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CNN Live At Daybreak

Latest on Investigation into London Terror Bombings; Chief Justice William Rehnquist Clarifies Future on Supreme Court

Aired July 15, 2005 - 06:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It is Friday, July 15.
The leak, the top adviser and now details about the testimony. Karl Rove is our top story this morning.

We're learning more about what Rove told the grand jury and what a journalist told the president's chief of staff. Details in a moment.

Also, heck no, he won't go. Chief Justice William Rehnquist clarifies his future on the Supreme Court.

And airport security screenings -- are they checkpoints or chokepoints?

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is DAYBREAK with Fredricka Whitfield.

WHITFIELD: Good morning again, everyone.

We'll have more on those stories in a moment.

Also this hour, consumers beware. Those certified used cars may be a certified scam. We'll explain.

And meet Brian Crawford, a stunt man wannabe who caught the eye of police, not a director.

But first, now in the news, CNN has learned that the London bombings may have been a continuation of a plot that British police foiled last year. In that case, eight British Muslims were arrested and a half ton of explosive material was confiscated. We'll have a live report from London in a few moments.

Los Angeles police have released part of a surveillance video showing a man firing at officers during a hostage shootout that left him and his toddler daughter dead.

NASA now says the Discovery mission will have to wait until Sunday at the earliest. But if the sensor problems can't be fixed, it could force the launch to be delayed all the way until September. The current launch window closes July 31.

And Chad keeping a close eye on that Emily.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wow! Yes, a big storm overnight. It was a tight little compact storm yesterday and now it has really grown in size, grown in depth and also the cloud tops have gotten colder. That's why they're getting darker red here. And a colder cloud top means that the storm is higher, the storm is larger and the wind speeds in the overnight hours are up to 135 miles per hour, now a category four storm.

It's going to make its way very close to Jamaica. Kingston, Jamaica on the wrong side of this storm, for sure. And then traveling over toward the Yucatan and eventually possibly either from the northern Mexican coast or right up into Texas, as we get into Tuesday, into Wednesday.

So folks all -- everybody along the Texas coast you have to watch that, also from Tampico northward.

Right now winds 135 miles per hour. It gets very close to Jamaica at 1:35, a category four. As it makes landfall, if it does, in the Yucatan, it will probably cross to category three for a while because it will interact with the land for a moment. But it is still a very strong storm.

And there you see the projected center of the track. But it could be all the way from almost Houston and Corpus Christi right on back down south into Mexico -- back to you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: Our top story this morning, anti-terror police are still swarming through northern England as part of the probe into last week's London bombings. They're also searching for an Egyptian born chemist who has disappeared.

For the latest on the investigation, we're joined now by CNN's Jim Boulden in Leeds, England -- Jim.

JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka.

Let me start with where I am. I'm in South Leeds at the moment. And the buildings behind me are being picked through by the forensic teams.

Now, yesterday the bomb squad arrived here at noon Leeds time. There was a fear that there might be explosives material in this area. The area was evacuated, but the residents were allowed in back last night and now forensic teams are going through this.

We're seeing this all over Leeds, a half dozen buildings at least, as the police continue their investigation into what happened here and what got the bombers to go to London last Thursday.

But let's look at a couple of pictures here. CNN has learned the I.D. of the fourth suspected bomber. His name is Germaine Morris Lindsay. Neighbors say that he went by the name of Jamal and that he converted to Islam a few years ago and was taught -- wanted the name of Jamal. He's 19 years old. He was Jamaican born. And he was from the north of London. Like I said, he is considered to be the suspected fourth bomber, though the police have not confirmed that with us at the moment.

He was believed to be on the train that went between Kings Cross and Russell Square, and that's where most of the people died. At least 23 people died on that terrible day last Thursday.

Now, here in Leeds, the investigation is leading to the connection, a possible connection between the Egyptian-born biochemist. His name is Magdy al-Nashar. Now, the police have not actually given us his name either. But we have -- CNN has learned from officials that there is a possible link between that man and the boys here in Leeds. He is -- the school here, Leeds University, says he has not been seen since early January. Officials have also told CNN that he studied chemical engineering at North Carolina State University in Raleigh during the spring semester of 2000. And that's according to the North Carolina school records.

Also, as you mentioned, there is some talk about where the investigation is going, that there might possibly be a link between the bombings last Thursday and some arrests in London last year.

Now, let me explain that. There were eight Egyptian -- sorry, eight Muslim British men arrested last March and they had a half a ton of ammonium nitrate linked to them. So the idea is they might have possibly have stopped a suspected bombing last year.

And we're being told by officials that there is a possible link between what happened last Thursday and those arrests last year -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jim Boulden in Leeds, England.

Thanks so much.

Well, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove continues to take heat from Democrats over his role in a CIA leak. But the Associated Press is reporting that Rove told the grand jury that he learned the agent's identity from reporters. Rove didn't say which reporter gave him the information, but he did admit to talking with Matt Cooper of "Time" magazine and Robert Novak. It was Novak's column in the "Chicago Tribune" that first named Valerie Plame. Robert Novak is also a contributor to CNN.

Meanwhile, Democrats have invited Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, to testify before Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE WILSON, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR: I believe that that is well below the ethical standards that we should demand from our senior public servants. I believe the American people are understanding that, in fact, this is not a case about Joe Wilson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: We'll have more on the leak controversy later on this hour of DAYBREAK.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer takes a close look at what the leak is all about and its impact on the Bush administration.

Chief Justice William Rehnquist says he has no immediate plans to step down from the Supreme Court. After his release from a hospital for treatment of a fever, Rehnquist's family issued this emphatic statement: "I want to put to rest the speculation and unfounded rumors of my imminent retirement. I am not about to announce my retirement. I will continue to perform my duties as chief justice as long as my health permits."

Rehnquist suffers from thyroid cancer.

CNN's Bob Franken has been following all the speculation about Rehnquist's retirement. Bob joins us now -- at the bottom of the hour, I should say -- with more on that story.

In other "News Across America" this morning, family and fellow sailors bury Navy SEAL Danny Dietz in Littleton, Colorado. Dietz was killed two weeks ago during a commando mission in the mountains of Afghanistan. He was buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery next to his grandfather, a Korean War veteran.

A very close call for a New York pedestrians who mostly escaped a building collapse. The building crumbled while under demolition. The front wall and roof came down, taking the scaffolding along with it. The collapse crushed a bus shelter, but no one was seriously hurt.

Waterfront property where it's not supposed to be in Houston, Texas. Storms flooded parts of the city and knocked out power to thousands of residents. The fire department reported dozens of high water rescues and the storm clouds may form there again today.

Still to come this hour, there's another delay for Discovery. So when will the shuttle return to space? We'll go live to the Kennedy Space Center.

Also, certified pre-owned cars sound like a great deal, but are they?

And this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN CRAWFORD, "STUNTMAN": I hang on the side of my car. I ski on the outside. I do Superman, where I hang vertically beside the car with about a foot off the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: We'll, we've heard of bodysurfing, channel surfing, but car surfing? This is one stunt we don't want you to try on your own. But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, Chad, this next item brings to mind the show "Jackass" in more ways than one.

MYERS: Yes. Do not try this at home.

WHITFIELD: No kidding.

A Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania student now faces charges for doing a whole lot of kind of stupid stunts.

We get the story now from Jodine Costanzo of CNN affiliate WPXI.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JODINE COSTANZO, WPXI CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's video that would make just about anyone shudder with fear, but not 20-year- old Brian Crawford, who stars in the home video shot in this moving car in heavy traffic on I-279.

(on camera): Were you scared when you did this?

CRAWFORD: Yes, but that's what makes it fun. I mean I just don't -- it's enjoyable because it's scary, because of the fear, because of the adrenaline rush.

COSTANZO (voice-over): It may have been a rush for Crawford and his three friends in the car, but police are calling this stunt criminal. Here's a good look why.

CRAWFORD: I hang on the side of my car. I ski on the outside. I do Superman, where I hang vertically beside the car with about a foot off the ground.

COSTANZO: Crawford and two of his friends are students at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. With a video recorder Crawford borrowed from the school, his plan was to include the car surfing on a tape he's hoping to use to get into stunt school in Australia.

(on camera): You were going 55 miles an hour on a major Interstate, cars all around you. You're not afraid of flying off your car?

COSTANZO: Aren't the police afraid of being shot when they're, you know, on the North Side chasing somebody? I mean it's the same thing.

COSTANZO: They're trained. They have bulletproof vests on. You had no protection.

CRAWFORD: My bodyweight holds me up. I know if the car is going to shift or be jerked, I know which way I need to lean or go. I practice ways to tumble. COSTANZO (voice-over): The president of the Art Institute is calling this stunt foolish and shocking, and says it's a violation of the use of school equipment, which may result in disciplinary action as severe as expulsion.

GEORGE PRY, PRESIDENT, ART INSTITUTE OF PITTSBURGH: Two huge issues are you cannot use equipment unlawfully and you cannot use equipment that puts people in harm's way.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: Hmmm.

That report was from Jodine Costanzo of CNN affiliate WPXI in Pittsburgh. And Rick Crawford, by the way, did send a letter of apology to the school, but he still faces several criminal charges. But he did do that.

MYERS: They didn't say former student yet, right?

WHITFIELD: Not quite. Not yet. It sounds like we're getting close to that point, though.

Bold or stupid or something.

MYERS: Not the first one.

WHITFIELD: Golly.

All right, well, your news, money, weather and sports.

It's 13 minutes after the hour and here's what's all new this morning.

The Palestinian Authority has declared a state of emergency in Gaza and the West Bank. Palestinian militants fired at least six more rockets into Israel this morning.

The man at the center of the athletic steroids controversy wants a deal. Victor Conte is the founder of the San Francisco Bay area lab, Balco, that allegedly supplied steroids to several top athletes. Conte will ask a judge today for a four month prison stay on conspiracy and money laundering charges.

In money, millions of Harry Potter books will start flying off the shelves at midnight tonight. Bookstores are staying open late to sell the sixth in the series, "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince." The last Harry Potter book sold five million copies on the first day.

And in culture, "Desperate Housewives" received 15 Emmy nominations, including a nod for best comedy series. Three of its stars, Terry Hatcher, Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman, are all in the running for the best comedy actress.

And in sports, Tiger Woods jugged out to an early lead in the British Open. The 2000 British Open champ holds a one shot lead after the first round. Half the field has already teed off in the second round this morning.

MYERS: Right. Because they're four, five, whatever, hours ahead of there, so there you go.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, the launch of Discovery is definitely in danger of not happening any time soon. NASA is working to fix a sensor problem that scrubbed this week's planned flight. But its plan to possibly lift off Sunday is now looking less likely.

For the latest on NASA's latest setback, we're joined by CNN's Sumi Das at the Kennedy Space Center -- hi, Sumi.

SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

Well, as Discovery sits on the launch pad here at Kennedy Space Center. A dozen NASA teams made up of about 200 engineers, are trying to solve the technical glitch that led to the space -- t launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery being called off just two-and-a-half hours before lift-off.

Now, the problem is still unidentified. However, Wayne Hale, the deputy manager for the space shuttle program, has said it lies somewhere between the path from the fuel tank sensor to the orbiter computer.

This latest setback is just one in a series that NASA has encountered on its return to flight.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DAS (voice-over): Since the Columbia tragedy two-and-a-half years ago, NASA's road back to the launch pad has been filled with hurdles. The faulty fuel sensor, which led to Wednesday's scheduled launch being scrubbed, was not foreign to NASA.

In April, a similar sensor error arose during a test of the external fuel tanks. Although engineers were never able to identify the problem, after swapping out the tank and the sensor system's wiring and boxes, NASA achieved successful test results and felt comfortable proceeding with the launch.

STEPHANIE STILSON, DISCOVERY VEHICLE MANAGER: NASA has to make these decisions every day. It's a complicated machine, as you've been talking about, technologically, probably the most advanced machine ever built in the history of the world.

DAS: Questions of a delay arose one day prior to the scheduled launch when a shuttle cockpit window cover panel fell, damaging two of its protective tiles. But NASA quickly made the necessary repair and announced the launch was still a go.

Before the launch was scrubbed on Wednesday, fueling of Discovery was delayed due to a broken ground heater. Threat, NASA has said they won't launch with unexplained anomalies such as the malfunctioning fuel sensor.

WAYNE HALE, DEPUTY PROGRAM MANAGER: Could we talk ourselves into going after all of this without doing anything? No.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

DAS: NASA will hold another press conference this afternoon and at that time we should have a better idea of if and when the launch will be rescheduled.

Now, the current window closes on the 31st of this month. The next one doesn't open up until September 9. But NASA is still holding hope for a July launch -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, their fingers are crossed.

Sumi Das, thanks so much, from the Kennedy Space Center.

Harry Potter mania inspires unlikely allies, as two big shipping companies team up for a super Saturday of delivery. Carrie Lee has that story straight ahead.

Also, still not familiar with the names Joe Wilson and Karl Rove? We'll take you to the beginning of this federal investigation involving a CIA leak.

But first, we want to say good morning to Miami. They might see some storms today, even though it looks pretty nice right now, with a high of 89.

DAYBREAK will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, at midnight tonight, thousands of muggles will line up at bookstores around the country to get the latest Harry Potter book. Muggles, of course, are folks like you and me, those without magical powers.

Carrie Lee joins us now with more on the Potter madness -- Carrie.

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you have to ask what a muggle is, you're not a fan, right, Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: That's right.

LEE: Well, there are...

WHITFIELD: Get with it.

LEE: Yes. There are millions of Harry Potter's fans. Potter mania sweeping the country. In fact, there are expected to be 5,000 midnight parties at stores across the country tonight. Scholastic, the publisher of the Harry Potter series, is hosting one at its New York offices, as are the Toys 'R Us store in Times Square and all 660 Barnes & Noble stores.

Now, the book's 10.8 million initial print run has already sold out. Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com have taken over one million free orders on their Web sites.

While that's great for them, this is all posing a big challenge for UPS, which has enlisted the help of the Postal Service to make sure every Potter fan gets a copy on Saturday. Timing here very key.

Some other stuff. The first five Potter books combined sold over 270 million copies worldwide. The books are printed in 62 languages. A blockbuster book like this does a lot for bookstores. Most of the big retailers are selling it for $17.99. That's a 40 percent discount off the list price. Barnes & Noble says it will help sell just about everything else in its store. The company expects three million people to visit its stores this weekend.

Fredricka, very interesting because, you know, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "War of the Worlds" out this weekend. "War of the Worlds" has been out for a little while. And there's been a lot of speculation that this book sale may cut into movie sales.

WHITFIELD: Ooh.

LEE: That's not something you hear very often.

So we'll see.

WHITFIELD: Wow!

Well, it's good to know that the kids are reading.

LEE: Yes, that's right. Exactly.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

All right, Carrie Lee, thanks so much.

LEE: OK.

WHITFIELD: Well, need a new ride? How about buying used instead of new?

For many of us, that's the road to go. However, the "Wall Street Journal" reports that certified used car programs are coming under increasing attack from consumer advocates and lawmakers. More than one-and-a-half million certified pre-owned cars were sold last year. They sell for almost $1,000 more than non-certified used cars.

Joining us live is the car coach, automotive expert Lauren Fix.

At least she's live on the telephone with us, out of Rochester, New York.

All right, Lauren good to see you.

LAUREN FIX, AUTOMOTIVE EXPERT: Good to see you, too.

WHITFIELD: Or to hear from you.

FIX: Thank you for having us.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, to call a used car a certified pre- owned car does not suggest it's -- or does it suggest it's above and beyond the usual used car?

FIX: Well, you would like to think that. Basically what the manufacturers have stated is that they've undergone a certain comprehensive inspection, that is a car has any major damage that it's not considered a certified pre-owned or there's a bunch of different names each manufacturer has. But what's most important is if it is truly a certified pre-owned, it's got special warranties, features and financing options that are similar to new cars and they've been inspected.

But that's one of the things that we like to believe that's been done. And in many cases, it has been done. And it depends on each individual dealer to take the responsibility for each individual car, where the manufacturer states this is what's required of us, it's now in your hands.

WHITFIELD: So, inspected by whom? You're saying those dealers, the manufacturers are doing these very thorough inspections?

FIX: Well, the manufacturers are requiring the thorough inspections, but there's so many dealers out there for every single year, make and model that they just say, you know, we're leaving it in your hands to do the final inspection. It would be, obviously, quite costly.

But I also believe that, you know, as someone who is always trying to help others, that it's really your responsibility to have anything checked out just -- if you were looking at a house, you would have a house inspector come in. And if you're going to look at a certified pre-owned, then one of the things you want to do is check carfacts.com, check with an independent inspector and have it checked because of some of the issues that are happening.

WHITFIELD: All right, so let's look at some of those requirements for certification.

FIX: OK. Well, some of the things you want to check is obviously mileage. If you -- every manufacturer has a certain amount of items on their checklist or years or mileage. But also one of the things that you want to check is, of course, if there's any major damage that would exclude that vehicle from a certified pre-owned opportunity.

WHITFIELD: And so each dealer or manufacturer has different requirements that they would like to term, you know, pre-certification or certification for a pre-owned car. Audi has a 300-item checklist, Volkswagen a 100-item checklist.

It varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, doesn't it?

FIX: Yes, it does. Every manufacturer also calls it something different. I mean I've always recommended certified pre-owneds, but usually what that means is the vehicle has low mileage, it's been well taken care of, because the results for the consumer is a warranty and there's all kinds of -- every manufacturer offers special programs that may include a roadside service program.

But one of the things that you absolutely want to keep in mind, if you do purchase a vehicle that's certified pre-owned and it says it comes with a warranty, please ask who's handling that warranty, because if it's handled through that manufacturer, you're in great shape. If it's handled through an outside company, you need to read all that small fine lettering.

WHITFIELD: All right, Lauren Fix, thanks for joining us, out of Rochester, New York this morning.

Have a great day.

Enough already -- the nation's top judge moves to end rumors about his retirement. We'll tell you what Chief Justice William Rehnquist has to say when we come back.

And later, those extra long security lines -- find out where the worst ones are. It might surprise you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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