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Senate's Top Republican Breaking with White House Over Stem Cell Policy; Stunning New Revelation in London Terror Investigation

Aired July 29, 2005 - 07:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Soledad O'Brien. On Capitol Hill, a big announcement from Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist about stem cell research. We've got a live report ahead.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And devastation in India after a record monsoon, massive flooding, mudslides, a stampede, all adding up to more than 700 killed. Those stories ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

S. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome, everybody. It is Friday.

M. O'BRIEN: And we're glad of that.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, we are.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you all.

We start with the shuttle once again this morning. Discovery astronauts using a robotic arm and camera today to get a better look at any possible damage to the orbiter during Tuesday's launch. They're looking at 11 specific spots on Discovery's nose, landing gear, right wing and underside.

NASA is now saying a piece of falling foam may have hit the orbiter after all. Much smaller piece than the one you see there. And if that's true, mission officials say they don't see any damage as a result. Falling foam at liftoff, of course, is what led to Columbia's demise two-and-a-half years ago. NASA remains confident the Discovery crew is safe, and that a rescue mission will not be necessary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAYNE HALE, SHUTTLE DEP. PROGRAM MGR.: I expect on flight day six we're going to get approval to fly home as is, and so that's not even on -- under consideration at this point. We're holding Atlantis in readiness. If we've got to do it, we'll talk. But right now, it doesn't look like we're going to need to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Even with future shuttle flights on hold, NASA says the Shuttle Atlantis could be launched, if needed, on a rescue mission. Coming up, we'll talk with a daughter of one of Discovery's astronauts. We'll also speak with two former NASA engineers about these latest developments -- Soledad. S. O'BRIEN: Now to Washington, where the Senate's top Republican is breaking with the White House over stem cell policy. CNN now confirming that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will say later today, quote, "The president's policy should be modified."

Dana Bash at the White House for us this morning.

Hey, Dana, good morning to you.

What are you hearing?

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Good morning, Soledad.

Well, first of all, this could have an incredibly significant impact on the fate of legislation to lift some of the limits on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. What we're hearing from an aide to Senator Bill Frist is that he will later today give a speech, explaining that he does have a change of heart, that he now opposes the president, the president who wants to retain his strict limits on federal funding, and now supports expanding them.

Now, the Frist aide tells us that Senator Frist called the president last night because he wanted to give him a heads up. He didn't want to, quote, "blindside him." And the aide described the conversation as very good, no hostilities or irritation. The Frist aide said that the senator, of course, is a doctor. He is somebody who considers himself still pro-life. But he has been working for months reading, talking to as many people as possible, thousands of pages of reports before coming to this decision that he thinks it is important in terms of science to have more federal funding for this kind of research -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: So, Dana, obviously, the impact could be to the federal funding at the end of the day. But much bigger impact as well politically, right?

BASH: That's right. Certainly on both. Politically and personally, Senator Frist is a top ally to President Bush, somebody who actually really helped to craft the current law with President Bush four years ago, the current law for the first time allowing federal funding, but certainly on a limited basis.

But also, Soledad, on a practical level, this legislation passed House of Representatives about two months ago. Fifty Republicans voted for it, but it was a veto-proof margin, I should say. Now with the Senate majority leader supporting this, the person who actually controls what happens on the Senate floor, this could have a serious change not only on whether or not this will go through the Senate, we're expecting perhaps in the fall, but also on the number of votes. It is possible, although it certainly will be -- we'll have to wait and see what happens -- that this could change others' votes, and perhaps could change the kind of margin that comes through the Senate, through the House, and gets to the president -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: It will be interesting to see. Dana Bash at the White House for us. And of course, we're going to listen to that announcement when it happens a little bit later this morning.

CNN has also confirmed that President Bush may issue a recess appointment as early as next week to install John Bolton as U.N. ambassador. The U.S. has been without a permanent ambassador since January. Now Democrats say Bolton doesn't have enough experience for the job.

Under the Constitution, the president has a right to make appointments without Senate confirmation when Congress goes into recess. The annual August recess begins after today, and a recess appointment would last until the end of the current Congress, which would wrap up in January of 2007 -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: A stunning new revelation in the London terror investigation. Sources close to the investigation tell us that weeks before the deadly bombings, British authorities refused to let U.S. officials apprehend a man named Haroon Rashid Aswat. Now Aswat is a man now believed to have helped in the July 7th bombings.

Nic Robertson is live outside Scotland Yard.

Nic, first of all, what is the alleged connection to the bombers here?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's not clear because the authorities here aren't saying what that connection is, but he is believed to have made contact with the bombers before their attack on July the 7th.

Now, there is intense speculation here in some of the British newspapers that that contact may have come in the form of telephone calls. The police here are not commenting. The only information really that we're getting from British officials is coming from the foreign office, who confirmed that they are trying to talk with an individual being held by Zambian authorities. And that individual does appear to be Haroon Rashid Aswat. We know the British government wanted to talk to him right after the July 7th bombings, because they told the Pakistani authorities, that if he was in Pakistan, he should be rounded up and they wanted to speak with him. But again, that exactly the nature of why the British authorities think he may be connected with the July 7th bombings hasn't been announced here yet -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: But, Nic, the big question is why would British authorities make it hard for the U.S. authorities to get a hold of Aswat?

ROBERTSON: And that is still a very big question. Why would they do that? Now, we certainly know from past experience the British authorities do not like to extradite people to countries where they fear that person might face the death penalty, and we know that Aswat was wanted in the United States in connection with helping to try and set up a terror training camp in 1999 in Bly, Oregon. Now, that doesn't seem the type of offense that might bring a death penalty upon it. So what would the British authorities' objection have been? The speculation might be that he was linked to some activities here in Britain.

But, again, the police here, as they have been on this case, Miles, they really only talk about the issues that they feel are going to help capture some of the wanted people out there. And just one news note here. We have just heard in the last few minutes that there is, at least according to an eyewitness, a big police operation going on in North London. The police won't confirm that, but an eyewitness saying a big operation going on in north London now -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: You know nothing more than that? That sounds like it might be intriguing.

Nic, you there? I guess we lost Nic.

Well, we'll get back to you and keep you posted on that police operation and give you details as soon as we have them.

In Iraq, two Marines and nine insurgents are reported dead in intense fighting in Anbar province, about 120 miles west of Baghdad. The Marines were on patrol Thursday when attacked. Five Syrian nationals reportedly are among the insurgents killed in an airstrike that followed. Also a U.S. soldier died in a vehicle accident. And in the northern city of Mosul, the capture of a suspected of an Al Qaeda terror cell, no coalition or Iraqi injuries during that operation reported to us -- Soledad..

S. O'BRIEN: The death toll still rising in Western India following record-breaking rainfall. So far 740 people have been killed. Look at these pictures. The city of Mumbai, which was previously called Bombay, was one of the hardest-hit areas. They got 37 inches of rain in just 24 hours, and that triggered massive mudslides and flooding, too. Also 22 people killed in a stampede on Thursday, that following rumors of a collapsed dam from the flooding. Terrible, terrible news there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come, Congress looking to extend daylight saving time by four weeks. We'll look at the economic impact, both good and bad.

S. O'BRIEN: Also, the congressional plan to reduce patient deaths from medical mistakes. We'll find out why some critics say it doesn't have the teeth to work.

M. O'BRIEN: And are families of the Discovery crew worried about their loved ones. An astronaut's daughter will join us. That's next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHARLES CAMARDA, MISSION SPECIALIST: I think that risk is well worth the taking. I think we need to be able to explore. I think space is obviously crucial to the developing of the country, and the nation and also the world. I think the things we learn and the technologies we advance will only help us here on this planet, and that's why I do what I do, and that's why I love doing what I do.

M. O'BRIEN: That was Mission Specialist Charles Camarda, speaking before Tuesday's launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery. His daughter Chelsea Camarda joins me now from Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Chelsea, good morning. Good to see you.

CHELSEA CAMARDA, ASTRONAUT'S DAUGHTER: Thank you for having me.

Must be a little nerve wracking having a dad in space, is it?

CAMARDA: It is, a little bit, yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Tell me about it, have you been up nights worried about him?

CAMARDA: I haven't had an hour of sleep in probably two, three weeks.

M. O'BRIEN: Really? Lots of butterflies.

And I assume you've had a chance to catch a glimpse of him here and there. It looks like he's happy, doesn't he?

CAMARDA: Oh, he's thrilled. This is his dream come true, so I'm really happy for him.

M. O'BRIEN: Have you had a chance to exchange e-mails?

CAMARDA: I haven't had a chance to exchange e-mails with hi, but he should be calling me today and e-mailing me this evening.

M. O'BRIEN: Isn't that great you can get a call from space? How cool is that?

CAMARDA: It's very cool. I'm glad I can at least keep in touch with him while he's up there.

M. O'BRIEN: For him, this is a lifelong dream, isn't it?

CAMARDA: Absolutely.

M. O'BRIEN: What does it mean to him to be up there, do you think?

CAMARDA: The world. He's been wanting to do this since he was a kid, and his dream has finally come true.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, he was inspired by some of the early Mercury astronauts, wasn't he?

CAMARDA: Oh, yes.

M. O'BRIEN: You know, when he talked to me before he left, he talked a lot about you. He said that you're kind of an adventurer as well. Would you ever do it?

CAMARDA: I wouldn't personally do it. It's only cut out for certain people, so he's definitely the person for it.

M. O'BRIEN: Why wouldn't you do it?

CAMARDA: I'm perfectly fine here on Earth, but...

M. O'BRIEN: You're a believer in gravity?

CAMARDA: Absolutely.

M. O'BRIEN: How much have you been following the events of the mission? I assume you have, since you haven't been sleeping. Give us a sense of what your take is. First of all, we saw that foam fall off. What did you think about that?

CAMARDA: Well, at first I thought it might possibly be serious. But I'm pretty confident with NASA, and I don't believe that it's going to harm the crew at all, and I think it's going to be a very safe landing.

M. O'BRIEN: But when you first heard about that, the whole thought of foam falling off that external fuel tank, given what we saw with Columbia, that had to have hit you.

CAMARDA: Oh, it did, it really did. Until I got more information about it from NASA, I began being -- I was more comfortable with the whole situation.

M. O'BRIEN: They've certainly taken a lot of pictures of Discovery, which is good. And the pictures seem to indicate just a few little dings here and there, no serious damage to the heat shield, right?

CAMARDA: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: And that must make you feel a little better.

CAMARDA: A lot better, yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Because really the amount of imagery, the amount of photography that is available is extraordinary, isn't it? Did you expect to see as much of the orbiter going into space and in orbit?

CAMARDA: Well, NASA has done a lot of upgrades onto their cameras and stuff, and they have -- I mean, it's really improved so much, all the images. And they've just done such an excellent job getting all of them, so...

M. O'BRIEN: And also, NASA has announced, because of that foam falling off specifically, that they won't fly further missions until they figure that out. Do you think that's the right decision?

CAMARDA: Yes, I do. I really do think they need to just take a couple years and get, you know, everything aligned straight, how it should be, so they don't risk any of our other astronauts like Columbia.

M. O'BRIEN: Do you think maybe it's time to retire the shuttle now?

CAMARDA: I think it's possible -- I think it's a possibility, but they've said they're not going to retire it until 2010. So they're going to do what they're going to do, so...

M. O'BRIEN: I suspect your dad would hope there will be more shuttle flights.

CAMARDA: Oh, yes. Absolutely.

M. O'BRIEN: What are you going to be doing for the rest of the mission? You going to try to get a little sleep?

CAMARDA: Yes, I'm going to try. And I fly down there on the four, and the landing is the seventh, so...

M. O'BRIEN: I suppose landing day is going to be a tough day, tough morning for you.

CAMARDA: Very. Yes, I just can't wait for him to get home safe.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Chelsey Camarda, thanks for your time. And we wish you well.

CAMARDA: Thank you so much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the controversy over extending the hours of daylight. Why some think a new law is not such a good idea. The whole idea really a moot issue for some Americans. Which of the following U.S. states, in fact, don't observe daylight saving time? Is it Arizona? Is it Indiana? Is it, C, Alaska? We've got the answer when we come back. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: All right, I've been excited waiting for this. The long-awaited energy bill is in, and let's talk about it.

Andy Serwer here "Minding Your Business."

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Miles.

This really is a big deal, and it's five years in the making, and it will impact the average American. First of all, what it won't do is provide relief from high gas prices in the short run. Sorry about that.

M. O'BRIEN: Why not?

SERWER: Because it's this huge bill that sort of addresses meta- issues, and so, you know, trying to get this going is going to be very difficult. Let's talk about some of the things it will do. There are a number of things here to help Americans conserve energy, which actually we will really be looking at very closely over the next couple years. There are going to be tax breaks that if you buy a hybrid car, if you install energy-saving windows, upgrade thermostats, fix leaks, using solar energy even, except solar energy to use to heat a pool. I've got to make that point. It's actually true. And it's going to be extending daylight saving time. We're going to be talking about that coming up on the program very soon. It provides incentives to construct more nuclear power plants. Watch that birdie very closely. It will not be open up the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, a very controversial thing there.

are critics on the left and right aisles, which is usually a good thing on one of these bills. The left is concerned about tax breaks to big energy companies. Also saying it's not doing anything to provide us from not relying on oil, particularly foreign oil, and there are those on the right are concerned it doesn't do enough to open up coastal areas for drilling.

But overall, this is a huge deal for Americans and America, and it will be very interesting to watch as this thing trickles through and then actually impacts our lives.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, lots would say more needs to be done. We'll talk about that later, I guess.

All right, Andy Serwer, thank you -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: And in fact, as Andy mentioned, the energy bill also means that Americans will see more daylight beginning in 2007. If it goes through, as written, our clocks will spring forward three weeks earlier, and then they'll fall back a week later. It's supposed to save energy, but as Chris Huntington tells us, not everybody is convinced.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's dawn at the Dean Crest Dairy Farm in Blairstown, New Jersey. That's just before 6:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Burt Dean's been working for half an hour, and so is their son Bill. Their schedule is set by their dairy cows. Clock time is an afterthought. So they aren't exactly bowled over by the prospect of an extra four weeks of Daylight Saving Time.

BURT DEAN, DEAN CREST DAIRY FARM: I don't think it will make that much difference, really.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It doesn't matter of it's light out or dark out, because the cows have to be milked every 24 hours.

HUNTINGTON (on camera): In the past, farmers opposed daylight saving because it put their sun-driven schedules even more out of sync with everyone else's. These days, modern farmers simply shrug at the notion of extended daylight hours and say that that is unlikely to help them conserve energy.

(voice-over): But Dean's farm, like most, is energy-intensive, no matter what time it is. In fact, long summer days require more power to keep the cows and the milk cool. So extending daylight hours is unlikely to help.

The U.S. airline industry is in a flap, saying the change would put them out of sync with international schedules, create chaos, cost U.S. carriers $150 million a year, and disrupt half a million passengers.

JAMES C. MAY, AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION: They're either going to have sit around airports an hour longer than they are used to sitting around, or they are going to miss their connections altogether.

HUNTINGTON: The most serious objection to extended daylight saving come from parents. The National PTA is confused that four an extra four weeks a year children would wait even longer in the dark for their morning school buses.

The rationale for daylight saving is that it saves energy. Daylight time was first adopted during World War I, primarily to save coal, and again during World War II to save fuel. It was extended in 1974 and '75 to save oil.

Members of Congress pushing the new extension cite a 1975 government study that found extending daylight saving cut U.S. energy consumption by about one percent. That would now be about 200,000 barrels of oil a day based on Energy Department statistics.

David Preraur, who worked on that study, is not so sure its 30- year-old conclusions still hold.

DAVID PRERAUR, AUTHOR, "SIEZE THE DAYLIGHT": That study was comprehensive at the time, and it did find the saving of one percent in energy. And it did not identify any increase in travel. However, of course things may well have changed.

HUNTINGTON: Things have changed. The Department of Energy does not stand by that study and is expected to conduct a new one.

There is one benefit that would definitely come from extending daylight saving, an extra hour of daylight on Halloween. So children can look forward to trick or treating until the cows come home.

Chris Huntington, CNN, Blairstown, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Candy makers everywhere thrilled with the proposal.

The new daylight saving period would last from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. And before the break, you'll recall we asked you, which of the following U.S. states doesn't observe Daylight Saving Time? The answer is -- oh, we were right -- Arizona. Arizona and Hawaii are the only states that stay on standard time all year long.

M. O'BRIEN: Did you know, or did you cheat?

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, I kind of knew, kind of guessed, you know, educated guess.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, still to come on the program, could it be hurry up and wait at some of America's busiest airports? The TSA is changing the way it does things, and travelers could find themselves stuck in the terminal. We'll talk about it ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Get the latest news in your e-mail. Sign up for AMERICAN MORNING Quick News at cnn.com/am.

Still to come this morning, it's supposed to save lives and cut down on medical mistakes. But is the new patient safety bill really tough enough to work? A look at that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in a moment.

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