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CNN Live At Daybreak

What's on Tap in Washington

Aired August 08, 2002 - 06:11   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Dick Cheney out of Washington. George Bush out of Washington. It seems like everyone has vacated our nation's capital, but not us. It's that time when we interrupt the start of the day in our Washington Bureau to find out what's going on.

This morning, it's CNN Producer Paul Courson. Good morning - Paul.

PAUL COURSON, CNN PRODUCER: Good morning, Carol. How are you?

COSTELLO: I'm pretty good. Hey, what about this spy?

COURSON: Yes, well, Brian Regan doesn't, really, have the allure surrounding him that your Robert Hansen might have, or your previous cases of Aldrich Ames or Jonathan Pollard. Brian Regan, however, still faces the death penalty on charges he did some spy pedaling for China, Iraq and Libya. There's a court hearing, today in Alexandria, a U.S. District Court where he'll be, and his lawyers, will be trying to determine whether they have access to special classified documents as they prepare his defense on charges that he did try to pedal some secrets to those three countries.

Regan was a career Air Force guy who got out, and he became a civilian contractor for the National Reconnaissance Office. That's the office that's in charge of the satellites around the country, and keeping tabs on things around the world.

The hearing, today at U.S. District Court in Alexandria, will determine whether those lawyers can have access to classified documents, as they prepare their defense. He'll be in the courtroom, today, besides.

COSTELLO: That will be interesting. Hey, we, also, hear that Palestinian negotiators are in Washington, and they're going to meet with Colin Powell today?

COURSON: Right, these are the first high-level talks since the Bush Administration has called for a dialogue with the Palestinians. Saeb Erekat, who is the Palestinian Minister of - make sure of the title here -- the Planning Minister. He's been called the Palestinian negotiator, but his title is Planning Minister. Meets this morning, first of all, with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. That will be at the Executive office building next to the White House. That's not open to the media, but later today, he does meet with Secretary of State Powell, and although that meeting is closed itself to the media, there's always a chance afterward that there might be a stake out, and we'll have any comments that he comes down and gives to us. Not Powell, necessarily, but the Palestinian delegation.

COSTELLO: Understand. Hey, did you hear Saddam Hussein's speech, this morning?

COURSON: I head parts of it. It had the rhetoric. It had the bellicose tone to it, but the White House, certainly, isn't going to be convinced one way or the other. You've probably heard Vice President Cheney's remarks in San Francisco, yesterday, that there needs to be a change of power in Iraq, and the speech from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein probably won't change that point of view. We will, possibly, have some reaction in about an hour. CNN White House Correspondent Kelly Wallace is at the White House trying to chase some sources down for recordable reaction.

Also, we have several Iraqi opposition groups in town. They'll be having a news conference at about one this afternoon at the National Press Club, here in Washington, where they'll not only be reacting to the Saddam Hussein speech of earlier this morning, but also, planning their strategy as to how to effect the change of power in their homeland.

COSTELLO: Should be interesting. DEA Director Asa Hutchinson talks with reporters, today. What's he going to talk about?

COURSON: One of the stories that the DEA, this week, has concerned a number of missing laptops and guns from the Drug Enforcement Administration, which Hutchinson's in charge of. He'll brief reporters on background, today, about that story, how it happened, what security measures he plans to take, and other anti-drug strategies that his Agency will probably be effecting in the time ahead.

Also today, we've got a somewhat mysterious Federal Trade Commission news conference. They won't tell us what it's about. They just said, "You ought to be there. It has to do with something important. Give us some coverage at 11:00." So we'll do our best for that, and also ...

COSTELLO: Hey, is that a ploy they use to get the media there?

COURSON: Well sometimes, it works; sometimes, it doesn't. Everybody will show up, and you have, you know, a million cameras at one of these events, and it winds up being something of, shall we say, lesser interest. But I, also, want to point out, too, that Jamie McIntyre will be at the Pentagon, today, to follow that story out of Puerto Rico, the crash of the C-130. We'll try and get you some more details on that.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you very much, Paul. We'll let you get back to work, and we'll check back in with you, tomorrow.

COURSON: Thanks.

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