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American Morning
Lebanon Funeral for Former PM; Faith-Based Initiatives
Aired February 16, 2005 - 07:30 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: At the bottom of the screen, there you see a little line of saffron. And just for you, Soledad. I was there yesterday.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: I took a walk through the park.
O'BRIEN: And it was beautiful, wasn't it?
HEMMER: I just wanted to be able to come back and report to you firsthand.
O'BRIEN: Did you get to see the first lady? She walked through as well.
HEMMER: Yes, I saw that also -- well, not there in person. It was great, actually.
O'BRIEN: A beautiful day to be enjoying outdoor art.
HEMMER: I still don't have you yet, do I?
O'BRIEN: I'm not going.
HEMMER: I'm still trying.
O'BRIEN: I'm happy that you' re here.
HEMMER: I have 14 more days to convince you.
O'BRIEN: When you're happy, I'm happy.
HEMMER: I give up. Welcome back, everybody.
If a few moments, we're going to get back to this situation between the U.S. and Syria that's developing now as a result of Beirut. The U.S. pulling its ambassador yesterday in the wake of the assassination of the former prime minister, Rafik Hariri. John King looking at what kind of pressure the White House is using and where all of this could be headed. So, we'll get to John's report in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, the president relying in part on Christian conservatives to get elected. But is he abandoning the faith-based initiatives that he promised them? The former deputy director of those programs says yes. He's going to talk about that. HEMMER: All right. Back to the headlines and Heidi Collins here with us.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. And good morning to you once again, everybody.
"Now in the News." this morning.
President Bush talking Social Security reform in New Hampshire today. The president is set to get on the road in about three hours. He's scheduled to address a crowd of some 2,000 in Portsmouth. A poll released this week apparently shows a majority of people in the Granite State believe personal investment accounts are a bad idea.
Iran is saying this morning American spy planes have been flying over its nuclear sites. Iran's intelligence minister says U.S. drones have been flying over Iran for nearly a year now. Sources cited in a "Washington Post" report this past weekend suggests the U.S. has been using drones to gather intelligence on Iran's nuclear capabilities. No official response yet from the Bush administration.
And turning to some health news now. A cup of Joe may do more than just kick-start your morning. A new study suggests coffee may help ward off liver cancer. The findings were based on a sampling of some 90,000 Japanese people who drank coffee daily or nearly every day. No word yet if it's the caffeine or something else. Details do appear, though, in "The Journal of the National Cancer Institute."
And American cyclist Lance Armstrong is going for number seven. The six-time Tour de France champ is confirming this morning he will ride again this summer. Armstrong says he's excited to get back on the bike, but says his condition is far from perfect. His season is set to start with a stage race. That will be coming up next month.
You've got to wonder the pedal power.
HEMMER: Yes. And an early favorite?
COLLINS: I think so.
O'BRIEN: Yes. Thanks, Heidi.
HEMMER: Thank you.
At the funeral for Lebanon's Rafik Hariri today, tens of thousands marched through Beirut, chanting "Syria out." Supporters of the former prime minister believe that Syria was behind that assassination early Monday morning.
And yesterday, as John King now reports, the Bush administration sending a sharp diplomatic message to Damascus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The White House decision to recall the U.S. ambassador for urgent consultations is part of an aggressive new administration effort to isolate Syria.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: The Syrian government is, unfortunately, on a path right now that where relations are not improving but are worsening.
KING: Syria denies any role in Monday's assassination of former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri. But the Bush administration quickly seized on the murder to challenge Syria's longstanding claim that its troops are needed in Lebanon to provide security.
RICE: There is no doubt that the conditions created by Syria's presence there have created a destabilized situation in Lebanon. That's very clear to everyone.
KING: Before leaving Damascus, Ambassador Margaret Scobey delivered a blunt note, not only calling on Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, but also complaining it supports Hezbollah and other terror attacks on Israel, and allowed a supply line to insurgents in Iraq.
President Bush last year imposed economic sanctions on Syria, and U.S. officials say more are likely soon, perhaps including a ban on Syrian exports to the United States.
RICE: The United States does not like the direction of U.S.- Syrian relations, and we will continue to consider what other options are at our disposal.
KING: But finding allies in this tougher approach may not be easy. The European Union's chief diplomat says Syria's military presence in Lebanon is not reason enough to change relations.
JAVIER SOLANA, E.U. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS CHIEF: It depends on how the responsibilities on the assassination of Mr. Hariri is resolved.
KING: The United States also objected to Russian plans to missiles to Syria, but Israel's prime minister says the sale is going forward.
ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: This is a very dangerous thing if that would be in the hands of a terrorist organization.
KING: And at the United Nations, the Security Council would not go as far as the White House wanted in putting new pressure on Syria.
(on camera): A new council statement condemning the Hariri assassination urges all parties to implement previous resolutions, stressing Lebanon sovereignty and its territorial integrity. The United States and France wanted a direct reference to Syria and its troops, but accepted less confrontational language to win unanimous council backing. John King, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Also, Rafik Hariri had backed the earlier resolution calling for Syrian troops to get out of Lebanon. Until that, he had largely been considered a moderate politician. Some analysts suspect that move could have sealed his fate on Monday -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: A former White House official says President Bush has failed to deliver on his promise to help religious groups serve the poor, the homeless and drug addicts. He says it's because the Bush administration lacks a genuine commitment to its compassionate conservative agenda.
Former special assistant, David Kuo, who is now a contributing editor for beliefnet.com, wrote this: "Capitol Hill gridlock could have been smashed by minimal West Wing effort. No administration since LBJ's has had a more successful legislative track record than this one. From tax cuts to Medicare, the White House gets what the White House really wants. It never really wanted the poor-people stuff."
Kuo left the White House in 2003 when he was deputy director of the Faith-Based Initiative's office. He's in Washington, D.C. this morning.
Nice to see you, David. Thank you very much for talking with us.
You talk about the poor-people stuff that you say the administration never really wanted. Specially, what programs are you talking about?
DAVID KUO, FMR. DEPUTY DIR., FAITH-BASED INITIATIVES: Well, when Governor Bush launched his campaign for the presidency in 2000, he laid out arguably one of the most compelling social service agendas in the last 40 years. He laid out an $8 billion a year program to serve the poor and the addicted, you know, people without jobs.
And it was a promise that the government would come alongside faith-based and non-faith based organizations to help the poor. It was this vision that the federal government would provide funds and it would provide oversight and accountability to those organizations on the ground, who were doing such extraordinary work in helping people who were hurting, but lacked the resources.
O'BRIEN: In your article, which is fairly lengthy on beliefnet.com, you lay out the blame and you say the administration is to blame. Who specifically are you talking about? The president?
KUO: Actually in the article, I say there are a bunch of different people to blame; that this is a Washington problem, not simply a White House problem. One of the things that I say first in the article is that when the president announced this agenda, Democrats had this almost knee-jerk opposition to the faith-based components, despite the fact that Vice President Gore had said virtually the same things during the 2000 campaign.
O'BRIEN: So then are you blaming...
KUO: A congressional...
O'BRIEN: I'm sorry. I just want to understand what you're saying.
KUO: No, no...
O'BRIEN: So, are you blaming overall the Democrats?
KUO: No.
O'BRIEN: And when you talk about the White House, then who specifically are you blaming?
KUO: No, I said congressional Democrats are to blame because of their reaction. I said congressional Republicans also displayed an amazing indifference to really pushing an agenda for the poor. And regarding the White House, it was always on the list of things that the White House liked, but it was never a must-have on Capitol Hill, despite all of the talk about faith-based.
O'BRIEN: You still haven't named any names for me out of the White House. Who do you think specifically is not putting his or her weight behind it? Who do you think should be doing more?
KUO: Again, I don't think you can name any single one person. You know, this is an approach that needs to be better funded. And the president made an important commitment not to any one group, but to the poor that there would be $8 billion a year in new funds for the poor. And for a conservative Republican running for president, it was an amazing promise. And given the realities of the American poor today, it's a promise that's still greatly in need of being fulfilled.
O'BRIEN: What do you think is the motivation behind the failure of the promise? There are some who would say it's political posturing. You get out the black vote, you get out the Latino vote for the Republican Party when you're able to link that to the churches and the faith-based initiatives. Do you think that that is the case?
KUO: You know, I don't think anybody can question the president's personal faith and his absolute commitment to seeing people who are broken and addicted healed. But there's absolutely been a political upside to this for the White House in terms of, you know, reaching out to Hispanic and African-American pastors, in terms of reaching out and appealing to a conservative Christian audience.
But I think in so many ways, what it reflects is bigger than anything, is bigger than a political point. It really is that this is a constituency that has been so long underserved that the gestures that the White House made to reaching out to urban pastors and to people who lead social service organizations, faith-based or non- faith-based, any outreach was so readily received because so few people have ever done it. And I think it shows the importance and the possibility for what could happen with real funding following on the heels.
O'BRIEN: A short final question for you. Scott McClellan has said that this is a high priority for the White House. Do you not believe him at this point?
KUO: You know, we're at halftime. The first four years, good groundwork has been laid. Important things have been done to try and end some of the discrimination that the federal government has displayed for its faith-based organizations.
But I think the test really comes now, is there going to be this radical commitment for funding, for faith-based and non-faith-based organizations to serve the poor? Because this agenda was announced as an agenda for the poor and for the addicted and for those who they said had been left behind and, you know, for whom the American dream was really very dim.
O'BRIEN: David Kuo joining us this morning. Nice to see you. And thank you very much for talking with us.
KUO: Thank you so much.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: It's about 19 minutes now before the hour. Now you can own a piece of Camelot just by raising your hand. Scores of items belonging to former President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy are now up for auction at Sotheby's here in New York. An anonymous telephone bidder paid 96 grand for the president's oak rocking chair. Caroline Kennedy says a portion of these proceeds will go to her father's presidential library in Boston and other charities and foundations there.
Ninety-six grand for a rocking chair. That's not going to be on a front porch anytime soon.
Back to Chad Myers now with a check of the weather. That red flannel blanket, by the way, $18,000.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
HEMMER: That auction at Sotheby's.
MYERS: The chair, Bill, went for six times more than what they thought.
HEMMER: Is that so?
MYERS: Yes, so this was a...
HEMMER: Playing it low then.
MYERS: ... pretty successful auction there yesterday.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Well, time is ticking away for the NHL to save its season. Andy breaks down what's at stake for both sides in hockey's labor dispute.
HEMMER: Also, "90-Second Pop" in a moment. Think you've heard it all when it comes to the breakup of Brad and Jen? Get ready for "Brad and Jen," the book. Honestly. Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. The "Question of the Day" involves money, honey.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Money, honey. Taxes, gasoline and cars are very American. More fuel-efficient hybrid cars means motorists pay less in gasoline taxes. Well, we can't have that now, can we? A tax break for us people who drive cars? Nah.
So, states are looking at taxing motorists by the mile in order to make up for the potential lost revenue. A GPS device would be installed on your car. No doubt we need some huge government bureaucracy to administer that. And then you would be charged a tax based on how far you drive, not how much gas you buy. The system is already being tested in Oregon.
The question is: Should states replace gas taxes with a tax by the mile on cars? You can write to us at am@cnn.com, but only if you have something either intelligent or funny to contribute. Otherwise, write to "Fox & Friends." We don't want to hear from you.
Here are the letters we're getting.
Mike in Augusta, Georgia: "Taxing mileage is stupid. Raise the gas tax. That will make up for the difference and will encourage more people to buy hybrids. That way, both the government and environment win."
Marty in Warwick, New York: "Taxing by odometer would encourage gas guzzling. As a born-again tree hugger, I say no."
Bruce in Lake Tomahawk, Wisconsin: "With Onstar and all of those other tracking devices, the government knows where you are at all times. Cell phones will have tracking devices, so if you call 911, they'll know where you are. Do I have any privacy left? No. The government should not tax us by the mile. Just leave me the hell alone. Signed, Jack Cafferty."
Wistar, Flowery Branch, Georgia: "Taxing by mileage driven might help force a return to cities, but that's already under way via natural market forces. Taxing by consumption is the only way to force more efficient vehicles into the market, and we need energy independence."
And Leif in Wisconsin: "A GPS in my car? Why don't they just stick a microchip in my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) and charge me by the step? And while we're at it, use the chip to take a blood sample and charge me for high cholesterol, excessive alcohol use, notify my parents if I'm up too late and to summon the police if I drift into a neighborhood where I don't belong."
HEMMER: That will cover it.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Wow!
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
SERWER: He should go back to bed.
O'BRIEN: Really. He's cranky.
CAFFERTY: I like that one.
SERWER: Yes.
HEMMER: We should find out a bit later today whether or not pro hockey is done for the year. Here is Andy Serwer looking at salary caps and negotiations, and they're going nowhere fast.
SERWER: They're on the brink here. There's an 11:00 a.m. deadline. Hard to believe the National Hockey League has put itself in the position and the union where the whole season could be gone.
The deadline is 11:00. A press conference will be at 1:00. And the whole season could be lost, the first time a major sports league has canceled an entire season in this country. Truly remarkable. And they're only $6.5 million apart on a salary cap, $42.5 is what the league is offering. The union wants 49 million. That would be per team.
Can't you just split the difference? I mean, I think the damage here to the league would be irreparable, unlike baseball, which had the strike in 1994, the league was able to come back after a couple years. Here you got your 30 teams. I just don't think all of them are going to survive at all.
The last time there was not a Stanley Cup awarded, by the way, was in 1919, because of the flu epidemic.
HEMMER: Is that so?
SERWER: Yes. So we are going quite a long time back on this one.
CAFFERTY: You know what? I don't care if they never play another hockey game as long as I live.
SERWER: I knew that was coming.
O'BRIEN: Well, you'd think they would just run the numbers and say, OK, let's say there's five years of impact...
SERWER: Right, yes.
O'BRIEN: ... of negative impact if we go ahead and cancel the season, which is worth "x" number of million dollars.
SERWER: Yes, good point.
O'BRIEN: Probably significantly larger than the $6 million they're bickering over.
SERWER: Absolutely. And you know who gets hurt here, Soledad? Of course, all of the little guys.
O'BRIEN: The fans.
SERWER: Well, the fans, but all of the people who sell hot dogs and soda, the concession people, and they're the ones that get hurt.
HEMMER: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Right.
HEMMER: But they didn't think the fans in baseball would come back, and they did in huge numbers.
O'BRIEN: Eventually. Eventually.
SERWER: Yes, but baseball isn't hockey.
HEMMER: It isn't hockey.
SERWER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And it took a while with baseball.
CAFFERTY: I don't care if they never play another hockey game.
SERWER: I don't care if they never come back. You know, OK. Not a big hockey fan over there, Mr. Cafferty.
CAFFERTY: Don't push me around just because you've got your biker chick jacket on this morning.
O'BRIEN: That's right. I've got a whip under my dress. So you behave today!
SERWER: Let's go to a hockey game sometime, all right?
O'BRIEN: Talking about hockey just gets me in the mood for a fist fight.
SERWER: Yes, yes. Right.
O'BRIEN: Andy, thanks a lot.
SERWER: You're welcome. O'BRIEN: NBC is set to air a new special, "Saturday Night Live: the First Five Years." But could it actually be a mistake to remind viewers of the show's glory years? "90-Second Pop" is just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: What are they waiting for? They're waiting for this thing right here. Honestly. It's time for another shot. It's "90- Second Pop."
Good morning to Andy Borowitz from Borowitzreport.com.
Good morning, Drew.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Good morning.
HEMMER: Jessica Shaw from "Entertainment Weekly."
Jess, how are you doing?
JESSICA SHAW, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": Good.
HEMMER: And B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor for "Us Weekly" and the group that is responsible for this, the "Brad and Jen" book.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Hang on now. What's going on with this book here, B.J.?
B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Well, we had so much to say about Brad and Jen that we decided to do a book. Actually two of our senior writers spent five days working night and day. We locked them in their office to write this book, "Brad and Jen."
HEMMER: Wait. It took them five days to write the book.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
BOROWITZ: Actually, my question is, what took you guys so long?
SIGESMUND: It's 200 pages long, and it basically starts before Brad and Jen knew each other. It goes all the way through how they met through their agents, how Jen was nervous when Brad first called her, and then, of course, through the lavish 2000 ceremony, et cetera, et cetera.
HEMMER: Why do we care, or do we?
BOROWITZ: I don't get it. I mean, I understand, you know, they're like the hottest, sexiest couple in the world. But now that we have Charles and Camilla, why?
HEMMER: Yes, but they're old news.
SHAW: I have to say the big losers are Nick and Jessica. BOROWITZ: Right.
SHAW: Where are all of the magazine covers about their marital troubles now?
HEMMER: Hey, Jess? Seven bucks can be yours.
"Saturday Night Live" this weekend, prime-time players from 1975 through 1980 are coming back. These were the golden years.
BOROWITZ: Yes. Belushi, Aykroyd, Gilda, they're all there. I mean, I guess the one question is whether this is going to reflect badly on the current version. I mean, the current version...
HEMMER: Do you think it will?
BOROWITZ: I don't know. It's hard not to in a way, because, I mean, I think they're great people on now, like Tina Fey, who is obviously brilliant, and there are some really good people. But...
HEMMER: Tina Fey. I think "Weekend Update" is doing as well as they have done in years.
BOROWITZ: Yes.
SHAW: But no one is going to watch it. It's opposite "Desperate Housewives."
BOROWITZ: Yes. I mean, I think if they wanted to make the current cast look good, they would have maybe aired a show called "Saturday Night Live," the Joe Piscapo years.
SHAW: Or the Anthony Michael Hall years.
BOROWITZ: Oh. I think it was just one year actually.
SIGESMUND: This is all territory that has been covered before in books. I mean, there have been two books written about the first five years of "Saturday Night Live." But it's something about seeing the original skits, you know...
HEMMER: Yes.
SIGESMUND: ... and seeing those originals that we all grew up with and fell in love with and were so cool. I mean, I think it's going to do very well.
HEMMER: We'll see on Sunday night. Chris Rock is talking.
SHAW: Yes.
HEMMER: And talking to "Entertainment Weekly."
SHAW: He is to my colleagues.
HEMMER: He's going to host the Oscars in about, what, a week and a half.
SHAW: Yes.
HEMMER: What is he saying that's making so many headlines?
SHAW: Well, he made some headlines, because he called award shows idiotic. And he said what straight man would watch the Oscars? And there were all of these rumors that Gil Cates (ph) was going to pull him, the producer Gil Cates (ph), and replace him.
BOROWITZ: They were actually going to replace him with Paul McCartney. I heard that.
SHAW: Exactly. But you know what? This is the best thing to happen to the Oscars. Like, finally some scandal to get people to tune in, because it's not -- people aren't all that jazzed about tuning into the Oscars this year. So I think it's great.
SIGESMUND: And also...
HEMMER: He's pushing the PR button and he's getting a lot of headlines in the process.
SHAW: Absolutely. He's working on his schtick (ph). What's the problem?
HEMMER: Everybody is going to tune in to see, what, if he drops a bomb, right?
SHAW: Yes, exactly.
SIGESMUND: And why did they hire Chris Rock if not to push the envelope, to bring a little bit of edge, to cut through all of the hype and say it like it is? It just makes perfect sense.
BOROWITZ: Well, he's very funny and that is a serious break with Oscar tradition. So we'll have to see how that plays out.
HEMMER: And the only thing better would be to get an autograph from Brad and Jen.
SHAW: Oh, if only.
BOROWITZ: Check out the cliff notes also.
HEMMER: Thanks, Andy, Jess, B.J. Good to see you.
Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Today's top stories are straight ahead. Michael Jackson goes to the hospital, and his case is put on hold. Now, a former Jackson advisor says more drama is on the way. We're going to talk to him just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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Aired February 16, 2005 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: At the bottom of the screen, there you see a little line of saffron. And just for you, Soledad. I was there yesterday.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: I took a walk through the park.
O'BRIEN: And it was beautiful, wasn't it?
HEMMER: I just wanted to be able to come back and report to you firsthand.
O'BRIEN: Did you get to see the first lady? She walked through as well.
HEMMER: Yes, I saw that also -- well, not there in person. It was great, actually.
O'BRIEN: A beautiful day to be enjoying outdoor art.
HEMMER: I still don't have you yet, do I?
O'BRIEN: I'm not going.
HEMMER: I'm still trying.
O'BRIEN: I'm happy that you' re here.
HEMMER: I have 14 more days to convince you.
O'BRIEN: When you're happy, I'm happy.
HEMMER: I give up. Welcome back, everybody.
If a few moments, we're going to get back to this situation between the U.S. and Syria that's developing now as a result of Beirut. The U.S. pulling its ambassador yesterday in the wake of the assassination of the former prime minister, Rafik Hariri. John King looking at what kind of pressure the White House is using and where all of this could be headed. So, we'll get to John's report in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, the president relying in part on Christian conservatives to get elected. But is he abandoning the faith-based initiatives that he promised them? The former deputy director of those programs says yes. He's going to talk about that. HEMMER: All right. Back to the headlines and Heidi Collins here with us.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. And good morning to you once again, everybody.
"Now in the News." this morning.
President Bush talking Social Security reform in New Hampshire today. The president is set to get on the road in about three hours. He's scheduled to address a crowd of some 2,000 in Portsmouth. A poll released this week apparently shows a majority of people in the Granite State believe personal investment accounts are a bad idea.
Iran is saying this morning American spy planes have been flying over its nuclear sites. Iran's intelligence minister says U.S. drones have been flying over Iran for nearly a year now. Sources cited in a "Washington Post" report this past weekend suggests the U.S. has been using drones to gather intelligence on Iran's nuclear capabilities. No official response yet from the Bush administration.
And turning to some health news now. A cup of Joe may do more than just kick-start your morning. A new study suggests coffee may help ward off liver cancer. The findings were based on a sampling of some 90,000 Japanese people who drank coffee daily or nearly every day. No word yet if it's the caffeine or something else. Details do appear, though, in "The Journal of the National Cancer Institute."
And American cyclist Lance Armstrong is going for number seven. The six-time Tour de France champ is confirming this morning he will ride again this summer. Armstrong says he's excited to get back on the bike, but says his condition is far from perfect. His season is set to start with a stage race. That will be coming up next month.
You've got to wonder the pedal power.
HEMMER: Yes. And an early favorite?
COLLINS: I think so.
O'BRIEN: Yes. Thanks, Heidi.
HEMMER: Thank you.
At the funeral for Lebanon's Rafik Hariri today, tens of thousands marched through Beirut, chanting "Syria out." Supporters of the former prime minister believe that Syria was behind that assassination early Monday morning.
And yesterday, as John King now reports, the Bush administration sending a sharp diplomatic message to Damascus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The White House decision to recall the U.S. ambassador for urgent consultations is part of an aggressive new administration effort to isolate Syria.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: The Syrian government is, unfortunately, on a path right now that where relations are not improving but are worsening.
KING: Syria denies any role in Monday's assassination of former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri. But the Bush administration quickly seized on the murder to challenge Syria's longstanding claim that its troops are needed in Lebanon to provide security.
RICE: There is no doubt that the conditions created by Syria's presence there have created a destabilized situation in Lebanon. That's very clear to everyone.
KING: Before leaving Damascus, Ambassador Margaret Scobey delivered a blunt note, not only calling on Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, but also complaining it supports Hezbollah and other terror attacks on Israel, and allowed a supply line to insurgents in Iraq.
President Bush last year imposed economic sanctions on Syria, and U.S. officials say more are likely soon, perhaps including a ban on Syrian exports to the United States.
RICE: The United States does not like the direction of U.S.- Syrian relations, and we will continue to consider what other options are at our disposal.
KING: But finding allies in this tougher approach may not be easy. The European Union's chief diplomat says Syria's military presence in Lebanon is not reason enough to change relations.
JAVIER SOLANA, E.U. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS CHIEF: It depends on how the responsibilities on the assassination of Mr. Hariri is resolved.
KING: The United States also objected to Russian plans to missiles to Syria, but Israel's prime minister says the sale is going forward.
ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: This is a very dangerous thing if that would be in the hands of a terrorist organization.
KING: And at the United Nations, the Security Council would not go as far as the White House wanted in putting new pressure on Syria.
(on camera): A new council statement condemning the Hariri assassination urges all parties to implement previous resolutions, stressing Lebanon sovereignty and its territorial integrity. The United States and France wanted a direct reference to Syria and its troops, but accepted less confrontational language to win unanimous council backing. John King, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Also, Rafik Hariri had backed the earlier resolution calling for Syrian troops to get out of Lebanon. Until that, he had largely been considered a moderate politician. Some analysts suspect that move could have sealed his fate on Monday -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: A former White House official says President Bush has failed to deliver on his promise to help religious groups serve the poor, the homeless and drug addicts. He says it's because the Bush administration lacks a genuine commitment to its compassionate conservative agenda.
Former special assistant, David Kuo, who is now a contributing editor for beliefnet.com, wrote this: "Capitol Hill gridlock could have been smashed by minimal West Wing effort. No administration since LBJ's has had a more successful legislative track record than this one. From tax cuts to Medicare, the White House gets what the White House really wants. It never really wanted the poor-people stuff."
Kuo left the White House in 2003 when he was deputy director of the Faith-Based Initiative's office. He's in Washington, D.C. this morning.
Nice to see you, David. Thank you very much for talking with us.
You talk about the poor-people stuff that you say the administration never really wanted. Specially, what programs are you talking about?
DAVID KUO, FMR. DEPUTY DIR., FAITH-BASED INITIATIVES: Well, when Governor Bush launched his campaign for the presidency in 2000, he laid out arguably one of the most compelling social service agendas in the last 40 years. He laid out an $8 billion a year program to serve the poor and the addicted, you know, people without jobs.
And it was a promise that the government would come alongside faith-based and non-faith based organizations to help the poor. It was this vision that the federal government would provide funds and it would provide oversight and accountability to those organizations on the ground, who were doing such extraordinary work in helping people who were hurting, but lacked the resources.
O'BRIEN: In your article, which is fairly lengthy on beliefnet.com, you lay out the blame and you say the administration is to blame. Who specifically are you talking about? The president?
KUO: Actually in the article, I say there are a bunch of different people to blame; that this is a Washington problem, not simply a White House problem. One of the things that I say first in the article is that when the president announced this agenda, Democrats had this almost knee-jerk opposition to the faith-based components, despite the fact that Vice President Gore had said virtually the same things during the 2000 campaign.
O'BRIEN: So then are you blaming...
KUO: A congressional...
O'BRIEN: I'm sorry. I just want to understand what you're saying.
KUO: No, no...
O'BRIEN: So, are you blaming overall the Democrats?
KUO: No.
O'BRIEN: And when you talk about the White House, then who specifically are you blaming?
KUO: No, I said congressional Democrats are to blame because of their reaction. I said congressional Republicans also displayed an amazing indifference to really pushing an agenda for the poor. And regarding the White House, it was always on the list of things that the White House liked, but it was never a must-have on Capitol Hill, despite all of the talk about faith-based.
O'BRIEN: You still haven't named any names for me out of the White House. Who do you think specifically is not putting his or her weight behind it? Who do you think should be doing more?
KUO: Again, I don't think you can name any single one person. You know, this is an approach that needs to be better funded. And the president made an important commitment not to any one group, but to the poor that there would be $8 billion a year in new funds for the poor. And for a conservative Republican running for president, it was an amazing promise. And given the realities of the American poor today, it's a promise that's still greatly in need of being fulfilled.
O'BRIEN: What do you think is the motivation behind the failure of the promise? There are some who would say it's political posturing. You get out the black vote, you get out the Latino vote for the Republican Party when you're able to link that to the churches and the faith-based initiatives. Do you think that that is the case?
KUO: You know, I don't think anybody can question the president's personal faith and his absolute commitment to seeing people who are broken and addicted healed. But there's absolutely been a political upside to this for the White House in terms of, you know, reaching out to Hispanic and African-American pastors, in terms of reaching out and appealing to a conservative Christian audience.
But I think in so many ways, what it reflects is bigger than anything, is bigger than a political point. It really is that this is a constituency that has been so long underserved that the gestures that the White House made to reaching out to urban pastors and to people who lead social service organizations, faith-based or non- faith-based, any outreach was so readily received because so few people have ever done it. And I think it shows the importance and the possibility for what could happen with real funding following on the heels.
O'BRIEN: A short final question for you. Scott McClellan has said that this is a high priority for the White House. Do you not believe him at this point?
KUO: You know, we're at halftime. The first four years, good groundwork has been laid. Important things have been done to try and end some of the discrimination that the federal government has displayed for its faith-based organizations.
But I think the test really comes now, is there going to be this radical commitment for funding, for faith-based and non-faith-based organizations to serve the poor? Because this agenda was announced as an agenda for the poor and for the addicted and for those who they said had been left behind and, you know, for whom the American dream was really very dim.
O'BRIEN: David Kuo joining us this morning. Nice to see you. And thank you very much for talking with us.
KUO: Thank you so much.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: It's about 19 minutes now before the hour. Now you can own a piece of Camelot just by raising your hand. Scores of items belonging to former President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy are now up for auction at Sotheby's here in New York. An anonymous telephone bidder paid 96 grand for the president's oak rocking chair. Caroline Kennedy says a portion of these proceeds will go to her father's presidential library in Boston and other charities and foundations there.
Ninety-six grand for a rocking chair. That's not going to be on a front porch anytime soon.
Back to Chad Myers now with a check of the weather. That red flannel blanket, by the way, $18,000.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
HEMMER: That auction at Sotheby's.
MYERS: The chair, Bill, went for six times more than what they thought.
HEMMER: Is that so?
MYERS: Yes, so this was a...
HEMMER: Playing it low then.
MYERS: ... pretty successful auction there yesterday.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Well, time is ticking away for the NHL to save its season. Andy breaks down what's at stake for both sides in hockey's labor dispute.
HEMMER: Also, "90-Second Pop" in a moment. Think you've heard it all when it comes to the breakup of Brad and Jen? Get ready for "Brad and Jen," the book. Honestly. Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. The "Question of the Day" involves money, honey.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Money, honey. Taxes, gasoline and cars are very American. More fuel-efficient hybrid cars means motorists pay less in gasoline taxes. Well, we can't have that now, can we? A tax break for us people who drive cars? Nah.
So, states are looking at taxing motorists by the mile in order to make up for the potential lost revenue. A GPS device would be installed on your car. No doubt we need some huge government bureaucracy to administer that. And then you would be charged a tax based on how far you drive, not how much gas you buy. The system is already being tested in Oregon.
The question is: Should states replace gas taxes with a tax by the mile on cars? You can write to us at am@cnn.com, but only if you have something either intelligent or funny to contribute. Otherwise, write to "Fox & Friends." We don't want to hear from you.
Here are the letters we're getting.
Mike in Augusta, Georgia: "Taxing mileage is stupid. Raise the gas tax. That will make up for the difference and will encourage more people to buy hybrids. That way, both the government and environment win."
Marty in Warwick, New York: "Taxing by odometer would encourage gas guzzling. As a born-again tree hugger, I say no."
Bruce in Lake Tomahawk, Wisconsin: "With Onstar and all of those other tracking devices, the government knows where you are at all times. Cell phones will have tracking devices, so if you call 911, they'll know where you are. Do I have any privacy left? No. The government should not tax us by the mile. Just leave me the hell alone. Signed, Jack Cafferty."
Wistar, Flowery Branch, Georgia: "Taxing by mileage driven might help force a return to cities, but that's already under way via natural market forces. Taxing by consumption is the only way to force more efficient vehicles into the market, and we need energy independence."
And Leif in Wisconsin: "A GPS in my car? Why don't they just stick a microchip in my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) and charge me by the step? And while we're at it, use the chip to take a blood sample and charge me for high cholesterol, excessive alcohol use, notify my parents if I'm up too late and to summon the police if I drift into a neighborhood where I don't belong."
HEMMER: That will cover it.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Wow!
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
SERWER: He should go back to bed.
O'BRIEN: Really. He's cranky.
CAFFERTY: I like that one.
SERWER: Yes.
HEMMER: We should find out a bit later today whether or not pro hockey is done for the year. Here is Andy Serwer looking at salary caps and negotiations, and they're going nowhere fast.
SERWER: They're on the brink here. There's an 11:00 a.m. deadline. Hard to believe the National Hockey League has put itself in the position and the union where the whole season could be gone.
The deadline is 11:00. A press conference will be at 1:00. And the whole season could be lost, the first time a major sports league has canceled an entire season in this country. Truly remarkable. And they're only $6.5 million apart on a salary cap, $42.5 is what the league is offering. The union wants 49 million. That would be per team.
Can't you just split the difference? I mean, I think the damage here to the league would be irreparable, unlike baseball, which had the strike in 1994, the league was able to come back after a couple years. Here you got your 30 teams. I just don't think all of them are going to survive at all.
The last time there was not a Stanley Cup awarded, by the way, was in 1919, because of the flu epidemic.
HEMMER: Is that so?
SERWER: Yes. So we are going quite a long time back on this one.
CAFFERTY: You know what? I don't care if they never play another hockey game as long as I live.
SERWER: I knew that was coming.
O'BRIEN: Well, you'd think they would just run the numbers and say, OK, let's say there's five years of impact...
SERWER: Right, yes.
O'BRIEN: ... of negative impact if we go ahead and cancel the season, which is worth "x" number of million dollars.
SERWER: Yes, good point.
O'BRIEN: Probably significantly larger than the $6 million they're bickering over.
SERWER: Absolutely. And you know who gets hurt here, Soledad? Of course, all of the little guys.
O'BRIEN: The fans.
SERWER: Well, the fans, but all of the people who sell hot dogs and soda, the concession people, and they're the ones that get hurt.
HEMMER: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Right.
HEMMER: But they didn't think the fans in baseball would come back, and they did in huge numbers.
O'BRIEN: Eventually. Eventually.
SERWER: Yes, but baseball isn't hockey.
HEMMER: It isn't hockey.
SERWER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And it took a while with baseball.
CAFFERTY: I don't care if they never play another hockey game.
SERWER: I don't care if they never come back. You know, OK. Not a big hockey fan over there, Mr. Cafferty.
CAFFERTY: Don't push me around just because you've got your biker chick jacket on this morning.
O'BRIEN: That's right. I've got a whip under my dress. So you behave today!
SERWER: Let's go to a hockey game sometime, all right?
O'BRIEN: Talking about hockey just gets me in the mood for a fist fight.
SERWER: Yes, yes. Right.
O'BRIEN: Andy, thanks a lot.
SERWER: You're welcome. O'BRIEN: NBC is set to air a new special, "Saturday Night Live: the First Five Years." But could it actually be a mistake to remind viewers of the show's glory years? "90-Second Pop" is just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: What are they waiting for? They're waiting for this thing right here. Honestly. It's time for another shot. It's "90- Second Pop."
Good morning to Andy Borowitz from Borowitzreport.com.
Good morning, Drew.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Good morning.
HEMMER: Jessica Shaw from "Entertainment Weekly."
Jess, how are you doing?
JESSICA SHAW, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": Good.
HEMMER: And B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor for "Us Weekly" and the group that is responsible for this, the "Brad and Jen" book.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Hang on now. What's going on with this book here, B.J.?
B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Well, we had so much to say about Brad and Jen that we decided to do a book. Actually two of our senior writers spent five days working night and day. We locked them in their office to write this book, "Brad and Jen."
HEMMER: Wait. It took them five days to write the book.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
BOROWITZ: Actually, my question is, what took you guys so long?
SIGESMUND: It's 200 pages long, and it basically starts before Brad and Jen knew each other. It goes all the way through how they met through their agents, how Jen was nervous when Brad first called her, and then, of course, through the lavish 2000 ceremony, et cetera, et cetera.
HEMMER: Why do we care, or do we?
BOROWITZ: I don't get it. I mean, I understand, you know, they're like the hottest, sexiest couple in the world. But now that we have Charles and Camilla, why?
HEMMER: Yes, but they're old news.
SHAW: I have to say the big losers are Nick and Jessica. BOROWITZ: Right.
SHAW: Where are all of the magazine covers about their marital troubles now?
HEMMER: Hey, Jess? Seven bucks can be yours.
"Saturday Night Live" this weekend, prime-time players from 1975 through 1980 are coming back. These were the golden years.
BOROWITZ: Yes. Belushi, Aykroyd, Gilda, they're all there. I mean, I guess the one question is whether this is going to reflect badly on the current version. I mean, the current version...
HEMMER: Do you think it will?
BOROWITZ: I don't know. It's hard not to in a way, because, I mean, I think they're great people on now, like Tina Fey, who is obviously brilliant, and there are some really good people. But...
HEMMER: Tina Fey. I think "Weekend Update" is doing as well as they have done in years.
BOROWITZ: Yes.
SHAW: But no one is going to watch it. It's opposite "Desperate Housewives."
BOROWITZ: Yes. I mean, I think if they wanted to make the current cast look good, they would have maybe aired a show called "Saturday Night Live," the Joe Piscapo years.
SHAW: Or the Anthony Michael Hall years.
BOROWITZ: Oh. I think it was just one year actually.
SIGESMUND: This is all territory that has been covered before in books. I mean, there have been two books written about the first five years of "Saturday Night Live." But it's something about seeing the original skits, you know...
HEMMER: Yes.
SIGESMUND: ... and seeing those originals that we all grew up with and fell in love with and were so cool. I mean, I think it's going to do very well.
HEMMER: We'll see on Sunday night. Chris Rock is talking.
SHAW: Yes.
HEMMER: And talking to "Entertainment Weekly."
SHAW: He is to my colleagues.
HEMMER: He's going to host the Oscars in about, what, a week and a half.
SHAW: Yes.
HEMMER: What is he saying that's making so many headlines?
SHAW: Well, he made some headlines, because he called award shows idiotic. And he said what straight man would watch the Oscars? And there were all of these rumors that Gil Cates (ph) was going to pull him, the producer Gil Cates (ph), and replace him.
BOROWITZ: They were actually going to replace him with Paul McCartney. I heard that.
SHAW: Exactly. But you know what? This is the best thing to happen to the Oscars. Like, finally some scandal to get people to tune in, because it's not -- people aren't all that jazzed about tuning into the Oscars this year. So I think it's great.
SIGESMUND: And also...
HEMMER: He's pushing the PR button and he's getting a lot of headlines in the process.
SHAW: Absolutely. He's working on his schtick (ph). What's the problem?
HEMMER: Everybody is going to tune in to see, what, if he drops a bomb, right?
SHAW: Yes, exactly.
SIGESMUND: And why did they hire Chris Rock if not to push the envelope, to bring a little bit of edge, to cut through all of the hype and say it like it is? It just makes perfect sense.
BOROWITZ: Well, he's very funny and that is a serious break with Oscar tradition. So we'll have to see how that plays out.
HEMMER: And the only thing better would be to get an autograph from Brad and Jen.
SHAW: Oh, if only.
BOROWITZ: Check out the cliff notes also.
HEMMER: Thanks, Andy, Jess, B.J. Good to see you.
Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Today's top stories are straight ahead. Michael Jackson goes to the hospital, and his case is put on hold. Now, a former Jackson advisor says more drama is on the way. We're going to talk to him just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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