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CNN Live At Daybreak

Standing Firm; Going Nowhere Fast; Border Patrol

Aired August 12, 2005 - 05:00   ET

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It's Friday, August 12. Oh, what a headache at Heathrow. A caterers' strike on the ground. The London airport, well, firmly on the ground.
Walking a hard line in Crawford. President Bush isn't budging when it comes to withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq.

And getting ready to sniff out trouble. The growing demand for workers in dangerous situations. And these four-legged workers never call in sick.

Good morning from the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Carol Costello.

We'll have more on the chaos at Heathrow in a moment.

Also ahead, filling up your tank and emptying out your wallet, what can be done about high gas prices.

And fans of Cheech and Chong comedies may be surprised to know that Cheech Marin is very serious about his art. We'll take a look.

But first, "Now in the News."

It's a mess at London's Heathrow Airport. British Airways have canceled all departing flights until this evening. A strike by workers at a food service company and a supporting walkout by ground staff led to the cancellations. We'll take you live to Heathrow in about 10 minutes.

George and Jennifer Hyatte have an extradition hearing this morning in Columbus, Ohio. Tennessee wants the two returned to face murder charges related to the prison inmate's courthouse escape.

Wildfires are burning in more than a dozen western states. Washington State's governor declares a wildfire emergency to bring up more resources to fight several fires. Some have been sparked by lightning.

And Chad, good morning to you.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Fred.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Chad.

MYERS: You bet.

WHITFIELD: President Bush says he's not bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq anytime soon. He says doing that would "send a terrible signal to the enemy."

Our Elaine Quijano is in Crawford, Texas, near the president's ranch, with more on the president's stance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At the annual Crawford gathering of his defense and foreign policy teams, President Bush continued to defend his Iraq strategy and made clear he thinks the Iraqis can meet a deadline next week to put together a draft constitution.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm operating on the assumption that it will be agreed upon by August the 15th.

QUIJANO: The president says the constitution is a critical step, a benchmark showing Iraqis are moving ahead. And he insisted U.S. forces are succeeding in training Iraqis to handle their own security.

BUSH: As Iraqis stand up, we will stand down.

QUIJANO: But a CNN "USA-Today"-Gallup poll shows 56 percent of people said they believe things are going badly for the U.S. in Iraq. Cindy Sheehan is one of them. Her son Casey was killed in Baghdad last year. And she wants U.S. troops out immediately.

She's camping out a few miles from the president's ranch until she can tell him in person.

CINDY SHEEHAN, MOTHER: He's on vacation here for five weeks. I don't understand why he can't take an hour to speak with somebody whose life he has devastated.

BUSH: Listen, I sympathize with Mrs. Sheehan. And I thought long and hard about her position.

I've heard her position from others, which is get out of Iraq now. And it would be a -- it would be a mistake for the security of this country and the ability to lay the foundations for peace in the long run if we were to do so.

QUIJANO (on camera): Despite reports about plans to reduce troop levels in Iraq, President Bush says no decisions have been made. And as he said before, the president says he looks to his commanders on the ground for recommendations.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, Crawford, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Let's go live now to Baghdad for reaction to the president's comments on Iraq, the insurgents, and the difficulties coming up with a constitution in Iraq.

Our Aneesh Raman is in Baghdad for more on that.

Hello to you, Aneesh.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Good morning, Fredricka.

The president making a couple of points there. First saying that he's under the assumption the Iraqis will have their constitution written by Monday. That is, of course, also the working assumption here on the ground in the capital. But a huge potential hurdle emerging yesterday.

Shia leaders in the south calling for an autonomous region there similar to what the Kurds have in the north. Now, that brought immediate opposition from the Sunni minority, as well as from Shiites within the government. That group including the prime minister. They feel that two autonomous regions in Iraq would greatly weaken the country as a whole.

And also, Fredricka, there's the issue of revenue, money in Iraq. The oil is in the north and in the south. So if you have these autonomous regions, do they get the vast majority of the revenue, or does it go throughout the country?

So they continue meeting. They met last night at the president's house again to try and hash out these issues and try and get things resolved by Monday, but the time is running out. The chance for compromise is as well. So the big breakthrough could come any day, or, essentially, what the could do, Fredricka, is sideline these issues, make the constitution vague and deal with them next year.

Now, the president also raising the issue of Iraqi security forces, his constant refrain that the U.S. will stand down when the Iraqis stand up. We're told currently on the ground by the military there are some 170,000 trained and equipped Iraqi security forces, but only a fraction of them are doing independent operations.

Now, this is moving as fast as it possibly can, we're told. The military says they don't want a rush to failure. There is just the reality on the ground that makes it incredibly difficult to train these Iraqis at a speed where they can start taking on some of the security by themselves -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Aneesh, it seems there's no letup on the violence with the insurgency. Yet another U.S. fatality overnight.

RAMAN: Yes. A couple of incidents to tell you about that took place very early this morning local time.

First, two U.S. soldiers were wounded after their Apache helicopter crashed near the town of Kirkuk. That's north of the capital. Both of them are being treated now in the hospital. The crash itself under investigation.

And then, as you say, a U.S. soldier killed near Tikrit after a roadside bomb detonated. It brings to 45, Fredricka, the number of U.S. military personnel killed here since August 1 -- Fredricka.

All right. Thanks so much, Aneesh, from Baghdad.

Now, with the death of that U.S. soldier overnight, the death toll of U.S. troops overall in Iraq has now grown to 1,843.

News "Across America" this morning.

A California man goes before a judge in Manhattan this morning. Police say 59-year-old Vernon J. Welker (ph) was arrested after trying to enter a United Nations parking garage with a pistol, a rifle, and more than 200 rounds of ammunition and a large knife. Welker (ph) faces weapons possession charges. A detective says Welker (ph) did not say he had the weapons.

A traffic stop turned into a gun battle in suburban Atlanta, outside a post office. A police officer was killed, then the gunman ran into that post office, where workers fled. A two-hour standoff ended when the gunman killed himself.

Monsignor Eugene Clark has resigned as director of New York St. Patrick's Cathedral. The Catholic priest was named in divorce papers filed by the husband of Laura DeFilippo, the monsignor's secretary. The woman's husband said a private investigator videotaped his wife and the monsignor at a hotel on Long Island.

Crude oil prices hit a new high today, more than $66 a barrel. That's nearly 50 percent higher than a year ago. And I know you're feeling it at the pumps.

Gasoline futures also jumped. The average price of a gallon of regular costs $2.37. A senior government energy analyst says gas supplies should be enough to meet demand through the Labor Day holiday, but there's likely to be more price hikes.

Chad, what do you think about that?

MYERS: So, I guess our e-mail "Question of the Day" wants to know -- we want to know, what are you doing, basically, about these high prices? And what really can be done?

I just went out and ordered more insulation for my attic because I know these oil prices, even though it's natural gas I heat my house with, I know they're going to be higher this winter. So maybe I can save a little by insulating a little bit better.

What should be done about the gas prices? I'm not talking about, oh, we should boycott getting gas on Monday. Because, you know what? You've got to get gas on Tuesday, anyway, if you don't get it on Monday. So who cares about all those things.

DAYBREAK@CNN.com. What can we really do about these gas prices, park the big SUVs? Maybe -- maybe even -- what we're thinking about...

WHITFIELD: Walk? MYERS: Walk?

WHITFIELD: Bike?

MYERS: We're thinking about picking up trash once every other week instead of every week so these big trucks don't have to drive around so much.

WHITFIELD: Carpool.

MYERS: Give me -- give me some of your ideas.

WHITFIELD: Some of my suggestions.

MYERS: Carpool. What do you think? Ah, find a subway, find a train.

WHITFIELD: Carpooling. It's funny how those carpool lanes are never as filled up as they ought to be. They're always empty.

MYERS: And it's funny how the trains run whether they're empty or full. So they might as well be full.

WHITFIELD: All right. Chad, thanks so much.

MYERS: All right.

WHITFIELD: Coming up, it's a logjam -- make that people jam at Europe's biggest airport. We'll go live to London's Heathrow Airport to see who's going where. Nowhere, actually. Nowhere fast.

Playing hide and seek. It may look like a game, but for these border dogs it's all work, and not much time off at all.

And we get a look at the art of Cheech. It's the other side of Cheech Marin you may not know a whole lot about.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Time to check international markets. They are down slightly. Japan's Nikkei closes down a point and a half. Britain's FTSE is trading down 10 points. And the German DAX is down six points.

Thousands of airline passengers are stranded at London's Heathrow Airport after British Airways canceled all of its departing flights. The chaos all started over a labor dispute.

CNN's Richard Quest joins us now from Heathrow, where folks, I imagine, Richard, are fuming mad.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is both fuming mad and quiet resignation, because what is happening here at Heathrow is pretty disastrous for those who are either going on holiday or trying to return. There are thousands of people in this sort of situation. They have basically been told B.A. will not be flying pretty much until tonight, if at all today.

And why is this significant, particularly for the United States? Because B.A. is the largest carrier to America. With over 40 flights a day between the U.S. and London Heathrow, B.A. is considered to be -- it is a crucial market.

Now, one of those passengers who had hoped to go home today is Mary from Virginia.

Good morning to you.

MARY HENDERSON, VIRGINIA: Good morning.

QUEST: Well, it's not a good morning, really, is it?

HENDERSON: A little frustrating.

QUEST: What have they told you?

HENDERSON: Just what's on the television. We can't get through to any of the numbers that they've posted, can't get through on the Internet. It says the site's not available. So we thought we would just come down here and see what we could do about getting put onto another airline.

And I was given a little number here. And...

QUEST: Now, this is -- don't underestimate this. This number is quite important. It's a -- it means she's the 182nd person to get in the terminal.

The terminal behind us is full.

HENDERSON: Yes. And they told me it would be one to two hours just with that number, just to get into the terminal.

QUEST: And I can tell you it's about another four hours in there.

HENDERSON: Yes. So...

QUEST: Keep that safe. What are you going to do?

HENDERSON: Well, luckily, our hotel was very gracious and they extended us another night. So my luggage and everything is at the hotel. So I'm in better shape than a lot of people. At least I have a place to sleep tonight, and I have my luggage.

So if I can't get out until tomorrow, it just delays, you know, my pickup. And I just have to get a hold of everybody in the states to pick me up.

QUEST: On the business side of this, what you were saying to me earlier, Mary, is really quite crucial about when you next come to travel.

HENDERSON: I will definitely think twice about flying B.A., because I -- after hearing now this has been almost the third summer in a row for slowdowns like this, it's just not worth the hassle. I think I'll fly another airline.

QUEST: All right. Many thanks, indeed.

HENDERSON: Thank you.

QUEST: We wish you well in -- well...

HENDERSON: Thank you -- thank you for the information. I think I'll try that.

QUEST: Oh, not at all. 182.

HENDERSON: Yes.

QUEST: All right.

HENDERSON: Thank you.

QUEST: Mary joining us here at Heathrow.

So the message seems to be, if you are flying from the U.S. to Britain on British Airways, you are going to have serious trouble. But, let me -- let me put this into perspective, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes?

QUEST: The other airlines, the other two big U.S. carriers, United and American, who come into Heathrow, they are flying normally, as is Virgin and BMI. And, of course, Delta, Continental, Northwest, all of whom -- and U.S. Airways, all of whom go into London Gatwick, they are also flying normally.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right, Richard. Now, Mary is number 182, right? That was what her ticket said in order to get inside the terminal, which means she has no food service access, she has no restroom access. And unless you are lucky enough to have an international, you know, card on your cell phone, you don't have access to a pay phone either to even call any of those numbers that B.A. is recommending, right?

QUEST: Well -- well, yes and no.

WHITFIELD: OK.

QUEST: She does have restroom access.

WHITFIELD: Yes?

QUEST: No, it's behind me. And there's a long line waiting to use it.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my.

QUEST: She does have food access. There are smoked salmon bagels being handed out there.

WHITFIELD: A little kiosk.

QUEST: And there's about -- in that market marquee behind me, a big marquee, there's about 300, 400 people in there.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my.

QUEST: And she does have phone access, because I'm going to lend her my cell phone.

WHITFIELD: Oh, aren't you a gentleman. That's very kind of you. Well, thankfully, it's not raining, at least for now.

Richard Quest at Heathrow. Thanks so much.

QUEST: That I can tell you...

WHITFIELD: Go ahead, tell me.

QUEST: ... possible. Possible.

WHITFIELD: Well, of course it is possible. It's London.

QUEST: Well, it's threatening. The clouds are threatening.

WHITFIELD: All right. And the gentleman that you are, I know you'll extend your umbrella to Mary if it does come down.

Thank you.

He didn't comment on that. What does that mean? Not verbally.

All right. Your news, money, weather and sports. It is now 18 minutes after the hour, and here's what's all new this morning.

An extradition hearing is planned this morning for the couple accused of killing a prison guard during a courthouse escape in Tennessee. George and Jennifer Hyatte were arrested in Columbus, Ohio, Wednesday night.

Washington lobbyist and GOP fund-raiser Jack Abramoff is due in federal court in Los Angeles today. A Florida grand jury has indicted him on fraud charges stemming from a deal five years ago to buy a Florida casino boat.

In money, crude oil prices hit yet another record high today. It's now above $66 a barrel. The increase comes amid fears gasoline supplies won't be able to keep up with demand.

In culture, Grammy-winning producer Pharrell Williams tops "Esquire's" list of best-dressed men in the world, barely edging out Brian Bell (ph), of course, our executive producer. He's always so dashing. "Esquire" compliments Williams for his knack of mixing fine tailoring with the baggy hip-hop style.

In sports, the Tiger Woods juggernaut has derailed the PGA championship. He's not out, but he's not doing so good either. Errant T shots left Woods with a five over par, 75, or eight shots back, if you want to look at it that way. Phil Mickelson, at three under, is in a six-way tie for the lead.

Six-way tie, Chad.

MYERS: Yes, three under. Actually, I didn't see anybody tearing up the course yesterday, but I certainly saw Tiger just not play well. Not his best, for sure. '

He just kept shaking it off. He just -- he didn't have that head in it like sometimes he can. But you know what? He's got three days to come back. I think we'll see him on the leader board before you know it.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Thanks a lot, Chad.

MYERS: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Well, time now for a CNN "Security Watch."

Knowing how to sniff out drugs and stowaways is an important part of protecting our borders. But as CNN's Jeanne Meserve reports, some of those called to duty think it's one big game.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILLY ROSS, U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION: Come on. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.

JEANNE MESERVE, HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Kyra (ph), a Belgian Malinois, searching for drugs is a game of hide-and-seek, with play and praise as a prize.

ROSS: Stay. Oh, good girl! That's my baby!

Play with this towel, play a big -- good game with her. And that makes her want to work some more. This here -- I mean, we could do this all day. She would never get tired, you know? Never get tried.

MESERVE: Kyra (ph) has learned to search out concealed humans, as well as drugs, during a 13-week course at the Customs and Border Protection Canine Enforcement Training Center in Front Royal, Virginia.

ROSS: Stay.

MESERVE: Soon, she and her handler, Billy Ross, will be helping guard the nation's southern border.

ROSS: I would rather have this one than another human for a teammate. I mean, we work so good together. And I don't have to worry about him calling in sick.

You know, he's always there. He's always with me. Whenever I need something, he's there.

MESERVE: Not every dog is cut out for this work. Sometimes good candidates are found in animal shelters, with the help of a tennis ball.

KENT WAGER, CANINE TRAINING ENFORCEMENT CENTER: I'm just looking for that dog in that animal shelter that's strictly looking at that tennis ball. Could care less about me, could care less about -- they want to come out and play. They want to retrieve.

MESERVE: Fetch with a simple rolled towel is the foundation for training. When a small bag of marijuana is attached, a dog associates the smell with play and wants more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

MESERVE: After only seven days, dogs are sniffing out marijuana in packages. Over time, their repertoire will expand.

The dogs learn to distinguish a driver or passenger in a vehicle from someone hiding inside by getting a towel reward for ferreting out the stowaway.

(on camera): Since 9/11, the demand for dogs appropriate for training has become so great that Customs and Border Protection has begun breeding its own.

(voice-over): So far, the program has produced more than 21 litters, each one so precious that a closed-circuit camera monitors an expectant mom 24 hours a day.

WAGER: I would say there's never enough dogs ever -- ever.

MESERVE: Never enough because of what they produce on the job. Last year alone, seizures of more than a million pounds of narcotics, and more than 40,000 concealed humans.

ROSS: Good girl.

MESERVE: Billy Ross will tell you a dog is better than any detection machine.

ROSS: These guys don't break down. We have machines on base, and they break down. And, you know, if it rains or if it's lightning, sometimes the machines don't pick up stuff. These guys (INAUDIBLE) always welcome -- always welcome.

MESERVE: And what a bargain. All they need is training, food, and a whole lot of love.

ROSS: Good girl. Let's go home. Let's go.

MESERVE: For CNN's America Bureau, Jeanne Meserve, Front Royal, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

And word just into CNN Britain says it has barred radical Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed from returning to the country. The cleric left London last week for Lebanon. British officials say the cleric faced possible charges for comments in the wake of the July 7 bombings that killed 52 people in London's transit system.

Still to come this morning, we'll go live to Gaza, where many Jewish settlers are getting ready to leave and Palestinians are preparing to celebrate this historic event.

You're watching DAYBREAK for Friday, August 12.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MYERS: Ah, the e-mail "Question of the Day."

Tim from Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, says, "In May, I parked my truck with half a tank of gas, bought a bike, lost 10 pounds and dropped my cholesterol."

So we want to know, what are you doing about gas prices? What are you doing to save some energy? What should be done about this slide?

You saw it today, $2.58 a gallon of gas. I'm sure in some spots it's higher than that.

WHITFIELD: Right.

MYERS: DAYBREAK@CNN.com. Let us know what you think.

WHITFIELD: Well, time now for our DAYBREAK "Eye Opener."

Take a look at this, frozen dumpling. Jesus, you might say? Well, indeed, that's what Donna Lee (ph) of Point Place, Ohio, said when she saw it.

Well, actually, it's a pierogi, a Polish dumpling. And Lee baked it last Easter. And guess what? Like everything else, it's for sale on eBay. Starting price, $500.

MYERS: That's pretty cool.

WHITFIELD: Well, meet Boomer. Having a wee bit of beer at the Comet Inn (ph). Oh, yes, that's the kangaroo.

MYERS: Is that a marsupial?

WHITFIELD: Sort of, kind of. Well, owner Kathy Noble (ph) found it as a baby, and it's been a regular at the bar ever since it developed a taste for the brew at a very early age. It took.

MYERS: That's a movie waiting to be made out of that.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

And then there's Anmar Madan (ph) and his jerk-o-meter. Any guesses on what a jerk-o-meter is?

MYERS: No idea.

WHITFIELD: Well, Madan (ph) is pursuing a master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. And so he led the research on this jerk-o-meter, and apparently it analyzes speech patterns and voice tones to figure out whether the folks on the other end of your conversation are actually interested in what you have to say.

MYERS: OK.

WHITFIELD: How about that?

MYERS: I guess you could probably come up with some kind of a speech pattern when you can -- when you're on the phone with somebody...

WHITFIELD: Oh, when you're faking it?

MYERS: ... like a salesman going, "OK, yes. Yes. OK. See you. Got to go. Bye."

WHITFIELD: That's right. Well, he plans to make a little money off that.

MYERS: All right.

WHITFIELD: So watch what you say, and to whom you say it.

MYERS: Right.

WHITFIELD: And here's what's all new in the next half-hour.

Who knew Cheech Marin is a major art buff. Well, especially when you look at that clip. It looks like he was smoking something. We'll take a look at his private collection.

That's straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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