Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Ayman al-Zawahiri Al Qaeda Message Made Public; Hurricane Ivan Treks Through Caribbean; Al Qaeda Ally Blamed for Indonesia Bombing; Entire Family Enlists in Navy

Aired September 09, 2004 - 17:00   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.


WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now -- a message from al Qaeda made public just two days before September 11. Why is Osama bin Laden's number two man speaking on camera now?
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Ivan the terrible: A deadly hurricane lays waste to one island nation and eyes another. They're already fleeing Florida's Keys. Can that state stand another blow?

Terror war: An al Qaeda ally is blamed for a bloody bombing in Indonesia as Pakistan targets an al Qaeda training camp.

On the offensive: U.S. forces strike back in Iraq but are civilians paying the price?

In the Navy, an entire family enlists. They'll join us live to tell you why.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, September 9, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Just before the 9/11 anniversary, a bold boast from an alleged mastermind of al Qaeda attacks. Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant has appeared in a videotape claiming Americans are on the run in Afghanistan and facing defeat in Iraq.

We have the latest. We'll begin with our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson joining us from the CNN Center in Atlanta. What was said on this audiotape, Nick?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Ayman al-Zawahiri says that time is running out for the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq. He said that in Iraq the Mujahideen, the holy fighters had turned U.S. policy there upside down. He also said that inside of Afghanistan, U.S. troops were on the run there as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI (through translator): Eastern south Afghanistan is an open battlefield for the Mujahideen while the liars are hiding in the big capitals. And the Americans are hiding now in trenches and they refuse to come out and meet the Mujahideen (INAUDIBLE) Mujahideen antagonizing them with bombing and shooting and road blocks around them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now he goes on to say that the United States is caught between these two countries, that it is being bled to death and then he says if the United States pulls out then it will, quote, "lose everything" -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Nick, we heard from Ayman al-Zawahiri about a year or so ago on the eve of 9/11 as well. The timing of the release of this, what are analysts suggesting?

ROBERTSON: The timing, al Qaeda appears to like to make a release, a special release around the anniversary of September 11. If one looks at their releases over the last few years, every anniversary they make a video release. Last year, the year before, a video release. The releases in the intervening period have been statements on the Internet or audio tapes of video release.

What is different as well about this one, not just the videotape. Last year, it showed al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden in the mountains of Afghanistan. There was a track, audio portion that went with it.

But this time, what makes this different, it's the first time it's happened in over two-and-a-half years, the al Qaeda leadership manages to get an on-camera message, if you will, delivering straight to camera and releasing that video message and that has been different during from the last two-and-a-half years -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And finally, Nick, al Jazeera not saying how they obtained this tape, are they?

ROBERTSON: Apparently not. This has been a conduit that seems to be working for al Qaeda that they deliver their tapes to al- Jazeera. It works for al Qaeda, al Jazeera broadcasts them first, the rest of the world picks the videotapes up from there. Perhaps this is one of the routes, one of the channels who's being studied as to find out where Ayman al-Zawahiri, where Osama bin Laden are hiding -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson reporting for us. Thanks, Nic, very much.

So, is al Qaeda making a comeback? CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen is one of the few western journalists to have ever met Osama bin Laden. He recently returned from Afghanistan and writes about the hunt for bin Laden in the new issue of the "Atlantic Monthly." Peter Bergen is joining us here in our Washington studios.

What do you make of this audio, videotape?

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, the videotape is significant, because as Nic indicated, it's pretty unusual and I think it shows perhaps a certainly comfort level. The videotapes, we haven't seen very much of them.

An audio tape is always easier to do. To show a videotape, I think, shows a certain comfort level that Ayman al-Zawahiri may have. The leisure to do this, to have the cameraman calm, et cetera, even though he's on the run, they can still organize this and get it to al Jazeera.

BLITZER: The fact that we see him wearing this white turban, we have seen that before, but what about the machine gun behind him?

BERGEN: That we have never seen with Ayman al-Zawahiri. We've always seen that with bin Laden, he always keeps a modified (INAUDIBLE) next to him. In the CNN interview we did in '97, he had it next to him, he always has it next to him, but Ayman al-Zawahiri is a doctor, an intellectual, not a fighter, so it's interesting that he has his weapon for the first time.

BLITZER: He's a medical doctor.

BERGEN: Yes.

BLITZER: The fact that he released -- that he's on this videotape instead of Osama bin Laden, what if any conclusions should we draw from that?

BERGEN: I don't think there really are any conclusions. We've had about 20 audio or videotapes from bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and they basically -- it's like a tag team. Ayman al-Zawahiri will release on, bin Laden will release one. They come out about every two months since 9/11. The fact that bin Laden -- we'll probably hear from bin Laden next. It may be tomorrow, it may be three months from now.

BLITZER: Coffer Black, the former CIA official that now runs counterterrorism at the State Department was just in the region, suggesting that they're getting closer and closer and closer to capturing Osama bin Laden. You were just there as well. What's your bottom line?

BERGEN: I'm not -- I'm an admirer of Coffer Black but I'm not sure that's true. I think that talking to a lot of Afghan officials, American officials, Pakistani officials, we're sort of hitting a brick wall in terms of the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and also Ayman al- Zawahiri. The general view is that they're in Pakistan, but other than that, we don't have any real-time information.

The last time we might have known where bin Laden was, was maybe December 2002 when Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the military commander of al Qaeda said he met him when he was interrogated, when he was finally captured, that is, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed said he had seen bin Laden in December of 2002 but that's really the last time that we have reasonably good guidance from anybody who might have known where bin Laden is.

BLITZER: Our national security correspondent David Ensor was told by officials at the CIA they're studying this new videotape to check its authenticity, but there are references made there that would seem to suggest it was made relatively recently.

BERGEN: Yes, so far there's no, like, date time stamp but the fact that he's talking about the transitional government in Iraq, the fact that he's talking about resurgent cycle, mujahedeen activity in southern and eastern Afghanistan, I think that all says that it was made sometime in the not-so-distant past.

BLITZER: Peter Bergen, thank you very much.

The al Qaeda tape airs as Pakistan claims a significant victory in the fight against the terror network. Pakistan says it used warplanes, missiles and artillery to pound a suspected training camp near the Afghan border.

Pakistani military and government officials say at least 55 people were killed, including Arabs, Uzbeks and Chechens, allegedly all tied to al Qaeda. U.S. officials say a training camp was wiped out but don't believe any -- and I'm quoting now -- "big-name al Qaeda figures were present."

There's been a bloody bombing in Indonesia's capital. At least nine people are dead, more than 180 wounded. A key American ally was the apparent target, an al Qaeda ally is suspected. Let's go live to our Jakarta bureau chief, Maria Ressa. She has details -- Maria.

MARIA RESSA, CNN JAKARTA BUREAU CHIEF: Wolf, I would say the target was the Australian embassy here in Indonesia's capital and the group that both Indonesian and Australian authorities say is behind the blast is Jemaah Islamiyah, a group terrorism experts say is al Qaeda's arm in southeast Asia.

If this is indeed the case, if this turns out to be true, then this is the third major al Qaeda-linked terrorist attack in Indonesia in less than two years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RESSA (voice-over): An eyewitness inside the Australian embassy said he saw a car driving down the road before it exploded near the embassy gate, a blast so fierce it shattered nearly all the windows in at least seven high-rise buildings.

Body parts were strewn around one of Jakarta's main roads linking its central business district. Police quickly tried to secure the area, saying they were afraid of secondary explosions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was inside the embassy and I heard this great boom, bang, bomb explosion, I was with people who have a military background and they identified this as a bomb.

RESSA: Australian officials said the bomb left a crater three meters or nine feet deep. It torched nearby vehicles, including this police truck normally part of the Australian embassy security detail. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast.

ALEXANDER DOWNER, AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Naturally enough, our suspicions turn to Jemaah Islamiyah and we had some advice a few days ago of a possible terrorist attack in Jakarta focusing on western-style hotels and we changed our travel advisory to take that into account.

RESSA: Many western nations including Australia and the United States warned their citizens against unnecessary travel to Indonesia. Jemaah Islamiyah, al Qaeda's arm in southeast Asia has been blamed for at least one major terrorist attack every year since 2002.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RESSA (on camera): There's speculation that, like the Madrid train bombing, the aim could be to disrupt the political process. Both Indonesia and Australia have elections in the coming weeks. And not to be overlooked, this blast happened two days before the anniversary of 9/11. Say some terrorism analysts we spoke with, timing is everything.

Back to you, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Maria Ressa in Jakarta, thank you very much.

Ivan the terrible, now a fierce Category 5 hurricane. Widespread devastation and deaths on the island of Grenada. We'll hear from an American who's there. And the storm is now bearing down on Jamaica. We'll go live to Kingston, as well.

Florida's anxiety: Predictions put the Sunshine State in the hurricane's possible path again. Mandatory evacuations already underway in parts of Florida.

And later, an entire family's decision to enlist -- mother, father, and children, all signing up for U.S. Military service right now. I'll speak to them live and get their explanation why they decided to do this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Imminent danger from Ivan: That's the warning Jamaican officials are putting out as the Category 5 storms bears down on the island. Anyone who doubts the danger need only look as far as Grenada, where the storm -- weaker than it is right now -- killed at least 13 people.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Devastation as far as the eye can see on Grenada. The island nation of 89,000 took the first blow from Ivan, the strongest hurricane to hit the Caribbean in a decade. It lashed the country Tuesday as a Category 3 storm, with winds of 115 miles an hour.

Emergency officials say that was strong enough to damage 90 percent of the island's buildings. Among them, the home of the prime minister, which was destroyed. He calls the devastation beyond imagination.

Also destroyed, a 400-year-old stone prison. The inmates now running loose. Looting is reported to be widespread in the capital, St. Georges, whose medical school draws a large number of Americans. One tells the Associated Press she no longer feels safe there.

Two British Navy ships are on the scene in the former colony. The captain of one of them described the situation just a short time ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's still quite a lot of devastation from the high winds that passed through here about 36 hours ago. Agencies are now starting to come in country from around the Caribbean. HMS Richmond -- we've managed to clear the runway here to allow planes to land.

And at the same time -- they're all Navy warships (ph) I have here -- HMS Richmond and RFA Wave Ruler are currently tending to first aid, getting generators working in the hospitals.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (on camera): And only within the past few moments, there's been a new report -- a new forecast from the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables, Florida.

CNN's Orelon Sidney is standing by with the latest on the tracking of this storm -- Orelon?

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wolf, thanks a lot.

Indeed, the 5:00 advisory has changed several things. One of them is the wind speed with Ivan. It's now down to 150 miles an hour. This still now is a extremely dangerous storm, Category 4. A 10 mile an hour difference really doesn't make that much difference in the damage. It's a -- still an extremely dangerous situation.

Moving to the west-northwest at 15. It's now 350 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica. The Cayman Islands have now been included in the hurricane warning, as is Jamaica. Hurricane watches are in effect for Cuba and Haiti to the north and northeast.

And here's what we think will be happening. By tomorrow afternoon, the storm making either a direct hit or a very close pass to Jamaica, with winds of about 155 miles an hour. That's Category 4.

We go on 24 hours into Saturday afternoon, and it looks like the Cayman Islands -- the northern Cayman Islands will be getting a hit from about 160 mile an hour winds. Now, don't really focus too much on the actual wind speed, because when a storm is this strong, it does fluctuate, and we do expect it to fluctuate between Category 4 and 5.

Again, by Sunday, 2:00 p.m., you're seeing it affect the western portions of Cuba. And then, we get a change in the Hurricane Center's official forecast. Rather than going up through the Florida peninsula, moved a little bit further now to the west. Still very strong, but as it heads northward, it looks like potentially the Florida Panhandle could be in danger.

Remember, though, that zone of possibility extends from the Bahamas back to the central Gulf of Mexico -- Wolf?

BLITZER: So, it's still very, very early, Orelon, to make any hard and fast predictions where or even if it will hit Florida. Is that right?

SIDNEY: That's exactly right. At this point, you just can't focus on any one location. Florida is still in this zone of possibility between the forecast models. But if you're anywhere from, I'd say, Charleston all the way back just about to New Orleans, believe it or not, you should be prepared for the potential that this storm could head in your direction -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Orelon Sidney, thanks very much. And I want to reemphasize, once again, it's still too soon to say whether or not Ivan will eventually hit Florida. But just the prospect of yet a third hurricane in less than a month is bringing a huge sense of fatigue to the already storm-weary state.

CNN's John Zarrella has that part of the story from Miami.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Denis Chavez has had just about all he can take. He and daughters Alexis and Ashley spent Thursday cleaning up the yard of their Palm Beach County home.

Less than a week ago, they watched as the core of Hurricane Frances just missed them. Now, it's Ivan, and now the anxiety level is going up again.

Denis says maybe it's time to leave Florida for good.

DENIS CHAVEZ, RESIDENT: It's a tough decision mentally, but we're exhausted. We're just -- I don't -- I just don't want to go through it again, and I don't want to put my kids through it again.

ZARRELLA: But it's very possible that it will be deja vu all over again for some parts of the so-called Sunshine State. Ivan, coming up from the south, compounds the problems. Evacuations have begun in the Keys, but do people go east or west to get out of harm's way?

Debris, that could become deadly projectiles, still litter streets from Punta Gorda to Fort Pierce. Fuel is still a precious commodity. Utility trucks handling Hurricane Frances repairs need it, but so will evacuees.

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: So, I mean, welcome to our world. This is -- there is no set answer to any of these questions. A lot of this depends on where the storm goes. We have a huge challenge in front of us.

ZARRELLA: Plywood continues pouring out of home improvement stores. People who didn't or couldn't board up for Charley or Frances are now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You could only get so many pieces of wood, and now we're boarding up the rest of it, because I'm just too scared to see what's going to happen now.

ZARRELLA: With no let up in this mean season, many hurricane- punch-drunk Floridians have opted to live in the dark, even those who have electricity. Everywhere you look, shutters or plywood cover windows, and people say they are not coming down until the tropics calm down.

John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: All right. Let's go check the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan. We're on the phone now with Denny Densmore. He's a medical student from South Carolina who attends St. Georges University Medical School in Grenada.

What was it like, Denny, when this hurricane was going over Grenada?

DENNY DENSMORE, MEDICAL STUDENT: Hi, Wolf. How you doing?

Yes, it was very violent. You know, we grew up in South Carolina, a couple of us here, so we're a little bit used to it, but a lot of the students weren't at all. The administration (INAUDIBLE) they can to pull (INAUDIBLE) keep things running here from an infrastructure standpoint.

BLITZER: How many students are there at the medical school there?

DENSMORE: A little over 2,000.

BLITZER: And of those, how many are Americans?

DENSMORE: About 79 percent of us are U.S. citizens.

BLITZER: And is everybody OK?

DENSMORE: Yes, sir. We're fine. You know, we're a little punch-drunk. It was a very traumatic experience. A lot of folks live off campus here in the local economy, and that was particularly hard hit. The buildings that weren't reinforced concrete went down completely. The ones that were reinforced concrete, the roofs lifted off and interior (ph) contents were...

BLITZER: And you're breaking up a little bit, but in short, Denny, it was a very, very frightening experience, I assume?

DENSMORE: Roger that. It was very violent, Wolf. We had a lot of flying debris, roof tiles flying, minor non-structural -- I mean, major non-structural damage, but no structural damage to the university. So, we're all holed up here and pulling together to move forward.

BLITZER: Denny Densmore is a medical student at St. Georges University in Grenada. Thanks, Denny, for calling us.

And this just in to CNN from the Associated Press, which is now reporting that a half a million people are being urged to evacuate coastal areas in Jamaica as Ivan bears down on that country with winds of 150 miles an hour. That's expected to happen sometime tomorrow. The prime minister is warning residents to prepare for what he's calling the worst-case scenario.

Neki Mohan of CNN affiliate WPLG is in the Jamaican capital of Kingston. She's joining us now live. Let's listen to her report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEKI MOHAN, REPORTER, WPLG (voice-over): In downtown Kingston, business halted at noon to make way for the business of Ivan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a large hurricane. I think it's more severe, so it might be worse. We're hoping for the best. We think the trees will be damaged. We're going to miss the trees.

(LAUGHTER)

MOHAN: The shutters are going up. Jamaicans are gassing up. In the streets of Kingston, a mad rush to get ready for Ivan.

(on camera): Are you worried?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very much worried, very much worried. We are in a state right now where we can't even take a Category 1 hurricane, much less a Category 5. It is very frightening, and we need to really prepare ourselves.

MOHAN (voice-over): People here are preparing for the worst. Memories fresh in most peoples' mind because of Gilbert in 1988. Ironically, Ivan comes almost on the 16-year anniversary.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was living in Portland at that time, and all the rooms, everything went. Flooded. The stores were broken into, the glass and all of that. Terrible, terrible.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAN (on camera): The prime minister expected to address the nation in just a few hours. Just a few minutes ago, they ordered 1,000 shelters open, and they are opening across the island for the people who cannot get word by TV, radio, or by telephone. They will go through the neighborhoods with loudspeakers and order them to evacuate.

That's the latest -- live in Kingston, Jamaica, I'm Neki Mohan. Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Neki Mohan. And thanks to our affiliate WPLG for that report.

Inside the deadly Russian school standoff, hear from one boy who was held captive. His personal account of the terrorists, an amazing survival story -- that's ahead.

Bill Clinton's condition: New details of how the former president is now recuperating following his heart surgery. We have an update.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a company that was formed by Bob and Joyce Byers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A small number of protesters booing the president on the campaign trail as he takes his message to a key battleground state.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: President Bush is on the stump in the swing state of Pennsylvania today, trying to woo voters with an upbeat economic message. But he's also having to deal with protesters and new questions about his service in the Texas Air National Guard.

Our White House Correspondent Dana Bash is traveling with the president. She's joining us now live from Johnstown, Pennsylvania -- Dana?

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the president is speaking right now here in Johnstown here in an arena. This is a suburb of Pittsburgh. As you mentioned, his second stop of the day in the very important State of Pennsylvania -- a state he's visited more than any other besides his home state of Texas.

Now, the president, as you mentioned, earlier today, began his speech in the suburb of Philadelphia, but he was interrupted by two protesters -- two sets of protesters who were escorted out quite forcibly. One even said that she was pulled by her hair by a volunteer in order to get them out of there.

Now, this is noteworthy, because the president almost never has protesters as his events. They are screened -- the people who come to his campaign events are screened, and they are told that -- they are very carefully screened so they don't have issues like this. But these particular protesters says they posed as Bush volunteers and then went to a volunteer meeting the night before in order to get in.

Now, once the president did start, the president talked about an issue of economics, pocketbook issues -- these are the issues they think are really going to help them win the state, because they're the issues that Pennsylvania voters, they believe, care most about. So, Mr. Bush said that John Kerry is going to raise Americans' taxes, and he's interested in big government. And he said he has a secret plan to do so.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: If you drive a car, Senator Kerry's voted for higher taxes on you. If you have a job, he's voted for higher taxes on you. If you're married or have children, he's voted for higher taxes on you. The good news is that the 2nd of November, you have a chance to vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, what the president is trying to do with this particular message is appeal to moderate Republicans who voted for Al Gore last time. And essentially that's why the president lost this state.

That is what the president is trying to focus on here. He is trying to stay on message, not get sidetracked. But what Democrats are talking about, which is the fact that there are new allegations regarding whether or not he actually served in the National Guard adequately or whether or not he got preferential treatment.

The Bush campaign says that's not true. As a matter of fact, Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, put the blame squarely on the Kerry campaign, that they're behind the coordinated attacks. The Kerry campaign says that's simply not true. This is just the work of journalists finding this information -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Dana Bash traveling with the president right now in Pennsylvania -- thanks, Dana, very much.

John Kerry is on the offensive again, vowing to cut health costs if elected and saying President Bush is playing -- and I'm quoting now -- "shameful and irresponsible politics." Kerry started the day in the swing state of Iowa and has a stop later in New Orleans.

CNN's Ed Henry has more now from Des Moines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John Kerry is campaigning in Iowa, the state where he started his miraculous comeback in the Democratic primary. In fact, he kicked off a town hall meet here in Des Moines by noting that this is his second home.

In recent days, Democrats like Bill Clinton have been urging Kerry to stop talking about issues dating back 35 years ago. And that's why Kerry has been trying to shift the focus to his domestic agenda. And he was today at the Iowa Methodist Medical Center at a town hall meeting focusing on his health care plan.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you may me president of the United States, on day one, within whatever number of hours I'm allowed to do it, I am sending a bill to Congress to provide affordable, accessible health care to all Americans. No. 1 priority.

HENRY: One voter at this town hall meeting in Iowa did ask Senator Kerry about the new questions surrounding President Bush's service in the National Guard. Kerry dodged the question. He's trying to stay above the fray and only focus on policy differences with the president, not personal attacks.

But Democrats very close to Kerry, like the Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, for two straight days have been pounding away at the president, suggesting that there are new questions about his National Guard service. There is also this new 527 group, Texans For Truth, which is running an ad suggesting that the president was AWOL.

Kerry aides here say that the candidate has nothing to do with this new group, but Bush/Cheney aides point out that this new group is affiliated with Democratic-leaning groups like moveon.org.

This all sounds very familiar, because just a couple of weeks ago, John Kerry was denouncing outside ads from this group Swift Boat Veterans For Truth. He was suggesting at the time that this group was doing the dirty work for President Bush. Republicans now wonder whether this new group is doing the dirty work for John Kerry.

Ed Henry, CNN, Des Moines, Iowa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: A third day of fighting in Fallujah. And civilians are getting caught in the crossfire. We'll have a report from Iraq.

Also ahead, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani visiting Russia and talking about the Russian school massacre.

And if it's good enough for one, it's good enough for all, why an entire American family has now joined the U.S. Navy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Turning now to Iraq, hit hard by recent insurgent attacks, U.S. forces are striking back. In Fallujah and other cities, they have launched airstrikes and ground assaults. Dozens of people have been killed, many of them civilians.

CNN senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers has our report from Baghdad.

This note, some of the images you're about to see may be disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what happens when Islamist fighters in Fallujah take human shields as protection against American airstrikes. This is what happens to children in Fallujah when various intelligence sources tell the American military they know where Islamist fighters linked to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi are hiding. The U.S. military says it regrets the civilian casualties from its precision bombing, but says the interim Iraqi government believes it had identified an Islamist command and control center that had been targeting Americans.

The only bodies shown to the cameras at the hospital were Iraqi civilians. It's impossible to determine if the targeted Islamist insurgents were also killed. This outraged Iraqi told our freelance Iraqi cameraman that four women were killed, blown out of this house, he says. A dead baby was also dangling from the power line outside, he added.

Iraq's Health Ministry says four children were killed and six adults. One anti-war Web site estimates 11,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in this war, although estimates vary widely. The Pentagon says it does not tally civilian casualties.

Another Iraqi says this is the false democracy Bush promised. In his words, he is the enemy of Islam. In Talafar, about 35 miles west of Mosul, the fighting has spread, creating more refugees. One Iraqi doctor claims at least 17 people have been killed there and scores wounded. U.S. forces are trying to battle Islamic insurgents there, many of whom the Iraqi government believes came from Syria.

The battle in Talafar is to retake the city from the Islamist fighters there. Elsewhere, a previously unknown group linked to al Qaeda claims it has two 29-year-old Italian aid workers, punishment, they, say for Italy standing with the United States in Iraq. This Italian journalist knows the women.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, they were targeted first of all, because they were easy targets. And I'm afraid that today, nobody is safe.

RODGERS (on camera): That feeling of not being safe is well- known to anyone in Iraq today, children in Fallujah, aid workers and journalists here in Baghdad, U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians. And there is no relief in sight.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Russian officials now say at least six of the terrorists who seized a school in southern Russia were from Chechnya. And Russia's foreign minister today warned the West not to interfere with Russia's Chechnya policy. More than 300 hostages died in the school siege.

Rudy Giuliani, who was New York City's mayor at the time of the 9/11 attacks, met with the foreign minister today and said the latest terror attack will draw Americans and Russians closer together. More than a week after the Russian school siege began, stories of terror and grit continue to emerge. A 10-year-old boy who survived the ordeal spoke with reporters earlier today.

Here is his story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGY FARNIYEV, SIEGE SURVIVOR (through translator): They said, sit down and if you make any noise, we will kill 20 children. One of the terrorists had control of 20 children already. And they were killed. And that's why they came to kill us. They killed some adults and one little girl.

One of the bombs was right under me and then we moved. So, when they started to shoot, this bomb went off, but it didn't do anything to me, not a scratch. From the gym, I managed to get out to the room where the teacher normally goes.

Then, I went to the dining room hall. And that's where a grenade went off and I was hit by shrapnel. I pulled a piece of shrapnel from the top of my arm. And then I went to the kitchen and I hid in the cupboard.

And meanwhile, there was a lot of shooting and grenades and bombs going off all around. One of the women had explosives strapped to her stomach and held a pistol like that and another one of those belts that you keep money in.

And there were explosives in that as well. I went into the cupboard limping because my knee was hurting. But I limped there. And it was there I pulled the shrapnel out of my arm and rinsed it off with water. But I didn't pull the shrapnel out of my knee.

MARINA FARNIYEV, GEORGY'S MOTHER (through translator): When we ran up, they started shooting. We just wanted to save our children, but the bandits started shooting. We were on the other side of the complex where all the people were waiting for the children. We wanted to rescue them, but they didn't let us through. But I'm so glad he was rescued eventually.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: We're glad he was rescued also.

Secretary of State Colin Powell told a Senate panel that what's going on in Sudan amounts to genocide. Powell's statement has important political implications.

Our State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The secretary of state did not mince words. COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We concluded -- I concluded that genocide has been committed in Darfur and that the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed bear responsibility and that genocide may still be occurring.

KOPPEL: Less than three months after he toured Darfur, Secretary Powell told senators a State Department report detailing interviews with Sudanese refugees shows a pattern of atrocities targeting black Africans.

The report cites racial and ethnic epithets made by both Arab militia known as Janjaweed and Sudanese government sources, including, "Kill the slaves" and "We have order to kill all the blacks." But even as he called the crisis a genocide, Powell suggested the U.S. was not obligated to intervene more forcefully than it already has. Instead, Powell put the onus on the United Nations.

POWELL: Call it civil war, call it ethnic cleansing, call it genocide, call it none of the above. The reality is the same. There are people in Darfur who desperately need the help of the international community.

KOPPEL: Powell said the U.S. was circulating a new draft U.N. resolution which calls on the Security Council to bring those responsible to justice. The resolution also threatens sanctions on Sudan's lucrative oil industry unless Khartoum ends its support for Janjaweed militia and allows the African Union to send in thousands of troops to monitor the situation. But under questioning, Powell conceded there was a caveat.

POWELL: There's no immediate sanction to come out of this resolution.

SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN: What good does it do to pass U.N. resolutions with deadlines when there are no actual consequences?

KOPPEL: Senator Barbara boxer pointed to a "Washington Post" editorial criticizing Powell, saying the Bush administration -- quote -- "has not expended the diplomatic capital necessary to achieve a solution."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: Powell rejected the claims and said that the resolution is strong, but he conceded that it does stand to face significant opposition from council members China and Pakistan. He also said and pointed out actually the Sudanese government rejected the U.S. charges, saying that it was a ploy, a political ploy by President Bush to seize Sudan's oil reserves and to win the U.S. reelection in November -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Andrea Koppel reporting for us -- thanks, Andrea.

He's not quite out and about, but Bill Clinton has reached a milestone in his recovery. We'll have an update on the former president's condition. Also, one family's very unusual military move. It's a story you've probably never heard before.

Plus, he's all ears. And now it's official. You'll meet Jack, the Basset Hound.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Three days after undergoing quadruple heart bypass surgery, the former President Bill Clinton is recuperating in a New York hospital.

Joining us with more on his recovery process, our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

Elizabeth, what's the latest?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, President Clinton's office just put out a new statement. And they say the president is in good spirits and has been able to take short walks in the hallway outside his room. That certainly is a wonderful step, no pun intended.

And his doctors aren't giving out details. But I was talking to a doctor from the American Heart Association, who said that's exactly where he would expect a patient to be three days after surgery. He said, at this stage, patients are not usually in severe pain.

They're very uncomfortable, of course. They just had their chest opened. But he said sometimes patients need a mild narcotic for pain. Sometimes they just need extra-strength Tylenol.

He said the former president would be eating regular foot. And most patients leave the hospital about five days or so after surgery -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, good news. Bill Clinton seems to be doing just fine under the circumstances. Our best wishes for a speedy recovery to the former president.

A family's call to duty, why this Alabama family, mom, dad, son and daughter, all of them -- yes, all of them -- enlisting in the U.S. Navy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: From Alabama today, there's an extraordinary story about one family and service. It began when Brandi McIntyre, just graduating from high school, expressed an interest in joining the U.S. armed forces. We'll have Brandi and the rest of her family tells us what happened next.

Brandi, pick up the story. Tell us what happened.

BRANDI MCINTYRE, U.S. NAVY: Well, I decided before high school was out, I wasn't too sure what I was going to do with my life. And I decided that I wanted to go into the military. And I wasn't too sure what branch. And my dad and I, we got together. My dad was recently -- he was in the Army, and so my dad presented with me, why not the Navy?

And so, I visited with my chief -- she's my chief now, Chief Chun (ph). We sat down. She came to our house. She sat down and told me about all these different opportunities. And I decided that it was right for me.

BLITZER: All right, and then your brother, Jamie, let's let him pick up the story.

Jamie, tell us what happened next.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, U.S. NAVY: Well, I -- she signed up for the Navy, and then we met at her graduation, met a recruiter there. And they said they had a nuclear program, nuclear engineering, nuclear power program. And it seemed like a very good idea also, with the educational opportunities and the promotion of rank and different things like that.

BLITZER: So, you decided to enlist yourself in the U.S. Navy.

J. MCINTYRE: Yes, sir, I did.

BLITZER: Jamie's 19. Brandi is 18.

All right, let's bring the story now to the father, Kerry.

What happens when you hear that both of your children are now joining the Navy?

KERRY MCINTYRE, U.S. NAVY: Actually, sir, it was pretty much not my idea also. I helped them out. As far as trying to choose a branch, Brandi and I searched several different branches to try to find which one was the right one for us and for what she wanted to do. And the Navy just fit the bill.

And so, at that point, we met with the recruiters. And everything looked really good. The programs were there that we all needed and asked for. And the night she graduated, I met with a recruiter that night. And I said I really do miss the camaraderie, because I was in the Army. And I would really like to serve again, be a part of something bigger than I am.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: So, you're 38 years old. You're a little old to join the Navy, aren't you?

(LAUGHTER)

K. MCINTYRE: Actually, yes, sir, that's what I thought. And the recruiter, he said, no, you know, they're taking your prior service. I said, well, I've been out for 13 years. I'm 38 years old. I'm an old man in those respects. And so, he said, no, they're taking prior service. I said, would I have to go back through basic training or anything like that? And he said no. And I said, well, I really want to talk with you more about that. And so, I went home and talked to my wife, and from that point, it stalled a little bit.

BLITZER: But eventually you decided to do it. Let's bring in your wife, Angela.

Angela, you're 37 years old. You've got your husband and your two children now telling you, we're going to join the Navy. What do you decide to do?

ANGELA MCINTYRE, U.S. NAVY: Well, actually, I met with Petty Officer Dutton (ph). And she explained -- was explaining to my husband about the benefits that the Navy had. And she mentioned that, even at my age -- I'm 37 -- that I could join also.

And it's something that I had thought about years ago, but the kids being little, I didn't want to, you know, have to leave them. But now that all three of them joined and I found out I could join, too, I was -- I'm really excited.

BLITZER: But you're the mother, Angela. Are you nervous about your two kids -- forget about your husband right now -- but your two kids serving in the U.S. military at a dangerous time like this?

A. MCINTYRE: Well, I've talked to several people, and that's been brought to my attention, you know, several times.

But I can say this. It is going to be one of the safest places, because they're looked after 24 hours a day, and I feel real good about their careers.

BLITZER: I suspect the U.S. Navy is going to love all four of you very much. And I want to congratulate all four of you for service to the United States.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: James, Angela, Kerry and Brandi, what a lovely family indeed.

And we'll have a new meaning to the phrase all ears. We'll explain in our picture of the day. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A German Basset Hound has the record books for the world's longest dog ears. Look at this. That's it.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts 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 9, 2004 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now -- a message from al Qaeda made public just two days before September 11. Why is Osama bin Laden's number two man speaking on camera now?
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Ivan the terrible: A deadly hurricane lays waste to one island nation and eyes another. They're already fleeing Florida's Keys. Can that state stand another blow?

Terror war: An al Qaeda ally is blamed for a bloody bombing in Indonesia as Pakistan targets an al Qaeda training camp.

On the offensive: U.S. forces strike back in Iraq but are civilians paying the price?

In the Navy, an entire family enlists. They'll join us live to tell you why.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, September 9, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Just before the 9/11 anniversary, a bold boast from an alleged mastermind of al Qaeda attacks. Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant has appeared in a videotape claiming Americans are on the run in Afghanistan and facing defeat in Iraq.

We have the latest. We'll begin with our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson joining us from the CNN Center in Atlanta. What was said on this audiotape, Nick?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Ayman al-Zawahiri says that time is running out for the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq. He said that in Iraq the Mujahideen, the holy fighters had turned U.S. policy there upside down. He also said that inside of Afghanistan, U.S. troops were on the run there as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI (through translator): Eastern south Afghanistan is an open battlefield for the Mujahideen while the liars are hiding in the big capitals. And the Americans are hiding now in trenches and they refuse to come out and meet the Mujahideen (INAUDIBLE) Mujahideen antagonizing them with bombing and shooting and road blocks around them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now he goes on to say that the United States is caught between these two countries, that it is being bled to death and then he says if the United States pulls out then it will, quote, "lose everything" -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Nick, we heard from Ayman al-Zawahiri about a year or so ago on the eve of 9/11 as well. The timing of the release of this, what are analysts suggesting?

ROBERTSON: The timing, al Qaeda appears to like to make a release, a special release around the anniversary of September 11. If one looks at their releases over the last few years, every anniversary they make a video release. Last year, the year before, a video release. The releases in the intervening period have been statements on the Internet or audio tapes of video release.

What is different as well about this one, not just the videotape. Last year, it showed al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden in the mountains of Afghanistan. There was a track, audio portion that went with it.

But this time, what makes this different, it's the first time it's happened in over two-and-a-half years, the al Qaeda leadership manages to get an on-camera message, if you will, delivering straight to camera and releasing that video message and that has been different during from the last two-and-a-half years -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And finally, Nick, al Jazeera not saying how they obtained this tape, are they?

ROBERTSON: Apparently not. This has been a conduit that seems to be working for al Qaeda that they deliver their tapes to al- Jazeera. It works for al Qaeda, al Jazeera broadcasts them first, the rest of the world picks the videotapes up from there. Perhaps this is one of the routes, one of the channels who's being studied as to find out where Ayman al-Zawahiri, where Osama bin Laden are hiding -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson reporting for us. Thanks, Nic, very much.

So, is al Qaeda making a comeback? CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen is one of the few western journalists to have ever met Osama bin Laden. He recently returned from Afghanistan and writes about the hunt for bin Laden in the new issue of the "Atlantic Monthly." Peter Bergen is joining us here in our Washington studios.

What do you make of this audio, videotape?

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, the videotape is significant, because as Nic indicated, it's pretty unusual and I think it shows perhaps a certainly comfort level. The videotapes, we haven't seen very much of them.

An audio tape is always easier to do. To show a videotape, I think, shows a certain comfort level that Ayman al-Zawahiri may have. The leisure to do this, to have the cameraman calm, et cetera, even though he's on the run, they can still organize this and get it to al Jazeera.

BLITZER: The fact that we see him wearing this white turban, we have seen that before, but what about the machine gun behind him?

BERGEN: That we have never seen with Ayman al-Zawahiri. We've always seen that with bin Laden, he always keeps a modified (INAUDIBLE) next to him. In the CNN interview we did in '97, he had it next to him, he always has it next to him, but Ayman al-Zawahiri is a doctor, an intellectual, not a fighter, so it's interesting that he has his weapon for the first time.

BLITZER: He's a medical doctor.

BERGEN: Yes.

BLITZER: The fact that he released -- that he's on this videotape instead of Osama bin Laden, what if any conclusions should we draw from that?

BERGEN: I don't think there really are any conclusions. We've had about 20 audio or videotapes from bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and they basically -- it's like a tag team. Ayman al-Zawahiri will release on, bin Laden will release one. They come out about every two months since 9/11. The fact that bin Laden -- we'll probably hear from bin Laden next. It may be tomorrow, it may be three months from now.

BLITZER: Coffer Black, the former CIA official that now runs counterterrorism at the State Department was just in the region, suggesting that they're getting closer and closer and closer to capturing Osama bin Laden. You were just there as well. What's your bottom line?

BERGEN: I'm not -- I'm an admirer of Coffer Black but I'm not sure that's true. I think that talking to a lot of Afghan officials, American officials, Pakistani officials, we're sort of hitting a brick wall in terms of the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and also Ayman al- Zawahiri. The general view is that they're in Pakistan, but other than that, we don't have any real-time information.

The last time we might have known where bin Laden was, was maybe December 2002 when Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the military commander of al Qaeda said he met him when he was interrogated, when he was finally captured, that is, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed said he had seen bin Laden in December of 2002 but that's really the last time that we have reasonably good guidance from anybody who might have known where bin Laden is.

BLITZER: Our national security correspondent David Ensor was told by officials at the CIA they're studying this new videotape to check its authenticity, but there are references made there that would seem to suggest it was made relatively recently.

BERGEN: Yes, so far there's no, like, date time stamp but the fact that he's talking about the transitional government in Iraq, the fact that he's talking about resurgent cycle, mujahedeen activity in southern and eastern Afghanistan, I think that all says that it was made sometime in the not-so-distant past.

BLITZER: Peter Bergen, thank you very much.

The al Qaeda tape airs as Pakistan claims a significant victory in the fight against the terror network. Pakistan says it used warplanes, missiles and artillery to pound a suspected training camp near the Afghan border.

Pakistani military and government officials say at least 55 people were killed, including Arabs, Uzbeks and Chechens, allegedly all tied to al Qaeda. U.S. officials say a training camp was wiped out but don't believe any -- and I'm quoting now -- "big-name al Qaeda figures were present."

There's been a bloody bombing in Indonesia's capital. At least nine people are dead, more than 180 wounded. A key American ally was the apparent target, an al Qaeda ally is suspected. Let's go live to our Jakarta bureau chief, Maria Ressa. She has details -- Maria.

MARIA RESSA, CNN JAKARTA BUREAU CHIEF: Wolf, I would say the target was the Australian embassy here in Indonesia's capital and the group that both Indonesian and Australian authorities say is behind the blast is Jemaah Islamiyah, a group terrorism experts say is al Qaeda's arm in southeast Asia.

If this is indeed the case, if this turns out to be true, then this is the third major al Qaeda-linked terrorist attack in Indonesia in less than two years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RESSA (voice-over): An eyewitness inside the Australian embassy said he saw a car driving down the road before it exploded near the embassy gate, a blast so fierce it shattered nearly all the windows in at least seven high-rise buildings.

Body parts were strewn around one of Jakarta's main roads linking its central business district. Police quickly tried to secure the area, saying they were afraid of secondary explosions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was inside the embassy and I heard this great boom, bang, bomb explosion, I was with people who have a military background and they identified this as a bomb.

RESSA: Australian officials said the bomb left a crater three meters or nine feet deep. It torched nearby vehicles, including this police truck normally part of the Australian embassy security detail. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast.

ALEXANDER DOWNER, AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Naturally enough, our suspicions turn to Jemaah Islamiyah and we had some advice a few days ago of a possible terrorist attack in Jakarta focusing on western-style hotels and we changed our travel advisory to take that into account.

RESSA: Many western nations including Australia and the United States warned their citizens against unnecessary travel to Indonesia. Jemaah Islamiyah, al Qaeda's arm in southeast Asia has been blamed for at least one major terrorist attack every year since 2002.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RESSA (on camera): There's speculation that, like the Madrid train bombing, the aim could be to disrupt the political process. Both Indonesia and Australia have elections in the coming weeks. And not to be overlooked, this blast happened two days before the anniversary of 9/11. Say some terrorism analysts we spoke with, timing is everything.

Back to you, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Maria Ressa in Jakarta, thank you very much.

Ivan the terrible, now a fierce Category 5 hurricane. Widespread devastation and deaths on the island of Grenada. We'll hear from an American who's there. And the storm is now bearing down on Jamaica. We'll go live to Kingston, as well.

Florida's anxiety: Predictions put the Sunshine State in the hurricane's possible path again. Mandatory evacuations already underway in parts of Florida.

And later, an entire family's decision to enlist -- mother, father, and children, all signing up for U.S. Military service right now. I'll speak to them live and get their explanation why they decided to do this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Imminent danger from Ivan: That's the warning Jamaican officials are putting out as the Category 5 storms bears down on the island. Anyone who doubts the danger need only look as far as Grenada, where the storm -- weaker than it is right now -- killed at least 13 people.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Devastation as far as the eye can see on Grenada. The island nation of 89,000 took the first blow from Ivan, the strongest hurricane to hit the Caribbean in a decade. It lashed the country Tuesday as a Category 3 storm, with winds of 115 miles an hour.

Emergency officials say that was strong enough to damage 90 percent of the island's buildings. Among them, the home of the prime minister, which was destroyed. He calls the devastation beyond imagination.

Also destroyed, a 400-year-old stone prison. The inmates now running loose. Looting is reported to be widespread in the capital, St. Georges, whose medical school draws a large number of Americans. One tells the Associated Press she no longer feels safe there.

Two British Navy ships are on the scene in the former colony. The captain of one of them described the situation just a short time ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's still quite a lot of devastation from the high winds that passed through here about 36 hours ago. Agencies are now starting to come in country from around the Caribbean. HMS Richmond -- we've managed to clear the runway here to allow planes to land.

And at the same time -- they're all Navy warships (ph) I have here -- HMS Richmond and RFA Wave Ruler are currently tending to first aid, getting generators working in the hospitals.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (on camera): And only within the past few moments, there's been a new report -- a new forecast from the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables, Florida.

CNN's Orelon Sidney is standing by with the latest on the tracking of this storm -- Orelon?

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wolf, thanks a lot.

Indeed, the 5:00 advisory has changed several things. One of them is the wind speed with Ivan. It's now down to 150 miles an hour. This still now is a extremely dangerous storm, Category 4. A 10 mile an hour difference really doesn't make that much difference in the damage. It's a -- still an extremely dangerous situation.

Moving to the west-northwest at 15. It's now 350 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica. The Cayman Islands have now been included in the hurricane warning, as is Jamaica. Hurricane watches are in effect for Cuba and Haiti to the north and northeast.

And here's what we think will be happening. By tomorrow afternoon, the storm making either a direct hit or a very close pass to Jamaica, with winds of about 155 miles an hour. That's Category 4.

We go on 24 hours into Saturday afternoon, and it looks like the Cayman Islands -- the northern Cayman Islands will be getting a hit from about 160 mile an hour winds. Now, don't really focus too much on the actual wind speed, because when a storm is this strong, it does fluctuate, and we do expect it to fluctuate between Category 4 and 5.

Again, by Sunday, 2:00 p.m., you're seeing it affect the western portions of Cuba. And then, we get a change in the Hurricane Center's official forecast. Rather than going up through the Florida peninsula, moved a little bit further now to the west. Still very strong, but as it heads northward, it looks like potentially the Florida Panhandle could be in danger.

Remember, though, that zone of possibility extends from the Bahamas back to the central Gulf of Mexico -- Wolf?

BLITZER: So, it's still very, very early, Orelon, to make any hard and fast predictions where or even if it will hit Florida. Is that right?

SIDNEY: That's exactly right. At this point, you just can't focus on any one location. Florida is still in this zone of possibility between the forecast models. But if you're anywhere from, I'd say, Charleston all the way back just about to New Orleans, believe it or not, you should be prepared for the potential that this storm could head in your direction -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Orelon Sidney, thanks very much. And I want to reemphasize, once again, it's still too soon to say whether or not Ivan will eventually hit Florida. But just the prospect of yet a third hurricane in less than a month is bringing a huge sense of fatigue to the already storm-weary state.

CNN's John Zarrella has that part of the story from Miami.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Denis Chavez has had just about all he can take. He and daughters Alexis and Ashley spent Thursday cleaning up the yard of their Palm Beach County home.

Less than a week ago, they watched as the core of Hurricane Frances just missed them. Now, it's Ivan, and now the anxiety level is going up again.

Denis says maybe it's time to leave Florida for good.

DENIS CHAVEZ, RESIDENT: It's a tough decision mentally, but we're exhausted. We're just -- I don't -- I just don't want to go through it again, and I don't want to put my kids through it again.

ZARRELLA: But it's very possible that it will be deja vu all over again for some parts of the so-called Sunshine State. Ivan, coming up from the south, compounds the problems. Evacuations have begun in the Keys, but do people go east or west to get out of harm's way?

Debris, that could become deadly projectiles, still litter streets from Punta Gorda to Fort Pierce. Fuel is still a precious commodity. Utility trucks handling Hurricane Frances repairs need it, but so will evacuees.

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: So, I mean, welcome to our world. This is -- there is no set answer to any of these questions. A lot of this depends on where the storm goes. We have a huge challenge in front of us.

ZARRELLA: Plywood continues pouring out of home improvement stores. People who didn't or couldn't board up for Charley or Frances are now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You could only get so many pieces of wood, and now we're boarding up the rest of it, because I'm just too scared to see what's going to happen now.

ZARRELLA: With no let up in this mean season, many hurricane- punch-drunk Floridians have opted to live in the dark, even those who have electricity. Everywhere you look, shutters or plywood cover windows, and people say they are not coming down until the tropics calm down.

John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: All right. Let's go check the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan. We're on the phone now with Denny Densmore. He's a medical student from South Carolina who attends St. Georges University Medical School in Grenada.

What was it like, Denny, when this hurricane was going over Grenada?

DENNY DENSMORE, MEDICAL STUDENT: Hi, Wolf. How you doing?

Yes, it was very violent. You know, we grew up in South Carolina, a couple of us here, so we're a little bit used to it, but a lot of the students weren't at all. The administration (INAUDIBLE) they can to pull (INAUDIBLE) keep things running here from an infrastructure standpoint.

BLITZER: How many students are there at the medical school there?

DENSMORE: A little over 2,000.

BLITZER: And of those, how many are Americans?

DENSMORE: About 79 percent of us are U.S. citizens.

BLITZER: And is everybody OK?

DENSMORE: Yes, sir. We're fine. You know, we're a little punch-drunk. It was a very traumatic experience. A lot of folks live off campus here in the local economy, and that was particularly hard hit. The buildings that weren't reinforced concrete went down completely. The ones that were reinforced concrete, the roofs lifted off and interior (ph) contents were...

BLITZER: And you're breaking up a little bit, but in short, Denny, it was a very, very frightening experience, I assume?

DENSMORE: Roger that. It was very violent, Wolf. We had a lot of flying debris, roof tiles flying, minor non-structural -- I mean, major non-structural damage, but no structural damage to the university. So, we're all holed up here and pulling together to move forward.

BLITZER: Denny Densmore is a medical student at St. Georges University in Grenada. Thanks, Denny, for calling us.

And this just in to CNN from the Associated Press, which is now reporting that a half a million people are being urged to evacuate coastal areas in Jamaica as Ivan bears down on that country with winds of 150 miles an hour. That's expected to happen sometime tomorrow. The prime minister is warning residents to prepare for what he's calling the worst-case scenario.

Neki Mohan of CNN affiliate WPLG is in the Jamaican capital of Kingston. She's joining us now live. Let's listen to her report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEKI MOHAN, REPORTER, WPLG (voice-over): In downtown Kingston, business halted at noon to make way for the business of Ivan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a large hurricane. I think it's more severe, so it might be worse. We're hoping for the best. We think the trees will be damaged. We're going to miss the trees.

(LAUGHTER)

MOHAN: The shutters are going up. Jamaicans are gassing up. In the streets of Kingston, a mad rush to get ready for Ivan.

(on camera): Are you worried?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very much worried, very much worried. We are in a state right now where we can't even take a Category 1 hurricane, much less a Category 5. It is very frightening, and we need to really prepare ourselves.

MOHAN (voice-over): People here are preparing for the worst. Memories fresh in most peoples' mind because of Gilbert in 1988. Ironically, Ivan comes almost on the 16-year anniversary.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was living in Portland at that time, and all the rooms, everything went. Flooded. The stores were broken into, the glass and all of that. Terrible, terrible.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAN (on camera): The prime minister expected to address the nation in just a few hours. Just a few minutes ago, they ordered 1,000 shelters open, and they are opening across the island for the people who cannot get word by TV, radio, or by telephone. They will go through the neighborhoods with loudspeakers and order them to evacuate.

That's the latest -- live in Kingston, Jamaica, I'm Neki Mohan. Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Neki Mohan. And thanks to our affiliate WPLG for that report.

Inside the deadly Russian school standoff, hear from one boy who was held captive. His personal account of the terrorists, an amazing survival story -- that's ahead.

Bill Clinton's condition: New details of how the former president is now recuperating following his heart surgery. We have an update.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a company that was formed by Bob and Joyce Byers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A small number of protesters booing the president on the campaign trail as he takes his message to a key battleground state.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: President Bush is on the stump in the swing state of Pennsylvania today, trying to woo voters with an upbeat economic message. But he's also having to deal with protesters and new questions about his service in the Texas Air National Guard.

Our White House Correspondent Dana Bash is traveling with the president. She's joining us now live from Johnstown, Pennsylvania -- Dana?

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the president is speaking right now here in Johnstown here in an arena. This is a suburb of Pittsburgh. As you mentioned, his second stop of the day in the very important State of Pennsylvania -- a state he's visited more than any other besides his home state of Texas.

Now, the president, as you mentioned, earlier today, began his speech in the suburb of Philadelphia, but he was interrupted by two protesters -- two sets of protesters who were escorted out quite forcibly. One even said that she was pulled by her hair by a volunteer in order to get them out of there.

Now, this is noteworthy, because the president almost never has protesters as his events. They are screened -- the people who come to his campaign events are screened, and they are told that -- they are very carefully screened so they don't have issues like this. But these particular protesters says they posed as Bush volunteers and then went to a volunteer meeting the night before in order to get in.

Now, once the president did start, the president talked about an issue of economics, pocketbook issues -- these are the issues they think are really going to help them win the state, because they're the issues that Pennsylvania voters, they believe, care most about. So, Mr. Bush said that John Kerry is going to raise Americans' taxes, and he's interested in big government. And he said he has a secret plan to do so.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: If you drive a car, Senator Kerry's voted for higher taxes on you. If you have a job, he's voted for higher taxes on you. If you're married or have children, he's voted for higher taxes on you. The good news is that the 2nd of November, you have a chance to vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, what the president is trying to do with this particular message is appeal to moderate Republicans who voted for Al Gore last time. And essentially that's why the president lost this state.

That is what the president is trying to focus on here. He is trying to stay on message, not get sidetracked. But what Democrats are talking about, which is the fact that there are new allegations regarding whether or not he actually served in the National Guard adequately or whether or not he got preferential treatment.

The Bush campaign says that's not true. As a matter of fact, Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, put the blame squarely on the Kerry campaign, that they're behind the coordinated attacks. The Kerry campaign says that's simply not true. This is just the work of journalists finding this information -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Dana Bash traveling with the president right now in Pennsylvania -- thanks, Dana, very much.

John Kerry is on the offensive again, vowing to cut health costs if elected and saying President Bush is playing -- and I'm quoting now -- "shameful and irresponsible politics." Kerry started the day in the swing state of Iowa and has a stop later in New Orleans.

CNN's Ed Henry has more now from Des Moines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John Kerry is campaigning in Iowa, the state where he started his miraculous comeback in the Democratic primary. In fact, he kicked off a town hall meet here in Des Moines by noting that this is his second home.

In recent days, Democrats like Bill Clinton have been urging Kerry to stop talking about issues dating back 35 years ago. And that's why Kerry has been trying to shift the focus to his domestic agenda. And he was today at the Iowa Methodist Medical Center at a town hall meeting focusing on his health care plan.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you may me president of the United States, on day one, within whatever number of hours I'm allowed to do it, I am sending a bill to Congress to provide affordable, accessible health care to all Americans. No. 1 priority.

HENRY: One voter at this town hall meeting in Iowa did ask Senator Kerry about the new questions surrounding President Bush's service in the National Guard. Kerry dodged the question. He's trying to stay above the fray and only focus on policy differences with the president, not personal attacks.

But Democrats very close to Kerry, like the Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, for two straight days have been pounding away at the president, suggesting that there are new questions about his National Guard service. There is also this new 527 group, Texans For Truth, which is running an ad suggesting that the president was AWOL.

Kerry aides here say that the candidate has nothing to do with this new group, but Bush/Cheney aides point out that this new group is affiliated with Democratic-leaning groups like moveon.org.

This all sounds very familiar, because just a couple of weeks ago, John Kerry was denouncing outside ads from this group Swift Boat Veterans For Truth. He was suggesting at the time that this group was doing the dirty work for President Bush. Republicans now wonder whether this new group is doing the dirty work for John Kerry.

Ed Henry, CNN, Des Moines, Iowa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: A third day of fighting in Fallujah. And civilians are getting caught in the crossfire. We'll have a report from Iraq.

Also ahead, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani visiting Russia and talking about the Russian school massacre.

And if it's good enough for one, it's good enough for all, why an entire American family has now joined the U.S. Navy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Turning now to Iraq, hit hard by recent insurgent attacks, U.S. forces are striking back. In Fallujah and other cities, they have launched airstrikes and ground assaults. Dozens of people have been killed, many of them civilians.

CNN senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers has our report from Baghdad.

This note, some of the images you're about to see may be disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what happens when Islamist fighters in Fallujah take human shields as protection against American airstrikes. This is what happens to children in Fallujah when various intelligence sources tell the American military they know where Islamist fighters linked to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi are hiding. The U.S. military says it regrets the civilian casualties from its precision bombing, but says the interim Iraqi government believes it had identified an Islamist command and control center that had been targeting Americans.

The only bodies shown to the cameras at the hospital were Iraqi civilians. It's impossible to determine if the targeted Islamist insurgents were also killed. This outraged Iraqi told our freelance Iraqi cameraman that four women were killed, blown out of this house, he says. A dead baby was also dangling from the power line outside, he added.

Iraq's Health Ministry says four children were killed and six adults. One anti-war Web site estimates 11,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in this war, although estimates vary widely. The Pentagon says it does not tally civilian casualties.

Another Iraqi says this is the false democracy Bush promised. In his words, he is the enemy of Islam. In Talafar, about 35 miles west of Mosul, the fighting has spread, creating more refugees. One Iraqi doctor claims at least 17 people have been killed there and scores wounded. U.S. forces are trying to battle Islamic insurgents there, many of whom the Iraqi government believes came from Syria.

The battle in Talafar is to retake the city from the Islamist fighters there. Elsewhere, a previously unknown group linked to al Qaeda claims it has two 29-year-old Italian aid workers, punishment, they, say for Italy standing with the United States in Iraq. This Italian journalist knows the women.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, they were targeted first of all, because they were easy targets. And I'm afraid that today, nobody is safe.

RODGERS (on camera): That feeling of not being safe is well- known to anyone in Iraq today, children in Fallujah, aid workers and journalists here in Baghdad, U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians. And there is no relief in sight.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Russian officials now say at least six of the terrorists who seized a school in southern Russia were from Chechnya. And Russia's foreign minister today warned the West not to interfere with Russia's Chechnya policy. More than 300 hostages died in the school siege.

Rudy Giuliani, who was New York City's mayor at the time of the 9/11 attacks, met with the foreign minister today and said the latest terror attack will draw Americans and Russians closer together. More than a week after the Russian school siege began, stories of terror and grit continue to emerge. A 10-year-old boy who survived the ordeal spoke with reporters earlier today.

Here is his story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGY FARNIYEV, SIEGE SURVIVOR (through translator): They said, sit down and if you make any noise, we will kill 20 children. One of the terrorists had control of 20 children already. And they were killed. And that's why they came to kill us. They killed some adults and one little girl.

One of the bombs was right under me and then we moved. So, when they started to shoot, this bomb went off, but it didn't do anything to me, not a scratch. From the gym, I managed to get out to the room where the teacher normally goes.

Then, I went to the dining room hall. And that's where a grenade went off and I was hit by shrapnel. I pulled a piece of shrapnel from the top of my arm. And then I went to the kitchen and I hid in the cupboard.

And meanwhile, there was a lot of shooting and grenades and bombs going off all around. One of the women had explosives strapped to her stomach and held a pistol like that and another one of those belts that you keep money in.

And there were explosives in that as well. I went into the cupboard limping because my knee was hurting. But I limped there. And it was there I pulled the shrapnel out of my arm and rinsed it off with water. But I didn't pull the shrapnel out of my knee.

MARINA FARNIYEV, GEORGY'S MOTHER (through translator): When we ran up, they started shooting. We just wanted to save our children, but the bandits started shooting. We were on the other side of the complex where all the people were waiting for the children. We wanted to rescue them, but they didn't let us through. But I'm so glad he was rescued eventually.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: We're glad he was rescued also.

Secretary of State Colin Powell told a Senate panel that what's going on in Sudan amounts to genocide. Powell's statement has important political implications.

Our State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The secretary of state did not mince words. COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We concluded -- I concluded that genocide has been committed in Darfur and that the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed bear responsibility and that genocide may still be occurring.

KOPPEL: Less than three months after he toured Darfur, Secretary Powell told senators a State Department report detailing interviews with Sudanese refugees shows a pattern of atrocities targeting black Africans.

The report cites racial and ethnic epithets made by both Arab militia known as Janjaweed and Sudanese government sources, including, "Kill the slaves" and "We have order to kill all the blacks." But even as he called the crisis a genocide, Powell suggested the U.S. was not obligated to intervene more forcefully than it already has. Instead, Powell put the onus on the United Nations.

POWELL: Call it civil war, call it ethnic cleansing, call it genocide, call it none of the above. The reality is the same. There are people in Darfur who desperately need the help of the international community.

KOPPEL: Powell said the U.S. was circulating a new draft U.N. resolution which calls on the Security Council to bring those responsible to justice. The resolution also threatens sanctions on Sudan's lucrative oil industry unless Khartoum ends its support for Janjaweed militia and allows the African Union to send in thousands of troops to monitor the situation. But under questioning, Powell conceded there was a caveat.

POWELL: There's no immediate sanction to come out of this resolution.

SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN: What good does it do to pass U.N. resolutions with deadlines when there are no actual consequences?

KOPPEL: Senator Barbara boxer pointed to a "Washington Post" editorial criticizing Powell, saying the Bush administration -- quote -- "has not expended the diplomatic capital necessary to achieve a solution."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: Powell rejected the claims and said that the resolution is strong, but he conceded that it does stand to face significant opposition from council members China and Pakistan. He also said and pointed out actually the Sudanese government rejected the U.S. charges, saying that it was a ploy, a political ploy by President Bush to seize Sudan's oil reserves and to win the U.S. reelection in November -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Andrea Koppel reporting for us -- thanks, Andrea.

He's not quite out and about, but Bill Clinton has reached a milestone in his recovery. We'll have an update on the former president's condition. Also, one family's very unusual military move. It's a story you've probably never heard before.

Plus, he's all ears. And now it's official. You'll meet Jack, the Basset Hound.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Three days after undergoing quadruple heart bypass surgery, the former President Bill Clinton is recuperating in a New York hospital.

Joining us with more on his recovery process, our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

Elizabeth, what's the latest?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, President Clinton's office just put out a new statement. And they say the president is in good spirits and has been able to take short walks in the hallway outside his room. That certainly is a wonderful step, no pun intended.

And his doctors aren't giving out details. But I was talking to a doctor from the American Heart Association, who said that's exactly where he would expect a patient to be three days after surgery. He said, at this stage, patients are not usually in severe pain.

They're very uncomfortable, of course. They just had their chest opened. But he said sometimes patients need a mild narcotic for pain. Sometimes they just need extra-strength Tylenol.

He said the former president would be eating regular foot. And most patients leave the hospital about five days or so after surgery -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, good news. Bill Clinton seems to be doing just fine under the circumstances. Our best wishes for a speedy recovery to the former president.

A family's call to duty, why this Alabama family, mom, dad, son and daughter, all of them -- yes, all of them -- enlisting in the U.S. Navy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: From Alabama today, there's an extraordinary story about one family and service. It began when Brandi McIntyre, just graduating from high school, expressed an interest in joining the U.S. armed forces. We'll have Brandi and the rest of her family tells us what happened next.

Brandi, pick up the story. Tell us what happened.

BRANDI MCINTYRE, U.S. NAVY: Well, I decided before high school was out, I wasn't too sure what I was going to do with my life. And I decided that I wanted to go into the military. And I wasn't too sure what branch. And my dad and I, we got together. My dad was recently -- he was in the Army, and so my dad presented with me, why not the Navy?

And so, I visited with my chief -- she's my chief now, Chief Chun (ph). We sat down. She came to our house. She sat down and told me about all these different opportunities. And I decided that it was right for me.

BLITZER: All right, and then your brother, Jamie, let's let him pick up the story.

Jamie, tell us what happened next.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, U.S. NAVY: Well, I -- she signed up for the Navy, and then we met at her graduation, met a recruiter there. And they said they had a nuclear program, nuclear engineering, nuclear power program. And it seemed like a very good idea also, with the educational opportunities and the promotion of rank and different things like that.

BLITZER: So, you decided to enlist yourself in the U.S. Navy.

J. MCINTYRE: Yes, sir, I did.

BLITZER: Jamie's 19. Brandi is 18.

All right, let's bring the story now to the father, Kerry.

What happens when you hear that both of your children are now joining the Navy?

KERRY MCINTYRE, U.S. NAVY: Actually, sir, it was pretty much not my idea also. I helped them out. As far as trying to choose a branch, Brandi and I searched several different branches to try to find which one was the right one for us and for what she wanted to do. And the Navy just fit the bill.

And so, at that point, we met with the recruiters. And everything looked really good. The programs were there that we all needed and asked for. And the night she graduated, I met with a recruiter that night. And I said I really do miss the camaraderie, because I was in the Army. And I would really like to serve again, be a part of something bigger than I am.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: So, you're 38 years old. You're a little old to join the Navy, aren't you?

(LAUGHTER)

K. MCINTYRE: Actually, yes, sir, that's what I thought. And the recruiter, he said, no, you know, they're taking your prior service. I said, well, I've been out for 13 years. I'm 38 years old. I'm an old man in those respects. And so, he said, no, they're taking prior service. I said, would I have to go back through basic training or anything like that? And he said no. And I said, well, I really want to talk with you more about that. And so, I went home and talked to my wife, and from that point, it stalled a little bit.

BLITZER: But eventually you decided to do it. Let's bring in your wife, Angela.

Angela, you're 37 years old. You've got your husband and your two children now telling you, we're going to join the Navy. What do you decide to do?

ANGELA MCINTYRE, U.S. NAVY: Well, actually, I met with Petty Officer Dutton (ph). And she explained -- was explaining to my husband about the benefits that the Navy had. And she mentioned that, even at my age -- I'm 37 -- that I could join also.

And it's something that I had thought about years ago, but the kids being little, I didn't want to, you know, have to leave them. But now that all three of them joined and I found out I could join, too, I was -- I'm really excited.

BLITZER: But you're the mother, Angela. Are you nervous about your two kids -- forget about your husband right now -- but your two kids serving in the U.S. military at a dangerous time like this?

A. MCINTYRE: Well, I've talked to several people, and that's been brought to my attention, you know, several times.

But I can say this. It is going to be one of the safest places, because they're looked after 24 hours a day, and I feel real good about their careers.

BLITZER: I suspect the U.S. Navy is going to love all four of you very much. And I want to congratulate all four of you for service to the United States.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: James, Angela, Kerry and Brandi, what a lovely family indeed.

And we'll have a new meaning to the phrase all ears. We'll explain in our picture of the day. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A German Basset Hound has the record books for the world's longest dog ears. Look at this. That's it.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts 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