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CNN Live At Daybreak
The Insurgency; Question of the Day; CIA Kidnapping?; BTK Case; Who Shot Biggie?
Aired June 27, 2005 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: 2,000 acres to 8,000 within 12 hours. Still, they say they're making progress in containing the wildfires.
And you can experience the power of CNN video on your computer. Just go on to our Web site, click on "video" and you can see moving pictures.
To the forecast center now and Chad.
Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: To "The Fight for Iraq" now.
The White House is pushing the message that there is progress in Iraq, despite daily attacks. But as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld points out, it will be up to the Iraqis to end the insurgency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We're not going to win against the insurgency. The Iraqi people are going to win against the insurgency. That insurgency could go on for any number of years. Insurgencies tend to go on five, six, eight, 10, 12 years. The coalition forces, foreign forces, are not going to repress that insurgency. We're going to create an environment that the Iraqi people and the Iraqi security forces can win against that insurgency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Our Elaine Quijano has more on the problems with the insurgency.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): As insurgent attacks persist in parts of Iraq, a report in "The Sunday Times" in London is raising questions about the U.S.'s approach. The report says a small group of insurgent commanders recently held talks with several Americans in Iraq. The Bush administration is not denying the report, but officials insist they are not negotiating with terrorists.
GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, CENTCOM COMMANDER: I'm not sure that I would characterize it as a dialogue between U.S. officials and insurgents. I would say that U.S. officials and Iraqi officials are looking for the right people in the Sunni community to talk to in order to ensure that the Sunni Arab community becomes part of the political process.
QUIJANO: Here at home, as the Bush administration is trying to shore up support for the Iraq war, critics continue to charge that officials are painting too optimistic a picture. They point to rising casualty numbers, the result of daily insurgent attacks against Iraqis and coalition forces.
SEN. CARL LEVIN, (D) MICHIGAN: It's not the kind of dynamic which I think we ought to say is acceptable. And the status quo to me is just simply not working and we've got to change the current dynamic in a number of ways.
QUIJANO: But Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says if history is any guide, defeating the insurgents could take years.
RUMSFELD: The insurgency will be put down by the Iraqi people over time. It won't be won by the coalition forces. Foreigners don't win -- defeat insurgencies. What will happen is, at a certain moment, it will be at a level that the Iraqi security forces can handle it.
QUIJANO: As for President Bush, on Tuesday he'll deliver a prime time address on Iraq from Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The date marks exactly one year since the handover of power from the coalition to the interim Iraqi government.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: The president's address at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is set for 8 Eastern tomorrow night. CNN, of course, will bring that to you live.
In our "Security Watch" this morning, what are al Qaeda terrorists doing to try to get their hands on weapons of mass destruction. That's what the 9/11 Public Discourse Project will discuss at a Washington hearing this morning. The panel grew out of the 9/11 Commission. It will also look at ways the U.S. and other nations can prevent nuclear terrorism.
A small plane stolen and flown through New York airspace and nobody detected it for hours. That happened last week. And now Senator Hillary Clinton wants a federal investigation. Clinton notes the plane finally landed just a few miles from a nuclear plant.
Would you like a future in protecting the homeland? You might want to apply to the University of Connecticut. The school is offering a master's degree in homeland security. Students can learn how to respond to terrorist attacks and disease outbreaks.
Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
It is time to solicit more e-mail this morning. Chad, are you with me?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I am, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good.
MYERS: I have some good ones here.
Is it time to close Guantanamo Bay? Is it time to close Gitmo where they have all those prisoners there?
And Mike in Houston says, to all the senators who want to close Gitmo, give these terrorists a trial. I say, fine, we can always reopen Alcatraz.
As someone who fought in the U.S. for the U.S. in Vietnam, I say keep Gitmo open. Why do all these goodie-two-shoes want to have all the rights for us normal people gone away and then give them all to the criminals. I say keep it open until they can do no harm to anyone. That's Patrick in Hamilton.
And then from Janet in Columbus. Not that you want to pay any attention to this, but what part of terrorism and the 20th hijacker, Osama bin Laden and bodyguards don't you guys understand. These are dangerous people and you want to let them go. Where do you want them to go? Quite frankly, I feel just a little bit safer that they're contained in a facility that's not in the U.S. As usual, no compassion for keeping us safe but rather compassion for criminals.
COSTELLO: Interesting.
MYERS: And that's how they go. I got one in Rochester from Jim. He says, don't close it unless you want to put it in Martha's Vineyard.
I don't think that's going to happen.
COSTELLO: I don't think that will happen either. I have a sneaking suspicion it will not.
MYERS: All right.
COSTELLO: In the next hour of DAYBREAK, we're going to talk to a father who's son has been detained at Gitmo since 2002 and we're going to talk to an attorney who is representing 12 Kuwaitis held in Guantanamo Bay. We'll see what they have to say and I'm sure they will not agree with most of your e-mails this morning.
Iran's new hardline president-elect says his country will be peaceful and cooperate with other nations. The conservative held his first news conference since being elected on Friday. He vowed to resume Iran's nuclear program for peaceful purposes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRANIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT, (through translator): Today we must say that nuclear technology is all right and to be used for peaceful purposes. And it is all right to have that capacity for energy, for medical purposes. And our development of our technology, we need this capacity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The U.S. contends Iran's nuclear program is aimed at building atomic weapons. With that in mind, the administration has drafted a plan to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
"The Washington Post" says a draft of the plan calls for blocking or freezing the assets of any business or any nation doing business with Iranian, North Korean, or Syrian companies suspected of developing weapons programs.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, warrants issued for 13 Americans. Were they working for the CIA? We'll tell you about it after a break.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: A phone call intercepted by Italian authorities is spelling trouble for several suspected CIA agents. The call lead to an investigation. And on Thursday, an Italian judge issued arrest warrants for 13 Americans believed to be working for the CIA. Our Rome Bureau Chief Alessio Vinci has the story from there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Egyptian born cleric known as Abu Omar spent many days at this mosque in Milan, believed by U.S. an Italian officials to be a gathering place for Islamic extremists. He was a long-time suspected terrorist and the suvilians (ph) by Italian police. Then, two years ago, he vanished from this street in Milan, just around the corner from the mosque. Now, a source close to the investigation tells CNN an Italian judge issued arrest warrants for 13 U.S. citizens believed, by Italian authorities, to be CIA agents for kidnapping Abu Omar. Among those sought for arrest the source says, the former CIA station chief in Milan.
According to CNN's source, Italian prosecutors accused the agents of abducting Abu Omar and secretly flying him to Egypt for questioning, a little known practice called extraordinary rendition in which a suspect is illegally captured and secretly taken to another country to be interrogated.
Abdel Hamid Shaari is the president of Islamic Cultural Center in Milan. He describe's Abu Omar's disappearance as told to him by an anaquinist (ph), who has since left the country.
It was right here, he says, she saw a minivan blocking the road and two people checking Abu Omar's documents. One of them was wearing a typical Arab gown and had a long beard. The source confirms investigators based their conclusions on records of cell phones used by the agents, tracking them from Milan, then to a U.S. airbase.
Italian prosecutors issued a statement saying that, had the kidnapping not happened, Omar would now be in Italian custody and would have lead to other arrests adding "the kidnapping of Abu Omar is not only a totally illegal act that violates gravely Italy's sovereignty, but it is also a damaging and counterproductive act in the fight against terrorism."
Mosque representatives here deny ties with terrorism.
Officials here at the mosque say they have no way of knowing whether Abu Omar was or is a terrorist. But what they do say is that they would have preferred for him to be arrested by the Italian police and be put in an Italian jail awaiting due process rather than being sanctioned to Egypt where Shaari fears Abu Omar was tortured.
ABDEL HAMID SHAARI, ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTER, (through translator): A year ago, Abu Omar called his wife and told her that after he had been kidnapped, he was brought to an American airbase and beaten. Then, he told her that he was brought to Egypt without anybody knowing his whereabouts and there too, he said, he told her he was tortured and beaten.
VINCI: According to CNN's source, it was this phone call home to his wife in Milan a year after his disappearance, which Italian officials intercepted, that lead prosecutors to launch their investigation. The CIA says it has no comment. Italian and U.S. officials have yet to be heard.
Alessio Vinci, CNN, Milan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
A decision on displays of the 10 Commandments could come today as the Supreme Court marks the end of its term. There's been speculation this could also be the final court appearance for Chief Justice William Rehnquist who may decide to step down.
An autopsy will be performed today on a teenager who was killed by a shark on Saturday. The 14-year-old was about 200 yards from shore when she was attacked. The beaches in Northwest Florida have reopen but there appear to be fewer visitors.
In money news, "Batman" was again tops at the box officer over the weekend, but even the cap crusader has been unable to pull the movie biz out of a tailspin. Revenues have fallen for 18 straight weeks, which passes the previous worse slump back in 1985.
In culture, Eminem has signed on to take part in a fundraiser in his home town of Detroit. He'll play one song at the "Rock and the Rooftops" fireworks festival on Wednesday. Detroit's mayor says the one song will be appropriate for all ages.
In sports, Birdie Kim lived up to her name in a dramatic win at the U.S. Women's Open. She sank this 30-yard chip shot on the final hole to win. It was a birdie for Birdie. She finished three over par.
Chad.
MYERS: It wasn't just a chip shot, it was out of the sand.
COSTELLO: Amazing.
MYERS: What a great shot for her and great finish to that too.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: That's a look at the latest headlines for you this morning. There is still plenty more ahead here on DAYBREAK, including the start of the BTK trial in Wichita, Kansas. But could the long awaited trial be ending even before it starts. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: In Kansas, the prosecutor in the BTK serial case says she's ready to go to trial and we just could learn today when that trial is set to begin. Jonathan Freed has more on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The man accused of terrorizing Wichita, Kansas, for more than 30 years will be back in court this morning. When Dennis Rader last appeared in May, the judge entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf. Rader is accused of killing 10 people between 1974 and 1991. In a recent telephone interview given to CNN affiliate KSN-TV, Rader listed what he sees as his legal options.
DENNIS RADER: Three things can happen on the hearing. There's a continuance, there's a plea or we go for trail.
FREED: The Sedgwick County district attorney's office provided CNN with more detail about all that. Saying, for example, if Rader changes his plea to guilty, and if it's accepted by the court, a sentencing hearing would likely be set for a month from now. But as for the possibility of a continuance Rader mentioned, meaning to delay the trial, the DA has long insisted she'd never ask for one, saying she's ready to try the case right now.
NOLA FOULSTON, SEGWICK CO. DIST. ATTY.: We're ready to, you know, do whatever we need to do. We're well studied on it.
FREED: So that means any request for a continuance would most likely come from the defense. Prosecutors say Rader could also wave his right to a trial by jury where District Judge Gregory Waller would then decide if Rader is responsible for the string of murders. And that option would also delay the start of the trial. Rader could also try to enter a plea of no contest, where he wouldn't be admitting guilt, but he wouldn't be fighting the charges either. But the DA has said firmly that she would never agree to that, insisting that the victim's families deserve nothing less than a verdict of guilty.
Jonathan Freed, CNN, Wichita, Kansas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And Jonathan Freed will join us live in just about 30 minutes.
Here's a look at what's new in the next hour of DAYBREAK.
They went to Cuba to see for themselves. In the next hour, we'll hear what U.S. lawmakers had to say about the Guantanamo Bay prison. We'll also hear from a man who's son is being detained there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: In entertainment headlines for you this morning, Matthew Broderick among dozens of celebrities in line to get stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He will be joined by "Everybody Loves Raymond" star Ray Romano, a very slinky and blonde Holly Hunter is also on the list. There she is. As is all around actor/comedian/banjo player, Steve Martin. Remember when he used to play the banjo on "Saturday Night Live"? He's a funny guy.
Logo, a TV network for homosexuals, debuts on Thursday. It's an off-shot of MTV. There will be movies like "Kissing Jessica Stein in Philadelphia," a reality series about opening a gay bar, and a standup comedy series called "Wise Crack." Initially, it will be available in homes with digital cable. Marketers estimate the gay and lesbian audience has a disposable income of up to half a trillion dollars.
Long before he was the voice of Tigger, some of you may recall he was the voice of Jerry Mahoney. The two were early TV stars in the '50s and '60s. Ventriloquist Paul Winchell died at his California home on Friday. He was 82. So Paul Winchell, ta ta for now.
You can get more entertainment news every night on "Showbiz Tonight." That's at 7 p.m. Eastern on Headline News.
An explosive allegation is made at the wrongful death trial of rapper B.I.G., also known as Biggie Smalls. An attorney for the rapper's family says there's been a confession in the 1997 killing but the L.A. Police Department is covering up the facts. CNN's Peter Viles has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): He was a high school dropout and sometime crack dealer who weighed nearly 400 pounds and was briefly the king of East Coast hip hop. He was shot and killed when he was just 24-years-old. The question that's never been answered, who killed Christopher Wallace, the rapper known as Biggie Smalls and later as notorious B.I.G.
Eight years ago Los Angeles police said they were close to making an arrest.
LT. ROSS MOEN, LOS ANGLES POLICE: We're looking towards the arrest of the suspects in this case, is that we're looking towards the prosecution to making sure that we do everything right.
VILES: But no one was ever arrested. And now the family of the dead rapper is alleging that the L.A.P.D. is covering something up, that off duty cops were involved in the murder.
PERRY R. SANDERS JR., WALLACE FAMILY ATTORNEY: They are the people charged with preventing and solving homicides such as this. Even if it means looking hard at their own dirty laundry. Once it started pointing in a certain direction, they didn't want it pointing in that direction.
VILES: A retired detective has testified that no evidence ever pointed within the police department and that rap mogul Marian "Suge" Knight was a suspect. Knight denies involvement, was never charged, and the case remains unsolved. Wallace was gunned down in his SUV on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles during the last days of a public and deadly rivalry between East Coast and West Coast rappers.
Six months earlier, West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur had been murdered in a drive-by shooting on the Vegas Strip. The wrongful death lawsuit against the L.A. Police Department alleges that a since disgraced cop, David Mack, helped plan and execute the murder. Mack, who's serving time for bank robbery, has long denied any involvement.
In federal court this week, a new twist. An 11th hour jailhouse tip alleging two former cops have confessed.
SANDERS: They're certainly allegedly were confessions made by former L.A.P.D. officers to being involved in this homicide.
VILES: The second cop allegedly involved is Mack's former partner, Rafael Perez (ph). His lawyer, though, denies that his client had any involvement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Number one, he had nothing to do with it. And, number two, there's no way he would discuss any criminal involvement with these low-life individuals who were making these calls.
VILES: In life, notorious B.I.G. released only one album. His second album released after he died was a huge hit. It was called "Life After Death."
Peter Viles for CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And the next hour of DAYBREAK starts right now.
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COSTELLO: It is Monday, June 27th.
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