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CNN Live At Daybreak

Rehnquist Health; Delayed Departure for Discovery; Emmy Nominations

Aired July 14, 2005 - 06:29   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN center in Atlanta, this is DAYBREAK, with Fredricka Whitfield.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning again, everyone. Thanks for waking up with us.

Coming up this half-hour, Chief Justice William Rehnquist is back in the hospital. We'll have a live report on his latest health issue and how it may impact the future of the high court.

Also, the death of a toddler is blamed on police. The evidence is in, and residents in Los Angeles are upset.

But first, "Now in the News."

In just about 30 minutes people all across Britain, and Europe for that matter, will observe two minutes of silence. It's meant to honor the 52 people killed in last Thursday's terror attacks.

NASA will have to wait at least until Saturday before trying again to send the shuttle Discovery into space. Yesterday's launch was scrapped because of a faulty sensor in the external fuel tank. We'll have a live report on the delay in a few minutes.

Authorities in Pakistan are struggling to identify mangled bodies one day after some 133 people were killed in a rail accident involving three trains. The crash is blamed on human error.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Chief Justice William Rehnquist is back in the hospital after complaining of a fever. This is just the latest health scare for the 80-year-old chief justice.

For more on this, we turn to CNN's Kathleen Koch, who is at the hospital in Arlington, Virginia, where Chief Rehnquist is still receiving some treatment -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka.

No word this morning yet of any change in Chief Justice William Rehnquist's condition, nor any word on whether or not he will remain hospitalized here for a second day.

It was on Tuesday that he was brought here by ambulance to Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, complaining of a fever. Rehnquist has been fighting thyroid cancer since October. And as part of his treatment, underwent a tracheotomy.

He was away from the bench for some five months and has been treated with both radiation and chemotherapy. And doctors say it's not unusual for a cancer patient to be hospitalized when suffering from a fever.

A Supreme Court spokeswoman, for the moment, has only said that the chief justice was admitted for tests and observation. The court, of course, has been very tight-lipped about the chief justice's medical condition, not even elaborating on what type -- specific type of thyroid cancer he is suffering from.

And also, likewise here at Virginia Hospital Center, officials are giving no information out on the chief justice's medical condition, citing privacy rules -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kathleen Koch, thanks so much, from Arlington.

Well, President Bush says he's not ready to pass judgment on Karl Rove. The current deputy chief of staff is under fire after being named as a source for a story in "TIME" magazine. That story is part of an ongoing investigation in the naming of an active CIA agent.

"TIME" reporter Matthew Cooper testified before a grand jury yesterday, but critics of Rove and of President Bush want more answers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD DEAN, DNC CHAIRMAN: Now we're going to find out, Mr. President, if you'll keep your word. Who do you value more, Mr. President? Do you value intelligence operatives defending the United States of America? Or do you value political operatives from Texas? We're going to find out. Who do you value more, Mr. President, the security of the American people or your political cronies? Will you keep your word, Mr. President? We're going find out if the president of the United States will keep his word.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: President Bush said he won't discuss the issue until the end of the investigation.

Now to follow up on the story we've been watching very closely. Tensions are running high in Los Angeles following the news that police did, in fact, kill a 19-month old girl. Residents in one neighborhood faced off with police late last night while protesting the shooting. There were no arrests in the demonstration. An autopsy showed that Suzy Pena was killed by a single bullet fired from a police officer's rifle. Police were involved in a shootout with the girl's father at the time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE GASCON, ASSISTANT CHIEF, LAPD: The suspect is the one that committed a criminal event. The suspect is the one that prompted what occurred here. And I think it's very important that we do not confuse sorrow with any indication that we believe that our officers did anything wrong. Our officers did what they had to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Police Chief William Bratton revealed that several officers involved in the incident are undergoing trauma counseling. And he said they may never return to their jobs.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, what went wrong with the latest launch attempt? We'll talk to our resident expert on all things space, Miles O'Brien.

And is the housing boom slowing down to a speed that will discriminate against your family?

Here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The international markets are all looking brighter this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei is higher by 104 points. The London FTSE is up by 19. And the German DAX is up 22 points.

It's time now for a little "Business Buzz."

Rising home prices are good if you're trying to sell your home.

Carrie Lee joins us now to tell us if those high prices may eventually slow down the housing boom.

CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: That's the million-dollar question with a lot of homes costing not too far from a million dollars.

You know, one way homebuyers have been able to afford more expensive homes in this market has been with creative mortgage products that keep initial payments low.

But a recent study from Bear Stearns shows that initial mortgage payments rose sharply in the first quarter of this year. And there's other evidence that houses may just be too expensive.

According to "The Wall Street Journal," in 38 of the 50 states home prices rose faster than incomes over the 12 months ending in March. And in 41 of the biggest metro areas, someone earning the median income wouldn't be able to afford a median-priced home; this, according to the "Journal."

But people have been predicting the end of the housing boom for some time. And over the past couple of months, sales of new and existing homes have remained strong. So, it will be interesting to see if those gains can continue, Fredricka. But a lot of creative mortgage products and low interest rates have certainly been part of the reason the housing market has been so strong.

WHITFIELD: OK. Another look at the futures.

LEE: Yes. Futures are pointing to a higher open. One stock to watch: Apple. Once again, the iPod contributing to a very strong quarter for the company. They do say, though, that for the next quarter profits are going to come in -- could come in a little lower than what Wall Street is expecting. Still, the stock gained over 3 percent in the after-hours session, and that is certainly helping the techs this morning.

WHITFIELD: All right, Carrie Lee, thanks so much.

Well, your news, money, weather and sports. It is now 20 minutes before the hour, and here's what's all new this morning.

In 15 minutes, Britain and much of Europe will observe two minutes of silence for the victims of last week's bombings in London. Police say four suspected suicide bombers were Britons.

In money, former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. It's the longest sentence for any executive accused of corporate fraud.

In culture, "Crazy Cooter" doesn't like cursing. Former Georgia Congressman Ben Jones, the actor who played Cooter in the "Dukes of Hazzard" TV show is urging fans to avoid the movie. He says it's got just too much profanity and sexual content.

And in sports, he's still wearing the leader's yellow jersey. Lance Armstrong has a 38-second lead going into today's 12th stage of the Tour de France bike race.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, still to come on DAYBREAK, cell phones and airplanes, are they a safe mixer in the skies?

And who stands to win the Emmy race? Nominations are this morning. We'll talk frontrunners.

But first, a look at who is celebrating birthdays on this Thursday, July 14.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The space shuttle Discovery will stay grounded until at least Saturday, following a sensor problem. NASA scrubbed the flight after they determined that the glitch could have had catastrophic consequences.

For more on the decision to delay, we're joined by CNN space correspondent Miles O'Brien at the Kennedy Space Center.

Good morning to you -- Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fred.

We have a spectacular picture of the space shuttle on the launch pad this morning. Let me take that and show it and share it with you. It's wonderful as the sun shines on it. And I think the only thing that would be a prettier sight for NASA officials this morning is an empty launch pad.

What happened yesterday was into the countdown about -- look at that sunrise. Isn't that gorgeous? What happened into the countdown yesterday about 1:30 in the afternoon local time, they were testing out basically the device which gives the low fuel warning light for the rocket fuel inside that orange external fuel tank. It was stuck. And that's a bad thing, because you're faced with the possibility of the shuttle's main engines running dry, which could cause a catastrophic problem, as you referred to.

Or on the flipside -- sensors are located there at the base of that external tank. On the flipside, they could have shut off early, which could have put the astronauts in a situation where they'd have to abort, say, across the Atlantic or perhaps even return to the launch site.

So, those are things you don't want to mess around with. And now the situation is this: They've got to figure out how they can get to that sensor, see if that is the problem in the first place. Perhaps it could be something on the orbiter. The problem is they don't really understand it.

So, we are at the situation now where they're saying, well, if everything goes great, we might be able to launch Saturday afternoon. But we really don't understand the problem. So that raises the possibility there could be a much longer delay -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Well, I'm glad and I know everybody is glad that that problem was detected. But, Miles, does NASA explain why they would detect that problem just two hours before scheduled launch, and that's not a discovery that would have been made long before that?

M. O'BRIEN: That's a good question, because back in April, Discovery was out here with a fuel tank. And they just did a test on filling up the fuel tank. And this problem happened. Well, they rolled it back, and they swapped the tank. There was a new tank put on. And instead of testing it once again, they said, this is not going to happen again.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy!

M. O'BRIEN: And sure enough they did their countdown, and it did. So, it does raise the question of whether they should have tested it one more time.

The truth of the matter is when the problem happened, they couldn't recreate it. It was one of those, you know, intermittent- type problems.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: And it's like whenever I have a problem with my car, and you go to the mechanic and it always works perfectly when you bring it in, right? And it was one of those scenarios. And as a result, it was an unexplained situation.

Now, they're going to have to explain it. And the explaining part could take quite some time.

As I've probably been telling you, NASA wants to launch during daylight hours.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: And because they have a very narrow window each day to meet the space station, they're running out of daylight, because each day it gets a little bit earlier to meet up with the space station. By the end of July, August 1, they're in nighttime hours. And that means that they can't launch before then, we're into September.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right, well, the countdown is on, a new countdown of sorts. Miles O'Brien at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. Thanks so much.

It is now about nines minutes before the hour, and here is what's making news later on today.

It was a close call for some 300 homeowners in the California coastal town of Rancho Palos Verdes. Firefighters beat back this wildfire that burned 100 acres and came within a dozen or so yards of their homes. Fortunately no homes were damaged, and no one was injured.

The use of cell phones on airplanes goes before a House subcommittee today. The aviation subcommittee is reviewing an FCC proposal that would lift the ban on using cell phones and other wireless devices on planes. The FAA would have to agree to any of those changes.

And security is tight in Paris as France celebrates Bastille Day. The national holiday recalls the storming of the fort, which held political prisoners at the outbreak of the French Revolution.

And in just under two hours from now, stars of the small screen will find out if they're up for an Emmy award. The big favorites this year include the desperate and the lost.

And here with a preview of today's nominations is Meeta Agrawal with "Life" magazine.

Good to see you, Meeta.

MEETA AGRAWAL, "LIFE" MAGAZINE: Hi. Thank you so much for having me.

WHITFIELD: Well, it looks like it might be a shoe-in, some might think, for some of ABC's programming with "Grey's Anatomy," with "Desperate Housewives," with the "Lost." Is the buzz that likely there may be a sweep of some of the nominations involving these categories -- or those shows I should say?

AGRAWAL: You know, what's interesting is that the lineup for this year is looking so different than last year. I mean, if you look at last year's Emmys, it was basically HBO's own private party with "The Sopranos" and "Angels in America" and "Sex and the City."

And this year with none of those things in the running, ABC has really stepped up. And, you know, "Desperate Housewives," of course, is actually being nominated in the comedy category, which some people are a little bit taken aback by that since it's an hour-long show. But as a show, and then with its great ensemble cast, it will be really interesting to see who of those five pretty amazing actresses get the nod in a couple of hours.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

AGRAWAL: You know, if it's just Teri Hatcher, I'm not sure that I'd want to be on that set come Monday.

WHITFIELD: No kidding. I would say the harmony, if there is harmony -- I don't have any, you know, personal knowledge of what goes on with those ladies and how they get along. But that harmony might be disrupted quite a bit if, you know, it seems like a disproportionate nominee process for those ladies.

AGRAWAL: But what's interesting is that since Nicolette Sheridan is being nominated -- or is being considered for the supporting actress category...

WHITFIELD: Yes.

AGRAWAL: ... it is possible that that all four of the ladies will get a nomination, the other four being in the lead actress in the comedy category. So that's definitely something to watch out for.

WHITFIELD: All right. And then there are some old favorites that are still on TV.

AGRAWAL: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: You know, "West Wing" being one of them, "CSI." But does it seem like the new shows are kind of getting all of the attention, and perhaps some of the older shows might take the back seat in terms of nominations?

AGRAWAL: Well, you know, again, that's definitely something to watch for.

WHITFIELD: Yes. AGRAWAL: You know, the academy loves the "West Wing." And this year, you know, with Jimmy Smith and Alan Alda giving such stellar performance, and the show really kind of changing its pace, I wouldn't be surprised if it gets a whole slew of nominations again.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

AGRAWAL: And it seems like America can't get enough of "CSI." So, I guess we'll see whether or not they can again.

WHITFIELD: Yes, they got enough of them. I mean, they're on every night, and it's a different version.

AGRAWAL: No kidding.

WHITFIELD: All right. Whatever happened to HBO? You know, you mentioned HBO, "Sex and the City" being one of the shows. You know, it's not really a hot network in terms of programming like "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City" anymore.

AGRAWAL: Well, you know, HBO definitely marches to its own drumbeat. So, it decided not to run any episodes of "The Sopranos" last year, which means that there's nothing. That show is not in contention. "Deadwood" is much -- well, maybe not much as another edgy offering from HBO that some people say could really give it some Emmy considerations. And then, there's "Six Feet Under," which for some people got a little bit too dark. But I guess we'll see what happens there.

So, I wouldn't count them out of the running, and I'm definitely interested to see what happens.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, we will be watching. The countdown is on for the nominations of the Emmys for television programming. Meeta Agrawal, thanks so much, from "Life" magazine.

AGRAWAL: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: Well, it's time to give away a DAYBREAK coffee mug.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The hardest mug in television.

WHITFIELD: It's the toughest mug, the toughest one to get.

MYERS: In fact, I don't even have one, and my mom doesn't have one either.

WHITFIELD: Hey.

MYERS: All right. Here are the questions from yesterday. What is the official name of the space shuttle Discovery's mission that didn't take place yesterday? But it is still called STS-114. STS- 114. And who is the president of PBS? That is Pat Mitchell.

And the winner, Robert Lau from Monterey Park, California. What are you doing awake out there? Robert, congratulations. You are the winner of the mug.

Now the questions for today. Hurricane Dennis uprighted a boat that was sunk as a reef along Key Largo? What's the name of that ship that it uprighted? It was upside down. It was on its starboard side. Now it's upright, so that now divers can go in much safer. And what percentage of London's economy is from tourism?

Go to CNN.com/daybreak, and there's a link to submit your answers there for the mug tomorrow -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, very good. Thanks so much, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: When we come back, more headlines and a look at your travel forecast. This is DAYBREAK for a Thursday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Our top stories now.

A live picture outside of Buckingham Palace there. Queen Elizabeth is going to be observing two minutes of silence along with the rest of London, as well as the rest of Europe for that matter. It was one week ago today that the terrorist bombing attacks took place, killing 52 people and wounding some 700 others. That moment of silence taking place at the top of the hour.

Meantime, two suicide bombers struck a checkpoint in Baghdad's heavily-fortified green zone today. One bomber was driving a car, the other wearing an explosive's vest. Five people, including a suspected third bomber, were wounded.

People upset over the weekend shooting by police of a 19-month- old girl turned out to protest late last night in Los Angeles. The protest came after it was revealed that the child died from a single gunshot wound that was fired from an officer's rifle.

From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

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