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CNN Live At Daybreak

Gaza Protests; Lowering the Bar?; Suicide Bombers

Aired July 19, 2005 - 05:29   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen in for Carol Costello this morning. We 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. We'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.

The commission reviewing the military base closings votes today on whether to add more bases to the list. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has proposed closing or reducing troops at 62 major bases in a money-saving move.

CNN is your hurricane headquarters. And Hurricane Emily is gearing up for the homestretch as it moves towards Mexico's mainland.

Let's check in now with Chad Myers to see exactly where Emily is.

Good morning -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Betty.

This storm really has re-intensified overnight, as we knew it would. We'll kind of take a look at the satellite picture. Remember how orange and red it is here. Watch it when it comes off the Yucatan Peninsula, almost dead. Still, 75 miles per hour right there is what the hurricane hunter aircraft found.

But now it has really intensified as it's made its way into the Gulf of Mexico, into much warmer water, a much nicer atmosphere for it, not a lot of wind shearing it apart. Hurricanes like warm water. It's the energy that they use. It's the fuel in their gas tank. Well now they've got good gas going on here.

And this storm is forecast to continue to move toward the northwest. Possibly a slight turn to the left, Brownsville, Texas right there. South Padre Island right there. So if the storm continues and does not make that turn, it'll be up here somewhere very close to Matamoros, certainly an affect for south Texas and even for all of northern Mexico.

And as the storm moves, it's 90 miles per hour here, moving forward, though, a Category 3 at landfall, 115 miles per hour and then dying off in the mountains. Seeing some flooding in the mountains here with all the moisture that it's going to pull in from the Gulf, though. Another big factor of this hurricane will be flooding out there in Mexico.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. And you know they don't need it in Mexico. They don't need it in south Texas.

MYERS: Not anywhere.

NGUYEN: But it's going to gain strength,...

MYERS: Yes.

NGUYEN: ... so that's going to be a big problem here.

MYERS: That's it.

NGUYEN: All right, Chad, thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

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

Want to go to the Mid East now, a massive protest has police in southern Israel on high alert this morning. Thousands of officers have been sent to the area to beef up security ahead of the banned Gaza demonstration march.

CNN's John Vause joins us now with the latest on this march.

Hi -- John.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Betty.

Well there are thousands and thousands of protesters here right now in the small town of Kfar Maymon. It's probably about five miles from the border with Gaza. Police say there could be about 20,000 people here. Organizers say around 50,000. It really is difficult to know a precise number.

Organizers, though, are asking these people here now to send out text messages, to call their family and friends, to try and beef up the numbers here. But right now it's very, very hot, probably about 110 degrees. So the organizers are telling these people to grab some shade, to cool down, to conserve their energy before they head off on this march, which they're determined to do, probably later on this afternoon when things cool down quite significantly in the afternoon.

Now they've set in here. They've brought stockpiles of water, as well as food. They're handing out hats and T-shirts, that kind of thing. They're getting ready for what looks to be like a very, very big protest.

And as you mentioned, Betty, police have been put on high alert. They're on level D, which is just one below a state of war. They have brought in probably around 20,000 Israeli soldiers and police, and they're surrounding this area right now. The official line from the police, they're saying they'll allow people into this town of Kfar Maymon, but they will not allow them to leave.

Now in about 30 minutes or so from now, organizers will meet with the police and with the Israeli army to try and work out some kind of compromise deal. It's difficult to know how they're going to work it out because the organizers say they're determined to march to Gaza later on tonight, maybe get there by Wednesday. The police, on orders from the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, have been told that they are not to reach the Gaza border under any circumstances.

And one of the reasons for that, Betty, is because the authorities fear that if these people actually do reach the border with Gaza, many of them could in fact make a break, try and rush the Jewish settlements. And once inside those settlements, they may dig in and that could delay the evacuation of those 21 settlements in Gaza, could delay it for a couple of weeks -- Betty.

NGUYEN: So, John, it sounds like these peaceful marches have a real possibility of turning violent.

VAUSE: Well what we have seen over the last couple of weeks with these demonstrators, there have been clashes with the Israeli soldiers, there have been clashes with the Israeli police. The organizers of this protest, though, have made it absolutely clear, from their point of view, at least, that they are to make this as non- violent, make this a non-violent protest. There is to be no confrontation with the police, with the Israeli soldiers.

If the police or the soldiers stop them from marching there, just stop where they are and sit on the road and not go any further. That's what's coming from the senior protest organizers. Whether or not that translates into the march which happens later on today, it remains to be seen.

What we have heard from the Israeli government is that there are a number of extremists, a number of radicals in this group who are very, very unpredictable -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right, we will be watching.

John Vause, thank you. Is President Bush lowering the bar when it comes to the CIA leak investigations? The Democrats say he is. It all comes down to what the president said two years ago and what he is saying now.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux explains it all.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the East Room press conference with India's prime minister, President Bush appeared to change his standard of accountability for anyone involved in leaking the name of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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.

MALVEAUX: Previously, Mr. Bush had said that anyone simply involved in such a leak would be fired, which makes this an important distinction for the White House to make now, legal analysts say.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: The president's statement was really a gift to Karl Rove, because he said the only way Rove could lose his job is if it's proved that he committed a crime. And that's months, years off, and probably will never happen.

MALVEAUX: Not so, says the White House spokesman.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: I think that you should not read anything into it more than what the president said at this point.

MALVEAUX: But Democrats say this is further proof that the White House is stonewalling.

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Now the president has moved the goalposts. Americans can understand changing the rules of the game. They don't like it. This apparently is now a whitewash.

MALVEAUX: This distinction between involvement and committing a crime comes after news this weekend that in addition to Karl Rove, Lewis Libby, Vice President Cheney's Chief of Staff, was also named by "TIME" magazine's Matt Cooper as a source.

In the fall of 2003, McClellan said that he had spoken to both Libby and Rove and dismissed their involvement in any leaks as ridiculous.

MCCLELLAN: I spoke with those individuals, as I pointed out, and those individuals assured me they were not involved in this.

MALVEAUX (on camera): Now with White House credibility called into question, Bush administration officials say they are hoping for a speedy investigation and resolution.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: So what do you think? An ABC News poll taken over the past few days asked should Karl Rove be fired if he leaked classified information? Seventy-five percent of Americans responding say yes, while just 15 percent say no. The poll also asked is the White House fully cooperating with the leak investigation? Twenty-five percent say yes, but 47 percent say no. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

News "Across America" now.

An American Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale to San Juan, Puerto Rico made an about-face last night after a passenger found a suspicious note in a crumpled napkin. The note said -- quote -- "bomb, bomb, bomb, meet the parents." The bomb squad searched the plane and the 176 passengers were questioned. The flight arrived in San Juan just about three hours ago, some five hours late.

They are rolling again. The first shipment of Canadian cattle to arrive in the U.S. in two years crossed the border Monday. The border had been closed to Canadian beef after a case of Mad Cow disease was found in Alberta back in 2003. A U.S. federal court overturned an injunction that granted U.S. cattle -- that was granted to U.S. cattle producers.

In New York, surveillance cameras will soon be installed in all of the East River tunnels. There were allegations last week that the subway tunnels were vulnerable to attack. The Metropolitan Transit Authority says plans for placing several dozen security cameras have been in the works for at least a year.

In Alabama, a federal judge sentenced Eric Rudolph to two consecutive life terms in prison yesterday. Rudolph admits to his 1998 bombing of a Birmingham women's clinic. That blast killed an off-duty police officer and maimed nurse Emily Lyons. Now before the sentencing, Rudolph defended the bombing as his moral duty to stop abortions. Afterward, Lyons said Rudolph accomplished very little.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMILY LYONS, BOMBING VICTIM: What I told him, essentially, was that he failed. He didn't shut the clinic down or the one in Atlanta. He did not cause anyone to leave the employment of the clinic and patients either rescheduled or went to another clinic. He made me a mentally stronger person than I have ever been. So he's the one to thank for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: And you can hear more from Emily Lyons when she appears later on "AMERICAN MORNING." That is at 7:00 Eastern, about 90 minutes from now.

Keep an eye on your stuff. That's what London officials are telling people this morning, 12 days after terrorist bombs struck the transit system. London Mayor Ken Livingstone spoke to reporters just this hour, and he had some advice for train and bus riders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR KEN LIVINGSTONE, LONDON: If you think back to the days of the IRA bombing campaign, there were constant train stoppages and people delayed when people had left bags on the Underground. With the end of the IRA campaign and up until the 7th of July, brutally we got back into the position of the pre-IRA campaign of staff just looking in a bag and checking it was all right.

Clearly we're not in a position where we can do that now. So people have got to get back into that, just being much more alert to the amount of packages they have got with them and making sure they take it with them. And of course, if someone sees someone getting off the train leaving a bag, just to remind them and draw their attention to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now in related news, Pakistani officials are confirming that two of London's four suspected suicide bombers traveled together to Pakistan in the year before the attacks. What the pair did in Pakistan and why they went there remains unknown. But more is being learned as to what motivates people to such drastic and deadly action.

From London now, CNN's Matthew Chance has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the weapon of choice in modern terror, fueled by fanaticism, ruthless and effective. And suicide bombing is a growing threat, from 9/11 to Iraq and beyond, a challenge, say experts, explanations, like religious fundamentalism, can only partly explain.

ROBERT PAPE, AUTHOR, "DYING TO WIN": What over 95 percent of all suicide terrorism has in common is not religion, but a specific strategic goal, to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from the territory that the terrorists view as their homeland or prize greatly.

CHANCE: It's a political thread running from Hezbollah, fighting Israeli forces in Lebanon in the early 1980s, to the separatists Tamal Tigers in Sri Lanka, from Palestinian militants in Israel, to Russia's Chechnyan Guerrillas, and the 9/11 attacks, all suicide campaigns designed to pressure governments and to kill.

And the pace has quickened as terrorists have learned that suicide bombers can be precise and evade detection. According to figures compiled by the Rand Corporation, a U.S. think-tank, about three-quarters of all suicide bombings have occurred since 9/11. Countries from Indonesia to India, to Morocco have been targeted. Hundreds have been killed. But one battlefield stands out. About 400 suicide attacks have shaken Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. The suicide-bombing epidemic is focused here.

And Iraq may be cultivating bombers elsewhere, too, like in London, where more than 50 people were killed earlier this month. A new British report by the Chatham House think-tank warns Iraq has become a fresh motive for terrorist attacks.

CHANCE (on camera): Do you think there's a sense in which the war in Iraq is actually quickening the pace of terrorist attacks against Western targets?

RIME ALLAF, CHATHAM HOUSE: Certainly, the war in Iraq, the continuing occupation of Iraq and the chaos in Iraq, has been a catalyst in this global jihad, this global movement of people, pretty much in every country in the world, at least in Western Europe. And even we've seen in the Indian sub-continent and in Asia it has quickened, it has been a catalyst, it has been a boost.

CHANCE (voice over): Not a reason, but an incentive, one that shows little sign of fizzling out. And few doubt suicide attackers of the future may continue to use U.S. foreign policy and that of its allies to justify their acts.

PAPE: So long as there are tens of thousands of American and Western combat forces on the Arabian peninsula, that is in Iraq and other countries in the Persian Gulf, we should expect that suicide terrorism is likely to continue and may well escalate in the future.

CHANCE: And the London attacks may themselves mark a new turning point. Analysts say a new generation of homegrown bombers, born and bred, not in Pakistan or Palestine or Iraq, but in the country they attacked.

Matthew Chance, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And still to come, a recall for one of Nissan's newer vehicles, the specifics in just 10 minutes.

And later, Madonna strikes a pose and talks about her past sins.

First though, here's a look at what else is making news on this Tuesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: We have your news, money, weather and sports. The time right now, 5:46 Eastern. And here is what is all new this morning.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is about to begin a meeting with Muslim community leaders. He wants their help in how best to battle Muslim extremism. We'll continue to follow that. Also, General William Westmoreland has died. Westmoreland was best known for commanding U.S. troops in Vietnam for eight years as both a field commander and the Army Chief of Staff. General Westmoreland was 91 years old.

Now to money, Apple may be ready to polish something new pretty soon. "The Wall Street Journal" reports the company is considering a new type of iPod that plays music videos. That word comes just after Apple announced that iPod owners have downloaded, get this, 500 million songs since the service began two years ago.

And in culture, a recreation of last month's flight -- of the last moments, that is, of Flight 93 will be seen on the fourth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The Discovery Channel will hold a special screening next month for the families of those killed when the hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania. The program will be called "The Flight that Fought Back."

And in sports, wide receiver Tim Brown has officially called it quits. He retires in third place all-time for catches and second all- time in yards. The future Hall of Famer signed a one-day deal with Oakland so he could retire as a Raider. He says his next stop will be as owner of a NASCAR team.

Chad, you love NASCAR, maybe you can head up that team.

MYERS: You know I always think they should have a meteorologist on the team, because half the races are slowed down, or something, by weather.

NGUYEN: Because of weather, right.

MYERS: So, hey, hire me.

Good morning, everybody.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: All right, thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

NGUYEN: Still to come, watching commercials is a thing of the past for most TiVo users, or is it? We'll explain after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Time now for a little "Business Buzz."

Are you one of those who uses TiVo to skip TV commercials? Well that could change. The digital video recorder pioneer is trying to cash in on advertising dollars with new pop-up ads. The new feature fills close to 25 percent of the screen when certain subscribers fast- forward through commercials.

And Nissan is recalling more than 140,000 Murano SUVs made over the past two years. These are new cars. The government says a wire could break in the alternator and that could cut power to the engine causing a crash. Definitely not a good thing.

Time now to get to our e-mail question, Chad. Very interesting today, we're talking about the Internet. Here's the question, Internet search engines: do you worry about your privacy? Because, Chad, as you know, we have to put so much information into those engines to find the information that we want to find. So...

MYERS: Of course, so they know what you're clicking on.

NGUYEN: It seems like they know everything these days.

OK, B.J. (ph) in Vegas writes, I'm not worried about any of it. I'm a 50-year-old woman who touched a computer for the first time in my life just two years ago. I use some free tools that keep my PC safe and running smoothly. I've even built several small Web sites and I have a tech link help site with links to many great free downloads.

So she's not worried at all -- Chad.

MYERS: OK.

NGUYEN: Don't look like you're too worried, either, huh?

MYERS: Dan (ph) in L.A. says, hey, the phone company keeps records on your calls, the food stores a record of your purchases. If you use their discount card, they know exactly what you buy. The cable systems monitor your viewing habits. CNN probably even has a record of your time in and out of work when you scan your entry pass. Search engines are no different and we use them for free. It's no big deal.

NGUYEN: You know I think of that every time I do scan my entry pass they're keeping tabs on me.

All right, here's one that has a different take on it. Linda (ph) in North Carolina writes, I received a telephone call last night for someone that I worked with briefly while attending college. I hadn't seen, nor heard from this person in 28 years. She was able to easily find me via the Internet. It gave me a very unsettled feeling to know that even me, an ordinary person, can be found with just a click of a mouse.

So there you have it, lots of people having different takes on whether they're worried about all the information out there on these Internet search engines. That's our e-mail "Question of the Day." We want to thank you for playing along.

Still ahead in the next hour, ever feel fleeced by your credit card when that monthly bill comes a calling? I know I do. The fees you pay may go higher and higher, as do those bank profits. We'll talk with an expert to find the credit you truly deserve.

And another big weapons find is made in Iraq. We have a live report from our embedded reporter Jane Arraf. That's in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right, we have some "Entertainment Headlines" for you this morning.

Actor Jude Law says he's sorry for having an affair with one of his children's nannies. Law issued a public apology to actress fiancee Sienna Miller after the story broke in British newspapers. Now there has been no comment from Miller just yet. She and Law just became engaged last Christmas.

"Vogue" magazine is focusing on Madonna this month. She is not the sexed-up star she used to be. The 46-year-old singer/actress says she spends more time with her two children than she does performing. She's been married for almost five years now. So instead of collecting boyfriends, the 'Material Girl' collects art. She tells "Vogue" that when she made "Truth or Dare" back in 1991, remember that, that she was -- quote -- "a very selfish person."

And you can get more entertainment news every night on "ShowBiz Tonight." That's at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on Headline News.

The next hour of DAYBREAK begins in just 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: It is Tuesday, July 19.

Right now, Britain is reaching out to its Muslim community. Tony Blair tries to bring more Muslims into the mainstream, but is he just swimming against the current? We'll go across the pond for that.

Plus, the lowdown on the high court, could today be the day that President Bush makes his Supreme Court choice?

And Emily is about to take what could be its final shot, and people in south Texas are running for cover.

From the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen in for Carol Costello this morning.

Hi, everyone.

Chad Myers will have your forecast in just a moment.

Also ahead, have you noticed your credit card payments going up lately? What's behind the trends in plastic?

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