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CNN Live At Daybreak

What's on Tap for D.C. Today?

Aired September 12, 2002 - 06:06   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Joining us now by phone is our Washington deputy bureau chief, Steve Redisch, with plenty more on "What's on Tap" in Washington today.
Good morning -- Steve.

STEVE REDISCH, CNN WASHINGTON DEPUTY BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So, do you suppose President Bush is still working on his speech that he'll give before the United Nations General Assembly today?

REDISCH: From what I understand, there were quite a few drafts of the speech made in the last few weeks, and it took a lot of tweaks being made and many people having input into what the president is going to say today.

COSTELLO: Because every word will be examined by world leaders for some meaning that may or may not be there.

REDISCH: Absolutely. And it's almost a pivot point in U.S. policy, where post-9/11, now the turn to Iraq, of a focus on Iraq at the U.N. General Assembly today.

COSTELLO: And there's also a new report out, isn't there, about a plan to use a multinational force to support those inspection teams in Iraq?

REDISCH: There is a new report on how to do it, and what it would accomplish. We'll be covering that today on something called "coercive inspections," which is this idea that a multinational force would back up weapons inspectors. And if Iraq should hesitate, should blink, should say no, well, a multinational force would then force their way in and allow the inspections to take place. Or look at Iraq and say, either inspect or face the consequences.

COSTELLO: Got you. And I also understand that there are more closed-door hearings today on what went wrong on 9/11.

REDISCH: The Joint Intelligence Committee up on Capitol Hill, made up of both the House and the Senate Intelligence Committees, has taken several weeks off of their hearings. They go back at it today -- closed-door hearings. They won't even tell us who is coming up to testify. Many things are being held very closely to the vest. We should have some open hearings sometime next week or the week after.

COSTELLO: And I'm sure CNN will be there.

Steve Redisch, thank you very much. We'll let you get down to the Washington bureau.

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