escape from the building.

CHILCOTE: Russian forces were making their way through the school, clearing it room by room. There was two, maybe three dozen people standing outside the school with stretchers. And as the Russian soldiers would clear a room, they would bring the people in with the stretchers to collect the wounded and the dead. Then they would be brought to ambulances and whisked away. And it was like a conveyor belt of a sort of casualty collection point.

ZAHN: They run screaming through the streets, as families wait helpless, hoping their loved ones will emerge from the siege. Some are reunited. Some wait in vain. Many of the children are nearly naked, having shed their clothes in the extreme heat inside the school.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And joining us now on the phone from Beslan, Russia, Scott Peterson, Moscow bureau chief of "The Christian Science Monitor," who has been covering the siege from day one.

Thank you so much for being with us.

Before we get to the details of what you witnessed, can you give us any sense at all at what kind of death toll we might ultimately be looking at here?

SCOTT PETERSON, MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF, "THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR": Well, I think 200 is a fairly good place to start. I mean, how high it goes is not clear, because it's still not really entirely clear how many people were inside the school.

On day one, we heard that there were 132 hostages that were captured. Then that figure was pushed up to 350, 400 or so. And then now some of the hostages that are coming out are telling us that they've seen at least 1,500 hostages inside that building. It seems hard to imagine how they could all fit into the gym space where most of them were kept. But this is what their figure is. And they certainly had three days to count them.

ZAHN: Scott, those of us that are looking at the pictures for the first time are absolutely sickened by what we saw, particularly once the Russian forces stormed the building. Describe to us what you saw.

PETERSON: Well, I think what I saw was an incredible emotional roller-coaster ride that the people of this town experienced today. I mean, I think they were shocked to start with. The very fact that a raid of some nature was going on was a surprise to them, because the authorities said that they were not going to stage this kind of raid.

So of course we know it was actually sparked by some other events. The Russian officials decided to go in and deal with it. And basically what we saw were, as the first people in the first -- people began to emerge from the chaos, from the noise, from the confusion, also from the smoke and everything, I think the state of the bodies that came out and also the state of some of those who were wounded really shocked people to start with.

And I think a lot of it brought home to people the reality of this hostage situation, because it had been cordoned off for three days. And while people of course were mourning for their family members, unsure where they were or how safe they were, at least they were out of eyesight. When they really began to see the elements of their families coming out of the school, I think it really, really struck people.

And for some, of course, it was complete joy, because the child of theirs or their family members were alive, and for others it was real misery.

ZAHN: Scott, have you been able to talk with any of the survivors?

PETERSON: I've spoken to several of the survivors, including one woman at length who gave a very, very detailed description of kind of her emotions as this went through.

She was at the school with her 6-year-old boy. He was experiencing his first day of first grade. He was there also with his grandmother. So the three of them were there. And the mother described how she pushed her 6-year-old son and her mother out of a window while this whole chaos, just when it got going. There was a group of hostages that tried to escape. Pushed out of a window, they raced across and managed to get away.

This woman herself stayed inside. She really didn't have the strength. And, in fact, what was remarkable about her psychological state, a couple of hours later, she was still completely shell- shocked. She couldn't believe that she had gotten out. She couldn't believe that she was safe. She had been told that her son and her mother were alive, but she hadn't been able to see them either.

But she was really -- she was just so shell-shocked by this entire experience. None of it had settled in.

(CROSSTALK)

PETERSON: What had settled in was the fact that the day before, she had decided that it probably wasn't going to be worth living much longer.

ZAHN: And we are going to hear, I am sure, dozens more stories like that, particularly from some of the women who were forced by the hostage takers to make a choice about which child they fled with and which one they left behind with the hostage takers. It just makes you sick.

"Christian Science Monitor"'s Scott Peterson, thanks so much for the update.

Now we turn back to Hurricane Frances. The storm center is still 200 miles off Florida's east coast. But the first clouds and bands of rain are just starting to blow in.

My colleague Anderson Cooper is about halfway down Florida's east coast near Melbourne. He has the very latest for us there.

I see the winds starting to kick up there behind you, Anderson. What are people expecting?

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, every hour, it's been kicking up, the wind. We're on Melbourne Beach, which is a barrier island. We're just anticipating some rain here in about 10, 20 minutes. That will be the first band of the storm really reaching Melbourne Beach. The storm, as you know, has weakened to a strong Category 2. The winds are still above 110 miles an hour. That's the latest word we get from the National Weather Center.

But it is still a very strong storm. And people here are not taking any chances. This area has largely evacuated, mandatory evacuation in this county and some 16 counties or parts of 16 counties here in Florida. Voluntary evacuations in five other counties. There are long lines for gas. There's a shortage of gas. A lot of gas stations have shut down. Restaurants have shut down. Hotels have shut down. This place really is deserted.

There are just a few rescue personnel and some die-hard people who just refuse to leave still here. But it is really a ghost town, people not taking any chances. There are hundreds of shelters that have popped up and have opened throughout the state of Florida. Last night, some 21,000 people were in shelters operated by the American Red Cross.

The Red Cross tells us this is going to be their largest disaster response effort in their history to a natural disaster. But, again, with this storm weakening, it has slowed down now over the Bahamas. It's moving at under 10 miles per hour. So that is giving more time to residents here to prepare, to get out. And it is giving some hope to residents here that it will not build back up, as some had feared, that it will continue to slow down.

Still a lot of rain expected here, a lot of flooding expected here. And, as you know, Paula, often the most amount of deaths that occur in a hurricane are from flooding. It's not from the actual force of the winds. It's from flooding. It's also from people going out of their house afterward and getting electrocuted by downed power lines and such in water, Paula.

ZAHN: Well, we know you will be sensible tonight, won't you, my colleague Anderson?

COOPER: We certainly will. We'll try.

ZAHN: Stay safe. Thanks for the late update there.

Now, just three weeks ago, Florida officials suffered through the agonizing Hurricane Charley. But that certainly doesn't make this one any easier.

Joining me from Tallahassee is the state's lieutenant governor, Toni Jennings.

Thank you so much for being with us tonight.

Is there any sense of relief that this storm has been downgraded?

LT. GOV. TONI JENNINGS, FLORIDA: Well, always when a storm is downgraded, we are glad, because it's not nearly as devastating as it could have been.

But, again, we want to urge people to understand that a strong Category 2 can be very devastating. This is a big storm. It's got lots of rain in it. It's got lots of wind. And Charley, as it went through central Florida several weeks ago, was about 100 miles an hour and just did terrific damage all through the central part of the state and as it left the state. Charley did not have the rain associated with it that we know that Frances does.

So we're going to be plummeted and pelted with rain for long periods of time, which means there's going to be flooding as well as the wind damage. And we're urging people to understand, when we say evacuate, we mean for your safety's sake. And that's exactly -- seeing the live shot there from Melbourne. We understand a number have evacuated. That's important.

By tomorrow, it's going to be a little hard to leave. So we need to have those people leave now, because they're going to have lots more water and wind than they've ever seen before.

ZAHN: So this is the second time in three weeks your boss, Governor Jeb Bush, has called a state of emergency in your state. At this hour, what is your chief concern about the millions of people who are trying to seek shelter?

JENNINGS: Well, first and foremost, we want to make sure that they have found a safe, secure place to go and those who have been asked to evacuate have done so. There will be many who stay, because we've got some die-hard Floridians who say we've ridden through storms before; we'll do it again.

But we want to make sure that the safety and security of the person is the important part right now. Then we will move quickly to having that mass care after the storm moves through, the water, the ice, the food, the comfort stations that will need to go in. We'll have widespread loss of power, much as we did with Charley, because there will be lots of trees down due to the wind. And then from there, we will go to rebuilding, because there will be damage.

FEMA is here. Our federal partners have just been terrific. You heard earlier that this may be the largest Red Cross initiative that they've had for a very long time. And the Red Cross, United Way, Salvation Army will all be here to help.

ZAHN: Well, we wish you and everybody in your state tremendous luck tonight and we hope Frances continues to lose steam. Lieutenant Governor, thank you for your time.

JENNINGS: We do as well. Thank you.

ZAHN: On this very busy evening.

Now, as people play this horrific waiting game, folks in the Bahamas suffer the worst of the storm already.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hurricane Frances is finally here. We're feeling the effects of this powerful storm, Category 3, with the wind gusts of more than 125 miles per hour.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Could that be a glimpse of what's in store for Florida? More on Hurricane Frances when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIV DAVALOS, WFOR REPORTER: We are experiencing a very strong feeder band right now coming through. Just take a look at the ocean, the waves pretty high, very strong. There is a person who see here walking along the beach. He was just talked to by BSO deputies to get off the beach.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Just a glimpse of what it is like to be on hurricane duty in advance of the storm blowing into Florida. Hurricane Frances has forced the largest evacuation in Florida's history. Some 2.5 million people have been told to clear out. Now, for most, that means a trip to a shelter.

And while there are many terms to describe what that is like, as our Bruce Burkhardt shows us, fun is not one of them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fifty-seven hundred people are in shelters this morning. Around the state, nearly 100 shelters are open from Daytona Beach south to Miami.

BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The bent-over palm trees might get all the publicity, but this is as much as a part of the hurricane experience as anything else, the waiting. And with Frances and her stubborn ways inching slowly along, it's even worse. More time to wait means more time to worry.

(on camera): What about your house? Are you worried about your house?

(voice-over): The shelter here at Brevard Community College is nearly full with 1,000 people. Twin sisters Doris Bustamante (ph) and Frances Budin (ph), who's visiting from England, got here yesterday. They have time, time to worry about the cat they left at home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody would take him. And I couldn't bring him here. And I left a ton of food. He's a beautiful -- you know, Morris that used to be on TV? He's a second Morris.

BURKHARDT (on camera): What else can you do while you wait? Well, you can buy plywood, like these folks in line here at a Lowe's store in Rockledge, Florida. And even though they've got a 10-sheet- per-customer limit, they're going to run out before they get to the end of this line.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should have bought plywood three weeks ago and had it all cut in the garage.

BURKHARDT (voice-over): But elsewhere, time can be a good thing, time to fill up a few sandbags on the beach because the lines at the fire station were too long.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're playing in the sandbox today because we're bored.

BURKHARDT: And time to take advantage of waves that only come at times like this.

Time is a good thing, too, when you need to evacuate 85 patients from Wuesthoff Memorial Hospital in Rockledge to a newer, sturdier hospital in Melbourne. For a young mom, it's time to get to know her one-day-old daughter.

And what about politicians? Well, it's time to get rid of them, at least get rid of their signs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's still a lot of political signs that are stuck in the ground that are going to be projectiles in these winds.

BURKHARDT: Waiting and killing time, sometimes nearly as hard as going through the storm itself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: And that was our own Bruce Burkhardt reporting.

Some day, when everything has blown over and life is reasonably back to normal, one young couple will have quite a story to tell. Their Florida wedding was blown away by this hurricane. And in return for sharing their story with us, we have promised not to reveal their last names.

So right now, Jason and Dara join us by telephone from her parents' home in Boca Raton.

Thank you both for being with us tonight.

I know, Jason, you were supposed to be celebrating at a bachelor party at this hour. Instead, you are hunkered down with your in-laws, not quite what you expected, is it?

JASON, FLORIDA RESIDENT: Well, I would say not.

I don't know too many grooms who would be willing to give up their bachelor party to hang out with their in-laws for the evening. But, you know, I'm having fun. I'm having a good time.

ZAHN: I'm surprised to hear you say that. I thought you would have gone with option A.

Now, Dara, your fairy tale wedding had been pretty much paid for. How are you handling this turn of events?

DARA, FLORIDA RESIDENT: Well, I'm just happy that we're all together and my family's here with me and my future husband. And we're actually turning this into a big giant slumber party and having a great time.

ZAHN: Well, I hope you two behave, particularly with mom and dad around, Dara. Is this a test of your future commitment to each other and life throwing you curve balls?

JASON: Well, you know, you have to put it into perspective. And, you know, especially when we think about, you know, the stories that you've been showing with these, you know -- the suffering that these Russian families are going through and people whose homes were destroyed in Hurricane Charley, we're obviously disappointed, and, you know, it's a letdown, but I think if you put it into perspective, we're still -- we love each other. We're happy. And we're going to get married one way or the other. And, you know, that's really the bottom line.

ZAHN: So it's just not going to be this weekend, Dara, right?

DARA: It's just not going to be this weekend. But we're hoping to plan something again soon. And all our friends and family have been so supportive and helpful and wonderful and said they would try again. And that's what we're just hoping for.

ZAHN: Well, we thank you for letting us crash your slumber party, as you described it. And we hope you're able to recoup some of the investment you made in this wedding that's not going to happen this weekend. Best of luck to the two of you.

JASON: Thank you.

DARA: Thank you.

ZAHN: And, again, thanks for sharing your story with us tonight.

JASON: You're welcome.

DARA: Thank you.

ZAHN: Hurricane Frances up close and personal. We're going to fly you over the eye of the storm when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Hurricane Frances, although downgraded to a Category 2 storm, still bearing down on the Florida coast at this hour. The best way to measure the strength of it is still the hard way, get into a plane and fly as close as you dare.

Our meteorologist Orelon Sidney has done just that. She flew with the experts and brought along a camera to share the experience with all of us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): It's dark. It's really dark. And I'm wide awake. That's surprising, given the fact that this is way past my bedtime. That's what the fear of impending doom will do with you.

I'm at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, to meet up with an elite of weather warriors, those who hunt hurricanes. After some final preparations, not to mention a few prayers, we take off on an eight-hour air mission to rendezvous with an old windbag named Frances.

The group of scientists/pilots/engineers are made up from both military and civilian ranks. These folks put it all on the line in order to better understand hurricanes, but also to help save people's lives. Even so, it's sometimes hard to leave the ground.

(on camera): What does your family think about you flying around in hurricanes all the time?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They think I'm a little bit crazy on it. But they understand it's something I really enjoy and am fascinated with. It just -- it's a little -- it becomes a little more personal when the storm starts threatening your family, because all of my family is in southeast Florida. And this particular storm is a big concern.

In addition to me helping out here, I'm calling right before the flight to make sure my family's ready to deal with the hurricane.

SIDNEY (voice-over): Most people think of this hurricane flight as bumpy and dangerous. But this high-altitude mission flies over most of the weather. The weather from Atlanta to Tampa was rougher than this one. So much for impending doom.

(on camera): The most important element of this flight is the release of these skinny tubes known as dropsondes, a sophisticated science lab in an oversize Tootsie Roll wrap. By the way, these Tootsie Rolls cost over 600 bucks apiece.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why this is called the dropsonde. The original sondes were balloon sondes. They go up and then actually back down.

SIDNEY (voice-over): Twenty-three dropsondes will be released on this mission. They will sample the atmosphere around Frances to help fill holes in the data needed by the National Hurricane Center.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's got a little parachute in it, almost like a little drag chute that comes out of the top. And then it has a pressure sensor in it for atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction.

SIDNEY: GPS and radio links get that information back on board. After being reviewed by these experts, the data then gets sent to the National Hurricane Center to be included in their forecast models, all of this to assist people on the ground make the most vital of calls, should I stay or should I go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This storm which we've been seen go from different eye cycles, but generally get stronger and stronger over the last almost week, it seems like, finally has had something that's disrupted its structure, has started to go downhill a little bit. The problem is, we don't know if it's a temporary 24-hour bug it has or whether it's really on the decline.

SIDNEY: Really, only Frances knows that. And she plays close to the vest. I can tell you this. From here, she's really beautiful. Just don't get too close.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: We are all collectively praying she gets the 48-hour bug, old Frances. That was CNN meteorologist or Orelon Sidney.

We're going to keep you updated on Hurricane Frances throughout the night, but there was other important news today, former President Bill Clinton awaiting heart surgery at a New York City hospital.

We'll have that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Former President Bill Clinton is in a New York hospital tonight awaiting heart bypass surgery. Senator Hillary Clinton told us the operation will be done sometime early next week.

The former president checked himself into New York's Presbyterian Hospital today after experiencing mild chest pains and shortness of breath yesterday. While the former president has been known for his sprawling appetites, he heads into surgery with several factors on his side.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): President Bill Clinton was a jogger, robust, and though his weight went up and down, his doctors regularly declared him fit.

But there were always those Big Mac attacks. And in recent years, there were reports of high cholesterol. He decided to go on a diet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You look a little thinner.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm a little thinner.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What have you been doing?

B. CLINTON: I work out a lot. And I went on the South Beach Diet for a while. That helped. But the combination, I have -- I have a wonderful man who comes in two or three times a week and we work out.

You know, when you get older, you've got to really watch it. It's hard. The older I get, the harder it is.

ZAHN: And sometime late this week in Chappaqua, New York, our 42nd president began feeling chest pains. He canceled a visit to the New York state fair with his wife and wound up in the hospital instead. Bill Clinton has heart problems.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: They did advise him to have bypass surgery, and to do it as soon -- as soon as he could.

ZAHN: His wife rushed to his side in a car with dark windows.

H. CLINTON: My husband is doing very well. He's in great humor. He's beating all of us at cards and the rest of the games we're playing. He's going to be fine. And he will be back in fighting form before, really, very long.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: We're going to get More now on former President Clinton's medical condition. I'm joined by Dr. Joseph Cunningham. He is chairman of cardiothoracic surgery here at Maimonides Medical Center here in New York.

Good to see you. Welcome.

DR. JOSEPH CUNNINGHAM, MAIMONIDES MEDICAL CENTER: Thank you.

ZAHN: Are we to read anything into the surgery needing to be done as soon as possible?

CUNNINGHAM: I think it indicates that he has fairly severe blockages in his coronaries, and his physicians probably felt that the sooner, better than rather than later.

ZAHN: How dangerous of a surgery is bypass surgery?

CUNNINGHAM: In general, it's fairly low risk, although a complicated procedure. In President Clinton's situation the risk really should be well less than one percent.

ZAHN: And by that, you mean once they get in there, and there isn't any terribly complicated procedure, he should be out and walking in, what, five, six days?

CUNNINGHAM: I think he'll probably be out of the hospital in five or six days, and back to regular socioeconomic activities in a very brief period of time.

ZAHN: And what is your chief concern as a surgeon when you go in and do bypass surgery? What can go wrong?

CUNNINGHAM: There's always the unknown. I just said that the risk was very low. But we always worry about some untoward event that might occur, a tear in an artery, a surprise that we didn't see on an angiogram. And so we're already -- always prepared for those eventualities.

ZAHN: I guess the other thing we've learned is the president has been struggling with some pretty high cholesterol levels recently, which I think a lot of us were surprised by, because we've literally watched him shrink before our eyes over the last five, six months.

How much do you think that contributed to what the president faces?

CUNNINGHAM: In the short term, probably very little. But this, as you know, this is a process that takes 10, 15, 20 years to occur. But there's certainly no reason to have high cholesterol in this day and time with the news drugs that are available.

ZAHN: I guess the one thing we can all learn from the president's experiences, what, when you experience any kind of unusual chest pains, or any sort of numbing in your arms, you need to pay attention to it.

CUNNINGHAM: You should listen to your body.

ZAHN: Thank you for the house call and the free one at that.

CUNNINGHAM: My pleasure.

ZAHN: Appreciate it.

We're going to move on to politics right now, and my provocative interview with another former president, George Herbert Walker Bush.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Welcome back.

A "TIME" magazine poll tonight finds President Bush opening up a clear lead over John Kerry for the first time in this presidential race. The poll was conducted on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week before the president's acceptance speech at the Republican convention.

It finds 52 percent of likely voters would vote for Mr. Bush if the election were held today. Forty-one percent would vote for Kerry, 3 percent for Ralph Nader. The survey has a margin of error of four percent and some say it reflects the normal bump that candidates get coming out of their conventions.

Now, as Republicans gathered in New York this week, I talked with the first President Bush about watching his son try to do something that he could not: win a second term in office.

We also talked about the war and the continuing violence in Iraq. You may have seen some of our conversation during our convention coverage. Tonight, though, we have more of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: Mr. President, great to see you.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH: Thank you, Paula.

ZAHN: Welcome to New York City.

BUSH: Nice to be here, I think.

ZAHN: You think?

BUSH: Yes.

ZAHN: You're not sure yet?

BUSH: Not positive, because I want to see this go well. I want to see our son get a fair shake in the news. And to the degree there are overwhelming demonstrations, that might not be possible.

So far, a lot of -- a lot of ink has been given to and tube time to the demonstrators, and I think that will change. But you can put yourself in my shoes for a minute as a father. I don't like it.

ZAHN: The president faces yet another very close election. And I know you've told me before one of the biggest mistakes you made in '92 was underestimating Bill Clinton's ability to connect with the American public.

What is it that the president should be worried about when it comes to John Kerry?

BUSH: Well, I think the president is connecting with the American people. I really do. He's facing extraordinary problems, of course.

But I don't worry -- I don't worry so much about John Kerry, who I've known forever, and his record is -- I don't think in keeping with the mood of the American people, the fourth most liberal man in the Senate and all of that.

So I think -- I think it's just the president being the president. And I think people will see that here. I think they have seen it in the past. He's been through extraordinary problems, and support is still solid for him.

So I guess it's just two agonizing months of campaigning, and we'll see what comes out of it.

ZAHN: This campaign has gotten very ugly. First lady Laura Bush over the weekend said she didn't think the swift boat ads were unfair, because she felt that her husband had been victimized by, in her words, millions of these negative 527 ads.

We have heard the amount of attacks on John Kerry and his war record, and his activities in Vietnam.

BUSH: Right.

ZAHN: What do you make of those ads?

BUSH: Well, I haven't seen the ads. I saw something on the run- up to the ads on -- And I must say, what I saw of these individuals, and there are quite a few of them, was rather compelling. But then people have gone in and said that they weren't telling the truth.

ZAHN: There have been a number of reports that have pointed out factual errors in these ads.

BUSH: Yes?

ZAHN: Your son has condemned all of the 527 ads, but not specifically the swift boat ads. Should he have?

BUSH: No. He's right to condemn the 527. Look, we have been victimized by this MoveOn.org, this slobby Michael Moore and all these people for months. And for months before the president started campaigning he was attacked by all kinds of people.

So you've got to get -- you know you can't have it both ways. And I'm not -- I don't know enough about the swift boat veterans. I think Kerry served honorably. But I don't know enough about him to say they're all liars.

All, every one of these men that are speaking up, are we saying they're liars? Is the press now condemning all of them? There's no truth to any of this? I don't know enough about it to know that.

So why not do what the president suggests, get rid of all of these 527s or 547s or whatever they are. Get them out of there, including the ones that have been brutalizing our son for months.

ZAHN: Let's come back to the issue of Iraq. You talked about the divisiveness this war has created in this country. Polls would show that Americans are increasingly concerned about what the exit strategy will be, increasingly concerned about the continuing loss of American life.

There is a perception out there among some American voters, though, that in part, the president went into Iraq to finish off the first Gulf War.

BUSH: Oh, that's bull. I'll clean it up for you. That is erroneous. It's not true.

The Gulf War was finished off properly. Make no mistake about it. We had an objective. That was to kick Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. We tried to do it diplomatically, tried to go to the U.N., tried everything. He wouldn't get out. We kicked him out. And we came home.

Ten years later, eight years later, after U.N. resolution after U.N. resolution was violated, the president felt he should take action. So it's a different circumstance.

And I don't think the president feels that the -- you know, that the war was unfinished. Now, the fact -- see, our goal was never to eliminate Saddam Hussein. That wasn't the goal. It wasn't to stay in Iraq. That wasn't a goal. It's not that goal today, incidentally.

So it's different times that -- I hear that criticism, and man, that's one thing that gets me really mad, that and "The New York Times."

ZAHN: But even the president admitted just several days ago that he had made a miscalculation in the post-war plan. Were you surprised by the strength of the insurgency movement in Iraq?

BUSH: Paula, you know something? I've spent the last four years as the father of the president. And I have vowed -- I've gone into more with you today than I intended.

But I vowed to stay out of any nuance of difference where some illustrious reporter could say, the president's father differs with him. I'd like to have done it from time to time, on something or another -- not this, but something or another. But I don't do it.

ZAHN: Would you like to tell us where those divisions existed?

BUSH: No, I wouldn't. I sit there and cuss at the TV set, tear up the newspaper and do all the things I've told kids they shouldn't do in their lives. But I'm entitled to do that now.

But I don't -- and the reason I do that is I do not want to say anything inferentially, marginally that can be used against the president. The division, the father says this. He should have listened to him. Same people that were saying I was wrong 10 years ago. They're now saying, well, he ought to listen to him. Come on, give me a break.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: And the former president has a lot more to say about his son, his son's critics and what it's like to be the father of a president when we come back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: You can discount what I've said because of the love of a father for his son. And this is something that's, you know, factored into other elections. Nobody's been in this shape since -- since the Adams.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: More now in my interview with the first President Bush. I sat down with him earlier this week, just as the Republican convention was getting under way. And among the many things we discussed was his son's treatment in the media.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: All right. Back to the issue of "The New York Times." You really believe the criticism in that paper has been all that different from what we've read in other papers across the country?

BUSH: Oh, yes.

ZAHN: How come?

BUSH: It's consistently liberal, consistently opposes the president on almost -- almost everything editorial. Most of their editorial comment on the op ed page is extraordinarily liberal.

And the thing that troubles me is that, in my opinion, their news columns are getting to show a certain bias. And there's a new way you do it now. Reporter's notebook. And then that gives you a little chance to be an advocate in the news column. Or Washington Whispers or something like that. And that relieves the order of objectivity -- objective reporting.

ZAHN: I know you have told me that when you see your son attacked, it hurts you more than it hurt you when you took hits as the president.

BUSH: Much more.

ZAHN: But do you really believe that the intensity or the volume of the criticism is any different than when you were president, or President Clinton served?

BUSH: Well, I think it is. But again, you can discount what I've said because of the love of a father for his son. And this is something that's, you know, factored into other elections. Nobody's been in this shape since the Adams.

So you've got to -- you've got to say this old guy is -- is colored in what he says or won't say, because of his heart-felt love for his son that results in unequivocal support, support without reservation.

And that's the kind of dad I am. I think he appreciates it. That's the kind of son he is.

And I don't care now. I can give you a few opinions on these things, but what matters to me is our son. And when I see some of these attacks on him, on his character I just -- I get so angry, I can't stand it. And Barbara says, "Stop listening to it. Turn it off. Don't read it."

But please understand, that's where I'm coming from.

ZAHN: I know you are very private about the kind of relationship you have with the president, the kind of conversations you have, period. Is there anything that you're comfortable sharing with us about any counsel you might provide? Particularly during these very challenging times. BUSH: No, there's not. We talk a lot. But there's no counsel. I would not share that with you.

But what I will share with you is the real George W. Bush compared to the posters and the editorial comments and the continuous denigration of a good man. And I know it, because I've lived with him -- the guy for years, watched him grow up, watched him mature, watched him fight some demons and come back strong.

This son of ours does not hold his finger up into the wind, "Hey which way is it going? What's the latest Fox poll or Pew out of Philadelphia say?"

Is this after consultation? Deliberation? He says, "This is what we're going to do." And I've seen that in his life long before he was president of the United States.

ZAHN: It is no secret that your son sort of enjoys the fact that some people have low expectations. Has that helped him?

BUSH: Well, I'll tell you something I've never understood. Here's a guy who graduated from a good university, Yale University. Here's a guy who did well at Harvard Business School. Here's a guy who built an extraordinarily successful business venture.

And yet he gets the rap from some of the comics and comedians that he's -- that he's going after his -- how bright he is. I mean, it's just pathetic, that kind of criticism.

But you get it. And the liberals rally around and sit around, these elite salons here and they sip their little dry sherries and talk to each other, how horrible George W. Bush the cowboy is.

When all along, our son connects with the American people. Maybe not on upper side here, Upper East Side, but he connects. And you watch and see.

In spite of huge problems that could divide anybody, divide any country, he connects in his integrity, in his honor and doing what he thinks is right.

ZAHN: How has the president grown during this presidency?

BUSH: He's taking a lot of hits, and he's still strong. And that is a test of character. And he-- he talked about restoring honor and integrity to the White House. He's done that. And I think that gives him strength.

People sometimes get on him about his faith. Just -- I read this book April of 19 -- 1865, I guess it was, about the last days of the -- the month of the war ended where Robert E. Lee surrendered and where -- where Lincoln was shot.

And in that book, it talked about Lincoln's reliance on God, public recognition of his faith. And I thought, you know, there's a parallel here. Some of these cynics can attack our son for his personal faith, but you ought to go back and read what Abraham Lincoln, going through something horrible, did about his faith.

And somebody once told me, "You can't be president of the United States," is what Lincoln said, "without spending some times on your knees in prayer." That's a lesson that our son knew before he became president.

And I think part of his real strength comes from belief in something far greater than himself. And he's not ashamed to say it. And he's not saying others should think it exactly the way he does.

But this helps. This helps. It's how do you get through tough times? Get on your knees and say a prayer.

ZAHN: Mr. President, thank you so much for your time.

BUSH: Thank you, Paula. Good questions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: We did that heading into the Republican National Convention.

We're going to turn back to our breaking story tonight with one final look at Hurricane Frances. It has battered the Bahamas. It is heading for Florida. That, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Time now to get an update on Hurricane Frances. John Zarrella joins us now from West Palm Beach, Florida.

It looks like a ghost town behind you, John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boy, Paula, I have never seen West Palm Beach like this ever before, and I've been here quite often over the years.

You can see down the street there, just absolutely deserted. Very few cars, if any.

Blustery winds all day here. We had a squall line move through here about 3:30 this afternoon, the only really bad weather we've had. And that squall line dumping some heavy rain on the area, some very gusty winds. In fact, down in Broward County, some reports of some trees -- some trees that were out.

And you can see here on this wind meter that we're holding up not much right now. The winds are only about seven, eight miles an hour, but earlier this evening we had them up to, oh, about 30 miles an hour at one point.

Gasoline is awfully hard to come by here, many gas stations completely out of gasoline. People trying to get the last drops.

Shelters have opened. There were 1,900 people in one shelter this morning here. And people, more of them pouring into the shelters tonight as they are getting ready for this very slow-moving hurricane that's expected to drop a lot of rain on us -- Paula.

ZAHN: John Zarrella, hope you seek higher ground there. Stay safe. Thanks for your update.

Just a reminder to all of you, please stay with CNN all weekend long for the very latest on Hurricane Frances. Fortunately, Frances has been downgraded to a Category Two hurricane, but as John just mentioned, there are a lot of big concerns in Florida about flooding, as well as these high winds.

Thanks so much for joining us tonight. We hope you all have a terrific Labor Day weekend. We'll be back here again next week. Good night.

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