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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Gulf Coast Under Hurricane Warning; Dozens Dead as Insurgents Target Iraqi Police

Aired September 14, 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 -- you're looking at a live picture of New Orleans. It's now under a hurricane warning, along with Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida coastlines. That means the effects of Hurricane Ivan are expected to be felt in less than 24 hours.
And there's a new tropical threat in the Atlantic, where yet more hurricane warnings are going up, this time for Puerto Rico. It's a double dose of threats that have millions of Americans on notice. We'll have the latest information just in from the National Hurricane Center.

Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): The Gulf coast gets ready as Ivan looks for new targets. One is very vulnerable -- already below sea level.

MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: We could have a situation where we have 12 to 18 feet of water throughout the city.

BLITZER: Slaughter in the streets: From Baghdad to Baquba, dozens are dead as insurgents target Iraqi police.

Suicide sisterhood: Terrorism takes a chilling new turn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Security forces aren't used to looking at women, especially young women and girls who are often used as potentially the danger.

BLITZER: Docu-drama: President Bush meets with the National Guard, as new questions arise about the documents questioning his service.

Humanizing Hitler: A controversial new film looks at how Germany went wrong by taking a new look at its notorious leader.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Tuesday, September 14th, 2004.

BLITZER: From Florida's Panhandle in the east to west of New Orleans, millions of Gulf coast residents are being warned: Hurricane Ivan is incoming. States of emergency are being declared and evacuations are already underway.

We have complete coverage, beginning with CNN's David Mattingly. He's joining us live from Panama City in Florida -- David?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the uncertainty about Ivan's eventual landfall continues to alarm people all across the Gulf of Mexico -- from here in Panama City Beach, Florida, all the way to 300 miles away in Louisiana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): With its final destination still unclear, Ivan has coastal residents in four states scrambling for cover. In flood-prone New Orleans, a state of emergency exists, and residents are urged to move to higher ground.

NAGIN: We're encouraging everyone to leave, and a lot of people are leaving. But if they can't leave, then we're encouraging them to do what we call vertical evacuation, and that's to basically go to hotels and high-rise buildings in the city.

MATTINGLY: In Mississippi and Alabama, also states of emergency. Fragile coastal islands are especially vulnerable to hurricane winds and storm surges. People there rush to secure their belongings before they leave.

GOV. BOB RILEY, ALABAMA: This is something that can be an absolute catastrophe, and we need to treat it as such.

MATTINGLY: And in the Florida Panhandle, more evacuations. But possibly some optimism, as Ivan's interests seem to lie more to the west. But officials are taking no chances: schools are closed; shelters are open; and the famous white sand beaches are all but deserted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think you can possibly probably expect to see less sunshine, possibly some bands coming in. We're expecting some gale-force winds as early as tomorrow, mid afternoon, early afternoon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: And expect those conditions to continue to deteriorate tomorrow as Ivan draws closer. The near-empty beach behind me tells the story. This is no time anywhere in the Gulf of Mexico for fun in the sun -- Wolf?

BLITZER: David Mattingly in Panama City, Florida. Thanks, David, very much.

Let's move 300 miles to the west, where there is much unease in the Big Easy. A direct hit by Ivan could devastate New Orleans. You're looking at live pictures right now. Much of that city, as many of you know, lies below sea level.

CNN's Jason Bellini is already there. What's going on, Jason? JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the mayor of New Orleans is urging people in the strongest possible terms to evacuate, if they still can. And that's a very difficult situation, Wolf.

I'm standing on the bank of the Mississippi River. You can look out there. Things look pretty calm right now, but the fear, the nightmare scenario, is that this river, if Ivan hits near here -- or a direct hit, God forbid -- this river could overflow its banks and New Orleans, which is basically a bowl, could fill with water. The mayor said that the city could be under 14 feet of water for weeks.

He's also saying that the airport is closing tonight and that people who are on the roads need to continue, even though there's basically gridlock on the streets right now. I've been listening to local radio, local TV, people calling in, frightened being on the road, not knowing when they'll be able to move, not knowing where exactly they're going to go -- just heading out of the region, trying to get as far away as they possibly can.

The mayor urges people who are remaining in the city to prepare plans to vertically evacuate -- that means get above three or four floors. They need to get there, because this place could be flooded out -- Wolf?

BLITZER: And you're looking at these live pictures. Those were live pictures we were just watching, people trying to get out of New Orleans. Right now, a million people affected only in the New Orleans area.

Thanks very much, Jason, for that report.

And just minutes ago, the National Hurricane Center put out a brand new advisory for Hurricane Ivan. CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras joining us now from the CNN Weather Center in Atlanta with this new information -- Jacqui?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Wolf, our updated information is that the hurricane is staying strong at this hour, and new warnings have been posted replacing some of the watch areas.

Here are your latest statistics now on Ivan. You can see it remains a powerful Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 miles per hour. We're also seeing some signs that possible strengthening is taking place here as that eyewall starts to invigorate itself once again.

Let's show you the latest on the warnings that have just been put into place. There you can see a hurricane warning from Grand Isle, Louisiana, extending all the way over to Apalachicola, Florida. That means that hurricane conditions can be expected within 24 hours. That does not mean that the center will be making landfall in 24 hours. It will probably be another 12 hours beyond that.

So, it gives you an idea of just how broad this hurricane is when you look where all the watches are in effect. In fact, it's about 500 miles wide. The hurricane force winds extend out about 100 miles from the center of the storm. So, people who live in these coastal areas are already going to start to see those gusty winds arriving as early as tomorrow morning.

The forecast track bringing it right in. We're looking at Mississippi, Alabama, maybe extending over to Pensacola. But you can see this cone of uncertainty now is beginning to narrow, and we're having much more confidence in our forecast in terms of where this is going to be making landfall. But still keep in mind that we do have some room in here for error, as these hurricanes tend to make some unpredictable wobbles.

Here's the bottom line, Wolf. Major hurricane at landfall. A 3 or 4 likely on Thursday morning, maybe between the hours of 4:00 and 8:00 a.m. A lengthy event: 36 hours with tropical storm-force winds, storm surge of 10 to 14 feet, and flooding will be likely close to the path of 10 to 15 inches. But this storm may stall inland, Wolf, and cause some catastrophic flooding also as it moves into the central Appalachians.

We also don't want to forget, we've got another tropical storm. This one is Jeanne and will likely become a hurricane. And hurricane warnings have now been issued for Puerto Rico -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Jacqui Jeras, thanks very much.

Later this hour, we'll speak live with Dr. Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables for yet more information on these developments.

In Cuba, meanwhile, it's all about cleanup right now. Ivan skirted the westernmost tip of the island. And while the wind and rain were damaging, Cuba was spared the kind of wholesale death and destruction Ivan brought to Grenada and Jamaica.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): The images are terrifying: trees twisting in raging winds; seas surging past coastal homes; and water as far as the eye can see. And while Cuba is no stranger to killer hurricanes, this time the island escaped the worst.

Ivan was still a Category 5 storm when it roared through the Yucatan Channel last night; its eye scraping Cuba's remote western tip with winds in excess of 165 miles an hour.

It wasn't quite as bad in the nearby province of Pinar del Rio, but the tobacco growing region was slammed with sustained winds of 120 miles an hour, which tore roofs off some buildings and flooded fields.

But there are no reports of deaths or injuries in Cuba, thanks in part to a massive evacuation of more than one million people, almost a tenth of the island's population.

Cuban President Fidel Castro, who refused an advance offer of American hurricane aid, was grateful. FIDEL CASTRO, PRESIDENT OF CUBA (through translator): I was certain we would be fine and recover quickly. In addition to the optimism, the people are satisfied that the country has made it through with minimal destruction.

BLITZER: At the same time, Ivan was also crashing into the Cayman Islands some 250 miles away. Waves 20 feet tall were reported in Port George, along with some significant damage reported.

And across the Channel, Mexico's Yucatan peninsula also took a lashing. Coastal towns were evacuated and beaches closed ahead of the storm. The popular resort of Cancun opened shelters.

And down the coast, Cozumel, a favorite cruise destination, closed its seaport as well as its airport.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): And we'll have continuing coverage here on CNN of Hurricane Ivan. Later this hour, once again, we'll be live from the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables, Florida, for the latest information.

We're also following other developments. Two very deadly attacks and a familiar claim of responsibility in Iraq.

Also ahead...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have made a number of statements relative to intelligence matters, many in the past year that are highly, in my judgment, partisan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Tough words for the man who wants to be the nation's top spy. Porter Goss faces his critics.

And later, women -- yes, women as warriors, a frightening trend. Suicide bombers, terrorism and women, a complete report. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Iraqi police were the targets of a pair of attacks which left dozens of people dead. The terror group headed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is claiming responsibility, but many Iraqis are grasping for other explanations. Our senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ambulance sirens screamed as if in rage at the sight of a Baghdad car bombing. Here the death toll grew all day approaching 50. More than 100 were wounded. The apparent target, a police station. Young Iraqi men bringing their photos to apply for a job on the force.

These Baghdad bombs are indiscriminate. Witness the sandals of the dead. Many shop owners spent this day cleaning human flesh from their storefronts. The explosion shredded lives and bodies of a people already made miserable by war. A U.S. Apache helicopter was the only explanation many Iraqis needed.

"This is an American rocket," he says, holding a piece of pipe.

"Just before the explosion," this man assured us, "I spotted the Apache helicopter. It was a missile, not a car bomb."

An Arab Islamist website claimed responsibility, but even if there were concrete supporting evidence of that, the trend in Iraq is to transfer anger and responsibility.

"It was the Americans and the work of the Jews," he said.

In hospital, however, an injured man who survived the blast said he couldn't tell if it was a missile or a car bomb.

These young men had dreams of building a new Iraq as policemen. Few other jobs are available. Still, even the most charitable Iraqis still believe the Americans had an obligation to protect them and failed. The American response...

MAJ. GEN. PETE CHIARELLI, U.S. ARMY: We can't protect all of Baghdad. We're working very, very hard to do that.

RODGERS: So there is much breast-beating in hospitals these days as areas beyond U.S. protection are increasingly targeted. In Baquba, another 12 policemen were murdered in a drive-by shooting.

(on camera): And if there remains any doubt about the insurgents regaining the initiative, they sabotaged an oil pipeline near Tikrit today, temporarily disrupting electric power to much of this country. Walter Rodgers, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The president's nominee to head the CIA got a grilling from some colleagues up on Capitol Hill today and a sharp-tongued Congressman, Porter Goss, promised to check his politics at the agency's door if confirmed. Our national security correspondent David Ensor has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATL. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the start, it was clear. Democrats, angered by the president's choice in the wake of 9/11 and Iraq failures of a Republican politician for director of central intelligence would not allow his nomination smooth sailing.

SEN. JOHN ROCKEFELLER (D), INTELLIGENCE VICE CHAIRMAN: You have made a number of statements relative to intelligence matters, many in the past year, that are highly, in my judgment, partisan and display a willingness on your part to use intelligence issues as a political broad sword against members of the Democratic party.

SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R), INTELLIGENCE CHAIRMAN: Mr. Goss, will you be a nonpartisan DCI?

REP. PORTER GOSS (R), FLORIDA: Yes, sir. You have my word on that, Mr. Chairman.

ENSOR: But Goss' many past comments, sometimes partisan, sometimes combative, were thrown back at him by Democrats, such as the time he called the Senate a circus.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How can we carry out our oversight responsibility with you as a DCI that believes we are a circus?

GOSS: Senator, I certainly do not believe that the Senate is a circus or this oversight committee is.

ENSOR: Goss once charged Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry with advocating devastating cuts in the intelligence budget. Using a chart that looked more like modern art, since the budget numbers are classified, Democrats sought to show that Goss himself once pushed for even deeper cuts.

GOSS: The record is the record, senator. And I don't believe that it is appropriate in any way, shape or form, for me to get involved in anything that could be considered a debate about partisan matters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking for objectivity. We're looking for independence. It's not going to be good enough for you to say the record is the record when you don't want to deal with the record, but when you do want to deal with the record, then comment on it. That isn't going to be good enough at least for this one senator.

ENSOR: Republicans on the committee praised Goss as an intelligence professional, former CIA officer, longtime intelligence chairman. So did two Democrats from his home state.

SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D), FLORIDA: I believe that Porter Goss is an exceptional human being and will be an exceptional head of our central intelligence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR (on camera): Additional hearings are possible Monday. Porter Goss is expected to be confirmed by the Senate, but clearly, Wolf, there are going to be some passionate no-votes.

BLITZER: All right. David Ensor, thanks very much for that report.

To our viewers, here's your chance to weigh in the story. Our web question of the day is this. "Should Porter Goss be confirmed as the new CIA director?" You can vote. Go to CNN.com/wolf right now. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

Keeping a very nervous eye on Ivan's potential targets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One agency in government that not only is allowed to pray, it's demanded. We've got callouses on our knees in this business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: New Orleans officials live in fear of a major hurricane.

Plus, another voice joins the debate over President Bush's National Guard service. Hear what the first lady has to say about those CBS documents.

And later a German film's sympathetic portrayal of Adolf Hitler. Is the world ready for this? Those stories, much more, all coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: John Kerry is in the battleground state of Wisconsin attacking George W. Bush on the key issue of health care costs. Our national correspondent Frank Buckley is in Milwaukee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Senator John Kerry stayed on offense for the second straight day. Yesterday he blamed President Bush for allowing the assault weapons ban to expire. Today Senator Kerry criticized President Bush for rising health care costs.

Senator Kerry used a series of charts to illustrate these charts issued each year by Medicare trustees to show how Medicare costs were eating into the Social Security benefits of average American seniors. But Kerry said the 2004 chart was missing in the annual report.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Oh, my gosh! It's empty. A great big question mark. They hid it from you. They didn't want you to know.

BUCKLEY (on camera): Senator Kerry accused the Bush administration of withholding the figures because they projected a huge hit against Social Security benefits in coming years.

KERRY: Once again, this administration hides the truth from the American people. And the reason they're hiding the truth from the American people is because the out-of-pocket expenses of Medicare have now gone up to 37.2 percent by 2006.

BUCKLEY: Bush campaign officials say Senator Kerry's own votes in the Senate have contributed to higher Medicare costs, something Kerry staffers dispute. Meanwhile, here in Wisconsin, a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll indicates that Senator Kerry trails President Bush by eight points among likely voters, by five points among registered voters. Kerry staffers admit they're behind here in the Badger state. But they still believe it's a tossup here. Senator Kerry will return to Wisconsin on Wednesday. Frank Buckley, CNN, Milwaukee.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: President Bush made a stop today in Las Vegas to address a meeting of the National Guard Association. But he made no direct mention of the heated dispute over his own service in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam war. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is in Las Vegas. She's joining us now live with more -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, critics point out that the National Guard makes up 40 percent of the soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and 18 percent of the casualties there. President Bush today received thunderous applause from the National Guard Association. And despite the controversy over his own service, those recently discovered documents that raised questions about whether or not he completed his Guard service some 30 years ago, the president embraced his own record as well as that of many others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You've had many famous Americans in your ranks including men named Jefferson, Madison, Lincoln and Truman. 19 individuals have served both in the Guard and as president of the United States, and I'm proud to be one of them. I'm proud to be their commander-in-chief and I respect and honor all of those who serve in the United States armed forces, active, Guard and Reserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now the president was not uniformly well received. It was just blocks away that there were family members of National Guardsmen who are overseas who held a press conference protesting the war. The big question of course, Wolf, here is just whether or not this issue is going to resonate with voters and have an impact on the election. Senator Kerry is going to have his turn to make his case before this group on Thursday -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux, thanks very much.

The controversy over President Bush's Guard service took another turn today. The founder of the group so-called Texans for Truth says he's offering $50,000 to anyone who can prove the president's claim that he fulfilled his service requirements. The White House has dismissed the group's actions as mere partisan attacks.

For the first time, the first lady, Laura Bush, is weighing in on the controversy of her husband's service in the Guard. In a radio interview, she says National Guard memos used by CBS News in a story questioning whether Mr. Bush fulfilled his duties -- she says they're probably fake.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: You know, they probably are altered and they probably are forgeries. And I think that's terrible, really. I think it's a terrible -- I mean, that's actually one of the risks you take when you run for public office or when you're in the public eye for any reason. And that's the -- obviously, a lot of things are said about you that aren't true. And that's the drawback. That's the one thing that's not great about serving in public office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: An article in today's "Washington Post" also raising serious questions about the validity of those CBS memos. Joining us now to talk about it, the co-author of the article, Howard Kurtz. He's also the host of "CNN'S RELIABLE SOURCES."

Howie, what makes the experts you've been speaking to suggest that these CBS documents purporting to show the president did not fulfill his obligations are false?

HOWARD KURTZ, "CNN'S RELIABLE SOURCES": Well, look, some of this gets very complicated, as you know, Wolf, in terms of the typography and the font spacing that was in use. Where a number of experts we've consulted say this simply was very unlikely to have been produced on a 1972 Vietnam era government typewriter.

The most important thing in the story from my point of view is I've been pressing CBS executives, give me your experts. Who assured Dan Rather and "60 Minutes" that this stuff was genuine so that you were willing to stake your journalistic reputation on it.

They finally gave me the name of a handwriting expert in San Francisco who said to me quite candidly, "I looked at the former squadron commander of George W. Bush, his signature and I thought that was authentic but I was in no position to authenticate the documents themselves."

BLITZER: The -- one point in your article today I thought that was significant was that you looked at these four documents that CBS released and dozens of others that we know to be authentic that were released and there were tremendous discrepancies in the typing and the fonting and the spacing in these documents.

KURTZ: You don't have to be a typography expert to look at them and see these do indeed look very different. And then you couple that with the content problems like the former Guard official who is cited in one of the memos as having exerted some kind of pressure on the evaluation of George W. Bush turns out to have retired from the Guard a year and a half before the memo was written. All of those things add up to sort of a credibility problem now for "60 Minutes" which as you mentioned, Wolf, absolutely, 100 percent insisted it believes these documents are accurate. But ironically, the controversy over CBS has now overshadowed what was in those documents, the purported charges about favorable treatment for Lieutenant Bush.

BLITZER: You had a chance to speak, I think, to Dan Rather. What does he say to you?

KURTZ: Talked to Dan Rather at length.

And he says, look, you don't know the confidential sources we relied on. We double-checked and triple-checked this. We talked to people who worked with the late Lieutenant Killian about whether this was plausible for him to have done. And we consulted our own experts, one of whom I've now talked to.

The problem is that some of the people that CBS interviewed have now backtracked or backed away from the notion that they're saying that these documents are genuine, particularly this Colonel Hodges, who says that he never saw the documents. He was just read them over the phone by a CBS staffer. So all of this is a bit of a muddle, but has created quite a problem for CBS, because, as I say, they're now the target of an awful lot of criticism, people saying they should open themselves up to some kind of internal or outside or independent inquiry. So far at least, CBS executives declining to do that.

BLITZER: Well, that's the question. Why not simply open up a full-scale investigation and say, you know what, we believe our sources were right, we believe the story is right, but just to be clear, we're going to have a full-scale investigation and take another look at the whole story? What would be wrong with that?

KURTZ: Nothing, in my view. And I wonder whether CBS executives will ultimately decide to take that path. But they are dug in. They've decided -- and there were two reports, as you know, by Rather on "The CBS Everything News" Friday and last night, a pretty strong defense of their story.

But the criticism mounts. Conservatives are accusing Rather of having a liberal bias. A lot of bloggers out there are continuing to nitpick at the story. We've poked some holes in the story. And I think that this is not going to be put to rest, given the fact that it's a story that reflected negatively on the president of the United States in the height of the reelection campaign, until CBS can somehow furnish some more proof or submit to some kind of outside investigation.

BLITZER: Howard Kurtz of "The Washington Post," thanks very much.

KURTZ: Thank you.

BLITZER: Howard is also the host of CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES," which airs every Sunday 11:30 Eastern.

Thanks, Howie, very much.

Ivan is on the move, Hurricane Ivan, that is. And it's already battered the Caribbean. Now the Gulf Coast bracing for a beating. We'll get a live update from the National Hurricane Center. That's coming up.

Plus, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTER MAESTRI, JEFFERSON PARISH EMERGENCY MANAGER: The way it's described, we describe it here is, Lake Pontchartrain has now become Lake New Orleans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Will New Orleans beat the predictions and avoid disaster?

And later, changing roles, a deadly and growing trend in terrorism, female suicide bombers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

The mayor of New Orleans declaring a state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Ivan. You're looking at live pictures, people trying to get out of New Orleans right now. We're live from the Big Easy. We'll have a look at the potentially deadly impact of the storm of this size on a city which is below sea level.

First, though, a quick check of some stories now in the news.

The American Marine who was apparently kidnapped in Iraq in June and later turned up in Lebanon is to be questioned by U.S. military investigators. A U.S. Marine spokesman says that will happen today or tomorrow. A Navy official says the investigation is due to the suspicious nature of Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun's disappearance.

America's pastime turned ugly during a game between Texas Rangers and the Oakland Athletics. It happened in the ninth inning when the Texas relief pitcher Frank Francisco threw a plastic chair into the stands, hitting two spectators in the head. Francisco was arrested on the charge of aggravated battery. The Rangers' manager said Oakland fans -- quote -- "went over the line."

A government is recommending strong new warning labels on antidepressants. Scientific advisers to the Food and Drug Administration say the labels should warn that antidepressants sometimes can cause suicidal behavior in children and teenagers. The advisers also say the drugs should come with easy-to-read pamphlets, so parents will understand the risk.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

For the latest now on Hurricane Ivan's projected path towards the United States, let's check in once again with Max Mayfield. He's the director of the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables, Florida.

Thanks very much. What exactly is the best information you have right now, Dr. Mayfield?

MAX MAYFIELD, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Well, Wolf, we have a NOAA airplane out there right now that's sending back some surface wind data saying that the sustained surface winds are still near 140 miles per hour. And this keeps it a very powerful Category 4 hurricane. And it's also a very large hurricane. So where it does make landfall, it's going to have an impact over a very, very large area.

BLITZER: When you say a very large area, let's be specific. I've been told maybe 100 miles in each direction of that eye of the storm. That would be a 200-mile geographic area that could sustain hurricane force winds.

MAYFIELD: That's right. That's how far out the hurricane force winds go. And then the tropical storm force winds go out over 200 miles. And for that reason, we have the hurricane warning out from Grand Isle, Louisiana, all the way over to Apalachicola, Florida. And then we have tropical storm warnings on either side of that down to, Yankeetown, Florida, on the east and over to Intracoastal City in Louisiana.

BLITZER: So tropical storm winds clearly not as dangerous as hurricane winds, but those could be significant as well.

MAYFIELD: And they can knock down tall trees. And that will result in power outages. This is a little similar to Hurricane Opal back in 1995. It made landfall near Pensacola, but it had a big impact throughout the entire Florida Peninsula. This hurricane will do the same thing.

BLITZER: New Orleans in particular is a unique situation because so much of it is below sea level. Talk a little bit about that.

MAYFIELD: Well, the biggest concern, of course, is always with the storm surge. And we're forecasting 10 to 16 feet. That will occur near and to the east of where the center crosses the coast.

In addition to that, if we have a perfect forecast, which I doubt if we do -- but if it comes in, the track comes into the east of Louisiana, they'll still have some lesser storm surges there, but still very significant, in areas where they have the onshore flow in southeast Louisiana, especially outside the levee systems.

BLITZER: People inland -- and we're looking at that map behind you -- they think they're safe because they're not along the coast. How worried should they be?

MAYFIELD: We need to make absolutely clear that the hurricane is not just a coastal event. These strong winds will spread well inland. The hurricane force winds will likely spread somewhere around 100 miles inland.

And then we have the rainfall problem to deal with as well. And if this system slows down like we think it will in the four- and five- day time period, we could have at least the potential for a real significant flood event coming up in the Appalachians.

BLITZER: All right, Dr. Mayfield, thanks for joining us once again. You guys have done incredibly good work. You've been so busy. Thanks very much.

MAYFIELD: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: More now on Hurricane Ivan.

Cities along the U.S. Gulf Coast are preparing, as we've been reporting, for possible landfall in less than 48 hours. Within 24 hours, the effects should be felt. Among those cities, New Orleans, where the mayor has already declared a state of emergency.

CNN's John Zarrella, who has covered plenty of hurricanes over the years, he is joining us now live from New Orleans with more -- John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: Wolf, and city and state officials here are certainly urging -- and I use that word urging in the highest possible terms -- people to leave metropolitan New Orleans if they can.

And I can tell you that, on Interstate 10, as we were driving in this afternoon, it is a parking lot, people heading north out of the city for miles leaving the city, heading up to Interstate 59, hopefully getting on that road up to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. People here know what to expect from a hurricane. It could be -- if it hit, it could be devastating.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA (voice-over): New Orleans is all about attitude. From its music to its street cars and riverboats, it oozes charm. It's a city that moves a bit slower, saving its energy to party a little harder. It is also a city that flirts with disaster nearly every hurricane season.

MAESTRI: It's going to happen. We can't continue to beat the odds. We've beaten the odds for a long, long time now.

ZARRELLA: Walter Maestri is the Jefferson Parish emergency manager. Of the 1.3 million people living in metropolitan New Orleans, he is responsible for nearly half a million, which, during hurricane season, leaves him with many sleepless nights. Maestri is keenly aware there is little he can do to keep people from falling victim to a natural disaster or to save his city.

Maestri: Very, very rapidly, within a 10-hour period, you know, the metropolitan New Orleans area is totally devastated. Gone.

ZARRELLA: Several expert studies and computer models show New Orleans even more vulnerable than anyone previously thought. Maestri says levees and flood walls designed to protect the city from moderately intense hurricanes might be overtopped and fail in just such storms.

MAESTRI: The way it's described, we describe it here is, Lake Pontchartrain has now become Lake New Orleans.

ZARRELLA: Maestri estimates most of the dead would be people who for whatever reason did not or could not evacuate, left trapped in the city as the water rises.

The problem is, population has mushroomed. Evacuation routes are limited. And New Orleans is like a bowl. The city sits below sea level. Own three sides, there's water, the Gulf of Mexico, Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River.

(on camera): The experts say, in a major hurricane, the water here in the French Quarter could be up to the nose of Andrew Jackson's horse or as high as the second-story windows on the cathedral behind it.

(voice-over): Jackson Square, the cathedral and just about everything else in New Orleans would be underwater, 12 to 15 feet of it. In the storm's aftermath, water would sit in the city for an estimated six months. Pumps needed to get the water out would be themselves underwater.

MAESTRI: This is the one agency in government that not only is allowed to pray. It's demanded. We've got callouses on our knees in this business.

ZARRELLA: Divine intervention, good fortune, the whims of nature, whatever it is, it is all that separates this city on the Mississippi from Walter Maestri's nightmare.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: And the numbers of potential fatalities from a hurricane of that magnitude are absolutely unthinkable. Walter Maestri told me when I talked to him that their projections are tens of thousands of dead in the city if they were to be struck by a major hurricane here, which is why, Wolf, everybody takes this very, very seriously and many people are getting out and getting out fast -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Let's hope all that praying pays off once again.

John Zarrella for us in New Orleans, thanks for that excellent piece.

Vladimir Putin's plan to fight terror in Russia, is he going too far? Find out why some people, including the secretary of state, Colin Powell, are worried.

Plus, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): You're driven to the brink of desperation. Otherwise, a person wouldn't do that sort of thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Desperation and revenge, are they part of a growing trend in terror? We'll take a look at sisters united in terror.

Plus, a new Hitler movie has critics asking this question: Is Hitler being portrayed as too humane? An inside look at the film, that's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The Bush administration is expressing concern over new plans by Russian President Vladimir Putin to fight terrorists. Saying he's responding to this month's deadly school seizure, Mr. Putin is vowing to strike back at terrorists anywhere in the world. And to do that, he's announced some sweeping proposals to further bolster his power by appointing all governors, instead of having them popularly elected.

Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed doubts over the plans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I mean, in effect, this is pulling back on some of the democratic reforms as seen by the international community that have occurred in the past. So, yes, we have concerns about it. And we want to discuss them with the Russians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Some Russian critics denounce Mr. Putin's moves as a bold power grab, at the expense of the Russian people.

Terror has a new face these days, and it's the face of a woman. More and more women are playing a part in what used to be a man's game, violent attacks targeting civilians.

Our Brian Todd has been looking into this story, joining us now live -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, in the past month alone, three major attacks have been carried out just in Russia in which women played a significant role. This is not a new tactic, but is designed for surprise and maximum shock value.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): A veiled shadow in a doorway that even in these times looks out of place, delicate, slumped bodies in theater seats, in video, a soft, youthful face belying the destruction she's already caused.

BRUCE HOFFMAN, RAND CORPORATION: We still have difficulty imagining women as killers, rather than as mothers. TODD: Start imagining it, the experts tell us, because it's happening more and more, in the hostage standoff this month at a school in southern Russia, where large numbers of children were among the more than 300 dead, a suicide bomb attack at a Moscow subway days earlier, the near simultaneous bombings of two planes in Russia last month, and the standoff in a Moscow theater in October 2002 that left 170 people dead.

Authorities believe women played central roles in all those incidents. In Russia, the profile seems more consistent. These women, all believed to be Chechen, some of them, experts say, are so- called black widows.

SVANTE CORNELL, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: They are widows of men who fought in the war and were killed. But most of them have had their whole families exterminated by the Russian army in this conflict.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): You're driven to the brink of desperation. Otherwise, a person wouldn't do that sort of thing.

TODD: The desperation that drives a woman to martyrdom did not begin in Russia, nor is it confined there. In 2002, women were the attackers in a devastating string of suicide bombings in the West Bank and Gaza. In 1991, a female bomber from Sri Lanka's Tamil Rebels gets close enough to assassinate Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Close enough is a key phrase. For terrorist groups, women possess important tactical advantages.

OLGA OLIKER, RAND CORPORATION: It's one that's effective because it's surprising. It gets a people's sense of, this is abnormal. Women don't do things like this. It's also effective because it's difficult to protect against. Security forces aren't used to looking at women, especially young women and girls, who are often used as potentially the danger.

TODD: Accounts from survivors and security officials show that in some terrorist incidents, women have been noticeably more ruthless than their male comrades. With recruiting tools like this online magazine calling for women to participate in jihad, experts say we can expect to see more of the feminine face of terror.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: And each expert we spoke to added a chilling footnote. Children have been used on occasion and could well be used again -- Wolf.

BLITZER: That's chilling, indeed.

Thanks very much, Brian Todd.

Sixty years after the end of World War II, is the world ready for a more human portrayal of Adolf Hitler? There's a new film. We'll explain. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Adolf Hitler has not had a central role in German films, at least until now. A controversial new movie not only focuses in on the dictator, but shows him with a human side. The filmmakers say the best way to show how Germany destroyed itself and so much of European Jewry, that's the result of this new film.

CNN's Chris Burns reports from Berlin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It happened a stone's throw from what's now Berlin's Holocaust Memorial. In Adolf Hitler's bunker, where Rochus Misch, then a 28-year-old bodyguard and telephone operator, remembers the final days.

"The atmosphere was depressing. Everything was tragic," he says.

The film, "Der Untergang," or "The Downfall," tells the story through the eyes of Hitler's late secretary, Traudl Junge. Above their heads raged the battle of Berlin, civilians caught in the crossfire, the Nazis conducting a scorched-earth policy, while Hitler refused to capitulate.

The fuhrer, played by Bruno Ganz, is a broken man, throwing fits of rage at his generals, finally admitting defeat before marrying Eva Braun, then killing himself and his bride.

ROCHUS MISCH, HITLER'S BODYGUARD (through translator): I saw Hitler slumped over the table and Eva Braun lying on the sofa.

BURNS: Critics argue the film breaks a taboo by making Hitler too human, kissing his dog, kissing Eva Braun, playing the understanding boss. Not, so says the film's producer and scriptwriter.

BERND EICHINGER, PRODUCER: You have to show it. If you make a demon out of him, like a demon from, you know, some other planet or so, like a machine who was a destructive, soulless machine, that would be too easy.

BURNS: Critics say the film plays short shrift to the Holocaust, hardly mentioning it, never showing it. Former S.S. soldier Misch insists he knew nothing about the atrocities and the man he still calls his boss never mentioned the genocide to him.

(on camera): But the Holocaust is in one of the film's most powerful claims where Hitler coldly claims one success, destroying Germany's Jewish population.

Chris Burns, CNN, Berlin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: That's it for me.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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Aired September 14, 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 -- you're looking at a live picture of New Orleans. It's now under a hurricane warning, along with Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida coastlines. That means the effects of Hurricane Ivan are expected to be felt in less than 24 hours.
And there's a new tropical threat in the Atlantic, where yet more hurricane warnings are going up, this time for Puerto Rico. It's a double dose of threats that have millions of Americans on notice. We'll have the latest information just in from the National Hurricane Center.

Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): The Gulf coast gets ready as Ivan looks for new targets. One is very vulnerable -- already below sea level.

MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: We could have a situation where we have 12 to 18 feet of water throughout the city.

BLITZER: Slaughter in the streets: From Baghdad to Baquba, dozens are dead as insurgents target Iraqi police.

Suicide sisterhood: Terrorism takes a chilling new turn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Security forces aren't used to looking at women, especially young women and girls who are often used as potentially the danger.

BLITZER: Docu-drama: President Bush meets with the National Guard, as new questions arise about the documents questioning his service.

Humanizing Hitler: A controversial new film looks at how Germany went wrong by taking a new look at its notorious leader.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Tuesday, September 14th, 2004.

BLITZER: From Florida's Panhandle in the east to west of New Orleans, millions of Gulf coast residents are being warned: Hurricane Ivan is incoming. States of emergency are being declared and evacuations are already underway.

We have complete coverage, beginning with CNN's David Mattingly. He's joining us live from Panama City in Florida -- David?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the uncertainty about Ivan's eventual landfall continues to alarm people all across the Gulf of Mexico -- from here in Panama City Beach, Florida, all the way to 300 miles away in Louisiana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): With its final destination still unclear, Ivan has coastal residents in four states scrambling for cover. In flood-prone New Orleans, a state of emergency exists, and residents are urged to move to higher ground.

NAGIN: We're encouraging everyone to leave, and a lot of people are leaving. But if they can't leave, then we're encouraging them to do what we call vertical evacuation, and that's to basically go to hotels and high-rise buildings in the city.

MATTINGLY: In Mississippi and Alabama, also states of emergency. Fragile coastal islands are especially vulnerable to hurricane winds and storm surges. People there rush to secure their belongings before they leave.

GOV. BOB RILEY, ALABAMA: This is something that can be an absolute catastrophe, and we need to treat it as such.

MATTINGLY: And in the Florida Panhandle, more evacuations. But possibly some optimism, as Ivan's interests seem to lie more to the west. But officials are taking no chances: schools are closed; shelters are open; and the famous white sand beaches are all but deserted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think you can possibly probably expect to see less sunshine, possibly some bands coming in. We're expecting some gale-force winds as early as tomorrow, mid afternoon, early afternoon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: And expect those conditions to continue to deteriorate tomorrow as Ivan draws closer. The near-empty beach behind me tells the story. This is no time anywhere in the Gulf of Mexico for fun in the sun -- Wolf?

BLITZER: David Mattingly in Panama City, Florida. Thanks, David, very much.

Let's move 300 miles to the west, where there is much unease in the Big Easy. A direct hit by Ivan could devastate New Orleans. You're looking at live pictures right now. Much of that city, as many of you know, lies below sea level.

CNN's Jason Bellini is already there. What's going on, Jason? JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the mayor of New Orleans is urging people in the strongest possible terms to evacuate, if they still can. And that's a very difficult situation, Wolf.

I'm standing on the bank of the Mississippi River. You can look out there. Things look pretty calm right now, but the fear, the nightmare scenario, is that this river, if Ivan hits near here -- or a direct hit, God forbid -- this river could overflow its banks and New Orleans, which is basically a bowl, could fill with water. The mayor said that the city could be under 14 feet of water for weeks.

He's also saying that the airport is closing tonight and that people who are on the roads need to continue, even though there's basically gridlock on the streets right now. I've been listening to local radio, local TV, people calling in, frightened being on the road, not knowing when they'll be able to move, not knowing where exactly they're going to go -- just heading out of the region, trying to get as far away as they possibly can.

The mayor urges people who are remaining in the city to prepare plans to vertically evacuate -- that means get above three or four floors. They need to get there, because this place could be flooded out -- Wolf?

BLITZER: And you're looking at these live pictures. Those were live pictures we were just watching, people trying to get out of New Orleans. Right now, a million people affected only in the New Orleans area.

Thanks very much, Jason, for that report.

And just minutes ago, the National Hurricane Center put out a brand new advisory for Hurricane Ivan. CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras joining us now from the CNN Weather Center in Atlanta with this new information -- Jacqui?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Wolf, our updated information is that the hurricane is staying strong at this hour, and new warnings have been posted replacing some of the watch areas.

Here are your latest statistics now on Ivan. You can see it remains a powerful Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 miles per hour. We're also seeing some signs that possible strengthening is taking place here as that eyewall starts to invigorate itself once again.

Let's show you the latest on the warnings that have just been put into place. There you can see a hurricane warning from Grand Isle, Louisiana, extending all the way over to Apalachicola, Florida. That means that hurricane conditions can be expected within 24 hours. That does not mean that the center will be making landfall in 24 hours. It will probably be another 12 hours beyond that.

So, it gives you an idea of just how broad this hurricane is when you look where all the watches are in effect. In fact, it's about 500 miles wide. The hurricane force winds extend out about 100 miles from the center of the storm. So, people who live in these coastal areas are already going to start to see those gusty winds arriving as early as tomorrow morning.

The forecast track bringing it right in. We're looking at Mississippi, Alabama, maybe extending over to Pensacola. But you can see this cone of uncertainty now is beginning to narrow, and we're having much more confidence in our forecast in terms of where this is going to be making landfall. But still keep in mind that we do have some room in here for error, as these hurricanes tend to make some unpredictable wobbles.

Here's the bottom line, Wolf. Major hurricane at landfall. A 3 or 4 likely on Thursday morning, maybe between the hours of 4:00 and 8:00 a.m. A lengthy event: 36 hours with tropical storm-force winds, storm surge of 10 to 14 feet, and flooding will be likely close to the path of 10 to 15 inches. But this storm may stall inland, Wolf, and cause some catastrophic flooding also as it moves into the central Appalachians.

We also don't want to forget, we've got another tropical storm. This one is Jeanne and will likely become a hurricane. And hurricane warnings have now been issued for Puerto Rico -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Jacqui Jeras, thanks very much.

Later this hour, we'll speak live with Dr. Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables for yet more information on these developments.

In Cuba, meanwhile, it's all about cleanup right now. Ivan skirted the westernmost tip of the island. And while the wind and rain were damaging, Cuba was spared the kind of wholesale death and destruction Ivan brought to Grenada and Jamaica.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): The images are terrifying: trees twisting in raging winds; seas surging past coastal homes; and water as far as the eye can see. And while Cuba is no stranger to killer hurricanes, this time the island escaped the worst.

Ivan was still a Category 5 storm when it roared through the Yucatan Channel last night; its eye scraping Cuba's remote western tip with winds in excess of 165 miles an hour.

It wasn't quite as bad in the nearby province of Pinar del Rio, but the tobacco growing region was slammed with sustained winds of 120 miles an hour, which tore roofs off some buildings and flooded fields.

But there are no reports of deaths or injuries in Cuba, thanks in part to a massive evacuation of more than one million people, almost a tenth of the island's population.

Cuban President Fidel Castro, who refused an advance offer of American hurricane aid, was grateful. FIDEL CASTRO, PRESIDENT OF CUBA (through translator): I was certain we would be fine and recover quickly. In addition to the optimism, the people are satisfied that the country has made it through with minimal destruction.

BLITZER: At the same time, Ivan was also crashing into the Cayman Islands some 250 miles away. Waves 20 feet tall were reported in Port George, along with some significant damage reported.

And across the Channel, Mexico's Yucatan peninsula also took a lashing. Coastal towns were evacuated and beaches closed ahead of the storm. The popular resort of Cancun opened shelters.

And down the coast, Cozumel, a favorite cruise destination, closed its seaport as well as its airport.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): And we'll have continuing coverage here on CNN of Hurricane Ivan. Later this hour, once again, we'll be live from the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables, Florida, for the latest information.

We're also following other developments. Two very deadly attacks and a familiar claim of responsibility in Iraq.

Also ahead...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have made a number of statements relative to intelligence matters, many in the past year that are highly, in my judgment, partisan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Tough words for the man who wants to be the nation's top spy. Porter Goss faces his critics.

And later, women -- yes, women as warriors, a frightening trend. Suicide bombers, terrorism and women, a complete report. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Iraqi police were the targets of a pair of attacks which left dozens of people dead. The terror group headed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is claiming responsibility, but many Iraqis are grasping for other explanations. Our senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ambulance sirens screamed as if in rage at the sight of a Baghdad car bombing. Here the death toll grew all day approaching 50. More than 100 were wounded. The apparent target, a police station. Young Iraqi men bringing their photos to apply for a job on the force.

These Baghdad bombs are indiscriminate. Witness the sandals of the dead. Many shop owners spent this day cleaning human flesh from their storefronts. The explosion shredded lives and bodies of a people already made miserable by war. A U.S. Apache helicopter was the only explanation many Iraqis needed.

"This is an American rocket," he says, holding a piece of pipe.

"Just before the explosion," this man assured us, "I spotted the Apache helicopter. It was a missile, not a car bomb."

An Arab Islamist website claimed responsibility, but even if there were concrete supporting evidence of that, the trend in Iraq is to transfer anger and responsibility.

"It was the Americans and the work of the Jews," he said.

In hospital, however, an injured man who survived the blast said he couldn't tell if it was a missile or a car bomb.

These young men had dreams of building a new Iraq as policemen. Few other jobs are available. Still, even the most charitable Iraqis still believe the Americans had an obligation to protect them and failed. The American response...

MAJ. GEN. PETE CHIARELLI, U.S. ARMY: We can't protect all of Baghdad. We're working very, very hard to do that.

RODGERS: So there is much breast-beating in hospitals these days as areas beyond U.S. protection are increasingly targeted. In Baquba, another 12 policemen were murdered in a drive-by shooting.

(on camera): And if there remains any doubt about the insurgents regaining the initiative, they sabotaged an oil pipeline near Tikrit today, temporarily disrupting electric power to much of this country. Walter Rodgers, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The president's nominee to head the CIA got a grilling from some colleagues up on Capitol Hill today and a sharp-tongued Congressman, Porter Goss, promised to check his politics at the agency's door if confirmed. Our national security correspondent David Ensor has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATL. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the start, it was clear. Democrats, angered by the president's choice in the wake of 9/11 and Iraq failures of a Republican politician for director of central intelligence would not allow his nomination smooth sailing.

SEN. JOHN ROCKEFELLER (D), INTELLIGENCE VICE CHAIRMAN: You have made a number of statements relative to intelligence matters, many in the past year, that are highly, in my judgment, partisan and display a willingness on your part to use intelligence issues as a political broad sword against members of the Democratic party.

SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R), INTELLIGENCE CHAIRMAN: Mr. Goss, will you be a nonpartisan DCI?

REP. PORTER GOSS (R), FLORIDA: Yes, sir. You have my word on that, Mr. Chairman.

ENSOR: But Goss' many past comments, sometimes partisan, sometimes combative, were thrown back at him by Democrats, such as the time he called the Senate a circus.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How can we carry out our oversight responsibility with you as a DCI that believes we are a circus?

GOSS: Senator, I certainly do not believe that the Senate is a circus or this oversight committee is.

ENSOR: Goss once charged Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry with advocating devastating cuts in the intelligence budget. Using a chart that looked more like modern art, since the budget numbers are classified, Democrats sought to show that Goss himself once pushed for even deeper cuts.

GOSS: The record is the record, senator. And I don't believe that it is appropriate in any way, shape or form, for me to get involved in anything that could be considered a debate about partisan matters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking for objectivity. We're looking for independence. It's not going to be good enough for you to say the record is the record when you don't want to deal with the record, but when you do want to deal with the record, then comment on it. That isn't going to be good enough at least for this one senator.

ENSOR: Republicans on the committee praised Goss as an intelligence professional, former CIA officer, longtime intelligence chairman. So did two Democrats from his home state.

SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D), FLORIDA: I believe that Porter Goss is an exceptional human being and will be an exceptional head of our central intelligence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR (on camera): Additional hearings are possible Monday. Porter Goss is expected to be confirmed by the Senate, but clearly, Wolf, there are going to be some passionate no-votes.

BLITZER: All right. David Ensor, thanks very much for that report.

To our viewers, here's your chance to weigh in the story. Our web question of the day is this. "Should Porter Goss be confirmed as the new CIA director?" You can vote. Go to CNN.com/wolf right now. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

Keeping a very nervous eye on Ivan's potential targets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One agency in government that not only is allowed to pray, it's demanded. We've got callouses on our knees in this business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: New Orleans officials live in fear of a major hurricane.

Plus, another voice joins the debate over President Bush's National Guard service. Hear what the first lady has to say about those CBS documents.

And later a German film's sympathetic portrayal of Adolf Hitler. Is the world ready for this? Those stories, much more, all coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: John Kerry is in the battleground state of Wisconsin attacking George W. Bush on the key issue of health care costs. Our national correspondent Frank Buckley is in Milwaukee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Senator John Kerry stayed on offense for the second straight day. Yesterday he blamed President Bush for allowing the assault weapons ban to expire. Today Senator Kerry criticized President Bush for rising health care costs.

Senator Kerry used a series of charts to illustrate these charts issued each year by Medicare trustees to show how Medicare costs were eating into the Social Security benefits of average American seniors. But Kerry said the 2004 chart was missing in the annual report.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Oh, my gosh! It's empty. A great big question mark. They hid it from you. They didn't want you to know.

BUCKLEY (on camera): Senator Kerry accused the Bush administration of withholding the figures because they projected a huge hit against Social Security benefits in coming years.

KERRY: Once again, this administration hides the truth from the American people. And the reason they're hiding the truth from the American people is because the out-of-pocket expenses of Medicare have now gone up to 37.2 percent by 2006.

BUCKLEY: Bush campaign officials say Senator Kerry's own votes in the Senate have contributed to higher Medicare costs, something Kerry staffers dispute. Meanwhile, here in Wisconsin, a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll indicates that Senator Kerry trails President Bush by eight points among likely voters, by five points among registered voters. Kerry staffers admit they're behind here in the Badger state. But they still believe it's a tossup here. Senator Kerry will return to Wisconsin on Wednesday. Frank Buckley, CNN, Milwaukee.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: President Bush made a stop today in Las Vegas to address a meeting of the National Guard Association. But he made no direct mention of the heated dispute over his own service in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam war. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is in Las Vegas. She's joining us now live with more -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, critics point out that the National Guard makes up 40 percent of the soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and 18 percent of the casualties there. President Bush today received thunderous applause from the National Guard Association. And despite the controversy over his own service, those recently discovered documents that raised questions about whether or not he completed his Guard service some 30 years ago, the president embraced his own record as well as that of many others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You've had many famous Americans in your ranks including men named Jefferson, Madison, Lincoln and Truman. 19 individuals have served both in the Guard and as president of the United States, and I'm proud to be one of them. I'm proud to be their commander-in-chief and I respect and honor all of those who serve in the United States armed forces, active, Guard and Reserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now the president was not uniformly well received. It was just blocks away that there were family members of National Guardsmen who are overseas who held a press conference protesting the war. The big question of course, Wolf, here is just whether or not this issue is going to resonate with voters and have an impact on the election. Senator Kerry is going to have his turn to make his case before this group on Thursday -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux, thanks very much.

The controversy over President Bush's Guard service took another turn today. The founder of the group so-called Texans for Truth says he's offering $50,000 to anyone who can prove the president's claim that he fulfilled his service requirements. The White House has dismissed the group's actions as mere partisan attacks.

For the first time, the first lady, Laura Bush, is weighing in on the controversy of her husband's service in the Guard. In a radio interview, she says National Guard memos used by CBS News in a story questioning whether Mr. Bush fulfilled his duties -- she says they're probably fake.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: You know, they probably are altered and they probably are forgeries. And I think that's terrible, really. I think it's a terrible -- I mean, that's actually one of the risks you take when you run for public office or when you're in the public eye for any reason. And that's the -- obviously, a lot of things are said about you that aren't true. And that's the drawback. That's the one thing that's not great about serving in public office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: An article in today's "Washington Post" also raising serious questions about the validity of those CBS memos. Joining us now to talk about it, the co-author of the article, Howard Kurtz. He's also the host of "CNN'S RELIABLE SOURCES."

Howie, what makes the experts you've been speaking to suggest that these CBS documents purporting to show the president did not fulfill his obligations are false?

HOWARD KURTZ, "CNN'S RELIABLE SOURCES": Well, look, some of this gets very complicated, as you know, Wolf, in terms of the typography and the font spacing that was in use. Where a number of experts we've consulted say this simply was very unlikely to have been produced on a 1972 Vietnam era government typewriter.

The most important thing in the story from my point of view is I've been pressing CBS executives, give me your experts. Who assured Dan Rather and "60 Minutes" that this stuff was genuine so that you were willing to stake your journalistic reputation on it.

They finally gave me the name of a handwriting expert in San Francisco who said to me quite candidly, "I looked at the former squadron commander of George W. Bush, his signature and I thought that was authentic but I was in no position to authenticate the documents themselves."

BLITZER: The -- one point in your article today I thought that was significant was that you looked at these four documents that CBS released and dozens of others that we know to be authentic that were released and there were tremendous discrepancies in the typing and the fonting and the spacing in these documents.

KURTZ: You don't have to be a typography expert to look at them and see these do indeed look very different. And then you couple that with the content problems like the former Guard official who is cited in one of the memos as having exerted some kind of pressure on the evaluation of George W. Bush turns out to have retired from the Guard a year and a half before the memo was written. All of those things add up to sort of a credibility problem now for "60 Minutes" which as you mentioned, Wolf, absolutely, 100 percent insisted it believes these documents are accurate. But ironically, the controversy over CBS has now overshadowed what was in those documents, the purported charges about favorable treatment for Lieutenant Bush.

BLITZER: You had a chance to speak, I think, to Dan Rather. What does he say to you?

KURTZ: Talked to Dan Rather at length.

And he says, look, you don't know the confidential sources we relied on. We double-checked and triple-checked this. We talked to people who worked with the late Lieutenant Killian about whether this was plausible for him to have done. And we consulted our own experts, one of whom I've now talked to.

The problem is that some of the people that CBS interviewed have now backtracked or backed away from the notion that they're saying that these documents are genuine, particularly this Colonel Hodges, who says that he never saw the documents. He was just read them over the phone by a CBS staffer. So all of this is a bit of a muddle, but has created quite a problem for CBS, because, as I say, they're now the target of an awful lot of criticism, people saying they should open themselves up to some kind of internal or outside or independent inquiry. So far at least, CBS executives declining to do that.

BLITZER: Well, that's the question. Why not simply open up a full-scale investigation and say, you know what, we believe our sources were right, we believe the story is right, but just to be clear, we're going to have a full-scale investigation and take another look at the whole story? What would be wrong with that?

KURTZ: Nothing, in my view. And I wonder whether CBS executives will ultimately decide to take that path. But they are dug in. They've decided -- and there were two reports, as you know, by Rather on "The CBS Everything News" Friday and last night, a pretty strong defense of their story.

But the criticism mounts. Conservatives are accusing Rather of having a liberal bias. A lot of bloggers out there are continuing to nitpick at the story. We've poked some holes in the story. And I think that this is not going to be put to rest, given the fact that it's a story that reflected negatively on the president of the United States in the height of the reelection campaign, until CBS can somehow furnish some more proof or submit to some kind of outside investigation.

BLITZER: Howard Kurtz of "The Washington Post," thanks very much.

KURTZ: Thank you.

BLITZER: Howard is also the host of CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES," which airs every Sunday 11:30 Eastern.

Thanks, Howie, very much.

Ivan is on the move, Hurricane Ivan, that is. And it's already battered the Caribbean. Now the Gulf Coast bracing for a beating. We'll get a live update from the National Hurricane Center. That's coming up.

Plus, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTER MAESTRI, JEFFERSON PARISH EMERGENCY MANAGER: The way it's described, we describe it here is, Lake Pontchartrain has now become Lake New Orleans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Will New Orleans beat the predictions and avoid disaster?

And later, changing roles, a deadly and growing trend in terrorism, female suicide bombers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

The mayor of New Orleans declaring a state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Ivan. You're looking at live pictures, people trying to get out of New Orleans right now. We're live from the Big Easy. We'll have a look at the potentially deadly impact of the storm of this size on a city which is below sea level.

First, though, a quick check of some stories now in the news.

The American Marine who was apparently kidnapped in Iraq in June and later turned up in Lebanon is to be questioned by U.S. military investigators. A U.S. Marine spokesman says that will happen today or tomorrow. A Navy official says the investigation is due to the suspicious nature of Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun's disappearance.

America's pastime turned ugly during a game between Texas Rangers and the Oakland Athletics. It happened in the ninth inning when the Texas relief pitcher Frank Francisco threw a plastic chair into the stands, hitting two spectators in the head. Francisco was arrested on the charge of aggravated battery. The Rangers' manager said Oakland fans -- quote -- "went over the line."

A government is recommending strong new warning labels on antidepressants. Scientific advisers to the Food and Drug Administration say the labels should warn that antidepressants sometimes can cause suicidal behavior in children and teenagers. The advisers also say the drugs should come with easy-to-read pamphlets, so parents will understand the risk.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

For the latest now on Hurricane Ivan's projected path towards the United States, let's check in once again with Max Mayfield. He's the director of the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables, Florida.

Thanks very much. What exactly is the best information you have right now, Dr. Mayfield?

MAX MAYFIELD, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Well, Wolf, we have a NOAA airplane out there right now that's sending back some surface wind data saying that the sustained surface winds are still near 140 miles per hour. And this keeps it a very powerful Category 4 hurricane. And it's also a very large hurricane. So where it does make landfall, it's going to have an impact over a very, very large area.

BLITZER: When you say a very large area, let's be specific. I've been told maybe 100 miles in each direction of that eye of the storm. That would be a 200-mile geographic area that could sustain hurricane force winds.

MAYFIELD: That's right. That's how far out the hurricane force winds go. And then the tropical storm force winds go out over 200 miles. And for that reason, we have the hurricane warning out from Grand Isle, Louisiana, all the way over to Apalachicola, Florida. And then we have tropical storm warnings on either side of that down to, Yankeetown, Florida, on the east and over to Intracoastal City in Louisiana.

BLITZER: So tropical storm winds clearly not as dangerous as hurricane winds, but those could be significant as well.

MAYFIELD: And they can knock down tall trees. And that will result in power outages. This is a little similar to Hurricane Opal back in 1995. It made landfall near Pensacola, but it had a big impact throughout the entire Florida Peninsula. This hurricane will do the same thing.

BLITZER: New Orleans in particular is a unique situation because so much of it is below sea level. Talk a little bit about that.

MAYFIELD: Well, the biggest concern, of course, is always with the storm surge. And we're forecasting 10 to 16 feet. That will occur near and to the east of where the center crosses the coast.

In addition to that, if we have a perfect forecast, which I doubt if we do -- but if it comes in, the track comes into the east of Louisiana, they'll still have some lesser storm surges there, but still very significant, in areas where they have the onshore flow in southeast Louisiana, especially outside the levee systems.

BLITZER: People inland -- and we're looking at that map behind you -- they think they're safe because they're not along the coast. How worried should they be?

MAYFIELD: We need to make absolutely clear that the hurricane is not just a coastal event. These strong winds will spread well inland. The hurricane force winds will likely spread somewhere around 100 miles inland.

And then we have the rainfall problem to deal with as well. And if this system slows down like we think it will in the four- and five- day time period, we could have at least the potential for a real significant flood event coming up in the Appalachians.

BLITZER: All right, Dr. Mayfield, thanks for joining us once again. You guys have done incredibly good work. You've been so busy. Thanks very much.

MAYFIELD: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: More now on Hurricane Ivan.

Cities along the U.S. Gulf Coast are preparing, as we've been reporting, for possible landfall in less than 48 hours. Within 24 hours, the effects should be felt. Among those cities, New Orleans, where the mayor has already declared a state of emergency.

CNN's John Zarrella, who has covered plenty of hurricanes over the years, he is joining us now live from New Orleans with more -- John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: Wolf, and city and state officials here are certainly urging -- and I use that word urging in the highest possible terms -- people to leave metropolitan New Orleans if they can.

And I can tell you that, on Interstate 10, as we were driving in this afternoon, it is a parking lot, people heading north out of the city for miles leaving the city, heading up to Interstate 59, hopefully getting on that road up to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. People here know what to expect from a hurricane. It could be -- if it hit, it could be devastating.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA (voice-over): New Orleans is all about attitude. From its music to its street cars and riverboats, it oozes charm. It's a city that moves a bit slower, saving its energy to party a little harder. It is also a city that flirts with disaster nearly every hurricane season.

MAESTRI: It's going to happen. We can't continue to beat the odds. We've beaten the odds for a long, long time now.

ZARRELLA: Walter Maestri is the Jefferson Parish emergency manager. Of the 1.3 million people living in metropolitan New Orleans, he is responsible for nearly half a million, which, during hurricane season, leaves him with many sleepless nights. Maestri is keenly aware there is little he can do to keep people from falling victim to a natural disaster or to save his city.

Maestri: Very, very rapidly, within a 10-hour period, you know, the metropolitan New Orleans area is totally devastated. Gone.

ZARRELLA: Several expert studies and computer models show New Orleans even more vulnerable than anyone previously thought. Maestri says levees and flood walls designed to protect the city from moderately intense hurricanes might be overtopped and fail in just such storms.

MAESTRI: The way it's described, we describe it here is, Lake Pontchartrain has now become Lake New Orleans.

ZARRELLA: Maestri estimates most of the dead would be people who for whatever reason did not or could not evacuate, left trapped in the city as the water rises.

The problem is, population has mushroomed. Evacuation routes are limited. And New Orleans is like a bowl. The city sits below sea level. Own three sides, there's water, the Gulf of Mexico, Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River.

(on camera): The experts say, in a major hurricane, the water here in the French Quarter could be up to the nose of Andrew Jackson's horse or as high as the second-story windows on the cathedral behind it.

(voice-over): Jackson Square, the cathedral and just about everything else in New Orleans would be underwater, 12 to 15 feet of it. In the storm's aftermath, water would sit in the city for an estimated six months. Pumps needed to get the water out would be themselves underwater.

MAESTRI: This is the one agency in government that not only is allowed to pray. It's demanded. We've got callouses on our knees in this business.

ZARRELLA: Divine intervention, good fortune, the whims of nature, whatever it is, it is all that separates this city on the Mississippi from Walter Maestri's nightmare.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: And the numbers of potential fatalities from a hurricane of that magnitude are absolutely unthinkable. Walter Maestri told me when I talked to him that their projections are tens of thousands of dead in the city if they were to be struck by a major hurricane here, which is why, Wolf, everybody takes this very, very seriously and many people are getting out and getting out fast -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Let's hope all that praying pays off once again.

John Zarrella for us in New Orleans, thanks for that excellent piece.

Vladimir Putin's plan to fight terror in Russia, is he going too far? Find out why some people, including the secretary of state, Colin Powell, are worried.

Plus, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): You're driven to the brink of desperation. Otherwise, a person wouldn't do that sort of thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Desperation and revenge, are they part of a growing trend in terror? We'll take a look at sisters united in terror.

Plus, a new Hitler movie has critics asking this question: Is Hitler being portrayed as too humane? An inside look at the film, that's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The Bush administration is expressing concern over new plans by Russian President Vladimir Putin to fight terrorists. Saying he's responding to this month's deadly school seizure, Mr. Putin is vowing to strike back at terrorists anywhere in the world. And to do that, he's announced some sweeping proposals to further bolster his power by appointing all governors, instead of having them popularly elected.

Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed doubts over the plans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I mean, in effect, this is pulling back on some of the democratic reforms as seen by the international community that have occurred in the past. So, yes, we have concerns about it. And we want to discuss them with the Russians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Some Russian critics denounce Mr. Putin's moves as a bold power grab, at the expense of the Russian people.

Terror has a new face these days, and it's the face of a woman. More and more women are playing a part in what used to be a man's game, violent attacks targeting civilians.

Our Brian Todd has been looking into this story, joining us now live -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, in the past month alone, three major attacks have been carried out just in Russia in which women played a significant role. This is not a new tactic, but is designed for surprise and maximum shock value.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): A veiled shadow in a doorway that even in these times looks out of place, delicate, slumped bodies in theater seats, in video, a soft, youthful face belying the destruction she's already caused.

BRUCE HOFFMAN, RAND CORPORATION: We still have difficulty imagining women as killers, rather than as mothers. TODD: Start imagining it, the experts tell us, because it's happening more and more, in the hostage standoff this month at a school in southern Russia, where large numbers of children were among the more than 300 dead, a suicide bomb attack at a Moscow subway days earlier, the near simultaneous bombings of two planes in Russia last month, and the standoff in a Moscow theater in October 2002 that left 170 people dead.

Authorities believe women played central roles in all those incidents. In Russia, the profile seems more consistent. These women, all believed to be Chechen, some of them, experts say, are so- called black widows.

SVANTE CORNELL, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: They are widows of men who fought in the war and were killed. But most of them have had their whole families exterminated by the Russian army in this conflict.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): You're driven to the brink of desperation. Otherwise, a person wouldn't do that sort of thing.

TODD: The desperation that drives a woman to martyrdom did not begin in Russia, nor is it confined there. In 2002, women were the attackers in a devastating string of suicide bombings in the West Bank and Gaza. In 1991, a female bomber from Sri Lanka's Tamil Rebels gets close enough to assassinate Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Close enough is a key phrase. For terrorist groups, women possess important tactical advantages.

OLGA OLIKER, RAND CORPORATION: It's one that's effective because it's surprising. It gets a people's sense of, this is abnormal. Women don't do things like this. It's also effective because it's difficult to protect against. Security forces aren't used to looking at women, especially young women and girls, who are often used as potentially the danger.

TODD: Accounts from survivors and security officials show that in some terrorist incidents, women have been noticeably more ruthless than their male comrades. With recruiting tools like this online magazine calling for women to participate in jihad, experts say we can expect to see more of the feminine face of terror.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: And each expert we spoke to added a chilling footnote. Children have been used on occasion and could well be used again -- Wolf.

BLITZER: That's chilling, indeed.

Thanks very much, Brian Todd.

Sixty years after the end of World War II, is the world ready for a more human portrayal of Adolf Hitler? There's a new film. We'll explain. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Adolf Hitler has not had a central role in German films, at least until now. A controversial new movie not only focuses in on the dictator, but shows him with a human side. The filmmakers say the best way to show how Germany destroyed itself and so much of European Jewry, that's the result of this new film.

CNN's Chris Burns reports from Berlin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It happened a stone's throw from what's now Berlin's Holocaust Memorial. In Adolf Hitler's bunker, where Rochus Misch, then a 28-year-old bodyguard and telephone operator, remembers the final days.

"The atmosphere was depressing. Everything was tragic," he says.

The film, "Der Untergang," or "The Downfall," tells the story through the eyes of Hitler's late secretary, Traudl Junge. Above their heads raged the battle of Berlin, civilians caught in the crossfire, the Nazis conducting a scorched-earth policy, while Hitler refused to capitulate.

The fuhrer, played by Bruno Ganz, is a broken man, throwing fits of rage at his generals, finally admitting defeat before marrying Eva Braun, then killing himself and his bride.

ROCHUS MISCH, HITLER'S BODYGUARD (through translator): I saw Hitler slumped over the table and Eva Braun lying on the sofa.

BURNS: Critics argue the film breaks a taboo by making Hitler too human, kissing his dog, kissing Eva Braun, playing the understanding boss. Not, so says the film's producer and scriptwriter.

BERND EICHINGER, PRODUCER: You have to show it. If you make a demon out of him, like a demon from, you know, some other planet or so, like a machine who was a destructive, soulless machine, that would be too easy.

BURNS: Critics say the film plays short shrift to the Holocaust, hardly mentioning it, never showing it. Former S.S. soldier Misch insists he knew nothing about the atrocities and the man he still calls his boss never mentioned the genocide to him.

(on camera): But the Holocaust is in one of the film's most powerful claims where Hitler coldly claims one success, destroying Germany's Jewish population.

Chris Burns, CNN, Berlin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: That's it for me.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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