Hurricane Ivan Threatens Cayman Islands; New Worries About North Korea's Nuclear Program
LINDA STOUFFER, CNN ANCHOR: It is 11:00 a.m. in Washington. It is 10:00 a.m. in the Cayman Islands; that is where Hurricane Ivan is threatening. Hi there, I'm Linda Stouffer at CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. Also this hour, new questions, new worries about North Korea's nuclear program. Is a suspicious cloud evidence of a nuclear bomb test? We'll have that. And later, millions of Americans love to fish. But what has to be done to make sure their grandchildren will be able to enjoy it too. First, though, stories now in the news. The eye of Hurricane Ivan is nearing Grand Cayman Island. It's now getting pounded with heavy rain and high winds. Next stop is western Cuba, according to forecasters. CNN's Lucia Newman will have a live report from Havana in just three minutes from now. Military officials say at least 20 Iraqis have been killed and dozens more wounded. It's part of a wave of violence across Baghdad. A live report from CNN Baghdad just ahead in ten minutes. US Airways is expected to file for bankruptcy protection today. It's all according to the "Charlotte Observer Newspaper," home town of the airline's busiest hub city. Meantime, U.S. Airways and its pilots say they're ready to negotiate but right now no talks are scheduled. Well, here comes Hurricane Ivan. In Cuba, Fidel Castro is warning residents to brace for this storm. Ivan has already blasted Jamaica with devastating effect, 16 people have been killed there. A total of 41 are now dead across the Caribbean. And in Florida, Governor Jeb Bush says it's time to prepare for another possible evacuation. Forecasters say the storm is veering slightly away from south Florida toward the northwest portion of the state. It hasn't made that expected northern turn. So what does it look right now well Rob Marciano joins us live with the latest on the forecast. Hi Rob what do you have?</s>ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Linda. The latest advisory of the National Hurricane Center just came out. They have not changed the intensity of this thing, just the location. Now 30 miles southwest of Grand Cayman Island. You see the picture of this it has grown not only in strength but in the scope of things the hurricane forced winds now extend 90 miles out tropical storm forced winds to 175 miles out. So it's now about the same size as Frances was. But even stronger, in that it's a category four on the brink of becoming once again a category five storm. Here's a close-up shot of it. You can see as the eye pulls away from Jamaica -- Jamaica by the way could have gotten a lot worse but it just shunted down to the south and now heading into the south of Grand Cayman. And that's good news, because the eye didn't make a direct hit there. The forecast still brings it toward the western tip of Cuba. Probably re-strengthening into the category five status as there are some warmer waters there in the northwestern Caribbean. Category five status there it is making landfall across the western tip of Cuba. Sometime tomorrow afternoon, as a category five storm. Anywhere from Havana westward, they're certainly watching for this. Even the Yucatan Peninsula will see some wind if not some wave action with this as well. Then into the Gulf of Mexico, there are some winds out of the west that will probably knock it down somewhat into intensity. Hopefully into a category three or even less, that'll be nice. But we're going to bring it somewhere into the northeastern of Gulf of Mexico. By the time Wednesday morning rolls around and the official forecast has not changed in the last 12 hours. It still brings it across the Florida Panhandle sometime during the day on Wednesday. If that track at all goes east or west, then we're -- to the east; we're talking about a slightly earlier landfall- affecting folks in Tampa. If that track goes slightly to the west we're talking a slightly later landfall towards Biloxi, Mobile and even towards New Orleans that is a possibility as well. Not a whole lot showing up on the radarscope in Florida. It's still a couple days away, Linda. But that is the latest forecast. Really has not changed. Wednesday landfall expected across the Florida Panhandle. We will keep an eye on it for you.</s>STOUFFER: I know you will. Rob Marciano, thank you. Well, as he said, western Cuba and the city of Havana have to prepare for Ivan today and CNN's Lucia Newman has an up date for us.</s>LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): On the Caribbean's largest island, Seaside residents like Terese Savone Salious (ph) are packing up. Our generation has never seen a hurricane like this she says. There has been nothing like it since 1944. She is still reeling from last month's Hurricane Charley, and is going to a hurricane shelter. "I'm not staying here," she says. "My roof was blown off during the last hurricane." Teresa (ph) who is helping with neighborhood evacuation effort says their instructions to evacuate everyone who lives above the fourth floor. Havana is particularly vulnerable. Even without a hurricane, buildings here are crumbling, and experts fear higher floors won't resist Ivan's treacherous winds. The slower this hurricane moves, the more damage it will cause us says Cuba's National Weather Institute chief. These European tourists who are being transferred to a safer hotel are overwhelmed.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it was going straight to Florida and not passing over Cuba, so you never expect such a thing, of course.</s>NEWMAN: Cuba is nevertheless well organized to face natural disasters. Thousands have already been taken to shelters in central Cuba and hundreds and thousands more expect to be evacuated to higher ground in the coming hours. Many put their trust in the civil defense authorities. Others, like Elaine, in their saints.</s>STOUFFER: And again, that was Lucia Newman reporting from Havana. Cuba may see that storm tomorrow. We turn now to the nuclear fission developing between Iran and Europe. Iran today is rejecting European demands to stop its nuclear activities and Iran's foreign ministries say it won't halt the atomic fuel cycle that processes including uranium enrichment. It could be used to make bombs. Iran's foreign ministries say it could give assurances that its nuclear technology is for peaceful purposes only. Meanwhile, Britain, France, and Germany want Iran to prove that by a November deadline. The nations will propose a drop resolution at a meeting of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency, which starts, by the way, tomorrow. And there's a cloud of uncertainty right now over North Korea's nuclear activities. A large cloud appeared over North Korea in a satellite image several days ago right near the Chinese border. South Korea reports it was a mushroom cloud over two miles wide accompanied by a massive explosion. Meanwhile "The New York Times" reports today that the White House had prior intelligence that North Korea was preparing for its first nuclear test. CNN is monitoring these developments from our bureau's in Korea, China and Washington. And Dana Bash joins us live with more coverage from the White House. Dana, hi.</s>DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Linda. Well, you know, administration officials from the secretary of state to the national security adviser said they're not exactly sure what appears to have been a large explosion in North Korea actually was. But they both said they do not believe that it was actually any kind of nuclear event. However, officials say that they do have some kind of indication from intelligence that perhaps, perhaps, that country, Pyongyang is preparing to test a nuclear weapon but again they're just not sure.</s>COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Recent intelligence suggests that there's some activity taking place that is inconclusive in respect to what it means. It could be that. It could be that they're doing some test preparations or it could be that just some maintenance is going on. So it's not conclusive, and we continue to examine it and study it on a regular basis.</s>BASH: Now, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said North Korea could be preparing what they call their own "October Surprise." Meaning, they could be preparing something to affect the U.S. elections in November. But regardless, this is already opening the day for Democrats to say that the administration is simply not doing enough to confront North Korea. Even making the point during the convention that President Bush talked about the threats to the United States but didn't even mention North Korea in his speech at Madison Square Garden. Now, regardless of all of that, the administration officials this morning are saying that they are monitoring the events in North Korea. And that they have been working with North Korea's neighbors to try to find a diplomatic solution and they will continue to do so -- Linda.</s>STOUFFER: Dana Bash, live at the White House. Thanks for covering that for us. Also, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice talks about the North Korea issue with Wolf Blitzer and you can see that interview on "LATE EDITION." That is at noon Eastern, 9:00 Pacific right here on CNN. Well, North Korea's nuclear problem and program is not the only concern of the U.S. and its allies. Why the international war on drugs is turning its attention toward the reclusive communist nation? Also a day of more violence day in Iraq. We will have a live report from Baghdad for you after this break.