House, Senate Conferees Struggle Over Intel Reforms; Day of Developments in Iraq
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Double date in Iowa. Both candidates courting voters just miles apart in a race that's oh so close. We're live on the campaign trail.</s>RUDI BAKHTIAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rudi Bakhtiar in Washington. The 9/11 bill is back on Capitol Hill and so are the 9/11 family members, desperately trying to get it passed. We'll tell you what's holding it up.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both the survivors, I mean, it's an incredible miracle that they're alive and in stable condition.</s>TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A fiery crash. Rescuers astonished to find two survivors in the wreckage of a commuter plane.</s>PHILLIPS: And he tackles terror and politics and, of course, makes you laugh. Comedian George Carlin gives his take on both of those issues in the LIVE FROM interview. From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.</s>HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris, in for Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now. Crossing paths, crossing swords, maybe crossing fingers, surely crossing one more day off the calendar in the sprint toward the November 2 election. George W. Bush today flew from Iowa, where he spoke at the same time as John Kerry, 80 miles away, to Wisconsin, where John Edwards campaigned yesterday, Dick Cheney campaigns tomorrow and Kerry returns on Friday. Kerry is in Pennsylvania now, where Bush returns tomorrow and Friday. Edwards, if you're keeping track, is in Iowa, where Kerry heads next, then flies to Iowa where Kerry and Bush both were this morning. And we're right back where we started. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House. Good afternoon, Suzanne.</s>SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Tony. Enough to make your head spin, I guess. President Bush heading to three battleground states. Very important these Midwest states, because all three of them he narrowly lost to Gore four years ago, some by a margin of a couple thousand votes. His first stop, of course, was Mason City, Iowa. There are 25,000 Republican volunteers certainly hoping to close the gap there. His second stop is where he is now. That is Rochester, Minnesota. The last time -- that is a state that voted Democrat since 1976. That's going to be more of a challenge for the Bush campaign. And the third and final stop later today will be Eau Claire, Wisconsin. That is a state where the president is going to focus specifically on his economic plan and how it benefits those in those rural areas. The president, of course, focusing on his domestic agenda, talking about the case that his tax cuts are good for the farmers, are good for the small towns, and also good, of course, for Wisconsin's big business in cheese. The president also talking about his health care plan as well, taking the opportunity of being in Minnesota. That is the home of the very famous Mayo Cancer Clinic. That is where he set up his contrast between his health care plan and that of his opponent.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So there's a fundamental difference of philosophy in this campaign about health care. I believe health care ought to be a common sense approach, not one that increases the scope and power of the federal government. We ought to be worried about a health care system that moves people from private care to federally-controlled health care, because that will lead to is rationing, bad decision making. It will take the consumer totally out of the equation.</s>MALVEAUX: And, of course, not only on the offense, but also the defense as well. A very appropriate part of his strategy, again, taking on Kerry. Kerry saying that he believed that Iraq or the invasion of Iraq was a diversion from getting Osama bin Laden and going after the real terrorists. President Bush again trying to hit Kerry hard, saying that he believes the Jordanian militant al-Zarqawi, who is in Iraq, who is believed to be responsible for those beheadings, that he is connected to al Qaeda and that he believes that he presents the kind of threat that proves that Iraq certainly is a central front in the war on terror, not a diversion -- Tony.</s>HARRIS: Suzanne Malveaux live from the White House. Suzanne, thank you -- Kyra.</s>PHILLIPS: Now we find out who's been paying attention. Where's John Kerry? Here's a hint: our Frank Buckley is in the Steel City. Hi, Frank.</s>FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kyra. Senator Kerry coming to Pittsburgh a little bit later to speak at Carnegie Mellon University. Earlier today, he was in Iowa to deliver a national security speech. Senator Kerry doing a couple of things during this speech. One, defending against some of these criticisms that are coming from President Bush on his national security credentials. Simultaneously, he's going after President Bush on national security and Iraq. Senator Kerry saying that the president has confused the war on terror with the war in Iraq.</s>SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He claims that Iraq is the centerpiece of the war on terror. In fact, Iraq was a profound diversion from that war and the battle against the enemy.</s>KERRY: It was a profound diversion from the focus on Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda and the other terrorists that threaten us. But now we are fighting two wars. And we will prevail in both.</s>BUCKLEY: Senator Kerry's comments and criticisms of President Bush coming within the framework, the theme of the Kerry campaign. And that is that President Bush can't fix problems if he won't acknowledge them. The Bush campaign saying that the proposals that Senator Kerry continues to talk about are failed, pre-9/11 policies coming from a pre-9/11 candidate -- Kyra.</s>PHILLIPS: And Frank, the Kerry campaign pretty excited about what they call a Democratic rock star that's going to be out there stumping for them?</s>BUCKLEY: Yes, they certainly are. We're talking, of course, about President Clinton, confirming today that, yes, he will join Senator Kerry here in the state of Pennsylvania in the city of Philadelphia on Monday at a rally. President Clinton certainly a rock star within the Democratic Party. But more importantly, the campaign believes that he can also reach over to moderates, persuadables, Independent voters, swing voters to come over and be reminded, as one aide told me, of the Clinton years that were considered to be prosperous years here in the U.S. at a time when the U.S. was not at war.</s>PHILLIPS: Frank Buckley, thank you so much -- Tony.</s>HARRIS: Thirteen days before a president, 34 senators and 435 representatives are chosen at the polls. It's hard to find too many lawmakers toiling away in Washington. The few that are, are focused on deadly, serious business, reforming the nation's intelligence apparatus in line with the 9/11 panel's recommendations. CNN's Rudi Bakhtiar joins us from our D.C. bureau with that story. Good afternoon, Rudi.</s>RUDI BAKHTIAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Tony. Well, congressional Democrats and 9/11 family members came before cameras late this morning urging congressmen and senators to find a way to draft a final version of the bill. In fact, right now, you're looking at live pictures of the family members talking to reporters there. The bill which would create a post of national intelligence director and counterterrorism center, among other reforms, has been mired in dispute. The House and Senate versions of the bill are very different, and there's concern the impasse will prevent a bill from being passed in this session of Congress.</s>BEVERLY ECKERT, 9/11 FAMILIES STEERING COMMITTEE: We're losing precious time as we're trying to move forward to get the core recommendations, the national intelligence director, the national counterterrorism center, and the civil liberties board and a bill on the president's desk.</s>CARRIE LEMACK, 9/11 FAMILIES STEERING COMMITTEE: Right now, this is not time to be a Republican, it's not time to be a Democrat. It's not time to be an opportunist. It's time to be American and get passed the important reforms that we need to get passed now.</s>BAKHTIAR: Now, President Bush, seen here in late July with members of the 9/11 Commission, has urged the two houses to adopt and deliver a bill to his desk before the presidential election, now only a couple of weeks away. Yesterday, the president's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, sent a letter to the House and Senate conferees, reiterating the president's desire and urging that the process move swiftly. For their part, though, lawmakers expressed high hopes as they kicked off negotiations. Today, Senator Susan Collins telling reporters, "The urgency is clear." Senator Graham of Florida, also speaking to reporters just a short time ago as the conference concluded, also said, that "The president is the elephant in the room. If he wants a bill by November 2nd, he can make it happen" -- Tony.</s>HARRIS: Rudi Bakhtiar in Washington. Rudi, thank you.</s>PHILLIPS: A day of developments in Iraq. CARE International takes action after its senior aide worker is kidnapped. And U.S. forces take aim at insurgents in Falluja but may have missed. The highest ranking soldier charged with abusing Iraqi detainees has his day in court also. Covering it all, CNN's Karl Penhaul in Baghdad.</s>KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At a court-martial hearing in Baghdad this morning a U.S. military policeman has pleaded guilty to five counts relating to the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison. Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick is the most senior soldier so far to face trial. The five charges that he has pleaded guilty to all relate to sexual humiliation of prisoners, and also beating some of those prisoners in detention at the Abu Ghraib center. If and once his sentence is handed down in this two-day hearing, he's likely to face up to 11 years in prison, we are told. Though it's not only of interest how long his sentence will be, but also if evidence comes to light in this hearing that these orders to abuse prisoners came from higher up the military chain. In other developments, no further news about the possible whereabouts of Margaret Hassan, the CARE international aid worker kidnapped in Baghdad yesterday morning. No further demands from the kidnappers. Her husband, though, says that he believes a religious group is behind this kidnapping. That opens the way to possible political demands being made for her release, not just a straightforward ransom for kidnap. CARE International, in response to the kidnapping, has announced that it's suspending all its humanitarian aid operations in Iraq for the time being. And then, west of Baghdad, in the rebel-held city of Falluja, renewed U.S. Army airstrikes overnight. Two buildings were destroyed by what the U.S. Army has termed precision airstrikes against suspected hideouts used by the al-Zarqawi terrorist network. CNN sources on the ground, including hospital sources, however, tell us that six civilians were killed in those strikes, a mother, a father and four children. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.</s>PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a commuter plane goes down in a fiery crash. Amazingly, there are survivors. Their story ahead on LIVE FROM. Filing day for Martha Stewart. Find out what her attorneys are doing to get her out of prison. Call in the riot police. A stunner for Yankee fans suffering who may be suffering through something worse than the curse. A live report from Yankee Stadium right after a break.