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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Leno to Retire in 2009; New Gallup Poll Shows Significant Lead for Bush; CNN Producer Abducted in Gaza

Aired September 27, 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. Word of a big change down the road at NBC involving Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien.
Also happening now. A new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll with more good news for President Bush.

And a CNN producer is abducted in Gaza. Here from our reporter who witnessed it all.

Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: State of shock.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't think it would be that bad just seeing, looking all around us, the devastation and the destruction is unimaginable.

BLITZER: Florida picks through the rubble as Jeanne picks out new targets.

On the trail, working the crowds, but getting ready to go one-on- one.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: America needs a real conversation about our future.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We still have October to go. Three debates in October.

BLITZER: Al Qaeda and the election. Will new security measures keep you safe at the polls?

Eye in the sky. Lighter than air, but ready for a heavyweight role in homeland security.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Monday, September 27, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Florida's beginning a grim week after a terrible weekend. Residents are cleaning up after the fourth hurricane to hit their state in the past six weeks. Gasoline lines are long, millions of power customers remain without electricity. Downgraded now to a tropical depression, Hurricane Jeanne has moved into Georgia where it continues to cause floods, evacuations and power outages.

Let's start in Florida where at least six people died over the weekend. CNN's Sarah Dorsey is in Stuart, Florida, about five miles from where Jeanne made landfall.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For Florida residents there seems to be no break. Hurricane Jeanne came through kicking these same people while they were already down.

(voice-over): Hurricane Jeanne pummeled Florida's eastern coast for just a few hours, but it will take months for residents to recover. To make things worse, the storm took nearly the same path as Hurricane Frances did three weeks ago, making it hard to tell old damage from new.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was stunned, you know. I didn't think it would be that bad, just seeing and looking all around us, the devastation and destruction is unimaginable.

DORSEY: Today, Florida Governor Jeb Bush toured some of the hardest-hit areas in the state. Emergency officials are digging in through what promises to be an extended relief effort.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will be here as long as it takes. We will spend whatever it takes as we do in any state and any county in this country that gets devastated like this. So we're here for the long haul.

DORSEY: Floridians have now weathered four major hurricanes this season and won't forget what they've been through any time soon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have nearly 7,000 people in shelters. One of our great stories during the storm was that a roof caved in on one of them and we actually had to evacuate 350 special-needs people in the middle of a hurricane and that was quite an undertaking.

DORSEY: Another large undertaking will be cleaning up these homes. Some still have standing water and mold coats the walls. From Stuart, Florida, Sarah Dorsey. Now back to you, Wolf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Sarah.

Now that Jeanne has moved on to Georgia, some Florida residents have been returning to their homes, sometimes to find heartbreaking destruction. CNN's Eric Philips is joining us live from Satellite Beach in Florida -- Eric.

ERIC PHILIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, officials here in Satellite Beach tell me there are at least 200 homes that were so badly damaged by Jeanne that they will not be able to be lived in. Many homes like this one will be totally condemned. But we spoke with at least one homeowner today who was very thankful that his home made it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Imagine that.

PHILIPS (voice-over): Troy Tadington (ph) is glad that his house is still standing after waves came crashing down on it during Hurricane Jeanne. During the worst of Jeanne's jabs he was at home shooting this video of Mother Nature at work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every 25 minutes it's ate about three foot of earth and it ate back under here and finally right about dark, this was the last piece standing and it fell.

PHILIPS: He had the roof chained down, doing everything he could to save his small house. He and his girlfriend had already suffered roof damage during Frances.

BARBARA CARLSEN, SATELLITE BEACH RESIDENT: We were just starting to fix the roof and all that stuff when the next one came and then we had to evacuate again.

PHILIPS: And another call to the insurance company. Some other neighbors like this one fared much worse, completely losing their property during the storm.

MICHAEL OREA, SATELLITE BEACH RESIDENT: We had severe erosion from the last storm and it was really exposed you know. This next storm just put it over the edge, basically.

PHILIPS: Beach erosion was the main culprit in this neighborhood. Officials say many of the older homes were not built using pilings nor far enough away from the ocean like newer ones.

BRUCE COOPER, CITY OF SATELLITE BEACH: We will allow them to rebuilt but they'll have to meet current codes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILIPS: Residents tell me beach replenishment is something they've needed here for a long time, but that didn't happen. They said that was anticipation of the big one. Now the big one has come and gone and they're left to pick up the pieces -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Eric, I know it's not scientific, but what are Floridians telling you? Are they sick and tired of this? Are they ready to get out of Florida?

PHILIPS: It may not be scientific, but every Floridian who I've spoken with has said conclusively that they're sick and tired of the storms and are hoping this will be the last one and many, as a matter of fact, are holding off on repairs for fear that as soon as they repair after this one, another one will be right behind it.

BLITZER: Eric Philips doing excellent reporting for us. Thanks very much.

Jeanne was a hurricane with 120-mile-an-hour winds when it slammed into Florida's east coast late Saturday. Here's what it looked like.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) winds and intense rains and now it's been taking place for several hours here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just got some official confirmation now that Jeanne, Hurricane Jeanne has officially made landfall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The lights you see beyond me now are from that Hummer. And it's just probably about about -- oh!

DON GERMAISE, ABC CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're getting too much debris flowing by here, in fact, this is the definition of hunkering down, guys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These may the worst conditions that I've seen during any of these four hurricanes over the last six weeks in Florida.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": The wind now, I'm basically directly in the wind and it's obviously very hard to stand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We want to thank all of our reporters, our producers, our camera crews for doing some outstanding work this weekend covering this hurricane. Let's take a look now at where Jeanne is heading.

Now it's a tropical depression. Jeanne has been moving across Georgia today. The National Weather Service says Jeanne will continue in a northeasterly direction toward the Carolinas, bringing up to two inches of rain. Forecasters expect Jeanne to move back out to sea over the Virginia coast, but it still could bring heavy rain to the Baltimore and even New York City areas beginning tomorrow night. Stay with CNN for continuing storm coverage.

Although rare, this is not the first time four hurricanes have hit the same state during a single season. It happened way back in Texas in 1886. In June of that year a category 1 hurricane hit the upper coast and flooded the city of Sabine. A major category 4 storm hit the entire coast in August killing more than 20 people. The next month a category 1 hurricane hit the lower coast and in October of that year a very deadly category 2 storm hit Sabine again, causing 150 deaths. The 1886 hurricane season has been analyzed to be the busiest on record for the United States. Those were the days before they had names for hurricanes.

Securing the nation through the presidential election. A new bulletin just released to all 50 states. We'll have details, plus this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Terrorist onslaught, a tough situation and my assessment it may get tougher before it gets better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Deadly attacks targeting Iraqi security forces as the country enters a critical phase.

An abduction in the Middle East. A CNN producer, one of our own, taken at gunpoint. I'll speak with our reporter Ben Wedeman. He was there when it all happened and, later, bringing in the blimp. A new weapon in the war on terror. It's hovering above the nation's Capitol right now and we'll go up in the blimp.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: No let up in the insurgency against the U.S. military and its partners in Iraq. The latest attacks have claimed more American and Iraqi lives and some are saying there's no end in sight.

Our senior international correspondent Brent Sadler reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRENT SADLER, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Unrelenting attacks on Iraq's security forces. National guardsmen caught in a deadly blast in the northern city of Mosul. One in a series of insurgent strikes in the northern and central parts of Iraq. An American security firm report obtained by the "Washington Post" says that since the handover of power, three months ago, attacks have jumped over 50 percent to about 70 each day. In the last two weeks, according to the Pentagon, some 250 Iraqis and 29 U.S. military personnel have been killed.

BARHAM SALIN, DEP. IRAQI PRIME MINISTER: We are talking about the terrorist onslaught, a tough situation. In my assessment it may get tougher before it gets better.

SADLER: Tougher and deadlier, say U.S. military officials as American-backed Iraqi government forces suffer the brunt of attacks. Rising casualties among U.S. troops, too, as Iraq enters a critical phase ahead of planned elections in just four months' time which some observers think might be delayed.

JIM JEFFERY, DEP. CHIEF U.S. MISSION: No, no, no, no. Our comment is that the elections -- we have every intent of supporting the Iraqi people in holding elections.

SADLER: With increasing use of U.S. firepower, warplanes hit Baghdad's eastern slum district of Sadr City, targeting fighters loyal to radical anti-U.S. Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, but doctors claim innocent women and children were caught in the blasts. A dubious claim, according to U.S. military officials, but one that's being investigated. Also being looked at with renewed urgency, Iraq's porous borders especially with Syria. Top U.S. military officials meeting their counterparts in Damascus.

(on camera): Security the cooperation of Iraq's neighbors is seen by the authorities here as a pivotal step to cut off funding and the supply of recruits for a stiffening insurgency.

(voice-over): U.S. officials says, as many 50 foreign fighters cross from Syria each month. And they want Syria to stop the flow into a vulnerable Iraq.

MICHAEL WARE "TIME MAGAZINE": This whole country is open right now. So squeezing out wherever you can, sure, that's got to help, will it stop it -- no.

SADLER: Perhaps not in the short term admit Iraqi officials but in the end, they will.

Brent Sadler, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: CNN producer Riad Ali was abduct at gunpoint in Gaza today.

Our correspondent Ben Wedeman was riding in the same car when it was stopped by a group of armed men. Ben Wedeman is joining us on the phone now from Gaza City.

Ben, pick up the story, tell us precisely what happened.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we were in Gaza this afternoon. We were at our office here in the middle of the city for about two hours and then we decided to go back to our hotel -- rather to our hotel. And just about three or four minutes after we'd left the office, driving in a local taxi, a car pulled out in front of us, forced us to stop. Out of the car came a young man who pulled a revolver from his trouser, pointed it inside the car basicly where I was sitting and said in Arabic which one of you is Riad.

Now we were all completely dumb struck since this sort of thing hasn't really happened very much here in Gaza. Riad replied, "I'm Riad," meanwhile, the car that pulled out in front of it, out of it came several other young men, some of them with AK-47 assault rifles and others with pistols. They weren't masked or anything. Their faces were clearly visible. They made Riad get into the back of the car and drove away. The entire incident couldn't have lasted more than I'd say, about 40 seconds.

And since then, of course, we here in Gaza as well as our colleagues in Jerusalem and elsewhere have been calling as many people as possible, getting in touch with the Palestinian factions, with the Palestinian Authority, with various security services here in Gaza trying to get some information about who might be holding Riad and -- but until now there's been no statement from his kidnappers and we don't have a lot to go on at this point, Wolf.

BLITZER: Ben, no one is make anything demands? No one is asking for money or any political demands?

Anything along those lines?

WEDEMAN: None whatsoever, Wolf. We have not heard a word from the people who abducted Riad which makes it obviously all the more difficult. There have been occasional abductions here in Gaza, but they're by and large, very rare. I'm accustomed to working here in Gaza and even though there are some people who might have some nasty backgrounds, we never encountered this sort of incident. So, it comes as something of a shock.

BLITZER: I remember about a year or so ago, maybe two years a "New York Times" reporter was taken and was abducted in Gaza and eventually released. But you're right, it doesn't happen very often unlike let's say in Iraq or other parts of the Middle East or south Asia right now.

Ben Wedeman, good luck to you and our friend and our colleague Riad Ali, as well, a solid professional. Someone who's worked closely with us for many years. Let's hope this ends in a good way.

Also in Gaza, Palestinian security sources say an Israeli helicopter fired a missile at a car in the city of Khan Yunis. One militant was killed, four others wounded including a commander as a Popular Resistance Committee. That umbrella group has been linked to attacks on Israeli troops and to an attack last year on a U.S. embassy convoy.

All of the signs indicate that Osama bin Laden is alive. That's the word today from Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf who cites technological intelligence, that's what he calls it, and interrogations of al Qaeda captives. President Musharraf says he doesn't know where bin Laden is, but the U.S. military commander in Afghanistan says bin Laden and top aides are probably in remote tribal areas of Pakistan.

Meantime, Pakistani officials are calling yesterday's killing of a key al Qaeda figure and I'm quoting now, "a great success." Gunned down in southern Pakistan Amjad Hussain Farooqi was a suspect in the murder of "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl and allegedly planned assassination attempts against President Musharraf.

Election security, the Department of Homeland Security issues a bulletin to all 50 states. Our Kelli Arena will join us. She has details.

Plus, good news for one candidate. A new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll has just been released. We have the latest numbers.

Chaos in Haiti as the hurricane continues to destroy. The hurricane that was much of that impoverished island. Thousands of people still homeless, fighting for food and shelter.

Also ahead, a major change announced for the late-night television world involving "The Tonight Show." Jay Leno. We'll have details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: With just five weeks to go before election day, President Bush appears to be maintaining his lead over Senator John Kerry. In the latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll just released, 52 percent of likely voters surveyed say they support Bush. 44 percent back Kerry. Among registered voters, 53 percent support Bush, 42 percent plan to vote for Kerry.

On the campaign trail, some big showdown states are still getting lots of attention as Senator Kerry gets set to take on President Bush in the first presidential debate of the season. That would be this Thursday night in Miami. As he prepares for Thursday night's face- off, the Democratic candidate is campaigning in Wisconsin. Our national correspondent Frank Buckley covering John Kerry in Spring Green -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Senator Kerry campaigning here in Wisconsin because he has to. This is a state that went for Vice President Al Gore in 2000, barely, but it did. It's gone for Democrats in five of the last seven presidential elections, but this time it's President Bush who has an edge in the polls.

So Senator Kerry using his time here to, one, prepare for the debate, of course, but, two, also to try to win over some of the voters here. He had a town hall event today. Senator Kerry returning to the theme that the campaign believes is working. That is criticizing President Bush on Iraq. Today Senator Kerry invoked the image of President Bush on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln with that banner behind him that said "Mission Accomplished."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KERRY: The mission was not accomplished when he said it. He didn't know it and didn't understand it. It's not accomplished today and he's still trying to hide from the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Now the Bush campaign did not let Senator Kerry have Wisconsin all to himself. Also campaigning here today on behalf of President Bush was former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He was campaigning for Bush and echoing the Bush themes that Senator Kerry is inconsistent on Iraq. He was also helping to lower the expectations on President Bush's debating abilities and raising the expectations on Senator Kerry's debating abilities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI (R), FMR. NEW YORK MAYOR: I know President Bush and he may not be a champion debater like John Kerry, but he sure is real.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BUCKLEY: Now, Senator Kerry is continuing with debate preparation for the rest of the day. He'll also be doing that tomorrow. We're told that he's engaging in mock debate sessions with Greg Craig, the former Clinton administration attorney, playing the role of President Bush and we're told that in the role of moderator Jim Lehrer is political adviser Bob Shrum -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Frank Buckley playing himself today today in Wisconsin. Frank, thanks very much for that report.

President Bush is leaving no stone unturned in his bid for Ohio's 20 electoral votes. He's on his 26th visit to the Buckeye State since taking office. That new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll we've been talking about shows President Bush's approval rating now standing at 54 percent. That's up 2 percentage points from two weeks ago. 44 percent of the respondents disapprove of the way he's handling his job. CNN's Elaine Quijano is covering the Bush campaign today. She's joining us now live from Westchester -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Wolf. Fresh off a weekend of debate preparations at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, President Bush here in the state of Ohio launched another attack against Senator John Kerry over the issue of Iraq. The president basically at his first stop in Springfield, Ohio today talked about Senator Kerry's flip-flopping position as he puts it, on Iraq. The president also echoing that same sentiment here during a rally that just ended just a short time ago here in Westchester, Ohio, near Cincinnati. The president blasting Senator Kerry for having what Mr. Bush said was an inconsistent position on Iraq saying you cannot lead if you don't know where you stand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: It's been a little tough to prepare for the debates because he keeps changing his positions. Especially on the war. I mean, after all he voted for the use of force, but against funding the troops. He said we were not spending enough money to reconstruct Iraq and now he says we're spending too much. He said it was the right decision to go into Iraq yet now he calls it the wrong war. And I think he can spend 90 minutes debating himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now the Bush campaign today releasing a new television ad echoing some of that same sentiment. The Kerry camp, for its part, says that the Bush campaign has taken the senator's comments out of context and they continue to say that the president is misleading the country on what is happening on the ground in Iraq.

Once the president finishes up here in Westchester, he'll be headed back to his ranch in Crawford, Texas. White House communications director Dan Bartlett says debate preparations will continue although we understand that some of the mock discussions that took place over the weekend, those will not take place. The president simply, in Dan Bartlett's, words fine-tuning, getting ready for the debate on Thursday -- Wolf. BLITZER: Elaine Quijano covering the president for us today. Thanks, Elaine, very much.

This reminder to our viewers: you can watch the first presidential debate live from Miami this Thursday night. Our special coverage will begin at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. The debate is scheduled to begin 9:00 p.m. Easter for 90 minutes. We'll be down there to cover that debate. All the preparations, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS will be live 5:00 p.m. Eastern from Miami on Thursday.

Foreign policy taking centerstage at that upcoming presidential debate. We'll talk about it with the former defense secretary William Cohen.

Plus, what's being done to make sure terrorism doesn't derail the election here in the United States? There's new information.

And there's also a new weapon in the war on terror. Look at it. It's a blimp and the blimp is back. We'll show you why.

Martha Stewart one step closer to prison. Details of a new milestone.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Growing fears of a terrorist attack right here in the United States ahead of the November 2 election, the Homeland Security Department issuing new guidelines to all 50 states. We'll get details of that.

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

Relief and cleanup efforts are under way just hours after that hurricane, Jeanne, smashed its way across the Central Florida Peninsula. The storm battered homes and businesses, leaving more than 2.5 million people without power. Four hurricanes have now slammed into Florida in the last six weeks.

Yaser Hamdi, who is considered an enemy combatant by the United States government, is expected to leave the United States some time tomorrow, that word from Hamdi's lawyer. Hamdi is an American citizen who was captured in Afghanistan. He's returning to Saudi Arabia, where he grew up. He's been held in a military brig in South Carolina for more than two years.

In Massachusetts, Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Dupre will not be prosecuted on child rape charges. In an indictment unsealed today, Dupre was charged with molesting two boys in the 1970s, but the district attorney says the statute of limitations has expired. Dupre was the first Roman Catholic bishop to face criminal charges in the sex abuse scandal in the American church.

As she gets ready to head to federal prison, Martha Stewart now has an inmate number and her status is now listed as in transit. That's a quote. But that doesn't mean she's reporting to prison right now. Stewart, who faces a five-month sentence for lying about a stock sale, has an October 8 deadline to report. She's appealing the conviction, but has chosen to begin serving her sentence before her appeal is heard.

And fans of "The Tonight Show" will not have to endure a guessing game of who will replace Jay Leno when he retires as host of the program five years from now. NBC News announced today that Conan O'Brien will be Leno's replacement. O'Brien's late-night show now follows "The Tonight Show."

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

There are growing concerns about possible terrorist attacks leading up to the election here in the United States or perhaps even on Election Day, which would be November 2. That's leading federal authorities to step up their precautions.

Our justice correspondent Kelli Arena is joining us now. She has new details -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I just got back from a background briefing with some senior administration officials, who tried to put into perspective the threat that the United States is facing.

And basically what they said was that the intelligence regarding al Qaeda's desire to attack the United States, to disrupt the electoral process, is consistent, that they continue to get information saying that that -- suggesting that that is the case. However, to date, they still have nothing specific, no time of an attack, no method of an attack, no information on the possible operatives who would be involved or where an attack would occur.

As a result, they say that there is increasing anxiety as November 2 approaches and they're doing some special things as a result of that. They're doubling up some efforts. For example, they're having more Coast Guard officials board ships headed to the United States. They have more pat-downs going on at airports, more interviews being given of people who FBI agents think might have information about a possible attack, so a very concerted effort, a more focused effort, nothing really new, but just more manpower applied to those intelligence-gathering efforts than we've seen before, Wolf.

BLITZER: Kelli Arena, thanks very much for that report. I can personally testify. I was just at Reagan National Airport and that pat-down is very, very obvious, certainly much more stringent security precautions here in the nation's capital.

Presidential elections tend to turn on domestic issues. This year, many Americans worrying, though, about staying safe right here at home. But with the country caught up in a global war on terrorism, those national security concerns are tied to foreign policy as well. That's the focus of this week's presidential debate Thursday night.

Joining us now, our world affairs analyst, the former Defense Secretary William Cohen.

What do you make of fear -- and it's a fear out there -- based on some intelligence, we assume, but no hard intelligence, that al Qaeda would like to strike before the election here in the United States?

WILLIAM COHEN, CNN WORLD AFFAIRS ANALYST: Actually, I think it would be big news if the intelligence showed that there was less of an al Qaeda attempt to disrupt the elections.

We've known about al Qaeda's intent to do whatever they can to harm the American people here at home and abroad for a number of years, going back to the Hard-Rudman Commission that was formed back in 1998, 1999. And so the prediction that there's going to be an attack on the United States has been known for some time. So I think this is reasonable to anticipate and prepare for, but the notion that somehow it's going to disappear after November 2, I think, would be misleading the American people. It is a constant threat that we're likely to live with for some time to come.

BLITZER: It is going to be go on for a time to come, not just a matter of weeks, months, probably years.

But is the purpose -- if they want to disrupt the election, would it be just to make a statement against the West, against the United States, or would it be an effort to try to hurt, let's say Bush or Kerry, to try to embarrass one of the candidates? Do you sense they're trying to interfere one way or another?

COHEN: I think it's all speculation. You can make a case saying that if an attack were to come that would reinforce support for the president in the middle of a presidential campaign because it comes so close to the election itself. Don't change horses midstream, etcetera, when you're under attack.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: ... rallying around the commander in chief.

COHEN: A rallying around. And so you could argue if they want President Bush to return, if that were their motivation, they would time it to come closer to the election. But you can game it the other way as well, saying that the Democrats at that point would say, you see, we dropped our guard and therefore this has happened and it wouldn't have happened had we not been overcommitted in Iraq.

So I think it's too hard to game this right now. I think they'll do it whenever they can, whenever we're the most vulnerable. And they're less likely to attack when they see that security measures are more significant than less.

BLITZER: I want you look at some poll numbers, our latest CNN/"USA Today" Gallup poll. Let's put them up on the screen, who can better handle the three key issues in this election. When it comes to the economy, right now, Bush is ahead 51 to 45 percent. On Iraq, Bush is ahead 55 to 41 percent. And on terrorism, look at this, Bush is ahead 61-34 percent. On those three key issues, the decisive issues of this election, at least right now, this snapshot that we're showing, Bush is ahead.

COHEN: Clearly ahead at this point. And I think that's the reason why the pressure is going to be on John Kerry to really come on strong during the course of the next three debates, but especially the one that takes place on Thursday.

He's going to have to be aggressive and yet -- quote -- "presidential," so he's got to walk something of a fine line. But he's got to have a much more concise, much more quotable message than simply saying that the president is in a fantasy world of spin. He's got to be much more direct, much more quotable and much more of an impression upon the minds of the American people than what we've seen to date.

BLITZER: When you served in the Senate, you served with John Kerry. You're both from New England. You worked closely with him. How formidable a debater is he?

COHEN: Well, he's a good debater. I don't think he rivals Cicero, as some are trying to pretend or project right now. They're trying to raise expectations on his capability and lower those of President Bush.

He's a good debater, but I think that President Bush has demonstrated he's equally capable. It really comes down to images, both image and substance. On the one hand, President Bush has been very successful in characterizing John Kerry in a negative way. He flip-flopped, irresolute, lacking strength.

What John Kerry's got to do is say, well, the president is portraying himself as the Marlboro Man as such, or his campaigners are. They've got to then say, well, that's a cancer ward. That's not big-sky country. So he's got to turn it around to a negative, as opposed to the very positive impression the president has with the American people right now.

BLITZER: We and millions of others will be watching that debate very closely Thursday night.

William Cohen, thanks very much.

A week after those deadly floods, a new crisis now emerging in Haiti. This is heartbreaking. We'll have the latest on relief efforts unfolding or at least an effort to get some food there.

Targeting terror with an unlikely eye in the sky. You'll get a bird's-eye view. That's coming up. This blimp, it's being used in the war on terror. Our Brian Todd went up and he'll show us what he saw.

And new rumblings on Mount Saint Helens. Is a new eruption imminent? We'll get to all of that.

First, though, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): British entrepreneur Richard Branson is working on a plan to send tourists into space by 2007. The Virgin Airlines founder says he's teaming up with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen to build five fish-shaped space capsules for two- to three-hour flights featuring four minutes of weightlessness.

Happy birthday, Taj Mahal. India's most famous monument turned 350 today. It was built by an emperor between 1532 and 1654 as a monument to his wife.

Puzzling pastime; 7,000 people in a small German town have completed what's said to be the world's longest jigsaw puzzle. The one-million piece result stretched three-quarters of a mile, winding through the entire village.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: As Jeanne moves through Georgia and South Carolina , Haiti is continuing to struggle with the aftermath of Hurricane Jeanne, which attacked that country only a week ago.

CNN's Karl Penhaul joining us now live via videophone with the latest -- Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Wolf.

Both United Nations relief officials and also the representatives of the independent relief organizations have been teaming up today to try and coordinate better. Also, they've been trying to open more distribution centers in order that the hungry and thirsty survivors of that storm can get access to that aid in a much more efficient manner.

You'll remember the last week the whole aid effort descended into chaos. They're trying to set that right this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PENHAUL (voice-over): Soulful laments as these Haitian women wash out thick mud from their clothes. "Jesus, you left us down here alone. We'll never forget that day. Children died and our mother died. Now we're hungry," they sing.

A week after Tropical Storm Jeanne ripped through Gonaives, street markets are coming back to life, but shoppers complain prices have almost doubled since the storm. Yet they say they prefer to spend what little money they have than to endure the chaos of the free food handouts at the United Nations disaster relief centers. Mariana Jeanne-Phillipe is shopping for the first time since the storm washed away her home. Her mother and niece are missing.

"We were all inside, but my mother's old and there wasn't a man at home to help her get on the rooftop. Somebody tried to lift her up, but she fell and disappeared," she says.

Cuban doctors have set up in a nearby clinic. They've been treating around 500 patients a day. They say there have been outbreaks of diarrhea, respiratory infections and skin disease. They say there's a risk of typhoid and malaria. "The main need now is to clean the streets of wreckage because there's still a lot of neighborhoods under water and this is the biggest need in order to reduce the risk of infectious diseases," she says.

U.N. special envoy Gabriel Valdes arrived in Gonaives to try and bring some order to the chaotic relief effort. His meeting with Haitian government representatives was tense.

(on camera): Senior United Nations officials are telling Haitian authorities that they've been too slow to act. The Haitian authorities meanwhile are telling the United Nations officials that they're not doing enough to help.

(voice-over): One hundred and fifty additional U.N. troops were sent to Gonaives Sunday to help stop looting and rioting that has plagued the aid effort.

JUAN GABRIEL VALDES, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR UNITED NATIONS: We are dealing people with due respect. This is a very difficult situation. This is not a game. This is a very difficult situation. And, of course, we're not going to organize distribution of food if we don't have the security in order to produce that and not to cause victims among the people who are waiting for the food.

PENHAUL: Hungry storm survivors are kept behind razor wire as part of beefed-up measures. They still face hours of waiting.

Once they get to the front of the line, no ration bags are left, and these women must take away their lentils wrapped in their skirts. And while international aid organizations try to sort out the chaos, these women are looking for divine intervention as they scrub.

"We all have problems. We must call on God," they sing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PENHAUL: I talked to representatives of the World Food Program this afternoon, Wolf, and they say they're in pretty good shape as far as the amounts of food that is now here in place in Gonaives. That's the city hardest hit by that storm. They still say they need an extra effort to supply enough clean drinking water to the people. Otherwise, they fear the spread of disease.

The main residual problem is that of security. And one of the security issues is the fact that U.N. officials say there are armed gangs here in Gonaives trying to disrupt the distribution of aid and possibly even loot some of that aid -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Karl Penhaul, please be careful over there. Thanks very much for your reporting. To our viewers, here's your chance to weigh in on the story. Our Web question of the day is this: Is the United Nations doing enough to provide aid to Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Jeanne? You can vote. Go to CNN.com/Wolf. We'll have the results a little bit later in this program.

What seems like an easy target could really be a valuable weapon in the war on terror. We'll show you what this blimp could be used for and why it may have an advantage over other aircraft. We'll get to there.

First, though, a quick look at some stories you may have missed this past weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Two California men remain in critical condition after an air show crash. The victims were on board a small plane that went down just after it took off from Fullerton Municipal Airport. The plane barely missed the control tower and slammed into a parked car. The two women in the car were no seriously hurt.

Authorities in Texas say they believe they don't know what sparked a pipeline explosion and fire that drove dozens of people from their homes in New Caney near Houston. Investigators say someone intentionally moved a track hoe and started digging with the construction equipment, puncturing the pipeline. No injuries were reported.

Washington state's Mount Saint Helen's volcano is rumbling again. Swarms of small earthquakes that started Thursday continue. Geologists say that could signal a minor eruption, but nothing like 1908's big blast.

And that's our weekend snapshot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Weather permitting, an unlikely weapon in the war on terror will be deployed starting late tonight and for the next couple of days right over here in Washington, D.C.. This is a vehicle that was all but abandoned by the United States military and now it could be making a comeback.

Here's CNN's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hiding in plain sight, a big target, slow moving and potentially a valuable weapon in the war on terror. This week, the military will test-fly a 170,000- cubic-foot blimp in the heavily-restricted skies over the nation's capital. CMDR. MIKE GIAUQUE, U.S. NAVY: Some of the missions that we're going to try to do to prove our concept is to work with some of the government facilities in conducting a force protection mission.

TODD: Force protection as in surveillance. Equipped with cameras, monitors and sophisticated avionics, this airship could be an important prototype.

(on camera): It may look a little unwieldy, but the experts say this has a big advantage over airplanes and helicopters, sustainability in the air.

(voice-over): Where planes may fly too fast and helicopters can only stay airborne for a few hours, officials are looking to send this over dirigible over D.C. for at least 24 hours at a time. Despite its size, the blimp can actually be unobtrusive, able to zero in on vehicle, buildings, bases from miles away and from as high as 10,000 feet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It gives them a visual eye without having to be right there beside everything.

TODD: Right now, the military has so-called aerostats deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, tethered, unmanned blimps used for surveillance, but those have limited airlift and mobility.

As for these inflatables, we asked a test pilot about what we saw as an obvious potential drawback, a laughably easy target for shoulder-fired missiles or machine guns.

CARL DALEY, AIRSHIP TEST PILOT: People have this misconception that you fire a round at it and then it's all going to fall apart. The envelope can sustain a lot of damage with bullet holes and whatever and still remains its integrity. Normally, we're operating in the environment where we're away from most of the ground fire.

TODD: On our own test flight, we rode through steep climbs and descents, sharp banks handled with surprising agility, witnessed airborne surveillance that looked like it was shot from a movie camera, and made a smooth landing in the middle of a cornfield, the only drama coming at the expense of the ground crew.

Once considered an outdated tool of wars past, the airship may be coming back. No military agency has made a final commitment, but at the same time we checked it out, so did officials from the Navy, Coast Guard and Border Patrol.

Brian Todd, CNN, Mitchellville, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Very interesting stuff, indeed.

The results of our Web question of the day, that's coming up just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day. Look at this: 26 percent of you say yes; 74 percent of you say no. Remember, this is not -- repeat, not -- a scientific poll: Is the United Nations doing enough to provide aid to Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Jeanne?

A reminder, you can always catch us here on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. We'll be live from Miami for the first presidential debate Thursday. Thanks for joining us.

"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 27, 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. Word of a big change down the road at NBC involving Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien.
Also happening now. A new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll with more good news for President Bush.

And a CNN producer is abducted in Gaza. Here from our reporter who witnessed it all.

Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: State of shock.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't think it would be that bad just seeing, looking all around us, the devastation and the destruction is unimaginable.

BLITZER: Florida picks through the rubble as Jeanne picks out new targets.

On the trail, working the crowds, but getting ready to go one-on- one.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: America needs a real conversation about our future.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We still have October to go. Three debates in October.

BLITZER: Al Qaeda and the election. Will new security measures keep you safe at the polls?

Eye in the sky. Lighter than air, but ready for a heavyweight role in homeland security.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Monday, September 27, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Florida's beginning a grim week after a terrible weekend. Residents are cleaning up after the fourth hurricane to hit their state in the past six weeks. Gasoline lines are long, millions of power customers remain without electricity. Downgraded now to a tropical depression, Hurricane Jeanne has moved into Georgia where it continues to cause floods, evacuations and power outages.

Let's start in Florida where at least six people died over the weekend. CNN's Sarah Dorsey is in Stuart, Florida, about five miles from where Jeanne made landfall.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For Florida residents there seems to be no break. Hurricane Jeanne came through kicking these same people while they were already down.

(voice-over): Hurricane Jeanne pummeled Florida's eastern coast for just a few hours, but it will take months for residents to recover. To make things worse, the storm took nearly the same path as Hurricane Frances did three weeks ago, making it hard to tell old damage from new.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was stunned, you know. I didn't think it would be that bad, just seeing and looking all around us, the devastation and destruction is unimaginable.

DORSEY: Today, Florida Governor Jeb Bush toured some of the hardest-hit areas in the state. Emergency officials are digging in through what promises to be an extended relief effort.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will be here as long as it takes. We will spend whatever it takes as we do in any state and any county in this country that gets devastated like this. So we're here for the long haul.

DORSEY: Floridians have now weathered four major hurricanes this season and won't forget what they've been through any time soon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have nearly 7,000 people in shelters. One of our great stories during the storm was that a roof caved in on one of them and we actually had to evacuate 350 special-needs people in the middle of a hurricane and that was quite an undertaking.

DORSEY: Another large undertaking will be cleaning up these homes. Some still have standing water and mold coats the walls. From Stuart, Florida, Sarah Dorsey. Now back to you, Wolf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Sarah.

Now that Jeanne has moved on to Georgia, some Florida residents have been returning to their homes, sometimes to find heartbreaking destruction. CNN's Eric Philips is joining us live from Satellite Beach in Florida -- Eric.

ERIC PHILIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, officials here in Satellite Beach tell me there are at least 200 homes that were so badly damaged by Jeanne that they will not be able to be lived in. Many homes like this one will be totally condemned. But we spoke with at least one homeowner today who was very thankful that his home made it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Imagine that.

PHILIPS (voice-over): Troy Tadington (ph) is glad that his house is still standing after waves came crashing down on it during Hurricane Jeanne. During the worst of Jeanne's jabs he was at home shooting this video of Mother Nature at work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every 25 minutes it's ate about three foot of earth and it ate back under here and finally right about dark, this was the last piece standing and it fell.

PHILIPS: He had the roof chained down, doing everything he could to save his small house. He and his girlfriend had already suffered roof damage during Frances.

BARBARA CARLSEN, SATELLITE BEACH RESIDENT: We were just starting to fix the roof and all that stuff when the next one came and then we had to evacuate again.

PHILIPS: And another call to the insurance company. Some other neighbors like this one fared much worse, completely losing their property during the storm.

MICHAEL OREA, SATELLITE BEACH RESIDENT: We had severe erosion from the last storm and it was really exposed you know. This next storm just put it over the edge, basically.

PHILIPS: Beach erosion was the main culprit in this neighborhood. Officials say many of the older homes were not built using pilings nor far enough away from the ocean like newer ones.

BRUCE COOPER, CITY OF SATELLITE BEACH: We will allow them to rebuilt but they'll have to meet current codes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILIPS: Residents tell me beach replenishment is something they've needed here for a long time, but that didn't happen. They said that was anticipation of the big one. Now the big one has come and gone and they're left to pick up the pieces -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Eric, I know it's not scientific, but what are Floridians telling you? Are they sick and tired of this? Are they ready to get out of Florida?

PHILIPS: It may not be scientific, but every Floridian who I've spoken with has said conclusively that they're sick and tired of the storms and are hoping this will be the last one and many, as a matter of fact, are holding off on repairs for fear that as soon as they repair after this one, another one will be right behind it.

BLITZER: Eric Philips doing excellent reporting for us. Thanks very much.

Jeanne was a hurricane with 120-mile-an-hour winds when it slammed into Florida's east coast late Saturday. Here's what it looked like.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) winds and intense rains and now it's been taking place for several hours here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just got some official confirmation now that Jeanne, Hurricane Jeanne has officially made landfall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The lights you see beyond me now are from that Hummer. And it's just probably about about -- oh!

DON GERMAISE, ABC CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're getting too much debris flowing by here, in fact, this is the definition of hunkering down, guys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These may the worst conditions that I've seen during any of these four hurricanes over the last six weeks in Florida.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": The wind now, I'm basically directly in the wind and it's obviously very hard to stand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We want to thank all of our reporters, our producers, our camera crews for doing some outstanding work this weekend covering this hurricane. Let's take a look now at where Jeanne is heading.

Now it's a tropical depression. Jeanne has been moving across Georgia today. The National Weather Service says Jeanne will continue in a northeasterly direction toward the Carolinas, bringing up to two inches of rain. Forecasters expect Jeanne to move back out to sea over the Virginia coast, but it still could bring heavy rain to the Baltimore and even New York City areas beginning tomorrow night. Stay with CNN for continuing storm coverage.

Although rare, this is not the first time four hurricanes have hit the same state during a single season. It happened way back in Texas in 1886. In June of that year a category 1 hurricane hit the upper coast and flooded the city of Sabine. A major category 4 storm hit the entire coast in August killing more than 20 people. The next month a category 1 hurricane hit the lower coast and in October of that year a very deadly category 2 storm hit Sabine again, causing 150 deaths. The 1886 hurricane season has been analyzed to be the busiest on record for the United States. Those were the days before they had names for hurricanes.

Securing the nation through the presidential election. A new bulletin just released to all 50 states. We'll have details, plus this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Terrorist onslaught, a tough situation and my assessment it may get tougher before it gets better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Deadly attacks targeting Iraqi security forces as the country enters a critical phase.

An abduction in the Middle East. A CNN producer, one of our own, taken at gunpoint. I'll speak with our reporter Ben Wedeman. He was there when it all happened and, later, bringing in the blimp. A new weapon in the war on terror. It's hovering above the nation's Capitol right now and we'll go up in the blimp.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: No let up in the insurgency against the U.S. military and its partners in Iraq. The latest attacks have claimed more American and Iraqi lives and some are saying there's no end in sight.

Our senior international correspondent Brent Sadler reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRENT SADLER, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Unrelenting attacks on Iraq's security forces. National guardsmen caught in a deadly blast in the northern city of Mosul. One in a series of insurgent strikes in the northern and central parts of Iraq. An American security firm report obtained by the "Washington Post" says that since the handover of power, three months ago, attacks have jumped over 50 percent to about 70 each day. In the last two weeks, according to the Pentagon, some 250 Iraqis and 29 U.S. military personnel have been killed.

BARHAM SALIN, DEP. IRAQI PRIME MINISTER: We are talking about the terrorist onslaught, a tough situation. In my assessment it may get tougher before it gets better.

SADLER: Tougher and deadlier, say U.S. military officials as American-backed Iraqi government forces suffer the brunt of attacks. Rising casualties among U.S. troops, too, as Iraq enters a critical phase ahead of planned elections in just four months' time which some observers think might be delayed.

JIM JEFFERY, DEP. CHIEF U.S. MISSION: No, no, no, no. Our comment is that the elections -- we have every intent of supporting the Iraqi people in holding elections.

SADLER: With increasing use of U.S. firepower, warplanes hit Baghdad's eastern slum district of Sadr City, targeting fighters loyal to radical anti-U.S. Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, but doctors claim innocent women and children were caught in the blasts. A dubious claim, according to U.S. military officials, but one that's being investigated. Also being looked at with renewed urgency, Iraq's porous borders especially with Syria. Top U.S. military officials meeting their counterparts in Damascus.

(on camera): Security the cooperation of Iraq's neighbors is seen by the authorities here as a pivotal step to cut off funding and the supply of recruits for a stiffening insurgency.

(voice-over): U.S. officials says, as many 50 foreign fighters cross from Syria each month. And they want Syria to stop the flow into a vulnerable Iraq.

MICHAEL WARE "TIME MAGAZINE": This whole country is open right now. So squeezing out wherever you can, sure, that's got to help, will it stop it -- no.

SADLER: Perhaps not in the short term admit Iraqi officials but in the end, they will.

Brent Sadler, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: CNN producer Riad Ali was abduct at gunpoint in Gaza today.

Our correspondent Ben Wedeman was riding in the same car when it was stopped by a group of armed men. Ben Wedeman is joining us on the phone now from Gaza City.

Ben, pick up the story, tell us precisely what happened.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we were in Gaza this afternoon. We were at our office here in the middle of the city for about two hours and then we decided to go back to our hotel -- rather to our hotel. And just about three or four minutes after we'd left the office, driving in a local taxi, a car pulled out in front of us, forced us to stop. Out of the car came a young man who pulled a revolver from his trouser, pointed it inside the car basicly where I was sitting and said in Arabic which one of you is Riad.

Now we were all completely dumb struck since this sort of thing hasn't really happened very much here in Gaza. Riad replied, "I'm Riad," meanwhile, the car that pulled out in front of it, out of it came several other young men, some of them with AK-47 assault rifles and others with pistols. They weren't masked or anything. Their faces were clearly visible. They made Riad get into the back of the car and drove away. The entire incident couldn't have lasted more than I'd say, about 40 seconds.

And since then, of course, we here in Gaza as well as our colleagues in Jerusalem and elsewhere have been calling as many people as possible, getting in touch with the Palestinian factions, with the Palestinian Authority, with various security services here in Gaza trying to get some information about who might be holding Riad and -- but until now there's been no statement from his kidnappers and we don't have a lot to go on at this point, Wolf.

BLITZER: Ben, no one is make anything demands? No one is asking for money or any political demands?

Anything along those lines?

WEDEMAN: None whatsoever, Wolf. We have not heard a word from the people who abducted Riad which makes it obviously all the more difficult. There have been occasional abductions here in Gaza, but they're by and large, very rare. I'm accustomed to working here in Gaza and even though there are some people who might have some nasty backgrounds, we never encountered this sort of incident. So, it comes as something of a shock.

BLITZER: I remember about a year or so ago, maybe two years a "New York Times" reporter was taken and was abducted in Gaza and eventually released. But you're right, it doesn't happen very often unlike let's say in Iraq or other parts of the Middle East or south Asia right now.

Ben Wedeman, good luck to you and our friend and our colleague Riad Ali, as well, a solid professional. Someone who's worked closely with us for many years. Let's hope this ends in a good way.

Also in Gaza, Palestinian security sources say an Israeli helicopter fired a missile at a car in the city of Khan Yunis. One militant was killed, four others wounded including a commander as a Popular Resistance Committee. That umbrella group has been linked to attacks on Israeli troops and to an attack last year on a U.S. embassy convoy.

All of the signs indicate that Osama bin Laden is alive. That's the word today from Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf who cites technological intelligence, that's what he calls it, and interrogations of al Qaeda captives. President Musharraf says he doesn't know where bin Laden is, but the U.S. military commander in Afghanistan says bin Laden and top aides are probably in remote tribal areas of Pakistan.

Meantime, Pakistani officials are calling yesterday's killing of a key al Qaeda figure and I'm quoting now, "a great success." Gunned down in southern Pakistan Amjad Hussain Farooqi was a suspect in the murder of "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl and allegedly planned assassination attempts against President Musharraf.

Election security, the Department of Homeland Security issues a bulletin to all 50 states. Our Kelli Arena will join us. She has details.

Plus, good news for one candidate. A new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll has just been released. We have the latest numbers.

Chaos in Haiti as the hurricane continues to destroy. The hurricane that was much of that impoverished island. Thousands of people still homeless, fighting for food and shelter.

Also ahead, a major change announced for the late-night television world involving "The Tonight Show." Jay Leno. We'll have details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: With just five weeks to go before election day, President Bush appears to be maintaining his lead over Senator John Kerry. In the latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll just released, 52 percent of likely voters surveyed say they support Bush. 44 percent back Kerry. Among registered voters, 53 percent support Bush, 42 percent plan to vote for Kerry.

On the campaign trail, some big showdown states are still getting lots of attention as Senator Kerry gets set to take on President Bush in the first presidential debate of the season. That would be this Thursday night in Miami. As he prepares for Thursday night's face- off, the Democratic candidate is campaigning in Wisconsin. Our national correspondent Frank Buckley covering John Kerry in Spring Green -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Senator Kerry campaigning here in Wisconsin because he has to. This is a state that went for Vice President Al Gore in 2000, barely, but it did. It's gone for Democrats in five of the last seven presidential elections, but this time it's President Bush who has an edge in the polls.

So Senator Kerry using his time here to, one, prepare for the debate, of course, but, two, also to try to win over some of the voters here. He had a town hall event today. Senator Kerry returning to the theme that the campaign believes is working. That is criticizing President Bush on Iraq. Today Senator Kerry invoked the image of President Bush on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln with that banner behind him that said "Mission Accomplished."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KERRY: The mission was not accomplished when he said it. He didn't know it and didn't understand it. It's not accomplished today and he's still trying to hide from the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Now the Bush campaign did not let Senator Kerry have Wisconsin all to himself. Also campaigning here today on behalf of President Bush was former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He was campaigning for Bush and echoing the Bush themes that Senator Kerry is inconsistent on Iraq. He was also helping to lower the expectations on President Bush's debating abilities and raising the expectations on Senator Kerry's debating abilities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI (R), FMR. NEW YORK MAYOR: I know President Bush and he may not be a champion debater like John Kerry, but he sure is real.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BUCKLEY: Now, Senator Kerry is continuing with debate preparation for the rest of the day. He'll also be doing that tomorrow. We're told that he's engaging in mock debate sessions with Greg Craig, the former Clinton administration attorney, playing the role of President Bush and we're told that in the role of moderator Jim Lehrer is political adviser Bob Shrum -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Frank Buckley playing himself today today in Wisconsin. Frank, thanks very much for that report.

President Bush is leaving no stone unturned in his bid for Ohio's 20 electoral votes. He's on his 26th visit to the Buckeye State since taking office. That new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll we've been talking about shows President Bush's approval rating now standing at 54 percent. That's up 2 percentage points from two weeks ago. 44 percent of the respondents disapprove of the way he's handling his job. CNN's Elaine Quijano is covering the Bush campaign today. She's joining us now live from Westchester -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Wolf. Fresh off a weekend of debate preparations at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, President Bush here in the state of Ohio launched another attack against Senator John Kerry over the issue of Iraq. The president basically at his first stop in Springfield, Ohio today talked about Senator Kerry's flip-flopping position as he puts it, on Iraq. The president also echoing that same sentiment here during a rally that just ended just a short time ago here in Westchester, Ohio, near Cincinnati. The president blasting Senator Kerry for having what Mr. Bush said was an inconsistent position on Iraq saying you cannot lead if you don't know where you stand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: It's been a little tough to prepare for the debates because he keeps changing his positions. Especially on the war. I mean, after all he voted for the use of force, but against funding the troops. He said we were not spending enough money to reconstruct Iraq and now he says we're spending too much. He said it was the right decision to go into Iraq yet now he calls it the wrong war. And I think he can spend 90 minutes debating himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now the Bush campaign today releasing a new television ad echoing some of that same sentiment. The Kerry camp, for its part, says that the Bush campaign has taken the senator's comments out of context and they continue to say that the president is misleading the country on what is happening on the ground in Iraq.

Once the president finishes up here in Westchester, he'll be headed back to his ranch in Crawford, Texas. White House communications director Dan Bartlett says debate preparations will continue although we understand that some of the mock discussions that took place over the weekend, those will not take place. The president simply, in Dan Bartlett's, words fine-tuning, getting ready for the debate on Thursday -- Wolf. BLITZER: Elaine Quijano covering the president for us today. Thanks, Elaine, very much.

This reminder to our viewers: you can watch the first presidential debate live from Miami this Thursday night. Our special coverage will begin at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. The debate is scheduled to begin 9:00 p.m. Easter for 90 minutes. We'll be down there to cover that debate. All the preparations, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS will be live 5:00 p.m. Eastern from Miami on Thursday.

Foreign policy taking centerstage at that upcoming presidential debate. We'll talk about it with the former defense secretary William Cohen.

Plus, what's being done to make sure terrorism doesn't derail the election here in the United States? There's new information.

And there's also a new weapon in the war on terror. Look at it. It's a blimp and the blimp is back. We'll show you why.

Martha Stewart one step closer to prison. Details of a new milestone.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Growing fears of a terrorist attack right here in the United States ahead of the November 2 election, the Homeland Security Department issuing new guidelines to all 50 states. We'll get details of that.

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

Relief and cleanup efforts are under way just hours after that hurricane, Jeanne, smashed its way across the Central Florida Peninsula. The storm battered homes and businesses, leaving more than 2.5 million people without power. Four hurricanes have now slammed into Florida in the last six weeks.

Yaser Hamdi, who is considered an enemy combatant by the United States government, is expected to leave the United States some time tomorrow, that word from Hamdi's lawyer. Hamdi is an American citizen who was captured in Afghanistan. He's returning to Saudi Arabia, where he grew up. He's been held in a military brig in South Carolina for more than two years.

In Massachusetts, Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Dupre will not be prosecuted on child rape charges. In an indictment unsealed today, Dupre was charged with molesting two boys in the 1970s, but the district attorney says the statute of limitations has expired. Dupre was the first Roman Catholic bishop to face criminal charges in the sex abuse scandal in the American church.

As she gets ready to head to federal prison, Martha Stewart now has an inmate number and her status is now listed as in transit. That's a quote. But that doesn't mean she's reporting to prison right now. Stewart, who faces a five-month sentence for lying about a stock sale, has an October 8 deadline to report. She's appealing the conviction, but has chosen to begin serving her sentence before her appeal is heard.

And fans of "The Tonight Show" will not have to endure a guessing game of who will replace Jay Leno when he retires as host of the program five years from now. NBC News announced today that Conan O'Brien will be Leno's replacement. O'Brien's late-night show now follows "The Tonight Show."

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

There are growing concerns about possible terrorist attacks leading up to the election here in the United States or perhaps even on Election Day, which would be November 2. That's leading federal authorities to step up their precautions.

Our justice correspondent Kelli Arena is joining us now. She has new details -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I just got back from a background briefing with some senior administration officials, who tried to put into perspective the threat that the United States is facing.

And basically what they said was that the intelligence regarding al Qaeda's desire to attack the United States, to disrupt the electoral process, is consistent, that they continue to get information saying that that -- suggesting that that is the case. However, to date, they still have nothing specific, no time of an attack, no method of an attack, no information on the possible operatives who would be involved or where an attack would occur.

As a result, they say that there is increasing anxiety as November 2 approaches and they're doing some special things as a result of that. They're doubling up some efforts. For example, they're having more Coast Guard officials board ships headed to the United States. They have more pat-downs going on at airports, more interviews being given of people who FBI agents think might have information about a possible attack, so a very concerted effort, a more focused effort, nothing really new, but just more manpower applied to those intelligence-gathering efforts than we've seen before, Wolf.

BLITZER: Kelli Arena, thanks very much for that report. I can personally testify. I was just at Reagan National Airport and that pat-down is very, very obvious, certainly much more stringent security precautions here in the nation's capital.

Presidential elections tend to turn on domestic issues. This year, many Americans worrying, though, about staying safe right here at home. But with the country caught up in a global war on terrorism, those national security concerns are tied to foreign policy as well. That's the focus of this week's presidential debate Thursday night.

Joining us now, our world affairs analyst, the former Defense Secretary William Cohen.

What do you make of fear -- and it's a fear out there -- based on some intelligence, we assume, but no hard intelligence, that al Qaeda would like to strike before the election here in the United States?

WILLIAM COHEN, CNN WORLD AFFAIRS ANALYST: Actually, I think it would be big news if the intelligence showed that there was less of an al Qaeda attempt to disrupt the elections.

We've known about al Qaeda's intent to do whatever they can to harm the American people here at home and abroad for a number of years, going back to the Hard-Rudman Commission that was formed back in 1998, 1999. And so the prediction that there's going to be an attack on the United States has been known for some time. So I think this is reasonable to anticipate and prepare for, but the notion that somehow it's going to disappear after November 2, I think, would be misleading the American people. It is a constant threat that we're likely to live with for some time to come.

BLITZER: It is going to be go on for a time to come, not just a matter of weeks, months, probably years.

But is the purpose -- if they want to disrupt the election, would it be just to make a statement against the West, against the United States, or would it be an effort to try to hurt, let's say Bush or Kerry, to try to embarrass one of the candidates? Do you sense they're trying to interfere one way or another?

COHEN: I think it's all speculation. You can make a case saying that if an attack were to come that would reinforce support for the president in the middle of a presidential campaign because it comes so close to the election itself. Don't change horses midstream, etcetera, when you're under attack.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: ... rallying around the commander in chief.

COHEN: A rallying around. And so you could argue if they want President Bush to return, if that were their motivation, they would time it to come closer to the election. But you can game it the other way as well, saying that the Democrats at that point would say, you see, we dropped our guard and therefore this has happened and it wouldn't have happened had we not been overcommitted in Iraq.

So I think it's too hard to game this right now. I think they'll do it whenever they can, whenever we're the most vulnerable. And they're less likely to attack when they see that security measures are more significant than less.

BLITZER: I want you look at some poll numbers, our latest CNN/"USA Today" Gallup poll. Let's put them up on the screen, who can better handle the three key issues in this election. When it comes to the economy, right now, Bush is ahead 51 to 45 percent. On Iraq, Bush is ahead 55 to 41 percent. And on terrorism, look at this, Bush is ahead 61-34 percent. On those three key issues, the decisive issues of this election, at least right now, this snapshot that we're showing, Bush is ahead.

COHEN: Clearly ahead at this point. And I think that's the reason why the pressure is going to be on John Kerry to really come on strong during the course of the next three debates, but especially the one that takes place on Thursday.

He's going to have to be aggressive and yet -- quote -- "presidential," so he's got to walk something of a fine line. But he's got to have a much more concise, much more quotable message than simply saying that the president is in a fantasy world of spin. He's got to be much more direct, much more quotable and much more of an impression upon the minds of the American people than what we've seen to date.

BLITZER: When you served in the Senate, you served with John Kerry. You're both from New England. You worked closely with him. How formidable a debater is he?

COHEN: Well, he's a good debater. I don't think he rivals Cicero, as some are trying to pretend or project right now. They're trying to raise expectations on his capability and lower those of President Bush.

He's a good debater, but I think that President Bush has demonstrated he's equally capable. It really comes down to images, both image and substance. On the one hand, President Bush has been very successful in characterizing John Kerry in a negative way. He flip-flopped, irresolute, lacking strength.

What John Kerry's got to do is say, well, the president is portraying himself as the Marlboro Man as such, or his campaigners are. They've got to then say, well, that's a cancer ward. That's not big-sky country. So he's got to turn it around to a negative, as opposed to the very positive impression the president has with the American people right now.

BLITZER: We and millions of others will be watching that debate very closely Thursday night.

William Cohen, thanks very much.

A week after those deadly floods, a new crisis now emerging in Haiti. This is heartbreaking. We'll have the latest on relief efforts unfolding or at least an effort to get some food there.

Targeting terror with an unlikely eye in the sky. You'll get a bird's-eye view. That's coming up. This blimp, it's being used in the war on terror. Our Brian Todd went up and he'll show us what he saw.

And new rumblings on Mount Saint Helens. Is a new eruption imminent? We'll get to all of that.

First, though, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): British entrepreneur Richard Branson is working on a plan to send tourists into space by 2007. The Virgin Airlines founder says he's teaming up with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen to build five fish-shaped space capsules for two- to three-hour flights featuring four minutes of weightlessness.

Happy birthday, Taj Mahal. India's most famous monument turned 350 today. It was built by an emperor between 1532 and 1654 as a monument to his wife.

Puzzling pastime; 7,000 people in a small German town have completed what's said to be the world's longest jigsaw puzzle. The one-million piece result stretched three-quarters of a mile, winding through the entire village.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: As Jeanne moves through Georgia and South Carolina , Haiti is continuing to struggle with the aftermath of Hurricane Jeanne, which attacked that country only a week ago.

CNN's Karl Penhaul joining us now live via videophone with the latest -- Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Wolf.

Both United Nations relief officials and also the representatives of the independent relief organizations have been teaming up today to try and coordinate better. Also, they've been trying to open more distribution centers in order that the hungry and thirsty survivors of that storm can get access to that aid in a much more efficient manner.

You'll remember the last week the whole aid effort descended into chaos. They're trying to set that right this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PENHAUL (voice-over): Soulful laments as these Haitian women wash out thick mud from their clothes. "Jesus, you left us down here alone. We'll never forget that day. Children died and our mother died. Now we're hungry," they sing.

A week after Tropical Storm Jeanne ripped through Gonaives, street markets are coming back to life, but shoppers complain prices have almost doubled since the storm. Yet they say they prefer to spend what little money they have than to endure the chaos of the free food handouts at the United Nations disaster relief centers. Mariana Jeanne-Phillipe is shopping for the first time since the storm washed away her home. Her mother and niece are missing.

"We were all inside, but my mother's old and there wasn't a man at home to help her get on the rooftop. Somebody tried to lift her up, but she fell and disappeared," she says.

Cuban doctors have set up in a nearby clinic. They've been treating around 500 patients a day. They say there have been outbreaks of diarrhea, respiratory infections and skin disease. They say there's a risk of typhoid and malaria. "The main need now is to clean the streets of wreckage because there's still a lot of neighborhoods under water and this is the biggest need in order to reduce the risk of infectious diseases," she says.

U.N. special envoy Gabriel Valdes arrived in Gonaives to try and bring some order to the chaotic relief effort. His meeting with Haitian government representatives was tense.

(on camera): Senior United Nations officials are telling Haitian authorities that they've been too slow to act. The Haitian authorities meanwhile are telling the United Nations officials that they're not doing enough to help.

(voice-over): One hundred and fifty additional U.N. troops were sent to Gonaives Sunday to help stop looting and rioting that has plagued the aid effort.

JUAN GABRIEL VALDES, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR UNITED NATIONS: We are dealing people with due respect. This is a very difficult situation. This is not a game. This is a very difficult situation. And, of course, we're not going to organize distribution of food if we don't have the security in order to produce that and not to cause victims among the people who are waiting for the food.

PENHAUL: Hungry storm survivors are kept behind razor wire as part of beefed-up measures. They still face hours of waiting.

Once they get to the front of the line, no ration bags are left, and these women must take away their lentils wrapped in their skirts. And while international aid organizations try to sort out the chaos, these women are looking for divine intervention as they scrub.

"We all have problems. We must call on God," they sing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PENHAUL: I talked to representatives of the World Food Program this afternoon, Wolf, and they say they're in pretty good shape as far as the amounts of food that is now here in place in Gonaives. That's the city hardest hit by that storm. They still say they need an extra effort to supply enough clean drinking water to the people. Otherwise, they fear the spread of disease.

The main residual problem is that of security. And one of the security issues is the fact that U.N. officials say there are armed gangs here in Gonaives trying to disrupt the distribution of aid and possibly even loot some of that aid -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Karl Penhaul, please be careful over there. Thanks very much for your reporting. To our viewers, here's your chance to weigh in on the story. Our Web question of the day is this: Is the United Nations doing enough to provide aid to Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Jeanne? You can vote. Go to CNN.com/Wolf. We'll have the results a little bit later in this program.

What seems like an easy target could really be a valuable weapon in the war on terror. We'll show you what this blimp could be used for and why it may have an advantage over other aircraft. We'll get to there.

First, though, a quick look at some stories you may have missed this past weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Two California men remain in critical condition after an air show crash. The victims were on board a small plane that went down just after it took off from Fullerton Municipal Airport. The plane barely missed the control tower and slammed into a parked car. The two women in the car were no seriously hurt.

Authorities in Texas say they believe they don't know what sparked a pipeline explosion and fire that drove dozens of people from their homes in New Caney near Houston. Investigators say someone intentionally moved a track hoe and started digging with the construction equipment, puncturing the pipeline. No injuries were reported.

Washington state's Mount Saint Helen's volcano is rumbling again. Swarms of small earthquakes that started Thursday continue. Geologists say that could signal a minor eruption, but nothing like 1908's big blast.

And that's our weekend snapshot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Weather permitting, an unlikely weapon in the war on terror will be deployed starting late tonight and for the next couple of days right over here in Washington, D.C.. This is a vehicle that was all but abandoned by the United States military and now it could be making a comeback.

Here's CNN's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hiding in plain sight, a big target, slow moving and potentially a valuable weapon in the war on terror. This week, the military will test-fly a 170,000- cubic-foot blimp in the heavily-restricted skies over the nation's capital. CMDR. MIKE GIAUQUE, U.S. NAVY: Some of the missions that we're going to try to do to prove our concept is to work with some of the government facilities in conducting a force protection mission.

TODD: Force protection as in surveillance. Equipped with cameras, monitors and sophisticated avionics, this airship could be an important prototype.

(on camera): It may look a little unwieldy, but the experts say this has a big advantage over airplanes and helicopters, sustainability in the air.

(voice-over): Where planes may fly too fast and helicopters can only stay airborne for a few hours, officials are looking to send this over dirigible over D.C. for at least 24 hours at a time. Despite its size, the blimp can actually be unobtrusive, able to zero in on vehicle, buildings, bases from miles away and from as high as 10,000 feet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It gives them a visual eye without having to be right there beside everything.

TODD: Right now, the military has so-called aerostats deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, tethered, unmanned blimps used for surveillance, but those have limited airlift and mobility.

As for these inflatables, we asked a test pilot about what we saw as an obvious potential drawback, a laughably easy target for shoulder-fired missiles or machine guns.

CARL DALEY, AIRSHIP TEST PILOT: People have this misconception that you fire a round at it and then it's all going to fall apart. The envelope can sustain a lot of damage with bullet holes and whatever and still remains its integrity. Normally, we're operating in the environment where we're away from most of the ground fire.

TODD: On our own test flight, we rode through steep climbs and descents, sharp banks handled with surprising agility, witnessed airborne surveillance that looked like it was shot from a movie camera, and made a smooth landing in the middle of a cornfield, the only drama coming at the expense of the ground crew.

Once considered an outdated tool of wars past, the airship may be coming back. No military agency has made a final commitment, but at the same time we checked it out, so did officials from the Navy, Coast Guard and Border Patrol.

Brian Todd, CNN, Mitchellville, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Very interesting stuff, indeed.

The results of our Web question of the day, that's coming up just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day. Look at this: 26 percent of you say yes; 74 percent of you say no. Remember, this is not -- repeat, not -- a scientific poll: Is the United Nations doing enough to provide aid to Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Jeanne?

A reminder, you can always catch us here on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. We'll be live from Miami for the first presidential debate Thursday. Thanks for joining us.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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