Bush Speaks in Florida; Lebanon Mourns Its Dead
KAGAN: Well, we're within a couple of minutes of President Bush showing up there in Miami, Florida. He will be giving a speech at the Coast Guard Command Center. He is expected to make remarks on the Middle East. Off the top we will be listening in for that. While we wait for the president, let's get in a little bit more news now. Close to the quarter hour. Let's tell you what we know. New Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon today coming less than half way through Israel's 48-hour pledge of restraint. Israel's military says it regrets striking a Lebanese army vehicle. At least several people are reported wounded. Right now Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is flying home from the region. She say as comprehensive settlement could be reached by the end of the week. It is hot and getting hotter. Chicago is under a heat alert today. Due to the summer swelter, temperatures there and in Minneapolis could easily hit 100 degrees. And in high humidity it could feel like 110. Worse, thousands in Michigan's lower peninsula are without power. And there's also a heat warning for Oklahoma today. Temperatures there have hit the 100s for the 17th time this year. And in Maryland, 12 people went to the hospital with heat-related ailments. They were attending a scout jamboree. Temperatures along the eastern seaboard are expected to hit near 100 degrees this week. Carefully where you drive in Arizona. Just look at the latest downpour and what it brought to a neighborhood south of Tucson. The ground got so wet a huge sinkhole opened and gobbled up a pair of trucks and a car. Residents complain this happens during hard rains. It's called monsoon season. And, wow, a beautiful but treacherous sight there. This is Sabino canyon, also near Tucson. People haven't seen anything like this in years. The monsoon rains have been coming down so hard in southern Arizona that Sabino creek looks more like white water. The gushing waters have swept over bridges and uprooted trees. A few second here to get in some time with Chad Myers. Chad.</s>KAGAN: All right. We will get to President Bush in just a moment. But first to Lebanon. Growing anger at Israel means growing anger at the U.S. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, reports from Beirut.</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Within 12 hours of this -- an overnight Israeli air strike on a residential house in Qana, south Lebanon, killing close to 60 people, many of them children, this -- an outpouring of Lebanese anger in Beirut focusing first on the United Nations, destroying windows, smashing office equipment. In less than an hour, thousand more protesters poured in, mostly Hezbollah supporters, but many others, too. Many calls for Arab support but the U.N. still the focus of anger. A picture of U.N. chief Kofi Annan beaten. But the anger is beginning to turn focusing more on America. Politicians quickly weighing in with their own emotional outpourings.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We scream out to our fellow Lebanese and to other Arab brethren and to the whole world to stand united in the face of the Israeli war criminals.</s>ROBERTSON: At the demonstration, now about 14 hours after the strike, speakers tell protesters to go to the U.S. Embassy. Lebanese army soldiers were out on the streets moving quickly. Protesters begin to disperse. The call at the demonstration were for the crowds to head here to the U.S. Embassy. The Lebanese army has put up barricades so they can't get up the road. Protesters were slow to arrive. In the end, only a handful able to get through the roadblocks surrounding the area. "This war is an American plan in Israeli hands," she says. "We don't want this embassy or this ambassador here." "We don't want anything that's related to the United States in this country," he says. "They don't love us. Lebanese people are dying and they're saying we are terrorists. But they are bigger terrorists." Back in the center of the city, just before sunset, 18 hours after the attack, a new crowd gathers. Children in an organized rally. The tone distinctly anti-American. The message very clear, many here hold the United States responsible for the Lebanese deaths earlier in the day. Anger at America's perceived siding with Israel has been seething under the surface here for the past few weeks. The killings in Qana have finally brought that out into the streets. Twenty hours after the bombing, the mood turning to reflection, a candlelit vigil for those killed in Qana, bringing more measured tones. But still the undercurrent of anger at U.S. policy.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Without the United States pressure on the rest of the international community and without their acquiescence to the Israeli government's policy militarily, there would be no incursions into Lebanon.</s>ROBERTSON: In Lebanon, it's been an emotional day. They've been here before. Ten years ago an Israeli strike in the same town killed more than 100. But this time they're showing their anger, not just at Israel, but with America too. Nic Robertson, CNN, Beirut.</s>KAGAN: And now live to Miami, Florida. President Bush speaking. Let's listen.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Rear Admiral David Kunkle (ph) is with us. I appreciate you being here, Admiral. Particularly want to thank all those who are on our ships, working our ports. And I thank your families. You tell your wife or your husband how much this country appreciates the support of our families for Coast Guard men and women. I want to thank Bill Johnson (ph), who's acting seaport director. I'm proud to be here with the Federal Emergency Management Agency head, Dave Paulson, south Floridian, by the way. Members of the United States congressional delegation are with us, starting with the congresswoman from this district, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Loras Almonos (ph), Deas Alaro (ph) are with us today. Lincoln Itambian Mario (ph), good to see you guys. Thank you for coming. Clay Shaw. Congressman Shaw is with us. I'm proud you're here. New speaker of the house, Marco Rubio (ph) is with us today. Mr. Speaker, thank you. Mayor Carlos Alvarez (ph) is with us, El Elcadi (ph), thank you. Mayor Moni Dias (ph) is with us. Thank you Mani (ph). I want to thank all the local folks for coming. All the people who are concerned about south Florida, local officials. I'm proud to be here. Let me start by telling you I'm monitoring the situation in the Middle East very closely. Secretary Rice was in the region over the weekend and she is working urgently to get a sustainable cease-fire. A cease-fire which will last. We're going to work with our allies to bring before the United Nations Security Council a resolution that will end the violence and lay the groundwork for lasting peace in the Middle East. As we work with friends and allies, it is important to remember this crisis began with Hezbollah's unprovoked terrorist attacks against Israel. Israel is exercising its right to defend itself. And we mourn the loss of innocent life. Both in Lebanon and in Israel. We're determined to delivery relief to those who suffer. We're determined to work to resolve this crisis. To achieve the peace that we want, we must achieve certain clear objectives. Lebanon's democratic government must be empowered to exercise sole authority over its territory. A multinational force must be dispatched to Lebanon quickly so we can help speed the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Lebanese people. Iran must end its financial support and supply of weapons to terrorist groups like Hezbollah. Syria must end its support for terror and respect the sovereignty of Lebanon. This approach will make it possible what so many around the world want to see. The end of Hezbollah's attacks on Israel. The return of the Israeli soldiers taken hostage by the terrorists. The suspension of Israel's operations in Lebanon and the eventually withdrawal of Israeli forces. The current crisis is part of a larger struggle between the forces of freedom and the forces of terror in the Middle East. For decades, the status quo in the Middle East permitted tyranny and terror to thrive. And as we saw on September 11th, the status quo in the Middle East led to death and destruction in the United States and it had to change. So America's opposing the forces of terror and promoting the cause of democracy across the broader Middle East. This task is long. It is difficult work. But it is necessary work. When democracy spreads in the Middle East, the people of that troubled region will have a better future. The terrorists will lose their safe havens and their recruits and the United States of America will be more secure. The hard work of helping people realize the benefits of liberty is laying the foundation of peace for generations to come. It's on honor to be here at the largest container port in Florida and one of the most important ports in our nation. When these docks, ships loaded with cargo deliver products all around the world carrying that label "Made in the</s>USA." KAGAN: Listening a bit to President Bush. He is in Miami today at the Coast Guard Command Center. He started his remarks with, obviously, events in the Middle East. He said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as we've been reporting, is headed back here to the U.S. That she is working for what President Bush calls a sustainable cease-fire. Not an immediate cease-fire. And President Bush says he mourns the loss and the U.S. mourns the loss of civilian life, both in Israel and in Lebanon. President Bush also calling on Iran to stop funding and offering weapons to Hezbollah in order to keep this crisis going. Iran also happens to be the topic at the United Nations today. With more on that, let's bring in our senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth with development from there. Richard.</s>RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, on Iran, the U.N. Security Council has just passed a resolution, as expected, that gives Iran 30 days in which to freeze any work on its uranium enrichment program. The International Atomic Energy Agency would have to confirm Iran's cooperation. You're looking at the security council live. We believe that Qatar, the lone Arab representative on the council, voted against. They don't have veto power, so this resolution went through. The five permanent members, after the last few days of wrangling, settled their differences. The United States and Britain think that in 30 days it opens the door for a discussion on potential sanctions. Russia -- which last week told journalist, what do you want, blood -- they think there would need to be more debate and that sanctions are not that imminent. But we're certainly maybe headed down that road should Iran not cooperate. Daryn.</s>KAGAN: All right. You'll be watching that, I'm sure. Also tell us what's happening at the U.N. today in terms of the Middle East?</s>ROTH: Well, there was supposed to be a meeting today of true contributor nation's. They would to be expected offer troops to go to southern Lebanon. But with the diplomatic and political framework not exactly etched in stone yet, countries would be reluctant. And now Condoleezza Rice has talked about coming to the United Nations with a resolution that might tie everything together. But there are differences on the sequencing and everything. And now the U.N. has announced a delay. First they said there's a delay by one day in the meeting of troop contributors. Now it's an indefinite postponement. All of this after a very hectic Sunday here following the Israeli attack on an apartment complex in Qana, southern Lebanon.</s>KAGAN: Richard, thank you for that. Richard Roth at the United Nations. We're going to talk more about Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her plans she says she has for peace. Will it work? We'll talk about that. We'll have insights from the inside as I talk with a former diplomat ahead on CNN, the most trusted name for news.