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CNN Saturday Morning News

A Report on Damage From Hurricane Ivan; A Look at Career of Barry Bonds

Aired September 18, 2004 - 07:00   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.


BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning from the CNN Center here in Atlanta.
This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

It is September 18.

7:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 4:00 a.m. out West.

Good morning.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Drew Griffin.

Thanks for being with us this morning.

The latest news now.

The Arab network Al Jazeera says video it's airing this morning shows three Western hostages in Iraq. This is the Baghdad home where insurgents seized those two Americans and one British citizen two days ago. CNN is not confirming whether the hostage video being shown on Al Jazeera is authentic. Al Jazeera says an Islamic militant group threatening to kill the hostages unless female Iraqi prisoners are freed.

Pressuring Saddam, that is the issue the U.N. Security Council takes up later today. It's voting on whether to put sanctions on the African nation's oil industry if the government doesn't move to end the ethnic violence in the Darfur region. The violence has sparked a humanitarian crisis there.

Tropical storm Jeanne, top winds of 45 miles an hour now, lumbering along through the Caribbean in the general direction of the Bahamas. Jeanne is blamed for five deaths in the Dominican Republic. And the remnants of one time hurricane Ivan are bringing floods to the eastern U.S., leaving behind death and destruction in several states. We're going to have live coverage from the Gulf Coast to the mountains of North Carolina this morning.

San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds did it. He hit his 700th home run -- here it is -- last night against San Diego. He joins Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth in the exclusive 700 home run club. Bonds' 5-year-old daughter Aisha had this comment: "My dad is the best player." NGUYEN: What a great scene.

Now here's what's coming up this hour.

Rubble and ruin, worry and woe -- this is the scene across Alabama's coast after hurricane Ivan raked the state. Anxious residents are surveying the damage this morning and, of course, so are we.

Also...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANTE ZAPPALA, SOLDIER'S BROTHER: There's a certain irony that he has pressed the National Guard into combat duty when he himself used the National Guard as a way to avoid combat duty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Putting the past on guard -- these military families gather in Las Vegas, as did a group of National Guardsmen. Both have some strong thoughts on the war from 30 years ago, as well as the war raging today.

And Macaulay Culkin might have wished he'd stayed home alone. The actor if out of jail this morning after police say they busted him with drugs. We'll have those details.

GRIFFIN: Our top story this morning, the destruction of hurricane Ivan, now a tropical depression. Ivan blowing, raining, flooding and hopefully wearing itself out on its journey toward northern New England. It is leaving behind 24 deaths in five states, including eight in North Carolina, half of those from a mud slide. Ivan knocked out power to a million and a half homes and businesses across the Southeast. Preliminary damage estimates range from $2 billion to $10 billion, a wide range there, much of it in Florida, still reeling from hurricanes Charley and Frances.

Governor Bob Riley toured areas of Alabama hit hardest by hurricane Ivan, including Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, where the big storm made landfall Thursday morning. Riley said he was absolutely shocked at the devastation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV BOB RILEY (R), ALABAMA: Everything that you see here, from the taller building all the way down, all of these beach houses are going to have to be totally demolished because the foundation has been eroded. They're beginning to lean one way or the other. So everything that you see here has got to be destroyed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nineteen...

RILEY: You think water is not powerful? Ah! Look at that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I don't... RILEY: It looks like a pretty nice convertible at one time. I just wonder how long it -- how far it floated. It looks like everything here is going to be totally ruined. Alabama doesn't have -- no state has the resources -- Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, any one -- to be able to compensate for all this damage.

When it comes to infrastructure, like this road, like these bridges, I-10 that we're going to fly over in just a minute, no, we have to have federal help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Look at that road.

RILEY: Stay in. We'll let him do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get down here, folks.

RILEY: That little trailer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where do go (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?

RILEY: This is the first time in my lifetime we've had anything like this occur. So there's no question we not only need to build back, we need to build back as soon as we can.

This is the most beautiful beach in America, if not in the world. We're going to build it back better, more beautiful than it's ever been. The beach is still here. It's still one of the most beautiful places in the world. What we've got to do is just come back and put it back together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: It's going to be a long road. Many residents aren't allowed to check on their coastal homes yet. Officials say still just too dangerous out there.

NGUYEN: In nearby Pensacola, Florida, there's also talk of rebuilding. But it's hard to decide where to start. And the shock has yet to wear off in the Panhandle.

CNN's Chris Lawrence was in Pensacola when Ivan pushed ashore and he's still there -- good morning, Chris.

It appears the work, well, it's still beginning.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Betty.

We're exactly about three days out now from when Ivan made landfall here in Pensacola and it's still shocking to see exactly how much damage it caused. When Drew mentioned that billions of dollars in damage estimated, you can certainly see why when you see the condition of some of the buildings here.

I mean, you can take a look at this. This is right down in one of the main parts of a shipping district in Pensacola. This was a very, very extremely big building, I mean a large structure, a three story, very solid building. It was a clothing store of some kind. And you can see, it was virtually ripped to shreds. You can see the bricks that have just totally been destroyed pouring out here onto the street.

But this is just one example. As you go around Pensacola to the beach areas, to the neighborhoods, you'll see widespread destruction. We know that 2,000 Florida National Guard members have been mobilized. We know that President Bush is making his third visit now to a hurricane area since last month. He'll be here tomorrow.

Now, the insurance estimates across the Gulf Coast are putting the damage estimate at between $2 billion and $10 billion in damage. Just to give you some perspective with that, hurricanes Charley and Frances combined were between $11 billion and $13 billion.

Now, right now the power situation here in Florida, about 400,000 homes and businesses are still without power. That's down about 40,000 from the day before. So they are making some progress when it comes to getting the power back on. But still, as we drive around here around Pensacola, it's completely in the dark. No power. Very little spotty running water. And telephone service is not very good at all right now -- Betty.

NGUYEN: At least a little bit of progress is being made.

Thank you, Chris Lawrence, in Pensacola this morning -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: This disaster continuing even as the clean up begins there in Pensacola. Flooding in Tennessee is now a problem. Add to that the disasters, as Chris mentioned, left behind by hurricanes Charley and Frances, it leads to the crucial question, is there enough help for everyone who's been affected?

That is one thing we want to find out now from Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

He is becoming, unfortunately, a regular on this weekend morning show.

And he today joins us from Birmingham, Alabama.

Thank you for joining us once again, Mr. Brown, to talk about yet another disaster.

MICHAEL BROWN, FEMA DIRECTOR: Yes.

GRIFFIN: At what point does this become too much for your agency?

BROWN: Well, it doesn't become too much for us. We are drawing resources from all over the country. We have plenty of manpower. We have plenty of equipment. And thanks to President Bush, we're going to have plenty of financial resources, too.

So we're ready to take on these storms. It's just that our hearts go out to all these victims that now extend all the way from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina. I mean Ivan is just awful.

GRIFFIN: Mr. Brown, I wanted to ask you about insurance and the insurance industry. Chris Lawrence reported $11 billion to $13 billion in damage from Charley and Frances. Add to that a possible another $10 billion here.

Is the insurance industry holding up its end of the bargain?

BROWN: Well, I think they will. I think you'll see that they have plenty of reserves. I'm certain that they will go back in and reevaluate what they're doing in some of these states. And so we need -- well, I'm certain everyone will be watching that very carefully.

But I think right now the insurance companies are in good shape.

GRIFFIN: Over the next week or so, as people begin to get back into their homes and see the damage, what are they supposed to do, sir, in terms of getting federal help?

BROWN: Well, the most important thing people can do in any of these states affected by Ivan where the president has declared a disaster is to call the FEMA hotline number. That's 1-800-621-FEMA. That's the only way to start the financial process. Now, we'll certainly take care of them on the ground in terms of meals and some shelter and things like that. But for the financial assistance, they must call that telephone number.

GRIFFIN: We talked earlier about having enough resources on your end.

Are you running out of people, though? You have your workers with Charley and Frances down in lower Florida. Now you've got this area of Pensacola and the Panhandle and the disaster is continuing even as we have this conversation, sir, up into the Tennessee areas.

At what point are you going to have to call on even more people to come into the area and process all this information?

BROWN: Well, we're going to start -- we've already starting calling in additional troops that we have available to us -- the Coast Guard auxiliary, President Bush's Citizen Corps program. They will be doing the kinds of things that doesn't require any sort of expertise in terms of response and recovery.

Now, I want to assure the American public that in terms of the teams that we have to do life saving missions, to do life sustaining missions, the kinds of things that we have to do to process the phone calls, to make sure the checks are cut, all of those things we have plenty of resources, plenty of people.

The smartest thing, the best thing the American public can do for us to help us is to write a check to one of their favorite charitable organizations so that they can make a contribution to these hurricane victims. Don't worry about us. We're fine. But try to help those that could help the others with maybe some food and some meals and that sort of thing. GRIFFIN: Mr. Brown, thank you for joining us and thank you for the encouraging words that there is help on the way to these areas. And no offense, but we hope we don't have to interview you next week.

BROWN: I hope that's true, too.

Thanks.

GRIFFIN: Thanks a lot, sir.

As some states look forward to relief, others dealing with what Ivan has left behind. The storm still creeping across the East Coast, affecting parts of the Midwest and even some New England states. In Ohio, high waters and even higher worries. The passing storm dropping heavy rains on Ohio's eastern and southern parts. Almost 11,000 people are without power. And floodwaters have stranded 115 children and their teachers in Amesville. They all had to spend the night at school.

In Virginia, Ivan spawned tornadoes that snapped tall trees, tossed cars around like toys. Up to 30 tornadoes reportedly touched down in the state, destroying six homes.

In eastern Tennessee, downtown Spring City took a massive hit. Take a look. Officials say about 50 homes destroyed, some of them washed into nearby lakes.

And in North Carolina, officials say the high waters have caused the deaths of eight people. One hundred and seventy thousand people are without power.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only thing that's left in the kitchen is the granite countertops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Ivan leaves nothing behind for this Florida couple. So what do you when your dreams and everything you own are washed away. Their story later on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: And what happened 30 years ago is history. But what does the National Guard have to say about one of their own? Find out, later this hour.

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Orelon Sidney.

This, the remnants of Ivan, moving across New England for today. Rapidly moving out, which is excellent news. And there's also finally some good news from the tropics.

We'll talk about that in just a few moments.

CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Stories across America today.

A 17-year-old Michigan student arraigned for allegedly plotting a Columbine style massacre at a suburban Detroit high school. Threats posted on the Internet led police to his home, where they found pipe bombs, guns and ammunition. The boy's father and another man also face charges in this case. Police do say no other students appear to have been involved.

Near Dayton, Ohio, Air Force Two departed Wright Patterson Air Base this morning after making an unscheduled stop there last night. Vice President Dick Cheney, on his way home from a campaign event in Oregon, his flight delayed by stormy weather from tropical storm Ivan.

In Tampa, Florida, a utility crew is blamed for hitting a water main, which eventually caused that -- a large sink hole beneath the street. A mother and her two children rescued from that van when the pavement gave way.

And in Atlantic City, tonight is Miss. America pageant. The annual event kicked off last night with a parade in which the contestants showed off their fancy footwear. They'll be showing off something else tonight. Organizers looking to spice things up this year by allowing even skimpier bikinis in the swimsuit competition.

NGUYEN: Wow.

GRIFFIN: Well, should we call her Miss. Athens? Don't miss Olympic all around champ Carly Patterson. She's going to join us live here in the studio at 9:00 this morning on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: And speaking of sports, in major league baseball, there is an exclusive club that until last night only had two members. Now, baseball fans wonder if its newest member, Barry Bonds, will one day be in a league of his own.

Here's Michelle Bonner of CNN Sports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MICHELLE BONNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and now Barry Bonds. Those are the only three players in major league history to hit 700 career home runs. And now Bonds has positioned himself to pass the Babe's 714 home runs with an eye on Aaron's all time record of 755.

BARRY BONDS, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: You really can't put it in words to be in a class with, you know, those two great players, who are Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth. And you just, I mean it's like you're, you know, you're dreaming and you're not dreaming and, you know, it's unbelievable.

HANK AARON, 755 CAREER HOME RUNS: Records are made to be broken. You know, I mean that's a known fact. I mean if you have a record, eventually somebody's going to come along and break it. TOM GLAVINE, NEW YORK METS PITCHER: Assuming all things stay the way they are and he stays healthy, then I think the only reason he wouldn't do it would be that he didn't want to and he retires.

BONNER: Who's the best to ever play the game is a question that is always answered with names like Mays, Ruth and Aaron. In the future, Bonds will be included.

JOHN DONOVAN, SI.COM SENIOR WRITER: He's been a batting champion. He hit 73 home runs one year. He's getting on base in an unprecedented clip this year. His slugging percentage is other worldly. You could make a real good argument, and I'm not sure if I would, but somebody could make a real good argument that Barry Bonds is the best player ever.

BONNER: The six time NLNVPs numbers are even more astounding when taking into account that many teams do not pitch to him. Consider that during his entire career, Hank Aaron was intentionally walked 293 times, while Bonds has been walked more than 100 times this year alone.

Although exasperating at times, Bonds refuses to let the walks get to him.

BONDS: You have to have respect for the game of baseball regardless of what's going on out there. I mean everybody is there trying to do the best they can and to win for their team regardless. And you get into a situation that you need to walk someone, you walk them to help your team win.

So you don't lose any respect for anybody that does that. You know, that's part of baseball. It's always been part of the game and it will continue being part of the game.

BONNER: Earlier this year, his trainer and nutritionists were indicted in connection with a steroid investigation. But Bonds has repeatedly denied using steroids. And even with that dark cloud hovering around the 40-year-old, Bonds continues to produce in the twilight of his career, which begs the question can he hit 800 home runs?

For CNN Sports, I'm Michelle Bonner.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

GRIFFIN: In Oklahoma, Macaulay Culkin out of jail this morning. We're going to tell you what got him in.

And Madonna causing a storm in the Mideast. Find out why when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right, if you haven't been able to keep up with the news this week, that's what we are here for. It is time to "Rewind." Anti-depressants should be packaged with the strongest warning possible because they can increase the risk of suicide among children using them. That was the conclusion Tuesday from two FDA advisory committees. More clinical trials were also recommended.

Martha Stewart says she wants to begin her prison sentence while still appealing her conviction. Stewart was sentenced in July to five months in prison and five months of house arrest after being convicted on charges stemming from a December 2001 stock sale.

And National Intelligence Estimate lays out some possible scenarios for a post-war Iraq, including the prospect of internal conflict, increased violence and even civil war.

And take action now -- that's what the U.N. secretary general, Kofi Annan, told the Security Council about a U.S.-led draft resolution on Sudan. That resolution demands the Sudanese government stop the violence in the Darfur region, where tens of thousands of civilians have been killed. And it also called for action on an official inquiry into whether genocide has occurred in Darfur.

Now, tomorrow we will fast forward to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

GRIFFIN: Keeping up with the weather this week has been the job that Orelon Sidney has tackled.

NGUYEN: Nice job.

GRIFFIN: And she's got a big job this morning, too -- Orelon.

SIDNEY: Good morning.

Thanks a lot.

There is good news out of the tropics today, believe it or not. A couple of things going on. And I'll start off with what's left of Ivan and then move into the rest of the tropical forecast. What's left of the storm actually moving much more rapidly than forecast earlier, which is excellent news. It didn't stall out across the Appalachians. Rather than that, the low pressure system is kind of headed north along a cold front. Now it's interacting with that front, bringing lots of rainfall, especially to New York and back down into Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

That, though, is going to rapidly move out today. There's just going to be a little bit of rain left over tomorrow across the Outer Banks of North Carolina. But for today, do look for rainfall stretching all the way from North Carolina, ending this morning there, and then continuing throughout the day as you head northward.

As we go on through the night, though, this is going to start to clear out, which is certainly some very good news. You might find a few thunderstorms scattered across the rest of the nation, but otherwise the forecast from the tropics is really good. Does this look like a tropical system? This is what used to be tropical storm Jeanne. Look, it's still a tropical storm, it just doesn't look very good right now. It's getting some shear from the southwest. Winds are down to 45 miles an hour. It's barely moving to the northwest at five miles an hour. And now the forecast becomes a little bit erratic.

It does look like it's going to take more of a northward turn away from the Bahamas and away from the U.S. coast for now. By 2:00 a.m. Monday, it's still out to sea and still a tropical storm.

There is the possibility that it could take a turn more to the west. If it did that, it probably would not strengthen. If it continues northward, we might see some strengthening. But then again, it doesn't look like at least an immediate threat, not in the 48 to 72 hour time frame, for the United States. Excellent news there.

There's more news out of the tropics with hurricane Karl. It's way out there. We'll talk about that a bit later -- Betty, Drew.

NGUYEN: As busy as the season has been, we're only half way through. Is that correct, Orelon?

SIDNEY: The Atlantic season ends on November the 30.

NGUYEN: Oh, my.

SIDNEY: But we're definitely on the downhill slide. September 10 is the peak day and then you start really sliding off. By the time you get to the middle end of October, you really start to see the amounts decrease.

NGUYEN: Bring on October then.

SIDNEY: No kidding.

NGUYEN: Thank you, Orelon.

SIDNEY: You're welcome.

GRIFFIN: Thanks, Orelon.

Well, maybe Macaulay Culkin should have stayed home alone. The actor, who has made movies of the same name, was arrested in Oklahoma City -- that was his mug shot -- yesterday on drug charges, was the arrest. Police say the car he was riding in contained marijuana and an unprescribed sedative. The 24-year-old made no comment, as you can see, as he got out of jail.

Culkin's old friend Michael Jackson dealing with his own legal problems. Eleven years after paying what's estimated as a more than $20 million to quash child molestation claims against him, Jackson's attorneys now say the singer regrets that settlement with the two children who accused him of wrongdoing. At a hearing yesterday, the mother of Jackson's current accuser said she's worried about the negative impact the publicity could have on her family. And Madonna's melee in the Middle East. The pop icon is traveling in Israel. The public and paparazzi wants to know her every move. Yesterday, police nabbed two of her bodyguards for fighting with photographers waiting to take pictures of Madonna outsider her hotel. Madonna is there with 2,000 other students of kabala, the tradition of Jewish mysticism. She was unharmed in the incident.

NGUYEN: All right, shifting gears now, the Pentagon puts out more documents about President Bush's National Guard history. But is there anything new in the newly released records?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. DAVID WOODARD, ARKANSAS NATIONAL GUARD: What's going to happen in the next four years? What's the plans, you know? What happened 30 years ago, I don't care. I really don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Speaking of the National Guard, what do Guardsmen say about all the attention focused on 30-year-old history?

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Researchers say women should see to it that they stay fit because a new study shows exercise may help prevent glaucoma, a leading cause of hereditary blindness. A study at Mississippi State University found that three sets of 10 repetitions on the chest or leg press reduced pressure behind the eyes by 13 percent.

The cause of the decrease in pressure is not fully known, but the research suggests it might be due to the changes in blood flow to the eye after exercise. So if you head to the gym, it seems your workouts may improve how you look in more ways than one.

Holly Firfer, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: The Pentagon is making more of President Bush's National Guard records public. But will they shed any more light on his service?

Welcome back.

I'm Drew Griffin.

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen.

That story in just a minute.

But first, here's what's in the news. A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb this morning outside an Iraqi National Guard headquarters. Iraqi police say at least 19 people were killed and dozens wounded in the northern city of Kirkuk. Several Guardsmen and recruits are among the casualties. It was the third car bombing this week targeting Iraq's security forces.

Russian police reportedly have foiled a terror attack in Moscow. Interfax News Agency says police found and neutralize a car loaded with explosives on a main road leading to the Kremlin. They also detained a man who confessed he had been paid $1,000 to park the car.

Kidnappers holding two Americans and a British hostage in Iraq are reportedly threatening to kill them within 48 hours unless the U.S. releases all female detainees from Iraqi prisons. Al Jazeera Television is reporting the kidnappers, who claim loyalty to terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, made the threat today. The three men were kidnapped Thursday from a home in central Baghdad.

The remnants of hurricane Ivan are expected to hit the Northeast with powerful thunderstorms today. In all, Ivan is blamed for 24 deaths in the U.S.

Meanwhile, tropical storm Jeanne is getting weaker as it heads toward the southern Bahamas. Its maximum sustained winds dropped to 45 miles an hour.

GRIFFIN: Now to the race for the White House.

A light campaign schedule for Democrat John Kerry. Senator Kerry is in his home state of Massachusetts today, where he'll attend a campaign rally in Boston. Yesterday, Kerry accused President Bush of hiding a plan to call more National Guard and Reserve troops to Iraq until after the election.

A light day for the president, as well. He is spending the weekend at his family home in Kennebunkport, Maine. Yesterday, he courted women voters in North Carolina, talking about his plan to let workers choose time off instead of overtime pay as compensation for extra work.

NGUYEN: The White House has released more documents relating to President Bush's military service. Aides say the papers prove the president is coming clean about his time in the National Guard. The Democrats say the records show Bush got favored treatment as the son of a congressman.

CNN's Jamie McIntyre sorts it all out.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After a federal judge ordered a full release of all documents relating to George W. Bush's time in the National Guard, Pentagon officials say they looked beyond Bush's personnel records for anything relating to his service or his squadron. In fact, the bulk of the 79 pages of additional documents are histories of an Alabama National Guard unit, which don't mention Bush.

So they do little to answer the question of whether Bush showed up for alternate service in Alabama in 1972 or 1973, after he was suspended from flying status in Texas for missing a required physical. But included is a 1968 thank you letter written by his father, then a congressman, in response to the commander of his son's training base, who had written a complimentary letter two weeks earlier. "That a major general in the Air Force would take interest in a brand new Air Force trainee made a big impression on me," the future first President Bush wrote about his son. "I do have the feeling he'll be a gung ho member of the U.S. Air Force."

The Democratic National Committee was quick to cite the letter as evidence of preferential treatment. "These documents demonstrate yet again that George Bush was a fortunate son who received special consideration unavailable to the average American," it said in a statement.

The White House insisted the new documents show it's fulfilling the president's request to release everything regarding his military service. Among the new documents, a press release written about young Lieutenant Bush sent to his home town Houston newspapers which reflects the drug culture of the time. "George Walker Bush is one member of the younger generation who doesn't get his kicks from pot or hashish or speed. Oh, he gets high, all right, but not from narcotics," noting his solo flight in an F102 fighter jet."

(on camera): Predictably, the White House insisted the documents were more proof that President Bush fulfilled his military obligation. While the Democratic National Committee chairman said that if the president was truly proud of his service, he wouldn't be releasing the documents on a Friday night.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

GRIFFIN: Now in the other 30-year-old case, the Navy's chief investigator has determined Senator Kerry's military service medals were properly approved and awarded. In an internal memo, the Navy inspector general said no further action will be taken. The Navy review was prompted by the request from the group Judicial Watch. The group claimed Kerry's medals were awarded based on false statements and asked the Navy to consider revoking them.

But when it comes to military service, a lot of U.S. troops are more concerned about the future than the past.

CNN's Ed Lavandera takes us to the National Guard convention in Las Vegas.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When you put 5,000 National Guard troops in a convention hall, they talk about things like helicopters, heavy weaponry and guns -- the tools that will keep them alive in combat. What soldiers like Captain David Woodard aren't talking about is what George Bush and John Kerry did in Vietnam.

WOODARD: What's going to happen in the next four years? What's the plans, you know? What happened 30 years ago, I don't care. I really don't.

LAVANDERA: At this point, many troops will tell you that the truth about what Bush and Kerry did or did not do some 35 years ago has been lost in the shouting voices of this political debate. The truth has become too elusive.

SGT. DAVID DURMAN, TENNESSEE NATIONAL GUARD: I see where things can be misunderstood and misconstrued and used against -- used in the wrong way, I think.

COL. COLLEEN HOUGH, ARKANSAS AIR NATIONAL GUARD: I try to take it all with a grain of salt, because there's a lot of variations on things.

LAVANDERA: That's not to say everyone doesn't care about the National Guard controversy, but it is hard to find voices of dissent inside this convention hall. But just down the street from this meeting, a gathering of soldiers' families is more critical. Dante Zappala's brother was killed in Baghdad in April.

ZAPPALA: I think there is a certain irony that he has pressed the National Guard into combat duty when he himself used the National Guard as a way to avoid combat duty.

LAVANDERA: But even these families don't want to talk about Vietnam too much. They would much rather talk about Iraq and what's being done to support the troops there. That's Karma Kumlin's frustration. Her husband is working as a prison guard in Iraq. She says he's frustrated by lack of clarity in his job assignments and doesn't feel he's adequately trained to do the work he's being asked to do.

KARMA KUMLIN, SOLDIER'S WIFE: It's a complicated situation that should have been dealt with like a complicated situation, not that we could just go in and blaze through, everyone would say hurrah and then we could leave.

LAVANDERA: Captain Woodard give President Bush the benefit of the doubt for the way he's handling the war.

WOODARD: I think the information that's being put out is as accurate as it can be, you know? And the old saying that says, hey, nobody lied, the truth changed, you know? Nobody's lied to anybody, but the truth has changed. And I think that very well is the case.

LAVANDERA: With no end in sight to the if we could, these soldiers will do what they've been trained to do -- march on and fight on in the face of uncertainty.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Las Vegas.

(END VIDEO TAPE) GRIFFIN: Don't forget our e-mail question this morning. Vietnam, the National Guard, well, what do you think the real issues of this election are? You can e-mail us at wam@cnn.com. We've got some pretty hot e-mails already.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GINNY BRYANT: We'll probably have to bulldoze it down. But it'll be, you know, just a lot, because we won't rebuild.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: She's not the only one ready to say farewell to what used to be her house. We'll show you what the residents in this Florida town are facing next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, good morning, North Carolina.

This is a link from our affiliate WRAL. As you can see, Ivan, the remnants of it, still hanging around. Boy, this area was hard hit by Ivan. Eight deaths reported and a mud slide, as well.

Orelon Sidney will have the forecast in about 15 minutes.

GRIFFIN: You know, the toughest part of this hurricane for people living in its path may be not have been riding it out, but going home to see what's left.

Our David Mattingly there for the journey back.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What is this? Is there a bed?

JULE PEW: That's our headboard. That's good, I guess.

KEN PEW: This is our family room.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Jule (ph) and Ken Pew (ph) were in the midst of remodeling their bayside home in Navarre, Florida when Ivan made other plans.

K. PEW: This is the bedroom over here. This is the kitchen. There used to be an island across here. The only thing that's left in the kitchen is the granite countertops.

MATTINGLY: The house on the water they retired to from California just two years ago is beyond repair.

J. PEW: You just wonder why me, you know? Why me?

MATTINGLY: Windows, doors, even brick walls are missing. Not a single piece of furniture is left. All of it taken by a hurricane more devastating than anyone imagined.

(on camera): I didn't even see any furniture out in the front yard. Where did it go?

J. PEW: We've been looking for it.

K. PEW: I don't know. When we left, we tried to get everything up as high as we could. You know, we tried to get it off the floor if we could. But we haven't even seen our couches.

MATTINGLY: The storm surge was so powerful it tore through these homes and took everyone's belongings to who knows where? Here at the Pews' home, for example, this is their bathtub. No one put it here. This is where the storm left it. As for their appliances, they're across the street. On the curb over there, that's their drier. Their refrigerator is actually a few yards back, behind their neighbor's house.

(voice-over): No house in this waterfront neighborhood was spared. Those on stilts fared only slightly better. Next door to the Pews, it now takes a ladder to get into the house. Inside, Ginny Bryant (ph) finds that her furniture stayed. But it's ruined. So is the carpet and the ceiling.

BRYANT: We'll probably have to bulldoze it down and, but it'll be, you know, just a lot, because we won't rebuild.

MATTINGLY: The Pews won't rebuild either. When they evacuated, they took three days' worth of clothes, photographs and papers. What they didn't take, they lost. The only thing they have to do now is fall back on their sense of humor.

K. PEW: So what we're going to do now is we're going to wait for insurance and then we're going to...

J. PEW: Go to Australia for six months.

MATTINGLY: David Mattingly, CNN, Navarre, Florida.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

GRIFFIN: Getting out of town.

Well, here's a look at some of the other stories making headlines this Saturday. No power, no water, that's what many Florida residents are facing in the wake of hurricane Ivan. It could take weeks to restore basic services to parts of the Panhandle.

In sports, Barry Bonds has joined the 700 Club. The San Francisco Giants slugger belted his 700th career homer last night. It's his 42nd home run this season. Wow!

And finally, former child star Macaulay Culkin is out on bond after getting arrested in Oklahoma City on drug charges during a traffic stop. Police say they found marijuana, Zantax pills and an unprescribed sedative. Today's Ryder Cup starts in about 15 minutes. But don't -- if you don't have time to wait, CNN SATURDAY MORNING, we talk to Rick Horrow. And he takes it "Beyond The Game" when we get back.

And here's the morning mystery for you. What successful sportsman said this during the past week? Here's the quote: "It's a long danged year, man. Now I suppose we'll get serious, go after the championship." That's just a quote. Stay tuned. Find out who the person is.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: A walkout in the NHL, the Ryder Cup riding high and speeding off in NASCAR. We want to discuss all three in this week's installment of "Beyond The Game."

And here to help is, of course, Rick Horrow, CNN sports business analyst and author of "When The Game Is On The Line."

Horrow joins us live from West Palm Beach, Florida.

How is everything there with your home?

RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Well, I'm all right. But three weeks of hurricanes coverage, it's good to be back, I'll tell you that.

NGUYEN: I'll bet you are worn out.

All right, let's talk about hockey.

The September 15 deadline for this walkout has passed.

What's the latest with that?

HORROW: Well, you know, 10 years ago we had the same kind of issue after the Rangers won Stanley Cup and the NHL decided to lock people out for restructuring. That didn't work. The system has evolved over time where 75 percent of the payrolls or 75 percent of the revenues actually go to the players, and compared to about 55 percent in basketball.

How do the teams make up the money? By charging the fans. $250, by the way, for a family of four to go to games right now.

NGUYEN: $250?

HORROW: $250.

NGUYEN: Goodness.

HORROW: And that's unacceptable to a lot of people. They're saying let us close the industry down, restructure. Even the fans are saying if it's worth a total economic change, we may want to wait.

NGUYEN: But I guess when you're thinking about players, how do their salaries compare with other salaries in these sports?

HORROW: Well, again, the issue is the salaries are about $1.6 billion on average. That's a lot of money for a pro athlete. But it's how they divide the revenue that's key. And the implications are pretty serious.

You know, you've got 1,200 games in 30 arenas. If the season is wiped out, you've even got an Ontario stick maker who's going to lay off a lot of their employees because there's no demand anymore. You've got television and sponsorship waiting in the wings. The owners have a $300 million war chest and the players a $100 million war chest for a long fight.

$2 billion of revenue is at stake so everybody hopes that cooler heads will prevail and they'll get back to playing hockey pretty soon.

NGUYEN: Yes, we can only hope so.

Let's talk about Ryder Cup. Team USA off to a bad start already. You know, Tiger's not playing as he normally does, in tip top shape. So is this going to affect television audiences?

HORROW: Well, let me tell you what happened going in, which is pretty darned good. NBC paid $15 million for the rights fee. You've got 200 corporate sweeps at 350K per. That's a lot of money. The Michigan CVB, Convention Bureau, has 60 CEOs coming into the area. That's $100 million of impact for the Detroit region. That's pretty good.

The issue is $70 million of revenue for that event versus about $44 million for a Masters. So that is good.

The problem is if the team doesn't start playing very well, nobody's going to be watching come Sunday.

NGUYEN: Absolutely.

And speaking of people watching, NASCAR, things are revving up. Let's talk about this playoff style championship.

Now, is that good for the game or is that just good for people watching at home?

HORROW: Well, I don't know what the difference is. It's good for the game maybe because people are watching at home. You've got 75 million hard core fans. You've got a $2.6 billion TV contract over six years with NASCAR. That's good for the game.

But the ratings have been pretty flat over the last year. They've built seven new tracks recently. They're looking at the Northeast and the Northwest. They wanted something to jazz it up. The play-off system certainly starting. That's going to be good for the game. People are going to be very excited about it. It's so good in NASCAR, they've declared a politics free zone, by the way. George Bush has been invited, but he may not come. John Kerry may even figure out a way to get into the middle of those demographics. And George Pataki, the New York governor, has unveiled a $43 license plate in the honor of Dale Earnhardt, Sr.

NGUYEN: Very interesting.

OK, I'm going to put you to the test this morning. We told you about a quote earlier and I'm going to read it to you once again.

HORROW: Right.

NGUYEN: "It's a long danged year, man." I don't know if I'm saying it exactly the way this person would have said it. But, "Now I suppose we'll get serious, go after the championship."

Rick, who said it?

HORROW: Well, you got the words right. You got the inflection wrong. And I gave you the hint earlier, Dale Earnhardt, Sr.

NGUYEN: OK, well how would he say it?

HORROW: It's his son -- "long danged year, man."

NGUYEN: Man. OK. I've got to work on that.

HORROW: Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

NGUYEN: Long danged year, man.

HORROW: Man.

NGUYEN: All right.

Rick Horrow, always a pleasure.

Thank you so much.

HORROW: Thank you, man.

NGUYEN: The Ryder Cup championship continues in Michigan this morning and we are there with live coverage. You want to stay tuned to CNN. During our 9:00 a.m. hour, our Larry Smith gives us the latest on all of that.

GRIFFIN: Well, we asked you earlier this morning what are the big issues, Vietnam, National Guard or something else, perhaps? We're gong to read what you've already written us at wam@cnn.com. And, some people are mad.

NGUYEN: Oh, yes.

GRIFFIN: We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, good morning on this Saturday. We want to find out the latest with Ivan and all these others that appear to be brewing. It's that time of year, Orelon.

SIDNEY: It is the season and we've got, of course, a couple of tropical systems in the Atlantic. Tropical storm Jeanne not looking very impressive on the satellite picture. Winds are down to 45 miles an hour near Great Inagua right now and moving to the northwest at eight miles an hour. We don't expect it to be any immediate threat to the United States. And if it continues to turn off to the north, it may not end up being a threat at all, which is just great news.

At any rate, even through 72 hours, not expected to be much more than a tropical storm. We'll have to keep an eye on it, of course. But that is some very good news.

Karl is way, way out in the Atlantic, not a problem. It's a hurricane but it is not expected to affect any land areas whatsoever.

We do have some showers and thunderstorms left over from Ivan interacting with a cold front up to the north. Take a look at Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina this morning. The temperatures there currently in the 60s. You're going to have a high temperature today in the 70s or the 80s. A lot depends on whether or not these remaining clouds from Ivan can move out of the way. If they do, you'll have a very pleasant afternoon, with clearing skies and high temperatures in the upper 70s.

We'll take a look at the forecast for the rest of the nation in the next hour -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: Thanks, Orelon.

We are going to get on to our e-mail Question of the Day.

We asked you what do you think the real issues of this campaign should be.

And here's some of our responses. From Dan in Colton, Oregon. He writes: "If President Bush had served in country, as did Senator Kerry, and had witnessed firsthand war, we wouldn't be in the mess we are in right now."

NGUYEN: And Robert from Virginia writes: "The issues in this election, in answer to your question, are simple -- Bush's strength and Kerry's weakness."

Of course, we invite you to send in your responses to wam@cnn.com.

GRIFFIN: The next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.

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 18, 2004 - 07:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning from the CNN Center here in Atlanta.
This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

It is September 18.

7:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 4:00 a.m. out West.

Good morning.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Drew Griffin.

Thanks for being with us this morning.

The latest news now.

The Arab network Al Jazeera says video it's airing this morning shows three Western hostages in Iraq. This is the Baghdad home where insurgents seized those two Americans and one British citizen two days ago. CNN is not confirming whether the hostage video being shown on Al Jazeera is authentic. Al Jazeera says an Islamic militant group threatening to kill the hostages unless female Iraqi prisoners are freed.

Pressuring Saddam, that is the issue the U.N. Security Council takes up later today. It's voting on whether to put sanctions on the African nation's oil industry if the government doesn't move to end the ethnic violence in the Darfur region. The violence has sparked a humanitarian crisis there.

Tropical storm Jeanne, top winds of 45 miles an hour now, lumbering along through the Caribbean in the general direction of the Bahamas. Jeanne is blamed for five deaths in the Dominican Republic. And the remnants of one time hurricane Ivan are bringing floods to the eastern U.S., leaving behind death and destruction in several states. We're going to have live coverage from the Gulf Coast to the mountains of North Carolina this morning.

San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds did it. He hit his 700th home run -- here it is -- last night against San Diego. He joins Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth in the exclusive 700 home run club. Bonds' 5-year-old daughter Aisha had this comment: "My dad is the best player." NGUYEN: What a great scene.

Now here's what's coming up this hour.

Rubble and ruin, worry and woe -- this is the scene across Alabama's coast after hurricane Ivan raked the state. Anxious residents are surveying the damage this morning and, of course, so are we.

Also...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANTE ZAPPALA, SOLDIER'S BROTHER: There's a certain irony that he has pressed the National Guard into combat duty when he himself used the National Guard as a way to avoid combat duty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Putting the past on guard -- these military families gather in Las Vegas, as did a group of National Guardsmen. Both have some strong thoughts on the war from 30 years ago, as well as the war raging today.

And Macaulay Culkin might have wished he'd stayed home alone. The actor if out of jail this morning after police say they busted him with drugs. We'll have those details.

GRIFFIN: Our top story this morning, the destruction of hurricane Ivan, now a tropical depression. Ivan blowing, raining, flooding and hopefully wearing itself out on its journey toward northern New England. It is leaving behind 24 deaths in five states, including eight in North Carolina, half of those from a mud slide. Ivan knocked out power to a million and a half homes and businesses across the Southeast. Preliminary damage estimates range from $2 billion to $10 billion, a wide range there, much of it in Florida, still reeling from hurricanes Charley and Frances.

Governor Bob Riley toured areas of Alabama hit hardest by hurricane Ivan, including Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, where the big storm made landfall Thursday morning. Riley said he was absolutely shocked at the devastation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV BOB RILEY (R), ALABAMA: Everything that you see here, from the taller building all the way down, all of these beach houses are going to have to be totally demolished because the foundation has been eroded. They're beginning to lean one way or the other. So everything that you see here has got to be destroyed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nineteen...

RILEY: You think water is not powerful? Ah! Look at that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I don't... RILEY: It looks like a pretty nice convertible at one time. I just wonder how long it -- how far it floated. It looks like everything here is going to be totally ruined. Alabama doesn't have -- no state has the resources -- Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, any one -- to be able to compensate for all this damage.

When it comes to infrastructure, like this road, like these bridges, I-10 that we're going to fly over in just a minute, no, we have to have federal help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Look at that road.

RILEY: Stay in. We'll let him do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get down here, folks.

RILEY: That little trailer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where do go (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?

RILEY: This is the first time in my lifetime we've had anything like this occur. So there's no question we not only need to build back, we need to build back as soon as we can.

This is the most beautiful beach in America, if not in the world. We're going to build it back better, more beautiful than it's ever been. The beach is still here. It's still one of the most beautiful places in the world. What we've got to do is just come back and put it back together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: It's going to be a long road. Many residents aren't allowed to check on their coastal homes yet. Officials say still just too dangerous out there.

NGUYEN: In nearby Pensacola, Florida, there's also talk of rebuilding. But it's hard to decide where to start. And the shock has yet to wear off in the Panhandle.

CNN's Chris Lawrence was in Pensacola when Ivan pushed ashore and he's still there -- good morning, Chris.

It appears the work, well, it's still beginning.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Betty.

We're exactly about three days out now from when Ivan made landfall here in Pensacola and it's still shocking to see exactly how much damage it caused. When Drew mentioned that billions of dollars in damage estimated, you can certainly see why when you see the condition of some of the buildings here.

I mean, you can take a look at this. This is right down in one of the main parts of a shipping district in Pensacola. This was a very, very extremely big building, I mean a large structure, a three story, very solid building. It was a clothing store of some kind. And you can see, it was virtually ripped to shreds. You can see the bricks that have just totally been destroyed pouring out here onto the street.

But this is just one example. As you go around Pensacola to the beach areas, to the neighborhoods, you'll see widespread destruction. We know that 2,000 Florida National Guard members have been mobilized. We know that President Bush is making his third visit now to a hurricane area since last month. He'll be here tomorrow.

Now, the insurance estimates across the Gulf Coast are putting the damage estimate at between $2 billion and $10 billion in damage. Just to give you some perspective with that, hurricanes Charley and Frances combined were between $11 billion and $13 billion.

Now, right now the power situation here in Florida, about 400,000 homes and businesses are still without power. That's down about 40,000 from the day before. So they are making some progress when it comes to getting the power back on. But still, as we drive around here around Pensacola, it's completely in the dark. No power. Very little spotty running water. And telephone service is not very good at all right now -- Betty.

NGUYEN: At least a little bit of progress is being made.

Thank you, Chris Lawrence, in Pensacola this morning -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: This disaster continuing even as the clean up begins there in Pensacola. Flooding in Tennessee is now a problem. Add to that the disasters, as Chris mentioned, left behind by hurricanes Charley and Frances, it leads to the crucial question, is there enough help for everyone who's been affected?

That is one thing we want to find out now from Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

He is becoming, unfortunately, a regular on this weekend morning show.

And he today joins us from Birmingham, Alabama.

Thank you for joining us once again, Mr. Brown, to talk about yet another disaster.

MICHAEL BROWN, FEMA DIRECTOR: Yes.

GRIFFIN: At what point does this become too much for your agency?

BROWN: Well, it doesn't become too much for us. We are drawing resources from all over the country. We have plenty of manpower. We have plenty of equipment. And thanks to President Bush, we're going to have plenty of financial resources, too.

So we're ready to take on these storms. It's just that our hearts go out to all these victims that now extend all the way from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina. I mean Ivan is just awful.

GRIFFIN: Mr. Brown, I wanted to ask you about insurance and the insurance industry. Chris Lawrence reported $11 billion to $13 billion in damage from Charley and Frances. Add to that a possible another $10 billion here.

Is the insurance industry holding up its end of the bargain?

BROWN: Well, I think they will. I think you'll see that they have plenty of reserves. I'm certain that they will go back in and reevaluate what they're doing in some of these states. And so we need -- well, I'm certain everyone will be watching that very carefully.

But I think right now the insurance companies are in good shape.

GRIFFIN: Over the next week or so, as people begin to get back into their homes and see the damage, what are they supposed to do, sir, in terms of getting federal help?

BROWN: Well, the most important thing people can do in any of these states affected by Ivan where the president has declared a disaster is to call the FEMA hotline number. That's 1-800-621-FEMA. That's the only way to start the financial process. Now, we'll certainly take care of them on the ground in terms of meals and some shelter and things like that. But for the financial assistance, they must call that telephone number.

GRIFFIN: We talked earlier about having enough resources on your end.

Are you running out of people, though? You have your workers with Charley and Frances down in lower Florida. Now you've got this area of Pensacola and the Panhandle and the disaster is continuing even as we have this conversation, sir, up into the Tennessee areas.

At what point are you going to have to call on even more people to come into the area and process all this information?

BROWN: Well, we're going to start -- we've already starting calling in additional troops that we have available to us -- the Coast Guard auxiliary, President Bush's Citizen Corps program. They will be doing the kinds of things that doesn't require any sort of expertise in terms of response and recovery.

Now, I want to assure the American public that in terms of the teams that we have to do life saving missions, to do life sustaining missions, the kinds of things that we have to do to process the phone calls, to make sure the checks are cut, all of those things we have plenty of resources, plenty of people.

The smartest thing, the best thing the American public can do for us to help us is to write a check to one of their favorite charitable organizations so that they can make a contribution to these hurricane victims. Don't worry about us. We're fine. But try to help those that could help the others with maybe some food and some meals and that sort of thing. GRIFFIN: Mr. Brown, thank you for joining us and thank you for the encouraging words that there is help on the way to these areas. And no offense, but we hope we don't have to interview you next week.

BROWN: I hope that's true, too.

Thanks.

GRIFFIN: Thanks a lot, sir.

As some states look forward to relief, others dealing with what Ivan has left behind. The storm still creeping across the East Coast, affecting parts of the Midwest and even some New England states. In Ohio, high waters and even higher worries. The passing storm dropping heavy rains on Ohio's eastern and southern parts. Almost 11,000 people are without power. And floodwaters have stranded 115 children and their teachers in Amesville. They all had to spend the night at school.

In Virginia, Ivan spawned tornadoes that snapped tall trees, tossed cars around like toys. Up to 30 tornadoes reportedly touched down in the state, destroying six homes.

In eastern Tennessee, downtown Spring City took a massive hit. Take a look. Officials say about 50 homes destroyed, some of them washed into nearby lakes.

And in North Carolina, officials say the high waters have caused the deaths of eight people. One hundred and seventy thousand people are without power.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only thing that's left in the kitchen is the granite countertops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Ivan leaves nothing behind for this Florida couple. So what do you when your dreams and everything you own are washed away. Their story later on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: And what happened 30 years ago is history. But what does the National Guard have to say about one of their own? Find out, later this hour.

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Orelon Sidney.

This, the remnants of Ivan, moving across New England for today. Rapidly moving out, which is excellent news. And there's also finally some good news from the tropics.

We'll talk about that in just a few moments.

CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Stories across America today.

A 17-year-old Michigan student arraigned for allegedly plotting a Columbine style massacre at a suburban Detroit high school. Threats posted on the Internet led police to his home, where they found pipe bombs, guns and ammunition. The boy's father and another man also face charges in this case. Police do say no other students appear to have been involved.

Near Dayton, Ohio, Air Force Two departed Wright Patterson Air Base this morning after making an unscheduled stop there last night. Vice President Dick Cheney, on his way home from a campaign event in Oregon, his flight delayed by stormy weather from tropical storm Ivan.

In Tampa, Florida, a utility crew is blamed for hitting a water main, which eventually caused that -- a large sink hole beneath the street. A mother and her two children rescued from that van when the pavement gave way.

And in Atlantic City, tonight is Miss. America pageant. The annual event kicked off last night with a parade in which the contestants showed off their fancy footwear. They'll be showing off something else tonight. Organizers looking to spice things up this year by allowing even skimpier bikinis in the swimsuit competition.

NGUYEN: Wow.

GRIFFIN: Well, should we call her Miss. Athens? Don't miss Olympic all around champ Carly Patterson. She's going to join us live here in the studio at 9:00 this morning on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: And speaking of sports, in major league baseball, there is an exclusive club that until last night only had two members. Now, baseball fans wonder if its newest member, Barry Bonds, will one day be in a league of his own.

Here's Michelle Bonner of CNN Sports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MICHELLE BONNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and now Barry Bonds. Those are the only three players in major league history to hit 700 career home runs. And now Bonds has positioned himself to pass the Babe's 714 home runs with an eye on Aaron's all time record of 755.

BARRY BONDS, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: You really can't put it in words to be in a class with, you know, those two great players, who are Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth. And you just, I mean it's like you're, you know, you're dreaming and you're not dreaming and, you know, it's unbelievable.

HANK AARON, 755 CAREER HOME RUNS: Records are made to be broken. You know, I mean that's a known fact. I mean if you have a record, eventually somebody's going to come along and break it. TOM GLAVINE, NEW YORK METS PITCHER: Assuming all things stay the way they are and he stays healthy, then I think the only reason he wouldn't do it would be that he didn't want to and he retires.

BONNER: Who's the best to ever play the game is a question that is always answered with names like Mays, Ruth and Aaron. In the future, Bonds will be included.

JOHN DONOVAN, SI.COM SENIOR WRITER: He's been a batting champion. He hit 73 home runs one year. He's getting on base in an unprecedented clip this year. His slugging percentage is other worldly. You could make a real good argument, and I'm not sure if I would, but somebody could make a real good argument that Barry Bonds is the best player ever.

BONNER: The six time NLNVPs numbers are even more astounding when taking into account that many teams do not pitch to him. Consider that during his entire career, Hank Aaron was intentionally walked 293 times, while Bonds has been walked more than 100 times this year alone.

Although exasperating at times, Bonds refuses to let the walks get to him.

BONDS: You have to have respect for the game of baseball regardless of what's going on out there. I mean everybody is there trying to do the best they can and to win for their team regardless. And you get into a situation that you need to walk someone, you walk them to help your team win.

So you don't lose any respect for anybody that does that. You know, that's part of baseball. It's always been part of the game and it will continue being part of the game.

BONNER: Earlier this year, his trainer and nutritionists were indicted in connection with a steroid investigation. But Bonds has repeatedly denied using steroids. And even with that dark cloud hovering around the 40-year-old, Bonds continues to produce in the twilight of his career, which begs the question can he hit 800 home runs?

For CNN Sports, I'm Michelle Bonner.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

GRIFFIN: In Oklahoma, Macaulay Culkin out of jail this morning. We're going to tell you what got him in.

And Madonna causing a storm in the Mideast. Find out why when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right, if you haven't been able to keep up with the news this week, that's what we are here for. It is time to "Rewind." Anti-depressants should be packaged with the strongest warning possible because they can increase the risk of suicide among children using them. That was the conclusion Tuesday from two FDA advisory committees. More clinical trials were also recommended.

Martha Stewart says she wants to begin her prison sentence while still appealing her conviction. Stewart was sentenced in July to five months in prison and five months of house arrest after being convicted on charges stemming from a December 2001 stock sale.

And National Intelligence Estimate lays out some possible scenarios for a post-war Iraq, including the prospect of internal conflict, increased violence and even civil war.

And take action now -- that's what the U.N. secretary general, Kofi Annan, told the Security Council about a U.S.-led draft resolution on Sudan. That resolution demands the Sudanese government stop the violence in the Darfur region, where tens of thousands of civilians have been killed. And it also called for action on an official inquiry into whether genocide has occurred in Darfur.

Now, tomorrow we will fast forward to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

GRIFFIN: Keeping up with the weather this week has been the job that Orelon Sidney has tackled.

NGUYEN: Nice job.

GRIFFIN: And she's got a big job this morning, too -- Orelon.

SIDNEY: Good morning.

Thanks a lot.

There is good news out of the tropics today, believe it or not. A couple of things going on. And I'll start off with what's left of Ivan and then move into the rest of the tropical forecast. What's left of the storm actually moving much more rapidly than forecast earlier, which is excellent news. It didn't stall out across the Appalachians. Rather than that, the low pressure system is kind of headed north along a cold front. Now it's interacting with that front, bringing lots of rainfall, especially to New York and back down into Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

That, though, is going to rapidly move out today. There's just going to be a little bit of rain left over tomorrow across the Outer Banks of North Carolina. But for today, do look for rainfall stretching all the way from North Carolina, ending this morning there, and then continuing throughout the day as you head northward.

As we go on through the night, though, this is going to start to clear out, which is certainly some very good news. You might find a few thunderstorms scattered across the rest of the nation, but otherwise the forecast from the tropics is really good. Does this look like a tropical system? This is what used to be tropical storm Jeanne. Look, it's still a tropical storm, it just doesn't look very good right now. It's getting some shear from the southwest. Winds are down to 45 miles an hour. It's barely moving to the northwest at five miles an hour. And now the forecast becomes a little bit erratic.

It does look like it's going to take more of a northward turn away from the Bahamas and away from the U.S. coast for now. By 2:00 a.m. Monday, it's still out to sea and still a tropical storm.

There is the possibility that it could take a turn more to the west. If it did that, it probably would not strengthen. If it continues northward, we might see some strengthening. But then again, it doesn't look like at least an immediate threat, not in the 48 to 72 hour time frame, for the United States. Excellent news there.

There's more news out of the tropics with hurricane Karl. It's way out there. We'll talk about that a bit later -- Betty, Drew.

NGUYEN: As busy as the season has been, we're only half way through. Is that correct, Orelon?

SIDNEY: The Atlantic season ends on November the 30.

NGUYEN: Oh, my.

SIDNEY: But we're definitely on the downhill slide. September 10 is the peak day and then you start really sliding off. By the time you get to the middle end of October, you really start to see the amounts decrease.

NGUYEN: Bring on October then.

SIDNEY: No kidding.

NGUYEN: Thank you, Orelon.

SIDNEY: You're welcome.

GRIFFIN: Thanks, Orelon.

Well, maybe Macaulay Culkin should have stayed home alone. The actor, who has made movies of the same name, was arrested in Oklahoma City -- that was his mug shot -- yesterday on drug charges, was the arrest. Police say the car he was riding in contained marijuana and an unprescribed sedative. The 24-year-old made no comment, as you can see, as he got out of jail.

Culkin's old friend Michael Jackson dealing with his own legal problems. Eleven years after paying what's estimated as a more than $20 million to quash child molestation claims against him, Jackson's attorneys now say the singer regrets that settlement with the two children who accused him of wrongdoing. At a hearing yesterday, the mother of Jackson's current accuser said she's worried about the negative impact the publicity could have on her family. And Madonna's melee in the Middle East. The pop icon is traveling in Israel. The public and paparazzi wants to know her every move. Yesterday, police nabbed two of her bodyguards for fighting with photographers waiting to take pictures of Madonna outsider her hotel. Madonna is there with 2,000 other students of kabala, the tradition of Jewish mysticism. She was unharmed in the incident.

NGUYEN: All right, shifting gears now, the Pentagon puts out more documents about President Bush's National Guard history. But is there anything new in the newly released records?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. DAVID WOODARD, ARKANSAS NATIONAL GUARD: What's going to happen in the next four years? What's the plans, you know? What happened 30 years ago, I don't care. I really don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Speaking of the National Guard, what do Guardsmen say about all the attention focused on 30-year-old history?

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Researchers say women should see to it that they stay fit because a new study shows exercise may help prevent glaucoma, a leading cause of hereditary blindness. A study at Mississippi State University found that three sets of 10 repetitions on the chest or leg press reduced pressure behind the eyes by 13 percent.

The cause of the decrease in pressure is not fully known, but the research suggests it might be due to the changes in blood flow to the eye after exercise. So if you head to the gym, it seems your workouts may improve how you look in more ways than one.

Holly Firfer, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: The Pentagon is making more of President Bush's National Guard records public. But will they shed any more light on his service?

Welcome back.

I'm Drew Griffin.

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen.

That story in just a minute.

But first, here's what's in the news. A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb this morning outside an Iraqi National Guard headquarters. Iraqi police say at least 19 people were killed and dozens wounded in the northern city of Kirkuk. Several Guardsmen and recruits are among the casualties. It was the third car bombing this week targeting Iraq's security forces.

Russian police reportedly have foiled a terror attack in Moscow. Interfax News Agency says police found and neutralize a car loaded with explosives on a main road leading to the Kremlin. They also detained a man who confessed he had been paid $1,000 to park the car.

Kidnappers holding two Americans and a British hostage in Iraq are reportedly threatening to kill them within 48 hours unless the U.S. releases all female detainees from Iraqi prisons. Al Jazeera Television is reporting the kidnappers, who claim loyalty to terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, made the threat today. The three men were kidnapped Thursday from a home in central Baghdad.

The remnants of hurricane Ivan are expected to hit the Northeast with powerful thunderstorms today. In all, Ivan is blamed for 24 deaths in the U.S.

Meanwhile, tropical storm Jeanne is getting weaker as it heads toward the southern Bahamas. Its maximum sustained winds dropped to 45 miles an hour.

GRIFFIN: Now to the race for the White House.

A light campaign schedule for Democrat John Kerry. Senator Kerry is in his home state of Massachusetts today, where he'll attend a campaign rally in Boston. Yesterday, Kerry accused President Bush of hiding a plan to call more National Guard and Reserve troops to Iraq until after the election.

A light day for the president, as well. He is spending the weekend at his family home in Kennebunkport, Maine. Yesterday, he courted women voters in North Carolina, talking about his plan to let workers choose time off instead of overtime pay as compensation for extra work.

NGUYEN: The White House has released more documents relating to President Bush's military service. Aides say the papers prove the president is coming clean about his time in the National Guard. The Democrats say the records show Bush got favored treatment as the son of a congressman.

CNN's Jamie McIntyre sorts it all out.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After a federal judge ordered a full release of all documents relating to George W. Bush's time in the National Guard, Pentagon officials say they looked beyond Bush's personnel records for anything relating to his service or his squadron. In fact, the bulk of the 79 pages of additional documents are histories of an Alabama National Guard unit, which don't mention Bush.

So they do little to answer the question of whether Bush showed up for alternate service in Alabama in 1972 or 1973, after he was suspended from flying status in Texas for missing a required physical. But included is a 1968 thank you letter written by his father, then a congressman, in response to the commander of his son's training base, who had written a complimentary letter two weeks earlier. "That a major general in the Air Force would take interest in a brand new Air Force trainee made a big impression on me," the future first President Bush wrote about his son. "I do have the feeling he'll be a gung ho member of the U.S. Air Force."

The Democratic National Committee was quick to cite the letter as evidence of preferential treatment. "These documents demonstrate yet again that George Bush was a fortunate son who received special consideration unavailable to the average American," it said in a statement.

The White House insisted the new documents show it's fulfilling the president's request to release everything regarding his military service. Among the new documents, a press release written about young Lieutenant Bush sent to his home town Houston newspapers which reflects the drug culture of the time. "George Walker Bush is one member of the younger generation who doesn't get his kicks from pot or hashish or speed. Oh, he gets high, all right, but not from narcotics," noting his solo flight in an F102 fighter jet."

(on camera): Predictably, the White House insisted the documents were more proof that President Bush fulfilled his military obligation. While the Democratic National Committee chairman said that if the president was truly proud of his service, he wouldn't be releasing the documents on a Friday night.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

GRIFFIN: Now in the other 30-year-old case, the Navy's chief investigator has determined Senator Kerry's military service medals were properly approved and awarded. In an internal memo, the Navy inspector general said no further action will be taken. The Navy review was prompted by the request from the group Judicial Watch. The group claimed Kerry's medals were awarded based on false statements and asked the Navy to consider revoking them.

But when it comes to military service, a lot of U.S. troops are more concerned about the future than the past.

CNN's Ed Lavandera takes us to the National Guard convention in Las Vegas.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When you put 5,000 National Guard troops in a convention hall, they talk about things like helicopters, heavy weaponry and guns -- the tools that will keep them alive in combat. What soldiers like Captain David Woodard aren't talking about is what George Bush and John Kerry did in Vietnam.

WOODARD: What's going to happen in the next four years? What's the plans, you know? What happened 30 years ago, I don't care. I really don't.

LAVANDERA: At this point, many troops will tell you that the truth about what Bush and Kerry did or did not do some 35 years ago has been lost in the shouting voices of this political debate. The truth has become too elusive.

SGT. DAVID DURMAN, TENNESSEE NATIONAL GUARD: I see where things can be misunderstood and misconstrued and used against -- used in the wrong way, I think.

COL. COLLEEN HOUGH, ARKANSAS AIR NATIONAL GUARD: I try to take it all with a grain of salt, because there's a lot of variations on things.

LAVANDERA: That's not to say everyone doesn't care about the National Guard controversy, but it is hard to find voices of dissent inside this convention hall. But just down the street from this meeting, a gathering of soldiers' families is more critical. Dante Zappala's brother was killed in Baghdad in April.

ZAPPALA: I think there is a certain irony that he has pressed the National Guard into combat duty when he himself used the National Guard as a way to avoid combat duty.

LAVANDERA: But even these families don't want to talk about Vietnam too much. They would much rather talk about Iraq and what's being done to support the troops there. That's Karma Kumlin's frustration. Her husband is working as a prison guard in Iraq. She says he's frustrated by lack of clarity in his job assignments and doesn't feel he's adequately trained to do the work he's being asked to do.

KARMA KUMLIN, SOLDIER'S WIFE: It's a complicated situation that should have been dealt with like a complicated situation, not that we could just go in and blaze through, everyone would say hurrah and then we could leave.

LAVANDERA: Captain Woodard give President Bush the benefit of the doubt for the way he's handling the war.

WOODARD: I think the information that's being put out is as accurate as it can be, you know? And the old saying that says, hey, nobody lied, the truth changed, you know? Nobody's lied to anybody, but the truth has changed. And I think that very well is the case.

LAVANDERA: With no end in sight to the if we could, these soldiers will do what they've been trained to do -- march on and fight on in the face of uncertainty.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Las Vegas.

(END VIDEO TAPE) GRIFFIN: Don't forget our e-mail question this morning. Vietnam, the National Guard, well, what do you think the real issues of this election are? You can e-mail us at wam@cnn.com. We've got some pretty hot e-mails already.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GINNY BRYANT: We'll probably have to bulldoze it down. But it'll be, you know, just a lot, because we won't rebuild.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: She's not the only one ready to say farewell to what used to be her house. We'll show you what the residents in this Florida town are facing next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, good morning, North Carolina.

This is a link from our affiliate WRAL. As you can see, Ivan, the remnants of it, still hanging around. Boy, this area was hard hit by Ivan. Eight deaths reported and a mud slide, as well.

Orelon Sidney will have the forecast in about 15 minutes.

GRIFFIN: You know, the toughest part of this hurricane for people living in its path may be not have been riding it out, but going home to see what's left.

Our David Mattingly there for the journey back.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What is this? Is there a bed?

JULE PEW: That's our headboard. That's good, I guess.

KEN PEW: This is our family room.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Jule (ph) and Ken Pew (ph) were in the midst of remodeling their bayside home in Navarre, Florida when Ivan made other plans.

K. PEW: This is the bedroom over here. This is the kitchen. There used to be an island across here. The only thing that's left in the kitchen is the granite countertops.

MATTINGLY: The house on the water they retired to from California just two years ago is beyond repair.

J. PEW: You just wonder why me, you know? Why me?

MATTINGLY: Windows, doors, even brick walls are missing. Not a single piece of furniture is left. All of it taken by a hurricane more devastating than anyone imagined.

(on camera): I didn't even see any furniture out in the front yard. Where did it go?

J. PEW: We've been looking for it.

K. PEW: I don't know. When we left, we tried to get everything up as high as we could. You know, we tried to get it off the floor if we could. But we haven't even seen our couches.

MATTINGLY: The storm surge was so powerful it tore through these homes and took everyone's belongings to who knows where? Here at the Pews' home, for example, this is their bathtub. No one put it here. This is where the storm left it. As for their appliances, they're across the street. On the curb over there, that's their drier. Their refrigerator is actually a few yards back, behind their neighbor's house.

(voice-over): No house in this waterfront neighborhood was spared. Those on stilts fared only slightly better. Next door to the Pews, it now takes a ladder to get into the house. Inside, Ginny Bryant (ph) finds that her furniture stayed. But it's ruined. So is the carpet and the ceiling.

BRYANT: We'll probably have to bulldoze it down and, but it'll be, you know, just a lot, because we won't rebuild.

MATTINGLY: The Pews won't rebuild either. When they evacuated, they took three days' worth of clothes, photographs and papers. What they didn't take, they lost. The only thing they have to do now is fall back on their sense of humor.

K. PEW: So what we're going to do now is we're going to wait for insurance and then we're going to...

J. PEW: Go to Australia for six months.

MATTINGLY: David Mattingly, CNN, Navarre, Florida.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

GRIFFIN: Getting out of town.

Well, here's a look at some of the other stories making headlines this Saturday. No power, no water, that's what many Florida residents are facing in the wake of hurricane Ivan. It could take weeks to restore basic services to parts of the Panhandle.

In sports, Barry Bonds has joined the 700 Club. The San Francisco Giants slugger belted his 700th career homer last night. It's his 42nd home run this season. Wow!

And finally, former child star Macaulay Culkin is out on bond after getting arrested in Oklahoma City on drug charges during a traffic stop. Police say they found marijuana, Zantax pills and an unprescribed sedative. Today's Ryder Cup starts in about 15 minutes. But don't -- if you don't have time to wait, CNN SATURDAY MORNING, we talk to Rick Horrow. And he takes it "Beyond The Game" when we get back.

And here's the morning mystery for you. What successful sportsman said this during the past week? Here's the quote: "It's a long danged year, man. Now I suppose we'll get serious, go after the championship." That's just a quote. Stay tuned. Find out who the person is.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: A walkout in the NHL, the Ryder Cup riding high and speeding off in NASCAR. We want to discuss all three in this week's installment of "Beyond The Game."

And here to help is, of course, Rick Horrow, CNN sports business analyst and author of "When The Game Is On The Line."

Horrow joins us live from West Palm Beach, Florida.

How is everything there with your home?

RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Well, I'm all right. But three weeks of hurricanes coverage, it's good to be back, I'll tell you that.

NGUYEN: I'll bet you are worn out.

All right, let's talk about hockey.

The September 15 deadline for this walkout has passed.

What's the latest with that?

HORROW: Well, you know, 10 years ago we had the same kind of issue after the Rangers won Stanley Cup and the NHL decided to lock people out for restructuring. That didn't work. The system has evolved over time where 75 percent of the payrolls or 75 percent of the revenues actually go to the players, and compared to about 55 percent in basketball.

How do the teams make up the money? By charging the fans. $250, by the way, for a family of four to go to games right now.

NGUYEN: $250?

HORROW: $250.

NGUYEN: Goodness.

HORROW: And that's unacceptable to a lot of people. They're saying let us close the industry down, restructure. Even the fans are saying if it's worth a total economic change, we may want to wait.

NGUYEN: But I guess when you're thinking about players, how do their salaries compare with other salaries in these sports?

HORROW: Well, again, the issue is the salaries are about $1.6 billion on average. That's a lot of money for a pro athlete. But it's how they divide the revenue that's key. And the implications are pretty serious.

You know, you've got 1,200 games in 30 arenas. If the season is wiped out, you've even got an Ontario stick maker who's going to lay off a lot of their employees because there's no demand anymore. You've got television and sponsorship waiting in the wings. The owners have a $300 million war chest and the players a $100 million war chest for a long fight.

$2 billion of revenue is at stake so everybody hopes that cooler heads will prevail and they'll get back to playing hockey pretty soon.

NGUYEN: Yes, we can only hope so.

Let's talk about Ryder Cup. Team USA off to a bad start already. You know, Tiger's not playing as he normally does, in tip top shape. So is this going to affect television audiences?

HORROW: Well, let me tell you what happened going in, which is pretty darned good. NBC paid $15 million for the rights fee. You've got 200 corporate sweeps at 350K per. That's a lot of money. The Michigan CVB, Convention Bureau, has 60 CEOs coming into the area. That's $100 million of impact for the Detroit region. That's pretty good.

The issue is $70 million of revenue for that event versus about $44 million for a Masters. So that is good.

The problem is if the team doesn't start playing very well, nobody's going to be watching come Sunday.

NGUYEN: Absolutely.

And speaking of people watching, NASCAR, things are revving up. Let's talk about this playoff style championship.

Now, is that good for the game or is that just good for people watching at home?

HORROW: Well, I don't know what the difference is. It's good for the game maybe because people are watching at home. You've got 75 million hard core fans. You've got a $2.6 billion TV contract over six years with NASCAR. That's good for the game.

But the ratings have been pretty flat over the last year. They've built seven new tracks recently. They're looking at the Northeast and the Northwest. They wanted something to jazz it up. The play-off system certainly starting. That's going to be good for the game. People are going to be very excited about it. It's so good in NASCAR, they've declared a politics free zone, by the way. George Bush has been invited, but he may not come. John Kerry may even figure out a way to get into the middle of those demographics. And George Pataki, the New York governor, has unveiled a $43 license plate in the honor of Dale Earnhardt, Sr.

NGUYEN: Very interesting.

OK, I'm going to put you to the test this morning. We told you about a quote earlier and I'm going to read it to you once again.

HORROW: Right.

NGUYEN: "It's a long danged year, man." I don't know if I'm saying it exactly the way this person would have said it. But, "Now I suppose we'll get serious, go after the championship."

Rick, who said it?

HORROW: Well, you got the words right. You got the inflection wrong. And I gave you the hint earlier, Dale Earnhardt, Sr.

NGUYEN: OK, well how would he say it?

HORROW: It's his son -- "long danged year, man."

NGUYEN: Man. OK. I've got to work on that.

HORROW: Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

NGUYEN: Long danged year, man.

HORROW: Man.

NGUYEN: All right.

Rick Horrow, always a pleasure.

Thank you so much.

HORROW: Thank you, man.

NGUYEN: The Ryder Cup championship continues in Michigan this morning and we are there with live coverage. You want to stay tuned to CNN. During our 9:00 a.m. hour, our Larry Smith gives us the latest on all of that.

GRIFFIN: Well, we asked you earlier this morning what are the big issues, Vietnam, National Guard or something else, perhaps? We're gong to read what you've already written us at wam@cnn.com. And, some people are mad.

NGUYEN: Oh, yes.

GRIFFIN: We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, good morning on this Saturday. We want to find out the latest with Ivan and all these others that appear to be brewing. It's that time of year, Orelon.

SIDNEY: It is the season and we've got, of course, a couple of tropical systems in the Atlantic. Tropical storm Jeanne not looking very impressive on the satellite picture. Winds are down to 45 miles an hour near Great Inagua right now and moving to the northwest at eight miles an hour. We don't expect it to be any immediate threat to the United States. And if it continues to turn off to the north, it may not end up being a threat at all, which is just great news.

At any rate, even through 72 hours, not expected to be much more than a tropical storm. We'll have to keep an eye on it, of course. But that is some very good news.

Karl is way, way out in the Atlantic, not a problem. It's a hurricane but it is not expected to affect any land areas whatsoever.

We do have some showers and thunderstorms left over from Ivan interacting with a cold front up to the north. Take a look at Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina this morning. The temperatures there currently in the 60s. You're going to have a high temperature today in the 70s or the 80s. A lot depends on whether or not these remaining clouds from Ivan can move out of the way. If they do, you'll have a very pleasant afternoon, with clearing skies and high temperatures in the upper 70s.

We'll take a look at the forecast for the rest of the nation in the next hour -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: Thanks, Orelon.

We are going to get on to our e-mail Question of the Day.

We asked you what do you think the real issues of this campaign should be.

And here's some of our responses. From Dan in Colton, Oregon. He writes: "If President Bush had served in country, as did Senator Kerry, and had witnessed firsthand war, we wouldn't be in the mess we are in right now."

NGUYEN: And Robert from Virginia writes: "The issues in this election, in answer to your question, are simple -- Bush's strength and Kerry's weakness."

Of course, we invite you to send in your responses to wam@cnn.com.

GRIFFIN: The next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.

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