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CNN Live At Daybreak

Emily on the Move; Muslim Summit

Aired July 19, 2005 - 05:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning. It is Tuesday, July 19. Emily's weeklong drama enters its final act. People in south Texas are boarding their windows, piling their sandbags and crossing their fingers.
Also, is President Bush changing course in the Karl Rove controversy? Democrats accuse the White House of a whitewash.

And reaching out. Britain tries to bring more Muslims into the mainstream.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is DAYBREAK with Betty Nguyen and Chad Myers.

NGUYEN: Well, good morning, everybody. From the CNN world headquarters here in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Carol Costello this morning. We want to say good morning everybody.

We also have a lot more to tell you about, including Hurricane Emily. We'll get to that in just a moment.

But also ahead, should we get used to seeing suicide bombers outside the Middle East? It is a scary thought that could become a reality.

And a major march in Israel over Gaza, but will it make any difference?

First, though, here's a look at what is in the news today.

There's been a deadly shooting attack on Iraqi civilians this morning. Gunmen fired on a minibus filled with Iraqis who work at a U.S. military base northeast of Baghdad. Ten of them were killed. The bus then crashed head on into a car, killing three more people.

He commanded American troops in the nation's longest-running conflict, the Vietnam War. Retired General William Westmoreland has died. He was 91. Westmoreland drew his share of controversy by contending the U.S. did not lose the war in southeast Asia.

A powerful typhoon is bearing down on southeastern China after causing heavy damage in Taiwan. The storm shut down Taiwan's capital, uprooting trees and street signs and washing away bridges and homes. Look at this video. More than 800,000 people on the Chinese coast had evacuated.

And CNN is your hurricane headquarters. Hurricane Emily gearing up for its final shot. And it has northeastern Mexico in its sights.

First, though, we'll get the latest on Emily's path. We'll also go to south Texas, where people are bracing for the storm. And then we will take you where Emily has already been, the Yucatan Peninsula.

But let's begin now with meteorologist Chad Myers in the CNN weather center, following Emily and her path.

Hi, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi. Good morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: All right.

NGUYEN: Well, ahead of Hurricane Emily, people in south Texas are preparing for the worst but hoping for the best, as we mentioned. And as CNN's Rick Sanchez reports from South Padre Island, they're not taking any chances.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The potential effect from this hurricane here on South Padre Island comes down to a matter of degrees. If the eye wall of this hurricane was to hit here on South Padre, or just a little bit south of here, there would be a drastic effect in this area. Let me show you why.

You see some of the buildings behind me there. Within the last five years, officials here on South Padre Island are telling me that they have had an increase of 1,500 units. That means both condominiums and hotel rooms. And as you can see, they're still building them. That's why the officials are saying they would be concerned about a direct or near hit in this area.

DAN QUANDT, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER: We've asked people to prepare for the worst case scenario. And if they're prepared for that, then we can easily handle the tropical force situation.

SANCHEZ: The good side of this storm has to do with the fact that this area is also suffering from a severe drought. That's why people here are saying again it's a matter of degrees.

They'd like to get some of the rain that this potential hurricane will bring it. What they don't want is too much of that rain.

On South Padre Island, I'm Rick Sanchez, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And Emily roughed up Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula before heading into the Gulf. And for tourists in the popular resort area, it definitely wasn't just another day at the beach. CNN's Karl Penhaul was in the heart of the storm and has this recap from Playa del Carmen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Storm-driven waves crashed into the Mexican coast as Hurricane Emily began to pound tourist havens along the Yucatan Peninsula. The brunt of the 135 mile-an-hour hurricane battered Playa del Carmen in the wee hours of Monday.

The winds were still howling when buddies Steve Self and Clive Higgins (ph), both from Oklahoma and both with experience facing nature's fury, went to check the damage. With the aid of a flashlight, they see trees had been snapped and palm-leaf roofs ripped off. But it's nowhere near as bad as they expected.

STEVE SELF, TOURIST: These hurricanes, they've got nothing on tornadoes. You can sleep through it.

PENHAUL: Along the beach atthe five-star resorts, hotel managers were taking no chances. Hours before Emily hit, guests were evacuated from their rooms to more secure ballrooms and meeting rooms converted into emergency shelters.

Texans Pam and J.D. Chambliss wished this beachside bar would open and serve them a stiff drink after a hard night.

(on-screen): Did you hear it? Could you feel it?

PAM CHAMBLISS, TOURIST: Kind of like a little witch screaming.

J.D. CHAMBLISS, TOURIST: You could hear it howling.

P. CHAMBLISS: And howl.

J. CHAMBLISS: And some things -- it started leaking. The rain started...

(CROSSTALK)

P. CHAMBLISS: Yes, we were a little bit...

(CROSSTALK)

J. CHAMBLISS: It started leaking pretty bad. And things started falling.

PENHAUL (voice-over): They say they were crammed into their hotel's movie theater with some 300 other guests.

(on-screen): Did it get pretty sweaty in there?

P. CHAMBLISS: A little sweaty, yes. We were a little sweaty. No air conditioning.

J. CHAMBLISS: It was hot.

PENHAUL (voice-over): Authorities say trees were ripped up by their roots or snapped. But they reported little major damage to buildings and said nobody was injured.

The wind certainly turned this tourist Mecca into a mess. But workmen say they can complete the clean-up within a week. The Selfs and the Higgonsons (ph) still have a week's vacation left, and they're confident things can only get better.

SELF: I can't call it quits, just because it started out bad.

PENHAUL: And with the hurricane behind them, they and thousands of other tourists are looking forward to another day at the beach.

Karl Penhaul, CNN, Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And for the latest updates on where Emily's going and where it's been, you'll want to keep it tuned to CNN, your hurricane headquarters.

Just about an hour from now, British Prime Minister Tony Blair meets with Muslim community leaders. He wants to discuss ways to handle the backlash against Muslims in the wake of those deadly bombings and he also wants to find ways to reduce Muslim extremism.

Our Robin Oakley is outside the prime minister's London residence, and he joins us with the latest on this meeting.

Good morning, Robin.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty.

Just after the terrorist attacks took place on the London subway and blew up a London bus, Shalid Malik (ph), a Muslim member of the British House of Commons, a British lawmaker, said that condemnation was not enough, that British Muslims had to confront what they called the "evil voices" within their community. And this meeting today between the Muslim community leaders and Tony Blair and the leaders of the other British political parties is really designed to see how the Muslim community can help to see that more young, impressionable British Muslims do not fall into the hands of the terrorist godfathers, do not get radicalized and recruited to terrorism.

So Mr. Blair will be looking for their ideas. Already, we've had 500 Muslim leaders, imams answer a fatwa which will be read out at mosques across Britain on Friday condemning the acts of violence. But this is a meeting designed to see what can be done in practical terms.

And, of course, there's fairly high unemployment to young -- among Muslim youths. And there is a generation really that seems to have rejected the customs and traditions of the old countries, like Pakistan, that their parents came from, but don't yet feel fully assimilated into the British community. Those are the people who are considered at risk, and those are the kind of people they'll be talking about in Downing Street this morning -- Betty.

NGUYEN: So Robin, how do they plan to reach those folks? How do they open that dialogue?

OAKLEY: Well, it's very difficult. But what they've got to see is that they have better employment opportunities.

Interestingly, Muslim girls seem to do better at school than Muslim boys. And they may look at means of what they can do with the education system.

Certainly, they'll want to do something to -- about the access that imams and religious leaders have to young people. They'll want to see some closer vetting of the clerics, Muslim clerics who are coming into Britain from other countries, what sort of qualifications they have, what kind of background they have.

And, of course, all of this is tied together with the new anti- terror legislation which has been agreed and outlined between the parties last night. For example, acts preparatory to terrorism are going to become a defense, indirect incitement to terrorism is going to become a defense. That's designed to get at the hellfire preachers of hatred, as they've been called. And also, it's going to become an offense to give or to receive training in dangerous substances and so on that could be used for terrorist purposes.

Now, there are some worries in the Muslim community about risks to free speech and so on. Those will be explored with Muslim leaders as well this morning -- Betty.

NGUYEN: But nonetheless, a lot of ideas on the table. Robin Oakley in London. Thank you.

Well, we have told you before about Britain lowering its terror threat level last month, just weeks before the bombing. Now there's an unsettling report about why.

According to "The New York Times," a British terror assessment report issued in mid-June found no group with current intent and capability to attack the country. That led to anti-terror officials to lower the United Kingdom's terrorist threat level from what's called severe defined to substantial. Now, "The Times" says the report found that terror-related activity in the U.K. was connected to violence in Iraq.

And we also told you yesterday that three of the alleged London bombers traveled to Pakistan last year. Well, Pakistani officials tell CNN it was two of the four bombers, not three, who went there.

They flew into Karachi last November and returned to Britain five months before launching their attacks on the London subways and bus systems. Both men were British citizens of Pakistani origin. But it's still not known why they went to Pakistan.

Back here at home, is President Bush backtracking when it comes to the CIA leak investigation? Democrats say he is. Here's what the president said in a news conference yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know all the facts, and I want to know all the facts. The best place for the facts to be done is by somebody who's spending time investigating. I would like this to end as quickly as possible so we know the facts. And if someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now, in earlier comments, the president did not mention the "crime" standard. He said he would take action against anyone who was simply involved in leaking the name of undercover CIA agents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: And -- and, do you stand by your pledge to fire anyone found to have done so?

BUSH: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now, the president will likely face more questions about the CIA leak today. He holds a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. That takes place at 11:50 a.m. Eastern, and of course CNN will bring that to you live.

Still to come in about 20 minutes, the latest chapter in the leak of a CIA operative's identity. A promise from the president and the disappointment of the Democrats. We will explain at the bottom of the hour.

In hour "Business Buzz" a half an hour from now, the rumbling of cattle from Canada as the little doggies head south again.

And later, near the top of the hour, a celebrity icon returns to newsstands. Now, she's no beautiful stranger. We'll show you why.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: In the international markets today they are inching up just a bit. Tokyo's Nikkei is up six points. The London FTSE up five. And the German DAX up nine points.

We have your news, money, weather and sports. The time right now is 5:17 Eastern, and here is what is all new this morning.

Serial bomber Eric Rudolph has been sentenced to life in prison twice. Victims spoke at his sentencing in Alabama, calling him a monster. Rudolph told the court he would one day be "vindicated." Well, time may be running out for the Space Shuttle Discovery. After five days of testing and re-testing, NASA still can't figure out what's wrong with the fuel gauge sensor. This could delay the launch until September. The current launch window closes on July 31.

In money, Fed chairman Alan Greenspan says the economy is coping well despite rising oil prices. Greenspan is expected to delve deeper into the country's economic health during two appearances this week in front of congressional committees.

In culture, some classic dinnerware is on display in Rome. The silver pieces were found during an archaeological dig on the site on the ancient city of Pompeii. Now, you'll remember that Pompeii was wiped out by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius back in 70 AD.

And in sports, Larry Brown's time with the Detroit Pistons may be drawing to an end. The team is negotiating the terms of a contract buyout with its head coach. Larry Brown has led the Pistons to the last two NBA finals, and they won one of them.

Well, anyone in Emily's path is no winner today. Chad Myers joins us now with a look at the forecast.

Hi, Chad.

MYERS: Good morning.

NGUYEN: Well, protecting your privacy in this digital age is a huge concern, particularly with identity theft on the rise. Search engines like Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Jeeves make it incredibly easy for others to gain access to your private information.

Privacy advocates worry that search engines are prime targets for overzealous law enforcers and criminals alike. That's because search engines have your e-mails and instant messages. They know your user name and billing information, plus they know where you go on the Web and even where you drive. Plus, they know a lot more than just that.

Chad, it's kind of frightening just to see what all they really know about us.

MYERS: If they want to know. Do you really think that they have that all that time to look at everybody's thing (ph)?

NGUYEN: Well, but you would think that they would use this information as research to target advertisers. I mean, it's all about the money, right?

MYERS: Well, it could be about advertising, but maybe they can research to find people that are doing bad things, too.

NGUYEN: True.

MYERS: Internet search engines: do you worry about your privacy? I think you should. But if you don't, tell me why. And if you do, tell me why. DAYBREAK@CNN.com, please. Have a couple of e-mail segments coming up here in the next half-hour. E-mail them in quickly -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Got a lot more still to come here on DAYBREAK. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Going to give you some time now for some "Late Night Laughs." David Letterman takes a few jabs at some political hot- button issues. You'll want to take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, "THE LATE SHOW": Here's how hot it is today: it is so hot today that Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove leaked the names Ben and Jerry.

(LAUGHTER)

LETTERMAN: Harry Potter is 17 -- turned 17. And in this adventure he discovers his wand.

(LAUGHTER)

LETTERMAN: Saddam Hussein, it looks like he's getting ready to go on trial. And the United States is confused. We can't decide whether to charge him, put him in court and try him and send him to jail, or just put him back in charge and get the hell out of there. We don't -- we don't know.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Dave will say just about anything.

All right. Time now for our DAYBREAK "Eye Opener."

This rare white alligator -- you have to take a look at this -- is actually evidence of a criminal case, but this is something you don't see that often, a rare white alligator. It was captured by two brothers who say they were trying to save it. But possessing an endangered American alligator is against the law, guys.

White alligators are fairly uncommon. They are similar to albinos, but they have blue eyes. Dark blue, but yet blue.

And here is one you don't see every day, a panda bear stuck in a tree? Actually, this 10-year-old panda was fleeing floodwaters when she became lost and confused. Poor thing. So rescuers planned to shoot the panda with a tranquilizer and then let her fall out of the tree onto a mattress. Yes, great idea.

But you know what? She never fell. She fell asleep. That's what happened. So they had to go up into the tree and get her down.

Well, I guess you could call this a race for people who have really long attention spans. Boy, that's a slow-moving race. As many as 200 snails took part in this race in England.

They were all vying for the silver tankard lettuce. And if you think this competition doesn't have legs, well, it's been going on for 25 years. Not the same race, though, but obviously they have too much time on their hands.

And what you're watching here is the annual Butlers Ball in Munich. About a thousand people gathered at 6:00 in the morning to drink beer for breakfast. The celebration was actually banned in 1904 for lack of morals. And it took more than 80 years until the Butlers Ball reemerged as an annual event.

And here is what is all new in the next half-hour.

Is President Bush changing his tune when it comes to White House leaks? We will tell you what's changed in the past couple of years.

Plus, Gaza. The most contested land in the world has police and protesters together and on edge this morning. We'll tell you why in a live report.

And our e-mail question today. How worried are you about your personal information and privacy with the advent of Internet search engines. Tell us what you think, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: From the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Carol Costello this morning. We'll say good morning to everyone watching today.

Coming up in the next 30 minutes, organizers wanted it to be Israel's largest protest ever, but the buses weren't allowed through. Still, though, the Gaza march goes on.

And Mrs. Guy Ritchie, otherwise known as Madonna, graces the pages of "Vogue." We will bring you a sneak peak.

But first, here's what's happening right "Now in the News."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair opens a summit with Muslim leaders in Britain just about 30 minutes from now. They'll talk about the backlash against Muslims in the wake of those deadly July 7 bombings and how to deal with radical Muslims.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice leaves today for Senegal and Sudan. In Sudan on Thursday, she will visit a refugee camp in the Darfur region. Next week she's in the Middle East to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

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