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CNN Live At Daybreak
In the Hot Seat; Iranian Election; Missing Girl
Aired June 24, 2005 - 5:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It is Friday. Happy Friday. It's June 24.
President Bush welcomes Iraq's prime minister to the White House today. Can the president use his meeting with the Iraqi leader to bolster public support for the mission in Iraq?
And a question on the lips of many: will there be a timetable for bringing U.S. troops home?
Also, she wants to know what happened to her daughter in Aruba. Can yet another person behind bars provide some answers?
Plus, a long, long season is over and we have a winner. Texas celebrates a championship.
ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.
COSTELLO: And good morning, everyone. We'll have more on President Bush and Ibrahim al-Jaafari's meeting in a moment.
Also ahead, it's been nearly six months since the devastating tsunami hit. We'll check in on the rebuilding of some of the worst- hit areas in Thailand.
And later, a community that's helping police by drunk-driving one bar at a time.
But first, "Now in the News."
Iranians are voting today in a runoff for president. One of the candidates is a moderate conservative with the backing of progressive groups, the other a hard-liner favored by Iran's ultra conservatives. Washington is closely watching this one.
Up against the flames. Near Phoenix, Arizona, a wildfire grows. Forty-six thousand acres have now been scorched, but fire officials report the blaze does not appear heading toward populated areas.
The basketball season finally over. The San Antonio Spurs have come out on top. They beat the Detroit Pistons 81-74 last night at San Antonio. And as you can imagine, the victory triggered very big celebrations in Texas.
You can experience the power of CNN on your computer. Log on to CNN.com and click on to the video link and browse for the video you want to see.
To the forecast center now and Chad.
Good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol. It's finally over. Congratulations to San Antonio.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Should there be a deadline for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq? That topic is sure to come up five hours from now when President Bush meets with Iraq's prime minister.
In a published interview, Ibrahim al-Jaafari says setting a deadline would play into the terrorists' hands. Instead, he calls for speeding up the training of Iraqi troops. The two leaders will meet with reports at 11:25 Eastern. CNN, of course, will carry it live.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is under fire again for his handling of the war in Iraq. Rumsfeld faced a barrage of questions and criticism from members of Congress who were worried the fight against the insurgency is failing.
CNN's Jamie McIntyre has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Along with insurgents, U.S. commanders are now battling the growing perception that the U.S. is losing in Iraq.
GEN. GEORGE CASEY, COMMANDER, MULTINATIONAL FORCE: That is what the terrorists and the insurgents would like you to believe.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Any who say that we've lost this war, or that we're losing this war, are wrong. We are not.
MCINTYRE: Flanked by his commanders, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Congress the worst thing the U.S. could do now is said a deadline to get out of Iraq.
RUMSFELD: It would throw a lifeline to terrorists, who in recent months have suffered significant loses and casualties, been denied havens, and suffered weakened popular support.
MCINTYRE: But Rumsfeld's top commander seemed to break ranks with Vice President Dick Cheney's assessment that the insurgency is in its last throes, testifying there are now more foreign fighters in Iraq than there were six months ago.
GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, COMMANDER, CENTRAL COMMAND: In terms of the overall strength of the insurgency, I would say it's about the same as it was.
SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: So you wouldn't agree with the statement that it's in its last throes?
ABIZAID: I don't know that I would make any comment about that, other than to say there's a lot of work to be done against the insurgency.
MCINTYRE: And Abizaid expressed deep concern about slipping support for the war at home.
ABIZAID: I've never seen the lack of confidence greater. When my soldiers say to me, and ask me the question whether or not they've got support from the American people or not, that worries me. And they're starting to do that.
MCINTYRE: Rumsfeld drew the ire of some senators. West Virginia's Robert Byrd accused him of sneering.
SEN. ROBERT BYRD (D), WEST VIRGINIA: The people out there want us to ask questions. So get off your high horse when you come up here.
MCINTYRE: But the most contentious exchange was with long-time adversary Senator Ted Kennedy.
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: We are in serious trouble in Iraq, and this war has been consistently and grossly mismanaged. And we are now in a seemingly intractable quagmire. Our troops are dying, and there really is no end in sight.
RUMSFELD: There isn't a person at this table who agrees with you that we're in a quagmire and that there's no end in sight.
MCINTYRE (on camera): Both the Iraq commander and the Joint Chiefs chairman quickly chimed in that they agreed Iraq was not a quagmire. But when General Abizaid was asked, he diplomatically replied, "I'm standing by the secretary."
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Jamie showed you one part of the exchange between Senator Kennedy and Senator Rumsfeld. Oh, but there was more. The senator did not hold back. He renewed his call for Rumsfeld to resign over what Kennedy says are reported gross errors and mistakes in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KENNEDY: Mr. Secretary, I'm talking about the misjudgments and the mistakes that have made the series which I've mentioned, the disarming of the Iraqi army. Those were judgments that were made, and there have been a series of gross errors and mistakes. Those are on your watch. Those are on your watch.
Isn't it time for you to resign?
RUMSFELD: Senator, I've offered my resignation to the president twice. And he's decided that he would prefer that he would not accept it. And that's his call.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: There are also calls for White House strategist Karl Rove to resign, or at least apologize for comments he made over the 9/11 attacks. The controversial remarks were made not far from Ground Zero at a fund-raiser for New York's conservative party.
Listen for yourself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARL ROVE, SR. WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 at the attacks and prepared for war. Liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding to our attackers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Karl Rove has said many things, and we understand that he's a political infighter. But there's a certain line that you should not cross. And last night Karl Rove crossed that line. He didn't just put his toe over the line, he jumped way over it.
We are asking that he retract his statement, and retract it immediately and apologize for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That is not going to happen. Karl Rove does not plan to say "I'm sorry" anytime soon.
Also on Capitol Hill, House lawmakers take time out to honor America's war dead. Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel and nine House colleagues, only one of whom is a Republican, are reading the names of those who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. And they include former NFL player Pat Tillman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Specialist Patrick D. Tillman, Specialist Phillip L. Witkowski (ph), Private 1st Class Brandon James Wadman (ph), Corporal Ronald R. Payne, Jr. (ph), Chief Warrant Officer Bruce E. Price (ph), Petty Officer 1st Class Brian J. Olett (ph), Captain Daniel E. Eggers (ph), Staff Sergeant Robert J. Maganson (ph), Private 1st Class Joseph...
(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: And the list did go on. The names of the fallen troops are being read into the congressional record to officially honor their memory. As Congressman Emanuel said, "We owe the brave men and women and their families a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid."
Oh, but, Chad, politics have played into this. Some Republicans think that that was just political posturing and that those names should not have been read in Congress.
MYERS: Did you see the chairs there? There was nobody there. Are these guys made to go? Don't they have to go to work?
COSTELLO: Well, I think it was more for the names to be into the congressional record.
MYERS: So it's good that we've got every other problem in the United States cleared up now. They're all done. Everything's good.
OK. So this is your email "Question of the Day," if I could stir the pot a little. Reading names of the war dead, a fitting tribute or a political ploy? This has actually been done before, but not in Congress. Remember this whole late thing on TV here.
Email us. I want to know what you think: DAYBREAK@CNN.com. A fitting tribute for all those fallen war heroes or a political ploy by those who want...
COSTELLO: Yes. You bring up the CBS thing because, remember, there was that big outcry when CBS...
MYERS: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: ... was going to, you know, feature a dead soldier at the end of their broadcast? Which they still do. But there was that big outcry.
So tell us what you think.
MYERS: I would like to know.
COSTELLO: DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
So, will it go more Islamic or more Democratic? Iran, the nation -- the nation President Bush has named part of the axis of evil, is holding elections. It is elections today, and the White House is watching. From a country known for the famous hostage crisis of the '80s, will we see democracy shine or get shut out?
Live now to our Matthew Chance in the capital city of Tehran.
Hello, Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you as well. It's a very good question you pose there. Exactly. There's been a turnout here at the elections, the Iranian elections. Pretty steady throughout the course of the day in this, the final round of the voting in these presidential elections to decide not just who the president of this country will be, but what path this country will take as well.
There are two candidates standing here. The first one is the current mayor of Tehran. His name is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. And he's considered to be a hard-liner, even within the context of Iranian politics.
He's promising to redistribute wealth in the country. He's also promising to fight corruption. Those are issues that are very close to the hearts of many Iranians, particularly the impoverished sections of society in this country.
But there are a lot of concerns as well about the fact that he's a religious hard-liner, about the fact that he may well freeze or roll back the very modest social reforms that Iranians have been enjoying over the past several years, things like freedom of speech, things like voter rights for the women in the country, and things like that. And that fact, that fear, he's really pushing people into the camp, I think -- many people, at least -- of the other candidate in this election.
He's a well-known figure here in Iran. His name is Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. He has been president twice before.
He's a 70-year-old cleric. He's not considered generally to be a reformist, although he has been able to argue that he's the moderate in this election because of the hard-lined stance of his opponent.
He's saying he'll continue the reform process, give people greater freedom of speech and things like that. He's also promising to further privatize Iranian industry, and that's a message that's really being welcomed by the more affluent sectors of Iranian society -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Matthew Chance, reporting live from Iran this morning.
Five people now in custody in the case of Natalee Holloway. She's the teenager gone missing in Aruba. The latest arrest was a surprise to many. No charges have been filed.
CNN's Karl Penhaul in Aruba with the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Judge Paul Van Der Sloot was just returning from taking his wife, Anita, to the prison where their 17-year-old son Joran is being held when he himself was arrested by police. Prosecutors say the judge is now being held on suspicion of being involved in some way with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.
Anita Van Der Sloot, wife of Paul and mother of Joran, had this to say about her husband and her son... ANITA VAN DER SLOOT, HUSBAND, SON PRISON: I will hold up. I will be strong. I have to, because I believe in my husband, I believe in my son. I believe in my family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Van Der Sloot...
PENHAUL: Judge Van Der Sloot had been interviewed by police over the weekend, who said at that stage he was being viewed as a possible witness, not a suspect. Obviously with today's arrest, he is now viewed as a suspect in this case.
Judge Van Der Sloot came to Aruba from Holland about 15 years ago. Before becoming a judge, he was an official in Aruba's prosecution service.
His son Joran was arrested two weeks ago, along with the two Kalpoe brothers, Satish and Deepak. They were the last three young men known to have seen Natalee on the night she disappeared, May the 30th, from outside Carlos 'N Charlies bar.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Palm Beach, Aruba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Holloway's family members are in Aruba to help in the search. They're hopeful that the latest arrest will make the difference in finding out what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE "JUG" TWITTY, NATALEE'S STEPFATHER: Hopefully now we can get some answers. I mean, how would you like to be in there, in prison, and knowing that your father is now, you know, under arrest, and saying, hey, your dad may be going to jail now because of something you may have done. I know how my son and I would feel about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: A four-man search team from Texas arrived from -- arrived in Aruba. The team's four search dogs and sonar equipment are expected to arrive tonight.
Coming up, surviving last year's devastating tsunami. We'll meet a pair of American volunteers who are helping to rebuild homes and building lifelong friendships in the process.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you heard his alphabet? That was really cool.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Hopefully we'll hear what he had to say a little later. People in Maryland keep their eyes on the road. Randi Kaye went for a ride with Operation Extra Eyes.
This is DAYBREAK for Friday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: And the mic is working. I love that.
Time to take a look at the international markets right now. As you can see, the Nikkei is up nearly 40 points. London's FTSE -- oh, I'm sorry, the Nikkei is down nearly 40 points. Excuse me. The FTSE is down almost 18 points. The German DAX is also down 45 points.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:18 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
The future of Iraq, that's at the top of the agenda when President Bush holds White House talks with Iraq's prime minister today. His visit comes as the president is under increasing pressure to set a deadline for pulling American troops out of Iraq.
Taking your land. In a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled city officials can use their eminent domain power to seize your home or your business to clear way for private development projects.
In money news, AOL is offering Web surfers free access to much of its content, including its instant messaging service and its new AIM mail service. It's part of a plan to become more competitive. AOL, of course, is a unit of CNN's corporate owner, which would be Time Warner.
In culture, Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley is getting in shape for his first new show in seven years. Celtic Tiger traces Ireland's history and kicks off in Budapest early next month.
In sports, the final score 81-74 as the San Antonio Spurs topple Detroit and take home their third NBA championship.
Tim Duncan, Chad, is the series MVP!
MYERS: Congratulations. Pre-season starts in three weeks. Enjoy your three weeks off, guys.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: You know, I'm going on vacation soon, and I'm going to Arizona.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: I think I'm pretty crazy.
MYERS: I think so. That's why you got the cheap tickets.
COSTELLO: Exactly. MYERS: You don't realize...
COSTELLO: No wonder it was so cheap.
MYERS: You don't realize why the cruise is so cheap in September in hurricane season.
COSTELLO: Thanks, Chad.
MYERS: Thanks.
COSTELLO: That's a look at the latest headlines for you this morning.
Confessed serial bomber Eric Rudolph writes from jail about his mountain getaway. The article appears on a militant anti-abortion Web site. It tells how Rudolph evaded a five-year manhunt in the North Carolina mountains. The account centers on how Rudolph gathered, stored and cooked his food.
Rudolph has confessed to four bomb attacks, including the 1996 Olympic park bombing in Atlanta. The attacks killed two people and wounded more than 110 others. Rudolph is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
Still to come on DAYBREAK this morning, we meet two young and very generous volunteers who are helping tsunami victims rebuild their lives.
You are watching DAYBREAK for Friday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MYERS: Our "question of the Day," DAYBREAK "Question of the Day," go to DAYBREAK@CNN.com. Reading the names of the war dead in Congress for the congressional record, is it a fitting tribute or a political ploy? We want to know what you think.
We've already heard from a number of you. We'll be reading them in just a few minutes, so get your answers in -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
It's been exactly six months since the tsunami devastated much of the coast of southern Asia. Money is still pouring in to help the victims of the tsunami. Governments around the world have pledged nearly $7 billion in aid. Another $4.5 billion has been promised by individuals.
The United Nations says that getting the money has been easy. It's spending it wisely and quickly that's the hard part. One of the first things that money will buy is a tsunami warning system for southern Asia.
Rebuilding is still just getting rolling in much of southern Asia. Infrastructure, like rebuilding a major bridge in Sri Lanka, is a top priority. But first, the local population must be trained as much-needed construction workers. Help is coming in for all over.
CNN's Aneesh Raman introduces us to some people driven to do what they can to help.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Justin Strauss saw reports of an Asian tsunami, he gave more than a donation. He gave himself. Leaving his construction job in Hilltop, Pennsylvania, the former Peace Corps volunteer signed up again, bringing his skills to Thailand's hardest-hit villages.
JUSTIN STRAUSS, TSUNAMI VOLUNTEER: I knew I'd be facing a lot of difficulties as far as sights and stories of what I hear here. And I'm glad I did it.
RAMAN: For three months, Justin has lived and labored among tsunami survivors, building homes on a landscape ravaged by the waves, building relationships with people who have nothing left.
Sixty-three year old Chung Nam Utiman (ph) lost 11 family members to the tsunami. And in its aftermath, gained an unlikely friend.
STRAUSS: I was told about his story and told that he's been working by himself. And to me, that was a perfect partner to work with. I mean, to try to lend a hand.
RAMAN: Every day, Justin comes here to work. Every day, the two grow closer. Chung Nam (ph) calls Justin his son. Justin calls this a second home.
(on camera): The work out here is really difficult. Beyond the infrastructure issues, it's monsoon season. And when it's not raining, it is unbearably hot. And for some of the volunteers it's the first time they're doing anything like this.
(voice-over): Songwriter Dana Underwood came to comfort survivors. She had never done humanitarian work before. But she had also never seen such devastation.
DANA UNDERWOOD, TSUNAMI VOLUNTEER: When I saw this, it just -- everything that happened was on such a grand scale and so horrifying that I just knew, you know, even if I couldn't affiliate with someone, that I could go and lift a bucket.
RAMAN: It's now been five months, and Underwood's mom came from Chicago hoping to bring her daughter home. But Dana's staying. Counseling the displaced is more important today than it was the day after the disaster.
UNDERWOOD: The shock is wearing off of what happened. And so depression is starting to set in. And you can just sort of see people wonder why things are taking so long, and, you know, wonder why people have forgotten what's gone on here.
RAMAN: Tens of thousands of foreign volunteers have made their way through southern Thailand, each with their own story, their own reason for coming, their own lessons learned.
UNDERWOOD: I've learned that if you can help somebody, you should, even if you can't -- you know, if you think you can't afford it, or you don't know how it's going to work out, you just do it anyway, because it does.
RAMAN: Aneesh Raman, CNN, Thailand.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And still to come on DAYBREAK this morning, Vice President Cheney shares his thoughts on the insurgency in Iraq and on when the troops can come home.
But now, it's time to get a lot less serious. It's time to take a look of the dogs of DAYBREAK.
I know it's silly. But, you know, today is National Bring Your Dog to Work Day. So don't forget your dog when you walk out the door.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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